I was looking through the materia list earlier, and it got me thinking on a few things. There is a lot of interesting materia that helps physical combat, but they don't appear until later in the game. The early part of the game has mostly magical type materia. But since physical powers are weaker at the beginning, it would not unbalance things to have more of the physical materia a lot earlier. This would include ones like counter attack. More elemental materia wouldn't hurt, and more of the ones that apply's status effects to weapons, or command counter. Is there a reason counter attack is received so late? Since there is just a percentage chance that counter attack works, it is less powerful then 'all' and the barrier materia.
I really enjoy the challenges in this mod. But a role playing aspect is also important to me. And another reason I like this mod is because of the increased distinctness of characters that was added to this mod over the base game. I like the SP system, and how we can build characters the way we want. I like to see Cloud have builds and win battles in a way that makes sense for Cloud, etc. More physical materia options earlier in the game would help with that. It would give options, while not imposing restrictions, and not unbalancing anything. Shops in particular would be nice if most did not just sell magic materia, but had some options to help build physical characters.
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And Cloud in early concepts was supposed to be a mystic knight. Which I suppose meant being able to use magic and elemental attacks with his sword. He wasn't supposed to attack and cast separately. They were supposed to be combined. And the cut scenes make him look that way, and his graphics make him look that way. I would really like to play Cloud as much as possible as the Mystic Knight it looks like he is supposed to be. The two materia that are most Mystic knight like are 'elemental' and 'Added-Cut'. Added-Cut in case I got the name wrong is the materia that allows for a physical attack with the materia it is paired with. It is not is received until late, and is considered by that point less good then other options, yet it is more Cloud-like then any other materia. I would therefore like to see Cloud's starting materia being a lighting materia linked with an elemental material, and a fire materia linked with Added-Cut. This would give Cloud a strong 'Mystic Knight' feel. I do not think it would change early game difficulty that much as against robots most of us probably just cast lightning anyway, and 'all + restore' is arguably more powerful. It can easily get balanced by less 'ether' being available. Or Added-Cut could give a 10% MP penalty, or something The idea is to make Cloud fit the role he seems he should fight, help increase the utility of fight line fighting, but not impose restrictions. Cloud with added-cut just sounds fun too me.
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And at the time when the deathblow materia becomes available, and spamming 'quake 2 - all' is easy to do, getting a 'slash-all' material would not be overpowered. I am at his point right now, and regular melee attacks are feeling pitifully weak compared to other options. And since Red being a fast moving beast would make thematic sense to put it on, putting it in the cave where he finds out about his father would be a good story place to have it. It would feel like he gets out that cave with a character fitting power boost. Of course people wouldn't necessarily put it on Red, but close to where you can get deathblow makes sense to also have 'slash-all', so those caves for a location works.