RPG Progress Report

[Jmustang1968]

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Bling Together

I just reached the Qadriga Fortress. Apparently I'm on the Chaos path (of course). I feel like I'm flying through this game, as the difficulty has been surprisingly lax thus far (and that's without using the Chariot Tarot BTW). I named my squad "Grave Makers", we're living up to our name. I think I'm nearing the end of Chapter II. I'm guessing Chapter III is where the kid's gloves come off?

Even if I've been surprised at the lack of difficulty, I still find Tactics Ogre extremely fun to play. It's the kind of game where I sit down in a recliner with a glass of tea and a cat on my lap, and before I know it I've been playing for three straight hours. Yasumi Matsuno has never disappointed me.

The original was perhaps harder, as before you got to a certain point in the game, you couldn't revive a downed character. So you had to basically get through a battle without deaths, if you wanted to preserve your characters of course.

Chaos path is also probably easier as you get arguably more powerful named character additions. But Canopus can be pretty OP in any path.

There are some side path and quest stuff that is generally harder than the campaign. Can kinda consider them as a challenge mode or path.

[Xeogred]

Yeah, Jmustang1968 and I don't seem to fully agree on the version to play, but I'm glad you're enjoying it Exhum. I mean, the original is different enough it would still be worth checking out some other time. Put those King's Field balls to use. I won't deny to using save states at times and even then, it's one of the hardest games I've ever beaten. Had to sacrifice 10 units by the end. Special named units were no more special than the norm... while they completely break FFT in comparison.

[Exhuminator]

The original was perhaps harder, as before you got to a certain point in the game, you couldn't revive a downed character. So you had to basically get through a battle without deaths, if you wanted to preserve your characters of course.

So you didn't have Blessing Stones in the original? And if someone died in the original, did you get the 3 round counter before they were legit dead?

Chaos path is also probably easier as you get arguably more powerful named character additions. But Canopus can be pretty OP in any path.

Interesting. I've been reading that the final battle of Chaos Chapter.2 is supposed to be the hardest in the main campaign. Not saying that's accurate, just what I read.

One thing TO has done is made me want to give March of the Black Queen another chance. I originally played the original SNES version. This time I'm going with the PS1 version via PSP. Maybe this time it'll click for me. I'd like to say I've beaten all Matsuno's games (as in the ones he specifically designed and/or directed). And I'm very close to having done so at this point.

[MrPopo]

Do you remember how far you got in Ogre Battle? We did it as a Together RPG a year or two ago and that was the time I finally got the game to click and make it to the end. I found that it's a game you really want to understand some of the underlying mechanics so you can get the army you want. If you come in and just do whatever you're likely to get railroaded into a bunch of undereffective units and frustration sets in.

[Jmustang1968]

The original was perhaps harder, as before you got to a certain point in the game, you couldn't revive a downed character. So you had to basically get through a battle without deaths, if you wanted to preserve your characters of course.

So you didn't have Blessing Stones in the original? And if someone died in the original, did you get the 3 round counter before they were legit dead?

Chaos path is also probably easier as you get arguably more powerful named character additions. But Canopus can be pretty OP in any path.

Interesting. I've been reading that the final battle of Chaos Chapter.2 is supposed to be the hardest in the main campaign. Not saying that's accurate, just what I read.

One thing TO has done is made me want to give March of the Black Queen another chance. I originally played the original SNES version. This time I'm going with the PS1 version via PSP. Maybe this time it'll click for me. I'd like to say I've beaten all Matsuno's games (as in the ones he specifically designed and/or directed). And I'm very close to having done so at this point.

I'd say the SNES version is slightly better. They are really close and only changed a few things, but the load times...

[Ack]

Do you remember how far you got in Ogre Battle? We did it as a Together RPG a year or two ago and that was the time I finally got the game to click and make it to the end. I found that it's a game you really want to understand some of the underlying mechanics so you can get the army you want. If you come in and just do whatever you're likely to get railroaded into a bunch of undereffective units and frustration sets in.

Very true. I beat it, and there is a lot of micromanagement to ensure your characters have the correct ratings to be able to upgrade effectively and that the required items are found for certain jobs. If you manage to successfully build your army, Ogre Battle can become an absolute breeze, but going in blind will almost certainly guarantee this will not be the case.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I enjoyed Ogre Battle way more than Tactics Ogre. Tactics is a bit too intense for my tastes. Long, hard, and requires a lotta commitment. Ogre Battle 64 is the god tier game of the series tho.

[Exhuminator]

Tactics is a bit too intense for my tastes. Long, hard, and requires a lotta commitment.

I advise that you never play Front Mission 4 or 5.

Ogre Battle 64 is the god tier game of the series tho.

Interesting. I only know one person who owned that game in real life. He never beat it. I remember him saying it just went on forever and he got bored. The same guy loved the hell outta FFT and TO though. I guess the game designs are really really different.

I plan to find out soon. I put March of the Black Queen's PS1 port on my PSP. I don't think the load times will be an issue since it's loading off flash memory and not a 2x optical drive. I'm planning on hitting OB:MotBQ up as soon as I'm done with TO:LUCT.

[Jmustang1968]

Tactics is a bit too intense for my tastes. Long, hard, and requires a lotta commitment.

I advise that you never play Front Mission 4 or 5.

Ogre Battle 64 is the god tier game of the series tho.

Interesting. I only know one person who owned that game in real life. He never beat it. I remember him saying it just went on forever and he got bored. The same guy loved the hell outta FFT and TO though. I guess the game designs are really really different.

I plan to find out soon. I put March of the Black Queen's PS1 port on my PSP. I don't think the load times will be an issue since it's loading off flash memory and not a 2x optical drive. I'm planning on hitting OB:MotBQ up as soon as I'm done with TO:LUCT.

OB 64 is good, but TO is the best in the series. OB64 wasn't done by Matsuno. It does a good job emulating his touch but you can tell. I have a soft spot for MotBQ still though. It doesn't tell the story in a traditional narrative, but you pick things up in little bits.

[MrPopo]

OB64 and OB are the same gameplay (with 64 having some minor refinements). TO launched the isometric height-based SRPG that you then see in FFT and a variety of other tactics RPGs. The whole army units battling thing is criminally underused, in my opinion. So far the only other game I've seen that does something similar is Soul Nomad & the World Eaters from NIS, though there the movement is turn and grid based, rather than real time as in OB and OB64.