|
Conception definitely shares a bunch of flaws with Persona, and one of those is that nearly all of the interactions in the game are focused on the protagonist. Conception exacerbates it a bit even over Persona, though, because while in P3 it's sort of a plot point that SEES doesn't really hang out together much and Minato/Makoto is sort of the "glue" that holds the group together, and in P4 and P5 you get more scenes with the Investigation Team and the Phantom Thieves all together that establish them as being friends, the Star Maidens here could all hate each other for all we know. It's very rare for all the Star Maidens to be in a scene together (I think it's only been their introduction and... that one party where you get to choose who Itsuki dances with), and actual character interactions between Maidens are even rarer.
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 03:07
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 22:03 |
|
|
IDK, the thing is that P3's crew has a lot more personality in their own right outside of social links. I found P4 and P5's members to be a step down to be honest, especially in P5. The social links were a significant improvement over 3's, this I will concede.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 03:09
|
|
|
The Flying Twybil posted:Sue's contribution makes perfect sense when you think about it. She's already admitted she wishes she had ears like Femiruna, and she seems to have a serious investment in that hobby- I think it'd be only natural she'd help Ms. Cat Ears. drat, I forgot (somehow) about Sue’s furry cosplay thing. That is an obvious reason why she would help Femiruna. As for the other comment... well, don't go getting your hopes up. Spoiler alert: Seiya finally makes an appearance during a Lillith/Lillie event and judging by reactions, he is a douche. Honestly, I've given up on finding a halfway decent person in this game. Here's the closest we have: -The Boss: Sounds like a grumpy hardass, but seems to care about Tarua a lot in his own way. -Shopkeep: Maybe? He seems chummy enough, although he's running a business so he sort of has to be. I dunno, maybe he beats up homeless people in his spare time or something. -The guy that took in an orphaned Arie and raised her: It's debatable as to whether or not he counts, since he's only mentioned by her in passing and hasn't made an appearance. Could be dead for all we know. That's all I got. Commander Keene posted:Conception definitely shares a bunch of flaws with Persona, and one of those is that nearly all of the interactions in the game are focused on the protagonist. Conception exacerbates it a bit even over Persona, though, because while in P3 it's sort of a plot point that SEES doesn't really hang out together much and Minato/Makoto is sort of the "glue" that holds the group together, and in P4 and P5 you get more scenes with the Investigation Team and the Phantom Thieves all together that establish them as being friends, the Star Maidens here could all hate each other for all we know. It's very rare for all the Star Maidens to be in a scene together (I think it's only been their introduction and... that one party where you get to choose who Itsuki dances with), and actual character interactions between Maidens are even rarer. This is often a problem with games that have a self-insert protagonist. The game tries to make the player feel like the center of the world and super important. Conception tries to make connections between the Maidens outside of Itsuki, but you're right, the Maidens don't really get a lot of time together as a complete group. Mahiru becomes the 'leader' precisely because her and Narc notice that everyone just does their own thing outside of class. The only two that have any history together are Reone and Mirei, which we get brief flashes of. I think it’s the result of too many heroines. The game even has to create excuses for some Maidens in order to keep group gatherings manageable (Tarua/Mirei/Reone having to work). The heroines in CII felt like a more tightknit group, although CII also had a supporting cast to help with that (Chlotz, Alec, and Mark/Ruby especially). Even then, we see girls like Narika and Fuuko, or Feene and Serina, interacting with each other outside the main character's influence. SSNeoman posted:IDK, the thing is that P3's crew has a lot more personality in their own right outside of social links. I found P4 and P5's members to be a step down to be honest, especially in P5. The social links were a significant improvement over 3's, this I will concede. I prefer the P4 cast the most, personally. They started as a loose group of friends that grew bigger over time through understanding each other's flaws and shortcomings. P3's group is pre-established before the player shows up and all of them struck me more as being soldiers than "friends." They interact, but it's mostly only in a business sense. P5's cast sort of started the same way as P4's, but the new members joining in didn't feel as organic. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 03:41 on Feb 3, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 03:13
|
|
|
My point is more that SEES is kinda cliquey until plot happens and they start getting closer. When you see people hanging out in the lounge, it's always Mitsuru and Akihiko (and later Shinjiro) together at the coffee table area, Yukari, Junpei, and sometimes Fuuka over by the dining table, Ken off on his own, and Aigis and Koromaru by the TV. It takes Shinjiro's death to bring Ken into the group, Takeharu's death to get Yukari and Mitsuru to bond, etc. And this is all environmental storytelling; you pick it up by observing who's doing what when you talk to them. With the Investigation Team and Phantom Thieves, new party members seamlessly integrate with the old ones, and everyone's pretty buddy-buddy right from the start. In Conception, though, as a hazard of the Maidens not being party members and not getting those plot scenes, you rarely see everyone together interacting as a team the way you do in Persona. And a common complaint about Persona is that there's too much focus on the protagonist and you don't see other characters interacting a lot. Conception is that facet of Persona dialed up to 11 (or down to 0, depending on how you see it).
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 03:25
|
|
|
So... I could talk about how each Zodiac Sign has a corresponding body part - except for Ophiuchus - if it'll help. But anyway, odd question: which of these scenarios with Arie would be worse, going forward? Her pulling a Narika on Itsuki, or the setup being played completely straight, even with all of her Impulses brought into the open?
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 04:34
|
|
|
AnAnonymousIdiot posted:So... I could talk about how each Zodiac Sign has a corresponding body part - except for Ophiuchus - if it'll help. If it's something you feel like doing then go for it. You could also hold off and wait for me to get the other bonding updates in this batch done. That should give you more material to work with. It might be a while though, because my schedule has been messed up and there’s an essay I'm procrastinating on. As for Arie, I'm not sure. In terms of what would sour my opinion on her, going full Yandere would definitely do the job. It doesn’t seem like this hobby of hers is violent in any way though and she's never shown any hint of jealousy or possessiveness. I guess if the remaining 4 events (L5 Classmating included) revolve entirely around this hobby of hers then she might drop in my personal standings. As it stands though, she’s still one of the few Maidens that is relatively stable. Farun keeps getting weird on us, Ruka is still doing her tsundere thing although she is potentially on her way to improving, Femiruna has been steadily getting better, while Mirei is kind of flip-flopping. As for Alfie, the "Alfie has 10 years left" thing really bummed me out so she’s slipped a little for me.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 05:09
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:This is often a problem with games that have a self-insert protagonist. The game tries to make the player feel like the center of the world and super important. I've noticed this problem shows up a whole lot in other games as well. The RF games have always had self-insert protagonists, though given some amount of personality, and they mostly pull it off pretty well. The issue I have with the later games in the series stems from this same problem of having the insert be the center of attention more often than not. If you're trying to run a main story/conflict that includes the self-insert character, falling into this trap is almost impossible. You can alleviate the problem by putting a lot of work into the supporting cast and providing breaks from the main story for them, or you can opt for the alternative of them becoming effectively a non-entity. The RF series is all over the place about this unfortunately, and doesn't make for a great example. A recent example I can think of that falls into this trap is the more modern Fire Emblem games. Discussions of quality aside, their inclusion of a "my unit" often pushes the story into it being focused around you (Awakening, Three Houses), or being entirely written around your character (Fates). FE7 was the first of the series to include a self-insert in any way, in the form of a player named tactician who was written with to have as little direct influence on the story as possible. In fact, you're pretty much just a wall for characters to talk off of in story events and you have no implicit involvement aside from directing the army. Perhaps some people like it with the focus on them, but I've found that with self-insert characters I hardly ever consider them in image of myself. I've always played them as if they were simply my version of that character, built with my experiences and choices upon the loose framework the game provides in its story. This is unfortunately a bit of a fragile way of envisioning the game given that too rigid a main story, the more likely the illusion is to break. The later RF and FE games suffer this both in the end - a collision between emergent storytelling and straight storytelling. In the end, with a very character driven game like this a heavy focus on the player insert really seems to be counter-intuitive. This, like Persona, also has dating sim elements makes for a contradictory combination in a divide between a focus on the player or the characters around them. The writing is somewhat at fault for this as we don't get very much of a view of what the Maidens are doing aside from when we're involved, but I think that's also somewhat due as a side effect of how the game is presented in a less directly interactive form by way of the world map. It really needs more general events or separate side-stories between characters to help pull the focus off Itsuki and develop the cast more. (If the majority of the characters in VC2 weren't walking tropes and cliches, I'd actually give it credit for showing interaction between the students. Even then that doesn't really count though, as Avan is neither a self-insert protagonist nor a likable one.) I'm mostly just rambling on here, though. I'm not claiming to be an expert on any of this or to even know fully what I'm talking about. It's food for thought, I suppose. (I apologize for bringing up RF so often, but it's basically my mental starting point for dating sims and anime stuff in general. It was the first active exposure I had of either of those topics.) Moving on to other topics, I'll just straight up say that Femiruna and Ruka are probably at the top of my list right now. Similarly to you, Arie's spot remains a bit shaky given I don't know where they're taking this. Ruka hasn't done anything special, but she hasn't really done anything that offensive either aside from the staple "walking in while dressing" thing. Alfie's new revelation of shortened lifespan doesn't help much either, especially with the way they're handling it. I'd like for Yuzuha and Itsuki to become good friends and I wish there was a platonic route to take there. The brother/sister thing would be a fun dynamic if it wasn't for the impending romance implications overhead. Same thing goes for Mahiru, really, I would've really liked to see a friendship route there.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 08:19
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:Also, be careful what you say about Mahiru. I'm pretty sure I recall the screen blacking out 3 or 4 times during Mahiru’s next event and that is not an exaggeration. Unless there were a bunch of time skips happening, then we could be in for a lot of "writing around Old Mahiru." I need to go back and check when I get the chance, but I'm sure it happened somewhere. Hmm, interesting. Maybe they just wanted to do something specific with these most recent scenes and then they'll get back to it. The whole perfume thing in the classmating scene was added and I can't imagine why unless they're going somewhere with that later.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 10:50
|
|
|
Bonding Update XV: Cancer, Capricorn, and Libra + Summaries of Sagittarius, Aquarius, Gemini, and Taurus ~Church Spirit Chamber~  Do you feel like doing the ritual today, Ruka? H-Hmph. I had a feeling you’d pick me. Just do what you want. You’re being a lot more cooperative than usual. I-I’m just giving up, that’s all.  Even when I tell you not to stare, you still do it. Don’t think I don’t know about that. Do you really have anything to lose by me looking during the ritual? I have tons to lose! All your staring will flatten me out…  Can I just say that “take responsibility” might be my least favourite anime-ism? It sounds so stupid in just about every context. What does that even mean? J-Just think about it yourself and take responsibility! …Anyway, so long as you don’t stare, you can do what you want. I’ll help you make strong Star Children so we can get you back to your world. A-And it’ll help the future of this world too. Right. Let’s work hard to save this world together. Ugh… How can you say cheesy things like that with a straight face… *sigh*.. All right. Hold on. Let me go get ready. There’s no rush. I’ll be right here. Jesus Christ, just hurry it up! This dialogue doesn’t advance any aspect of your character! It’s just space filler! *Anyway, Classmating happened* Huff… Huff… I think you have too much Star Energy… Phrasing. But I think that’s a good thing. The Star Child will probably be really strong. …I hope they’re a cute one.Again with this future tense stuff in relation to Star Children. They’re supposed to show up right away. I’m pretty sure that even the anime has them appear right away. B-But, since it’s our Star Child, I’m not worried about that… I-I’ll be going now.  That was a whole lotta nothing. Let’s move on to Ruka’s first event in this batch. At least we know that something will happen in that one. She has to have had her little talk with the barefoot girl by now. ~Star God Academy Classroom~ Hey, Ruka. Are there any club activities today? Oh, there you are, Vice President Itsuki. Let’s start the first regular meeting of the After Hours Maiden Club. I thought we agreed on just “Maiden Club.” Don’t go making this even more convoluted. It doesn’t really matter to me. And since when are we doing regular meetings? Geez… Why are you like this? Leave it to you to split hairs… You seem like you’re not even aware of your role as the vice president. Hmph. Just because the problem is solved, don’t let it get to your head. I think you’re the one getting overconfident. Oh? So you can tell, huh? I see, I see. But I guess you can’t say I’m not feeling full of myself. Well? Which is it then? That just means I’m in a good mood today… Haha. If that’s the case, then I’m guessing your talk went well? Um, so how much do you know exactly?We don’t know anything. We’ve been sitting here for a third of this event waiting for you to get to that part. I sort of thought that we would just jump right into it. Well, I guess I can start from the beginning… She was lying because she wanted attention from me.  Fishing for sympathy, huh? After seeing her like that, I didn’t care about being a Tsukuyomi anymore… So I hugged her with all my might.Her head promptly exploded.  I hoped my love for her would reach her heart… Then her feelings of loneliness inside her… turned into feelings of happiness. While I can read minds… Thoughts can still be changed right then. How did I not understand this…Because you acted like you knew better than everyone else?  …Well, that’s the gist of the report. I’m glad that you finally managed to reach an understanding. It’s not so much making up since we weren’t really fighting. It was just me being unable to believe in her. Being born as a Tsukuyomi makes you suspect everyone. It makes you think people will lie every time they open their mouths.So it makes you paranoid, then. Oh yeah, Reone told me something about there being two kinds of lies. One is a heartless lie that hurts others. Oh? What’s the other one? I think she was talking about a lie filled with love. I got goosebumps just listening to that… Hey, it was Reone that told me that stuff. Whatever. That’s just a lie to cover for your embarrassment. Your ears are bright red. You make it so obvious. If it were so embarrassing, you shouldn’t have said it in the first place. Okay, both of you guys have ruined this moment. Shut up and move on with the conversation. …Oh, look at the time. I need to get home soon. The meeting is done already? I promised to teach her how to make fried chicken. H… How about… you come with me? I’ll treat you to some. That’s okay. I don’t want to get in the way of you two. I’ll just head home. I wouldn’t think of it as you getting in the way. I want you to eat my food… Come on, Itsuki. It’s free fried chicken. What’s wrong with you? She said she also wanted to thank you for the time you carried her home. As for me… I-I guess I would feel more at ease if you weren’t there… Then it’s better if I pass. Maybe next time. O-Oh… Well, all right then. I have my sisters even if you’re not there, so it won’t be too lonely. Good to hear. Well then, my sisters are waiting for me. … God dammit, Itsuki! She’s hot for you! It’s free food and she clearly wants you to go along! Well, do you really want me to? N-No! I don’t want your stupidity to spread to my sisters. Just go wherever you want! How about you go visit another Star Maiden? Jerk…Sounds like a plan to me. Let’s go check in with Farun. God, I hate tsunderes. ~Church Spirit Chamber~  … Oh, you wanna go already? Hehe. I wanted to enjoy the pregame a bit more.  It’s a ritual after all.Please don’t start down that road. We only just managed to break Arie out of it. Big Sis Farun has become such a bad girl. So…. Are we going to do this? Yeah… U-Um, Itsuki…  I honestly don’t mind either way. So… what do ya want? Let me take the lead. …Hehe. Then it’s all up to ya. You can do as ya wish to Big Sis Farun. Uh… Farun… Whoa, calm down! Listen, I know we’re getting close to the final bond events, but try and keep it in your pants. Everyone is starting to get a little too carried away with this stuff.  FARUN! Down, girl! F-Farun, wait! We’re talking about the ritual, remember? …Ah, was I getting’ outta hand? Ahaha. How embarrassin’. But, I wasn’t lyin’… So… just take me… Please. Hehe…I’m going to have to get Itsuki to start carrying a spray bottle or something. Let’s just get this done. Are you ready? Y-Yeah… Yeah!*Classmating happens. ONLY Classmating* Huff… Huff… Huff… Are you okay? Huh…? Uh… Y-Yeah… I’m fine… You’re always askin’ if I’m all right… You’re so kind… Thank ya… I’m actually worried about ya too.  Of course you are. Why would you think otherwise? Oh… I’m just worried is all. I wanna do more for ya. This is the first time I’ve felt this way. I wanna help ya, Itsuki. But there’s nothin’ I can do. I ain’t that pretty, an’ I can’t fight alongside ya…Oh yeah, you are just homely as gently caress, aren’t ya? Come on Farun, don’t try and pull a Fuuko. I put on a façade tryin’ to be a strong girl cuz I’ve lived alone for so long… But I have nothin’… Farun, you don’t “have nothin’”… Don’t say that. You’re talking about yourself like your whole life has been a waste. That’s not true at all. …Thank ya… for sayin’ it like that. …I wanna do somethin’ for ya.  …What can I do for ya? What do ya want me to do? For ya… I’ll do anythin’…Please free me from having to type your accent or whatever the hell is compelling you to drop letters. …Say, Itsuki. Can I ask ya to make some time for me? I wanna meet ya at night, where the moon shines brightest…There’s an awful lot of secluded meetings with the Star Maidens being planned. Can we meet then? Sorry, but… please don’t say no. This is the first time in my life I’ve seriously asked anybody for somethin’ like this. Please… Okay. Just let me know when. …Thank you. It doesn’t have to be right away. I need some time to prepare. Thanks for today. I had so much fun. Right. I’ll check back later then. Yeah… Until then… See ya.Man, that sure was a one-sided conversation. Give Itsuki some room to respond. ~Forest~  Let’s see what Farun has in store for Itsuki. I’ve traveled the world, but this is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen it…*Farun then turns around to face Itsuki* …Hehe, I’m sorry for takin’ ya out into the dark like this. Is your heart racin’ from bein’ with a pretty lady all alone? Ahaha. Well, a little bit. Not going to lie. What’s the occasion this time? Um… Well… I’m very nervous right now… So, sorry, but please lemme talk at my own pace. Oh, okay. I’ll shut up. …First, thanks for doin’ me this favor tonight. I was so happy when ya agreed. I’ve been able to change thanks to ya. We’ve talked so much, an’ that trip to the hot springs was fun. There have been so many firsts for me. I kind of hope he does, because the alternative is that the people of this world are the sole reason for why it’s hosed up, and I already hate the people of this world enough as it is. When I first visited Granvania, I was suddenly chosen as a Star Maiden… Then ya arrived, an’ now… I’m standin’ here before ya. I’m filled with gratitude for everythin’. … …Ya see the round stone behind ya? Please sit down an’ watch… Come on! The show’s ‘bout to start! Today’s Big Sis Farun’s special stage in the forest!  This is the dance for you an’ you only. The feature program… is what I told ya ‘bout the last time. A special dance. A very special one. A dance I thought I’d never dance in my life… A dance… for a lover. Itsuki… watch from there… This is the most I can do now… This is just for ya… … Here goes… This is pretty and all, but I feel like the scene is sort of ruined by the fact that Itsuki has just been standing here in complete silence basically the whole time. I’ve joked about this before, but it’s getting kind of ridiculous now. Are ya watchin’? Are ya watchin’ me, Itsuki? You’re the only thing I see, Farun. Good… I’m happy that you’re watchin’… Am I… beautiful? Do I look beautiful… when I’m dancin’…? You’re gorgeous, Farun… Hehe… That’s great… I like how you complimented me… Hey… Itsuki… Thank ya for meetin’ me… For bein’ with me… You’re… my… *And I guess the dance comes to an end here, because the CG goes away and we’re back to 3D land* Huff… Huff… Huff… …Hehe, that was so nerve-rackin’! I wasn’t as nervous like durin’ the Classmatin’ ritual or that hot springs trip. My mind went completely blank there. How’d I dance? Did I mess up anywhere? No, you were perfect.As if Itsuki would be able to tell even if it weren’t. Ahaha. That’s great. Phew. I’ve never danced so seriously in my life.  Aha. You taught me this. …Really, what did ya think of my dance, Itsuki? I think you made your feelings perfectly clear. Really…? Really? Yes. I understood you… I know that dance was only for me.Man, is this going to be awkward when/if Farun doesn’t win the ending vote. How wonderful… That makes me so happy… So, so happy! It really does! Happy happy, joy joy! Are you really getting that worked up about what I said? Cuz, that’s the one thing I wanted to hear the most right now… I just feel so happy that I… Itsuki! WHAT?! He’s standing right there! That’s not me accidentally leaving in dialogue that appears in a screenshot by the way, she really does say “Itsuki! Itsuki!!!” H-Hey, Farun… Calm down a little. Oh, s-sorry. I couldn’t help it… Hehe. But I really do feel happy. The most I’ve ever felt in my whole life. I can’t hold it in. I feel so happy I wanna cry… I’m so glad I practiced that much… That I was able to do the dance well… Itsuki… Farun, thanks for today. I feel a lot more motivated thanks to this. …Yeah. All right! I’ll give ya another bonus from Big Sis Farun! Itsuki…*Farun leans in for a kiss, although it’s not clear where she gives it. Most of these have been cheek or forehead kisses so far* …Ahaha… Although I guess with this reaction it must have been a real kiss. Please, think of it as my good luck charm for ya, won’t ya? I will…That’s the level of emotion that Itsuki is mustering for this by the way. I told you, Official Itsuki is all over the place with shyness. Sometimes he’s getting hot and bothered by a hug and other times he’s kissing as if it’s no big deal. Now then, shall we go back home? Oh, right. Itsuki. I really like you. …Me too.I left the official dialogue in because wow… I am not feeling the emotion in that, Itsuki. Mm. Now let’s get home. We can chat it up on the way back, Itsuki.So yeah, that was a thing. Listen, I was kind of mocking the event a lot, but I legitimately thought it was sweet. But between Itsuki barely being part of the conversation and the lack of emotion in those final bits, I feel like the event failed to live up to its potential. Oh well, there’s still time for something with a little more punch from Farun. Let’s just get to Mirei and then wrap up this first part of the Level 4 events. ~Church Spirit Chamber~ Are you ready for the ritual today, Mirei? Yes. I will be noting your data again as well. Okay. Well, let’s go then. Come on, give me your hand. We’re… going to hold hands?…Yes? That’s nothing new. You okay, Mirei? Oh, right. You’ve got your glasses on today. I guess I don’t need to guide you like I did before.Oh yeah. Still, that’s kind of a weird reaction to just simple hand holding. No… For today… Oh. Well, if you’re sure. Okay, give me your hand. R-Right… Hold on… I’m quite not ready yet. ”Quite not”? Wait… Mirei, are you getting shy? Of course not. Why would I be? There’s no reason for that. If there were, then do explain such logic. Tell me why I should feel shy. Beats me. But you’re kind of mixing up your words like you’re nervous or something. I thought so. How foolish… Then let’s go. Right… Let’s do the Classmating ritual… … …Now you’re just staring at me. Do you want to say something? No, it’s nothing… Let’s just begin…*Classmating time* Huff… Huff… Huff… Are you all right, Mirei? Hm…? Well, not really. You just seem different than usual. You’re not as calm. How am I not calm… Oh no! I forgot to record the data on today’s ritual… See? You are acting strange. That’s not like you. I-It’s fine! There’s no problem at all! I would eventually need to conduct a ritual without data anyway. So what’s the result? I… I don’t know. You’re starting to worry me a little… I told you there’s nothing to worry about. There is nothing wrong with my health. And my mind is just as functional. Okay, okay! I believe you. Whew… Oh, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Do you remember those letters that called me strange?Unfortunately. Kind of hoped we could forget about that whole thing. Yeah. What about them? They all seemed to stop after I developed the new magic transmission device. Sounds like everyone has a better understanding of you. Yes. And it’s all thanks to you. I want to thank you for it. I don’t really need any thanks. It wouldn’t feel right to me otherwise. It took me three all-nighters to think of a way to make you happy.…You’re kind of bad at the interpersonal thing, Mirei. Itsuki is a teenager. The list of things that would make him happy are sort and simple. That conclusion… is that I want to invite you to my secret place.Yay! More secret places! Your secret place? What’s that? I told you a little about it previously, but there is only one thing I enjoy doing… My secret place is where I do that. I’ve never told anyone else about it. I want us to go there together, alone.Stop inviting Itsuki to secluded places! I’m always on edge in these games when the MC gets lured out like that. In this case it’s Mirei, so there’s even more reason to be suspicious. Together? So… is that a date? A date…? Would bringing you there count as such? Mainly, what is the definition of a date? I’m not really sure how you would define a “date”… I guess it’s just when a man and a woman who like each other go to a place to have fun together?Don’t spread the idea of heteronormativity, Itsuki.  Hm…  Itsuki, you… um… No, never mind. No, what were you going to say? It’s not like you to change your mind like that. No, it’s really all right… A conclusion that is rushed is almost never accurate… …Are you really okay? I’m only slightly agitated… Do not worry about it. Just leave it to me. I promise I will make you happy then. Okay. I’m looking forward to it.Mirei is being weird. Slightly concerning. Still, we’re on our way to see another big secret reveal, so I guess I can’t complain too much. Although I’m pretty sure we already know this one because the character profile thing spoiled it like 2 event levels ago. I’ve had to avoid checking those ever since. I went back to an earlier save after Arie’s recent “Secret Room” thing, and yes, that is spoiled in her character profile as early as Bond Level 2. ~Forest~ This forest is getting a lot of use lately. Hm… This way…  I’m fine. I just didn’t think we’d be going this deep into the forest. Apologies. You’ll be able to see it very soon. Are you not going to tell me where we’re going in advance? I want to keep it a secret to retain the surprise. “Surprises are needed to make boys happy!”  …is what I read. Uhh… where did you read that stuff? I borrowed some magazines the students at the academy were reading. I didn’t know what needed to be done to make a man happy, so I researched it.At least you were smart enough to not go to Lillie for that. Oh. Well, thanks for going through all the effort just for me. Hm…? I haven’t done anything yet.  So why are you thanking me? You don’t normally read magazines like that. So I’m thanking you for going out of your way to do that just for my sake. O-Oh… So, is that how it is? Have I done this “surprise” correctly? I see… This is quite deep and interesting… I don’t understand, but so long as you like it, I’m happy as well. Now let’s proceed. You should be able to see it soon, Itsuki. It’s the Hot Spring that apparently everyone in Granvania knows of but never visits! Come, Itsuki. This is my secret place. Oh, a hot spring. Nice.I like to imagine that Itsuki is pretending to be surprised here, just to be nice. This is like the third time he’s been to this place and it won’t be the last. Heheh. This is the only way I can relax. Bathing in the hot spring gives me ideas for my research.  No problem. Why tell me about it though? In the magazine, it said the two of us needed to share a secret. I-I mean, I told you, didn’t I…? I wanted to thank you. Well, it’s definitely a surprise to find out it’s a hot spring. Shall we take a dip? H-Hold on, you’re not going to get changed here, are you? Of course I am. Do you bathe with your clothes on? Oh, right. Apologies for not noticing. Today is the day I entertain you. Hey! That’s Reone’s thing! That’s not what I meant! What I meant was, are we really going to go in together? Of course we are. Today is the day I will be servicing you. I’ll wash your body for you. I thought long and hard about doing it this way… Do you not like it? Uh… w-well… I guess I don’t not like it… Heheheh… Thank you, Itsuki. I can tell I’m acting a bit strange based on your reactions. But despite this, you still accept me. I’m thankful for your kindness. A-Anyway… I’ll handle my own clothes. You go change somewhere I’m not looking. And please, make sure you’re wearing a bathing suit or something. O-Of course. Really? Because with the way you were talking earlier, I sort of thought that’s something you wouldn’t care about.Nah, that’s more of a Reone thing. Of course I would… But, if you desire it, I may consider… N-No! No, that’s okay! You don’t need to consider it! I see… Then I won’t. What is there to be embarrassed of? This is an expression of my thanks to you. Now, come here… Ehh, that’s actually not that bad considering what we saw for Farun and Mahiru, but I’ll still censor it anyway just for the pose aspect. Still, it’s sad that Mirei is wearing nothing but a bath towel and is still more covered than Lillith/Lillie (Hell, Lillith/Lillie’s swimsuit covers more than their typical outfit). Anyway, here is the unedited. Heheheh… Does it feel good? Let me know how much pressure I’m putting on your back. Is this all right? Yeah, it’s just right. Hm, I see… Ahh! Hey! What are you doing?! That tickles! Oh, apologies. I’m not wearing glasses, so I can’t see very well. But you have a surprisingly nice body, Itsuki.Very surprising indeed, considering he apparently spent his free time eating chips and playing video games and hasn’t been mentioned to be active in sports or anything. On the other hand, he has been running and fighting through dungeons for months now. I guess he’d build up some bulk during that time. H-Hey! You’re tickling me again! Itsuki, endure it. This is probably the only opportunity I’ll get to touch a God’s Gift.Play your cards right and it may not be.  Hm? What’s this? I can’t see, but it’s… Nope! No! Don’t touch there! I thought you were thanking me, not experimenting on me… Apologies. It was a force of habit. Let’s do your front next.Wait… if that was his back… then what was she reaching for that got Itsuki so freaked out? That’s okay! I already understand how thankful you are, Mirei. I’ll handle the front on my own. Trust me.*After some fun time in the hot spring. Also the CG finally goes away so I can screenshot again* Phew… You are so strange.  It’ll be a waste if you don’t at least relax a little. It’s kind of hard to do in this situation… Still, thank you for everything. You really went out of your way to please me. Heheh, what a ticklish feeling. But, so long as you like it, I’m happy. It was certainly worth doing. Itsuki, there’s something I want to tell you… What’s wrong? You got real serious all of a sudden… Quite strange, I may add. What do you mean? Strange how? Why not think of that on your own? You should try researching me every once in a while. Anyway… Shall we return? Is that really all you wanted to tell me? Yes, that’s right. That was all.There we go. All done with part 1 of the Level 4 events. Well… almost. There’s still a bunch of summaries to get out of the way. ~Bottom 7 Summaries: Sagittarius, Aquarius, Gemini, and Taurus~ #9.  In Sue’s Classmating scene, she’s enthusiastic about doing the ritual because she feels that she’s close to understanding the weird feeling she’s been getting. Classmating happens almost immediately. After the ritual, Sue says that she remembers the weird feeling from when she was a child. She would sit on her father’s lap and her mother would pat her on the head. Sue figures that’s the reason the feeling is warm but also painful which… I kind of thought she would have figured that out during the last event when she told us about her parents. Anyway, Sue insists on still doing the Classmating ritual, because she says that the warm feeling keeps getting stronger and the prickly feeling is fading. The event wraps up around that point. There’s not much to it.  In Sue’s first event, Sue asks Itsuki to let the teacher know that she’s leaving school early. When Itsuki asks why, Sue says that Eisenbach (a goat) has caught a cold and Sue has to take him home to nurse him. Sue is worried about him because he has a weak constitution. Itsuki then gets worried about Sue because she looks pale and he questions if Sue has been looking after him the whole time. Sue says that he caught the cold three days ago, which causes Itsuki to say that that isn’t good for health. Sue says that she’ll make sure he gets rest, but Itsuki clarifies that he’s talking about her.  Itsuki convinces Sue to let him help her and she asks him to go into town and buy a lot of hay so that they can make Eisenbach a bed in Sue’s house (he can’t be kept with the other animals because he’s contagious). Later, at Sue’s house, the two have managed to get Eisenbach sorted and Sue talks about how his mother died after giving birth to him. Itsuki compares Sue caring about Eisenbach to himself caring for Sue. Sue is happy about this-  …maybe too happy (how the hell does that work? Those things are just cosmetic). Anyway, Sue tells Itsuki that he can go now, but Itsuki resists. Eventually she convinces him that she’ll be fine caring for Eisenbach on her own and promises not to overexert herself. The event ends there. #11.  In Collette’s Classmating event, she opens by saying that she’s been hearing some rumors about the ritual. Apparently they say that doing the ritual too often will result in you not being able to get married because you’ll be too soiled. It’s… listen, I’m going to gloss over this part. Here’s all you need to know about this section of conversation:  Itsuki asks her where she even heard that stupid rumor and Collette just responds that she can’t ignore the 1% chance that this rumor is true (she says 99% of rumors are nonsense). Itsuki promises not to do anything dirty and eventually they get the ritual done. After the ritual, Collette is exhausted and sweating like crazy, making her wonder if she’ll lose weight if she keeps doing the ritual (which, come on. I bench twice her weight as a warm-up and trust me, that is not a brag. I am most certainly not “jacked”. Point is, Collette doesn't have any weight to lose). The event ends after a little more back and forth about Collette being young and Itsuki being dirty and all that stuff that I’m sure someone out there loves. In Collette’s first event, she enlists Itsuki’s help to come up with new bread types. She asks to know about the bread from Sora and Itsuki mentions stuff like fried noodle bread, croquette, and curry bread. Collette is not impressed, since she says they sound like they’re made up entirely of carbohydrates (that’s bread, Collette. You should know that). Either way, Collette says she can’t make good fried noodles, croquettes, or curry anyway. Itsuki helps her give them a shot anyway and the scene skips to the Cafeteria at the Academy. They don’t exactly sell out. Itsuki wonders why, since they don’t taste bad, but Collette points out that bread, croquettes, and curry are all served on their own at the academy. They decide to head to the park and eat the unsold bread and Itsuki suggests that it’s a date. Collette objects by saying that dates are supposed to be well planned and Itsuki just tells her to loosen up for a change. There’s also some talk about Collette’s butt and other uncomfortable commentary about this character that is clearly a child, business owner or not.  In the park, the dating and holding hands thing eventually leads to the conversation changing to how Collette’s bakery is holding out. Collette says that business is doing down as the customers check out the new rival bakery. Collette isn’t giving up though, as she still has the loyal customers. It does increase the need for her to create the “Ultimate Breadwinner” however. That’s about all that happens in this event. #12.  Lillie is once again present for the Classmating ritual. Itsuki asks her how she hurt her arm and Lillie says that Lillith apparently got really excited about doing the ritual and wound up falling when she tried to skip. Lillie tries to push back Itsuki’s concern, but something he says strikes a chord with her.  Lillie doesn’t elaborate on her reaction though and instead allows Itsuki to check over her arm. Itsuki goes off to find a first aid kit and Lillie talks about how this is the first time anyone has ever treated her like this. Itsuki comes back and treats her arm while asking about what happened after that time a bucket of water fell on them. Lillie says that she wound up getting a cold from it, but that she also got a better understanding of Itsuki because of it. Lillith apparently told Lillie that Itsuki had protected her. Lillie manages to muster a thanks and the Classmating ritual eventually happens. Afterward, Lillie gets angry and defensive because she’s embarrassed about the ritual. Itsuki calls her cute, Lillie says she’ll kill him, then says she’ll go and prank someone to let off steam. Itsuki once again tries to get her to stop it with the pranks and Lillie asks if they really are getting Lillith in trouble. Lillie finally caves and agrees to stop with the pranks (I still hate her). That’s the end of the event.  In the event proper, Itsuki walks in to the Fortune Telling Manor to find a few Female Students in some kind of shouting match with Lillie. Itsuki plays peacemaker and asks what this is all about. Female Student D explains that Lillie has been pranking and they’ve had enough. Apparently she spread a bunch of fliers around that made fun of Seiya (he’s the school idol. We saw a “gift” item a while back that was a photobook of him). Lillie says that he’s got a pretty face but that his head is completely empty. Lillie keeps egging the group on, but Itsuki makes her apologize by telling her to think about the trouble this will cause for Lillith and her business (the students are a major part of her clientele). Lillie backs down and Itsuki asks everyone to leave, saying that he’ll straighten Lillie out. When the angry mob of fangirls leave, Itsuki asks Lillie if she really did break her promise to him not to prank anymore. Lillie tries to pretend that she was lying when she made the promise, but Itsuki figures there must have been some other reason behind her breaking it (besides fun). Lillie tries to put up a front, but eventually caves and reveals that Seiya had supposedly been smack talking Lillith. Seiya apparently hit on Lillith but was rejected, so he started spreading rumors about her. Lillie figured she’d repay him in kind.  Itsuki asks if Lillie really thinks that Lillith would want her doing something like that and Lillie admits that she probably wouldn’t. Lillie then gets pissed off because of the guilt Itsuki is making her feel, then barks out something about how she’s not needed anyway. She starts talking about how much Lillith loves being with Itsuki and Lillie is getting jealous about that (she feels like a third wheel). Lillie then runs off and hits her head (implied to be intentionally). Lillith wanders back out and asks Itsuki what he did to make Lillie so upset. Itsuki starts explaining, but that’s when Seiya himself shows up.   Joke’s on you, Conception. This is a summary, so I don’t need to make a portrait for this rear end in a top hat.Seiya says that he has heard something about Star Energy being capable of cutting Lillie off from Lillith. He figures that the reason Lillith rejected him is because of Lillie, so getting rid of her would solve the problem (is there anything that Star Energy can’t do? Also, I’m 99% sure that the government would hang you if you tried some untested experiment on a Star Maiden like that). Lillith obviously gets pissed off about that idea and orders Seiya to go away and that she hates him. Itsuki signals that it's probably a good idea for him to leave while he can. When Seiya leaves, Itsuki mentions that Lillie felt like she was getting in the way, but Lillith says that she loves Lillie. The event then ends with the two agreeing that they need to find a way to make Lillie understand that. #13.   God dammit… Okay, Tarua is still feeling nervous about the Classmating ritual. Not because she’s scared or anything, but because she’s not feeling like herself. Being with Itsuki is fine for her while in town or at the Academy, but when Classmating it’s a different story and she gets really nervous. She asks Itsuki what to do, because she really wants to help him, but Itsuki doesn’t have an answer. Instead he just tells Tarua to close her eyes and let Itsuki handle everything. Classmating happens. Afterward, Tarua feels relieved and Itsuki offers to pat her on the head, which-  Spike Chunsoooft! Yes, they really did attribute what is clearly Tarua dialogue… to Itsuki… I just… I feel like the lifeforce is being sucked out of me every time we run into this poo poo.Itsuki pats her on the head anyway and Tarua gets kind of freaked out. She’s not sure what’s gotten into her lately (it’s love). She then makes an excuse that she needs to get back to her deliveries and then darts off. In Tarua’s first event, Itsuki finds her fast asleep out on the Star Academy Field. Itsuki tries to rouse her and she does wake up for a moment, but then falls asleep again shortly after. Itsuki lets her get some sleep and a time skip happens.  When she wakes up, she starts freaking out because the letters are gone, but Itsuki calms her down by saying that he finished the deliveries himself. Tarua is a little upset that Itsuki did her job for her, but he says that he wanted to make sure they got to their homes as a way to thank Tarua. Tarua is happy that he did something like that for her, but also mentions that Boss would get made if he found out that Itsuki helped with the deliveries. Itsuki tells her not to shoulder everything on her own, but Tarua says that she has to work harder until the Boss gets better. Tarua eventually comes around to Itsuki’s line of thinking that asking for help is okay because it shows you care. She then decides to go to Mirei for help by asking her for some medicine for the Boss. The event wraps up there. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Feb 23, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2020 03:41
|
|
|
So that's three girls with a hot springs scene. I really hope that not all of the maidens have one, because that that would be disgusting for some of the younger girls. Not that Collette needs a cg to creep me out.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2020 04:45
|
|
|
BlazeEmblem posted:So that's three girls with a hot springs scene. I think Mahiru will be the last (Yes, she gets a second hot springs CG). Nobody else gets one in Level 4 and Level 5 is usually reserved for tying up loose ends in the route and having a big love confession. On the other hand, Serina got a hot spring event in her final level, so I guess it's possible. Pretty sure we're safe from Collette though. I think each heroine gets 3 character CGs plus an ending CG. Collette had 2 in her route so far, but she also got one during the Autumn Festival, so I think that's it for her.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2020 04:54
|
|
|
At this point Mirei is by far my favorite for 1.) coming across as an adult, 2.) having more connection to the plot than most of the Maidens, 3.) not being related to Itsuki, and 4.) largely not caring about the people of Granvania. Her status as a mad-scientist wizard is just icing.
Kaishai fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Feb 4, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2020 05:36
|
|
|
Wow. Those sure are some bonding updates. Ruka's was some bog-standard tsundere poo poo. Whatever. Farun actually did a great job there, it was Itsuki who shat the bed in that event. I would've loved to see Wake go up to the plate against that instead... They tried to play it off as Lillie having a good reason for breaking the promise she just finished making, but it's still bullshit and so is she. Let's just ignore Colette's existence, for the sake of everyone's mental health. I gotta be honest, my eyes glazed over trying to read Mirei's event. She completely lost her poo poo and I've seen the exact same concept done WAY BETTER by an anime that's happening this season. Look up Science Fell In Love, So I Tried To Prove It. It's a romcom based on two Mirei-likes trying to justify their crush on each other to themselves, with a much better supporting cast than the bottom half of our current rankings, let alone the shitbird Granvanian masses.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2020 15:09
|
|
|
Holy Star God these girls be horny. We sure there's no correlation between the Classmating ritual and the real deal? While Farun's event was really nice, and so far has been the best when it comes to conveying their feelings, I feel it would have been better if Itsuki had an actual personality instead of being a wet piece of cardboard that we're supposed to imprint ourselves upon.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2020 21:20
|
|
|
Kaishai posted:At this point Mirei is by far my favorite for 1.) coming across as an adult, 2.) having more connection to the plot than most of the Maidens, 3.) not being related to Itsuki, and 4.) largely not caring about the people of Granvania. Her status as a mad-scientist wizard is just icing. I still like Mirei, she just suffered from a slight dip because of that stupid event with the rear end-backwards moral we had to sit through. I'm glad that event didn't seem to drastically change her either. I was afraid she was going to start working on things for the sake of the assholes in Granvania. Doesn't seem like their opinion matters to her either way though, which is how I like it. Raitzeno posted:Wow. Those sure are some bonding updates. Agreed on a lot of these. Farun's event could have been a lot better if the writers had given Itsuki a little emotion. There are ways to do that with only text. As it stands, Itsuki's dialogue looks like he's weirded out and desperately trying to find a way out of the conversation. He may as well have been saying "That's nice... Haha... Can I go now?" Ruka's event likewise could have been better, but as it is she just kind of spins in circles doing her tsundere thing. I was expecting a WAY bigger payoff to the "little girl is lonely and wants to connect with Ruka/Ruka overcomes her Tsukuyomi stigma" sub-plot. Yes, Lillie breaking her promise immediately after making it was a major fumble in that character route. I get the intention (they wanted to show Lillie standing up for Lillith and also set up for her to feel like a third wheel in the relationship), but I don't think it was handled well. She breaks the promise immediately, which sort of renders the scene of her making the promise in the first place pointless. I got an email advert from Crunchyroll about that anime and I think it looked neat. I just wish horrible unceasing depression hadn't erased my desire to do things I once enjoyed. Last anime I watched all the way was One Punch Man and before that... Valkyria Chronicles maybe? I can't even remember. Could have been Black Cat as well, which was even longer ago. Balache404 posted:Holy Star God these girls be horny. We sure there's no correlation between the Classmating ritual and the real deal? Mahiru told us that the Maidens get sexually excited, but I'm positive she only said that as part of the rumor of the White Impurity. I don't think it's intrinsically part of the ritual. On the other hand, all evidence points to the ritual giving them some kind of euphoria. Arie seems addicted to it by this point and initially thinks it's sinful. Now the anime on the other hand. The anime makes it very clear what the ritual is and it's as close to actual sex as they felt they could get away with. Itsuki didn't have to be a standee during that scene and I'm confused as to why they wrote him that way. Yes, he is an Avatar and is supposed to be someone the player projects themselves on to, so you can't give him too defined of a personality. But this game is partial dating sim. If you are this far into Farun's route then you're either aiming for the harem ending right away, or you like her. Tri-Mating is already unlocked and lets you get whatever Class you want, so you can easily ignore Maidens that you don't care for by this point. If you like Farun, then you're going to have a strong emotional connection to this scene. It's the moment where she pours her heart out. In typical dating sims, this would be the "Route split" moment where you're like "Okay, this is the road I'm taking now. Say goodbye to all the others." And the best the writers can do is "...Me too."
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2020 23:15
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:Mahiru told us that the Maidens get sexually excited, but I'm positive she only said that as part of the rumor of the White Impurity. I don't think it's intrinsically part of the ritual. On the other hand, all evidence points to the ritual giving them some kind of euphoria. Arie seems addicted to it by this point and initially thinks it's sinful. Yeah, I didn't mention this at the time but there's just some lines about 'strange feelings' in that Mahiru classmating in Conception, anything related to Alfie is dubiously canon. Sure, it's suggestive, but they never really say it. Psycho Knight posted:And the best the writers can do is "...Me too." He's equally uninterested-sounding in Conception, it's odd. At least you can be grateful they actually got English Farun's voice to scream 'God's Gift!' instead of whatever this is
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2020 23:50
|
|
|
Polsy posted:He's equally uninterested-sounding in Conception, it's odd. At least you can be grateful they actually got English Farun's voice to scream 'God's Gift!' instead of whatever this is What the gently caress was that? Did someone stab the VA while she was recording? God, like nails on a chalkboard. I'm actually glad that this game is buggy as all hell because I didn't have to hear that screeched into my ears. I guess at the very least the original developers can be blamed as opposed to the translation team. EDIT: Here's what I deal with 70% of the time I try and launch the game, by the way.  No, that's not me doing video editing to speed things up. The game does that a lot when I try to start it. When the game does this to the Spike Chunsoft logo/opening cutscene, I know that the audio is borked and I have to close it and try again. This glitch happens regardless of how I launch the game (desk-top icon, Steam Library, Launcher or without Launcher, windowed or borderless, doesn't make a difference). This game. Honest to god. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Feb 5, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2020 00:23
|
|
|
Bonding Update XVI: Ophiuchus, Aries, and Leo + Summaries of Virgo, Pisces, and Scorpio (Part 2) Back to the grind. Let’s get these Level 4 Bond Events out of the way so that we can-  Oh… right. We’ll still be doing side stuff… Also I soon have to watch at least 3 episodes of the Anime in order for us to have an intro review/summary of that supposed dumpster fire. ~Day Camp~  Listen up, all of you!  So keep your guard up at all times! Hey, it’s God’s Gift!I miss when the Star Children would call the MC “dad” or “father”…  All right! Five minute break! Be sure to rehydrate! Hey, Alfie. How are the Star Children coming along? Great! The search team is doing their mission without incident! It’s all thanks to the arrangements made by Mirei. It’s thanks to your work too, you know. Ehehe… That sounds like a good idea. I’ll wait until you’re finished with training though. Don’t feel like you have to rush. Last time, we watched movies together with the lights off. What will happen today…? …I mean, I have no way out of this one. Awful presumptuous of you, Itsuki. Whatever, let’s go for the tamest option, because we’re not creeps (at least, the thread collectively is not. Can’t speak to individual readers). Usually at this point, things move on to… well… you know, “first base”. Y-You mean… kissing? Uh-oh… B-But, considering the mood… it may not be out of the question…Listen, I’d normally be on board with Itsuki taking the initiative at this stage of the bonding routes, but we have to remember that Alfie only recently developed “emotions”, at least as far as love is concerned. She’s new to all of this and she hasn’t been as obvious about any developing feelings for Itsuki. Maybe it’s just me, but this really seems like the one instance we’re Itsuki should be taking the slow approach. The instructor’s face is all red! H-Hey! Don’t tease your instructor! We’re not teasing! We were just asking!See? That’s the general understanding that Alfie was working with when we first met her. They genuinely have no idea why Alfie is blushing, or potentially even what blushing is. Just go rehydrate and take your beak! Okay!*The little Star Children trot off for recess* Whew… They’re such problem children… Looks like you’re handling the romance thing better now. Huh? I mean, you’re not as hesitant about it now. Are you? I think… those feelings are completely gone now. I was afraid of it just a short while ago… I guess that means our bond is really growing. And… A-Actually… never mind. …You’re acting kind of weird. What were—Oh… I got a message from Mirei. Oh, me too…*The two take a moment to check their texts* They found it! The search team tracked down the Bond Eater! She says that they’re out in a deep part of the forest. She wants me to get there as fast as I can. Don’t need to tell me twice. She said for me to stay here…  Alfie… Listen, I know how you feel about this… But… you still won’t take me? Sorry. I’m siding with Mirei. I want you to stay here where it’s safe. Don’t worry about me. I’ve gotten a lot stronger compared to the last time we fought that thing and so have the Star Children. We can do this. I promise. We’ll go on our date when I get back. Yes…I get that you have history with the thing, Alfie. I really do. But we’ve got the thing cornered, you literally cannot harm it no matter how good of a fighter you might be, and you are therefore nothing but a target. Gonna have to agree with Mirei and bench you for this one. ~Forest~  Over there! I see it!Sweet, it sounds like it’s already injured. Bonus. [Bond Eater]: Huuurgh…  Good job, everyone! Fall back and leave it to me for now! Come on, Bond Eater! You’re mine this time!The intelligent thing to do would be to box it in and attack from all sides with help from the Star Children. But that doesn’t quite jive with the Wake Archus School of I’LL KILL YOU! So… one on one duel it is! For glory!  [Bond Eater]: Huuurgh… *Itsuki goes on the attack and the screen flashes white and there are various grunts and “Gah!”s and “Raaaagh”s and all that sweet action stuff that fills in for the fact that we can’t actually see what’s happening* It’s over!*After some back and forth, Itsuki delivers the finisher. The screen goes white at this point* [Bond Eater]: Graaaagh! *Then the screen fades back in to the forest CG, thereby disguising the game’s inability to have the Bond Eater vanish in a way that looks halfway decent* Huff… Huff…. I… I did it… I won! Yeah! Great job! Now go over and gut it for item drops. It’s got to have something cool on it. Is everyone okay? Yeah! Good… That’s good. Come on, we need to report back to Mirei and Alfie.[Bond Eater]: Huurgh… Oh, come on. Dammit, Itsuki. This is why you double-tap… or whatever the sword equivalent of double-tapping is. God’s Gift, behind you! What?! How is it still alive?![Bond Eater]: Huuurgh! Huuuuuurgh! *Bond Eater then rushes Itsu-* Watch out!  Shhhhhit. Ahhhhh! Alfie! No! Dammit! I’ll kill you!*Itsuki delivers the finisher to the Bond Eater… this time for real, I mean. The screen fades to white again while this happens* [Bond Eater]: Urgh… Gah… *And now we fade back to Alfie* Alfie! Alfie, are you okay?! Ehehe… I’m sorry… It’s fine! Just come here, I’ll carry you to Reone! Please… listen… There was one time… I returned to the Matryoshka… This feeling… is just like that… *cough*… *cough*… It’s different! You’re stronger now! Just stop talking and save your strength! That’s why… I know… Shut up! You’re not done for! You’ve got 10 more years to live! Don’t! Don’t… don’t die… Itsuki… … I can’t… see your face very well… Ugh… I don’t want to… I don’t want to say goodbye… Alfie?! Stay with me! Please!*Alfie turns from left to right a little*  I’m here… I’m right by your side… My memories with you… are my most precious treasure… You’ve taught me love… even though I’m only a Star Child… Thank you… so much… I… *The screen flashes to white here for a brief moment*  God’s Gift… … You’re not gonna revive the instructor like you do with us?Oh crap… Here’s a talk that I’m sure every parent loves having with their kids…   Official Itsuki has some more dialogue here about not having time to grieve and having to go back to the Labyrinths with the Star Children and tears purging his sadness, but I’m cutting that. I feel like it really ruins this scene.  Yes, it ends there… Uh… Okay, hang on a second.  …Okay. Maybe—  Huh… Oh! I got it! Just need to think outside the box here.   Let’s just select Mirei for Classmating and…   Nope... Ok… Tri-Mating! Tri-Mating with Mirei and—  Oh. Revive item?  ……..I may have hosed something up somewhere.  Welp… I’m at a loss. I really thought that “Classmating with Mirei and selecting ‘Alfie’ as a Star Child class” idea would work. Was less sure about the other stuff I tried, but when the first plan fails you try the backups. Let’s just move on with Arie while I attempt to figure out what the hell I did wrong, or for that matter if it was even possible to do things “right”. ~Forest~  Hey, Arie? What exactly are we doing out here? I wanted to be alone with you in a place with no one else around. I was too bashful at first, but I gathered my courage to ask you out. Why did you have to gather up courage for that? Um, Itsuki… I have a favor I’d like to ask. …Sure? I don’t really have a problem with that. Why, though? I’ve always wanted to… Ah, you’re so muscular. You’ve gotten bulkier and even more in shape since we first met. We definitely went too far with unleashing Arie. I don’t like using newfangled internet lingo but daaamn, Arie has become thirsty. Farun had the dialogue, but Arie has the look. I’ve always wanted to touch your arm… It would be so beautiful to see you swing weapons with these arms… You mean my sword? Really? Yes. A weapon’s true beauty isn’t shown while it lies motionless on display. I’ve secretly wished to see this… Itsuki, would you please swing the weapon in front of me? Well, I don’t mind. Just make sure you stay back. This thing isn’t dulled like the weapons you have… also I think there’s like a curse or a spell or something on it. It’s badass is what it is. I grabbed this awesome thing from one of the other Labyrinths. Thank you. I’d like to have you swing it as seriously as possible. Please do so like you are fighting in the labyrinths with a sharp glare. Ah… I’m so lucky to see you like this, Itsuki…*Some time later* Huff… H-How was that? … …Arie? … So… beautiful… You’re talking about my sword, right? Yes. Your weapon… was wonderful. Ahh, the edge was shining so bright. I’m ecstatic… Itsuki, please swing it more fiercely. You mean like this? More. More, more, more… Show me your beautiful form! Arie… My arm is getting really tired. Isn’t this enough for now? H-Hey! Arie! Watch it! …*Arie then knocks Itsuki to the ground*  You’re so wonderful, Itsuki… You’re so brawny, and your arms when swinging such a wonderful weapon… Just looking at you brings me joy. I… um… I think you’re overstating it… Are you surprised to see that I have such a hobby?I’ll be honest. Not what I was expecting, personally. Well, it’s definitely not something I expected from someone like you. I’m surprised to find myself falling for you like this. I want to keep watching your weapon… I want to touch it with my own hands… I kept thinking about all that, and I can’t take my mind off your arms…  I’m not sure I understand what we’re talking about here… You’re still talking about my sword, right? Yes, your weapon, Itsuki. But you swinging the weapon is even better… I’m lost…She’s hot for you, Itsuki! Stop alternating between not picking up on obvious signals and thinking you’re on your way to first base. I love your arms, Itsuki. Your warm hands… Well, if that’s the case, then why don’t I pat your head?Stop head patting! It’s weird, Japan! It’s even sort of weird when grandparents do it to kids. Oh, but… If you do that, I’d be overflowing with happiness. Too late. Here I go. Ah… You’re so warm… You’re too kind, Itsuki. …A-Are you talking to my weapon or my arm? Everything…User Polsy pointed out that in the Japanese version (at least of Conception PSP), Arie had earlier said “I have feelings for you” rather than the explicit “I love you” that she says in the English version of Plus. Not sure if that’s the case this time. *Anyway, some time later* I’m sorry for making you do so much today. It’s okay. I don’t mind. I was so worried the whole time… You told me to be honest about myself…  I wouldn’t dislike you for this, Arie. But weren’t you hesitant toward my hobby? I’m afraid that our relationship has changed. I’m afraid that you will grow to hate me…And then the event ends, which is kind of a weird spot to leave it. Oh well, at least she doesn’t appear to be the stabby kind of weapons fanatic. I guess we’ll have to wait for Bond Level 5 to figure out where the hell this is going because I’m sort of lost.  What’s the deal with Femiruna this time? I like the sound of “Happier.” We definitely need a sustained dose of happy right now. ~Star God Academy Field~  Oh, Itsuki. Good day. You sure seem to be in a good mood. What happened? Ohohoho. It appears I was unable to hide my jubilation.Stop that laugh. It’s holding you back. It is true that something good happened today. What do you think it is? I am sure you would know. Well, the last time I saw you like this… I guess it’s something related to your parents? You were really excited when you had dinner plans with them that one time. That is correct. You seem to know more about me now.You are not a difficult book to read. Soon, I may be able to schedule another dinner with Mother and Father. We will bring a first-rate chef to the manor to prepare a lavish dinner. And I’m sure they both meant that… at the time they made that promise. I’m happy to hear that. You were heartbroken about it last time. It has been a while since we last met, so Father must be bringing me a present. There are so many things I want to tell Mother and Father regarding the academy. Ever since I began attending the academy, so many things have happened. Aw… Femiruna’s horizons have been broadened and she’s not a spoiled brat anymore. Good for her. Could have been worse. Some people need to be partially responsible for the destruction of an entire city and then get poo poo on by everyone else in the cast for 70% of the game while excusing all of their garbage behaviour before they’re allowed to have that kind of character growth. I have… differing opinions on Tales of the Abyss. Not a fan. I do not even know where to start. What do you think? You mean about the academy? Well, why not start by talking about me? Huh…? I-If I mention you out of the blue, Mother and Father would be shocked.Shocked that you mentioned God’s Gift? Why? E-Even I am not ready for that yet… Wouldn’t they want to know how you’re getting along with God’s Gift? Oh… You were referring to that? Y-Yes, of course… I will talk to them about you as God’s Gift.  I cannot wait to see Mother and Father. I suppose I will let you know what we talk about. That would be nice, thanks. I want to hear about how it all went. You can look forward to it. Good day to you.Okay. Not an especially long event, but it was sweet. Let’s just hope we don’t get a repeat of the last time Femiruna’s parents promised a dinner date. ~Bottom 7 Summaries: Virgo, Pisces, and Scorpio~ #7.  In Mahiru’s second Level 4 Event, Itsuki finds her out on the Academy Field—   This game loves using certain Character Portraits a single time. Why in god’s name have these two character sprites not been used for the various Female Students we’ve encountered so far? Apparently along with her groupies. The teacher tells everyone to cool off and the screen fades to black momentarily. I should mention that “fade-to-black” transitions happen 7 or 8 times during this event. I’ll be mentioning them in this summary so that Polsy can hopefully check for any patented “Old Mahiru cuts”, should they feel compelled to do so of course. Anyway, the groupies hand Mahiru a towel and a drink then proceed to get creepy about it (squealing over the fact that Mahiru’s sweat is on one girl’s towel and Mahiru’s mouth was on the other girl’s straw, respectively). Mahiru tells the two to wash that stuff and Itsuki butts in to ask if Mahiru joined the track team. Mahiru mentions that she was just filling in. The groupies ask if Itsuki is Mahiru’s boyfriend, but she just says “I don’t know about that.” Groupie A then goes “Oh, Mahiru!” and the screen fades to black for a suspiciously long time. When it comes back, we’re in the Classroom. There, Mahiru and Itsuki start talking about their recent promise again and Mahiru suggests that the two of them go to the hot springs now, since Mahiru is all sweaty from the track event. Another fade to black happens and when we come back the pair is already at the hot spring. Itsuki notices that Mahiru brought along “Keychain Man”, which he thinks is a little weird, but later admits that he sort of owes Keychain Man for reminding him of the Festival promise. Mahiru makes it even weirder by saying that “It’ll just be the three of us at the hot springs today.”, as if Keychain Man is a person. Itsuki says he’ll go somewhere and change, which prompts Mahiru to wonder about what a male bathing suit is like (she apparently hasn’t seen one before).  Itsuki shows it off and judging by Mahiru’s reaction (as well as what we know about the Maidens’ swimsuits so far), he is rocking what I can only imagine is a banana hammock. Mahiru asks if it can “hold everything in” and Itsuki admits that he’s kind of worried about that and probably should have tried it on first. Mahiru doesn’t seem too embarrassed about the idea of seeing Itsuki’s junk and says that she’s seen it multiple times in the past anyway, so he doesn’t need to be embarrassed about it. Itsuki fires back that the last time she saw it was before grade school and then another fade to black happens. When we come back, it’s hot springs time.  This one isn’t too bad, but I’ll take the safe route again. Unedited. Also, I wanted to get TCG in appropriate attire. Too bad I have such terrible shop skills (and low quality art assets). Mahiru mentions that the hot springs get cold at night and the undercurrent could drown a person if they weren’t careful. Itsuki asks if drowning is some kind of event flag and Mahiru tells him that if she does start to drown, she’ll be relying on her dear knight to save her.  Unedited. Mahiru then starts talking about how she can communicate with Keychain Man and holy poo poo that thing looks creepier than I thought it would be. Mahiru then starts having Keychain Man talk and telling Itsuki to be careful in the Labyrinths and that Mahiru is actually a crybaby despite how she looks and needs protection. Eventually Mahiru starts getting flustered because I guess Itsuki’s man thong isn’t covering all the bits (he’s clearly sitting in the water, so I’m not sure how she can really make anything out). Just as she’s about to say that she’s not flustered because of that but because of something else, the screen fades to black again. This one seems to be intentional, as Itsuki starts shouting to Mahiru and the screen cuts back to reveal that it’s now night time. Itsuki says that Mahiru got dizzy in the bath and passed out for three minutes (just how fast is this world rotating that we can go from broad daylight to night in 3 minutes?). Itsuki says that he got her dressed again, but didn’t touch her in any weird way. However, Mahiru is more concerned with the whereabouts of Keychain Man. Itsuki says that he lost track of it while trying to pull Mahiru out of the water and Mahiru immediately says that she has to find him. Itsuki doesn’t think that’s a good idea, but Mahiru insists. The screen fades to black again and then we’re back at the hot spring. Itsuki mentions that the water is really cold now, but Mahiru is insistent on finding Keychain Man. Another fade to black happens. When it comes back, the pair still haven’t been able to find Keychain Man. Itsuki checks on Mahiru, who is getting very distressed, but then Itsuki finally spots it and Mahiru is happy to have Keychain Man back again. Then the event wraps up. #10.  Yuzuha’s second event opens with her waking up just as Itsuki drops in for a visit. Yuzuha says that there’s actually somewhere she wants to go and when Itsuki asks, Yuzuha clarifies that she’s talking about his bedroom. She continues to play up the Little Sister/Big Brother dynamic. She also mentions that she was hoping that they could share the bed. The two then leave for Itsuki’s place, but a rainstorm happens along the way.  In Itsuki’s room, Itsuki goes to find a change of clothes for Yuzuha and pulls out one of his dress shirts for her. Yuzuha comments that the fabric seems kind of thin and Itsuki says that he had been hang drying his other clothes, which are now all wet, so this is all he’s got.  Eh, I’ll let this one stand as is. It’s not bad enough to warrant TCG in my opinion. However, it’s interesting to note that this does not appear to be Itsuki’s room. We can see paintings to the left of Yuzuha that match her style. Also, Itsuki’s room is octagonal, not square or rectangular. Communication between the teams broke down somewhere along the way. It’s definitely not a translator thing, because the 3D Model part of the event is clearly happening in Itsuki’s room. Yuzuha asks if it’s okay for her to stay the night because the rain doesn’t seem to be stopping. Itsuki says that it’s fine (Yes, they keep mentioning the Little Sister thing this entire time). Yuzuha then ups the unsettling-ness by talking about being able to smell Itsuki’s scent from his shirt and how it’s making her heart beat really fast. Then-  Yeah… Moving on, the night passes and then we get Yuzuha waking Itsuki up in the morning. Yuzuha is happy that she slept really well and also got to see Itsuki’s room. Yuzuha says that it’s more than enough for her, which Itsuki asks her to clarify. She says that she meant these memories are enough for her as a “Little Sister” and that from now on she’ll only support Itsuki as a Star Maiden. The event wraps there. It’s not especially long. Seems as though Yuzuha decided to pick up Reone’s share of “creepy incestual vibes”. It remains to be seen if she’s really given up on the Little Sister thing from here, though. #9.  Reone’s event is all about the big hospital confrontation. She tells Itsuki that she’s finally got confirmation of the funding being complete. She’s gathered enough to stop them from trying to brush it off and that the volunteers contributed so much (so I guess this stupid place does have a few halfway decent people in it after all. We’ll just never meet them). Reone is getting prepared to go to the meeting, although she admits that it’s a bit nerve-racking because she doesn’t want to mess it all up at the last second. Itsuki reassures her by saying he’ll be right by her side. Reone makes Itsuki promise to run away if there’s any hint of danger and that the other Star Maidens can always take her place if something happened to her, but Itsuki is too important to lose. Itsuki says she worries too much, but Reone insists that he promise her.  In the slums, which is a location that we almost never get to see in this game (It’s sometimes used as a setpiece for “encounter” events, which are just very small bits of dialogue that occasionally pop up whenever Itsuki tries to go somewhere), Reone and Itsuki wait for the thugs to show up for the meeting. Reone then tells Itsuki to be careful, as they’ve been surrounded. The most stereotypical gang leader shows up (He’s labeled “Mafia Boss” and says “Reone. Did you bring da money?”) who proceeds to berate her for being a disgrace to the other people that grew up in the slums (somehow). Reone doesn’t particularly care and just tells him to sign the contract. Mafia Boss then does what anyone with a brain would expect and tells Reone that they want triple the amount for the land. Reone finally pieces it together that they had no intention of actually selling the land. Itsuki butts in to call out his bullshit and the Mafia Boss initially tells him to scram, until Punk A (the purple/pink haired dude) realizes that Itsuki is God’s Gift and his picture was all over the newspapers (which I guess has only happened recently, since they didn’t recognize Itsuki the first time they encountered him). Itsuki tells them that Reone got the money they agreed to so man up and sign.  Itsuki? Eh, I sort of doubt it. Wake? Wake would totally crush an army. Alec and Feene were the only ones ever able to match him (Maybe Triche as well, but I think he tells us that he’s not as good as Alec is). They wonder what God’s Gift is doing with a woman from the slums and Itsuki says that Reone is a very precious Star Maiden to him. He says that if the thugs don’t accept the deal then he’ll fight back with everything he’s got. Mafia Boss then tries to side-step the problem of God’s Gift preparing to kick his fat rear end by offering Reone a deal: Defeat his bodyguards and he’ll sign the contract, but lose and he gets to keep the money and the plans for the hospital are dead in the water. Itsuki points out how unfair that is (Mafia Boss apparently has over a dozen bodyguards with him), but Reone takes the challenge anyway. Itsuki is worried because of how messed up she got last time, but she says things are different now because he’s by her side. Reone proceeds to beat the poo poo out of Punks A, B, and C (the three portraits we saw during the bar event) and also I guess the other nine or so bodyguards that are allegedly present (there’s no flash of white or grunts or dialogue boxes for anyone else). Reone goes for the Mafia Boss now that his flunkies are down, but he triggers a Star Energy Circle trap (I’m gettin’ real sick of people making up Star Energy poo poo on the fly).  Itsuki jumps in and saves Reone from being blown up, then tells her not to worry about him and just go kick that guy’s rear end. Mafia Boss quickly offers to sign the contract, after which Reone knocks him the gently caress out anyway for daring to hurt Itsuki. The scene then transitions back to the clinic sometime in the evening where Reone finishes giving Itsuki some first aid. Reone talks about Itsuki being reckless and Itsuki says the same about her, but all’s well that ends well since neither of them got seriously hurt. Reone thanks Itsuki for all of his help and offers to let him fondle her breasts as much as he wants so that they can call it even (this is still Reone we’re talking about after all). Obviously the choices here are all variations on “No”, but the best answer has Itsuki saying that he doesn’t want to hurt her since she has some injuries of her own. Reone says that Itsuki’s are way worse than hers and that he should stay on the bed while she tends to his wounds overnight. Itsuki says that they’ll just heal on their own if he rests, but Reone says that’s a dangerous way of thinking because a bunch of tiny cuts could result in infection happening somewhere. All of this is really just a set up for Reone to say that she’ll use her Star Energy to heal his wounds through bodily contact.  She says not to stare and seems a little embarrassed about the idea, then says that incited emotions would make the healing less effective (Yes, she’s telling a teenaged dude to supress his boner while a hot woman spoons him for the night. Good luck with that). Itsuki is understandably hesitant, but Reone insists and then she turns the lights off. The next morning, Reone checks on Itsuki who says that all the scars are gone. Reone says she put her heart into it and even emptied her Star Energy reserves (I don’t know how Star Energy works anymore. Is it lifeforce? Is it magic? Can it be refilled? But it’s also bad if it’s taken from you? Apparently all of those are true). Anyway, the event wraps up there with Reone talking about how she finally feels she can move on for her perceived role in her brother’s death. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Feb 23, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2020 00:11
|
|
|
Bonding Update XVII: Cancer, Capricorn, and Libra + Summaries of Sagittarius, Aquarius, Gemini, and Taurus (Part 2) Almost finished. Hopefully these don’t result in any unfortunate events happening to the Star Maidens. I’ve already got my hands full trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do about the Alfie situation, or if there’s anything that can be done. ~Star God Academy Classroom~ Hmph. There’s the bell for classes to be out. Speaking of which… today is the last day of the shopping center sale. Uhh… I’m standing right here, you know. A-Ah! C-Come on… Don’t sneak up on me like that. Geez, why do you pop out of nowhere all the time? Sorry. I thought I was being pretty obvious about entering the room. Anyway, did you say you were planning on going to the shopping center? Oh, yes… But since you’re here, we can do it next time. Let’s do the club patrolling duties today. Well, we could always combine the two and just go patrol the shopping center. Huh…? S-Sure, I guess.  We can do some shopping too. That’s not a bad idea coming from you. Anything in particular you’re looking to buy? Shoes. I want to buy a cute pair to congratulate my sister. I want a pair so cute she’ll never want to throw them away. Oh, that sounds like a good idea. …Should I say congratulations too? Yes, of course. The orphanage is only a temporary place to stay. She’s only leaving to where she should be.I’ll be totally honest, my brain shorted out while I was typing this and I completely lost track of what the hell was being said. Ruka said this line and I was like “What the gently caress is she talking about? …Oh! Adoption." We should see her off with a smile. Right… Why the long face? Come on, let’s go.~Granvania Shopping Center~ Okay… these are good. I managed to buy a pair as cute as I imagined. Hm… I don’t think so. Pretty sure I’m set as far as supplies go.I want to say that Itsuki is really bad at this whole “flirting” thing… but then I remember that he’s got 13 women falling over themselves to have him and I’ll likely die alone. Really puts things into perspective. What? Come on, buy something. We can do a lot drawing if you buy something to get one more ticket.I thought this was a typo at first, but then I remembered that Japan (or at least Japan as depicted by media) loves those little spinny prize draw things. You know, the “turn the handle and if the golden ball pops out you win a big prize” stuff. I know, but I can’t think of anything that I need.[Older Lady]: Oh, my. Aren’t you God’s Gift?  Huh? Oh, thank you. That’s really sweet.Oh my god… a nice NPC! We found one! They do exist in this world! I salute you “Older Lady”. Too bad you don’t have a character portrait, or I would have immortalized you along with Takoyaki Guy. Well… we’ve got that ticket, now. You are stupidly lucky, you know that… But a lot drawing ticket for saving the world? Is this nation really okay?Listen, the bar is low right now. Like, underground kind of low. This is a way bigger gesture than you might think. Does it matter? You can do the drawing now. Well, thank you. If I win anything, I’ll give you half. All right. Let’s go to the lot drawing place!*At the lot drawing place… wherever that is*  [Lottery Staff]: You won the third prize! A day trip ticket for two at the hot springs! Why do you need a ticket for that?! Itsuki’s gone there four times already! There’s also been nobody around during each of those times, so it’s not exactly restricted in any way that would require a pass. I seem to win so many things when I’m with you… Like with the parfait last time and now this hot springs ticket…  Could you not make this into something ominous? S-Sorry… I just got that feeling… Here, I’ll give you this. You can split the ticket. S-So… why don’t you ask out some Star Maiden you like? What? But I want to go with you. M-Me?!I mean, we’ve already gone with most of the Focus Maidens by this point and Alfie is sort of dead… So why not?  Ruka, you’re the one that drew the lot and won. It only makes sense that I’d ask you. Uh-huh… I thought as much.That was painful to watch. How is it possible for someone to blow it this hard? Well, if that’s what you think, I don’t mind going with you. Right… I won this, so it’s my decision. Would it hurt you to say that you were even slightly interested in me? Huh? Did you just say something? I was reading the fine print. N-No, nothing. Well, just tell me when you find the time. Remember to come pick me up. Since it’s a day trip, we’ll have to go early. Okay. I’ll head to the orphanage in the morning when I get the chance. Haha… I’ve never been to the hot springs before. I don’t know much about them. Yeah, about that… Oh, look at the time. I better prepare dinner or I’ll be late. Sorry, I need to go. Let’s try to take the trip soon… I’m really looking forward to it. Same here.Oh well, she’ll figure it out when we get there I suppose. Oh, um… I-It’s not like I’m looking forward to this date with you or anything! I-I mean! I-I’m calling it a date, but I don’t mean anything by it! Okay… Then what do you mean by it? Anyway, be sure to hurry and get me when we go!If we had stopped that event 6 lines early, it would have been perfect. But no, we just had to get that tsundere poo poo stapled on to the end. Oh well, I guess they are appealing to the people that like that kind of character so you’ve got to slap it on for their sakes. Now, where are we going with Farun? She (basically) had her big confession scene and did her fancy lover dance for Itsuki, who proceeded to stare vacantly and muster up the kind of emotion normally reserved for finding out you won $5 on a lottery ticket. So where do we go from there? ~Tavern~ Hmmm…  Ya always come in here before we’re even open. It’s kind of the best time to talk to you since it isn’t crowded. Besides, the door is always unlocked. Yeah. I keep it unlocked. Anyway, do ya write letters, Itsuki? Why? Are you trying to write one to somebody? Y-Yeah… Well, that’s a secret.  So can ya gimme advice on it? I’ll thank ya in kind. I don’t mind. What are you going to do as thanks though? Hm? Hmm… I’ll do anythin’ for ya really, but… What would ya like? Why is there never a “stop talking that way” option? Transcribing Farun’s dialogue is starting to seep into my normal typing habits. I think I had an accidental “bout” in one of the previous updates. Still trying to find it. Why don’t we go on a date? That seems popular. Ahaha… Well… Hmm… No! It wouldn’t be proper thanks cuz I wanna do that too! Right, I forgot that we were back in the Tavern. That means Farun is going to get all loopy on us. Where do ya wanna go? Where? Hm? I don’t mind where so long as it’s with you. Slow down a little. What about the letter you were trying to write? …O-Oh, right. I got a li’l ahead of myself… That’s embarrassin’… Let’s focus on that first. Why don’t you just try writing about something normal. Well, there must have been something that gave you the urge to write. Just write about whatever comes to mind. …Right. I guess I could do that. All right. I’ll try writin’ it in the way ya described. Thanks! Hm? Wait, ya sounded like ya knew who I was writin’ to.He does?  Then again, we do already know that she gets letters from her parents and doesn’t respond to them for some reason. I guess Itsuki would remember that. I used to be more mysterious in the past. Looks like that part of me was washed away after meetin’ ya. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, you know. Anyway, I have to get going. Good luck with your letter. I hope I helped a little with giving you ideas. Oh… R-Right. So you’re goin’ already… …Do you want me to stay? Yes, I do want ya to stay longer. Ya came all the way here, an’ I’m lonely. What do you want to do then? Well… There’s tons of stuff. We can chat an’… Farun! I warned you once already! Geez. I gave Arie a pass because her and Itsuki were out in the forest by themselves, but you guys are standing in the middle of a bar that’s about to open. People are going to be coming in here to drown their sorrows since they can’t do the old bump n’ grind. They don’t want to see you two going at it like rabbits. … I wanna do stuff with ya! Is that so bad?!No. But there’s a time and a place. Lemme hold ya right now! C’mon! Lemme walk arm in arm with ya! I wanna do that too! I do! F-Farun, just relax a little… I really do need to get going. I still have a lot that needs doing and you’re about to open the tavern. I-I know… Listen… I’ll do what I can to come back early, okay? We can spend more time together then. Although… it would be nice to have another good luck charm to help with that. Huh… Huuuh?!  It’s not somethin’ I can do over an’ over… Oh no! Look at the time! I better go an’ get ready! The customers are gonna start comin’ in! Oh, r-right. I’d better go in that case. Wait, Itsuki! Itsuki!*Farun leans in for another kiss*  Good luck. See ya later. Hey! Barkeep! Sorry ‘bout that!*Farun runs off* I overslept, so I didn’t do the prep work yet! But I’ll do it straight away! Sorry! I’ll do it now!Okay, so Itsuki went from barely acknowledging this outpouring of feelings to not batting an eye at asking Farun for a kiss. I don’t get the writers for this game. ~Mirei’s Laboratory~  Oh, thanks. I could use some of that. Mmm… Can I ask you to do something? I can’t open the lid to this jar. …I’m not getting blasted with sleeping gas again, Mirei. Sorry, but I’m not touching that thing. We’re on to your games, Mirei. Won’t you please? Oh, that’s too bad… Wait, what?! Mir… Mirei…*And Itsuki goes down like a sack of rocks.  Touché, Mirei* Heheheh… Good night, Itsuki.*Some indeterminate time later* Good morning, Itsuki. It’s time for the interview. Ughh… Wha?... H-Hey! You tied me down again! Heheheh… It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this.  Heheheh… I told you before. If you want to ask me questions, just do it normally… But I can’t. The topic today will be of utmost importance for this research. I restrained you to get as accurate an answer as possible.Restraining always seemed like the worst way to get answers from someone, at least in a non-torture/extortion scenario. They’re predisposed to tell you want you want to hear until they are let free. So then what’s the question? Here goes… Itsuki… Do you…  …What? I’m talking about hairstyles.You know, I used to dig long hair on women, but I think I’m more of a short hair kind of man now. Obviously there are exceptions (I don’t care for the buzzcut+mohawk combo that seems to be going around, but I also really like long+tied) and you gotta factor in accessories and facial structure, but I think I lean more towards short. Would you rather have it down? Or up?This I don’t have much of an opinion on. Both of those can be done really well and really poorly in equal measure. Do you prefer elegant or cute clothing?Likewise. Do you dislike pant suits? Are we filling out an OKCupid profile or something? Slow your roll, Mirei. And this next one is extremely important and serious… What do you think of older women…? How old are we talking? Obviously you’re asking this with a personal interest, but I’m still positive that you and Reone are in your mid-20’s at most. I guess that counts as “older women” for Itsuki, but not for me (and I’m willing to bet that’s the case for like 60% of this game’s playerbase). Why are you asking me all of this stuff? This is proper research. Now answer me: What do you think of older women? I… Uh… I mean, I do like them. Heheh… Heheheheh. Really? Is that really true? You’re not lying to me, are you? If you’re lying, I won’t forgive you for defiling my research.  Do you really, really like older women? Yes! I’m telling the truth! Heheheh… I see, I see. So, you like older women, Itsuki… Mirei, why are you asking me all of this? How does this help your research on God’s Gift? … …What? God’s Gift isn’t who I want to research most. It’s you, Itsuki. O-Oh… I see… Come now, Itsuki. I’ll continue the questions. Let’s talk about the book you own with naked pictures of the opposite sex.Itsuki is now confirmed to be buying Granvania porn, just in case you thought there was some wiggle room in the interpretation of that “magazine” talk in Alfie’s route.  …I don’t have the right to refuse… do I? You never did. You will answer me… Heheheh…Thankfully the event cuts off there, before we start getting any hints as to what Itsuki gets off to. ~Bottom 7 Summaries: Sagittarius, Aquarius, Gemini, and Taurus~ #9. In Sue’s second event, Itsuki drops in to check on how her and Eisenbach are doing. Sue comes out and says that Eisenbach is all better now, then thanks Itsuki for worrying while also yawning a bunch. Itsuki figures that Sue stayed up all night to take care of the sick goat, but she says that she’s fine. Sue says that she had to make sure Eisenbach got better so that she could bring him back to be with the other animals, who really miss him. Eisenbach still needs a little more rest before he can be taken back to the animal hut, so Itsuki offers to watch over him while Sue gets some sleep. Sue wanders off to rest, but then leans back into frame. Itsuki tells her it’ll be fine and Sue disappears out of frame once more. After reassuring the goat that he’ll be fine, Itsuki notices Sue pop back into view. Itsuki asks if Sue wants to be next to Eisenbach, but Sue responds that it’s just not fair that Eisenbach gets all the fun.  Sue wants Itsuki to be near her in order to make her feel better, so Itsuki tells her to go sleep nearby. Sue responds that she wants Itsuki to sleep with her. Sue says that Eisenbach is fine since his bed is right next to Sue’s room, so she’ll be able to respond quickly if anything happens.  Yes, yes. Here is the unedited. Thankfully Sue is covered slightly better than Mahiru and Farun were. Sue talks about how it feels weird, because her body feels warm with her animals, but her heart is warmer when sleeping next to Itsuki. Itsuki says that he’s not sure why that is (either because he’s playing dumb or he really is that dense) and then Sue just tells him that she likes him. Itsuki is a little taken aback, but notices that Sue is sleeping now, so she must have just been talking in her sleep. Except Sue then responds with “I’m not sleeping… Zzz… Itsuki… I love you.” The next day, Sue says that she slept more soundly than she has in a long time. Also, she’s still sleepy so she’s going back to sleep. Itsuki is about to go when Sue asks him for a goodnight kiss. She says that her mother always did it for her. Itsuki is a little hesitant, but eventually caves. Just as they are about to kiss, Eisenbach bleats and startles them. The event wraps up there with Sue going to feed the goat. #11. Collette’s event opens with her slightly creeping out Itsuki with her greeting “No customer can escape my sight.” Collette says that it’s only a greeting for Itsuki but then says she was just joking when Itsuki apparently starts moving for the door. Itsuki asks her how the baking is going and Collette says that she came up with an idea. Specifically, she wants to create a topping for the bread. She mentions something about a “crumb of happiness” that will make people believe in happiness but says that her research didn’t turn up anything like what she had in mind.  This really sounds like the bread is being laced with drugs. Is Collette positive that her grandfather wasn’t secretly a pusher? She asks Itsuki for help and he says that it sort of sounds like a four-leaf clover (…I guess? Not really seeing the connection on that one). Collette asks what that is and Itsuki explains it to her that sometimes clovers will rarely have four leaves instead of three (fun fact: Four-leaf Clovers aren’t that hard to get. You really just need to find a clover patch and sift through them for a bit. I’m talking about a 4 foot by 4 foot area. The real obstacle is your desire to look for superstitious charms. Hell, you can grow the drat things in the span of a week if you wanted to skip the looking part). Anyway, Collette likes the sound of the idea since it has a romantic ring to it. Collette starts getting really excited and mentions that she had been hiding this same kind of excitement during the ritual. She says that she can barely even remember what happened and asks Itsuki if he did anything dirty to her. Back on topic, Collette and Itsuki head out to look for some clover. In the forest, they find a lot of clover growing under the shade of a tree. The two get to work looking but come up empty. Collette starts to think that maybe there are none in this world. She also mentions that maybe she won’t get the chance to make the “Ultimate Breadwinner” because her grandfather’s memory has been getting progressively worse lately.  I’ve been through that with one of my grandmothers. It sucks. She started not recognizing dad, then thinking that I was her son instead of her grandson, then only knowing me as someone from a place she goes to, then not knowing me at all. Anyway, didn’t mean to bum everyone out by reminding them of the ravages of time. Back to bread stuff. Collette hopes that eating the “Ultimate Breadwinner” will let her grandfather remember her just a little longer. Also, you know, saving the bakery from bankruptcy. The two decide to resume the hunt, but then the scene cuts to the bakery and reveals that there was still no sign of what they were after. However, neither of them plan to give up just yet and instead resolve to go looking again whenever they have time. Collette also brings up a rumor she heard that going to class with bread in your mouth will lead you to meet someone special. Collette says that she doesn’t need a rumor to meet someone special anymore and Itsuki asks what’s she going on about. The event wraps up shortly after. #12. Lillith/Lillie’s event starts with Lillith asking Itsuki if he would like to go on another date. She says that she found a beautiful lake to go to for a picnic (the writers really like to recycle “Hot Springs” and “Lake Picnic” it seems). Itsuki is a little surprised that Lillith would be the one to propose that, but she says that she’s been trying to be more proactive lately. Itsuki wonders if Lillie is aware of this and explains again that Lillie has been feeling like a third wheel in the relationship. Lillith says that she already informed Lillie about it, though. Back to the date plans, Lillith says that she’s picked up a small island in the middle of the lake that they can get to by boat, where they can then have some lunch. She also mentions how she can’t swim, so Itsuki should be careful not to capsize the boat.  The two manage to get to the little island without Lillith drowning somehow, surprisingly. Lillith shows off some sandwiches she made and Itsuki asks what’s in them since he’s never seen it before. Lillith says that it’s made with Golden Apples. Itsuki tries one and discovers that it’s not especially good. Lillith wonders if maybe Golden Apples are a Granvania food that doesn’t agree with his Sora stomach and Itsuki thinks that’s probably it, since Golden Apples don’t exist in his world. Instead, he starts eating some of the other sandwiches and finds that they are much better. Lillith is happy about that and reveals that until recently she only stayed in her room. She never thought she’d be out on a date with a guy. Itsuki is glad to hear that she’s being more outgoing and Lillith asks if she can tell Itsuki’s fortune for him. Itsuki is a little hesitant about that, since he still doesn’t like the idea of getting a bad fortune, but Lillith reassures him by saying that everything is going great so the fortune must be great as well. When she does it, she is surprised to find a very ominous sign. Itsuki asks her about it and Lillith says that the fortune means his life is at risk. At this point, Itsuki keels over and explains that something is wrong with his stomach and it’s getting harder for him to move. He wants to get back to the boat, but Lillith is against it because the fortune could be a sign that he might drown. Lillith wants Itsuki to believe in her fortune telling and that anything he does could be life threatening. Instead, Lillith goes off to the boat in order to call for help. Except…  Lillith is at a loss because she can’t swim, but then decides to write what’s going on down on a memo and proceeds to run headfirst into a fallen tree. Lillie staggers back and Itsuki points her to the memo. Lillie immediately takes off across the lake to get help as Itsuki passes out.  Itsuki comes to with Lillie and Reone watching over him in the Academy Clinic. Reone reveals that the Golden Apple is apparently pure poison to humans from Sora (which, thanks for coughing up that helpful tip after the fact. Seems like a very important thing you would want to warn God’s Gift about considering how badly his life is needed in this world). Reone says that one wrong move could have killed him and that he should thank Lillie for rushing back to get help. Lillie tells Reone to shut it and Reone makes herself scarce after telling Itsuki that he needs rest. Itsuki thanks Lillie and she gets embarrassed. She blames Lillith’s terrible cooking. However, she does ask that Itsuki not blame Lillith for it since she went through so much effort for him. Itsuki thanks both of them, Lillie is happy about that, and then Itsuki also tells Lillie that she’s not a third wheel to either him or Lillith. Lillie then apologizes for flipping out like that back then and explains that she was jealous. At first she thought she was angry at Itsuki taking Lillith away from her, but now she doesn’t think that’s why she was jealous. Of course she bails on revealing any feelings by returning to her typical attitude and telling Itsuki that he has to sleep. #13. Tarua likes to run… straight into Itsuki, who asks why she has to keep ramming him on purpose. Tarua says that she’ll do it as many times as she wants because she’s super happy right now. She reveals that Boss is feeling better thanks to a medicine that Mirei made for him at Tarua’s request. Because of what happened, Boss has finally agreed to hire a part-timer for help. Tarua is happy that work will be easier on Boss now since he won’t be under as much strain. Tarua apparently convinced him that it’s okay to rely on others (Aww). Tarua thanks Itsuki for all the help he’s given her and reveals that she told Boss about him. Boss apparently asked what kind of guy Itsuki was, such as whether he was tough or a good man. Itsuki asks if the toughness question was because of how much Tarua runs into him and she confirms that Boss was super worried about that.  Tarua says that Boss looked really relieved when she talked to Boss about Itsuki. That’s when Boss decided on hiring a part-timer to help and he’s been nicer than before. Tarua is really caught up with wanting to thank Itsuki, so she offers to kiss him again. Itsuki says not to force herself, but Tarua is insistent. Itsuki gives in and closes his eyes while Tarua tries to psyche herself up. Nothing happens, and when Itsuki opens his eyes he sees Tarua just kind of leaning forward with pursed lips. She gets embarrassed about it and upset that Itsuki opened his eyes. She also says that him apologizing and looking at her like he is makes her super nervous. She thanks Itsuki and says that she’ll work hard as a Star Maiden and all that stuff, then runs off (I guess something technically happened this time… barely… also what “happened” did so off screen… but whatever, I’ll take what I can get as far as Tarua’s route is concerned).  That’s it for Bond Level 4. We won’t be taking a look at the final Bonding Events until a few dungeons from now. I want to space it out so that we aren’t wrapping up all the Maidens’ routes while there are 7 additional dungeons to run through before the ending. Instead, we’ve got a few… special things to look at. After the next Labyrinth, that is. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 19:09 on Feb 23, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2020 00:12
|
|
|
Well I can't say I expected Alfie's events to go that way. Being Alfie is suffering.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2020 01:05
|
|
|
This update was... a lot to take in. Hell, I don't know what to say at this point. Some of these routes really dropped the ball, and some others are a lot more... mild, I guess? ...Yeah, it's going to take me a bit to process this.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2020 01:40
|
|
|
Alfie, nooooo! So you can't classmate with her until she snaps out of being dead?
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2020 02:19
|
|
|
Inconvenient time for Alfie to be dead forever, there's more bonding events left over.Psycho Knight posted:
She said the same thing as in the other event (at least, once I found a video where someone selected the head-pat, she doesn't say it in the other choices) so I guess that's going to be her 'thing', unless she's saving something more straightforward for later. Which is possible since this one was optional. Psycho Knight posted:I should mention that “fade-to-black” transitions happen 7 or 8 times during this event. I’ll be mentioning them in this summary so that Polsy can hopefully check for any patented “Old Mahiru cuts”, should they feel compelled to do so of course.[/b] The fades/scene progressions are, a little surprisingly, more-or-less the same. There's some dialogue rewrites around the fact there was no hot springs promise in the last event in Conception (Mahiru just suggests it unprompted as the natural place to go clean off sweat) and in the first two scenes Mahiru walks off-screen before the fade. Bathing suit conversation is just 'We should just change together so it's not weird. It's less embarrassing than classmating anyway' which is one of the more suggestive lines I've seen in Conception about classmating, though Itsuki follows with 'I don't know about that'. Keychain Man is a cellphone accessory in Conception, not sure why the change. Are those dead since smartphones without the hook for them happened? (this isn't a translation thing, it's a keychain in Japanese Conception Plus too)
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2020 03:05
|
|
|
Polsy posted:She said the same thing as in the other event (at least, once I found a video where someone selected the head-pat, she doesn't say it in the other choices) so I guess that's going to be her 'thing', unless she's saving something more straightforward for later. Which is possible since this one was optional. Weird on all points. -Arie: I guess it kind of make sense since this dialogue follows a particular choice. Still strange that they keep translating "like" to "love" though. Oh well, it's definitely going to be a love thing next time since it's the end of character routes. Like you said, they must be saving it for some big thing at the end, although the translators sort of ruined it in advance. -Mahiru: Why would they cut early from Mahiru walking off screen? What is the reasoning behind any of what the Plus team are doing? It's constant nonsense. Well, I guess at the very least all of those fades weren't different cuts that were made. Granted, it’s also funny to see that one of the Plus team's rewrites is starting to snowball and cause other rewrites to be required. -Keychain Man: I'm at a loss about this as well. I guess what you said is the reason? It's a weird thing to be anal about though. Besides, we can see that Itsuki and Mahiru are using older (by 2019 standards) phones (Itsuki at least. Mahiru’s cutscene was removed for rewrite purposes). Itsuki’s character art on the naming screen shows him with an early generation smartphone (it has a shorter screen as well as physical buttons along the bottom). Not to mention that there are ways around the lack of lanyard holes in newer phones. What a strange thing for someone to go "Wait a second! You can't put straps on phones anymore!" BlazeEmblem posted:Alfie, nooooo! Nope, Alfie is completely out of action. I'm not sure if I did something wrong (Alfie’s part was written for Plus, so it's possible they put in a Good/Bad split), or if this is supposed to happen and I need to do something to fix it. I've tried just about everything I can think of (the stuff in the update + skipping time and visiting the Daycare). Either more dungeons need to be cleared or the City Level (specifically the Daycare) needs to be raised. That is how she was unlocked in the first place, so maybe City Level is the key. I'll fiddle around a bit more whenever I get the time to tackle the next dungeon. Either way, I made a separate save when this happened just in case I hosed up something (Daycare Level not high enough, bond level not high enough, Itsuki level not high enough, etc). Mokinokaro posted:Well I can't say I expected Alfie's events to go that way. The Flying Twybil posted:Hell, I don't know what to say at this point. Some of these routes really dropped the ball, and some others are a lot more... mild, I guess? It was certainly all over the place. Alfie’s caught me by surprise (I knew she wasn't going to sit still, but I didn't think she'd steaight up die). Arie, Farun, and Ruka were okay, but mostly just repeats of previous events. Like they are filling space until Bond Level 5. I liked Mirei's, because "mad-scientist" Mirei made a return and I liked her fake-out. Femiruna’s was sweet, but very short and mostly setup for the next event. I liked Reone’s, mostly because the brother thing is well behind us now and it had a sweet action shot. Sue’s was okay. Not much to say about it other than the possibly slightly creepy CG. Yuzuha went too far with her Little Sister thing. Hopefully she keeps her word on being over that now. Lillith/Lillie was alright. That’s about the highest praise you'll get from me on Lillie. She might be more apologetic and thoughtful now, but she still has the tsundere trappings. Tarua was Tarua. I've given up on her. Doesn't look like Boss is going to bite it, so that means we'll likely get through her entire route without any major character development or notable stuff happening. Also Collette was there. No bread puns. The grandfather stuff was touching, but the rest of the event was mostly a waste (they didn't actually find the clover they were looking for and that means now we're going to end up getting another scene of them searching). Mahiru’s was kind of funny for Itsuki’s choice in swimwear and Mahiru’s creepy fangirls.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2020 05:40
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:-Mahiru: Why would they cut early from Mahiru walking off screen? What is the reasoning behind any of what the Plus team are doing? It's constant nonsense. Well, I guess at the very least all of those fades weren't different cuts that were made. Granted, it’s also funny to see that one of the Plus team's rewrites is starting to snowball and cause other rewrites to be required. Honestly the parts where they just rewrite a whole block of dialogue are less weird than when they just change a line or two and it's like why even bother. Just for a quick example, in the first scene on the field, it's identical until Itsuki shows up, then  I have no idea what that middle section was added for other than 'yes, Mahiru is popular in case the first half of the scene didn't clue you in'
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2020 13:02
|
|
|
Polsy posted:Honestly the parts where they just rewrite a whole block of dialogue are less weird than when they just change a line or two and it's like why even bother. Just for a quick example, in the first scene on the field, it's identical until Itsuki shows up, then Oh, I do agree with that. At least when they are rewriting blocks it means they have some idea in mind (however insane or pointless it might be). Changing one or two lines in such minor ways makes me think that some of the writing team finished their work early and started poking around for things to do in order to make it appear that they working. You know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of myself when I change Itsuki's dialogue just for the sake of it. The reception to my narrative edits in the previous LP wasn't great, so I held off on changing anyone else's dialogue for this LP, outside of Itsuki's. However, because of that, I don't really have a ton of flexibility when it comes to rewriting things, so a lot of the dialogue I create for Itsuki is very close to what Official Itsuki says. Obviously, the difference between me and Spike Chunsoft is that I'm doing those mostly pointless rewrites mostly out of personal amusement, while they are doing it for god only knows what reasons in a product that they had to market. Also, I see more subtle hints of the Mahiru personality change in that chart. The "Hehe" being added on is a small but important touch if this is what they were going for. You also get the switch from shy denial at the "is he your boyfriend?" thing, to more of a teasing "Well... that's a little bit up to interpretation. What do you think?" Mahiru's personality change could have been pulled off smoothly, as shown by those small tweaks to dialogue. But instead we get this weird fusion of minor edits and badly done scene cuts. I want to stress: The 3D models and the sprites are not rigged. They just have a handful of motions/poses and the transitions from one to another are tied to text boxes (they only "move" when a new text box is appearing). It would not have been a difficult or hugely time consuming task to redo these events to flow smoother. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Feb 9, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 01:06
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:Mahiru's personality change could have been pulled off smoothly, as shown by those small tweaks to dialogue. But instead we get this weird fusion of minor edits and badly done scene cuts. I want to stress: The 3D models and the sprites are not rigged. They just have a handful of motions/poses and the transitions from one to another are tied to text boxes (they only "move" when a new text box is appearing). It would not have been a difficult or hugely time consuming task to redo these events to flow smoother. I've gotta ask: how long did they have to make this port/remake? I'm wondering if some of this might just be some issues caused by time crunch. Although, the idea that the writing team had finished early and spent their time poking around could be also easily be true. Will we ever solve The Mystery of What Happened To Mahiru?
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 02:44
|
|
|
The Flying Twybil posted:I've gotta ask: how long did they have to make this port/remake? I'm wondering if some of this might just be some issues caused by time crunch. Although, the idea that the writing team had finished early and spent their time poking around could be also easily be true. It's hard to tell, because there isn't much detail on this game’s development history. The game itself was announced in Famitsu on Sep. 17th, 2018. The game then had its Japanese release in January 2019. However, they already had screenshots and a trailer ready at the time of announcement, so it had been in development before then. The anime adaption was announced in May 2018. There's no way that SC would order a season of an anime based on a 6 year old (at the time) PSP game. Not unless they wanted it to act as an advertisement for a remake/new title. So Plus must have been greenlit by April at the latest. If I had to guess, based on the fact that they probably already had access to most of the assets they needed (CG's, 3D models, story/events), I would say this game probably started development around January/February of 2018. That gives a few months to work out the roadmap for development and maybe do some work on improving the quality of the models. Once the ball is clearly rolling, SC orders an anime in April/May and the studio puts together the series by October (or at least they get the first half done and then work on the other half as the first 6 episodes are airing). By this point, SC has the models in place to put together a trailer and some early marketing material. You can tell it's preliminary because Mahiru's hair is still light brown instead of the much darker colour we see in this game. Even the Anime had the darker hair colour by that point, so it appears SC wound up using old artwork. Then you've got another two or three months of development time before December ends and the game needs to go off for printing to make its mid/late January release. Of course, I have no experience with game development. I'm just spitballing based on knowledge of how projects tend to progress. I would love to have a chance to ask the developers a bunch of questions on this series, mostly regarding what they were thinking when they decided to do certain things. Somehow I doubt that they would bother responding to an email for an interview from some internet nobody, though. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 05:04 on Feb 9, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 04:49
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:It's hard to tell, because there isn't much detail on this game’s development history. Ah, the plot thickens then. You're likely correct about the anime adaptation, as that's an easy marketing strategy. Release a sequel, then make a callback to its predecessor from years back. It lets you cash in again on old resources, and also re-establishes the presence of the series in the current era. The media world of video games passes by quickly, as really most media does these days. Refreshing a series is helpful, especially if it didn't hit it off very well in its original market. I imagine they still had all the proper decoding methods and file information necessary for retrieving the files from the PSP, that is, if they still didn't already have them in their original form. Getting those shouldn't have been hard, but they'd still have to do some cleanup work on anything that wasn't up to modern standards (audio bitrate, original sprite resolution, etc). Hell, I'd imagine a decent bit of the code would be salvageable as well, given that it was probably written in C/C++ and built with a library to compile for the PSP. With at least one or two people from the original team advising, (drastically reducing the time spent trying to figure out what everything is) I'd imagine your estimate of Jan/Feb 2018 to be about right. Psycho Knight posted:That gives a few months to work out the roadmap for development and maybe do some work on improving the quality of the models. Once the ball is clearly rolling, SC orders an anime in April/May and the studio puts together the series by October (or at least they get the first half done and then work on the other half as the first 6 episodes are airing). By this point, SC has the models in place to put together a trailer and some early marketing material. You can tell it's preliminary because Mahiru's hair is still light brown instead of the much darker colour we see in this game. Even the Anime had the darker hair colour by that point, so it appears SC wound up using old artwork. Then you've got another two or three months of development time before December ends and the game needs to go off for printing to make its mid/late January release. You know, I pay so much more attention to the story events that I complain about that I nearly forgot there was an actual 3D RPG as part of this. The Maiden models would be an easy job, given they were likely originally made with a very high polycount- a few subdivisions or a lazy subsurface job and it'd be good. After all, there's only ever one or two on the screen on the same time, so the polycount limit is incredibly high. The RPG models would take a good bit of work to update- depending on their original quality, they might even have to be entirely redone. If I had the models, I could tell you what they did with them and probably how long that might take. Trailers and marketing displays usually end up getting made with early material because they're there to build the hype up while the developers finish the game. WKC for instance, used a bunch of early (better looking, even) models and animated everything as a video because they had literally nothing. Given they still used the older Mahiru design, it's likely they were working on that trailer for a while- logically before the design team gave her darker hair. I don't have any professional experience with development, but I've spent a lot of time inspecting the industry. What I know and I'm making observations off of is just some personal experience with development and some research on various post-mortems/ developer stories. I can't claim any of my information is exact either, I'm just taking swings as well. As regards to answering emails, usually the higher up they are, the more defensive they'll be about interviews. The games industry is all about ideas, industry secrets, and design strategies- leaking that stuff out to a potential competitor can spell bad times for what is already an unreliable method of income. Indie devs and small teams are usually more willing to talk about things because they'll do anything they can for publicity. Big studios usually have no need to talk about behind the scenes stuff because they've got a noted public image and they want to keep it. Capitalism is complicated. (Still, this is just conjecture of mine based on trends I've noticed- I'm not in marketing.) You could always send them an email to see though, you never know what they'll say. I know one of the Lunar games in the archive actually had a guy who worked on it answered questions about it years after the fact as to why it came out so badly. I'll admit I'd like to know what happened in the development of this game, as everything just leaves so many questions.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 06:46
|
|
|
The Flying Twybil posted:I imagine they still had all the proper decoding methods and file information necessary for retrieving the files from the PSP, that is, if they still didn't already have them in their original form. Getting those shouldn't have been hard, but they'd still have to do some cleanup work on anything that wasn't up to modern standards (audio bitrate, original sprite resolution, etc). Hell, I'd imagine a decent bit of the code would be salvageable as well, given that it was probably written in C/C++ and built with a library to compile for the PSP. With at least one or two people from the original team advising, (drastically reducing the time spent trying to figure out what everything is) I'd imagine your estimate of Jan/Feb 2018 to be about right. Mahiru/Alfie changes aside, the game is basically identical between Conception and Plus besides the graphics resolution, I don't doubt they had the original materials available, or at least mostly.  'Granbania' 
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 13:47
|
|
|
Polsy posted:Mahiru/Alfie changes aside, the game is basically identical between Conception and Plus besides the graphics resolution, I don't doubt they had the original materials available, or at least mostly. I think I would have rather they left it as "Granbania" for some reason. Not sure why. I just know that "Granvania" has always bugged me a little whenever I have to type it. Or maybe it's just because the game never makes a distinction between "Granvania the world" and "Granvania the city in which the plot takes place". The Flying Twybil posted:You know, I pay so much more attention to the story events that I complain about that I nearly forgot there was an actual 3D RPG as part of this. The Maiden models would be an easy job, given they were likely originally made with a very high polycount- a few subdivisions or a lazy subsurface job and it'd be good. After all, there's only ever one or two on the screen on the same time, so the polycount limit is incredibly high. The RPG models would take a good bit of work to update- depending on their original quality, they might even have to be entirely redone. If I had the models, I could tell you what they did with them and probably how long that might take. The dungeon stuff was probably one of the bigger time consumers. The game loves to palette swap, but there are still a decent number of unique designs in terms of enemies and bosses. They would have had to drastically improve all of those models poly counts for an HD version. Then there's the Star Children. Of course, there's also a chance that they simply took the newer 3D models from Conception II and just retouched those. Hard to tell. The Flying Twybil posted:You could always send them an email to see though, you never know what they'll say. I know one of the Lunar games in the archive actually had a guy who worked on it answered questions about it years after the fact as to why it came out so badly. I'll admit I'd like to know what happened in the development of this game, as everything just leaves so many questions. Normally I would agree with this from a perspective of "Can't hurt to try" and "I sure as hell don't have anything to lose", but I can't even imagine how a prospective email of that nature would even go. Don't get me wrong, I think it would be amazing to be able to chat with someone, anyone, on that development team who could shed a little insight on some of the weird stuff we've encountered in this game. I assume the people reading this thread would love that. I would love that. But I'm a nobody. Not even an internet personality nobody, a complete nobody. Spike Chunsoft is a small studio (roughly 200 employees I think), but even at that size having an email pop in to the support desk reading: "Hey, my name is Jon. I've been doing Let's Plays of your Conception games that have probably been seen by maybe 50 different people on a forum website (yes, those still exist outside of far right fringe groups and video game publishes). Do you think I could waste 30 minutes of some dev team member's time to answer some questions about the game? Oh, right. Here and here are the places where I've mocked the quality of your product for entertainment purposes." I'd imagine the response would be something akin to "Hey... yeah, that's great. Thanks for supporting Spike Chunsoft Co! That's the stupidest thing we've ever heard and we're going to pretend you never asked that so we can both go our separate ways." Outside of directly emailing Spike Chunsoft, I wouldn't even know how to get in touch with somebody that worked on this game. The development studio is small, based in Japan (so I'd need to find one of them at least partially proficient in English since my Japanese is nowhere near conversational level), and the game is relatively recent (the HD version anyway) so there's a good chance that the low level people are still working for the same company and would be hesitant to say anything that could get them in trouble. Yoshinori Terasawa (the producer) does have a presence on Twitter, but his bio essentially reads "Here are the series I've worked on. No, I won't reply to people trying to talk directly to me. Don't @ me, bro." Again, I think it would be a great experience. If I was a Youtuber person with a half decent subscriber base, I'd probably go for it. As it stands, I just don't see them ever giving me the time of day for basically no exposure or benefit.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 15:50
|
|
|
Polsy posted:Mahiru/Alfie changes aside, the game is basically identical between Conception and Plus besides the graphics resolution, I don't doubt they had the original materials available, or at least mostly. Yeah, they definitely had at least all the original 2D artwork. The HUD's been redone, although graphically it was minimalist to begin with, but they most definitely did some higher-res rescans of the backgrounds and sprites. Visually, it'd be hard to tell with the models unless I actually had them at hand. It's still entirely possible they didn't even change the models. At the end, the only thing I can say about the Mahiru Mystery is that given it seems like the writing team would've had plenty of time on their hands, they either spend their time arguing over the change, or wanted to make the change but wasn't able to properly coordinate with the programmers and the art team. Psycho Knight posted:The dungeon stuff was probably one of the bigger time consumers. The game loves to palette swap, but there are still a decent number of unique designs in terms of enemies and bosses. They would have had to drastically improve all of those models poly counts for an HD version. Then there's the Star Children. Of course, there's also a chance that they simply took the newer 3D models from Conception II and just retouched those. Hard to tell. Given that you're experienced, re-topologizing meshes isn't very difficult, but the sheer number of models can easily build up. It's possible they just used CII models and fixed them up- would've made a good base to work off of at least. I'd imagine if they had the older materials, they probably still had the skeletal rig for most of everything, which means they could probably re-use the animations some as well. Psycho Knight posted:Normally I would agree with this from a perspective of "Can't hurt to try" and "I sure as hell don't have anything to lose", but I can't even imagine how a prospective email of that nature would even go. This is likely what would happen, not going to lie. They're a bigger studio, and their popularity standards are far higher. Answering this kind of stuff is basically going to have to be for publicity, which I doubt they'll think they can get from us. Psycho Knight posted:Outside of directly emailing Spike Chunsoft, I wouldn't even know how to get in touch with somebody that worked on this game. The development studio is small, based in Japan (so I'd need to find one of them at least partially proficient in English since my Japanese is nowhere near conversational level), and the game is relatively recent (the HD version anyway) so there's a good chance that the low level people are still working for the same company and would be hesitant to say anything that could get them in trouble. As far as I remember, the guy who came in for Lunar: Dragon Song was a guy who just happened to also be on the forums here. That they got any of that information was pure luck basically. That's pretty much what we'd have to expect if we ever wanted to have our questions answered. It'll probably be years after the fact before we have a chance at getting any answers, really. They'd just think we were either another rabid fan or hater to add to the pile: they don't have any incentive business-wise to gain from talking to us. It's a drat shame, but true. Also Granbania sounds kinda goofy to me. "-vania" implies a forest as in Transylvania or Pennsylvania- literally meaning "forest region". "Gran-", though likely made up, could either simply stand for "large" as is very common, or it could be a more vague prefix. For instance, I took a look, and in Swedish it refers to a type of pine. Whether intentional or not, Granvania likely stands for "Large Forested Region".
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 16:20
|
|
|
The Flying Twybil posted:Yeah, they definitely had at least all the original 2D artwork. The HUD's been redone, although graphically it was minimalist to begin with, but they most definitely did some higher-res rescans of the backgrounds and sprites. Oh, right, I forgot to actually screencap a 3D model but the full ones you see in one-to-one scenes are definitely more detailed.   Though, interestingly the model you see in side views like in the event replay and in scenes where more than one person is on screen looks closer to the Conception model level of detail.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 17:34
|
|
|
Polsy posted:Though, interestingly the model you see in side views like in the event replay and in scenes where more than one person is on screen looks closer to the Conception model level of detail. Yeah, it seems that they went back to update models but didn't redo artwork to account for it. One of the biggest things for me with this (since you show off Ruka), is that Conception Plus Ruka's face is chubbier/rounder than PSP Conception/Anime Art Ruka's. Maybe it's just me or something to do with the angle, but Ruka in artwork and Conception PSP seems like she has a longer/narrower facial structure. CP Ruka's cheeks seem like they are a bit more puffed out. Speaking of models, I recorded the next dungeon and it was incredibly short and not noteworthy (it was the Taurus dungeon, if you can believe that), so I recorded some footage of the full 3D Character Models that are present in the database. I'll do a segment showing those off in a bit more detail, since the game only ever shows the Maidens from the waist up/front on most of the time. The database wasn't in Conception PSP, so I think this might be the only way we can get a look at the full characters. Some of them have some weird details in their designs that players normally never see, such as the fact that part of Lillie's hairstyle is floating/defying gravity. Exactly why I don't really feel like bothering. Again, I don't really have anything at all to lose and the people working the email desk at SC over in Tokyo sure as hell will never know who I am, but I would still feel self-conscious about asking anyway. It's hard to explain, but it kind of feels like I'd be putting on airs or otherwise contacting them as if I mattered. Like a child walking in to an investment bank wearing a too-big suit and expecting to get a meeting with a consultant about the assets in their piggy bank. Edit for below: The Flying Twybil posted:I wasn't aware that side view was actually a model- I always thought it was a sprite. It's definitely far closer in detail. It doesn't come across in this LP because it's in screenshot style, but the trend in Visual Novels for a while now has been Live2D/motion illustrations. They are technically sprites, but they shift around and move ever so slightly so as to create the illusion of life and make things a little less boring to look at (as opposed to other VN's where you are staring at static images that just swap out different art from time to time). You can see it a little bit in this gif from one of the story updates. You can see Tarua's arms shift around, her hair is moving, Mahiru's bangs wave back and forth, her chest jiggles a bit (pretty sure this was the main reason for Live2D's creation):  Keep in mind that despite the motions, these are still individual sprites. You can see that Mahiru doesn't naturally move from her normal pose to the "shocked" pose, she just flips over to it (same with Itsuki). This is why I said that it would be fairly easy to expand/edit any of the VN portions of this game. You're just inserting canned poses/animations from a pool of about 5 or 6 per character and then linking them to the text boxes. The rigging only needs to be done once because you aren't changing anything after that (all "Itsuki is shocked" animations are identical for example). It should also be noted that I had a hell of a time creating character portraits for Conception II precisely because they did this. Someone had ripped all of the art assets from the game, but not the animations (admittedly I would have needed some kind of game development software in order to use them even if they had ripped those too). What I wound up with in Conception II was this:  Each of those "parts" can move, but that means that the game didn't have complete sprites that I could just easily pop different expressions on to. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Feb 9, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 18:01
|
|
|
Polsy posted:Oh, right, I forgot to actually screencap a 3D model but the full ones you see in one-to-one scenes are definitely more detailed. Yeah I don't even need to see the actual topology to know they entirely remade those. That definitely would've eaten up some time, though it's possible they saved time by modeling less of the lower half. I'm pretty sure you never really see it anyways, so there's no need to actually make it. I wasn't aware that side view was actually a model- I always thought it was a sprite. It's definitely far closer in detail.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 18:02
|
|
|
The Flying Twybil posted:I wasn't aware that side view was actually a model- I always thought it was a sprite. It's definitely far closer in detail. I think they're all static poses with a 'breathing' animation so you'd be forgiven for thinking that 
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2020 18:29
|
|
|
Update XII: Toutes celles qui rentrent dans le jean slim en taille 34 Song Title Reference: Ça m'énerve (Engl: “It Annoys Me” or “It Gets on my Nerves”) – Helmut Fritz Heads up: This is a real short update, even with some padding from me. Story Content blew its load early and has now decided to just wait for us in the car until we’re ready to leave. Meanwhile, we’ve already cleared all of the “Introductory Zones” of each Seasonal Labyrinth, so the remaining dungeons will just consist of 5 floors filled with enemies that we’ve seen before at some point or another. I’ll do what I can to show off anything of interest that happens, but these updates will mostly be about documenting Boss Fights from this point on. On the plus side, at least they won’t slow down our march towards the rest of the character story stuff.  We’re going to Taurus, because we haven’t been back to the Spring Labyrinth since the beginning of the game. I pick Taurus specifically because Tarua is dead last in rankings and Arie is already done. No, I don’t have any particularly solid reasoning behind what I’m doing at this point.  The Taurus Labyrinth has design elements from Tarua, although I think it’s a bit boring compared to the Femiruna Hair Columns from Leo.  Stone Traps will be my bane for this entire Labyrinth. Well… traps in general, really. This place is lousy with them. Alternatively, RNGesus is a big Tarua fan and hates the fact that I’ve been ragging on her. Who knows?  This is immediately after that first Stone Trap. Not why I took the screenshot, though. I just wanted to point out some of the enemies we’re dealing with in here. It’s a lot of Wind-based Horse and Wolf types.  Here’s something we haven’t taken a look at in a while. I guess we’ve got all the space we need for these now, so I’ll start showing them off whenever a new one appears. It’s Ruka. Well, here goes. I wouldn’t want you complaining because I didn’t send you a message. Just beat up those Impurities and come back safe. Staying in a place like that will only make you feel even gloomier. I think that’s about all I want to say. I’m not good with this magic transmission thing, so I’m ending it here. I’ll send you another message when I feel like it. Good luck out there. PS That was… a message. I guess. It’s Ruka, so I suppose it’s fairly standard because she’s doing her “Whatever, it’s not like I like you or anything” thing.  At one of the Item Shrines, I offer up a pair of Storm Talons (Berserker weapons) and get Wind Clothes+ in return. Wind Clothes can only be worn by Ninja Star Children, which we still don’t have. So I guess this is getting shoved into storage for a while.  We also get an Elven Vest+ for Manitoba, who has been in desperate need of new armor for a long time. Different types of armor can be worn by different classes of Star Children. Archers have a pretty limited variety to choose from. Manitoba has been rocking the outdated Rigid Armor since birth (the other armors you see listed all had fairly heavy negative stat drops compared to Rigid). Elven Vest drops luck a little bit, but the increase in Defence is worth the trade-off.  Itsuki also scores two new weapons. First he gets Gram, which is like a sawblade, but shortly afterward he gets hold of this beauty. On top of having Poison, Bio Gauche+ is also vastly superior to everything else we currently have. That’s an increase of 1330 ATK over the Gram, which was in itself an increase over Second Break. Itsuki’s attack has shot up by roughly 1500 in the last two floors. It also looks awesome. The Water Element will be helpful in some places and hurtful in others. For this dungeon it won’t really make much of a difference. Whenever we head back to the Summer Labyrinth, it will decimate everything in its path. And of course if we take a trip to the Autumn Labyrinth it will probably hold back Itsuki’s offence (I think Autumn is the one mostly filled with Earth enemies).  Here is where I picked up Tyrfing, which I showed off in Arie’s last event. However, that was in a different save where I was experimenting to try and bring Alfie back (the database tracks everything across all save files, which is how I was able to get the screenshot of its description despite not possessing it in my main save). This is the first time I’ve picked it up in my main save and now it’s been greatly outclassed by Bio Gauche.  PrEdward also finds an upgrade to his Life God Necklace+. Accessories can have ++ variants, although they are obviously harder to find than ‘+’ versions. I’m not sure if it’s only Accessories that can get ++ versions, or if it’s possible to get weapons/armor like that as well. Also, just like in CII’s Aterra, this world apparently has a Life God, a Dance God, and a Body God. We have accessories from all of them.  That’s it for this Labyrinth in terms of interesting poo poo. Yeah, it was largely uneventful. We did get a handful of new upgrades though, so I guess it’s not all bad. Although I am disappointed that we didn’t get our hands on another “Book” item. I think we’re only 2 shy of getting the complete set, which will unlock a new Star Child Class.   We must defeat it and enshrine the Taurus Star Offering! Don’t worry. I won’t let the offering that Tarua made for us go to waste. Let’s do this! drat it. Bio Gauche+ already being neutered. Oh well, the massive jump in ATK should still give it the edge over other weapons, even with the reduced effectiveness of its element. It’s [sic] regular attacks deal massive damage! But it’s vulnerable to magic!Plus, you know, we aren’t really going to need physical attack all that much. “Weak to magic” and “Earth element” is music to the ears of our current crop of Star Children.    As usual, we’re dealing with the boss and two elemental helpers. It’s sort of strange that these helpers seem to have ditched their support spells as of late. They used to have healing spells and status recovery and all that good stuff, but now it seems like they are largely acting as fire support. I may have jumped the gun a bit on praising this game for having better enemy synergy.  Oh well. Not like it would have mattered at all. Itsuki and the Star Children immediately fan out and pick apart the support enemies before they get the chance to take their first action. Team Psycho Knight nearly kills the Fire Crater in a single shot. Team A(wful) drops by to finish it off.  Then Team Canada 2.0 helps Itsuki poke the Earth Crater to death. By splitting up, Medaciorum is forced to waste a turn moving into attack position. Itsuki, as well as Teams A(wful) and Canada 2.0, then get a chance to take a swing at him before his next turn comes around.  As mentioned, Itsuki’s new Bio Gauche weapon isn’t living up to its potential in this fight. Of course, that’s still impressive damage considering Medaciorum’s defence.  Team A(wful)’s Cyclone spell is much better, though. It’s just too bad that they only have access to the base version of the spell.  Medaciorum’s first chance to actually do something in this fight results in him charging for a big swing. Team Canada 2.0 won’t have a chance to get out of the way. Spoiler Alert: It’s going to hurt.  I mean really hurt. A charged critical attack is more than enough to wipe out the entire team. The one positive outlook here is that at least Medaciorum didn’t target Itsuki. A standard attack from physically oriented bosses is usually enough to reduce Itsuki to slightly below half health, so a critical charge attack would have likely ended him even at full health. Keep in mind that I’m still using “outdated” armor for Itsuki in order to maintain a Speed advantage. I could give him some that has much higher Defence, but then his Speed would drop by over 800. I’m not quite ready to make that sacrifice just yet. I have Itsuki defend during his turn, just in case. However, Medaciorum decides to stick with what works and go for another charge attack. Team Psycho Knight is the target this time and they’re going to have to tank it-  -because I wanted to get Team Canada 2.0 back on their feet. Their revival leaves Team Psycho Knight with nowhere safe to go (Medaciorum’s physical attack hits 2 zones and Star Child teams can’t double up in a single zone).  I have them defend, which is thankfully enough to withstand the attack (which is also thankfully not a critical this time).  So we’re back in largely the same situation we found ourselves in during the Leo fight. The boss is sticking to heavy physical attacks, which have a small turn delay. Meanwhile, most of our offence is concentrated in Magic, which have a longer turn delay. Getting through this will require spamming recovery items and waiting for a good moment to strike, usually when you get 2 or more character turns before the next boss turn (one team heals, the other takes a swing). Another option is to go for a Chain, which will slow down the boss for a while and allow you to get some good hits in. I didn’t make use of this, mainly because setting up the Chain would have taken more turns than simply waiting and nuking Medaciorum with magic.  Like so. Medaciorum goes for his third charge attack this fight, but in doing so he’s paved the way for Teams Psycho Knight and A(wful) as well as Itsuki to dump on him with everything they’ve got.  Team A(wful) deals the killing blow and caps the Taurus Labyrinth for us.  Experience is okay, but levels are not particularly concerning at this point anyway. I believe the difficulty curve has plateaued now that story content is taking a break, so the remaining Labyrinths are likely going to be increasingly easy (at least until we change the teams again and I have to train everyone back up from Level 1). We’ll see if our eventual trip into Ophiuchus causes the curve to start rising again.    Come on, Itsuki. Let’s go back to the surface.And that’s that. After this, we’re brought straight back to the Granvania map without pomp or circumstance.  Because we’re dealing with shorter dungeons and don’t have any main story stuff to look at, I’ll use the second half of these dungeon updates to start looking at extra stuff that there hasn’t really been room to show.  Quests are something I haven’t really shown much of, or even checked for that matter. I usually only stop by here when an exclamation point appears and even then I just go to “Submit.” Let’s have a look at what kinds of items we should keep an eye out for.  Although first we need to turn in the Taurus boss quest. There’s one of these for each of the Star Labyrinth bosses and they all appear in the Quest List at the same time, so I’ll have to skip over those in order to avoid slightly spoiling the boss appearances. As for Medaciorum, killing him gets is 10k in gold and a few Matryoshkas (AT=Attack boost, ET=Earth Element, and Star=A general boost to stats/Maiden mood).  The other quest is a repeatable one. You turn in 10 potions in order to get 1000g and 2 Bond Shards (minor revive items). This quest is a good one to keep in mind for when you’ve been training Star Children and need to burn off the excess Potions you pick up. The item limit is 99 and it’s easy to hit that during level grinding, because you’ll mostly be God’s Poking early enemies or otherwise slaughtering them with Itsuki/your high level weapons and equipment (Star Children also get a full heal when they level up, so you won’t need to do a lot of healing while training a fresh group). At least this way you can earn a little more money and some Bond Shards (which can be sold) instead of leaving Potions lying around in the dungeon. With that out of the way, let’s see what quests are actually available.  Some of them are gift related, usually giving you two or three gift items in exchange for one of a different kind. There’s also a few Monster Hunt quests that give you weapons, although the weapon rewards are old and not worth it (one quest wants you to kill 5 Cassiopeias for a High Gladius. You can find better swords than that just by running around the labyrinth for a little bit).  The other quests you see above this one are the Star Boss quests, so skip past those if you don’t want to be partially spoiled on what they look like (the quests give a little picture of the boss to the side). Anyway, what I want to point out in this screenshot is the “Winter Clothes” quest. Not because it gives you especially cool rewards (although Dalmatica+ is still pretty good in terms of mage armor), but because the quest says that it’s ready despite not showing up in the “Submit Quests” section. If you scroll through the quests and see “Ready”, it means that one of your Star Children is equipped with the weapon/armor/accessory you need. It might also mean that you can turn in a different quest to get the item that you need to complete this quest, but I haven’t tested that.  Then there’s this quest. What the hell is a Polyoshka? The icon means that it’s a Matryoshka for creating Star Children, but it has a unique name instead of just being called “Matryoshka AT” or “Matryoshka ET”… weird… …Wait, do we need that for Alfie? Is that how it works? Either way, I want to know what that Polyoshka does. Unfortunately, we need 5 Sheer Lingerie items to complete this quest. Sheer Lingerie is a gift item that I haven’t come across in the dungeons at all. The Gift Shop also doesn’t sell it just yet, although it eventually will once it’s leveled up enough. I guess I’ll have to train up some City Level fodder so that we can find out.  Oh well, that’s a task for me. Moving on, the other type of quest is an upgrade quest. If you pick up a bunch of the same kind of weapon, you can turn them in to get a + version of that weapon, or sometimes just a better tier of that weapon (3x Glory+ can be upgraded to 1x Glorious+ for example). Some of them also take weapons or armor and give you the opposite in return (such as 1x Genius+ armor rewarding you with 1x Thirty Arrows bow). That’s all we’ve got for now. I actually haven’t been clearing these quests out like I should be, so there are probably higher level quests that we don’t have access to yet. I’ll have to take some time to focus entirely on knocking these out at some point.  That’s it for new stuff (the Shop had new stock, but it was just weapons and armor that we’ve already outclassed with Labyrinth drops). In the screenshot above, you can see the problem that arises from throwing out too many Level 1 Star Children. The Scavenger has been rendered largely useless to us because most of the Star Children we’ve released into the wilds of Granvania are Level 1. …Okay, so I released them into the wilds of Granvania at Level 1. But it was done because I had to clear Classmating Events in order to move the Maiden Routes forward for the LP. The point is, while I could send the Level 1s out into the big scary Labyrinths to search for items, the chances that they bring back anything even halfway decent are next to nothing. Reshuffling the selection of Star Children until a higher level one pops up would require time skipping and constantly checking the Scavenger, so it’s honestly not worth it when I could just scour the dungeons myself during my spare time.  On the way to the last part of this update, RNG finally decided that Team Psycho Knight must be stopped. A new Star Child turned up at the Inn, so I’m unfortunately required to slot them in to Team Psycho Knight as per the rule I made for myself for some masochistic reason. Let’s see what we’re working with here…  All right… Could be worse I suppose. The level cap on Katie is 39, but that’s roughly where everyone else is at anyway. Plus, the Teams will likely be getting restocked after the next Labyrinth so there won’t be time for her to fall behind.  Mirei is the lowest in polling out of the Team Psycho Knight moms, so I guess Luna is taking a hike. Too bad, I liked Luna.  So many Magic Knights… They’re taking over. After some upgrades are made to Katie’s equipment, we get a look at how her addition has changed Team Psycho Knight. It’s not a huge drop, but they do go from being the strongest of the current teams to being the weakest. Not one of their stats is better than Team A(wful)’s or Team Canada’s. Part of this is of course down to the fact that Katie is sitting 10 levels below everyone else. I will level her up along with the City Fodder Star Children I’m planning to train. We’ll see what that does once the next Labyrinth rolls around. One thing I forgot to do (that I’ll show in the next Labyrinth update) is how Katie has changed Team PK’s skill set. That could be a total mess for all I know.  We’ll finish off the update by going to the Database and having a look at some character models. The Database was added for Plus, so I don’t think it’s possible to see everyone’s full 3D model in the original PSP game. Now, Itsuki is someone we’ve seen a full profile of before. We’re always running around the dungeon as him, so his full 3D model is nothing new. His design is also pretty boring because he’s just wearing his school uniform.  The Star Maidens are a different story. The game usually shows Star Maidens from the waist up and facing the camera during events that use their 3D models (it’s because the “camera” in those events is Itsuki, so we only see the Maidens from Itsuki’s viewpoint). Occasionally there are brief moments where the Star Maidens appear at a distance or turn around, but you still don’t get a full profile shot of them. The Database fixes that by having a gallery mode. We’ve seen most of Alfie’s outfit from that CG where she mounted Itsuki and nearly caved his head in with a training sword. The 3D model doesn’t reveal a ton, but there are a few minor details that players don’t normally see. I think that weird panty/midriff thing she has going on kind of ruins her outfit a bit, personally. She also has a buckle at the bottom of her coat for some reason. The coat doesn’t look like it can close up, so what is the buckle even meant for?  Wait… It’s not even a buckle, it’s a full belt. What the hell is the point of that? Is that coat designed to tie a person’s feet together? Anyway, from this angle we can get a look at the various pouches and bags that Alfie lugs around. We could see the storage pouches on her sides from the front, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen that fanny pack she has.  One thing I want to briefly point out: You can view all of the different poses/animations that the Star Maidens do during bonding events. However, you can’t zoom the camera out to get a full look at the Maidens when they’re doing different actions (so we can’t see Alfie’s stance when she’s doing her idol pose or “shocked” animation). It’s kind of annoying, although completely understandable. You don’t see the Star Maidens from the waist down. If they gave the player the ability to zoom the camera during these animations, they would have had to rig things like clothing/legs/accessories for essentially no reason.  Arie’s full body shot shows off the design at the bottom of her dress.  We also see that her normal stance has her hunching over a bit with knees slightly bent. She also has heels on her boots. Combined with her hat, it’s difficult to tell just how tall she really is. That being said, I think she is one of the tallest Star Maidens. I’ll show a side-by-side comparison of these models at the end which will give us an idea of how tall everyone is. Unfortunately we can’t do a side-by-side with Itsuki because his 3D model is tilted at a different angle than the Star Maidens (you can’t adjust the tilt of the camera in the Database).  The back view of Arie shows us a bit more of her dress design. It also gives us a full view of how her hair is tied. We saw during the festival event that Arie has a ribbon or something tying her hair together around shoulder level, but I don’t think we’ve seen this portion (you can see it a little bit in her anime sprite though). This view also suggests (along with the side view) that her dress is in two layers/parts. It seems like she’s wearing a long skirt or something underneath.  Femiruna’s outfit is one we got a pretty good look at during the picnic event CG. Still, the 3D model gives us a better look at the fanciness of her dress (it’s also more detailed. The gold trim along the bottom is not present in that anime CG).  Femi’s hair curl situation is ridiculous. Also, she’s wearing heels of her own. Femiruna’s heels are more like stilettos though. They also seem to be a little taller than Arie’s.  Femiruna’s back view doesn’t give any new insight into her design. Some people might say that it would be overly busy looking, but I think that empty space could have been used for a cool design of some sort. Maybe her family crest or something? I just think it’s a bit of a waste of space to leave it empty like that. Also, we still can’t tell if Femiruna has an animal tail or not. The model viewer has a “Change Costume” button, but it doesn’t do anything (except for Lillith/Lillie). Unless it’s unlocked in a New Game+ of some sort, then there’s no way to do a full 3D view of Femiruna’s swimsuit which would answer that question for us. Our only chance now is that Femiruna turns around and walks off during the Beach Event.  Ruka’s full body shot gives up quite a few aspects of her design that we don’t normally get to see. Despite the Miko stylings of her outfit, she doesn’t wear a full skirt/dress. Instead she has the front part cut out to reveal a shorter skirt underneath as well as a leggings+suspender combo (I don’t know what the actual name for that fabric is. The one that ties a skirt to leggings I mean). Unlike Arie and Femiruna, Ruka is wearing flat boots/shoes.  She also has some weird golden ring hanging by her side, which I guess is a ceremonial thing that’s part of the whole Tsukuyomi deal. She also has a square pattern at the bottom of her outer skirt-  -which runs all the way around it. I don’t know if it’s supposed to represent something or if it’s just a random pattern.  Farun is someone we’ve seen a lot of because of the “dance” CG we recently ran into. I don’t think we’ve seen the full bellbottom leggings though.  Her side and rear views don’t offer up much in the way of new design details. The only thing I can see is that the choker she wears his strings that go down past her knees with some kind of beads or something at the ends. She’s also clearly rocking the Rikku look from FFX/X-2, where her g-string is hiked up like crazy.  Mirei’s front view shows us that she’s a pants kind of woman, although we technically just learned that from her last event (she asked Itsuki what he thinks of pantsuits). I’m disappointed to see that she doesn’t have cool designs on her pants legs like she does on her sleeves.  Mirei is also rocking heels similar to Arie’s. Unlike Arie, Mirei is standing up straight, so we can get a better idea of her real height.  The rear view gives us a look at the sigil on the back of Mirei’s jacket, but we’ve gotten to see that a few times already because Mirei turns around in events fairly often.  We’ve seen Mahiru’s design before. We get a full body shot of her during the intro cutscene where her and Itsuki are sucked into the sky. She’s also wearing her school uniform, so there’s not a lot to say about the design of it.  The one interesting detail here is that apparently Mahiru carries a pair of glasses around with her, even though we never see her wearing them and she never mentions them in her events. Strange.  Nothing of interest from behind. I guess you can get a look at how long Mahiru’s hair is, although I’m fairly sure we’ve seen that before. I should mention that this is slightly zoomed in for visibility purposes. Mahiru is actually surprisingly short compared to the other Maidens we’ve seen so far.  We saw a sort of full body shot of Reone in her last event CG, but this is a more detailed one that doesn’t have Itsuki going full bodyguard. Her outfit looks closer to a cheongsam than I think is appropriate for a doctor, but that’s kind of Reone’s whole deal. Her magic stethoscope thing also just dangles there without swinging around to her back.  Reone has heels as well, so her height is not quite what it appears to be. She also has some kind of case or something attached to her leg.  Not really sure what that is. They look segmented. I thought syringes at first, but they are sticking out at an angle instead of straight up, so that can’t be it. Maybe that’s what the “Magic Transmission Devices” look like? Sort of looks like it could be a communicator or cellphone-like object.  The only thing from the back view is how her hair swirls together at the end.  I like Sue’s outfit so much, I just wish I also liked her character more. The full body shot shows us just how long her coat really is (not to mention her scarf).  I’m not sure if those are boots that she’s wearing or some kind of leg wrappings. Or maybe a combination of the two. We can also see that her crazy long scarf goes down both sides of her. More interestingly, Sue has some kind of logo on her left sleeve.  Like with Itsuki/Mahiru’s school uniform logo, the text on this appears to be gibberish. Not sure what the logo is supposed to be. Possibly the logo of the research/veterinary business that her parents ran?  The rear view shows that the back of Sue’s outfit is the same as the front. There are two rows of those black dots on her white coat (front and back), but looking directly at/behind her has her scarf covering one of the rows. Another thing to note is that Sue’s coat in her 3D Model is completely closed. Her anime sprite has her wearing it unbuttoned and slightly open in the front.  Not a whole lot to say about Collette’s outfit. I think the striped stockings are new, although we might have seen those in her “betrayed by the part-timer” CG. She’s wearing bloomers underneath the dress, which fits with her “I’m an innocent child” shtick she likes to throw out sometimes.  She has some kind of logo on her skirt. Not sure what that is. It looks a little like a pot or a jar. I guess it could represent her Zodiac sign, since Aquarius is the “water-bearer”. Some of the other Maidens have accessories or designs on their outfit that match their sign. It just seems weird in this case because it’s not so much the symbol of Aquarius as it is a symbol associated with Aquarius. Also worth noting about this angle, you can see that Collette is standing on her toes as if she were wearing heels. I’m pretty sure she is easily the shortest of the Star Maidens, but this shows that she’s actually even shorter than she appears.  The rear view just gives us a look at the bow that Collette’s apron is tied with. Also we get a clearer look at her rattail haircut style.  Yuzuha looks to be only slightly taller than Collette. Also, it’s difficult to tell if she’s wearing full stockings on both sides. Her left leg is the same color of her skin, but the black diamonds near her ankle seem to imply that it’s actually a white stocking, kind of like the black one she wears on her right leg.  Her side view doesn’t show anything of note, but the back view shows the full craziness of her mermaid/dolphin hairstyle.  There’s not a lot to say about Lillith’s full body shot. She’s using her hair like a full-body cloak and has some sort of star accessories clipped to the front. Still not sure how this is supposed to work, unless she found a way to fuse all of her hair together into one unbroken sheet.  Lillith’s angel wings aren’t attached to her, they just float. I think we’ve known that for a while now, though. She’s also wearing heels and her hair is cut shorter than the sides along the back. You can also see the back of her weird headband.  Lillie’s design has a lot more going on, including an acid-trip taking place on the inside of her hair cocoon. There are also parts of her hair that defy gravity (these aren’t even the worst offenders, just look at the side view below). Those arrows running up her legs from her boats look painted on as well. There’s no sign of any indentation that would imply they were clothing. Then of course you’ve got the unzipped booty shorts and suspenders combo. I’m not kidding, I think Lillith/Lillie’s swimsuit is more modest than this.  Here’s what I meant about gravity defying hair. I can’t even begin to describe what’s going on at the bottom of her hair. Her elbows are also sticking out of the hair, which further complicates the idea of how Lillith is able to form a cocoon around her like she does.  And finally there’s Tarua. I don’t think we’ve seen the blue socks/leg warmers before. I sort of like that, because it adds a splash of colour.  Here’s her letter bag. I think we might have seen parts of it during CGs. Of bigger interest here is what’s hanging off the back of her.  She has an outer hood with holes cut in to it, then an inner hood that has rabbit-ear looking extensions. I like the idea behind it, but it’s a shame that we don’t get to see her with the hood up. Lastly, let’s have a look at some height comparisons. These screenshots were taken without any camera adjustments made. It’s difficult to tell how accurate this is, since the default camera position might shift a little depending on the character model being shown, but it’s the best we can do (unless there’s a CG somewhere where everyone is standing side by side).  These are the “shortest” Star Maidens. Collette is by far the shortest of the bunch (remember that she’s on her toes in that shot, so she’s a tiny bit shorter than how she appears). Tarua has a very slight advantage over Yuzuha, although Yuzuha could be the same height if she straightened out a bit more (Yuzuha’s knees are slightly relaxed whereas Tarua’s are completely straightened out). The jump from Tarua to Lillith/Lillie is more noticeable. Although they appear to be the same height, I gave Mahiru the edge over Lillith/Lillie because they are wearing shoes with heels (Mahiru’s are flat). Take off the heels and I think Mahiru would probably have about an inch over Lillith/Lillie. Lillith and Lillie appear to be the same height, as they should be. Lillie just has the appearance of being shorter because she has a wider stance. Finally, Alfie is shorter than I thought. Or I guess the better way to phrase it would be that I thought she was taller than people like Ruka, Farun, and Femiruna. We have a rough side-by-side of Alfie and Mirei, and Alfie only seems to be a little bit shorter than her. Sue is also way taller than I thought she was. She comes in roughly the same height as Alfie and a little taller than Mahiru.  Here is the bridge between the first side-by-side and the next, just to give you an idea of the difference. Even without heels, I'd give the height edge to Femiruna.  The tallest Maidens are a bit harder to distinguish. I didn’t think Femiruna was that tall, although I’m pretty sure that Farun has her beat (Femiruna is wearing heels and Farun is in a relaxed/wide stance). I’d probably guess that they are the same height. I was also surprised by Ruka. I thought she was closer to Mahiru’s height, but she comes in about equal to Arie. Arie’s exact placement in this lineup is very difficult to pin down. Remember, she’s wearing heels and her hat (which makes her look taller), but she’s also hunched forward. I think if you took off the hat and the heels, but had her stand completely upright, she’d stay about equal to Ruka, maybe a hair taller. Mirei and Reone are similarly difficult to judge. I definitely think that Reone is the tallest of the Star Maidens, but how close both her and Mirei are to Arie and Ruka is hard to tell because they are both wearing heels.  Here's the gap between the tallest and shortest, by the way. It really drives home how much of a child Collette is. Anyway, we’ll call it quits there. That was just some unimportant stuff from the Database to help flesh out this update. Next up we’ll be taking a look at the Starmas Events and then we set our sights on the anime adaption (after blowing through another Labyrinth, I mean). Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 13:17 on Apr 19, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 10, 2020 23:41
|
|
|
Oh, well, we knew Team Psycho Knight's reign of terror over the Labyrinths had to end at some point. We'll have to settle for them trivializing two (three?) bosses. Hopefully Katie fits into the team and Luna achieves similar success in her solo endeavors. The answer to anything weird going on in fantasy is always "a wizard did it" (or in this case "Star Energy"). Lillith's/Lillie's hair situation is the way it is (trippy, gravity-defying, and selectively cloth-like) because of Star Energy. Count me in as thinking Sue was significantly shorter than she turned out to be. Must be her general build and personality being somewhat child-like. There aren't any real surprises in the rest of the lineup, although that's really because of lack of any real frame of reference. Collette is freakin' tiny though.
|
|
#
?
Feb 11, 2020 00:21
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:[b]Ruka’s full body shot gives up quite a few aspects of her design that we don’t normally get to see. Despite the Miko stylings of her outfit, she doesn’t wear a full skirt/dress. Instead she has the front part cut out to reveal a shorter skirt underneath as well as a leggings+suspender combo (I don’t know what the actual name for that fabric is. The one that ties a skirt to leggings I mean). That's s garter/suspender belt- they're a post WWII design meant for holding up stockings. Earlier versions of garters were woven fabric ties that were tied around the lower or upper knee. Regarding Femiruna's dress, in past centuries people would often embellish plain areas on a dress if they were rich enough. That being said, I find it somewhat odd that given the gold thread designs that there's not more on the back. Then again, I don't expect this was designed with accuracy in mind. ...I study fashion and clothing too, particularly historical clothing. I have no explanation for the belt at the bottom of Alfie's coat- I don't know of any purpose it could serve. It's neat seeing that they did actually bother to make entire models for each Maiden. Lilith/Lillie is much taller than I thought, and I've gotta say that I kinda like Yuzuha's dolphin hair design.
|
|
#
?
Feb 11, 2020 04:03
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 22:03 |
|
|
It is a bit odd they did the full models but you can't bring them into dungeons and such like in the sequel (which is a big thing missing here. Bringing them in sure helped give them agency.) Hope you figure out what's going on with Alfie. That's probably some of the best drama this mediocre game produced.
|
|
#
?
Feb 11, 2020 04:20
|
|