The Director Game.

[YoungDyne]

Since I heard about this new remake my head has been spinning with "what if's" So here's the deal; I want to ask the Lunar community...

"If you were to be put at the helm of functions kept and ideas swept under the rug, what kind of changes would we see?"

Let's see what kind of game the fans want! Feel free to expand on anything you've always wanted to see or anything someone else brings up. I'll start.

If I were "Director":
-We can see the "Special" meter below the MP bar from Legend has probably returned. I'd modify these special attacks by adding onto it and making them team oriented. Hey, this game is all about friendship and I think even the battle system should reflect it more. You'd earn spheres for each time the bar fills and then spend the spheres to decide who participates and stack them to determine the level.

Example: Your team earns 4 spheres in attacking enemies and "saving" allies in battle. You spend 1 each on a basic attack for Nash and Jessica and then 2 for an advanced attack from Alex. This formulates a particular "team attack" similar in nature to that of Chrono Trigger OR you have the option of separating them to gain a strategic advantage...therefor still working as a team.

Of course, your MAX sphere level would be determined by certain story benchmarks.

[ilovemyguitar]

If they keep the special attacks, I'd like to see them set up so that you can only use them within a limited time frame, instead of being able to save them forever. As they were in LL, they fell into the category of being too awesome to use, so you would almost never actually use them. Mia's special attack in particular was so overpowered that I ended up saving it until the final boss battle, and then using it made that battle so easy that it was almost laughable. (Of course, Alex's Wind Boots making him overpowered to such an insane degree didn't exactly help on that front.) I would set it up so that once your character was charged up, you had to use the attack or else you would lose the charge at the end of the battle. That, or make it so that the longer you held the charge, the less powerful it would be once you finally used it. That way they wouldn't be reduced to a deus ex machina you would be able to conveniently whip out in boss battles.

The only other thing I'd really like to see is Fresca as a playable character. She's described as a skilled warrior in dialogue, so why not put it to use? Have her suit up along with Jessica and Mia and they can go into the cave after the boys once they've been cured of the plague.

[Alunissage]

Making Fresca playable is exactly what I thought of when I read about this game. I'd really hoped she would be in SSSC, pretty much exactly as you said, teaming up with the girls.

I found the gauge thing in LL overpowered (at least Mia's, certainly), but I used the gauge moves a lot more because it was pretty easy to fill. It was nice to have "magic" without consuming MP for those one-time dungeons I spent hours in trying to get all the cards. Luna's was insane, though -- full HP and MP recharge. It's just as well she isn't in the game for long.

I could see maybe starting each dungeon with an empty gauge. Or tying it to accessories, where the nature of the move AND how quickly the gauge fills changes according to what is equipped. Mia's overstrong MistVeil might take 30 attacks of hers to fill, while her alternate Charge could be just eight. Or something.

I have to say, though, that ideas like those in the first post just seem like trying to make it into some other game rather than Lunar. We're finally getting back our classic battle system, which is pretty robust on its own, so why pull in complicating elements from other games?

[ilovemyguitar]

I could see maybe starting each dungeon with an empty gauge. Or tying it to accessories, where the nature of the move AND how quickly the gauge fills changes according to what is equipped. Mia's overstrong MistVeil might take 30 attacks of hers to fill, while her alternate Charge could be just eight. Or something.

They could incorporate Crests!

[Alunissage]

Indeed! Of course, Legend did have items to equip that changed the arts moves, though for the life of me I can't remember if Kyle had an alternate one or not. But Jessica's Garnet Claw (I think) changed her spell from something unuseful (vacuuming up enemies?) into Crimson, a strong attack, and there was an item that either Mia or Nash could equip that made theirs become Charge (which was pretty unuseful that I recall). Alex's required two items and one was pretty obscure to get; I started a new game of Legend with the intent of picking it up THIS time and then rechecked what I needed to do and found that I'd just missed it and had to redo a chunk of dungeon. Anyway, the main thing I was thinking was that the amount of effort to fill the gauge should be more proportional to the usefulness or power of the move, which is more or less what you said. Or perhaps not require a full gauge at all, just do damage/good proportional to how full it is.

[WD RPG WD]

The biggest problem I have with Lunar's remakes is that they keep shrinking everything with newer remakes. Towns are smaller, the overworld was shrunk in the remakes and now it's been reduced to "point and click".

Exploring the frontier was what made TSS feel so mysterious and now all I'll have to do is click on Cadin to get to it unless they cut that town out of the new remake. It's like they feel like they have to hold our hand's through these games nowwaday's.

[ilovemyguitar]

Exploring the frontier was what made TSS feel so mysterious and now all I'll have to do is click on Cadin to get to it unless they cut that town out of the new remake. It's like they feel like they have to hold our hand's through these games nowwaday's.

I think it's more because a menu is cheaper to program into a game than an overworld you can walk around. I'm fine with point-and-click maps as long as the story isn't deflated.

[GhaleonOne]

Eh I'm with WD. I'd like to explore the Frontier. I'm not sure if people who didn't play TSS understand that though. In TSS, there were actual TOWNS in the Frontier of people who were at the mercy of Ghaleon and the Vile Tribe. There was a sense of "why doesn't Althena's light shine upon us too? What did we do to deserve being stranded here?"

I'm just glad GameArts is bringing back my old school Lunar battle system with movement on the field. That was sorely missed in LL and DS.

[cj iwakura]

It's funny how the Sega CD was the least powerful console of any version yet, but it still had the most content.

They should push Lunar PSP to the limit. Huge overworld map, large towns, optional dungeons, the works.


Square Enix crammed a ton of new content into FFIV DS, and made it tough as nails.

Why should Lunar fans get continually easier remakes?

[Lunar Eclipse]

I don't see why it has to be assumed that a point-and-click map will totally preclude the inclusion of extra towns in the Frontier, though. I'm not saying they will add any extra towns, but they easily could. To me, the world map was never exciting in and of itself. There were just some nice things to discover on it, which could just as easily be achieved by including "secret" exits to certain towns or field dungeons that lead to new point-and-click locations on the overworld.

[Nobiyuki77]

If I were the director of Lunar PSP there's a few (probably controversial) things that I would do for the game.

Bring the world map back - I liked the feeling of "exploring" the world of Lunar rather than just going from point A to point B. If I had to chose, I would base it on the world map from the Sega CD edition, but also try to incorporate some aspects of the Eternal Blue map (retcon, as it were).

Bring back Magic Experience with an enhancement - I know most people hate this system, but I think that's moreso because of the attachment to saves added to the US edition. In and of itself, the Magic Experience system is still one of the most accessible yet customizable systems ever devised in an RPG. I love how there are certain "base" skills you learn the normal JRPG way (i.e. leveling up), and other skills you could power at your leisure with MEXP. I would take it a step further though, and add the ability to boost a specific spell instead of a class (i.e. allow you to pump up Calm Litany by itself without having to boost the entire Healing class of spells).

Bring back individual inventories - Again I think I'm in the minority here (so I'd be a lousy director come to think of it XD), but I felt characters having their own inventories added a level of strategy to battle. After all, preparation is half the battle! I loved strategizing before a boss, thinking "Okay, I've got 4 starlights, 5 herbs and 1 silverlight, how should I split them up?" It was fun to try new combinations and ideas.

[Agawa]

Eh I'm with WD. I'd like to explore the Frontier. I'm not sure if people who didn't play TSS understand that though. In TSS, there were actual TOWNS in the Frontier of people who were at the mercy of Ghaleon and the Vile Tribe. There was a sense of "why doesn't Althena's light shine upon us too? What did we do to deserve being stranded here?"

I'm just glad GameArts is bringing back my old school Lunar battle system with movement on the field. That was sorely missed in LL and DS.

Definitely agreeing with both of these ideas! Exploring the Frontier would be fantastic, and for how important it was in SSSC I've always felt they could explore it more. I'm going to miss the world map, as well. I know it doesn't really matter, but at the same time I always feel a lesser sense of exploration and suspension of belief in games with point and click maps, unless they're specifically strategy RPGS.

Bring back individual inventories - Again I think I'm in the minority here (so I'd be a lousy director come to think of it XD), but I felt characters having their own inventories added a level of strategy to battle. After all, preparation is half the battle! I loved strategizing before a boss, thinking "Okay, I've got 4 starlights, 5 herbs and 1 silverlight, how should I split them up?" It was fun to try new combinations and ideas.

You aren't the only one! I love limited inventories, preferably in coordination with a larger inventory though (no Grandia inventories!). I miss having to use strategy in RPG bosses.

[exigence]

the only thing i would really want to add is a prelude with the original 4 heroes it could be a cut scene or playable but i would want it to have a cinematic quality to it, and it wouldn't give away too much maybe id break it up into chunks and make it playable throughout the main story, might make for a nice break from certain parts.

[Monde Luna]

A couple of things I agree w/ that I miss:

- exploring the world map esp. the frontier (although it was the least enjoyable part to explore I feel like it brought the story to life).
- individual inventories it made the game more challenging and I enjoy that. =)
-I am sure I am in the minority but I really enjoyed the TSS intro & music maybe they could slide that in the game somewhere as a secret find and keep the SSSC intro for the actual beginning.
- I hope the bosses continue to level up with you
- original soundtrack from sss.

[exigence]

[quote="Monde Luna"]
-I am sure I am in the minority but I really enjoyed the TSS intro & music maybe they could slide that in the game somewhere as a secret find and keep the SSSC intro for the actual beginning.
/quote]

oh snap i almost forgot about that opening song, thats some classic early 90s pop if ace of base covered that song i would most likely cream my pants.

[Sonix]

Oh right, I want a good battle theme this time, like the one in TSS maybe. I disliked the one from SSSC.

[DevNall]

Eh I'm with WD. I'd like to explore the Frontier. I'm not sure if people who didn't play TSS understand that though. In TSS, there were actual TOWNS in the Frontier of people who were at the mercy of Ghaleon and the Vile Tribe. There was a sense of "why doesn't Althena's light shine upon us too? What did we do to deserve being stranded here?"

More than that, the Frontier was absolutely huge.

[Alunissage]

Yeah. It was actually difficult to find what you were looking for, and the enemies were pretty tough (if you weren't overlevelled, anyway). Also, although it wasn't "the dark side of the moon", it definitely looked barren and unhealthy. The frontier in Dragon Song was a pretty good rendition of it, actually.

I didn't care much for the SSSC Frontier being the cratered, bare moon. In some ways it made a lot of sense, with "Althena's light" not shining there (although that should really be "the Blue Star's light"), and it clearly being the leftover land that hadn't been used, etc. Yet I thought it worked better for it to be habitable land -- didn't it seem like there should be no air where the craters were? -- that wasn't fully developed... an actual frontier where the terraforming that Althena did hadn't yet propagated. There might even be an implication that Ghaleon's cutting it off from the rest of the land helped make things worse. In EB the area roughly corresponds to the Salyan Desert, showing that the land did recover and become habitable, if not lush. (It would also kind of make sense for the Blue Spire to be in the Frontier, away from the main population.)

[liquidpolicenaut]

If I were director, I would include the following:

- Have the overworld map back to TSS/EB type. I really miss walking from one place to another and having the satisfaction of making it there in one piece! lol If a walkable overworld map isnt possible do to size constraints, then go with the possible "clickable location" map (reminds me of the one in Ys III). While its not as preferable as the original maps, it would be WAY better than SSSC overworld. Why the hell were the characters like an inch big?!?! EBC kind of fixed it with better proportioned size characters but the map was still pretty useless...

-Bring back better music ala TSS and EB. At least in EBC they kept the same soundtrack albeit remixed a bit (for the worse in the PSX version I might add). I liked the opening theme and Wind's Nocturne from SSC....and thats pretty much it. The rest sounded like MIDI garbage to me

Ummm, I think thats it for now. I agree with many other posted already (thoughts abotu the Frontier, etc.) but I had to vent on the whole "map n' music" thing

[Alunissage]

Well, at least EB and EBC had the aspect of needing to be able to drive the Destiny around. It was actually possible to get lost because of going to places by different routes after getting the Destiny. SSSC and TSS both had the dragon wings to make it quick once you got to the places once, but at least in TSS you had to do some actual looking around to GET to those places. Which I think makes SSSC the weakest of the four main versions mapwise.

I didn't mind the point and click for Legend because it made sense given how small the screen was and all. What I minded was that some places, like Damon's Tower, became inaccessible after they were completed. Which was funny because it showed a continuity error that I think must've been in the Japanese game as well: after you've seen Damon and are told to go back to Reza, the thieves on the ground floor are all upset about Lily's abduction -- which hasn't happened yet. But after Lily IS abducted, Damon's tower is no longer accessible, so you'll never see that text at the proper time of the game. Suggests to me that the decision to make the tower inaccessible was made late in the game, after the dialogue was written.

Regarding the PSX music, keep in mind that it sounded much better on the Japanese-only Saturn versions. I will say that my initial reaction to SSSC's music was very negative, but it grew on me. I do sometimes wish I'd played EB before SSSC; had I done so I might have had a much different opinion of many things in SSSC, including the music.