Tabata provides an "Updated Roadmap" For Final Fantasy XV

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Square Enix has provided an "updated roadmap" for the future of Final Fantasy XV. Director Hajime Tabata shared their short, mid, and long term goals for the game:

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Short-Term Goal

First, it is to increase the degree of gameplay satisfaction for Chapter 13. By providing a major power up for the Ring Magic and such, we’ve already started on many enhancements. Details on the enhancements and availability will be shared on a later date.

Mid-Term Goal

We will enhance the direction of the game’s second half, and increase the satisfaction level of the story experience. For example, “why did the character named Ravus meet such a fate?” and such, will be just some of the event scenes we plan to add. Since additional event scenes require voiceovers and work on localization for all the languages, we’ve made this into a mid-term goal. We will share more when details for the plan are decided.

Long-Term Goal

We’ll make important characters that appear in the main game into playable characters. Again, we’re also looking into an avatar system that will allow you to make your own original character to play the game.

We will continue to vigorously work on various updates so that players can continue enjoying Final Fantasy XV for a long time to come.

Other

We’ll add a New Game that will allow you to carry over the status from when you cleared the game. Items that will allow you to clear at low levels, invincibility suits, and such will also be provided. Enlarged font display will also be provided to make reading messages easier.

Boss fights with rewards and results, limited-time Mob Hunts, and content that will allow you to play the game live will also be offered.

Again, the following already-announced DLC will be available as well:

• Final Fantasy XV Holiday Pack
• Final Fantasy XV Booster Pack
• Final Fantasy XV Episode Gladiolus
• Final Fantasy XV Episode Ignis
• Final Fantasy XV Episode Prompto
• Final Fantasy XV Online Expansion Pack: Brother in Arms

The entire staff all wish for players from around the world to further enjoy Final Fantasy XV. We thank you for your continued support of Final Fantasy XV as well as the Final Fantasy series.

Final Fantasy XV Director,
Hajime Tabata

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What are your thoughts on all these updates they want to add?

So you'd have to play the game again once they've released all these things to get the full experience?

We don't know about that just yet, but I hope not. I imagine that for chapter 13, it's just a balancing thing and the ring power-up will work post-game too. For chapter 14 onwards stuff, you can basically just re-enter that zone and re-do the final battles as there isn't really any difficulty in doing just that as often as you like with the postgame setup.

For playable characters... tough to say. If it's just post-game additions then no. Also, if the only difference is that they can join you in battle and it doesn't impact the actual story content, then I'd say it doesn't really matter if you've already beaten the storyline. Personally I'd guess at it being a post-game addition.

I don't know all the ins and outs of FFXV because I have played... an hour of it (WoFF is priority to finish!) but the Mid-Term goals sound fairly story focused and plot relevant. Unless they're just optional things that you can access at any point in the "end-game".

I'm thinking they will either be episodic content (ie, you can opt to play them as a standalone thing) or post-game accessible content. If not, then that does indeed suck quite a fair bit, but I have a save on chapter 9 available to me so I can just go from there. It'll be interesting to see how they play them out, but yeah, I feel like it'll be like standard DLC, just free of charge. They can basically put everything into post-game with how they have set it up.

I think an important question to ask is "should I hold off on playing more of the game until these updates come along"? Because while I continue to play it, I'm... well, disliking everything I knew I would dislike. Seems like these updates would fix a LOT of that.

On the other hand, the game seems pretty short, so I could always just replay it. Eh.


That said, I really don't like the idea of "making an avatar to play the game with an original character". I'd much rather they sink their efforts solely into improving story focus and character development. It's kind of a non-solution to a non-issue. Making other characters who show up in the game into playable characters is a far better idea to stick with.

When they say playable characters, I wonder if they mean you can actually play as them rather than just having them in your party. As much as I enjoyed the story element of having a couple of them along for the ride, having them on a more permanent basis isn't that exciting to me. It doesn't really impact on gameplay as I'm more focused on what Noctis is doing and I only really notice the other party members when they hit 0 HP or I feel like dropping a technique or two.

If you can play as them and indeed the rest of the lads then I'm up for that. A real change in playstyles will be required without the warp ability. It'd be interesting to see the implementation of different roles - eg Aranea as a dragoon and maybe a full mage character - too. I probably shouldn't build up my expectations until we know more though!

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Originally Posted by Loony BoB

I'm thinking they will either be episodic content (ie, you can opt to play them as a standalone thing) or post-game accessible content. If not, then that does indeed suck quite a fair bit, but I have a save on chapter 9 available to me so I can just go from there. It'll be interesting to see how they play them out, but yeah, I feel like it'll be like standard DLC, just free of charge. They can basically put everything into post-game with how they have set it up.

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I expect it'll be patched into the main game, much like the Kingsglaive stuff was. There's also adding a New Game+ mode where you can start the game over with your current characters, so for those who have already finished the game, they can blitz through on their lv99s.

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Originally Posted by Psychotic

When they say playable characters, I wonder if they mean you can actually play as them rather than just having them in your party. As much as I enjoyed the story element of having a couple of them along for the ride, having them on a more permanent basis isn't that exciting to me. It doesn't really impact on gameplay as I'm more focused on what Noctis is doing and I only really notice the other party members when they hit 0 HP or I feel like dropping a technique or two.

If you can play as them and indeed the rest of the lads then I'm up for that. A real change in playstyles will be required without the warp ability. It'd be interesting to see the implementation of different roles - eg Aranea as a dragoon and maybe a full mage character - too. I probably shouldn't build up my expectations until we know more though!

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Iris is a healer that can replenish your maximum HP with elixir-style help, without actually using your own items (at least I don't think she uses your items). So long as she can survive on her paltry 500 or so HP (she barely got a scratch on her when I was at HP 4000 or so) then she is an OP addition to the party that would adore seeing more of. For Aranea, her Highwind (jump) technique hits for 9999 HP even on tough monsters, which is a really handy piece of assistance. Can't say I remember much of Cor.

I'd be surprised if they actually let you control other characters. I expect it'll just be adding them to your party. Iris forever for me if I can only choose one. I like not needing to spam elixirs during long fights with daemons in the tougher dungeons.

https://twitter.com/FinalXV/status/8...rc=twsrc%5Etfw

To be fair, they've still retained that goal. It was apparently originally going to be three games, while so far nothing they have announced has changed the fact that for the price of a single game, you have got that full game.

FF15 wasn't originally going to be three games. It was originally meant to be *one* of three games that shared a common mythos, the other two being FF13 and type-0.

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Originally Posted by Shauna

So you'd have to play the game again once they've released all these things to get the full experience?

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My first thought too. Or rather, why buy this game until they make these updates? Very strange that they are making changes to the main game after its release, so something could be lost in translation or I could be misunderstanding since I haven't played it.

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Originally Posted by Mirage

FF15 wasn't originally going to be three games. It was originally meant to be *one* of three games that shared a common mythos, the other two being FF13 and type-0.

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Nomura had ambitions for Versus/XV to span multiple games.

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Originally Posted by Loony BoB

To be fair, they've still retained that goal. It was apparently originally going to be three games, while so far nothing they have announced has changed the fact that for the price of a single game, you have got that full game.

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I think the jury is still out on the "coherent" part of the story for a lot of people. :(

Huh, first time i heard of that

Yeah the focus got shfited once Tabata took over and he started saying they want XV to be a self-contained experience. Plus tbh Tabata was a lot better at maintaining a dialogue with fans so stuff Nomura said in the past got downplayed fairly swiftly given Nomura's tendency toward radio-silence in contrast to Tabata's regular Active Time Reports etc.

Also, while stuff like Kingsglaive and Brotherhood are integral to the story, other stuff like Justice Monsters Five and A King's Tale are just fun little gaiden games

Honestly, I think it's a good thing that they're listening to critical and fan reception and wanting to improve the game. The short to mid-term goals seem implementable in a free DLC/patch type arrangement. I feel as if there would be outraged if they wanted people to pay for fixing their game, so I doubt they would. The fixes makes sense. It is annoying that they're fixing the game now that people have already completed the game or in progress with it. Do you continue? Or wait until the update? It is irritating. On the other, I'd rather they improve it, so it worth the annoyance.

Such good news. Maybe the story parts will be available from the start menu? Kinda like in The Last of Us Left Behind.

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Originally Posted by Aulayna

Yeah the focus got shfited once Tabata took over and he started saying they want XV to be a self-contained experience. Plus tbh Tabata was a lot better at maintaining a dialogue with fans so stuff Nomura said in the past got downplayed fairly swiftly given Nomura's tendency toward radio-silence in contrast to Tabata's regular Active Time Reports etc.

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To be fair to Nomura-san I am absolutely sure we just got the Time Reports "to finally get something after a long time and because they could just no longer be silent about it". I don't think Tabata-san would have actually gone through all that effort if FFXV would not have been such a special case.

That being said, I hope we get Time Reports for other Final Fantasys in the future.

Also, New Game+ My Pitioss Ruins reward has suddenly become the best thing ever.:O

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Originally Posted by Sephiroth

To be fair to Nomura-san I am absolutely sure we just got the Time Reports "to finally get something after a long time and because they could just no longer be silent about it". I don't think Tabata-san would have actually gone through all that effort if FFXV would not have been such a special case.

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I'm almost certain the Active Time Reports came about as a result of how successful the Letter from the Producer Live series has been for FFXIV.

Yeah, Nomura has already gone back to his coy/tight lipped, "let me make an announcement about nothing" spiel he's sort of known for. Course he's a designer, not a spokesperson, but he could be more forthcoming about info.

I'm not bothered by the future story enhancement plans, of anything they may seriously help because overall, I feel XV has a pretty good story that just simply under-performs for various reasons and a few tweaks would do nothing but improve it. I am a bit annoyed with the Character Episodes since we've known about them before the game's release and I can honestly say they should have just been in the main game to begin with, and if the three episodes deal with the three events I'm thinking of, they alone will fix some minor and major gripes I do have with the story.

Being able to have a few more missions with some of the Guest characters would be great, as well as maybe having some playable sections of other side characters could be fun to if done right.

too bad he's in charge of the wrong sort of design