@Frontiersmann This is honestly the first I've heard of this gameplay element. Of all the times I've played this game with friends I don't think we ever bothered to look at the map, and I was pretty sure we all got the same information. The remaster has added a minimap, which I personally think is a bit of an improvement, although if it's overly detailed then that could detract from the sense of exploration. A shared minimap that is always visible does make repeat visits to some of the later levels less of a chore though, especially for 100% runs.
I've also heard the argument that each player's level goal, such as "don't heal yourself" or "defeat enemies with focus attacks" was something that players could keep secret from each other, so as to compete for points at the end of the level and therefore first pick of the dropped artifacts. Doing so, however, is very counterproductive, as the best artifact sets can drop only if the players have collectively accumulated enough points.
I think these minor elements could be sacrificed for the sake of an enjoyable local coop experience on a shared screen without taking much away from the game. In fact, I doubt most people would have noticed. As for the racing minigame, (which IIRC featured caravans drawn by those fantasy oxen with the funny names, not chocobos) I think that could easily be rendered in splitscreen but it's more likely the minigame would be dropped completely or replaced with something else, since it's certainly the most dated looking part of the game and was just an inconsequential piece of side content.
@Frontiersmann The only reason players originally needed their own screens was so that the game didn't need to be paused all the time while players sifted through personal menus to sort inventories, command lists, etc. At 480p with a 4:3 aspect ratio, there really wasn't any space on the the TV screen for these menus to be displayed without interfering with other players' view of the gameplay. Now at 1080p with a 16:9 aspect ratio, there is more than enough space to squeeze a menu overlay in each corner without significantly overlapping the original 4:3 view of the game. The menus are very simplistic as they were originally designed for clear viewing on a tiny, unlit GBA screen, and this is all the GBA was used for, no gameplay or navigation took place on them, only menus.
Comments 2
Re: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition Multiplayer Is Region-Locked
@Frontiersmann This is honestly the first I've heard of this gameplay element. Of all the times I've played this game with friends I don't think we ever bothered to look at the map, and I was pretty sure we all got the same information. The remaster has added a minimap, which I personally think is a bit of an improvement, although if it's overly detailed then that could detract from the sense of exploration. A shared minimap that is always visible does make repeat visits to some of the later levels less of a chore though, especially for 100% runs.
I've also heard the argument that each player's level goal, such as "don't heal yourself" or "defeat enemies with focus attacks" was something that players could keep secret from each other, so as to compete for points at the end of the level and therefore first pick of the dropped artifacts. Doing so, however, is very counterproductive, as the best artifact sets can drop only if the players have collectively accumulated enough points.
I think these minor elements could be sacrificed for the sake of an enjoyable local coop experience on a shared screen without taking much away from the game. In fact, I doubt most people would have noticed. As for the racing minigame, (which IIRC featured caravans drawn by those fantasy oxen with the funny names, not chocobos) I think that could easily be rendered in splitscreen but it's more likely the minigame would be dropped completely or replaced with something else, since it's certainly the most dated looking part of the game and was just an inconsequential piece of side content.
Re: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition Multiplayer Is Region-Locked
@Frontiersmann The only reason players originally needed their own screens was so that the game didn't need to be paused all the time while players sifted through personal menus to sort inventories, command lists, etc. At 480p with a 4:3 aspect ratio, there really wasn't any space on the the TV screen for these menus to be displayed without interfering with other players' view of the gameplay. Now at 1080p with a 16:9 aspect ratio, there is more than enough space to squeeze a menu overlay in each corner without significantly overlapping the original 4:3 view of the game. The menus are very simplistic as they were originally designed for clear viewing on a tiny, unlit GBA screen, and this is all the GBA was used for, no gameplay or navigation took place on them, only menus.