Final Fantasy XV is about 50-60% complete as a "Whole"

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Starlord

AVALANCHE Warrior
May 14, 2014
289
114
36
Springfield, Massachusetts
#1
http://www.novacrystallis.com/2014/09/final-fantasy-xv-is-50-60-percent-complete/

Final Fantasy XV is around half-way done, said Hajime Tabata in a new interview with GameInformer Magazine. “We kind of started from the beginning of the game, so the first part is more complete than the others.”

Square Enix will be releasing a demo some time next year in order to let fans know that yes, the game is still coming. Not everything in the game will be “open world.” Tabata explains that it is vast and you’ll be able to freely explore with encounters seamlessly integrated into the game world.

When asked about release timing for the final game, Tabata noted, “During the “Versus era” – though it might be weird to refer to it that way – we weren’t able to reveal any information on release timing because that was a project in which we had to overcome so many different problems that arose. Unfortunately, while we were trying to work through the issues, the timing never matched. But about two years ago, when I officially joined the project, we did a pretty major directional change when we decided not to go with the previous generation. I also had to talk with Nomura-san about the direction FF XV is going to take. Unfortunately, it’s still going to take a while, but I’m hoping people will reset their timers from when I joined the team and restart the count from there.”

Tabata also plans to take caution when adding in classic Final Fantasy elements. “I have to think about how it applies to the setting of the particular Final Fantasy numbered title, and make sure that it’s there because it’s necessary. In Episode Duscae, there is a sort of surprise element incorporated toward the end.”
 

Myrodis19

AVALANCHE Warrior
May 15, 2014
250
54
33
Westminster, Maryland
#4
I still think this game is a late 2015 title. When they put out demos it's because it's a game nearing completion. 60% complete with 1 year and 2 months for a 2015 holiday release at 60% now isn't a bad assumption.
True. I still wonder why the black out of info. Ever since Tabata came aboard its been like a tidal wave of info.
 
Jul 29, 2014
54
9
36
Miami
#10
This really doesn't look good for Nomura. This interview is kinda painting him to be an incompetent director with a stubborn vision. I would be inclined to believe that to a certain degree had the other members of the development team hadn't left.

Story for another day, I suppose. But it would seem that Tabata has started to right the ship. His transparency & honesty is refreshing, if not bizarre, coming from Square Enix. I'd imagine a late 2015 release date window for Japan & an early 2016 release for the other regions. This game missing 2015 altogether might be for the best, considering the litany of other major titles due to release (Metal Gear Solid 5, Uncharted, Rise of the Tomb Raider, FF Type-0, Bloodborne, etc.)
 

yeah_93

Warrior of Light
Sep 27, 2013
1,512
570
Venezuela
#12
This was supposed to be Nomura's baby, his most important work. I wonder how much of that remains... I'm happy that more info has arrived, and there is more to come soon, but I can't help but to feel a bit uneasy about all this.
 
Likes: Orenji

Takoyaki

SOLDIER Second Class
May 27, 2014
339
124
31
#13
Going by Tabata's interview, the story, concept, lore, world has stuck but there have been some obvious changes. I think some for the better because rather than trying to make something work that doesn't, they could work on something that is functional.
 
Jul 29, 2014
54
9
36
Miami
#18
Welp, I haven't even played the demo yet, & I've already have one piece of feedback to give to Mr. Tabata. Limiting the player to one character is the exact opposite of openness you're trying to sell to the audience. Say what you want about XIII, at least we got to play as different characters.

I can see gameplay becoming very boring if we're stuck playing as Noctis for the whole game.

EDIT: Now I'm hearing conflicting reports that the whole 'Noctis Control Only' thing is only for the demo. God I hope that's true.
 
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Slickyslacker

PSICOM Soldier
May 25, 2014
69
23
Chicago, IL
#19
...This might be premature and sophomoric-sounding, but being confined to a single character will ruin the game.

Nomura may be a fastidious and occasionally insane artist, but he sure has an empirical idea of what Final Fantasy is. He's been with SE since the Squaresoft days, since he worked on IV as a debugger. He contributed major content to FFs VI, VII, and VIII, which are all highly regarded and iconic regardless of their criticisms. He had a hand in deciding on Aerith's you-know-what, and illustrated the immortal lovers Squall and Rinoa himself.

Tabata? Responsible for two installments of the Compilation of FF VII: the mobile game Before Crisis, and the PSP game Crisis Core. Nomura suggested that he create the former, which he did, and upon its completion, Kitase promoted him to the console department. He then instructed him to make Crisis Core. The only game that Tabata has made entirely by himself is Type-0.

Even in Type-0, you can control all 3 party members. In a spin-off game, you can control all of the party members.

In the next mainline Final Fantasy title, there will be 4 party members at most - but you can only control one! Both of these games have been directed by the same man.

Throughout XV's entire lifetime as Versus XIII, and even for a while after it was rebranded, Nomura was directing a game in which all party members were presumably playable. Prompto was shown to be playable on many occasions, and despite Noctis being the starring boy of virtually every trailer, it was to be tacitly assumed that every other character under the player's providence would be fully controllable.

I simply cannot comprehend this on any level. In FF XII, the player can control every character in the party, while also being given the option to leave that up to algorithms. In FF XV, everything will be decided by algorithms.

This is beyond insane. I don't see how Tabata got it in his head to do this on any level. This cannot be any kind of technical or design issue, this is actually the direction that he wants to take the game in. Nomura could not have wanted this at all. This isn't the creative vision he's possessive of.

This had better be some kind of error or mis-communication. If not, this had better change before the game comes out. There is no reason to drive the game into the ground by doing this.
 
Sep 26, 2013
1,612
626
#20
The Gematsu article is not just about the demo but various topics about the game in general.

Someone will need to read the original article to see if it was accurately translated or not.