[07/03] FFXV at PAX East 2015: all the relevant info

[Linnaete]

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Not content with letting FFXIV: Heavensward steal the Final Fantasy show at PAX East, Final Fantasy XV is also there in the form of new media and information in anticipation of the demo release in a couple of weeks time. Notable information include the storyline context for the demo, as well as word on where players can expect to rest and relax away from the murderous eyes of the local wildlife and dungeon inhabitants.

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The press release for the demo boasts:

• A New Generation of Final Fantasy: The latest platform technology brings Duscae to life, rendering fast-paced action against breathtaking backdrops under a sky that changes in real time.
• Open World Exploration: Guide Noctis and his entourage over the plains, through the woods, into the dungeons and around the outposts of Duscae as players roam freely about the expansive region.
• Action-Packed Combat: Final Fantasy XV is the first Final Fantasy flagship title to give players direct control over combat in real-time, resulting in an exhilarating action RPG experience.
• Summoning: Uncover the astral power that will enable Noctis to call larger-than-life vengeance down from the heavens.
• Engaging Quests: Adventures great and small await in Duscae.
• English and Japanese Voice-Over: Enjoy English or Japanese audio with English, French, German, Italian, Japanese or Spanish text.

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For people eager to speculate the chronology of the game's storyline events, here's some contextual storyline information to mull over:

When you’ve spent your entire life looking out at the serrated city skyline, it’s easy to lose yourself in the sprawling Duscaen landscape. The prince and his retinue were halfway to Cauthess when their daydreams came to a sudden, screeching halt—the Regalia’s last gasp before giving out to the unpaved backroads.

Now they were truly lost in the landscape: broken down by the side of the road with the Disc well out of walking distance. The Archaean, Titan, would have to wait. He’d been dormant for ages anyway. The first order of business was getting back on four wheels.

Essentially, the car breaks down because of Prompto...somehow, culminating in a need to find money to fix the car and to continue the journey on to the next town/city, with the intent of confronting Titan. To make dosh, the party will have to hunt down a behemoth, which is the main goal of the demo.

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The FFXV panel was was referred to as the “Behind the Game Designs of Final Fantasy XV” and features game designers Wan Hazmer and Prasert Prasertvithyakarn. Unlike previous FF titles, FFXV's development spans across various countries and smaller studios to outsource partial work to. The pair serve as lead designers of their individual niche areas – Hazmer on the Culture team, and Prasertvithyakarn, or “Sun” as he’s called, on the Buddy team in charge of character AI.

As the next Final Fantasy tite, the goal is always there “to create the best Final Fantasy is the series” which includes retaining the charm of past works and moving it forward to a new experience. They’re calling this charm fantasy with believability. Final Fantasy XV is a game about a road trip with your best buddies in a fantastical yet believable world. Sun says that in FF your buddies typically follow alongside you.

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Gladio is the oldest one of the group. He’s also the strongest and bravest – trained well since he was young and takes his place in the front of battles. Despite that, he’s a relaxed person who cares a lot about his friends. He also has the highest HP in the party.

Ignis has known Noctis since they were both young and wants to be his counsel so he has studied quite a bit. He likes to cook and in battles he stays by Noctis to try and protect him. In the demo you can rely on him to use the Cure ability and uses dual daggers capable of dealing poison.

Promto is one of Noctis’ classmates and unlike his peers he never learned how to fight. He’s a really anxious guy, always trying to show off and never gives up. In the demo he has a bind ability that can weaken enemies.

Wiz Chocobo Outpost

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Here is one of the new areas available to visit in Duscae. Wazmer states that relaxing is an integral part of an RPG, so he wanted towns to be memorable and unique in some fashion. You can acquire help from each town, as well as admire the different culture of each.

The Wiz Chocobo Outpost is one of two outposts available in Duscae - the other being the petrol station. Wiz is a Chocobo enthusiast and passionate rider who created the place, as well as the various Chocobo-related merchandise available for sale. In the demo, it will largely be a place to catch some R&R. In the final game, where rideable Chocobos will be available, you can rent one of the birds out.

The Post is also home to a caravan in which Noctis and friends can sleep at for a cost. Unlike camping in a tent, however, Noctis won’t be able to cook but you will receive an experience multiplier for your own stats.

Nova Crystallis 1 | 2

 

[Rey]

I watched all the videos today and I must say I am very impressed and excited. Seriously, I do not understand how someone can find this Episode Duscae lifeless. It looks amazing. Combat just looks so smooth, gas stations look like real life, and the best part is that this is not even the full playable region. The FFXV map is supposed to be 10 x bigger than the whole Duscae region. Right, well here are my thoughts.

- Noctis and his friends bro fisting is actually just hilarious and a cool feature. I love how they talk about different things wherever you go, and they seem excited when they see things.

-Combat looks fun! I originally thought this will be a button masher but it actually looks very diverse and might have some type of learning curve. I loved the techniques I saw and the variety of weapons Noctis can use. I can see combining different weapon effects with techniques very enjoyable.

-Exploration looks amazing. There is a variety of things in that one whole area to see, and I just cannot imagine the final game. It might be hard on foot, but in the final game Noctis can ride a Chocobo.

- Lots of praise from different Journalistic sites. Each preview really said FFXV is the "next evolution of Final Fantasy" and I am happy with that. FF haters are bound to find themselves playing it.

- THE BEHEMOTH. Oh, god that thing is just terrifying! Noctis and his pals could not even scratch it. We have to kill it in the demo, so I do wonder what level Noctis and his friends will have to be.

- Dual Audio! We can play this in Japanese as well! Fantastic!

I think Square Enix have done a good job with the demo and I cannot wait to play it.

Good job.

However, seriously, if there is one thing SE got wrong, it is not being able to switch characters in such a long awaited game. I mean, come on!

I hope Stella/Luna/whoever ends up with Noctis and the other guys as a guest. The banter will be hilarious.

Xenoblade X and FFXV will be at war. Both games just look so good.

 

[ff1-10]

Sure, nice graphics, but from what they've been giving us lately in the Final Fantasy series, I have now learned not to be excited about a game until it is actually released and respectable reviews come out from both gaming sites and fans. I no longer get excited at these things. That's what disappointment does to you.

But image-wise, that pic of the store is REALLY cool. I guess because of the cheap look of it, it reminds me of the slum stores in FF7. Makes you see how FF7 could look like with real life graphics like this.

 

[AuronX]

I watched all the videos today and I must say I am very impressed and excited. Seriously, I do not understand how someone can find this Episode Duscae lifeless.

I honestly think it's overexposure--an unusual problem for a Square Enix game, but that is the consequence of being as open as they've been lately. People that can keep it in perspective can enjoy the previews, but to other people it just comes across as seeing the same few things over and over again with no appreciable difference from one sneak peek to the next. Part of that's because games' code changes far more than what you see and hear, so it's simply impossible to know just how much work has gone into each clip we've gotten over the past year or so, but I'm confident it's much more than meets the eye.

Still, even knowing that, I've found I enjoy FFXV news more when I limit my FFXV intake. At this point I'm actually trying to watch as little video as possible so when I get into it myself in a couple weeks I'll be able to look at it with fresh eyes and not as the same old thing I've seen 100 times already.

 

[Dionysos]

Hang on a minute… The Wiz Chocobo Post is awesome and everything, but am I really seeing what I’m seeing in that trailer? Are all the chocobos starved until a customer wants to ride one, and then they give them the greens and can be ridden? What’s worse is that there is a café for humans in view of the chocobos, and it looks like the humans are eating chocobo food! What sort of chocobo dungeon of torture is this?!


Anyway... I quite like how its design features with its silos and windpumps are reminiscent of the Chocobo Farm in FFVII.

The name 'Wiz' could be interpreted in a variety of interesting ways.

 

[Gabe]

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Can we just take a moment...

The font size of both the HP and names in the corner is seriously a concern for me. Even those with 50" televisions and average vision will not be able to read that unless they're sitting something like eight feet away, or closer. That's some PC interface decisions, if you ask me. I hope there's a setting to adjust the size. I'll feel really heartbroken for my friend who has a 27" HDTV if she has to have her face inches from the screen in order to read the text.

 

[Six]

Aw, I was actually talking to Mitsuki the other day where I apparently was talking gibberish because I thought this was Type-0. I pay soo much attention. >.> Anyway I was saying I wish they would've made Final Fantasy VII like this as well. (Total fangirl)

Anyway, so far, I'm really loving the graphics, I know it's not just about that, but the movement looks good too! Doubt I'll be getting a PS4 and this though. =[ We'll see.