Title: Information
Ross - July 22, 2005 05:07 AM (GMT)
Here's some information I've compiled from a number of sources... hopefully this can help some people that are unsure about the game, and shed some new information on people looking to learn more.
Story
Final Fantasy XII is set in the world of Ivalice, for years the two kingdoms of Arcadia and Rosaria have been fighting against each other in a bitter struggle. Located in a strategically important corridor between the two powers is the small kingdom of Dalmasca.
Arcadia's invasion of the kingdom prompts its princess Ashe to join forces with the resistance. Vaan is an optimistic and bright young man yielding from the ancient kingdom of Dalmasca, which has fallen under the control of the Arcardian Empire. Due to the unsatisfactory conditions there, he has cut his ties with relatives there, seeking his very own personal freedom.
As an adventurer, he dreams of being able to command an airship someday. Ashe is the sole daughter of the king of Dalmasca and hence the next inline to the throne. Following the invasion of her country, she becomes the leader of the resistance against the Empire. During a wild pursuit, she loses one companion after the other. Despite her desperate situation, she still hasn't lost the pride of a princess. In this situation she meets Vaan, and before long loses her heart to him. Thus their joint adventure begins
Characters
Vaan, Age: 17, Race: Hume - Vaan is the main character of FFXII, and has recently joined the resistance to the Archadians, who have taken over Dalmasca.
Ashe, Age: 19, Race: Hume - Daughter of the king of Dalmasca, who was killed during the Archadian invasion. She now leads an underground resistance and tries to free the people of Dalmasca.
Balthier, Age: 22, Race: Hume - A sky pirate, often travels with his friend Fran. He and Fran are neutral in the clash of the Archadians and the Dalmasca Emrpire.
Fran, Age: N/A, Race: Viera - An extremely well-trained weapons weilder, she can use most weapons with ease. Travels with partner Balthier.
Penelo, Age: 16, Race: Hume - Penelo is the girlfriend of our protagonist, Vaan. She is a happy person, even though her family was killed during the Archadian invasion.
Basch, Age: 32, Race: Hume - A mysterious character that travels with Vaan. He used to serve as a general in the Dalmasca army, but he was declared a traitor after killing the king when he sold out his people to the Archadians. He also killed Vaan's brother, Reks, when he found out.
Summons
At the moment, there are only four confirmed summons in the game, they are:
Ultima - Originally from FFT: A, Ultima was the Nu Mou's totema
Ifrit - A longtime summon from many FF games
Velius - Originally from FFT, Velius was a part of the demon group, Lucavi.
Adrammelech - Originally from FFT as well, Adrammelech was also apart of the demon group, Lucavi. He also appeared as the Bangaa's totema in FFT: A
Races
Hume - Humans, basically
Viera - Tall, human looking creatures, but with rabbit-like facial features
Bangaa - Reptile looking creatues, theres four types of Bangaas, Ruga, Faas, Bista, and Sanga. Each type has specific strengths and weaknesses
Moogle - We all know moogles.. small furry creatures with a red pom-pom above their head that say "Kupo" alot
Seeq - Fat, stupid creatures that are kind of a mix between humes and pigs. They are good fighters
Prologue
A warrior takes sword in hand, holds a stone to chest
Disappearing memories carved onto the sword
Trained skills entrusted to the stone
The story is told by the sword and continued by the stone
Now, let that story be told...
That is the story of a world called Ivalice.
The strong military kingdom known as the Arcadia Empire
That rules the Valentia Continent,
And the Rosalia Empire that rules the Ordalia Continent
Have been continuously at war for long years.
In the midst of it, Arcadia Empire invaded the small kingdom of Dalmasca,
Positioned in the hallway between the two continents and thus is geopolitically important.
Under the invasion of the Arcadia Empire, the Dalmasca Kingdom accepted defeat.
But Ashe, the rightful heir to the trone of Dalmasca,
Joined the resistance army movements to fight against the empire.
The enemy's chase and attack of this girl with the liberation of her mother nation in heart is severe,
But, she can not be defeated.
At this moment, she meets the young man Vaan.
With this meeting, begins the change in Ashe's heart.
And thus...
The meeting of these two people will greatly change the story of this world.
I would like to mention that the first paragraph,
A warrior takes sword in hand, holds a stone to chest
Disappearing memories carved onto the sword
Trained skills entrusted to the stone
The story is told by the sword and continued by the stone
Now, let that story be told...
is also taken from the beginning of FFT (the original) =)
Monsters
In Final Fantasy XII, monsters are able to think, not like any other Final Fantasy games. Not just lurking around, they are able to trap the player in different ways. Be sure to check on the navigation map for monsters because they can emerge suddenly and without warning. Monsters can plan (e.g. ambushes, support other monsters if they see the party fighting against them), they can flee and recover, consider obstacles, etc.
Not only can monsters think, they can detect the party by sight, sound, or odor. Although monsters can think, detecting the party is not new to the series. Monsters in Final Fantasy XI detect players in the same manner.
Battle System
A new battle system has been created for Final Fantasy XII. Influenced by Square Enix's own Final Fantasy XI and Vagrant Story, the battles now real-time and take place on the field. No more battle transitions or victory poses. Gil and experience are gained automatically after an enemy is dispatched and some even drop items for characters to pick-up.
Features:
+ ADB (Active Dimension Battle)
+ 3D camera
+ Field encounters
+ Three party battles
+ Free movement in combat
During field exploration, all three party members in the active party will be on-screen following the lead character. Players will be able to rotate the camera freely to get a good view of the surroundings. Characters will be seen carrying their weapons in and out of battles with a new battle system called ADB (Active Dimension Battle) in real-time. Players will be able to control the actions and movement of one of three active characters at once. It's also possible to pause during the battle with the Circle button for issuing commands and switching control to the other two characters at any moment.
Available enemy targets will have an icon appear above their heads when the party moves within combat distance. When an attack is issused, an arch appears between the character and the enemy, indicating which target the character is focused on. Similar to FFX-2, commands are issused, the ATB bar begins to fill and the character will perform the action when his or her ATB bar is full. Characters will automatically keep on attacking the enemy until the battle ends or a new command is issued. Other than Black and White, Green is a new branch of Magic. Green Magic will contain buffs like Shell and status-infliciting magic like Blind. A new Gambit system will allow players to select certain strategies and tactics for the characters controlled by A.I. The new battle system also takes into account character placement that add a layer of strategy to battles. Melee characters can be pushed to the front in order to prevent the enemies from attacking the ranged characters shooting from behind.
Note: The part bolded was because I know some people a while ago were wondering about Green magic, and there you go!
That's it for now, as more becomes known, I'll be adding more. Most credit for the information goes to FFXII Net.
Story
Final Fantasy XII is set in the world of Ivalice, for years the two kingdoms of Arcadia and Rosaria have been fighting against each other in a bitter struggle. Located in a strategically important corridor between the two powers is the small kingdom of Dalmasca.
Arcadia's invasion of the kingdom prompts its princess Ashe to join forces with the resistance. Vaan is an optimistic and bright young man yielding from the ancient kingdom of Dalmasca, which has fallen under the control of the Arcardian Empire. Due to the unsatisfactory conditions there, he has cut his ties with relatives there, seeking his very own personal freedom.
As an adventurer, he dreams of being able to command an airship someday. Ashe is the sole daughter of the king of Dalmasca and hence the next inline to the throne. Following the invasion of her country, she becomes the leader of the resistance against the Empire. During a wild pursuit, she loses one companion after the other. Despite her desperate situation, she still hasn't lost the pride of a princess. In this situation she meets Vaan, and before long loses her heart to him. Thus their joint adventure begins
Characters
Vaan, Age: 17, Race: Hume - Vaan is the main character of FFXII, and has recently joined the resistance to the Archadians, who have taken over Dalmasca.
Ashe, Age: 19, Race: Hume - Daughter of the king of Dalmasca, who was killed during the Archadian invasion. She now leads an underground resistance and tries to free the people of Dalmasca.
Balthier, Age: 22, Race: Hume - A sky pirate, often travels with his friend Fran. He and Fran are neutral in the clash of the Archadians and the Dalmasca Emrpire.
Fran, Age: N/A, Race: Viera - An extremely well-trained weapons weilder, she can use most weapons with ease. Travels with partner Balthier.
Penelo, Age: 16, Race: Hume - Penelo is the girlfriend of our protagonist, Vaan. She is a happy person, even though her family was killed during the Archadian invasion.
Basch, Age: 32, Race: Hume - A mysterious character that travels with Vaan. He used to serve as a general in the Dalmasca army, but he was declared a traitor after killing the king when he sold out his people to the Archadians. He also killed Vaan's brother, Reks, when he found out.
Summons
At the moment, there are only four confirmed summons in the game, they are:
Ultima - Originally from FFT: A, Ultima was the Nu Mou's totema
Ifrit - A longtime summon from many FF games
Velius - Originally from FFT, Velius was a part of the demon group, Lucavi.
Adrammelech - Originally from FFT as well, Adrammelech was also apart of the demon group, Lucavi. He also appeared as the Bangaa's totema in FFT: A
Races
Hume - Humans, basically
Viera - Tall, human looking creatures, but with rabbit-like facial features
Bangaa - Reptile looking creatues, theres four types of Bangaas, Ruga, Faas, Bista, and Sanga. Each type has specific strengths and weaknesses
Moogle - We all know moogles.. small furry creatures with a red pom-pom above their head that say "Kupo" alot
Seeq - Fat, stupid creatures that are kind of a mix between humes and pigs. They are good fighters
Prologue
A warrior takes sword in hand, holds a stone to chest
Disappearing memories carved onto the sword
Trained skills entrusted to the stone
The story is told by the sword and continued by the stone
Now, let that story be told...
That is the story of a world called Ivalice.
The strong military kingdom known as the Arcadia Empire
That rules the Valentia Continent,
And the Rosalia Empire that rules the Ordalia Continent
Have been continuously at war for long years.
In the midst of it, Arcadia Empire invaded the small kingdom of Dalmasca,
Positioned in the hallway between the two continents and thus is geopolitically important.
Under the invasion of the Arcadia Empire, the Dalmasca Kingdom accepted defeat.
But Ashe, the rightful heir to the trone of Dalmasca,
Joined the resistance army movements to fight against the empire.
The enemy's chase and attack of this girl with the liberation of her mother nation in heart is severe,
But, she can not be defeated.
At this moment, she meets the young man Vaan.
With this meeting, begins the change in Ashe's heart.
And thus...
The meeting of these two people will greatly change the story of this world.
I would like to mention that the first paragraph,
A warrior takes sword in hand, holds a stone to chest
Disappearing memories carved onto the sword
Trained skills entrusted to the stone
The story is told by the sword and continued by the stone
Now, let that story be told...
is also taken from the beginning of FFT (the original) =)
Monsters
In Final Fantasy XII, monsters are able to think, not like any other Final Fantasy games. Not just lurking around, they are able to trap the player in different ways. Be sure to check on the navigation map for monsters because they can emerge suddenly and without warning. Monsters can plan (e.g. ambushes, support other monsters if they see the party fighting against them), they can flee and recover, consider obstacles, etc.
Not only can monsters think, they can detect the party by sight, sound, or odor. Although monsters can think, detecting the party is not new to the series. Monsters in Final Fantasy XI detect players in the same manner.
Battle System
A new battle system has been created for Final Fantasy XII. Influenced by Square Enix's own Final Fantasy XI and Vagrant Story, the battles now real-time and take place on the field. No more battle transitions or victory poses. Gil and experience are gained automatically after an enemy is dispatched and some even drop items for characters to pick-up.
Features:
+ ADB (Active Dimension Battle)
+ 3D camera
+ Field encounters
+ Three party battles
+ Free movement in combat
During field exploration, all three party members in the active party will be on-screen following the lead character. Players will be able to rotate the camera freely to get a good view of the surroundings. Characters will be seen carrying their weapons in and out of battles with a new battle system called ADB (Active Dimension Battle) in real-time. Players will be able to control the actions and movement of one of three active characters at once. It's also possible to pause during the battle with the Circle button for issuing commands and switching control to the other two characters at any moment.
Available enemy targets will have an icon appear above their heads when the party moves within combat distance. When an attack is issused, an arch appears between the character and the enemy, indicating which target the character is focused on. Similar to FFX-2, commands are issused, the ATB bar begins to fill and the character will perform the action when his or her ATB bar is full. Characters will automatically keep on attacking the enemy until the battle ends or a new command is issued. Other than Black and White, Green is a new branch of Magic. Green Magic will contain buffs like Shell and status-infliciting magic like Blind. A new Gambit system will allow players to select certain strategies and tactics for the characters controlled by A.I. The new battle system also takes into account character placement that add a layer of strategy to battles. Melee characters can be pushed to the front in order to prevent the enemies from attacking the ranged characters shooting from behind.
Note: The part bolded was because I know some people a while ago were wondering about Green magic, and there you go!
That's it for now, as more becomes known, I'll be adding more. Most credit for the information goes to FFXII Net.
Leona - July 22, 2005 05:45 PM (GMT)
well done Ross!!! that was interesting to read, I do have high hopes for this game, personally I think it just keeps looking better and better (although shame about the victory poses.. bu its not really a big deal i guess!!!)
Im intreguied with this new ADB battle system... but in a good way, it sounds like quite a big jump from the usual battle systems, with the whole issuing of commands and stuff... but change can be a good thing!!! definatly gonna be good fun being let loose on something so different!!!
apparently theyres going to be a big information release from square-enix (almost said squaresoft then!!) on the 30/31st july... so that shud be interesting to learn some more.. and hopefully.... *crosses fingers* they'll have a more substancial release date for us!!!
Im intreguied with this new ADB battle system... but in a good way, it sounds like quite a big jump from the usual battle systems, with the whole issuing of commands and stuff... but change can be a good thing!!! definatly gonna be good fun being let loose on something so different!!!
apparently theyres going to be a big information release from square-enix (almost said squaresoft then!!) on the 30/31st july... so that shud be interesting to learn some more.. and hopefully.... *crosses fingers* they'll have a more substancial release date for us!!!
Ross - July 22, 2005 05:58 PM (GMT)
I'm actually thinking from the description of the battle system it's going to be a lot like the ones in the .hack series, you only control 1 character but you can have up to two others with you, you can issue commands and whatnot, and the battle menu just pops up whenever theres monsters around, instead of random battles.
BlacK Winter Night - July 22, 2005 06:00 PM (GMT)
Nice description of the game man.. Its looking damn good from what i read
Glad to see that Ifrit is back again in the game :)
Some of the characters are looking pretty cool as well :)
Again i have high hopes for what the game is going to bring :)
^^
Glad to see that Ifrit is back again in the game :)
Some of the characters are looking pretty cool as well :)
Again i have high hopes for what the game is going to bring :)
^^
Leona - July 22, 2005 06:21 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (Ross @ Jul 22 2005, 06:58 PM) |
| I'm actually thinking from the description of the battle system it's going to be a lot like the ones in the .hack series, you only control 1 character but you can have up to two others with you, you can issue commands and whatnot, and the battle menu just pops up whenever theres monsters around, instead of random battles. |
yeah.. thats pretty much how im picturing it too... i havent played .hack but the star ocean battle systems kinda like that too.. which i enjoyed but could have done with a bit of improvement... so hopefully thats what theyve done.. with a FF twist of course!!
oh.. and green magic!!! ok, well.. its not 'new' magic.. but it has a new name.. hmm.. I wonder what classes this game will have??.. im assuming of course that the ability system will be class based.. it would makes sense with the whole connection to FFT..
....also in FFTA viera's are the only ones who can summon.. Im not sure if its the same in FFT.. but i wonder if it'll only be a viera job class in XII???
Ross - July 23, 2005 03:16 AM (GMT)
Yeah Star Ocean had a similar battle system, but in my opinion it was WAY worse then the .hack games, which were decent, but I'm sure FFXII will top both of those.
Azarath Angel - July 24, 2005 03:34 AM (GMT)
Nice goin ross.
The only reason i am posting was because of this...
The only reason i am posting was because of this...
| QUOTE |
| Star Ocean had a similar battle system, but in my opinion it was WAY worse then the .hack games |
I completly have to dissagree. In .hack you could only... attack... and cast about 6 different spells each with more powerful variations. I like star oceans system but I found that it was much more challenging...a little too challenging.
But i too and sure that FFX's will be the best.
Leona - July 24, 2005 10:29 PM (GMT)
oh! oh! new Info!! good timing eh?!
A new Character has been revieled - Vayne Kaldas Soridor. Vayne is the heir of Gramis, the empor of Arcadia. He is the leader of the Judges, who as far as i am aware are the bad guys!! apparently though he is a down to earth.. so maybe he's not as evil as the rest of em!! It has not been revealed whether vayne is gonna be a playable character or not.
Also two new summons have been revealed. Berias is gonna be the fire summon (although isnt that ifrit?!?) and Hashmarim is the earth summon. Apparently very similar names to summons from FFT - No piccys as of yet though!!
Thanks to RPGamer.com and eyesonff.com for the info!!!
A new Character has been revieled - Vayne Kaldas Soridor. Vayne is the heir of Gramis, the empor of Arcadia. He is the leader of the Judges, who as far as i am aware are the bad guys!! apparently though he is a down to earth.. so maybe he's not as evil as the rest of em!! It has not been revealed whether vayne is gonna be a playable character or not.
Also two new summons have been revealed. Berias is gonna be the fire summon (although isnt that ifrit?!?) and Hashmarim is the earth summon. Apparently very similar names to summons from FFT - No piccys as of yet though!!
Thanks to RPGamer.com and eyesonff.com for the info!!!
Red Demon - July 24, 2005 11:59 PM (GMT)
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD
Yes that was completly neccesary. Oh I can't wait now. Finally new information. I've been waiting for that for a long time. Oh and if you guys want some examples of how the battle system is gonna work, check out some vids. I found one that showed a small battle. It looks... twitchy at best. Like there's gonna be a lot of down time because it pauses when you open the menu.
Yes that was completly neccesary. Oh I can't wait now. Finally new information. I've been waiting for that for a long time. Oh and if you guys want some examples of how the battle system is gonna work, check out some vids. I found one that showed a small battle. It looks... twitchy at best. Like there's gonna be a lot of down time because it pauses when you open the menu.
Leona - September 26, 2005 06:48 PM (GMT)
MORE INFO!!!!!!!
The magic system will be based on something called 'Maseki', and is the main source of magical power in invalice and is used by its people in day to day activities (it also runs the airships). It apparently comes in many different forms and types, and at the beginning of the game Vaan is on his way to a yet un-named castle to try and steal some treasure which is actually a rare type of Maseki. there has also been another type of magic revealed which is not known of to most called 'Bamaseki' and is said to be 'the source of disaster'
ALSO.. there has been another playable character revealed: Ramon, who is a young boy who works with Vaan stealing stuff.. apprentice theif I suppose..but that is all thats known about him so far... although he seems to be 'special in some way... anyway... piccy: He looks kinda girly though...
oh... also anybody geting dragon Quest VIII, it is coming with a playable demo of FFXII.
thanks to FF12-europe.com and RPGamer.com for the info!!! (oh.. and ffxii.com for the picture)
The magic system will be based on something called 'Maseki', and is the main source of magical power in invalice and is used by its people in day to day activities (it also runs the airships). It apparently comes in many different forms and types, and at the beginning of the game Vaan is on his way to a yet un-named castle to try and steal some treasure which is actually a rare type of Maseki. there has also been another type of magic revealed which is not known of to most called 'Bamaseki' and is said to be 'the source of disaster'
ALSO.. there has been another playable character revealed: Ramon, who is a young boy who works with Vaan stealing stuff.. apprentice theif I suppose..but that is all thats known about him so far... although he seems to be 'special in some way... anyway... piccy: He looks kinda girly though...
oh... also anybody geting dragon Quest VIII, it is coming with a playable demo of FFXII.
thanks to FF12-europe.com and RPGamer.com for the info!!! (oh.. and ffxii.com for the picture)
chocobo chick - September 26, 2005 06:51 PM (GMT)
Thats a GUY???? very girly all this sounds like really great news!!
Maseki eh? sounds like fun..
Maseki eh? sounds like fun..
thirtyseven - September 27, 2005 01:54 AM (GMT)
Yeah, that guy does have a bit of a girly appearence to him, but it might end up working after all when the game is all together and stuff. And isn't FFXII supposed to have a medievil flavor to it? (I think so anyway.) Maybe they are going for an unwashed poor peasant theif look for him...?
ooo! more information! yay! *does a mini happy dance*
ooo! more information! yay! *does a mini happy dance*
Ross - September 27, 2005 02:39 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE (thirtyseven @ Sep 26 2005, 07:54 PM) |
| And isn't FFXII supposed to have a medievil flavor to it? (I think so anyway.) Maybe they are going for an unwashed poor peasant theif look for him...? |
Medieval falvor? No.
Poor peasant? No.
They are going for a sky-pirate look, because thats what he is suppost to be in FFXII. As for the reason why they don't dress with too much clothes... the weather! Its suppost to be hot hot hot in Ivalice.