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Hi!

I am playing the first time FF X. Should I select the standard or professional spheregramm (I doubt I spelled the word correctly)? What are the difference?
(I am talking about the thing you have to select at the beginning of a new game)

I did play all FF from I to X, with the exception of III. I did play each title from IV to IX at least 2 or three times, more likely more often (especially FF VIII, IX, V).

Thanks for your reply!

I did the standard one, personally, I wasn't too concerned about whatever you might get as additional featuring in the advanced one when I played.

In fact, I'd forgotten there were even two modes until I saw this thread. I played the game through, did some of the sidequests, and enjoyed it, all with the standard, so that would be what I would go with, personally, again.

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For the first time playing, the standard one is the best to use. It's more restrictive, but simpler to use and keeps your characters to their pre-defined roles for the first part of the game.

The expert one is a lot more spread out and you can pretty much customise your character how you want them. You just need to know where you're going otherwise you might end up with abilities you don't want.

I would always go with the advanced one, if you've still not selected one yet. You've played FF games and RPGs before so you'll know the standard setups of roles, like Black Mages and healers. The standard grid is more restrictive, which is good in the beginning when you can't kill flans without magic, or dogs without speed, however in the middle to end game you're going to be seriously hampered by the standard grid. It requires a lot more Key Spheres or whatever they're called to get the best stuff, and also you might settle on a team of three but need to bring in other characters occasionally, which is a pain when with the advanced grid you only need the three. Also the advanced grid is not a complete jumble, the abilities are still down the same paths as the standard one but you've got a lot more freedom to pick the best abilities from other roles. In my experience the standard grid becomes a real pain because of all the locked gates, and getting the spheres to unlock them is very time consuming.

This post has been edited by sweetdude on 8th April 2011 20:12

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Is this on the International version or is this something I've totally missed every time playing through the game? This doesn't sound familiar to me at all.

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Quote (Neal @ 8th April 2011 15:42)

Is this on the International version or is this something I've totally missed every time playing through the game? This doesn't sound familiar to me at all.

Seconded. If it's on the standard version I might have to replay it to see the differences, but I don't recall an option, I just get the same ol' grid every time.

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Apparently it is, International versions have the expert grid. I'd just like to take this moment to say to any North American that if you like FFX you've GOT to import the International version. The Dark Aeons and Penance are reason enough and the advanced sphere grid is so much less time consuming than the standard one.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

So..

Standard mode: Similiar to...FF IX, VI, IV?

Expert Mode: Similiar to...FF V?

Ah yeah, it is the German/PAL-Edition.

This post has been edited by Bas on 8th April 2011 22:23

Basically yes until a point. Once you've got down one path on standard mode (around 1/2 to 2/3 through the game) you'll want to go down the other characters' routes as it is the only way to increase stats and get more abilities. This is very easy to do on the advanced grid but with the standard there will be many times when you can't get through a gate without a sphere to let you, and these spheres can take a long time to get. For example I remember playing an entire season of Blitzball (sport minigame) taking about an hour or more just to get the reward for first place which is one of those spheres. In advanced there are far fewer gates.

So it's a bit like FFIV or IX and then at a point the game will turn into FFV.

This post has been edited by sweetdude on 9th April 2011 17:07

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

I was just going to say, I've never heard of this before.

I really didn't have any problems with the standard grid though (and by standard, I mean the only one available in the US version). Lv. 4 or Lv. 3 Key Spheres actually aren't all that hard to come by, if you know where to look. (Lv. 3s are the rare drop from Defender Z and Machea in the Omega Ruins; Lv. 4s can be bribed from Chimera Brains in the Calm Lands.) Friend Spheres and Return Spheres each have a reasonable bribe as well, though Teleport Spheres are certainly not cheap.

So, while it certainly sounds like the advanced grid can save time, if you intend to get a lot out of the game to begin with you shouldn't really be hampered by using the standard grid.

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