Final Fantasy CC: Echoes of Time

[Gunslinger-08]

I've so been looking forward to this!

I enjoyed Ring of Fates, and all signs point to this being a much better experience in terms of gameplay than the last. It's going to have Wi-Fi co-op, Lilties get lances back, Selkies get rackets back, they've replaced certain elements of the combat system...

*wipes drool*

Anyway, here's a link to an article on the game.
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3173330

I'm also sort of looking for potential caravan-mates for multiplay, so give me a shout if you're interested.

[Leviathan]

I'm getting the game later, I'm saving up for a laptop at the moment, but I will remember you when I get the game.

I never played Ring of Fates, but this looks a lot better.

[Kent]

I only played the one on GameCube - I passed on Ring of Fates mainly due to lack of online multiplayer.

I've looked into Echoes of Time a bit, and I'm still undecided on whether I'll want to pick it up or not - it seems that, much like the original Crystal Chronicles, there's no system of character classes, just the four playable races which determine your characteristics.

There is some information that's seemingly missing that I'd like to know about the game. For example, does it still have the compensating-for-the-lack-of-GBA-buttons "scrolling" style of command selection? How exactly is magic handled?

Most importantly, is there any word on if the game is on the failboat of friend codes being required for any sort of online interaction? At this point, that might be the make-or-break for this game. :/

[Gunslinger-08]

That's only fair. I had friends I was able to play the Gamecube one with, a brother to play Ring of Fates with over Christmas, and I'll eventually drag a few friends into this one, barring any glaring flaws.

As for your questions, I'll fill you in on what I do know, and I'll add more once I've played the game for a bit.

Your race determines proficiencies, but as far as I've been told, any character can use any of the weapon types, just without the specialization bonuses. Some classes are proficient with two weapon types, such as Selkies specializing with both rackets and bows (I'll confirm this later), Command selection is tied between the four DS buttons, while the touch-screen lets you bind a specific type of spell to your casting button.

A button is for physical attacks, B is for jumping, and Y is for picking up environmental items and keys, and can also be used for picking up other characters (i.e. you can grab a teammate and jump then throw him up onto a ledge, among other things) and enemies. R button activates tribal abilities and can be used to block after attacks, and L lets you lock a casting ring in place for stacking or to delay the spell.

Magic is cast the same way as in the GC version, with a ring used to target where the spell will hit. You can stack them for combos, and you can lock a ring in place with L, which frees you up to attacking, preparing a charge-attack follow-up, etc. As for magic uses, I think you learn the spells for good, and then use MP for each ring you create. MP regeneration runs through the use of ethers you find as well as something with physical attacks, but I'll have to look into that too.

I think the friend codes thing is necessary for wi-fi play, but that's why I made this thread in the first place. :)

Well, I'm off to pick it up now. I'll check what I said as I progress through the beginning of the game and update all this stuff.

[Zarode]

Most importantly, is there any word on if the game is on the failboat of friend codes being required for any sort of online interaction? At this point, that might be the make-or-break for this game. :/

Protectin' my inner child from you rapist. :wacko:

So, how does Wifi work on this game, exactly? Can I play with DS and Wii users alike via the internet, or is it more complicated and more bullshit then it needs to be? If you provide links, quote in a little sum. Hate reading through whole articles just to get one or two sentences.

[Akaimizu]

Sounds interesting, however I hardly read anything that talks about the gameplay of the game. I actually kind of liked the original Crystal Chronicles multiplayer gameplay a bit better than the first DS one due to the complications of the controls on the portable unit. (especially having to draw lines for the magic user, on the screen, during battle)

Perhaps this one is a little better and more streamlined. Keeping the controls on the simple-side goes a long way to keeping the gameplay comfortable.

[Vanzazikon]

This game sounds fun. I tried Ring of Fates and I didn't like it at all. :disapprove: Hopefully this will be better.

[Gunslinger-08]

I'm about a half hour in with Buckler, my Lilty, and I love it. The graphics are nothing to be amazed over, but the cut scenes look very well done and the voice acting, while not amazing, is fairly good. I'm loving the music, too. Some of the tunes are a little repetitive, but I've not once yet turned my volume down at all. The story itself isn't bad thus far, but it's nothing revolutionary.

After going through the booklet, the Wi-Fi service can let you randomly link up with others to play. You can connect with registered friends too. When you group up, the host is the one whose story you follow.

I've not had to work with any AI allies yet, but there's a control system that you can use to dictate combat behavior, which is a plus over Ring of Fates. You can recruit NPCs to join your party, though I'm not sure if or how they'll impact the story. Tribal Abilities are gone, and the touch screen has been relegated to just element selection for magic and shifting between party members in single-player offline mode. Oh, now you can swim and dive! :)

That's about it for now, so I think I'll get back to the game.

[Boxblaster]

The problem with CC:RoF for me wasn't lack of online multiplayer or anything, since I can play locally, and more effectively to boot. But for me was when both me and a friend went to attack an enemy, like a boss for example. Instead of hitting the boss, like we should, the game constantly made us hit each other for 1 damage. That element killed it for me, as it disrupted our cooperative play. We could no longer attack together on enemies, making it very hard to play. I loved the original for gamecube, as I spent almost an entire summer playing it with my friends years ago. But RoF did not have the same feel, as well as ruined co-op.

[Gunslinger-08]

The problem with CC:RoF for me wasn't lack of online multiplayer or anything, since I can play locally, and more effectively to boot. But for me was when both me and a friend went to attack an enemy, like a boss for example. Instead of hitting the boss, like we should, the game constantly made us hit each other for 1 damage. That element killed it for me, as it disrupted our cooperative play. We could no longer attack together on enemies, making it very hard to play. I loved the original for gamecube, as I spent almost an entire summer playing it with my friends years ago. But RoF did not have the same feel, as well as ruined co-op.

I don't recall that the 1 point of damage you did to your ally inhibited their ability to attack. I would stun my brother on occasion, but it was just as likely to happen to him as it was to the enemy.

[Randomness]

The problem with CC:RoF for me wasn't lack of online multiplayer or anything, since I can play locally, and more effectively to boot. But for me was when both me and a friend went to attack an enemy, like a boss for example. Instead of hitting the boss, like we should, the game constantly made us hit each other for 1 damage. That element killed it for me, as it disrupted our cooperative play. We could no longer attack together on enemies, making it very hard to play. I loved the original for gamecube, as I spent almost an entire summer playing it with my friends years ago. But RoF did not have the same feel, as well as ruined co-op.

Well, me and my brother got it today, and while there was some trouble early on with hitting each other... Not so much anymore, we end up attacking from different sides of the boss.

Now, our issue is that we're always picking each other up while scrambling for loot!

[Gunslinger-08]

XD At least you're not fighting over the loot, right?

[Kent]

Well, me and my brother got it today, and while there was some trouble early on with hitting each other... Not so much anymore, we end up attacking from different sides of the boss.

Now, our issue is that we're always picking each other up while scrambling for loot!
When you pick someone else up while trying to get loot, can't you just... Throw him away from it? :wacko:

...But seriously, friendly fire in a co-op game? :/

[Gunslinger-08]

Well, I have some NPCs in my party now, and try as I might, I can't even hurt them for 1 damage.

[jShazBot]

Can't wait to pirate this. ^^
Loved the gamecube one. Didn't even bother with Ring of fates because of no wifi multiplayer.
Is this game out yet?

[Randomness]

When you pick someone else up while trying to get loot, can't you just... Throw him away from it? :wacko:

...But seriously, friendly fire in a co-op game? :/

Theres... a little use for it. Mostly its to annoy I think, but you can attack while being carried... so airborne foes beware.


Well, I have some NPCs in my party now, and try as I might, I can't even hurt them for 1 damage.

Well, yeah... I notice that too. I never hit them. At all.

Also, the party I ended up building:
Selkie (Bow)
Lilty (Spear)
Clavat (Sword)
Selkie (Bow)

[Niered]

Im getting this today, anybody up for sharing FC's? Ill post mine as soon as i got it.

[Gunslinger-08]

Well, I just hit a major plot twist, and am now 100% hooked. I'll basically break the game down for you guys.

-The story was just alright until I hit a major plot twist, and now I'm loving it. The cutscenes look pretty good on the DS, and the voice acting is decently done.

-Good music, but can be a little repetitive in some cases

-Controls are better than in Ring of Fates, but the R button + D pad functions are real sensitive, and I've ended up switching characters in my party instead of selecting a different spell. That's about it though. Everything else feels really comfortable to me

-The camera's not bad. Most of the time, it just stays up and gives you an isometric view of the area, and may peer down when you drop into a ravine. I've had a couple times where I've fallen off elevated platforms because I can't see

-Any race can use any weapon. i.e. my Lilty can equip a bow if I'm by myself and need to shoot a switch. However, they don't get the bonuses and extra abilites that they get when using their traditional weapons. This makes things interesting for me.

-Initially, you start by yourselves, but you can form a party of either specific special NPCs, or you can "recruit" lvl 1 rookies that you basically design yourself. I've not been able to recruit any of the special NPCs, who often have unique clothing and whatnot (i.e. a Clavat in a crimson red tuxedo), so I can't say much about them. Your NPC allies follow you around, but never talk, and have taken no part in the story at all, aside from being present in a few cutscenes. Whether this is simply stunned silence during certain bizzare moments or simply a lack of interest in anything but raiding dungeons, it disappoints me just a little bit.

-Scrolls don't drop NEARLY as often as they did in Ring of Fates, and you get to keep a scroll once you use it, letting you make as many items from that recipe as you like.

-Character customization involves changing your hair color, changing your clothes based on what armor or head gear you're wearing, as well as the weapon. A number of the earlier armors do become obsolete, but the equipment can level up to a certain limit, a limit that can be increased with other items, so if you have a favorite suit of armor, you can keep using it and not have to switch to something that looks bad.

-Wi-Fi play is a mixed bag. It can be horridly laggy, and seamless, mostly based on the host's connection as well as your own. I've only tried it once, but there's no filtering when your elect for random party assembly, so you can be a lvl 30 that ends up with a lvl 75 player. I found myself in that situation, and while I died a lot, simply providing spell support can make you useful, and I enjoyed it. I'll have to play a few more times online before I come to a final decision.

If I were 100% objective here, I'd give this game between a 7/10 and an 8/10. If you enjoyed Ring of Fates or the Gamecube Crystal Chronicles, I don't see at all why you won't enjoy Echoes of Time.

[Randomness]

Good summary. One mistake, though.

Red Mage dude is a Selkie. Not a Clavat.

Also something to add:

The sidequests, while they are nominally a thing to do with others, are still good solo. You might need luck or extra levels for some though, since when you aren't playing with others, only one char goes in. (Especially "Lotsa Bosses"-Four random bosses that you've already fought.)

I've especially liked the Fire Fighters series, which is just that-throwing barrels of water to douse fires. They get to be nice puzzles in the later ones.

Also, sidequests are good for items. The initial ones only give materials, but some of the later ones I've found give scrolls. (Such as ninja headgear/armor)

[Gunslinger-08]

Anyway, here's my FC, in case you're interested in partying up:
2493 0042 1979

[Randomness]

FC:
4597
5368
5809

I'll add you next time I turn it on.

EDIT:Added

[jShazBot]

Anybody wanna play later tomorrow?
Add my MSN [email protected]
:P

[Randomness]

Sorry, MSN!=FC.

Makes it rather hard to add you.

[jmanx]

Keyboard sucks in this game .... And really laggy in multiplayer that is all i have to say...

[Niered]

Keyboard sucks in this game .... And really laggy in multiplayer that is all i have to say...

Digital Keyboards are never fun, simply an ends to a means.

Laggy multiplayer though? Sounds like a problem with your internet connection. Mines been fine from the random matches Ive played.

[Gunslinger-08]

Yeah, they're not fun, but with the keyboard interface itself, you can still control your character completely, so you don't get caught helpless by a monster as you type something, unless you're not paying attention.


---
EDIT: I played online with randoms for about 2 hours. Worldwide connections seem to run better than continental ones, so I guess a different server manages each. Anyway, half of the games had less than half a second of lag or none at all, while others were so bad that I couldn't stand being there for more than a couple minutes. Lastly, I did run into a pair of guys who would keep the party in a room while one of them would try and jump on me and try to make me drop money or items by stomping on my head. I just turned off the power once I caught on. That being said, I've enjoyed the good experiences far more than I've been frustrated with the bad ones.

Shout if you want to try and party up. I've got a few hours to chill before I have to do homework and go to some supplemental lectures.

[Bomber The Cosmonaut]

Friend Code is:
2879-5530-3025
I literally JUST started playing. It seems a little different from the first one, but I'm liking it none the less. :D make sure you send a PM with your FC if you add me. :)

[Trey]

I WOULD LIKE TO PLAY WITH ANYONE! :D
THE GAME ROCKS!
i just need to get my FC and ill put it back on later!
HAPPY CARAVANNING!

[Gunslinger-08]

Had some good fun running with Bomber yesterday. :D
Lag wasn't bad on my end, and I got used to it pretty quickly.

[Feelmirath]

Wii version seems a ripoff to me so I'll prolly get the DS version when it's out in Britland.

[Bomber The Cosmonaut]

Had some good fun running with Bomber yesterday. :D
Lag wasn't bad on my end, and I got used to it pretty quickly.

This.
Usually connections issues are easier to resolve if you actually know who is and who isn't lagging.

Also, it seems that you can add Randoms to your friend Roster. O:
This is a first for me in any online DS game.

[Randomness]

Add random people you play with? Thats neat. And rather convenient for getting a certain character. (Requirement:Playing with 5 friends, then talk in multiplayer mode on Hard or higher)

Metroid Prime Hunters had a similar option, though I think that was for a seperate rivals list.

[Gunslinger-08]

Well, I'm at the Tower on my first playthrough, and wouldn't mind some intelligent help, since there's an early puzzle or two I can't figure out.

Is anyone up for some WiFi play over the next few days?

[Randomness]

Well, I'm up for it, depending on when you're available. Fair warning though... I'm at Gate on my second playthrough (Hard). My characters are just a wee bit overleveled.

[Niered]

Alright, I maxed my characters yesterday and beat the game on hard, trying to beat it on Very Hard.

As fun as the game is, their is one thing that definitely pisses me off. After doing some extensive research on the game, I found out that it is possible to max a character out by using the uber-rare Green Gems (They increase your characters growth in certain stats when equipped) Max for any stat is 999, including Strength, Intelligence, MP, HP, and ALL of the elemental Defenses and Attacks.

But theirs a catch of course. Since you cant continue leveling your characters after they reach level 99, and you wont have access to those gems until the endgame anyways, youre forced to start an entirely new set of characters (of course, you can just give them the armor and weapons you have and start with that at leasst) but it basically means that your initial characters are a "throw away group".

My problem with it is that it almost feels like im throwing away my biggest accomplishment in the game. I geuss I just dont understand why they couldnt have made the level cap higher? Same eventual outcome at least.

Otherwise, fun game, once you get past the AI, the sometimes laggy multiplayer, and the aforementioned forced character reset. It'll tie me over for PSZ at least.

[Bomber The Cosmonaut]

Also, it seems that you can add Randoms to your friend Roster. O:
This is a first for me in any online DS game.


So, to this post. >>
I added a Random to my friends roster,
That person got a yellow flag, and I can only send stock messages.
So it only seems people on your friend roster with a BLUE Flag, are the only ones you can actually talk to. Which is.. Kinda lame. Sorry for the mix up. =x

[Randomness]

Fortunately, however, those randoms with yellow flags count as far as getting the female selkie mercenary.

[Kent]

I just picked this up yesterday, and a friend and I played it a bit online...

After getting used to the pre-set messages, they work decently well. But then again, we had Ventrilo going at the same time. Being that he was the host, I had to deal with the lag - and this game implements the WORST POSSIBLE method for dealing with network latency: input delay. It's the same problem that Brawl has, which makes the online nigh-unplayable, but it's less of a problem here, being that it's not based on twitch reactions.

...But it's still a problem.

I haven't tried playing with anyone else yet; I'll probably try some random games relatively soon, though, to see if it was just our/his connection or the paralell Ventrilo or the wind blowing in the wrong direction that was making for epic lag.

Oh, and how awesome is the Blue Mage robe/mask? So awesome.

On, and here's my Friend Code, should anyone want to play online, I've already added all of them that are in this thread:

3094
3163
3943

[Bomber The Cosmonaut]

Added Kent,
I just did my first run through on the Tower..
Friggin.. Awesome, the boss was pretty fun..
But the final boss from the first game was way better.
Still fun though. :) Hope to play with some of you guys soon.

[Kent]

I don't know if this was very prevalent in the previous ones, but I'm getting a kick out of counterspells.

It's funny when an enemy tries to cast, say, Fire on me... And I either cast Raise on their spell and turn it into Quake, or cast Clear and turn it into Barrier.

I can only imagine the hilarity that would ensue if people were coordinated enough to counterspell with something like, say, Ultima.

[Randomness]

*imagines an Ultima counterspell*

Nah, wouldn't work. How would the ENTIRE PARTY coordinate to cast the precise 4 different spells to trigger it? Also, they could be casting slow, or bio, or something else that makes life hard. (And you wouldn't be able to ultima off, say, thundara)

FYI, Ultima=Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Cure, Clear. (Add in Raise for epic win)

I wouldn't bother, myself, as only my Yuke (Uruha-secret char, fem Yuke) does significant magic damage. Anyone else, I'm just going for the freeze.

Sadly, if I played with you guys right now, it would probably be rather ridiculous. (I beat Hard the other day, and I'm overleveled... as in 99)

[Kent]

Random games can sometimes be fun - until they're all like "Let's do a quest!" and then pick an arena. :/

Not really a fan of that stuff in a team-based game - but despite having epic lag, I managed to racket him to death. :wacko:

[Randomness]

The best vs game is whacking each other off the edge. That one I can play for a bit. Gladiators though, is too level-oriented.