Obsidian to develop a western Chrono Trigger?

[Xor]

After you get the epoch you can start doing side-quests that change things in different time periods. It's nothing like what many on the 'dex view as C&C, but it's impressive for a mid-90's era JRPG.

 

[SCO]

Chrono trigger "thing" is not C&C but that the ending can be tackled as soon as you encounter the main bad (look like one of the suikudien games was like that - never played them myself) and that the ability to travel in time game some lateral puzzles. It also has a secret character, a gazillion endings, including one where the main character is dead (i think).

A superior JRPG in narrative structure at least.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I don't think the game has any C&C at all, aside from the effects of completing sidequests on period X making period Y turn out differently at some point, which may not even be considered as such depending on how broad your definition of C&C is.

As for personal nitpick, when that npc asks your opinion he's just asking, there's no reason for anything to come out of that other than different dialogue, anyways.

 

[Tails]

As for personal nitpick, when that npc asks your opinion he's just asking, there's no reason for anything to come out of that other than different dialogue, anyways.

Well if someone ask if player want to do something (like in CT it is), to which he can response "no" and in the end gets from NPC "aw, come on, you can make it" and have to do it, just really sucks. There is no excuse for such bad design.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Ah, that's a different case, which is indeed annoying. I was thinking of one moment where the npc asks "What you think about this situation?", but no one's planning anything, like in the campfire scene.

 

[Raghar]

like the case in court, where even if player was a good lad, ends up in prison anyway

But that was the point. The trial was fair, and unbiased. You know they acted according to laws, and proofs they had. There is no way the main character could be released. The only reasonable outcome of that trial was what happened

Spoiler

he was sentenced to death

, anything else would be absurd. You had only two choices. The first choice was do everything and at the end scream in Monty Python like fashion. "I'm innocent." (Several murders and what about it...) Avoid doing any crime, and then scream "I'm innocent.". Anything else would be weak. BTW when he escaped justice he had bloody hands anyway, so what's about some trial.


It has been done in the way: "Show, don't tell." So be happy about it.

Do you remember Requiem for Phantom? "You still have right to change your speed. When you are going on that road, use that right.)

 

[Tails]

The thing is player can be find innocent by the judges, but still is thrown to the prison and has dead sentence because some wizard from castle wants so for no real reason. Again, this whole court stuff in the game was just fake fluff in game, since the output was the same. They could put some effort to make some kind of alternative patch of it at least. It was the same stuff like in BG2 where you can join Thieves or Vampires, but in the end no matter what player do it ends in the same way. Fake choices are worse then giving no choices at all.

Do you remember Requiem for Phantom?

Not really... :>

 

[Cassidy]

Fake choices are worse then giving no choices at all.

The only JRPG that I know of with a few Choices and Consequences that aren't fake is Terranigma, even if the consequences are mostly tied to the side goal of bringing progress to a few cities across the world that and how doing so open up a few additional quests and NPC merchants that can't be found otherwise.

 

[Raghar]

The thing is player can be find innocent by the judges,

By jury.

but still is thrown to the prison

Completely rightfully.

wants so for no real reason.

Don't worry he has a reason. (And AFAIK he is no wizard.)

Again, this whole court stuff

So you don't remember on some critical facts...

 

[Azarkon]

PST played like a JRPG in more ways than one, though obviously it had a better story, more stat checks, and more C&C than most JRPGs.

In other words it, uh, didn't play like a JRPG?

Learn what a caveat is.

Some of the defining characteristics of JRPGs: forced protagonist, cutscene spell casting, colorful characters that don't fit neatly into classes

You heard it here folks, JRPGs didn't exist before cutscene spellcasting. Those JRPGs you thought you had played on the NES? Lies, all lies.

JRPGs were clones of WRPGs to start with. They didn't stay that way.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

The thing is player can be find innocent by the judges,

By jury.

but still is thrown to the prison

Completely rightfully.

wants so for no real reason.

Don't worry he has a reason. (And AFAIK he is no wizard.)

Kind of. You still ran off with the escaped princess, after all, so there was no chance of getting away (so I don't think of the situation as fake choice - the trial was mostly for comic purposes, anyway*) . The jury just found out you didn't do so with the intent of asking for ransom, so you're sentenced to some time in prison. However the chancellor

Spoiler

is the descendant of a monster you killed in the past, further into the game

,so he hates you and has you thrown at the gullotine regardless.

*One of the witnesses may be an old man complaining you ate his lunch at the fair, other may be a girl thanking you for rescuing her cat, other is obviously lying and doesn't even try to hide it, etc. It's not like you are presented with a serious trial situation like in NWN2.

They could put some effort to make some kind of alternative patch of it at least.

Well, you can escape on your own or wait for rescue when you get thrown in jail. If you wait, your companion already cleared most of the way. Since it's not clearly obvious (I thought not escaping on time would lead to a game over), I guess you could see it as a hidden alternative, if you're feeling generous.

 

[Tails]

Thanks for explaining few things, now some things make more sense.

By jury.

OH SNAP

Completely rightfully.

Getting positive verdict and still being thrown to jail, yeah makes a lot of sense.

Don't worry he has a reason. (And AFAIK he is no wizard.)

He could be advisor or even a cook, I just didn't remember his name.

So you don't remember on some critical facts...

I don't remember much of CT since I played it like 5 years ago and didn't even finish it (like I said before), I hope you forgive me. This court case and one thing I mentioned is two things that I found kind weird that could be done in more interesting way.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Getting positive verdict and still being thrown to jail, yeah makes a lot of sense.

The jail time was decided by the judge as you still commited a transgression (helping her in her little adventure out of the castle, which for them is a crime of endangering the welfare of the member of the royal family - if anything, you get too light a sentence, but she insisted you didn't know about her identity, anyway).

The positive verdict was about not deserving the death penalty (because they came to the conclusion it wasn't a kidnapping), not about complete innocence.

But yeah, could have a different conclusion, but then you'd just get sent home and then there would be no escape from the castle + being chased into the time gate + going to the future + continuing the game's story.