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Dragon Quest 8 (Jessica new costume, world map)
- Thread starter neo2046
- Start date
Doom_Bringer
Banned
awesome, can't wait for this game!
Japanese RPG in generic map shocker. Anyone taking bets on you getting a boat at some point in the game, but not being able to get to the island in the middle of the map until you've found some way of navigating the reefs/rocks/giant sea monsters that block all the routes in to it?
dog$ said:Well that's been in 3, 6, and 7 at least so I hope you're laying a low lineOtherwise sure I'll take ya' up on that.
Still, that World Map is bee-youty-ful; FFX couldn't have one. SO3 couldn't have one. Finally, a PS2 RPG giving me a world to explore.
Looking at a poorly rendered ocean and mountains while (still) going in a linear path is exploring?
The game structure is as linear as ever, but in games like FFX and SO3 there was very little to conceal any such linearity and no way to even convey exploration in the same manner.
Without a world map, I cannot see how the present area I'm in relates to its surroundings.
All 3 RPGs series mentioned have a very linear presentation, this is certain, but games like FFX and SO3 give you no choice but to go from A to B.
Without a world map, I cannot see how the present area I'm in relates to its surroundings.
All 3 RPGs series mentioned have a very linear presentation, this is certain, but games like FFX and SO3 give you no choice but to go from A to B.
Doom_Bringer
Banned
I think this game will be like Dark Cloud 2, and that wasn't linear at all.
Guns N' Poops
Banned
Doom_Bringer said:
You can't compare DC2 with any straight DQ.
Doom_Bringer
Banned
Guns N' Poops said:
Level 5 was involved in making this. It also looks like it was influenced by Dark Cloud 2. I think we will see many similarities between the two.
SpoonyBard
Banned
It almost looks like it's using the Dark Cloud 2 engine.
Doom_Bringer said:
I don't think Level 5 have much creative influence over the game. Enix hired them to handle the graphics and programming, but Armor Project/Bird Studio are handling direction, designs and arts.
Although I wouldn't mind them adding a little georama to the town building part(assuming this is in the game, which most probably is...).
And is there anything wrong with that? No. I mean after all, the ZELDA games use similar tactics.
It's a lot better than walking from A->B in the Final Fantasy games. Being able to explore and unlock things is way cooler.
And I disagree that this is considered a "linear presentation". More often than not in the Dragon Quest games, you can do things out of order. How is that linear?
Well, take a look at DQ1: Basically, with the layout of the castle and town next to each other (and the way the map is oriented), you're more or less shown where to go.
A non-linear game would let you go to the final castle from the very first moment by buying a raft / daming the river with slime corpses / etc. and only have difficult monsters be your punishment for arriving to that destination before the game was designed for you to do so.
There's a lot of things in DQ games, be it physical locations to go to or story events to unfold, that aren't accessible until X and Y conditions are fulfilled; hence, linearity.
But as I was saying, the linearity is better concealed when it appears that you have a world to explore compared to a game where you do not.
A non-linear game would let you go to the final castle from the very first moment by buying a raft / daming the river with slime corpses / etc. and only have difficult monsters be your punishment for arriving to that destination before the game was designed for you to do so.
There's a lot of things in DQ games, be it physical locations to go to or story events to unfold, that aren't accessible until X and Y conditions are fulfilled; hence, linearity.
But as I was saying, the linearity is better concealed when it appears that you have a world to explore compared to a game where you do not.
You're using DW1 as the example???
While DQs are inherently linear, it's gotten more and more open with each progressing game. The most recent one even let you tackle sections of the world in the order you chooses. (I believe VI also?) Sadly their story took a hit.
I rather VIII be more similar to V than VII.
When you play JRPG, linearity is to be expected. Non-linear JRPGs are rare, and just not as good. Have you played Saga Frontier or Legend of Mana? (although I actually like them).
While DQs are inherently linear, it's gotten more and more open with each progressing game. The most recent one even let you tackle sections of the world in the order you chooses. (I believe VI also?) Sadly their story took a hit.
I rather VIII be more similar to V than VII.
When you play JRPG, linearity is to be expected. Non-linear JRPGs are rare, and just not as good. Have you played Saga Frontier or Legend of Mana? (although I actually like them).
Shouta
Member
Most DQ games are fairly linear until right near the end of the game where it opens up a bit. What makes DQ linearity different is that they hide it by using physical or task-based boundaries that you need to overcome to get to the next area. That causes you to go to a specific area and that forces players into a line of progression decided by the designers.
Right, this is similar to the linearity/non-linearity used in the Zelda games, which is why it confuses me that people COMPLAIN about this. After all, everyone loves Zelda!
While DQ is obviously not of the nonlinear style of PC RPGs, it's still very much nonlinear to certain degrees (being able to kill certain bosses before you're supposed to, or explore certain dungeons before the story asks you to). For an example of true linearity, one only needs to look at FFX and the way it shifts you from one place to the next, without being able to go back or do other things until very late in the game.
And on a different comment...
I love those games
if only because they are the bane of Final Fantasy cheerleaders (that and they are pretty darn nifty to play too).
Shouta
Member
DQ is what I call the "bait" format for RPGs.
It's linear up until the near-end where the area you can cover more or less widens until the very end of the game. It still makes it is linear when you consider the game as a whole but it isn't just a line.
I get the term "bait" from the fact the visualization of the overall plotting of the storyline reminds me of fishing. Putting bait on the end of a line to catch the fishes =O.
JRPGs that are non-linear suffer from disconnected storyline often enough. There isn't a strong thread connecting them all which kind of makes the game feel weak. Legend of Mana had tons of nice small storylines but none of them really connected in an overall sense (or if they do, not in a strong manner). The same for most Saga games.
It's linear up until the near-end where the area you can cover more or less widens until the very end of the game. It still makes it is linear when you consider the game as a whole but it isn't just a line.
I get the term "bait" from the fact the visualization of the overall plotting of the storyline reminds me of fishing. Putting bait on the end of a line to catch the fishes =O.
JRPGs that are non-linear suffer from disconnected storyline often enough. There isn't a strong thread connecting them all which kind of makes the game feel weak. Legend of Mana had tons of nice small storylines but none of them really connected in an overall sense (or if they do, not in a strong manner). The same for most Saga games.