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Dragon Quest IX Battle System Revealed

Posted by Zonk on from the mmm-turns dept.

1up is reporting on the combat system for the upcoming Dragon Quest IX . Rumoured to be a departure from the classic turn-based style, the DS title is now confirmed to be much more like previous iterations of the game than initially thought. "Enemies will be visible on the field, and players will enter into battle once in contact with them. Like Dragon Quest VIII, the battle will be presented in 3D with players selecting commands for attacking enemies, casting spells and others. In the case of multiplayer, each of the players will select commands for their characters shown at the bottom part of the screen. Dragon Quest IX will also be the first time players can customize their appearance including physical features such as your height, weight, face, hair as well as your costume. It is not yet known whether the costumes will be dependent on the class you have selected."

39 comments

  1. Revolutionary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Like Dragon Quest VIII, the battle will be presented in 3D with players selecting commands for attacking enemies, casting spells and others. What a revolutionary combat system.

    In other news, leaked gameplay footage from the new Quake reveal that the all of the action will take place from the perspective of the main character. The player will also have a wide selection of weapons made available to them for killing their enemies. This sort of "shooting" in the "first person" perspective will truly revolutionize the gaming industry.
    1. Re:Revolutionary by jythie · · Score: 1

      Considering how they are pulling other RPGs in the 'lets make it more like WoW!' direction, while not revolutionary, it IS bucking the group think that seems to be slowly killing turn-based combat.

    2. Re:Revolutionary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      -sarcastic-
      No, it really is revoluntionary! You can actually see players on the field! Wow!
      -end sarcastic-

    3. Re:Revolutionary by blackicye · · Score: 1

      I'm fairly certain that making offline RPGs or games in general more like WoW is not a good thing.

    4. Re:Revolutionary by jythie · · Score: 1

      Yet that is exactly what is happening.
      It is also the reason I have not been interested in playing any of the new FF titles.

  2. RTFA by MeanderingMind · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's so much more to this than the summary. I was simply amazed by the wealth of information. There is no way on earth anyone could have possibly done the article justice in any summation, and I'm amazed as good a quote was to be found as was used. We learn so much, and yet are left hungering for more. /sarcasm

    --
    Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
    1. Re:RTFA by gr3kgr33n · · Score: 0, Redundant

      You forgot to add your tags

      --
      My backup chemistry thesis stored on Data Storing Bacteria mutated; granting me a degree in forensic anthropology. v4sw7
  3. I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 2, Funny

    Dragon Quest IX will also be the first time players can customize their appearance including physical features such as your height, weight, face, hair as well as your costume. It is not yet known whether the costumes will be dependent on the class you have selected.


    I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007. This has been a standard element of RPG video games since the 1980's. Is "DragonQuest" 20 years behind the curve in other ways too?
    1. Re:I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by DrEldarion · · Score: 1

      That's kind of the whole point of DQ - it's completely old-school.

    2. Re:I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This has been a standard element of RPG video games since the 1980's.

      You don't play many Japanese RPGs, do you?

    3. Re:I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007. This has been a standard element of RPG video games since the 1980's. Is "DragonQuest" 20 years behind the curve in other ways too? You obviously are not familiar with the Dragon Quest series. And I prefer "old school" to "20 years behind the curve", thankyouverymuch.
      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    4. Re:I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by Jerf · · Score: 1
      It's another example of the damage 3D has wrought upon the face of gaming. 3D customization is much harder than 2D customization.

      Is "DragonQuest" 20 years behind the curve in other ways too?
      RPG combat mechanics in general have been pretty stagnant in the past 10 years. The best combat system I've ever seen is still Grandia 2 on the Dreamcast, which may not have been all that different than Grandia 1, which I never played. (I did play 3, where the combat is the only redeeming quality, and it's the same as 2 + a couple tweaks.) And that was years ago; IMNSHO, we've actually been moving backwards with the recent focus on real-time BS where we outsource the majority of the combat to computer AIs. (Woo, fun.)
    5. Re:I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Grandia 1, which I never played.

      Grandia 1 had the same battle system.

      The Grandia battle system was probably one of the best I have ever played. Without becoming overly complex (see hoshigami for a battle system that does all of the following and takes 10 minutes to complete one turn of combat), it took into account things like attack time, recovery time, delays caused by getting hit while preparing to attack, canceling special attacks, and movement on the battlefield (great for getting just out of reach of the enemy who is just about to attack). Essentially, it added strategy beyond "Fight", "Item" and "Piss Pants". I've even managed to complete some of the easier boss's battles without even allowing the boss to take a turn in one of the games (Xtreme, I think).

      Various elements have shown up in other games, for instance Atelier Iris's battle system encompasses all that minus the ability to move around. You can use similar strategies on the battlefield for movement in .hack (FF12 is disqualified because you cannot move away from a monster that is attacking. If it's immobilized and 100 feet away, it can continue to chain attacks against you, and if it isn't immobilized, it will begin chasing you far faster than its normal movement rate in order to keep up)

    6. Re:I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by miro+f · · Score: 1

      I thought I was the only one who thought this was the best battle system

      in fact, after playing grandia II (which, apart from the really corny dialogue and voice acting, was a fantastic and underrated game) I tried playing other JRPG's and was astounded at how boring and simple their battle systems were.

      I don't get why more JRPG's don't use it as it's a fantastic system. Also, whatever happened to grandia III?

      --
      being vague is almost as cool as doing that other thing...
    7. Re:I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by Jerf · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Grandia 3 was released on the Playstation 2. (It may have been released elsewhere, I just know that that statement is true.)

      The combat system worked as in Grandia 2, but was otherwise just... unfinished. The world map is simplistic, the story has some big jumps in it like content was cut out and smoothed out afterwards, characters feel unmotivated, and in general, the only thing going for it was the combat. The story in 2 was interesting, 3 felt abortive; not thought out, things happen for little reason unless you fill in a lot of blanks on your own. (Which isn't all bad, but that shouldn't be required.)

      Also, the main villain's motive for destroying the world is pretty pathetic. (This is not an uncommon problem, though.)

      And where in Grandia 2 if you're not careful you can break the combat system (I find that about halfway through, if you stack all the fire bonuses on one person, you can take out the entire combat field with one area-effect fire spell, which is cheap enough that you can use it all day), in Grandia 3 you had to do such things to survive. Initially, I thought that was because they realized they had a problem, but in hindsight, I think it's because entire sections where you were "supposed" to level up were cut. The end result was, at least for me, actually a smoother difficulty progression than in Grandia 2, but I think that was accidental and a newbie probably wouldn't have experienced it that way.

      If somebody were to have a choice of starting with 2 or 3, I'd say 2 in a heartbeat. Preferably on the Dreamcast, but I'd take even the slightly choppy PS2 version over Grandia 3. Very sad.

    8. Re:I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by miro+f · · Score: 1

      yeah one problem I had with Grandia 2 was it was too easy. Even without using cheap hacks like the fire thing, it really was simple except for a couple of bosses (don't get me started on the final boss, what a rip-off)

      One thing I found I could do was put all my defensive bonuses on one person and then give them the skill that makes every enemy attack them. They take no damage while everyone else runs around and kills all the bad guys, using no SP or MP and losing no health. This doesn't really work against bosses though.

      --
      being vague is almost as cool as doing that other thing...
    9. Re:I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by Qzukk · · Score: 1

      After Grandia II, there was Grandia Xtreme for the PS2 (which was a plotless dungeon crawler with only slightly more story than Nethack, the comments here sum it up very nicely), and then towards the end of 2006 Grandia III was released here. I haven't tried Grandia III yet, maybe when I can pick it up cheap used, I'll get it just for the battle system.

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    10. Re:I can't believe this is a "feature" in 2007 by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Actually 2d customization is harder since you have to draw the relevant parts for each frame in the character's animation, in 3d you just attach a few parts to the skeleton and it follows the animations by itself.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  4. Sounds Lame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There seems to have been no point in putting this series on the DS other than to cash in on the popularity of the series.

    1. Re:Sounds Lame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Um, why do you think anybody puts any games out for the DS, if not to cash in?

    2. Re:Sounds Lame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, the move to DS is huge. DQ, being the huge franchise in Japan, always goes with whatever system is dominant -- hence they targeted the NES, then Super NES, then Playstation. The decision to choose DS is a recognition of the system's huge popularity and install base, and arguably a lack of confidence in the PS3 (but then you'd have to say it's also lack of confidence in the Wii and 360).

      I personally think it's because the target audience is everyone from kids to people who played the original on the Famicom, and they want to keep the older demographics, so they're releasing it on a system that either everyone already has or can buy fairly cheaply.

    3. Re:Sounds Lame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, pretty much. That and they know they can get away with making the visuals look like shit on a stick next to the beauty of DQ8 and get away with it since DS is only as powerful as a PS1 with a z-buffer.

  5. No kidding! by Greyfox · · Score: 1

    Yeah! Back in the the day you got your little guys, picked which one you wanted for your character and painted them yourself! I have yet to see a computer RPG that offers that level of customization! It might be a fair trade off for not having your party members get their panties in a bunch and storm home with their dwarf...

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  6. Dragon Quest II by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 1

    A little off topic... one of my favorite games of all time was Dragon Quest 1 (Dragon Warrior). I never had a chance to play Dragon Warrior 2 until the life of the NES was long gone. I picked it up at a flea market for $3. Not being one that likes to "cheat" by looking at online hints and cheats, I found this game to be too "open". Once I got the ship to sail around in the water, there seemed to be no direction at all, that I tend to be used to in most of these kind of games.

    My question is, am I just stupid, or was there really a story problem? Are the other sequals like it?

    --

    "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
    1. Re:Dragon Quest II by Pengunea · · Score: 1

      You're not stupid, the direction for where to go in Dragon Warrior II pretty much drops off once you get seabound. This is actually common in Dragon Quest titles, even for the recent Dragon Quest VIII. In fact, the game often has benefits for exploring everywhere before proceeding to the next story objectives.

      For example, once you get to the outer ring ocean in Dragon Quest VI you can get to the Slime Arena for monster battling. In Dragon Quest VIII you can get plenty of tiny medals, elixirs, and sweet free equipment if you do some island-hopping before proceeding to the next reachable town across the sea. The sea-venturing periods are often pretty dangerous as you tend to go through areas that have high-level monsters but the benifits and levels gained are fantastic.

      The biggest challenge is trying not to die, being so far away from civilization, inns, and save points.

      --
      Starkle, starkle, little twink.
    2. Re:Dragon Quest II by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Yeah, I didn't get that far in DQ2. I didn't really know where to go after getting the boat either.

      It's also one of the truly old-school games. There's one area in particular called Rhone that is legendary among DQ2 players. (I'm writing this based on memories of watching my brother get through it, so take it with a grain of salt.) Now, to get to the Rhone Valley you have to go through a truly evil dungeon -- not only are the monsters considerably more powerful than your characters, but the dungeon itself is filled with invisible pits that you can fall through. The only way to get through is to map out the dungeon floors on a sheet of graph paper. If you're lucky, you'll get out of the dungeon after several tries with maybe only one or two characters dead (remember, this is DQ, so reviving people is the duty of the church), but you're in a forested valley with no idea where to go, and the monsters there are even tougher than in the dungeon. If you're truly lucky, you'll manage to find a shrine where your characters can be revived, restored, and saved. Healing is free there, which is kind, considering that the next several hours of game play will involve wandering no more than two tiles away from the shrine on the overworld map and attempting to defeat monsters for experience.

      Anyway! I've played much of DQ3 for it's Gameboy rerelease, and didn't have much trouble with wondering where I should go. Again, once you get the boat there's suddenly a lot of world to explore, but by that time you've already traversed much of the overworld, so it's a matter of finding your way to places you couldn't get to before, and the clues are much simpler. Then again, this is the Gameboy version, so it might've been simplified, and I'm fairly certain that monsters were weakened.

      That said, DQ4 rocks. Rocks rocks rocks. I played through almost the entire game via emulator, and only stopped at the final dungeon (mainly because I didn't want to do the necessary grinding to power up). I can't say whether or not I got lost in the game, for it's been quite a while, but I absolutely enjoyed all the chapters, liked the characters, loved the cart (if the cart is behind you and your party is wiped out, the characters in the cart enter the fray), and enjoyed the story, which it actually had. It's still old school, but it's terribly accessible and honestly fun to play, despite the graphics and old gameplay.

    3. Re:Dragon Quest II by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would argue that exploration is one of DQ8's selling points. From the very beginning you're rewarded for thoroughly exploring the world by the hidden treasures and special monsters hidden everywhere. There are even several points when the game opens up vast new areas for exploration, such as once you get the boat (of course), but also after Maella Abbey the entire southern continent (which is huge) can be traversed, and late in the game you have to explore the lost continent of Empychuu and the scattered territories accessible only by air.

      I'm just glad the game has Sabrecats to ride; just when I reached that point I was getting absolutely sick of exploring by foot.

    4. Re:Dragon Quest II by king-manic · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Old school console RPG: You visit every possible city talk to eveyr possible character and someone will give you vague instructions to your next quest. You will also have to level for 5h to be strong enought o survive the 6h dungeon crawl.

      RPGS have come a long way

      --
      "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
  7. Copy cat! by killermookie · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Hey! I think 1up just copied Slashdot's summary!

  8. Played WoW much? by Fross · · Score: 1

    yeah, now you pay $10 a month to do the exact same thing you described. at least in DQ you didn't get pestered by gold sellers and noobs begging for a "boost".

    1. Re:Played WoW much? by king-manic · · Score: 1

      It's about $93 CND every 6 mo. But it's not like I play it or anything... I actualyl stopped. For the very reason that the grind time and the lack of freedom to stop (GF comes over and wants to umm GO but i'm doing an instance.... that was not cool).

      --
      "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
  9. How can you complain? It's Dragon Quest! by solar_blitz · · Score: 1

    Despite the series' reluctance to conform to new design techniques in RPGs and relying on set standards such as turn-based battles, churches to save your game and resurrect your characters, and linear gameplay, I can safely say that the series is awesome. There isn't a game more polished or well-tuned than Dragon Quest games. Usually new, innovative gameplay comes in with secondary sidequests such as monster training and the alchemy pot from DQVIII. The music of the most recent incarnations of the series has been performed by a full orchestra, which is certainly a step up from most other series.

    The other thing which makes the game so endearing is the sheer scope of the environment. Sure it is a very linear game, whose events are driven moreso by a fixed plot rather than players' actions, but the surroundings are so vast and expansive you'll spend half your time exploring and looking for hidden nooks and crannies that most likely hide some kind of treasure or paths to isolated villages or the local hermit.

    As for Dragon Quest IX, I'm a little disappointed that there won't be any real-time battles (because it is a long time coming), but I'm glad that they have a lot of customization features for the characters. I also hope that the multiplayer gameplay doesn't overshadow the 1P story, either. And... its coming in Japan by the end of the year? Wow, that's quick!

  10. Screw "Revolutionary" by Valdrax · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Some of us are quite frankly tired of the old-school, turn-based combat systems disappearing in console RPGs to make way for real-time or "action" combat systems.
    Hearing that the next DQ game will stick with a more traditional approach is a relief for some of us. The summary is a bit clumsy, but it gets the point across.

    --
    If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  11. About changing costume... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dragon Quest IX will also be the first time players can customize their appearance including physical features such as your height, weight, face, hair as well as your costume.
    *puts on robe and wizard hat and looks forward to the first time*
  12. Wow. Another Western RPG-only gamer.... by Valdrax · · Score: 1

    There's a big difference between the style of console/Japanese RPGs and PC/Western RPGs. To confuse the elements of the two and criticize the one style for not having all the elements of the other style is equivalent to lumping turn-based and real-time strategy games into the same category and doing the same.

    Japanese/console RPGs focus on a set story usually. Because of this, the main characters are usually well-defined and not flat player stand-ins that need to be customized. DQ is a bit unusual in that the protagonist is often unnamed and often doesn't get lines (all conversation is inferred from how others react to you). As such, it's not surprising that they're going to add the ability to customize the appearance of at least the main character (if not more), but it's not a very common thing in the genre DQ belongs to.

    Also, I'd like to mention that DQ has long been a deliberately retro experience. The last game they've made for each console has generally been released at the end of the life of a console or even in the heyday of the console's next generation. (DQ 7 was probably the most egregious example of this.) The combat system has studiously resisted change, and the games have always used the same art team and music team to keep a consistent feel.

    Complaining about DQ being "20 years behind the curve" just shows that you don't play the games and have absolutely no understanding or appreciation of them.

    --
    If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  13. I say the opposite is true. by Valdrax · · Score: 1

    Would there be any point to putting DQ on a next-gen console system? I mean, given the retro look of the DQ series, why bother picking between the three console systems when you could do it on a DS? Futhermore, the DS is the single most popular platform in Japan right now, so why not sell the single most popular RPG series on it?

    (And what exactly is wrong with "cashing in on the popularity of the series" when you're the CREATOR of the series? Isn't "cashing in" the whole point of making it in the first place for a BUSINESS?)

    --
    If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  14. So... by jfodale · · Score: 1

    "Enemies will be visible on the field, and players will enter into battle once in contact with them. Like Dragon Quest VIII, the battle will be presented in 3D with players selecting commands for attacking enemies, casting spells and others. In the case of multiplayer, each of the players will select commands for their characters shown at the bottom part of the screen. Dragon Quest IX will also be the first time players can customize their appearance including physical features such as your height, weight, face, hair as well as your costume."

    So... its an MMO?

    --
    Waiting for Warhammer Online.
  15. Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Enemies will be visible on the field

    Well that only took 21 years. I enjoyed the early DW games, but the random encounters with enemies you couldn't see was really annoying.