Andrew Moore's Blog, page 157
June 2, 2021
Some Examples
Demon Cruiser Sundrinker
Dorset the Unmissing Rifle
Chaotic Frame
Dorset the Unmissing Rifle
Chaotic Frame
Human Inadequacy
There you are, trying to give your characters distinct weapons, only to realize there aren't really that many. What's worse, most of them are different terms for some metal tied to a stick. What to do?
Invent a time machine and confiscate all the boring weapons, of course. Until then, the best we can do is curse them in different ways. That one has a demon in it and that one will betray you when you need it the most. You get the idea.
Some people think guns and spaceships can't be cursed, but they're the ones who will get it the worst.
Invent a time machine and confiscate all the boring weapons, of course. Until then, the best we can do is curse them in different ways. That one has a demon in it and that one will betray you when you need it the most. You get the idea.
Some people think guns and spaceships can't be cursed, but they're the ones who will get it the worst.
June 1, 2021
History Corner
Did you know that most wars in history were fought for control over fewer people than live in several major cities today?
May 30, 2021
The Price of War
The crowd outside the Hall of Swords swelled to a size impossible to ignore, broader than the sea crashing loudly on the rocks. "No more war! No more fighting!"
The doors opened and an officer appeared. He looked over the shouting crowd and the waving signs, frowned, and asked, "Is this a protest against us?"
"Yes! Who else! No more war!"
"But we're fighting the infernal hosts."
"We know! That's the problem! No more fighting!"
The officer again surveyed the troubled sea and saw no harbor anywhere. "I don't understand. Do you want to be killed by monsters? What is your objection?"
"They don't got nothing we can strip after the battles! My kids are going hungry! Where's the armor?!"
"Doesn't that strike you as a tad ridiculous?"
"NO!" The crowd shouted as one and fell silent afterward, and during that lull one among them stepped forward and doffed his hat. "You see, sir, all these battles, and we know you work hard and we appreciate it, they ruin our fields, you see, and so in a normal war we make it up with a bit of post-battle plunder. As it is now though, does it really matter that the monsters mean to eat us if we can't buy nothing to eat anyway?" The protestors yelled their approval of what their impromptu spokesman had said.
The officer pondered the speech, then spoke himself. "But then, what do you want us to do? Pick a fight with another country between battles?"
"Oh, if you could sir, that would be wonderful."
"Or drop some of our armor on the ground so you can pick it up when we aren't looking?"
"Heavenly!"
"I see. I will relate your concerns to my superiors, though I have no idea what they will make of them."
"Bless you if you do, sir." The spokesman said something of that nature, though it was hard to be sure among the cheers and screams of joy. In the end, the army just gave them a bunch of money, which the protestors all agreed to be a satisfactory result.
Finis
The doors opened and an officer appeared. He looked over the shouting crowd and the waving signs, frowned, and asked, "Is this a protest against us?"
"Yes! Who else! No more war!"
"But we're fighting the infernal hosts."
"We know! That's the problem! No more fighting!"
The officer again surveyed the troubled sea and saw no harbor anywhere. "I don't understand. Do you want to be killed by monsters? What is your objection?"
"They don't got nothing we can strip after the battles! My kids are going hungry! Where's the armor?!"
"Doesn't that strike you as a tad ridiculous?"
"NO!" The crowd shouted as one and fell silent afterward, and during that lull one among them stepped forward and doffed his hat. "You see, sir, all these battles, and we know you work hard and we appreciate it, they ruin our fields, you see, and so in a normal war we make it up with a bit of post-battle plunder. As it is now though, does it really matter that the monsters mean to eat us if we can't buy nothing to eat anyway?" The protestors yelled their approval of what their impromptu spokesman had said.
The officer pondered the speech, then spoke himself. "But then, what do you want us to do? Pick a fight with another country between battles?"
"Oh, if you could sir, that would be wonderful."
"Or drop some of our armor on the ground so you can pick it up when we aren't looking?"
"Heavenly!"
"I see. I will relate your concerns to my superiors, though I have no idea what they will make of them."
"Bless you if you do, sir." The spokesman said something of that nature, though it was hard to be sure among the cheers and screams of joy. In the end, the army just gave them a bunch of money, which the protestors all agreed to be a satisfactory result.
Finis
May 29, 2021
Differences in Mediums
There's no need to hide book titles though, since everyone just reads the first and last pages anyway. What are the rest even for? Encoded messages for selling industrial secrets, of course.
May 28, 2021
Giving Away Too Much
All these games these days have names such as Mass Effect: Andromeda or Ys IV: Mask of the Sun. Doesn't that rob them of all mystery? They should be named MSS FFCT: ??? or YS ##: ??? instead.
May 27, 2021
Addendum
Also, Dogi was barely in it and Adol barely has muscles. That's no way to keep up with the times, fellas.
May 26, 2021
Notes on Ys IV: Mask of the Sun
Spoilers!
People talk about going back to the first Pokemon in the second Pokemon, but nobody's talking about putting half of Ys I in Ys IV.
What a lame bunch of villains. It isn't even entirely clear what they think they're going to get out of this, let alone what they'll actually get. All that monster stuff seems like a distraction from their plan if anything.
Waiting for story sequences before you can fight a boss for real works better when your attack is not running into them and hurting yourself if they're invincible.
Dying on bosses because they were invincible works better when you don't have to read the dialogue or sit through the earlier phases every single time.
The earlier bosses were fine though.
This is an Ys tradition, but making the player go through a bunch of narrow corridors at the end when bump combat is all about maneuvering is an unfortunate decision.
Leaving aside the villains, the heroes were also lame and the minor characters lacked character. The starting lost item miniquest in Ys I gave the world and people more flavor than the entirety of this game. Overall this game deserves my most "feels like an Ys knockoff" rating of Xak/10.
People talk about going back to the first Pokemon in the second Pokemon, but nobody's talking about putting half of Ys I in Ys IV.
What a lame bunch of villains. It isn't even entirely clear what they think they're going to get out of this, let alone what they'll actually get. All that monster stuff seems like a distraction from their plan if anything.
Waiting for story sequences before you can fight a boss for real works better when your attack is not running into them and hurting yourself if they're invincible.
Dying on bosses because they were invincible works better when you don't have to read the dialogue or sit through the earlier phases every single time.
The earlier bosses were fine though.
This is an Ys tradition, but making the player go through a bunch of narrow corridors at the end when bump combat is all about maneuvering is an unfortunate decision.
Leaving aside the villains, the heroes were also lame and the minor characters lacked character. The starting lost item miniquest in Ys I gave the world and people more flavor than the entirety of this game. Overall this game deserves my most "feels like an Ys knockoff" rating of Xak/10.
May 25, 2021
Clarification
Can stage magicians also have huge muscles? Regrettably, not huge enough.Some combinations are impossible, no matter how much we might wish otherwise.
Trends of the New Century
Out: Stage magicians
In: Huge muscles
In: Huge muscles
