1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Final Fantasy: Crystal Defenders R1 Advanced Unit Analysis Guide written by Mike Turley, aka Adilor(15/18) =============== 1: Introduction =============== Hello and welcome. You're probably here because you're looking for a guide that goes through the units of this game, namely Final Fantasy: Crystal Defenders R1. If this is true, then you're in the right place. This guide goes through the seven units, giving a detailed look at the statistics of each, and how they all come together in terms of effectiveness and cost-efficiency, to name a couple factors. This guide does not go through basic controls, unit placement, enemy types, etc. That information can be found in other guides. ==================== 2: Table of Contents ==================== 1: Introduction (already passed it) 2: Table of Contents (you are here) 3: Version history (kinda boring) 4: Basic Statistics (now we're talking) 5: Cost-Effectiveness - Power (deep stuff) 6: Cost-Effectiveness - Overall (the big finale) 7: Conclusion (victory dance) 8: Credits/Legal Info (more boring stuff) 9: Contact Info (I'll shut up now) ================== 3: Version History ================== 5/09/09: 0.1 - Pretty spreadsheet full of game values created. Partial analysis of such completed. 5/10/09: 0.5 - Further analysis performed on game values. Text portion of guide started. 5/11/09: 1.0 - All planned sections completed. Guide submitted to GameFAQs for review. =================== 4: Basic Statistics =================== Alright, so the best place to start off would be to list off the game's visible numbers, or in simple terms, the stats shown for each unit of each level. This gives us the basic foundation upon which to build our more advanced calculations to really get a good sense of how particularly useful each unit is. Here's the listing of just the stats given by the game itself (including one more, Total, which is simply the cumulative total cost to get a unit to a particular level, whereas Cost simply shows what the game charges you for that level alone): Unit Name |Level|Cost|Total|Power|Range|Speed| ---------------------------------------------- Soldier | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 140 | 83 | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 144 | 83 | | 3 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 148 | 83 | | 4 | 12 | 23 | 22 | 152 | 83 | | 5 | 25 | 48 | 30 | 156 | 83 | | 6 | 37 | 85 | 55 | 160 | 83 | | 7 | 50 | 135 | 102 | 164 | 83 | ---------------------------------------------- Black Mage| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 200 | 41 | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 220 | 41 | | 3 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 250 | 41 | | 4 | 12 | 24 | 12 | 270 | 41 | | 5 | 25 | 49 | 18 | 300 | 41 | | 6 | 37 | 86 | 28 | 320 | 41 | | 7 | 50 | 136 | 40 | 340 | 41 | ---------------------------------------------- White Monk| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 160 | 58 | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 162 | 58 | | 3 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 164 | 58 | | 4 | 12 | 23 | 18 | 166 | 58 | | 5 | 25 | 48 | 25 | 168 | 58 | | 6 | 37 | 85 | 46 | 170 | 58 | | 7 | 50 | 135 | 90 | 172 | 58 | ---------------------------------------------- Archer | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 180 | 71 | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 200 | 71 | | 3 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 220 | 71 | | 4 | 12 | 23 | 17 | 240 | 71 | | 5 | 25 | 48 | 25 | 260 | 71 | | 6 | 37 | 85 | 37 | 280 | 71 | | 7 | 50 | 135 | 60 | 300 | 71 | ---------------------------------------------- Time Mage | 1 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 180 | 41 | | 2 | 12 | 24 | 18 | 180 | 45 | | 3 | 17 | 41 | 24 | 180 | 50 | | 4 | 22 | 63 | 30 | 180 | 55 | ---------------------------------------------- Thief | 1 | 12 | 12 | 1.5x| 120 | 83 | | 2 | 12 | 24 | 2.0x| 130 | 83 | | 3 | 25 | 49 | 2.5x| 140 | 83 | | 4 | 37 | 86 | 3.0x| 150 | 90 | ---------------------------------------------- Dragoon | 1 | 12 | 12 | 50 | 300 | 10 | | 2 | 25 | 37 | 125 | 320 | 10 | | 3 | 37 | 74 | 200 | 340 | 10 | | 4 | 50 | 124 | 300 | 360 | 10 | ---------------------------------------------- Okay, so, some basic realizations from this: The only units that gain in speed are the ones that don't do any direct damage. And yes, Time Mage technically doesn't have a "power" stat, but I just put it in the same column for ease of making ASCII charts here. I don't think anyone knows exactly what the "Slow" stat correlates to, but it's probably a direct percentage of movement speed or something simple like that. Anyways, it's not much relevant for the purpose of this guide; we're going to be ignoring Time Mage and Thief from here on out, anyway. Don't get me wrong, they're entirely essential classes, but they don't have much of a place in this guide, which is focused towards comparing the other five in terms of cost-efficiency and whatnot, relating specifically to raw damage. So wave goodbye to them now, and we'll move onto the next section. ============================= 5: Cost-Effectiveness - Power ============================= So, we have all those numbers there. By themselves, they say quite a bit to begin with. When we combine them, however, we can get some even more interesting figures that tell us a whole lot more about these five classes, and really allows us to start getting a more in-depth look at them. This section's table specifically combines the Power, Cost, and Total variables in ways that show us how economical each unit's levels are in terms of raw power alone. It's the first step towards showing us how to really get the most for our money in this game, and it's also the biggest factor in this. Key: P/T = Power by Total, Plg/C = Power level gain by Cost of that level Unit Name |Level|Cost|Total|Power| P/T |Plg/C| ---------------------------------------------- Soldier | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.00| | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1.20| 2.00| | 3 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 1.00| 1.67| | 4 | 12 | 23 | 22 | 0.96| 1.83| | 5 | 25 | 48 | 30 | 0.63| 0.67| | 6 | 37 | 85 | 55 | 0.65| 1.00| | 7 | 50 | 135 | 102 | 0.76| 1.27| ---------------------------------------------- Black Mage| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.50| | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0.60| 1.00| | 3 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 0.58| 1.33| | 4 | 12 | 24 | 12 | 0.50| 0.71| | 5 | 25 | 49 | 18 | 0.37| 0.50| | 6 | 37 | 86 | 28 | 0.33| 0.40| | 7 | 50 | 136 | 40 | 0.29| 0.32| ---------------------------------------------- White Monk| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.50| | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 0.80| 1.50| | 3 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 0.73| 1.33| | 4 | 12 | 23 | 18 | 0.78| 1.67| | 5 | 25 | 48 | 25 | 0.52| 0.58| | 6 | 37 | 85 | 46 | 0.54| 0.84| | 7 | 50 | 135 | 90 | 0.67| 1.19| ---------------------------------------------- Archer | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.50| | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0.60| 1.00| | 3 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 0.64| 1.33| | 4 | 12 | 23 | 17 | 0.74| 1.67| | 5 | 25 | 48 | 25 | 0.52| 0.67| | 6 | 37 | 85 | 37 | 0.44| 0.48| | 7 | 50 | 135 | 60 | 0.44| 0.62| ---------------------------------------------- Dragoon | 1 | 12 | 12 | 50 | 4.17| | | 2 | 25 | 37 | 125 | 3.38| 6.25| | 3 | 37 | 74 | 200 | 2.70| 3.00| | 4 | 50 | 124 | 300 | 2.42| 2.70| ---------------------------------------------- Okay, so these initial numbers somewhat reinforce the common belief that Lv4 units are the most efficient. At least at the time of myself writing this guide, the general concensus that the community (namely the game's board on GameFAQs) reached was that Lv4 units were the best in terms of comparing power to how much cash it takes to get them to that level. Again, these numbers do prove this true, but only partially. The Dragoon is technically excepted from this, as it maxes out at Lv4. Out of the other four classes, two of them are true to this, White Monk and Archer. The Black Mage actually tops out at Lv3, taking a huge drop when pushed to Lv4, and the Soldier is technically most cost-effective at Lv2, though Lv4 isn't much less. Now, looking at Lv5-7, it's also a bit different for each class. Both Soldier and White Monk drop off hard at Lv5, but climb back up respectably, capping off at a still decent ratio at Lv7. Archers might be best left at Lv4, as Lv7 is actually slightly worse than Lv5 in these terms. Black Mages are just pitiful; their cost-effectiveness drops sharply at Lv4 and continues to decline all the way down to Lv7. Now then, let's factor in a couple more variables and bring this all to a culmination. =============================== 6: Cost-Effectiveness - Overall =============================== I know what some of you are thinking: "That chart makes Dragoons look really good, but they attack so slow!" or "Some units get to attack more than others due to range advantages, what about that?" This section takes these factors into view, adding in a couple more figures calculated by adding range and speed into the mix, and gives us one big, shiny number that effectively ranks each unit's level across the board with all others. Of course, this is all still with the economy in mind; every additional figure uses the same cost calculations as before. Key: D/t/T = Damage by time by Total, D/t*Rm/T = Damage by time times Range multiplier by Total Unit Name |Level|Cost|Total|Power| P/T |Plg/C|D/t/T|D/t*Rm/T| ------------------------------------------------------------- Soldier | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.00| | 8.30| 8.30 | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1.20| 2.00| 9.96| 10.24 | | 3 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 1.00| 1.67| 8.30| 8.77 | | 4 | 12 | 23 | 22 | 0.96| 1.83| 7.94| 8.62 | | 5 | 25 | 48 | 30 | 0.63| 0.67| 5.19| 5.78 | | 6 | 37 | 85 | 55 | 0.65| 1.00| 5.37| 6.14 | | 7 | 50 | 135 | 102 | 0.76| 1.27| 6.27| 7.35 | ------------------------------------------------------------- Black Mage| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.50| | 2.05| 2.93 | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0.60| 1.00| 2.46| 3.87 | | 3 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 0.58| 1.33| 2.39| 4.27 | | 4 | 12 | 24 | 12 | 0.50| 0.71| 2.05| 3.95 | | 5 | 25 | 49 | 18 | 0.37| 0.50| 1.51| 3.23 | | 6 | 37 | 86 | 28 | 0.33| 0.40| 1.33| 3.05 | | 7 | 50 | 136 | 40 | 0.29| 0.32| 1.21| 2.93 | ------------------------------------------------------------- White Monk| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.50| | 2.90| 3.31 | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 0.80| 1.50| 4.64| 5.37 | | 3 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 0.73| 1.33| 4.22| 4.94 | | 4 | 12 | 23 | 18 | 0.78| 1.67| 4.54| 5.38 | | 5 | 25 | 48 | 25 | 0.52| 0.58| 3.02| 3.63 | | 6 | 37 | 85 | 46 | 0.54| 0.84| 3.14| 3.81 | | 7 | 50 | 135 | 90 | 0.67| 1.19| 3.87| 4.75 | ------------------------------------------------------------- Archer | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.50| | 3.55| 4.56 | | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0.60| 1.00| 4.26| 6.09 | | 3 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 0.64| 1.33| 4.52| 7.10 | | 4 | 12 | 23 | 17 | 0.74| 1.67| 5.25| 9.00 | | 5 | 25 | 48 | 25 | 0.52| 0.67| 3.70| 6.87 | | 6 | 37 | 85 | 37 | 0.44| 0.48| 3.09| 6.18 | | 7 | 50 | 135 | 60 | 0.44| 0.62| 3.16| 6.76 | ------------------------------------------------------------- Dragoon | 1 | 12 | 12 | 50 | 4.17| | 4.17| 8.93 | | 2 | 25 | 37 | 125 | 3.38| 6.25| 3.38| 7.72 | | 3 | 37 | 74 | 200 | 2.70| 3.00| 2.27| 6.56 | | 4 | 50 | 124 | 300 | 2.42| 2.70| 2.42| 6.22 | ------------------------------------------------------------- Woohoo. There you go. One number that effectively compares the units against each other. That last column is a mashup of all the numbers that matter. The previous one is more of a variable that factors into it, but it's still interesting to look at. Let me explain... The first is effectively a DPS number. Now, before you jump on me, it's not actually damage per second. Figuring out how the game's speed rating relates to realtime has been nothing but difficult and confusing, and I gave up on it after realizing this. What I've done is made a relative variable that, again, has its basis in comparing the units. In this case, the formula runs thusly: Power * Speed / 10 / Total Now, fortunately, Square gave us a nice slow unit to use as the baseline. I've taken the Dragoon's speed of 10 and set that as the basic 1.0x speed multiplier here. A soldier has a speed of 83, and is therefore going to get 8.3 times as many attacks as a Dragoon, on average, assuming they're both in attack range an equal amount of time. The last column here takes this value and factors in range as well. Now, obviously there will be variations in map and unit placement; this guide is ignoring that and running calculations from a purely mathematical standpoint. Formula: Power * Speed / 10 * Range / 140 / Total The same idea is used to bring Range into view. The Lv1 Soldier has the lowest, 140, which is set at our baseline, 1.0x. Anything higher than that essentially multiplies into the combination of power and speed, again further augmenting the numbers to provide a more accurate comparison of the units. It's like, an overall rating of usefullness, essentially. Now, of course, this doesn't take into effect the splash damage that White Monks and Black Mages inflict. It's not exactly possible to know what the range of it is, or what percentage of damage is spread, so their numbers could be potentially higher, moreso when combined with Time Mages to clump units together. So again, these numbers aren't intended to dictate what classes should be used, but more to supplement decision making in doing so. The player is still expected to make intelligent decision based on what enemies are coming up and what map layout is being dealt with. ============= 7: Conclusion ============= And that's about it, really. Hopefully this guide will help players out there make better decisions about what units to use, increasing their scores and making for an overall more enjoyable gaming experience. I'm not going to consider it complete, though; I still need an accurate way to translate these statistics into a true DPS (damage per second). If anyone has any information on how the game's speed rating translates into realtime, please contact me using the information below. Information regarding the splash damage dealt by White Monks and Black Mages would also be much appreciated. ===================== 8: Credits/Legal Info ===================== GameFAQs, for continuing to be an excellent site with all the best game info SquarEnix, for continuing to churn out excellent games such as this one You, for reading! All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Guide itself is written and owned by Mike Turley, copyright 2009. No part of it may be modified, reproduced, or redistributed without the personal, written consent of its author. The only site currently allowed to host this document is www.gamefaqs.com. =============== 9: Contact Info =============== Have something you want to add? Found a glaring typo that makes the guide look really bad? Let me know about it! Email: adilor18@gmail.com Spam and hatemail will be deleted with extreme prejudice. Put GameFAQs in the subject line to ensure it gets noticed by myself. Thanks for reading! END DOCUMENT