Independence Day - July 4, 2000 - Chris Jones
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of
the participants and the moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the GIA. There
is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. Now the rooms are all empty
down at Frankie's joint, and the highway she's deserted, clear down to Breaker's Point.
Don't say we didn't warn you.
I got a surprising amount of feedback on the FAQ, considering this was a holiday for
most folks. Most of it was positive, and most of what wasn't got printed below. Not a lot
more to say.
Onward.
| The big, bold taste of the FAQ |
| Could you use more bold if you ever revise the FAQ? :) Seriously, I
find the high amount of bold somewhat distracting. Try italics instead, unless it's
something terribly important. It'll probably look better that way.
J.
P.S. I haven't played in a while, but wasn't the half-elf Jerin in Estpolis
left-handed? |
More bold? I can try.
I didn't personally think the amount of bold was really excessive, especially since I
only highlighted the important stuff, as you said. Frankly, the vast majority of that FAQ
was overkill in explaining exactly what I meant. If someone was to read just the bolded
stuff (the actual rules) they'd get 90% of what I was trying to get across... and I'm sure
everyone wishes I'd said that before I posted it.
| "Guess what we had for dinner last
night?" |
| "a burger and a corn on the cob." No joke. Here's your
e-mail.
:^)
Daniel |
Dude, either you're entirely too predictable or I'm keeping you under covert
surveillance. Regardless, I think you should be concerned.
| He thinks the characters are the biggest
problem in FF8... *spoilers* |
| Chris, I think you are way off the mark when you say that Final
Fantasy 8 had superb characters. Aside from Squall, I think all the other characters in
your party were amongst some of the worst to be found in a long awhile. In the beginning
we learn that Quistis was an insecure instructor who didn't believe in her own abilities.
By the end of the game we know that Quistis was an inseqcure instructor who didn't believe
in her own abilities. Rinoa's character was inconsisent. During the ball-room scene she
exudes confidence yet when we see her again later with her crew of terrorists she is a
bumbling idiot. After that we learn pretty much nothing else about her. Zell was a waste
of programming. Selphie likes to look out the window of the train. Irvine has one moment
of nervousness that he is cast into the oblivion of nothingness. The characters in this
game were the biggest problem with it in my opinion.
-lewsteran |
I know I've read that comment about Quistis somewhere before. It might even have been
by a previous DA, but I can't remember at the moment, kinda tired.
Either way, I think there's some confusion here as to what characters are supposed to
do in a story - specifically, that you can have a character without that character having
their own little issue to overcome in the course of a game. Each party member in FF8 did
their own little bit to do to advance the story, but by and large actual development was
limited to the principle few characters (Squall, his family and Idea) and to the history
of the party itself as a group. It's a different setup from most RPGs, but from a literary
standpoint I thought it worked very well.
And did it occur to you that Rinoa was simply confident (and competent) when she was
flirting at a dance (which seems reasonable for a teenage girl) but a complete ditz at
running a fledgling resistance organization? Makes sense to me.
| ...when there's so much more to hate
*spoilers* |
| Yippy! It's a free topic day, just what I've been waiting for. So for
this day, I will stir up a hornet's nest as best as I can by writing a letter about what I
think is one the worst RPG's ever released, and a blight upon the series name: Final
Fantasy VIII.
Now put down the pitchforks and torches: I think I have some explaining to do. Let me
tell you why I believe this. First of all, the "story" sucked. There is no way
around it in my opinion. It was bland, boring, and reeked of N64 work. It was totally
non-believable, and basically was just a real snore, start to end. Now I did finish it,
just because it was an FF game, but I will never touch it again. The story just doesn't
hold up against other RPGs.
Of course, I hate the characters too. They are all bland, insipid, uninspired,
unoriginal, and totally stereotyped. Their dialogue is totally moronic, and their
stupidity causes me to gape in wonder much too often. There is not a single playable
character that was enjoyable to use, or that I cared about in the least. There was just no
way I could care about these dull cardboard cut-outs Square dares to call
"characters" and this "story" that they supposedly live out.
And another thing. Where the hell are the secret characters?! Why do away with such a
great feature?
Now comes my biggest complaint. The junction/draw "system." This is absolute
trash. FFI had a better gameplay system, and I am not joking in the least about that. This
gutter filth is too bad for any words to define, but I will try. First of all, this
renders "levels" useless, a slap in the face to series tradition. Everything is
based upon your drawn spells. I could take a level 99 Squall with excellent junctions,
transplant Junction/magic to a level 30 Squall, and they are almost identical. What makes
this worse is that you can do this across characters! Give a level 60 Squall's stuff to a
level 40 or level 30 Selphie, and they switch people, literally. There is no difference.
Their "unique" weapons are the same in all but looks, as are the characters
themselves and their limit breaks, just one character facet.
Making the characters of a Final Fantasy game so totally faceless is a slap in the face
of any series fan. Each character's permanent unique abilities is what makes them lovable.
These cardboard images are nothing but fighting dolls, with interchangeable features. A
characters's unique features is what makes them worthwhile. Give me a break.
All in all, I really can't recommend this game to any sane gamer. I would rank it in
the 10 worst RPG's ever published, and am totally disgusted that Square would defile the
great FF name with such trash. I have high hopes that FFIX will be better.
Reilly Vinall |
There's a lot to touch on here, but this entire letter, and several like it, bring a
more important issue to mind. So I'll briefly make some counter arguments and move on to a
theory of mine.
Already went over the characters, but I'd like to see another FF with dialog and
inter-character situations even close to VIII's, I don't give a flying leap about secret
party members. By this point I'm just as happy to have something new for a battle system
and don't feel that the loss of levels is as devastating a blow as you do. FF's V, VII,
and arguably I-III have had highly customizable ("faceless") characters. I've
been a series fan since the original game, and the only thing I'd see as a slap in the
face would be if Square never innovated and kept feeding us the same thing over and over.
Now, looking through the letters I've gotten since I started this job, I can say for a
certainty that there's about a 50/50 split between old and new schoolers as far as the
column's concerned. Based on the sales figures for the past few FFs, I suspect the split
is actually closer to 90/10 in favor of the new schoolers, it's just that the old
schoolers are much more vocal. But admittedly that's just a theory.
Which brings me to my observation - that what the two groups are looking for from RPGs
are entirely different things. I'd always assumed that as someone who played and
enjoyed old RPGs, and played and enjoyed new RPGs, I was simply more open minded than
those people who didn't like the new stuff. But the large number of letters I've
gotten from people bemoaning the lack of everything from levels to castles and
"real" knights and princesses make me think what old schoolers are looking for
is entirely different from what I get out of RPGs.
In other words, I play RPGs to get interesting plots, cunning gameplay, and great music
and graphics. Based on letters like Reilly's, I'd think old schoolers play games to get
FFVI over and over and over again. But I know that's a condescending opinion, and I'm
simply missing something here. So what is it? What is it you're looking to get out of
games, old school or new? (And one word "fun" answers are not acceptable. And
yes, I know this isn't that interesting an observation, but it's been a long day, give me
a break.)
| The FAQbreaker Saga begins... |
| Chris You know, you've left me in a very interesting situation with
that little FAQ of yours. You have rules. It is my job to break them. Breaking said rules
dooms me to obscurity. I think I'll just to the exact opposite of whatever you say I
should do. Would that work for you?
Justin Freeman |
I kind of doubt you'll be able to break them, because if you break the rules you won't
get your letter printed, but you'd have to get your letter printed to break the rules.
Catch 22.
On the other hand, you were appointed to your Archnemesis position precisely because of
your cleverness and potential for evil, so maybe you could pull it off. I await to see
what you're capable of, sir.
| Expect the unexpected |
| Chris Jones, Well, since you have placed the DA FAQ, it is clear to me
that I am no longer suited to participate in DA. I will tell you now that this letter is
not flaming you in anyway: I am merely pointing out your flaws as DA in an intelligent
manner. Don't get me wrong, you are a worthy successor, however, I feel alienated by you.
I understand if you want to keep this letter out of the public. That's fine because that's
what I expect you would do.
I have been reading and following DA since it began with the GIA and have enjoyed many
great moments. I would always look to Drew's witty comments. I would write in once in
awhile and would be delighted to see my letters printed because I believed that I had
something intelligle and insightful to say. This column changed after you took over.
First, in all fairness, let me point out the things that I have done wrong in
accordance with your FAQ. When I write letters to you, I take the time to research my
facts and construct a well-written letter. Sometimes I am "guilty" of praising
you in the opening paragraph. You state in the FAQ that you dislike this because it sounds
like "ass-kissing". Fair enough. Sometimes, I go over the 500 word cap but only
because I feel that it is neccessary especially when I am being passionate about something
I love. I was also guilty once of begging in the post script for my letter to be printed.
I wrote that as a joke because, since you came on board, I wanted my hardwork shared with
the other readers and I wanted to see if slipping in some humour would help. According to
the FAQ, this is unacceptable. Fine. My bad.
Now, let me tell you what I feel you are doing wrong.
I consider myself to be a very good judge of character and read deeply into people's
responses. So I feel I know a bit about you, Mr. Jones:
You have a very large ego that you need to keep in check.
You constantly remind us that you are a Computer Engineer working for some nice company
in Austin. That's great but is it really necessary to keep bringing up that point for the
umpteenth time? I admire that you have a great career and are financially secure but you
seem to use this position as a means of putting other people down. "I'm a mighty
engineer so that makes you you my lowly followers.." More than once, you have
constantly reminded us that you are a computer engineer in a reply/discussion that DID NOT
warrant that kind of response. I think you throw that job title around because you like to
brag - when you mentioned it AGAIN in the FAQ, that was the last straw for me. I believe
that you take perverse pleasure in telling everyone that you are an engineer.
Furthermore, I was a bit angry when you wrote in the beginning that no one could
recommend a sci-fi/fantasy novel because if it was remotely popular, you have read it
already. What kind of attitude it that? Do you think that we are all grunts and cannot
find ONE sci-fi/fantasy book that you haven't read? Popular or not? Please, Mr. Jones,
there are many books in this world and you certainly cannot have read them all.
Next, I question some of the letters that you print. On more than one occasion, you
print letters that are easy to find flaws with just so that you could tear the author
apart and show off your vast knowledge of games to us. I don't mind it when the person
really deserves it, but you print faulty letters on a constant basis. Also, yes, you
contradict your own guidelines that you put up in the FAQ. How can I believe that you will
honour what you write in the FAQ? Could this be another way of showing off your intellect
and putting your readers in their place?
I apologize immediately if you take any offence to this because I know if we got to
know each other better, we could be good friends - we have many common interests and
views. However, I felt the need to get this off my chest. You have demonstrated very
clearly that a long time DA reader, like myself, has no place and is no longer wanted
here. Fine, if that is where you are taking DA then I will humbly back down. I will no
longer participate in your DA discussions.
Thank you for your contributions to DA and for taking the time to read this letter.
Sincerely,
S@int 7 |
I think the above is a huge overreaction in a lot of ways, but I told myself I'd print
the best FAQ criticism I got. Which was this letter, despite the length. So I'm gonna
quickly answer a lot of the points here and end for the day.
First off, reread the FAQ. I think you're taking a lot of what was said entirely too
personally - you're hardly the only one sending me pleas to be printed. And I never said
praise was ass-kissing, just that it could be construed as such. As for the ego, I don't
think that's the case, but I suppose I wouldn't be able to tell if it was true or not.
Yes, I say that I work as an engineer a lot, and yes I'm proud of it. It took me a lot of
work, and it's a big part of my life. I don't think it's something I mention more than is
warranted, but if people want me to shut up about it I can. And yes, I've read a LOT of
science fiction. I consumed 3-5 books a week for about 10 years, and of the roughly 100
letters I got asking me if I'd read book X, there was not ONE book I couldn't at least
provide a plot synopsis for. I'm cocky in that area, but I think it's deserved. I print
letters based on how well they're written, and a lot of well written letters get a lot of
stuff wrong. Believe me, if I wanted to print dumbass letters that made me look good, I
could do a much better job of it.
The bottom line is, I'm sorry if you felt alienated by the FAQ, or the direction the
column's gone in. But as long as the praise outweighs the criticism (which it has been, my
penchant for printing letters like this aside) I'm gonna keep doing the column the way I
want.
Closing Comments:
Man, even in this state I can tell this edition ain't all it could be. But let me get
some sleep and I'll do better tomorrow, promise. In the meantime, send me something on
that RPG expectations topic. See you the day before the day after tomorrow.
-Chris Jones, crashing hard and deep |
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