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Eurogamer: Tabata on Final Fantasy XV - "core-centric", "casual", "best FF ever"

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...er&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialoomph

Having sat down with Tabata for an hour-long roundtable at Square Enix's Shinjuku headquarters, it seems he is the perfect man for the job. Like Yoshida, Tabata cuts a contrasting figure to the directors who have immediately preceded him.

What exactly is Tabata's style? Despite his previous games having been on portable platforms, he's certainly got an affinity with more traditional console fare. "In Japan, more and more gamers lean towards games that can be played very casually," he says. "I personally like and grew up with those core-centric games, those substantial standalone games. I want to preserve the integrity of them, and leave a legacy of those standalone games in the best form possible."

There's a physicality to Tabata's games - something seen in the more grounded fantasy of Type 0 and in the more direct combat of Crisis Core - that's retained and underlined in Final Fantasy 15. "When we were making the transition, we sat down and I discussed with Nomura the game," he says. "I felt that I wanted to shift it more to be more realistic. For example, when you're battling a really strong boss like a behemoth, if you go at it from just the front you're going to get hit with his counter-attacks. You have to think about baiting it to attack forward, but then break its stance and attack it from the side. I wanted to make it so you're fighting a real animal, but with easy-to-manipulate controls as well as dramatic effects. My basis was to keep it grounded in reality."

Tabata's also in pursuit of a Final Fantasy that's not as overwhelming as its predecessors, and one that can be enjoyed by a broader audience. "With Final Fantasy 15, I do want to make it more casual," he says. "Of course the depth of the game is going to be there, but I want to make it so players can easily experience the satisfaction of the depth of the game." There's an option to set that car to drive itself, allowing players to sit back and take in the sights - although there is also an option to drive it manually, should they want to engage more fully with the world.

"Another example is in the combat," explains Tabata. "With the hardware specifications of the newer consoles, it's possible to set it up so you have different enemies and different choices of attacks you can enter in, but I want to simplify that. It'll basically be a one-button action, and the AI intuitively outputs an action that kind of satisfies, gives you that instant gratification, and it connects with the simple touch of a button. I myself am not getting any younger. I don't want to be frantically pushing buttons. I also want to utilise the intelligence of the hardware spec, and not have to go through too much hassle or trouble in order to execute moves."

"My goal is to have people play Final Fantasy 15, and for them to think this is the best Final Fantasy they've ever played."
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
This is going to be a long thread.

But whatever it is, I hope it's one button but can be complex... Kinda like LR:FFXIII
 

Soriku

Junior Member
post-29824-R-Kelly-WTF-WHAT-gif-DAFUQ-Tra-WRJC.gif
 

Parakeetman

No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
...yeah hearing this and the character design which you all know I think is utter shit, most def am not touching this game now. Damned shame since was curious about the other gameplay mechanics and world design.
 

Exentryk

Member
Reposting my thoughts on the battle system from the other thread.

So the negatives out of this combat system:
- Holding "Attack" for continuous string of attacks instead of manual pressing for better feedback
- Holding "Guard" for continuous dodging, and no manual dodge roll
- No Manual Weapon Switching
- No Manual Party Assists
- No Party Switching (only Noctis playable?)

It's basically set up your weapons, and then just hold the "Attack" button and let the AI do its thing. How is that fun?

What it should have been:
- Mash attack for every single attack
- Can manually switch weapons with a button (like say L1)
- Can manually call for party assists when close by with a button (say Square)
- Can manually switch to other party members with a button (say R1)
- Have the KH like command menu for each character (or map to face/shoulder buttons)
- Have the FFXII gambits for ordering other characters when you're not controlling them


God damn it.
 

kenta

Has no PEINS
I don't even... At first glance this feels like a quote that got pulled out of context, but no. That's what he freaking said. Holy crap
 

duckroll

Member
Press A for Awesome confirmed? This has to be the most negative of Tabata's comments regarding the battle system out of the 6 interviews from the past 2 days.
 

Cipherr

Member
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No but seriously, he says there is still going to be a 'manual mode' so this isn't nearly as bad as it sounds. If they want to add a mode for a casual player, Im okay with that as long as Im not forced to use it. Options are fine.
 
With all these FFXV threads, I ran out of popcorn!

I won't judge until I play the game. It can be bad if it's too easy and all you do is press a button for a scripted, repetitive action move.
 

Nibel

Member
I think we shouldn't take this to heart; it reminds me of the Dark Souls 2 pre-release situation and DkS2 still turned out to be challenging.

What would be cool is that if the one-button-attack is rhythm-based to a degree.
 

Stimpack

Member
I honestly don't have any expectations from this franchise anymore, regardless of what they do with it. You can't hurt me anymore!
 
With the hardware specifications of the newer consoles, it's possible to set it up so you have different enemies and different choices of attacks you can enter in, but I want to simplify that. It'll basically be a one-button action, and the AI intuitively outputs an action that kind of satisfies, gives you that instant gratification, and it connects with the simple touch of a button. I myself am not getting any younger. I don't want to be frantically pushing buttons. I also want to utilise the intelligence of the hardware spec, and not have to go through too much hassle or trouble in order to execute moves.

272.gif
 

sn00zer

Member
FFXV was literally my most anticipated game ever because of the combat system in combination with the world/art....



fuck

a02eca8ae25ae78d92d5a81e19a6ad7c.jpg
 

Hindle

Banned
Yea i thought as much based off the trailers. It looks like it's going to be a very accessible and scripted FF. XV will be The Uncharted of the FF franchise, Some people will be happy with that but personally, Square can fuck off.

XIII was terrible, but the actual battle system was great.
 
I'd be potentially OK with that if the game still allowed for a lot of automation management... something along the lines of Gambits. But from what I've read, the AI setting doesn't seem to be clear whether it means a system as configurable as Gambits or it just means you can choose between a few basic settings like Tank, DPS, Heal or Offfensive/Defensive. I like it to a strategy game like The Settlers. Once you're city is built, it 'plays it itself.' But you can spend hours configuring and personalizing it, and part of the satisfaction is watching it in action. That was a bit part of the appeal of XII, too. It was satisfying to watch a unique and well-tailored set of Gambits in action. But based on his other comments on accessibility, I'm not sure it's likely to expect the 'AI configuration' to be like that.

I think perhaps I'm grasping at any similarity to Gambits maybe because the environments and the whole 'journey' (a la the journey to Arcadia) reminded me of FF XII when I first saw it. I've a feeling I'll be blaming myself or God if I get my expectations too high, however.
 

Abriael

Banned
My guess here is mistranslation, misquoting or simple misunderstanding.

When someone writes "the intelligence of the hardware spec" my "bad translation warnings" start to flare.
 

KHlover

Banned
God dammit. As if Crisis Core wasn't already easy enough. Next Tabata game will be like ATB - tap to win.

Save us, Nomura and Kingdom Hearts III :(


Seriously, every time Tabata opens his mouth some of my hype dies. This gami is going to end up worse than Final Fantasy XII, isn't it? RIP Final Fantasy
 

SparkTR

Member
I think we shouldn't take this to heart; it reminds me of the Dark Souls 2 pre-release situation and DkS2 still turned out to be challenging.

What would be cool is that if the one-button-attack is rhythm-based to a degree.

With From a 'casual' game is still pretty challenging. When SE says their game will be more casual I'm sure as fuck expecting something very casual.
 

MormaPope

Banned
I myself am not getting any younger. I don't want to be frantically pushing buttons.

That's....a really weird mentality to have. I'm pretty sure the majority of talented Japanese devs are 35 years old+, and they don't say things like this in terms of mechanics.
 
I don't think instant gratification will be that strong after holding a button for 20 hours.

Still hope there's some good depth to it but it does sound frustratingly boring. Still fucking stoked to play it. Cognitive dissonance.
 
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