QUESTIONS:
-The removal of the "Time Compression" subplot and the addition of "Succession" is well done. (Time compression is still referenced in the battle text of Ultimecia's final form, though.)
If I am understanding correctly: Succession is a collective consciousness of all past sorceresses that they can junction to in order to harness their power. As sorceresses die out, their knowledge is added to the Succession which becomes collectively more powerful and presumably more irresistable/innate in future sorceresses. Sorry if I missed this: Is Ultimecia an embodiment of the Succession herself? Or is she just the most powerful user of it?
-Did you change any dialogue in the Shumi Village sidequest? I skipped it, but if you did make any changes, I'd like to see.
-You skillfully filled almost all the major plot holes and replaced weak plot devices from the original, but there's still a couple that stick with me:
--How did Squall not die after getting impaled in Deling? Did Rinoa heal him with her Sorceress powers?
--After the final battle, Squall visits Edea from the past and witnesses Ultimecia transfer her powers to Edea, completing a Grandfather paradox loop. This time, however the cycle is broken and Succession is finally ended(?) Do we know why this particular time, it's different?
--Are Ultimecia and Rinoa the same person? I know this is a fringe theory and if you don't agree with it, no worries. If not, who is Ultimecia and how did she come to be the most powerful sorceress with control over all of the other sorceresses throughout time? (Sorry if this was explained)
(Time compression is still referenced in the battle text of Ultimecia's final form, though.)
I know. If I wasn't more interested in making this mod as compatible as possible with gameplay mods, I would absolutely change ALL battle dialogue.
-Did you change any dialogue in the Shumi Village sidequest? I skipped it, but if you did make any changes, I'd like to see.
Not at all. It's at the bottom of my list, right below rewriting random NPC dialogue in other towns and cities. (Which will likely never happen.)
--How did Squall not die after getting impaled in Deling? Did Rinoa heal him with her Sorceress powers?
I still haven't come up with a way of explaining this, at least, not without coming off sounding pathetically contrived. Especially because I couldn't find an appropriate place to insert an explanation that wouldn%u2019t be obviously out of place. So, as of now, I guess it wasn't as bad as it looked, and Seifer just laughs it off as an inside joke for the players. (Feel free to reply if you have an idea for how, and especially WHERE I would insert such an explanation. I'm at a loss.)
--If I am understanding correctly: Succession is a collective consciousness of all past sorceresses that they can junction to in order to harness their power. As sorceresses die out, their knowledge is added to the Succession which becomes collectively more powerful and presumably more irresistable/innate in future sorceresses. Sorry if I missed this: Is Ultimecia an embodiment of the Succession herself? Or is she just the most powerful user of it?
--After the final battle, Squall visits Edea from the past and witnesses Ultimecia transfer her powers to Edea, completing a Grandfather paradox loop. This time, however the cycle is broken and Succession is finally ended(?) Do we know why this particular time, it's different?
I had always wanted to be a bit open-ended in the conclusion, but I should have realized that an effective resolution would depend on knowing EXACTLY what happened. I was hoping that Squall's discussion with 'Edea' at the very end would offer sufficient exposition, but that dialogue is on a timer, and I couldn't add nearly as much as I had originally wanted.
It's clear from your feedback that I should work on Odine's monologue. Our understanding of the entire conclusion rests on his explanation of the events that are to follow. This was a big problem with the vanilla plot, and it's obviously a struggle for me to overcome. Odine's monologue is already very long and very dense, and I'm not super excited that I may need to make it even longer.
I'll work on making Odine more confident in his conclusions, and more explicit about what he knows. I think this is the only way the player will get all the necessary information.
--Are Ultimecia and Rinoa the same person? I know this is a fringe theory and if you don't agree with it, no worries. If not, who is Ultimecia and how did she come to be the most powerful sorceress with control over all of the other sorceresses throughout time? (Sorry if this was explained)
Unfortunately, I emphatically reject both popular fan theories, 'Squall is dead' and 'Rinoa is Ultimecia'. This is mainly out of respect for the original work and its authors, but also because there isn't any obvious way of interpreting the original in that way, without torturing it to death. I do, however, find both ideas fascinating, and if Nojima had actually intended them, or even approve of them in any way, I may have tried to incorporate them both.
Regarding Ultimecia's origin, I had always meant for it to be a bit mysterious, primarily because I didn't really see a way for anyone to ever learn the truth. (I guess I'll probably have to write that Odine learned that information from Adel, too). I never really decided on one interpretation over another, and I think that at a certain point, it becomes a distinction without a difference. But I had hoped that by providing a certain amount of explanation, while still leaving it open-ended, it would retain an intriguing sense of mystery.
Perhaps I was wrong. I should have figured that, given my limited opportunities to provide exposition, as well as the unique nature of such a rewrite in general, that I should avoid any open-ended interpretations altogether. I seems like it may only lead to confusion and dissatisfaction for the player.
Side note:
In one particular sense, you could actually say that Rinoa is Ultimecia. But that is only to the same extent that all sorceresses are Ultimecia. Since Ultimecia has a certain amount of control and influence over the will of all sorceresses, she lives vicariously through them. But this is, of course, a far cry from Rinoa's fan theory, and does not rely on any time travel, or sorceresses that can live forever.
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The only mod I ever use is the music mod so to play your rewrite exactly as you wanted it to be would be amazing
