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Post by Mutagene on May 2, 2010 19:48:52 GMT -5
I only ever grind on accident, when I'm lost. Which happens a lot, since I have no sense of direction whatsoever.
I really hate games that force you to grind, though.
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Post by Justin on May 2, 2010 19:53:33 GMT -5
VERY, VERY SLIGHTLY, maybe. But if I'm having fun, I don't consider it grinding - grinding, to me, implies that it's more of a chore than anything else. Plus, the way I play games, I usually wind up naturally overleveled, since I'm obsessive-compulsive about exploring every last nook and cranny of every last screen, and will often backtrack numerous times just to make sure I didn't miss anything. That play style suits the old-school Ys games perfectly, since I usually end up just about exactly where I need to be level-wise. -Tom You can't bend the meaning of a term to suit your point. It doesn't matter if it's fun or not. You still have to do it if you want any measure of success in the game.
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on May 2, 2010 19:59:21 GMT -5
Well think of it this way: There's grinding in MMOs, where the engine is so boring, that attacking leads to masturbatory action and magic casting leads to a monotonous wait. That... is boring. This is why I like games like Maple Story and Ghost Online -- you have *more* control over the action than in most MMOs. Even still, I *hate* the freedom I get with my level-ups. It's understandable due to all of the classes, but still unnecessary.
I hate masturbatory games with minimalist gameplay mechanics. EverQuest and World of Warcraft can suck it!
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Sardien
Othclos
Everybody explore until our completion percentages reach the sequel!
Posts: 153
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Post by Sardien on May 2, 2010 20:30:12 GMT -5
Yeah, I always seem to have to level up at least once more for most Ys bosses. Not having to worry about leveling once I hit Darm Tower is one of the reasons I like Ys I over Ys II. It's the same for Felghana, DoY, Ark and Origins... the bad thing is how you're pretty much screwed when slightly underleveled in those games because you'll do 1 damage while bosses kill you in 3 hits.
And I just now reached the boss of the Tower in Xak who I can barely take down to half health. Looks like it's grinding time again!
This is why developers should go and play more Brandish. It has levels and stats, but you never need to grind. Stats increase through natural means, just punch enemy to become stronger or fail to dodge fireballs to become more heat-resistant. And I can attest to the fact that enemies and bosses are arranged in such a matter that you never need to stop and go back to kill some enemies. Always going forward toward new maps and traps. It's the greatest thing ever, I tell you!
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Post by Mutagene on May 2, 2010 21:01:02 GMT -5
Ys I's leveling was hilarious. I got 2-shotted by the first boss, then I went out and leveled up once and took the fucker out in 5 seconds. At least the combat was fun as hell, though.
Also, when it comes to MMOs, Guild Wars is king. It's story-heavy, almost completely instanced, gives the player more freedom of customization than they could ever need, and requires a lot of strategy and skill to complete. GW2 is shaping up to be even more different from other MMOs, being more action-oriented and encouraging teamwork with people you don't know to the point where you can work with hundreds of others without even forming a party.
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Post by Justin on May 2, 2010 23:09:47 GMT -5
Read the second part of my response too, where I said that I basically leveled naturally by my usual over-exploring, and RARELY had to "grind" at all. That holds MOSTLY true for Ys I & II, and ENTIRELY true for Ys III and IV. -Tom MONITOR PUNCH! At least it doesn't take forever to level up, like in some games out there.
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 3, 2010 23:55:25 GMT -5
Sardien, In that video you posted of the tower, those enemies are indeed tough to kill, but if you can manage to get past them or even run past them, you'll eventually find the remains of a warrior who died there who will bestow upon you his Broad Sword, I believe. Then you will own for awhile with that. : )
Xak is a hard game for sure, but there are ways around it if you know where to look. : ) You are pretty close to the end and you're about to meet a very important character to the series soon. : 0
This is very true. Brandish has the perfect flow ever of an action RPG. It defeats any purpose of grinding and simply bases everything on stategy, luck, and trial and error. It's usually never about the levels in Brandish, and instead it is all about how skilled you are at mastering the game, or rather how smart you are in trying to outsmart the developer.
And I love the fact that you gain strength faster by punching with your fists. That's how a real warrior...*cough* Dogi.... would do it! : )
"Only a fool, trusts his life to a weapon!" - Ninja, MGS.
-Thomas
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Sardien
Othclos
Everybody explore until our completion percentages reach the sequel!
Posts: 153
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Post by Sardien on May 5, 2010 6:35:26 GMT -5
Oh yeah, I had found that sword when making the video. The main point of it was to show how you get combo'd to death after a single mistake against those guys if you don't have the right level and armor. I went back to town to buy the latest defensive gear and ended up being impervious to their attacks altogether!
On that note, it's kinda funny how normal it is for dead remains of things to talk to you in this game. Rarely you'll meet a pile of bones without some useful tips to share!
I'm close to the end? I might be able to finish it this weekend then!
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Post by Raison D'etritus on May 5, 2010 11:15:24 GMT -5
Approximately how long is this game, hours wise?
I'm considering giving it a try, but I'm not exactly rolling in free time so I try to stick to games that aren't too long (no matter how good a game is, I start to tire of it after so long--there are just too many out there I haven't played yet to dedicate too much time to one).
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Sardien
Othclos
Everybody explore until our completion percentages reach the sequel!
Posts: 153
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Post by Sardien on May 5, 2010 18:23:27 GMT -5
Well, I haven't finished yet but if I'm decently close to the ending, I'd say it's about the length of Ys 2. But there's no clock on the saves, so I honestly have no idea how much I've actually played though.
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Sardien
Othclos
Everybody explore until our completion percentages reach the sequel!
Posts: 153
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Post by Sardien on May 6, 2010 18:52:48 GMT -5
Up until now I had been able to handle any difficulty, but... A red dragon... truly, I can't compete with that! Ahhhh!
Impossible, just impossible, I struggled and failed! Is there any hope, or should I give up? It's so difficult I can't even advance... Good night.
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 6, 2010 21:50:44 GMT -5
Are you talking about the Salamander boss of the shtmup stage? Keep trying and you'll eventually get him! All of the Xak games have at least one shtmup style stage near the end to test the player's dexterity and might. : )
The end is near though. Once you complete that stage Latok lands for the final battle!
-Thomas
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Sardien
Othclos
Everybody explore until our completion percentages reach the sequel!
Posts: 153
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Post by Sardien on May 16, 2010 8:15:40 GMT -5
Hah, I guess this song isn't as well known as I thought! Anyways, I finally took that dragon down and managed to complete the game! Some endgame thoughts: -You know the medicine-seeking father of that girl with the sick baby-brother in the Lava Castle? The one who operates the switch so you can go back through the lava rivers? I REALLY thought I'd get a chance to save him later, but everyone just seems to forget about him... poor guy -I still have this CHEST in my inventory, gotten from the guy at the end of the Fort that destroyed the bridge to the Castle. What was the use of this item? He said to give it to his wife... -About that Castle, wasn't it Latok's main goal to get there? I assumed the detour through the Caves would eventually get me there, but we just never visit the King's Castle at all! -You probably already know this, but if you hang around at the ending screen for about 5 minutes, you'll get to see some bonus artwork. I was listening to the catchy ending music while doing other stuff, and so stumbled upon this! So yeah, Xak I is worth a spin. It sets itself apart from other ARPGs through the fantastic area design which really makes the locations come alive, and also keeps fighting enemies fresh because the best way to defeat them is to trap them against a wall/tree/rock. Bosses are solid, the music is excellent all the way through and the beautiful 80s anime style cutscenes are some of the best you'll ever see. That giant THING after the normal ending just looked phenomenal! As for the bad stuff, it's the grinding. It doesn't get really annoying until the Tower of disk 2. You're just stuck in that place for too long, and have to grind a lot to get by. It's weird how the next area has enemies that give you tons of experience, so you'll max out your level there in no time. That really sucks considering how much trouble you had to go through to level in the Tower, only to hit the max so early in the next area. Really wish they had smoothed out the leveling more in disk 2. The experience definitely was fun enough to get me interested in the rest of the series. Is it recommended to play Fray in Magical Adventure after this or just jump straight into Xak II?
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Sardien
Othclos
Everybody explore until our completion percentages reach the sequel!
Posts: 153
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Post by Sardien on May 16, 2010 14:25:01 GMT -5
Ok, thanks! Just watched the intro (MSX2) and it seems to have a cool silly story that I'll like. Visiting Fearless again with those empty houses filled is awesome! Though, I can't seem to figure out the button combo that lets you save... do you remember it maybe?
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Sardien
Othclos
Everybody explore until our completion percentages reach the sequel!
Posts: 153
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Post by Sardien on May 16, 2010 15:06:13 GMT -5
Thanks!
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Post by higado2 on May 25, 2011 5:02:28 GMT -5
Carbuncle, a million thanks for posting the english translation of the MSX version of Xak 1 ..... it has been soooooo difficult to find! THANK YOU!!!
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 25, 2011 9:38:34 GMT -5
Good to see more Xak love going around. : ) Did you give higado2 the updated patched version for Art of Visual Stage, MP83? If not I believe I still have it as well as all the updates for Xak II, TOG and Fray.
-Thomas
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 25, 2011 12:21:34 GMT -5
Yep, that's the one. The file name was called: Xak I Updated.zip so that is the most recent version. -Thomas
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Post by Red Hairdo on May 27, 2011 1:02:59 GMT -5
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Post by jiro on Mar 2, 2013 1:03:12 GMT -5
Reviving an old thread, but the link for the translation is of course dead. Does anyone have a good link?
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