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That's horrible. Keep it up.
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Jun 12, 2014 18:25
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Update 8 Chapter 4 picks up after mercifully moving us to the next town we'll be working out of, which I appreciate even more after the Ice Dungeon. Even a game that won't let you have a single party member temporarily down isn't that cruel.   "She's sleeping now." "That's great, but she was sleeping when we got her back too. Has anything changed?" "Good, she'll be fine soon." "Oh, and who the hell is this?" "Icorina's a… uh… friend of mine…" "Axs has been a friend for a long time. I'm worried about Salah, so if anything happens please tell me." "ROOKS WOULD NOT LET ME KEEP HER WARM." "Easy big guy, she'd have ended up crispy instead of warm. Anyway…" "It looks like all the preparations have been finished. Unless we do something, the Reign of Evil is assured. This could be our last chance to stop her." "Not if we have anything to say about it. Let's go, Axs!" "We must be prepared for whatever happens. I can't forgive them, no matter what!" "Like father, like son. They are probably in the Stavery Tower." "Stavery Tower…?" "Y'know, the big ominous thing on top of the mountain? You can see it for miles. It's pretty much our only doom fortress." "Sounds great. Anyway, let's try not dying. You might be old and crusty, but I'm young and have a full life ahead of me." With all that said, it's time to explore the village a bit. This is referred to as the Hidden Elf Village, but it's actually not very hidden at all. "So… do they have a bar?" "The king before last made it mandatory that all towns and villages near ruins, mines, and forgotten remnants of ancient civilizations have to have a bar." "I can see that the monarchy has only gone downhill since then." "Wait, earthquakes? How'd we miss those?" "Probably being down in the mine… which isn't a good place to be in case of earthquakes." "There is danger if you go close to the tower. They say there are places in the tower you can't go into." "That's great. Thanks for that invaluable advice."  A new town means new equipment… most of which we can't afford. 23 grand is enough to get a weapon upgrade for each of our characters and maybe a bit of armor.  We could also theoretically buy even more types of honey at this point, but that money is earmarked for more equipment. Someday, our honey holiday will come.  We can also visit Icorina and get some reassurance on Salah's condition. It's a nice little detail.  Leaving the not-so-hidden Elf Village, our next destination is on top of what looks like a volcano. Right next to another volcano. Considering that the Ice Mine had magma in its deepest recesses, this country is unsettlingly active.  "What… what are those?" "You mean the vampire bees?" "That might be the most terrifying two word combination in the world." "What about Jara Zombies?" "NOT EVEN CLOSE. I HAVE THIS."  "Oh Roooooks… look what I can do!" "I CAN DO IT TOO." "That's great guys. I'll call you when I need you." Medicine is an upgrade on healing herbs. We also pick up a Gold Flask and not one, but two Tents on the first couple of floors.  "Wait, are you ANOTHER one of Ariel's apprentices?" "Did we ever find out how many he actually has?" "At this point I don't think even he knows." "Huh… guess he's not an apprentice then?" "WE WILL TEST IT WITH FIRE."  "Huh. That could have worked better." "Silly boy, this needs a woman's touch." "What about Sylph?" "A real woman, not a slip of a girl. "Me-ow." "There, that should do it. You can thank me appropriately later." "Well, that was easier to find than I expected. Who do we have here?" "Dao of Earth, to serve." "Not much of a talker. Okay."  Dao is the bruiser that some people were expecting with Efrite. Enormous Strength and Endurance, much less in the mental aspects. Wall All is a defensive enhancer, and Smash is the Earth Elemental attack spell. He's got a ton of HP, and tends to last a bit longer than the other spirits.  "It was a straight path to here, with no turns. Let's go back to the village and look for another way." "We can check on Salah while we're there."  "Yes, I'm fine." "But…" "I will continue on with you." "Take her along. She says she wants to go. With Rooks close by to protect her, she'll be fine." "Yeah, she'll be… wait, I'm protecting her?" "Hey, I handed her over to you before you two went through the pass. You're still responsible." "Ahh, screw it. Let's go, Salah."  "As long as you understand that, we'll be fine." "But be careful, both of you." As is the usual course of events, Salah joins us at a level relative to Rooks (3 levels lower) and with no equipment. She's somehow gained levels since she got kidnapped. "Uh… Salah, I don't know how to break this to you, but money's kind of tight." "How tight?" "I think we can afford a shield for you." "Just a shield. Well, I suppose I can hold off stabbing you in the back for the moment." "You're so generous. We can also afford a night stay at at inn, since there's not really room for three at your house." "I'm sure the innkeeper has nothing to do with it." "Beats the hell out of the last couple innkeepers, that's for sure." "Please don't tell Icorina." "Maybe if I get my hands on some real armor I'll forget about this."Character Update    Thanks to his regular honey binges, Rooks is actually better than his companions in just about every measurable way except for HP in comparison to Axs.     Our partner spirits are a more mixed bag, and it's a bit disappointing that in many ways they don't measure up to our "human" companions. Don't know why Efrite is showing up with Rooks equipment and attack/defense, but unfortunately he's not quite THAT awesome. The really weird thing is that Sylph is actually the second toughest spirit. Next update: Miniboss and the first half of the tower.
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Jun 13, 2014 06:43
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As a minor request, can you make a point whenever convenient to screenshot Marid and Dao's combat pictures? I find it a neat touch that everyone gets a second portrait for whenever there's a fight.
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Jun 13, 2014 08:06
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Vampire bees. It's a bit weird seeing the mix of spirits. Sylph being the first would seem to imply you're getting a salamander, gnome and undine to complete the set. Nope! You're getting D&D elemental genies! So why don't you start out with a djinn? (Because it's a JRPG and we don't need to make sense, that's why!) Very considerate of Salah to level up in her sleep. It's more than you get from some games of this era.
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Jun 13, 2014 08:21
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I like the sound of 'Wall All'. Nothing fancy, just WALLS FOR ALL.
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Jun 13, 2014 09:03
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And now Dao is reminding me of Cell. ALL THE MAN SPIRITS ARE FROM DBZ DAMNIT
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Jun 13, 2014 09:16
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Shei-kun posted:And now Dao is reminding me of Cell. This Post + One bout of Insomnia =  Why cross-eyed? No idea, it seemed fitting at the time. Also, Efrite is the coolest looking spirit out of all 4 of them.  
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Jun 13, 2014 09:43
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Nice shades  I don't really see the likeness, but A+ portrait of the average shounen protagonist as Rooks.
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Jun 13, 2014 11:50
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Derek Barona posted:As a minor request, can you make a point whenever convenient to screenshot Marid and Dao's combat pictures? I find it a neat touch that everyone gets a second portrait for whenever there's a fight. No worries, they'll both be shown in the next couple of updates. System Logoff posted:Awesome Images These are awesome. Shelf in particular, although I can't imagine what its spell list would be.
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Jun 13, 2014 17:37
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ddegenha posted:No worries, they'll both be shown in the next couple of updates. Organize (Stat buff, I think), Duststorm (Debuff), and Topple Over (Massive damage to all enemies, KOs Shelf) come to mind.
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Jun 13, 2014 18:01
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Dao is a true bruiser, a lot of strength, but only 21 attack, meaning he does pitiful damage with attacks. I have no idea why the game crippled the spirits' standard attacks like this.
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Jun 13, 2014 18:32
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 Also, yay the tower level! All 90s video games need a tower level, no exceptions.
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Jun 14, 2014 00:05
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The spirit's only real problem is their inability to equip gear. Given the same kind of problems joining characters have with coming with nothing, I'd say that Arcana in general just had some pretty bad programming issues with its inventory.
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Jun 14, 2014 00:46
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While the spirits can't equip anything, they could have been given a much higher inherent attack stat to compensate. Their inherent defend stat is way higher than that of the biological characters, so I can't see why they couldn't have done the same with the attack stat.
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Jun 14, 2014 08:12
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Update 9 "So… did we ever figure out a different route around that locked door?" "I think we got distracted. I guess we'll just look around the tower. Maybe we missed a turn somewhere." "Wait, what door?" "This one. We got this far and kinda got stuck." "I know how to open it." "Well, isn't that convenient." "I've heard that in order to get into Stavery Tower, you need to use royal tears." "Salah, you're ugly and nobody likes you." "Funny, Rooks. But not, it's a bit more complicated than that."  "Salah, are you OK? How did you do that?" "I just thought about the puppy I had when I was a little girl." "…I don't think I want to know about that." "Trust me, you really don't." "Hey, look, some armor for you Salah!" "You're provisionally granted a stay of back-stabbing." "I wish I was sure you were joking. You're going to be one scary Queen." "I think that there's something a bit… strange about this floor." "It seems like there shouldn't be this much space inside of a tower." "Marid, what does the map look like?" "…Marid, why are all the floors on the same sheet?" "Because you didn't give me that much parchment, you jerk. See if I do anything for YOU." "Don't be too hard on her, Rooks. Time and space are a little weird inside the tower." "At least somebody understands. If only you were a Card Masters, Axs." "With this, your insolence with only giving me a shield is forgiven." "If we find something else, what do I get?" "Some kind of noble title. I'm sure that I've got plenty of empty ones lying around since most of the nobles have probably gotten killed in the last 10 years." "It's just weapons and armor all over for us." "You say that, but all the stuff I bought you is getting resold and put into the honey fund." "…should we be staging an intervention for him?" "After we deal with Rimsala. We need him all hopped up on honey until then." Rooks has been confused the entire time, but at this point he's truly mastered it. That said, a status effect spell is usually the worst way you can be using Rooks turn. At the same time Salah picks up a an Attack Impair All spell, and Axs learns Flee. "It took you this long to figure out how to run away?" "Really, really terrible at magic." "I don't think fleeing counts as magic. Most people classify it as common sense."A little further along...   "Didn't we already kick your rear end once and prove that you're not?" "Wait, you've this… thing… before?" "Aye, we beat it up and got the Earth Spirit… or we thought we did." "So his entire plan was to get beaten, pretend to be the Earth Spirit, and then announce himself and get into another fight after you'd picked up more help? That's..." "Completely stupid, yes." "Ugh, and I want nothing to do with it. They're even uglier than normal enemies." "Not even to help me out?" "Well… one little spell. Maybe two." "…this man is dangerous."  "Good job, Efrite. It's time to finish this with Sylph." "ARE YOU SURE? I CAN STOMP MORE." "It's all about type matching, buddy. That drooling idiot is the first target, and Fire and Water isn't a good matchup for you."  "There we go. Feeling a bit lonely there new guy?" "I don't care if it's feeling lonely, it looks pissed. I'm out of here before it roasts me." "If you can't take the heat? Then I guess I'll have to stand in…I'd say I win, but this isn't even a competition." "Will you two stop fighting?" "Besides, I've got this." "Thanks, Axs. Now, are you going to behave yourself this time?" "The complete Dao of Earth, at your service. No tricks." "drat right. You know what'll happen to you if you try that again." No idea what all of this accomplished, other than adding another mini-boss to this chapter. The new Dao isn't any different than the previous version when you factor in the levels I've gained since the last update. He even comes with the same spell selection.  "Ooh, stylish. Did they decide to make the whole place fancier as it went up?" "More like ran out of local materials and had to import it from further away. it just happened to be a bit prettier." "And a lot more expensive. The kingdom was way over budget for a number of years when this thing was being built."  A new color scheme means new enemies, mostly all recolors. The gold border signifies a wind elemental enemy, which is one that you really only see once or twice in the course of the game. "I should probably have told you earlier, but there are rumors that this tower is haunted by the ghosts of the laborers who built it and the people who tried to plunder its treasures." "So… kind of like us?" "Well, at least that explains a few things." Most of the elemental spirits have an instant death attack that they'll pick up at some point. These are every bit as useful as such abilities are in most RPGs. They're also the most expensive spell for their respective elementals. There is, however, one exception. "All things exist to be buried." "As long as that doesn't include us." "Hmph. Boys will be boys… do they ever think about anything other than destroying things?" "You've got that right." "Aww man, why do I never find anything for me?" "Probably because you claimed all the honey for yourself." "He can keep his honey, as long as I keep getting armor like this." For whatever reason, there's a complete set of weapons and armor for Axs stowed away here. It's pretty much his ultimate equipment, and turns him into a pretty balanced tank. Considering that his stats aren't as good as Rooks, it's actually fairly impressive.  Above - the exception to the "all elementals get an instant death skill" thing. "Isn't that much better than burying everything?" "I'll take your word for it." At the 7th floor we're halfway up the tower, and at the end of my current map. Despite all of the floors, Stavery Tower is actually a substantial improvement over the Ice Mine. Character Update    Somehow despite joining us at 3 levels behind Rooks, Salah is now 4 levels behind. It's magical, and I'm glad we could save some cash by finding her equipment in the tower. She's still not THAT useful, but she does have a few attack spells that can help clear out the rabble. Axs has become a grim harbinger of bloody destruction in his demon equipment, and that's just fine with me.     With four spirits you can start to see patterns in their stats. Sylph and Efrite both have two high stats, a medium stat, and a low stat while Marid and Dao have two high stats and two low stats. They've done a pretty good job of giving each spirit a role to play, though, so the stats don't matter as much as you'd think.
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Jun 15, 2014 18:08
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Nothing like blowing your cash on character-specific equipment only to find an upgrade later in the dungeon!
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Jun 18, 2014 02:30
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Glazius posted:Nothing like blowing your cash on character-specific equipment only to find an upgrade later in the dungeon! 'Tis the way of JRPGs, my friend. Especially for those of us who like to buy ALL the best stuff before we clear the current dungeon. It may not be the most optimal way of doing things, but dammit, our dudes WILL be fully decked out with the best gear money can buy before anything else gets done. Up to and including escaping collapsing buildings, and rescuing children from monsters, and saving the world.
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Jun 18, 2014 05:38
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I've known about this game for a while, but I could never really get all that interested in it. The part of it I found most interesting is that since it was done in the early days by HAL Labs, the music for the game was actually done by Jun Ishikawa -- the same composer who has done the most of the Kirby games, whom I didn't think would be able to translate their signature style into an RPG soundtrack, not just once, but twice. Arcana was one of two RPG games that Ishikawa did music for; the other was Alcahest, I think. It was absurdly difficult, but I had a lot more fun with it. I gotta ask though... You said with this game that the translation isn't really all that good. Aside from the occasional gaffe and the original story being kinda cliché already, what about the English version is so terrible specifically? I couldn't play past the first level, so I didn't get to see much of the game, but I thought that the English version of the game seemed actually pretty well done, at least on the technical side. The typographic design fits the game really well, which probably took quite a bit of work for the time when the game was released. Is the dialogue/story being bad just one of those campy and cliché things, or is there some larger issue I'm not seeing? Like, was a lot of stuff cut from the game because of string sizes or ROM limitations? (I bet that's probably it.) I think this was the only RPG that HAL brought stateside before their American branch closed shop and they offloaded their offshore stuff to Nintendo of America. Alcahest only has a fan translation in English, but the source material wasn't much to write home about in the first place.
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Jun 18, 2014 05:43
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Update 10 New floors, new enemies. Of course… "Okay, I give. What the hell is a Rilus?" "You've got me. I'm completely lost." "I don't give a Fult. Take care of them and I'll patch you all up afterward."Other new enemies include the "Reach" which might be a terrible transliteration of "Lich."  "Huh, wonder if I can get in? Without the whole royal tears… I think 'you're ugly and nobody likes you' is about all I had." "Take care! It may be a trap!" "Rooks, are you okay?" "You're all fired up all of a sudden." "I just have a feeling… beyond this door…" "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this. Hand over the Crystal Sword and the Enchanted Jewel." "It's too late. The preparations for the Reign of Evil have already begun." "Aren't you still missing the Spirit Sword?" "Teefa made all the arrangements? Who's the master and who's the apprentice here?" "What?!" "Teefa!? Where is she? Where's my sister?" "I expect she's been helping to usher in the Reign of Evil." "I know you're expecting me to be shocked that Teefa's your sister, but you two look like twins. Well, probably because you are." "So you're using Teefa's tears are being used. She is from the Royal Family of Lexford." "Yeah, turns out that's kind of important for the whole Reign of Evil." "So, what will you do?" "Axs, Salah… I need a moment. There's some things you need to take care of on your own." "Just like your father. I think this'll work out better for you than it did for him." "Rooks? Kick. His. rear end." "Thanks guys." "Now, let's start by pulling your fangs. Sylph, go ahead and boost our dodging ability." "With pleasure. You're not the only one who owes this guy." "Ha! Take… THIS!" "You've had minions and apprentices to take the load off… I've had to do it all myself. Last time you paralyzed me, but this time.. this time it's just you and me. Efrite!" "I DO NOT KNOW THIS MAN, BUT WE WILL STOMP HIM." "Sounds great, buddy. Just keep us both healthy." "I JOIN YOU IN MOCKING HIM." "I'm sure he's crushed." "Just not as crushed as he just was. Really, Ariel? Your apprentice put up a better fight." "I don't have to. After the beating I just gave you, it's just a matter of time." "Beware of Galneon…" "His intention…" "Ariel, that's enough."  "…ouch. Should probably have taken your own advice on that one."  "Wait, he's the Betrayer?" "DID YOU NOT JUST LITERALLY STAB HIM IN THE BACK?" "You have been used as a pawn, just like your father." "Huh, so you're Galneon… not quite what I expected. You're kind of… greener..." "Are you Zahan's son? Just like your father, you are a hindrance and an obstacle! This is the beginning of the end for you! I will throw you away like an old rag, the way I did with Ariel." "Did you do the same thing to my father? You're just TRYING to give me a reason to kill your rear end." "But I crushed your parents with my own hands!" "Yep, definitely gonna kill you. I was already planning to, but that's the icing on the cake."  "Can't talk, on my way to kill Galneon." "THERE ARE A LOT OF THEM. WAS THIS A GOOD IDEA?" "Can't talk, busy killing." "SIGH. SYLPH, I NEED A BREAK." "I don't blame you. Everyone's got a limit on how much stupidity they can handle at one time." "Why are you here?" "Did I stutter? To give you a hand defeating Galneon." "Don't mind him, he's kind of in a bloodthirsty rage." "Eh, that should probably be okay if we just want him to beat Galneon." As previously, Darwin joins us three levels higher than Rooks. Just like everybody else he comes in with no equipment, and this time we're about 3/4 of the way through a long dungeon. "Aww man, I got rid of all of your old crap… okay, I'm not leaving and making my way back up here. You get what we find." "Tough, but fair. I'll just stay in the back." "You know that won't make you any safer, right?" "Oh trust me, I know." The final third of the tower switches to a new decor. We'll see it again, which is a bit different from the other tile sets in the game. "Ooh, swanky." "Aww man, sorry about that Sylph. She's gonna be SO pissed." "Yeah, this might not have been the best idea." "Oh, be quiet and give me a moment to bring her back." "Hahaha! Let me eat it again, and I'll blow you away!" "I'll be good!"Chaos Wind is Sylph's ultimate skill, and removes enemies from battle. It's effectively the same as Entomb.  "Rooks, stuffing your face full of honey doesn't count as being good." "But there's so much of it…" "Honestly, I don't know how you're not as big as a house." "I have two stomachs. One for honey, and one for regular food." "There you go, Darwin." "A gold sword. That's…" "Completely useless." "Aww, but it's so SHINY!" "Contrary to popular belief, shininess isn't the only thing that matters with a sword." "Beats having nothing at all, if only barely."A few minutes later...  "Humans sleeping? Fine, I will do all the work. SMASH!" "Huh? What?" "You awaken? Good. I left one for you." "Not bad. A little bit more and you'll have a haiku." Nearby we find this beauty, which summons an elemental spirit at random. The spirits summoned are slightly different from the ones you summon from cards, and are never given names. It's basically a one time attack that may or may not hit a weakness or a resistance.  This whole stretch is incredibly dangerous, especially if you're hard-headed like me and do things like don't bother to buy equipment for your temporary party members. Seeing that grim reaper icon is a real possibility… and yes, this is a game over.  "There you go, armor. You've got no room to complain." "A shield would be nice, and… dammit, this is just about as useless as the golden sword." "Hey, blame the person who stocked the chest not me." "Okay, this is just getting ridiculous." "What's the problem? The big guy takes up the same space as two or three other guys, and that's never a bad thing." "…okay, I need a drink." "Or this might do it."Ruinous mission is a spell that… I never actually used. It basically destroys a spirit to kill all the enemies in a random encounter. Not a good trade.  "ALL THINGS IN THIS WORLD BURN TO ASHES." "…Rooks, do you ever feel like you're meddling with forces beyond the control of any one man?" "All the time, Darwin. All the time. Although..." "Is it me, or is that a freaking dragon?" "You're not seeing things. How did they even…?" "This place must have huge windows is all I can figure." "Ah dammit. Well, at least she's not behind me this time." "Teefa?" "Wait, you two know each other?"Character Update Forthcoming, since I ended up having to split this update. Next time: Teefa, Darwin, and the end of Chapter 4.
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Jun 18, 2014 07:49
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Huh I don't remember this at all. Then again given that I only went through this game once, I guess that's not surprising. So... why does Ariel fight you, continue preparing the way forward for evil and then try to be on your side when you defeat him. I'm kind of lost here.
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Jun 18, 2014 10:17
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You know, this might have been mentioned, but... That's totally suposed to be Sarah, isn't it? Yay l/r translation errors. I never really noticed until now because Fantasy Names for characters are always silly.
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Jun 18, 2014 14:58
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Keldulas posted:Huh I don't remember this at all. Then again given that I only went through this game once, I guess that's not surprising. When I played through it I always got the impression that it's one of those fantasy things. Person is manipulated by some evil beast/person and beating the snot out of them breaks the control.
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Jun 18, 2014 15:07
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Okay yeah, never mind my earlier question. I can see now that there is just a certain point in the game where the script kinda falls apart.
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Jun 18, 2014 16:35
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Is it me, or has Marid stopped being playful and flirty and gained more of a hard edge? Did Rooks do something to piss her off?
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Jun 18, 2014 16:42
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Crystalgate posted:Dao is a true bruiser, a lot of strength, but only 21 attack, meaning he does pitiful damage with attacks. I have no idea why the game crippled the spirits' standard attacks like this. Since you get 4 of them you can cycle through them casting them out of MP, so the poo poo attack values make up for the fact you can basically spam their offensive spells. You have almost no reason to use their attack commands this late.
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Jun 18, 2014 17:00
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shalafi4 posted:When I played through it I always got the impression that it's one of those fantasy things. Person is manipulated by some evil beast/person and beating the snot out of them breaks the control. Eh, I see it as more of a "Oh right, you thought we were friends before I stabbed you in the back. Well gently caress it, if I'm gonna die anyway I might as well try to be nice." sort of thing.
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Jun 18, 2014 17:13
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SystemLogoff posted:You know, this might have been mentioned, but... On the other hand, with her being called Salah, it's so much easier to read this LP in John Rhys-Davies' voice. Salah: Rooks, why does the floor move? Rooks: Efrit, some light please. Rooks: Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? Salah: Asps... Very dangerous. You go first.
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Jun 19, 2014 13:17
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ddegenha posted:
Little editing error here.
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Jun 19, 2014 19:36
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"Fult"? Don't tell me the enemies that are literally brown wind are actually supposed to be named Farts.
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Jun 19, 2014 19:50
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"Attribute 11" feels more like a gimmicky perfume brand than a lethal spell.
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Jun 19, 2014 20:43
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You know, I've always wondered what the game would be like if they'd managed to actually put in any of the ring items. Or at least didn't start every ally with nothing in terms of equipment. Oh well, the LP's making me want to replay part of the game. FH_Meta fucked around with this message at 23:17 on Jun 21, 2014 |
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Jun 21, 2014 21:53
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Update 11 "Nope, still going to kill you." "Haven't I met that warrior elf somewhere before?" "The what? You mean Sylph? But she's…" "Definitely not an elf." "Princess Teefa!" "The princess is an elf? I'm completely lost." "What? No, I'm the elf. Princess Teefa isn't." "Do you two know each other?"  "EEEeeeewwwww." "Don't think it's like that, but it's hard to tell through that accent."  "You're not making sense! This will be your burial place!" "Okay, that could have gone better." "You think? You still owe me an explanation later for how you two know each other." "Talk talk talk… c'mon Rooks, we owe her for last time!" "Eh, I mostly blamed Ariel for that one. I'm actually feeling pretty good about the whole thing now. It's starting to look like she's being mind-controlled, too." "Oh, fine. But don't say I didn't warn you." "Wow, Efrite, you're a bit more banged up than I thought." "I WILL REST AFTER WE ARE DONE STOMPING." "Efrite, watch out!" "THAT WAS CLOSE. I AM NOW DONE STOMPING." "Another woman trying to kill you? Rooks, I'd give you some advice on dealing with the ladies but if I did one of them might steal you away from me." "I'll be happy if you can just help keep this one from succeeding." "I suppose I'll do what I can, but only because it's you." "What about me?" "Sorry, eye candy, but I'm a one man spirit. Anything you get from me is because you're helping Rooks."  "Great job there, bodyguard." "Yeah, I'd be so fired if her dad were in any position to tell me I was." "Wow. Where do I even start?" "We're… and Galneon… and Rimsala… yeah, where we start explaining this?" "Darwin…?! Why are you here?" "I can do that." "Why does that not surprise me?" "Be careful." "I'll be more careful with that golden sword and fancy armor. Hand'em over." "The worst part is that I might actually be better off without them. They're that useless." "Rooks, why do you keep doing this?" "Well, the dragons aren't exactly giving me a choice. And if I stop fighting, the world could end." "No, why do you keep going off on your own like this?" "Because it's something that only I can do, and… it's so close. We're just a couple of floors from the top." "Whatever you do, I'll do my best to make sure you get there to do it alive." With no other characters, support spells and disabling enemies is practically a requirement. It still doesn't work all the time, but when it does Paralyze All is the best spell. "What would you do without us, Rooks?" "Probably talk to myself a lot more." "I'm starting to really dread these doors… it doesn't help that they're all the same." "That… that is kind of weird. Do you think they just ordered them in bulk?" "And probably killed the craftsman after they were done. Just seems like something Galneon would do." "Well, you've come this far. It seems you didn't care much for the gift I left behind for you." "Yeah, not much for unconscious girls. Appreciate the thought, though, really." "Cad! You're supposed to say that with me there you couldn't possibly care for another woman." "Sure, that too." "Won't it be difficult to leave all of us behind?" "Aren't Axs of the Knights of Lexford and Princess Salah going to make an appearance?" "…yes?" "You didn't let me finish! I was going to say 'is a question I don't have to ask myself now.'" "Sorry to interrupt your monologue. Prepare yourself, Galneon! This is where your dream dies!" "We'll see!" "Okay, I wasn't expecting that." "Rooks! You and Salah retreat!" "Come on, Rooks! He knows what he's doing!" "He'll be okay, Rooks. He's just going to buy us some time to get away." "I hope you're right, Salah… because that looks like a really bad sign to me."Character Update  As you might be able to guess, these shots were taken at a different time while Rooks stats hadn't changed. Because of that, he's in the update as the only character we could control. As of right now, Rooks is triple digit in all stats and by far the strongest overall character… kind of appropriate as the hero.     It's interesting that Sylph has the highest endurance outside of Dao, and the second best MP. I'm still happier with Marid's MP, since Restore HP All is insanely useful. Things like that are why she's seeing a lot more use later up in the tower, especially with a fuller party. Her higher alertness might also help deter ambushes, but that's open to debate. Next update: Getting back to the Tower.
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Jun 22, 2014 05:14
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So, going by raw stats... Only Sylph and Marid have a higher intelligence than Rooks, and only Efrite and Marid are more aware. This bodes poorly for the world.
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Jun 22, 2014 06:28
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Oh. Well... nice knowing you, Axs.
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Jun 22, 2014 19:41
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Update 12 We're moving in to the final chapter now, with an appropriate chapter title. In fact, all of the chapters titles are accurate enough to nearly qualify as spoilers in their own right. On the other hand, Salvation could apply to just about anybody.  "Yes. My sister…?" "She's over at Icorina's. She's Axs'… uh.. friend, I think. I think she might be sitting this one out." "Thank you. I'm so grateful to you…" "That's what I'm talki.." "AHEM." "My father, King Wagnall, is now deceased. I have been put in the care of Darwin. But many years ago, Galneon…" "What year do you think this is? All of that happened years ago." "…wait, what year is it? Things have been kind of fuzzy for a long time." "You also quite literally stabbed me in the back." "And I'm really, REALLY sorry about that. Oh Darwin, so glad you're back!" "So, Darwin, how was it?" "So did we actually stop the plan? Weren't they supposed to turn into monsters or something?" "I don't actually know. It's not like the apocalypse came with a guide." "It will take time for it to be fully implemented." "Is there anything we can do?" "If we can get the Crystal Sword, the Enchanted Jewel, and the Spirit Sword back from Galneon there might be a chance." "Oh, is that all? We'll be done by lunch." "You say 'should', but that means you don't actually know for sure. Eh, what the hell. Let's go!" We're back in the castle town, with enough money to actually make a dent in equipping our team. Teefa comes in at the same level as Rooks, and if we hadn't already sold her original equipment it'd be ridiculously outdated. Teefa and Salah have slightly different equipment lists as well.  "Wait, isn't that a good thing?" "Only as long as it doesn't mean that something worse is living there." "There is something strange about that tower. I wonder if the Evil Empress might not be stirring?" "Am I the only one who didn't know about that?" "Bartenders are usually incredibly well informed." "Wait, you can't be talking about King Wagnall. Can you?" "Okay, now I feel a bit better. Well informed my rear end." Going shopping, 60K seems like a lot of money but we can blow through that in no time flat. The saving grace we have is that the Golden Sword is worth 15K and the Rococo Armor is worth 25K. It's a nice difference from most games, which would have had those as some of the best equipment in the game materials be damned.  Leaving town actually gives us a little shot of the group coming out of the town and walking into the castle that's all of a couple of pixels away. It's over almost too fast to be captured.  "I see that you guys used the same interior decorator as in the top floors of the Tower." "Yeah, we actually got a huge deal on the paneling." "I knew it!" "I think we found out why the monsters aren't coming around." "I think dragons count as monsters. Pretty sure about it, actually." "Not really. We kept them out in the gardens." "And probably went through a dozen gardeners a week. When the King started to lose it, how did you even notice?" "In retrospect, it seems like we probably did miss a few warning signs." "My darling Desiree, I've missed you so much! Come here to me!" "Wait, so all those times you cried about your lost Desiree you were talking about…" "You actually thought that he was talking about a woman?" "A lot of things just started making sense." "I promise, we'll never be parted again!" "You two are getting your own room when we go back to the inn. And by you two, I mean you and the sword." "Speaking of my father, the court wizards might have encouraged him in a few of his wilder ideas." "I'm not even going to ask how many court wizards you had. I'm just going to start thinning the numbers." The upside of the difficulty spike and the sheer number of monsters is that we're raking in the experience and gold hand over fist. We're going to need it.  All of the dragons can cast their respective elemental spells at the highest level. It adds up to quite a bit of damage across the party, and it's worse if they hit a weakness in one of your spirits.   "I can't believe nobody snatched these up… these are perfect for me!" "I'm regretting all the money I spent on gear for you guys. I'm taking it all back, selling it, and going on an epic honey binge." "The fact that you're using the word binge represents a sort of progress." "Okay, seriously how many dragons can you fit into a single palace? Have you ever considered hiring an exterminator?" "If you want to be the Royal Exterminator, we can probably work something out…" "I'll think about… where the hell were these guys hiding? We took ONE step!" "Hidden passages, maybe?" "Rooks, I'm… not feeling so well…" "You're not the only one. Alright, back in 3, 2, 1…" The initial castle section is at least six wings with a large maze like area in the back. It's pretty much guaranteed to require multiple trips. Heading back to near where we left off…"   "I am Ariel's apprentice, Karul. Rooks, I thought I'd have a look at you." "Well, here I am. Look, are you gonna be cool about this or not? I'm kind of in a hurry." "I don't know what Galneon will do." "Probably kill you in a fit of rage or just because he forgot who you were, actually." "Just telling him you're Ariel's apprentice probably won't help. There were a lot of us." "But… please defeat Ariel's enemies!" "Sounds great, we'll get RIGHT on tha..." "Oh dammit, fine. You want to do this? Let's do this!" "Ooh, decisive… have I told you lately how much I like that in a man?" "Why are you even attacking us? We're practically on the same side!" "I don't think he could help himself once we started walking away." "It's not like Ariel chose his apprentices for their stability. Marid, take a rest. We've got this." "You mean that I've got this, right?" "Sure, if that's what makes you happy." "Why did they…?" "Yeah, you'd think that they'd have kept that close by instead of just handing it over to one of Ariel's many apprentices." "Cruel, isn't it?" "Don't lose your nerve!" The final dragon type, the Cloud Dragon, is a bit rarer than the others. It's also hard to get a good look at it, since it tends to be hidden behind a bunch of front line troops.   Repeated trips means repeated levels, and more spells. Call Wind Spirit is part of a series that we'll touch on later, and Attribute 11 is pretty much the ultimate group attack spell. It can do up to about 180-190 to every enemy on the screen, helping enormously in clearing random encounters.  "Is that a staircase?" "I don't know, I can't see past yet another dragon's gigantic rear end." "Rooks! I know it's a dragon, but you should never refer to a lady's rear end as gigantic. Assuming it's a lady." "It's kind of hard to tell with dragons, but that is a staircase." "A Tunnel? Is there a B Tunnel somewhere?" "Only one way to find out, since asking the architect isn't really an option." "It's going the right way to get us into the tower, and that's all that counts."Character Update    One thing I didn't mention is that Rooks can use the Crystal Sword as a considerable upgrade. It doesn't quite match up to Desiree in Darwin's hands, but you can't beat free in either case. Teefa actually has a respectable attack now as well, although she's usually much better off casting spells. It's been a bit, but I believe this is prior to Rooks going on his promised honey binge.     The spirits are coming along slowly but surely, and in some ways are beginning to pass our party members outside of Rooks in terms of stats and durability even with their lower defense. Next update: A Tunnel. Well, what else did you expect?
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Jun 26, 2014 02:54
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You just have to know Element 11 is something horrible. : So, what is it? Some combination of Earth, Wind, Water or Fire?: No, it's the souls of every dead child killed in the war.: 
SystemLogoff fucked around with this message at 00:56 on Jun 28, 2014 |
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Jun 26, 2014 04:12
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Speaking of the attribute spells, they are all the ways you can combine two or more elements. Attribute 1-6 contains all combinations of two elements, 7-10 all combinations of three elements and attribute 11 contains all four elements. If en enemy is weak against any of the elements, it's weak against the spell. Anyway, I wondered what it is Ariel teaches his apprentices. He has a lot of them, but the game never covers what they are apprentices off. Karul's behavior however hints at an answer. Ariel is teaching them backstabbing. That's really all Ariel can teach them too, he no other particular skill.
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Jun 26, 2014 20:43
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I guess without Ariel around, backstabbing just doesn't have the joie de vivre it used to. I don't think he was even trying.
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Jun 27, 2014 00:19
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Ariel can't help it if apprentices keep throwing themselves at him. What a pimp. I loved this part of the game. Random battles were difficult enough to hold my attention but Rooks and Darwin can crack some skulls. I'd explore every inch of the map and return to town pretty regularly to rest and get honey. Can't wait until Rooks's binge. 
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Jun 27, 2014 12:25
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| # ? May 13, 2024 03:37 |
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nothing to see here
hey girl you up fucked around with this message at 17:26 on Jun 28, 2014 |
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Jun 28, 2014 00:28
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