Job Classes: In or Out?

[HighwindPilot]

Job Classes have been around since the existence of FF, but as we all know, they haven't always been present or prominent in every game. How do you feel about them?

Would you rather them there or not? Or would you rather the way specific games did it, such as:

VII and VIII: Where you could kind of tell what most if not each player "would" be, but you still have the flexibility to mold them or use them however you'd like.

Or X: In which there's no real name or class given to any of the party, but there are particular advantages that each of them have, and a certain skill set each can obtain based on their underlying style.

Thoughts?

 

[Sabriel]

Jobs make certain games more interesting e.g. FF3 - Thank GOD it has that. Or else I think it'll be too boring without a little twist or variety.

Sometimes when a person is allocated that job, it might not fit the character. Feels kinda not right. (FF7 and 8)

But when you're stuck with that job, I just carried on as normal because you can't change anything. Sometimes that's also good.

 

[Volbia]

couldn't stand the way the "classes" things were done in ff10 always loved the class system. it really defines the games. you can choose the type of character you want, and you have different advantages to it. not to mention I always loved the thief class.

 

[Dirges for Damcyan]

Love job Class systems. Of the four strict job class systems (III, V, Tactics, X-2) I think that V did the best job of creating a truly customizable experience. I love static classes too, like in IV, IX and X, because I think it forces you to think more strategically in battle

 

[DarkClaymore]

I actually wanted to make such a thread myself... but I forgot XD.

I always have hard time choosing between "No Jobs at all" and "Jobs".
There are games, like FFX, which don't have jobs and yet somehow limit the flexibility.


I think I like the jobs system more. Mainly after playing FFV. The customizing system there is just too perfect IMO. The only game in which MASTERing a job gives you something.
But no job systemd are cool as well (mainly FFVIII and FFVII). It feels as if the player has great control over the characters' development.

 

[Chax]

Oh God yes. I need a job system. If FFIII hadn't had the job system it had, and had they not been spaced out the way they were, the game would've been lost to my sock draw. D: I don't mean to bash it here, but that game was dreadfully generic. Most of it consisted of fetch quests. Don't even get me started on FFV's job system, it's just epic tier. I'm so looking forward to the day they remake it and I can experience the job system in the same way I did in FFIII. 3D. ;D Yeah, I'm a graphics whore, whatever.

 

[Daenerys]

Looks like I'll be in the minority here, but I LOATHE job systems. LOATHE them. I hate having to master a crapload of jobs to make a character versatile, too much choice annoys me as I always wonder "Am I picking the right job? Will this mess up my game?" etc

I like FIXED jobs, like in FFIX, FFIX did the job system perfectly, in my opinion.

FFVI, VII, VIII, X and XII are all superior games to those with job systems (apart from IX) I love having the flexibility to make your character anything you want - a dedicated warrior, a mage, or proficient in everything, it's so much more fun, in my opinion.

Job systems, such as the ones in FFIII and V, require far too much grinding to be fun, imo.

 

[WanderingAesthetic]

I don't really like the systems where you can change job classes, like III and V. I think a character's personality should be reflected in their skills. I do like the systems like IV, IX, and X, where every character pretty much has a set class, though it does remove some flexibility.

Generally, I don't care though, as long as you're not forced to make every character a cookie cutter of each other.

 

[Talon]

I guess I'd be torn between the two. The job system in FF Tactics was fun and allowed for so pretty decent customization but then there's the job system in X-2 which killed me somewhere on the inside. After battling a behemoth for an hour using only passive abilities and heals to stay alive, just so I can score a few points towards ability buying... yeah, never again.

Personally I don't need a job system in any of the games I play, just level up and leave the customization to armor and weapon crafting and the like.

 

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

I'm the same as Mark, I hated the job systems, they were just generally boring because of how much grinding was needed at times, I understand that there are massive advantages when you've mastered the jobs but I prefer the the way FFX and FFXII did it really >.>

 

[Misty]

I'm not fussed, I like either - having job systems kinda takes you back to the good old days of FF, and the modern systems I like because...I dunno, it's nice to have a change? Grinding never bothered me...I loved grinding.

 

[Aurorastear]

I think a characters job should match thier personlity so i like fixed jobs personally x For example if they slapped Kain as a white mage in Final Fantasy 4 how then story wise Cecil lose to him it would be impossible ... maybe unless Kain was like a big muscle clad bastard of a white mage which thankfully he isnt either x

 

[Shu]

I mean don't get me wrong, I loved tactics absolutely freakin loved it, but that was because it was like a RTS and not an RPG.

Though I didn't like what they did with FF12. Why? Well because I hate having that many options to choose from, it honestly gets messy when you can have everyone use whatever weapon you want them too. I mean it makes for more realism in some sense, but at the same time if you know one strategy works you can center all your characters to that one spec.

I mean if you truly wanted to in FF12 you could put a 2h sword on everyone and completely wreck things. I loved FFX and down because I knew that the character had a lot to do with their "spec". So if Auron was a mature more hard up individual well then he would be using a 2 handed sword.

If Yufee was a ninja/thief so she used "ninja-esc" throwing thingies. I like linear characters, it molds the story better in my opinion.

RTS's like Disgaea and FF tactics are able to do this, because they still have racial abilities and such, that only they can do. (granted ff12 gives different quickenings... but still)

 

[King Sean]

I did not like the job system. It felt too "Take your job and love it" to me. I felt restrained in a weird way, like someone was labeling me. I like that newer games have it, but they are not stated like Cloud was a warrior, while Aerith was a white mage. I liked that kind of system. Tactic is the only game where I can respect the job system.