• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

FFXV - Combat Patent Analysis

Releasing the button breaks the animation and the powerful attack chain. Quick button presses are for sudden attacks, like this one.

dxdonk.gif


Like here, you see that Noctis has to stun the enemy with his sword so that Gladiolus can KO him pretty easily. Party mechanics like this would be great since there's nothing canned about this sequence.

I kinda wonder if releasing the circle button would mean Noctis starts a new combo with a different sword.
 
I kinda wonder if releasing the circle button would mean Noctis starts a new combo with a different sword.
Pretty much what I was thinking. Hold button to combo with the selected attack, letting go will change the attack if you are under different conditions than when you started the previous attack, then you can continue to combo this attack by holding down the button again or let go whenever you want to change the attack again.
 
I'm fine if it combines elements of action with FF12. I'm not settled on the KH action anymore. This isn't the same vision that it was in 2006 so I let go. However, my only fear is that it will be too easy. I am so tired of hitting X and falling asleep. Punish me for messing up. Game OVER MEEEE.
 
Based on what's surfaced here, I'm curious about something.

Does this explain why the animation transitions are so fluid?

I wasn't sure how they were pulling it off at first because the movement looked way too scriped at first. I couldn't tell where the inputs were happening.

It looks impressive, to be sure. Feels like your driving your own fight scene in an action film. Could get real interest when mixing in magic and summons.
 
Based on what's surfaced here, I'm curious about something.

Does this explain why the animation transitions are so fluid?

I wasn't sure how they were pulling of at first because the movement looked way too scriped at first. I couldn't tell where the inputs were happening.

It looks impressive, to be sure. Feels like your driving your own fight scene in an action film. Could get real interest when mixing in magic and summons.

It explains why:

Combos, Dodges, Evades and Contextual Team Attacks are fluid.
 
Welp, you're better at marketing this game than Tabata with his "It'll basically be a one-button action, and the AI intuitively outputs an action that kind of satisfies"
 
Releasing the button breaks the animation and the powerful attack chain. Quick button presses are for sudden attacks, like this one.

dxdonk.gif


Like here, you see that Noctis has to stun the enemy with his sword so that Gladiolus can KO him pretty easily. Party mechanics like this would be great since there's nothing canned about this sequence.

Where do you get that idea?

For all we know, quick button press is just the start if the deck chain, So one quick button press means he starts the chain but stops after the first one.

You can see that the sudden attack, is a part of a larger chain, just a second before.
 
Yeah, the first strike is the first attack in the chain. It's still a sudden attack like what was displayed in the two .gifs

Sorry then, I understood that one tap was a different type of attack outside of the chain.

I guess it still depends of the gambits so the first attack of the chain can also be a heavy one.
 
yeah, an action game. one where its based around a single character rather than control of a squad or something. I would like to initiate each sword swing by myself instead of holding down a button. It feels more interactive to me that way, more immersive.

You probably still. Remember, we've seen Noctis making one single slash. Continuously pressing (not holding) might results in series of combo based on your Gambit setup.
 
This isn't an action game.

It's still an action game. As OP pointed it out, you do a lot of battle preparation and what not in the Gambit-like system, then in the actual combat, it's all real-time movements and actions, with a pause menu that has some form of settings for strategies stuff it seems.
 
Looking at this gif, I don't think that its one hold and then a press, I think that whole attack was just one chain attack. The transition from one goblin to another looks so smooth, I think that since Noctis knocked the first goblin out of his range the attack chain switched automatically to the next target.

It's definitely one hold and one press in that gif. Look at the UI at the bottom left.
 
wow 4 posts in a row....i´m only here to break your Combo

@Combat, if it work out like described it could be awesome. Hope the AI will work as Tabata expect it.
 
SelfassuredShinyIlsamochadegu.gif


Like I said in the other thread, if it plays like this I'm fine with it.

I was very negative in the other threads... but OP and this gif are giving me hope it might not be that bad.

It's hard to critique new control schemes such as this.

We need that demo.
 
I was very negative in the other threads... but OP and this gif are giving me hope it might not be that bad.

It's hard to critique new control schemes such as this.

We need that demo.

I agree. My initial reaction to the news about the patent and the apparent "Press A for Awesome" type stuff got me entirely bummed out... But OP's analysis makes me pretty happy about it. Eagerly awaiting the demo. :)
 
Is the second patent in the OP definitely for XV? It's interesting because it was filed by Yusuke Matsui (Lead Battle Programmer for FFXIII and Battle Director for FFXIII-2) and Satoru Koyama (Lead Battle Programmer for Lightning Returns).

Could it have been for Lightning Returns instead?
 
Is the second patent in the OP definitely for XV? It's interesting because it was filed by Yusuke Matsui (Lead Battle Programmer for FFXIII and Battle Director for FFXIII-2) and Satoru Koyama (Lead Battle Programmer for Lightning Returns).

Could it have been for Lightning Returns instead?

What patent are you referring to? The diagrams I've extracted are from Tabata's one.
 
What patent are you referring to? The diagrams I've extracted are from Tabata's one.

I'm talking about the OP. There are two linked. One has diagrams and a clear description of XV's battle system, including the Gambits. Those are all confirmed by Tabata too. The second patent document is less clear, and is a programming patent about recording inputs. I think that could be for Lightning Returns and might not be related to this one. In Sept 2012 when the patent was filed, both of those programmers would have been working on the XIII projects. They aren't on the Type-0 team or the Versus team.
 
If it plays as good as it looks, this could be a blast.

All in all perhaps it's for the better. In all this years we have waited for an KH-Style FF, KH3 wasn't announced. So i think they're going the right direction with this, or else it would be that SE releases two pretty similar Games etc.

I'm happy for now.
 
The idea looks cool, to be honest and the GIF that explains the battle system (even if it's speculation) looks quite logic and reasonable.

If its like FFXII but more action-y and with an evade button and a improved gambit system it could be really good. With the extra power you could include a lot more variables and ask that.

To be honest my only problem with FFXII was that even if I was seeing the enemy attacking I couldn't do anything to evade it! It really annoyed me. Really good game though.
 
I loved the FFXII gambit system, so I'm happy to see it return.
However, the whole contextual commands can potentially be disruptive if they're UI prompts. I dislike the idea of having relative fast paced combat but having to stare at the UI for a prompt, instead of knowing X button does Y, etc.
I think to grasp it, I still need a visual presentation. However, all in all, the return of gambits please me greatly. FFXII was a pleasure to play because of it.
 
I dislike the idea of having relative fast paced combat but having to stare at the UI for a prompt, instead of knowing X button does Y, etc.
I think to grasp it, I still need a visual presentation. However, all in all, the return of gambits please me greatly. FFXII was a pleasure to play because of it.
I would say that the animation and hit detection is far too good to rely on UI pop-ups.
 
Okay, just went through the whole patent. Sounds good actually. Going to explain it with images even tho the OP has already done it with text.

According to the patent, the game has an Attack Method Setting Screen (like FFXII gambits), which looks like the following: (This screen can be opened before battle or mid battle by pressing a button)


These conditions/methods are separated in to two:
1. Positional Condition
2. Attack Method

The stuff on the left are positional conditions (eg - less than 3m from Player Character), while the stuff on the right are attack conditions (eg - close attack with Axe). When you want to change these conditions, you click on say "3m from Player Character", and the list of Positional Conditions pop up. This list looks something like below. Same goes for an attack list.



Also, some other notes on these conditions:

  • New Positional and Attack Conditions may be unlocked as the the character levels, buys new equipment or the game progress
  • The amount of Conditions may be increased as the character levels, buys new equipment or the game progress
  • There are priorities for these set conditions, and top condition has the highest priority
  • Manual targeting of enemies (with R1 or L1) can over-ride these priorities
  • The conditions, along with being distance based, can also be directional, like attacking enemies from the front or back
  • Some attacks methods will be greyed out for certain positional conditions. For eg, when close range, long range attack methods will be greyed out.

Also came across something that sounded promising for action button mashing fans :P

 
See? It's not as bad as many thought it was from the interviews, if this is still representative of the recent battle system. This sounds like it has the potential to be both accessible and still deep if done right, so no panic :) We'll see in March. Can't wait!
 
But it won't play like it at all. button inputs and no jumping makes it very difficult to compare to KH. It's definitely not KH+gambits.
We dont know if there is a jump button or not. There certainly is aireal attacks like KH though. What makes it very much like kh is the real time combat and noctis' skills will likley be like the ap system.
 
Yes. You can patent gameplay mechanics, you can patent stuff like the scrolling feel on iPhones, basically you can patent software that is designed to be interacted with in a specific way or something.
Wow that's insane. We need to completely get rid of the patent system or it needs a MAJORRRRR overhaul.
 
Seems like a welcome evolution of the Gambit system; in some ways more simplified, but in others more intelligent and dynamic. It seems to have more emphasis on player control and adapting to specific battle conditions. As I said in the other thread, I thought the Gambit system was a good idea in and of itself but could have been executed better. I think XV is a response to that criticism, for sure.
 
Both the OPs post and the GIF that's been floating around this thread actually make me look forward to playing this. This could be a really cool idea, specially if the transitions between animations are smooth. As long as the "rewarding" factor is still there, this will work for me. That specific action on that GIF looks friggin baddass.
 
This sounds interesting if it falls more in line with some of the speculation in this thread. I personally love the gambit system, though it does seem rather counter-intuitive from a more casual perspective to introduce programming the moves you will perform.
 
Those people are put under the bus.

Together with Nomura.

Man, I feel bad for the guy. His vision being scrapped was one bad enough turn of events , but all the passive aggressive PR of Tabata "saving" the project and implying it was in development hell because he wasn't there was harsh.

It's been eight years. I don't think anything needs to be implied.
 
Okay, just went through the whole patent. Sounds good actually. Going to explain it with images even tho the OP has already done it with text.

According to the patent, the game has an Attack Method Setting Screen (like FFXII gambits), which looks like the following: (This screen can be opened before battle or mid battle by pressing a button)



These conditions/methods are separated in to two:
1. Positional Condition
2. Attack Method

The stuff on the left are positional conditions (eg - less than 3m from Player Character), while the stuff on the right are attack conditions (eg - close attack with Axe). When you want to change these conditions, you click on say "3m from Player Character", and the list of Positional Conditions pop up. This list looks something like below. Same goes for an attack list.




Also, some other notes on these conditions:

  • New Positional and Attack Conditions may be unlocked as the the character levels, buys new equipment or the game progress
  • The amount of Conditions may be increased as the character levels, buys new equipment or the game progress
  • There are priorities for these set conditions, and top condition has the highest priority
  • Manual targeting of enemies (with R1 or L1) can over-ride these priorities
  • The conditions, along with being distance based, can also be directional, like attacking enemies from the front or back

Also came across something that sounded promising for action button mashing fans :P
Manual targeting of enemies (with R1 or L1) can over-ride these priorities

The conditions, along with being distance based, can also be directional, like attacking enemies from the front or back

i lost my shit at these two conditions. If they realize this combat system... i think it might be the best FF has ever had.
 
Manual targeting of enemies (with R1 or L1) can over-ride these priorities

The conditions, along with being distance based, can also be directional, like attacking enemies from the front or back

i lost my shit at these two conditions. If they realize this combat system... i think it might be the best FF has ever had.

Indeed all of this stuff is actually looking very promising! Damn, I cant wait for some more oficial SE words about this and maybe even a video showing this gambit-like system. It seems amazing!
 
Top Bottom