ACCESSING AGNI

[LeonBlade]

"Calling them metrosexual seems pretty disrespectful,"
not really, its the truth, maybe gladilos looking only normal because he is like a bodybuilder and bodybuilders looks like exactly same as gladilous so thats pretty normal to shave his body to show the muscles + gladilous,and ignis have a "normal" hair not like noctis,and prompto.
imo noctis and prompto looks like a typical japanese metrosexual,emo boys,japanese girls love it...lol

A"lso judging the plot against FFXV when we don't even know what happens in the game... and Agni's doesn't even HAVE A PLOT, it was just a tech demo. I didn't realize you played XV already and know the whole game story. I can understand KOKAYI5's opinions and respect them, but you never seem to make sense to me"

Maybe its just tech demo but i do like more that world than ff15 world.


" You are worried about "metrosexuals" but you think the bare chested muscle man is a better character than Noctis?"
Noctis is kid,whining a lot,stubborn,cocky kid, ignis and galdilous would be better main hero imo.Why square enix ff games protagonist have always young main hero? its feels strange when i play a young man in video games, why not 24-40 year old main hero? it would be better! or at least like Assassins creed games or other western games lol.

The world in Agni's was just bland and boring, it was a dump with a modern city in the background, I don't see how you could like it over what we've seen in XV... which is to say basically nothing.

You say Noctis is a whiny stubborn cocky kid... but how do you know this? And on that, how do you know Ignis and Gladiolus would be any different?

I know what you mean about Prompto and Noctis though, I don't see it as a problem, but I can't disagree with your opinion on it.

 

[UNKLE]

"The world in Agni's was just bland and boring, it was a dump with a modern city in the background, I don't see how you could like it over what we've seen in XV... which is to say basically nothing"

strange agni's world feels like more original ff game than ff15 imo

"You say Noctis is a whiny stubborn cocky kid... but how do you know this? And on that, how do you know Ignis and Gladiolus would be any different?"

If you hear them speaking in ff15,vs13 trailers/gameplay you know what i talking about...+ it would be the worst ff game ever just imagine 4 guy with the same attitude so basically they created 4 same guy with different skin?

have you ever listened what are they talking about in japanese gameplay?

 

[KOKAYI5]

Nomura said flat out he didn't want Noctis to be emo. Noct is suppose to have all the traits anyone would have. There's suppose to be time he's cool, some he's not. He'll have ups and down. Sad times and and happy times. He wanted very badly to make the character human. He rises to be a hero. He felt other FF characters were more idealized so he went for a more average joe who becomes a beast killing machine by the end style. Noctis has his complaints about the way the world his going, but so do we all. I'm sure they'll be times when Noctis will seems cynical or bratty or hardheaded. But I don't think he's emo.

 

[UNKLE]

Nomura said flat out he didn't want Noctis to be emo. Noct is suppose to have all the traits anyone would have. There's suppose to be time he's cool, some he's not. He'll have ups and down. Sad times and and happy times. He wanted very badly to make the character human. He rises to be a hero. He felt other FF characters were more idealized so he went for a more average joe who becomes a beast killing machine by the end style. Noctis has his complaints about the way the world his going, but so do we all. I'm sure they'll be times when Noctis will seems cynical or bratty or hardheaded. But I don't think he's emo.

I mean prompto and noctis emo posers they not emo just looks like emo.

 

[Tornak]

I get people getting tired of European medieval fantasy when it's done bland, but, like the setting or not, you can't really say FF does it bland and boring. Sure, I-V are really similar in terms of setting (with their differences), but beginning with VI every setting is significantly or even drastically different. It's not knights and orcs (like bland and generic looking games such as Kingdom of Amalur), but a twist to something really popular and well-known.

Now, I wouldn't be opposed if they took a slighly different route and instead of European medieval fantasy, did something like XII, which is heavily inspired by the Middle East. I'd love something more in line with vikings,for example, but not boring and realistic enough to make it bland: throw me a couple of countries with a huge tradition in sea battling and raids or something like that, with designs slighly inspired by Nordics tribes, but with its own identity, one that fits FF... I hate FF X's overall aesthetics (especially characters), but the setting is for the most part pretty cool and beautiful, heavily inspired by Southern-Asian countries, but distinctive to be its own thing.

I hate when FF shamelessly put a real-life culture in a game, just like that. Look at Wutai, it's motherfucking Japan, very clearly.

For example, I'd also love a Victorian-like FF game with elegant desings and a grayer tone or something like that. But that doesn't mean getting rid of FF basics or copy-pasting the setting. I don't see, for example, how FF IX is bland even if it's medieval (and steampunk-ish, yeah...).

Basically, they should choose a setting that lend itself well to plot, gameplay mechanics, visuals, music, characters... and at the same time being memorable and keeping FF basics. My favourite FF settings, BTW, are VIII and IX. I love cities and overall worldmap look (as empty as they are) in both games, they are really comfy.

And regarding Agni's Philosophy's setting, I agree with LeonBlade, I think it's rather boring and plain. Now, of course I'm talking of it as if it were going to be a FF mainline game (not gonna happen, though). If you gave that setting with other games, ok, even if there are many jarring things there.

 

[UNKLE]

my fav was:ff13 cocoon and ff12, and Agni's Philosophy's techdemo setting
i dont like ff8/ff9 world.

 

[Fleur]

Cocoon suffers from a problem I colloquially call "what on earth are you on, designer?". It was most prevalent in Eden, especially when you start the level after beating up that scorpion mech on the wrecked race track. Everything is a jumbled, chimeric mess that's simply there to look sci-fi for the sake of it, without much regard for how it looks overall. It's excessively busy and not in an aesthetically pleasing way; there are indescribable objects strewn all over the landscape on all directions except the recognisable sky, and the designer evidently couldn't put his pen down after he had begun.

I did vastly prefer Gran Pulse; it's still an alien landscape, but it's a characteristically more subdued and effective form of alien landscape than the loud, bizarre techno-megalopolises of Cocoon. Bar perhaps Esthar (I've half forgotten what it looks like, and I'll simply presume it wouldn't look too out of place inside Cocoon), the locations of other Final Fantasy games work well in my opinion, because they toe an effective line between real-life architectural or natural landscape inspiration, and that sense of fantastical creativity. Or maybe I'm just not hot on sci-fi Final Fantasy in general. It would be one reason why I was visibly more interested in the locations of Lightning Returns (uglier assets aside) than those of FFXIII.

As for Agni, well, I'm not overwhelmingly sold on the setting it managed to portray within the allotted time, but I wouldn't mind seeing a game with some sprinkles of Arabic or Persian influence. Or alternatively, something Byzantine inspired, and the game world can draw upon the Byzantine Mediterranean. Also, I quite like the idea of there being slums on the outskirts of a giant metropolis. As glorious as your empire is, it will be victim to vast inequalities, and imagine if slum dwellers were to be particularly influenced by certain shady sects and cults right under their wealthy and myopic rulers' eyes. FFXII had this very kind of dual portrayal of city life that I really liked: Rabanastre Lowtown versus the more affluent streets above; Old Archades versus the VERY affluent streets of Archades across the massive bridge.

And most of all, I love the design of the main character (Agni?). I'll be very disappointed if no one contemplates using her design or a recognisable variation of her for a future installment.

 

[KOKAYI5]

I hate when FF shamelessly put a real-life culture in a game, just like that. Look at Wutai, it's motherfucking Japan, very clearly.

For example, I'd also love a Victorian-like FF game with elegant desings and a grayer tone or something like that. But that doesn't mean getting rid of FF basics or copy-pasting the setting. I don't see, for example, how FF IX is bland even if it's medieval (and steampunk-ish, yeah...).

With Wutai, FF7's world was more like an alternate version of Earth. There was even an Mexican restaurant. Same with info that pops up on the moon of FF4. So I can understand having some Japan or Europe like places and stuff there. I just want them to mix it up. People like the samurai class (Cyan). So why not a samurai lead? Usually it's a mercenary or soldier anyway. It could still be an FF with it start a samurai-like character (fights like Sephiroth or Cyan) in an arctic setting, surrounded by Egyptian-lore based monsters, and still have moogles, chocobo, cactuars, etc too. I was just saying mix it up. And I was hoping Agni was gonna do that from the mix-up in cultures I was see (shanty town, middle eastern dwellers, ancient cult, metropolis in the backdrop).

And most of all, I love the design of the main character (Agni?). I'll be very disappointed if no one contemplates using her design or a recognisable variation of her for a future installment.

Agreed. They could at least ask they dude who made the tech demo and Nomura who drew her to add her to 16 or 17. Be great if her name was Agni but I don't know her name, Agni could be the drake she calls.

 

[LeonBlade]

"The world in Agni's was just bland and boring, it was a dump with a modern city in the background, I don't see how you could like it over what we've seen in XV... which is to say basically nothing"

strange agni's world feels like more original ff game than ff15 imo

"You say Noctis is a whiny stubborn cocky kid... but how do you know this? And on that, how do you know Ignis and Gladiolus would be any different?"

If you hear them speaking in ff15,vs13 trailers/gameplay you know what i talking about...+ it would be the worst ff game ever just imagine 4 guy with the same attitude so basically they created 4 same guy with different skin?

have you ever listened what are they talking about in japanese gameplay?

Yeah I have heard what they've said in the gameplay trailer, and it's talking about getting revenge and their tactics in battle. They've barely said anything, and Noctis has never once said ANYTHING whiny.

Why don't YOU give us the source for what you're saying, because you're just making shit up like always. And no, the characters aren't the same, they have clear distinct personalities from each other. We know virtually nothing about these characters, and you even less than everyone else, and you form these opinions based on things you make up.

 

[KOKAYI5]

Though I didn't think past FF leads were idealize, I'm not against idealized characters. Average Joes and Janes aren't my style. I like things to go big or go home. I want larger than life characters with eccentricities and charisma. Now I'm not sure I'll get that in spades in XV, but I'm sure Nomura and Tabata wouldn't throw the cast away as just a bunch of "boy band" or "emo" or "metrosexual". Give them some credit.

 

[Tornak]

With Wutai, FF7's world was more like an alternate version of Earth. There was even an Mexican restaurant..

I get that (wasn't there a Texas poster in Tifa's bar as well?), but still, it's not well done at all, it's just stuff they get from the real world and stick to the world map without explanations as of why this world has these places, or adaptation to the game's world, making them their own countries/towns that happen to have familiar elements while also feel genuine and not copy and paste.

Basically, even if VII's world were really an alternative version of our world, they don't convey it at all, not even in the subtlest way. But well, I know FF is full of that, and will always have those elements. I just want them to adapt them better, to at least letting us think we're in an actual world with actual cultures (that may have been inspired by our planet).

That's why I'm surprised so many people are bashing XV's world because of how 'incoherent' it is, while you have VII's. VIII does it right in my opinion, even if you can still see real-life inspirations (Paris for Deling).

But hey, I actually agree with you. They could make XVI about a world with many different and distintictive cultures and focus on that: having the country of your MC being a Viking-like country, having Samurais there and there... The problem is how it is done, I don't like when they throw obvious real-life stuff into a fictional world just like that, without even trying to adapt it to a fictional universe. XII does it right: Rabanastre is obviously a mix of Mediterranean and Middle East cultures, yet it feels unique and something on its own. Hell, even Lucis, if it didn't have soooo many things directly borrowed from Tokyo (police cars, buildings...) could be a great adapted place, despite being clearly a Tokyo-like city-state.

Cocoon suffers from a problem I colloquially call "what on earth are you on, designer?". It was most prevalent in Eden, especially when you start the level after beating up that scorpion mech on the wrecked race track. Everything is a jumbled, chimeric mess that's simply there to look sci-fi for the sake of it, without much regard for how it looks overall. It's excessively busy and not in an aesthetically pleasing way; there are indescribable objects strewn all over the landscape on all directions except the recognisable sky, and the designer evidently couldn't put his pen down after he had begun.

I though I was the only one who thought that. I mean, as much as I dislike XIII and its sequels, I can admit some of the art is really beautiful, as well as those visuals in general.

But Cocoon never felt like and actual world, just pieces and pieces of weird stuff. I get that was maybe the intention, being a place filled with strange stuff that felt... well, weird. But there was no coherence in their designs, it looked that they were that way just, as you said, for the sake of being sci-fi and alien to the player, and I think there were better ways to convey that feeling.

Basically, Cocoon in general doesn't have a functional look, and just feel convulted. Still, there are places there that are really beautiful. Shame you couldn't explore basically anything.

 

[KOKAYI5]

@Tornak It's hard to come up with something from scratch. The people usually try for originality as best they can if they're not lazy (like TV execs who will shameless copy one show after another rather than take a risk and do a whole new show). I think XV's world will be well received once it's fully shown. People are mostly just harding about it. Like this Agni vid, you see it but it's not explained. Same with XV. People hear a lot of things but nothing seems flat out true till the game is in your hands. When I played FF7 I felt like I was on an alternate Earth because they kept saying "the Planet" yet there were still all those refs you named. If anything, maybe it's the future of our world after a partial bleak future has been overturned and people are getting back on their feet. Some people said FFX's world, Spira is millions of years in the past of FF7. And FFX's Spira was razed by Sin so that'd explain the post-apocalyptic world right there is that's more than a rumor.

In Tales game there's a ton of dishes that are named after their real life counterparts. It can really be helped. The gamer would have no frame of ref if someone said a dish was good but never called it chocolate double-decker cake or something.

EX:

Cloud: Whoa! This buguru is really good, Tifa!
Tifa: Thanks Cloud! I made it with real buguru! All natural!

What are they eating? What makes it good? Is it sweet? Is it sour? Do they have the same tastes as us? Who knows?
I've been watching Wakfu the animated series to the game. In it they have food the SOUNDS like food from Earth but is spelled differently and looks or grows differently. An Appi is an Apple. The same happens with the wild life in the Avatar cartoons. They take a chapter outta Miyazaki's book and mixes together animals from our world and rarely have an animal that's just a dog or just a cat. It's often a Cat-duck-squid. They even went so far as to lampshade it with saying: "His bear? Surely you mean his elephant bear? Or maybe his lion bear?" Nah... it just says 'bear'." "This place is weird."