Community MetaSteam | January 2020 - Toss A Coin To Your Gaben

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Durante

I <3 Pixels
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What would you consider the best turn-based JRPG battle system?
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter

Yeah, SMT games (including Persona) are my golden standard for turn-based JRPG. The system goes beyond just combat, you start from your party composition and formation, as well as understanding the enemies you're about to encounter. When everything clicks, it's just so satisfying. There's little to no repetition in SMT combat.
I think Persona (post 2) is massively overrated, battle system wise.

It's just boring, here's how every single battle works:
Code:
if(know_weakness) {
    use_weakness();
} else {
    was_weak = use_next_element();
    if(was_weak) know_weakness = true;
}
Admittedly, some times you can vary between multi-target and single target skills/spells. Great.
 

「Echo」

鈴鹿御前。
Nov 1, 2018
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Mt. Whatever
First, a happy and healthy new year! May 2020 be fortuitous and fruitful to all.




Oh lads, my ghost still haunts these walls.

In-fact I still visit everyday. ... just don't really have anything important to say. Lately I'm playing FE3H, Pokemon Sword, on my Switch, and as usual R6 Siege on PC. Still playing lots of FGO on my phone, and working two jobs.

None of that is really relevant to this thread though, so I just stay quiet. Haven't been able to participate in Steam sales either lately since my funds just aren't what they used to be. And I'm trying to save up for a new phone, mine is on it's last legs battery wise, and I also wanna save for a GPU. (3080ti probably won't be cheap!)

Ugh finally alive, can someone remind me next time that a hangover is not worth it!
Aye, I always tell myself this. Getting drunk is fun. Being drunk is fun. Coming off the drunk is awful. Just awful.
 

Bonfires Down

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Nov 18, 2019
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I think Persona (post 2) is massively overrated, battle system wise.

It's just boring, here's how every single battle works:
Code:
if(know_weakness) {
    use_weakness();
} else {
    was_weak = use_next_element();
    if(was_weak) know_weakness = true;
}
Admittedly, some times you can vary between multi-target and single target skills/spells. Great.
Yep, that's what I remember from Persona 3. Use weakness element -> All out attack. Repeat forever. I like the other parts of the game though.
 

Arsene

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Apr 17, 2019
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Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter

I think Persona (post 2) is massively overrated, battle system wise.

It's just boring, here's how every single battle works:
Code:
if(know_weakness) {
    use_weakness();
} else {
    was_weak = use_next_element();
    if(was_weak) know_weakness = true;
}
Admittedly, some times you can vary between multi-target and single target skills/spells. Great.
Does anyone really play Persona for the gameplay though? Its easily the worst part of P4/P3. Every time I start a dungeon I shotgun it to get back to the social stuff/story.

Let me spend more time with my friends damn it atlus
Oh lads, my ghost still haunts these walls.

In-fact I still visit everyday. ... just don't really have anything important to say. Lately I'm playing FE3H, Pokemon Sword, on my Switch, and as usual R6 Siege on PC. Still playing lots of FGO on my phone, and working two jobs.

None of that is really relevant to this thread though, so I just stay quiet. Haven't been able to participate in Steam sales either lately since my funds just aren't what they used to be. And I'm trying to save up for a new phone, mine is on it's last legs battery wise, and I also wanna save for a GPU. (3080ti probably won't be cheap!)
People talk about console games in this thread all the time so I wouldnt worry about it being irrelevant or what not 👀
 

Ascheroth

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Nov 12, 2018
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My favorite JRPG battle system on a conceptual level might be The Last Remnant.
But I'm the first to admit that it can be obtuse as fuck and there is a thin line between "my setup was bad" and "stupid RNG".
But it's awesome having those massive battles with your party of 18 and usually even more enemies (or a single/a few massive ones) and I kinda treat the limited control over detailed unit action as a card-game: "alright, this is your deck for this turn, make the best move with it".
 

Tizoc

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beep boop

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The Persona variant of the SMT battle system isn't great.
SMT4 though. Lots of fun combos in that.
 

Joe Spangle

Playing....
Apr 17, 2019
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I havent played that many JRPGs, mostly the more well known ones so my pick for best battle system is FF-X. I do really like that game and find the flow of the battle system the best.
 

Mivey

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My favorite JRPG battle system on a conceptual level might be The Last Remnant.
But I'm the first to admit that it can be obtuse as fuck and there is a thin line between "my setup was bad" and "stupid RNG".
But it's awesome having those massive battles with your party of 18 and usually even more enemies (or a single/a few massive ones) and I kinda treat the limited control over detailed unit action as a card-game: "alright, this is your deck for this turn, make the best move with it".
I liked the spectacle of The Last Remnant, but honestly, mostly I just tried to replicate the things that somehow worked the last time.
This was me throughout almost all battles:


I also remember really hating the protagonist, for some reason. And the fact that he didn't really die at the end
 

「Echo」

鈴鹿御前。
Nov 1, 2018
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Mt. Whatever
Final Fantasy X-2 revolved around playing dress up too IIRC. So it predates LR.
I haven't played X or X-2 myself yet, despite owning them for PS2 and PC and Vita and PS3 and PS4 (because I'm a fuckin' idiot.)

Somehow tho, I doubt it hits the same depth as Lightning Returns. People forget some of the finer things in LR, like stuns, parries, time manipulation, launches, beat-downs, combo timing, and P-shifting mid-combo as well.
 

Cordelia

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Jun 10, 2019
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Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter

I think Persona (post 2) is massively overrated, battle system wise.

It's just boring, here's how every single battle works:
Code:
if(know_weakness) {
    use_weakness();
} else {
    was_weak = use_next_element();
    if(was_weak) know_weakness = true;
}
Admittedly, some times you can vary between multi-target and single target skills/spells. Great.
Mine is just use_megidolaon(); and use_hassoutobi();
 
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Ascheroth

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I liked the spectacle of The Last Remnant, but honestly, mostly I just tried to replicate the things that somehow worked the last time.
This was me throughout almost all battles:


I also remember really hating the protagonist, for some reason. And the fact that he didn't really die at the end
There is some method to the madness, but finding that method took me lots of wiki reading, lol.
(I still have never actually finished the game tho).
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
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TLR was interesting and unique, but it did feel a bit out of your control, and the challenge was all over the place.

Scarlet Grace seems better in those aspects so far. Most of the times when something bad unexpectedly happened in a battle my first thought was "that was stupid of me", which is a good sign.
 

Tizoc

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I haven't played X or X-2 myself yet, despite owning them for PS2 and PC and Vita and PS3 and PS4 (because I'm a fuckin' idiot.)

Somehow tho, I doubt it hits the same depth as Lightning Returns. People forget some of the finer things in LR, like stuns, parries, time manipulation, launches, beat-downs, combo timing, and P-shifting mid-combo as well.
FFX and X2 released on Steam in 2016, so I'ma long ways to go before I get to playing it I am afraid. I do remember reading praise for X2' combat system so it'd be something to explore if one has the time, and isn't burnt out on jRPGs (like I am!)
 
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MJunioR

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Favorite JRPG battle system?

Lightning Returns!

Like it's not even a question. It was fun, fast-paced, and it revolved around playing dress up. Sign me the heck up.
While not my absolute favorite battle system, I enjoyed LR and its combat system a lot. Finished almost every side quest and gladly jumped in battle every time. Really fun game, and the good PC port just adds to it.
 
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skLaFarebear

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My favorite JRPG combat system would probably be the DS version of TWEWY. I'm a sucker for games that tie it's mechanics with the narrative of the game, so having in lore reasons for characters being completely separate from one another when in combat, represented by having both characters each fighting on one of screens on the DS, was pretty damn cool in the context of the game. Plus the narrative really pushes the concept of having a partner and how you'd be useless in combat fighting on your own, represented by the puck system and how characters do most of their damage when they have the puck and in doing combos while holding the puck, will pass the puck to the second player. The combat itself was really fun with the pins system too, made even better by the multiple difficulty systems and being able to tune your own level where turning your level down meant you could get better rewards from combat. The bosses also had some really great gimmicks that took advantage of the dual screen combat system. It really is just an incredible game, that lost some of it's unique charm when it made it's way to iOS/Switch. It's still a great game regardless of the platform, but the DS version was something special.

I can't believe it's already been over a decade since I played it and it's still probably my favorite game of all time.
 
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Li Kao

It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
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I'm selling my 4K TV now.
So far, I earned 13 euros from my great finances rescuing sale. I'm in. Deep.
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
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Does Valkyria Chronicles count as JRPG?
For the purpose of this question (favourite JRPG battle system) I'd go with "no". Battles between JRPGs and SRPGs are too different to compare -- they have very different design constraints. (One of the biggest being "hundreds or thousands of battles per playthrough" vs. "tens of battles per playthrough")
 
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Tizoc

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KainXVIII
So I've been playing this

But ended up dropping it because it was sooooo slooooooooow
You can double click on doors to warp to the next room, but the game consists of multiple screens/rooms and your character just WALKS, not run or power walk, just WALK slowly if you want him to interact or pick up something up.
Also when you move into a new screen, it will spend 5 seconds LOADING that screen.
Considering you'd be going through over 100 screens in this game that's some 10 minutes of one's life just looking at that loading screen :V

I think it got remade if not have a sequel, that I think got released the same year? Steam states that its next game, Operation Bunker released in the same year.
Also found a way to play Little Big Adventure with FR dub :drinking-blob:
 
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rybrad

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Apr 22, 2019
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Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
I have been meaning to check out the Breath of Fire series for awhile. Looks like I know where to start now.
Does Valkyria Chronicles count as JRPG?
JRPG is a lot like roguelike in that people have wildly different definitions on what qualifies as such. I agree with Durante though that in the case of combat discussions the strategy ones are different from regular turn-based.
 
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Dragon1893

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Marriage Story was muchhhh much better than twitter would have you believe. Loved it.
I heard nothing but good things about it. That's why I watched it. It probably depends on how much you relate to it. Me and my wife were on the brink of divorce not too long ago and our son is exactly the same age as the boy in the movie.
 

PC-tan

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My favorite combat would have to be the ones that show you the attack order. I like DQ and it's very simple system but I don't know the attack order and that can cause some of my buffs and debuffs to not work and get my party wiped.

I like the way that Bravely Default does the hole use a later turn to basically go all out on your enemies.

Octopath Traveler has a mix of the two things that I want. It does sort of suck how the battle system and the visuals are the main thing the game has for it, music is nice but the actual story and characters are not that great. It would have been cooler if the order in which you add party members mattered to the story of each one and that if you could unlock special dialogue/quest that way.



One game where it took me something like 30+ hours until I was sort of able to understand the combat better was Xenoblade Chronicles 1, I played it on my 3DS and was able to get far in the game but the combat just never clicked with me (I have never played an MMORPG and I don't think I have any Intentions to do so). I would use just Shulk and after those 30+ hours I learned that he is basically only good against one type of enemy and that I should use other party members for all the other enemy types. Also the quest in XBC1 suck!!!!! The reason I have not beat the game is because I want to complete all of the quest in it and well they are not fun quest that have a lot of deep meaning other than go and get my the 5 what ever I lost in the beach because I'm hungry (not all of the quest are bad, but a majority of them are). Exploration in XBC1 was both fun and a pain in the butt. It was fun just because of how cool the design of everything is (even on the 3DS the scenery was just amazing and by far one of the best parts of the game) but because of the way that I am I forced myself to travel to every knuck and krany of that map and discover all of its hidden locations.



Lightning Returns combat system is different than what I am use to and the outfits having unique combat skills was cool, but it could be a bit to complicated for me.



I'm a simple person and sometimes JRPGs can be overwhelming with all of the information that they toss at you and all of the hidden gameplay mechanics that some of them have and just never tell you (a game that has a hidden gameplay mechanic that I don't think ever mentions it is Pokemon, I don't think they ever mentioned IV/EV before X and Y, in X and Y they have a system where you can do your EV training and I liked that, and while this may not matter much for the base game it does matter a lot got the competitive scene) .



All JRPGs should have a fast forward option for battle animations.
 

skLaFarebear

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Competitive Pokemon definitely deserves a nod towards best JRPG battle system. For how simplistic the adventure modes are, my god does the game run so deep even beyond the EV/IV system when you factor in team building/composition, double battling VGC rules, move lists, and most of all predictions/reads. Just choosing what to even lead with based off your opponents team is a complex, yet rewarding choice all on it's own if it pays off. The game is just so addicting when you're playing it at the highest level.
 

Spamlynguist

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I bought some cheap earphones the other day and I already lost them. Why does this keep happening :blobweary:
 

Eferis

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Man, since Youtube homepage was updated with those recommendations stuck at the top, I find myself wasting way too much time watching idiotic videos I would have never looked for before. Fuck that website.
 
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Line

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Pokémon has a lot of good points, but the inane RNG with chances to miss/inflict status effects and the damage range of each attack makes its competitive scene an absolute joke. And I say that as someone that is interested in the scene. All those elements would get any other game insta kicked out of any other PvP environment.
I do like how deep and complex it is, fucking hate playing any match ever. Especially in OU.

Maybe Temtem will be better for that, since it's not bullshit RNG and it is very clear about stats and priorities. Also the stamina system is miles better than the trash PP that the series still use. Completely irrelevant in PvE, completely irrelevant in 99.7% of PvP. Getting PP stalled is just such a non factor... except in infuriating matches that last way too long.
 

Tizoc

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Isn't Pokemon combat too simplistic? Like just use the most effective attack against an enemy pokemon and it dies with that one action? Or is that just modern Pokemon?
 

Wok

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You know you want to ask for it. A link to the Frama form!

Paging the people who voted last year: #Senpai, Blizniak, Durante, Eriugam, Exzyleph, FeedMeAStrayCat, FunktionJCB, Hektor, His Majesty, Ibuki, KainXVIII, Knurek, Kuro, Kvik, Lain, Monooboe, MonthOLDpickle, Nzyme, Parsnip, QFNS, Rockin' Ranger, Smash, SpectrumWarrior, Tart Toter 9k, Tizoc, itsamiracle, low-G, prudis, sauce, suiko, texhnolyze, zkylon, @† Echo †.



And Gevin, you asked for the form, but you have not yet voted, do not forget! What about you IDGAF?

You will need to submit at least one game of the year and one game of the decade.



 
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Tizoc

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Durante

BTW since you are doing Urpina route, follow this guide once you reach Province Cerenaif, it'll help get enough materials to buff your weapons and equipment. I'm following it atm to get needed materials for upgrading and it also lets you earn some equipment.
 
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Line

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Isn't Pokemon combat too simplistic? Like just use the most effective attack against an enemy pokemon and it dies with that one action? Or is that just modern Pokemon?
Pokémon PvP is all about anticipating your opponent, using the right attack on the right Pokémon at the right time. You need to know pretty much perfectly the stats of each Pokémon in your tier, as well as their probable builds. And that includes a lot of builds with different natures, items and EV distributions, making something like the speed of a single Pokémon extremely variable. If you know nothing of it and get your only effective Pokémon killed, you've lost the game.
And of course, support skills like Sword dance (to increase your attack) or Toxic are vital in PvP. But obviously, you can't use it against someone that can one shot your Pokémon, so it's all mind games and setting yourself up at the right moment. Super bulky Pokémon are hyper useful in PvP, unlike PvE where speed is everything.

The PvP in Pokémon would be incredible if you could not lose a game because your attack missed and your opponent answers with a crit that ends the duel right here and there.
 

PC-tan

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By the way I didn't even know that EV was a thing in Pokemon until 2012 and when I asked the person that told me about it, how long that has been a thing, I think he said since either 2nd gen or 3rd gen. In 2012 we were already in 5th gen.

So people playing casually and would have no idea about it at all.

Also EV training is sort of dumb in itself and I forced myself to EV train my Pokemon in Omega Ruby and that is why I never beat that game (I have beat OG Ruby) but not OR because I wanted to give my team the best EV stats, which is sort of dumb when I don't think they even had good IV stats to begin with and I have no intention of playing that game online (online is dead now, I think, and you can't even transfer those Pokemon to sword and shield)
 

skLaFarebear

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I don't mind the luck elements as much, stuff like crit is fine for helping to prevent people from just stacking defense buffs all day, though it does suck when crit can influence the entire outlook of the game. Moves missing isn't a random element and isn't really a luck dependent thing, as unlike crits you know the risk of slotting in a move that can miss ahead of time and you can plan around it, or if you feel like the accuracy is shaky you can slot in a move that has a better chance to hit at the risk of doing less damage and not killing. Unlike random crits, If a move you or your opponent uses misses and that was the outcome of the game, that's on the player.

Flinching can fuck off forever though. Unless it's something like fake out.

Isn't Pokemon combat too simplistic? Like just use the most effective attack against an enemy pokemon and it dies with that one action? Or is that just modern Pokemon?
The standard adventure modes and the competitive PvP are two whole massively different beasts.
 
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