The reunion at hand may bring joy. It may bring fear. But let us embrace whatever it brings, for they are coming back.

[ForceStealer]

I would be completely fine with a DQXI-style map, but I don't see it happening

 

[Makoeyes987]

Well, it kind of does fit FFVII because that is literally something you can do in the third disc.

The fact that many open world games feel so empty is the result of limitations and a lack of creativity in those game's developments. Games are getting better at having interactive moments in the spaces in between. Events, enemies, party combination-specific dialog. Hell, Final Fantasy XV had a radio you could listen to. I wouldn't rule out something along those lines for the buggy or the Tiny Bronco.

The fact they have expanded Midgar means they would likely not pass on the opportunity to put more stuff out in the world between Kalm and the Mythril Mines for the next entry. And from there to Junon. They would be big-ass zones, but certainly not impossibly big. And likely even easier to implement on next generation hardware. From there, who knows?

People are confusing side quests with open world progression.

Of course you're free to go around the world and do side quests as you please. That shouldn't be taken away and that's not what I'm saying. That's also not open world, either.

The reason why you can't do it until the 3rd disc, is because the plot takes up the majority of the focus, outlining where you can go, where you have to go, and it ensures you can't just break sequence or go anywhere that would deviate you too far from the plot.

Once you make it to just before the point of no return, the game lets you have freedom to do what you want. But only then. Just like FFXIII lets you go wherever you want to go only until after you arrive in Pulse and are able to explore it.

FFVII taking the guard rails off ala XIII-2, LR, or XV and letting you just wander the world in any order you wish ain't gonna happen or meet the narrative. It doesn't fit with being open world at all.

Having side quests or things to do along the way is perfectly fine and in line with the OG. But even then, there's a limit. The wrold only opens up fully when you finally reach near the end.

 

[oty]

Yea but the general sentiment of the open world games, that feeling of "a disaster is gonna happen but here I am fetching for a goat" is very much there. That's what they ate tryna say. I think so lmao

Honestly, I have no idea how to implement that. In one sense, I would love the perspective of just walking up to Kalm Town, and it's just there. Walk around and there's Mythrill Caves. But I also know the implications of that, and how weirded out it can feel. Same thing with a Overworld kind of deal, with scaled down characters and distancies. It would feel so in clash with the game's size and budget. Really have to do some thinking here, and I bet Nomura and the crew are cracking up to find a way too.

 

[Mirage]

I mean, when you think about it, they HAVE to let us fly on the Highwind at some point, it's part of why FF7 (and 8 and 9) are so great. So I guess they're gonna figure out a way, and not just throw an FF10/10-2/12 airship type of situation (hopefully)?

I just checked DQXI (I haven't played it sadly but remember how DQVIII worked back then), that also could work yes, basically wandering around Gaia but when you use vehicles it's another version of the map! I think that would be great honestly!

 

[Makoeyes987]

Well there will always be that sort of discordance in terms of side quests and the main plot depending on when you undertake them. So I don't think that's the problem. FF has been having you do side quests while the fate of the world hangs in the balance since the beginning.

Squall and his friends can play Triple Triad with the stowaway'd members of the CC club and the Queen of Cards in the future while Ultimecia just chills in her castle, waiting for her fated confrontation. Zidane can play Tetra Master with ghosts from the past in Memoria. That's not the issue.

The issue is when you go for an open world model, the plot can get simply lost in the stacks of side quests, quest markers, fetch assignments, and random chance exploration that you end up taking on over. And over. And over. And over again.

"Hmm... I really should head over to Junon now that I got Yuffie but she mentioned hearing about something shiny in the forests nearFort Condor.... Oh wow, so that's what that was? Damn kind of a let down but, I better get through these plains now and.. Wait who's THAT guy? What do you want? Oh.. He wants me to find his random bucket... Of ULTIMATE POWER!!?? Well that would be cool... Wait, I have to go to the south end of the continent??? Well I guess I can do that real quick..

Wait, who are YOU!? You want me to take a boat and go to an island chain southeast of Mideel to take down Dairy King Arch Behemoth Jr the XIV that stole your precious cheese?? No, I really need to get back to the story I... Well fuck, if THAT'S what the cheese does, I'm GAME! It won't take long!!! Wait... This Dairy King Arch Behemoth Jr the XIV is too STRONG!!! I gotta level up... Hey what's that?? Oh hey, little kid, why are you here alone? You need honey?? Why?! WHAT SENSE DOES THAT MAKE!? Find 10 Sacred Honeycombs and you'll boost my stats?!?! Fine. Where are they? WHAT! I need to go hunt BEES in Gongaga?! Whatever!!! Okay.. Where are those bees!? WHAT. Why am I even HERE?! I thought I had to go to Junon... What the f- What the hell was I even DOING!?"

When there are no guard rails on the plot or progression, you simply have players just going at what strikes their fancy and taking on quest after quest after quest and then forgetting what it is they were really doing. And even sometimes forgetting what the whole plot was. VII had lots to do, lots of side quests, but they were staggered with the plot. And it ensured you kept pace with it. It wasn't quite as linear, but it definitely featured a linear model of progression. You just simply were allowed to do some things along the way and in the general area you were in.

That's not open world though. That's just side quest content.

 

[Mayo Master]

^ IMO "open-world" doesn't necessarily imply "no guard rail on plot progression". I think it depends on your definition of what an "open world model" is. In my view, the issue you're raising is more a matter of side-content vs main quest balancing, and game design.

It is possible for a game to maintain a very strong narrative drive while being built on an open world model: I often refer to Sleeping Dogs as my best example. It technically is open world because you're free to roam anywhere from the get-go. However, it remains focused on a story which doesn't get diluted by side-content. It manages to do that because:
- the bulk of the total number of quests is actually mostly made of pieces of the main quest. Sometimes it branches out into several direction but you need to close the various plot threads to be able to move on to the next story segment. RDR2 uses that approach to some extent, as well.
- Different chapters of the story focus on main quest elements which take place in specific districts. First chapter on District A, second chapter on district B, and so on. At the same time, the side-quests you get tend to happen in the same district. Technically, while still on the first chapter, you're still free to go to District B, but since no main quest or side quest happen in there, you have very little incentive to leave District A. Many open-world games designed with the intent to focus on a story use this approach.

I don't see why it would be bad for FF7 R to be designed in a similar fashion.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

It would be difficult to apply that to the remake because the story is more or less set and most of ita developments require a particular series of events. I suppose you could get away with it for a while on the Corel continent up until going beyond Nibelheim, though.

 

[Theozilla]

You can't really explore all of Final Fantasy VII's world until you get the Highwind. So they would create huge zones that mimic an open world style. Once the Highwind is obtained (in a later, almost certain next-gen entry), it would be easy enough to create a facsimile open world you could fly around in. In the original game, you could only land on certain grassy areas. The same sort of thing would apply here. And when you land, you come out into one of those aforementioned zones. Only a transition scene of your characters getting out of the airship would be needed to mask the loading.

Yeah, that’s what I am expecting they’ll do with the overworld in the Remake too. It’ll likely be multiple extremely large zones (in order to maintain the illusion of traversing a planet), with transition/loading times for going into towns/caves/etc. and then a scaled down global map for the Highwind to fly around in that can land in different designated spots of the large zones.

 

[Kain424]

It's really the most obvious "solution." Though that is also further down the line. I would be surprised if they didn't expand on "the search for Sephiroth" in the next part of the game. You'd wander the map, looking for clues. Who knows?

But I am really wondering if they will even keep the original map, or if they will change the face of the Planet to meet new functions. Hell, will Junon still not have its cannon facing in any real functional way?

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

It's really facing the most obvious direction, given where Junon itself is located. Beyond that doesn't really matter since the cannon apparently can be fully rotated.

 

[Kain424]

Gotta keep Costa del Sol at bay.

 

[Glaurung]

As much as I like open world games, I'm happy with the traditional JRPG formula, on which you explore more of the world as you progress in the story and you are given better means of transport. You start on foot, get a car/animal, get a boat, get a dragon/small plane, get a bigger dragon/bigger plane, and then you can access all the areas, plus the extra ones just for completion's sake.

I speak as someone who spent +200 hours on each character in Skyrim, sometimes without touching the main quest, mind you

 

[Kain424]

I think if they stay as close to the original as possible, we'll be in a good place. Which is to say, the illusion of an open world. Modern games look great, and I don't think too much would have to be sacrificed in order to achieve that effect. In fact, I think they'll only add to the original experience.

 

[Jairus]

Well, it seems the beginning of the opening scene with that sweep over the badlands pretty clearly establishes the scale they're going for. This world is going to be huge, if that's anything to go by.

 

[Kain424]

And I am giddy at the very thought of experiencing it.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I am someone who never dreams, yet last night I dreamt I was at the SE FFVII Remake launch party. I wasn't a special guest or anything, just a guest, walking around, eating from the buffet. They had cosplayers playing the cast, and a very feminine woman cosplaying Reno, which normally would be great but in my dream I was annoyed and said "Why couldn't SE get a man?" Upon reflection this dream is probably an expression of my ongoing annoyance at the abomination which is Tseng's character model.

 

[Theozilla]

What’s wrong with his character model? He doesn’t look much different than he did in ACC?

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

He has practically no chin and the mouth of a ten year old girl. Of course it's chacun a son gout but I like my Tseng to look at least thirty years old and manly.

 

[Odysseus]

His remake face is definitely softer than previous iterations. Last order Tseng could fucking chip marble with that chin, and even Advent Children Tseng had a fuller jawline.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Even Andre Rhodea looks like he's got more testosterone in his blood than Remake Tseng, who hasn't even started shaving yet.

 

[FFShinra]

*shrug* He looks fine to me.

 

[Theozilla]

Honestly, I don't see any significant difference between ACC Tseng and Remake Tseng, in regards to his facial structure/design.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

There's definitely a difference. It isn't ruining anything for me, but I see why it is for Lic.

 

[Pizzachu]

He looks more inspired by his design from the original art (at least in the face) than the Compilation.

Spoiler: Large Photos