Similarities In Abstract Models Between Theif III and Final Fantasy XII

The story of Thief III is gleaned through overheard conversations, cutscenes, and the main character’s own monologue, but players will also be doing some reading off memos, notes, and pages of books for clues. In FF12, direct conversations and cutscenes are probably the best ways the game explains the story. If we compare the story of both, this is another opposite in theme. In FF12, people are seeking for freedom and control their own fate from the plan of the ancient gods; but in Thief series, players are playing a self-serving master thief living in a cold, surreal, medieval world carrying out a series of high-risk, high-reward missions. So I think in terms of the story and drama comparison, these 2 games are kind of the 2 side of the paper no matter they are comparing the story theme or even the color scheme.

The battle system of FF12 requires player to set up the gambit of the AI---meaning the 2 other characters that player is not controlling. Then by forming a 3-people team and 3 others backing up, player set-off the journey in the world of FF12. On the other hand, Garrett, the main character of Thief III is almost totally on his own. The similar point though, probably the only one, is both games let player gets to search and sell loot here and there to get better equipment and carry out the hunts for rewards. Well, too bad, our characters in FF12 is not allowed to pickpocket some npcs even Van has done it several times.

One last thing that I have notice right away in Thief III is, being a RPG, it’s using first person view. Even though player can play in both third-person and first-person, many gameplay videos that I have seen online, none played in third-person view. My personal feeling is: third-person view is my way to go, because first-person view will make me feel dizzy over time being.

Similarities In Abstract Models Between Thief III and Touhou Fuujinroku

Ok, let’s see…… (thinking about 2 minutes), first of all, in general, Touhou 10 and Thief III are total different games. The color and story theme of Thief III is dark with a serial killer on the run in the story line. On the other hand, Touhou 10 is a game with orange, warm, and happy-autumn color that allows players watch fireworks while going with a simple story. So, in terms of the story and drama element relationship, I would say the 2 game are in direct opposite to each other. The reason being for the difference in the drama element is drama in Thief III can occur in both action, where zombies sometimes sneak up behind players with Silent Hill noises, and story line; but the drama in Touhou 10 could only happen when players get hit or pass the spell.

Perceivable consequence in Thief III is false item/skill usage, meaning items or skills won’t activate or simply just fail if the players are not doing it right. For example, if players want to make some noise, they are smart enough to know not to shoot noise arrow into something that won’t make noise. Perceivable consequence in Touhou 10 is easier and also similar. The only usable item players hold is the bomb. They will always work as long as the character has at least 1.0 unit of power and 1 option. Players also know that they don’t want to spend the bomb when there aren’t too many enemies to wipe out.

Now, considering about the intension, I think both games have one common: solve the puzzle. The puzzle of Touhou 10 is to pass the spell/stage; and in Thief III, players have objectives to complete. The only difference is, in my opinion, that players solve the Thief III objectives in the stealth way like the character doesn’t exist, while players solve the spells with fire power and precise calculation.

Lighting Systems Of Final Fantasy XII

By following the story of FF12, players will travel around the world here and there. Overall, when players are in the open ground, the lighting leans toward sunny day white. Of course, when climate changes, sky will get dark as well. The lighting inside a room or in a closed dungeon, the color of the texture is usually dark brown-ish with yellow. the common point is, a lamp or any light that would be hanging on the wall or sitting on a desk is almost alway yellow with little reflecting flash that comes out of crystal. It could be the way to portrait the history of the building.


The special effects that come the skills or items characters are using are also one of the light sources in FF12.

Below: not just players' character, enemy character also deliver soul calibur like slashes to emphasize the impacts.


and so is the coins that appears when players reach a certain number of the chain kill.

The lighting systems of Touhou Fuujinroku

Touhou 10, as a shoot-them-up game, bullets and bombs are doubtlessly the major light sources in the game. I have covered the lighting issue a little in the level design blog. It is just all about the fanciness how the bullets forming up to become a "powerful" firework. The background is also hard to talk about for its role is not to be more visible than the bullet. The great thing is while the background is outlining the bullets and making them visible, it still able to let players feel the direction and momentum of character's movement with color and texture.

Man, if this is "Imperishable Night (Touhou 8)", there is actually a boss that can screw up the lighting by making the entire screen but a small circle around the player pitch black, limiting the visibility. In "Shoot the bullet (Touhou 9.5)", even better,the characters in the game are probably the best at spamming the light.
Below: a boss spamming darkness

Below 2: bosses spamming light

Puzzle design in Touhou Fuujinroku

The puzzle in Touhou 10 is not designed anywhere in the stage or level. It’s a shooting game. The real puzzle is how the enemies throwing bullet patterns at you and how you get out of it AND survive, especially the boss’s. This is a combination of spatial puzzle and timing puzzle. The reason being is very clear: you are in a limited rectangle area with bullets flying around trying to trap you into A bullet; running around recklessly is not an option. Some could say using bomb will solve everything like earn point or board-wipe. Well, the bomb is not infinite; and there are people see not using bomb to solve a boss spell as a challenge and that is what the spell bonus is for. I have mentioned this in my previous blog of Touhou: the danmaku spells are the masterpiece of architecture in term of powerful art.

To put not just Touhou 10, but any other Touhou series into the term of the puzzle designing, they are moving maze which its wall will kill you if you touch it.

Puzzle design in Final Fantasy 12

The general difficulty of the puzzles in FF12 is not hard, but not so easy either. For the people who first time playing this game, all these puzzles require some thinking, like solve the riddle from the hint, talk to people to get something, or even beat the boss to get pass the door, but they are well within the range of human comprehension. What really annoy people is one common point from most of these puzzles --- running from one point to another in a uber huge map.

The puzzle from the hunt of Behemoth King is one example, destroy all monster in both map in order to find Behemoth King is one simple objective but achieve it is another story. Both maps can be classified as medium-large in this game. When players kill almost everything but like 3 monsters in can-be-either-or-both maps, sometimes player can get lucky and find them easily, but with no mini map and heavy mist obstructing player’s view, this task can take player forever.

Fortunately, most of these puzzles or hunts are not that necessary to be solved in the main story line; player can always come back later to solve it. The only puzzle in the main story is the “neon light” section at the top of the Pharos, where player will teleport one light to another in certain order and that order may change depends on how player played that level. There are 5 colors for the neon lights; the combinations of teleport order are already enormous. Plus there are secret passages and several varieties, who ever is first time playing this level without guide can get stuck here for at least 2 hours and level up by 5 for every team members.

This video is the guide of that level and an essential part prior to it: