Ok, so if you saw Uncovered FFXV, you would have seen this glorious locations trailer -
Ok, so I almost have an Architectural Studies degree, and I’m an urban history nerd. Cities are my jam. This really got my geek juices flowing with so much to talk about, so I took some screenshots, made some gifs, and now lets get down to business.
This is Lestallum. It is a coastal town that’s to be one of the main hubs for the first part of the game. It draws its energy from a meteorite, that has been there since the dawn of time in this world. Inspiration has been drawn from Havana, Cuba, the Caribbean and Malaysia, which can be clearly seen in the friendly, informal nature of the place.
This above image, I digress, is not mine but from here. I have to assume that large landmark in the back is some kind of power station surrounding the meteorite. And this above would be the main boulevard. Looking at this street, there’s a lot of life - food carts, dogs in the street, street dining - but also a lot of irregularity. buildings jut in at different amounts, façades clash, cables fly across overhead. This main street would have formed organically, rather than by a comprehensive masterplan, by individuals not planners. The street would be where it is due to the fact that it only made sense to have a road on the shortest direct route from the cities main landmark to the sea. An opposite would be something like the Haussmanisation of Paris. Swathes of the city were destroyed to widen boulevards and line them with uniform buildings with clear lines of site between important cultural and political landmarks (this is what I suspect Niflheim will be like.) The opposite suggests that the people of Lestallum have, or at least for the majority of their history have had, autonomy. it could also mean that the government has a rather laissez-faire attitude, which could mean poor treatment of the poor behind the scenes. But from what I see I think we have a city, which is slightly disorganised and messy, but free and happy.
While looking at this as yet unnamed place, the first question that we should think is why? For a city to have been built in such an inhospitable, inaccessible place, it must have been one of three reasons - money, faith or war. Maybe there was some kind of ore? Maybe this site was believed to be the home of a god? Maybe historically, pre flight, it was impervious to enemy attacks? Its hard to see the architecture, but its definitely not defensive, and seems more ecclesiastical than anything else. My moneys on the being the spiritual home of an astral. There however is the possibility that it wasn’t inaccessible because the railways came first but this seems unlikely.
The canopies in the station themselves show clear art nouveau influences. they were inspired my naturalistic forms, and more specifically, by some rather fabulous buildings in Paris and Brussels. If the architectural timeline in the game is at all similar to earth, I would date this station at 100-150 years old.
This is a roadside rest stop. There is a critical difference between highway architecture and regular city architecture, and it is that highway architecture is designed to be seen from a great speed without interaction. General speaking, size of roadside signage and advertising can be seen to correlate with the speed of the passing traffic. So what we see here is one very big sign. But this can also carry on into the architecture itself. The building itself has an odd and eye-catching design, acting as another giant sign. But its cleverer than this. The shape of building means that the whole time you are driving past it, you see the same shape. You don’t just see the front as you drive right past, but the building, the same silhouette from as soon as you start approaching to the point when you are looking back at it. This single building, as much as any of the fancy cities, proves that the environmental designers know exactly what they’re doing.
To Come in Part 2, (otherwise this would be far to long a post)
Altissa, Insomnia, scary industrial stuff, and other stuff.
I might also do a thing looking at all the different modes of transport.
The latest issue of Game Informer has a 20-page feature story on Final Fantasy XV, and shares new information on the highly-anticipated Square Enix RPG.
When the team was starting Final Fantasy XV, the brand image wasn’t very clear.
Tabata believes the franchise can’t move forward without setting pride aside – he knows fans still have hope in where the series could go.
Tabata and his team at Business Division 2 identified three core qualities they believe define the FF brand: challenging the status quo, providing an exceptional experience and using cutting-edge technology. He thinks FFVII was the last game in the series to use all three points. Final Fantasy XV is a make-or-break moment – a chance to bring back lapsed fans and new ones into the fold.
When moving to Final Fantasy XV, the game disconnected from Fabula Nova Crystallis. Additionally, Stella from Versus XIII was shifted significantly and while the team tried to keep as much as they could from the original concepts they took this opportunity to shape XV into a full range of imagination.
Final Fantasy XV‘s story focuses on friendship, destiny and legacy.
As soon as you start the game there is a battle in a location yet to be revealed. This is similar to FFII where you start the game right with a boss battle. It also acts as a tutorial before going into chapter 1.
Chapter 1 picks up right after the opening sequence with Noctis and friends on the road to Altissia. The Regalia breaks down in the region of Leide and the party has to get out and push the car to the nearest station. This is the first area where players will encounter the open world.
Early on Noctis and friends meet both Cid and Cidney and she tasks them with several quests while the car is being repaired.
Fantasy based on reality idea is still intact – at the Hammerhead station an instrumental version of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” can be heard playing in the background.
The beginning of the game is said to be heavy with familiar imagery before bending things toward fantasy and wonder.
There are dialogue choices in the game that leave to different outcomes. For example Noctis was able to ask his friends for advice rather than asking for a discount or loan from Cidney. The reward for these options seem to revolve around status bonuses similar to eating or resting.
Combat has improved since the demo – controls are more responsive, and weapons can be swapped on the fly using the d-pad. GI saw tabs for swords, daggers, lances, firearms, shields, royal arms and elemental spells. There was also a category called machines though their purpose is unknown.
Magic spells are collected like a resource and can be recharged at various places on the map (think FFVIII‘s Draw system).
The Regalia (the car) has a trunk that acts as party storage. You may need to pay money to gas up from time to time but the cost isn’t crazy. The car radio plays remixes of classic FF themes such as “Final Fantasy.”
On your way to a destination, Prompto may ask to stop and take a photo. His pictures can be seen during camp and can be shared on social media. Should you continue to take pictures with Prompto his photography skills will improve.
All four of the main characters have special talents – Noctis can fish, Ignis can cook and Gladio has survival instincts – and all of these can be “leveled up” by continued play.
When you call a summon they won’t always do the same thing. They are entities that exist in the world itself. So depending on the situation they will do different things. For example, Titan sometimes will run up and hit an enemy, sometimes he will throw boulders at the enemy and it’s possible he will even give up and leave the battle. They will also act differently in a dungeon than they will in the overworld.
The black dog seen in trailers is a faithful servant. Its name is Umbra.
Noctis and friends encounter Niflheim’s Ardyn fairly early on while en route to Altissia.
There are four quest types: for fun (fishing/chocobo racing), main story, monster hunts and regional quests. Currently there are over 200 quests in the game but the team are working to add more.
Later on you can synthesize magic to create more powerful versions like Blizzara.
Weapons can also be improved with materials collected in the world and won from battles. The main way to improve yourself, however, is through ability points which accumulate as you level up.
You have the choice on how you upgrade Noctis and his companions like strengthening auto-dodge or teaching them new commands. It’s an effort to shape the player’s play style.
Luna is the presence that supports Noctis in order for him to fulfill his destiny. She’s also the type of heroine you want to meet but can’t quite reach.
Tabata has no intention to create sequels or anything out of this. He wants people to purchase the game to be able to enjoy it for a long period of time. That doesn’t necessarily just mean additional content but other things to create an interesting experience.
Final Fantasy XV is due out for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 30.
