Question about maps and Phantasy Star 2. What did you use? Original guide? Draw your own? Do you still do that? I came in to rpg's late so I have never done that. I bought PSII once it came out on IoS, but it looks like it's gone for those who hasn't bought it? I wish they would just let us have all those crappy ports. Can't be that hard right?
I drew my own maps but I don't blame anyone who looks them up for Phantasy Star 2 because the map designs are ridiculous. And yes, it's very sad that SEGA gave up on those Genesis games. I hope they come back to them and do them better one day.
If I wanted to learn how to draw maps is there even a place to learn it now? Yes those are insane.. Just feels a little bit like cheating. Maybe an official guide would feel less. I have had a bad habit of not finishing rpg's because I start out great but then forget clues. Now I write them them and "check off". Doesn't give that "oh whatever I have already used the FAQ thrice anyway"- feeling..
I hadn't read the article about The World ends.. For some reason. You're collecting articles into a book???!!!! Yes!!! Is this still on? Buying all the way! Earlier I read so much rpg articles I felt I ran out of them. Rpg reload is pretty much a dream.. Thank you!
That's okay, I can be patient I have been enjoying binge listening the podcast since I haven't been playing as much the last year because of health issues.
I originally played Phantasy Star 2 on the Genesis back in the day, and the cartridge came with a pretty nice official "hint book" that had maps of all the dungeons. The game would've been pretty absurdly difficult without it. I agree completely. As happy as I am to see all these recent Square-Enix ports of old classics to iOS, I would be over the moon to see the Phantasy Star series given the similar treatment it deserves. I know they did some remakes (PS Generation?) for the Japanese market, but they never made it to NA.
Final Fantasy VI ! A story that is truly epic (in the meaning of the word before the internet ruined it), with highly memorable characters. The game itself is on the easier side, but the combat is rich enough that you can go a lot deeper into party optimizing and strategy -- if you want to. And, on the iOS/Steam remake, there's a button at the top that will always tell you what you should be doing or where you should be going next -- again, if you want it to. I can't think of a game that is a better representative of classic RPG excellence, nor one that is friendlier to first-time players.
英雄伝説 空の軌跡SC by Broadmedia Corporation https://appsto.re/jp/UEwZab.i Broadcast media has released another legend of heroes game Gonna buy it later today and I will leave an imp I buy everything broadcast does anyways but I'm very excited about this one as this series is very good! 1400 yen on sale until 4/4 I want to say this is part 2 of the trilogy But I'm new to it Either way it now appears for sure we will be getting the whole trilogy!!
Well I read your article on 9th Dawn so I went and purchased it. I love it so much I grabbed the 2nd one as well. Reminds me of a 2D version of Morrowind. Thank for point me towards this game. Great Purchase. Thanks Shaun.
Yep. I think SE slightly increased the chance of encountering it somewhere along the line, but it's still a very unlikely encounter.
Shaun, what's your take on repetition and grinding in RPGs? A necessary evil, or part of the journey? While on he subject of repetitive grinds, can you say something about MMOs?
Great question. I used to love RPGs, however the grind has been bothering me. However, when done right it gives a great sense of progression.
Hmmm. Well, I think grinding started as a way to stretch out otherwise short games, and when it's used that way, I'm not a big fan of it. That's not to say I can't get into the groove of grinding when the mood strikes, but I don't think games should require it as a rule. At the same time, I feel that allowing grinding is generally a good thing. I believe this was a happy accident, but the concept of grinding might have been one of the earliest examples of letting the player set their own difficulty level, and it still works that way today in most games. Having that capability technically opens up games to a wider audience while allowing the designers to still create a challenging game for more advanced players. THAT SAID... while I can see the benefits of allowing grinding, I feel it sometimes leads players to not appreciate certain RPGs as well as they might otherwise. Human beings are animals and will generally take the path of least resistance, and RPGs have unfortunately taught many players that grinding is that path. The problem is that grinding isn't fun for most people, even while it's pretty much the first thing players fall back on if they get stuck in an RPG. So you take a series like Dragon Quest which somehow got a reputation of being a dull grindfest in the West, when really almost every game in the series can be cleared at obscenely low levels if you make use of all the abilities in your toolbox. Players weaned on RPGs where they can just hammer the fight command over and over again will generally hoard resources and not even try things like buffing or debuffing, and I kind of don't blame them because most of Squaresoft's early-to-mid era output (crucial in forming most Western players' approach to RPGs in general) supports that kind of strategy. So I find it interesting when you run into games that jerk the chain on that mindset, like many of the Shin Megami Tensei games do, and watch people scramble to update TVTropes about how obscenely hard Game X is. It doesn't do the genre a lot of favors, though. My personal preference is to allow grinding but not require it if the player is good enough, but from an objective design standpoint, I think it would probably be best for designers to create RPGs where grinding is discouraged and the difficulty is approachable to all. And following that thought, I absolutely think most RPGs could cut 25% or more off their running time and be considerably better games for it. Chrono Trigger has a lot going for it, but I believe strongly one of the big things is that it's a relatively short, densely-packed, fast-paced game. Be like Chrono Trigger. As for MMOs, I'll be honest here and say that I have little experience with the genre. I played Final Fantasy XI for about a year and a half, and that's about a year and five months longer than I've played any other MMO. I'm not a big fan of playing games with other people to start with, and I find that MMOs just aren't that far off from the social RPG genre that they spawned. That is to say, they tend to be stairways to nowhere, and indeed kind of have to be so that players never run out of content. They lean heavily on you enjoying socializing and having something to do every day as opposed to being designed for a smooth journey from start to an inevitable finish. I find that the lack of finality to them results in players making of a goal of just trying to run the treadmill ever more efficiently, which leads to players who take the game far more seriously than I ever want to or could. Not my cup of tea at all, but again - my experience is limited. And will continue to be, as I only get more hermit-crabby about my gaming with age, haha.
No, Warmech is still only on Tiamat's bridge. There might be some recolored versions of his sprite elsewhere, I don't remember, but Warmech is only in one spot.
