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My Impressions of Chapter 1 (Spoilers)

Started by LastingDawn, May 21, 2014, 09:39:03 pm

LastingDawn

I am blown away by the amount of effort, creativity, and extraordinary amount of polish and fidelity to all of the worlds that are shown in Journey of the Five.

First the skillsets. Each skillset feels genuine and fitting. Ramza's skillset takes the old skills and retools them in a manner which still feels appropriate to their names. Link's skillset has a neat focus on his Ocarina and the Elemental Arrows (though I am slightly surprised there is no Din's Fire/Farore's Wind/ anything like that which he can use with Staves or Rods) Snake's moveset is a lot of fun with a lot of interesting ideas such as Smoke Break, Sleeper Hold, and Hide, along with others. My only complaint with Snake's moveset is the worthlessness of Tear Gas. It doesn't seem to have that great of a chance to hit (MA effected?) and it only hits a single target when it clearly has Gas in the name, leading me at first to believe that it would at least be normal cross range. Cloud is fine, very useful set-up on his skills. And Dante looks to be well represented for the hour or two I played Devil May Cry 2.

Now, the story, you present it in such a manner where there is no leaps of faith and its set up in such a manner that it could almost be believed that this is the continuation of the story, that said it is a bit fantastical, but it doesn't distract from the story being built. Delita is still an important figure (and it's good to see that he cared enough about Ramza and Alma's safety to set them up for life. Even if his motives may have been a little suspect and paranoid) the addition of Olivander and Leesha really adds a flair of that ol' political intrigue that FFT is renowned for. Every cutscene is wonderful and most of the time characterization is intact (Ramza randomly cursing as he makes his way through Araguay is a bit off-setting, admittedly) I was impressed with the length of the chapter. I had thought for certain it was going to be over with the fight against Sephiroth but then you go and set up an Extraordinarily difficult battle with Ganondorf as the finale of the chapter! That said I don't 100% agree with how Ganondorf was handled in the end... it seems a bit of a let-down that he didn't even have the chance to transform into Ganon.

Mustadio piloting a Worker was a really neat idea. Heaven forbid the Engineer actually put his knowledge to work! The asides where you battled with Alma were also unexpected and a bit of fun, and the effort put into the backstory (with an extra scene no less!) was very much appreciated and helped draw me into the world which you have elaborated on.

Everything seemed to be balanced to a great extent. I personally had Link as a magic-user who had Equip Heavy Arms and Adventure Skill so he could refill people's MP and Stop people with the Song of Time and Whirlwind Blade was always useful in someway or another. The one thing I kept on askewing was bringing the Asura into random battles with Bombs, so many Bombs... Heh, but I loved the gimmick of the Asura. A near definite Oil for low-decent damage and then a big hit with the already Fire-Elemental blade. Very creative there.

The sprite-work was amazing, the balance was top-notch and if it didn't have a cross over from so many companies I would almost believe that this was professionally made.

That final battle with Ganondorf though... wow, that was a fight and a half. Sometimes Mustadio would act really stupid and just fly around without attacking Ganondorf where in the winning time it was thanks to him that we won...

Here was the scenario... My people were spread all across the map to avoid Gravity and Energy Barrage, but it wasn't enough and when the final cutscene occurred somehow Ganondorf was faster than Snake who it was Crucial would go before him and he killed him and Cloud. Then Dante and Ramza fell in short order after taking a few more desperate shots at him. My entire team was now dead, except for Mustadio. Ganondorf has previously used Comet on him forcing him to use Reboot and he flew off. Then he came back with a vengeance! He used Dispose hurting Ganondorf for 90. Ganondorf used another Comet but Mustadio used another Dispose ending it, and Cloud at this point had 0 turns left on his counter. That was extremely intense.  I'm still not sure how to effectively fight Ganondorf though. Link got three Holy's on him at the start, but then the opportunities to strike came few and far between.


All in all I am amazed! I am now eagerly awaiting the completion of Chapter 2, along with everyone else, I'm sure.
"Moment's anger can revert to joy,
sadness can be turned to delight.
A nation destroyed cannot be restored,
the dead brought back to life."

Art of War

Beta & Gretchen Forever!!!!

Elric

Thank you LastingDawn! Glad to hear you liked it so much. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a lot of inspiration while reading through the
entire Mercs and CoP sections when I first joined FFH :P

Good news is a few things you mentioned will be address for the Ch2 release. I have yet to make an official announcement on the matter,
(I will do so shortly) however the fact of the matter is, due to the way we have restructured the Marks into actually using Propositions rather
than Rumors (thanks to Pride) so that there is a Yes/No option and whatnot, upon the Chapter 2 release, Chapter 1 will have to be played
through again.

This may upset some people and we have considered this, however it is in the best interest of the mod. That said, we will be adding some
things into Chapter 1 to make up for this. There will be at least 2 or 3 more marks added to Chapter 1, in addition to that, we will also be
changing the JP formula a bit to show that, Hey, we do listen to the fans after all.

That's not all though! I would normally not say this, since I would consider it a spoiler, (however since we are forcing people to replay Ch1
I see no harm in giving people some comfort in knowing there will be new content) but we are also going to change the end battle a bit.
The Dante killing Ganon scene will move to the Deleted scenes, and will be edited to instead have Ganondorf transform into Ganon where the
new final battle of Chapter 1 will take place.

I hope these additions will solve at least some of the issues people did have with Chapter 1, at the same time knowing that it is literally
impossible to make everyone happy. :P

Chapter 2 is getting the final touchs on eventing, literally less than 15 left at this point, then I will make the Chapter 1 adjustments, after
that ALL THE BUGTESTING will ensue again as we put together this giant puzzle of a mod.

Thank you again LastingDawn, it really does fill me with joy for someone as versed as you are in FFT to express such enthusiasm toward
something that isn't as canon as I know a lot of people who are very educated in FFT would have liked.
  • Modding version: PSX

kyozo22

I can't speak for everyone, but I'd planned to play through Chapter 1 again once 2 was released, so getting those extras wil be fucking awesome man and well worth the replay!

Edit: Also, ZOMG y u have low jp gains!? :P
  • Modding version: WotL

Pandemoniu

May 31, 2014, 08:54:05 am #3 Last Edit: May 31, 2014, 10:40:16 am by Pandemoniu
I hope no one minds me posting this here rather than starting a whole new thread since it's relevant to this thread.

This post will be long and will contain spoilers, so be mindful of that going forward. Nonetheless, I still hope you take the time out to read it. :D

A quick note: when I say "You", I mean "You All", "You All" being towards whomever is appropriate on the given matter.


I first played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance quite some time back and fell in love with it deeply. Later on, I got my hand on Final Fantasy Tactics. It was a different experience on the one hand, but familiar and similar on the other. I also fell in with Tactics just as much as Tactics Advance despite its differing tone.

I found this website from a link on Tv Tropes not too long ago. They mentioned there was an entire site dedicated to Game Mods of Final Fantasy Tactics, and I was like "Why not?" and clicked on it.

Boy, was I glad I did. :)

Of the different Patches, two caught my eye. Primarily because they were/are treated as "different, but the same" as opposed to "the same, but different". I like the fact that they were new stories and adventures. I'll need to try Call to Power next and see how it goes, but I'm most certainly glad I tried this.

Simple put, I love it! Love it so!  :mrgreen:


One of the things I was really hoping for was the ability to use Alma for a battle, and I got to do so twice in one Chapter! I really hope you guys make her an actual playable character later on down the line. Of course, you can imagine my annoyance when Alma all but pleaded to go with Ramza to Goug only for him to keep saying "No."

Alma: "But what about that crazy silver-haired man who you barely told me about three minutes ago!?"  :mad:

Ramza: "Oh, he's gone. Besides, you have Rad and them to protect you." :)

Me: "Well, duh! Just bring them along, too."

Ramza: "No."

Me and Alma: "Okay Ramza. Whatever you say. I'm sure nothing bad will happen while she/I'm out of your sight as opposed to within it. Again. Again." :roll:

Guess what happened? And the first two guesses don't count.

By the way, I love how the second battle with Alma and them played out.

This is true for other battles as well, but I'm lovin' the sheer usefulness boost of Status Ailments in this Mod. Same goes for "Defending", too. I applaud your insight for these things into making them early, widely, and easily accessible through the Knight's Guard Stance. Who knew the original had all these wonderful and useful Abilities, Skills, and concepts until now? Even Charge feels more useful for some reason.

Love how Alma's weapon is a Hammer. It suits her. From now on, Alma's canon weapon shall always be a Hammer! Nice Bag retool, by the way. :) Or is that a Flail?

Anyway, back to the battle, I enjoyed the way it played out. Basically, we have a straight four-against-four; pretty even, right? Of course, it's against those Monsters you just got through fighting in Zigolis Swamp (more or less). Considering they were five Levels ahead of you the first time, you'd think the appropriate reaction would be to panic, right? Nope! Just let them come to you. As long as you realize this, the battle is simple, so long as you aren't careless. While they trod their way to you, you buff yourself and wait for them to come to you (being mindful of the Werewolf's Roar dispelling your buffs). This is when Rad and his ailments come in shining. You Oil them up and Blind them, and maybe Poison them, too. Then pick them off one by one, leaving the Skeleton for last so he won't resurrect on you.

Like I said, I love how it played out. A lot of care and thought was put into this, from what it seems. This applies to the Mod as a whole, it's just, if I can tell you put this much into this one battle, probably making it one of my favorites of the Chapter, then you can tell the overall love put into the whole thing.

Other assorted things:

- You have made mention to the sheer amount of detail you put into everything for this game Mod to come off as a true sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics, including rewriting descriptions for stuff from the ground up, and it shows. With perhaps one noticeable exception for the detail and immersion obsessed like myself: The lack of Rumors at the Bar.

Other than for viewing those snazzy updating pictures, the Bar is, by and large, useless until about the last fifth of the Chapter. What is it missing in the mean time? Rumors. Things like the latest Gossip, the goings on of strangers, and, as I suggested towards the end, little tips and hints about stuff. Feel free to add this going back through Chapter One so that the Bar doesn't feel like it's just there for as long as it does. Also, don't be shy about getting a little meta about it. Remember, the Rumors from the Bar are a part of the overall immersion of the story and Ivalice at large, so don't let it got to waste.

If you don't seriously consider anything else from what I've typed, I do hope you at least seriously consider this: Add back the Rumors, please. (Rumors would be for Rumors and Propositions would be for Marks.)

- I liked your music choices for battles and scenes. I like the one that plays when Agrias is on the Lionel Castle Gates thinking to herself and also the one when they reach Dorter, I believe it was; that upbeat one. I also look forward to the one that plays only in the snow town that I can't recall the name of. It wasn't heard nearly enough in the original game. It's nice to have such a variety of music throughout the first Chapter.

- I agree with Ramza swearing a wee bit too much for how I'd see Ramza should be swearing. In fact, he seems to slowly get worse once you get to and pass Sweegy Woods. Perhaps tone it down for Ramza a bit?

- The Brave Story section is just as fun as ever. Why do you imply that you'd have to be a boring person to want to spend time there? That place is fun! There is one thing though...

- The Letters to Ramza. I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed that you essentially use them to write off certain characters, specifically Rafa, Malak, and Orlandu. I read them as soon as possible, and when I did, I couldn't help but feel you were writing out the characters that some had a problem with. Funny how Cid, as awesome as he is, conveniently decides that he's getting too old, so you can forget about him joining your adventures. To me, Cid comes off as one those folks who are restless 'til their last days, so to read him saying "My time feels to be at hand" can come off as being said "So don't think you'll be using my brokeness this time around!" :P. Honestly, so long as I'm able to use Agrias and Meliadoul regularly, or at least simi-regularly, I'm not fussed about not being able to use Cid, even as a Guest.

Frankly, though, I am quite a bit disappointed at the heavy implications that I will not be able to use Rafa and Malak at all and, cynically speaking, that they've essentially been replaced by Leesha and Olivander, as much as I love those two. Considering how wonderfully you've revamped everything, including the different Jobs and Skills, I would have loved to see your take on Rafa and Malak's Skill Sets, which are very fun for me to use, tweaking them similar to how War of the Lions did if not better (so long as you didn't get rid of them completely like some choose to do; I wouldn't have cared much for that).

Granted, they could always still show up later regardless of the Letters. However, the Letters themselves heavily imply that they won't. So when one ends up asking "Where the heck are they?", you can go "Well the Letters said...".

- That ending picture was sweet. It's nice that you set out and completed your objective of finding Zelda by Chapter One's end. I need to get a screenshot of that.

- It has already been noted to have been taken care of, but do count me in with those who said that gaining JPs is a bit of a chore in this game. I am glad that's being adjusted to some extent.

- I haven't tried any Marks yet because I wanted to see the ending after the Sephiroth battle. I'll go back and do those in a bit.

- Speaking of that battle, I liked how it played out, too. I am a big fan of those conversations in battle that these three Final Fantasy Tactics have. It makes things more fun overall and make me immerse myself in there world as I ham it up during their speeches. I've only just recently been made aware that this trend was also in the in Tactic's spiritual predecessor, Tactics Ogre, a game I really should play one day. Speaking of which...

- I was a bit sad that there wasn't much in the way of that throughout this Chapter. It would have been nice to have heard some back and forth like it in Tesnya and Romar's battles from them and Leesha and Olivander. Speaking of...

- I quite enjoyed the addition of Leesha and Olivander. I agree with the sentiments that these two provide a link to Ivalice's political side, letting us know that all is not perfect in their land at this point in time, even without the dimensional travelers mucking about.

I find myself particularly drawn to Olivander, his design, and demeanor (and his sprite(s) ;)). He's only 21, and yet he was raised and trained very well (from a given point of well, mind you, as he and his sister were raised to be spies and junk after all), as he exudes confidence and control that makes you can't help but like him. Leesha, too, for that matter, but I just notice it more from Oli. They'll be quite the force for good in the future, I reckon.

- The Delita scenes: Loved them! :mrgreen: Can't wait for more!

- Bartholume had quite the tragic and messy end. Kudos to the balcony-like area that he had his final scene in. Not a big fan of the "blood coughing" and its seeming overuse, though.

- I finished the Chapter pushing 30 and it would have been more had I went after those Marks. I know you had a projection on where one should be on average by that time, but the thing is, one of the biggest ways of enjoying this game is by fighting the random battles. Seeing what they are and finding out if you can tackle them is half the fun. That alone will increase your average Level. Then, add in the need to get JP, and well... This is also taking into account that I was also using Agrias, Leesha, Olivander, and muh Chocobo, too, for some of the encounters (I love muh Chocobo! :wark: And Imma' miss it, too. :(). The JP adjustment might lower this a bit, but I'm not sure.

My point here is that if you take a leisurely stroll and enjoy everything you can without rushing to finish it quickly, being mindful of the fact that, at this point, there is nothing past the first Chapter to rush towards, you're going to be at least in you 20s by Chapter's end. Perhaps something to keep in mind. Also, no, I didn't unlock Ninja or anything.

- The Penultimate battle was kinda hard. I mean, you're in a cramped space and you have three enemies that are faster than you, two of which use a Samurai-like skill that deals 100-120 damage in a wide radius. You start out bunched together. After Ganondorf took out Link in one swipe of his Sword of Sages, his minions used that skill on me, knocking out two of my party in two hits each. It would have been three had the second one been able to reach the exact same targets the first one did. Thank goodness for the Monk's Revive and for the fact that Cloud and Dante, who had Revive, weren't killed along with Snake and Ramza (and Link). Perhaps it's based on Level, but I wonder if that battle could have become unwinnable if you're too high-leveled? Also, who says Mustadio isn't useful enough? He was always useful to me, and he was just as useful in this battle and the next as usual. Go Team Mustadio! And Agrias! :P

- That final battle was quite the epic affair. I was even able to bring muh Chocobo with me into it, thus I had everyone in my party participating. I loved that very much! Mustadio 8 was awesomesauce! Again, who says Mustadio wasn't useful enough? I like the overhaul you did to Worker 8 as a whole, like how you gave him Fly (love the animation!) and increased his Move from 3 to 5 making him all the more practical. Can't wait to use him again. It's a shame he only got a single turn before the battle came to an end.

Also, it was quite sneaky of you to use the conversations as a means of giving Ganondorf more turns than he would have gotten. I don't know if I should be amazed or unamused. It certainly upped the difficulty of the battle, but without making it seem cheap unlike the previous battle with those two minions.

- The ending with Dante was awesome: Ganondorf owning everyone at the last minute, even after losing, only for Dante to get the means to own him in turn. I know you're changing up that part to add Ganon, but I hope you leave in Dante being awesome afterwards. That portrait is too awesome not to use as often as possible.

- Who or what is that Mysterious Cloaked individual and what "debt" does he or she owe?

- Last but not least, I have rather mixed feelings on Iganagi Shock, that is, how you can miss it completely. There is no indication whatsoever that you can even learn it. I would have at least appreciated a hint outside of the vague "Interface Spoiler" the skill screen provides (assuming you view it the right way, of course), even if it was a small one. Having an in-battle conversation could have been a nice way to subtly hint that Ramza could learn it.

I know this was in the original version as well, however, I never was a fan of "Guide Dang It!" situations (situations where you need a guide to find something that is not even made vaguely obvious that it exists or is possible to do in-game and thus end up cursing yourself for missing it). I believe that there's a fine line between discovering things for yourself and "Guide Dang Its!".

For example, you could have had a Rumor at the Bar state something to the effect of:

"There are some interesting and strange skills some people out there have. They probably took years to master them. But you know, there are some people out there who are so quick to the draw that they can master stuff like that just by witnessing them first hand."

That alone could have been a good hint to be on the lookout for things like that.

The only reason I know about this is because of one post on this board that alluded to a "Secret" in spoiler tags without even saying what the secret was... Someone else went on to say that they needed an Ether to get the "Secret", once again without telling what the "Secret" was. I then had to puzzle it out for myself with the little info that I got so that I wouldn't be kicking myself when I realized that I had missed it. Thankfully, this time, I was able to do so.


All in all, I can be perfectly honest when saying that I am glad I tried it first without waiting for Chapter Two's completion. The only downside is that now I have to wait like everybody else. Still, I imagine the wait won't be as long as it would have been had I discovered this sooner than I did.

I hope that my post was a fun an insightful read.

Keep up the good work guys! :D

:more: :more::more:


P.S.: This took me over four and a half hours to type and read over. :shock: Much longer than I intended to spend. And there're probably still typos and junk in it, too...

Durbs

Quote from: Pandemoniu on May 31, 2014, 08:54:05 am
You have made mention to the sheer amount of detail you put into everything for this game Mod to come off as a true sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics, including rewriting descriptions for stuff from the ground up, and it shows. With perhaps one noticeable exception for the detail and immersion obsessed like myself: The lack of Rumors at the Bar.

Other than for viewing those snazzy updating pictures, the Bar is, by and large, useless until about the last fifth of the Chapter. What is it missing in the mean time? Rumors. Things like the latest Gossip, the goings on of strangers, and, as I suggested towards the end, little tips and hints about stuff. Feel free to add this going back through Chapter One so that the Bar doesn't feel like it's just there for as long as it does. Also, don't be shy about getting a little meta about it. Remember, the Rumors from the Bar are a part of the overall immersion of the story and Ivalice at large, so don't let it got to waste.

If you don't seriously consider anything else from what I've typed, I do hope you at least seriously consider this: Add back the Rumors, please. (Rumors would be for Rumors and Propositions would be for Marks.)


Having moved rumors triggering marks to propositions doing so, believe me, there is a plan for the bar. It won't be quite the traditional style that was in vanilla but just be aware that we do indeed intend to utilize that system. That's all I'll say about that for now.

Quote from: Pandemoniu on May 31, 2014, 08:54:05 am
I agree with Ramza swearing a wee bit too much for how I'd see Ramza should be swearing. In fact, he seems to slowly get worse once you get to and pass Sweegy Woods. Perhaps tone it down for Ramza a bit?


This too will be modified for the Ch1 release.

Quote from: Pandemoniu on May 31, 2014, 08:54:05 am
The Brave Story section is just as fun as ever. Why do you imply that you'd have to be a boring person to want to spend time there? That place is fun! There is one thing though...

- The Letters to Ramza. I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed that you essentially use them to write off certain characters, specifically Rafa, Malak, and Orlandu. I read them as soon as possible, and when I did, I couldn't help but feel you were writing out the characters that some had a problem with. Funny how Cid, as awesome as he is, conveniently decides that he's getting too old, so you can forget about him joining your adventures. To me, Cid comes off as one those folks who are restless 'til their last days, so to read him saying "My time feels to be at hand" can come off as being said "So don't think you'll be using my brokeness this time around!" :P. Honestly, so long as I'm able to use Agrias and Meliadoul regularly, or at least simi-regularly, I'm not fussed about not being able to use Cid, even as a Guest.

Frankly, though, I am quite a bit disappointed at the heavy implications that I will not be able to use Rafa and Malak at all and, cynically speaking, that they've essentially been replaced by Leesha and Olivander, as much as I love those two. Considering how wonderfully you've revamped everything, including the different Jobs and Skills, I would have loved to see your take on Rafa and Malak's Skill Sets, which are very fun for me to use, tweaking them similar to how War of the Lions did if not better (so long as you didn't get rid of them completely like some choose to do; I wouldn't have cared much for that).

Granted, they could always still show up later regardless of the Letters. However, the Letters themselves heavily imply that they won't. So when one ends up asking "Where the heck are they?", you can go "Well the Letters said...".


Well here's the thing about this though... JotF is limited physically by the number of sprites, characters, and moves we can use. JotF is essentially a grab bag that says, hey, here's every character in vanilla! Now pick 3 of them. We didn't want to simply forget people, so some of them were forced to leave the big picture. Come later in JotF they may become relevant again for several reasons, but like Elric has also said it's impossible to make everyone happy. Believe me there's not a chance you won't be satisfied by at least 1 of the characters we have planned for the rest of the game.

Quote from: Pandemoniu on May 31, 2014, 08:54:05 am
- Speaking of that battle, I liked how it played out, too. I am a big fan of those conversations in battle that these three Final Fantasy Tactics have. It makes things more fun overall and make me immerse myself in there world as I ham it up during their speeches. I've only just recently been made aware that this trend was also in the in Tactic's spiritual predecessor, Tactics Ogre, a game I really should play one day. Speaking of which...

- I was a bit sad that there wasn't much in the way of that throughout this Chapter. It would have been nice to have heard some back and forth like it in Tesnya and Romar's battles from them and Leesha and Olivander.


JotF is also limited in event space. Every time someone talks individually in a battle, it's its own unique event believe it or not. Just as important reason as to why this didn't happen was because Elric was the only eventer at the time of Ch1 iirc and that's a lot of work for one guy. I can't promise how much of that we'll do in upcoming chapters, but chances are very high that more of that will be incorporated into future chapters.

Quote from: Pandemoniu on May 31, 2014, 08:54:05 am
- The Delita scenes: Loved them! :mrgreen: Can't wait for more!


Oh you'll be getting more delita.

Quote from: Pandemoniu on May 31, 2014, 08:54:05 am
- That final battle was quite the epic affair. I was even able to bring muh Chocobo with me into it, thus I had everyone in my party participating. I loved that very much! Mustadio 8 was awesomesauce! Again, who says Mustadio wasn't useful enough? I like the overhaul you did to Worker 8 as a whole, like how you gave him Fly (love the animation!) and increased his Move from 3 to 5 making him all the more practical. Can't wait to use him again. It's a shame he only got a single turn before the battle came to an end.


This was actually originally a typo that has since been fixed; only 4 units were supposed to be allowed in formation since Link would have to be present. Last I heard Raven was not intent on changing this back to 5.

Quote from: Pandemoniu on May 31, 2014, 08:54:05 am
- Who or what is that Mysterious Cloaked individual and what "debt" does he or she owe?


Patience. :P

Quote from: Pandemoniu on May 31, 2014, 08:54:05 am
- Last but not least, I have rather mixed feelings on Iganagi Shock, that is, how you can miss it completely. There is no indication whatsoever that you can even learn it. I would have at least appreciated a hint outside of the vague "Interface Spoiler" the skill screen provides (assuming you view it the right way, of course), even if it was a small one. Having an in-battle conversation could have been a nice way to subtly hint that Ramza could learn it.

I know this was in the original version as well, however, I never was a fan of "Guide Dang It!" situations (situations where you need a guide to find something that is not even made vaguely obvious that it exists or is possible to do in-game and thus end up cursing yourself for missing it). I believe that there's a fine line between discovering things for yourself and "Guide Dang Its!".


I seem to recall that Ultima was done in a similar fashion, but another thing is that word of mouth has already spread it around anyhow. :P

I'm glad you liked it though. JotF is a big project and it's really rewarding to see that people appreciate the result.
  • Modding version: PSX

Elric

May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pm #5 Last Edit: May 31, 2014, 06:00:31 pm by Elric
I would never mind a long post, just gives me more to reply too, however since it is sooooo long, I will be responding without
quoting, hope that's not an issue.




Very glad you liked the Alma battles, some people felt there were out of place and not very fun at all, but they were supposed
to be akin to the 2 Delita battles you have in WotL. Though much less unloseable than those.




About the Rumors, they were removed in Chapter 1 to make them the Marks. However since this has been restructured and we
will now be using Propositions instead, (see my updated OP of the Chapter 2 Progress log thread) this will change. What you will
get in return will not be quite the same thing as rumors used to be, but it'll still be fun




Glad you liked the choice of music, there is quite a few tracks and its not always easy to find one that fits the mood of the event,
so I'm glad that it appears that we did a good job with what we had to work with. I will look at the Vanilla Coliery events and
see what music is there. Chances are we've used it in Chapter 2 already.




As for the Ramza swearing part, Durbs sees to think from his comment that it'll be changed. However I had no intention of changing
any Chapter 1 scripts other than for some stuff that's being added, but if it's that big of an issue (several people have mentioned it)
I can tone it down a bit, though I can't say I will remove all of them.




The bravestory being boring thing was a joke on Ravens part, we actually spent a lot of time doing work in there as you can tell
and I'm honestly more proud of how the bravestory turned out than a few other things




As for the non-returning characters, something Durbs mentioned what sprite space, but thats not the only issue. The biggest issue
is formation space. Also, you must understand that this is only Chapter 1. You will be getting more characters as the Chapters
continue on, just as in vanilla. Though they may not for the most part, be vanilla characters.




Quote
Honestly, so long as I'm able to use Agrias and Meliadoul regularly, or at least simi-regularly, I'm not fussed about not being able to use Cid, even as a Guest.


:mrgreen:




As for Raka and Malak, they have indeed left Ivalice, some mention or cameo may happen later on, but I wouldn't hope for much
more than that. As for the abilities and jobs, this is all taken care of by RavenOfRazgriz, I cannot imagine that we won't see any
of their formulas again, but I cannot guarantee that either way yet.




The in-battle conversation will start to increase a bit, we actually have a few slots that we may be able to add some into Chapter 1
as well, but I know we do have some of this in Chapter 2.




I'm glad you liked Olivander and Leesha so much, these were originally made as throwaway characters before Tesnya had a twin
or even a name. The evolution of Chapter 1 grew them and their bosses into what they are now and I'm quite happy with that as
well.




Love dat Delita :D




Glad you were able to get thru the random battle, a lot of people insist that they are too hard, but i didn't have this issue. Glad I'm
not the only one.




Holy crap?! You used monk? Like... that thing I've been telling people to do forever when they complain about item expenses? And it
helped? Huh, guess I'm not full of shit afterall, lol




Don't worry there will still be head ripping and DT Dante even with the end battle Chapter 1 updates




As for the Cloaked Stranger, what would the fun be if we just told you flat out? You'll learn more on this character in Chapter 2.




There was no hint in vanilla that Ramza could learn Ultima, and this is the same thing. Not sure why that is an issue, and even if
you don't get it in Ch1, you haven't -missed- it yet.




I'm glad you enjoyed the mod so much, this was a great read and reviews are very important to me, this helps us know our pros
and cons from different sides of the tracks, we may not be able to address everything, but we will certainly do what we can to make
the fans happy
  • Modding version: PSX

Pandemoniu




Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pm
I would never mind a long post, just gives me more to reply too, however since it is sooooo long, I will be responding without
quoting, hope that's not an issue.


Not at all. :) The responses go in order of my post and I'm just glad you did read it.

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmVery glad you liked the Alma battles, some people felt there were out of place and not very fun at all, but they were supposed
to be akin to the 2 Delita battles you have in WotL. Though much less unloseable than those.


I did indeed enjoy them. I also noticed a few responses like that and to tell the truth, was a bit saddened to hear them. They did in fact remind me of the Delita and Ovelia battles, which I also enjoyed, only, as you said, Delita was kinda invincible in his battles. Doesn't mean these Alma battles are impossible to win either.

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmAbout the Rumors, they were removed in Chapter 1 to make them the Marks. However since this has been restructured and we
will now be using Propositions instead, (see my updated OP of the Chapter 2 Progress log thread) this will change. What you will
get in return will not be quite the same thing as rumors used to be, but it'll still be fun


I did happen to see the update earlier, which is how I knew Propositions would be for Marks, which kind of makes more since when you think about it.

Once more, I can't wait for the updated bar!

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmGlad you liked the choice of music, there is quite a few tracks and its not always easy to find one that fits the mood of the event,
so I'm glad that it appears that we did a good job with what we had to work with. I will look at the Vanilla Coliery events and
see what music is there. Chances are we've used it in Chapter 2 already.


Making sure everything is just right would take time.

You first hear the battle music from the snow town when you fight with Olan/Orran as a Guest (his skills are such a tease!). After that, you don't hear it again 'til the Beowulf side missions there. Once that's done, you never hear it again. This is in contrast to the first battle music you hear at the Monastery; you hear that one regularly throughout the game.

Another music that is strangle underutilized is the one that first plays when you first fight Meliadoul. Afterwards, I don't believe ot plays again until that optional Nelveska Temple battle either.

They really has a number of underutilized, and a few less noticeably overutilized, battle music in this game, huh?

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmAs for the Ramza swearing part, Durbs sees to think from his comment that it'll be changed. However I had no intention of changing
any Chapter 1 scripts other than for some stuff that's being added, but if it's that big of an issue (several people have mentioned it)
I can tone it down a bit, though I can't say I will remove all of them.


I would appreciate it being toned down, yes.

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmThe bravestory being boring thing was a joke on Ravens part


Yes, I've noticed from some of his posts that he can be rather...cheeky.  :P

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmwe actually spent a lot of time doing work in there as you can tell
and I'm honestly more proud of how the bravestory turned out than a few other things


As I fell you should be. :)

It is amazing to see the detail you've put into the backstory. You can tell there all kinds of love there.

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmAs for the non-returning characters, something Durbs mentioned what sprite space, but thats not the only issue. The biggest issue
is formation space.


Yep, the "budget" thing again.

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmAlso, you must understand that this is only Chapter 1. You will be getting more characters as the Chapters
continue on, just as in vanilla. Though they may not for the most part, be vanilla characters.


A simple thing, but it is surprisingly comforting to here.

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pm:mrgreen:


Those ladies just don't get the love and respect they deserve, do they?

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmAs for Rafa and Malak, they have indeed left Ivalice, some mention or cameo may happen later on, but I wouldn't hope for much
more than that. As for the abilities and jobs, this is all taken care of by RavenOfRazgriz, I cannot imagine that we won't see any
of their formulas again, but I cannot guarantee that either way yet.


Well, I suppose if some use comes of the Abilities, it be too bad, though I'll still miss those twins.

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmThe in-battle conversation will start to increase a bit, we actually have a few slots that we may be able to add some into Chapter 1
as well, but I know we do have some of this in Chapter 2.


Ooh, exciting!  :mrgreen:

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmI'm glad you liked Olivander and Leesha so much, these were originally made as throwaway characters before Tesnya had a twin
or even a name. The evolution of Chapter 1 grew them and their bosses into what they are now and I'm quite happy with that as
well.


Wow. I'm definitely thankful for what they evolved into.

(I don't know why I keep gushing over Olivander. He's just soooo coool!)

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmLove dat Delita :D


You know it! :D

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmGlad you were able to get thru the random battle, a lot of people insist that they are too hard, but i didn't have this issue. Glad I'm
not the only one.


I admit that I do pick and choose my battles when I can. For example, the battle going in from the north on Bariaus Hill with the 5 Lamias and the Beastmaster is one I haven't tried to fight yet, though I may do so after completing the Marks just to try. Also, the battle on Zerikile Falls going in from the north as well that has the six Turtles. Because they all have that Rock Spell that pelts more than one person from afar and they take their turns back to back, they can leave you devastated before you can get to do anything meaningful. And they're pretty tough beyond that as well.

Other than those two I haven't had much real problems or frustrations.

My favorite Random Encounters are the alternate battle from the Lamias mentioned above. There are a lot of enemies, but they're spread enough that you can take them out piece by piece, letting the Bombs keep the other distracted until your ready top take them on. Probably the most clever Random Encounter out there. I also like the one with the Chocobo plus Beastmaster facing all those Skeletons. Especially if you bring the right skills and your own Chocobo with you.

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmHoly crap?! You used monk? Like... that thing I've been telling people to do forever when they complain about item expenses? And it
helped? Huh, guess I'm not full of shit afterall, lol


Oh yeah, I had the Five each go through a tenure together as Monks (though Ramza and Snake were doing other stuff and ended up behind). Cloud and Dante kept Martial Arts after that and they only knew Chakra, Purify, and Revive.

Still, is choosing Monk really tha uncommon? I guess they just want to sty in the Five's Base Classes.

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmDon't worry there will still be head ripping and DT Dante even with the end battle Chapter 1 updates


Wonderful!!! (Hmm, that came out too excited for hear ripping...)

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmAs for the Cloaked Stranger, what would the fun be if we just told you flat out? You'll learn more on this character in Chapter 2.


Mind you, I never actually expected an early answer for this. Just trying to show my enthusiasm for the character.

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmThere was no hint in vanilla that Ramza could learn Ultima, and this is the same thing. Not sure why that is an issue, and even if you don't get it in Ch1, you haven't -missed- it yet.


As I've said, I am indeed aware of that fact. I suppose it's not something easy for some to understand.

Besides, with no in-game hint or nudge, later chances won't mean much, because if you weren't aware of it before hand the first time, how or why would you be aware of it later?

Quote from: Elric on May 31, 2014, 01:59:15 pmI'm glad you enjoyed the mod so much, this was a great read and reviews are very important to me, this helps us know our pros
and cons from different sides of the tracks, we may not be able to address everything, but we will certainly do what we can to make
the fans happy


Once more, I'm quite happy to have played this Mod when I did instead of waiting. Count me in with the rest who are waiting patiently but eagerly for the next Chapter.

As always, keep up the great work!  :mrgreen:

Lijj

Quote from: Pandemoniu on May 31, 2014, 08:54:05 am
Love how Alma's weapon is a Hammer. It suits her. From now on, Alma's canon weapon shall always be a Hammer!

Hell yeah Alma's hammer brought me immense joy:
  • Modding version: PSX

Elric


I vote this get added to the emote selection as the new ban hammer
(what happened to the old one BTW?)

  • Modding version: PSX

Lijj

Hmm it is gone.

That'd be cool..
That or a Xifanie maid w/ banhammer version.
  • Modding version: PSX

Pandemoniu

June 02, 2014, 08:18:21 am #10 Last Edit: June 02, 2014, 06:01:14 pm by Pandemoniu
Another thing that has just been brought to my remembrance is how Alma responded to Dante blatantly hitting on her.

She totally steers the "conversation" into a completely different direction, asking about what a restaurant is (I guess Ivalice doesn't have places you can dine out at), distracting Dante long enough before then going "Can I speak to you in private, Brother?", thus ending any chance for a follow-up from Dante.

This young lady can take care of herself.

EDIT: Also, was I the only who caught the blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo of that original Black Mage sprite in Goug when Dante and Link ran into Besrodio?

I don't recall anyone else talking about it.

EDIT 2: You know what? I had a reply to Durbs' post alongside Elric's that I had in two different reply windows. I was going to past Elric's reply in Durbs' window and I finished both, but after finishing Elric's, I hit post and forgot all about the other window. I ended up closeing Durbs' window too, so I'll get back to it later.

Pandemoniu

Quote from: Durbs on May 31, 2014, 11:19:13 am
Having moved rumors triggering marks to propositions doing so, believe me, there is a plan for the bar. It won't be quite the traditional style that was in vanilla but just be aware that we do indeed intend to utilize that system. That's all I'll say about that for now.


Well then, I look forward to what comes of it.

Quote from: Durbs on May 31, 2014, 11:19:13 amThis too will be modified for the Ch1 release.


Though I'm glad to hear this, too, based on what Elric said...

Quote from: Durbs on May 31, 2014, 11:19:13 amWell here's the thing about this though... JotF is limited physically by the number of sprites, characters, and moves we can use. JotF is essentially a grab bag that says, hey, here's every character in vanilla! Now pick 3 of them. We didn't want to simply forget people, so some of them were forced to leave the big picture. Come later in JotF they may become relevant again for several reasons, but like Elric has also said it's impossible to make everyone happy. Believe me there's not a chance you won't be satisfied by at least 1 of the characters we have planned for the rest of the game.

JotF is also limited in event space. Every time someone talks individually in a battle, it's its own unique event believe it or not. Just as important reason as to why this didn't happen was because Elric was the only eventer at the time of Ch1 iirc and that's a lot of work for one guy. I can't promise how much of that we'll do in upcoming chapters, but chances are very high that more of that will be incorporated into future chapters.


Yeah, this is one thing I didn't consider much: the "budget" you all have. You have to be mindful of what you put where so as not to "overspend" yourselves.

I look forward to what's to come in this regard, especially with regards to the former thing.

Quote from: Durbs on May 31, 2014, 11:19:13 amOh you'll be getting more delita.


Wonderful!  :mrgreen:

It surprises me that I enjoy watching Delita as I do, as I normally don't care to follow characters of his kind.

Maybe it's because of how he began? Personally, I still consider Delita Ramza's best friend, despite all that has happened.

Quote from: Durbs on May 31, 2014, 11:19:13 amThis was actually originally a typo that has since been fixed; only 4 units were supposed to be allowed in formation since Link would have to be present. Last I heard Raven was not intent on changing this back to 5.


Hmm. That's too bad. Well, at least I was able to do it that one time.

If it means anything, I don't believe it ever goes over the "9 unique sprite limit" since Mustadio 8 replaces Zelda, nor do I recall any glitching or anything.

Quote from: Durbs on May 31, 2014, 11:19:13 amPatience. :P


...Is a virtue, I know. :P

Quote from: Durbs on May 31, 2014, 11:19:13 amI seem to recall that Ultima was done in a similar fashion, but another thing is that word of mouth has already spread it around anyhow. :P


Well, as I mentioned before, I am aware of this. Still doesn't mean I'm a fan of it. As I said, an in-game hint or nudge would be nice.

Quote from: Durbs on May 31, 2014, 11:19:13 amI'm glad you liked it though. JotF is a big project and it's really rewarding to see that people appreciate the result.


And I do! Very much so! :D

Thanks for reading and responding and keep up the good work!  :mrgreen:

Hyraldelita

Pandemonium i love that sentence you wrote "Personally i still see Delita as Ramza best friend"

I feel you so much about that.

My dream in this patch is that Delita and Ramza Join forces again to fight a stronger opponent :_:

That would make me cry of joy

Pandemoniu

Quote from: Hyraldelita on October 26, 2015, 07:18:28 pm
Pandemonium i love that sentence you wrote "Personally i still see Delita as Ramza best friend"

I feel you so much about that.

My dream in this patch is that Delita and Ramza Join forces again to fight a stronger opponent :_:

That would make me cry of joy


Glad to see I'm not the only one who feels this way regarding Delita and Ramza's friendship.

KingUrameshi

As much as Delita has hit reality I would be happy to see him keep his convictions and join forces with Ramza also. I feel Delita needs to come out on top at the end of all of this to stay true to the cannon of FFTs. He should not only get by on secrets and half truths but also on his own strength that he has proven he has time and time again. Some where deep down he should also prove to be a great king especially if they were talking about him generations later as a great king. Maybe have him deal with some kind of invasion while all of the craziness of the 5 is going on.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
You have allies... Friends that would risk their lives, and I am one of them.

Elric

hi guis!

I herd you leik deliter/ramza friendz

  • Modding version: PSX

KingUrameshi

  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
You have allies... Friends that would risk their lives, and I am one of them.

Pandemoniu

Quote from: KingUrameshi on November 02, 2015, 08:55:04 pm
Nice!  :mrgreen:


Yep! :D

Makes you wonder exactly what's going on? Love seeing them together, though.

Elric

  • Modding version: PSX

Mudvayne

Ahh that video made me very, very excited! I absolutely cannot wait!  :mrgreen: :mrgreen: