What changes/improvements would you like to see

[ANGRYWOLF]

in FFXV ?

Anything from western rpgs you like that you would like to see in a FF game ?

Anything from previous FF games you would like to see in the next game that hasn't been in recent games ?

Obviously towns/cities with npcs you can interact with.

Inns where your characters can spend the night.

Bars, brothels, other establishments where they can interact with npcs and maybe pick up items or train.

Being able to ride chocobos in a battle would be nice.I saw some news some time back about a game where players characters can ride horses so why not chocobos ?

Alternate endings/alternate paths.A total good ending, a toal bad ending and various ones in between. Have the possibility where your characters can choose the dark side and go evil as opposed to being good.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

:)

[Flying Arrow]

If the practice of scripted storylines is going to continue (and it likely will), I'd like to see something a bit less juvenile. I've always wanted to see a plot structured kind of like a tragedy -- but with a gaming-style twist. I'm not exactly sure what that could or would mean, but I'm not a developer.

Also, more interaction with the gameworld. Maybe dungeons or towers that have multiple solutions depending on the manner in which its puzzles are solved. For instance, there's a stream preventing your progress: Find a valve to raise a floodgate (potentially flooding or draining other areas in the location, revealing hidden paths or treasure) or freeze the water with an Ice spell (freezing everything, and both missing some good items stuck beneath the ice while creating a make-shift bridge to hard-to-reach nooks)? Beautiful environments are just set pieces. Let's see some creativity with this new hardware

More resource management and less cash acquired for the party. I know that's probably not the kind of game they want to make, but having a modest wallet carefully spent on the right items (or whatever is right for your strategy), and then painstakingly and successfully plundering a dungeon with limited resources can be tremendously satisfying. Finding a hi-potion in a chest should be a cause for a fist-pump, not a shrug.

[Slothy]

Bring back Matsuno and give him free reign to do absolutely anything he wants.

Since that will never happen though, I'll settle for trying something new with the battle system that doesn't involve the traditional turn based random battle crap. A story that is something other than a world ending evil villian that has to be stopped by a rag tag group of young chosen ones. Toss in some character development that's natural and makes sense (like FFXII, you know, the stuff fans seem to hate because they want quantity over quality), as well as some strategy and challenge in combat and we may be on to something.

You know, I think I just described FFXII by and large. Read into that what you will.

[ANGRYWOLF]

going to be in versus..so flying arrow might get his wish.
We went through the floodgate switches in FFXII..the Granmercy waterway or however it was spelled.

I'm not a big fan of puzzles.That might be why I'm not a fan of the Myst computer games although I understand that genre has a lot of fans.
I did play a supernintendo game called brainlord years ago though I never got to finish it.
I don't know if puzzles of that type would go over well in FF.I doubt FF fans would have the patience to solve them.


I'm not a fan of FFXII. I felt it lacked proper plot and character development caused most likely by Matusno's abrupt alleged breakdown and departure. Not likely he would ever return any more than Sakaguichi would return.
I do think new blood, perhaps someone from bioware or bethesda if they went to work for Square and were allowed to develope an FF game might introduce something that might reinvigorate the franchise.I feel it does need to be reinvigorated.
I don't see the current producers having the knowledge and wisdom to do something new well.

I do like nonhumans as characters and again we have a game where there are no nonhumans as party members.
We only had fran in FXII.
I don't even recall seeing nonhuman races...if you exclude the falcie.... in FFXIII in any of the videos and I find that sad.

[VeloZer0]

Well, I haven't played XIII yet so it isn't fair to say changes I want for FFXV, but I'm going to throw world map out there.

[Bolivar]

Oh man keep Bioware and Bethesda as far away as possible. I usually hate that kind of crap, but when I do like it, it's for different reasons that make me want to play Final Fantasy.

Square Enix, and Japanese developers as a whole, are going through a spiritual crisis right now. They're struggling to stay relevant in a new ecology. Quite frankly, video games as a whole have taken a turn for the worst over the last few years, and it scares the living crap out of me every time Yoichi Wada talks about western games, developing games with western flair, and the possibility of handing FF over to a Western developer.

Instead of compromising they should stay Japanese and work to find ways to keep their own style but make it better than ever in a new environment. They should look to Valkyria Chronicles and Demon's Souls, two of the best games I've played this generation, for a clue. Those games showed you can utilize new technology and trends to make the best of the old even better.

What they should do is pull a Metal Gear Solid 4. While the game did make some sacrifices for a Western audience, Kojima showed that the Japanese can use this technology better than anyone else (everyone except for Naughty Dog and Guerilla Games, that is).

This is what Final Fantasy did with VII and X. Regardless of our differing views on them, those games really ushered in "next gen". It was supposed to be up to XIII to do the same, but they missed the deadline by a couple years now and now it just looks like another non-exclusive PS3 game. I doubt they could get a leg up on Sony's 1st party studios now, but it's something they should look into. That, and keeping Final Fantasy what it's supposed to be.

[ANGRYWOLF]

I do believe there are western publishers that could make a positive contribution to FF.
If not bioware/bethesda perhaps someone else...

What makes a FF game a FF game anyway ?

What should make an FF game an FF game ?

The whole linearity issue....while I don't mind linearity in an rpg I think if you could make it nonlinear and still have it make sense and be compelling you could attract new /more fans.

and emotions..While FFXII didn't have enough from the videos it seems to me FFXIII has too much.
They need to strike a balance.

:)

[Bolivar]

If not bioware/bethesda perhaps someone else...


Well, I don't think they're bad developers, it's just the conception of a Western RPG is built around perfecting that PC-line of D&D emulations.

But my biggest problem with Bethesda and Bioware is that these people just don't understand anything about animations. Their character models look like they're standing still, even when they're moving. Their faces look so empty and devoid of life, when games like MGS4 and even FFX almost 9 years ago have such incredible facial expressions.

To stay FF, they should bring their own battle system up to date in their own way, instead of stealing Bioware's like they did in FFXII. For example, you could have characters change positions in battle to the sides and back of the enemy, instead of just front and back lines. This would make back-attacks, pre-emptive strikes, and pincer attacks a constantly emerging aspect of battles instead of isolated incidents to stir things up a bit.

And there's no reason why they can't have towns. This just shows to me that their team "doesn't get it". Like Kitase said in a recent interview that they couldn't remake FFVII on PS3 because it has so many towns, and towns are something they couldn't figure out in this one. It's like damn - they need new programmers like woah.

So I guess they should start with the technology. They need to get that department at a level where they don't have to compromise their game design around their own faults. Kojima talked in his GDC Keynote about how his games actually come out better because of technology limitations, but I don't think that's the case with Square.

[Zeromus_X]

I've always wanted to see a real-time battle system in an FF like something out of the Star Ocean or Tales series. Or maybe a turn-based system with action elements like Grandia series or Eternal Sonata. Though FF has been pretty impressive with their turn-based systems for the last few games.

[qwertysaur]

Bring back Fat chocobo for something. :p

Also random references to other FF games that make no impact on the plot and only exist for the amusement and feelings of nostalgia for the player.

[Vermachtnis]

I'm probably a minority on this, but I'd like a more lighthearted game. Every one's so serious all the time lately. Even in Dissidia, which was a crossover game, took itself very seriously. Where's the comedy? Also more minigames. Like the card games in VIII and IX. Or Blitzball. Or the Gold Saucer. They need to bring back the Gold Saucer. The World can wait, I'm going Snow boarding!

Also I'd like the ability to change the over world/town map avatar. You could in I-VI. Why did they stop?

[Sephiroth]

What do I want to see in the next normal Final Fantasy?

- Random Battles
- The giant overworld you have from Final Fantasy (I)-IX
- an anime-like antagonist like Sephiroth or Kuja or something cool and mad like X-Death or Kefka, but no wannabe antagonist (which is often the case with anime antagonists)

[Rantz]

I'm probably a minority on this, but I'd like a more lighthearted game. Every one's so serious all the time lately. Even in Dissidia, which was a crossover game, took itself very seriously. Where's the comedy? Also more minigames. Like the card games in VIII and IX. Or Blitzball. Or the Gold Saucer. They need to bring back the Gold Saucer. The World can wait, I'm going Snow boarding!

Yes!

[ANGRYWOLF]

I wouldn't be interested in it.
This isn't Disgaea.
This is FF.

Another fellow started a thread asking for a return to the old style I guess.
I don't think he likes the futuristic settings.

In FFX while it was mostly old school there was futuristic stuff in the cities, in Bevelle in particular.You saw more of it in X-2.

In XII you had the nethicite and the airships.I do think it's hard to have castles and swords on one hand and power beams and air ships on the other.

I think the games need a mix from game to game, some in a rustic style with castles and swords and others more like mass effect with ships and guns.
That would appease both sides I would hope.

:)

[Wolf Kanno]

I think overall, I would like to see a little less melodrama and lot more emphasis on tactical strategy in the gameplay.

I'm sick of character fawning over how tragic their lives are the stories themselves trying to wring every drop of emotion out of a scene until it feels like soap opera or a spoof of what real drama is. I need more subtlety and more things left unsaid rather than deep analysis or constant romantic kisses as the world explodes behind them. Its getting ridiculous. I would also like for them to stop with the AC Wire-Fu before it somehow becomes a godforsaken staple in the series. If I want cheesy Wire-Fu I play Devil May Cry, they do it better cause you have control over it and they don't take themselves as seriously.

The best drama I see in film or books, or even games, are quiet and there is very little talking. SE has been doing a great job incorporating body language into the games and I would love to see them press on to the point where we could cut down on the pointless dialogue sequences that only continue to destroy immersion. I also don't feel that drama has to have a resolution, so stop with the last minute epiphanies.

For gameplay, I would love to see a battle system where strategy is the utmost importance and no longer a faint illusion. I want the game to be challenging but use of good tactics save the day and cuts battles down to a few seconds. I don't want random encounters to return but and I feel FFXIII looks to have struck a nice balance so all of you fans bitching about the lack of a proper Fanfare theme in XII can get your cake and I can eat it too since I don't have to deal with random encounters anymore. Mostly, I want to see a system where exploiting elements is more important and you own party has their own weaknesses. I would love to see a FF that actually nerfs physical abilities. The Palings from XII were a godsend in making what seemed like routine battles into something a bit more exciting now that you can't use your Blade of Total Badass Epicness to slay the beast in one blow. I would love to see more enemies that are immune to physical or even have the ability to counter or reflect Physical a la SMT. Mostly I'm annoyed how much FF tends to favor physical melee characters. Mages are useful in the beginning but once you get that one set of armor/weapons/or abilities your warriors can solo the game. We need to nerf melee characters something awful and we need to rid RPGs of "Main Character" syndrome where the main guy is absolutely perfect in everything. No more statistical Cloud's, Ramza's, Terra's, or Squall's the main shouldn't be above average in everything.

Of anything, I just want a game where I can see the game over screen and its not because the enemies have such jacked up stats that you need to have even more jacked up stats to win. I want you to get into a battle, and you and the opponent have an equal chance of annihilating the other and it all depends on using strategy to take control of the situation in your favor as opposed to unleashing your "Ultimate attack of Epic Doomness" to one shot your way through the fight, but also on the flip side, I want the strategy part of the game to be flexible enough so you have multiple ways to win and don't have to figure out the "one token strategy" to win. No Zelda syndrome please.

For world design, I wish the series would use the worlds more. I feel XII was going in the right direction but it needs to hearken back to a few older games and push some of its good points even further. I want it big, I want to explore, and I want to trip over optional content. This is not to say everything has to be open ended but don't write a story that calls for one or the other. I want my linear dungeons but I also want my large open dungeons. Hell, make the dungeons linear but since we're ignoring the world map, the parts that count as an overworld map in the game should be open-ended. No more FFX roads.

I want the world to be fleshed out and I want it to also possess its own story seperate from the struggles of your own party and the main plot. Everything should have a place and every place should have a story and not one that needs to somehow be relevant to the main plot I mean come on, its a smurfing planet not everything has to be tied to the Ancients and their magical McGuffin that correlates to the Great War that correlates to the plans of the evil corporate empire from the future. You can't tell me that interesting crap doesn't happen in only one place and a 1000 years ago. Let's be realistic here. Regions and cities should be diverse and possess their own history and customs and I feel this has been waning a bit in the series.

I wouldn't mind seeing a world map again, not because I truly miss them but rather after playing older FF titles, I feel that we killed the idea before we fully explored how we can use them to create more immersive worlds. I' love to get on a world map that actually has trains, airships, and ships moving along seperate from the ones my party is using and maybe even coming across people also on the world map. I also don't want these lements to disappear as soon as I get better access to explore the world.

[Jiro]

To stay FF, they should bring their own battle system up to date in their own way, instead of stealing Bioware's like they did in FFXII. For example, you could have characters change positions in battle to the sides and back of the enemy, instead of just front and back lines. This would make back-attacks, pre-emptive strikes, and pincer attacks a constantly emerging aspect of battles instead of isolated incidents to stir things up a bit.

In Wild ARMs III, the enemies are characters ran around the little area between rounds. Perhaps something like this, where you can set gambit-esque things, for instance you want a gunner to move away from enemies and keep an ally between you and the bad guys, or a quick but weak character to circle behind, or even a guy with low movement but high defence/attack to charge at them or defend a gunner.



I wouldn't mind seeing a world map again, not because I truly miss them but rather after playing older FF titles, I feel that we killed the idea before we fully explored how we can use them to create more immersive worlds. I' love to get on a world map that actually has trains, airships, and ships moving along seperate from the ones my party is using and maybe even coming across people also on the world map. I also don't want these lements to disappear as soon as I get better access to explore the world.
I agree. I liked how the trains moved on the world map and the cars in Deling City in VIII. It would be a great addition to have the entire world map come to life.

Also what Wolf Kanno said about the tactical stuff. Yeah I don't like how easy it is to just hold down attack and win. Battles should be challenging, not just uber frequent.

[Rodney]

Stop the generic casting of three females each game and swing for the fences by throwing in four or even five. There are several general archetypes that can be hit in female gender besides "heroine," "strong, serious female," and "perky young girl."

Also, enough of the protagonist being the sword-bearer. Let's have some variation in what weapon the antagonist will have each game.

I'd also like to see another job-class-based game.

[Karifean]

I wish the developers would never ever again release an 'International' version with awesome new changes only in Japan.:mad2: Even better if they get everything done before they release the game.

[Sephiroth]

Also, enough of the protagonist being the sword-bearer. Let's have some variation in what weapon the antagonist will have each game.


There are enough Final Fantasy in which the protagonist doesn't have swords to wield if you don't want to. And Steiners Knight Blades are more sword than Zidanes Daggers and Twin Lilies. Same with Squall and Lightning. Both of them use Gun-Blades, which isn't really a sword.

But I agree when I look at the antagonists. Mateus, Zande, X-Death, Sephiroth, Seymour and the one from Final Fantasy XIII I don't want to spoiler are the only characters who have weapons in their human form. Well - "human" really is not the correct word for them, lol.

[Rodney]

Also, enough of the protagonist being the sword-bearer. Let's have some variation in what weapon the antagonist will have each game.


There are enough Final Fantasy in which the protagonist doesn't have swords to wield if you don't want to. And Steiners Knight Blades are more sword than Zidanes Daggers and Twin Lilies. Same with Squall and Lightning. Both of them use Gun-Blades, which isn't really a sword.

But I agree when I look at the antagonists. Mateus, Zande, X-Death, Sephiroth, Seymour and the one from Final Fantasy XIII I don't want to spoiler are the only characters who have weapons in their human form. Well - "human" really is not the correct word for them, lol.
Whoa! I meant the weapon that PROtagonist would have! I've never cared about the antagonist's weapons.

[Sephiroth]

Whoa! I meant the weapon that PROtagonist would have! I've never cared about the antagonist's weapons.

You've already quoted my post...err...as you can see I have said something about noth, pro and antagonists.

[Mirage]

Choices that actually matter.

[VeloZer0]

Choices that actually matter.

Lol, its funny because that is the exact opposite of what I would like to see.

[Shiny]

I would like to see a black male character that isn't an inane stereotype. This would be a major improvement.

[Slothy]

Choices that actually matter.

Lol, its funny because that is the exact opposite of what I would like to see.

I'll agree but only because I don't believe that every game around needs to give the player choices. There's something to be said for a more linear experience sometimes, and there are plenty of western RPG's that have enough trouble with giving you choices that matter that we don't need every JRPG under the sun to start trying to do the same thing. Let's keep FF more linear and simply have them work to improve on that type of story telling.

[Rodney]

I would like to see a black male character that isn't an inane stereotype. This would be a major improvement.

I'd like to see a black female character used as a playable character. The only black female I've seen the entire series has been Dona, and she wasn't playable.

Hell, I'd pay to see them create a black protagonist or even antagonist.

Also, I'd like to see them make an older woman in the playable character cast who's NOT in her teens or twenties. Say, thirties to fifties. It's like the Japs are obsessed with young girls and women only.

[qwertysaur]

It's like the Japs are obsessed with young girls and women only.
I'd say they are :p

[Depression Moon]

I would like to see a black male character that isn't an inane stereotype. This would be a major improvement.

I'd like to see a black female character used as a playable character. The only black female I've seen the entire series has been Dona, and she wasn't playable.




Isn't Lani black?
I also notice how Barret and Sazh seem to be comic relief characters. Barret always spitting out cuss words and Sazh exaggeratews a lot and has a chicken living in his fro.

Anyhow I wouldn't mind getting another world map. It's been quite a while since we had one and I think one reason that they didn't do it was because they thought it would look kind of weird with the new enhanced graphics. I sort of agree there, but I don't care how goofy it would look.

I would also like another class based party and for the in-battle party to return to the four or five standard.

[Rodney]

I would like to see a black male character that isn't an inane stereotype. This would be a major improvement.

I'd like to see a black female character used as a playable character. The only black female I've seen the entire series has been Dona, and she wasn't playable.




Isn't Lani black?
I also notice how Barret and Sazh seem to be comic relief characters. Barret always spitting out cuss words and Sazh exaggerates a lot and has a chicken living in his fro.

No, Lani's white with an extreme tan.

As for Barret and Sazh . . . don't you just love how the Japs view blacks, in general?[/sarcasm]

[Sephiroth]

I'd like to see a black female character used as a playable character. The only black female I've seen the entire series has been Dona, and she wasn't playable.

Fran is dark skinned. Or do you mean a human character?



Hell, I'd pay to see them create a black protagonist or even antagonist.

Then you have to look at Kingdom Hearts with its black-orange skinned antagonist. But of course it is not really a "Final Fantasy".



Also, I'd like to see them make an older woman in the playable character cast who's NOT in her teens or twenties. Say, thirties to fifties. It's like the Japs are obsessed with young girls and women only.

Well - there I mention Fran, but because she is a Viera she still looks young and I think that's what matters for you.

[Mirage]

Choices that actually matter.

Lol, its funny because that is the exact opposite of what I would like to see.

I'll agree but only because I don't believe that every game around needs to give the player choices. There's something to be said for a more linear experience sometimes, and there are plenty of western RPG's that have enough trouble with giving you choices that matter that we don't need every JRPG under the sun to start trying to do the same thing. Let's keep FF more linear and simply have them work to improve on that type of story telling.

You're right, there's lots of western styøe RPGs with that, but I kinda want a japanese-style RPG that's got it. Not every one of them needs to be like that, though.

[Depression Moon]

Hell, I'd pay to see them create a black protagonist or even antagonist.

Then you have to look at Kingdom Hearts with its black-orange skinned antagonist. But of course it is not really a "Final Fantasy".



Also, I'd like to see them make an older woman in the playable character cast who's NOT in her teens or twenties. Say, thirties to fifties. It's like the Japs are obsessed with young girls and women only.

Well - there I mention Fran, but because she is a Viera she still looks young and I think that's what matters for you.

The Ansems aren't black they don't even have black hair. If they are anything it's this. Ganguro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganguro)

I never saw Fran as black either, though she's darker than the Ansems.

[Rodney]

I'd like to see a black female character used as a playable character. The only black female I've seen the entire series has been Dona, and she wasn't playable.

Fran is dark skinned. Or do you mean a human character?
Duh. Human.

[Lightening]

I'm probably a minority on this, but I'd like a more lighthearted game. Every one's so serious all the time lately. Even in Dissidia, which was a crossover game, took itself very seriously. Where's the comedy? Also more minigames. Like the card games in VIII and IX. Or Blitzball. Or the Gold Saucer. They need to bring back the Gold Saucer. The World can wait, I'm going Snow boarding!

I was wondering what i want from final fantasy in the future, and then I read this post. It's much better than anything I would've thought of to post.

[Momiji]

*wall of brilliance*

Yes.

I personally would love to see actual job classes come back. No more of this 'OKAY EVERYONE CAST FLARE NOW!' nonsense. Kind of like how FFIX did it, but with new/more classes thrown into the mix so it's customizable, but still strict enough to make the player think twice about which members they want to take into battle.