|
Update III - Featuring: Job opportunities (and a single virtual dragon) Music: Battlefield - UE77  Killing that Hell Ghost bumped 7th Encount's random encounters up a notch, instantly adding these Sentry Bots to the encounter table, even if we were to backtrack to a lower floor.  Yuno managed to draw into a Trap card, so I try it out for funsies.   Then she never gets hit, wasting the trap entirely!  In fact, Duelist has no skills to boost aggro, so you're entirely dependant to enemies running into you naturally for your traps to go off. This leaves them at odds with God Hands, as their own counter skills naturally draw enemy attacks. The traps can go off on group attacks, at least. Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals  Anyways, back to running.  Our first standard accessory gives +3 DEF/MDF.  Second floor clear!   See that chest? We aren't getting it for a good while.  Hell Clouds also become a common mob.  And Yuno finally got Lightning!  In terms of damage, all summons do the exact same per level. The only differences is element and status rider.  Bit hard to make all these samey corridors look interesting.  Especially when the map is on another screen entirely!  Anyways, another heal spot. Here's hoping we get something better than a Hell Ghost.  Oh look, an actual dragon! Here in the game, 7th Dragon! It isn't even a dragon! Its a pile of 1s and 0s in the shape of a dragon!   And it's way stronger than the other monsters you've fought so far!  How do you know it's so strong? How...? Well, based on its frame and dermal features, it clearly has both power and mobility, so... Wait, how do I know all this!? Even I'm surprised...~ Maybe you missed something. That's impossible... I memorized every page of that manual as I was reading it earlier. Either way, I don't think we'll be able to beat that thing with our stats where they are...~~ Hm, maybe it's a rare monster... No matter what it is, please be careful! Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator   In older games, your first dragon had ominous names like 'The First Dragon' or 'D1'. In VFD, you fight an digital baby in an arcade game.  Dragon fights usually last long enough for a hit to connect, so hopefully we can finally see a trap go off.   Opal starts setting up G-Depth.  And Inoue hits it. This is the first boss, I'm sorta limited on battle strategies here.  Ow.  He then follows up with a second Bite, conveniently not hitting the person with a trap ready.  Until she gets a few more moves, Yuno's the item caddy. Even if she does have healing skills, Opal just doesn't have the Mana to spare this early on when she could be dealing damage instead.  Speaking of Opal, she hits G2.  Oh!  Also, for whatever reason, this attack has damage scaling based on the target's size, ranging from 0.8x against small targets to 1.5x against giants. There is a powerful use for traps, but that'll come into play later in the game.  And in more important news: Opal has hit max G.  Of course it hits her.  The Burn means her attack is being cut by 10%, so while I'd prefer to heal it up and have her attack for full damage, the Nagamimi Charm means she'll outspeed the others if I have them heal her and having her do it means delaying the pain by a turn. So I'm attacking anyways.  Worth it.   And Inoue gets the kill. Music: Finish Them Off  Music: None  ???: I think we've found ourselves... the second key. Playtime is over.  Music: A Place to Come Home  We get automatically booted from 7th Encount.  You wanted that chest? gently caress you, go back later.   Congratulations! You have been chosen! Chosen...? Now then, come along with me to the headquarters of Nodens Enterprises! Don't worry~! We'll explain everything once we get there! Um, Opal... What should we do...? It sounds like fun to me. Of course it does! ~ Let's go with it for now. Then it's decided!~~ This is your chance to open the door to a world you could only before dream about! This way, please! Follow me~!      Skilled Man: Wh-What the hell...!? How did someone like that beat my score!? Music: The Daily Grind  Funnily enough, the doll's name is suddenly listed while on the field.   But it goes back to Strange Doll as soon as you leave. Also, what? Um, Mr. Rabbit... Sir? ...Huh? We just got scouted in a Nintendo arcade by an arrogant, foul-mouthed not-rabbit. Welcome to VFD. I'm not some weird doll, and I'm definitely not a rabbit! *sigh* This is the real me. I hate having to act all prim and proper for work. Now if you wanna survive here, I suggest you stop treating me like some cutesy little rabbit. Or else you'll regret it. I'll personally make sure of that. Get it? Got it? Good. We'll regret it...? And I wonder what he means by survive... How long are you gonna dick around over there? Nodens Headquarters is this way! C'mon, follow me!    Because Opal has the self-preservation of a drunken lemming, we don't have the option to tell Nagamimi to gently caress off and go home, so in we go!  We only just moved from America last month, though, so it's still pretty empty. C'mon, we'll be going to the 3rd floor: the Conference Floor. Get on that elevator and go! Can you tell what mechanic is being brought over from the 2020s?  The Conference Floor has a new house icon on the minimap.   Which leads to a desk manned by these two girls.  Opal... *nods* I don't get what's happening... God drat, you're a pain. Fine... It's your first time here so I guess I can explain.~ Can you tell me what's going on? Grr... Fine, but listen closely. I'm only gonna say this once.~~  Rather, it's a testing device to seek out those who possess a unique ability. What kind of ability? According to governmental specifications, you're the perfect fighting specimen.~ You mean... I'm unique? Sheesh... You're a lot dumber than you look. According to specifications, you're the perfect fighting specimen. So yeah, you're unique. More importantly, you possess a very special ability: the power to slay dragons.~~  There are many kinds of strength. You may be absurdly weak, but you do have key navigator qualities. Me...? A navigator...? Back on point, this was all part of the scouting process. We're short on manpower at the moment.So yeah, 7th Encount was made solely to look for people that are strong enough to murder actual dragons.  Although Nodens must not have an HR department is this is how potential employees are treated. Wait... Haven't dragons been gone for almost a century now...? You can ask all the questions you want to the higher-ups. C'mon, they won't wait forever. Music: UE77 In Ariake  On no, it really is them.  These three are the ones running the show. Wha...!?  I'm the director of the development sector at Nodens. It's a pleasure to meet you.  The only name I have is Julietta! That's it! I think Jurota's a nice name, too★ *sigh* Moving on... This woman here is—  Despite how she looks, she is the president of our company. This is a game company, right? Hmm, is that what we're going with now? You're correct— Nodens Enterprises is the world's leading game corporation. We craft life-changing experiences for gamers far and wide. However, that is nothing but a front.I find that a bit hard to believe, actually. Hell, if you look at the official artbook:  Nodens got their start by selling at Comiket! Be a bit of a long con if they were just setting up a front. ~ What do you do here? Oh my. Nagamimi didn't tell you? My apologies~! I'm sure you're very confused right now. Nodens Enterprises is the world's premiere game corporation. Game development is just a quick way to build capital, though. Our true purpose lies elsewhere★~~ Anyways, let's all take a seat! It's time for story time with Julietta★ Yes, yes. Please sit wherever you'd like. Sorry for dragging you all in here like this, but there are important matters we need to discuss. Um... I think I've heard of them before...Uh, you think? Humanity was nearly driven extinct, Mio! Twice over! That's the sorta stuff that should be front and center of every history class going forward! I mean, yeah, this is just an awkward way to shoehorn in some exposition, but still! I see. I'd expect you have★ It began with the coming of the True Dragons and the spread of a poison flower called Dragonsbane.'Dragonsbane' is the official translation for Bloom, and honestly? I don't like it. Like, 'Dragonsbane' sounds like something that would mess with dragons, yes? Wolfsbane can be used to poison wolves, after all. But no, Dragonsbane does fuckall to dragons and instead kills everything else. Anyways, True Dragons, oh god True Dragons... See, dragons in 7D are less a unified species like in most media, and more of an evolutionary state. If something can become the undisputed ultimate lifeform of a world, and break past any and all physical barriers in their way, they'll apotheosize into a True Dragon. From there, True Dragons can freely create Imperial Dragons and normal Dragons to do their bidding. Of course, such growth ends up involves as many mental changes as physical, so the new dragon will inevitably join in on the whole devouring entire worlds thing, regardless of what they were like before. A planet enveloped in Dragonsbane will become nothing, doomed to be consumed by the True Dragons... Hence the name, '7th Dragon'. In 2020 and the year following, two True Dragons invaded Earth. Dragonsbane nearly engulfed us. However, thanks to a team called Murakumo, we were able to fend both of them off★ My grandpa told me about them... Murakumo Unit 13, the dragon hunters... We've learned a great deal about dragons from samples taken after the Calamity. Anatomy, ecology... All of this analytical data is assembled into a portfolio called the Dragon Chronicle. But... Why?People new to the series (in other words, drat near everyone who bought VFD in the west) would see this and accept it. That screaming you might be hearing is from everyone who played the previous games. You know what the Dragon Chronicle did in 2020? It lets you skip past all that self-evolution stuff and immediately turn the user into a dragon. You know how that ended up? One person ended up becoming the penultimate boss in a bid to surpass all humanity, and another stayed good for like 30 minutes before his new dragon instincts started taking over and he ended up needing to be sealed away for several thousand years. And that was a Dragon Chronicle made from Imperial Dragons! Nodens' goal is to make one out of full fledged True Dragons, which are an order of magnitude stronger! That's not even getting into the fact that of the True Dragons previously seen in the series, one of them isn't due to show up on Earth for several thousand years. Finding all of them is a bit of a tall loving order, is what I'm getting at here. Welcome to VFD.  Fun fact: the game never, ever directly tells you what VFD stands for. Even in this apparent time of peace, the 7th and final True Dragon will soon awaken. The True Dragon responsible for both creation and destruction... We call this ruler of reason VFD. Once it shows itself, our planet will face its demise. Are you wondering how we know all of this? I assure you, we are not the only ones. There are others in the know, though primarily just lSDF and world government agencies. This info is simply not publicly available. However, various signs point to the dragons' return. Global warming, disappearance of the Caribbean Plate, and most importantly, Dragon Sickness....H- How does a tectonic plate vanish??? And how do you keep something like that from public knowledge??? Dragon Sickness... What's Dragon Sickness...? Have you noticed anyone around with a particularly bad cold, or a violent cough?Opal nods. I see... A friend of yours, perhaps?~ I have a friend who's been coughing... I see... So your friend has been infected, too.~~ As much as it pains me to say it, this friend of yours doesn't have much longer to live. ...Welp, Mio's dead. Dragon Sickness is an untreatable disease caused by the permeation of dragon miasma. Therefore, the thicker the miasma becomes, the more people will come down with Dragon Sickness. Miasma has been here since the Calamity, yet the patient count has shot up in the past few years. This rise serves as another sign that a True Dragon is again about to descend upon humanity. I don't expect we have much time. Once the dragons come, this information will spread. The infestation will begin, the Dragonsbane will bloom, and to see out the end of this planet... VFD will appear. We can't let that happen. Then let's fight. You have the power... The power to hunt dragons, and complete the Dragon Chronicle.~ How do we stop it? We complete the Dragon Chronicle. You, who stands on the threshold between past and future, have the power to do so.~~ VFD is the ultimate True Dragon. Even while lying dormant, it can bring about global calamities. However, we could turn the tables if we managed to complete the Dragon Chronicle. If we can gain information about the True Dragons and acquire their energy... we'll have a chance. On the other hand, if we fail... humanity will be extinguished. N-No... Hence, the ultimate goal of Nodens Enterprises is the completion of the Dragon Chronicle. I'd bet we'll even be able to find a cure for Dragon Sickness if we manage to complete it★ But in order to do so, we'll need a dragon hunter... That's where you come in. Oh look, there's the title!  So what do I have to do? Hunt, hunt, hunt! What we need is for you to hunt as many dragons as you can and collect samples from them.~ Hm? I sorta dozed off... My apologies. It must have been boring listening to a girly man and his boss yammer on~. Just hunt, hunt, hunt! We'll need you to hunt as many dragons as you can and collect samples from them.I would like to point out that of the three True Dragons fought in the series so far, two of them were final bosses (one of them twice in a row!) and the other was a penultimate boss that required the world's armies to throw troops into a meat grinder just to buy time for the party to find some means of turning the tide. Again, they want us to make a career out of killing this level of threat.  Where can I find these dragons? That's, well...~ I'm not much of a hunter... *chuckle* Of course you aren't! It's only natural that you'd say that!~~ U-Um, excuse me... I don't think I can handle all of this... I'm just going to go home. Oh my, please don't think that way. Your navigation skills are quite advanced. But there's no way I can do this. I'm not a navigator... I can't save the world... I'd probably just get in the way... I see... If that's what you wish... Mio is 14 years old, so her apprehension is kinda understandable. Doubly so when her Dragon Sickness means there might be a very real chance of her keeling over halfway through the mission.    Music: None  I came all the way here to try and find my dad... But... I just can't do it... Suddenly, explosions!  Next time: Dragons. BisbyWorl fucked around with this message at 07:13 on Jun 12, 2023 |
#
?
May 27, 2022 05:03
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 02:04 |
|
|
BisbyWorl posted:Fun fact: the game never, ever directly tells you what VFD stands for. With no knowledge of this game beyond what has been presented so far, given the presence of "Yugioh player" as a class I choose to believe that VFD stands for True King of All Calamities, also known "affectionately" as the "Very Fun Dragon".
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2022 05:28
|
|
|
it clearly stands for Very Fucking (Big) Dragon
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2022 07:45
|
|
|
Very F.O.E. Dragon.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2022 07:48
|
|
|
as the resident 7th dragon loremaster i can tell you it actually stands for Volunteers Fighting Disease
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2022 09:54
|
|
|
I've always assumed it was shorthand for 'Very Final Dragon' because of how they keep hyping it up. I honestly hope there's NPC side dialog somewhere in the game I never saw where someone actually in the know speculates on what it could stand for, and I really hope it's something goofy if it's there.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2022 11:57
|
|
|
I could have sworn that VFD's name got expanded on at some point. I think it was Latin?
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2022 13:38
|
|
|
Epicmissingno posted:I could have sworn that VFD's name got expanded on at some point. I think it was Latin? Is it revealed? Yes. Is it revealed in game? Nope.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2022 13:59
|
|
|
Hmmm you're right, this game's plot is loving weird. Maybe I am just getting old though.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2022 14:55
|
|
|
Epicmissingno posted:I could have sworn that VFD's name got expanded on at some point. I think it was Latin? Oooooh. I know what it stands for, then. And if I'm right it means that it is indeed the same phrase that the original Japanese card name for True King of All Calamities was most likely based on.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2022 19:27
|
|
|
senrath posted:And if I'm right it means that it is indeed the same phrase that the original Japanese card name for True King of All Calamities was most likely based on. Maybe the King of All Cosmos is the 7th True Dragon. wait wrong game
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2022 22:26
|
|
|
I think Yugioh borrowed from this game rather than vice versa since this game came out before the yugioh card. I have no idea how you get True King of All Calamities from 真竜皇Ｖ．Ｆ．Ｄ though Also have no idea why Master Duel unbanned VFD
|
|
#
?
May 28, 2022 02:50
|
|
|
Nissin Cup Nudist posted:I think Yugioh borrowed from this game rather than vice versa since this game came out before the yugioh card. I have no idea how you get True King of All Calamities from 真竜皇Ｖ．Ｆ．Ｄ though As for the name, well, the English translation of card names has always been suspect. I'd say they turned "True Dragon" into "True King" to be less confusing since they're Wyrms and not Dragons (though even that's a translation issue), except they've already named dozens of things "dragon" that aren't dragons, and they continue to do so. Master Duel didn't unban VFD so much as didn't ban it to begin with. It launched with a several month out of date OCG list, which predated when the OCG banned VFD.
|
|
#
?
May 28, 2022 03:47
|
|
|
Per Yugipedia's article on True King of All Calamities:quote:Part of this monster's Japanese name, "V.F.D.", could be an abbreviation of the Latin phrase Vicarius Filii Dei ("Representative of the Son of God"), a phrase constructed by opponents of the Pope to associate him with the Beast. Extracting and summing the Roman numerals in this phrase (V + I + C + I + V + I + L + I + I + D + I), where "U" is taken as "V", results in 666, number of the beast. This aligns with the inclusion of "The Beast" in this monster's Japanese name. So basically they're calling it (both TKAC and this game's VFD) Satan. "King of All Calamities" is probably an attempt to invoke a similar feeling of "oh poo poo this guy is bad news" while also avoiding "religious" stuff in Yu-Gi-Oh (I guess "V.F.D." would be too confusing on its own?). senrath posted:As for the name, well, the English translation of card names has always been suspect. I'd say they turned "True Dragon" into "True King" to be less confusing since they're Wyrms and not Dragons (though even that's a translation issue), except they've already named dozens of things "dragon" that aren't dragons, and they continue to do so. Nah, there's a "True Draco" archetype (which is related to - and technically the same thing as - the "True King" archetype) which is a bunch of Wyrm monsters still. I'd think it's more for space purposes than anything (the other True Dragon Kings have some long names), though there being cards with longer names even with " Draco " added in does weaken that theory a tad.
|
|
#
?
May 28, 2022 23:48
|
|
|
I've been playing along, and one of the many things I've noticed is that the Duelist's hair bow straight-up looks like one of those default video game model textures. It really helps you tell how much effort was put into this game's development 
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 01:48
|
|
|
Man, I loved this goofy-rear end game. I ended up making two samurai, since they're essentially two somewhat similar classes, similar to the two types of Trickster in the 2020 games (though knife Trickster wasn't that good, IIRC, so I don't think I bothered in those). I absolutely made my "main" character a Duelist, because I liked the idea of apocalyptic-scale cosmic horror dragons getting schooled by a Yu-Gi-Oh protagonist. I actually played the previous games before VFD after VFD's demo got me interested, and the original on the DS was just shy of a being a full-on horror game, and the 2020 games aren't much cheerier (though they focus less on the horror and helplessness and more on the fighting back), then you get to VFD and it's like "let's murder True Dragons for funsies and also here's a Monokuma knock-off". As much fun as VFD is, I can't deny that it's a huge shift in tone.
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 02:26
|
|
|
Update IV - Featuring: Dragons Music: None    *chuckle* You sound like an old man, Julietta★ Ngh... It's all your fault, Nagamimi! Don't scare me like that! I don't give a crap about that. I have urgent news! A swarm of dragons has appeared outside!What perfect timing, you just found a team of dragon hunters! Music: Endless Attack Cycle  ... Nagamimi, where is ISDF? Isn't this what an international defense force is trained to handle? They're heading in this direction, but... it sounds like it'll take a while. OK. Seal the entrance. We'll wait it out until they arrive. Nagamimi, could you be a dear and display the entrance camera up on the monitor? Got it.   Well, in the 30 seconds since the dragons arrived...  ...things have gotten kinda bad.     Mio is having the worst possible day today.   I'm going to help her! I wouldn't. An amateur going out there would just cause trouble. ~ Lend me your strength! *sigh* Listen, we can't go waving an army around. We're just a game company in the eyes of the public. We'd just get arrested if we came out guns blazing. ~~ All we can do now is wait for ISDF. ISDF... I hope they make it in time.  A running theme of the game is Opal being physically incapable of not helping someone in trouble.  Besides, last I check we haven't signed an employment contract yet, so they can't order us around! Hmm, I suppose at times the body acts completely on its own★ Should we go knock some sense into them? No, let's give them a shot. Are you sure? If ISDF finds out... If they truly are dragon hunters, their resolve will carry them through. I see... Time to see what they've got, then. We should do what we can to provide support. Sounds like a job for Nagamimi! *sigh* Fine, fine... I'm going... But first.  The dragon invasion means that everyone has something new to say.     This is why I hate humans. It's impossible to know how your brains work. Getting hurt in 7th Encount gets you hurt in real life. Nodens' liability waivers must be a bitch. Listen up. This isn't a game anymore. Get cut, and you'll bleed. Get stabbed, and you'll die. This is the real world.  Take this, too. Just pop it on your arm and start it up. It's a wonderful device that'll let you talk to me no matter where you go. This is how I'll be helping you, so don't you dare take it off. And don't tell me you don't want it! Now listen, don't forget to prepare. I'd rather not have our dragon hunters die out there. If you're gonna help, you drat well better do it right... Eeheehee... Just try not to get yourself killed.A terminal materializes out of nowhere in case you wanted to change your party after 7th Encount.  Although Nagamimi is running it now.   Job Seeker: Wait... This could be a great chance to prove my value to the company! A third dragon invasion in 80 years and this guy is focused on getting a job. Sounds like Japan, alright.  Aaron: Maybe the gods are upset with me for slacking off at work! I'm such a fool...   Attendant Kureha: I ask that you promptly evacuate the premises.   Oh, that's bad.    Oh, that's worse.  That's a lot nastier than a baby. Plus all his friends swarming the skies.           Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator   Much like before, all I can do is hit him a bunch.  He has a bit more health than the Little Dragon, at least.   Power Charge is the standard signal to block next turn.  Although, bizarrely, the White Dragon only has a single action per turn. Even the baby from before had the standard two actions most every dragon gets.   So despite being an actual dragon, he's a complete joke.    Music: Finish Them Off   Music: Endless Attack Cycle  Are you hurt? No, I'm OK... But Opal-~ Let's get out of here! R-Right. But... where to?~~     Ah yes.  The obligatory Giant Red Starter Dragon.    That thing's a High Dragon! It's way stronger than the one you just fought! lt'll tear you to shreds! Get the brat and come back, now!High Dragons are the official translation for Imperials in the previous games.  What's wrong...? No... Are you going to... fight? Opal, stop! It'll kill you! I'm going to save everyone! But... you don't even know these people. Why— ~ I'm going to defeat it! But... aren't you afraid? How—~~ Opal!  We are running, Nagamimi! We're running towards it!        Also there's rubble between us and Nodens HQ, so running at the High Dragon is our only option.    Confident Gamer: W-Wait... This is weird... My legs won't move! Did I spend too long in 7th Encount...?     Occasionally the leader will shout something out in cutscenes, and the localizers were nice enough to subtitle them! Also Next time: Opal's first High Dragon.
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 03:40
|
|
|
There's going to be so many dead dragons by the end of this, now that the party has a taste for killing them.
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 04:05
|
|
|
This lady has her priorities straight.quote:
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 16:28
|
|
|
Low-key one of my favorite parts of the 7th Dragon games is how every single NPC is a unique character with their own little story you can follow by talking to them throughout the game. As I recall, this was even true on the DS game, which had a huge world, being a more traditional JRPG, rather than the "hub world from which you deploy to each level" setup the other games have.
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 16:35
|
|
|
EclecticTastes posted:Man, I loved this goofy-rear end game. I ended up making two samurai, since they're essentially two somewhat similar classes, similar to the two types of Trickster in the 2020 games (though knife Trickster wasn't that good, IIRC, so I don't think I bothered in those). I absolutely made my "main" character a Duelist, because I liked the idea of apocalyptic-scale cosmic horror dragons getting schooled by a Yu-Gi-Oh protagonist. I actually played the previous games before VFD after VFD's demo got me interested, and the original on the DS was just shy of a being a full-on horror game, and the 2020 games aren't much cheerier (though they focus less on the horror and helplessness and more on the fighting back), then you get to VFD and it's like "let's murder True Dragons for funsies and also here's a Monokuma knock-off". As much fun as VFD is, I can't deny that it's a huge shift in tone. Not really sure if I'd call DS almost a full on horror game. It certainly has some dark aspects, especially near the end of the game, but it has varying tones of silly moments.  But also serious ones on how people are trying to get by in the current state of the world all across the game, and how each nation and its people handle it differently, which gets explored with the sub-events. And some loving metal as hell moments as well! Dagger Trickster is pretty strong in 2020, but it got nerf hammered quite a bit in 2020-II. The 2020 games are definitely quite a bit bleaker than DS I'd say. The number of onscreen deaths in DS aren't nearly as much compared to the 2020s. Chapter 2 in both games are also just really gruesome as well and a pretty harsh introduction to the dragon overridden world. VFD though, yeah this game's a huge tonal shift from all the previous games, even DS. For one thing, they're telling you that your main goal for this game is to kill what were the final bosses in all the previous games with regularity. This... has some ramifications on how the story is told. And frankly makes VFD's story a very different experience from the previous games. Jumping from VFD to DS was a pretty big bit of culture shock for me as a result.
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 17:05
|
|
|
Araxxor posted:Not really sure if I'd call DS almost a full on horror game. It certainly has some dark aspects, especially near the end of the game, but it has varying tones of silly moments. I mean, lots of great horror films use comedy to cut the tension between scares (Get Out, Cabin in the Woods, and Cabin Fever come to mind), but I suppose a lot of that feeling comes from how the original 7th Dragon opens, where you're in this idyllic fantasy setting that's suddenly invaded by cosmic horrors and the juxtaposition was much greater, whereas "slightly cyberpunk Japan" gets destroyed by demons every time Atlus makes a video game so it doesn't feel quite as fresh. As for bleakness, I think that's a matter of perspective. In the DS game, an entire town of people load themselves into a cannon to have their souls consumed to make a laser to try killing one of the True Dragons (and it doesn't even get the job done). Part of the difference is that, in the 2020 games, things are pretty firmly post-apocalyptic (the world has been messed up in ways that would take centuries that fully undo, even without the dragons coming back on a regular basis to keep messing stuff up, and the games are about making the world safe for rebuilding), while in the DS game, the apocalypse is ongoing (and can even be halted/reversed), which feels more tense. Sort of like the difference between trying to glue a broken vase back together or frantically trying to stop it from falling in the first place. Like, the latter situation has more hope, but you have that much more to lose, too.
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 18:06
|
|
|
The series (At least the first 3 games) definitely falls under some Lovecraftian horror elements, as the dragons are definitely a huge unknowable element, though I'd still say calling DS almost full on horror is kind of a stretch. At least Resident Evil style horror and such. The games definitely take after Lovecraftian Horror. Though DS kind of fumbles with that as its gameplay pacing is very rough and kind of filled with tedium between large stretches of the plot and dungeons. Either way the games do make it out that the antagonist can actually be defeated which kinda goes against a bit of that. I'd say the 2020s explore the Lovecraftian horror angle as well, maybe even moreso, as the direction it takes with the High Dragons definitely gives a tone of those vibes to mind, what with them being able to outright warp reality and make completely eldritch environments out of what were once famous Japanese landmarks really giving them even more alien vibes. Like these things should not belong in this world. Chapter 3 of 2020 is also basically a standard horror story on top of the Lovecraftian Horror. Not that DS's High Dragons were entirely lacking in that area though not quite as explored in that department as the 2020s. Hey this mountain? It's actually a dragon. The rainbow is also a dragon. You cannot kill it (Until you get your hands on a fellow dragon's corpse anyways). Eclipse's appearance is also just basically indescribable in specifics. Though I would say you've got things very flipped regarding the state of the apocalypse. In DS, the apocalypse finished. Your group was knocked out for 3 years. You're just dealing with the aftermath, and are trying to reverse the situation. The dragons have completely settled in the world and you're trying to kick them out. In the 2020s you're knocked out for a month in the first game and 3 days in the 2nd, and the apocalypse is very much ongoing, with people still needed to be rescued from active hostile areas and the such. Incidentally I'd also say the bleakness comes down to how visceral the 2020 games are. You see very direct consequences of the dragon's acts in action, where for the most part in DS you're dealing with the aftermath. Though Haze's dungeon in DS definitely has some visceral horror going on there. Seeing a specific enemy sprite there for the first time was sure a heavy impression. Though I'd say the 2020s and especially 2020-II are much more straight examples of that kind of story, especially with how the antagonist of II gets very involved with the story and things just go to complete poo poo when he chooses to take action. Though that being said, this definitely brings to mind another reason why VFD is a tonal shift, as it definitely abandons a lot of that and very much downplays a ton of those elements. Probably why jumping from that game to a previous one ends up feeling so jarring to quite a few people I've talked with. Saying anymore at the moment would be spoilers, though I'll definitely remark upon those as the time comes. But "we gotta kill all these True Dragons which were literal final bosses in the previous games" definitely is a big step towards killing that vibe. Araxxor fucked around with this message at 19:22 on May 31, 2022 |
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 18:59
|
|
|
Araxxor posted:Though I would say you've got things very flipped regarding the state of the apocalypse. In DS, the apocalypse finished. Your group was knocked out for 3 years. You're just dealing with the aftermath, and are trying to reverse the situation. The dragons have completely settled in the world and you're trying to kick them out. In the 2020s you're knocked out for a month in the first game and 3 days in the 2nd, and the apocalypse is very much ongoing, with people still needed to be rescued from active hostile areas and the such. Incidentally I'd also say the bleakness comes down to how visceral the 2020 games are. You see very direct consequences of the dragon's acts in action, where for the most part in DS you're dealing with the aftermath. Though Haze's dungeon in DS definitely has some visceral horror going on there. Seeing a specific enemy sprite there for the first time was sure a heavy impression. The difference is in the irrevocability of what's happened. Despite the lengths of time involved, the DS game lets you essentially undo the damage personally, while 2020 makes clear that the changes to the world are for keeps, and won't be undone easily. At the end of the 2020 games, most of Earth's population is wiped out, most governments have collapsed, cities are destroyed, etc. At the end of the DS game, if you took the time to kill all the dragons and remove the Bloom, there's a couple towns that got wrecked and one where the populace turned themselves into a laser, but the majority of the game world is free to go back to normal, aside from having to safeguard themselves against possible future dragon attacks. Which, counterintuitively, made things more tense for me, because you've got all these normal-rear end towns out of a Final Fantasy game with Lovecraftian "dragons" and some Jodry Verrill-rear end death flowers right outside, and they have no way to cope with it. It's like that "Learning with Pibby" thing Adult Swim's been hyping lately, it's the contrast that does it. I've seen Generic Tokyo Apocalypse like thirty times. Honestly, I'd love to see someone take the "typical classic JRPG setting gets invaded by cosmic horrors" thing a lot farther (I bet Akitoshi Kawazu could do it, he loves loving up the usual JRPG formula and Romancing SaGa 2 wasn't too far off). Araxxor posted:The series (At least the first 3 games) definitely falls under some Lovecraftian horror elements, as the dragons are definitely a huge unknowable element, though I'd still say calling DS almost full on horror is kind of a stretch. At least Resident Evil style horror and such. The games definitely take after Lovecraftian Horror. Though DS kind of fumbles with that as its gameplay pacing is very rough and kind of filled with tedium between large stretches of the plot and dungeons. Either way the games do make it out that the antagonist can actually be defeated which kinda goes against a bit of that. When it comes to Lovecraftian horror, I'm less concerned about the "impossible geometries" and more concerned about the total helplessness of the characters, and it just felt like Murakumo had less of a power gap compared to the dragons than the fantasy setting of the DS game (mainly because Murakumo was capable of fighting back directly at all, rather than just having to give up and go about business as usual, hoping not to get eaten, until some adventurers managed to start killing off Imperial Dragons by the skin of their teeth). And obviously they're not survival horror (for one thing, survival horror games are often not that good at being horror, such as when RE4's controls were so good it ended up just being a third-person shooter with some horror elements). Though, fun fact, Resident Evil originated as a planned remake of Sweet Home, a horror JRPG for the NES. But, like I said, I think our differing interpretations come from approaching the topic from different angles, and I wouldn't say yours is any less valid.
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 19:43
|
|
|
7th dragon ds and 7th dragon 2020 are two very different types of cool thing that are much more similar to each other than code vfd *drops mic* *ollies out* *shoots a dragon*
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2022 23:55
|
|
|
Update V - Featuring: The ISDF Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator    Time to kill!  Ah.    Sorta forgot that the Giant Red Starter Dragon always kicks your rear end on the first go. Also, what's up with his health bar?  I'm almost certainly dead no matter what, but I guard anyways.   Maaaaaaybe Nagamimi and the gang had a point about running... Music: None  That's enough! Get out of there! Get out right this instant! Grr... You really wanna die here!? Suddenly, explosions!  But the explosions are ours this time!     Alright, Yuma. I'll leave it to you.Oh wait, I know how this goes. Music: Endless Attack Cycle  After the Giant Red Starter Dragon kicks our rear end, it gets beat up in return.  It then becomes our first chapter boss.    This hand of Yuma's is burning... purple?      ...or Yuma just straight up one shots a High Dragon??????  To give an idea of how bad the power creep in VFD is, even recurring narrative elements are getting power crept. Granted, this is sorta an issue with VFD's core plot as a whole. Music: Re:Vanishment (code：VFD Ver)  In all the other games, High Dragons were the main threat and you spent the entire game building up to a True Dragon. Hell, in any previous game Spectus would have had all of Chapter 1 dedicated to killing him.  In VFD, our initial goal is to kill multiple True Dragons, so High Dragons just can't be a serious threat for the plot to make sense.  All that stuff in the 2020s where High Dragons warped the fabric of space around them to make exotic dungeons? Yeah, don't expect to see any of that in VFD. Our focus is purely on True Dragons, so High Dragons have been downgraded to 'regular dragons but a bit better.'  Yuma is bullshitting so hard here. Opal and her friends did like 20 damage to Spectus. If that. They look like normal people, but... I cannot be sure. And that girl... Hm...Music: A Place to Come Home  So yeah, the blood red sky? The literal swarms of dragons? Already taken care of. All dealt with by the ISDF. The military sure as poo poo got their act together since 2020.  The only proof that anything bad happened today is the cracked floors. It's sooner than we were hoping, but it can't be helped. They would have found out eventually. Now, now★ More importantly, what did you think of your first real battle, Opal? I somehow survived... Yup yup★ That's a victory in and of itself! I'm glad you all came back safe and sound!~ I wish I could've won. Seriously? You did very well for your first battle. Most people would have died out there.~~ It's a big freaking miracle you're still alive and kicking. Next time try following orders.Unfortunately, Opal is incapable of following any order that isn't some flavor of 'murder dragons' or 'go save those people.' But to think you could fight like that on your first try... That confirms my hunch! I knew I'd find my dragon hunters in this city! Yeah, yeah. You were right. Though it's still hard to believe these cuties are our dragon hunters~!   Anyone would've done it. No, not anyone... ~ I needed to do it. It's not that simple, though...~~ Risking your life to save someone else... That's not something people just do. All I could do was stand around trembling in fear... Why...? Why am I so powerless...? Ah...! I-I'm sorry, I really killed the mood... A-Anyways, thank you again for earlier! I'll find a way to pay you back someday! I promise! Well, I should probably get going. H-Hold on a second! You're thinking of going home in that weakened state? Nodens has a top-grade team of medical staff. We'll have them take care of all of you★ Huh...? But... I... Don't worry about the details! Let's go, everyone! The medical team is eagerly awaiting us! Click here to watch the intro video.  I loving told you we were going to Atlantis. As our first serious dungeon at that! Music: The Daily Grind     You can barely tell the literal apocalypse started yesterday!  For those of you who didn't watch, Opal passed out during the intro video, which is another power crept plot point. The party in 7D1 was in a coma for three years after their first encounter with dragons. Unit 13 was out cold for several months after getting thrashed by Warcry, and a few days after Fomalhaut showed up. Opal was out for, like, a single night and she's back on her feet. Doctor Hori: I think you're good to go. Phew! I'm glad it was nothing too major! It's amazing that you're still OK after fighting a High Dragon. This is the will of a dragon hunter... As I'm sure you've realized, game fighting and real fighting are two very different experiences. You must be able to bear the lives of your teammates. It is quite a heavy burden to carry. Having said that, if we wish to save humanity, we must push forth and complete the Dragon Chronicle. That is why we humbly request that you lend us your dragon hunting powers. Once you've reached a decision, come to the 3F Conference Floor. We'll be waiting, Opal.    I'm so glad...  I think I am. I see... I had a feeling you would. ~ I'm afraid, but... yeah. I see... I had a feeling you would. But it makes me feel better to know that even you get scared sometimes... *giggle*~~ Hey, Opal... How can you just go along with this so easily? If you cooperate with them, you're going to have to fight dragons. You know that, right? Doesn't this all just make you want to run away? Don't you ever think about that...? S-Sorry, Opal... I'm only alive because you were there to protect me... I'm so sorry. That was really irresponsible of me to say... Try not to be too reckless... Farewell, Mio! I'm sure a girl who got us into the plot, has top-notch Navigator abilities, and has a character portrait will be allowed to go back to her humble daily life.    Sick Employee: Me? I tried to work through my sickness, but my boss made me come here instead. You know this is a fantasy game when a Japanese company forces their workers to take proper care of their health.   The doctor acts as a heal spot.  Jane: Well... I kinda am a patient. I'm not sure if the doctor can cure me, though.    Job Seeker: Oh, I was just asking around about job openings... Looks like they're not hiring right now. He stuck around through an actual dragon invasion for absolutely nothing. Thaaaaaaaaaaat's the economy!  Aaron: That's why I'm skipping work again for now! I'll finish it all later! No problem! Hahaha!  Iori: Hm? How do I not get bored of coffee? It wouldn't be so popular if people got bored of it! Hehe!   Kureha will repeat any tutorials we've seen.  The tone in VFD is just incredibly off compared to the previous games. Like, people died yesterday. The homeless old man who complained about 7th Encount? He's loving dead! Meanwhile you have people like Aaron slacking off to chill at a cafe and this woman complaining about boredom. And trust me, the tone will get even more lighthearted as we go along.   Pale Young Man: A-Am I OK? Haha... Probably not this time...  Talkative Young Man: Your cosplay is inspired by the hit anime Secret Murakumo Slayer, isn't it...? Considering they did save the world twice over and all, it makes sense for Unit 13 and Murakumo to get a bunch of shows based on them.  ...really exist? Really exist??? Lady, the dragons laid waste to humanity not even a century ago! The loving skyline is still dotted with damaged buildings! How the gently caress do you not believe in something that annihilated the majority of mankind in the span of a few months two years in a row!?  Bartender: A carefree life is a privilege of youth. I suggest you choose a path you believe in.  Skilled Man: That must mean I can really be a dragon hunter too if I try my hardest!  Lonely Girl: It's not like the same incident's gonna happen twice!     Alright, that's everyone talked to. Time to go see Allie about that job opening. Next time:
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2022 04:40
|
|
|
You wanna know the funny part about this hopeless boss fight? It's beatable. DS didn't have a hopeless boss fight in the beginning, your guild just got knocked out during the story while they were evacuating their hometown from the dragons. Use your imagination on how that happened. (There's a hopeless boss fight later in the game, but it's more of the "you can't kill it until the plot lets you" variety as it guards the entrance to the final dungeon.) War Cry in 2020 has 80,000 HP. You aren't depleting that. Much less surviving, as it has 282 attack, 170 defense, 282 magic attack, 136 magic defense, and 111 speed. In fact all unwinnable fights in the game had the enemy's HP set to that number to ensure they were impossible to kill legitimately, as you can't deal that much damage in the game. (The scary part is that the VFD crew can actually possibly deal with that much HP.) Fomalhut's avatar in II has 25,693 which is less, but the issue isn't really surviving, as it just opts to kill you immediately on turn 1, where Warcry waited a few turns so you can see how hopeless your party is. It has 323 attack, 224 defense, 323 magic attack, 150 magic defense, and 126 speed. In Casual mode it has 25,290 HP, 320 attack, 222 defense, 320 magic attack, 148 magic defense, and 122 speed. Yeah you aren't living through that one. Spectus only has 2,835 HP, 60 attack, 39 defense, 60 magic attack, 39 magic defense, and 24 speed. In Casual mode it has 2,415 HP, 54 attack, 33 defense, 54 magic attack, 33 magic defense, and 23 speed. Yeah, you can actually grind up enough in 7th Encount (Probably around level 30 or so if you were dedicated, less if you actually remember to swap to Casual mode to pull this off.) to be able to survive through its attacks and kill it, where in the previous games, that wasn't happening. There's even payout data if you manage that feat oddly enough. You get 90 experience and 54 Az. Killing it doesn't change the cutscene one bit afterwards, though it makes Yuma's comments more believable. Even the hopeless boss fight was a victim of VFD's power creep in its own way.
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2022 06:36
|
|
|
Araxxor posted:Spectus only has 2,835 HP, 60 attack, 39 defense, 60 magic attack, 39 magic defense, and 24 speed. In Casual mode it has 2,415 HP, 54 attack, 33 defense, 54 magic attack, 33 magic defense, and 23 speed. Yeah, you can actually grind up enough in 7th Encount (Probably around level 30 or so if you were dedicated, less if you actually remember to swap to Casual mode to pull this off.) to be able to survive through its attacks and kill it, where in the previous games, that wasn't happening. There's even payout data if you manage that feat oddly enough. You get 90 experience and 54 Az. Killing it doesn't change the cutscene one bit afterwards, though it makes Yuma's comments more believable. When you think about it, the power creep in VFD kind of makes sense. In the DS game and 2020, it's the first time dragons have shown up, and in 2020-II, the time since the previous dragon invasion hadn't been that long. But in VFD, it's been eighty years, so it's conceivable that the various anti-dragon groups, between Murakumo before and Nodens now, worked hard to bring human technology up to a level where Imperial Dragons became manageable, if still extremely dangerous, rather than existential threats all on their own. VFD is literally the only point on the timeline where humans have actually been able to prepare for the dragon attack, and it shows. Might even explain the Duelist class. Weaponizing a popular card game ensures you have a large number of people capable of potentially slaying dragons (basically, anyone who plays the game normally could, in theory, use it in combat), so it might have been a deliberate plan to increase available manpower without needing to rely on people being physically fit enough to be Samurai/Godhands or technologically savvy enough to be Agents.
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2022 07:11
|
|
|
I do think the idea of a game where humanity's reaction to the apocalypse is "been there, done that," is potentially interesting. Sadly, it seems like VFD won't quite be living up to the idea, but the thought is there. I think the biggest issue is that previous games have shown just how damaging the dragons are. The lesser ones are major hurdles for normal soldiers, the secondary ones are still on the level of "remake reality in my image," and the highest order are space travelling, species devouring, living armageddons. That's not something you can really power creep in most stories, but apparently VFD is gonna try!
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2022 22:21
|
|
|
BisbyWorl posted:I swear they boosted the encounter rate since 2020. Turns out yes, VFD's encounter rate is higher, though 2020-II nerfed encounter rates from 2020. This is how random encounters work in VFD: quote:A random number from 60 to 74 is generated each time you enter a new area. This is the same across every screen in the game. In non-hostile areas, such as Nodens, this will do nothing. In hostile areas, this determines how long it takes to get into an encounter. This number represents the amount of steps your party takes. Every 4 frames of walking (This game runs at 30 hz) causes the step counter to increase by 1. This means it takes 8 to 9.867 seconds of straight walking to get into a random encounter. It works like this in 2020-II instead: quote:A random number from 28900-33600 is generated each time you enter a hostile area. A number is subtracted for each frame you walk. (30 hz). When the counter reaches or gets below 0, you get into a battle. The number subtracted tends to average around 100 or so, but it's different per dungeon, so you could get shorter rates or higher rates depending on the screen. It results in around 9 to 11 seconds to get into a battle on average instead of VFD's shorter and more static length. Not only that, there's a grace period upon entering an area where for 2/3s of a second (20 frames), the encounter rate won't budge in 2020-II. This isn't in VFD. In 2020 the generated number is 28900-30600 instead, and the subtracted number tended to average around 70 depending on the screen. Resulting in about 13 to 20 seconds to get into an encounter in that game depending on the screen. Araxxor fucked around with this message at 06:06 on Jun 4, 2022 |
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2022 05:53
|
|
|
Update VI - Featuring: Time travel Music: UE77 In Ariake  Oh my★ Well, we do have things we can offer them. If we give them that— Opal! You came! So that means your answer is— There's something we need to show them first. Isn't that right, Allie? Of course★ Everyone, gather round! Opal... Do you know what this is? ...Well that's one True Dragon down, at least. Iod is the True Dragon who planted the Seed of Life onto this formerly barren planet. The Seed of Life became the basis for the entire human race... for all lifeforms in existence. It was the drop that created life in the ancient sea. The beginning of millions of miraculous events. And so, humanity and dragonkind share a deep bond. The specimen from Iod showed us that much. As I've already mentioned, we are collecting specimens from the six True Dragons. In doing so, we plan to complete the Dragon Chronicle and defeat the 7th True Dragon, VFD. We are also aware that ISDF is in possession of a specimen of the 5th True Dragon Fomalhaut. We only currently know the locations of those two specimens. Therefore, four specimens remain. Your mission will be to retrieve them★...What about Niara? Like, he showed up a full year before Fomalhaut attacked, so why don't you have a sample of both? Did it get lost in the mail or something? This naturally means you will have to defeat the True Dragons. It will be quite tough. Actually, tough doesn't begin to describe how difficult it will be. So, what do you think? Will you help us carry out our plan... Operation Code: VFD? I will. Allie is bit too bubbly considering she's sending us to kill god level threats in order to save the world.  Hooray! How wonderful!~ I'm not sure I trust you... *chuckle* That's not a problem★ All we need at first is your cooperation. We'll have plenty of time to gain each other's trust!~~ Fabulous! Now that that's settled, we'll need to think of a team name for you. How about Opal Squad? Or maybe... I think they should be called Unit 13!Well there's no way this can get confusing!  Opal Squad is a bit odd...VFD is really weird about character focus. In all the other games, the story treats your party as a collective. Regardless of who you have in front, you're almost always referred to as 'the guild' or 'Unit 13.' Making the team leader The Most Important Person like this both cheapens everyone else you made and makes things get really strange really fast if you're the type of person who likes to shuffle the team leader around. *chuckle* Then Unit 13 it is!~ Unit 13? Oh right... You don't know about them.~~ Unit 13 is the name of the team that defended the world during the Dragon Calamity of 2020. It might be a bit dated, but it definitely carries good luck. I suppose it's not a bad name. Unit 13 is a respected name in the modern day and age! It's perfect for you guys★ Alright, from this moment on, you will be known as Unit 13, the newest team in all of Nodens! Welcome aboard, Unit 13! I look forward to working with you! All done★ Alright, let's have Unit 13 go for a tour of the building before their first mission. We'll be waiting for you at the Portal. Hmm... So, they're calling you guys Unit 13 now, huh? In that case, come with me... Unit 13.Music: The Daily Grind  ~ Our office is wonderful! Hope you enjoy the tour★ Come meet us on the Portal Floor afterward★ First off are the two desk girls.  Once it's up and running, you'll be able to take quests and get some pretty drat good rewards. She's also gonna be handling any and all construction requests over here. Construction's paid for with this stuff called Dz, or Dragon Zeni. Dz can be used for all sortsa crap: medical research, weapon development, building materials... As any dumbass coulda guessed, Dz comes from dragons. You prolly missed some on your first battle. Just make sure you don't forget to grab 'em from any dragons you beat from now on. Anyways, I'm sure you're gonna be rolling in the Dz once your mission gets started. If you give that Dz to Chika she'll help you build new weapons and expand the facilities here. Try making a Dormitory for yourselves to start. Can't have Unit 13 sleeping on the streets. Hmmm... A Dormitory should only run you about... 3 Dz.Now, Dz made sense in the 2020s because humanity was teetering on the edge of extinction, so they had to use any materials you could get your hands on, even if you had to cut them out of dozens of dragons. There's no active threat right now, so why can't Nodens just... pay some regular contractors to make our dorms? Like it makes sense for stuff like improved skills or better gear, but this is a 100% mundane task, there's no real reason to use dragon bits on it. Also how cheap is Nodens if they're making us pay to build our own drat rooms?   Go talk to her for any consumable items or equipment you might need for your missions. Though it obviously won't be free. Earn some money, and you can buy whatever crap you want. By the way, any weapons you develop using Dz will be available here. Basically you gotta earn Dz to make new weapons, then buy 'em with your well—deserved money... Heh... We're such stingy bastards...Where we once had five different counters for all these things, VFD consolidates it down to two.   Pretty impressive piece of tech, don't you think? Go on and give it a try later. That's it for the basics... Oh yeah, there are still a few places you need to see before you head over to the Portal. Meet me on the East Hall 2F R&D Floor, and don't dawdle!And of all the things they felt needed a justification, they picked fast travel? Teleportation existed in the 2020s, sure, but specifically calling out fast travel as an in-universe thing just feels... off.  Chika's still getting set up. Music: Let's Get to Work!!  But Rika is ready to go!  Now, I could use that demo money to instantly outfit everyone with the best gear we can buy.  But I'll stick to the first tier of upgraded weapons to keep things fair.  Also all the Duelist weapons use this naming scheme, which I find hilarious. Other people can use the High Derringer or the Hero Fist, meanwhile the Duelist just has to wait for a new set to come out. God help us all when Yuno gets her hands on Zoodiacs or Tearlaments. Music: The Daily Grind  Our newfound employment gives us access to a few more floors.  The Development Floor consists of the entrance.  And the actual room.   Adachi: Ah, we have one employee who's never in the office. It's hard to find him when you need him... Did you check the cafe by the entrance?   The top-left door leads to Julietta's office.  The R&D Floor, meanwhile, is hella long.  So long it has conveyors to help you get around!   Mitch, this is the new team I was telling you about.Researcher Mitch: Hahahaaa! Welcome to Doctor Julietta's lab! If something's improbable, we'll research it! Ohhhh!? You're the new faces of Unit 13!? I heard the most improbable rumor about you! You're human, but you have some kind of supernatural power!? Well, I have a secret for you! We'll help bring out your improbable abilities! I can help with all of your bodily needs! Uhhh... We're in a bit of a hurry here. Can you just hurry up and give them the drat things?Researcher Mitch: Ahhh, OOOOOOK! Leave it to moi! It's time for your shots~! Now, Unit 13... Close your eyes... and keep 'em shut tight! No peeking...     You obtained SP Up 200 x2. Researcher Mitch: It's time for you to get a new skill! Go go go! You can check your skills using the Skill option on the Main Menu! Congratulationsss! *sigh* C'mon, it's time to go. I'll be waiting on the East Hall 1F Portal Floor. Don't be late! So, what does everyone get?  Opal gets counters, debuff attacks, a revive skill, and a self-buff.  Inoue gets a single target move for single swords, a fire attack and multi-hit move for dual swords, the 10 turn buffs from 2020, and our first Auto skill.  And Yuno gets her third and final trap, a set of field spells, and targeted searches.  Of particular note is  ~ Director Yoshida: I'm Yoshida, the director of 7th Encount. I also head up the weapon development division. Why do I serve two positions? *chuckle* You do know why 7th Encount exists, don't you...? Besides that, I'm also researching these things called EX Skills. They're EX-tremely EX-citing! Ha! We're a long ways away from getting our EX Skills, but oh man. Ohhhhhhhhhhh man. Most of the EX Skills in VFD make the 2020 EXs look like a joke.  Keep these tiny dragon samples in mind for later. Much, much later.  Researcher Joe: We mainly do research on dragons, but the more we learn, the more confusing things get...   Marco: I'm glad I didn't abandon ship. I get to take part in some incredible research...  Amanda: Soooooo, if you aren't authorized to be touching things, please stay away♪  Lucas: People need our research right now. We'll do what we can to help you guys.  The entrance to the Portal Floor is much the same as the R&D Floor.  Music: UE77 In Ariake  Ah hell, I walked into the plot. Welcome, Unit 13. This is the test site for Nodens's core technology, the Portal System. If you remember, we asked you earlier to retrieve the four remaining True Dragon specimens. Didn't you wonder how you were gonna do that? There aren't any on Earth right now, after all. *nods*   Opal is shocked, understandably. Hey! Didn't I say don't be surprised~? How can you expect them not to be...? Julietta used so much money to research this that he bankrupted several of our small subsidiaries. B—But Allie...! 7th Encount is raking in a huge profit! ... ...how the gently caress does a time machine tie into making a video game??? Did they go back to 2021 to make 7th Encount as accurate as possible? Did they watch Murakumo's Unit 13 fight Fomalhaut to make sure they prefectly replicated it??? *chuckle* Don't worry, I don't blame you~. I'm just speaking the truth★ Jeez... Anyhow, you guys will be using this Portal to travel into both the past and the future. In each time period, you'll stop the True Dragon invasion and bring their specimens back to us. Opal has zero concerns about loving up the timeline. This will become a recurring theme with her. That's a great plan! Wow, your enthusiasm excites me~! What spirit!~ This is a joke, right...? *giggle* I love it when people react like that~!~~ Well, seeing is believing. Let's get you on there! Alrighty, we'll be trusting you with navigation, Nagamimi! Hold on, is that all you're gonna say!? You didn't even tell them where they're going! It'll be fine~! Practice makes perfect, right?No warnings about messing with the past or anything. Apparently actual time travel is one of those things you can just do with no real education. *sigh* Their blood's gonna be on your hands if anything happens. Unit 13, step onto the device. A reckless dummy like you has gotta be extra careful out there.      Music: Atlantica - The Emerald Afterglow  Welcome to Atlantis: Where the water falls up and the trees glow.  And they're already mid-invasion. ...Hey Julietta, couldn't you have, I dunno, sent us back an extra year or so? You're already showing a flagrant disregard for established history, so helping a fully powered Atlantis fight back would go a long way towards getting that True Dragon sample.    Hey, Unit 13. Can you guys hear me? *sigh* We really shoulda explained this all beforehand... Again, this is our first stop. This far back, any action could have so much of a butterfly effect that it could cause Opal, Nodens, or even Earth as we know it to cease existing. This is the most prosperous country of the time, smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic... The Sea Kingdom of Atlantis. This particular spot is the capital city, Atlantica. Oh, and we were plopped down not even 10 feet from some of the locals.  They don't even care that three people with exotic clothing and unusual ears just materialized right in front of them! Anyways, the 7D1 translation called them the Rushe, but this is their official name. Historical record states that humans were the only civilization to make tools out of stone, but... That's only because this mysterious race was seemingly lost to the annals of time.  Suddenly, an earthquake! (Seaquake?) Crap... this... bad! Come... imme...ly...Music: None  Brave Court Lady: We must protect the queen, even if it costs us our lives! The screen is shaking a bit for this whole scene.   Ulania's outfit is... yeah. To make it worse, the artbook says that she's 16 years old.   Tallieri... Another Star Crystal has fallen. It seems the time is nearly upon us. Please, Your Majesty, come back inside. Yes...  Next time: Opal is The Worst at time travel. BisbyWorl fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Jun 12, 2023 |
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2022 03:44
|
|
|
Nyala doesn't have a sample on-file from 2020 because the extra dungeons in the 2020 games are seemingly non-canon.
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2022 04:00
|
|
|
EclecticTastes posted:Nyala doesn't have a sample on-file from 2020 because the extra dungeons in the 2020 games are seemingly non-canon. except nyala was the final boss of 2020 and I'm pretty sure that makes kicking his rear end extremely canon
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2022 04:07
|
|
|
They actually state the reason in the next update why Nyala's sample isn't on hand around this time, so that isn't a gaffe even though it seems like one at first. But yeah he was the final boss in 2020. His fight was canon. VFD recognizes it as such. Granted with how VFD has some extremely spotty memories of how the events of the past games happened, that wouldn't be out of place for the game. But not in this particular case.
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2022 04:16
|
|
|
BisbyWorl posted:except I'll admit that it's been a few years, but my recollection is that the final boss of 2020 was the boss lady of Murakumo as Human Dragon Mizuchi. If I'm mistaken, then, my other guess would be that Nyala survived being fought in 2020, whereas Fomalhaut, I believe, totally bites it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2022 04:18
|
|
|
EclecticTastes posted:I'll admit that it's been a few years, but my recollection is that the final boss of 2020 was the boss lady of Murakumo as Human Dragon Mizuchi. If I'm mistaken, then, my other guess would be that Nyala survived being fought in 2020, whereas Fomalhaut, I believe, totally bites it. No, she was the midboss for said chapter. The chapter even opens up with the title card that says it's Nyala's turn to be fought. Granted there was extremely little buildup to it so it just comes very awkwardly shoehorned in unless you played the first game and knew how the dragon hierarchy works. He gets vaporized in 2020 at the end of his fight, but there's a couple of things that VFD explains on that front.
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2022 04:29
|
|
|
Araxxor posted:No, she was the midboss for said chapter. The chapter even opens up with the title card that says it's Nyala's turn to be fought. Granted there was extremely little buildup to it so it just comes very awkwardly shoehorned in unless you played the first game and knew how the dragon hierarchy works. I mean, the DS game existing is proof that Nyala survives, given that he's the final boss of that game, which we've known takes place in the future since 2020.
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2022 04:48
|
|
|
EclecticTastes posted:I'll admit that it's been a few years, but my recollection is that the final boss of 2020 was the boss lady of Murakumo as Human Dragon Mizuchi. If I'm mistaken, then, my other guess would be that Nyala survived being fought in 2020, whereas Fomalhaut, I believe, totally bites it. my lp is right over there chief
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2022 04:58
|
|
|
EclecticTastes posted:I mean, the DS game existing is proof that Nyala survives, given that he's the final boss of that game, which we've known takes place in the future since 2020. Yes, which VFD gives an explanation for (Well not directly but it gives enough to put 2 and 2 together on how that was possible). It also explains in a bit why they don't have the sample from the 2020 fight, and it wasn't a matter of "Nyala survived". EclecticTastes posted:Nyala doesn't have a sample on-file from 2020 because the extra dungeons in the 2020 games are seemingly non-canon. The extra dungeons can technically be canon (Though it gets very messy in that regard considering how 2020 and 2020-II's post-games end) but regardless, promotional materials and the artbooks say they were just illusions. Essentially your party was tripping really hard while exploring new locales (DS) or getting exposited at (2020 and 2020-II.) It's why the post-game bosses have the naming schemes they do, "Illusory X".
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2022 05:01
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 02:04 |
|
|
Performaps? Zoodiac? No, what we really need to fear Yukon getting is Splights…
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2022 05:55
|
|
