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I'm glad you're willing to put in all the extra work for all the Eternians I got burned out on punching.
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Jan 4, 2019 03:33
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We did it. 
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Jan 4, 2019 03:33
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 I beat up Airy as soon as I could and never picked the game up again, so I'm really interested in seeing how this finally goes down.
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Jan 4, 2019 04:05
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I did every side quest in the game apart from Chapter 6. I then replayed the game on hard as a fiesta run and did all of them again. Honestly I love the battle system in this game so much that it really really was a struggle for me to actually get bored.
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Jan 4, 2019 04:14
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AweStriker posted:If we stop posting that can't happen! Natural 20 posted:I did every side quest in the game apart from Chapter 6. I then replayed the game on hard as a fiesta run and did all of them again.
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Jan 4, 2019 04:24
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100% the game years back, so although i've forgotten enough to make fallowing along fun, i've held back from commenting much 'lest i let something slip i shouldn't have
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Jan 4, 2019 04:59
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I'll post the next entry on Monday, since by then I'll have a better idea on how to divvy up commentary through the rest of the LP. Want to make sure all the content and topics of interest get covered a decent amount. Consider this the start of an Airy-like countdown: there are 8 entries left to go.
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Jan 4, 2019 05:04
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So, has anyone mentioned the fact that Revo, of the famous Japanese band Sound Horizon, composed the music for this game? I only know one other video game song he did-Schwarzweiss, the OP for Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm.
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Jan 4, 2019 05:21
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Regalingualius posted:Maybe it’s in an endless loop, too? Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of life and death. Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle...and wonder if we'll ever get the chance to kill him.
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Jan 4, 2019 06:02
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We will become as gods!
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Jan 4, 2019 07:09
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TheGreatEvilKing posted:We will become as gods! Become as Gods!
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Jan 4, 2019 07:20
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Tunicate posted:Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of life and death. Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle...and wonder if we'll ever get the chance to kill him. I've actually just started playing this with another person watching along and we've been comparing the storytelling to other games, including Bravely Default. Haven't gotten far yet, but based on what I've played, the bits I've had spoiled, and what I've heard about the ending, there's, uh...quite a leap in narrative skill between Nier and most other games. For one thing, it keeps up a quick pace and is constantly throwing new plot out there instead of playing coy with a few simple twists the entire game.
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Jan 4, 2019 07:23
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Greyarc posted:I've actually just started playing this with another person watching along and we've been comparing the storytelling to other games, including Bravely Default. Yoko has always been good at throwing unexpected plot at people, and after his first few games he's finally able to throw good unexpected plot at people.
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Jan 4, 2019 09:07
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Tunicate posted:Yoko has always been good at throwing unexpected plot at people, and after his first few games he's finally able to throw good unexpected plot at people. The strangest thing about Yoko Taro is that storytelling is his specialty and yet using basically that one lone skill he managed to work his way up the game industry to head a now-beloved AAA production. No matter what else you think about his work, he's one of the people proving video games can not only tell stories, but can be a perfect medium for them. I'm just glad I could read DarkId's LPs instead of having to experience all of Taro's baby steps before Nier:A. ...I guess you could argue Bravely Default is one of the baby steps for the guys who went on to make Octopath Traveler, though from what I've heard even that game has issues in the latter half. Since there's currently an LP running for Octopath, however, I'd prefer we didn't get into spoilers for it here. Decent chance there are a few people reading both threads blind. Greyarc fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Jan 4, 2019 |
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Jan 4, 2019 20:55
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His other skill is drinking, which explains a lot about how he was able to become so successful.
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Jan 5, 2019 01:04
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Gameplay-wise, at least, Octopath definitely iterates upon the Bravely series’ with it’s take on the Brave/Default and Job systems... though the big love-it-or-hate-it factor is also the narrative (though thankfully, it’s not as egregious as BD’s alternate dimension hopping).
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Jan 5, 2019 01:14
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ultrafilter posted:His other skill is drinking, which explains a lot about how he was able to become so successful. It's just a rumor I've heard, but supposedly this is actually the more important one for his advancement; he ended up drinking with higher-ups who overrode decisions about giving him more chances to direct after the early Drakengard games didn't sell well.
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Jan 5, 2019 04:21
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Finally caught up with the thread. Holy crap, no one was kidding about the repetition. Just thinking about the hours of gameplay put into this makes my head hurt. I haven't played ffv, so I can't say anything bout that but it did remind me of something else...
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Jan 6, 2019 22:06
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I hate that I get that reference
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Jan 7, 2019 06:15
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fluffyDeathbringer posted:I hate that I get that reference I don't, but I've seen it in the Major/Minor LP.
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Jan 7, 2019 06:29
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Regalingualius posted:Gameplay-wise, at least, Octopath definitely iterates upon the Bravely series’ with it’s take on the Brave/Default and Job systems... though the big love-it-or-hate-it factor is also the narrative (though thankfully, it’s not as egregious as BD’s alternate dimension hopping). Honestly I think Octopath has far worse narrative issues than this one. The choice to make all the characters' stories completely stand-alone with no interaction from your other party members other than brief optional comments that are even blander than the skits in this game kind of doomed the whole game, imo. I came away from Bravely Default thinking, "wow, that was interesting, although obviously very flawed. I look forward to their next game." While with Octopath I never even reached the point where I thought it was interesting. It was just flawed all around, and I finished it out of a sense of duty more than anything else. Plus you couldn't turn off battles. Clarste fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Jan 7, 2019 |
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Jan 7, 2019 07:07
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Clarste posted:Honestly I think Octopath has far worse narrative issues than this one. The choice to make all the characters' stories completely stand-alone with no interaction from your other party members other than brief optional comments that are even blander than the skits in this game kind of doomed the whole game, imo. That’s a perfectly understandable reason to dislike Octopath’s storyline, and it’s absolutely the biggest crux for whether you’ll enjoy it or not. Granted, I’ll admit that my own take on it was that it was a breath of fresh air for each character to have a fully fleshed out storyline, when so many other JRPGs with a playable cast of that size basically take a stance of “if you’re not the main protagonist, we’ll give you an introduction, a level to highlight your skills for the player, and mayyybe a conclusion to your story arc independent of the main plot if we’re feeling generous”. ...Assuming they’re not a ChuChu kind of character who only exists for comic relief.
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Jan 7, 2019 08:33
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Read all 67 pages of this thread over two days. I regret not joining in earlier, but hey, it’s been fun. Edea’s my favorite of the main characters, thanks to her slow realization that her homeland is full of numbskulls. Something I haven’t seen brought up: if Yulyana created the Asterisks, does this mean he’s responsible for some of the more questionable uniforms for the women?
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Jan 7, 2019 20:46
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smh if you don't think Yulyana designed Mephilia's cleavage window on purpose oh Oh no. I just disgusted myself. 
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Jan 7, 2019 20:50
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...That really would explain why he became a world-renowned tailor, wouldn’t it.
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Jan 7, 2019 22:41
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Entry 105: We are the Demons Back in the first world, we were pursued by the Eternians every step of the way. How the tables have turned.  Our flying fortress traverses the dimensions, swooping in and effortlessly picking off Eternian troops before moving on in an all-consuming void of light.  We have confidence borne of knowing the locals depend on us, given the competence of their own defenses, such as this fellow, guarding the harbor while the ocean's rotted.  Our goal here in Eisenberg: the Black Blades.  I've received orders from the Lord Marshal. He's chosen to wage the final battle in Eternia. Meaning...? We're to abandon Eisenberg? Aww, and after I worked so hard to make a name here? ...... I am to take back with me all troops who wish to pull out. That extends to the Black Blades, and the Swordbearers, too.What do you know? Just like with Ancheim and Florem, the region's troubles were already ending before we arrived.  But we're going to say hello anyway, even though at this point it's just a distraction from the game's true enemies. Aye aye, captain! I have no doubt the Shieldbearers will catch wind of this. Expect the pursuit to be fierce! Great! When's curtain call?What effect does it have to take characters who seemed semi-serious in the first half of the game and make them ultimately inconsequential?  All these conflicts seemed so important at one point. Now...  Now the fish we'll have to fry in the main plot are much bigger than a simple civil war.  The party enters Starkfort right through the front, chatting with the guards along the way as usual. ~Meanwhile~  Again, it isn't as though the party's even accomplishing anything here. The Eternians are already leaving. We're just coming to harass them on the way to their ship. So, how many troops are we taking back to Eternia? Of the Black Blades, one hundred twenty-one, and of the Swordbearers, seventy-eight. Out of the four thousand Swordbearers here, less than eighty elected to join us?Why are we doing this? Revenge for past worlds?  Or are the party's actions only mindlessly echoing what was once relevant? How our numbers have dwindled.Perhaps it's their way of seeking forgiveness for worlds left in havoc by our misguided attempts to fix the chasm?  It may be unnecessary at this point, but for the party, it's more assuring than dealing with the crystals yet again. He leads a force of some thirty thousand! And his officers Steiner and Neuer are each leading forces ten thousand men strong! Gah! A total of fifty thousand!? That's ludicrous! Seems the entire Shieldbearers force has come to see us off. I'd not expected them so soon.Goodman leads an offense to distract from the party's sneak attack.  It works. And do what, pray tell? Deliver a parting farewell to the good Commander Goodman. They have five hundred times your number! You underestimate the Blades' prowess. This is Kamiizumi's big chance to try out some Art of War stuff he read about once. Besides, we needn't wipe them out. I aim only to buy the time to retreat. Barbarossa, you've command till I return. Stay sharp--my student knows to seize any chance she's given. Aye, Captain! Don't keep us waiting long!I'm sure Goodman will see through Kamiizumi's strategy, whatever it is.  Haha ha ha... No but seriously, we'll be lucky if the Shieldbearers don't get themselves killed.  After Kamiizumi leaves, the hidden party continues watching...  ...and prepares to strike. Yessir, sir!  "Blend in with the locals" -- that's one of the big rules of being a ninja, right? Welcome, daughter of the grand marshal! And you, Lady Vestal! Your crew is looking well. A pity we're in the midst of a pullout. I fear we can't offer much in the way of hospitality.Lucky for us, we're taking on just four instead of all five Black Blade leaders at once.  The major gimmick in this battle is, once you KO one of the other four, Kamiizumi joins in.  This means more characters to fight! Also more dialogue options to miss.  First Division of the Eternian Forces! Till such time as our captain returns, you'll face me. Now fight, you scallywags!Even with four instead of five, this is not a straightforward fight.  It's largely a battle of musicians due to importance of BP for damage dealers.  Praline doesn't obey normal laws of BP, so Slow World will majorly backfire here, while Hasten World is a big help.  On the damage front, Qada will use this attack regularly, based on damage dealt to him. Until it comes time to KO Qada, avoid damaging him.  In the case you do accidentally damage him, you can use a heal to bring down the damage of his attack.  Kairai to redirect bulk of damage to tanky characters is, as always, a great way to nullify single-target attackers.  ...And lastly, Stillness is the most overpowered ability in the game.  Because Kamiizumi doesn't enter until one of the others is KO'd, he has no 1/10 line. The other 1/10 lines: .................. Ohhh, rude! You big meanie! Scarcely felt that one. Barely a scratch!All five have lines at critical health. Qada's:  ............!! I don't think so, my little friends! Everyone, all together now! A-one and a-two...! Foolish child! Did you expect it to end so easily?Finally, KO lines.  The first person to get KO'd will have Kamiizumi's entrance to the fight cut off any responses from others. For instance, normally this line would get a response from Barbarossa: Exit, stage left! Know when to bow out, lass!But since Praline is first to be downed, Barbarossa's line is replaced by Kamiizumi entering and saying:  Other exchanges if Kamiizumi's entrance doesn't get in the way are Kikyo and Praline: ..............................! Kikyo, retreat! Retreat now!Barbarossa and Qada:  All brawn and no brains. Clear the way, you oaf!Qada and a bit of humanity from Kikyo: Gaaah! I'll not die here... I'm pulling back! In addition, everyone has a response to Kamiizumi getting KO'd, but only one person's line will trigger per battle.  Captain, it's time! You've done enough!For example. And of course on top of this, there are separate lines for getting KO'd with no one to respond:  Ha hah! I stand in awe of your battle skills!To cap this battle off, there's one special line if you put in extra effort and down more than one Black Blade at once before Kamiizumi enters.  ...So let's take down all four starting Black Blades with the same attack.  The field is empty. But just as the party's about to leave asterisk space...  This clever commander returns from evading an army.  Yes, you're down to all of one, including yourself. Pretty mild reaction to the party's attack, but we know how Kamiizumi is. He's a chill guy.  Eventually the party gets sick of playing around and lets the Black Blades escape, though according to D's Journal (entries below) the Eternians are actually cool and great and so powerful they just let us off easy. All present and accounted for? Aye, only two injured, against fifty thousand men. You're a tough old dog to be sure, Captain! The enemy did not expect a counterattack. No sooner did we strike than they turned and fled. Their casualties scarce outnumber our own. We did little more than sow a little chaos. Somewhere off in the distance:  Well, golly! Gosh darn! Let's leave him to it. Set a course for home. Are you sure, Captain? No parting words for your old student? As I said, she's quick to seize a chance. We'll see her soon enough in Eternia.Compared to the other divisions, the Black Blades seem fairly unchanged from previous worlds.  Barbarossa is hearty, Kikyo is quietly loyal, Praline is peppy, and Kamiizumi is his usual stoic self. Qada is probably also the same, just being kept occupied with less destructive activities at the moment. What I think Kikyo means to say is, "Hurry up, you two!" Heh hah har! Alright then, off we go!Their evils, Qada aside, were always less absolute and more circumstantial, rooted in keeping the violence of the civil war going. Once redirected towards other activities, such as Praline singing on Grandship, they're fairly normal people.  With the Black Blades gone, talk in Hartschild points to the war ending soon. We leave Goodman to regain his dignity by sweeping things up. Last target: Vampire Castle.  Speaking of plot and characters, look at this unhelpful nerd.  He exposited about his own background in the first world, but there's so much more he could tell us. Instead he invites us to battle, again.  But once you enter combat, you get an unexpected visitor.  Sage... I trust you to contain yourself... Dreary as it is, I prefer my castle standing.Both of these two know more than they're letting on in the main chapters, if the Finale's anything to go by.   ...In theory, at least. Hm hm hm! What!?They've known about Airy from the start. They also knew about the multiple dimensions. Did each iteration of them get the same info from the angel? Hard to say, since they've avoided saying anything but the bare minimum to the party despite us being the apparent source of their big prophecy.  This battle may only be against the two, but it's still easy to die if you aren't prepared. My strategy here ended up being stupidly simple: Blood Thirst to drain HP.  We got all these speeches about how these two old guys waited so long for the prophecy, dedicated everything to stopping it. Then the party finally showed up with Airy. And in the moment these two had prepared for for over a thousand years, they did nothing.  Scratch that: DeRosso told us he's bored and Yulyana attempted to pressure the girl who looked like the angel into a skimpy swimsuit. Subsequent worlds went slightly better, but here we are, still fumbling around beating up a bunch of unrelated people instead of actually figuring out how to stop the Great Evil. 1/10 lines: You wouldn't harm an old man, would you? Wait, you just did! It will take far more than that to make me kneel!Critical health lines: Do not think you'll vanquish me with the likes of that! How intriguing... You do not fail to amuse!KO Yulyana first:  Welp, nothing for it but to run! Good luck handling the rest, Your Lordship! Hoo ho ho ho! *exits* First he barges in, then he leaves early... Capricious as ever...Followed by DeRosso:  Or start with DeRosso:  Oh? That was fast. Starting to show your age?And end with Yulyana.  There is no followup scene, but on exiting to the world map:  It appears Braev has finished assembling his troops. As you might expect, the battles this chapter took some time to compile, even with skipping a few KO lines. Massive props to GiftedACIII on Gamefaqs for putting together a handy list of how the Chapter 8 battle dialogues work. Sailor Nemesis's efforts have also been a big help throughout, and their guide is pretty darn thorough for anyone looking for help on their own playthrough. Next: Braev's Grand Plan. -- Event Viewer Sub-Scenario: The Black Blades Muster The Battle of Eisenberg The Retreat from Eisenberg D's Journal: Sage Yulyana posted:In the fifth world, we were about to battle Lord DeRosso on the top floor of Vampire Castle, when Sage Yulyana showed up. He acted as cordially as ever, but we could not help trembling in fear. Lord DeRosso laughed, and asked him not to ruin his castle. I don't think he was joking. After giving us a taste of his god-like power, he grew bored and went home. D's Journal: Swordmaster Kamiizumi posted:In the fifth world, as Starkfort prepared to evacuate after hearing of the duchy's orders, it was attacked by a host of 50,000 Shieldbearers. Swordmaster Kamiizumi held them off with a force of just 100 soldiers, and intercepted us as we launched a raid on the Swordbearer headquarters. After a ferocious battle, he calmly set off for his home soil, leaving us amazed. D's Journal: Captain Barbarossa posted:In the fifth world, we used a great host of Shieldbearers as a distraction to raid the Swordbearer headquarters. Inside, we clashed with Captain Barbarossa and other Black Blades, who seemed to have been waiting for us. Barbarossa led a coordinated effort that left us exhausted. When Swordmaster Kamiizumi arrived, the battle intensified further. D's Journal: Qada the Salve-Maker posted:In the fifth world, the Black Blades had been ordered back to their home country. With the Shieldbearers mounting a large counteroffensive, we launched an assault on Starkfort. Qada appeared to be rushed off his feet making room for returning soldiers and the wounded. He supported Barbarossa until the swordmaster's arrival, then they set off back to the duchy. D's Journal: Praline, Diva of the Battlefield posted:In the fifth world, the duchy issued orders to fall back, and the Shieldbearers gave chase. The Black Blades and the Swordbearers were cornered. We raided Starkfort, and were met by Praline and the other Black Blades. The voice that had held Eisen Bridge alone echoed out, and all of a sudden her companions were filled with vigor. Praline sang on, until we finally defeated them. D's Journal: Konoe the Ninja posted:In the fifth world, the Black Blades were ordered to withdraw. Word got out, and a host of 50,000 Shieldbearers marched on Starkfort. The Black Blades got away, but I later heard the intelligence and counterintelligence efforts were led by Konoe Kikyo on the Swordbearer side, while Officer Neuer led her Shieldbearer counterparts. D's Journal: Lord DeRosso posted:In the fifth world, we prepared to face off against Lord DeRosso on the top floor of Vampire Castle. We were shocked to see Sage Yulyana appear and join the fray... We weathered blow after blow from these historic figures of Luxendarc. Before we knew it, the sage was gone, and DeRosso stood before us laughing. We had won. 
Greyarc fucked around with this message at 04:11 on Jan 8, 2019 |
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Jan 8, 2019 03:16
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So I see DeRosso's true weapon is chiropteran alcoholism. Certainly better than the other option.
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Jan 8, 2019 03:30
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This fight with the Black Blades is where the game insults your mama and demands your lunch money. That is a very large amount of alternate dialogue, though. Goodness. Also, even though Airy is unrepentantly evil, I still want to pat her head and tell her she's a cute fairy.  Even if DeRosso and Yulyana could totally just blow her up right now in the asterisk barrier.
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Jan 8, 2019 03:42
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Hobgoblin2099 posted:Even if DeRosso and Yulyana could totally just blow her up right now in the asterisk barrier. Presumably, Airy sticks really close to Agnes in battle, and both DeRosso and Yulyana are too hesitant to risk an errant spell (or other attack) hurting their "angel".
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Jan 8, 2019 03:49
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TwoPair posted:Presumably, Airy sticks really close to Agnes in battle, and both DeRosso and Yulyana are too hesitant to risk an errant spell (or other attack) hurting their "angel". It would have been a neat character thing if one or both of them were programmed not to target Agnes if any of her allies were standing. 
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Jan 8, 2019 03:54
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Praline really is the devil  For those who don't play the game: As you can see from Greyarc's job explanations, "My Hero" gives everyone 1 BP but costs 2 BP, so this effectively costs 1 BP. However, in Praline's case, the cost for "My Hero" is a whopping 0 BP, which added with its effect means that Praline GAINS 1 BP everytime she cast it. She spams that, meaning that her teammates can Brave indefinitely. It's even more unfair than Alternis' Dark Bane or Qada's Dark Breath.
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Jan 8, 2019 05:41
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1234567890num posted:Praline really is the devil
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Jan 8, 2019 05:53
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Commander Keene posted:To be fair, one of the BP battery setups for this game is to combine Performer and Freelancer; you use My Hero once, and them Mimic it three times, gaining one BP each Mimic usage (because Mimic'd commands don't have any cost to the user). The combat system in Bravely Default changes Mimic from a gimmick command useful in a few setups into a powerful universal tool, and it's an excellent capstone to the Freelancer; you can bypass Summon's high MP cost, mitigate the damage Dark Knight abilities cause to you, infinitely Compound powerful attack/buff items, and more. Yeah, I guess this is true. I used this combo plenty of times, and this combined with Hasten World basically lets us bypass the cost of doing this combo for ourselves. Or we can just use Shippunjirai and Stillness loop to kill any enemy. I'm saying that this game's gameplay is great. Praline is still the devil, though.
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Jan 8, 2019 05:59
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1234567890num posted:Yeah, I guess this is true. I used this combo plenty of times, and this combined with Hasten World basically lets us bypass the cost of doing this combo for ourselves. Or we can just use Shippunjirai and Stillness loop to kill any enemy.
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Jan 8, 2019 06:09
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Ratoslov posted:It would have been a neat character thing if one or both of them were programmed not to target Agnes if any of her allies were standing. In this type of game that just isn't practical to do and in fact the only time I saw it pulled off well was in Tales of Xillia.
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Jan 8, 2019 06:10
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Hunt11 posted:In this type of game that just isn't practical to do and in fact the only time I saw it pulled off well was in Tales of Xillia. I think FFVII does that with one of the fights against the Turks?
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Jan 8, 2019 08:19
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Dirk the Average posted:I think FFVII does that with one of the fights against the Turks? Xenogears also pulls that off in one circumstance.
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Jan 8, 2019 09:24
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I think IX pulls it repeatedly on Garnet. Black Waltz 2 and Black Waltz 3 are loathe to target her. BW2's fight just ends of Garnet is the only one standing, BW3 will literally kill itself before harming Garnet. Lani, on the other hand, pulls a reversal, and will always go for Garnet if she's not KO'd.
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Jan 8, 2019 10:39
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Lyumia posted:Finally caught up with the thread. Holy crap, no one was kidding about the repetition. Just thinking about the hours of gameplay put into this makes my head hurt.  Supersonic Shine posted:Read all 67 pages of this thread over two days. I regret not joining in earlier, but hey, it's been fun. Edea's my favorite of the main characters, thanks to her slow realization that her homeland is full of numbskulls. Dirk the Average posted:I think FFVII does that with one of the fights against the Turks?
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Jan 9, 2019 02:37
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| # ? May 13, 2024 12:56 |
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In FF5 the tentacle enemies in the second mini-dungeon area only attack your female party members. If you only have the male party members active they just won't attack you at all.
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Jan 9, 2019 02:52
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