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Final Fantasy XV |OT| There and back again.

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Z

Zakalwe

Banned
Look! The Pie! said:
Just finished Chapter 13.

...THAT was the infamous Chapter 13? The near-unplayable, 4-hour slog that made some people knock 2-3 full points off their review scores and others consider giving up on the game altogether? The very nadir of gaming, the ordeal that inspired so much wailing and gnashing of teeth? The worst section of a game some people have ever played?

I swear, GAF's hyperbole knows no bounds (yes, I have read THAT thread). Sure, it was overlong. But aside from that, it was...fine. Nowhere near the miserable experience people said it was.

I really liked how completely different it was to what had come before, and it made a nice change of pace from the rollercoaster ride of the previous few Chapters. It had some nicely creepy moments, the slow drip-feed of information about the origins of the daemons and MTs was well implemented, the new mechanics of using the Ring of the Lucii were kinda fun, and the Chapter hit a few very sincere emotional beats (rescuing Prompto, him revealing his insecurity over his origins and the others accepting him without question, Noct leaving his bros behind to enter the Crystal). Shave half an hour off and we're golden.

Like, it's clear that a lot of people utterly despise it and hated every minute of it, and I don't want to dismiss what are clearly genuine and heartfelt opinions, but...I just don't get what was so unfathomably awful about it. Am I taking crazy pills?

Now on to Chapter 14...the game has deep, undeniable flaws, which I'll probably talk about when I'm done, but I'm still absolutely loving my time with it and will be truly sad when it's all over.
Click to expand...

I mean, I enjoyed c13, but it's abundantly apparent why it got the reaction it did, even if there was too much hyperbole involved:

Big change of gameplay mechanics that many didn't enjoy.

Incredibly bland, repetitive environments.

Far too much back-tracking/Key-card mechanic reminiscent of late 90s gaming, design we've moved away from for a very good reason.

Janky mechanics.

Poor pacing and the overall length was too much.

-

It has it's plus points, like it does add variety to the gameplay in an overall sense, it has some effective atmosphere, it has some good exposition/story beats/encounters, but it does feel like a bad Resident Evil clone at times.
 
R

Relaxed Muscle

Member
silva1991 said:
Final Fantasy XV |OT2| Who the hell is Jared?
Click to expand...

Final Fantasy XV |OT2| Who the fuck is Jared?

Iris called when she got the word,
She said: "I suppose you've heard -
About Jared".
Well I rushed to the window,
And I looked outside,
But I could hardly believe my eyes -
As a big Regalia rolled up
Into Jared's drive...
Oh, I don't know why he's leaving,
Or where he's gonna go,
I guess he's got his reasons,
But I just don't want to know,
'Cos for twenty-four years
I've been living next door to Jared.
Jared, who the fuck is Jared
Twenty-four years just waiting for a chance,
To tell him how I'm feeling, maybe get a second glance,
Now I've got to get used to not living next door to Jared...
Jared, who the fuck is Jared
Grew up together,
Two kids in the park,
Carved our initials,
Deep in the bark,
Me and Jared.
Now he walks through the door,
With his head held high,
Just for a moment, I caught his eye,
As a big Regalia pulled slowly
Out of Jared's drive.

Oh, I don't know why he's leaving,
Or where he's gonna go,
I guess he's got his reasons,
But I just don't want to know,
'Cos for twenty-four years
I've been living next door to Jared.
Jared, who the fuck is Jared

Twenty-four years just waiting for a chance,
To tell him how I'm feeling, maybe get a second glance,
Now I gotta get used to not living next door to Jared...
Jared, who the fuck is Jared

Iris called back, asked how I felt,
She said: "I know how to help -
Get over Jared".
She said: "Now Jared is gone,
But I'm still here,
You know I've been waiting
For twenty-four years..."
And the big Regalia disappeared...

I don't know why he's leaving,
Or where he's gonna go,
I guess he's got his reasons,
But I just don't want to know,
'Cos for twenty-four years
I've been living next door to Jared.
Jared, who the fuck is Jared

Twenty-four years just waiting for a chance,
To tell him how I feel, and maybe get a second glance,
But I'll never get used to not living next door to Jared...
Jared, who the fuck is Jared

Now I'll never get used to not living next door to Jared...
 
Z

Zakalwe

Banned
TheTux said:
Link to a cutscene video (SPOILER ALERT, don't click) https://youtu.be/8PMDFu9d83Y?t=3188

You can see the cutscene I'm talking about at 53:08

If I'm not mistaken that's the only cutscene where you see the emperor alive. As you can see, Ardyn is not there.
Click to expand...

We seem to be mistaken then, that was the scene I think I remember. I was convinced it was Ardyn talking about Noctis when they said it was beneficial to keep the person alive.

Thanks for clearing it up!
 
L

Leeness

Member
Look! The Pie! said:
Just finished Chapter 13.

...THAT was the infamous Chapter 13? The near-unplayable, 4-hour slog that made some people knock 2-3 full points off their review scores and others consider giving up on the game altogether? The very nadir of gaming, the ordeal that inspired so much wailing and gnashing of teeth? The worst section of a game some people have ever played?

I swear, GAF's hyperbole knows no bounds (yes, I have read THAT thread). Sure, it was overlong. But aside from that, it was...fine. Nowhere near the miserable experience people said it was.

I really liked how completely different it was to what had come before, and it made a nice change of pace from the rollercoaster ride of the previous few Chapters. It had some nicely creepy moments, the slow drip-feed of information about the origins of the daemons and MTs was well implemented, the new mechanics of using the Ring of the Lucii were kinda fun, and the Chapter hit a few very sincere emotional beats (rescuing Prompto, him revealing his insecurity over his origins and the others accepting him without question, Noct leaving his bros behind to enter the Crystal). Shave half an hour off and we're golden.

Like, it's clear that a lot of people utterly despise it and hated every minute of it, and I don't want to dismiss what are clearly genuine and heartfelt opinions, but...I just don't get what was so unfathomably awful about it. Am I taking crazy pills?
Click to expand...

You're not crazy. Totally agree, I quite liked it.

39bee4f33728e1f54402d858540d373c-weekend-update-high-five.gif
 
Y

YankeeDonB

Member
Leeness said:
You're not crazy. Totally agree, I quite liked it.

39bee4f33728e1f54402d858540d373c-weekend-update-high-five.gif
Click to expand...

I thought it was good too. Not great, dungeon could have had a more interesting design, for sure. But, a nice change of pace.

As I've said, I get people not liking it, but I think the idea that it's the worst thing in gaming history is largely just a pile-on, and lots of self-fulfilling prophecy from folks who had heard how bad it was and were already iffy on the game by the time they got there.

I like it when games try and shake it up this way, and have always appreciated how frequently classic FFs do so. I wouldn't say this is a return to form, but I do think it's a laudable effort (that could have used a little tweaking and polishing).
 
P

Pygrus

Member
Zakalwe said:
He shouldn't be, in fact none of them should be dying much more often than the others.

A lot of enemy damage is actually tied to Noctis. If you successfully avoid certain attacks, like larger AOE, it can mitigate team damage entirely.

You can set them up with good accessories to keep them alive, this means unlocking 2x accessories asap. Also make sure to upgrade the Teamwork skills.
Click to expand...

So do we actually know if this is true? This is something I have been noticing since like 30 hours into the game. But I was never sure.
 
L

Leeness

Member
YankeeDonB said:
I thought it was good too. Not great, dungeon could have had a more interesting design, for sure. But, a nice change of pace.

As I've said, I get people not liking it, but I think the idea that it's the worst thing in gaming history is largely just a pile-on, and lots of self-fulfilling prophecy from folks who had heard how bad it was and were already iffy on the game by the time they got there.

I like it when games try and shake it up this way, and have always appreciated how frequently classic FFs do so. I wouldn't say this is a return to form, but I do think it's a laudable effort (that could have used a little tweaking and polishing).
Click to expand...

Yeah, I can agree with that. I get why people didn't like it, and it could be more polished and tweaked, but the idea that it's the worst thing ever created in gaming history, in the last 30 years, etc etc etc. I can't roll my eyes hard enough. 🙄
 
K

kiaaa

Member
Pygrus said:
So do we actually know if this is true? This is something I have been noticing since like 30 hours into the game. But I was never sure.
Click to expand...

It seems to be the case for a lot of fights, but I don't think it work as a rule. Certain bosses or superbosses (
Naglfar
) just destroyed my party. In that particular case, I just left my party dead for most of the fight and revived them at the end. The AI wasn't able to handle his attacks or damage.
 
Y

YankeeDonB

Member
Also, re Jared and Ch. 14 --
In Ch. 14 we finally learn something about who he was and what happened to him. It's like they forgot that we hadn't yet played Ch. 14 when they first tried to use his death for emotional motivation. Weird. Ch. 14 hits a lot of great notes actually, and I have this feeling it was completed later in development when they had a better idea of exactly the tone and arc they wanted, but they had to take a lot of shortcuts to staple older stuff together to finish the game, so couldn't execute fully throughout.
 
P

Pygrus

Member
YankeeDonB said:
Also, re Jared and Ch. 14 --
In Ch. 14 we finally learn something about who he was and what happened to him. It's like they forgot that we hadn't yet played Ch. 14 when they first tried to use his death for emotional motivation. Weird. Ch. 14 hits a lot of great notes actually, and I have this feeling it was completed later in development when they had a better idea of exactly the tone and arc they wanted, but they had to take a lot of shortcuts to staple older stuff together to finish the game, so couldn't execute fully throughout.
Click to expand...

Agreed
The ride with talcott and then being able to ask him about things was actually really nice. I still wish we got to see more in the world of ruin though.
 
Z

Zakalwe

Banned
Pygrus said:
So do we actually know if this is true? This is something I have been noticing since like 30 hours into the game. But I was never sure.
Click to expand...

It's true, that's why I said "a lot of" not "all".

You'll have to learn on a case by case basis, the inconsistency is annoying.
 
J

jb1234

Member
YankeeDonB said:
Also, re Jared and Ch. 14 --
In Ch. 14 we finally learn something about who he was and what happened to him. It's like they forgot that we hadn't yet played Ch. 14 when they first tried to use his death for emotional motivation. Weird. Ch. 14 hits a lot of great notes actually, and I have this feeling it was completed later in development when they had a better idea of exactly the tone and arc they wanted, but they had to take a lot of shortcuts to staple older stuff together to finish the game, so couldn't execute fully throughout.
Click to expand...

Yeah,
Chapter 14 actually somewhat redeems Jared for me. I really liked being able to talk to his kid about everything that has happened and wished there were more dialogue scenes like that in the game.
 
J

Jennipeg

Member
Zakalwe said:
He shouldn't be, in fact none of them should be dying much more often than the others.

A lot of enemy damage is actually tied to Noctis. If you successfully avoid certain attacks, like larger AOE, it can mitigate team damage entirely.

You can set them up with good accessories to keep them alive, this means unlocking 2x accessories asap. Also make sure to upgrade the Teamwork skills.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I will evaluate my set up. Ignis is always on his arse for some reason. It's good to know this shouldn't be happening and I can fix it. Maybe save myself some items as well.
 
S

-SG

Member
This has probably been asked before, but how am I supposed to effectively use the Royal Arms? Do they drain HP while they are equipped or just when I land strikes? Should I just hack away at an enemy and every now and then throw in a hit with one of the royal arms?

Also, wait mode or no wait mode? What do people here generally prefer?
 
S

Son Of Sparda

Member
Castlemark Tower question.

Do I really have to fight those red giants & snake for the fourth time open the way?

I feel like I'm doing something wrong.
 
Z

Zakalwe

Banned
Jennipeg said:
Hmm, I will evaluate my set up. Ignis is always on his arse for some reason. It's good to know this shouldn't be happening and I can fix it. Maybe save myself some items as well.
Click to expand...

Buff Iggy and Prompto's vitality (defense) and HP as much as you can. You can get Magitek accessories later that buff both at once, Gold Bangels are great for HP, etc...

Teamwork tree adds in things like First aid kits that your team will use on you and each other, certain moves that stun/flinch or inflict status effects on the enemy (which makes battle more efficient, which mitigates damage indirectly).

My team is very balanced and they all hold their own. Even the large unavoidable attacks can be mitigated by a well times tech (janky, but effective).
 
E

ElephantShell

Banned
-SG said:
This has probably been asked before, but how am I supposed to effectively use the Royal Arms? Do they drain HP while they are equipped or just when I land strikes? Should I just hack away at an enemy and every now and then throw in a hit with one of the royal arms?

Also, wait mode or no wait mode? What do people here generally prefer?
Click to expand...

Royal Arms drain health only when you actually use them. I usually switch to one near the end of a battle to finish it off.

I also always have 2 equipped because they have good stats.
 
Z

Zakalwe

Banned
-SG said:
This has probably been asked before, but how am I supposed to effectively use the Royal Arms? Do they drain HP while they are equipped or just when I land strikes? Should I just hack away at an enemy and every now and then throw in a hit with one of the royal arms?

Also, wait mode or no wait mode? What do people here generally prefer?
Click to expand...

You can use HP regen accessories too offset the drain.

Their main use for me was for their passive bonuses (they just need to be equipped for these to activate), and the fact that no enemy is resistant to them making them great for specific encounters.

The final story RA is a great weapon by itself. High damage and an interesting/useful combo. It also offers the drain inherently, I think, at least it goes down very slowly for me.
 
P

Pygrus

Member
-SG said:
This has probably been asked before, but how am I supposed to effectively use the Royal Arms? Do they drain HP while they are equipped or just when I land strikes? Should I just hack away at an enemy and every now and then throw in a hit with one of the royal arms?

Also, wait mode or no wait mode? What do people here generally prefer?
Click to expand...

I don't use wait mode, but it can help get an idea how to approach battles in active mode, if you are struggling there.

You can equip royal arms just for the stat bonuses. Every hit landed on an enemy with one will cause your HP to drop. You don't need to to switch to the royal arms just to get the stat bonus, having them on your loadout will just give you the bonus.

Royal arms are really powerful in situations where the enemy has a lot of resistances, because they ignore all resistances.

I usually will switch to them when a mob becomes vulnerable, to start dishing out a lot of damage.
 
A

ArkhamFantasy

Member
Son Of Sparda said:
Castlemark Tower question.

Do I really have to fight those red giants & snake for the fourth time open the way?

I feel like I'm doing something wrong.
Click to expand...

You are correct, its just a stupid thing they do. Its also easy to miss the correct path to the boss. Read up on this part after you beat them for the fourth time.
 
P

PowderedToast

Junior Member
Jyrii said:
It had game design from the 90's. Go to a place and get key, go to next place, get another key, go to third.. Hey, you get poison gassed and must deactivate it to proceed.

Also camera was awful.

It basically felt like bad Resident evil.
Click to expand...

since when was game design from the 90's a criticism? the 90's were awesome

it's like people forgot what an actual JPRG dungeon is meant to be like. and it's still lightyears beyond following waypoints.
 
Y

YankeeDonB

Member
Pygrus said:
Agreed
The ride with talcott and then being able to ask him about things was actually really nice. I still wish we got to see more in the world of ruin though.
Click to expand...

jb1234 said:
Yeah,
Chapter 14 actually somewhat redeems Jared for me. I really liked being able to talk to his kid about everything that has happened and wished there were more dialogue scenes like that in the game.
Click to expand...

Yes and yes! A little of this kind of stuff in the right places goes a fairly long way to making the story feel coherent.
 
D

DarkLordMalik

Member
Just had an intense fight with the Level 110 hunt from Lestsllum.Ultimate battle of parry and counter while maintaining my breath. Got it all on video but it took me around half hour, whew.

My partt level was less than 70 while the hunt was level 110.
 
S

sappyday

Member
Wtf I have no idea how I'm missing the Marrowshroom Chowder dish. I bought the recipe in Altissia and I have all the ingredients needed for it. But the dish doesn't appear when camping. Apparently this will help a lot with the Adamantoise fight.
 
Freeman76

Freeman76

Member
Just finished. Great game throughly enjoyed it. Red dead still claims best game ending of all time for me but FF15 came closer than most.
 
K

kiaaa

Member
sappyday said:
Wtf I have no idea how I'm missing the Marrowshroom Chowder dish. I bought the recipe in Altissia and I have all the ingredients needed for it. But the dish doesn't appear when camping. Apparently this will help a lot with the Adamantoise fight.
Click to expand...

The biggest tip I can give for the Adamantoise fight is to use Ignis' Enhancement 3 times in a row and attack the eye. Constant 9999 damage on regular air attacks and your tech bar will be back to 3 by the time the buffs run out.
 
J

Jeffrey

Member
so how does one gear up your party member?

It's not like they really have 'roles' from what I can tell (tank dps healer etc).


Not sure what accessories are worthwhile.
 
R

Ruff

Member
I like the way the Hammerhead theme adds drums and electric guitar to the mix when you step inside the diner. Never noticed that touch the first time around.
 
V

ViciousDS

Banned
Pygrus said:
Agreed
The ride with talcott and then being able to ask him about things was actually really nice. I still wish we got to see more in the world of ruin though.
Click to expand...


Man I wanted to explore everything in chapter 14 just to see......stupid boundaries and plot points lol
 
Z

Zakalwe

Banned
Jeffrey said:
so how does one gear up your party member?

It's not like they really have 'roles' from what I can tell (tank dps healer etc).


Not sure what accessories are worthwhile.
Click to expand...

They do.

Gladio is Tank/Warrior
Ignis is Support/Healer
Prompto is ranged dps/cc

You can unlock skills in the Ascension tree such as Glad's Royal Guard which shields Noct from an attack, Iggy's Regroup which repositions and heals the party, and Prompto's Starshell which illuminates the area and attracts enemy attention.
 
R

RDreamer

Member
Jesus this battle system is the fucking worst, and whoever decided these killer wasps were a well designed enemy within this system should be fired from Square-Enix forever.
 
K

kiaaa

Member
Zakalwe said:
They do.

Gladio is Tank/Warrior
Ignis is Support/Healer
Prompto is ranged dps/cc

You can unlock skills in the Ascension tree such as Glad's Royal Guard which shields Noct from an attack, Iggy's Regroup which repositions and heals the party, and Prompto's Starshell which illuminates the area and attracts enemy attention.
Click to expand...

Starshell is worth getting if only because of how cool it looks at night/in dark areas.
 
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