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DOING IT! - WEEK ELEVEN - Equipables

Let's not even get started on comparing videogames to life, where are my save points

All I can say is I enjoy Final Fantasy Tactics gameplay so much more now that the relevant formulae from Gamefaqs guides stick to my memory and I can make informed decisions based off them rather than being "augh why does my axe damage suck it has a lot of attack power stat *dies to generic bandits*"

DOING IT! - WEEK ELEVEN - Equipables

Nothing really. I abhor notable hidden mechanics too and would like games to be as transparent as possible.

DOING IT! - WEEK ELEVEN - Equipables

post=149209
There's something to be said for players having to figure things out, too. For a strategic game like an RPG, figuring it out is the entirety of the challenge. So if you tell the player absolutely everything, then your game has no challenge and it's basically impossible to lose.


Absolute disagreement.

Withholding information from the player is not challenge, it is a cheapshot. It's like blindly firing elements at a SMT boss because your Scan ability is obstructed for no good reason; you guess wrong, get it reflected in your face and die. Or having a piece of armor secretly make your character weak to fire - worse yet the player may never figure this one out and be left scratching their head wondering why the boss overkills them. Once you gain the information, whether through trial and error or a FAQ, the blind situation loses all meaningful value. Not to mention it has zero replay value to begin with.

The player should absolutely be allowed to know that Archer's Invisible Shot ability is Wind elemental, Silk Robe increases the Wind damage done by the unit wearing it and Equip Robe allows any class to wear robes. What they don't need to be told is that they can set Equip Robe on an Archer and use Silk Robe to power up Invisible Shot - this is the right kind of "figuring it out", using the CORRECT information given to you to make logical conclusions. (Simple example, but still.) Making a completed puzzle from the pieces is very gratifying. Less so if the pieces are half colored in ink splotches withholding the information of what the pieces of the picture look like.

In case you haven't figured it out yet I subscribe to the stats over flavor school of equipment description

What RMN game are you playing now?

The first thing recommended for catching up after years of absence is an unfinished game

I am impressed

What Videogames Are You Playing Right Now?



More of y'all scrubs need to get Trackmania and ride with the RMN Bros

Best VG Soundtracks + overrated

GreatRedSpirit
3) Star Ocean 2.

you have made a powerful enemy today

Actually it is one hell of a weird soundtrack. Half of it is extremely atmospheric stuff (the final battle theme captures HOLY SHIT DOOMSDAY perfectly, for one) and half of it is bad noise. I can't hate on it because that top half is damn good stuff (and I have some nostalgia, okay) though. It and Valkyrie Profile are easily Sakuraba's best works, at any rate. Anything after that has 1 or 2 good tracks (well, several more for SO3) and the rest is either Sakuraba jamming an unrecognizable mess on autopilot for battle themes or trying to do atmospheric music by recording paint drying for 5 minutes.

Integral Body and Imperfect Soul - HOLY SHIT DOOMSDAY
White the Heart - Sure is a snowy town theme
Pure a Stream - I don't even remember where this plays anymore but it's one of the most soothing things

Balancing The Money

I'm seeing advice for having the money mostly come from lump sums here. Going to play the other side of the argument here and say don't take it too far, make normal battles worthwhile. Few things are more miserable than blowing five potions to beat a random encounter and only getting one potion's worth of money for your troubles.

NPC's Anyone????

post=147515
Important NPCs can always be left in a certain spot if their role demands it, but most NPCs (the ones who have little to do with the gameplay) should be doing more than just standing around going; "Welcome to Lamesville" whilst walking around the same patch of grass over and over.


Hm, well. To expand on the last post, NPCs moving around and living "realistically" (which really just ain't happening) does not equal immersion.

In Soul Nomad & The World Eaters, NPCs are literally just menu options in towns you choose and get some dialogue from. Yet the game does NPCs so much better than most - NPC dialogue is updated a double digit amount of times during the course of the game, some NPCs migrate, change their job title, or die. All of this while you don't even see their graphic unless you pick a fight with them (in which case they use a generic class sprite).

NPC's Anyone????

I generally prefer static NPCs because they're less of a pain to track and interact with. Don't give a damn about how realistic or unrealistic the 2D fantasy town is - gameplay first.

Can games be art?

It doesn't matter. If I enjoy it, I find it worthwhile, whether it be ~critically acclaimed art~ or no.