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FFT Newtype Questionaire- Vote or Die!

Started by Eternal248, November 03, 2010, 10:28:24 pm

Eternal

OK, folks, I have 7 questions that need answering preferably before I continue working on Newtype. Some of these are pretty important, others not so much. I'll list the pros and cons of each choice, just to give you an idea of what we're working with. Thus, since this patch is just as much yours as it is mine, I think it's fair to give you all a chance to decide on what happens in it.

1) Split the patch into two? (One patch for Chapter One/Two, another for Chapter Three/Four)

[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Pros: By splitting the patch into two, it would give Pride and I a ton of room for new events and battles. Some concepts of events and battles we've come up for thus far are a battle at Igros where you fend off the Corpse Brigade as Dycedarg and Zalbag (before Tietra is kidnapped), a secret ending, and possibly Delita-specific battles. Also, I -think- this will give us more room for sprites, although I can't be certain.

Cons: Splitting the patch into two will require more effort on the part of the player when it comes to patching. Basically, after the War of the Lions scene after Queklain, you'd have to make a hard save, open the second ISO with Patch 2, and load from there. Although it probably won't be that difficult to figure out for us here at FFH, people who are new to patches might be confused after Queklain.

2) Keep increased item costs?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Pros: Higher item costs will make the player have to wisely choose which items they want, rather than just automatically going for an upgrade. This means that at one shop, the player may have to choose to upgrade weapons, and at the next one, they might need to purchase new armor, but not be able to afford weapons. This adds a bit of strategy when it comes to conserving Gil, especially on common sundries such as Potions and Phoenix Downs (which are going to be set at 1,000 Gil, rather than 2,000 as it was previously.)

Cons: By having increased item costs, the player might need to grind more and grinding really isn't much fun at all and I'd like to avoid that. Further, lower item costs takes away some of the aforementioned strategy with conserving Gil.

3) Do as FFT Arena did and try and make each item useful throughout the game?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Pros: Having a variety of items at your disposal gives the player more choice for builds for their character. Thus, by giving most items unique effects, it opens a variety of potentially interesting and varied builds to use throughout the game.

Cons: This might seem like a no-brainer question, but the problem comes with a lack of Item Attribute slots to give items, well, effects. This would mean that many weapons would just have differentiated elements/WP/EVD and really wouldn't be all that interesting.

4) Welcome Luso and/or Cloud to your party?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Pros: More characters, opportunity for a more varied party.

Cons: Takes up both skill and sprite slots that could otherwise be used elsewhere for something totally new.

5) Innate Weapon Guard (Parry) on all?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Pros: Innate: Weapon Guard is a pretty popular ASM to put into patches, and it seems to make players use higher Evasion weapons more than if it was not innate.

Cons: Makes Alicia and Lavian's Fencer jobs less unique (as they'll have Innate: Weapon Guard).

6) Use the Defend decreasing damage ASM?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Pros: Makes Defend a viable command over Wait in some instances in which a unit would not be able to/want to act, and makes Defend a viable choice in some builds that a player might want to use.

Cons: To my knowledge, the Defend ASM can cause the game to crash on certain emulators and on a PS/PS2/PS3. Therefore, if the ASM is used, people playing it on those might encounter problems.

7) Enemy Level Scaling: Yay or Nay?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Pros: With enemy levels scaling, it adds a challenge to battles and prevents the player from just being able to grind their way to victory.

Cons: If enemy levels scale too much, players might have -too much- of a problem defeating enemies. Therefore, it can take the enjoyment out of playing the game if you accidentally overlevel. Newtype isn't meant to be nearly as difficult as 1.3, but it's also not meant to be as easy as Vanilla.

Thanks for doing your civic duty and voting. ^_^
  • Modding version: PSX & WotL
"You, no less human than we? Ha! Now there's a beastly thought. You've been less than we from the moment your baseborn father fell upon your mother in whatever gutter saw you sired! You've been chattel since you came into the world drenched in common blood!"
  • Discord username: eternal248#1817

Pride

1) Split the patch into two? (One patch for Chapter One/Two, another for Chapter Three/Four)

  • Yes
[ ] No

2) Keep increased item costs?

  • Yes
[ ] No

Once Props are unlocked, this is basically a non-issue anyways.

3) Do as FFT Arena did and try and make each item useful throughout the game?

  • Yes
[ ] No

4) Welcome Luso and/or Cloud to your party?

[ ] Yes
  • No

5) Innate Weapon Guard (Parry) on all?

  • Yes
  • [] No

    6) Use the Defend decreasing damage ASM?

    [ ] Yes
  • No

7) Enemy Level Scaling: Yay or Nay?

  • Yes
[ ] No
  • Modding version: PSX
Check out my ASM thread. Who doesn't like hax?

Attica!

1. Yes
I'm all for splitting the patch if it'll result in a superior product.

2. No
I get that strategy is important, but 1k a pop for Phoenix Downs? I know you all are a hardcore bunch, but does the patch have another way to revive people early on, ala 1.3's Wish? Or do we have to grind for Raise and hope we don't die?

3. Yes
More customization is better.

4. Undecided
Is this replacing Cloud with someone new, or just kicking him out to save space in the game?

5. No
Innate Weapon Guard on some classes seems like a more interesting option.

6. No
Don't want to introduce instability where it's unnecessary.

7. Yes
Do it up.


FFMaster

1) Split the patch into two? (One patch for Chapter One/Two, another for Chapter Three/Four)

[ ] Yes
[X] No

Comments: I don't like splitting the patch into 2 isos. It would bring a few other issues. For example, what happens if I forget to save after Queklain?

2) Keep increased item costs?

[X] Yes
[ ] No

3) Do as FFT Arena did and try and make each item useful throughout the game?

[X] Yes
[ ] No

Comments: I believe the Q2/3 are related. If every item was equally useful, then to represent a change in units, you would have to make stat changes more drastic, and rebalance growths/multiplers around that fact, compared to vanilla. Since all equipment would be fairly equally useful, I assume prices would be around the same as well. If there was a way to stop massive money gain later on, then I am all for it. Otherwise, during endgame, it would become to easy to farm the equipment you want.

4) Welcome Luso and/or Cloud to your party?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[X] Undecided

Comments: This isn't my area, I don't mind either choice.

5) Innate Weapon Guard (Parry) on all?

[X] Yes
[ ] No

Comments: If it makes their unique classes a little worse, why not give them something else?

6) Use the Defend decreasing damage ASM?

[ ] Yes
[X] No

Comments: Since you plan to use the Fury hack, this needs to be a NO. Fury hack and Defend hack crashes the game.

7) Enemy Level Scaling: Yay or Nay?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[X] Undecided

Comments: Maybe a mix of both? I'm not sure on this one either.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
☢ CAUTION CAUTION ☢ CAUTION CAUTION ☢

Eternal

We were talking about this on IRC, but a note that if the patch is split into two, we'd most likely need a way for people to know to save right after Queklain, before Chapter 3. Voldemort said that it would look unprofessional to have a message telling people to "switch to Patch 2" or whatever, whereas Hana is for it. Thoughts?

Also, if the patch is split into two, feel free to give ideas on events/battles you might want to see.
  • Modding version: PSX & WotL
"You, no less human than we? Ha! Now there's a beastly thought. You've been less than we from the moment your baseborn father fell upon your mother in whatever gutter saw you sired! You've been chattel since you came into the world drenched in common blood!"
  • Discord username: eternal248#1817

Attica!

Inform them about the patch switch before Gaf 3. Tell them there's no going back and to make sure to save at the end of Chapter 2 to continue the story.

Celdia

1) Split the patch into two? (One patch for Chapter One/Two, another for Chapter Three/Four)

  • Yes
[ ] No

Big yes, here. There's just so much potential for that extra space.

2) Keep increased item costs?

  • Yes
[ ] No

Forget 1000 for the Phoenix Downs. Hell, forget 2000. Make 'em 3000!   :?:


4) Welcome Luso and/or Cloud to your party?

[ ] Yes
  • No

Nothing really against Luso or Cloud but they have nothing to do with the game itself. They were added in as fun little easter eggs and I'm all in favor of that kind of idea but there's no reason to limit it to Cloud, Luso or even Balthier. I say if you're going to use the template for their events to have new characters join late game (which is its own kind of annoying unless they come in already leveled up) then put in your own custom characters instead of the ones that have been used before.

5) Innate Weapon Guard (Parry) on all?

[] Yes
  • No
or
  • Both

While playing there have been more than a few times where I have wished this was available on a character or two but on reflection that's because I just wanted far too much in a single character. If you can apply this to just a few classes that it makes sense to give it to, that seems sensible. If your only option is to give it to everyone, then don't.

6) Use the Defend decreasing damage ASM?

[ ] Yes
  • No

Elitist sort of answer, but if people can't figure out a way to set up their game to get around this ASM causing a crash, fuck 'em.

7) Enemy Level Scaling: Yay or Nay?

  • Yes
[ ] No

Level scaling is always a great option because it is just too easy to grind away for a bit and then blow away everything in your path. I don't think any of us around here want a total cakewalk of a patch.
  • Modding version: PSX
  • Discord username: Celdia#0

Dominic NY18

The only thing I've an opinion on is higher items costs. And I know I'll probably be one of the few to go against them. I hated them in the original Easytype because I thought they didn't really add anything besides just making party management a pain in the ass and giving enemies an unnecessary edge over the player early in the game.

I had a special hatred for Phoenix Downs. IIRC, they can randomly heal up to a certain percentage of the target's HP while reviving them, which makes them a bit more useful than in the vanilla game. And so they command a hefty price premium. But 2000 gil (and even 1000 gil) is just too much for such an important consumable item, especially early in the game when there aren't any alternatives. Not to mention, enemies don't have to worry about managing their wallets, so they can toss all of the phoenix downs they want.

There was no strategy involved with buying them because I stopped buying them altogether after awhile and just invested JP in revival skills instead.


The problem I have with costs in terms of equipment was that it quickly became imbalanced, both in the player party and between the player and the enemy. While enemies were steadily getting better stuff to wear, I was scrounging up gil just a buy a single piece of armor. The end result is where you could comfortably equip a party of four or five in the original game with a given amount of gil, that same amount of gil in Easytype would allow you to equip one or two units in the latest gear, at best. And because equipment was still mostly just a vertical affair (y piece of gear is better than x piece of gear that came before it), there was little reason to keep using older pieces of equipment. Except you had to because you're too broke to buy anything better. It just makes party management more of hassle than it should be.

Instead of prohibitive costs, I think your plan to make equipment upgrades more horizontal would be a better way to make players think a little more strategically about buying a certain piece of gear.

SilvasRuin

I didn't read the other replies, so forgive me if my advice is redundant.

1.)  Yes

Name the patches Disk 1 and Disk 2, have a Readme instructing them to name their ISO's accordingly, and put in a message about needing to save and boot up Disk 2 at that point.  You can style the message after all those older (and some not so old) RPGs that have multiple disks.

2.)  Undecided

I despise grinding, but as long as the gil flows fast enough that the PCs aren't lagging behind in equipment quality, then it shouldn't be a problem.  Making expendables more expensive helps curb spamming them too, but if someone could figure out how to limit how many the player could carry without serious bugs, that would be preferable.  Or rather a mix of the two would be.

3.)  Yes and No.

I love having to make tough strategic decisions on how to outfit my characters, but making ALL the items in the game perpetually useful would ultimately lower the amount of items in the game, at least to avoid duplicates.  Make tiers, and make a few equal choices each tier.
Maybe make the items able to compete to some small degree with the tier above them, such as, I don't know, limiting certain bonuses to every other tier so that if you REALLY want that advantage, you'll have to pick the lower tier.  Not too sure about doing that, though.

4.)  Conditional

If you can make them true to their originals to some degree and avoid making them useless or overpowered, then sure, go for it.  Please do NOT make Luso a Ramza clone though.  I'd prefer taking some ideas from FFTA2 classes instead.  Parivir shouldn't be too hard to mimick.

5.)  Conditional

Can you make Parry worth using compared to other abilities of its type?  Then no, don't make it innate.
Are you unable to make it appealing compared to other more awesome abilities?  Then yes, make it innate.

6.)  Undecided/No

I prefer Defend lowering damage rather than helping evasion.  That said, accessability is more important.

7.)  Undecided

That very question has made me think that if/when I make a patch that I just want to elliminate exp gain and leveling at all, or start everyone off at max level.
Just... do what makes sense.  Pick whatever fits into the plot to the point that it seems intuitive, if you can.

Kagebunji

1.)I wanted you to split a patch into four parts if this would help, lol. So my choice is obvious. Also, if anyone is interested in Newtype at least a bit, and knows how to read, he/she will know to save after Queky. I suggest you write WITH VERY BIG LETTERS right to the ppf to save after Queky, that way noobs will know to save.

Yes

2.)Yes
3.)Yes
4.)Cloud? No, I would like to see Zack more :3. Luso IS from Ivalice game too...but I dunno. I leave it to you, Et.
5.)Like FFM said, try giving them something else to make then unique.

Yes.
6.)Due to crashes

No

7.)Yes
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown

Dome


"Be wise today so you don't cry tomorrow"

Zaen

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. Yes
You could always use the aforementioned tier system with varied choices. Preferably make armor tiered over making weapons tiered. You don't need to use EVERYTHING, but yeah. Do this as much as you can.
 
4. No

5. Yes
You could give Fencer more C-evasion...

6. Yes
Like I said, I'm 99% sure that Zodiac updated both of those hacks in his ASM topic. Sure, they aren't in the easy OrgASM format, but it's not that difficult to do. OrgASM is horribly out of date, so a lot of the stuff in it are buggy... but if you use the ASM that Zodiac has updated, it'll work just fine. If in the rare case that I'm wrong, fine. Don't put it in.

7. Yes
"Oh, God!! The Hokuten!!" ~Guard, Sand Rat Cellar

FFMaster

What update are you talking about? Zodiac never made the Defend hack, it was Razele. And in his thread, I don't see and Defend hack.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
☢ CAUTION CAUTION ☢ CAUTION CAUTION ☢

LightningHax

1) Split the patch into two? (One patch for Chapter One/Two, another for Chapter Three/Four)

  • Yes
[ ] No

Like Silvas said, just call them Disk 1 and Disk 2.

2) Keep increased item costs?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No
  • Sort of

I really don't care, as long as you don't have an extremely excess amount of money for 90% of the game.

3) Do as FFT Arena did and try and make each item useful throughout the game?

  • Yes
[ ] No

I would love to have some variety in equipment. Just don't over do it.

4) Welcome Luso and/or Cloud to your party?

  • Yes
[ ] No

Make Luso something based on FFTA2.

5) Innate Weapon Guard (Parry) on all?

  • Yes
[ ] No

You can use something else to make Fencer unique.

6) Use the Defend decreasing damage ASM?

[ ] Yes
  • No

Compatibility issues.

7) Enemy Level Scaling: Yay or Nay?

  • Yes
[ ] No

I prefer to use strategy than to grind.

Zaen

He updated Fury so that it didn't conflict, that's what I meant.

EDIT: Oh, I see. I got Defend mixed up with Generic Skillset fix and the Pallete hack. My bad.
"Oh, God!! The Hokuten!!" ~Guard, Sand Rat Cellar

Skip Sandwich

1) Split the patch into two? (One patch for Chapter One/Two, another for Chapter Three/Four)

[X] Yes
[ ] No

Notes: like you said, it really shouldn't be too difficult for us here to figure out, and you could always add a scene after Q where Boco appears and instructs us on proper patching procedure to continue

2) Keep increased item costs?

[X] Yes
[ ] No

Notes: this answer will tie into my answer to question 3, below

3) Do as FFT Arena did and try and make each item useful throughout the game?

[X ] Yes
[ ] No

Notes: rather then throughout the game, have the items from Patch 1 useful throughout Chapter 1&2, and the items from Patch 2 useful throughout Chapter 3&4


4) Welcome Luso and/or Cloud to your party?

[ ] Yes
[ X] No

Notes: if anything, i'd rather see more events where we have to choose between recruiting 1 character over another, like what you have set up for the Bethla Garrison battle

5) Innate Weapon Guard (Parry) on all?

[ ] Yes
[ X] No

Notes: only if Lavian and Alicia can equip both knives and swords, so i can go Two Sword Main Gauche/whatever longsword action

6) Use the Defend decreasing damage ASM?

[ ] Yes
[X ] No

Better to make Defend part of another skillset, preferably one that already has good base evasion (such as Fencer), you could also use the ARH to make a "Riposte" type ability usable only while in defending status.

7) Enemy Level Scaling: Yay or Nay?

[ X] Yes
[ ] No

Notes: Yes, but just use the + x party level feature with restraint (exception for the DD of course, since that is supposed to be an end/post game playground)
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Kihaku_FTW

1) Split the patch into two? (One patch for Chapter One/Two, another for Chapter Three/Four)

[ ] Yes
[X] No

Comments: I don't like the idea of having 2 different parts for 1 patch, just makes it more confusing and wierd.

2) Keep increased item costs?

[X] Yes
[ ] No

3) Do as FFT Arena did and try and make each item useful throughout the game?

[X] Yes
[ ] No

4) Welcome Luso and/or Cloud to your party?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[X] Undecided

Comments: I don't really care about Luso or Cloud, they can come or go.

5) Innate Weapon Guard (Parry) on all?

[X] Yes
[ ] No

Comments: Would make the game easier and harder in certian situations due to mega block hax, but i guess its ok.

6) Use the Defend decreasing damage ASM?

[ ] Yes
[X] No

Comments : Good as is.

7) Enemy Level Scaling: Yay or Nay?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[X] Undecided

Comments: And again here, i cant decide much.
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