Forgotten World - 4: Centaurs and Slavers

August awoke late in the morning at the Spearpoint inn. A stiffness assailed his arm muscles, bringing to memory his close fight with the ogre the night before. He regretted collapsing on his bed without stretching properly. Over a breakfast of pan fried ham and spiced potatoes, he mused to himself that he didn't relish heading back out to explore this town, as it seemed to be veritably overflowing with baddies. Such was the life of the adventurer however, he decided, securing his battle axe to his belt. He nodded to the proprietor of the inn, and headed out into the streets.

Bastille has a number of anthropomorphic inhabitants.

August's thoughts echo my own a bit, the exploration and discovery aspect of Forgotten World is certainly it's strongest point. However, the combats are so difficult that it can quickly become a drag. I was excited to see what the town of Spearpoint had to offer, however, I can basically handle one encounter, random or not, before having to head back to the inn. Sometimes two is plausible, but I usually need to use my single fireball and my stinking cloud spells which are fairly essential. I'm sure this stems from the game being designed around the assumption that only the most powerful characters would be adventuring solo. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It seems like there is a very small amount of area to build up your beginning character and still survive, which means you have to grind for hours, days, whatever, to be able to get to "the good stuff". I'm not sure what exactly is at fault here. Either I am playing the game poorly, the folks who played when the game was designed were much more patient, or it's entirely dependent on having adventuring companions. I'm not sure exactly what combination of things is at fault, but I'm willing to keep trying some different things. 

It's notable that people are certainly still playing, based on the status screen that summarizes who is playing currently, and who has recently, but I've only ever actually seen another player on once at the same time as myself! To be fair, some players may have logged on while I was playing and I hadn't noticed... you do have to check by hitting Shift-F2 in game.

The status screen at http://www.forgottenworld.com/WorldStatus.aspx See? I was playing.

It was a fine day August found himself in as he exited the inn, his boots crunching on the packed dirt and gravel. The main street through the tightly packed houses and businesses of Spearpoint was once again conspicuously empty. This was only slightly comforting, as August knew that a horde of thieves and their damned walking trees could be hiding anywhere.

I have fought this random battle SO MANY times...

Continuing my exploration of the town, I did come across one very cool encounter. A centaur is being rangled by gnolls. The centaur fought with me as an ally, shooting arrows at the pesky gnolls and their giant rats. After helping him, the centaur mentions that the gnolls were slavers, hoping to sell him in Tsugaria. The name Tsugaria had come up earlier as well, in a conversation with the Mayor of Spearpoint. He had called the Tsugarians "Pirates-turned-tyrants", and believes them to be responsible for the monsters in Spearpoint.

I wonder if this info about a secret passage beneath a cliff will be handy later.

The remaining encounters in Spearpoint were simply difficult combats, which as you can guess, I was fairly non-plussed about. Getting creamed once and coming up with a new strategy can be fun, but getting smashed three times by a mammoth is not so fun. A mammoth! In a house... with... spies? Then there was a greenhag leading "browlers", who otherwise look like owlbears of D&D fame. Which was kind of cool until I got smashed by them too. These battles seemed winnable, but I need a lot of luck. I don't like depending on luck.

These spies have a trained mammoth! That they keep... in their new house.

I know hags are powerful in D&D, but I found that much less scary than the level-draining wight I originally thought her to be!

No doubt a part of my frustration is due to not having played the game for quite a while, and thus having to  get back in the swing of things. After playing again for a couple hours I started to get more comfortable. I've been experimenting with new spell selections. For some reason I wasn't using enlarge, which seems a pretty big oversight, as the jump from 18(15) to18(97) strength should make a big difference in many battles. Most notably, I just leveled up to 6 as a mage, and was thus able to pick up invisibility, which I have high hopes for.

As for what's next on the blog, I still need to finish up my posts on FFX-2, as I finished the game a fair while ago. I thought I was ready to table FRUA: Neverwinter Nights, but... after playing Forgotten World again I'm getting the itch to continue the side by side comparison, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens!

Although he had to all out flee from both a nasty boiled hag and a wooly mammoth, August considered it a successful day. His heroism in the face of the gnoll slavers to save the centaur were enough for him to sleep tonight, he thought as he pulled up his down covers. As to what craziness tomorrow would hold, he could not predict. 

Sleep tight my friends, and for more of the adventures of our hero, August Star, join me again... for This Bard's Tales!

Play Time to Post: 2h 50m

Total Play Time: 21h 50m

Final Fantasy X-2, 5: The Cradle of Vegnagun

With the Leblanc Syndicate in tow, the Gullwings were now off to Bevelle. The last time they had entered Bevelle they were met with hostilities, however. This trip proved no different, as the guards of the Highbridge turned their guns on the High Summoner! To Yuna's relief, once the team made it to the main gates, the hostilities subsided. In fact, everyone inside was strangely helpful considering the Gullwings status as traitors within New Yevon. The Praetor Baralai had gone missing, and the Yevonites were eager to find direction, even if it came from a "traitor". After a little exploration, the Gullwings found a lift which took them under the palace, into the temple.

Yuna revisits the temple at Bevelle.

The Bevelle dungeon is the largest by far in the main quest, as far as I can remember. The Gullwings first descend into the temple, then into the "underground". As they progress, the Gulls recognize their surroundings from the various spheres they have found in their travels.

Yuna finds a hidden treasure chest in the underground. The Gullwings descend on the chain, then face a series of battles with security mechs.

After passing the security checkpoint, the girls find Praetor Baralai, however, he is acting a bit strangely. He does not believe that Vegnagun can be stopped, and instead seeks to prevent anyone from going near it, and thus activating it. He states simply that if Vegnagun could be disabled, it would have already been done long ago. Also, he acknowledges that he and Paine know each other, which is a bit of a surprise to the other girls. When it is apparent that the Gulls and the Praetor disagree on the best way to deal with the giant machina, Baralai attacks! Baralai is a reasonably challenging foe. After the defeat of the Praetor, Paine rushes ahead, with or without the rest of the Gulls! Rikku and Yuna follow, only to find that...

Vegnagun isn't there!

The massive machina appears to have activated, and then fled by burrowing an enormous hole through the wall of its cradle. As if this wasn't bad enough news, upon investigating, the Gullwings are attacked by an Aeon, Bahamut! Something isn't quite right here either, but despite Yuna's protests, the Aeon is in the end defeated.

Following the revelation that Vegnagun has moved, the Celsius receives numerous distress calls. Apparently, fiends are pouring out of the temples! The Gullwings traveled to Besaid to help out. There is a running theme in the story that Yuna is a "do-gooder", and some of the other characters criticize her for it. Maybe I'm just a "goody two-shoes" myself, but it seemed a little unnecessary in a genre that is so often about heroes saving the world. Out of place or not, Yuna immediately rushes to help the temples. However, the Gulls come up with the idea that they will charge for their services to help defeat these fiends. It's purely a storyline thing, as the player sees Buddy negotiating, but whatever fees he pulls don't affect the player's inventory. I can only guess that those fees go to paying for the operation of the Celsius, and the stocking of the bar!

Earlier when I traveled to Besaid, a fellow named Beclam was introduced, who had been sent by the Youth League to train the Aurochs. He is a hardass, and harbors a major grudge against Yevon. He introduces one of the numerous mini-games, called the "Gunner's Gauntlet." However, that's not so important here, what is important is that he plans to burn down the temple! For the moment, Wakka has managed to hold back the fiends, but Beclam is determined to burn down the temple if the come again. Thankfully the Gullwings are here to save the day!

Beclam attempts to harden the ever underachieving Besaid Aurochs.

The Gullwings brave the temple, saving Wakka from leaving his child prematurely fatherless, as they make sure to point out to him. They discover that the fiends are coming from the chamber of the fayth, where now there is only a hole into darkness! They make another unfortunate discovery as well... another Aeon.

Valefor... or is it?

Moving on, the Gullwings clear out the other temples, also encountering their original aeons in hostile form. Just as in FF10, I believe the cavern of the stolen fayth is optional here. Those who have turned the Calm Lands into amusement rides are seeking to do the same to the cavern, however, when the fiends appear, the idea hits them solidly in the face! It makes more a fun mini-game where the Gullwings rescue folks stuck in the cave. Each one of the people rescued has an "eccentricity" though, such as only traveling in groups of less than a certain number. The more people the Gulls rescue, the higher their rewards. Much like the temples, in the end they face off against another possessed Aeon, Yojimbo.

Like many other bloggers, I have fallen victim to a busy work schedule, August being my busiest time of year, and have had to take a bit of time off from the blogging. However, I'm back! Out of curiosity, I'm also going to start keeping track of my play times, borrowing an idea from Zenic Reverie's blog The RPG Consoler. I'll have two times, the amount from the last post to the current one, and my total time spent on the game!

Play Time to Post: 5:00

Total Play Time: 63:32

May you ever have time you need, join us here next time... for This Bard's Tales!    

Final Fantasy X-2, 4: Le Chateau.

After recovering a sphere at the Kilika temple, the Gullwings were a bit careless, and found themselves burgled. The culprit was none other than the Leblanc Syndicate! Sneaking aboard the Celsius, the syndicate stole the partial sphere the Gullwings had found on Besaid Island. The dastardly Leblanc left a large pink sphere behind to gloat. 

The syndicate had holed up in the palace in Gaudosalam, which the Guado had abandoned. Leblanc's goons guarded the entry way, so the Gullwings devised a plan. They would find disguises, "liberating" uniforms from Syndicate goons. It didn't take long in Guadosalam to find out where the goons were operating throughout Spira, the syndicate not being too concerned about secrecy. The trio set about their "liberation", defeating goons at a hot spring on Gagazet, an oasis on Bikanel, and on the Djose Highroad. With their newly acquired gear, the Syndicate HQ awaited.

Yuna, in disguise.

The Gullwings immediately found out that "The Boss", as Leblanc was known, was in a foul mood, and thus in need of a back massage. Unfortunately for her, Yuna was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the duty fell to her.

The massage mini-game was mildly entertaining, but with Leblanc's moaning, it's pretty much cheap titillation. Note the statue of Nooj in the background. Leblanc: she does it all for the Noojie, come on, the Noojie.

After a short while, Yuna was surprised to find that her amateur massage skills had lulled Leblanc into slumber. Perhaps she had a natural talent, she mused out loud. With Leblanc taken care of, the fresh "goons" were then sent to inspect a switch in the great hall, which opened a secret door, leading to the rooms of the syndicate's strong arms. The Gullwings explored the rooms of Logos and Ormi, then found a storage room with the Leblanc Syndicate's sphere wave sensor, and the partial sphere that was stolen from them!

Ormi's room. The Leblanc syndicate love's their fluffy cushions and ornate trappings.

The partial sphere was accompanied by... another partial sphere. Making one whole sphere! The sphere depicted a massive machina, which looked very threatening, that appeared to be located underneath Bevelle. However, as the Gullwings were messing with the sphere halves, the syndicate hotheads showed up, led by Leblanc. The Gulls quickly knocked them down with a one-two punch, and a roundhouse kick, then watched the sphere. After all the fighting, the Leblanc Syndicate and the Gullwings agreed that they both wished to stop the massive doomsday machina Vegnagun, and thus were on the same side.

Their next destanation determined, the Gullwings began preparations to head to Bevelle, with the Leblanc Syndicate in tow. They went to face the massive, potentially world-ending foe, Vegnagun! To find out what happens, join us here again... at This Bard's Tales!