What i want to know is did the sphere grid in final fantasy 10 impress anyone?

Ill start

I hated it any system which enables all characters in the game to be a carbon copy of eachother destroys character individuality... at the end of the game for me everybody had every sphere so in essesnce every character was the same besides the wrapping... according to this system yuna could beat auron in a sword fight...plausable...no

maybe this should go the FF discussion?

Dude, you have a hard time grasping the concept of these games. Its like that difficulty topic you made. Ths is a choice you made. You made them all the same in the end. Firstly, they're all on individual paths. Then you have to make a particular effort to finish those and move on to others. That takes a great amount of time to do. So why, if you HATE the system when it makes them all the same, do you spent ages MAKING them all the same?

And actually, since we're talking the sphere system, you can delete slots and replace them with different attributes. So you could theoretically just enhance them in different ways, oppose to make them all the same.

And yes, I loved the sphere system.

Ditto 'shroom. If you don't go off to level up to insane amounts, you really will never get past through the whole Grid. I've beaten the game upwards of four times, never once I have I completed the whole thing, and all the characters ended up individualized.

But you must've totally hated FF8 for it's ju... oh wait.

I had no problem with the Sphere Grid at all. As others have said, all it does is provide the option to strengthen characters in similar areas to others, and it takes quite a bit of extra effort to go through more than one character's grid. In my file I beat Nemesis in, even, I never went through more than 2-3 characters' grids with a single character. Going through all of them, though? That's nothing short of a personal choice, thus, your own fault. Going through only each character's grid, they're all individualized, and even going through one more, the characters can still have their own strengths and weaknesses. It's all a matter of choice.

I always love being able to do things such as taking a tank like Auron and sending him through someone's grid to gain some additional agility. (I usually send Auron into Tidus' grid as soon as he finishes his own.) It wasn't until the very end of the game (when I started working in the arena more) that I bothered to increase Tidus and Auron's magic much, so Yuna was still my main/only spellcaster, with the others being physical attackers. Auron was even my primary physical attacker for quite some time, simply because it took me a while to get Break Damage Limit for Tidus, so Auron was the real stand-out physical attacker of my group.

Well, I'm starting to ramble, so I'll end it here. I like the sphere grid. It starts you with individualized characters, and if you choose to do so later in the game, you can work on strengthening some of the characters' weaknesses by sending them into others' grids. (As well as simply have others use certain abilities.)

it should be obviouse at this point that i am a completionist........ i just belive a game should be built for any possibility and all it takes is a little forthought..... and second junctioning is not my favorite thing but the rest of that game made up for its faults ff 10 hardly did that. and third if you were right that leveling up voids the difficulty levels then i would find no game hard but i find alot of games challenging so your point is moot

FFX's greatest fault was Tidus's voice acting >_>.

Your opinion is crazy. You're a completionist? Your profile states that you reject mainstream rpgs or some such nonsense, so then you post really crazy criticisms You honestly believe a game should be built for ANY possibility? Really? Well, to be fair, I don't think the developers accounted for people who try not to have fun. The sphere system takes AGES to max out. A system YOU don't even like. So you spent AGES on a system you've stated you don't like, then you're suprised you *shock* didn't enjoy it.

And when we're talknig rpgs, the levelling up DOES void the difficulty levels for the games you're complaining about. You've said you like Lost odyssey. Would you like all games to be exactly like that? Would that be enjoyable?

And btw, the lost odyssey is a mainsream rpg. How do you live with yourself enjoying it? XD

HAHAHAHA! Ahhh maaan... I haven't laughed like that since I was a little girl... thank you Oldschoolgamer298. However, this topic isn't about the many MANY faults of FFVIII and it's battle system.

Secondly you bring up a great point:

Yes... and that's the wonderful thing. It just depends on the way that the characters train themselves. Much like in real life, if you train and practice hard enough at something you can become good at it. The FF characters, much like people, have a way that they are expected to develop (such as how Yuna is set on the path of white magic, or how I was good at playing piano) but they can also break that mould (Such as how Yuna can screw her line and go to Auron's part of the grid, or how I gave up piano and learned guitar instead)

Does that make sense?

Anyway, I liked the sphere grid but in the end I felt like it was mostly just the same as previous games just in a different format. In the end, as Character's levels grew they learned new abilities and stats increased. Until the end of the game you couldn't really make many important choices.

The Exception being one character, Kimahri. I had him go up through part of Tidus's line (learning haste and cheer) and then through Auron making him essentially a less powerful Auron but with a LOT more speed (Which in my books made him a more useful Auron). Simular could be done with Rikku, but the rest of the gang were probably best just to stick with their own line.

I'm always shocked by people that claim that the Spere Grid was difficult, because all you have to do is follow the line and fill the hole.
Personally, I thought it looked neat and the option to lvl the character as you wish was pretty good.
However, I do think it looks odd to see Yuna with a 2 handed sword.

See, Flame makes a wonderful post, about how it is possible, but I think Flame forgot that Yuna is a skinny girl and wielding a 2 handed sword, would be equivalent of Rikku wielding a 2 handed axe. Some things just don't go.
Besides, technically all this is possible, but in the end, all ultimate weapons are class items, such as Yuna getting a wans, Tidus a 1 handed sword etc etc.
Sure, you could make your own weapon, but it doesn't take away that Yuna, while wearing a dress, is swinging a 2 handed weapon and Tidus, while wearing a Blitzball kit is casting magic with a wand.

Kihmari what always meant to be a hybrid, however. His own grid is pitifully small.

Pes, you seem to have misinterpreted something. What oldschoolgamer's warped message was that if Yuna was to fight Auron (with Auron using a sword, making it a swordfight), she could plausibly win. Although, the fact that she CAN use a two handed sword in numerous jobs in X-2 can also be brought up. Though it shouldn't, FFX discussion and all.

You know what I hate?
Video games.

it was refreshing hearing someone say something that wasnt totally in disagreement with me lol but yunas character is that she is a mage if it was up to us what she was it would a online rpg but it is not.... rpgs are interactive stories and are not up for structural improve but the sphere grid throws a wrench in the gears of the story by letting her do something her character would not do

Oh, clearly the idea of a Chaotic Good illiterate barbarian multiclassing into a sorcerer at level 2 and getting just charisma boosts, even though he's a barbarian character is sacrilegious to an RPG. Oh wait. hallo there dnd

Which is why FFX-2 should be banned from the face of the earth, having multiple classes is WAY WRONG.

Who are you to decide what structural improvement in the game? While it might look weird, I believe more people would complain if you didn't have the option to span out over more then one grid. Gamers standards nowadays are much higher then, say, 10 years ago.

Seriously... What the #####? RPG stands for Role-Playing-Game and are not just 'interactive stories'... Throughout the game you make decisions from simple things (such as whether to open up a chest or not, or what to equip) to big things that could even affect the ending. I don't see how the Sphere grid throws a wrench in the story. There is no part of the story that states that Yuna could only use white magic. It has no effect on the story WHATSOEVER.

If every character could learn summons through the sphere grid then I would agree with you 100% because the story states that only Yuna can call upon Aeons... but in battle she is the only one. No where does it state that Yuna can't kick-ass with her rod and cause huge melee damage with it (except maybe at the beginning of the game, where she can indeed only use white magic until you train her elsewhere).

It is you're decision. Just because you don't think it looks right is irrelevant.

then play online games like wow or everquest but if you gonna give me a preset thats what it is because if my main guy is a mage and in the story you have him summon something in battle he shouldnt be an archer with no magic talent it breaks the illusion

Breaks the illusion? Your Sentences are beginning to make even less sense... Anyway this is all just personal preference and considering you have stated how much you love FFVIII it also seems to be full of contradictions. There was no more individuality between the characters of FFVIII then there is in FFX. At least in FFX it was completely optional to raise all you're characters exactly the same. It's you're own damn fault if you're character are exactly the same in FFX so quit you're bitching.

That makes no sense, though.

You have no grasp of what an RPG is. You have a grasp only of your own narrow minded idea of what it "should be"
based on jRPGs.

ok first of all i never said i loved ff8 i said i liked it....but i did say i didnt like the junctioning system..i like other things about the game it rounds out if this post was on the junctioning system id be sayin the same things

So like. You liked the plotholey story, the awesome character development of a grand total of three characters? Scratching that, it has the amazing imagery and art style, which was also in FFX.

So. Explanation.

You're a girl!?

I shall return to being on topic!

The Sphere Grid allowed the best to complete the entire grid with every character. It's the choice of the player to do that or not.

Well Tidus was just a Blitzball player, but give him a sword and he's suddenly a warrior, and apparently a spell caster as well. Yuna became a summoner to follow in her fathers footsteps, but it's probably not her only talent.

As for the Sphere Grid, you're 'encouraged' to take certain paths for certain characters, shaping them a certain way. But you still had a certain amount of freedom for the most part of the game. And towards the end you could access any part of the Sphere Grid for most of the characters, and could shape them any way you want. It's a matter of choice. Of course if you spend enough time on it eventually all your characters will move more towards the same path.

Even FF7 and FF8 had characters that were carbon copies of eachother with the Limit Breaks being pretty much the only exeptions. FF9 on the other hand wasn't like that. Some games only have minor differences like FF7, and some games had some bigger differences like FF9. And then there are some games that start off with bigger differences but leaves the choice in your hands of how to shape the characters like FFX. And I think that's a good thing myself.

I thought it was a good system.

i see the point that it can be explained but i personally didnt like it but im not the final authority and i can definitly imagine it being worse

You still ignored the point I made earlier; if you've completed the grid, you know you can opitinoally delete and fill spheres with different attributes. Why don't you just do that then. Delete Yuna's attack stuff etc and put in more magic. Its still an insane criticism of the game you have, but this would at least preserve you're illusion while still ridiculously overlevelling ( which you seem to find a necessity here).

No, I got what he said, my job was more directed at Flame.
I said that, even though it is possible, Yuna wielding a 2H sword just doesn't seem right.

Edit: Personally, I think the freedom is good, as it allows the player to do what he wants.
However, on the other hand, characters do loose a certain charm/personality trait which won't return, unless there are class restrictions, but with FF X and XII being so free, I doubt this will return.

I enjoyed the Sphere Grid as I used it for intended purpose and kept everything on the straight and narrow.

The thing that annoyed me most about the Sphere Grid is when I saw people "break" it. My friend made some insanely better characters than mine and I was wondering how this happened. He then showed me his Sphere Grid and that is when I realized what happened. He deleted so many sphere and replaced them with better ones that made everything unfair. I then understood that I had a long ways to go to actually do well when fighting the insane monsters. Getting my character stats to like 255 was just insane and I just couldn't go any farther.

i had no problem at all with the Sphere Grid, i actually rather enjoyed it.

Eh...anyway..

The sphere grid gave FFX tremendous replay value and great character customization. The so called "dressphere system" in FFX-2 could have been done better, but the game was rushed.

In the case of FFX, it was a "friend".

I think the Sphere Grid is maybe the best thing about FFX because you don't need a license to whopp some ass. (FF12)
And others member could learn different abilities that you have learn (which is sweet.)

I don't get the dress sphere FFX-2 but maybe if I pick up the stupid game I may have some skills there.

Another words, I say: Sphere Grid is a good friend of mine.

What's strange... is although I liked the sphere grid system, I dislike the Licence board for mostly the same reasons as oldgamer... It's not really a criticism because I'm pretty sure it's just the way I played it... but to be honest I like the idea behind the second release of FFXII where you had to choose a job path instead. It just sounds more to my taste.

Well you could either level them how you want to, or you can have the game do it for you and use pre-built characters that don't change too much regardless of how you level them or what equipment you give them ( If they can even use anything but something specific to them ).

I think it's a great move. Granted I've yet to play 10 and only have the experience with FFXII I assume they're somewhat the same.

I like making characters how I want to, and would rather not have the game do it for me as many RPG's still do and most old RPG's did.

I hate to say this... and I meant I REALLY hate to say this... but an RPG with a good idea behind it was Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age...

The game steals from FFX in a not very subtle way... but they had this interesting system where your characters had both magic and skills... The more you used magic, the more magic you would learn. The more you used skills, the more skills you learned. Each character's magic and skills were unique to the character but you were entirely in charge of how they grew. All stat increases were determined by the player at each level up.

What it meant is that you had total control over how your characters turned out, but each character was unique from each other. It also meant a lot more re-playability and that each time you played you could finish up with your characters being entirely different from the last time you played.

I would love to see that system return. It's just a shame the rest of the game was god awful.

I found the Sphere Grid unique so I would say friend. I get sick of leveling up insanely in the other games although it is basically the same, I like mixing things up a bit. I did not really mix up my characters until over 70% or more through the game besides Tidus who I accidentally have no clue how I got on Lulu's side the whole game. I eventually got him on the right track though.