The Last To Post Wins!

[Armagon]

So the update did more than just yeet Chris Niosi, add Maddening and DLC

The update changed Bernadetta's B-Support with Byleth and made it worse. The stuff inbetween "good" and "wife" just gets King Crimson'd and you can hear the comma coming but it never does. What's worse, the rest of the Support remains unchanged, so now it just sounds like Bernadetta struggled to stay in a chair instead of doing the stuff her dad actually made her do.

NoA, why? Why would you do this? What other changes were quietly slipped in?

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

The only game I've played so far that was still very much enjoyable on a higher difficulty setting was Tales of Berseria, because you actually had to think about when to attack, when to block, when to use Mystic Artes.

Well see, Tales of Berseria is an Action RPG. There's a reason i specified turn-based RPGs in my earlier post. The thing with Action RPGs is that harder difficutlties will require better reflexes and reactions, and eventually it becomes muscle memory. Not that Action RPGs can't have their own fair share of bullshit but as a rule of thumb, harder difficulties in Action RPGs are more fairer than turn-based RPGs on harder difficulties, even if it's not appearent at first.

2 hours ago, Hekselka said:

I feel like T776 was still a lot fairer than 3H, at least in early game, I'll have to see if it keeps that up.

Ehhhhhhhh debatable. You have pretty much nothing when starting the game, Fog of War is at it's worst, Manster Arc (which happens fairly early), the most cryptic character recruitment in the whole series, Fatigue, Ch.24x. The list goes on.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

I liked fatigue actually because it represents the game style and atmosphere and also forces the player to use more units.

 

The unique hitrates are a point I would bring up because no guaranteed his and miss makes this become a gambling game. 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Lysithea

[DragonFlames]

Ambush spawns, too? Is there ANY pro to playing on Maddening?
I mean, besides the difficulty living up to its name?

Between this and the stupidly changed line in Bernie's support with Byleth, I regret ever installing the update in the first place. 
Holy hell, it's like they're trying their hardest to botch the entire thing now...

On that note: does anybody know if you can uninstall software updates on the Switch?

As for the Byleth VA thing, it's whatever. I liked the guy as Byleth, that's sufficient enough for me to feel like that was an unnecessary change, too. I'll give the new guy a chance, though. Maybe I'll like him more.

6 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Well see, Tales of Berseria is an Action RPG. There's a reason i specified turn-based RPGs in my earlier post. The thing with Action RPGs is that harder difficutlties will require better reflexes and reactions, and eventually it becomes muscle memory. Not that Action RPGs can't have their own fair share of bullshit but as a rule of thumb, harder difficulties in Action RPGs are more fairer than turn-based RPGs on harder difficulties, even if it's not appearent at first.

Also very true.

Edited September 12, 2019 by DragonFlames

[Armagon]

2 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

On that note: does anybody know if you can uninstall software updates on the Switch?

I don't think you can. I do know that if the update saves to the microSD card and you take that out, you can't use the updated thing.

The Bernie Support changes are upsetting but like, i'm not gonna lose sleep over it. Especially with the more substantial DLC coming down the line and you're gonna need the updates for that.

3 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

As for the Byleth VA thing, it's whatever. I liked the guy as Byleth, that's sufficient enough for me to feel like that was an unnecessary change, too.

I agree with this. Chris Niosi is actually a terrible person but i always have a "separate art from the artist" mindset. I'm so used to the guy's voice that the new one is kinda jarring but i'll probably get used to that too.

[Armagon]

11 minutes ago, Lysithea said:

I liked fatigue actually because it represents the game style and atmosphere and also forces the player to use more units

I like Fatigue in Echoes, i don't like it in Thracia, since it feels too punishing. I don't want to be forced to constantly change units. If i do it, it has to be on my own terms.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Armagon

[Strullemia]

I read about the Bernie change. It's weird and I don't like it.

4 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Ehhhhhhhh debatable. You have pretty much nothing when starting the game, Fog of War is at it's worst, Manster Arc (which happens fairly early), the most cryptic character recruitment in the whole series, Fatigue, Ch.24x. The list goes on.

Fog of war I never had a lot of trouble with except for maybe two maps.

It's been a long time since I played T776 and I only played it once so I'm not 100% sure which chapters were the manster arc. I do remember most early game maps but I remember being fine with 70% of them.

Agreed about Xavier. Fatigue is fine if you knew about it beforehand imo and Leif is immune to it. Ch. 24x is terribad yes, Kaga was probably smoking some secret stuff when he came up with that one. The final map was also bad imo.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Fatigue in Echoes is pointless since it only applies to dungeons which are no real part of classic FE. Though I can agree if fatigue was determined differently in FE5 because it tends to screw the player. But still the idea is great. 

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Final map is good and bad. 

Good because of the challenging crusaders and that you have to stand on all the switches, but bad for the requirements of door keys / thief, the overpowered enemies with long range magic which can oneshot and a really weak final boss. Mareeta easily ORKO'ed him. 

[DragonFlames]

2 minutes ago, Armagon said:

I don't think you can. I do know that if the update saves to the microSD card and you take that out, you can't use the updated thing.

Crap. Oh, well. Them's the breaks.

3 minutes ago, Armagon said:

The Bernie Support changes are upsetting but like, i'm not gonna lose sleep over it. Especially with the more substantial DLC coming down the line and you're gonna need the updates for that.

Eh, I'm not sure I want those, actually. Depends on what it will be but for now, I'm pretty happy with the base game.

4 minutes ago, Armagon said:

[...] i always have a "separate art from the artist" mindset.

Agreed. Without that, I'm pretty sure 3/4ths of all entertainment would be quite awkward. I mean... over half of the musicians of the world did drugs, many actors are members of scientology, famous authors reportedly did drugs (Edgar Alan Poe, among others), at least one very famous musician was practically a walking PR scandal by the end (Michael Jackson) etc.

[Acacia Sgt]

I'd say, I would think I'd be mostly fine with Thracia776. So long you have the opportunity to learn after a mistake, then it's fine. No need to hand-hold or spoon-fed you everything.

[DragonFlames]

Demanding trial and error isn't exactly good game design, either.
A good puzzle gives you all the pieces to solve it. It all comes down to your ability to do so. That, for me, is good difficulty. Bad difficulty is when you think you have all the pieces and then the puzzle is like "psych!" and throws some BS at you you couldn't have seen coming on a first try, eg. ambush spawns.

Now I know Fire Emblem isn't a puzzle game, but I think the metaphor still works.

---

Now for something completely different. Playing Atelier Rorona when I walk into a scene with Lionela, who has two talking cat puppets. How does she control them? With invisible strings, apparently (which is most likely a lie). How does Rorona react?
"Invisible strings? That's amazing! What do they look like? Can I see them?!?"
Lol.

[Acacia Sgt]

It's all about balance.

[Shrimpica]

16 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

I'd say, I would think I'd be mostly fine with Thracia776. So long you have the opportunity to learn after a mistake, then it's fine. No need to hand-hold or spoon-fed you everything.

depends really. If the game doesn't give you time to act, then that is really bad design.

T776 has alot of that late game. I love T776 myself, but those teleporting same turn dark mages at the end, or sudden Sleep stuff, or warp tiles, etc... are really a pain to deal with because you can't forsee them.

 

[Strullemia]

23 minutes ago, Lysithea said:

Final map is good and bad. 

Good because of the challenging crusaders and that you have to stand on all the switches, but bad for the requirements of door keys / thief, the overpowered enemies with long range magic which can oneshot and a really weak final boss. Mareeta easily ORKO'ed him. 

Yeah the bad part is what really bothered me. I didn't know how many keys you needed and I ended up having just enough. The map is also hurt because you can't reposition your units.

23 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Crap. Oh, well. Them's the breaks.

Eh, I'm not sure I want those, actually. Depends on what it will be but for now, I'm pretty happy with the base game.

Anything you want from the story DLC?

I'm hoping for prequel dlc.

[DragonFlames]

1 minute ago, Hekselka said:

Anything you want from the story DLC?

I'm hoping for prequel dlc.

Same, actually. Some more backstory would be nice, even if I am fine with the amount we got.

Another thing I'd like but at the same time wouldn't like is a fifth path were

Sothis survives and gets her own body back, so she can be an actual unit. It's also a shame she vanishes halfway through the game. For a character that was so heavily advertised, she certainly deserves better

.
Want, because I like the character.
Don't want, because I don't know how to implement that.
It's complicated, really.

[Acacia Sgt]

17 minutes ago, Hekselka said:

Yeah the bad part is what really bothered me. I didn't know how many keys you needed and I ended up having just enough. The map is also hurt because you can't reposition your units.

Don't the dark mages inside each room carry a Door Key? I'm curious about wether or not they use them if you move your units far away from them (since I doubt they'd bother to move at first considering they carry 3-10 tomes, iirc). Also, you can reposition units. At least that's what I keep finding looking that up.

[DragonFlames]

Head for the borders, everyone. The world is about to end.
UK politicians, heck, politicians in general, actually did something right for once!

Here's the relevant thing I am talking about: UK Officials Say Loot Boxes Are Gambling In Damning Report (A/N: Took them long enough)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIvHMcT-3e0

Edited September 12, 2019 by DragonFlames

[Strullemia]

 

 

20 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Don't the dark mages inside each room carry a Door Key? I'm curious about wether or not they use them if you move your units far away from them (since I doubt they'd bother to move at first considering they carry 3-10 tomes, iirc). Also, you can reposition units. At least that's what I keep finding looking that up.

I honestly don't remember. Could be that they carried a key but even if they did I remember them hitting pretty hard and even if you kill the side bosses they could still ruin your life.

You can? I remember watching dondon's zero growths run and him talking about how he had to use certain units in a certain patern so that they were positioned on certain places (I think it was the map where Leif can recruit Xavier).

35 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Same, actually. Some more backstory would be nice, even if I am fine with the amount we got.

Another thing I'd like but at the same time wouldn't like is a fifth path were

  Reveal hidden contents

Sothis survives and gets her own body back, so she can be an actual unit. It's also a shame she vanishes halfway through the game. For a character that was so heavily advertised, she certainly deserves better

.
Want, because I like the character.
Don't want, because I don't know how to implement that.
It's complicated, really.

I fully agree and I want the same thing pretty much xD

Quote

Head for the borders, everyone. The world is about to end.
UK politicians, heck, politicians in general, actually did something right for once!

Here's the relevant thing I am talking about: UK Officials Say Loot Boxes Are Gambling In Damning Report (A/N: Took them long enough)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIvHMcT-3e0

Belgium did it first!

But yeah good to see that the world is catching on.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Hekselka

[Armagon]

So i got a Pro Controller earlier today. And you know what i did to celebrate

I went and solo'd the highest leveled Superboss in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (also lmao Rex's Pouch Effect expiring right as i finish killing this thing).

 

2 hours ago, Hekselka said:

Fog of war I never had a lot of trouble with except for maybe two maps

Fog of War is just an unfair mechanic in Fire Emblem because only the player is affected. It's at it's worst in Thracia because you can't even see the map, everything's just pitch black.

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Demanding trial and error isn't exactly good game design, either.

Case by case basis. Trial and error is good when the punishment for the error isn't severe. Something like, Celeste, for example. Celeste is a difficult game but each screen serves as it's own checkpoint iirc and the really difficult parts aren't that long. If you fail, you only lose about a minute or so progress.

Trial and error is bad when you get punished too hard for the error. Pre-Echoes Fire Emblem is like this. If you fuck up during a map, you aren't forced to reset but you probably will so there go a few good 20 minutes. Though i guess that's not the best example because that's more of a player choice, so i think Bloodborne is a better example. Now, i haven't played the game myself but according to a friend of mine who has, the checkpoints in Bloodborne are too far apart so losing means losing quite a bit of progress.

1 hour ago, Hekselka said:

Anything you want from the story DLC?

I'm hoping for prequel dlc.

Same. If i had to guess, it'll probably be the conflict between Seiros and Nemesis. Some endgame spoiler talk for Golden Deer

Spoiler

I really hope the DLC gives Nemesis an actual personality because right now he's Garon 2.

We already know how the conflict ends but that doesn't stop a potential prequel story from expanding upon it, if done right. 

I just have to keep my expectations in check because Xenoblade 2's prequel DLC story turned out to actually just be a new game with how much content it had, to the point that it was also sold as a standalone game. I'd love for Three Houses' story DLC to be on the same level as Torna ~ The Golden Country but i'll keep my expectations in check.

As long as it's not on the level of Breath of the Wild's Champion's Ballad, we're good (God, that DLC """story""" was such bait).

1 hour ago, DragonFlames said:

Head for the borders, everyone. The world is about to end.
UK politicians, heck, politicians in general, actually did something right for once!

Here's the relevant thing I am talking about: UK Officials Say Loot Boxes Are Gambling In Damning Report (A/N: Took them long enough)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIvHMcT-3e0

1 hour ago, Hekselka said:

Belgium did it first!

But yeah good to see that the world is catching on.

I remember the U.S also proposing a ban on lootboxes and the like. Which is good. But it's also America so they probably won't do it. Hopefully tho.

 

[Shrimpica]

The whole world needs to follow on this ban thing

[Interdimensional Observer]

3 hours ago, Lysithea said:

Final map is good and bad. 

Good because of the challenging crusaders and that you have to stand on all the switches, but bad for the requirements of door keys / thief, the overpowered enemies with long range magic which can oneshot and a really weak final boss. Mareeta easily ORKO'ed him. 

I don't recall a single siege tome in Thracia's final fight other than Veld's. As for the rest of the final fight... 

Spoiler

...the individual Deadlords run the gamut of strength. The Rogue is a joke as long as nobody goes melee on him, the Warrior is easy too, Miracle on the Sniper (and very useless Wrath) but otherwise is easy, Baron just needs the old Bragi Sword again. That leaves Hero and Sage as the lone true threats. Except Sleep takes out Hero in a single blow.

So, it's only the Sage that is the issue. Since Wrath, Miracle, and 42 Atk is diabolic. Not to mention the Sage won't initiate combat until she is out of her three Berserk charges, and your forces are scattered so its possible she'll Berserk someone not near any Restore user. And, she is practically impossible to Silence/Sleep- unless Pure Water stacks with the Magic Circle bonus, in which case, yup, you can even disable her easily. Though, if you have 18 Spd Thief/Rogue, you could pilfer the Berserk and force her into initiating combat sooner. Although if you give Pan the Body Ring and get two 20% Neir Scroll Con procs, he'll have 13 Con and be able to steal the Nosferatu instead, making even the Sage a nonthreat. Or, a trained Mareeta or Trude thanks to the Nihil embedded in her sword, can bypass the Miracle and Wrath and try for a 2HKO with any sort of proc, since with capped Str she can do 16x2, which falls just four short of a ORKO.

Sure, for someone who isn't as informed, this will be a harder fight, but compared to what else Thracia has, the final battle isn't too bad. Survive the little bit of Berserk (a meagre amount compared to all prior status staffing), block the reinforcements, and move around everyone as need be to their proper killing places. It's just a few high-stat enemies, but this is Thracia's final fight, going all out is expected, and Thracia gives a lot of ways to ignore high stats.

 

 

 

6 hours ago, Armagon said:

Actually, i feel that outside of NG+ difficulties, turn-based RPGs just aren't that great when it comes to higher difficulty selection in general. Because it always comes down to "buff everything to tremendous levels and you can't win unless you overprepare the fuck out of everything".

Then, the solution becomes making everything in line with the highest difficulties first and foremost. If a boss fight is a fair fight on the hardest mode, then it is certain to be one on the lower difficulties where you can kill things faster and die slower.

Etrian Odyssey is always made with the harder difficulties in mind. Since gameplay is all it has really, besides nice OSTs. The ultimate superbosses are pure specific-strategy hells, but everything else is usually a brutal but fair challenge on Expert. Normal encounters can kill you if you let your guard down and don't use your team's strategies, but do so, and luck is kept low (but not nonexistent). Your teams strategies being the most important thing of all, since ultimately, great synergy (via the right combination of classes investing in the right skills) among at least 2-3 of a team's members is what lets one plow through EO.

Though even if you die, that's just part and parcel of the EO experience, so its fans take it to be.

 

19 hours ago, Armagon said:

The right arm of the Mechonis now closer resembles the Fallen Arm of the Mechonis. In the original version, the right arm looked more bulky and it was missing the claw-like hands,

Is that model of Mechonis the same that is used for the game's opening?

Because the Mechonis opening model I thought was quite low on the polygons. Monolith could get away with that, because the models of it and Bionis are shown only in very short scenes, the opening has dramatic lighting, and the feelings evoked by the select moments are supposed to override any consideration of the technical quality of the figures. 

 

1 hour ago, Armagon said:

So i got a Pro Controller earlier today. And you know what i did to celebrate

 

Thank you for letting Morag be the soloist. I did like her character.

And random XC thought of mine. If Mythra crossed dimensions and joined BLADE, I headcanon her into being a Harrier. She has power to destroy, she uses it well, Harriers are the offense of BLADE who go out in the field and eliminate targets. Fears of collateral damage? An overwhelmingly savage planet makes that largely a nonissue. Just tell her teammates to get out of the way, and she won't have to run a single calculation.

Although whether Mythra could Shining Arrow and how strong she would be with or without that I wonder. Ether exists in XCX's world, but it doesn't seem as important as in either XC1's or XC2's, and Ether- insofar as I know still not having taken out the final trash of XC2- is the root of all Blade power. Plenty of powerful foes use Ether, including the Telethia, but a foundation of all life it is not stated to be in XCX. A simple world transfer I could see diminishing the strength and potency of Blades, even that of the Aegises but that is why Mythra grabs a gun.

 

And for the reason I initially quoted you here, I got my very first Pro Controller a week ago. I'm a loving it. I skipped on getting a Classic/Pro for the Wii/Wii U because I was too cheap to buy them, but after the Joy Con drift issue started affecting me I decided to get a Pro despite the $70 price tag. Not that I needed to with Nintendo offering free replacement now, but at least I can continue using my Switch even when I get to sending off the Joy Cons now.

And as a controller, the Pro is a massive improvement over the Joy Cons for me. My hands are fairly large, so holding the Joy Cons attached to that plastic pseudo-controller thingy felt a little uncomfortably small. The texture of the grips is good, the buttons and analog sticks feel better, and I have an actual control pad now. 

 

A quick 8-minute semi-history of video game controllers, if anyone is interested:

https://cheddar.com/media/why-well-never-have-the-perfect-controller

[Acacia Sgt]

9 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I don't recall a single siege tome in Thracia's final fight other than Veld's.

Each dark mage in the six rooms carries a Fenrir tome, as well as the two that flank Veld.

[Interdimensional Observer]

2 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Each dark mage in the six rooms carries a Fenrir tome, as well as the two that flank Veld.

I must have killed them off too fast to notice then.

[Armagon]

2 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Is that model of Mechonis the same that is used for the game's opening?

I believe the model of the Mechonis in the opening is a different one than the one that's used for the rest of the game. On a related note, the model of the Mechonis in Smash 4 and Ultimate also has the bulky, clawless right arm.

2 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Thank you for letting Morag be the soloist.

Well, she is the most proficient with Katanas.

Morag using Corvin while in Overdrive is probably one of the most broken builds in the game.

2 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Although whether Mythra could Shining Arrow and how strong she would be with or without that I wonder.

Sacred Arrow actually comes from Siren, so in this hypothetical scenario you're describing, Mythra would only be able to use Sacred Arrow if Siren also makes the jump.

Speaking of Siren, when the series eventually returns to Planet Mira, i'd like to see Siren (along with Malos' Black Siren). They'd look a little bit different but similar enough to be a clear reference. Kind of like how Omega Universitas was basically the Xenosaga version of Weltall from Xenogears

Omega Universitas

 

Weltall

 

And yes, Universitas also has an Id form

 

Weltall-Id for comparison

 

I'd like other Artifices to be in as well but one of them is a spoiler, the Gargoyles and Colossus aren't that appealing and i don't even know how you can make a Skell based off of Ophion because that one is a snake mech.

2 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

And as a controller, the Pro is a massive improvement over the Joy Cons for me. My hands are fairly large, so holding the Joy Cons attached to that plastic pseudo-controller thingy felt a little uncomfortably small. The texture of the grips is good, the buttons and analog sticks feel better, and I have an actual control pad now. 

Yeah, this is pretty much how I feel about it. I do have to get a bit used to the control sticks since they feel pretty different from the Joy-Con's. 

I was also able to get mine for $10 cheaper since Walmart sells them at $60 instead of $70.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nobody]

Maddening can't stop me or my broken Felix.

And Ingrid is also looking quite good.