The Shrine

I just did the part in the Lhusu Mines where the party runs into the Bangaa headhunter party...

So, everyone runs down the tunnel cracks and Balthier goes "We'll never beat them all...just fight who we need to and leave the rest." The only problem is, I've been busy trying to powergame and breaking the system, as usual, and given that everyone in my party is at level 18 or higher, instead of running away as I was supposed to, I had my party turn around and whomp them into a fine paste instead.

Not that it wasn't kind of fun, but unfortunately, to me, it really shattered the illusion that I was actually part of the plot. More to the point, it illustrated how completely divorced the gameplay and plot elements in Final Fantasy games have gotten. Instead of an experience where the game elements and plot elements work in conjunction and are indivisible, Final Fantasy games have really gotten to the point where they feel like movie cutscenes, separated by a bunch of hoops to jump through.

It's kind of killing my desire to finish the game. There are those who would say I shouldn't have powergamed the opening until my characters were strong enough to slaughter everything in their path, but the fact that it's so easy to shatter the plot illusion by doing so really just throws the "on-rails" nature of the plot into sharp relief, at least to me. I want to be able to take this group of characters and strive with them, succeed in the context of the game. I feel it's natural to do so - but instead of being rewarded for skillful play, I feel like the game's kind of saying, "Why are you trying to do something different? Why can't you just be level 5 like everyone else when you get to this point in the game? You should just be sitting back and doing the expected actions like the majority of players do. Otherwise, we can't provide a compelling gameplay experience for you."

I suppose if I want that kind of interactivity, I ought to be playing Fable or something, not FFXII...but I can still dream of a day when there's a Square game with a truly non-linear plot...and wish more games were like Guardian Heroes...I think, to this day, that may have been the only game that truly made me feel like my actions really determined the path my characters were on. I still wonder why more games haven't followed in its footsteps.

You spent <i>ten hours</i> leveling in the first dungeon. That would have happened in any RPG. I think the game encourages playing with the battle system, but you did it at the first chance you got. That was supposed to be a timid introduction, not a "Alright, go nuts" section.

It took you 12 Final Fantasy games to figure out that this is how they work?

The main problem here is that Final Fantasy series is not really a role playing game series, it is an epic adventure game series. The term "RPG" just got attatched to it and similar games at some point. A game like Harvest Moon or Fable is what a real role playing videogame would look like. On that note, FF12 has more freedom within it than any of the other Final Fantasy titles, but it is still an Epic Adventure.

As for the experience system, it is broken, that much I have maintained for as long as I have been on this board. A system similar to that used in Zelda or Illusion of Gaia is much better suited; and it should have been maintained for Terranigma. It is obvious that the experience point system in Terranigma was its' only real flaw (it was otherwise THE perfect Epic Adventure title); and it became evident in certain locations such as Bloody Mary and in the later parts of the game.

Kupek wrote:You spent <i>ten hours</i> leveling in the first dungeon. That would have happened in any RPG. I think the game encourages playing with the battle system, but you did it at the first chance you got. That was supposed to be a timid introduction, not a "Alright, go nuts" section.

...

Okay, you may have a point.

Still, something like a time limit on the amount of time one can spend doing things like what I did might help. I find it sort of unrealistic that when Final Fantasy characters say things like "Hurry up, we're leaving soon," what they really mean is "Take all the time you want to explore this stage area, which will be frozen in time while you do, because our game mechanics don't permit the actual passage of time."

Ah, well. Who am I kidding? It's Final Fantasy. Even if they wanted to make changes to that kind of framework, they couldn't, because a wall of gnashing, screaming fanboys would have ended the world with their inhuman shrieks first chance they got...look at how much static they got over the battle system, which most people agree now is great.

I better hurry up and get some games made, so I can get the kind of funds I need to make it myself, I suppose...

Developing a game would be fun. I have always had some ideas that I have found interesting. A few things I had been thinking on have been thought of by others as well, Animal Crossing is oddly similar to an idea I had in mind, and Spore is almost identical to an idea I even described on this board back in the 90's sometime. You know, back when we all had the spark for game development.

Speaking of Spore, it is one of my dreamgames come true. I am really looking forward to it. If I would have actually come up with the idea, it would not have been original since the influences for me would have been the exact same as Will Wright (Civilization, E.V.O. and Sim Earth); Sim Earth being a game by Will Wright to begin with.


(sorry to get off topic).

You do know I'm trying to start a game company, right? As in, right now? Been working on the tech for months?

Yeah, I have heard. Have you considered moving to Canada? This country has a gigantic game development industry, it is growing very quickly. A lot of major videogame companies have their major development houses in Canada; good examples of these are Ubisoft and Electronic Arts.

Probably the major reason for the enormous amount of growth is that while the American government bashes the videogame industry, the Canadian government sees great opportunity and subsidizes it.

Montreal is probably the #1 city in the world, outside of Japan, when it comes to videogame development.

Yes, I have, but not really for that reason.

I'm doing cell phone games. Cell phone games aren't even on the public radar, so it's not like I have to worry about government interference. And from what I hear, your taxes up there are just a bit higher than U.S. taxes...though I don't have figures, so I shouldn't say...

I am still planning to try to move to Canada at some point in my life, but probably not for a few years. And it would be Vancouver, not Montreal, as I have no desire to freeze into a solid block of ice anytime soon.

Also, I would like to see figures if you're going to proselytze the maple leaf all over the place...I'm well aware that Montreal is a game development hub...so are Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles...I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Seattle has more gaming industry stuff than Montreal on the basis of Microsoft alone...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SdrrRcRO1Ik = Still my favourite Final Fantasy. Though FF12 is certainly a strong 2nd.