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  • Locked thread
Danaru
Jun 5, 2012

何 ??

Verant posted:

To be fair, what probably did him in was Angelus getting hit by the missile and then getting impaled by Tokyo Tower. Given that this is Caim we're talking about, I don't know if a missile would be enough to kill him.

Caim got punked in two hits by a catapult, a missile has to count as like, fifty catapults. As badass as Caim is, that guy couldn't handle his ranged attacks.

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ZiegeDame
Aug 21, 2005

YUKIMURAAAA!

Danaru posted:

Now that I think about it I'm a little disappointed the Androids never went for giant Maso-infused robots to fight the aliens. Maybe Emil would have had a better memory if a friendly Engels could zip around like a communist Jehuty. Flight units are cool and all but if you ever want to bring glory to mankind you gotta think BIGGER

This just made me think that Yoko Taro's next game could just be a shump where you play as Emil(s) fighting off the initial alien invasion. You don't have extra lives; every time you die you switch to another copy and lose some more memories.

apocalypticCritic
Mar 19, 2014

Danaru posted:

Caim got punked in two hits by a catapult, a missile has to count as like, fifty catapults. As badass as Caim is, that guy couldn't handle his ranged attacks.

Motherfucker would kill you dead at ten feet, but a fifteen feet he's as impotent as Verdelet.

AriadneThread
Feb 17, 2011

The Devil sounds like smoke and honey. We cannot move. It is too beautiful.


ZiegeDame posted:

This just made me think that Yoko Taro's next game could just be a shump where you play as Emil(s) fighting off the initial alien invasion. You don't have extra lives; every time you die you switch to another copy and lose some more memories.

it's just a hack of space invaders where losing reformats your computer

RelentlessImp
Mar 15, 2011
I can't tell if Taro-san is getting better or worse about horrible grinds in pursuit of completionism. He hates violent video games. Does he hate gamers, too? Did a completionist kick his rear end in grade school?

Billzasilver
Nov 8, 2016

I lift my drink and sing a song

for who knows if life is short or long?


Man's life is like the morning dew

past days many, future days few

apocalypticCritic posted:

Motherfucker would kill you dead at ten feet, but a fifteen feet he's as impotent as Verdelet.

I played D1 and this is true. 5 or more archers together is enough to poo poo up your day.

Josuke Higashikata
Mar 7, 2013


RelentlessImp posted:

I can't tell if Taro-san is getting better or worse about horrible grinds in pursuit of completionism. He hates violent video games. Does he hate gamers, too? Did a completionist kick his rear end in grade school?

The so called hell-grind equivalent in Automata is largely pain-free and there's so much information available about this game that you barely even have to speculate as to how to get the small handful of rarer items you'd need to 100% the game.

So better in a sense of doing it, worse in a sense of "you deserve this for trying to 100% this game you idiot".

Arkanumzilong
Sep 10, 2016
Di was honestly not aware the SDF was a thing until siren 2
Where two (out of three) SDF members on a crashed helicopter become playable
And the one who dies goes on to become an insanely hard to deal with recurring enemy

jyrque
Sep 4, 2011

Gravy Boat 2k

Josuke Higashikata posted:

"you deserve this for trying to 100% this game you idiot".

Essential Yoko Taro design ethos.

Makrond
Aug 8, 2009

Now that I have all the animes, I can finally
become Emperor of Japan!

Jack-Off Lantern posted:

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force has Jets.

I think Caim got shot down by Mitsubishi F-2s

:eng101: An Su-47 Berkut, actually. Which you then get as a playable skin for Angelus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9MN8xyZESg

This is my one area of expertise let me have this

Paul Zuvella
Dec 7, 2011

-this isn't games-

Arkanumzilong
Sep 10, 2016

Makrond posted:

:eng101: An Su-47 Berkut, actually. Which you then get as a playable skin for Angelus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9MN8xyZESg

This is my one area of expertise let me have this

Fun fact, the jet skin and bonus level also refer to drakengards original planned gameplay as an ace combat clone arcade flight sim with dragons
The hack and slash gameplay actually getting forced in by higher ups due to the popularity of dynasty warriors

Charles_Kinbote
Sep 12, 2017

Makrond posted:

:eng101: An Su-47 Berkut, actually. Which you then get as a playable skin for Angelus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9MN8xyZESg

This is my one area of expertise let me have this

F-15Js. If you look it up, it's the 303th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 6th Air Wing of the JASDF. They fly F-15Js and F-15DJs, F-15s built for Japan and modded by Japan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighter_units_of_the_Japan_Air_Self-Defense_Force

Which is actually weird, since shouldn't Tokyo Air Defense be the responsibility of the 302nd based out of Ibaraki? That also puts an alternate candidate for planespotting: the 302 flies F-4s, truly antiquated fighters.

Charles_Kinbote fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Dec 4, 2017

KamikazePotato
Jun 28, 2010
I did every sidequest and maxed out every weapon in Nier Automata and I had fun doing it. That's not quite 100% but yeah, just doing that much didn't feel like a grind at all.

FishOnAPiano
Oct 9, 2012

AriadneThread posted:

it's just a hack of space invaders where losing reformats your computer

So
http://www.stfj.net/art/2009/loselose/
?
(Drat, it doesn't look like the download link works anymore...)

Dabir
Nov 10, 2012

quote:

Although touching aliens will cause the player to lose the game, and killing aliens awards points, the aliens will never actually fire at the player. This calls into question the player's mission, which is never explicitly stated, only hinted at through classic game mechanics. Is the player supposed to be an aggressor? Or merely an observer, traversing through a dangerous land?

Sorry but I watched the trailer and this went completely out the window when the pink ones started trying to ram you.

The Dark Id
Aug 13, 2005

Why
you
know
I
LOVE
THIS SHIT !!!!
[citation needed]
Episode CXXIV: My Memories





Back at it again at the Flooded City. It’s a wee bit foggy steamy out today out on the coast today. Seems like the perfect kind of weather to have an existential crisis or two. So let’s soldier onward towards...







...Our second temple Resource Unit tower to continue 9S’s quest to access The Tower and err... well... I don’t think we have a plan beyond that from Hackerman. But there’s bound to be a mess of machines in there to murder and 9S seems into that sort of scene lately.



Now that the Resource Unit has entered defense mode, it’s now lowered its entrance to the ruined highway’s level allowing 9S easy access into the structure. So let’s hop right in and begin our ascent.



It reads “soul box.”





I dunno. I think “soul box” sounds infinitely more inviting than “meat box.” But maybe that’s just me. In any case, let’s head on in and get this dungeon started.



The interior of the Soul Box Resource Unit is somewhat better lit than its Forest Zone companion piece but has otherwise an identical architectural style. Could use some music if you ask me. No, I didn’t forget to add a music link to this update. It’s completely silent from the Resource Unit title card until further notice. Anyway, let’s continue upward to find...



...No enemies?



There are indeed no enemies, yet the elevator at the far end of the room is deactivated. There is, however, a solitary hackable container suspiciously left in the very center of the room. If the machine lifeforms had any sense, this would totally be a Mimic. Sadly, that piece of human lore has been lost to the ages.



Since we did spend the entire last update scouring an optional area to unlock every single wayward sealed chest we could find, it’d be foolish to pause when another one presents itself.





Welp, something is already amidst. Every single locked chest in the game has had the very most basic hacking mini-game variant. This is clearly not that!





In fact, this is a completely unique layout for a hacking mini-game. I guess that makes this a mimic chest of a sorts. Regardless, Hackerman has had far greater hacking challenges. This is no Weird Machine kid hacking job.







I have to break the system protection before I can reach the core. Huh. So that’s how it works.



Indeed it is, 9S. The last Resource Unit was entirely a combat gauntlet. This one is all about the putting 9S’s hacking skills to the test. I suppose it’s a good thing 9S took an interest in these things and not A2. She’d probably be throwing that locked chest at walls and cursing at it for not opening right about now.



On to the second floor. This one is a bit unique. There is a chest we need to hack right next to the elevator on the far end of the area. However...



...there are several common chests lining the perimeter of the area. These are all actually special chests that aren’t guaranteed to appear. Let’s open the first one and see why.



Now they’re just messing with us...

So the unlocks on these chests are all tied to stats and percentages of tasks completed in the game thus far. Some of the requirements are identical to trophy/achievement unlocks but it’s not necessarily 1:1. For instance, this first chest was for “completing machine lifeform requests.” There’s a trophy for completing 80% of sidequest total. But NieR: Automata also breaks down the sidequests into Android and Machine Lifeform (depending on the race of the sub-quest client) percentages in the stats screen and tracks those as well.

I want to say it’s over 50% completion to unlock this chest since way more of the bullshit, easily skippable quests involve machine lifeforms and I’ve still seen this one pop. The reward is a decent chip with a disgustingly large plug-in cost making it kinda worthless. The same goes for almost all of these rewards plug-in chip wise.



This chest is for doing over 100 hacks as 9S. I do not know how you could possibly miss this playing the game normally. Then again, I know not to doubt the lengths video game players will go to play things wrong. This is not an invitation to proudly spout out your accomplishment because you hated the hacking mini-game. Nobody cares and you’re a socially inept dipshit if think that anyone would.



This is the android equivalent of the machine lifeform sub-quest completion percentage. If you’re wondering, Emil is classified as an android quest giver. He’s a weird magic cartoon orb head that was one a human a few millennium ago. That at least puts him closer to humanity’s robot children than sapient trashcans created by extraterrestrial Space Penises.



Apparently this one is for collecting 500+ items during the course of the game. I believe it’s limited to items actually picked up in the field from destroying machines or harvest points (not counting G.) This seems like another one that’d be hard to miss. Especially if you have any sense and have the item vacuum plug-in chip. That’s it for this side of the room. Let’s move on to the opposite end of the circle.



Oh my! Look at all the machine lifeforms you’ve murdered! Such dogged persistence is worthy of a special present!



This is the only noteworthy reward given by the Soul Box tower and the penultimate weapon acquisition in the game. Faith is a fairly decent Small Sword which gains an Attack Speed up bonus with basic upgrades. At maximum level, it gains Bullet Absorb which restores HP when melee attacking energy orbs. That’s not too bad actually, given how frequently those are a thing.

Faith appeared in the first NieR. It was a reward for helping all the people from the text adventure purgatories in the Forest of Myth. It was also the strongest short sword available (and thus the best weapon in the first half of the game.) Faith also appeared in Drakengard 1 and 2 under the name Nobuyoshi (Drakengard 1’s composer being Nobuyoshi Sano, who does a whole mess of Tekken music actually.)

But enough... Let’s get some weapon stories. Only one more left after this. :smith:

Faith posted:



In the capital of a distant Eastern land, there lived a poet who
was devoted to his art. But his words failed to touch the hearts
of the people, and he could make no profit from them. Soon, his
life became unbearably hard.

Seeing the limits of his talent, the poet chose to abandon the
pen and work the land instead. Soon, his lily white skin began to
grow dark, and his once frail body became sinewy and tough.

He eventually married a kind woman, and several years later, they
had a child. As the peaceful, uneventful days went on, the man
began to feel that there could be no greater happiness in life.

Or so the poet wrote before he put down his pen, swallowed the
paper whole, and prayed that the next life might turn out so
well. He then took Faith-already stained with the blood of
another—and plunged it deep into his chest.

Ahh... that’s the stuff. One more grimdark murder-suicide out of nowhere for the road. Let’s get back on task.



That’s all the chests we had spawn. That’s actually two more than can potentially crop up. They’re both kinda bullshit. One is for collecting over 100 android bodies over the course of the game. There’s also an achievement for that one. For the most part, I kind of stopped collecting android bodies back around Route A outside the occasional one in my way since it takes a good 10 seconds to do the whole animation and menu navigation and it’s largely a waste of time. That yields the reward of a Max HP +6 plug-in chip.

The other chip requires dying over 50 times during the course of all Routes thus far. I have not reached double digits in dying during the course of NieR: Automata ever and I currently have 135 hours put into this game if Steam’s counter can be trusted. Yeah... not gonna get that one anytime soon. The reward for doing so is a bloated Reset +6 plug-in chip. If you’ll recall, that’s a useless as poo poo chip that has X% chance of auto-reviving upon death. Nice troll, Tower System Services.





All our rewards aside, we need to actually hack this solitary locked chest and complete another unique hack configuration to unlock the elevator to the next level of the facility. Not a problem.

An elevator ride later...



Proposal: Hack into all blocking devices.







Two chests to hack. Got it. One is down below on a lower platform. The Highlight Video at the end of the update has all of the hacks in full if you wanna see them in action. The reward for unlocking this chest is a Cure All Status item. In case 9S wants to go on a bender again or something. I’ve not glazed over any status effects since that EMP attack at the beginning of Route C. I’ve literally never gotten hit with one in both total playthroughs of the game outside that event and one boss fight we’ve yet to see. Err... recreational drug and alcohol use aside.





The second chest is located on a platform up above overlooking the elevator. Hacking this one open produces 10,000 G. But more importantly, it also gives 9S a new Intel file.



...Nothing about this sounds good. Seems The Tower is some kind of super computer for data compression software and launching device for an unknown payload. Also something about digesting androids seems not cool, if you ask me. Let’s hear 9S’s thoughts.


Music: Alien Manifestation (Vocal)




A structure that size could probably shoot something into space pretty easily.
......
So this is some kind of cannon aimed at the human server on the moon?
Insufficient data. Cannot confirm or deny.
drat it!



OK, 9S... I’m going to go ahead and say jumping from The Tower being some kind of launching device to :aaa: “THEY’RE GONNA BLOW UP THE MOON!” is kind of a leap to conclusions, my dude... Maybe they were just gonna start up a television broadcast system to put on stage plays and need to launch a couple of satellites off the ground so everyone can tune in. You ever think of that?

Going up!



Yeah, and I hack into all of ‘em, right?





That’s generally how it goes, 9S. The first two chests are found on the western half of the room on adjacent platforms. The first one yields a Resilience +6 (avoid staggering if HP is above a certain level, 20% in this case) chip.



The chest next to it produces a post-hack treasure of a Powerup Part M for those Pods we’re never going to max out. I may actually have the materials to get Pod B (Laser) to Level 3. But hell if anything else is ever getting upgraded past that.





The final chest is once more located in an elevated position overlooking the elevator. This one’s hacking defeat produces a Cure All + Heal All item that we’ll never use. But more importantly, it also holds another Intel file. This one is kinda important...



So hey... YoRHa’s black boxes, the android equivalent of machine cores, are actually just made out of recycled machine cores. That’s a new bit of information. YoRHa are actually some weird android-machine hybrids. Since it would be inhumane to send normal androids AI that were almost certainly to die horribly in irreparable ways like everyone from A2’s Pearl Harbor Descent. Well, that’s something...



Note: Hey, if you played this game around launch through a couple months post-release, you might have had an extra paragraph or two in this file! That was an error that has since gotten patched in all versions of the game. Originally this file contained the content of two separate but related files, the latter of which was a LATE game intended (like within a half hour of the ending late game) archive. It was kinda confusing since it was just two copies of the same thing, with 9S reacting WAY poorer to the second copy. So the game accidentally spoiled itself there. Whoops!

That’s since been corrected. So don’t talk about the part that is missing now nor should you do any of that obnoxious knowing spoilers masquerading as all too on the nose speculation. A couple of you have been doing that a lot lately and need to knock it the gently caress off. You know who you are... The hell is wrong with you? Cut it out!

Anyway, let’s see how 9S deals with this new info...



It’s made from cores from the machines? That’s... No. That can’t be true!



Just going to go with the full denial mode, huh? Well, that’s more reasonable than the machines plotting to blow up the moon with a city sized cannon. But we can worry about that later. Onward to the top floor!

Music: ENDS



This looks pretty similar to the Meat Box’s summit. No defenders this time around nor is the Resource Unit core begging for help because it’s a baby machine.



I feel like 9S could probably have just stabbed this thing or had the Pod laser it again and called it a day. But in keeping with the spirit of the rest of this tower, 9S opts to hack this core as well. And...


:siren: VIDEO: Click here to watch the rest of the update contents. :siren:
(You should probably just do this.)



Well... this is different. We’re now playing as a digital 9S running around hacking space with a simple polygonal representation of his Pod and weapon following him around. There’s only way route and that is to the north...



Huh? What’s going on here...? My body...



Those are... my memories. But why?



That’s an awful lot of dead androids hanging out with your memories, 9S. I mean, that’s pretty on brand given your past, but... still...



All of 9S’s memories have a rather common theme to them...



Yep. That’s it. Hey 2B. Still dead, huh? Bummer. Boy, you have that memory of 2B throttling you to death still in the forefront, huh. That’s umm... Yeah.



That’s 2B’s data...



<starts walking forward>



I know these are just memories... but still...





Before 9S can start getting creepy about this, the projections with his memories begin getting overrun by black cubes and winking out of existence.



<gasp>



No, don’t...





Don’t do this!







Sorry, kid. No one stops! It was this whole thing. Ask Emil or Popola sometime. Neither of them will have any idea what you're talking about but for some reason they'll have a lingering feeling like they should. :v:



The 2B hologram transforms into a humanoid figure composed of the memory destroy black cubes. 9S is not at all happy with this thing messing with his memories of his time with 2B.


Music: The Sound of the End (Quiet)




...oh my GOD drat MEMORIES! These belong to me and me alone! Get away from them!







Boss fight time. This digital creature is actually a hybrid of Adam and Eve as far as fighting it goes. Mostly the parts where Adam was a Cubemancer prior to his death match with 2B and made cube walls/summoned a sets of cube projectiles. The rest of his moves are derived from Phase 1 Corrupted Eve where he summoned debris to do huge sweeping/overhead strikes and did a wild flurry of haymakers at close range.



All of the foe’s attack have huge wind-up times that are tremendously simple to dodge. I have absolutely no idea why there are so many player corpses lining this area other than the game seems to keep tally of boss arena bodies far more than anywhere else to give some flavor to the fights.





In any case, if this wasn’t already a mash-up of bosses we’d already faced, 9S has ten levels over it and is having none of its bullshit. This fight is over in short order.



...You’re going down.



Raaaaahhhh!





<stab> They’re mine! <stab>



<stab> My memories, you hear me!? <stab>

Music: ENDS



<continued stabbing and hollering>



<continued stabbing and screaming breaking down into sobbing>



Raaaaaaarrrrghh!







<crying>



<crying turning to insane laughter>



Err... Umm... Well... Mission Complete! Thus ends Chapter 15 of NieR: Automata and the last of 9S’s missions from the chapter select. Tune in next time for the continued adventures of 9S’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day and A2’s bogus journey as our two storylines merge again. I’m sure it’ll all go fine...






Video: Episode 124 Highlight Reel
(You should watch this.)
NOTE: CLICK HERE to Skip to Core Hacking Sequence! (Definitely watch at least this.)





Resource Unit Concept Art – Getting a real Final Fantasy VII Mako Reactor vibe from the concept art versus the final game’s Half-Life 2 Citadel vibe.

The Dark Id fucked around with this message at 09:11 on Dec 5, 2017

VolticSurge
Jul 23, 2013

Just your friendly neighborhood photobomb raptor.



Say what you will about 9S, but that was some stellar voice work.

SatansBestBuddy
Sep 26, 2010

by FactsAreUseless

Yo, probably be a better idea to have this moved up to where it starts in the update so people have the option of watching it before reading it.

Synthbuttrange
May 6, 2007

There's no meaning behind anything 9S does.

Kavak
Aug 23, 2009


9S isn't gonna ask why there was YoRHa intel inside a giant machine installation that was underground until a day ago? :thunk:

OJ MIST 2 THE DICK
Sep 11, 2008

Anytime I need to see your face I just close my eyes
And I am taken to a place
Where your crystal minds and magenta feelings
Take up shelter in the base of my spine
Sweet like a chica cherry cola

-Cheap Trick

Nap Ghost

Kavak posted:

9S isn't gonna ask why there was YoRHa intel inside a giant machine installation that was underground until a day ago? :thunk:

Considering that he was around when the machines hacked the gently caress out of YorHa HQ like last week uh

Kavak
Aug 23, 2009


exploded mummy posted:

Considering that he was around when the machines hacked the gently caress out of YorHa HQ like last week uh

Yeah that's probably it. Just speculating with the "All cores beat the same" reveal.

euphronius
Feb 18, 2009

Poor Scott Hackerman. That sucked.

Ixjuvin
Aug 8, 2009

if smug was a motorcycle, it just jumped over a fucking canyon
Nap Ghost
Did somebody say... BLOW UP THE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON?!

Charles_Kinbote
Sep 12, 2017

Synthbuttrange posted:

There's no meaning behind anything 9S does.

That's the real meaning of 9S's quote. Both Androids and Machines are technically machines, as are humans if we consider ourselves cellular automata.

===

That said, please do note that the memories 9S destroys aren't 9S's memories; they're 2B's memories. Check out the center right pic in this screenshot:



That's from the initial Abandoned Factory mission, where 9S didn't have enough time to back up both his and 2B's memories and preserved only 2B's.

But have your fun interpreting this sequence, especially when 9S repeatedly stuffs his sword into 2B to much blood-splatter. 9S, honestly, is one sick gently caress.

Augus
Mar 9, 2015



:v:

VolticSurge posted:

Say what you will about 9S, but that was some stellar voice work.

Kyle McCarley does such an amazing job at selling the character. This game's english acting as a whole is stellar, an aspect of the original I am very glad was carried over.

Josuke Higashikata
Mar 7, 2013


The part where 9S was stabbing 2B was part of the advertisements in Japan.

bman in 2288
Apr 21, 2010
I'll admit it, I was this close to honestly freaking out when the stabbing happened. And now the pain is back.

McDragon
Sep 11, 2007

Oh, for a little while I thought I had forgotten about some weird octopus monster that attached itself to 9S but it's his weapon. I only really used spears for him.

Anyway, hack lock on is a godsend for this tower

chiasaur11
Oct 22, 2012



Honestly, is there anyone who'd make a giant cannon whose first plan wouldn't be "Blow up the moon"?

It's such a gimmee answer, you know?

MysticalMachineGun
Apr 5, 2005

:stare: 9S, wanna take a break buddy?

Feels Villeneuve
Oct 7, 2007

Setter is Better.

MysticalMachineGun posted:

:stare: 9S, wanna take a break buddy?

NO ONE TAKES A BREAK

Synthbuttrange
May 6, 2007

YOU REALLY WANT TO STAB 2B DONT YOU

OJ MIST 2 THE DICK
Sep 11, 2008

Anytime I need to see your face I just close my eyes
And I am taken to a place
Where your crystal minds and magenta feelings
Take up shelter in the base of my spine
Sweet like a chica cherry cola

-Cheap Trick

Nap Ghost

MysticalMachineGun posted:

:stare: 9S, wanna take a break buddy?

No one gets off Mr. Taro's wild ride.

Nohman
Sep 19, 2007
Never been worse.


This took way too long to do but I regret nothing.

Supremezero
Apr 28, 2013

hay gurl

Nohman posted:



This took way too long to do but I regret nothing.

Shove Pod 153 over Inuart and we're golden.

Bruceski
Aug 21, 2007

The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.


obligatory theme music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju7GSz_pav8

Zomborgon
Feb 19, 2014

I don't even want to see what happens if you gain CHIM outside of a pre-coded system.


Man, if you start it at the right time it stays perfectly on-beat indefinitely

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DeafNote
Jun 4, 2014

Only Happy When It Rains

chiasaur11 posted:

Honestly, is there anyone who'd make a giant cannon whose first plan wouldn't be "Blow up the moon"?

It's such a gimmee answer, you know?

"whoops, we blew up Mars instead. Teeheehee"

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