Materia System

[Teknoman]

LOL, no, I've felt that way since I played FFVII back on the original Playstation many moons ago. The term never felt right, and I'd rather leave it back in FFVII where it belongs.

lol Anyone remember the "Beads / Bees" thing on Arrested Development?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J2kc...eature=related

[Rentahamster]

Also has anyone considered that a Peice of Equipment with materia would gain AP as well and that Materia's stats could be included into the materia crafted out of it?

Yes, but Matsui's post didn't say anything specific about that issue, so we don't know for sure.

[Mack]

Yes, but Matsui's post didn't say anything specific about that issue, so we don't know for sure.

I don't think it'll play out like that, I think the materia already on the armor would have to be removed/destroyed for the armor to be converted into materia, otherwise you can keep stacking forever.

[Amineri]

Did his post mentioning anything about keeping the materia but destroying the armor or weapon it was embedded in?

It seems to me that at times this would be the desired course.

[Yazoo]

Did his post mentioning anything about keeping the materia but destroying the armor or weapon it was embedded in?

It seems to me that at times this would be the desired course.

I guess armor/weapon can be destroed while atempt to attach second materia.

[Amineri]

I guess armor/weapon can be destroed while atempt to attach second materia.

Fair enough, but I was referring more to the situation where you have a really nice rare materia that you'd like to keep, but you want to upgrade your armor or weapon or tool, and you'd like to keep the same materia.

From Bayohne's description, the option to keep the weapon and destroy the materia is present, but not the reverse.

[nibelunc]

Maybe I didnt understand it at all but why should a used weapon or armor turn into materia? i better like the idea of getting inactive materia from shops, monsters or chests and equip them in weapons or armor to get AP that activate the materia at 100%. i like the idea, but i just dont understand. More information would be great.

[Truvy]

To me it reads/sounds like this:

* You wear/use your weapons and armor. While doing so, each piece gains in these "afinity' points. When the points reach 100% you will have the option to <convert> the piece of equipment into a Materia. (Losing the gear > gaining a Materia) This can be done under the class that was using the gear.

* DoH crafters will be able to then <attach> these Materia to a piece of gear, adding whatever stats the Materia has to the gear. This requires a <catalyst> to preform the synth and always will have sucess.

* DoL gatherers will aquire the necessary catalysts for crafter to perform this synth.

* Crafters can also <remove> the Materia from a piece of gear (destroying the Materia in the process) and attach a different one.

THen lastly, the possibility of some forbidden technique with high failure rate to attach multiple materia to a item.

[Ravidrath]

Not sure why people are so concerned about people exp'ing with lower level gear - I think the chances that "low grade" gear are going to have worthwhile inheritable stats to high-level players are roughly zero. If somehow this ends up being the case, I think it's a gear design problem and not a Materia system problem.

Also, I think it's safe to say that it'll take multiple gear repairs' worth of effort to accumulate enough Attachment Points to create a Materia. To ensure this is a boon to crafters, gear repaired by actual players should receive an Attachment Bonus. This bonus should not vary with HQ repairs or anything like that.

I'd personally love it if they removed gear's stat penalties for being damaged, and just made is so that it significantly slows or even eliminates the rate at which you accrue Attachment Points. This basically flips the durability system psychology around so that keeping your stuff repaired is something you want to do because it'll help with future goals. It's also beneficial to the player without being detrimental to the group.

...In fact, I'm going to go suggest that now.

[tachikoma]

Here's a running list of potential problems that would need attention given the info we have. This is made with the idea that the devs want feedback on this system from the players.

1. Matsui's new system focuses on rewarding the effort and innovation of players playing at their best, but this system seems to incentivize equipping low-grade equipment to battle. These focuses seem antagonistic to each other, and a player may be forced to choose between being at their best and getting materia.

2. Jobs that have already hit the level cap sustain massive reductions in the amount of hits they perform on a given weapon or in a given armor set, relegating attachment to gear to a "grinding" activity like levelling or farming, which are either impossible for some or not fun for most.

3. Materia growing appears to be an activity that favors current unaddressed problems in the game: players who farm shards with bots will now have more incentive to continue this activity. Let's not pretend that shard bots don't exist, or allow a system that further rewards that behavior.

4. This system will eventually settle out to what outcome is common and what is rare as a means to distinguish materia on gear. For battlers, that rare event seems to be HQ'ing materia as their mechanism for power. For crafters, it seems to be that rare double materia attach. Where is the power-outcome for gatherers to give them equal weight?

5. The system feels like an archaic MMO farm or grind activity, which this game must avoid if it is to rise above.

1. If you want the best materia you will (HIGHLY LIKELY) have to use the best gear to get it-> you want the HQ3 materia? gotta materialize your +3 crab bow to get it!

2. What if the points you earn are based on the type of mob your fighting? fight high lvl NM's -> get monster AP,
Grind crappy low lvl mobs (think what bots do all day long) -> get little to no AP. This keeps the botters from grinding materia.

3. See #2, pretty easy to prevent bots from grinding materia if they want to

4. Who is to say that the gatherers DOL can't get HQ version of catalysts? And that said HQ catalyst doesn't improve the chances to fuse that "Legendary" 2nd materia onto your weapon/armor of choice?

5. Archaic grind activity? I would call it an excellent way to stimulate the economy, provide a way to help removing item bloat, give fun goals to help ease the burden of grinding to cap. If they incentivise fighting higher level mobs this encourages exploration, group activity, party play, pushing your ability to the max in order to gain more AP quicker.

Sure you can do the leve on 3 stars and get max sp and be done in 10min. OR you could bump up the stars to 5 and really struggle to finish but gain a massive AP boost to your gear? Just speculating here but I don't see any negatives to the entire system yet.