Final Fantasy XIII devs talk: Challenges, future, and DLC
Square Enix is about to take North American gamers by storm with the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XIII. Launching on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on March 9th, RPG fans will soon be traveling through Cocoon and unraveling the mystery that the game holds.
Last week, several members of the development team flew into San Francisco to show the game off to the media and, of course, answer some questions. Among those in attendance from the development team where Motomu Toriyama, Yuji Abe, and Yoshinori Kitase. Our focus of discussion was about the challenges HD systems have presented, the future of the Crystal Tools engine, and the changes they implemented in this latest installment of the long-running franchise.
Yoshinori Kitase, Producer of Final Fantasy XIII/Photo: M. Concepcion
1. Final Fantasy XIII is the first Final Fantasy title to be released on HD consoles. What was the biggest challenge presented with this title over previous Final Fantasy games? Will we see the engine used in Final Fantasy XIII used for more upcoming titles?
Kitase: The first time we were developing for the PlayStation 3 so building that basic engine was a lot of work. The programmers and the engineers of 20 to 30 staff members were hard at the battle engine for about a year. That was challenging building that up from scratch as this is the first Final Fantasy to come out on a hi-def console. We wanted to make sure that the visuals were top class and we knew the players would be expecting that high quality as well.
Kitase: It will be case by case depending on what game is being developed. If that game is suited for Crystal Tools then Square Enix will go with that. We have used other engines in the recent past like Unreal. It differs from project to project. When it comes to Crystal Tools, we probably won't use the engine "as-is" for new projects. We have been using certain parts of the Tools and engine for Final Fantasy XIV. Right now that's the next project that's using it, we we're looking forward to using it for other titles.
2. What elements of Crystal Tools were applied to Final Fantasy XIII?
Kitase: Crystal Tools really came into play in putting together the gimmicks on the maps and fields. It also was used for the game's cutscenes. There are several key features in Crystal Tools. The ability to sync lips with the audio is a small part to one of those components.
Yuji Abe, Battle Director Final Fantasy XIII/Photo: M. Concepcion
3. On the gameplay front, this is the first Final Fantasy title that has you switching control of a main character throughout the game. Previously, players would play the game as one character and have the story open up as they progressed slowly through the game. Though all the characters are intertwined together, why the need for the change? Was this done due to hardware restrictions, or was it decided that the story could be better told through the eyes of several different characters?
Abe: If there was a trend or direction that Final Fantasy as a whole is going towards, there's always a chance in the future that we'll bring back the micromanaging where you'll have greater control on the party members. With each game we pursue what we feel is the best battle system that is being envisioned at that time. With Final Fantasy XIII, we wanted to keep that sense of speed and make it more about players reacting to the tide of the battle. The overall flow of the battle was more important than spending time setting up the strategy and the commands. We wanted to set up the three-party formation and changing the rules with the Paradigm Shift system. Having this fast-paced battle situation where you're constantly trying to strategize, while changing and shifting your roles to face the situations that are presented to you in battle.
Motomu Toriyama, Final Fantasy XIII Director/Photo: M. Concepcion
4. Will we see downloadable-content arrive on Final Fantasy XIII? What kind of content can we expect to see be released, if it is in the plans -- perhaps something in the vein of new side-missions?
Toriyama: There are no plans for downloadable content for either platform at this time. The intent of the team was to create a complete package of the game so it's 100% enjoyable as is.
Be sure to check out Miguel Concepcion's Q/A with the Final Fantasy XIII developers for more insight on the game's development, influences, and exceptions of Final Fantasy XIII's unique battle system.
