Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Saint Rubenio]

55 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

Probably about time to tackle Book 2 in earnest. It's been a long time coming.

When people first played the game in 1994 not realizing that Book 1 is just a remake, it must have been weird going into Book 2. I mean, in Book 1 houses mostly just tell you things like "Use money to buy stuff". Then in Book 2, the first half dozen houses are all just lore and records of the many war crimes the occupation army is doing.
The war crimes are all very sanitized, though. Like, Malliesia's grandma tells Marth not to kidnap her daughter because she is just 10 years old. I guess the occupation army is nice enough not to kidnap minors? Whaa...
At least Lang makes it clear that the plan is to just kill everyone, and all the bullying is ultimately just an attempt to provoke the civil populace into creating a pretense for going all the way.
Still, it doesn't quite hit as hard as that whole "Lock all the elderly, women and children into a house and burn it down" levels of organized cruelty against civilians seen in Larentia's backstory.

But it's still a really powerful setup. I mean, going from fighting Grust to having to defend it against your former allies? That hits hard. I also love how your alignments result in Lang being depicted as an allied blue unit while literal children are depicted as enemy red units.
And I know Book 2 does this multiple times too. There is this thing with the priests in Khadein. And later when you fight Gra, you fight a mix of Gra and Akaneian soldiers. Both are red, but the Gra soldiers will never actually attack you. So you can just decide to... you know... not kill them.
I'm sure some people would dismiss this as bad design. If you are not meant to kill them anyway, don't put them on the map. Or make them green or something.
But it encourages thought. To see more in those soldiers than just piles of exp waiting to be salvaged. To think about why they are fighting and if they really need to die for whatever cause you are after.
I'd say it's all pretty nice for a 1994 Famicom game.

Kaga always did have an eye for detail. And well, his team of invisible developers that nobody ever mentions because Kaga made all of those games alone. In this case, though, Vestaria Saga does prove this is something of Kaga's, at least. Y'know, alongside the massive creep factor.

55 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

Most certainly prefer it over the Awakening and beyond approach of portraying murder as a fun bonding exercise for the whole family. That the lives of those you don't personally know are meaningless beyond the entertainment you get from ending them. Then those same fucks act like the people of Plegia being used as fuel for the resurrection of a dark god was the result of an almighty fate, and not the result of their own indifference towards it's people after they threw the country into chaos by killing it's leadership, filling their bags with stolen riches and then just leaving those who supported them against Gangrel at the mercy of zombies and evil cultists.
Like, at least don't blame fate for your own sociopathy and stupidity biting you in the ass. Goddamn these guys did nothing to deserve coming out on top in the end.

Ahh, there it is

56 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

Makes the starting squad unfortunately stand out for not having anything going for them. But it most certainly was a huge step forward and it's easy to see how this lead to larger chunks of the cast getting more involved in the Saga games. Story arcs for everyone! Except Shirou.

Shirou, God bless 'em. Yes, Lord Lionheart!

[BrightBow]

Haha, alright this worked almost seamless. This was a very painless chapter 3 run indeed. Matthis actually stops moving once no one is in his range anymore, so I couldn't just keep Arran ahead off him with his 10 move. But Matthis' wimpy Javelins are nothing a potion can't fix. All in all this worked great.

Also really like how Julian carries a Mend staff.

Edited November 4, 2023 by BrightBow

[Lightchao42]

Hateno Village must face its greatest challenge yet... mayoral elections! Now we just need Olivier to show up to ease tensions between the opposing sides. Though Ganondorf kind of sounds like Olivier in this game, now that I think about it.

19 hours ago, Armagon said:

It's that time of year again

I hope Godzilla performs his flying dropkick in Minus One. He finally has a move to compete with Melia's Starlight Kick (ouch!).

After 2025, we'll have to wait until 2039 for Biollante's 50th anniversary short. I wonder if Pikmin 5 will be out by then...

19 hours ago, Armagon said:

Also they are cooking with these Minus One posters

Minus One has one of the best Godzilla designs. Maybe top five, at least?

19 hours ago, Armagon said:

This mfer should burn in hell for saying that in that section.

But they have the same voice actor as Shu Amiguchi. Gotta put on a show for Yuki-chan...

15 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

I still can't get over the fact the Japanese word for Bread is... Pan. Just that, Pan. Took it straight from the Portuguese (yes, them, they used to call it, or write it at least, as Pan during those times before changing it, apparently) and didn't made up a word for it later on. No, just kept using Pan.

Loanwords are fairly common. "Karaoke" is Japanese and means "empty orchestra". 

Did you know? The phrase "loan translation" is a loan translation from the German Lehnübersetzung. "Loanword" is not a loanword, but it is another loan translation from German (Lehnwort this time). "Calque", another term for loan translation, is a loanword from French meaning "imitation".

Edited November 4, 2023 by Lightchao42

[Saint Rubenio]

This image right here is both everything I like and everything I hate about Fates.

On the one hand, it's immensely stupid and I love stupid.

On the other, Fates why does the most heavily armored class in the game not have ass armor?

[Codename Shrimp]

Ah Fates, never change lol

[Saint Rubenio]

6 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

Ah Fates, never change lol

This series needs Fates 2. And, community be damned, I want it to be just as idiotic. I want Garon 2 in Fates 2. Actually, scratch that, just Garon. He's in Fates 2 for no reason. They brought the Awakening trio for pandering, so in keeping with the Fates spirit, it's only fair to pander to the Fates veterans by bringing back its best character.

[Acacia Sgt]

Okay, back with the good old laptop. Hopefully no issues will crop up this time around.

[null]

Break from Yakuza my ass, I'm ready for more.

Yakuza 4 time.

 

[Venger_06]

The true ending

[Acacia Sgt]

Okay, back to Clannad it is!

[Armagon]

Ok so i played the new Inti Creates Love Live game. Movement felt weird, until i realized it's like Curse of the Moon. Moreso about positioning than the smooth schmoovement that Inti is usually known for.

4 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Ahh, there it is

Brightbow "go two seconds without ranting about Awakening" Challenge (Impossible)

4 hours ago, Lightchao42 said:

After 2025, we'll have to wait until 2039 for Biollante's 50th anniversary short. I wonder if Pikmin 5 will be out by then...

Meanwhile, we're probably getting proper Reiwa MechaGodzilla next year.

4 hours ago, Lightchao42 said:

Minus One has one of the best Godzilla designs. Maybe top five, at least?

It's for sure the best of the Reiwa era. Godzilla's finally been allowed to emote again.

 

[Codename Shrimp]

49 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

The true ending

We were robbed

[Acacia Sgt]

Okay, I finally had the chance to add what I wrote when I didn't had the laptop. 3K words. Yeah, with what I still need to write, it would get too long, I think. Compared to the previous ones at least. Meanwhile what I wrote for what I could turn into Part 1 is neatly the 2.5K threshold. So I could upload that after making the finishing tweaks. Hmm...

[Interdimensional Observer]

Why, Square?

---

Kinda randomly felt like resuming the third J run, since I'd like to clear GG on Switch first before going heavy into another game on the PC. Did another three battles, only ten left to go before this playthrough concludes.

 

4 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

This series needs Fates 2. And, community be damned, I want it to be just as idiotic.

If you want lightning in a bottle, grab some moonshine. Because I'm not sure if it's possible to intentionally replicate the development zeitgeist of Fates. It can only happen if you're not thinking about what you're doing.

[Acacia Sgt]

I reached the DS9 two-parter where they end up time traveling to... 2024. There's something curious to be watching that when 2024 itself is just around the corner, heh.

[Acacia Sgt]

Well, everything good with the laptop so far. Hopefully that's a sign it really was a problem with the fan, so it being replaced means everything's alright.

I think tomorrow I'll actualy do the finishing touches to upload Chapter 6 of TDatP, but for now... sleep.

[Saint Rubenio]

8 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

If you want lightning in a bottle, grab some moonshine. Because I'm not sure if it's possible to intentionally replicate the development zeitgeist of Fates. It can only happen if you're not thinking about what you're doing.

That's true. So much of Fates is completely unhinged. Ah, well. I'd settle for Fates capture becoming the series' staple instead of those horrid time-wasting hubs.

[Lightcosmo]

9 hours ago, Armagon said:

go two seconds without ranting about Awakening" Challenge

I'll rant about how much I love Awakening! Xd

[BrightBow]

The thing with Awakening is that it's a software without any redeeming aspects. Like yeah, there are things that are downright horrifying and insultingly awful.
But there is no wisdom teeth that if pulled would make the rest of the game salvageable. It's not like Fates in that regard. There is no fixing this thing short of rebuilding it from the ground up.
The characters are monsters without any charm, the game looks ugly even independent of the already ugly character designs and there is no strategy in this supposed strategy game beyond getting your numbers ahead of the enemy and watch everything kill themselves against you.

The nicest thing that can be said about any facet of the game is that the soundtrack doesn't make the game even worse, if only because it's so unremarkable as to be essentially elevator music. Although at least it's kinda funny how the soundtrack during the maps is at least trying to be dramatic while the characters act like they don't take anything seriously. That is sorta a positive, I guess.
But how we went from this...

...to this...

...is still beyond my comprehension.

Soundtracks did a lot of heavy lifting in games that were otherwise unremarkable. Case in point the Shadow Dragon DS battle prep theme. But you don't have that benefit with Awakening. The soundtrack is just as dull as the gameplay itself.

Speaking of soundtracks, it's amazing how both previous games with a world map had the idea to have the map theme change after each act of the story to fit the mood of the tale, while Awakening just plays the same nondescript song throughout the whole game.
It's like they were really worried a player might accidentally get exited about something. Can't have that.

Edited November 5, 2023 by BrightBow

[Saint Rubenio]

3 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

But how we went from this...

...to this...

I will give you this, Shadow Dragon's prep theme is a lot better. Of course, Shadow Dragon's prep theme beats all the other prep themes in the series, except for like, the later games where they started to adopt dramatic prep themes for more climatic chapters. But as a "general use" sort of prep theme, SD is definitely the best.

...There was FE12 in between, though. That game's prep theme is dull as rocks on the railway, then there's one specific part where it gets kinda good and then it swiflty goes back to being dreadful. I do probably still like it better than Awakening's but my God what a downgrade. Just like the UI. Why they decided to ditch Shadow Dragon's highly stylized HUD and go for a cold, lifeless "grey boxes" aesthetic is beyond me.

[BrightBow]

2 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

...There was FE12 in between, though. That game's prep theme is dull as rocks on the railway, then there's one specific part where it gets kinda good and then it swiflty goes back to being dreadful. I do probably still like it better than Awakening's but my God what a downgrade. Just like the UI. Why they decided to ditch Shadow Dragon's highly stylized HUD and go for a cold, lifeless "grey boxes" aesthetic is beyond me.

Yeah. Ever since dedicated prep themes were a thing with FE6, they have all been really good. I suppose it's fitting that they went downhill along with the series as a whole with FE12. But just what the heck happened there?
FE12 is still trying to go for something of a calm before the storm vibe, I suppose. Even if not very successfully. Can't say that about Awakening. It's like it was composed for a Brain Age knockoff.

[Lightcosmo]

Just now, BrightBow said:

Yeah. Ever since dedicated prep themes were a thing with FE6, they have all been really good.

This isn't really fact as i disagree with most of that statement generally speaking. Saying "music is good/bad is a positive/negative" isn't really fruitful considering everyone's taste in music is different.

24 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

and there is no strategy in this supposed strategy game beyond getting your numbers ahead of the enemy and watch everything kill themselves against you.

FE8 had strategy? Did we play the same game? Or PoR for that matter? XD

[BrightBow]

36 minutes ago, Lightcosmo said:

This isn't really fact as i disagree with most of that statement generally speaking. Saying "music is good/bad is a positive/negative" isn't really fruitful considering everyone's taste in music is different.

Of course. Subjectivity is implied in statements like that.
 

36 minutes ago, Lightcosmo said:

FE8 had strategy? Did we play the same game? Or PoR for that matter? XD

I was only talking about Awakening there. I wasn't saying anything about which of these points also apply to other games. Just that Awakening is a game without any bright spots to compensate for the many things that are absolutely dreadful.

FE8 most certainly has it's own perks to compensate for it's shortcomings. It had good writing, a really nice visual style with a color palette that did a great job accounting for the GBA's lack of backlight while still feeling appropriate for the game's more oppressive atmosphere compared to the two previous games, and the as always nice rhythm during combat animations that all the GBA engine share.
The class changing system also is quite nice. Obviously it's very basic, not helped by the fact that classes are effectively interchangeable besides the inherent advantage that comes with having wings or a pony. But it builds onto a character's existing abilities instead of completely replacing them, which was a good start.
Which reminds me, it also got proper monster classes instead of just taking existing classes and putting glowy eyes on them.

Although I really would not say that Sacred Stones maps are anywhere near as bad as Awakening's anyway. Awakening maps just take like 3 arbitrary classes and places them onto spots on the map that might as well be randomly chosen. Including skills that are sometimes literally randomized. They are effectively no different than actual random encounters.
In FE8 maps, at least it feels like enemies are always placed by hand. Well, unless it actually is a random encounter.
It also doesn't have any enemies that instantly move when they spawn. So at least you don't need to replay them unless you actually screw up somewhere.

Edited November 5, 2023 by BrightBow

[Venger_06]

11 hours ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

We were robbed

[Saint Rubenio]

47 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

Yeah. Ever since dedicated prep themes were a thing with FE6, they have all been really good. I suppose it's fitting that they went downhill along with the series as a whole with FE12. But just what the heck happened there?
FE12 is still trying to go for something of a calm before the storm vibe, I suppose. Even if not very successfully. Can't say that about Awakening. It's like it was composed for a Brain Age knockoff.

Just as an aside, FE5 already had a dedicated prep theme. It's actually the only Kaga game to have a prep theme, as Kaga ditched the idea in his later games and simply had the prep menus use the corresponding map music. Unless you're willing to count Navarron's theme as a prepscreen theme haha.

Anyway, I can't particularly agree with this because Fates has my favorite soundtrack in the series. Probably. Doesn't exactly extend to prep themes because SD just popped off there; but then, when this starts playing in the endgame s it does get me pretty pumped.