Thread: 8.0 speculation

Originally Posted by Zero-ELEC

Oizys, also, is not "drained of life", it's the most alive star we've visited so far. While Phaenna was colourful, it was so due to silicon deposits—it is basically made of glass. Pretty, yes, but mostly devoid of life, barring some silicon based pseudo-flora. Oizys has both flora and fauna, surviving despite the gravitational anomalies.

This is a classic stereotype about deserts (and a vaguely offensive one; I know it's rarely ever intended this way, but people live in deserts, they're fine). Because we can't see that much trees, grass and birds people just assume they're 'dead', when the reality is far from the truth. Oizys sure ain't doing well, but it's more because it's being torn to pieces gravitationally--which last I checked wasn't a thing FF7's Meteor did. The planet itself is teeming with life, you can tell just from doing any fishing missions; I dunno what a Psuedoshark is, but it's definitely alive.

Also, you need to frame speculation around Oizys around the fact that it's crafting and gathering content. Oizys cannot build up to, like, a raid, and it's extremely unclear if the developers would be willing to let it be the leadin to any future content anyway; they've previously let crafting and gathering content be an epilogue of sorts, but I suspect they might see crafters and gatherers as separate enough their material can't be used as setup. More likely, it's going to lead into more crafting and gathering content

...which I happen to notice that none of Reginald's Oizys speculation involves, despite us knowing what's going to follow Oizys, which is the planet full of verdant life covering a departed civilization Which... y'know, seems like a more relevant element, directly connected to the story they're actually telling.

Other than the FSH targets there's no fauna on Oizys, but it has thriving plant life adapted to the arid climate and gravitational irregularities. There may not be sentient life, but it's not "dead."

As it stands I can't make a fair judgment on Phaenna. It's true the whole planet is silicon-based (including the apparent flora) but it's probably intended to be the designers' imagining of what silicon-based life would be like. I think these things are alive (there are also fish adapted to the molten silicon "water"), they're just not living things in the traditional carbon-based way we recognize, and like Oizys there's no sentients among them.

Auxesia will have even more plant life than the other three sections combined so far. We may not encounter the Voyagers or their descendants, or any sentient life for that matter, but the cosmos are far from dead. As an environmental scientist, I am loving this.

As for Jenova... it's an interesting idea, though Ultima has already supplanted her role to a large degree and we've had tons of VII homage already, even if the plotline it takes center stage in isn't playable any more.

Originally Posted by Cleretic

Checking Gamerescape on that (which has a generally more readable way to check these things) says Botanist doesn't harvest any bugs on Oizys, but it does harvest tentacles. Which... raises some questions that I don't think I'm gonna get answers to.

It's probably referring to the tentacle-like vines that feature on many of Oizys' flora (e.g. the kiting poulps, colloquially known as "those floating ball thingies").

More pointedly there are giant pitcher plants (or what appear to be such) around the Foregone Oasis, which raises the question of what these things eat. Despite growing in hexagonal shapes the cactoids are also flowering plants, suggesting the presence of fauna that act as pollinators.

I will not be surprised if some how Gaia become involved as a main character in 8.0 since Square Enix manage to develop Gaia into a Time Mage for Dissidia Duellum and develop some of her Hammer attack animations. Not to mention give her a bit more as a individual character (with more as Dissidia Duellum main story updates over time). This can open up the chance for Time Mage as a 8.0 Job as well.

Gaia trailer for Dissidia Duellum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRJj9G1x2xA

Originally Posted by EdwinLi

I will not be surprised if some how Gaia become involved as a main character in 8.0 since Square Enix manage to develop Gaia into a Time Mage for Dissidia Duellum and develop some of her Hammer attack animations. Not to mention give her a bit more as a individual character (with more as Dissidia Duellum main story updates over time). This can open up the chance for Time Mage as a 8.0 Job as well.

Gaia trailer for Dissidia Duellum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRJj9G1x2xA

I'm not inclined to believe a spinoff featuring Gaia is any hint as to this game's plotline.

If you go look in Garland Tools and/or Gamer Escape though, there is a certain minion and certain mount that have been datamined that may or may not be Fan Fest rewards and may or may not hint at the direction things are headed. I will refrain from posting these things both because I want to keep the surprises for people and to avoid maybe getting banned; but even these things do not properly clarify much of anything, and they may be red (heh) herrings unrelated to the plot or maybe even Crystalline Conflict feelies.

I'm not surprised if that is the direction they're going, and just a little disappointed if it is.

Originally Posted by Cilia

If you go look in Garland Tools and/or Gamer Escape though, there is a certain minion and certain mount that have been datamined that may or may not be Fan Fest rewards and may or may not hint at the direction things are headed. I will refrain from posting these things both because I want to keep the surprises for people and to avoid maybe getting banned; but even these things do not properly clarify much of anything, and they may be red (heh) herrings unrelated to the plot or maybe even Crystalline Conflict feelies.

Also, while I don't like double-posting, it's probably good to let you know that the mount that you're most likely thinking of literally just got officially revealed to be an item shop thing completely unrelated to FanFest or 8.0.