Contact(DS) Routing/Testing(FIRST FULL RUN COMPLETE!)

Edit history:

EnkerBlues: 2014-03-05 06:41:43 am

2013-11-28 09:25:18 pm

EDIT: First full run!

Hello runners,
I am currently trying to route and test the very fun(and very short)DS RPG Contact and have found 0 information on SDA(or anywhere else) regarding speedrunning this game. It has never been raced on SRL either.
Has anyone played this game thoroughly enough to provide some hints/tips/sequence breaks?
Currently I am live routing the Caldoaxa ruins and have found a couple strats. I will also be documenting this route to help others who are interested in running.

I will be posting a link to the google doc as soon as I have started it. So far I've done some strats for the Deserted Isle and Caldoaxa Ruins. Ft. Eagle will be started once I get some mastery of the first two areas.

Thread title:

Monsyphon

2014-01-02 07:56:05 pm

Really ManoxMano

Hey Enker, I've begun running this game as well. PM me!

sketchfile

2014-01-02 08:44:01 pm

really cool to even see two people running this game. It's fairly unknown as far as i know, and it's a shame because it's rather fantastic imo. Good luck, hope to see some runs soon.

Monsyphon

2014-01-14 10:09:43 pm

Really ManoxMano

I'm making a segmented speedrun of this game because
-I don't have the equipment to record a real run
-I would like to raise interest for this game, and discuss various routes
-Show off it's fun, but also it's problems because of the lack of information

Here's the first three parts - Intro (cutscene), Deserted Island, and La Chef Beach
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZX_XXIJgUYCt4Ff68MfD2iz-OA5OJhaQ

Make sure to subscribe so you'll know when the next parts come out

Monsyphon

Edit history:

Monsyphon: 2014-02-11 08:29:46 am

2014-01-24 08:08:53 am

Really ManoxMano

= Caldoxia Ruins

Outdated.

EnkerBlues

2014-01-30 12:36:11 pm

Wow, I really wasn't paying attention to this thread after I made it. Thought it would get lost in the abyss.

I'm going to watch your run as soon as I get a chance. I noticed just by reading a little bit that you went for the Chef Outfit. I chose to completely ignore that but I'll see how it works out.

I completely lost the video of me doing up until "Snake" in Fort Condor. Even then I had made some adjustments to the run.

The real problem I had been having is getting enough money to buy a bunch of potions. The solution I found wasn't very appealing, but would have worked pretty well:

One-shotting the guy right outside the Fort Condor who is under the tree. He will either drop items or straight cash, the items sell for like 25-70 coins each or something. Go back in the fort, come back out and then repeat until you are able to afford about 40-50 potions, which is like 2800-3500 coins. This is the only real way I found to get a bunch of potions to be able to handle the rest of the game, much less Fort Condor. Now that there is someone else testing the game, I may very well get back to routing and testing it, seems there are a lot of different things that can be done.

Wow, I really wasn't paying attention to this thread after I made it. Thought it would get lost in the abyss.

I'm going to watch your run as soon as I get a chance. I noticed just by reading a little bit that you went for the Chef Outfit. I chose to completely ignore that but I'll see how it works out.

I completely lost the video of me doing up until "Snake" in Fort Condor. Even then I had made some adjustments to the run.

The real problem I had been having is getting enough money to buy a bunch of potions. The solution I found wasn't very appealing, but would have worked pretty well:

One-shotting the guy right outside the Fort Condor who is under the tree. He will either drop items or straight cash, the items sell for like 25-70 coins each or something. Go back in the fort, come back out and then repeat until you are able to afford about 40-50 potions, which is like 2800-3500 coins. This is the only real way I found to get a bunch of potions to be able to handle the rest of the game, much less Fort Condor. Now that there is someone else testing the game, I may very well get back to routing and testing it, seems there are a lot of different things that can be done.

Monsyphon

Edit history:

Monsyphon: 2014-01-30 02:41:40 pm

2014-01-30 02:39:43 pm

Really ManoxMano

One way I thought I could get money is by killing the rabbits, cooking the meat and selling them for 100 gold each. I think this may be sub-optimal but you could also try fighting the regular snakes near the start of Ft. They give Wild Game and BBQ wild game gives 200 each, this is at the cost of a tougher fight, but this can be justified in the extra gold, and the extra experience which helps out later. It also justifies the detour for the Chef outfit. Note: Gut gives a higher chance for food drops, which help in this endevour.

I think we can both agree that Mochi abuse in the boss fights are more or less required lol

Also consider getting herbs as opposed to potions, reason being is that since Terry is underleveled he can't drink a whole potion (80 HP), which means he's not getting the full benefit. This means wasting money. Herbs cost less but are more manageable in relation with Terry's low HP

EnkerBlues

Edit history:

EnkerBlues: 2014-01-30 06:31:37 pm

2014-01-30 06:25:45 pm

I don't know if you do this, but after I beat the Stone Giant in Caldoaxa, I go to the area that has the Super Bug and grind Strength off of that, that way I don't have to do much grinding in Fort Condor. By Getting the Saber in Fort Condor, I have more than enough str to take down Snake and Lester pt.2 with 5 double cuts or so. I think killing the snakes to get money may be more time consuming, but it is worth a short to test. I wouldn't mind testing off which one would be better seeing as how after getting the money I would need from the Tree Guard guy at Fort Condor, I would have to use the Ship Decal to go back to the ship and get back to the saleman faster to buy potions and stuff.

I think herbs may be better, but are they available to buy from the Salesman at Fort Condor? If not, it may be a tad time consuming to go back to Caldoaxa to buy a whole bunch. Usually at Ft Condor I'm at a good amount of HP, because getting hit at Ft. Condor can be costly if you don't have enough HP before getting to the bath before "Snake". I find a tiny HP grind to be worth it...so if you are at 80 HP, I think it is worth it to buy Potions. I'll have to get a video up soon of a good run so you can see what my strats are a little bit.

Seriously, so glad someone else has interest in this, may get me going on testing this game again.

I don't know if you do this, but after I beat the Stone Giant in Caldoaxa, I go to the area that has the Super Bug and grind Strength off of that, that way I don't have to do much grinding in Fort Condor. By Getting the Saber in Fort Condor, I have more than enough str to take down Snake and Lester pt.2 with 5 double cuts or so. I think killing the snakes to get money may be more time consuming, but it is worth a short to test. I wouldn't mind testing off which one would be better seeing as how after getting the money I would need from the Tree Guard guy at Fort Condor, I would have to use the Ship Decal to go back to the ship and get back to the saleman faster to buy potions and stuff.

I think herbs may be better, but are they available to buy from the Salesman at Fort Condor? If not, it may be a tad time consuming to go back to Caldoaxa to buy a whole bunch. Usually at Ft Condor I'm at a good amount of HP, because getting hit at Ft. Condor can be costly if you don't have enough HP before getting to the bath before "Snake". I find a tiny HP grind to be worth it...so if you are at 80 HP, I think it is worth it to buy Potions. I'll have to get a video up soon of a good run so you can see what my strats are a little bit.

Seriously, so glad someone else has interest in this, may get me going on testing this game again.

EnkerBlues

2014-01-30 06:28:36 pm

Also, yes, the Mochi grind HAS to happen. Really speeds up the Stone Giant fight, and also the Log Cabin Brawl at Fort Condor.

sketchfile

2014-01-30 06:50:23 pm

Cool to see more conversation on this guys, sorry I can't contribute!

My understanding is there's 3 suggestions at the moment to get money, correct? So each of the three should be timed? Don't forget to include travel time and selling time if you do.
1. One shotting the guy outside fort condor for items or cash
2. Rabbit killing, cooking meat, and selling them.
3. Snakes near the start of Ft. for Wild Game and BBQ

I don't remember enough about the game to be quite honest, to weigh in on herbs vs. potions (or anything for that matter). Things to consider in that debate would be if you hit the point where healing would still be needed, and you're at the 80+hp to fully benefit from potions. (also if there's a better place later on in the run to grind money/return to buy stuff).

Sorry I can't offer anything other than things to try to keep in mind that you probably already know to.

EnkerBlues

2014-01-30 06:54:58 pm

Any help or conversation is appreciated, sketch. This game is untouched as far as speedrunning goes besides monsy and I, so anything is up for discussion. I've never routed a game before either, so any advice on that would be greatly appreciated as well.

Monsyphon

2014-02-01 01:20:36 am

Really ManoxMano

The Super Bug...is that the thing that's in the last room of the spice guy's basement? I've tried grinding there but I think I was doing it wrong lol.
Pretty sure you have to trap them so that you can hit them but they cant hit you? I've never tried.

Grinding has to be done but the later the better is usually the best case. The Super Bug can be skipped, trading in place for the Snakes, imo. Less grind, but we'd also be working towards getting BBQ and money. Also in that area you will get hit, so resistance will be raised which is beneficial
I'll try and work out a segment of Fort Condor, maybe with the rabbits strat.
How I'm personally viewing it is that if grinding has to be done, it should be done in a way so that we get more benefit than money. We should be raising stats as well. So I propose the grinding is minimal so that we have enough to get through the one level, then grind in the next one.

I am also new to running (first game I'm taking seriously) so I'm very ameteur at routing myself.

The Super Bug...is that the thing that's in the last room of the spice guy's basement? I've tried grinding there but I think I was doing it wrong lol.
Pretty sure you have to trap them so that you can hit them but they cant hit you? I've never tried.

Grinding has to be done but the later the better is usually the best case.  The Super Bug can be skipped, trading in place for the Snakes, imo. Less grind, but we'd also be working towards getting BBQ and money. Also in that area you will get hit, so resistance will be raised which is beneficial
I'll try and work out a segment of Fort Condor, maybe with the rabbits strat.
How I'm personally viewing it is that if grinding has to be done, it should be done in a way so that we get more benefit than money. We should be raising stats as well. So I propose the grinding is minimal so that we have enough to get through the one level, then grind in the next one.

I am also new to running (first game I'm taking seriously) so I'm very ameteur at routing myself.

EnkerBlues

2014-02-01 02:11:44 pm

They are kind of tricky to corner. You have to use the Cloud Sword and get the Super Bug in just the right spot at the staircase in the previous room. It isn't easy, and usually requires getting hit by one spinning attack, which proves benificial to gain Defense and HP.

My theory while running it was just to grind STR to 30 to be able to take bosses out FAST. I was even considering taking on 2 more Super Bugs to be absolutely beastly with the STR to blow through everything. With grinding STR, all you have to do is worry about running through dungeons, getting hit enough times to raise DEF and HP and get to a bath right before a boss and have plenty of potions left over to take on any surprises a boss may throw. I admit that this doesn't sound like the most attractive way to go about it, with about 10 minutes of grinding in the early stages of the game...but I thought it could prove worthwhile later on since you can grind STR, DEF and HP without having to use potions.
The benefit I see of doing it your way is being able to get drops from more monsters...but killing those monsters may require using potions or herbs in the process.

They are kind of tricky to corner. You have to use the Cloud Sword and get the Super Bug in just the right spot at the staircase in the previous room. It isn't easy, and usually requires getting hit by one spinning attack, which proves benificial to gain Defense and HP.

My theory while running it was just to grind STR to 30 to be able to take bosses out FAST. I was even considering taking on 2 more Super Bugs to be absolutely beastly with the STR to blow through everything. With grinding STR, all you have to do is worry about running through dungeons, getting hit enough times to raise DEF and HP and get to a bath right before a boss and have plenty of potions left over to take on any surprises a boss may throw. I admit that this doesn't sound like the most attractive way to go about it, with about 10 minutes of grinding in the early stages of the game...but I thought it could prove worthwhile later on since you can grind STR, DEF and HP without having to use potions. 
The benefit I see of doing it your way is being able to get drops from more monsters...but killing those monsters may require using potions or herbs in the process.

EnkerBlues

Edit history:

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-01 02:59:58 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-01 02:56:55 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-01 02:56:54 pm

2014-02-01 02:56:08 pm

So, decided to do a run from Deserted Isle to Caldoaxa for fun...and of course I nailed everything right while I wasn't recording. Here are my stats and items after killing the Stone Golem...I don't know how long this took. I would guess 15-20 minutes?

http://imgur.com/a/kpAGQ

So I end up with a good amount of herbs, having used 3-4. HP at 62 isn't bad, it's enough to stay alive during a single Super Bug Non-Spin attack. I have a key to be able to get the treasure box full of money on one of the maps before reaching Fort Condor.

EnkerBlues

Edit history:

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-01 03:08:21 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-01 03:08:20 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-01 03:08:17 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-01 03:08:16 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-01 03:08:10 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-01 03:08:07 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-01 03:08:06 pm

2014-02-01 02:56:47 pm

Made a video showing the capture of the Super Bug. This is super ungraceful and I got kinda lucky, but that's the basic gist.

Monsyphon

Edit history:

Monsyphon: 2014-02-01 08:38:17 pm

Monsyphon: 2014-02-01 08:37:42 pm

2014-02-01 08:35:16 pm

Really ManoxMano

I think STR boosting might be the way to go. Might make Snake grinding (for cash) more easier. I will have to learn this trapping technique, it looks interesting.
Just curious, when you see the STR level up bubble pop up, is it always +1? Could you get the bubble to pop up and get +2?

I don't think I've gotton my stats that high in a run (I think). That's very interesting. My only critique is that maybe you should nab some tropical fruit at deserted island instead of herbs. If I play fairly solid, All fruit that you pass by+the herbs chest@deserted+initial food is enough to get me past the golem Then u can just save your money.
There's a chest with a lot of money?

EnkerBlues

2014-02-01 08:57:11 pm

I do pick up Tropical Fruit on the island, I just sell it all at the store in Caldoaxa in exchange for herbs. Fruit Takes up more of the Stomach Stamina, so if you are in a dangerous situation, pounding tropical fruit takes up more room in the stomach and doesn't heal as much. Each Fruit sells for 25 cents each, and with my route for Deserted Isle, I usually pick up anywhere between 5-7. I end up selling all the other Food that you have at default as well.

I don't think you get +2...but I'm not entirely sure. I'll have to check. All I know is that I get to level 29-30 for STR after killing the first bug.

There is a chest on the outskirts of Fort Condor that drops a good amount of money(300+) that requires a key.

Also noticed you use Chef for the Stone Giant. I use Aqua Shot since I can use Trickle to dish out some big damage to phase 2 of the boss. Really speeds things up.
So, for Stone Golem I do:
Mochi
Sword to finish off both hands
Trickle x5
Sword to finish off the boss.

I'll try another run from DI-CR again to show exactly what I do.

I do pick up Tropical Fruit on the island, I just sell it all at the store in Caldoaxa in exchange for herbs. Fruit Takes up more of the Stomach Stamina, so if you are in a dangerous situation, pounding tropical fruit takes up more room in the stomach and doesn't heal as much. Each Fruit sells for 25 cents each, and with my route for Deserted Isle, I usually pick up anywhere between 5-7. I end up selling all the other Food that you have at default as well.

I don't think you get +2...but I'm not entirely sure. I'll have to check. All I know is that I get to level 29-30 for STR after killing the first bug.

There is a chest on the outskirts of Fort Condor that drops a good amount of money(300+) that requires a key.

Also noticed you use Chef for the Stone Giant. I use Aqua Shot since I can use Trickle to dish out some big damage to phase 2 of the boss. Really speeds things up. 
So, for Stone Golem I do:
Mochi
Sword to finish off both hands
Trickle x5
Sword to finish off the boss.

I'll try another run from DI-CR again to show exactly what I do.

Monsyphon

Edit history:

Monsyphon: 2014-02-02 09:42:20 pm

Monsyphon: 2014-02-01 09:53:19 pm

Monsyphon: 2014-02-01 09:53:09 pm

2014-02-01 09:52:12 pm

Really ManoxMano

Our runs are VERY different but I haven't tried used the Fireman suit at all.
What's the usual damage per Trickle?
I wouldn't sell the burgers. They help boost your defense for the time it's in your stomach

EDIT: I've been trying out your grinding strat and I really like it. What I add to it is getting 2 EP, and Gut'ing the blue soldier in the building inside the house. Always gives a Melon which goes for 150 each. Speeds it up a ton! And I didn't know the scrub soldiers give pansy's (125) and strawberries (50!??!) so I think your grinding strat is the fastest. The Super Bug is also quite good, I'm adding it to my route.

EnkerBlues

2014-02-03 09:57:27 pm

I'll have to go back and do a run to get the specifics on Trickle, all I know is that when I use 5 Trickles, Phase 2 of Stone Golem is halfway dead.

I'll be testing the Gold Grind as well and finding out how many Potions are needed to get through Fort Condor. The addition of killing the blue guy inside the fort is a great edition to the gold grind, and can also help with Defense and Health since he lands some hits sometimes. I'll be testing Fort Condor with 30 potions and working my way down to see how many it would take to get through the Fort.
My plan after Fort Condor is to kill the merchant in Aegis and sell the weapons he drops back to him to grab a bunch of money, so getting a lot of potions at Fort Condor shouldn't be incredibly necessary.

Monsyphon

2014-02-04 02:59:23 am

Really ManoxMano

-Honestly I have been able to get through fort condor in less than 10 potions, 15 potions to be safe. The Melon strat makes getting potions super fast, so I think you can do all the gold grinding in Eagle.
-I've doing the STR grind strat before touching the Golem boss, helped out a ton. I'm gonna try doing it before the whole dungeon, it might make streamlining it faster. I've been having trouble getting the Super Bug completely stuck, especially when he's on the corner of the stair, he usually gets out.
-I'm gonna redo my segmented run now haha. I think it'll be deserted>Super Bug>Caldoxia>Eagle soldier miniboss>La chef>Grind>Finish Eagle. On my practice runs I've been hitting sub 1:45. I can def. improve this
I've also structured the route so that you can constantly check Mochi's current route so that it can be adjusted. It's a tough thing to keep track of however it's very important.

EnkerBlues

Edit history:

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-04 10:03:33 am

2014-02-04 10:01:34 am

-I know it's possible to get past Snake without having to use 1, but the Lester Fight takes up a lot of them for me. I may have to find a better route to get EP back after fighting "Snake". I've been using the Saber for these fights because of the 20% Crit Rate, so some dual flashes can get up to 150 per hit. Will do some testing to see how far I can get on 10-15, and if I can grind EP back to fight lester.

-Super Bug can't be in the corner while you are on the stairs, he will break free with a roll attack. I either wait for him to roll attack and then run down the stairs to get him stuck again and get him within reach of the Cloud Sword.

-So, with having to boil rabbits and cook them for 100 gold out of the question, what is the reasoning for going to La Chef to get the Chef outfit? I know gut is good with 3 hits, but how much damage does it do over the Saber with Dual Flash and a 20% crit chance? If it is significant than I can see a point to making the detour the La Chef. Otherwise I don't even want to bother with that place unless absolutely necessary.

-I have trouble knowing exactly how strong mochi is with his All Enemies attack. I can get it to do some good damage after 2 rubbing rounds, but sometimes I require a third. I don't know if it's because I'm emulating for now and it is harder to rub his belly with the trackpad on my laptop.
I know with the route I was doing I got Snake killed at ~51 minutes, but that was without gold grinding and without the Saber. So I suspect killing Snake should take just under an hour and then being able to blow through Lester and finding a good way to kill the Computer. It's been a while since I've played and I haven't even beat the game before, so fighting the computer is giving me some headaches =P.

EDIT: I think we should both try our rates up to killing Snake then compare and contrast. Been pretty busy the last 2 weeks so I haven't been able to do a run or plan to do one, but I should be able to this week after my 2 tests on Thursday.

-I know it's possible to get past Snake without having to use 1, but the Lester Fight takes up a lot of them for me. I may have to find a better route to get EP back after fighting "Snake". I've been using the Saber for these fights because of the 20% Crit Rate, so some dual flashes can get up to 150 per hit. Will do some testing to see how far I can get on 10-15, and if I can grind EP back to fight lester.

-Super Bug can't be in the corner while you are on the stairs, he will break free with a roll attack. I either wait for him to roll attack and then run down the stairs to get him stuck again and get him within reach of the Cloud Sword.

-So, with having to boil rabbits and cook them for 100 gold out of the question, what is the reasoning for going to La Chef to get the Chef outfit? I know gut is good with 3 hits, but how much damage does it do over the Saber with Dual Flash and a 20% crit chance? If it is significant than I can see a point to making the detour the La Chef. Otherwise I don't even want to bother with that place unless absolutely necessary.

-I have trouble knowing exactly how strong mochi is with his All Enemies attack. I can get it to do some good damage after 2 rubbing rounds, but sometimes I require a third. I don't know if it's because I'm emulating for now and it is harder to rub his belly with the trackpad on my laptop.
I know with the route I was doing I got Snake killed at ~51 minutes, but that was without gold grinding and without the Saber. So I suspect killing Snake should take just under an hour and then being able to blow through Lester and finding a good way to kill the Computer. It's been a while since I've played and I haven't even beat the game before, so fighting the computer is giving me some headaches =P.

EDIT: I think we should both try our rates up to killing Snake then compare and contrast. Been pretty busy the last 2 weeks so I haven't been able to do a run or plan to do one, but I should be able to this week after my 2 tests on Thursday.

Monsyphon

Edit history:

Monsyphon: 2014-02-05 01:50:06 pm

Monsyphon: 2014-02-05 06:25:40 am

2014-02-05 06:22:06 am

Really ManoxMano

-What are doing specifically in Ft Eagle? I've only practiced it....twice? I breezed through it. I'd go into details but it might be stuff you figured out already so I'll just add on whatever you say
-I tried going into the room on the staircase, and going back. Works nice for me, hasn't messed up, but will try more
-Yeah that's why I try putting as many places as I can to check the power of Mochi, and having sleeps that are "necessary" as opposed to deliberately adjusting it. When I was doing my segmented run I had that problem too lol
-Btw with the computer tap the + and - icons, in case you didn't know : P
-mmmmm ft eagle finish is a better benchmark. You can beat the computer!
-Running a bit of Aegis....I forgot you had to have all the costumes to unlock the main dungeon..shoot. Gotta add in that into all the levels

EnkerBlues

Edit history:

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-06 05:40:45 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-06 05:39:11 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-06 10:08:17 am

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-05 07:27:05 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-05 07:19:26 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-05 06:57:52 pm

EnkerBlues: 2014-02-05 04:40:04 pm

2014-02-05 03:24:45 pm

Welp, I was about to post my video for my segment up until snake, but now that is completely debunked. Not even gonna bother. I've also found a semi-consistent way to trap the super bug that isn't as risky.
Video of the safer strat. It doesn't really support my data since I took risks and tried to get the Super Bug to roll down. If he moves anywhere except up after he de-aggros, then just reset his spawn and try again. This can probably be repeated 3 times before it's not really a time save.
EDIT: The method for the super bug poses almost no risk to getting hit, but may take extra time to set up. So far, the new method has worked 90%for of the time. The other 10% of the time I never got hurt, but the bug didn't line up the right way. When I get home I will make a video of the new method.

Couple of route changes for me:
Deserted Isle:
-Skip picking up the rusty knife, not needed any more. Instead, spend 50 coins to buy a Paper Knife which has I imagine slightly better reach for pre-Ruins Super Bug.
-No need to fight the worms to grind EP, go straight to the ship after receiving the cell.
-Pick up the message in a bottle that opens up La Chef Beach. Not entirely sure going there right after Deserted Isle is best, might try going after Caldoaxa since the La Chef boss should be an incredible breeze

Caldoaxa:
-Sell all food besides the Cheeseburgers(or maybe sell 1 or 2). Those will be used during the Stone Giant/Lester fights(the digestions should last all the way through both battles).
-I fight the Super Bug BEFORE the Lester/Stone Giant fight. This seems like it will save around 3 minutes, since levelling off the Super Bug this way gets str to 31 rather than 29, but takes around 2 minutes longer than fighting the super bug after. The time saved will be how fast the Lester fight takes(like...30 seconds now), and how fast the stone giant takes(with a semi-decent Mocchi attack), the whole battle takes less than 2 minutes. I imagine getting a 200 Mocchi attack will really help things against the Stone Giant fly.
-Before fighting Lester, grab the Knuckle Mole costume and REPLACE the Aqua Shot. This will provide a HP/DEF upgrade that will help with the Stone Giant fight, reducing the need for more than 3 herbs.
-On the way back from Knuckle Mole, grab the Mage's Rod from the Treasure Chest. This can be sold for 80 coins, which means 1 less Potion to grind.
-Fight Lester using only normal attacks. Each attack will do around 35-40, and he will die REAL quick.
-Stone Giant: Mochi once, then destroy the arms with regular attacks.
-Stone GIant Phase 2: Use Dual Flash(at this point we'll have the Knuckle Mole Costume, so using "Rock" won't do well at all). This should bring him 3/4 of the way down. Finish him off.

La Chef Beach(?)
EDIT: After reading about what to do in Aegis, it seems like the Chef outfit does not count as one of the costumes needed for Aegis, therefore, La Chef is once again(to me) deemed useless.

So I just noticed this whole time I've been using "Fort Condor"...when it's "Fort Eagle". Whoopsie daisy.

Fort Eagle:
-Do the main story
-During Log Cabin Brawl, use the ? Decal then kill the leader
-GRAB KEYCARD NEAR THE FORT
-Money grind to get 20-25 potions, 3 Elixers.
-Once money grind is over, go north and take on the Wolf Leader to get the Flyboy Costume. (We'll need to see which costume to change in to. Flyboy adds a STR boost, but since we have plenty of that, Knuckle Mole may be wiser since we lack defense.
-Warp Back to the Ship to refresh Mochi/? stickers and to be closer to the merchant.
-Buy 20-25 potions, 3 Elixers.
-Head back to Fort Eagle and avoid all enemies until the Bath/Bedroom
-Use bath if necessary, then head to the keycard room to grab the Saber. Equip Saber.
-Grind 5EP if necessary from the easy soldiers back walking out of the Keycard room, being seen by them, then walking back in keycard room to kill them. Repeat.
-Fight Snake.

That's what I have so far. Possible things for Lester:
Snake will use all of your EP, so you may have to go back a screen and take on more easy soldiers to grind EP and travel all the way to kill Lester.

Sound like a decent route?

EDIT: Did some practice routing, was able to beat Lester without getting hit by hit-locking him by happy accident(will try and duplicate) and was able to take on the computer without it respawning soldiers, so I was just able to whack it until it died while pressing the "+" button every time the floor changed. I will try to duplicate this as well. The computer takes no longer than 2 minutes. I think Ft. Eagle can be beat pretty fast if the right things happen.

ANOTHER EDIT: Here is my run from DI-FE("Defeat Snake").

The original splits are my splits from the previous route before I knew I would have to get all the costumes/do the Super Bug first.
Not terribly surprised how much time doing the Super Bug first saves, I just didn't know I'd be saving 2 and half minutes even AFTER having to take a side track to get the Knuckle Mole. Crazy what a simple strat change can make.
I got INCREDIBLY lucky and got an Armor Breaker from a Super Bug. That's the first time it's ever dropped for me, sells for 400+ coins which lessens the grind on Potions.
Could have done things here are there to be better. After getting the cell, I'm thinking about making a sweep through the village to build up BP and getting 5 BP by killing bunnies right when landing at Fort Eagle. The Log Cabin Brawl suffered because of this.

The reason I lose time for the "Grind Money" section is because in that split, I had died while trying to get the Flyboy outfit and prematurely went to buy Potions. I'm still deciding how many Potions to buy since 1 hit from Lester is an IMMEDIATE Potion. He's gonna be the trickiest part of this area, because if he gets a crit, you're dead. I imagine he'll take about 6-7 potions all by himself.

I'll be attempting all of Fort Eagle soon.

Welp, I was about to post my video for my segment up until snake, but now that is completely debunked. Not even gonna bother. I've also found a semi-consistent way to trap the super bug that isn't as risky. 
[URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmXKQ9vQXoE&feature=youtu.be[/URL] Video of the safer strat. It doesn't really support my data since I took risks and tried to get the Super Bug to roll down. If he moves anywhere except up after he de-aggros, then just reset his spawn and try again. This can probably be repeated 3 times before it's not really a time save.
EDIT: The method for the super bug poses almost no risk to getting hit, but may take extra time to set up. So far, the new method has worked 90%for of the time. The other 10% of the time I never got hurt, but the bug didn't line up the right way. When I get home I will make a video of the new method.

Couple of route changes for me:
Deserted Isle:
-Skip picking up the rusty knife, not needed any more. Instead, spend 50 coins to buy a Paper Knife which has I imagine slightly better reach for pre-Ruins Super Bug.
-No need to fight the worms to grind EP, go straight to the ship after receiving the cell.
-Pick up the message in a bottle that opens up La Chef Beach. Not entirely sure going there right after Deserted Isle is best, might try going after Caldoaxa since the La Chef boss should be an incredible breeze

Caldoaxa:
-Sell all food besides the Cheeseburgers(or maybe sell 1 or 2). Those will be used during the Stone Giant/Lester fights(the digestions should last all the way through both battles).
-I fight the Super Bug BEFORE the Lester/Stone Giant fight. This seems like it will save around 3 minutes, since levelling off the Super Bug this way gets str to 31 rather than 29, but takes around 2 minutes longer than fighting the super bug after. The time saved will be how fast the Lester fight takes(like...30 seconds now), and how fast the stone giant takes(with a semi-decent Mocchi attack), the whole battle takes less than 2 minutes. I imagine getting a 200 Mocchi attack will really help things against the Stone Giant fly.
-Before fighting Lester, grab the Knuckle Mole costume and REPLACE the Aqua Shot. This will provide a HP/DEF upgrade that will help with the Stone Giant fight, reducing the need for more than 3 herbs.
-On the way back from Knuckle Mole, grab the Mage's Rod from the Treasure Chest. This can be sold for 80 coins, which means 1 less Potion to grind.
-Fight Lester using only normal attacks. Each attack will do around 35-40, and he will die REAL quick.
-Stone Giant: Mochi once, then destroy the arms with regular attacks.
-Stone GIant Phase 2: Use Dual Flash(at this point we'll have the Knuckle Mole Costume, so using "Rock" won't do well at all). This should bring him 3/4 of the way down. Finish him off.

La Chef Beach(?)
EDIT: After reading about what to do in Aegis, it seems like the Chef outfit does not count as one of the costumes needed for Aegis, therefore, La Chef is once again(to me) deemed useless.

So I just noticed this whole time I've been using "Fort Condor"...when it's "Fort Eagle". Whoopsie daisy.

Fort Eagle:
-Do the main story
-During Log Cabin Brawl, use the ? Decal then kill the leader
-GRAB KEYCARD NEAR THE FORT
-Money grind to get 20-25 potions, 3 Elixers.
-Once money grind is over, go north and take on the Wolf Leader to get the Flyboy Costume. (We'll need to see which costume to change in to. Flyboy adds a STR boost, but since we have plenty of that, Knuckle Mole may be wiser since we lack defense.
-Warp Back to the Ship to refresh Mochi/? stickers and to be closer to the merchant.
-Buy 20-25 potions, 3 Elixers.
-Head back to Fort Eagle and avoid all enemies until the Bath/Bedroom 
-Use bath if necessary, then head to the keycard room to grab the Saber. Equip Saber.
-Grind 5EP if necessary from the easy soldiers back walking out of the Keycard room, being seen by them, then walking back in keycard room to kill them. Repeat.
-Fight Snake.

That's what I have so far. Possible things for Lester:
Snake will use all of your EP, so you may have to go back a screen and take on more easy soldiers to grind EP and travel all the way to kill Lester.

Sound like a decent route?

EDIT: Did some practice routing, was able to beat Lester without getting hit by hit-locking him by happy accident(will try and duplicate) and was able to take on the computer without it respawning soldiers, so I was just able to whack it until it died while pressing the "+" button every time the floor changed. I will try to duplicate this as well. The computer takes no longer than 2 minutes. I think Ft. Eagle can be beat pretty fast if the right things happen.

ANOTHER EDIT: Here is my run from DI-FE("Defeat Snake"). [URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfYXFYzEsis[/URL]

The original splits are my splits from the previous route before I knew I would have to get all the costumes/do the Super Bug first.
Not terribly surprised how much time doing the Super Bug first saves, I just didn't know I'd be saving 2 and half minutes even AFTER having to take a side track to get the Knuckle Mole. Crazy what a simple strat change can make.
I got INCREDIBLY lucky and got an Armor Breaker from a Super Bug. That's the first time it's ever dropped for me, sells for 400+ coins which lessens the grind on Potions.
Could have done things here are there to be better. After getting the cell, I'm thinking about making a sweep through the village to build up BP and getting 5 BP by killing bunnies right when landing at Fort Eagle. The Log Cabin Brawl suffered because of this.

The reason I lose time for the "Grind Money" section is because in that split, I had died while trying to get the Flyboy outfit and prematurely went to buy Potions. I'm still deciding how many Potions to buy since 1 hit from Lester is an IMMEDIATE Potion. He's gonna be the trickiest part of this area, because if he gets a crit, you're dead. I imagine he'll take about 6-7 potions all by himself.

I'll be attempting all of Fort Eagle soon.

Monsyphon

2014-02-06 05:45:28 pm

Really ManoxMano

Here's my thoughts on your route:

Deserted
-Interesting how you buy a different knife as opposed to getting the rusty knife. I personally dont sell my food because they're useful and I never get damaged so much that I get full (so I keep them until I buy potions), but buying a knife at the store might be faster then taking the detour for the rusty knife. However, that makes the Ep grind slower, which leads to my next question...
-If you don't EP grind there, where do you EP grind, if you do at all? If it's after the super bug, that may take less time then grinding at deserted, since you're one-shotting most things. Revising that part of my route now

Caldoxia
-Co-signing on the chesseburgers, boosts def EXP so it's worthwhile
-I personally level on the Super Bug to STR30 then just leave, but yeah I figured the same thing so I did that part first. Getting through the guy guarding the basement is a pain though
-I personally don't like going out of my way for things cuz it's somewhat risky (getting trapped/hit by monsters) and my $$$ grinding strat is safer and faster (somewhat). In fact, I removed going out of my way for money chests as well.
-I never get hit in the Stone Golem fight, and the earthquake is always 15 damage. Aqua Shot makes things much faster, and reduces the risk of taking too much damage. Btw, a perfect Mochi can one-shot both arms, I've managed it once but the closest I've been to since was a 256 (one much strike to kill)

La Chef
-I do this after Caldoxia
- Gut x2 on a blue soldier guarantees a Melon ($150) everytime which reduces a lot of RNG and combined with the $$$ and items from the soldier outside combines to make Fort Eagle grinding much faster. Also, you can use Mochi on the mini-boss, so you can re-check Mochi's power should it need buffing.

Fort Eagle
I'll just list my route, it's pretty similar to yours
-Note: I am in Chef's uniform as I enter Fort
-EP grind on the animals as you go through the intro (after the Stone Golem, I am often tapped out)
-Snag the mallet as you lead the old man and dog to the cabin. It's there, it's $120, might as well
-Log Cabin Brawl -->? Decal, Dual Flash the leader. A dangerous fight because of his high damage output vs my low defence
-Grind for money, by killing the weak soldier until I get 2 EP, then go inside gut the blue soldier for the Melon. repeat repeat
-After about 10-12 Melons, I go to Flyboys
- Flyboy-->Mochi.
-Go home, refresh decals, sell stuff for potions. I will be getting 1-2 elixers now because that snake messes me up.
-Snag the Saber, recover 5 EP
-Snake --> Dual Flash, trade hits till he dies 2-3 potions. You can do some pathing traps in this level, but he will always be able to hit you. But then he won't do the binding attack should be trapped
-Recover EP, fight Lester --> same as before, use a cheesburger here because he'll then give you craaazy DEF EXP
- Recover EP, finish off the computer with Mochi+dual flash
-Done

You mentioned being able to fight the computer but stopping the soldiers from spawning...tell me more about that? This could save a trip to the EP grind if I could just keep whacking the computer w/o worry.
As for costumes, Flyboy increases movement speed so that should be considered...while +movement is small it's still worthwhile, and maybe saves seconds lol

Here's my thoughts on your route:

Deserted
-Interesting how you buy a different knife as opposed to getting the rusty knife. I personally dont sell my food because they're useful and I never get damaged so much that I get full (so I keep them until I buy potions), but buying a knife at the store might be faster then taking the detour for the rusty knife. However, that makes the Ep grind slower, which leads to my next question...
-If you don't EP grind there, where do you EP grind, if you do at all? If it's after the super bug, that may take less time then grinding at deserted, since you're one-shotting most things. Revising that part of my route now

Caldoxia
-Co-signing on the chesseburgers, boosts def EXP so it's worthwhile
-I personally level on the Super Bug to STR30 then just leave, but yeah I figured the same thing so I did that part first. Getting through the guy guarding the basement is a pain though
-I personally don't like going out of my way for things cuz it's somewhat risky (getting trapped/hit by monsters) and my $$$ grinding strat is safer and faster (somewhat). In fact, I removed going out of my way for money chests as well.
-I never get hit in the Stone Golem fight, and the earthquake is always 15 damage. Aqua Shot makes things much faster, and reduces the risk of taking too much damage. Btw, a perfect Mochi can one-shot both arms, I've managed it once but the closest I've been to since was a 256 (one much strike to kill)

La Chef 
-I do this after Caldoxia
- Gut x2 on a blue soldier [i]guarantees[/i] a Melon ($150) everytime which reduces a lot of RNG and combined with the $$$ and items from the soldier outside combines to make Fort Eagle grinding much faster. Also, you can use Mochi on the mini-boss, so you can re-check Mochi's power should it need buffing.

Fort Eagle
I'll just list my route, it's pretty similar to yours
-Note: I am in Chef's uniform as I enter Fort
-EP grind on the animals as you go through the intro (after the Stone Golem, I am often tapped out)
-Snag the mallet as you lead the old man and dog to the cabin. It's there, it's $120, might as well
-Log Cabin Brawl -->? Decal, Dual Flash the leader. A dangerous fight because of his high damage output vs my low defence
-Grind for money, by killing the weak soldier until I get 2 EP, then go inside gut the blue soldier for the Melon. repeat repeat
-After about 10-12 Melons, I go to Flyboys
- Flyboy-->Mochi.
-Go home, refresh decals, sell stuff for potions. I will be getting 1-2 elixers now because that snake messes me up.
-Snag the Saber, recover 5 EP
-Snake --> Dual Flash, trade hits till he dies 2-3 potions. You can do some pathing traps in this level, but he will always be able to hit you. But then he won't do the binding attack should be trapped
-Recover EP, fight Lester --> same as before, use a cheesburger here because he'll then give you craaazy DEF EXP
- Recover EP, finish off the computer with Mochi+dual flash
-Done

You mentioned being able to fight the computer but stopping the soldiers from spawning...tell me more about that? This could save a trip to the EP grind if I could just keep whacking the computer w/o worry.
As for costumes, Flyboy increases movement speed so that should be considered...while +movement is small it's still worthwhile, and maybe saves seconds lol

EnkerBlues

2014-02-06 09:40:32 pm

To answer some of your stuff...
Deserted Isle:
-I EP grind after the Super Bug by killing all the monsters on the way back to the entrance(3 regular bugs, 3-4 bats). No need for Rusty Knife detour.

Caldoaxa:
-To get through the guy at the door, simply use Trickle on him. 1 hit kill.
-I will revise my route to just leave after level 30...no use killing the thing unless you're looking to get the Armor Breaker which RARELY happens. I like leaving at 30, will revise
-I don't understand what you mean about going out of your way for things here? Only thing I went out of the way for was Knuckle Mole, which is required. I also change in to Knuckle Mole for the HP boost, since Aqua Shot only does WIS boost which I have no need for since Dual Flash is stronger than Trickle.
-I try not to get hit either, the earthquake should be the only thing to get hit by. I believe I used a Cheeseburger on Lester to STR boost through the Lester fight and the Stone Giant Fight.

La Chef:
-...still finding it hard to find a reason to go to La Chef. Since the money grind at Fort Eagle isn't really going to be a huge grind anymore(for me), making such a detour just to save time on money grind sounds counter productive. How long does a run through La Chef take? You have to account for Globing over there, sleeping, talking to La Chef, going through the dungeon, etc etc. If it takes more than 3-4 minutes I'm not seeing a huge time save. Seeing as how Chef Outfit isn't required for the Aegis Dungeon as well, if you were wishing to use the Chef for that dungeon, you would have to do an extra costume change to revert, which means a couple more minutes lost. As of right now, in my mind, the only thing Chef would be useful for is the money grind...but you lose time going over to the beach to get it. If you'd like you can test and let me know how much it saves.

Fort Eagle:
-I agree with all the stuff(barring Chef outfit).
-Agree with using Flyboy, the STR boost is worth it as well.

Regarding the computer, I tried the fight a dozen times and was never able to duplicate preventing the respawn of soldiers. Must have been extreme luck. If it's possible to manipulate this it would be awesome though. Still trying to figure out the "+/-" channel manipulation. Seems somewhat random to me.

As far as costumes, for the future it seems (again, to me) that the Nitro Boost might be the best option. With such low stats, it may seem beneficial to pump extra in to STR and be over the top strong. Nitro Boost provides +7 STR Levels. I've only tested Aegis slightly, so this is subject to change.

Also, it's been fun trading ideas back and forth, I had really lost interest in routing this game simply because it seemed slow and grindy. Had no motivation, so thanks for hoppin on!

To answer some of your stuff...
Deserted Isle:
-I EP grind after the Super Bug by killing all the monsters on the way back to the entrance(3 regular bugs, 3-4 bats). No need for Rusty Knife detour.

Caldoaxa:
-To get through the guy at the door, simply use Trickle on him. 1 hit kill.
-I will revise my route to just leave after level 30...no use killing the thing unless you're looking to get the Armor Breaker which RARELY happens. I like leaving at 30, will revise
-I don't understand what you mean about going out of your way for things here? Only thing I went out of the way for was Knuckle Mole, which is required. I also change in to Knuckle Mole for the HP boost, since Aqua Shot only does WIS boost which I have no need for since Dual Flash is stronger than Trickle.
-I try not to get hit either, the earthquake should be the only thing to get hit by. I believe I used a Cheeseburger on Lester to STR boost through the Lester fight and the Stone Giant Fight.

La Chef:
-...still finding it hard to find a reason to go to La Chef. Since the money grind at Fort Eagle isn't really going to be a huge grind anymore(for me), making such a detour just to save time on money grind sounds counter productive. How long does a run through La Chef take? You have to account for Globing over there, sleeping, talking to La Chef, going through the dungeon, etc etc. If it takes more than 3-4 minutes I'm not seeing a huge time save. Seeing as how Chef Outfit isn't required for the Aegis Dungeon as well, if you were wishing to use the Chef for that dungeon, you would have to do an extra costume change to revert, which means a couple more minutes lost. As of right now, in my mind, the only thing Chef would be useful for is the money grind...but you lose time going over to the beach to get it. If you'd like you can test and let me know how much it saves.

Fort Eagle:
-I agree with all the stuff(barring Chef outfit).
-Agree with using Flyboy, the STR boost is worth it as well.

Regarding the computer, I tried the fight a dozen times and was never able to duplicate preventing the respawn of soldiers. Must have been extreme luck. If it's possible to manipulate this it would be awesome though. Still trying to figure out the "+/-" channel manipulation. Seems somewhat random to me.

As far as costumes, for the future it seems (again, to me) that the Nitro Boost might be the best option. With such low stats, it may seem beneficial to pump extra in to STR and be over the top strong. Nitro Boost provides +7 STR Levels. I've only tested Aegis slightly, so this is subject to change.

Also, it's been fun trading ideas back and forth, I had really lost interest in routing this game simply because it seemed slow and grindy. Had no motivation, so thanks for hoppin on!