Final Fantasy XV (was Versus XIII)

[Cthulhu]

I'm giggling about the "strong female" thing becasue it's another thing that the FFXIV team nailed multiple times. And it's not even something they were probably trying to do. It's just that they have a habit of making well thought out characters in general and around half of them are woman.

Spoiler

 

[Blade]

I'd take an ambiguous Star Ocean 3 ending over this if it meant the writers didn't put my emotional attachments to characters in a meat grinder.

 

[trash panda]

Spoiler

I can't stop fishing! You stop by a fishing spot to snag a fish or two and then suddenly it's 3am!

 

[X-SOLDIER]

So… Has anyone else encountered the Level 99 MA-X ANGELUS-0 mecha dropping out of the sky at you? If so, suggestions for killing it somewhat efficiently?

I mean… I killed it (currently at level 83), but it took me practically and entire day in-game to bring it down, plus an annoying amount of items (probably because under-leveled). Not to mention

Spoiler

Leviathan showed up and did absolutely fucking ZERO damage to it. The one time it decides to show up and it's goddamn useless.

X

 

[Blade]

No, but I've heard rumors of this so-called 'warmech'

I'll take it on later sometime.

I'm still grinding.

Spoiler

https://youtu.be/0XvlRxyb_dk

 

[Claymore]

So ... I've just completed the power plant stuff scenario after

Spoiler

Gladdy leaves the party and then rejoins. I mean ... seriously. I've never felt a more blatant cash grab that screamed 'DLC INCOMING - FIND OUT WHAT GLADIOLUS DID'. Please tell me that I'm wrong here. I mean, jesus, the story is light enough as it is.

 

[Cthulhu]

You're not wrong . The way I see it / am starting to piece the story (hue) together is that they had the thing fully fleshed out, but relatively late in development ran out of time (I think Square was finally fed up and gave the development team a deadline for holidays 2016) and cut out chunks of the story to be used as DLC. Beacause they off course want to make more monies out of the game than the regular game price.

IMO they should've just done loads of microtransactions for e.g. outfits and car visuals and shit, and make the story itself complete and whatnot.

re: long battles, I had a tl;dr hunt at one point, I think a level 40-ish one

Spoiler

I think it was like three Cthulhus or something, they kept spawning little skelenton fuckers

, that one lasted all night too. Very annoying.

Spoiler

I had Aranea jump in, I think she did some damage, but still it took forever

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

To me it seems like there were a combination of a few problems at work. Part of it was definitely how the plot got reworked at least as recently as 2014, part of it was probably what you say, Yop (they were finally given a "make it happen" deadline), and part of it too, I think, is that many vital elements of the story just weren't fitting together in the game's own format.

To elaborate and hopefully clarify, I really don't think "Kingsglaive" or even "Brotherhood" should be seen as optional. They seem like things that would all have been in there in a PlayStation- or even PS2-era Final Fantasy. But for what they were doing with the game, it would have really challenged them in terms of design to get it all in, especially as development time dragged on ever longer.

Really, I guess it is still quite the achievement what they managed. At least if you do take in all the extra material rather than just the game. There are still some definite issues at work with certain characters, though.

Speaking of "Brotherhood," is there ever any point in the game where we see Prompto's reaction to

Spoiler

Lunafreya's death? I recently rewatched the anime and he had been very eager to meet her -- almost as much as Noctis, it seemed. She had certainly been important to Prompto as well, for someone he had never met.

I've yet to see Prompto's feelings about what happened in any walkthrough videos.

 

[Lex]

Part of it was definitely how the plot got reworked at least as recently as 2014

June this year tbh

 

[Tetsujin]

Catching the "liege of the lake" was a damn struggle.

I don't know how I managed it on my first attempt. I was not prepared for this shit and it was pretty close at the end.

I saved a ten minute clip and even then it starts halfway through. It must've taken me 15 - 20 minutes in total catching this darn fish o__o

 

[Blade]

^The lake is dry of fish whenever I attempt it. I catch em all usually.

 

[Mayo Master]

Speaking of "Brotherhood," is there ever any point in the game where we see Prompto's reaction to

Spoiler

Lunafreya's death? I recently rewatched the anime and he had been very eager to meet her -- almost as much as Noctis, it seemed. She had certainly been important to Prompto as well, for someone he had never met.

I've yet to see Prompto's feelings about what happened in any walkthrough videos.

I really agree with the points you mention, especially, to me the game has very uneven quality when it comes to storytelling, character development, and showing character reactions to the events. Sometimes it's well executed, you have a good banter between characters about what just happened, and some other times you feel like characters do not react as how an actual person would

Spoiler: example

for one thing, I think there should have been at least once one of the party members confronting Ardyn and asking "who/what the hell are you and what the hell is your big idea?" - maybe not expecting an answer, but they're all like "oh the dude seems to be able to stop time and bring the end of the world, oh well, business as usual"

. Oddly enough, after playing Episode Duscae back then, I was fearing that Prompto would get a bit grating as a character, but now I think he's become my favorite of the bunch, because he is a lot more shown to react genuinely to what's going on (with exceptions, like the one you mentioned).

 

[Jason Tandro]

So... I have begun writing a wintry FFXV fanfiction. One thing I do a lot is "survival thrillers", which are more or less Man Vs. Nature tales. I have this in my story Limit Break (and FF8 themed one where the Garden crashes in the middle of the ocean), Wanted (a Wild Arms 3 one which eventually turns into a proper story, but the beginning is very man vs nature) and now I've got this tale, the first chapter of which is now available for your reading pleasure.

Winter Camp, Chapter 1
Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto find themselves on the wrong side of a winter storm. Trapped in the wilderness, with a broken down Regalia, they are forced to survive the harsh climate until the storm passes. [No FFXV Plot Spoilers]

Self-plug over.

 

[trash panda]

I'm trying really hard not to click on spoiler tags from now on. I spoiled two really enormous plot points by clicking on spoiler tags...it's hard to resist them.

Spoiler: plot spoiler up to chapter 9

I just finished the power plant mission in Lestallum which is right after Aranea joined me in some bog-ruins to locate mithril. I think I'm at like Chapter 9 or something?

I feel like I'm missing a lot of context here.
I still haven't watched the anime or Kingsglaive because I've been immersed in the game. I also haven't read the entire internet trying to decipher the plot because I'm trying to avoid spoilers. I just feel like...who is this Ardyn guy and why are we following him around? Aranea is cool but...wait...I know nothing about you.

Anyone else feel this way, or am I just not paying attention?

 

[Flare]

^Re:spoiler tags, I almost did that too. Clicked on one because it just said spoiler, and started reading, and then was like 'uh wait maybe this is kind of real, OKAY STOP READING' It seemed innocent at first...

Also I'm still in, uhhhhh chapter 7?

Spoiler

I just need to get into my boat and sail to Altissia. Want to finish some more sidequests first.

 

[lithiumkatana17]

I'm honestly debating on whether or not I just want to move forward with the damn plot and wait for the New Game+ to come out or just keep dicking around trying to not get addicted to sidequests. I'm already 90 hours in, about 20+ levels above most people that have already finished the game and... ugh.

 

[ForceStealer]

You're insane.

Lol

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Does anybody know if you can still do the sidequest entitled

Spoiler

"Case of the Stolen Specs"

after Chapter 9? Noct seems to be

Spoiler

in his kingly regalia (sweet, sweet puns) in this video depicting it.

If so, that would be kind of hilarious --

Spoiler

a sidequest to get Ignis's glasses back after he's gone blind.

It would be better still because Ignis says he can hardly make out Noctis's face without his glasses. Does that mean doing this sidequest after Chapter 9 heals him???

Though Noctis breaking down into hysterical laughter after the chocobo steals the glasses would now seem pretty dickish.

 

[Lex]

^You can. And it makes sense because

Spoiler

after leaving Lucis you can only go back by literally travelling back in time to the point before you left. You keep your stats and shit that you've gained but canonically when you return there using Umbra you do so by "turning back the clock". Same with Altissia, obviously.

Tl;dr absolutely nothing in the game is missable. Which is a really nice change for FF tbh.

 

[lithiumkatana17]

You're insane.

Lol

Lol how so? I'm just enjoying the game without rushing through it.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

The fact that nothing in the game is missable is actually WHY I ended up binging through the story at about level 45, because I still had some challenges for the bosses, and I genuinely enjoy wandering about, doing side quests and just hanging out with the Chocobros, and I don't have to worry about getting locked out from it like in other RPGs if I go too far. Being level 89 now and just leisurely taking my time to explore and really soak in the world around me and occasionally get in some tough battles has been really satisfying.

Hell, I haven't even done any of the campsite scenes, and only plan to after hitting 99, because then the EXP only being a 1.0 multiplier will be irrelevant, and I can just enjoy the game with no regard to leveling mechanics, and focus on cooking and fishing, and just wandering to my heart's content.




X

 

[Cthulhu]

You're insane.

Lol

Lol how so? I'm just enjoying the game

USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Wow, this just may be the coolest glitch ever.

Spoiler: Permanent guest character glitch

You can permanently have Aranea join you, and thus have a five-member party:

 

[Lex]

That is excellent. Totally doing it.

 

[trash panda]

OH my doge, I really hope they don't fix this before I reach Chapter 9.

I thought I was at 9 already but I guess I'm still on 8. :|