First of all the date scene IS part of the main story.. you can't continue in the game without doing it...Warachia said:It seems weird that in a series based around a linear story with linear dungeons you would claim it is not linear.Dakeyras-Way said:I would like to point out that the date scene was just an example i don't particularly care one way or another whether the characters remember it or not the fact remains you did influence the events and that's not the only place it happens... Plus quite a few of the towns that you do go back to DO have events that occur outside of the actual story..
But most importantly just because you found that returning was boring and insipid that doesnt actually make it linear... the fact you can choose to return and do something new or whatever you wanted (by your own admission with the megalixer thing) makes it non linear... The STORY is linear but the actual game isnt..
Oh and saying there is no point in getting a different part of the story after claiming there were no other parts kinda proves my point
I never claimed that the date scene was part of the story, it was an add on, as many were, As I've said before stopping to do add on SIDEQUESTS. As part of the earlier points, everything people talk about before are sidequests, little missions you do assideto the main story that are given by in game person A to accomplish objective A and get reward A.
If the sidequests don't need to be finished in order to progress in the game and are for rewards that you don't absolutely need, then the game is still linear with no alternate progression, and no amount of optional quests can change that, as FF 12 proved, it only puts a hold on the main storyline While you run around doing things that don't matter, not that there is anything wrong with that, I'm only explaining that not having these doesn't downgrade the game as much as people claim and that the FF series has hardly had squat to do with them, except as an afterthought (except possibly FF 10 and FF 12 if you're willing to count it).
I also never claimed that a city being boring and insipid makes it linear, I only said it destroyed my enjoyment of a good place, but that's just me.
Second of all when i say that not all are linear i agree that they are partially linear but NOWHERE near as linear as this... And yeah putting the 'linear story' on pause to do something else for a few hours may not in actual fact change the story (and lets face it ALL stories are linear) but the choice to do something other than the story is there, and in many FF games the Side quests are long and just as much fun as the main quest. By forcing the player to follow a single path through the ENTIRE game counts as linear whereas when you have the opportunity to say "hey i don't really feel like going there right now i'd rather go wander in that forest or in the cave" it not only gives you other paths (making it LESS linear) but also makes the game feel less like it is simply a single path straight from start to boss...
Oh and not having side-quests or optional quests DOES downgrade the game.. You personally might not like exploring the world or doing side quests finding them 'boring and insipid' but a lot of people (myself included obviously) quite enjoy finding out all the secret cool stuff that the developers put in for you to find if you work hard enough.. I mean i spent hours fighting in the Golden Saucer to get Cloud's Limit Break "Omnislash" which was definitely a side quest worth the work as was racing the chocobo's and breeding them to get a Golden one with which you could (guess what) EXPLORE the WORLD. Most of my fondest memories of the game were of completing these sidequests. (along with killing Ruby and Emerald Weapons')
And yes you didnt say that the towns being boring and insipid made them linear you said that you never wanted to go back to them because it would degrade the experience without events... MY point was that the towns (for some) were still fun to explore and had heaps of secrets to find.. For example in VII there were a lot of secret events in Nibelheim (i think that's how its spelt) such as in the basement of the Shinra mansion there were about 3 from memory..