Couldn't Fit All I Had Into One Post
Everything We Know (Info Collection, Many Sources)
Basic Info
- Undiscovery is obviously a word we've created. The meaning is involved with the concepts of the game, which are discovery and impact. Over the course of the game players will discover many things that are hidden, and those things will have an impact on the development of the game and how things go. There's basically an infinite number of undiscovered things in the world, so Infinite Undiscovery.
- It's a collaborative effort between Square Enix and tri-Ace, and its our first endeavour on the next generation. The genre for the game is action RPG. It's similar to the games tri-Ace has put out thus far in having action battles, and that action has been brought to the forefront even more this time around.
- It is a Square Enix RPG at heart, and though it does tow the line, if it did involve those reflex elements, it would just become an action game, and we want to maintain the fun of an RPG.
- IGN learned for a second time at TGS this year that a game coming to Xbox 360 would require multiple discs. This time around, it's Infinite Undiscovery. The two game makers couldn't say exactly how many discs the game would require as it is still in the middle of production, but they were certain that it wouldn't fit on a single DVD. They also weren't sure how long the game would last, but estimated 30-40 hours.
- The game offers a variety of situations that unfold in a world that changes in real time and players' choices determine unknown discoveries waiting for them. The game's advanced technology and Xbox 360's muscle will offer gamers an ultimate fantasy world overflowing with realism and true role playing within a grand story.
- The offline game supports single player but it will be compatible with Xbox Live. After making RPGs on the PS2, we really wanted to do something on a system with higher performance. If you're talking about XBox Live, we plan to somehow involve it in the development, but as to the specific contents, I can't really speak to that right now.
Developer Background
- The director, Hiroshi Ogawa, was the main planner on Star Ocean 3, and he was also involved in Star Ocean 2 and Valkyrie Profile.
-The producer, Hajime Kojima, has been involved in everything since Star Ocean 3, which includes Radiata Stories, Valkyrie Profile 2, and this game, Infinite Undiscovery.
-The composer is Motoi Sakuraba, who has composed for all the tri-Ace games to date. I can't disclose the character designer at this time.
Gameplay
- When you explore the world when it's sunny, you will be able to see enemies a mile away and vice versa. But once you explore the world at night, their vision decreases - and a mini-map in the upper corner of the screen will indicate just how far they can see. You can try and sneak, but beware, vision isn't the only way for monsters to detect you - sound and smell, too.
- Director Hiroshi Ogawa gives an example of smell in the game: When you are running from a hunting dog, you can distract him by dropping apples from the trees, however, the guards might catch you by hearing the apples fall.
- The game will also provide a truly seamless transition to battles. "It's possible that when you think you've finished a battle, there'll already be an enemy approaching you right before your eyes." The one screenshot released to Famitsu shows a party of characters facing off against an enemy, with an additional foe seeming to approach from the side.
- Ogawa spoke first at a high level. "We're developing this game with the key words of Discovery and Impact," he said. "The image is that of 'feeling gameplay' that surrounds the various discoveries you make on the game field. In a world created through AI from the senses of sight, sound and smell, you make a discovery, and an by taking action based on that, you create a result with impact."
- One key element in the gameplay is the AI of the party members, which has been really been taken to a level where it almost feels as if they're people. So you can control the lead character, Capel, and the AI of the other characters in your party almost makes it feel like a multiplayer experience. It wouldn't have been possible on the earlier hardware, but this time around we've been able to make an AI that is so close to a human. Discovery really bridges all over the game. At the most basic level, discovering the enemy ahead of time will give you an advantage in battle. If you discover a sign that a tsunami is going to occur, you can react to that
Battle System
- Sometime in gaming history, an imaginary divide formed between Japanese RPGs (JRPG) and computer RPGs (CRPG). JRPGs became known for random encounter, turn-based battles, whereas RPGs typically developed for the PC by North American companies became known for a more real-time convention. Each developed its own following, as the former cherished the more strategic gameplay, while the latter embraced a more frenetic action-oriented experience. Those stereotypical delineations, however, have blurred with Square Enix's Infinite Undiscovery, which not only does away with random battles, but adds richer real-time combat elements such as character sensitivity to sight and sound.
- The actual battle controls are somewhat similar to Star Ocean 3. But the major difference is that whereas, say, in previous games, the field and battle situations had been separated, this game moves seamlessly in the encounter from field into battle. Movement and battle are seamlessly integrated in real-time, so while in battle you'll see huge things in the field -- large monsters, and large tsunamis that affect the situation and how battle plays out. One of the key elements is the overwhelming sense of things in the background that come to affect those in the foreground. As for villages and towns versus the outside world, there is a bit of loading there. The size of the fields will be much larger than Star Ocean 3, though, so there won't be loading so much, just in very few places
- Square Enix has again integrated a more action-inspired approach, allowing players to chain combos, lift enemies into the air, take on multiple mobs at once, or coordinate attacks with other members of your party. The environment is also more interactive than typical RPGs, featuring destructible cover. For example, you can shield yourself from a fire-breathing dragon by hiding behind a pillar--only to see the stones crumble from the fiery blast. The environment no longer serves as simple 3D eye candy, and you can even shoot at explosive--you guessed it--barrels to obliterate nearby evildoers.
- The game makes use of a new "Situation Battle" system. This system involves gameplay situations changing in real time, and players having to take appropriate actions. As an example, Ogawa showed a screenshot of your party attempting to escape from a prison. A giant ogre appears on the scene and wreaks havoc on allies and enemies alike.By fulfilling certain situational conditions, players will be rewarded with bonuses, which provide replay value for a variety of scenarios.
- The developers at tri-Ace take the real-time mechanic a step further by introducing stealth elements to the experience. Players are not only encouraged to use their twitch-action reflexes, but also sight and sound to get an edge on the enemy. Dark rooms and corridors, for example, will not only prevent you from locking onto opponents, but also penalize your ranged accuracy when attempting to shoot. Brighter areas conversely make it easier for players to hit their target, and the mini-map in the upper right corner makes exploration less arduous. In addition to ranged penalties, darkness also allows you to sneak up to opponents and initiate surprise attacks--but beware, monsters can also hear footsteps, so tread lightly.
- The battle system runs in real time, so the clock keeps on ticking even when you've opened up a menu. Typical of a Tri-ace game, the battles are action-oriented.
- Since Infinite Undiscovery is a real-time game, you won't be able to control every party member at once. The group can number up to four on the battlefield at a time, and you'll be able to swap characters in and out of that party from a larger pool of companions, but you'll only actively control the main character. The AI approach is something that's simple and easy to change on the fly. This is different from the other games where you go into your pause menu and have to stop there. The time spent preparing for battle is very important, so that once you get into battle, the things you need to change on the fly are easy to accomplish.
- If you've played tri-Ace's past games such as Radiata Stories or Star Ocean: Til the End of Time, then you know that the company prefers to keep its RPGs on the action side of the spectrum. Infinite Undiscovery stays on the same path, but with one important distinction - this time around there won't be a separate battle screen. All of the real-time action happens without a seam. That may seem like a no-brainer, but this is a pretty big step for a JRPG. Even with the world as your battlefield, though, the game will still control similarly to Star Ocean: Til the End of Time. However, you'll have to be on the lookout for obstacles coming from all angles that can affect the battles. Natural phenomenon such as a tsunami was one of the examples we were given, though the other (traps) seems much more likely to be a regular occurrence in the game.
Weapons/Magic/Upgrades
- It's pretty traditional in defeating enemies and earning experience and learning magic as you go. You gain weapons and magic dropped by enemies and found in treasure chests. Of course, that by itself would be pretty boring, so there are certain things you can add to weapons and combine with magic that affect the play. I can't really go into specifics right now, though.
- GameSpy: Does the appearance of each character change based on the gear they equip?
Hiroshi Ogawa: Not so much their bodily appearance, but the weapon will change.
The Environment
- There's a large focus on the moon in the worldview of the game. People derive power from the moon, and that's how the world comes to prosper. After that, the moon is bound in chains, which is where the story begins, and the power of the moon is lost to the people. The tsunamis are linked to the proximity of the moon, and, as the people derive their power from the moon, it has an effect on them as well, so the environment does come to affect the world in many ways.
Story
- You play as Capelle, a young traveller who looks like the legendary hero Sigmund. He's actually mistaken for Sigmund and taken prisoner by officials. He ends up being saved by Aya, a member of a rebellion army who travels alongside the real Sigmund. Apparently, she has also confused Capelle for the hero.He joins the Liberation Army, which is trying to save the world from the Order of Chains. "Wait what the hell is the Order of Chains?" a group led by Leonid, hell bent on... destroying the world.
- The story we know so far is this: The moon provides power to the people on the planet of Infinite Undiscovery. A dark force has bound the moon in chains to take its power and so the world loses the light. A hero rises up who wants to cut the chains, free the people, and vanquish the darkness. You don't play as that hero.
- The main character is actually a guy who looks just like the hero. The peculiarities aren't just of the visual nature either. This guy has something special about him. That special thing is one of the discoveries that he makes along the journey that motivates him to fight. The other motivation we were given is that he meets a heroine who changes his life. How romantic. Anyway, the look-alike eventually fights alongside the hero himself.
- Where the troupe goes and how they defeat the evil that has chained up the moon remains to be seen. Given the development studio behind the game, one could probably assume that Infinite Undiscovery will have multiple endings. However, the Producer and Director could not confirm that to us. Whether it will have a branching story has not yet been decided.
- The music is being done by the same composer as Star Ocean 3, though the ****will be less futuristic and more orchestral so as to fit in with the setting which will apparently be decidedly less futuristic.
- Most of the cut scenes are in real-time.
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