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[sappyday]

Some things I took notice:

- Sprinting and the amount of time it takes for Noctis to get tired will most likely stay in the game. However, there will be certain food that you can eat during camping that will make Noctis travel faster and farther.

- Warping around the world at any point will not be in the game. They just can't figure it out without having too many issues. If they do find a way then they will implement it.

- They totally didn't know Titan was in the game.

- Noctis's VA is different and is said to sound like how we "think" he's supposed to sound like. However, no mention of dialogue rewrite or if the other VA's are getting changed (I would assume some would like Ignis's voice to be different).

- Dynamic party exploration. There are times where you and Promto are exploring and doing a mission. Times when Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis are all doing something together but not with you. And times when each individual is doing something different. They all eventually meet up again when coming to camp. I like that idea but I'm not sure if the difficulty will adjust for it.

- The combat is pretty much set in stone. They're gonna tweak it but it will not go in Kingdom Hearts territory or Dragon's Dogma. I'm perfectly fine with this. The combat was good even with an half assed version of it in the demo. I was one of those that was most skeptical at first but they pulled me through.



The most worrisome issue I see so far is Cindy and the treatment of woman. To point it out more, if the very own developers can't see why people think a woman dressed with short shorts (with a thong visible) and a half-top (breasts very visible) is disgusting then who knows how the other women in this game will be. The only other girl we've seen so far is Luna/Stella. So far she isn't a sex object but she could fall in a trope that most developers obliviously use so much of. The most obvious one being the damsel in distress.


Personally, I don't believe this. I still believe the game is following Nomura's and the other writer's (forgot his name, sorry) story. I trust them more in providing some strong female characters (Kairi is getting a keyblade and joining the fight in KH3) than what I've seen Tabata has done with the one female character he and his team added (that we know about). Cindy is still a problem (even though she is very cute and a cool character) but she is very minor so I don't care in the end.

 

[Obliterator]

Wow so we are getting an update / add on to the demo?! Sounds great

 

[pszet0]

The people defending and trying to justify Cindy's design are either completely tone deaf misogynist or both. Theres nothing wrong with liking the design but saying it isn't a problematic design, glossing over that the design is pretty much only for male gaze, or even attempting to justify the design jsut signals that you have your head way too far up "japanese culture" to actually see the problems with it.

fyi: I'm one of the Euro's that complained about the design. I find it completely immersion breaking because it doesn't really feel like it belongs in the world they've created. The sketch being passed around is a much better design. It actually looks like a mechanics getup and its attractive without being in your face with ass 'n' titties.

Do you have a problem with Gladiolus being half shirtless?

 

[Falk]

Wow so we are getting an update / add on to the demo?! Sounds great

It's not confirmed.

Ball is in Sony/MS's court due to the patching of a demo being pretty damn unprecedented.

 

[Liquid_015]

Ugh. Just read transcript to the ATB. I find it disappointing that there is a high probability that free roam warping will not be available
in the final release of the game. :/

 

[caesar]

Wait...Japan thought it was TOO HARD? Aren't these the same population of players which 10% have cleared the current raid tier in FFXIV compared to 2% of NA/EU? What the hell?

ff is a series for casuls, the mmo is a different thing.

 

[Monocle]

If someone called me "too sexy" I'd take it as a compliment not as a complaint. I'm saying this as a guy though.

Gladiolus is practically shirtless. Where's the outcry for him being deemed "too sexy"?

Do you have a problem with Gladiolus being half shirtless?

The complaint is clear in context. People aren't saying "Wow, that lady looks too good! You should make this good-looking lady look less good because hot women are bad!" They're saying it's off-putting for the only real female character in the demo to have her rack out like an all-you-can-eat buffet, for no practical reason. She's a mechanic, not a lifeguard.

Abs McSmash's open shirt doesn't really compare because there's not some extensive history of male characters being treated as nothing but sexy pin-up posters.

 

[Ray Down]

It's not confirmed.

Ball is in Sony/MS's court due to the patching of a demo being pretty damn unprecedented.

Would it really be a big deal to do that?

 

[QaaQer]

Yeah, I get the impression the tone of this game is going to be pretty horrendous between this and the total "lol who cares" response to what was apparently Europe's #1 complaint.

They're not interested in taking feedback seriously, and don't even seem to understand that people could want women as party members for reasons other than being sex objects.

It does sound unbelievably bad.

I think I'll be dropping out of the FF club. XIII had a great battle system, good enough that I platinumed it. But every other FF game I've played has been kinda bad (I,II,III,IV,VII, X, XIV, Type-0, & XV Demo). Not that I've finished any of those, mind, maybe they all get fantastic at the end.

 

[Falk]

Abs McSmash's open shirt doesn't really compare because there's not some extensive history of male characters being treated as nothing but sexy pin-up posters.

Putting this very fresh and interesting serious discussion aside for a moment Japan also has that covered

 

[Kagari]

Would it really be a big deal to do that?

Has to go through certification, so yes.

 

[Monocle]

Putting this very fresh and interesting serious discussion aside for a moment Japan also has that covered

Oh yes, I know...

 

[Shahed]

Wait...Japan thought it was TOO HARD? Aren't these the same population of players which 10% have cleared the current raid tier in FFXIV compared to 2% of NA/EU? What the hell?

What? Only 2% have done T13? Damn that's pretty low

 

[Dynasty8]

Complaints for Noctis' voice annoys me. I actually really liked it. For the first time in an FF game, the main male character doesn't sound like a squirt.

Tidus and Vaan were very annoying to listen to.

 

[Monocle]

Complaints for Noctis' voice annoys me. I actually really liked it. For the first time in an FF game, the main male character doesn't sound like a squirt.

Tidus and Vaan were very annoying to listen to.

I agree, I don't want him to have the typical young hero voice.

 

[pszet0]

The complaint is clear in context. People aren't saying "Wow, that lady looks too good! You should make this good-looking lady look less good because hot women are bad!" They're saying it's off-putting for the only real female character in the demo have her rack out like an all-you-can-eat buffet, for no practical reason. She's a mechanic, not a lifeguard.

Abs McSmash's open shirt doesn't really compare because there's not some extensive history of male characters being treated as nothing but sexy pin-up posters.

That's what I have trouble understanding. Cindy is such a minor character in the game. You don't like her design? Who cares, you''re probably only gonna go see her when you want to upgrade your car. As for the other female characters who actually matter in the game? We've only seen 2...Stella and Luna and both look very elegant in their presentation so far.

 

[Yabberwocky]

That Cindy design from above fits Tabata's intended character description so much better. Arrrrggh.

Gladiolus is practically shirtless. Where's the outcry for him being deemed "too sexy"?

That isn't the most equal comparison on the objectification front. If Gladiolus was in mid-thigh platform heels, short-shorts, and an exposed g-string along with that open shirt of his, I'm sure there would be!

Make it happen, Square. Everyone gets short-shorts and platform heels.

 

[Reveirg]

I was hoping the lack of exploration music would make it into the top feedback. =(
Hopefully it did come through anyway.

It's much more worrying to me than the camera/framerate issues, but I realize I must be in the minority on this. Too bad.

I'm glad Shimomura's score got so well received though!

 

[Loakum]

This is a Fantasy RPG...are we really arguing about dress appearance realism? Cindy is fine just the way she is! If female lady parts upset EU gamers so much, then change her just in the EU! Leave the NA Cindy alone! I swear Political Correctness has truly ran amuck.

 

[Turin]

Make it happen, Square. Everyone gets short-shorts and platform heels.

 

[Monocle]

That's what I have trouble understanding. Cindy is such a minor character in the game. You don't like her design? Who cares, you''re probably gonna go see her when you want to upgrade your car. As for the other female characters who actually matter in the game? We've only seen 2...Stella and Luna and both look very elegant in their presentation so far.

It's not necessarily a problem by itself, but that outfit fits a much larger pattern of female characters in games, where women are generally hot athletic types with way more revealing outfits than men, combined with a lot less character development than men. There's also the unfortunate coincidence that FFXV has an all-male party, which I think is a really interesting idea that could make the game feel like an awesome road trip just as the devs intend, but when the first girl you meet is dressed like Cindy is, it's not a big stretch to read that as sexism.

I mean, would the game lose anything if she looked like this?

That isn't the most equal comparison on the objectification front. If Gladiolus was in mid-thigh platform heels, short-shorts, and an exposed g-string along with that open shirt of his, I'm sure there would be!

Make it happen, Square. Everyone gets short-shorts and platform heels.

Let's get it done.

 

[Falk]

NA Cidney

she's only Cidney in japan

hope that helps

 

[hodgy100]

Do you have a problem with Gladiolus being half shirtless?

not at-all? and its not really comparable.

The complaint is clear in context. People aren't saying "Wow, that lady looks too good! You should make this good-looking lady look less good because hot women are bad!" They're saying it's off-putting for the only real female character in the demo have her rack out like an all-you-can-eat buffet, for no practical reason. She's a mechanic, not a lifeguard.

Abs McSmash's open shirt doesn't really compare because there's not some extensive history of male characters being treated as nothing but sexy pin-up posters.

basicly that.

That's what I have trouble understanding. Cindy is such a minor character in the game. You don't like her design? Who cares, you''re probably only gonna go see her when you want to upgrade your car. As for the other female characters who actually matter in the game? We've only seen 2...Stella and Luna and both look very elegant in their presentation so far.

She is the only prominent female character in episode duscae.

 

[Shamdeo]

Fully down for the "brotrip" vibe the game is going for, but the dismissal of fan feedback about the female party members and Cindy's portrayal as a singular contradiction, and the implication we've misunderstood her character by questioning that portrayal felt slightly insulting. I wouldn't blame anyone for feeling stronger than that.

It's a story about four brofriends going on a journey together and bond through acts of male intimacy. That's a perfectly fine Final Fantasy story to tell and I think a lot of people understand and want to see that, despite a series convention of having an ensemble cast.

Sort your shit out.

 

[Felessan]

They think people are requesting female party members because they want hot chicks to look at, so they're confused as to why people complained about the hot chick mechanic.

You, among others are quite overreacting here.
It's obviously a joke, and given context is not even invalid one. They do know that their main target audience is young males, half of them from Japan, where putting a "fan service" is common practice.
It's clearly exaggerated, but from my point of view they mostly make fun of their "young male" auditory and it's stereotyped preferences than of any woman.

 

[SolidSnakex]

I was hoping the lack of exploration music would make it into the top feedback. =(
Hopefully it did come through anyway.

Isn't that likely just down to it being an early demo? Similarly to how the field itself is fairly empty right now. Tabata has said that the final one will have a lot more going on in it. It's hard to imagine that they'll launch the game without any music while you're exploring.

 

[QaaQer]

This is a Fantasy RPG...are we really arguing about dress appearance realism? Cidney is fine just the way she is! If female lady parts upset EU gamers so much, then change her just in the EU! Leave the NA Cidney alone! I swear Political Correctness has truly ran amuck.

You don't understand. Re-read the posts by the mods.

 

[theofficefan99]

Complaints for Noctis' voice annoys me. I actually really liked it. For the first time in an FF game, the main male character doesn't sound like a squirt.

Tidus and Vaan were very annoying to listen to.

Same. All the complaints towards Noctis' voice are ridiculous; I love his voice.

 

[JeffZero]

I was hoping the lack of exploration music would make it into the top feedback. =(

I'm hoping there's more of that to be heard in the main game, but I'm not optimistic.

I think it's possible that Square has arrived at the same conclusion (which I detest) that I've seen expressed with at least one other open world developer: "you will be spending so much time here, surely that would get old. No, we don't want to get on your nerves, there won't be any."

Edit:

I'm a little more hopeful after that comment from SolidSnakex.

 

[Falk]

I was hoping the lack of exploration music would make it into the top feedback. =(
Hopefully it did come through anyway.

Isn't that likely just down to it being an early demo? Similarly to how the field itself is fairly empty right now. Tabata has said that the final one will have a lot more going on in it. It's hard to imagine that they'll launch the game without any music while you're exploring.

Can't really divulge much of actual insider info but I can tell you that music feedback did make its way back to both Square Enix and Shimomura.

Spoiler

Including M_Night's heartfelt apology rofl

 

[Asd202]

Damn this is really a fantasy based on feedback. Strange decision to skip E3 with only a brief trailer, maybe there need more time to prepare something hence Gamescom but then again it rather close to TGS. Anyway the way it's going late 2016 at the earliest and it may even slip to 2017 lol. I really like how there not afraid to adress some stuff like Cindy or voice acting.

Edit: I take the last sentence back.

 

[JeffZero]

Can't really divulge much of actual insider info but I can tell you that music feedback did make its way back to both Square Enix and Shimomura.

Praise be to Yevon.

 

[hodgy100]

You, among others are quite overreacting here.
It's obviously a joke, and given context is not even invalid one. They do know that their main target audience is young males, half of them from Japan, where putting a "fan service" is common practice.
It's clearly exaggerated, but from my point of view they mostly make fun of their "young male" auditory and it's stereotyped preferences than of any woman.

Final fantasy is one of the few game series with pretty much a 50/50 male/female split.

 

[Reveirg]

Isn't that likely just down to it being an early demo? Similarly to how the field itself is fairly empty right now. Tabata has said that the final one will have a lot more going on in it. It's hard to imagine that they'll launch the game without any music while you're exploring.

I hope you're right but it's a pretty common design choice in western open-world games.

Can't really divulge much of actual insider info but I can tell you that music feedback did make its way back to both Square Enix and Shimomura.

Awesome, thanks for the info!

 

[Shahed]

This is a Fantasy RPG...are we really arguing about dress appearance realism? Cidney is fine just the way she is! If female lady parts upset EU gamers so much, then change her just in the EU! Leave the NA Cidney alone! I swear Political Correctness has truly ran amuck.

I'm from Europe and I raised it as a big problem. Put all the political correctness and the whole objectification of women in video games to one side. I simply think it's a horrid and sleazy design. Final Fantasy is also typically a game most of my family play ckmpared to others. I knkw for a fact that my sisters will be uncomfortable with her and I really don't want ro deal with awkwardness if there's a scene similar to the demo with her in it and other people walk in and watch me play. It's unnecessary. Those 2 alternative designs someone else posted are pretty good.

And the whole cheerful and outgoing thing they were going for? Cindy's personality covered that pretty well. She herself seemed decently likable which also makes it a shame they felt the need to dress her in a way that overshadows it.

 

[Zareka]

Boy am I glad they're changing how Noctis sounds. The voice did not suit him at all.

Even if he is everywhere, Yuri Lowenthal still would have been a good fit for Noctis imo. Dude is pretty much Sasuke from Naruto already.

 

[Adachi]

Looks like I'm not the only european that's annoyed by this whole "lets throw some out of place ass and tits in our game for fanservice"-trend that's pretty much taken over the entire japanese games industry (unless it's a game specifically for kids), good.

 

[Loakum]

You don't understand. Re-read the posts by the mods.

I understand perfectly. I stand by my previous comment. I've seen this happen way too many times before: at first the developers state they won't change a thing, before caving into the P.C. outraged crowd. If SE sticks to their original artistic vision, then awesome, but I 'm just expressing my 2cents on the matter.

 

[glaurung]

A second demo? Wow.

I wonder how they will distribute it. Packed into Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster for the PS4? Or give it away to anyone for free?

Also, boo Cid's breast reduction. I will pay for a DLC that restores her original bust.

 

[Jolkien]

A second demo? Wow.

I wonder how they will distribute it. Packed into Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster for the PS4? Or give it away to anyone for free?

Also, boo Cid's breast reduction. I will pay for a DLC that restores her original bust.

It's an update of the demo we currently have. Not packaged in another game.

 

[sappyday]

A second demo? Wow.

I wonder how they will distribute it. Packed into Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster for the PS4? Or give it away to anyone for free?

Also, boo Cid's breast reduction. I will pay for a DLC that restores her original bust.

Not a second demo. An update to the first.

 

[Reveirg]

I'm hoping there's more of that to be heard in the main game, but I'm not optimistic.

I think it's possible that Square has arrived at the same conclusion (which I detest) that I've seen expressed with at least one other open world developer: "you will be spending so much time here, surely that would get old. No, we don't want to get on your nerves, there won't be any."

Edit:

I'm a little more hopeful after that comment from SolidSnakex.

Yeah I've seen that argument thrown around a lot (I even have to battle through that a bit at work personnally).

It's a valid concern and it's a solution that can work in some games, but there are a lot of ways around it. Especially for a mainline FF, I don't think silence is the best way to go.

 

[pszet0]

A second demo? Wow.

I wonder how they will distribute it. Packed into Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster for the PS4? Or give it away to anyone for free?

Also, boo Cid's breast reduction. I will pay for a DLC that restores her original bust.

It would be an update that you would download to the existing demo.

 

[Kagari]

Soundtrack has never been any of SE's problems.

 

[glaurung]

It's an update of the demo we currently have. Not packaged in another game.

OK, good to know.

But still, a demo getting a 2.0 treatment. What an age we live in.

To be honest, all their talk about what they need to change leaves me to believe that the game is much further away than I presumed. I thought they would be ready for release around February 2016, but now I think they are aiming for late summer 2016.

 

[Jonneh3003]

Havn't played the demo myself but it's a bit worrying that controls and battle system are the lowest scoring elements..

 

[benzy]

Spoiler

Including M_Night's heartfelt apology rofl

Bahahaha. :O

 

[Jolkien]

Havn't played the demo myself but it's a bit worrying that controls and battle system are the lowest scoring elements..

There's dog monster that the camera is having a hard time keeping up with. They are a total pain in the ass to fight against. Let alone a herd of 10-12 of them. And that's even without mentionning to get a hard camera lock-on you need to keep a button pressed for 2-3 second, otherwise you need to keep the lock on button pressed.

They need to slow the enemies down or speed us up depending on their vision of the combat system.

 

[JeffZero]

OK, good to know.

But still, a demo getting a 2.0 treatment. What an age we live in.

To be honest, all their talk about what they need to change leaves me to believe that the game is much further away than I presumed. I thought they would be ready for release around February 2016, but now I think they are aiming for late summer 2016.

I would advise telling yourself it's at least an October 2016 release, if not later. Nevermind all my actual reasons for believing it; it'll do us some good to put such a distance on it anyway. If we're wrong it'll be great. If we're right we were prepared.

 

[hodgy100]

Havn't played the demo myself but it's a bit worrying that controls and battle system are the lowest scoring elements..

its not that they are bad. its just that they could be better and we already know square changed things even before the demo released.

I dont mind that square is using this as essentially their user testing. as it's likely to be the fans that are most involved.