Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Armagon]

What do you mean another?

[Acacia Sgt]

3 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Gen 1 is funny because they tried to imply that Kanto (not the Japanese region) was located somewhere on Earth. Which is why there are references to real life animals, especially in the anime.

That's because the original idea is that the game took place on actual Earth. Kanto is Kanto because it is the regional area of Japan of the same name. The geography matches.

It's also why there's a lot of references to our Earth as well. FRLG kept most of them, though one that got removed was the space shuttle model at the Pewter Museum. In RBY, it was labeled as the actual Columbia Shuttle. Understandably, the remakes removed the reference.

[Armagon]

1 minute ago, Acacia Sgt said:

That's because the original idea is that the game took place on actual Earth. Kanto is Kanto because it is the regional area of Japan of the same name. The geography matches.

Ohhhh yeah that makes more sense.

[Acacia Sgt]

Yeah, the idea of "Pokémon takes place on our Earth" got quickly scrapped. I think after the original version of Gen 2 got scrapped, and we got GSC as we know them. Now it's an alter-Earth, as it were.

[BrightBow]

10 minutes ago, joevar said:

that free horse tho, seems like a must me lol

Just keep in mind that the enemies will try to pick up the horses too, if they get a chance. That horse in the Southwest is particularly exposed.

And if an enemy picks up a horse, that horse is just gone.

[Lightcosmo]

1 hour ago, Edelguardiansing said:

 

 

*Electricity is sure powerful". 

Proofreading 10/10.

[Sooks]

I just encountered two caits almost back to back.

I hope being over the recommended level for chapters isn’t a big deal in this game. Because, uhh…

Edited February 26, 2023 by Sooks

[Interdimensional Observer]

Took yesterday off from gaming, and I'm almost caught up on my reading (hopefully smart people will be able to fix the issues of mud-brick construction to help save the planet). Since it’s night now, it’s no time to resume XS, so I’ll continue the relentless binge.:

Reset the Conceptual Paradigm, reduce the Jerpguh Factor, integrate the HS Virus Variant- Ni. Hack into the Intrinsic Memory Record, update the Internal Name as usual, but you’ll have to hard rewrite the Public Prefix as no function has been established to do so, input- MANA KHEMIA!

(What? Can’t I go chunni with this?😄 When the franchise refers to itself as “Project A” and is about alchemy, it sets itself up for being anthropomorphized into a series of artificial lifeforms. -Although admit the above is nothing homunculus, and everything android.😆 Episode 1’s startup was too good to forget.)

Opening animation is... animated. 

Mana Khemia does have a PSP “Plus” port. However, the Plus port of the second game wasn’t translated. For the sake of consistency, I shall stick with the PS2 original. Wikipedia suggests all I’d be missing out on is some additional items to alchemize, as the added multiplayer I wouldn’t be able to make use of even if I wanted to.

Now to toss the rest into spoilers for the sake of space.:

Spoiler

Yep, not a spinoff. Can't get any clearer than this. Despite lacking "Atelier" in the name, Mana Khemia belongs.

Okay, first thing I notice- the first integration of 3D into Atelier. It's a bit difficult to see in a still shot, but parts of the scenery really pop in a picture book kind of way. I don't love the change, but it isn't bad.

Iris might be over, but Mana-beings are still around. Not unsurprising given the name of this duology. As in AI3, it appears that Mana have nothing to do with alchemy other than bonding with alchemists, but they do assist in battle.

Vayne introduction- total amnesiac lonely (only companion since memory loss is the above Mana in form of a cat) male with low self-esteem. And there are evil school faculty who know he really is and probably want him to fail or die. I'm afraid he'll end up being boring.

Geez NISA! A little early to break out the cussing!

The school is given an anthem BTW, sung in Japanese before when they show an overview of the campus.

 🤢

What have they done to you?!

First, let me say that I try to be open-minded. I originally didn't like Dragon Quest's aesthetic, I like it now. I didn't like the Friends of Mineral Town redesigns, I'm fine with them now. Not all of the anime characters I've seen in SRW were appealing to me at first, they've become normalized.

However...

Mana Khemia's art direction is NOT clicking with me. I'll force myself to tolerate it, but all three Irises were far superior. This looks nothing like MK's opening trailer either. What went wrong, Gust?

I haven't seen portraits this terrible since Persona 1, which was really bad. There is something unpleasingly rough about these. Maybe I've been fed a diet of too much of the same overly-polished cel-shaded-ish modern norm for "anime" video games (I was fawning over dakimura earlier today that fit such a description), but I don't like what I'm seeing here.

And while it seems petty, the disagreeable portraits are something of a big deal to me. It makes it difficult for me to appreciate the characters, to enjoy the story, because I have to sit through all the dialogue conveying those things while staring at these portraits.🙁

As for the characters themselves, nobody has shown themselves potentially appealing so far. Flay being in alchemist school yet is a complete musclehead who shows no interest in alchemizing, it makes no sense.

Hopefully this isn't too bad. Sounds complicated and intimidating at first, but it probably won't be.

Game has introduced synthesis (appears to have a roulette-tied component for determining properties this time? Why add randomness?), equipment creation (separate from good old cauldron alchemy), and skill/stat trees that require you craft specific items to unlock new portions of each character's grid. 

First battle. Vayne's Mana cat transforms into an shield-blade thing on his arm, and the demonic eye thing on the right.

Koalas are not cuddly IRL and are in fact bitter, aggressive creatures with claws, I have no qualms slaying them.

Your design insults the sacred name of the Personal Trooper. I will have you begging for oblivion.

Combat looks like AI3's fundamentally. The return to SP after AI2 and 3 ditched in in favor of Charge Gauge, I'm not too hot on the reversion. Burst looks like it accumulates waaaaay slower than AI3 now, I haven't triggered one yet.

The sight of a long-dead Puni floating up & down preserved in a vat of formaldehyde seemed memorable. I simply had to take a shot here.

And that's it for tonight. Just a little over one hour of play.

After the first session... I'll get back to XS tomorrow. Not the best initial showing from MK1.

[Eltosian Kadath]

1 hour ago, Edelguardiansing said:

 

"American? Is that a Unovan thing?"

Generation one was back before they had euphemism for the real world places, and would reference real world events. For instance Kanto is also the name of a real region in Japan (both maps roughly look similar), they talk about exploring South America in game, and reference Silph Co. having a site in Tiksi Russia, and the Pewter City Museum talk about the real world moon landing, and random Pokedex entries will reference real world areas like China and animals like Indian Elephants. This remake is rather faithful to that.

1 hour ago, Edelguardiansing said:

 

Where's the Pokemon game that puts the idea of using Pokemon as war machines into question.

Pokemon X & Y might count, but don't even pretend to even do a good job with that part of the plot. Shame we all got cheated out of a Pokemon Z, as generation 6 really deserved a third game to fix its tiny handful of problems the way Platinum did with Diamond and Pearl.

 

1 hour ago, Edelguardiansing said:

 

Yeah you definitely don't need to tell me that after I sweeped your entire team with a Sandslash

The cliche is to walk over to Diglett Cave right next to town, and crushing him with the first Diglett you catch there...

 

[Acacia Sgt]

And of course, there's Pokémon Conquest...

The Eighth Movie of the anime also showed a medieval battle. So you had armor-clad knights marching alongside Pokémon... some also armor-clad. Even some were it'd feel overkill, like Aggron.

Edited February 26, 2023 by Acacia Sgt

[Acacia Sgt]

But like, seriously...

Other than for identification, I suppose, why would they even need the armor!?

[joevar]

1 hour ago, BrightBow said:

Just keep in mind that the enemies will try to pick up the horses too, if they get a chance. That horse in the Southwest is particularly exposed.

And if an enemy picks up a horse, that horse is just gone.

since it disappear when we take it, so how many horse for reward? only one? 

------------------------------------------------------------------

at this point im 99% sure the hit rate in Berwick either just straight up lying or they take it from average at the start of Turn change for some reason. Or it roll the dice and decide the hit is XX , so unless that number plus hit reach 100 it will miss. i've repeated a save state that gives me several movement left and the result will always same. if the second person move after turn start will miss, no matter what i do in first person order, and whoever i pick in second order, which weapon, who i target, etc etc will always result in that second order to miss.

96% hit rate wont mean a damn thing if that order already decided as miss or like in tabletop RPG, already rolled a 1. unless its 100%... if used 100% hit, then the next one is always guaranteed miss. so it really suck when someone dies at exact turn order, they will be guaranteed death unless i move them somewhere else outside enemy reach in before that turn

this particular gameplay decision just suck. this mean the game just wont calculate the hitrate based on real time decision. at least the horrendous FE6 hitrate will re-calculate the hit-miss when you do something in different order even but with exact same action overall

Edited February 26, 2023 by joevar

[Armagon]

You know, I do like that all the students you rescue in Grim Guardians each have their own name and portrait. You can talk to them in the gym, each have a few lines, I like that. Makes saving them feel better instead of just being literal nobodies.

Now if only there was a map. Or at least a counter for each area.

31 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Flay being in alchemist school yet is a complete musclehead who shows no interest in alchemizing, it makes no sense.

Nah this is the real crime. How you gonna have an Atelier game where the main character isn't interested in alchemy.

I mean I guess conceptually, it'd be an interesting turn of events but "goes to school" is not where I'd put that. Come on, even Marie liked alchemy, she was just very very, very bad at it at first.

31 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Game has introduced synthesis (appears to have a roulette-tied component for determining properties this time? Why add randomness?),

But why? Randomness in my synthesis is not something I would want. Could mess up big.

31 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

The sight of a long-dead Puni floating up & down preserved in a vat of formaldehyde seemed memorable. I simply had to take a shot here.

Even in death, they smile.

That's actually kind of terrifying lol.

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Armagon

[Acacia Sgt]

That kind of shot makes me think of Salerno Academy from Valkyrie Profile. XD

[Interdimensional Observer]

42 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Nah this is the real crime. How you gonna have an Atelier game where the main character isn't interested in alchemy.

I mean I guess conceptually, it'd be an interesting turn of events but "goes to school" is not where I'd put that. Come on, even Marie liked alchemy, she was just very very, very bad at it at first.

I said Flay, not Vayne. Vayne is the MC, and had no idea what alchemy even was in the above flashback where he is ragged, and he is only at the school b/c the guy talking to him came by specifically to invite him to the academy.

In the opening trailer, Flay is the guy with the giant sword. I haven't posted a picture of him yet. 

Forcing everyone in an Atelier game into a school setting forces everyone into being an alchemist. And Flay suggest to me that that might not have been the best of ideas. Alchemy has specific tasks associated with it, unlike a generalized magic school. Not liking potion-brewing is one thing for a witch, they can still be a witch by casting various spells and flying on a broomstick. An alchemy student who doesn't want to alchemize and instead runs off and fights while their classmates do the assigned work... they're not a real alchemist.

-Although it is stated that combat is part of Al-Revis's courses. B/c alchemists need to defend themselves from monsters when foraging for ingredients. And to stop bad people from forcing them to use their alchemy abilities for evil.

42 minutes ago, Armagon said:

But why? Randomness in my synthesis is not something I would want. Could mess up big.

I've only alchemized once, so I can't say how big a deal it is. But I'm guessing I'll still get the resulting item no matter what, it'll only be the properties (bonuses like extra healing on healing items, damage on attack items, stat boosts when then fused into equipment) that get randomized. The tutorial wasn't clear on this.

The game also mentions I can have the other heroes help out with the synthesis, and each has different effects listed as to what they do. But I obviously haven't tried this yet.

42 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Even in death, they smile.

That's actually kind of terrifying lol.

There is a faceless NPC in the cafeteria who says the hanging slab of meat next to him is a dead dried-out Red Puni. -But the way it's written reads like it's one of those high school rumors that are totally false and invented by the guy/gal who tells you them b/c it makes them seem knowledgable and they want to shock you.

Edited February 26, 2023 by Interdimensional Observer

[BrightBow]

1 hour ago, joevar said:

since it disappear when we take it, so how many horse for reward? only one? 

All of them.

[joevar]

ha..ha..ha.. another middle finger to player. active for 1 turn for player, 3 turn if enemy activates it

Edited February 26, 2023 by joevar

[BrightBow]

9 minutes ago, joevar said:

ha..ha..ha.. another middle finger to player. active for 1 turn for player, 3 turn if enemy activates it

Enemies don't have it, though. That's just there because when Saphira first uses it as an NPC, the duration is 3 turns. Which is for the player's benefit.

And even if enemies did have it. Well, all it does is cancel all dark magic on the map. The player isn't using much dark magic, so they would just shot themselves in the foot.

[joevar]

24 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

Enemies don't have it, though. That's just there because when Saphira first uses it as an NPC, the duration is 3 turns. Which is for the player's benefit.

And even if enemies did have it. Well, all it does is cancel all dark magic on the map. The player isn't using much dark magic, so they would just shot themselves in the foot.

oh yeah. i completely forgot about that.

but on the other hand tho..

just one.. give me a discountttttttt reeeee

[ping]

3 hours ago, Lightcosmo said:

*Electricity is sure powerful". 

Proofreading 10/10.

Lt. Surge is American, so he doesn't speak proper English. It's immersive.

[Acacia Sgt]

I got curious. At the very least, several spell checker sites do not point out any errors with the sentence.

You could think they're all wrong, but still...

[Saint Rubenio]

9 hours ago, Lightcosmo said:

Yup! But I dont really mind one way or the other, just thought it was funny! Carry on, please.

Look at this, Cosmo.

If you don't like this, then clearly you have no taste.

9 hours ago, Sooks said:

I finished Agnea’s chapter 1. I like how quick it was, it felt a lot faster than everyone else’s chapter 1.

That’s… it really. I have nothing else to say. I feel like if I really looked at it, I could find a ton of super hilarious jokes to make about it, but I just… don’t care enough. It’s a chapter about a dancer from a small town who fights a boss monster and then leaves to make it big that exists, really. Agnea cute, how about that?

Ahh, then I have the perfect Octwopath ship! Hikari and Agnea, the really generic couple that everyone forgot existed.

9 hours ago, Sooks said:

Oh, there is a plot point that Agnea has a really southern accent that she hides to talk like people from the city, to I guess blend in more, but it comes out when she gets flustered, and it’s kind of funny. 

This is not a reference you will get

8 hours ago, Lightchao42 said:

To destroy the 1%, one must become the 1%.

You either die a hero that will destroy the devil called poverty, or you live to see yourself become a CEO of Capitalism like Roque.

8 hours ago, Edelguardiansing said:

What the absolute fuck is up with this stretch of the game?

6 hours ago, Sooks said:

I just encountered two caits almost back to back.

I hope being over the recommended level for chapters isn’t a big deal in this game. Because, uhh…

I encountered a few, but I was unable to kill them. I did encounter an octopus when I was still alone as Osvald. He did finger guns at it and then jumped up three levels. It's actually the reason he's overlevelled lol

6 hours ago, joevar said:

at this point im 99% sure the hit rate in Berwick either just straight up lying or they take it from average at the start of Turn change for some reason. Or it roll the dice and decide the hit is XX , so unless that number plus hit reach 100 it will miss.

That's... literally how all of Fire Emblem works. If you go to GBAFE or any other FE and start using save states, it works the same. The game rolls a random number and stores it, then compares that number to the hitrate and if it is higher, the hit will land. Rinse and repeat. The only difference is, GBAFE uses up numbers for moving the cursor, for some undiscernible reason. But if you are careful to make the same cursor movements, the RNG will be exactly the same. This game only uses numbers for actions that would use them. Also unlike Berwick, most FEs do lie to you, but we've already talked about that.

6 hours ago, joevar said:

i've repeated a save state that gives me several movement left and the result will always same. if the second person move after turn start will miss, no matter what i do in first person order, and whoever i pick in second order, which weapon, who i target, etc etc will always result in that second order to miss.

96% hit rate wont mean a damn thing if that order already decided as miss or like in tabletop RPG, already rolled a 1. unless its 100%... if used 100% hit, then the next one is always guaranteed miss. so it really suck when someone dies at exact turn order, they will be guaranteed death unless i move them somewhere else outside enemy reach in before that turn

this particular gameplay decision just suck. this mean the game just wont calculate the hitrate based on real time decision. at least the horrendous FE6 hitrate will re-calculate the hit-miss when you do something in different order even but with exact same action overall

I honestly don't understand this complaint. This has zero impact unless you use save states. Why are you blaming the game for being programmed in a way that coincidentally doesn't allow you to abuse it with an external emulator feature? It's as if I forced a door open by breaking the lock, then complained that I can no longer lock the door lol

3 hours ago, joevar said:

oh yeah. i completely forgot about that.

but on the other hand tho..

just one.. give me a discountttttttt reeeee

I do find it pretty funny how he initially promises a discount, but then gives you a completely different reward. Though to be completely honest, this late into the game, a single liga courser is way, WAY better than any discount could be.

Edited February 26, 2023 by Saint Rubenio

[Sooks]

23 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Ahh, then I have the perfect Octwopath ship! Hikari and Agnea, the really generic couple that everyone forgot existed.

I mean, those two specifically interacting is shown in one of the trailers. I wonder if they can talk about how much they like benches.

23 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

This is not a reference you will get

I’m terrified and confused.

23 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

You either die a hero that will destroy the devil called poverty, or you live to see yourself become a CEO of Capitalism like Roque.

No but seriously, it’s just ignored that Partitio makes a sale for 1.8 million bucks at the beginning of the game. Just how rich was his family supposed to be? And where did all of that money even go? Cause like, if they were consistently making that much cash, going off of the in-game economy, it kinda seems like they should have been set for life long before silver devalued. They really should be the 1%.

23 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I encountered a few, but I was unable to kill them. I did encounter an octopus when I was still alone as Osvald. He did finger guns at it and then jumped up three levels. It's actually the reason he's overlevelled lol

I used the speedrun strats and killed them with soulstones because I have nothing better to do with them.

At this point, my choice of route for Castti is decided because she’s 3 levels above the recommendation for Sai.

[Saint Rubenio]

2 minutes ago, Sooks said:

I mean, those two specifically interacting is shown in one of the trailers. I wonder if they can talk about how much they like benches.

They probably talk about friendship. Talking about benches would be too remarkable.

2 minutes ago, Sooks said:

No but seriously, it’s just ignored that Partitio makes a sale for 1.8 million bucks at the beginning of the game. Just how rich was his family supposed to be? And where did all of that money even go? Cause like, if they were consistently making that much cash, going off of the in-game economy, it kinda seems like they should have been set for life long before silver devalued. They really should be the 1%.

I think the point is that they invested most of the money on the town, and what remained was splurged by Partitio. Then when the time came, they were left without a safety net. Real economic shit.

2 minutes ago, Sooks said:

I used the speedrun strats and killed them with soulstones because I have nothing better to do with them.

At this point, my choice of route for Castti is decided because she’s 3 levels above the recommendation for Sai.

Oof.

[Lightcosmo]

4 hours ago, ping said:

Lt. Surge is American, so he doesn't speak proper English. It's immersive.

Hmm... I think I understand?

1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Look at this, Cosmo.

If you don't like this, then clearly you have no taste.

It simply does not appeal to me, I apologize, Ruben.

1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Why are you blaming the game

I think everyone feels this way eventually about a game.