Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[BrightBow]

Just now, Acacia Sgt said:

And my point is that that's not a sign they didn't know. As it could've been on purpose precisely because they could've known how she really is, but in light of fan reputation, they thought they could make a nod to it.

Yeah, no.

They are the same masterminds behind the hierarch. They don't expect you to remember stuff from 10 seconds ago, let alone stuff from 10 years.

[Saint Rubenio]

Actually, there's a character in my team that is stronger than Petra. Slightly stronger.

It's Deke. But then, I suppose it's unfair to compare a woman with an axe to a guy firing a plasma gun. If anything, it's rather amazing that she's only a few points short of his damage.

...I also love the fact that her sprite visibly dwarves all the other humans in the team. Girl's massive. Poor Nikolai standing in front of her looks like a little boy in a green coat lol.

[Sidereal Wraith]

You know, I’m actually glad I’m no longer in a relationship with my ex. I think having a truly awful break up/high maintenance relationship puts into perspective just how god damn fickle “love” is in real life.

[Saint Rubenio]

I think I may have my final team. Maybe. Unless someone really awesome appears.

Look at that shit. They don't even look like they come from the same game. But they do, because that game is awesome.

Problem is going to be when the game forces two plot people on me and I have to bench someone to fit Daniel in there. I don't know who'd have to go. I like them all too much.

[Dayni]

4 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Look at that shit. They don't even look like they come from the same game. But they do, because that game is awesome.

I think the front two would fit in the same setting, but everyone else behind them just took the costume party as "do whatever lol" and brought a big cat.

[Saint Rubenio]

You know, I just said this.

28 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I think I may have my final team. Maybe. Unless someone really awesome appears.

And then this walked through the door.

Why, game?

22 minutes ago, Dayni said:

I think the front two would fit in the same setting, but everyone else behind them just took the costume party as "do whatever lol" and brought a big cat.

Yeah, Griever looks like a noblewoman and Petra looks like a warrior, but at least they look like they could know each other. Meanwhile, Nikolai looks like he's out of Papers Please, Marian looks like a Batman villain, Deke is Deke and Lichtenheim is a cat.

I love this game.

[Saint Rubenio]

YES

He supports Deke. B support for the grenadier, C support for Deke, which isn't amazing, but hey, it's something.

Damn... I like your coat, Nikolai, my man, but... That's about it. And it's not enough to compare to this guy. He has bombs, man! He just showed up holding a bomb! It's not fair!!

[Lightcosmo]

5 hours ago, The Roger The Paladin said:

I think the most time consuming thing was Yiazmat... and I tell you my motivation to ever fight that thing again is nil. You know a boss is not a good idea when it has so much hp they don't expect you to beat it in one go. Funny thing is, every once in a while I think of buying the switch version to play through the game again... and then I kind of get flashbacks to that fight, and think "maybe when I've got more time". I think I'd love that game a lot more if I could forget that one fight.

 

Well if you 100% completed the OG PS2 version, any subsequent version on newer system is 100% quicker, with the turbo function and breaking the 9,999 damage limit, along with stronger weapons. 

[Sooks]

1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I think I may have my final team. Maybe. Unless someone really awesome appears.

Look at that shit. They don't even look like they come from the same game. But they do, because that game is awesome.

Problem is going to be when the game forces two plot people on me and I have to bench someone to fit Daniel in there. I don't know who'd have to go. I like them all too much.

0/10, no dog on the team.

[Saint Rubenio]

7 minutes ago, Sooks said:

0/10, no dog on the team.

I was hoping nobody would notice.

Look, man, I love Doggo as much as anybody else, but I'm more of a cat person. Lichtenheim and Doggo were virtually the same character. One of them had to go if I wanted variety in my team.

Besides, if Coatman didn't get him out, Bombman most certainly would have. I need Bombman in my team.

Hey, the game is free! You can play it yourself and put Doggo in your team!

[Codename Shrimp]

4 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I'm more of a cat person

So that's why you liked Faris so much

[Sooks]

12 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Hey, the game is free! You can play it yourself and put Doggo in your team!

This changes everything.

What’s the gameplay like? Goddamn it Ruben, I have two outgoing recommendations from you! Stop adding more stuff!

Edited May 5, 2022 by Sooks

[Codename Shrimp]

 

[Venger_06]

8 hours ago, Armagon said:

A lot of RPG fans would argue that the story is the single most important part and they can be very stubborn about this.

I mean sure, ideally the story would be good but it's called a video *game* for a reason.

It's because the majority of JRPGs plays basically the same, so this is the only way to differentiate them.

[Codename Shrimp]

Eh

I find the stories to be more similiar than gameplay in many jrpgs

[Codename Shrimp]

 

[BrightBow]

Can we please NOT, maybe?

Funny thing is, Sylvis would have died either way. Unlike Vantage, Counter works at 1 range just fine.

 

[Codename Shrimp]

That Sylvis positioning is a disaster ngl

[Saint Rubenio]

43 minutes ago, Shrimpolaris said:

So that's why you liked Faris so much

That and the fact that she was the smartest person in the game. That fact still makes me smile.

36 minutes ago, Sooks said:

This changes everything.

Doesn't it? All you have to do is download it (it's a really light game too) and boom, you're good. It's what got me to play it in the first place, in spite of its JRPGness.

36 minutes ago, Sooks said:

What’s the gameplay like?

Traditional JRPG but like, way better. On the surface it's not that different, you have your regular attacks, your magics and your items. For the first two hours or so, I was having fun, but I didn't think it was all that. Howeve:

• The large amount of characters (a whopping 75) make building your team and exploring the world in search of more faces to recruit its own big part of the fun. Replay value is through the roof, I can already tell.
• There is room for six characters at a time, plus two entourage slots. These characters do not participate in combat, however, you can switch anyone to them at any time via the "switch" command. These slots serve to take plot-forced characters and quest-relevant characters that you don't want to use. You can even put the protagonist, Daniel, there if you like!
• Combat takes place on a 9x9 grid. Front row is normal strength and defense, while the middle and back rows offer increased defense, but lowered strength. Some characters have long-ranged weapons that aren't affected by the strength penalty, making them best suited for the back row, while you want the front rows filled with sturdy fellows that can tank a blow or two. Yet another dimension to team building.
• The magic system, where everyone can use magic, but not everyone can use magic well. MP starts low and charges up, depending on the character's MP+ value. There are no MP items. It makes magic a lot less mindless than in other games - you have to be a bit more strategic about how you use it. You can't just spam it all the time. Conversely, you don't need a dedicated healer person, because everyone can be a backup healer.
• Items are similarly less mindless. You can't access your pool of goods at any time. Each character can equip two items at any given time. You run out, you have to waste a turn using the equip command to get more.
• The affinities each character, enemy and magic spell has. In short, there are six elements, light - dark, thunder - water, fire - ice. If someone attacks an opponent of the opposing affinity, they'll deal more damage. If they attack someone with the same affinity, they'll deal less. The MP cost of spells of the same affinity is reduced. This is a more subtle mechanic, but it is something else to take into account while battling and while picking your team.
• The experience system. Experience depends on your level relative to the foes. If your level is much lower, you'll gain a billion levels at the end of the battle. If your level is higher, you'll gain peanuts. It makes catching characters up a super easy task, while preventing overlevelling so that the bosses are not trivialized.
• It's an old RPGMaker game, meaning it doesn't have much in the way of fancy animations. It may sound strange, but this is a big advantage, in my opinion. Thanks to the minimalistic visuals and rudimentary engine, the battles are lightning fast. This makes the simplest of random encounters a lot more manageable.
• Speaking of the simplest of random encoutners, the bribery system. You can't see the enemy on the map, but whenever you're about to be attacked, a prompt will come up on screen. If you press the cancel button, you get to bribe the enemy away for 25% of what you'd gain from defating them. This is not only a super quick and painless way of avoiding pointless battles, it's also a way to gauge what kind of battle you're about to enter, depending on the amount they ask for.
• Lastly, every once in a while, there'll be a climatic SRPG-style battle. This is another reason to recruit as many characters as possible: A number of characters serve as unit commanders in these sections, and the rest can be put into their units as subcommanders, adding strength, defense, men (HP) and special abilities to the unit. They aren't as grand and complex as FE battles, obviously, but they are a very nice little gimmick to distract from the regular gameplay loop here and there. You can even try to perfect them if you like - the higher your rank, the better the item you're rewarded!

All this (and probably a couple more things I'm forgetting right now), alongside the fact that the game is actually difficult, comes together to offer a game that isn't just good in spite of being a JRPG, it's a good JRPG. The creator clearly didn't simply love the genre, he understood both its perks and its weaknesses and endeavored to alleviate the latter while amplifying the former. And he succeeded in flying colors, I would say.

Oh, and we can't forget the plot, of course. While the plot is not as emotional as Omori or Lisa, it's still a damn good war drama filled with trope subversions, grounded fantasy politics and strategic mind games alike, supported by a compellingly written main cast, as well as a wonderfully varied, silly and just downright bizarre cast of minor secondaries. I really enjoy the artstyle, but I know it's a bit divisive. To each their own, here.

Finally, the music is the only aspect that isn't original. The game was created by a single person, who made the entire game and drew all of the art, from portraits to battle sprites. He wasn't a composer, however, so taking advantage of the game's status as freeware, he simply borrowed tracks from classic JRPGs, fangame style. It works for me, because I haven't played them, so I recognize like two tunes. Considering how massive this game is for something one guy completed alone, I'm willing to cut him some slack for cutting corners here. Besides, he has good taste. Picked some nice tracks.

So yeah. Exit Fate is a game that I cannot praise enough so far. It gets me, the resident JRPG hater, to say I love it without any strings attached. That's how good it is. Even Omori had me feeling tired of the tedium of the combat at a couple of points. Even Omori, I always made clear I loved in spite of its gameplay. Not so with this one. This one is a complete package that is good. I made a bullet point list - that's how you know I like a game, haha! I mean, Jesus fucking Christ, look at the amount of text I've written...

36 minutes ago, Sooks said:

Goddamn it Ruben, I have two outgoing recommendations from you! Stop adding more stuff!

Honestly, I'm not sure which of them I want people to play more. I'm kind of in a wonderful place right now. At this point I'm ready to call both Exit Fate and Rogue Legacy 2 the best games of their genres that I've opinioned in my humble play.

That's right, better than Omori, better than Lisa, better than the rest. The story is not as emotional as Omori's or Lisa's, but all that means is that their stories made me feel more things because that's what they were aiming for. This one isn't trying to be emotional in the same way. That aside, I can definitely tell you that, in terms of being a videogame that you play, this takes the cake. I no longer have any doubts. This has been a blast from the start.

39 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

It's because the majority of JRPGs plays basically the same, so this is the only way to differentiate them.

38 minutes ago, Shrimpolaris said:

Eh

I find the stories to be more similiar than gameplay in many jrpgs

And this right here is why I don't like the JRPG genre at large.

Also why Exit Fate is god-tier. It's different. Seriously, this game is so fucking amazing. I believe the first time I called it the greatest game of all time was when Lichtenheim joined? Then it was a joke. Later it was a hopeful wish. Now? It is a simple remark. I don't believe I've ever had this much sheer fun playing a JRPG. Best JRPG. Which I know isn't saying much, considering I'm the JRPG hater who hasn't played that many JRPGs, but...

Oh, what the fuck. I've played Chrono Trigger. I get to say this game is the best JRPG in my opinioned humble if it whoops Chrono Trigger until it cries like a baby and begs for mercy. Or more. I'm not sure what Chrono Trigger's sexual inclinations are.

29 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

Can we please NOT, maybe?

Funny thing is, Sylvis would have died either way. Unlike Vantage, Counter works at 1 range just fine.

O

O

F

23 minutes ago, Shrimpolaris said:

That Sylvis positioning is a disaster ngl

They did our girl wrong.

[Codename Shrimp]

14 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

They did our girl wrong.

Like, iirc, doesn't Sylvis start with lik 15 less Crossbow skill than Bow skill? That's 15 hit (give or take)

And then using a Crossbow against someone with Counterslice is just asking to be punished ngl

[Saint Rubenio]

1 minute ago, Shrimpolaris said:

Like, iirc, doesn't Sylvis start with lik 15 less Crossbow skill than Bow skill? That's 15 hit (give or take)

Yep. She's way worse with crossbows. The only crossbow you'd ever want to give her is the rapid crossbow, honestly. Crossbows are just better on Christine.

1 minute ago, Shrimpolaris said:

And then using a Crossbow against someone with Counterslice is just asking to be punished ngl

Yeah, exactly. I don't get the strat, to be honest, it's just weird.

[Armagon]

The Chips Ahoy large packs have been raised a dollar

 

7 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Ultimately we didn't use spray. Instead, we got the ladder, grabbed a vacuum cleaner, and sent the buzzing creature down the wind tunnel. Rather than leave it to die of asphyxiation inside the vacuum, we then dumped the contents into a plastic bag, stomped on it several times, and threw it in the garbage.

Maybe chemical weapons would have been the more humane option.

No no, this was 100% warranted. Wasps and hornets do not deserve to live in this world.

 

3 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Why, game?

It'd be really funny if his actually just is man.

1 hour ago, Newtype06 said:

It's because the majority of JRPGs plays basically the same, so this is the only way to differentiate them.

Eh this is very much simplification.

Even among two RPGs that play the same, i can definitely break down them both and see which one i like better based on all it's elements as opposed to just the plot.

[Saint Rubenio]

1 minute ago, Armagon said:

It'd be really funny if his actually just is man.

I mean, there's a guy named Outsider. Meiko's interviews have casted some light on why Griever goes by that ridiculously edgy name, and Nomad says "it's what everyone calls me nowadays," but Outsider is still just called Outsider for no apparent reason.

...Unfortunately, no, he's not just Man. His name is Harvey. But then, it is certainly a possibility that his full name is Harvey Man.

[BrightBow]

42 minutes ago, Shrimpolaris said:

Like, iirc, doesn't Sylvis start with lik 15 less Crossbow skill than Bow skill? That's 15 hit (give or take)

And then using a Crossbow against someone with Counterslice is just asking to be punished ngl

9 less, actually. 18 bow vs 9 Crossbow.

The Light Crossbow has 70% accuracy. And no bow at this point goes above 50%. So in terms of raw accuracy that's still very much an advantage.
Plus, if she had a bow equipped, that would also mean that Overwatch would trigger at 2 range. And at 2+ range, the terrain bonus is doubled, making the accuracy even worse.

Though I doubt they considered all that, considering they missed the very big problem that Zalius can just counter Sylvis at 1 range, which would have happened even if she had hit. Plus, engaging him on a forest tile at all is a very questionable decision, to say the least. Guy is dodgy enough even without terrain bonus.

Now I'm really curious how the Krishna map is going to turn out for them. Worse then it did for Ruben, I'd expect.

Edited May 5, 2022 by BrightBow

[Sooks]

54 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

-shilling snip-

Fine, fine… yeah, you got me. I’ll get to it at some point eventually, probably… maybe. It’s on the list.

54 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

That's right, better than Omori,