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Hey Pyre, did you have issues running this game on your PC? Specifically, the game closing itself out immediately upon opening? I bought a copy in preparation for the Geofront Patch, but it keeps opening to a black screen for a second before shutting itself down
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Mar 14, 2020 17:23
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This is the PSP version (I'll switch over to the PC version once the patch comes out), but I've tried the PC port before and I haven't had any problems. I'd say reinstall it after swapping your PC's locale to Japanese (or use a program that can imitate the process with an app). That might do the trick. The Geofront patch may or may not have a solution to this as well without requiring you to reinstall the whole thing. Edit: I'll reinstall my copy and see if I can troubleshoot the problem. Pyre of Word Salsa fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Mar 14, 2020 |
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Mar 14, 2020 18:37
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Pyre of Word Salsa posted:This is the PSP version (I'll switch over to the PC version once the patch comes out), but I've tried the PC port before and I haven't had any problems. I'll have to look into that when I get home,. To my great displeasure, the release coincided with my Monday this week. I appreciate any insight and help you can offer. I REALLY don't want to have just flushed $25 down the tube
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Mar 14, 2020 18:55
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Yeah, no problem. All right, I've tried installing the game several different times with Japanese locale/No locale/different compatibility modes on the setup file. The game has run perfectly each time for me, so the problem might have to do with what you don't have installed. A quick Google search revealed that people have been getting a black screen during fullscreen because they don't have Direct X 9 installed (it's actually included with the installation files, I believe). I don't know if that's related to your issue, since... Well I'm not at your computer and I have no idea what to uninstall if I want to test the game out without Direct X. I honestly think there's a good chance that The Geofront people may increase the compatibility to Direct 3D (if this is the issue) given the amount of effort and polish they've put into this. But don't quote me on that. Sorry, my bad. I forgot that it was gibberish either way until you open the program up with Japanese locale as well. Pyre of Word Salsa fucked around with this message at 19:28 on Mar 14, 2020 |
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Mar 14, 2020 19:20
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Thanks, Pyre. I'll look into that when I get home. I'll post here if it works, in case anyone else has the same issue
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Mar 14, 2020 22:51
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:Thanks, Pyre. I'll look into that when I get home. I'll post here if it works, in case anyone else has the same issue Maybe dumb question: did you run FSetup5.exe? The thing looks like it's ready to run when you decompress the dlsite SFX rar, but it actually has all its data packed up and needs that thing as an installer.
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Mar 15, 2020 00:02
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OddObserver posted:Maybe dumb question: did you run FSetup5.exe? The thing looks like it's ready to run when you decompress the dlsite SFX rar, but it actually I did but I can't read what it wanted to do so I don't know if it sent the necessary files somewhere else or what
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Mar 15, 2020 00:06
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:I did but I can't read what it wanted to do so I don't know if it sent the necessary files somewhere else or what I guessed the right button to get it to ask about an install dir. Hmm, it creates a FALCOM directory under it, which has ed_zero, and under that there should be data with a whole bunch of subdirs (apl, battle, bgm,..._), as compared to the starting point which has data.arc instead. Try to see if you have c:\FALCOM\ if that's not where you're looking, that seems to be the default? (Your symptom is identical to what the game executable does when run from where it was first extracted w/o install).
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Mar 15, 2020 00:12
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OddObserver posted:I guessed the right button to get it to ask about an install dir. Hmm, it creates a FALCOM directory under it, DING DING DING! That's it! Thank you! (I assume. I can't read that first text box) Rabbi Raccoon fucked around with this message at 05:20 on Mar 15, 2020 |
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Mar 15, 2020 04:48
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Chest Full of Puns: Geofront A Sector (Prologue) Geofront _1.jpg) “The Geofront team developed PTSD arguing whether to name it the CPD or CSPD.” - A chest. “What? You thought that because it’s a fan translation, all you would find is “The chest is empty’?” - A chest “Signs and equipment were left down here so that this place would be perfectly serviceable.” - A chest _2.jpg) _3.jpg) _4.jpg) “Battle Scopes are one way you can scan enemies for the Combat Notebook. You should probably get on that, Detective.” - A chest. 
Pyre of Word Salsa fucked around with this message at 15:13 on May 9, 2020 |
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Mar 16, 2020 01:25
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It's a lot of fun so far. It seems to start off a little more difficult (those 5 blobs were bullshit), but you also start off with a full roster so I suppose it'll even out down the road
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Mar 16, 2020 02:09
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Those slimes suck. If you pick the wrong option during that cutscene, you're basically screwed since all the slimes are gonna immediately go for the kid and wreck him. It doesn't help that you don't get any accessories besides the one, and it's guaranteed that some of the party is getting frozen. Your best bet is to equip that Lighter on Tio and hope she gets to take her turn / gets close to cast a heal on Ryu. But I'm sure it's much, MUCH worse on Nightmare difficulty. While I'm here, I might as well mention that I'll have the next update out in a day or two.
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Mar 16, 2020 17:44
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Part 60: “Runnin’ around this ugly place has tuckered me out.” Note: As of this update (March 18th, 2020), the Geofront translation patch for Trails From Zero has been released. I’ll be using it for the remainder of this LP. Special Support Section (Evolution)  Finally… it’s here. The Geofront patch is looking pretty sleek, huh? We can admire it all we want as we go through this update (and believe me, there’s a lot to admire). For now, let’s get down to business. It’s day three of the festival, and we have a new slew of Support Requests to tackle! Old Armorica Road Monster Extermination posted:Client: State Government Remember to not get set on fire! Stop drop and roll! STOP DROP AND ROLL! Stalker Investigation posted:Client: Troupe Leader Avan I’m gonna let you in on a li’l secret, Avan… the Special Support Section does NOT do discreet very well. It’s simply not in their dictionary. Police brutality and preventing assassinations are more our thing. And races. Mine Monster Cleanup posted:Client: Mayor Bickson Hey, it’s padding, but as long as we get paid. Exposing the Counterfeit Dealers posted:Client: Second Division - Donovan I’ve been looking forward to showing off this particular request for a long time. Yeah, it’s that good. It deserves its own update.   Exposing the counterfeit dealers… what exactly does that entail? That aside, ain’t this the first time the department has sent us an important-lookin’ mission? Haha, maybe they’ve finally come to appreciate our hard work, eh? Well… it’s not an impossibility. I’m more inclined to believe this is an odd job that they pushed onto us. Well, it doesn’t matter now. Let’s go hear the details from Inspector Donovan. If everything goes well, maybe the other divisions will start to warm up to us. Hopefully… Okay, we should head to headquarters when we’re ready. As usual, the urgent request for today pushes the plot forward, so we’ll be holding off on it for now. Since today has a few combat heavy requests, I think it’d be prudent of us to finally upgrade our quartz loadout. Not that there’s much left to upgrade. The shop hasn’t changed much since Chapter 2, to account for some of the players who didn’t have much in the way of quartz at that point.   In any case, Elie, Tio and Randy got a flat upgrade to tier 2 quartz. Lloyd, on the other hand, replaced his Hit 1 quartz with a Septium Vein (Additional 1-2 pieces of Septium gained) since I’m still planning on using him to exploit the Tiger Charge + Septium Bonus trick. I also replaced his Poison quartz with a Petrify. In hindsight, it might have been a better idea to give the quartz to Randy instead now that I think about it. Petrify has huge merit when combined with his Crash Bomb craft.  And… what the hell, they all get a few upgrades on their ENIGMAs. Spoiler: I made back my sepith by the end of this update anyway.  Once we’re all equipped and loaded up, we can hop on the bus to Armorica Village and make our way down until we bump into the Wanted Monster. We can find the Sepith Demon near the rest area where Elie and Tio almost died from exhaustion back in Chapter 1.   All right, time to throw down! Meet… the Sepith Demon? I guess it looks like a demon if you squint a little, but it looks more like an orange blob to me. An orange blob with crystals embedded in its back. A dead orange blob with crystals embedded in its back.  The Sepith Demon has exactly two attacks. The first is a swipe that deals moderate damage to one target. Provided Elie has enough CP, this can get easily patched up with a Holy Bullet.   The demon’s second attack is a tad more troubling. Flaming Fog Breath has a fairly decent chance of inflicting Burn on the target(s). The damage we take from Burn is small for now, but it CAN build up with time if it isn’t managed correctly.   Not much of a challenge other than that, though. It’s worth noting that on my very first turn, Lloyd managed to petrify one of them after an  ...And then Lloyd ended up dislodging all of the sepith from the other demon’s back with his S-Craft. See, this is why Sepith Demons are becoming an endangered species to this day. Donate to the “Endangered Kiseki Monsters Foundation” today and support our environment!   Truth be told, I don’t have a strategy for this fight. Mostly because I didn’t need one. I ended up paralyzing the other monster almost immediately after I jotted down its two attacks and had the party gang up on it with regular attacks until it died. More importantly, Elie learned her Cross Mirage craft here.   Cross Mirage is a large AoE craft that costs 40 CP where Elie just rushes into the group of foes and begins blasting whatever lines up in her sights. It’s not bad for now, but its use begins to deteriorate as the game goes on, mostly because enemies get tougher and tougher. I suppose it could be fairly useful if you equipped an Attack (X) quartz on her, but she wouldn’t be as effective at it when Lloyd or Randy could do the job better. Still good at finishing off large groups of enemies at once, though.   On the way back, I end up bumping into a rather rare enemy in this franchise: Shining Poms.  Shining Poms, as you may have deduced, give a huge payout in experience and / or sepith at the cost of being ridiculously hard to kill. TV Tropes would refer to them as a “Metal Slime” on their tropes page. Trails From Zero’s Shining Poms are… kind of an exception to this.  Or at the very least, this Shining Pom was ridiculously easy to skin.  I know this seems like a lot of Sepith that this one Shining Pom gave me, but keep in mind that this was after I did the Tiger Charge + Sepith Bonus trick. Out of curiosity, I went back and did the fight without any bonuses, and I ended up getting around thirty sepith across the board. Bleh. Anyway, I just wanted to point that out. Among the Shining Pom’s skillset is the ability to run away fast and suck up 10 CP from someone through a straw. It’s no Grow Apple from the Wild ARMs games, that’s for sure. At least not in Zero.  Our reward for defeating the evil and sending the Sepith Demon back to whence it came is 4 DP and 2000 mira. All right, I can take that…   Next, we’ll be hitting up Mainz in order to tackle our next quest for today: Mine Monster Cleanup. To start this up, we have to hop on the bus at the north end of town near the Residential District before talking to the mayor of the town.   I can’t send in the mine chief to exterminate those monsters. That’d be an execution…Good afternoon, Mayor Bickson. Special Support Section here.Oh, you came! I was hoping that you’d get here soon.You submitted a Support Request, right? Something about monsters in the mine…?Yes. We’re in a bit of a pickle. Deep in the mine, there’s an abandoned area that has already been fully excavated.Last night, monsters began to rampage in there, causing our mining crew problems. Monsters running amok in the mine definitely doesn’t sound safe. Does that sort of thing happen often?Usually, many monsters appear in the areas where septium is mined. You’d be hard-pressed to find a country that doesn’t have that issue. Though it hasn’t been explained yet, monsters are naturally attracted to septium crystals. I’ve heard that before a load of times. The suckers can’t get enough of it.I think I remember learning about that as well. No matter the country, mines always face the risk of attracting monsters. So that’s how it is…Normally, our miners are tough enough to be able to drive away monsters without any issues. But most of the miners are in the city celebrating the Anniversary Festival. We’re short on manpower.The abandoned mine entrance may be locked, but there’s no telling how dangerous things will get if left unattended. And if you’d accept, I would like for you folks to exterminate all the monsters in there.So, what do you think?Accept.Understood. We’ll take care of these monsters for you, no problem.Really? I’m in your debt, once again. Please, take this with you. Use that key to unlock the abandoned mine’s gate. I’ll be awaiting the good news. Try to be careful, all right?  So, our job this time is to clear all of the monsters in the abandoned mine. We haven’t visited it before, but the entrance to the main section of the mine is at the very top of the town, next to the general store. You can’t miss it. It’s the one with all the sheet metal nailed down!   The mine itself is pretty typical of what you’d expect in a setting like this. A whole lotta rock, a few lights, and the same textures on said rocks. There are a few goodies here if we had entered earlier in the game… but most of them are outdated at this point. The SSS has way better stuff than what the regular mine offers.  Instead, we’ll go directly straight forward from the entrance and take a look at the chained-up door here. You see, this is the Abandoned Mine we need to clear of monsters. So let’s hop to it…    It doesn’t strike me as being a particularly old place… I mean, look. The orbal lamps still seem to be in okay condition.It’s probably just to keep monsters from appearing near the entrance. I get the feeling that this place is used for storing materials and the like. Maybe. Still, this place doesn’t sit well with me. Gives me bad vibes. Actually, this would be the perfect place to test your mettle, y’know? Happy-go-lucky as always… We’re here on work. Not some random dare, remember?Haha, don’t have to tell me twice.I can detect the presence of multiple monsters deeper in. The structure of the mine will likely get more complex the farther we go. We should proceed with caution. Absolutely. Let’s try not to get lost while we’re at it.  The abandoned mine actually isn’t all that complex, despite what Tio said. We have the main road that winds all the way around the area, ending in a little waterfall area with a fishing spot at the base of the mine...   ...And then we have a few detours that we can take on the side. Said detours lead to loot that we can help to ourselves. Hey, it’s not like anyone is coming back down here anyway! Yoink!   Notably though, if you use the Feather Tackle and some Roe as bait, you can reel up a Rainbow Trout at the fishing spot I mentioned earlier. Appropriately enough, it spits out fifty of every color in sepith. So if you have the patience and enough bait, you could make a quick profit here if you so wished.  Near the fishing spot, we can pick up another Gladiator Headband for the party. This one went on Elie, since she’s the CP Battery / Healer of the party, and she needs that boost in order to perform her role more effectively. Lloyd has his Gladiator Headband for now, Tio doesn’t need it until she unlocks her second S-Craft, and Randy has his own option that got unlocked during this subquest. In the future, I’ll be passing over Lloyd’s Gladiator Headband to Tio or giving her a Gladiator Belt depending on what I think she should have, but I’ll get to that eventually.  Outside of all of that though, there isn’t much that stands out about the Abandoned Mine. It’s a rocky corridor with plenty of branching sides, that’s all. It’s more of a set piece for what goes on in this request. ...In any case, we might as well get to what we came here for: a monster extermination! That’s right, we have to go through each and every nook and cranny in order to exterminate the monsters inside this cavern. Get Over the Barrier! (Field Zanmai)  First up are the local insects that infest these parts of the abandoned mine. They have a swiping attack that can inflict poison on a party member. I mean, it could be worse… they could be inflicting Seal instead. But, I mean… it’s poison. We can patch that up no problem.  We also have the return of the Deathcargot. It’s just… a beefier version of the Deathcargot back on the St. Ursula Byroad with high defenses against physical attacks. The Special Support Section has gotten a smidge stronger since Chapter 1. The Deathcargot can barely scratch us at this point.  And finally, uh… we have these JRPG roper things. I’m not sure WHAT they’re supposed to be, frankly. And I didn’t bother analyzing these things, mostly because I was able to kill them so fast that they didn’t even do anything to me. Sorry if you REALLY dig these enemies for some reason, I guess?   Sorry for rushing through this Support Request so quickly (and it feels like I’m rushing it, even to me), but… there really isn’t much to say about it. Go into this dungeon, beat everything up, loot the treasure, then leave and report in to our client. That’s it! That’s all there is to this sidequest. It’s more of an excuse to allow the player to grind for EXP and sepith than anything else, really. Anyway, once we clear out the abandoned mine, a cutscene will play out to indicate that our job is over:  Yes, it should be. I can’t detect any more monsters within the abandoned mine. Whew, finally! Runnin’ around this ugly place has tuckered me out.We’ve definitely worked hard. Now, Lloyd. Shall we head on back to Mayor Bickson’s house?Yeah, let’s do it.Ugh, I don’t think I’m gonna make it…Lloooooyd. Do a pal a solid and carry me back to the entrance, pleeeease? ❤Not gonna happen. Stop messing around, it’s time to head back.Tch, killjoy.  Yes, sir. They won’t be an issue anymore.For the time being, no further monsters should try to settle in that area. Your remaining miners should be safe to work during the festival. At least until the rest of the mining crew returns.That’s music to my ears. I must find some way to thank you… Ah, how about this?  Oh, Mayor Bickson, you flatterer! Whoa, whoa, whoa! You sure you’re allowed to give us this mountain of sepith?! Y-You’re pulling our leg, right? Mayor Bickson, I’m not sure if it’d be appropriate to accept a reward like this. This seems more suited for bracers.B-Besides, isn’t sepith a valuable export from yoru mines? We can’t take so much of it away from you, can we?Please, you’re overthinking this. Sepith is merely fragments of septium, you know. It’s the “freebie” we get while mining septium, in a manner of speaking.The government may regulate what we do with septium, but they couldn’t give a hoot about what we do with sepith. Honestly, I wish I could have given you more than what I did. It’s always nice to get sepith off my hands.I-I never thought about it like that…Haha. In a way, you all are helping me by accepting this. Please, allow me to give this to you as a token of my appreciation....If you say it’s okay, we’ll gladly take it.Good man. Before you leave, I’d like to thank you one last time. Thank you, everyone. You folks never disappoint.  4 DP and 3000 mira is our reward for the Mine Monster Cleanup. But let’s be honest here… the sepith we gained from clearing out the mine and Mayor Bickson is the REAL award here. I mean, I’ve gained back enough sepith to buy Good Boy Zeit an annual supply of mutton at this point, just to give you an idea. Next time we catch a stalker!
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Mar 18, 2020 23:47
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Sepith definitely seems more plentiful in this game. But I also didn't realize that more physical hits = more sepith (I thought the sepith dropping after hits was just for flair) and I pretty much always skip Crafts in the Steel games. And you're only really spending it on 4 people here
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Mar 19, 2020 04:53
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Part 61: “Idiots! Just TRY to catch me!” C.P.D. −Crossbell Police Department− (Super Arrange)   Now that we’re done beating up monsters, I think it’s time we moved on to our final (optional) Support Request for today: a Stalker Investigation. To start this one, we need to head over to the Entertainment District and talk to the Troupe Leader of the Arc en Ciel. You know, given how she reacted to being potentially assassinated in the last chapter… I don’t think she’s too worried about a stalker in comparison.   Long time no see, everyone. I’m so sorry. I think we were too absorbed in our own conversation. Haha. My apologies as well. Our enthusiasm becomes unchecked during practice. It’s been a long time, everyone. I hear everybody loves your new production. Haha. Well, obviously! It’s only natural for us.I actually noticed that you came to watch us on our opening day, Lloyd. I hope you enjoyed it. Weeeell, I only came because I was accompanying Cecile. But still, the play was phenomenal! I already knew Ilya was something else, but I’ve become a huge fan of Rixia, too!O-Oh, please… You’re embarrassing me.Well, aren’t you just the romantic? Maybe I should let Cecile know her lil’ bro is putting the moves on my co-star.Oh, come on! You clearly know you’re fudging the truth! G-Geez, Ilya! How fortunate for you, Lloyd. The rest of us have not had the privilege of watching the show, as our tickets are for next week.Not only that, but you got to watch Arc en Ciel with Cecile by yourself!? Watchin’ a mesmerizing play in a dimly lit theater, enjoying the vibes… Yer killin’ me, Lloyd!It’s okay, you two. Calm down. Sure, he may be a lecher for immediately turning to Rixia within seconds of being with Cecile…What’d I do to deserve this disrespect?! Sure, I may have beaten you to the punch on watching the play alone, however…*staaaaaaare**staaaaaaare*Screw you, you womanizing brat!(Please. I’m begging you. Stop.)Hahaha! My favorite lil’ guy has it hard. I’m sure if I were to announce my candidacy, we’d have plenty of fascinating reactions!My life isn’t your play toy. A...hahaha.Now, now. I think you’ve all had enough fun already. Don’t tease him too much, Ilya. I doubt he can handle it for much longer.Yeah, yeah. I’ll relax. So anyway… What brings you guys here today? We have a bit of time to relax, so would you like to have some tea?Thanks, but no thanks. We’re here on business. You sent us a Support Request, right?...O-Oh, right! I had completely forgotten!Sorry about this… It started with the three of us discussing the matter. It somehow just ended up turning into another practice session, though...Huh? Whatcha guys talking about?Get your head out of the clouds, Ilya!We’re discussing the stalker you told us about last night!Ohhhh… That little thing? Did you really have to bug them about it? It’s not like there was any harm done, so we may as well ignore the whole thing. M-Man, you gotta hand it to her. Total nerves of steel to be unfazed by a stalker. There’s not a hint of worry on her… (Though as another woman, I find it hard to believe she isn’t feeling uneasy.)I-I’m sorry. We may be calling them a stalker, but it could just be an overzealous fan.Right. We only heard about it ourselves last night, when Ilya told us.(Those two seem distraught over this.) Pardon me, but could both of you calm down, please? Okay. allow me to explain! Will that be okay, Ilya?Well, I suppose since he’s here… All right, Rixia, go ahead and tell ‘em. A supposedly… suspicious individual, the stalker, kept appearing around her home. The stalker originally loitered outside of the apartment, but has now been spotted entering the residence!He’s been observing the surroundings?The thing is, neither Rixia nor I have seen them for ourselves. All I can say is, it kinda feels like a strange presence when I’m alone. Almost like… somebody’s watching me. Given our culprit has yet to be revealed, they likely are sharp. Isn’t Ilya’s home address private information, though?Yes, of course. We never reveal our employees’ addresses to the public, for safety reasons. Even so, our stalker has managed to figure out where Ilya lives.Any witnesses? A description of the perp would be real helpful right about now. According to a bystander, they were described as a short boy, maybe around 14 or 15 years old. Their face was well-hidden thanks to a hat, so we don’t have any further information.Just some kid who’s an obsessed fan, eh?Fan or not, he’s clearly gone too far. We can’t deny the fact that the stalking could escalate into something more.I feared as much, too. We trust your abilities, so we were hoping you could put a stop to this before it goes any further.Oh, yeah. I just remembered something. Did you enter my apartment yesterday, Rixia? Kinda had a sneaking suspicion that some of my stuff had been rearranged. You’re the only one with a spare key, right?...Oh, no! That can only mean one thing, Ilya!This is bad! Really bad!D-Don’t tell me he’s already broken into your house…There’s no time to lose, then! Please do something about this immediately!Man, the troupe leader sure loves to exaggerate. Not like I have anything scandalous hiding in there.You’re missing the point, Ilya!Seriously!*sigh* I really wish to avoid reaching the same level of publicity we had with the Yin debacle. It’d turn out even worse if our culprit is nothing more than a demented fan. If it’s possible, I’d like for you to have him cease the stalking covertly… And if it’s not possible, then arrest him.Could you help us, please? I mean… it’s kind of a dick move not help out with something like this, even beyond the DP and mira rewards. Let’s file a restraining order…  This could grow into something more dangerous if we let it continue to brew.Thank you kindly! We’ll be counting on you to resolve this!At least we know where our stalker likes to hang out, yeah? Figure if we stake out the area, this scumbag’s gonna walk right into our hands.If that’s the plan, then do you wanna borrow the key to my place? It’d probably be a bit more convenient to use my place as a base of operations, yeah?Are you sure that’s okay?Fine by me, my friends! I’ll just keep Rixia’s spare key on me. Oh, by the way. I live in an apartment complex by the name of Villa-Raisins over on West Street.Oh, so you live in those fancy apartments, then. Which room are you staying in?Only one on the tippity-top floor. Now don’t go losing this, Lloyd. I’ll be sure to keep it safe. He probably recognizes me since I’m always with Ilya. I’d probably chase them off.Uh. Just sit tight. We don’t need you bludgeoning anyone with that huge blade of yours, okay? Let the nice law enforcement people handle this.  Just fall back with Ilya and the rest of the troupe while we do our job.Okay, will do. Will you at least contact us if you manage to catch the culprit? I’ll grab Ilya and come running.Haha. Not a problem. (Rixia becomes notably more vigilant with matters concerning Ilya…)Anyway, guys. Let’s head there immediately.Yes, let’s.Time for our enamored fan to get himself a reality check!    We should be able to find Ilya’s room somewhere up there.Shall we go ahead and check on her room?Definitely. Let’s head on up. All right, the key should…...’Sup, Lloyd?S=Sorry. Something caught my eye…...Check it out. Scratches from a lock pick. They’re small, but they’re there. Whoever opened it must be relatively skilled.Shall we take this as confirmation that someone broke into the apartment?I’d say so. That just means we have to catch him even faster.Yeah, or else we run the risk of our stalker making his next move.Lloyd unlocks the door.   True. I guess living alone in this spacious apartment falls in line with Ilya’s personality.But isn’t this place a little… dirty?  I can only assume that this was Ilya’s doing, not the stalker’s.I always thought Ilya was an… interesting character. Something like this isn’t too surprising, honestly.For a fan, this must be a helluva sight to walk into.Anyway, let’s try searching for any traces the culprit might have left behind. Our end goal is to catch him and keep him from messing with Ilya ever again.We should proceed with caution for the initial investigation, though.Right. We only have vague testimonies to fall back on in a case like this. If we don’t catch the stalker in the midst of the act, he can simply feign ignorance.True, that’d end up bein’ a big pain in the rear end.In order to catch him, I would like to begin with examining his criminal profile, behavior, and uncovering his infiltration route.That’s a good start. We should question the apartment residents while we’re at it.May as well scope out the layout of the building, too. We ready to sniff some clues? A pretty straight forward investigation here. To proceed with this sidequest, we need to first investigate Ilya’s apartment before questioning the residents on the lower levels. In the apartment, there are two things we have to investigate: the table here and her bed.  All that’s left in the bottles are a few drops of wine. Did she stay up all night drinking?Well, I’ve heard that Ilya Platiere is a pretty heavy drinker. Color me impressed. Didn’t think she’d be able to down this much in one night.You think? These are all brand clothes, and yet…Complete and utter disarray.Looks like she left ‘em there after she took ‘em outta the closet this morning.Yeah, it’s not hard to imagine the chaos of her getting ready to go to work. Excuse me, do you have a moment to talk?Lloyd asked for clues about the stalker.  You’re investigating the stalker, eh? As the maid of this apartment, it’s my duty to be on the lookout.Did you happen to catch the stalker in action?I’ve been on the lookout daily, but I haven’t caught them in the act yet. I DO think I caught a glimpse of them outside the other day, though.I saw a young man covering his face with a hat. He disappeared too quickly before I was able to catch any details.Are you able to recall any other defining features?Let me think about it for a second… Hmm… I can’t say anything about him seemed out of the ordinary. His appearance was so unremarkable that I can’t remember anything about him.A total Average Joe, eh?This doesn’t appear to be in disagreement with Rixia’s testimony, though.  A stalker, eh? Yeah, I’ve heard some rumors about ‘em. I’m usually cooped up in my home, so I haven’t had the chance to see them. I have heard the occasional weird noise, though. I can sometimes hear somebody rummaging through the upstairs neighbor’s belongings.Last I knew, the third floor resident is away at work during the day.Do you recall when you started hearing them?As soon as the Anniversary Festival started. So, in the last two or three days, I’d say. (What could he have been doing inside of Ilya’s room?)(I’m not sure, but there doesn’t appear to be any evidence of property damage or tampering with their belongings.)  I can’t say I’ve seen him, though. Perhaps I’ve missed him while shopping.Do you usually shop during the middle of the day?That’s right. I have a pretty consistent routine and always leave at the same time.(Our stalker is striking when most people are out of the house.)(Yeah. He’s avoiding the busiest hours inside the building. We’ve got a crafty one on our hands.)  I can’t do much about it. I already prepared it earlier this morning. Constantly bickering won’t fix it.(Did we just walk into the middle of a storm?)E-Excuse us, do you have a moment?Lloyd asked for clues about the stalker.  Geez, a stalker? That sounds like a problem to me. Have you tried consulting the police?Wouldn’t it be better to contact the Bracer Guild? Our police force acts far too slowly.I… take it you don’t have any information?Yes, that’s the gist of it. I spend most of my time relaxing on the sofa out in the entrance, but… I can’t say I’ve ever spotted any suspicious people. Are you sure you aren’t just imagining it?(Hold on, what’d she just say?!)(She didn’t see him come in from the main entrance… Does that mean what I think it means?) Well, if our stalker didn’t come in through the main entrance and there isn’t another ninja in Crossbell, then that leaves…   ...The back entrance! I mean, okay, sure. I can get the logic behind that. But there’s one problem with this train of thought.  No one in Crossbell has mad hops. Don’t be silly. I can’t see Lloyd Bannings hopping over the fence without regard for geometry like Adol Christin. This is Trails, not Ys.  Fresh scuff marks are on the handrail. What’s goin’ on, Lloyd?Come check this out. There are scratch marks on this surface. I don’t think they were caused by a random passerby. The scratches are facing inwards.If you think about it logically, the backdoor is an ideal entry point to sneak into the building.Good thinkin’, Tio Tot. You could sneak past the main entrance usin’ this alleyway.If they were able to avoid the main entrance, that would explain the lack of witnesses.Okay, I think we should halt our investigation. Let’s head back to Ilya’s apartment and sort through the details.Aye aye! Time to start stitchin’ our master plan together! Indeed. The culprit, who was seen wearing a hat, seems to be quite cautious.And he’s been sighted inside the building with greater frequency as of late, too. According to what Ilya told us, nothing was stolen, but…That’s weird as hell. What’s the point of breakin’ in if you’re not takin’ anything? Anyway, I think we’ve figured this guy out. His entry route musta been the building’s back entrance, yeah?It looks that way. We can try to catch him by surprise with the info we found. Mind hearing me out, guys?Did you come up with another plan, Lloyd?I think so. Our culprit may be a teenager, but that doesn’t mean that we should slack off. He might catch us off guard. Besides, I want to be 100 percent sure we can catch him before we act.Revache & Co. (Evolution)    Oh, darn it. Tomorrow’s parade changed the trash pickup schedule, didn’t it? I guess I’d better warn Kendall while I have the chance. The boy heads upstairs to Ilya’s room.   Heh. Piece of cake. Ugh, gross. This place never gets any cleaner. Geez. Walking into a place this dirty is really killing my desire to wanna steal some stuff.Now, what looks expensive?<to the shirt on the couch> Nope, not this. She’d probably freak out if this went missing… Hmph. I’d prefer it if she had a safe I could rummage through, or… FREEZE!Huh? Who? What?! Well, we’ve observed the crime for ourselves. It’s time to cooperate with us and come quietly.Y-You were waiting for me?! Crap, crap, crap! I screwed up big time!Sorry bud, you ain’t goin’ nowhere. Sh-Shuddup! You’ll never catch me! I hate… I HATE YOU GUYS!Arrest the Criminal   Quick lil’ guy, ain’t he? Randy, focus!Follow him!The Special Support Section run out. Meanwhile...  Idiots! Just TRY to catch me!  Did you find him!?No luck. No one saw him on the street.How strange…Hah, you think you can catch me that easily? This city is filled with a bunch of useless idiots… Hmph, just you wait… I’ll have my revenge! Huh!?Your revenge is going to have to be put on hold. drat it!The Boy tries to run away, only for Lloyd to capture him from behind.  Whoa!! Watch where you’re touching, you dumbass! L-Let… Let go of me!No can do. You broke the law. Can’t you just… behave yourself?!drat… drat it! Ouch! Hey, watch where you’re swinging those things!  T-This was all a setup?! *sigh* Keeping up the charade was tiresome.Your swift movements managed to catch us off guard, but our plan still worked out in the end.Yeah, but… Your description ain’t addin’ up. Witnesses were tellin’ us the culprit was a dude in a plain getup. Really, you look like you’re from the slums.Besides, he doesn’t match the appearance of a teenager from Crossbell. Where did he actually come from?His crimes match the description of a burglar more than an obsessed fan.I hope you have a good reason for your actions.And for crying out loud, can’t you behave for just a second?!Stop it! Let go! Let go of me, you jackass! The boy kept struggling, but, as if resigning to his fate, soon quieted down. C.P.D. −Crossbell Police Department− (Super Arrange)  Shorter than I thought you’d be… You aren’t from around here, are you?Right. It looks like he’s from a slum near the border. That’s all we got out of him, though. We don’t know his motive, much less his name.Hmm, I see. I see… So, out with it. Why all the stalking? Something you want from me?Hmph. That’s not it… I just wanted to harrass you a little, that’s all.Harras her? Why?As if you people could ever understand… You live in such fancy places and never have to worry about your next meal… People like you could never understand how it feels to live in a dump for most of your life!Oh…After I came to Crossbell, I saw it time after time after time.Feelings Crushed… Feelings Crushed… (Evolution)  Ugh! Suit yourselves, jerks! They’re all scum. But they all agreed that going to watch Arc en Ciel was their favorite pastime, so I snuck in one time.You… did?So you saw Arc en Ciel’s--no, Ilya’s performance?Yeah. I hate people who get to casually live their lives without any worries. But Y-YOU...! I hate you the most! You prance around on that beautiful stage, representing an amazing world… You just stand there, dazzling, knowing it's unreachable for a person like me. I know that there's no chance I’d ever get there. l know I never would.I could work my entire life and never even have enough for a single ticket! Tell me I’m wrong! Tell me I can get there someday! You can't!...So that’s why ya did it. You came to Crossbell and ended up watching Ilya perform… I can only imagine the culture shock it must have been for you.I think I understand where you’re coming from… You’re not wrong. There are certain parts of Crossbell that are as you described.It can be a dark, overpowering city at times. An oppressive metropolis that feeds off the misery it brings to its citizens…...That may be, but you still have to take responsibility for your actions.Ilya…?Are you sure about this?I’m Ilya Platiere. What’s your name?...Sully.Hmm… “Sully.” I like it! Well, Sully. I’m going to make you work as my assistant for a while. It's not like you can pay me off with mira, can you? Oh, I'll see to it that you'll work your share.What?Wh-What are you talking about, Ilya?Sooorry, Lloyd. I know you went the extra selge with everything, but… how about you let me take care of my stalker for the time being?Fast acquittal, eh?Good grief. There isn’t much we can do about the matter if Ilya insists.Hmm. Let’s see, now…Ilya gave the boy a few pats on the shoulder.  Ahah, I knew it. It’d be better if you grew some muscles in a few places, but… I gotta be honest with you, Sully. You’ve got a lot of potential. With the right training, you could become an amazing dancer.…HUH?! W-Why me?!Now that you mention it, that agility was nothing short of impressive.True that. Your footwork was pretty drat good, too. You might be onto somethin’ here, Ilya.Oh, I’ve got it. I hereby declare that you’ll be staying here with myself. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!I-I… But that’s…How very much like Ilya. You know, I basically went through the same thing. I was forced into staying with her for a while.That’s how it happened? Good thing we called Ilya. She defused the situation way better than we ever could have.Straighten up! No complaints!B-But I haven’t even said yes, yet!Balloons and Confetti  I appreciate the offer, but we still have some work to take care of. Oh, right. Here’s your key. You’ll probably need this.  Thanks for the help, lil’ guy. Be careful on your way back, ‘kay?You have my thanks, as well. You’re always so reliable.No probs, ma’am.We’ll leave Sully in your care, you two.We may have solved the case, but you would be wise to pay more attention when locking your door.What Tio said! If you need anything else, you can always count on the SSS.See you later, Sully. Don’t do anything like this again, okay? It’s your obligation as a man to make sure you pay back your debt.The SSS almost leaves, until…    I think it’s worth mentioning that Sully is the fourth character in the duology that gets a portrait in Azure (I forgot about her back when I noted Michel, Abbas, and Mireille. Whoops). So expect to see her a LOT more in the future.  ...Smooth. Nailed it!  Well, I guess you do kinda have a girly face…You didn’t notice until now either, Randy?How’d you make that mistake, you two? Isn’t it obvious?...Uhhh, so when I caught you and… I… With all my strength…Don’t think about it, man! T-That’s why I was telling you to let go of me, you absolute moron!B-But, I swear, everything about you felt like a guy!  You remembered how it felt…?A statement that is both incriminating and controversial.GUYS! I did NOT mean it like that!Ahaha, what’s the big deal? He was just seizing the opportunity.Y-You’re blowing this out of proportion! I didn’t have any ulterior motives! And on that somewhat awkward (and amusing) note, our investigation comes to a close. Lloyd… just be glad that the Crossbell Times weren’t here to take notes on your blunder. I know that’s how YOU saw it, but that’s not how everyone else will see it. You dug this grave yourself, pal.  We get our standard reward as usual. Sorry, no bonus DP this time. Anyway, next update I think it’s about time we got the ball rolling again. Look forward to my personal favorite quest in Zero… at least, in terms of amusement value.
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Mar 27, 2020 00:15
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Dig UP, Lloyd!
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Mar 27, 2020 01:20
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The plus side to quarantine is that I'm almost done with this duology. And then I get to play them again to see connections and other things I missed. Then Cold Steel to see all the connections and things I missed (oh god, someone please get me a job, being laid off sucks) Tio is the snarky, nerdy daughter I never knew I wanted I absolutely love everything about the Arc-En-Ciel um...arc. You kinda gotta keep up with it, but Ilya is such a fantastic character. She reminds me a lot of Estelle, actually. I really like that the cast is pretty tight with people outside of their little foursome, too. It makes Crossbell seem more alive. They really did a great job with the city in general. The national pastime of Liberl is pushing Estelle and Joshua together, in Erebonia it's trying to get into Rean's pants, and in Crossbell it's making Lloyd uncomfortable. Zemuria is a weird place.
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Mar 27, 2020 01:40
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how long until the quest where you have to stop Ilya from stalking Sully
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Mar 27, 2020 02:34
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It's in Azure; a Very Special quest called "Sweet Aidios Let Me Sleep" and it's preceded by a message from Conrad Bain about what you should do if you're being stalked
Rabbi Raccoon fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Mar 27, 2020 |
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Mar 27, 2020 06:08
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Still a dozen updates behind on my playthrough but I am slightly sad that you switched to the Geofront patch, I was enjoying comparing the differences and Tio's Burns being much more powerful.
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Apr 16, 2020 01:21
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The older patch had a lot of moments where Tio felt like she was saying something snarky, only for it to fall flat because of how that patch tended to word things. The Geofront patch tends to play things more straight, and has a much cleaner edit than mine in my opinion. Still, I'm glad that people enjoy my little edits even if the Geofront patch is the definite translation at this point. Probably an update in an hour or so, by the way.
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Apr 16, 2020 18:09
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Part 62: “What might you dearies need with a little old lady like myself?” Let’s get crackin’. Our mandatory request for today deals with some con artists. Or counterfeit dealers, if you want to be precise. Not to be confused with counterfeit con artists or conned counterfeit artists. Either way, our next destination is the CPD’s precinct.  We’re here to ask about that Support Request you submitted. Are you free right now? Hmm, I suppose I can find the time. Thanks for coming, everyone. Yeah. We really appreciate it.So what exactly does the request entail? Judging by the submission, it sounded like it was quite urgent.You can say that again. Take a seat, guys.Something’s tellin’ me that we’ve got some legit police work ahead of us. Well, we want the Special Support Section to help us expose a counterfeit dealer, who should be on their way to Crossbell as we speak.A counterfeit dealer? Could you explain more?They are illegal traders that pawn off seemingly genuine accessories and orbment, using the logos of famous brands. In other words, they deal in fakes.(Credit to Tiopedia for the dictionary definition.)  Sh-She really had all that memorized? ‘Cause, yeah, that’s the general idea. Every year, loads of counterfeit dealers try their hand in Crossbell, posing as tourists. High-class watches from the Verne Company, vintage Strega products, not to mention a boatload of septium trinkets… Taking advantage of unsuspecting customers has earned these crooks a whole lot of mira.Makin’ some cash by deceiving innocents… That’s just messed up, man.Lemme get this straight. You want us to help you take these guys down?Exactly. We should really be handling this by ourselves, but there’s just too many of these reports to deal with every year. If we leave them unchecked for too long, it’s going to hurt manufacturers and retailers trying to make a living, too.We’ll need to crack down on these guys if we want to restore people’s faith in the CPD.I’m with you there. I understand the situation. If you truly think the SSS is suited for the job, then allow us to help you.Excellent. I’m in your debt.Okay, so what would you like for us to do?Okay, so here’s the deal. I think they’ve got three points of entry: Crossbell Station, the airport, and Tangram Gate. We’ll take care of the station and airport, and you guys can be on the lookout at the border.The Second Division is short-staffed, so we can’t afford to send people all the way out there. And besides, I’m sure you guys are well acquainted with Deputy Commander Baelz, right?You’re best suited to cooperate with her if we need to come up with any countermeasures against them.It’s as you say. I wouldn’t be surprised if she were more willing to cooperate with us than with other CPD officers.Oh, hell no! I’m totally cool with finishing the job without havin’ to see her.Okay, looks like we’ve got everything in order. We’ll start by covering the airport and station. You guys rendezvous over at Tangram Gate and contact the Guardian Force.Understood. We’ll depart for Tangram Gate immediately.Thanks, we’re counting on you.  We should explain the situation to Deputy Commander Baelz and request for her cooperation. Caught Between Major Powers (Evolution)  Okay. That’s our request for today, then. Seems simple enough. To move forward with our new objective, we need to hop on a bus over in the East Crossbell Highway and drive over to Tangram Gate. Let’s see what’s up with Noel and the Deputy Commander since we saw them last time.    Nice to see you! Hello, you four. Given you came to see me directly, I assume that something’s happened?Yes, actually. There’s something we’d like to discuss with you, if you don’t mind.Lloyd explained that they had come to Tangram Gate in order to figure out how to crack down on counterfeit dealers crossing the border. I think I understand your predicament. You can count on Tangram Gate’s cooperation.Thank you, Deputy Commander.Hold up. That’s that? Ain’t the border gates crazy busy during the Anniversary Festival?No need to worry about that, Randy. As I’m sure you know, the CGF primarily focuses on border security here at the gates. Sure, we may be swamped, but I think we’re obligated to help out.Well put, Seeker. The Special Support Section shouldn’t have to worry about our workload. That being said, we are currently short on hands, so we can’t do much.Any assistance you can provide is welcome.And I know it’s sudden, but do you think we’ll have an opportunity to interview the incoming passengers from the Republic? According to police intel, the counterfeit dealer will be arriving at Tangram Gate around noon today…Noon, hmm? Now that you mention it, I believe there is a bus scheduled to arrive relatively soon. If your intel truly is accurate, your dealer should be on board. You know, there’s a bit of delay before the bus heading to the city shows up. Usually, passengers waiting for the connection go to the mess hall to rest or have a quick meal.Sounds like we’ve got ourselves a plan, then. First, the sergeant major will escort all of the passengers into the mess hall. Next, we’ll stroll in, not causin’ any ruckus and try to find our counterfeit dealer.If you’ve ever wanted to show off your detective chops, Lloyd, now’s your time.Leave it to me. We may have a small window, but it should be enough time to screen most of the passengers.I’m curious to see whether we can pull this off without giving ourselves away.There’s little time remaining until the bus arrives from the Republic. If you stay at the gate, you should have enough time to rest beforehand. How about it? I can have beds prepared for you, if needed.Time for some R&R before the bus comes. Very well. Once the bus arrives, I’ll give you a call on your Enigma. Until then, use your free time to rest.Yes ma’am!  Fortunately, it won’t be long until the bus to Crossbell City arrives. If you’d like, feel free to rest up in the mess hall while you wait. I think I’ll take you up on that.    Here’s the passenger list. You should probably give it a quick glance.Noel pulled out the passenger list and handed it to Lloyd.  Nine passengers total. And we’re positive that all of them came from the Republic.Are you sure you’re allowed to show this list to people outside the CGF? In a way, this is tantamount to the disclosure of personal information…Deputy Commander Baelz already authorized me to give you any information that may assist you in your investigation. ‘Considering their names and addresses aren’t shown on the list, we don’t have to worry about disclosing the details we have,’ or so she said.There’s the quick judgment we’ve come to expect from the deputy commander.All right, then. Thanks for letting us see this, Sergeant Major.Lloyd handed the list back to Noel.  Did anything stand out?Hmm. We’re definitely going to need to take a closer look, if we want to be absolutely certain.Well, we should strike while the iron’s hot. There’s not much time until the bus arrives. We should interview the passengers and try to flush out the counterfeit dealer.Agreed. Let’s move out!  The game immediately railroads us into the cafeteria. Our current objective is to go around the cafeteria and the inn and talk to everyone.   Oh dear, oh my… He’s such a lovely boy. Actually, you remind me of him, sonny. Such a smart-looking young man…Um, thank you…? Ma’am, are you from Crossbell?Oh no, no. I’m from Calvard, dear. You see, my son’s family lives in Crossbell City, so I’m using that as an excuse to have a bit of fun at the festival. Did I mention it’s been almost three years since I last came here?You sure seem happy, ma’am.Ohoho. How could I not? After all, it’s been so long since I’ve been able to play with my precious grandson. It feels like it was only yesterday I was playing with him in Mishelam Wonderland… Oh, I can’t wait to see how much he’s grown over the years. My dear grandson, all grown up…  Hey, you four… don’t you think that lady’s up to something?Huh? Lady? Which one?The black-haired one sitting over on the other side, wearing the pantsuit. I saw her with the rest of the passengers, but she sticks out like a sore thumb. I’m telling you, she’s suspicious.It’s like, she’s TOO calm. I just get the feeling she’s not your average lady.Well, it’s certainly true that she’s not dressed like the typical tourist… That aside, did you come to Crossbell to sightsee? Or personal reasons?I guess I’d say I’m returning home. I’ve been vacationing in Calvard, but I made sure to come back for the Anniversary Festival. Actually, why are you wasting your time with me…? If you’re boarding the bus, too, I think you should pay attention to the lady with the black hair. You could say that. So, are you two… traveling together? Pfft! That’s a roundabout way of asking if we’re dating. And no, we aren’t.Oh? That’s a surprise. Haha. Here we go again. Contrary to what you think, we’re siblings, not a couple.Since we barely look alike, people are always getting the wrong impression. But we both love to travel. We stick together during trips, just the two of us.Wow. Sounds like you two really get along well.Well, I’d feel bad if she went places by herself, since she doesn’t have a boyfriend.Ha ha. Aren’t you hilarious? Isn’t it you who Mother’s always nagging to find that special someone?Okay, you got me. How about we put that behind us and make this trip the best one yet?  Oh? You weren’t riding on the bus, were you?Wh-What?Oh! Well, since we got here so late, we decided we’d spend the night. (Yeah, let’s not push our luck.)Hehe. Is that so? Well, I suppose that would be the rational thing to do.Enlighten me, madam. What exactly are ya doin’ here in Crossbell?I suppose you could say that I’m searching for a jewel.What sort of jewel are you talking about…?A beautiful one. One that can enchant people and sleeps in this very state. If I’m successful in obtaining it, I’ll have the power to bring a vortex of enthusiasm to the Republic’s people. However, doing so may require me to use whatever means necessary.(Why is she being so cryptic…?)Hehe. I wouldn’t think too hard about it. I hear that Crossbell is the ideal place to do business. Mira awaits!Excuse me, sir. You’re some kind of merchant, right?Exactly right. I deal in rare Calvardian novelties. Seeing an opportunity, I decided to come expand my wares with Crossbellan goods to sell back in Calvard.You run your business by yourself…? Is that not difficult?Despite how thing sound, I have quite the wide array of personal connections. I pride myself in having contacts from every country in Zemuria, and business is coming along quite smoothly, much to my surprise.If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to show you my wares.  My father has visited loads of countries on his business trips, and between you and me, I can’t wait to see what he can teach me You know, traveling by bus has a unique charm to it. It’s almost beautiful, in a way. My boy seems to be having a blast, too.Oh, are you having a family vacation?Yes, I suppose that’s a good way to put it. My son has always supported me, through thick and thin, so I wanted to be able to show my love and appreciation for him. Hence this trip!You sound like quite the caring father, sir.Come now, I’m going to blush! I’m constantly going on business trips, so I have to take advantage of times like these to show off my fatherly love. That’s all there is to it. Wahaha! (This guy looks like an oddball…)Ummm… Excuse me, sir. Could you give us your reason for coming to Crossbell? W-Why do you need to know?J-Just curious, sir.Why the hostility, old man? Got some secret you’re hidin’? Don’t wanna let anyone know about that guilty conscience of yours?Wh-What are you talking about…?!Whoa, Randy?!Don’t worry. I’ve got the same tastes as you. Crossbell is swarmin’ with all sorts of cuties. Not to mention, it’s full of fun lil’ places that you can take ‘em to.Man, I like your style! Want me to tell ya about some of my favorite spots?S-S-Such shamelessness! Fishing! I came here to fish, okay?! I know it’s the Anniversary Festival and all, but I just came here to fish for some of your freshwater species! ALONE! Something wrong with that, PUNK?!Haha. Nah, I”m cool with that. Sorry for teasing ya, mister.(I can’t tell if he was playing bad cop of what…)Hmph! Good day, then! For those boarding, please head towards Tangram Gate’s parking lot.The bus is here! Let’s get going!Yeah, let’s go.Hoho, the time when I finally get to see my grandson is almost here.  My assessment is that we don’t have enough information to fully determine who the dealer is.All those guys struck me as regular people comin’ to enjoy the festival. Is there really a criminal hidin’ in that group? I find it hard to believe....Lloyd, you’re being quiet. Did you come to some conclusion?Sort of. There was one person who said something that sounded odd.Seriously?! What was it?It’s still just a hunch, Randy. But right now, we need to board that bus and put our heads together if we want to get to the bottom of this.We should be on our way. Once that bus reaches the city, the passengers are going to split up, and we won’t be able to track them down.To the bus stop, then.It’s right outside the gate, in the parking lot. I wish I could do more, but I’ve done all I can. I’ll be praying for your success!Thanks, Sergeant Major. We’ll get it done.  Yes. Sorry to keep you waiting. Yeah, well, the other passengers are already on board. Hurry up and get in.Like I said earlier, I plan to uncover the identity of the counterfeit dealer on the bus ride. Let’s think through things and figure it out before we reach Crossbell City.Gotcha.We’re in a race against time.No time to waste, then. Shall we?  (The group of counterfeit dealers split up and entered Crossbell via the train station, airport, and Tangram Gate… At least, according to the report in HQ’s database.)(Yes, that’s right. If the report is accurate, our culprit should be one of the passengers on this bus. With that information, we can deduce one, infallible truth... )(The counterfeit dealer who boarded this bus is…) I’ll let you guess here. Go on. You’ve got a 50/50 chance to get it right and earn some of that sweet, sweet DP. You’ve got one shot!  You’d think that the counterfeit dealer would be working with a partner here (and that’s what I picked my first run through with this game), but nope… the culprit is working independently here from the others. I guess it makes sense, since going in pairs would be a little more conspicuous.  (Whoa, seriously…? Would their leader be workin’ solo, with no backup?)(It’s possible… but what’s your reasoning behind that?)(It’s relatively simple to explain. For them to sell their merchandise, they have to transport their counterfeit goods into Crossbell, right? Naturally, it seems odd for them to be using the bus route to Tangram Gate.)(Yes, now that you mention it… If I were a counterfeit dealer, I would make my friends enter Crossbell via train or airship. Unlike the border gates, the station and airport do not require as strict security screenings for people from the Republic or the Empire.)On top of that, smugglin’ goods is a tricky business. Handin’ off the dirty work to underlings is the name of the game. Oh, and by process of elimination… Our culprit already ordered his goons to smuggle through the station and airport… With that outta the way, he’s free to nonchalantly enter Crossbell. Is that kinda what you’re gettin’ at, Lloyd?)(Couldn’t have summed it up better.)(It’s circumstantial evidence, but it still holds some weight. When we apply that logic to this case, people traveling in pairs can be ruled out. So, the siblings and father and son are clear.)(Exactly, but there’s something else… When I was questioning the passengers, one of them said something fishy. That person is most likely the leader of the counterfeit ring.)(Somethin’ fishy, eh…?)(There are five remaining suspects.) His attitude alone is a red herring in a classic mystery novel. You don’t see that in something like the Murder on the Orient Express or The Decagon House Murders, do you? So no, not him. Out of the question.  I mean, a little old lady visiting her grandchildren? That seems kosher. The Special Support Section can even lend her a hand when she crosses the street. Given our track record, I’m sure we wouldn’t mind doing something like that.  If you’ve played Trails in the Sky, you should know the answer to this one already.  Nah, I don’t buy it, game. Too obvious. She’s DEFINITELY just jealous of the fact that the dark-haired woman has a character portrait and she doesn’t. I mean… come on, who’s going to remember “young girl” after this? Unless if it turns out that she’s actually involved in some time loop boogaloo plot, and she’s been repeating this day over and over again until she snaps and becomes a villain.  To be fair, being a merchant WOULD allow him to peddle wares in Crossbell without rousing much attention. But it might also make him a little too conspicuous in that regard.  (Yeah, I think I’ve got them pinned down. Among the suspects, the leader of the counterfeit dealers must be...) ...But you can toss all of that reasoning aside. Let’s face it. Whenever a little old lady talks about visiting her children while a crime is in process, she will ALWAYS be plotting a dastardly scheme that unearths the foundation of the country she’s in. Plus, there’s the fact that Mishy would have bodied her and claimed the child as his own the instant she stepped into Disney World. Alternative comment: “I will dress in bright and cheery colors, and so throw my enemies into confusion.”  (...You positive?)(Yeah. Given the evidence, it wouldn’t make sense for the counterfeit dealer to be anyone else.)(I guess that’s true…) The bus will be arriving at Crossbell’s east exit momentarily. When disembarking, please remember to take all personal belongings with you.(We’ll arrive shortly.)(It’s now or never.)(Once we arrive, we’ll hurry and apprehend the suspect. Everyone, get ready.)(Don’t have to tell me twice. Remember, Lloyd, it’s up to you to get the suspect to drop their cover. You up to the challenge?)(Of course. Leave it to me!) C.P.D. −Crossbell State Police Department−    What might you dearies need with a little old lady like myself?We apologize for not having told you this sooner, but… we’re with the Crossbell police, Special Support Section. We'd like for you to answer a fewquick questions, ma'amHmm? E-Excuse me, sonny? Are you implying something? What am I guilty of? No matter the situation, isn't it rude to bother a frail old lady like myself?I understand your reservation, but the CPD received some interesting information today. A certain group of criminals are supposedly trying to infiltrate Crossbell. We were tasked with investigating Tangram Gate, so we covertly questioned any inbound tourists there.One of them stood out due to a particularly strange remark. That remark came from you, ma’am.What’s that supposed to mean, son?One of your statements in the dining hall struck me as incredibly suspicious. I believe you claimed that it’s been about three years since you last came to Crossbell.And? What’s so strange about that? The area in Calvard I'm from isn't very close to Crossbell. There's nothing weird about me visiting infrequently.I wasn’t suggesting anything of the sort. The problem is what followed. You said you went to the amusement park with your grandson during your last visit, if I'm not mistaken.Oh. I see the issue.Hmm? I’m not following.It’s quite simple, really. If you had REALLY visited Crossbell three years ago like you claimed… you would have had trouble visiting Mishelam Wonderland, considering it didn’t even exist at the time!WHAT?! This can’t be!Evil Overlord’s List #62: “I will maintain a realistic assessment of my strengths and weaknesses. Even though this takes some of the fun out of the job, at least I will never utter the line "No, this cannot be! I AM INVINCIBLE!!!" (After that, death is usually instantaneous.)”  Hohoho… did I say three years ago? I-I… meant two years ago? My, how, uh… my mind wanders these days.O-Oh, yeah! This is all a misunderstanding! Silly old me must have read about it somewhere and got myself confused! You know how it is with us elderly folks, right?Oh, it was a misunderstanding? No problem.Do you mind if we give your grandson's family a quick call to corroborate your story? I’m sure they’d be quick to defend you if the police suspected you, right?…!Then again, that’s not even an option. You can’t call someone who isn’t real. It's pretty funny when you think about it. You went to visit a non-existent theme park with a non-existent grandson. This type of mistake would have only been possible for someone who has visited Crossbell in the last two years.Frequently coming here to run your crooked business is exactly what allowed for that contradiction in your testimony. I-I-I… have no idea what you’re talking about!Do you seriously think a kind elderly lady like myself would be heinous enough to pawn off counterfeit goods on unsuspecting people?!I do believe you just put the final nail in your coffin, ma’am. Not once during this exchange did we specify the crime in question.(!) Oh. Crap.Hahaha! Way to fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book, ya old bat! Think it’s about time you face the music.…I’ll give you one last change, ma’am. Please turn yourself in peacefully, or else--  WHAT?!She’s gone off her rocker!Her true nature has finally been revealed.YOU’RE ALL JUST A BUNCH OF COWARDS TRYING TO DECEIVE A HELPLESS OLD LADY LIKE MYSELF! I’M SURE THE GODDESS WILL SMITE YOU ALL IF YOU DON’T CORRECT YOUR NASTY BEHAVIOR!It is honestly laughable you can utter such nonsense without a hint of irony. Are you not guilty of deceiving others with your unscrupulous business?SHADDAP, YOU DAMNED MUNCHKIN!M-Munchkin…?!I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL! THIS IS EXACTLY WHY THE POLICE AND BRACERS ARE TRASH! I BET YOU THINK YOU’RE SO RIGHTEOUS! MAYBE YOU MORONS SHOULD GET OFF YOUR FRIGGIN’ HIGH HORSES!C-Calm down, ma’am! If you could just come with us quietl--ZIP IT, PUNK! GOT COTTON IN YOUR EARS?! I SAID I’M NOT GOING WITH YOU! DON’T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF AGAIN!(No! Don’t make ME repeat myself!)If you think you can catch me so easily…Arrest the Criminal   Seriously?! How can an old lady move so quickly?!Wh-Where the hell did that whole nicest-grandma-you’d-ever-meet charade disappear off to?!Munchkin…Is it REALLY the time for this, you guys?! We need to hurry up and chase after her, or else she might actually escape!The Special Support Section follows in pursuit.  Don’t underestimate me, you friggin’ brats…  Counterfeit Dealer is clearly the best character in this franchise.  Are you still breathing, madam?Y-You bitch… What the hell do you think you’re doing?!I see you have much energy to spare, despite your old age. Look over there, Lloyd!Huh…? Yo, check it out! The hot black-haired lady is here, too! Wait, hold on a sec… Did you do this?!Talk later. Restraining her is of the utmost urgency at the moment. She still has pep in her step, so I imagine she’s quick to recover.D-drat you!Good call. You mind helping me out, Elie? Having analyzed the situation, it is clear your assistance was crucial in the arrest.Very well. I wasn’t intending on standing out, but perhaps this was fate.Rest easy, ma’am! Allow me the pleasure of escorting a fine lady such as yourself!C.P.D. −Crossbell State Police Department−  ...Hah. Like I’d give my name to some brat masquerading as a hero.Brat? Hero? Listen here, Granny… Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’re aware we’ve already arrested all of your friends, right? So can it, and give in already.Y-Y-YOU INSOLENT, DIRESPECTFUL HOOLIGAN! DID YOUR PARENTS TEACH YOU NO ETIQUETTE? WHEN TALKING TO A LADY, YOU MUST AT LEAST OFFER HER A CUP OF TEA! COMMON COURTESY!H-Huh? S-Sure, whatever. I’ll bring you a cup later, okay…? She’s a tough nut, that’s for sure. But don’t worry, we can crack her. Besides, this is a secure facility. She won’t be getting out of here anytime soon.I don’t know… I could see her brute-forcing her way out of anything, quite honestly.By the way, who’s the beautiful young lady over there?Y’know, now that I think about it, I never asked! ‘Scuse me, ma’am. We’re going to need your name and occupation, please. For police business, of course. I’m a Calvardian entertainment producer. I came to Crossbell… well, let’s say it was by chance.Kilika, eh? Gotta say, I dig it. And you’re a producer, to boot? You definitely look the part, and I mean that in the best of ways.She helped us apprehend the suspect, Inspector Donovan.Is that right? Hmmm… Excuse our poor manners, ma’am. The CPD thanks you for your invaluable cooperation. If you like, I’m sure we can scrounge up a reward for you. Can’t guarantee it’ll be much, though.Please, don’t bother. I hardly think my contribution was worth that much.Haha. Well, if you say so. I’m sure our bookkeeper will appreciate that, too.Please remain professional, Inspector.Actually, I’ve been wondering… How did the stakeouts at the train station and airport go?Oh, that? Luckily, the other dealers were caught and arrested. On top of that, we were able to confiscate all of the counterfeit items they were carrying. So, if all goes according to plan, they’ll be out of business for the rest of the year.‘Rest of the year’? Implying that there will be other years?Yes, well… in addition to a stern warning, they will also be prohibited from entering Crossbell for a month. But that’s about it, most likely.Y-You’re not going to detain them?So… what you’re really sayin’ is that our work didn’t do jack.Tio said it before. According to state law, it’s only a minor criminal offense. And since they’re foreigners, we can’t do much. Trust me, I understand how disheartening it can be. But this is as much as we can do....Now, now. Don’t be discouraged. You four did fine work today. Especially when you consider the fact that they’ll be out of commission for the festival.D-Donovan… Please help me…It sounds like Raymond needs some saving from that devil spawn. Anyway, good work. Your effectiveness was most definitely noted, let me assure you.Thank you, Inspector. You can give us a call anytime.  What do you mean?Laws are created to protect the citzenry’s well-being, and yet… Crossbell is no more than an obedient pup to Erebonia and Calvard. Surely you’ve noticed that bitter truth on more than one occasion, right? It has to be extremely frustrating, I imagine.Don't be so glum. After all...for continuing to fight against the status quo, you ought to be praised. Though I suppose it's none of my business as a Calvardian. Regardless, I'd advise you to not give up. I'm sure your efforts will pay off one day.Kilika turns around to leave.  Yes, I have. A room in the Entertainment District’s fancy hotel. Millennium, was it? I plan on staying there for a bit.We’d be more than happy to give you a tour of the city, but I’d have to check our schedule…I appreciate the gesture, but I’m well-acquainted with Crossbell City.You said the Entertainment District…? Does that perhaps have something to do with the motive behind your visit?You ARE a sharp one, aren’t you? That’s right, I’ve come to the Arc en Ciel. If possible, I was hoping to get them to agree to performing in the Republic. A tour, perhaps.You’re looking to book them?Why, of course. Arc en Ciel is an enchanting septium vein, lying dormant in Crossbell… Have they the charisma to capture Calvard with their magical shows? Can they create vortex of enthusiasm for theatre there? Determining that is my mission.I see… (So when she was talking about a jewel at Tangram Gate, she was talking about Arc en Ciel all along?)...You’re an interesting bunch. Unrefined, yet true to yourselves. And true professionals as well, deducing who the culprit was like that. That wasn’t something that comes to people easily. Let’s both do our best from here on out, okay?Thanks for your assistance again, Kilika. If there’s anything you need while you’re here, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d love an opportunity to return the favor.If the opportunity arises, I certainly won’t. Well, then. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off. You’re tellin’ me. But hey! Thanks to that, I was able to meet that hot piece of lady. Man, I thought I was used to checkin’ out Easter chicks, but… drat, that Kilika is on another level.You are incorrigible.Haha. Well, at least he didn’t say it in front of her, I guess. Is everyone ready to get going?  Our reward this time is 2000 mira and 8 DP, bring our Total DP to 181. Don’t worry, this is not the end of Grandma Counterfeitsalot. I’m sure we’ll see her again in the future, but that day is not today. For now, I think it’s time to finally progress the plot for today.    
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Apr 16, 2020 22:02
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True story: When Kilika showed up, I instantly recognized her, but couldn't remember her name, but my roommate was playing a game at the same time and I heard from the TV "Do you recognize this place? It's Kilika port" and I thanked him. It's kinda crazy how many people show up in Crossbell, but it's also a good way to show just how important a place it is.
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Apr 16, 2020 22:39
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quote:Calvardian entertainment producer I love this lie and I don't think I can entirely explain what is so great about it.
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Apr 17, 2020 00:38
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Caught up, these last two quests have been an absolute hoot. I really wanna know what the old TL did for that past one though.
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Apr 20, 2020 11:11
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CmdrKing posted:I love this lie and I don't think I can entirely explain what is so great about it. An entertainment producer... one who produces things designed to enthrall the masses and get them to willingly swallow entertaining fictions without looking too deeply at what is beneath. A pretty clever description of an espionage agent. I recognize the name, and if I remember right, given what she said about her job, she must be a Calvardian spy working for The Rockford Group or whatever its called.
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Apr 20, 2020 15:42
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Part 63: “I’m almost certain this fan is running due to a malfunction in the system.” Balloons and Confetti  What? You can’t tell by my voice? Some detective you are. It’s Jona, dummy. Jona Sacred? Y’know, the amazing, genius hacker?Oh, right… --HOLD ON A SECOND! How’d you find this number?! Pretty easily? All I had to do was run a quick search of the police database. Man, was the security a joke! It was like water running through a freakin’ strainer. Don’t worry, though. It’s not like there was any top secret information in there anyway.How is this still not illegal yet?!Who is it, Lloyd?Our friend, the hacker.Huh?Jona again…?Okay, what do you want? Surely you didn’t call me just to show off your skills, right?Yeah, I was getting to it. I was actually wondering if I could submit a request to you guys.Seriously?Well, not you in particular. I need Tio’s help with something. Could you pass on the message?We’re already really busy, Jona… If this is just some private matter, we can’t deal with it right now.Well, private wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate… but what if I gave you a reward?We aren’t bracers. In other words, we don’t intend on accepting any direct compensation.Oh, wow. Aren’t you all high and mighty? And I’m not talking about mira, dude. I’ve got a memory quartz loaded with info you guys might be interested in… Does that change things?(!) …Silence? I’ll that as a yes. Well, anyway, just head on over to my place when you can. I’ll fill you in on the details then....Fine.Lloyd hangs up.  A lot, honestly.Lloyd explained Jona’s deal to the others. An exchange, then?Sheesh, what a rascal. He’s really tryin’ to take advantage of the cops, don’tcha think?Be that as it may, it might be smart to go and at least hear what he has to say. Besides, he wants my help. Why not flip the table on Jona and take advantage of him?It feels a little too unethical for my tastes… But really, I don’t understand why he didn’t call tio to begin with.There is a simple answer to that: fear. He is likely too afraid to face me after I obliterated him in a puzzle game two days ago.I-Is that so…?I’m not sure what this ‘puzzle game’ is, but that sounds impressive.It’s clear that Jona’s no match for our Tio tot.Because, at his core, he is a spoiled, petulant child. But, if we have time, it would not hurt to visit him. I am interested in seeing what Jona’s request entails.All right, then. To the Geofront.  Ehhhh, I’m gonna go ahead and guess that this is mandatory? We HAVE to help this grody sewer boy shitpost on /pol/ or whatever? He doesn’t need our help to do that. Terminal Room (Super Arrange)   I assume you need my help with something?Ah, well, y’see… I kinda need a little bit of help with some hacking. Tio decides to make like a rubber ducky USB and quacks. I can approve of her moxie.  Why are you just leaving?! You didn’t even hear me out!Isn’t it obvious, Jona…?Sheesh, this kid’s a comedian.Asking the police to assist in a crime is brave, that’s for sure.I told you guys before! Hacking is NOT a crime! I’m not trying to wage war against the IBC or something! I promise! I’m just trying to get the jump on my most fearsome rival yet!Fearsome rival? Explain.Ooh, looks like you took the bait. C’mon, won’t you at least hear me out? I have a gut feeling that you guys will want to hear about this....Fine. If this ends up being boring, prepare for a world of hurt, Jona Sacred. I’ll 20-chain combo you in Pomyo or something equally frightening.Tio:  (Well, something like this, at least. Apologies to any hardcore Puyo Puyo players morally outraged at my color coordination or my tailing. I’m still practicing my game.)  C.P.D. −Crossbell Police Department− (Super Arrange)   Why would I lie about this? I first encountered her about half a year ago… I was busy hacking a few companies, like usual, and then I realized that someone was tracing me.Of course, I was kinda flustered, so I cut off my infiltration route, covered my tracks, and managed to escape… After that, as if to taunt me, she sent me a little greeting and her online handle, Kitty! Ever since that fateful day, she’s been screwing around with my business!O-Okay then…According to all the reports I’ve read, hackers are extremely rare… Is there really another hacker in Crossbell?Yeah, I’m positive! Even I thought it was some fluke at first! To think there’s another hacker in the city who’s on the same level as my genius…! It pisses me off!Same level? From what I’ve heard, this Kitty is far more skilled than you.Ugh, c’mon…It’s okay, Jona. After all, your specialty was always in system languages, not hacking. You may have lost this fight, but perhaps you can still win the war.Kill the pity party, Tio! Back to the subject at hand! I want my revenge! Once I uncover her location, I’m gonna seize her access point! And you’re gonna help me, Tio! So, if I’m getting this right… Jona decided to run to  I got it all planned out! Y’see, I analyzed my data and crafted a foolproof operation! Kitty doesn’t always stick on the orbal network like me, but the thing is… all I need to do is spread some info she might be curious about. Based on her trends up until today, there’s a solid 90 percent chance she’ll appear.Can’t let this opportunity slip away, right?If that’s the case, which one of us will serve as the decoy? Kitty has to be lured out of hiding somehow… While the decoy acts, the other will trace Kitty’s infiltration route from a different terminal. If we repeat this process, it’s possible that we could corner Kitty. Any complaints?Heh. None from me. If you and that Aeon system of yours work with me, Kitty is toast! I prepared for this in advance, and trust me, I have no intention of going easy on her. Considering it’s two-on-one, there’s no way she’ll be able to weasel out of this!Two problems still stand. First, I need access to a suitable terminal in order to provide backup. I would rather not risk the integrity of the Special Support Section’s terminal back at the annex.Oh, gotcha. I know the perfect place. Deep within Geofront’s A Sector, a certain Control Terminal 3 sits ripe for the taking. Its main router is separate from this one, so it’s perfect for our pincer maneuver.How convenient.(Uh, you get any of that?)(It’s all over my head, dude.)(Too many technical terms are being tossed around...)Now for the other issue… It’s the fact that you are wrapping us into your schemes while we’re busy.That’s true…It’s not ideal, no.Yesterday’s race ate up our entire afternoon, so we’ve been busy as hell.Are you trying to get out of this?! This is a Support Request, isn’t it? You can’t just deny it because you don’t feel like it! Do your job! C’mon, I’ll toss in some information as a bonus, so PLEASE JUST HELP ME!Jona, the thing is…It’s fine, Lloyd. I will take care of his so-called “Support Request” myself.Everyone. Please continue with SSS duties like usual. Leave this to me.Are you serious, Tio…?!B-But…It’s a simple fact of role proficiency. When it comes to hacking, I’m the most appropriate for the job. I’m sure that my absence won’t hinder our work too terribly.Jona said that terminal was deep in the Geofront sector near the station, right? Ain’t that a bit dangerous for you?I’ll find a way to manage. My abilities alone should be enough to take care of any monsters that show up by now.Tio…How about we do this? I’ll accompany Tio to this Control Terminal 3 while you two head on back to the precinct.Huh…?Yeah, that should work out. I wasn’t a fan of lettin’ Tio Tot go in alone either.Yes. I think this is for the best. Randy and I should be able to handle the odd jobs the precinct will throw us. They’ll appreciate the help.W-Wait…What’s the big deal, Tio? It’s just this guy you’ll be with, right? Were you ever the type of person to worry about petty stuff like this?(*glare*)Whoa, whoa. Forget I said anything....Fine. If you insist. Still, we should finish any important business we have before starting this. I imagine this whole thing may last well into the evening.Yeah, that’s the plan.Good to go. Well, then, Randy and I will go on and head to the precinct.Lloyd. Take care of Tio Tot, all right?Yeah, leave her to me. Randy, don’t go leaving Elie out to dry, okay?*gulp* ...C’mooon, I would never do something like that, buddy.Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on him. Tio, work hard!Of course. You too, Elie. We’ll commence the operation then.Understood.I can’t pretend to understand this revenge plot, but aren’t you going a bit far, Jona? It just sounds to me like you’re going to cause trouble for the people who actually use the orbal network for their job.Hah. That’s cute. Tio and I? We’re pros. Kitty, too, probably. We wouldn’t let ourselves be noticed by your average user.We’re just playing a game of tag, two-against-one, behind the scenes. That’s my simplest explanation of it, at least. There is no need to worry.Hmm… Whatever you say, I guess.Sweet. I’m counting on you, Tio. I think I’ll order a large pizza to get myself hyped up for this! ♪Jona goes back to being a shut-in in his mancave.  Well, we’ll head for the Geofront entrance in front of the station. (Read: the Geofront block from the Prologue)You said the lower floors of Geofront A Sector are our goal, right?Yep, Control Terminal 3. I’ll explain how everything will go down when we get there.Roger. Let’s move out, Tio. Geofront  Correct. Do you recall our first mission in here? There should have been a deactivated elevator somewhere near that area. That’s the one we need. Once I input the authentication code, we’ll be able to ride the elevator to the area below.Understood… But Tio, how exactly did you get your hands on a Geofront authentication code? Don’t tell me Jona is rubbing off on you…You see, when I was using the IBC’s main terminal, I stumbled across it by chance when I was determining Jona’s location. It should be the right code.Are you sure this is a bright idea? We didn’t exactly get that through proper means…The Geofront is a Crossbell City facility, so legally, I don’t see an issue. We are merely shortening the process, that’s all.I suppose so. Hmm… No turning back now, I guess. Let’s head on down, Tio.Roger. For reference, the deactivated elevator that Tio was referring to was beyond the boss room where the Special Support Section was almost put on ice by those five slimes. Remember how that kid almost got bodied there (and probably did get dissolved into a slime’s stomach at least once)? The elevator is in the room past that one.  This should be the elevator that leads to A Sector’s lower stratum. I’ll enter the authentication code.Tio opened the control panel and punched in an 8-digit code.  All right. Ready to head down?Wait… Do you have any idea where that terminal is?Most likely in the deepest part of the floor. It will be a long walk, so please be sure to stay on guard.R-Right… (And you wanted to come here alone…?)   Are the lower levels older or something?Yes. The lower stratums were the first Geofront sections to be built. The Geofront, as a whole, is the product of an urban planning project that spans 20 years… Due to its construction undergoing some spontaneous changes, the entire structure became more complex than originally intended.In fact, Elie told me stories about how the construction of the Geofront was manipulated by all sorts of diet members.Is that so… Still, the sheer size of this place never fails to surprise me. Did you really think you would be okay going at this alone, Tio?Well… No, I’m sorry…It’s fine, Tio. I just don’t want you to end up hurt, okay? Stay behind me, and I’ll protect you. I promise you that.Understood....Um, Lloyd. Would you like to practice a combination craft while we’re here? I may not be as proficient as Randy or Elie, but I’d still like to try…That’s a great idea. Since we’re by ourselves, let’s give it a shot!  We’ll check that out in a second once the Geofront actually throws some enemies at us. But hey, that’s 4-for-4! Lloyd can club it with the rest of ‘em now.  Let’s talk shop for now. Geofront A’s lower stratum consists of a wide variety of air ducts that wind around the area. Lloyd and Tio are usually blocked from progression by a gap they can’t jump over, or rotating fan blades moving too fast to bypass. Said obstacles are usually circumvented by going into another air duct and cranking a valve.  In the case of this vent, Lloyd and Tio are let out in a corridor of the Geofront that’s been copy-and-pasted over and over again at this point (you can find a Marble Ring in the room before this). At this point, the party can move forward and into the lower stratum proper. I won’t bother going over the enemies in the Geofront, just FYI. You can probably tell by the screenshot above that the enemies located in the lower stratum are just buffed up versions of the ones we’ve seen before. There’s nothing much to talk about in that regard. Well… okay, there’s a flying bat that can drain HP/EP/CP, but other than THAT, there’s nothing to talk about.  Anyway, from the corridor, we follow the path until it opens up in this mess of a room. Honestly, whoever designed this part of the Geofront should be shot. But I digress… from here we can enter the vent toward our left. If we follow the path the vent leads us to…   The bottom of the room from before. Ugh… I can’t be the only one thinking about how musty those air ducts must be by now. Right? All right, well, our next is… you know what? I’ll let you guess. What’s our next step? C’mon, take a gander at it!  Obviously, we need to go south and loot some treasure! Huh? Go through that other air duct…? Pffft, that’s the way forward. gently caress that noise. The area boss can wait a little longer for us. In any case, the Gentle Coat gives DEF +54/ADF +27/Men Only. Hey, don’t judge… sometimes a coat just wants some of that male camaraderie. Or female camaraderie in the case of a female only coat. Anyway, it goes on Lloyd since, well, there’s only one guy in the party right now.   Once we reach the upper levels, the Special Support Section (minus two), can turn the valve in order to raise the elevator from the bottom level. This provides a path that we can walk across to access the elevator to the next floor. I warned you about the (Geofront) elevators. I TOLD you about the elevators, bro.  Taking the elevator brings us down to the bottom level of Geofront A. Now, while the right door here leads to a chest containing a Teara Balm (restores 2000 HP), if we head down the other way…   ...Geofront is whack. I know this is par for the course for dungeon design in RPGs at this point, but I still have to question the utility of all this. Spoilers: There’s no way around this obstacle unless we go in an air duct or walk on the fan blades. According to the Kiseki wiki, the purpose of A Sector is to “control for exhaust gas and ventilation“. I’m DEFINITELY no expert on ventilation or gas utility stuff, but maybe this is pretty much where all the A/C or heat comes from in Crossbell households? Who knows? (You can’t tell in this screenshot, but it’s spinning.)  Indeed. One of the giant fans created for the Geofront’s ventilation system, to be more precise. Under normal circumstances, it remains inactive, but…Tio accessed the portable terminal. Huh. If the fans are supposed to be inactive, then what’s the point of all this? You know what? Nevermind. I’m thinking way too hard about all of this. It doesn't matter.  I’m almost certain this fan is running due to a malfunction in the system. This applies to the other fans as well.A malfunction? That doesn’t sound good. If that’s the case, we just have to turn them all back off, right?Exactly. We can use that valve to control them. This is pretty much just Valve 2: Electric Boogaloo. It’s a rehash of the previous floor where we either had to turn a valve to make a passageway or going into an air duct in order to turn a valve that forms a passage. If there’s one thing I’m glad that the Trails franchise doesn’t mostly do, it’s obnoxious puzzles. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good puzzle in a video game (like Wild ARMs), but when it’s, say, the Wind Seal dungeon in Tales of Symphonia, sometimes you just gotta look up a walkthrough.  Back on topic, it’s pretty much just the same format here, except with rotating fan blades instead of an elevator. No biggie. Just gotta    Of course, that would be too easy, right? We have to go through a few hoops in order to get to the valve in the first place. First, in the next room we have to go into that duct shown in the foreground of the first screenshot, before wrapping around and rotating this valve right here. This stops both fans in this room from spinning, allowing Lloyd and Tio to hop across to the other side and go into the next room. More importantly, we have freed the rodent thing from his neverending fan purgatory. Score one for the good guys!   In the next room, we find yet ANOTHER ventilation duct that leads to another gigantic fan that has most certainly slain any foes unlucky enough to find themselves in its grasp. We turn the valve here to form a bridge across.   We’re gettin’ there. We’re GETTIN’ there.One more ventilation duct later…  ...And we are now done with fans from here to forever. At least for this dungeon. I see no other way across other than the ventilation or the fan blades. I’d really like to talk with the leader who developed this sector and see what commentary he has on this (gameplay-wise, it’s fine and reasonable, though). The door we want to go through is on the top-left over there.  But before we tackle on the boss of this dungeon, if we double back into the ventilation and we go the other way, we can find a monster chest containing a Move 3 quartz. Not bad, but there isn’t much of a use for it right now.  All right! Long rear end corridor… red mood lighting… I think we’re here! Let’s go kick some A! Lloyd’s good cop. Tio, you’re, uh. Neutral cop? Snarky cop? I think that’s more like it. Demoralization is no laughing matter.  Yes. This is the final stretch. The room containing Control Terminal 3 should be somewhere near he--TIO! Nice of you to drop in.  Crap. It must be in charge of this part of the Geofront! Tio, can you move?!Ah…Yes… I’m fine!Formidable Enemy (Evolution) Formidable Enemy (Super Arrange)   So this is happening now. Meet the… purple reskin of the Megalo Bat from the Prologue? I don’t remember analyzing it to see what its name was this time around, so that’s a big oversight on my part. Sorry. Anyway, the Purple Megalobatnia wants to throw down and we’re up to bat, so to speak.   Let’s start with talking about the head honcho first, shall we? Purp up there likes to hang back and let his big brother beat up all of his playground bullies for him. So first, he’ll summon an ally to his side - one of the Megalo Bats we fought as a Wanted Monster in the Prologue.  That would be a wee bit difficult if we were the same Special Support Section we were back then. But now, it isn’t too difficult to get a handle on. Neither bats have too much health to speak of.   Of course, the Megalo Bat still has its almighty butt stomp from the beginning of the game. It still has the same AoE effect that it had previously too. Wow, the Geofront fixture is REALLY impervious to earthquake causing shockwaves. Gotta give credit to where it’s due.  After summoning its ally, Purp will just… sit there and grab a bucket of popcorn in order to enjoy the brawlfest. poo poo, look what do you want from it? There’s nothing to do down here other than eating other monsters and going for a whirl on the spinning fans. This is the first bit of entertainment down here since they chased one of those workers in a survival horror scenario.  The strategy here is to just buff Lloyd with    ... We can get off their Combination Craft: Omega Strike. It consists of Tio doing magic things, Lloyd doing tonfa things, and both of them doing their own things at the same time. Teamwork! Admittedly, I don’t think it’s as effective in comparison to Burning Rage or Star Blast. See, Star Blast has the advantage of a large AoE and Burning Rage is distinct in that it deals a TON of damage to whatever it lands a hit on. Comparatively, Omega Strike… is just there. If it’s able to deal damage in the form of Artes, I could see it being useful against a few enemy types, but I haven’t tested it to that extent.   Anyway, that’s a wrap on that! Geofront  Tio, are you okay? I know I had to pull you back like that, but…I told you, I’m fine. What about you, Lloyd?I’m all right. I guess Randy meant it when he said these tonfas would be really good for defense. Regardless, that would have gone a lot smoother if those two were here.Honestly, being without them is making me realize how much I rely on those two.Heehee… D-Did I say something funny?No, not particularly. You just reminded me of someone.Control Terminal 3 should be past the door on the right. We should log in and contact Jona. I’ll cut the update here. I think we’re starting to approach the limit on the forums, and we’re about to start a few lengthy cutscenes. Anyway, I’ll see you next time as top-notch trolling, click bait stuff, and data mining ensue. I think it’s time we put a lid on Day 3 at this point. Pyre of Word Salsa fucked around with this message at 19:15 on May 4, 2020 |
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Apr 28, 2020 23:06
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This series has me so goddamn paranoid about every single little line, and I think I just added something to a theory I have
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Apr 28, 2020 23:32
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These sewer levels keep getting more sewer level-y.
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Apr 29, 2020 00:52
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Oh, I almost forgot that you neglected that Lloyd and Tio's Combo Craft is the coolest in the game, despite it's lackluster damage
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Apr 29, 2020 05:44
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Oh, gotcha. I know the perfect place. Deep within Geofront’s A Sector, a certain Control Terminal 3 sits ripe for the taking. Its main router is separate from this one, so it’s perfect for our pincer maneuver." Jona, using an unsecured router is basically the same thing as asking random strangers if they want to have unprotected sex with you: IE, it's a terrible idea and how are you this bad at your job. A router won't even matter if it's letting everything through: then it's just a question of going through open Ports and then doing whatever the hell you want with the system. Also, if you somehow have the ability to find specific computers, why are you even bothering with all of this? Did they scrub your logs, Jona? Did you mess up so bad they got ADMIN on your computer, Jona? You did, didn't you? You used an unsecured router, and Kitty injected drugs into your server, didn't she, Jona?
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Apr 30, 2020 01:30
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Congrats on missing the 6th volume of Back Alley Doctor Glenn. You actually need to run out of the geofront immediately after being brought in, and talk to Tio's good buddy Chief Roberts at the restaurant. >_>
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Apr 30, 2020 02:44
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Logicblade posted:Congrats on missing the 6th volume of Back Alley Doctor Glenn. You actually need to run out of the geofront immediately after being brought in, and talk to Tio's good buddy Chief Roberts at the restaurant. >_> This awed me. All of Sky and CS1-3 never left an NPC update for something like this, yet Zero's out here actually hiding them.
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Apr 30, 2020 02:47
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Logicblade posted:Congrats on missing the 6th volume of Back Alley Doctor Glenn. You actually need to run out of the geofront immediately after being brought in, and talk to Tio's good buddy Chief Roberts at the restaurant. >_> Aw frick, you're right. I totally forgot about that even after noting it down from the walkthrough. I'll reload a backup save and grab the next volume. Thanks for the heads up. I swear, all the collectibles in Zero sometimes... 
Pyre of Word Salsa fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Apr 30, 2020 |
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Apr 30, 2020 03:04
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Logicblade posted:Congrats on missing the 6th volume of Back Alley Doctor Glenn. You actually need to run out of the geofront immediately after being brought in, and talk to Tio's good buddy Chief Roberts at the restaurant. >_> "But...but I talked to everyone!" "Did you talk to the guy on the other end of the planet during a transition with ten inches of walking between cut-scenes?" "Nah...no?" "YOU LOSE! GOOD DAY, SIR!" ---- Trails and its poorly designed secrets...
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Apr 30, 2020 03:13
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why can't i just order it off orbal amazon for my kindle at 4900 mira game why. Real talk, though. I'll post the snippet at the beginning of the next part.
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Apr 30, 2020 03:17
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I wouldn't say poorly designed. Ultimate weapons are far from necessary in these games. I'd liken them more to trophies than weapons
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Apr 30, 2020 04:30
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Honestly barring this one instance of "Leave the dungeon you are already in for this time limited item" I can't recall happening at all in Sky or CS, I consider Trails to be the best about keeping stuff hidden, but not being guide dangit. Its always right next to you, where you are supposed to be, and all you gotta do is consistently harass some normies to get it, and harassing normies is tons of fun by itself. Compare to say Tales, where every single segment past the halfway mark of every single game expects you to run off to some town you've previously visited to do the next stage of an all game sidequest that missing any part of ruins the entire quest, and there are dozens in the game. Or .Hack where you gotta know that this one item only drops in a level 22 water element area to fill your guildbook. Or a Workshop Atelier where that is literally the entire game from start to end. I thank all the RPG guidewriters.
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May 2, 2020 08:32
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MythosDragon posted:Honestly barring this one instance of "Leave the dungeon you are already in for this time limited item" I can't recall happening at all in Sky or CS, I consider Trails to be the best about keeping stuff hidden, but not being guide dangit. you have completely forgotten what collecting Carnelia was like
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May 2, 2020 12:15
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Hwurmp posted:you have completely forgotten what collecting Carnelia was like My favourite was when you had to duck out of the stealth section, run to the end of the airport and find a guy who you'd have no reason to think was there. Alternately, Anton.
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May 3, 2020 10:10
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