Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Acacia Sgt]

Huh, since when were Arena and Daggerfall added to Steam? Well, nice for all five now to be there at least, haha...

[Sooks]

Needing a certain amount of enemies defeated for S-rank in maps is like the worst design decision in Three Hopes (which admittedly isn’t saying a lot because everything else is good). In theory this isn’t a problem, and for side missions it pretty much never is, but the requirements are simply way too much in main story missions. Usually this just makes each mission take a bit longer than I’d like it to, but this particular chapter has a timed objective that basically makes it impossible to go for extra kills once it begins. But you only get like 60% of the map before said objective starts.

That being said, I could win the battle while fulfilling said objective and then replay it with the record keeper to get S-rank, while completely skipping that objective because replaying story battles you’ve finished can’t affect the story. But I’m stubborn…

6 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

WHY ARE THE PORTRAITS SO GOOD

The portrait is gorgeous. What’s it from?

Edited June 29, 2022 by Sooks

[Shrimpica]

3 minutes ago, Sooks said:

and for side missions it pretty much never is, but the requirements are simply way too much in main story missions.

Other way around for me lol

I can do them in main missions usually, but not side missions

But yh it's dumb.

[null]

5 minutes ago, Sooks said:

The portrait is gorgeous. What’s it from?

new farming RPG called Harvestella

easily the best announcement for the Direct Mini for me

am very hyped

--------

 

[Sooks]

1 minute ago, Shrimpy said:

Other way around for me lol

I can do them in main missions usually, but not side missions

But yh it's dumb.

Side missions give you like 500 kills needed in 7 minutes, while chapter 10 gives you 1800 when you’re supposed to be

Spoiler

racing against Byleth

But yeah, dumb

Just now, twilitfalchion said:

new farming RPG called Harvestella

easily the best announcement for the Direct Mini for me

am very hyped

Well the only farming RPG I’ve played (for more than 30 minutes) is Stardew, but I loved that one a lot. The art style here looked great though, so I might keep a slight eye on it.

[BrightBow]

37 minutes ago, Shrimpy said:

Faye's story in a nutshell.

She truly is the Haldyn of Berwick Saga.

[Interdimensional Observer]

1 hour ago, Armagon said:

@Interdimensional Observer and after I said that, I see this on the website

I would imagine reaching a certain point allows you to date them. So I would imagine that, unlike Rune Factory, in which you need Lv.7 Heart to be able to date someone, with the chances increasing from there, Harvestella is following a more structured approach it seems. Presumably the last or second to last rank gives you the option to romance someone if you so wish (none of this is stated on the website, I'm just making guesses based on UI elements and wording).

Keeping it rather subdued on first reveal? Style to hide substance isn't a bad approach if that is what SE is aiming for.

1 hour ago, Armagon said:

If there is romance tho, I know the question for you and many is "will there be gay?" I don't know Square Enix's track record for this but I want to say that it's likely? 

Gay characters in SE games... can't really think of any other than DQXI's Sylvando (who is stereotypical, yet fairly well written). And they're not exactly a company that is big on dating sim elements either, fixed romances are much more their standard (FFs IV, VII, VIII, IX, X, and XV all come to mind).

Considering it's starting to become the new norm, I would like to think s/s would feature, it'd be a little behind the times if it didn't.

 

25 minutes ago, Shrimpy said:

We Ys now

Shall I request fanart of Kirby having copied Adol and others? I'm glad that you're enjoying it that much.

[Acacia Sgt]

Kirby in the world of Ys... hmm...

[null]

Ys XI: Lacrimosa of Kirbo

[Shrimpica]

26 minutes ago, Sooks said:

500 kills needed in 7 minutes

Yeah

Here's the thing

I usually rush objectives and i have to go out of the way to kill 500 xD

In main story i usually happen to hit the kill target naturally

26 minutes ago, Sooks said:

racing against spoiler

Oh that one

Yh i couldn't s-rank it either

That guy is the scariest fe dude ever lol. Makes Galzus look like a damn wimp

Then again Galzus is more noob bait than anything xD

21 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Shall I request fanart of Kirby having copied Adol and others? 

Hah!

I mean, this adventure starts with Kirby crashing on a coast.

Sounds familiar, no?

9 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Kirby in the world of Ys... hmm...

Ys: mythical version of earth

Kirby and the forgotten land: future of said mythical version?

Edited June 29, 2022 by Shrimpy

[Armagon]

 

1 hour ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Is there even any indication Live-A-Live will be on something other than the Switch? I haven't seen...

Not yet but probably will come to other platforms soon.

48 minutes ago, Shrimpy said:

Yeah not today

Gonna need buffs lol

I had to bring in a Maxim Tomato and even then, hoo boy.

38 minutes ago, Sooks said:

Well the only farming RPG I’ve played (for more than 30 minutes) is Stardew, but I loved that one a lot. The art style here looked great though, so I might keep a slight eye on it

Letting you know that Stardew doesn't really lean into the RPG aspect, most life sims don't actually. Like it's really been just Fine Factory occupying this specific niche until now.

Still tho, if you liked Stardew, this will probably be your thing (I say as it wasn't the other way around for me).

35 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

And they're not exactly a company that is big on dating sim elements either, fixed romances are much more their standard (FFs IV, VII, VIII, IX, X, and XV all come to mind).

Yeah, I can't think of any other Square Enix game that lets you pick. And I doubt this life sim would have a fixed romance either (the red haired lady apparently lives with you tho so you'll have some explaining to do if you marry someone else lmao........Rune Factory has done this a few times i think).

 

[Shrimpica]

Just now, Armagon said:

I had to bring in a Maxim Tomato and even then, hoo boy.

I had double health buff + a double health potion

4 healthbars

They went down so fast

[Armagon]

5 minutes ago, Shrimpy said:

I had double health buff + a double health potion

4 healthbars

They went down so fast

I went in with max buffs in all categories and even then bro...

That final phase is something alright.

[Acacia Sgt]

That moment in Another Eden during a gacha pull I get the wrong version (which I already have) of the featured character of the banner... but then also get a brand new character into the team.

... uh huh, RNG amirite...

[Shrimpica]

8 minutes ago, Armagon said:

I went in with max buffs in all categories and even then bro...

That final phase is something alright.

If only i didn't need to go out to re buff myself

[AnonymousSpeed]

On 6/25/2022 at 5:26 AM, Saint Rubenio said:

I've already done so much shilling before... What do I even have left? I've already mentioned the unparalleled gameplay-story integration, the masterful usage of the medium to tell a story that wouldn't be as remarkable or interesting if it was made on another medium that lacked the unique perks of videogames, the wonderful soundtrack, the perfect voice acting...

Maybe I've not spoken enough about the actual mystery. There's 60 people whose names and fates you must figure out, and the game never, ever holds your hand. Some characters are more obvious than others (there are three characters at the very beginning that I like to call the "tutorial three", because while there's no handholding, they're VERY easy and clearly meant to teach the player what they should look for and how to make progress by filling in fates), but even when names are dropped in conversations, it always feels natural - there's never any "I, Deid Mann, am dying of bloodloss from my knife wound, delivered to me by Heihnos Keelr" moments. In a few words, it never feels like the game is putting on a show for your benefit. You're simply intruding in the lives of these people, watching them go about their business... and their demises, more often than not.

There isn't always hard, obvious evidence for every character, and you might feel tempted to blindly guess at times. The game combats this by only confirming fates once you have three correct ones listed, but there's still some room to guess if you're certain about two other people. However, rest assured, the game gives you every clue you might need to figure everyone out. And I do mean, every clue - the way the characters dress and look, where they stand, their accents and manner of speaking, the company they keep, the things they do, the items they own, the environment around them itself... Everything can be a hint. Each memory is filled to the brim with details, and everything you see could be a potential clue in the hands of an observant player. It makes you feel like an absolute genius every time you make a connection.

I remember back when I played it the first time, I was studying that programming course. I made a point to always play a bit of Obra Dinn every night, as it clearly seemed like the kind of game where you shouldn't rush things. Each morning, as I drove to work, my mind was still on the Obra Dinn, mulling over what progress I'd made the previous night, the clues that I might've missed, coming up with ideas for things to check. It was an incredible experience that I still remember fondly to this day and lament I cannot reproduce it. There is nothing quite like Obra Dinn, and Obra Dinn itself is so masterfully crafted that it is too memorable for me to forget.

So yeah. Tl;dr: Obra dinn good.

Having recovered from my egg trauma, I am not in sufficiently good spirits to link to Matthewmatosis' video on the game, which was cool. I should play it at some point.

[Lightcosmo]

2 hours ago, Awoken Dayni said:

So you're telling me playing 1 isn't a great impression for the rest of them?

Not at all, the gameplay is plainly not great. Random battles will get very irksome, I can guarantee that.

3 hours ago, Armagon said:

Sounds like a Mega Man Zero 1 situation

If youre gonna try them, skip 1.

[Lightcosmo]

Oh and MMBN can get pretty frustrating tbh. Difficulty is pretty borked

[Acacia Sgt]

 

[Sooks]

1 hour ago, Shrimpy said:

Yeah

Here's the thing

I usually rush objectives and i have to go out of the way to kill 500 xD

Same, but killing 500 barely takes extra time at all because it’s not that much. 1800 on the other hand…

1 hour ago, Shrimpy said:

Oh that one

Yh i couldn't s-rank it either

That guy is the scariest fe dude ever lol. Makes Galzus look like a damn wimp

Then again Galzus is more noob bait than anything xD

Idk who Galzus is. This is a problem because I can’t come up with a witty retort based on the fact that

Spoiler

in my file, “the scariest fe dude” is actually the scariest fe gal.

 

1 hour ago, Armagon said:

Letting you know that Stardew doesn't really lean into the RPG aspect, most life sims don't actually. Like it's really been just Fine Factory occupying this specific niche until now.

Still tho, if you liked Stardew, this will probably be your thing (I say as it wasn't the other way around for me).

I mean, idk what the RPG aspect is. Is it RPG combat or something? iirc Rune Factory has that and you compared it to Zelda combat role wise. I think.

[Armagon]

4 minutes ago, Sooks said:

Is it RPG combat or something?

Mainly yes.

5 minutes ago, Sooks said:

Rune Factory has that and you compared it to Zelda combat role wise. I think

Rune Factory yes, it is basically a Zelda game, with several dungeons and whatnot (do not expect puzzles lol). Harvestella seems to be doing more with it (there are classes).

I know Stardew has combat too but it's not like, a main aspect of the game if you get what i mean. Like Stardew is closer to Story of Seasons than Rune Factory basically.

Only reason i bring this up is because i know you've said in the past that RPGs usually aren't your thing (i'm excluding SRPGs from that because lol) and honestly, Harvestella definitely does look more RPG than Rune Factory is but the life sim aspect could get you more into it.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

I tried to do the hardest possible challenge of Ultimate Cup Z.

Forgo Phantom Dedede ruined my run; the hardest boss in the entire series for me.

If I am at my best, I could beat it with the starting two health bars.

 

I just got notified from the Direct.

From an objective view probably a decent one, from my subjective side only Persona for Switch and maybe Pacman World excited me.

Though for Persona I only will grab P3P since I have the other two for a different platform already.

Edited June 29, 2022 by Julizan

[Interdimensional Observer]

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

Yeah, I can't think of any other Square Enix game that lets you pick.

I mean it's not complete nothing. Dragon Quest V comes to mind- two gals + one more in the DS remake, and DQVIII -if you go a little out of your way for her- does let you end the game wedding the magic heroine instead of the cursed horse princess. Square spinoffs... nope! nothing comes to mind there either.

No wonder Square games are so boring, shipping and especially shipping wars, are the lifeblood of Internetkind. People were so petrified out of blandness with FFVII that they had to invent a Tifa vs. Aerith fake conflict and go superficially nuclear over it despite knowing that AerithxSepiroth's Sword is a fact of life. 

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

And I doubt this life sim would have a fixed romance either (the red haired lady apparently lives with you tho so you'll have some explaining to do if you marry someone else lmao........Rune Factory has done this a few times i think).

Not that I can think of. Tides of Destiny does have Sonja stuck in Aden's body, but that's why you can't wed until after the story is done and you've separated the two main characters. I never finished ToD admittedly, but I remember there is a room that looks enterable but is perpetually locked on the second floor of the inn, so I presume the hero you don't pick to continue playing as after they separate ends up next door there.

As for other situations, there always just so happens to be a large empty house in every single village in the world, with accompanying farmland, that you get for free just for walking into town. And somehow it's built into the local sacred big tree in RF3 even. They inherited this tradition from SoS, minus the not-infrequent dead grandpa whom you inherit the farm from.

...Thinking about RF me how unrealistic RF's housing situation is makes me think they could change this in the future, but probably won't. Start us off with a free room at the inn or some very nice person's residence, with limited access to the kitchen, as well as limited use of the clinic and blacksmith for early crafting. Purchase a house elsewhere in town to expand your capabilities, the first one you buy of the several you can choose from would have a heavily subsidized price b/c the mayor's nice. Subsequent homes are far far more expensive and mostly a vanity purchase. Not much of substance to this, but it'd be quaint.

36 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Rune Factory yes, it is basically a Zelda game, with several dungeons and whatnot (do not expect puzzles lol).

Feeling like there is room for, if not puzzles, then... light dungeon gimmicks?

I'm thinking of Lunar Knights- a DS successor to the three Boktai games that used a solar sensor on the GBA. Lunar Knights had ingame fictional wind speed, temperature, and humidity values, in addition to a day-night cycle, rain (perhaps snow, meteor showers, and rainbows too), and cloudiness. If the temperature was enough, bodies of water could freeze, if a place was very breezy how much you'd be pushed around depended on the wind speed, high enough humidity made certain vines grow and thus traversable. Boktai 1 had a lost woods-styled dungeon that demanded the sun be out so you could use your shadow to navigate, some fires spewing from walls would eject flames at a slower rate if you kept the solar sensor out of the light, and I think enough strong sunlight might've made puddles in a location or two evaporate, puddles which with stepped into could alert enemies to your presence (Boktai started out with an optional stealth aspect, being a Konami-Kojima game). I recall in Lunar Knights that climate conditions could in rare circumstances affect the items you could randomly find there.

Doing all of the above was feasible in isometric 2D pixel games, not so much a 3D title methinks however. I liked these things b/c they integrated nature more into the gameplay I'd say, even if it was never fully fleshed out.

[Acacia Sgt]

18 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I mean it's not complete nothing. Dragon Quest V comes to mind- two gals + one more in the DS remake, and DQVIII -if you go a little out of your way for her- does let you end the game wedding the magic heroine instead of the cursed horse princess. Square spinoffs... nope! nothing comes to mind there either.

Those were Enix, however. And the DQVIII is a 3DS-port only thing. In both the PS2 original and the mobile port, EightxMedea is a set thing.

For a proper full Square-Enix era example, there's DQXI. Though again, originally the only option, which was optional, was ElevenxGemma. But then the Definitive Edition made it more of a proper choice, pulling a Tales of Symphonia "choose your soulmate" situation, though also like in ToS, not all of them are romantic.

Quote

No wonder Square games are so boring, shipping and especially shipping wars, are the lifeblood of Internetkind. People were so petrified out of blandness with FFVII that they had to invent a Tifa vs. Aerith fake conflict and go superficially nuclear over it despite knowing that AerithxSepiroth's Sword is a fact of life. 

Not quite. CloudxAerith had some evidence in-game, even if, to be fair, part of it was a consequence of "Cloud appropriated Zack's life to a degree" happening, and that included Zack's romance with Aerith. Which is why to a certain point Aerith was interested in Cloud too. But yeah, her death stops that from ever actually developing, while she gets to reunite with Zack within the Lifestream, and Cloud gets to be with Tifa. Win-Win... kinda.

Quote

...Thinking about RF me how unrealistic RF's housing situation is makes me think they could change this in the future, but probably won't. Start us off with a free room at the inn or some very nice person's residence, with limited access to the kitchen, as well as limited use of the clinic and blacksmith for early crafting. Purchase a house elsewhere in town to expand your capabilities, the first one you buy of the several you can choose from would have a heavily subsidized price b/c the mayor's nice. Subsequent homes are far far more expensive and mostly a vanity purchase. Not much of substance to this, but it'd be quaint.

Doesn't RF5 do this? You don't get a proper home, since as part of SEED you instead live in the communal headquarters Balamb Garden. Your spouse moves into the HQ with you, apparently. You can eventually build a house, but your family doesn't move there, however.

RF4 to a lesser degree since you inadvertently took over the "house" meant for someone else as you got mistaken for him, but said someone is happy to take advantage of the error and thus lets you stay there while he goes over to rent a room someplace else.

Edited June 29, 2022 by Acacia Sgt

[Acacia Sgt]

Okay, I think my next writing goal will be CotF's Chapter 12.

... might only start working on it until the weekend... well, it happens...

Edited June 29, 2022 by Acacia Sgt