From Scratch: 6.0 Progression Systems

[Shurrikhan]

Yeah, but like I said, in the game, there exists documentation that talks about how the mage council decided to do away with the awkward suffixes that they would have to completely make up a new precedent for each time a new, more powerful spell was added.

Instead favouring the more logical and straightforward naming convention involving just using numbers to denote power level of the spell in question.

I mean, talking about how currently there are only rank 4 skills as the highest tier... But what about in Shadowbringers? What about the expansion after it? The expansion after that?

What does it add to the game to run around casting "Cureuraz" as opposed to Cure X?

Personally, I did find it jarring to go to a numbered system from the iconic suffix system. But in the long run, it makes more sense. With there also being actual lore backing up the change.

Let's not forget that that bit of lore was mentioned to have been added in literally as a joke in response to the complaints regarding the naming changes over the course of ARR. Personally, I prefer the word suffixes when they have consistent meaning. -Ra Area of Effect/Expensive form. -Ga Enhanced/Function+ form. -Ja Alternate/Ultimate form. And, as we're not XI, and use potency rather than spell-ranks with less influenced damage beyond base values, we don't really need anything further than those 4 ranks. The only real advantage to the numeric suffixes is planned obsolescence by which you gradually lose access to or performance from the tools you already had, only to replace them with something that provides absolutely identical gameplay. Water I. Water II. Water III. Water IV. Water V. Water VI. Water VII. In each case: "Single target. Does [X+<10% Spell Power>] damage. No additional effects." If the plan of advancement for the next 3 xpacs is to simply offer Bio 4 through 9, then yes, numbers are good. If we're capable of a modicum of creativity, or even realize that the same spell can be silently retagged or retraited without having to offer it a new name each time, however, the benefits are nil.

Nonetheless, it has nothing to do with any Progression System, unlike...

* Complete Rework of the totally dumbed down pbsolete Materia System and make it work like the good FF7 Materia System, where materias are MEANINGFUL and are actually part of your character progression, not some kind of pointless low Stat Boosts, which could easily just get removed and no one would basically ever miss them.

I'd love to hear more about this, Kaiser, if you're willing!

And...

I feel that the overworld as a whole could do with an overhaul (Hah, puns!).

I'm liking the FATE improvement ideas, but I was just wondering if there were other options outside that scope that you'd also like to see. Anything else worth throwing out there?