CRAZE'S PROFILE

I don't like leveling that much. It's okay but I don't like how you need to get all mathy like Suikoden to get people to the correct power level instead of over or under -- that just reeks of a poor system to me. It also bothers me when everybody has a level counter for themselves when your entire party is static, like in FF1.

BUT INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING, LET'S REPLACE!!

Hellion
Gain a party level every time you reach a new floor of the dungeon. Completing certain sub-objectives (kill 10 of a certain enemy type, open 15 chests) grants 1/4 of a party level.

Tales of the Abyss
The entire party levels up after fighting each boss. Unlocking Artes via usage is still intact, even if you can't start unlocking some until you hit a specified level. Capacity cores now grow based on how many battles they are used within, usually having max stats after 30-40 battles. Boss battles count as 20 battles for capacity core growth, allowing for risk/reward when entering a boss fight with less than the highest stats possible on a core. Also, certain one-off enemies hidden in dungeons are worth 5 battles.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant
You get stats as well when unlocking a character's unique skills. For Karen, due to her limited skillset, she gets stats from finding the Ring of Judgement hidden in each dungeon. So, dresses grow stats for Geppetto, dog fighting for Bianca, etc.

Final Fantasy I
Since the game is all about exploration, your bestiary works as progression. Killing an enemy for the first time provides basic info, and after four total kills you unlock all info on the enemy and maximum stats gained by your party. Rare enemies (one-offs and bosses) provide anywhere from 2-5 enemies' worth of power. Lighting a crystal and class changing all provide 10 enemies' worth of power.

Final Fantasy II
Normal leveling for the love of sakaguchi

I don't like minigames in traditional/semi-traditional rpgs. I think that they take away from the game itself, both as a player and as a dev spending time on them.

"But Craze, they're a fun distraction!" Why do I need to be distracted from your game? Is it that boring?

"But Craze, Hakox was really really good!" Okay, yeah, but did Xenosaga 3 need it? No, it didn't.

"But Craze, they can help tell a story!" I can understand something along these lines. The motorcycle escape from FF7's introductory missions was silly but served a purpose. I don't think it's necessary, but a one-off thing can be okay if you're willing to spend the time on it. Compare that to the time waste that is chocobo breeding, though.

"But Craze, dungeon gimmicks!" Actual dungeon puzzles that are a consistent part of the gameplay are 100% okay. Maybe you have a variety of mirror-and-light puzzles or sliding ice rooms. Sure, whatever. Go play Kinetic Cipher (Again) for more inspiration. But think of, say, that stupid follow-the-light part from FF6's intro mission, or that horrible simon says game to get the Crono doll (for a reason you wouldn't know of without a guide, probably). Uggggghhhhhhhhhh.

Why do you include minigames (if you do)? What's the point? Why did the big-name games need to bother? Especially for games that are already 20-30 hours too long, why include them?

This is something that has been bugging me for years now.

when you quote somebody with the quote post button, there's this awful "author=" put in front of who you're quoting. what's... what's the point. just put the name in italics. you can just delete it (i always do) but ... ugh

ankylo
Craze has the sexiest beard in town

is way nicer-looking than

author=ankyblow
hurrrrr i=me

pls

So now that I've attacked towns in another topic, let's add some towns and other places to visit to WYRM WARRIORS!

This is going to run a lot like the "design your character(s)" topic, where you can submit a location using the template below. BUT! Before anything goes onto the master list, we're going to discuss it. Nothing will be put onto the master list until it has been ~24 hours since it was posted, and people have had time to suggest changes and build upon it further.

Why the more peer-reviewed style this time? Mostly because while the game can handle a lot of warriors given how free-form the plot is ("kill the Wyrm Wizard"), locations require maps, NPCs, decorations, etc. which all adds to increased time spent developing them in the editor, and more playing time spent in them. If the player doesn't really like Daji or Andri, they can ignore them. If the player doesn't really like the biggest city, then we have a serious problem! We also don't want the game to get too long, so having thirty towns would be insane.

I'm going to put a soft cap down right now of three villages, four towns, and two cities. Let's also say no more than twelve "other" locations. Also, please remember that poor ol' Craze is mapping these with the RTP. If you want a three-story-tall statue of Tolvinari in your location, you're gonna sprite that yourself and send it to me.
Also, major: WE ARE NOT DOING DUNGEONS YET. You might mention a dungeon related to the town, but those are the next topic!

Like before, I'll try to put up progress updates in this topic. I took a few days off from finishing Czarina Must Die/the DO SOMETHING event to cool down, but I'm gonna start working again starting now!

Template for settlements (villages/towns/cities):

Name:
Type: Village, town or city
Biome: Desert, plains, forest, mountain, tundra, arctic
Character tie-ins: Any characters that were born here, have a backstory related to here, etc. If they're not your character, please PM the character's creator to come in and approve/tweak the addition!
Districts: If it is a city, it should have three main districts to visit. Town/villages ignore this
Notable features: Temples, rivers, village elders, etc. etc. etc.
Description/other details: Put some effort into this, people!

Template for other locations:

Name:
Type: Is it a waterfall? A small shrine? A monster-less cave?
Biome: Desert, plains, forest, mountain, tundra, arctic
Character tie-ins: Any characters that were born here, have a backstory related to here, etc. If they're not your character, please PM the character's creator to come in and approve/tweak the addition!
Relevance: Why is this part of our country of Aremen? Has the Wyrm Wizard affected it? Is there a great treasure here for those who can pass the keeper's trial? And so forth.
Description/other details: Put some effort into this, people!

okay so i've seen a lot of hate for Grandia 3 over the past few years, but it's always interested me because it's an rpg series i know nothing about and, like, it just looks interesting. i guess. whatever, that's not the important thing here.

the important thing here is that i finally started playing it last week and
this
game
is
hella
rad




so this game came out a few years after final fantasy x, a year after dragon quest viii, and two years after tales of symphonia. those are big names, and this game sort of... like... man.

if you take the ingenuity of dragon quest viii's dungeons, but subtract the punishing length/lack of saving, then mix a tales game's battle system with ffx's ctb battles, but make it SUPER-UBER-FAST, and lower the budget like 25%, you have grandia 3. it's a fast-paced romp with an emphasis on ADVENTURE and EXPLORATION and CUSTOMIZATION and FUCKING AWESOME BATTLES.





so... the story. it gets a lot of flak, but you know what? it makes sense, the characters have motivations, there's a lengthy and non-tsundere romance sub-plot, the villain is actually kind of interesting after first being just MUHAHAHAHA (which parallels nicely with Alfina's development over the course of the game), the guardians are badass-looking, and... just... you know what? it's not bad. i'm not about to praise it as high literature, but it keeps the ball rolling and takes you to exciting places to traverse.









the dungeons have a ton of side-paths, simple puzzles, obstacles, mega-enemies, and loot to uncover. the music is reused a lot but fits the general theme of an area, and properly special places get their due. there's something comforting about a ruin feeling like a ruin through music, y'know? they tend to look totally different anyway. (the two shots below are from the same dungeon, i'm not being ironic here.)





and when i say "a ton of loot," i mean it. there are so many skill books, mana eggs, weapons, etc. to deck out your party with. everybody has options, either personal (weapon, armor, limit breaks) or universal (anybody can equip any magic or passive abilities). it even has mana egg fusion, so you can merge eggs together to get the spells you want.







and, just... the battles. fuck. fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

this game is challenging, in all the right ways. you have a shitton of options available to you to design your party as a cohesive unit. who's going to silence the mages? who's going to focus on cancelling enemy attacks? who's going to cast gravity to move them all to the center of the field so that Yuki can use whirlwind on them? this is a game where you will be asking yourself these questions, and as you fight well, you'll feel rewarded. big enemies prowling dungeons usually drop lots of money and accessories... just saying.







and then there's the bosses... the BOSSES. i don't even want to talk about them, they're some of the most fun i've had in an rpg since discovered radiant historia.





so... yeah. i know that this is, like, an overly vague bundle of rambling praise. i'm too caught up in the game, i guess. here's a list of reasons why you should try out this highly underrated PS2 game:

-your mom is a playable character
-tons of character individuality and customization (yes, both)
-consistently challenging battles
-engaging dungeons with great loot variety
-feels like a proper adventure, not a drama-fest

here's why you should play for the battles alone:

-again, each of the primary PCs are unique, but also very customizable
-you can cancel enemy attacks -- if it says they're about to cast that paralysis wave, you can stop it
-spells and attacks come in different forms, such as lines, fans, circles, or just bombing the entire playing field
-spells each have their niche and definite use, including stuff like Craze (area berserk) and Fiora (area silence) -- crowd control is improtant
-limit breaks ("special moves") are easy to build up points for, and still feel balanced and rewarding. there's much more than just damage -- there are shields, counter-attacks, mana steals, weapon hit boosters...
-mother breed is one of the best bosses i've ever fought, period

very few games have mastered the art of making a player feel more and more powerful, while also not cheesing through the game with your new awesome +68 sword. grandia 3 does that, all with fast animations, slick menus, and a terrific battle system. 4.5/5 stars from me, no doubt.