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Valkyria Chronicles |OT| Beautiful art meets genre-redefining gameplay

Durante

Member
I find it amazing (and encouraging) how often this thread is still being bumped by people who just got the game. And the vast majority of them seem to enjoy it :D
 

Koren

Member
DarienA said:
Yeah you know I'm on The Maiden's Shield and I've been there for about a month now... yeah its an "easy" level but the length of the previous levels has just burned me out, and I don't know if I can finish the last few (which I imagine are going to be hard as sh*t).... I just can't drum up the enthusiasm to dive back in and its too bad because I really, REALLY enjoyed this game at the beginning through the middle...
Isn't this the level where you run
from their giant Tank Marmota
?

I don't remember it being a difficult level, mostly boring in fact. Maybe you should
only deploy the leaders, for the bonus CPs they give, and one engineer... The more people you take with you, the more difficult it'll be to move everyone in time

I think there's three missions after this one. The next one can be difficult, but I was lucky to find a small "mistake" in the AI
rushing to the south-west camp can give you a chance to take down the objective without letting him repair itself
. The following one is quite doable
especially if you use well the smoke grenades
. Then the final level is easy.

(those are not exactly spoilers, not even ideas of strategies, in fact, but I prefer hiding them if some disagrees)

Durante said:
I find it amazing (and encouraging) how often this thread is still being bumped by people who just got the game. And the vast majority of them seem to enjoy it :D
Yes... The game was not seen by everyone as a real diamond, but there's enough fans of this game so that more and more people discover it. I'm always happy seing this thread on the front page. It's my favorite game on PS3, currently.
 

McNum

Member
Durante said:
I find it amazing (and encouraging) how often this thread is still being bumped by people who just got the game. And the vast majority of them seem to enjoy it :D

Well it's a good game, and apparently a slow burner. I'm just happy there is a thread for newbies like me to post in since I got some really useful tips here. I can't believe I missed that I can save mid-mission. I'm gonna savor this game, I think. It's one of those rare games that dares to be different. I like that. I have rather broad game tastes, and I get bored with the same old rather quickly.

That and the game looked like a combination of Fire Emblem and Skies of Arcadia, two of my favorite games from last generation. I pretty much had to check that out. I did not expect
Vyse
and
Aika
to actually be in the game, though.
 

Durante

Member
McNum said:
I can't believe I missed that I can save mid-mission.
IIRC I discovered that around chapter 12 :lol
To my defense, there weren't many people who actually had the game posting here back then. It certainly made everything a bit more challenging!
 

Giolon

Member
No, eventually weapon upgrades will split, generally I find its best to prioritize accuracy over power.

Generally, I agree. But holy crap, once your "Power" Scout rifles start gaining extra shots over the Accuracy version, they are way better. More shots = more chances to hit and more headshot crits. By the time they become available, your Scouts' innate accuracy skill is usually good enough to offset the loss of Accuracy rank on the gun.
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Durante said:
I find it amazing (and encouraging) how often this thread is still being bumped by people who just got the game. And the vast majority of them seem to enjoy it :D

Heh, I got the game a while back (upon release), just finally had a chance to sit down and play through it... and yes I'm loving it, one of the few games of recent times where I can't wait just to sit down and play.
 

Chris R

Member
Playing mission 4 trying to keep it save and destroy every enemy on the map = lol I lose :(

Just going to have to load up on scouts, keep in the shadows, and just sneak around people.
 
Durante said:
IIRC I discovered that around chapter 12 :lol
To my defense, there weren't many people who actually had the game posting here back then. It certainly made everything a bit more challenging!

I don't get it. Why are people having difficulty in finding out that you can save mid-mission? It's one of the first things I discovered.

Is it because I expect there to be a save option that typically SRPGs have?
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
radiantdreamer said:
I don't get it. Why are people having difficulty in finding out that you can save mid-mission? It's one of the first things I discovered.
i noticed the in-mission save right from the start, but i've been consciously avoiding using it. the reason is that most of the time when i screw up a mission it's not because of bad luck (though that happens too) but mostly because i've done something strategically stupid earlier on in the mission. so it makes more sense to replay the mission from scratch, with the knowledge of past tactical mistakes.
 

discoalucard

i am a butthurt babby that can only drool in wonder at shiney objects
I think it's just training that a lot of Japanese SRPGs don't have mid-mission saves, or at least just have "save states" that delete themselves when they're reloaded. I know I thought that with Devil Survivor until I learned they were permanent (although there was only one slot.)

I'm glad they've been doing away with that lately, it was a really irksome design element.
 

Durante

Member
discoalucard said:
I think it's just training that a lot of Japanese SRPGs don't have mid-mission saves, or at least just have "save states" that delete themselves when they're reloaded.
Yeah, I think that's the main reason. I simply didn't expect it to be there so I never looked for it.
 
what really?

I must be playing the wrong SRPGs then, because most of the ones I play seem to have it...

...

oh. right. The last few SRPGs I've played were for handheld. That probably explains it.
 

McNum

Member
I never looked for it because the game flat out told me to "remember saving before and after each operation". I just took that to mean that since the game tutorial went to the length of telling me that, I probably couldn't save in battle.
 

Doytch

Member
McNum said:
I never looked for it because the game flat out told me to "remember saving before and after each operation". I just took that to mean that since the game tutorial went to the length of telling me that, I probably couldn't save in battle.
Yeah that's what happened to me. Only when I got stuck on a mission (can't remember, pretty late) and the FAQ I looked at kept talking about saving did I find the option.
 

bon

Member
NeoZylom said:
I'd beat it. At my second try. Now I failed the second one ... haha, I guess I'm doing something wrong.
It'll become easier once you get a better grip on the gameplay, and start upgrading your units/equipment. I sucked at first too, but by the end I was (almost) cruising through (almost) every mission.
 

NeoZylom

Member
Clunkiest thing in the gameplay is the tank control. I don't like them at all. May be when I'll get use to it I'll appreciate my tank more :p
Also, about the scout, the farther they are from the ennemies, the more damage they do right?
 

Giolon

Member
NeoZylom said:
Clunkiest thing in the gameplay is the tank control. I don't like them at all. May be when I'll get use to it I'll appreciate my tank more :p
Also, about the scout, the farther they are from the ennemies, the more damage they do right?

No, almost the opposite. Each weapon type has a Range stat. Once you are outside that distance, damage drops off considerably. You'll know you're outside the range because enemies will have some ridiculous "Hits to Kill" number listed on them like 35 instead of the more normal 1-10.
 
It gets even worse when it says ?? instead of a number. :p

You'll notice the number changes depending on if you target the body, or the head.

You can do more damage with headshots. Of course, your accuracy at the beginning sucks. Basically the orange circle means the possible range of where the bullets may end up going. Snipers eventually get pin-point accuracy that it becomes impossible to miss (unless the enemy rolls a safe evasion).

To not fail so easily, always pull the trigger to check your range once in a while. If the enemy starts to shoot at you, immediately pull the trigger to "pause" the gameplay and shoot down the guy shooting at you (unless you had another strategy planned).

The yellow/blue/orange sight lines point to enemies on the field. Different colors represent different states. Orange means the enemy has spotted you, and know you're there. Get too close and they'll shoot. I think yellow means you've spotted them, but they haven't spotted you, and blue are your nearby comrades. (is that correct? I can't remember)

Enemies have to reload too. The best time to jump out of cover and make a break for it is when they are reloading. Get as close as you can to them, and pull the trigger just before they start shooting again.

Take your time with moving the tank. You're indestructible during your turn.

Use commands. Sometimes, just using a command can turn the battle completely in your favor if you know when to use it.
 

Koren

Member
NeoZylom said:
Clunkiest thing in the gameplay is the tank control. I don't like them at all. May be when I'll get use to it I'll appreciate my tank more :p
It's indeed strange. To explain : it's relative to the camera (the tank want to move in the direction you use, as any character). But before rolling, it has to turn towards this direction.

The tank choose the shortest turn to the direction you use. So it'll sometimes align its front, sometimes its back. If you want to go in one direction using forward (or reverse) gears, you have to make it turn in the good direction : use the direction of the front (back) and turn it towards the direction you want. Then, roll !

If you don't care, just point the direction you need, and wait for the tank to find the best way to go there. You can align the direction of the tank at the end, anyway.


radiantdreamer said:
Take your time with moving the tank. You're indestructible during your turn.
Are you sure? I don't use the tank much, but I'm pretty sure you're not. Of course, since lancers and tanks don't attack during your turn, the damages will often be very limited, but I'd say that a couple of shots on the radiator on a damaged tank could be deadly...

radiantdreamer said:
Use commands. Sometimes, just using a command can turn the battle completely in your favor if you know when to use it.
Definitely (so visit the cemetary several times each chapter, and keep points to buy orders), but it make the game really easy, too...
 
Koren said:
Are you sure? I don't use the tank much, but I'm pretty sure you're not. Of course, since lancers and tanks don't attack during your turn, the damages will often be very limited, but I'd say that a couple of shots on the radiator on a damaged tank could be deadly...

If you had like, 100hp remaining (that's damn near critical), it would take 100 shots in the radiator for your tank to blow up. All direct shots bounce off. If it was a scout shooting at you, it would take one whole minute and a half of sitting there while being shot at before your tank would blow up.

And early on in the game, as you're trying to learn how to maneuver the tank, this really is a non-issue.

I never move my tank beyond the enemy front anyway, so the radiator is almost never exposed.
 

Koren

Member
radiantdreamer said:
If you had like, 100hp remaining (that's damn near critical), it would take 100 shots in the radiator for your tank to blow up. All direct shots bounce off. If it was a scout shooting at you, it would take one whole minute and a half of sitting there while being shot at before your tank would blow up.

And early on in the game, as you're trying to learn how to maneuver the tank, this really is a non-issue.

I never move my tank beyond the enemy front anyway, so the radiator is almost never exposed.
Oh, I see what you meant. I fully agree that you shouldn't bother with enemies firing on your tank most of the time. I thought you mean real invincibility, and I was surprised (I think I remember once being scared by my tank HP running low because of shock troopers while I was trying to manoeuver to enter somewhere).

Indeed, at the beginning of the game, the only threat to the tank is the opponent turn.
 
Koren said:
Oh, I see what you meant. I fully agree that you shouldn't bother with enemies firing on your tank most of the time. I thought you mean real invincibility, and I was surprised (I think I remember once being scared by my tank HP running low because of shock troopers while I was trying to manoeuver to enter somewhere).

Indeed, at the beginning of the game, the only threat to the tank is the opponent turn.

Even to the later parts of the game, nothing can put a major dent in the tank unless it was a rocket or whatever, and those can't shoot you during your turn. So for all intents and purposes, your tank is indestructible.
 

mjc

Member
FYI, this game is back in stock at certain Wal-Mart locations for $20. I picked up a second copy as a backup for down the road should anything happen. (VC is probably my favorite PS3 game)
 

Chris R

Member
Holy crap, chapter 7 almost destroyed me. Was able to do it in one go, and got a B (highest ranking since the first few chapters) where most missions have me playing 50-75% of the mission, seeing what twist shows up, and then getting my ass handed to me :lol Then next time I can have people in the right position, know where to go, ect.

You have 2 turns to rescue dead people right? If that is so, I almost had 4 people gone forever after
the blue bitch
showed up. Hot damn that thing is POWERFUL, and don't even think about moving anywhere close to it :(
 

McNum

Member
rhfb said:
Holy crap, chapter 7 almost destroyed me. Was able to do it in one go, and got a B (highest ranking since the first few chapters) where most missions have me playing 50-75% of the mission, seeing what twist shows up, and then getting my ass handed to me :lol Then next time I can have people in the right position, know where to go, ect.

You have 2 turns to rescue dead people right? If that is so, I almost had 4 people gone forever after
the blue bitch
showed up. Hot damn that thing is POWERFUL, and don't even think about moving anywhere close to it :(

I just did chapter 7, too. Yeah, the reinforcements on that level are brutal. I actually used the
giant enemy tank
as cover when they showed up. Worked rather well. I got a healthy respect for using Orders on that one. "All Units Defend!" Surprisingly, if you do that, they actually don't get one-shotted by
Selvaria
. Your tank is also invulnerable to its attacks, so if you need to, use it to play annoyance. Just don't waste ammo, I got a direct hit with a mortar, no damage. It did move it a few feet back, but overall a waste of two CP to try.

By the way, anyone think
Maximillian
was compensating for anything with that
giant tank
?

The next mission kicked my ass, though. Wonderful change of pace, but wow, one mistake in that mission and it's over. This game is one of those games that would like to inform you that, yes, it has heard of "mercy", it just chooses not to show any. It's not as evil as Fire Emblem, but this is not an easy game. Good, I like it when the games fight back. I'll probably get the second half of 8 done today. I wonder what nasty twist this mission will have...
 

Koren

Member
rhfb said:
You have 2 turns to rescue dead people right? If that is so, I almost had 4 people gone forever after
the blue bitch
showed up. Hot damn that thing is POWERFUL, and don't even think about moving anywhere close to it :(
Actually, you can play with
Selvaria...
.

Remember that enemies only fire on troops the see, and they have a limited field of view. Use someone (but remain far, be quick, and use heal) to take their attention away, and then sneak behind them with another soldier, they won't spot you.
I used this technique to use a ladder that was maybe three meters away from Selvaria in my first try of this mission, probably one of my best memories of the game since her arrival was indeed a shock... I thus managed to get away without casualties and without retrying against bad odds, which gives a sense of achievement...

You can also win the map before the reinforcements
simply by destroying the three (or at least the two last) radiators in a single blow... It's tricky, but can be done using mortar
Nearly easy win, and doable in 4 (?) turns ^_^
 

zoukka

Member
Just started this game and a few thoughts.

The game is fugly. (DQVIII looks a lot better for example)
The story seems pretty bad. Super cheesy. (Can love bloom on the battlefield :D)

But the gameplay seems fun ebough for me to continue.
 

Pandaman

Everything is moe to me
zoukka said:
Just started this game and a few thoughts.

The game is fugly. (DQVIII looks a lot better for example)
The story seems pretty bad. Super cheesy. (Can love bloom on the battlefield :D)

But the gameplay seems fun ebough for me to continue.
KILL THE HERETIC!
 
mjc said:
FYI, this game is back in stock at certain Wal-Mart locations for $20. I picked up a second copy as a backup for down the road should anything happen. (VC is probably my favorite PS3 game)
I checked 4 Walmarts in my area last week and found nothing. Are you just talking about your local Walmart?
 

Darkpen

Banned
Pandaman said:
KILL THE HERETIC!
Honestly, I thought about replying to say something, but then I thought "its zoukka. Fuck it" and left it.

Because really, he's like Jett Jr.: negative and backhanded compliments for any given game
 

Virro

Member
On Chapter 13's mission right now. As someone mentioned above, I used to have more patience for these types of games when I was younger, but now that one little thing that causes you to wipe is starting to wear on me. Still, I love the episodic nature and doing those earlier Skirmishes seeing how stacked you are now compared to then.

I feel like this should see a bump in sales during the holiday season with people picking up the Slim. I know it had been on my radar for a long time as one of the first games I was going to buy after getting a Slim. I have a few friends who feel the same way.

I just wish they would've announced VC2 for PS3 and not PSP...
 

zoukka

Member
Darkpen said:
Honestly, I thought about replying to say something, but then I thought "its zoukka. Fuck it" and left it.

Because really, he's like Jett Jr.: negative and backhanded compliments for any given game

I owe you fuzzy wuzzys some more in depth whining about the visuals.

The enviroments are blocky, barren and the texturing is minimal. The ugly photoshop filter is a hit & miss, because it kinda masks the simple graphics while looking annoying. The character models are very simple and crudely animated. But the worst thing about them is the anime style that has nothing original going on. Very uninspired.

I guess it was the whole "happy style and anime" that got people together and praise the games visuals. Nothing else can explain it really.


And my god at the cliches in the body language of the characters... and they underline this by playing them so slowly D:



Just beat the first few levels and rushing in for headshots seems a good strategy so far. This game is so ridiculous in portraying any kind of "strategy" or war. But still it's pretty fun so far. I guess you need to shoot that glowing weak point on the tanks in the future...
 
zoukka said:
I owe you fuzzy wuzzys some more in depth whining about the visuals.

The enviroments are blocky, barren and the texturing is minimal. The ugly photoshop filter is a hit & miss, because it kinda masks the simple graphics while looking annoying. The character models are very simple and crudely animated. But the worst thing about them is the anime style that has nothing original going on. Very uninspired.

I guess it was the whole "happy style and anime" that got people together and praise the games visuals. Nothing else can explain it really.


And my god at the cliches in the body language of the characters... and they underline this by playing them so slowly D:



Just beat the first few levels and rushing in for headshots seems a good strategy so far. This game is so ridiculous in portraying any kind of "strategy" or war. But still it's pretty fun so far. I guess you need to shoot that glowing weak point on the tanks in the future...

I agree with you in terms of the art. But there aren't many anime games on PS3, so I welcomed this game with open arms, and grew to like and understand their art direction.

My initial knee-jerk reaction of the art and its characters wasn't really justified in the end. Many people seems to have that same reaction (like you Zoukka). I know you'll grow to appreciate what this game gives. And if it doesn't, I do hope you enjoyed every moment of the gameplay, (and if not, I hope you rot in hell). :D

Guys, there's no need to chew out zoukka. He's entitled to his own opinion. If he hopes to come up here to just stir up shit, you don't have to appease that.
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Wasn't really a big fan of the Edy's Detachment DLC... the strategy seemed much too rigid and reliant on luck, especially to get the A rank. Also I hated being stuck with a buncha useless characters, I hardly ever used Engineers/Snipers in my playthrough of the regular game.

Now, on to Selvaria's DLC... and after that I think I am done with the game for now. Not gonna bother with Skirmish 9 or playing on hard or any of that jazz.
 

Koren

Member
djtiesto said:
Wasn't really a big fan of the Edy's Detachment DLC... the strategy seemed much too rigid and reliant on luck, especially to get the A rank.
It may seems, but it's not...
It's rather a clever hide'n seek party in the small streets: you're doing the same than in Largo's side mission, but in reverse. Don't even try to go front, it's useless... You can use the tower to snipe, though, it's helpful. And you REALLY need to turn your soldiers in the base to catch any enemy movement as soon as they go out of cover... fire during enemy turn may seem random and based on luck, but it's rather a matter of choosing position/direction of each defenders.

djtiesto said:
Also I hated being stuck with a buncha useless characters, I hardly ever used Engineers/Snipers in my playthrough of the regular game.
That's a problem... But both are indeed useful in this mission (engineers to resupply the lancer to quickly handle tank, snipers to lower the number of enemies when you try to go out of the base).
 

Quixzlizx

Member
zoukka said:
But the worst thing about them is the anime style that has nothing original going on. Very uninspired.

If you look at footage from the anime show based on the game, you'll realize that the game does not have generic anime art (the show's art is, in fact, 100% generic anime).
 

Durante

Member
mjc said:
FYI, this game is back in stock at certain Wal-Mart locations for $20. I picked up a second copy as a backup for down the road should anything happen. (VC is probably my favorite PS3 game)
Wow.
What a fabulous idea! I'd do it if it was possible to get the game so cheaply around here.
 
zoukka said:
...Just beat the first few levels and rushing in for headshots seems a good strategy so far. This game is so ridiculous in portraying any kind of "strategy" or war. But still it's pretty fun so far. I guess you need to shoot that glowing weak point on the tanks in the future...
Just wait until you
get the order to up damage vs tanks-a scout can kill a heavy tank in two turns when shooting at the weak point :lol
 
Started playing this again yesterday and am on the mission where its just you and the girl sneaking through the woods avoiding the mortars and after fucking it up 3 times by getting shot to hell by two machine gun dudes i said nuts to this and turned it off :lol

Didnt realize you could midsave, that could have saved some time -_-
 

Durante

Member
Johnlenham said:
Started playing this again yesterday and am on the mission where its just you and the girl sneaking through the woods avoiding the mortars and after fucking it up 3 times by getting shot to hell by two machine gun dudes i said nuts to this and turned it off :lol
That mission was the first time I ever had a "Game Over" screen IIRC. It's also where I learned to correctly use grenades and cover :D
 

Chris R

Member
Johnlenham said:
Started playing this again yesterday and am on the mission where its just you and the girl sneaking through the woods avoiding the mortars and after fucking it up 3 times by getting shot to hell by two machine gun dudes i said nuts to this and turned it off :lol

Didnt realize you could midsave, that could have saved some time -_-
I just did this mission like 20 mins ago. Got a B rank, wasn't really that hard. The key to my success was the fact that the immortal guy you have to kill (well, I guess you don't have to) has such a short range, and when your two chars are next to each other, they help out on firing. No point in worrying about the searchlights as the map is basically setup where you can always find a safe spot to end your turn in.
 

Darkpen

Banned
djtiesto said:
Also I hated being stuck with a buncha useless characters, I hardly ever used Engineers/Snipers in my playthrough of the regular game.
I used every class to their fullest in the main game, but I suppose that's just me.

And they're hardly useless.
 

Koren

Member
I also think that all class are valuable (even if you can do everything with a powered-up Alicia :D ), but you can avoid using some of them if you don't want to optimize you strategy.

Kinda like Advance Wars, in fact: you can win all battles using a very limited number of units (mechs or tank swarms...) but if you want to really be efficient, all units are useful (yes, including cruisers)

Phife Dawg said:
Just wait until you
get the order to up damage vs tanks-a scout can kill a heavy tank in two turns when shooting at the weak point :lol
It's even funnier
to kill an heavy tank using two shots in the hull from a sniper at the opposite side of the map using orders (Penetrate, Demolition and Weak Point)
 

McNum

Member
Well, I'm slowly but steadily progressing through the game. I'm having a little trouble getting good ranks on the missions, except episode 9. My first B. That was a nice chuck of EXP. Got a little flash of inspiration on that one and it worked perfectly. I could probably have ended it a turn sooner, but I didn't have the CP needed to pull it off. I noticed something, though. It varies how much CP I have, even from different attempts at the same mission. How do I know how much CP I'll have per turn?

I noticed Alicia, Rosie, and Largo each come with a CP icon on their portrait, which apparently translates into another CP recovered per turn, but are there any other ways to increase my CP amount? In a rather vague, non-spoiler way, do I get more CP granting characters? (The suspicious double break between the weapon upgrades and the Edelweiss upgrades and that it says "Outfit Tanks" suggests that I might.) I figure that more CP means I can finish missions faster and get more EXP.

Eh, if I'm running low on EXP, I'll just run some skirmishes. Got the first one down to one turn on normal now. Alicia is getting rather strong, when she's not getting shot by a Shocktrooper.
 
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