[IGN First] Final Fantasy XV combat gameplay

Next part of the interview:

Harada:
I see. So that's the 'FF Virus'. It's easy to understand.
Tabata:
Therefore, there was a time when within the team they tried to persuade the other by saying 'We are not special people, hurry up and open your eyes'. But it when we released information about FFXV to the world that I had realized, this was not just within the company. Everyone had caught the FF Virus too.
Harada:
I agree, it's a common topic. Even with the series I am undertaking, if we make drastic changes to the system, story or the character lineup, as expected we hear 'This isn't Tekken at all!' kinds of strong backlash from the community.
Tabata:
It's exactly those voices of people who wants to maintain the tradition that is the immensely strong majority. Like it was terrible when it was announced the directors would change. *laughs* But it's for this reason, that I could firmly grasp the current impending danger to the current state of FF. If we don't keep up with the times and modernize FF, it could all end.
 
4Gamer:
Tabata-san, so far from all the interviews that you had, you always replied to the question 'What makes FF a FF' with 'To be a AAA title' right? I can clearly understand your intentions. But I feel that perhaps what fans think of what makes FF a FF to be completely different.
Tabata:
Surely that is probably the case. When it was announced that FFXV would be open-world, it invoked much criticism like 'Open-world? F*ck'n kidding me!?'. It would seem that it was something that did not match their own nostalgic perceptions of what FF was.
Harada:
Though when I heard it was open-world, I thought it was pretty grand and cool. After all, FF's selling point was about the story isn't it? A clockwork story revolving in a strong well-developed world. To go open-world would be to abandon this aspect right? Since the experience would be different depending on the players. It's my personal opinion, but I think that's something that a game so called 'JRPG' shouldn't be.
Tabata:
Ah... ... this conversation, is getting interesting (big grin).

Tabata:
First of all, I want to make this clear, that FFXV is not a 'Traditional open-world game'. The central plot that is the story is not missing, but we are using the latest open-world technologies to connect the bridges to complete the story.
Harada:
In other words, the main objective story is planned out, but there is more freedom in the play style?
 
Brentonp said:
4Gamer:
Tabata-san, so far from all the interviews that you had, you always replied to the question 'What makes FF a FF' with 'To be a AAA title' right? I can clearly understand your intentions. But I feel that perhaps what fans think of what makes FF a FF to be completely different.
Tabata:
Surely that is probably the case. When it was announced that FFXV would be open-world, it invoked much criticism like 'Open-world? F*ck'n kidding me!?'. It would seem that it was something that did not match their own nostalgic perceptions of what FF was.
Harada:
Though when I heard it was open-world, I thought it was pretty grand and cool. After all, FF's selling point was about the story isn't it? A clockwork story revolving in a strong well-developed world. To go open-world would be to abandon this aspect right? Since the experience would be different depending on the players. It's my personal opinion, but I think that's something that a game so called 'JRPG' shouldn't be.
Tabata:
Ah... ... this conversation, is getting interesting (big grin).

Tabata:
First of all, I want to make this clear, that FFXV is not a 'Traditional open-world game'. The central plot that is the story is not missing, but we are using the latest open-world technologies to connect the bridges to complete the story.
Harada:
In other words, the main objective story is planned out, but there is more freedom in the play style?
Click to expand...

Music to my ears.

And thanks for posting Brenton, interesting to hear Tabata being so open.
 
Brentonp said:
4Gamer:
Tabata-san, so far from all the interviews that you had, you always replied to the question 'What makes FF a FF' with 'To be a AAA title' right? I can clearly understand your intentions. But I feel that perhaps what fans think of what makes FF a FF to be completely different.
Tabata:
Surely that is probably the case. When it was announced that FFXV would be open-world, it invoked much criticism like 'Open-world? F*ck'n kidding me!?'. It would seem that it was something that did not match their own nostalgic perceptions of what FF was.
Harada:
Though when I heard it was open-world, I thought it was pretty grand and cool. After all, FF's selling point was about the story isn't it? A clockwork story revolving in a strong well-developed world. To go open-world would be to abandon this aspect right? Since the experience would be different depending on the players. It's my personal opinion, but I think that's something that a game so called 'JRPG' shouldn't be.
Tabata:
Ah... ... this conversation, is getting interesting (big grin).

Tabata:
First of all, I want to make this clear, that FFXV is not a 'Traditional open-world game'. The central plot that is the story is not missing, but we are using the latest open-world technologies to connect the bridges to complete the story.
Harada:
In other words, the main objective story is planned out, but there is more freedom in the play style?
Click to expand...
IDC what anyways says! This man gets it! Ff seems to be in good hands man
 
Brentonp said:
4Gamer:
Tabata-san, so far from all the interviews that you had, you always replied to the question 'What makes FF a FF' with 'To be a AAA title' right? I can clearly understand your intentions. But I feel that perhaps what fans think of what makes FF a FF to be completely different.
Tabata:
Surely that is probably the case. When it was announced that FFXV would be open-world, it invoked much criticism like 'Open-world? F*ck'n kidding me!?'. It would seem that it was something that did not match their own nostalgic perceptions of what FF was.
Harada:
Though when I heard it was open-world, I thought it was pretty grand and cool. After all, FF's selling point was about the story isn't it? A clockwork story revolving in a strong well-developed world. To go open-world would be to abandon this aspect right? Since the experience would be different depending on the players. It's my personal opinion, but I think that's something that a game so called 'JRPG' shouldn't be.
Tabata:
Ah... ... this conversation, is getting interesting (big grin).

Tabata:
First of all, I want to make this clear, that FFXV is not a 'Traditional open-world game'. The central plot that is the story is not missing, but we are using the latest open-world technologies to connect the bridges to complete the story.
Harada:
In other words, the main objective story is planned out, but there is more freedom in the play style?
Click to expand...
hpVnUek.gif
 
More!

Tabata:
Yes. To say that 'No matter who plays the game, the experience will be the same', I think depends on the limits of the game itself. In regards to game development, the people making the game are working like insane mad men right? Specially since they are releasing the game to the world, you would want people to play the game down to the last detail and experience things that can only be experienced in their game.
Harada:
What do you think of the keyword 'JRPG'? I personally think 'By making it open-world, is FFXV the antithesis to JRPG's?'.
Tabata:
I never thought about it actually. My understanding was that it was a RPG made by traditional methods and that it was a word that had no relation to me. During development, our Boss said 'Let's make more JRPG's!', so I thought that 'Maybe what I'm making is also a JRPG'. That's really all that I thought about it.
Harada:
I see. Then Tabata-san, what are your roots of your RPG experiences? Judging by from our conversation, it's clearly obvious that it isn't Final Fantasy. *laughs*
Tabata:
It's Dragon Quest! I love Dragon Quest!
Harada:
Nonono, that's totally not your image.
Tabata:
Hey! Don't decide that by yourself! *laughs* Well, I prefer games that gives players room for freedom rather than games that are linear. Such as 'Ultima' or 'Wizardry' as examples. Harada-san, you are in the VR game industry, would it be possible to make a VR game like Wizardy? A VR experience in a 2D world. I really want to see it!
Harada:
If made with a proper budget, I think it might be interesting.
 
Last section of Part 1... If you can believe that. The person translating is taking a break and going to sleep so it'll be a while before there's more.

Tabata:
... ... that's how much I liked Wizardy. Also, in regards to open-world games, I like 'Zelda Ocarina of Time'. Just by moving towards your goal, you can experience the world. This game helped me to realize that games can be made like this.
Harada:
Okay, so based on what you said, what is FF to you Tabata-san?
Tabata:
I think it's 'a constantly evolving challenger'. Like FF was born to challenge Dragon Quest in the first place right? Like 'Bring in a genuine Fantasy experience with Yoshitaka Amano-sans illustrations and modern combat designs'.
4Gamer:
Ah, that is true.
Tabata:
Therefore, the stylish and cool aspects of FF that people refer to, is because it was made in a time when nothing like that existed. It's the same for FFVII, it's because of the challenge switching to cutting-edge 3D technology and the unheard of grand development scale. It because of this that FFVII reached the point creating a cult following in the West.
Harada:
So, you want to return to the roots that was like FFVII, the state that everyone once knew.
Tabata:
Correct. At the very least, I don't want people to think 'FF is amazing... but how many are there again?'. To aim for a AAA title means that under the coat it's actually not a AAA title
 
Tabata elevating Dragon Quest actually gives me more respect for the man. I mean, FFXV couldn't be further from that pedestal, but it shows he has a deep understanding of the genre.
 
Kagari said:
I'm sorry you don't realize that yet.
Click to expand...
Nah, I understand it's a good game that many like, but I personally absolutly don't care about MMORPG gameplay. I gave FFXIV a shot and enjoyed it for a few hours, but ultimately I'm not the type for open-ended grindy games, don't like floaty cooldown-based combat, and I sure as hell wouldn't pay a monthly fee.
 
Koozek said:
Nah, I understand it's a good game that many like, but I personally absolutly don't care about MMORPG gameplay. I gave FFXIV a shot and enjoyed it for a few hours, but ultimately I'm not the type for open-ended grindy games, don't like floaty cooldown-based combat, and I sure as hell wouldn't pay a monthly fee.
Click to expand...

I could go for a "FF14 Abridged Offline"(w/o MMO controls and combat).
 
The jury is still out on FFXV actually being great. Who knows how it's actually going to turn out.

This is the year were two high profile games that have been in development for a decade are slated for release. FFXV vs. The Last Guardian! Who will come out on top?

The Last Guardian is never actually coming out tho.
 
jett said:
They jury is still out on FFXV actually being great. Who knows how it's actually going to turn out.

This is the year were two high profile games that have been in development for a decade are slated for release. FFXV vs. The Last Guardian! Who will come out on top?

The Last Guardian is never actually coming out tho.
Click to expand...

Hmm, the game hasn't released, so it might be better to say the jury has yet to even hear the case...
 
jett said:
The jury is still out on FFXV actually being great. Who knows how it's actually going to turn out.

This is the year were two high profile games that have been in development for a decade are slated for release. FFXV vs. The Last Guardian! Who will come out on top?

The Last Guardian is never actually coming out tho.
Click to expand...

Those will be 2 totally different types of games. I think FFXV will probably sell more and maybe do better with reviews since it's such a big title which will appeal to a broader audience. TLG is also a Sony exclusive.
 
Another little chunk translated. This is from page 2.

To Challenge the world as an opponent of war, the development teams technique.

Harada:
Although you just mentioned it, at first I also thought that Tabata-san was surely trying to challenge the industry. But along the way, I started to feel that in actuality it was different. It was when you showed me the FFXV development environment that I realized the scale of the project was not on the level of challenging, but I could not see anything else other than trying to go to war against the world.
Tabata:
War huh? *laughs*
 
I don't understand the desire for TLG whatsoever at this point. It looks like a remastered PS3 title (which considering its long dev cycle it probably is, more or less).

I have a feeling that FFXV's critical reception is going to heavily rely on its technical performance, which we're all concerned about, and if its action combat actually ends up being enjoyable. If it can't pull those two off, it's story and IQ isn't going to carry it.
 
Arkeband said:
I don't understand the desire for TLG whatsoever at this point. It looks like a remastered PS3 title (which considering its long dev cycle it probably is, more or less).

.
Click to expand...

Because alot of people want a good game from the creators of SoTC which is a GOAT material to many such as myself? such a weird question

I care about it more than anything this gen.
 
brad-t said:
I think he was being sarcastic.
Click to expand...

No he wasn't. He love the freedom DQ games provide, so he's making FFXV the most "open" title in the series. Yet he realize FF and DQ are different things so he will stick to FF's traditions (flashy presentation, focus on main story).

I think Tabata gets it. Now just wait and see if he delivers.
 
I just hope we don't have that "Hold Button to Attack" stuff that was in the Platinum demo. It was so unsatisfying. I'd rather be mashing the button, at least that's more satisfying than holding a button and watching your character attack automatically. Such a baffling design decision.
 
Arkeband said:
I don't understand the desire for TLG whatsoever at this point. It looks like a remastered PS3 title (which considering its long dev cycle it probably is, more or less).
Click to expand...

Even a remastered Atari 2600 game could be good, what does being a 'remastered ps3 game' has anything to do with anything?

yanipheonu said:
I just hope we don't have that "Hold Button to Attack" stuff that was in the Platinum demo. It was so unsatisfying. I'd rather be mashing the button, at least that's more satisfying than holding a button and watching your character attack automatically. Such a baffling design decision.
Click to expand...

I've played the demo several times and never held the button to attack.
 
Arkeband said:
I don't understand the desire for TLG whatsoever at this point. It looks like a remastered PS3 title (which considering its long dev cycle it probably is, more or less).
Click to expand...

Ironically, some people say the same about FFXV :P

But yeah, I'm honestly not even actively waiting for TLG anymore. If it comes, it comes.
 
yanipheonu said:
I just hope we don't have that "Hold Button to Attack" stuff that was in the Platinum demo. It was so unsatisfying. I'd rather be mashing the button, at least that's more satisfying than holding a button and watching your character attack automatically. Such a baffling design decision.
Click to expand...

You don't have to hold to attack or to defend.

https://youtu.be/92L1Puwc7Bs
https://youtu.be/a2PqYmnr6JE
That's me playing I never at any point held a button.
 
Kagari said:
I'm sorry you don't realize that yet.
Click to expand...

My main problem with it is that if you've played WoW, you've played XIV. Add to that that Final Fantasy's main strengths in the current landscape- technology, character-based story, style and innovation- are completely watered down by necessity in MMO format and I don't really see what's great about XIV. It's a solid unambitious retread of a system that's been in place for over a decade. I'm just glad it's making SE some money.

As for this interview, a lot of what Tabata is saying makes it sound like he'll put business over vision in most cases. It's great that he's so frank and I like a lot of the changes XV is making, but most of the changes that I'm still behind have been in place since the project was Nomura's alone. Most of Tabata's innovations since then haven't seemed all that great, though to be completely fair to the man that could be because we've seen so little in the way of core content in the game.
 
I've been kinda mixed about this game's combat. I found using magic obnoxious and a little bland though I think the feedback to using it, like the visual effects and the way enemies react to attacks, is very well done. On the other end I think the melee combat controls are pretty solid but I don't like the feedback (or in some cases the lack thereof) to melee attacks, especially compared to a bunch of other action RPGs, and it makes melee combat in the game feel really weird.

I'm sure I'll be able to bear with it at least to finish the game as I don't outright hate it or anything, but I don't have any particularly strong expectations that I think it holds up well to other Action RPGs I've really enjoyed based on what I've played and seen.

That aside, I love Blizzard (Bilizzara/Blizzaga?). I like seeing takes on the spell that really emphasize the cold and wind instead of the ice that comes from the cold and wind. Like I said the spell effects in general are pretty nice.
 
I don't get why TBT has to explain FFXV's "open world" everytime again. Is it so hard for people to understand how this world is structured/ how you progress through the world? It's not different from many of the older games with the exception of the scope and the missing mini world map of course.
 
Infest said:
I don't get why TBT has to explain FFXV's "open world" everytime again. Is it so hard for people to understand how this world is structured/ how you progress through the world? It's not different from many of the older games with the exception of the scope and the missing mini world map of course.
Click to expand...

It seems like people deal in extremes. Either a game is open world with little story and mainly focuses JUST on missions and quests, or a game is ultra linear, focusing on story, but little to no world exploration. It boggles the mind of some(I think) that you can actually have both a big world and strong story. Oh well, maybe people need this sense to be slapped into them.
 
Rpgmonkey said:
I've been kinda mixed about this game's combat. I found using magic obnoxious and a little bland though I think the feedback to using it, like the visual effects and the way enemies react to attacks, is very well done. On the other end I think the melee combat controls are pretty solid but I don't like the feedback (or in some cases the lack thereof) to melee attacks, especially compared to a bunch of other action RPGs, and it makes melee combat in the game feel really weird.

I'm sure I'll be able to bear with it at least to finish the game as I don't outright hate it or anything, but I don't have any particularly strong expectations that I think it holds up well to other Action RPGs I've really enjoyed based on what I've played and seen.

That aside, I love Blizzard (Bilizzara/Blizzaga?). I like seeing takes on the spell that really emphasize the cold and wind instead of the ice that comes from the cold and wind. Like I said the spell effects in general are pretty nice.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have put it better myself. There's a ton and I mean a ton to love there right now, but hopefully they're doing a lot of work to polish the rough edges as well.

yanipheonu said:
They uh, probably should have explained it better lol XD. I was literally just holding attack to auto combo then hold the other button to defend.
I do still stand by the fact that Hold Button to Auto Combo shouldn't even be in the game though.
Click to expand...

People keep saying you can mash buttons or use button presses, but it's something that intentionally misses the point. Pressing doesn't feel any better than holding because the combos aren't made to be executed with one-to-one presses like combos in other games. Whether you're holding or pressing, there's a huge disconnect between Noctis swinging the weapon and you as the player giving your input. It makes pressing rather than holding feel "wrong" and it's a little sad. That said, the intent of the battle system seems to be for the player to focus on positioning, dodging and weapon switching rather than on paying attention to attacking.
 
MagnaderAlpha said:
It seems like people deal in extremes. Either a game is open world with little story and mainly focuses JUST on missions and quests, or a game is ultra linear, focusing on story, but little to no world exploration. It boggles the mind of some(I think) that you can actually have both a big world and strong story. Oh well, maybe people need this sense to be slapped into them.
Click to expand...

In fairness the vast bulk of open world AAA games clearly treat story as subordinate to open world freedom, if not as total after thought. There are exceptions (Witcher 3), but few.

Final Fantasy's legacy and my undying fandom aside, I'd still be excited for XV just because it's clearly trying to privilege story in an open world, something I'm eager for more developers to attempt.
 
YankeeDonB said:
In fairness the vast bulk of open world AAA games clearly treat story as subordinate to open world freedom, if not as total after thought. There are exceptions (Witcher 3), but few.

Final Fantasy's legacy and my undying fandom aside, I'd still be excited for XV just because it's clearly trying to privilege story in an open world, something I'm eager for more developers to attempt.
Click to expand...
I'm am too. If we only get one or the other, that makes people think that's the only possible ways of doing things. We need more developers to break expectations and show audiences that there can be other ways of approaching a game's world. Break down those walls and set new standards. New standards inspire new developers, which inspire new games to follow such bold paths.
 
Continuing page 2 of the translated interview!


Harada:
Nowadays, development of Japanese games are linear, respectively pinpointing on their specific traits that makes the game unique to charge forward. In other words, it's like a modern warfare kind of way of doing things. But, when I saw the FFXV development room... ... that was not the case here. Despite the scale of the development team and the amount of resources poured into R and D, even when possessing cutting-edge technologies, I could not see anything else than trying to charge into war using traditionally resourced troops..
Tabata:
To utilize advanced troops with free use of cutting edge technology, sounds good. I want to try that.
Harada:
I have worked on many projects, but I have witnessed many occasions where new challenges were based on company fortunes. Even when I visited development studios overseas, there were many times that I had thought that the project was a gamble. But with FFXV, neither of these is the case. It's a way of working where victory is a certainty. Don't take this the wrong way, but honestly speaking, I had thought that it was insane. I want to make a proposal, open up this development studio and let the industry and fans observe it's inner workings!
Tabata:
It's insane huh? The intention was to be a normal salary-man though. *Bitter/Sarcastic smile* Like the higher-ups told me when I was appointed to the Director for FFXV, 'Reform the development team and strengthen them with certainty and create a FF using cutting-edge technology'. That was my given order.
Harada:
It's unbelievable how the company approved the moving of troops of that scale. To say this makes me feel very feeble and small, but if I say for example I was the owner of Square Enix, I would never nod my head to this. *laughs* 'HUUUuuuuh!? Oi... ... I did not tell you to go that far. Cut the costs to 1/3!', is what I would say. How in the world did you do it? Perhaps is it 'seduction'?
Tabata:
It's nothing like that. *laughs* But to catch up to overseas developers now, who have developed countless skills and know-hows, it's only obvious that the road ahead will be difficult. In reality there has been a lot of hardships, like even if we know we can cut corners, we are persevering to our limits. That is my honest stance.
Of course there is the topic that we are trying to work towards to connecting our efforts to the future, but it's not like I am certain of our success. Rather it's more like, 'If we stop here, won't we lose?'. This is the fear I fight everyday.
Harada:
For our readers of 4Gamer, to explain how far overseas developers are ahead in the industry, it's essentially how the development teams are structured. Japanese developers in the 90's conquered the industry, steadily producing middle-ware PC environments and game engines and the Western Developers, specially American developers benefited from this as it became possible for 500 to even 1000 people to develop games. On the other hand, in regards to Japanese companies, no matter how hard you try the limit is around 200 people. It's reasons like this such as rationalization and joint ownership of technologies which is slowing down the creation of organizational structures. It's also one of the reasons why Japan steadily started to lose reign over the industry coming into the 2000's.
But, FFXV is trying to go beyond that current structure. And I really want to ask, how you are planning on putting this large scale of a development team into practical use.

Tabata:
The thing that I stress the importance of is, 'Not to be held back by the control of technologies' and 'To arrange a highly fluid production system'. Specially the latter is a characteristic trait that can be seen from the Japanese industry.
This may be often said, but the team-work of Japanese people is very good. 'This is our goal and there is no cause of obstruction, if everyone exhausts the best of their abilities we can surely do it' - If we can create this mindset in the environment, then we can always continue to perform our best. One my jobs is to observe the state of development environment and continuously alter the structure to maintain this mindset.
4Gamer:
I often hear that Western developers make fluid big replacements during different intervals of development, or is it different to this?
Tabata:
It's not during intervals, but rather enhancing the fluidity in a single project. For example, it is different from when you are establishing a team and in the latter half of development where you focus on increasing the quality, the focus task becomes different. It's during these times when there is a demand for certain skills that there are bold changes in the composition of the team.
4Gamer:
Could you be more specific?

Tabata:
For example, in the early stages of game development, the goal is to create a prototype with a small number of people. Like how the game mechanics work and what the important end-goal is. It's plenty enough if the prototype can become the core of the concept and the quality of it does not matter. But there are people who stress over every single detail trying to achieve perfectionism and at this stage of development, people like this are actually a hindrance.
4Gamer:
I have heard of people who continue to make leafs over and over again. I thought that this was some urban legend.
Tabata:
Yes they exist. *laughs* These people have their own standards of success and failure of the projects and often they are not able to see the success conditions of their teams.
 
SilentRob said:
I'm not excited for TLG because of its graphics, nor was that ever the reason.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I still think TLG will be something special, but FF games always felt like a graphical milestone when they came out, this is kinda just looking good.

I just hope the story and characters hold up, I am not overly optimistic about the gameplay from what I've seen and played.
 
MagnaderAlpha said:
I'm am too. If we only get one or the other, that makes people think that's the only possible ways of doing things. We need more developers to break expectations and show audiences that there can be other ways of approaching a game's world. Break down those walls and set new standards. New standards inspire new developers, which inspire new games to follow such bold paths.
Click to expand...

Amen.
 
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