re: FF7 battle system is severely flawed

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I've definitely learned that you need to start a boss battle, scan the boss, and immediately quit and change materia.

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exactly such poor design

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puts you back immediately before the battle.

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thank goodness

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Just read a guide before you start a chapter while you are at it.

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That’s what I did. Don’t regret it either lol.

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How so? Should every boss battle have a guide before you fight on how to beat them? geez. What is the point? Just read a guide before you start a chapter while you are at it.

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say I have fire materia junctioned to elementals and get thrown into a fight with a fire-resistant boss after a cutscene. my choices are:

- subject myself to a miserably long fight by whacking away at him for 2 damage per hit, using magic (and items if on Normal) when i can.

- quit and redo materia, then come back for a normal fight


those are the only 2 choices, and you call that good game design?? it's one of the most common issues brought up on every forum, even from the fanbois. absolutely 0 reason that they couldnt let you swap materia at the cost of some ATB

it's tedious and ruins pacing and buildup. "oh wow this boss is so epic, this is gonna be awesome. oh wait nvm, let me reload real quick"

I was gonna say, maybe you got lucky with what you had equipped and where, and just didn't come across it much. but i distinctly remember it happening several times and just rolling my eyes constantly when none of my characters had a boss' weakness loaded up. I always tried to have different elements set up, but i'd run into shite where I had fire, ice, and bolt or something, then I run into a boss that's only weak to wind or some shite. people's experiences are obviously going to vary with this particular gripe, but it was definitely infuriating, especially on the chapters where youre swapping characters

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let you swap materia at the cost of some ATB

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Many, if not most Final Fantasy games let you change weapons mid battle. Usually at the cost of a turn (ATB). They could have easily let you change weapons.

The way that materia can be "equipped" but not in use (grayed out in the materia screen), makes me think that equipment changes were originally planned.

Also, I'm a bit annoyed at myself. I didn't realize that this was a Part 1. Especially considering that it doesn't say Part 1 in the game title or anywhere else.

Midgar was my least favorite part of the original FFVII. I wish they would have just spent more time on the game and released the entire thing. Of course you can't charge people three times that way, and a $180 game is a hard sell.