Game Length

[GenesisOne]

Now, I know that the game at its maximum is good for 20-30 hours of gameplay, far shorter than the traditional 70-100 hours of gameplay for others at the time.

Let's do a little Gedanken experiment. 

Say you were drafted to the SE scenario design team for Chrono Trigger during its development stage (what a dream that would be).  In an odd twist of fate, the production and programming schedule has allowed your deparment to extend the scenarios and make the game longer.

Now for the Fated Hour.  Based on your current collective knowledge of the game and its numerous details, both minute and colossal, what scenarios would you add to extend the game to a full 70-100 hours of traditional RPG length?

[kingpingu30]

I would personally put in other smaller sidequests throughout the game. And beef up the difficulty, so that more levelling up would be needed (which is what adds time to an average RPG playthrough) In the Fated Hour, I would probably add an actual quest for Ayla, which could involve Singing Mountain or something. Also, a Magus quest would be needed. Maybe, it could be in the Future, within the ruins of his old castle, or maybe the ruins of the Ocean palace, tracing a clue as to the whereabouts of Schala (Obviously a wild goose chase)

[ONSLAUGHT]

A.) Something for Ayla. Um, in preparation for the Ice Age, all the villagers need to collect supplies. Everyone spreads out throughout the prehistoric age. But all the remaining reptites jump them and it's up to you to rescue them! Kino is trapped by the boss!
B.) Maybe a tower in the the Dark Ages underwater, the fallen Zeal. Filled with Zombie Zeals. They're going rise from the ocean and kill the survivors unless you go down and block them off with a magical sealing spell that can only be activated from the throne room. So you must fight your way through everywhere!
C.) Crono's father who abandoned the family when Crono was a boy returns. Unfortunately he has found a weapon of pure evil and is causing havoc everywhere. Follow his path and eventually find him in Truce. Commence epic battle before Leene's Bell.
D.) A rival for Lucca comes in from Porre or Choras or somewhere else saying they have a better robot than Gato and they challenge him to a duel. To get gato ready, 3 supplies are needed. Oil (get from Taban who needs it from an imp in Medina who'll give it up for either $10,000 or defeating his Omnicrone friend), Wrench(Taban lent it to a dancer from the Guardia Festival who'll give it to you if you can beat him in a dance off), and the Steel Glove(obtained by telling Melchior to come with you to the Truce and you must guard him from some powerful robots built by Lucca's rival throughout the cave with a super robot at the end awakening a demon mystic which you fight for a boss battle). Afterward play as Gato in an Arena styled battle with the other robot.
E.) A big race is going down in 2300 AD with more than just Johnny competing! Get in the bike and race against 3 others! The prize is a super powerful arm attatchment for droids.
F.) One grudge holding mystic brings forth the corpse of a warrior in 600 AD... Cyrus! Cyrus now wields a powerful hell bent sword and armor and is causing destruction everywhere. He attacks Porre and it's up to you to stop him before he does anything somebody might regret(HINT HINT piss off Porre, giving Dalton an excuse to portal jump his way in and tell them Guardia sent him).
That's what I've got right now. I might think of better stuff later, dunno.

[ZaichikArky]

Hm, well I think 20-30 hours is fine, especially considering some people take more time on it doing all the endings. I don't like RPGs to be insanely long and anything over 30 hours is really pushing it for me. I think that in those days, wasn't 20-30 hours the norm? Especially with Square games? I remember FF 6 not taking me any longer than CT. Actually all the old FF games took shorter, it seemed...

[kingpingu30]

Another reason for the 30 hour gameplay is because of the New game + feature they added, and basically invented. Nobody would want to play for 60 hours+ and then do it again. 30 hours new game add 30 hours NG+=60 hour game. And, 60 hours is usually a playthrough where you do everything (well, for me anyway) So, the game isn't short, it just has a LOT of replay value. And you should be hooked enough to play it again.

[Zephira]

I really like those sidequests that Onslaught thought up. They'd probably be more fun if they were only accessible in NG+, and completely optional. Maybe a NG+ would make Lavos stronger than in a normal playthrough (or just do the Dream Devourer) and these extra quests are supposed to prepare you for that. You should be able to choose if you want to do NG+ Hard Type (stronger Lavos/Dream Devourer and all those extra quests) or NG+ Easy Mode (CT's original NG+).
Too bad nothing can be done about that now

[ZaichikArky]

I didn't get terribly far in the NG + except to earn all the endings. I always found the Lavos fight really annoying because it didn't give you any experience points and it was impossible to level up from it. So it really wouldn't benefit you on your next NG + anyway : (.

[kingpingu30]

I didn't get terribly far in the NG + except to earn all the endings. I always found the Lavos fight really annoying because it didn't give you any experience points and it was impossible to level up from it. So it really wouldn't benefit you on your next NG + anyway : (.

Yes, but some people (Including myself) would do the NG+ for kicks and because it was quite fun to kill all the enemies in 1 shot, almost like cheating without the cheating, if you get me. And optional NG+ quests would be a good idea for the playets who do replay for kicks.

I usually find it difficult to level up in NG+, but maybe thats because I am always lv** by the time i start one

[Zephira]

You don't need to level up from the Lavos battle, just do all your levelling up on the Geno Dome conveyor belt. I've got two characters into ** and others into their nineties from just that.

[kingpingu30]

Oh, the good ol' Geno Dome Conveyor Belt... You could spend days there... I actually wish they gave you a reason to level up there other than just for kicks. You don't even need to extensively train for OP Lavos...

[V_Translanka]

None. Why would I risk damaging a legend? The length is fine. I'd rather have a game that's so great I wish there was more than a game that was great but long-winded.

[ONSLAUGHT]

I really like those sidequests that Onslaught thought up. They'd probably be more fun if they were only accessible in NG+, and completely optional. Maybe a NG+ would make Lavos stronger than in a normal playthrough (or just do the Dream Devourer) and these extra quests are supposed to prepare you for that. You should be able to choose if you want to do NG+ Hard Type (stronger Lavos/Dream Devourer and all those extra quests) or NG+ Easy Mode (CT's original NG+).
Too bad nothing can be done about that now

Thanks! I trieds to think for all the worlds and something for everyone. Namely Ayla(as much as I also agree with V's comment, that'd be the exception Ayla needed something).

As for the other ideas, YES. I actually have an RPG idea I'm making with a very concept like that!

[V_Translanka]

Ayla's something is every time you're in the Prehistoric era. *shrugs*