To build experience and job points just set all of your characters
with the basic skill (squire class ability) and kill all of the enemies
on the screen but one. Then just have your characters use the
basic
skill "accumulate" and watch your experience and job points rise.
Bobby J. Dixon amber@afnetinc.com
The requirement for the job mime is level 8
item user, level 8
beginner knight, level 5 summoner, level 5
talker, level 5 Fu-sui-shi
(Element user) and level 5 dragon knight.
Mini-Games
Sometimes when you go to the bar and accept
a mission, you will
get a book. You can use that book to play
a little mini game. There
are 4 books in all.
Ultimate Summon
After beating the battle in the holy land of
Myurond, go to the sea
port Wo-jirius. Following an short event you
can go into Dieve
dungeon, and from the tenth floor of the basement
you will be able
to learn the ultimate summon (equivalent to
Knights of the Round
from FFVII.)
Square has once again provided a unique
gaming experience built around its
storytelling ability and engaging Final
Fantasy universe. The combination of deep
strategy and character development are the
major motivations for playing Final Fantasy
Tactics and for the most part it doesn't
disappoint.
Players will find themselves caught in a
convoluted plot that has more twists and
turns than Route 1. Just when you think your
other team members are `friends', it will be just
a few short hours before you will see that
they have some hidden agenda and are in fact
stabbing your party in the back. So frequent
is this situation, that it almost becomes a little
ridiculous. All in all, the plot is no where near
as stimulating or involved as Final Fantasy VIIs or Final Fantasy IIIs,
but it is
good enough to keep players wanting to see the next major scene.
Probably the most satisfying portion of the game is building up your
characters. Each character can learn new `jobs' as they earn experience.
Each
job has specific strengths and weaknesses and skills but characters can
jump
from job to job between battles as needed. New skills (both magic and
physical) can be learned after spending `job points'. More advanced skills
cost considerably more job points than basic skills.
The actual job system is extremely complex and well thought out. The actual
classes range from fairly mundane thieves, knights and mages to more
advanced classes such as lancers, geomancers and mediators. In each battle,
players will usually only be able to take three to six characters into
battle
(depending upon the battlefield) so having the right balance of magic,
strength, healing ability and special features is important.
The actual level designs for the battlefields (which are also where all
of the
plot elements take place) are extremely well done. Varying elevations and
environmental hazards add considerable need for careful planning.
There are really only a couple of criticisms to be made of the game. First
is the
fact that regardless of how long you spend building up your characters,
your
enemies will increase in power (which partially negates the enjoyment gained
from building up characters). The only enemies who possess set strength
are
the bosses who appear to be linearly set at various stages to ensure that
you
have spent at least some time developing skills and generating cash. As
a
result, the game's required play time is more than a little artificially
inflated.
Another valid gripe is the lack of variation in the music. While the music
is in
the typically amazing style Square is known for, there are no more than
four
tracks with the battle track being identical for every non-unique battle.
Given
Square's past efforts in audio, one would have expected a little more effort.
All in all, the game is well worth visiting but be prepared for a decent
learning
curve and a sizable time investment.
