Blame yourself or God! Let's Play Final Fantasy Tactics!

If I'm not mistaken, if you know what you're doing and get all their skills, as well as compulsively check the CT table, you essentially get insta-use magic, anywhere on the battlefield. Also, if I'm not mistaken, it isn't so much Calculators (they have crappy stats), but giving their Math skill to a black mage.

This might be wrong though, I never really used 'em, since I liked smacking things in the face more.

It's not so much giving Math Skill to a mage --Math already picks up any spells the unit knows, regardless of their current job. So, the more and more varied spells they know, the greater their arsenal.

I've only ever given Math to one character in an FFT game, but among all the Jobs he mastered (Mediator, Mystic, Thief, White Mage,) my favorite combo was Bard w/Math. There's nothing quite like having the first action in a battle, and using it to cast CT Multiple of 4 (or 5) Faith, affecting every unit on the battlefield, then following it up with Toad.

I was thinking mage for the higher MA and higher speed. I think that Calculator by itself is somewhat balanced, since they're slow and all, but from my understanding it's basically giving Math to a different class is what really breaks it.

Though I recall that someone went through the game with only Calculators, and I shudder to think of how long that must have taken.

Ultimaterializer... all calculators, no spells.

He won. And then broke his foot during his victory dance.

"Hmmm, Final Fantasy Tactics. I love this game. I bet I'd love breaking the disc into little shards and swallowing them!"

Wasn't there a thread somewhere where we pondered why people would take things are beautiful and pure and twist them into the most painful things imaginable?

There was some of that going on in my FFVI challenges thread a while back.

It's more than that:
http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Arithmeticks

If you set up properly, you should be able to do massive damage to many enemies while also healing some of your allies. Instantly. For no cost. From anywhere. I'd that certain characters and reaction skills are overrated... but Math Skill? Not so much. It may be the most broken thing in any game I've ever played.

If you ever watch the FFT Speed Run at Speed Demos Archive, the trick he uses is to get Flare/Holy + Math Skill, along with MP Switch to not die when he targets everyone (himself included) with deadly spells.

The next update will be slow coming, I'm moving at the end of the month to Toronto, if I haven't mentioned that already. The battle is done, it's just taking the time to sort through a few hundred screenshots and write/edit/etc. so I hope to have it done before I move on the 27th. there might be a short hiatus after that, but once I'm set up in the big city (in Canada terms), I'll hopefully back to my semi-regular updates.

- Eddie

I want someone to be a Ninja with brawler.

Why would you give geomancers guns? They've got great PA! Sounds like a waste to me.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Fort Zeakden

(Scene: Golagos stands, alone and trapped by Algus and
Ramza's brother Zalbag. Teta, arms bound, stands in front
of him. It is snowing.)



Golagros: And don't do anything funny! There's tons of
powder inside the fort! More than enough to blow all of you
to hell and back! Got it? Then, get out!



(Ramza and Delita arrive from the east.)





















(A Knight enters from the west.)



Hokuten Knight: There are about 50 of them. I've been
informed one of them resembles Wiegraf!

(Delita gets up and shoves Ramza aside.)



Algus: You want to fight? Fine then, let's go!







Ramza: Why, why are you doing this? Algus, why!?

Algus: It's your brother's orders. Please don't ask why.











Algus: And what about you, Ramza? Why are you
arguing with me? You're a traitor to Hokuten!





Algus: How could someone like you be a Beoulve?



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Fort Zeakden is another one of those maps that is as difficult as you wish to make it. The objective here is to take out
Algus, who, for those who haven't been paying attention, just brutally murdered Delita's sister (because we needed an
excuse to take this punk out). Before we discuss the easy way however, let's discuss the hard way.



The hard way is going through the three Knights and two Wizards that Algus has as backup. Combined with Algus, and
taking into account that Delita is likely to be severely under-leveled, this means you're very much outnumbered. Worse
than that, all the Knights are male; their PA is going to be higher than those female Knights you were dealing with last
fight. Worser, those Wizards are female (higher MA!), and combined with the fact that it's snowing (Ice magic damage
+25%!) and that they have elemental rods equipped (strengthened element = MA + 25%!), AND are likely to possess
level 2 Black Magic, well...

... that would make them a huge problem even IF they didn't have Tom Selleck on their side.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *





Algus: Beoulves are leaders of warriors. You have certain
responsibilities as a leader! There are many things that only
you can do! You must do them for those who can't!



Algus: Just being used? Don't talk rubbish! Beoulves are
used because of who they are! We ourselves have survived
under their wing, used their protection!







Ramza: Are you all right, Delita?





* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The saving grace is that the enemy Wizards start on opposite corners of the map. If you're quick, you can deal with
them both separately. Dealing with two at once is likely to end... poorly. Of course, dealing with one still means dealing
with two heavy-handed Knights. Which leads to yet another problem with the hard way:

Your group is split up, on opposite ends of the map! Left alone, you'll have two units versus one Knight and one Wizard,
while the Ramza, another, and Delita try and deal with the remaining two Knights, the other Wizard, and Algus. You
might be able to take down the enemy wizard on Ramza/Delita's side, but you're unlikely to come out of such a confront-
ation unscathed.



On a side note, some of this conversation ain't just talk! The first screen shot there shows each of the three muske-
teers at the start of the battle. Well, Algus has really riled up Delita here, and that has blessed him with a temporary
+10 bonus to Brave (not shown)! Completely useless on our Delita, as he is not using a weapon that is based on Brave
(we don't have access to those yet, Monk aside), nor does he have a Reaction ability to capitalize on it. This +10
Brave is triggered by the "Leave me, Ramza!" speech. If perchance he's KO'd, Ramza's query will also revive him with a
single HP, perfect for pushing your enemies into the next level!



Let's talk about Algus for a minute. He's gotten a bit more pull around the Hokuten since last time. His crossbow, a
Night Killer, will sometimes inflict Darkness status (doubles evasion percentages for defending units) on those it hits.
Not a particular threat for magic users, but melee types like Knights and Monks might need an Esuna or Eye Drop tossed their
way. Failing that, blinded units can still be pretty successful by attacking units from behind. The damage Algus
deals won't be that extraordinary, but don't forget that he's got five other better units backing him up.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Algus: That's right, get angry! It's all you can do! Ha ha,
you deserve it!!


Algus: I'm also your father! That means I had sex with your mom!


Algus: You're sister, not your mom. Eww.



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Okay, RP over I swear! The exchange between Algus and Ramza boosts Algus's Brave up, and lowers Ramza's Brave
down, 10 points. I said during the Mandalia Plains fight that there was no consequence for picking the "destroy the
Death Corps" option. Well, as someone pointed out I was wrong! That conversation effectively negates the bonus
Brave Ramza picked up. Luckily, your other units are unaffected by Algus's words (so they keep their +2 Brave gain).

I don't know what exactly happens if you choose the other option way back in battle 3; the best I can find is that
Algus chastises you for helping him, especially since one can never be too careful if they're saving a friend or a foe.
Presumably there is no Brave loss. On that note, if you can kill Algus in this battle quick enough to prevent Algus from
mentioning the Mandalia Plains battle, Ramza can keep his +2 Brave.



Delita picks up another mostly worthless +10 Brave again. Well, it LOOKS impressive!

That +10 Brave that Algus gets is pretty significant however. Algus has dipped into the Chemist class for Auto-Potion,
a reaction skill you might recall from our look at the Chemist class about seven battles ago (on the, er, Mandalia
Plains...), which means that he'll regain a potion's worth of hit points (Thirty!) Brave % of the time. Lucky for us, the
game deflates his Brave to a much lower value than what it once was. Then again, +10 Brave still raises the chance for
Auto Potion to work up to 42%. A lucky string of Auto-Potions can really ruin your day if you're not saving him till last.

Algus, when given the choice, is likely to spend his time plugging arrows into Delita. Keeping him alive can therefore
mean you've got one less opponent to deal with, but the rest of the enemy force will certainly jump at the opportunity
to hurt Delita too. Of course, Delita will be aiming for Algus as well. If you're looking for Delita to put some sort of hurt
on him, turning Delita into a Wizard (learning the Ice spell) is probably the best idea, as magic spells will hurt more and
have a better chance of getting through Algus's evasion. Delita will still die, but...



The dilemma, if you wish to create one, is therefore how does one take out Algus's backup without getting the tush
kicked out of you. Well, I suppose it might be better to ask "why would you want to?" The skills they could teach you
are nothing amazing, and the equipment they're wearing is easily purchasable. So yes, you do it not because you
should, but because you can.

But, okay. You're like me, and hate not being thorough. Your best bet is to use their numbers against them. Bringing
your guys together behind the building will ensure most of them will group up in the area that Ramza and Delita start in,
making them excellent targets for magic attacks preferably Ice element ones like Ice 2 and Shiva. It's not just their
units that get a damage bonus due to the weather!



Team composition can help a lot here too. Despite Jean's potent punchables, bringing Sissie in instead would have
allowed Jessica to summon with greater impunity. As it stands, her MP isn't up to a level where she can summon Shiva
more than once. Chakra would have made the pain keep on coming, likely decimating the enemy. With Jean however,
we need to save our Shiva casting until the opportune moment, where we can nail three or more units with it. Jean
(enhanced by both Ramza and Junk) can then go in and be the designated hitter.

It's probably a bit late to talk about our plucky lead, Ramza, and his Chapter 1 compatriots, but doing it earlier might
have pushed off some of the class discussions, so here it where it'll have to be.

Despite all being Squires, Ramza, Delita, and Algus all share a few things that stand them apart from generic Squires.
For one, they can all equip robes. This is a curiosity at best as far as Chapter 1 goes, as there are not any particularly
good robes you'd want them to wear. Ramza and Delita are unable to equip Axes (unlike normal Squires), which is less
of a disadvantage given that Axes suck, and you can't normally get one in Chapter 1 anyway. Presumably, Algus
cannot equip Axes either, but the game does not mention whether he can or not directly (the Battle Mechanics guide
seems to confirm that he can).



Their Squire classes are also a lot better than you're average Squire, getting more Hit Points, MP, and better PA
and MA. It's perhaps, too soon to delve into the numerical hell that it would take to explain the differences, so let's just
leave it at making some broad statements. Ramza will have slightly higher MP, MA, and Speed compared to Algus and
Delita. Delita will come out slightly ahead on HP, and will have the highest PA on average, were the levels gained to
show the differences. Algus meanwhile, strikes a rather average balance, but gains a base class evade of 15%.

All three have all the skills a Squire has, with a few additions, character depending.

Ramza Class Skill: Guts
Yell: Raise Speed level by yelling.
Range: 3. Effect: 1. JP Cost: 200.
(Like all Speed increasing skills in this game, very useful. The perfect skill to use when Ramza has nothing better to
do.)

Wish: Offer one's own HP to the spirits, wishing to restore the target's HP by double that amount.
Range 1,3. Effect: 1. JP Cost: --
(A mediocre skill. Useful in a pinch, but in a pinch a potion is likely to be just as useful. On the bright side, Ramza
always begins the game with this.)

Delita Class Skill: Guts.
Wish: Offer one's own HP to the spirits, wishing to restore the target's HP by double that amount.
Range 1,3. Effect: 1. JP Cost: --
(Exactly the same as Ramza's, therefore, mediocre, but at least free.)

Algus Class Skill: Basic Skill.
Head Break: Used to destroy item equipped on enemy's head.
Range: Weapon. Effect: 0. CT: Now. JP: 300.
(Identical to the Knight skill. Still not particularly good.)

Armor Break: Used to destroy item equipped on enemy's chest.
Range: Weapon. Effect: 0. CT: Now. JP: 400.
(Identical to the Knight skill as well. Better, but you're unlikely to even gain the JP needed to grab this.)



As Delita and Algus are guests for their entire stay in Chapter 1, you're unable to use them in random battles. That
means that all their experience and JP growth has to happen inside the story battles. For Delita, that means the only
battles you can use toward his JP totals are battle 2 (Gariland Magic City) to battle 9 (Windmill Shed). Algus only sticks
around for battles 3 (Mandalia Plains) to 7 (Thieves Fort) giving him even less time to buff up any. Then again, why
would you want to raise Algus's job levels?

Raising Delita's levels however, can potentially have a point. Despite losing him at the end of Chapter 1, he's useful for
soaking up experience if you're looking to do a low-level game. Simply keep him healed up enough for him to enter a
class such as a Summoner, and then let him take care of the enemies while your own guys cower in a corner. A full
explanation of performing a low-level game will be discussed much later. Suffice to say, it's incredibly time consuming
and only worth it to "say you did," or if level 1 Calculators are your thing.

One last thing: we'll be returning to Ramza's Squire class in the far far future. Speaking of the future, the time has
come to talk about our next class!

Thief

You almost always want to have at least one character with the Thief skill set in your party. While there are only a
handful of items in the game that can only be obtained via looting an enemy, enemies tend to be at par or a step
ahead of the party's available equipment. Stealing theirs not only weakens the enemy's capabilities, but saves you
money, a valuable prospect for those of us who are addicted to the "Best Fit" option in shops.

Thieves also have a few other bonuses. For one, they're one of the fastest classes until you get the ability to become
a Ninja. They also have a huge 25% evasion rate (but remember that class evasion only applies when attacked from
the front!). Steal Gil is a great way to gain some extra JP without killing an enemy, and Steal Heart is an incredibly
useful ability, despite its gender limitation. Females make the best Thieves because of this; you'll fight more males than
females! Finally, Move +2 is one of the best movement abilities available, particularly for females who don't have access
to Move +3 (which is a Bard only skill).

Avoid non-status magic as a secondary skill set, as Thieves are miserable magic users (only Lancers are worse).
Remember that monsters don't have any equipment to steal, but Steal Heart will still work on them, as will Secret Hunt
(which will get its own section in the future)!



Prerequisite: Lv. 2 Archer
Weapon: Knife
Helmet: Hat
Armor: Clothes

Move: 4
Jump: 4
Physical Evasion Rate: 25%

Skills to get: Gil Taking, Steal Heart, Move +2

Class Skill: Steal
Gil Taking: Steals gil.
Range: 1. Effect: 1,1 (Enemy only). CTR: Now. JP Cost: 10.
(Perfect skill to use when you just want some JP, and dirt cheap to boot.)

Steal Heart: Charms an enemy that is of the opposite sex (Add: Charm).
Range: 3. Effect: 1 (Enemy only). CTR: Now. JP Cost: 150
(Your success rate will always hover around 50%. A bargain to put an enemy unit on your side for a few turns.)

Steal Helmet: Used to steal equipped helmets.
Range: 1. Effect: 1,1 (Enemy only). CTR: Now. JP Cost: 350.
(Nearly everything said about the Knight's various "Break" equipment abilities apply to the Thief's.)

Steal Armor: Used to steal equipped armor.
Range: 1. Effect: 1,1 (Enemy only). CTR: Now. JP Cost: 450.
(The success rate is lower, but you get to keep the equipment afterward.)

Steal Shield: Used to steal equipped shield.
Range: 1. Effect: 1,1 (Enemy only). CTR: Now. JP Cost: 350.
(Steal Shield, like Shield Break, can really help against many shield wielders... if you didn't bring magic instead.)

Steal Weapon: Used to steal equipped weapons.
Range: 1. Effect: 1,1 (Enemy only). CTR: Now. JP Cost: 600.
(The best of the bunch, despite the low success rate, it can get you some really nifty weapons that aren't easy to get otherwise.)

Steal Accessry: Used to steal equipped accessories.
Range: 1. Effect: 1,1 (Enemy only). CTR: Now. JP Cost: 500.
(Yes, Accessry. Well, accessories are one of those things that are great to have multiples of.)

Steal Exp: Used to steal Exp from an enemy.
Range: 1. Effect: 1,1 (Enemy only). CTR: Now. JP Cost: 250.
(not particularly useful. Levels aren't want you want, JP is! Steal Gil is a better way to simply spend a turn.)

Reaction Abilities:
Caution: Take defensive position (Add: Defense).
JP Cost: 200.
(Gain Defense... double evasion chance... AFTER you've taken the blow? No thanks.)

Gilgame Heart: Receive gil in the amount of damage you received.
JP Cost: 200.
(Surely you can find something better to put in your Reaction slot. I'd use Caution of this.)

Catch: Catch thrown item and keep it.
JP Cost: 200.
(Well, only Ninjas can throw stuff at you, and I can tell you straight that you won't fight enough of them to make this
skill worth it. Still has an interesting purpose for those with enough time on their hands...)

Support Ability:
Secret Hunt: If you beat a monster, you can take it to a fur shop.
JP Cost: 200.
(Secret Hunt is awesome, allowing you to slay monsters and turn their corpses in for items. The best equipment
however, comes from the toughest monsters, so this isn't something you use until you're prepared to use it.)

Move Abilities:
Move +2: Increase movement range by 2.
JP Cost: 520.
(There are very few movement abilities better than this one. Teleport and Move +3 are the next best, and they might
not be as easy to get as this skill, particularly if the character is female.)

Jump +2: Increase jump elevation by 2.
JP Cost: 480.
(This skill can safely be skipped however.)



With Algus's lackies dead, it felt only right to revive Delita from his, er, slumber, to deal the final blow to Algus. I mean,
dude killed his sister, it just felt right. Well, Junk was the only one able to actually revive the dead, so he started to
make his way to Delita's corpse while Jessica and Jean pinned him in the corner.

I mentioned before that you can "trick" the game into firing a ranged weapon like crossbow by simply aiming at a square
behind your opponent. Well, the AI apparently doesn't read my guide, because if you pin a unit like Algus here in a
corner, he'll stand their helplessly when his turn comes up.



To make sure Delita got him with one hit, I was chipping away at his health with Jessica. Her rod was dealing a mere
six damage, giving her the best chance to whittle Algus down to lethal range...

... and promptly forgot that sometimes Lightning Rods trigger a bolt effect.



Oops. Well, Delita was probably just joking when he said he wanted to kill Algus.

(I hope he doesn't get mad at me.)

Bonus Money: 7,500 gil

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*Phew* That was a post.

Alright guys, I'm going to be busy moving for the next few weeks, so this LP will be taking a brief break. I'm hoping to start it up again in mid-September, so it shouldn't be too long a break.

I appreciate all comments, questions, criticism, etc. A new chapter is the perfect time for changes after all!

In the meantime, read Stiv's Let's Play: Angband, as it's awesome, and not just because he plugged me recently!

I also want to give a musical special thanks to: The Inbreds, Buck 65, and Aimee Mann, becuase they made sorting through 500 images a lot more tolerable.

See you in September!

- Eddie

Fantastic update. Looking forward to Chapter 2, it's probably my favorite chapter.

Chapter 1 was amazing in it's entirety. I love this game and have come away from this let's play much more knowledgeable about it. Fantastic job Eddie, I really appreciate all your hard work.

Nice editing!

I think Algus' Break skills are only there as a nod to his family's diminished status - it's certainly not worth the effort of trying to learn them. I love these little touches.

The realisation that Steal Heart is boosted by MA is one of the things that prompted me to dissect most of the game's formulas... before I learned that there was already a comprehensive guide with all that and more. D'oh! Anyway, I really think Steal Heart is one of the more broken things in FFT. Cheap, instant, no MP cost, higher success rate than many other status skills, and adds one of the most useful (and fun) status effects in the game.

Nice job capturing the sprite artwork, Eddie. It's easy to overlook how much detail there is in this game's animation while you're playing it.

Steal Heart is probably the most dangerous thing that enemy generics ever use against you. It's the certainly the most common reason to say "Ohshitohshitohshit" in between the % estimate and the resolution of the ability.

It's so evil that Algus gets autopotion. It's not the cruelest FFT boss battle, but it's probably the first that can be virtually impossible to win because of one unassuming little ability.

Those are good. <3

The music for the final scene here is one of my favorite pieces in the game (which is high praise given the quality of the soundtrack):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMYF1QJ6eJA

This has got to be one of the best LPs I've ever read. You fuggin' rock, Eddie.

Agreed. FFT is on my short list of greatest games ever, and you're doing it justice!

Wow, this ha been amazing Eddie! I can't wait to see chapter 2, Thank you!

Yeah, this is redundant, but because it's obvious how much work is involved I wanted to chime in yet again to say how awesome it is that you're conveying all the great animation and important scenes. I still love re-sizing my borwser so I can "animate" the big scenes with page-down.

The hiatus is almost over! I just need ooooone thing from you guys:

I don't want to post the next update where it'll end up spilling halfway into the next page. To solve this I only need a single post to bump the post count to 390.

So help me out here by helping our fellow Let's Play authors! I want you guys to pump up another Let's Play (either in progress, or to be resumed) saying why they should be following it. You guys do that for me, and tomorrow I promise an update.

Deal?

- Eddie

Deal!