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Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

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

Clapping Larry
Yeah, Tenzan is just kill-crazy enough to keep obeying destruction orders, whoever they're from.

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Seyser Koze
Dec 15, 2013

Mucho Mucho
Nap Ghost
Ryusei Route, Mission 38



We start things off with mobility and EN upgrades for the 008L.



The operation will begin momentarily, and everybody's heading to their mechs.



Giado: "The final battle at last. Got my last will and testament all written up."
Garnet: "Hey, don't even joke about that."
Giado: "Just trying to be prepared, y'know?"
Garnet: "Stop that! I am not dying in all this. You and Latooni, you're both..."
Giado: "Garnet..."



Garnet: "You don't get to leave me behind. If you die, then I'll..."
Giado: "C'mon, enough of that. Promise we'll all make it?"
Garnet: "Yeah..."



Ryoto: "Um... Rio."
Rio: "What's up, Ryoto?"
Ryoto: "When this is over... why don't we head out to Chinatown in Yokohama, like we did that time on leave."
Rio: "Well, we'll have to see if everyone else is up for---"
Ryoto: "J-just the two of us, I mean."
Rio: "Huh!?"



Ryoto: "...That's a no, huh?"
Rio: "N-no, it's not... I mean, if we both make it..."



Excellen: "Feels like a page from our youth, doesn't it?"
Kyosuke: "Yeah."
Excellen: "Hey, I'd like to see you all dressed up."
Kyosuke: "...I'll write that into my will."
Excellen: "I really hope that was a punchline."



Daitetsu calls Tetsuya to his cabin. Seeing that he has the liquor out, Tetsuya tries to beg off, but relents when Daitetsu says this may be his last chance to pour with a comrade.



Daitetsu: "I've lost a lot of good men and women... soon enough, I'll pay the price for that."
Tetsuya: "You don't have to take all of this on yourself, Captain. That's why I'm here."
Daitetsu: "No. You must live, at all costs. That's an order."
Tetsuya: "Captain..."



Daitetsu: "You're like a son to me. And... some day, every parent must entrust the future to their child. This would be that time."
Tetsuya: (This? I know the Captain's son was...)



Daitetsu: "You're probably laughing at a foolish old man right now."
Tetsuya: "...I'm proud to be that man's second-in-command. We've come this far on the strengths of our people. That strength will carry us a little farther."



Tetsuya: "So, Captain... I'll have this drink with you after the battle is over."
Daitetsu: "...As you wish. Then, to the battlefield with us both."
Tetsuya: "Sir!"



Sean: "Captain, the Hiryu Kai and Hagane have arrived at the designated point."
Lefina: "All units are in position?"
Sean: "Yes, Captain."
Eun: "Operation will begin in thirty seconds..."



Lefina: "....."
Sean: "You seem tense. Your lovely face will get wrinkles if you keep that up."
Lefina: "Oh, don't worry. I make sure to apply beauty lotion three times daily. Heheh..."
Sean: "I see I can no longer faze you, my Captain."
Lefina: "Because you've teased me so much until now. I have all my responses prepared."



Eun: "4... 3... 2... 1... 0... Transmission from the Great Ark. Commence operation!"
Sean: "Well, then. To the White Star."
Lefina: "Yes...!"



Mission 38: Operation SRW



Federation troops make their initial contact with the defenders, and as battle is joined, more of the enemy forces are heading to their position. It's time for phase 2: the nuclear assault on the fortress.

General Norman gets his own personal bridge operator. The perks of command, I guess.



Right on cue, a gravity quake is detected, signalling enemies inbound. Kyosuke orders all units to intercept; wipe out the enemies while the second phase commences.



Masaki: "You think we're gonna have another phase after this, huh?"
Kyosuke: "It's possible. I'd be fine with this phase going well, but I won't bet on it."
Excellen: "C'mon Kyosuke, you're going to jinx us..."
Kyosuke: "I'm facing the facts. We're attacking the core of the enemies' forces to settle things; this has been a long time coming."
Katina: "Hell, yes... they've been sitting back and laughing while they watched us fight... I want to see the look on their face when we kick their asses!"



Lune: "If worse comes to worst, we're supposed to be the trump card anyway... maybe we should just consider this a warmup."
Masaki: "Heh... you're sounding all fired up, Lune."
Lune: "Just saying what we're all thinking. C'mon, let's go!"



Objectives. Wipe out the enemies while keeping our capital ships safe. The mastery requirement is to destroy all the enemies before accomplishing the victory condition - then again, destroying all the enemies is the victory condition. Hmm.



And our map. Just a handful of drones, nothing major. Neviim is down in the corner, though we won't need to worry about it (this mission, at least). Apart from a few stray debris patches, nothing else of interest.



Our battleships are actually unable to move during this mission, I imagine so they don't stray too close to Neviim and get nuked. In addition to the Hiryu Kai and Hagane, we have two generic Peregrines, the Shirogane, and the Great Ark - which is basically just an Albatross (which only appeared in one mission before now, and that was on Kyosuke's route, so I guess it creates the illusion of being a unique design).



Giado picked up his ace bonus last mission: a 10% evasion increase, and a 10% reduction in damage taken. Which I guess is a concession that even with the evade bonus, he still can't dodge worth a drat. :laugh:



The drones are nothing to worry about, so at the moment I'm trying to bump up the killscores on people like Rio who've been lagging behind a bit. Additionally, the roster for this mission is a lot larger than usual, so we have people like Tasuku and Bullet who've barely seen any action on Ryusei's route. (Tasuku started the mission at level 30, waaaay behind everybody else. Bullet fared a little better due to being auto-deployed on the missions involving Kusuha.)



You can see the White Star in the background during the battles. We'll be getting closer before too long. I stuck Rai in the 008L for this mission in the hopes that he'd have some special remark about using it, but no luck. Maybe he's just shy.



Anyway, we can pretty much eat drones for breakfast at this point, so there are no surprises here. They're all wiped out during the enemy phase of turn 2.



This wave has been eliminated; the nuclear bombardment is commencing in 10...



Kaboom.



Giado: "Did we do it!?"
Latooni: "No..."
Gilliam: "They never reached the structure!"



General Norman demands a situation report; the nukes struck an energy field around the fortress, leaving it unharmed. Lefina wonders what they can really do to an enemy who can nullify a nuclear assault, but Sean urges her not to give up hope so soon. It's most likely a laminate barrier, where the outer layer soaks up the brunt of the impact so that the inner layers are unharmed; a concentrated strike from close range will be able to pierce it.



Not that the Aerogaters are just going to let that happen; a sudden missile launch from the White Star sinks both the Hughenden and the Arizona. A moment of silence for these ships we never heard of before now and never will again, please.



This is followed by the appearance of an Aerogater fleet, arrayed to defend the fortress.



As in Geneva, it looks like they're trying to fight by targeting the enemy's head - in this case, the flagship. Or, Lefina suggests, they're just trying to provide a further ordeal...



Norman gives the order to proceed to phase 3; the fleet must now break through the enemy lines to the new target point.



So that's our new objective. The Hagane and Hiryu Kai can move now, but we'll also need to account for protecting the Great Ark and Shirogane, which are NPC-controlled and will also be moving forward.



In our way we have Huleh battleships. We've fought a grand total of three of these so far in the game, and now we get to wade through a dozen at once. This is our introduction to Banpresto's preferred endgame mission design, the "throw big blobs of HP at the player until they get fed up and turn the game off" strategy.



That said, they're not all that dangerous, and despite having anywhere from 50,000 to 62,500 HP apiece, they still pale in comparison to what you'll be wading through later.



Any decently upgraded real robot can fly circles around them...





And the first wave of enemies was so easy that everybody has enough SP to cast Valor. Multiple times, if need be.



Of course, pilots like Kyosuke who can't dodge worth crap are in a bit more trouble. You don't want them to be isolated on the front line if you can help it. The Alt's armor prevents individual enemies from doing too much damage, but it'll add up if they all get to fire on him at once.




Of course, another concern is making sure that all the battleship kills in the mission don't go to waste. Huleh are worth 10k credits a pop, so you want Luck or Bless on as many kills as possible. Irm, Kusuha, and Tasuku know Love as well, which has Luck rolled into it, along with Valor - very convenient. I didn't get double cash on every kill, but I did rake in an extra 100k, give or take.



The last of the battleships bite the dust early on Turn 6. :toot:



The mission doesn't end then, of course; you still have to get your own battleships to the target point.



The Shirogane, Hagane, and Hiryu Kai reach the target without incident. But when the Great Ark gets there...



Operator: "Arrived at the destination!"
Norman: "Good. Commence fire on the White Star!"
Operator: "Yes, sir!"



Norman: "What!?"



Operator: "C-Contact! Heavy missile, inbound!"
Norman: "Evasive maneuvers!"




Operator: "Kyaaaaa!"
Norman: "Ungh... no... we can't be sunk yet! Not before the White Star has---"



The Great Ark does sort of a combination retreat/explosion animation. With all four ships to the target zone, the mission ends.



Atad: "Milady. The survivors of the enemy fleet are commencing the assault."
Levi: "Despite our preparations, they broke through the defenses. You've trained them superbly, Ingram. They will be fine guardians for Neviim."



Ingram: "...Not yet. If they are truly worthy... of Class Gibol, they must be pushed... further. It's only under... the most extreme conditions... that they show their full potential."
Atad: (What is he doing?)
Viletta: (Ingram... you're out of time...)



Levi: "Very well. Viletta... take Gaza and give them a proper welcome."
Viletta: "...Milady."
Atad: (Hmhmm... I can strengthen my control over Gaza, and be rid of that meddling woman. Two birds with one stone...)

That's all for now. Ryusei's assault on the White Star is pretty uneventful.

-----



"Taking a break? Then we oughta do something together! See, like those two."



"Brooklyn, let's do our drills together."
"Yes sir, Major!"



"We'll start with ten thousand thrusts! Begin!"
"Sir!"



"...Weeelll, that's a bit extreme. Still, it's important to keep your body in shape. OK then! Let's do one thousand pushups! All together now!"



"Lune's talking to herself..."

Seyser Koze fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Jun 14, 2015

Onmi
Jul 12, 2013

If someone says it one more time I'm having Florina show up as a corpse. I'm not even kidding, I was pissed off with people doing that shit back in 2010, and I'm not dealing with it now in 2016.
RIP Norman, you were like a less awesome General Revil, which is still high praise.

MarsDragon
Apr 27, 2010

"You've all learned something very important here: there are things in this world you just can't change!"
Rai has special lines for the Huckebein 008L when dodging, taking a lot of damage, and firing the Black Hole Cannon. Possibly more, but those are the ones I know about.

Wounded Land
Nov 27, 2007
Living in a greenhouse, growing crops that we can't eat...
...Is Lune supposed to be one of those anime women who are supposed to be super-fit but the art doesn't reflect it?
Granted, that *would* match my initial impression seeing her SRW3 portrait (where her headband looks like a sweatband) and thinking she was an aerobics instructor :v:

Seyser Koze
Dec 15, 2013

Mucho Mucho
Nap Ghost

Wounded Land posted:

...Is Lune supposed to be one of those anime women who are supposed to be super-fit but the art doesn't reflect it?
Granted, that *would* match my initial impression seeing her SRW3 portrait (where her headband looks like a sweatband) and thinking she was an aerobics instructor :v:

She mentioned at one point (the beach episode, I think) that Bian had her doing a pretty intensive fitness regimen growing up. The living-by-Jupiter thing is probably also a factor, though it's much more of a weird footnote here compared to her appearances in Alpha and the original series, where people from the Gundam universe actually lived and worked around Jupiter themselves (and, unsurprisingly, were all bitter hardasses who hated everybody).

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

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

Clapping Larry
I love how Ingram is still mumbling about training.

Onmi
Jul 12, 2013

If someone says it one more time I'm having Florina show up as a corpse. I'm not even kidding, I was pissed off with people doing that shit back in 2010, and I'm not dealing with it now in 2016.

Glazius posted:

I love how Ingram is still mumbling about training.

He's losing a lot of control of himself, and he needs to prepare the Steel Dragon Squad for what is to come.

Rorahusky
Nov 12, 2012

Transform and waaauuuugh out!

Seyser Koze posted:

She mentioned at one point (the beach episode, I think) that Bian had her doing a pretty intensive fitness regimen growing up. The living-by-Jupiter thing is probably also a factor, though it's much more of a weird footnote here compared to her appearances in Alpha and the original series, where people from the Gundam universe actually lived and worked around Jupiter themselves (and, unsurprisingly, were all bitter hardasses who hated everybody).

Jupiter is basically the source of all evil. I have yet to see any anime or SRW game in which a group of people either go to Jupiter or come back from Jupiter (save for Lune) that doesn't end in tragedy. And murder.

Montegoraon
Aug 22, 2013

Rorahusky posted:

Jupiter is basically the source of all evil. I have yet to see any anime or SRW game in which a group of people either go to Jupiter or come back from Jupiter (save for Lune) that doesn't end in tragedy. And murder.

Celestial Being? Kinda-sorta?

But if you're living in orbit, Jupiter's gravity would be irrelevant in the sense of perceptibly "dragging you down" or making your body heavy for physical training purposes. Because you're in orbit. That just makes no sense. And obviously you couldn't live on the surface.

What does matter is that it would be extremely difficult to escape Jupiter's gravity if you're trying to travel to a different planet, or go from one moon to another. Also, if you had a large structure in orbit, like what you'd need for artificial gravity, the planet's gravity would be measurably different from one end to the other, causing significant stress on the structure.

Son Ryo
Jun 13, 2007
Excuse me, do you know where Saiyans hang out?

Rorahusky posted:

Jupiter is basically the source of all evil. I have yet to see any anime or SRW game in which a group of people either go to Jupiter or come back from Jupiter (save for Lune) that doesn't end in tragedy. And murder.

I believe that the main character from God Sigma comes back from Jupiter at the beginning of his series (and I doubt that it ends too badly because it's a super robot series, but it's not subbed so I don't really know).

Also, GaoGaiGar.

GilliamYaeger
Jan 10, 2012

Call Gespenst!

Son Ryo posted:

I believe that the main character from God Sigma comes back from Jupiter at the beginning of his series (and I doubt that it ends too badly because it's a super robot series, but it's not subbed so I don't really know).

Also, GaoGaiGar.

Being in a super robot series doesn't mean things will end happily.

Just look at Ideon, Zambot 3 and Bokurano.

GimmickMan
Dec 27, 2011

Montegoraon posted:

Celestial Being? Kinda-sorta?

But if you're living in orbit, Jupiter's gravity would be irrelevant in the sense of perceptibly "dragging you down" or making your body heavy for physical training purposes. Because you're in orbit. That just makes no sense. And obviously you couldn't live on the surface.

What does matter is that it would be extremely difficult to escape Jupiter's gravity if you're trying to travel to a different planet, or go from one moon to another. Also, if you had a large structure in orbit, like what you'd need for artificial gravity, the planet's gravity would be measurably different from one end to the other, causing significant stress on the structure.

People head to Jupiter to mine it for resources, for which they probably go down to the surface. We're never told whether or not they spend their entire time in orbit or not and for all we know they just oversee drones but I think it is safe to assume they have to deal with the gravity of the planet on a semi regular basis, otherwise it would not be a character background trait worth mentioning.

Wounded Land
Nov 27, 2007
Living in a greenhouse, growing crops that we can't eat...
I think the only thing they "mine" off Jupiter is helium-3 from its atmosphere; I don't think going to the surface is even possible for humans, regardless of what equipment they have.

GimmickMan
Dec 27, 2011

Now that I think about it more, helium-3 is the only thing I've ever heard mentioned as a thing worth going all the way to Jupiter for in Gundam soooo it is entirely possible you are right.

Montegoraon
Aug 22, 2013

Wounded Land posted:

I think the only thing they "mine" off Jupiter is helium-3 from its atmosphere; I don't think going to the surface is even possible for humans, regardless of what equipment they have.

Pretty much, yeah. As a gas giant, Jupiter's atmosphere is thousands of kilometers thick, insanely violent, and composed of nothing of interest aside from fuel for nuclear fusion. Underneath that is an ocean of liquid metallic hydrogen. Underneath that, with the weight of a thousand mountains crushing down on every square millimeter, there may or may not be a solid core, but getting down that far with the level of technology you see in most mecha anime is just not feasible. So it's helium-3 or nothing, most likely collected using spacecraft in elliptical orbits that just skim the surface of the outer cloud layer. So gravity would be imperceptible to humans.

Living on and mining Jupiter's moon's would be possible, but of course they all have gravity much weaker than Earth's. And it would probably be better to mine an asteroid instead, as they would tend to have more useful metals that can be easily accessed, unlike a planetoid where most of the heavier elements sink into the core.

Seyser Koze
Dec 15, 2013

Mucho Mucho
Nap Ghost
Kyosuke Route, Mission 38



Our snazzy new Grungust comes with several bars of upgrades in all categories. Which is good, because I was planning to max out the relevant ones anyway. I haven't upgraded much of anything on Kyosuke's route for a while, and he has roughly 800k credits banked at this point, so I also go around and tune up the Gespenst-R and Huckebein Trombe, as well as boosting the new Grungy's Darkness Blade and the R-Series' combination attack.



We start out with Ingram's sleep being disturbed by nightmares of DiSRX that guy from that other game.



Later...

Gaza: "I want an explanation! What the hell was Viletta doing with those other assholes?"
Ingram: "...Explanation?"
Gaza: "Don't mess with me! What are you up to!? Huh!?"



Atad: "Calm yourself, Gaza."
Gaza: "Huh!?"
Atad: "I expected this. Unlike myself, that woman was not a true Balmarian... merely a puppet, like Galuin. It seems her strings have been cut... correct?"
Ingram: "....."



Gaza: "I knew it! Next time I see her, she's dead!"
Atad: "Don't mistake your opponents, Gaza."
Gaza: "What the hell are you talking about!?"



Atad: "Hmhmhmm... after all, this man cannot betray Neviim. Judecca will not allow it. So he sent another to act in his stead - isn't that right, Ingram? Or should I say... Aleph?"
Ingram: "...Per...haps..."
Atad: "Hmph. Viletta's release was your doing, there can be no doubt. But whatever you're scheming, you can no longer act outside of your role... you realize that, yes?"
Ingram: "....."
Atad: "Or perhaps you should join Galuin in the next round of adjustments, Aleph Balshem?"
Ingram: "There's... no need..."
Atad: "I wonder about that. Hmhmhmm..."



Atad: "I'll go out next. Lady Levi needs more time to awaken Judecca."
Gaza: "Let me take care of that. I owe these guys some payback."
Atad: "You won't be going alone. I'll see to their capture myself. Then toy with their personalities however I wish... and make them my dolls. Heheheh..."

I didn't mention this before, but Ingram and Viletta being called Aleph and Beth (along with Ingram's dislike for the name) were added for the remake (and in later Alpha games).



On that note, we're back to the Hiryu for the same scene of last-minute preparations from Ryusei's route.



Bullet's having a duel with Sanger, but the sword that smites evil is just as capable of smiting Bullet. Rishu calls an end to the duel; as Bullet picks himself up, Kusuha comes running, but he assures her that he's fine.



Rishu commends him on his swordwork, but adds that it's unfortunate that he's letting love distract him. Bullet tries to protest that that's not what's happening, and the old master amends his comment; protecting someone dear to you is a source of great strength, provided that it doesn't lead you to recklessness instead. But ultimately, it is still kill or be killed; neither Bullet nor Sanger can afford to forget that in the battle ahead.



Daitetsu and Tetsuya have their heart-to-heart in his cabin, and then we cut to the Hiryu's bridge for the operation start.



Mission 38: Operation Code S.R.W.



Thanks to all the Aggressors joining the roster we're actually a bit squeezed for space in our lineup. Deploying everybody from Kyosuke's route means leaving most of Ryusei's heavyhitters on the bench. In order to deploy Masaki and all three of the R-Series (for the combo attack) I end up leaving Leona out for a mission.



Phase 1 of the operation commences, and Kyosuke tells everyone to launch and hold their position. Tasuku asks why they're sitting back here, so far from the action, and he has to explain that their job is to intercept anybody who comes for the fleet.



(Atlus)
Excellen: "So we won't be unappreciated."
Latooni: "Wait, you lost me there."
Garnet: "She meant we won't not be appreciated."
Giado: "You're all wrong, it's---"



Kai: "Will you idiots ever learn to cut the chatter during battle!"
Giado: "Ugh... s-sorry..."
Garnet: "Wow, it's been a long time since we got a dressing-down from Major Kitamura..."

:pseudo:As you might guess, this is more mangled wisdom from Excellen. She says they're separate from the others because they're taiko machi (タイコ持ち), the... drumbearers? I guess? Then Garnet says that no, it's supposed to be tako (タコ), or octopus, and then Giado says it's chikara machi (力持ち), meaning they're the muscle in the operation.



Same as on Ryusei's route, the enemies arrive, and we engage.



Like Ryusei's route, our objective is to keep the allied battleships intact while we clear out the enemies. The battle mastery requires us to clear the map in... twelve turns. Gulp.



I think this is actually the same map, just rotated by default. It looks like the drones are even in the same place. Instead of being behind us, the Great Ark and the generic Peregrines are up in the upper-left corner. No sign of the Shirogane this time around.



So, to work. We've dealt with drones before, and they don't put up much resistance this time around.



Viletta's taking quite well to Bullet's Huckebein.



The Mishleis are farthest away, but Masaki gets to them in the first turn. They're making me nervous, actually, given that the ships we're supposed to be protecting are at the opposite end of the map.



So nervous, in fact...



...That I decide just to Cyflash the lot of them on Turn 2, saving anybody else from having to go out there.



That leaves only one pair of drones remaining, and Lefina calls for the nukes' status. Eun reports that they've already been launched and are en route. But it's far from over - another gravity pulse has been detected, with enemy reinforcements no more than thirty seconds out.



Quite a bit less than thirty seconds, in fact, since my next move is to wipe out the last pair of Megillots.




Atad arrives, saying that we're acting just as expected: massing our forces for a desperate assault that has no hope of succeeding. This means she has her pick of the samples. Recognizing her, Masaki yells that he owes her some payback for last time. Amused by his spirit, she says that if Masaki survives the battle, she'll have to see to his adjustments personally, just like with Gaza Haganer - or rather, Tenzan Nakajima.

Aaaand we finally have it straight from the horse's mouth, so we can stop having these "could it be/wait, that's impossible" conversations whenever Gaza appears. On this route, anyway.



After the battle at Geneva, the Aerogaters retrieved Tenzan as he was dying. Atad adjusted his memories, adjusted his body, but preserved his basic personality - the pure enjoyment he felt when fighting, the aptitude for mastering new weapons. In her eyes, he - and those like him - are ideal warriors. There's little need for Ingram's cumbersome, time-consuming methods of training soldiers only to collect them later.



In any case, now she has the opportunity to collect both the Elemental Lord and its pilot, two valuable samples - provided that Masaki lives, of course. If he does, she'll take her time with his adjustments...



So, our next wave of targets is here. A bunch of Zechariahs is nothing to worry about, but there are those five Huleh battleships. They're within easy firing distance of the Peregrines, and they won't switch to shooting at you even if you're right up in their face. Peregrines have a decent amount of health, but they still can't last more than three turns or so - less, if you take so long getting over there that the Zechariahs start in on them as well. Hope you didn't get too far out of position chasing those drones!



For her part, Atad is no longer messing around with us and has swapped out her Ezekiel for a Vayyikra. That means After-Image and a TK barrier - which her Ezekiel already had, so really we're just looking at an extra 20k health. She also starts at max morale, meaning she can use After-Image right off the bat.



Thankfully, we're close enough to start engaging her underlings on the second turn.



Note to self: upgrade Kai's Jet Magnum.





Atad goes after Aya first. I haven't really upgraded the R-3's mobility (note to self, do that too), so she evades.



"That woman... it's the same scent..."



Thankfully, Aya dodges.



Once we're in range the Zechariahs will focus on us, but the Hulehs will not, and they do roughly 3000 damage apiece to the Peregrines.



Given that the ships are the more pressing concern, we're mostly going to let the Zechariahs kill themselves on our counterattacks while everybody else pops Valor to clean the Hulehs out quickly.



Get a decent support blob going and they'll fall in just a few attacks apiece.




Note to self: Cross Smasher could use some upgrades too.



Tasuku and Bullet were the ones who finished off the last drone from the first wave, so they get to the party late. The ships are at critical health by this point, while the Zechariahs are almost all destroyed, so I'll just have the boys go to work on Atad.

She doesn't have anything special to say to Tasuku, but to Bullet...



Bullet: "I have somebody to protect... I have to win!"
Atad: "Such a simple mind. You'll be a useful weapon..."
Bullet: "What's wrong with being simple? When you've dedicated yourself completely to something, you can accomplish so much - let me show you!"



Of course she counters. Uh-oh.



"Hmhmhmm... I can feel your thoughts..."



:ohdear:



:gonk:






AND SHE BOUNCES RIGHT OFF THE GRUNGUST'S BARRIER.

Bullet, your day has come at last.







:kamina: There were no defensive spirits in play there whatsoever, by the way. Just armor plus TK barrier.



Tasuku takes the next bite out of Atad.



The Hulehs fall shortly thereafter.



For some unfathomable reason, the next time Atad gets the chance to attack, she goes after Bullet.



I almost feel sorry for her.





Note that I said "almost." After-Image is in full effect, so I was lucky to land the hits I did on her.



On the next turn (Turn 5, now) the last Huleh bites the dust, so only Atad remains. Let's wrap this up quickly.



Atad: "Mhmhm... quite the stroke of luck, meeting you here."
Excellen: "Wow, talk about a misunderstanding. Would I come out here for an old sourpuss like you?"
Atad: "Old sourpuss!?"

it is a robotech joke



Excellen: "But so long as you're here, let's have some fun!"
Atad: "...?"
Excellen: "Mhmhmm..."



"I'm flattered and all, but... doing stuff like that's a bit, well..."



Kyosuke disapproves.



Very much so.



Atad: "Wh... what? A critical hit!? From an Earthling? I won't have it! We didn't impart our wisdom to you for this! This... this can't be happening!!!"



:byewhore:

She had a fair bit of additional dialogue, but everybody else was focused on the battleships.

quote:

Atad: "Now, I think it would be best if I disposed of you quickly."
Kyosuke: "Good. There's no way out for you...!"

quote:

Ryusei: "You did this to Tenzan, you witch!"
Atad: "Strange reaction. Wasn't he your enemy? I use the materials available to me; it shouldn't trouble you so."
Ryusei: "You treat human lives as weapons. You won't get away with this!"

quote:

Atad: "Kusuha Mizuha... Just what was Ingram trying to accomplish with those adjustments? If I have the chance, I'll make you into a superior soldier. Hmhmmm..."
Kusuha: "I... I won't give you that chance! I'm here now because I chose to fight!"

quote:

Masaki: "You've got something else up your sleeve, haven't you!?"
Atad: "Yes... now, show my what the Elemental Lord is capable of."
Masaki: "You have no idea what you're dealing with... Cybuster isn't something the likes of you can handle!"



With Atad dead, the ships are in the clear, for the moment. All that's left now is to wait, and hope that the missile barrage does its job.

This was certainly more eventful than Ryusei's route, but now we're back to familiar territory, so it should be smooth sailing from---



The alarm sounds; Tetsuya yells for a report, and Eita shakily tells him that the missiles have disappeared.



No, wait, they're back on the radar again.




And they're headed right for us. :stonk:



One of Norman's subordinates frantically tries to get them back under control, but they aren't responding to commands. At this point it's safe to say that Phase 2 of the operation is a failure - but before Phase 3 can begin, we need to take care of disabling the missiles.

Okay, so there's a third wave. Having to disable a few missiles will be annoying, but after the boss and the battleships it's really more of a cooldown. Let's get to---



:suicide:





Ingram: "Hm. Atad Shamran... in the end, you misjudged the strength of your own samples. Still, be thankful you died here - that you never had to learn the truth."
Viletta: (Ingram...)



Looking at Aya, Ingram says that in the end, she wasn't able to use SRX after all. She fires back that she'll fight him with or without it. He acknowledges that her will has grown much stronger, but without SRX, the team is no use to him. Ingram has his eye on other samples now: Kyosuke Nanbu, Masaki Ando, and the Aggressors. He'll test them here, and if they're found wanting, he'll simply dispose of them and be done with it.



Ryusei gripes about how Ingram picked the worst possible time to attack them - as if they didn't have their hands full already with the missiles! And he's trying to rile them up again besides. By now they're fully aware that that's his usual MO, but something's different this time; if the nukes hit, he loses all of his samples, after all.



Kyosuke: "Right. For some reason, he's getting impatient..."
Gilliam: "It's a bluff. He's trying to buy time."
Viletta: "No, I agree with Kyosuke. He's rushing things..."
Radha: "Viletta..."
Viletta: (Most likely, he's no longer able to...)



Sanger isn't interested in the reason; if there's an opportunity, they must seize it. Kyosuke agrees. Although they're going to have to leave the fleet behind, Phase 3 only requires the Hiryu and Hagane, and if they can destroy the core of the enemy forces it won't matter in the end.



It's a typically reckless plan, but the crew is so used to it by now that when Kyosuke gives the order to disable the nukes and rush the Rivale, they just grit their teeth and get to work. Ingram laughs, satisfied - they've made the right choice.



You didn't think we'd be getting through Kyosuke's route without a real Rivale fight, did you? We need to knock it below 40% health again (65000 out of 160k, in case you've forgotten since Ryusei 34). Oh, and the nukes, which we have to put below 20% health without destroying them.



Eight of them, with 10000 health apiece. That's a small mercy, giving us an extra 1000 HP of wiggle room compared to the 5000-HP missiles Ryusei had to deal with a couple missions ago.



A very small mercy, since the delta between one of a mech's attacks and the next strongest can easily be a couple thousand damage. As can the delta between a crit and a non-crit. In the delightful example given above, Sanger's Boost Knuckle does just below the amount of damage we need, while Hyper Blaster (the next strongest) does just above the damage necessary to kill a missile from full health. :sigh:

By the way, you know what can get through through the Grungust's TK field?



A nuke. :pwn: They're surprisingly accurate at melee range.



On the other hand, if Bullet doesn't attack from point-blank, Calamity Blade does do just the right amount of damage. For now. If he had any more morale it'd be a different story.



Long story short, twenty expletive-filled minutes of quicksaving and soft-resetting later, the last of the missiles is safely disposed of (within the space of one turn, no less).



Leaving Ingram.

In all honesty, I could probably have pulled a similar trick to what we did back in Ryusei 34 to actually destroy the Rivale instead of just chasing it off. If I put Katina in the Grungust, twinning her up with Kyosuke would've given an extra 5% damage on account of both being melee types. Park Kyosuke next to Excellen for +8% damage from the Love Bonus, then have the two of them cast Soul and do a Rampage Ghost/Darkness Blade combo supported by, I don't know, Cosmo Nova and R-Formation or something similar. I could have done it. Maybe.

But drat it, this mission went two waves and two bosses longer than I expected and I'm tired. So we're just going to unload on Ingram, knock him below 65k, and call it an evening.



Between his distortion field and the Rivale's general beefiness (plus the fact that I neglected to bring armor breakers this time around), weaker attacks (read: attacks from lighter Reals in general) will barely make a dent. Elzam blasts away with abandon using Trombe's G-Impact Cannon, and this is what he accomplishes. You need big supers and combo attacks and/or Valor to make your mark on him.







Unlike Atad, Ingram joins at neutral morale, so his attacks are a lot less powerful than they would be, assuming that we don't boost his morale by pinging him with lots of weak attacks. With him - and with pretty much all large bosses - it's best to unload on them with your largest attacks first.

And you know what we use when we need strong attacks.



Ingram: "There won't be a repeat of last time, Kyosuke Nanbu. I've restored the Rivale to perfect form."
Kyosuke: "That was supposed to be the end of you. My mistake."
Ingram: "A missed opportunity."
Kyosuke: "I'll just do it here instead. Get ready!"



"For anybody else, this would be overkill. But for you...!"





Glorious deinterlacing!



"Kyosuke. You understand well..."



"What's wrong!? You'd better have more than that, Ingram!"

drat it, Kyosuke, stop encouraging him.



Aya supports...

"Here I come... Major Ingram!"



"Aya. You still let petty emotions weigh you down..."



Bullet dishes out a Darkness Blade...





"Kh... Compared to what you put Kusuha through... this is nothing!"

Viletta's not in a position to do much damage, but I put her in line because...



Viletta: "Ingram!"
Ingram: "The penalty for treason is death, Viletta."
Viletta: "Treason!?"
Viletta: (It's... it's too late now, Ingram...)



"Ingram... I'll set you free from your chains!"





"I know you... better than anyone."



Elzam finally has a specific combat line for Ingram when he's twinned up with Kai (so that he can use Fury to get Kai's Jet Magnum through the Rivale's barrier).

"To accept your fate, or to rage against it... which will you choose?"



:kamina:



Masaki: "I'm surprised, Ingram! I figured a smug prick like you would be holed up in his fortress waiting for us!"
Ingram: "Don't mistake yourself. I can't be defeated here, even by you. My cage won't allow it."
Masaki: "Cage? What cage!?"






"Heh. You're still not drawing out Cybuster's power..."





And Excellen knocks him over the limit with Oxtongue D.



Surprised by our success, Ingram ruefully says that he shouldn't have been so quick to laugh at Atad. Unfortunately, he still needs to make a few finishing touches, so he'll be withdrawing. Ryusei yells that he can't just run away now, but Ingram doesn't see it that way; this is the battle to decide our fates, and we shouldn't expect it to be over so easily. He'll be waiting within...



Ingram departs, and Norman orders all ships to proceed to phase 3 - a point-blank assault on the White Star. Ryoto worries, given that they're already moving to their fallback plans, but Bullet and Sanger are quick to teach him the way of the warrior: do not hesitate, and strike down those in your way! :black101:



:toot:

A few people who didn't get shown off had conversations with Ingram. Part of it was that I intended to have the SRX crew doing R-Formation, but it's surprisingly annoying to set up in comparison to Rampage Ghost. It's not post-movement, and each team member has a different maximum range for it, preventing you from using the attack if anybody is too far away. Ryusei's max range is three spaces, so that can easily mess you up if you don't plan ahead. Which I didn't.

quote:

Ryusei: "Ingram!!"
Ingram: "Ryusei... why do you think I ordered the creation of SRX?"
Ryusei: "Shut up! I don't care what you wanted to use it for!"
Ingram: "Really? After all, it is the only reason I chose you three."
Ryusei: "We don't need SRX to defeat you!"

quote:

Rai: "Kyosuke was right. You are getting impatient."
Ingram: "You think I'm trying to hurry things along?"
Rai: "You tipped your hand early, appeared personally on the battlefield... it's plain to see!"
Ingram: "Well... think what you want."
Rai: "There's only one thing I want. Your life!"

quote:

Ingram: "Have you come to kill me, Aya?"
Aya: "Yes! I'm done hesitating over you... I realized that mistake when you shot me!"
Ingram: "....."

Seyser Koze fucked around with this message at 05:59 on Jun 22, 2015

HiKaizer
Feb 2, 2012

Yes!
I finally understand everything there is to know about axes!
I can never tell if that's Atad's hair or a hat...

AradoBalanga
Jan 3, 2013

HiKaizer posted:

I can never tell if that's Atad's hair or a hat...
It's a hat. A very stupid looking hat, but one nonetheless.

Wounded Land
Nov 27, 2007
Living in a greenhouse, growing crops that we can't eat...
Atad's a kid.
Atad's a squid.

TheLastRoboKy
May 2, 2009

Finishing the game with everyone else's continues
A bit overcooked though.

Captain Bravo
Feb 16, 2011

An Emergency Shitpost
has been deployed...

...but experts warn it is
just a drop in the ocean.

Seyser Koze posted:

"That woman... it's the same scent..."

Ok, SRW games, it's one thing when the enemies banter back and forth with your dudes. You can explain that away with just the worst radio discipline imaginable. But give me a break, you expect me to believe that she can smell someone's perfume from a different robot, while in space?

KataraniSword
Apr 22, 2008

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

Captain Bravo posted:

Ok, SRW games, it's one thing when the enemies banter back and forth with your dudes. You can explain that away with just the worst radio discipline imaginable. But give me a break, you expect me to believe that she can smell someone's perfume from a different robot, while in space?

She's an alien, they've got alien supernoses.

GimmickMan
Dec 27, 2011

And this was the other sucky stage I said you had left to go for this route. When the battle mastery is to clear the map within 12 turns, you know you're in for some bullshit. But hey it should be smooth sailing from now on! :toot:

Repster
Nov 29, 2014

Captain Bravo posted:

Ok, SRW games, it's one thing when the enemies banter back and forth with your dudes. You can explain that away with just the worst radio discipline imaginable. But give me a break, you expect me to believe that she can smell someone's perfume from a different robot, while in space?

It's not ACTUAL "Scent" from smelling with your nose. It's a "Scent" from smelling with your mind.

Psychics are weird.

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Just like Gaza was actually Tenzan and Galuin was Colonel Kar-Wai, the true identity of Atad Shamran is...Apollo!

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

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

Clapping Larry
Okay, I have to admit, I laughed at Atad bouncing off the Grungust.

I also laughed at the translation, which implies people have been around Excellen for so long they're trying to read into everything she says, even perfectly normal language.

Captain Bravo
Feb 16, 2011

An Emergency Shitpost
has been deployed...

...but experts warn it is
just a drop in the ocean.

Repster posted:

It's not ACTUAL "Scent" from smelling with your nose. It's a "Scent" from smelling with your mind.

Psychics are weird.

You've gotta learn how to stop smelling with your nose, man, and learn to smell with your mind

:lsd:

Seyser Koze
Dec 15, 2013

Mucho Mucho
Nap Ghost

Glazius posted:

Okay, I have to admit, I laughed at Atad bouncing off the Grungust.

I suppose I probably should include a video of that, shouldn't I.

Also, while recording the latest mission I realized that I had the secret requirements wrong, so I leveled Daitetsu and Lefina up to one level shy of the cutoff for the second battleship-captain secret, and now I've missed it on both routes. Oops.

Luckily it's "just" the Steel Soul, which gives some pretty sweet stat boosts but isn't like a new weapon or something that needs to be shown off in all its glory. And there's a very special way to get another one pretty early in OG2.

Hunter Noventa
Apr 21, 2010

Seyser Koze posted:

Luckily it's "just" the Steel Soul, which gives some pretty sweet stat boosts but isn't like a new weapon or something that needs to be shown off in all its glory. And there's a very special way to get another one pretty early in OG2.

Ah yes. Extraordinarily special indeed.

AradoBalanga
Jan 3, 2013

Seyser Koze posted:

Luckily it's "just" the Steel Soul, which gives some pretty sweet stat boosts but isn't like a new weapon or something that needs to be shown off in all its glory. And there's a very special way to get another one pretty early in OG2.
I await your suffering on that stage. :unsmigghh:

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?
I never really looked much into getting secrets for these games, so I'm excited to see what this nonsense is.

AtomikKrab
Jul 17, 2010

Keep on GOP rolling rolling rolling rolling.

AradoBalanga posted:

I await your suffering on that stage. :unsmigghh:

That stage is glorious :getin:


I will FEAST FEAST upon your pain.

You must 100% that stage bucko.

Rigged Death Trap
Feb 13, 2012

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Knowing SRW, it's probably something insane.

Like reducing to 0 hp something covered in extreme warning lights screaming "AVOID AVOID AVOID" while on a turn timer to escape.
Small Q: Does it involve Thrudgelmir? (Mech name)

Hellioning
Jun 27, 2008

Rigged Death Trap posted:

Knowing SRW, it's probably something insane.

Like reducing to 0 hp something covered in extreme warning lights screaming "AVOID AVOID AVOID" while on a turn timer to escape.
Small Q: Does it involve Thrudgelmir? (Mech name)

No, it does not involve that particular spoiler.

And your guess is almost accurate.

AtomikKrab
Jul 17, 2010

Keep on GOP rolling rolling rolling rolling.

Rigged Death Trap posted:

Knowing SRW, it's probably something insane.

Like reducing to 0 hp something covered in extreme warning lights screaming "AVOID AVOID AVOID" while on a turn timer to escape.
Small Q: Does it involve Thrudgelmir? (Mech name)

close... it involves certainly doing a... THING.

Seyser Koze
Dec 15, 2013

Mucho Mucho
Nap Ghost
lpRyusei Route, Mission 39



In the duchy of Riksent...



Joyce asks Shine to come inside; she'll catch cold if she stands out in the night air like that. She refuses; Sir Raidiese and her friends are going into battle, and she'll stand vigil if she can. Hearing this, he agrees to stay with her. The two of them will pray together.



Meanwhile...



Aboard the Hagane, reports that the Federation fleet is taking a pounding are interrupted by worse news: a mayday from the Great Ark. A moment later, a massive explosion signals the flagship's destruction, and the loss of General Norman.



At this rate the fleet will be annihilated, and they're still 58 klicks from the White Star. There's little choice in the matter; Daitetsu calls to the Shirogane for fire support while the Hagane makes its approach. There's no guarantee that the Tronium Buster Cannon will be able to pierce the fortress' barrier, but they'll have to place their faith in Phase 4 of the operation - in Ryusei, Kyosuke, and the rest.



Mission 39: Shoot the Demon Star



Viletta: "Heh... all the players have taken the stage. Now the finale can commence."



Daitetsu: "This is Daitetsu. Within four minutes, we must reach this point... we'll use the Tronium Buster Cannon to create an opening."



Kyosuke: "An opening... so we're betting on the long shot, huh?"
Daitetsu: "Right. Sorry, but it's going to come down to you, Lieutenant."
Kyosuke: "Understood."



Excellen: :sigh: "I knew it'd come to this in the end."
Irm: "Well, we've got this gift for drawing the short straw."
Excellen: "Somebody's bringing us bad luck. Now who could that be, Darling?"
Kyosuke: "Cut the chatter, Excellen. And don't call me Darling."



Excellen: "Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood, what's wrong with that?"
Lune: "Seriously? At a time like this?"
Masaki: "How can you always be so relaxed..."



Aya: "But that's what gets us through the hard times, right?"
Kusuha: "Doesn't Excellen always keeps our spirits up?"
Bullet: "I, uh... I think you're overselling her a bit, Kusuha."
Excellen: "HEY! Stop picking on the comic relief!"



Kyosuke manages to bring everyone back on task; we need to clear a path for the Hagane, and get it to the target point within four minutes.



Actually five minutes, but it's four for the mastery, so four it is.



And there's the map, with the target location smack in the middle. We've got a line of Mishleis, then some Zechariahs and Habakkuks scattered around the target.



In the back there's a small line of twinned Ezekiels (up to a full 18000 HP apiece now)...



...And Viletta, in the Ezekiel Lavan (Galuin's unit).

i don't want to fight Viletta :smith:



Anyway, we do the usual with the first batch of enemy grunts. I swapped Rai back into the R-2 (Gilliam's using the 008L now) and SRX is doing its thing.



Including its pretty awesome Blade Kick attack.















It has a limited range and sucks up energy that you could be using to dish out massive TK Burst Slashes, so I tend not to upgrade it that much. But it's still awesome.



By the end of Turn 1, the Mishleis have been almost completely cleared out.



Viletta: (They're going to use the Hagane's cannon to get through Neviim's laminate barrier. I don't want to interfere... but Judecca is controlling the mobile weapons. I can't give myself away.)



Viletta: (There's no sign of Gaza, either. Where is he?)



Enemy machines have gotten another upgrade, making the Habakkuks much more resilient (and annoying) than usual. For the most part they still can't hit worth a drat, though.



Zechariahs also got an upgrade, but still fold up pretty quickly.



Here's a nifty little feature that I haven't really had a chance to show off yet.



When a battleship attacks, units that you didn't deploy for the mission can support from inside of it.



They even get experience and kill credit when they do so. And boy, does Radha need it.



The only other notable thing about this early section is that the enemies here are actually sort of intelligent. Since the Hagane is a mission-critical unit, the enemies will focus on it if it's in range, abandoning their usual attack-whoever's-closest AI pattern. Since you have to push with the Hagane to reach the target zone in time, you'll see quite a bit of this at the beginning.




But if the Hagane can tough it out for a turn, you should have a couple of decent support chains going, greatly increasing your damage output per turn and making it much easier to take the Habakkuks down.



At the beginning of Turn 4, the Hagane reaches the target. :toot: If I'd given it a Booster, it could've made it on Turn 3.

Incidentally, destroying all the enemy units (by rushing ahead to kill the Ezekiels) leads to Viletta complimenting us on our prowess, but then reminding us that only the Buster Cannon can break through Neviim's barrier. I see this as the game thumbing its nose at people who thought they could short-circuit the victory requirements by blowing stuff up really fast.



The cannon is at 90% charge and rising. Just a little longer...



...So of course Gaza appears, cackling about how awesome he's feeling right now. He makes a run straight for the Hagane.







This is still more elaborate than the SRX combination. :rant:



The hit damages the Tronium Buster Cannon's barrel; at the worst possible time, long-distance fire has become impossible.



Daitetsu doesn't miss a beat; he orders all units to form up around the ship - and for all hands to evacuate the Hagane. He'll use the ship's cruise function to close to point-blank range; at that distance, even a misfire will penetrate the White Star's outer shell. This is his final command: a way of repaying those who have died serving under him.



Daitetsu says that Tetsuya and Eita must live on to fight the next battle, but the two are having none of it; it's shameful to abandon one's post at the crucial moment. Furthermore, Tetsuya is willing to take a gamble - a gamble on the Hagane and its capabilities.



After a moment's pause, the captain agrees, and Tetsuya calls for a status report. The tronium cannon's effective range is down to 6800 meters, which means the ship has a new destination.



Lefina takes this in with shock; at that range, the blast will surely strike the Hagane as well! Sean has an inkling of what Tetsuya is planning, but the Hagane will need cover in the meantime. The enemy will surely send reinforcements soon enough...



So we have a new target point for the Hagane, right behind Gaza.



Who's parked on top of the White Star, along with his Huleh and Habakkuk reinforcements, getting not only 30% HP and EN regen per turn, but a 30% bonus to evasion and a 30% damage reduction.



Neviim's defensive terrain covers a pretty sizable amount of territory - a 5x5 grid, minus the corners. The one bright spot in this is that you can use it too, which is pretty important, given that the defense bonus means those 50-60k health Hulehs may as well be 70-80k instead. Oh, and they'll all still focus on the Hagane if it comes in range.



Anyway, given that the terrain will cause enemies to regenerate a lot of health if you don't get them in one turn, it's best to hold off on attacking until everybody's in position, which will take a turn or two.



Gaza is having the time of his life, for one reason: now that he's completed Levi's instructions, he's free to do as he likes - and that means massacring the Earthlings! Viletta can't believe this would be allowed, since these are their samples he's talking about killing. He's clearly beyond reason; is this Atad's doing?



Gaza has his first victim all lined up: a certain double agent...



"DIE, SPY!"





Viletta has outstayed her welcome. But, she thinks, this has given her an opening as well...



Our crew watches this dissension in the ranks with recognition - it's the same behavior we've seen from Tenzan. This, along with everything else, would appear to confirm it; somehow the Aerogaters got their hands on him.



Gaza is back to cackling like a madman, and (:sigh:) a full Aerogater fleet arrives at the exact moment. It's terrible timing, but Lefina wastes no time in ordering the Hiryu Kai to the fore; if she can draw their fire away from the Hagane, then she will.



"Allow us to help you with that."





:kamina:



And the big drat heroes are here. It's a rushed and awkward reunion - Elzam and his relatives, Sanger and the ATX crew, both of them with Gilliam - but there's no time for doubt or recriminations, and they quickly agree to act in concert. Doubtless this is what Colonel Lau would have wanted.



And immediately most of the new Hulehs rush forward, heading for the Hagane. A couple of them park themselves on the White Star. :shepface:

On the last Ryusei episode we were introduced to the big-blobs-of-HP endgame design, this time Banpresto ups the ante by putting them on powerful terrain - and including Gaza, who will support-defend the first attack against one of his neighbors. In short, gently caress this mission. It's not hard, but it's absolutely mind-numbing to play through, and I suspect it'll be nearly as mind-numbing to read a screenshot LP of. So we're going to skip through this part fast.



The Habakkuks and Ezekiels are a minor distraction at this point, but the sheer number of Hulehs that you're going to have to carve through mean that you'll be using Valor all the time, just to preserve your sanity. TK Burst Slash does its thing well, as does Rampage Ghost...



But even Rampage Ghost loses nearly 10000 damage attacking enemies parked on the White Star.



The strategy is simple enough - pile as many of your guys as possible onto the White Star yourselves. You can get a decent support blob going (with Sanger and Elzam joining in), and you'll regenerate energy almost as fast as you can spend it. Even if you run out of SP, you can turtle on the defensive terrain to regenerate and try again.



Some of your guys will need to hang back to pick off the couple of ships that go for the Hagane (since you definitely don't want to rush the Hagane forward and draw fire from all the enemies at once).



And eventually you'll probably want to step off the White Star to take out the last couple ships in the back.



But there's a palpable sense of relief once they're all finally gone.



Of course, then there's Gaza. Thanks to Neviim combined with his already formidable defenses, he's very tough to damage. (This is a Valored Cosmo Nova up above.)



By the time you're going for him, you've probably blown through most of your SP and Valor is no longer an option, reducing you to a couple thousand damage per hit (and Gaza regens nearly 20k per turn). You can't even use your support blob any longer, since with the damage penalty factored in on top of the terrain, support attacks are unlikely even to make it through his barrier.



And when you finally do take him down...



...He casts Guts and fully regenerates his health.



Gaza: "Hya, hyahaha! Not bad, not bad! But I'm not dying yet. Not until I tear you to pieces! Hyahahaha!"
Tasuku: "Gh! He's still going!?"
Latooni: "It's like that Gespenst, and the R-GUN Rivale..."
Kyosuke: "Assault 1 to all units. Ignore him. Get the Hagane to the target point."

Yep, Gaza's actually unkillable on this mission. Take him out as many times as you want and he'll keep popping right back, like one of those inflatable boxing clowns, only with weirder hair. You even get money and experience each time you do it. You could theoretically farm him for cash the way you could a certain boss in Alpha 2, but it's a royal pain in the rear end just to take him out once. It's really not worth the effort, so just move the Hagane up to the target point and call it a a day.



As the Hagane closes, they encounter a powerful energy field impeding their movement. Tetsuya orders the overboost activated to push through it, then yells for all hands to brace for impact; he's going to release the gravity brake. Eita balks at this, but Tetsuya just keeps barking orders, telling him to decouple the bow module at the same time.



Of course, Gaza isn't just going to watch...


















Gaza: "G... Gyaaaaaaaaa!?!"



No, he's not dead yet. The game's pretty bad at making up its mind about these things.



On the Hiryu's bridge, Eun detects a hole in the energy field; they can get inside the fortress! But as for the Hagane... was it caught in the explosion?



A moment later Eun picks up the ship's signal. Decoupling from the Hagane's bow module allowed the Hagane to escape the brunt of the explosion. Truly a reckless gambit, but one worthy of Daitetsu's chosen successor.



A transmission comes in from the Kurogane; Elzam will pick up some key personnel from the Hagane, then use the ship's drill to break through and into the fortress' interior. Lefina orders the Hiryu to follow, but Elzam tells her to remain on guard with the Shirogane. The Kurogane was designed for this sort of operation - and should they fail, it will fall to Lefina to safeguard the Earth. After a moment's pause she agrees, and wishes them godspeed...



-----





(Video, since this one really needs to be heard.)

Levi: "So you've finished, have you? Then, surrender to me, or turn off the power. Make your choice now."



Shiro: "That's no good, meow. They'll never come play again if ya talk like that."
Levi: "What? Then, what must I do?"



Shiro: "Purr... Good question... from meow on, why don'cha try copying me?"
Levi: "Copy you?"



Levi: :sigh:



Levi: "So you've finished... meow. Then, join our side, or... purr-n off the power... Make your choice... meow?"



Shiro: "Weeeellll, I guess beggars can't be choosers, nyah?"

drat, Shiro, you're almost as big a troll as Shu.

Levi and Shiro are both voiced by Ai Orikasa, who also plays another major character we'll be meeting in OG2. See if you can recognize the similarity.

Anyway, that's the last skit for OG1. There is technically one more, but it spoils something from OG2 that's better experienced properly, so we'll hold off for now.

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?
Holy poo poo, I totally forgot that Tetsuya actually gets to grow a pair. (And gets the "deep old leader guy voice" treatment, too, no less.)

Onmi
Jul 12, 2013

If someone says it one more time I'm having Florina show up as a corpse. I'm not even kidding, I was pissed off with people doing that shit back in 2010, and I'm not dealing with it now in 2016.
Tetsuya is a fine successor. Also you missed one of the SRX combination dialogs that's a call back to Alpha. Rai tells Ryusei that he's cutting the R-3 from the connection if it goes to hell. Ryusei responds that it's fine because Legs are just decorations in space (a call back to Mobile Suit Gundam)

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Wounded Land
Nov 27, 2007
Living in a greenhouse, growing crops that we can't eat...
I'd love to see the video of the recording session for that sketch.

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