Final Fantasy XIII Battle System Detailed
The latest from Japan's happiest magazine
by Anoop Gantayat
March 2, 2007 - We've gotten used to seeing Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama in interviews regarding Final Fantasy XIII, but a new face joined the executive staff for the latest feature on Japan's most anticipated PS3 title. The latest issue of Japan's monthly Ge-maga magazine is home to an interview with the three FFXIII mainstays, along with a newcomer, Tosirou Tsuchida. Following his work on Front Mission and Final Fantasy X, Tsuchida is taking charge of the battle system in Final Fantasy XIII.
Before getting into the details of his latest creation, Tsuchida gave some insight into his previous work with the Final Fantasy series. Back at the start of Final Fantasy X's development, he was told that he could do whatever he pleased with the game's battle system. He ended up asking if he could do away entirely with the ATB (Active Time Battle) system for which the Final Fantasy series is known. This caused an emergency meeting within Square. The result was that Tsuchida wasn't allowed to completely do away with the ATB system, resulting in that game's CTB (Count Time Battle) system.
This time, Tsuchida was asked from the start to create a flashy, speedy battle system. He felt that the command-based systems that have been used for previous Final Fantasy games wouldn't allow for this. However, Square Enix wanted a battle system that was as fast as an action game while allowing the player to input commands. That's apparently what we'll be getting in FFXIII.
The battle system is still considered an ATB system, complete with time flowing by as you input commands. However, the actual means of input has changed a bit and, according to Tsuchida, will now allow for more control options. You'll be able to, for example, select between carrying out a simple slash, or charging and then slashing. Some characters will be able to combine magic with standard attacks. And all of this is somehow connected to a new animation system that will blend individual motions to result in a single smooth motion.
Final Fantasy XIII's battle system may share a few points in common with the Final Fantasy XII system. Rather than a standard encounter-based system where battle begins with the allies and enemies in a face off, Tsuchida suggested that FFXIII's battles will begin with the player noting, "Oh, here's an enemy."
Players will be able to change the battle conditions to an extent. Tsuchida gave the example of a player considering what can be done in order to create a winning situation for an upcoming battle.
This doesn't mean we'll be getting an evolved version of the FFXII system either. Toriyama stated that the FFXIII battle system will be something that's not quite encounter based and not quite seamless. Players will have a new way of getting into fights with enemies.
Although Ge-maga got a couple of pages worth of comments from him, Tsuchida managed to keep most of the specifics on the battle system to himself. He wouldn't even confirm if players will be inputting commands for ally characters, or if they'll just be in control of a single character (his response to this question was "no comment.").
Toriyama did, however, refer to the battle system as a "party battle system" as he went on to describe how he wants the game's cast to appear in battle without straying away from their roles in the scenario. This latter point seems to be of prime importance to the FFXIII combat system. It seems that battles in FFXIII are going to be more meaningful than those of previous FF games.
Outside of your main party characters, Tsuchida wants to make the enemies that you encounter in battle more wholly connected to the main game. Scenario and battle should be more closely connected, he feels, and so the enemies will change based on the conditions of the scenario. As an example, he mentioned players moving through an area that's being searched by the army. You'll end up encountering the appropriate type of enemy for this situation, and may even get shot at.
An enemy's specialty and habitat will change based on the location. In the case of an enemy requiring thought and feelings, you can expect to encounter things that aren't strictly "monsters."
In addition to moving differently based on the situation, an enemy's "category" will also change. Enemies in FFXIII are categorized with much detail, Tsuchida revealed. Kitase (who didn't speak much during the interview) made it clear just how much detail we can expect. Battalions will have their own personnel chart, with each soldier having his own background story.
Closing off the Ge-maga feature, Kitase made mention of the fabled "White Engine," the next generation engine Square Enix is using for Final Fantasy XIII. He hinted that Square Enix is considering using the engine for games after Final Fantasy XIII. The recent announcement of the company's plans for the Unreal Engine 3 caused some concern that Final Fantasy XIII would be the first and last sighting for the internally developed toolkit.
. Im HOPEING VERY BIG HOPEING, that the thing about the 2010 was a lie, and its a world wide release tomorrow, I could only dream!