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 You know what the gently caress this is Hades is a roguelite action game created by SuperGiant Games, makers of Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre. Like all their other games it owns. It's really good. It's the game of the year. It's also notable for having been in Early Access since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Consequently it has an amazing amount of content, which makes doing LP of it somewhat difficult. Hades full story and unlocks come at a slow drip-feed, and ordinarily you're supposed to put in around a 100+ runs to see it all. How this LP will work This LP is going to be a video/screenshot hybrid. I'll be doing videos periodically to show off gameplay and talk about important runs, but the in-between runs will be covered in brief as screenshot updates. I'll also be editing some files to speed the quest/story progress along. Hopefully this will cut out a lot of the fat, and make this a more manageable task. Spoiler Policy No story spoilers, please. Talk about mechanics as they are introduced. If you really need to talk about a mechanic we haven't seen you can use spoiler text. Updates Update 01 - Attempt 01 [Video] Update 02 - Attempt 02-04 [Screenshot] Update 03 - Attempt 05 [Video] Update 04 - Attempt 06-09 [Screenshot] Update 05 - Attempt 10 [Video] Update 06 - Attempt 11-14 [Screenshot] Update 07 - Attempt 15 [Video] Update 08 - Attempt 16-19 [Screenshot] Update 09 - Attempt 20 [Video] Update 10 - Attempt 21 [Screenshot + Video] Update 11 - Attempt 22 [Screenshot + Video] Update 12 - Attempt 23 [Screenshot + Video] Party Bug fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Apr 17, 2021 |
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Nov 8, 2020 20:43
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HADEEZ NUTS
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Nov 8, 2020 20:43
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  Welcome the the Hades LP. In the future I'll be adding codex entries and other stuff after theses videos. For now though, just enjoy the run. ' Omobono posted:Weapon analysis: Sword. Party Bug fucked around with this message at 14:39 on Nov 9, 2020 |
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Nov 8, 2020 20:44
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How hard would you say this game is? The reason I'm asking is - I like this genre. But if you look at an action roguelike/roguelite such as Binding of Isaac, I'm decent at it, but to git gud you need reflexes much better than I have. Looking at it from that perspective, I'm wondering if this game is for me or if I'm better off just watching the LP.
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Nov 8, 2020 21:59
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Carbon dioxide posted:How hard would you say this game is? As someone who is historically COMPLETE trash at action games, I've managed to successfully get into it thanks to a particular option in the settings menu. There's a toggleable option called God Mode that gives you a big chunk of damage resistance for free. It goes up every time you die, capping out at 80% damage resistance. The game never shames you for using it or changes anything based on having it on, and even says explicitly that it's fine to use it for whatever reason you see fit. It doesn't remove the feel of the game. It's just a really nice accessibility option.
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Nov 8, 2020 22:31
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Jadecore posted:As someone who is historically COMPLETE trash at action games, I've managed to successfully get into it thanks to a particular option in the settings menu. There's a toggleable option called God Mode that gives you a big chunk of damage resistance for free. It goes up every time you die, capping out at 80% damage resistance. The game never shames you for using it or changes anything based on having it on, and even says explicitly that it's fine to use it for whatever reason you see fit. For details, I think it is 20% DR base, then +2% each time you die with the option on.
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Nov 8, 2020 23:18
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Carbon dioxide posted:How hard would you say this game is? It starts fairly difficult but the mirror upgrades are really good. Just from the first 4 mirror rows revealed in the video: _+10% damage per rank when striking enemies from behind, 5 ranks total. _+1 healing per rank for each chamber you enter, 3 ranks total. _DEATH DEFIANCE, automatically resurrecting Zagreus at half health when he dies. 3 ranks. _one extra dodge. 1 rank. The other half of the difficulty is understanding boons, so which boons are good, which are bad, which boon has which prerequisites, and how the damage formula works. For the last point: basically all damage increases are added together and not multiplied, so for example if you backstab someone with Athena attack (+40% in the video) and the full +50% boost from the mirror it comes out at +90% increased damage (x1.9), lower than the x2.1 you'd get if those two multiplied. Weapon analysis: Sword. Attack string: fast 3 hit combo at 20/25/30 base damage. The final hit, the thrust, knocks back. Special: after a brief wind up, nova smash around Zagreus, 50 base damage. Knockback. Tech move: you can cancel the special into a dash. Zagreus will execute the special at the end of the dash, skipping the wind up animation. Dash strike (attack while dashing): a thrust, at 30 base damage. I'm fairly sure it's considered different from the final thrust in the attack string, so effects specifically boosting the thrust don't apply to the dash-strike. The sword is a melee weapon. It's the third quickest weapon, but it has zero defensive capabilities and the second lowest attack range*. I think it has the highest dps of all weapons**, but of course actually dangerous enemies won't simply stand still and take it. A sword run lives or dies on how well you can weave in and out of the danger zone. Proper sword handling requires full utilization of its entire arsenal and Zagreus' mobility, weaving dodges, specials and attacks to dance around (or through) the enemies. When it really clicks, it can be a beauty to behold. Furthermore, [mechanics redacted] *note: even the weapon with the shortest attack range actually goes further than what one would expect. **before boons and [mechanics redacted] the game throws at you
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Nov 9, 2020 12:46
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As the fine folks noted, God Mode will definitely help you out if you're very bad at action games. Hades also has mechanics that make it easier as time goes by, but God Mode can see you through all if it if you need it. Anyway buy Hades, it's a good game. Omobono posted:Sword stuff
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Nov 9, 2020 14:38
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Party Bug posted:This is good stuff, I'll go ahead and add this quote to the update above. Please add a note that those are OPINIONSTM by a poster. In the Hades thread in Games, you routinely have posts made within minutes where X (be it a weapon, a boon or [mechanics redacted]) is both the worst thing ever and the best thing ever.
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Nov 9, 2020 15:21
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Frankly, the fact that you can have different people swearing to you that a given weapon is variously completely broken or absolutely unusable, and that everyone has one of these beliefs about at least one weapon, is a testament to how well-made Hades is.
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Nov 9, 2020 15:58
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Carbon dioxide posted:How hard would you say this game is? If you like the genre it's an excellent game and has plenty of improvements from attempt to attempt that will get you over any hump. If you don't like Roguelikes then this absolutely won't change your mind. I'm interested in this LP primarily because I recognise how well designed (both narratively and mechanically) the game is but it turns out Roguelike mechanics actively make me super angry and crazy to the point that I found I was utterly miserable when I played. I had to have a sit down and really long think about why it was such an issue for me after playing.
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Nov 9, 2020 16:04
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I've beaten it a few times, and I am not great at roguelikes. I don't think I ever beat more than 1 boss a run in Rogue Legacy (they play nothing alike mind you). The completionist in you might struggle if you're bad at videogames But hey, that's what LPs are for. 30-40 minutes a successful attempt for normal humans (but you can save after each room) Also some of the weapons definitely play differently on gamepad vs k+m. Uh. Spoilers there are more weapons than the sword I guess. Is this a 'complete' LP doing all the side stories or what's the plan?
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Nov 10, 2020 10:36
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Natural 20 posted:If you like the genre it's an excellent game and has plenty of improvements from attempt to attempt that will get you over any hump. Oddly, I don't like roguelikes and get extremely mad about them, and I was mostly able to enjoy this game (with God Mode on, natch). I did have to take a lot of anger breaks, but the combination of enjoying the characters and getting a really good build just often enough to be satisfying saw me through. Getting bad RNG and losing [redacted] as a result nearly had me throw my Switch through a window, though, so caveat gamer.
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Nov 11, 2020 17:47
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Personally, I think one of the neatest things about the game is (as we'll see) how well the basic conceit of the roguelike is tied into the story. I can't really think of any other game that does it so well, though I imagine it'll be a bit before we can really get into discussion about this that isn't going to end up looking like a CIA document. I know roguelikes aren't usually played for the story but an enormous amount of love went into the setting and it shows. Mechanically I think the game feels great to play, and how two runs with the same weapon can end up feeling so different (but still successful!) based on what you get. I'm still fairly new to it (a few clears under my belt, but tons of stuff left to unlock) so this evaluation could change as it goes on, but I don't really expect it to. It's a very good game, but like all roguelikes I could see it not being everyone's cup of tea.
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Nov 11, 2020 18:08
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So hype to see a proper LP of this game. Will be following with interest.
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Nov 11, 2020 18:57
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  Welcome to the House of Hades. For Zagreus, being a God of the underworld, death is more of an uncomfortable setback than anything else. Accordingly, whenever something manages to take him out he'll respawn back here in the foyer of his father's house. We also almost immediately run into the House's appointed greeter.   Some of us more that others.Hypnos here is the personification of sleep, son of Night, and brother to Death. In addition to this nice pep-talk he'll also have something to say about whatever killed Zagreus on any given run. In Greek myth he has similar origins and also lives in the underworld (after Zeus chased him down there for putting him to sleep at Hera's request). He isn't exactly Hades doorman, instead he just hangs out on a nice couch near the river Lethe.  Once we finish with Hypnos we can see THE DOG. Also our dad, who has something to say about our recent escape attempt.  Greetings, Father. My ransacking was a delight, thank you for asking. So, I'll just be on my way, again. Be on your way, indeed. What do I care? You shall never reach the surface. Go, see for yourself.Anyway, get a load of this dog!  You watch over this for me, boy. You know I'd take you if I could. Like in all good video games you can also pet the dog. Remember to show your animals the love and appreciation they deserve. That done, let's take a quick look around the House. We'll start with the west wing.  Achilles is a hero that took part in the Trojan War, and a central character in the Iliad. He has a bad heel. Over at the east wing of the House we find another important member of the crew.  I believe it, Nyx. I'm grateful that you put us into contact. I know you took a considerable risk reaching out. The risk is not to me. I expected the Olympians would involve themselves in this, eventually. Reveal to them no more than they already know. Are we understood? Yes. We are. We can also listen in on a few shades down here. Looks like this one died of heart failure. Let's head north...  To Zagreus' room! It's a bit of a mess.  The important thing is over here on the left, the Mirror of Night.  This is the main upgrade system in the game, and how we become stronger over the course of our runs going forawrd. We can invest that Darkness we collected during the run in a few things: - Shadow Presence: Deal bonus Attack & Special damage when striking foes from behind, +10% per rank. - Chthonic Vitality: Restore a small amount of your health when you exit a chamber, +1 per rank. - Death Defiance: Restore 50% health instead of dying when your life total is depleted, 1 time per rank. - Greater Reflex: Perform +1 additional Dash in quick succession. All of these are pretty important, but we've going to invest in Death Defiance right away. Having an extra life is a big deal, especially in the early game.  There's not too much going on in here yet. Over near the top of the screen are a few goodies though.  These are weapons! One of the uses of Chthonic Keys is to unlock these guys. Right now we have enough to unlock that bow, so let's do that.  This is our new weapon, Coronacht. It's alright, not really one of my favorites.  This guy also just pops into existence once we grab our new weapon.  I don't remember have you on payroll, mate. Who's your supervisor? Oh-hoh, I'm not about to rat my sources, pal! Just try and beat it out of me!Skelly is our practice dummy. We can test our moves out on him to our (and his) hearts content. If he happens to die he'll respawn a second later ready for more. But that's about all we can do in the House right now.  So, let's get back to it, shall we? All we have to do is head out this pink door over here and we'll start our escape attempt all over again.   From now on every time we start a run we'll be treated to a boon. I'll let you guess who this one is.   Zeus drops by with pretty solid boons, you can't really go wrong with him.  After a few rooms we run in to another new god.  It's Ares! He grants some of the best boons in the game, in my opinion.   Sadly, those boons can't save us. Our run this time ends at the bomb tossing mini-bosses.   Back at the House it looks like Hypnos has wandered off somewhere. Which is cool, it's not like I let those guys kill me specifically to hear what he'd have to say about it or anything.  Looks like there's a new addition to the House as well. That tall shade on the right over there...  That shade, boy, is my newly designated contractor; one whose responsibility is to work on ths House. Though, who shall pay for everything my subjects here demand, I do not know. You're trying to guilt me into funding the exorbitant furnishings you desire. Perhaps once we are finished with repairs for all the carnage you have sown throughout my realm, then we might finally have time for all the needed renovations that have piled up. Nice. Talking with the house contractor we see there's a bunch of cool upgrades that we don't have any gems to afford. Most of these will be cosmetic, but a few are genuinely helpful for our escape runs. Case in point, this first one that we can get (for free!) will give us a random chance to find safe rooms in Tartarus where we can recover our health. I've gone ahead and bought it since there's no reason not to. Now it's time to check in on THE DOG.  Each terrifying may of the infernal watch-dog Cerberus responds affirmatively, one after the next, as if to reassure the ever-doubting Prince. We also pet him, of course.  I'll give them hell as you once did, Achilles. Though, doubtless many of the shades who stand against me first arrived in Tartarus because of you.Achilles gives us another pep-talk before we check in on the last member of the House who we can currently speak with.  I won't forget you Nyx, I swear it. I decided to skip the Mirror of Night for now, since we don't have enough darkness to get any worthwhile upgrades. So let's see how Skelly's doing instead:  Wreck my father's finely crafted architecture every chance I get? That I can do for sure. Skelly gives us a tip: Slamming enemies into columns will cause them to collapse and deal more damage. This isn't super helpful advice, but it works occasionally.   This time we start off with something entirely new: A Daedalus Hammer!  We'll talk more about these during a video segment, but their basic function is to alter the way your weapon works. Usually for the better.  We also find some Nectar. We can give it to people to make them like us more.  And another new god shows up.   This one is Artemis. (The other heavenly archers Zagreous might have been thinking of could have been Apollo or Eros, gods of the sun and love respectively.)  Artemis boons focus mostly on increasing your chances of critical hits. I'm not a big fan of them, but occasionally there's a good one.  This time we meet our end by a wretched thug. Here Zagreous is seen moments before death.   I haven't, no!Thanks Hypnos.  Oh, I had little choice about that, boy. You see, after you fled the first time, Cerberus, why he was very much upset. Utterly tore the place to shreds. It's now under repair. All thanks to you. You're really blaming me for not minding the dog while I was out, and while you all were here? I lay the blame entirely upon you, yes. Who else? It's fortunate that Cerberus has calmed himself since then! Come to his senses, I should say. May you yet come to yours. Dad is never satisfied. We did, however, pick up that nectar on our last run. Maybe if we gift it to him he'll cut us some slack...   You're welcome, Father.Well that didn't go well. Next time we'll just give it to the dog. Let's see how everyone else is doing, I guess.  What, wait, you're giving me your Codex? I can't accept something like this! Please, I insist. I want your love of history to grow, not just your love of warfare. Besides, maybe you can finish out the rest of it. I'm grateful.We now have the Codex! This is where I'll be pulling most of the in-game lore from. As we do more runs, meet more people, and kill more stuff we'll acquire more entries.  What a cruel end to an otherwise pretty good life! - Shade who died of liver failure  Skelly reiterates his advice about slamming dudes into stuff.   Dionysus shows up again on this run. I don't think this was covered before, but communication between Zag and Olympus doesn't seem to be two-way. This is a bit weird considering Zagreus can send gifts to them (and for other reasons), but we're told a few times that the Olympians can't see clearly see what's going on down here.  Nothing much else of note happens, besides getting lasered to death by these guys.   That's not a bad idea.When we get back Hypnos reminds us that all we have to do to win is not get hit. It's such great advice we're going to give him some Nectar as thanks. Surprise Hypnos! I got this for you.  In exchange we get out first keepsake! It's pretty average:  Keepsakes are items you can carry in to a run that will give you a set benefit. You can only carry one, and as you clear rooms with it the keepsake will level up. Carrying this particular guy along in a run will guarantee you have the cash to make a purchase from Charon's shop. Unfortunately most boons come it at a hefty 150 coin, so until you hit level 3 with this thing you'll be relegated to buying health or centaur hearts. There's definitely better keepsakes you could bring along instead, especially in the early game.  You'd like that, wouldn't you? Lucky I've got other family who believe in me. Be careful whom you give your trust. My brothers frolic on Olympus while we work. While I work! You're just like them. No wonder they like you.About as supportive as usual. Let's chat with Cereberus. You really ripped the lounge to pieces, boy? I hope you didn't get yourself in too much trouble. I'm sorry to have worried you like that.   I only wish you could have seen it lad. The place looked like a vineyard after a typhoon! Your lord father was livid. But he never gets so angry with the dog. Poor Dusa, though, she's picking the place up. Oh no...I wondered what became of Dusa. She's always worried Father's going to fire her, even without something like this. We haven't met Dusa yet, but it seems like Cerebrus' rampage did not go unnoticed.  It's also about time to spend some darkness on upgrades. I decided to invest in Shadow Presence (bonus +10% attack damage when hitting enemies from behind) and Chthonic Vitality (+2 HP regained between rooms).  Finally, Skelly gives us some more advice on murdering shades. It sounds pretty similar to the last advice he gave us.  And that's it! Next time we'll do a bow run on video and explore the next level of Hades.
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Nov 14, 2020 16:34
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Dog is a good boy There are arguments over the name Cerebus itself and what it's meaning is but one of the interpretations is Spot. In other words, in Greek Mythology it is quite possible the underworld is guarded by a dog named Spot. I like to think this is true even if it isn't because really, he is just such a good boy 
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Nov 14, 2020 16:47
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The dog is the best character. Also to answer a question that came up, I'll be doing my best to show off all this game has to offer. Which means all the weapons (and their special aspects), maxed relationships, and probably even the 'special' items from high heat runs. Obviously I can't show off every bit of dialog in the game (and there's a lot of filler), but I'll try to get the good bits.
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Nov 14, 2020 17:17
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Gods and their boons: general rules. Without going into specifics, all gods follow the same basic rules. First of all, all gods have four basic boons that affect in some way your basic four moves: attack, special, cast and dash. Those boons tend to have the same naming scheme (e.g. "flourish" for the boons boosting your special) and have no prerequisites. Those boons correspond to the four slots that you can see on the middle left of the screen. You can have only a single boon in each of these slots, so if you already have Zeus' attack boon and Ares decides to offer his attack boon, you'll have to drop Zeus to get that one. You do get something extra out of the exchange but it's [redacted] at the moment. Each god has one or two gimmicks, common themes that bind their boons together, and one status effect (the status is usually one of the gimmicks). For example, our horny pal Zeus there has a single gimmick, all the lightning bolts, and even his status effect revolves around zapping. Other Gods tend to be way less monomaniacal in their focus. Apart from the basic boons, all gods have a lot of other boons, still following the god's themes. The effects are varied and any kind of description would either be uselessly vague or quickly devolve in gameplay minutia*. A lot of boons work as prerequisites for advanced boons with an higher power level, so part of the game is the metaknowledge about what leads to the truly busted combos. *exception: Zeus. All his other boons make his zapping zappier. I did mention he was uniquely monomaniacal. Furthermore, each God [redacted] E: oh, yeah, I forgot one thing. All gods have a revenge boon: upon taking damage, the boon automatically retaliates in a way compatible with one of the god's gimmicks. Omobono fucked around with this message at 17:35 on Nov 14, 2020 |
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Nov 14, 2020 17:31
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Omobono posted:
Only 5 - namely, Zeus, Ares (the two also has a revenge themed duo boon), Athena, Aphrodite, and Demeter. "how blind" is this lp?
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Nov 14, 2020 18:10
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Huh, interesting that you don't like Coronacht. It's probably my favorite weapon by far.
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Nov 14, 2020 19:20
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I find the bow physically painful to use. Hold and release in a precise rhythm, over and over and over, for like 30 solid minutes? No thanks, that way lies RSI.
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Nov 14, 2020 19:23
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Fedule said it before, but it really is interesting how different people feel about different weapons. I've seen friendships tested over [redacted weapon we haven't unlocked yet]. Most people I know hate Coronacht; for me there's a specific Daedalus boon that makes it OP, otherwise it's absolutely miserable. This is a compliment to the devs. There are an infinite number of playstyles, and I don't think I've met anyone, save people who just don't like roguelike mechanics, who doesn't have at least one weapon they vibe with.
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Nov 14, 2020 19:56
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megane posted:I find the bow physically painful to use. Hold and release in a precise rhythm, over and over and over, for like 30 solid minutes? No thanks, that way lies RSI.
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Nov 14, 2020 20:09
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anilEhilated posted:Well, the bow is kind of a deceptive weapon. Its primary attack is actually the shotgun special. Yup! I always prioritize Special enhancements for the bow, and just arrow-spam Bosses into submission. But really the only weapon I've had terrible with is actually the sword.
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Nov 14, 2020 20:18
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This is the best Cerberus depiction I've seen for sure. What a good boy. Bet he'd help Zagreus kick all sorts of rear end if he could take the dog out too.
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Nov 14, 2020 23:58
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Yeah, there's only one other weapon I like less than Coronacht, but we haven't seen it yet. As mentioned Coronacht does at least get bearable if you can get the special going, which I'll be demonstrating in the next update. Gun Jam posted:"how blind" is this lp? Party Bug fucked around with this message at 00:04 on Nov 15, 2020 |
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Nov 15, 2020 00:00
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I just got pretty far after... many many tries. The only thing I wish the game did would be maybe letting you fail forward just a little bit more. Or maybe just one or two fewer different currencies to juggle. Shadow goo, shiny rocks, ancient keys other things just seems that after the first few runs you stop getting upgrades until you smash your face through Tartarus a dozen times so you can bump up a single stat.
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Nov 15, 2020 04:09
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anilEhilated posted:Well, the bow is kind of a deceptive weapon. Its primary attack is actually the shotgun special. In most cases, anyway. I've definitely had a couple of runs where, thanks to some hammer combinations, the standard attack got to shine. And, of course, there's always [redacted]. The first few times I tried the bow I really didn't like it, but later on I've come to appreciate it more. I haven't actually used the sword in a while as I still chase a thing that eagle-eyed observers may have noticed but I don't think Party Bug has specifically called out, but I like it well enough. I found the progression pretty decent - there was a while where I stalled out on a particular boss we'll eventually get to, but over the course of ten or so runs I went from "horribly dying every time" to "win, but with most of my resources shot" to "win and in good enough shape to deal with the next area" so I could learn the next boss. It took me about 25 runs for my first win, maybe a little less? I am by no means an action game wizard, and turning on God Mode for some damage reduction (which happened during those ten runs) helped a lot too.
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Nov 15, 2020 06:29
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Personally I think Artemis is pretty ludicrous if luck based. Critical strikes are 200% more damage, so they do 3 times as much as a non critical strike. For example if your sword swing is doing 40 then a crit does 120. This is unsurprisingly, a very big number in this game. Of the gods seen so far, I’d rate Dionysus and Athena as two of the best, and Ares sadly the worst. However, it is important to note that this is not to say Ares is bad, he’s just awkward to use. He kind of has the same deal as Zeus, but with two lines of focus instead of one with zero crossover.
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Nov 20, 2020 17:08
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Lord_Magmar posted:Personally I think Artemis is pretty ludicrous if luck based. Critical strikes are 200% more damage, so they do 3 times as much as a non critical strike. For example if your sword swing is doing 40 then a crit does 120. This is unsurprisingly, a very big number in this game. Artemis is absurd but requires a little minmaxing due to the inner mechanics of how crits work (or, more importantly, how they work differently from how other things work, none of which the game really ever gets around to explaining to you ever, see my evergreen complaint; games should tell you how stuff works.) Normally, stuff in this game has a base damage value and one modifier percentage. Anything that buffs damage is adding to the modifier, which of course starts at 100%. So when you get a boon that gives you +50% damage, you're now doing 150% of your base. And if you get an additional boon that gives you +25% damage, you're now doing 175% of base. This is also true of things other than boons, like hammers, or certain special weapon effects; it's true of everything that buffs damage. (Notably, some things, most obviously hammers, but other things too, will change the base damage of something. This is a very big deal, because that change comes in before the % modifier) Critical damage, however, behaves completely differently, despite the game expressing it in the same +X% terms it uses for everything else. Your crit damage is +200%, and this is applied after your existing modifiers, making it multiplicative. Boons and other such that specifically changes critical damage affects this modifier in particular, meaning that +30% or so to your crit damage is doing more legwork than it might first appear. Artemis' boons that grant crit chance (which is typically pretty chunky, considering; 15% proc for attack, 20% for special) are therefore balanced out by having relatively low damage modifiers compared to equivalent boons from other gods. You can calculate an assumed amount of damage over a series of hits through percentages to hash out the "true" damage value of Artemis' boons. EG: for a notional base attack damage of 50, Deadly Strike adds +20% damage (60), and 3 out of every 20 hits will deal 180, meaning that if you hit an enemy 20 times you should expect to deal 1560 damage, making your "true" attack buff 56%. This is actually pretty good, considering; the highest base attack boon you can get otherwise (from Aphrodite) is 50%. Two things though; first, Artemis' boons only scale the damage up with levels and keep a crit rate static, and second, every other god gives you some neat effect on top of the damage. So Artemis sucks, actually. ...Unless you start adding other damage buffs. This is a little tricky, but there are a few other damage sources you can take. Let's say you find a 30% attack buff. With Aphrodite's Heartbreak Strike, you now have +80%. WIth Artemis, let's run those numbers again; you have 95%. This is a slight but outright advantage with the base critical attributes. Of course, any buffs to critical damage or critical rate will combo absurdly well with all of this; apply a modest Pressure Points (let's say +3% global crit chance buff) and that number becomes 104%. All of which is a lot of nerdery to say, Artemis' crit boons scale a lot better for any given relative change than anyone else, and while it takes three or four assorted prods on that scale (say, a non-Artemis attack damage buff (of which many are available), crit chance buff, one or two levels, etc) for things to really start getting silly these numbers can go up quite fast. There are a lot of little crit buffs you can find in Hades, and they have a way of multiplying, figuratively and literally. (Hades is a nice game to nerd out over.)
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Nov 20, 2020 18:06
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The Artemis boon that makes enemies near a critted enemy more vulnerable to crits is also really good. It seems to have a huge range and the modifier is pretty big. Also I think it may proc off itself?
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Nov 20, 2020 19:47
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  Welcome to Asphodel! This run becomes a pretty decent demonstration of using the bow as a shotgun. Poseiden dash is a little unomptimal on a non-melee weapon, but it turned out okay (and I like it). Let's see what Achilles' codex has to say about the gods we ran into this run: CODEX ENTRIES posted:OLYMPIAN GODS Fedule posted:Artemis and critical hits.
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Nov 21, 2020 18:43
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Weapon analysis: bow. Attack string: a single charged arrow, starting at 20 base damage and capping at 60 base damage. Flight distance increases with damage. Releasing exactly when fully charged is a "power attack", dealing 70 base damage instead of 60. Dash strike: a faster charging version of the main attack, capping at 40 base damage (50 with the power shot) with the same max flight distance. Special: Zagreus spams 9 arrows in a wide spread, dealing 10 damage each. Each arrow travels quite a distance Tech move: none explicitly, but did I already mention that the special is a shotgun spread? Because the special is a shotgun spread and using it correctly in melee range means somebody is getting 90 base damage to the face (or even better in the back). The bow is a slow ranged weapon, doubling as a shotgun through its special. Single target dps is on the lowish side if you're not abusing that last option, but its range is a fantastic defense in this fast paced action RPG. Due to the longish animations on its attacks, the bow's obvious weakness are fast enemies that can close the distance and apply pressure to Zagreus *meow*. Having said that, the special can do amazing crowd control depending on what boon it gets. Bow handling relies on pinging enemies with your attack and special while staying mobile, while watching for opportunities to shotgun a beefy enemy. Exact details will vary depending on boons, hammers and current enemies on screen. Undocumented interactions: Zeus' special explicitly doesn't work with the shotgun tactic. That boon starts at like 30 damage, so it's been made so it cannot proc on a single enemy more than once every .2 seconds to prevent stupid amounts of damage when using weapons with ultra-fast specials. Furthermore, [mechanics redacted] (end analysis) By the way, that Concentrated Volley hammer? It's bananas if you're good at shotgunning. Hit with 7 arrows out of 9 and what should be a 70 base damage volley is now a 133 base damage volley. 8 arrows? From 80 to 164.
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Nov 21, 2020 20:15
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Asphodel always feels super short compared to the rest of the regions. I can't really disagree with it being so because it feels like the biggest enemy there is the level design rather than the mobs, but it's still always surprising to see.
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Nov 21, 2020 20:23
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Is there a reason you're skipping most of the gold narrator orbs? Also you should probably head up-right to get Zagreus's thoughts on Asphodel
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Nov 22, 2020 00:08
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Veloxyll posted:Is there a reason you're skipping most of the gold narrator orbs? I've mostly just been missing them in my haste. Speeding through rooms without looking too hard is a rote action at this point, but I'll make sure to hit them at some point.
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Nov 22, 2020 19:59
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Badger of Basra posted:The Artemis boon that makes enemies near a critted enemy more vulnerable to crits is also really good. It seems to have a huge range and the modifier is pretty big. Also I think it may proc off itself? yeah, you get a crit hit off a Marked enemy, it allows another enemy to be Marked. once you get your first critical hit it spirals pretty quickly
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Nov 26, 2020 15:09
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  Welcome back to the House of Hades.  Glad to keep things interesting.Hypnos is probably refering to Meg, who we murdered on our last run.  Up ahead it looks like Hades and Nyx are having a chat.  Do not question my power, Hades. Your son was bound to be discovered the closer he came to the surface. The Olympians are pleased to know they have a distant relative, and bid him welcome to their mountain. That is all. Their influence is very limited. Blood and darkness! Do not speak to me about their influence! I've seen the influence firsthand. You've made a foolish mistake. You would speak to me of foolish mistakes? You cannot change the course that has been set. Try all you like.That didn't sound too great. Let's check in with the dog instead.  Cerberus promises to do exactly that, in his own way. Let's give him some nectar too! Look what I got for you, boy...!  This is the one!  The Old Spiked Collar is a very good beginner keepsake. It gives you more health! The benefits are pretty obvious here, and this thing kept me alive through many an early run until I was competent enough to switch things up. We can also go talk to Achilles about the titan blood we picked up last run.  As far as I know, yes, lad. That it is. Though whose, exactly, I'm not so sure. You'd best hang onto it, and keep it safe. Your weapons...they shall thirst for it and drink it up. Not yet, perhaps, but soon. Well! I wasn't about to drink it.Titan Blood will be used to upgrade our weapons, eventually. We'll talk more about it later.  We also got some gems last run, so I'm going to talk to the house contrator and invest them in Plunder, Lesser. This adds a chance for a special treasure trove to be found in various rooms throughout our runs. And finally, there's a new area open!  This is the lounge. Notice the claw marks and hair all over the place, Cereberus really did a number on this place. Also notice Meg and the gorgon floating around, we'll talk to them as soon as we check out Achilles, employee of the month:  Nice.  I, uh, just wanted to say, the lounge looks wonderful, as good as new. Better! Hope it's not been too much trouble patching up. I, I, I, aah, I have to clean the rafters, I...! Thanks for all your hard work...!And she's gone.  Don't worry, Meg. I eventually managed to get home the painful way after all. Look, I have a reputation to uphold. You get passed me again like that, you best go all the way. Now, leave me be, and don't think you're going to be so lucky next time we meet out there. Before we leave we can also meet this cool guy on the right.   He's the wretched broker, and will allow us to trade some resources for others. Might come in handy at some point, but we're sort of starved for anything we can get right now so trading isn't the best idea.  Instead we can invest some of our darkness in the Mirror of Night, grabbing another dash and some extra Chthonic Vitality and Shadow Presence.  Skelly also gives us some parting advice about our cast. And then we begin again!   This is a special one! Poseidon shows up at the start of this run top grant us an ability we haven't used before:  It's been discussed a bit in the thread before, but this is a Call. Think of it like a super move. There's a little gauge on the bottom left side of the screen, and you can use it either in individual stocks (of 4) or let it fully charge for one big effect. Poseidon's Aid specifically makes you invincible and turns you into a moving hitbox, damaging everything you touch. It lasts for only a second or two if you use the small version, but when fully charged it'll go on for quite a while. It'll be easier to show this off in motion, so I'll demonstrate it during the next video if I can. Also, there's another new thing right in this first room:  This weird hole in the ground demands a sacrifice of some HP to enter, more HP the further you are in a run. This one costs 21 to enter, so let's see where it goes!  We end up down in this...place. Also with a new god(?) we can talk to.   Erm...have we met? Chaos is all things, and none. Its boons are a little weird:  Chaos boons are like investments. They start out penalizing certain activities, doing things like limiting your speed or damaging you if you attack a specific way. Then, after a set number of rooms, they transform into actually good boons. Usually really good. It's a risk vs reward kind of thing.  A little later we run into Aphrodite, who offers us some of her 'most beautiful' boons. This might be a good time to talk about boon rarity: Boons come in common (white), rare (blue), epic (purple), heroic (red), and legendary (yellow) rarity. Heroic and legendary are special rarities and won't show up normally, so we'll talk about the other three. Basically what rarity means is the base power of the boon is stronger, and leveling the boon up will make it stronger still.  We also find Charon in Tartarus. A normal occurance, but notable this time because I'm going to give him some nectar for being such a great salesman.   Hrrrhhrooooh, hnnnn.... Wait, you don't have to give me something in return, it was a gift! Though, you're insisting, aren't you.  Bone Hourglass is a Keepsake that increases the number of encounters items from the Well of Charon will be active for. Basically, it boosts that you can buy from mini-shops last longer. It's actually not terrible, but not nearly as good as our new collar.  Just because Chaos is giving me the power to crush you don't mean they're getting involved with this, does it? You don't know who or what you're dealing with. Ask Nyx about them for me sometime. Here, I'll give you a chance to ask her very soon.When we make it to Meg this time she actually stops to acknowledge our new best friend Chaos.  And then she dies. Shame.  Once we're in Asphodel Ares pops in to remind us that actually he's got the best boons thank you very much.  They don't see much use before I get smushed by this guy.   Speaking of gorgons, we got back just in time to evesdrop.  Um, Mister Hypnos, do you...maybe think that you could, you know, uh, keep an eye on the procession line before Lord Hades? Like you were supposed to...? Oh! Um, that's not problem, I can definitely do that, I'll just add it to the list! Um, good, then! Glad we had a chance to chat. Now, maybe get some sleep or something. You look pretty beat...?Hypnos may not be very good at his job.  I don't know how you can stand it. Well, at least some things are running smoothly still. Next you go to die again, do give the tortured shades out there my warm regards. The venerable hound of hell barely acknowledges the softly-spoken Prince's platitude, knowing full well the Underworld is not as vigilantly guarded as ages past. Both dad and dog are kind of downers today. Nobody else is around, so we head to Zagreus room, where we encounter...  A flashback! Mischief, me? I was just going to have a little look through Father's stuff. Lower your voice, old man, I'm trying to be sneaky here...!I'm not sure if it came up before, but Zagreus happens to be able to hear the narrator and often comments on his...commentary. Yeah. He ventures toward the stately throne of his Lord Father, half-expecting to be caught, but ill-expecting what he is about to find. I said shut up, old man!He does not know exactly what he seeks. He only knows that something always has felt off to him, that he doesn ot belong. Who is he, really? Lord Hades would never indulge such questions. So, Prince Zagreus would find out himself. I'm not listening... But then, there is the note...written finely in a hand and voice the likes of which the Prince had never seen or heard.  Thus did Prince of the Underworld Zagreus absorb the contents of this hidden letter, written in his mother's hand. His mother's hand, my mother's hand, wait, what?! You're saying this Persephone, that she's my...mother...? But, but Father always said that Nyx was my...That liar. He lied to me, they both did. All my life!Uhhh erm thus did the Prince discover, inadvertently, the well-kept truth about his lineage. entirely by chance, this did occur... Persephone, the one-time Queen of all the Underworld...where had she gone, and why? Engulfed by newfound questions and his rage, the Prince decided to confront his Lord and Master. Before we make it to Hades we run into Nyx on the way:  Oh, my dear child! So now you know...? So now you know. But, only half the truth. I can explain the rest, so please...It never was my wish to hurt you. Aaaand we're back. Now we know why Zagreus really wants out, and it's not to go party on Olympus with all his jerk relatives. They might not be too happy with that when they find out. Anyway, one last person to talk to...  Ah, you've come to the right place regarding that, there, pal! It's your mean weapons back there that can find the stuff. Once you get all the way through Tartarus with one, that's all the blood you're going to get! For the time being anyhow. How am I supposed to keep track of which weapons I've earned these with, then? I don't know, there's always the invention of writing stuff down? You'll figure something out.Skelly explains titan blood a bit better than I did. Every time you clear Tartarus with a different weapon you get more titan blood. For now. There'll be another, sort-of similar way to get it later.   We lead off with Aphrodite, who speculates on why Zagreus was kept hidden for so long. A very relevant quesiton.  Artemis comes in second. Did I mention there's lines of dialog for everything in this game?  Oh something's just about always amiss back home, sir. Figured it couldn't hurt to check up on things in Tartarus a bit more frequently. Well I am grateful for it, I and the old boulder there, in turn. I'm used to going lengthy stretches on my own, but having visitors from time to time would do me well!We also run into our other green pal! He gives us some Darkness to take home once again. +60, quite a bit actually. He's such a great guy I'm going to give him some nectar in return.  Now hold on a moment, Highness, I cannot accept something like this...not without giving back a little something in return, that is! This is a weird one. It increases Zagreus attack, special, or cast when they don't have a boon associated with them. Generally you'll always want a boon, but this can carry you for a while if you're waiting for that one specific boon and nothing else will do.  I've hope enough. Not that it's any of your business anymore. Your family is here. And so is your responsibility. You're running from yourself. Though, I can slow you down a bit I think.Spoiler: no she can't.  Some random skeletons with bombs in Asphodel did though. I didn't actually mean for this one to happen, but you can't win 'em all.  That's all right, Father. I'm not feeling very hungry at the moment. ...I've asked repeatedly for the construction of a sundial, but every time, they tell me no, can you believe it? Your impertinence with me inspires all.Hypnos isn't around when we get back, but dad is always here to tell us how terrible of a son we are.  Despite the Underworld Prince's optimism, his old companion Cerberus, the multi-headed hound, maintains a somewhat sulky attitude for now. Dog is not impressed. I made sure to pet him anyway though.  Ah. You have to understand, lad, I've been here in your father's realm for quite some time. My documented learnings became bound to me, much like this spear, you see? You can undo those bindings over time. Thus my knowledge can be yours. Whatever it amounts to. I see. I think. I'm grateful for it, sir.Achilles explains a bit about or magic codex (whose entires I will get around to posting soon), and then we can evesdrop on another conversation:  I understand, it's just...am I supposed to keep pretending nothing's changed? This House is cracking at the seams, and no one's going to admit it? The House shall stand eternally, although in what condition, it is ours to decide. Our obligation is to keep the House in order. I know. You're right of course, you're right...I'll do my best. I'll do my best for both of our sakes, Nyx.Nothing else of much interest going on in the House, so it's time for another run.   Aphrodite graces us with her presence once more, and also talks poo poo about our house.  Athena also congratulates us for making it to Asphodel. She's more excited about it than our dog was.  And we meet Sisyphus one more time. Look, I have to level with you, Sisyphus. I'm leaving the House. I've had quite enough. You understand, I'm sure. I'm going to the surface. Whew, that is quite an undertaking, Prince. If it wasn't you yourself propsing it, I'd like to call it madness, truth be told. Though you're just mad enough to pull it off! Well hey, I hope you make it. Good fortune out there! Cheers, mate.Once we leave our new co-conspirator, Meg shows up with nothing too much new to say. And then in Asphodel Hermes pops up:  And in thanks for his help, I decided to give him a gift of nectar. Our first god friend!   Oh! Mighty keen of you to leave a tip, there, boss! And I've a tip for you: Don't be slow! Maybe this will help with that. The Lambent Plume!  This one is unique among Olympian keepsakes. The faster you clear rooms the more dodge chance you get. Dodge chance means you might just not take damage from an attack you get hit by. This is actually a really nice keepsake, and combined with some later abilities you can wrack up a pretty absurd chance to dodge attacks during a run.  This run ends with me just standing in some lava.  Right.Don't stand in the hot stuff, got it.  I suppose you're going to punish her in some cruel fashion, then? Oh, I've already seen to that, of course. You think she volunteered to deal with you? Nobody did. That's how ignoble a task it is. That's strangely comforting to know.There is some good news to be found in the House, though...  Better than I could have imagined, Nyx. You mentioned there was something more that it could do, once I had grown accustomed. I think I'm ready for that now. I think you are, as well. Then, it shall be as you wish.Now we can do more stuff with the mirror! (I think we actually could even if we don't talk to Nyx about it, but I'm not 100% on that.)  Whatever it is, it's weak. Enough to be mistaken for your blood. Nice! Well, I'll just leave you to it, then.Meg is cool.  None of you better say an unkind word about Dusa in this thread.  As promised, we also have two new mirror upgrades. Boiling Blood: Each rank gives you +10% Attack & Special damage to foes with Cast Ammo in them. Infernal Soul: Each rank gives you +1 Cast Ammo for your Cast. I invested some of the darkness I've been hoarding to improve my stats, as seen above. That done, time for the final run of the update.   This update's getting pretty long so let's keep this one short and sweet: I got tagged a few too many times by a witch in Tartarus. Embaressing.  I haven't!As a few last items we recieve the infinite wisdom of Hypnos...  And also give Dusa a gift! P-P-Prince, I'm really grateful for this, really, and I thought, I, kind of got something for you...? Thanks, Ms. Dusa.  Another keepsake for Zagreus. Not a great one, if you want some extra HP the Spiked Collar is probably a better bet honestly. But this seems like a good place to call it, so we'll do that. Next time we'll learn about Varatha, the Eternal Spear!
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Nov 29, 2020 18:46
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| # ? May 2, 2024 05:49 |
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Dusa is amazing and her voice and animations deserve showing off.
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Nov 29, 2020 19:10
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