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[WolvenOne]

I suppose this is going to be a multi-part question. How do you feel about RPGs that use quick time events as a part of thier combat system?

Why don't we see this sort of thing more often, is there some fundamental flaw in not aware of?

What game did this the best? Conversely, can you think of instances where this sort of feature was implemented badly?

What is the air speed velocity of a sparrow?

 

[Tizoc]

Didn't Final Fantasy IX have those?

Well FFX had limit breaks that were QTEs. I kinda liked them as they felt like minigames

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Vagrant Story.

2-hander.

Chain double digit combo for sky high Risk.

Heal to full.

Eat a Risk pill.

Take an enemy hit.

#yolo

 

[E_Darkness]

I like them in Xenoblade. Makes me more involved in the combat.

 

[Sinatar]

A non action RPG's combat system should be about statistics, character build and proper strategic choices in combat, not reflexes.

 

[antitrop]

I thought the timing-based mechanic, which is essentially just a QTE, in Lost Oddysey was done pretty well. It was the only thing that gave that game's combat system any flavor at all.

 

[WolvenOne]

Didn't Final Fantasy IX have those?

Well FFX had limit breaks that were QTEs.

I'm not sure about IX, I think eight had a few, Squalls attacks dealing extra damage with a properly timed button press comes to mind.

X had a few I believe.

 

[Valkerionseven]

Kinda don't like it when they have them for turn based combat for normal attacks ala FF8, Lost Odyssey or Legend of the Dragoon. Too much to pay attention to. Story and special attacks are fine for me though.

 

[mrmickfran]

Final Fantasy XIII-2 had em. It wasn't received very well.

Mario RPG's are built on QTEs.

 

[WolvenOne]

A non action RPG's combat system should be about statistics, character build and proper strategic choices in combat, not reflexes.

While I agree with this to an extent, Turn Based Battle systems are so simple that battle strategies are often pretty simple for the bulk of fights. As such, I think there's room for both.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

The Mario games nailed them, but usually I find them annoying.

While I agree with this to an extent, Turn Based Battle systems are so simple that battle strategies are often pretty simple for the bulk of fights. As such, I think there's room for both.

Then just make the battles more interesting, when a turn based game has "simple strategies" then it has failed. Turn Based games can be really interesting without the need of any QTE.

QTEs would usually just make the battle slower, so just no.

 

[Lng0004]

Legend of Dragoon had a pretty fun combat system.

 

[KarmaCow]

A non action RPG's combat system should be about statistics, character build and proper strategic choices in combat, not reflexes.

Yea, the QTE stuff just slows down the combat. The interesting part is the choices made during battles, not the interface itself.

 

[Trigonometrize.]

The only game I can think is FFXIII-2 and they were just as shitty as any other game's QTEs. I guess FFVIII also kinda had it with pressing x or something right as Squall's attack animation was at a certain point. That was fun. /s

 

[WolvenOne]

The Mario games nailed them, but usually I find them annoying.

Ah yes, I recall that Mario RPG had a few potentially game breaking QTEs, if you had the right timing.

Sooooo many double jumps. XD

 

[Afrocious]

The Mario rpgs rely on them.

 

[Dinda]

I liked it in Lost Odyssey

And i'm not so sure anymore, but i think i also liked it in Shadow Hearts: Covenant.

 

[The Mad Draklor]

Really liked how Paper Mario and PM: The Thousand Year Door utilized QTEs. It's especially fun with Power Bounce. I nearly defeated a boss in the first game with just that ability one time.

 

[Lulubop]

Didn't Final Fantasy IX have those?

Well FFX had limit breaks that were QTEs. I kinda liked them as they felt like minigames

no? no idea what you're even thinking of

 

[Leafhopper]

Didn't Final Fantasy IX have those?

No.

 

[RespectThySole]

I definitely liked it in Lost Odyssey.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Didn't Final Fantasy IX have those?

Well FFX had limit breaks that were QTEs. I kinda liked them as they felt like minigames

FFIX didn't have any to my recollection. FFVIII had gunblade and summon QTEs and I thought some of the limit breaks were dependent on player input (such as Zell, for example). Now that I think about it I think some of the limit breaks in FFVII featured QTEs (Tifa and Cid?).

Now I gotta go back and check FFIX. If any at all, they were featured during Trance phases but I doubt it.

 

[threelights]

Something like Mario is good

Something like FFX is fine

Something like Xenoblade is not. Anything Xenoblade and above should be removed (like FFXIII-2...)

That's what I'd say.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Something like Mario is good

Something like FFX is fine

Something like Xenoblade is not. Anything Xenoblade and above should be removed (like FFXIII-2...)

That's what I'd say.

Uh what? When did Xenoblade ever have QTEs?

 

[Ala Alba]

Uh what? When did Xenoblade ever have QTEs?

Burst affinity, I believe they are called. Something like that.

A 'B' prompt in a circle will appear on the screen with a larger circle shrinking down to it, and you get better rewards if you hit b right when the larger circle hits the white border of the smaller circle.

 

[Peltz]

Uh what? When did Xenoblade ever have QTEs?

It's easy to not consider burst affinities to be a QTE prompt. They're good QTEs because they don't actually feel like QTEs.

 

[Haly]

SMRPG did it right 15 years ago.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Burst affinity, I believe they are called. Something like that.

A 'B' prompt in a circle will appear on the screen with a larger circle shrinking down to it, and you get better rewards if you hit b right when the larger circle hits the white border of the smaller circle.

Yeah, I remembered that afterward. I still don't know what the issue with those are. The timing is very forgiving unless you aim for perfect, and it's effects are honestly pretty minimal

 

[BadWolf]

Shadow Hearts did it well.

 

[Weltall Zero]

A non action RPG's combat system should be about statistics, character build and proper strategic choices in combat, not reflexes.

That leaves out 95% of current RPGs, turn-based ones included, you know. The Mario games have shown that such things can add a ton of spice.

 

[Teknoman]

Uh what? When did Xenoblade ever have QTEs?

Those counter things or whatever when you had to press A at a certain time.

They just mean that QTEs should serve to spice up combat, not slow it down.

 

[BocoDragon]

FFVIII's "boost mode" on Guardian Forces comes to mind.

 

[Mupod]

Legend of Dragoon had a pretty fun combat system.

I like LoD, but goddamn did battles ever get tiresome after a while.

Shadow Hearts and Lost Odyssey are a bit more relaxed in their implementation of timing-based stuff and don't wear you out like Legend of Dragoon does. But sometimes the judgement ring just feels like a 'why is this even here' kind of pointless addition.

Mario and Lugi: Superstar Saga was the most engaging use of 'QTEs' without feeling super forced, and it was especially cool because you were encouraged to get good enough at them to ignore the button prompts.

 

[Dark_castle]

Legend of Dragoon's Additions.

Shadow Hearts's Judgement Ring.

Lost Odyssey's Aim Ring.

The Last Remnant's critical hit timing.

I love them.

 

[Drilbit777]

The Shadow Hearts series Judgement Ring pulled it off pretty well since it was essential to the actual game and at least gave us a brand new take on turned based RPGs.

FFX also did QTEs pretty well with the Limits and I didn't mind them that much. It was pretty much a quick minigame.

FFXIII-2's QTE's felt gimmicky and yeah I guess the scenes were cool to look it but they weren't necessary.

 

[threelights]

Yeah, I remembered that afterward. I still don't know what the issue with those are. The timing is very forgiving unless you aim for perfect, and it's effects are honestly pretty minimal

It's not about being "forgiving" or not. It's simply the fact that it's there. Xenoblade handled it pretty bad (tbf the game handled its entire combat system pretty badly, but much like the QTEs, that's all very forgivable).

Not to derail this thread into Xenoblade talk though.

Shadow Hearts did it well.

Oh yeah, this one was pretty good.


Another one that was bad was KH2's Reaction Commands. A few good uses (first and last boss, Demyx's duel, etc.), but I'm really thankful Nomura ripped them out of KH3.

 

[Cess007]

Didn't Final Fantasy IX have those?

Well FFX had limit breaks that were QTEs. I kinda liked them as they felt like minigames

no? no idea what you're even thinking of

No.

FFIX didn't have any to my recollection. (..)

Now I gotta go back and check FFIX. If any at all, they were featured during Trance phases but I doubt it.

At the very beginning of the game, when you (Zidante) pretends to fight against Blank in fron of the audience. I remember QTEs there.

Edit.

 

[Drilbit777]

Another one that was bad was KH2's Reaction Commands. A few good uses (first and last boss, Demyx's duel, etc.), but I'm really thankful Nomura ripped them out of KH3.

KH 2 Final Mix used them alot better especially with Data Battles, I loved the scythe combo you could do on Marluxia in the Data battle.

 

[Junahu]

QTEs in general are a decent fit for turn-based RPGs, because their systems are already abstracted from reality, and there is plenty of dead space where the player is just passively watching things happen. Better to get them to push a button and at least pretend to engage with the combat.

FF8's QTE for guaranteed criticals added more energy to the battle system, because the ATB would still happen and menus would crop up even during the attack. Navigating a menu whilst still remembering to tap R1 when Squall hit made the player pay attention to both the battle and their own menu-ing (which is really the point of an ATB to begin with)

 

[fedexpeon]

Well, it is not QTE imo.
It is more like combo input since it is within the combat system itself.
Or like music timing game.

I love it.
I can't remember what game it was, but when you did a move, you needed to put in a chain of command for it to effectively deal damage/critical or to even use it.

 

[WolvenOne]

QTEs in general are a decent fit for turn-based RPGs, because their systems are already abstracted from reality, and there is plenty of dead space where the player is just passively watching things happen. Better to get them to push a button and at least pretend to engage with the combat.

FF8's QTE for guaranteed criticals added more energy to the battle system, because the ATB would still happen and menus would crop up even during the attack. Navigating a menu whilst still remembering to tap R1 when Squall hit made the player pay attention to both the battle and their own menu-ing (which is really the point of an ATB to begin with)

Agreed, it adds a sense of engagement to idle portions of a games battle system. So long as proper execution is a bonus earthen than a make our break aspect of a battle, that can be great.

 

[Raonak]

I quite enjoy them in stuff like FF8. where you press R1 right as your attack connects to get extra damage. worked well with the whole ATB system.
I was quite saddened that only gunblade characters had the mechanic. wished it was for every character. It made training up on random encounters a bit more enjoyable.

A non action RPG's combat system should be about statistics, character build and proper strategic choices in combat, not reflexes.

Sure, if you're talking about a boss battle, or a strong enemy.
but fact is, vast majority of battles consist of just tapping x the whole time to spam attack.

 

[Xenus]

The original Dark cloud did it. I don't remember if the sequel did I haven't played them in a while and I still have rush stuck in my head from Legend of the dragoon from all those years ago.

 

[NullKaze]

Another one that was bad was KH2's Reaction Commands. A few good uses (first and last boss, Demyx's duel, etc.), but I'm really thankful Nomura ripped them out of KH3.

I think KH2 did them fantastically.

They actually had nothing to do with reaction speed. It was never about you pressing them fast enough - it was more about facilitating flashy moves that could change a battle situation.

Almost none of the situations with an RC were intended to kill you if you missed. Combined with the fact that most can be blocked/dodged/ignored, it really is just another method of gameplay that you can choose to use, or not.

In my mind, the bad QTEs are ones that occur in pre-scripted sequences, where you get penalties if you miss them somehow (Tomb Raider, FFXIII-2). Essentially, they were only there to make sure you paid attention to the cutscene.

 

[spinz]

to me the best way to characterize QTE is that it doesnt correspond to any one button or any one action. If youre pressing x to parry, and its always x, and its always parrying, thats not a QTE. If youre pressing x to push over a bookcase, and then b to push another book case, and then x to summersault onto a platform... thats likely QTE.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

I quite enjoy them in stuff like FF8. where you press R1 right as your attack connects to get extra damage. worked well with the whole ATB system.
I was quite saddened that only gunblade characters had the mechanic. wished it was for every character. It made training up on random encounters a bit more enjoyable.



Sure, if you're talking about a boss battle, or a strong enemy.
but fact is, vast majority of battles consist of just tapping x the whole time to spam attack.

This is, IMO, a far more damning indictment of the way RPGs are designed in general (in that there are countless battles with no purpose but to let you fight things and gain XP) than it is of any particular combat system.

 

[Krejlooc]

A non action RPG's combat system should be about statistics, character build and proper strategic choices in combat, not reflexes.

Mario RPG and Mother 3 disagree heavily.

 

[WolvenOne]

This is, IMO, a far more damning indictment of the way RPGs are designed in general (in that there are countless battles with no purpose but to let you fight things and gain XP) than it is of any particular combat system.

Oh, I agree that many JRPG's need to do more to make random encounters more interesting than spamming your strongest attack and occasionally healing. Adding small QTE aspects to the gameplay helps, but it's a bandage that doesn't fix the underlying problem.

 

[Inuhanyou]

Shadow Hearts

Lost Odyssey

FF9

LOD

FFX

Black Ops


All had QTE segments i really liked.

I'm assuming FF7r will probably include them if its done by CC2. Hopefully they are super cinematic and delightfully epic.

 

[RexNovis]

I remember Legend of Dragoon being the first time I actually enjoyed QTEs in a game but thanks to the regularity they appeared in fights they quickly became predictable which trivialized them.

I actually enjoyed the QTE in Kingdom Hearts 2 as I felt like they added a lot of dynamism to the fighting scenarios in a lot of ways. I do think the game relied on then a bit to heavily for certain bosses though (I'm looking at you Sephiroth -_-).

Edit: I forgot about Super Mario RPG. That was excellently done. Probably the best use of QTE I've experienced to date.