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LiefKatano posted:I can kinda appreciate the intention behind it (though I'm also absolutely a sucker for "the power of friendship" type stuff)... but having to potentially waiting up to eight turns to use Unison for the "intended" result definitely makes it clunkier in practice. Valerie did 5K in one hit. GEORGE! did 5.5K. Literally just stick them together and Yuma dies.
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Apr 22, 2023 03:36
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Update LXXVIII - Featuring: The hit game 7th Dragon 2020-II Music: Forfeit - The Dragon Inquires   *nods*  So, despite Mio saying that all the lights were broken when we came in, defeating Yuma turned all of them back on.  Before we go fight ND, there are a few things we have to do first.    ~  Professor Nagumo is dead...  The first is that everyone has new lines after Nagumo dies.   The second thing is that since the Diet is now fully lit, I might as well explore it.  Although the teleporter maze is still in effect, so leaving Unit 13's room still sends me to the entrance.   There's the small garden in the Medical Ward.    The Council Chamber turns out to be the MP Lodgings.       These are a side room in the SDF Quarters.   Which leads into the main floor of the SDF Quarters.      Seriously who left those computers on.    And what should have been the previous side room actually leads back to the MP Lodgings.    Which leads to the Murakumo dorms.              Funnily enough, the 2020 Terminal is there, but unusable.   And since the last time we left Unit 13's room sent us to the entrance, we instead get kicked straight back to the previous floor.      And finally-  Murakumo HQ.       I can't believe the kids forgot to turn everything off when they left.    And that's it for this impromptu tour.  So let's keep pushing forward.  Music: If these Hands could Reach   It should be a straight shot to ND now... This is the right path!   *cough* *cough* Opal...  Come in...! Unit 13, can you hear me...? Music: None  *nods* Just go... straight ahead... to Chidorigafuchi Park... That's where... you'll find ND...! ... Hey, Opal... Do you think... you could listen to my story while you walk...?Music: Re:Vanishment (code：VFD Ver)  Both in the past... and in the future... humanity was forced into despair by dragons... However... you always brought that despair to an end... You gave hope to humanity... Opal... There's probably nowhere on this planet... that hasn't seen its fair share of despair... But as long as people like you exist... the light of hope will always shine through...  I'm... fine... I'm fine, Opal... Please... I was sick... I didn't have my parents... and I didn't have any idea what to do with my life... I thought the only thing I could do was wait until I died... But it's different now... I'm fighting with all my might... I'm... much stronger... I'm... so glad I met you... at 7th Encount... Things have been... difficult since we met each other... But... every minute of it was... so fun... I hope I can see everyone again... *cough* *cough*       And the transmission fades into static.  Music: None  ...   Music: If these Hands could Reach         Next time: A motherly dragon.
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Apr 25, 2023 03:12
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There's one boss left in the game, one random dragon in Parliament, and then what appears to be 40 remaining dragons in what I can only hope is the final dungeon? That sounds more tedious than anything else. There's also nothing to spend dz on, and the cast of NPCs is now down to one, apparently. I'm surprised they felt the need to add that much padding. Part of the fun of an RPG is the progress you make between dungeon story beats, and there's no progress, just what appears to be more of the same stretched as thinly as possible. Edit: Also, what do the navigators actually do? I kind of doubt they would change the mechanics to reflect not having someone sitting at a console.
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Apr 25, 2023 03:42
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Dirk the Average posted:Edit: Also, what do the navigators actually do? I kind of doubt they would change the mechanics to reflect not having someone sitting at a console. Gameplay wise, nothing. It's pretty much mainly story they contribute to. Story wise, they're basically the mission control so the player characters know what they're supposed to be doing. Araxxor fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Apr 25, 2023 |
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Apr 25, 2023 04:16
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Dirk the Average posted:There's one boss left in the game, one random dragon in Parliament, and then what appears to be 40 remaining dragons in what I can only hope is the final dungeon? That sounds more tedious than anything else. There's also nothing to spend dz on, and the cast of NPCs is now down to one, apparently. The Navigators are a story holdover from 2020 and 2020-2, where there were two Navigators, a pair of twins named Miroku and Mina, who largely spoke for the protagonists in the cutscenes, and you got the chance to pick which one you wanted to do your primary navigation. It was technically cosmetic but the two of them were significantly more present in the narrative than Mio and Nagamimi were in here, solving a number of problems in the field and chipping in at important moments with their own characters going on. You even got the chance to give your Navigator of choice a name that wasn't just, uh, their number (3.6 and 3.7). The role's become very extraneous by VFD. Also, just to correct you, the dragon remaining in the Diet Building area is actually Nodens, the bosses do count towards the counter.  Edit: This is also a problem unique to VFD—in the 2020s, you continue rescuing new NPCs and getting new sidequests all the way up to the final dungeon. VFD's pacing is bonkers. Kinu Nishimura fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Apr 25, 2023 |
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Apr 25, 2023 04:28
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Oh yeah there's also a bit of weirdness that does pop up in VFD in relation to the 2020s. As was mentioned, Miroku and Mina were big enough supporting characters, but they weren't like the main focus of the story, though they do have a few sidequests focusing on them. But VFD does try to put a bigger spotlight focus on Mio in the main plot of VFD compared to those two, yet her duties as a navigator are a lot more diminished compared to what the NAVs did for you in the 2020s. She does come up with the split up High Dragon plan back in chapter 5, but overall Nagamimi did more on the navigation front.
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Apr 25, 2023 04:37
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I can only assume that Yuma used his last dieing breath and final power to replace all the light bulbs
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Apr 25, 2023 04:44
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I stopped playing this game around Eden. I didn't mess with the dating stuff because I wasn't interested, but man, I'm not gonna lie - if I had kept playing and gotten to "Nodens falls, everyone dies", I probably would have uninstalled the game out of anger. Holy poo poo.
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Apr 25, 2023 04:46
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Update LXXIX - Featuring: The Second True Dragon Music: None  The Underground Passage is long, devoid of enemies, and utterly silent.   Just you and your thoughts, before everything comes to an end.  By the end of the day, the Dragon Chronicle will be complete.   And here we are.  After playing around with the twins and Yuma, I'm bringing my A-Game for this.     Hello, ND. Video: VS ND                 Music: Re:Vanishment feat. Annabel (You should absolutely listen to this)   ND comes in with 12.7K LF. Chika and Rika had just shy of 18K LF combined. Hypnos, from two chapters ago, had 13.1K. This loving game, man.  Oh, and the fight's already over. War Cry is a 1.4x ATK buff, as a reminder.  Then throw on a 0.9x DEF debuff.  GEORGE! just did close to 2/3 of her health in a single hit. And he can follow up with Ultimate Lance into another Earthquake.  On the attack side, ND is bafflingly limited. She has normal attacks, she has Talon which deals two 0.75x hits on one person, and she has Peck which deals three 0.7x hits on random targets. Her super move is Thorn of Light, which is one 1.5x hit to the whole party with a 70% chance of inflicting Charm. To be entirely honest, Chika and Rika are the last bosses that got any real effort outside of the actual final boss.  On defense, she has Breath of Life that gives a whopping 60% damage reduction against physical attacks with a 66% break chance. Like Nyala way back when, ND is set to use Thorn of Light 4 turns after using her self-buff. Unlike Nyala, popping her buff right at the start of battle means I'll have very few chances to try and break it. You know, if GEORGE! didn't exist and the fight had a chance to last that long or something.  And she has Refresh. Because gently caress you if you want to try something more in-depth than hitting the Big Damage Button.  Now, the obvious play here is to start reloading with GEORGE! and chip away with Thomas while that barrier is up.  However, as Hypnos taught us before, the solution to being told not to use something is to use even more of it.      I didn't even need to break her buff, this would have killed anyways.  And that's how you kill the penultimate boss in just three turns.  Music: Finish Them Off  Music: None      Music: Re:Vanishment (code：VFD Ver)     Ah, how magnificent... So this is the beauty of life... Urgh...         And just like that, our hunt is over.  Hurry...!But will Nagumo's plan be able to pull off a miracle? Music: UE77 Tokyo    Music: If these Hands could Reach     *nods* You really did it... I'm sorry, but could you bring it here...? I can no longer move...      I see... Incredible... It's nearly exactly what Professor Nagumo predicted... Come... There's no time to grieve...! There's still one more thing... you have to do... *gigg|e* We're the only ones in the universe... who'd come up with a crazy idea like this... There's no guarantee... it'll work, but... you'll still do it, right...? *nods* Thank you... I'm only going to say this once, so listen well... Using the data I took from that, I will activate the creation I made with Professor Nagumo...      However, using the New Dragon Chronicle that Professor Nagumo was able to create...   And here's the plan. Remember Hypnos? quote:
Normally that would have happened instantly, and VFD would have made a new universe with the same dragon cycle. We're going to use this small delay to hijack VFD and remake reality as we see fit. *giggle* Well, you'll understand once the synthesis begins... *nods* I was such a fool... I deceived people... I hurt them... I did things I will never be able to take back... But in the end... I'm glad... I'm so glad... That I was able to put my belief in you... and that I can die at peace... as a scientist...    Next time: ?
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Apr 28, 2023 03:58
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The traces of Emel and Aytel that remain within me will soon disappear... The hatred burning in my core will soon consume all life on Earth...
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They don't have the time to earn fixing things through time travel, so they'll just have to pretend they did, because they didn't have the time and budget.
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Apr 28, 2023 05:07
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Re:Vanishment (sung by Annabel, theme of the Tokyo storyline) Tokihanatareta uchinaru shoudou (An impulse within me has awakened) Ugokihajimeta sekai ga kousaku suru PHASE (As the worlds blur together, a new phase begins) Dareka oshiete koboreru kanshou (Someone, tell me how to control my overflowing emotions) Sora wo tobetara nante awai yume wo miteita no (I had a fleeting dream, where I could fly.) Hoshi ga furu yoru sarasara (The shooting stars danced across the night sky,) Kieteyuku chiisana hi wo (and I just stood, transfixed, watching) Tada ikuate mo naku mitsumeteita― (as those tiny lights slowly faded away—[/b] Kimi to kawashita kotoba mo chigirete (All the words I said to you are being torn apart,) Itsuka hakanaku kieteshimau no deshou ka (and I wonder if they'll disappear entirely) Kizuita yureru negai mo omoi mo (But I know now that these wishes and uncertain feelings of mine) Kimi wo mamoru tate to nareru koto wo (Can be a shield to protect you) Koboreta namida fuite douka (Wipe away those falling tears,) Itsuka hakanaku kieteshimau naraba (if they're doomed to disappear without a trace.) Kizutsuita yureru negai mo omoi mo (I'll take on this pain so my wishes and uncertain feelings) Kimi wo mamoru tate to narimasu you ni (can become a shield to protect you) realize, feeling, the past, recollection tearing, progress, unplugged, searching realize, feeling, the past, recollection tearing, progress, unplugged, searching Kimi to onaji da kizuato (I bear the same wounds that you do,) Ushirosugata ni kanjou rensa (emotional chains which scar my back,) Aragau ishi sae wasureteita kara― (and I've forgotten how to resist anymore—) realize, feeling, the past, recollection tearing, progress, unplugged, searching realize, feeling, the past, recollection tearing, progress, unplugged, searching Kimi to kawashita kotoba mo chigirete (All the words I said to you are being torn apart,) Itsuka hakanaku kieteshimau no deshou ka (and I wonder if they'll disappear entirely) Kizuita yureru negai mo omoi mo (But I know now that these wishes and uncertain feelings of mine) Kimi wo mamoru tate to nareru koto wo (Can be a shield to protect you) Koboreta namida furimukanai de (Don't turn away from your falling tears) UNISON kasanete asu wo kirihiraku no (Let them unite and form a new future) Kizutsuita yureru negai mo omoi mo (I've taken this pain, so my feelings and wishes) Kimi to aruku michi to narimasu you ni (can become the path we'll all walk together) Kimi to aruku michi to narimasu you ni (can become the path we'll all walk together) Kimi to aruku michi to narimasu you ni (can become the path we'll all walk together) realize, feeling, the past, recollection tearing, progress, unplugged, searching realize, feeling, the past, recollection tearing, progress, unplugged, searching
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Apr 28, 2023 06:19
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*Insert humourous/crappy Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet meme here*
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Apr 29, 2023 03:38
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Update LXXX - Featuring: Hallways Music: None        Wait isn't all of existance getting fused together? How did Nagamimi manage to make it here?  Synthesis? You really think I'd let myself get absorbed by you?I'm literally the ultimate lifeform right now, I don't think you get a say in the matter.  I'm glad to see you again. I-Is that so...? Man, how can you say poo poo like that at a time like this? ~ I was worried about you. Psh, bullshit. I bet you were glad my noisy self was gone. H-Hey, don't go getting all depressed on me... I was just trying to hide my embarrassment... D-Don't take what I said seriously, you idiot!~~ But drat... You guys are trying to jump through a pretty unimaginable loophole right now. Listen. Winning a battle against the will of this universe isn't gonna be a simple task, alright? A slip up of any kind, and the entropy'll go outta whack. Your world will slip into nothingness. You still wanna do it? I'm going to save everyone. Psh... You're such a show-off! ~ I made a promise. Right, right. I don't even know why I bothered asking.~~ If that's what you want, go for it. Every journey needs a guide, though, so I'll be joining you. D-Don't misunderstand! I'm just interested in seeing how this'll all turn out! That's it! The past, present, and future no longer exist. We are now in a crucible of information... A place where the entropy of the universe swirls around us... The realm of god, in a sense. It's time to show that thing what the will of humanity truly means!  138x10^8 is the estimated age of the universe, if you're wondering. Music: Final Battle - Grateful Seventh  Welcome to the end of the world. Grateful Seventh has come up, like, never. It's basically a combined term for the True Dragons. We're inside the very concept of dragons, to be clear. We're hijacking the very concept of dragons, to be clear.    Hey...!     At the base of this spiral, VFD, the 7th True Dragon that will end this universe, has just been born. If Allie had her way, you would've turned into that thing. Instead, it's your final target. *nods* If I had to guess, I'd VFD is gonna try and absorb you in order to complete itself, but... You can't let that thing go ahead and consume all of that entropy, or the hopes of humanity! VFD's desire to bring an end to this universe is really strong. But with your determination to protect mankind... you can defeat it! If you can manage that, we might be able to save your planet... Although there's no guarantee.  It doesn't matter. I won't lose. Eeheehee... There really isn't a difference between foolishness and bravery. Go on, go for it! ~ They're with me, in my heart. Wow, that's quite the statement. In that case, show me. Protect those people within your heart!~~ There's no turning back now, but I'll be your lifeline. Come back if you're in trouble. Not that I really wanna help, but that ship has already sailed. You're stuck with me 'til the end. *nods* Alright, get going! It's time for the final battle, Unit 13!      Excuse me? It'll take you to a time... where everyone is still alive, too. I know it's tough, but this is your reality now. You can't forget that.Notice how we had all that Dz with no way to spend it? This is how the devs resolved that whole 'everyone in the world is dead' thing. A quantum portal back to when everything was sunshine and rainbows. It isn't time travel, because there is no time to travel here in Grateful Seventh.  We also get the final shop upgrade dropped on us out of nowhere.  You can go there if you're feeling uneasy, but you're gonna have to come back here eventually. Music: UE77 Tokyo  We then exit out to the world map as normal. We also get confirmation that Grateful Seventh, the culmination of all existance, is just southeast of Nodens.  Music: The Daily Grind  And as Nagamimi said, everything here is as it was during the Intermission.    I'm really digging the lifestyle here in Tokyo, too. Have you heard of that internet thing!? It's freaking incredible!Of course, these aren't really our friends. They're just quantum automatons mindlessly repeating what they said during the last time everything was fine. More than NPCs are in general, rather.  This also includes, you know, Allie. The woman who was ND all along. The woman who effortlessly killed the world. She's just here. Sidequests and the like have been re-enabled, so if you were slacking on those before Chapter 6 you can go make a fancy cocktail for the 2nd True Dragon, then go sleep with her, knowing full well who and what she is.  Chika and Rika are also back. We still have their Dragonslayers, by the way.  Despite Grateful Seventh having a whopping 40 dragons to kill, just clearing out everything until now gets you enough Dz to build everything.        That's it for construction, by the way. All Dz from here on out is effectively spare.  You obtained Supreme Energy Bar x1. The shop gets the usual set of upgrades, but I, uh, forgot to sell off all my trash back when Rika wasn't at the store. So I have to go back into ARIGATOU hell.  The Cat Cafe being open again means I can finally quickly refill EX on everyone.  drat I missed this.    Music: Final Battle - Grateful Seventh  Wh-What!? Stop grinning at me! Despite the ground being made of light, Dragonsbane is still around.    So, what's the final dungeon like?  It's a straight line.   You literally just walk down a narrow path for the entire thing. Occasionally there'll be an offshoot you go down for some loot before turning back. Music: Battlefield - UE77  It also has Murder Bears and we're still using Battlefield - UE77 for fucks sake. For comparison: Battlefield - Atlantis was used in Atlantica, Cladeon, Berg, and Ladyin, for a total of three and a half (considering how small Berg was) dungeons. Battlefield - Eden was used in Kazan and Preloma, for a total of two dungeons. Battlefield - UE77 was used in Seventh Encount, the Tokyo Underground, Vermilion Tower, the Diet, and now here, for a total of five dungeons. All using the very first battle theme you hear. Music: Final Battle - Grateful Seventh  Also Grateful Seventh has flying dragons that need to be baited into an ambush.  Fly Dragonicas are like their Preloma versions, only they traded Sleep Buzz for Petrify Wave with a 55% chance to Petrify one target.  GEORGE! still exists.    Grateful Seventh is pretty, sure.  But at the end of the day the final dungeon is, again, just a line.   Demon Dragons are upgraded Dragon Saturners from Preloma. It trades out Purgatory Flames for Purgatory Blizzard, Judgement Thorns gets a Curse rider, and its self-buff also boosts ATK.  You'll never guess what happened.    At the end of every (six-sided) path is a teleporter to bring you to another path. It's symbolic, you see. Six points, six True Dragons, around the center where VFD rests.  Next time: How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?
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May 2, 2023 03:15
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A pretty line is better than most dungeons anyway. Huge miss to not make all trash enemies also some sort of dragon. I'm guessing the endpoint is to remake the world but without dragons and somehow including all the people who exist only because of dragons, like everyone descended from the navis. I don't get prediction marks, it's too easy at this point.
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May 2, 2023 03:34
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Well uh. The aesthetics are pretty neat, though the artbook definitely makes it look a lot better since it looks way more ethereal there. It and Atlantis were the areas that got the most new pieces of concept art in the artbooks because most other things that wasn't related to Eden were just reused from the 2020s. The area art section of the VFD artbook is sadly pretty barren compared to the area art in the 2020s artbook.  Still it looks pretty sick and uh. Wait. Everything is just. Tiny hallways. Really? You have this concept and that's the actual level design you come up with? That budget and resources must've been even more non-existent by this point.  quote:2nd True Dragon ND (LV. 60/56) Oh right from a few updates ago. Nodens isn't a particularly notable boss. For some reason she really likes using her basic attack with very occasional usage of skills. Her super move could be deadly if it connected as Charm is an incredibly strong ailment, but you've got a few chances to break the buff. Even then she doesn't exactly deal a lot of damage. Yeah there really isn't a lot to say about Allie as an actual fight. She doesn't do much. A shame since her song gives some interesting insights into her character. Namely that despite what she shouts in the game, she has some nagging feeling in her mind that she knows what she's doing isn't exactly what humanity wants. For one she danced around Julietta's question earlier about if the plan would save humanity despite having a very different viewpoint of what saving humanity meant. Araxxor fucked around with this message at 03:38 on May 2, 2023 |
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May 2, 2023 03:35
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Update LXXXI - Featuring: Old faces Music: Final Battle - Grateful Seventh  The teleporter took us to the inner loop we could see on the map.  Again, this is the entire dungeon.     The inner loop leads to that chest we couldn't reach up top.  Armor upgrade.  On the way back we can see a dragon flying in the distance.    And the loop ends with another teleporter.   It immediately throws you into a quick cutscene. Take that bitch down, Unit 13. It might give us some more info. But first, that flying dragon.  It took 2 turns for it to break in even when I was as close as possible to it. It'd probably take like 4 to break in when fighting the center dragon.   Despite having a cutscene pointing it out, it's literally just a Demon Dragon.  Killing the dragon summons our good friend the Mysterious Masked Man. He really does get around.  Surprise, it's Iod, the First True Dragon! No build up or anything, they just wander around all game only for their identity to get dropped on you with no fanfare.   Who's Iod again? Eeheehee... The 1st True Dragon Iod... The one who planted the Seed of Life on your planet. drat, you don't even look phased. You're taking this whole calm and collected thing to a new level. ~ We should just ask it. Eeheehee... That is true.~~ That fearless attitude of yours is pretty refreshing. You good? We're allowed to take a moment before talking to Iod.    Why do you choose to resist? Why do you not accept evolution? It is the guiding principle of life. You must surely understand. I do. Then become one with VFD. The billions of people within you must certainly seek that result.~ I don't want to understand. I do not comprehend. The billions of people within you must certainly seek evolution.~~ *shakes head* Evolution doesn't equal sacrifice. It is clear that you do not understand. Only through sacrifice can a species truly evolve. ~ That's not what we want. Your will is strong... It is clear that you do not wish to create a new universe...~~ So, you reject synthesis... I see... In that case, prove to me the will of humanity. We then get teleported away.     It turns out that, 'the billions of people within you,' is 100% literal. We do actually contain the souls of all our friends. C'mon, don't worry so much. You seriously think Unit 13'd fall so easily?    It appears that Iod has dispersed your party throughout Grateful Seventh. Our first goal should be to reconvene with the others. Our willpower shall guide us forth...! Don't be afraid, you guys! I'm right here with ya! Unit 13, you granted me the strength of mind to resist fate until the very end. The light of hope that saved the people of Atlantis shall never fade from within my heart. This time it's more than just the Lucier, though! We're gonna be the light of hope for the whole planet! Let us enter the abyss. The souls of the Lucier will be with you...!   For the final dungeon, we have one last party split with Team 2 up first. The teleporter we start on leads back to where Iod was, so the old trick of hopping back to Nodens and shuffling the parties around still works. Oh, and that thing about the Future of Atlantis?  That wasn't figurative. We have it in our actual inventory and can eat it at any time for a full party revive.  Guess what, the party split is more hallways.    We do have a few new dragons, however. Megamaws get a new Bleed rider on Devour and can inflict Freeze with Numbing Ice Ball, but past that they're the same old palette swap.  For whatever reason, Megamaws take massively increased damage from everything, but has 12K LF to compensate.  It dies before it can move, as always.   ATK/MAT +10.   The Iron Rosier trades out the full party Confusion from the Noble Rosier for full party Petrify. Valerie was running low on MN so I took the chance to fill up with Aspir Blade.   That's the inner loop done.  Which brings us to an entirely new area.  Although I take a moment to go bait that flying dragon.  At this point in the game, Brave Sword's damage output is starting to overtake Earthquake, although a War Cry proc will still give GEORGE! an edge.  The new area is still hallways.   The downside to using Brave Sword so often is having to patch Valerie up between fights.    There's a dragon directly below me.  Also there are robots in Grateful Seventh.    There's also another flying dragon.    And that's another loop down. We outta be nearing the end of this par-  Nyala????   This is not the barrier dragon, this is the flying dragon right behind it.  And this is another flyer that goes around the area.  This is the barrier dragon.    They really looked at the final dungeon of the entire series and made it a series of identical rooms.    Alright, let's go kick Nyala's teeth in again.     I have existed in shame since our first meeting... but I shall clear that now! Video: VS Nyala (Again) Music: True Dragon - 1st Encount  Nyala comes in with 11K LF, putting him only a bit below ND.  His only new move is Authority, a repurposed normal attack animation from 2020 that now hits the entire party. He actually gets a small nerf here. True Dragon Meteor has been cut from 5x damage to a much more managable 2x, to compensate for how there's no way to break his buffs and therefore no way to avoid Meteor if a fight drags out that long.  He still won't get a chance to use it.    Nyala knows who the real threat is.   That probably would have killed if I remembered to use EX.   Oh look, the self damage actually got Valerie killed for once.  HAHA SIKE!   EVEN IN DEATH VALERIE CAN STILL KICK YOUR rear end! Music: Finish Them Off  Music: Final Battle - Grateful Seventh  Gyahhhh...!     That is the principle which guides the whole of space and time. There can be no creation without an end. Can your pretentious thoughts truly bring change to universal law?   Simply accepting our demise is not the proper way to approach things. We cannot lose the light of hope amidst the darkness of despair. We cannot abandon those we love. We must fight, in order to prevent the end and the loss that follows it. I agree. Even the collapse of our country wasn't the end. Someone from the future was there to inherit our will... Now then, let us depart!  Next time: The rest of Grateful Seventh.
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May 5, 2023 03:41
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A boss rematch. Boy yeah they were running outta time and resources. For the record none of the other 7th Dragon games had boss rematches in the main game. quote:3rd True Dragon Nyala (LV. 31/28) quote:3rd True Dragon Nyala (LV. 61/57) His skillset isn't that much different. Meteor got nerfed since the buddy mechanic is inaccessible, and he got the addition of Authority, as well as the ailments dealing more damage, but that's about it. His AI got slight tune ups, making him more aggressive and using his basic attack a teensy bit less often, but the fight is overall the same. It's not even to the level of the actual fight in 2020, it's overall still weaker than that version of Nyala.
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May 5, 2023 04:07
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Even here at the end of time, Valerie has the right face for all occasions.
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May 5, 2023 07:09
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Finally reading up on this(so expect  , an oversized post), and already Oh Yeah what the gently caress is this balance and plot, like I've roughly known the plot goes bonkers before but actually seeing it is bogglingThe Duelist's Field Spell animation reminds me of Bakugan honestly, specifically the motion used for "setting" a Gate Card in the anime Its hilarious how many of the animations are just 2020 assets(Sometimes strange ones, like Quick Hack now uses Airsoft Training instead of the Plug-in) Also for a funny thought: The True Draco/True King archetype in Yugioh relies on Tribute Summoning disgusting monsters using on-field Spells and Traps, and Judgement consumes 3 Traps The choice to change the model proportions is... strange, and it really shows on the 2020 designs where like, they become exceedingly Leggy The time-travel explanation given when you first get real permission to rescue folks is... hoo boy "New time-points just causes split timelines" would work if they left it at that, but we just got off a side-quest implying a closed timeloop, and we continue on to also imply a closed timeloop by just vanishing the whole kingdom, like its really unclear what they mean here and as you say, if its a pure fixed point issue, we've been cutting this dragon extraction plan real drat close but no, we've done Stable Time Loops, Split-timelines, and now Back to the Future-esque casuality ripples about FISH, MAKE UP YOUR loving MIND GAME I wonder about the smudge of Nyala's name, the Dragonslayer absolutely was used against Nyala a second time in the "original" timeline, since we needed to tear that wing asunder for Nyala's other appearances, and of course, DS occurs even further in the future, and if killing Nyala DEAD had such ripples, thats on a level of "actually paradox ourselves and Nodens out of existence" because it would rewrite the events of facing Fomalhaut as well, why the gently caress is this all in OPTIONAL SIDEQUESTS, ALLIE HOW DO YOU JUST LAUGH THIS OFF and also why do Unit 13 or Allie remember paradox-deleted details like a fish genus or Nyala's name? Dragon stuff I guess? An explanation of the Portal that... is just a bit too scant on info to justify itself, if you worded it differently it'd make more sense why we couldn't arrive earlier(eg make it clear its a critical level of Dragon Entropy, not merely the presence of such), but also the wording.... is contradictory to the idea that time passes in synch between time periods? Juli, come on man, also lul split-timeline junk except we've visibly seen paradoxes rippling through history, like even if we accept that we've already branched timelines, paradoxes also still apply The Dragonslayer Atlantis is intriguing as a piece of asset reuse, cause in a better game(with actually localized 2020s), there coulda been some actual work spent linking it to Takehaya's flight, the insistent on calling it a sword is probably a misread of "blade" in translation What the gently caress, sure, okay, hide like half the field skills in the game on random NPCs Ladyin... tectonic shifts mayb..... we still haven't answered how an entire TECTONIC PLATE VANISHED in 2100 so uhh, paradoxes? It feels like we're accelerating into the like, inverse of FF13-2, where instead of fixing paradoxes to progress, we're just rampantly causing them to advance, thank goodness no Time Cops exist... actually wait I just noticed a HUGE PROBLEM WITH THIS PLOT: VFD CAN'T EXIST IN THE PRESENT, if VFD existed, the World is Doomed, end of Story, but if VFD is defeated, thats it, Dragons Done, end of story, so Eden, Haze, 7D1, all could not exist on any level, I hope the boys enjoyed their speedrun of the 7th Dragon 2020-III gameplay cycle though Weird how the game seems inconsistent on whether or not the Lucier of The Second Tokyo Calamity are a known factor, some of the lines seeming to not acknowledge them at all when discussing bringing the Atlanteans in, and then there's a whole book pointing them out, I guess all sidequest lore is noncanon? Even when its made up of canon lore? Also depression noises that the Lucier of the United Era hide themselves as refugees from humanity, what a loving depressing turnaround from 2020-II Banisher looks sick: For when your RPG doesn't have enough Gunlance, also somehow we never had a Dragon Slash move in the series, whacky Okay I understand that somewhere in all this we clarified that True Dragons are conceptual beings(I think it was 2020 Illusory Capital? Emel and Aytel were clarifying that Nyala isn't Dead Dead?), and the Hypnos Spirits are effectively concepts given form, but "refuses to die because angy ghost" didn't qualify as pinnacle of evolution to me... I guess it is the coalesced form of an entire planet though, and with Aytel's connection to her sanity and humanity breaking.... well there goes the "Will" that defines humanity apart from the "instinct" of Dragons, she even has the same eyes as a certain Murakumo Lady did There's always something chilling about erasure like that....... shattered her own heart, destroyed her connection to her own concept... and then had what little remained drowned in wrath... Hypnos being Aytel and Emel's bodies stabbed together while also having draconization similar to Takehaya and Mizuchi going on is very appropriate as a design, oh and she's actually dangerous, 10/10, an actual boss holy poo poo I think that was Trinitro's 2020-II Fomalhaut ghoul model, not his 2020 model, not that it mattered, GEORGE!, honestly Tower Dragons shoulda been in the party-split segment, make you real drat grateful for Buddy Attacks afterwards Nagamimi posted:"I'm a mega-cute Nagamimi-type alien life form! How many times do I have to tell you before it finally gets through your thick skull!?" There's the weirdest punchline to a single one-off line two games ago that nobody would get anyway, but my loser son is cool anyway, BLASTER RAVEN! Also just going to ISDF dot com and looking for "Illegal books that are totally noncanon everyone no lore here" sure was easy, the ISDF continues to prove deeply incompetent D-Install and the whole matter there seems like some peak  type decision work that will definitely never go wrongOh wait, more Yuma being an idiot, Akutsu continues to slam , this continues to go wronghuh, the EX Skill Dragon is on the D-Counter, the Tower Draggy in 2020 for Destroyer's EX wasn't, I guess its more understandable when you're likely to have every class in your parties The age matter is hosed, Ulania being treated as an adult at 16 is whatever on its own, Eigur is treated similarly considering he was a military leader previously, and its not that strange for a fantasy medieval monarchy, but Mio feels almost like they rewrote her age later, since she's treated more like 16~17 most of the time, and Yoritomo gives us the practically nonsensical implication that she somehow heard from her Mom about Nodens at Age 1, since 12 years ago is when Mom passed away based on the bento comments, if I was to guess, they wanted her to be younger than the player(and/or echo the NAVs of 2020), and the general age of a number of the younger portraits like Samurai F-A is mid-teens(or Duelist, which could be anywhere from 10-14), and then the date stuff is just uuuuuugh gross Betchu they turned off the lights so that legacy players would be less able to see that the whole place is just the Diet Invasion models but with Pink instead of Black Bloom, instead of actually 100 year old areas, they even have the blast doors on the elevator still... and that fight against Yuma was lame, however it does open a funny door: If we gave up right after splatting Yuma, ND's gambit fails, she survives, and VFD never incarnates, sure humanity is extinct but now ND's gambit can presumably never resolve, as some of the True Dragons are completely gone, and thus raising a new 7th is impossible, though there's still a number of "Hows" to this whole project, since Future Eden somehow existed, also what if we just decided to not use the Chronicle at all? She spoiled her endgame so we knew it was a trap... Annnnd the final Dungeon is just the Crystarium from FF13? What a lame way to represent an eldritch hyper-space crucible of all and nothing, you couldn't even spring for giving us re-stats of all the dragons and mobs? We seriously just get our third(unlisted, we decided Alpha/Beta was overrated after the single try at the beginning of the game) variant of the Fly Dragonicas, and some Iron Rosier and Demon Dragons? Apologies for the nonsense lorge post, catching up and Many Thoughts because this game is barely held together, Valerie pls vaporize the concept of ultimateness already.... also wait who the gently caress is gonna open Postgame? Nagamimi? Gonna be interesting to find out
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May 6, 2023 08:43
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Update LXXXII - Featuring: Aiden's Magical Satellite Cannon Music: Final Battle - Grateful Seventh   Since GEORGE! was in the front when the route split started, Opal's team gets the next segment.   *pant* *pant* *pant* I-I need a sample, now~... I n-need to do... research~. How exciting... *pant*   Are you prepared, Unit 13? A knight must always have proper equipment for any situation.  Holy poo poo Nagiri actually gets be part of the plot. All it took was her dying! There is no need to worry, Nagiri. Unit 13 did save Eden, after all. Plus, we've got someone from Kazan, someone from Aizhen... And even the brains of Eden! *giggle* There's no way we can lose! Now, let us go! *nods* The Hope of Eden is identical to the Future of Atlantis we got last time. A full party 80 LF revive.  The second segment of the party split takes place, you guessed it, in the same set of loops as before. Just this time we're on whichever loop Team 2 didn't cover.    Thankfully Valerie got most of the fliers, so there shouldn't be too many for Opal to deal with.  Now, I could painstakingly cover what I do in these fights since Opal can't just instantly win in a single move.  But let's be real here, I'm just using the same strat Team 1 has been using since Atlantis. Opal sets up for a Quartetto, Yuno goes for  I go nab a flying dragon.       The Toughness Medal gives +5 DEF/MDF and 3% Evade. For reference the Guard Ring I gives 3 DEF/MDF, and could be bought at the very start of the game.   And a barrier dragon to finish this floor off.            Just think, we still have GEORGE!'s segment after this!    Oh good, just a bit longer and Opal can go back to the bench.  Our path leads to the same central platform Valerie ended up at, but Haze moved in after Nyala got got.                Your foolish struggles mean nothing to me... This will not go the same as it did before, impudent insects!  Video: VS Haze (Again) Music: True Dragon - 1st Encount  It's Haze. He has 13K LF but he's still the same guy we fought in Chapter 4. He doesn't even get a token new move like Nyala did.  The only thing of note is that Aiden's satellite cannon is completely unchanged, despite the Earth no longer existing.  I know I rag on Opal's team a lot for not having a delete button like Valerie or GEORGE!, but even they can casually kill a boss in three turns.  Music: Finish Them Off  Music: Final Battle - Grateful Seventh     And Iod appears once again. Meaning he showed up on this platform for Valerie, left, then immediately came back to spew words at Opal.   You cling to the slightest semblance of intracerebral stimulation, and in doing so, offer your life to it. How can such an impertinent seedling resist evolution and choose to hunt dragons instead...? Emotion is our strength. There's a limit to what you can achieve with physical might alone~. However, when those with different abilities come together, a new power is born. It is possible for us to think this way only because of our emotions. We can change when the need arises. And so... we shall not lose!~ Emotion isn't a weakness. Correct, Unit 13. Alone, humans are weak. However, that is why we have the power to think and feel. With the emotional support of our teammates, we can solve problems that we could not conquer alone. It is because of this emotional aspect to us that we pose questions, and perform research. And through that, we can create a better future... So in order to realize that future... we won't lose~!~~    It is their will that brought you here... Unit 13, humans are foolish beings that are easily moved by unstable emotions. That much is true. However... Emotion is a bond. That bond is what gives humanity strength... It gives humans the ability to change the world.Even the Hypnos sisters get to show up!   ... If that determination, shared by those among you, is truthfully what brought you to this place... Then I wish to witness the climax for myself. Humans or dragons... Who shall remain...? Go... Try to surpass fate... evolution... and the imminent end...   A teleporter shows up after we beat Haze.   And finally, we have GEORGE!'s segment of the party split.   Or not, the split just ends with no fanfare. I mean, who could they even use as a boss for GEORGE!'s segment? We just confirmed that Emel and Aytel are part of us, so we can't fight Hypnos. Yuma went out regretting what he did, so no chance of fighting him. And we literally just fought ND, and even the devs aren't crazy enough to make us fight her this soon. Fomalhaut is Sir Not Appearing In This Game, so he's also out.    *nods* Oh, you guys managed to find each other again. Nice job. I can sense VFD nearby. Don't let your guard down now.And after the party split is...  Even more loops!  I'm just going to speed through this, there's literally no change from the other floors.  Dinosauri are literally just Tyrannosaurus with a stat buff. It feels good to have GEORGE! back.            Guess what, more loops!    Red Wyverns pick up Daunting Roar to slap the party with 0.5x SPD for three turns and are mostly the same as other Wyverns otherwise. Also, their version of Sonic Boom is flagged as ATK-based for whatever reason, while every other Wyvern type dragon has theirs set as MAT-based.   They can barely survive Earthquake if damage variance favors them.   All the dragons here need to be baited.        The fact that this place actually has a different name means that we've finally reached the end. An icositetrahedron is a polyhedron with 24 faces, if you're curious.   A Massive Dragon's moveset doesn't matter. What does matter is that they have enough health to survive Earthquake plus the chip damage from Thomas and Vivian.  This is the first non-sidequest dragon that can actually make GEORGE! fight for two turns since he got Earthquake!     Unlike every other pair of loops, this one has a connecting path instead of a teleporter.    There's something in the middle.   Guess what!  That was the very last normal dragon in the game! We are now 100% capped out on Dz.   And this is the end of Grateful Seventh. Next time: VFD.
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May 9, 2023 03:21
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And now I actually have to wonder what VFD looks like, despite the surroundings, it can't be a rainbow, we've already seen that and those assets can't be reused, for technical reasons.
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May 9, 2023 04:13
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Haze is not really that much different here. Aside from the obligatory stat boost, the only real change is that Hyper Shell only reduces damage by 20% instead of 50% since there's no backlines anymore. Oh and his AI got truncated. Which is a buff for him since he uses his deadlier moves more often.BisbyWorl posted:
By the way, if you don't loot their bodies for some reason during this time, all these items will be permanently lost once you reach chapter 7, as the recreation of Tokyo doesn't have these items out on the balcony.
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May 9, 2023 04:41
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Update LXXXIII - Featuring: The 7th Dragon Music: Final Battle - Grateful Seventh  After 255 dragons, the time has finally come to kill the biggest, baddest dragon of them all.     We are nearing the end. I place my faith in you, Unit 13! You'll be fine~! You have my word, as the brains of Eden~! You're not afraid, are ya? We've overcome this sorta thing a bunch of times already, right? Unit 13... This seems to be as far as we shall be able to help you... However, you have no reason to fear. We shall be with you at all times. *nods* I will impart the prayers of humanity... upon you.  This heal is 100% pointless, considering there's a save spot not even 10 seconds away.   And here's VFD's... egg?   I have absolutely zero clue why this area is marked as being both Atlantica and Grateful Seventh VFD. The Uplands were the very first area in Atlantica, if it helps.  We also have one final Dragonsbane color: pure white.    And VFD is... a giant Dragonsbane seed growing out of a dead dragon? This is actually a really rad design. Literally something new growing out of the remains of the old, perfectly encapsulating VFD's whole deal.  Music: Dragon of Creation and Destruction       Domination... is the law of this universe... You too shall be absorbed... We shall create... a new... future... I'm going to protect everyone!Both options give the same result.  Humanity... is the greatest power within... this universe... I wish to absorb... the entropy... of humanity... Let's beat this bastard, and take back our future!    For the first time, the game actually lets you pick who fights on the fly instead of defaulting to Team 1!  Y'all already know who's taking this.  You're given one last chance to make sure you got the right team.  Video: VS VFD (Phase 1)   VFD's first phase (because obviously the final boss in a JRPG has multiple phases) comes in with 13K LF.  You may be wondering why I'm using Moon Stance instead of Solid Stance. The answer is that I don't care about Vivian's damage and VFD has a lot of very scary ailments on hand. Moon Stance's aggro effect will help keep GEORGE! from getting nailed at a bad time. If Vivian lasts long enough to land a hit I'll considering a nice bonus.    Case in point: Brain Strike with its 100% chance of Charm. If I didn't give GEORGE! and Vivian resists, I'd be down two people, end of discussion. And since there are so many ailments in this fight, (VFD's first phase alone has Charm, Burn, Curse, Downer, and Blind) you have to spread out your resists so you can't just slap on a few Cuts and call it good.    Thomas is here to be an item caddy, throwing out Dragon Hatchlings after every EX to keep GEORGE! going throughout every phase.  Vajra Whip is the move you want to see. Just three small hits on one target with no added ailments.      Not shown are Sandila Ray (full party attack with 60% chance of Burn), Samsara Break (full party attack with a 100% chance of Curse, Blind, and Downer), and Replenish. (1.25x MAT buff with a 40% break chance) The funny thing about Samsara Break is that the Curse on it has 300% backlash, making even a glancing blow from your own guys utterly obliterate themselves, but the Blind cuts accuracy by 90% so you'll never actually land a hit in the first place.  Music: Finish Them Off  Only the final phase gives XP/SP, so no banking on a mid-final boss level up to fully heal someone. This also makes it very important that everyone is standing at the end of the fight if you plan to use different teams, as a dead party member in the back can't contribute to support actions and will lock out Unison as a result. Music: Dragon of Creation and Destruction     VFD's second form is... Chaos Sonicadventure's dragonsona.    The end has been decided... Both for this universe, and for humanity.   Oh no, the dreaded Cutscene Laser!  Music: Battlefield - The Hunter     And yet, you are the hope of humanity. Please, stand up. The game plays the health recovery sound here, but any damaged teams stay damaged.      When two helices converge upon these coordinates...   Video: VS VFD (Phase 2) Music: Dragon of Creation and Destruction   VFD's second phase has another 13K LF.  Thanks, Vivian.       It's amazing how reliable this plan is.     Reeeeeeeeeeeally showing off here, VFD. Not seen are Abyssal Touch (single target attack with 40% chance of Skill Seal and 100% chance of Curse), Astral Whip (6 hits on the entire party), Nirvana Invitation (single target attack with 60% chance of Paralysis), Nirvana Shine (full party attack with a 60% chance of Downer and Confusion), and Self-Recovery (15% LF heal).      Music: Finish Them Off  Music: Dragon of Creation and Destruction      And VFD's final form is... just a dragon with four wings. Like, come on! We're fighting the ultimate dragon that's been born of ourselves in a metaphysical manifestation of the very concept of dragons! Do something unique! Make VFD some hosed up half-dragon/half-human amalgamation as it tries to create its final form with missing information! But no, the final boss of the entire series looks like a hopped up High Dragon    That is the law... It cannot be broken. Your ancient race... It shall perish. And it hits us with another Cutscene Laser! Music: Stops   Music: A Tale of Men and Dragons (code:VFD Ver.)       You taught us that... when you connected the past, present, and future. More than just collecting dragon specimens. We were able to overcome despair in each time period... We were able to believe in the hope of humanity... We... will never lose to dragons! That's what I believe. I know I'll be able to laugh with you again one day, Opal...      Don't underestimate humanity!Again, both give the same result.    Video: VS VFD (Phase 3) Music: VFD ─ Vicarius Filii Dei  And there it is, the meaning of VFD. Vicarius Filii Dei means Vicar of the Son of God, which is... the Pope. Why is the Seventh True Dragon the Pope? Is there a dragon god somewhere? Does it worship evolution? Iod? What? But wait, it gets deeper! Reading the title as roman numerals turns it into 666, the number of the beast, which also shows up-  As the number of dragons in the very first game!  VFD's third and final form finishes things off with a slightly higher 16K LF. Chika and Rika had 18K combined, remember.  I haven't been savescumming these, by the way. GEORGE! has been naturally popping War Cry at the most climatic moments.     Prismatic Stream is VFD's opener, with a 35% chance of Petrify, 40% chance of Blind, and 70% chance of Poison.       20% chance of Death.   And just enough MN to finish the fight.  Music: Finish Them Off  Music: None   And VFD just... goes back to form 1?  What...? It's back to its first form!? There's no end! *shakes head* Music: ChRøNiClESeVeN (code：VFD Ver.)         And since we, you know, don't have a fresh Dragonslayer on hand, Opal just pulls one out of nowhere with no setup in advance.     Music: None   The universe is completely empty. It's a blank slate... Now, Opal! What kind of world do you desire?    Next time: The end. BisbyWorl fucked around with this message at 09:27 on Jul 18, 2023 |
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May 12, 2023 01:58
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 It's just a normal-rear end dragon!Yeah uh, after the ethereal first 2 forms, and all the other true dragons in the series, most of which you've seen in this very game, this design comes off as... mundane.  VFD's stats. These are for forms 3, 2, and 1, respectively. quote:VFD (LV. 65/61) Form 1 has a mostly fixed pattern. Samasara Break is its special attack, which it uses after some turns and if it doesn't have a MAT buff broken in time. That being said the anti synergy between the curse and blind is hilarious. quote:VFD (LV. 66/62) Form 2 uses a random AI, and Bisby actually got fairly lucky with how often it landed on it spamming basic attacks. quote:-If counter 0 is at 3: Yeah that's a 1 in 31.25 chance of that happening. It's supposed to do other things but yeah. It also will spend the turns right after falling below 75% and 45% HP using Self-Recovery, then attacking. Except if your burst damage is big enough, you can just essentially stunlock it for those turns and kill it quickly. quote:VFD (LV. 68/64) VFD's final form will spend its first two turns using Prismatic Stream, and then 3 basic attacks. Unless you knock it below 70% HP, in which case it goes to phase 2 immediately. From there it has a fixed rotation of attacks. Given this game and its sheer power creep, it's not a particularly remarkable boss fight other than getting to use all 3 teams I suppose.
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May 12, 2023 02:38
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It's not a real JRPG unless you have a fistfight with the pope, warranted or not. Pulling the dragonslayer out of nowhere would have made sense for Opal, to a degree, since she is effectively becoming a dragon, except that she's the player character and as such the player should have some awareness of those capabilities, on account of playing her, because she's a stand-in and not her own character. It would have been a better role for Yuma.
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May 12, 2023 03:18
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Update LXXXIV - Featuring: Not time travel So, what's the end result of hijacking the creation of a new universe?  Music: The Daily Grind   The same as the old universe, of course!  I'd like to make it clear that this isn't more time travel. We made a new world that's just 99% identical to the old one.      ...We didn't.   Oh god we did. Somehow we turned Nagamimi from an alien rabbit plushie into a tiny anime girl. I think the only time the game used a gendered term for Nagamimi before this, period, was when she sarcastically called herself Nagamommy at the very end of Intermission 2.  Who? Are you deaf!? I told you, I'm the Almighty Nagamimi! W-Wait... What's that look for? Just what are you looking at!? This is all your goddamn fault!~ You're smoking'! ~~~!? Wh—What're you thinking about, pervert!? It's your goddamn fault I look like this!~~ You did it, Unit 13. You beat VFD, and saved this planet... You steered us away from the end. You honestly did really well Opal. *nods* But... things aren't quite back to normal, as you can prolly tell. literally 10 seconds ago posted:Then why is it still called Nodens. Nodens is just a plain old game company. Allie doesn't exist. Neither do Chika and Rika. The Dragon Sickness is completely gone, too. More importantly... Nobody seems to remember who you are. I know... Depressing, huh?And I guess the reason Nagamimi is now a tiny anime girl is because there's no logical way for her to be on Earth as she was with no dragons around? No dragons, no way her home planet gets razed, no ND to take her in and bring her here, so she had to have her history revised to be an Earthling instead. Sure hope Nagamimi didn't have anyone she missed back home! *shakes head* I'm just happy to have saved them. Is that so...? Heh! You guys are really too much! How can you be that easy-going!?~ Nope. I have my cute Nagamimi now. S-Sure... I guess that's better than nothing. I made a proper record of your bravery. I couldn't forget it even if I wanted to.~~ It seems like the effect was greater on the people who were closer to dragons... But you should go see the others. See with your own two eyes what's been lost, and what's been gained. I'll be waiting here. Feel free to come back if you get lonely.Time for the time honored 7th Dragon tradition:  Running around and talking to everyone one last time before the credits.  Of course, even this is incredibly slimmed down compared to the others. No dragons means no time machine or refugees means the only people here are a handful of civilians and the Nodens employees.  ~ Bartender: New encounters may either create new possibilities, or destroy them... ~ Skilled Man: 7th Encount... Maybe now I can reach the top of the leaderboards. And since we, you know, utterly erased all the events of the game, we don't get any congratulations for saving the world.  The cats are still here though.   What even is 7th Encount about, now that dragons don't exist?  Hell, this whole ending just raises more questions than it answers the moment you dig into it.  ~ Jealous Man: I wish I had a girlfriend... What's the state of the world in the new universe? If things are identical to how it was before, what happened to human population to keep it so low?  Is life now heading to a dead end, now that there are no dragons to seed barren planets with new life?  What kind of butterfly effect made the otaku never get into anime?  Where are the other party members? Did they just get beamed off to whatever nebulous place they inhabited before we recruited them? Hell, is Opal still the 7th True Dragon?  Despite Nodens being a totally normal game company here, Akutsu came in for a visit.  This is literally the first time we see him in person.  Nice to meet you. Ah, are you an employee here? Great timing. Could you call President Julietta down here? He is immeasurably late...~ Where are Yoritomo and Yuma? Yoritomo is out with his daughter somewhere, but... Things we were able to do when remaking reality: Turning Nagamimi into a tiny anime girl. Things we were not able to do: Bring back Yuma. one chapter ago posted:Sucks to suck, Yuma! ~~  At least it looks like Yoritomo never abandoned Mio in this timeline.  How long does he plan on making me wait? He is the one who requested we meet about coastal reconstruction. It has been 80 years since the disaster, yet the world is still recovering. We cannot waste time!Oh so something did happen in 2020 here. Please excuse me.   ~ Receptionist: Welcome to Nodens Games!  Job Seeker: No! I can't be such a coward... Nodens games gave me courage! I should be fine!    Attendant Kureha: Although... you seem to be pretty knowledgeable already.   We're not allowed in the Portal room.  And the only people in the storage room were refugees.  So the entire floor is empty.  Developer Kirk: I wonder what kind of reaction they'll have! I can't wait to find out!      I'd like to point out that we aren't Nodens employees in this universe and Julietta is in charge. They just let random strangers waltz in to the President's office.   I'm Opal. Ah... And... what is it you want?~ Hey, Jurota. Wh-What!? H-Hold on... Who are you?~~  Do you remember Allie?Both give the same result. Allie...? I've never heard that name before. Is she one of your little playmates? *nods* I see... Hm... Allie... Allie... I honestly don't know, though... hearing the name is somehow nostalgic for me... *sob* *sniffle*Oh, so this is one of those 'in case of emergency, invoke Power of Friendship' kinds of amnesia.  I've been working on a fun little experiment. I'd like to point out that Nodens is a normal game company now. And Julietta treats making a time machine like he can do it in an afternoon and happily blabs to someone he doesn't know.  As you do. The world will change completely once I finish it... I believe in the power of science... and the power of humanity. No matter what, humans continue to grow. By connecting the past and the future to the present time, I'll be able to prove that theory. It'll be a huge step forward if today's experiment goes well. I hope you come see it, cutie! *chuckle* Look forward to it★ The implication here is that Julietta will use his time machine, connect to Atlantis and Eden, (Somehow. There's no True Dragon for the time machine to lock onto anymore so how will he pick those years over all the others?) and then we'll be able to reunite with all our friends. Of course, given how something happened 80 years ago in place of the Dragon Invasion, it stands to reason that more somethings end up destroying Atlantis and the world before Eden so they can still line up with the old universe's history.  Do you think those deaths would be on Opal's hands now, as the one who made the world this way?    System Message: You don't recognize any of the voices within...   I bet the dorms are to entice employees to work ungodly amounts of overtime without having to leave the office to sleep in this universe.  In our room, there's a shiny object sitting just past the couch.  System Message: Yuma, Allie, everyone from Atlantis and Eden... They are all clearly visible.  We aren't allowed to mess with the party, naturally.  There's no one on the Rest Floor.       Despite Nodens being filled with cats, Nyadens is nowhere to be found.  Nurse Maimai: Hm? Oh, I'm talking about vitamin shots! Vitamin D is great for office workers!  Doctor Hori: It's thanks to Professor Nagumo that we can hold our own even against large hospitals. Wait...  He's here too!?   I'm Opal. Hm... I see. That's a nice name.~ Where's Mio? Mio...? Are you a friend of hers? She went out shopping...~~  How about Dragon Sickness? Um... What exactly is that?~ And Yuma? Yuma...? Hm...~~  ... I... I don't know... All I can say for now is... Thank you... Opal. Overworked Planner: N-No...! They're here... *mumble* ~ Nurse Marimari: Please get a hold of yourself! Nobody is coming to get you! The one-two punch of energy drinks and sleep deprivation must've put him over the edge...     Have you noticed that the Restricted Section itself is never used at any point in the game?  Also Kirino's hideout is still here.       And just one more floor to go.  Researcher Marie: The mission should be saving lots of cats so you can open a cat cafe. What a wasted opportunity... In the old universe those things in the tubes were dragon specimens. What the gently caress are they here? Decor?   Researcher Joe: This is the fate of an office worker... Even after I got his favorite hero's autograph...  Ami: It took three months to make, but I'm thrilled with the result! It just looks so... delicious!  Marco: Maybe it descended from space...? I can't wait to analyze it.   And we're done!  Talking to Nagamimi lets you move on to the credits.   First option sends you back, naturally. I'm finished. Had enough? The world's changed a hell of a lot, huh? A few people seem to have some fragments of your existence in their memories. If not everything about the old world is gone, maybe Allie and Yuma are out there somewhere, too... But I guess it's not impossible... Meaning... the will of humanity can shape the future of this planet. *nods* Eeheehee... I don't know what kinda! party she was planning, but she seemed real excited.   *giggle* I need to be ready for when they come back. Don't worry so much, dad~! Hrm... My apologies... *giggle* You don't need to be sorry! You're so weird, dad. Music: Stops        Video: The End        Music: ChRøNiClESeVeN     And that's the game!  In hindsight, maybe they should have cut back on the number of voice actors.  Battle team, you hosed up. You hosed up big.  Monolith Soft worked on VFD????  I can't even find Pixel Pocket Co., but they were probably subcontractors hired to help make the levels.  Considering how little NPC dialogue changed across the game, I bet that was a revolving door of people. 2020-II had just 4, for comparison.  Honestly, there are a lot of separate companies being credited here, more than I usually see in a game. I wonder if they were having to bring in a bunch of contractors by the end just to get across the finish line.         Next time: The payoff to all those Yu-Gi-Oh jokes. BisbyWorl fucked around with this message at 09:33 on Jul 18, 2023 |
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May 16, 2023 03:17
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GEORGE! returned to his home planet, planet muscle. he'll be back in like a week
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May 16, 2023 03:29
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If you're wondering why the gently caress Nagamimi suddenly turned into an anime girl, according to the artbook, Nagamimi went through a bunch of designs before they settled on the Hacker's rabbit doll look. But one of her original designs was going to be the human version guiding you throughout the story, not the rabbit doll. Which unsettled a few dev team members seeing it speak when it was implemented. I guess they didn't want the design to go to waste, so they just stuffed it into the ending. Which is why it inexplicably happens. Funnily enough the character designer, Shirow Miwa, had no idea the human look was only going to be used in the ending. As a result, he ended up making some promotional artwork of the game with human Nagamimi in it during the pre-release period. Whoops! So this walkaround is considerably more depressing than the other 3 games' ending walkarounds. Sure the dragons are gone, but at the cost of everything else that was built up through the game. Even your party members poofed out of existence for some reason! Needless to say this did not gel well with more than a few people. Anyways that sure was a video game. What an odd product.
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May 16, 2023 04:09
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Valerie died, and nobody will know of her greatness. Please everyone, a moment of silence for our eternal tragic heroine, Valerie.
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May 16, 2023 04:37
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Ratoslov posted:Valerie died, and nobody will know of her greatness. Please everyone, a moment of silence for our eternal tragic heroine, Valerie. Oh I wouldn't be so sure. Who do you think destroyed Atlantis with no Dragons around?
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May 16, 2023 10:08
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I'm kinda impressed the game reached a finish line and a release, it feels like an ending got cut for costing too much and they tried using existing assets to rush out a less costly one. A good joke ending would have been desert Earth because no one came around to set up life on it.
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May 16, 2023 16:34
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Boy, yeah, with no dragons around, what could possibly have happened in the year 2020 to decimate the human population? It'd have to be something really bad, I mean, in 2020, most of the human race was killed by Dragon Sickness, and it's not like a normal Earth disease could affect that many people globally, especially with all the extensive and very competent safeguards we have in place against such an event. Yes I know VFD couldn't have predicted COVID, but it's still a weird coincidence. By the way Nodens is probably just named after the Elder God from the Lovercraft Mythos now. The Elder Gods were as close to "good guys" as the mythos got, so it doesn't not work.
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May 16, 2023 19:35
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7D2020 has one character going "let's party like it's 2019" and it wasn't supposed to hit that accurately.
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May 16, 2023 20:05
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My final conclusion of the plot: This was all an elaborate excuse to decide that Dragons are just made of Getter Rays, nothing makes any sense because Getter confounds all logic until it consumes the universe
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May 17, 2023 06:38
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Happy birthday to this LP! 
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May 17, 2023 14:49
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Update LXXXV - Featuring: 4Kids Entertainment Music: The Daily Grind  Loading our save after beating the game dumps us in Quantum Nodens.  Normally, the only thing we'd get here is access to the bonus dungeon. But if you'll recall- Music: Let's Get to Work!!  -We've had those two DLC quests taunting us for the entire game.   Ummm, so this one is from... someone called... Blaster Boy? I have a handwritten request letter here, so I'll read it out to you. Dear Unit 13, Blaster Raven told me to give you a super secret document. Please come get it. From, Blaster Boy A.K.A. Fumiya. I wonder if this is some kind of prank. He's waiting in the Main Plaza, so could you go see him?Music: The Daily Grind  We'll have to wait a bit longer for Allie's Death March. That's a post-post-game boss rush and will happily tear us to shreds if we tried it now.  Fumiya: Earth Squadron, Blaster Boy! The! Sidekick! Is! Here! Unit 13! Thank you for coming! I am Blaster Raven's partner, Blaster Boy! Are you sure nobody followed you?   Fumiya: I handed it to you, which means my mission is complete! Blaster Raven said it was really important! What does it say? System Message: Do you want to read the document?  Do not read the document. Fumiya: What!? Read it, read it! As you might expect, choosing to read it just skips this bit. System Message: Unit 13. There is something I'd like to give you.   I'm not even going to remark on how the soulless quantum automatons are doing this, this is DLC.  Music: UE77 Tokyo  Ahhhhh, look at that sweet, sweet zero.  And the bonus dungeon is the Shadow Realm. In the game that has the Yu-Gi-Oh class. They had to have known what they were doing.  But before we can head there, we have to go check in with Kirino. Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals  Did you know the only teleporter in the Vermilion Tower is about 75% through the dungeon?   I took a wrong turn and had to backtrack to find my way up.  It sucked!  And Kirino is waiting at the very spot his former boss died, some 80 years ago. Shame there's no official way for a western player to know that.   *chuckle* That's enough joking... Today, I'd like to talk to you not as Blaster Raven, but as Ayafumi Kirino. Ultimately, we were absorbed by ISDF and dismantled... but I still remember those days. And I still remember my precious friends... The legendary Unit 13 who saved this world. I'd like you, who carry on their name, to accept this. And then he gives us-  -a weapon upgrade- You obtained Ranbu Sanzanzakura x1. You obtained Indra x1. You obtained God Knuckle x1. You obtained Volume X x1. You obtained Odin x1. You obtained Yggdrasil x1. You obtained Staff of the End x1. You obtained Heat X x1. -for every weapon type in the game. Just pay $2 (when the 3DS eShop was still alive) and endgame power can be yours!  Only you can cut the chain of sadness created by dragons. You may even save the world.I wonder if the DLC was planned to unlock earlier at some point, considering you can't do this without saving the world. *nods* Thank you. And... I'm sorry for forcing such a heavy burden upon you. *shakes head* Thank you... By the way, how is Mio doing?Currently dead, thanks for asking.  How do you know about her?Both give the same result.  Her predecessors, Miroku and Mina were... important teammates to Murakumo. So to me, Mio is almost like a child... Well, she's more like a grandchild. That's why, at the very least, I wish for her to be happy. You're a great hero. I'm no hero. I'm just an old man who's outlived his peers. But... it makes me glad to hear you say that. Thank you. ~ I'll help you. Ah, yes. Mio is... no longer alone.~~ *chuckle* You are the true hero. I've decided... I will lend you the aid of my Blaster Kids! Oh, and we get a new character portrait after you've spent the entire game getting attached to your party.  Hahaha... Hahahahaha! Music: The Daily Grind  We then get kicked straight back to Nodens to turn the quest in. Fumiya: Earth Squadron, Blaster Boy! The! Sidekick! Is! Here! Good work on your secret mission, Unit 13! Here, have this!   You obtained Dragon Hatchling x3. You obtained SP Up EX x5.   So, that portrait we got from Kirino?  Is Blaster Raven himself.  He even comes in multiple colors!  If anyone has earned the right to change their look, it's GEORGE!.  And with all that done, we can finally get started on the Shadow Realm. Music: Forfeit - The Dragon Inquires  It's literally just reused maps from across the game, but I can't hold that against VFD. Every bonus dungeon in the series has been like that.   Our good friend Iod is waiting by the front entrance.  All the previous bonus dungeons in the series were non-canon. The Shadow Realm is very, very canon. This raises many questions on how the hell we got here, considering post-game takes place before the end of the game and the Shadow Realm takes place after. It is a shadow realm, so to speak. None other than you can see it. Do you wish to discover the truth? And as is standard, we have to shell out a massive chunk of Dz in order to get in.  It is time. You shall witness the truth of this new universe.   Up first is the bottom of Ladyin. Music: Battlefield - Ultimate Predator  As is also standard, all normal enemies here are upgraded dragons. The first area has Frilled Dragons, Morph Dragons, Ice Dragons, and Dark Ones. At least we're finally free from Battlefield - UE77.  We've already seen these places, so I'm sure you won't mind if I just skip past them.  There's a save by the door to Nyala's room.  Which leads... to Nyala's room.  They're really having us fight Nyala three times in one game.  But instead of just Throwing GEORGE! At It, I decide to do something a bit more fun.  I head back to the dorms.  And shuffle my team around a bit.  My goal for this fight is to see how Counters.Party fares in the hyperaggressive world of VFD.  Video: VS Nyala (Again) (Again) Music: True Dragon - 1st Encount   The Illusory Dragon King comes in with 14K LF, just 3K above what he had in Grateful Seventh. The catch is that he has close to 100 more ATK/MAT and double SPD, making him far more deadly.    I'm not even hacking with this, I just want some safe turns to set up.   If the hack would, you know, actually stun him.      There we go.   And a perfectly timed Cheetah Burst to finish setting up!    While this is fun and all, it would be faster to just point GEORGE! at him.   And now we begin.    Unfortunately for Counters.Party, Agent is a mixed attacking class and has about 30 less ATK than Tricksters did in 2020. As the first step in damage calculation is ATK - DEF, this heavily cuts down on Bush Traps damage. The loss of auto-crits also hurts.         Look, I'm actually making serious use of React turns!    Again!   oh btw he has enough atk to one shot Opal through an atk debuff and def buff so counters.party actually sucks rear end here This is why I needed to use Aiden's EX move to set up, I had several failed attempts where Nyala just waltzed up and ended someone while I was still applying buffs.  lol his rear end got stopped cold    Well not like I can counter when he can't move.    Music: Forfeit - The Dragon Inquires  In the 2020 bonus dungeons the Hypnos sisters would give you some background exposition as you beat bosses. Here, Iod's just gonna vomit words at us. All of these are contained within this shadow... This parallel realm born from the great restructuring. No life exists here. Everything you encounter is merely an echo...  Next time: Haze takes nowhere near as long.
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May 19, 2023 03:49
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 And now the post-game. Nyala's skills aren't much different from his previous fights. True Dragon Meteor got set back to 5x damage since you have buddy skills again. The biggest change is that Nyala is no longer lobotomized. His AI straight up uses the 2020 version when he was a final boss, so he's at his prime here. He also transitions to phase 2 much sooner than he did in 2020. 80% HP, compared to the 65% in that game. BisbyWorl posted:It's literally just reused maps from across the game, but I can't hold that against VFD. Every bonus dungeon in the series has been like that. Hey now. The DS game actually doesn't do that and has unique map layouts for its post-game. 
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May 19, 2023 12:16
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Update LXXXVI - Featuring: Real Samurai Hours Music: Forfeit - The Dragon Inquires  A teleporter is left after Nyala dies.   Which leads to the Ladyin Ruins.  It also introduces the most dangerous random encounter in the game: Music: Battlefield - Ultimate Predator  Four babies. This fight goes one of two ways. If you don't know how to break the game over your knee:         You immediately eat 8 Downer Bites in a row with no chance of retaliation, thanks to their 117 SPD. The only classes in the game that naturally beat that are Samurai, Agent, and Fortuner. And the former two need to be around level 90 to pull it off.  If you do know how to break the game, they're ez as always. In fact, this encounter is the most lucrative EXP source in the game, giving a base total of 18K EXP per fight. The Ladyin Ruins segment also has Wall Snatchers and Blackhorns, plus the highest tier Gold Rabi, Queen Rabi, and Dragonsbane Seed can appear from here on out.  But the funny thing is?  The Shadow Realm, unlike every other bonus dungeon in the series, has absolutely no field dragons. There's nothing stopping you from using 15 Optical Camouflage and Stealth III to just stroll from one boss to the next. Sure, you'll be a tad underleveled by the end, but you can easily compensate for that by leaning into Unison more.  Another save.  And another boss.  This time my plan is a bit more involved, requiring a full backup team of Mages made just for this. They're all level 1, but that won't matter.  The strategy for this fight is simple: Video: VS Haze (Again) (Again) Music: True Dragon - 1st Encount  Haze is weak to lightning, and everyone but Inoue has some source of lightning damage to set off Windy Canopy.  The Shadow Blade Dragon has 16K LF, nearly matching VFD's final form.  I can't let Inoue die here, so Valerie gets to tank. Remember when Valerie did that? Before she could tear things apart with her bare hands?    Had to block this.   Get Solid Stance going...   And one more turn to make sure Hyper Shell is broken.      O-oh...   I guess I didn't need Mage Squad after all. How anticlimactic. The first use of Windy Canopy eats both EX and Solid Stance, so only normal buffs work on every subsequent hit.  Music: Finish Them Off  Music: Forfeit - The Dragon Inquires   Wow, how enlightening.    And then it just...  Immediately throws us into Hypnos.  I go and shuffle my parties. The strat this time is to hit Hypnos as hard as I can with Vivian. Seriously, the poor girl deserves some time in the spotlight. Even Thomas got to chip in when I clowned on Hypnos before.  Also Blue Dragonsbane still hurts us.  Video: VS Hypnos (Again) Music: Ignith of the Final Attack feat. riya(eufonius)   For whatever reason, Shadow Agni gets a massive jump from 16K to 27K LF. My original plan was to try and one shot her, but alas.  Shadow Agni deals 200 damage with her normals, and 300 with Decuple Blades. GEORGE! will be keeping her offense low while Aiden and Vivian set up.  Daphne Mezereum is far less scary now that I have a bunch of multi-status accessories.          And that's everything set up.  Also fun fact Trick Hand works on full heal items.  Much better.    Good job, Vivian!     Oh no.    Shame lostpower neuters it here about as well as it did back in Preloma.  Oh well.  Music: Finish Them Off  Music: Forfeit - The Dragon Inquires  It shall be a new True Dragon, which will bring about the genesis of this empty shell of a world.  Next time: Mage Squad actually gets to do something.
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May 21, 2023 03:13
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 Unlike Nyala, Haze gets some significant upgrades. His AI is further tweaked to be more aggressive and has shorter attack patterns to loop to his dangerous attacks more often. quote:Shadow Blade Dragon (LV. 78/74) His skillset also got buffed. Sound Cannon and Autocannon deal more damage. But the biggest one is that Kill Slash's kill rate got increased from 45% to 100%! If you don't quick kill him or have death protection, he can cause the fight to go south very fast.  Hypnos on the other hand gets some gigantic stat increases and... That's about it. Everything else about her, her AI and her moveset, is exactly the same as it was in the first bout. I guess they figured buffing her even further was too much even in post-game.
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May 21, 2023 03:38
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| # ? May 4, 2024 13:30 |
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Its weird that EX gets consumed by the first hit of Windy Canopy like that, in the 2020's EX persisted for the whole turn(including Extra Turns) so you got some truly disgusting damage out of combos like that, I can't recall if Motionless applied to all swings from Woodwind Duet or just the first though Also lul, Agni, the only boss worth respecting, is respected by the game designers enough to not overtune harder, shame about the uhh, being Lv80 now, really defangs her
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May 22, 2023 15:00
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