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[aravuus]

Wow, even fullheal is only 6 MP. I like how healing spells aren't ridiculously expensive in this.

Unlocked sage for Maribel and gladiator for the hero. I can't stop grinding vocations lol.

 

[SuperSah]

I'm at the mech island now. How is the story here? I notice a lot of these are 'trouble town, monster, kill it, all well' affairs.

 

[Kinsei]

I'm at the mech island now. How is the story here? I notice a lot of these are 'trouble town, monster, kill it, all well' affairs.

I haven;t finished it yet but

Spoiler

you don't end up saving everyone. So far three people in the town have died.

 

[sir_bumble_bee]

Got through the segment when

Spoiler

Kiefer leaves the party.

Not gonna lie, it hit me pretty hard...

 

[Heropon]

About the nomad island,

Spoiler

Kiefer, why? That was too sudden! To make things worse I went to the present and I saw his tomb! Ah well, I hope his replacement comes soon, I like my parties full.

 

[ihasaflavour]

I'm not sure what it is that's making me regret not pursuing this series until my current age of 33, but i'm happy and bummed at the same time.

DQ 7 is everything I want in an rpg right now. It's released at the right time, and the RIGHT CONSOLE for me.

Too many <3 's right now for this game. Damn you, Dragon Quest

 

[Teriyaki Blues]

About the nomad island,

Spoiler

Kiefer, why? That was too sudden! To make things worse I went to the present and I saw his tomb! Ah well, I hope his replacement comes soon, I like my parties full.

Uh, I hate to break it to you, but

Spoiler

nobody is joining you permanently for quite some time. Get used to a trio, because you're stuck with it for about 15-20 more hours, depending on how fast you go.

My own progress is quite good:

Spoiler

Just defeated Gracos, who wasn't quite as difficult as I remembered. I used to have to reset that battle with the Sands of Time a lot in the original one.

It is really interesting which parts you remember and which you forget if you played the original but haven't touched it in many years.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Uh, I hate to break it to you, but

Spoiler

nobody is joining you permanently for quite some time. Get used to a trio, because you're stuck with it for about 15-20 more hours, depending on how fast you go.

My own progress is quite good:

Spoiler

Just defeated Gracos, who wasn't quite as difficult as I remembered. I used to have to reset that battle with the Sands of Time a lot in the original one.

It is really interesting which parts you remember and which you forget if you played the original but haven't touched it in many years.

Spoiler

Did you fight Gracos V yet? He's much more difficult, but can at least be left for way late in the game.

 

[mugurumakensei]

I'm at the mech island now. How is the story here? I notice a lot of these are 'trouble town, monster, kill it, all well' affairs.

the general flow of the game is basically like "villain of the week with a somewhat serial connecting plot" the game.

that said, not all of the stories result in everything being all well. theres a lot of bittersweet endings or just plain bad ends for some of these people but the island survived so yay.

 

[AndyMoogle]

Always choose the actions myself, seems a bit of a waste to let Ai control the other team members

It's not like you need to do anything but choose attack with all characters during all non-boss fights. If anything, I wish that you could choose auto attack, or at least be able to just hold down a button.

 

[MegalonJJ]

Question about party members and other things:

Spoiler

Are Ruff and Maribel permanent members? I'd rather not use seed buffs on them if they're not permanent.

I'm currently at the encampment where Keifer put "ho's before bros" and am feeling bummed about it. How far until the classes unlock?

 

[Heropon]

Uh, I hate to break it to you, but

Spoiler

nobody is joining you permanently for quite some time. Get used to a trio, because you're stuck with it for about 15-20 more hours, depending on how fast you go.

That's too bad!

Spoiler

At least Kiefer had the decency of leaving before All-Trades.

It seems I'm not going to stay too much at the first casino, not too many interesting items, but it seems like a good way to get money.

 

[chicagocubsfan]

Lol @ the wife who keeps burning her husband's food in Emberdale. I like a good continuous joke.

 

[magnetic]

As much as I enjoy the music, having the same themes play over and over again in the towns and dungeons gets a bit grating after a while. Coupled with the repeating NPC models it makes the locations pretty generic, despite the many lines of unique dialogue.

I mean, the series sells millions and millions of copies in Japan... Is Koichi Sugiyama extremely expensive or something?

Most DQ games have this weird shortage of music, which is why I was pleasantly surprised that in DQIV, each character chapter had its own overworld music.

Given how many different continents there are, sometimes it feels like I'm visiting the same places over and over again.

I'm still really enjoying this game, but the more I play, the more often I find myself switching the sound off.

 

[Teriyaki Blues]

Question about party members and other things:

Spoiler

Are Ruff and Maribel permanent members? I'd rather not use seed buffs on them if they're not permanent.

I'm currently at the encampment where Keifer put "ho's before bros" and am feeling bummed about it. How far until the classes unlock?

If I remember correctly,

Spoiler

Ruff is permanent, but Maribel gets grounded somewhere around the time you pick up a new member and only gets to rejoin near the end of the game.

 

[RampagingSoul]

If you have a PS2/BC PS3 and don't mind playing there it might be better to go try to get that version. Still, it's one of the favorites of people and until XI comes out will be the best looking traditional entry, and with the kind of overworld I'd been wishing for since Skies of Arcadia on Dreamcast.

Yeah, I don't have a PS2 (disk drive broke a long time ago and never replaced it) or a BC PS3 (just got a preowned slim a month or two ago with my little bro) so I was planning to get the 3DS version of VIII anyway. Thanks for the advice anyway.

Can't wait to get back into VII after I'm out of college later today!

 

[sir_bumble_bee]

As much as I enjoy the music, having the same themes play over and over again in the towns and dungeons gets a bit grating after a while. Coupled with the repeating NPC models it makes the locations pretty generic, despite the many lines of unique dialogue.

I mean, the series sells millions and millions of copies in Japan... Is Koichi Sugiyama extremely expensive or something?

Most DQ games have this weird shortage of music, which is why I was pleasantly surprised that in DQIV, each character chapter had its own overworld music.

Given how many different continents there are, sometimes it feels like I'm visiting the same places over and over again.

I'm still really enjoying this game, but the more I play, the more often I find myself switching the sound off.

I feel like this would be more of a problem for me personally if I did not enjoy the music as much as I do. Seriously, this is probably my favorite Dragon quest OST

 

[Megalosaro]

As much as I enjoy the music, having the same themes play over and over again in the towns and dungeons gets a bit grating after a while. Coupled with the repeating NPC models it makes the locations pretty generic, despite the many lines of unique dialogue.

I mean, the series sells millions and millions of copies in Japan... Is Koichi Sugiyama extremely expensive or something?

Most DQ games have this weird shortage of music, which is why I was pleasantly surprised that in DQIV, each character chapter had its own overworld music.

Given how many different continents there are, sometimes it feels like I'm visiting the same places over and over again.

I'm still really enjoying this game, but the more I play, the more often I find myself switching the sound off.

DQVII actually had one of the larger soundtracks in the franchise. I think it's more an issue of sticking to conventions, and now sugiyama bring old as shit

 

[magnetic]

Jeremy Parish just did a new Retronauts mini-episode about DQVII !

https://soundcloud.com/retronauts-1/...-the-slow-burn

 

[Teriyaki Blues]

Yeah, I don't have a PS2 (disk drive broke a long time ago and never replaced it) or a BC PS3 (just got a preowned slim a month or two ago with my little bro) so I was planning to get the 3DS version of VIII anyway. Thanks for the advice anyway.

Can't wait to get back into VII after I'm out of college later today!

All PS3s can play PSOne discs to my knowledge. Mine does. You only need the BC model for PS2 games. Getting ahold of a copy of Dragon Warrior VII is another story. It is just easier to play the 3DS version now that it is out!

 

[Heropon]

This game is hiding some anti-gambling message, right? After spending more time that I wanted in the casino there's no way I get any close to a real one ever.

Actually, that's what I think after playing any game with slot machines, hate them.

 

[Megalosaro]

This game is hiding some anti-gambling message, right? After spending more time that I wanted in the casino there's no way I get any close to a real one ever.

Actually, that's what I think after playing any game with slot machines, hate them.

From what I hear, Yuji Horii loves gambling.

 

[SuperSah]

At the mech stronghold now. This part is pretty cool if I'm honest.

Why can't I stop playing this game?! I have like four PS4 games still shrink-wrapped I was intended to play. Hell, even my anime viewings have crawled to a halt lol.

 

[Megalosaro]

At the mech stronghold now. This part is pretty cool if I'm honest.

Why can't I stop playing this game?! I have like four PS4 games still shrink-wrapped I was intended to play. Hell, even my anime viewings have crawled to a halt lol.

Because is the best game in the best series.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Jeremy Parish just did a new Retronauts mini-episode about DQVII !

It´s not up on the site yet, but it appeared in my podcast app. Listening to it now.
Around 15 minutes long.

Should appear on there soon:

http://www.retronauts.com/

https://soundcloud.com/retronauts-1/retronauts-micro-047-dragon-quest-vii-and-the-slow-burn

 

[magnetic]

https://soundcloud.com/retronauts-1/retronauts-micro-047-dragon-quest-vii-and-the-slow-burn

Thanks, I updated my post

 

[SuperSah]

Because is the best game in the best series.

Definitely is a fantastic game - probably the best DQ game I've played.

 

[RampagingSoul]

All PS3s can play PSOne discs to my knowledge. Mine does. You only need the BC model for PS2 games. Getting ahold of a copy of Dragon Warrior VII is another story. It is just easier to play the 3DS version now that it is out!

Yeah, plus I already got a copy of DQVII on 3DS so... Thanks for the information anyway! And my comment was mainly in response to someone talking about getting DQVIII next year on 3DS.

 

[Sir Griffith]

So does the Wisdom stat affect more the damage of the spells you cast or resistance to spells?

 

[R0ckman]

Mastered theif class insanely fast but mage and sailor seem to be going slow despite it being a varaition of fast in the description. What effects the rate for class mastery?

 

[-Mutsukki-]

One thing Dragon Quest always does is make me feel like every normal battle is way too short even when it isn't, because Sugiyama's music is just so lovely but takes a while to reach it's main melody. Can't say I don't still love it though, DQVII probably has the best battle and boss music in the series

 

[SuperSah]

One thing Dragon Quest always does is make me feel like every normal battle is way too short even when it isn't, because Sugiyama's music is just so lovely but takes a while to reach it's main melody. Can't say I don't still love it though, DQVII probably has the best battle and boss music in the series

I absolutely love the boss theme. It's so imposing and the gradual build up is damned epic.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Mastered theif class insanely fast but mage and sailor seem to be going slow despite it being a varaition of fast in the description. What effects the rate for class mastery?

Some classes are slower than others.

There's info here for the JP version, (try google translate) column 4 has the cumulative battles needed to reach each level... for example Thief :

1	スリ		─	─	ちからため
すなけむり
2	こそどろ		5	5	突きとばし
トラマナ
3	したっぱ		5	10	石つぶて
4	しゃてい		6	16	インパス
5	いっちょまえ	8	24	レミラーマ
とうぞくのはな
6	だいがし		10	34	フローミ
7	おやぶん		10	44	トヘロス
8	おおおやぶん	25	69	ぬすっと斬り

Mage:

1	まほうずき		─	─	ギラ
2	みならい			5	5	ラリホー
3	おぼえたて		5	10	マホキテ
ルーラ
4	じゅもんつかい		8	18	ルカニ
リレミト
5	ようじゅつし		10	28	メラミ
6	まじゅつし		12	40	イオラ
マヌーサ
7	まどうし			15	55	ベギラマ
8	だいまどうし		25	80	ヒャダルコ

So you need 80 battles to master Mage but only 69 to do Thief.

Edit: and Sailor takes 83 battles.

Unfortunately the rates have been changed since the PS1 version so you can't use those. Most of the basic classes have had their requirements cut in half.

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

I'm not sure what it is that's making me regret not pursuing this series until my current age of 33, but i'm happy and bummed at the same time.

DQ 7 is everything I want in an rpg right now. It's released at the right time, and the RIGHT CONSOLE for me.

Too many <3 's right now for this game. Damn you, Dragon Quest

Blame people who said Dragon Quest forces you to grind, that DQ is simplistic and has nothing going for it, that DQ is slow (Jason Scheier article), that DQ is boring and the most basic RPG, that DQ has no story, that you have to be a Japan fetishist to enjoy DQ or that every DQ is the same and there's no differences, or the very genuine claim that apparently DQ doesn't have characters.

DQ has had mass of misinformation hurled at it for years. If your jam has always been a more honest rpg with a tried and true formula that's not melodramatic and just oozes classic, DQ is always there for you. The jrpg equivalent of your mother putting your blanket back on you when it falls while in bed, or your father carrying into the house after a long road trip.

 

[Flying Toaster]

Blame people who said Dragon Quest forces you to grind, that DQ is simplistic and has nothing going for it, that DQ is slow (Jason Scheier article), that DQ is boring and the most basic RPG, that DQ has no story, that you have to be a Japan fetishist to enjoy DQ or that every DQ is the same and there's no differences, or the very genuine claim that apparently DQ doesn't have characters.

DQ has had mass of misinformation hurled at it for years. If your jam has always been a more honest rpg with a tried and true formula that's not melodramatic and just oozes classic, DQ is always there for you. The jrpg equivalent of your mother putting your blanket back on you when it falls while in bed, or your father carrying into the house after a long road trip.

DQ is such a strange affair... I mean America was getting into Final Fantasy and then when we start to see DQ it felt that it was left in the dust. I appreciate Dragon Quest as a series now but growing up when I had my choice of multiple JRPG's coming out on the PS1/PS2 it was hard to find room for DQ.

I am older now and I appreciate 7 a lot more now than I did for the brief play when it came out originally. I believe in part it has to do with it being on a handheld now, and also I appreciate the game design philosophy in this game with story telling a lot more now then I would have 15 years ago.

 

[brinstar]

It's also nice to have a Dragon Quest thread where the actual game is being discussed instead of people who don't even play them lusting over which platform it should be on for sales reasons.

 

[ghibli99]

Just finished the first vignette last night. So many memories from my PS1 playthrough coming back.

The flow of this is so much better than before. I remember a particularly long hallway I had to go back and forth through early on that just isn't there anymore, as well as other bits of streamlining that are making this a complete joy to play.

Combat is so fast, even by DQ standards.

The trees and stuff popping up when running around the world map is annoying though. Did it really need to be that bad? At least fade them in instead of just BAM!, there they are.

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

DQ is such a strange affair... I mean America was getting into Final Fantasy and then when we start to see DQ it felt that it was left in the dust. I appreciate Dragon Quest as a series now but growing up when I had my choice of multiple JRPG's coming out on the PS1/PS2 it was hard to find room for DQ.

I am older now and I appreciate 7 a lot more now than I did for the brief play when it came out originally. I believe in part it has to do with it being on a handheld now, and also I appreciate the game design philosophy in this game with story telling a lot more now then I would have 15 years ago.

To be fair, I think VII psx would have gone a lot better if the graphics were more up to par, but an epic quest like this would have been hard to do with full 3D. Doesn't help that the west has a hate relationship with handhelds and ignored 4-6, which also shared 7's mediocre graphics. 7r looks to be the more interested I've seen people in the west in DQ since IX or VIII. I think combined with VIIIr and XI we will be in good health.

 

[aravuus]

Anyone know what classes give passive bonuses when mastered and what those bonuses are? Grinding in the slime forest has been so effortless that I've been doing it while working, and now my Maribel has mastered sage and I'm wondering if I should even master any other classes for her. Apparently some of the monster classes at least give very powerful bonuses when you master them.

 

[Lynx_7]

Blame people who said Dragon Quest forces you to grind, that DQ is simplistic and has nothing going for it, that DQ is slow (Jason Scheier article), that DQ is boring and the most basic RPG, that DQ has no story, that you have to be a Japan fetishist to enjoy DQ or that every DQ is the same and there's no differences, or the very genuine claim that apparently DQ doesn't have characters.

DQ has had mass of misinformation hurled at it for years. If your jam has always been a more honest rpg with a tried and true formula that's not melodramatic and just oozes classic, DQ is always there for you. The jrpg equivalent of your mother putting your blanket back on you when it falls while in bed, or your father carrying into the house after a long road trip.

I might be off with the comparison, but I always saw DQ as the JRPG equivalent of a good Ghibli movie or a classic Disney romp. It's a lighthearted, charming and fun tale that also manages to be legitimately touching at times without resorting to the over the top melodrama other JRPGs tend to indulge(which I have no problem with, it's just a refreshing change of pace to see one that doesn't). People give it too little credit.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

To be fair, I think VII psx would have gone a lot better if the graphics were more up to par, but an epic quest like this would have been hard to do with full 3D. Doesn't help that the west has a hate relationship with handhelds and ignored 4-6, which also shared 7's mediocre graphics. 7r looks to be the more interested I've seen people in the west in DQ since IX or VIII. I think combined with VIIIr and XI we will be in good health.

I still feel like DQ7 would've done much better in 2000 if instead of the garbage graphic style they chose, they had stuck with an improved on DQ6's absolutely gorgeous spritework. I remember being incredibly disappointed in how DQ7 looked on release, as I'd come fresh off of playing DQ6 and I assumed (not illogically) that it would look better.

 

[sir_bumble_bee]

I still feel like DQ7 would've done much better in 2000 if instead of the garbage graphic style they chose, they had stuck with an improved on DQ6's absolutely gorgeous spritework. I remember being incredibly disappointed in how DQ7 looked on release, as I'd come fresh off of playing DQ6 and I assumed (not illogically) that it would look better.

Yeah, DQVII PSX looked like shit compared to DQVI

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Fundamental flaw in the series internationally was releasing the original game three years late in 1989 when the competition was just way more impressive than 1986. There was no coming back from that.

Every game since 3 in Japan has been an "event" largely because it's just been so popular for so long. Nothing like that will ever happen here. Even moderate success is hard because the legacy of the series is to barely exist; here Dragon Quest has been late releases at best and absent for years at a time at worst.

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

Yeah, DQVII PSX looked like shit compared to DQVI

It does indeed look like dog shit.

Fundamental flaw in the series internationally was releasing the original game three years late in 1989 when the competition was just way more impressive than 1986. There was no coming back from that.

Every game since 3 in Japan has been an "event" largely because it's just been so popular for so long. Nothing like that will ever happen here. Even moderate success is hard because the legacy of the series is to barely exist; here Dragon Quest has been late releases at best and absent for years at a time at worst.

Imagine if America had gotten DQ2 first.

 

[ghibli99]

I still feel like DQ7 would've done much better in 2000 if instead of the garbage graphic style they chose, they had stuck with an improved on DQ6's absolutely gorgeous spritework. I remember being incredibly disappointed in how DQ7 looked on release, as I'd come fresh off of playing DQ6 and I assumed (not illogically) that it would look better.

I agree, although it's hard to say if it would've done much better outside of Japan... I think that at least in the west, everyone seemed to want 3D everything throughout most of that generation. Even a beautiful, cartoony 2D RPG likely would have been viewed and reported on as being inferior to its contemporaries, even if released earlier in the PS1 lifecycle, and with the added pressure of FF10 coming soon.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Imagine if America had gotten DQ2 first.

Or Dragon Quest 3! I mean we would all complain about missing the first two games but come on. Dragon Quest 3 in 1989 would have been a huge hit.

 

[LunarKnite]

It does indeed look like dog shit.

Maybe it's just me, but I never thought Dragon Warrior 7 looked bad. Granted, my experience with video games were much more geared towards handhelds after the SNES, so I guess I got used to graphics that were less than what they could be?

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Maybe it's just me, but I never thought Dragon Warrior 7 looked bad. Granted, my experience with video games were much more geared towards handhelds after the SNES, so I guess I got used to graphics that were less than what they could be?

I always thought it looked great, but Dragon Warrior 7 was my first PS1 game and was a huge upgrade over the GBC games I was playing before that.

The sprite scaling is a bit ugly, but the art style looks nice. Maybe it's just been overused with the DS remakes re-using the same style?

 

[Lynx_7]

Or Dragon Quest 3! I mean we would all complain about missing the first two games but come on. Dragon Quest 3 in 1989 would have been a huge hit.

This is what I argued in the community thread. Releasing 3 right out of the gate and then 4 a bit later would also have provided them enough time to get on the SNES ship faster and actually bring 5 to the west. Having these 3 games in particular be the west's first exposure to the series would've helped a bit, I think. FF would still end up burying it under the success of FF VII but at least DQ would have a bit more brand recognition over here.

 

[MegaManTrigger]

Maybe this is just me, but I don't think DQVII looked like shit back then. But then again, it's mostly coming from the fact that I enjoy RPGs with 2D sprites/3D environment. The only gripe I have is with monsters not being animated, but to be fair, I can't recall any 2D RPG in PS1 era that had animated monsters...Actually, I believe Breath of Fire III and IV had animated monsters.