Random Gaming Thoughts

[BoneSnapDeez]

Niiiiiiice.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =699794047

[marlowe221]

Niiiiiiice.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =699794047

Ok Bone, I'll bite.

What the hell is that?

[ExedExes]

I found a new interview with one of the guys from General Computer Corporation, it talks about Ms. Pac-Man and the Atari 7800.

[Gunstar Green]

I found a new interview with one of the guys from General Computer Corporation, it talks about Ms. Pac-Man and the Atari 7800.

Nice find. To me the story of General Computer is one of those endlessly fascinating bits of video game history.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Niiiiiiice.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =699794047

Ok Bone, I'll bite.

What the hell is that?

Remake (with a port of the original included) of a 1980 Sharp MZ-80 game. It's an arcade-y "digging" game that predates Dig Dug.

[pierrot]

It's a strange feeling, recognizing the gate level schematics pasted in the background of part of the first stage in Pulseman, when I wouldn't have had a clew what they were when I first bought the game. They don't appear to be meaningful, but it's a cool detail, all the same.

The more I play of "older" SRPGs, the more I feel like Terra Phantastica might actually be the best of them.

[marurun]

The more I play of "older" SRPGs, the more I feel like Terra Phantastica might actually be the best of them.

Tell me more. I own this game but haven't spent enough time with it.

[pierrot]

It probably depends heavily on what you look for in an SRPG. I didn't really care that much for the first two Shining Force games, because it doesn't feel like there is anything particularly special about them, but they're solid. I believe I'm about halfway through Tactics Ogre, which I was pretty sure was going to blow my doors in, but while the story is fantastic, there are things about the battles that have really made me appreciate the mechanics in Terra Phantastica.

I really like the story in Terra Phantastica, but I could also see people calling it mundane. It's fairly subdued in tone, and doesn't quite have the layers of intrigue of, say, Tactics Ogre (to the point I've played in it). I think the characters are all very charming, and distinctive. There are many choices to be made that impact ally character acquisition, and the ending.

The battles play out on grid maps with tons of terracing. Each character has his own class, and can be given a unit that ranges from infantry, cavalry and catapults, to war elephants, golems, sprites and tomatoes. The unit chosen modifies the character's stats in battle. Stats can be further modified through equipment found through story events, or by searching trees and things in the maps. Battles cycle between a player phase and enemy phase, and each character has a number of action points, and stamina in the form of ELAN. Action points deplete for each movement, attack, magic, formation change, rest, search, or equip command executed, and when ELAN drops below 50 (of max 100) damage dealt noticeably decreases, while damage received increases. ELAN can be restored through resting and certain magic spells, though.

Each character has a set of three formations that depend on the type of unit the character is commanding. In general, one of the formations always sacrifices attack and defense (which are each split into close quarters, and ranged) for max movement, and the other two offer better offense/defense for less movement. There's a fog of war component, where enemy unit information can only be seen once it's within a player character's sight stat. Attack range has a pyramid structure: At an attack range of one, the unit can attack any of three spaces in the row in front his own; at range two, it extends to a second row, with five spaces, and so on. Different types of units have different attack ranges associated with them, and all attack magic has a base range of three.

Once a unit attacks another, the skirmish takes place on a separate screen, where one can charge (which does more damage, but places the unit in the default, movement, formation) attack, magic, formation change, or retreat (there may have been one more). If both units were facing each other on the grid, then each unit has three turns. If a unit is attacked from the side, the unit being attacked only gets two turns, and if attacked from behind, the unit being attacked only gets one turn.

I think that's most of the basics. There are a couple other things, like sets of eyes that characters can have, which allow certain things on the grid to become visible to those characters, and commanders being the only characters who can search the terrain, etc.

Anyway, I feel that Terra Phantastica has very feature rich combat, without anything seeming too cumbersome, or superfluous. It's very challenging, but very fair, I think. It just feels incredibly well designed, to me, and it's accompanied by one of the better stories in a Japanese game. Plus a lovable (Jeanne) / detestable (Julien) cast of characters.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Permit me to rant for a second.

I have Zaxxon as one of my Summer Challenge games. I know the arcade version is emulated on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection so I pop that fucker into the Xbox 360 and proceed to fire up Zaxxon. Or at least try to. There's a big padlock logo next to the game in the menu list. It's an "unlockable." I have to get five "bonus coins" in Decap Attack to play Zaxxon. You know what I think of Decap Attack? I think it's a shitty game. I have to play a shitty game to gain access to a (hopefully) decent one. Nice.

I theoretically have no problem with unlockables if they're done properly. Like, having access to some developer interviews or artwork after completing a game seems like a cool reward. But having to collect coins in Decap Attack to play Zaxxon is arbitrary poop. It's a chore. Might as well tell me I have to get the mail and vacuum the living room before I can play the game. Anyway, I found a FAQ dedicated to finding said coins as quickly as possible so hopefully I can burn through that shiz this evening.

Oh, and Terra Phantastica... Looks badass. I was so close to getting a copy on eBay the other night. Had it in my cart and everything, but ultimately swapped it out for some Atari and ColecoVision masterpieces. Some day I will play it though!

[noiseredux]

Bone, you can't find a save to download that has it unlocked already?