/vr/ - Retro Games

Reds in back, Dragoons either depending on quality of other tanks

Early game Reds go in front, late game I either switch to another class or keep them in the back if there is some incentive to keep a Red late game.

Dragoons depends on the character. I kept Kain in the back since Cecil absorbed damage so reliably I didn't need to keep him up front. Freya I kept up front usually, because she took damage just as well as Zidane and I relied on her dragoon abilities and regular attacks more than her jump.

I never use Red Mages. I can't see the point of having an all-around guy in the party.

As for Dragoons, I put 'em up front. Whenever they're not flying, they have the HP/armor to soak up attacks.

>Not putting every party member front row for maximum damage

Always on the edge.

>>1089806
This. Red Mages really only served one purpose in the whole series and that was for the job master ability in FFV. Beyond that there are just so many better options.

>>1089814
I remember red mages being great in FF1.

Red mages are actually pretty useful if you use them right.
>able to pull their weight without having to waste precious MP/spells on every encounter
>can heal and resurrect if the white mage is dead/out of MP
>almost completely replaces the black mage in earlier games (they get haste and two of the -aga spells)

>>1089784
It depends on what I am using them for. I usually leave them in the back because they take less damage from the back. But sometimes I equip them with swords and only use them for physical damage and white magic, that's when i leave em in the front.

>>1090056
Not to mention in V they have dualcast.

I like having a White Mage and a Black Mage, so I generally ignore them. They are not bad though, I guess.

>>1090034
I beat Final Fantasy one with a Red Mage in my party. Once he becomes a Red Wizard he can use magic upto level 7. That's pretty damn impressive for a jack of all trades job class.

My FF3 mvp was my front line red mage. What's the point of taking one if he's not going to take all the best swords and hack and slash?

>>1090125
But if you just want someone to hack and slash a warrior or knight would do better. There should be a Paladin class with just swords and white magic, I always feel weird using red mages because I'm always either stabbing or healing since my stabs almost always deal more damage than black magic. There's no point to having black magic and a sword except in very certain circumstances.

>>1090132
The whole point of black magic is AoE, anyway. What's why its godawful in the remake where the number of enemies is capped at 3.

Last time I played Final Fantasy 1 it was four red mages and they just rotated roles. You could really squeeze every last ounce of juice out of them before resting. This time it's four fighters balls to the walls.

>>1090132
Well, the Knight can use low tier white magic, so I guess he is a Paladin.

I think support roles generally go:

White>Red>Black

A Red Mage can do a Black Mages job only way better, but a White Mage tends to have much better magic and works way better for buffing than a Red. I didn't include Blue Mages simply because how good a Blue Mage is depends on how much time you want to spend breaking the game. Once you get Mighty Guard or Big Guard the game is already won.

On an unrelated note, I have quite a bit of FFVI artwork but little to no FFIX. Anyone got any decent FFIX stuff? I'll dump some VI in the meantime.

>>1090143
Oh you're right, I completely forgot about that. Sorry about that, I was complaining about an issue that didn't exist.

>>1090141
Four Monks is really fun as well. The unarmed damage adds up and by the latter part of the game it becomes extremely fun.

Been trying to talk myself into doing an all White Mage challenge but god does it sound like it would get old quickly.

Depends on the game. Dragoon weapons can be long range and if they are you put them in the back.

Having a red Mage is stupidity in the first place so do what you like

The only game I use Red Mages in aside from learning Dualcast is the original Final Fantasy, where I use the 8-Bit Theater party of Fighter, Red Mage, Thief, Black Mage. So early on, Red Mage is second in line. I switch him with the ninja once they class change, and he joins the Black Wizard as a buffer, mostly.

>>1090162
White Mage party is OP against undead.

>>1090174
Except that Red Mages are pimpin, other classes aren't. FF games are stupidly easy, it doesn't matter at all what you bring.

>>1090141
>>1090162
I kind of want to get into doing challenge runs, or at least playing with unusual party compositions in FF1. The most daring I've done so far is using a party with no white mage. What would be the simplest and/or most enjoyable challenge party to start out on?

Also, I shall dump my limited collection of FFIX pics since someone requested it.

>>1089784
Reds in front, dragoons in back.

>>1090209

>>1090214

>>1090219

>>1090223

>>1090227

>>1090231

>>1090235

>>1090239

>>1090241
And that about does it for my FFIX pics. Strange, since it's my favorite game of all time, but I don't actually have all that much. I do have some FFV if anyone's interested.

>>1090223
so... Quinoa is pronounced Keen-wa, and its actually a small seed grown in Central America. its like oatmeal. how the hell do the Japanese find out about stuff like this? I had only just found about quinoa a few years ago

>>1090245
Square needs to do an HD remix of this one. this and FF6 are some of my favorite games of all time

>>1090254
Japanese fiction writers love to borrow words from other languages - the more obscure the better and a big part of it has to do with the phoenetics to the japanese ear. Add to that how much they like puns and it explains a lot.

>>1090258
No, Square really needs to just leave this game alone. I really don't think FFIX would benefit from a remake or an upgrade or whatever. I mean, I'm undeniably biased on the subject, but I think FFIX is basically perfect as-is

FF6, on the other hand, I'd be okay with getting a remake in the style of the PSP remakes for FF1, 2, and 4, if only because there's no version of FF6 that has everything; the translation of the SNES version is silly and full of terrible censorship, the GBA version has that awful color palette and lower music quality, and the PS1 remake has horrendous load times and all the bugs and glitches from the SNES version. FF6 could use a solid, definitive edition.

>>1090273
Actually let me rephrase myself; FFIX could use improvements, mostly in drastically upping the battle speed and fixing Trance and whatnot, but I don't trust them not to fuck up more than they fix.

>>1090034
Because the int stat was bugged, making the specialized casters shit.

>>1090209
Four warriors is not a challenge run. You destroy everything. When I tried it I bought a fuckton of potions thinking it would be hard, but I was wrong.

>>1090283
Even in the remakes, Red Mages are at least a decent option instead of white or black mages. Endgame, you really won't use black magic for damage, so picking a Red Mage for extra healing and (especially) the widest range of buffs is probably the smart way to go.

>>1090273
FF6 GBA has a patch that fixes all that. There's really no better deal and no need for a better deal unless you want the thing legit.

>>1090245
I was the one that requested FFIX pics (thanks by the way) and I think it's just that the game doesn't get much attention. Even compared to XIII and IV I have trouble finding good FFIX fanart. Damn shame since IX and VI are my two favorites of 2D and 3D Final Fantasy respectively.

I tend to enjoy them all though. Well, except 2, I didn't hate 2 but I definitely had to force myself to continue playing on a few parts.

>>1090306
yeah, but that teeny little screen is a huge downgrade from a tv screen. and if Squeenix doesn't want to invest in an HD upgrade for new systems, they could drop it on iOS/Android. I am pretty sure their ports onto those systems sold

>>1090306
The patches I've seen fix it sort of. The music is still mono and the palette is still smaller and looks terrible stretched. Even with the censorship involved the best way to play FFVI is probably on the SNES, maybe with a fanlation if Woolsey is a bit too much for you.

I think the best approach would be to patch the SNES version with the GBA's script. I'm sure someone's already done it though.

>>1090332
Problem is SNES has the stats all fucked (from what I remember mag def does NOTHING) plus none of the extra content for the GBA.

And there's a sound patch, I thought.

The only real downside to it is the smaller resolution. But I play it on my PSP so I don't really give a shit.

A definitive version of VI would be really cool, now that you guys mention it. I usually don't mind Woolsey but I think this game could benefit from losing a lot of the Woolseyisms and the GBA and PS1 ports are lacking in technical areas.

I know you can patch the ROMs but a physical copy would be even better.

>>1090341
Woolsey did fine with what he had. From what I've heard, he's the reason why Kefka is so awesome in the English version, but censorship at the time also forced him to censor Celes's suicide to a "leap of faith" or some shit. Totally ruins one of the best scenes in the whole series. I'd say Chrono Trigger is a better example of Woolsey in his element.

>>1090273

Oh god. Amano actually drew a version of Celes in her sprite's One piece? HNNNNNNNNG

>>1089784
Red Mages in the front with nice weapons, Dragoons in the back... though of course that could change based on the character's stats.

>>1090348
I have to disagree, I don't know if it was intentional but Celes' suicide was way creepier in the Woolsey version.

It's fairly obvious it was alluding to suicide, if I recall correctly you find a note that reads something akin to "If the problems become too much to bare, we just leap from the cliff, and all our problems just go away." I love the Woolsey version, the poisonings and genocides that occur are still there, but the way every character talks makes it sound like everyone is in some twisted fairy tale. They never acknowledge the death around them, it's kind of surreal and really adds to the often chilling soundtrack the game has.

The GBA translation was great too, but the SNES had some incredibly well done moments.

>>1090362
I don't think that's actually Amano, just a really good imitation.

>>1090365
I suppose to each their own, but the Woolsey translation is just too silly for me, and it doesn't capture a lot of the subtleties of the characters at all.

I miss Amano.

Can you imagine if they took his art and tried to make a game look like it with today's graphics?

My eyes would fucking bleed with joy.

>>1090329
I have absolutely no idea why they didn't re-release V and VI in HD for the PSP. Does not make any sense at all.

Also I feel that they should have done the same thing with 3, rather than giving the it a port of the DS' version.

>>1090369
>Also I feel that they should have done the same thing with 3, rather than giving the it a port of the DS' version.
I really, REALLY wish they did. I cannot stand the DS version, and I think a sprite based remake would do the game justice. FFIII is, if you'll excuse the slightly overused term, criminally overlooked compared to the later games in the series.

>>1090370
Dissidia comes close. I actually think Nomura's art is its best when he's doing art for the Dissidia games.

>>1090348
I completely agree. I can't fault Woolsey on a personal level at all, they usually gave him no time at all to translate these things and Nintendo's censorship at the time was ridiculous. They could have turned out so much worse.

Chrono Trigger was Woolsey at his best, I think. I really like the DS port because it keeps a lot of the charming Woolseyisms intact but takes on a more professional translation when it needs to, like the Zeal sections of the game. It's the best of both worlds, in my opinion.

That said, I think it does hamper a few scenes in FFVI especially because there is so much onscreen death happening and the characters have to constantly dodge around telling it like it is. Especially in the second half where the world's gone to hell and Kefka is destroyi- sorry, I mean "smashing" villages and people are obviously dying all over the place.

>>1090372
That's close, but I want cell shading. I want it to BATHE in his rich style, rather than be an interpretation of his style.

>>1090374

While Square has more or less given up using his character designs I always thought XII really nailed his architecture and mechanical designs.

>>1090372
Dat Terra.

>>1090384
That is why I played a bunch of XII actually. I hated the system and the changes, but it felt like Amano. Though without the shading.

>>1090376
The DS remake is definitely a proper port of Chrono Trigger. And to be fair, the GBA port of FFVI did keep some of the better Woolsey lines while getting rid of the stuff that got in the way.

>>1090384
As little respect as I have for the game itself, I love how the magitek looks in FFXIV

>>1090387
This probably turned me on way too much

>>1090162
why is cecil super feminine and cowardly in the dissidia art? did they change his character that much in those games?? in four he is the strong leader who plows his way through redemption...or did i just read his character wrong with the english game?

>>1090376

I dunno; I always thought the SNES version made it fairly clear just how fucked the WoR was. Shit was dreary, yo.

I will say that Cyan always struck me as odd simply for how relatively normal he was for a dude who lost everything in such horrifying fashion.

>>1090372
Yeah I know. It really makes no sense. The psp was doing it's own thing by releasing sprite based HD reissues. And what I don't get is when they released IV on the DS, they didn't go and just port it to the PSP, no they released a sprite based HD reissue WITH the afteryears. And they did that BEFORE they ported III to the PSP. Maybe they just got lazy.

The best party in FF1 is Fighter Fighter Fighter RedMage. Obviously RM should go in the back.

>>1090392

Yeah, XIV was big on it as well. I was fucking around with the character designer and noticed the huge castle BG was very Amano.

>>1090401
I think the point of FFVI was how most of the cast were just normal people that had horrible shit happen to them, and only came through it all because of the bonds between them and their loved ones. Kefka had nobody to pull him through, so that's why he was the villain.

Cyan's arc was him coming to terms with the fact that his family still loved him, and his love for them could keep him going despite them being gone.

>>1090392
That's pretty fucking sexy. Shame the game sucks.