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[JeffZero]

Both my favorite developers are getting really into the "get players to play the game ASAP; please discard epic beginnings to hasten that" jive. It makes me sad.

I'm really glad that I follow Square's and BioWare's output so closely, though. It's a lot easier to deal with knowing this stuff in advance.

And yeah, to echo an earlier post -- Chapter 9/10 on will give y'all more cutscenes and such. It's good that it's there but future patches/DLC need to tighten things up if at all possible.

 

[sappyday]

Sorry if this was asked already, but how big actually is the open world map?

Like 1/4 of that. 1/5 if you count the actual playable parts. The map is still pretty huge though. If it takes 10 minutes to get across on car, then that map would have taken at least 30-40 minutes just on car.

 

[antitrop]

I'm just done with chapter 5 and

Spoiler

I have no idea who Jared was lmao

I was so fucking confused, I had to google the name to find out who he was and then I was like... "oh"

Did they even say his name before that?

 

[nOoblet16]

Prompto keeps doing photos to Gladio. Something's going on here.

You get a conversation with him at some point where he asks what would you like him to take pictures of you can pick, gladiolus, ignis, nothing and I can't remember 4th option...whichever you choose (except nothing ofc) he'll take more pictures of them.

 

[h3ro]

im the guy in the back.

Spoiler

gladio is so good looking

Arturo Sanchez?!

 

[artsi]

Laughing my ass off with Prompto's camping side quest at Duscae. There's so much to miss rushing the game, you never know when something funny happens.

 

[Freeman76]

The story is shit. The sidequests are shit. Why is this one of the most engrossing games ive played in ages?

 

[sappyday]

The problem is nothing is established. You don't know anything about anyone unless you've been watching pre-release materials and/or saw Kingslaive and the Brotherhood anime. I saw the latter but not the former and still struggled with remember what was happening and who was who. It's like they released a JRPG but cut out the opening hour or so for some bizarre reason. I get that they really wanted to get players to play the game ASAP but this wasn't the way to do it.

Even watching that stuff doesn't help. It only helps for chapter 1 and for one story moment in the later chapter. Brotherhood has no impact on the story at all. That one is a true companion piece cause you don't need it unless you want to get a few references here and there. The story is just not told well, doesn't matter if KG existed or not.

 

[robotrock]

Is there any reason not to play with Wait mode? Because I think I'm enjoying that way more

 

[Sesuadra]

Is there any reason not to play with Wait mode? Because I think I'm enjoying that way more

There is none

 

[jasminlovesyoux]

The story is shit. The sidequests are shit. Why is this one of the most engrossing games ive played in ages?

Lol. For me it's because it's fun. Gameplay is solid. It's a looker. Characters are fun to be around and listen to. I totally agree the dude quests are so lame though. I mean I like killing stuff so I get to do that all the time! But they aren't good in anyway. The world and atmosphere of ffxv is so good, but the game could've been so much more.

 

[Ydelnae]

Does

Spoiler

Loqi

come back again or did they really shoehorn an old Nomura era model in the game? His presence didn't make any sense.

 

[Jb]

I find the game really endearing in a lot of ways but there's a ton of big and small design and narrative choices that are head-scratching.

I've reached chapter 7 and Noctis' relationship with the Empire is so weird.

Spoiler

One minute they've killed old man Jared and you're destroying everything in their nearest base as an act of revenge, the next you're buddy buddy with Ardyn, the mercenary lady and their imperial guards as you're exploring a dungeon for mythril.

 

[pLow7]

Ok I've been playing the past few days and am I just totally doing something wrong when it comes to combat?

I've put about 8 hours into the game, currently lv 9 and combat is getting SUPER freaking tough now.

Doing hunting missions for instance, I went up against a lv 11 creature at lv 9 and it literally would one-hit me and take all my health out.

Even when I fight normal stuff at my level it's getting hard, I literally keep getting knocked down over and over and over and there seems to be no good way to judge incoming attacks, the prompt to block and parry hardly ever comes up and I just get knocked down/one-hit by stuff that's around my lv or slightly higher.

I feel like I'm playing super underlevel'd or somehow I've missed some kind of mechanic or don't have good gear (I have the only available upgraded weapons in this area) and I can't seem to find any clothing or anything (I don't even think it has that as loot).

Doing the crab thing near the ocean was such a pita, literally one hit and I was down, over and over and over.

A few "trash mobs" aren't a problem at all, just things that are like lv 10-12'ish or so.

Like the big horse looking things, Rhinos, spider, etc.

Get "wearing two Accessoires" as soon as possible for every member. Accessoires are basically your "armor", check if you have some with boosts in Vitality, which is basically the DEF stat.

 

[sappyday]

Does

Spoiler

Loqi

come back again or did they really shoehorn an old Nomura era model in the game? His presence didn't make any sense.

Spoiler

He does in a side quest. But an old Nomura era model?

 

[DrBretto]

Ok I've been playing the past few days and am I just totally doing something wrong when it comes to combat?

I've put about 8 hours into the game, currently lv 9 and combat is getting SUPER freaking tough now.

Doing hunting missions for instance, I went up against a lv 11 creature at lv 9 and it literally would one-hit me and take all my health out.

Even when I fight normal stuff at my level it's getting hard, I literally keep getting knocked down over and over and over and there seems to be no good way to judge incoming attacks, the prompt to block and parry hardly ever comes up and I just get knocked down/one-hit by stuff that's around my lv or slightly higher.

I feel like I'm playing super underlevel'd or somehow I've missed some kind of mechanic or don't have good gear (I have the only available upgraded weapons in this area) and I can't seem to find any clothing or anything (I don't even think it has that as loot).

Doing the crab thing near the ocean was such a pita, literally one hit and I was down, over and over and over.

A few "trash mobs" aren't a problem at all, just things that are like lv 10-12'ish or so.

Like the big horse looking things, Rhinos, spider, etc.

Any chance you've got the big Royal Arms Axe equipped? It brings your defense down to about nothing.

Otherwise, I'd recommend taking your foot off the attack button once in a while and dodge

 

[Jarmel]

I've not noticed this at all.

I mean here have been cutscenes of flashbacks and third parties, but so far (Kingsglaive cutscene at the start aside) they're all felt properly placed.

Can you give me a few examples of this happening anywhere from the start of the game to chapter 5 please?

The most egregious example would obviously be the Kingsglaive cutscenes at the end of Chapter 1. Obviously Noctis and crew would not have been in a position to receive detailed information like that. Another example I think either in 4 or 5 would be a short cutscene where Luna randomly pops in showing her healing a NPC.

There's a ton more later in the game such as during Chapter 12 or events happening offscreen where Noctis and crew would actually be privy to the information in Chapters 7/8 and 9.

 

[Edzi]

Just watched a youtube vid explaining the combos and I'm super stoked that the whole "release button, then press for finisher" feature is still in from duscae. That ability to stop and control a powerful finishing strike really makes it feel like a good mix of proper action and slower strategic planning/movement.

The problem is nothing is established. You don't know anything about anyone unless you've been watching pre-release materials and/or saw Kingslaive and the Brotherhood anime. I saw the latter but not the former and still struggled with remember what was happening and who was who. It's like they released a JRPG but cut out the opening hour or so for some bizarre reason. I get that they really wanted to get players to play the game ASAP but this wasn't the way to do it.

There's honestly no excuse for putting such important content in Brotherhood and Kingsglaive, but I'm glad it at least exists and that I watched both before playing. They seem absolutely essential, and I can't believe they didn't at the very least bundle them with every copy.

 

[nOoblet16]

Ok I've been playing the past few days and am I just totally doing something wrong when it comes to combat?

I've put about 8 hours into the game, currently lv 9 and combat is getting SUPER freaking tough now.

Doing hunting missions for instance, I went up against a lv 11 creature at lv 9 and it literally would one-hit me and take all my health out.

Even when I fight normal stuff at my level it's getting hard, I literally keep getting knocked down over and over and over and there seems to be no good way to judge incoming attacks, the prompt to block and parry hardly ever comes up and I just get knocked down/one-hit by stuff that's around my lv or slightly higher.

I feel like I'm playing super underlevel'd or somehow I've missed some kind of mechanic or don't have good gear (I have the only available upgraded weapons in this area) and I can't seem to find any clothing or anything (I don't even think it has that as loot).

Doing the crab thing near the ocean was such a pita, literally one hit and I was down, over and over and over.

A few "trash mobs" aren't a problem at all, just things that are like lv 10-12'ish or so.

Like the big horse looking things, Rhinos, spider, etc.

Something is wrong if you are only level 9 after 8 hours. I was close to 20 by that time and by 16 hours I was 35 and I didn't even do tons of side missions.

Imo you probably skipped on a lot of side missions, just talk to more people do hunts thst are your level. The game tells you how much XP/Gil you get out of each mission/hunt...do the ones that will benefit you the most but also consider your own level. Also change your weapons and buy new ones....you can take down enemies that are 3 level above yours relatively comfortably.


If you are using the Royal Arm then that consumes health with each hit. You also need to dodge and defend more because most likely you aren't doing it often. Also parry and use techniques whenever you can.

The other thing you need to consider is that damage number and speed aren't the only characteristics of a weapon. A piercing weapon like Pole might do more damage against a certain enemy than a sword and etc etc so you need to experiment and figure it out. When you are fighting tough enemies it all comes down to doong bonus damage via techniques, blindside (hitting from back after dodge rolling behind them) or stunning them and then attacking them.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

The story is shit. The sidequests are shit. Why is this one of the most engrossing games ive played in ages?

They call it the Dragon's Dogma syndrome. Godlike gameplay certainly helps.

 

[jasminlovesyoux]

I find the game really endearing in a lot of ways but there's a ton of big and small design and narrative choices that are head-scratching.

I've reached chapter 7 and Noctis' relationship with the Empire is so weird.

Spoiler

One minute they've killed old man Jared and you're destroying everything in their nearest base as an act of revenge, the next you're buddy buddy with Ardyn, the mercenary lady and their imperial guards as you're exploring a dungeon for mythril.

Right!?;? I don't get it either.

 

[PshycoNinja]

Ok I've been playing the past few days and am I just totally doing something wrong when it comes to combat?

I've put about 8 hours into the game, currently lv 9 and combat is getting SUPER freaking tough now.

Doing hunting missions for instance, I went up against a lv 11 creature at lv 9 and it literally would one-hit me and take all my health out.

Even when I fight normal stuff at my level it's getting hard, I literally keep getting knocked down over and over and over and there seems to be no good way to judge incoming attacks, the prompt to block and parry hardly ever comes up and I just get knocked down/one-hit by stuff that's around my lv or slightly higher.

I feel like I'm playing super underlevel'd or somehow I've missed some kind of mechanic or don't have good gear (I have the only available upgraded weapons in this area) and I can't seem to find any clothing or anything (I don't even think it has that as loot).

Doing the crab thing near the ocean was such a pita, literally one hit and I was down, over and over and over.

A few "trash mobs" aren't a problem at all, just things that are like lv 10-12'ish or so.

Like the big horse looking things, Rhinos, spider, etc.

Hunts, in general, are supposed to be challenging and are meant to test your skills. The first few hunts you do are to introduce you to the system. When you start to do double digit level hunts they tend to start getting tougher.

That said, for eight hours in the game, you are pretty underleveled. I would get more accessories and equip them. Unlock a few combat nodes on the Astralsphere and camp to level up a bit more. Just my advice if you want to make it easier.

Warp-strikes and managing MP is core in hunts, too.

 

[Ydelnae]

Spoiler

He does in a side quest. But an old Nomura era model?

Spoiler

It really seems like they just took designs and assets from all the development time and reworked them in the game. I sincerely doubt that it was a deliberate decision to design Loqi just to make him disappear in one boss fight (even if he appears in a sidequest).

 

[sappyday]

Spoiler

It really seems like they just took designs and assets from all the development time and reworked them in the game. I sincerely doubt that it was a deliberate decision to design Loqi just to make him disappear in one boss fight (even if he appears in a sidequest).

Yea but this can be said about pretty much everything in the game.

 

[Avenger54321]

How far are you? I'm end C5 and so far I agree, this is shaping up to be one of my favourite gaming experiences ever.

Chapter 6, been doing a lot of side quest to get EXP. Might end up getting the Platinum Trophy down the line.

 

[theofficefan99]

I cannot, for the LIFE of me, understand why Tabata and co. stuck with HOLDING buttons to attack.

I love the game so far. Still beginning of Chapter 2. The game is more than the sum of its parts for sure.


But the combat... Like, why? I love the warping... It feels good. I try ignoring holding a button for combos but for some weapons I just think that flat-out does not work. Idk. There's one 2-handed weapon in particular where it RANDOMLY has Noctis stay in a charging animation for like 5 seconds and I have like no control. In Duscae I remember Noctis having abilities he could use and he would scroll through it like a menu. Is that completely gone? I thought that was cool.

I also don't like how almost constantly I link up with party members and I'm just like "oh, okay cool, not sure what I did to trigger that but cool thank you." I feel like I don't have that much control over what goes on in battles, which is annoying. I know most of this is probably my fault, though some of it most likely isn't.

I still need to figure out how to properly roll and dodge, still need to get comfortable with the lock-on, and I guess I need to accept the automation of the battle system.

 

[WordsintheWater]

The story is shit. The sidequests are shit. Why is this one of the most engrossing games ive played in ages?

Hahha basically how I have felt in the beginning. I haven't played it for days because of work, but i can't stop thinking about it. All I wanna do is play the damn game.

 

[DrunkShogun]

Is this a glitch I've got going on. Red laser particles appear and disappear. Looks like the red scent in witcher 3.

Found the problem. Not a glitch.

 

[eliza0224]

I can feel the music is gonna be amazing just with the menu theme 😊

 

[Rebel Leader]

Spoiler

It really seems like they just took designs and assets from all the development time and reworked them in the game. I sincerely doubt that it was a deliberate decision to design Loqi just to make him disappear in one boss fight (even if he appears in a sidequest).

Spoiler

i thought they confirmed that they were just reusing assets When telling us all the vs13 stuff will not be in this game.

Like there not being a death cult

 

[Ruruja]

Is this a glitch I've got going on. Red laser particles appear and disappear. Looks like the red scent in witcher 3.

No, not a glitch. Look around and you should be able to spot where it's coming from.

 

[brawly]

I cannot, for the LIFE of me, understand why Tabata and co. stuck with HOLDING buttons to attack.

I love the game so far. Still beginning of Chapter 2. The game is more than the sum of its parts for sure.


But the combat... Like, why? I love the warping... It feels good. I try ignoring holding a button for combos but for some weapons I just think that flat-out does not work. Idk. There's one 2-handed weapon in particular where it RANDOMLY has Noctis stay in a charging animation for like 5 seconds and I have like no control. In Duscae I remember Noctis having abilities he could use and he would scroll through it like a menu. Is that completely gone? I thought that was cool.

I also don't like how almost constantly I link up with party members and I'm just like "oh, okay cool, not sure what I did to trigger that but cool thank you." I feel like I don't have that much control over what goes on in battles, which is annoying. I know most of this is probably my fault, though some of it most likely isn't.

I still need to figure out how to properly roll and dodge, still need to get comfortable with the lock-on, and I guess I need to accept the automation of the battle system.

Because it's better than mashing a single button.

 

[Avenger54321]

Is this a glitch I've got going on. Red laser particles appear and disappear. Looks like the red scent in witcher 3.

I encountered this too, but when I was in Chapter 5. Well it actually started doing it

Spoiler

when you lose the Regalia and have to sneak in the base to get it back

. It went away after awhile

 

[Doombear]

Soooo... my stamina doesn't decrease anymore? I turned the stamina gauge on immediately when I started. Used the 'trick' to always be sprinting. Then when the Road Trip DLC came in I got the Cheese Pizza for unlimited stamina buff. But... I haven't eaten it in a while (camped at least 4 times since and always use Noctis' favorite food now) and the stamina gauge is just not there anymore and I can sprint forever.

What am I missing?

EDIT: Oh wow ok, found it. The Royal Raiment DLC outfit. The one with no jacket allows for infinite sprint. Nice.

 

[ramyeon]

Does the chocobo level carry over even if the rental period expires and I have to rent another one?

 

[Ruruja]

Does the chocobo level carry over even if the rental period expires and I have to rent another one?

Yeah, you'll always get that chocobo.

 

[Zakalwe]

The most egregious example would obviously be the Kingsglaive cutscenes at the end of Chapter 1. Obviously Noctis and crew would not have been in a position to receive detailed information like that.

Cutscenes from outside perspectives happen like this in almost every game. Just because they chose the main delivery of exposition to be from the pov of the characters doesn't make scenes like this problematic or that they shouldn't exist.

This particular scene is problematic because it a poorly edited and seemingly cut and paste in, not because it's outside of the main company's point of view.

Another example I think either in 4 or 5 would be a short cutscene where Luna randomly pops in showing her healing a NPC.

That's not random. You get that cutscene after listening to a group of NPCs chatter about her, selecting a radio to trigger the cutscene and a conversation about Luna afterwards.

The problem here isn't the delver of this scene, which is fine, but the lack of familiarity with Luna and her position in the game/story prior to it.

There's a ton more later in the game such as during Chapter 12 or events happening offscreen where Noctis and crew would actually be privy to the information in Chapters 7/8 and 9.

Again, scenes from outside the main group's pov are fine. The content of those scenes being poorly placed or written is another thing entirely.

 

[darkistheway]

Try this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMvtobGYumA

don't treat it as straight up action.

See this post I wrote earlier for some overall tips.

Also check this guy's videos for an in-depth look at how the offensive systems work, and how each weapon type differs.



Well, so far it's working for me. End Chapter 5. We'll see how my opinion holds later in the game.

Thanks!

 

[Shahadan]

FFS I helped a random guy in distress and the game is now stuck after completing the quest. I shouldn't help random people.

I lost progress, even with auto save. Shit.

 

[ramyeon]

Yeah, you'll always get that chocobo.

That's a relief!

Love how they've implemented chocobos in this - it really does make getting around so much easier.

 

[nOoblet16]

I cannot, for the LIFE of me, understand why Tabata and co. stuck with HOLDING buttons to attack.

I love the game so far. Still beginning of Chapter 2. The game is more than the sum of its parts for sure.


But the combat... Like, why? I love the warping... It feels good. I try ignoring holding a button for combos but for some weapons I just think that flat-out does not work. Idk. There's one 2-handed weapon in particular where it RANDOMLY has Noctis stay in a charging animation for like 5 seconds and I have like no control. In Duscae I remember Noctis having abilities he could use and he would scroll through it like a menu. Is that completely gone? I thought that was cool.

I also don't like how almost constantly I link up with party members and I'm just like "oh, okay cool, not sure what I did to trigger that but cool thank you." I feel like I don't have that much control over what goes on in battles, which is annoying. I know most of this is probably my fault, though some of it most likely isn't.

I still need to figure out how to properly roll and dodge, still need to get comfortable with the lock-on, and I guess I need to accept the automation of the battle system.

Afaik You can Tap the button for combos if you don't want to hold...works either ways and gives you more control over timing regarding weapon swaps.

As for link ups, it only happens when both you and your party member end up hitting at the same time. It's random.


The combat system might look simplistic at first but there are a LOT of things that you have to take care of at the same time which makes it a challenge. It's not a character action game so performing the combos themselves isn't the challenge. For instance at any given time you have to think about making an opponent vulnerable while using your techniques or weapons, you also have to take your weapon type into consideration and switch between them when needed. Then there's the AP management (and HP in case of Royal arms), dodging, parrying and counters. Finally you also have to do crowd control. Basically all relatively simple elements on their own but when you combine them all it introduces a lot of variables which is where the difficulty comes from.

 

[Zakalwe]

Thanks!

Good luck with it, I really hope it clicks!

As someone who loves turn based FF and was very cautious when they announced the more action orientated approach, I absolutely adore this new combat system.

It's the perfect blend of automated/action that makes it feel more like an expanded form turn based than actual character action.

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

So I reached Altissia and it was beautiful. But as happy as I was with its finished state I couldn't help but be saddened too. Passing those gates was the first time I realized how close they were to actually pulling this off.

Minor open world map spoilers ahead

Spoiler

All they needed was another explorable area that side of the world to truly blow some minds. If they'd cut down the size of the main map and spread it between Altissia and Tenabrae too would have been ideal.

But from there all it would take was a few more Lestallum likes spread around and some more attention to the quests and main story implementation.

Essentially hitting Altissia made me realize that 1 or 2 more years would have truly made this one for the history books, but at the same time it gives me hope that an FFXVI without a troubled development process may deliver an FF to rival the oldies. I just wish this had been the one to do it.

Still loving it though 10 chapters in.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

Is the Amazon road trip DLC stuff any good? Just got codes for them.

 

[Edzi]

double post

 

[PensivePen]

I've been enjoying the game for the most part. It's had a few rough spots, but in general it's been a fun ride all throughout and even when I didn't like something I was never far away from getting back to the fun stuff. But I am playing

Spoiler

Chapter 13

and it has been some major hardcore suck.

I also got to a big difficulty spike just now. So I guess I'll be going to do some hunts to gain some levels and such. I'll welcome the change of pace from that terrible section.

 

[Zakalwe]

As for link ups, it only happens when both you and your party member end up hitting at the same time. It's random.

It's not random entirely.

From what I gather it happens in two ways:

After a successful counter attack or while you're hitting an enemy from behind.

If you do either of the above and you're close enough to a character that isn't currently invested in an action, it will trigger the link.

You need to be close for it to work, but there is at least one accessory that extends the range.

 

[Kaizer]

Anyone got some good tips on the Ascension Grid? I'm trying to be overall well rounded, but I get really indecisive when it comes time to spend some AP.

.

 

[Damerman]

LOool noctis' joke about

Spoiler

titan not missing leg day

.

The humor between the four is something im thankful they got right.

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

There's one 2-handed weapon in particular where it RANDOMLY has Noctis stay in a charging animation for like 5 seconds and I have like no control.

Pulling back on L while attacking causes a charge with the sword and a backflip and charged lunge with the spear. The L stick effects your attacks

It's not random entirely.

From what I gather it happens in two ways:

After a successful counter attack or while you're hitting an enemy from behind.

If you do either of the above and you're close enough to a character that isn't currently invested in an action, it will trigger the link.

You need to be close for it to work, but there is at least one accessory that extends the range.

These two are different. These are link strikes, which while having a charged attack they're a locked animation which you can't be attacked through. The other charge triggered by attacking and pulling back leaves you vulnerable which I'm guessing is the struggle he's having.