Part 12: The End of Chapter 1- Fighting In The Rain
Last time, we got to Baramus, where the citizens refused to fight. Leonard revealed the plan all along was to disguise themselves as Gargastan soldiers and murder the citizens, forcefully inciting a revolt from the unknowing population. The game presented us a choice, with each answer guiding the story in a radically different direction. We could either murder the citizens of Baramus, or refuse.
We choose the latter.
This music starts playing.
God damn it, I really hate the one Youtube video per post limit.
"No way!" Orcus shouts. "How can you achieve peace by murdering innocent people!?"
"You are still young..." mutters Leonard. "I envy your pure soul... if you can't stain your hands to achieve that ideal, you have no place being involved in this war!"
He attacks us. We stumble back just in time.
◊ Vice and Kachua come out.
◊
"Orcus! Orcus, are you all right!? Vice, come here...!"
Vice is unmoving.
"Vice... what are you...? No, don't do this to us!" I guess they heard the entire exchange.
"Kill them, Vice! Kill them both!" shouts Leonard.
Vice comes forward. He has a new sadistic portrait.
◊
"...What an idiot! People with no will to fight for their freedom are... already dead. No matter how many we kill, it doesn't matter. These people should be happy to die for Walsta."
"Are you serious!?" asks Kachua. "What has happened to you, Vice!?"
"Shut up, Kachua. Stop treating me like a baby. And you, Orcus! How did you become leader in the first place!? You suck as a leader!"
Leonard whistles, and a bunch of enemies appear.
◊
"Vice, leave them here and follow me. We are going to wipe out the town with or without them!"
They walk away.
"Wait! Leonard! Vice!" screams Orcus.
Before we head out to the final battle of this chapter, the game lets you change classes and equipment.
◊ Our HP levels are carried over from the last battle.
I take out Canopus' spear and replace it with a short sword. This increases his attack to 109. I replace his battle boots with a short bow.
With that out of the way, let's begin the final battle of Chapter 1.
Our position.
◊ Freesia is at 1, Belgger is at 2, Julia is at 3, Canopus is at 4, Presance is at 5, Orcus is at 6, Area is at 7, Bruno is at 8, Leon is at 9, Delta is at 10.
The victory condition. The enemies can be seen in the background.
◊
Some truly awesome, climactic music starts playing. If you remember, this was the music that played way back when we stormed Amorika with the help of the Zenobians.
So remember that last battle, where we had the uphill terrain, and all the enemies were soldiers? Now we have the terrain disadvantage, making archers largely ineffectual for most of the battle, and the enemies have classes, including 2 archers, who will have great range compared to our meager one, and also have superior equipment. This isn't going to be easy, folks.
I move my troops up the stairs here,
◊ except for Canopus, who was able to get here
◊ using his great moving range. My plan is to have him start attacking enemy melee units once they head towards our troops so they'll be softened up for us.
So pretty much, this battle is an endurance test as your soldiers trudge through arrows and magic. Try to get archers to the highest positions you can, but they'll still be a bit ineffective.
A wizard hits Canopus with a Thunder spell for 26 damage.
◊ He shrugs it off, but this shows the game isn't screwing around any more.
Also, the enemies have a witch. GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH.
The enemies, in case you couldn't see them before.
◊
Belgger, whose sub-weapon is a short bow, hits this knight.
◊
Using Heal's large range, Presance heals Canopus from the attack of the wizard.
◊
A witch casts Poison on Belgger which, luckily, misses. Poison, as you probably guessed, deals damage over time. Since we don't have any status-healing spells yet, this can get annoying.
An archer attacks Canopus, who stops moving and blocks the arrow.
◊ A nifty way to tell if a unit that is being attacked will defend or not; if he stops moving, he'll block. If he keeps walking in place, he'll be hit.
Try to keep your healers as away from the battle as you can. Those archers have awesome range from their position, after all.
I finally get my archers some semblance of a high ground.
◊ At least it's high enough to attack the melee units.
Canopus is low on health from two attacks from an archer and a knight, the knight who he killed in his counter-attack.
◊ I decide to take a risk and attack this archer.
◊ He's then attacked by the mage, Spike (odd name for a wizard, no?), but is not killed. Luckily, Presance and Freesia heal Canopus.
Delta and Belgger both have really low health. Luckily, they block a succession of attacks that probably would have killed them otherwise. Damn, damn, damn, need to be smarter about this, damn it! And trust me, this isn't the last time units will survive by a hair.
Canopus flies over and kills a knight. Here's where we are. It's Delta's turn.
◊ I have him run over and grab the treasure next to Canopus, and heal himself using his single cure leaf. The witch stuns Orcus. Goddamn it, you stunned our best fighter!
Canopus kills the wizard. The only person left is the witch.
The battle is pretty much over. Witches can only stun you and cast poison on you at this point in the game. Poison isn't that effective unless others are attacking too; we can easily heal the poisoned person until it's effects run out.
The loot we pick out of the battle is great; notable are two great bows and a heal staff. I'll explain what these do later.
Area kills the witch, ending the battle.
I get 2100 Goth and a clear staff. I'll explain what that does later, along with the heal staff.
Vice says from off screen, presumably hiding in the shadows,
◊ "...After this, it's your turn. Until then..."
This definitely won't be the last we see of Vice.
Yeah, if you choose to slaughter the citizens, he gains a "nobler" portrait and refuses to kill innocent civilians. So either way, Vice is programmed to take the opposite moral position of you and become your rival. His fate, much like many others, depends on the choice you picked here, and a choice later if you're playing the Chaos route (which we are).
The screen fades away, and then opens on Baramus.
◊ So yeah, no matter what you do, the citizens are still massacred. The sad reality of war, eh?
Oh my god... this is horrific...
◊
These haunting words flash up on screen to end the chapter.
◊
I'll transcribe the opening narration of Chapter 2 before ending this part so you can see what lies ahead.
"Three weeks have passed since the Baramus massacre...
◊ the tragic incident caused the Walstanians to unite and urge anti-Barbatos groups in the Gargastan Kingdom (yes, that man in the portrait is Barbatos)
◊ to revolt. The Gargastan government is divided into two factions; the Anti-Barbatos and Pro-Barbatos. Barbatos tried to eliminate those who were opposing him, but the Walsta Liberation led by Duke Ronway liberated a city close to the capital. The Cardinal (Barbatos) then had to fight to retake Coritani Castle (the aforementioned castle close to the capital). Since the Gargastan government was in disarray, the number of people enlisting in the Walsta Liberation Army tripled. It is only a matter of time until Coritani Castle surrenders. Meanwhile, Duke Ronway plotted to make Orcus responsible for the massacre. Now Orcus has a bounty on his head. The Walsta Liberation Army and a lot of bounty hunters are after Orcus. He is hiding in the port town of Ashton (note everyone's location, including the location of Ashton in the upper left).
◊
Well... that doesn't sound good. The Baramus massacre happened anyway, and now we've been framed for it. Things must be pretty dire for Orcus...
Next time: we start Chapter 2!
edited 28th Sep '10 4:03:08 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
I'll have to delay this for today. Sorry, homework issues. I'll return tomorrow.
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Part 13: The Quest For Lans Hamilton
Last time, we refused to slaughter the town of Baramus. Because of this, Vice betrayed us and helped Leonard butcher them, we were attacked by our former friends of the Walsta Liberation Army, and then we were blackmailed for the Baramus massacre. We're hiding in the town of Ashton.
Yep, the story just got a lot darker, and a lot more morally ambiguous. It's a Yasumi Matsuno work, what do you expect?
We begin Chapter 2.
Chapter 2: Just because things don't turn out the way you expected, I won't give up.
We begin in a rainy town, presumably Ashton.
◊ Denim and Kachua are holed up in a dingy building.
◊
"Don't blame yourself," mutters Kachua. "there was nothing you could have done."
"I just... couldn't do it. I couldn't protect them..."
"...Orcus, let's leave the island." She's talking about Valeria.
"Don't say that. You know I can't do that, not until I avenge father's death. I just can't run away now. I can't let the people who died in Baramus die in vain, I have to finish this.
Canopus walks in an asks if we were fighting.
◊ He pulls out a wanted poster and has us take a look.
"They raised the bounty on your heads again! It's up to 30,000 Goth now! Ronway must be desperate!"
"That bastard..." mutters Kachua. "He's making it look like we're the criminals."
"Actually," Canopus says, "in war, there is no good or bad. People can be criminals and victims at the same time. We can also say the winners of the war are the good guys and the winners are the bad guys." Very good lesson to learn, especially in a game this morally gray.
"I see..." sighs Orcus. "I guess that means I'm the criminal and loser, since I couldn't save them."
"Right. Therefore you have no choice but to win. Don't brood over your failures anymore."
Canopus saves us from Wangst once again. I love you, man.
"But to where?" asks Kachua. I guess the translation screwed up and she means "where do we go next?"
"The Liberation Army went over to the Barnam mountains and are gathered somewhere in the Swanzi Forest," explains Canopus.
"Finally, they've mobilized their attack on the Gargastan Army. And now Gargastan doesn't have enough power."
"Yup. Barbatos is down for the count now... the Walstanians have all but won." I guess maybe the massacre did a bit of good after all... no, I can't think like that! Your ideals can't be reached with bloodshed! It's... it's... wrong!
"And we will remain criminals..." Kachua whispers wistfully.
"That is why we have to go," Canopus says, standing up. "We have to deal with our situation first. According to my information, Lans (Hamilton) is on Tanmas Hill, which is located in the back of the Swanzi forest. If most of the Liberation Army is concentrated in the forest, then this is the perfect time to break through..." And Lans Hamilton will be sympathetic to our cause, and help us!
"Then we can talk to Lans!" says Kachua excitedly. "I know that he will help us!"
"You're right..." mutters Orcus. "There's no point in just sitting around here. Let's move!"
The screen fades out, and we're teleported to our position on the world map.
◊ You can shop, train, and do all that in Ashton.
Time for a new feature on the Let's Play!
Warren Report Updates
That's right, I will now be reporting news happening all over Valeria, taken straight from the Warren Report!
If you remember, this is what the Warren Report looks like.
◊ I arrow down to Misc, where we can get news happening all over Valeria!
The Baramus Massacre
There has been a massacre in the town of Baramus in the Gargastan kingdom. Baramus is a self-governing district for Walstanians. There were no survivors. All the people, from the elderly to little children, were completely wiped out. The attack is believed to be the work of the Gargastan Army. It is considered revenge for the attack and occupation of Amorika Castle by the Walsta Liberation Army. Barbatos denies they had any involvement.
Another Massacre
The moderates in Gargastan revolted. The news of the Baramus massacre made the moderates accuse the Gargastan government. The Gargastan government responded to these accusations by using military force to quiet them, which unfortunately led to another bloody massacre. However, even within the military, there were many soldiers who ran away and the people started planning their revolt. The entire command line seems to be falling apart.
Hero Is A Traitor?
The young hero from Griate (us) has a bounty on his head for 30,000 Goth. The Walsta Liberation Army announced that Powell (our last name), who had liberated Amorika Castle, is now the prime suspect in the Baramus Massacre. He is on the run from the Walsta Liberation Army.
A decisive battle?
The Walsta Liberation Army, led by Duke Ronway, is gathering at Swanzi Forest located close to Coritani Castle. Half of the members of the Walsta Liberation Army are Gargastanian. The battle is no longer the simple Walstanian vs. Gargastan ethnic battle. The final battle is expected to come soon.
Back To The Gameplay
Interesting. Oh, and just so you know, from now on, anyone can request a character bio from the Warren Report, and I'll provide it. There are bios for Orcus, Kachua, Vice, Lans Hamilton, Canopus, Warren, Mildain, Guildus, Lans Tartare, Balzepho, Branta (leader of the Bacrumese), cardinal Barbatos, Ronway, the late King Dolgare, Leonard, Nybbas, Presance, Sisteena, Ganb, and our father, the priest Plancy. Request for bios, and I will provide!
As you can guess, we still have the same troops from last chapter.
◊ I'm going to train them all to level 8. Time for a boring explanation of something!
Loyalty And The Chaos Frame
Unlike FFT, each soldier has a "loyalty." You can not see the numbers directly, but phrases can be seen indicating loyalty of each character. You can find these phrases here (it's that awesome site again!)
Note: The link has some spoilers about characters who will be joining us. If you don't want to be spoiled, scroll down quickly when they show the part describing preset loyalties!
If a squadmate hits a certain low in loyalty, about 10, they will leave your party. The phrases, as you can see, are different for each character depending on their alignment. The link explains factors that change loyalty; notable is the choice we made. We picked the Chaotic route; everyone except Delta is either C or N. The N characters don't really care, and the C ones are happy, and their loyalty will increase. Don't worry about loyalty that much; keep an eye on it, but as long as you take characters into battle (they will feel appreciated when you do this, boosting their loyalty), you should be fine.
Each race; the Walstanians, Bacrumese, and Gargastanians; has a Loyalty meter, called the "Chaos Frame." Weird name, huh? Anyway, don't worry about it. The Chaos Frame only matters is you get the "bad" ending, which I don't want. As long as you follow my instructions throughout the game, you won't need to worry about the Chaos Frame. You can still read about it from the link if you're curious, though.
Back To The Gameplay
Time to train!
Next time: we get into the first battle of Chapter 2!
If you want any info on any character, request for those bios!
edited 30th Sep '10 6:08:48 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Well, Canopus certainly seems like a rather nice guy, so I think I'd like to know a little more about him in particular.
Part 14: Misunderstandings
Last time: declared criminals, we embark on a quest to get Lans Hamilton on our side.
Canopus, you say? Okay, here we go:
His last name is "Wolff." He is 48 years old. Former Zenobian Beast Army Chief. Born in the city of Parcival in Sharom. He was stripped of his rank and exiled from the country by King Tristan of Zenobia. After he joins the Walsta Liberation Army, he is welcomed into Orcus' band of soldiers.
Some more history from the original Ogre Battle, the game this game is a sequel too; in that game, you played as "Destin," leader of a Zenobian resistance group. In the game, you gather party members like Warren, Lans Hamilton, and Canopus. A little while in the game, you meet Tristan, the exiled prince. The canon ending has him come to power after the corrupt Zenobian government is overthrown. Thus, it would make little sense that he exiled Warren, Lans, and Canopus, who helped him into his position of power. Strange...
I equip Area and Julia with the great bows; they're two-handed, so no more swords as backup weapons. I give Freesia the Life staff. It can be used as a weapon, and it can also be used as an item to recover HP. I give Presance the Clear staff, which can be used as a weapon and can also be used as an item to recover from Poison. I unequip the chain mail and give it to Delta, changing Orcus back to a leather jerkin. I also give him the heavy hammer and some battle boots. Belgger gets a Cure++. Area gets some battle boots. Battle boots give +4 to AGI and +4 to RES.
The shop has some new spells. I give him Thunder to replace Acid and Incubus to replace Fire Burn. I'll say how Incubus works for us next battle; I might switch it back to Fire Burn. Thunder is definitely better than Acid, though. I give Canopus a Phlanka axe. I change Bruno to a berzerker and Delta to a beast tamer.
I train up all my guys to level 8.
The next battle has some story, so I'll transcribe it. It's also the first time we fight enemy hawkmen. Canopus is a special kind of hawkman called an eagleman.
We are ambushed on our way to Zodo Marsh.
We are immediately confronted by a young lady.
◊ She says she's been looking for us and she'll kill us.
"A bounty hunter!?" shouts Orcus. "I can't afford to lose my head yet. Sorry..."
"I'm not a bounty hunter.
◊ I'm paying you back for what you did in Baramus!"
(Yes, her name is "Aloser." Really? Really? God damn it, translators.)
"A survivor of Baramus! Hold on, and listen to my story!"
"You son of a bitch!! Shut up! I will avenge the death of my brother!"
Victory Condition: Kill The Leader
Probably the biggest threat in this battle is the boss herself. She is very powerful, has good movement range, and good attack.
One of the hawkmen are killed.
◊ Archers can reach the rooftops with their bows, luckily.
Orcus gets some exposition when his turn comes up. "Wait! I did not kill the people of Baramus! I was there, but I tried to stop the massacre!"
"Do I look that stupid to you!? Why did you betray Walsta!?" Exposition ends.
They have healer, who heals a soldier I was focusing my efforts on. Damn.
"My brother injured his foot while working in the mines. He couldn't even walk. And yet you guys..."
Aloser hits Orcus... for around half his HP! Holy fucking shit!
"Duke Ronway was the one who gave the order to kill everyone in Baramus. It was not the Gargastans!"
"No you are blaming our great leader! How dare you!"
So... this is how far Ronway has manipulated people... taking advantage of the death of loved ones and fueling it into the driving force behind his rebellion... that's... that's disgusting...
Kachua pipes up, "It's no use. She will not listen. We have to fight."
I would suggest you focus all your efforts on Aloser. Training is boring, but you can use that to get to level 10. This battle is pretty difficult, and Aloser is really tough. Yeah. Focus on her.
A hawkman one-hit kills Kachua. She says she has to run away and uses an escape crystal. Because she's important to the plot, she doesn't die. The hawkman is brought down by my two archers.
The healer keeps healing Aloser, so I send Canopus to distract her by attacking her; this will mean she will keep healing herself, not Aloser. The witch keeps poisoning us. We kill the knight.
Denim and Delta were hanging by a thread when Belgger reduced Aloser to 13 HP.
"...I guess this is it..." she whispers. "I'm sorry, bro. I failed to avenge you... go ahead, kill me! Kill me like you did to the rest!"
"At this point, I can do whatever I want with you," Orcus tells her. "But, I won't take your life."
"Wha... what do you mean? It's no use to take me as prisoner."
"No... I want to prove to you that I'm innocent. I want you to see with your own eyes and listen to me with your own ears. You must know the truth. After that, if you still think I'm the enemy, then I'll let you take my life."
...Whoah... that's a little extreme...
"You can't deceive me... do whatever you want."
"...Very well."
We get 1150 Goth, 2400 extra Goth, and Aloser as a guest!
Next time: we continue the quest!
edited 1st Oct '10 8:35:27 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Part 15: The Fat Bounty Hunter
Sorry for the delay.
I level up everybody to level 9. I'm overlevelling a bit; all the enemies in the next battle are level 8; but hey, it's better overlevel than underlevel, right?
I change Orcus to a beast tamer, Delta to a knight, and Belgger to a beast tamer.
Our position.
◊ Presance is at 1, Belgger is at 2, Julia is at 3, Canopus is at 4, Leon is at 5, Orcus is at 6, Area is at 7, Bruno is at 8, Freesia is at 9, and Delta is at 10.
Aloser doesn't fight with us.
We are confronted by a berzerker named Zapan.
◊ "It must be my lucky day! I just found 30,000 Goth!"
Bounty hunter, then...
"He doesn't look like much of a bounty hunter. He's kind of flabby around the mid-section..." observes Kachua.
Zapan, somehow able to hear her even though they're a field apart and it's raining, laughs and says, "Ha ha ha! What a feisty one! If I were you, I'd watch that tongue of yours! But don't worry, I won't hurt you. I will spare your life, sweetheart. I'll take 'good' care of you..."
"Well, shall we begin? Hey, don't let them get away!"
Victory Condition: Kill The Leader
This is a marsh. The fight with Ganb took place in a marsh too, but it was so short I didn't really talk about it. Marshes, of course, have lots of water. Most units can't go in water. Whether a unit can go in the water or not depends on class.
This screen shows whether or not a unit can go in water.
◊ See that text in the southwest? It simply says "fast," nothing about going in water. This means Orcus can not go in water, because he is a beast tamer.
Look at the screen for Area.
◊ As you can see, her movement abilities are "fast" and :underwater." Underwater means she can go in the water; however, when she does so, she sinks, reducing her stats greatly while in the water. If we had a ninja, he can literally walk on water without incurring any negative stat adjustments.
My strategy for this battle is to have my troops head over here.
◊ This area has lots of solid ground, and some higher elevations to boot.
Leon will be very helpful in this battle because it is raining; along with giving his Thunder spell more damage, the rain also increases it's radius to a cross, as seen here.
◊
As you can see, about half the enemies are trying to flank us, while half are meeting us face on.
◊ I decide to target this hawkman first, who has a great bow.
◊ Canopus shoots at him and hits for 51 damage.
The dragon attacks Canopus with Ice, which does 24 damage and puts him to sleep. God damn it.
Also, the dragon's name is "Potete." This amuses me.
A hawkman one-hit kills Kachua from the flank. She's still level 2 since we can't train her. Oh no, how could we go on without her?
The enemy reaches my flank. Luckily, I prepare for this and made sure Orcus was in a good position to defend my healers while simultaneously attacking the dragon.
Delta picks up a dexterity card from a hawkman we killed.
Orcus kills the dragon from the side. By now, everyone is a clusterfuck on the side I went to. However, I have the advantage, as most of the enemies that attacked us head on are dead, and the enemies that attacked us from the flank have water on their side of the field, decreasing their movement range.
Leon picks up a mentality card.
Julia is low on health, as I foolishly put her too close to the flanking enemies.
The last remaining enemy that attacked us head-on is killed by Canopus, leaving only flankers.
By now, we are a massed jumble, fighting off the flankers.
◊ When someone is wounded, they simply retreat back into the cluster to be protected and receive healing.
Leon casts Thunder, picks up a mind card, and in doing so is put into a protective cluster I formed with some of my troops to protect the card at the same time. Hit three birds with one stone, I guess.
Zapan jumps across some water, steals a mind card, and attacks Canopus all to once. Damn it, Leon could have used that mind card!
Orcus kills the hawkman, leaving only Zapan.
Canopus reduces Zapan to 15 HP.
"Shit, I underestimated you. How stupid of me! I shall retreat for now!"
He pulls an Escape crystal out of his ass and uses it to get out of there.
We get 2100 Goth.
The next battle is filler, so I won't transcribe it.
◊
However, I'd just like to note what the boss says at the beginning: "Don't they belong to the Liberation Army? Damn it, there's no place to run. Wait a second. You look familiar...! I saw you on a reward picture in Walsta. So you're the kid who wiped out Baramus! You sneaky little cretin! You blamed us for your own evil deeds! I will send you to hell!"
This is the beginning of a theme in this game, that many people you fight are not bad people at all. This man simply wants revenge for ruining his country with Ronway's lies; that's not that sympathetic, but later on, they really play up the sympathy level of those we fight.
That's one of the things I like about this game. Your enemies feel a lot more human. The only fight with sympathetic enemies in FFT was that one where you were forced to fight those veterans who just wanted to go home. FFT really suffered in the "gray and gray morality" aspect with it's lack of boss death quotes.
Also, there's an enemy named "Boner."
...
...
Really? Boner?
...
I thought "Aloser" was bad.
Genzo: Wh... why do I have to die here? This is the end... argh!
I get 2750 Goth.
Next time: we finally get to Tanmas Hill to talk to Lans!
edited 3rd Oct '10 3:02:36 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Aloser, Potete, and Boner? Seriously? Wow; someone in the translation department did something incredible, but whether it was bad or good seems to be a coin flip. Other then that, it looks like things are going as well as things can get, and I'm still rather impressed with it all.
Hmm...probably should request another Warren Report while I'm at it. How about Orcas' father, Father Plancy...Plancy?
And yet somehow it's still better than FFT's translation.
Ah, glad you asked for Plancy. He's important.
Plancy Powell: Orcus' father. A priest. When the Roslolians attacked the port town of Griate, he was kidnapped. No one knows if he is alive or not.
So they didn't kill him, he just... disappeared? Interesting...
Zapan has been added to the Report.
edited 3rd Oct '10 6:40:10 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
No update today. Real life is catching up with me.
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Part 16: The Battle At Tanmas Hill
I train everyone up to level 11.
Orcus is a berzerker, Bruno is a berzerker, Delta is a beast tamer, and Belgger is a beast tamer.
It takes us to... the placement screen?
◊ Why would we need that? We're just talking to Lans, right?
...Right?
Our position.
◊ Presance is at 1, Delta is at 2, Area is at 3, Canopus is at 4, Leon is at 5, Orcus is at 6, Julia is at 7, Bruno is at 8, Freesia is at 9, and Belgger is at 10.
Let's go.
We walk out into the silent night, Aloser accompanying us for once.
◊ Orcus echoes my thoughts.
We move forward, and Orcus shout "You are...!"
"Long time no see, Orcus. Glad to see you again... I was worried that you got killed by one of those bounty hunters. I'm glad you are still alive."
"What are you doing here?" Kachua asks angrily. "Where's Lans?"
Aloser pipes up, "Vice? What are you doing here? I thought you were at the Swanzi Forest."
"Aloser?" mutters Vice. "I thought you were dead. You bitch! You turned your back on us! Can't you tell who's going to win the war?"
"Why are you here, Vice?" mutters Orcus. "Where's Sir Lans?"
"What an idiot! Can't you see you've been suckered again!?" laughs Vice. "I didn't think you would believe the information I leaked. But thanks to your stupidity, it worked well. Your beloved Zenobian is not here. I guess he's getting drunk at the old town of Rime with some woman."
Enemies emerge.
"I will not let you go," says Vice. "I'm going to kill you both. You're nothing but a nuisance. Besides, the Duke ordered us to kill all the witnesses of Baramus."
Wait... Aloser is...
"That goes for you too, Aloser. I can't let you tell anybody what really happened."
"You, Vice!? Then you were there in Baramus!?"
"Yeah, with your lover Leonard... you didn't know anything about this? You weren't told anything?
"No... what a disaster!" shouts Aloser. "Is it really worth it? Do you really want to win that badly?!"
"You shouldn't have known this, but it's too late now. You can't live with a guy whose hand is stained with blood. It would be better for you to die here."
Orcus whistles for his troops.
"Kill them all! Spare no one!" screams Vice.
Victory Condition: Kill The Leader
Our position in this battle is... not good. As can be seen here, Orcus (along with Kachua and Aloser) is far away from his troops.
◊ We're surrounded on all flanks.
◊ They have a witch. Vice is a ninja, by the way, which means great AGI and movement range. Also, he has a bow.
This battle is actually easier than it looks. Just level your units to level 11 beforehand (Vice's level) and you should be fine, as long as you use good tactics. It is Tactics Ogre, after all.
This is what I like to call an "ethics battle," the kind where the boss, Orcus, and maybe an NPC shout about their morals, ethics, and beliefs from across the field, since apparently everyone has super hearing. It's one of the things that made FFT famous.
"I shall avenge my brother's death, even if it means I have to kill you, Leonard!" Aloser shouts on her turn.
"Pulls your troops back, Vice! Why do we have to fight like this!?" Orcus shouts on his.
"You disobeyed an order. You're a traitor!"
"Who in the world would allow himself to butcher innocent people!?"
"I would... I would sacrifice a thousand more lives to create a better future for our people."
"Vice... you're hopeless..."
My battle strategy; I'm going to take a risk and attacks the people on the side, even though I'd be constantly pelted with arrows by Vice and stunned by the witch. Only do this if you're confident in your units' abilities; if not, you should focus your attacks on Vice and make up lost EXP in Training.
Vice attacks Kachua, which she blocks. If it hit, it would have been a one hit kill. Kachua will serve as useful bait until she gets killed, which should be in a round or so.
Never mind, a beast tamer kills Kachua.
Our position.
◊ As you see, I've started attacking the beasts on both sides. The beast tamers are far to the side, attacking us with arrows. Most units to the north are preoccupied trying to kill Aloser, who's a guest. I believe it's permanent if she dies here; not sure, though.
I send Orcus to deal with one of the beast tamers.
Whoah, seems like Vice has spells. I was not aware of this. He casts Incubus on Presance, which only does 9 damage but puts him to sleep.
There's an enemy named Buzzkirk.
...
Okay, I'm going to start making a list of ridiculous names. "Aloser," "Potete," "Buzzkirk," and "Boner" make four.
Stupid NPC Name Count: 4
As you can see, I've killed just about everyone in three turns.
◊ There's a beast tamer off screen attacking us with arrows. This battle is a lot easier than I remembered it being.
Leon picks up a mind card.
Now all we have to do is kill Vice. And it's... really easy. I mean, seriously, three shots from my archers and he's down.
That was... really easy! And I thought it was going to be heard. What a pleasant surprise.
"This is looking bad." Oh really? "We have to retreat. Orcus! You can't go back to Ashton! I've already blocked the road! Surrendering will not help you, because I'm going to kill you!"
I just slaughtered your entire squad in around four turns flat, and you want to kill me?
He pulls an Escape crystal out of his asshole and teleports away.
"Vice, you bastard!" shouts Aloser. "Are you going to run away from us!? Go ahead, try it! I'll follow you to Hell and back! You will pay for what you did in Baramus!"
The wind starts up, battle music stops.
"Orcus, I must apologize... from now on, my life is yours..."
Everyone turns to face Orcus.
◊
"We will retreat before the enemy reinforcements arrive. Let's head to Krizar."
...Why?
We are awarded 1875 Goth, 1350 extra Goth, a robe and a chain mail. The robe is useless, but that chain mail might come in handy. I gave my first to Orcus, who gets protected next?
Aloser joins our party, and contrary to what her name would have us believe, she's actually quite an awesome archer. She's only level 9 right now, but I'll change that.
Since Canopus is usually in the thick of battle before anyone else, I give him the chain mail.
Next time: we go to Krizar!
edited 5th Oct '10 6:38:11 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
A semi-official list of funny names, huh? Try not to forget about guys from the first chapter if you can help it; personally, there was just something about 'Bapalu' that gave me a good chuckle.
Next up on the Warren Reports...well, we just fought him, so how about Vice? ...And out of curiosity, do you think fighting him would have been more, less, or equally difficult in the Lawful path?
Part 17: The Hulkster's In The House
Ah, yes, good call. Added.
Stupid NPC Name Count: 5
It's been a long time since I played the law route, but if I remember correctly, the fight with him in that chapter comes later, near the end of that chapter actually, and is a lot harder. Mostly because Aloser helps Vice fight against you, and she's a fucking monster. Good when she's on our side, but very bad when we're fighting her. She doesn't join our party either. The Law route in general is harder than the Chaos route.
Vice Bozeg- 17 years old: A chief of Walsta Liberation Army Third Guerilla Unit.
Shouldn't that be "guerrilla?"
Born in the port town of Griate. Walstanian. One of the commandos who participated in the Baramus massacre. His acts proved him to bee loyal to the Liberation Army.
Bee!?
...
BEE!?
God damn it, Atlus, how could you mess up "be"!? Is that so hard to translate!? Is that so hard to type!? I mean, c'mon!
...
-sigh-
Duke Ronway gave him the position as leader of his troops.
We'll be finding out a lot more about Vice's childhood later in this chapter.
...Anyway... Belgger becomes a berzerker. Delta becomes a ninja. I give him the spell Ice Blast; if you remember, ninjas can have one spell. Bruno becomes a beast tamer.
I level up Aloser to level 11 with everyone else. She's an awesome archer, but I only have room for two, so sorry, Julia, you're out. Area has 140 attack with her bow and Aloser has 142. Julia has 133. Yeah, definitely out. Sorry, we've enjoyed your time with the Liveblog team. I make Julia into an amazon to differentiate her from the others. Now 3/10 members of our squad are NPCs. We're gonna get more soon.
Our position.
◊ Freesia is at 1, Belgger is at 2, Area is at 3, Bruno is at 4, Leon is at 5, Orcus is at 6, Aloser is at 7, Canopus is at 8, Presance is at 9, and Delta is at 10.
We are confronted by Ganashe.
◊
Stupid NPC Name Count: 6
They seem to be holding a knight hostage.
"Here comes the hero of Griate. Vice was right."
Ganashe walks over to the hostage.
"So you're one of Orcus's men."
I would correct this as Orcus', but the game couldn't calculate for names ending with S so I'll let it by.
The knight is silent.
◊ Yep, never seen him before, but hey, he has a special portrait, so he must be important.
"Look, we have one of your knights aptive. Too bad."
...
ARGH.
"Who is he?" asks Orcus. "Do you recognize him, Kachua?"
"No, I've never seen him before. You never send anyone on scouting missions."
Wait, what kind of moron sends a knight to scout when ninjas are at your disposal?
Ganashe tells his men to take the random knight away.
And here comes one of the funniest errors in the game.
"This is where you die will you traitor!"
And with those chilling words, the battle begins.
This battle is really easy. Every single enemy is a knight except for one wizard, which may seem overwhelming until you realize knights kind of suck ass in comparison to beast tamers and berzerkers. Just work your way down here
◊ to the boss. It's pathetically easy. C'mon, game, give me a challenge!
Trust me, it will be providing plenty challenge later. Heh heh heh.
-sigh-
There will be no laughs later. Only screams of frustration.
So anyway, this map has the exact same structure as our second battle, with Mordoba. Good times, eh?
Also, there's an enemy named "Bugsy."
Stupid NPC Name Count: 7
There's also an enemy named "Hogan".
You know what, I don't care, we don't even have to use him, somehow, someway, we're fucking recruiting Hogan.
I don't give a shit about "Bugsy," however.
This battle is easy, but it's long. Really long. Every. Single. Enemy has a Cure++ leaf.
My men bring Ganashe to low health, and yet we haven't got Hogan yet, so I heal Ganashe. Yes, I just healed a boss.
With my goal completed, I kill Ganashe.
Ganashe: I-I can't believe it, defeated by a traitor...
We get 1800 Goth, 1500 extra Goth, a Cure+.
And most importantly, Hogan!
◊ Also, note his crossbow. That's one of the reasons I recruited him (yes, it wasn't just for comic relief); that crossbow is one-handed and is more powerful than short bows, but can't shoot in an arc like other bows. A good ranged weapon for a main fighter who'll be on the front lines or on rooftops. You can't buy it yet either.
The hostage knight introduces himself.
◊
"A knight of the Valerian Liberation Front."
Remember them? The girl we saved way back in Chapter 1, Sisteena, was a member.
"The Valerian Liberation Front? That was the army Sisteena belonged to..."
I just said that, Kachua, but thanks anyway...
"Oh, so it was you who saved Sisteena in the city of Rime," Forcas says. "I heard that you're in quite a jam. I never thought I would meet you here."
"Please excuse us, but we don't have time to talk," Orcus says. "The Duke's army is after us. We have to meet up with Sir Lans in the city of Rime."
So wait, you're trusting Vice's word!? What the hell is wrong with you!?
"How do you plan to go to Rime?" asks Forcas.
We're walking, genius.
"With the power you have right now, you couldn't break through the guards at Tanmas. You're too reckless."
Oh. That's what you meant.
"But we just can't sit..." Orcus begins.
"I have a suggestion," Forcas interrupts. "I want you to help me rescue my comrades who were captured by pirates. When we get our ship back from them, then we can take you to Rime. Not a bad deal, eh?"
"It sounds almost too good..." mutters Kachua.
"Well, the way I see it, you don't have any choice. Am I right?"
I guess.
"He does have a point, it's a bad idea to take the road there. Maybe a ship would be the safest way to go..."
"The pirates are at Fort Kadoriga. There's not that many of them."
Sweet. Should be easy.
"I guess my options are pretty limited," Orcus concedes. "OK, I'll help you."
"Thank you. You won't regret it."
I better not.
As he walks out the door and we prepare to follow him, Kachua asks, "Do you believe him? Remember, he's a member of the Valerian Liberation Front."
"We have no choice but to go by his word, Kachua."
"He's taking advantage of our situation... I don't like this."
"Don't say that. He's pretty desperate too..."
"But..."
"Did you know that you always complain when things don't go your way? You can be such a baby."
Orcus walks out the door, leaving Kachua in silence. I feel a rift between brother and sister developing...
Next time: we assault Fort Kadoriga!
edited 6th Oct '10 8:29:56 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
ADDENDUM 1: Class Evaluation And Changes
I'm thinking of making the theme of Squad Liveblog Real American.
Except, you know, change American to Walstanian.
...
...Fuck it, that's a retarded idea.
Anyway, this is the first addendum. This is where I discuss stats and jobs not really necessary to understanding the liveblog. I recommend you read this, since class changing and coordination is a big part of LUCT, but it isn't necessary. I really should've done this earlier (I think part 5 or something was nothing but class examination), but fuck it, I don't feel like renumbering all these posts. First LB, still learning, right? Seriously, though, I hope I've improved since I started.
I look at their stats and decide to replace Delta for Hogan. This is for many reasons; first of all, Hogan came with chain mail, and I had Delta equipped with some, so getting rid of Delta frees up some chain mail.
Now is the time I'm starting to look at advanced classes for my characters. The advanced classes for each gender can be seen on the above page. It won't come for a while, sometime in chapter 3, but you should always plan ahead in a game like this.
I've run into a little problem with my clerics, or more specifically, my cleric and Penance. The advanced class for of a cleric is a priest; I can maneuver Freesia into this role, but I cannot do the same with Presance, as obviously, he's not a woman (at least I hop he's not.) If I remember, a cleric comes in the next batch of NPCs we get, but if not, we may have to train an old unit to become a cleric. We'll see how it turns out.
Either way, I'll keep Penance trained up to our level even if I drop him. We might need to fight some undead.
I won't need to upgrade my archers. There are no advanced forms of archers.
My other units are going pretty well. Orcus and Belgger will become Terror Knights (chaotic class), Hogan will become a swordsmaster(lawful class), and Bruno will become a dragoon(neutral class), if things go well.
This is where you have to start using classes' stat bonuses to maneuver yourself to an advanced class, which just as beginning classes, have stat and alignment requirements.
The following unit assessment will assess just unit requirements and how our troops fit into them.
Unit Assessment: How Our Troops Fit
Terror Knight
- ALI: C
- STR: 117
- VIT: 114
- DEX: 104
- KILLS: 30
Note the "Kills" section. The Terror Knight requires a certain amount of enemy unit kills. Kills in Training don't count; only kills in actual battle.
Let's see. Orcus has a strength of 90, Belgger has a strength of 84. Need some work on that, but a berzerker and beast tamer have the same strength growth so we're fine in that field. 'Kay.
I check our kills. Orcus has killed seven men, Belgger has killed... 17!? Whoah, didn't expect that. Getting the Kills mark up his probably the hardest part of getting a Terror Knight, so I'm glad Belgger has so many. Time to start relegating kills to Orcus and Belgger.
Orcus has a VIT of 79, Belgger has a VIT of 78. Whoah, need some help there. Beast tamers have better VIT growth than berzerkers. Might need to switch them to that.
Orcus has a DEX of 87, Belgger has a DEX of 82.
Okay, berzerkers and beast tamers have the same DEX growth, so the only area that one class has over the other is VIT; beast tamers. I switch Orcus and Belgger to beast tamers.
Dragoon
- ALI: N
- STR: 115
- VIT: 106
- DEX: 114
Bruno has a strength of 88, a VIT of 79, and a DEX of 79. He has much the same position as Belgger and Orcus. I keep him as a beast tamer.
Sword Master
- ALI: L
- STR: 95
- AGI: 102
- DEX: 126
Hogan has a STR of 87, an AGI of 74, and a DEX of 86. He's very close to that strength mark, so he only needs help in AGI and DEX. I change him to a ninja.
Let's cover some equipment. Normally I'd cover this in the normal update, but we still have lots of room, so fuck it.
I unequip Hogan's crossbow and give it to Canopus. I give Delta's chain mail to Bruno and give his hammer to Orcus. I unequip his spell, Ice Blast, and give Hogan a Thunder spell, as it's been awesome for Leon so far.
Our updated list.
◊ Forcas is in the party as a guest. Note the soldier and amazon; they're Delta and Julia, respectively. I made them low level classes to differentiate them from the middle tier classes, but I may have use of them if future plans fall through.
And that's all the planning for next time.
Next time: we actually attack the fortress! I'm not lying like I did last time, honest!
edited 7th Oct '10 5:43:44 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Maid of Win
Dude, you are like a posting machine.
Thanks for the all fish!
I'm not exactly sure how that's meant to be taken... thanks? I really have no life, so I have lots of time to update this.
Oh, and a hearty thank you for commenting!
edited 7th Oct '10 5:39:07 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Another commentor? What a relief! I mean, I always assumed that I wasn't the only one who was enjoying these recent turns of affairs, but it's nice to see other opinions of this LB, too. Even if said opinion is "Wow, you're amazingly fast at updating".
Now for the Reports...I'd like to see Zapan. Partly because he seems to be the kind with an interesting history, partly because he'll probably make an important return later, and partly because I'll probably forget about him after enough updates have passed (while all of the other known options were bunched together in a single post).
Part 18: The Angrish Begins Part 1
Looking back, our party now includes Hulk Hogan, Father Mc Gruder, a chick named Aloser (who I imagine would have a very A Boy Named Sue-like position), Bruno, and this guy.
◊
Best. Team. Ever.
Heh, and I was about to start addressing Endark directly, as I thought he would be the only one watching my LB. Hope you'll stay around, Ronka. Then again, I'm lucky to have one person commenting regularly.
Zapan Illydus- 45 years old: A hired mercenary of the Walsta Liberation Army. Walstanian. A professional mercenary who will provide his services for the right price. If the pay is good, he'll do just about anything. The rumor is that he wouldn't hesitate to sell his mother if the price was right.
'He'd slit his mama's throat for a nickel!'
Updated Warren Report character list, subtracting ones we've already seen: Orcus, Kachua, Lans Hamilton, Warren, Mildain, Guildus, Lans Tartare, Balzepho, Bishop Branta, Cardinal Barbatos, Duke Ronway, King Dolgare, Leonard, Nybbas, Presance, Sisteena, Ganb, Aloser, and Forcas.
Our position.
◊ Freesia is at 1, Bruno is at 2, Area is at 3, Canopus is at 4, Leon is at 5, Orcus is at 6, Aloser is 7, Belgger is at 8, Presance is at 9, and Hogan is at 10.
We are confronted by a bunch of enemies.
◊ Note the wizard in the upper right hand corner. Their leader, a random berzerker, says we're fools and that we have no chance against him.
◊
"Byan, are you Okay? We will rescue you!" shouts Forcas.
...
I so want to strangle the translator right now. Well, at least it isn't on the level of "you die will." or "Aloser."
Byan, the wizard in the upper right corner,
◊ says we should have left him behind.
"Ugh, kill the old man too," says the boss, Dasa. "I don't care. But don't kill the girl. We can sell her for a high price."
I'm getting really tired of bosses talking about selling my fucking sister into slavery or making her their personal sex slave.
A new battle theme is introduced, and the fight begins.
The hardest thing about this battle is keeping Byan alive. He has a bad tendency to stay in place and cast magic at the enemy instead of retreating to us. Considering he's a Squishy Wizard, this is obviously not a good thing. Archers also have a disadvantage in this map.
Take 1
Just to prove how difficult keeping him alive is, before I can even move my fourth character, he attacks the boss and is killed. Byan is a pretty good wizard who will join our squad, so we don't want him to die.
Take 2
God damn it! I try again, and he dies again! The kicker is, this battle wouldn't be very hard if we didn't want to save Byan!
Take 3
Okay. Placement adjustment. I changed Freesia from number 1 to number 2, Bruno from number 2 to number one, Hogan to number nine, Canopus to number 8, and Presance to number 4. Our new position.
◊ Hopefully, this will allow us to heal Byan when he goes to stupidly face down the boss.
I tried it again. Turns out Freesia was one square away from healing Byan. So he dies. AGAIN.
Take 4
I go back to before the battle and remove all of Freesia's armor. Presance already had little armor. Hopefully this will help.
This means I have to place my units... again.
Okay, things seem to be going better. Because of her increased AGI, Freesia moves much earlier; still not enough to heal Byan, but I hope I can move her to a place I can heal him before he's attacked again.
Oh, no, of course not, he's dead.
AGAIN.
Take 5
Okay, I'm trying the same battle again, hoping the number generator is a little more lucky to Byan and has him avoid more attacks.
NO. OF COURSE NOT.
Take 6
Okay, another try.
NO
Take 7
Okay, this is really starting to piss me right the fuck off.
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK
Take 8
Holy god, I hate this fucking fight.
gah
Take 9
HOLY FUCKING SHIT
Take 10-25
FUCK
Take 26
Holy fucking shit, all I wanted was to save fucking Byan and kill some fucking enemies for some fucking exp and yet you fuckler keep messing this gfucking shit up i mean god damn it fucking hell i hate this fuckig batyle so fukcing mch fuck fuckf cukfcufcu fuckf fuckf ufc fuckf uc fckcfuckfuckffuckffuckfuck fuckfucvkfuckf fuck fuckf cuf cufk fuck fuck fuckf cukf fuck fuck fuck fuckf cufkj fuckf fuck fcukf cufjfc fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuckf cufk ckcufk cuck fuck ffuck cfuu guck ugic fjfbasdasvasdvf fuxck f ufkc fuck fuck fuck fcujn fuck fuck fuckf ufkcu fucfk fuck fuck fuck fuck fukfcufkcfuckffuckffcukdufc ufmcufjnjvfhfjhnvfuckfuckfucfcfuckfuckfcufkcufkcufkcufkcufcfuffaweguinozxniob nsdnbgio;dfbnsznxdbvadlabasdlbuvgzsdhvbjzbv szbdo;vzhlbvbhcdvzbsdbvo;zovabsdf;.zsobvgfzsdlbhvf.lozsbd.ovlknbgtrsughnhrlgx.el.hsdfaweh,rgsyugfukagywerigfdfg
fruilvhnsdilfghasdbnfslhsdnvlxndfbsndfgasebgzsdngjksdnfvguisdkbfgsdbgfbsebfvghbgfbsjugfvzjbngfkbgsjkfbgsrbgfuzsgdyufkbdfk
Okay, I've cooled down enough to write this. Believe it or not, the reaction above was genuine. I need a rest. I'll post later today or tomorrow when I can actually beat this.
I can't stress how hard this battle is.
edited 8th Oct '10 6:25:44 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Oh, the eternal conflict between the strive for perfection and the need for mercy...will this battle never cease? It seems that such a fate is not to be, in this life or the next.
Poetry aside, it sounds like one doozy of a Nintendo Hard moment. I can't exactly help from the other end of this screen, except let you know that you have my support.
Thanks. I'm working on it right now. God damn Byan.
edited 9th Oct '10 12:24:46 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Part 18: The Angrish Begins Part 2
HA! HA! FUCKING HA! 47 TRIES, AND I FINALLY BEAT THIS FUCKING LEVEL! HA HA HA HA HA HA! IT TOOK SO MANY SAVE STATE RELOADS, DON'T GET ME STARTED ON ALL THE SAVE STATE RELOADS, BUT I FUCKING DID IT! HA HA HA!
SEHGBSLDHVSNHDGBNBDFJLGZSHDSBNFIG,NGBZSDHLFGLND;GBDLGBDHBVZDHFUGDFHG.ZSDHFGLHZSDFLGZSDHGFIHZDFULGD,VGZDBGFILZSBDGUILHXDFLGHIVGIGF
Okay. I put the happy gibberish in spoilers so you don't have to read it. But still, I can't even begin on how happy I am right now. The RNG smiled on me this day. I also got an undead ring. I'm not going to say what it does right now, but suffice to say it's very good.
Sorry, I didn't take any pictures. 47 tries, I gave up taking pictures.
So anyway. The screen fades in on a boat. Forcas says that now that has the boat, they can move on.
◊
"I will take you to the city of Rime, as I promised. Please, come aboard."
"Wait a minute, Forcas," Byan says. "Sisteena is still being held captive."
"What!? I thought she escaped!"
"Sorry." You should be apologizing for the shit you caused me saving your fossilized ass, old man! "She was taken to their hideout. I think we should rescue Sisteena before we return to Fort Bodo..."
I'd make a joke about Bodo's Bagels, but I think that chain is only in Virginia. Such a great joke opportunity missed.
"I'm aware of that," Forcas says, wistfully looking out at sea. "But taking these guys to Rime comes first."
"Are you abandoning Sisteena!?" Byan shouts.
"They kept their word. Now I must keep mine..."
"But we're talking about Sisteena here!"
"I'll be a knight before I become a man. I will not break a promise which I made as a knight."
"You are so stubborn! Fine. I shall ask them myself. Well, you heard the story. One of our comrades is still being held captive by the pirates. I know this has nothing to do with you, but I'm asking for your help."
"You have your own comrades," Kachua says. "Why don't you ask them for help?"
"We don't have much time."
"Nor do we. The Liberation Army is after us. Look, we've done our part. And just like your friend mentioned, this is the time for you to keep your promise."
"Once we are on the sea, the Liberation Army can't come after you." Have you ever heard of boats, moron?
God, I hate Byan so much, all because he caused me to fight that battle 47 times. "Even if we drop by the pirate's hideout, you'll only be held back around three days."
"Byan, that's enough. What she said is right."
"Orcus, what do you think? You're their leader..."
The game gives us a dialogue choice.
◊ I pick 1, partially because it's more in character with Orcus, and partially because it nets us some cool NPCs and rewards.
"I will help you out. We may have different ideals, but I know how it feels like to lose a friend in battle."
"Orcus!" Kachua shouts.
"Look, I'm in charge here, Kachua! I'm sure that everyone will understand."
"I appreciate your generosity," Forcas says.
"I know where their hideout is," Byan mutters. "Fort Damsa is on Dicniga island."
...
...
Dicniga island?
... Stupid NPC Names is now Stupid Names in General.
Stupid Name Count: 8
"Then we shall go there!" Orcus shouts. "To Damsa!"
We are brought to the map screen.
◊
Next time: we save Sisteena!
edited 9th Oct '10 8:56:03 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
47...also known as the atomic number of silver, the Emergency Medical Holographic Channel from Star Trek: Voyager (which I've never actually watched), the number of the agent that stars in the Hitman series of games, and the number of hit points Gordon Freeman begins with in Half-Life 2: Episode 1. Congrats on your success, bud.
And, since I seem to be the only one who has any recommendations for Warren Reports, I hereby decree that Sisteena, the focus of the next mission, shall be the next subject. If there are any objections, speak now, or...hold your peace until the next update. I mean, 'forever' is rather extreme, isn't it?
EDIT: Oddly enough, this is Post #47 of this thread. Now that's just weird.
edited 9th Oct '10 10:56:55 PM by EndarkCuli
Part 19: Storming Damsa
Couldn't think of a name for this installment.
I've been starting to ponder what game to do after this. We're approaching the end of Chapter 2, and we'll be halfway through the game at Chapter 3. I'm thinking Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis, the prequel to this game, but I might do Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber. We'll see.
Thanks, Endark. That is a weird coincidence.
Sisteena- Age Unknown: A member of the Valerian Liberation Army. Bacrumese. She was captured by pirates when she and her comrades were sailing off to the Krizar coast. Most of her comrades were killed, however, she was taken hostage.
Run on sentences, Atlus! Tsk tsk tsk!
We'll be finding out more about her position in the Valerian Liberation Army real soon. Note she's Bacrumese. Why would she fight if she wasn't Walstanian? The Bacrumese aren't oppressed. Weird.
We have a few new weapons, namely a Matou claw and a Guard whip. I give the Matou claw to Hogan, but I don't give the whip to anyobdy. While it's more powerful, it's two handed, which means anybody who has it wouldn't be able to duel wield a bow.
Our position.
◊ Presance is at 1, Hogan is at 2, Area is at 3, Canopus is at 4, Leon is at 5, Orcus is at 6, Aloser is at 7, Belgger is at 8, Freesia is at 9, and Bruno is at 10.
Forcas and Byan will be joining us as guests.
We are confronted at the top of a large hill by a valkyrie.
◊
"Are you the one who killed my husband? Sure, he was overweight, but he was still my husband and the father of my unborn child..."
Wait, you're pregnant!? Why the hell are you fighting!?
"Set Sisteena free!" Forcas shouts. "If you value your life, it would be wise to..."
"Shut up, asshole!" Veldo interrupts. "Before you get to her, you'll have to get through me! Dasa was my husband! Don't underestimate me just because I'm a woman! I will avenge the death of my husband!"
This battle is pretty simple. Work your way up the large hill and kill the boss. Archers have reduced efficiency in this battle because of the upward slope, while their archers have a ton of range because of their huge terrain advantage. I'm just happy I don't have to save anyone.
Also, note that all of the enemies are female.
To help your healers gain levels, I suggest you have them heal even when there's nobody injured. It'll save you time in Training.
I'm going to start handing kills to Belgger and Orcus now. I didn't do it in the last battle because, really, in a battle that hard, any kills are lucky.
Okay, Orcus killed an enemy in a counterattack. Good.
Orcus kills the boss. He got around 4 kills this battle. Belgger got 0, mostly because he was stunned for most of the battle.
Veldo: Dear... where are you? I'll soon join you with our baby...
...
So we just killed a pregnant woman?
...
Harsh.
But it is that unflinching harshness that I love about this game, I suppose.
We get 2150 Goth, and Orcus is the MVP and gets an extra level up.
◊
I'll be honest, I have no idea how this system works. No FAQs mention it, and I don't think the LUCT site (refer to first post) does either. I know you get MVP if you get a certain number of points by doing a certain number of actions, but I don't really know anything beyond that.
We also get 1800 extra Goth, a leather hat, and even more Goth. Seriously, I'm probably not going to use half of the Goth I've gotten by now. Still not as bad as all the money they give you in FFT, though.
We open on the same boat as before, Sisteena in tow.
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"This is the second time you saved me. I can't thank you enough."
"I'm glad you're alive," Forcas says. "I missed you so much."
I have a feeling Forcas has a little crush.
"I missed you too. It's a miracle that you two are still alive."
"Excuse me for interrupting this picture perfect moment," Kachua says, "but can we go now?"
"O-of course," Forcas stammers. "We'll set out before gets dark."
"Hey..." Byan injects. "How about stopping by Fort Bodo on the way?"
Another stop!?
"That's a good idea," Sisteena says. Ugh. I'm fine as long as I don't have to save any wizards. "Then I can repay you for your kindness. Besides, you may be able to stop my sister."
"Fort Bodo? That fort has been abandoned for years. What could be so important?" asks Kachua.
"Fort Bodo is one of our bases," Forcas explains. "Our leader Selye will be there."
"Any particular reason why we should meet the leader of the Valerian Liberation Front?' asks Orcus.
"You'll know what I mean when you meet her. You'll see that we have problems as well," Sisteena responds.
Forcas tells us to get on board.
We have a fight at Griate before we can get to Bodo.
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Next time: some filler, and we meet Selye!
Byan has been added to the Warren Report.
edited 10th Oct '10 4:15:03 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
As a regular human who just so happens to be the most-often poster in this particular thread, on the topic of 'what to do next', I don't have any particular preferences. You just play whatever you think will be the most enjoyable experience for you. Wouldn't be much of a Let's Play if every other battle was like the Angrish-enducing one, right?
As for the Warrens, I nominate Cardinal Barbatos. Orcas is travelling via ship, the Cardinal shares the name of one of the Pirates Of The Caribbean...may as well, right?
EDIT: Upon re-checking the Caribbean entry, turns out that guy I was thinking of was named Barbossa...eh, close enough.
edited 10th Oct '10 6:06:33 PM by EndarkCuli
Well, The Knight of Lodis is a lot easier, mostly because classes are gender neutral and resurrection items aren't that hard to come by.
OB 64 is in the RTS style of the original Ogre Battle. It's not that hard, but I've never been good at the RTS'.
I'll probably do The Knight Of Lodis first.
Cardinal Barbatos- 44 Years Old: A ruler of Gargastan. He started with the ethnic cleansing policy to get rid of the Walstanians so he could rule the southern half of Valeria. This extreme action caused the anti-government movement within Gargastan, but he quickly was able to dispatch those undesirable elements with military force. He is a cold-blooded man with no mercy.
Also, 50th post. Awesome.
edited 10th Oct '10 6:24:34 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Thanks! That means a lot to me, and motivates me to keep writing. I'm gonna buy the PSP remake too, though it seems it's taking a much more FFT-like approach to classes. I'm not sure how to take that.
So you want us to go down the Chaotic route? Cool. I'm going to delay this and see if anyone else is going to respond. Though I have a feeling they would select Chaotic too...
So yeah. Delayed for a day while I see if other people want to respond. If not, I'll go down the Chaotic route as you suggested.
edited 27th Sep '10 12:46:50 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!