Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Interdimensional Observer]

Sanger nods in approval.

I thought ASTRAY was a Real story. Is this really 150m in length?😮 Checking GC, that's 15 meters less than three Shin Getter-1s stacked on top of each other, or two Big Zams + 30 meters more.

-But, I love it.😁

From Alaska to the tropics as was time for Orb. Judging from the limited post-battle dialogue, the people Heero, Wufei and Seina were working for, was what I presume to be ASTRAY's villains? Orb's dark underside who can now take advantage of Uzumi's self-sacrifice. Seina rather anticlimactically finally died just before Orb self-destructed (or whatever the big explosion was), yet it seems to be what will finally get Wing's rebel boy to join the heeroes.

Ruri was uncharacteristically(?) biting with that directness. I kinda like it.

At the start of the map you get but 7 free deployment slots, and Kira and Cagalli (in her newly-built Strike Rouge) are forced as well. That's because this episode was packed with allied reinforcements. First, once you chop through enough of the Earth Alliance grunts, Athrun descends as a yellow unit still confused about what he should do. While it won't get me Nicol on this run, I choose to conserve ammo and have Kira do the fight-then-talk with Athrun, flipping him to blue. No sooner than this happens do those three Living CPU weirdos show up and one-by-one rush the Archangel. But then Dearka attacks to fend off the first, Kira & Athrun do their Combination Assault on the second, and Gai Murakumo arrives with his new tech sword (and Elijah) followed by Lowe with his WTF! blade on the third. The objective changes to defeating the three enemy Gundams, whom Murakumo seems to recognize and points out are the successor to SEED's G-series. All three units have been stripped of about half their health, so it's fairly easy (as usual, I wiped out all the other enemies first). Oh, and Heero left Relena behind and came here too, I forget when, too many glorious things going on to remember everything.😅

Rather than a second wave of the Earth Alliance in the north, it's Radam to the right and Evoluted to the left at exactly the same time well, at least it's not Fury. I'm sandwiched between them and unevenly split my forces, sending Guy, Koji, the Astray men and Cagalli to the left, and Valguard plus the SEED boys and Armed Tekkamen right. Smashing enough of these opposing alien grunts, the Tekkaman Lance realizes where Blade is, Orgun deploys in the crisis despite Tomoru's earlier whining, the lady Detonator Leave sacrifices herself and Lang gets angry. Damaging Lang enough causes Uzumi to try defending Blade from Lance, Tekkaman Dead returns and seemingly sacrifices themselves, but Blade emerges with the Blasterization process detailed earlier now complete. (Blade did go Blaster at Orb in J as well.) A Blaster Voltekka slashes off about half of Lance's HP, and a Soul-Strike-Assault gameplay Blaster Voltekka kills them for good. Eternal Loneliness sounds amazing in W too.😄 I then dispatch Lang to finish the map. Lord Uzumi then completes his self-sacrifice with the arrival of a new Earth Alliance wave, entrusting the future to the heroes.

...Tekkaman Dead joins after the map?🤨 I'd have thought their disregard for their own life would inevitably cause them to die in the plot. And Noal returned at the start of the mission too (plus Dr. Freeman, did he die of old age before Blade II and is only returning now because Blade 1 is getting back on course?), not like I'll ever be using the Sol Tekkamen, especially when I have the Armed Tekkamen in this game. Likewise, I don't see myself using Dearka, the Buster Gundam is no stronger than it was in J it looks like, which is really really bad when the ambient power level has gone up and it was already third-rate in J (as was the Strike (Rouge)). Gai needs a little something more on his Blue Frame Astray, but I've hopes that he'll get it (not that I'm using him on this run).

The aliens clash sure wasn't something I expected at Orb. SRW going unimaginably zany and throwing into a dire, serious human vs. human conflict, two warring bunches of aliens from different IPs.🍿 -Yet retaining retaining pizazz from the licenses native to said battlefield. A thing of beauty.🤣 

 

3 hours ago, Codename Shrimp said:

>Crits

>Warps

>Clones

>Knives

>Damage Blocks

>Pass

Sci-fi ninja? That's what the profile looks like it could fit.

Edited June 13 by Interdimensional Observer

[Armagon]

Man the preview for this week's Doctor Who episode sure is creepy. Haha those are pyramids in the background.

Oh hey, they put up the synopsis for next week's episode tool. Let's see-

>Ageless enemy

>Pyramids

>Sand

Sutekh bros, did we just win?

 

[Acacia Sgt]

25 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Sanger nods in approval.

Aye.

25 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I thought ASTRAY was a Real story. Is this really 150m in length?😮 Checking GC, that's 15 meters less than three Shin Getter-1s stacked on top of each other, or two Big Zams + 30 meters more.

-But, I love it.😁

Well, would it count as cheating to include the transformable battleships of Macross for tall mechs in Real Robot stories? XD

25 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

From Alaska to the tropics as was time for Orb. Judging from the limited post-battle dialogue, the people Heero, Wufei and Seina were working for, was what I presume to be ASTRAY's villains? Orb's dark underside who can now take advantage of Uzumi's self-sacrifice. Seina rather anticlimactically finally died just before Orb self-destructed (or whatever the big explosion was), yet it seems to be what will finally get Wing's rebel boy to join the heeroes.

Now I'm curious. Truly joined them, or was it some undercover work? For its worth, SRW L goes that route in light that even Endless Waltz is post-script. Where some of the Wing boys are undercover in a few of the antagonist organizations, and thus actually are fightable before they join. But I suppose it could go either way, maybe.

25 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Ruri was uncharacteristically(?) biting with that directness. I kinda like it.

She may grow up, but the snarkness will never leave, heh.

Well, actually, from what I once read up, our dub of Prince of Darkness did had her speak more... well, she certainly was less snarky and more formal-serious. Don't know why they chose that. At least for the TV series dub they kept it.

25 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

...Tekkaman Dead joins after the map?🤨 I'd have thought their disregard for their own life would inevitably cause them to die in the plot.

You mean the one named Dead doesn't die? Hehehe

25 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

And Noal returned at the start of the mission too (plus Dr. Freeman, did he die of old age before Blade II and is only returning now because Blade 1 is getting back on course?),

Hm? Probably. Looking up, Tekkaman II takes place ten years after. So it is possible. But with W only going for a six months time skip and putting it in-between the first series... then yeah, Freeman can be present for it.

25 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

The aliens clash sure wasn't something I expected at Orb. SRW going unimaginably zany and throwing into a dire, serious human vs. human conflict, two warring bunches of aliens from different IPs.🍿 -Yet retaining retaining pizazz from the licenses native to said battlefield. A thing of beauty.🤣 

That it does. Certainly sometimes you do or not need to explain any other faction butting in for others battles, heh.

Edited June 13 by Acacia Sgt

[Interdimensional Observer]

37 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Well, would it count as cheating to include the transformable battleships of Macross for tall mechs in Real Robot stories? XD

Good question.🧐

...Does a transformable battleship, in fact, strain the very meaning of "Real Robot"? A 17 meter mech flexing its form is one thing, an entire ship oh so many rooms filled with important things and people... does it cross a line? Is the veneer of possibly being realistic IRL which nothing mecha ever could be, shattered by the idea of a battleship robot?

37 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Now I'm curious. Truly joined them, or was it some undercover work?

My choice to go to Paris/Ankoku Daishogun means I didn't see Heero & Wufei before at Orb.

In Heero's case however, Relena is a hostage, though the ASTRAY evil ladies won't kill her, they spoke of making her Queen for whatever reason. Heero left in disagreement with the villainesses, his remarks were to the effect "society is made up of individuals, total control isn't as easy you'd think". I presume he was silently certain that Relena will continue living without him around. Though the evil ladies mocked her as saying her knight has abandoned him. -I'm sorta surprised they'd let Heero go however, given he can now reveal everything he knows to Neue Warter -maybe I'll understand better on NG+.

Now Wufei, he seemed more convinced in what the antagonist women were saying about Lord Uzumi being weak and whatever they were ideologically spouting that Heero thoroughly disagreed with. Even after Relena's pleas for peace during the Endless Waltz shook him, Wufei hadn't abandoned his... daringness? contrarianism? independent streak?, and appears to have kept it going into W's second half.

37 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

You mead the one named Dead doesn't die? Hehehe

I guess that makes them Tekkaman UnDead?🧟‍♂️

37 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Hm? Probably. Looking up, Tekkaman II takes place ten years after. So it is possible. But with W only going for a six months time skip and putting it in-between the first series... then yeah, Freeman can be present for it.

I hadn't looked it up, but I was wondering how much time canonically passed between the Blades. The thing that seemed particularly peculiar was how Aki instantly became an authoritative head researcher who did so much R&D in so little time. Shrinking ten years to six months explains that weirdness.

Edited June 13 by Interdimensional Observer

[Acacia Sgt]

7 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Good question.🧐

...Does a transformable battleship, in fact, strain the very meaning of "Real Robot"? A 17 meter mech flexing its form is one thing, an entire ship oh so many rooms filled with important things and people... does it cross a line? Is the veneer of possibly being realistic IRL which nothing mecha ever could be, shattered by the idea of a battleship robot?

Well, I mean, it's the same concept as other transformable Reals, like the Zeta or ZZ, R-1, etc. Just, you know, bigger.

Funny you say that, since that kind of issue was tackled in Macross. When they re-built Macross City inside the ship, they had yet to know of the humanoid form. Or at least how exactly it would work. So the city... was not first built with that into account. Damage was not catastrophic, but it did made them remodel the city a bit to better take into account how the ship remodels itself. For its worth, the ship was built with the ability to transform, so the only danger was to any modifications the humans did when they repaired it after it crash-landed on Earth. Like the city, as it were.

7 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

My choice to go to Paris/Ankoku Daishogun means I didn't see Heero & Wufei before at Orb.

In Heero's case however, Relena is a hostage, though the ASTRAY evil ladies won't kill her, they spoke of making her Queen for whatever reason. Heero left in disagreement with the villainesses, his remarks were to the effect "society is made up of individuals, total control isn't as easy you'd think". I presume he was silently certain that Relena will continue living without him around. Though the evil ladies mocked her as saying her knight has abandoned him. -I'm sorta surprised they'd let Heero go however, given he can now reveal everything he knows to Neue Warter -maybe I'll understand better on NG+.

Now Wufei, he seemed more convinced in what the antagonist women were saying about Lord Uzumi being weak and whatever they were ideologically spouting that Heero thoroughly disagreed with. Even after Relena's pleas for peace during the Endless Waltz shook him, Wufei hadn't abandoned his... daringness? contrarianism? independent streak?, and appears to have kept it going into W's second half.

I see. With Wufei it's certain it could be some remnant thing. Or just the fact the game did used EW's story. It's worth pointing out how Wufei kept his Mariemaia Army uniform in his cut-ins even in the second half. But in L, they actually had him back to his old clothes, and indeed, I don't think he was joining the enemy faction he did for real. But well, still don't know L's plot in that much detail.

7 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I guess that makes them Tekkaman UnDead?🧟‍♂️

lol

7 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I hadn't looked it up, but I was wondering how much time canonically passed between the Blades. The thing that seemed particularly peculiar was how Aki instantly became an authoritative head researcher who did so much R&D in so little time. Shrinking ten years to six months explains that weirdness.

Yeah. Like Ruri aging up seemingly too quickly, that's another consequence of compressing such a big time lapse. Speaking of aging up, characters like Aki also pretty much kept their original appearance, despite, you know, that it was originally a ten year skip. Though in this case, it probably also a consequence of shuffling part of the first series to after the second. Would've looked even odder if the cast had their older appearances I suppose, heh.

[Acacia Sgt]

Ah, my writing spirit is back! Well, the one for TDatP. I reached 2.5K words for the chapter. I still have a little ways to reach my planned ending point for it, but I feel I can get it done before the week is over. I hope.

[Interdimensional Observer]

The Eternal in J was one thing, but the Archangel isn't always mandatory deploy in W?🤔 And treated like a mech rather than have a separate battleship selector before deploying the mobile weapons, as in GC, 30, and OG1? The Nadesico B was forced on this map, and so was Valstork.

Another oddity looking over the intermission menus again- the original Blue Earth is back. As Milly is only a sub-pilot, you have to move Noal (as mentioned at the start of this episode) or Aki back into it to use it. Tekkaman Dead looking at them copies Blade's upgrades just as Aki did for whatever reason. As a unit, I checked during this battle, and Dead doesn't get any combinations, leaving them with a 5000 Attack Voltekka as their best weapon. And with no sub-pilot, this makes them the worst Tekkaman minus the Sols, yet they're decent enough if you want to use them (...assuming Dead won't die, Mu was playable for 90% of J yet they still killed him at the last minute). And had I been freer with my funds, Dead could've had perhaps an extra 1000 HP and a couple hundred Attack had I spent such upgrades on my must-use Blade. -Serpent's Tail hasn't actually joined yet either, they've politely left ship in search of a new contract.

Now for the pre-battle, Sincline is concerned about the alliance his father insists on. The Recorders of Knowledge are a serious, ancient threat, the 11 Sol Masters might end up damaging the Galran Empire, unable to persuade the emperor, he thinks yet again on GoLion. As for the heroes, it's off to space after the destruction of Orb, they've been wanting to get into orbit for a while anyhow, and now the surface isn't exactly the friendliest to them after opposing the Earth Alliance. Heero doesn't reveal as much as I think he could (IDK why), but he does say that Relena is where she is voluntarily, it sounds like she is wavering in her beliefs and Heero prays she'll make the right decision (she said at the end of the prior episode that she presently couldn't see a light for the future). Atop other Tekka chatter, having Tekkaman Dead on board does trigger some conversation. There's a gay joke when Saburota thinks David, having given up on winning Aki, is now in love with Dead (for whatever reason, perhaps they already walked away, neither responds to this accusation). Others then heap their comments upon Saburota's, among them Ryoko saying it's a good thing Hikaru isn't here (yet), and with her being a manga artist, I can totally see how she'd be a fujoshi. As for myself, heavily traumatized very psychotic former villain deathly pale Armed TekkamanxNormal Armed Tekkaman... uuuuuuuh.😐

Then Neue Warter gets a message from Sincline, they send GoLion on this purported knowledge-exchange knowing it's obviously a trap. Though Kazuma and a few other airheads don't realize until after the trap-counter is sprung that there was one. Anyhow, during the conversation between the GoLion five and Sincline, the evil prince reveals there were three ancient civilizations. The Leo Civilization was the ancestors of both Altea & Galra and the Trinary Star System, it used the lion motif, hence the title given to these ancients, and thus it's no coincidence at all in W's world that GGG and GoLion both have lions.🦁 The Recorders of Knowledge is named as the second ancient civilization that has been in Galran records for 10000 years. And the thir- 🚨the Radam attack before we get an answer. Sincline keeps GoLion captive of course.

The map itself begins with no enemies when I make my choice of deployments, though Valhawk being forced tells me the Database will show up. A few Radam then up north, and after I cut through them...

The saaaame setup as the prior map. A northern first wave is followed by a yellow-red sandwich with blue meat. Evil is happy that Blade went Blaster just for him to kill, Sincline evil laughs that he now has GoLion under his control, as a weapon to fight the Sol Masters and Recorders. As he goes to celebrate his win by kissing the shadowed portrait of Fala, it's revealed that it's actually Saburota, taking advantage of his dyed blonde hair. Fala is actually still in GoLion and makes a few explosions allowing GoLion to escape, Saburota gets into his Super Aestivalis too. GoLion is riled up and a flash of that mysterious goddess appears again, GoLion hits Sincline's ship for about a third of its HP with the newly-unlocked Four Lions' Attack, and the Ten Kings' Sword: Lightning Strike that showed up in the Space Wolf episode back in the first half of W is now unlocked too.

To win now, all I have to do is defeat Evil or Sincline. The former has a Large Generator, the latter Cobham Armor, neither is all that good, but I go for Evil. I evenly divide my forces to kill as many grunts as possible first, sending my Supers to the left, fully-upgraded Armor and barriers making them basically invincible. The six Tekkamen (I wasn't expecting so many power suits going into W!🤣) and Orgun handle the right. At turn 4, it seemed like Team Super had the upper hand in my little minion-massacring competition...

...but then there was this.😄 I hadn't even tried to arrange it.

In the aftermath of the better-than-nuclear reactor, I had Mic having passed the 120 Will requirement...

Dole out +5 Will to 8 units.🎶

Once Evil retreated demoralized by his defeat (the Radam Tekkamen are down now to just him, Sword, and Omega), all other enemies withdrew. This included the Galrans as Sincline was not confident in defeating Neue Warter here without the Radam distracting them.

Yet this battle wasn't over yet. To the south now, the last cardinal direction from which enemies could come, the Database arrived. Applicant stated who they were, and that was as far as the possibility for peace went, The Guy With A Lucadore-ish Mask was convinced Earth civilization was going to inevitably die soon. The new humanoid mechs of the Database are pretty and colorful like uncut gems, but their attacks bounced off my Supers just the same. All Database units have debuff attacks I see, and Applicant's battleship can steal 50 EN with its strongest attack. It was either defeat him or Aria to win. She drops an A-Adapter, he a Beam Coating M, neither all that useful, so b/c he was worth 2000 more, I had Kazuma take him out after eliminating everything else. (When I had Orgun attack Applicant, Applicant implied that D-Boy's father didn't create the Evoluted, he only assisted them in some way? They still haven't come clear & clean with this.)

The map ends with Applicant then getting better of Kazuma again and almost destroying him. A touch of sudden intel allows Kazuma to survive however, and Applicant and Aria withdraw. Kazuma realizes to himself that Applicant simply has to be his father in disguise, and is mentioned as sulking after the battle. Zechs & Noin then show up on the map, with the ReHOME (which is now a battleship I get to keep). Aboard the ship, I'm introduced to the holographic George Glenn, who I see is a "the actual legend of yore is a mockery of the man he has been mythologized as" case. He was the one who apparently accidentally introduced the Jovians to Gekiganger, but doesn't actually show the holy anime the sacred respect it deserves. Glenn's survival as just a preserved brain... it's well-established sci-fi, but "cruder" sci-fi than I would've thought of Gundam. Between this revelation and Lowe's Big Bleeping Sword, was ASTRAY's tone intended to be comical after all the boyfriend vs. boyfriend and death and discrimination and betrayal and nukes drama of SEED itself? -And lastly, D-Boy displays his tragic Blaster-induced memory loss to everyone, which Freeman explains. D-Boy has two months at best to live, which is the same amount of time that Lang said it'll take for the dreaded Evoluted Armada to finally reach the Solar System.

 

11 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Funny you say that, since that kind of issue was tackled in Macross. When they re-built Macross City inside the ship, they had yet to know of the humanoid form. Or at least how exactly it would work. So the city... was not first built with that into account. Damage was not catastrophic, but it did made them remodel the city a bit to better take into account how the ship remodels itself. For its worth, the ship was built with the ability to transform, so the only danger was to any modifications the humans did when they repaired it after it crash-landed on Earth. Like the city, as it were.

Glad the writers took the concept they had to wrap the franchise around with some seriousness of the issues it would include.

11 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Yeah. Like Ruri aging up seemingly too quickly, that's another consequence of compressing such a big time lapse. Speaking of aging up, characters like Aki also pretty much kept their original appearance, despite, you know, that it was originally a ten year skip. Though in this case, it probably also a consequence of shuffling part of the first series to after the second. Would've looked even odder if the cast had their older appearances I suppose, heh.

It's very difficult to tell b/c it's postage stamp size, but D-Boy's sunglasses-wearing incognito portrait did look older-ish. Since it's so small Banpresto probably could get away with that. And I don't know what Yumi's word choice is in Japanese, but the fan translation has her refer to D-Boy as Mr. D, which doesn't exactly sound normal for two teenagers talking to each other, but would make sense if Takaya was 27 or what-have-you.

[Armagon]

Sutekh bros, I don't feel so good...

What are they cooking now, I legitimately don't know what to expect.

[Codename Shrimp]

>Try to mix Cheese
>Get Milk

[Acacia Sgt]

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

The Eternal in J was one thing, but the Archangel isn't always mandatory deploy in W?🤔 And treated like a mech rather than have a separate battleship selector before deploying the mobile weapons, as in GC, 30, and OG1? The Nadesico B was forced on this map, and so was Valstork.

Yeah, it happens sometimes. It becomes hilarious when you realize you can put battleships inside battleships... and sometimes larger battleships into the smaller ones! lol

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

(...assuming Dead won't die, Mu was playable for 90% of J yet they still killed him at the last minute).

At least in recent games you get refunded when that happens. I never used the Raphael Gundam in SRW V beyond the necessary, but at least when you lose it, you get all the money you used to upgrade it back. And also the TacP for any skills you bought for Tieria as well. Handy, but for older games... yeah, that can suck.

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

The Leo Civilization was the ancestors of both Altea & Galra and the Trinary Star System, it used the lion motif, hence the title given to these ancients, and thus it's no coincidence at all in W's world that GGG and GoLion both have lions.🦁 

Gotta love when they lore weld like that.

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Sincline evil laughs that he now has GoLion under his control, as a weapon to fight the Sol Masters and Recorders.

Knew the alliance would have its catch, heh. Well, his father is on board with it, but still.

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

GoLion is riled up and a flash of that mysterious goddess appears again,

I forgot, have you made a Naga joke already? XD

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I had Kazuma take him out after eliminating everything else.

You don't try to get them both with MAP attacks?

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

He was the one who apparently accidentally introduced the Jovians to Gekiganger, but doesn't actually show the holy anime the sacred respect it deserves.

This reminds me how the actual person who did that in the Nadesico anime is a non-entity in SRW. Either it's never brought up, or they make someone else, like Glenn here, be the one who did it.

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Glenn's survival as just a preserved brain... it's well-established sci-fi, but "cruder" sci-fi than I would've thought of Gundam.

Reminds me how 00 has something similar. Tieria can upload his mind to a computer system, and can develop backup organic bodies to download back to. That's how he doesn't mind helping out Setsuna as a digital avatar for a bit, as it lets him better operate the system when he's, well, digital too.

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Between this revelation and Lowe's Big Bleeping Sword, was ASTRAY's tone intended to be comical after all the boyfriend vs. boyfriend and death and discrimination and betrayal and nukes drama of SEED itself?

Maybe? Admittedly I don't know much of ASTRAY.

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

It's very difficult to tell b/c it's postage stamp size, but D-Boy's sunglasses-wearing incognito portrait did look older-ish. Since it's so small Banpresto probably could get away with that. And I don't know what Yumi's word choice is in Japanese, but the fan translation has her refer to D-Boy as Mr. D, which doesn't exactly sound normal for two teenagers talking to each other, but would make sense if Takaya was 27 or what-have-you.

Hmm, yeah. More doable than the older appearances of other characters for sure.

[Sidereal Wraith]

20 hours ago, Lightcosmo said:

More like imposter Shrimp! Lol

Well if he’s an imposter I know just how I’ll greet the fellow:

 

[Codename Shrimp]

Ys

Castlevania

Touhou

in one mix

[Venger_06]

On 6/1/2024 at 8:17 PM, Interdimensional Observer said:

Why'd they completely replace the OST for PSP?

That's why. And I kinda prefer Lone Prayer

On 6/1/2024 at 8:17 PM, Interdimensional Observer said:

DS2 has gameplay enhancements, and the devs also fixed a few little bumps (being stuck with the same three-four playable characters until Day 7, the uneven spread of boss battles), but nothing seriously significant.

Narratively, they are totally separate games look carefully, and you might see an advertisement for the first game on the back wall of the subway in one of the first scenes of DS2. Entirely unrelated worlds.

-The one thing to keep in mind with Devil Survivor 2 though, is if you're playing the enhanced 3DS Record Breaker edition, pick Sep-Terrion Septentrione when the game begins. Do NOT pick Triangulum! That's the short sequel bonus story the 3DS rerelease added. (And if you intended to go and play Triangulum after Septentrione, don't worry about which ending is canon, just pick whichever you'd like for Sept. Triangulum begins by explaining the ending that leads to it, and Tri's version of events is an impossible blend of two Sept endings.)

Okay, but the real question is: how's the Law options?

I'll probably play one of them after P5R. That or SMT 4 Apocalypse

Or p4 golden

On 6/1/2024 at 9:02 PM, Lightchao42 said:

One of us!

(Though Armagon saw every Godzilla movie, I won't ask you to do the same thing unless you'd like suggestions.)

I just know that Anno directed a Godzilla movie recently

[Interdimensional Observer]

9 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

I forgot, have you made a Naga joke already? XD

I can't believe I haven't.😆

9 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Reminds me how 00 has something similar. Tieria can upload his mind to a computer system, and can develop backup organic bodies to download back to. That's how he doesn't mind helping out Setsuna as a digital avatar for a bit, as it lets him better operate the system when he's, well, digital too.

Now what we need is somebody who downloads themselves into many bodies at the same time and pretends to be hundreds of different people in different places all at the same time. And even does something particularly absurd like pretending to be both king and his heir, the ruler and the rebel, a holy cardinal and a dark bishop. By being in so many places at once, they can learn everything and through coordinated action of their many selves that nobody realizes are one person b/c it sounds unimaginable, they are able to control the world at large as they wish it to be. Just an idea I've had.😆 If this sounds too godly, too invincible, then that's because I had video games in mind, basically 4Xs and Grand Strategies, the many-bodied villain in this case being inspired by that incredibly powerful hand of the player in such games.

9 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

You don't try to get them both with MAP attacks?

And a Support Attack +1.

...Fixed.😆

I did this kind of thing in J, but I hadn't thought to try it here. Did it in one turn after a few tries, Applicant has a colossal MAP and he acts twice per turn. Thank goodness I could do it in 1.

9 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Knew the alliance would have its catch, heh. Well, his father is on board with it, but still.

Yeah, about that.

Time for the next route split it turned out. Head to the Moon to rescue Kaname & Tessa from the Martian Successors, who they think are likely planning to strike at the UN Security Council and Secretariat. Or, Go on Patrol for other potential threats and to hopefully distract enemies from the Moon team. It’s Nad, SEED, FMP, Tek, Org for the Moon; it’s GGG, MaZ, Getter, GoLion, Wing, and ASTRAY for the patrol. Yzak requires I go to the Moon, but Yzak is later incompatible with getting Tekkaman Rapier, so I pick the patrol. Plus I’ve sided with GGG almost at every split so far on this Super-oriented playthrough.

After my choice, Kazuma gets slapped by big sis Shihomi again for being gloomy after realizing Applicant might be their father. Sounds like he already talked about it to the whole Valstork family. Athrun leaves to try convincing his father, who in this world has only very recently been elected ZAFT’s leader when I think Patrick Zala became Chairman earlier in J. Tekkaman Evil as in J begs Omega to let him go Blaster and is denied, but Sword grants him the power. Given D-Boy said the Radam are hiding their mothership on the Moon and the Tekkamen are going that way, I presume Blaster Evil will show up there.

Then it’s off to the Database, where Sincline gets reprimanded for his latest failure in battle and attempting to steal GoLion to oppose the Recorders and Sol Masters. The Sol Masters and Recorders are extremely vigilant and untrusting, while the foolishly naive prince had no idea his ship was bugged. Dai Bazaal is relentlessly ready to condemn his son to death, yet Sincline then claims his father has been plotting to oppose the Recorders and Sol Masters. The Galran Emperor is then arrested by Disper soldiers and taken away by Inference’s orders.

Sincline doesn’t catch a break though, as Inference shouts at him to the effect of “Get your ass back to Earth!”, and the whipped prince leaves most humiliated, with that long-coveted crown now technically on his head. Inference tells Critic and Regulate he saw right through Sincline’s obvious lies. The triple alliance is now basically two groups of humanoid AIs of equal status, and a servile space empire. Inference and Regulate then describe how, since Applicant created them about 10,000 years ago, they’ve done their jobs of inferring, regulating, and criticizing the Recorders themselves. But that almost 4000 years ago, they swapped to rule by consensus, and have left automation to do the recording that is their fundamental reason for existence. Some good Original villain backstory.

As for Scenario 44 itself... (spoilered for length)

Spoiler

...It begins with the Eternal and Athrun fleeing ZAFT. Serpent’s Tail shows up with Wufei and save Lacus & others. Then it flips to Kazuma doing his usual ship log, the date is December 24th now. The heroes find a recently-attacked large spacecraft and the Junkmen head in to investigate. Amid the wrecked ZAFT units of the latest mass-production model (GuAIZ) they find a beheaded Mobile Suit, possibly a Gundam, but a Gundam isn’t a Gundam without its head, that’s where the Gundam’s soul is stored, by the Devil this is true!. They also find an innocent little boy named Prayer who is OBVIOUSLY a clone of George Glenn (Creuset is a clone of Mu’s dad, so this wouldn’t be without precedent in SEED), though the heroes don’t realize it. The boy works for some Reverend Melchio, mentioned earlier but only now explained to me as a famous philanthropist right now.

Then some Earth Alliance forces show up. The heroes don’t want to fight them, and this Canard guy who leads them wants to know where Kira Yamato is. Neue Warter refuses to divulge that information about their friend and their refusal leads Canard to attack them. The dude is very one-note from everything I saw. Your typical (lab-grown in this case, as in others) human who is extremely jealous of somebody who is better than them and pins their entire existence on killing them. I liked Wodan Ymir, but Canard can get hit in the ‘nads. How he is a secret recruit?😬 The dude is edgelord antisocial beyond the utmost limit. He ain’t no Sword of Magus. Or even Tek Evil, though he be a normal twin brother and not an artifice. …Besides Mr. Pars, his Mobile Suit. Hyperion Gundam, well, it does attack like a shooting star cutting through the night.🌠 Coincidence? Chronologically, SEED X ASTRAY was released a half-year after Alpha 2. So yes, cowinky-dink.😆

When Canard attacks or is attacked for the first time, he says “trap!” and summons reinforcements to the east. Prayer then shows up to help the heroes using the Dreadnought, with a GuAIZ head replacing its missing one. It results in a design that Boss loves, but everyone else finds ugly. Prayer gets his own BGM, which sounds serious does a Child of Fate grow up to be a Man of Destiny?. I send Mazinkaiser to take care of the east, though its hit rates have been getting dicey for the past two maps. Also, as in many maps fighting ZAFT and the Alliance in W, the heroes told themselves at the start “don’t hit the cockpits!”, because we’re the good guys.

Upon sinking Canard or his battleship, I MAP’ed both, the Super Coordinator withdraws. His last words- look into the origin of Kira; Aria says she wanted to know that. -Yup, Database twice in a row. Defeating her once more, she finally reveals she hates Kazuma because she was made by Applicant using data taken from him. With Kazuma believing Applicant is their father, he can believe this. Aria retreats fearing one more failure and Inference won’t be able to forgive her.

As I was punching through the Recorders, whose humanoid units now show a Disper portrait instead of AI now, more reinforcements. Rondo Gina Sahaku, who had I mistaken as a woman before because of his pretty portrait and feminine name.😅 He leads some Orb troops, and his P01 Gundam Astray Gold Frame “Amatsu” Mobile Suit had been encountered on a route split I didn’t choose by the Junkmen. He extols his worldview, which boils down to literally “divine right of kings”, and says he came here to find and murder Cagalli. She ain’t here, but everyone present shall have to die anyhow. This is he who Heero had disagreed with before, and then Gai (but not Elijah) and Wufei show up. Gai had fought Gina back at Giga-Float offscreen a few scenarios ago. Wufei, moved by the death of Seina, states life itself is a battle, and he rejects his earlier Vindelian beliefs about soldiers needing war to live, as well Gina’s self-centered authoritarianism. A Gundam Wing character, compelled by an FMP character, makes a declaration of character development against an ASTRAY character. SRW is just lovely.😄

Gina has his EN-leeching Mirage Colloid + barrier + almost 60k HP Amatsu, which being named after the Amatsukami the gods who reside in Shinto heaven, is appropriately haughty for him. He has two Socius piloting 24k HP Sword Calamities, the Socius being identical lab-grown humans who are taken to the extreme of being robot with no sense of self-preservation, only service to the Naturals. The rest of his army is generic Orb Soldiers piloting M1 Astrays. Though the Astrays are pathetic, they did catch me off guard initially, and could’ve endangered the scrubby Super AIs I had mostly sitting around with the ReHOME and Lowe. The Altron Gundam BTW ain’t too hot, another Wing Gundam that fails to break even 4000 Attack, except Duo has had incredible availability in W and his MAP, Wufei doesn’t.

I relocate Mazinkaiser and Big Volfogg to distract the Astrays, I finish off the Database here, and then I turn north and defeat Gina’s troops. His Socius flee, yet he dies. Lowe deals a story final blow, but isn’t one for killing and spares him, which Gina finds stupid, so Gai the hardened mercenary chooses to land it instead. Jean shows up from before now working for Orb, and asks for the Gold Frame, while giving Lowe data for a design that should allow him to swing the 150m Gerbera Straight without the need for the Power Loader. Gai departs, warning the next time they meet they may be enemies.

On an Alliance battleship, Canard gets scolded by Garcia about his defeat. The two hate absolutely each other. But Canard is interested in this powerful ZAFT part that they, the Eurasian Federation, need to acquire- the Neutron Jammer Canceller.

Over at Orb, from Jean, Relena, and Rondo Mina Sahaku, Gina’s twin sister, I get the lowdown on what exactly just happened. The Sahaku house is one of the five emirates of Orb, the family in charge of military affairs and which ordered Mobile Suit development. Born into royalty, Gina took his job very seriously, resulting in those tyrannical world views. Killing Cagalli simply owing to her bloodline was something Gina wanted to do for his own power. Relena takes her leave now, confident in the path she should believe in. Mina sounds like she might lead her family in a good way with Gina’s death, though I’m not entirely sure. And what about the Gold Frame and those Socius?

Back to Neue Warter, Wufei has joined. Though he is direct with Kazuma- deviate from the path I choose to believe in, and I’m leaving you. Kazuma concludes all Gundam pilots (or at least the Wing boys) are weird, which Quatre agrees with …except others tell Quatre how that applies to him too. His ability to get what he wants from being so sweet, his ability to insult while being so nice. Heero explains who Gina was, and how Vice Foreign Minister Relena went to the Sahaku family to try persuading them, being as powerful as they are. She, he, and Wufei all listened to Gina’s ideological beliefs in response and considered them. He knows Relena will be fine now.

Also, the heroes discover they had been attacked by the Eurasian Federation, which, because the Atlantic Federation is selfish and dominant, was denied the new Strike Daggers and the heroes thought that odd during combat. They want to contact Kira too because Canard wants him dead that badly, but apparently N-Jammers can block out communication signals. Prayer then urges Neue Warter to find the missing parts of the Dreadnought, because those parts are an N-Jammer Canceller. Words that shock them. Prayer says he noticed that the people who stole the Canceller had a snake emblem -Guy! Double heroic shock!😝

And so it ends here. The thing that’ll kick up the Alliance-ZAFT war to thermonuclear temperatures is now the hot topic of the day. Lowe is forced on the next map I see, but not Guy or Akira. This split side looks to be purely ASTRAY narratively. I hoping to save as much ASTRAY as possible for the second, Real-themed run.😅 But, SRW route splits be like this and I’m okay with that. If you play with specific secrets in mind, it’ll almost certainly run contrary to wanting to see 100% of many storylines. And seeing all of one storyline, rarely lets you see all of any other. It’s a tradeoff I accept, there's more than one way to go through an SRW.

 

1 hour ago, Venger_06 said:

Okay, but the real question is: how's the Law options?

The first Devil Survivor's has been considered a better portrayal of Law. Atsuro has a not-so-angelic Law alternative in DS1, interesting in being that, though a tad naive, and it doesn't get an Overclocked 8th Day like Amane's does.

-Only one ending route of the possible five is unlocked by default in DS1. If you want to play blind, I'll throw the details in spoilers, and even then keep it a little vague...

Spoiler

All four unlockables require you stop somebody from attempting the *ahem* irreversible. -Just talk to them when you're told about this, simple.

Other, usually easy, conditions specific to each ending exist too.

Amane's requires you talk to and agree with her when you can. Very easy.

Atsuro's ending calls seeing a few events with him. And keeping somebody else (not the unnamed person mentioned above) in good health.

Devil Survivor 2... the traditional alignment system doesn't work so well here. Using the alternate system one I've described before, two of the endings in Septentrione I judge to be Law. These two just so happen to be two of the three unlocked by default. The other default is a Chaos, the unlockable alternative that involves the same character is a Neutral. And the fifth ending option which also needs to be unlocked is another Chaos.

With DS1, there's a Law-oriented character without an ending. And about them, towards the end of Day 4...

Spoiler

...I don't remember if you can miss it, but find Mari's bag.

Then on Day 5 (spoilering it in case you don't want to read this until then)...

Spoiler

• ...Give the bag to Kaido. 
• Go help Mari. Don't defeat Kudlak yourself or let him flee the battle.
  • Giving a leader Petra Eyes and two demons with it can stone Kudlak in a few attempts, since he isn't Curse immune. He's harmless then and Mari can kill him in a turn or two.
• When the chance comes, go see Keisuke immediately. Do NOT try to BS your way out of fighting.
• Ignore Keisuke, defeat Yama.

This results in the best outcome for the 5th Day's variable events. 

 

 

Edited June 14 by Interdimensional Observer

[Acacia Sgt]

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I can't believe I haven't.😆

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Now what we need is somebody who downloads themselves into many bodies at the same time and pretends to be hundreds of different people in different places all at the same time. And even does something particularly absurd like pretending to be both king and his heir, the ruler and the rebel, a holy cardinal and a dark bishop. By being in so many places at once, they can learn everything and through coordinated action of their many selves that nobody realizes are one person b/c it sounds unimaginable, they are able to control the world at large as they wish it to be. Just an idea I've had.😆 If this sounds too godly, too invincible, then that's because I had video games in mind, basically 4Xs and Grand Strategies, the many-bodied villain in this case being inspired by that incredibly powerful hand of the player in such games.

Oh, that sounds interesting, heh.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

And a Support Attack +1.

...Fixed.😆

I did this kind of thing in J, but I hadn't thought to try it here. Did it in one turn after a few tries, Applicant has a colossal MAP and he acts twice per turn. Thank goodness I could do it in 1.

Well, good to see it worked!

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Then it’s off to the Database, where Sincline gets reprimanded for his latest failure in battle and attempting to steal GoLion to oppose the Recorders and Sol Masters. The Sol Masters and Recorders are extremely vigilant and untrusting, while the foolishly naive prince had no idea his ship was bugged. Dai Bazaal is relentlessly ready to condemn his son to death, yet Sincline then claims his father has been plotting to oppose the Recorders and Sol Masters. The Galran Emperor is then arrested by Disper soldiers and taken away by Inference’s orders.

Well, now that's a surprise. Though I suppose arrogant prince finding a way to depose their father and take the throne is not exactly something new.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

The triple alliance is now basically two groups of humanoid AIs of equal status, and a servile space empire. Inference and Regulate then describe how, since Applicant created them about 10,000 years ago, they’ve done their jobs of inferring, regulating, and criticizing the Recorders themselves. But that almost 4000 years ago, they swapped to rule by consensus, and have left automation to do the recording that is their fundamental reason for existence. Some good Original villain backstory.

No wonder the game has no encyclopedia to check. They're not letting you see it!

... can't believe it took me until now to make that joke.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

How he is a secret recruit?

I suppose every now and then SRW can pull something out of left field like that. Usually the characters get toned down so make it more plausible to join the heroes' side when that happens. Though I can't say for this one since I'm not familiar with him.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Hyperion Gundam, well, its does like a shooting star cutting through the night.🌠 Coincidence? Chronologically, SEED X ASTRAY was released a half-year after Alpha 2. So yes, cowinky-dink.😆

Well, we know thanks to Mazinkaiser that SRW can give back too. Though is this true for this case? Probably not, but still...

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Also, as in many maps fighting ZAFT and the Alliance in W, the heroes told themselves at the start “don’t hit the cockpits!”, because we’re the good guys.

At least that's more plausible thanks to escape pods. Unlike FE.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Defeating her once more, she finally reveals she hates Kazuma because she was made by Applicant using data taken from him. With Kazuma believing Applicant is their father, he can believe this. Aria retreats fearing one more failure and Inference won’t be able to forgive her.

Ooh, getting close to that trivia I wanted to share.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

As I was punching through the Recorders, whose humanoid units now show a Disper portrait instead of AI now, more reinforcements.

Or can I now? Game hasn't explained about them yet, I take it.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

 Wufei, moved by the death of Seina, states life itself is a battle, and he rejects his earlier Vindelian beliefs about soldiers needing war to live, as well Gina’s self-centered authoritarianism. A Gundam Wing character, compelled by an FMP character, makes a declaration of character development against an ASTRAY character. SRW is just lovely.😄

Oh, indeed.

Though I can imagine Wufei having a realization due to her death is a mirror/reference to what happened over in TV Wing. Wufei's backstory includes the dead of his wife (yes, despite being a teenager, Wufei is a widower), Meilan. Who would also call herself... Nataku. And that's why Wufei often calls his Gundam Nataku. Wufei was more a scholar than a warrior, it was Meilan who was the more inclined to fight, and she had a strong sense of justice. Wanting to honor her, it's part of why Wufei took up to fight in her stead, and fully embrace becoming a Gundam pilot.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

The Altron Gundam BTW ain’t too hot, another Wing Gundam that fails to break even 4000 Attack, except Duo has had incredible availability in W and his MAP, Wufei doesn’t.

Altron's Twin Beam Trident is not unlike the Beam Scissors or Heat Shotel. Post-movement, decent range, chain capable, high Hit/Crit modifiers. Good to help crowd control, but unless you want to use all five Wing boys, then yeah, it might not be needed for how late you get it.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Back to Neue Warter, Wufei has joined. Though he is direct with Kazuma- deviate from the path I choose to believe in, and I’m leaving you.

And that's why he can leave in SRW 64, as it were.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

But, SRW route splits be like this and I’m okay with that. If you play with specific secrets in mind, it’ll almost certainly run contrary to wanting to see 100% of a particular storyline. And see all of one storyline, rarely lets you see all of any other. It’s a tradeoff I accept, more than one way to go through an SRW.

In a way it is a bit annoying, but thankfully it doesn't happen every game.

SRW V is one such game, actually. Though it helps that some secrets, once unlocked, remain unlocked on subsequent playthroughs. It's a neat feature I'm certainly glad of. Though I think it was only ever used in V? If so, that's a shame. As it is, there's very few cases of missing out on a secret if you want to see a certain storyline 100%, but there's still some combinations that are just not possible to do. Ah, such is life, I guess.

[Interdimensional Observer]

1 hour ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Well, now that's a surprise. Though I suppose arrogant prince finding a way to depose their father and take the throne is not exactly something new.

I like how obviously panicky impromptu it is. Not your typical, well-calculated coup.

When this triple alliance was first revealed, I thought it a tad strange. Now, having a slightly better understanding of the Database, it's still quirky, but SRW has made it work. And Banpresto made it different in making this be blatantly unequal, I like the novelty of that.😀

And, the inequality didn't have to be a thing. This is all Sincline's fault, when you think about it. Even if the Recorders and Sol Masters were using the Galra Empire from the start, their earlier conference pretended to be very politely diplomatic. If Sincline had been more discrete in his methods of trying to find ways of overcoming the others, then his failures on the battlefield might not have been seen as so bad. He fumbled both working against and for (fighting GoLion/Water) the alliance, leading to his death sentence that he then fumbled his way out of. The incompetency of the prince -his recurring trait besides ambition and lust- sank his illustrious & respected Empire to the standing of cannon fodder in a matter of minutes.

1 hour ago, Acacia Sgt said:

No wonder the game has no encyclopedia to check. They're not letting you see it!

... can't believe it took me until now to make that joke.

And I can't believe I never thought of it.😆

1 hour ago, Acacia Sgt said:

I suppose every now and then SRW can pull something out of left field like that. Usually the characters get toned down so make it more plausible to join the heroes' side when that happens.

They gave me Dead by default, the one who upon seeing him again, expressed their unrepentant psychotic desire to kill Evil.

-Katejina and Chronicle come to mind for secret wackos. Would you seriously say the crazy lady who stabs Uso in the back as the second-to-last step in for her recruitment, is not insane?🤨 Festenia and Michael those cult addicts are a little better, but still rather hostile towards the heroes once they've joined. (And both of these pairs of nut jobs have been secrets twice.)

1 hour ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Though I can't say for this one since I'm not familiar with him.

Canard, like Nicol and Yzak, are going to be NG+ recruits for me, Real-leaning playthrough = Gundam route-exclusive secrets. So it'll be many months before I find out how the Super Crazy Coordinator gets mellowed to the point Kira doesn't need a "keep on a separate battleship at all times" restraining order.🕑

1 hour ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Or can I now? Game hasn't explained about them yet, I take it.

Hold off. Though the rate at which I'm getting through the chapters is slowing a tad, I'm still running through this game quickly, you likely won't need to wait that much longer.

1 hour ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Though I can imagine Wufei having a realization due to her death is a mirror/reference to what happened over in TV Wing. Wufei's backstory includes the dead of his wife (yes, despite being a teenager, Wufei is a widower), Meilan. Who would also call herself... Nataku. And that's why Wufei often calls his Gundam Nataku. Wufei was more a scholar than a warrior, it was Meilan who was the more inclined to fight, and she had a strong sense of justice. Wanting to honor her, it's part of why Wufei took up to fight in her stead, and fully embrace becoming a Gundam pilot.

Very interesting! Thanks!😃

1 hour ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Wufei's backstory includes the dead of his wife (yes, despite being a teenager, Wufei is a widower),

...The only thing I can think of for realism behind the marriage thing is that it was arranged since childhood, some Asian custom. -I'm probably wrong though, and it's simply something I shouldn't overthink.😆 

1 hour ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Wufei was more a scholar than a warrior,

I think I can see this?🤔 Like, Duo, Quatre, Trowa, they don't appear to think too much about why they fight. Scholars do a lot of thinking, particularly those in the humanities. Wufei's obsession with the righteousness of his cause could very well be the philosopher in him. He needs his natural disposition satisfied before he can willingly do his job.

[Acacia Sgt]

44 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I like how obviously panicky impromptu it is. Not your typical, well-calculated coup.

When this triple alliance was first revealed, I thought it a tad strange. Now, having a slightly better understanding of the Database, it's still quirky, but SRW has made it work. And Banpresto made it different in making this be blatantly unequal, I like the novelty of that.😀

And, the inequality didn't have to be a thing. This is all Sincline's fault, when you think about it. Even if the Recorders and Sol Masters were using the Galra Empire from the start, their earlier conference pretended to be very politely diplomatic. If Sincline had been more discrete in his methods of trying to find ways of overcoming the others, then his failures on the battlefield might not have been seen as so bad. He fumbled both working against and for (fighting GoLion/Water) the alliance, leading to his death sentence that he then fumbled his way out of. The incompetency of the prince -his recurring trait besides ambition and lust- sank his illustrious & respected Empire to the standing of cannon fodder in a matter of minutes.

Oh yes, it's very interesting. SRW always has different enemy alliances, even when the individual factions show again in the same games. So seeing them develop is quite fascinating.

44 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

They gave me Dead by default, the one who upon seeing him again, expressed their unrepentant psychotic desire to kill Evil.

 

-Katejina and Chronicle come to mind for secret wackos. Would you seriously say the crazy lady who stabs Uso in the back as the second-to-last step in for her recruitment, is not insane?🤨 Festenia and Michael those cult addicts are a little better, but still rather hostile towards the heroes once they've joined. (And both of these pairs of nut jobs have been secrets twice.)

30 seems to be a special case there. Since even if you do all the steps, you still have one last prompt, as if the game is asking "Are you sure you want them to join?"

For its worth, the only other time they're recruitable, in D, stuff like the backstab or the bikini squadron stunt don't happen. So yes, they do come off as less crazy-ish than even in 30. Then you have stuff that happens by default as per SRW. Like, Katejina in the original anime kills most of the Shrike Team and Odelo. Since SRW tends to have them live by default, then yeah, that also diminishes things. Though even in other games with Victory, like Alpha 1 or Shin, those things don't happen either. Despite they not being recruitable. Well, that I know of. So it actually surprises me that 30 did used the bikini squadron. Though even then, it's still toned down since Uso is prevented from killing them, which is what happened in the anime. Heck, Alpha Gaiden actually turns Katejina a bit tragic, by having her more purposely driven mad via mind control rather than simply not being able to handle her Newtype powers, and Uso laments being unable to save her. So one way or another, they do get toned down in SRW. 30 certainly did it less so in comparison, though, while still letting you recruit them. So it certainly can come off as a bit weird.

It's worth pointing out Michael and Fasalina are actually not recruitable in T. They still peace out with the heroes, but simply don't join. Curious decision, and from my understanding, actually not that popular. I'll admit I don't know much of the original GunxSword story, but I think even there they still were within redeemable parameters. Hence why they can even be recruitable to begin with in K and 30.

Still, perhaps one of the most notable examples was Yazan in SRW V (and Jerid to a lesser extent perhaps). Like, if you saw him in the Zeta anime, or even in some other SRW games where he shows up... it's still like, wow. V goes more in the route of "years pass, people change, and holding grudges for that long is not good overall even if you still don't forgive them in full" angle, than simply not have the bad stuff happen. I mean, maybe it's just me, since I know and have seen the before and after. But still, how V handled it was still very noteworthy. It was a fascinating route to take, at the least.

44 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Canard, like Nicol and Yzak, are going to be NG+ recruits for me, Real-leaning playthrough = Gundam route-exclusive secrets. So it'll be many months before I find out how the Super Crazy Coordinator gets mellowed to the point Kira doesn't need a "keep on a separate battleship at all times" restraining order.🕑

Oh, I see, heh.

44 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Hold off. Though the rate at which I'm getting through the chapters is slowing a tad, I'm still running through this game quickly, you likely won't need to wait that much longer.

Ah, okay then.

44 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Very interesting! Thanks!😃

...The only thing I can think of for realism behind the marriage thing is that it was arranged since childhood, some Asian custom. -I'm probably wrong though, and it's simply something I shouldn't overthink.😆 

Actually, yes. It was apparently some cultural thing since they were the heirs of esteemed clans living in the space colony they were at, or something like that. So they had to marry despite still being 14-15. They two didn't even actually liked each other at first. It was only later on... and just in time for Meilin to die, figures.

44 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I think I can see this?🤔 Like, Duo, Quatre, Trowa, they don't appear to think too much about why they fight. Scholars do a lot of thinking, particularly those in the humanities. Wufei's obsession with the righteousness of his cause could very well be the philosopher in him. He needs his natural disposition satisfied before he can willingly do his job.

Yeah, they're more straightforward about it. Not to say they don't all have something that drove them to become Gundam pilots or set them on the paths they follow, but with Wufei it certainly had a more personal effect on him. Likely since, yeah, he already had a penchant to think about things. Apparently because of it, Wufei did not had to be nudged by the respective professor who created his Gundam. He took the initiative there, unlike the others who had to be talked into it.

Edited June 14 by Acacia Sgt

[Interdimensional Observer]

6 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

It's worth pointing out Michael and Fasalina are actually not recruitable in T. They still peace out with the heroes, but simply don't join. Curious decision, and from my understanding, actually not that popular. I'll admit I don't know much of the original GunxSword story, but I think even there they still were within redeemable parameters. Hence why they can even be recruitable to begin with in K and 30.

*Realizes what I miswrote above* ...That's what I get for not taking three seconds to check and accidentally using the J's sub's name.🤦‍♂️🤦‍♀️ SRW has too many names.

And thank you once more for the in-depth explanations!😀

...Now if you excuse me, I've been fully awake for less than an hour this morning, and I wish to resume W now.😆

Edited June 14 by Interdimensional Observer

[GuardianSing]

no way

[Interdimensional Observer]

Super Robot Wars is the best breakfast.

Scenario 45 Go on Patrol Route:

Spoiler

The last battle was on Christmas Eve, this one is on Boxing Day. It begins at the Serpent's Tail and then pivots to Neue Warter. To summarize, Gai was tasked by Reverend Melchio to steal the Neutron Jammer Canceller, in case it was judged the safety and peaceful of the device could not be assured. After all, the Canceller could be used to use nukes, not just fix the energy crisis. Somebody at some point thinks "humanity isn't stupid enough to do that!", yet Gai knows it takes a crazy few could very well could.😐 The Warter crew doesn't know this at first, but is confident that Gai had a good reason. Guy is particularly trusting in Gai, which leads Mikoto to admonish him for placing faith in someone based on a similar name. Some other girl slipped in a remark that Jiro Yamada is a fake Gai. Gaiaiaiaiai!😆

Prayer then reveals that Freedom and Justice Gundams both have N Jammer Cancellers too. -Since when?😮 Did J ever mention this? I can't recall, but this sounds so important. Horis, the non-Ardygun often unserious member of the Valstork, is keen enough to realize that when Prayer passed out mid-conversation at the end of the last episode, that looking his symptoms -shortened DNA telomeres- that he's a clone. No response comes from that.

Off to place that shall be today's battlefield. Lowe got a special communicator from Gai before they went into space, and a good mercenary answers his calls. So they talk, Gai explains, all is well. A pack of leaderless Martian Successors shows up to steal the N-Jammer, they've allied with ZAFT. And they claim it's what George Glenn would want -obviously not if they asked him. I, these hachimaki mooks, cook, and the Valstork and ReHOME + Elijah arrive. So does a pack of ZAFT, led by some bad guy former-surgeon who I quietly fought at Alaska, and by a whole 'nother monster. The heroes recognize right away this ASTRAY guy in his Regenerate Gundam is inhumanly different. Ash Grey's the name, and his sadistic portrait with circuitboard-like cybernetic links on his face, tell you that he is indeed a man who lives to kill kill kill! Everyone in Neue Warter hates him and will have no qualms killing him. He has a particular desire to kill the traitor Lacus, but he'll happily slaughter everyone.

Once the ZAFT psychopath is attacked/attacks once, a yellow reinforcement. It's Canard again all alone, yesterday's edgelord looks milquetoast today. The ReHOME, having had the N-Jammer Canceller transferred to it, is forced to sit stationary on the right side of the map when it first arrives, away from the action on the left. This being the case, it's all alone and Canard has his chance to steal the part that shall make him stronger than Kira Yamato. Prayer deploys in the Dreadnought though and stops him. The Dreadnought (GuAIZ Head) is now the Dreadnought Gundam, having had the head replaced and its Prototype Unpainted Grey replaced by a Gundam White exterior. It also has N-Jammer Canceller as an ability now, which grants +15% EN per turn. The object changes to defeating either Hyperion or Regenerate, although it's actually defeat both, the objective language is ambiguous. I picked Hyperion not realizing this, was worth slightly more and Lifter Module > Hybrid Armor, the two are too far apart and can't be easily brought next to each other.

Canard, when defeated, drags Prayer off the battlefield, but the heroes can't pursue as fellow Eurasians arrive in the north. They've Serpents (Wing), flight mode Birdmen (Orgun), Sternkugels (Prince of Darkness), Mass-Production Sol Tekkamen, even the dated Delphinium, typical Alliance troops. Their leader is named Balsam, who calls announces himself to Neue Warter as the "Eagle of Artemis", he talks of being better than Canard and looks & acts pretty arrogant, piloting the Vegalion Hyperion Gundam Unit 2, painted blue instead of red. ...Yet he also talks of getting out of the sim? His Hyperion has similar HP to Canard's, but is weirdly worth 6k instead of 16k. Defeating Balsam he speaks in surprise of learning what real battles are like, I come to one conclusion- this guy is a perfect newbie waaaay over his head and 1000% bark, 0% bite.😝

I send the Regenerate packing last, and the heroes dash after Prayer. Shown a different battlefield, the innocent little boy defeats the tryhard with the Dreadnought's Beam Reavers, which look like INCOMs, but use quantum computing. Canard whimpers a tad from this, being the strongest is his purpose in life. The Valstork & ReHOME arrive, but then so do Eurasians who tell Canard they've found Kira Yamato, he pulls and out and it's another shift of scenes. Now it's the Eternal, Archangel, and Nadesico B, outside what I guess is the abandoned facility where Creuset told Kira of his origins. The Dominion is here, yet Natarle tells Azrael they should pull back, Neue Warter is part of the UN, they shouldn't fight, leave the Neutron Jammer Canceller with them, Blue Crazy -the most disappointed in his entire life- lets them go. And Flay is aboard the Archangel, not the Dominion. Azrael hasn't gotten the Canceller! -But that's the end of the good news. Canard arrives and almost kills Kira with Sonic Breaker I kid you not, but spares him today for what a pathetic showing this legendary miracle child put out. The Valstork and ReHome arrive, yet Hokushin then attacks the Eternal and takes Lacus away. 

When Neue Warter reunites, the Nadesico-SEED side explain that they found Kaname and Chidori on the Moon, but the Martian Successors were able to take them away. Yurika, Kaname, Tessa, and now Lacus, the four maidens have been taken captive in the ancient ruins, the resurrection of Marsdeus is at hand! REVENGE OF THE MARTIANKETES! AFTER 50000 YEARS THE TREACHEROUS APES WE EVOLVED SHALL PERISH! ...Actually, shown the Martian ruins, the Successors explain that Yurika is suffering her cruel, cruel Prince of Darkness fate, Tessa is making sure the technology is working using her Whispered genius, Lacus will sing to bolster Yurika, and Kaname... is a backup Whispered? They didn't say, maybe she's do-nothing collateral. Tessa is convinced though that Warter will pull through yet again.

Back to Warter, since the Hot-Blooded Coup that brought down Kusukabe on year ago happened on Jan 1st, some heroes think that's when Successors will carry out their magnum opus. Kusukabe likes theatrics. That gives them three days to stop these lunatics. ...On a more positive note, Sosuke apparently overcame his dislike of the Lambda Driver on the other side of the split. And Serpent's Tail joins Neue Warter at last, Gai thinks his one unmentioned contract's target is aboard the Dominion, fancy that. (The Astray Blue Frame has an EN-free 3900 1-3 sword attack, no worse than a Wing unit, and Gai has Command too.) And yes, Flay never gave over the Neutron Jammer Canceller design data to the Alliance, though she almost did. Mu correctly deduces that Creuset (who showed up alongside Hokushin before) was the ZAFT soldier who did, and who leaked Spitbreak to the Alliance. Mr. Flaga again gets it right that the only Creuset cares about is seeing humanity burn, no real loss if the Canceller remains out of Alliance hands, he doesn't care who does the killing. Flay feels sorry for how she tried using Kira, and sounds like she could find a way to sacrifice herself as atonement if given the chance does she truly want to ruin her best parallel world like that?. Sai states that Kira likes Lacus, and Cagalli and Athrun exchange words of affection. Athrun explains when asked that he didn't trust Warter initially, hence he didn't reveal the existence of the Canceller in the Freedom and Justice, though both gain that +15% EN per turn ability now. Given the METEORs (not yet obtained) guzzled through their EN in J, this ought to be very helpful.

I can see that ASTRAY -or at least SEED X ASTRAY which is where this Prayer-Canard stuff is coming from- is sorta narratively inflexible. It needs the regular SEED to work. It wouldn't work with the sequel SEED Destiny I take it, by which point the Canceller would be old technology. Maybe it's less flexible than say Stardust Memories or 08th MS Team.

However! SRW bends many things many ways many times, and not infrequently with narrative success. ASTRAY by itself could be flexible, Gai's a mercenary and sellswords are always welcomed by somebody in SRW, change the employer and the contract. A Junkman like Lowe can lay lowe on the fringes of any society and fit in. If Rondo Gina Sahaku is the main villain of ASTRAY I take it, they're small enough that they can be slipped into a bigger villain picture. -If we needed him at all, I think Gina could be dumped and the Gundam Astrays developed by someone else. -If only SRW brought ASTRAY back.

Edited June 14 by Interdimensional Observer

[Acacia Sgt]

2 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Guy is particularly trusting in Gai, which leads Mikoto to admonish him for placing faith in someone based on a similar name. Some other girl slipped in a remark that Jiro Yamada is a fake Gai. Gaiaiaiaiai!😆

They just don't understand. It's a Gai thing. lol

2 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Prayer then reveals that Freedom and Justice Gundams both have N Jammer Cancellers too. -Since when?😮 Did J ever mention this?

As an aside, I'm reminded how one of the Zeorymer baddies could also launch nuclear missiles despite the Jammers. I don't think it was explained either. Well, it was a Super Robot, so... screw logic! XD

2 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Yurika, Kaname, Tessa, and now Lacus, the four maidens have been taken captive in the ancient ruins, the resurrection of Marsdeus is at hand! REVENGE OF THE MARTIANKETES! AFTER 50000 YEARS THE TREACHEROUS APES WE EVOLVED SHALL PERISH!

Oi, that's not GoLion related! XD

Makes you wonder if Volkruss could've been revived just like that, however...

2 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

...Actually, shown the Martian ruins, the Successors explain that Yurika is suffering her cruel, cruel Prince of Darkness fate, Tessa is making sure the technology is working using her Whispered genius, Lacus will sing to bolster Yurika, and Kaname... is a backup Whispered? They didn't say, maybe she's do-nothing collateral. Tessa is convinced though that Warter will pull through yet again.

I wonder if its relevant to Kaname being... well, don't know if it's covered by The Second Raid. V definitely did due to also having the Light Novels, but don't know if W will too.

2 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Flay feels sorry for how she tried using Kira, and sounds like she could find a way to sacrifice herself as atonement if given the chance does she truly want to ruin her best parallel world like that?.

I mean, you could say Flay dying or not is one of things SRW could subvert. But will W do it...?

2 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I can see that ASTRAY -or at least SEED X ASTRAY which is where this Prayer-Canard stuff is coming from- is sorta narratively inflexible. It needs the regular SEED to work. It wouldn't work with the sequel SEED Destiny I take it, by which point the Canceller would be old technology. Maybe it's less flexible than say Stardust Memories or 08th MS Team.

Hmm, I see. I wonder if that's why ASTRAY has only showed up in W. SRW has long stop using the TV series over SEED Destiny or just have it post-script.

2 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

However! SRW bends many things many ways many times, and not infrequently with narrative success. ASTRAY by itself could be flexible, Gai's a mercenary and sellswords are always welcomed by somebody in SRW, change the employer and the contract. A Junkman like Lowe can lay lowe on the fringes of any society and fit in. If Rondo Gina Sahaku is the main villain of ASTRAY I take it, they're small enough that they can be slipped into a bigger villain picture. -If we needed him at all, I think Gina could be dumped and the Gundam Astrays developed by someone else. -If only SRW brought ASTRAY back.

Though this is true as well. I guess if ASTRAY ever shows up again, we shall see what they do.

[Dayni]

Be my hiatus:

"Man, it's pretty quiet in here- what, what's that over there?"

"Sure why not?"

Alright, I think it's been a long enough break. So, my life has been a long string of building up to something, only for it to underwhelm and fumble at the finish line. In other words, I was part of a failed election campaign for most of 2024 so far after prep before then, had the emotional spiral and post mortem and all. Chances are there'll be another election before the year ends. Joy. I may be moving with other stuff as well, but that looming event has passed, so I think I'm fine popping my head up like a lone soldier in the trench after the gunfire stopped.

If I could pretend the writing exercise I'd been implying in the past had gotten far enough to be worth posting was done I would, but it isn't, so probably no point. I've enough little shitposty things to link, some other stuff, so at least I can post things that aren't just replies. Lot I've missed, can't really be fair about that to ask all of you what's been happening but I'll admit my curiosity is there.

To start off, among my (few) gaming accomplishments, I finally cleared a National Dex (ORAS) and got a shiny Shroomish (today, which I got like... 2 in when I actually tried just to do that and not catch to breed some 5/6 IV ones before which had raised the total streak to 262 beforehand, so not at the max chance or anything), managed to find BotW when we thought it might be missing and so am finally playing that (haven't even reached one of the big dungeons yet) and I was beating Anankos so hard that I actually crashed Fates. I think what happened was I sped forward as Corrin was wrecking Anankos's third form (Swordmaster with S-rank swords and capped Str with +19 damage from skills, toniced up and Wyvern Lord pairup 1-rounding as you do) and the game didn't know how to handle the death at speed, so crashed out. At least that's what I thought the first time. It happened again. I have no idea, is it due to Corrin being helped by a wyvern lord? 1-rounding? Yeah, no idea. Naturally, I count that as me clearing Lunatic Rev. Because once again, as I must remind everyone, fuck Anankos. Think Violet was also cleared after I disappeared, but achievement might be less credible there (least it's better than Sw/Sh despite it's myriad issues so that's nice)

Also, rumours of Livealive getting a sequel? Hype if true, the Switch has brought back TWEWY and LAL, I have to argue it is the best console on that alone.

3 hours ago, GuardianSing said:

no way

He actually did it.

 

But yeah, be real interesting how that played out. Is there some weird interplay with a White Revolution event? Something else? How did he even get there?

[Codename Shrimp]

Tis Time, Brudis and Schwestis!

[Acacia Sgt]

10 minutes ago, Punished Dayni said:

He actually did it.

 

But yeah, be real interesting how that played out. Is there some weird interplay with a White Revolution event? Something else? How did he even get there?

Doh, I finally get what the picture was about. lol

Wouldn't surprise me. Sometimes Paradox games do be like that... and mods too. Smh...

[Saint Rubenio]

15 minutes ago, Punished Dayni said:

Alright, I think it's been a long enough break.

Ayyy.

Too bad about the thing, though. Better luck next time?

15 minutes ago, Punished Dayni said:

Lot I've missed, can't really be fair about that to ask all of you what's been happening but I'll admit my curiosity is there.

On my part there's not much to say. I've mostly been working on my FE8 Bad Guys hack for most of this year.

15 minutes ago, Punished Dayni said:

Also, rumours of Livealive getting a sequel? Hype if true, the Switch has brought back TWEWY and LAL, I have to argue it is the best console on that alone.

Shoot, no way. I mean, I have no idea how they'd go about giving Live a Live a sequel. The plot is pretty self-contained. Still, you wouldn't hear me say no.