6.X Patches Rewritten – Dark Prelude

[Renalt]

I'd say you should probably look into Vagrant Story because it really is great but I feel like your opinion is set in stone.

I remember some things on it being super aggravating on it like inventory/menu/saving/any spell/item usage stops everything. However the rest is pretty solid. I just wished that they waited till PS2 was out because they cut out SOOO much due to hardware limitations.

[VelKallor]

I'd say you should probably look into Vagrant Story because it really is great but I feel like your opinion is set in stone.

Well, as it means going out and buying a PS1, then trying to install it on a PC setup, plus then trying to hunt down the game and play it, plus getting used to a controller, no thanks.

Never had a console, none of the PS systems at all. Ever. Im a PC gamer,. always have been, always will be.

So, pass. Find me a PC port, then we can talk.

[ronibosch]

Nope. Never heard of it. After having looked it up its a 2000 game made for PS1 only, so no, never having had a console Ive never seen it or heard of it...alongside thousands of other console games I have never heard of or played.

You are assuming that anyone who plays FF 14 has also played every FF game on every platform???

LMFAO NO. Dont be absurd...oh wait, you usually are...

Tell ya what: why dont you reciprocate by telling me why the Red Lensman was so special.

WITHOUT looking it up.

While I understand you dislike Aveyond, his use of references from other FF/SE games isn't too farfetched, in my opinion.

FFXIV is riddled with references from previous installments and spinoffs, as the previous posts about Venat in this thread have shown.

Now, to the quality of his writing? I don't know yet, honestly. I don't want to read it write now because I've only made it up to 6.1.

[Atelier-Bagur]

While I understand you dislike Aveyond, his use of references from other FF/SE games isn't too farfetched, in my opinion.

FFXIV is riddled with references from previous installments and spinoffs, as the previous posts about Venat in this thread have shown.

Now, to the quality of his writing? I don't know yet, honestly. I don't want to read it write now because I've only made it up to 6.1.

Its funny because I clearly remember aveyond criticizing FFXIV borrowing lore from previous games especially with the post- EW story with FFIV yet here he is doing the exact same thing with his version of the story but now with Vagrant Story.

[ronibosch]

Its funny because I clearly remember aveyond criticizing FFXIV borrowing lore from previous games especially with the post- EW story with FFIV yet here he is doing the exact same thing with his version of the story but now with Vagrant Story.

He did?

...I guess his use of lore is worthy of criticism, after all.

(I take back the snark.)

[Theodric]

Its funny because I clearly remember aveyond criticizing FFXIV borrowing lore from previous games especially with the post- EW story with FFIV yet here he is doing the exact same thing with his version of the story but now with Vagrant Story.

Not quite. I believe his criticism was down to the shallow references that failed to appeal to actual fans of the material being referenced as well as the fact that so much of the game's overall narrative was so bizarrely tied back to Crystal Tower again and again and again and again.

To say nothing of the fact that Yoshi-P framed himself as a huge fan of the Ivalice games yet treated the actual references to the Ivalice games with such callous disrespect, ending the content based around it unceremoniously whilst bending over backwards to shove things like the lopporits into absolutely everything they possibly could.

[ronibosch]

Not quite. I believe his criticism was down to the shallow references that failed to appeal to actual fans of the material being referenced as well as the fact that so much of the game's overall narrative was so bizarrely tied back to Crystal Tower again and again and again and again.

To say nothing of the fact that Yoshi-P framed himself as a huge fan of the Ivalice games yet treated the actual references to the Ivalice games with such callous disrespect, ending the content based around it unceremoniously whilst bending over backwards to shove things like the lopporits into absolutely everything they possibly could.

Does anyone remember which thread it was that he said this? I just need clarification before making my mind up on all of this.

(I'll probably revisit Aveyond's threads anyway.)

snip

Thank you for explaining what you meant. I may not completely agree with you, but I don't want to misinterpret you, either.

[aveyond-dreams]

Not quite. I believe his criticism was down to the shallow references that failed to appeal to actual fans of the material being referenced as well as the fact that so much of the game's overall narrative was so bizarrely tied back to Crystal Tower again and again and again and again.

To say nothing of the fact that Yoshi-P framed himself as a huge fan of the Ivalice games yet treated the actual references to the Ivalice games with such callous disrespect, ending the content based around it unceremoniously whilst bending over backwards to shove things like the lopporits into absolutely everything they possibly could.

Basically this. I struggle to put into words how much of a letdown his treatment of Ivalice and Matsuno's work was in this game. Instead of continuing on with a story that seemed to be going somewhere, all of it thrown in the trash for Hildibrand relics and let's go back to the Crystal Tower again but this time with the added gushing over Ishikawa's favorite, Hermes.

I also believe that the way in which this FFIV crossover in the MSQ was handled extremely poorly and thoughtlessly. I suppose that's a symptom of allowing the patches to be bounced around between different writers every other patch because it seems that no one is on the same page when it comes to what's supposed to be going on, and they will undoubtedly try to rush to some sort of conclusion this coming patch with not enough time spend on the buildup to it and far too much wasted on Zero's hat tipping. The 4 fiends were also so irrelevant that I saw fit to omit them from my rewrite entirely – which turned out for the best in the end.

As I stated in my op, my goals were to try to and tackle these issues by first figuring out what on earth I was going to do with Golbez before writing a story around him as the main antagonist. It took me the better part of a week of sorting through and rewriting different ideas before I settled on the one for this rewrite. At this point in time I do not believe the same care was given to the actual Golbez in FFXIV.

Another issue that’s been brought up by a noninsignificant number of posters is the state of the current cast. Nothing but a bunch of yes-men and a declawed Estinien. Not to mention far too bloated – hence why I restricted the party to only 3 accompanying the WoL. This allowed me to focus on their chemistry and take enough care to make sure they were contributing more than just drawn out explanations. They have disagreements, arguments, and eventual resolutions. Not “what is a friend” nonsense.

When it comes to Vagrant Story, I had to be just as selective as I was when it came to who and what I was going to focus on from FFIV. The writing around Feritas is loosely based around Sydney, who I ultimately beefed up in order to add some visual diversity in the party. Allowing for Mullenkamp to play the role of secondary antagonists that coordinated with Golbez seemed to fit nicely, and also allowed me to flesh out otherwise boring characters like delivery boy Erenville, now a spy for cult sent to Sharlayan. Rosencrantz also makes an appearance in 6.4, and Feritas punishes him for his treachery behind the party’s back. Having someone like him and by extent Altima in the group is refreshing, as the characters no longer need to act wholly noble throughout the story.

Time will tell what ends up happening in 6.4, but with how little effort and planning has gone into the MSQ this patch cycle I have severe doubts it will be able to match up to mine or any other fan rewrite.

[MikkoAkure]

To say nothing of the fact that Yoshi-P framed himself as a huge fan of the Ivalice games yet treated the actual references to the Ivalice games with such callous disrespect, ending the content based around it unceremoniously whilst bending over backwards to shove things like the lopporits into absolutely everything they possibly could.

This tired argument again?

Yoshi-P and Matsuno already said together that the Bozja piece of Ivalice was meant to end where it ended and that there still might be more Ivalice later on in Dalmasca after a time gap and after Dalmasca is already liberated. Were they supposed to invent patch X.6 and keep going, delaying Endwalker, just to keep pushing Bozja?

Bozja itself was liberated. What was in the field record should’ve definitely been a cutscene, but otherwise I don’t think it would’ve changed anything and per the interview it was as Matsuno wrote it anyway.

[Theodric]

Basically this. I struggle to put into words how much of a letdown his treatment of Ivalice and Matsuno's work was in this game. Instead of continuing on with a story that seemed to be going somewhere, all of it thrown in the trash for Hildibrand relics and let's go back to the Crystal Tower again but this time with the added gushing over Ishikawa's favorite, Hermes.

Yeah, we're unlikely to ever truly get insight into what exactly went on behind the scenes but it was obvious that the Return to Ivalice/Save the Queen content was being written with Garlemald being heavily involved. The decision to do away with Garlemald unceremoniously and rush to conclude many ongoing story threads with strange abruptness means that considerable rewrites were likely made - so any attempt to claim that things ended as they were always intended to has always struck me as a bad faith take on the situation.

We also know, as per interview commentary, that Matsuno wanted to kill off more characters only for Yoshi-P to deny him the opportunity to do so. Which is another case of the story not necessarily going in the direction that was intended.

To say nothing of the fact that despite the Bozja relic content having a strong focus on storytelling it is the Hildibrand relics that are deceptively framed as having a 'story focus' this time around. Utterly bizarre, though perhaps Yoshi-P is truly taking a hands off approach to FFXIV these days in order to focus almost entirely on FFXVI.