Interdimensional Observer

An unwinnable boss fight with no winnable fight immediately beforehand? -You've done better before, Tales.🤨 Scenes around said "fight" were supposed to be epic, but they didn't feel that way to me. I got some sense of drama, but for some reason it felt like a letdown. Reuse yet again of a certain trope that Tales can't seem to go more than two games without. Well, I see that Namco is playing it differently this time. Sixth character obtained. Tales likes that number. All three females in Berseria come off as... not inoffensive, potentially more disagreeable/less likable than any of the males. An intentional choice? I never once Superguarded as a child.😅 Now, I'm thinking of the math. Assuming an attack can even be Superguarded.: 3/2 - 1 = 2/1, a 33/50% decrease in damage taken. Normal Guarding seems very worthwhile against weak attacks. Now, 5 - 1 = 20% decrease in damage taken with a regular Guard. Less of a percentage reduction. This being the case, would it be so bad skipping the Guard and trying to Superguard? The consequences of failure are smaller, yet the reward for Superguarding has grown with the increase in raw enemy damage. So I'd say take the chance!

I've warmed up to Berseria, now it's enjoyable as normal.😀 Saw the younger Zavvy. It hasn't been ten hours yet, though I'm curious if the story is going to be divisible into roughly three arcs as Tales sometimes had in the past. Symphonia, Abyss, Vesperia, Xillia, all capable of being unofficially divided into three acts of varying lengths. If Berseria also does, then it feels like I could be approaching the first arc's endpoint, yet it seems early for that. They're adding new things? Other than the initial reveal trailer, I haven't actually been paying any real attention to this remake. I still have my old copy after all.😅 Maybe I'd buy the rerelease alongside the BK duology, GameCube nostalgia at its finest.

TBF, programming AI to think entirely like a human probably isn't easy. Especially taking map-specific details into account. On naval warfare, even in Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict, the AI produces too many land units on a map where you should first conquer the waves. And it doesn't understand blindly plopping two ground units at a time on beaches that haven't been secured by battleship bombardment and bomber rain isn't an effective amphibious landing operation. (But then, landings can be difficult, major undertakings IRL, Normandy took a long time and lots of resources to prepare.) Land conflict is better for the AI. In retrospect I realize it wasn't that valuable. The story campaigns of AW1 is heavy on maps with many starting units, with fairly few deployment facilities that'll make mistakes more forgivable. AW2's campaign does shift the balance, somewhat, towards having more deployment facilities. And both are different from the War Room and Versus mode, where the maps feature no starting units, everything has to be built.

If you need help for this specifically... Andy is going to get clobbered right away, just focus on surviving with him. Maybe let Sturm take the nearby neutral airport so he'll churn out air units there, within easy reach of any Anti-Airs you build. Try to get Andy to scapegoat the first Meteor Strike (not if an Infantry cluster is as effective as it used to be at baiting it). If need be, have your two other armies scatter their units the turn you're expecting a Meteor Strike so that the 3x3 +shape is less likely to hit them, or at least cause less damage. While Andy holds out, the two side armies need to rush to his aid. As I was used to the GBA originals and cleared the old unlock requirements, I'm not sure if Grit & Olaf and Drake, Eagle, & Kanbei are already unlocked. If you do have a choice, the pick Max for the left side, and pick either Kanbei or Eagle for the right side, that'll be the strongest pair. Don't pick Sami for the right, she's the worst choice here. Send these armies up the left and right, capturing all the properties they can along the way. Churn out Tanks, AA, and aircraft to send Sturm back over the river. He has -20 Defense in AW1's Campaign, his units are squishier than normal. Unless you're Grit, don't bother with indirects, this map has too much movement for them. Given your starting positions, need to take the forward deployment facilities, and not overly abundant funds, it will take a few turns to get to Sturm. This won't be an option in the Black Hole Rising campaign. There, for the majority of maps, you'll be assigned a specific CO for a given mission. If they have certain strengths, you can usually expect their maps will emphasize them. You do know there is a Turnwheel-like feature that was added in Re-Boot Camp, right? It can only reset the current turn you are on. But if you realize you messed up during the enemy phase, you can exit the game before it's done and you should go back to the end of the player phase, I think? I'm an AW veteran (all four games) who has logged more than a few hours in Re-Boot Camp. I'm not a perfectionist by any means, though. I concede I'm not great at giving advice.😅 And I'm not sure if I can wrap my head around what you're feeling given how adapted to AW I am. Nonetheless, I'll try. A few unit tips.: Unless it's Fog of War, skip Recons, they're flimsy, weak, their move isn't great if it isn't on Roads. While Mech spam is a great tactic in some Versus maps, on the Campaigns I don't recall many instances where it's a great idea. I make just enough Infantry/Mechs and related transports for my capturing needs, and try to keep them alive. -Unless I'm using Infantry as meatshields for my indirects. Your standard Tank is affordable and powerful, the workhorse of any land army. If the enemy has aircraft, complement your Tanks with some Anti-Airs. If the enemy has Bombers, carry 2 AA per enemy Bomber. For even if one AA has to be used as bait, the other will be able to follow up cripple the enemy Bomber, if the other AA is still hanging by a thread, you might be able to finish the Bomber off with it. AA are also stronger than Tanks against Infantry and Mechs, although they will take more damage from bazooka rounds if a Mech strikes first. On air units.: Battle Copters are versatile and fairly affordable, they make for a nice unit triangle with Tanks and AAs. Bombers are powerful, but expensive. Spamming them shouldn't be done willy-nilly, unless the map necessitates it. Fighters- look at the terrain. If there's plenty of water to cross or big distances to cover or lots of mountains for enemy aircraft to hide in beyond your AAs' reach, then build some Fighters. AA are otherwise less expensive. Indirect combat units are better for slower, more defensive play. When you need to hold a chokepoint, when maps have thick terrain, then indirects get better. If a map is open or demands aggressiveness, then Artillery and Rockets find it more difficult to be useful. Artillery vs. Rockets- Rockets are a little stronger and have more range. However, you can buy 2 Artillery and 3 Infantry to serve as meat shields for the price of 1 Rocket. Really consider if you need the extra range first. Mid-Tanks- Similar to the Rocket consideration. 16k can get you a Mid-Tank, or you can break that into 2 regular Tanks with 2k funds left over. Or 1 Tank and 1 AA, or 1 Tank 1 Artillery 1 Mech. Do you need the extra durability only a Mid-Tank can provide, and perhaps additional single-hit oomph? On the AI- It struggles in two-front wars if you ever get into one. Focus on holding on a single front, then pound away at them on the other. It also doesn't have a great sense of self-preservation in these old games either. And is fairly bad at naval wars too, spamming Landers and not enough combat units to protect them. With regard to the map- always keep an eye out for any well-placed unclaimed deployment facilities. Get them, deny them to the enemy. The AI doesn't usually see these key properties for what they are. -If you move on the to the AW2 campaign and need advice on any map, just ask. I cleared the normal version almost perfectly last year.

...And yet they're showing off soooo much of the game. -Well, it's Mario, it's not like it's huge on plot. But I saw they've already shown the Smorgs? Chapter 6, really?🤨 Vivian being a Shadow Siren thingy made her sorta interesting as a partner, not a typical Mario species. I liked her fiery touch too, and Veil is essential against certain attacks. I'd call her and Bobbery gameplay-wise the two best partners -at least as "readily powerful" ones.

...I'm such a weirdo.😆 Vivian I take it? Perfect timing on the Spores weather. Speaking of spores, a reproductive method of fungi, a whole bunch facts I had read of fungi recently.: Fungi are evolutionarily closer to humans than plants. There are an estimated 5-million species of fungi currently extant on Earth. Of which, 90% remain undocumented. 2000 new species are identified every year. Fungi are genetically diverse. The penicillin used as an antibiotic -Aspergillus nidulans- shares 70% of it's genetic proteins with the penicillin used in Roquefort blue cheese -Aspergillus roqueforti. 70% in Animalia, would equate to the genetic similarity between humans and fish. The "Stinkhorn" genus of fungi is scientifically known as Phallus, because the shape of their mushrooms are 😝. The original shipment of cherry blossoms to Washington DC in 1909 as a diplomatic gift from Japan, had to be burned down the following year. The reason was a visible fungal disease on some of the tree, deemed a possible threat to the forests and farms of the United States. Fear of importing fungal diseases and the like led to the Plant Quarantine Act of 1912. This mandated the inspection of all suspicious plants which arrive in the United States, laws that remain enforced to this day. The United States's National Fungus Collections comprise the world's largest fully searchable fungus database, with about one-million samples. (90k of which were collected by a female mycologist- Flora Patterson, who -surprisingly given the sexism of era- in the early 1900s was the Department of Agriculture's fungus expert.) "Mycobiome" refers to the fungi good & bad that naturally reside in human beings. Researchers have discovered some fungi proliferate around cancer cells. Although researchers are unsure why this is (does the fungi empower the cancer, or does the cancer cause the fungal increase?), they are learning how the same fungi can indicate different things about different cancers and their present progression in the patient. Fungi are also being researched for potential anti-cancer treatments and other medical uses. Although the FDA has yet to approve a single fungus-based medicine. The research is still in its early stages. Textiles made of fungi have been developed. By carefully growing the fibrous mycelium filament threads, it is possible to create a leather-like material, suitable for things like handbags, shoes, and hats. Environmentally friendly this be. And, there are cases of in both Europe and among North American indigenous, of traditionally collecting and stretching fungus for such crafting purposes. Random picture.: Laccaria amethystina, aka "Amethyst Deceiver". A very purple mushroom. Is it edible? Yes. -Provided you don't mind ingesting a big dose of arsenic. And this is Amanita phalloides. Native to Europe, it has long since become a global invasive species. Its common name is "Death Cap", because it's one of the deadliest mushrooms around. The toxins survive cooking and can attack the human body within six hours after being ingested, causing ailments that can culminate in liver failure. Death Cap closely resembles some edible mushrooms, which has contributed to its record of poisonings. In 2017, 14 individuals fell severely ill in 10 separate incidents in one week.

*Goes to start up Berseria for the second time today.* ...Hmm? ...I've delayed enough typing this surprise nonsense, back to Berseria. I get maybe ~90 minutes on a full laptop charge, and I'm wasting it.😝

Now this is a detail I don't think I was aware of. Thanks for the clarification. (I forgot to mention before on the matter of life draining powers- the first time I played Final Fantasy IV on GBA. I was still a JRPG newbie back then, I think Tactics Advance was the only other FF I had played. Anyhow, I think didn't understand that Cecil's HP was his HP, and began the game using Darkness until he killed himself.😅) "Apathy" wouldn't be my word of choice. I had been wanting to, but I always found some reason to say I'm not yet ready. It's a (foolish) sense of elevating certain kinds of video games to a level demanding... austerity perhaps? Treating video games like the long-destroyed Temple in Jerusalem, and continually questioning if I've done enough ablutions to purify myself for it to be proper for me to walk into the hallowed edifice. Same. I try to be subdued with my gaming and the noise, thankfully I have the best hearing in my abode, so I can enjoy even at low volume. It's not that I think the story bad or anything. It's way too early to say on that. (Although, how Berseria makes a revenge-centered story -at least to begin- last the typical Tales 50-60 hours is a question I'm pondering.) It's more... something about the startup process in a JRPG. I'm not sure how to describe it. And I wouldn't say Berseria was even all that bad about it, the "start in a tranquil village, before stuff happens that overturns the protagonist's life", was over in an hour. That's reasonable enough, there's been worse. Getting a full combat team without any major restrictions was happening in three, not bad either. It's... the "calm before the storm" and "the storm clouds begin rolling in". Not just any peacefulness and silliness that eases one into things narratively and gameplay-wise, it's anything ominous, any scenes where you're thrown in media res with no idea what's going on, any scenes stuffed with mysterious people saying mysterious things about mysterious plans. It's how everyone friendly has to prominently announce their entry into the story and showcase themselves. -I'm not specifically talking about Berseria here. I get it- video games need an intro, not a great idea to do without one and leave people completely lost. But for some reason... I wouldn't say I dislike introductions. Yet, I might phrase it like this- introductions tell me things, but I feel integration into the narrative/characters through playing. It's not the staged moments that kick things off that end up making me appreciate a character let's say. It's them being their casual selves, the same person, but not blatantly "acting" for the sake of making the player know who they are. (Exceptions to this always exist, of course.) And story-starts, so staged, create an air of formality that makes these very beginnings seem unapproachable unless (metaphorically) I'm dressed to the nines. Which is ironic to a degree. (Speaking of voice-acting again. Well, I suppose my problem it at the beginning is that it does feel more like voice-acting. The dialogue, the delivery, like everything else around it -including the surrounding music- it's all stilted, at least in a JRPG. Later, it becomes "voiced-conversation" and "voiced-yelling-in-battle". Removing early VAs removes one stifling element amid many others.) ...Am I too introspective?😅

@Armagon You've spoken of the need for this country to have more rail? https://apnews.com/article/high-speed-train-vegas-los-angeles-brightline-595913ff2fa3d9001fb89bfab4e6c4d2 Betting this is a positive sign of things to come?

The Break Soul(?) Therion mode thing?🤔 -I haven't used it once. Depleting her HP nonstop? Not a fond of a risk like that. Feels odd they'd give that to the main character, who you'd think wouldn't have such a risk-reward gimmick assigned to them. Velvet should've instead gotten stomachaches if she ate too many bad guys, and suffered stat debuffs if she didn't eat enough.

-I never tried Xillia 2. Got the impression that it's kinda like Dawn of the New World- an in-world sequel that's wasn't exactly given full resources during development. Plus, I have seen Jude's redesign, and I don't think I could stand seeing my Tales boyfriend looking like that. Considering Armatization, it wouldn't surprise me with Zestiria at least. Armatized attacks feel heavy and slow, not exactly conducive to fluidly chaining hits.

I suppose it'd be being betwixt a more free-flowing action RPG and a turn-based one? The flowing action of the former, but the casting times on spells and the fixed arenas feel like traces of the latter. And of course, the anime attack-shouting, the flashy spells, the general descent of the battlefield into a grand parade of liveliness. On some level, Xenoblade is the same (once the battle system opens up, early on things can be slow). It's decidedly different from say, Shin Megami Tensei, where being turn-based with generic demons as allies in a generally-bleak world don't imbue such vibrancy to the fighting. It's also different from TMS, which does have magnificent flair, but being turn-based I feel inherently keeps it from feeling so free as Tales. The technical level? -Well there, I never do master things.😅 I don't need to if I'm not playing on the highest difficulty level, which I don't. I do appreciate Namco's attempts to change things up every game, the things that if learned, would allow one to create unending combos of big damage while taking as little possible. -And I know you've a keenness for this stuff.- But I've the brain of a goldfish and the reflexes of a dead cat in this regard.😆 I will also say I approve of Berseria's choice to follow Zestiria in ditching TP as Graces had. Symphonia might've been my first, but it's liberating not to have to worry about TP consumption and keeping well-stocked on Orange/Pineapple Gels, watching my casters go pathetically whack things up close when their TP hits 50%. The fun of Tales battle is in Artes, even for physical attackers, as the basic hits of old alone can hardly a lot of fun make. I could see Lavos beginning its life as a pest gnawing away at the Tree of Mana, perhaps. Otherwise... well I don't see anything from CT's future originally being SoM material, that slightly narrows it down. Everywhere else seems like fair game for reuse, however.

A little under four hours logged into Berseria now, saved at the end of the sea fortress. I'm slooooowly easing into it, not quite there yet.😅 Sadly failed to properly screenshot the symphly phantastic skit, wasn't expecting a reference so soon.😆 -Although I could do without the occasional severe lag, even momentary total freezing. I don't remember having these technical issues at all with Zestiria. With Edna's older brother joined (it was strange that resolving the matter of him was entirely optional in Zestiria) and the playable cast now at four, the usual Tales explosion of sounds and colors in hectic battle has gotten underway. I do think I find Tales to be comforting 😄, in a way that the other major JRPG franchises aren't for me (no offense to them, each has their own distinctive personal vibe). Likely a combination of the aesthetics, the skits, the gameplay, everything adds up. You'd have to get the original producer/writer on board for a "radical", true-original remake, which does sound incredibly unlikely. Also, losing upwards of 40% the intended game with a major shift in the story? Sounds as bad as Vagrant Story- where more than 50% of the story had to be cut.

I know. I own it.😑 (Unfinished, owing to me going real slowly with it.) ...I get Atlus doing this back in the PS2 era, when DLC wasn't possible yet. I get them doing it -to an extent- with Radiant Historia, SMT: Strange Journey, and the Devil Survivors, since adding voice-acting to a DS game wouldn't exactly be easy. But please, let Vengeance be the last of this practice.🙏

Forbidden knowledge must be earned. Simple as that. -Don't question the video game logic. Is it that much of a surprise? Did not England seek to rule Britannia, despite being the best speck of dirt on the island already? -And Thracia was once united, unlike Northern Romeland. -Again, don't overthink it. Genealogy's writing was burnt out with Belhalla. They all have 4 Luck, must be the common Japanese homonymic wordplay. "Four" and "death" in Japanese are both pronounced "shi", though their kanji are different, obviously. 4 is thus an unlucky number in Japanese. Learning about feudal Japanese banquets- you would be served three sets of three dishes. Sometimes a fourth set would be present -but you never called it the "fourth dish", to avoid accidentally calling it the "death dish" -you don't want to taint the banquet with death- you would say "additional/extra dish" instead. More appropriate on some level, methinks?