So.... about combat

[Tenchuu Khan]

I find it really enjoyable at times to switch around with characters pulling off different things, especially in the final battle against Sephiroth - played it on PS4 since release and just got it again for PC, to sort that out.

It's just that, I get the feeling that it's as if the mob designer worked against the combat system designer to show why it sucks compared to the original turn-based system.
For some enemies you had to be really clever in terms of what materia you use and that just doesn't work when you can't cast materia without having to basic attack first.

This is a really dumb discrepancy.
And I really don't understand why, god why - can't I cast materia or throw items which cost me anyway, I have to basic attack first.
This is only occasionally an issue in fights but when it happens, it's so dominant that I really wonder if Sake tasted bitter that night.

It's as if someone said - hey we want to look combat as awesome as it does in Advent Children, but also make enemies that need strategy.... this works for boss battles but it happens in random encounters as well and this really sucks.

[Krypto]

It's because you need to use basic attacks to build up ATB first, then you can use that built up ATB to cast spells, or use abilities and items.

If you could just cast spells all the time, any balance the combat had would be broken.

It isn't dumb at all. It's about balance.

[Tenchuu Khan]

Originally posted by Krypto:

f you could just cast spells all the time, any balance the combat had would be broken. /quote]
And why would that be?

[Tenchuu Khan]

Somehow I quoted you wrong so it looks like you said that - either way


What you said - why would it be that it off-balances the combat system if you could cast any time?

[Krypto]

Originally posted by Tenchuu Khan:

Originally posted by Krypto:

f you could just cast spells all the time, any balance the combat had would be broken. /quote]
And why would that be?

You're the one complaining about it, not me. I'm just telling you WHY it's like that.

[Krypto]

Originally posted by Tenchuu Khan:

Somehow I quoted you wrong so it looks like you said that - either way


What you said - why would it be that it off-balances the combat system if you could cast any time?

Because spells like firaga can stun lock enemies and bosses in place, so much so they wouldn't be able to move.

[SHINRA-CORP]

Skill issue

[Tenchuu Khan]

If you want skill, I ran through Elden Ring on a level 1 run with nothing but a buckler and a club and beat the first two bosses.
Can you do the same?

I enjoy the combat system, but it's so centered about looking great that it screws up fights that should be more about tactics - and tactics are super screwed in the system - that's my point

[Krypto]

Originally posted by Tenchuu Khan:

If you want skill, I ran through Elden Ring on a level 1 run with nothing but a buckler and a club and beat the first two bosses.
Can you do the same?

I enjoy the combat system, but it's so centered about looking great that it screws up fights that should be more about tactics - and tactics are super screwed in the system - that's my point

Building up ATB through normal attacks and then using the right magic for the correct weakness, is a tactic - one that works extremely well.

[Tenchuu Khan]

Originally posted by Krypto:

Originally posted by Tenchuu Khan:

If you want skill, I ran through Elden Ring on a level 1 run with nothing but a buckler and a club and beat the first two bosses.
Can you do the same?

I enjoy the combat system, but it's so centered about looking great that it screws up fights that should be more about tactics - and tactics are super screwed in the system - that's my point

Building up ATB through normal attacks and then using the right magic for the correct weakness, is a tactic - one that works extremely well.

Yea I think that really sucks - I need to use MP anyway, why the ♥♥♥♥ do the I need to boost ATB, especially in fights where the enemy is like "Immune.... Immune... Immune" - it sucks

[Tenchuu Khan]

Don't get me wrong -it's nice at times, but then there'S fights where it makes no sense at all

[Krypto]

Originally posted by Tenchuu Khan:

Originally posted by Krypto:

Building up ATB through normal attacks and then using the right magic for the correct weakness, is a tactic - one that works extremely well.

Yea I think that really sucks - I need to use MP anyway, why the ♥♥♥♥ do the I need to boost ATB, especially in fights where the enemy is like "Immune.... Immune... Immune" - it sucks

Sounds to me like a genuine skill issue. The game on normal difficulty is quite relaxed all the way through.

[Krypto]

Originally posted by Tenchuu Khan:

Don't get me wrong -it's nice at times, but then there'S fights where it makes no sense at all

Such as? Can you name at least 1?

[SHINRA-CORP]

There's probably some good Youtube videos you can look up on how to play the game

[Pack 4 Potatoes]

That's not different from the original turn based mechanic. You still had to wait until the ATB bar filled up before you could cast magic in the original 1997 game.

[Faindraug]

Originally posted by Tenchuu Khan:

Don't get me wrong -it's nice at times, but then there'S fights where it makes no sense at all

The combat stood out during boss fights, but outside of that? I think they should have pulled the plug on adding any RPG elements. This should have been a straight up hack and slash game. Most of the game mechanics became unnecessary. Personally? I thought normal and hard were easy. I couldn’t tell the difference out side of hard mode locking you out of items. Which I inevitability stopped using during combat after 4 or 5 chapters. The payoff was too little for how slow it was to use, and as for magic? I stopped using level 3 spells, because level 3 spells took too long to cast...

There’s something that occurred to me just now. The fast-paced combat makes me not want to use any of the elements that are slow in this game. I think that the fast-paced side of it negated its own core gameplay, so I ultimately didn’t care for this play style. I thought it was a mess.