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Music: Jungle Relic Video: The Challenge of Destruction (Salamence)  Next up is the Challenge of Earth. This one is definitely the hardest of them all.  I'm sorry, it's the Challenge of Destruction. Earth doesn't even get its own challenge  Earth being Destruction is fairly novel. In my experience, Earth in RPGs usually deals with healing, or poison, or stuff like that. Everyone focuses on stuff growing out of the earth instead of earthquakes.   "The Challenge of Destruction" The power of destruction you must seek from those that fall from the sky. Having thus cleared your path, face you shall the rage of destruction's king. By your hand you must becalm the fury that drives the savage beast. Whence the king is so calmed, the seal of stone shall be no more, bringing conclusion upon the challenge of destruction. In the chambers of trial there shall be no record saved, for that in itself a challenge is posed. ...That's what the tablet says.*To Circe* Did you understand that? Why don't you read it for yourself, Circe? But that's weird... I don't see any Pokemon around at all. Where are we supposed to get help?  The symbol shows the Field Move we need. It's very straightforward.  Stepping on the button drops down some Pokemon and immediately we're thrust into an encounter. Music: Wild Pokemon Capture  These Pokemon have the field move necessary, so we're going to have to capture them to proceed. ...That said, just because it's straightforward doesn't mean it's easy. Bagon here charges, which combined with Gligar (who also charges  ) makes this a very hard capture.Uh oh... I'm starting to see why this area is so despised.  My strategy here is to let Gligar flee so I only have to deal with Bagon  Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 5 Possible EXP: 28/32/36/41 One thing to note here that if you don't catch them during the encounter (if either side flees), they'll be gone until we leave the area and come back. Of course, doing so will also reset the obstacles and our captured Pokemon. So, you know, don't let that happen. I but...  Music: Jungle Relic  In this case, the right path will eventually leads to a dead end, so we won't get in trouble for letting Gligar flee. They throw you into a difficult battle against two pokemon, let one of them flee so you think you messed up, and then after all that, the path of the one that can flee is a dead end? What the hell? It's still better than the reverse.  When there's only one obstacle around, the second Pokemon will be a Wurmple.   If you remember, Wurmple only needs 3 loops and is as slow as an actual sloth/grime. Needless to say, the encounter is over quick.  Machop's attack has a much smaller range than Bagon's, so catching Phanphy is actually possible. We don't actually need to, but still.  The upper path leads to a dead end. Both this and the earlier dead end have an encounter with 2 Magnemite. They'll heal for 10 HP per encounter, which isn't bad. We do need to clear the obstacles everytime we want to catch them, though. They're also the only healing we'll get in this area. So if you hosed up this part and can't use the healing here, the nearest one is the single Electrike outside the relic. Hope you like healing 5 HP at a time AND redoing this challenge!  ...Is what I'd like to say, but we can't even go outside because of Lunick. So if you're low on HP and can't get a Magnemite, it's best to load from before everything goes to poo poo. Just...  Trying to not jump down the game's throat, but this is really bad design. A blind maze with limited and dwindling resources is not cool.This place would be much better if there's a recharge station near the save point outside. It can even replace the automatic recharges after the bosses.  We can use Phanphy for this obstacle, but there's a new Pokemon to be captured here. Music: Wild Pokemon Capture  Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 1 Possible EXP: 16/18/20/22/24/26 Music: Jungle Relic  ...Let's just move on.   This place is lined up in a 3X3 squares. If we look at it like a phone's number placement, it goes like this: code: This means that even though the way up is the exit, we have to take a detour to this dead end first.  Unlike the other dead ends, this one doesn't have any Magnemite. At least it's a very simple maze, and even if you find the exit, you'll quickly realize you need to find something special. So the idea on the whole isn't terrible, just the execution could use a little work. Great idea but a little flawed execution is this game in a nutshell. Music: Wild Pokemon Capture  It attacks the same way as Staryu. Fun fact: This is the only time we're going to see any of Bagon's evolution line in the wild. Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 6 Possible EXP: 46/52/58/66 If you haven't figured it out, this challenge tests our capturing skills and endurance. Music: Jungle Relic  That's our final obstacle destroyed. All that's left is the boss.  The game gives us a small mercy by healing us to full and permanently destroying all obstacles, letting us go back and save. Surprisingly kind of the game... I'm concerned.  But then it takes those mercy back by releasing all our captured Pokemon and disabling all the buttons. Those Wurmple and Magnemite would've been so useful against the boss...  Speaking of the boss, it is the hardest Pokemon in the game.  Music: Wild Boss Pokemon Encounter  Let's go over why Salamence is so hard.  For one, it has a shockwave attack that hits the entire screen. It will hit your line, no questions asked.  It also has Hyper Beam, an attack which comes with an extremely short warning and pretty much nonexistent reaction time. And yes, it needs a whopping TWENTY TWO loops. Are you loving kidding...  Both attacks deal 3 damage. Our last level lets us get hit 8 times instead of 7.  After hitting or using Hyper Beam several times, Salamence will fly instead of walk. It won't attack during this time, but its movement speed is much faster.  After a short time (not enough for 22 loops), Salamence will fly up very high, most likely hitting our line. We WANT it to hit our line. Why?  Because of this. Then the cycle starts over from the beginning. So exactly when are you supposed to get 22 consecutive loops in? Because I'm not seeing a spot... That's exactly why catching Salamence is hard.  To make matters worse, Salamence is classified as Dragon instead of Flying, so Plusle is completely useless here.  Essentially, you need to get most of the loops when it's walking around and possibly doing the last few loops when it's flying.  Make sure to loop it quickly or it'll hit with Hyper Beam.You can probably make 3 loops quickly after each Hyper Beam. Repeat that 6 times and you're good. Easier said than done, though. Yeah, this is solidifying my desire to never play this game. I'll look at other Ranger games to play, sure. But fuuuuck this. There's a huge difficulty jump from this game to the sequels, that's for sure.  It'd be great if our progress isn't reset every time our line breaks, but that won't happen until the next game.  If you can get through this, you can get through everything else in the game. Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 22 Possible EXP: 350/360/370/380/390/400 You know, why doesn't Flygon become the boss of The Challenge of Earth while Salamence become the boss of The Challenge of Wind? It would've make more sense typing-wise. And it would actually let Earth get its own challenge.  *The pedestal fades* When you captured the Salamence, the stone seal disappeared! That's it! We've cleared all three challenges!  Goodbye, level 3 Crush  
1234567890num fucked around with this message at 08:27 on Jun 15, 2019 |
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Jun 14, 2019 04:16
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gently caress this boss. Holy poo poo, gently caress this boss. This is a boss that would have been infinitely less frustrating if it used ranger 2 or 3 mechanics, or if you were allowed to bring assists. 22 straight loops with an extremely small window of time to get all of them, and with absolutely no way to cheese the encounter is a horrible time. The good news is that this is as bad as it gets. The rest of the game is nowhere near as bad as Salamence.
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Jun 14, 2019 04:24
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Honestly, one of the worst bits of Ranger 1 is just the game throwing bosses that your one (1) friend pokemon is absolutely useless against. Ranger 2 and 3 both have sidequests to unlock other friend pokemon you can swap between, and by the end of the game you can always have a pokemon with type advantage on hand for whatever boss is shredding you.
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Jun 14, 2019 05:20
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It seems to me that a lot of the trouble is coming from the fact that it's being emulated instead of being played on the ds. I won't deny that it is rough around the edges but outside of the boss I don't remember this trial being that difficult. I think you mentioned it earlier, Num, but didn't you have to slow down the game during captures? What was the reason for that , if you did do it and I'm not just mistaken?
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Jun 14, 2019 06:18
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savixeon posted:It seems to me that a lot of the trouble is coming from the fact that it's being emulated instead of being played on the ds. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA no
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Jun 14, 2019 06:36
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mateo360 posted:HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I have played the game before and I don't remember running into the difficulties Num has had in normal capture. I'm just saying that I think there might be notable difference in using a stylus and using a mouse cursor during a capture.
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Jun 14, 2019 06:40
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If anyone here hasn't played the game and want to get a feel of how frustrating this fight is, I really suggest watching the video linked at the beginning of the update. It really captures how awful this fight is to go through, even on a DS. Because chances are, most players capture attempt would resemble something like that. Even if you try for the "quickly close the loop when Salamence Hyper Beams" tactic, there's a decent chance it'll just turn around and instantly Hyper Beam your capture line before you get a chance to close the loop. Multiple times. The flight section of the fight is also pretty finnicky, since you don't exactly know where or when the thing will decide to just turn and move in an entirely different direction. None of this would be nearly as bad if it didn't require 22 whole loops in a row, and you didn't have to start over entirely upon making one single mistake, or run into a tiny bit of bad luck.
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Jun 14, 2019 06:43
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I just watched the video for this update and I now understand what the apparent difference was between my experience playing this game and the lp. When I played through the game I always tried to get my capture as quick as I could. As soon as I saw an opening, I'd draw loops around the pokemon as quick as I could so I wouldn't have to deal with their attack. The only time I would bait out an attack was if it was difficult to deal with like a beam attack. After seeing how Num is playing it's easier to see why they're having some trouble with parts that were easy to me.
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Jun 14, 2019 06:59
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Araxxor posted:The good news is that this is as bad as it gets. The rest of the game is nowhere near as bad as Salamence. I'd actually say that there's another Pokemon getting close to Salamence's level...  It's Deoxys.savixeon posted:It seems to me that a lot of the trouble is coming from the fact that it's being emulated instead of being played on the ds. I won't deny that it is rough around the edges but outside of the boss I don't remember this trial being that difficult. Yes, I slow down the game to 0.75X speed during all captures because I'm using a mouse. Obviously, some captures are significantly easier on a DS, which I mentioned in the update (such as the Murkrow + 4 Spinarak fight). However, the main problem with the challenge (ignoring Salamence) is that your HP is limited and the only way to recharge them is by getting Magnemite at hard-to-reach places. And there is absolutely no way to heal otherwise (short of completing another challenge somehow). It's bad.
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Jun 14, 2019 08:41
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You know, if they were going to make you go through that much bullshit for a single capture, the least they could do would be let you keep the drat salamence.
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Jun 14, 2019 08:58
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Black Robe posted:You know, if they were going to make you go through that much bullshit for a single capture, the least they could do would be let you Fixed
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Jun 14, 2019 11:12
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It's definitely a rough one, but it's always easier on an actual DS since you can loop stuff super quickly. Also while this might be the hardest in the game, that doesn't mean there's no other mons that will kick the poo poo out of you.
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Jun 14, 2019 13:32
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Oh, heh this isn't where little me got stuck. That's a different thing; I misremembered the order! I got stuck at the boss right after this one.
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Jun 14, 2019 19:04
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Yeah there's another mon that can be a super huge pain just from sheer size.
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Jun 14, 2019 19:15
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This is the one moment I will not defend of this game. The rest has some bad execution but is overall a firm start to a great series. This is bullshit. There's no two ways to go around it, Salamence is a bullshit boss fight. Had it not required 22 loving loops, or you could use Poke Assists, or it wasn't goddamn Dragon so even your partner is useless...but no, it's everything and more. It even has an AoE attack that hits the entire screen because why the gently caress not? There's only one other fight I remember being genuinely hard and it still wasn't nearly as frustrating as Salamence.
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Jun 15, 2019 00:37
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FoolyCharged posted:Fixed  The game lets us go back and save after using Shelgon, so we don't have to do the challenge all over again.Jen X posted:Oh, heh this isn't where little me got stuck. That's a different thing; I misremembered the order! I got stuck at the boss right after this one. I agree that the boss after this one is also bullshit.
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Jun 15, 2019 08:31
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Music: Jungle Relic Like you have guessed, we're going to clear The Challenge of Fire too. Surely nothing bad can come of "just looking" at the fourth challenge. Surely. Video: The Challenge of Fire (Charizard)  How convenient.  The stone tablet's too badly damaged... I can't read what it says. Maybe someone wrecked it to make sure no one clears the fourth challenge. It doesn't make much sense... Want to try reading it, Circe?Sure. Why not?  "The Chall...Fire... ...violen...flam... ...fly...chase... ...nd...path you...find... Awai...be a...ragon of fi... By...hand...us...calm... ...rives th...vage...east... When...is so...calme...seal... ...tone...no mo...brin... co...usion...up...hallen...f...fir... ...chamber...f trial...there... no...save...or...itsel... challen... Enlightening. My favorite Rapidash... It... cute... lovely... smart... plus... amazing... you think so?... oh yes... it... stunning... kindly... love it! Hug it... when... sleeping... warm and cuddly... spectacular... ravishing... ...Oops! Sadly, we don't get to zip around Fiore on a bike   The path merges pretty much immediately later on and the craters does absolutely nothing, so we go to the boss room without much trouble. So the legendary and forbidden fourth challenge isn't extant? It's just not active right now. But judging from the tablet, it'll have something to do with flames and chasing stuff. Music: Go-Rock Quads!  Correction: With almost no problem.  Even if you're in a hurry, stop in your tracks! ! Open your ears to our melodic attacks! ! The rhythm of rage pounds the ground! ! Let the melody of ambition rise to the skies! !If you don't know us, we'll cure your ignorance! Billy! Garret! Clyde! Tiffany! The Go-Rock Squad's hot-prospect band of key-shaker-and-taker celebrities! A name once heard and never forgotten! The Go-Rock Quads! !This is actually the first video featuring the Go-Rock Quads' slogan. I love this gif.  Hey, long time! Welcome to the challenge of fire! You folks are Union Rangers, am I right? As you can see, this Charizard is in a world of suffering! Don't you think you ought to capture it? You know, so you can calm it down?Hey, Circe... What are these people? Are they high-ups in the Go-Rock Squad?*Charizard flies past them all* Hey! Look at the Charizard! That does look painful The Charizard is really suffering!Music: Tension Obviously, a round of talking to everyone is in order here. Oh? Why are we doing nothing to help the Charizard? It's rather simple--it has nothing to do with us in the least. Perhaps you should be the one extending a helping hand?Oh, no! Look at that poor, poor Charizard! This poor thing is suffering oh so much! Why don't you do something about it? Why, how about capturing it? So you can make nice and calm it down!The Charizard is suffering? Thank you kindly for telling me. ...And?Why are you asking me? I don't even know you. Why don't you quit wasting time and get on with it yourself? I'm running out of time to go shopping in Fall City over this. Well, this is a no-win situation, isn't it? We're forced to go around this area and capture this obviously-not-the boss. The Go-Rocks are up to something here. Their plan obviously hinges on Circe capturing this Charizard. So would their whole plan have been ruined had our two You know what they say: curiosity kills the cat.  By the way, the "go around" part is literal. Charizard will flee if not approached within a short time. There's fire on the way, but the path is wide enough to prevent us from falling.  There's three spots where Charizard could be, so this challenge tests our...attention, I guess? It's done in 10 seconds and require almost no thought, so  Music: Wild Boss Pokemon Encounter  The challenging part of this challenge comes wholly from this boss.  Charizard starts off by shooting fire upwards, similar to Camerupt.  Unlike Camerupt, though, the fire spreads and stays. Hope you practiced avoiding mines with Venusaur last mission! The flames disappear after a hit, but they cost 4 HP. Tanking those hits isn't a good idea, especially since...  After a while, Charizard will attack again. This will actually reset all our progress, which is kind of bullshit.  If you're unlucky enough...well...this happens. The best thing to do in that case is to just wait, honestly. Going by the video, at least the fire eventually dissipates. Plusle is actually useful here since Charizard isn't a Dragon type. Shame that it's considered a Fire type instead of Flying, though.  And that concludes the four trials. Fun fact: All four challenge bosses had appeared together somewhere in this thread. Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 11 Possible EXP: 350/370/390/410/430/450 I'd be amazed if anyone manage to get max EXP here. Same. That fight looked tedious with how short a time you had to capture it. If the RNG hated you, I could see this taking forever.  Goodbye, level 3 Burn Music: Go-Rock Quads!  I tried capturing that Charizard, but our prototype Styler couldn't quite get the job done.Worse, our unfinished Styler caused injury to that Charizard. An accident, of course.We lucked out when you gullible Rangers happened to come along all cheerful and helpful. But, you have our thanks. You cleared the fourth challenge for us!Huh? What are you saying? We captured the Charizard, but we didn't clear any challenge!...You're not too swift, are you? Capturing that Charizard was the fourth challenge!*Garret, Clyde and Tiffany leave* There's a legend about the Jungle Relic. Maybe you've heard of it? If all four of the reic's challenges are cleared, a great calamity will befall the Fiore region... We, the Go-Rock Squad, desperately wanted that calamity to happen. Then, we got word that some clueless Rangers--that's you--were coming here to take the challenges. And bingo! I had a wicked idea! We'd convince you to clear the fourth challenge and bring on the calamity! You had more trouble than I expected, but, hey, it's all cool. Anyway... I wonder what's happened to the Entei statue? I hope it's nothing good! Hahaha! *leaves*Darn it... They conned us... What do they mean by calamity? And what did he mean by the Entei statue? Is something happening to it? Let's go check that statue!I kinda don't like plots like this, where the only way to make poo poo happen is for the heroes to act like complete dunces. Surely there was a better way for this to go than having our heroes get outsmarted by a group who can't even properly keep the rhyme scheme in a four-line quatrain. I like to think that only Lunick is fooled by this. Circe is literally just doing her job. Music: Jungle Relic  I like the design of this room. It shows a huge amount of  for something that is very easily missable. Spoiler, I guess.Yeah, the background here is really awesome. It has a cooling lava look to it that I appreciate. lunick: *When talked to* What are you doing? We have to go check on the Entei statue!  What's supposed to happen when the four challenges are cleared? The altar is now lit by fire, but that seems to be it. It looks sort of pretty, but that doesn't seem like a calamity to me.*The two approach the statue*   But so what? Is that the horrible calamity? I guess that gang was just pulling a prank on us. They had me scared over nothing. Circe, we should head back. We're done with the challenges. I don't think anything else will happen.*The two leave* Entei is definitely loose now. And probably angry. Music: Olive Jungle  The screen is shaking here. This quake... This isn't good! And what is that noise? It's coming from inside the relic! Let's go back! We have to investigate this! From: Cameron To: Circe Oh my gosh, it's an earthquake! The tremor seems to be centered in the Jungle Relic. Knowing the both of you, I'm sure you're OK... ...You are OK, aren't you? I want the both of you to survey the damage and investigate the cause. But be careful of aftershocks, OK? Fall City's Aria--she was in Summerland--should be headed your way, too. I'm strictly ordering you to think safety first. ...Is it still shaking? *The two reenters* Mission complete? 
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Jun 18, 2019 09:53
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SOMEONE EXTREMELY CORRECT posted:Same. That fight looked tedious with how short a time you had to capture it. If the RNG hated you, I could see this taking forever. Hi, yes, welcome to kid me's experience with Pokemon Ranger. I had no trouble with Salamence, but this stupid Charizard made me quit the game for like 3 weeks because I just could not deal with it, the double mines along with it breathing fire were just too much for younger me. She was very angry about this.
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Jun 18, 2019 11:33
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Yeah, Charizard is the one that sticks out in my memory as the one that gave me a lot of trouble.
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Jun 18, 2019 15:20
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I hated Salamence far more than I hated Charizard. I don't remember the latter being that much of a pain. It helps that Plusle/Minun does work here even if they aren't super effective.
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Jun 18, 2019 15:37
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I remember rage quitting this game at Grovyle. I finished Shadows of Almia, though.
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Jun 19, 2019 03:54
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In most stories the villian succeeding solely because the protagonist is dumb is obnoxious and takes you out of things. Here, we've spent so much time establishing how dumb the rangers are that when the bad guys point it out we laugh along with them.
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Jun 19, 2019 04:18
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Music: Mission Start! Welp, this sure is a drastic change of scenery. Good thing convection doesn't exist in the pokemon universe because yiiikes. New Music: Olive Volcano Unbelievable! Everything's completely changed here... There's lava where water flowed... The tremor and the roaring noise were from the eruption of an underground volcano.  Oh, so you are safe after all. I was about to leave Summerland after a mission when that earthquake hit. I got a feeling that this was no ordinary quake. I thought maybe, just maybe, something unthinkable happened. I'm hoping it didn't happen, but... You didn't clear the fourth challenge, did you?...! Aria... We, uh... The fourth challenge... Um... We did it... But... There's a good reason... We can explain... There was a Charizard in pain...That's an awfully specific question to be asking.  *A Pokemon cries to interrupt Lunick's ellipses barrage*  What is that over there? Is that an Entei?!*Entei flees* An Entei? Why would a legendary Pokemon appear here? I don't know why, but it must be linked somehow to the volcanic eruption.Seems like both Aria and Cameron don't know about the Entei statue. Is that a new addition?  Anyways... I can't let you handle this anymore. I can't believe you would clear the fourth challenge. No Ranger would be so foolish to do such a thing. I'll calm the Entei. That will stop this disaster from getting any worse. You can do whatever you want, but don't do anything to mess things up anymore. Understood? *leaves*We caused this! We have to do something about it!*When talked to* We caused a lot of trouble for the people of Summerland...*When talked to* This is all our fault, isn't it? We have to do something about it!As you might have guessed, Lunick won't let us leave until we do "something" about it. That's very vague. *When talked to* We've got to find the Entei! Before this calamity thing gets any worse!"Hey stay put and literally don't do anything. I'll fix your fuckup." "WE CAN'T STAND AROUND WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING." Also major props to Aria for actually being competent here.  Somehow, the eruption also causes Pokemon to appear. Sure, why not. At least it's a fire type!  It's weirdly fitting that the first Pokemon we see in a volcano is a Numel.  All the challenges are now blocked off. The boulder near this challenge is still here, by the way. Spoke too soon. Why is an Electrike here? Gameplay convenience, I guess. Not that it's that useful, only healing 5 HP.  It's better to go left first here, but I go up because I am a master of planning. Music: Go-Rock Squad!  Both directions have a grunt battle right away, but this one is harder. Just this one screenshot and I think I completely understand the Go-Rock plan. And... if I'm right it's actually pretty ingenious. Music: Go-Rock Squad Battle (Weak Grunt)  Slugma and Magcargo is just faster versions of Grimer and Muk, complete with the sludge trails and shooting puddles. Slugma is dealt with quickly.  Magcargo, however, is a problem. Magcargo and Muk both leave a long trail of sludge. But since Magcargo is faster, it leaves a longer trail of sludge. This is one of the few points where line length is important. Plusle is useful here assuming you have the gauge ready. Otherwise, grab some Friend Pokemon from the other fork to humiliate Magcargo just like how we humiliate Muk. Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 3 Possible EXP: 43/49/55/63  Required Loops: 4 Possible EXP: 70/76/82/90 Music: Olive Volcano  This just isn't my day... Earlier, some snooty Ranger girl knocked me aside when I tried to stop her. She didn't bat an eye and just kept going. I feel like such a loser... *flees*That answers how Aria can go past the grunt  Aria gives no fucks.  There's a Graveler here which will be very useful against all the Fire Pokemon.  It is also useful for crushing boulders, such as the one near what used to be The Challenge of Water. 0/10 graveler didn't suplex the boulder.  It's another secret area with a new Pokemon!  We have to approach Sceptile from behind, because...  ...if it spots us, it will jump over us. That's one way to flee, I guess.  Yes, it can also jump randomly during battle. Yes, it's as annoying as all of the others.  It also hits HARD. That's more damage than any of the challenge bosses put out. Holy crap! The best thing to do here is to use Fire assist and then capture it before the effect wears off (more on that later).  I love when a Level Up saves me from having to capture 5 Electric Pokemon to heal   Required Loops: 8 Possible EXP: 100/112/124/136/148/160 We have the cut master! This Sceptile can give us HM01. Before we move on, let's see what's behind the other fork.  Now that the Jungle Relic has turned into a volcano, the colorful fires have turned into the boring red ones. Music: Go-Rock Squad!  Music: Go-Rock Squad Battle (Weak Grunt)  Rapidash charges in a straight line and...that's pretty much it. Just deal with it like any other charging Pokemon. Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 7 Possible EXP: 56/62/68/76 We're getting a lot of level 3 field moves now... Makes sense considering we're in the final third of the game (not including postgame stuff). Music: Olive Volcano  I don't like how it ended, but it felt good interfering with you. I did slow you down, didn't I?Considering that what you're guarding is entirely optional, I guess you're slowing us down more than you'd think.  There's Magmar, but it's very unnoteworthy.  Magmar can shoot the fire several times consecutively, but it's nothing we haven't seen before.  Required Loops: 6 Possible EXP: 70/74/78/83 Try to guess how many updates until we capture Electabuzz. Many, probably!  Remember this dead end? We'll finally take a look at it after we get this Macnetric.  I don't know how a puddle of electricity works, but that's what Macnetric makes.  Required Loops: 3 Possible EXP: 12 Any amount of recovery is appreciated, I imagine. I certainly appreciate Manetric here more than Electrike.  Here's what lies beyond the stairs in front of what used to be The Challenge of Wind. These Beldum wasn't there before, by the way. Otherwise the trial bosses would be mubh easier.  It may not look like it, but Beldum is actually charging here.  Required Loops: 5 Possible EXP: 32/38/44/50/56/62  I don't want to use for Sceptile for this fence (near what used to be The Challenge of Fire), but there doesn't seem to be any other Pokemon with Cut around.   I ended up not using it. The way forward was the second path blocked by the boulder. Looks like the Squad has opened it up for us. I really like when previous dungeons get new terrain. Or the paths through them get recontextualized. Tyrano Lair remains one of my favorite endgame dungeons in Chrono Trigger for that reason!
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Jun 25, 2019 13:59
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 We'll deal with that grunt later. Music: Go-Rock Squad!  It's probably for the good of people and society!...Probably? Probably for the good of the Go-Rock Squad's bank account. Music: Go-Rock Squad Battle (Weak Grunt)  As you might have expected, Sneasel moves very quickly. Combined with Meowth hindering us while being hard to capture by itself (stop jumping! ), this is a very tricky capture.It also seems like the captures are getting more and more annoying as time goes on! The game has to make the captures harder somehow, after all.  Both Pokemon have to stop when it's cutting, though, so that's a great time to use an assist. Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 3 Possible EXP: 42/45/48/52 Kind of a crap reward for the effort required! Music: Olive Volcano I said it's for the good of people and society earlier, but... I think it's also for pride and for money, too... Our boss is human, too..."You think"? Do you even know what's your squad's objective?  Let's be honest, there's a really good chance it's almost entirely about money.  Oh, hello. We haven't seen you since, what, the end of the first mission? Doesn't seem like it was all that long ago, and now here's the first boss just a regular enemy. How time flies, huh? In any case, there's nothing beyond, so time to deal with the other grunt. Music: Go-Rock Squad!  Um, no? Oh yeah, totally it's... generic faceless Go-Rock grunt #23. You know... them! ...You don't remember?! You really don't remember?! Gaaaaah, I'm not taking that!They're dealt with in 3 seconds. Music: Olive Volcano I remember you way more than I ever want to... You captured back that Politoed I took from that Ranger. I feel bad for taking that guy's Pokemon, but don't you remember me yelling, "Gaaaah! Don't ever forget this!"Oh, you're that guy. Sorry They feel bad for stealing the Politoed but not enough to quit the Go-Rocks. Welp. Well, this time, don't you forget it. Gaaaah! Don't ever forget this! *flees*Up ahead, we find...  Well that was pointless.  Oh, look! It's the Pokemon Spenser captured. How did it get to Fall City? Is that the only Houndoom in the game? No, but it's funnier to think otherwise.  Its attack is just like the one from the tutorial.  Required Loops: 6 Possible EXP: 60/66/72/80  Moving forward leads us to the area just above the challenges.  He's not like the grunts you ran into on the way here. The Pokemon he uses is incredibly strong... I desperately did my best to try to capture it, but it wrecked my Styler... I feel so angry and useless...*The screen shakes* ...That tremor... Something happened in there. You two... You don't have the time to be stunned. Isn't it your job as Rangers to investigate and resolve crises? I hate admitting this, but with my Styler broken, I can't do my job. As inexperienced as you are, I have no choice but to pin my hopes on you.I feel kinda bad for calling Aria a jerk now. To be fair, she didn't give out the best first impression. There's a save point just off screen, so the stairs is obviously where the boss is. So we'll avoid it for now...  Poliwhirl is not strong enough, so we're not going through this right now.  Instead, we'll just capture this Charmander, our second to last starter. Bulbasaur is still nowhere to be found.  Required Loops: 3 Possible EXP: 25/29/33/39 That's everything here, though. Not much can be done without cooling down the lava. Which means it's time to deal with the boss. Well that was a pointless side-trip. Video: Slaking Music: Go-Rock Quads!  ...Calamity-Causing Combo kind of lacks that street-sensibility thing... Calamity-Creating Combo? ...Who cares about that... Anyways, I have to hand it to you two! Our boss is mighty pleased, yes, sir, tremendously pleased with you. You played a huge part in the testing of our latest Styler! ...But now, your part is done. If we let you scurry around anymore, you'll get under the boss's foot. ...Why are you giving me that eye? I'll show you! Just going right into it, huh? Holy poo poo! Slaking is huge! Music: Go-Rock Quads Battle  Remember Clyde's part in the slogan? Apparently that's almost literal. And yes, those rocks will deal damage if hit.  Unlike what you'd think, Slaking actually moves constantly. At a normal pace, too. And, to make matters worse, it requires a whopping 17 loops. It's not 23 loops, but still... What? Why!? Slaking's whole gimmick is that it's lazy as hell. Why break that up now? They could have even incorporated the truancy into making the fight harder, putting little damage clouds or something around it that only show up when it's resting! It's kind of a missed opportunity, I'd say.  Fighting assist would've been amazing here, but Fire will have to do. Like the game said earlier, Fire assist will create an explosion after making a loop. The explosion will cause all Pokemon caught in it to become startled, which means that they won't break the line by contact nor will they do any attack. What the game doesn't explicitly say is that the loop doesn't have to contain the Pokemon, but doing that means the explosion probably won't hit it either. And that the explosion's effect only last for two seconds with a cooldown before the Pokemon can be startled again.  This means that Fire is much better for Pokemon with low required loops. For Pokemon with high required loops (like Slaking), we do actually need to be careful. Don't get me wrong; Fire is still one of the most useful assists. It's just not THE most useful. Not everything can be electric assist!   Slaking might take a long time, but it's definitely not Salamence or Charizard levels of difficulty. Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 17 Possible EXP: 200/210/220/230/240/250/260 For a so-called prodigy, failing against Slaking is kinda disappointing...  Music: Olive Volcano  ...Well, so much for that bonus pay. But that's all right. I stalled you a bit. I did my job. Our boss is in the back. But while you guys were fumbling around, the experiment finished already. That tremor a little earlier's proof! You were too late to stop it, heh! Bye-bye! *flees*There's only one thing to do now: go up there and see the Go-Rock Squad's leader for the first time. Is it weird if I think it's kind of a good plan to just send your minions out to delay the heroes for as long as possible? Not to stop them, but to delay them. New Music: Gordor  ...Er, the second time. What was it I said earlier? 'Mods change my name to telephone because I loving called it?'  *Notices Circe* Hm? You are...? Oh, yes, I remember now. You're my guide from Lyra Forest. Circe, wasn't it? (Snicker...) You seem surprised. At the time, I certainly wasn't much more than a pitiful old man just lost in the woods. But now... I would think the most pitiful people in Fiore would be you two. As the boss of the Go-Rock Squad, I, Gordor, will explain how this came to be. Consider it a thanks for your help. You should've taken the Toxx,  Meh! I don't really feel like gambling with the health of my account. The legend of the Jungle Relic turned out to be true. Thanks to a pair of gullible do-gooders, the fourth and final challenge was cleared. As a result, the underground volcano erupted, and the Entei was awakened!Circe isn't gullible! She's just doing her job! The Entei, overburned with fiery energy, appeared to become the first capture of my new Styler! Being a legendary Pokemon, it put up a terrific fight. But in the end, my experiment became a smashing success! The loud noise and the tremor from earlier were the result of that capture. Gordor's Laugh: 8 It won't be long before we, and not you, are considered legitimate Rangers!Now I can understand why the grunt earlier sounds like she doesn't know what her boss wants. My theory still holds water. Some day I might share what it is! Let me assign you your final job as a Ranger. If nothing is done with that Entei, its presence is certain to trigger another eruption of the underground volcano. That will not only destroy this relic, it will devastate the natural environments and ruin people's lives in Fiore. Now wouldn't that be a terrible shame? So, let me assign you the mission, which will also mark your retirement! He's petty as gently caress. *When talked to* Now, you expert Union Rangers... What will you do?*When talked to* We can't take back what we did... But we have to do what we can! We have to capture that Entei!You know what we have to do. Video: Entei + 2 Magmar Music: Wild Boss Pokemon Encounter   No, the video title is not wrong.   As soon as the battle starts, Entei calls in two Magmar. In retaliation, I call in Plusle. Two helper magmar just feels petty. Gordor's plan is petty, so this feels appropriate.  That's one less speedbump to deal with. At least they're gone quickly!  Entei shoots flames straight ahead consecutively, just like Magmar. But unlike Magmar, it can actually change directions mid-combo.  ...And that's all it does. For a legendary Pokemon, Entei is pathetic. Go back and watch the video. Num isn't showing you the sheer number of failed captures because Entei is a capricious jerk who likes to breathe fire at inopportune moments. It looked almost entirely luck-based instead of skill-based! It's more of me trying to get both Magmar before even attempting at Entei. Entei is barely harder than the average wild Pokemon here, which is kind of bad for a legendary Pokemon. Just to make it even more pathetic, we'll trivialize it using a Pokemon that can be found in any cave.  It's worth noting that using Rock assist causes a knockback. So it's entirely possible to push the Pokemon into the edge of the screen, where it's literally impossible to capture.  What a joke. Even Slaking is harder just because there's no effective assist available against it. Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 13 Possible EXP: 380/394/408/422/436/450 At least you get one heck of a reward! Music: Gordor  Captured the Entei?! I'll admit to not having expected that. But that's fine... My experiment was a complete success. Our plan has taken a giant leap forward. With my Styler, even legendary Pokemon can be captured without the need for any special skills!Aside from finding them in the first place, you mean. The incompetency of the Go-Rocks is really this region's only saving grace ...Though it's impossible to control the behavior of legendary Pokemon quite yet... But that should soon be reality with only minor tweaks. I am plenty satisfied with what we've achieved today. Gordor's Laugh: 9 Please convey my best regards to your Prof. Hastings, the Ranger Union's chief of technology. Yes, be certain to give the good professor the best regards of Gordor. *leaves**When talked to* I'm not looking forward to seeing Cameron...It's almost like you two had just one thing you didn't have to do. Something that required you to do literally nothing. And yet you still failed. Aria failed in her mission too, so I guess we're not worse off than her. Music: Olive Volcano  You did?! That's incredible... ...What exactly happened here? I want you to explain it from the top. ... ...Oh, and there was an injured Charizard? ...You captured it. ...And that was the fourth challenge? That's awful! What a rotten thing for them to do! So that's what you went through... You two got caught up in some terrible things through no fault of yours...*Pokemon cry* Look! It's that Charizard! *Charizard flies around for a bit before leaving* That was the Charizard? It seemed to be wincing in pain, but it seemed to be grateful to you. Let's go back to Summerland and report to Cameron what happened.*All of them leave* This brings up the question of whether the fourth challenge just has that Charizard be constantly injured. Or whether the Go-Rocks were the ones who did it. Billy said that they injured the Charizard  accidentally, so I guess it's the latter.
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Jun 28, 2019 17:56
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I remember this game fondly, but I remember raging about the prior section vividly. I'll join in the chorus saying that the health meter from ranger 2 and 3 was much better.
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Jul 6, 2019 17:34
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Music: Ranger Base  The tremors seem to be over, so I guess the crisis has passed. Both of you... I'm sorry for what you went through. It's my fault for mentioning the challenges... Forgive me.No, Cameron, you clearly warned us about the fourth challenge. We knew that, but...The only people at fault here are the Go-Rock Squad. They're the bad guys. I'll take full responsibility for this. I'll make that completely clear in my report to the Ranger Union. But you know... Moping around over being duped is no way for Rangers to be, hey? Come on, smile! Be happy and cheerful like the sunshine of Summerland!You know what, Cameron? You're not so bad after all  Cameron is still terrible at his job, to be completely fair! He's just a pretty alright boss too. It was a big ordeal. But you skillfully came through. Maybe you're not so bad after all.Don't steal my line Well, I have to do a mission in Fall City. I have to go. *leaves*With that, it's time for our usual rounds. I'm going to stay in Summerland for a while. I'll keep gathering information on the Go-Rock Squad.It's a rare occasion to hand out praise. I hope it doesn't bring a storm... Imagine! The Go-Rock Squad hiding in Summerland! That is so creepy! Our Leader can be counted on when he's called upon. During the earthquakes, he helped lead Summerland's people to safety.So Cameron can actually be competent. Shame the same can't be said for his Rangers... Oh you just missed it. Cameron was really cool and competent. Over there. Where you can't see it. There was a huge party and everything! They were just giving away shinies. Such a shame you weren't here. At least the game bothered to give a lip service about Cameron's competence, which can't be said for his subordinates'.  From: Prof. Hastings To: Circe I need you back at the Fall City Ranger Base at once. Just hurry! You will understand when you arrive. I got the same message. It doesn't say what it's about, but it must be important. You know how impatient the professor is--you'd better go right away. You should use the Dragonite Bus upstairs.Come to think of it, why didn't Aria use the Dragonite Bus? Are we actually higher ranked than her?   I make mistakes all the time. But this Pelipper won't let me feel sorry for myself very long. When I'm feeling down, this Pelipper swallows up the negativity in one scoop of its broad bill!Do you mean to say that the Pelipper puts you in its mouth until you stop being down?  That's what it sounds like...   ...Right. Moving on.  Music: Fall City   We're off to the Dusk Factory! The Go-Rock Squad studied my Super Styler and developed their own! Now they've started producing their new Stylers right here in Fall City! Who would have guessed it?Yeah, who could've thought the Dusk Factory with suspicious scientists is actually Go-Rock Squad's facility  They won't get away with this criminal act right under our very noses! And so, Circe, this is your new mission! Investigate the Dusk Factory! Circe, why are you befuddled? Let me guess. You're wondering if it's OK to accept a mission from me, and not a Leader. There's no need for concern! I'm the Ranger Union's chief of technology. In other words, anything I ask for can be considered an official Ranger Union mission. Shall we?Music: Mission Received!  I love that the second she gets told it's alright, she goes straight into her pose. Circe is a huge dork.There's not a moment to be lost! To the Dusk Factory! Finally, we get this rank's official mission.  Speaking of, I haven't actually shown any glossary entries we unlocked this rank.  Dark assist is unique in that it completely ignores the target Pokemon's types. It cost 25% of our HP and its effect is very situational. I'm struggling to think of any use cases where a much longer line would come in handy. Well, line length had been a problem when we fought Magcargo earlier. It will definitely been helpful if we're fighting a long Pokemon like, say, an Onix?  Ghost assist is Fire and Flying combined  . I'd even say that Ghost assist is the best one in the game.Anything it can't handle (Dark, Steel, Normal) is super effective from Fighting, so both types can cover all our assist needs.  Looking forward to seeing this one in action.Music: Ranger Base   It's apparently a secret mission. He wouldn't tell us what it was about. Hey there! Are you looking for a ride on the Dragonite Bus? But you've been assigned an important mission, haven't you? Taking a side trip now...that'd be a big no-no!The Dusk Factory is where we must go! Hurry, youngster!Music: Fall City   There's nothing to worry about, though. My beloved Joel is sure to save the day.Like what some NPC here said/will say, all the wild Pokemon here have gone missing. You can completely miss this fact if you're not paying attention/talking to NPC.   Does she get one specially designed just for her? You don't know, either?She did come from a wealthy family, at least according to that one NPC. She wears what she wants and nobody cares enough or has the spine to call her out on it.   The wild Pokemon have disappeared from the town, and no one knows why. Ranger, this sounds like a job for you.  This time, the waterworks has been... ...Overrun by a huge outbreak of Pikachu! I don't know if you could call this a crisis. I guess it would be an incident--on the cute side of things. Anyway, Fall City Rangers are down there trying to round up the Pokemon in a hurry.Spoiler: We're never going to see any Pikachu inside the sewer, even in the postgame. We can't visit it right now because Hastings won't let us enter any buildings or go to the harbor.   She was a good customer and bought all sorts of things. But she was a handful, too. She was very demanding and hard to please. My gosh, I had one astounding experience. I had this young lady customer who pretty well cleared out every last bit of my shop's merchandise. She had a violin, so I'm guessing she's a musician.  ...It's too quiet. I know what's missing! What happened to all the wild Pokemon?  I think Ranger Fountain would be perfect... I wonder what else would be good?The Hard-To-Name Fountain?   fountain  She really seemed to like the Ludicolo belt!  Capturing Pokemon in town with odd machines and then taking them into the Dusk Factory, they did!  She bought an unbelievable amount of flowers that day. She was with three men in white uniforms. They had a hard time trying to carry them all. You should have heard them moan!That's everything, so it's time for the mission. So one of the Go-Rock quartet wandered around the town and bought stuff? But why? To what end? Because they can  That's everyone, so let's start this mission. Dusk Factory is still to the right of Fall City. Music: Mission Start!  Music: Fall City Now, Circe. We must shut down the power supply that drives the Dusk Factory. We must stop the Go-Rock Squad from making any more of their Stylers! Let us drive them out!Remember that we tried to enter earlier, but we couldn't.  Ah, but this is nothing. Stand aside, and let my genius shine! *walks into the intercom* Hmm... ...This only requires a 2-digit number? How's this? Go-Rock... GO... GO... 60! 6-0, and these gates should open... I love how even Hastings is surprised 100 combinations wouldn't take long to brute force, to be fair! Then why not have a third digit? Or a fourth? There should be a generator somewhere that's making electricity for the factory. Let's find it and knock it out! The automatic door isn't responding. We'd best find another entry, Circe. The storage door is open, but we'll take a look at the back of the factory first.  Oh look, there's plenty of Voltorb. I wonder if they...  Yep. They do explode.  The explosion have a deceptively short radius during capture, though. Which is good because you're kinda forced to take on plenty of them at once, what with them being grouped together.  Required Loops: 5 Possible EXP: 7 Really? 5 loops for 5 HP? Ugh... Welp. I get they have to add some difficulty for the endgame dungeons but...  Remember the park to the left? That's where we captured a Skitty and saw the Machop way back in Mission 2. Music: Dusk Factory  *When talked to* Taking this place down should make things difficult for them.*When talked to* Let's shut down power to this entire factory!*When talked to* The thought of it all... How dare they abuse and misuse my Styler...Moving on to inside the storage, there's a fence. We need to catch the Meowth from the back of the factory to cut it.    Unlike the fishes, there's actually a way to reach it right now.  Growlithe is fairly straightforward.  Required Loops: 4 Possible EXP: 26/27/28/29/30/31 It will be our only source of Fire assist, which will be very useful later. And, after the end of this update, we won't be able to grab it. Also adorable fire dog pupper!  Music: Go-Rock Squad!  I mean, what is that? That "capture on" thing? Come on! You mean that Rangers actually said "Capture On!" out loud? Yeah, you guys are so lucky, getting to say stuff like, "Capture on!" It's kind of cool... *flees*Then go to school. Or go write 10 letters. Or just say "Capture On!" before doing random stuff. Commentary On!  Who is that lot?The door brings us to the walkway between the storage and the factory. No points for guessing who Hastings is talking about. Commentary Off...
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Jul 17, 2019 02:36
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The Go-Rock Squad are the best part of this game They're perfect Pokemon villains. Dedicated to their theme to a crazy extent, unsure what their goals actually are, inconsistent as heck in their worldview, really predictable where their lairs are concerned and completely at a loss should someone get past the single plan they bothered to come up with.
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Jul 17, 2019 08:36
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Reply On! Growlithe is the best and you did the right thing in getting it. You shouldn't use it though, if only to keep it with you as long as possible.
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Jul 17, 2019 13:07
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Music: Go-Rock Quads! Even if you're in a hurry, stop in your tracks! !Open your ears to our melodic attacks! !The rhythm of rage pounds the ground! !Let the melody of ambition rise to the skies! !If you don't know us, we'll cure your ignorance! Billy! Garret! Clyde! Tiffany! The Go-Rock Squad's hot-prospect band of key-shaker-and-taker celebrities! A name once heard and never forgotten! The Go-Rock Quads! !  That's the attitude that made you lose against that child.  If I don't get to go shopping, I'm so going to get totally stressed out.Didn't you buy literally everything in every shop in Fall City? She never said that she's going to shop in Fall City.  Garret will stay to oversee the factory. We're going back to the hideout because the boss is waiting for us.*Garret enters the factory while the other leave* There's a lot of body language involved in those few pictures. This game is very great with its spritework, but if I show all of them in this LP we'll be here forever. By the way, spoiler: we will be facing against Garret at the end of this mission.  Makes you wonder how the Fall City Rangers never heard of it (or at least never did anything about it), huh? Music: Dusk Factory  There's Magnemite here. They're pretty much completely obsolete. All Pokemon with Level 1 Recharge assist are.  *Notices Pikachu* How could they be so cruel?! They are draining this Pikachu's power to run their electrical system! The only way this generator can be stopped is by rescuing the trapped Pikachu. Circe, it's up to you! Make quick work of it! We do still have to actually find a Pokemon to cut the cage, though.  I love this description That description was for the brown machine. For others: Blue machine This odd machine glows in a mysterious way. But it seems harmless. White machine It's a high-performance machine. "High performance" is etched in tiny letters. Gray machine This appears to be an expensive machine. Its polished surface looks expensive.  Fun fact: When initiating capture, the game doesn't care about walls (or conveyor belts in this case). I love that the Mr Mime are synchronized!  Mr. Mime is an interesting Pokemon. First, it makes walls. As you can expect, the walls act as mines.  The walls are invisible, only flashing every few seconds.  This means that we're going to have to memorize where Mr. Mime makes the walls with increasing number as it keeps making them. They're not permanent, but the game will not tell us when they're gone. We'll have to notice that it's not flashing anymore by ourselves. Not gonna lie, that sounds kinda awful.  Required Loops: 8 Possible EXP: 68/72/76/81 Music: Go-Rock Squad!  Music: Go-Rock Squad Battle (Weak Grunt)  With 2 mimes, it's much harder to remember where the walls are. It's best to just use Plusle and capture them before they can make any. That's the kind of strategy I can get behind!  Music: Dusk Factory I hate how this turned out... Before the boss finds out I lost, I should go back to the country and start from scratch... *flees* In the next room, we see these Hypno. Yes, those beams will mess up our controls. And yes, those beams can pass through the machines. At least there's less Hypno here than Zubat in the cave.   During capture, it's just a slightly faster Drowzee. Nothing too exciting about it.  Required Loops: 9 Possible EXP: 54/58/62/68  Up from those machines, we see some stairs. Music: Fall City  Going up leads us to the roof. A tree planted on the roof doesn't sound like a good idea, to be honest. I think a rooftop garden is actually a good idea, though. Music: Wild Pokemon Capture  Pinsir is very similar to Crawdaunt, even down to approaching the line before cutting. Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 6 Possible EXP: 82/88/94/102 Looks like we found our cage-cutting Pokemon. Music: Go-Rock Squad!  Waah! What are you doing here? I was slacking off here the whole time... Wait, no, no, no... I was... I was here the whole time thinking I wish I could goof off!Sure you were . Slakoth is captured very quickly.Heheheh. Slacking off with a Slakoth. Fitting! Music: Fall City About me goofing off... Not a word to anyone, OK?You're actually going to continue goofing off instead of fleeing? Okay then   Vent This large ventilation vent has air flowing freely through it. We already used our Makuhita and there's no available Pokemon with Tackle here, so what's up this tree will remain a mystery. It's absolutely nothing, by the way. There's no way this tree's roots don't destroy this factory in a couple years. You read too much Little Prince. One normal-sized tree isn't going to destroy an entire factory, you know Music: Go-Rock Squad!  Going down from the machines, we found another boss that's turned into a grunt encounter.  Our Power Styler will let anyone easily capture anything! So what if Pokemon get injured in the process? They're just tools to be used by the Go-Rock Squad!The Go-Rocks are either hilariously one-dimensionally evil, or completely ineffectual. There is no middle ground. New Music: Go-Rock Squad Battle (Strong Grunt)  Pictured: how Muk's boss battle would be if I didn't trivialize it with Drowzee. It'll be a very hard fight with a short line length. Too bad Muk's try at redemption is thwarted by the presence of wild Hypno just few steps away. I wholeheartedly support dunking on Muks wherever possible. Music: Dusk Factory It's not important if I happen to win or lose here. The likes of you are too puny to interfere with our boss's grand ambition! We can't move any further until we destroy the generator, so let's do that.   Sadly, we'll have make do with Magneton. *The light dims*  Ah, I see... When a generator is stopped, the factory floor's lighting grows dim. Judging by the size of the factory, there must be other generators about. Let us find the next one!The darkened rooms aren't just for aesthetic.   There are Ghost Pokemon out and about! Be careful that they don't abduct any of your friend Pokemon.Remember those spooky Pokedex entries about Ghost Pokemon spiriting away other Pokemon? We get to see it in action here.  As we go through the area, a Gastly might decide to lick our Pokemon. While it's doing it, the targeted Pokemon will cry for our help. If we decide to ignore it to its fate like a heartless bastard...  ...the Gastly will take it to the afterlife, never to be seen again  In gameplay terms, it will automatically release our Pokemon, so technically we can just go back to where we caught them. You're a heartless bastard if you do this, though. The pokemon world kinda sucks if all it takes to attract ghosts is to turn the lights off.  If you do decide to help your friend Pokemon, Gastly will turn its attention to us instead. Where all it can do is teleport.  Required Loops: 5 Possible EXP: 42/49/56/66 We don't actually have to capture it; even fleeing is enough to rescue our friend Pokemon. Capturing it will prevent it from further attempts, though. Plus, we'll get the best assist for our troubles. ...Not that we're going to see it in action this mission
1234567890num fucked around with this message at 02:51 on Jul 26, 2019 |
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Jul 24, 2019 17:22
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That Pokémon is called Gastly. No H.
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Jul 24, 2019 19:47
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Why would those Gastly lick Good Boys like that? So mean
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Jul 25, 2019 12:15
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Blaze Dragon posted:That Pokémon is called Gastly. No H. I always thought of that Pokemon as Ghastly for so long that Gastly just sounds wrong to me. Slaan posted:Why would those Gastly lick Good Boys like that? So mean What else could you do when you have no limbs? Stare at them?
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Jul 26, 2019 02:55
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Think of it this way: ghastly is a real word, associated with ghosts and spooky things. Gastly is a pun on that, because it's a ball of poison gas (thus being part poison type) that's also a ghost.
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Jul 26, 2019 03:27
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1234567890num posted:What else could you do when you have no limbs? Stare at them? Tell them they're Good Dogs! 
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Jul 26, 2019 22:40
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Music: Dusk Factory With the generator for this floor destroyed, this door can now be opened.  And conveniently, it has the Pokemon we need to clear the path for the stairs downward. Cage This is a very sturdy cage. What could it be used for? Considering that the Squad doesn't need cages because of their imitated Styler? They're the sort that would use the cages regardless.  Just like Mr. Mime in the previous room, all the Hypno (and Magneton) here have been replaced with Gastly.  That exclamation mark is from a Voltorb being licked by Gastly. Moving to another area or doing a Target Clear will automatically remove Gastly's hold, so it's all right. I would've let Voltorb get spirited away regardless... Jerk. Music: Go-Rock Squad!  Why would you do that? That'll set free all the Pokemon we've rounded up!This grunt completes our rematches against the early bosses. Machoke is as annoying as ever. Hope you kept Mr. Mime or Hypno before cutting off the lights! That said, since Plusle has more Partner Gauges now, it can actually stop Machoke long enough for the capture. Plusle is definitely redeeming itself Plusle has been our buddy the whole game. It doesn't need any redeeming! Except against Salamence... Music: Dusk Factory What'd you do that for? I'm going to catch big trouble from the boss if you let the Pokemon go! *flees*Here's an idea:   I forgot to mention that the walkway between Mr. Mime's and Hypno's rooms has their lights still on. Music: Go-Rock Squad!  Frankly, I don't care if you're a kid or if you're old--I'm going to come after you without pulling any punches!Music: Go-Rock Squad Battle (Weak Grunt)  Rattata alone is no threat, but 8 of them is annoying. I see we've transitioned to the Dishonored universe with a swarm of rattata.  That said, Plusle and I are not pulling any punches either Did you get all eight at once?Yep. Notice how the partner gauge drops between those pictures.  Required Loops: 1 Possible EXP: 12/13/14/15/16/17 Music: Dusk Factory You didn't need to get all serious... *flees*It's your fault for egging on Circe  This is the main door into the factory. There's a locked electronic lock to the left, so we go through the door to the right.  ...Oh, it's a loving conveyor belt level. Joy.  Oh goodie.  We have to get the Pinsir before going through the door on the other side. There's a Magneton somewhere within the maze that's not really worth bothering with.  Skipping the whole conveyor belt... Pikachu, rest assured. We'll get you out of there!  The way all the captured pokemon are gathered around makes it look like a team strategy meeting.  Mercifully, turning off the electricity also turned off the conveyor belt. We will never have to deal with it for the rest of the game  So they put a conveyor belt in a single room, guarding the thing that's used to turn it off? The gently caress was the point of that? I'm guessing they hoped that anyone who tried to destroy the generator would just give up after seeing the plethora of conveyor belts.  Going through the newly-unlocked electric door, we see that Machoke has also become a regular encounter. Still as annoying as ever to capture, though Mr. Mime trivializes it. At the end of this room there's a stairs to the basement. So we go through it and find...  Haven't you been paying attention? These doors open by turning off the floor's generator.  Goddammit!  How did you fall for that?! That's a mite contrived... Music: Go-Rock Squad!  ...Wait a second... It's you! You're the two intruders that are messing up the factory!For some reason I can't find this grunt's sprite, so I'm using the regular one. Music: Go-Rock Squad Battle (Strong Grunt)  This picture sums up what both of these Pokemon do.  Ariados is fast while Crobat is very fast. Mr. Mime works well here, although Plusle can work too. Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 4 Possible EXP: 42/44/46/49  Required Loops: 6 Possible EXP: 40/43/46/50 This feels like just an endless parade of encounters, one after another. You can definitely tell we're in the endgame just by how many chaff trainers we're churning through. Music: Dusk Factory It's too late--even if you shut down the factory now! We've already produced more than enough Stylers to last us!  This is what's inside the door. Scyther will attack us on sight. Music: Wild Pokemon Capture   Scyther does just what you'd expect: move quickly and cut stuff. It's not as fast as Crobat, so it's not as bad. Growlithe will work very well here since it only needs 3 loops. Assuming you remembered to catch them before seeing the Quads, at least. Lots of pokemon that make the second half easy if you catch them in the first. Not sure if it's punishing the unprepared, or rewarding the completionists. It's more of the latter, since you actually have some other possible options if you're unprepared. Unlike some other fangames... Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 3 Possible EXP: 78/86/94/105 Music: Dusk Factory  The final generator is at the end of the basement corridor, not inside the guarded room. But this is a terrible, terrible thing. How could they be so cruel? Even then, turns out we still have to trip the alarm to cut this anyway. You're forgiven, Hastings. For now.  Of course, Raichu flees immediately after being released. Even though it would've been a full heal... They could have at least had it refill your styler as it left... as a thanks and as a recharge for the impending boss fight. I know, right? Ungrateful bastards *When talked to* The thought of it all... How dare they abuse and misuse my Styler...Anyway, with all of the generators cleared, it's time to Video: Scizor Music: Go-Rock Quads!  I was rather perplexed today. You see, our machines kept stopping inexplicably. I see now that you were to blame. In fact, you created a huge mess. It's gone beyond mere annoyance! Just cutting straight to the point, huh? Music: Go-Rock Quads Battle  Scizor jumps around surprisingly slowly. Not as fast as Scyther or Crobat, but not as slow as Politoed.  Scizor only has one attack, and it's a very manageable one. The main problem with Scizor can be seen here: the required 12 loops. Scizor might jump around relatively slowly, but it covers a great deal of distance. Which is bad when you need to hold your line for a very long time. Sounds like it's testing your patience... in more ways than one!  Today's featured assist will not be able to trivialize this fight on its own, so we'll have Plusle set things up...  ...and then Machoke steps in and finish things up. With Fighting assist, Scizor requires only 4 loops, with 6 giving us maximum EXP. And thus Scizor goes down like a chump  Holy crap!Music: Capture Complete  Required Loops: 12 Possible EXP: 260/276/292/308/324/340 This is another tactic the game never directly tells you but easily figured out by experimenting. All assist can be cut short by choosing another, but their effects won't be. This is possible with all assist, but Fighting and Dark are the only one that benefits from it. Music: Go-Rock Quads!  ...That was... Outstanding technique. Your skill level makes you an ideal candidate for the Go-Rock Squad...Circe's skill level makes her ten times more competent than the Go-Rock Squad! As you've already guessed, this factory has been producing replicas of the professor's Super Styler. While the loss of the factory hurts, the actual damage is minimal. For you see, the development of the new and utterly fantastic Power Styler is under way by the boss in our hideout. Your Ranger has already witnessed its effectiveness--do you recall the boss's captured Entei? Even as a prototype, the Power Styler's performance is fantastic. Imagine how much better it can be. So... You're welcome to enjoy the hollow victory of shutting this factory down. But any celebration is premature. *flees*So much for Garret being the quiet one. "Our plans that you ruined? You totally didn't ruin them at all."  I like to read this as Garret being  Music: Dusk Factory Talk, talk, talk... He certainly knows how to do that. But what did he say? Power Styler? They'd steal the results of my research to make something like that? Just who is the boss of the Go-Rock Squad?Someone very petty who seems to know you. *To Circe* Circe, good job! You were magnificent in standing up to the Go-Rock Squad without fear.Music: Mission Clear!  That Garret character said some disturbing things... However, let us return to the Ranger Base.*They both leave*
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Aug 2, 2019 09:01
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1234567890num posted:
To be honest, that would have worked on me.
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Aug 6, 2019 00:30
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More maps incoming! The four trials, showing the path for The Challenge of Wind.  The erupted relic, with an inaccessible area shaped like a Charizard.  A probably bigger than necessary map of the factory 1234567890num fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Aug 8, 2019 |
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Aug 8, 2019 18:34
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the inaccessible area shaped like Charizard is pretty neat!
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Aug 8, 2019 19:03
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One or two more posts will get to the next page.
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Aug 8, 2019 19:11
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 00:55 |
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Guess I'll help reach the next page by just saying at this point I definitely know I only played the second game, because there's no way I played this far in and what happened there/the areas I remember were completely different.
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Aug 8, 2019 19:18
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