OOTS #388 - The Discussion Thread [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

SPoD

2006-12-11, 11:52 PM

All of the references (including the title) are to the Final Fantasy VI video game, released back in the 90's as Final Fantasy III on the old SNES console. All of the characters are playable characters from that game, including Elan and Thog's costumes, and the airship that you use to get from place to place is called the Blackjack (as this one is). Fenix Down is what you use to raise characters who have been "K.O.'d" (their euphamism for "killed").

And to anyone who thinks Rich doesn't plan all of these things ahead on his own, note that airships have been included as part of Cliffport's scenery from Strip #339 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0339.html), our first look at the city. Nice foreshadowing.

Single Shot Zombie

2006-12-11, 11:52 PM

damn.. gotta play a lot of games to get all the references in this one..

One only, actually; Final Fantasy 6. And boy, did Thog screw up, there.

Hm, lessee........Setzer, Cyan, Celes, Terra (probably, with the geen hair), Relm, Strago in the queue. And Edgar later with that nice big drill.

Screech

2006-12-11, 11:52 PM

Haha thats suck a great comic hehe wonder what they will (did) do next :)

Beelzebub1111

2006-12-11, 11:53 PM

Tee hee...I get it...

Also, Thog saying "Kupo!" made my day.

Oh, and SIX WAS THE BEST! TAKE THAT YOU VIIers!!

denelian

2006-12-11, 11:54 PM

i got everything but the treasure hunter... the only FF i played was VIII, so is that why?

Mathgeek

2006-12-11, 11:54 PM

Wow. Looks like Elan may have actually put a point or two in Intelligence. That plan was actually workable, or would have been if Thog knew what a Phoenix Down was...

On a side "note", the note that Elan left for the shopkeep was very cute. It made my evening.

Badmofo

2006-12-11, 11:56 PM

thog belive thog can fly!

KillerCardinal

2006-12-11, 11:56 PM

Not-Nale (me) confused. What is Fenix down? Who are these odd people on the boat? Help! I'm stuck in a sea of my own confusion!

K, as somebody already said, they're from Final Fantasy 6. For the first comment about not having magic, only 2 of the chars(I think) have magic in the first half of the game, and the speaker is DEFINATELY not one of them.

The little girl is Relm, and her grandfather is Strago, and Aqua Rake is one of the spells he can get.

Also, unless I miss my bet, Elan is posing as the thief(treasure hunter) character Locke, and Thog is dressed as a moogle, which is a staple of the Final fantasy series. And finally, the Fenix Down is the item that brings chars back to life.

Nazzo, the 102nd

2006-12-11, 11:56 PM

I LOVE IT! FFVI RULES! :smallbiggrin:

Not-Nale (me) confused. What is Fenix down? Who are these odd people on the boat? Help! I'm stuck in a sea of my own confusion!

Those are, by order of appearance: Setzer, the airship owner; Cyan; Celes; Terra; Relm; and Relm's grandfather, Strago. Elan is disguised as Locke, and Thog is disguised as Mog, the Moggle. On the airship, there's Edgar besides Terra.

I only missed Sabin, though. Yet, IT IS FRIGGIN' PERFECT! :smallbiggrin:

Thog saying "kupo" is priceless. Giant, you are the best.

TroyXavier

2006-12-11, 11:57 PM

Well we get a little more of the story. Still wanna see how they get the Leprachaun outfit.

thecommodore6

2006-12-11, 11:58 PM

dear shopkeeper...
priceless.
what happens next? it looked so good, now they're falling.
i've had luck falling before in games... i was saved by giant magic evil ants...
something tells me they're going to have to come up with a better plan.

Starla

2006-12-11, 11:58 PM

Oh I was just thinking of RPG world when the air boat showed up. I like Elan in his new outfit though. Obviously Thog is going to get another new outfit soon.

Winged One

2006-12-11, 11:58 PM

I really hope Elan knows Feather Fall...

DeathQuaker

2006-12-11, 11:59 PM

One only, actually; Final Fantasy 6. And boy, did Thog screw up, there.

Actually, I've never played FF6 and I got most of the references. Fenix Down, etc. also shows up in other FFs, not to mention the general feel applies to a number of the FF games. And even to a lesser extent some other JRPGs I've played. They all have a similar look to them, in my personal experience.

fruityjanitor

2006-12-11, 11:59 PM

I had to register just to give props for the FF6 references. I love that game! Edgar's Drill was a nice touch, too.

I am a little hurt that Elan doesn't think Mog is a useful character. I'm going to have to agree with Fanatic-Templar and say that some of his dances were pretty awesome... Especially Wind Song.

Oh, and still waiting for an explanation of the leprechaun suit... if it ever shows up :) (I love leprechauns too)

Hario

2006-12-12, 12:00 AM

Rich you've been playing videogames a bit too much lately I can tell... Honestly I didn't see the FF6 parody comming at all..

Single Shot Zombie

2006-12-12, 12:00 AM

Umaro, Gau and Gogo aren't there either. (And Leo, Banon, Biggs (Vicks), Wedge, and several random other Moogles, if you're counting characters that only appear for a short while.)

SPoD

2006-12-12, 12:00 AM

The little girl is Relm, and her grandfather is Strago, and Aqua Rake is one of the spells he can get.

Ooo, I just realized: Relm is known for her painting skills; she paints portraits of monsters in combat. She's saying she doesn't want to go to Pratt--an art school located in Brooklyn, NY!

We know Rich went to art school and that he's from NY; anyone want to bet he went to Pratt? :smallbiggrin:

Shadic

2006-12-12, 12:02 AM

Hehe, loved the R. Kelly reference.

:thog: thog believe thog can fly

I'm glad I wasn't the only person who noticed that.

Thog saying "kupo!" was great as well.

So, anybody think that they're going to land on something useful?

yuccadude

2006-12-12, 12:03 AM

I'm glad Elan thinks that Roy still likes him, even though most of the time he is just extremely annoyed by Elan's playfulness and lack of apparent intellect.
Also, I like the sun effect off of the airship.

Dawnstrider_Moogle

2006-12-12, 12:03 AM

Oh.
My.
OMG.

Best strip EVER.

Xeticus

2006-12-12, 12:03 AM

*Thog not get references.*

That was the last thing I understood in the comic. I love Thog though. by far my favorite character. Followed by Belkar, Xykon, Redcloak, Elan and then the rest of the OotS.

Nazzo, the 102nd

2006-12-12, 12:05 AM

Ooo, I just realized: Relm is known for her painting skills; she paints portraits of monsters in combat. She's saying she doesn't want to go to Pratt--an art school located in Brooklyn, NY!

We know Rich went to art school and that he's from NY; anyone want to bet he went to Pratt? :smallbiggrin:

Cool! I also want to point out Relm's class: she's a pictomancer! Anyone else think in some worlds around here? :smallbiggrin:

EscherEnigma

2006-12-12, 12:05 AM

Heh. Most amused by the FFVI references. Would have been nifty to see Sabin though.

1337_master

2006-12-12, 12:06 AM

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *GAG* *chokes* Hahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!

Kell

2006-12-12, 12:07 AM

I have to say that though the past few weeks have displayed numerous fantastic strips, this is my favorite. I played Final Fantasy VI to death as a kid, and I thought I was just reading to much into today's strip when my first thought was, "Hey, that guy reminds me of Setzer...and Cyan...and...oh my...". My jaw dropped when I realized that it was a reference to that amazing game.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Keep up the good work, Giant!

--Kell

sbwilson

2006-12-12, 12:07 AM

Like some others, I have not played any FF games and a lot of this comic was lost on me. I think it is the first OOTS strip that that I just really didn't understand on some level.

On the up-side, I did enjoy the note to the shopkeeper and the imaginary Roy talking to Elan: "Wanna go bowling?" Heh heh...

Tabiani

2006-12-12, 12:08 AM

Final Fantasy, that's the game with the endless Chocobo racing? All I remember of it was my friends playing endless hours racing and breeding them. Or rather, reading books while the Chocobos ran around. That and animations that grew pretty old the zillionth time thay ran. Looked boring.

Then again, those things always look better when you're playing the game and not the one stuck on watch while someone else is playing them.

Atheist_Cleric

2006-12-12, 12:08 AM

AWESOME!!! FF6 reference woooooooo!!

And that second panel of Roy in Elan's mind nearly had me falling out of my chair laughing, it was hilarious and just....cute, so damn cute, at the same time. The ff6 characters as stick figures makes this the most memorable strip for ages (at least for me)

Nazzo, the 102nd

2006-12-12, 12:09 AM

There you go. Non-official fan pages are the best.

http://www.ffonline.com/ff6/characters.htm

zibeck

2006-12-12, 12:09 AM

Now if only we could get some Celes on Haley act...why are you looking at me like that?

Tmabbbb

2006-12-12, 12:09 AM

I do not understand any of the references, nor do I know why they were thrown off. Nevertheless, it was a pretty good comic. And I think Elan might face some problems when the shopkeeper sees that note.

Gralamin

2006-12-12, 12:10 AM

Go Final Fantasy 6!

Its probably good that they might be forced off, As they are always heading after Kefka or the Floating Continent or some such.

The Vorpal Tribble

2006-12-12, 12:10 AM

Errrrrr...

<insert a california girl 'What-EVER' here>

Can't say I have a clue what Final Fantasy is beside some kind of game.

*sighs at the over-referenced strip and goes to wait for wednesday's*

Kodoz

2006-12-12, 12:10 AM

Giant, You are my hero. That was my favorite game of all time, and I always loved Locke the best, and Mog second. Rock on, Giant. Rock on.

Tobimaro

2006-12-12, 12:12 AM

Loved the Final Fantasy references in the people boarding the airship, and the airship was right out of the game series as well. And that SNES game was one of my favorite of the series.

GSFB

2006-12-12, 12:12 AM

I never played any FF so the references were lost on me. But the beauty of this strip is, you don't need to get the references for it to still be funny. I figured that the other characters were a spoof of something (I was thinking maybe some type of anime), and that knowledge alone was sufficient for the gag to pay off.

Brilliant writing. I give it +2 flaming burst.

(I once had a birthday where my friends bought me a cake from the store called "lemon burst" flavor. It was really good, with lemon curd filling. When a friend asked what they meant by "lemon burst," I said, "it's like regular lemon only you get extra lemonyness on a critical." Not everyone there got it. But it was still funny, even to the non-gamers. This comic is like that for me.)

Fury1671

2006-12-12, 12:12 AM

Rich, I <3 you. FF6 is my favorite game. My respect for you can only be expressed as 1/0. Impossible to calculate.

Arulla

2006-12-12, 12:14 AM

neos_dionysos

2006-12-12, 12:15 AM

"thog believe thog can fly..."

(and where did he get the bubble-gum?!?).

Hilarious, even though I never played Final Fantasy.

DomaDoma

2006-12-12, 12:15 AM

I am a little hurt that Elan doesn't think Mog is a useful character. I'm going to have to agree with Fanatic-Templar and say that some of his dances were pretty awesome... Especially Wind Song.

Water Rondo was more powerful, so I'm guessing you like it for sentimental reasons.

Same here, man. Same here.

And why did no one else miss Shadow?

TBone

2006-12-12, 12:16 AM

Now that was some goddamn funny ****e. Thog think thog can fly. hahaha, the FF references were priceless as well. Rich you make me warm in my pants.

A+ Sir.

Ronfar

2006-12-12, 12:17 AM

FFVI is one of my favorite games ever. That cameo was awesome. Did one of the gods shove some of the FF universe into our D&D based realm? You know, like when one insisted on ninjas in a medieval European setting.

Jefepato

2006-12-12, 12:18 AM

Holy crap. I almost fell over laughing.

Too bad so many people haven't played FF6...

DarkLightDragon

2006-12-12, 12:18 AM

"I have a cunning plan!"

BRILLIANT!

Lazaro

2006-12-12, 12:19 AM

:thog: Kupo!

Tobimaro

2006-12-12, 12:20 AM

Well we get a little more of the story. Still wanna see how they get the Leprachaun outfit.

Who cares, seeing Thog in the Moogle suit, saying 'kupo", was worth the price of admission. :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:

Dawnstrider_Moogle

2006-12-12, 12:21 AM

And why did no one else miss Shadow?

Well, obviously they're going to Azure City because that's where the arena is located in OotS world! Unless they just didn't pick him up to begin with...

As awesome as the leprechaun costume was, though, it would have been pure BEAUTY if Thog had shown up in that moogle costume. I can still be consoled by the fact that Elan is actually wearing Locke's gear. If he stays in it for a significant duration after this scene, well...so awesome.
Also, it would have been pretty funny, although way out of character, if Elan had threatened to rip Setzer's lungs out when they boarded...

...

Also...BEST COMIC EVER. IN PERPETUITY. EEEEEE.

Tobimaro

2006-12-12, 12:22 AM

Holy crap. I almost fell over laughing.

Too bad so many people haven't played FF6...

That was my favorite game of the Final Fantasy series. Loved it. Now where is that ninja at? (Now I wish I could remember his name?) :smallredface:

Ah yes, Shadow. Now I remember him. He was part of my best party in that game.

The Extinguisher

2006-12-12, 12:22 AM

That comic lives in a house of win.

It's so win infact it loops around and is fail. And yes I'm aware that doesn't make any sense. But I can assure you it's a good thing.

Pure awesome.

TinSoldier

2006-12-12, 12:23 AM

Thank you, FF fans for helping us who are ignorant of the references.

I'm glad the last half of the strip was relevant to some subset of OotS fans. Looking forward to the next strip.

Shadic

2006-12-12, 12:23 AM

Oh, Giant, I don't want to sound nitpick or something, but you write senitmental in the first panel. :smalleek:

I noticed that as well, but didn't say anything. I think it is just how Thog is speaking, as the word may be too complicated.

Ragnarokpc

2006-12-12, 12:25 AM

The fact that there's a lot of people scratching their heads at the FF VI references makes me feel older. Thanks! But seriously, that was probably one of my favorite games of all time. Is it weird that as soon as I saw the airship I thought of FF VI? I don't think so, I think Rich just did a good job of making it look close to the original . . . except not so pixelated. :)

And yeah, Shadow was my favorite character . . . but whatcha donna do? Great comic, one of my favorites for a long time.

theKOT

2006-12-12, 12:25 AM

While heavy on "you have to get the references for this to be funny" jokes that I didn't get, I found this strip to be very enjoyable. Reference-heavy parts aside, this strip does a lot in few panels. It's funny, the plot jumps ahead while remaining coherent, and Elan is adorable. 9/10

Poor Elan, he justs needs Roy's understanding. Also, YES!!! We get a delightful romp with two of the funniest characters in the strip and an explanation for the Leprechaun thing. WOOHOO!

GenericFighter

2006-12-12, 12:28 AM

TBone

2006-12-12, 12:28 AM

Water Rondo was more powerful, so I'm guessing you like it for sentimental reasons.

Same here, man. Same here.

And why did no one else miss Shadow?

I have a friend who is going to have ingraved on his tombstone "I finally went back for shadow."

Axorcist

2006-12-12, 12:30 AM

Solarious

2006-12-12, 12:30 AM

So many people who don't know about FF6.... and we call ourselves geeks? For shame...

On the other hand, it's great Rich knows his FFs.

Bakta

2006-12-12, 12:30 AM

Except for the twitch Thog's chewing gum made, this one didn't even raise a titter.

Completly missed the gaming references whatsoever, they were laid a bit too thick.

Zrenity

2006-12-12, 12:31 AM

Well, I just registered with this forum for the sole purpose of saying...

ZOMG I loved that strip! By far my favourite one so far!

That is all.

Zrenity aka Tank Girl

Flak_Razorwill

2006-12-12, 12:31 AM

Why the hell is Final Fantasy...oh. I see.

I knew something was up the moment I saw a black trenchcoat with a collar 8 inches high.

What's the cat thing again? Isn't that copyrighted or something? I remember the old commercials, but otherwise I'm lost.

neos_dionysos

2006-12-12, 12:32 AM

I wonder... just how did Elan come up with this plan?

Bardic Knowledge, maybe?!?

Coldin_Torrence

2006-12-12, 12:33 AM

Awesome. Just awesome. Digging those new threads on Elan too.

TinSoldier

2006-12-12, 12:33 AM

The fact that there's a lot of people scratching their heads at the FF VI references makes me feel older.Older how? Are you older than 36?

Thomar_of_Uointer

2006-12-12, 12:34 AM

Holy flaming chocobo doodie on a stick! It's better than the last one!

Giant, you are truly a demigod among men (as you currently lack enough Divine Ranks to grant spells to all of the forumgoers all at once).

And Edgar with... A jackhammer? That is so appropriate!

Krytha

2006-12-12, 12:38 AM

Eh... It was ok.. maybe a bit too much FF, but I like how Elan thinks... about how Roy thinks...

humanpylon

2006-12-12, 12:38 AM

I'll admit it. This comic from the airship on was completely beyond me. Apparantly I don't play enough computer games!:smallfrown:

_JM_

2006-12-12, 12:40 AM

Axorcist : The way I read it was that Elan bluffed their way onboard without tickets by pretending to be the FF characters, so when Thog showed he did not know the FF term they knew Elan and Thog were not who they were posing as and it would have been a good time for Thog to have had his Axe or to rage again.

:thog: thog not want try to fly like eagle. thog want make blood eagle. thog happy then.

Thomar_of_Uointer

2006-12-12, 12:40 AM

Ok, as a non FF guy, what I'm really trying to understand is how the dialouge between Elan, Thog, and the other people has to do with Thog and Elan being tossed off the ship? Is it that "this is a FF ship and you are posers get off our boats you noobs" thing?

The character Elan is posing as has been in search of the legendary Phoenix for most of his life, in order to raise his reposed girlfriend. In order to pay for the continual reposing, he takes up "treasure hunting" (i.e. stealing). Also in FFVI, the item to revive a dead character was a "fenix down" ("phoenix down" in the later games and remakes).

Kaeledra

2006-12-12, 12:40 AM

If I knew what the Hell those people were talking about I would probably be laughing right now. I swear, you miss one video game and you're out of the loop the rest of your life! Who thinks that costume shop is getting burgled a lot more before Elan and Thog leave town?
You didn't just miss ONE video game. You missed THE video game.
To all of you who DIDN'T play FFVI (FFIII for us purists): Play it! One of the best games ever! You are not a true geek unless you have played a final fantasy. It's like being a nerd who can't program. Sad.:sigh:
[/p] P.S. Did anyone else notice the lack of Gau, or does no one care about Gau beside Sabin and Shadow? But there is only so much room in one comic strip, after all.
[/p] P.P.S. I always did want to hit Relm with an Aqua Rake... Or the Ultima Weapon.

skinkatlarge

2006-12-12, 12:41 AM

Meh. dan not get references. Oh, well, it was a double, and the first half was great. I can deal with one wasted strip out of 388.

I really, really loved Elan's imaginary Roy, especially the second panel. And Elan's out-loud reply. Just awesome!

Despite my knowing that Thog thinks pretty girls are icky, I've been resisting thinking of him as gay. I bet if we'd been able to see the clothes he first picked out for himself, we'd at least have some evidence for transvestism.* At least, going by both comments. Maybe all that rage is just from being repressed... maybe if someone would just buy him some pretty clothes and a puppy, he could mellow out and open an ice cream shop, with sprinkles in all the colors of the rainbow.

OotS has totally messed up my attempts to start being more of an early riser. Damn you, Giant!

The fact that there's a lot of people scratching their heads at the FF VI references makes me feel older. Thanks!Weird. The fact that so many people here get it made me feel older. And not in a good way. :P

*I know they're not the same - I'm gay myself, and I think girls clothes are icky. Just work with me here.

TinSoldier

2006-12-12, 12:43 AM

You didn't just miss ONE video game. You missed THE video game.
To all of you who DIDN'T play FFVI (FFIII for us purists): Play it! One of the best games ever! You are not a true geek unless you have played a final fantasy. It's like being a nerd who can't program. Sad.:sigh:
[/p] P.S. Did anyone else notice the lack of Gau, or does no one care about Gau beside Sabin and Shadow? But there is only so much room in one comic strip, after all.
[/p] P.P.S. I always did want to hit Relm with an Aqua Rake... Or the Ultima Weapon.Okay, even though I have been into computers and role playing games for over twenty years, I lose my geek status for not being familiar with one of many hundreds of video games released over the years. Got it.

Zaria

2006-12-12, 12:44 AM

Giant... I... I love you...

Final Fantasy FTW!!!! I died with happiness, I showed all my friends (before dying from happy-overload). Of all the FFs, you picked my favorite, and it was wonderful to see the gang in OotS form. Oh, the memories...

There is no doubt in my mind now that this comic is the only one worth investing time in. Ever.

All hail the Giant!

Kaeledra

2006-12-12, 12:46 AM

Okay, even though I have been into computers and role playing games for over twenty years, I lose my geek status for not being familiar with one of many hundreds of video games released over the years. Got it.

How can you be into hundreds of video games and not have played even one FF? You will just have to regain your geek status, then... :smallsmile:

MetalKelt

2006-12-12, 12:47 AM

While it may sound cliched here, I truly laughed the hardest at this one. It was great beginning to end. I was already laughing before the FF references, with the bubble gum and the take a penny leave a penny thing, but I absolutely lost it on "kupo".

TinSoldier

2006-12-12, 12:49 AM

How can you be into hundreds of video games and not have played even one FF? You will just have to regain your geek status, then... :smallsmile:I didn't say I was into hundreds of video games (although I'm sure I could name a hundred obscure video games) I just said that of hundreds of video games released every year some of us are expected to have experience with every one.

Edit: Like I said in another thread, I'm not trying to bag on The Giant or on FF fans. I liked the strip better than some. And I'm glad that some subset of the OotS fans got the jokes. That's great. However don't look down on me because I didn't get the jokes.

Greylond

2006-12-12, 12:50 AM

Sorry but some of us were geeks before most of you were born. And no I haven't played any of the FF games either. Spend most of my free time playing Tabletop RPGs, with live people. Ya' might have heard of one or two, like D&D.

So no, I didn't like the second half of this strip so much. IMO OoTS is a little too focused on a very tight fan based.

I'll check back in a couple of months and go through the archives to see if it got any better...

5tephen

2006-12-12, 12:50 AM

Alright, I am another Paper Player. Didn't really get any of that.

I don't often criticise the Giant (and understand that I risk immense flames here for doing so) but I tend to think that his comics that rely on referencing ANOTHER popular culture artefact in a comic that has its base in a particular one (D&D) tend to be the weakest. Not too sure if it works as a model. Great if you get the references, but that oughtn't be the sole - or possibly major - source of humor for a strip.

So for mine the bit of this comic that made me FALL OFF MY CHAIR LAUGHING was the second panel of Elan's "WWRS?" internal dialogue.

Bloody Fantastic.

Gengy

2006-12-12, 12:50 AM

...

...

...Giant, I think I love you.

(in a completely safe, uncreepy, fan-to-awesome-webcomic-author kinda way, just so you know)

Final. Fantasy. Reference. PLUS THOG. PLUS ELAN.

KUPO!

...words escape me.

Flynn_Serlant

2006-12-12, 12:54 AM

Final Fantasy VI reference was GREAT - definately the best FF out there, in my opinion

mimicgogo

2006-12-12, 12:54 AM

So...uhh...let me echo the above sentiments of love. Absolutely, by default, best OOTS ever.

...If you guys don't know why from my sn, you're just not trying...

Mr Wizard

2006-12-12, 12:56 AM

Look, a shadow!

Ragnarokpc

2006-12-12, 12:57 AM

chesch

2006-12-12, 12:58 AM

5g says that they land on the white guys that have always been used for softened landings

http://www.giantitp.com/avatars/Flumph.gif

Wolfram

2006-12-12, 01:00 AM

wolfram not get references.

Then, again, I've never been a FF fan.

Wolfram

2006-12-12, 01:03 AM

TinSoldier, I'm 31. But it always amazes me how people in their early twenties are always so clueless about things that aren't really that old, at least not to me.

I'm 37 and I get that alot too. Like the time I discovered that almost nobody in my gaming club knew who Felix Unger was....

WarBrute

2006-12-12, 01:03 AM

Wow. I thought everyone knew what fenix downs were... I mean I don't even play FF. I guess that what I get for having friends who play it and talk to each other about it ALL THE TIME.

Anyway great comic.

JadedDM

2006-12-12, 01:04 AM

FF6 references explained:

In FF6, the party rode on an airship known as the Blackjack in the first half of the game. It was piloted by a gambler named Setzer (the white-haired fellow).

The man with the mustache is Cyan, a samurai. In FF6, when you get into a fight, a menu comes up with your commands. They include things like "Fight", "Item" and so forth. In the first half of the game, only three characters can use magic naturally (Terra--the green haired woman, Celes, the blonde, and Strago, the old man). Later on, you have the option to teach all the characters magic. Hence the 'it was still the first half of the story' joke.

The little girl is Relm. She is a pictomancer. This means she has the power to draw something and bring it to life. She could draw monsters and then make them attack for her. She claims she doesn't want to go to Pratt, which is an art school (in the real world).

Aqua Rake is a blue magic spell Strago can use. "Blue Magic" or "Lore" are spells that you learn from enemies.

The character Elan is pretending to be is Locke Cole. He is a thief, but refers to himself as an expert 'treasure hunter.' The costume Thog wears is that of a moogle. These are the mascots of Final Fantasy. In FF6, one of them, Mog, was playable. They say "kupo" a lot. (Kupo being a sound that expresses happiness or joy.)

The blond haired man with the big power drill is Edgar. He was a mechanic, and used lots of rather modern tools, including an automatic crossbow, drill, and chainsaw.

Finally, in FF a character can be brought back to life either with a Life spell or a Phoenix Down (the feathers of a phoenix). In FF6, because it was on the old SNES, item names had a limited number of spaces. So they shortened it to "Fenix Down."

Even if you don't get the references, that's okay. I really doubt that any of those elements will play any kind of important role in the story (or are ever seen again, for that matter).

I got FF6 for my 13th birthday. It is the game that got me into roleplaying games, and eventually led me to AD&D.

So to me, this is the greatest comic ever made.

I tip my hat to you, Mr. Burlew.

TinSoldier

2006-12-12, 01:05 AM

TinSoldier, I'm 31. But it always amazes me how people in their early twenties are always so clueless about things that aren't really that old, at least not to me. But then that's the point, it's my frame of reference against another's. Of course, I could be wrong; most people who didn't get the strip could be just like yourself - simply unfamiliar with that game and/or the FF series. But I suspect that most of them grew up having never played a game with 2D graphics (*shock*). If you own a Playstation 1 or 2, and you would like to give this great game a shot, Final Fantasy Anthology should still be available (I can see copies for $10 on eBay). It's up to you, but I think just about anyone who played it would recommend it highly.My kids do have PS and PS2 and I've always wanted to play FFVII. Anthology sounded interesting to me but I don't have it yet (or FFVII for that matter). KOTOR has always been my favorite CRPG.

But thanks. I know I'm not old, I just must have missed the whole NES/SNES/PS era for the most part.

Oh, and I've seen Advent Children. Even though it didn't make much sense to me it was pretty fun. I think the best parts were the end of the DVD where the showed actual FFVII gameplay.

skinkatlarge

2006-12-12, 01:05 AM

5g says that they land on the white guys that have always been used for softened landings

http://www.giantitp.com/avatars/Flumph.gif

I'll take that bet. :smallamused:

ArchaicTimeThrog

2006-12-12, 01:05 AM

Yet another who signed up to the forums simply to say kudos for the FFVI ref. The first ones I recognized were Relm and Strago, with their little dalogue. Also, I'm kinda surprised Thog wasn't Umaro. I dunno, I think he'd fit the role better (big, strong, and stupid).

If my room mate hadn't been around, I probably would have broken my dorm's "24 hour quiet hour" rule from laughing (we mostly ignore each other, so I try to suppress my laughter from reading webcomics when he's around, so he doesn't think I'm too weird).

Also, for those of you who have never played the FFVI, It's supposed to come out some time in the near future for GBA. Glee! With all the delay with the game, it had better the greatest port of all time...

brionl

2006-12-12, 01:06 AM

Well, I'm going to have to go with the "huh?" crowd. No, I've never played any of the FF games. I think if I've played Zork, and Temple of Apshai, I don't need to play no stinkin' FF games to maintain my geek cred.

TinSoldier

2006-12-12, 01:07 AM

FF6 references explained:
(snip)Thank you, JadedDM. That was very comprehensive and I appreciate it.

Holy_Knight

2006-12-12, 01:08 AM

Okay, first of all: All of you who don't get the reference here are SO FIRED.

I can't agree with everyone saying it was the best FF game, though, because it doesn't hold a candle to 10. Nevertheless, yes, you are all so very, very fired. For shame, and stuff. :smalltongue:

Also, Elan as Locke kind of fits in a way, and emotionally at least, there are some legitimate parallels that could be made between Haley and Celes. Elan's also right that Mog was one of the less useful characters. In his defense though, at least he was no Gau (*bleah*). Plus Mog is cute, so there.

...with that out of the way, however, there's a few more things worth saying. Great comic, absolutely hilarious in several places. I loved the note to the shopkeeper, and the second one was a great return gag. Also, has there ever been another time in the whole series where someone has earnestly said that Elan was smart? I'm thinking not.

Now, about Elan's envisioning of Roy:

Did anyone else find it kind of sad? I mean it was funny, and cute, and heartwarming, but... i don't know, seeing how he thinks of Roy really gives you a sense of how underneath the happy-go-lucky exterior, Elan actually has a lot of depth, and even a fair amount of sorrow. We've seen glimpes of that a few times before, but anyway, I thought it was a really great touch. And sad, in a sweet sort of way.

So I guess the only question now is: Were they thrown off the edge after take-off, or before?

Randalor

2006-12-12, 01:09 AM

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAH!

Ok, seriously, I want THAT comic on a t-shirt. Though truth be told, I'm kinda surprised Elan didn't go as Gogo and Thog as Umaro. Give the FFVI cast a real reason to throw them off :smalltongue:

Genome

2006-12-12, 01:09 AM

I'm not one to give pointless and unintelligent praise, but this deserves a:

Best. Comic. Ever.

tonberryking

2006-12-12, 01:11 AM

...I had a rotten day at work but this made me happier than I have ever felt over a comic in a long time. Thanks Giant!

tadfoal

2006-12-12, 01:12 AM

Priceless

I've never played it, but I love FF and all Square games!

:thog: kupo!

and

:thog: thog believe thog can fly

have to go in the OotS quote hall of fame!

Aiani

2006-12-12, 01:13 AM

I really love Elan and Thog together. This strip and the last one have been extra awesome. I especially loved the note to the shopkeeper.

JadedDM

2006-12-12, 01:14 AM

Thank you, JadedDM. That was very comprehensive and I appreciate it.

Glad I could help. FF6 was the first FF I ever played, and I must have beaten it a dozen times. I've pretty much memorized the whole thing by now. So it holds a special place in my heart, I guess.

Martok

2006-12-12, 01:15 AM

Yay! Double strip-y goodness! Unfortunately, I didn't get most of the second strip--while I understood the "Fight, Run, or Item" comment was a general reference to the FF games, I was lost for the rest of it. :smallconfused: Still and all, however, it was an enjoyable read, if for no other reason than that I have become increasingly impressed with Elan's ability to think and plan (at least when he really needs to).

Other things that I liked:

1.) The frame of Thog with the bubble gum was a great little gag. I can totally see him doing that, just because he likes sugar and could amuse himself endlessly blowing bubbles!

2.) When Elan goes back to edit the note he left for the shopkeeper....priceless! That's classic Elan right there. :smallbiggrin:

3.) I'm surprised no one's really mentioned this one yet, but how about the scene when Elan imagines what Roy would say in the situation he's facing:
Also, you're my best friend in the whole world, Elan, and I'm happy to serve as your surrogate big brother, considering how your own father wasn't there for you growing up. [Wanna go bowling?]
Now while I'm a tad embarrassed to admit it, that line actually got me to tear up just a little. I suddenly realized just how much the OOTS and his friends mean to Elan, and why he admires Roy in particular. I'd honestly never noticed before how Elan is just like your annoying (yet secretly idolizing) little brother who follows you around all the time.

I confess that until now Elan had probably irritated me more than the other members of the OOTS. Now that I've seen things from his point of view, though, I think I'll be looking at him in a far more sympathetic light from here on out.

EDIT: Heh. Holy_Knight beat me to it. (Must've finished posting while I was still typing!)

Now, about Elan's envisioning of Roy:

Did anyone else find it kind of sad? I mean it was funny, and cute, and heartwarming, but... i don't know, seeing how he thinks of Roy really gives you a sense of how underneath the happy-go-lucky exterior, Elan actually has a lot of depth, and even a fair amount of sorrow. We've seen glimpes of that a few times before, but anyway, I thought it was a really great touch. And sad, in a sweet sort of way.
Couldn't have said it better myself. :smallsmile:

Excellent strip, Giant. Me likey!

Alysar

2006-12-12, 01:18 AM

From the files of "It Had To Be Done":

thog beleive thog can fly
thog believe thog can touch sky
thog think about it night... day
thog spread wing and thog fly away
thog belive thog can soar
thog be running through open door
thog belive thog can fly
thog belive thog can fly
thog belive thog can fly

Holy_Knight

2006-12-12, 01:19 AM

3.) I'm surprised no one's really mentioned this one yet,
Um... I mentioned it. A few posts up. I do agree with you, though.

On another note, I now have the Locke-Celes theme running thorugh my head.

DomaDoma

2006-12-12, 01:24 AM

You mean the theme that plays while leaving Solitary Island? Believe it or not, the tune's called Forever Rachel.

Solmage

2006-12-12, 01:26 AM

~The Patriots~

2006-12-12, 01:26 AM

Thog saying "kupo" is priceless. Giant, you are the best.

QFT! kupo. I liked the note Elan lelf "we stole from you [twice], it was a [really] good cause" almost as funny as the "I prepared explosive runes this morning"

Grey Watcher

2006-12-12, 01:28 AM

Rich, you made my day. Do you know how many hours of my misspent youth went into that game? "Nah, it was still the first half of the story..." Hehe.

Oh, and I always thought either Relm, Setzer, or Cyan was a better contender for "ultimately useless" even if there isn't any specific dialogue, side-quest, secret item, or other goodies for Mog anywhere in the game except when you first acquire him.... All I know is I didn't stumble a Dance nearly as often as I got that stupid Lagomorph....

Though I love how smart Elan can be as soon as he starts channeling Roy.

EDIT: Let's see... no love for Sabin, Shadow, Gau (another ultimately useless character, though my perfectionist tendencies led to real-life days spent wandering the Veldt looking for that one Utterly Useless Monster to complete my list... come to think of it, I never finished the game, I got so dedicated to that....), or the to Second-Half bonus characters. I'm such a geek that I know that.

Jazzvader

2006-12-12, 01:31 AM

Excellent comic Rich.

AngryGreek

2006-12-12, 01:34 AM

Not an entirely unhumourous comic, however the vast majority of it was absolutely lost on me. I now know how my wife feels when she hears me laughing out loud at the insanely funny D&D references and comes to read over my shoulder, only to stare at me in abject amazement that I found anything on the screen to have any comedic value whatsoever.

I do sincerely hope that this isn't a sign of things to come; i.e. the D&D gags are wearing thin, and now I'll be forced to play outdated RPG's et. al. to understand my favourite comic (web, or otherwise).

DougWykstra

2006-12-12, 01:35 AM

isn't it "Phoenix Down?"

You know, like the mystical bird that RESURRECTS ITSELF?

Zeb The Troll

2006-12-12, 01:35 AM

Okay, even though I have been into computers and role playing games for over twenty years, I lose my geek status for not being familiar with one of many hundreds of video games released over the years. Got it.
To be fair, it really isn't necessary to have played THAT Final Fantasy, as most of the humor is stuff that goes throughout the entire FF franchise (I think we're up to 7 of them on consoles and one is an MMORPG). Some of the characters were specific to one particular game, but Thog's costume, Fenix Downs, and airships are in all of them (Heck, even FF Tactics had all these). And when I think of the fantasy RPG genre for consoles, the Final Fantasy series is what comes to mind first.

That being said, I'm a big fan of the FF series but I agree with the posters who said that this particular strip could have been better if it hadn't relied SO heavily on them. Just one of the jokes/references would have sufficed and still pleased all the people who are giddy about there being a FFVI reference in the strip.

My favorite line was "thog never get anything pretty".

JadedDM

2006-12-12, 01:38 AM

isn't it "Phoenix Down?"

You know, like the mystical bird that RESURRECTS ITSELF?

Allow me to quote my own post here:

Finally, in FF a character can be brought back to life either with a Life spell or a Phoenix Down (the feathers of a phoenix). In FF6, because it was on the old SNES, item names had a limited number of spaces. So they shortened it to "Fenix Down."

keri

2006-12-12, 01:39 AM

:thog:kupo!

*LMAO*

ohhh... my pancreas! it hurts! :)

Aren

2006-12-12, 01:47 AM

Now if we could just get a Firefly reference...
*whistles innocently and walks away*

AngryGreek

2006-12-12, 01:50 AM

See, THAT I would understand! (the firefly reference). However, I still suspect there would be a number of astute D&D players staring slackjawed at their monitor searching in vain for the humour ;).

Holy_Knight

2006-12-12, 01:52 AM

You mean the theme that plays while leaving Solitary Island? Believe it or not, the tune's called Forever Rachel.
Actually, I meant the tunes as they appear in the ending credits, where

Locke saves Celes from falling as they flee from Kefka's Tower.

At that point it's both their themes intertwining, which is actually a really great dramatic effect, given what each represents to the other at that point. Especially given the parallels between

How Locke lost Rachel, and thus how he redeems himself by saving Celes both romantically and literally.

Oh, and I always thought either Relm, Setzer, or Cyan was a better contender for "ultimately useless"
Dude, Cyan?! He was one of the best!

X-Codes

2006-12-12, 01:52 AM

I gooot it I gooot it. (The joke, that is.) :smallbiggrin:

Names of characters in order of introduction:
Setzer (the guy with the black trenchcoat)
Cyan (the guy with the mustache and big sword)
Celes (the girl with the cape)
Terra (the girl without the cape)
Relm (the little girl with beret)
that old fart I never used... (a.k.a. Strago, the guy casting a spell on Relm)
Locke (played by Elan)
Mog (played by Thog... although he was a bit too big for the role)
Edgar (the guy holding the giant drill)

Also, Moogles are not useless! They have served an important role in the game since Final Fantasy VI (after being stolen from the Mana series, as any true nerd will tell you).

Final Fantasy VI- They help Locke save Terra from Imperial Soldiers at the beginning of the game, and Mog becomes a regular member of the party (although hes a semi-hidden character).

Final Fantasy VII and Tactics- The first summoned monster in the game.

Final Fantasy IX- SAVE POINTS! Whats more important than SAVE POINTS!?

Final Fantasy Tactics-Advance and XII- Moogles with their cool, new look featured as one of the five major races in Ivalice.

Zeb The Troll

2006-12-12, 01:53 AM

Oh, and I always thought either Relm, Setzer, or Cyan was a better contender for "ultimately useless" even if there isn't any specific dialogue, side-quest, secret item, or other goodies for Mog anywhere in the game except when you first acquire him.... All I know is I didn't stumble a Dance nearly as often as I got that stupid Lagomorph....
I don't think the reference to "ultimately useless" is as much a comparison (the absolutely most worthless of all) as it is a declaration that this marketable, recurring, character is, in the long run (ultimately), a useless one. Going with that, each of the characters anyone has mentioned in this thread about FFVI character could be termed "ultimately useless".

EdgarVerona

2006-12-12, 01:54 AM

omg wtf bbq!

That was the most unexpected thing... possibly ever. Loved it though! =)

dragon95046

2006-12-12, 01:58 AM

Now if we could just get a Firefly reference...
*whistles innocently and walks away*

Just keep an eye out for a post from Lilly. Her avatar IS a firefly reference.

Klio

2006-12-12, 01:58 AM

Hmm... a maze of twisty little posts about FF, all alike...

I think if I've played Zork, and Temple of Apshai...
How about Haunt, or Wizardry (gasp)? :smalltongue: Haunt was still running on the computers at school when I got there, but I'm told it doesn't exist, anywhere, anymore. I haven't heard of Temple of Apshai, though. Maybe I'm too old :smallwink: Heck, I still write text-only interactive-fiction games. I guess I like my games like I like my webcomic art :smallbiggrin:

Just keep an eye out for a post from Lilly. Her avatar IS a firefly reference.
I just saw it--possibly the best avatar ever :smallsmile:

appleavengergrl

2006-12-12, 02:05 AM

Hi, long time reader, first time poster...

had to say it took me a second to really pick up on the FFVI reference, (to be honest, i didn't know which FF it was!) but I dug it! Thog as mog, cute!!

My AD&D lovin' boyfriend asked me if i got the gaming refs in OOTs, (im a newbie) and I told him I did, but i have to say I love the other references that are tossed in there, and this one was the best!

Not a huge FF player, but sittin on my butt watchin the boyfriend and various other mates play over the years, ya pick up a few things. mind you that chase the chocobo section in FFX2, watching that seems as frustratin as doing it.

oots is the reason i get no work done...:smallbiggrin:

Kupi

2006-12-12, 02:06 AM

As someone who comes from the diametrically opposite side of the RPG player spectrum as the strip's target audience, allow me to say:

BAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! :smallbiggrin: Well played, sir Giant.

2006-12-12, 02:07 AM

Also, Moogles are not useless! They have served an important role in the game since Final Fantasy VI (after being stolen from the Mana series, as any true nerd will tell you).

Actually, any "true nerd" will tell you that moogles were first seen in Final Fantasy 3, which predates the first game in the mana series, "Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden"(or Final Fantasy Adventures in the U.S.), by one year. This isn't well-known because Final Fantasy 3 was never released in the states until very recently a remake was made for the Nintendo DS.

Sorry, but I simply MUST nitpick that.

BeccaLynn85

2006-12-12, 02:10 AM

*claps*

Beautifully done!!!

My friend KT and I have been playing ff3/6 (Same game... she is playing the 3 version, I have access to the 6 version) again recently, so when we saw this comic we went spaztic and IMed eachother right away.

I LOVE IT!!!

Now I can die happy.

Zeb The Troll

2006-12-12, 02:26 AM

Also, Moogles are not useless! They have served an important role in the game since Final Fantasy VI (after being stolen from the Mana series, as any true nerd will tell you).
Actually, the real FFIII (1990) which claims the first appearance of moogles, predates Secret of Mana (1993) by a few years.

Moreover, the first game in the Mana series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiken_Densetsu) (called Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden in Japan) was released in North America for the Gameboy as Final Fantasy Adventure. So it's completely impossible to claim that Final Fantasy stole anything at all from the Mana series since the Mana series started as a spinoff of FF in the first place.

And for all you youngsters claiming that you achieved geekdom on FFVI, when I played it it was FFIII and I started with Final Fantasy on the 8-bit NES. I have PLAYED Red Mage and Black Mage. So who's the true nerd now?

Note: As if playing FFI and having tabletop PC's older than some of the folks on this forum aren't enough, I'm a Systems Administrator by profession to round out my nerdiness. :smallcool:

EDIT: Bah! Nu beat me to it!

Xi-1

2006-12-12, 02:28 AM

Yet another fantastic page. Full fo hoots and chuckles. I have to admit to being from the never-played-a-single-FF-game-in-my-life crowd 'cause it's the truth, but I have watched some friends play, so 'Phoenix Down' (I have to spell it correctly no matter what the game said) struck a chord, and when I saw the giant drill I thought 'hmm, must be another FF reference. So then is the entire ship...' And then Elan and Thog got kicked off. Does this mean they'll deal with Pompey after all? It's only been about 50 minutes since they were put in jail, so would he even be in place to keep an eye on it yet? And has Elan gotten a rapier yet (I'm not convinced the one he has is even the one Haley got for him). So many questions for Rich to answer for us on Wednesday. I'm so glad he kept on schedule despite having to recover from the triple-length page. Wish I could produce at the same rate. Heck, any rate.

And before I forget, Betrayal at Krondor is still among the best RPGs ever released. If you can get it to work on your computer, that is. And yeah, the only console system I ever had was Colicovision with Zaxxon, Venture, and Donkey Kong. All around the same age as my eldest brother.

DarkLightDragon

2006-12-12, 02:34 AM

...

Am I the only one who noticed the Blackadder reference?

ElecWolf

2006-12-12, 02:34 AM

Just had to join just to say this...

Save the rogue :haley: , save the world.

:biggrin: You knew it had to happen...

Celisasu

2006-12-12, 02:46 AM

Now I'm feeling old. People aren't recognizing FFVI and here I remember playing FFI on the NES. My first party was a fighter, red mage, white mage, and black mage.

Felinoid

2006-12-12, 02:47 AM

Even as an avid FF fan (pre-console-exclusivity), this one really dragged for me. Mostly because the FF references took me OUT of the comic rather than helped me enjoy it. Something's probably crosswired again... *looks around for skull-saw*

And of course I'm left with several things to comment on, which I'm not sure if they are unknowing or protective (from copyrights and such) goofs, plus a couple are likely my own memory's failure...

1. Pretty sure the airship had a name that *wasn't* Blackjack.
2. You get magic WAY before the "second half". It's more like the first fifth of the game, though I admit that doesn't sound nearly as good and "first quarter" would likely give some people football flashes.
3. Run was no longer a 'selectable' option by FF6 with the ATB system, but a result of holding buttons.
3a. Cyan should have SwdTech instead.
4. Celes wears green? I guess I never really saw much beyond the hair and the white cape.
5. Almost didn't recognize Cyan because the mustache looks too big.
6. Mog, while uncontrollable during his Dance, is far from useless. (Sun Bath free healing FTW.) Gau would also be much closer to that description than Mog (not that either are useless) as going out of control is his only option other than magic; Mog can at least 'Fight'. Then there's Umaro...

You may now all disembowel me for such nerdishness.

GenericFighter

2006-12-12, 02:47 AM

How did that barber know so much about the after-effects of applying magic glue to your face? No complaint about it, but 'huh?'. He must have maxed out ranks and Skill Focus for Knowledge(Hair Exposition). So logically, he must also cry himself to sleep a lot. ("Why didn't I take Improved Initiative, like mom said?!")

Holy_Knight

2006-12-12, 02:50 AM

1. Pretty sure the airship had a name that *wasn't* Blackjack.
There were two airships, remember? First the Blackjack, and then later you get Daryl's old ship, which was called... um... well, I don't remember what it was called. But I do remember that Daryl was a girl, not a guy as you might think. So now people who didn't play the game have one more piece of knowledge about it.

saraswati

2006-12-12, 02:51 AM

Honestly,

I thought maybe the use, run, item thing was the original Phantasy Star. Wow, it's been a long time.

Tyrfang

2006-12-12, 03:12 AM

Ok, everyone who doesn't get the FF6 references? Go download it and play it, now! It was a classic in it's day... and there's a reason a cartridge of it is worth $150 nowadays... It's not even that old >.>

Go now! :smallmad:

Heh, and with Thog's line, "thog believe thog can fly," did anyone else find themselves thinking "thog believe thog can touch the sky"? :smalltongue:

Love the strip, Rich! Pure gold every time. :smallsmile:

Edit:

There were two airships, remember? First the Blackjack, and then later you get Daryl's old ship, which was called... um... well, I don't remember what it was called. But I do remember that Daryl was a girl, not a guy as you might think. So now people who didn't play the game have one more piece of knowledge about it.
The second airship was called the Falcon. :smallwink:

Yorkiebar

2006-12-12, 03:19 AM

Elan's note is brilliant. Just so very.. Elan-ish.

Wizzardman

2006-12-12, 03:20 AM

...Awww...

Now I have to wait for Wednesday to see more.

Pie

2006-12-12, 03:37 AM

FFVI. Oh man. This reference wins. This whole strip wins. These recent strips have been fantastic, each one better than the last.

Behold_the_Void

2006-12-12, 03:44 AM

This strip makes me all kinds of happy.

FlawedParadigm

2006-12-12, 04:07 AM

Now I'm going to be disappointed if there isn't another FF VI reference down the line somewhere.

"Who knows what blades lurk in the spleens of men? The Shadow knows!"

Hee.

Attila_the_Bun

2006-12-12, 04:07 AM

BWAHAHAHAHA...
*gasp.
I had always heard good things about FF6 and only started playing it for the first time about two and a half weeks ago. I had to cut myself off temporarily for finals from spending too much time playing it.
Seeing the title I was expecting something Star-Trekish and got blindsided.
A lot of people are overlooking "Ooh, Not-Nale smooth as baby butt". hehe.
on another note, Elan's not really smart enough to pass as Locke, but he's closer than thog is to mog. (though, admittedly, sharing a similar name.) I don't think Moogles are supposed to be 6' plus, somehow. I love the way Edgar is nursing his drill, though I have to say the Jason-esque hockey mask wearing when raged with a chainsaw is funnier in the actual game. Clearly, Shadow and Interceptor ARE in the picture, you just can't see them. (ninja)

Cyan always has the option "Swordtek" as well as fight and item... :P

thog never get anything pretty.....

P.S. Despite Gau's use-impaired nature I had almost 50 rages for him before the ruin sequence. I'm a completist. Got to say I like Edgar and Sabin more than Gramps and Brat any day.

Silverain

2006-12-12, 04:08 AM

woo-hoo, Final Fantasy cameo! yess!

"Not a thief! A TREASURE HUNTER!" heh ... Elan's getting very, very good at doing what Haley does for a living.

until he gets busted. smooth move, Elan.

p.s. Okay, so it's fanservice. Maybe. But it's funny.

Max_Sinister

2006-12-12, 04:10 AM

Uuuh, yet another cliffhanger!

But nice references.

jscheibel

2006-12-12, 04:13 AM

Boy not getting the references... sucks... I'm sure he realized he'ld lose some of his audiance with that one but oh well. :( (i never liked final fantasy and didnt buy them) I'm prolly in the minority here. if it'ld been another reference... ah well. I figured it was some japanese game reference when reading it. at least you made some people happy. and some really really happy. maybe the next one can be about I dunno dungeons of dageroth now there was a good game *g*. (yes I delibertly picked a game I loved hat most FF fans haev never heard of)

Archonic Energy

2006-12-12, 04:14 AM

Vargtass

2006-12-12, 04:17 AM

I guess it still qualifies as a zany whirlwind adventure of the feelgood comedy of the year. And for that, I bow to the storyteller.

Silverain

2006-12-12, 04:17 AM

Whenever you attack something invisible, assuming you know what square it's in, you take a swing and there's a 50% chance of not hitting it. So if you shut your eyes while falling, there should be a 50% chance you will fail to hit the ground!

Roy: "Wow, that is such a stupid idea, I feel dumber just hearing it ..."

p.s. Remember Haley's "bite my 50% miss chance" when V turned the group invisible?

The Glitter Ninja

2006-12-12, 04:23 AM

I have no idea what game these guys are referring to, but I have a feeling I could have played it on my NES. (Ah, Final Fantasy... heard of it but never played. I demand Zork references!)

I did get the Star Trek, ST:TNG, and Blackadder references. Frabjous!

X-Codes

2006-12-12, 04:25 AM

Actually, the real FFIII (1990) which claims the first appearance of moogles, predates Secret of Mana (1993) by a few years.
Are you certain that wasn't one of the many additions made to the game when it was finally sent across? From what I can tell, the moogles are only there as multiplayer support of some kind, which would suggest that they weren't in the original (single-player only) game.

Moreover, the first game in the Mana series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiken_Densetsu) (called Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden in Japan) was released in North America for the Gameboy as Final Fantasy Adventure. So it's completely impossible to claim that Final Fantasy stole anything at all from the Mana series since the Mana series started as a spinoff of FF in the first place.
Yes, I know that the Mana Series came out after the Final Fantasy series as a spinoff, but saying that it's impossible for Final Fantasy to steal material from the Mana series is like saying parents can't steal from their kids. It is possible, because Moogles showed up in Secret of Mana.

And for all you youngsters claiming that you achieved geekdom on FFVI, when I played it it was FFIII and I started with Final Fantasy on the 8-bit NES. I have PLAYED Red Mage and Black Mage. So who's the true nerd now?
Me, the Duck Hunt champion! I think I was 5 or so back then, so it's impossible for me to be more nerd than I am already. I also remember playing an RPG on the NES, but I don't remember the name of the game. I'm fairly certain it wasn't Final Fantasy, even though it looks almost exactly like it.

FlawedParadigm

2006-12-12, 04:31 AM

Pfft, bother the lot of you. I played Pong. And had a Colecovision. When I was two.

Okay, technically it was my parents', but I played it early and often. Heh.

Delgarde

2006-12-12, 04:43 AM

Never played the game, but familiar enough with the culture to get the basic references. Still, not so funny to me - the first part pretty good, but the second half kind of blah...

onikun86

2006-12-12, 04:46 AM

Final Fantasy VI! Huzzah!
Well, it's about time the eastern counterpart of D&D makes appearance. :smallbiggrin:
PS
Oh, Giant, I don't want to sound nitpick or something, but you write senitmental in the first panel. :smalleek:
:thog: thog have trouble spelling stuff. kupo!

aawwwwwwwwwww @ the 2 Roy panels. :smallbiggrin:

Imagine if Elan learned the truth of what Roy first intended back in the Bandit Camp/Starmetal arc. :smallfrown:

No magic: first half of story: could just be more of an overall Final Fantasy reference. In FF1, for example, Fighters and Thieves didn't get magic until class change halfway through the game.
Elan's comment about "Mog" might just be a silly taunt at moogles in general as well.

Blatent Advertising: FF6 coming to Gameboy Advance in Feb. 06. Also out on Playstation 1 and is called FF3 on the American Super Nintendo.

Jared_Arcane

2006-12-12, 04:47 AM

Since this has degenerated into a geek-vs. geek contest let me just say that my first home computer was a Commodore Pet with cassette tape drive. I still have the tape with my first program on it (a 1st ed AD&D character generater in BASIC).:smallsmile: Does that win the geek off?

Great strip, by the way. thog is quickly becoming my favorite character.

Cifer

2006-12-12, 04:47 AM

Whenever you attack something invisible, assuming you know what square it's in, you take a swing and there's a 50% chance of not hitting it. So if you shut your eyes while falling, there should be a 50% chance you will fail to hit the ground!
Should you however happen to be a fighter, you are also pretty mad at the ground and powerattack it for maximum value as well as being a bit afraid of it and using combat expertise as well as fighting defensively. This way, you are almost assured to miss despite its size modifier, which luckily doesn't get any bigger than colossal which is a mere -8.

Zeb The Troll

2006-12-12, 04:49 AM

Are you certain that wasn't one of the many additions made to the game when it was finally sent across? From what I can tell, the moogles are only there as multiplayer support of some kind, which would suggest that they weren't in the original (single-player only) game.
I suppose what I'm talking about could be called proto-moogle as they say "nya" instead of "kupo". And they aren't playable, they're guards.

Yes, I know that the Mana Series came out after the Final Fantasy series as a spinoff, but saying that it's impossible for Final Fantasy to steal material from the Mana series is like saying parents can't steal from their kids. It is possible, because Moogles showed up in Secret of Mana.
Okay, I'll concede that point. However, it was FF's to begin with. Also, to take away from the folks/offspring analogy, at one point Mana was FF (The first in the Mana series, though lacking the word Mana in the english title, was FF Adventure), so it's not quite the same. And moogles appeared in that game too, as a negative status effect. So no stealing in either direction, both have adequate claim to ownership.

@FlawedParadigm - I had a pong system too, in the mid-70's. Didn't get ColecoVision, but I did have an Atari2600 that was bigger than any game console currently on the market so I could play Tank and Asteroids. Long live Pitfall! <yells the Tarzan vine swinging yell> [Back in MY day we had ONE button. And we LIKED it!]

<genuflects @ Jared's level of geekdom> :smallcool:

lord_khaine

2006-12-12, 05:03 AM

heh, this comic allmost make me want to play FF6 yet another time :)

Chadhulhu

2006-12-12, 05:08 AM

Wicked FF references. Ahhh that one a 7 are my favorites. Great lines for thog as well.

Rift_Wolf

2006-12-12, 05:11 AM

I've renewed my forum account just to post on this one. I get the references! This is

Tengu

2006-12-12, 05:11 AM

People who played FF6 - do not tell those who didn't that they should be ashamed! Tell them to play this great game instead.
People who didn't play FF6 - do not take pride in not knowing it! Play this great game instead.

Woah, what a great comic. What woke me up today was my brother laughing hysterically at it, and I thought "has he gone mad?". But now I understand him so well...

Nerd-o-rama

2006-12-12, 05:21 AM

Mr. Burlew, this may sound odd, but can I bear your half-Giant offspring?

My Kefkatar and I salute you, sir.

Antina

2006-12-12, 05:23 AM

Nicely done!

Warm shave - exactly 5 copper - hint, hint ;-)!
Aww - Thog never gets something pretty...
And very best: Dear shopkeeper - sorry we stole from you - it was for a good cause!!!
And "twice" & "good" in addition

BEST!!! Very good charcterplay! Nice! Very very nice!

Kaerou

2006-12-12, 05:35 AM

hahaha, Awesome! I love this comic.. made me laugh so hard, well done!!

Pvednes

2006-12-12, 05:47 AM

Elan's W.W.R.D was adorable.

kaairn

2006-12-12, 06:05 AM

Loved the first part of the comic, Elan and Thog being as silly as silly can be. plus as others have said, Elan's internal "what would Roy say" was adorable and really gives you insight into the way he thinks.

Though like many, I have to say that the references for the second half of the comic were completely lost on me. This has nothing to do with my age :smallconfused:, I was there with most people, back in the days of the NES and SNES. It's just I never enjoyed the FF series. It's something about Japanese RPG's that I'm not keen on... the "take two steps and get caught in a random encounter, rinse. repeat" that bothers me, as well as the wild swing between OTT special effects for attacks to the comically pathetic attack animation, even at low levels. Always made me wonder how they were going to top the OTT special effects in later levels.

I'm not going to rag on the giant for including these references, nor will I become an ex-reader, I love the comic far too much for that. Especially as the giant knew some of us wouldn't get it and included the line of "thog not get the references" as acknowledgement.

For me, as I don't get the jokes (though thank you for those readers who have posted to explain them) this has been the worst comic of the series, however that is subjective and kudos to those who got the references and found it extremely funny. Your opinions are just as important as mine :smallamused:

*diz*

2006-12-12, 06:06 AM

i just couldn't hold it back any longer: dear giant, oots is AMAZING!

greetings from austria :-)

Movoza

2006-12-12, 06:36 AM

i know some of the references are for final fantasy (i think:smalltongue:)
still, didnt get enough of it to laugh :smallannoyed:

better luck next time for me

Enlong

2006-12-12, 06:52 AM

yesyesyesyesYES! yesyesyesyesYES! yesyesyesyesYES!

FINAL FANTASY VI! Giant, you sir are the RPG KING! I will forever know Elan's new look as the Locke outfit, and I love it! Oh, and the angry Edgar? Avatar'd!

SiD

2006-12-12, 06:59 AM

Heheh... Never played any FF games (I was a Commodore guy with a bit of Sega thrown in) but it was clear enough what style of game the references were to even if I didn't get the specifics. And still understood the strip too! (Not quite sure how people are not understanding why E&T got thrown off the airship even without ever having heard of a "Fenix Down" myself...)

Liked the other references though - R Kelly, Blackadder and what may be a Transformers/Death's Head reference, although it might equally not be (sentimental value on the axe). Also, note that Elan's Locke outfit is seen in the shop window in the third panel - anyone recognise any of the other outfits?

twerk_face

2006-12-12, 07:17 AM

aaaaaa i am appalled at the amount of people who didn't get the refrefences! Doesn't anyone play videogames? If you have ever owned a console, you know these jokes. :smalltongue:

Ebon_Drake

2006-12-12, 07:28 AM

Cyan always has the option "Swordtek" as well as fight and item... :P

Actually, he can't use Swordtek if he doesn't have a sword equipped, I just checked. I don't think I've ever felt so geeky before.

It was an awesome strip, Giant. Even before the FFVI references I found it hilarious, then when I saw the characters I almost died of laughter. Great jorb!

AngryGreek

2006-12-12, 07:29 AM

aaaaaa i am appalled at the amount of people who didn't get the refrefences! Doesn't anyone play videogames? If you have ever owned a console, you know these jokes.

Let's see. I'm 37, and had the original NES game when it came with a silly robot that stacked coloured spinning disk thingies, anyone remember that? But wait, that wasn't NEARLY my first video game console. I had the PONG game for our TV, what black and white goodness that was! Then, we upgraded to the Atari, compared to the Pong, the Atari was graphical and sound heaven!! Asteroids, Defender, Space Invaders, Missile Command! It was sweetness personified. Then came the Intellivision, and, for a while, the Colecovision. There was lots of video gaming before the NES came out, hell, I used to live in arcades.

In my 37 years I suspect I have played far more hours of video games than many of the people posting in this thread. Making comments stating that we don't understand the jokes because we don't play video games is a little ridiculous. Not everyone likes Japanese Roleplaying Games (at least not the FF style). I don't find them interesting at all (although yes, I played the first one). A world where people ride around on yellow chickens doesn't interest me a whole lot. I'll take my Japanese entertainment in some good Anime like 'Akira' or 'Ninja Scrolls', thank you very much!

Hilbert

2006-12-12, 08:00 AM

WarriorTribble

2006-12-12, 08:07 AM

Am I the only one who thought Edgars drill was an odd phallic imagery?

Blaznak

2006-12-12, 08:07 AM

Heh. I've played a LOT of the Final Fantasy series and am currently playing FFIII on the DS (Anyone need an email buddy?). Not laugh out loud stuff, but still very nice wink and a nod :)

Later!

Vargtass

2006-12-12, 08:13 AM

aaaaaa i am appalled at the amount of people who didn't get the refrefences! Doesn't anyone play videogames? If you have ever owned a console, you know these jokes. :smalltongue:

And if I never owned a console...?

I can (and did) still enjoy the comic, though...

Daibhid C

2006-12-12, 08:14 AM

I've never played FF (I had a SNES, but for some reason I stuck to platformers), but I liked this. I'm a research nerd; not getting references in crossover stories means hours of search-engine fun! :smallsmile:

Tengu

2006-12-12, 08:15 AM

I love the first page. :smallsmile: The second one... um... well, I never had any video game console (and probably will never have). Also I've avoided cutesy JRPGs most of the time. I think that basically explains that I do not like the second page very much. :smallwink:

I was feeling old somewhat because I thought FF and JRPGs are things for younger people like all that weird pokemon and yu-gi-oh ...um :smalleek: ... thing. But now I read the FFlers are feeling old because they get all of the references? Hey, however you look at it I guess. :smallbiggrin: *feelingyoungagain*

You, sir, have fallen into the trap many Americans and Europeans do - consider jRPGs kids' games because they have "cutesy" anime graphics. Apart from the a bit naive parts 1-5 (but all games were as naive when those came out), FF is an RPG series as mature as, for example, Baldur's Gate. Or even more, considering that there it has many much, much more moving points.

The famous death of Aeris in FF7 for example, a scene that made millions of mature people worldwide weep. Or, much sadder in my opinion, Celes' attempted suicide after Cid's death in FF6, or the scene when Red finds out what really happened to his father in FF7.

Also (though mostly in unofficial translations), some characters tend to swear a lot, and there are many sexual references (though in good taste).

AgentCimorene

2006-12-12, 08:18 AM

I will be saying "Kupo" in a gruff, deep, half-orc voice all day.

Before getting to the end of the comic I thought "Hey, by the time you get to the airship part of most games you get to steal and keep it! Wonder if they get to keep it." Oh well =)

Also, it looks like the ziggurauts from WoW.

Norhg

2006-12-12, 08:27 AM

What's the cat thing again? Isn't that copyrighted or something? I remember the old commercials, but otherwise I'm lost.The Moogle? No more copyrighted than the other characters, parodies are legal :smallamused:
But yeah, it is protected as intellectual property

Gogo525

2006-12-12, 08:33 AM

I loved it! But there was no gogo or yeti (I can't remember his name). Definetly awsome.

Leewong

2006-12-12, 08:49 AM

Woot! This totally made my day, and I'm still in bed. FF6 continues to be one of my favorite games ever, and I'm in total fangirl glee over the references. I know it's total fanservice, and I love it. Now to convince him that they need to run into a silent red-headed swordsman, a robot, a cavegirl, a tomboy princess, a nerdy girl with big glasses, and a frogman... And Magus. Because Magus is hot.

As for the people who don't get it: I'm sorry you're missing out. I'm sure Wednesday's comic will be back to the normal level of funny for everyone, with random references everywhere, and it will continue to be awesome. I am really looking forward to a "who has thog's lucky charms?" joke.

Sime

2006-12-12, 08:52 AM

I knew it :(

I knew since #386 that it was a Locke reference but i haven't said anything.

And yes, i have registered only to tell you this.

Neo

2006-12-12, 08:55 AM

Was pretty good til the airship, figured it was something lame like Final Fantasy.

Klio

2006-12-12, 09:06 AM

The problem here is, most times, when there are references you don't get in the comic, they either go over your head without notice, or are funny or mildly amusing on some level just on their own, or go past in a sentence or a couple of images. For some readers, the second half of this one slipped way into "huh?"-ville and didn't come back, and suddenly we weren't reading OotS or Elan's story anymore, but some other comic.

But, one thing I have learned: People who like FF like it A WHOLE LOT. Wow. That's some serious love; I'm sure there are things that make me squee that intensely, but, wow, I am awesomely impressed by how much people adore it and want so much for everybody else to love it too :smallbiggrin: And those of us who don't have any interest in FF... we just don't have an interest in it. It's a matter of taste and preferences, not lack of enlightenment. As I've said (or imagined I said, it's hard to tell, early in the morning), I prefer text-adventure games, which are almost more primitive than Pong (the true stick-figure of all computer games). Words, nothing but words. Pictures just ruin the really, really, awesome graphics in my brain.

Also, we used to have to power our laptops with bins of coal, shovelled into a big furnace we got to by walking uphill both ways through the snow with nothing but strips of sabre-tooth hide on our feet. And sometimes the dinosaurs ate you before your got the OS to boot. Tech support was never any help with that.

Ronald_saveloy

2006-12-12, 09:08 AM

As I never played FF, I don't get the references in the first and they somehow miss me.

Anyway, if there's something like one of those casting shows in the world of OotS, Thog should definitely participate. Or maybe he will multiclass to bard.

pendell

2006-12-12, 09:31 AM

Tech support was never any help with that.

Tech support was never much help with anything.

I'm 35. I have never played any of the FF games, though I have run across people who loved them. I know they are some of the best console RPGs ever made. I simply have no interest in playing them.

*I* liked the comic. I didn't get the FF references -- had to come here for that -- thank you! But I still thought it was funny.

"Thog believe Thog can fly" -- bwhahahah! Love it! Thog and Elan are great!
Elan leaving his note for the shopowner twice -- great!

I didn't get the references, but I caught on that Thog and Elan were D&D characters who had stepped into another gaming system, and got hammered for it. I chortled at that.

So for someone like me who didn't know and love FF, I'd say the comic was passable. I still loved it, but it isn't going to be in my top ten. My favorite comic is still V's moment in the sun:
"Vomit. Now. And aim for the halfling".

And the rest ... I first encountered D&D back when there was a difference between "Basic" D&D and AD&D. I've been playing computer games since 1978, on consoles. I played Wizardry 1: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord when it first came out, and I wrote a review of it in my local PC User's Group. And I've ascended 8 characters in nethack without scumsaving (see www.nethack.org) . I ain't giving up my geek creds to anyone.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

DeepChild

2006-12-12, 09:34 AM

Out of nowhere comes a hilarious FF6 reference! I feel bad for those who didn't play FF6 for two reasons:

1. It was a great game.
2. This comic was freaking awesome since I understood it.

As usual, Giant's humor is unpredictable (by me at least) and much appreciated.

The_Weirdo

2006-12-12, 09:44 AM

Loved the references...

Any chance at all of us ever getting FF smileys? Would be awesome! :elan:

Also, seems like Cyan is a tad warmer towards Celes in this version (he despised her in the beginning for having been part of the Empire that killed his wife and kid) - then again he DID get closer to her towards the end of FF6. Okay, I'm just being nerdy now. :vaarsuvius:

TBone

2006-12-12, 09:45 AM

If you get it, its an A+ comic, if you don't there are still a few funny parts with Elan's flashback and Thog being well...Thog. Sorry some of you aren't in on the reigndeer game this time.

Also, how does one put a spoiler button up? I wanted to suggest something but don't want to ruin it for everyone...

Neopolis

2006-12-12, 10:07 AM

The last panel with thog in the Moogle suit without the hat on is awesome. It seriously made me crack up. Kudos to you.

Holy_Knight

2006-12-12, 10:17 AM

The second airship was called the Falcon. :smallwink:
Was it the Falcon? That's actually what I had thought, but then I thought that I was confusing it with one of the airships in FFIV, since Edge names one of them Falcon. So they both had that name?

Since this has degenerated into a geek-vs. geek contest let me just say that my first home computer was a Commodore Pet with cassette tape drive. I still have the tape with my first program on it (a 1st ed AD&D character generater in BASIC).:smallsmile: Does that win the geek off?

Oh yeah, well I had a TI Basic! Oh man, I remember playing

--Early Learning Fun
--Addition and Subtraction II
--Parsec (fun spaeship game)
--Munch Man (Pac Man clone)

...and lots of others. I still remember some of the music and sound effects.

For me, as I don't get the jokes (though thank you for those readers who have posted to explain them) this has been the worst comic of the series
Really? Even with all the non-FF-related stuff, like Elan's note and his envisioning of Roy?

As I've said (or imagined I said, it's hard to tell, early in the morning), I prefer text-adventure games, which are almost more primitive than Pong (the true stick-figure of all computer games). Words, nothing but words. Pictures just ruin the really, really, awesome graphics in my brain.
The only problem I have with text adventure games is that it's so often such a struggle to do what you want, because the commands have to be entered in a certain way, and the wording is often not very intuitive. Aside from that, I have no problem with them in principle, and I think they could be fun provided that problem isn't a factor.

And sometimes the dinosaurs ate you before your got the OS to boot. Tech support was never any help with that.
Lol! What a great comment. :smallsmile:

Also, how does one put a spoiler button up? I wanted to suggest something but don't want to ruin it for everyone...
You type "" at the beginning. Then at the end of the spoiler, you type the same thing, but put "/" before the word "spoiler", inside the brackets. Like so:

You can also do the same thing with italics, bold, underlining and other kinds of formats.

And I've ascended 8 characters in nethack without scumsaving (see www.nethack.org (http://www.nethack.org)) . I ain't giving up my geek creds to anyone.
Now that's impressive. This calls for a repost of my spoiler from the other day:

Really attack Asidonhopo? Y/N
Really attack Asidonhopo? Y/N: Y
Asidonhopo gets angry! Asidonhopo hits! Asidonhopo hits!
You miss Asidonhopo. Asidonhopo hits! Asidonhopo hits! Asidonhopo hits!
You die. Asidonhopo gratefully inherits all of your possessions.
[spoiler] Would you like your possessions identified? Y/N

octobergirl

2006-12-12, 10:26 AM

Okay, two things (I haven't read through all the other messages yet, so don't know if someone already said this or not):

#1 - I foresee Elan and Thog stealing again from the costume shop in the near future to help explain that Leprechaun outfit of Thog's? LOL Just a thought I had immediately when I saw the note apologizing for stealing a second time...:smallbiggrin:

#2 - Those outfits that they were in; that they stole the second time.....was that some reference to some kind of anime thing? I don't ever watch anime, so I didn't get it....didn't get the whole "fenix" thing either. Can anyone explain that for me? But that white thing costume for Thog was so weird-cute, it made me literally laugh out loud when I saw it. LOL
(Well, started reading through and got the answers a lot faster than I thought I would. LOL - So they were ALL from Final Fantasy? The characters on the airship, that is...)

2006-12-12, 10:32 AM

Was it the Falcon? That's actually what I had thought, but then I thought that I was confusing it with one of the airships in FFIV, since Edge names one of them Falcon. So they both had that name?

Yes. Many of the airships in the FF series have shared names. For example, the Enterprise airship from FFIV is predated by the sailing ship Enterprise in FFIII, while the ultimate airship was named the Invincible in FFIII, FFV, and FFIX. Incidently, the airship in today's comic actually more closely resembles the Falcon than the Blackjack.

And for X-Codes: Moogles were originally in FFIII. In fact, FFIII came to the states for the first time this year on the DS, so it really hadn't even been translated/altered until then other than fan translations. The FFIII for SNES was actually FFVI, which is the FF referenced in today's comic.

I blame Square and Nintendo of America for making it all so confusing.

Lostboy

2006-12-12, 10:34 AM

Best crossover reference yet! Thank you, Rich! You could have reached into the obvious realms of FFVII or FFVIII, but instead you reached way back to VI, and made my day.

Now I'm just gonna have to wonder what other references to wonderful old-school games might appear from time to time. Perhaps Gauntlet?

:thog: green half-orc need food. badly.
:vaarsuvius: {Magic Missile!}
:thog: awww. red wizard shot the food.

CatKnight

2006-12-12, 10:36 AM

I think the chap with the sword meant "Phoenix" Down.

Other than that though, a really funny comic! I figured out something was amiss with the Attack/Item bit from the guy boarding the airship. :)

TinSoldier

2006-12-12, 10:37 AM

Uzbad

2006-12-12, 10:42 AM

nice one.. Mental image, note.. and FF pun..

the only part they should really do before kicking them from airship, imho, is to go through them usual FF crazy posture/transformation fluff with grids.. ;)

neriana

2006-12-12, 10:55 AM

I think the chap with the sword meant "Phoenix" Down.

No, he meant "Fenix".

Yay, FF6!

AngryGreek

2006-12-12, 11:22 AM

No, he meant "Fenix".

For anyone who has played Japanese video games, they are full of 'Japlish' words and phrases. 'Fenix' is one of those. Yes, we all know that the proper spelling of Phoenix is as shown previous, however, I suspect that the Japanese developers do a better job of Japlish than most of us would do with Enganese :)

For one of the greatest examples of Japlish goodness, please refer to http://allyourbase.planettribes.gamespy.com/video1_view.shtml

Klio

2006-12-12, 11:23 AM

I played Wizardry 1: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord when it first came out, and I wrote a review of it in my local PC User's Group.
Apparently, Wizardry was developed either in my dorm, or by two guys who used to live there and still visited a lot while they were working on it, so by the time I got there the original version was the official dorm game, ready to pounce and eat the brain of any freshman who got near the computer room. I think it fit on a floppy. I recently downloaded a emulator for it. I had to get past a few seconds of "Uhmm... is this all there was to the graphics?" Then I was a little disappointed because it wasn't Wizardry 1--it was 2 or 3 I think--and just wasn't primitive enough :smalltongue:

I am six-thousand years old. Apparently.

Neriana! Are you my neutral twin? (I haven't run across anyone else using this avatar :smallsmile: )

snelson66

2006-12-12, 11:26 AM

Yeah I'll bet this one was hilarious if you understood any of the references.
Too bad it wasn't at all when you don't.

Cryptarch

2006-12-12, 11:32 AM

Giant. I just wanted to let you know, that with this reference, you have cemented your position as my favorite webcomic writer ever. I love your work, but this struck a cord in my heart. :smallwink:
FF VI was the first rpg video game I ever played all the way through, and I've always adored it. I rarely talk to people who even know of it's existance. When I saw the gambler and his airship I shrieked. :smallbiggrin:

Klio

2006-12-12, 11:39 AM

The only problem I have with text adventure games is that it's so often such a struggle to do what you want, because the commands have to be entered in a certain way, and the wording is often not very intuitive. Aside from that, I have no problem with them in principle, and I think they could be fun provided that problem isn't a factor.
That's what I like best about writing them--the challenge of anticipating all the strange things a player might try and, even if nothing advances in the game when the player does something weird like putting pocket fluff in an unlikely receptacle, making sure the game responds in a plausible or entertaining way. You write the entire game, then spend a whoooole lotta time adding flexible vocabulary, synonyms, and reactions. Or, you should--I'm sure a lot of writers don't bother. When in doubt, and the player does something unusual or incomprehensible, a good writer ought to be sure there are a stack of good responses on call or even surprise random rewards; whatever it takes to keep the experience as seamless as possible. (Also, the engines that run the games now must be a lot smarter handling syntax than they used to be.) It's sorta like being a DM with a bunch of frighteningly clever players, only you have to be ready for everything before they get to the table :smallsmile:

I will convert everyone to text-adventure gamers and Interactive Fiction fanatics! It's my new calling...

Now that's impressive. This calls for a repost of my spoiler from the other day
BWAHAHAHA! Omigosh, that reminds me of the very first game I programmed on some primitive coal-burning computer, where I spent ages creating graphics and animations of treasure chests opening up and spilling gold, but when you got to the monsters... yup.

Adeptus

2006-12-12, 11:44 AM

Adept, like Thog, not get references.

I guessed it was a Final Fantasy thing though. Even without playing the games I could recognize the airship theme.

A very nice comic, even without knowing the in-jokes. Elan is really pretty smart when he has to be. That just shows his good natured tomfoolery is for when he is safe and among friends. When he has to consentrate to save Haley and the rest of the OotS he is surprisignly capable.

I hope the little dear doesn't strain his brain. He's being so heroic and resourceful it's absolutely adorable. (hmm... I guess Elan is bringing out my sympathy toward the underdog, and kindness to small furry animals all in one go) :smallsmile:

The Hammer of Thor

2006-12-12, 11:52 AM

Not being a final fantasy player, I missed all of the references, but I still loved 'Roy' being a 'big brother' to Elan. And Thog in the shop. And lots of things really. Good job.

Quartermoon

2006-12-12, 11:59 AM

What I love is this; that the comic was funny without understanding the refrences, and that I could come here and have so many of you explain them to me, thereby making the comic even funnier.

Elan is really growing up here...I hope he retains a little of this resourcefulness in the future, so that Roy's opinion of him can improve. Big brother...sweet.

headwarpage

2006-12-12, 12:01 PM

I'm a huge FF player, ever since the original on my NES, and FFVI is definitely the best of the series, but I have to admit that something about this comic threw me off. I think it's because by FFVI, 'Run' was no longer a menu option. Run as a menu option, coming from a mostly-blue character, made me think of Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest (far inferior to FF, but my very first RPG, back in 1989), and then I was confused about what I was looking at.

Rereading it, though, great references.

cyan220

2006-12-12, 12:02 PM

People who are confused by the Final Fantasy references can probably have most of their questions answered by skimming the first page worth of posts. If that doesn't help, there is always Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VI). Suffice to say, FFVI is widely recognized as one of the greatest video games of all time, and certainly one of the greatest RPGs.

Giant, is there any way that, similar to what was done with the zombie army, you would consider making a wallpaper image of the FFVI characters and airship? Sorry if this question is supposed to go somewhere else.

Jellylu

2006-12-12, 12:12 PM

The irony for me is that having never played a game of D&D (and having only played 1 paper based RPG) i tend to miss or only half understand a lot of the references made in this comic. Its amusingly refreshing to have a reference to final fantasy 6 , a game that i know a lot more about :smallwink:
One of the reasons i love reading OOTS is that despite knowing very little about the subject matter that its parodying i can still enjoy it. Its also educational, little by little instructing me on the ways of D&D.
Is it a bad thing when there is a reference in the comic that you don't understand? yeah a little, but my lack of knowledge of the subject matter means don't get quite a few of the references. Despite this there's still plenty of awsome stuff in the comic to keep me reading for a long time.

Ok i'm done ranting, Thanks for the great comic! long may they continue!

Athalos

2006-12-12, 12:33 PM

The first half was funny with the WWRD thing, but the second one went partly over my head. I had played the game but got sick of it and quit about a 1/3 or a 1/4 into it so i only got a remembered a couple of the characters.

Telonius

2006-12-12, 12:44 PM

:thog: Thog not get references.

I'm with Thog.:smallconfused:

Dane_Bramage

2006-12-12, 12:45 PM

yeah... i didn't get the FF references either... that's why i came looking here. it's okay if i didn't get it... you don't owe me anything, Mr. Giant. I just enjoy the great comic you give us week in and week out.

thank bunches.

Pantler

2006-12-12, 12:48 PM

I'm yet another guy who missed the references... So what? I'm not too familiar with popular American culture (or Japanese, whatever), I often don't get some of the jokes. What do I do then? I either look at this forum or google out what I want to know. It's true that if you didn't get the references, a bit of the comic was spoiled; still, the first part was great, and people who got them probably laughed their buttocks off. And that's perfectly OK for me. Just two things to all you posters:
If you didn't get the references, don't say the comic sucked. You can't satisfy everyone, you know. Next time it may well be the who will LOL, and other guys who won't get it.
And if you did get the references, don't get cocky and look down on other people that simply aren't familiar with this particular piece of popular culture.

Doug Lampert

2006-12-12, 12:53 PM

[quote=Jared_Arcane;1677514]Since this has degenerated into a geek-vs. geek contest let me just say that my first home computer was a Commodore Pet with cassette tape drive. I still have the tape with my first program on it (a 1st ed AD&D character generater in BASIC).:smallsmile: Does that win the geek off?/quote]
No. TSR80 model 1. Program was for D&D characters, what's this new-fangled AD&D of which you speak.

Zephra

2006-12-12, 12:57 PM

:biggrin: That was such a great comic! thanks, Giant!
want to go bowling?
hehehe

Patmos

2006-12-12, 01:10 PM

Oh my God as a Pratt graduate i nearly pissed myself, on that line, fantastic one.

FlawedParadigm

2006-12-12, 01:10 PM

Great Teacher

2006-12-12, 01:10 PM

I wasn't mad at the artist for making the references that I didn't understand. Rather, I was mad at myself for not having played the game in question. Surely I can redeem myself in the eyes of the Giant by purchasing this monumental classic and completing it.

KillerCardinal

2006-12-12, 01:16 PM

But, one thing I have learned: People who like FF like it A WHOLE LOT. Wow. That's some serious love; I'm sure there are things that make me squee that intensely, but, wow, I am awesomely impressed by how much people adore it and want so much for everybody else to love it too :smallbiggrin: And those of us who don't have any interest in FF... we just don't have an interest in it. It's a matter of taste and preferences, not lack of enlightenment. As I've said (or imagined I said, it's hard to tell, early in the morning), I prefer text-adventure games, which are almost more primitive than Pong (the true stick-figure of all computer games). Words, nothing but words. Pictures just ruin the really, really, awesome graphics in my brain.
I personally have no problem with this point of view, as long as you know what you're missing. However, if you haven't actually tried the game, I would seriously suggest getting a copy of Final Fantasy VI, because it really WAS good. I just feel bad that some people might not get the chance to play it, because of a knee jerk reaction against the genre, when they would have really liked it otherwise.

Anyway, thats just my two cents.

PS I never really got a chance to try the text-adventure games, so if you could point me to one of the better made ones, I'd appreciate giving that a go:smallbiggrin:

pendell

2006-12-12, 01:19 PM

Now that's impressive. This calls for a repost of my spoiler from the other day:

Really attack Asidonhopo? Y/N
Really attack Asidonhopo? Y/N: Y
Asidonhopo gets angry! Asidonhopo hits! Asidonhopo hits!
You miss Asidonhopo. Asidonhopo hits! Asidonhopo hits! Asidonhopo hits!
You die. Asidonhopo gratefully inherits all of your possessions.
Would you like your possessions identified? Y/N

Ouch. Yeah, them shopkeepers are tough on lower-level characters. Fortunately, there are a jillion other ways to get stuff out of the shop besides MY preferred method, which is forking over cash and paying for it (NG alignment extends to silly computer games, so sue me).

Of course, if you'd said it was "Itzhak" you'd attacked, I would have to kill you now :) .

Respectfully,

Brian P.

Ryngard

2006-12-12, 01:22 PM

hahaha THANK You Giant! FF3/6 reference RULED! Yay for Cyan (my fav) and... just wow! That was a GREAT memory I had reading that comic. Locke... err... Elan is GREAT now. The past few comics have made me move Elan from "meh... just above Belkar" to "Wow, he's cool now... second to Roy". :)

Please keep Elan with his new Int, voice, and all that jazz. I like him!

Martok

2006-12-12, 01:26 PM

If you didn't get the references, don't say the comic sucked. You can't satisfy everyone, you know. Next time it may well be the who will LOL, and other guys who won't get it.
And if you did get the references, don't get cocky and look down on other people that simply aren't familiar with this particular piece of popular culture.
Well said, Pantler. :smallcool: I didn't get the FF references either, but that's okay; I enjoyed the strip regardless. The Giant has included other inside jokes that not everyone gets (such as this strip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0348.html) with The Princess Bride references), and I'm sure he'll continue to do so. Most of them will be understood and appreciated by some of the readers but not by others.

That's the nature of incorporating humor from other areas of popular culture--no matter how widespread, not all of us are going to get them. Rich has thrown in a lot of non-D&D-related jokes into his strips that I've enjoyed, so I certainly don't feel slighted when he occasionally includes one that I don't get....such as this time. :smallsmile:

NovaSeaker

2006-12-12, 01:29 PM

Aaahahahaha, this was great. Also, the original characters were so super-deformed anyway, their stick versions are almost dead-on.

(Setzer was my favorite!)

CyanCyde

2006-12-12, 01:35 PM

Just read the strip. Love it. Been a FF fan for quite some time, though I'm starting to get away from JRPG's for the most part. The references are absolutely perfect, though. cyde want more references. I thought Thog's "no get references" line was absolutely brilliant; Giant must've seen the "I don't get this reference" crowd a mile away.

Elurindel

2006-12-12, 01:35 PM

FFantastic! This has got to be one of the best comics ever. Yeah, I'm easy when it comes to Final Fantasy references, but VI was one of the best. Just imagine Thog going "kupo!" in a gruff orcy voice! :smallbiggrin:
Then of course, there's a subtle line Elan says where he says he'll never be able to grow facial hair again. I'm positive that that'll come back to haunt him! Giant's always leaving stuff like that littered through the comic for those with high Spot checks to pick up on.

teratorn

2006-12-12, 01:38 PM

What I don't get is that people who've never played D&D read this comic and enjoy it without getting all the references and without causing a fuss.

So why in the name of Ali Larter would people who not get the references of a single strip to some other theme cause a ruckus and say the strip was awful?

I'm going to go check some newspaper obituaries for a friend of mine named Logic...

I agree with you. I didn't get the references and so what? Elan tried to board the flying boat using a cunning plan (this Baldrick-ism I got). Thog of course had to ruin things. Great comic. The notes in the shop, Thog's bubblegum, Thog's suit...

I really don't think that knowing the references would make this funnier. The punchline works for me.

Tharj TreeSmiter

2006-12-12, 01:38 PM

With no nintendo and too old for most of the FF games, I'm definitely in the "Tharj no get references" group.

Kesnit

2006-12-12, 01:39 PM

Let's see. I'm 37, and had the original NES game when it came with a silly robot that stacked coloured spinning disk thingies, anyone remember that? But wait, that wasn't NEARLY my first video game console. I had the PONG game for our TV, what black and white goodness that was! Then, we upgraded to the Atari, compared to the Pong, the Atari was graphical and sound heaven!! Asteroids, Defender, Space Invaders, Missile Command! It was sweetness personified. Then came the Intellivision, and, for a while, the Colecovision. There was lots of video gaming before the NES came out, hell, I used to live in arcades.

Almost the same here. I loved my Atari 2600. Frogger rocked. Warlords was a blast, especially when I realized that I could move my shield faster than the AI (what intelligence?) could move, making it so easy to bash the enemy castles. And of course there was Pitfall - which you were supposed to run left to right, but you could run right to left, meaning if you died, the game just put you past the trap and you could move on. :smallbiggrin:

My parents wouldn't let me have an NES, so I didn't have another console until I bought my Xbox in 2003.

In my 37 years I suspect I have played far more hours of video games than many of the people posting in this thread. Making comments stating that we don't understand the jokes because we don't play video games is a little ridiculous. Not everyone likes Japanese Roleplaying Games (at least not the FF style). I don't find them interesting at all (although yes, I played the first one). A world where people ride around on yellow chickens doesn't interest me a whole lot. I'll take my Japanese entertainment in some good Anime like 'Akira' or 'Ninja Scrolls', thank you very much!

Thank you. I was a little annoyed with the people who were shocked that not everyone has played FF6. (The fact that it's "6" is also a major issue. A game series has to be AMAZING for me to buy 6 - or more - versions of it!)