#taro patch design

[doonalli]

Why the Dummies' Early Death's Matter (a semi-ramble session, semi-analysis)

So its 3-1B's anniversary today but unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish the post I actually wanted to post today (rest assured it's still coming though!!). So instead, I decided to revisit an idea I've had since the early stages of this blog, and talk about the deaths the Dummies can face before the Banquet, considering they are often overlooked.

This won't be as comprehensive as my usual analyses, instead it'll mostly be me just rambling about my thoughts surrounding the deaths and the details that come with, although analysing tends to be par for the course with that.

With that said, lets start with...

HAYASAKA

It was during my process of writing Hayasaka's analysis when I first thought of the idea to make a separate post about these pre-Banquet deaths, but that never came to be, so what better place to start then with him.

So let's talk about Hayasaka's early death. Failing the second obstructor causes Hayasaka to be torn apart and killed by the flying books.

Immediately the first thing that stands out is Gin's reaction to his death.

It's obvious Gin is relating Hayasaka's death here to Mishima's back in Chapter 1, and his thoughts of being helpless in general. And it makes his speech before the banquet hit all the harder.

Worst of all Sara isn't even able to support him like he did back in 2-2, unable to hug him because of the tag game Midori started. At least until it gets taken away from her and she's able to finally calm him down. Its a deeply tragic scene for Gin, one that many people would pretty much never see, but it goes to show the value of these early deaths and what good, in terms of writing, they can bring.

But its Hayasaka's death, so what about him? Well it's a bad ending for Hayasaka in every sense, not only was Gin not able to protect him, nor was he able to grow as a person and protect Gin, but he dies soon after we find out about his connection with Asunaro, in other words after we "prove" he was the villain we thought he was based on his victim video, without him ever even being given the chance to explain himself or prove himself better. When Hayasaka dies here, he doesn't really die as an ally, but more as someone on Asunaro's side. He doesn't even get to help us out in any meaningful way through him figuring out the gimmick security system, of by him showing us the backstories for Miley and Safalin, flipping the tables on giving our information to Asunaro to instead give us information ABOUT Asunaro.

In general it's the worst possible way everything could have gone for him

Next lets talk about someone who's death I touched on in their analysis.

MAI (and also Hinako?)

Obviously I don't have much more to say about Mai's death considering I talked about it in her analysis, at that point I figured I wasn't going to do this post anytime soon, unfortunately though at that point the only analyses left to do were Hinako and Midori, both of which can't die before the banquet lol.

Although speaking of Hinako, in the files she DOES have a switch like all the other dolls designating whether she died earlier in the chapter or not, I doubt it was ever planned to be used or anything, likely just done for the sake of it, but whatever the case it is pretty interesting.

It was even accidentally used as a requirement for the steam achievement "The Invincible Dummies" which made it impossible to obtain for a bit! But that was patched out quickly.

Back to Mai though, her dying to Maple 2.0 is truly tragic, because throughout the chapter Mai was by far the one who connected with Maple the most, whether it be during her first fight where she's the one who reads her letter, or during the Keiji POV section where Mai feels the most bad for her. She even sits by her corpse in the prebanquet. So, it's truly tragic Mai is stabbed by Maple because she was unable to resist Midori's commands, just like how she once couldn't when stabbed Q-taro herself, which at this point she knows was lethal but isn't able to say anything about due to Q-taro's plan with a doll. All she can leave with is an apology...

This scene in particular hits really different when you play it on a second playthrough and know what happened between Q-taro and Mai.

Next up,

RANMARU

Ranmaru is a special case, because his death scene feels very different depending on which route you are on.

Starting with the emotion route, his death occurs right before he tells Sara about what he tried to do with the Joe AI, but notably after Midori tells everyone that Ranmaru betrayed them. As Ranmaru dies he panics and scramble out an explanation, telling sara he'd never betray- before being cut off.

Here Ranmaru's feelings of worthlessness and not being enough for Sara which caused him to "betray" her in the first place end up making him look like a villain. He isn't even able to explain what he was trying to do with the Joe AI, and he dies off without any of the closure he gets from after this moment. Here Ranmaru's thoughts of worthlessness lead to his final moments just being another case of him failing to be enough for Sara.

Imagine being Ranmaru here. The last thing you are to this girl you were willing to give up your consciousness over, is a traitor, and you aren't even able to explain yourself before you die, feeling just as useless as always, maybe even more now that it seems like you only made everything worse for her.

Ranmaru dies here with basically no closure, just a sudden boom to finish him off and its honesty terrifying to think about.

and its not much better in logic route. After killing Yabusame in a not too dissimilar sudden death, his mask is off and Ranmaru's ego is through the roof. Now feeling the opposite of worthless to Sara, he sees himself as her only salvation. He makes an enemy out of everyone and overconfidently tries to make a deal with Midori using the ID card. However, if he failed earlier Midori will have different plans for him.

Immediately Ranmaru is pulled right down into reality. Midori tells him,

Reminding Ranmaru that he isn't as far above the others as he thinks he is, he is also a part of the dummies. His death playing out in a similar fashion, except with his last words being about how he has to win.

Both these deaths share the fact of Ranmaru never getting the closure he desired and never getting to be what he wanted to be for Sara. A tragedy, through and though.

Anzu Don't kill Anzu she doesn't deserve it.

Okay but actually Anzu's death is also really sad, the way her final words are always about her not wanting to die, because she's always so scared of her death is honestly heartbreaking. It's an incredibly real way for a person to face their death.

Also during the Banquet Midori has some unique dialogue with interesting implications if Anzu is dead.

This is specific to if Anzu is dead, which is interesting because it implies she could have been brought back from being destroyed by the obstructor. Something similar is said when Kurumada dies, but in that case it was more of a "hope" rather than something being told to us, as well as Kurumada being shown to be functioning after being damaged unlike Anzu who was fully dead.

Midori saying this implies there would be a way to "revive" a doll even after being destroyed or damaged, even if they cease to actually live. Something separate from just bringing them back with the AI-ciever, which would essentially reset the dummies back to whatever their original AIs knew, with no knowledge of 3-1

It reminds me a bit of Rio Ranger who similarly was also kept alive after being destroyed by being shot through the head, but then later came back during the Maple 2.0 fight, acting how he used to act, instead of how "Laizer" would act.

It's a distinct difference, one that makes it so that you can't really say the dummies are exactly replaceable, but maybe that's a conversation for another day. Back to my original point though, just like Rio, I wonder if the other dummies have "chips" or something inside them that could be salvaged from the corpse, that would get fully destroyed by a drill. It's the only way I see that dialogue making sense. That or Midori is lying lmao, wouldn't be the first time.

Got kinda ramble-y there but I did say I would just be giving my thoughts on the deaths and details, and that's what Anzu's death makes me think about.

Anyways, moving on with the discussion, lets talk about a small detail that's so miniscule I wonder why it was even included.

During the Banquet, when Anzu dies, the remaining dolls all react, which makes sense, but for Kurumada and only Kurumada he has a different line depending on if Anzu is alive or dead.

Did you notice? Its literally just 3 extra dots if Anzu was alive. Its really weird, no other doll has a different reaction like this, even Mai or Hayasaka if they are alive instead, its specifically a Kurumada thing.

I suppose it's to show he hesitated more if Anzu was alive, since he would have actually gotten to know her, and it makes sense considering they are probably the closest 2 dummies, but its weird it was shown in this small barely noticeable way. Even if you played both routes, I highly doubt someone would notice the difference naturally, the only reason I saw it was because I was looking directly at the code. Still I suppose its just one more way to show Anzu and Kurumada's bond.

Speaking of Kurumada though,

KURUMADA

Kurumada's death is very interesting, because at least in the emotion route, when all the other dummies survive, it's probably regarded as one of the best early deaths. So long as everyone else is alive, Kurumada tell Sara that he feels like listening to a song, Sara goes to Alice/Reko and they start singing, with Anzu, Hayasaka, and Kanna all joining in.

However, if the first fight with Maple was failed, Kurumada will die here, with a peaceful look on his face while listening to everyone sing.

Its probably the most heartwarming death of any of the dummies, but I think there's more to talk about it than just that.

Something that always stood out to me is what Sara thinks after realising he died.

in comparison to when he lives where he'll say,

Keep in mind, it was Kurumada himself who says,

it's a phrase that kinda has become synonymous with Kurumada at this point, and the fact that it only happens in Emotion route, just like the singing scene where causes those 2 lines of dialogue always was interesting to me. Perhaps it's not as perfect as it seems? Maybe Sara didn't fully internalise Kurumada's lesson? IDK what its implying or even if it is implying anything, but it does stand out.

Regardless the scene is highly regarded for a reason, but Kurumada has a different, much more common death.

If on the Sou route, or if any of the dummies died in the Kanna route, Kurumada will instead die right before he enters his coffin. I love how here he waits until all the other dolls are in their coffins before he dies off, its like he doesn't want them to see him die when it's not a peaceful moment, so he holds unto life until everyone is inside their coffins, and only then does his body give in, consciously or not.

well now we've talked about all the dummies, lets talk about The Deaths in General

Just as a concept I think the early deaths are such a cool idea and they are written really well. With each death we can expand a little on characters, whether we see it as the "bad endings" for everyone, or whether we get small titbits we wouldn't have before, it shows just how much effort was put into each of these dolls.

They also lend themselves so perfectly into the gameplay, which is something YTTD in general is amazing at, by using the fact its a game to its advantage YTTD does so much more than it could have otherwise, making you press the button as you watch Joe,

or by using its illusion of choice mixed with real choice to always keep you guessing in moments like the Final Attraction and the Banquet.

These "tricks" all are used to make you more invested, more guilty.

And these early deaths are just another example of that, once you find out you can really lose a doll in these minigames instead of just getting game overs, you start to care so much more about actually getting the puzzle right, because you want to save as many people as you can.

At the same time the dummies act as rewards for doing well in Minigames. Instead of just playing the games because if you don't you'll have to go to your last save, now the games have purpose, and by completing them you can get to learn more about these characters you wouldn't have otherwise.

I feel like it can be a common take that the early deaths take away from the dummies as characters, that because Anzu or Hayasaka can die so early, that their characters never get a chance to develop, and since they can be dead or alive they are written in a way that doesn't matter.

I've made it no secret what I think about Anzu or Hayasaka "not having arcs", but these early deaths don't only "not take away" from their arcs, but they actively add to them. My favourite example being the dummies convincing Kurumada to take his charger.

Here we have 1 scene expand on 3 whole character's arcs, despite them taking the place of each other, their words carry different meaning for each. Anzu shows her bond with her allies, Hayasaka shows off a less selfish side of him, and Hinako shows her affection and care for her allies albeit in her own special way.

The game was able to have 3 characters develop, with what basically amounts to the same shared lines, this is how YTTD uses these deaths to develop its characters. No matter what you'll get a version of this scene, but depending on who's alive, it evolves to fit your gameplay experience, and its done so masterfully, and it's how YTTD uses even these optional deaths to its fullest potential. The dummies matter, each and every one of them, dead or alive.

================================================================================================

Conclusion

Wow that went on long lmao. This was supposed to be quick to drop something for 3-1B's anniversary because its peak and it deserves it but it turned into a sort of part rant part analysis about why I love this aspect of the game so much. Its like last minute to the point of being overdue lmao so idk how well this will turn out but I hope you enjoyed it

YTTD is my favourite game and 3-1 may just be my favourite bit of fiction ever, so I just wanted to talk about it for its anniversary. I suppose what better way than to talk about something that's unique to it and done so well, I may have gotten a bit sidetracked though there is a LOT to talk about with this stuff, this chapter just has so much to it And yes, my next real analysis will be coming, I won't say soon because who knows how long it'll take but I am working on it. Although this was fun so maybe I'll do more "rants" or something of the sort in the future if people end up liking this Anyways again thanks again for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed my ramblings and happy (now belated) anniversary 3-1B!!!!

[deltaengineering]

Summer Anime 2023: GoHands saves anime

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale S2

I wasn't really all that impressed with S1 of Sugar Apple, but it was fun enough. There was a chance it would do away with its naive ruminations on chauvinism and slavery, after all. And yeah, it did that. But maybe I should have stated more clearly that that bland nonsense also needs to be replaced with something better, and that part certainly did not happen. The show fills the vacant space with two things: The kind of completely uninteresting worldbuilding and politics that were all over S1, weren't good there either, but were so insubstantial they weren't worth of note. Well, now they are. The other is that we get a ridiculously evil over the top villain that's amusing for one episode, but gets old really fast. Not to mention that everyone (outside of the designated villain, which is why you know he's bad) seems to love Anne now, especially Challe. So the spicy romance interplay is gone and Challe is now an edgy white knight that tips his fedora to m'lady. And the big finale is that Anne inspires a dozen pretty boys to invent Christmas, somehow. This one just is very poorly written and as of S2 has optimized out all things that distract from that. 4/10

Noble Farmer

The appeal of Noble Farmer isn't what the show does, but what it is: Notable action shounen mangaka Hiromu Arakawa telling a few anecdotes about her growing up as a farmer on Hokkaido. Of course we've known that since Silver Spoon, but it's still enough of a novelty to just barely carry this short series. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's not. As usual, a short doesn't actually need to be all that good to be an easy watch, but I've seen better ones. 5/10

Instead Of Zom 100 You Get NieR:Automata Ver1.1a

Why hello, we have a vacant 5/10 spot for mysterious reasons. Let's talk about a production disaster from the season before that just managed to end in this one. To be honest, I've already forgotten about Near A Tomato Service Pack 1 (Backer Beta) so I'll have to patch it up with my knowledge of the game, which is probably for the better anyway. Or is it? I am one of the few people that don't think that Nier Automata is the pinnacle of storytelling¹, so one reason to even give this a chance is to see if the story clicks better if it's told in a more straightforward way. But then it just seems that the opposite is true: Yes, it is indeed the main plot of Nier Automata, but the lack of nonlinearity and other assorted participatory/environmental storytelling just points out that there isn't all that much to that, especially towards the end when it's just about beating up the big monster, but in a sad way. The few things that it does change or add either don't amount to anything we didn't already know or have their payoff pushed onto the sequel. At least the music is still fantastic but it's just literally the game music, so that's nothing new either. This anime is probably for the fans, but even the fans will quickly realize that it's inferior to the real thing - though for them, inferior to the BEST. STORY. EVER!!!! is likely still plenty good enough. 5/10

¹ Before a million salty Yoko Taro fans jump down my throat, it's pretty good, okay? Just not as exceptional as you think. Thank you.

Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR-

So why does this exist. I can only imagine that Numazu has a bit of surplus marketing budget now, so here we go, Aqours is back... In the form of an appealing, but pretty bog standard children's show. Sunshine already wasn't the most profound Love Live show, nor did it have the most multidimensional characters, but naturally this is a shallower version of that - with the curious exception of Mari, who somehow is a more well-rounded character here than she originally was (though what that means is left as an exercise to the reader). Yoshiko herself of course has a bit more going on, but she better have, given that this show is very definitely about her and her problems - and it's still not really enough. All of this of course is expected from a children's afternoon show where the big bad is a vague "calamity" that doesn't even get defined as much as being made out of people's negative emotions or something like that. No it's just uh, bad (and by bad I mean purple), and then gets defeated by friendship and good vibes and an Aquors single. This show should have really done more random nonsense like Chika and her sisters randomly having a Sentai team and Dia being Kamen Rider for tedious IRL reasons, but that quirkiness is so minor it feels more out of place than anything. I don't want to be too harsh on this because it's still fundamentally a good time, but there really just isn't much to it. But I guess that's just how it goes with entrenched franchises, right? 6/10

GoHands presents the GoHands Power Hour featuring The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses and The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today

Before I get to the details of these shows, there's quite a bit they have in common, and that is, obviously, being made by GoHands. I have a pretty complicated history with GoHands. Yes, I did watch the whole Handhakersverse mostly because it was unbelievably ugly, but on the other hand, there is something to be said about an unique, consistent aesthetic: GoHands is dreamcore. I don't think it's pretty, but I do think it's fascinating, which is why I wasn't amused when every Anime Opinion Haver immediately wrote these two off as being unwatchable and took cheap shots on Ecks Dot Com. So I'll watch them. I thought. That'll show em.

The punchline was obvious: Neither of these shows are crassly ugly in a meaningful way. They're a bit overdone, but honestly they're more reminiscent of some SHAFT productions. Really, outside a few meme gif shots in the first episodes, there's nothing special about the looks apart from an overreliance on postproduction gimmicks like particle and lighting effects and stifling color correction, and everyone loves those when KyoAni does them. So there goes the reason to watch them... Except then, in a truly GoHandsian further twist, they're actually good. I'm as puzzled as you are.

Well, "good" is maybe a bit much. Glasses Girl is definitely watchable though, mostly just because Mie is remarkably cute. Of course, this being an entry in the "my classmate is wacky and I can't deal with it" genre, the same cannot be said of Komura, whose React-Man antics are most charitably described as "occasionally not annoying". The show gets a lot of credit for actually finding new ways to make the one joke that is in its title reasonably fresh, and it even manages to elicit some d'aww feelings towards the clumsy kid romance it develops into. I can't tell a lie, it's fine. 6/10

This one honestly is pretty good though, even though the absurd wish fulfilment setup of "I'm a lonely dysfunctional office lady but my cat is actually a perfect homemaker" seems thoroughly sketchy. To be honest, Yukichi actually does act like a cat, so I can only assume this is indeed written by a lonely dysfunctional office lady. As far as surreal daily life comedies go, this one's a winner though. It's cute, it's funny, and all that. A rather simple comedy about a very obvious joke setup, but there's enough going on in the periphery to make it not boring - and then there's hooks like half the female cast having a crush on Saku, which if acted upon would instantly make this one of the dankest yuri shows of all time. One can only dream. 7/10

BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!

It's always the same with these gacha franchise shows. Even when they're good, they're always bloated by too many characters, too many established plots, too much desire to make everyone equally likeable, and a strict adherence to the status quo. Over the years, many a time I have written "but what can you do". What can you do, indeed?

So here comes MyGO, where the plan apparently was "how about THIS time we just don't do any of that". Now, this part is interesting only for people like me who watched this show as part of the franchise. Nobody else would (or, honestly, should) care that this franchise show breaks the mould uncommonly hard — only whether it's good. Thankfully, MyGO is also just one of the best teen drama shows around, franchise or not. I guess it really helps if you make a show that a writer would actually want to write and not just a bunch of corporate mandates, but Ayana Yuniko takes it no the next level and does things that even "regular" shows in a similar lane don't attempt; for example, Tomori completely fixes the problems I had with Bocchi (of The Rock fame) by being treated appropriately seriously. Now, I don't want to oversell this show, you won't get the next Kids on the Slope here - it's still a small-scale anime about a bunch of drama kids that produces not one, but two marketable bands in the end. But within this framework, it really is about as good as it gets. Every character is complicated and has major personality flaws, which seems very risky but extremely worth when it pays off like here. In short, it's textbook character drama. It's a bit silly at times, but I'll accept that as yeah, teen girls in bands can be pretty goddamn silly. It also doesn't have an ending, but I'd question whether a low-key drama like this even can have a proper ending. They manage to make their disastrous teen band work for a bit, what more can you expect?

I guess I should mention the looks also, which are nothing particularly special when you know the fairly high level of CG animation Sanzigen have consistently been doing. Of course this serious show doesn't have much of the cartooniness, but makes up for it with select instances of really good direction — MyGO has a particular knack for uncomfortable wide angles.

In the end, MyGO is an uncommonly legitimate character drama with low stakes. It can dip into melodrama but not any worse than these shows always do. Ironically the most questionable aspect is that there will be a sequel based on the other band, Ave Mujica, which work extreme well as a joke about how they are everything MyGO is not. But that makes them an awful band full of awful people, and I'm not sure if I want to actually watch that. It's certainly a tall order, but then again, I didn't expect much from this show to begin with. For now it's an 8/10

[alishavisualdiary]

Module 1 Post 1: Loʻi Kalo

Living in Hawaii, one example that I consider design leadership is the Loʻi Kalo that exist on our islands. Loʻi Kalo are traditional Native Hawaiian irrigation systems that grow kalo (taro). My college campus (University of Hawaii) actually housed a beautiful Loʻi Kalo, which is where I first learned about these systems. Using nothing but the earth and a lot of creative problem-solving, Native Hawaiian people developed these genius irrigation systems that retained and channeled water from rivers and streams into the kalo patches. I think this is design leadership because they used what they had and the parameters given but thought outside of the box to create a design that really transformed the way that food was (and is still) grown in their culture. This was vernacular design, as it was born out of using the land and created by the community. I think there was a lot of intentionality in this design as well, as each component of the Loʻi Kalo has a very specific and important purpose in the overall design.

[taropatchdesign]

[casanovasadmiral]

Cronus, my dude, my guy, my good time sailor, my ship on the sunset, my friendly frond, my sweet grape soda, my dear darling. Have you considered- and you should think about this- getting a nifty little design on your eye patch. There is so much real estate there to put an intricate little design. Like a flower. Or a sword fish. Or perhaps a little seahorse.

You get multiple eye patches with multiple designs for holidays and such.

Dualscar. My fetishes realized, my sinful delight, my finely aged whine, my first breath of dawn, my taro from a far(oh), my burning desire, my jam, my pickled beets, my sweet potato, my violet sealord, my pirate papa.

You should also consider getting eye patches with designs. Or show us the ones you have.

Although the plain black eye patch is immaculate. Professional and sleek. A true classic.

Cronus

your nicknames are intoxicating babydoll but uhh. is this vwhat you meant? i could do this more often.

Orphys

I havve more than this one, though i like to keep them fairly simple. leather. satin. used to wwear some embossed ones. maybe ill wwear them again.

[incognito-lionbeast]

I don’t have enough followers for an ask meme--let alone one for a niche fandom like Acceleracers--so I’m just gonna fill (most of) this out on my oWN. Credit goes to @tomiyeee​ for the meme and the post can be found here!

How did you first get into the series? It’s all @schnellicanth​‘s fault (and I love him for it) -- I think it was around 2019? We watched it for a group movie night, and MAN I thought for sure I’d be able to multitask during World Race... couldn’t. Didn’t. I was enthralled.

What do you like most about the series? I’m a character enjoyer & there are, in fact, many very lovely characters to enjoy. I just.. I love them, man. There’s really only one that I actively dislike, and that’s uhh. Vert’s dad. Sorry, dude. Do better.

Favorite & least favorite movie? I think World Race/Highway 35 is the weak link in the series as a whole? It’s still super enjoyable, don’t get me wrong! But it’s less imminently rewatchable for me (when all by myself, anyway).

I think my favourite is Breaking Point? Really enjoy the drama, aha. Also, in the (unlisted) Initial eDition put together by my aforementioned friend--he put m.o.v.e’s “Outsoar the Rainbow” over the Silencerz’ opening sequence. And it’s probably one of my most favourite things ever.

Favorite & least favorite character(s)? My ultimate fave is Wylde -- he’s my son. I won’t accept criticism. I know he’s a huge jerk in Acceleracers, but 8′) as a former Younger Sibling with a complicated relationship to my elder brother? Relatable. He’s really just a scared / traumatised kid, man... I care him. He needs to Do Better, but I care him so much. I also really Love/Hate Tezla, but that’s its own whole thing. Honourable mentions include: Shirako, Vert, Kurt, and Taro (really I love them all tho)

Least favourite! I think I already mentioned... it’s Major Wheeler. I sympathise with being a single parent & a widower, but also man. There’s a couple of things he says which REALLY bug me, y’know? ‘You don’t know how sorry I am’ isn’t an apology! Do better. Vert deserves better.

Favorite & least favorite car(s)? I may be biased, but I do really like Spinebuster, aha. Also, Bassline. I’m not sure I have a least fave? Tho the Deora II is sure silly lookin.

Thoughts on the redesigns? I think they’re fine! Taro takes a bit of a hit & I def prefer his WR look, but I think he’s mostly victim to art style rather than the design itself. (also I find Wylde’s Princess Peach lips v funny & good)

Favorite World Race team? Wave Rippers :p Probably for being more memorable than the others, since they have like. the highest number of prominent cast members.

Teku or Metal Maniacs? I love them equally. They both have really fun team dynamics <3

Silencerz or the Drones? Drones. They sure ain’t good guys, but I trust the Silencerz less...

What ships do you like (if any)? I’ve created my own Dinghy. >>;;

My OTP is Vert/Mark Wylde -- like post-canon, once they’ve had a chance to make up. Coz I think it’s a damn shame that the breakdown in their friendship was never addressed :< I wan them to... be friends.... and maybe more....

Tho I’ve seen a lot of Vert/Nolo & Vert/Shirako in the fandom tag. I think that’s also super valid and neat.

Otherwise? I think I polycule’d Taro/Kurt/Karma/Lani together. Just. As ya do. Kadeem can also get in there if he wants. It’s not a super uniform relationship--some are closer to and/or more romantic with certain members more than others--but I can’t & shan’t be tamed.

I do enjoy Karma/Lani & Taro/Kadeem as individual ships. Maybe Taro/Lani with a little post-canon patching up. Though, Kurt I don’t really ship with anyone by himself. Sorry, man >u<

uhhh I feel like Monkey/Porkchop is a given.

But, really, I can be swayed to ship just about anything within reason. I’m a character writer by hobby & writing interpersonal relationships is my passion

Random headcanon/theory about [insert character/faction/event/etc]? Gosh, I have so many. I am very pleased, though, with the random HC I have that Shirako lives with his grandparents (or, rather, they live with him). They’re both very supportive & interested in his hobbies.

Nothing happened to his parents, mind. They just decided to move to Japan not long after he became an adult, and he chose to stay. He loves his grandparents & his friends very much. :>

Any crossover/AU ideas? Uhhh, I think I tossed around the idea of an Oban Star-Racers crossover -- didn’t really come up with anything. I just think it would be neat to smash my two favourite racing series together.

If you could change anything about the story, what would it be? The only thing I can think of is like. :( Kadeem. I don’t mind so much what happens as much as I wish there had been time to truly resolve everything. Kadeem deserves to live and be happy.

Do you have any unpopular opinions about the series? Well, just based on what I’ve seen in the tags, I seem to be in the minority when I say I really love Mark Wylde. So, take that as you will.

What would you like to see/have seen in a continuation? See above. 

But basically:

Mark makes amends with Vert [which I actually wrote here!]

Kadeem is saved

The other drivers who got lost in the realms aRE FINE

Everyone gets therapy

Since I think there’s some really neat narrative parallels between Mark & Kurt’s relationship vs Vert and Major Wheeler’s relationship... Vert takes the other path. Instead of unconditional forgiveness, Vert decides that, while he still loves his father, doesn’t hate him... nothing like that. It’s just really complicated. Maybe it’s better right now if he takes time away from his father.

...among some other things that I’m probably forgetting right now, but oop. this is long enough.

[tripleaxelrose]

8N

Per the rules, there is no hugging. No high-fives. No visitors in the dorms. No congregating. Masks are required at all times, except when eating, sleeping, training, competing, or speaking to the press.

The village is designed to be a self-contained bubble. There are stores. Fast food. A nail salon. There are endless, perfectly timed little green buses that shuttle them from the doorstep of the dorms, to the venues, to their mandatory daily testing and back again. The process is seamless, closed, and safe, except when it is none of those things.

He laughs, for example, when he gets to his room and finds, laid out on his bed, a welcome pack that includes a box of 10 condoms. He laughs partly at the absurdity -- are we using the condoms or are not high-fiving? -- and partly because he still has some at home with the Pyeongchang 2018 logo. It occurs to him, a little too suddenly, that this is actually pretty sad.

The village has no enforced perimeter that he can see. (He is smart enough to know that this does not mean that one does not exist.) But the boldface type on the rules page is clear: Breaking the bubble means quarantine, a repeat of the twenty-steps-long testing protocol required for entry, and, in particularly concerning cases, deportation. Fear of going home too early, of missing an event or even just a few practices, is the true enforcer.

So they find a spot. It is outdoors, around the side of his looming, many-storied dorm building, on a depressing patch of sparse gravel that's in the shade for much of the day and therefore offers them a better-than-nothing shot at inconspicuousness. It at least offers them enough space to talk without a dozen people around. Away from Coach's roving, nervous eye. And technically, he reminds her again and again, they are not breaking any rules.

They stand three-feet apart, as recommended by the IOC, always in masks. Sometimes they sneak food out of the cafeteria. It is the most they will allow themselves ahead of the competition. Today it is bubble tea, which is auto-prepared by a machine to minimize contact. (Hers: taro milk tea with lychee jelly, 100% sweetness. His: black tea with boba, 25%.) They sip carefully under their masks, hopping from one foot to the other in the cold.

They arrange these meetings furtively on the cheap burner phones that almost everyone on the United States team is using as a security precaution, all of them weary of hackers and heeding the advice of their worried federations. It's unclear to him, frankly, what a bunch of predominantly teenage skaters and skiers could have on their phones that would be of strategic value to the Chinese government, but he's not in the mood to find out. Later, there will be fawning stories in business magazines about how he left his phone home in order to focus on the competition. Technically, he reasons, it's the truth.

They talk about the village (ugly, difficult to navigate), the dorm beds (surprisingly comfortable), the food (decent). They gossip about who tested positive, about the terrifying rumors swirling around the official quarantine facilities (inedible food, aggressive nurses, untreated symptoms, roaches). They complain about Coach, which is standard. They analyze the minutiae of their practices, roll their eyes over the Russians, dissect their formidable competition, complain that the team uniforms just aren't that comfortable.

They talk about everything but the fact that he kissed her. That she has not said anything at all about it since it happened. The empty, undiscussed space of it sits in his chest every time he meets her here. Sometimes he swears things have actually changed between them in the last few weeks, that there are small differences. That she forgets herself -- and the rules -- and lets their arms touch when they walk. That she texts him late to talk about nothing in particular. Sometimes just to say goodnight. That she is suddenly willing to tell him, at least partially, about the fear that's he sees swimming behind her dark eyes. That he knows is there this week and next. In every competition, for her whole life.

"Look, I'm not going to win," she says, kicking at a piece of gravel near her toe. "That's just the math. And I learned to live with that a long time ago. But if I really screw it up. On TV. That's the headline the next day, you know? That's my career."

"No, that's not true."

"It's the biggest event of the entire games. I mean, no offense or anything."

He laughs, raking a hand through his hair. "As someone who has fucked it up really badly on live TV in the second biggest Olympic event, I can tell you. I lived. A fall on a combination doesn't kill you. Usually, anyway."

She smiles under her mask, but he can tell it's a sad smile, one that doesn't quite make it all the way up to her eyes. "But I'm not like you," she says, looking away from him. "I am not in any history book, and I am sure as hell not going to Yale."

He wants to put his arms around her. (No high-fiving. No hugs. Three feet of distance.) Instead, he rests a gloved hand on the side of her face. "Listen. No, seriously, look at me for a second. You are a U.S. national champion, so you already got your history book, regardless of what happens. And Yale is fine, and honestly kind of sucked at times, but I'm still figuring that whole thing out. And whatever you do next week or next year, you will figure it out. Because god knows if I can..."

She covers his hand with hers and draws it down from her face, but she keeps holding on. Then her expression changes, a sideways tilt of her head.

"You never told me that you had a hard time at Yale."

"I really wanted it not to. I maybe thought that if I didn't tell you, or anyone, it wouldn't."

"Like if you just try to get through it, the difficult parts will..."

"Disappear," he says, his voice colliding with hers. "Or just not feel so difficult."

They are quiet for a moment. He steps away from her, taking back his hand and she smiles for real this time, points at his glove.

"Don't let 'em deport you over that."

"You'll defend me to the IOC, right?"

"Any time," she says with a serious nod.

His phone buzzes. A reminder alarm. He needs to be at the rink in ten minutes. He's running late. He makes his apologies. "You'll be there for the short?"

She folds her arms. "Where the hell else would I be? Getting my nails done?"

"Good," he says. "I'll look for you. But we'll talk before then."

"We will," she says with a nod.

They do.

He wins the short program 24 hours later. He sets a new world record.

[atamascolily]

I managed to get my hands on a copy of Dinotopia Lost, by Alan Dean Foster, which is an official novel that came out in 1996. Unlike most of the other Dinotopia novels I’ve encountered thus far, this one came out in hardcover and was aimed at adults. I’m only two chapters in, but we’re off to an excellent start because I have to keep stopping every few minutes to squee over something.

Chapter One introduces us to Pudu, a human farmer in the Northern Plains, who receives word to evacuate his family because the six-year weather cycle is entering the stage where his farm might get destroyed. There are so many delightful bits of world-building here, as well as some fun lines. 

Lahat’s treasured set of shadow puppets, handed down in her family from generation to generation, were wrapped in rice paper and stowed carefully beneath the seat with the other household goods.

No sauropods, though. The true giants of Dinotopia were a bit too massive for farmwork. A Diplodocus might be fun to gambol on the beach with, but you wouldn’t want one mucking about in your taro patch.

Chapter Two brings us back to Will Denison, now a summer camp counselor at Treetown, playing tug of war with a group of humans and dinosaurs... mostly sauropods, as it turns out.

Sauropods were among the most polite of dinosaurs, a consequence of their enormous size. Unable to eschew an innate clumsiness, they compensated by moving with extreme care and precision when in the presence of those small than themselves... which meant nearly everyone else. Will had been amazed the first time he’d seen one pacing prissily down a street in Waterfall City. It was something to see a thirty-ton Apatosaurus prance.

For their part, the two juvenile sauropods enjoyed the play as much as their human counterparts. The only difference was that they calculated their weight, as opposed to their maturity, in tons instead of pounds. Socially and intellectually, they were the equivalent of the dozen bipeds.

No adult supervisors were present. By the age of fifteen, one was supposed to act like a grown-up. Freedom and play were encouraged; irresponsibility was not.

Besides, sauropods enjoy being indoors. It was a novelty supplied by human ingenuity, and allowed the great creatures to survive chillier climes than they would otherwise have been inclined to tolerate. 

Like every structure in Dinotopia, the buildings of Treetown were designed to last. (”The Roman influence,” Nallab had told him. “Very demanding, those Romans.”)

...as Nallab had once told him, “Sometimes the inimical is more instructive than the benign. In between screams, try to pay attention.”

I officially dub Nallab the Sassmaster of Dinotopia; he gets all the best lines.

Shipwrecked Chinese had introduced the art of papermaking to Dinotopia hundreds of years before it reached Europe. Their descendants had raised it to an art form. Papermaking parties were an important social event among many notable families. Nor was anyone who wanted to participate left out. Dinosaurs shared enthusiastically in the pulping process.

The fact that the main conflict is a massive storm just hits me right in the feels in lieu of climate change.

It’s stated outright that the last six-year storm was the one that knocked Will and Arthur to Dinotopia in the first place. The words “Madden-Julian oscillation” keep running through my head in search of something to connect with, especially once the weathercaster starts theorizing about ocean currents.

I love how this strongly suggests the solution is “Arthur invents something again”. Science!

Nallab has the Finale by Homer, which... I just....

“You’d think that after all these centuries we’d finally have that overflow from the library at Alexandria sorted out.”

Also, we get confirmation that Deinonychus like Enit eat fish and invertebrates, which is something I’ve always wondered about.

Anyway, suffice to say I am ridiculously enjoying myself so far.

[linelpisffxiv]

5.3 Spoilers Rant

Sorrow of Werlyt is bad.

I do my best to not use that word. I use several other words to describe what I dislike about things.

Elidibus’s story arc is rushed, not bad. By most other qualitative measures, it’s good. It just needed to be longer to really give the impact. Especially since the “Actually a kid” reveal had maybe one line of foreshadowing. Give me a bit more than that, and not in the same patch as the reveal.

Dark Apocalypse is dense, not bad. Yoko Taro likes writing things in a certain way that isn’t to my taste, but hey, whoever’s doing the fight designs  of the raids are good, and I like the fact they let us go back into the areas (Though I wish they’d add that to other raids now, so I can just go an gpose in Syrcus Tower or wherever without having to do the fight)

But I struggle to come up with one nice thing to say about Sorrow of Werlyt. None of the major characters are sympathetic, except for Valdeaulin, who they’re doing their best to try and make a bad guy with his “Grrrr I know he’s still evil” line in game. I’m here like “Same. If this wasn’t a more pressing matter, and the devs have made clear any side content can now become required. I wouldn’t even be doing it on my alts.”

Hell, SoW even ruined Cid for me, due to the fact he’s become the writer’s mouthpiece for trying to say “Gaius is good akshullay?” I’m down to just Maxima (if he’s still around and not killed by Fandaniel) and Nero, and the latter just because he’s theatrical and doesn’t pretend he’s actually on my side. He just pops in and out when it becomes convenient to hang out and one-up Cid.

They decided to go with cheap shock to make the villain actually bad and try and make us root for Gaius. (Yeah, implied statutory rape that’s also actual rape counts as cheap shock because it’s meant to happen to someone for the purpose of another’s grief)

Oh, and for the latter, FUCK THE DEVS FOR DEAGING THE AU RA. Like, I get that maybe it was a translation error somewhere, but given they keep emphasizing this group joined the military willingly, all it does it give the barest bit of sympathy, and that’s only for the group they were assigned to. They still need to go fucking down for being pro-Garlemald.

The writing is bad, and as I said, if it weren’t for the fact that they basically revealed their hand saying any of this can be pulled out of a time bubble at a moment’s notice, I would have completely ignored this whole sidequest forever.

The fight mechs aren’t even that good. Except maybe the DPS rush of Phase 2 of Ruby EX. The normal of that fight sucks, Phase 1 of that EX sucks, and the duties are absolute garbage for Sapphire.

Oh, and the fact there’s so far exactly one new song (Ultima Primals doesn’t count.That’s been around for years), and it’s... eh. Nothing special. Even if it was good it wouldn’t make up for the bad.

I’ll be honest, there was never a way you could get me to buy a Gaius redemption arc, but if they had Sorrow of Werlyt show Gaius being like “Shit, my actions have consequences? Damn.” And starting to actively get better, along with realizing that “I’m only fighting the empire because they’re being used by Ascians. Everything about the actual way it’s run is cool, Death of the author bro” is a garbage way to garner allies and unlearning his shitty views, I’d at least slap a “You tried” sticker on it and not write this whole story off as bad garbage.

Instead, they’ve decided to go the easy route and say “Nah, Gaius is fine because *This guy* is worse. Look how much worse Garlemald can be? Don’t you prefer Gaius?”

That is bad writing. This story actually angers me. And every time I try and look for good, I find something even worse.

[uppermaulua11]

Why Should You Visit Hakalau Forest

Hakalau Forest is a very famous spot in the state of Hawaii. It's a crucial part of the island's history, and it has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. Alongside being an important historical site, Hakalau Forest offers amazing natural beauty and attracts thousands of visitors every year. What makes this place special? Have a look at these eight reasons why you should visit Hakalau Forest today! Hakalau Forest has many historic spots that are loved by people who visit and even locals.

Throughout the forest, you can see old fish ponds, taro patches, trails used for hunting burial sites, burial grounds, and shelter caves. These features helped shape the landscape of this island as well as highlighting how different cultures have been able to adapt to life here in Hawaii. One of the greatest things of visiting Hakalau Forest is enjoying its natural beauty. There are plenty of activities to enjoy, such as hiking or biking on one of the thirteen miles of trails in this area. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even walk through a bamboo grove which is situated near the stream! The famous Nene (Hawaiian Goose) and Kioea (Bald Eagle) can also be found here in winter. The majority of these birds are free to roam the forests of the island, but the majority of them spend time in Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. If you'd prefer to see them up close There are a handful of hiking trails (all of which are located inside the forest) which you can hike to take in these creatures in their natural surroundings. The refuge contains around 2,000 acres of the forest, yet only .75 miles are accessible to visitors. The trail begins close to the ranger station and takes roughly an hour to walk. The majority of hikes ending on a cliff from where hikers can enjoy the views of Hakalau Forest Valley, which is adjacent to it. The trail is quite muddy during certain seasons which is why you must have sturdy shoes or boots prior to starting this trek. If you're in search of butterflies, this hike offers great chances. If you're looking to spot birds, they typically perch inside the trees here which means that any noise you hear could potentially catch their attention. The forest roads is also used by hunters in the time of game bird seasons. And since you're already so in close proximity to the sea, it's simple to add a few hours of beach time in your visit. Just head over to the nearby Nanawale Beach Park on the Puna coast to enjoy a refreshing snorkeling session or surfing along the Pacific with views of Mauna Kea in the distance! Amongst all of it's beauty in nature, Hakalau Forest is most well-known for its abundance of birds. They are everywhere!

A few options are The Pu'u O Kona Viewpoint Trail, or Pua Mau Place Hiking Trail. Pua Mau Place hiking trail. Both hikes provide stunning views that will leave you in awe! No matter which one you decide to take, be sure to wear proper footwear as some of the trails can be quite slippery. Don't forget to bring some water, too. At the very least, three major watersheds run through this forest, and you'll need to drink plenty of water during your hike!

[kiwi-le-survivant]

Kiwi-Le-Survivant’s Best Games of 2017 Post

I bought a PS4 this year, which means I was actually able to play five new games this year. It’s my hope that people will actually enjoy reading my thoughts, and soon I’ll be able to rival The Game Awards and announced Halo 6 or something right in the middle of my posts. Let’s jump right in.

Top 5 Best Games I Played That Came Out In 2017:

5. Tekken 7 - You know, I think I prefer Tekken to Street Fighter now. Although that might be a combination of me being slightly better at the former, coupled with Capcom having no idea what they’re doing lately. As shallow as it sounds, I think a big reason I love this game so much is the novelty of both a Capcom and an SNK character guest starring in a Tekken game.

Not as big on Noctis, though. I was hoping for either Kazuma Kiryu, or another fighting game rep. Although I guess you could argue Noctis represents Dissidia.

It’s at the bottom because the other games are so good. I hope they keep adding more content beyond what’s already planned.

4. Danganronpa v3: Killing Harmony - Apparently opinions on this game are mixed among DR fans, mainly related to the ending. Personally, I liked the ending, and I feel the rest of the game is pretty much in line with the first two in terms of quality. I’m a fan of the new mechanics, like Debate Scrum and Psyche Taxi. The soundtrack is really good, too. I think everyone can at least agree this is a memorable game.

3. Yakuza 0 - I haven’t finished this one yet, but I’m told it’s a fantastic entry point if you want to get into this series. This is one of the few games I can think of where I actually willingly did sidequests, because a lot of them are actually funny, and even heartwarming.

2. Persona 5 - My most anticipated game of 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. I’m a big fan of Persona 3 and 4, and I feel this game is just as good, if not better. I greatly prefer the Tokyo setting to the rural setting of Persona 4.

From the art style, to the setting and music, P5 oozes style out of every orifice. In fact, you could make a case for it being one of the most stylish games of all time. I thought for sure it would be number one, but one game managed to top it.

1. NieR: Automata - I heard this game actually sold really well, and that’s great news. Imagine telling someone that the sequel to NieR would outsell the newest Mass Effect. It’s amazing what an extra layer of polish and removing or altering some of the more tedious aspects of the first game can do.

Honestly, I’m bad at explaining why the game is good. Just play it. I genuinely believe it will go down as one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, and that Yoko Taro can and should be thought of as the next Kojima. If you dismiss it as a Metal Gear Rising/Final Fantasy rip-off that relies on fan service, well, your loss.

Did I mention that both NieR games have strong contenders for best video game soundtracks of all time? It’s true.

This is pretty long, so I’ll include the rest of the awards under the read more.

Top 5 Best Games I Played That Came Out Other Years:

5. Kid Icarus: Uprising - I haven’t played this as much as I’d like, but I’ve greatly enjoyed what I have played. I don’t even really mind the controls, really. I haven’t used the stand yet.

4. Gravity Rush - I started playing this game a few weeks ago, and I already love it. Kat is one of the most likable protagonists I can think of. She should be Sony’s mascot. In all honesty, this is one of the most fun open world games I’ve played. The only thing I’d say is lacking is the combat, but it’s manageable.

3. Va11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action - A game about mixing drinks and talking to people, while trying to save enough money to avoid getting evicted. There are multiple endings, too. The one I got really got to me. 

2. NieR - I’d hate to say it, but for the longest time, the only thing I saw related to the game was the Zero Punctuation review, and I wrote it off as generic based on that. Thankfully, a few friends heavily recommended it, and since Platinum were doing the sequel, I figured “alright, I’ll check it out.” It turns out, generic is probably the worst word to describe NieR, and Yahtzee is an idiot.

NieR is a rough diamond, similar to Persona 3, or the original Yakuza. A game that has more than its share of flaws, but its originality makes up for them. The gameplay is, well, it’s no Bayonetta. It’s not even DMC1, but it’s there to serve the story and characters, which I found myself getting attached to.

I’d recommend playing this before Automata, if you have a say, but it’s not 100% necessary, and Square Enix could have made that option easier, so it’s up to you.

Check out @thathomestar‘s post about it, too.

1. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc - I knew of this series by reputation, and it seemed like the fanbase overlapped a lot with other things I was a fan of, but I got spoiled on who the lead villain turns out to be years before I played it, and I thought some of the character designs looked unappealing, so I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy it.

It turned out, I enjoyed it a lot. It scratches the same itch as Ace Attorney for me. I like the characters a lot more now that I actually know more about them. Funny how that works. Except Hifumi. He looks awful, and is awful.

The second one is probably better in many ways (especially the protagonist), but I feel the first game has a certain humility to it. I get the sense that the developers didn’t think it would take off as much as it did, and some of the rough patches kind of add to its charm. I also think the ending was originally planned to be more ambiguous.

Also, I made at least one friend while playing this game. That’s a plus.

Top 5 Games I Want To Play But Never Got Around To:

5. Cuphead - I felt kind of bad for not having any western games on the last two lists, so here we go. Cuphead looks pretty fun, and I really respect how much effort and creativity went into the game’s visuals. It reminds me a bit of Skullgirls. Sadly, I don’t have an Xbox One, and I doubt my PC could handle it.

4. Sonic Mania - Like Cuphead, this is another labour of love. It was really nice to see people being positive about Sonic again for a few months. Then Sonic Forces came out, but oh well. In a similar vein, I’m also interested in the Crash N-Sane Trilogy, but since Sonic Mania is a new game, it gets the edge.

3. Super Mario Odyssey - Looks really fun. I’ve never played either the Galaxy games or 3D World, but from an outside perspective, Galaxy and Odyssey look like a lot more appealing to me than 3D World. Sadly, I don’t have a Switch.

2. NioH - I suck at Souls games, to be honest, but I find this game’s concept very interesting. I think I’d be into in a Souls game where I can play as an actual character, and not just a blank slate.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo has impressed me this year. I think this is the first time a 3D Zelda game and a 3D Mario game have come out the same year. I like this game’s art style, and I’m told it’s a breath of fresh air to a formula that was getting stale. However, no Switch, and no Wii U, either.

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games of Next Year:

5. Kingdom Hearts III - Yup. This is definitely coming out next year. Always bet on Sora.

4. Red Dead Redemption II - I was kind of burnt out on open world games, but if this is even half as good as the original, it’s pretty damn excellent.

3. Dragon Ball FighterZ - I loved Dragon Ball Z as a kid, and if this game came out when I was a kid, I would probably say “holy shit!” and also “who’s Beerus?” I think this has the potential to make Arc System Works a big name with mainstream audiences. Then maybe we can get a Persona 5 Arena with graphics like this.

2. Yakuza/Hokuto no Ken thing - I never read much Hokuto no Ken, but this looks amazing. Right up my alley.

1. Soulcalibur VI - I just really love fighting games, man. There arguably hasn’t been a great Soulcalibur game since SCII, in 2003 (2002 if you only count the arcade release), so I’d love to see this series make a comeback. Put Cassandra in it.

If Devil May Cry V were announced, it would automatically be at the top of the list, but sadly, no. As for Bayonetta 3, I don’t think it’s coming out next year. With that said, while I don’t have a Switch, Bayonetta 3 is potentially a system seller for me.

[taropatchdesign]

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[gamerszone2019-blog]

First Details for Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers' Nier Automata Raid Revealed

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/first-details-for-final-fantasy-14-shadowbringers-nier-automata-raid-revealed/

First Details for Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers' Nier Automata Raid Revealed

Square Enix has revealed the first details about Patch 5.1. The upcoming patch will include the release of the first Shadowbringers 24-Player Alliance Raid based on Nier: Automata.In a new Letter from the Producer livestream, Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida revealed the first details about the upcoming Patch 5.1 update, Titled Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty. The update will include the YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse alliance raid, which is a collaboration beween Final Fantasy 14 and the Nier series and guest directors Yosuke Saito and Yoko Taro.

Updates coming to Final Fantasy 14 Patch 5.1:

New Main Scenario Quests – New quests continuing the Shadowbringers storyline.

New 24-Player Alliance Raid – “The Copied Factory,” designed by guest creators Yosuke Saito and Yoko Taro.

Restoration of the Holy See of Ishgard – New crafter and gatherer-focused content that will let players help rebuild Ishgard.

New Game+ – A feature that lets players run previously completed quests with their current job level and gear.

New Dungeon – ‘The Grand Cosmos’ a new dungeon that can be run with other players or NPCs via the Trust System.

New Extreme Trial.

New Beast Tribe Quest for the Pixies.

PvP Update – “Signifant changes” for PvP and a new Frontline map and ruleset.

Blue Mage Job Upate – The first major update for the Blue Mage, a “limited” job class that will get a new level cap, job quests, and class-specific content.

Performance Action Updates – Will let a group of players play music together.

The full patch notes for 5.1 will be released when the update goes live sometime in October. But Shadowbringers fans can look forward to job adjustments, system updates, and more.

The most exciting thing about Patch 5.1 is the first Alliance Raid for Shadowbringers. Yoko Taro will hopefully bring some of his signature style to Shadowbringers with the upcoming Alliance Raid as Square Enix usually works with guest creators for Alliance Raids. The last Alliance Raid, Return to Ivalice, for example, was developed in partnership with Final Fantasy tactics director Yasumi Matsuno.

The new 5.1 update will reveal how Saito and Taro introduce the world of Nier: Automata to Final Fantasy 14. But even if you aren’t interested in the new Raid content, 5.1 will also include New Game+, and likely a list of class changes and rebalances.

Check out IGN’s Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers review for our take on the latest Final Fantasy 14 expansion.

Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

Source : IGN

[vjdarkworld]

NieR: Automata Review (SPOILER FREE! NO SPOILERS HERE!)

Score: Must-Play, anyone who loves videogames should play this as soon as possible.

// Read my Reviewing system for Context of Score

Nier Automata is Yoko Taro’s first game to ever get both critical and commercial success which he has earned it rightfully. For why I believe Automata is a masterpiece is because of the ending. As everything in the game builds up to one gameplay moment. And that gameplay moment is an emotional climax all because of a well crafted journey. Yes the game’s story is told through cutscenes, dialogue, music, etc, but when the climax of the story is GAMEPLAY it just reminds me why we play videogames in the first place. 

The Good:

Gameplay

Nier References

Art Direction

The Bad:

Unoptimized port for PC

Little support for PC version

The Best:

Music

Messages/themes

The Ending

Meaningful Sidequests

2B

The Good:

Gameplay:

This is a PlatinumGames game, so of course the gameplay is good. When it originally announced that Yoko Taro would be helming a Nier sequel with PlatinumGames it was an instant "hype" moment because the original Nier had quite simple gameplay. Pitting PlatinumGames expertise with fluid combo oriented hack n slashes with Yoko Taro's crazy storytelling and it was a match made in GAMERRRRRR Heaven. But how did they deliver?

Well they did deliver, in the context of this game. This is an RPG, so the game is story based. Thus, PlatinumGames decided to make this the most simple out of their hack n slash titles. Basically you can spam dodge and attack buttons and mostly cruise through the main story IF you really want to. But the combo system does actually have a little depth to it, and you can pull of some fun wacky stuff once you know some tricks.

Even a recurring simple minigame that will happen a lot throughout a playthrough was fine by me. Some people were bother by it, but it's an easy enough mini game that does have a major story payoff in the end so it's all worth it.

And to cap it off, the way that abilities and special attacks are unlocked is pretty unique. Effectively you’re doing ability item management, which has some limitations but it's a fun way to make it thematic with robots.

Which I think is why the gameplay is so good regardless of its weak points is because it was all made within the theme of androids. I'm not going to mention every cute detail but I will finish off talking about gameplay with one controversial design choice: no autosaves. Instead you manually have to save at save stations. Maybe it's because I have played all the From Software Soul's games but it didn't annoy me. Really the save points are frequent in Automata that it doesn't effect it that much. And just like in Souls games, the save points have a thematic purpose of "saving your data" to the in-universe network. Basically the manual save is there as a meta-element. And again there's many other examples of this but this is Yoko Taro's strong suits, metaphorical gameplay.

Nier References:

Nier Automata is part of a strange series that spans two different games. In fact, here's the series order:

Drakengard 3 -> Drakengard 1 -> Nier Gestalt / Nier Replicant -> Nier Automata.

Yeah, that's pretty wild. So it's understandable that you may be worried about going into Nier Automata without a clue of what's going on due to ~Lore~ reasons. "Do I really need to watch a Let's Play on Youtube of some niche game, or worse LPs of all the niche games??" Worry not, as you absolutely don't need to... well right away atleast.

To break it down, no you don't need to play the Drakengard as all the references to it are just cute references. 

Yes there are characters and side quests that are deeply connected to OG Nier, but they have no bearing on the main story being told. They are supplementary knowledge that helps both boost the main story and help provide additional emotional moments IF you have played Nier. But again, understanding what happens with the main characters is all self-contained within this game.

Now do I recommend playing OG Nier? Yes, in fact I believe that is another Must-Play game, but I specifically recommend PLAYING it. Watching a let's play on youtube will not do it justice.

To summarize, if you play Nier Automata without playing OG Nier you will be perfectly fine. You will be confused at first, but that is intentional and all will be revealed by end of the story. But, once you beat this game, you will probably get the urge to play the first game and THAT'S when you play it. Don't spoil the first Nier's experience, ya can wait it out.

Art Direction:

From the characters, to enemies, and locations the vibe is clearly of apocalypse, but there is almost a level of cuteness to it all strangely enough.

Our android protagonists, and the group they’re in called Yorha, are decked out in futuristic style gothic lolita fashion. The enemies almost look like the smartphone brand Android's mascot. With a round head, an oval body, dainty arms/legs, and tiny eyes they look quite innocent.

While there's the obvious ruined city, abandoned factory, and barren desert locations for a "post-apocalypse distant future" setting there's actually some surprise appearances. To not give too much away, two standout areas would be a 2001 A Space Odyssey rotating spacestation and a cheery amusement park.

All in all, the art direction is pretty nice. But, I need to address the elephant in the room. The 2B "controversy", specifically her butt.

Alright some context needs to be given to understand this stupidity, so bear with me. This timeline will explain it all, for the Western World specifically:

NieR Gestalt releases to little fanfare. It doesn't have much critical or commercial success, but it does get a cult following.

NieR Automata gets announced at E3 to little fanfare. The diehard fans are hyped beyond belief, but everyone else doesn't care. Though everyone is amused by Yoko Taro's antics with the emil mask.

A puzzle platformer on Steam gets greenlight and released by the name of Haydee. The title is the name of the games TITular protagonist, a robot that for some reason has huge breasts and butt. It gains a major following, spawning lots of pornography being made of this character.

NieR Automata's free demo releases on PSN. Because of the people going off of (and getting off on) the previous robot girl, people all of a sudden are extremely horny towards 2B (even though they didn't care about her for 2 years up until this point) A lot of pornography is created of 2B, most notable is a screenshot edit that starts the "controversy". An upskirt screenshot of 2B climbing a ladder is edited so that she has an asshole visible. People thought it was a real screenshot and went even more ballistic. Even after confirmed fake, people stayed horny for her.

NieR Automata releases. This time, because everyone regardless if they were horny or not, has seen the protagonist 2B all over the internet. Since everyone is hyped over 2B (and not because of the cult-classic series), NieR Automata has both critical and commercial success.

Alright, now that you are caught up, I can confirm that.... yes, 2B is cute. Yes, she has a butt. But, there's barely any fanservice of her in the game. If you’re not going up a ladder, you basically have to glitch the camera to be able to see under her skirt, and even then she pushes your camera controls away. If you detonate as her you will see her in the leotard but uhh Wonder Woman shows more skin than 2B so I honestly have no idea why some people are so pissed off at her. Some people even refuse to play the game cus of her which is really silly.....

I'm going to leave off on that for now. I will come back to that later, but let's finally get to The Bad.

The Bad:

Unoptimized PC Port:

You’re going to need a graphics card leading on the high end side if you want to see the pretty graphics.

Also, FAR mod is required if you want optimization. You’re going to need to look that up before playing.

Now I do put this in the bad category, and many people want to boycott PlatinumGames and Nier Automata for this unoptimized port, but that's going too FAR (get it). I'm going to give the context as to why this happened:

While I didn't play the PS4 version, I have heard reports of poor framerates at certain points. This leads to the revelation... this game was really only made optimized for PS4 Pro. Which I think it still lags there but not too much.

Anyways, so Square Enix decides that since Nier Automata is part of a niche franchise they might as well put it on Steam to get a quick extra bucks. So they have a quick port job happen by who knows what and boom it's on Steam.

So basically, the major problem here is Square Enix. It almost seems like they don't respect the game. No amount of "boycotting" by random people on Steam of a masterpiece game will make the company retract their thought process. SE has their FFXIV money printer, there is no incentive for them to fix a niche game. It's sad but true. And in fact, not buying the game proves their point that only FFXIV will make them money.

Now I don't condone a bad port job, this is why it's in the bad but.... the game is still perfectly playable even if you put all the grafix as low as possible, which is what I did. The only times the game crashed was when I tried to max out the graphics and resolution beyond what my PC could handle and made my GPU be at 100% usage for too long.

Little Patch Support:

This goes off of the other point. There's only been a couple of stealth patches for the DLC release, but nothing addressing the optimization. Again, it's sad that Square Enix isn't treating the game with the respect it has earned.

The Best

Music:

As the old saying goes, film is 70% audio and 30% visual. Of course that is an exaggeration, but it's trying to get across how important a soundtrack can be to making a movie iconic.

Now why am I talking about all that? Well. OG Nier had such a beautiful OST that it could be the sole reason why it got such a cult following.

Automata is no different, the music here is simply breathtaking. But listening to the OST alone doesn't do it justice, as the music is contextualized within the game perfectly. Every area has such a distinct song that I can FEEL that area when I hear the song out of the game. And without saying spoilers, the credits song makes me FEEL the ending all over again. Hell, even when I heard a song from the first Nier in this game I almost cried for real.

The music just compliments the moments within the game so well, that the music MAKES the game. And that playing the game makes the music more emotional. If you love music in games, or music in general, you gotta play Nier Automata.

Message/Themes:

As you probably know already, Yoko Taro is an odd fellow. You can lump him with other japanese videogame auteur directors ala Kojima and Kamiya. But what makes Yoko Taro different from Kojima's wacky metaphors is his consistency.

Right from Drakengard 1 Yoko-san established his auteur theme: Violence in Videogames. He explains that for a videogame protagonist to slaughter thousands of people, he has to be a crazy psychopath. The enemies in that game beg and plead to not kill. But, after 9/11 his view changed. So, in the first Nier he went with a different concept. That someone can discriminately kill without remorse if they believe their cause is Righteous. I can't say how this is achieved as spoiler, but you get the picture. Automata continues the violence theme off of the Nier idea.

There's other themes, but that's the main one.

The Ending:

The True ending is quite possibly why I think the game is a masterpiece. The entire game is building up to this climax.

Every sidequest, all the confusion is finally explained (albiet maybe too quickly). But that's just one of many twists. In which the final sequence has so many false finishes that I truly believed where the ending that the final moment caught me off guard. This last finale is what justifies getting through the entire game, regardless if you don't like hack n slash games. The trick done too is so simple that it being the emotional climax in my opinion proves it’s a masterpiece.

Meaningful Sidequests:

When going through the game, understanding what is going on is confusing. Hell even the prologue is confusing. This is intentional, because information is being kept from you. While The Truth is only revealed at the end, nearly all side-quests foreshadow the ending.

The side-quests are special in that each one has some type of twist to it. They all seem like some ordinary RPG fetch quest, but there's always a twist. Sometimes it's happy, sometimes it's sad, but they can catch you off guard.

But as I was saying, the twists of these side-quests don't stop there, as once you beat the game and know The Truth you will have a epiphany if you think back to side quests you have done. They give hints to the Truth, sometimes the events in the side-quests mirror what was revealed. It's quite awesome how well this was put together.

This is all most likely cus Yoko Taro creates stories backwards, starting with the ending and going to the start. And also why the ending is so good.

I've seen some people say they think the "twist" of the game is "practicable"... but considering the entire game is hinting at it, hiding in plain sight, I would say no... foreshadowing isn't practicability, it's good storytelling plain and simple.

2B:

I already talked about the controversy with 2B being cute and having a butt, but(t) to wind down I want to address something as my final point. The thing is I don't know if Yoko Taro is a puppet master genius, or how intentional was this but.... people's obsessive hype over 2B has a payoff as a moment within the game.

To give a little context, the lady from the previous Nier, Kaine was extremely scantily clad with purpose. It being to challenge body norms, and people fell hook line in sinker. People said she was way too sexy and only eye candy, and even barring the amazing character arc she has, there is a part of her body that's really only hinted at within the game. I won't spoil it, so Let me go back to 2B.

Now 2B is cute, and everyone loves how 2B looks or wanting to be knee-jerk contrarian cus of the annoying horny people. Here's the thing, this is addressed in the game. This obsessive of 2B is reflected back at the player in one moment. I have no idea if Yoko Taro knew there would be this fervor over the games protagonist but mannnnn,

I think we all got played, hook line and sinker. Ya got us good Yoko Taro.

Details of Playthrough

I played on PC, bought on Steam. FAR mod used as well. I had a pretty low/midrange spec going in, so i had to play everything on low at 900p, also using FAR mod to turn off lighting effects. Still, I had framerate drops at certain areas. Game crashed if I played on higher settings, but keeping it on low stopped that.

My Specs (at the time of playthrough):

CPU: i5-2400

GPU: Radeon R9 270 Sapphire

RAM: 16GB

[cloakedsparrow]

USG: So moving on to the Gunbreaker job that was recently introduced, while the gunblade might be a familiar weapon to FF fans, where did the idea for this new tank class come from? NY: It's a pretty straightforward answer. The gunblade was an iconic weapon from FF8 and the community had always wanted to see the weapon type in the game. We wanted to encourage more players to play this type of job-class, so it made sense to make it a tank role. What makes this job unique isn't that it's just a slashing type of attack, then shooting separately, but a combination of both. And with the inclusion of magical ammo types, players will be able to use defense magic to support others. We'd like to encourage players to try out the role to see what it entails! USG: As well as new jobs to build into, the Viera race was announced. With the male-only Hrothgar announced at the recent Fan Fest as a counter to the female-only Viera, how has the early reception been and what can you expect from these new introductions? NY: With the announcement made only two days ago, we're still going through all of the feedback from players. And the community team is analysing all the feedback so we can see what we're given, so we can't really give a comment on it right now. Before we made the decision to announce the Hrothgar, we understood that some people might have some opinions on the lack of counterparts for both races. When we say 'feedback', that's just one word, but what we want is to hear all of the differing opinions-if they're upset about the lack of male Viera, or disappointed about that there's no female Hrothgar. First, we need to investigate each sort of concern, as well as the amount and 'temperature' of player concerns. If we don't analyse it, we won't be able to come up with the right answer. Considering the development and resource cost manpower-wise, as well as the patch update before the new expansion, we only had enough for one race. The players have wanted Viera for a long while now and the community was quite enthusiastic about it. If we didn't add the Viera at this point, the players would have been quite disappointed, so now was the best time to do it. With FF12, there are only female Viera appearing in the game. Due to that, we have no design references for the male versions. If we did create a male design for the Viera, he would be quite elegant, handsome, and slim. He would look more like the Elezen race, but with bunny ears. What we were missing from the lineup of playable races was someone who looked more powerful and laser-focused on battle, while looking quite fierce. Implementing that kind of race, the dev team could bring more kinds of enrichment to this type of fantasy game. To fulfill player feedback as well as the dev team, we put the two races together.

Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers' Director on the Viera and Hrothgar Split, Yoko Taro, and the Trust System | USgamer

https://youtu.be/uTe_GM8uEk0

[gaminghardware0]

Nier: Automata joins Final Fantasy XIV in trailer for version 5.1

A new version of Final Fantasy XIV, dubbed 'Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty', releases later this month, bringing with it a Nier: Automata crossover raid, a New Game+ mode and more. A new cinematic trailer as well as some patch notes provide more insight into the latest chapter of the MMORPG.

The footage introduces an android very similar to Nier: Automata's 2B to the world of Final Fantasy XIV, while a voice-over talks up some of the expanded lore at play. The raid is called Yorha: Dark Apocalypse, and was guest designed in-part by Yoko Taro, the creator of Nier, and Yosuke Saito, a producer on Nier: Automata and the Dragon Quest series. We can see some of the set-pieces and gameplay leading up to and involved in Yorha - though word of warning, there's some pretty big spoilers for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, so watch with caution if you haven't finished version 5.0.

In an accompanying news update, a dungeon, The Grand Cosmos, is given some background. "An edifice of such magnitude it was said to inspire envy in both the heavens for which it was named and the flowers that pervade its boundless gardens," the description reads. "As with so many wonders of the world that once was, its radiance quickly faded in the wake of the Flood, its halls falling silent, the throne sitting empty. That is, until the palace was given new purpose when a mage claimed it as their sanctuary, their only company being solace, solitude, and the legion of familiars barring entrance to any foolish enough to seek an audience."

View the full site

from https://www.pcgamesn.com/final-fantasy-xiv/trailer