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Wanting to try Final Fantasy XIII on Steam. What do I need to know?

Temtastic Muns

Temtastic Muns

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Apr 19, 2018
7,524
I've always been on and off again with the game throughout the years (and never till completion), but having watched Digital Foundry's recent excellent DF Retro episode of Final Fantasy XIII makes me want to give it a try for the first time on PC. I did have questions I'm hoping can be addressed before pulling the trigger though.

My setup is as follows: RTX 2060 / i5-9400F @ 2.90GHz / 16 GB RAM

Does the game run uncapped and at 60fps out the box, and do you think my PC is enough to handle it? Or are there workarounds I'll need to look into?

Any mod suggestions? DF mentions there are fixes for higher FMV playback, higher-res models, and gameplay tweaks. Can folks point me to the best ones to use, and do you think they would be a big hit on performance for a setup such as mine?

Going forward, if I decide to give XIII-2 and Lightning Returns a go as well, are the PC ports also considered the definitive ways to play, or are the console versions on current gen just as viable?

Any other PC-specific issues or quirks I should know about too? Thanks!
 
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Liam Allen-Miller

Liam Allen-Miller

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Nov 2, 2017
7,236
Shibuya
Definitely turn up the volume. There are a few missables in FFXIII (possibly the others as well) but there are plenty of guides that cover them well. If you care about achievements, don't sell any equipment at shops in FFXIII!

I've only played the PS3 versions, so I don't have any real PC advice but I hope you enjoy them, OP!
 
Ifrit

Ifrit

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Oct 27, 2017
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I'd like to know this too, one of the few single player FF I still have left to play
 
Buttonbasher

Buttonbasher

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Dec 4, 2017
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Don't hit the ESC key, it instantly closes the game (or at least that was the case for the first few years).
 
super-famicom

super-famicom

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Oct 26, 2017
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Milennia

Milennia

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Your machine will be fine with this game, it released on 360/PS3 and you blow them out of the water even with a 2060, should have a locked 60+
 
Ifrit

Ifrit

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Oct 27, 2017
1,130
I think I read that when going over 60 fps, the characters lips started to move faster when speaking on cutscenes or something like that
 
Leo

Leo

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Oct 27, 2017
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The first half is great if you don't mind linear games and use the story log to keep up with the plot. The second half feels aimless and the plot loses itself but that's most FFs really. Overall it's an okay game, better than what people give it credit for.
 
Buttonbasher

Buttonbasher

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Dec 4, 2017
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Jaded Alyx said:
Right but I was wondering if there were any differences due to it being a much later port/version, a bit like what happened with Nier Automata.
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Oh, yeah looks like that's the case:
www.resetera.com

Final Fantasy XIII's PC (Game Pass) seems to be a different new build

Is there a mod that replaces snow with a funny kangaroo? Nope, but he basically does that to himself in XIII-2, and then becomes a sad brooding kangaroo in XIII-3.
www.resetera.com www.resetera.com
This thread seems mixed on the specifics though.
Truno said:
Playing on Steam right now for the first time, can confirm this is not true
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Oh good! I lost a lot of progress in the original version by trying to find the pause menu and immediately closing the exe. Glad that's fixed.
 
Evoker

Evoker

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Oct 25, 2017
1,096
I just played through it. Read the glossary whenever it updates. The game assumes you will. Without doing that, you will be lost on terminology and lore that they assume you know going into cutscenes.
 
Yappa

Yappa

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Oct 25, 2017
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super-famicom said:
You want to make the game and its cutscenes look good? Download these mods ( ~93 GB)! I did it last year and had a good time!

www.nexusmods.com

The FF XIII HD Project

Improves the visual quality of game for HD and UHD resolutions.
www.nexusmods.com www.nexusmods.com

www.nexusmods.com

FF XIII HD Full Motion Video - English

1080p replacement movies (FMVs) - English version
www.nexusmods.com www.nexusmods.com
or
www.nexusmods.com

FF XIII HD Full Motion Video - Japanese

1080p replacement movies (FMVs) - Japanese 1080p交換用ムービー
www.nexusmods.com www.nexusmods.com
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Are these on par with what Microsoft did with the Xbox version cutscenes that they supposedly improved?
 
Ashes of Dreams

Ashes of Dreams

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May 22, 2020
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Evoker said:
I just played through it. Read the glossary whenever it updates. The game assumes you will. Without doing that, you will be lost on terminology and lore that they assume you know going into cutscenes.
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I disagree with this completely. On my first playthrough I didn't read the codex/glossary thing and all of the major concepts are explained in-game via dialogue and context clues. On my second playthrough I made sure to read every entry in detail and the only new things I learned were background lore about the settings. It's good background lore I do recommend people read of course so the reading IS worthwhile to enhance the experience but it is not at all mandatory for understanding the plot.
 
super-famicom

super-famicom

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StereoVSN

StereoVSN

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iu
 
No Depth

No Depth

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Oct 27, 2017
19,125
Re achievements: Basically don't sell anything. Chances are you will likely avoid the full achievement dream anyway as one of the most challenging trophies demands excessive grinding. It's insane really.

There is a trophy for getting/crafting all items. I forget exactly, but even after doing everything possible in the game, I had easily 10+ hours of grinding adamantoise foes in the endgame for rare drops in order to craft the gear to unlock this stupid trophy. Only one I needed left and it sucked.

Even with a plan in place I created a spreadsheet at the time to cover all mats I needed to grind for to craft/buy all items remaining to earn, and it was insane. I calculated between 10-15hours of pure mat grinding against same foes and decided to give up the dream.

Beyond that issue, I really enjoyed the game(music is sublime!!), though the story and characters are some of the worst in the franchise and genre. Just awful writing.

I didn't mind its linearity so much and the endgame opens up with a lot of fun optional encounters that really test your combat prep loadout. Just a snappy and visually interesting experience that suffers from a poor story and script more than anything.
 

Atom

Member
Jul 25, 2021
13,298
FF13fix and basically nothing else tbh. The other mods make things look nicer, but not that much nicer, and take up a lot of space.

FF13-2 has its own fix, but you'll still get ocassional drops when moving from one part of each map to another.
Lightning Returns is mostly fine out of the box but the two major towns in the game have very clear loading stutter that iirc was noticeable even on the ps3/360. 30 fps in 13-2 and 3 makes it much less noticeable.

Jaded Alyx said:
Right but I was wondering if there were any differences due to it being a much later port/version, a bit like what happened with Nier Automata.
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I think in the thread from around when it was released, general consensus was basically all of the issues with the original game seem to remain, though it might be marginally more performant.

It also supports Japanese language out of the box whereas on Steam you have to use a mod for that unless you have the Asia region version.

RobbRivers said:
Is lightning returns interesting to play or missable?
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It's a phenomenal game in terms of systems. Customize 3 gear loadouts with as much or as little synergy as you want -- in essence a very flexible class system with a lot of build depth. Stagger system now has successive stagger stages. Game is basically open world "here go and kill these 4 bosses before time runs out". Limited numbers of enemies and they will give you better rewards as time goes on but become more difficult, so you need to strike a balance with how you approach them. You also need to exctinctify every species in order to make the superboss and its dungeon a cakewalk. You only become stronger by doing sidequests, so you have to sort of play optimal routes that will let you get the highest bang for buck in terms of stat increases, though the game gives you enough time to do all of them with time to spare. Consumables are limited in battle. It's all very very cool and the systems come together in interesting ways.

The story is largely whatever, though some sidequests and main story set pieces are pretty good, and the final boss in particular is awesome. It's a phenomenally weird end to the series and I can't help but respect it for that.

Closest thing there is to a Valkyrie Profile 3.
 
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Evoker

Evoker

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Oct 25, 2017
1,096
Ashes of Dreams said:
I disagree with this completely. On my first playthrough I didn't read the codex/glossary thing and all of the major concepts are explained in-game via dialogue and context clues. On my second playthrough I made sure to read every entry in detail and the only new things I learned were background lore about the settings. It's good background lore I do recommend people read of course so the reading IS worthwhile to enhance the experience but it is not at all mandatory for understanding the plot.
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For me, I felt like characters would drop terms left and right without much explanation, making it hard to truly understand what's going on in regards to the main conflict. Reading the codex helped solidify those concepts and made me appreciate the story more.
 
Ashes of Dreams

Ashes of Dreams

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Evoker said:
For me, I felt like characters would drop terms left and right without much explanation, making it hard to truly understand what's going on in regards to the main conflict. Reading the codex helped solidify those concepts and made me appreciate the story more.
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There are only three fantasy terms the game invents and they're all explained. Two of them are used in dialogue before the explanation comes but that's true of like... every fantasy story. I'm sorry but I just never understood this complaint. It always felt so dramatically blown out of proportion to me. I suppose it's good they have the codex there for those that struggled with the terms, of course. I just don't get when people claim it's mandatory, it's definitely not.
 
CutieYuri

CutieYuri

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Oct 7, 2022
922
Earlier this year, I downloaded and installed FF13 on Steam with the FF13fix and mods mentioned in post #5 and this is what my FFXIII folder looks like now, lol. I've got the space and specs for it, so why not.

zZGladc.jpg
 
Yeona

Yeona

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Jan 19, 2021
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RobbRivers said:
Is lightning returns interesting to play or missable?
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It's heavily inspired by Valkyrie Profile and Majora's Mask. It's an extremely unsafe kind of sequel that was already attached to a trilogy that had grossly underperformed after its initial project was totally scrapped -- this allowed the team to really go all out creatively with what was already presumed to be somewhat of a failure.

I think it's a fantastic game to play at least the one time. It's batshit insane in all the best kind of ways.
 
Lukar

Lukar

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I'm in the middle of a modded playthrough. This is what I'm using:

- FF13Fix
- 4GB patch
- HD Models Plus
- 4K cutscenes with PS3 audio
- Xbox 360 button prompts
- shorter first Paradigm Shift animation
- default input prompts set to controller
- louder BGM to match the original console versions

I'm using a mod manager called Nova Chrysalia, which works with all three games in the trilogy, and was made by the same person who made the button prompt mod I linked above. I think it's only available to download on their Discord server:


View: https://twitter.com/krisanthyme/status/1385290876138708994

The download is in the announcements channel, along with a link to all of the core mods for the trilogy. (Console button prompt mods for all three games, shorter Paradigm Shift in XIII, the DLC missing from the PC versions of XIII-2 and Lightning Returns, a rain fix for XIII-2, and a bunch others) The 4K cutscene and HD models mods on Nexus have versions available to use with Nova Chrysalia, while the other ones I listed were shared in the releases channel by the people who made them.

I'm only installing the cutscenes as I progress through the game, though. They take up too much space for me lol
 
OP
OP
Temtastic Muns

Temtastic Muns

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Apr 19, 2018
7,524
Thanks for the responses all! So it looks like FF13Fix is at least an essential add-on?

I believe I should be able to afford the hard drive space, but I guess I'll see what the game's graphical makeup looks like by default before splurging on these admittedly huge graphics mods.

Milennia said:
Your machine will be fine with this game, it released on 360/PS3 and you blow them out of the water even with a 2060, should have a locked 60+
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Kevers said:
You'd think.
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Hm, well I did read that the game can be pretty taxing on CPU. Mind, those might have been reports from several years back when the port was just released, so I'm hoping my i5-9400F will be up to snuff.
 
Vimes

Vimes

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Oct 25, 2017
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Play with Japanese VO, there's a chance you might actually halfway like some of the characters that way.
 
Evoker

Evoker

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Ashes of Dreams said:
There are only three fantasy terms the game invents and they're all explained. Two of them are used in dialogue before the explanation comes but that's true of like... every fantasy story. I'm sorry but I just never understood this complaint. It always felt so dramatically blown out of proportion to me. I suppose it's good they have the codex there for those that struggled with the terms, of course. I just don't get when people claim it's mandatory, it's definitely not.
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Oh, it's all good! I personally just felt like it helped me understand portions of the story that I was still a bit unclear on. With the codex, there's really no reason to have any confusion when trying to understand the story, so I'm glad they included it in the game. Plus, the extra bits of lore just adds to the world building and I think helps you understand why the group treks the paths they do.
 
Odesu

Odesu

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Oct 26, 2017
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Just hope you have a second monitor to get you through pressing the A and Forward Button for about 20 hours
 

devSin

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Oct 27, 2017
6,226
Temtastic Muns said:
Thanks for the responses all! So it looks like FF13Fix is at least an essential add-on?
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Correct. You don't need any other mods; the game holds up extremely well (just force AF in your driver control panel; you may need to set the performance settings to performance/balanced so that the GPU doesn't throttle all the time, introducing stutters for every scene that needs a little more juice).

With the game settings, set shadows to 2048x (the higher settings break filtering entirely), and set MSAA to whatever you want (there's basically no cost for it, but there's also no real visual distinction between the two highest settings).

There's nothing wrong with the videos either. It's just a different encoding from the PS3 version so looks slightly different (but they're still native 720p, not like the 360's compressed garbage videos).

Temtastic Muns said:
Hm, well I did read that the game can be pretty taxing on CPU. Mind, those might have been reports from several years back when the port was just released, so I'm hoping my i5-9400F will be up to snuff.
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The game barely touches the CPU and GPU. It just has a truly awful frame pacer that demolishes performance (which ff13fix disables).

There are still engine limitations that can keep you from 60 fps on moderate systems in some scenes, but with the mod, you're looking at 50+ the entire time even then.
 
Ombretoile

Ombretoile

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Take your time. Don't rush. Play it with mods and 4K and HDR if you can.

Can't wait to read your impressions ! I loved that game.
 
Dinjoralo

Dinjoralo

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Oct 25, 2017
10,507
Temtastic Muns said:
Thanks for the responses all! So it looks like FF13Fix is at least an essential add-on?

Hm, well I did read that the game can be pretty taxing on CPU. Mind, those might have been reports from several years back when the port was just released, so I'm hoping my i5-9400F will be up to snuff.
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Absolutely, FF13Fix is a must to make the game run consistently on any system.

The thing with the CPU usage is that the game is single-threaded. The game only uses one of your CPUs cores for absolutely everything, which means it's highly dependent on your CPU having fast single-core speeds. I think 2.9 GHz might be juuuuust enough for a stable 60 FPS?
 
Pyro

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The whole "it's linear/a hallway" isn't a meme or being reductive.

Started up a fresh play through last week with a brand new copy on my PS3 and loved the combat…until it and the intermittent cutscene was seemingly all the game had to offer after 9 straight hours. I'm struggling to get myself to go back considering it's my 3rd or 4th attempt to get into it and I know it won't open up until another like 11 hours or something.
 
Buttonbasher

Buttonbasher

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Pyro said:
The whole "it's linear/a hallway" isn't a meme or being reductive.
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This is how I felt about Final Fantasy X after finally playing that for the first time last year (having played XIII first). It didn't bother me in either instance, but it was just strange how similar I found both of those games, given that XIII gets the brunt of the 'Hallway' complaints.
 
RGB

RGB

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Nov 13, 2017
696
There are command line options that override the limited choices in the launcher. So, if you want you can get 4k scaled correctly on a 1440p display, without even using any mods at all.
Code: 
-FullScreenMode=Force -Width=3840 -Height=2160 -Shadow=2048 -MSAA=16
I've been playing though, inspired by the recent Digital Fountry retrospective, and this in a shortcut to launch the game (or in the Steam command line options, either is fine) has been all I've needed to have it running smoothly.

The HD models are neat, too, if you do want to do a little modding.
 
Rikster

Rikster

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FF13 FIX for sure, sucks I didn't use the HD texture mods. But I literally just did a playthrough of this game on pc last year. I have a ton of issues with this game like a lot of people, but I really enjoyed it overall. Music and combat really grabbed me.


Also pro tip don't sell any equipment.
 
RGB

RGB

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Hitting ESC got an "Are you sure Y/N?" dialog added at some point. Little crude in that it's a standard Windows message box but it does the job.
 
Dlanor A. Knox

Dlanor A. Knox

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Buttonbasher said:
This is how I felt about Final Fantasy X after finally playing that for the first time last year (having played XIII first). It didn't bother me in either instance, but it was just strange how similar I found both of those games, given that XIII gets the brunt of the 'Hallway' complaints.
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I'm more forgiving with FFX because it was a PS2 game, but also because even though it was linear, it still felt like you were traversing a huge world filled with life.
There were a lot of npcs to talk to, villages, towns, etc. XIII has almost no NPC to talk to, no villages or towns, nothing. It's just a giant hallway from start to finish with very few moments to rest. (except gran pulse but even that had no npc or towns)
Thankfully the sequels fixed that though, I absolutely adore FF13-2 in particular, it's one of my favorite FF games.
 

Deleted member 81119

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Buttonbasher said:
This is how I felt about Final Fantasy X after finally playing that for the first time last year (having played XIII first). It didn't bother me in either instance, but it was just strange how similar I found both of those games, given that XIII gets the brunt of the 'Hallway' complaints.
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Except that whilst X has long linear segments, it is not entirely linear. Up until the Mi'ihen Highroad the game is not linear, Mushroom Rock, Macalania and Bickanel are not linear. The Calm Lands isn't either, but then that's proto-gran pulse. And that's before we even talk about the fact that X uses side quests and towns to break up the linearity. The 'its just like X' argument isn't accurate. X is a linear game, but its not even close to XIIIs levels of linearity.

EDIT: I'm just gonna edit this because I feel it comes across as me arguing with you. I do agree with you about the similar feeling. And that's what's frustrating about XIII. Some fundamental mistakes are what brings it down. The fundamental formula of the game does work, as proved with X
 
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