The RPG discussion thread (formerly Final Fantasy XIII)

[ZealKnight]

Definitely not, considering it is all by menu with cool looking fighting. There is a wait bar too by the way.

[KebreI]

Its an action based combat that doesn't seem turn based, as for how its controlled I dunno I have played it yet. Yes there are menus in all those shots But I don't know what there for a better example is the Tales of.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Final Fantasy XII was actually very much of quality.  The combat system was a mix of MMORPG and Star Ocean.  You only control one character at a time, but the AI of your two comrades are HEAVILY controllable through the Gambit System, plus you can just open up any characters command and tell them what to do.  The storyline was also quite grand: there was no single main character and Vaan (the girlish blond dude with the vest in all the promotional material) - who is the actual storyteller - is moreso a bystander in events that are much bigger than him. 

For instance, you know how in FFVII the whole story revolved around Cloud and he was the central-most-important character in the game?  Or how in FFVIII the entire game revolved around Squall and his career, then getting pulled into the combat against Ultimecia?  Or in FFX it revolved around Tidus and his connection to the world of Spira?  Well in FFXII Vaan was just at the right place at the right time - he was a nobody who got to hang out with people who help shape the history of Ivalice.

[KebreI]

Oh I liked XII the characters and everything was amazingly well done, but I felt that the combat wasn't perfect for me.

[ZealKnight]

No they announced how the fighting was. It's not action, it's semi-turn based.

[V_Translanka]

For instance, you know how in FFVII the whole story revolved around Cloud and he was the central-most-important character in the game?  Or how in FFVIII the entire game revolved around Squall and his career, then getting pulled into the combat against Ultimecia?

Uh, what about all the parts that were about Laguna?

Or in FFX it revolved around Tidus and his connection to the world of Spira? 

The whole first half was basically about Yuna...

[ZealKnight]

For instance, you know how in FFVII the whole story revolved around Cloud and he was the central-most-important character in the game?  Or how in FFVIII the entire game revolved around Squall and his career, then getting pulled into the combat against Ultimecia?

Uh, what about all the parts that were about Laguna?

That was still about Squall. Laguna is his father after all, and he doesn't know anything about his parents after all.

Or in FFX it revolved around Tidus and his connection to the world of Spira? 

The whole first half was basically about Yuna...

Actually, the whole thing revolved around Yuna, but it was told from Tidus's perspective. Remember, "You keep saying, 'this is your story,' but... it's my story too, you know?" Tidus is just sort of her liberator. He changes her perspective on life. That's why he has no character arc.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

ZealKnight hit it on the head.  FFX was TIDUS' story.  It was about HIM being thrust out of the world he knew and into a whole new one.  Sure, he was apart of Yuna's pilgrimage, but it was ABOUT Tidus.  Yuna was just his boo bear.

And about FFXIII... Did you actually play it?  Laguna's story was maybe 10% of the game.  Maybe.  And once more, as ZealKnight said, it was all about Squall.  The whole reason we got any "flashbacks" with Laguna was to explain who Squall's father was and how he (being Laguna) got from A to B.  Still, Laguna was just a small sidestep in the story of Squall and his friends.  Sure, they played a role, but then again... so did Blank in FFIX.

[ZealKnight]

This is kinda awkward...

ZealKnight hit it on the head.  FFX was TIDUS' story.  It was about HIM being thrust out of the world he knew and into a whole new one.  Sure, he was apart of Yuna's pilgrimage, but it was ABOUT Tidus.  Yuna was just his boo bear.

No, it was Yuna's quest and Yuna's story, but told from Tidus's perspective. It's like in a book when the main character doesn't do the narration. But to be honest it kinda is a tie between them who is the main character, but it is Tidus's view on her. So you can say it was his story but you have to acknowledge the fact it is about her, 60% of the game was saving and protecting her. The only way the could have made that more obvious is if they were to make you get game over when she dies in battle.

And about FFVIII... Did you actually play it?  Laguna's story was maybe 10% of the game.  Maybe.  And once more, as ZealKnight said, it was all about Squall.  The whole reason we got any "flashbacks" with Laguna was to explain who Squall's father was and how he (being Laguna) got from A to B.  Still, Laguna was just a small sidestep in the story of Squall and his friends.  Sure, they played a role, but then again... so did Blank in FFIX.

It was more about Elna(I think thats her name his mom right?) saving him at the brink of death and occupying his time with memories of his father.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Bah, agree to disagree.   

[ZealKnight]

No I don't agree on that. How can you not see that it revolves around Yuna. I feel as though I have to pull examples. Like in Bevell and the Desert, or in Besaid, or all the fuss of Yuna's engagement to Seymour.

[KebreI]

Then just disagree to agree.

[Daniel Krispin]

No I don't agree on that. How can you not see that it revolves around Yuna. I feel as though I have to pull examples. Like in Bevell and the Desert, or in Besaid, or all the fuss of Yuna's engagement to Seymour.

Well, the plotline revolves around Yuna, but the main character is Tidus. It is through his eyes that we see everything, essentially. I think this is the distinction between main character and protagonist.

I mean, the same might be said for the Chrono series. Who does CC revolves around? When you get to the end, you see it's Schala. In some ways, the whole series is the tragedy of the house of Zeal. And yet the stories themselves are told through the eyes of Crono and Serge. That's the thing in storytellling. The person who observes things going on does not have to be the one that is most heavily impacted by the ongoings of the plot. Often it is the friend or ally of the observer. After all, sometimes the person to which situations happen cannot feel or understand them as well as someone who sees it happenings. As such, the poignancy can be increased by shifting from the object of the plot to an indirect object. That is the form that FFX takes, as well as something like FFXII (whose battle system I adored by the way, as well as their pronounciation of the names... kudos to them for pronouncing Jagt as it would be in German, rather than with an English J...), and in some ways FFVI. Terra might be both the main point and view of the story for a time, but for most of it you have other characters being the central focus, though she might remain the integral point. FFVII, on the other hand, is through the eyes of Cloud, and about him (well, it might be Sephiroth, but I'm speaking of on the 'hero' side of things.) Knights of the Old Republic falls into this category, too.

All I've got to say about FFXIII is that from what I see is that they finally again seem to have a heroine of Celes' calibre. I hope they make good on it. Ashe wasn't too bad, but missed the mark by a bit.

And yes, I used impacted as a verb earlier there. I don't get it how people say it's not. It is a verb, and always has been, at least in some form for the last two and a half millennia. Just saying that in case some grammar fiend feels inclined to level an assault against me.

[chrono eric]

Does anyone know what the world map in XIII will be like? Will it actually be a world map that you can walk around in like previous FF's, or will it be more like FF X's and XII's - expansive 3D landscapes that are interconnected? It would be cool if it were a little of both, because I miss flying around in airships - that was always the coolest part of a FF game, getting the airship. Now you just point and click which is lame.

[ZealKnight]

No I don't agree on that. How can you not see that it revolves around Yuna. I feel as though I have to pull examples. Like in Bevell and the Desert, or in Besaid, or all the fuss of Yuna's engagement to Seymour.

I mean, the same might be said for the Chrono series. Who does CC revolves around? When you get to the end, you see it's Schala. In some ways, the whole series is the tragedy of the house of Zeal. And yet the stories themselves are told through the eyes of Crono and Serge. That's the thing in storytellling. The person who observes things going on does not have to be the one that is most heavily impacted by the ongoings of the plot. Often it is the friend or ally of the observer. After all, sometimes the person to which situations happen cannot feel or understand them as well as someone who sees it happenings. As such, the poignancy can be increased by shifting from the object of the plot to an indirect object. That is the form that FFX takes, as well as something like FFXII (whose battle system I adored by the way, as well as their pronounciation of the names... kudos to them for pronouncing Jagt as it would be in German, rather than with an English J...), and in some ways FFVI. Terra might be both the main point and view of the story for a time, but for most of it you have other characters being the central focus, though she might remain the integral point. FFVII, on the other hand, is through the eyes of Cloud, and about him (well, it might be Sephiroth, but I'm speaking of on the 'hero' side of things.) Knights of the Old Republic falls into this category, too.

Well kinda in CC the story is about Serge and Schala. But Serge is the main character, because he has one thing Schala doesn't, being the MPC. But In FFX thats all Tidus has. That and the little parts with Jecht. XII is a strange one because we don't really get told the story from anyone's perspective it's just like a movie where thing happen and we watch. FFVI is about Terra and Celes, they are both the main characters if no one noticed. People tend to think it's either one or the other, but they bot have the same amount of reason to fight Kefka.

Does anyone know what the world map in XIII will be like? Will it actually be a world map that you can walk around in like previous FF's, or will it be more like FF X's and XII's - expansive 3D landscapes that are interconnected? It would be cool if it were a little of both, because I miss flying around in airships - that was always the coolest part of a FF game, getting the airship. Now you just point and click which is lame.

We can only speculate. But since Nomura said that vsXIII will be more like a "traditional FF" where you can "cross mountains, continents, and oceans." I most likely will be that XIII wont have the World Map and vsXIII will, but nothing is for sure yet.