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106

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 07, 2023, 09:01:14 am »

#11 session

Have you reached the 10-hour mark yet Boo? I'm just a bit past it.

So for the Ghost Manor I like to level up and grind in here I dunno why. Usually, I at least make 2-trips in here the first to just get all the treasure chests, then I leave and go back to Takkar to get all the equips I didn't have enough Silver for the first go round so: the mace, the fan and another Chain Mail for Ronfar. This usually makes the 2nd-trip in much easier and I can save up on MP for the boss fight cause at this stage of the game it's relatively early and I don't like using Star Lights and Healing Nuts. Star Lights were fairly uncommon throughout SSSC and I don't know EBC quite well so I'm scared to use them to save them for the Final Boss Fight.

Item shops don't sell Healing Nuts yet so I don't want to use them at all! I don't want to use Star Lights at all! But this boss fight is so stupid sometimes I wind up using one on Hiro/Ronfar to attack/heal right at the very end of the fight.

I like to just grind in here because, I think- After you use the Magic Carpet there's no way to go back and I'll miss all the previous places you've been to. I almost wanna go back and talk to everyone again before going down the cliff! ^_^;;

I have some stuff to do so I saved in the manor. I might play some more later, I might not- I might just play again cont tomorrow.

I thought it's interesting the Ghost Manor really is ghostly like with ghosts and stuff. The Susie Deaths are a unique enemy. I assume it's a ghost. Jean's Sleep Step dance works perfectly against it though I want to save her MP for the boss fight so I just wind up mash-attacking it. The strategy this part in the game ramps up cause you have to start using your skills / and a lot of Ronfar's healing to get through the monster battles. I would just dash through them if I had my druthers and save it for the boss. If you're fine with your level.

I might talk to everyone in Takkar again to see if I can get more information.

Edit:

I don't know if I'm allowed to triple-post, and I'd rather not, so I just edited.

Heads up: about our next game of choice I just remembered that I might not be able to hook up my SNES console to my new 4K T.V. to play Chrono Trigger since it's done away with the white/red/yellow hook-up in the back, so. It's hard for me right now to play on retro systems since I'm still adjusting to how a 4K T.V. works but I'll try to do research and see if I can find some sorta wire for the back of the SNES that hooks into an HDMI. For the time being, maybe a more modern RPG (like a PS1 RPG I can play on my PS3) although Chrono Trigger for SNES is still my no. 1 choice as long as I can figure it out.

#11.5 session

Ok, so I beat the Mega Magic Tester and Lemina joined. I'll try not to backtrack to try to just talk to people again. LOL This's the part of the game where you can really play around and have fun with random battles since Lemina comes with a lot of powerful magic to toast enemies.

Regarding Lucia's AI: She's still running away from casual battles but not boss fights (I don't think the game allows you to). Maybe she still doesn't feel as close to Hiro and the party? She's still casting Napalm Shot and Magic Barrier once-in-a-Blue Moon but she still defends and runs around the map a lot.

That was an annoying-ass boss battle. I'm trying a new strategy this time of using Jean to use items like herbs to heal and not relying on Ronfar so much cause he is slow and Jean is the fastest character in the game so she is auto. on item-duty. I went through so many herbs in that fight.

107

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 07, 2023, 07:15:59 am »

Ah! I was waiting for you to respond before I get another session in!

I love jRPGs and love the old-school ones like you, but I admit that I do like to change it up and sometimes need to change it up to more action-RPG hybrids (the Elder Scrolls series is a definite favorite). There's definitely a nostalgia factor for me; it's not just about the music style and sound samples or the pixel graphics, nor the similarity in gameplay, but I think the writing and speed of the stories has a certain era-specific tone. It's hard to articulate. That era from like 1992 to maybe 1999 has a certain certain sameness to how the games *feel* even if they are very, very different. They're like a comfort food!

See; I thought I liked to switch it up too but I just don't really like action-RPGs as much as turnbased. I want to be able to eat a sandwich while I game. (seriously) I always have a drink and sometimes maybe even a snack if I'm on an epic session and nothing but a turnbased RPG allows me to eat while I game. A growing boy's gotta have his food! The Tales of games have been kinda lackluster for me and personally I'm just not good at action elements even with platformers. I think I have more of a strategic mind so when I make a move that I know is right I want it to count. Kinda of like chess? Action-RPGs I seem to just mash the buttons a lot and hope I get through ea. battle. *shrug* I do like Secret of Mana though. I mean but that one's just a classic.

I also replay the same games, but those are mostly my personal favorites: games from the Mana series, the Chrono games, the SNES and PSX era of Final Fantasy, Terranigma, and of course, LUNAR. Generally I have to really love a game to replay it, but if I do love it, I normally replay them at least once every four or five years.

Yeah I re-play a lot of RPGs just to re-read the text again, I often forget what certain NPCs have said and I like to memorize lines, analyze what ea. line "could mean?" and recite my favorite ones. I was thinking about re-playing the orig. Final Fantasy VII to re-read the text before I play the Remake.

Definitely! I think a Chrono Trigger play-through would be fun, or even one of the ROM hacks. I played Chrono Cross when the remaster came out, so I need a little bit more before I pick it or Radical Dreamers, but it's been a few years since I've played through Trigger. I'm down!

Well, I was thinking since this is a Chrono site that you would be down to play Chrono Trigger. I actually love that game a lot it was actually one of my first RPGs if not the first (and I think it's a lot of other gamers' "first RPG"). I love the diff characters and everything and I always thought the girls looked pretty cute. And the guys were always looking cool. I loved the music and everything. I always wanted to get all the endings; but whenever I replay I always get the same one. "The One Where Crono's Mom Jumps Through The Gate" If for some reason I always get that one. Maybe if we play CT you can steer me in the direction of another ending!

Her story is definitely a bit of a trope, but I do like her longing to use her athleticism and skills for good (like dancing). A humble, non-assuming career choice, and like you, I'm all about the mundane and blue collar workforce. We've chatted in Discord DMs before about how I have a little farm now, and I love it. If I could become a farmer full-time and keep the bills paid without accumulating both debt and risk, I would. I see so much value in the often-unsung career paths, and I like the stories capturing people in the mundane having moments of epic delivery (however that may look).

I actually hate the word trope. The word itself seems to be a trope in and of itself. :p Yeah Jean is blipping on my radar this time, though a bit flying under the radar. Her story piqued my interest this time for sure.

Alex from LUNAR was a great example of this; a simple boy in a small town who wanted to be Dragonmaster but that thought wasn't really something he took too seriously. Had it not been for the events with Luna, he probably would have returned from Meribia and settled down in Burg and lived simply. Even as he becomes a hero, he has simple roots and never strays too far from them.

I actually think the "commoner who comes from nothing; and becomes King or destroys the Evil Empire" is a bit of a trope, as well. I think it's a pretty dangerous one, realistically. There's so many RPG stories where a lowly common boy comes out of nowhere, rises up in the ranks and ultimately becomes a ruler of a powerful nation or defeats the evil. Ryu from the BoF games comes to mind, Delita from FFT being a poor serf to becoming king, Riou from Suikoden being a simple boy from a simple town and ending up ruling an entire Liberation Army. Even small examples like Aeris from Final Fantasy being a simple flower girl, or Milea the servant/maid from Vanguard Bandits driving her own mecha robot in battle. I don't think there's any other reason for this other than kids thinking it's cool? But I mean, I think politicians and rulers of nations and armies in the real world actually look at this and see if it's true or not. Possible assassins in the ranks? You always have to be watching your back to see if the cook slips poison into the king's food?

There's actually a lot of other thoughts you've had this week that I haven't been able to respond to. I had the flu or something like it pretty bad and have been out of commission most of the week, and then I was trying to work while in a feverish fugue because of some project commitments. My thoughts have been all over the place, so my apologies for that.

No apologies needed we all have our own responsibilities we have to take care of, I myself am quite busy taking care of the farmhouse and lot so I mostly game at night now. Sometimes I find myself having to hold back though because I know we're taking baby-steps haha. Ultimately, it's really nice for me and relaxing.

Keep up the good work. I'll post again after I'm done w/ my sesh.

108

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 06, 2023, 09:03:19 am »

#10 session

So, I made it to Takkar. I would love to go on but taking things in baby-steps is a nice change of pace (for analysis) rather than getting as much playtime in- in a day. I love taking things slow now. So Takkar seems like yet another sleepy town with the usual types of people. What's with the two sets of twins in the village though? That's rather peculiar to just dump that in- in the game right now, huh? There's a lot of duality symbolism in LUNAR like with Lunar the planet/world/moon you have the Blue Star which accompanies it. Love is a strong storybook point to the game, with a boy/& girl. They've mentioned twins in the past before like Laticia and Alicia the twin Dragonmaster sisters. Female Dragonmasters? The Goddess Althena and Lucia seems to be a bit of a focal point in Eternal Blue Complete, we can't forget about that.

I've saved in front of Lemina lol, so I'm caught up with ya! Leo is annoyingly persistent as I've said before. He just doesn't know when to stop. He could have some sorta problem?

Again, I've poured out all of the thoughts in my brain about the game for today, so I'll see you tomorrow or next time! Take care!

Edit:

Personal notes: So I realized as I was playing the game that this style of a RPG is really the kind I most gravitate towards, I'll try to use all the adjectives: classic, traditional, 90s(?), turnbased, linear. These, really, are the type of JRPGs I enjoy to play and love the most. They seemed to just be released in droves when I was a kid/teenager. It made me feel like maybe I should look into or concentrate on the much older games, instead of always looking forward to buying the new-style jRPGs they have now. I definitely have more fun playing an old favorite and re-learning all the things I love about it, and using an adult brain to analyze things even deeper. Sometimes I feel people look at me weird when I keep track of how many times I re-played a game (*for some reason people don't count repetition in statistics*). I certainly count how many times I've completely worked over and worn-out any old thing I love. Maybe I'm trying to see if I can break it?

109

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 06, 2023, 04:43:17 am »

If we are still having fun by the end of it, I'm down to try again with another game!

I’m glad you don’t get put-off by how much I obsess about this game! lol This format actually works quite well for me, since we’re on a messageboard and it’s not real-time chatter we can kinda work around the time zone difference quite well. I actually had suggested that I’m up for a second round with another game, but you choose this time (if you want)! I was kinda thinking/interested about doing this with a Chrono game.

Weird. Ramsus is pretty much the site admin, and he's long gone but pokes in every now and then for maintenance and upkeep. Sometimes I wonder if it's not running off of a server in his house, harhar... There have been outages of the Compendium that have lasted weeks, though. If memory serves they were with 504 error messages.

Ok. *shrug* I’ll just deal with it.

So I had actually had a few points I wanted to make in the last post but just had a brainfart!

Caravan
Notes:
-So Althena’s Guard and The Chosen actually harass the caravan for being happy, singing, dancing and bringing joy and excitement to the people of LUNAR. This speaks to me honestly because my time in America was met with all sorts of harassment from the local police just for being myself and having fun and maybe being a non-typical American and model citizen. I’m glad Working Designs somehow worked that into the story that perhaps the police and Conservative-Christians somehow look down on those that are not like them and not brought up exactly the way they were. I mean it’s 2023. Go figure? Not everyone lives in a time capsule.

I used to regard Jean and her story/backstory/vignette as one of the bottom of the barrel typical sub plots, but now that I’m paying attention, looking closer to detail and analyzing I totally feel her. I think it’s interesting she’s running from her past and decided to become a common dancer. Imagine all the crazy stories a lowly gas station attendant or accountant or something has to tell? I myself find common ground with blue collar workers as I think they’re the backbone of America/society in general and they’re just people’s people.

-The old woman in the caravan that makes Jean’s outfits & costumes is actually named Silky I just found that to be hysterically comical. LMAO

Ah oh yes another bromide! Adding another one to the collection!!!!

I actually had to stop early cause it’s so hot and dusty in the household today I wear contacts and I can barely open my eyes. It’s just so unpleasant. I’ll promise to play more later for sure.

Personal story: Dad’s friend in Manila came-thru and found a used PS4 Pro (no box) at Greenhills mall for ₱16,000 / $269.00. So score! I’m just afraid it’s not gonna come with the original cables so I have to research a HD cable that can output to 4K I think they’re different from the standard ones.

110

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 05, 2023, 10:14:43 am »

I was raised in a segment of Christianity that was much about accumulation of wealth and control. Part of the southern Evangelical movement. In all honesty, all of the religious subtext here hits very close to home. It's a bit sad, actually.

Yeah, I was raised Roman Catholic. I actually like the religious undertones to EBC because I think, having grown up in America, religion is the thing that makes people see others as if they're... lower. I don't mind religious talks at all I have a healthy relationship with it I'm looking to raise my children, when I have them, with religion in the house. I actually think the whole "evil Demon uses corrupt Church to control the masses" thing in Japanese RPGs to be quite funny.

Agreed. I know we already talked about it, but it's so quippy and snarky and I like it!

They have stated that they take the text and re-work it so that it's more conversational and the actual way that people speak (in the US). I used to read a lot cause English is my second language and I wanted to not sound awkward.

I know I've already said it, but this game has great characters that are really against type. You have Ronfar the manly handsome man who is both a fallen healing priest and a gambler. Such a fun archetype. And now we get Jean the gypsy-esque caravaneer and dancer. And she uses friggin' fans for weapons!

Yeah I notice Ronfar is a lot like Jessica. He uses a mace and has healing litanies. Jessica hits a lot harder though when she's not healing and can get an attack in! Yeah, I quite like Jean's character design with the fans and such. She kinda reminds me of characters like Eka in Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean I don't know why? She's just kinda random and there fighting with a unique weapon. *shrug*

If you read this before me, Vidkid, check out the dialogue of the lady in the upper left corner of the caravan train. She's the one in front of the blue CHUCKABOO bird (ha). When you first talk to her she is singing a lullaby. I ran through the dialogue too fast and you can't get her to repeat it, but was she singing Luna's song from SSSC? I don't think, but I swear the lyrics were familiar before they evaporated from my mind...

She was, in fact, singing the Boat Song. Not the opening title sequence Wings.

It's not a LUNAR game if there's not a spring with nudity barely covered by bubbles and/or hair. And seeing that Lucia is naked a lot in this game, that's not saying much! Hiro is such a dude, hahahaha!

Yeah, people make a big deal outta this scene in terms of Lucia's naivite and growth but I think it's another instance to show her being dumb.

I wonder if this is the same spring from SSSC. I think it is based on the location on the mid-major continent and near a large forest. Hmmm...

I dunno, it could be. The only spring I can think of right now is the one in Burg. And the 2 boys & girls spring.

I'm at level 19, so I beat the boss. I feel like you level up quickly in this game, especially since you already start at, what, level 7?

I think I was lv. 18. I put the Iron Clogs on Jean since her fans don't need her to have high range. I always notice she's the fastest character in the game.

#9.5 session

I'm really having a great time playing this game with you! I notice I'm so relaxed and just chillin' out...

Caravan

Nothing really stuck out to me I think you covered all of it. Oh, the narcissist that's jealous of Jean is hysterical hiding in the middle caravan. Like, okay? If you bought Vanguard Bandits it came with a Demo CD of EBC before the actual release and it stops right about here. I remember re-playing that thing over-and-over. Natori, the name of the chukuboo is the name of a Japanese restaurant we used to go to in San Francisco. I thought it was interesting the chukuboo kept saying "Kukuru" who was a character in Arc the Lad Collection another of Working Designs' RPGs.

I think you pretty much covered it!

I stopped right after beating Plantella I'll probably play a little more later and catch up with you & make it to Takkar.

((I always get a 504 Bad Gateway Time-out error around 8:00pm my time, whenever I want to make a post and I have to wait around an hour usually. I'm not computer literate but what is this??))

111

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 05, 2023, 03:50:42 am »

I’ll post about the session I just had before it disappears from my mind and I’ll go back and comment on what you said after I do chores.

#9 session

I made it through the Starlight Forest, and thru the Illusion Woods.

So, the flag is Ronfar knows the woodsman who owes him a debt and he lets you through. Interesting how they come up with that.

The Illusion Woods is kinda of a long dungeon. I kinda feel like if you fight every enemy encounter you’ll be fine in this game, but sometimes I just wanna make sure. I’m at lv. 18 right now (Ronfar 16) I think you start the game at lv 5?

Yeah I equipped the Snake Crest on Ronfar too.

At the beginning portions of the game I like to analyze Lucia’s AI. In the Illusion Woods she starts to attack enemies before she would just defend and run around on the map. I think she has two attacks at this point in the game: Napalm Shot (hits 1 enemy) and Magic Barrier which ups her own defense. I think her powers and skills-set grows as she adventures with you and starts to learn about the world, friendship and grows closer with Hiro. Most people think you can’t control her?

I stopped when first arriving at the Caravan, and I’ll talk to everyone and probably post again.

112

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 04, 2023, 09:10:10 am »

Talking to a guy in the pier, Ronfar ends up saying "that bastich of a boat." I thought he meant to say 'bitch' but looked it up, and it's a word meaning "An obnoxious or contemptible person." I learned a new word today! Haha

I thought he was saying a word that was a cross between "bastage" and "bistch."

I also got an Iron Shield as a drop from one of these guys. Nice!

Awe. I didn't get an Iron Shield. You hit the jackpot! I always thought this part was really annoying as a kid.

I like that even after capturing Lucia, Leo (and his men) feel compassion and aren't quite confident in their decision to capture and execute her.

I think one of the NPC's in Dalton described her as looking "relatively harmless." I don't know about you but if I saw a woman in a full-on regalia robe like Lucia I'd be freaked out!

I obtained the Snake Crest... I completely forgot about this element of the game! Items that, when equipped, grant certain magics. Ronfar got this one.

Yeah, the crests are one of the main things that stick-out to me as a main difference between SSSC and EBC. Both games have that classic, traditional JRPG-feel... with basic equips and accessories et cetera but here in EBC the crests are almost extra accessories your can equip to enhance stats and add magic attacks.

#8 session

I'm gonna miss Dalton. It reminds me of San Francisco because it's a port city with a pier and it's right next to the water. The citizens also seem fairly normal. Nothing really stuck out to me that much other than the Chosen sub-plot being ramped up as in Althena's church going to towns, setting up shop and the area almost begins to change. They definitely have power over the people. Talking to the priests is hella funny to me as in like getting in their heads and what they're thinking about.

Notes:
-One of the MAIN things I noticed in this session is I like how the writers put people's thoughts in parentheses. An example, Leo when he was just thinking to himself in the jailcell after rescuing Lucia. A lot of older RPGs just tend to write the line out and it confused me as a kid when the character was alone if they were speaking to themself? I think Final Fantasy 6 does this a lot. There are times when characters say a person's name out loud to themself alone in a scene and I just found that to be creepy. They could have just been thinking it, I dunno, you can't tell. Working Designs really knows their stuff when it comes to conversational text.

I stopped in the Starlight Forest. I was gonna go on but there's a big boss battle coming up and I was thinking if I should get some grinding in now?

Anyway, nice sesh, I'll see you tomorrow or next time!

113

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 03, 2023, 10:15:51 pm »

Sorry I haven't been able to play any the past two days. I've got the flu (started Sunday night) and haven't been well enough to do anything but lay in bed.

Oh it's quite alright usually I just muck around and grind a little bit. I love the thoughts I'm having while I'm relaxing to one of my favorite games! It almost feels like therapy or some sort of rehabilitation! Oh! I'm so sorry you have the flu! That sucks. I've actually never gotten the flu in my life but a few colds here and there. If I were your neighbor I'd bring over some chicken soup. A lot of my older friends suggest instant ramen and seriously down and drink the broth it's good for you. I would just pound H20 and liquids. I hope you feel better, man!

Daaaaang, the PS4 is 10 years old?!?! I've not owned a console since the PS3 and Xbox360... although I do have a Nintendo Switch. I love the Nintendo and the portability, but it's super frustrating at the price model. First-party exclusive games are excellent (such as Xenoblade Chronicles, Mario, etc), but those that are available on the PC are almost certainly more expensive on the Switch than any other console. Truth be told, I'm tempted to get a Steam Deck, both for emulation and PC gaming.

I'm quite behind the times, a bit of a renaissance man if you will. (lol) Na, I've just been stuck playing on older consoles because I've been working on my backlog of RPGs (mostly SNES & PS1), that I never beat as a kid. I actually accomplished that goal this past year so that's why I'm moving on to the PS4. Hey, Boo--I've been wanting to ask but do you have a Backloggery? (Here's mine: https://www.backloggery.com/VidKid369) It's a site where you can track your games/see what you friends are playing. I'd love to see your games!

My cousin was supposed to come visit me here on Christmas, but he got his divorce papers served to him in December so he postponed the trip he was supposed to bring me a Nintendo Switch OLED too. Shucks! He'll probably send it to me sometime later though, I suppose!

Yeah I've heard about the Steam Deck but I've never used Steam once in my life, and I'm not much of a PC gamer I just use the computer/laptop to post on messageboards and maybe listen to music on YouTube and that's it. I'm zeroing-in on the PS4 Pro because I've had so much fun on the PlayStation in terms of RPGs and I really, really loved the PS3 it's been there with me through the toughest of times I've had in my life. It really is the best. I use it for a lot of DVD use too (I love Survivor!) I just got a 4K television and I've read that the Pro can output 4K so I'd love to see how it looks like in true 4K ultra-HD.

I've never touched an Xbox in my life. I figured if I can ignore one console I can concentrate on the other ones better Sony / Nintendo. But I've been hearing about how the latest Xbox can backwards-compat it's entire system library and that's really piquing my interest since I wouldn't have to go back and get all the system's older consoles. We'll see about the Xbox though.

Are PS4 cheaper in the Philippines than in the US? Are they region-locked? Worst case scenario is that I could try to track one down here and ship it to you. Seriously, I would!

I think a new, still-in-box PS4 Pro is around ₱20-25,000. I can get a used one online for about ₱15,000. Which's about $446.00 / and $267.00, respectively. The exchange rate is bad right now.

Like the PS3, the PS4 is not region locked so you can play any game no matter where your console came from. It's quite nice because I get some Asian-English games here and I wonder if I can play them. The PSN is region-locked though, so if you're playing a US game with online content you have to be playing on a US PSN account. While the games aren't region locked, DVDs and Blu-rays are though.

Oh! You don't have to do that! ^_^; A few other people I know have offered to do the same and it's quite alright, I can probably find one here. I would just feel bad cause I hate owing people things lol.

I plan on playing daily - or as close to daily as I can - so don't be afraid to go a little past me. I'm apt to catch up.

Ok. I can already feel myself having a chilled out, relaxing day so I'll probably fire up LUNAR 2 soon. I won't rush through things and I'll definitely fight and explore. It's been nice hearing from you man, hope you can shake off this flu and get better!

114

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 03, 2023, 09:15:28 am »

#7 session

Notes:
-Do you know who my favorite NPC is? The guy-dude with the blue hair and yellow shirt? I really like his lines a lot. For some reason he always seems a bit "different" or stands out from the rest of the other NPC characters a lot. I'm 100% certain they use the same char sprite in SSSC as I recognize it so much. All of his lines there, were funny as well.
-A lot of the characters' lines in Dalton have changed, I'm 100% sure. If you bypass speaking to Ronfar and just go straight to Dalton everyone has different lines for the most part (so are you actually supposed to do that)? The Dragonship Destiny is now parked there and that changed everyone's focus to that now.
-I'm surprised Althena's Guards can drink?
-I love, love, love the Chosen sub-plot where everyone talks about how Althena's church is doing shady things like asking for a lot of donations? Why do they need so much of the money for?
-Dalton is a really nice town, compared to Larpa. Why do all the women always seem to be fawning on the men so much? I wish it were like that around me in real-life?
-Sometimes I don't really understand the kids all that much. O_o;

So I'm in the hangar right before you board the Destiny and save Lucia. I'll wait for you, bro. I can def move further ahead but I like when we're right caught up w/ each other. I'm prob gonna play a little bit each day though.

Personal story: I went to the mall today and the three stores I went to said they don't carry the PS4 Pro anymore. Bumsville. I suspected as such cause I checked the PS4 launch date and it turns 10 this year so they likely took it off the shelfs. My Dad's friend in Manila said he found it there though so I have to see what the deal is. Last resort is getting a used one online but I'd rather get a brand new one still in the box. It costs more but whatever.

Oh well.

To be honest, I'm more invested in this LUNAR project I have going on with you, man. Take care and cheers!

115

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 01, 2023, 09:37:24 pm »

No apologies! You never need to apologize.

(was about to apologize again) Ok, I have no idea why I'm so apologetic in nature, maybe it's because I'm Asian. LOL It's just that I really like messageboards and since I'm new here, I wanted to contribute something really good to your board, is all.

This pace is working well for me. In fact, I go back into the office this week, so I'm going to have a few days when I know I'm just not going to have time to game. The in-office days in the city end up being like 14-hour work days (when you include drive-time).

Ok. I'll probably use that time to grind or something. Or just muck around.

I definitely think jRPGs of the 1990s were pretty light on dialogue

I've found some RPG games to be quite stoic or stilted, like Breath of Fire,--It's almost like they compressed the text down cause it didn't fit in the memory so they only spoke when they needed to. *shrug*

Working Designs is pretty bad

I remember I enjoyed the Working Designs RPGs as a kid/teen cause there was so much text and I enjoyed reading. Now that I've grown up some, it's fun to go back and look at what I was really doing at that age. LOL I think it's nice I even actually have a thought on this now than the game just overtaking me and being all blitzed-out throughout the experience.

To be honest, whenever I think of Working Designs's localization/or translation, I think a lot about how California it sounds. Like if you can pick which regional dialect of America it most sounds like California would probably be it. There's a lot of surfer lingo, and Valley Girl-speach. I think a lot of California-isms is pretty popular, and has spread throughout the states a bit too. Like I've heard people from the Midwest use "hella" and that's distinctly a Northern California/Bay Area slang word. *shrug*

When I mention "creepy" I mean like when you get into the suburbs and everyone kinda talks all the same type of deal.

(I'm definitely a completionist).

Don't worry I'm a bit of a completionist too as well, so I'll let you know if there's an important item or something that's missable. I got'yo back, homie!

EDIT: I got so frustrated about I just fired up the game for 15 minutes just to see if I could pick it up. Luckily, I could.

Lol, good.

Edit:

#6 session

I'm gonna miss Larpa.

So I finally made it to Dalton and just in time too to save Lucia. I think it's interesting that Lucia states that her and Althena's "purpose" is one in the same - and what could that be to defeat Zophar? Leo awknowledges that Lucia is saying that she and Althena are somewhat on the same level or pedestal. Lucia is definitely in the same tier as the Goddess Althena, in my opinion.

I didn't get too much gaming in today just to catch up with you I'm still in the midst of cleaning my farmhouse here. Also,--I'm really excited tonight because tomorrow I'm planning to take a trip to the mall (abt. 45 minutes away) to buy a PS4 Pro. I'm sooooo behind the times, man. Anyway, can't wait to hear from ya!

116

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: January 01, 2023, 08:21:41 am »

#5.502 session

Sorry for my unorganized posts. I try to just type everything out. So I'm on my way to Dalton don't worry. A few notes:

Larpa
- Am I the only one that finds the citizens talking way too fast and the adults sound so awkward, and creepy? For example, the old lady at the entrance to town has the most awkward, creepy line. I don't mind the children though. Sometimes I go into full-on analytical mode and question/analyze the translators that wrote the script to the game's dialogue and their choices. Maybe it's always (just) been Working Designs's style and I never noticed til now.
- If you go to the Mayor's House first you'll find Lucia but one of the maids is blocking the stairs. I think you're supposed to go here first and see this anyways.
- Did you get the bromide from the artist-dad in the farthest-rightmost house? There's only a couple you can get in the main game but they're pretty easy to find if you talk to everyone and explore everything. Unfortunately you can't equip them like you can in SSSC.
- The mom in the mayor's household is pretty funny. I like her honesty.
- The baby thinking Ruby's a cat is pretty funny.
- This's the beginning of the Lucia dumbness that I find so funny about her. "What is a rock? What is the water flowing through a stream? Does it have lifes?" LMAO.
- The women in this game are pretty annoying. Especially the Chosen. They always have annoying lines. I wonder if they were always like this in the first game SSSC? (I can never say anything bad about that game though.)
Larpa's my kinda town. I love how it's just adults who love to drink recreationally at the pub after-work and they mention how annoying the police is. (My personal experience in America speaks a lot to this.) I kinda just want to live in this town, and never leave. (I lived in San Francisco.)

I think Lucia's decision to independently look for Althena is very strange after we helped her so much. I just found that, her leaving, kinda strange.

- So Althena's missing. But some of the Chosen say she's alive and well somewhere in our midst. I thought it was interesting the scene where Ronfar lifted the curse on Lucia first--the Althena's Statue "worked"; but wasn't powerful enough.

I think that was all Ronfar and his past experience as a priest you can tell it came from within him.

Lucia just left. And I'm on my way to Dalton. (Right behind you!) I'll probably stop here for tonight. It's like 8pm right now and I plan to stay up for 4 more hours so I could squeeze another session in if I find myself with enough time. But I feel I've already played for long enough today. Cheers, mate!

Note: I need to get an avatar. Sorry.

117

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: December 31, 2022, 10:13:16 am »

#5 session

It's about 2-hours until the new year, for me here. I thought I'd get a good session in for tonight for our project.

I ignored the talking to Ronfar flag in Larpa and decided to see how far I can get before the game stops me from progressing. The woodsman in the Illusion Woods won't open the entrance because it's for "skilled, experienced travelers" so I have no choice but to go back and talk to Ronfar.

If you buy the weapon + armor upgrades for Hiro in Dalton, you can easily make it through the woods to reach the woodsman. Unfortunately he won't let you through. At this point I'll probably force myself to talk to Ronfar in the bar-tavern as there's literally nothing else I can do. Note: If you run from a battle you might get lucky with one of Lucia's spoken lines.

I kinda just wanted to mindlessly fight a few battles and relax but I guess I have to read some more text.

I'll probably be playing a fair bit tonight since I'm waiting for the neighbors to stop firing off firecrackers + poppers. My 2 dogs are scared to death, in my room right now. lol

Edit:

#5.5 session

I have to apologize. I was so busy yesterday running around the house doing some end-of-the-year last-minute Spring Cleaning and was partially exhausted plus with the New Year's Eve festivities going-on in the neighborhood it was hard for me to really get some time in alone with both my dogs refusing to leave my room cause of the fireworks/poppers + noise outside all night long. lol

I actually did get some decent sessions in but I wish I had more time to put more effort into my write-ups in on here.

So I cont. and finally talked to Ronfar. Ronfar's always been one of my favorite characters in all of RPG lore, - I think you touched on it in a previous post but he's pretty much a male healer and you don't get too many of those. Usually you rely on the Ninas and Jessicas to be the nurse in battles. Anyway it's nice to see a different change of pace, with just things.

Leo is very persistent. Almost to the point of being annoying. It annoyed me that I forgot what "LM" stood for; I knew it was Leo but I have no idea off the top of my head what his last name is. At least we know it starts with an "M." LUNAR really does have a lot of world and game-lore attached to it and a lot of backstory so it might get confusing when they reference so much stuff from the previous game especially.

I feel so bad dragging Lucia's cursed self all around the island. Lol

Anyway I have a little less cleaning to do today but I'll probably be able to play some more. I know I can reach Dalton (Don't worry it might seem like I'm doing a lot of extra things but I'm right behind you!), but I'll probably try to do a little more after, just cause I have the extra time, and maybe I can reach the Illusion Woods/Carnival and meet Jean.

I hope you're doing well man, and Happy New Year's!

#5.501 session

I lol'd when they all went to sleep and Ronfar just laid down on the floor, following by Hiro and Ruby.

Yeah, that was funny. Sometimes I take a close look at the little nuances in Japanese RPGs that make it a Japanese RPG, like sleeping on the floor. I remember in Star Ocean: The Second Story I noticed that a lot of the tables in the hotels you stay in are very clearly for sitting down on the floor as they are very low to the ground and there are floor cushions. I mean, some things the American-side of things just can't or don't bother taking out, do they?

A personal story: Back in Freshman year of High School when LUNAR 2 came out for me, we got our first dog a German-Shepherd, and I named her Mauri. :p

118

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: December 30, 2022, 03:33:12 am »

#4 session

So sometimes I like to go ahead of the flag just to check how the game stops you from progressing further. I skipped Larpa and went through the western desert and entered Dalton. It's like a port-town and the big story here is the Chosen have broke the Althena's Statue at the entrance to town so all the townsfolk are forced to use the one in the Sanctuary.

Like what you said about how Althena's religion has drastically changed since the first game. There's definitely something amiss with the Chosen. One of the little girls even saw the person who broke the statue and he was wearing a robe like one of the Chosen does! Anyway the town is pretty small so I left.

I went up north towards the woods and Ruby has a line telling you to go back, but you can keep going on so I did... but the monsters are pretty powerful for just only Hiro alone and I simply don't have the funds right now to buy all the new weapons + armor at Dalton, so I just headed back to Larpa for the flag.

Larpa

I talked to everyone. The funniest NPC to me is the little girl in the Mayor's house. For some reason she just makes me laugh!!! Now these are my kinda people haha. A town with no police force? Awesome! Anyway I just made the rounds and I stopped in front of Ronfar where I saved and stopping for now.

I might play some more later when/if the heat here dies down. But all in all, that was a pretty good sesh for me just talking to townspeople and NPCs and no fighting. Cool!!

119

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - Lunar: Eterenal Blue Complete

« on: December 29, 2022, 07:43:11 pm »

I've played the game before (only the PSX Complete version), but it's been probably ten to fifteen years. I remember it was right after I got married, so maybe 2008 or 2009? I actually don't remember Ruby ever being human, but I do remember her turning into full-on adult red dragon.

Well if you don't mind, I was gonna say that they never really show Ruby as a human girl, like how Nall gets a human form, in the game but there's a lot of fanart for it floating around the interwebs!

Here's a hires map scan of the cloth map:

Oh wow, that makes it seem like the SSSC world is so small. ^_^; Well I don't recall either off the top of my head what's in the lower-right corner of the map in SSSC but I'd probably guess something like Myght's Tower or perhaps Pao? Since you go to it late in the game...

Sorry this is such a slow and arduous play-through. Unfortunately, this is just how gaming is for me. It took me 4 months to beat Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and another 2 months to 100% it. (side note: I'm a bit of a completionist, so I try to 100% every game I play, if I can).

Oh no, don't worry! I don't have too many responsibilities I have to do right now everyday, but sometimes I have a hard time finding time to get gaming time in so I think our pace is really nice. I actually try to exercise everyday (even if it's just walking, or doing something lame like a stationary bike) and I get tired some nights, LOL! It's also really hot here in the Philippines and after 5 years I'm still not used to it as an American and it just ZAPS me of energy some afternoons. I try to play at night when it's cooler.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist. So I like to explore every single area for stuff you can click on, or seeing if there's extra bits of dialogue if you talk to this person x first... Or even just grinding a little bit. Don't worry mate! Even if it takes us all year I'll hang on with you! I'd hate to leave things unfinished.

120

General Discussion / Re: Let's Play - Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete

« on: December 29, 2022, 01:36:28 am »

First off, I just noticed that the title on this thread had "Eterenal" -- whoops! Fixed! Now on with the show!

I actually did notice the typo in the title of the thread a few times but didn't say anything cause I thought that might make me look extremely OCD & anal-retentive. :p If I was truly being nitpicky I'd say it should read "LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue Complete" being that 'lunar' should be capitalized because it's referring to the video game. But, no worries! :p

but try to fight every enemy in a dungeon.

I try to do that too. Not because I'm trying to be extreme but I feel it keeps me up to level with the game's difficulty at that point. Plus the battles in this game are just fun!

Re: image in the Blue Spire.
Yeah that's my favorite scene in the Blue Spire too! Sometimes I pause and just take a look around and enjoy myself. To try not to take life too seriously!

Poor grandpa Gwyn - alas, he's only a temporary character! I like his character and non-traditional jRPG trope archetypes, and old man explorers are definitely unique. Grandia III was unique in that the lead protagonist's mom joined the party, about half of the Chrono Cross roster was strange characters, etc.

Yeah one of my criteria for an RPG I'd want to invest time in is, is good characters. Some games I flat-out hate on for having bad character designs like Final Fantasy 6's Cyan, and The Legend of Dragoon's Haschel. I guess ponytailed samurai dudes aren't my thing! :p Always hated those two characters as a kid. -- Yup! I loved Grandia III when the mom joined and I do enjoy how you put that that CC's characters were strange. I like unique characters a lot too! Especially if they come with unique, unconventional weapons. This makes me think of Nina the old grandmother that joins in battle in SaGa Frontier II.

But I find Lucia's VA far less impressive, especially considering the importance of her role.

Yeah Lucia sounds even mouse-ier than Luna. Tbh, Lucia's voice kinda evolves as the game goes on. She's goes through such a transformation that you can tell in her speaking lines that she's going through some growth. Lucia is like my 2nd-favorite character cause I find her kinda dumb sometimes, lol - and I think the whole "Huh? What is a rock? What is water running through a stream?" thing so hilarious!! Her actual voice though I think they were going with icy, cold ice princess type of flatness or see-thoroughness.

I also did a little bit of cheat exploring with the game... For example, Gwyn has abysmal stat growth even at level 99. His max HP ends up being like 70. And even if you are level 99 in the battle against the four Guardians, they still automatically beat you after several rounds. You can wail on them all you want and they either have insanely high or infinite HP.

Lol, that's good to know. I usually just stop leveling at around 13 in the Blue Spire cause Gwyn doesn't get anymore skills and he leaves soon so that's like the game telling you that you can move on... Usually when I fight the four Guardians I just hurry up and try to get myself killed quickly but this time Gwyn was left standing and the screen blipped off signaling that the battle was over, -- usually I get killed pretty right away.

Leo somersaulted off the Dragonship Destiny. He's such a dolt and I apparently stan him.

Lol the quintessential loser dismount! :p

You know, she may (eventually) be able to assume a human form like Nall does. I wonder what that would mean for Ruby...? And if there's a possibility for half-dragon humans out there! Since Nall can transform at will between his young form, full dragon form, and human form, the nature of the dragons tends to transcend just the body. Food for thought and imaginary sequel fodder.

I could spoil you right now about whether-or-not Ruby ever gets a human form but I don't see a spoiler tag I dunno if you'd wanna know or not.

Re: the map.
I've never really taken a look at the two maps side-by-side before, but I think since it's 1,000 years after the events of the first game a lot of geography has been changed around. I might have to take a look at my SSSC cloth map later on to give you a proper answer.

I'll try to cont. on into Larpa. I'll take my time. Finally! A town! It's really just gonna be a lot of talking to NPCs and story moments so it shouldn't be that difficult.

Edit:

Note: do not bother climbing back up the Blue Spire to talk to Leo and the Guard, they're not there.
Note(2): when Lucia's sick on the couch, go downstairs into the basement to talk to Gwyn for an extra line, and Ruby will have an extra line if you check the lookout upstairs.