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LTTP: FFIX...so...I really wanna like this. But did they **** up this port for PS4 or something?

Velocity:Design:Comfort

Velocity:Design:Comfort

Banned
Nov 23, 2017
4,302
Shit bait title, I know, but it's how I feel.


First off I love FF and Square's output in general, and even am enjoying a run of FF5 currently. I never had a PS1 as a kid so all the PS1 era games are new to me and I enjoyed FF7 quite a bit actually on PS4. FF8 is not on PSN (or anywhere really is it?) so I had to skip to FF9. I was really looking forward to this one as people said it returned to the roots, and I am a big fan of FF1/2 on GBA and the 3rd game's DS versions.

But...why is this at , what, sub 20 FPS in some parts? I get they wanted to include 4 party members again but this is hard to handle and I even can still regularly go back to many N64 games, so I don't think it's just me. I know a lot of other PS1 games can run at 30 fps and are stable. Why is it so slowly paced just in general scenario wise? It took like 2 hours before I got to what I'd consider normal FF gameplay. Battles take a long ass time to load and I don't understand why this happens on a PS4.

Also, can't really say I like the characters outside of Vivi yet but maybe later things will change.

Is it the game or the port? FF7 didn't feel like this.
 
Oublieux

Oublieux

Member
Oct 27, 2017
245
It's the game, FFIX routinely ran sub-30 in battles. The PC port is the same way and there are mods to alleviate this. I love the game, but the pace of battles and encounters is easily its weakest aspect.
 
OP
OP
Velocity:Design:Comfort

Velocity:Design:Comfort

Banned
Nov 23, 2017
4,302
This might be the only FF game I don't play then, which is sad.

It's funny because there IS a speed up, but it goes so ridiculously fast it just makes things worse...I loved the Zodiac Age's 2x speed up lol it was perfect.
 
Linkura

Linkura

Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,943
Um, it's FF9. Its framerate has always been abysmal.

Use the fast forward mode except for when you need precision. It's great. The game isn't particularly hard either so you don't need to be perfect.
 
Teiresias

Teiresias

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,201
FFVII was 15fps in battles too. I really don't see how it's much of a problem considering it's not an action game.
 
Aleh

Aleh

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,269
I didn't even know it had an fps problem, never noticed it myself.
But man, don't let it keep you from playing the game, it's a true masterpiece :(
 
StoryofSouls

StoryofSouls

Member
Oct 27, 2017
598
east coast, usa
still the best ff despite its technical flaws.

story and characters. dungeons and world design. music and graphics. satisfying leveling and progression. all perfect.

edit: i'd argue ff8 is even slower due to the slow animations of attacks and the need to boost summons.
 
chanman

chanman

Member
Nov 9, 2017
1,600
Does anyone know if they ever fixed the music issue, can't remember exactly what it was but I recall reading about it around the port release.
 
CaviarMeths

CaviarMeths

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,655
Western Canada
I definitely felt the slow pace of the battles when I played it on PS1 back in the day. Can't say it was really an issue when I revisited it on PS4 though. I loved my recent playthrough.

At any rate, it's a turn-based RPG. 20fps battles ain't gonna ruin your game.
 
Aleh

Aleh

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,269
The speed of the ATB also gets better as your characters become stronger, and at some point you can have Auto-Haste which makes it super quick
 
OP
OP
Velocity:Design:Comfort

Velocity:Design:Comfort

Banned
Nov 23, 2017
4,302
I don't really understand the posts saying the frame rate doesn't matter because it's turn based. There is obviously a difference in game feel and smoothness just like any other game.
 
Psamtik

Psamtik

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,834
There should be options to disable the interminable battle introductions and most of the camera changes; I'm not completely certain that they're in the PS4 version, but they're a godsend on PC.
 
MetatronM

MetatronM

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,851
IX was always the slowest paced, battle-wise, out of the PS1 FFs. Everything else being so strong are why its beloved despite its rather obvious technical faults in combat.
 
StoryofSouls

StoryofSouls

Member
Oct 27, 2017
598
east coast, usa
ZeroX said:
As much as I love watching them, there's basically no need to use summons. Don't level up and junction Attack.

Once you've got Diablo you just need to farm Enc-None and you don't even need to battle at all.
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you know i have read a lot about breaking the game and i will definitely play it that way next time.

when i played it a long time ago, i really thought summons were the way to go. every single fight consisted of summoning and boosting. took me a loooooong time to beat it haha
 
ZeroX

ZeroX

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,266
Speed Force
MelloSoulArcade said:
you know i have read a lot about breaking the game and i will definitely play it that way next time.

when i played it a long time ago, i really thought summons were the way to go. every single fight consisted of summoning and boosting. took me a loooooong time to beat it haha
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It's really fun when you realize how overpowered you can become just through playing cards. You avoid combat as much as you can, then get to the end game when you get level bonuses from GFs and finally grind up to become an absolute beast.
 

Syril

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,895
Teiresias said:
Yeah, but the pace of the ATB has nothing to do with the framerate of the battle graphics.
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FF7 also had very rudimentary battle animations that made the effects of the framerate less noticable. It's easier to notice 15fps with Zidane doing flourishes with his weapon or monsters flopping around as they die.
 
Mekanos

Mekanos

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Member
Oct 17, 2018
44,092
9 was my first Final Fantasy so I didn't even notice when I played it. That was just how it was for me.

I'm not sure how I'd feel if I went back to it, but there are so many reasons to love the game that I'm not sure it would matter.
 
StoryofSouls

StoryofSouls

Member
Oct 27, 2017
598
east coast, usa
ZeroX said:
It's really fun when you realize how overpowered you can become just through playing cards. You avoid combat as much as you can, then get to the end game when you get level bonuses from GFs and finally grind up to become an absolute beast.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

yeah dude, i think ff8 might become one of my favorites after my next play through. i love the story and aesthetics.

one of my favorite things about the ps1 era final fantasies is that they let you become completely god like if you wish.
 
Hieroph

Hieroph

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,995
FF9 pushed PS1 to the limit, but having 4 party members back was worth some slowness.
 
Mister X

Mister X

Banned
Dec 5, 2017
2,081
One of the best jrpg's ever made imo.

Made all the nintendo kids with N64's jealous as fck in the 90's.
 
Mars People

Mars People

Comics Council 2020
Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,177
You can mod it to improve the frame rate.
And to improve the awful low res backgrounds.

Basically this game NEEDS mods.
 
Cyclonesweep

Cyclonesweep

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
7,690
Velocity:Design:Comfort said:
I don't really understand the posts saying the frame rate doesn't matter because it's turn based. There is obviously a difference in game feel and smoothness just like any other game.
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Fair but it's a PS1 era game, lots were unsmooth or choppy.

Also a low frame rate doesn't effect the actual game play in any way here because you don't need precise timing or aiming.
 
HanSoloCup

HanSoloCup

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,638
Richmond, VA
Just stick with it. It really is a masterclass entry in the series. As someone else said, I think you can disable some of the battle camera stuff in the menus.
 
Dream Machine

Dream Machine

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,085
The sub 20 fps and 15 seconds for battles to load are why so many people consider it the best game in the series.
 
MP!

MP!

Member
Oct 30, 2017
5,198
Las Vegas
I hated the main character for the longest time... but then somewhere along the way ... all of a sudden... i realized ... hey wait... I think this guy is cool...
Also the knight is pretty cool too. the characters are decent ... but it is a slower paced game.
 
Zellia

Zellia

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,769
UK
When I played it on PC I used framerate mods. FF9 is great but the slowness is absolutely intolerable.
 

Syril

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,895
The actual problem with the ATB system in this compared to all the other ones is that the ATB never stops running even when animations are playing out, so when you make a command you're likely getting in line behind 3+ other combatants without realizing it. A lot of the time turning on wait mode and pausing the ATB in a submenu to let the queue play out is the only way to actually see what the state of the battle is at the time you make a decision.
 
Jecht

Jecht

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,650
The framerate and general sluggishness of the game has kept me from going back to it for years. It's the only mainline 3d FF game I've ever gotten very far in.
 
JohnPaulv2.0

JohnPaulv2.0

Member
Dec 3, 2017
571
I replayed this one a few months ago and it's still my favourite FF. The battle animations are painfully slow so you have to accept it or you'll only get frustrated. Just enjoy the camera swoops. The combat may be a drudge but the first half of this game is non-stop happenings -including, but not limited to, shit regularly getting real.

One piece of advice is not to bother stealing rare drops from bosses (outside of getting a mage masher). It sucks all the fun out of those encounters and you never really go long without finding those items anyway.
 
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