Would FFVII make a good novel?

[Obsidian Fire]

Wow. You guys are way more thorough then I am. I am definitely at the opposite end of the spectrum; I think the only game mechanism I leave out on purpose is the ATB. All the other stuff, hammer space, potions, item, stats and the like, I leave in is some capacity. I'm more into world-building then I am into writing, so in my head, all that stuff is part of the FFVII world. For me, taking it out makes the FFVII world less of a fantasy world and more like the real world, which isn't what I'm going for.

 

[Demona]

Are you a writer, Zizheng, or more of an imaginery-world builder, or both?
PS I really envy you playing this game for the first time.

Yeah, there's a lot of magic in the first playthrough of any game, particularly such a legendary one. As for writing and world-building both, I'm interested in both but not particularly good at either, but I have enough editorial and workshop experience that I can... y'know...

Wow. You guys are way more thorough then I am. I am definitely at the opposite end of the spectrum; I think the only game mechanism I leave out on purpose is the ATB. All the other stuff, hammer space, potions, item, stats and the like, I leave in is some capacity. I'm more into world-building then I am into writing, so in my head, all that stuff is part of the FFVII world. For me, taking it out makes the FFVII world less of a fantasy world and more like the real world, which isn't what I'm going for.

I don't know about it being thorough--I think it's simply a chosen difference in approach. I agree that potions, etc. make it very much a fantasy world, but I think they can be incorporated into the story and storyline more seamlessly. As a game mechanic, it's too difficult to explain how phoenix downs work, for instance, and then try and fudge an explanation for why the PCs--hell, the WORLD--doesn't use it on people who die. Slumlings, You-Know-Who, etc. Shifting the story into a different medium requires that we take the genre or categorical demands of said medium into account.

Also, the whole thing with Weapons and materia already make it insanely fantastical--potions aren't needed to lend that aura of magic or the supernatural.

Which is why I'd prefer to look at potions as lost knowledge, or rarer items, or something cultural. Still figuring that bit out. I think they'd work well as, say, supernatural stimulants that augment physical and magical strength depletion as well as health, but are dangerous when used too much--or even addictive. Maybe they have a mako component too and are best used by SOLDIERs. Who knows? Fun ideas to play with, though.

And the aversion to "less fantasy and more like the real world" is something I understand. To paraphrase Lee Henderson, today's writers are making me bored as hell of the post-apocalyptic, dystopian landscape. But that gritty steampunk thing is popular and exciting for a reason.

 

[Ite]

Phoenix Downs are a problem. Are they made with Phoenix feathers? Where do Phoenixes fit into the FFVII world? Why does throwing feathers on an unconscious person wake them up? Or is it a drink? How do you get an unconscious person to drink? Are there curative properties, and if so, what differs them from potions? From Hi-Potions, X-Potions, Elixirs, Megalixirs? Why is this an item I care about?

These are all great questions and ones I would love to develop for a speculative encyclopaedia of FFVII. Unfortunately, modern readers don't seem to give a crap. Since the LotR movies came out, no one reads the books anymore. That's a shame. but it's a different time, I guess. That's why I have forums like TLS where I can talk about this stuff to no end

So getting into details about items that have nothing to do with the plot just get in the way. It creates a barrier between author and reader, and the work becomes "Self-indulgent." Harumph.

If I were novelizing FFV, however, Phoenix Downs would have shitloads of development, because they use them in the story. Just as I would develop Softs for FFIX. Those items make those stories special, but in FFVII, they're just there for battle mechanics.

Materia is what FFVII brings to the table, and that's what should be focused on in the telling of the story -- as far as items and equipment go. Materia has an interesting methodology, history, and plot significance, and it has the opportunity to make every battle scene in the series stand out from every battle scene in every other fantasy novel. The distribution of potions, softs and ethers -- comparitively -- clutters it up.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

"Phoenix Down" (Registered Trade Mark; patent pending) is an epipen manufactured by Arnish Pharmaceuticals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Shinra Manufacturing Corporation, and used for the immediate relief of unconsciousness arising from a variety of causes including but not limited to concussion, allergic reaction, asphyxiation, poison, petrification, rapid decompression, severe blood loss, exposure, ranunculification, and being struck by lightning. Active ingredients include ginkgo biloba, acai berry, epinephrine, and powdered phoenix feather (a controlled substance) in homeopathic quantities. Standard issue for all SOLDIERs on active duty. Available on prescription from the pharmacy chain Cure-All, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Little Rufus Wholesale and Retail Distribution Network Incorporated. Widely available on the black market.

Ask your doctor about it today.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

Hmm... Phoenix Downs... Well, here's the picture from the Ultimania Omega... not that it helps any...

The way they work in my head is that they only "cure" being knocked out, blacked out, etc. They just speed up a natural process. They do not work on dead people (by then you're already becoming part of the Lifestream). As for their origin, they get dropped/stolen/morphed from monsters by monster hunters and get sold in town, the same as any other item.

Speaking of meshing FFVII with reality, here's what all the armors look like in the Ulimania Omega... Try explaining how those defend you against a WEAPON.

Spoiler

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I guess you just can't overthink this stuff too much. Look at all that lovel armour. My party had all of those by the end. How did we carry them? How does Cloud carry more than sword?

I had to admit, I'm quite attached to my own head-canon which says that monsters drop items because they ate those items when they devoured some other unlucky traveller, and the items sat around in their stomach the way things like car batteries and surfboards do in the guts of great white sharks. So when you kill them and they dissolve, the stuff in their stomachs gets left behind for you to pick up. I realise this notion is not supported by any evidence from the game whatsoever.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

Forget swords, what about megaphones or gun-arms? At least we're not in some Final Fantasies where we can carry around multiple sets of plate armor. And materia.. how much does that weigh anyway?

In my head-canon, the reason why AVALANCHE bought the Villa at Costa del Sol was to have a place to store equipment; it was the only place that had enough room!