TQ Mod: Final Fantasy I

I feel my skills in other departments have dwindled some since I began this mod using the TQ engine.  So I’ve been taking some time off to refresh my math and technical skills, maybe with a little review of Japanese.  It would be a shame for me to get rusty on any of these, being that’s what I studied during college.

That being said, I’m merely putting TQ FF on hold until I feel comfortable with my  knowledge level.

Also, since I intend to be a designer, I’m reviewing the big console titles that I’ve missed during my study over the past few years, analyzing every detail I can (afterall, I don’t want to just be “playing” these games).  I’m coding some game frameworks so I can make a few more small projects to add to my website and laying out a design document for an interesting game idea.  Lastly, I’m studying OpenGL programming, 3D modeling and reviewing my Calculus.

Hoo boy.  :)

Comparison

Details

Area: ? X ?
Status: 55% complete (some maps through second pass)

Summary

The first area you encounter outside of Coneria is the Valley of Fiends. This is not in the original game, but I decided to name it that because it’s the path that leads to the Temple of Fiends. The valley takes a while to traverse and you won’t see many friendly faces. Any human who lives or works out here has to be slightly crazy or very well-equipped.

The valley starts as soon as you hit the forest, the second one you’ll encounter after the Coneria Forest. You can run along the edge of the forest and meet the Centaur’s hideout. (NOTE: Centaurs weren’t in the original game, they take the place of Madpony’s, which is used as a derrogatory name for them in the lore of tqff). If you go straight through, you’ll eventually run into the swamp/marsh area. There’s a cave that also grants you access to the marsh, cutting through the forest. It’s not really a shortcut though.

The swamp is pretty decent in size. Not much to see other than rotting trees. A strange, broken statue can be found, but why it’s there is unknown. After the swamp, you’ll be out of the Valley and into the final Passage of the Fiends, which harbors the Temple.

Forest

This is a view showing the path that leads into the forest from the Coneria Plains. This path is often untrodden and so it’s dissappearing into the natural scene. Halfway through the forest, the path is gone. In the distance you can see the leave-less trees of the swamp and the mountain range that borders the valley.

This is just an in-game view of the forest, giving an idea of how uncivlized the area is. You’ll often be running through familiar areas, which, without that handy minimap, could make it very easy to get lost. Enjoy the flowers and the fresh air while you can; the swamp after this is a nasty place to pass through.

On the Eastern edge of the forest, the rocky coast continues all the way to the mountainous border. This rocky coast stretches all the way down to the tip of the Coneria Docks. From this angle, you can see too deep into the thick forest before your view becomes obstructed.

Near the Eastern coast, there’s a cave with secret treasures. The cave omits an odd blue light and is often missed being so far out of the way from the main journey. Hence the spider webs and roots forming around the entrance.

This is the cave that is an alternate route to the swamp area ahead. It all depends on what you want to fight, as you’ll find a completely different set of baddies down this direction. The other path will have you going right over the top of this cave. As you can tell, the forest is thick on the lower path leading to the cave, making it a bit hard to get to. This next image is a view inside the cave.

Last, we have a sunset view of the Centaur’s cave on the Western side of the forest, right next to the tree-less coast. The Centaur’s have set up a little training ring and live in the cave in the distance. They’re a bit untidy with the weapons they leave lying around everywhere.

Swamp

The swamp is a foggy, mysterious place. Many people don’t go beyond the forest if they even get that far. In this image, you can see a broken statue that has lost its history. The laid-out cobblestone around it are barely visible with the grass over taking them. In the distance, you can see the ocean just barely through the misty fog.

Who lives here is another mystery. The rumor is that it is a witch. This settlement is just off the main line leading from the forest to the Temple of Fiends and the risen-house gives it way that whoever does live here doesn’t want to be bothered. Who knows what the cauldron of blue fire is for…

This is the exit from the cave in the forest of the Valley of Fiends. It brings you right out into the mucky swamp and doesn’t avoid much of the unfriendly area. A few flowers can be seen, which means you aren’t too far from a nicer place to run to, should you feel the need to escape.

The edge of the lowland marsh collides with the ocean. The mucky water is nearly stagnant and unmoving, so the clearer ocean water crashes at its edge, forming waves. In the distance, the mountain range that borders the western side of the valley can be seen. Most of the land in the swamp is barely above the sea level and plenty of it isn’t.

Here’s an in-game view near the edge of the marsh. Lots of interesting creatures nest make their nest here. Can you spot the frog and the bird in this picture?

Monsters

This section will be updated in the future….

Comparison 

Details

 Area:  ? X ?
Status:  55% complete (some maps through second pass)

Summary

Due to the castle and town being expanded on the map (the original, they were just icons you walked onto in the overworld), the forest is quite a bit larger. This the first place you’ll encounter some monsters, unless you run along the edge of the forest on the beach to the south. There are some residents who live in the deep forest too.

Here’s a small residence outside of the brick walls of the main Coneria area. This fellow lives in the northwest area, close to the cliffside and bridge leading to Pravoka. He’s pretty much a recluse, living off of fishing. It’s troublesome to find this guy’s house, just as he would have it. See the images below for a night view of his hut.

I’ve been working on the coast line running at the border of the forest. There’s a few beaches, but for the most part, it’s simply cliffside and crashing waves. I’ve still got some shrubbery and seaweed to plant, plus adding the ambient creatures who live on its side. I’m getting better at blending the ground textures though.

There are 12 large hills that act as walls within the forest to keep the area from being too open-ended. I’ve spent some time make them appear more natural. First, I apply randomly different textures at different oppacities (grass, buttercup flowers, darkgrass and ferns). Then, I add two different kinds of bush objects on areas where it isn’t too steep. Third, I walk around the hill placing rocks that blend with the dirt to give the hill some depth. Finally, I place rocks around the hill as if they had fallen off of it.

 Images:

  Monsters

 This section will be updated in the future….

Comparison 

Details

 Area:  ? X ?
Status:  85% complete (several maps through second pass)

Summary

 Coneria Castle is huge in every direction.  There are several places that will probably only be seen by rotating the camera in the Editor.  Perhaps I got carried away building the castle as I saw fit, but it does make for some nice screenshots.  There are several raised areas that the player walks under.  In-game, the raised blocks go transparent when you run under them.  This is kind of different from TQ and I’m not 100% sure I like it, but I think I’ll keep it anyway.  It definitely feels like a castle.

Also, the raised areas are intended to match what it would look
like had you put floor 2 over floor 1 from the original ff1 maps.  Take a look at the image in the previous paragragh (before the second floor was added) compared to what it looks like now.  For reference, here’s the second floor from the original game.  The inside grid has still not been made.

 Images:

  Monsters

 This section will be updated in the future….

Comparison 

Details

 Area:  ? X ?
Status:  85% complete (several maps through second pass)

Summary

Coneria gets an upgrade in TQFF.  Inside the walls is more like the business area, with outside shops and smiths.  Beyond the walls, in the Coneria Forest, the remote residential areas are spotted through the woods. However, most houses are still within in the outer wall (stones piled about waist high) for some protection agains the monsters that creep in the shadows of the trees.

Take note of one of the pictures below that has a view of the Coneria Castle. The true height can really only be seen with certain angles in the editor.

 Images:

  Monsters

 This section will be updated in the future….

Comparison 

Details

 Area:  ? X ?
Status:  60% complete (several maps through second pass)

Summary

In TQFF, the southern tip of Coneria has been transformed from plains running merging with the ocean to a coastal beach with crystal blue water.  It’s a relaxing area, as the other side of the tip gets the coastal waves.  Here, the waves are nice and slow, forming a smooth beach.

Up further north, the forest runs into parts of the beach, where trees grow moss and collapse onto the sand.

 Images:

  Monsters

 This section will be updated in the future….