|
A because the fog in your mind from the crown is finally cleared and you can think for yourself again.
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2022 00:13
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 23:12 |
|
|
I'm thinking B. It's always fun to usurp the smug ones. And if that doesn't pan out, there's always plenty of potential backup plans down that road.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2022 00:19
|
|
|
I'd vote for A. Why should she stay loyal to the empire? It's not like Kefka is making any sort of case for staying. On top of still having Chayma slaughter their own recruits during a training exercise, now she's also trying to throw their official Narshe mission under the bus. MightyPretenders fucked around with this message at 00:32 on Feb 25, 2022 |
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2022 00:25
|
|
|
C just because I'm curious how you'd write it given how the game normally plays out. (in my heart I'm an A though)
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2022 00:40
|
|
|
SMaster777 posted:C just because I'm curious how you'd write it given how the game normally plays out. Ditto
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2022 01:25
|
|
|
A is definitely the most reasonable one here, frankly.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2022 02:52
|
|
|
Haar_Dragon posted:I'm thinking B. It's always fun to usurp the smug ones. And if that doesn't pan out, there's always plenty of potential backup plans down that road. B Sure Kefka is a psycho, but you're an Imperial soldier. You've got a good life in the Empire and what better coming home present than a parade in your honor for crushing the rebels who've been causing so much trouble? Going AWOL will be quickly forgotten and you'll be on a rising star that Kefka can never catch. Anyway, it's by far the most realistic strategy out from under her thumb for good.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2022 05:37
|
|
|
A If Kefka is willing to threaten a queen, she'd sabotage any efforts for us to capitalise on dealing with the rebels. There's one way out of this mess, and it's with Kefka's head on a pike
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2022 11:22
|
|
|
B. The problem is Kefka, Gestahl is an honorable leader.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2022 12:48
|
|
|
B. Wanna see how this plays out.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2022 14:23
|
|
|
4. The Runaway Queen You mull it over. Your heart feels tight in your chest - you almost make a completely different decision. Then, your voice clear and calm and betraying nothing of this, you reply. A) Join the Returners. [5] B) Use Jadate's offer to become a double agent for the Empire. [4] C) Swallow your pride and return to Vector. [2]  Jadate pauses for a second, her insouciant manner melting instantly into excitement.     You spend the night taking an inventory of your scant possessions. Potions; myomer rope; shuriken, a short knife, your straight sword; heavy boots for hiking, flexible sandals for sneaking; enchanted ration powder that becomes a nourishing drink when heated; your Imperial paycheck, perhaps the last you'll ever receive. You have nothing that isn't strictly functional.  You smell the flames just before dawn. You rush out across the sand, which smokes and shimmers where sparks from the magical bonfire have turned it to glass.           When Kefka spots you, she whoops in delight. The sound of her laughter sends a metal bolt down your spine.   Chayma remembers her fear... You can't bring yourself to speak. The words catch in your throat; you hunch over the feathers of your chocobo, and dig your heels in, trying to pick up pace over the sand.    Being unable to rebuke Kefka doesn't dim your reflexes. You're reminded of the brash confidence of other soldiers you've seen riding magitek; these two also think they're unstoppable.   As Jadate weaves frenetic invisibility around herself and the queen, you cut the hydraulic cable keeping a walker's legs powered, and watch it start to sink into the sand. Queen Zekiye kicks up her heels, and starts a howling chant: sparks of flame dance across her body as sand begins to swirl around her feet. There's the result of the magicite experiments you suspected.  A polymath and a quick study, Queen Zekiye can Mimic any action she sees. She also has the Magic command; she's focused on black magic with Fire and Quarter, but she's taken the time to learn Shell to shield her from the energy feedback induced by working with magicite. She actually doesn't have an MP pool large enough to cast Quarter yet, but when she does, a certain small subset of enemies should look out! Her final command is Rage. Crowned too young and in a time of war, Zekiye wasn't in great emotional health before she started experimenting on herself with magicite: it's much worse now.     As Figaro sinks into the desert, somewhere below the brute rumbling of masonry and the grinding of gears, you hear the sound of jubilant church bells.      It's all too easy for you to slip into the clipped language of a chain of command.       One of Zekiye's retainers takes the reins of your chocobos. The great blue birds are something you grew surprisingly used to after only a week at Figaro Castle; you wonder where the groom will take them, now.  These caves warren into narrow scrapes, but water erosion has made a broad path through their centre. You pass through quickly.    Zekiye's Rage ability blows everything else we've seen so far out of the water. This is truly ludicrous at this point in the game; nearly every fight is over the instant she gets to act. Sinking into the stochastic trance induced by her experiments with raw magicite, she summons an upswell of magical energy and surrounds herself in an airburst that sends spirals of scree howling through the tunnels. This tripped me up for a while. Zekiye knows Rage, right? Normally, you learn Rages from monsters, then select one of your learned Rages to enter a trance state where you gain the monster's passive abilities and occasionally use their special attack. However, Zekiye doesn't actually know any Rages. When she uses Rage, she does a single special attack, then regains control of herself on the next turn. I had to ask my extremely smart and cool friend what was going on with this. As it turns out, the Leaf Swirl ability, which is a component of the base game’s Forest Suite dance, is called Rage in this translation. Zekiye doesn’t know Rage: she knows Rage. Completely different situation!  Rage deals unavoidable non-elemental magic damage to all enemies, and unlike mass targeting a spell, its damage isn't reduced by the number of enemies it hits. It's incredibly powerful now, but later in the game, it'll retain a niche for enemies that absorb elemental magic, have the Reflect status, or have high magic evasion.   In the foothills of rural Figaro, Queen Zekiye takes you off course. There's a rumour she's heard that she wants to confirm, she says.         The town music selected by Beyond Chaos is absolutely lovely, enough so that our heroes kicked up their heels in South Figaro for a little longer than was strictly merited. It's a SNES soundfont cover of Arni Village from Chrono Cross, and it rules. Incredibly calming.           You spend a night at the inn, kicking the sand and dust off your boots. Jadate appears to have the uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere, and is out in seconds; you stay awake a while longer, trying to sort out your thoughts behind the soft drone of the Queen of Figaro snoring.       Jadate cajoles Chayma into using a portion of her pay to buy a little wax-sealed parcel of Phoenix Down. This stuff is worth its weight in gold, she assures her.       Chayma has a choice. You have another night in South Figaro before you need to set off through the mountains for the meeting. Having made inquiries about her sister's whereabouts, Zekiye has sequestered herself in her inn room; you suspect she's tinkering with fragments of magicite. A) Go out drinking with Jadate. You haven't stretched your conversational muscles in quite a while, and now that you're allies, perhaps you should at least try. B) Assist Zekiye with her magicite experiments. You might be able to impress the Queen with your knowledge of magitek - and perhaps you'll find out something useful in the process. C) That woman (?) Dora the Wasp...she had demihuman features, like you. Maybe she knows something about your Esper heritage. She wasn't exactly chatty, but maybe you could hunt her down and try to extract some clues about your past. UNLOCKED: COMMAND PROMPT UNLOCKED MENU: HEART INDEX Now that Chayma has room to maneuver, she can take a greater variety of actions! Input commands in this format: Chayma: Do something. You can input commands about anything: you could tell Chayma to examine her memories, talk to a companion, or take a decisive action. You can check Chayma's current heart index here. Your input has already shaped her significantly! Her innermost feelings alter the choices she'll be offered over the course of the story. In turn, every choice she makes shifts her personality a little. It will take only a couple of votes for Chayma to execute a command that's in line with her disposition, but it may take more to get her to do something uncharacteristic. Feel free to hit me with wild commands. The reins of the story are within your grasp! Android Blues fucked around with this message at 15:04 on Feb 27, 2022 |
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2022 14:43
|
|
|
Wow. Rude much, queen Zakiye? They've been caring for your twin* if nothing else. Also you can use magic. Why couldn't meditation unlock magic BS too? anyways, A) getting drunk with the party's *the randomizer giving her Terra's portrait had me laughing for some minutes. What can I say, I'm easily entertained.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2022 14:54
|
|
|
Omobono posted:Wow. Rude much, queen Zakiye? They've been caring for your twin* if nothing else. There's something just elementally funny about a weird sprite choice. When I saw Dora's sprite (and very goofy portrait), I couldn't stop giggling. Also, you helped me spot a typo! Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2022 15:05
|
|
|
Gotta go with C on this one, folks.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2022 15:24
|
|
|
A: Go drinking. You've had a lot going on, and part of being a good soldier is knowing to take breaks and get your R&R. In fact...Chayma: Tell Jadate about Kefka. You have some trauma there that needs to be worked out; might as well make a start on it. EDIT: Admiral Joeslop posted:Gotta go with C on this one, folks. This was my initial impulse, and it'd make perfect sense in a different story...but Chayma doesn't strike me as the kind of person who lets herself be bothered by an unknown past. If it affects her future goals? Sure, that's a different matter. But her past doesn't obviously tie into her immediate goals, so there's more important stuff to worry about right now. TooMuchAbstraction fucked around with this message at 17:35 on Feb 27, 2022 |
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2022 16:07
|
|
|
A: Drank
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2022 18:07
|
|
|
I'm voting B, if you're going to be hanging around an unstable woman who self-experiments, it's a good idea to both get in her good graces and figure out what, precisely, you'll be dealing with.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2022 19:11
|
|
|
C.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2022 23:57
|
|
|
B seems like a good idea. I dunno that we've quite kicked the "impress the boss" habits, even if we're not answering to an actual lunatic any more (...probably?). Plus "magicite experiments" sound interesting and possibly useful.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2022 00:34
|
|
|
Dora's portrait is from Paladin's Quest, isn't it? edit: no it isn't, huh B, anyway.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2022 02:17
|
|
|
TooMuchAbstraction posted:In fact...Chayma: Tell Jadate about Kefka. You have some trauma there that needs to be worked out; might as well make a start on it. Excellent command! It looks as though B is in the lead right now, but even if she doesn't go drinking with Jadate tonight, this will remain on the docket for Chayma to execute the next time she and Jadate are alone together.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2022 19:41
|
|
|
For the life of me I tried replicating this with beyond chaos ex and a 1.0 snes ff3 rom as recommended... and even deleting all the male sprites in the custom folder and setting aesthetic to [x]no boys and [x] love girls.... I kept getting male sprites on locke's intro, the latest try, when I finally gave up, the rom loaded freaking Cyan in locke's place I assume becayse out of all the sprites in the custom folder.... Cyan is the only one not there.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2022 01:07
|
|
|
cdyoung posted:For the life of me I tried replicating this with beyond chaos ex and a 1.0 snes ff3 rom as recommended... and even deleting all the male sprites in the custom folder and setting aesthetic to [x]no boys and [x] love girls.... I kept getting male sprites on locke's intro, the latest try, when I finally gave up, the rom loaded freaking Cyan in locke's place I assume becayse out of all the sprites in the custom folder.... Cyan is the only one not there. You likely need to turn on the "partyparty" flag when generating the seed. I ran into this problem and had to troubleshoot a bit when I was setting up the LP! If you check the compiler when it's patching, it'll throw errors for the male characters, which will indicate that they haven't been properly replaced. If you don't want a key character to roll the Esper Terra sprite, which can absolutely happen with "partyparty" and was why I had it turned it off in the first place, also make sure you flag "novanilla". Hopefully that helps!
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2022 01:24
|
|
|
TooMuchAbstraction posted:A: Go drinking. You've had a lot going on, and part of being a good soldier is knowing to take breaks and get your R&R. Good idea, but I think our bard has more than a few questions of her own. A: Go drinking Jadate: Ask Chayma about the Empire
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2022 02:20
|
|
|
So, how is the story branching being handled? Does Beyond Chaos just... do that?
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2022 02:26
|
|
|
Android Blues posted:You likely need to turn on the "partyparty" flag when generating the seed. I ran into this problem and had to troubleshoot a bit when I was setting up the LP! If you check the compiler when it's patching, it'll throw errors for the male characters, which will indicate that they haven't been properly replaced. I'll be damned. Thanks for the advice, it's working. Quackles posted:So, how is the story branching being handled? Does Beyond Chaos just... do that? It doesn't, it's just a randomizer. the story beats are all Android Blues.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2022 03:11
|
|
|
We're all tied up between A, going out drinking with Jadate, and B, helping Zekiye with her magicite experiments. Next vote takes it!
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2022 10:58
|
|
|
B a pal to the queen
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2022 12:04
|
|
|
YggiDee posted:I'm voting B, if you're going to be hanging around an unstable woman who self-experiments, it's a good idea to both get in her good graces and figure out what, precisely, you'll be dealing with. This, Big time.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2022 14:26
|
|
|
5. The Sign of Alexander A) Go out drinking with Jadate. [3] B) Help Zekiye with her magicite experiments. [5] C) Seek answers from Dora the Wasp. [2] Your options mulled over, you knock on the inn room's door in the early evening.    Zekiye gestures to the fragments of black magicite laid out on the inn table, and the electrolytic anode-cathode poles she has wired up to them.   Your language is clipped and formal. You have been trained on how to speak to superiors: it's a borderline impossible habit to break.  Zekiye pauses, as if asking for help pains her.  You don't want to offend the Queen by saying it out loud, but this is paltry compared to what you've seen done at the Magitek Research labs in Vector. The gleaming black shards Zekiye is working with are off-cuts, trimmings from the broken moulds of concentrated magicite.         You pause, and re-orient yourself. You aren't ready to talk about that with Zekiye. This is information sharing, not a heart to heart.  Zekiye purses her lips, simmering on that revelation.  What was the word Cid kept repeating? He took your blood, and yammered on about how he wanted to track how you'd developed from childhood without suffering the ill effects of magic...that's right. Neuroplasticity. Zekiye surprises you with her composure. She doesn't quaver, or shout. Her voice is still and thoughtful.  You notice that stopping the makeshift magicite infusions is not considered. Maybe it's already too late for Zekiye: maybe not. It isn't your place to correct her.    You spend the next few hours poring over notes, running test charges through Zekiye's electrolytic magicite circuit, and suggesting tentative improvements. The system she's using is how the Empire used to do it; it's how they treated Kefka, their first major success in magicite infusion. More recently they've been experimenting with liquid magicite injections, but you don't have enough raw fragments to consider that - and as you understand it, it's exceptionally dangerous anyway. As you're finalising a revision to the Queen's dosing schedule, something crosses your mind.   Zekiye makes a mildly panicked face. The prospect of going mad with magicite poisoning didn't elicit an obvious emotion: this does.   You laugh. Finally, you feel slightly more at ease around this woman. Zekiye's Curiosity [1 > 2] Chayma opened the path to friendship with Zekiye. When Jadate rolls in late that night, smelling of elderflower perfume and humming her part in a round, she finds the two of you close in conference around the table. At her urging, you get to bed.  The next morning, you set off, a purpose guiding your steps.   Rage is just as good on Mount Kolts. The grass ripples as the Queen of Figaro shouts out her anger. Her coruscating aura tears up chunks of roots and turf from the mountainside.  An Imperial patrol has managed to track you: ominously, they're armed with sleep darts. Fortunately, they won't be reporting back any time soon.       With Zekiye in the lead, it seems like the circling cirpius hawks can't get close enough to swoop before they're buffeted out of the sky...but then, through the rippling maelstrom of Zekiye's magic, a hawk fixes you with a piercing glare that seems to lance out like the sun, dropping you instantly. The Cirpius normally know Beak, an attack that inflicts Petrify. In normal play, it's a check for whether you've learned about status effects, and might be an incentive for you to head back to South Figaro and stock up on some status alleviating items. Beyond Chaos makes them much more of a threat. They've rerolled Beak into Tek Laser, which does a huge amount of single target damage and can be a problem if they fire it off before Zekiye can Rage. Once she does, they die instantly, but there's a moment of danger while she's warming up!  You come to with Jadate wafting Phoenix Down in front of your face. She winks at you smugly. You find a safe niche in the caves, and Jadate plays an increasingly vamped flute solo until all three of you are completely invisible.  It's disorienting - but, you have to admit, you do feel more comfortable not being perceived.  These preparations are in vain. On the way down the mountain, you're ambushed by more cirpius hawks, who spiral around the three of you, squawking and lensing the sun off their mirror-like eyes. The vanishing flute's magic ripples and fades. Zekiye is hit from both sides, and almost drops to the ground before she can summon a gust that throws the birds against the cliffside. A wrinkle with the Vanish status: it disables magic evasion, and getting hit by magical damage removes it. I was hoping to prepare for the upcoming boss fight (which would have been more or less effective depending on what abilities we run into!), but any Vanishing that happens will be ad hoc now. Worth mentioning here that Zekiye is very durable. Neither Jadate nor Chayma could have lived through eating two Tek Lasers in the surprise round. Scouting ahead, Jadate sets eyes on their pursuer - and hops down the cliff path to confront him!   You and Zekiye make tracks to back Jadate up -  - and are knocked down by a seething burst of wind that seems to flow over the man's arms at his command.     You close your eyes, and pull the darkness from behind them into the eyes of Vargas and his entourage. He swings wildly; you dance nimbly out of the way, almost laughing. Finally, you're in your element.   Zekiye squares her feet against the grass, which waves and ripples as one long yell of grievance spills out of her. Jadate sees the tenor of the fight, and opens up with Clean Sweep, a deluge of spectral water knocking Vargas' tame beasts senseless.   Here's Vargas, the game's second boss. He can be pretty tough in Beyond Chaos - but between Rage, a cast of Clean Sweep, and Chayma's sword skills, he and his tame bears don't stand a chance. Vargas pairs relentless physical offense with his Gale Cutter ability, which deals about ~55 magic damage to your entire party. Strangely, Gale Cutter is one of the very few enemy abilities that isn't rerolled by Beyond Chaos: he uses it as normal, but the piercing breezes he pushes across Mount Kolts with sweeping movements of his arms are readily outblown by Zekiye's bruising, debris-hurling windstorms. Meanwhile, Vargas' physical attacks are mostly neutralised by Schiller. He's on the ropes...           Vargas is furious about being shown up in front of his rival. Squaring both arms over his chest, and planting his feet, he matches Zekiye's tempo and bellows. A gale of freezing wind seems to flow over his shoulders and down the line of his outstretched arm. It crashes into the queen's tempest and snuffs her out immediately.   In the base game, this duel with Vargas is a tutorial. He instantly dies to a Pummel Blitz, so he's purely a way to check that the player understands how to use the Blitz command. In Beyond Chaos, he can be a serious roadblock. He still instantly dies to a Pummel Blitz - but you probably don't have access to that. His HP in the base game is absurdly high to make sure you defeat him with Pummel, but Beyond Chaos modifies his HP down significantly, so he's defeatable solo without grinding a bunch of levels beforehand. Depending on who Vargas' rival is and what their abilities are, as well as how many healing items you've been able to find, this can be a seriously difficult fight. In my test run, I had to back row and mainline upwards of thirty Tonics while swinging for 54 damage whenever I could do so without dying.    Nalaal is far more robust (and has a super cool kit). Aligning her chakras, she opens with an Aura Bolt - but Vargas holds out his palm, and simply adds her outstretched aura to his own. He's grown far too powerful! Nalaal's commands are Slot, Magic and Item. Here's one of the iconic FF6 commands that Beyond Chaos reimagines totally! Slot still works by spinning and matching symbols for a better outcome - but the list of outcomes is completely different, and can include entries from any spell and ability list in the game. For Nalaal, spinning those tumblers represents steadying her breathing and harmonising with her divine birthright. Three diamonds is Aura Bolt, which deals heavy Holy damage to a single target. Vargas, as a disciple of Master Duncan, absorbs Holy and just gets healed for 397.     She defends herself from Vargas' double strike physical attacks by casting Safe, and tries to prevent him from using Gale Cutter with Rasp - but his ki reserves are far too vast.  Normally, the "dud" slot where you miss an input is Mysidian Rabbit, a consolation prize that heals status ailments and recovers a little bit of HP for the party. For Nalaal, the Sign of Alexander protects her even when she can't concentrate her ki. Her aura flares with Ruby Light, and she's sheathed in a glow that reflects hostile magic back at its casters. Vargas has randomised his usual Doom Fist, which gives the target 60 seconds to live, into an attack called 1000 Stick that deals physical damage and inflicts Sap. Nalaal's HP is constantly draining, but thankfully FF6's iteration of Sap is pretty forgiving. It's much better than getting hit with Condemn! Nalaal's magical itinerary is focused on support, with Safe, Rasp and Berserk in her starting toolkit. She's a natural parallel to Zekiye, who's all reckless offense.  Safe in particular makes this fight much less nerve-wracking; Vargas can barely hurt Nalaal with his relentless strikes, and only by squaring his legs and using the Gale Cutter kata can he send her reeling.    Nalaal uncorks potions and, in extremity, tears off a hunk of dried meat; she needs every advantage to survive this duel. Breaking through Vargas' guard, she strikes where she can with her knife, and eventually, Duncan's son tumbles forward, bleeding from a dozen careful cuts.      Bandaging the wounds of her rival, Nalaal speaks words under her breath, and the same hazy coruscation you saw her use in the duel seems to evict the strength from him. He sags; she carries him up the mountain a ways, and deposits him there.               You've seen Queen Zekiye furious and, last night, you think you briefly saw her happy - but at this, you actually hear her choke back a sob. Her sister looks away, the look of bluff confidence leaving her face at once. Zekiye masters herself before anyone can move to comfort her. Next: The Returners mobilise for war!
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2022 19:06
|
|
|
This is great. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2022 20:01
|
|
|
I really enjoy this thread, FF6 is one of my favourite games ever and seeing it being used as a way to tell a fundamentally quite different story is very compelling.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2022 12:25
|
|
|
Yeah, agreed. This is completely different from what I was expecting (a basically vanilla rando playthrough), and I am happier for it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2022 15:46
|
|
|
I'm glad you guys are liking it! Writing around the events of the story, and developing new characters to play familiar roles, is extraordinarily fun. People's votes have also had a lot of influence so far. I was going to cut the amnesia plot no matter what, but when Chayma rolled abilities and a vibe that clearly denoted an assassin, I figured those things combined would make her a relatively dark character - but thread posters voting for her to be compassionate has shifted that trajectory. That sort of collaborative writing is really generative, and constantly sparks new ideas.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2022 16:20
|
|
|
This LP has convinced me to try it out for myself. After a few test runs, only one of which made it past Narshe, I gotta ask: Which version of Beyond Chaos are you using? Also, what are your current settings/randomizer flags? EDIT: Btw, have you edited the script yourself? I am using the Beyond Chaos EX version, and the script seems to be the same one with the names switched out. Iceblocks fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Mar 6, 2022 |
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2022 21:35
|
|
|
6. The Captain's Troubled Heart Traversing Mount Kolts has eaten the party's entire supply of Tonics. You're running on fumes, now: a couple of Potions and a single phoenix feather rest at the bottom of Jadate's first aid satchel. This is one area where even a relatively gentle Beyond Chaos run can challenge the player. There aren't that many healing abilities in the game: your odds of a party member being a natural mage who knows Cure aren't high, and while it's possible you'll have command abilities like SunBath that heal you, it's very unlikely. All the Potions, Tonics and Phoenix Downs that you'd normally get as drops from enemies or in chests, intended to ease you into the game, may have been replaced with equipment and relics. What's more, the items sold at shops are randomised within a range, as are their prices: you can't purchase healing items everywhere, and when you can, they might be extremely expensive. We had to spend almost half the party's funds to buy the two Phoenix Downs we approached Mount Kolts with. We're going into the next leg of our adventure with almost no means of healing our heroes. As a result, things are about to get dicey!   The Returner hideout is ad hoc, supplies hauled in and stacked neatly in the natural caverns. There are no permanent fixtures; the scuffmarks under the legs of the meeting table indicate that even it hasn't been in place long. You arrive late at night, beaten by the mountains, the climb and the wind. Conversation is sparse, mostly because the air between Nalaal and Zekiye is so impermeably stiff. They seem unable to talk to each other. Capfalcon posted:Good idea, but I think our bard has more than a few questions of her own. You hesitate, just for a second, before knocking on Chayma's door. By all reasonable estimations she should have been a hard woman to travel with - reserved, private, short on jokes - but you find you've enjoyed her company a lot. So! This isn't an interrogation, or information gathering, or anything so cold. The truth is you want to know more about her, and the best way to find out the fluid of a person is to see the shape of the vessel they were poured into.  Chayma looks up at you searchingly. You're good at reading faces, but hers is usually a blank wall. Here you think you can detect a hint of trepidation.  You laugh. Look at this goofy little prima donna.  Chayma works around something in her mouth, as if she's being edged into a rhetorical cage from which she forecasts no escape.   You slip the mug into her hands so deftly that she has no choice but to take a sip.  Chayma thinks on this for a second.  You know this beat.     Chayma looks at you plaintively, as if ashamed to confess such a prosaic fear. You can't help but smile.   She lets the silence hang for quite a while before speaking.         She looks directly at you.  You take this in stride, swallowing slightly. Something to unpack later. TooMuchAbstraction posted:In fact...Chayma: Tell Jadate about Kefka. You have some trauma there that needs to be worked out; might as well make a start on it. You can't believe you're talking this much, but now that you've started, you can't stop. It needs to come out.    Jadate makes soft noises of assent: you're aware this signals listening. It enables you to keep talking.    Chayma runs her finger around the edges of her empty mug, as if trying to help herself focus.             You can't look at Jadate. Wonderful. She'll hate you now: she'll know that she can't trust you, either. Your association with the Emperor's vizier makes you hopelessly compromised. Instead, you feel her arms wrap around you. The hug is warm and soft.    She says it without judgement or pause.     Chayma's Friendship [0 > 1] Chayma has become friends with Jadate.   You'd guess Banon is in her late sixties. Imperial intelligence has wanted the identity of the movement's leader for years: and here she is, carrying the weight of being hunted in her wary posture and lined eyes. A hand-and-a-half sword, more cumbersome than your single-edged blade but also more imposing, hangs sheathed from a belt she wears over her patterned robes. Its scabbard is ornate, old leather.   Chayma searches her heart... You steel yourself. You've made your decisions about this.                You tell them everything you told Jadate last night - everything about magicite and Espers, at least. You feel like a traitor while you're doing it, but you're able to beat the feeling down.      The meeting breaks up. It's decided you'll move through a pass in the mountains to Narshe in a few days, once Banon's scouts have confirmed that the hills are clear of Imperial patrols.  Jadate is at home here: she knows everyone, and shares kisses on the cheek with some of them, making everyone who's made the dangerous journey feel welcome. When you first met her, Jadate Jhaum seemed scattered and improvisational: you're beginning to realise that part of her gift is to put people at ease.  Zekiye spends her time in the library, or in conference with Banon, sharing minute details of taxation and troop disposition with the dry diligence of an accountant. You get the sense this is her way of feeling out new allies: by absorbing all possible data.  Nalaal seems uncomfortable sitting down; she often paces around the hideout, striking up conversation with the rebels, asking about their families, their fights. As she speaks, you see the silvery birthmark that should have made her heir to Figaro flexing and gleaming at her throat, not quite hidden by the fur collar of her cloak. A day before the scouts are set to return, one does - alone, bloodied, exhausted.   The energy in the air is familiar - fizzing tension, excitement and just a frisson of fear.        The perching reptiles, obligate carnivores that survive by broiling fish who swim too close to the surface of the water, wheel in scattered circles above the raft. As you're slowing or navigating turns, they swoop, squawking hungrily.    Normally, Pterodons are guaranteed not to use their flame breath unless they survive for three turns - which is unlikely to happen once the player realises how dangerous they are. Here, the AI script seems to be different: they can and will open with Fire Ball, and it's a tremendously bad time. They also know Drain, which seems to have taken the place of Fire Ball in their AI script, and is frankly a welcome respite from being roasted alive.    What's more, Rage is no longer quite enough to finish battles at a single stroke. After Zekiye acts, her companions have to mop up. Banon's commands are SwordTech and Steal. Jadate intimated to you on the way here that the Returners' leader used to be a bandit chief, long ago. In any case, it's brutal. When Banon spots a moorage for the raft, you haul up the vessel and almost collapse into the shelter of your bedroll.  You use every last Potion Jadate gave you, sharing the bottles as a nightcap. All that remains is the single phoenix feather. Fortunately, a chest in the Returner hideout happened to contain a Tent, thanks to the chicanerous benevolence of Beyond Chaos. Without being able to refresh HP at the midway point, the party simply wouldn't have had the resources to survive the Fire Ball gauntlet. It's also lucky that Banon came dressed for the job: she appears to be wearing equipment that grants her Fire immunity. Since this section ends if she falls in battle, and our heroes are weathering 100+ Fire damage in most fights, this is a gigantic windfall.   The tentacles wrap around the raft from beneath. The creature's voice is somehow simultaneously basso and squeaky, as if it has swallowed a helium balloon and is now talking around it.  This is Ultros, a talking octopus full of unaccountable malice, and the game's third boss. I was actually dreading this fight: Ultros normally attacks in sequence with Tentacle, dealing heavy damage to single targets and then the whole party, and our heroes have absolutely zero sources of healing at this point.    I figured he'd randomise Tentacle into something - but not into this. Roulette targets and kills a random combatant, and can hit anyone on the battlefield - including its caster. Ultros is not immune to instant death, so it's hilarious and somehow perfectly in character that he has this.  Nalaal touches her fingers to the Sign of Alexander on her throat, body serenely still - and blades of radiant light lance through the clouds, falling like thrown swords. This is Stunner, a SwordTech ability that keys off the user's Magic stat: it's also the "three chocobos" result on Nalaal's Slot. Stunner deals ~550 damage to all enemies and casts Stop on enemies vulnerable to it. It's huge - assuming Nalaal can concentrate on her divine gift properly.   You're barely conscious; your chest feels hollowed out. Zekiye evades Roulette, shouting at the phantom spectre trying to pull her consciousness from her body with such force that the paper-thin haunt evaporates in the shockwave. Nalaal is ceaseless, though, following the rain of divine blades with another Aura Bolt, the silvery-blue of her soul commingled with royal green.   I had a first run at this fight that culminated in Ultros killing Chayma, then Nalaal, then himself with Roulette, which was splendid. Unfortunately, I didn't get a great shot of it - so the timeline has been altered!   As Nalaal peers over the edge of the raft, a thrashing tentacle emerges - and hurls her bodily into the rapids! You reach out for Nalaal, and thinking quickly, hurl a loop of your myomer rope towards her drifting form. You snag her ankle...and then the current pulls her loose, and she drifts downriver, your raft careening west around the river fork. Zekiye kneels by the vessel's side, watching with stiff lips. When the creek you're in gentles and reconvenes with its flowing sibling, there's no sign of hers.     Zekiye doesn't look at you as the raft continues down the river.      Character select. A) Be Jadate Jhaum, in a daring escape from occupied South Figaro. B) Be Chayma Ludos, sailing to make ready the defense at Narshe. C) Be Nalaal Xandros Figaro, adrift in distant lands.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2022 00:17
|
|
|
Iceblocks posted:This LP has convinced me to try it out for myself. After a few test runs, only one of which made it past Narshe, I gotta ask: Which version of Beyond Chaos are you using? OP is editing the script themselves with a separate program, BC doesn't change the story at all. The latest version is CE 3.0 (here) For new players, the GUI should have a "new player flags" preset to ease you into it. Android Blues if you want me to ease up on the BC talk just lemme know  Also I choose Option C.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2022 00:25
|
|
|
Admiral Joeslop posted:OP is editing the script themselves with a separate program, BC doesn't change the story at all. No, of course! I love BC and while it's only half the story here, it's still extremely cool and more people should play it. It's actually great to have someone who's familiar with the randomiser in the thread - it's enabling me to remix the story like this, and it deserves credit and also more eyeballs on it. It has so many cool features and the developers keep adding more - a few days after I started working on GIRL FANTASY VI, the main branch of Beyond Chaos added a functionality to randomise monster sprites from a huge library of custom sprites, for example, which looks incredibly cool. In short, if you ever wanna rant about Beyond Chaos, or share stories from your own runs, yeah, absolutely. It rules! Iceblocks posted:This LP has convinced me to try it out for myself. After a few test runs, only one of which made it past Narshe, I gotta ask: Which version of Beyond Chaos are you using? I'm on Beyond Chaos Ex v4.0.1. The flags for GIRL FANTASY VI are 4.normal.bdefgjklmoqrstuwyzalasdracocapslockoffjohnnydmadmakeoverpartypartynovanillanoboyslovegirlsnopotatorandombossessupernatural, but I've also edited the custom sprite lists significantly and entirely gutted the name lists, replacing them with a selection of several hundred real names from all over the world. No serious spoilers, but if anyone wants to preserve the pure and paschal mystery of the LP, I have tagged nonetheless.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2022 00:38
|
|
|
Let's see what Jadate's up to.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2022 00:51
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 23:12 |
|
|
A Let's give Chayma a short reprieve, and Nalaal will be... extensive... so this seems like the best compromise.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2022 01:32
|
|