Article: FFXV interviews roundup: airships TBA, world travel is seamless, summons protect the planet

Linnaete

sus
Staff member
Editorial Staff
Veteran
Joined
Feb 19, 2009
Messages
6,411
Location
UK
Gil
1,043
Andre the Adamantoise
Chocobo Egg
Accessory (Head)
Accessory (Arms)
Build-A-Member
Chocobo Egg
FFXIV
Aoife Linnaete
FFXIV Server
Lamia
Free Company
None
[22/01] FFXV interviews roundup: airships TBA, world travel is seamless, summons protect the planet

ffxvss17o5rex.jpg


This week has seen a handful of interviews with Hajime Tabata, producer of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD and Final Fantasy XV, from online sources such as Siliconera and GameSpot. While nothing groundbreaking in terms of new information has arisen, the interviews do provide fascinating snippets of what we may expect from both the upcoming Episode Duscae demo and the full game when it arrives within the next millennium.

The salient details from Siliconera's interview:

Regarding the story and how Episode Duscae connects to it:

There is a sequence in the full game where you lose your car. The demo was created around that sequence, but the main story is masked within the demo so you won’t be able to experience that. But, when you play the full game and reach that moment you will probably realize that was the sequence in the demo.

Why there is no drivable car in the demo:

We had a discussion internally about how to best showcase the new generation of Final Fantasy so our fans get a sense of the game through the demo. Originally, what we were thinking of for the demo is they would drive in a very vast world and get off every now and then to explore the vicinity. But, in showcasing the new generation of Final Fantasy we felt it was important to get a sense of how the characters behave and the battles, given it’s the first action oriented game in the numbered series. We felt it was best for them to get a feel for [the battle system]. Rather than driving long differences we felt it would be best to explore the vast world on foot, the combat, and really connect with the world and surroundings around them.

When we were considering a demo primarily about driving in the environment, the normal gameplay would be about an hour or so. We altered the structure of the demo so they could walk more freely in the field then battle monsters. You can really explore wherever you want in the environment and if you play through it normally there is approximately two hours of content. I think you may have seen the footage where you’re walking across a world map. The actual environment in the demo will be several times the size seen in the walkthrough video.

Why the demo will not feature magic or summons:

attachmentfhkmp.png


For magic, that was a developmental reason. The combat system in the full game has magic as an important part of it, but the graphics aren’t polished yet. There was also the summon system, which wasn’t refined yet at the time. We made the decision to refine the summon system so we could offer it in the demo at this time.

Female characters in the demo?

tumblr_ngvf1flgw51qja41dia.gif


The demo won’t have any female characters tied to the story, but there will be a female character, Cidney, who will help with your adventures within the demo.

Regarding combat:

With Final Fantasy XV, the game is not designed around loading times. You can run around the environment freely so the approach to combat was different.

There is also a cover system where you can avoid attacks to recover. It has a very close effect similar to defending yourself. I drew ideas from The 3rd Birthday for that aspect. It’s not like you’re covering yourself from a shower bullets, but there are some natural environments where you can recover your HP and then go back into battle. There are some other weapon related aspects that I will be able to reveal later on.

The possibility of another, more widely available demo:

Understandably, there may be people who are interested in a demo of Final Fantasy XV, but due to circumstances may not be able to purchase Final Fantasy Type-0 at the time. We wanted to follow up and ensure those people can touch upon the world of Final Fantasy XV, as well. It may not follow a particular sequence of the game, but they will be provided one map and be able to enjoy different aspects of the game. It was an idea that popped up because we want as many people as possible to get a touch of Final Fantasy XV.

--------------------------------------

From GameSpot's interview:

World seamlessness and realism

car-cut-ffxv-demon1u4h.jpg


The tagline "this is a fantasy based on reality" should be reflected in how the game world is designed. The world of Final Fantasy XV will essentially be one large landmass, where if the player wishes, they can traverse from one end of the world to the other entirely on foot. If the player wishes to drive across the whole land, this will also be possible.

"The world is connected by continuous land," Tabata said. "If those areas were disconnected, it would feel distant from reality. You’ll find that you’ll be able to walk or drive or take a train and travel through this world seamlessly. I feel you’ll be able to experience something similar to a real trip." This will be a vast contrast to the game world designs of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, where the worlds of each game are practically disconnected in both a literal and cultural sense. There will be a sense of cohesion with FFXV's world that was not there with FFXIII's Cocoon and Gran Pulse.

Towns are also designed after real life destinations, with the latest prime example being Lestallum, with a distinct Havana-inspired theme. In this, players should get a sense of realistic towns and cultures," Tabata said. "That’s one aspect that has remained since the title was first named Versus XIII." Also revealed thus far include Insomnia, the capital of the Kingdom of Lucis, based on Shinjuku, Tokyo. In addition is Accordo, inspired by Venice.

Airships?

airships-tabata-underr1u8p.jpg


"To be completely honest, that’s still to be determined," Tabata said. "But the development team does understand that this is something everyone is looking forward to. It is a huge technical challenge; as mentioned earlier, all areas are connected. We are trying to tackle that challenge. So at the moment we can’t say yes, they will be included, but we do want to and we’re ready to take on that challenge and see what can be done."

Any L'Cies?

In FFXIII, L'Cies were mortals granted a task and an array of magical abilities by mechanical demigods (Fal'Cies). In Type-0, L'Cies were selected as servants by their nation's crystal to carry out their will.

FFXV will feature no L'Cies.

Summons

The role and purpose of summoned creatures have varied in recent entries. In FFXIII, Eidolons were part of a L'Cie's toolset, and were an emotional anchor to salvage them from despair. In FFXIV, beast tribes had their own Primals, and the very presence of a Primal running loose would be a harbinger of doom if not stopped. This time, summons in FFXV serve as protectors of the planet, guarding against annihilation. You will still have to fight them.

Dungeons and "strangeness"

Dungeons in the classic sense will make a return in FFXV. Tabata wishes to invoke a sense of the "chaotic and [the] uncontrollable". In these dungeons is where the fantasy side of FFXV's coin really makes itself apparent. "In the dungeons, there is this kind of strangeness where something that shouldn’t necessarily be there in real life is existing. That kind of strangeness, the non-normal, that feeling you get in those circumstances, will be experienced in XV."

From an earlier Final Fantasy XV E3 trailer, there was a Behemoth in Shinjuku, and Noctis was behind cover, attempting to avoid attracting its attention. Notes Tabata, it is this exact feeling of "strangeness" and incongruence that he seeks to invoke and capture in this game.

Siliconera | GameSpot
 
Back
Top