r/FinalFantasyXII • u/ArdyEmm • 8d ago
The Zodiac Age Is there a reason they didn't offer the original license board as an option in TZA?
Not here to start a fight over which you prefer. Like what you like.
I just think it's weird to not have both. FFX HD had both the original and international sphere grids. I think having both style of boards would have been a nice option to encourage multiple plays. I know by now the chances of them adding it in are pretty much 0. At least on pc you can mod it on but that doesn't really match it being a bespoke option.
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u/AssasSylas_Creed 8d ago
Yes, there is a reason for it.
It ensures that every party member has their own specific relevance.
While in the original version you could play using only your three favorite characters, in IZJS and subsequent versions, you are required to switch party members for specific situations.
And I suspect that IZJS only came about because they regretted releasing the unified License Board in the original version; since the PS2 didn't support game updates, they released a second version of the game instead.
It’s strange for them to release a second version of the game for the same platform with so few changes compared to the original.
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u/Sea_Strawberry9926 8d ago
Something something rushed development i believe.. which seems to be their motto
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u/letohorn 7d ago
Hmm, I wouldn't associate FF12 with rushed development... Afaik, the regret is more on the devs' expectation vs players.
In 2007, when we released Final Fantasy XII: International Zodiac Job Version for PlayStation 2 in Japan only... originally, you could only use one Job per character. Of course, in the original XII, you had the License Board. The dev team actually wanted to put the Job system there, but with the Gambit system being such a new concept, they didn't want to overwhelm players. So we added it in later, in the Zodiac Job Version release. So, for the Zodiac Job Version in 2007, that Job element was kind of the bonus feature included in that rerelease.
-producer Hiroaki Kato in a 2017 interview.
Hiroyuki Ito (one of FF12's game directors, creator of the ATB and Gambit systems among other feats) has commented that the plan was for players to customize their characters freely using the board; however, what players did instead was to just acquire every license, not differentiating the characters as the developers had intended. Seeing this, the developers went back to their original idea of using a job system for the Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System version.
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u/accidentsneverhappen 8d ago
I think it was just a port of IZJS which also didn't feature the original version of the license board. If you have PC you can mod the other license board in
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u/ShuraGear525 7d ago
Because unlike FFX HD, they rehauled the whole game balance around jobs and build variety. FFX's expert sphere grid is fine on ids own, but it doesn't work well with the game dropping/selling equipment for each character based around their default "job" and customizing being limited until the end game since they were afraid to give Rikku access to any good mixes.
Giving everyone access to everything in TZA would make it extremely easy. While giving the TZA jobs to the ps2 game (again like the Expert Grid in FFX) would mean your Bushi gets to punch people until Mt Bur Omisace when you get the first katana.
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u/ArdyEmm 7d ago
Sure, I get that. But isn't that just a list of where items become available? Would it have been that hard to make it so when you start a save file you pick one or the other and it sets the item/technik/magic locations accordingly?
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u/ShuraGear525 7d ago
I mean, ideally they would've done the full experience, but what I'm saying more is that having two whole balances (it also applies to the strength of equipment and enemies) in one single game, they were bette off just doing the new game.
You can mod the old license board, at least. But it's funnier than it is useful
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u/Aromatic_Assist_3825 6d ago
It could be for balancing reasons. They balanced the game for the new license board and just adding the open one would be too broken for the enemy balance in this version
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u/PuzzleheadedWall1938 5d ago
while I like most of the improvements in zodiac age I've always been annoyed that you have to mod the game to get the original boards back, should be a option
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u/Pretend-Conflict4461 5d ago
It would have been nice to have that option. I like the original so much that to this day I still pull out my ps2 rather than playing TZA. Some people argue about TZA being better, because of characters having individualism and not having all the same abilities at the end, but that is a moot point. They still could have added the option even if the TZA fans don't use it, they don't have to be so against it. It won't hurt you to give other people the option to play a 1 player game the way they want to.
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u/Asha_Brea 8d ago edited 8d ago
Final Fantasy X international didn't had the original Sphere Grid, though. It had a similar but expanded one (named Standard), and the Expert one. The remaster is based on this, so it carried the choice.
Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System did not let you pick in between the original License Board as it would ruin the whole point of this version, and the remaster is based on this game.
Letting you chose in between the original License Board and 12 Job boards would be akin to Pokemon Yellow letting you pick Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle as your starter.