Fate Has Quite The Cynical Sense Of Timing...

by Endarire

Playing through FFT again and Lunar 2, I've realized that some things shouldn't be happening in battle. It isn't that battles are long, hard-to-avoid in most cases and often using the same strats over and over, or is it a complaint about how sad it is that I'm killing 100+ creatures just to level up, or even about how odd it is for someone not to move in combat, yet get full reward as someone who used their strongest abilities (and in the case of Lunar, died/KOed). My complaints are largely about timing of certain things battle-based.

Punct Eins. Using a stat-altering ability on a target (like Charm/Haste) will not help in the end; the target will die, the story will progress or/and the battle will end before that character can be affected by it. In FFT, ALL magic can miss, which means the Raise, Cure, Esuna or Haste you so carefully planed can end up causing a lost soldier or a reset. This is extremely annoying and further degrades effect abilities; why lower someone's defense 10 points when you can flame 'em or stab 'em for 60 with a higher success rate? Exceptions: Final Fantasy Tactics, Wild ARMS series and Lunar series somewhat.

Punct Zwei. Things that don't seem like they'd ever work will, and vice versa. Killing 4 Blood Slimes with one Concussion Sword, even though they're about 2/3 physically immune DOES work, while missing a Raise on a 92% chance seems ludicrous to me. In FFT, the toughest-if-you-play-like-the-designers-intended battle, Golgorand Execution Site, is beyond the capabilities of most players at first. It seems odd why such a battle would be sprung on unexpecting people with (luckily) a place to level previous. Also, with level-based learning of abilities, often players are unaware of what level abilities are learned. Gwyn (Lunar 2) learned Shattered Sword AFTER the fight where it would've saved me much trouble.

Punct Drei. Save points (and heal areas in some RPGs) are in odd locations sometimes. Barely making it through a fight and with much of the path to go, I heal up just to find a free heal station on the next screen. Or, like in Breath of Fire III, there are complex mazes which you MUST go through (it took me about 3 hours to find a save in the Mayor's Mansion WITH a guide) but have no convenient way to exit, heal and save. There are also some times in series battles where it may be logical for you to be able to run away for 10 seconds, get to the save point, use another save slot and return to the fray. Exceptions: Deus Ex.

Punct Vier. Speaking of which... Running from battles can be difficult and deadly, especially since many RPGs give the opposition a free turn if you try to run. Even if you DO run, you'll probably be attacked within 8 seconds by foes that are very difficult, "blow-on-them-and-they'll-die" difficulty or ones you're just sick of fighting. (Earthbound is somewhat good in this regard; 'super easy' foes either flee or are killed without going into the battle screen."

Punct Funf. The AI is either drunk-dumb, cheating or weird. Lunar 2 has some of the best autobattle intelligence I've experienced; occasionally being the only way I could win fights. However, I could put autobattle on for an easy fight then leave only to find my MP nearly empty, spent poorly to max out HP from 32 damage hits, cast regen when my HP was full, and use the strongest attacks when I could kill everything within a round with pure muscle. (Luica from Lunar 2 aggrevates me; early in the game she goes from super-useful to annoying, either not doing anything, running or casting a defense up spell on herself exclusively. Later she obviously decides her action after everything else; there's no way I know of to know that Hiro would be the target that round or that one foe would be left.)

Punct Sechs. If merchants sell such wonderful stuff, why haven't they gotten out of their situation already? It seems oddly convenient that the next town has better stuff than the last and that "dungeons" often contain better things than the last merchant group. Are the previous towns so poor that they can't afford to import/trade with cities that have such wonderful gear? Why is there so much powerful stuff lyin' around in Kefka's tower? Does he KNOW that it's there and that the heroes will find it? Does he CARE? "Dungeons", especially places such as caves and the final one shouldn't hold the ultra-cool equipment unless there's a very good reason for it, and I don't mean in the search-and-be-rewarded sense.

Punct Sieben. Villains are content to do like Doctor Evil in Austin Powers 1, the "one guard" philosophy. If they have a spell that could reduce my party to bits, why don't they use it ASAP if they want me dead? If I live, why don't they hit me with it again and again? Also on that, (and going back to #5), enemies seem VERY stupid. Even if I kill 11/12ths of them with one ability or in 1 round, they will almost never run. Exceptions: Lunar 2 somewhat.

Punct Acht. Fights will almost always start with you facing the foes head-on and with everyone content to just stand there and beat on people and let themselves get beat on. Why don't enemies try to get behind me or go for critical body part? Why is turn-based still very popular? Exceptions: Deus Ex.

Punct Neun. It doesn't matter what I wear, I'll prolly look the same. Having the best stuff available doesn't allow me to take a few swipes at villagers, threaten a merchant or compress someone's house into a microchip housecake. Even though I'm probably on the good side, I want to be able to kill those I'm pissed at. Exceptions: Somewhat in the Diablo series and Lunar series.

Punct Zehn. Villains seem to conform their tests to hero abilities. If someone doesn't know how to swim, why not get hold of them and chuck 'em in the nearest ocean, lake, stream, pond, pool or hottub? Tests of hero abilities should make clever use of generic abilities, or ones villains didn't know the heroes had.

Punct Elf. There's always a problem in the next area when the last one's been cleared. Why should I help rescue Ferranks Garex, duke of Mon Dane, when I don't even know/like/care about him? I'd like to be able to find him and kill him myself if I loathed him so. Exceptions: Deus Ex.

Punct Zwolf. Magic is magic, but all magic shouldn't be almighty. If I cause a quake, the aftershocks should be visible. If I cast Fire in a forest, if I cast Meteo anywhere.... The point: Magic should have SOME visible aftereffect on the setting or the target, if localized. (It boggles me why Flare can avoid killing someone and not leave a mark; physical hits as well like sword swipes also offend this.) Exceptions: Deus Ex.

Punct Dreizehn. Items are in infinite supply in stores, but I can only hold a certain number. (Most games have it at 99, FF8 is 100 and Lunar 2 is 20.) Why? If I have room, I SHOULD be able to carry the item, even if it means less of a challenge. (And if I'm rich enough I can afford 529 Megalixers honestly, the game probably forced me to level too much.) Item space is also touchy; plate mail can take up the same room as a ring. Without item weights or other constraints, it seems very screwed up that I can have 30 Sherman Tanks in my packs and not be hampered any. Exceptions: Baldur's Gate series, Diablo series, Castle of the Winds series.

Punct Zuletzt. Party size limits have no logic. What if I WANT to bring out my team of destroyers instead of limiting it to 5 or less? Who said I hadda fight fair when the villains obviously aren't? If I want to or don't care if large groups of foes come after me, I'll bring out my whole group. Of course the battlefield'll be crowded, but I planned ahead and didn't let the twitchy guy have the area-effect weapon of mass distruction.

Some of these points have been stated in other editorials, but I empathize with the points (and some of the writers), so they're listed here. Comment away my friends!

Once again, that address is r340@wi.rr.com. If that doesn't work or if you want the practice, type Endarire@hotmail.com.

-EE "Part of analyzing is being anal"

"Screw this, I'm goin' through the front!"