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LATEST UPDATE: Part Thirty-Seven: Lights Out! Hello, I'm Cool Ghost. In this thread, I'm going to do an LP of Metal Gear Acid. What is Metal Gear Acid? Metal Gear Acid is a spin-off to the popular Metal Gear series of video games, released as a launch game for the PSP in 2004 (in Japan) and 2005 (in North America and Europe). It puts an interesting spin on the Metal Gear gameplay formula by replacing the regular stealth action approach with a turn-based model, with most actions being performed by playing cards. This is the Active Command Intelligence Duel system, which gives the game its name and makes Acid and its sequel probably the most unique of all the Metal Gear offshoots. And, for my money, they're the best Metal Gear spinoffs out there. At the same time, the Acid games aren't without their faults, and this first game definitely has some rough edges. But the core gameplay is solid once it finds its feet and I find the feel of the game, aesthetically and tonally, to be pretty in-line with Metal Gear at large. By the way, if you're coming into this thread knowing nothing about Metal Gear and you're intimidated by the size of the catalogue, don't worry. Both Acid games are pretty much self-contained. Story-wise, they have nothing to do with the Metal Gear Solid games - the biggest connection is that most of the cards you'll find in the game are references to other Metal Gear games, but even that's essentially just set dressing. Before we get started, here's a little backstory on the game's events, courtesy of the manual: Metal Gear Acid: The Story posted:The year is 2016. The place...somewhere over the United States.  ON SPOILERS Don't spoil either of the Acid games. I'm not too concerned about spoilers for non-Acid Metal Gear games, but those are all off topic, so you shouldn't be talking about them too much anyway.  And so, let's dig in. Table of Contents Part One: Teliko Meets the Big Man Part Two: Solid Snake Part Three: A Snake at the Gate Part Four: Cutscenes on a Plane Part Five: Snake Goes North Part Six: Makin' Friends Part Seven: The Wall Part Eight: What Does a Snake Need in an Armoury? Part Nine: The Wall Comes Down Part Ten: About Alice Part Eleven: Snake Logs On Part Twelve: Snake Meets the Big Man Part Thirteen: The Snake and the Swallowtail Part Fourteen: Mr. Snake's Wild Ride Begins Part Fifteen: Discount Cutscene Warehouse Part Sixteen: The Search for Flemming Part Seventeen: Flemming Part Eighteen: Still Talkin' Part Nineteen: Big Jeff Part Twenty: Escape from the Big Man Part Twenty-One: Hittin' the Brakes Part Twenty-Two: Betrayal on the Big Bridge Part Twenty-Three: Regular Field with No Mines Part Twenty-Four: The Super Spy's New Clothes Part Twenty-Five: Solid Snake Dressup Doll Flash Game Part Twenty-Six: The Twin Snakes Part Twenty-Seven: There's Something Weird Upstairs Part Twenty-Eight: Dream Town Part Twenty-Nine: The Reunion Part Thirty: In-Flight Entertainment Part Thirty-One: Roped in to Some Nonsense (Like the Rope Bridge in the Update) Part Thirty-Two: Should Have Brought Stun Grenades Part Thirty-Three: Crossing the River Part Thirty-Four: Alliance Part Thirty-Five: AA Quality Filler Part Thirty-Six: The Genius of Stealth Part Thirty-Seven: Lights Out! Bonus Updates The Solid Snake Starter Pack Extra Missions The Teliko Friedman Starter Pack On Interference Cool Ghost fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Sep 6, 2019 |
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Nov 19, 2017 02:17
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Reserved.
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Nov 19, 2017 02:17
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Part One: Teliko Meets the Big Man Like all good stories, Metal Gear Acid begins with the President arriving.  Most of the game's big story scenes are set up like this, with text on a (semi-)static background. This scene isn't voiced, either. There's a little bit of voice acting in the game, but by and large they saved the space for other things.   Speaking of saving space, all the textboxes in the game are like this. I'd bet dollars to donuts that it's a Japanese font spacing thing, but still, the way it stretches things out is very annoying. Secretary-General: No apology necessary. The best way to handle this is to punish those in charge of each unit. President: I appreciate your understanding. Secretary-General: All for one, and one for all. Well that's not very nice. You know, I think these shadowy men might not be entirely above board. Secretary: My apologies for calling everyone on such short notice, but this is a serious incident. Chairman: What is it this time? Prime Minister: Yes, please enlighten us. With the PM's line there, we've been "introduced" to the entire cast of characters in this room. Judging from their titles, they're all very important.  And that's all we really need to know, since this meeting is just the framing device for the game. We won't be seeing any more of those guys for a while.  ???: we here at NEKAL are providing a special limited offer. Those who act now and purchase pajamas or a nightcap from participating outlets will receive our special NEKAL Silk Powder as a free gift.   Uh, okay. Sure.  Following the ad for nightwear, the scene jumps out of the visual novel dimension and into this hallway. I promise you, I am not cutting things out here.   The shot moves moves in on the door, which opens to reveal a woman.   As she steps out of whatever that room was, she receives one of those classic Metal Gear radio calls.  The little interface spoiler there identifies the woman as Teliko. Frankly, knowing her name changes nothing here, and her picture is in the manual anyway. HRT: Bravo! Don't come near this place!  While Teliko chews the fat, these men move in assault-rifle-havingly.  This is why you should never answer the phone.   Fortunately for her, Teliko is also an assault rifle-haver. This entire sequence takes place under the game's "battle" rules, but none of those trappings really matter here.  What does matter is that Teliko is not doing a no-kills run.  HRT: Delta here. I'm surrounded. Requesting backup. Goddammit, Delta, give Alpha his phone back. This is serious! HRT: Dammit! Echo here! Ungh!   Spotting some rough-looking gentlemen in her path, Teliko throws a grenade at their feet.   And then she shoots it.  This kills the goons.  I assume the line was open that whole time, and everyone involved in this call just heard that. HRT: I'm in the west warehouse. Our unit has been wiped out. We have to scrap the mission. That's what you get for sending a whole team into a Metal Gear situation. HRT: We can't wait much longer. Teliko: Roger.   HRT: What the... That looks exactly like... Teliko runs down the hall and the scene cuts to black.  Who or what looks exactly like what or whom will have to wait, though. We're gonna be waiting on a lot of things. HRT: Bravo...you still alive? The meeting point is in the west building warehouse.  Judging by the decor, Teliko isn't the first person to be through here.   Hey.     I don't think that grenade trick is gonna do it this time.  Leone Soldier: The group in Corridor B was wiped out, too. Leone: Take her. And don't let Clown find her. I'm sure we'll find out what that was about eventually. Cool Ghost fucked around with this message at 16:08 on Apr 3, 2018 |
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Nov 19, 2017 02:17
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Oh cool, I've always been interested in this game but never played it myself. It looks like it has a very unique playstyle, so I'll be definitely following this. Even if I didn't understand anything that happened in that first update, but I'm sure you'll explain the mechanics later.
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Nov 19, 2017 02:57
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Hooray it's a new Cool Ghost LP thread! I know nothing about mgs but I look forward to more LSD themed jokes, keep up the good work
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Nov 19, 2017 03:17
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This game is definitely a thing. I really like it, but I find it can get kind of grindy and you can end up skipping turns when you need THAT ONE CARD to get through a door or something. Looking forward to more of this. By the way, is Ac!d 2 any better in that regard? I've not actually played it since I've been trying to finish 1. Speaking of 1, I assume you're playing the NTSC version - does it list the wrong ammo type on the XM8 like the PAL version does?
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Nov 19, 2017 04:29
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Acid 2 is a faster game overall, and IIRC they did away with the card-locked doors and environmental roadblocks, but there are still times when you'll need some card and your deck won't cooperate, for sure. And the XM8's card graphic lists it as a 5.45mm, but the "more info" blurb has it as the correct 5.56mm.
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Nov 19, 2017 05:54
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Ace of Aces posted:Speaking of 1, I assume you're playing the NTSC version - does it list the wrong ammo type on the XM8 like the PAL version does? Those scoundrels
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Nov 19, 2017 07:49
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Crane Fist posted:Those scoundrels This is more of a problem than it sounds like because of the way the game does 'equippable' weapons versus 'usable' weapons. Basically, you equip an 'equippable' weapon by using the card and placing it into one of your slots on the "equipment matrix", and then to actually use the weapon you have to use another weapon card that uses the same ammo, so if you get faked out by the card text you're going to have a bad time. I'll save going into serious detail about it for Cool Ghost/later in the thread when you actually get to see some of those cards.
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Nov 19, 2017 09:52
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Getting in on the ground floor of this LP. I've only ever played MGS, but I can't miss out on a Cool Ghost LP.
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Nov 19, 2017 15:36
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This is a pretty good game. As people have said, it has a couple flaws that lessen replay value, but if not for that I'd have played this as much as I played the sequel. Which was a lot.
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Nov 19, 2017 17:07
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This game is pretty flawed, but I have to admit I love it and am glad to see an LP of it so more people can experience the game for themselves.
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Nov 19, 2017 18:35
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Ace of Aces posted:This game is definitely a thing. I really like it, but I find it can get kind of grindy and you can end up skipping turns when you need THAT ONE CARD to get through a door or something. Looking forward to more of this. Acid 2 from what I remember is a lot more streamlined, not all movement has to be done using cards (I think you can change direction freely at the very least) and it features possibily the most ridiculous looking Metal Gear design in the entire franchise.
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Nov 19, 2017 18:38
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Oh hey, a new Acid LP! Without spoiling anything, I'd just like to say that this game is amazing. What does amazing mean? You decide! 
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Nov 19, 2017 23:02
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Didn't this game come with a special 3D visor of some sort? Or was that Ac!d 2?
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Nov 19, 2017 23:19
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MachuPikacchu posted:Didn't this game come with a special 3D visor of some sort? Or was that Ac!d 2? Yeah, the 'Solid Eye'. That was Ac!d 2. Didn't work with the PSP-3000 at all, sadly, because of how they changed the screen.
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Nov 19, 2017 23:44
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MachuPikacchu posted:Didn't this game come with a special 3D visor of some sort? Or was that Ac!d 2? Not related to the thread but I just want to say that your username is amazing
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Nov 20, 2017 00:24
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Oh, cool, an MGS Acid LP. The Acid games are probably the only MGS ones that I know nothing about, aside from the card mechanic, so I'm hopping on for this ride.
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Nov 20, 2017 03:12
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Ace of Aces posted:This is more of a problem than it sounds like because of the way the game does 'equippable' weapons versus 'usable' weapons. Basically, you equip an 'equippable' weapon by using the card and placing it into one of your slots on the "equipment matrix", and then to actually use the weapon you have to use another weapon card that uses the same ammo, so if you get faked out by the card text you're going to have a bad time. I'll save going into serious detail about it for Cool Ghost/later in the thread when you actually get to see some of those cards. Oh no poo poo Alright that's far less spergy than it sounded, carry on
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Nov 20, 2017 07:42
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Part Two: Solid Snake We're done with Teliko for a while, but there's still a lot of intro left in the game.   First thing to introduce: trees.  Even the trees in this game have radios. Wild.  You can immediately tell this guy is a dickhead because he's using his first name on the radio.  Once the pan is finished, we can see that Roger was not actually speaking to a tree, but to everyone's hero, Solid Snake. In MGS canon, Snake looked like he was about 70 years old in 2014, but here he looks pretty much the same as he did in MGS2, just in his MGS1 outfit. Roger: Looks like you made it ashore, Snake.  Didn't quite hit "kept you waiting, huh?" here, but they tried. Roger: Any enemies in sight? Snake: None so far. There's a conversation like this at the beginning of most Metal Gear games, usually establishing that Snake's going into the poo poo alone and against heavy resistance.  Roger: We've lost contact with them. HRT Unit Spenser would be the guys Teliko was on the horn with last update. Snake: HRT... Isn't that a SWAT-based unit specializing in terrorism prevention tactics? Roger: Yes. But...they were wiped out by enemies. I'd say something about what HRT is in reality, but whatever, they're all dead anyway, so who gives a poo poo?  Eh, I dunno, they looked pretty generic. Roger: Snake, our mission consists of just one thing. "Our" mission, he says, as if he's going to be doing anything. Like every other Metal Gear game, Roger here is about a thousand miles away from Snake at the moment.   Well they're about 2,500 years late on that one. Roger: Headquarters has concluded from the hijackers' demands that Pythagoras is the name given to a research project conducted at the Lobito Physics and Chemistry Lab. Inquiries to the lab, however, went unanswered. An unknown group of mercenaries had taken over the lab just before we sent in HRT.  The only action in this part of the conversation comes from the camera swingin' around and giving you a look at just all the parts of this tree, by the way.  Great news, everyone, the mystery research that the terrorists want is a mystery. Snake: A mystery? Why's that? Roger: The project's head researcher, Flemming, was formerly developing biological weapons for the U.S. Military. Snake: Biological weapons? Roger: In order to get the specifics on Pythagoras, you'll have to get in contact with Flemming. Snake: You got his profile? Roger: I was only able to get my hands on some old pictures. The investigation is still underway. Snake: Find out who's taken this place over while you're at it. Roger: That, too, is being taken care of as we speak. Now... I know it's been a while since you've been in actual combat, Snake. Before infiltrating the target location, you better brush up on your intuitive skills.  I know that's a lot of text just all in a block there, but honestly, this is what you're missing. It is just all tree on this end.  Roger gives a little explanation on how to move in the game after that last pictured line there, and the "mission" starts. This sequence serves the dual purposes of introduction and tutorial.  And now we get our first look at the main player interface screen, which has Snake's current hand of cards at the bottom there. For this tutorial sequence, the order the cards are drawn in is fixed, but in normal gameplay it's completely random, and believe me, that can screw you over. Now, normally, I'd just skip over this tutorial and keep things moving, but:  Roger: Use the "Genome Soldier" card. There are something like ten different ways to gently caress up in this tutorial, and there are about three different lines of dialogue for each one. When I was taking these screens, I spent about 20 minutes just screwing around and watching Roger get progressively angrier at Snake's horseshit.  This whole sequence is long enough on its own, though, so I'll save that for a bonus post or something. What you're supposed to do here is use this Genome Soldier card to move four spaces down the path. Genome Soldier is the first type of card in the game, a movement card. As the name implies, movement cards let Snake move some number of spaces when they're used, but do nothing else. They're very important to have in your deck, but generally shouldn't be the bulk of the content.  The way movement works in MGA is that you choose a card to move with, then choose a route through however many squares (in this case, 4), and select the space you want to stop at. Keep in mind that the specific route you follow is important for two reasons: first, obviously you have to stay within your move limit; second, if you cross an enemy's line of sight, they'll notice you, which is usually not ideal.  Once you select your stopping point, you select which direction Snake will face. Facing is mostly important for lining up shots on enemies - Snake can't shoot behind him. If you want to interact with something in the environment, you also have to be facing it a lot of the time. Facing is also important in combat, since your attacks will do more damage if you attack from behind.  The last step in moving is to select a stance. The standard stance is standing, which is just regular, no special features. The other option, generally, is to crawl. Crawling will let you do stuff like squeeze into a ventilation duct or through some small spaces, but it comes at the cost of half your movement allotment. Since you can only choose your stance at the end of your move, you have to sort of think ahead to what your next move is going to be - you don't want to be stuck crawling longer than you have to be, nor do you want to have to waste an action (and a card) just to stand or lie down.  Once you've done all that, Snake sort of jogs along the path you chose until he reaches his destination. The CIA or whoever is in charge of this mission must be paying him hourly, because he does this with exactly zero urgency. Movement in Metal Gear Acid is not fast.  But, by walking like four metres down the road, and the movement tutorial is over. Roger: I'll contact you again when you reach the gate. Snake: Right.  While Snake finishes his nature walk, we're going to jump back about six hours and look at an airplane.   It's not lookin' great inside there, to be honest.  You can see it better in this low view down the aisle, but there's little wisps of something floating around the place.  More importantly, these two fade onto the scene.   These are Elsie and Frances. A pair of talking marionettes are important characters in the story of Metal Gear Acid. Elsie is on the left, Frances is on the right, if you're concerned about that. Frances: Doctors use it for surgery n' stuff, to stop the pain. Vecuronium bromide is, in fact, a real thing used as a general anaesthetic. In reality, though, it's delivered via injection, not through inhalation. Speaking of injection, vecuronium is also part of the drug cocktail used in the United States to administer lethal injection.  Frances: No, no. We've just hijacked this plane. Elsie: Cool... And so, we've introduced Flight 326, as mentioned in that backstory paragraph you should have read in the OP. This is a scene we'll be revisiting many times during the course of the game, but for now, we're just gonna take a little peak at one last thing before we get back to Snake:  I, uh, don't think that's a photocopier.    Absolutely no poo poo, I promise you, the game cuts to this nasty shot through the trees to show Solid Snake running like 10 metres.  And bam, right back to yesterday. It just wouldn't be believable that 18 minutes passed if it didn't cut away, you know?  Frances: Well...I dunno. If the big leaders in America do what we want, most passengers should live. Elsie: How boring. I think everyone should DIE! Frances: If everyone dies, we won't have any more hostages. And without hostages, we can't negotiate. Elsie: So then we just hijack another plane. Frances: Elsie, can you just hush up a little while? Elsie: Why? Frances: I have to relay our demands to the control tower now. We have to claim responsibility... Elsie: OK, well...I guess I'll be quiet. But not for long.  Frances: We have taken over Flight 326, and the lives of 517 passengers are at stake. If you didn't read the backstory in the manual/OP, this is the first mention of this tidbit. For the record, that backstory paragraph doesn't contain any secrets or anything the game doesn't tell you, with the exception of the game being set in 2016. Frances: Every one of them has been temporarily paralyzed with vecuronium bromide. All we have to do is increase the density ever so slightly, and all these pitiful passengers will die in an instant. And, as the cherry on top, a bomb has been set somewhere on the plane. That would be the thing we saw earlier.  Frances: So don't even consider making us land. I'm sure you wouldn't even think of doing a silly thing like that, now, would you? Our demand is for access to a hidden treasure--kept in a South African laboratory.  Frances: Give us Pythagoras with no strings attached, and your precious passengers will be set free. Time's running out. You've got 10 hours. Let's see if you can get us Pythagoras within 10 hours. How you get it to us is up to you. But, if you're not quick about it, precious lives will be lost...one by one. Oh, yeah. You're probably hoping we don't find out, but we've already confirmed that Viggo Hach is on board this plane. Well, there you have it. Now the story has been set up for us, and we can move on.   Yeah, you knew that poo poo was coming.  Here's another new character, Charles, who's presumably on the phone.  I mean, he's having a conversation, but we only see one side of it here. He could be just talking to the window. Charles: So what exactly are the demands? Is that right. They've got a helluva plan there. By the way, there's no sort of beat between Charles's lines here or anything. Charles: I don't know who these hijackers are, but I'm drat thankful they showed up now. We have to take advantage of this golden opportunity. Strike while the iron is hot, as they say. Yeah. You know that a guy who describes a hijacking as a "golden opportunity" is an upstanding citizen. Charles: Leave this to me. I'll do a little negotiating with some higher-ups. You're kidding me. Roger was assigned to this?  Well, that was illuminating.  This is actually the same day as Charles's soliloquy, they just forgot to include the ten-second shot of Snake tying his shoes.  This time, we rejoin Snake and Roger in a slightly different setting. This is probably Alaska; in the MGS canon, Snake retired to Alaska after his mission in Zanzibar Land (the subject of Metal Gear 2). The events of the first two games are never explicitly discussed in this game, but my understanding of things is that the two timelines diverge after Snake leaves Zanzibar Land. Roger: Lobito Island itself belongs to the southern African republic of Moloni. Today's subject is the geopolitics of Lobito Island. Roger: But the Lobito Physics and Chemistry Lab itself is under corporate control. Snake: Which corporation? Roger: BEAGLE--officially one of the largest and most respected conglomerate enterprises in the world. But beyond its surface reputation, BEAGLE is quite a mystery. Dog Corp...how sinister... Roger: No contact could be established with them regarding this incident. Not only has the Moloni government been banned from meeting with Flemming or entering the lab, but they claim that it would be interference in nongovernmental affairs.  Roger: Until recently, Moloni was a country plagued by constant warfare and strife. Support from the international community has led to a national reconstruction, but the most generous financial contributor to Moloni was BEAGLE...by far. Snake: Sounds like the Moloni government doesn't want to betray their savior. This stuff is all important scene setting, sure, but the scene I really want to see is whoever had to convince the brass that they needed Solid Snake specifically to do this job.  Roger: Negotiating with terrorists is not an option. That's the right policy to show the world. But if Pythagoras isn't delivered to those hijackers in a matter of hours, the 517 passengers aboard Flight 326 will be killed. That's why this operation must be kept strictly confidential. But you don't need to hear that from me.  Snake asks a very good question here. I mean, he's obviously retired, he's living in Alaska. If you accept the idea that this game follows Metal Gear 2, Snake's been retired for 17 years. What would have happened if, say, these guys got all the way to Alaska and Snake had gained 300 pounds or some poo poo? Roger: You were Roy's close friend during your time as a green beret. Snake: Roy? Colonel Roy Campbell? This is, as far as I can tell, the only direct reference to a character from another Metal Gear game. Roy Campbell was Snake's CO during Metal Gear 2, and he's also a recurring character in the MGS series, where he's usually playing a similar role to that one. Here, he just gets mentioned in passing.  Snake: ... Roger: Snake, Senator Hach is on that plane. That's, right, Viggo Hach--presidential candidate in the upcoming elections. For the sake of America, we can't risk losing Hach.    And that little exchange leads back to Snake, still stuck in the forest. We're almost finished with the introduction at this point.  Jesus, dude, do you need him to chew your food for you, too?  This introduces, naturally, another tutorial. Roger: All right, Snake. Climb the ladder and head north. Snake: Right.  So, skipping over the game's explanation of what to do, let's look at some cards again!  If you don't have any movement cards on hand, most cards in the game can be used to move by selecting "move" when choosing the card from your hand. The trade-off for this is that, with few exceptions, you can only move three spaces when you use a card like this - movement cards start at 4 spaces.  So, ladders. To climb ladders, what you have to do is move to the square in front of the ladder and stop while facing the ladder. This adds the ladder option to the stance menu, which you can then select.   And there it is! Up he goes! Now, just like changing stances, you can only climb ladders after you move. And that means that, just like changing stances, you need to be careful and consider your next move when you do it. Don't want Snake just standing around at the top of the ladder just waiting to get spotted, after all. Having all these things that you have to stop moving to do makes movement in this game pretty rough. Thankfully, by the time they made Metal Gear Acid 2, they had smoothed a lot of this stuff out, and you no longer have to stop dead in your tracks to lay down or whatever.  Also, you know there's another tutorial. Snake: Are you sure it's only one thing? Roger: Very funny. I need to tell you how to equip yourself.  He does exactly that, and asks Snake to equip this Front Evade LV.1, which makes no sense to actually do right here and now, since there's nothing to evade, but you gotta get those 'torials in. Something you can see here is that, by pressing square, you can pop up a window like this one that gives more detail on what a card does. For the ones that actually feature an object or character, the window usually also includes a description of that object or character.  Anyway, if you use an equipment card, you can equip it to one of these slots, which are indicated by the boxes in the upper-right corner of the screen. Equipment cards can be all kinds of things, like body armour or this frontal-evasion ability or even weapons. We'll see a lot of equip cards later on.  Snake: Even a child could do this. Roger: Don't get offended. I have to make sure you've got the fundamentals down. "Well, Snake, it's been a while since your last mission. Maybe you forgot how to walk or some poo poo."  At this point, Roger explains that you can only use so many cards per turn. You start off able to use 2 cards a turn. Once you use that many cards, your turn ends and you have to wait for your next turn. Again, when ending your turn, you have to be careful, since it's usually followed by enemy turns, and you don't want Snake standing around like an rear end in a top hat and getting spotted. If you want to end your turn early, you can also do that, and it's a good idea for setting up your next move sometimes.  Anyway, the next order of business is to move up towards this fence.  Roger: Can you get in? Snake: The fence looks like it might be high voltage. Roger: Any doors? Snake: Yeah, but there's a big padlock on it. Roger: Shoot the padlock open and enter the compound. HRT should've left some goodies behind for you. A Sneaking Suit and SOCOM are stashed away in a cave at the seashore. Why would HRT be carrying an extra suit? I can understand an extra handgun, but is there some HRT guy who died naked? Did Snake come over to Lobito Island naked? That aside, in addition to "explaining" where Snake got that getup (he was also wearing it in that Alaska flashback), this introduces...a tutorial on attacking!  This brings us to the next big type of cards: weapons. All the standard Metal Gear fare is represented here: guns, grenades (we saw both of these with Teliko earlier), missile launchers, knives and swords. All kinds of stuff. But, more broadly, weapons can be divided into two big categories, use-type and equip-type. Use-type weapons, like the SOCOM here, are cards you can use directly from your hand. Equip-type weapons, on the other hand, you have to equip, since they're a subset of equipment cards. With weapons, you equip one card (think of this as a gun) and then use a second card that uses the same ammo type to "load" that equipped weapon. Generally speaking, equip-type weapons are better and more versatile, but we don't have any yet.  Once you use/load a weapon, you get a little target selection screen like this one. You can see two numbers listed on the left side there. The first, "ATK: 10x4" means that the SOCOM will shoot four bullets, and each one will do 10 damage if it hits. The second, "HIT: 89%" means that there's an 89% chance that any given bullet will hit the target. Every weapon has its own base attack power and accuracy, and there are various ways to modify either number. We won't see it for a while yet, but this is also part of why equip-type weapons are better: you can do more to screw with the numbers.   For now, it all comes down to using a SOCOM to shoot the poo poo out of that padlock. Roger: That's it. Now, get through that fence and infiltrate the lab. Snake: Right.  And now, finally, we're finished with this tutorial/introduction mission.   What we're not finished with yet is people talking. We've got one more scene of that to go through.  It took Snake 25 minutes to get through the forest. On the other side of the fence, Roger calls Snake up to berate him about cardiac health. Roger: I've gone over your basic physical functions and rate of exercise from the time you arrived, and some numerical inconsistencies have arisen when compared with the apparatus. See, this is why you use people who are still in the service and get regular physicals, instead of picking some jackass who's been living in the Alaskan wilderness for a decade and a half.  Roger: Yes. The Sneaking Suit provided to you has been fitted with a CHAIN that stores physical data. A CHAIN! Roger: Not only does it store a soldier's physical data and information related to their surroundings, but it also includes the advanced capability of providing remote medicine. This is the first time it's been used in an actual combat situation, and it seems a little unstable. Snake: Well, I've been out of active duty for a while, so... Roger: No, Snake. Your current data is recorded in the CHAIN. Your age has nothing to do with it. In addition... If you assume Snake shares a birthday with the Snake in the MGS canon, he was born in 1972, so he'd be 43 or 44 here. Snake: Just get on with it, will ya? Roger: ...Yeah. Dang, Roger was all amped up to talk about the CHAIN.   But instead, he'll have to settle for introducing another character. Snake: A psychic? Roger: She's well-known for her supernatural abilities, and has played a major role in solving various cases. Among her abilities are telepathy, astral projection...and...what was that called...  And there's our first glimpse of Alice Hazel, psychic extraordinaire. Alice: I'm able to view events from a great distance. Roger: Alice will act as a navigator for you. She can sense images and events within the laboratory.  Snake is not on board with the psychic navigation plan. Snake: You expect me to base this mission on palm readings and crystal balls? I'm in no mood for the psychic hotline here. Roger: But she's the real thing. Recommended by the Feds. I just want to point out that Roger works for the CIA, who are, by all accounts, "the Feds." Alice: You don't have to believe in my gift, but I'd appreciate it if you'd stop treating me like some dime-store fortune-teller. It may be troubling for you to entrust your life to me, but it would be in your best interest to trust me. Snake: ... Roger: Alice has recovered over 200 missing persons in cooperation with the FBI. She's young, but has a great record and a truly incredible gift. Snake: ... Snake's not convinced. Alice: I do hope we can get along. Roger: And Snake... She may not have the veteran expertise that you offer us, but... Just in case, OK? Snake: Yeah, sure... What a ringing endorsement. Roger: Any action taken outside of an order should be thought out carefully. We may lose contact with you. Snake: I know. Roger: All right, Snake. Head for the gate.  And so, finally, the intro sequence closes with the title card.
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Nov 21, 2017 03:10
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Not believing in psychic powers in the Metal Gear series is kind of silly considering that may be one of the most realistic powers I've seen in it. Then again, my knowledge is entirely from the Solid part. And even there, mostly from MGS3. I have no idea if the Metal Gear games were more grounded in reality.
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Nov 21, 2017 04:07
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Blaze Dragon posted:Not believing in psychic powers in the Metal Gear series is kind of silly considering that may be one of the most realistic powers I've seen in it. I think that's just part of the fiction Snake maintains so he can pretend his life is not a series of bizarre and improbable coincidences. I'm pretty sure some nights he wakes up in a cold sweat after a nightmare about Zanzibar Poisonous Hamsters.
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Nov 21, 2017 05:00
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dotchan posted:I think that's just part of the fiction Snake maintains so he can pretend his life is not a series of bizarre and improbable coincidences. I'm pretty sure some nights he wakes up in a cold sweat after a nightmare about Zanzibar Poisonous Hamsters. I refuse to believe that you could think that the Zanzibar Poisonous Hamsters are anything but adorable as gently caress.
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Nov 21, 2017 05:35
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bman in 2288 posted:I refuse to believe that you could think that the Zanzibar Poisonous Hamsters are anything but adorable as gently caress. Look at this guy, never been poisoned by a hamster. Or seen someone been, more like, cause you wouldn't be posting if you had.
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Nov 21, 2017 05:37
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Unreal_One posted:Look at this guy, never been poisoned by a hamster. I admit as much. Attached by cats and dogs, sure, but not hamsters, least of all explicitly poisonous ones.
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Nov 21, 2017 05:39
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Blaze Dragon posted:Not believing in psychic powers in the Metal Gear series is kind of silly considering that may be one of the most realistic powers I've seen in it. Ghost possession was a thing in MGS2, MGS5 had Magic Parasite Bullshit, so yes psionics were the most believable power in the canon.
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Nov 21, 2017 06:06
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The first two Metal Gear games have no supernatural elements to speak of, so it makes some sense for Snake to be wary. I guess they're pretty run-of-the-mill in MGS, though, since Snake doesn't really react when anyone tells him Psycho Mantis can read minds. Edit: he's also surprisingly amenable to the Liquid situation in MGS2.
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Nov 22, 2017 03:54
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Cool Ghost posted:The first two Metal Gear games have no supernatural elements to speak of, so it makes some sense for Snake to be wary. I guess they're pretty run-of-the-mill in MGS, though, since Snake doesn't really react when anyone tells him Psycho Mantis can read minds. I still love that NASA had a secret Ninja spec-ops team in Metal Gear 2. Even when it's not crazy bullshit, Metal Gear is crazy bullshit. Delightful.
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Nov 22, 2017 06:05
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Dr. Snark posted:Ghost possession was a thing in MGS2, MGS5 had Magic Parasite Bullshit, so yes psionics were the most believable power in the canon.  
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Nov 22, 2017 16:10
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Of course, in MGS4 it turns out Vamp's powers come from nanomachines! I've said it before in other MGS threads, but I think that's a bit of a dumb twist. In a series that has several psychics, a hundred-year-old photosynthetic sniper, a guy who controls bees, a shaman who talks to ravens, a couple fire guys, and a dead guy controlling his still-living accomplice through an implanted arm, surely an Actual Vampire isn't that far-fetched.
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Nov 22, 2017 16:22
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Dr. Snark posted:Ghost possession was a thing in MGS2, MGS5 had Magic Parasite Bullshit, so yes psionics were the most believable power in the canon. gently caress, MGS3 had a man create a working tommy gun out of living bees, a russian astronaut turn into the worlds angriest fire ghost, and quite loving literally everything about Volgin. Really, I think the only reason Snake is in disbelief about psionics is because it isn't anywhere near bullshitty enough to be believable to him.
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Nov 22, 2017 18:42
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I've never played Acid so I can't be sure but is the entire card/gameplay system as cumbersome as it seems from this tutorial? I don't know how fast card actions resolve or whatever but it seems like an awful lot of friction to actually take a basic action like "move"
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Nov 22, 2017 18:50
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Lynkericious posted:gently caress, MGS3 had a man create a working tommy gun out of living bees, a russian astronaut turn into the worlds angriest fire ghost, and quite loving literally everything about Volgin. Really, I think the only reason Snake is in disbelief about psionics is because it isn't anywhere near bullshitty enough to be believable to him. That all happened to Naked Snake (Big Boss) not to Solid Snake. Also, I'm lovely at stealth games, so I loving LOVED AC!D and AC!D 2 because they are a slow, turn based stealth game that I could play and do really well at. It also worked well at being able to play for a few minutes then put it down for a while, then come back to it.
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Nov 22, 2017 19:24
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Wa11y posted:That all happened to Naked Snake (Big Boss) not to Solid Snake. Yeah I'm aware, but still. If anything that means this super weird bullshit is older than Snake.
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Nov 22, 2017 19:31
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the Metal Gear universe always struck me as a place where psychics/psionics/other mentally empowered individuals were real and just A Thing That Existed, considering how many of them keep showing up in various forms across multiple games. Spirit Mediums, Psychokinetics, Psionics, mixes of those that defy a base definition, etc.
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Nov 22, 2017 19:59
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Even as far back as Metal Gear 2 you had stuff like space ninjas and Poisonous Zanzibar Hamsters. As far as I know the only Metal Gear game that didn't feature any kind of weird poo poo like that was the original on MSX/NES (even Snake's Revenge had Big Boss suddenly turning into a cyborg at the end).
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Nov 22, 2017 20:05
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I think the weirdest thing in the original game was those robot twins who were implied to be Snatchers
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Nov 22, 2017 20:46
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Dr. Snark posted:Ghost possession was a thing in MGS2 MGS4 heavily implies that Ocelot was bullshitting this as a psychological tactic/used self-hypnosis to convince himself that was the case, which arguably makes less sense than straight up ghost posession given everything about The Sorrow. Remember that the divergence here is after MG2 though - none of the supernatural elements had crept into anything Snake is familiar with yet (even assuming the Virtuous Mission/Operation Snake Eater went off like in the main franchise, the reports wouldn't be declassified until into the 2000s), so his skepticism is pretty fair. On the other hand, this is a game with a pair of murderdolls on a plane and... other stuff that constitutes spoilers.
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Nov 23, 2017 02:24
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Ace of Aces posted:MGS4 heavily implies that Ocelot was bullshitting this as a psychological tactic/used self-hypnosis to convince himself that was the case, which arguably makes less sense than straight up ghost posession given everything about The Sorrow. No, no, no. He actually was possessed by the ghost haunting his transplanted arm, which was mainly haunting him to gently caress with Snake, but then he cut off the transplant, replaced it with a cyber-limb, and used the self-hypnosis to replicate the effects of being possessed, to fool the AIs in space that control 21st century earth from behind the scenes (and also to gently caress with snake.) Easy mistake.
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Nov 23, 2017 02:45
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I thought he was pretending all along. loving MGS4. 
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Nov 23, 2017 04:23
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