#MAKING A TEXTURE ATLUS

[boopshoops]

Sneak peak? 👀

Referencing this post

[dailypersonamodding]

Saturday, April 15th, 2023

[ Sorry for the prolonged absence! Life got complicated for both of the admins and for the time being you'll need to deal with me! ]

ANYWAY, Goro Akechi Time

So, as is considered nearly common knowledge by now, data present in P5 and P5R points to the existence of a scrapped Akechi Palace for our ✨lovely pancake boy✨, but how much is known about it *really?* Here's a data breakdown of the scraps left over!

Every field in Persona 5 has a Major and Minor Field ID, and the game is programmed to assume Major ID's between 150 and 200 are Palaces. The final game uses IDs 150 to 162 for each Palace like so:

f150 - Prologue [ Casino Duplicate ]

f151 - Castle Pt.1

f152 - Castle Pt.2

f153 - Museum

f154 - Bank

f155 - Pyramid

f156 - Moon Base

f157 - Casino

f159 - Cruiseship

f160 - Holy Grail Path

f161 - Mementos Depths

f162 - Labratory

As you can see, there are missing Fields between 157 and 159, but how can we prove this is Akechi? We look at the dialogue for negotiating with Shadows!

When knocked down, Shadows occasionally mention whatever Palace Ruler is currently active. This data is stored in BATTLE\TALK in various .BF ( Binary Flowscript ) files that are run based on the enemy type.

Inside the BMD ( Binary Message Data ) chunk of these files, there's some unused dialogue:

Flee while you still can! Ahahaha! It is futile to oppose Lord Akechi! You would do well to tread carefully. Lord Akechi is a man possessed of immense desire. Hmph… I wonder if your power would even pose a threat to Lord Akechi… I give up… *sob* Lord Akechiii…

There are 27 lines in total from Shadows referencing "Lord Akechi", all of them localized! Normally, this is where most investigation ends. There was a planned Akechi Palace between Sae and Shido, but all data was scrapped and any attempts to load into the Palace by force fail due to an intense scrub of all related data.

( Generally this is a sign things are not going well )

This, however is not the end of things just yet—Atlus was not entirely diligent in the data wipe. One of the things left behind is a single .ENV ( Environment ) file. These files—among many other things—specify properties like texture color, color grading, light effects and so on for every field.

ENV\ENV0158_001_000.ENV is found in this folder, corresponding to the missing 158 Palace ID. However, since there's no meshes left over, we can only see ENV 158's effects by placing it on another field. Here is the front hall of the Bank Palace as seen in-game normally:

Here is what Akechi's Palace would have looked like, at least the ambiance, had development continued:

( I'm sure someone can make some kind of argument about how this represents Akechi thematically, lord knows I can. )

One other aspect still remaining is found in FIELD\FTD\FLDDNGPACK.FTD, a list that specifies what encounters can be found in any Palace, along with loot in Chests and Search Objects. Akechi's DNGPACK List is not entirely empty!

We can see by parsing this file that Akechi's Palace would have had around 21 different Fields, about the standard for every Palace in P5R, though this excludes Safe Rooms. While the Encounter Entries sadly lead only to default Kamoshida Castle battles, his list references a unique Random Loot Table 7! At the time of writing, it appears no other part of the game references Random Loot Table 7. While it lacks unique items found in other Palaces, the data is indicative of what could've been found inside Akechi's Palace Search Objects.

Jades and Garnets are placed at surprisingly high priority, along with the Marble Chessboard. Of note are the items such as the Marble Chessboard and Brass Pocket Watch, those specific Item IDs cannot be found in any other location in the ENTIRE Random Loot Table .FTD file.

Until more info about how Palaces function is uncovered, it seems like our Detective Prince will continue to elude us in his heavily fog-covered ways, this subject clearly needs more research to find any more remnants!

That’s all for now, see you soon!

[cleophantom]

ATLUS: Here's your HD remaster of Nocturne! We only updated the textures so most of the models look basically the same and some of the models look worse (including the player character's), the music is the same compressed files as the original even though we have the high-quality OST, we didn't fix the magic formula or the split between Tarukaja and Makakaja like all the fan projects have already done, the new easy mode is so easy that you can breeze through the game in less than an hour glitchless, and we're making you pay if you want to play with Dante instead of Raidou (unless you're in China because China rightly banned everything to do with Raidou since we were going through a nationalist phase at that time. Whoopsie!) Want to change the graphics back because the new ones suck? Wave goodbye to the three good things about this release, motherfucker. Anyways, give us $50.

Intelligent Systems: We added the ability switch partners on the fly, a new soundtrack with the option to revert it, new expressions for our characters, a concept art gallery, a music player, a training lab where you can practice your attacks, an extra hint system, new functions to the Glitz Pit, new achievements to reward completionists, two new bosses, new hammerbuses in the overworld, ledge safeguarding, faster access to the original hint system, more warp points for the fast travel system, a faster save system, a less intrusive alert system, and a LOT more. We also made Vivian more explicitly trans, both in Japanese and in the localizations, and updated the language we used to reflect what's appropriate. With all of these changes, we think full price is appropriate.

[glitch--gamer]

A random reverse AU comic

I thought about how in the game, Gavin and Hank call Connor "plastic prick", so "flesh prick" is like a version that would apply to humans...except it sounds more weird and ridiculous.

I saw a cool design of a reverse AU Gavin that was GV900, so I wanted to make a model that looked similar.

Honestly, I don't think anyone from Cyberlife would deliberately design an android with a personality like Gavin Reed, so my personal reverse AU Gavin would be an android made by a disgruntled former Cyberlife employee that gets picked up by the DPD (so he would be more like a GV200 or GV500). So, I think in my head, reverse AU Reed would not play a similar role to Nines in the game, but I thought a Gavin version of RK900 would look cool visually.

Credits

Human Nines Base by Enpitsu: twitter.com/enpi_tsu?lang=en

Outfit by Xelandis, ATLUS, SEGA and elina002

Gavin Reed by me

Stage by Shiruhane and chrrox (I edited the textures and composition)

Desk credits

Base desk by hauntmuskie (colour and structure edited by me): https://www.deviantart.com/hauntmuskie/art/MMD-COMPUTER-DESK-DOWNLOAD-875887361

Keyboard by Riveda1972: https://www.deviantart.com/riveda1972

Lamp by Haztract and MagicalPouchOfMagic: https://www.deviantart.com/haztract/art/MMD-Desk-Lamp-DL-803016673

Chair by Haztract (I changed the texture to include a logo): https://www.deviantart.com/haztract/art/MMD-Reception-Desk-DL-Office-Chair-801670440

[arcplaysgames]

AT LAST I FINALLY FOUND YOU, YOINK

throbbing king of desire, lmao, did you have fun there localizers?

this place is so fuck ugly i'm sorry i keep gettign distracted going "why does this look so bad" lmao. Atlus, I have notes for you and it's what the fuck are these textures.

BECAUSE YOU TOOK AWAY MY FRIEND IGOR AND YOUR VELVET ROOM FUCKING BLOWS, NEXT QUESTION

god i suddenly remember in P4G i was hypothesizing what cool liminal space the P5 Velvet Room would be. we had elevator and then limo and then.... a prison. i think I was hoping for a train car, which LET'S BE FUCKING REAL, THAT WOULD HAVE FIT PERFECTLY INTO THIS FUCKING GAME. Reverie hopping on the train and walking to the conductor's booth and putting a Velvet Key in the door so it opens to another dimension? that would have been SO FUCKING COOL

AND YALDABOATH TOOK IT FROM US

(autocorrect is like "do you mean whaleboat" lmao)

lmao i love you Morgana. "And?" same energy as "ahem a dumbass says what"

Morgana would so pull that too because Morgana is a perfect character who I will kill for. I am asking to kill for Morgana.

Anyway, we go up against Holy Grailaboath but it's a DISTACTION of course

BRUUUUUUH

that's pretty cool

actually like we're gonna recap but straight up: this ending is still kind of an ass pull like P4G, but not even nearly as severe of an ass pull, like the player gets ZERO in universe hints of whomst the fucketh Yaldaboath is, but at least we have the context of "oh Evil Igor" to go with, so it's not nearly as bad as "The gas station attendant was the Mother of Japan."

ALL THAT SAID, at least this ending Fucks, which P4G did not. P4G should have ended with Adachi and I stand by that bc Izanami was a massive disappointment. Even if I can kvetch about the similarities between this ending and P4G and how much is just a rehash

P5R is like what if the P4G ending was Hot And Sexy, so it is a wild improvement in that sense. It has scale and spectacle on its side, and BALLS TO THE WALL AUDACITY.

Anyway, this fight literally took me 58 minutes, from my save point before the final boss to the point after the cutscenes when the game finally went "yo, you wanna save?" And it's a fun, dynamic fight that at least nods at the brilliance of the Nyx fight in P3P. Yaldy has all the usual tools of the Magician, the bell, the book, the blade, and the... uh.

YOU KNOW I was gonna make a joke about this but HONESTLY? HONESTLY? A gun is a decent replacement for the wand. That's not even a bit.

He's got some bullshit status effects but really, nothing struck fear of god into my heart like when Reverie, armed with Athena and her 53 STR score, got hit with the Jealousy Brainwash and literally almost one hit KOed Mona three times in a row. My fucking PANIC.

Eventually, the game goes into the "okay you beat the boss so here's your cinematic ending" mode like usual. Yaldy starts cheating again and beating the shit out of the Thieves with bullshit total party wipe spells.

kisses morgana on his perfect lil head

oh my god its you

Mishima is like if Issun from Okami was somehow even worse, so he has to show up to rally the masses into clapping their hands and believing in the Phantom Thieves

I'M DOING THIS FOR YOSHIDA TORANOSUKE!!!!!!

AND OUR DAD (BOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE)

listen

i'm gonna just

let this one go, okay. i can't criticize every damn thing and its fine because

are you fucking JOKING, are you KIDDING ME, Reverie just summons a COSMIC EVANGELION to beat the god of control with

fucking SATANAEL, who, what, stood with the Demiurge Yaldaboath until realizing his true nature and turning against him, the Gnostic version of Lucifer?

so satan saves christmas

Atlus, you are a bunch of fucking hilarious weirdos, thank you for this moment of sheer fucking ridiculousness

the degree to which this is cooler than Myriad Truths cannot be overstated

sometimes style is substance and this is one of those times

anywhere, where is philharmonic, they need to show up and explain why the fuck they keep letting this shitbird cheat at these dumb fucking causality-deciding games they play, goddammit

[necroneos]

Noteworthy things about Maruki's model (aka my bitching about how weird his model is)

I'm just gonna come out and say it: Maruki's model is a lil wonky. You'd think, that just like Ren, he could easily be ported to other platforms with no issues. Well apparently not because his glasses texture is dog shit

What is this even??? You can try to apply it to his model but just like when you load him without modifications, the glasses just look black. From a previously mentioned Twitter user I know, it's mainly a game engine thing. These ARE the textures, but the game does some weird shit that somehow makes it look like he's wearing glasses. I've tried taking this pic and lowering it so it's transparent but it turns out black. I've tried lowering the transparency so it's just really light but then it looks like an opaque grey and it's frustrating as hell.

AND APPARENTLY HE HAS TWO LENSES?

What is even up with this man's model?

The glasses in Ren's model don't seem to be suffering, but they also apparently work differently

The Twitter user I know said they used a texture they modified (They're a freelancer with formal training) and sent it to me, so maybe that could be used to finally port him to MMD. Cause in pictures he's shown me, HE SOMEHOW LOOKS NORMAL WITHOUT HAVING TO USE ANY SHADERS???

modified texture in question:

was my effort in vain

that I do not know

also wtf is up with his metaverse outfit (in battle)

You can apply everything just right but these chest button things are so god damned picky

“NO, NO FULL BODY TEXTURE >:((“

“YAY MASK TEXTURE AM HAPPY NOW”

it's like ATLUS hates us and they'll let us play with the main character models (PT) but then you have Maruki and they're all “naw no sorry bruh”.

[laocommunity]

Major leaks! Get ready for a double release of Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica on PS4/PS5/Switch, according to Gematsu

Major leaks! Get ready for a double release of Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica on PS4/PS5/Switch, according to Gematsu Major leaks! Get ready for a double release of Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica on PS4/PS5/Switch, according to Gematsu Fans of the Persona franchise, get ready for a double release of your favorite games! According to a reliable source, Gematsu, Atlus, the developer of Persona 3 and Persona 5, is planning to release Persona 3 Reloaded as well as Persona 5 Tactica on PS4, PS5, and Switch! Although no official announcement has been made yet, it’s safe to say that this news will be received with open arms by the fans of the franchise. An Insight into Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica Persona 3 Reload is an HD remaster of the original game, Persona 3, which was released for the PlayStation 2 back in 2006. The game centers around a group of high school students who possess the ability to summon Personas- physical manifestations of their inner self. The game is recognized as one of the best RPGs of all time, and the remastered version promises to deliver improved resolution, graphics, and sound quality. On the other hand, Persona 5 Tactica is a brand-new game entirely. It is rumored to be a tactical RPG set in the world of Persona 5, featuring a new story, mechanics, and characters that will surely excite the fans. The game’s official trailer showcased the characters in their stylish outfits and weapons, which hints towards a fusion of the Persona 5 universe and tactical RPG gameplay. What can we expect from the release It’s hard to predict much without an official announcement, but there’s still a lot to look forward to. Fans can expect a considerable graphical improvement, with updated textures and character models and HD resolution. Additionally, the re-release may include voice changes, bug fixes, and DLC content, making the playing experience even better. Final thoughts It’s safe to say that fans of the Persona franchise are eagerly anticipating any new information about Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica. Although no official announcement has been made, the leaks from Gematsu give enough hope that we will soon hear more about the re-releases. The two games will give both newcomers and veterans an opportunity to relive their favorite moments and possibly experience new aspects of the beloved franchise. #Persona #Persona5 #Persona3 #Gaming #PS4 #PS5 #Switch #Atlus #RPG #Tactica #Remastered #DoubleRelease Summary: Atlus, the developer of Persona 3 and Persona 5, is planning to release Persona 3 Reloaded as well as Persona 5 Tactica on PS4, PS5, and Switch. Persona 3 Reload is an HD remaster of the original game, and Persona 5 Tactica is a brand-new game entirely. The re-releases promised considerable graphical improvement, updated textures, character models, and HD resolution. It also gives both newcomers and veterans an opportunity to relive their favorite moments and experience new aspects of the much-beloved franchise. #TECH Read the full article

[figpiecontent]

Persona 3 Portable (Switch) Review

At this point I consider myself a fairly avid Persona fan. Back in 2014 my friend told me about this great game Persona 3 FES and said I should buy and play it. After downloading it on my PS3 and giving it a shot, I had my gripes with it when I started out. By the time I was finished with it, I was completely hooked. I had previously dabbled in the SMT series in the PS2 era with such cult classics as SMT 3 Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga but up to that point I had somehow completely dodged the Persona subseries entirely. After playing and finishing Persona 3 I jumped right into trying to acquire a copy of Persona 4 Golden. The rest from there is history. Now after 3 full runs of each game under my belt, Atlus comes out with ports of Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden to modern consoles (finally)

Persona 3 Portable is the version of Persona 3 that I was least familiar with before this release. I did purchase P3P on the PS Vita store via the PSTV but I never got around to playing it. Having it available on the switch definitely opens up a whole new world. The decision to port Portable rather than the FES version of the game is a bit of a perplexing decision that has been discussed a lot since the announcement of the port. 

Portable is the more recent port of the game and its QOL features over FES are noticeable and very helpful. Part of the features of the FES version of the game was just having control over your playable character during battles. In portable just like Golden, you have the option to take direct control over your party members. You have the option to still let the AI control them, but it allows more precision and less overall frustration by assuming direct control. You also can return to the top floor you have explored rather than just relying on checkpoints which is one of P3P’s best features over FES. P3P does not include the additional scenario “The Answer” which was included in the FES port, but is generally considered to be a weak additional campaign, which is all dungeon crawling with some essential features such as the persona compendium ripped out to make it artificially more difficult. 

The graphics are slightly up-rezzed from the PSP version of the game, but saying the models look a little rough is an understatement. This is my biggest issue with them choosing this version over the FES version of the game. At least P4 Golden, having been a Vita game, has fairly decent graphics and doesn’t look too terribly rough even in its native resolution. Portable having come from the PSP does not have that luxury. The models look like late PS1 era models that have been upscaled to have HD textures. While it looks fine, it would have looked better to just remake the models. Almost calling this port a remaster feels insulting with how little effort that appears to have been taken with the graphics. 

As usual with most Atlus games, the gameplay is as stellar as usual with no big changes from the PSP version of the game. The game acts more like a visual novel rather then an open world when you are outside of Tartrus. This worked well on the psp due to limitations of the console, but just feels cheap on current hardware. 

Figleaf

Originally posted on the Fig Tree Website on 2/24/2023 https://figleafgamingnetwork.wordpress.com/2023/02/24/persona-3-portable-switch-review/

[ikeameatballspoisonedme]

Another thing that makes me lean more towards fake leak: Atlus hasn't done anything. They are CRAZY for copyright stuff. GTA 6 leaks were quickly taken down by Rockstar, CW fucking Powerpuff was taken down in less than 24 hours, but Atlus let a massive leak for 5 days?????? They were willing to copyright stream that goes over a certain date to not spoil players ffs!!!

It's definitely possible to rig the eagle into the game. The P3 into P5 mod rigged Nyx after all. Custom animation and Tartarus environment made it a bit sus tho. But at the same time the texture feels very.... Fanmade. It's similar to the realistic MMD stuff. I also heard that Yukari's bow actually belongs to Hereward.. why made Tartarus from scratch but not a simple bow????

[personaparadise]

Commission info!! Please keep in mind that € and £ are approximate

https://ko-fi.com/personaparadise

Some more info under the cut!!

Payment will be made through Kofi

I will only begin to work on a commission after I have received payment, I will not accept being paid after or during I don't accept NSFW or fetish art commissions*

With the addition of the Great Seal+ tier on my Kofi membership page, I will accept commissions with more mature themes.

I won't accept full-on NSFW, but suggestive content is fine on the condition that it's either kept private, posted by the commissioner themselves, or I can post it to Pixiv.

I would like to keep posts on personaparadise relatively clean, I hope you understand!

I will not make a model of your OC, if you would like a render with your OC please provide me with a model

If you would like to commission me but would like to be anonymous please let me know! I have no problem with that

No renders of romance between adults in minors. I won't do romantic renders with Joker or any of the adult confidants even if he can romance them in-game I also won't do anything romantic with Ken and any of the other SEES members. I feel like it should be obvious why I *may* be open to renders for games other than Persona (Genshin Impact, Tales series, Fire Emblem, Zelda, SMT V, Catherine) however unless it is an Atlus game I will be posting it on my other account Seinue. It will need to be discussed Model edits for Persona characters can be discussed. If it's something simple like using an outfit from another Dancing game character I would ask for an additional $5 but if it's something more difficult it may be an additional $10. I will not do advanced custom splicing, I'm not a good model editor

Flat background!

Flat background renders will have either a solid color of the commissioner's choosing or a gradient of two colors. Commissioner may choose to have a single character or add a second for no additional cost. Extra cost will be added for each new character in the scene Poses for this will not be incredibly advanced

Advanced background!

Advanced background renders will use a PNG image or flat plane with a texture to simulate an environment Use of 3D environments from Persona Dancing may be used, but the models will not be posed in complex interactions with the space

Environmental background!

These renders make use of the Persona Dancing or maps from other games that characters will be able to interact with Characters can be posed interacting together within the 3D space Lighting will be made appropriate to the scene that the commissioner desires

Comics!

$50 for a four-render comic, an additional $10 for an extra render, or $25 for an additional four renders Maximum of 8 renders The commission MUST be clear in their description and has to provide the text

[eirikrjs]

In short the Nocturne HD is wrapped under Unity to export executable builds for multi-platforms effortlessly. What it means is that Atlus did not rework the game from scratch like the PSP ports of P1 and P2. As such it is cheaper and quicker to churn out more “HD Remasters” of their PS2 games, like DDSaga (which is already fully voiced for all cutscenes, making it even cheaper to be “remastered”).

Honestly I don’t think Nocturne HD Remaster deserves to be called “HD Remaster”. The only thing that is technically upgraded is only the screen resolution which can be done by changing the resolution values in the code, and maybe Demi-fiends model vertex count and texture resolution and the poorly-implemented bloom effect, the rest is entirely the same. Besides the weird choice of serif font, the actual aesthetic change is just weakening the diffuse lighting variable so the shades on the models look less sharp, less cel-shading.

If they ever tried, they could at least re-record the battle tracks for better quality instead of the heavily compressed version in the original game.

_________________________________________________

Thanks for the correction, and other other corrections I received. Literally didn’t know!

[metayos]

it's time

hello and welcome to metayos, my liveblog of the Yosuke Romance mod! cobbled together from cut audio files, headcanons, and Yuri Lowenthal Cameos, it promises to be a wild ride. i’ve been looking forward to this mod since it was announced, and now, with some time set aside, i’m ready to dive in.

i installed the version that only edits the s-link, instead of the version that also edits the campout. i know, i know, the campout sucks -- but it's part of who yosuke is. i figured i'd leave it alone. besides, someone else’s idea of what makes it better might totally grate on me, someone who’s about to analyze everything yosuke does. so.

this isn't a new game+ but i'll also be focusing almost entirely on yosuke, so i'm not too worried about my stats or other s-links, though i'll probably play the whole game either way. this will also be a lot of meta commentary on yosuke as a character!

i’m using a few other mods to make my life easier, most of which you won’t see. there is a texture mod, however.

that said, let's begin!

i had so much trouble with mods that i needed an easy way to make sure they were working. so... a simple logo edit seemed easiest. sorry atlus.

luckily for me, i'd started a new save several months ago to livestream. no watching the intro again!! best of all, this is the night before you save yosuke from the trashcan. speaking of...

oh my sweet boy.

[sapphire-weapon]

Hello, friends. Ever since Akechi’s trailer dropped for P5R, I’ve been seeing a lot of tentative hand-wringing in the fandom over the idea that Akechi’s return will all be part of the dream/illusion theory and that he’ll still die and stay dead in the real world. I’m going to explain today why that’s bullshit that you don’t actually have to worry about and why understanding game design is important before you start making analysis posts.

Everything that we’ve seen so far to support the dream/illusion theory has been due to a case of asset reuse or a minor aesthetic change/model swap. Let me explain what I mean by those terms:

Asset reuse: This is a tactic that game developers use in order to take things they’ve already built into the game’s engine and literally reuse them somewhere else. You see this a lot in sequels. New areas will have a lot of remnants of other places that existed in the first game -- wall/floor textures, fixtures, furniture, etc. etc. The Yakuza series (also a Sega property) lives and dies by asset reuse; the entire map/city of Kamurocho is reused over and over and over and over again in every single game in order to save money. The key to good asset reuse is to make it feel new every single time, despite it being literally the same models and textures.

Minor aesthetic changes: Some new characters in sequels/DLC are actually crafted from the character models that already exist in the game. The way this is done is by slightly tweaking things that are easily changed in a character model (hair color, eye color, hair style, some minor basic structure of their face, and clothing). Doing this saves developers a lot of the time and money that it would take to create a whole new character model, and when done cleverly enough, most players would never notice.

Model swapping: Basic character animations are developed on basic character skeletons before the actual character model itself is slapped on it. This is why you see fan mods made all the time of swapping out X character for Y character in a game. This is also why, in large multiplayer games, you can see game studios push out more and more characters to choose from at a fairly rapid rate over time through DLC/patches. This is an easy way to expand your character roster without having to actually build new animations into the engine.

So, now that we understand that, let me go back and restate my point: Everything that we’ve seen so far to support the dream/illusion theory in Persona 5 Royal has been due to a case of asset reuse or a minor aesthetic change/model swap. A living Wakaba? Asset reuse of her pre-existing model. A kind Okumura? Asset reuse. Human Morgana? Built from Joker’s model and swapped onto his basic animation skeleton.

You know what’s not a case of model swapping or asset reuse? Akechi’s new, manual Confidant. Restructuring his Confidant in a way that forces the player to level him up as opposed to having it level up automatically seems like a tiny thing, but it’s actually a massive restructuring of the gameplay in a way that takes way more time, money, and development power than just swapping out a character model or slapping some new dialogue in. We’re not just getting new scenes with Akechi -- we’re getting a whole branching gameplay section with him that has to account for player choices as an affection meter is built up, which includes the developers having to take the time to balance the feeling of player agency.

On top of that, giving us Black Mask Akechi in combat means that he’s going to have to have more, new gameplay animations beyond what his boss fight in vanilla actually showcased -- he’s going to need to have a new, broadened variety of spells at his disposal in order for him to be viable in combat, and they’re going to have to animate a new All-Out-Attack for him.

These things take a lot of time and money in order to develop, and the notion that Sega/Atlus would pour all of that time, money, and effort into integrating Akechi into the game in this way just so that they could go “it was all  a dream, ha ha!” and make it all meaningless and take him away from the game and the gameplay again is so absurd as to actually be baffling.

So, when Akechi says to Joker, “If you choose to live here with your friends in this reality...” he isn’t implying that he, himself exists in a reality separate from Joker and his friends, nor does it imply that Akechi will somehow cease to exist if Joker breaks the illusion. All this conversation is is confirmation that Akechi knows that the illusion world is a thing, and he doesn’t want Joker to decide to be complacent and stay in a fake world where everything is sunshine and rainbows. Akechi wants to go back to reality, and he wants Joker to wake up and join him, because of course Akechi would think that living in a world of illusions is meaningless.

But the problem is that fans seem to think that P5 Vanilla is reality, and anything new in Royal is not -- and that doesn’t have to (or even seem to) be the case. Going back to reality doesn’t mean that Akechi is still fated to die or that he’ll drop dead on arrival. Akechi is very, very, very likely to be alive in reality for real and will remain that way, because there is no actual way to justify the amount of time and money and development effort being put into his character otherwise.

Sega/Atlus is saving and redeeming Akechi for real, in reality. And Akechi wants you to join him there.

And if you’re a huge anti who’s really bootyblased by the picture I just painted for this fandom, I would like to point you to another post I made about redemption arcs and how no one is obligated to forgive a redeemed villain so we hear you but like shut up and let people enjoy things.

Was this helpful? Buy me a coffee!

[megatentious]

Majin Tensei 2 and Shin Megami Tensei If… let’s talk about them

This past year saw the fan translation release of two 16-bit Megaten games, Shin Megami Tensei If… (lord help me if I need to type this ellipsis every time) and Majin Tensei 2. I am maybe the only person who decided to play through both of these games for the first time in English in one year, and so maybe it will be instructive to see how these two series black sheep (can you call a game a black sheep if no one has actually played it?) fit together in the context of the larger franchise. Or maybe this is just an ungainly excuse to cobble together months-old observations into blog content. Let’s find out!!

Both of these games come from a period when Atlus was still trying to figure things out from a game design perspective, testing how much they could push their console audience with PC dungeon crawler inspirations. There were no compunctions at this point about making unforgiving design choices, even in their crowning achievement mainline series games. Sometimes this worked, like the lack of guidance in Shin Megami Tensei 1 leading to perfectly tuned feelings of lonely exploration. Sometimes this didn’t quite work, like the tedious backtracking and brutally untelegraphed stat skill check requirements of Shin Megami Tensei 2. “Getting Megaten’d” is a message board expression meant to describe the sudden game overs that can occur in this series after hours of play, so it’s not as if unforgiving punishment is something that has been eradicated from the more modern games. But there’s a reason even many Megafans (yes i just said megafans, please deal with that) refuse to play anything in this franchise that released before the Playstation 2, and it’s because of choices that are perceived as promoting tedium and time-wasting. We’ve seen how this can affect their big marquis mainline successes, but what happens when you apply these principles to dicier spinoffs? Well…

Majin Tensei 2 is at least, quite conceptually ambitious. Spanning numerous worlds and time periods, showcasing political intrigue and explicitly defined characters with varying motivations, five distinct endings across light-dark and law-chaos axes, hidden events that depend on how many turns you take and which demons you have in your party, there is a lot (too much!) to keep track of. There are ideas in Majin Tensei that pre-sage much of what makes up Devil Survivor, from demon races with differing map skills to introducing demon fusion to a strategy RPG space that was mainly just Shining Force and Front Mission. In practice though, what you do repeatedly in Majin Tensei 2 is slowly s l o w l y clear fifty plus maps, maps that will occasionally provide fun challenges, but more often that not will repeat large not particularly memorable landmasses with simply hellish amounts of monsters. Seriously look at this screenshot I took, this is less than one third of the map!

There’s a reason that so many volunteer debuggers dropped out during playtesting, and there is a reason that 100% of the ones who persevered used fast forwarding emulation features to finish. This is because Majin Tensei 2’s sluggishness can be linked to the infamous Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. problem, S.T.E.A.M. being a largely unloved Intelligent Systems strategy game on 3DS that was raked over the coals in reviews for allowing enemy phases to go on for inordinate amounts of time. Majin Tensei 2 does that game one better by allowing literal minutes and minutes to pass as each enemy decides its action one by one. Do you remember that map in the screenshot above? Imagine twice as many enemies as that taking 10 seconds each to complete their own turn. Majin Tensei 2 makes it clear that you are absolutely not supposed to kill every enemy, through turn limit bonuses and appeals to your general sanity. But that still doesn’t stop the game from dumping demons haphazardly across each map in the manner of someone pounding the bottom of a trashcan to make sure every piece of refuse has tumbled out. So even if you are trying to be efficient, with each passing turn you’re going to be dealing with plenty of downtime.

So yes, the game is cruel. Just to take one example, Majin Tensei 2 spends the whole game teaching you that you need to keep someone tough at your home base even if you think you are safe, since at any moment some sort of aerial demon can sweep in from 12 spaces across the map to occupy it and end your game. And then in one level 40 chapters or so in, the game will punish you for keeping anyone behind at your home base by spawning multiple inaccessible dragon type demons who will one shot anyone who was trying to hold down the fort no matter what (did I mention that this game has instant permadeath for all demons and instant game over for any of your five human characters, five humans whom you cannot possibly level up sufficiently to all be able to survive multiple demon attacks?). Majin Tensei 2 is willing to mess with you to the extent that it absolutely wants you to cheat. After all, this is a game that in 1995, allowed you to save after every turn, which is another way of the designers telling you that savestate abuse (or in my case, copious use of the rewind button) is built into the design.

So why put up with this sort of nonsense? Well, for one, you’re dealing with the atmosphere of a 16-bit Atlus game, a combination of visuals, sound design, music and tone that is simply unlike anything else in the industry. And there is absolutely satisfaction to be found in slowly conquering the game’s maps. But those who scoff at something like, say, Soul Hackers, will find this game absolutely impenetrable, which likely means it will only ever be played through by advance Megatenists (okay i changed it to this, are you happy). Majin Tensei 2 tries to do quite a bit, switching up much even from its direct predecessor, and the play experience ends up suffering despite the ambition.

SMT If in comparion, well … If is by far the least ambitious game in the series to date. While Majin Tensei 2 lavishes you with cool unique digitized photo backgrounds, an extraordinary soundtrack with lengthy moody electronica from the late great Hidehito Aoki, and spectacular boss sprites, SMT if reuses all the most drab and uninspired wall textures from its predecessors, and offers absolutely nothing in terms of new music. Worse yet, many of the reused tracks have somehow depreciated in the conversion. Listen to the offkey shrillness of the iconic Ginza music here , seriously what did they do to it!?. If does feature some lovely new boss sprites, showcasing demons from rarer mythologies that were never again revisited (where are all my Persians at ATLUS???), but even some of the best of these are hidden in new game plus routes the average player will likely never see. The general fugliness of the overall game and relentless asset reuse gives the whole experience a very unfortunate rom-hack feel, and though it’s not hard to figure out why the game ended up this way (it was cranked out less than 9 months after SMT2) it doesn’t make things better.

I should note one important item here, however, and that is that the PSX version renders almost all of these complaints obsolete. It’s the version I first played actually, stumbling through the first few hours untranslated during a Japanese PS+ trial period. The PSX version not only offers very dramatic visual upgrades and some excellent needed remixes, there is a small measure of kindness built in for the player through the game’s Easy Mode. It’s only in this mode for whatever reason that Atlus offers a design “solution” for the most infamous portion of the game, a dungeon in which you are required to wait for hours of lunar cycles in order for students to dig your path forward. In Easy Mode the time requirement is halved for you. Behold the design advancements of the 32-bit era!

If is generally an odd game in the context of the series. There is a type of person out there who likes to call this game Persona Zero, and for people who have played the Snow Queen route of Persona One I can see why the comparison is made. But despite the initial high school setting and pseudo-selectable party members, it still feels strange and off-putting to play a Shin Megami Tensei game with almost no meaningful narrative choices (routes here are essentially locked in at the start). Guardians are seen as proto-Personas, but in this game they are earned only through dying and are associated with combinations of stat augments and skill lists that are frequently at odds with each other. What you end up with is a system that is interesting conceptually (should I die to gain useful spells at the cost of my current stats?) but unworkable in practice (it is almost never worth the steep steep battle count cost to experiment). The seven deadly sins theming is sometimes used to inform the map design and dungeon concept, but again more often than not these concepts simply lead to unfortunate tedium for the player (shout out to the final dungeon of Reiko’s route though, which very brilliantly mashes together traditional SMT dungeon design and a thematically cool map floor I won’t spoil for you).

If we look at SMT If through the prism of 16-bit Atlus design principles, having the foundation of SMT1 and 2 to work from should in theory have led the developers to refine their decisions in ways that ought to have helped the player experience. Instead, the game makes bold choices that result in remarkably less fun. For example, If understands that guns were ludicrously over-powered in 1 and 2, and tries to course correct by … making it much more tedious for the player to use guns? Bullets now cost money and can only be bought by slowly ticking up the counter to 99 one click at a time, with each bundle purchase of 99 filling up a limited inventory slot. The encounter rate is as insane as usual, Estoma takes a little bit more time to get than usual, and the game’s economy does not afford you that many useful things to spend money on in terms of equipment. Combine these three aspects of the game and every player invariable ends up large quantities of makka on hand to spend on bullets to your hearts content, and given that bullets are still far and away the best way to dispatch groups of enemies, you’ll find yourself engaging in this tedium in order to play the game efficiently.

I’ve spent a lot of time repeating the word tedium in these observations, and it’s unfortunate that this is the main takeaway most players will get from playing these two games. Both SMT If and Majin Tensei 2 devise interesting systems and then execute them as grimly as possible from a playability standpoint. There are aspects of true unique accomplishment in both games (Majin Tensei 2 has the funniest demon negotiation dialogue in the entire franchise! SMT If’s final dungeon really is super cool!) but the kind of player who is willing to experience them is essentially a rounding error. I don’t have any regret at all that I played through each of them in their entirety (FYI Majin Tensei 2 is longer than Dragon Quest 7 or Persona 5 and SMT If has a new game plus with all new dungeons that increase difficulty and dullness), but I might understand if you have regret. Then again who knows, you made it to the end of this aimless and dull writeup so maybe these games will be right up your alley! Be sure to let me know!!!

[fancyfishgames]

Aground Developer Interviews Pt. 3 - Sound Bytes (Chase Bethea)

Welcome to part three of the Aground developer interview series!

This week we have Chase Bethea, Aground’s Los Angeles based composer and sound designer.

Chase has been creating mesmerizing soundscapes for games and other media since 2011, and has been an integral part of the Fancy Fish Games team since their first collaboration (I Can’t Escape) in 2013.

What do you do? Give me details on your role and responsibilities, and everything you do to bring Aground to life.

**Chase: **I am the music composer and sound designer for Fancy Fish Games. My responsibilities include making the best ear candy for the game projects.

When I write the music, my first goal is to make sure it fits the game in every aspect. It needs to be subconscious but not invisible, enjoyable and not monotonous.

When I do the sound design, I try to make things unique but still appropriate for the action. I also find implementing and balancing the overall sound and music is quite important. Anything too loud can pull you out of the collaborative artform experience and anything soft can not pull you in enough. This leaves the player disengaged no matter the direction. Implementation is king with audio, as it is the last puzzle piece to ensure it fits with the game mechanics, art, story and tone of the game.

What would you say to someone interested in becoming a composer/sound designer for games?

**Chase: **I have and will always continue to say: play games. Play all types of video games, board games, card games, VR games etc.

Playing the games allows you to get a better sense of the work you are doing. Those play experiences will come in handy when you need to have references or bring a certain sound that is being asked of you to the table. Do not come up with the excuse of not having time to play games. Make the time. It can only help, not hurt.

What are your inspirations for your work on Aground?

**Chase: **Some of my main inspirations are from Crusader of Centy on Sega developed by Atlus. It was supposed to be a rival to The Legend of Zelda on the Super Nintendo.

How do you stay motivated over the course of a longer (1 yr +) project like Aground?

**Chase: **I stay motivated by taking some breaks away from a piece of music or sound design and working on something else.

Breaks allow my ears to rest, and sometimes I objectively look at the bigger picture of what direction of the project is going in and what I believe is missing that will add some interesting elements.

Also, having the community feedback and positive comments about Aground have been keeping me greatly motivated, especially when I receive shout-outs about the music.

Check out Chase’s Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/chase-bethea-1/no-boundaries

What is your workflow like? How do you move from an idea to final in-game form?

**Chase: **Some musical ideas I have had for Aground have come from melodies I have dreamed of.

Some other sound ideas have come from mishearing a cool sound in a retro-game I was playing.

For Aground I have a sound instrument palette I made from the first theme “No Sky Limit” and “No Boundaries.” This is so I have some sound consistency for the soundtrack. Occasionally, I will add some new instruments in to fill out an idea I have (i.e. “Dance with Dragons”).

After the new work session is made in my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), I try to come up with a name and to do that, I read the game design document and/or play the game. Then, I begin fleshing out the ideas I had by coming up with a drum rhythm or deciding which instrument will carry the melody for the corresponding area for Aground.

If I get stuck writing, I take a break or I play the game for a long time. I do not rush the creativity because if I am not feeling it, then the final result comes out half-done. I jump back and forth from the piano to the DAW to solidify my ideas. A lot of experimentation occurs, such as putting reverbs, delays and distortions on rhythmic patterns or instruments that I have not before. I tend to think of orchestration techniques with synths, so I will try doublings on some basses or stacking textures, entries, and exits with the music; treating it as if it was a conversation but also extending a feeling.

Two years ago, I adopted what I call the Alfred Hitchcock method. In an interview, Alfred was asked about being the master of the unexpected. Part of his response was “They’re saying to me ‘show us’ and ‘I know what’s coming next’… and I say, ‘Do you?’"

Every time I write music, I think about what I (and others) have done before too many times, and I go deliberately in a different direction. Some things do not change for the sake of form and project consistency. However, other things such as modulations, transitions, some chord progressions, melodic contour, orchestration, rests, time signatures and rhythmic patterns I do a little different every single time.

When the composition is done, since I mostly mix while I write, I check the mix in Mono and do a little compression. Then, I monitor (mix check referencing) on other mediums such as headphones, phone speakers and car speakers.

Lastly, I ask David, Natalie, and Aaron for feedback. If it’s all good, I render the track, edit it for loop format and deliver it.

For sound design, the process is a bit different. I play around with a lot of musical intervals, plugin effects and sequences to achieve the sound effects. I think about the phrasing of the sound. I try to make the sound with my mouth and realize it in the DAW. Unless it is straightforward like swords, chainsaws and flesh sounds, then I layer and manipulate recorded sounds I have in a library or that I recorded myself and mix it all together.

What is your favorite thing about working on this project?

**Chase: **Having the community give their feedback so fast to the updates we release is my favorite thing about working on the project. As a team it allows us to see what works and what does not work. In addition, it allows us to grow and make more cool things that we believe the players will enjoy and come back to discover.

Bonus: what’s the most adventurous or bravest thing you’ve ever done?

I went kayaking in the ocean last year with my girlfriend. I had never been in the ocean or kayaking before. I was terrified but after 30 minutes I learned to like it.

Want to play Aground?

You can get the game on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/876650/Aground/

Or, try the free demo of Aground: https://fancyfishgames.com/Aground/play/

Check out Chase’s website: http://chasebethea.com/

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chasebethea

Hey, look! He’s got a YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cbest08/videos

[jeremystrele]

Get The Look: Dark + Moody Bathrooms And Kitchens

Get The Look: Dark + Moody Bathrooms And Kitchens

Interiors

by Lucy Feagins, Editor

Oliveri Florence Kitchen Sink and Vilo Pull Out Mixer, in a contemporary dark and moody interior. Photo – courtesy of Oliveri.

1. Coco Flip – Jolly Single Rod Pendant

2. Oliveri – Vilo Pull Out Mixer

3. David Jones – Alessi Kettle

4. Designstuff – Krof Cutlery in Matte Black

Right image: Cloud Parade by Atlus Design Studio. Photo – Nic Gossage.

The incredible black kitchen at Slow Beam by Hearth Studio. Photo – Lauren Bamford.

Left image: Stylish black Santorini sink and Vilo Pull Out Mixer from Oliveri.

5. Marimekko – Unikko Tea Towel

6. Linear Standard – Cabinetry Hardware 

7. Makers’ Mrkt – Ella Reweti Vase

8. Artedomus – Inax Hinone Tiles

Hawthorn House by Edition Office. Photo – Ben Hosking. Styling – Marina Breit.

Hawthorn House by Edition Office. Photo – Ben Hosking. Styling – Marina Breit.

9. Baina – Josephine Hand Towel

10. Artedomus –Artesserae Polardur Brick 

11. Oliveri – Milan Basin

12. Country Road –  Kye Mirror & Bathroom Accessories

Highbury Grove Bathroom by Ritz & Ghougassian. Photo – Tom Blachford

13. Volker Haug – Anton Ceramic Colour

14. Country Road – Luma Bath Sheet

15. Makers Mrkt – Wave Soap Dish

16.  Tiles of Ezra – EZTZ1221

Left image:  Oliveri Naples Basin. Photo courtesy of Oliveri. Right image: Cloud Parade by Atlus Design Studio. Photo – Nic Gossage.

In recent years, we’ve seen real move away from all-white home interiors, towards darker material palettes.

These rich and moody schemes are particularly conducive to working spaces such as bathrooms and kitchens, where they add a sense of warmth and interest, while also hiding mess and clutter – a major bonus!

Bathrooms and kitchens offer multiple surfaces where this trend can be showcased, whether it be a statement kitchen sink, or a comprehensive scheme including luxe tiles, dark hardware, and sleek, stylish accessories.

Apply the following tips for each of these key areas, then shop the look above!

Tiles & surfaces

Any interior scheme relies fundamentally on the materials and paint colours selected. If black feels a little too intense, you can still add plenty of atmosphere to a space using lighter shades such as charcoal or mid-greys, burgundy, browns, dark blues, and deep greens.

Think about whether you want your surfaces (such as splashbacks, benchtops, cabinetry and flooring) to stand out, or sit as part of a cohesive scheme. If it’s the former, choose one ‘hero’ surface in a deep colour, then design the remainder of your space with contrasting, lighter shades to accentuate it. For example, all black cabinetry might be styled with metallic hardware, or a lighter coloured splashback, for contrast. Alternatively, if you’re feeling brave, all black everything makes a pretty impressive statement – consider the incredible kitchen at Slow Beam, Tasmania designed by Hearth Studio – case in point!

The mix of textures and finishes is also important. Aim for at least one surface in your bathrooms and kitchen that features texture, such as richly veined marble, weathered timber, terrazzo, or concrete.

Basins & tapware

The easiest way to integrate a dark and moody look in your kitchen or bathroom is with a black basin or sink. This could be a statement above-sink model, or a sleek, integrated style.

Oliveri offers multiple black sink, basin and tapware styles. Their vast range and superior design is synonymous with style, quality, and longevity! Our favourite bathroom styles are their stainless steel Milan basin for a contemporary look, or the more classic feel of the porcelain Naples basin.

In the kitchen, Oliveri’s moulded granite Florence and Santorini sinks styles are failsafe options, being scratch, impact, and heat resistant. A matte finish provides a timeless look that’s both sophisticated and durable. Complete the look with the convenient yet highly stylish Vilo Pull Out Mixer, available in a range of dark finishes.

Accessories

Accessories alone can make a huge impact towards creating a moody kitchen or bathroom interior, and there’s no end of products available!

In the kitchen, we’re seeing a move away from white or stainless steel appliances and kitchen accessories, with many black and deeper coloured options now available. We particularly love the Pleated Plisse Electric Kettle By Alessi, Krof Matte Black Cutlery, and Marimekko Unikko Kitchen Towel Set (proving dark products can also be uplifting!)

Bathrooms offer just as many options – from door hardware to storage canisters, towels, mirrors, soap dishes, hooks and artwork.

Finally, a dark interior doesn’t mean one devoid of nature – in fact, leafy foliage works beautifully alongside a dark colour palette, so don’t be afraid to soften the space with indoor plants.

Founded in 1947, Oliveri is a proud Australian manufacturer, and importer of quality products. View their quality kitchen, bathroom and laundry project ranges, stocked at stores nationwide at oliveri.com.au