What macros do you like to use in PS4?

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What macros do you like to use in PS4?

Postby Erpy » Sat Aug 15, '09, 7:14 am

While playing through PS4, do you ever use macros and if so, which ones in which situations? Do you merely use them to make random encounters faster than usual or do you use them as tactical weapons against bosses?
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Re: What macros do you like to use in PS4?

Postby Wolf Bird » Sat Aug 15, '09, 2:31 pm

The only tactical one I had was in using Demi's Medical Power for the mass revive. I'd have her start with that, then have Rika follow up with Sar. Only worked if Rika was one of the ones who wasn't dead, so it wasn't perfect, but...it sure had a lot of useful moments nonetheless.
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Re: What macros do you like to use in PS4?

Postby Thoul » Sat Aug 15, '09, 3:31 pm

I don't use the macros very much myself. I usually have one that's all attacks to speed up the random encounters, but I find it more efficient to target attacks manually. The macro tends to spread out damage too much, instead of eliminating enemies that my party can defeat on the first turn. Taking those foes out with manual targeting means the party takes less damage, so I prefer that.

I use to set up macros for some of the combo attacks, but I haven't been able to remember the correct tech/skill order on most of them for a long time, so I don't bother with it much any more.
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Re: What macros do you like to use in PS4?

Postby ThugsRook » Sat Aug 15, '09, 7:32 pm

i only used macros to have Rune go first with a Gra/Gigra/Nagra.
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Re: What macros do you like to use in PS4?

Postby Erpy » Sat Aug 15, '09, 10:16 pm

The 14 combo's in PS4 are:

Triblaster: Foi + Wat + Tsu. (no higher variations allowed) Hits all targets with energy damage. Cheap, but good at the start.
Firestorm: Foi family/Flaeli + Zan family/Hewn. Hits all targets with fire damage. Murders everything but Helix monsters on Dezoris.
Blizzard: Wat family + Zan family/Hewn. Hits all targets with ice damage. A must for taking on sandworms.
Lethal Image: Illusion + Death. 100% instant death on all non-mechanical enemies.
Silent Wave: Phononmezer + Airslash. Hits all targets with "force" damage. (the kind Phononmezer and Zan use) Power goes up when Chaz gets better swords or is affected by the shift spell.
Circuit Breaker: Hyper Jammer + Tandle. 100% instant death to all machines.
Grand Cross: Efess + Crosscut. Hits all targets with holy damage. Power goes up when Chaz gets better swords or is affected by the shift spell. Heavily damages evil bosses and is one of the few combo's that can do 999 damage near the end.
Shooting Star: Burst Rocket + Foi family/Flaeli. Hits all target with fire damage.
Black Hole: Negatis + Gra family. 100% instant death to everything.
Conducted Thunder: Wat family + Tandle. Hits all targets with lightning damage. Eats machines for breakfast, does good damage on everything else.
Holocaust: Savol + Diem. 100% instant death to all non-mechanical enemies.
Purifying Light: Efess + Holyword. 100% instant death to all evil enemies.
Paladin Blow: Astral + Rayblade. Hits one enemy for light elemental damage. (like tsu) Not multi-target but hits very hard regardless.
Destruction: Deban + Megid + Positron Bolt + Legeon. Hits all targets with light elemental damage. Generally does 999 on everything.

Some of them, I don't use much. Others a lot more.

I use macros quite often. I have this tendency to use Rune's woodcane often, so macros will at least let me use it without having to browse through my item list every turn. I don't use a macro when speed is an issue. (that is, I need to kill one enemy as soon as possible...like when a C-Ray tube and two sattelite minions attack your party and prepare to unleach Charge Cannon in your face)

Macros I use a lot in the beginning:

Alys: Attack
Rika: Attack (I switch these two when Rika gets faster than Alys)
Chaz: Attack
Hahn: Use woodcane
Gryz: Attack

and:

Alys: Use woodcane
Rika: Attack
Chaz: Attack
Hahn: Defend
Gryz: Attack

The first one is for the first round. Alys hits everyone, Rika and Chaz start eliminating monsters one by one. If a monster got an attack in before Hahn got his turn, Hahn will heal (some of) the damage from the attack. Gryz attacks last. The second is for the second round. Often, there's only one or two monsters left standing who are already damaged, so Alys' weaker slasher attack is a waste. That's why she uses the woodcane to heal more damage that was dealt to the party and Rika/Chaz usually finish the monsters off before they can get more attacks in. This allows me to keep going longer without using tp to heal.

This one I use in the beginning if I like to quickly blast stuff:

Rika: Defend
Gryz: Use woodcane
Hahn: Wat
Chaz: Tsu
Alys: Foi

Since Hahn is rather slow, a lot of monsters will attack before him. That's why we let an even slower member go first, it pretty much guarantees a combo. Gryz uses the woodcane in order to do damage control from the monsters' attacks and Rika defends so if she's targeted the attack will do very little damage.

I also use macros when going against a boss with a weakness for a combo I can pull off. Macros are particularly effective to punish single attacks from a boss. For Gy-Laguia, for instance, is weak against ice and only uses single attacks. So these two macro's pretty much guarantee a blizzard counter for everything he does:

Rika: Gires
Demi: Attack
Rune: Gi/Nawat
Chaz: Gizan
Gryz: Attack

Rika: Doubleslash
Demi: Recover
Rune: Gi/Nawat
Chaz: Gizan
Gryz: Attack

One is used if a humanoid was hit, the other when Demi got attacked.

These two below, I like to use against Lashiec:

Wren: Recover
Kyra: Gires
Rika: Gires
Rune: Efess
Chaz: Crosscut

Wren: Burst Rocket
Rune: Nafoi
Kyra: Medice
Chaz: Gires
Rika: Gires

Note that the Gires-caster with the highest mental score goes first so the person with the gravest injuries gets a slightly stronger heal spell. These two can also be used at times to counter Dark Force 2's Lightning Shower attack. Note that these macros are geared towards economic tp use while still controlling the fight. The one below, I like to use to counter Dark Force 2's Shadow Breath on a humanoid.

Rika: Nares
Rune: Efess
Chaz: Crosscut
Wren: Burst Rocket
Kyra: Nafoi

Since Kyra's Nafoi is weaker than Rune's, this one's not 100% economical, it's just darn fun to slam him with two combo's in one round. I use variations of this combo to counter Dark Force 3's physical attack with Wren's Recover/Rika's Gires or Nares depending on whether an android or humanoid got hit, Rune and Chaz pulling off Grand Cross and the remaining party member attacking. The benefit of countering with a combo is that combo's often do more damage than the sum of its parts, so you're getting maximum bang for your buck.

I also tend to use macro's with Firestorm in the Mystic Vale or Black Hole in the Garuberk Tower if I just want to quickly eliminate a group of hardy foes.

When I'm feeling bold and I try to hunt sandworms with my Zio-party (I'm usually already pretty well-leveled by then), I use these two macro's on a sandworm after buffing my party while the infant worms are still around:

Rika: Defend
Demi: Defend
Gryz: Defend
Rune: Nawat
Chaz: Gizan

and

Rika: Doubleslash
Demi: Phononmezer
Rune: Nawat
Chaz: Gizan
Gryz: Attack

Macro 1 in the first round, macro 2 in the second and hopefully the critter's dead by the end of the 2nd round. These macro's ARE based on me giving Rune and Chaz two psyshields (and sometimes Rika at least one too) and me putting Chaz 4th in the party lineup and Rune 5th.

So yeah, I like to use macro's a lot when dealing with nasty enemies who have a weakness although I still use manual control a lot too, especially when speedy strikes against one particular opponent are in order.
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Re: What macros do you like to use in PS4?

Postby Wanderer From Ys » Tue Dec 27, '11, 9:50 pm

I use Macros basically so I can just power through random battles without paying much attention. Boss battles are all manual control. I usually have a set up something like this.

Firestorm
Chaz: Zan
Rune:Nafoi
Wren: Attack
Rika: Attack
Raja: Defend

Blizzard - For those flies on Dezolis that are immune to fire. If I have Kyra at that point, I use her instead of Chaz.

Chaz: Zan
Rune:Nawat
Wren: Attack
Rika: Attack
Raja: Defend

This one is kinda overkill, but it should end most random battles in a single turn

Rune:Hewn
Chaz: Airslash
Rika: Disrupt
Wren: Attack
Raja: Defend
Basic attack set up

Grand Cross, But I only use this if there is no boss battle in a dungeon

Chaz: Crosscut
Rune:Efess
Wren: Attack
Rika: Attack
Raja: Defend

I use this one if the battle lasts more than a single round so I don't waste all my skills, or TP in a single battle.

Wren: Attack
Chaz: Attack
Rika: Attack
Rune: Nawat

Others, when you first get Rune, triblaster is really effective. I don't know how well it holds up late game, because I usually chose anyone other than Raja. Also when you get Seth it's good to set up Macros with his skills, because they are very effective in that dungeon.
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Re: What macros do you like to use in PS4?

Postby Wing Eye » Sun Jan 8, '12, 8:22 am

I always have and use an all attack macro for random encounters, with slashers and multi-target guns going first to get the most damage spread out.
I set up a macro for every combo attack that I can do and if I'm not saving TP or skills for a boss battle, I use them on surprise attacks to make sure they hit (I know I could probably win those battles without getting hit, but I just like to see the combo spells :))
When Rune first joins I set up two macros, one with Rune going first with Hewn and another with Gra because it always takes out all monsters in one hit, I use them on every encounter and its a great way to save up for the Titanium equipment. When Seth joins I do the same with Corrosion.
In the Air Castle I set up a macro with Rika going first with Disrupt equiped with the Silver Tusk to take out those monsters that are weak to holy attacks (can't remember their name.)
Last edited by Wing Eye on Sun Jan 8, '12, 8:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What macros do you like to use in PS4?

Postby myau56 » Sun Jan 8, '12, 12:46 pm

Since I finished Phantasy Star IV only once...I can't really remember ! But at this moment I've started it again (and I appreciate it much more than the first time ! We often say that the first time isn't always enjoyable ...lol ;) )
Like Wing Eye, for the random encounters, I use the macro function with at first slashers ans multi-target shots. And after...I'll tell you after ! I'm not too far through the game and my memory of PSIV isn't what it used to be...
Last edited by myau56 on Sun Jan 8, '12, 9:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What macros do you like to use in PS4?

Postby Wanderer From Ys » Sun Jan 8, '12, 6:54 pm

I kind of agree. When I first played PS4 I didn't even know about combo attacks, so I never used the Macro system. Now I try and use it as much as possible.
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Re: What macros do you like to use in PS4?

Postby tilinelson2 » Sun Jan 8, '12, 8:37 pm

I never bothered using them, except maybe all attack to make the fights go faster. The macros and combos didn't add much to the game.
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