No one is denying there are problems with the port. Actually many posts here have stated those problems, and I think they've been covered extensively, now we are trying to move on and enjoy a game we love. Questions have been asked about story, differences to other FF titles, and this has turned into a discussion, rather than a whine fest. I think stating that this should only be played on the PS1 (good luck lugging that around in your pocket btw, and taking calls with it) is a prime example of something a fanboy would say. Also might want to work on your reading comprehension skills, that numbered summary of this 40+ page thread is shite. Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but besides the save system working amazingly well, the load times are close to nonexistent. Multitask reload pops right back where you were without a hiccup, and saved games load lightning fast. So there's a give and take, I'd rather spend more time playing than waiting through load times on the PS1.
Oh btw I just noticed that if you're having trouble picking certain tiles on the map, you can hold down your finger on the battlefield and it'll bring up a box selector which lets you move it around and pick a more precise spot. It's good for when you're too lazy to keep switching the screen scrolling modes which gets kinda annoying for me. Btw, this game is still ridiculously hard with grinding because enemies just level up with you O_O
Not to ruin it, but to ask the inevitable question; is SquareEnix ever going to take iOS seriously? Chaos Rings series doesn't count because they are developed by a different company. My dissapointment with FF1-3 is that they didn't give us the FMVs. No biggie but proves the point that they don't think much of iOS. Hopefully that'll change in the future. Forgive me if I sounded harsh on my post back then, but I'm just fed up with people seeing only what they want to see and not the reality of things. If anything, my point about people saying "it's a great game, I love, and you should too" is what makes me sick. And no, you got me wrong, I didn't say that I'm against FFT on iOS, I was under the assumption that what with the delay in release and what not, the port would be at least as good as the way the developer team made it sound (read the news about the port starting from august last year up to a few months back). It's a let down that the in game text bubbles are not done in hi-res, which is why I'm hoping that they got it right on the upcoming iPad version. And I love the PSX version simply for nostalgic reason, selfish reasoning on my part, and I did "write IMO", didn't I? I agree with your last point, let people decide what's best for them, but if by "not what a bunch of jaded purists have to say about it" you mean me, then you didn't get my point. But if you meant those people who think that we should enjoy this game simply because they do which in essence lowering one's standard to follow what others have to say, then I'm in complete agreement. I don't dispute the fact that the game is enjoyable because I've played it a bit on a mate's PSP. My problem is with its technical issues. Again, I said and I quote "And if you still want to play the game anyways, play it on some other platforms. The PS1 version is still the best IMO." Nowhere within those two sentences did I say that the game should only be played on PS1. So I guess we BOTH need to work on our reading comprehension eh? If I'm guilty of something, that would be over-generalizing. For that, I apologize.
I just picked up System Activity Monitor based on your recommendation, squarezero, but it crashes a lot on my iPhone 4 and I can't seem to find a way to reset the RAM. Is it a hidden feature because of Apple policy? Also, I wish FFT had cloud saves. I am playing this on iPhone instead of iPad purely out of mobile form factor (no, I don't carry my iPad out of the house much except when I'm on a trip). Fantastic game and easily the best SRPG on app store.
The reality is that this is a great game. The controls work fine. The text is perfectly legible. The in game graphics aren't hi res. Maybe the whiners are seeing only what they want to see and that's understandable because they had such high expectations. And if I understood you correctly, your basing your impressions off of your expectations and the fact that you only played the game a bit on your buddies psp? Do you own it on iOS or do you only see what others wrote? I don't expect anybody to enjoy the game just because I do. But others on this thread have stated that after taking into account both the complaints and praise, they decided to take the plunge and were satisfied with they're decision. Maybe because most complaints are overly exaggerated IMO.
You missed the bit where I mentioned PSX version. I've played the GBA version as well though it's an entirely different game than the original. But I've seen the videos, reviews, first hand impressions of the iPhone version and yes, I expected more from SE. And as I said, I have no qualms with the game. It's just the conversion from PSP to iOS. And I AM waiting for the iPad version. Guess I'm just paranoid and worry too much, but what I've seen with secret of mana and this version of FFT for iPhone is that there is absolutely no guarantee of a higher res graphics for the iPad. Then again, I read somewhere that they will update the iPhone version with retina display support which is good news. Anyway, we'll see if SE has managed to fix all the technical issues by the time the iPad version's out. *Fingers crossed* "I don't expect anybody to enjoy the game just because I do" Good, but have you read the first 30 pages of this thread? Matt Hughes on facebook wrote this: "I think the people that are noticing the issues aren't "retarded," but instead are observant fans of the original and/or the psp version that know the game like the back of their hand. When a game that you've loved for nearly 15 years has issues (whether they be subtle or major), you sure as hell are going to notice them. And if they prove to make the game a worse experience than previous versions, well then that provides little incentive for us to buy. The people that don't notice the problems are either A) not as passionate about the game, B) haven't played before, or C) just don't give as big a damn - which is fine, but not grounds for calling anyone retarded. This the most powerful device this game has ever been released on, and the mere fact that it runs the worst and doesn't even look particularly nice is indeed, a problem." If only I had better command of English, I would have been able to phrase my concern more closely to his comment.
Which one is better - iOS or PSP version? Why many people are complaining about the lag? Did they really fix the slow-down issue or not?
@yongkykun it's just useless, the fans are not going to stop praising this port. they dont even want to understand that if SE would fix some issues it would make this great game more playable on ios.
Probably iOS. The slowdown is not fixed entirely, but it is way better than the PSP version. Some people don't notice it at all. You also get an autosave system.
I think we all agree that if the minor issues were addressed, it would make this game better, no doubt. But if you've even played it you'd already know that this game is in fact perfectly playable. It isn't a perfect port, it's true, but it doesn't affect the playing experience at all, at least not for me. No one is blind here but I think most are just disappointed due to such high expectations and not the actual game itself as a whole. And @ yongkykun - you quoted Matt Hughes in your post. Is that the UFC Fighter?! Just asking.. Lmao!
I admit this game is great.. at this point, this game is pretty good, but an update to fix the slowdown and picture resolution are welcome!! this game'll be perfect with that update
memoryinfo is the one i use, it clears the ram automatically when you launch the app. worked very well for me for about 2 years, its universal and works fine on iphone4.
I do not partcoularly concur with those (well put) considerations but, if I may, believe me...no one will really tell you if you'll like the game or not. IMHO you're reading too much and you are already ruining your gaming experience with this game, in case you'll buy it. Let me tell you a little personal anecdote. Many years ago, when Internet was non existent and there were only paper gaming magazines I worked some years in the gaming industry as a (professional) journalist (PC Gamer and other local Italian magazines). You can imagine...I was young, still a University student, plenty of time and access to the gaming Nirvana: early betas, exclusives, trailers, interviews, even the very first NDA which U was very proud about with my poor friends. You know what? I was enjoying gaming MUCH LESS then before, and it took me many months to realize. Everything was spoiled, I knew everything about a game before actually playing it, the suspension of disbelief was totally ruined (a tragedy if you like immersive gameworld). Now with Internet, where you know EVERYTHING before it happens, it's the same. That's why when I pick up interest in a game, I try to read and watch about it the absolute minimum necessary. If you read someone pointing out bad graphics...you are GUARANTEED to notice it the very first time you play the game. In this case I can assure you the first time you'll eventually fire up the game, you'll notice FIRST the non HD (but pleasant) graphics or menus, instead of taking pleasure from the outstanding score, the incredible intro,...thus ruining you're experience. Believe me, it happened to me hundreds of times. As for this game in particular seeing many completely different opinions I retroactively searched about the genesis of the port. I understand it was delayed several times, SE promised updated graphics and no slowdown, and many more. Well, in MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, they did one heck of a job, because I can play an outstanding game on my iPhone...FAST, with no loading screen (saw some videos on YouTube of the game on PSP...wow that thing was slow!!! both on loading screens and CPU AI....those facts alone IMHO make this version ALOT better), with a nice touch control scheme (I concur that before accessing the world map the default setting are not optimal), with triple A production value (you won't find this kind of treatment almost anywhere else on the AppStore...full voiced cutscenes, artistic effort, gameplay, score) and pleasant to the eye and consistent. About the graphics: I really do not know...yesterday I was watching an ingame cutscenes (some sort of prison) and was delighted by the numerous little animations, the art used, the background textures. I could have noticed the sub par texturing when zoomed out? Yes The lack of shaders? Yes ..... You get the idea....you can do this for everygame...from Fallout 3 to Skyrim to The Witcher 2.... I was too busy following the story and enjoying the game because the overall experience is great with no slowdowns (have yet to do big summons, but so far it's silk smooth) crashes or unpleasant experiences. I'm not that sure a graphical upgrade is possible or would benefit the game in any mode (I saw some Tactics Ogre videos yesterday...more 'modern' graphics...but I like this one more). If I have to complain, I wish the world map would be higher res. Just my 2 cents, I do not want to convince anyone but I feel many are ruining their experience reading too much and playing too little. Everything is improvable but I played (and enjoyed) many titles with much more problems than this one. Ever finished Riven on iOS??? I did...try to read the diary!!! THAT'S unreadable text the ruin the game (fortunately on Internet you find everything). EDIT: sorry for grammar mistakes, I wrote this on my iPhone.
After having played 25 hours of this game on iPhone. This port feels just as natural as the PSP version does. The controls are all second nature and they in no way hinder any aspect of this spectacular game. I prefer the 360 degree revolution of the map- In the PSP version you used the shoulder buttons and it just toggled between 4 views around the map
They should make it clearer in the description: clearing the RAM is automatic when you start the program. What you are describing as a crash (I think) is the program hanging for a bit while it shuts down all extraneous processess. After about 20-30 seconds you'll see the pie chart turn mostly green -- that's when your are done. It's not immediate, but still a lot faster than shutting down and restarting. (BTW, they used to have a button to clear RAM, but they found out that that was what all their users did anyway, so they made it automatic.)
my thoughts and nothing else i only played this on the PS1, the new cutscenes and FMV's are a breath of fresh air for me i have to admit i noticed the slowdown of the game during some scenes, im not gonna lie, i found it to be irritating since in the PS1 version i did not experience any lag of anysort at all. But i find it enjoyable to be able to play this great game on my mobile and relive the exhilarating experience of epic proportions all over again from my childhood days I know that i can't speak for the others since we are all entitled to our own opinions but this game gives me great joy every time i boot it up on my phone for me this is a great game! only if you lose yourself to the world of Ivalice and experience the adventurous journey filled with heroism, chivalry, drama and betrayal. Only then can you see this game for what it is... a masterpiece any time to get my game on and make all my troops learn auto-potion wohoo!
does anyone know if there is an option to turn off the vibrate every time one of your guys turns start?
Perhaps I take things too personally. But try and read several pages back and you'll find comments upon comments saying otherwise. Perhaps they were written by our younger friends who are (slightly too) passionate about the game. Perhaps I took those comments too personally. Perhaps I've taken what's been going on around the world too personally. But you have to admit one thing though; the tone of the comments after my initial post in this thread has changed. I'll take that credit and be on my way. I'll be back to the FFT thread when the iPad version is out. PS: I'm a huge fan of PC Gamer magazines. Quite unfortunate that it became available to Indonesian subscribers only recently though I've been buying the UK version since 1997 (they were hard to come by and rather expensive but worth every cent.. or in my case, rupiah). I'd just finished my masters degree and am looking for a job somewhere in North America. Applying to some game companies that specialize in iOS platform. Would love to observe the ins and outs of the industry first hand though my passion has always been in movie making. And I personally would like to thank you for your insights. And also, forgive my limited linguistic skill. English is my fourth language of choice.
I know it's not exactely what you are looking for, but disabling vibrate on the iPhone general setting menu prevent this (I have it always off and I even didn't knew the game vibrates at the turn start). I have a question for the FFT veterans. There is something I still do not understand fully about jobs. I have yet to change Ramza job (I'm about to)...why I ALREADY can assign JP to chemist and other jobs, acquiring their abilities? What's the point to change it, let's say, to chemist from squire, if I already have access to their abilities? Or does one get more JP in the job he is in that moment? Or the abilities list is not complete? I do not understand...thank you for enlightening a newby...(I can't describe the satisfaction I got after finally beating a fight after like a whole day of trying) Oh, btw, another gripe to add to the list Sometimes it's evident I'm loosing the battle, maybe only the guests are still standing...am I supposed to watch the entire battle? Why can't I just reaload it? THIS is a bit silly, interface wise. Nothing major, but a simple 'restart battle' or a LOAD GAME would do. Now I gave to close the app, delete it from the task bar and reload (pressing cancel to access to my savegames, another stupid thing IMHO).
