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Kinu Nishimura
Apr 24, 2008

SICK LOOT!
A unicorn and a dragon joined our party in the same moment. What was the point of Scenario 2 again? Why would you not just skip to this part

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Shadow Ninja 64
May 21, 2007

"I stood there, wondering why the puck was getting bigger...

and then it hit me."


Scenario 3 truly is the reward for putting up with the shittiness of Scenario 2.

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.

alcharagia posted:

A unicorn and a dragon joined our party in the same moment. What was the point of Scenario 2 again? Why would you not just skip to this part

Disk 2 exists to set recruitment flags for disk 3 and explain that while the Republicans are a bunch of greedy, short sighted idiots, they're still better than Emperor Dad.

inthesto
May 12, 2010

Pro is an amazing name!

alcharagia posted:

A unicorn and a dragon joined our party in the same moment. What was the point of Scenario 2 again? Why would you not just skip to this part

If you skip Scenario 2, then the game assumes you axed Stella. While I'm personally fine with this, most people aren't.

You'll also miss another character, but it's not Rollie or Thousand.

Hoss Corncave
Feb 13, 2012
With regards to Rollie's first special, I also found it strange that that would be "Unicorn Charge". Even more so when her second one I think is called "Stampede" and is essentially Lance Charge. I think they might have gotten the names mixed up.

Also, Kate was easily one of the best characters in this scenario because of the reasons you said. So many advantageous maps for her.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Oh, actual leveling monsters. That's always nice to have, just as long as you aren't silly and promote them too early.

inthesto
May 12, 2010

Pro is an amazing name!
Part 78: Wow, imperials are stupid





It looks like something is happening.

There was mention of a dragon relic, but what's going on?

The villagers have headed deep into the village. This may have something to do with the Bulzome Sect. Let's check it out.

We should investigate, Julian!

And investigate we do, because there's not much to do in town until we trigger a certain scene.




So Foothill is a place that worships a sacred dragon. Is it ever mentioned what that dragon is? :iiam:



:v: Watch if you like.



:j: Is it bright?



Doesn't really look like it's shining, but ok.

:j: What's happening, Elder? This must be a sign, an omen!

:v: I don't think so. The legendary Sacred Dragon must be setting out on a journey.

:j: The Sacred Dragon is going on a journey?

:v: yes. I called you all here to tell you! The Sacred Dragon is no longer with us, but he will return once he has completed his quest. That's all I can say at the moment. That is all. You may return to your business.

So all this ruckus about the sacred dragon, and



:ms:

I'm sure that scene would have been different if we had recruited Thousand as a monster or straight up killed him, but who the hell is stupid enough to do either of those things?

Once we get that scene over with, the town actually opens up. There's the usual weapon and item shop, but there's something far more important in here.





Mithril weapons are nice but not super important, since there will be an upgrade to them in the long run. Accessories are cheaper and good ones never get replaced, so I'm rolling the dice on those now. The master ring gives +10 to both counter and critical, the attack ring gives +5 attack and casts Attack 1 on use, and the magic ring boosts all elemental defenses and restores MP on use. I also gave Rollie a power ring, which gives +5 to both attack and defense. All pretty useful, though the master and power rings are the best in this bunch.

Aside from a stray goddess tear, that's about all there is in this town. Let's just boogie on out and get to the next part of the game.



Once we get past there, the Imperials won't pursue us any further. Finally...



:hist101: Did you really think you could trick the Defenda army with that?!

Yes, there is a character in this game named General Defenda. I know people like to complain about localizations overreaching, but something really should have been done with “Defenda”.



:hist101: Julian army, you say... You bastard, you're a spy for the Julian army!

Not exactly. To be precise, I'm about to join them.

:hist101: You're going to join a rogue army, eh? If I caught you, we could have an interesting talk. There are a lot of things I could learn from you!

I have faith in my abilities, but I'm not sure I can defeat such a large army.

:hist101: Idiot! No one could...



Has the Empire allocated that large army for us?

Who IS that man, Bresby?

I'm trying to remember, but I can't recall.



That would require anybody in this game having a three-digit IQ.

I agree. If he understands the significance of our march, then we should trust him.

Helping that warrior might slow our march on the fortress, but there is no other choice. Let's move, Julian!







New stuff, none of it is interesting.




Annoyingly enough, Leon starts halfway up the map, and if we don't rush towards him:




I will tell you this before my death. The fortress' defenses are very strong. It'll be very difficult to attack it head on... You should divide your force... and attack the right side with the second battalion... I guess my demise... is just like the rest of my life...

Oops. Let's uh, try that again. The right way this time.



First off, we have Thousand new to the ranks. Put simply, Thousand is a monster. His HP is off the charts and he will consistently have the highest attack and defense out of anyone. This is barely offset by his low agility and his flying making him weak against archers.



We also have three green dragons that Cyclops punched out last map. They're powerful now, but since they can't gain experience or level up, their steadily drops off until the game decides to give us new dragons for Cyclops to uppercut. They can be useful, but are generally unnecessary and are mostly an annoyance when you're as impatient as I am.



Leon's AI will always run off to the west where the enemies aren't as dense, but you still want to run to him as quickly as possible. After three or four turns, we get another cutscene:



:hist101: drat, that guy as a decoy! Everyone on the front, beware! The Julian army is marching this way from Foothill!

What? That really is the Julian army... I guess my destiny has yet to be decided after all. I thought I was doomed, but now I have a chance to avoid death. I will try my best to survive!

He doesn't try very hard, honestly. He has a healing drop in his inventory, but he'll never use it.




Being a warrior, Leon uses the exact same criticals as his dwarf counterparts. In fact, he's functionally a dwarf. There's not much else to say about Leon.



In our rush to recruit Leon, Thousand gets shot and takes actual significant amounts of damage from an archer.



But this isn't a Fire Emblem game, and we can talk to Leon with anyone in order to recruit him. This makes Thousand perfect, since he flies and gets to ignore movement penalties.



It looked like you were chasing the Julian army. Who are you?

Bresby, how could he be chasing us if he was in front of us?

I was born in a Destonian slum. My name is Leon. I'm a mercenary warrior.

Leon, why were you looking for the Julian army?

I saw you save Destonia when it was in danger, without expecting any reward. I was impressed.

Then you were in Destonia?

Yes, I was. And your strength and sense of justice in the face of a powerful foe thoroughly inspired me, Julian! I know I have done some bad things in my life, but I believe helping your cause could help me atone, so I came to join you!

In the heat of battle, there is no good or evil. Julian and Gracia, I think we should allow Leon to join us!



Barrier Fortress is thought to be impregnable, but I will do my best to break through!

And with that dealt with, the fight boils down to a pretty typical open field battle.



Rollie learns how to use her horn better so she can shoot lasers out of it.



It's hard to capture, but Leon's second level critical has him increasing the size of his axe to ludicrous proportions.



Leon's level up animation.



The boss has Thunder Blow, which randomly stuns its target.




And Thousand is loving massive and his first level critical is smashing poo poo with his tail.



And Brigit makes use of the fact that she has way more area of effect magic that she reasonably needs.



The boss also drops an item we'll never use.



Not quite. A chance event worked in our favor.

:hist101: But your trap...?

You're pitiful. There was no trap.



:owned:

Thanks to Leon's bravery, we were able to penetrate the Imperial defense!

You shouldn't have been so reckless, Leon. One wrong step and you could have lost your life.

I'm sorry. I just wanted to show you my worth.

And you will. Not in any particularly spectacular way, but Leon's the only dedicated axe user we're getting.

You mentioned their defenses... They're extremely powerful I guess they really don't want you to escape.

So the fortress is practically impregnable?

Not quite. It'd certainly be suicide to invade Barrier Fortress by frontal assault only. You should divide the force, and attack to the front and the right.



Does anything change if we say no? Of course not.

Leon has seen their defenses and Bresby knows the lay of the land. We are wise to follow their advice, Julian.

The Julian battalion will attack the front, and the Donhort battalion will attack from the side. And so, we will march on the heavily guarded Barrier Fortress!

Okay, Donhort wouldn't be my first choice to lead the ambush, but at least he's not David.



NEXT TIME: You should have given him a better name

Kinu Nishimura
Apr 24, 2008

SICK LOOT!

inthesto posted:

Put simply, Thousand is a monster.

Well no poo poo. :v:

Van Dine
Apr 17, 2013

This scenario is really the best. I'm sold on a game that'll let you recruit a dragon and a unicorn to the team.

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.
I'm impressed that you resisted the urge to reset-grind for better acessories.
In my opinion that magic ring is the best of the lot you did get as MP healing is hard to come by. Although it would have been more useful last scenario with the trinity of Hedoba, Syntasis, and Hazuki.

This is a pretty good map, Leon not healing himself is a bit of a problem, but at least he's not actively suicidal like Donhort's AI was.

Hoss Corncave
Feb 13, 2012

Ardeem posted:

I'm impressed that you resisted the urge to reset-grind for better acessories.
In my opinion that magic ring is the best of the lot you did get as MP healing is hard to come by. Although it would have been more useful last scenario with the trinity of Hedoba, Syntasis, and Hazuki.

This is a pretty good map, Leon not healing himself is a bit of a problem, but at least he's not actively suicidal like Donhort's AI was.

Please don't remind me of Scenario 2 Donhort. That arse almost cost me my no death run in the Elbesem Temple maps by running into the attack lines of the lightning generators and refusing to go over the ice while the Rainbloods were approaching.

Elric
Mar 31, 2011


Van Dine posted:

This scenario is really the best. I'm sold on a game that'll let you recruit a dragon and a unicorn to the team.

But is there a game that will let you recruit a Dragon Unicorn?

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Soldiers so convinced of their strength they call anything that can defeat them a trap.

Dammit, how dare you trap me by charging directly at me with a lance!

KataraniSword
Apr 22, 2008

but at least I don't have
a MLP or MSPA avatar.
I am my own man.

Elric posted:

But is there a game that will let you recruit a Dragon Unicorn?

Legend of Mana comes close and lets you recruit a Werewolf Unicorn Dragoon. Not an actual dragon but serves one and has a heavy dragon motif.

Raitzeno
Nov 24, 2007

What? It seemed like
a good idea at the time.

KataraniSword posted:

Legend of Mana comes close and lets you recruit a Werewolf Unicorn Dragoon. Not an actual dragon but serves one and has a heavy dragon motif.

It actually lets you recruit TWO of them, serving different dragons.

inthesto
May 12, 2010

Pro is an amazing name!
Part 79: Another boss, yawn





Don't be tricked, Gracia. This must be General Defenda's trap. He must be waiting for us to drop our guard.

Defenda really is the worst name in the series. The entire Shining Force series. Can we steal David's name and give it to Defenda? I'd be ok with that.

Humph. So my preparations were all for naught, thanks to that warrior showing up.

Ah, that voice. It's General Defenda!



We're smarter than that, General Defenda. Haven't you heard of us? You would be wise not to underestimate the Julian army!

I would show you far more respect than the emperor did for your role in saving the capital, Bresby, but it's more complicated than that.

Is even a man of your great stature afraid of the emperor?

I know what happens to people who defy the emperor. I won't risk my family. That is not an option.

I must head north, General Defenda. I have an urgent task and can't be delayed. Let us pass and we'll be on our way.

I will probably regret my choice, but I can't yield. If you refuse to surrender, we will do battle!



This is some straight Fire Emblem stuff right here.



You might also want to notice there's soldiers manning the cannons now.



We are outnumbered here, Julian. Gain control of that cannon to even the odds a little! Work with Donhort to take the cannon, and destroy the fortress' gate. Then our victory will be in sight. It's up to you, Julian!






So this map is an interesting bird. The army is split in two (I don't know if there's a way to control who goes to which group). Julian's group is stuck in the middle and is basically going to take cannon fire as a bunch of decoys. Donhort leads the special team that starts off to the side and infiltrates the fort. The objective is to get people on Donhort's team to a cannon or two and break down the fortress door.



There's quite a few roadblocks in the way, including some trash enemies that are easy to roll over. The main issue is that Julian and company are going to take constant cannon fire and Gracia's MP pool is terrible so somebody might die. So it's actually not an issue at all.





It's about 8 damage to Brigit. The cannons dont have any stats, so I think they do flat damage, but I'm not entirely sure. Really, the main issue isn't the amount of damage, but the attrition you take over time if you didn't bring any healing items (which I didn't).



Another one of the things about this fight is that soldiers will continually spawn out of a pair of doors. If you don't cut them off, they'll man one of the cannons and bring more pain down on Julian. Unfortunately, the cannoneers by Defenda can never be killed.



Oh right, Rollie shoots lasers from her horn. This game really likes lasers.



The barrels also contain some good stuff. Well, the quick chicken would be good if agility mattered.




Leon has the exact same criticals as the dwarfs in the previous two scenarios, even if his model is different.



To be honest, the NPC dragons that Cyclops can recruit aren't any good for anything other than cannon fodder. Let's make that a little more literal than usual.





This is what we're here for. The cannons do about 15 damage per shot (the gate also does not have any stats), so we need to fire 4 times.



Gracia doesn't really have enough MP to keep people afloat for four turns, though.



The dragons will terrorize the soldiers as a distraction while Julian sits around and waits for the gate to fall.



Rollie also picks up this piece of junk from breaking a barrel that's in our way.



The enemies inside the fort are so sparse, the only thing Isabella has to do is break open barrels for items. This one gets us a large mithril, which is nice I guess.



This is about all Julian has to contend with. The guys in the back don't even attack until you get in their grill, which we will because it's boring waiting for Donhort to finish breaking that gate.



But I mean, there's no reason to risk real characters in the process.



NPC dragons can critical too.



Huh, I guess I should do something about that.



Come on Donhort, you can do it!



Or a unicorn can finish the job. How does a unicorn fire a cannon? :iiam: but she does it better than Donhort.





If the battle continues like this, I'll have to deal with them myself.




I'll put an end to this battle personally. Take heed, Julian!



Defenda is... a boss. The only bosses who have been really noteworthy are the ones with summons, and Defenda is not in that category. Moving on.



We can also blast him in the face with cannons, because why not?



The fact that there's two lose conditions here is annoying. Remember to bring healing drops for this fight.



Donhort's team will continue to maraud inside the fort, since there's not much else for them to do.



Credit to Defenda though, his armor is pretty nicely detailed. Shame he wastes his time on whacking an NPC.



The archers proceed to fire away at the big, scary dragon. This is Thousand's one real weakness: Archers can actually do a number on him.



The other archer and the cannon finish the job. Rest in peace, but not for very long. Chapter ends give free revives.



I'm uh, not entirely sure what this does. There's no cannon there, and I don't think the soldier can hop off of that platform.



Well, she's not part of Medion's Angels, but Brigit is still going to do some work.



And then Julian hacks Defenda's life bar down to 1/3rd.





Donhort takes a shot, but Kate reminds everyone who the real artillery in this army is.



It's unfortunate, Defenda. It wasn't our intention to defeat a splendid general like yourself.

You have nothing to regret... Allegiance to our emperor is the only code I could live by...

Why didn't you just let us win, Defenda?

No! I couldn't do that. At least now my family will not suffer any more...

But you are...

Bresby, enough of this. That... journey to the north... I wish you luck. Guh...



You don't think this will be revisited or that Domaric is going to get any kind of comeuppance, do you?

General Defenda... This certainly is a great loss.

General Defenda was an elite general even among all the Imperial generals.

I swear, we won't let his death be in vain. We have finally crossed the border, Julian. From here, we will head to the harbour. We must regain the time lost in this battle.



Pursued by Mageron after the invasion of the Empire, the Julian army endured much to reach the border. The Julian army stormed Barrier Fortress and reluctantly defeated General Defenda. They now hurry to Aspia...



NEXT TIME: Later, Donhort!

inthesto
May 12, 2010

Pro is an amazing name!
Now that the update is out of the way, I'll fess up to something: I'm burned out.

If the past two and a half years have taught me one thing, it's that I absolutely hate doing SSLPs (in case that wasn't obvious with the 1.5 month lull between each update). Now, I want to finish Shining Force 3 because I know it's a game that a lot of goons want to see, but my life is really hectic right now and these things take me at least 4 hours per update. It would be much easier for me to move to a video format, though I suspect switching formats so close to the end would rub a lot of people the wrong way (not to mention SRPGs just aren't that interesting to watch).

So I'll throw it to the thread: Would you rise up in arms if I switched over to a video format? It would speed up production vastly and the game would almost certainly be done by the end of the year, though there would be a gigantic shift in commentary style since my video commentary is extremely rambly and non sequitur. On the other hand, retaining the screenshot format would keep the update schedule at twice a month at best, but would also keep the updates looking exactly like how they are right now.

Jeabus Mahogany
Feb 13, 2011

I'm mad because of a thorn in my impenetrable hide
The solution is obvious: redo the entire LP in video format :downs:

marshmallow creep
Dec 10, 2008

I've been sitting here for 5 mins trying to think of a joke to make but I just realised the animators of Mass Effect already did it for me

I'm okay with it, really. I joined SA to comment on a video lp of the first scenario.

Elric
Mar 31, 2011


I prefer screenshot, honestly.

Raitzeno
Nov 24, 2007

What? It seemed like
a good idea at the time.

You do what you need to do, but I almost never watch video LPs so I'll be dropping out if it does go that way. I'd rather wait for screenshot format, myself, but if you (or the majority) prefer switching to video, it's your choice.

Kacie
Nov 11, 2010

Imagining a Brave New World
Ramrod XTreme
Whatever helps you finish the LP -- I'm one of those who didn't have a chance to play this myself, and I'm eager to see it finished.

AngryOlScotchCup
Dec 6, 2008



Looking down, watching the world's progress.
I like how you're presently going about it, just take the time you need to refresh. If you need to go for a break or stop, do what you feel is best.

AngryOlScotchCup fucked around with this message at 07:20 on Sep 26, 2015

Alacron
Feb 15, 2007

-->Have tearful reunion with your son
-->Eh
Fun Shoe

AngryOlScotchCup posted:

I like enjoy how you're presently going about it, just take the time you need to refresh.

What part is it that really gets to you? Is it transcribing all of the dialogue? Doing the play by play of the battles? Both?

If it's transcribing, you could go the way that the SRW LP's go and just give a summary of what's being said, who's being a dick to who and whatnot and just give transcription for particularly important/funny/interesting bits of dialogue. Camelot games can get :words: as gently caress after all.

If it's the battles then I for one don't see the need to know all the details of every battle. I know Caphi about halfway through his SRW Z2 LP just started outright skipping the combat because it all became pretty samey towards the end. You could get away with just giving an outline of the grand strategy and then just telling us the highlights of the battles.

If you do go the video route, I'd still like it if the story sections was still mostly in screenshots, or at least had a transcription accompanying it so I could read at my own pace. Reading text in a video is a pain in the rear end because it's always either too fast, and I have to keep pausing the video, or too slow and I spend a lot of time sitting around waiting for the dialogue to advance.

If you're just really not feeling it anymore, it might be better to just abandon the LP altogether, maybe archive the first two scenarios or turn the LP over to someone else. It's not worth it if it's just going to be a burden on your life man. :shrug:

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Do what you need to. Video will be fine if it helps you get to the end when you wouldn't otherwise.

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.
I'm fine with video, but the fights are going to get longer and longer so you're either going to have a lot of dead air to fill as your units fight their way across the maps or spend time editing things down.

Black Balloon
Dec 28, 2008

The literal grumpiest



Do whatever. I just want to see the game.

MonotoneMorgan
Nov 20, 2013

The saddest day in Octavian's life was the day he was asked to shave his mustache.
I enjoy it in it's current state but if video format will help you out more, then just do it. I'll enjoy it either way.

Van Dine
Apr 17, 2013

The screenshot format is nice, but I wouldn't mind if it was switched to video format. Having a burned out LPer is a bad idea, so if it's more convenient to do the LP in video format, I say switch.

Anonymouse Mook
Jul 12, 2006

Showing Vettel the way since 1979

I would agree on enjoying the screenshots but preferring video if it makes it easier for you.

Tempest_56
Mar 14, 2009

I've been waiting since Total Biscuit flamed out to see the rest of this game. Nothing wrong with some patience for the LPer. Take your time, do things at your pace and how you think is best for you.

Hoss Corncave
Feb 13, 2012
You've done two and a bit games in this style so far so it's understandable that you'd be burned out from the effort. Whatever you prefer to do is fine by me, be it taking a break, video instead of screenshots, or whatever.

Mraagvpeine
Nov 4, 2014

I won this avatar on a technicality this thick.
How far are we from the end of this game?

inthesto
May 12, 2010

Pro is an amazing name!

Mraagvpeine posted:

How far are we from the end of this game?

The game has 30 fights and we've completed 8 of them so far. Just like scenario 1 and 2, there's also some bonus stuff in there that's not terribly interesting and will mostly be glossed over.

There's also the bonus disc, but I decided a long time ago that's going to be livestreamed blind.

Verant
Oct 20, 2012

Go on an adventure ordained by fate?
-->Okay.
-->Eh.
Whatever works better for you! I'm mainly reading for the story and to see how much more of dick the emperor can be.

inthesto
May 12, 2010

Pro is an amazing name!
Part 80: Honestly, Honesty





They have chased us all the way here. They are certainly persistent!

They travelled by sea and are already here. They are likely planning an ambush from the harbour. This is bad...

What should we do? If we continue on our path to the north, battle may be unavoidable.



Funny thing is, if we pick no, Bresby just calls Julian a coward.

Even if we flee, the chase will continue. If we are destined for this battle, we should settle it right now.

Julian army, wait! I'm surprised you made it to the continental harbour through Imperial resistance and the Barrier Fortress.

That is, you made it with the help of the Resistance. You must have lived in foxholes like rats in the sewer in order to escape.

Oh, Steel is here. This is kind of odd considering Steel ordered a manhunt for Julian and Gracia. I guess that's been called off? I don't know, scenario 3's writing is kind of sloppy.



Sir Donhort speaks the truth. This is neutral land. Please leave us be.

This territory doesn't belong to either country so long as the balance is kept between the Republic and the Empire.

You are still ignoring the facts, General Steel. Are you saying the balance has been destroyed?

Father's letter has arrived, Bresby. My father was abducted by Governer Garvin of Saraband!

And Prince Arrawnt offered assistance. Why did he side with Governer Garvin to betray the Empire? That is pathetic.

Arrawnt... To attain the throne of emperor, he dug his own grave. What an idiot!

This places the current timeline around chapter 4 of Synbios' story and chapter 5 of Medion's story.

That's what General Rogan said on the ship. The general's assumption was certainly true. The Medion army must have saved the emperor.

Certainly, Medion has rescued father... Father is marching to Aspia with Medion now...

I can't believe it. Why would Medion agree to fight Synbios?

Even I can't believe Medion has agreed to assist the emperor in his conquest of Aspia...

However, Prince Medion is only human. If he sees he can take the Republic by conquest, he would certainly defeat his friend for that reward.

It's nice to see that Steel has zero accurate analysis on anything.

The traitor of the emperor, Conrad's son... I heard he's friends with Medion. It will be interesting to watch those two battle.

Prince Mageron... I doubt you've come here just to tell us that. Why else are you here?

To tell you the truth, the emperor has requested another gift be presented to Medion for conquering Aspia. I'd like you to deliver it.

This is also at the request of Prince Medion, so I'm sure you'll want to deliver it.

Nonsense. They're invading the Republic... Why should we help them?

Please don't refuse!



Long time no see, Julian. I have heard of your bravery in the Empire.

You are Honesty, from the Rogan army. Why are you here> Who is that behind you? Lady Melinda!

Quick note, if we have Edmund, Isabella will be accompanying Melinda right now. And yes, Melinda has a sprite. You didn't think she'd just be an invisible macguffin this entire time, did you?

Lady Melinda... the second wife of Emperor Domaric. Isn't she Medion's mother?

I guess this is the gift you wanted us to carry. You must be speaking of this lady?



I beg you, Julian. Please accept the responsibility of escorting Lady Melinda to Prince Medion.

Ever since that child discovered I grew tired of palace life, he wanted to free me, but I didn't know he would assist an invasion.

Lady Melinda is a good woman. Even though Prince Medion is leading an invasion force, Lady Melinda should go to him.

You are expecting too much. Do you think the emperor would let that happen?



Our task here is done. We are concerned about Destonia being without the emperor, so we are returning immediately.

How could... You are leaving Lady Melinda here without hearing Julian's answer?

Lady Melinda is Medion's hope, and father has allowed her to go to Aspia. That must mean she's no longer needed.

The emperor has requested Lady Melinda be escorted by the Julian army. We won't be held responsible for anything that happens after we leave her with you.

Whether you agree or not, do whatever you like.



And with that, they're off. Glad to see their priorities shuffled so quickly.

Hmm... What terrible people. With them ruling the Empire, it's no wonder it's seen as an evil nation.

Everything is fine now.

What do you mean?

Freedom has most certainly liberated her, Sir Bresby.

We couldn't have told Mageron and his associates... but there's a rumour going around...

Lady Melinda, to tell your story... This place is very dangerous. What if someone hears?

You're right. It's a long story anyway, so we can continue our discussion in the headquarters in the village. Shall we?



Remember that from all that time ago? Turns out it's paying off.

The emperor's handwriting is well known in the Imperial government. I can't believe the prince didn't see through the ruse.

Only because General Rogan wrote it. That man has admired the emperor since he was very young. He has imitated everything the emperor does.

Rogan doesn't do a very good job of emulating Domaric, though that's probably for the better.

When the emperor gave me the letter, I sensed his ill will, so I showed the letter to the general, who was trapped inside the ship.

The ship was on the verge of sinking. The content of the emperor's letter must have been more compelling than the general's fear of sinking into the sea.

He forged father's command. If this is discovered, the punishment will be death for sure. What did father's letter say that could have been worth risking his life to change?

I don't know exactly what it said, but General Rogan told me if Prince Mageron gets this letter, Prince Medion's freedom will be taken away!

The general must have thought it was safer for me to go to Medion than to stay in the castle. Something big must have been going on.

We are supposed to escort Melinda to Prince Medion, but we don't know where he is.

Prince Medion is marching towards Aspia with Emperor Domaric.

Prince Medion is heading to Aspia? Then what we heard before is true after all!

Prince Medion did not want an invasion, but since they did not have access to the ships, they had to go to Aspia through Headland.

General Rogan is with Prince Medion, Donhort. He will be a great help to the prince.

That's impossible, Bresby. The general is with the Domaric army and their advisor, Fiderit is keeping a close eye on him.

We have to hurry to Aspia. Let's go, Julian!

Why the sudden rush, Gracia?

After hearing the story, I think I know the content of the emperor's letter, and what his true intention was.

Gracia, you say you've realized father's intention, but I don't see how. Can you explain?

After rescuing the emperor, Prince Medion had to head to Aspia since Garvin took the ship.

During the battle in the Governer's Mansion in Saraband, Garvin and Prince Arrawnt were pinned down, so they escaped aboard the Seagate.

The emperor surely would like to reclaim the Republican territories he lost in the War of Independence. If he is heading towards Aspia...

He certainly can't afford to miss this chance... Ah! Then... Then...

I still don't understand... If Prince Medion has no intention of joining an invasion, then Emperor Domaric can't do it alone.

My brother Medion is weak when it comes to father. Since father's love towards Medion was thin, Medion has worked hard to get father's recognition.

You don't say.

I believe Prince Medion was torn between his loyalty to his father, and his friendship with Lord Synbios... and the emperor must have seen that.

Of course, now I see. The purpose of the letter is to rush Prince Medion to make a decision between the two.



Then if Prince Medion refuses to march into Aspia, the life of Lady Melinda... Was he trying to threaten the prince with her life?

What a story... I can't believe it... To threaten Lady Melinda's life... She's the emperor's wife, and the mother of his son.

Yep, Domaric's an rear end in a top hat. We've known this for quite a while now.

Domaric will do it. He will do anything to regain control of the Republican territories!

The emperor must be threatening Prince Medion now that he believes his letter has been delivered. He must be rushing Prince Medion to join the Aspia invasion.

Julian, let's hurry to prepare for the journey. We must get to Aspia before Prince Medion invades.

Well then, Lady Melinda can be escorted to Aspia! My assignment from General Rogan is now complete. However, that means the beginning of another task. This war began with the Bulzome Sect plot. As long as they exist, tragedies will continue to occur! Julian, please allow me to join your army.



:toot:

I take an oath. I, Honesty, am committed to defeating Bulzome and bringing peace to this land once again.

At this point, if we took Edmund, Isabella would join us too. But since we already have her, we cut to this line:

Well, the female soldiers of today are certainly strong. The women in this force... are as brave as the male soldiers, Julian.

Prepare to march, Julian. We have to cross the continental shore today!

Well, that sure was a lot of words. We're dumped in HQ, but there's only one line that's of particular interest:



Melinda only has one son, and that's Medion. Hell, she only has one child! God dammit, game.




There's also this incredibly weird and inappropriate line. No further comment.

We wander around town for some loot, including a bright honey, a brave apple, some cash, and a pair of mithrils. After some inventory management that's extremely boring (and mostly just shoving stat boosters into storage), we go to the one point of interest in this town:



Yep, it's time to start making use of mithrils again! Unfortunately, we don't have any more small mithrils lying around, so it's time to start forging weapons.




We pick up these two items plus a holy halberd for Donhort. The rune blade is a great pickup for Julian since it has high magic scaling and only trails 2 ATT behind the photon blade. On the other hand, the holy halberd and the heat axe are the worst choices for their respective characters, but I'll just have to deal with it.



There's not much else of interest here, other than a bunch of townspeople saying how impressive we are for getting past Barrier Fortress. Time to exit town and get to the next fight.




Since High Priest Goriate was defeated in Destonia, we lost track of you, but we knew you would be crossing the continental border.

They are incredibly persistent. We've defeated them many times, and now it looks as though we will have to battle them again.

I prepared an ambush for you. Did you think I would challenge you alone? Have a look at your enemies!





Those, however, are not. One guess as to what they do!

You see, Julian army, we will defeat Gracia!

The Bulzome Sect evidently doesn't want me to pass.

If we don't go to Aspia, Medion will battle the Republicans, then it will be too late.

You know what to do, Julian. We must get to Aspia. For that to happen, we must be triumphant!









Completely new enemy set. Nothing impressive; we're more worried about the heretic golems.



Also, Melinda is around. She doesn't have visible stats; just hit points. She doesn't really get in the way for the most part, though.




Two of the heretic golems pace between two bridges and throw rocks down them, much like the golem in scenario 1. However, the rockfall they use is only one space wide, so it's fairly easy to evade, and you know which lane they'll throw a rock down every turn. That leftmost bridge is a bit annoying, since a golem will always be throwing a rock there, but them's the breaks. There's a third one that sits idle and throws a rock down the same alley every turn, but it's very easy to circle around its back and kill it.



The golem's attack is still exactly the same animation and roughly the same damage.




There's also a green dragon hanging off to the side. We could recruit it with Cyclops, but :effort:. Honesty will just take it out without a problem.



The mega loaders pose a slight threat when combined with the golems, but if you can stay out of their way and then rush the loaders without taking rockfall damage, you're fine.



Or you can put an already injured character in the way of rockfall. That works too.



Some wing knights from off to the left fly in, but their defense is pathetic.



They don't even do that much damage.







Thousand's second rank critical. :getin:



Next, we just want to smash the golems as quickly as possible. They're huge stacks of hit points, but can only use rockfall, so not a real threat if you stay off the appropriate tiles.





Julian busts out the rune blade's weapon critical. It looks exactly the same as judgment, one of the ankh criticals, but it does very acceptable damage.



Honesty sneaks up behind one of the golems and hits the mega loader from an angle it's not supposed to get hit from.



Kate takes care of the second wing knight, but surprisingly does not kill it in one hit.



Donhort moves up to keep pasting the golem, and it forces me to be really inefficient with Gracia's mana. But the whole point of Gracia is to be inefficient anyway, so.



Sure, we can leave Thousand right in the lane where the other golem will throw its rock. That's okay, because...



Thousand is loving huge. Just for reference, the golem ordinarily is twice the size of any of your other characters, and here Thousand makes it look tiny.



Both golems try to flatten Thousand down to size, but he's having none of it.



Rollie retaliates with unicorn lasers.



Just two characters pounding on a golem tends to kill it in two turns.



Pictured: Being an idiot and healing right where a golem is going to throw another boulder at you.




After knocking down the second golem and wiping up some wing knights, it's just the third golem plus a few soldiers and the monk.



Oh right, Melinda has a combat sprite. Whatever, she has enough HP to take a few rockfalls.






Doesn't take much effort to break the last golem.



And Honesty shows off her level up pose in celebration.



May as well show off the rune blade's high magic scaling.



:wowza:

This spell alone basically knocks all four remaining enemies down to critical health.



It's a pretty easy mop up operation from there.



The gate bridge is impassable. My revenge will be awaiting you in the next life!



The Bulzome monk said something strange. The gate bridge is impassable...

It's over, isn't it? This battle must have been intended to delay us. The gate bridge was built in ancient times. Although I'm not sure about its mechanism, there seems to be a device to raise and lower it! I believe the switch is in the Great Lighthouse. We must take the lighthouse

I understand. Then to the Great Lighthouse.

I'm not sure if it will be that easy. Let's hurry over and find out.

NEXT TIME: More bad MGS copying!

inthesto
May 12, 2010

Pro is an amazing name!
The Shining Force, Part 3.2


Former Resistance member and descendent of the dragonman race which possesses dragon blood and abilities. The blood in him awakens and he joins the Julian army.
Pros: Good all around stats, can recruit dragons
Cons: Fist weapons aren't good, NPC dragons are annoying
Support: Counter Up
Thoughts: Cyclops is just kind of... there. He's good good stats unlike Frank, but there's still the fact that fist weapons are outside the advantage triangle and just don't have good criticals. Recruiting dragons is nice but generally unnecessary, and you'll notice when NPC dragons start to drag their feet. Cyclops isn't bad by any means, but we're in scenario 3 which has by far the most interesting array of characters.


Jane's unicorn companion. After Julian allowed High Priest Goriate to retreat after their battle, Jane left Rollie in Julian's care.
Pros: Is Donhort with spells
Cons: Horse movement
Support: Enemy Counter Down
Spells: Antidote/Charm/Sleep
Thoughts: I mean, the summary just about says it all. Her stats are comparable with Donhort's and they share a movement type. Rollie trades off the ability to equip weapons for an array of utility spells. Charm and Sleep aren't great, but Antidote is pretty useful when Isabella's action economy is squeezed. Seriously, Antidote is going to be very useful later on.


Sacred Dragon who protected the dragon graveyard. Under Bulzome's influence he tried to halt the Julian army, but Cyclops convinced him to join ranks.
Pros: :smaug:
Cons: :smaug:
Support: Defense Up
Thoughts: Thousand's stats are loving nuts. He has the highest HP by a fair margin, and edges everyone out on attack and defense. Sure, his agility sucks, but who cares? Agility is a dump stat in Shining Force. This plus 6 movement with flying makes Thousand an insane powerhouse that nobody else can really compete with. His only issue is vulnerability to archers as a flyer, but whatever. The rest of his stats more than makes up for that. Also, it'a hilarious that he's too huge to fit into his card art.


Lion warrior mercenary impressed with the Julian army for saving Destonia. Joined them near Barrier Fortress after they saved him from border guards.
Pros: Dorf
Cons: Dorf
Support: Defense Up
Thoughts: Meet Obright and Rock's mirror image. He has a different battle model, but is otherwise functionally the same. Since we don't have Edmund on this run, Leon is going to be our only primary axe user, which makes him a bit more important.


Pegasus knight who joined the Julian army. Delivered the emperor's letter, edited by Rogan, thwarting the emperor's plan to force Medion's support
Pros: Is Donhort but flies and uses swords
Cons: Ummm
Support: Enemy Critical Down
Thoughts: If Rollie trades Donhort's weapons for magic, then Honesty trades Donhort's terrain defense for flying. However, flying is really drat good in Shining Force 3, and archers aren't that plentiful in scenario 3. Combined with the fact that Honesty can also use wings which count as swords in the triangle, she's just so much more versatile than Donhort that he's not really worth using in the long run. Plus, pegasus knight criticals just look cooler.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Oh, interesting. You have to worry about your escort NPC getting mowed down by golems. That's a neat little wrinkle, at least.

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.

Glazius posted:

Oh, interesting. You have to worry about your escort NPC getting mowed down by golems. That's a neat little wrinkle, at least.

The best part is that she doesn't have Donhorts suicidal AI and just kinda frets around the back of the party due to low movement.

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Hoss Corncave
Feb 13, 2012

Ardeem posted:

Donhorts suicidal AI

Those three words will always make me very angry.

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