The Final Fantasy XII Thread!

[Cyrrex]

I haven't played any thing else since I got it.  I did, however, break for Desperate Housewives.

Hey!  Um.  Dammit.  I'm trying to think of a way that your ability to both play FFXII and watch DH can work to my advantage, but I can't imagine what that might be.  Any chance you can give my wife a stern talking-to?

[Yegolev]

How am I going to explain this to my wife?

Show up with FFXII, a sack of White Castle and a few flowers.  Just a single "just because" flower works wonders in distraction.

Also, put FFXII in your pants so she can't see it.

[Cyrrex]

I've done the "game in pants" trick before.  Man, talk about fucking pathetic.  I like your flower idea, though it occurs to me that it may be best to deliver the flower at least one day prior.

Anyway, my problem seems to have solved itself.  FFXII apparently won't release in PAL version (or in this country at least) until 2007.  Cocksuckers!

[Yegolev]

I thought you moved already, whoops.

About the flower, while you are looking for a vase to put it in is the perfect time to hide the disc.  Failing that, tell her you have to take the Browns to the Superbowl and tape it behind the toilet tank.

[schild]

Your problem is you don't have an NTSC PS2? You should really remedy that.

Next week.

With a PS3.

[Signe]

Just about any sort of present from the hubby makes me misty-eyed and smiley for ages.  It's definitely the thought that counts with me.

[Morfiend]

Your problem is you don't have an NTSC PS2? You should really remedy that.

Next week.

With a PS3.

 

[Cyrrex]

I haven't moved yet, that's going to take several months.  Even then, I can't imagine buying an NTSC PS2 (of course, they'll probably be giving them away by then).  Initially, I'll buy one console - but I haven't decided which one yet.  I can't believe I don't know the answer to this, but is the PS3 backwards compatible?

[Drunkhenry]

I just picked up FF 12.  I didn't buy the strat guide and I'm curious as to what the use of wolf pelts and the wind, fire ect. stones are?  Are they just there for making money and that's it?  Or can I use them to make weapons and magic later in the game? 

[Strazos]

There is no crafting from what I have seen/read - the purpose of the vast majority of the "loot' items is just that. They are there for you to sell.


Spoiler: selling some types of items in results in unlocking bazaar packages.

[Miasma]

Is everything in the loot section safe to sell?  I'm hanging on to the loot I get from hunts because I'm worried a later quest might want a "rainbow speckled egg" but I would rather get rid of it.

I'm also hoarding pebbles...

[Signe]

There is no crafting from what I have seen/read - the purpose of the vast majority of the "loot' items is just that. They are there for you to sell.


Spoiler: selling some types of items in results in unlocking bazaar packages.

How is this a spoiler now after what other people have posted visibly in this very thread?   

I demand a better spoiler!

[Velorath]

Is everything in the loot section safe to sell?  I'm hanging on to the loot I get from hunts because I'm worried a later quest might want a "rainbow speckled egg" but I would rather get rid of it.

I'm also hoarding pebbles...

You'll want to keep the teleport stones as they'll let you teleport between the orange save crystals.

[Miasma]

I demand a better spoiler!

It's the Moogles who are behind everything.  They are playing all of the countries against one another so that when the great Moogle army begins its march the world will be weak and easily crushed.

Kupo.

[Signe]

Oh look.  I sort of spoiled the spoiler up there.  OOPS!   

[Velorath]

Oh look.  I sort of spoiled the spoiler up there.  OOPS!   

That's ok, those bastards at Square managed to spoil it in the instruction manual also.

[Signe]

After you defeat that wall in the tomb, DON'T go back and save.  It resets it.   

I was wrong.  Sorry. 

[CmdrSlack]

So can anyone verify that there is no goddamn blitzball in this one?

I refuse to play anything involving goddamn blitzball ever again.

[Strazos]

GameFaqs.com is your friend.

[Lum]

After you defeat that wall in the tomb, DON'T go back and save.  It resets it.   

I was wrong.  Sorry. 

You can skip past the wall if you trigger the teleport thingies.

[StGabe]

The thing that no FAQ's are answering for me:

is there some general description of the following:
1) What stats different characters excel at?
2) How these stats translate into weapona/armor/magic usage?

I just want to know that it's not stupid to, for example, have Penelo specialize in axes or something like that.  I wanted to turn some of the stereotypes on their head by, for example, having the girl characters be the plate-waering badasses, and the guys be the casters with staves, but I'm not sure if I'll get penalized, stat-wise, for that (and it probably doesn't matter and I'll probably do it anyway, but I just wanted to know how it worked as I'm a numbers freak).

[Signe]

I'm just opening licenses up to get to the shiny stuff, like mists.  I'm hardly paying attention to what sort of weapons I'm opening up.  I mostly just try and give them the best one I've found.  Basch and Balthier (sp?) both have poles and I'm about to give Balthier a rod.  Just because.

[Rasix]

The thing that no FAQ's are answering for me:

is there some general description of the following:
1) What stats different characters excel at?
2) How these stats translate into weapona/armor/magic usage?

I just want to know that it's not stupid to, for example, have Penelo specialize in axes or something like that.  I wanted to turn some of the stereotypes on their head by, for example, having the girl characters be the plate-waering badasses, and the guys be the casters with staves, but I'm not sure if I'll get penalized, stat-wise, for that (and it probably doesn't matter and I'll probably do it anyway, but I just wanted to know how it worked as I'm a numbers freak).

1).  In the long run, Ashe and Penelo have the highest MP, and and magic power.  Baltheir, Basch and Fran have the lowest.  Seems like a lot of people are making Fran a mage, but her stats for it somewhat suck. Her stats in general aren't great.   You could turn Vaan into a good enough magic user but he's got great physical stats as well.   

The one certainty is that Basch and Baltheir wouldn't make great mages.  But with mystic armor, mage staves and the proper licenses, they'd be OK.  Just not munchikin optimal.  Basch just has really low MP.

Basch and Vaan will likely make your best frontline fighters due to high power and high hp.  Although I did tank some stuff with Baltheir due to him having very high HP with using light armor and having a few +HP licenses.

2).  Certain weapons use certain stats to determine damage.  Some weapons like maces and katanas factor in magic power.  Guns only use their own attack power and ignore defense. Most other weapons use a combination of strength and something else to cause damage.

It's also a good idea to pair certain weapons with armor that goes well with them.  A mystic armor wearer will have higher magic power and thus will do nice damage with a mace or katana. Heavy armor users will have higher str, yadda yadda yadda.

Not sure if this helps, I think a lot of this has been mentioned before. I think you could get away with changing things up, you get enough license points to allow for a decent amount of character flexibility. And it's not hard to get LP if you need it.. mobs never grey out for LP. 

 

[Strazos]

I thought Fran had some special magic traits or something.

[Trippy]

The thing that no FAQ's are answering for me:

is there some general description of the following:
1) What stats different characters excel at?
2) How these stats translate into weapona/armor/magic usage?

I just want to know that it's not stupid to, for example, have Penelo specialize in axes or something like that.  I wanted to turn some of the stereotypes on their head by, for example, having the girl characters be the plate-waering badasses, and the guys be the casters with staves, but I'm not sure if I'll get penalized, stat-wise, for that (and it probably doesn't matter and I'll probably do it anyway, but I just wanted to know how it worked as I'm a numbers freak).

1).  In the long run, Ashe and Penelo have the highest MP, and and magic power.  Baltheir, Basch and Fran have the lowest.  Seems like a lot of people are making Fran a mage, but her stats for it somewhat suck. Her stats in general aren't great.   You could turn Vaan into a good enough magic user but he's got great physical stats as well.   

Fran is fine as a mage at the start -- she and Vaan have the highest Mist Points until you pick up Ashe and Penelo. Basch, strangely enough, has very high Magic Power even though this Mist Points are the lowest.

There's some randomness in the character stats as you level up but the breakdown is basically: Basch and Balthier are the best front line fighters with the highest Str and lowest Mist Points (Vaan has very high Str too but also higher Mist Points). Penelo and Ashe are the best casters (Penelo has lower Magic Power compared to Ashe but more Mist Points) and Vaan and Fran are the "hybrids" with decent Strength and more Mist Points than Basch and Balthier (but lower than Ashe and Penelo) with Vaan being the "stronger" of the two as benefiting the main character. And yes the game follows typical gender stereotypes with the females being the "weaker" sex in terms of melee strength which is offset by their better casting abilities.

I just want to know that it's not stupid to, for example, have Penelo specialize in axes or something like that.  I wanted to turn some of the stereotypes on their head by, for example, having the girl characters be the plate-waering badasses, and the guys be the casters with staves, but I'm not sure if I'll get penalized, stat-wise, for that (and it probably doesn't matter and I'll probably do it anyway, but I just wanted to know how it worked as I'm a numbers freak).

As Rasix said the License Board certainly allows you to do stuff like that if you want. The differences in stats are small enough that the equipment they wear can make up for it. For example, at level 99 Penelo's Strength is only about 7 points less than Basch's which is easily made up by equipment so there's nothing wrong with turning her into a plate wearing two-handed sword wielding monster crusher.

[Trippy]

I thought Fran had some special magic traits or something.

In the story Fran is Force, I mean Mist sensitive but stats wise she's not the best caster (Ashe and Penelo are).

[Trippy]

So can anyone verify that there is no goddamn blitzball in this one?

I refuse to play anything involving goddamn blitzball ever again.

No Blitzball. In fact the game is lacking in the "minigame" department for those that like that sort of thing.

[Strazos]

I thought Fran had some special magic traits or something.

In the story Fran is Force, I mean Mist sensitive but stats wise she's not the best caster (Ashe and Penelo are).

Does that mean she has high casting power, or what?

[Trippy]

I thought Fran had some special magic traits or something.

In the story Fran is Force, I mean Mist sensitive but stats wise she's not the best caster (Ashe and Penelo are).

Does that mean she has high casting power, or what?

Fran's Magic Power is in the bottom half but her Mist Points are in the top half.

[Yegolev]

Basch and Balthier (sp?) both have poles and I'm about to give Balthier a rod.  Just because.

Har!

[Yegolev]

In fact the game is lacking in the "minigame" department for those that like that sort of thing.

This area has been substandard starting with FFVIII and onward.  I like minigames, however given a choice I prefer the "intergrated minigames" in FFXII, like the chains and gambits.  While the ones in VII were great, they were also not really in tune with the main game.  Meteor hurtling towards the planet... I think I'll go race some chocobos or armwrestle a robot.

[schild]

I find the bounty and clan hunts to be fantastic minigames. ;)

[Trippy]

I find the bounty and clan hunts to be fantastic minigames. ;)

I think of those as side quests not minigames. Things like Triple Triad, Blitzball, and Sphere Break I consider minigames.

[Rasix]

I've really hated most of the mini-games in FFVII and beyond. Chocobo racing/breeding, chocobo hot&cold, that stupid card game, blitzball, dodging the lightning bolt 99 times in a row, any other FFX mini-game.. all stupid wastes of time and for me, NOT fun (the card game was OK).  Tying the best loot/optional bosses to them just makes me angry.  I don't want to participate or have to be good at some stupid and poorly implemented game within a game. Only time I've found a mini-game to be remotely interesting it's a card game (the FFIX one and sabac in KOTOR).

Side activities that involve me using my characters ARE good though. And yah, I'd consider them sidequests not mini-games. That's an improvement to me, as I'm a big fan of sidequests.  SH2 had tons of interesting sidequest that got you a whole lot of fun out of more than just the main story line.  Of course, that game had the problem that some were beyond obscure and were near impossible to find/complete unless you looked at gamefaqs.

[Strazos]

Pazac.