Doing Silly Things to Earn More Points: Advance Wars 2, 300-Point S Run

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Doing Silly Things to Earn More Points: Advance Wars 2, 300-Point S Run

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

AW2 Kanbei is indeed busted--but I'd argue Dual Strike Kanbei is even better.

Yes, he got booted to 120/120...but that's without skills! Slap on Slam Guard + Slam Shield, and you get an added +20% Defense boost. If that weren't enough, he can earn another +10% Defense, as well as +13% Attack, via Synergy skills from a high enough level tag CO.

All that comes to 133/150, without CO powers. But those units on a City, Mountain, or HQ, and the AI will often times not even bother attacking--or if they do, they'll take just as much counter damage as they did regular damage.

Stack on Invader (+2 to Capture) and Star Power (1.2x faster charge), and you've got an astonishingly effective HQ capturer. It, in many ways, makes the "Hard" Campaign even easier than the "Normal" one :cheeky:

Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Nov 12, 2021

# ¿ Nov 12, 2021 20:13

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# ¿ May 18, 2024 00:57

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

What's your favorite CO combo in that one, out of curiosity?

# ¿ Nov 12, 2021 22:21

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Say, I know this isn't my thread, but... I do have some pretty neat S-Rank speedrun videos for the Advance Campaign of the 1st game. Would this be the appropriate place to show 'em off?

# ¿ Nov 22, 2021 06:12

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Discendo Vox posted:

That final mission seems to be an absurd jump in difficulty, 300 point score or no. I'm surprised the game doesn't hardwire the target for Sturm's ability, then tell the player how it operates- that would also render him a bit more balanced for multiplayer.

The flipside is that this video illustrates the level of tilted mission conditions and enemy abilities that the game needs to compensate for its limited AI and still challenge a player that has mastered its mechanics.

Part of the problem is that Melth was trying to fight Sturm head-to-head, despite what a juggernaut he is. But, the other two thing is that he didn't know about how Black Cannons choose between equal-value targets (right-to-left, in the case of the eastern Black Cannon).

Yes, you can predict which Bomber the Black Cannons fire on. For that matter, you can also predict that Sturm's Fighters will go for Bombers with normal Defense, rather than boosted Defense (like what Eagle & Kanbei have). In fact, you can even predict the order in which Sturm's units moves (it goes according to type). Thus, you have the potential for a much easier mission to S-Rank, even if Sturm's Fighter spawns in the middle (as shown here):

Advance Wars 2�Final Front (S-Rank in 9 Days)

Of course, Melth's way was much more interesting�far more climactic.

Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 10:33 on May 17, 2022

# ¿ May 17, 2022 10:09

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Discendo Vox posted:

That's arguably worse, because it has to rely even harder on AI mechanisms that aren't explained.

That's just how it is, in these strategy games�also most fighting games. You could almost think of it as a case of "Brains vs Brawn".

# ¿ May 17, 2022 23:14

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Melth posted:

That's definitely clever, though it sounds less fun to me than a head on fight for the final chapter.

I would have trouble articulating clearly where the line is in my brain between acceptably strategizing around the AI vs exploiting it to a silly degree, but for my own preferences I think that strategy goes too far in exploiting the AI.

Gotcha.

On another note, if I was to liken Sturm to a character in a Multi-Player shooter (like Halo)... Would he be like someone who could clip through walls, or someone who could fly? Just trying to think of an apt metaphor for how ridiculous his movement is.

# ¿ May 19, 2022 00:33

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Melth posted:

I'd go with noclip as the better metaphor.
And also every minute or two one of his opponents gets auto-hit with a rocket launcher.

# ¿ May 20, 2022 05:14

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Melth posted:

Does anyone happen to know of a way to convert Shotcut's project files (.mlt) into xml files another program (such as Da Vinci Resolve) could use?

I do not, sadly. If it helps, Hitfilm Express is the free alternative that I use, though you'd need to use Handbrake to set it to a Constant Framerate, or your footage will desync. Also, it lags like crazy... Dunno if that's my issue, or the software's.

EDIT: That said, I always liked using the "Record Movie" on my Bizhawk first, before then recording the AVI. That way, you've saved the playback (the starting point and inputs) forever�that way you can simply re-record the AVI in cases like this.

Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 02:15 on May 21, 2022

# ¿ May 21, 2022 02:12

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Melth posted:

I got it done with Da Vinci Resolve this time. It should be a great video. Took ages though because it turns out Da Vinci Resolve has some terrifying design decisions, like that if you delete part of any clip, the default behavior is to secretly delete parts of every clip on every other track without asking.

Huh... Is there a master list of tracks? Like "audio track 1, audio track 2, audio track 3", and etc?

# ¿ May 25, 2022 02:15

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

I'm super stoked to have gotten another Hard Campaign video. For a while, I think I was feeling the same longing as the fans of my own thread(s) xD!

# ¿ Aug 4, 2022 16:28

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

You know, I recently read CosmicPostman's Advance Wars 2 LP...and he makes a good point. This map is almost exactly like The Final Battle in Advance Wars 1. You have a VASTLY superior army just devastating you for the first few turns...Only for you to slowly, painfully, turn the tides with superior unit production numbers. They're all about slowly chipping away at a mountain, one units at a time...

Of course, Fog of War kind of ruins everything, but...Still.

# ¿ Aug 21, 2022 23:36

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

I love Kanbei's whole schtick. He's so hammy and bombastic, and comes off as such a doofus...and then you actually fight him, and he's quite possibly the most horrifyingly strong man you've ever seen�possibly even more so than Sturm (at least if the map is small enough, and there's not enough heavy terrain).

# ¿ Aug 25, 2022 07:55

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

I'd seen it uploaded on my subscriptions. But, to be honest, I'm more interested in the Campaign.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2022 00:08

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Presumably, the "aesthetically pleasing" stuff is left up to the casual games�not for matches testing skill vs skill.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2022 10:23

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Melth posted:

Hard 13: Foul Play

Sensei's second mission is a lot tougher this time around, but I was able to win in the minimum possible amount of time.

Still seems like you've got a massively OP flying army compared to him. He also doesn't start with any Anti-Airs near the HQ, nor does he have the funds or bases to build them up.

EDIT: I mean, this was given the same amount of stars as Final Front. That's definite hyperbole on the game's part.

Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 03:04 on Sep 11, 2022

# ¿ Sep 11, 2022 02:57

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Delphisage posted:

Hey wait, one of those names is familiar. Isn't MasterKnightDH one of those really infamous internet weirdos?

I don't know anything about his past�but from my brief interactions with him, he seems nice enough. I've got no issues with him.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2022 21:30

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Melth posted:

Special: Two-Week Test versus mode, routing the enemy

Way back when I was doing the normal campaign I mentioned that I'd come fairly close to breaking through the enemy lines at the end of Two-Week Test. I re-created it as a custom map now that I've unlocked Lash, and we'll see if I can actually rout her on this survival chapter.

This is yet again another excellent video. But, if I may make a point (and I hope I'm not speaking out of turn)...

I think you base skipped too much�even though there were no longer any ranks to worry about. I suspect that's why you only sometimes won against Lash (going by your "it depends" line).

In land-based fights like this, it's vital that you always build something from one of your five factories, even if they're just Infantry. For example, this is how I finished both of my fights with her:

Infantry are, pound-for-pound, the most cost effective meatshields in the game (with Artilleries being the most cost effective attackers). Only four units in the entire game can OHKO Infantry without a firepower boost (even with Lash's Plains boost)�Anti-Airs, Md Tanks, Neo Tanks, & Bombers. Everyone else is stone-walled by the tide of infinitely replenishing soldiers�especially with the chokepoints this map already has. Even Rockets and air units don't help her much, because I can get those with Tanks & Anti-Airs.

Heck, this is probably why the Technique score was invented :cheeky:

Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 07:49 on Sep 29, 2022

# ¿ Sep 29, 2022 07:45

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Melth posted:

However, I do find that the terrain on this map makes mass infantry a bit of a nuisance. When I attempted it a few times with a lot more infantry, they mostly wound up being clutter. I think I should have built just a few more than I did in this game. I almost never needed an additional wall/bait unit.

I see. Me,when I ran into a situation of excess foot soldiers, I'd just have him attack other footies or units in otherwise superior terrain. If they do good damage, cool. If not, at least they're out of the way.

That death count of 40 didn't make itself, ya know!

# ¿ Oct 2, 2022 07:09

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Staltran posted:

Artillery does 45% to pipeseams in AW2? Huh. It's 40% in AWBW, was it changed for Dual Strike?

There were various tweaks done to the damage numbers, yeah. Fighters were buffed, for example.

# ¿ Oct 6, 2022 03:14

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Staltran posted:

Artillery does 45% to pipeseams in AW2? Huh. It's 40% in AWBW, was it changed for Dual Strike?

I tested it just now, and no�it's 45% in Dual Strike, too. I'm not certain what caused the change.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2022 18:53

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Alright, so I reported it to the AWBW Development thread on Discord, and while it's a known bug, it hadn't been added to the list yet. It seems they will now.

But yeah, AWBW erroneously treats properties as Neo Tanks on Roads, rather than Md Tanks on Roads.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2022 04:27

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

One thing to note�they never actually said they'd fix it. They said they'd add it to the list of bugs.

# ¿ Oct 11, 2022 23:42

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Any clues what that was about?

# ¿ Nov 5, 2022 05:29

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

I have another challenge for you!

S-Rank Risky Vale or Egg Island (War Room maps) without losing a single unit! Choose any CO you like!

# ¿ Nov 21, 2022 06:04

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Melth posted:

Done. 12 days on Egg Island, no deaths, 300 points as Sturm. (Could have been any CO but I enjoy Sturm's theme!)

Sent a lander straight to his HQ, waited for him to drop off some power fodder units on my home island where I had a sub and some Neotanks waiting.

HQ captures are one big reason I don't like most of the war room to be honest. On nearly every War Room map, the only strategy that's even worth considering is to go for the HQ at some point, but the AI never defends this at all. So I feel like I have to either turn my brain off and just ignore the enemy HQ entirely, or I win whenever I decide it's a fair time to go for it.

Hrmm... Yeah, I forgot about the cheese strat, since I always did it regularly.

Try Risky Vale, then�that map doesn't have HQs for you to capture.

Fionordequester fucked around with this message at 08:18 on Nov 21, 2022

# ¿ Nov 21, 2022 08:09

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

General Revil posted:

Happy New Year.

I finally caught up. Did you say that you weren't planning on doing War Room missions for the LP, or am I misremembering?

He has said that, yes. IIRC, they often reward only one, fixed solution and/or were trivialized by AI shenanigans

# ¿ Jan 3, 2023 06:10

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Melth posted:

I've found a strategy for an upcoming level that can either win a day quicker with a bit of AI luck, or win a day slower with a certainty of success. Haven't decided which I should make a video of.

Both, perhaps?

# ¿ Mar 18, 2023 22:23

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

FoolyCharged posted:

Ah the joys of perfectionism: sometimes poo poo can be better in two mutually exclusive ways and it's incredibly frustrating deciding which improvement you like more.

Perfectionism, yes... That's why all my stuff takes so long. I literally didn't update my X thread till multiple days after uploading the newest video, just because I hadn't yet acquired permission for the Youtube thumbnail yet.

Thoroughness can be a good quality � yet, debilitating at the same time

# ¿ Mar 19, 2023 00:08

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

Who do you think you'd use if you were using optimal COs? I'm guessing Max, Kanbei, and Eagle.

Also, I'm guessing the Mini Cannon weirdness was because the order didn't actually matter--the end result would have been the same even if the Anti-Air was shot first.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2023 05:00

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# ¿ May 18, 2024 00:57

Fionordequester: Dec 27, 2012; Actually, I respectfully disagree with you there. For as obviously flawed as this game is, there ARE a lot of really good things about it. The presentation and atmosphere, for example, are the most immediate things. No other Yu-Gi-Oh game goes out of the way to really make

... Why are all the worst COs girls?

# ¿ Aug 7, 2023 23:15

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Doing Silly Things to Earn More Points: Advance Wars 2, 300-Point S Run