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Bravely Default for the Sequel Microtransactions; Completion time cut from 70h to 30h

I've been looking forward to this game for a long time, but if the microtransactions prove to be integral to the game, I'm not buying this.

In which RPG are microtransactions integral? Doubly so when you can adjust difficulty. You can just put your 3DS in sleep mode if you really want to use this attack without paying.
 
S-E introducing one of the most heinous F2P monetization schemes in a retail title is rather depressing to me.

Yes yes, the game wasn't built around it, so it's optional. I know. For now.

The BD franchise started with much scummier "free" DLC campaigns in 2012, so pay2win DLC is definitely not surprising. As long as they don't add a "Bought pack of 10 SP drinks" achievement on the BDFF Members' Site in December, I don't mind it.
 
really tempted to cancel the preorder after reading this, also after having just read FFVI's news.
If it's about the micro transaction fair enough. However the game time seems to be, because of the many improvements. You can even control the random encounter rate afaik.
 
You are part of the problem

You can streamline a game without taking the fun out of it

Pay to win is just sad

I'm not using the microtransactions and storywise everything will be the same.

I'd like to know how they cut the gameplay from 70 to 30 hours though. Just speeding up combat doesn't distract 40 hours.
 
I can't exactly think of what they could've changed in order to cut 40 hours of gameplay (maybe grinding for what I've read of iOS FFVI) but I wan't the option to play the game a la "old school".
Grinding is what makes those games RPG, if grinding it's not necessary because now the fights are balanced in order to progress flawlessly through the game... can we still consider this a RPG?
 
I can't exactly think of what they could've changed in order to cut 40 hours of gameplay (maybe grinding for what I've read of iOS FFVI) but I wan't the option to play the game a la "old school".
Grinding is what makes those games RPG, if grinding it's not necessary because now the fights are balanced in order to progress flawlessly through the game... can we still consider this a RPG?

What the hell? What was the last RPG you've played?

Grinding hasn't been an essential part of RPGs for a while now. Many RPGs these days are balanced well enough so you either don't have to grind or only need to grind minimally to get through them.

But you can adjust the difficulty and encounter rate, and even set your level to 1, so how easy or hard you want the game is up to you...
 
Grinding is what makes those games RPG, if grinding it's not necessary because now the fights are balanced in order to progress flawlessly through the game... can we still consider this a RPG?
Grinding is rarely necessary in RPGs, it's just usually easier to blame your defeat on your level instead of your strategy.
 
It's kind of sad to see Square Enix's corpse shabling along like this. They've come a long way since the PS1 days.
 
I can't exactly think of what they could've changed in order to cut 40 hours of gameplay (maybe grinding for what I've read of iOS FFVI) but I wan't the option to play the game a la "old school".
Grinding is what makes those games RPG, if grinding it's not necessary because now the fights are balanced in order to progress flawlessly through the game... can we still consider this a RPG?

You just said that one of the biggest annoyances in RPGs is actually what defines it as a genre. wat.
 
I can't exactly think of what they could've changed in order to cut 40 hours of gameplay (maybe grinding for what I've read of iOS FFVI) but I wan't the option to play the game a la "old school".
Grinding is what makes those games RPG, if grinding it's not necessary because now the fights are balanced in order to progress flawlessly through the game... can we still consider this a RPG?

You totally have the option to play as it was originally released, well, with the expanded story content. They've added difficulty sliders, options for battle animation speed and random encounters, etc. all of which you can leave at a default level (or increase).

That's also kind of a weird way to define rpgs. There are some where grinding is nearly impossible, unneeded, or otherwise discouraged. I really like it when games have systems where you CAN grind to ease past tough obstacles, but otherwise you can just learn how to play the game well enough that you don't need to overpower an enemy with high levels.

The "what is an rpg?" discussion is one that I don't think ever had an agreed upon conclusion, though. :p
 
Grinding is what makes those games RPG, if grinding it's not necessary because now the fights are balanced in order to progress flawlessly through the game... can we still consider this a RPG?

If RPG stood for Redundant Pathetic Grinding you might have a point. But it stands for Role Playing Game.
 
Considering its all optional, I'm okay with it. I like getting stuff in sleep mode. Lots of games do that.

Sounds like the stuff Nintendo does with the white raccoon tale and so on. It's easy to ignore it if you want the full experience.
 
Yeah it's the first step of inevitable step towards destruction. Now I'm wondering if FFXV will stay safe.

Just wait, they'll probably introduce something like a License Board in KHIII. Level up to have a new ability/skill available? Pay a License Fee via DLC to unlock said skill.

In which RPG are microtransactions integral? Doubly so when you can adjust difficulty. You can just put your 3DS in sleep mode if you really want to use this attack without paying.

They're not yet. But given SE's insistence on becoming the next Gree, and all their bull talk about charging for games past the initial purchase doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
 
Didn't care for tr DLC stuff but shortened play time sounds great!

Hopefully it can be done in under 30
 
This is great news! It's good for people like me who generally find JRPGs to be artificially long and prone to filler, but still enjoy the genre. Plus the self-proclaimed "hardcores" can sink as much time into it as they choose. Brilliant.
 
I'm one of the least cynical people you'll ever know, and I'm almost at the point where I'm only looking forward to FF15 just to see how bad they can fuck it up.
 
Seriously, sounds like they've just increased the number of options you have in how to approach the game. Don't like microtransactions? Don't buy any of that crap. Leave the difficulty sliders appropriately high, etc. You can now blast through or play slowly.

I guess since this is a game that was already made, it might not be a big deal.

But my problem with microtransactions and the whole "if you don't like them, don't use them" approach, is I feel developers intentionally make the game slower or harder to try to get more people to utilize them. Doesn't mean I'll ever buy them, but sometimes you feel the game was made worse to try to incentivize others to buy things.
 
I wish Square had more confidence in a more option-restrained vision of the game. I don't like the idea of the difficulty sliders, player-adjusted encounter rates, Bravely Second; I dislike DLC adjusted gameplay experiences in any RPG--beyond the standard difficulty choice at the beginning of a New Game File, I'd prefer at least a more standardized, if not demanding and more investment-intensive experience. Though I do admit that the option Tales to adjust difficulty in the same file let me move from Moderate to Hard, so it's hard for me to argue that.

It's no accident that the goal of such moves meant towards accessibility is additional money/profitability.
 
If the 30 hours gives the same enjoyment as 70 hours, what's the problem? Nothing was cut, and I certainly appreciate a crafted tight experience over one that drags for the sake of just being longer, which JRPGs do a LOT. A concise game that doesn't overstay its welcome and uses its time effectively is worth a lot more to me.
 
I guess since this is a game that was already made, it might not be a big deal.

But my problem with microtransactions and the whole "if you don't like them, don't use them" approach, is I feel developers intentionally make the game slower or harder to try to get more people to utilize them. Doesn't mean I'll ever buy them, but sometimes you feel the game was made worse to try to incentivize others to buy things.

I agree, and feel like this is probably why I dislike most "f2p" stuff. It can be rather bothersome if the game is built around finding various ways to nickle and dime consumers, and I avoid those games entirely. For this particular instance (or something like SMTIV or Tales), the existence of the paid content doesn't seem to intrude much on the quality of the rest of the game.

Maybe SE is on some slippery slope of obscene microtransactions in the future. I sure hope not, though.
 
Are they serious you need to have the 3DS in sleep mode to regain SP?
That is just outrageous. SP is important to use at all times and not something that you should wait for in order to recover or refill.
 
I beat the original game 100% (all jobs unlocked, all side quests done, all endings, etc) in 61 hours and 12 minutes. I took my sweet time with it too. I'm guessing the reduction to the 30 hour range is mainly due to the battles which can run up to 4x in speed?
 
Can't wait until FFVII iOS comes out so I can buy all the materia for $1 a piece or $5 for 3.
Screw having to earn that stuff or find it in chests. Just let me win right away.

<rolls eyes>
 
It's "streamlined" -- whatever that means.

It's easier to reach for a wallet than for a calculator.

I agree, and feel like this is probably why I dislike most "f2p" stuff. It can be rather bothersome if the game is built around finding various ways to nickle and dime consumers, and I avoid those games entirely. For this particular instance (or something like SMTIV or Tales), the existence of the paid doesn't seem to intrude much on the quality of the rest of the game.

Maybe SE is on some slippery slope of obscene microtransactions in the future. I sure hope not, though.

*snrk*
 
Bravely Second is a new feature that allows one to pause time in the middle of battles, using SP, and attack their opponent, according to a report in this week’s issue of Famitsu magazine. SP is gained while your Nintendo 3DS is in sleep mode. Alternatively, you can buy SP drinks in the form of DLC via the Nintendo eShop.

This is the new battle system feature? Shitty mobile model attacks? Ugh, the way things are going in Japan with 3rd party publishers is really depressing. If the job system has been rebalanced to fit this new system I think I've just lost interest in this series.
 
Bravely Default is a 70 hours game? Well damn, it better be fucking awesome, I'm not ready for a new Persona 4 endless boring mess.

Read the article I posted. Only 20% of people who bought BD finished BD in Japan.
So what was cut to shorten the game length so significantly?
So much misinformation!

1. Only 20% did the true ending.
2. Nothing, they are actually adding content, it's faster now because you can do things much faster than before.

Seriously, just read the OP.
 
It will be interesting to see if the original game ends up being the preferred version in the long run. I thought the original game was a fantastic, epic old school JRPG. In fact, I had no real complaints and I loved every minute of it. It's easily the best JRPG on the 3DS or Vita. Now, the changes in the 'for the sequel' version initially sounded appealing, but if it's centered around a mobile-style cash-grab system, then I think this may turn off a lot of people.
 
No content cut (there's even more!), won't ever touch the drink DLCs since they're optional, no problem for me then :P
Basically this. But people are making this into something bigger than it really is just to validate their dislike for SE.

It's almost like saying, "oh, since this game has an easy difficulty option, I'm not buying/paying full price for it."
 
20% of players seeing the true ending actually sounds pretty high all things considered.

I think SE is just now figuring out that a lot of people probably don't finish RPGs period.

I may not be remembering this correctly, but the stats Bioware released on Mass Effect 2's completion rates were somewhat surprising too (and you can blow through the main story of that relatively quickly; yeah, the comparison isn't direct since a lot more people bought ME2 than Bravely Default, but still).
 
What the hell? What was the last RPG you've played?

Grinding hasn't been an essential part of RPGs for a while now. Many RPGs these days are balanced well enough so you either don't have to grind or only need to grind minimally to get through them.

But you can adjust the difficulty and encounter rate, and even set your level to 1, so how easy or hard you want the game is up to you...

some people miss it.I do i prefer it to be balanced grinding like some of the DQ games on the snes era not like FF 2 or DQ1 where you spend obscene amounts grinding
 
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