World map?

[Kointähti]

Is there a world map in FFXII?
And if not, can you explore the world freely at all?

I mean, in FFX there was no world map, and even Super Mario Bros. had more sense of freedom than in FFX. FFX was just "walk-this-path-and-you'll-find-next-path-or-a-boss" type of game with no freedom at all. Sure, world map in FFs I-IX was not so large either, but at least it was there and gave you the illusion of freedom.
So, is this different or does it in fact keep on the same tracks?

[Renmiri]

Press the green triangle, there's a World Map option

Press the "select" button, it lets you scan all minimaps in the area

And on screen you also see a portion of the minimap on the top right corner

[McLovin']

Its...lets say...different.

But I think in a good way.

[LunarWeaver]

There is a very large and expansive world in FFXII. It is all seen from the characters' perspective, however, and not in the out of proportion interactive map the playstation, snes, and nes era games used. Think FFX but with huge fields instead of one road. You can wander about quite a bit, even into areas you really aren't ready for if you really feel like it. It's not too restrictive about it.

[Dreddz]

Final Fantasy should go back to using the classic style world maps. It would make the games so less linear.

[rubah]

FF12 is like the antithesis of linear, I've found. In fact, if you do try to go directly from one event to the next, you'll probably find you're underlevelled for it, because they expect you to take ten hours off to do sidequests.

[Renmiri]

FF12 is like the antithesis of linear, I've found. In fact, if you do try to go directly from one event to the next, you'll probably find you're underlevelled for it, because they expect you to take ten hours off to do sidequests.

QFT!

Go pwned every time I didn't level up :eek:

[Kointähti]

So, in fact, this is quite like FFX in that matter?
You still can't travel around the world with an airship, or
find new villages or dungeons by travelin through the seas with a ship?
It's basically from point A to point B, and you can't miss it?
Damn...

[Wolf Kanno]

So, in fact, this is quite like FFX in that matter?
You still can't travel around the world with an airship, or
find new villages or dungeons by travelin through the seas with a ship?
It's basically from point A to point B, and you can't miss it?
Damn...

Wrong, it's a more realistic world. If you can see it, you can usually go there. More free roaming less "one little path you are not allowed to step out of"

Believe me, at least a third of the world map is optional. You can go there anytime but watch out... (Flashbacks to the terror of wandering into the Feywoods when he was supposed to be going to Mt. Burimace... for those who don't know, there is like a 30 level difference with the monsters)

Think less FFX more like an MMO, like WoW. It's pretty open ended. But the airship pretty much works like FFX I'm afraid.

[Angel_from_hell]

I think FF12 is more freelay since you can almost go wherever you want to. Sure if you go to some places you aren´t ready for you find yourself underlevelled but thats just how it has to be if you are supposed to get a chance to level later on when you have become stronger.

But for me I think the world in FF12 is perfect I get enough freedom to satisfy my curiosity.

[KasaiDraco]

I mean, in FFX there was no world map, and even Super Mario Bros. had more sense of freedom than in FFX. FFX was just "walk-this-path-and-you'll-find-next-path-or-a-boss" type of game with no freedom at all. Sure, world map in FFs I-IX was not so large either, but at least it was there and gave you the illusion of freedom.
So, is this different or does it in fact keep on the same tracks?


That was the ONLY thing I hated about FFX.

[Hazzard]

sometimes i think there's too much freedom- it puts me under pressure to do side quest's, so i just get on with the story instead..

[Kointähti]

Wrong, it's a more realistic world. If you can see it, you can usually go there. More free roaming less "one little path you are not allowed to step out of"

Think less FFX more like an MMO, like WoW. It's pretty open ended. But the airship pretty much works like FFX I'm afraid.

Well, that's a relief at least.. In WoW it's a great thing you can actually go anywhere you want, if you don't mind getting ganked by much higher lvl beasts/players.
And I really hope FFs are finally developing to be something like Elder Scrolls 3 or 4, with a wide world you can explore completely freely, and even ignore the main plot.




I think FF12 is more freelay since you can almost go wherever you want to.

The word "almost" is what puzzles me.. In many FFs you can go absolutely anywhere, think about for example how you could travel with different color chocobos in FFs VII and IX and go ANYWHERE. Top of the mountains, across the seas, around the world... And even in FFVIII you could find the underwater lab and island closest to heaven/hell. So, instead of going almost anywhere, you could go anywhere..
Well, I hope the game's world is large. Though I'd prefer it to be something like in ES3:Morrowind.



That was the ONLY thing I hated about FFX.

That was one big thing wrong in FFX.
The whole game I was waiting for the same kind of sensation of freeness like when you first get out of Midgar in FFVII, or when you get out of the petrified forest in FFIX. But I was disappointed.. Ohhh, so disappointed.

[DM_Melkhar]

Is there a world map in FFXII?
And if not, can you explore the world freely at all?

I mean, in FFX there was no world map, and even Super Mario Bros. had more sense of freedom than in FFX. FFX was just "walk-this-path-and-you'll-find-next-path-or-a-boss" type of game with no freedom at all. Sure, world map in FFs I-IX was not so large either, but at least it was there and gave you the illusion of freedom.
So, is this different or does it in fact keep on the same tracks?
Square killed what FF was renowned for, the overworld. However, it kind of does have an overworld. It's a bit of a mix. It's overworld is a lot like that of Guild Wars.

It is different, but definitely in a good way.

[LunarWeaver]

I've never thought of Square as being renowned for the overworld =o. They weren't the first or last to do it. I mean, don't get me wrong, flying in an airship over the world is neat and all, and it makes me go "oh" and "ah" and say it's pretty, but it's not the reason I play RPGs and ultimately is the same thing as going to a destination immediately.

FFXII crafts a huge world that is insanely detailed, offers easily over a 100 hours in content, a gajillion monsters to slay and more, yet I've seen quite a few threads about how you can't fly an airship manually and that ruins it. If that's all anybody wants to do, then just play a flight simulator game :(. I never really understood why it's such a deal breaker for people.

[Renmiri]

There are dungeons that are inacessible til later in the game. After a dungeon is accessed then you can go to it at anytime, pretty much, except for 2 or 3 that are in airships

[rubah]

I was kinda depressed when I realized I had hit almost every single map spot. Ivalice is kinda small when you can travel by gate crystal.

@LunarWeaver One of the best moments in my gaming experience was when I first got the ragnorak and could fly it. It might've been because it was 2 am, but I sat there flying it around for five minutes easily, pretending I was doing loop de loops etc.

And at least you could actually go on ffx's airship and ffx-2's. The strahl is a like a distant cousin you have to do stuff with, but you never really get to know :(

[Hazzard]

I was kinda depressed when I realized I had hit almost every single map spot. Ivalice is kinda small when you can travel by gate crystal.

@LunarWeaver One of the best moments in my gaming experience was when I first got the ragnorak and could fly it. It might've been because it was 2 am, but I sat there flying it around for five minutes easily, pretending I was doing loop de loops etc.

And at least you could actually go on ffx's airship and ffx-2's. The strahl is a like a distant cousin you have to do stuff with, but you never really get to know :(

Vaan's stupid little dream was never fulfilled...

[DM_Melkhar]

I've never thought of Square as being renowned for the overworld =o. They weren't the first or last to do it. I mean, don't get me wrong, flying in an airship over the world is neat and all, and it makes me go "oh" and "ah" and say it's pretty, but it's not the reason I play RPGs and ultimately is the same thing as going to a destination immediately.

FFXII crafts a huge world that is insanely detailed, offers easily over a 100 hours in content, a gajillion monsters to slay and more, yet I've seen quite a few threads about how you can't fly an airship manually and that ruins it. If that's all anybody wants to do, then just play a flight simulator game :(. I never really understood why it's such a deal breaker for people.
I've not heard of an earlier game than Final Fantasy I that had overworld mapping, but I know it was one of the first and all the way through to IX it stayed that way. I know of PLENTY of other Final Fantasy fans who were aggravated by the fact they got rid of it in X. I never said Square were renowned for using the overworld, but the Final Fantasy series was loved for it. A lot of other developers took the idea from Square (obviously not all) *sigh*, regardless of where Square originally got it from.

What I mean is, a great deal of FF fans believe the overworld is part of what made the series so successful (it can be true for any other RPG, but FF has been the most successful RPG series of all time over the last twenty years). When that disappeared in X, many criticisms included quotes like "where's the overworld?" and "it's linear, why?" To me, and many others, FFX and X-2 felt more like platformers rather than traditional videogame RPGs.

FFXII seems to have a kind of overworld like, as I've said before, Guild Wars. I've heard Guild Wars is popular in Japan, and that Square liked how the game played and so adopted the idea - therefore giving XII that element to it. Please note that I said "I heard". If anyone here's played Guild Wars, you've noticed that they're very similar right?

Most of what I've said has come from things I have read online and been told - including IGN.com, and the rest is my personal opinion. I always loved being able to control my airship myself though.

[Wolf Kanno]

I love flying the airships as well. I always thought of them as a sorta "benchmark" in the game. You finally got the airship and can travel around. I wish the FFXII could have had it, but looking at the world design and the amount of output the game already bleeds from the PS2, I don't think it could have been done very well, or even at all.

[Hazzard]

The world is far too detailed to be able to have an airship being controlled manually. The amount of time taken to do that would be extremely long, and would still disappoint the fans, because it would be a late release.

[McLovin']

SE doesn't want you going to Ordallia. That is the main reason.

[farplaner]

The world is far too detailed to be able to have an airship being controlled manually. The amount of time taken to do that would be extremely long, and would still disappoint the fans, because it would be a late release.

Whoa, there! ... I believe XII was a pretty late release.

That aside, I know what you mean. It would be near impossible (probably) to use a world map system like in previous FF's with the detail of the PS2 gen. games.

I also agree that the previous games gave (at least) the feeling of more freedom. XII is "less linear" than X - by that I mean the spaces you move around in, not the gameplay or anything - but it sill felt, to me, to be sort of closed-in.

There are some areas that are pretty large: Phon Coast, Tchita Uplands, etc., but a lot of the areas felt tight and "chlaustrophobic": Salikawood, Golmore Jungle, Feywood, etc.
The areas are large, but the space you move around in feels kind of constricted to me.

I think it's just the feeling of looking down on the world and seeing half of a continent within your view. It just "feels" more open.

[LunarWeaver]

Oh no, I'm like the only person that doesn't miss it :hahaha:. I'm just a psycho about this it seems. I suppose it was cool Phoenix-Thing Flying around in Dragon Quest VIII...But it really doesn't sway me much one way or the other =/. Poor Strahl, I give you no attention...

[Ashley Schovitz]

Of course there's a World map, what do you think the item World Map is?

[Kointähti]

Of course there's a World map, what do you think the item World Map is?
either you haven't bothered to read this topic at all, or you just misuderstood what I meant.

Overworld was always a sort of trademark of FFs. I too know many fans who were dissapointed when they took away the overworld.. Sure, it's not the most important thing of a game, but it was a thing many fans were expecting. For example in FFVII the beginning started to feel a bit linear until you got out of Midgar.. I at least thought "now this is the good old FF world I was hoping to see".

Many games improve in way that make the worlds larger to explore (take Elder Scrolls series, for example) but it seems like FF has done the exact opposite: more linear and more straightforward. But hey, at least the graphics are nice, and I bet the graphics are what Square mostly is impressed about. At least that's how it feels to me..

[Elpizo]

FF XII may not have a world map like in I till IX, but Final Fanatsy XII: Revenant Wings appears to have a world map (like we know it) again. :)

AND Airship flying!!! The game already wins, even if it is not out yet. :D