Remake Interviews: Catch-all Thread

[SirVival]

Sorry for being late with my answer.

Famitsu: What’s the progress condition for Final Fantasy VII Remake looking like?

Yoshinori Kitase, Producer: We’re currently brushing up the scene from the announcement trailer. We can now see the line of quality that we’re aiming for more clearly, but there’s still a ways to go.

I don't really get why so many people found/find this comment concerning, "brushing up on the announcement trailer" doesn't necessarily mean that the team has only worked on/gotten up to content from the opening Bombing Mission and nothing else. Like multiple parts of a game are often worked on the same time at varying qualities/level of polish at once.

The reason why I find this concerning is not for the reason you mention, so allow me to explain myself. In my opinion there was nothing wrong with the announcement trailer. Sure, you can upgrade a thing or two, but currently it should really be one of last things on their "to do" -list. SE has the tendency to overexaggerate with the graphical excellence of the games, which is also a part of the reason the games take so long to come out. If they decided to highten the standards by polishing up the above-mentioned announcement trailer, bringing everything else to this level will just end up taking longer and longer. The fact that he decided to point out this particular scene, really gives me the feeling that nothing else is yet done to anywhere near a comparable quality.

Its a coping mechanism. People jump on the worst possible outcome so they feel they can avoid worse disappointment if their fears prove true.

Just to set the record straight. Even to my own disbelief, I've been noticing a slow but steady decline of my interest in the remake. It was once a huge dream of mine to play the remake one day, but some months after it got announced, I just didn't care the way I used to. Don't get me wrong, I still plan to play it. What I'm saying is that, sadly, I don't actually care if the first episode will be published in 2018 or 2021. All I'm interested about is my money, and if the game gets postponed to PS5, I reckon it's better to wait until at least the latter half of PS5's lifespan until I would buy the game and the suitable platform (whichever it is!), in order to get everything for cheaper price.

Personally I was thinking it would be amazing if they just remade the original without referencing the Compilation. Everything about the Compilation has been disappointing/shit to me.

However, and I'm taking this whole thing with a pinch of salt, it doesn't bode well either way because it suggests what I and probably a lot of you have been suspecting - SE have no idea what the fuck they are doing.

So. Much. This. Thanks for reminding me, but I just realised I haven't actually enjoyed anything in the compilation, outside of the OG of course. Outside of some nostalgia, as a fan I feel that I've been mostly delivered disappointment.

 

[Theozilla]

Sorry for being late with my answer.

Famitsu: What’s the progress condition for Final Fantasy VII Remake looking like?

Yoshinori Kitase, Producer: We’re currently brushing up the scene from the announcement trailer. We can now see the line of quality that we’re aiming for more clearly, but there’s still a ways to go.

I don't really get why so many people found/find this comment concerning, "brushing up on the announcement trailer" doesn't necessarily mean that the team has only worked on/gotten up to content from the opening Bombing Mission and nothing else. Like multiple parts of a game are often worked on the same time at varying qualities/level of polish at once.

The reason why I find this concerning is not for the reason you mention, so allow me to explain myself. In my opinion there was nothing wrong with the announcement trailer. Sure, you can upgrade a thing or two, but currently it should really be one of last things on their "to do" -list. SE has the tendency to overexaggerate with the graphical excellence of the games, which is also a part of the reason the games take so long to come out. If they decided to highten the standards by polishing up the above-mentioned announcement trailer, bringing everything else to this level will just end up taking longer and longer. The fact that he decided to point out this particular scene, really gives me the feeling that nothing else is yet done to anywhere near a comparable quality.

Okay, I think you've seriously misinterpreted Kitase's comment. They are not working on polishing the announcement trailer in of itself, like the announcement trailer from June 2015 was a pre-rendered cinematic not in-game content, they are not working on rereleasing the same trailer but better looking. What Kitase said was that they were brushing on the scene from announcement trailer, i.e. the opening Bombing Mission part of the game. Secondly, brushing up doesn't just exclusively refer to the graphical fidelity of the game, it can refer all the elements of game development (gameplay, programming, models, physics, etc.). The fact that he pointed out that particular scene was likely because that was what they were currently working on at that very moment (and was of the highest quality) and as ChipNoir mentioned is safe nonspoilery part of the game to reference, not that no other parts of the game have not been worked or were not in development (because as I previously discussed video games aren't worked on in a narrative step-by-step order, multiple parts are worked on at the same time).

 

[SirVival]

Okay, I think you've seriously misinterpreted Kitase's comment. They are not working on polishing the announcement trailer in of itself, like the announcement trailer from June 2015 was a pre-rendered cinematic not in-game content, they are not working on rereleasing the same trailer but better looking. What Kitase said was that they were brushing on the scene from announcement trailer, i.e. the opening Bombing Mission part of the game. Secondly, brushing up doesn't just exclusively refer to the graphical fidelity of the game, it can refer all the elements of game development (gameplay, programming, models, physics, etc.). The fact that he pointed out that particular scene was likely because that was what they were currently working on at that very moment (and was of the highest quality) and as ChipNoir mentioned is safe nonspoilery part of the game to reference, not that no other parts of the game have not been worked or were not in development (because as I previously discussed video games aren't worked on in a narrative step-by-step order, multiple parts are worked on at the same time).

That may be so. I didn't feel the need to define what "brushing up" could mean, but I'm thankful you saved me the effort of doing that. So the glimpse of the actual gameplay we've been shown in the announcement trailer was still very much a scene in progress. If upgrading that scene means new standard, "line of quality" as he said, is being created, it just goes to show that no other scene of the game is yet as far developed. How far behind in development the other parts are is completely impossible for me to answer, but just from that comment one can at least deduct that they are behind the opening scene. When it comes to multiple scenes of the game being developed simultaneously you are just stating and repeating the obvious.

Pardon my French, but maybe my earlier post wasn't able to transmit my point of view well enough. Was it now more clear? Do you really still fail to see what could be worrying about that comment of Kitase?

 

[Theozilla]

Okay, I think you've seriously misinterpreted Kitase's comment. They are not working on polishing the announcement trailer in of itself, like the announcement trailer from June 2015 was a pre-rendered cinematic not in-game content, they are not working on rereleasing the same trailer but better looking. What Kitase said was that they were brushing on the scene from announcement trailer, i.e. the opening Bombing Mission part of the game. Secondly, brushing up doesn't just exclusively refer to the graphical fidelity of the game, it can refer all the elements of game development (gameplay, programming, models, physics, etc.). The fact that he pointed out that particular scene was likely because that was what they were currently working on at that very moment (and was of the highest quality) and as ChipNoir mentioned is safe nonspoilery part of the game to reference, not that no other parts of the game have not been worked or were not in development (because as I previously discussed video games aren't worked on in a narrative step-by-step order, multiple parts are worked on at the same time).

That may be so. I didn't feel the need to define what "brushing up" could mean, but I'm thankful you saved me the effort of doing that. So the glimpse of the actual gameplay we've been shown in the announcement trailer was still very much a scene in progress. If upgrading that scene means new standard, "line of quality" as he said, is being created, it just goes to show that no other scene of the game is yet as far developed. How far behind in development the other parts are is completely impossible for me to answer, but just from that comment one can at least deduct that they are behind the opening scene. When it comes to multiple scenes of the game being developed simultaneously you are just stating and repeating the obvious.

Pardon my French, but maybe my earlier post wasn't able to transmit my point of view well enough. Was it now more clear? Do you really still fail to see what could be worrying about that comment of Kitase?

But the announcement trailer which is this trailer:

never showed any gameplay from the game, it was entirely pre-rendered footage, not from game itself.

This trailer

did show some in-game engine gameplay.

And yes while we both agree that opening Bombing Mission was currently then the most brushed up/worked/developed part of the game so far the reason I don't see much reason for concern/worry is that it doesn't tell us anything about how far the other parts of the game are developed. While I don't have any reason to believe to that other parts are super close in development/quality, I don't have any reason to assume that the other parts could be super behind either. That's why I don't see much cause for concern, as I don't feel that Kitase was really trying to give us an proper answer to how far long the game was cumulatively/percentage-wise, but was simply stating what literal condition of the progress was at that very moment in time.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

So, he was either avoiding a proper answer to conceal the reveal of a pleasant surprise for the proper moment ... or because this is going to be FFXVersus 2.0. No way to know right now, I guess.

 

[Theozilla]

So, he was either avoiding a proper answer to conceal the reveal of a pleasant surprise for the proper moment ... or because this is going to be FFXVersus 2.0. No way to know right now, I guess.

I don't think it can be fairly determined whether Kitase was deliberately avoiding giving a concrete/proper answer or not, or whether that's just what he wanted to/felt was most relevant to talk about at the time. I don't think that means this is going to be FFXVersus 2.0 though (forgive me if you were being sarcastic in the latter sentence, I can't really tell).

 

[ChipNoir]

At this point if they use World of Versus, VII-R, and KH3 at E3, Sony basically wins by default. I have hope for E3.

Misguided, desperate hope.





Excuse me, I need to go slaughter a goat and offer it to the gods of gaming.

 

[Ite]

Don't worry, they'll be winning E3 with the same three games for the next ten years.

 

[SirVival]

Okay, I think you've seriously misinterpreted Kitase's comment. They are not working on polishing the announcement trailer in of itself, like the announcement trailer from June 2015 was a pre-rendered cinematic not in-game content, they are not working on rereleasing the same trailer but better looking. What Kitase said was that they were brushing on the scene from announcement trailer, i.e. the opening Bombing Mission part of the game. Secondly, brushing up doesn't just exclusively refer to the graphical fidelity of the game, it can refer all the elements of game development (gameplay, programming, models, physics, etc.). The fact that he pointed out that particular scene was likely because that was what they were currently working on at that very moment (and was of the highest quality) and as ChipNoir mentioned is safe nonspoilery part of the game to reference, not that no other parts of the game have not been worked or were not in development (because as I previously discussed video games aren't worked on in a narrative step-by-step order, multiple parts are worked on at the same time).

That may be so. I didn't feel the need to define what "brushing up" could mean, but I'm thankful you saved me the effort of doing that. So the glimpse of the actual gameplay we've been shown in the announcement trailer was still very much a scene in progress. If upgrading that scene means new standard, "line of quality" as he said, is being created, it just goes to show that no other scene of the game is yet as far developed. How far behind in development the other parts are is completely impossible for me to answer, but just from that comment one can at least deduct that they are behind the opening scene. When it comes to multiple scenes of the game being developed simultaneously you are just stating and repeating the obvious.

Pardon my French, but maybe my earlier post wasn't able to transmit my point of view well enough. Was it now more clear? Do you really still fail to see what could be worrying about that comment of Kitase?

But the announcement trailer which is this trailer:

never showed any gameplay from the game, it was entirely pre-rendered footage, not from game itself.

This trailer

did show some in-game engine gameplay.

And yes while we both agree that opening Bombing Mission was currently then the most brushed up/worked/developed part of the game so far the reason I don't see much reason for concern/worry is that it doesn't tell us anything about how far the other parts of the game are developed. While I don't have any reason to believe to that other parts are super close in development/quality, I don't have any reason to assume that the other parts could be super behind either. That's why I don't see much cause for concern, as I don't feel that Kitase was really trying to give us an proper answer to how far long the game was cumulatively/percentage-wise, but was simply stating what literal condition of the progress was at that very moment in time.

Oh I got those two trailers mixed in my head, how silly of me! So wait a second, does it then mean Kitase and the bunch were polishing one scene from the pre-rendered cinematic, not even the gameplay itself? I just automatically took it to mean that it was the gameplay they were working on, but it seems like I'm really not understanding this wtf he meant.

Sorry for building a quote pyramid

 

[ChipNoir]

Don't worry, they'll be winning E3 with the same three games for the next ten years.

*Side eyes moodily*

 

[Theozilla]

Oh I got those two trailers mixed in my head, how silly of me! So wait a second, does it then mean Kitase and the bunch were polishing one scene from the pre-rendered cinematic, not even the gameplay itself? I just automatically took it to mean that it was the gameplay they were working on, but it seems like I'm really not understanding this wtf he meant.

Sorry for building a quote pyramid

No, you are likely misinterpreting Kitase's statement. As I said, they are not working on brushing up the trailer in of itself, but on scenes from it, meaning the opening Bombing Mission section of the game, far more broad than the way you have been interpting it. All Kitase said is that portion of the game is currently the most developed/highest-furthest in quality, there are most assuredly other parts of the game in development simultaneously but just not as far along as the opening Bombing Mission part of the Remake. And since we have no way to accurately determine how close or far behind the other parts of the Remake's development are, I just don't see much cause to worry over it.

 

[ChipNoir]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxj4B17LzbY

Dood brings up an interesting take on the whole "Polishing" line. He speculates that what if they're polishing it for the sake of having a playable demo at E3? Since this is the earliest part of the game, it's the part that logically is the safest to show new people to avoid spoiling anything else. It's not that Bombing Run is the only thing they're working on, but that it's the part they want to put the most effort into finishing ahead of everything else for the sake of marketing. For all we know they may have everything up to (and likely) Junon's completion done in structure, but Sector 1 is where they want to polish things first.

 

[ChipNoir]

Nothing really staggering, but duty demands I share this.

http://gematsu.com/2017/03/final-fantasy-vii-remake-battles-action-based-cover-optional

Tada.

 

[Flintlock]

I've been itching to write a new article for a couple of days now and this gives me the excuse I need. It might seem minor/obvious but it's going to be big news for a lot of people. Just look at the comment section on that Gematsu article.

FP: Nomura confirms action-based battle system for remake

I guess this also lends weight to what hian said about cycling through commands with and . The text that currently reads "Attack" in the battle screenshot from MAGIC could be replaced with Steal or Deathblow, for example, and they would be executed with the same button, say, . That way they wouldn't take up space on the battle menu.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Am I the only one who finds it funny that this was the comment from Magic 2017 he thought most in need of getting clarified?

 

[Channy]

At this point if they use World of Versus

Wait, is this actually a thing or am I just really gullible?

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

If it is real, it hasn't been confirmed.

 

[Tashasaurous]

At this point if they use World of Versus

Wait, is this actually a thing or am I just really gullible?

I don't have a clue where this "World of Versus" idea had even come from or why it should be in the Remake.

If it is real, it hasn't been confirmed.

Or maybe somebody had just come up with a random idea of a new fanfic with a title that is based and crossovered on "World of Final Fantasy" and the original name of FFXV "Final Fantasy Versus XIII".

 

[Flintlock]

World of Versus has literally no connection the remake whatsoever. It was only brought up in this thread because Chip was talking about E3.

It also has nothing to do with fan fiction; it's a rumoured expansion to Final Fantasy XV. The rumour started circulating thanks to a Neogaf post reporting on a 4chan thread. Hardly the most reliable source, in other words – though 4chan "leaks" have turned out to be true before, believe it or not.

 

[ChipNoir]

World of Versus has literally no connection the remake whatsoever. It was only brought up in this thread because Chip was talking about E3.

It also has nothing to do with fan fiction; it's a rumoured expansion to Final Fantasy XV. The rumour started circulating thanks to a Neogaf post reporting on a 4chan thread. Hardly the most reliable source, in other words – though 4chan "leaks" have turned out to be true before, believe it or not.

FFXV kinda killed my ideology on rumors. Before, I always took a hardline stance against them, because lets face it: Usually they're bull. I got pretty arrogant about it to be honest. (In my defense it's kill-or-be-killed in Gamefaqs). I got blasted to smithereens when both the XV leak and the dropped news about the delay turned out to be true.

I learned my lesson. Rumors may be rumors, but I sure as hell am not going to lambaste anyone for believing or reporting them after I was forced to eat some humble pie.

 

[Flintlock]

Spoiler: A brief history of this community's reaction to rumours

Well, one particular rumour, at least...

Courtesy of JT (currently Mustachio Bandana).

 

[Teioh]

Dengeki has done a FFVII 20th Anniversary feature for their March 9th issue. Not sure of the details yet - source - but there is something on that page which says that there will be a comment from Kitase and Nomura.

I think this person has scanned a couple of pages.

 

[ChipNoir]

Dengeki has done a FFVII 20th Anniversary feature for their March 9th issue. Not sure of the details yet - source - but there is something on that page which says that there will be a comment from Kitase and Nomura.

I think this person has scanned a couple of pages.

Ran the page through Google Translate. The top part just says that they're printing a retrospective on the characters. The bottom half is more interesting

The latest information on "FFVII remake" is also released

"FFVII remake" whose release is awaited as the opening of a new legend. As the latest information, a scene comparison with the PS version is posted. The appearance that the "Death Battle with Guard Scorpion" and "Operation with Avalanche" was more beautifully reproduced is goose bumps!
Special issue of planning, including "FFVII" 20th anniversary feature issue · Dengeki PS Vol.634 is on sale on March 9! The electronic version will be delivered on the same day, so please try it.

It could just be a lazy comparison of the two pictures we already have, or it could be even more snapshots. We'll have to wait and see tomorrow.

EDIT: If that's the scan and all we've got, it's kinda meh. Curious (vaguely) about the comments.

 

[hian]

I tried finding a copy today, but found nothing. I'll try again tomorrow. All the convenience stores around my house and work seems to stock up on famitsu but no dengeki...

 

[Lulcielid]

Tetsuya Nomura further discusses recent Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII Remake screenshots.