Future Fantasies

[Depression Moon]

I was kind of bored looking here on the forums and seeing a lot of them about old FFS that I haven't played in a while and couldn't properly remember them to converse about them so i thought I'll just post this.

So what things in Final Fantasy that you would like to see changed in future installments or maybe stay the same?
It could be anything dealing with plot, character design, gameplay, monsters, spinoffs anything bussiness related.

For me I would like to see a sequel to Dissidia and after hearing Kanno said, I would like a more involving story. Something that that would infrom us about the status of our heroes' worlds and friends after the events of their games. I would also like the game to be for home console as well as portable.

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm really not sure where I would want the series to go from here. The few interesting ideas I can think of for them to go would turn off a majority of players and then I would have to listen to them groan about how it isn't an FF. :roll2

First thing, I would cut all ties to Nojima.

I guess I would have them pull the plug on the VII Compilation cause its more embarrassment than awsomesauce and just make a PS3 remake of VII so fanboys will shut up about it until they make the next console generation. Also, because it is what all the fans really wanted anyway.

I feel the Ivalice Alliance needs to make another Tactics game built in the same vein of the original FFT or XII. I'm starting to have doubts they can pull off an Ivalice title without Matsuno.

I would probably want a future FF to continue the work of XII and move away from cheesy melodrama, plots that are more about plot twists (even if they don't really make sense or contradicts itself), flashy cutscenes and stop making love stories the main focus of their plots. I want more mature and thought provoking plot and characters, not just a slightly new flavor of the same RPG cliches.

Game wise, I just want an open world to explore that's big and doesn't feel fenced in. Horrible attention to detail, cause I get a kick out of that stuff. I want battle systems that are built around using strategy and I want enemies that force me to use it. I want my games challenging and I need less hand holding. Sometimes, I don't want to do the plot, I just want to explore so let me have my moments.

I'll think of more later, but right now I have a headache. :(

[NeoCracker]

Start including the FF and DQ DS remakes party talk/thought feature. It done as well as those games, it adds a lot of depth to the characters, making them seem more like real people.

As for something new? Let me and Kanno write it. I'm sure we'll turn up an 'interesting' story at least. :p

[Saber]

Well I'd like them to make a game with a world map and random battles. I liked those a lot. Plus I wouldn't mind them to focus more on main titles then spin offs. If anything though I would love to see a FFVI remake. That would draw a huge crowd in I think. It is one of the best imo.

[Christmas]

More toliets, more Honey Bee Inns, more playable character getting impale by a katana!! This is all I can think of right now! :bigsmile:

[Loony BoB]

Open World - More use of a proper world map. None of this "oh, but you are on the world map all the time, sort of like in FFXI!" crap. I want to see the world, particularly when I'm flying around on a spaceship. Bring back FFVII/VIII style world map movement. I love world map exploration rather than field map exploration, and I feel that this should be more significant, at least on some level.

Subplot options - In FFVII, small things would affect the storyline. You could go on dates depending on how you'd spoken to other characters, who you used in your party, etc. This should continue. Your characters should build relationships with one another based on your actions. This could allow for what I see as the "best of both worlds" when it comes to romance subplots - You don't want romance in your game? Choose the non-flirty options, don't have deep conversations with the other characters, etc. You want romance? Do the opposite. Which brings me on to...

More options in conversation - Bioware do this brilliantly and I think it would go a long way for SE to bring back a more personal feel to the main character. I'm not sure if this can be done effectively with voice acting that they have these days, but if you look at how Mass Effect combined the ideas of multiple conversations, voice acting and actions/choices resulting in differing storylines while still keeping the same primary plot.

Better minigames - More chocobo breeding/riding and other such things which require time, effort, preferrably tactics/strategy of some sort and give suitably useful rewards. That don't involve, you know, fighting. Because we obviously have the game itself for that.

Random battles - I know a lot of you dislike this but the least they could do is set it up so that you don't see the monster miles away and can be surprise-attacked like it would be in the real world.

Grand Scale - Following on from the world map thing, it should never be a matter of nations, but always the entire world.

Multiple worlds - Might be going overboard on this end but they've gone to the moon before, and in FFVII you went into space, too. Why not two worlds? It would be a pretty neat twist to have this hidden until release during a major game and for you only to be able to get to the second world halfway through, or something. Then you have a whole new place to explore! Mwahaha! Okay, I'm done with my map/world/exploration begging.

Less kiddy characters - PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

[Rantz]

What BoB said. Except for the last one :bigsmile:

[Formalhaut]

What BoB Said. All Of It.

[Depression Moon]

I am sort of tired of random battles though especially after replaying some of the older games when I can't take two steps before a monster comes and some of those random battles are difficult to run away from. So if i'm trying hard to run away from a fight, but the game won't allow me for whatever reason, I'll lose all but one character who is in critical health and then the game decides to let me escape.

That stuff becomes as hell as annoying. XII for me was perfect in gameplay. I agree with the multiple worlds part that would just make the game and story more epic. I'm not sure if Square would add in a deeper conversation mechanic. It seems to me that japanese developers really aren't too concerned about it.

To Bob on your last line./ Which characters are you referring to when you say kiddy?
Just the child characters like

Palom, Porom, Eiko, Hope, Relm, and Rydia
or do you mean the little perky girl types like

post X Yuna, Rikku and Selphie?

[Raistlin]

...just make a PS3 remake of VII so fanboys will shut up about it until they make the next console generation.

But that's part of the fun.

I agree with BooB about the big open world maps. I love the old school world maps, and it saddens me when they go away. Perfect example: Suikoden V -- I don't think I've played another game with as massive and epic a classic-style world map.

I want more complicated, serious storylines, on the same vein as WK's "mature plots" point. The RPG plots I've liked the most tend to be very indepth, political plots full of realistic characters. I think FFXII was moving in the right direction with this, though I'm very critical of the application in that game.

[Bolivar]

If the Fabula Nova Crystalis series is about trying different FF's in different styles then there needs to be a true sequel to the FFI-VI style made for the Nintendo DS (or PSP).

I really think that is something that needs to be done in the FNC series. Random battles, maybe ATB, but maybe hide the bar like in FFIV so it's more intense/you don't know what's going to happen. Multiple worlds, similar music styles with synthesizers, battle systems without too much depth, cliche RPG storyline. This is something I've though of for a while, but especially since 3D Dot Game Heroes has been making noise.

Even if that doesn't happen, I'd still like a battle screen to return. You don't even necessarily need random battles for that, just have all the monsters and heroes jump into place a la Chrono Trigger and have a dynamic or fixed camera ensue after that. The battles in XII felt really devoid of the "actiony" feel that began in FFIV and was perfected in FFVII.

The cutscenes also felt very removed from the game engine in FFXII, even moreso than when they were using FMV's, so that needs to stop as well.

The music needs to be more in the forefront again. It was very subdued in FFXII, although I love nearly everything Sakimoto touches, it was part of why FFXII did not feel like a Final Fantasy.

[NeoCracker]

I actually don't want FF to include multiple options for Dialogue like the Mass effect games, or The Elderscrolls and Dragon Age :p

Don't get me wrong, I love Dragon age and Fall Out, but those are generic starting characters in which you build the personality.

FF, on the other hand, I love the stories that fold out of the Pre-Made characters, and seeing the plot unfold as they were intended too. Not saying it wouldn't work, or that I wouldn't enjoy it, just that there are enough companies that make games like that, and I want my games with one solid story too. :p

[Loony BoB]

They don't have to do it for everything. Just for smaller things. They actually did allow you to choose what your character said much more often in VII and VIII than they have in recent games, where it's all basically a film where you push buttons in order to get to the next scene. They didn't do it with everything, but they definitely did it more often, and in some cases your answers affected how parts of the story played out. I think that's a fantastic way to do things.

[VeloZer0]

I like having small choices you can make in dialogue, but only occasionally. And, likewise, the options (imo only two) should both be something that would be in character to say.

As in, you don't get the choice between being a nice guy and a jerk, but you could chose between being a big jerk or inconsiderate. Or pick whichever one you found funnier.

I'm not a big fan of having the choices affect the storyline though. I usually tend to look down the line at the long term implications of any choice I make (in real life and games), so having choices affect the plot usually amounts to me trying to read the developers minds, as things usually have repercussions you can't possible predict.

[Slothy]

More options in conversation - Bioware do this brilliantly and I think it would go a long way for SE to bring back a more personal feel to the main character. I'm not sure if this can be done effectively with voice acting that they have these days, but if you look at how Mass Effect combined the ideas of multiple conversations, voice acting and actions/choices resulting in differing storylines while still keeping the same primary plot.

This is the last thing I want SE to even try to attempt if only because it's done so poorly even by Bioware who do it better than possibly anyone else.

My problem with giving dialogue options isn't with the idea of giving dialogue options as I'd love to see dialogue choices have a dramatic effect on characters and relationships, as well as the over all story. I have a problem with the fact that there are usually three real options; I can be a douche, a paragon of morals and virtue, or I can be neutral, and regardless of what I pick, there's little change to the story barring perhaps having an ending where I'm good or evil. If developers aren't going to put in the time to make some dramatically different character and story paths based on my choices then they should stop dicking me around and give me one compelling, albeit linear story. If I don't feel like most of my choices matter then I just feel cheated by the end of the game (as I have in every single game to feature options like this lately).

Aside from that, I agree with everything Kanno said. Especially about the battle systems.

[Loony BoB]

Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned Bioware - I only did that to show how well voice acting can manage different options, which otherwise would be seen as an obstacle. As I pointed out earlier, the choices would be on par with what they were in VII - Not every sentence, far from it - but on occasion you would get to make a choice that would alter a subplot slightly.

The best example I can think of is how, as Cloud, Tifa asks if you slept well. One of the options is something like "Next to you, who wouldn't?", which increases your chances of having a date with her later on (if I recall correctly). This didn't change the overall storyline, but did change part of what happens to that particular play-through. That's what I'd like to see more of, as they simply don't do anything like that anymore that I can think of.

[Wolf Kanno]

If its done like it was in Chrono series or VII, I can agree with BoB. Have it affect small things, though I wouldn't mind if it caused a few major branching arcs like it does in the Suikoden series.

[Depression Moon]

I would also like to see different artwork for the games too. I know Nomura will eventually stop being the lead designer, but I'm sort of getting tired of him already. I would also like to see another Final Fantasy that is set in modern day, but I would like the characters really resemble and feel like the people of our world with the exceptions that they can cast magic and fight dragons and evil wizards.

Some of the designs for VII and VIII did still feel a little distant like Squall's awkardly short jacket, Yuffie and Vincent's hear and Cloud's uniform.

[x~Agita~x]

Real time combat, REAL TIME COMBAT!!!!!!!!! Or at least an option to switch to and from turn-based stuff. And the more the interactive the environment the better. Can I hack any vine off a tree and use it to lasso the rampaging shoopuff? Yes I bloody can!

Um... I would kill to get FFVII on Ps3. I sure as hell am not going to get a PSP, but to play that awesome game again... With my HD... Oh my god, Cloud... *drools all over controller*

[BG-57]

I can't think of an FF as a FF without some core elements: the spellset, summons, chocobos, airships, and the like.

Flexible job system (FFT did it best but FFV and FFX-2 get honorable mentions).

Visible enemies (I think random battles have outlived their usefulness by now).

Being able to explore the entire world limits the potential of sequels, but Ivalice and Suikoden series both give a fraction of the world each game. That has a lot of potential for connecting direct sequels.

[Raistlin]

If its done like it was in Chrono series or VII, I can agree with BoB. Have it affect small things, though I wouldn't mind if it caused a few major branching arcs like it does in the Suikoden series.

It's always amusing to wander into a situation where you suddenly get an ending 10 hours before expected.


Flexible job system (FFT did it best but FFV and FFX-2 get honorable mentions).

I've always loved the job system and I think FFT is a great example of it, but I don't see that returning to Final Fantasy. Unfortunately.

[Loony BoB]

Ooh, yeah, I have to agree with Agita in that I'd love to see a more interactive environment.

Regarding BG-57 and how an entire world limits sequels: So? I would much, much rather another FFVII/FFVIII styled game than a FFX with "oh but you get FFX-2 too!". Uuuuurgh. Final Fantasy games should never be designed with a sequel in mind. Also, I don't see how it limits sequels - FFXII? Limited world - no sequels. FFVII? Entire world, more sequels than a lot of people could tolerate. :p

Also: Jumping. This would actually satisfy me when it comes to interactive environments - if you could jump up onto boxes and so forth, that would be half the battle when it comes to being able to do more.

[VeloZer0]

Final Fantasy games should never be designed with a sequel in mind.

Also: Jumping. This would actually satisfy me when it comes to interactive environments - if you could jump up onto boxes and so forth, that would be half the battle when it comes to being able to do more.

I agree with the first point so strongly I can't express it sufficiently in one sentence.

I know it has gone completely out of vogue, but I really liked the traditional pre-rendered background/omniscient camera (or whatever that camera angle is called) compared to the now standard fully rendered/third person.

I remember playing Tales of Legendia for the PS2 (fully rendered game) , which I would say is definitely not to be held up as an example of high quality terrain and character models. However, despite the fact that all the areas were fully rendered it had a traditional camera. And all I was thinking as I was running through the games largely uninspired dungeons was how good the game looked. There was nothing on the field screen. Another example is WoW, in which I can't understate how amazed I always am at how much better the game looks if I hide the UI. (Impossible to play, but looks several times more impressive.)

Whenever I play a 'modern' camera styled game I am always completely underwhelmed by the scenery. I blame this on the other stuff cluttering up the field screen. The mini-map is the worst of all. In FFXII I probably spent more time looking at the mini-map than the actual map. Way to waste the developers months/years of efforts modeling terrain textures when I miss half of them because I navigate with the mini-map.

[BG-57]

Sequels of games with complete worlds (FFVII and FFX) have most of the towns, dungeons and locations already known going into the sequel. True, you can add a few new dungeons and hidden locations, but a lot of time is spent retreading over familiar ground. EDIT: I'm not such a big fan of direct sequels myself for this reason.

I prefer having totally new areas to explore, so if a series is going to take place on the same planet, it is better to break it into sections. The Suikoden series does this well, but it was planned that way (from at least II and on).

Although FFXII has no direct sequel, it is a part of Ivalice (notably introduced in FFT), and the maps of both games connect nicely together. So the Ivalice games are the closest FF equivalent to the Suikoden series.

I'm fine with a new world in every installment of the FF series, but I feel doing an unplanned direct sequel to a game with a complete world limits the creative possibilties.

[Loony BoB]

Ivalice's map is custom-made to a certain degree in FFTA so I'm not sure it's a world that can be called concrete in any way, at least not if you include FFTA as canon to Ivalice's overall story.

[BG-57]

No, I meant just the Ivalice of FFT. I wouldn't consider the FFTA map any more part of Ivalice than the places in Cloud's head the party visits in FFVII as part of Gaia.

Quite different of course is Dream Zanarkand which is physically in Spira but mainly inaccessable.

[Wolf Kanno]

FFTA is not considered canon to the historical Ivalice (FFT, XII, TA2, RW)so it does actually work out nicely though I feel Suikoden still does this scenario better.

As for sequels, I'm with BoB in that the series should never have them especially since SE has shown utter incompetence when dealing with the subject matter. I still prefer thinking of each installment as the "Final Fantasy" of that specific world. The last great epic, coming back to it and saying some new threat has appeared always makes me feel all the effort from the first title was all for naught and I'm now trapped in a Superman book where every other week a new evil threat from beyond threatens the annihilation of the world.

As for fully rendered worlds, I actually prefer them, I enjoy actually looking and exploring the world and as I get accustomed I look less and less at the mini map. I've killed hours in XII by just exploring the cities and dungeons just looking around and panning the camera about to see the level of detail. Its also has excellent gameplay applications if done right like in Xenogears. I just find fully rendered worlds to be much more immersive, I can't tell you how often I get annoyed in IX or X when I want to look around and see the area cause it looks gorgeous but I'm stuck looking at one point of view.

Another thing I would love to see is that I just simply wish SE would put the amount of effort into their console games as they do their handhelds. I keep getting blown away how well done many of their handheld titles are and how perfectly balanced they are in terms of both story and gameplay. TWENWY, Dissidia, and KH:358/2 have all been amazing titles for me so far and I can't bring myself to put them down as opposed to most of the actual console entries I've played in the last decade from them of which I can only say this about a small handful of titles. I just find their handheld entries far more balanced. They also bring back much more experimental qualities to their gameplay in droves as opposed to one or two new things. Basically, the stuff that used to draw me to Square titles seem to only appear in the handheld efforts anymore and I'm trying to figure out why.

[Raistlin]

Final Fantasy games should never be designed with a sequel in mind.

This deserves repeating in every post.


FFTA is not considered canon to the historical Ivalice (FFT, XII, TA2, RW)so it does actually work out nicely though I feel Suikoden still does this scenario better.

That's like saying gourmet filet mignion is better than hot dogs.

[Bolivar]

My major qualm with sequels and spinoffs/compilations is that they divert resources to projects that don't deserve them. If you want to do spinoffs, that's fine, but at least have junior developers make their bones on them instead of having the main teams do them.

I mean, I was thinking, if we didn't have all these franchised jawns out we could've had at least a classic trilogy of single player FF games on the PS2. On the NES, SNES, and PSOne, developers were able to play around with the technology and experiment with ideas on them. Instead, we got a game that struggled to be a showcase of the technology (FFX) and one that mastered it, but introduced a radically different design philosophy than what we've come to expect (FFXII).

But then again I might be the only person on these forums that liked both X and XII so maybe the classic trilogy ideal doesn't hold up for most.

[Formalhaut]

One Tiny Thing. Music Could Be Improved. Only Abit. Most Music Is Decent And Good, But Some Is Just Dreadful... A Few Tracks Of FFXII When You Constantly Have To Say Farm A Item In A Area, God Makes Me Want To Cut My Ears Off Sometimes...

[the AJman]

I suppose one thing I'd like to see go is the VII compilation, I love VII and the movie was entertaining, but it seems that after that they just didn't care as much.

I also hope never to see random battles again. I could tolerate them enough from the earlier games, but now its just unneccessary in my opinion. It doesn't help that the other RPGs I play don't have random encounters and after pouring hours in XII, I just don't care for it. I personally feel it disrupts the immersion and it's also a pain in the nuts when I'm searching an area for something and every five to ten steps I get sucked into a fight with that annoying screen effect and the noice (sp?) they use for it. What could take me about ten to fifteen minutes to do turns into an hour affair all on account of random battles.

I hope they stick with fact paced and exciting battle systems, which it looks like they are so no problems. I'm not particularly a fan of turn based RPGs, I do however love the systems like ATB and what XII had; I hope these stay. Though, now that I mention it I wouldn't mind SE pushing the battles more to real time either, but thats just me.

They should keep the open world they used for XII. Don't get me wrong, I like the world map they used in the older games, but I just like the open world better; it also feels more immersive.

One thing I would love to see is having the characters appearance change on account of the equipment that I have on. I'm not just talking about weapons either, I mean their costume would change due to the armor they are wearing. It doesn't even have to be a massive change, they could stick to the particular theme that they have for each character; just make small changes on the costume based on armor and equipment. Its a fairly small feature, but its one that I think would add a bit more to the characters.

And don't worry Bolivar, you aren't the only member here that likes X and XII.

[theundeadhero]

They need to make the mini-games completely optional. I can't stand most of the mini-games but then get almost forced into playing them for someones best equipment or other useful things. Save side-quests for that stuff.

[Christmas]

They need to make the mini-games completely optional. I can't stand most of the mini-games but then get almost forced into playing them for someones best equipment or other useful things. Save side-quests for that stuff.

BEST EQUIPMENTS ARE OPTIONAL.

[theundeadhero]

Make it a side-quest. I don't want to force birds to have sex or dodge lightning bolts to get it.

[Christmas]

Make it a side-quest. I don't want to force birds to have sex or dodge lightning bolts to get it.

The FFX ones sux(Chocobo timed race, lightning dodge...), but the FF VII one isn't that hard. :bigsmile:

I kinda enjoy forcing birds to mate and end up with a golden chocobo in the end! :bigsmile:

[Freya]

More chocobo hot n cold.

I don't think they can change the armor so much because they have all the cinematics that have them preset in whatever outfit.

[the AJman]

More chocobo hot n cold.

I don't think they can change the armor so much because they have all the cinematics that have them preset in whatever outfit.

They could aways just keep them in their default outfits for the cinematics, they've always done that for their weapons. It doesn't have to be a big change either; just a little difference. Its not an important feature and not having it isn't going to keep me from playing Final Fantasy anymore, I just think it would be cool, thats all.