Let's Play: Ogre Battle 64!

[Gregness]

It's been far too long since we've had a proper Let's Play going on here if I do say so myself, so what better than an RPG that most people haven't played!

Here, have some music. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iySuVpMvHlQ)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_1/Intro.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_1/Title%20Screen.jpg

Ogre Battle 64 is a real-time strategy RPG. What that means in a nutshell is that rather than controlling the minutiae of one party of characters, we control many different groups but fighting itself is mostly AI controlled. This means that your formation is key. Here's a sample group from my own runthrough:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_1/Fight%20Demonstration.jpg

In the upper right you can see my group's formation, in the lower left is the enemy's. Each character has its attacks determined by its class and its position in the formation. Fighter classes have their best attacks in the front row, support classes have their best attacks in the back row, etc. You can be flanked, and attacked from the rear depending on various shenanigans the enemy might pull so even a strong formation can be caught at a disadvantage since your characters would have to use their weaker attacks. So, the key is to have your units in the right place at the right time on the area map (below).

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_1/Area%20Map%20Demonstration.jpg

Strategy. :D

I can get into the nitty gritty combat mechanics later as it becomes relevant, but that should be enough to get us started.

This will be a screenshot LP. Participation will have a few different forms. First, since we can have upwards of 50 different characters, most of whom can be renamed, I'll be taking requests for draftees to participate directly in the playthrough. I'll let you pick which classes and progressions you want to follow, and I'll cheat a bit to help if I can. That has limits though, If you want to be a paladin and your character's alignment isn't correct, I'll change it for you. If you've been a warrior your entire career and you want me to change you into an archmage, I'll probably tell you to get bent. As a corollory to this, if your character ends up in charge of a unit I'll let you decide the formation if you like. Or, I can just do it for you, whichever.

Second, if you don't want to bother getting drafted, I'll be taking votes in the thread regarding story decisions (though I may omit some of the smaller ones).

Speaking of decisions, here's the first set of 'em!

First, we need a name. The default name is Magnus, but that can change. The surname is Gallant and it's not changeable.

Next, a few personality type questions. These will determine which units we start with so they're not just superficial.


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_1/What%20is%20in%20thy%20sword.jpg

-What shalt thou sever with thy sword?

hope
greed
order
silence
anarchy
control


-For what shalt thou beseech the gods?

valor
purity
might
triumph
sacrifice
trust


-What shalt thou offer the gods?

love
truth
freedom
embrace
lust
glory


-What dost thou wish for?

strife
serenity
wealth
reform
fertility
peace


-What shalt thou rid from this land?

changes
law
ideal
honor
rule
chaos


Lastly, what is our patron element going to be?

Earth
Wind
Fire
Water


Post your votes one row per question like so:

Mike
ardor
hope
purity
love
wealth
law
water

I'l use whichever answers have the most votes for each section, and when there's a tie I'll provide the tiebreaker vote.

As I was preparing this post, I found out that apparantly this has recently been re-released on the wii's virtual console so you can check it out yourself if this piques your interest. Now, LET'S PLAY!

[IHateMakingNames]

Magnus
Passion
Order
Triumph
Embrace
Strife
Change
Water

[Aldurin]

Nergil
Hatred
Hope
Might
Lust
Strife
Law
Fire

[Satan's Onion]

Hey, is the default character we're deciding on here always a dude? 'Cos I remember the SNES iteration of this game let you choose the sex of your main character. (And General Romana kicked so much ass, even though Isay so myself. So. Much. Ass.) Aaaanyway!

Cosimo
passion
greed
trust
freedom
reform
rule
Wind

[DarkDrgon]

I was going to do the SNES one in my LP series (games I loved as a kid, but never beat, fwiw), but i'll skip that now

Magnus
Control
Triumph
freedom
reform
ideal
Wind

[Gregness]

Unfortunately, changing the protagonists gender isn't one of the options you're given. I would assume it has something to do with space concerns on the N64 cartridges since that would double the number of sprites you'd need for the main characters (and each character uses a lot of sprites in this game).

Anyway, keep the votes and participation coming everyone! I'll be doing this LP regardless, but it'll be more interesting for all involved I think if we get a big crew of participants. The first set of votes will be open 'till Monday night since I'll be out of town over the weekend and I've got a final exam Monday afternoon.

Here's the prologue to keep you all sated 'till then and to get some relevant backstory out of the way.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The music for this section. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rel-IOyQTX0)


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_1.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_2.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_3.jpg

The text on the map reads "Kingdom of Palatinus".

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_4.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_5.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_6.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_7.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_8.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_9.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_10.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_11.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_12.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_12a.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_13.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_14.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_15.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_16.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_17.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_18.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_19.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_20.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_21.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_22.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_23.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_24.jpg

(The Bolmaukans are the ethnic group native to the kingdom of Nirdam)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_25.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_25a.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_26.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_27.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_28.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_28a.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_29.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Prologue/Prologue_30.jpg

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So. Much. Image cropping.

[Satan's Onion]

'S okay. I figured it'd be something like that. Still sounds pretty cool. (Still hope for a character, too. This army can't be a total sausage-fest :P .)

[Gregness]

Okay, totally overestimated the amount of time I'd have to work on this this week between my finals. My last test is on Wednesday, so update Wednesday night! The deadline for votes will be 3:00pm PST on Wednesday, and the update will be some time that night!

EDIT: Well, I got about halfway through writing the update, but I've gotta get ready to catch a bus to go home for the holidays. Unfortunately, that means this likely won't kick off 'till after the new year.

[Magus]

'S okay. I figured it'd be something like that. Still sounds pretty cool. (Still hope for a character, too. This army can't be a total sausage-fest :P .)

One of Magnus' top generals is a woman. There are various other female characters, too.

Also this game has a bit of a twist on the original Ogre Battle's protagonist: both the male and female version are present as separate recruitable characters with distinct personalities, from neighboring Zenobia, if you're good enough at the game, although even if you don't get them in your party they play a decently large part in the plot regardless. Basically the plot of March of the Black Queen was retconned slightly in that both Destin and Europea played a major role in saving Zenobia, although Destin is where the plotline from the end of that game picks up, with Europea showing up later as having a more "mysterious" past of what it was she did in the rebellion. The two characters' full names form a bit of a pun--Destin Faroda's first name and Europea Rheda's last name combine to form "Destin Rheda", or, Destined Leader. This was a bit lost on people since Europea's last name was probably supposed to be spelled "Leada" but hey, still one of the best translations in the history of Japanese RPGs.

Ogre Battle 64 is one of my favorite games. Too bad they forgot to put the Chaos Frame on the screen, but hopefully we can take it into account as we all make our decisions, since it affects whether you get most of the extra characters.

[Sovereign]

Do you have any idea what type of Chaos Frame you'll aim for on this playthrough?

[phil_]

You know what hampered my enjoyment of IHMN's Tactics Ogre LP? I wasn't in it.First, since we can have upwards of 50 different characters, most of whom can be renamed, I'll be taking requests for draftees to participate directly in the playthrough. I'll let you pick which classes and progressions you want to follow, and I'll cheat a bit to help if I can.Doll master named Phil. Make it happen. Also, in case you feel like re-doing your next post, here's my input.

Gregness
Greed
Purity
Embrace
Peace
Ideal
Wind

I haven't counted votes or anything to see if this'll change anything, but I also don't care. Everything works out.

[Gregness]

One of Magnus' top generals is a woman. There are various other female characters, too.

*stuff*


Yeah, Europea hits like a freaking truck. In my personal playthrough, Europea is like my 3rd or 4th hardest hitting melee character, behind a guy who's been a fencer/swordmaster since literally the first level and Ankiseth and maybe one other dude. And besides that, there's a duo of sorceresses who roll with Magnus who can kill almost any squad nearly by themselves (combo spells are pretty nucking futs).


Ogre Battle 64 is one of my favorite games. Too bad they forgot to put the Chaos Frame on the screen, but hopefully we can take it into account as we all make our decisions, since it affects whether you get most of the extra characters.

Do you have any idea what type of Chaos Frame you'll aim for on this playthrough?

I figure I'll leave Chaos frame decisions to you all in the LP thread unless you're not interested in it.

I was going to make this part of a future update, but I may as well lay this out here I suppose. The Chaos Frame is what ultimately decides which of the multiple endings we get and loosely correlates to Good/Evil. The Chaos Frame score is indirectly controlled by our army's alignment as follows: Each character has an alignment score on the Lawful <------> Chaotic axis which affects certain class pre-requisites and also determines whether a settlement is "liberated" or "captured" when we take it. Liberated settlements raise our chaos frame and captured settlements greatly lower it. Now, towns also have an alignment score and a unit needs to be within ~20% alignment of a town to liberate it rather than capture.

So, a town with an alignment of 15 would be "liberated" by a unit of Black Knights and "Captured" by a unit of Paladins and vice versa for a town with an alignment of 85.

Now, I actually don't mind it to this point, but what makes it sort of a pain in the ass are the towns that have a middle-of-the-road alignment. See, one of the (many) factors that determines alignment changes after a battle is the relative alignments of the combatants involved. If you kill someone of higher alignment, your alignment lowers. This is a problem because it tends to skew all character's alignments toward one extreme or the other because the lower it goes, the easier it is to kill someone of an opposing alignment and become even further entrenched in your own (realistic that way I suppose...).

The best way I found to handle this and keep a high chaos frame is to keep a unit of neutral characters around specifically for the task of taking neutral aligned cities. Now, in some maps there actually ARE neutral (I.E. not owned by you or the enemy) cities and these cities are always captured regardless of the unit's alignment.

ANYWAY.

I'll only need something like "go good" or "go evil", and we can change that from mission to mission if you guys want. I don't care if we're bipolar.

I haven't personally seen all the endings so I won't weigh in on whether the high or low CF endings are better or what.

You know what hampered my enjoyment of IHMN's Tactics Ogre LP? I wasn't in it.

Doll master named Phil. Make it happen. Also, in case you feel like re-doing your next post, here's my input.

Gregness
Greed
Purity
Embrace
Peace
Ideal
Wind

I haven't counted votes or anything to see if this'll change anything, but I also don't care. Everything works out.

Yeah, sure, why not. I'd really only have to redo the screenshots so voting's officially still open 'till whenever I post the update Monday night. I don't know if we'll start with a doll master or not, but you're on the list (I should make a list)!

[Sovereign]

How about a Knight named Sovereign?

Magnus
Belief
Hope
Valor
Truth
Strife
Change
Earth

[Magus]

The game is eminently beatable with a low Chaos Frame, I'll tell you that. I ended up with a Chaos Frame of 00 when I finished the game the first time. Ironically, I had a hard time keeping low alignment characters--it was more that all my characters were super-lawful good that prevented me from really playing with a high Chaos Frame the first time.

In any case, it only really prevents you from getting "secret" characters, not actually beating the game. And even with a low one there are specific characters you can get THAT way, too...

Anyway, let's go all LE REVOLUCION with my votes:

Karl

Control
Purity
Freedom
Reform
Rule

Wind, I guess (If I remember correctly the Pemda you choose is the least important choice)

[DragoonWraith]

Wow, I never expected to see an LP of Ogre Battle 64. One of my favorite games; the Dragoon half of my name is actually named after this guy:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/DragoonWraith/Dragoons/Dragoonsprite.jpg
My avatar is based on the "Predator" enemy class, which was the evil Dragoon summoned by Shaher in Knight of Lodis (plus the One Ring, of course), and I more-or-less earned my Internet chops on the tacticsogre.com boards. So, obviously, I'm super-excited to see people discussing Ogre Battle 64. It's been so long since I could talk about the series with anyone; woefully underappreciated series as a whole.

Anyway, I think I've missed the initial vote, but for Chaos Frame, I vote high. I never actually got a high one myself (didn't understand the mechanics behind until years later), so I'd love to see it.

[phil_]

Two people have signed up for the forums just for this LP. Must be a heck of a game.

[DragoonWraith]

To be fair, I came to the boards to see what they thought of Legend (a tabletop RPG that I did some playtesting for, and that Brian reviewed on the site), but then I saw this thread and was very pleasantly surprised!

[Inbred Chocobo]

Just my two cents, I would like to see this hard mode with no zenobians at all. In fact, get Dio kicked out of the group as well.

[Gregness]

Just so's you guys know, I haven't forgotten about this, but I've been trying to resolve some technical things. Basically, I'm using Project64 to emulate the game and about 30% of the time whenever there's a scene change the background textures load as just a black screen, but all character sprites load normally.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Misc/funky%20graphics.jpg

as opposed to...

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Misc/normal%20graphics.jpg

It doesn't affect the actual gameplay, and if it screws up in one place then it usually restores itself in the next screen change, but it does make getting proper screenshots sort of a pain in the ass. So, I've been poking around the internet a bit to see if I can find a fix for it. I tried the Glide64 graphics plugin, but it just crashes on startup. I can still do the LP with it as it is, but that just means that I have to replay some sections if the graphics crap out.

So, since I've not had any luck with it so far so I'll just go ahead and get the update up tonight so I don't keep you all waiting.

However, if one of you guys is super emulator savvy and knows a fix for this that'd make updates much easier on me.

[Yumil]

When I played this game the first time, I only ever had one party that was good. I was lazy with my actual battle tactics and would find that my base would get taken and I would lose, so I changed my tactics to sitting at base till all attacking parties are finished and then quickly make my way to the objective.

Further play throughs were more balanced. I did once exploit the Birthday system to get all the gifts. By the end of that game, all my characters were over 100 years old and the game was glitching out with untranslated text. I would lol and say exploit your way(waste time traveling) to the 50th birthday for the Figurine of Sleipnr as it makes a unit run at a very fast pace, if you are experiencing graphics problems this will significantly decrease your battle time allowing you to replay faster. Plus, you'll get the adorable Gallant Doll too.

[Loyal]

N64 emulation is... less than perfect, sad to say.

[Inbred Chocobo]

Gregness, I've had that issue before, but that was years ago, and I could never find a solution for the issue unfortunately. However I am perfectly fine with backgrounds missing from battles, so post em anyway.

[Yumil]

N64 emulation is... less than perfect, sad to say.

But it does have it's benefits, such as texture swaps. Lots of high resolution texture packs out there(sadly none for this game, the standard ripper doesn't work on it right).

[Magus]

Yeah emulating this game was a pain when I tried to do it. Glad I had the actual cartridge to play originally.

[Gregness]

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Memories creep up on you at the strangest times... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puYOhITawQ0)

"...You're leaving tomorrow?"

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/1-Beginning.jpg

"Why can't you stay here?
Why the military academy? Why?"

"God knows where my mother is...
And I can't stand... being around my father..."

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/2-Beginning.jpg

"I promise I'll make you proud. I have to learn to stand on my own... So I can protect both of us."

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/3-Beginning.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/4-Beginning.jpg

It's probably because I thought I was close to making good on that promise from so long ago that I was stuck in that reverie. Thankfully, the usher snapped me out of it in time to make my Walk.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/5-Reverie.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/6-Graduation.jpg

There he was, Archbishop Odiron in the flesh.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/7-Graduation.jpg

It's odd being so close to someone so important. We'd used a lookalike for the rehearsal and so while I had my lines memorized...

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/8-Interview.jpg

I almost blacked out from all the adrenaline. I suppose skipping breakfast was a bad idea.

Still, I remembered my lines even if I did have trouble seeing the rest of the room so I suppose the rehearsal wasn't a complete waste.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/9-Interview.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/10-Interview.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/11-Interview.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/12-Interview.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/13-Interview.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/14-Interview.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/15-Interview.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/16-Interview.jpg

The "Gifts":

Baldr Sword, Blessed Sword, Scipplay Staff, Light Mace, Kite Shield, Plate Mail, Baldr Armor, Cleric's Vestment, Witch's Dress, Armet, Pointy Hat, Spellbook, and a Rosary.

Well, they were less gifts and more supplies for my new unit, but glass half full right?

And so, I set out for my first assignment! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF4Kh9j8ogY)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/17-Sally%20Forth%21.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/18-Sally%20Forth%21.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/19-Sally%20Forth%21.jpg

The Southern Region is the most restless of Palatinus' provinces. If I want to see any action, that's the best bet.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/20-Sally%20Forth%21.jpg

Some of the other graduates liked my rationale and decided to come along. They seem like a good lot.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/21-Sally%20Forth%21.jpg

We've stopped at a bluff overlooking the main valley of the Southern Region.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/22-Sally%20Forth%21.jpg

We'll camp here tonight. The real work starts once we report in so we might as well take in the sights while we can.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/23-Sally%20Forth%21.jpg


-------------------------------------

Let me know what you guys think of the introspection/narration. I find myself going back and forth about how much of that I want to do. On the one hand, the game really is good enough to stand on its own without me talking up the place. On the other, there's quite a few things that don't carry over into screenshot form. Namely, I'll be damned if I'm going to post lots of screenshots of the same thing just to cover scrolling dialogue.

Also, the darkness in the interview? Yeah, the graphics glitch isn't limited to battles. I found a way to play it off but we'll see how long I bother to justify this shit depending on how much replaying I have to do for future sections.

Anyway, I'd planned to go further tonight (and, indeed, I have) but this thing is frakking long as it is so I'll put up the rest tomorrow morning.

[Sovereign]

Does anyone know if it's possible to take screencaps on the Virtual Console? I figure that if the emulators don't work right, that might be another option.

I don't have a problem with the narration, but I think it could be truly great if it had a bit more personality.

[DragoonWraith]

Gregness, re: narration — I liked it, personally.

[Loyal]

Yeah, I feel the narration did a good job of explaining the darkness. Though it will proooobably get stretched if Magnus nearly blacks out every time he enters battle.

[Gregness]

Does anyone know if it's possible to take screencaps on the Virtual Console? I figure that if the emulators don't work right, that might be another option.

I don't have a problem with the narration, but I think it could be truly great if it had a bit more personality.

I also don't have a Wii, so there's that.

As for personality, I kind of agree with you, but I was going to let audience interaction guide Magnus' personality and we're only just starting out.

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http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/24-Marquis.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/25-Marquis.jpg

We made good time to Akka castle and as soon as we arrived we were instructed to report to the main audience chambers. There, we met General Godeslas.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/26-Godeslas.jpg

He strode down the stairs and went from row to row, person to person, eyeing us closely.

He stopped in front of me.

"It looks like some of you are graduates of Ischka Military Academy."

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/27-Godeslas.jpg

"Did you think you could slack off? Well think again! All that matters is your ability. Remember that!"

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/28-Godeslas.jpg

"Ariosh, take care of the rest."

The grizzled knight to Godeslas' right stepped forward.

"Listen up, you all will be going on a training exercise in the Tenne Plains. Magnus, Minnteur, Diomedes, and Leia, you have been selected as command candidates. You will meet your advisor shortly."

"No questions? Allright then, get moving!"

I grabbed the gear I'd left outside the audience chamber and headed to the barracks. It turns out I was first in line to meet with our advisor.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/29-Hugo.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/30-Hugo.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/31-Hugo.jpg

"So, you graduated from Ischka Military Academy hmm? ...What? Are you nervous? Don't worry, I'm here to guide you. You'll get used to it in no time.

Allright, you're dismissed. Head to Tenne Plains and-"

"Excuse me, sir, but... is that it?"

"Well, when you get old you can tell a lot just by looking at someone. And, to tell the truth, I've known about you for a while."

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/32-Hugo.jpg

Puzzled by this bizarre non-test, I listened at the door while the next candidate, a burly southerner, had his interview.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/33-Hugo.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/34-Hugo.jpg

Idiot handled it even less gracefully than I did.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/35-Hugo.jpg

The Tenne Plains were just a short three day march south of Akka castle, and the locals had been having trouble with wild beasts and bandits. Not glamorous, but better than sitting in a Central Division barracks getting fat.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/36-Alba.jpg

We reported to Hugo upon our arrival.

"Thank you for coming gentlemen."

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/37-Briefing.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/38-Briefing.jpg

"And call me Dio allright?"


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/39-Briefing.jpg

What is with this guy?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/40-Briefing.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/41-Map.jpg

"As you can see on the map, bandits have been particularly bold in this theater. They've not only siezed the Theodricus mine, but the surrounding towns as well. Our headquarters is marked by the blue square and the Theodricus mine is marked by the red square, about a day's march to the west."

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/42-Drama.jpg

I can't say I'm surprised, given the competition.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/43-Drama.jpg

But I guess that only makes one of us.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/44-Drama.jpg

"Oh, I tested each of you in my own way. Don't make such a fuss about it. You hear me?"

Dio stood there, seething silently while Hugo left the room.

The silence was short-lived.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/45-Drama.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/46-Drama.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/47-Drama.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_2/48-Drama.jpg

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allright, choice time. Are we gonna throw down or what?

[Inbred Chocobo]

Throw down, take him out.

[Loyal]

I say pass. mostly because I like having him around.

[Aldurin]

Beat this little shit into place. Also, there is something horribly wrong with this game.

Hugo is not a name for anyone that's a mage and/or looks magelike. Hugo is a name for a buff knight or the archer equivalent of Gaston.

[Magus]

Pass. I like his chutzpah!

Also you could just him as battle fodder if he gets too annoying...Gotta get zombies somehow.

[phil_]

Well, if fighting makes him leave, I say that we show him who's the strongest in battle, not in a brawl.

[Aldurin]

I thought how it'd work is if we win the fight, he stays, but with more respect, and if we lose then he leaves.

[Loyal]

It takes two events to get him to leave. First you need to choose to fight him here, and second you need to make another bad choice down the line. I believe if you choose "correctly" at either event he stays.

[Sovereign]

Pass. if you decide you don't want him around, you could always send him on a suicide mission against the entire enemy force in alba with a unit full of soldiers.

[DragoonWraith]

I've always thought that the "...No, I'll pass." was much meaner and dismissive than actually giving him the fight.

[Magus]

I still wouldn't fight him, we should try to be a Person of Lordly Caliber. Persons of Lordly Caliber don't get into fights with the help.

[Gregness]

xos2MnVxe-c

[phil_]

Got all excited for nothin'. :grump:

[Magus]

Like a lich, this thread is both undead and extraordinarily EVIL.

Also, lichs are really hard to get in this game, as opposed to the first one where I had like, twenty lichs.

[Gregness]

I need to work on the whole "deadlines" thing. :ohdear:



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not good.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/1-Pass.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/2-Pass.jpg

Hopefully that will...

"What are you saying? You're so superior that you don't care?!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/3-Pass.jpg

Dammit.

There's no way out of this. Dio's not going to be satisfied unless one of us is bleeding in the street. Dammit! I'm going to have to-

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/4-Pass.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/5-Pass.jpg

"Don't be so rash. The rest of your life isn't set in stone, right?"

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/6-Pass.jpg

"You'll eventually come to understand your shortcomings. For now, just follow my orders. I'll assess your skills through your performance so go take care of those beasts if you want to make a name for yourself."

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/7-Pass.jpg

I'll have to remember to thank Hugo for that when I get the chance. For now, I have work to do.

First thing's first: time to see what I've got to work with.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/8-Work.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/9-Work.jpg

Only Dio's unit and my own are made up entirely of experienced fighters. The rest had to be filled out with groups of raw recruits.

What worries me more is our logistical situation. If I give each other unit two Heal Leaves and a Power Fruit doesn't leave enough for my own unit, let alone having any in reserve. Luckily, Jadd is just a half-day away and there's a market there where I should be able to get most of what we need.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/10-Work.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/11-Work.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/12-Work.jpg

With our supply situation sorted out (for now) I can turn my attention back to the task at hand. While I was at market, I had the rest of our division set up a screening formation in the woods to the west.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/13-Work.jpg

Now for phase two, a coordinated strike on the two closest enemy controlled towns at daybreak of the third day.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/14-Work.jpg

As a bonus, I figure letting Dio have first blood will let him work out whatever issues he's got on his mind. Violently.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/15-First%20Blood.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/16-First%20Blood.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/17-First%20Blood.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/18-First%20Blood.jpg

"Fi- FIREBALL!"

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/19-First%20Blood.jpg

"DIE!"

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/20-First%20Blood.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223625/Games%20stuff/LP%20OB64/Update_3/21-First%20Blood.jpg

Now to brace for the counterattack.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I have the rest of the mission played out, the update for which will be later this week.

[Magus]

Ah, the first mission. Mostly a tutorial. I can't remember, did it actually point out that there was a hidden chaos frame in the game, or encourage you to send low-neutral units to low-neutral towns, or...anything important like that? Or did it focus entirely on how to move units and such?

That's a game that could have used like 80 tutorials like Final Fantasy Tactics had, hahaha (even if it had such lines as "the darkened items won't appear!", FFT's tutorial still kind of gave you some in-depth info on how the game worked).