Hopes for Remake & Rebirth (story/content)

[Starling]

Making equipment changes look the same wouldn't really work for weapons, as their varied appearances are important, especially for the joke weapons. I can deal with the cutscenes varying if the weapons are visible as long as there's an option to view the normal versions later. I don't think the other equipment would look all that different. I mean, they're all bangles and little trinkets so even if they are visible, it'll only be a subtle difference.

 

[Flare]

^Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Sort of like in X, where you see the different gauntlets and weapons equipped on the party, but their outfits don't change. Since the equipment in VII is also only weapons and bracers/stuff like that, it wouldn't be too big of a change on anything.

Also, wonder if they'll have uncontrollable cutscenes like usual, or if they will implement more of the controllable cutscenes that XV is supposed to have?

Oh, and another point I thought of today while replaying XII, I think it would be a nice change to also show the other 3 members of your party while your in cities and stuff. Instead of just walking around Wall Market with Cloud and Aeirth randomly pops out of him/alongside him in cutscenes, I'd like to see her following him, for example.

Weeee now I'm getting excited again! XD

 

[Starling]

Well, I think uncontrollable custscenes are too important to FF7's narrative to get rid of. They made a point of emphasizing the player's helplessness to change what's going on when Cloud hands over the black materia or almost kills Aerith. Of course, those also involve some player input in the form of ending up controlling a younger version of Cloud who can't do anything about what's going on and such so it's not like you're just sitting there watching it happen without trying to do anything about it.

 

[Mayo Master]

Oh, and another point I thought of today while replaying XII, I think it would be a nice change to also show the other 3 members of your party while your in cities and stuff. Instead of just walking around Wall Market with Cloud and Aeirth randomly pops out of him/alongside him in cutscenes, I'd like to see her following him, for example.

In the demo of FF XV, you have the group split up upon reaching some locations (like the gas station or the chocobo ranch) and have each party member browsing some particular spot of the location; and when you leave they call each other to regroup.
The OG actually has a bit of that notion: when you reach some towns, you'll find the carious party members at different corners of the location.
Square could easily apply what they've developed for FFXV to handle the whereabouts of the party members - I think the result would be pretty good.

 

[Starling]

I'm gonna miss everyone walking in and out of Cloud when plot happens.

 

[leadmyskeptic]

I actually remember a "Great Debate" between me and my friends, after 7, but when 8 was the newest game released, over party members going "inside" you and out again, versus following you around in a conga line, as both had their awkwardness.

 

[ForceStealer]

9 and 10's solution but just making the screen go black for a second and then the party members are gone is the least awkward solution. I think the conga line thing sillier/more distracting than the walking in and out of you.

Now of course there's not a ton a reason to do either as systems have enough memory to basically have your party members move around as they please.

 

[Starling]

Honestly, I'd rather have the party members walk off-screen than a fade to black. Either that or a total scene change.

 

[NikolaiBroketheZoom]

I think in terms of switching party members during gameplay, the way they're doing it in XV could be implemented, with characters following you but moving mostly on their own and then leaving to dick around in shops or whatever once you get to a town. Although in XV, you (from what we've seen) have the same four characters throughout the game, and therefore there isn't any "randomly switching characters in the middle of a forest, summoning them from who knows where to join you" to deal with. They might do the FFXII approach of having all the characters traveling together, story-wise, but only showing your party, or they'll have you choose your party in towns, with the implication that the other characters travel separately from your chosen party, and you can't change your party "out in the world".

Or, if they want to stick with the original while being annoyingly literal, Cloud can call people on the PHS and you have to wait for half a day while your party hauls ass to wherever you are in the world

EDIT: haha woops this is not the "hopes for gameplay" thread. It's mildly on topic though so I'll leave it.

 

[Flare]

Yeah, I was thinking along the lines of XIII more, where they just wander around more and do their own thing instead of strictly following right behind Cloud.

 

[leadmyskeptic]

I'm down with the "screen go black for a sec" thing, actually forgot about that, but it has been pointed out that it's no longer necessary to do that with current systems. In relation to the story though, I do think it's important whether it's supposed to be the whole group traveling as one or not. Both for cutscenes in the literal sense, and also just for how you envision story events in your head...in FFX, even though you only saw Tidus when you were running around, the battle system really contributed to me envisioning this big motley gang on a quest to aid the summoner, and picturing them all going through the events and conversations. That said, there are moments in FF7 just exploring and talking to random town inhabitants, where even though you have a "party" with you, thinking of it as anything other than just Cloud is kinda strange, as they seem to only address him.

 

[Mayo Master]

Just another idea I'm tossing here in terms of story/content:
I think it would be great if we would get more insight into the world's history (directly or indirectly). In the OG, you travel a world which is in a given state, but you don't really feel how the civilization evolved to get to that point (after the crisis which took place 2000 years before). There are very few buildings left behind by the Cetra (understandable, since they were essentially nomads), but there is pretty much no construction from previous human settlements. For instance, Kalm has a very medieval design, which would suggest that human civilization went through that kind of age, but then it would make sense to find other places (or ruins) bearing the same sort of architecture.
One of the things I like in Skyrim was how the environment was able to convey the feel that civilizations were layered, one atop the other. A bit like when you find Roman, then medieval, then Art Nouveau structures in European cities. I think it would be very interesting to find some very old places in the Midgar slums which would be buried under the trash, for instance.
Bonus points if such concepts can give rise to new locations to explore (in most RPGs, ruins = dungeons)

 

[Froxsth]

VOICE ACTING/DIALOGUE
I want NPC's to be voiced. If the FF13 series did anything right, it was the fact that you could hear the NPC's talk and go about their day. In addition I would like the party to have little conversations while roaming around the world etc.

The translation to be much cleaner.

The English Version of FF7 to be well directed. I don't want the english voicing to be something similar to FF Type 0. I want the characters to be believable people which you could associate with in real life and relate to and I DO NOT WANT TO SEE CLOUD BECOME A BROOD AND "EMO".


BATTLE SYSTEM
I want the combat system to be "immersive". I want the gameplay to be what FF Versus 13 (Not FXV) was meant to be like e.g. Ability to play as different characters. I do not want to wait for my turn to attack and NO RANDOM ENCOUNTERS!

Have the ability to change characters at will while in combat. Like imagine Cloud swinging his buster sword and then casting something like bolt and then changing characters right on the spot.

Each characters have a unique set of skills. In the OG, all the characters could basically have the same skills which somewhat made the game less challenging so I hope that the characters have different move sets and also perhaps have a different style of parrying and dodging.

Expand on the materia system. The materia system has so much potential and if Square Enix are able to incorporate the materia system further than what it did in Crisis Core, I'll be one happy man.

Camera Angles- Hopefully the camera angles are not too close and annoying like it was in the Episode Duscae and Crisis Core.

Perhaps as an easter egg. Have the final battle with Sephiroth and Cloud in ATB as a homage to the original game.



WORLD MAP
The same as FFXV. A vast world and the freedom to explore it. I want to be able to enter towns/cities naturally and not having to wait for a few seconds (nitpicking I know but I want the world of Gaia to be as seamless as possible).

Airship since its been a while since we could control one (not counting FFX since you could not control it)

Minimap- if there was something I did not like about FF7 was the fact that was minimap was utterly useless. So I hope that they tell you where you are and not having guess or retrace your steps.

I want this game to have a day/night cycle so that its more realistic and have places to camp like it did in FFXV as well as have something like gas stations (example).


MINIGAMES
I hope they remove most of the pointless ones like breathing game and just change it to a cutscene. Minigames like those were annoying and wasted unnecessary time.

Improve on the chocobo racing game, make it more fluid. In addition make snowboarding more fun and that could be said for the other minigames.

SIDEQUEST
Since its a final fantasy game, more sidequests and have decent rewards.



STORY
I want the story to be relatively the same as the original. I want the game to make it obviously that Cloud is stuffed up from the start and drop subtle hints about who he really is and his relation to Zack.

Speaking of Zack, I want more Zack in the game. I want to see what Zack and Cloud were doing while on the run since we only got a glimpse of it in Crisis Core.

Incorporate all the story elements from the Complication of FF7.

Explain the SOLDIER procedure more clearly and how someone gets into SOLDIER. (I was always wondering If Cloud would have made SOLDIER with time). Speaking of which where did Cloud get a spare SOLDIER uniform seeing as how he wore the traditional one in Crisis Core and wears a customised one in FF7.

Keep Aerith's death as it is. There is no need to change it besides adding blood perhaps.

Backstory of all the playable characters and giving them character development. Also include Vincent and Yuffie into the main story.

I want to see more of Cloud's subconscious. I want to see Zack's Final Stand in Cloud's subconscious and Tifa observing that memory as well as the events leading up to when she found her because Tifa knows that Cloud was messed up, but she does not how he became stuffed up (Yes I know he tells everyone the truth later on) but seeing as how Tifa is the closest one to Cloud, I want her to experience the feelings, emotions or state of mind at that point of time so that Tifa understands Cloud more. This is part not clear but I'm just pumped up for this game. (I'm a Cloti supporter so I hope this develops their relationship even further)

For the ending, make it more clear and have an epilogue straight after FF7 and tie up loose ends e.g. connection to FFX maybe? and elaborate on the secret ending of Dirge of Cerberus (it was left ambiguous and sort of hinting of an another game).


MUSIC
All of it redone and orchestrated.


BONUS
Post-game content or have New Game+ (like saving Aerith etc.)

I want to see all the On a Way to a Smile get animated if you get a special edition of the game.

DLC like dual audio options, outfits etc.


I may have forgotten many things to include in this but this took me a long time to write and I'M JUST SO EXCITED FOR THIS REMAKE. There is so much potential for this remake and could easily surpass the original game in terms of quality and quantity. I seriously hope that a lot of these ideas are included in the game if not all.

 

[Tashasaurous]

Welcome aboard.

VOICE ACTING/DIALOGUE
I want NPC's to be voiced. If the FF13 series did anything right, it was the fact that you could hear the NPC's talk and go about their day. In addition I would like the party to have little conversations while roaming around the world etc.

The translation to be much cleaner.

I think we should all agree that the translation should be cleaner, not like in the original game.

The English Version of FF7 to be well directed. I don't want the english voicing to be something similar to FF Type 0. I want the characters to be believable people which you could associate with in real life and relate to and I DO NOT WANT TO SEE CLOUD BECOME A BROOD AND "EMO".

The only one I recongised in FF Type 0 is that Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine in Advent Children and DOC voiced the bad guy Cid Aulstyne. The voice acting in the Compilation of FFVII is much better than in Type 0, though I have to admit, Steven Blum did a pretty good job in voicing Cid Aulstyne.

BATTLE SYSTEM
Have the final battle with Sephiroth and Cloud in ATB as a homage to the original game.

I'm thinking of having the battle system kinda like the scenic battle like in FFXIII-2 for the final battle which would be really cool. Though for the rest of the battle system, more like Crisis Core or KH style.

WORLD MAP
The same as FFXV. A vast world and the freedom to explore it. I want to be able to enter towns/cities naturally and not having to wait for a few seconds (nitpicking I know but I want the world of Gaia to be as seamless as possible).

Airship since its been a while since we could control one (not counting FFX since you could not control it)

Minimap- if there was something I did not like about FF7 was the fact that was minimap was utterly useless. So I hope that they tell you where you are and not having guess or retrace your steps.

I want this game to have a day/night cycle so that its more realistic and have places to camp like it did in FFXV as well as have something like gas stations (example).

That would be nice.

MINIGAMES
I hope they remove most of the pointless ones like breathing game and just change it to a cutscene. Minigames like those were annoying and wasted unnecessary time.

Improve on the chocobo racing game, make it more fluid. In addition make snowboarding more fun and that could be said for the other minigames.

SIDEQUEST
Since its a final fantasy game, more sidequests and have decent rewards.

They'll most likely add in the upgraded version of the Motorcycle minigame from FFVII G-Bike and upgrade the Snowboarding mini-game.

STORY
I want the story to be relatively the same as the original. I want the game to make it obviously that Cloud is stuffed up from the start and drop subtle hints about who he really is and his relation to Zack.

Speaking of Zack, I want more Zack in the game. I want to see what Zack and Cloud were doing while on the run since we only got a glimpse of it in Crisis Core.

Incorporate all the story elements from the Complication of FF7.

Explain the SOLDIER procedure more clearly and how someone gets into SOLDIER. (I was always wondering If Cloud would have made SOLDIER with time). Speaking of which where did Cloud get a spare SOLDIER uniform seeing as how he wore the traditional one in Crisis Core and wears a customised one in FF7.

Keep Aerith's death as it is. There is no need to change it besides adding blood perhaps.

Backstory of all the playable characters and giving them character development. Also include Vincent and Yuffie into the main story.

I want to see more of Cloud's subconscious. I want to see Zack's Final Stand in Cloud's subconscious and Tifa observing that memory as well as the events leading up to when she found her because Tifa knows that Cloud was messed up, but she does not how he became stuffed up (Yes I know he tells everyone the truth later on) but seeing as how Tifa is the closest one to Cloud, I want her to experience the feelings, emotions or state of mind at that point of time so that Tifa understands Cloud more. This is part not clear but I'm just pumped up for this game. (I'm a Cloti supporter so I hope this develops their relationship even further)

For the ending, make it more clear and have an epilogue straight after FF7 and tie up loose ends e.g. connection to FFX maybe? and elaborate on the secret ending of Dirge of Cerberus (it was left ambiguous and sort of hinting of an another game).

You're a person after my own heart! I fully agree with you, and I do wish they would add in some scenes from the Compilation-BC, CC and DOC, and I want the epilogue that leads up to OTWTAS and Advent Children, and you're fully welcome to join me in the unofficial club of "The Compilation should continue after Dirge of Cerberus".

MUSIC
All of it redone and orchestrated.

I'm thinking more remastered than redone.

BONUS
Post-game content or have New Game+ (like saving Aerith etc.)

....Have to disagree with you on that one, sorry.

I want to see all the On a Way to a Smile get animated if you get a special edition of the game.

You and me both, though I want the animated of On the Way to a Smile in full 3D CG and not the anime style. Anime doesn't suit the characters as much as the Advent Children 3D CG style does which I love.

DLC like dual audio options, outfits etc.

...It might happen?

I may have forgotten many things to include in this but this took me a long time to write and I'M JUST SO EXCITED FOR THIS REMAKE. There is so much potential for this remake and could easily surpass the original game in terms of quality and quantity. I seriously hope that a lot of these ideas are included in the game if not all.

Your imagination is almost as equally strong as mine. You made quite an impressive effort being your first time here. You did extremtely well. Let's hope that the ideas you wrote down are included in the game like you said.

 

[Starling]

VOICE ACTING/DIALOGUE
I want NPC's to be voiced. If the FF13 series did anything right, it was the fact that you could hear the NPC's talk and go about their day. In addition I would like the party to have little conversations while roaming around the world etc.

Someone brought up the possibility of ambient conversations. It's a neat idea I wouldn't mind being included, if they have enough variety in dialog to avoid getting repetitive.

The translation to be much cleaner.

A better translation goes without saying.

The English Version of FF7 to be well directed. I don't want the english voicing to be something similar to FF Type 0. I want the characters to be believable people which you could associate with in real life and relate to and I DO NOT WANT TO SEE CLOUD BECOME A BROOD AND "EMO".

Cloud was never really emo, as people put it. I forget which thread has my explanation about that. I definitely brought up voice direction in the voice acting thread though.

BATTLE SYSTEM
I want the combat system to be "immersive". I want the gameplay to be what FF Versus 13 (Not FXV) was meant to be like e.g. Ability to play as different characters. I do not want to wait for my turn to attack and NO RANDOM ENCOUNTERS!

There's a whole thread for discussing hopes regarding the battle system. I agree with Tash that something closer to KH would likely be the preferable execution of a real-time combat system. The system for Birth by Sleep in particular was like a refined version of CC's battle system, which following KH games seem to be sticking with variations of. The series as a whole seems to draw a lot from previous FF games for the gameplay, on top of experimenting with a few things from time to time.

WORLD MAP
The same as FFXV. A vast world and the freedom to explore it. I want to be able to enter towns/cities naturally and not having to wait for a few seconds (nitpicking I know but I want the world of Gaia to be as seamless as possible).

Airship since its been a while since we could control one (not counting FFX since you could not control it)

Minimap- if there was something I did not like about FF7 was the fact that was minimap was utterly useless. So I hope that they tell you where you are and not having guess or retrace your steps.

I want this game to have a day/night cycle so that its more realistic and have places to camp like it did in FFXV as well as have something like gas stations (example).

This also falls under the topics for the Gameplay/Combat thread. I'm relatively undecided on my exact preference on the ideal gameplay setup but I wouldn't call the OG's minimap useless just because it wasn't as precise as you would've liked. There's also a separate thread for discussing how the vehicles would best work in the remake. A day/night cycle would definitely be enjoyable.

STORY
I want the story to be relatively the same as the original. I want the game to make it obviously that Cloud is stuffed up from the start and drop subtle hints about who he really is and his relation to Zack.

Speaking of Zack, I want more Zack in the game. I want to see what Zack and Cloud were doing while on the run since we only got a glimpse of it in Crisis Core.

Incorporate all the story elements from the Complication of FF7.

Explain the SOLDIER procedure more clearly and how someone gets into SOLDIER. (I was always wondering If Cloud would have made SOLDIER with time). Speaking of which where did Cloud get a spare SOLDIER uniform seeing as how he wore the traditional one in Crisis Core and wears a customised one in FF7.

Keep Aerith's death as it is. There is no need to change it besides adding blood perhaps.

Backstory of all the playable characters and giving them character development. Also include Vincent and Yuffie into the main story.

I want to see more of Cloud's subconscious. I want to see Zack's Final Stand in Cloud's subconscious and Tifa observing that memory as well as the events leading up to when she found her because Tifa knows that Cloud was messed up, but she does not how he became stuffed up (Yes I know he tells everyone the truth later on) but seeing as how Tifa is the closest one to Cloud, I want her to experience the feelings, emotions or state of mind at that point of time so that Tifa understands Cloud more. This is part not clear but I'm just pumped up for this game. (I'm a Cloti supporter so I hope this develops their relationship even further)

For the ending, make it more clear and have an epilogue straight after FF7 and tie up loose ends e.g. connection to FFX maybe? and elaborate on the secret ending of Dirge of Cerberus (it was left ambiguous and sort of hinting of an another game).

I've said earlier in the thread that you can't really make Cloud's issue more obvious without giving too much away too early. The OG already did a good job showing something was wrong with Cloud before leaving Midgar so it'd be a matter of making sure those elements retain the effect they had the first time around.

As much as I'd enjoy more glimpses of Zack, I'm not sure they'd be able to work that many more flashbacks into the remake. There's a limit to how much they can include while keeping a relatively good story flow. I'd be fine if the extra elements of that came in the form of dialog and additional reports to find.

The compilation doesn't fully mesh together and a fair bit isn't relevant to the OG. I don't think they should include all the elements, even if they throw in some of it. They should stick with what fits with the OG and leave out what doesn't.

I wouldn't be opposed to a clearer explanation of how people join SOLDIER and the process involved for it. As it stands, it seems that you can get more than one try, end up forced into by the Turks and the mako exposure is probably by getting doused in the stuff.

Since the original idea for the lifestream sequence was to have the Zack flashbacks after they wash up in Mideel, there's a chance they'll go with that in the remake. There's a limit to how long they can make that part if they expect you to do it in one go. The pacing in the OG was alright so adding more might mess with that.

There are a couple things they'd be able to do with the epilogue, though it's unlikely (and preferable) that they'll involve FFX. There's a thread about that too.

MUSIC
All of it redone and orchestrated.

Orchestration wouldn't really suit every track, considering the variety of music. More on the topic here.

BONUS
Post-game content or have New Game+ (like saving Aerith etc.)

Aerith's death is too important to undo, even in bonus content. New game+ discussion here.

I want to see all the On a Way to a Smile get animated if you get a special edition of the game.

Not sure if they'd package it with the remake but it'd be nice of them to make it.

DLC like dual audio options, outfits etc.

I'm personally not a fan of DLC. This also has a dedicated thread.

The reason the topics are divided into specific threads is to allow more in-depth discussion of them while keeping the topic more focused. As a new member, I don't really expect you to have had the time to be familiar enough with the forums to know about the discussions that took place in so many threads, but it's something to keep in mind in the future. There are a couple other relevant threads in the remake section of the forums, if you want to look for more.

 

[Ite]

Starling, that was a very dedicated and robust post, I appreciate you for taking the time to do that.

Played through the Junon/cargo ship sequence last night (in honour of Cloud's birthday/preparing to rewrite that sequence in TJP). Wouldn't it be great to finally have an answer for what those 1/35 scale SOLDIER dolls are for?

I would like to see the other staircase in the cargo ship lead to an extended dungeon. In the game's current state, it's been clumsily blocked by boxes.

Spoiler: In-game Photo

Spoiler: Without boxes

Both staircases lead up to the deck of the ship, but the staircase on the port side leads to an area which is visually blocked by that crow's nest thing Tifa is on. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a whole whack-load of new items, enemies, and views of the ocean to explore?

I really like that moment on the cargo ship. It is reminiscent of the Shinra HQ trail of blood sequence, but there are enough MPs and Scrutin-eyes around to still make you feel like you're constantly on the verge of being captured as well. The massacre element alongside the threat of Shinra attack is sadly too short in the OG. I usually run around the basement with each party member and level grind, just to soak in the mood.

You can get through that dungeon without getting in a single fight, which is fine if you're speed playing. In my fantasy, the stern of the ship would be an optional area, accessible after the suspicious character has been spotted -- blocked previously by a sailor or something. Perhaps Rufus and Heidegger have been taken to a safe room at the stern. You can't reach them, but you can let them know you're knocking!

 

[Starling]

I like to be detailed in my responses so large posts tend to be the result. Making that one made me realize I should start gathering and organizing threads in my subscriptions for ease of reference.

New areas would definitely be nice. It's always annoying to see places you can't go to in RPGs, since exploring is such a big part of the genre. I get why that sequence is short in the OG, seeing as Cloud and the others wouldn't really want to stick around too long in that situation. I have rather fond memories of reading that part of your fic back before you took it off FF.net to rewrite, though it's been too long for me to be sure on the exact details of how you went about it.

 

[Ite]

Hmm... perhaps an extended search for everyone else? In the OG, you find everyone right away. Maybe the game could set up an algorithm so that you only find the characters who have been in your party the least, and you have to search the ship to find the others.

 

[Starling]

That would be pretty neat. Of course, Barret would already be with you and everyone else would likely be either close to where you last saw them or off somewhere looking for you. I always got the impression they met up so quickly because they'd arranged for a designated meeting spot in case anything happened. Another thought would be that in cases where the party wanders around, everyone is out of your party unless you ask them to come with you. That way, you have the opportunity to see them all doing whatever they do at the same time, while still being able to get a full party if you'd rather do that.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I want the remake to explain everything, tie up all the loose ends and ensure that absolutely nothing is left to the imagination.

Spoiler

Just joking

 

[Clement Rage]

I'm all for extended dungeons in general, but I don't think the cargo ship is a great place for it. The scenario is supposed to be claustrophobic-Sephiroth is somewhere on this small ship!

And knocking on Heidegger and Rufus door only makes sense if literally everyone else on the ship is
dead, or else they'll just call them to kill you.

 

[Pixel]

I hope they give an actual incentive to buy the house in Costa del Sol.

 

[Lex]

Cloud going "This is MY HOUSE!!!!!!11111oneone" then taking a shower was always a hoot though.

 

[Channy]

I hope they give an actual incentive to buy the house in Costa del Sol.

 

[Pixel]

He buys is for 300,000, then when meteor appears in the sky, all of the rich people from Midgar flock to Costa del Sol, and you can sell it on for MILLIONS