I started using a party of Cloud, Barret, and Yuffie to deal with flying enemies, then switched back once that was done. Maybe that's what they wanted you to do and hence why you can make and save up to three party templates.

lol I didn't even know there was a party template.

My primary party is team Cactuar (Cloud, Red, and Yuffie). I rarely bother changing them, they're just too good together. Currently at the final boss, but I didn't beat it yet. Put over 120 hours into the game so far (completed the majority of side content including protorelics). Legendary VR missions and Hard Mode are going to be hell. Might skip them after all.

I never understand the complaints about having too much stuff to do. You can skip the extra stuff and still complete the game just fine. Me, I like to savor every little bit of a game as good as this. Anything and everything, until I need to move on with the main story again. Absolutely loving everything here.
The only small minuses are the same ones I had with the OG back in the day. Yuffie is irritating, even though they try so hard to make her likable. She's growing on me a little bit as time goes by, though. Cait Sith seems like an afterthought, an extraneous goofy character who doesn't really need to be in the story. He almost doesn't seem to fit the tone of the whole thing. But he has his place in the OG so it is what it is.

Yea this is how I always approach open world games. I just skip most of the open world content and play the main game. I love the AC games (except Valhalla) but I barely even touch the optional stuff. I just go straight from main mission to main mission and have fun with it that way.

Rebirth I did a lot more but ultimately ended up not doing everything.

I have a 4 day weekended and I at least want to be at CHP 10 by the end of it, but 11 would be ideal, 12 would be a backflip. Still going to do all the Intel stuff but I'm probably going to put Queens Blood on hold until later. Before I put the game down I want to get all the trophies except Johnny Hotel and Hard mode. When the next part is announced I will go back and get the those trophies(similar to what I did with Remake). Going to suck going back to the game years from now and first order of business is mini games... alot of them. 

Currently in CHP 8 - I stopped and did a massive grind to max Elemental Materia out and in that process I have all my Materia Maxed except Ward, MP Down Materia(10000 AP to max. Yesh) and Various stat up Materia. All characters at least LVL 40. That should be enough to get me to at least CHP 10 with no more grinding shit out. 

During CHP 8; is it always Tifa or could it have been a different character? 

My favorite 3 characters

1. Barret - The most balanced character in the game. I tend to use him as support/heal with the accessory that boost heal power.

2. Cloud - Only loses to Barret because he cant hit aerial enemies at will. If Aerith is not in the part he tends to be main caster with some enhancing Materia on (Steadafast block, Stagger up, precision block ext) 

3. Tifa - Best damage dealer in the game. Put concentration one her so she has a 50% chance to start with one chi level, HP and DEF Materia , and best defense armor on her. I tend not have non enhancing Materia on Tifa, Maybe heal and revive. Moslty Purple with some yellow blues. 

I played with Aerith a lot in Remake, but Rebirth she is extra slow(probably because or more characters to be balanced around). Magic still hits like a tank though.

Yuffie is a cross between Tifa and Barret; She has Tifa's speed and ATB building ability but lacks in power while having Barret's Range and not his HP or DEF. She has really great skills. I tend to equip her like I do Cloud 

Red XII is a fun character but low range and no aerial game can have him be useless in some fights. I tend to give him attack magic wen he is in the group. 

Ewww, you got the worst girl. (It could've been anyone in your team.)

54 hours in, and I just got my Buggy.

After 105 hours I beat the game. Overall a decent game, but many things really irritated me. The worst offender happened at the very end of the last boss. Almost gave up on the game right then and there. It still annoys me 2 days later, so I won't talk about it until later.

Same. Same. Same.

* Pretty much done with all non mandatory mini games.

* Dyne's death was better in the original. Typical of Rebirth; it overdoes everything. Hell; the entire scene between Barret and Dyne was stronger in the original. His boss fight was cool though. Love the Akira shit. 

* The scene is again made lesser by an unnecessary boss fight annnnd mini game! 

* Meh to the buggy. It should have been a no encounter vehicle. I much would of preferred a Chocobo.

* I like Cait Sith! But this is clearly a character that when he is in the party, you need to make sure to pay a little more attention to him or equip him with some auto use Materia him. He doesn't build ATB by himself very well without Moogle. No dodging with moogle sucks though. It's fighting muscle memory.

* Yuffie is still getting way to much attention in cutscenes. I get it, Yuffie, Palmer, Scarlet, Elaine, Dio(my gawd his scenes go on forever) and many more didn't have much in the way of screen time in OG but Rebirth ... overcompensates. I'm fighting wanting to skip cutscenes. A lot of the time it's here is "insert character" being them with no real substances. Example: Elaine in the desert bitching. We get it. She's bitchy. Gus is another example. Anybody else get the feeling that this game is always going "Don't forget about Sephiroth!!"

* Just to be sure; You cannot finish the Proto Relic quest in Corel region until a later chapter right? I skipped the entirety of it for now. 

* I was expecting(hoping really) a freebie chapter between the next Coral and the next open world area, but nope, you get thrown right into Gonagaga. I like Gongaga region better than Coral and Junon so far.

* I HATE what they did with the Gongaga reactor party split. That just screams padding. (Where I'm at so far)

This game does a lot of really annoying shit that really sours the experience. Every time I'm getting in the groove something makes me go "oooh fuck".