.

As I said in another thread, you need to read the datalogs. If you do whenever it flashes up that the log has updated, the story will make perfect sense.

You're not far in, so I suggest you restart and make sure to read all the entries religiously (updates write over old entries, so some info is lost if you wait too long).

Seriously, it does help.

the art of trolling at it's finest.

Dear oh dear

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I wasn't commenting towards your post C�n��rC0r∑�, rather towards the others and the inevitable possibility of flames hitting this thread.

If you enjoy FFXIII, good. Just because I hated it, doesn't mean everyone else will. Play/enjoy what you want and don't let anyone tell you differently.

Even if you hate Vanille, level her up just the same. She's your main source of money and experience mid/late game.

Even if you hate Vanille, level her up just the same. She's your main source of money and experience mid/late game.
Agreed:

Her death spell will definitely come into play a lot once you enter Gran Pulse

Plus, she's also an excellent healer and ravager.

Sabatuer is a role you wouldn't expect from the illiegitimate love-child of George W. Bush and Liza Minelli, but at least her limit spell lets you speed grind.

As I said in another thread, you need to read the datalogs. If you do whenever it flashes up that the log has updated, the story will make perfect sense.

You're not far in, so I suggest you restart and make sure to read all the entries religiously (updates write over old entries, so some info is lost if you wait too long).

Seriously, it does help.

You shouldn't have to read optional cliff notes for the story to make sense. If you do then the story is poorly structured and incoherent.

You shouldn't have to read optional cliff notes for the story to make sense. If you do then the story is poorly structured and incoherent.

Someone really hates the "All There In The Manual" aspect of gaming.

Someone really hates the "All There In The Manual" aspect of gaming.

If it's in the manual, then it's not a part of gaming :D

I wasn't commenting towards your post C�n��rC0r∑�, rather towards the others and the inevitable possibility of flames hitting this thread.

If you enjoy FFXIII, good. Just because I hated it, doesn't mean everyone else will. Play/enjoy what you want and don't let anyone tell you differently.

this

Harkus - it's only necessary at the start. That's when you don't know the various terms and what the world situation is. It's still helpful to read the Log throughout the game, but it's pretty crucial at the start.

They did it this way to speed up the game, get you right into the action, without the need for hours of setting the scene (or would you rather have a section like Kingdom Hearts 2's never ending and deathly boring opening in Twilight Town, or FF8's 'You're a student at school' opening?

If there had been scene after scene of exposition and setting, people wouldn't have like that either (a common criticism of Bioware's games, is that they have too many tutorial style levels, and too much mandatory talking to NPCs, before you can really start playing the game).

It takes seconds to read through the updates as they come through, and helps immeasurably. If you can't be bothered to do something so simple, that is just there to help you out, then don't do it.

You'll pick it up eventually, but why make it harder to understand for no good reason? It doesn't take long and it's well worth it - simple.

They did it this way to speed up the game, get you right into the action, without the need for hours of setting the scene (or would you rather have a section like Kingdom Hearts 2's never ending and deathly boring opening in Twilight Town, or FF8's 'You're a student at school' opening?

I hope that I'm not going to open myself up to a bunch of corrections with my next comment but they also had FFXIII start where it did to move away from the pattern of having the main character as unaware of the World as the player. For example, Cloud in FFVII needed to have a lot of things explained to him (iirc); Tidus in FFX was transported to a whole new world and had nearly everyone explain to him the lore of the world; in FFXII Vaan was a kid and he was very ignorant of the World around him and had to get other characters to explain stuff to him (and there was a prologue with Reks too). Anyways my point is that we can't expect every main character in a FF game to be as ignorant of their environment as the player is. Otherwise most of the games would have a tedious pattern to it.

FFXIII breaks A LOT of patterns with standard RPG's (and I will be reviewing it after my next play-through) and I think that some people are getting frustrated with it because they are going in with strict expectations that usually stems from the classic FF's. I really liked the game but I was buying FFXIII for the storyline (for the most part).

No need to worry about being corrected - you've hit the nail right on the head!

I preferred bothe KH2's and FFVIII's openings over FFXIII's by far. I've said it before but I like it when the game starts in a sense of normality and you take the journey WITH the characters as it happens as opposed to being thrown into a confusing mess that takes hours to explain itself. It helps with immersion.

EDIT: Skryer, I disagree, you're saying that they needed to start it like that to show she isn't ignorant? They could have done that a hundred different ways. You don't need to start a story midway to get across someone is wise to the world. The piss poor opening (and ugly setting that goes with it) are the least of the games problems.

So when Star Wars opens with the action well underway, you don't approve of that? Epics often start in the middle (Paradise Lost is a classic example from Literature).

And you are entitled to your opinion, but the thought of playing that opening from KH2 ever again, sends chills down my spine. It went on forever, just walking around town, doing nothing but pointless errands, day after day after day.

It was like 'playing' Shenmue again. All that was missing was the forklift truck...

I would also point out that it really doesn't explain much of anything (given that you aren't even playing as Sora then, and Roxas is barely in the game again).

Games are different than film.

You're right - it's even more important in games, to get the player involved sooner in the action.

Games usually ape their writer's favourite films (it part of why the transition of Games to Films has always been so unsucessful - because they are Films Adapted from Games, which were Adapted from Films).

mehh, not necessarily. I prefer a build up. In RPG's especially I want to feel involved, that's more successful when you are there when the shit hits the fan not after in a confused mess (in a shit setting)

Games are different than film.

That could be one of the things that FFXIII is challenging though; what is considered a film and what is considered a game, etc, etc. But that's up to interpretation.


EDIT: Scryer, I disagree, you're saying that they needed to start it like that to show she isn't ignorant? They could have done that a hundred different ways. You don't need to start a story midway to get across someone is wise to the world. The piss poor opening (and ugly setting that goes with it) are the least of the games problems.

Okay, let's not put words in my mouth =P . I was just speculating on a "hit and miss" pattern that the FF games seem to have, being that they tend to have the main character ignorant (usually in more ways than one) to the world around them. FFXIII breaks this pattern (and also breaks the pattern of telling a story from the beginning to the end) by having the player start right in the middle of the story which is throwing some players off in a bad way. Like you mentioned there are different ways of having main character wise of the world around them, take Squall from FFVIII for example.

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