It's common among RPG fans to lump Star Ocean in with the Tales series. It makes a certain amount of sense, given their shared production origins, but it does a disservice to both. There are key differences between them, even when it might seem otherwise. Take Tales' skits, for example, relative to Star Ocean's Private Actions.
Skits, plentiful and fun, enhance our appreciation of Tales' casts. Private Actions are similar, but they go a step further, tilting players toward potential character endings. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Star Ocean: The Divine Force continues this tradition of importance, so it's critical that you head into it with an understanding of what makes it tick.
What Are Private Actions In Star Ocean?
At many points in the story, your party will split up once you've arrived in a town or similarly safe space. You'll be left with either Raymond or Laeticia to explore with, as dictated by the protagonist you selected at the start of the game. (A bit obvious, probably, but worth mentioning just in case.)
Once this happens, you can interact with your other party members by locating them either by poking around town until you spot them or checking your map for green arrows indicating their location. There's an arrow for the player character as well, so you'll just need to ignore that one is all.
Private Actions can be a tad confusing at first. This is due to the fact that not every interaction your lead will have with their companions is designed as a Private Action. That said, there are a couple of surefire ways to spot the difference. First and foremost, the game will notify you toward the bottom of your screen when a Private Action has triggered. But more than that, there's the matter of how in-depth the discourse becomes.
For the most part, there won't be much by way of back-and-forth during situations that don't count as Private Actions. In fact, oftentimes there won't be any at all. Instead, the character you initiated dialogue with will simply speak a few lines for a touch of added narrative, and the protagonist won't reply. Honestly, rude? But then, that's how it goes all the time in some RPGs, so we suppose it's a matter of degrees. In which case, Ray and Lae aren't so bad.
With that out of the way, we can answer the big question here. Private Actions are deeper conversations between the hero and their various companions that will often tell continuing stories between sessions, sometimes offer dialogue choices, and most importantly, will contribute to Star Ocean: The Divine Force's endings. One of Star Ocean's series staples is the opportunity to witness pairings between characters as supplemental portions of the epilogue. The contents of this supplemental scene are determined by whom the lead character has become closest with.
Why Private Actions Matter
Trophy hunters will instantly be drawn toward these. Nabbing Star Ocean: The Divine Force's ultimate achievement involves getting every ending with both Ray and Laeticia. Undoubtedly, this is the most involved part of the challenge, as theওre are eight potential pairings for each, totaling 16.
Fret not, by the way. This doesn't mean you need to replay Star Ocean: The Divine Force 15 times. It's possible to manipulate relationships in your favor toward the tail end, though it requires stringing along — ahem, we mean being nice — to everyone along the way and then taking those last few steps toward bliss from a saved file before the finale.
Not everyone is all that worked up over trophies/achievements, and that's totally fair. But each ending is enjoyable in its own right, and it's worth seeing as many as possible. Many veteran Star Ocean fans' favorite memories involve seeing the casts hook up in different ways; they aren't always romantic, even, but frequently platonic! It's a lot of fun, and often forms the emotional core of everything that transpires following the final fight.
The Anatomy Of A Private Action
It can be useful to understand what goes down during Private Actions. As we previously mentioned, some (though not all) involve player-based decisions that will impact an ally's opinion of your hero. Pay close attention, because these dialogue choices will pop up somewhat abruptly, and they're on a timer. Inaction will lead to a 'default' answer, and these are only sometimes the best pick.
How can you tell which option is optimal? It's simply a matter of getting to know everyone and ascertaining their likes and dislikes. Bashful Albaird and easygoing Raymond are two very different people, so Laeticia players will benefit from behaving somewhat differently toward them. It could be argued that this is a form of metagaming; if you'd really rather 'role-play' your lead in a particular fashion, just know that you're destined for a particular ending pairing by proxy. Who that special someone is will be determined by what exactly that idea of the most fitting replies might be.
More than anything, understand that it's imperative that you take the time to re-enter towns regularly during story portions involving the town and/or nearby locations. Many Private Actions aren't available when you're there the first time, but can be triggered if you exit and then return once you're capable of doing so.
What will happen if you miss a beat with someone? You've lost the chance to max out their affection, but that doesn't mean all hope is lost. Just continue to get along great with them as best as possible, and if you're truly worried, save your game before interactions so that you can determine everyone's conversational preferences without the stress of fully committing to anything.