Critique on Two Final Fantasy VII Chocobo Maps

Both of these maps represent where to find chocobos, a large bird in the video game Final Fantasy VII. Knowledge of all the locations of the various types of chocobos and chocobo items is important for one of the biggest side quests in the game. The game world is simply known as “the Planet.” Although both of these maps are of a fantasy world, they seem to be done in the same projection, a cylindrical projection, possibly similar to Mercator. I know this, because I have played the game many times, and in game, the world map can be shown as both a flat map and a globe. The distortion of the flat map in comparison to the globe is similar to that of cylindrical projection maps I see of Earth. Also, both maps seem to have a bit of graphic editing, although the map from ffcompendium.com has simply enough to show a few locations on the map, possibly done in Microsoft Paint, while the map from cavesofnarshe.com has much more advanced editing, likely done in Adobe Photoshop.

The map from cavesofnarshe.com is more comprehensive about having all the locations where the player can catch different types of chobobos than the map from ffcompendium.com. Although both maps tell the reader where to find the chocobos that are suitable for breeding, the map from cavesofnarshe.com also shows the places where to find chocobos that are not suitable for breeding. In Final Fantasy VII, chocobos have other uses than simply for breeding. For example, particularly for a new player, it would be beneficial to know where chobobos are around the Midgar-Kalm area, the area near the Chocobo Farm in the cavesofnarshe.com map, because there is a nasty monster that the player can move around without having to fight, if the player has a chocobo to ride.

The map from ffcompendium.com is better about showing where to find chocobo breeding items though. In particular, it shows where you can steal the Zeio and Carob Nuts, which are vital for breeding higher-end chocobos later in the game. Even though cavesofnarshe.com provides a walkthrough about where to find these items, the locations are not specifically shown on the map.

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