Sphere grid VS Licence board

[scrumpleberry]

The license board really annoyed me for some reason, but I didn't play very much of XII so perhaps I just needed to play with it a bit more.

[sir helix]

sphere grid-
no contest

[Bolivar]

Ha, NOOBS! EXPERT FFXII players put it on Active at the fastest setting, because if you're really a PRO, you'll know exactly how the battles in a given location will play out with no deviation.

As far as battles systems, you have to consider what the system actually is and how wel it's done.

To be fair to X, there is a fair amount of customization along the way a character's progression. There are plenty of side clusters of nodes where you can decide to deviate, then get back on the main path, or continue and not waste spaces. Much like FFIX, you may not be able to decide what class your character is, but you have a lot of freedom to decide what kind of warrior/b. mage/thief/etc your character will be.

Also, there are enough times where you can actually just switch classes completely, depending on what Key Spheres you have. My only complaint about the system is how scarce those are.

I'm slightly more inclined to License's, but there's enough flaws in it. Augments and techniques were horribly grouped. Sure, phys augments are on the bottom, with mage augments on top, but that's as differentiated as it gets. A thief will have to take basically the same path as a warrior, and getting every useless augment along the way. Not to mention that so far into the game, you might as well have every character get every augment. So much for customization...

techniques are even worse, it's like the game created a "technique class" route. Instead of getting the techs you need for a warrior (Str/Int/Spr/Def <---Break), those are so far down that you have to go through every useless mage, geomancer, whatever technique just to get it. To get this at any reasonable time in the game, you basically have a Warrior who sacrificed equipment, stat boost, and ability licenses just so he could have the Breaks. It doesn't get much worse than that.

[Wolf Kanno]

Ha, NOOBS! EXPERT FFXII players put it on Active at the fastest setting, because if you're really a PRO, you'll know exactly how the battles in a given location will play out with no deviation.

As far as battles systems, you have to consider what the system actually is and how wel it's done.

To be fair to X, there is a fair amount of customization along the way a character's progression. There are plenty of side clusters of nodes where you can decide to deviate, then get back on the main path, or continue and not waste spaces. Much like FFIX, you may not be able to decide what class your character is, but you have a lot of freedom to decide what kind of warrior/b. mage/thief/etc your character will be.

Also, there are enough times where you can actually just switch classes completely, depending on what Key Spheres you have. My only complaint about the system is how scarce those are.

I'm slightly more inclined to License's, but there's enough flaws in it. Augments and techniques were horribly grouped. Sure, phys augments are on the bottom, with mage augments on top, but that's as differentiated as it gets. A thief will have to take basically the same path as a warrior, and getting every useless augment along the way. Not to mention that so far into the game, you might as well have every character get every augment. So much for customization...

techniques are even worse, it's like the game created a "technique class" route. Instead of getting the techs you need for a warrior (Str/Int/Spr/Def <---Break), those are so far down that you have to go through every useless mage, geomancer, whatever technique just to get it. To get this at any reasonable time in the game, you basically have a Warrior who sacrificed equipment, stat boost, and ability licenses just so he could have the Breaks. It doesn't get much worse than that.

While I agree on most of the faults of the License Board you made, I don't feel its as big of a deal as you let on.

At least in XII, you can choose to take advantage of the augments and skills you learn. Its not like Basch having a few spells or magick augments is really going to affect him if you set him up as a Berzerker using a greatsword. Yes, it may be hard to create perfect classes with absolutely no temptation of making clones; but the system was also designed so you can change around character classes on the fly using anyone. Just like X-2, except without the over-elaborate transformation scenes.

I disagree with the comment on the Sphere Grid concerning the option of going down slight paths in the Sphere Grid for customization purposes. Cause most of those paths are short, and cannot drastically change your character. Who would pass up the stat upgrades?

[Depression Moon]

I liked them both.

but they both could have also been done better.

[LunarWeaver]

I liked the Sphere Grid better. I enjoy being forced into a specific job. It made me excited to look ahead and see abilities, or even stat nodes like +4 to strength. You could really see the difference when you activated one of those. Gave me motivation <3 It also gave the player control over the difficulty and spawned a lot of challenges.

The License Board is nice. I wasn't a fan of all the invisible action jackson it pulled, but it was easy enough to figure out where was what, I guess. Personally I felt XII pressured the player to make everyone exactly the same, though. I lack the willpower to force myself into making each character unique. I am a weak soul ;_;

[Iceglow]

In my opinion the sphere grid is way more refined than the Liscence board, mostly because it was so easy to complete the liscence board whilst just doing the main quest and sub quest routine.

The sphere grid however gave a different challenge the only character which truly misses out on a defined career is the blue mage Kimarhi at the start of the game on standard he's in the centre with very few options, by the time you work your way to the moonflow however and have a level 1 lock for him to exit his area the only real decision left to you is "who will he follow?" Normally I'd say Wakka or Lulu thus allowing you to enter Auron's section immediately afterwards for some much needed str upgrades.

I didn't like the advanced sphere grid even though it had more blank nodes thus making it easier in the end game to max stats it put most of your chars following the same path early on booo!

I'd have to say however my favourite stat system of all time was the Final Fantasy VIII Junction system because it was so fluid and there was no such thing as ribbon equipment which made training in stat heavy areas was a difficult choice of what to guard against.

[Bolivar]

I disagree with the comment on the Sphere Grid concerning the option of going down slight paths in the Sphere Grid for customization purposes. Cause most of those paths are short, and cannot drastically change your character. Who would pass up the stat upgrades?

Someone who doesn't have that level key sphere, someone who wants to get spells/abilities faster, there's plenty of reasons I could come up with off the top of my head. Just because something isn't as extensive as you want it to be, doesn't mean it's not there.

And your comment about License problems not being that big of a deal - it obviously depends on the player. Not being able to create a basic knight, or just a simple idea you have with a few abilities, without getting tons of LP to plow through unwanted and unnecessary licenses, could definately be a big deal to someone.

I have to agree with Iceglow that the Sphere grid is definately the more refined, or in my words, better thought out and executed of the two. But I agree with him again, VIII probably has my favorite system, literally no restrictions.

[Wolf Kanno]

I disagree with the comment on the Sphere Grid concerning the option of going down slight paths in the Sphere Grid for customization purposes. Cause most of those paths are short, and cannot drastically change your character. Who would pass up the stat upgrades?

Someone who doesn't have that level key sphere, someone who wants to get spells/abilities faster, there's plenty of reasons I could come up with off the top of my head. Just because something isn't as extensive as you want it to be, doesn't mean it's not there.

And your comment about License problems not being that big of a deal - it obviously depends on the player. Not being able to create a basic knight, or just a simple idea you have with a few abilities, without getting tons of LP to plow through unwanted and unnecessary licenses, could definately be a big deal to someone.

I have to agree with Iceglow that the Sphere grid is definately the more refined, or in my words, better thought out and executed of the two. But I agree with him again, VIII probably has my favorite system, literally no restrictions.

I don't consider the Sphere Grid thought out, not bad so much as I just feel its kinda unnecessary at points. But this has more to do with the fact that the real meat of the system is designed specifically for optional content that I feel is not worthwhile while the lackluster part gets you through most of the story. Its just one of many things that bothered me about X. I do agree that I like the Junction system alot, as unbalanced as it is. I'm a Job Class person myself (FFV/FFT)

[Karellen]

Square should just give up on these wacky ability systems and go back to something simple like the attribute/proficiency system in DQVIII or Fallout. The more complex they make these games the easier it is to break them left right and center.

[Wolf Kanno]

Square should just give up on these wacky ability systems and go back to something simple like the attribute/proficiency system in DQVIII or Fallout. The more complex they make these games the easier it is to break them left right and center.

But that's part of the fun Karrellen. I usually look forward to the new systems cause it keeps the series fresh and exciting.

[Iceglow]

I would still like to see something done similar to the FFIX system again that really was quite awesome or the FFX-2 system (incredibly similar just with no equipment changes when it comes to weapons) they worked really well. I think the liscence board wolf kammo suggested would have worked better but in a sense then it'd been very much just like FFIX but with the freedom to set up a character as you wish.

[Wolf Kanno]

IX's system is ok, I really dislike how it was implemented into the FFTA series though. I would have liked X-2's better if they toned down the useless relics like the Fire Ring that grants you the ability to cast Fire1 only. I also disliked the Garment Grids and their bonuses. For a game that supposedly offered a faster battle system they made you do alot of tedious things in battle. Still, it would be nice to see the system again if they fix some of the more tedious aspects about it.

Personally, I want to see FFT's version of the Job class implemented onto a game. XII's system showed we could even do the movement abilities as well.

[champagne supernova]

I prefer the Sphere Grid to the License Board. One of the reasons is that the Sphere Grid was more integrated - it was levelling up and abilities combined. I think it looked nicer too.

But the License Board is also really cool. They're both very good. I just slightly prefer the Sphere Grid.

[the AJman]

I'm going with the License Board, it just offers greater flexability than the Sphere Grid. As others said, with the Sphere Grid your fairly confined to a specific path for most of the game. It isn't until around the point you get the airship that you get the apropriate spheres to develop your characters the way you want to. Even at that point you still can't pick what weapons and equipment you can use, though since most of the Final Fantasies since the PS era started don't allow you to pick their weapons that isn't a big deal for me.

License Board on the other hand gives me complete free reign to do what ever the h*ll I want with the characters. I can make any characters any job class, I can deviate from the jobs classes and make characters with just flat out crazy set ups, or I can make my characters walking demolition crews and complete the board, its all up to me. I can pick and weapon, armor, and accessory with any character. This is easily one of my three favorite development systems (with materia and the job class system from Tactics up there with it).

Don't get me wrong, I like the Sphere Grid, X is easily one of the only RPGs I actually like to grind in and its all because for some sick and weird reason I like having my characters traverse the Sphere Grid. However, I just love the flexibility of the License Board a lot more, when I play RPGs I like to have quite a bit of flexibility with how I develop my characters, and XII's offers more than X's in that regard.