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Fionordequester posted:It's definitely one of those things I always wondered about, as far as the creative aspect of it. These LPs initially started off much less serious (with "troops" originally being five identical clones with the same name), so the whole "Dipshit" thing fit perfectly for that context. Ahah, it's probably a little of both - some weird things from AW1 I have noticed and made efforts to flesh out (the Part 68 intermission very subtly fleshes out one of the weirdest characters in the series), but there's definitely other things from way early on that I may have misremembered. Readers have probably already noticed, but I intended to use LPAWDS to explore my dude as an actual character - things like his dislike of Fog of War, his reaction to losing to Rose, his relationship with Rachel and his hatred of Andy, I wanted to expand upon in-universe - as you said, the narrative has become more serious throughout the LPs, so I wanted to ensure that my dude became more serious along with it. I think on the whole, that's been successful. He's still flippant and silly and arrogant, but he feels more like an actual person in this one more so than either of the previous games.
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Oct 22, 2022 08:40
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cosmicPostman posted:I think on the whole, that's been successful. Indeed it has. The fact I had any kind of emotional reaction is proof of that  : .It also sometimes makes me want to return to my own Narrative work for my Dragon Quest VI LP... Though that probably won't actually happen any time soon.
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Oct 22, 2022 11:52
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Fionordequester posted:Indeed it has. The fact I had any kind of emotional reaction is proof of that You get back to that FE4 Max Rank LP first, pal. That one was a legit good read! Anyway, yeah, CP, its definitely been noticed that LPAWDS has been far more of a my dude type story than the first game was, and that's a good thing. (Ditto 2nd game, but given how the 2nd game's narrative worked that was a given)
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Oct 22, 2022 21:31
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SMaster777 posted:You get back to that FE4 Max Rank LP first, pal. That one was a legit good read! It shouldn't even be that hard, he's already made all the videos for it. Though as long as I'm asking questions of Fionordequester, may as well ask what Yugioh LP he got his avvy in. But on the subject on CosmicPostman's writing: while I appreciate the effort he's putting into characterizing faceless troops and trying to keep casualties at a minimum, it's never managed to make me care about these nameplates. Partly because he was making giant attempts to welch from his consequences since the beginning (eject buttons for transport units, Rose remote-controlling helicopters) and once his AW2 run started, he ended up doing test playthroughs over and again until he got no unit losses - the couple I can remember only happened because they were deep enough in the run that CP decided they weren't worth going back for. But mostly it's due to how so much of the dialogue feels like placeholder text. It's a recurring issue in narrative LPs that the players just aren't good at writing dialogue, so it curses any LP that tries to take itself seriously and repels a lot of people from reading or commenting on anything that isn't the content of the game. The only ones I've ever managed to enjoy were the late 00s-era X-Com LPs, and that was due to a very specific factor: while GuavaMoment and JadeStar's writing and setpiece programming were legit impressive, what kept them afloat was the gimmick of letting readers submit their own names and even in-character monologues that helped characterize them and the setting, and in turn gave the LPers more to work with when they wrote their playthroughs.
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Oct 22, 2022 22:16
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Delphisage posted:It shouldn't even be that hard, he's already made all the videos for it.[/url] Giver366's Yu-Gi-Oh Forbidden Memories LP I liked the game despite its flaws—I even had the balls to say it wasn't the worst game ever. It was also back in the day when I didn't have as many social kills, and didn't have as good a handle on my Sperg mode... Thus, the hazing. But, I liked that someone drew what was effectively a custom avatar just for me (regardless of intent), and I found the joke itself amusing enough that I just sort of rolled with the punch... Plus I didn't feel like spending $10 changing it. So, it stuck. Delphisage posted:But on the subject on CosmicPostman's writing: while I appreciate the effort he's putting into characterizing faceless troops and trying to keep casualties at a minimum, it's never managed to make me care about these nameplates. Partly because he was making giant attempts to welch from his consequences since the beginning (eject buttons for transport units, Rose remote-controlling helicopters) and once his AW2 run started, he ended up doing test playthroughs over and again until he got no unit losses - the couple I can remember only happened because they were deep enough in the run that CP decided they weren't worth going back for. I remember plenty of deaths from AW1. As for those who were spared... I mean, when you're trying to write a consistent story, it's sort of a given that at least some characters will have plot immunity. Otherwise, you have shows like Walking Dead where you just...stop caring. Because everyone you liked wound up dying. It's a tricky balance. But I think Cosmic did ok. Delphisage posted:But mostly it's due to how so much of the dialogue feels like placeholder text. It's a recurring issue in narrative LPs that the players just aren't good at writing dialogue, so it curses any LP that tries to take itself seriously and repels a lot of people from reading or commenting on anything that isn't the content of the game. The only ones I've ever managed to enjoy were the late 00s-era X-Com LPs, and that was due to a very specific factor: while GuavaMoment and JadeStar's writing and setpiece programming were legit impressive, what kept them afloat was the gimmick of letting readers submit their own names and even in-character monologues that helped characterize them and the setting, and in turn gave the LPers more to work with when they wrote their playthroughs. Hmm... The only thing I'll say is that when AW2 first began, I was immediately put off by the weird "murder investigation" format, with some girl called "Ruin" and all these original names I was apparently supposed to learn. Thus I avoided the entire LP—it didn't seem to be what I was looking for. Then the Dual Strike LP began, being much more restrained in how much original content there was... And so after a time, I finally gave the series a chance. Fell in love with them at the very start, and the rest was history. There's an inherent risk to adding narrative stuff to your LPs... But when it works, it works. Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 23:47 on Oct 22, 2022 |
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Oct 22, 2022 23:39
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I honestly like the narrative arc and the stuff with the soldiers.
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Oct 23, 2022 01:02
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This LP would be much diminished without the narrative. I'd have a hard time reading an LP of a game like this without one, there's only so much "I moved here and here, then they moved here and here, and I moved..." that I can take without a reason to care about the action.
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Oct 23, 2022 04:07
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Delphisage posted:But on the subject on CosmicPostman's writing: while I appreciate the effort he's putting into characterizing faceless troops and trying to keep casualties at a minimum, it's never managed to make me care about these nameplates. Partly because he was making giant attempts to welch from his consequences since the beginning (eject buttons for transport units, Rose remote-controlling helicopters) and once his AW2 run started, he ended up doing test playthroughs over and again until he got no unit losses - the couple I can remember only happened because they were deep enough in the run that CP decided they weren't worth going back for. I think the Final Battle kind of got in my head a bit; after managing that with no major casualties (with some eject button usage), I felt like I had to do AW2 as deathless as possible. Because I could, I had to. Additionally, another issue I was concerned about with the games was that primarily, the LP has been comedic, and I felt that regular deaths would make maintaining that tone more difficult. I should have had it be more serious from the get-go, really. Delphisage posted:But mostly it's due to how so much of the dialogue feels like placeholder text. It's a recurring issue in narrative LPs that the players just aren't good at writing dialogue, so it curses any LP that tries to take itself seriously and repels a lot of people from reading or commenting on anything that isn't the content of the game. Well, yeah, no arguments here. I'm not the best writer in the world, even with many years' practice, and will 100+ characters, there's not always a chance to flesh them all out. Delphisage posted:...what kept them afloat was the gimmick of letting readers submit their own names... I will say, it wasn't really a thing for the other LPs, but the LP for Advance Wars did have some readers submitting their own names. As far as I remember, Wilbert, Rin, Lucy and Selena were all reader suggestions. There may have been more, I forget. Fionordequester posted:I remember plenty of deaths from AW1. As for those who were spared... I mean, when you're trying to write a consistent story, it's sort of a given that at least some characters will have plot immunity. Otherwise, you have shows like Walking Dead where you just...stop caring. Because everyone you liked wound up dying. I'm pleased to hear you say that. AW1 had seventeen deaths, I think, the most major being Bill and Eric, who I'd always imagined as, like, the Fire Emblem red-and-green cavaliers you always start with. Fionordequester posted:Hmm... The only thing I'll say is that when AW2 first began, I was immediately put off by the weird "murder investigation" format, with some girl called "Ruin" and all these original names I was apparently supposed to learn. Thus I avoided the entire LP—it didn't seem to be what I was looking for. AW2 was a lot more experimental. I was working in some elements from my novel - Ruin being the most notable one - and I wanted to expand on the "multiple my dude" thing in an interesting way. It was definitely a bit more divisive, though some people did enjoy the dynamic between Ruin and my dude as co-commentators. Quackles posted:I honestly like the narrative arc and the stuff with the soldiers. JeffRaze posted:This LP would be much diminished without the narrative. I'd have a hard time reading an LP of a game like this without one, there's only so much "I moved here and here, then they moved here and here, and I moved..." that I can take without a reason to care about the action. Thank you both. I think I'd agree - I do like those LPs from a strategic point of view, but I've always strived to have a balance of strategy and gameplay, for those who come here looking for that, and story, for those who come here looking for that. Probably another potential reason I've done some maps over and over - I always want to try and impress you guys strategically, and sometimes I feel that my performance in a map isn't super great, and it leaves me wanting to do it again.
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Oct 23, 2022 07:57
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cosmicPostman posted:I think the Final Battle kind of got in my head a bit; after managing that with no major casualties (with some eject button usage), I felt like I had to do AW2 as deathless as possible. Because I could, I had to. Additionally, another issue I was concerned about with the games was that primarily, the LP has been comedic, and I felt that regular deaths would make maintaining that tone more difficult. I should have had it be more serious from the get-go, really. I don't know about others, but your deathless Final Battle was probably your crowning achievement—and that's from someone who's literally worked out a speed run route for S-Ranking AW1's Advance Campaign. I didn't even think what you wanted was possible... But lo and behold, you did it! I'm also very OCD about strategic blunders, so I liked not seeing too many of them in this and AW2. cosmicPostman posted:Well, yeah, no arguments here. I'm not the best writer in the world, even with many years' practice, and will 100+ characters, there's not always a chance to flesh them all out. For what it's worth, the only major complaint I had was Rose stealing Sonja's thunder—especially in the Show Stopper map. That one really felt like it should've been Sonja's victory, given the chapter text with Kanbei wanting to help her, and Sensei encouraging him to let her shine. Apart from that, I can't remember having any actual complaints. cosmicPostman posted:AW2 was a lot more experimental. I was working in some elements from my novel - Ruin being the most notable one - and I wanted to expand on the "multiple my dude" thing in an interesting way. It was definitely a bit more divisive, though some people did enjoy the dynamic between Ruin and my dude as co-commentators. Oh I enjoyed the dynamic too, once I'd finally given it a fair shot. It's just that the idea itself was so wildly out of left-field (back when I hadn't read your AW1 LP yet)... I was like "Ok, is he actually LPing the game, or is he showing me his fanfiction?" That's all. Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 08:55 on Oct 23, 2022 |
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Oct 23, 2022 08:50
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cosmicPostman posted:I will say, it wasn't really a thing for the other LPs, but the LP for Advance Wars did have some readers submitting their own names. As far as I remember, Wilbert, Rin, Lucy and Selena were all reader suggestions. There may have been more, I forget. Actually the vast majority of names were reader suggestions. Heck, your first four submitted names were Reginald (who died the same part he debuted in...), Bill, Eric and Michael. If you look at the AW1 barracks... I think only the first 5 names and Paul weren't suggestions, the first five because they predated name subs, and Paul was a living shoutout to Paul.Power (anyone seen him recently...?).
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Oct 23, 2022 09:12
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SMaster777 posted:Paul was a living shoutout to Paul.Power (anyone seen him recently...?). I saw him on the Advance Wars by Web Discord just a week or so ago.
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Oct 23, 2022 09:13
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Part 71 (Intermission) - Von Bolt’s Secret Project  My dude...are you feeling alright? Those things you said... I'll be honest. Not very much of that was actually Andy's fault. I wasn't always an unbeatable ACO...chances are I just didn't get the promotion because I hadn't proven myself yet. I'd had deaths, and almost lost battles... I can understand your frustrations, though. I wonder sometimes if Colin is ready for his position as CO...but he always manages to pull through. I wonder if you ever gave Andy the chance to prove himself? ...No, I never really did. I was set against him from the moment he joined me...I think I was just looking for reasons to hate him. Makes me feel kind of like an rear end in a top hat, looking back. Hah...I wouldn't go that far. It's good that you've thought about it, though. Perhaps you can move forward with Andy once you get back to Cosmo Land. Yeah, there's...a lot of things I need to say to that kid. Hey, my dude, Sasha. Are we moving out? I don't think so yet. We haven't heard from Rachel. Weak. Let me check in with her. We'll come with you--we ought to have everyone there anyway.  Nothing yet. They're combing Omega Land in the area my dude suggested, but there's no trace of the obelisk. More and more areas of Omega Land are turning into wasteland. And we can't do anything about it! Grrr! I hate this! There must be something we can do! There's gotta be something we're missing. It should be somewhere on that part of the map... Wait a second. Let me see that map. What is it, Sonja? Lash, you said the black obelisk turns the surrounding land into desert, right? Yeppers! Pretty neato, huh? I don't know if I'd use that exact word. Is the speed of desertification the same on any terrain? Wow. Word of the day, eh? Nice one, nerd. Oh, snap! My dude, do you ever add anything useful to these meetings, or do you just attend to say "oh, snap!" every now and again? Anyway, yeah, it's the same speed. Terrain doesn't matter at all. That's why the desert emanates out from the obelisk at a consistent rate. I traced the desertification, though! Wow, yeah, that's a weird word, isn't it? Anyway, yeah, it should be in this area, somewhere along this coastline! We seriously didn't find anything? Hold on, my dude. I'll explain my theory--it is there. Oh, hey, I get it! That means... Yes. The obelisk is in the exact center of the desertif-- ...the land that's turning into desert. The deserts that we know of are here, here, here and here, right? And if you draw a circle on the perimeter and radiate inward, the center is... Right here! That's not quite the same area that my dude pointed out. There? That can't be right. That's in the middle of the Crimson Sea. To be fair, when I initially looked into it with the intelligence unit, the actual center we got was around there, in the middle of the sea, so we presumed it would have been somewhere on the coastline near that point. I see. I'm afraid you're incorrect, my dude. Omega Land is 70% water and has untapped resources on the ocean floor. Oh, you can't be serious. Yes. So Black Hole built a base in the Crimson Sea and took advantage of that energy. Of course. Black Hole has satellites in space, fortresses in the air, obelisks on land...it only stands to reason they'd have bases on the sea, too. They use every possible advantage they can get. Dude, yeah! If all the cities turned into desert, everyone would be on to them! But you can do whatever on the ocean floor... No one would ever know! It means the black obelisk has transformed almost all of the Crimson Sea. With the sea nearly consumed, the process has now spread to Omega Land itself. How terrible... In retrospect, the black obelisk in Red Rock Desert may have been a decoy. The enemy diverted our attention to buy time for the real plan. Neither were decoys--they were failsafes for each other. If we'd found the ocean obelisk, the desert one would have had enough time to be protected by Black Onyx and have been untouchable. Instead, we targeted the desert one, giving the ocean obelisk time to consume the ocean floor. Oh, I'm so stupid! How could I have missed that?! Rachel, it's not your fault. It was always going to be a lose-lose for us, because we ALL assumed there was only one. My dude's right. Don't blame yourself, Rachel. None of us imagined he'd do something so awful. Besides, we should still have time to stop it. Yeah, right on, Sasha! We've got time! Let's split back to the Crimson Sea and take 'em out! We do have a notable advantage--this obelisk isn't protected by a satellite. We'd have been able to find it instantly if there was a satellite above it, since we knew the previous obelisk had one. It's completely undefended, then? ...I don't buy that. They must have SOME protection, but what? Von Bolt's secret project, perhaps...we still don't know what it is.  Aha ha! It looks like the great unwashed have finally taken up their pitchforks! But the hoi polloi are far too late. We already have enough energy. Now all we have to do is sweep away these nuisances. Hhh... Kindle... Yes, my lord? They are...hhh...coming? Yes, my lord...but set your mind at ease. I shall stand in front of the black obelisk and deliver the coup de grace with plea... No. Hhh... I will...hhh...do it. You, my lord? You want to address this issue...personally? I dislike...hhh...battles. I get so...hhh...tired... But they...hhh... They have come too far... Hhhhhh... This ends...here. Now. Very well, my lord. I will make the preparations. There is...hhh...only one preparation...we need. Kindle...hhh...activate the secret project.  Aw, possum spit! Look at all the troops! Looks like we found ourselves one humdinger of a termite nest, boys! I agree, but also, why do you talk like that? Hey, there's the black obelisk! Let's rush it! Not...hhh...a chance. Oh GOD, he looks just like the horrible infantry soldiers! What--? Who are you? My name is...hhh...Von Bolt. I am...hhh...commander-in-chief of...hhh...Black Hole...hhhh...and its eternal master! Hawke, you let THIS clown supersede you as the leader of Black Hole's army? You do not know of which you speak, my dude. Von Bolt is an exceedingly powerful CO. You! You're behind all this! Hehhh hhh hhh! Already stolen...hhh...half of Omega Land's energy... Hhhhh... One half...hhh...to go... How barbaric. I'll wring this land...hhhhhh...like a sponge. Nothing will...hhh...remain but...hhh...desert! The energy absorbed by... Hhhhh...my black obelisk...hhh...secures my future... Your future? You're doing this for... Eternal life! Hhh... Absolute power! Hhh... The universe shall...hhhhh...bow to me! You'd destroy Omega Land just for some ego trip?! I am...hhh..human. Nothing is more...hhh...precious than...hhh...life... MY life... Who cares what happens...hhh..to insects? I care only...hhhhhh...for myself. You're wrong about one thing--you're not human. You might have been once, but this behaviour is nothing short of monstrous. You're a complete mentalist! How dare you?! Hehh hhh hhh! Dare, you say? Hhh...dare... Hhhh... Oh, I dare... Ignorant...hhh...boy! Hey, fucker! He's not ignorant, he's right! You're really going to sit here, in this feeble-rear end state, and claim you can stop us? We're going to beat you. Yes...you are...hhh...my dude, aren't you? Oh, so my reputation precedes me. Good to know. You'll also know that-- It is...hhhhhh...said...that whichever side you are on...hhh...wins, is it not? Yeah! He's the embodiment of victory, so what chance do you think you have? Answer me...hhh...this...then? What do you do when...hhhhhh...the embodiment of...hhh...victory...fights for me...instead? What are you talking about? My...secret... project. It is...hhh...complete. N-no! M...my dude... ...... A...clone of my dude?! Yes...the world's...most unbeatable strategist is...hhh...under my command... Surely it just looks like him? It can’t possibly have his skills...his personality...can it? ...You can never have enough medium tanks. Well, he certainly SOUNDS like me. We need to retreat and think of a plan. We can't win like this! Run...hhh...insects... And if you return... I will...hhh...crush you...and drink...hhhhhh...drink your life! I've noted down the map layout. This is where the enemy forces were, roughly... I have a few notes on Von Bolt. I didn't meet him personally during my service, but I heard what the others said about him...I hope this is useful.  How do we defeat my dude? He's unstoppable. Normally we can rely on my dude to help us against tough opponents, but against himself...he'll be evenly matched! And Von Bolt starts in an advantageous position. My dude and the clone will be evenly matched, but the financial and strategic position will give Von Bolt the advantage. Is there no hope? Are we just going to lose, right here? What'd I tell ya about being too quick to just roll over, kid?! There's always a plan! Ain't that right, Rachel? I...don't know. We're facing a foe with equal strategic capabilities, a better starting position, more money and power...and every second we spend strategising here is just giving him more time to absorb Omega Land's energy. He's holding all the cards! Heh. My dude, what are you smirking about? You're not all ACTUALLY scared of this guy, are you? Wha--? It's YOU, my dude! The world's greatest strategist! Are you saying you've got a plan? What do you know, my dude? Von Bolt cloned the greatest strategist in the world in order to become unbeatable. His power and my intelligence...it's a dangerous combo, for sure. But this ENTIRE plan hinges on one key factor--that I'm the greatest strategist in the world. And we know for a fact that I'm not. Hell, we proved it in this very campaign! Heh, I see. You mean... Yup. I was soundly defeated by a strategist of even greater caliber than me--Rose Kuroda. M-me?! Rose. They're right--I can't defeat myself. At best, we'll be evenly matched. But you're our secret weapon. Von Bolt doesn't know you're capable of beating me. So...to put it simply... Rose Kuroda, the Flower of Desolation, will you help me defeat myself? ...When the challenge rises, I will not be found wanting. My dude, I will work with you. Together, we will be truly unbeatable! That's what I'm talking about! You're both right. We CAN beat my dude. The two of you...I honestly believe you might be able to do anything together. What are we waiting for, then?! We'll move out first thing tomorrow. Tonight, we need to plan. Right. We can't afford a single mistake. Good luck, you two. We all believe in you. Right, first things first, then, Rose... which COs are we going to be bringing? We've got three HQs, so... 3 groups of 2 COs. Hm... I think for the blue team, I'd recommend...*** Votes are now open for COs! I'll see you all next week for the Night Before, and then we'll be onto the final two maps of the game! cosmicPostman fucked around with this message at 13:13 on Oct 24, 2022 |
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Oct 23, 2022 11:47
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Well I did not see a my dude clone coming, that was hilarious. That CO Power looks pretty troubling, especially with how confined the center of the map is. I guess it depends on how big a range/area of effect it has. But units having to skip a turn is an interesting effect to throw out there on the final map, and seems like a good narrative counter to this LP's "no deaths" mission.
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Oct 23, 2022 18:51
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So, Von Bolt. He's not a bad CO, objectively. He has a bonus to both offense and defense. I would say "Like Sturm"... But he has only +10%, not +20. He also lacks Sturm's "gently caress you" movement effect. His power causes a lightning bolt to hit an area equal to Sturm's meteor, but causes only 3 HP of damage. His trick is that it stuns the targets, causing them to completely forfeit their next turn's action. Due note that they will still shoot back if capable, so while they can't take any actions, they're not completely helpless. He can't be disregarded, but he's no Sturm, not even close.
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Oct 23, 2022 19:38
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Von Bolt does have one advantage over Sturm—his CO Power charges much faster, due to changes in how CO Meters work in this game. Anyway, I vote... Orange Star COs: Javier/Hawke with Slam Guard, Tower Power, Ranger, Woodwalker, and the usual Synergies. Blue Moon COs: Grit/Sonja Green Earth COs: Sasha/Rachel with Slam Guard & Shield, Seamanship, Gold Rush, and the usual Synergies -------- This map was practically made for Javier, with those three COM Towers at the start. Von Bolt can't even contest them, since he can't go through those forests like Sturm could. He's also got four Artilleries nearby, so Javier's innate 20% indirect defense is an impressive boon. Finally, Ranger adds another 10% Attack if you're on a Forest—which Javier's position is full of. Build a third Infantry for capping the 3rd COM Tower a turn earlier, then just spam Tanks—you'll like the results. Blue Moon...honestly doesn't contribute a lot—but Grit's Battleship has enough range to fire on the lower-left mini-cannon, even from its starting position. So, I like to destroy it, then switch to Sonja on Day 2. Other than that, it's mostly a Mexican stand-off, with your guys eventually snagging the factory and building an APC (so your sub doesn't sink). Green Earth is a smash hit though—especially with those skills. 123/130 stats (10% from oceans) allows Sasha's Fighter to bait Von Bolt's own Fighter (away from the Black Crystal). Then from there you can either kill it, or keep it alive so it fills up your CO Meter more... Both options are viable (I like the latter). Just make sure you don't build anything—Sasha's primary role is to make sure Von Bolt never gets to use Ex Machina... Or if he does, Javier will have long since crushed the entire middle. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Or, if you want to just ruin this map, make Von Bolt look like a moron, and otherwise remove any dramatic tension it may have had (and I'm actually hoping you don't do this in the main run)... Get a Green Earth CO up to 143% Attack (Grimm can do himself at Level 4), Hide your Stealth on Day 1 while always moving it up, then OHKO the Black Obelisk. Von Bolt won't do a thing to it. Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 12:14 on Oct 27, 2022 |
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Oct 23, 2022 22:56
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Fionordequester posted:Or, if you want to just ruin this map, make Von Bolt look like a moron, and otherwise remove any dramatic tension it may have had (and I'm actually hoping you don't do this in the main run)... Get a Green Earth CO up to 143% Attack (Grimm can do himself at Level 4), Hide your Stealth on Day 1 while always moving it up, then OHKO the Black Obelisk. Von Bolt won't do a thing to it. This might be a potential "my dude explains how we could have done that more efficiently afterwards" map again, because I kinda want to try that out... but a proper run first, of course.
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Oct 23, 2022 23:15
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I suppose you could also handwave it by saying "Mydude didn't want to risk people's lives on the assumption Von Bolt would be that stupid".
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Oct 23, 2022 23:46
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Javier/Hawke Orange, Rachel/Grit Blue, Sasha/CPChoice Green I'll admit, CP mentioned to me that he wanted Hawke and Rachel around for the narrative if it could be helped, while also mentioning Grit on the water would be nice. Sasha for shutting down Ex Machina speaks for itself so... yeah, this one's for you, pal.
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Oct 26, 2022 00:19
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Rachel could easily fit into Green Earth—we don't want that team doing a lot of combat anyway. Also, I changed my mind on one of Javier's skills.
Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 10:37 on Oct 26, 2022 |
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Oct 26, 2022 00:58
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The posts responding to me think I take objection to the narrative existing at all, when I absolutely don't. I'm just unimpressed with the execution that this LP and all the other narrative LPs I've seen that weren't the 00s X-COM LPs have and wishing they were done better. Dunno how I can make my point clearer, but I'm willing to hear advice. Jake and Javier on Red, Sonja and Sasha on Blue, Eagle and Jess on Green. Delphisage fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Oct 26, 2022 |
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Oct 26, 2022 01:06
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I can't speak to the others, but I didn't feel any ill will towards you and your opinion (that Cosmic's narrative writing is lacking). It's just that it's the complete opposite of what I thought (that Cosmic's narrative writing was excellent)—therefore, I felt obligated to tell Cosmic that I disagreed. Nothing more to it than that.
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Oct 26, 2022 01:52
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Delphisage posted:The posts responding to me think I take objection to the narrative existing at all, when I absolutely don't. I'm just unimpressed with the execution that this LP and all the other narrative LPs I've seen that weren't the 00s X-COM LPs have and wishing they were done better. Dunno how I can make my point clearer, but I'm willing to hear advice. Well step one is learning not how to triple down on making GBS threads on the op for engaging in a hobby they find fun just because it's not your cup of tea. Step two is having the awareness not to do it in the first place.
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Oct 26, 2022 03:05
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FoolyCharged posted:Well step one is learning not how to triple down on making GBS threads on the op for engaging in a hobby they find fun just because it's not your cup of tea. Step 3: ??? Step 4: Javier/Hawke Orange, Rachel/Grit Blue, Sasha/Colin Green
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Oct 26, 2022 03:10
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I don't have an opinion on the rest, but using Grit with battleships (Blue) sounds like fun.
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Oct 26, 2022 04:05
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Oops, I never posted these for Surrounded. Pair-up dialogue. Jake/Rachel Obelisks, missiles, volcanoes... Black Hole will stoop to anything! This is worse than nu metal!gently caress you, Rachel. So, they want to destroy Omega Land, no matter the cost? I'll just have to show them that some things can't be bought at any price!Max/Grit Horse feathers! We gotta fight an Andy clone, of all things! You OK with this, big Max? Does a bear cr-- Of course I'm OK! Andy and that guy are totally different! You can't clone talent or strength... And I'll prove it to him!Colin/Sasha Sister, let me handle this. Last time they tried to fire the missiles, Commander Olaf was able to stop them. But he's not here to save the day this time. I'd better do my duty as a Blue Moon CO! Well said, Colin. But don't forget me! I, too, am a proud Blue Moon CO! I will not let you go it alone... When we fight, we fight together!Grimm/Sensei All right, Sensei, I'm ready! First we gotta capture all the com towers! Then we gotta... Wait, but our HQ is way over there, and we're here, so... Gwar! I hate plans! Let's just throw down! So much to think about... It almost makes me dizzy... This is Lightning Grimm's time to shineSonja/Lash It seems that the Andy clone even has a rudimentary personality. Men should not meddle so with the natural order... How can such a thing be allowed? Hey, it's not like I made the thing! Sheesh! Gimme a break! Besides, Black Hole doesn't give a fig if technology is good or evil. That's why the bad guys always advance science... Because they're fearless!Jess/Javier  Look, Dame Jess! Com towers! Yes, if we get those under our control, we can take advantage of our abilities. I don't know if we can win otherwise...Jess/Jake Twenty-four days? This is going to be tough... We'll have to move efficiently. One mistake, and we're done for. Hey, no worries, Jess! We'll definitely beat these guys if we work with the other teams! I'll make sure that it happens!Eagle/Sami I bet you have mixed feelings, eh, Eagle? Facing the clone of your biggest rival... No. There is only one man whom I accept as my rival. Some cheap copy with the same face is nothing but another enemy.Lash/Hawke Let's go, Lash! Hurry up! Wow, Hawke's all angry today! Maybe he's fired up because he gets to face his main rival, Andy. Or maybe he's just a big jerkface... Men are so hard to figure out!
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Oct 26, 2022 04:12
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Andy sure is the biggest rival for a lot of these guys. They might want to change their rival when they realize Dips... Andy barely even knows what an airport is. Measure a man by his enemies and all that.
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Oct 26, 2022 04:25
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It doesn't even really make sense for Hawke. Their only real interaction is a hard mode only map in aw2 where Hawke abuses Andy's stupidity to goad him out of position for a worthless fight, and then has someone else attack the turf Andy was supposed to be defending. I can see Andy having a grudge against Hawke, but I can't see how Hawke would give a wooden nickel about Andy.
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Oct 26, 2022 05:03
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Yeah I always saw Eagle as Hawke's main rival.
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Oct 26, 2022 05:23
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If I had to explain why Hawke cares about Andy... Well, apparently he took that L in Hard Campaign pretty hard... That, or he's angry at the cheap imitation in front of him (like Max & Eagle are)—kind of like if Seto Kaiba were to face a Yami clone or something. Apparently, that's how much respect Andy commands in Dual Strike canon. Which, I guess I can kind of see (just going by story).
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Oct 26, 2022 08:54
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Fionordequester posted:If I had to explain why Hawke cares about Andy... Well, apparently he took that L in Hard Campaign pretty hard... I think AW2 was planned to have its own Rivals equivalent at the end if you beat Final Front with Andy or some other requirement, and the devs are operating on that assumption rather than what made it into the final game. Delphisage fucked around with this message at 11:28 on Oct 26, 2022 |
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Oct 26, 2022 11:25
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Huh... That would've been interesting. If I had the knowledge or drive to make an AW2 hack, I'd totally add a secret like that.
Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 03:41 on Oct 27, 2022 |
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Oct 27, 2022 03:24
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Part 72 (Intermission) - The Night Before Hey guys, you know how it goes. Still working on the final map, so for now, here's the night before writeup that has become tradition at this point. Stick around to the end for another fun thing, too. I hope you enjoy! *** “Alright, everyone, quiet down!” The call of Commander-in-Chief Rachel of the Allied Nations echoes around the room, and the assorted soldiers of all four nations fall silent as she steps forward. I’m stood next to her, feeling a little bit like I’m unnecessary. “We’re ready to move out to the black obelisk at 0500 hours tomorrow morning.” she announces. Some of the soldiers roll their eyes at the early get-up. “I advise you all get some rest immediately. My dude, isn’t that right?” Everyone’s eyes turn to look at me, and I wince a little. “Uh, well - provided it’s alright by you, of course - I generally let the soldiers do whatever they want before a big battle like this. A bit of relaxation goes a long way.” Rachel glares at me for a minute, and I think she’s about to argue, but then she nods. “Makes sense. Well, you know most of these soldiers better than me; say what you need to.” “As Rachel said, big battle tomorrow, and we need an early start.” I begin. “I can’t say for sure what’s going to happen tomorrow, but me and Rose are working hard to come up with a foolproof strategy. So, the rest of you… just chill out. Take the evening for yourselves, so long as you don’t get to bed too late…” Rachel shrugs at me as the soldiers disperse, all chattering about their plans; I can sense the nervousness hanging over the relaxed conversation, though. “You’re not really a public speaker, are you, my dude?” “Hey, I’m the strategist. And I’ve made them feel more at ease, at least.” I reply. Rachel nods. “...Yeah. You’ve not done too badly, my dude. Make sure to stick the landing tomorrow, OK?” I look back at Rachel, and see the trust in her eyes. I nod. “Of course. Now then, I’d best get to my office - Rose is waiting for me.” * Anna and Klara are sitting in the main barracks room as Anna tightens and twists the strings on her guitar, tuning it. She’s quite focussed, and Klara can tell she’s not listening very hard. “Hee hee, looks like it takes a lot of work to make it sound just right!” “Mhm.” Anna replies, twanging the guitar. “Hm. Almost.” “What are you going to play tonight? Some exciting songs to lift the spirit?” “Probably. I’ve got some ideas.” Klara leans back in her seat and looks around the room - there’s some soldiers playing poker at the big table at the back of the room, a few sitting on the other tables around having some conversations, and a group of soldiers playing card games as they share some drinks. She smiles gently. “This army is so wonderful, don’t you think? It’s been a delight working with them!” “I guess so.” Anna says. Finally satisfied with her guitar, she stands up. “If there’s anyone it’s been a delight to meet, it was you, Klara. I’m gonna go play some tunes now, but I want to catch a drink with you later on, k?” “I’ll be right here listening to you, hee hee!” Klara says, beaming as Anna heads to the middle of the room, where a microphone and small stool have been placed. “Hey, all. Hope you don’t mind if I provide a bit of backing to your relaxation tonight. This first one is a favourite of mine. I’ve always thought of it as a song of good luck, so… I hope it gives us good luck tomorrow.” Anna says into the micrphone. As she begins to sing, her words carry throughout the barracks, accompanied by the gentle playing of her guitar. “Kind friends and companions, come join me in rhyme…” * In Vanessa’s room, a few of the Yellow Comet girls have gathered for a spot of cake and some milk - it’s a little too late for tea. Sonja, Vanessa, Arqa, Shaia and Khepri are enjoying the moody lighting of the room. “Oh, this one’s wonderful.” Sonja says, licking her lips as she finishes off a slice of the lemon madeira cake. “Reminds me of the cake I used to have with Father when I was younger. We’d always go to this little tea parlour on the weekends whilst I was at military academy.” “Kanbei, at a tea parlour? I can’t imagine that!” Khepri says, grinning. Sonja nods seriously. “Father takes his tea very seriously. I… don’t know for sure, but I think that particular tea parlour might have been important to Mother, too. He doesn’t talk about it, though.” “Ah, I see.” Vanessa replies. “Makes sense.” “Thanks for the invite, anyway.” Arqa says, digging into the chocolate cake with a smile on her face. “And I hope you don’t mind that I dragged Shaia along with me.” Shaia rolls her eyes, but gives a bit of a smile, and Sonja shakes her head. “Not at all. I’m only sorry Rose, Andromeda and Peregrine aren’t here. Rose is obviously very busy, but I have no idea what Andromeda and Peregrine are up to…” “Ah, it’s OK. I’ve tried talking to that Andromeda girl about fashion, but she really doesn’t seem to get it.” Shaia replies, sighing. “I just came along to… ugh, I came along to say thanks. Arqa’s been telling me about how she started making more of an effort. I thought it was kinda lame at first, but… I get it more now.” “Oh, I’m very glad to hear it.” Sonja replies. “We want all of our soldiers to give it their all in battle.” “Well, for what it’s worth… feel free to work me as hard as Arqa.” Shaia announces, before pulling a face. “Oh, I can’t believe I just said that…” Vanessa gives a wide grin, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Oh, really? As hard as Arqa? Don’t mind if I do.” “Ha!” Khepri says, giving a loud laugh. “You don’t know what you’ve signed yourself up for, Shaia!” * Mulligan and Howard are taking a romantic moonlit walk, and Mulligan looks up at the moon now and again, though it is waning and barely visible. “How are you feeling, Howard?” he asks eventually. Howard shrugs. “That’s an odd question.” “Is it?” “Yeah.” Howard replies, putting his hand into Mulligan’s and grasping it tightly. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the last couple of years. You met a nervous wreck, you know. Worked in a stressful life-or-death job, had troubles with my family, trying and failing to cut back on my smoking, scratching my wrists and hands when I needed to feel something…” “...I know.” Mulligan replies. “You were a very different man, but I still saw the glimmer of the Howard that you are today.” “Yeah, thought you’d say that.” Howard smirks. “I always wanted to be like this. To be better, and free of my depression. Never expected it to actually happen. I just… I don’t know how many more times I can say it, Mull, but I’m grateful for you fixing me. For believing that there was a me underneath all my traumas.” Mulligan’s other hand, the one not holding Howard’s, creeps into his pocket, and closes around a small black box. He nods. “Howard, it’s always been you, from the moment we met. You can thank me all you like, but I never ‘saved’ you, and I never ‘fixed’ you. You did that all yourself.” Howard can’t help but blush now, and he grumbles to himself as they walk together. “Oh, fuckin- c’mon, Mull, you can’t say those nice things like that. God.” He’s smiling, however, and Mulligan smiles too. He lets go of the box, and decides to mention it after the battle. He has no need to bring it up now. Not long to go now, Howard. Our lives are just getting started. * In the barracks room, the familiar faces of the 11th Division are playing poker, as they often do during an evening. Carter, Fred and Julian are sitting around chatting, having run out of chips early on. Still in the game, but having folded for this round, Dave, Rin and Lloyd are watching as Michael and Alfonse stare at one another, trying to figure out if the other one is bluffing or not. Eventually, Michael seems to give a confident, relaxed grin, and Alfonse nods. “I raise ten.” he says, pushing a few chips forward. Dave widens his eyes. “What’s that about?” Rin says, as Michael matches the raise. “Aye, it’s a weird move.” Lloyd replies, leaning over to Rin and Dave to whisper. “He must’ve decided that Michael’s bluffin’.” “Michael’s the best player in the army - Alfonse must know that he likes to mess with the other players.” Dave sighs, shaking his head. “Showdown.” Michael says, and he and Alfonse put down their cards. Alfonse has a pair of sevens, but he sighs in frustration as Michael puts down a pair of tens. “God, I was so certain that you had junk.” Alfonse says. “At least it wasn’t something really embarrassing, like a full house.” “Ah, it’s fine. I don’t need the money - we’re just playing for fun tonight.” Michael replies, tossing the chips back to Alfonse. Dave, Rin and Lloyd focus back on the table as Michael begins dealing out the cards again. “Nice that we can relax before a battle. I just keep thinkin’ about what we’ll do when it’s all over. This really feels like the last one.” Dave says. “I can’t see Black Hole recovering from a defeat like this… provided we can actually beat that clone tomorrow.” Alfonse replies. “I’m going to do my best - we’ve come so far since we first shipped out. Three years ago now, was it?” “Somethin’ like that, aye.” Lloyd replies. “Landlubbers like yourselves have been good allies, I will say.” “Definitely! I still miss being deployed on the ocean with you, Lloyd, but I’m glad we can still fight together!” Rin says, beaming. “Thanks. I’m just glad so many of us made it this far.” Dave replies. “The people we’ve lost along the way… that’s motivation enough to fight. But the people I’m alongside now? The people I get to play cards with every evening? That’s motivation like nothin’ else.” “Heh.” Michael says, giving Dave a grin. “It’s been an honour serving with you all, for sure. But let’s be real - your main motivation is keeping Rin safe from harm, isn’t it?” “Hey, I can look after mythelf- uh, myself!” Dave rolls his eyes as the soldiers laugh. “Stop your laughing, Carter, you ain’t even in this conversation.” Rin glances at her cards, then looks up at the group. “Oh, um, I’ll make this my last game for tonight, I think. I want to pop round and see some other friends before I head to bed!” “Alright, let’s get it done quickly then.” Michael replies, turning to his left. “Dave, are you going to raise?” * Cassandra and Adelaide, who are enjoying a drink in the barracks kitchen, look up in surprise as a rather frustrated Ludmilla comes walking in. “Ludmilla?” Cassandra says. “Everything alright?” “Oh, fine,” Ludmilla replies, rolling her eyes as she pours a mug of instant coffee from the pot. “Just that Fadel from Yellow Comet can’t satisfy a woman to save his life. I was in there for about ten minutes and he was done.” She takes a seat, sipping the coffee appreciatively as Cassandra looks at her. “Hm. I suppose that would be an annoyance when you have the whole evening free.” “Yeah, it really is. I miss Sebastian. He was so lovely… I should text him.” Ludmilla replies blearily, and Adelaide coughs loudly, spilling her drink. Ludmilla glances at her. “Y… you’ve done it with Sebastian?” “Oh, heavens… you’re the girl he broke it off with, aren’t you?” Ludmilla says, her eyes widening. “Look, you guys may have been separated for a year or so, but please don’t think I don’t understand your position.” Cassandra pats Adelaide’s arm. “Adelaide’s been doing great during this campaign, making new friends and not worrying about Sebastian. Hasn’t she?” “She has.” sighs Adelaide. “I was surprised, not mad, Ludmilla. He’s allowed to do what he wants now, and if you could make him happy for a night, then, good for him.” “I did.” Ludmilla replies, with a soft, gentle smile. “And it seems like it’s my turn to make you happy for a night, now. Men are fine and all, but I’d be no gal at all if I didn’t uplift the gals around me. How about we all share a drink and chat for tonight?” Adelaide thinks for a moment, but slowly nods. Something about Ludmilla has lowered her guard. “...Yeah. That’d be nice.” “So, the eve of the final battle. I can’t lie, I’m excited.” Ludmilla says. “How about you, Cassandra? Your exploits have spread far and wide around the barracks… I have to know what goes through the mind of a soldier like you.” * Amongst the gleaming machines in the barracks’ main hangar, Andromeda and Peregrine are sitting with Lucy and Ingo as Peregrine works on her plane and Ingo fixes up his tank. Lucy is sitting on the edge of the tank’s cannon, whilst Andromeda sits on the wing of Peregrine’s new bomber, her legs dangling over the side. “Whew, I’m pumped for tomorrow, I tell ya!” Peregrine says. “I’m so loving excited to see what you can do with Clyde, Lucy. You’ve been performing amazingly with him so far!” “Oh, don’t flatter me so much, Perry!” Lucy replies with a sweet little giggle. “He’s doing all the work - I’ve never had such a responsive bomber in all my service!” “You are very skill, work, talented! I love watching you fight!” Andromeda says to Lucy, smiling at her. “Oh, gosh, thanks!” Lucy says, blushing. “You know, Andromeda, I’ve never told you this, but you’re really beautiful! I see you around, with your flowing hair and eyes, and I’ve always wanted to mention it!” Andromeda blushes bright red, and is so overwhelmed with emotion that she cannot speak for a moment. “I- that’s- what- oh, poo poo-” “Ain’t she a goddamn dream?” Peregrine replies, popping up from the cockpit of her bomber with a cleaning rag in her hands. “You’d think she’d have men flocking around her, but I keep ‘em away! Nobody’s getting their hands on my loving Andy without earning the right!” “Heh. I can understand that possessiveness. It seems like it’s not something Andromeda’s interested in right now, hm?” Ingo guesses. Andromeda, a little recovered from the compliments, nods quickly. “I am still educate, learning, how to make friends. Anything different, big, more than that, is too s-scary!” “Hey, it’s OK, Andromeda!” Lucy replies. “You’ve got all the time in the world to figure that stuff out.” “I’m convinced she’s aroace or something, myself.” Peregrine says, shrugging. “Anyway, Luce, that’s not a concern of yours, is it? You and Ingo have been together since I’ve fuckin’ known ya.” “It’s been a couple of years now, huh.” Ingo remarks. “Yeah, we’ve been together for the long haul. Thank god Lucy asked me out.” “She asked you out, huh?” Peregrine asks. Lucy looks over at Ingo quizzically. “Something like that. Wasn’t it on the night before the final battle of our first campaign, Ingo?” “It was! I remember hearing the rainfall… just sitting there, holding hands with you.” Ingo says, recalling the day clearly in his mind. “And we’d promised each other that we were both going to come back tomorrow.” “That’s still a promise I plan to keep, no matter how many battles we face!” Lucy replies. Peregrine nods, and hops out of her plane, landing on the floor with a thud. “Good! You two’re cute, it’ll break my loving heart if either of you get killed out there. But hey - I’ve got your back, alright?” “Me too!” Lucy replies. Andromeda and Ingo nod in agreement. “All of us, help, love, support each other!” * Petra and Darwin have decided to come by Henry and Conrad’s room once more to relax and enjoy themselves as they await the coming battle. Petra is relaxing on Conrad’s bed, her head resting on his shoulder, as Henry and Darwin sit on Henry’s bed, where Henry is bouncing up and down with excitement. “Henry, you’re going to send Darwin to the floor if you bounce any harder.” Conrad says, shaking his head with a chuckle. Henry winks. “I dunno, Darwin’s been pretty quiet about it!” Darwin, rolling his eyes, writes something on his whiteboard. ‘It’s all good! ’“Good, good…” Petra says sleepily. “Tired already, Petra? The night’s barely begun!” Henry says. “Though with how early we’re getting up, perhaps we ought to follow your example. We’ve got to Bolt to the battlefield tomorrow, after all!” “More puns, oh god.” Conrad murmurs so that only Petra can hear him. She giggles faintly, her eyes closed. “I’m pretty beat, I’m not going to lie…” Petra says. “But honestly, I’m also just really relaxed. Hanging around with you guys has just taken away all of my stress. I think listening to Conrad getting annoyed is healing me, like, emotionally.” “Oh, come on!” Conrad sighs, but Petra giggles. ‘I’m just glad things worked out between you two.’ writes Darwin. ‘I’ll admit I was worried.’ “We’d have never let this whole thing come between us.” Conrad replies, shaking his head. “I mean, feelings or no feelings, I couldn’t have stopped being friends with Petra.” Petra nods, still sleepily laying on Conrad’s shoulder. “Absolutely. We’re the next generation of Green Earth’s soldiers… we’ve got to be able to work together!” Henry grins. “Definitely! We’ll prove how good we are tomorrow!” * There’s a knock on the door to Fliss and Fleur’s room, and the girls, who were getting ready for bed, look up in surprise. In the bathroom, Fleur pops her head out, mid-brushing her teeth. “Would you get that, Fliss?” Fliss hops up to the door and opens it to reveal Von Panzer, looking at her with the usual grumpy expression on his face - Fliss gives him a soft smile. “H-hello… Von Panzer! Do you, um, need something?” “Nein! I merely wished to come by and wish you both goodnight.” Von Panzer replies gruffly. “I… find myself not wanting to play poker, tonight. I simply wish to go to bed.” Fleur, finished in the bathroom, comes out and bows towards Von Panzer respectfully. “My thanks, Von Panzer. Goodnight to you… I hope you sleep well.” “I hope this battle is das Letzte. I do not want more conflict.” Von Panzer replies. “But… for what it is worth, I have been given glorious purpose by this army, and part of that purpose has been having you for a friend. Thank you!” It’s a rather frank and aggressive statement of friendship, but as Von Panzer salutes, Fleur realises that this is the only way Von Panzer knows how to communicate, and salutes back. “Merci, Mathis.” “Pass on my regards to Bernard, after the conflict.” Von Panzer replies, and as he steps away, ready for bed, he hears the beginnings of a hushed series of whispers between the girls. “Oh, la petit ami Bernard, i-isn’t it?” “He is not my honey, he is just… a friend! You think too much, Felicity…” “I d-don’t believe you!” * Dimitri’s mercenaries are relaxing in the main barracks room around a huge table, listening to Anna’s songs and catching the snippets of conversation from the group playing poker nearby. They’re busy with their own game, however - a bit of Chinese Whispers as they kill some time before the drinks they’ve ordered arrive. The whisper passes in a circle around the table, from Zlata, to Dimitri, sat next to her. As Diana leans over to whisper to Dimitri, he says the line out loud. “Arqa completes me?” The group burst out laughing, and Zlata shakes her head. “What?! It was supposed to be ‘I love Dimitri’!” “I got ‘Arqa defeated me’, I think.” Ivan replies on the other side of the table, shrugging. “Fenya whispers really quietly.” “I do not! I said ‘I cuddle Dimitri'… which is what I thought Boris had said…” Fenya says, trailing off as she tries to figure out where she went wrong. Zlata chuckles. “Well, I should’ve expected that we’d get it wrong. I just didn’t think we’d go that far off-track!” Dimitri puts his arm around Zlata, and Diana glances over at the pair of them with a satisfied nod. “Ah, it was fun, though. We should do another, but someone else can start it this time.” “I’m hoping our drinks arrive soon.” Boris grunts. “It’s great serving alongside you all and stuff, but… I’m really just here for the beer.” “Don’t pay him any mind, boss.” Ivan replies; next to him, Felix pipes up. “I… I agree with Boris on one point, though. It has been nice serving alongside you!” “Dimitri’s Mercenaries have come pretty far, don’t you think?” Zlata replies, looking at Dimitri. For a moment, he’s quiet, looking around the table at the loyal soldiers that he’s fought countless battles alongside. He nods. “We have. I couldn’t be prouder of a group of soldiers than you lot… and Anton and Anatoly, wherever they got up to.” he announces. “We’ll give it our all tomorrow, I’m drat sure of it. But I must say, I agree with Boris on another point, too… where the hell are our drinks? We ordered twenty minutes ago!” Dimitri’s loyal mercenaries laugh together, Diana alongside them. As she chuckles, she closes her eyes. Yes. This is the kind of group Wanda would have wanted. We move on… but we maintain her memory. * Rose and I are sitting at my desk, studying battle plans and discussing possible ways to outsmart the clone in command of the battlefield. Lena’s notes have given us a lot of info to go on, and we’re slowly closing in on a watertight plan of action. The hours are moving on quickly, though, and it’s getting later. I’m disturbed by a knock at the door, and Rose turns to see Vanessa enter, with two plates of cake - one chocolate, one lemon. “I thought you two would be in need of a quick break.” she says, grinning. “Keep working hard, but enjoy this in the meantime, alright?” “My thanks, Vanessa. I can always rely on you to remind me to look after myself.” Rose says gratefully, taking the lemon cake. “My favourite, too!” I take the chocolate cake with a charismatic grin. “Thanks, Vanny. You should get yourself to bed in the meantime - we’re going to need all our ACOs on top form if we’re to win tomorrow.” “Of course! What do you take me for?” Vanessa says. She hops towards the door and gives a quick salute. “I’m off to bed right now. You two… good luck!” As she heads off, me and Rose dig into the cake, the plans forgotten for the time being. Rose looks delighted to be snacking on some cake; for a moment, she looks around for a fork, and then she sees me pick up the cake with my hands, giggles, and does the same thing. “Perhaps we did need a rest. I’m starting to get sleepy.” Rose murmurs. “I know what you mean.” I reply. This is the hardest I’ve worked on a battle strategy since Sturm. “But we’re getting there - if we can just dance around that Ex Machina thing that he can do, we should be OK…” “I wonder if we can do something similar to the battle with Sturm a few years ago.” Rose murmurs. “Lure the CO Power to where we need it with a group of expensive units…” I put my cake down, raising my eyebrow at Rose. “You know, you might be onto something there, Kuroda.” * Elsewhere in the barracks, in the depths of a hangar, beside an enormous megatank, a pair of cousins and a young man are working on some designs. Gavril stares at the papers in his hands, before looking up at Kurtz and Karin. “These are… really remarkable, you two. I think you’re right - this might be able to double our ammo capacity for the megatank, with almost no increase in production cost.” “Turns out, once we stopped snapping at each other, we were able to come up with some good ideas together.” Kurtz replies. “Imagine how far we’d be into development if we’d made up sooner.” “No use worrying about what-ifs.” Karin says, shaking her head. “The important thing is that our efficiency has almost doubled now that we’re working together. Think you can produce some schematics, Gavril?” “Definitely. I’ll get started on it right after the battle tomorrow.” Gavril replies, nodding. “And, hey… good to see you two getting along.” Kurtz sighs. “Don’t get all soft on us now. We need hard-nosed Gavril to design some weapons of death, not cutesy Gavril to make us daisy chains.” Gavril chuckles, and Karin sips her takeaway coffee, trying to hide her grin. “Right, yes, of course. I’ll get on it straight away - you two should get some sleep, in the meantime.” “Agreed. We’ll be no use to anyone tomorrow if we’re too tired.” Karin says, nodding. “Kurtz, Gavril… I see a great future for the WDD, with us spearheading the division.” “Definitely!” Gavril replies. * Outside, on the rooftop of the barracks building, the rooftop door opens, and a young woman steps out, spotting a familiar face standing at the edge of the building, relaxing in the soft glow of moonlight. “Selena.” Lena says, stepping out of the doorframe and walking over slowly. “It’s late.” “I know.” Selena replies. “I’ll be honest, Lena… I actually feel sleepy tonight. I thought my insomnia would make that difficult, but…” Lena comes to a stop next to Selena, and looks up at the moon with her, a strange look on her face. She can’t decide if she should smile or scowl. “Maybe, for once, you’ve not got anything to worry about.” Lena replies. “Look, I’m not saying that it’s going to be quick, but… I’m glad you’re here. And I really am sorry for the way I treated you before you left.” Selena smiles softly, and turns away from the moon to look at her sister, the unkempt blonde hair swaying in the breeze. “Lena… you’ve nothing to be sorry for. We’re moving on, together - no more parents to hold us back.” “You’re right. And…” Lena says, but shakes her head. “What do you usually do on a night like this? A big battle up ahead…” “I usually can’t sleep.” Selena replies. “I’d listen to music, or talk to my friends, or something. Or perhaps visit my dude… but I can’t bother him tonight. He’s got a lot to do.” “I kinda see what you mean about that guy. He’s not nearly my type, but… I sorta get it.” Lena says eventually. “He does have a cool coat. And by the sounds of it, he was the one to help get you over to me during the battle at the Tower of Rebirth.” “Yes… he’s done a lot for me over the years. I’m very grateful that he cares so much, even if we’re never going to be… well, it doesn’t matter.” Selena sighs. “I’m proud to be his soldier, and prouder still to be your sister.” “You’re proud?” Lena replies incredulously. Selena turns to her. “Should… should I not be?” “No, it’s just…” Lena says. “I was going to say before. I’ve spoken with a lot of soldiers about you, and reread your letters, and… before I used to despise my name. Just a part of you, a lesser piece… but seeing what a life you’ve made for yourself here, and how important you are to the army…” Lena looks away from Selena, unable to look her in the eyes as the emotion pours out of her. “I feel… proud to bear part of your name now. I feel like… maybe I can do the same thing one day. To build a life of my own… and make a world where I can be happy.” Selena pulls her sister into a tight embrace, and Lena shakes as she tries to hold back her tears, refusing to let them fall. “So… thank you. Thank you for coming back for me… my sister.” * The Snowbound Free Company have decided to sit with some new friends - Ignat, Yakov, Inessa and Jackie, who are all teaching them how to play the card game that Ignat introduced them all too. Valeria and Alina are content to sit and watch, however, as Nika and Eva get involved. “OK, so… I play a location card to start my turn?” asks Nika, staring at her hand, and Yakov shakes his head. “Not quite, that’s just for the first turn. Now you play any of your unit cards, or upgrade cards, and attack the cards I’ve put down.” “Oh, OK!” Nika replies, grinning. “So I can put down, say, this Dog Walker, and then give him the… uh, Tommy Gun for +1 attack to all pet-owner-type cards?” “Exactly that.” Ignat says, widening his eyes. “Nice play - you can attack Yakov’s cards now!” “I’m struggling enough without you helping her, Ignat.” Yakov sighs. Nika nods. “Right! My Dog Walker will attack your Ballerina! That’s… four damage, isn’t it?” “It is. My Ballerina is destroyed. Hm.” Yakov says, grumbling to himself about how to win from here. Inessa looks over fondly, then turns back to Valeria, Alina and Jackie. “Looks like everyone’s having fun!” she says brightly. “Are you sure you don’t want to play?” “Oh, I’m fine. It looks a bit complicated for my taste.” Valeria replies. “Still, it is nice that we can do something relaxing this evening. Are you well, Inessa?” “Don’t worry about me! I’m gonna be on top form tomorrow!” Inessa replies. Jackie nods. “I don’t doubt it… you seem to give it 110%, whatever you’re doing. It tires me out just watching you sometimes.” “I know the feeling.” Valeria replies, looking sidelong at Alina. Alina stares at her reproachfully. “Hey! I’m not that intense! Usually…” Jackie chuckles. “I’ve been thinking long and hard about my time in the army, you know. Everyone’s been so welcoming since I first joined you, and I’m very grateful for that. These youngsters are a real delight.” “I’m glad you think so!” Alina says, with Inessa nodding in agreement. “I may not be able to keep up with my collections whilst I’m here, but they’re waiting for me at home. Here, though, I have a most precious collection indeed - a group of soldiers I’d die for.” Valeria tries not to smile. “Heh… I see. Well, just make sure not to actually do that tomorrow - we prefer you alive, Jacquelyn.” “Definitely,” Eva says, leaning back into the conversation. “Jackie, you’re a wonder! Speaking of… you don’t happen to get what this card does, do you? I don’t know what it means by ‘pendulum summon’…” * Rin finally finds Quincy and Harlow relaxing in Quincy’s room, and jumps in with a smile. “Hi! I was wondering where you’d got up to! Not joining us for poker, Harlow?” “Oh, it’s fun and all,” the masked figure replies. “But I thought I’d take it easy tonight. Quincy’s only here because it’s her room and I can’t make her leave.” “Hey, you came to me and asked for some company!” Quincy says, grinning cheekily at Harlow. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, Rin; Harlow just likes things a bit more chill and quiet before a battle like this.” “That’s about right.” Harlow says. “But… it’s good to see you, Rin. I can’t lie, I’m pretty surprised you’re still seeking me out.” “You’re not as prickly as you think you are, Harlow.” Rin says with a soft smile. “It’s been wonderful getting to know you, and I look forward to fighting alongside you, both tomorrow and in the future!” “...Man. I see why you have Dave wrapped around your little finger. You’re sweet.” Harlow replies. “Thanks, Rin. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” “Yeah, do your best out there, kid! I’ll keep an eye on Harlow for ya!” Quincy says, waving as Rin heads out of the room. “God, she’s so cute. Are you sure we can’t keep her?” “Positive. I don’t wanna piss off Dave, so no getting any ideas.” * Later that night, I find myself walking down the corridor with a sleeping ACO in my arms. Rose finally gave up the ghost around half eleven, so I’m taking her back to her room so she can rest. We’re up early tomorrow, after all - thankfully, the soldier’s life gets you very used to working off a few hours’ sleep, so I’m still confident about how things will go tomorrow. We’ve got a plan, and it’s a little more risky than either of us would like, but we’re the goddamn Flower of Desolation and the Embodiment of Victory. We’re going to be fine. Rose seems to be sleeping soundly, and I step into her room to place her in her bunk. It goes smoothly, so I put a blanket over her and watch as she turns over. “Goodnight, kid.” I murmur. She’s got a lot to do tomorrow. As I exit Rose’s room, I spot a familiar face walking up to me - Jake. “Yo, my dude, I was looking for you.” Jake says, giving me a wave. I wave back. “Well, you found me. What did you need?” Jake shrugs. “Well, I’m not really great with the whole… thinking thing. I’m more of a fighter - give me the tanks, and I’ll use ‘em as well as I can. But I’ve been grateful to have you around. We’ve have never dropped those fools without your help.” “Oh, well…” I murmur. Jake looks at me with a serious expression. “This’s my home, my dude. It means a lot to me that you’re willing to fight so hard to protect it when it’s not even your crib.” Jake replies. “So, uh, I knew I wouldn’t be able to help you with the planning, but Max tells me you like some beats when you’re takin’ on a final battle like this.” I watch as Jake pulls out a small CD case, and hands it over to me. “I put some tracks together, burned a CD for you and Rose to blast tomorrow. It’s got some good ones - I asked Max and Sonja for you and Rose’s faves. Hopefully I got ‘em all.” I want to speak, but I’m not sure what to say. I’d never expected something like this from Jake. A mixtape? “There’s a few of my favourites on there too. I… hope you like it.” Jake says, shrugging, seemingly nervous all of a sudden. “Uh, that’s all. I gotta go now. I’ll see you first thing tomorrow for the beatdown.” Jake turns and begins to walk away, pulling his headphones back on. “Jake!” I say. He turns back. “I’ll blast them on full volume tomorrow.” I reply with a grin. Jake shoots a finger gun at me and walks off more confidently now. I pocket the CD, excited to listen to the tracks tomorrow, and prepare to head back to my room. It’s about time I got some sleep. Big day tomorrow. *** Voting for the second round of Their Finest Hour, where we find out everyone's favourite soldiers, has opened once more. Follow this link to place your vote! I'll put the link in the contents, too - and otherwise, I'll see you all next week.
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Oct 28, 2022 08:06
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If all goes well, he won't even get to use Ex Machina... Assuming, of course, you haven't already played through the Chapter  .
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Oct 29, 2022 06:01
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Hey folks, map is going well, but I forgot about a family member's visit this week, which means I'm going to be busy on Thursday and Friday. The update will be moved to next week - apologies for the delay.
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Nov 1, 2022 13:04
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Part 73 (Battle) - Will The Real My Dude Please Stand Up? Is it go time? It's go time. Let's check out our COs!  First things first, the orange team is our boy Javier and our other boy Hawke. Javier will be hard-carrying this map, as he can get three com towers by like, day 3 or something stupid. At that point we utterly outstat Von Bolt. Slam Guard gives us a bit of physical bulk, Ranger and Pathfinder give us an advantage in all the forests in the middle part of the map, and of course, Tower Power because com towers aren't broken enough yet. Hawke, as he will be just sitting back and watching Javier go to loving town, is just bringing all the usual synergy skills, and Tower Power for a bit of a bonus if I do need to switch to him for whatever reason.  Next up, for the blue team, we're bringing Grit and Sonja! Again, Grit's doing all the work and Sonja's sitting back. As you can see, I've made the bold choice of not bringing any skills on these two because they don't have any. Next!  And for the green team, we have Sasha and Rachel. Honestly, I could've brought basically anyone to back up Sasha, since 90% of her contributions are "Market Crash". Still, it feels right to have Rachel with us. Sasha's bringing Slam Guard, Slam Shield and Seamanship for basically one single matchup against an enemy fighter, but it's an important matchup. Obviously, Star Power for quick Market Crashes, too.  So, without further ado, let's roll. We stand at the edge of the battlefield, about to take the fight to Von Bolt and halt Black Hole's ambitions. Behind me, the COs are getting into position, and the soldiers are beginning to deploy to the three different parts of the battlefield. Rose stands beside me, watching it all with a look of faint concern. Rose’s hand creeps into mine, which takes me by surprise. I look down at her, and for a brief moment, I don’t see the Flower of Desolation, premier ACO of Yellow Comet, the embodiment of cold, calculating ambition. I see an eleven-year-old girl with a big bow in her hair, a coat themed after her biggest inspiration and a look on her face that tells me everything I need to know. She shouldn’t have to do this. “My dude…” Rose murmurs. “I am… afraid.” “I’ll be honest with you, Rose. Before a battle like this, I’m always afraid.” Rose looks up at me. “You are?” “I am. But I have a way of getting myself ready for the fight. So, repeat after me, alright? Today.” “Today.” “Everyone…” “Everyone…” Rose repeats. “...gets to go home.” I finish. “Today, everyone gets to go home…” Rose says quietly. The words are simple but the meaning is heavy. I squeeze her hand. “Well, you’ve said it now. All we have to do is make that statement into reality. So… ready?” Rose nods. “Ready. Thank you, my dude.”  And so, we begin. The deployments are as follows: Today’s Deployments Orange Team Dave, Infantry Alfonse, Infantry Rin, Infantry Michael, APC Vanessa, Anti-Air Dimitri, Tank Von Panzer, Tank Kyril, Tank Zlata, Medium Tank Boris, Medium Tank Lena, Neotank Selena, Megatank Ingo, Artillery Inessa, Rockets Mulligan, Missiles Blue Team Fliss, Infantry Nika, Mech Carter, Mech Eva, Battleship Lloyd, Aircraft Carrier Valeria, Cruiser Khepri, Cruiser Alina, Submarine Green Team Conrad, Infantry Arqa, Mech Lysander, Mech Darwin, APC Peregrine, Fighter Andromeda, Fighter Howard, Fighter Lucy, Bomber Klara, Stealth Fighter Diana, Battle Copter  Let's see what you've got, Von Bolt. I'll explain the strategy for this map in a second, but first, let's get our units to where they need to be. We've got very little time to waste in these first few turns.  First, we need a third infantry unit to nab the final com tower - Alfonse! "Hey, Dave, Rin... how are things looking out there?" "Nothing's movin' yet, but I'm wary." Dave mutters. "We're gonna be in the open if we go for the com towers. Ready for a fight, you two?" "Born ready." Alfonse replies, grinning. Rin nods. "Beside you two, and Michael? We're going to be fine!"  And we need more tanks - we're getting 10k a turn with the orange team so may as well use that money for something. Von Bolt's got a lot of units, so multiple weaker units, like tanks, will be more useful that one or two stronger units, like medium tanks, since they can divide their firepower. Remember, we're going to have three com towers in a turn or two - we will not be lacking for firepower. As such, we deploy Dimitri! "Dimitri's Mercenaries are ready to roll. This ol' battle isn't going to last long with all of us fighting together." Dimitri says. "Zlata, keep yourself safe, alright?" "Will do!" Zlata replies from her medium tank. Diana, in a battle copter on the green team, scoffs. "You're one to talk! First chance I get, I'm coming over there to back you up, Volkov."  Dave and Rin make a move on the com towers. Michael is directly to the north of Alfonse, so he can hitch a ride to the final com tower next turn. Look, if the game didn't want me to curbstomp Von Bolt using Javier, then it wouldn't have given me three free com towers.  Our units organise themselves like so. Selena, in the megatank, will be handling the bulky physical units that Von Bolt has, whilst Lena, in the Neotank, and Zlata, in the medium tank, will be backing her up. The three of them will squash basically anything threatening.  So, strategy. Let's get into it. Von Bolt has amped up the usual Sturm strategy - instead of having one opening gambit, he has three. The middle group have to contend with that set of tanks and artilleries, which will come charging at us right away. On the left, we have the botening gambit, and whilst Grit's battleship has an advantage, his cruiser and sub certainly do not, so we'll need to be careful with how we approach that. And on the right, we have the most dangerous one, the planening gambit - that fighter and bomber will cause real problems if we don't figure out a good way of getting rid of them. Thankfully, I have a plan for that. Ultimately, the only thing we need to do is push through the middle, through the seam, and to the obelisk. The left and right teams will be destroying the minicannons and taking out the other two gambits in order to make that push easier. And of course, Sasha will be regularly confiscating Von Bolt's CO Meter - we've done this song and dance before. So, how are you going to get this done? First, we nab the com towers... Crush the enemy's opening gambits... Spam everyone's CO powers to hell and back... Lure Von Bolt's Super CO Power... And crush him with our superior units. You make it sound so easy. Listen, my dude--I'm counting on you. I know. I'm not going to let you down. Not here. This clone is going DOWN. That's the black obelisk--the pinnacle of Black Hole technology. I ain't worried about that ol' thing. I've seen my dude send Sturm packin', and this fella's not nearly as dangerous-lookin'. That's true. I'm confident in Rose's capabilities, even up against a clone of my dude. Right, Grit time. First things first, we'll get the land units on their way.  They're just on capturing duty for funds and stuff. We actually already have enough to do what I need to do, since these buildings give us 9k a turn, but may as well get more, just in case things go wrong. Nika will be capturing the property right next to her, whilst Fliss and Carter start heading north. "You guys all ready for the fight?" Nika asks the other members of the Snowbound Free Company, who are all part of the naval force. "Yup! I've got Eva by my side - I can do anything!" Alina replies, beaming. Valeria shakes her head. "You must be sure to pay attention, though, Alina. This isn't going to be an easy battle." "There's a my dude on either side of this battle. Feels like a coin flip." Eva mutters. "We've got to see if Rose's presence can even the odds." Khepri gives a wide grin. "Even the odds? Rose has got this battle on LOCK, I promise you! We've nothing to worry about!" You know, there's one really nice thing about having Grit for this side...  Eva doesn't even have to move from her starting position to land a hit on this minicannon. This helps massively, since later on, we'll need Eva to shoot things that aren't the minicannon, but also, the minicannon needs blowing up to help the middle team. Everyone, move out! I'm the commander of the allied forces! I will not lose this fight! My dude, Rose...you've made miracles happen for us throughout this campaign. Can you give us one last miracle? So, the plane team. They've got lots to do as well.  Again, there's a nearby property to grab immediately. Arqa nods at Conrad and Lysander. "Alright, let me grab this one for you, boys." she says. "I'll leave the northern properties to you, yeah?" "Yeah, we're on it." Conrad says, turning back to the battlefield. Lysander watches Arqa walk away, unable to take his eyes off of her form as she recedes into the distance. "...drat. I knew I made the right choice getting deployed on the green team. No mothers around, either... perhaps I should make my move." "Dude, she'd eat you alive." Conrad replies, shaking his head as he heads off. "C'mon, we've got work to do." "Right, right. Look, you only get to see an rear end like that once every blue moon, so..." "Really don't want to hear it, Lysander."  Since Lysander can't go very far, being a mech and all, I deploy Darwin as an APC to ferry him forward. That should speed up capturing on the green team's side - and we need every bit of funds we can get to make Market Crash more effective.  Now, this loving fighter jet. This bastard is the reason that we brought all of those very specific skills on Sasha. However, we can't lure him this turn, since our planes have other things they need to do. As such, we need to stay just out of his range for now.  Our plane girls, Peregrine (fighter), Lucy (bomber) and Klara (stealth) position themselves like so, whilst Diana begins attacking the minicannon - as promised, she's planning to reach Dimitri and back him up as soon as possible.  ...It's time. ...We've come a long way to be here, but we're finally taking on my dude. So, outside of the obelisk up north (which isn't really close enough to warrant worrying about), there's three black crystals along this part of the map, and they'll do the usual healing/refuelling of Von Bolt's units. We'll be smashing a few of them as we head up.  So, uh, Von Bolt's units just kind of loving charge at us. His opening gambits don't gently caress around. The important things to note are that the fighter didn't move very much - because it doesn't want to get into Peregrine's range, and honestly, I get that - and that the bomber has joined the middle group. We'll have to deal with that sooner or later.  But that's tomorrow's concern. Our turn again!  Alfonse hops into Michael...  ...and gets dropped off at the com tower. He can start capturing it next turn, we should have them all done by day 4.  Dave and Rin start capturing their com towers, too.  As I move Dimitri up, I can explain the setup here. Von Bolt's Neotank can either go left or right around the crystal. The only important thing we need to do is make sure our megatank, Selena, is on the same side as it, since she can pretty easily trade blows with it. It went right this time, so Selena's handling the right whilst Lena and Zlata arrange themselves on the left side. They are in cannon range, but both minicannons will be gone by the end of this turn, so it's fine.  gently caress it, more tanks And of course, it's the man, the myth, the Most Von Panzer! "This Von Bolt is nothing more than a sham! I vill not allow you to conquer this land!" Von Panzer cries. Michael shakes his head. "Man, it must be tiring to give it 100% all the time. I'd get bored." "He feels very strongly about Black Hole, doesn't he?" Rin replies. "I guess he knows what they're capable of. He doesn't want to see them continue to exist."  And this is how our troops line up. We're almost ready to actually fight Von Bolt's units! But not quite yet.  Bote time, then.  Nika finishes capturing her property. ...This dick captures a property: 1. Did...did he just..? On Grit's end, we need to lure and destroy this cruiser as soon as possible. Once it's gone, our sub, Alina, can take on the battleship with no problems. However, as you can see here...  ...I can put our cruiser, Valeria, in that very spot, and lure the cruiser right into Eva's range. In the meantime, though, Eva will finish off the left minicannon.  And that 9k a turn has now doubled, so we can deploy a second cruiser, Khepri. Grit's bad at direct combat, and the cruiser-vs-sub matchup is not ideal. Having two cruisers guarantees that we can finish off the enemy's sub with no trouble. "I'm ready to roll! Let's do it!"  I move Alina into position to attack the battleship soon, and I move Lloyd, our aircraft carrier, north too. His absolutely gigantic range means I can prevent the bomber in the middle from moving too far down, since it won't want to get into a carrier's range.  Right, onto the green team's turn. We've got a few things to do today.  First, Arqa nabs this city. ...This dick captures a property: 2. He IS! Motherfucker, that's MY gimmick! I do believe that's the point, my dude... Anyway, Lysander hops into Darwin, bound for the properties to the north.  By moving our foot units like so, Lysander can reach the nearest city whilst Conrad goes for the one that's three spaces away. Perfect planning!  Now, our plane units have a trickier job. This fighter can reach the minicannon, so we need to block it off - we ONLY want Peregrine to be in range.  Positioning Peregrine here allows our other units to focus on the minicannon without fear of being murderated. "Hah! You ready to come tangling with me, little Von Bolt fighter jet?!" Peregrine yells. "I'll crush you, see if I don't! Come get some!" "Ahah! You love to get fired up, don't you?" Klara says, smiling. "My stealth fighter is ready to back you up, hee hee!"  So, the reason we took Seamanship on Sasha is because, unlike every other terrain-related effect, planes do in fact receive the 10% bonus for being on a sea tile. That gives Klara just enough damage to smash the minicannon after Diana weakened it. And, since we used Klara to break the minicannon, Lucy is still available...  ...and she's got exactly enough damage to obliterate the pipe seam. *hacker voice* We're in.  Well, I say that, but we're not actually going in just yet, because there's still some anti-airs hanging around. We'll need to weaken or destroy them first.  Still, time for clone my dude and Von Bolt to be annoying.  First things first, they're dicks and they're capturing a property.  Second things second, they're diving their submarine. We have to be really careful about positioning our units next turn - you absolutely do not want to lose track of that sub.  ...Let's get Selena out of the way, though.Oh, the fucker. He thinks he can hurt Selena. "I was once nervous about my potential, always striving to be perfect... but now, I am not nervous." Selena says proudly.  "Because I know I can do this! You'll fall, just like all the others!" Selena lands a stunning counterattack on the Neotank. That cannot possibly have been worth it, Von Bolt.  We have some good news on the other two fronts, though - this cruiser took the bait, firing on Valeria. "I've taken a hit - target confirmed." Valeria reports. "Eva, got visual?" "Ready and waiting! He's never gonna see THIS coming!"  And the planening gambit took the bait on this side - the fighter comes over to harass Peregrine. ...I'm going to kill this loving kid."That the best you got?! Gimme a proper challenge!" Peregrine yells. "Don't tempt fate, Perry!" Lucy says, and Peregrine nods. "Alright, alright - but watch me turn this fuckin' plane into scrap!"  Meanwhile, the rest of Von Bolt's units in the middle head down. There's... quite a few of them. The four artilleries, the two medium tanks and the bomber are our primary concerns.  So, let's get started on cleaning up. There's an easy way to do that, thankfully.  It's called "Javier with 1 or more com towers".  "Towers down! Nice job, kid." Dave says, as he spots Rin finishing her capture of the Black Hole com tower. "Alf, how's it lookin'?" "Almost done! I need a bit more time - can we hold off the enemy any longer?" "It's going to be tight." Lena replies. "We'll do what we can, though. Sister, are you ready?" "Born ready." Selena says. "You and Zlata push on - I'll cover you. Just beware of that bomber lurking at the back." And indeed, we have a bomber to be worrying about. But it's hanging back right now. "Why's the bomber hanging back, Post?" I hear you ask, and I pat your head lovingly as I explain the answer.  Because, like I said, it's loving scared to death of Lloyd in the Grit-powered aircraft carrier. That's 10 goddamn range.  It's time for our ranged units to get off their asses and actually help. Inessa, in the rockets, weakens the rightmost medium tank.  And Ingo blows up the Neotank that was trying, and failing, to harass Selena.  Vanessa, in our anti-air, is helping command the ground forces. She does this by deleting this enemy infantry in a nice, clean, one-shot. Vanessa, don't overextend. We need you to deal with the bomber. On it! But I just need to take this guy out - the others will cover me! We planned for Vanessa to overextend a teensy bit. It'll be fine. I know we planned for it, but I still don't want to see Vanessa get unnecessarily injured... With that infantry eviscerated, the tanks start moving in for some tank-on-tank action. First, Zlata finishes off the tank that Inessa weakened.  And Lena opens fire on this medium tank. gently caress me, if it wasn't on a forest tile that might've been a one-shot. Javier is insane, that's my main takeaway from this playthrough.  Speaking of Javier being insane, we've done just enough damage to move on to phase 2 of my plan for this turn: spamming Tower Shield.  You know, I love everything Javier says, but that one might be my overall favourite. ...Wait. Are you the one that sent that army-wide email about starting the "Javier Fan Club"? I don't think so? Try asking Raynald of Châtillon--he's a big fan. Now, a Jugger fan club? I could start that. Perhaps it's just COs whose names start with 'J'. The J-club! Wait, no, that sounds wrong. With the additional power of Javier's COP, Dimitri now hits hard enough to finish off this medium tank, just barely. I know it doesn't look like a kill...  ...but trust me. "We're not holding anything back today! This ol' land is going to be freed, and we're the soldiers that are going to do it!" Dimitri roars, opening fire and shredding the medium tank.  And then I decide to have Selena just megatank the gently caress out of this recon. Partially this was "hee hoo big number funny" but also, it's strategically useful because Selena really benefits from using as much movement as she can each turn - this position allows the enemies to surround her, giving her a ton of opportunities to attack without things being too far out of her range.  There we have it. The only other small tweak I've made is moving Michael to be north of Alfonse - if anything does come down to bother him, it'll have to get through Michael first.  So, let's get on with the Grit side of things.  A Grit-powered battleship can shred a cruiser even harder than usual, so Eva easily lands the killing blow here. That's one part of the botening gambit dealt with, but that loving battleship and the hidden sub are still going to be problems.  Thankfully, my units are safely out of battleship range this turn, so I can leave Valeria in position to lure the sub next, and take it out next turn.  In order to prepare for dealing with the battleship, Alina moves to the left and dives.  I move Khepri upwards to help out with Valeria and the submarine. Two cruisers should be totally fine.  Plane time now... but Von Bolt's CO Meter is getting awfully full, isn't it..?  The foot units start capturing the other properties, anyway.  Klara charges forward, the bloodlust suddenly filling her. "You think you can threaten my friend?! I'm going to CRUSH YOU OUT OF EXISTENCE!" she screeches, firing off missiles furiously.  "Nice loving shot, Klara!" says Peregrine. "Allow me to finish it!"  Now, this infantry is on a forest, so Lucy can't actually one-shot him. As such, it's probably best to do something else with her turn.  For example, if I have Diana attack this guy instead, since both she and Lucy can two-shot this guy...  ...then I can use Lucy's superior firepower over here, for example. Another cannon down!  Excellent. Now then, Von Bolt, you have a lot of CO Meter charge. I don't like that. I won't go easy on you! Booyah! And we don't have many funds, but we have enough.  Von Bolt's CO Meter drops immensely. That's what we like to see! God, Javier and Sasha, what amazing COs.  So yeah, whatever Von Bolt had planned with that Ex Machine SCOP this turn, he's not gonna do it.  He is going to do this, though. This Dick Captures A Property: 61 And it's an airport, so he could deploy any number of horrible things. We have to get that sorted out, pronto. I do have a plan, but it's gonna take a few turns to perform.  The rest of Von Bolt's turn will be spent harassing my units with artilleries. And hey, Javier's extra ranged defence on top of his CO Power and two com towers... ...Artilleries are the best unit in the game. Tink. "Was that... an artillery shell?" Lena says. "That doesn't even look like it did damage." Mulligan replies.  Same thing happens to Selena in the megatank, too.  Tonk. "Hmph. You can't break us with such weak shots." Selena says. "We've got a mission - and we're going to see it through." So yeah, all four artillery units waste their turns by doing no damage to Selena and Lena.  Von Bolt's other units don't fare as well, either. The sub attacks into the cruiser for decent damage, but it's the only real threat on this turn.  And then there's the bomber, which you'd think would be a threat, but...  It does 1 damage to a megatank. "We've got this!" Dimitri says, watching the bomber uselessly flail at Selena. "If we hit 'em with a counterattack now, they ain't got a chance!" "You're drat right! Everyone, prepare to surge forward!" Dave commands.  This mech moves in on Michael, but he's totally fine - it's the one that Diana weakened, so it does like one point of damage.  The submarine gets repaired by the black boat, which is slightly irksome, but we should still have enough damage to sink it next time.  And that's it! Von Bolt definitely has a ton of units, but they aren't actually very threatening now that stuff like the Neotank and medium tanks have been cleared out.  "Alfonse, we need that last com tower!" Dave says. "Selena, Lena and Zlata are gonna push ahead, and we need to keep communications strong!" "Who d'you think you're asking?" Alfonse cries. "Dave, Michael... we've come so far since we first started out together, and I've never been able to properly thank you for this. So let me show my gratitude by contributing everything I can towards this final battle - I am Alfonse Strickland, youngest son of the Strickland family, and proud member of the 11th Division!"  Dave turns to the transceiver. "Y'know, I don't think I actually knew your last name, Alfonse. Huh." "I don't think it's come up in conversation before, no..." Alfonse muses. "But we fully agree with what you said - you've come very far." Michael replies. "Thanks for everything, Alfonse. The Big Three of Orange Star are ready to roll!" Anyway, Ingo takes out the mech that was annoying Michael. It's time for our counterattack.  Inessa rockets the mech over here before he can do annoying things like shoot Dave. "Hey, I got one! Hope that helps - the rest is up to you guys!" Inessa cries.  Now, we don't have our ENORMOUS RANGED DEFENSE (it's still good, but not Tink. levels of good) so we're going to be destroying the artilleries this turn. Lena makes a start on that. "With each foe that goes down, we get closer... to the world that I want to build." Lena murmurs.  Von Panzer goes for this one. This is a kill, thankfully!  Now, the order of operations here is pretty crucial. So, first things first, Zlata's going to clear out this mech. "Hope you're watching, Dimitri! We're going to free Omega Land, together!"  This allows Selena to move the four spaces needed to reach this artillery and blow it to kingdom gently caress.  Dimitri can then catch up and slam the anti-air - we need to weaken that so our planes on the right can come in and murder things.  And now Vanessa can move into the space that Selena was just in and one-shot the bomber. Fuckin' finally, we don't have to worry about this.  Michael resupplies Selena in order to keep her ammo up, too. We do not want a repeat of the last few times we've fielded megatanks.  Right! We've moved forward. Vanessa's in a bit of an iffy position, but I'm confident that Javier's sheer defence can get us through it.  I have decided that there's not enough medium tanks for a final map, so I deploy Boris. "The more of Dimitri's Mercs, the better, I guess. Let's just get it done now."  And I can afford another tank - Kyril. "I'm here representing my family - for Emperor Kanbei, my uncle, and for all the citizens of Yellow Comet... I'll do whatever it takes!" Kyril cries.  Let's get Grit into a slightly better position in the meantime, shall we?  First thing we can do is finish off those buildings with Carter and Fliss.  And this goddamn black bote is outta here. Eva finishes it in one shot as per usual. I do love Grit battleships. Grit anything ranged, really.  So, we've got to be careful how we do this, since the battleship moved down. Valeria is going to attack from the left, because it's the only way to guarantee her survival.  "There we go... Khepri, there's an opening! Get to it!" "Valeria!" gasps Alina. "Please don't-" "I'd push myself further than this if it meant victory. Don't worry about me." Valeria replies. Khepri nods as she sails up to the enemy submarine. "Thanks, Valeria... I'm going to sort this sub out, don't worry!"  And indeed, Khepri's got enough damage to finish the sub off. Now, Valeria is on 1HP, but crucially, she's right next to the enemy battleship, so it can't fire on her and kill her. Even a weakened battleship will finish off Valeria in that state, but by arranging our troops like this, it can only shoot on Khepri or Lloyd instead. "But it can oneshot Khepri-"  Not if it's weakened. Alina slices through the battleship, weakening it enough to ensure it's not a threat. We can pretty safely say the botening gambit is over!  And thus, that's how our troops shape up on this side of the battlefield. There's a few more things Grit's units need to do, but we'll get to that later. Right now, they've done good work.  On the green team, we've still got a bit more to do, mostly in terms of "making sure the middle team don't get hosed up". Also, you'll notice that Von Bolt's SCOP has been charged for a while now. We're eating that no matter what this turn.  And a bit more capturing - we need funds for Market Crash. We can't use it this turn, but we'll need it later on.  Diana comes in to back Dimitri up, and fires on the last of the artilleries - since this one is in range to shoot Vanessa, we definitely want it to be weakened. Dead would be preferable, but I'll take what I can get.  This battle copter might be problematic for our other units, seeing as this load of tanks and poo poo up here is definitely going to eat the Ex Machina. I weaken it with Peregrine. Even damaged, she still packs a punch.  And Lucy's killed everything cannon-related on this side, so may as well get the crystal too.  Klara decides to stealth up in the meantime. I've moved her a bit south...  ...so that Darwin can immediately refuel her. Stealths really do have problems with fuel.  Now it's Von Bolt's turn. ...Hello, nurse. Is this thing loving broken? Von Bolt, meanwhile, is just kind of creepy.  So, now our big groups of tanks is going to take damage and lose a tur-  What. What? What?! So, uh, I didn't even plan for this, but Ex Machina just hit... three infantry units, an artillery and a medium tank. Our megatank, bomber, fighter, Neotank? Totally unscathed. I am absolutely not complaining.  This port's also been captured. It could prove troublesome, so I kinda want to get that sorted - Grit's units will be moving north to take control of this next.  The battleship fires on Lloyd, but since Lloyd isn't going to be contributing much anyway, I see this as an absolute win.  This, though, could be trouble. Vanessa gets attacked by a tank. "Ngh!" Vanessa says, standing strong against the blow. "Van, everything OK?" Peregrine says. "Yeah, I'm fine. We've got this." Vanessa says, but she knows she's trying to convince herself more than anyone else.  The mech attacks her next. "Vanessa, wait-" Dimitri cries, but it's too late, and the shot goes off.  ...Heh. I said, we've got this. Rose and my dude planned everything to perfection. Absolutely. We're not letting some loving clone beat us! Let's not lose our focus, then. Vanessa is safe and well--all soldiers, prepare for the second half of this battle. There's more to go. The copter goes for Selena, but doesn't do very much damage.  Rose is right, though, we're not through the worst of it yet - the clone my dude has deployed a fighter. And you know how much I hate dealing with fighters. If we don't get Lucy out of there somehow, she's going to get murdered.  That, however, will have to wait for next time. With the opening gambits dealt with, next time we'll be pushing through the middle of the map, crushing everything that clone my dude throws at us, and then finishing off the black obelisk! Hopefully. See you next time - and don't forget that votes are open for Their Finest Hour 2, the LPAWDS popularity poll! *** Part 74 (Intermission) - Approaching The End cosmicPostman fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Nov 11, 2022 |
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Nov 11, 2022 16:55
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I propose clone My Dude henceforth be referred to as "Your Buddy."
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Nov 11, 2022 21:13
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I think the character dialogue here was misplaced:quote:You know, there's one really nice thing about having Grit for this side... Also, I propose the name "my clone". Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Nov 11, 2022 |
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Nov 11, 2022 22:07
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Remalle posted:I propose clone My Dude henceforth be referred to as "Your Buddy." Fionordequester posted:I think the character dialogue here was misplaced: Fixed, thanks! In my notes, I've been referring to him as Clommander, but I enjoy both of these names too. Perhaps this is what we should've been voting on instead of CO choices...
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Nov 11, 2022 22:40
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Okay as insane as it sounds, I love the challenge of these LPs but I kinda just want complete tragedy for these last few missions of advance wars. I absolutely get that isn't the theme but my dramatic nerd rear end wants it. In any case, great job on solving Ex machina.
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Nov 12, 2022 02:17
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You may get your wish in the mission after this one. You'll see why... I also note that my clone seems to be performing well below expectations. Almost like they axed the "keep all units alive" part of his personality... And with it, the source of my dude's strength...
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Nov 12, 2022 02:19
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