T w e n t y S i d e d

Day Two of Final Fantasy 1 Pixel Remaster. I spent a bit of time seeing if there was even a point in loading Roland MT-32 compatibility. However the Pixel Remasters are CD mixes, or at least CD-capable; so while any for any given piece of music there can be an honest argument about the best implementation, the PR versions are broadly the best version of every soundtrack for the first six games. I did, not too long ago, get MUNT working on my system for Sierra games. As those are some of the oldest, later games that used Roland emulation should work just fine. The secret is in the game’s startup, not the system. Once MUNT is installed correctly, I just have to have MUNT loaded. It’s the game itself that has to point to the right libraries for sound. But looping around to the beginning, there really isn’t a point to even trying, and so we move on with the next segment of our journey.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Final Fantasy 1 (part 002)”

Paige Francis He/him

Pre-existing condition: my mouse is going out, apparently.

Let’s get one thing straight from the beginning: Final Fantasy is *not* the first console RPG, or JRPG…but it *was* inspired by the early ones. It *was* the first to use the format of enemies lined up vertically on the left side of the screen and home team lined up vertically on the right, for what it’s worth. This format is broadly associated with the concept of early console RPG’s, despite Final Fantasy being one of the few that used this idea. Dragon Quest, debuting a year earlier, used a first-person fight screen then switched to a second-person hybrid screen with Dragon Quest 7. This view would also dominate HD and 3D remakes so thoroughly and effectively that people associate that particular view with the series as a whole, now. The Phantasy Star series, another early hit for Sega-based systems; used a second-person view set right behind the protagonists. You would see their back and hair which set an early standard for that series’ focus on the avatars’ designs. Most earlier RPG’s used some variety of first-person point-of-view. So at least in one regard Final Fantasy did do something different.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Final Fantasy 1 (part 001)”

Paige Francis He/him

I’ve been listening to a lot of Tolkien universe (I know the common term is “legendarium”) over the Christmas holiday. This has prompted me to re-install Lord of the Rings Online in a final attempt to “enjoy” the storyline into the post-Rings gameplay Standing Stone has been putting out for years now. I had to give a bit of thought to how to do this, actually. I think I have made it to a point that would have facilitated “moving on” to a new story, except I always seems to get stuck or confused. One thing is easy to straighten out: skip side quests until you have to level. The “Epic Quests” are the storyline of the game, and I *do* remember hitting a dead-end at one point by not being able to beat one chapter. Doing side-quests is *highly* repetitive, with only a handful of starting quests available. Let me rephrase that: there are *a lot* of side quests, but you preform them in all of the same areas. There are only a few starting areas, then after that they all concentrate into the same quest lines. You really need to just focus on getting one character through the storylines.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “A Last Try at LotRO”

Paige Francis He/him