[PS3] Final Fantasy Versus XIII

[patsu]

The longer version of the interview is here:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/02/01/nomura_ffxvxiii_famitsu/

 

[patsu]

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Followup Possibly Coming Next Week:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/07/05/ff_versus_xiii_followup/

We may finally be getting an update on Final Fantasy Versus XIII soon. The usual sources for early magazine leaks are reporting that in this week's Famitsu Tetsuya Nomura says to expect a small followup on Versus in next week's issue. Nomura also apparently hints at a new title announcement.

Tetsuya Nomura and Hajime Tabata on Final Fantasy Type-0:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/07/05/ff_type_0_interview/

Sokuho@Hokanko has provided a full summary of Famitsu's latest Final Fantasy Type-0 interview and feature. The magazine spoke with Tetsuya Nomura and director Hajime Tabata this week.

As reported earlier, the big news is that the game probably won't be making its original summer release time period. Famitsu has removed "summer" from the release time period, now only listing it as 2011. During the interview, Tabata says that "due to various circumstances, it became difficult to release it during the short-sleeve shirt season." Nomura said that we'll probably have to wait until the season of red leaves. (Yes, the managed to avoid directly saying "Fall.")

Tabata provided one hint about the reason for the delay. The stoppage of the PlayStation Network service had some effect on the game's multiplayer component, making it require a bit extra time beyond the original plan. The development staff is currently working on this area of the game.

Tabata also shared a few additional details about the game's multiplayer component, which has remained in large part a mystery thus far. The host side will be able to turn multiplayer on or off in the game's config screen. If this is set to on, other players will be able to come into their game. To enter another player's game, you simply select multiplayer and select a host from a list of possible hosts.

[more...]

 

[patsu]

FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII Now in 100% Development:
http://www.novacrystallis.com/?p=1516

At yesterday’s Fan Meeting, staff members Motomu Toriyama and Yoshinori Kitase were quizzed on a number of things FINAL FANTASY.

Kitase briefly commented on FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII, the only member of the Fabula Nova Crystallis compilation still shrouded in mystery. He says that “for Type-0 and Versus XIII we are giving 100% to development.” It should be noted, however that the team has used their know-how from developing FINAL FANTASY XIII in order to create XIII-2 with a much shorter development period, and as such, the reason why it will release ahead of time.

...

 

[SedentaryJourney]

Oh thank god. I seriously can't wait for this game. From the current state of information, the scale of this game will be so immense that vehicles will finally make a well deserved comeback.

 

[ultragpu]

Some new details from Nomura which got my hype back a little.

- Tetsuya Nomura did a walkthrough of the full world map recently
- Nomura also checked on the game’s dungeons and the side paths in towns
- Nomura is impressed with how expansive everything is
- Will use lighting technology from Square Enix’s Luminous engine
- Uses a specific engine that’s specialized for action
- Nomura promises a Final Fantasy like you’ve never seen ebfore

 

[fearsomepirate]

In the matchup of Final Fantasy vs. XIII, I would say I enjoy the classic NES RPG much more than the cel-shaded FPS.

 

[patsu]

Some new details from Nomura which got my hype back a little.

Why is Final Fantasy Versus XIII Using the Luminous Engine?
http://andriasang.com/comy9x/

In an interview with Famitsu, Tetsuya Nomura reveals that Versus XIII's lightning is being redone, and they're using Luminous for this purpose. Luminous is good with lightning, says Nomura. Versus aims for photo realism, so it places greater importance on lighting.

Versus XIII has its own action game-oriented engine. The lightning tech from Luminous is being coupled with this for Versus XIII.

Nomura describes Luminous as an excellent engine that can be used with any game. The Versus XIII engine, on the other hand, is strong in specific areas, but is not a general purpose engine.

 

[patsu]

Some update about the Luminous Engine:
http://andriasang.com/comyjg/

Square Enix has released a few additional comparison shots of reality versus real time to demonstrate its new Luminous Studio engine.

...

These pics were distributed to attendees of the Square Enix Open Conference, a technology event that Square Enix held at its Shinjuku office over the weekend.

For Japanese readers, Impress Watch has a couple of lengthy reports from the event, with lots of background details on Luminous Studio.

(Links in the article)

 

[Ghostz]

Some update about the Luminous Engine:
http://andriasang.com/comyjg/

A day late and a dollar short. But isn't a bunch of people from the Visual Works CGI group working on Versus?

 

[patsu]

According to previous interviews, Versus only used the lighting engine from Luminous. The rest are custom work.

 

[L. Scofield]

So, any translation of the japanese presentation?

 

[Xenus]

Would like to know realtime on what and at what speed cause while you can see a little blurriness it's very impressive.

 

[patsu]

So, any translation of the japanese presentation?

These ?
http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20111012_483045.html
http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20111012_483046.html

They have many technical references and workflow diagrams. Compared to regular articles, they should be relatively readable if you use Google Translate. I was hoping someone else can comment.

 

[Ghostz]

So, Visual Works side of SE really has nothing to do with Luminous? That's a bit disappointing.

 

[patsu]

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Has A 7:3 Ratio Of Real Time To Pre-Rendered Scenes
http://www.siliconera.com/2012/01/1...73-ratio-of-real-time-to-pre-rendered-scenes/

Tetsuya Nomura spoke with the magazine promising even better graphics than trailers last year. Real time rendering, Nomura says, have vastly improved.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII will still have pre-rendered cutscenes from Square’s CG movie division Visual Works. The ratio will be 7:3 (real time : pre-rendered) and Nomura says pre-rendered scenes wont interfere with controlling the game. That’s one of the reasons why the the scene when Noctis meets Stella was changed to a pre-rendered cutscene.

The next time the public sees Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Nomura plans to show the game running on actual hardware.

 

[patsu]

Tetsuya Nomura Ready With New Final Fantasy Versus XIII Info
http://andriasang.com/con0a1/nomura_versus_mystery/

Tetsuya Nomura says in this week's Famitsu that he's almost ready with preparations for sharing new Final Fantasy Versus XIII info. So does that mean we can expect an update soon?

Apparently not. According to Nomura, certain circumstances, which he describes as "totally unrelated," are preventing him from sharing the info. ...

 

[ultragpu]

Just show us a trailer with that new lighting effect on E3 and that should hold people off for not completely forgetting about the darn game.

 

[SedentaryJourney]

I hope Square Enix gets it together next-gen. It'll be 6 years this may since the game was first unveiled and we still haven't seen much in terms of gameplay. I'd like for it to be released before next-gen reveals make it look horribly dated.

 

[patsu]

Ha ha, it would be alone though. The Last Guardian may beat it (i.e., release later).

 

[SedentaryJourney]

Looks like 1up has joined the party.
http://www.1up.com/previews/how-final-fantasy-versus-xiii-not-disappoint?pager.offset=1

My take is that the game has already brought back all the exploration features I want, and added some new stuff like semi-destructable environments, time of day, real-time battles, and elements of other genres (3rd person shooting is everywhere this gen). The only way it can fail is in substandard implementation.

Since this is a PS3 exclusive, for now at least, I can also hope that the world is huge and fully traversable.