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Etrian Odyssey Community Thread: The Ongoing Adventures of Fight and Heal
- Thread starter omlet
- Start date
Yes, but if I had seen the stupid web (that brings her down to ~60% health) I would have probably won on my first try. I reskilled Chloe again (she is 25 now, the others 27) and I will do 2-3 levels for all and then try her again.
E_Darkness
Member
I decided I had 3 too many Etrian games unplayed and seeing as I'm mopping about Etrian 2 Untold I may as well play them.
Etrian Odyssey III
Etrian Odyssey Untold
Etrian Mystery Dungeon
Gonna finish MD first. Seeing as I'm at Muspelheim and that sounds very, end gamey.
Edit: Unplayed I mean unfinished
Etrian Odyssey III
Etrian Odyssey Untold
Etrian Mystery Dungeon
Gonna finish MD first. Seeing as I'm at Muspelheim and that sounds very, end gamey.
Edit: Unplayed I mean unfinished
They pointed the web out during the FOEs, but I somehow completely forgot to look for it in the boss room... xD
I really like this article, and it really hits on a lot of what I really like in the series! I feel like another point they could have really touched on, though, is the design of enemy encounters as well. Etrian Odyssey does a lot of very interesting things with enemy encounters and how different enemies are typically paired together. There's a lot of JRPGs out there that just have either very boring or tedious encounters. Having finished EO4 not that long ago, I feel like the Halls of Darkness really shows off how interesting enemy encounters can become through the manners in which enemies interact with each other. There's also a sense of pacing to enemy encounters, where often times you'll be pitted against an individual enemy first by itself, or with another less threatening enemy. Then, later on, these enemies you've already been exposed to will be coupled with more threatening enemies.
The best example of this is the Red Lion/Hollow Magus/Thunder Spawn encounter on the last floor, which can be very rough to deal with. It's three enemies that have been exposed to you individually in much less threatening situations, allowing you to learn what they do and how they interact with other enemies. Those three together, however, can be very threatening as the Magus can wake the Lion with a charge, allowing the Lion to attack on its next turn with a power boost, and killing either of those two first means the Thunder Spawn will change form and begin hitting your entire party the next turn. There's definitely a bit of thought put into enemy encounters, and the encounters typically change frequently enough to require you to think about what you're dealing with and alter strategies as you progress.
Story mode got me to finally take a bit of a break, because I just can't get myself to like Frederica or Simon. They're just both kind of insufferable. That's probably for the best, though, so I don't start burning out on the series. I've been through 3 of these games in the past two months, now!
E_Darkness
Member
But Frederica is probably the only thing I'd play story mode for.
Though the story party build sucks so story mode sucks.
So I was wondering, what does the EO community here expect from EOV, and what would be your ideal EOV? It seems like Atlus might unveil the game sometime this year, so I'm curious.
Personally I expect EOV to be an evolution of everything the director has been experimenting with in EOU and EOU2. I expect more story, more voice acting, more structured stuff, etc. There will probably be some sort of "Classic" mode too for diehards, but I don't expect it to be the main focus of the game's production.
Unfortunately that's also not what I want from the series. I would prefer a huge expansion on the original concept of EO1 which made me fall in love with it. I want to be a blank slate adventurer who creates his own party without any personalities or unique character designs getting in the way of my decisions in what party members to use. I also want a huge focus on exploration and discovery. Instead of the "world map" that EO3 and EO4 had, I would like all of that discovery to be done via dungeon crawling. I want to venture into one hole at the start, get lost, almost die, escape through a secret shortcut I discovered at the other end of the map, and find my way through a tunnel that leads to an exit... to another town. And from there, there might be another entrance or two to other dungeons, some dungeons lead to other dungeons, some go deeper, some are on land, some are underground, etc. A huge network of a world which you eventually map out completely on your own, connecting everything. Too bad I don't think we'll ever get something like that since the series director seems more and more interested in story instead these days.
Personally I expect EOV to be an evolution of everything the director has been experimenting with in EOU and EOU2. I expect more story, more voice acting, more structured stuff, etc. There will probably be some sort of "Classic" mode too for diehards, but I don't expect it to be the main focus of the game's production.
Unfortunately that's also not what I want from the series. I would prefer a huge expansion on the original concept of EO1 which made me fall in love with it. I want to be a blank slate adventurer who creates his own party without any personalities or unique character designs getting in the way of my decisions in what party members to use. I also want a huge focus on exploration and discovery. Instead of the "world map" that EO3 and EO4 had, I would like all of that discovery to be done via dungeon crawling. I want to venture into one hole at the start, get lost, almost die, escape through a secret shortcut I discovered at the other end of the map, and find my way through a tunnel that leads to an exit... to another town. And from there, there might be another entrance or two to other dungeons, some dungeons lead to other dungeons, some go deeper, some are on land, some are underground, etc. A huge network of a world which you eventually map out completely on your own, connecting everything. Too bad I don't think we'll ever get something like that since the series director seems more and more interested in story instead these days.
I expect nothing, and also everything. Only real question is what class will Shishou be this time. ;P
E_Darkness
Member
I expect it to come to Europe several years after everywhere else.
As much as I think it is expected, I really do not want voiced protagonists at all. By all means they can expand on the story but I want my party to be my own creation. I kind of want no voice acting period. Honestly as long as I can just mess around for hours just at the start trying to work out my party then they've done a good job.
And I'm fully expecting there to a moon related dungeon or plot. While it could be a stylistic choice, I doubt there is two moons just for show.
Also Etrian Mystery Dungeon thoughts. Now I'm back in a Muspelheim.
As much as I think it is expected, I really do not want voiced protagonists at all. By all means they can expand on the story but I want my party to be my own creation. I kind of want no voice acting period. Honestly as long as I can just mess around for hours just at the start trying to work out my party then they've done a good job.
And I'm fully expecting there to a moon related dungeon or plot. While it could be a stylistic choice, I doubt there is two moons just for show.
Might make this my wallpaper again
Also Etrian Mystery Dungeon thoughts. Now I'm back in a Muspelheim.
- Music choices are weird. In fact I remember the last dungeon just having a battle theme.
- DOEs are weird. Needing to afflict them with something. Though I guess this is similar to normal EO because why would you fight an FOE without binding or aliments?
- The NPC designs are wasted in a spin off. They're amazing. Except maybe Magan's design.
I don't know if they'll carry story mode into the mainline games, but doesn't seem likely with the sales numbers of the Untold games. It isn't what most come to the series for, and it's a bit of work with the extra writing and VO.
What I want for EOV is basically more of the same I guess. I want subclassing to return, and bigger, more complex dungeons. I wouldn't want for Altus to change things up just for change's sake.
What I want for EOV is basically more of the same I guess. I want subclassing to return, and bigger, more complex dungeons. I wouldn't want for Altus to change things up just for change's sake.
I played Story mode in both EOU1 and 2 and I'd like to see it again in EOV. While I can appreciate having all the options for different classes and the added depth that has, I like just having a set of classes that I already know is fairly well balanced without worrying that I've done something stupid in my party setup.
What I'm certain EO V will do is give players more activities outside of labyrinth exploration. EO III had the sea puzzles, EO IV had an overworld, and EO2U had recipes/town development. EO V's art hints at another overworld, but they could just be story-related areas not visited by players firsthand (like NPC homelands). Not much to go by for certain.
They might bring a "story" mode into the mainline series, but I wouldn't count on it just yet. EO2U's Japanese sales were rather grim, so EO V could be a way to get back to the series' roots and forego premade parties. On the other hand, a director who loves big story productions could find a way to work something in without foisting a whole team onto the player. Maybe give recurring NPCs a more prominent story role and their own cutscenes? It was nice to have someone else in that 6th party slot in EO IV, after all. But I could see this going either way.
Putting the Yggdrasil in artwork front-and-center does hint at another big vertical labyrinth, but I'd be happy to see something like the caves from EO IV or Ginnungagap from EO2U come back. It's nice to have places for side quests that doesn't require wedging them into unused corners of the main maze.
Oh, and I'm also sure they'll find a way to work in QR codes again. It's a good excuse to get people to share info on message boards, which had always been one of the game's design goals.
They might bring a "story" mode into the mainline series, but I wouldn't count on it just yet. EO2U's Japanese sales were rather grim, so EO V could be a way to get back to the series' roots and forego premade parties. On the other hand, a director who loves big story productions could find a way to work something in without foisting a whole team onto the player. Maybe give recurring NPCs a more prominent story role and their own cutscenes? It was nice to have someone else in that 6th party slot in EO IV, after all. But I could see this going either way.
Putting the Yggdrasil in artwork front-and-center does hint at another big vertical labyrinth, but I'd be happy to see something like the caves from EO IV or Ginnungagap from EO2U come back. It's nice to have places for side quests that doesn't require wedging them into unused corners of the main maze.
Oh, and I'm also sure they'll find a way to work in QR codes again. It's a good excuse to get people to share info on message boards, which had always been one of the game's design goals.
E_Darkness
Member
Reached the credits of Etrian Mystery Dungeon. I was planning on sleeping tonight. Now how much post game have I got? If it's anything like Pokemon's MD games then I'm expecting something.
Though I do have to say I'm slightly disappointed in the story here. I mean Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (at least Explorers) has a really underrated story, probably because it actually has one and you don't expect that from Pokemon.
Though I do have to say I'm slightly disappointed in the story here. I mean Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (at least Explorers) has a really underrated story, probably because it actually has one and you don't expect that from Pokemon.
A 20 (+5 postgame) floor main dungeon with various 1-2 floor side dungeons would be nice.
Oh, another thing I would like is better dungeon gimmicks. Persona Q's haunted house is very well done, from jump scares to a unstoppable being chasing you. EOIII's deep temple is also pretty cool with the door traps and manipulating them to kite FOEs. I want more of these stuff.
I expect it to build on IV and Untold 2, but for some slightly different reasons than you do.
Definitely voice acting. The games have been ramping up their production values more and more with each game, while also improving the presentation. Untold 2 introduces actual cinematography for the FOE/boss introductions in the dungeon view, cutscenes, conversations existing inside battle, and significantly more conversation happening in general. They're clearly pushing to make this more of a premiere product, and adding voice acting would be one of the more obvious showcases of that. I can't guess as for whether that extends beyond the NPCs by including story mode out of the gate, but I could see them taking a page out of 7th Dragon's book by letting you pair "voice packs" to characters in the character creation. That'd definitely give the game the Atlus USA tax, though, seeing as how 7D has 40 voices just for player creation, unless they get people like Todd Haberkorn to show off their insane vocal range for once. He voiced I's innkeeper, Austin, and Wilhelm, though, so I wouldn't mind if he was done for the series.
III and IV also did a good job of factoring the NPCs into the story at all levels, which helps remove the need for party members with personality. I do wonder if V could actually try getting the both worlds by forcing fixed party members, but by letting you pick their classes.
I think the actual dungeon design is going to advance what Untold 2 did, introducing a lot more interactivity at all levels, beyond just teleporter mazes. You already got that to some extent with III's radar-jamming, lava platforms, and shutter doors, or with IV's wind blowing. Just off the top of my head, though, Untold 2 has pitfalls, enemies you can knock off the ceiling but otherwise can't attack, FOEs that pounce on you if you don't have another emitting fog in the same room, FOEs that you can kill by knocking ice blocks into, and a bunch more. I basically expect FOEs to factor much more heavily into puzzles and playing up the fact that you don't want to fight them right away, and go beyond them moving in just rote patterns like a poor man's Metal Gear Solid.
I'm also hoping that the battle system gets revamped compared to Untold 2. It has some of the most user-friendly features in the series, with skill trees being organized a lot better, yet that all doesn't matter because all of the enemies suck. Not only are they damage sponges, but Atlus designed almost all of them like super bosses, meaning they'll always spam ridiculously overpowered skills in very rigid patterns, but then they become trivial but tedious once you figure that pattern out. The DLC ultimate boss is horrific, because it amplifies all of these awful design principles to 11, but even then there's so much RNG that playing things to a T doesn't guarantee victory. They basically make the game as hyper-offensive as the original II was, but instead of that arising from shoddy balancing, it's from deliberate design, which is even more baffling. Force boosts are the best limit-based system in the series, though, because it gives every party member class-exclusive abilities that are just as useful at level 1 as they are at level 99. Deciding when to pop a Break can really influence a battle.
I'm also expecting more exploration. Whether that's from another overworld or mazes actually connecting to new towns/mini-dungeons, there's a reason why Atlus basically showed off a whole planet we're going to most of those landmarks. Otherwise the focus would be on just the tree, like usual.
Other than that, I'm expecting subclassing's return, grimoires to maybe come back for enemy skills, only orchestral music, three difficulty options, and a bunch of other tweaks. I'm hoping they finally redo all of the menus, because even if they slightly change appearance with every game, they've literally been laid out the same way for over seven years. It's getting boring.
I forget, are you one of the mods actually privy to Japanese industry rumors? Are you just gauging reactions because you know it's being unveiled soon? It's kind of weird to say that you think that Atlus'll reveal the game this year, when they said it's likely to be within the coming month.
kuroneko0509
Member
EOV release date is 4th August in Japan, will be in Famitsu this week
http://www.famitsu.com/news/201603/01100434.html
http://www.famitsu.com/news/201603/01100434.html
Then maybe I can finish at least the main story in EO3, EO4 or EOU. Or EMD. Or PQ.
;____;
Oh my, finally a release date. So I guess 
3ds is pretty much certain. Will they reuse the IV/Untold engine then?
As for what I expect for V, I guess they'll basically merge elements from the Untold series (voice acting, floor jump) with the mainline games, as Atlus seem to keep making the series be friendlier and more streamlined towards a wider audience.
duckroll's proposal really does sound appealing though. Hopefully we'll get something in that form soemday.
3ds is pretty much certain. Will they reuse the IV/Untold engine then?As for what I expect for V, I guess they'll basically merge elements from the Untold series (voice acting, floor jump) with the mainline games, as Atlus seem to keep making the series be friendlier and more streamlined towards a wider audience.
duckroll's proposal really does sound appealing though. Hopefully we'll get something in that form soemday.
SliceSabre
Banned
Our long wait is finally over. We made it ya'll.
At least link it, lol...
Latest EOV news for people checking this thread http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1192235
Latest EOV news for people checking this thread http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1192235
E_Darkness
Member
EMD sure opens up after the credits. Holy hell it just dumped so many dungeons on me.
E_Darkness
Member
Just like every other Mystery Dungeon game.
BUT THERE IS SO MANY.
Like 2 main ones, and then 4 side ones? And I need to kill the dragons.
I guess I have to work out with Etrian game to finish next. III or Untold. I'm like at the 4th stratum in III and 2nd in Untold.
I seem to recall post-credits Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (DS version) having a ridiculous amount of new dungeons in it, almost too overwhelming for me at 11 years old.
3 is the better one.
Well, maybe. No idea. I just accepted that quest after finishing everything else on 12F. xD
Reposting what I did on gaming side:
I wonder where EO V is going in terms of non-labyrinth exploration if they're contrasting with III's seafaring and IV's skyships. The top-down picture of a world map implies visiting other locales over the course of the story, but I'm curious how that's going to play out. Another overworld with a different means of getting around? Or something else entirely?
E_Darkness
Member
I've known about EO speedruns for awhile, but never actually watched any. I've only watched IV because that's the only one I've actually finished. But fuck me I just love how you can get EO beat in under 4 hours.
I need to get more into this specialised run stuff. Sounds fun. I probably will with EO2U seeing as there's save slots in that.
I need to get more into this specialised run stuff. Sounds fun. I probably will with EO2U seeing as there's save slots in that.
Ah, of course it's AngryBudgite. xD
I watched parts of his, because except for EO 1 and EO 2 main story I haven't finished a single one. But god, watching him not properly drawing a map drives me insane! D:
And something different. I already posted that I am working on a sort of EO clone with the RPG Maker 2003. Today I posted screens of all floors and mini dungeons. Thought you may find interesting how they look if you just see the whole map:
http://imgur.com/a/eJ7RN
First 4 are mini dungeons, after that Floor 1-12.
I think Fallen One in one round and No chemicals Warped Savior are what finally drove the developers to cut back on subclassing in EO V.
Well MAYBE JUST MAYBE. ♥
E_Darkness
Member
My favorite speedrun is probably EOIII because of the final boss manipulation.
When I finish EOIII, then I'll check it out
I love the image they have for the background of their splits. It's adorable!
EO speedruns can be pretty interesting to watch just to see the quickest ways people deal with situations. It's also great to see how people abuse the often broken nature of these games. This TAS of EO2 is probably one of my favorite speedruns just for the RNG abuse of murdering everything with curse.
E_Darkness
Member
!!!!!!
I CAN GET BEHIND THIS BOXART.
Also we finally see Dragoon's full gun. I like it. It's a big gun.
I CAN GET BEHIND THIS BOXART.
Also we finally see Dragoon's full gun. I like it. It's a big gun.
Where my female Dragoons at?!