RPG Thread XIX is getting a rhythm game spinoff

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Type-0 isn't bad but nothing super special, but as a FF game it's one of the better once in recent years.

Now with that said, the FF XV demo has me wanting that game badly. Not because it's good, but because this is going to be a bromance story of epic proportions. I mean the demo starts with you waking up sleeping almost next to each other in the same tent, lol.

 
The only Atelier game I've played is the very first original Rorona one for the PS3. It was okay I guess, just real simple and the combat got really boring and the story was pretty bland. I assume the remakes of Rorona are a little better? I have been intending for awhile to pick up one of the Dusk games to see if they are an improvement.
The original Rorona was boring as shit. I fell asleep trying to play through it multiple times. Every one after that is better and Rorona Plus is basically a remake to fix all the sleep inducing parts of the mechanics. At least it did for me. As for the Dusk series, the mechanics are very different in how it approaches alchemy and does things a bit differently with combat too than the Arland series. If you hate the time aspect of it, then don't bother though.

Type-0 isn't bad but nothing super special, but as a FF game it's one of the better once in recent years.

Now with that said, the FF XV demo has me wanting that game badly. Not because it's good, but because this is going to be a bromance story of epic proportions. I mean the demo starts with you waking up sleeping almost next to each other in the same tent, lol.
I strongly dislike multiple things that Type-0 does mechanics wise. It's quite infuriating and causes more hatred for it from me than it should. Since they want you to play through multiple times, I'm not sure if I'll bother. I beat it once and that's enough for me and it was enough for me to reflect back and think "This shit was stupid".

Though yes, the FFXV demo was decently appealing. I really hope they keep summons feeling epic but not allow us to abuse them.

 
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But what if it's bad?
The hints I've been seeing so far from certain game jornos have been positive (the review embargo lifts tomorrow, IIRC).

It's a shame that it's totally not my kind of RPG; if it was, I'd probably be on the Hype Express as well.
 
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Actually it turns out that you can set "I got fired after I spit in someone's burger" as the reason you became an adventurer in PoE so yeah I'm pretty sure it'll be good.

 
That sounds like some stupid shit a player would come up with and the DM is all like "whatevs man, I took this campagin from a different DM anyways and put bugs in it."

 
They sure did pick a bad time to put that up. I feel like most people that would be interested in that would be playing Pillars of Eternity rather than watch it live. Oh well, can always take a glance at it once it's archived if I remember.

 
So Pillars of Eternity has 11 classes but only 8 premade companions. Lacking a monk, a rogue, and a barbarian, I felt it best to choose one of those three.

Option 1: The Monk

http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/527259506509614622/9B124F7D213DC2D12071F4ABFCA1583F89FF4FCD/

Pros:

Growing up in the antarctic and being made of fire as she is, she probably had a lot of friends.

Burns people when they hit her.

I told Icebeast I'd play a monk.

Cons:

Unarmed damage doesn't scale super well right now.

Can't wear hats.

Option 2: The Rogue

http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/527259506509599978/4E768BDBF71E7801BAF91E9CF8E49B773EC4F933/

Pros:

I'm a sharkman.

I'm the stealthiest 7'+ dude that ever lived.

I can do some pretty mean things with an arquebus.

Cons:

One of the portraits for the aumaua race has a beard but you're not allowed to put beards on them. What gives?

Option 3: The Barbarian

http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/527259506509599391/F5C72DC3B5B6BC764AF9FDC51923EBBFB054F0B3/

Pros:

More HP than God.

Like, this is a setting where humans killing gods is a thing that happens, and I'm pretty sure I could take a hit better than that loser Eothas, God of Light.

Cons:

I don't know if barbarian tanks are really all that viable given their inability to... y'know, dodge anything.

Winner:
 
Did you give that dude a fuckin sweet mohawk?

Also, can I just make an all female group and give them different Leda portraits?

 
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The story in Rune Factory 4 is getting good, though it also seems to be moving pretty fast for one of these games. I hope it isn't too short; Rune Factory is one of those RPG series where I totally don't mind the length.

And I've also been second-guessing my decision (only a little bit, though) to go with the boy main character instead of the girl. Mainly because Vishnal is my favorite husbando/waifu candidate so far.
 
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Bloodborne is a lot easier than the souls games. The blood starved beast is the only boss that has given me trouble so far, but beating it has taught me to just jam myself up in any boss's grill and keep mashing. I can't see what's going on but it's extremely effective.

 
Man, at least they didn't hire Denis Dyak to make South Park: Stick of Truth. How can a game made of extremely poor quality cartoon characters be so damn buggy? And after I beat Cartman the first time the game froze. I resetted, and got through that battle much easier with my arcade stick, mashing X like Master Higgins.

 
Man, and here I was worried about PIllars of Eternity and Bloodborne being out at the same time.  Bloodborne has redonkulous load times so I'm tabling that until it gets patched (but my god, it's such a good game once it loads).

Pillars, on the other hand, I am just plain loving.  The combat could use some tweaking, it's often hard to tell what's going on/where each character is in a big melee, and I wish there was an autopause option for "resource generated" (oh, my monk has a stack of 6 wounds?  fuck, when did that happen, I was busy micromanaging my chanter to make sure I could summon a phantom once I had 3 phrases complete and walking my wizard to the edge of the melee cuz all his best abilities are line of sight AoE so it's a pain to avoid nuking my own peeps). 

To that end, macros/customizable party AI would be a godsend as well (barb shout, then frenzy at the beginning of every scrum, ability to make it so the party doesn't attack charmed comrades (fuck, the charmed priest who can't hurt you if he tried poked you?  so you fucking killed him when I wasn't looking?  haha, OK).  I'm getting better at the micromanaging, but a lot of it feels a bit awkward is all.

Give me the ability/action queuing from BG, or make it t truly turn based like, say, Divinity:OS or even BG.

Also character models look like complete ass up close (such as when leveling up) but in-game not nearly so bad.

But that's really the ONLY (and nitpicky) complaints I can leverage.  The writing/story/immersion/world building are superlative

I also really like taking some traditional conventions and throwing them on their heads.  I have a high int barb, a dual wielding monk (MC) which wants to get hit, a wizard with high "might" (it's not strength!), etc. 

 
Well, the combat clutter was always an issue in Icewind Dale. At least you can pause easily with the space bar if you need more time.

Also, the changes from D&D is probably so they wouldn't have to pay D&D any money. Minoletta's Minor Missiles? Yea, totally not Magic Missiles.

 
I finally got the 4th character in Earthbound which I not only forgot about, but also apparently named him Pollo.

got dang man is this game done yet?? I've been playing it forever :cry:

 
Yah, Earthbound is kinda long. I need to get back into it, but haven't got the motivation.

I've been trying to finish up my 100% playthru of Final Fantasy X-2. I'm deep into the final chapter now. The last time I played it years ago, I missed something insignificant way back in the first chapter and didn't get the "good" ending and just wound up youtubing it. This time, I don't think I've missed anything. The HD version is nice, but I wish they had touched up the character models of the supporting cast a little more. Some of them are pretty cringe-worthy when compared to the enhanced models of the YRP gals.

 
Also, the changes from D&D is probably so they wouldn't have to pay D&D any money. Minoletta's Minor Missiles? Yea, totally not Magic Missiles.
I think Obsidian is pretty "over" ever working with the D&D license again. It's kind of been a fucking nightmare.

But yeah, MMM was pretty explicitly a callback to magic missiles and the old naming style of D&D spells.

 
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There's also slow mode, which can help a ton for combat visibility. And you can queue up actions with shift.
Game changer. If there was a tutorial popup on that I totally missed it. Is there any way to tell what the queue is? Sometimes it's hard for me to even tell what the current focus of a character is (the green circling the ability is there even after a spell is cast for a short while, for example, so I can't tell if it they're still casting the spell I chose and are just waiting for their turn to resolve, or if they already cast it and I missed it cuz was as paying attention elsewhere without digging through the action log).

Either way, just started Act 2. Woo!

 
If there was a tutorial popup on that I totally missed it.
The game lacks useful tutorials. While what they show is alright, some more in-depth tutorials accessed via the Cyclopedia would have been great.

A couple other things to keep in mind:

  • At level 9, your tier 1 spells for Wizard, Druid & Priest become per-encounter instead of per-rest. At level 11, the same becomes true for tier 2 spells.
  • Cage Cursor is a god send for people with multi-monitors. Use it.
  • You probably want to check "Disable Party Movement Stop on Engagement" before you go mad.
  • Just a reminder that using Scouting is the only way to see traps and find hidden objects.
  • Make use of CC abilities as much as possible, particularly in open areas where you can't use the environment to your advantage.
  • There is no real individual stealth for classes like rogues. So you have to use abilities to try and compensate as well as get behind enemies.
  • Do you best to flank enemies. Plus rogues deal sneak damage while attacking from behind. Not sure if the same can be said for other classes as I never tried it.
  • "Turns" are advanced by completing quest objectives. This is related to adventures you can assign unused companions on once you obtain the strong hold and make a few upgrades.
  • Unused companions stay a *little* over a level behind the main character. Adventures can catch them up to you. I'm also not sure that if you keep gaining experience after you hit max level that it will help level those unused companions that are still behind in level.
  • The game makes a separate save labeled "Pre-Endgame" for when you cross the threshold of no return in the main story.
  • You can attack enemies turned ally by selecting Attack (A) and then selecting the allied enemy.

Some useful bugs you can avoid for right now:

  • Chanter abilities that lay down traps is currently bugged and does not remove the traps after combat is over. This causes the game to keep track of every single one and eventually significantly increases save/load times.
  • Beware of "Ogre Druids". They can cast Plague of Insects that does NOT wear off. You can make it stop dealing damage eventually but the effect stays. Switching out characters may work, but you cannot do this on your main character. Other druid classed enemies don't seem to have this issue. It was nice being hit by 3x Plague of Insects that do 100 raw damage each over 40 seconds.
 
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A few other notes:

1. There's an option to automatically enable slow mode on combat start. It's pretty swank.

2. Always be scouting. Scouting mode doubles as both stealth (using your characters' stealth skills) and search for hidden objects/traps (using your characters' mechanics skills). Use double speed (D) and set the game to auto-pause when you spot an enemy or hidden object.

3. In my experience, the "status effect stuck on a character" problem can be fixed by saving and loading. Got me through those fucking ogre druids, at least. Make sure you use a new save though just in case.

4. Rogues can get a sneak attack off even if it's not in a flank: its opponent just has to have the flanked condition (or hobbled or blinded or dazed or...)

5. There is no way to see the actions that have been queued, but you may be interested in the auto-pause after ability used option.

The first big patch is due out in the next few days. Other big bugs include:

An item (horn of something or other) that stops ciphers from gaining focus.

A bug in Raedric's Hold that can trap you in one area forever. I forget where, exactly - think it's the roof?

Companion stats can get boosted through the roof. Apparently, this is mostly related to loading the game in the area where you recruited them.

Ranger animal companions disappearing, preventing you from leaving any map (you must gather your party...)

 
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Great tips all!  I knew most of em but gleamed a few good nuggets.  Really loving this game, but damn is it obtuse at times. 

Something that may be obvious to most, but took me a bit to realize:

AOE attacks come in two flavors, regular "AoE", and "Foe AoE".  As the name implies, Foe AoE only hits enemies, so don't be afraid to use a nuke that has "Foe AoE" right on top of your tank.  Abilities that are just "AoE" will hit your allies however.

Cipher's have a level 3 spell (forget the name) which makes a beam between the caster and an ally.  This ability is Foe AoE, but sadly can't be used on charmed enemies.  It can be used on summons though.  Depending on flow of battle, it's been helpful to have my chanter summon a phantom (lasts longer than the skeletons) to flank the enemy, and have the Cipher connect with the beam. 

Some Stronghold tips/things I've noticed:

1  From what I can tell, in your Stronghold if you have hirelings, they'll almost constantly state they are "currently unpaid".  Apparently they get auto-paid like once a week or so, but complain about their lack of funds until payday.  Doesn't seem to be any negative here, just a strange phrasing.

2  If you have someone out on an Adventure, most of the time I click that tab the button says "assign" even though someone's on it.  If you click it, it recalls the person on the Adventure/cancels the Adventure.  If you click a different tab and then come back to that tab, it'll then correctly say "recall".  Very odd.

3  Lasty, a note on resting bonuses at the Stronghold:  Various upgrades will give you a resting bonus (Dex, Int, Might, etc) HOWEVER you can only pick 1 at a time.  I was thinking that once fully upgraded I'd be some sort of demigod after a nap lol.

 
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A further note on AoEs: assuming the caster has an intellect above 10, you should see two circles, one red and one yellow. The yellow one represents the bonus from their intellect, and it does not do damage to allies. Makes casting fan of flames a lot easier.

Also, in addition to using "a" to attack charmed enemies, you can use it to force fights with enemies who want to talk first. And if you do want to talk to them, there's no need to send your whole party or even your squishy main character up to them. You can safely hold 5/6 of your dudes back and walk your tankiest/slipperiest person forward.

 
And if you do want to talk to them, there's no need to send your whole party or even your squishy main character up to them. You can safely hold 5/6 of your dudes back and walk your tankiest/slipperiest person forward.
Usually. A few encounters, the last boss being one of them doesn't allow for this. A few you can use a Ranger pet and the pet will run back to you while the dialogue begins prior to the encounter. Ranger pets also don't trigger traps.

 
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New Fire Emblem on the 3DS coming in 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94CCxVMltQY

Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem crossover trailer for the WIi U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fS24IxelBA

EDIT: According to the JP Nintendo Direct Fire Emblem on the 3DS will come in two flavors, White or Black. Each one features its own storyline and the other can be bought discounted as DLC. There is also a third storyline that will be DLC as well. Finally, Japan is getting a Limited Edition that contains all the storylines without having to purchase the DLC.

Source: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1021888

 
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Beat Rune Factory 4-- on the first day of Fall in the first year!

Either I rushed through it quicker than usual or this RF was much shorter than the previous ones. Seems like more of the latter, though, what with how crafting materials were handled. Not sure how I feel about that  :???:

 
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beat bloodborne today. great game all around. boss fights weren't really that intricate or memorable outside a few but that's my only complaint.

 
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Always wear your seatbelt. Always.
But with those kinda air-bags, do you really need seatbelts?

Having alot of trouble in FF X-2, since in the HD remasters you cannot use the Cat Nip/Trigger Happy strategy to easily take out the bosses of Via Infinito. Barely got thru the Level 80 boss Chac and now the final two bosses keep kicking my ass. I can beat the first one, but I'm never in good enough shape for Trema. Gotta go search the interwebs now and try out some new strategies I guess.

 
Finished Stick of Truth yesterday. I foolishly unequipped my Fairy Blade for the ManBearPig club and fighting the final boss was a pain. I never took off that Leather Armor. Jew Class is awesome.

 
Wooot! Star Ocean 5: Integrity and Faithlessness!

I actually liked the last Star Ocean game. It wasn't as good as the PS2 Star Ocean, but I enjoyed it. I was kinda afraid Tri-Ace would be making it for mobile. Hopefully we'll get both PS3 and PS4 versions in the west.

 
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