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Active Time Battle

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Battle system associated with Final Fantasy series. First introduced in Final Fantasy IV.

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Overview

Fantasy IV's Battle System - Actions Occur Only When The ATB Gauge Is Filled

Active Time Battle (ATB) is a battle format heavily associated with Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise. This battle system was initially built as an alternative to the traditional turn-based system used many times prior to its development.

With ATB, characters don't always act on a turn ratio of 1:1, but instead act as determined by Charge Time. An ATB gauge fills up over time, and once filled that unit may act, either attacking or casting spells. Taking action then causes the ATB to empty, and the cycle repeats itself until the battle ends.

History

The Active Time Battle (ATB) system was designed by Hiroyuki Ito during the development of Final Fantasy IV for the SNES. Bars were added in Final Fantasy V, but the system still gave off the impression of being turn-based, as the bars filled one block at a time. More fluid motion was introduced in Final Fantasy VI.

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