Where are they?

OmniscientOnus

OmniscientOnus

Blue Mage
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Feb 25, 2007
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There's one thing that gets me about games with more characters available than you can physically use in any given battle. I always wonder where the other characters are. Unless the story shows that only your 3 or 4 characters go one way, and the others do something else. It always confuses me when you can just randomly replace members. If they were that close, why aren't they helping you to fight in the first place? I'm a firm believer of the idea that too many hands in the kitchen ruins the pot (or however that saying goes), but why would you have only 3 people in your party fight, and the other ones sit around and eat popcorn while they watch (or whatever it is they do while they're not helping). If you're going to have a limit of how many characters can join you in battle at one time, then give us an idea of where the others are, and make, say a meeting place, where you have to go to change members.

The whole keeping everyone not in your party in your pocket idea, has got to go.

What is your opinion on this?


Oh, and yes I realize at least a few games gave you a basic idea. Like in VII where you essentially get a cell phone to call your friends over, which makes you assume that they're busy elsewhere (but where?!).

But in games like FFX where you can switch characters while still in battle... why the hell aren't they helping in the first place?!
 
I liked X's battle system too...but it was just too easy, and either way...when you didn't have one character in the battle, they were just sitting on the sideline eating popcorn anyway...

I did like FFVII's PHS, since it made it seem like they weren't lurking everywhere. ^_^

I think it would be neat to be able to form like 2 or 3 different parties and have them split up, so they can all be in different places on the world map. ^_^
 
Hm.. yeah. I liked the X battle system also. But like you said,you got a cellphone to phone the others and they seem eager enough to come over when you call, but they cannot be asked to come over to save your ass when Sephy is about!!
Its idiotic lol :)
 
Lol there are alot of things in the game that don't make sense like that, for example Cids fag i mean he never gets to finish it! XD
 
Booger said:
I think it would be neat to be able to form like 2 or 3 different parties and have them split up, so they can all be in different places on the world map. ^_^
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That would be pretty cool. It would give you the opportunity to not only develop characters one group at a time, but it would also bring a completely different form of transportation opportunity about. That being that instead of having to walk/fly/drive/whatever everywhere, you could take control of different party members instead. It would allow for much bigger maps, and for a more realistic sense of travel.

After all, if 6 or so people are going to be saving the world, they may need to split up every once in awhile.
 
This is also what I liked about FFIX. You know where the other characters are and because of the storyline with characters getting caught up in different situations, the first opportunity that you actually get to pick your party is when Amarant first joins you (End of disc 2.) The bad part was that half my party would be under levelled but I thought it was good for the story.
 
Well it certainly doesn't make sense to me that in some games (like shadow hearts) the characters who aren't in your party still level up.
As convenient as that is, it still kind of ruins the effort.
 
Booger said:
Well it certainly doesn't make sense to me that in some games (like shadow hearts) the characters who aren't in your party still level up.
As convenient as that is, it still kind of ruins the effort.
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That's because they still "participate" in the fight. They're not physically there, however, the game writers want to give off the impression that the superfluous characters are there, helping in the battle, we just can't see 'em ;)
 
OmniscientOnus said:
After all, if 6 or so people are going to be saving the world, they may need to split up every once in awhile.
Click to expand...

That sort of reminds of VIII's design, because it uses that system the most often and for the longest periods. I.e. The 'going to the moon part, assassination attempt' etc.

But still, it's a great idea that they should expand that concept, making the characters branch out a bit more into the world map, mostly because it would save a lot of hassle in trying to solve plot complications. But if they ever do, they'd have to complement it by making the plot and story longer
*my opinion, I'd like to have a 5 or so disc FF...*:)
 
Warbourne said:
That sort of reminds of VIII's design, because it uses that system the most often and for the longest periods. I.e. The 'going to the moon part, assassination attempt' etc.

But still, it's a great idea that they should expand that concept, making the characters branch out a bit more into the world map, mostly because it would save a lot of hassle in trying to solve plot complications. But if they ever do, they'd have to complement it by making the plot and story longer
*my opinion, I'd like to have a 5 or so disc FF...*:)
Click to expand...

I still think FFIX had a long split. When you get to Lindblum, Garnet and Steiner head back to Alexandria. You then go to Cleyra and when you get to Alexandria, Freya stays there while Garnet goes with you. Quina is in and out all the time and then you leave Garnet again in Alexandria for disc 3. All through the game the party was all over the place. FFVI I could imaging could be the same. I haven't played much of it but judging from what I have played it seemed like it is similar with the scenarios aswell as having a massive cast.
 
I liked the part in VI when the characters were split up and you got to play as all the characters in the different scenarios despite all these events happening at the same time.

I know theyve used this idea a bit in other games too, but not in the same way. Id like to see more of this in XIII.
 
thats a very valid point but maybe they were just witing till you weakened up the monster first then kill it and say oh we saved you and defeated the really hard bad guy even though the other guys weakened it lol but that could just be too far fetched hee hee
 
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