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What are Quells exactly?
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Nov 23, 2014 07:28
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Hitlers Gay Secret posted:What are Quells exactly? Artifacts found in ruins all over the world. They have greater amounts of Anima in them, essentially making them superpowered Tools.
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Nov 23, 2014 07:37
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Yeah, Quell is just the setting's catch-all term for "unique artifact", more or less. They don't break because they're special, and they're possibly only special because they don't break. Naturally, there's quite a few (like the Firebrand you saw in Gustave's scenes) that are special for other reasons, but that doesn't apply to all of them.
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Nov 23, 2014 10:46
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In real world terms, the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail would fall under the definition of a Quell, especially if we're going by the versions in Indiana Jones.
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Nov 23, 2014 16:26
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Hitlers Gay Secret posted:What are Quells exactly? In-game, infinite-use items that usually have an element (sometimes more) that you can draw awesome spells out of. In-story, they're generally treated as MacGuffins.
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Nov 23, 2014 23:11
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Wil's Desert Megalith tomorrow, followed by Gustave's Reunion on Wednesday. I'll probably be traveling this Thanksgiving weekend, and the Knights update after that one is a two-parter due to having multiple variations and a lot of talking, so updates will probably resume on the following Monday. (Also because of Tales of Hearts and the new Smash Bros and the impending release of Persona Q. At least we're coming up on a series of Gustave updates, they're good for buffer-building) This is also a good time for a reminder on the spoiler policy. We're coming up on two big moments that I absolutely do not want spoiled, so let's not slip up here.
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Nov 23, 2014 23:18
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I, too, had this game as a child. I still have the case somewhere, horribly broken because I think someone stepped on it at some point. Never beat it. I could never get my head around how to reliably restock once all my tools broke or were close to breaking, though. Never worked it out. I could also never work out how to reliably access all the optional chapters. Sometimes they showed up, sometimes they wouldn't. The soundtrack to the whole game is wonderful.
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Nov 23, 2014 23:43
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Desert Megalith (1236) Seeking answers about his parents' death, Wil heads into the desert. 1235 Wil journeys to the Desert Megalith Wil decides to solve the mystery of the Desert Megalith but is unsuccessful.   (Novel)   Wil!! You're back already!? You found a Quell, didn't you?  Here. Good, that's our boy. Aunty, you know about Alexei Sergein, right? Yes... What about Alexei? He was in Westia... I mean... I heard he was there. I'm going back to Westia now to meet Alexei. What are you going to do once you see him? I want to ask him about my father and mother. And about that Egg-shaped Quell.  (She turns towards the stair on the last word.)   Wil is a big boy now; it's about time we told him, right? I told you that I would tell him when the time comes, you fool. Oh well, what's done is done. So how much did you tell him, dear? All I've heard is that, on that day, Alexei had come visiting, and, a little while later, Alexei and the Quell had vanished. After that... Wil, you don't have to remember. Wil!! Wil, pull yourself together! I'm alright, Aunty. I can't remember for sure. That's why I need to see Alexei. No way. At least, not just yet. Before we meet Alexei, there are a couple of things we need to make clear. Your father and the three Sergein brothers left for the desert together. Only my brother and Alexei returned. And that Egg...I've always wondered what exactly happened in that desert. Since then, I decided to wait until you came of age so we could explore that desert together.  Dear, look after the house while we're gone. You're not an adventurer, so it's best to stay put.   You get control at this point. Aunt Nina and Uncle Paul each have one more line if you talk to them. It's been a while since I went on an adventure. I'm just itching with excitement. Please hurry back...As the text suggests, Aunt Nina has joined up.  Aunt Nina is pretty badass for this point. Like Narcisse, she's a mage; unlike Narcisse, she's pretty much given up on even pretending she uses a weapon. Sadly there's no Tree-Water-Stone offensive magic, but she's strong in two of the elements of both Heaven's Thunder and Incineration, so she's quite capable out of the box. The Silk Toga she's wearing is a good early armor, having 8 Defense, 4 Magical Defense, and adding +10 SP and +1 SPR. You can buy them in Gruegel, but there's no real point. Her Role is Recovery, multiplying the healing from Water or Life Water by 1.50. This would be great in a different game, or if there was a multi-target healing spell, but... Oh well. Stepping outside puts you just outside of Wil's house, where the cutscene was at the start of Wil's Departure. Stepping outside there...  (Dithyramb) A dithyramb is, depending on context, either a hymn song in praise of Dionysius, an epithet of the god, or other poetry whose energy or form evokes a dithyramb to Dionysius.  ...reveals that the house is apparently just outside of Thermes, the royal city of the Finney family. Remember the parade up the street in Gustave Born and the long walk out in Gustave Exiled? That's Thermes. Interesting choice of name for the town's music, considering that Thermes seems more uptight than drunk and disorderly, but what do I know about soundtrack naming? We have no real business there, but there's shops.  The Rubber Soles, as you'd expect, provide much greater defense against lightning. What you probably wouldn't expect is for that "greater defense" to be 37 Lightning Defense, which is pretty ridiculous! I pick up a pair for something later.  The other shop is generic. Caster Armor is nice, but it's not nice enough to bother buying. You can also enter a bar on the way, but that'll pop up in a later scenario. The only bit of interesting townspeople dialogue in the town or bar is one particular woman.  Gustave picked a fine place to be born, didn't he? (Novel) Off to Westia. The people around town have nothing in particular to say, though one man says Gruegel is nice and another mentions a high-speed boat to the Southern Continent near Westia.  The official explanation for using LP to fuel Arts you can't afford. I guess the increased use of willpower to keep going explains the scaling on Spells and Martial Arts? Also the waitress says the lunch spells are all sold out. Aww  In an incredibly convenient coincidence, our three party members from last time are all visiting the bar. There's no difference based on who you talk to and when.  We'll be heading for the Southern Continent soon. First, we'll head to Gruegel, and then start the trek from there.  All the way to Gruegel... I've heard stories, but I've never been there myself. If you talk to her again, her line is: Wow, the Southern Continent... It'll be my first time there.  What would a digger want in the Southern Continent? There are no Quells there. I want to go to the Desert Megalith. You're talking about that legend, huh? It's not a legend. My father has been there. I have to go see for myself, what my father saw. The Desert Megalith... If you really want me to, I guess I can lend you a hand. Yes! Please! I would appreciate your company!  The best dialogue is written in a way where you can visualize exactly how they're saying it, even without other cues. Cordelia and Narcisse's last lines here are great examples of that. Talk to him again: Since you insist upon it, I'll go, even though there aren't any Quells in the Southern Continent. Hello, Tyler. We're going to be heading towards Gruegel on the Southern Continent. Once there, I'm planning on going into the desert.  May I come along with you? Of course, please. And again: Let's take it nice and easy.Each character joins as you talk to them. Adding at least one member replaces Thermes with Gruegel and lets you move on, but I grab all three--no reason not to. We now have five available party members.  You have a maximum party of four, so the Member Change option in the Battle Style menu lets you swap characters.  The main character always has to be present, though.  You can also do this sort of thing, if you want. I don't know why you would, but hey, if you want to do a Wil solo run, here's your chance! (Random battles aren't a problem but I'm pretty sure most bosses just aren't happening) I go with the four from last scenario; Aunt Nina said she's just coming along for this, so we may as well build up the longer-term team, right? Roles reset each time your team changes (except that characters always have their Roles equipped if you haven't recruited them yet), so it's a good idea to take a look at this screen every time you start out. Everyone keeps Solo Action (except Tyler, who gets Cannonball); we don't really need additional damage, and I want Cordelia to pick up something on the way. In age-related bonuses, everyone's ticked up a little more than 1 year, judging by Cordelia. Wil and Cordelia (15/14->16) are +8 HP, +2 WP, and +1 SP; Narcisse (30->31) is +6 HP; and Tyler (25->26) is +8 HP. The informant in town has nothing to say this time, since the people in Gruegel will cover the desert and the Desert Megalith for us.  (News)   Welcome back to Gruegel. As previously noted, the Gruegel side-scenario has been unlocked for a while now, but we've had no real reason to come here yet. The second screenshot shows the store on the left.  Sadly, the shopkeeper greeting seems to be Westia-only. There's nothing much here. There's one other thing in the shop that I haven't talked about yet, though.  Most shopkeepers that let you convert Tools to Chips also let you order Custom Tools. Custom Tools are controlled in-part by an in-game Circulation counter. Let me quote Zach Keene's explainer here, it's about as concise as you can get: quote:1) Everytime you chip an item, the circulation counter increases by the value of that item. The circulation counter is similarly increased by breaking items and winning chips after battles. You keep your circulation across NG+ runs. (They also tell you what it is in the credits, which has confused many players across the years, I'm sure.) Finally, the Custom Tools themselves. There's eight: A Tree-Tone Tool called the Pan Flute (1000 circulation), the single-target full-restore Soul Crystal (5000 circulation), and a series of high-end Tools for each of the weapon types, all of which are in the 40-50 attack range. Specifically, they're a Water Staff, Stone Sword, Tree Spear, Beast Axe, and Beast Bow, ranging from 8000 to 12000 circulation. Most items we have right now chip for an amount from 5 to 10. You can't raise Circulation to any meaningful amount if you aren't burning through each character's Crowns, because 1000 Crowns is only 100-200 Chips (depending on what you're buying to Chip). You can get a decent amount if you just ignore your hoarding impulses (I came in with 0 Chips and left with 200), but the requirements are still fairly steep. There's one other requirement for the weapon Tools: you need to raise the skill level for the weapon type and anima type to 25 on at least one character. If, say, Narcisse raises Stone to 25, and Gustave raises Sword to 25, then you'll have the Carthel sword available in Custom Tools once you hit 9000 circulation, even though they're different characters in entirely different parties. This is how you get the only worthwhile endgame Axe (48 attack versus the 31 you're otherwise stuck with, which is massive), and this is why getting it is a pain in the rear end: sure, the Hawk Wind may only ("only") be 9000 circulation, but Hymnal is the only good offensive Beast spell, and it's multi-target. You can use battle order to set them to act last every turn, but that's still not ideal. Beast users get a decent Hybrid, so you can try grinding it that way, but no Bow user is with you long enough to make that really practical. You could sacrifice Wil's party and have him try to get up to 25 Beast by the end of his scenarios, but it isn't really worth it. You also miss the Beast Dancer Bow this way, but there's other good high-end Bows. There's no good alternative for Axes.  In other news, no, you can't Chip Steel things, so I just throw the Steel Amulet out. It's just taking up space. The barman is the big source of information. Not going to crop a portrait for him here.  > Grand Desert  > Megalith Megalith... You're talking about that mysterious ruin out in the desert? The desert is vast, and I don't doubt that anything could be out there, but there's no one that really desires to go to that place. To be honest, I don't really know what's out there. Just as "Quell" is the all-purpose word for any kind of ancient artifact (they won't break from use, in contrast to modern Tools), "Megalith" is the word for ancient ruins... But a specific type of ruin, mind, from the same civilization that left the Quells. The Ruins of Hahn are not a Megalith, for example. Some Megaliths are giant Quells, in that they can be used to cast certain types of Anima magic. Since no one understands them, and casting a spell that's too big for you "shaves your life away," and Megalith spells can mess you up even when they work properly, this also makes them immensely dangerous. Quells and Megaliths tend to go hand-in-hand, which is why people bother with Megaliths in the first place... But the Southern Continent has no Quells, so saying you're looking for the Desert Megalith is a little like saying you're searching for a Desert Glacier. If the ancient civilization didn't live on the Southern Continent, then why would there be a Megalith there? There's not too much else. The left exit of Gruegel leads to Gustave's house and the top exit leads to the palace, and neither building can actually be entered. The gate guard at the place will give you a Pocketstation prompt, but still no Pocketstation. Let's get going.   (Order) In the sense of an instruction.  The Continent Interior is a little confusing at first, and for various reasons you need to travel through it several times, so I'll take the moment to make a short guide to it. If you know what you're doing, you can get through in about five minutes. (Especially when you don't need to put down a controller to screenshot periodically.) Exit here is to the left.  (Field of Battle) We'll have this song a while longer, since it's the basic battle theme.  There are three enemy icons in this area: ants, plants, and rhinos. The ants and plants tend to be pretty harmless, and they can be dueled sometimes, though it's not really worth it. The Rhinos are in two categories. The first is the Sand Rhinos from the Ruins of Hahn, which are esentially the same. The second will be discussed when they come up.  The upper-left way is a shortcut. I take the slightly longer way around.   This area goes clockwise to a bottom-left exit.  This oasis can be examined for a heal, but there shouldn't be any real need this early in the trip.  If you took the shortcut, you'd emerge on the right side of the rock here.  Exit is to the upper-right.  This isn't a very useful guide screenshot, but the rocks are pretty.  The way upward is at the top-left. If you go left here...  ...you get to a little pointless side area. There's nothing to do here but go back. This is about the point where the second type of Rhino starts showing up. There's no real way to tell them apart from the first type, and they're considerably stronger. Fortunately or unfortunately, there's three different enemy distributions types in the Continent Interior, and I got the one with the fewest rhino field enemies.  Huh. Didn't expect that. Sonic Poison is a Water-Tone attack-all spell with 44 Power for 5 SP. It's pretty SP-efficient, and the additional poison chance is nice, so it's not a bad pick-up here. I generally stick to Hymnal, though; you don't usually care much about SP efficiency in your mages' multi-target.  Downward. The screen you can see on the left is the exit.  And upward.  This oasis isn't drinkable, but it doesn't need to be--go left and you're in Vogelang.  (Cosmos)  Now it's time for one of my favorite setpieces! It's a pretty good microcosm of why I like this game's story. We came here to discover the secret of the Desert Megalith and the ill-fated journey here all those years ago, and Vogelang is a small town with a large memory. If you talk to the right people in the right order, you can piece together what happened all that time ago. For the sake of my sanity, I am not going to individually crop all of these portraits; if I do, then this update will never get done. The text under each image corresponds to what the townsperson has to say. (It starts on the first sentence not completed in the textbox, as it usually does.)  There was a group of four like you who came to this town about fifteen years ago. I remember it well. They were asking about the desert and some Megalith, along with various other details. But these were places we didn't know. They just resupplied and took off into the desert.  Then, over the next few days, they argued feverishly. In reality, it was only the gentleman and the eldest brother arguing. The other two were just adding frivolous comments, and didn't really know what was going on. After that, the 3 brothers made their preparations and once again headed out for the desert, without the gentleman.  Even after the gentleman parted with his three comrades, he stayed in this town as if to wait for them. As we was just about to give up, the brothers returned... with the exception of the youngest one. The large younger brother had lost his left hand at the wrist, and the oldest had been quite shaken up by something. Anyway, they were a mess. The younger brother carried an egg-like object in his remaining hand. They were so beat up, I don't think many noticed the egg.  Next story is the bar, which is the upper door on the left. The lower door is a store, and they don't participate in the ongoing story.  Without any Tools, he started firing off spells all over the place, putting the townspeople in danger. It was like a madhouse. I got this scar from that incident. I got away with just a scar, but some of us were killed there...  In the midst of the commotion, a gentleman realized that the younger Sergein brother was carrying an egg, and shouted, "His Anima was stolen by that Quell!" He then gathered the steel tools from the town and approached the brother, and while defending himself against spells, knocked the egg out of the younger brother's hands. Right as the egg fell, the younger brother let out a primal scream and released all of his Anima, dying as if from an explosion. I still can't figure out what all that was...   The eldest of the brothers was caught and prosecuted for the disturbance, but that's the end of the story. Talk to the bartender from in front of the bar and she'll ask if you want to rest. If you talk to her from behind it...   > Henry Knights He was a tall, good-natured gentleman. Unlike the other three, he seemed very amiable, and the townspeople seemed to get along with him. So, you're the son of that gentleman from long ago? Hmm, is that true? Oh, no matter. Would you like to read the letter that he left behind?    You can head out of the town to the Desert Megalith at this point, but we still have three more people to ask about. > Alexei Sergein He was the eldest of the three brothers and was always resistant to Henry. Although he was always acting like a tyrant, he was found hiding in a corner when his brother went out of control. Maybe he was really just a coward? > Nicholai Sergein This one was the middle brother. A slow-witted man with a large build. He didn't look like the type that would be good at using spells. > Peter Sergein The youngest of the brothers, and although his build was small, his arrogance was as great as his oldest brother Alexei. The townspeople hated him. He never made it back from the desert. I just wonder what happened out there. You know what makes this sequence work? You never see it happen. I don't think this would be nearly as effective as a flashback. The way it is now, the Egg is a genuine mystery. How much of this is true? What information did they miss? Just how bad was this event, really? We don't know. Neither does Wil, and that's what gives everything impact. Which is impressive, really, because we're dealing with a mystical death artifact that will only ever be called "the Egg" and there's all sort of Sonic jokes to be made there.  With story time complete, I convert 100 Chips back to Crowns (I had 200 from earlier Chipping, so I'm at 300 Circulation now) and pick up a Coral Ring for Cordelia, replacing her Blue Water. Coral Ring are the third-best hand slot item, and if you don't have a Water Quell or Water weapon, you should probably have one equipped. Water heals, and any form of healing revives, so while they don't have any special defenses (4 Defense and 3 Magic Defense across the board), Coral Rings make you generally much more survivable. You generally won't go through their 20 Durability before the game is over.  There's also a Custom Tools shop, a Tool repairshop, a Chip Converter, and if you visit this town at any other time, the man under a tarp outside will Chip items for you. This is a good hub. When you exit the town, you're immediately sent to the Desert Megalith.  (The black funnel cloud spins counter-clockwise.)   (A slow pan downward, and then the party walks in.)    Let's hurry up and go home. The Egg was probably inside this lead box. I can't sense any Anima here. Are you sure this is a Megalith? Who knows? All I know is, we came all the way here for nothing. I guess we'll just have to hear from Alexei himself. (The Outside World)  Kick up Aussenwelt--it's good thinking music, and this is a good time to consider what we know, just from what the game has given us so far. First, what is the Egg? Let's consider what we know. - The area has no Anima, and even deserts are full of Anima--Stone, usually. - Cordelia feels sick when she spends time there, and she's the youngest and presumably weakest, Anima-wise, of them all. - Henry Knights said Nicholai Sergein's madness was because "his Anima was stolen by that Quell." - While holding the Egg, Nicholai Sergein used powerful spells wildly despite a personal lack of aptitude and despite not having the proper Tools, and when the Egg was knocked out of his hand, all of his Anima abruptly left his body with explosive force. The Egg appears to be some sort of Anima absorption and storage device. The second question: If the ancients didn't live on the Southern Continent, then why would there be a Megalith there? There's two obvious answers, and unfortunately, they're diametrically opposed. The first is that this is a Yucca Mountain monument--something meant to communicate to all people at all times that this is a danger. The giant black funnel cloud, the lead box (when all metal seems to fall under Steel, and all Steel resists Anima), the way the Megalith is apparently much more complicated than normal ones, the openly-creepy design... I'm reminded of the inscription on that theoretical plaque, back when that nuclear storage facility was still being constructed, and they wanted a way to warn future civilizations about the waste material. So in pictograms, they designed a plaque meant to communicate something like this: quote:This place is a message... and part of a system of messages... pay attention to it! Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture. That plaque was something meant to communicate that the material within was something dangerous, too dangerous even to weaponize, to anyone that lived after the end of modern civilization. If the Desert Megalith is something like a nuclear waste storage facility, then it's far away because they didn't want it to be found, and it's freaky because they didn't want people to enter if they did find it. It sounds like that purpose came across loud and clear to Henry Knights, at least, even if the Sergein brothers were more foolish. The other, much more disquieting idea is that this Megalith is what some Megaliths are: a giant Quell, an artifact that can be turned to a particular magical purpose. It's possible the box isn't to lock the Quell away, but rather to trap Anima inside--the wires and roots leading to it funnel energy in, where the Egg can absorb it. In this case, it's far away because its intended purpose isn't one that's safe to have nearby. It's also possibly a mix of the two. Perhaps the Egg can absorb but also release (Nicholai's spells) and the wires were supposed to pump the energy inside it back into the world. Maybe it's not sinister, it's just a terraforming project gone horribly wrong. Either way, in a single scenario we've already established that the Egg is ridiculously dangerous... And from what we know, Alexei Sergein came to take it back years and years ago, likely killing Henry and Catherine Knights in the process. Alexei has some of the answers and he likely has the Egg, and next time, we'll be speaking to him. First, though...  ...Vogelang is unlocked for between-scenario visits. I'm going to step back in for a moment.  Surprise! The first time you visit Vogelang between scenarios, you have to traipse back all the way to Gruegel afterward; on subsequent trips, you can skip straight back to the world map. Vogelang is one of three ways you can grind between scenarios, if that's your thing. I can't recommend it, but it's there. Still, there's a couple of things I didn't show off and one thing I want to get, so I'll be going back in real quick.  Horn Buffaloes are the second kind of rhino enemy I talked about. They have nearly 2500 HP, can lower your physical damage with Zeal, can raise their own with Charge, can Stun with High Rise, and hit much harder than the other enemies here. They Spark nearly as well as the blue Skeleton at Hahn in duels, so they're a decent option if you have no others available, but they're much less helpful (and much more manageable) in party battles. The easiest way to fight one, if you want to do that, is to enter and exit Vogelang until you run into three rhinos at the oasis.    More immediately, though, I wanted to spark this. Wide Swing is the Spear AOE, combining a decent cost and damage with a large area of effect (about 1.5x the radius of Magmaxplosion) and Stun. It's good to have, and while Cordelia will pick it up eventually if you keep using her, I wanted to have it a little sooner than that.  I also pick up a good combo on the way. This does about 2200 damage at this point, even when the mages are full up on SP.  Second, this is Aunt Nina's Duel sprite. I've shown off basically all of the others already. If you run into Horn Buffaloes at a low power level, there's a fairly easy way to deal with them, and Aunt Nina comes equipped to show it off.   Much like the Bandit Chief, Horn Buffaloes aren't immune to petrify. Their Spark-related stats are high and the spell is easy, so it's a good way to get them out of the way if you're weaker.  Victory pose! I'm not taking screenshots on the way back and I LPed Demon King Chronicles, so monster-dodging is easy--I only get in one more fight.  Ignoring age-related changes, Wil gained +18 HP, +4 Tree and Tone and +3 Water. (No SP at all? That's weird for him. Good HP, though.)  Cordelia gained +15 HP, +4 WP, +1 SP, +2 Spear and Flame, and +5 Water.  Narcisse gained +5 HP, +3 SP, +5 Tree and Flame, +3 Stone, and +1 Beast. (Holy crap, Narcisse, especially considering the levels he already had. Glad I took him along, I was considering taking Nina instead.)  Tyler gained +11 HP, +4 WP, +2 SP (and +5 more from switching armors), and +3 Axe and Flame. (Pretty standard Tyler.)  1235 Wil journeys to the Desert Megalith Wil decides to solve the mystery of the Desert Megalith but is unsuccessful. Next (Knights): Infiltrate! Alexei Gang (1238) Next (Chronological): Reunion (1236) [Secret History] / Infiltrate! Alexei Gang (1238) Einander fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Mar 22, 2015 |
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Nov 25, 2014 02:22
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Do you know where the Egg is from? I know the where it's from but i want to know to see if i will eventually have to mention it or not
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Nov 25, 2014 03:39
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I like the scene with Wil talking to his aunt & uncle about the Egg quell. There's something vaguely hilarious about your aunt just up and coming with Wil since she knows that she wouldn't be able stop him from taking off. It's nice how Wil's friends just accompany him on what they basically think is a wild goose-chase, given the context (yeah yeah game convenience to not lose party members, but I like the subtext). This story segment is fascinating, and I like the idea that you find out as much or as little about the incident based on how thoroughly you question the villagers. At the same time, I think even if you don't figure out the story, the egg casket alone is enough to be off-putting and communicate just how dangerous this journey was. Given how Steel weapons were integral to stopping a lunatic from annihilating the town with erratic magic, this does a lot to explain how 'Gustave the Steel' can grow to be hideously important in the historical end of things. It's interesting to think that anyone determined enough could use Steel weapons to that degree, but Gustave is the only one who wouldn't lose anything by doing so. I like that additional implication about how magic is completely second nature to everyone, and why those who can't use magic are shunned.
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Nov 25, 2014 03:50
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When I played through this game before, I had no idea that you could get your party back for this mission. I've always just done it with Wil and his aunt. It's not that hard, all things told, and in some ways it is nice to show off a party member you're not going to see a lot of. But, knowing it now I'd probably have to continue raising the others.
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Nov 25, 2014 04:26
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Sramaker posted:Do you know where the Egg is from? I know the where it's from but i want to know to see if i will eventually have to mention it or not First off, the thread rules state that spoiler tags are only for Chronicle stuff that hasn't come up in updates yet. This isn't something you need to spoiler, I think the default assumption is that the Egg was created. I know the gist, but if you want to elaborate and/or explain after The Final Battle, feel free.
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Nov 25, 2014 05:18
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quote:Next (Knights): Infiltrate! Alexei Gang (1236) Oh dear me. It's THAT scenario.  Anyway, I liked using Nina during my run, I felt that she was a better mage than Narcisse. But then again that was years ago and I can obviously see the difference between the two now thanks to this informative LP. I'm learning something new every update!
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Nov 25, 2014 05:30
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I always thought the "Yucca Mountain monument" would make for a great location for a fantasy story and lo and behold someone beat me to it.
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Nov 25, 2014 05:57
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I've always liked the Knights story more than Gustave's. Not that Gustave's is bad, but I guess I just liked the more traditional JRPG doom artifact thing. Throw in the weird storytelling method (the timeline stuff) and it's pretty engaging.
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Nov 25, 2014 09:59
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Clarste posted:I've always liked the Knights story more than Gustave's. Not that Gustave's is bad, but I guess I just liked the more traditional JRPG doom artifact thing. Throw in the weird storytelling method (the timeline stuff) and it's pretty engaging. Will's story is a lot less interesting if you accidentally progress the timeline and miss this chunk of his story. Cause that is what I did, so I ever got was "we are going after the egg!  " . No one ever recapped saying the egg is a anima absorbing quell that nearly destroyed a town.
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Nov 25, 2014 10:05
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I would have enjoyed Wil's scenario a lot more if the developers hadn't littered every single dungeon map with 3-5 generic fights, often strategically placed around choke points to make them really hard to dodge.
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Nov 25, 2014 10:42
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Yeah but that's every SaGa game since Romancing 1. What exactly is chipping? Just like chopping up a sword or something? Why would little chunks of equipment be worth anything, let alone 5cr for a piece?
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Nov 25, 2014 11:22
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Bear Sleuth posted:Yeah but that's every SaGa game since Romancing 1. Raw materials. There's only one item in the game that retains its value when chipped and that's because it's presumably just a stick,
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Nov 25, 2014 11:27
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It's interesting to note that: A), The Southern Continent doesn't have any Quells; B), The Southern Continent is apparently mostly desert; C), The Egg is inferred (so far) to take anima, which all life has, from its surroundings; and D), The Desert Megalith has big creepy fuckoff black vortex above it. Which asks the question: was the Southern Continent always a desert? Kulkasha fucked around with this message at 12:42 on Nov 25, 2014 |
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Nov 25, 2014 11:34
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Kulkasha posted:It's interesting to note that: No, it almost certainly was something more in the past. Einander posted:First off, the thread rules state that spoiler tags are only for Chronicle stuff that hasn't come up in updates yet. This isn't something you need to spoiler, I think the default assumption is that the Egg was created. I'll verify my source because someone told me something but i need to be sure the person can tell where in the game he read that stuff.
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Nov 25, 2014 12:13
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Kulkasha posted:It's interesting to note that: No it's right here in the timeline. Einander posted:
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Nov 25, 2014 15:39
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poo poo. And our dad left with the doom egg. poo poo.
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Nov 26, 2014 03:51
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Glazius posted:poo poo. And our dad left with the doom egg. Technically, our dad tried to keep the doom egg safe and then the brother of the guy who got exploded by it came around and stole the doom egg. I don't think it's ever been outright stated, but I think this Einander posted:
So no, Wil's father does not have the doom egg, currently, Alexei does. The aforementioned brother of the exploding guy. There's no way this could end badly.
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Nov 26, 2014 10:26
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I have to say that I am really enjoying the time spent on theorizing and piecing together story beats in the LP itself. Too many LPs seem to ignore the concept of talking about the story of a game in any meaningful way, instead opting for lame jokes. Admittedly, not all video game stories can be taken with any amount of seriousness for proper analysis, but I do appreciate some good idle theorizing and alternate perspectives. Even if the entire analysis is shallow and/or wildly off-base, the attempt at making me think about the story is always a welcome way of pointing out the narrative's strong points AND weak points, which I think is ignored all too often in the name of a cheap laugh. (Not that there's anything wrong with cheap laughs, but it'd be nice to have both in more LPs.)
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Nov 26, 2014 15:48
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Reunion (1236) During the party at the Count of Jade's mansion... 1236 Gustave encounters Leslie once again They see each other for the first time in 4 years.  Welcome back! This time, we're tackling the first of the missable scenarios. Gustave's side has four, none of which are initially present in the Chronicle, and the Knights side has just one. These five missable scenarios are the game's motivation to play in chronological order. Essentially, each time you complete a scenario, one scenario--the next chronologically in that character's sequence--is unlocked. If you have three or fewer scenarios on the world map, then the next chronological scenarios from the other branch are also unlocked. The five scenarios you can miss are also in this pool. If you play achronologically, many more scenarios open and remain uncompleted, causing you to fail the check; there's ways to plan such that you can avoid this, but it's easier to just get a timeline. (NG+ unlocks all previously-completed scenarios right away, but as I recall, it doesn't count the additional ones until you unlock them by completing other scenarios.) Reunion is the only one you're likely to get; if you follow Gustave's story before starting Wil's, you're guaranteed to unlock it. Normally, after completing a scenario, the game places your cursor on the next one in that story's sequence; the five missable ones are the exceptions. (It put the cursor on Mother's Sickbed this time, not Reunion.) Two of the scenarios have good rewards, and one of them has a great piece of music you won't otherwise hear, but all five of them are good. They're well worth getting.  (Variation)   Gustave strides in confidently. Flynn's pace is slower.  Sir Gus, is it really okay for someone like me to come along?  Don't worry. Sir Thomas is a kind and understanding person. He won't say anything if we're just munching on the food. Everyone's so well dressed. I'm a little embarrassed.  All of the other guests are walking around during this part. There's no need to be embarrassed. Slight pause after the textbox completes and vanishes, then he speaks again. Anyway, there are a lot of cute girls. Why don't you go munch on stuff over there?   ? Oh, it's you, Leslie. What're you doing here?  I'm studying court etiquette at the Count of Jade's residence. Court etiquette? You? Hahaha! Sir Thomas and Kelvin sure must have their hands full. What are you laughing about? Sir Thomas is always complementing me. What about you? You're probably just up to no good. I'm not such a kid anymore. Hey, Leslie, introduce me to that cute girl over there.    Oh, Kelvin. Yeah, they know each other from Gruegel.   Well, Leslie is from the distinguished Bering family of Gruegel. What!? They were always fighting, but...    Ergh...My father warned me of the same thing just this morning...It's because I've been hanging around you two for far too long. My dignity as a noble is... Ohhh, don't eat with your hands. You're so vulgar.  (The Outside World)  1236 Gustave encounters Leslie once again They see each other for the first time in 4 years. Next (Gustave): Mother's Sickbed (1239) Next (chronological): Infiltrate! Alexei Gang (1238) Einander fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Dec 3, 2014 |
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Nov 27, 2014 02:09
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As mentioned last time, next update should be on Monday. It'll be two updates over two subsequent days. I'll hit several more Gustave scenarios before the Christmas holidays, so there shouldn't be TOO much holiday disruption, but... the best laid plans and all that.
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Nov 27, 2014 02:12
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I can't say enough how much I love this game's cast.
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Nov 27, 2014 05:24
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On one hand, that scenario was literally just a dinner party.  On the other hand, that scenario was literally just a dinner party.  You can't LP this fast enough Einander.
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Nov 27, 2014 05:29
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Literally just a dinner party, and also setting up a somewhat easy to miss bit of Gustave's character.
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Nov 27, 2014 05:44
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dis astranagant posted:Literally just a dinner party, and also setting up a somewhat easy to miss bit of Gustave's character. The bit where he tells flynn he should be ashamed because it`s the other guests fault for being overdressed? I mean that the thing that i noticed but i could be wrong?
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Nov 27, 2014 05:57
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Sramaker posted:The bit where he tells flynn he should be ashamed because it`s the other guests fault for being overdressed? I mean that the thing that i noticed but i could be wrong? I'll tell you what I mean when Gustave's in his 40s.
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Nov 27, 2014 06:09
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Honestly, I like that they're letting us see how they act when there's no big great drama. The normalcy is nice.
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Nov 27, 2014 06:27
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Well if no one else will, I guess it falls to me to   ...Though I can't guarantee someone else hasn't already made an originalcharacterdonotsteel named exactly that. Anyway, it does sound rather like something we might have got if Sonic had been released on the SNES. I'm enjoying the setting and cast quite a bit. Favourite bit so far has to be the aunt going adventuring.
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Nov 27, 2014 19:01
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 That's awesome.I'm really enjoying reading about this game and its many, many esoteric elements! Plus it's completely gorgeous. The Saga Frontier series frightened me off after I tried the first and it was impossible for young-me to wrap my head around.
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Nov 27, 2014 19:09
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They should have sent a poet.
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Nov 27, 2014 20:01
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I am a poet, behold:quote:The forums in spring
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Nov 27, 2014 20:43
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vilkacis posted:I am a poet, behold: So a haiku is a poem?
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Nov 27, 2014 21:14
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Oh my god, a Saga Frontier 2 LP I've lost my data to this game so many times, and never got too far as a result. With its insanely long introduction sequence, it gets progressively harder to restart the game every time. You obviously know this game far better than I ever have (oh my god, all those high-powered techs so early with Wil's group), so kudos to you. As much as I adore this game, I don't think I'll ever realistically get through it. Mark me down as one of the rare people who enjoyed Wil's side more than Gustave's. It probably has something to do with the fact that it was the first RPG I played where the staff-wielding mage was the male lead and the Hulkamania-murder-everything-that-moves physical type was the girl. Oh, Cody.  And yes, the music in this game is beyond ace. While Hamauzu's more recent scores demonstrate his flexibility as a composer, Saga Frontier 2 really showcases his classical training. His work in the Saga Frontier 2 Piano Collections, Final Fantasy X Piano Collections, and Vielen Dank (which has a few arrangements of Saga Frontier 2 tracks) all demonstrate his ability to write for the piano, too. e: Also, there's something nice and subtle about Saga Frontier 2's storytelling that most JRPGs lack. Unlike most story-based games, it never bashes you over the head with anything and leaves the player to read inbetween the lines to figure a lot of things out.
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Nov 28, 2014 06:36
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 19:06 |
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You've completely sold me on this game, Ein. Actually, I already own it, and the strategy guide. I enjoyed SaGa Frontier, and I really wanted to like this game, so I sunk hours into it, tried to learn every art, pored over the strategy guide, printed out relevant sections of FAQs, but I lost to the final boss and gave up in bitter frustration. I should probably mention that I didn't really have FUN with the game while I was doing this, I just wanted to win. The problem is that I never understood this game. I didn't understand how the battle system really worked, and I didn't understand what they were trying to do with the plot. I felt like I had nothing to look forward to when I played this game. Trying to learn the moves over and over again without understanding the odds of sparking relative to the difficulty of the enemy made the game tedious and soul draining. The best weapons were locked up in that incomprehensible chip exchange system, and Wil's plot was hard to follow when you spent hours each dungeon trying and failing to spark arts. That and the time jumps, of course. Frankly, when you posted in the SaGa Frontier thread defending this game, (That WAS you, wasn't it? Too lazy to check) I assumed your defense was based largely on nostalgia, and dismissed your arguments about the uniqueness of the narrative style. (Edit: Oops! I took the time to check and that wasn't you! That poster did seem a bit more standoffish than your usual style.) Now I'm looking forward to playing this game again, and I'll be using your LP as a guide toward success and actually enjoying myself. That said, since I have seen pretty much all of this game, what FAQs or guides should I read or follow? Again, I have the strategy guide, which means that I'm armed with pretty maps and almost no other useful information (as I recall). Namingway fucked around with this message at 10:17 on Nov 28, 2014 |
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Nov 28, 2014 09:50
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