08-24-2003, 05:11 AM
WarLocke,Aug 23 2003, 11:14 PM Wrote:Some of those look downright tedious, but others are intriguing (Auto-Battle only? Ramza-solo? Ramza+Guests/Specials only?). I may have to try a few at some point.I must not Lear. King Lear is the mind-killer. I have nothing to Lear but Lear himself. Damnit, this isn't Shakespeare quoting!
----------------------
I'm currently trying the MR4M variant (Mediator Ramza, 4 Monsters). Boy, that's fun once you hit Chapter 2. Currently using Cocatoris, Blue Dragon (haven't bred a Red), Minitaurus (4 move opposed to Sacred/Bull Demon's 3), and Red Chocobo. I intend eventually on Dragon, Hydra, Behemoth, and Chocobo class monsters.
----------------------
... I'm guessing that since I don't have Orlandu yet, and have yet to meet Reis/Worker 8/Beowulf/Cloud, they don't join until sometime in chapter 4 (I haven't done any ch4 storyline fights yet). So this makes a good opportunity for this question: when you gain a character through a story event, is their starting level related to yours? I ask because I got Rafa and Malak at level 28/29ish, and both knew maybe 3 skills in their base classes. Would it be more 'efficient' to go through most of the game at a low level, thus getting characters at lower levels and having greater leeway to customize them to your liking? Or am I reading too much into this?
----------------------
Their levels are set, and yes, they're all in Chapter 4. There's a guide on levelling classes and which ones have better stats on level up. A common trick, although one I've never been bored enough to use, is to use the hidden Mindflare ability Level Blast to reduce someone to level 1 in a terrible class (Bard, generally) and then level them to 99 in a class with huge stats (Black Mage for MA, Ninja/Thief for speed, Mime for PA/HP, etc.). This is something you SORT of want to do with Reis's human form; keep her as a Dragoner until she has a good base 700+hp, and don't let her spend any time as a Calculator until she's level 99 so as not to ruin her HP or speed growth, which are her best attributes. You get to do this to Cloud automatically as he starts at level 1 when you get him.
---------------------------
... Mostly because I had to check GameFAQs to find the prerequisites, since there's no in-game help for it and I don't have a manual. Plus I tend to get fixated on mastering classes before moving on (probably a bad habit). Is Math really that powerful?
--------------------------
No manual would be a problem. Math is disgustingly powerful. If you learn all Mathable spells, all Math skills, and then switch to a Black Mage with Math skill, you have access to all Black Magic, and then all White Magic except Cure 4, Protect 2, and Shell 2, all Black Magic except level 4 magic, all Time magic except Haste 2, Slow 2, and Meteor, and all Yin-Yang Magic except the HP/MP absorb spells through spells, at NO MP COST, NO CAST TIME, and INFINITE RANGE. I mean, sheesh. Hell, if you make a Summoner with Math skill, you have access to every spell in the game except the above mentioned gaps in Math skill.
------------------------
Males get a higher base Physical Attack, or higher PA progression, or something along those lines too, correct?
-----------------------
Yeah, they do. It just doesn't really matter once you've got a Chaos Blade and AttackUP since you're likely to be doing 999 anyhow.
-----------------------
But, he's a Special! I mean, he's a storyline character! I wouldn't feel right, just... leaving him. Or shanking him in the back. Or... feeding him to a Squidlarkin. Yeah... :ph34r:
----------------------
Sort of. By the time he joins you, though, he's not a part of the storyline anymore. At least Agrias has something to say if you take her to the Golgorand Execution Site battle in Chapter 2.
----------------------
Okay, and a question about that character setup FAQ you linked to: If you have a set of clearly-defined goals like those examples, what do you do once you've attained them? A big reason for my stodgy approach is that I know I'm always making progress, if in a slow manner. Once I've mastered one job, I can use these skills as secondaries while I work on mastering the next job. But if your strategy revolves around having support skills X, Y, and Z, and being Job A, what do you do once you have it all? It seems to me like you'd be wasting alot of JP by staying in a job you've mastered.
----------------------
Yes, you waste JP staying in mastered jobs. On the other hand, what use are abilities you won't use? Generally, unless a variant restricts my access otherwise, I usually snag the following skills for my characters and use whatever I need at the time;
All: Move +1, Gained JP UP (Squire), Catch, Steal Heart, Move +2 (Thief), Potion, Phoenix Down, Auto-Potion (Chemist), Blade Grasp (Samurai).
Fighters: Equip Sword (Knight), Concentrate (Archer), Wave Fist, Earth Slash, Chakra, Revive (Monk), Secret Hunt (Thief), Attack UP (Geomancer), Move +3 (if male, Bard), Train, Preach (Mediator), all Draw Outs (Samurai), all throws, Abandon, Sunken State (Ninja), Damage Split (Calculator).
Mages: All calcuable spells (various), Ifrit, Shiva, Ramuh, Titan, Moogle, Fairy, Golem (Summoner), MP Switch, Short Charge, Teleport (Time Mage), Math Skills (Calculator), Move MP UP (Oracle)
For specific characters, I add other skills at times - particularly if I make focused Summoners. But these are the core skills which I find useful at some point or another on their appropriate classes.
-----------------------
Oh, and also, any and all tips about Propositions are welcome. Can they be completed by a solo unit? I've never succeeded in one unless I sent along 3. Should I choose the maximum days offered, or the minimum? Should I do random battles while my generics are unavailable (and risk opening a level rift), or should I do no propositions until I have enough Specials to have a full party even if my generics are all out on propositions? Do the various rare treasures and secret lands found in some propositions have any effect on the game?
-------------------
Always send three people, and there's no real effect other than the role-playing and some easy JP. Generally I save doing jobs for when I've made people into Calculators or Lancers, as those two classes are notoriously weak without their class skills and have a hard time earning them, especially since the Calculator is sooooo terrrrrrrribly slooooooooow and is a miserable class to use in actual combat. I usually dump 3 people at a town with another town next to it (Goland Coal City/Lesalia Imperial Castle and Igros Castle/Fort Zeakden are favourites), always pick an even number of days, and just bounce between the blue dots. If you've exhausted the job possibilities in double blue dot locales, go ahead and do some fighting while you wait and use monsters to replace your adventuring teammates. I'm always breeding monsters for poaching (Secret Hunt) purposes whenever I'm playing a variant that allows it so I may as well get some battlefield mileage out of them, no?
-------------------------
Please insert another quarter, so sayeth The Hermit.
"Buy, buy, buy, send more money." Tool - Hooker with a Penis