YoshiP “Torn" Over What to do with the Scions (Interview)

[Carin-Eri]

https://www.pcgamesn.com/final-fanta...hida-interview



“When it comes to this, I’m really, really torn,” he responds via translator. “Honestly speaking, and this corresponds to 7.0, I wanted to see what sort of a reaction we would get from the players.”

Will be interesting to see how he interprets the reactions...

[Supersnow845]

In my opinion there is nothing wrong with the scions but they need to stop putting them ALL front and centre every expansion and they need to start transitioning some of the scions who’s arcs are complete from the front lines to the back lines

Alphinaud and alisaie didn’t get nearly enough development but the story idea of “we are going along as emissaries because we want to learn more to help garlemald” was IMO a good direction for the twins in terms of their characterisation. Y’shtola stepping back to finally fully focus on her shard research is another good example they seem afraid to commit to

The only member of the party that HAS to be there at any one time is the WOL, they can bring in scions for limited stints now and then as well as focus on newer characters, krile, erenville and Otis for the short time we had him were examples of what they could do there

They also need to stop being so afraid of using present NPC’s in duty support, there is literally zero reason why oblivion couldn’t form the majority of people you do origenics with

[Carin-Eri]

In my opinion there is nothing wrong with the scions but they need to stop putting them ALL front and centre every expansion and they need to start transitioning some of the scions who’s arcs are complete from the front lines to the back lines

Alphinaud and alisaie didn’t get nearly enough development but the story idea of “we are going along as emissaries because we want to learn more to help garlemald” was IMO a good direction for the twins in terms of their characterisation. Y’shtola stepping back to finally fully focus on her shard research is another good example they seem afraid to commit to

The only member of the party that HAS to be there at any one time is the WOL, they can bring in scions for limited stints now and then as well as focus on newer characters, krile, erenville and Otis for the short time we had him were examples of what they could do there

They also need to stop being so afraid of using present NPC’s in duty support, there is literally zero reason why oblivion couldn’t form the majority of people you do origenics with

The issue seems to be that they tried to please everyone, but managed to please no-one.

The interview states that they were concerned that players might complain if the Scions were not there. So they put them in the story, but reduced them to cardboard cutouts meaning those who wanted them got characters who looked like them but didn't really have their personalities, and the players who didn't want them got them anyway.

[honest_psycho]

Hot take: The scions should have died in Endwalker, to reaaaaally drive that despair home.

[Luluna]

I missed the scions I have a great love for them and after years of playing it did stand out to me in DT. I felt like a spectator and wanted to go spend more time with them. I know they are not everyone's cup of tea but they are mine and I think the expansion felt empty without them being there as much. I did miss having them around.

I did not mind less of the twins and I would like to see more of Lyse and love to see Hilda involved and Yugiri. I also miss Gosetsu.

[Supersnow845]

Hot take: The scions should have died in Endwalker, to reaaaaally drive that despair home.

I think the problem they are running into on this front is that it’s hard to actually characterise the WOL’s response because everyone has a different headcanon around how much their WOL interacts with others (for example in my headcanon my WOL hates graha for reasons that’s are way to complex to explain), they seem to be trying to dodge around this with Azem ever since they stopped using Alphinaud as a standin for how the WOL should be feeling in that particular situation but DT really had some bad points where they forced you to feel a certain way that they have avoided up till now

If all the scions died around the WOL everyone would have a different belief in how they think their WOL should have responded to the situation because square refuses to commit to anything more than the scions could be anything from barely tolerated work colleagues to life long friends

[TheMightyMollusk]

Bringing one or two of the Scions along would be fine. We know them pretty well, so it gives us a grounding point to learn about other characters (especially since the WoL is functionally mute most of the time). Even having a couple more pop in or out, like Estinien in Dawntrail, is fine, because it makes sense that they gravitate towards whatever new opportunity or problem is happening. It's just what they do. The problem is when they're there but don't really DO anything. Dawntrail didn't really give them much purpose other than filling out Trusts, since the story is so focused on Wuk Lamat instead.

[chizLemons]

I’m sure there would be people complaining, ‘Hey, why aren’t any of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn there? Why isn’t Alphinaud there? Why aren’t you bringing Alisaie along? Why isn’t Y’shtola there?’ I’m sure we would get those kinds of complaints. So it is really, really tough.”

No, it SHOULDN'T BE tough, if you have competent writers like Ishikawa.
People will only complain if you don't give us a good enough REASON for their absense. If I feel the only reason a character isn't included in the story is because the writer didn't want them there, then I'd be upset (like I was in Dawntrail). If I feel like "ok, that makes sense, and we will meet them again and see how that went afterwards", and then we get to see the result of their work at a later time, then it's satisfying.

I'd rather have my favorite character not be the main focus, but feel like they're still acting like themselves and their absense MAKES SENSE. I feel like they've been getting that wrong since the Endwalker patches...

For example, G'raha's absense during the patches and why he didn't go to Tural. When I complain about it, people think I just mean 'I want him to be there all the time' but that's NOT the case! I just want to feel like there's a reason for him to not be there. Yet, he wasn't called during the EW patches for no apparent reason, even when Y'shtola talked to him offscreen several times, even when we went to the First with instructions from him, and even if Krile appeared during the patches but no one ever asked about him.
Then, he offered to stay behind and not go to Tural "so Krile could go", never got an explanation on what he was working on or what was so important that he had to stay, and then Krile herself was the one that called him back - so why wasn't he able to go before, but now he is and I still don't know what he was doing?!

For any other character, that could've worked better, but G'raha made us promise him adventures. His main wish as a character now is to go on adventures with us. That's why he wanted to go back to the Source. That's what he promised us in Ultima Thule, and the writers never mentioned that ever again. THAT'S why it's upsetting that he wasn't there, not just "oh I want my favorite there". If he was so easily giving up adventure with us, then he must have had a really good reason to stay behind, right?! Apparently not, and I feel like they're not writing the character right when they do this.

I talk about him because he is my favorite and the one I know best, but I'm sure everyone else has their own favorite Scion that they can tell what their current goals are, and if their actions don't fit their goals and ambitions, that's much worse than simply not having them there.

Also, ShB had almost all of them in good balance and done perfectly, but before that, we used to focus on specific characters at certain times, and it worked really well. Why is it a problem now? They used to do that already!

[Willemdarke]

If it were up to me, I'd give the Scions a new HQ in the vein of the Waking Sands, probably in Sharlayan.
I'd put Thancred in Minphilia's place as the 'manager' for thematic reasons. I'd revisit Y'shtola's long-abandoned plotline about using her aethersight shortening her lifespan and turn her into an out-of-combat Matoya figure, because she wishes to prolong her life to finish her shard research. Urianger the healer can be her live-in carer. The twins can be field operatives, separately working in Garlemald and somewhere else. We can visit them during important milestones of the story or to ask their input, but obviously nowhere near as often as in ARR.

That leaves the WoL free to form a party of junior scions - either new characters or forgotten ones like Arenvald, Fordola, the Boulder brothers, the one simping for the brothers, the Elezen mage, etc. Plenty of choice. He can also be joined by thematic local NPCs like we had HW-Estinien/Ysayle, Hien, Gosetsu, Erenville like we've had in the past.

To me that'd be best of both worlds.

[Amecoeur]

You could let some them join us in Tural, probably Alphinaud since he has a particular talent in diplomacy that might be useful in DT plot. Oh...