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Persona Community Thread |OT4| The Golden Number

Musolf815

Member
So basically Dantis wants roguelikes and not dungeon crawlers that reward exploration.

Boy would he loathe SMT1 and The Dark Spire.



I have no idea what the context of it is, but I love everything about that gif.

Basically the head of the big wrestling company WWE/F made a bodybuilding federation which bombed miserably. He also had a segment on wrestling where a girl had an "audition" to be his receptionist and did "sexy" stuff to which he reacted in the gif. They combined his affinity for men's bodies (he once told a wrestler who got rid of his pants "How could you have kept those thighs hidden?" and many more stories) and created the beauty that is the gif.
 

CorvoSol

Member
People don't like the randomly generated dungeons in P4, but honestly SMT4 is the one whose dungeons I despised. Especially that place toward the end
that houses the Yamato Reactor
because of bullshit like "HOHOHO YOU HAVE TO REDO THE ENTIRE DUNGEON IF YOU WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT DOOR INSTEAD!"
 

Acid08

Banned
I never got why people thought that P4's dungeons were any better than P3's. Only reason I can see is that they're shorter, otherwise they are the exact same experience. Different looks don't make them better. 5th Block of Tartarus is the coolest looking in either game too.

Like Dantis said, the dungeons are so brainless in both games. Find weakness, all out attack, done. Perfect for podcast listening.
 

PK Gaming

Member
You get rare items in Persona 3 and 4 though, right? Just because they were randomized doesn't really change anything.
How so? The fact that they're randomized puts you at the complete mercy of the games whims. You and I could fully explore an arbitrary floor, and we'd end up with completely different items... They're set in P1/Soul Hackers; so if we both go out of our way to explore, we're rewarded with awesome items.
And I don't remember any optional scenes in P1 or Soul Hackers (Though I only got about halfway through SH)... Could you give some examples?
They're pretty minor in P1, like a scene where a bunch of scientists in a room talk about the DEVA project and what not. In Soul Hackers, there's an event where you retrieve a busted COMP and some bitchin Demons, but looking back on it I think it's mandatory...
 
It's the best, right? Kanji is the best.
of course

i was expecting him to be the typical tough guy when you first see him but his characterization during his dungeon really set him apart

my favorite character outside of the group is adachi. he's just sa lovable idiot
 
It's pretty much 6 party members(You, Nemissa, and 4 other demons). And have two rows, a front and a back row. Along with a loyalty system that is in there also, depending on their personalities they have they will tend to perfer different attacks. The lower the loyalty, the less likely they'll use a skill that isn't one of the preferences, and if their loyalty drops to zero, they will leave the party. At the highest loyalty they will perform any action for you no question. I would also say that spell wise, it's old school SMT, in that you can exploit weaknesses, but will only do extra damage.

How, that's way more complex than FF's row system. Pretty fascinating, especially the loyalty mechanic.
 

Caladrius

Member
I loved fighting in the field in SMT IV but the actual dungeons were eh. It'd be nice if P5 had dungeons in real world environments that were fairly straightforward as opposed to something annoying like Lucifer's Palace..
Your slightly altered name is freaking me out man! D:

It caught me off guard once I finally noticed it, it already looks natural to me though. Eventually people might forget it was ever different.
 

Tabby

Member
I never got why people thought that P4's dungeons were any better than P3's. Only reason I can see is that they're shorter, otherwise they are the exact same experience. Different looks don't make them better. 5th Block of Tartarus is the coolest looking in either game too.

Like Dantis said, the dungeons are so brainless in both games. Find weakness, all out attack, done. Perfect for podcast listening.

I liked Persona 4 because I preferred the designs for them, and because I could just resume from where I left off whereas in Persona 3 FES you could only reenter from access points every 10 floors
 

Dantis

Member
How so? The fact that they're randomized puts you at the complete mercy of the games whims. You and I could fully explore an arbitrary floor, and we'd end up with completely different items... They're set in P1/Soul Hackers; so if we both go out of our way to explore, we're rewarded with awesome items.

Because the purpose is the same. In both cases we were rewarded for exploring. Just because I got a sword and you got a helmet doesn't change anything in terms of design, right? Whether a treasure chest is randomly placed or hand placed doesn't matter to the player if the contents are potentially the same.

The only argument against it is that theoretically, you could encounter lots of a really good or bad item, but realistically that probably won't happen because the way the randomization is balanced.

People don't like the randomly generated dungeons in P4, but honestly SMT4 is the one whose dungeons I despised. Especially that place toward the end
that houses the Yamato Reactor
because of bullshit like "HOHOHO YOU HAVE TO REDO THE ENTIRE DUNGEON IF YOU WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT DOOR INSTEAD!"

Holy shit is this real?

Because that's fucking garbage. You can keep that shit out of Persona, thank you very much.
 
How, that's way more complex than FF's row system. Pretty fascinating, especially the loyalty mechanic.

It is pretty easy to break though. Just buy a ton of cheap kind Sakes, give them to your unloyal demons who are not Kind personality, have them guard and auto battle until every demon in your party is max loyalty.
 

Lunar15

Member
You really need to stop doing that thing where you stack the same GIF or image three times in a row.



P4's dungeons would have been greatly improved without the fucking key puzzles. So awful. Enjoy going back down two floors to get the key that you missed!

I can't remember that being used on any dungeons other than Naoto's and
Magatsu Inaba
 

Squire

Banned
I never got why people thought that P4's dungeons were any better than P3's. Only reason I can see is that they're shorter, otherwise they are the exact same experience. Different looks don't make them better. 5th Block of Tartarus is the coolest looking in either game too.

Like Dantis said, the dungeons are so brainless in both games. Find weakness, all out attack, done. Perfect for podcast listening.

I agree with all that. I listened to podcasts while playing through them pretty often myself.

I do give credit to the aesthetic shifts in P4 though. They don't make the dungeons any better, functionally, but the change in music and scenery makes them more interesting.
 
It is pretty easy to break though. Just buy a ton of cheap kind Sakes, give them to your unloyal demons who are not Kind personality, have them guard and auto battle until every demon in your party is max loyalty.

Breaking games is cool in my book, sometimes you just want to subvert needlessly complex game mechanics.

Cheap Sake is a great way to get anyone, demon or not, to max loyalty. Or at least really hammered.
 

Dantis

Member
I agree with all that. I listened to podcasts while playing through them pretty often myself.

I do give credit to the aesthetic shifts in P4 though. They don't make the dungeons any better, functionally, but the change in music and scenery makes them more interesting.

I agree that it makes a difference, though I'd welcome even larger changes.

The Hollow Forest and Yomotsu Hirasaka were both a breath of fresh air visually because of how much they stood out from the previous dungeons.
 

Caladrius

Member
P4 spoiler:
Mitsuo's
too, I think.

Rise
's had it too.

Corvo is exaggerating a bit with the dungeon. You do have to go through it again, but the dungeon is fairly short provided you memorize which doors you need to pass through.
 

PK Gaming

Member
Because the purpose is the same. In both cases we were rewarded for exploring. Just because I got a sword and you got a helmet doesn't change anything in terms of design, right? Whether a treasure chest is randomly placed or hand placed doesn't matter to the player if the contents are potentially the same.

The only argument against it is that theoretically, you could encounter lots of a really good or bad item, but realistically that probably won't happen because the way the randomization is balanced.
Well the purpose is not in dispute. All i'm saying is that there's a bigger incentive to exploring a dungeon in SH/P1 because the returns are greater. As you get farther and farther, the items in chests get better in a linear progression. The incentive for exploring a dungeon in P3 is smaller because the returns will always range from great to minimal. Sometimes you luck out and get like 50k. Sometimes you get rancid gravy.
 

Squire

Banned
I agree that it makes a difference, though I'd welcome even larger changes.

The Hollow Forest and Yomotsu Hirasaka were both a breath of fresh air visually because of how much they stood out from the previous dungeons.

Yeah, that's exactly what I want to see more of.
 

Acid08

Banned
I liked Persona 4 because I preferred the designs for them, and because I could just resume from where I left off whereas in Persona 3 FES you could only reenter from access points every 10 floors

What? Maybe I'm not remembering FES correctly but I'm pretty sure you can continue from your last floor by going up the stairs to the entrance of Tartarus and selecting the last floor.
 

Tabby

Member
What? Maybe I'm not remembering FES correctly but I'm pretty sure you can continue from your last floor by going up the stairs to the entrance of Tartarus and selecting the last floor.

I thought that was only on P3P? I never went through the normal entrance.
Don't tell me I've been playing P3 wrong.
 

kiriin

Member
SH had some of the more interesting dungeons compare to Persona. The whole atmosphere were really well done; ie the psychedelic trippy nature of the art museum. It wasn't really about the rewards of exploration but just the overall atmosphere imo.
 

Acid08

Banned
That was a feature exclusive to P3P.

Ah ok. Then yeah that's a pretty nice mechanics change for the dungeons in P4. Again though, the only ways I'm seeing the P4 dungeons as better is that they let you get through them faster. Which says a lot about how much "fun" it is to go through the dungeons in those games.
 
I never got why people thought that P4's dungeons were any better than P3's. Only reason I can see is that they're shorter, otherwise they are the exact same experience.

but this is why i like p4 more :p p3 started to become a drag

not to mention you get to see how characters really feel
 
Great work as always, OP!

Unbelievable that OT3 only lasted a couple of months... So much Persona coming this year, but the wait for Persona 5 is unBEARable.
I'm sorry. I know you guys get that a lot. But this is my first post in a Persona OT, so go easy on me! :)
 

Tabby

Member
but this is why i like p4 more :p

not to mention you get to see how characters really feel

I liked how in P4 there was more dialogue and story, you could see how the character's feel.
In P3 it just felt like a chore, other than Fuuka's "I detect an enemy somewhere above you!" no one ever says anything.
 

Dantis

Member
RIP Smedwicks' legacy.

Well the purpose is not in dispute. All i'm saying is that there's a bigger incentive to exploring a dungeon in SH/P1 because the returns are greater. As you get farther and farther, the items in chests get better in a linear progression. The incentive for exploring a dungeon in P3 is smaller because the returns will always range from great to minimal. Sometimes you luck out and get like 50k. Sometimes you get rancid gravy.

I suppose, but I personally feel like the difference is mostly minimal and Iwakura's statement was a heeeeavy exaggeration.

Great work as always, OP!

Unbelievable that OT3 only lasted a couple of months... So much Persona coming this year, but the wait for Persona 5 is unBEARable.
I'm sorry. I know you guys get that a lot. But this is my first post in a Persona OT, so go easy on me! :)

Welcome!
 
You get rare items in Persona 3 and 4 though, right? Just because they were randomized doesn't really change anything.

And I don't remember any optional scenes in P1 or Soul Hackers (Though I only got about halfway through SH)... Could you give some examples?



Maybe there is, but unless you explain why, I won't understand what you mean. :p

Well randomly generated dungeons aren't inherently bad but the way P3/P4 uses them are. All the dungeons look and feel the same(although P4 remedied this somewhat with it's more visually pleasing dungeons) even if a floor looks slightly different than before it's essentially the same thing, run around in a linear corridor until you find an exit. The directions you turn might be different but it still feels the same, you just turn left instead of right. The linear corridor thing isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm playing SMT: Strange Journey and you do the same thing on that game. But the dungeons and Strange Journey are hand crafted, the traps, puzzles, rare items, mini boss battles all are properly placed on the map and the game rewards you(and punishes you) for exploration. Persona doesn't do any of this. The games enemy placement is a problem too, they are very repetitive and basically as the same looking black blob thing again. I haven't played a game with good randomly generated dungeons but I hear nothing but praise when it comes to diablo 2. So i guess the Persona team needs to do whatever blizzard is doing when it comes to P5 dungeons. And again, playing SMT IV(or Strange Journey) would show you what I'm talking about.
 

Dantis

Member
Well randomly generated dungeons aren't inherently bad but the way P3/P4 uses them are. All the dungeons look and feel the same(although P4 remedied this somewhat with it's more visually pleasing dungeons) even if a floor looks slightly different than before it's essentially the same thing, run around in a linear corridor until you find an exit. The directions you turn might be different but it still feels the same, you just turn left instead of right. The linear corridor thing isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm playing SMT: Strange Journey and you do the same thing on that game. But the dungeons and Strange Journey are hand crafted, the traps, puzzles, rare items, mini boss battles all are properly placed on the map and the game rewards you(and punishes you) for exploration. Persona doesn't do any of this. The games enemy placement is a problem too, they are very repetitive and basically as the same looking black blob thing again. I haven't played a game with good randomly generated dungeons but I hear nothing but praise when it comes to diablo 2. So i guess the Persona team needs to do whatever blizzard is doing when it comes to P5 dungeons. And again, playing SMT IV would show you what I'm talking about.

I'll just fly to America and buy it then, mate.

And after I do, find out that I probably disagree with you. :p
 

CorvoSol

Member
Holy shit is this real?

Because that's fucking garbage. You can keep that shit out of Persona, thank you very much.

Rise
's had it too.

Corvo is exaggerating a bit with the dungeon. You do have to go through it again, but the dungeon is fairly short provided you memorize which doors you need to pass through.


All I'm saying is that between SMT4 and P4G, P4G is a vastly superior game in every way because SMT4 fucks you over every chance it gets.
 

Dantis

Member
This is the worst Sunday ever.

LOL!

You should be happy about this! I actually really like that title.

Did you like Strange Journey?

I have it, but never played it.

But I can tell you that the hand crafted dungeons in DDS and Nocturne felt completely uninteresting to me.

Thank you! Glad to be a part of the community. I love keeping up with everything that goes on around here!

You read but don't post?
 
P5 might as well just use demons again but call them "shadows". That way enemy variety won't be a problem. Enemy variety also affects the dungeon crawling experience .
 

ramyeon

Member
All I'm saying is that between SMT4 and P4G, P4G is a vastly superior game in every way because SMT4 fucks you over every chance it gets.
That's kind of what mainline SMT games do though. I can't speak for IV because we'll probably never fucking get it at this point :( but Nocturne's dungeons were pretty unforgiving too.

I don't mind the random dungeons in P3/4 to be honest. I mean they weren't a stand out part of the game, they were just serviceable. Not offensively bad just not outstandingly good either. Improvement on the way they're handled in 5 would be nice.
 

wmlk

Member
The P5 logo doesn't inspire a lot of confidence...
EDITT: Well, it does look better than the P4 logo which looked much worse, so I guess it's not a big deal.
 

ramyeon

Member
P5 might as well just use demons again but call them "shadows". That way enemy variety won't be a problem. Enemy variety also affects the dungeon crawling experience .
I don't know where I stand on this one. I feel like Persona 3 and 4 really stepped away from the demons that show up in other SMT games and tried to make something of its own. There can definitely be more and varied shadow designs without using demons.
 
All I'm saying is that between SMT4 and P4G, P4G is a vastly superior game in every way because SMT4 fucks you over every chance it gets.

Haven't beaten the game but from what I have been told, it's one of the easier megaten games after you get past the first dungeon. And if you think that's "fucking you over", I'd be interested in hearing your opinion of Matador in Nocturne. Getting fucked over doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing(as Matador demonstrates).
 

Gazoinks

Member
People don't like the randomly generated dungeons in P4, but honestly SMT4 is the one whose dungeons I despised. Especially that place toward the end
that houses the Yamato Reactor
because of bullshit like "HOHOHO YOU HAVE TO REDO THE ENTIRE DUNGEON IF YOU WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT DOOR INSTEAD!"

That dungeon was a pain in the ass, but at least it was mercifully short. SMTIV's actual dungeons are mostly alright, but what I really like is its use of real-world locations. Exploring the cities and parks and such felt a lot more engaging to me than coooorridoooors.

SH had some of the more interesting dungeons compare to Persona. The whole atmosphere were really well done; ie the psychedelic trippy nature of the art museum. It wasn't really about the rewards of exploration but just the overall atmosphere imo.

Soul Hackers' atmosphere in general is really cool. That bizarro 90s cyberpunk is delicious.
 

ramyeon

Member
Haven't beaten the game but from what I have been told, it's one of the easier megaten games after you get past the first dungeon. And if you think that's "fucking you over", I'd be interested in hearing your opinion of Matador in Nocturne. Getting fucked over doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing(as Madator demonstrates).
I don't think there's a single person who played Nocturne that wasn't fucked over by Matador haha.

Speaking of which I know I can't be alone in wishing I could play Nocturne on my Vita.
 

Gazoinks

Member
Haven't beaten the game but from what I have been told, it's one of the easier megaten games after you get past the first dungeon. And if you think that's "fucking you over", I'd be interested in hearing your opinion of Matador in Nocturne. Getting fucked over doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing(as Madator demonstrates).

Matador is an asshole.

I love that fight. :D
 
You read but don't post?

Basically! I love the series and love playing the games, but I probably can't speak on them in the same way that most of the posters around here could. I find it much more interesting reading about others' experiences with Persona! I learn a lot by keeping up with these threads. :)
 

Caladrius

Member
I don't think there's a single person who played Nocturne that wasn't fucked over by Matador haha.

Speaking of which I know I can't be alone in wishing I could play Nocturne on my Vita.

I didn't.

Okay I read up beforehand.

And Nocturne couldn't come over to the states again either way because of Dante.

Great work as always, OP!

Unbelievable that OT3 only lasted a couple of months... So much Persona coming this year, but the wait for Persona 5 is unBEARable.
I'm sorry. I know you guys get that a lot. But this is my first post in a Persona OT, so go easy on me! :)

Welcome to our den of lunacy!
 
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