52 replies to this topic

[Whitefang]

This is a draft competition for four players.

Each player will draft 4 characters, each of which must be unique (so you cannot draft Kain's first appearance if you have drafted Kain's 3rd appearance.) The remaining two character appearances will be free. If you have no option but to draft a character that you have drafted previously, then you may do so.

The winner will be determined by whose team has the best difference in levels between their characters and the bosses that they defeat. A lower score is better.

For example, I draft Kain's first appearance and defeat the mist dragon with Kain and Cecil both at level 10 before the fight begins. The Mist Dragon (D. Mist) has a level of 10. I would earn 0 points toward my score. Had Cecil been level 11 and Kain level 10, I would have earned 1 point. Undrafted characters give 0 points and must be killed immediately. Using an undrafted character results in an additional number of points equal to the level of the encounter. Drafted characters must be alive at the end of the boss fight in order to progress. Save often!

Optional bosses are optional, so defeat them if you can! However, you must defeat them before taking on Zeromus, which freezes your score.

Draft order:
1234 4321 1234 4321 1234

Cecil is free for all. Edward is free for his fight with the WaterHag (not a boss battle). Rydia is free for Golbez because that fight sucks. That fight also does not count toward your score.

Penalties
+1 point for using undrafted characters in a random battle (each random battle). However, you are allowed kill off the character after they are revived by a cottage or game events and after you get the character the first time.
+LEVEL points for using an undrafted character in a boss battle (LEVEL is the level of the boss).
Drafted characters must be revived as soon as they are swooned/KO'd

Characters

Spoiler -

Kain (1st)
Rydia (young)
Tellah (1st)
Edward (1st)
Rosa (1st)
Yang (1st)
Palom (1st)
Porom (1st)
Tellah (2nd)
Yang (2nd)
Cid (1st)
Rosa (2nd)
Kain (2nd)
Rydia (adult)
Edge
FuSoYa
Kain (3rd)
Yang (3rd)
Porom (2nd)
Palom (2nd)
Edward (2nd)
Cid (2nd)

Teams
1. Marth - Rydia (Adult), Yang (2nd), Edge, Cid (1st), Fusoya
2. Baldrick - Rosa (2nd), Cid (2nd), Kain (2nd), Palom (1st), Rydia (Young)
3. General Horace - Kain (3rd), Yang (3rd), Edward (2nd), Porom (1st), Tellah (1st)
4. Whitefang - Palom (2nd), Porom (2nd), Tellah (2nd), Edward (1st), Yang (1st)

Spoiler -

                	Level
D. Mist 		10
Officer 		11
Octomamm        	10
Antlion 		2
Mombomb 		15
Battle for Fabul	15
Milon   		15
Milon Z 		15
Dark Knight 		17
Baigan          	9
Kainazzo        	16
Dark Dragon 		19
Sandy, Mindy, Cindy	16
Valvalis        	36
Calcabrina      	47
Dr. Lugae   		25
Rubicant        	50
EvilWall        	37
Elements        	50
CPU     		48
Zeromus 		63
Asura   		63
Leviatan        	79
Odin            	53
Bahamut 		47
Pale Dim        	98
Wyvern          	99
Plague          	96
D.Lunar 		99
Ogopogo 		62

My question to fellow drafters is how to prevent a sandbagging character from lowering a player's score by a lot. Say I draft Young Rydia and just kill her off right away, that would result in -24 points, though perhaps at the expense of requiring a higher level Cecil. My only solution currently is to require the character to be alive at the end of every boss fight, but that might be difficult. Give me your suggestions! An alternative measure of victory could be time, which might be better, but then relegates the optional bosses to being rather useless.

Edited by Whitefang, 28 December 2011 - 11:00 PM.

[General Horace]

For example, I draft Kain's first appearance and defeat the mist dragon with Kain and Cecil both at level 10 before the fight begins. The Mist Dragon (D. Mist) has a level of 10. I would earn 0 points toward my score. Had Cecil been level 11 and Kain level 10, I would have earned 1 point. Undrafted characters give 0 points and must be killed immediately. Using an undrafted character results in an additional number of points equal to the level of the encounter. Drafted characters must be alive at the end of the boss fight in order to progress. Save often!

I don't quite understand this system, couldn't you theorectically just get them to level 99 right off the start and insta-win (i mean, you would have to have no life, but still)? I think total time would be a better system, IMO.

Whatever you decide, I'm definately interested. FFIV is one of my all time favourites.

[FionordeQuester]

I think the point is that having a higher score is a bad thing. Therefore, you need to beat the bosses at as low of a level as possible. I think when he said lower your score, he meant it figuratively, as in the higher score would be "lower" in it's value.

[General Horace]

I think the point is that having a higher score is a bad thing. Therefore, you need to beat the bosses at as low of a level as possible. I think when he said lower your score, he meant it figuratively, as in the higher score would be "lower" in it's value.

Herp derp, I'm a moron, thanks for clarifying that. In that case, I like your original system better than timed runs, as it involves more strategy. Also, what are penalties? Say, you're having issues on Mt. Ordeals with only Cecil (It's been a while since I've played the SNES version, its sitting in my closet somewhere, I'm used to the DS version, IIRC it's easier on the SNES), what would a Tellah penalty be?

[Baldrick]

A possible solution to the sandbagging problem is that drafted characters must be revived after every battle. But its effectiveness would depend on how much gold you get per battle.

For penalties, I think 1 point per random encounter is appropriate.

Also, should an undrafted character be allowed to use White Magic outside of battle?

[Whitefang]

Yeah, it's like golf. You want to beat each boss at the lowest level that you can, and the more characters you have drafted below the boss's level, the lower your score will be.

A possible solution to the sandbagging problem is that drafted characters must be revived after every battle. But its effectiveness would depend on how much gold you get per battle.

For penalties, I think 1 point per random encounter is appropriate.

Yes, these work I think.

Penalties:
+1 point for using an undrafted character in a random battle.
+Level of Encounter points (in addition to the points that the character would otherwise generate) for using an undrafted character in a boss battle. So if I did not draft young Rydia but use her to defeat the Octomammoth at level 1, I'll get +1 to my score (+10 from the level of Octomamm, -9 from the difference between Rydia's level and the boss's).

I don't think Cecil ever has a hard time running away, so that might be what you have to do if you don't have Porom, Palom, or Tellah. Of course you'll be running a lot to keep your score down, too.

Also, should an undrafted character be allowed to use White Magic outside of battle?

You have to have a way to revive the character and then kill that character in the next battle immediately (or take a penalty), but if you can do that, then go ahead.

Edited by Whitefang, 23 November 2011 - 08:04 AM.

[Whitefang]

People should join this because it will be fun! I promise!

[Tricky Dick]

Choose a better FF game and I will. Namely, VI. Or V (jobs wise).

Edited by Bblader, 16 December 2011 - 09:20 PM.

[Baldrick]

Just realised I never actually joined this.

Joining now!

V I could get behind, as long as GBA version is alright.

Edited by Baldrick, 19 December 2011 - 07:18 AM.

[Bluedoom]

If GBA is allowed, then I'm in.

Hrm.. I should start an FFVI draft. Long time since I've played it, and I love that game.

[Tricky Dick]

V or VI is better than IV (plus they're better games).

For V, Freelancer has to be free. For VI, you're drafting for every scenario. I'll run a VI draft if you want.

[Whitefang]

Well, IMO, IV is better. However, for drafts, I think IV is objectively better, due to Cecil being required and therefore free, giving everyone the opportunity to at least finish even if they get a high score due to poor draft selections. A V draft of jobs would be interesting, but someone might get stuck with freelancer and white mage for most of the game (for example), even with good draft selections. I'm not sure how a VI draft would work, you'd need a few exceptions which, frankly, I just don't like.

How similar is the FFIVj version and the GBA version? We need to all play the same version of the game (or at least similar). I may also need to adjust the boss level sheet above. My initial plan was to use the NA version (for the sake of ease and to not have to think about all those extra items), but I'd go for the original.

Is that good for everyone? Original post will be edited to reflect changes that are decided on.

I just realized that I *own* the GBA version, and since I was planning to play this on the SNES, I could do the GBA version on my DS as well. It's up to Baldrick and Horace.

Edited by Whitefang, 19 December 2011 - 10:29 AM.

[General Horace]

Glad I didn't hold up this one either...

Doesn't matter to me, I have access to the SNES, GBA and DS versions.

[Whitefang]

Assuming we get a positive response from Baldrick, here is the drafting order. random.org gave us a reverse sign up order.

1. Marth
2. Baldrick
3. General Horace
4. Whitefang

Oh goody, I'm last in this draft, too. Fun.

Edited by Whitefang, 22 December 2011 - 09:23 AM.

[Baldrick]

Yeah, GBA version is fine with me.

Don't Edward, Yang etc. become playable in the endgame? We'd need to add them to the list of draftees.

[General Horace]

IIRC, that's only a new game+ option, but I could be wrong.

[Whitefang]

Oh yeah...it's actually an option for everyone, and there are a host of new bosses in that bonus dungeon. There's also the lunar ruins after beating Zeromus, but we won't worry about that.

Unfortunately, I'm about to head out, so I don't have time to think about it right now.

At the least, we can add Cid, Yang, Porom, Palom, and Edward (part 2, except yang who is part 3). It actually makes the endgame a little easier for everyone.

Adding in those extra chars adds another round to the drafting. Do you want to reverse the final round or just leave it 1234?

We'll just leave it as is, it shouldn't matter too much.

Edited by Whitefang, 22 December 2011 - 03:28 PM.

[Bluedoom]

Rydia(adult) <3

Edited by Marth, 22 December 2011 - 11:48 PM.

[General Horace]

Rosa, Second.

Edited by General Horace, 23 December 2011 - 12:19 AM.

[Whitefang]

Sorry, Horace, but you are third. I forgot to update the first post before I left for a festive family function.