The attack power usually isn't an issue, since issuing a 1x255 attack can be evaded fairly often. It's usually the attack multiplier that has more of an impact, in conjuction with the attack power (well, a high 99x multiplier with a weak attack power doesn't have as much impact either, but will ensure some stable damage if you do the math right).
The game is designed that defense has more of an impact early game, and evasion+defense multiplier will protect you the most late game. Cid (particularly in FF4A) is the usually the physical damage taker. Yang on the other hand (particularly in FF4A) doesn't suffer as much because of high evasion options (though suffers from low magic defense, but that's a different detail). Both are high HP fighters put in the front row. The damage intake between the two is night and day late game.
A defense bonus (at least just defense, because the multipliers and evade have a far greater impact) can at least make the situation reasonably saner since damage will still be taken, but at a much more reasonable rate.
You keep telling me over and over in different ways something I already take your word for: that the extra damage your characters take when they are not using a shield is too much in relation to any extra attack bonus a two-handed weapon can give you above a one-handed one. I get it. I believe you.
It seems to me as though you think that the only way to remedy this problem is to have it so that two-handed weapons give the user some kind of defensive bonus. That is not true. There are other ways and I have suggested several of them in my previous post that you still haven't addressed, such as:
* Making shields weaker
Shields are perfectly slotted where they are at. The provide negligible defense power but have the major source of evade. Arguably the whole shield evasion could be scaled back a bit (at max 10% of all shield evasion is removed) and with some axe attack power rebalancing (increases), that might help, but it simply doesn't help enough IMO (I'd have to churn some numbers out to be sure).
* Making monsters do less damage
I complained about the Edge taking more damage part. I could've argued about having two weapons wielding should have a defensive bonus too, but Edge gets an "attack power bonus" for equipping both hands, so that's out of the question (I mean, he gets compensation). I never wanted the monster difficulty to change there. Monster difficulty should almost never be tweaked for this reason.
Another thing you could do to have the same relative result as making two-handed weapons stronger is to make one-handed weapons weaker.
Ultimately, I believe a 2-handed weapon should compete just as well as a 1-handed weapon at the same strength, with equal opportunity/option to be just as good for the most part. Obviously they could be rebalanced with everything else w/o changing the game fundamentally, but that isn't my argument.
If we just simply have better armor that increases defense, you combine this with an already high evasion+bonus defense multiplier from the shield, why bother even trying a 2-handed weapon, even if it were stronger?
I highlighted the key phrase above.
When you go through all the armors and increase their defensive abilities, you would also go through all the sheilds and decrease theirs. The idea is to make it so that most of the defense of the tank characters will come from their armor, not their shield. That way the shield will simply be a bit of an extra defense boost that in certain circumstances will be worth sacrificing for a bit of extra attack power.
Ironically, I actually like the original system on classifying equipment. Shields provide evade (primarily) and a defensive multiplier. Heavy armor provides defense. Wizard Robes provide magical stat boosts, Fighter/Monk Robes provide power boosts and evasion. Rings provide evade and gauntlets do not. Most of their
overall defense for a fighter such as Cecil or Kain comes from the shield (other than Agility, since that derives the stat), unless we're talking early game. The defensive tradeoffs early game is less impactful. In the late game, shield dependence is at an all-time high.
I still like the idea of two handed weapons in a late game scenario, getting rid of them makes it more FF5/FF6-ish, where two handed is kinda cool early on, but sucks ass late game.
Ok that's fine. But there are many ways to make two-handed weapons useful. They don't have to give a defensive bonus.
Do you have a more creative way? Other than rebalancing weapons in general (because it doesn't really solve the problem, it just changes its role) or removing 2-handed weapons altogether. I'd love to hear it.
Two-handed weapons giving a defense bonus doesn't have to make sense, it just has to improve the gameplay in a way that exceeds what could be done without them giving a defense bonus.
Ok I'll be the first to admit that game balance is more important than something making sense. However, I still think that if there are solutions that preserve game balance yet do make sense, then those solutions are superior to solutions which preserve game balance yet do not make sense. That's why helmets don't normally give people attack bonuses.
Do you agree? If so, what is wrong with the solutions I suggested earlier?
Actually, the helmet set of Headband/Bandanna/Ninja does boost attack power, though mostly in the form of the attack multiplier.. in trading off magic defense. The evasion is relatively beneficial and the difference between that an a warrior/heavy helmet is moot. Though, this says a lot more about how sucky the warrior helmets are (until you get to the Samurai/Genji Helmet, they all suck in magic defense until you reach this point).
Comparitively speaking, those are far easier to rebalance given their impact vs other helmets and their role in contributing to the defense. The same cannot be said for a weapon+shield combo vs a two-handed weapon. The primary issue is how a shield works fundamentally, regardless of the monster or other weapons in question. Even if a shield provides 0 defense, 0 magic defense, 0% magic evasion, the evasion, plus the additional defensive multiplier bonus is enough to keep them useful. Then again, the shields in this game (other than the Samurai/Genji shield and the shields before the Paladin/Light Shield) provide nifty bonus defensive properties, upping their overall impact.
We have EVEN MORE themes now, but some old ones are gone...