Final Fantasy XII (Official Topic)

[zektbach]

Ok, so I've just started playing... and I don't really know what the difference is... but things have tightened up a lot from the demo.

All the FMVs are gorgeous... so far it's pretty much standard FF stuff, only there's some sort of equipment/skills weird chess panel grid thing that I don't have a bloody clue how to use, yet it intrigues me. Every enemy you kill gives you LP, and you use those LP to unlock square on the panel/board thing... it's all terrible confusing, but I'm actually enjoying the battling this time around.

Anyone else in on it?

EDIT : On further examination... it appears to be an equipment grid, where you spend your LP working towards certain different equipments, which means there's a possibility that if you spend a LOT of time at the early points of the game (where enemies seem to give 1LP per kill) you can access some pretty hefty bits of weaponry and armor without going anywhere, although I could be wrong.

[sweetdaddyg]

im playing the demo of it. not impressed to be honest

[Sabreman]

With any luck I'll be on it tomorrow night. In the meantime, I need to know everything

I haven't really read anything on the mechanics of the game but now I'd really like some solid info, especially regarding the equipment management. Hopefully it's deeeeeeeeep. (This License Points system appears to be the Materia/Junctioning/whatever of XII).

[moosegrinder]

*starts to realise the importance of lending his swapmagic'd Ps2 to Sabreman and rubs hand in a diabolic and evil fashion*

[zektbach]

With any luck I'll be on it tomorrow night. In the meantime, I need to know everything

I haven't really read anything on the mechanics of the game but now I'd really like some solid info, especially regarding the equipment management. Hopefully it's deeeeeeeeep. (This License Points system appears to be the Materia/Junctioning/whatever of XII).

Well... basically the battles are very much in the vein of Final Fantasy XI. All ATB based, with you having full control of your character.

You issue an order (be it to attack a certain enemy, or cast a spell, or use an item) and when the action bar fills up the action is executed. There's ranges involved in attacks and spell casting, so you can choose to attack... and stay away from the enemy whilst your action bar fills, then when it's filled move in for the kill.

There's a chaining system as well, where a chain builds up as you kill consecutive enemies of the same type... not sure what the use of it is, I built up a chain of 9 kills on these fox things and seemed to garner quite a few items from it... so maybe that's it?

Enemies have levels.

Again this weird chess panel licensing thing... it's absolutely bloody HUGE! And you have one of these for each character from the looks of it O_O

There's missions (so far I've only done one and accepted another) which seem to be monster hunting affairs. The first mission saw me off to kill some little tomato headed weird creature, but I didn't actually notice anything happening (a gain in items/exp/LP) when killing said creature.

Menus are nice and easy to navigate. List in order of appearance :

Status Screen (from within you can check character's magic)

Equipment Screen (standard FF affair)

Weird Equipment Chess Screen (haven't a CLUE what is really going on here)

Maps (this is a nice little feature, contains maps for all places you've been to, both dungeons and cities)

Items (contains items, equipment etc.etc.etc. all very easy to navigate)

Help Screen/Info Screen (contains FAQ on the game, mission status, enemy descriptions (with some very nice artwork))

Options (contains options!)

Ummmmmm... can't think of much else.

The game does look gorgeous, but after playing Shadow Hearts 3 all the way through I can't help but feel this is a game that would have benefitted from the filter screen option. Things look a little bit too grainy for my liking tbh.

[Sabreman]

Ooh - one tiny detail I need to know... I've read that you can't change the camera control. Can you? I need it so that up on the stick looks up, left looks left etc. rather than 'flight' style camera controls, which always confuse the hell out of me in 3D games other than flight sims.

I've read there is a screen filter option in there somewhere, and apparently it looks lush with it on. Chaining comes from FFXI definitely. Good stuff.

[zektbach]

Ooh - one tiny detail I need to know... I've read that you can't change the camera control. Can you? I need it so that up on the stick looks up, left looks left etc. rather than 'flight' style camera controls, which always confuse the hell out of me in 3D games other than flight sims.

Nope unfortunately you cant!

And whilst tinkering with the options... I realised that it DOES have a filter option, which was already switched on =.= so it looks even grainier without.

Ah well, still looks gorgeous when you're out on the battlefield.

[Sabreman]

*starts to realise the importance of lending his swapmagic'd Ps2 to Sabreman and rubs hand in a diabolic and evil fashion*

I'll, emm... buy you a coffee in the morning

Oh noes on the camera thing. Such a simple little point but it really screws with me. Oh well...

[Cyhwuhx]

.::: So still no Materia-like freeform battle system then? I've come to loath most of the post-FFVII locked-in battle systems. This LP-thing sounds like FFX's horrible 'gooseboard' which wasn't fun AT ALL.

And chaining attacks? Why of all things integrate that part of Vagrant Story?

[pauc]

(This License Points system appears to be the Materia/Junctioning/whatever of XII).

From what DNA has said, sounds more like the sphere grid to me, as in you can spend exp ( or LP or whatever ) in the way you want to customise your character.

I wasn't to fussed about this but DNA's post's have made me pretty gay for this game.

Did you play the demo before the release monsieur abstract? Hows the combat fare between the two?

Qucikly now please.

[Sabreman]

And chaining attacks? Why of all things integrate that part of Vagrant Story?

It's not chaining in that regard, it's a case of moving from one enemy to the next quickly enough that you keep a chain of kills going, increasing your EXP the higher the chain goes.

[zektbach]

From what DNA has said, sounds more like the sphere grid to me, as in you can spend exp ( or LP or whatever ) in the way you want to customise your character.

I wasn't to fussed about this but DNA's post's have made me pretty gay for this game.

Did you play the demo before the release monsieur abstract? Hows the combat fare between the two?

Qucikly now please.

It's the same... from what I can see.

But I think it's the fact that this whole license grid thing is in there, and that there's actually OBJECTIVE to the game, and the missions... that makes everything feel better.

As opposed to the demo, which was just battle after battle after battle until you got bored of it really.

And Sabreman... there's no exp increase with the chaining.

I initially thought that after I'd killed one wolf and got 7 exp, then chained onto another one and got 9 exp, then another and got 11 exp... but then I killed one more and got 7 exp again. The chaining has no time restrictions or anything, as long as you kill the exact same type of enemy one after the other it'll add up as a chain. There's possibly a mission involving it or something like that.

I don't think it's the kind of thing Squenix would just chuck into the game for the sake of it. Everything tends to have a purpose in FF games.

[pauc]

It's not chaining in that regard, it's a case of moving from one enemy to the next quickly enough that you keep a chain of kills going, increasing your EXP the higher the chain goes.

That sounds brilliant.

Is this out next month here? I read the 28th on play, but taking it with a pinch of salt.

[Sabreman]

That sounds brilliant.

Is this out next month here? I read the 28th on play, but taking it with a pinch of salt.

Bad news: You're looking at August for the US, never mind the UK. Play have just had that date on since it was announced it would be out before Christmas in Japan.

[pauc]

Bah. Knew it would be no were near, never is.

Edit: I really don't wanna play it in jap though. Won't be able to understand a single word.

[Cyhwuhx]

It's not chaining in that regard, it's a case of moving from one enemy to the next quickly enough that you keep a chain of kills going, increasing your EXP the higher the chain goes.

.::: Hmm, that doesn't exactly fill me with glee as well.

The thing is RPGs are fun because you build up your characters and start abubsing the systems crooked rules to your own ends. This is why FF games in some regard are flawed, usually near the beginning they give you bosses with special attack patterns you need to deduce (or simply get told) only to compeltely wipe that notion out of existence 10% in, just giving you bosses with more powerful attacks.

FFVI speedy combat, unique skills and common magic made it good. FFVII started to hand the player absolute control over their battles and rewarded you handsomely for inventive use.

FFVIII and IX just required lots and lots and lots of battles either sucking spells or simply emulating VI without the speed to make it pallable.

FFX was the series low-point imo. Especially with the previous in mind. Progress was more or less predetermined and although there were different routes around the board, they didn't give you the amount of customization I'd have liked, nor that fitted the game. X-2 returned the speed but just didn't feel balanced. XI had too slow a progression for me to hang in there and battles didn't feel involved.

So now XII comes along, taking the combat of XI combined with the progress of X, and maybe that explains my worries for the series.

I think the series is drained of everything that could still hold my interest. The pseudo-science fantasy smörgasbörd they've been serving during the PS-era has exhausted its tolerance. It's simply not interesting anymore. I hate to say it as I still regard some of the installments superb, but the series has run its course I guess.

These first impressions just seem to confirm my suspicions: that not even the old might of the FF Tactics team can use a Phoenix Down correctly. Please prove them wrong. If possible at all.

[pauc]

I fully agree. I found earlier FF's to implement better fighting systems. But I didnt hate the latter games because they had inferior combat. They were worse, but I still found them pretty fun. Just not as fun.

I don't expect this game to be as excellent or as mediocre as any of the earlier iterations. I do expect it to be a good distraction.

Compared to other final fantasies it'll be different in some ways and similar in others, which as a fan of the series to date, is good news.

...

As long as they don't hire the bloke who voiced Tidus that is.

[zektbach]

I fully agree. I found earlier FF's to implement better fighting systems. But I didnt hate the latter games because they had inferior combat. They were worse, but I still found them pretty fun. Just not as fun.

I don't expect this game to be as excellent or as mediocre as any of the earlier iterations. I do expect it to be a good distraction.

Compared to other final fantasies it'll be different in some ways and similar in others, which as a fan of the series to date, is good news.

...

As long as they don't hire the bloke who voiced Tidus that is.

Ha!

At the start of the game there's a guy who looks like Tidus with shorter hair...

HE DIES! LOL!

[Hackign]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4XtVj4BWBc...&page=4&t=t&f=b

Opening movie for those who don't have the game.

[Cyhwuhx]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4XtVj4BWBc...&page=4&t=t&f=b

Opening movie for those who don't have the game.

.::: The only thing missing was Jar-Jar. How things have changed, eh?

[layten]

So just how similar is the battle system to the one in FFXI then?

[Sprite Machine]

FFVIII and IX just required lots and lots and lots of battles either sucking spells or simply emulating VI without the speed to make it pallable.

VIII had some very good customisation in its junctioning system, like using spells to change your attack and defense status. 100 Death spells set to attack status, for example, gave a good chance of intant kills, whereas you could join Cure spells to attacks to kill zombies or heal team mates, not to mention playing around with the different element types.

FFX was the series low-point imo. Especially with the previous in mind. Progress was more or less predetermined and although there were different routes around the board, they didn't give you the amount of customization I'd have liked, nor that fitted the game.

Did you not try the open grid mode? You could move around anywhere with anyone - fully customising them all.

[Cyhwuhx]

.::: Didn't know about the open grid in X, but the rest of the game wasn't exactly making me play on. I didn't even complete it as I got severely bored with it. (The entire game felt closed an linear, which is not different form other FF's, granted, but in that form it made it all too obvious.)

VIII had some possibilities, but it was upset by the drawing-requirement and the generally slow pace of battle. IX even went overboard with this, with each new battle requireing a spastic camera bound on showing you every angle of you and your enemies before even thinking of handing you the controls. I simply didn't enjoy them as much as VI and VII (although in the case of VIII the bile-ridden story did a very good job of putting me off).

[SteveH]

So just how similar is the battle system to the one in FFXI then?

Bearing in mind I have only had a very brief play of it so far - very similar indeed. Which is so far bad news. In FFXI you don't mind being controlling a single character, as you are playing with real people.

In this game however, I feel like a spare part. There are about 8(?) of us charging through the starting area and they all kill the enemies, while I barely manage to get a couple of hits in.

This may change of course, and indeed there may be a way to take control of them all - I haven't experimented enough to find out. But so far it feels like I'm a passenger with bugger all to do. Not much fun.

[zektbach]

Bearing in mind I have only had a very brief play of it so far - very similar indeed. Which is so far bad news. In FFXI you don't mind being controlling a single character, as you are playing with real people.

In this game however, I feel like a spare part. There are about 8(?) of us charging through the starting area and they all kill the enemies, while I barely manage to get a couple of hits in.

This may change of course, and indeed there may be a way to take control of them all - I haven't experimented enough to find out. But so far it feels like I'm a passenger with bugger all to do. Not much fun.

So far I've gained one extra character, Pennelo, and whilst I'm not able to gain FULL control of her (as in control her movement) I do have full control over whether she attacks or not, what spells and items she uses. She has an auto-attack option which is switchable on and off, and any commands that you issue automatically override the auto attack. It's really rather handy, you just have to hit right on the d-pad and it switches to her controls... I'm finding it a breeze to manage all of my team properly, I'll get back when I have more than two characters though.

[Eighthours]

Worth the Famitsu 40/40 then?

[Cyhwuhx]

So far I've gained one extra character, Pennelo, and whilst I'm not able to gain FULL control of her (as in control her movement) I do have full control over whether she attacks or not, what spells and items she uses. She has an auto-attack option which is switchable on and off, and any commands that you issue automatically override the auto attack. It's really rather handy, you just have to hit right on the d-pad and it switches to her controls... I'm finding it a breeze to manage all of my team properly, I'll get back when I have more than two characters though.

.::: Is there any customization in reference to the auto-attack? The Tales of... games have solved the auto-attack problem wonderfully. I'm now fearing Guild Wars-like 'solo henchman-team' stupidity.

[layten]

Bearing in mind I have only had a very brief play of it so far - very similar indeed. Which is so far bad news. In FFXI you don't mind being controlling a single character, as you are playing with real people.

In this game however, I feel like a spare part. There are about 8(?) of us charging through the starting area and they all kill the enemies, while I barely manage to get a couple of hits in.

This may change of course, and indeed there may be a way to take control of them all - I haven't experimented enough to find out. But so far it feels like I'm a passenger with bugger all to do. Not much fun.

So you can go watch TV while your party does the killing?

[hub2]

.::: Is there any customization in reference to the auto-attack? The Tales of... games have solved the auto-attack problem wonderfully. I'm now fearing Guild Wars-like 'solo henchman-team' stupidity.

I think there is, but the game calls them 'Gambits' (IIRC).

[Hardwired]

So is it even remotely playable if you don't speak the lingo?