Long time no see! This time we're discussing the Sidebar, a little bit at the left that shows a character's thoughts, ideas, icons, internal conversations, and other things. This is a way for the player to see the interactions between Party Members in the Real World. This shows off the quotes that happen whenever a spectating Party Member remembers something, how the Party Members feel about different choices the player makes in conversations, how they feel about things, etc. It scrolls by automatically as messages come in, sort of like a chat room of sorts, so you don't have to worry about skipping through a ton of text boxes. Something fun that can happen is how they respond if you check something over and over. Take a barrel, for instance, with the Main Character checking it a bunch.
1) M: A barrel. There's nothing in it, sadly.
2) M: Same barrel. Still nothing in it.
3) M: Yep. A barrel.
4) (High-Affinity Party Member): Hey, it's the same barrel. You're interested in it, huh?
5) L (If found): Yo, stop this nonsense. It's still empty.
5) M (If Lloyd's not found yet): Something's drawing me to this empty barrel. It's so boring, though...
6) [You've checked this enough. It's time to stop.]
It'll work similarly for most objects.
In battle, you might get different Party Members responding to different actions. Those not spectating, when hit, might exclaim "Hey, you doing alright out there??" Other examples, to keep this shorter, are...
Not Spectating
Low Health: Hey, is everything alright? Things are shaking...
Low Energy: The lights are flickering. Please don't pass out...
Low Stamina: Why is everything moving in slowwww moootiooonnnnnnnn...?
Passing out: This could be bad... Good night?
Spectating
Low Health: Hey, watch out! You're hurting a lot...
Low Energy: Try to stay awake, just a little longer!
Low Stamina: Go easy on yourself, try to rest up!
Passing out: I'll brace myself. Don't sleep long, please...
In Control
Low Health: Agh! I need to heal...
Low Energy: Sleep could do well for me...
Low Stamina: Whoa, I need to sit down...
Passing out: *Yawn* Mmmm... Don't hit me, please~
Of course, there will be variance, depending on different Party Members and a bunch of other things. Let's just say I hope you won't see a ton of repeats until a decent bit of time spent in-game.
Also, none of this is voiced. It's all text. So no need to worry about having 5 Navis shouting "Watch out! Hey! Listen!" a whole bunch.
Until next time!
-Josh
