Valkryia Chroncles 2, Any%

InfiniteSheldor

Edit history:

InfiniteSheldor: 2015-03-28 03:01:37 am

InfiniteSheldor: 2015-03-27 02:36:43 pm

2015-03-27 02:35:59 pm

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

Quote from WanderingMind:

Huhh, random loading screens after you select a character.... something... doesn't feel right. I kind of want to go back and test stuff out.

I was recording the run with Amarec, which was a total pain in the butt to set up. When it does work, all I have to do is hook up my PSP to the TV and there really isn't much else other than making sure the capture card is properly hooked up.

Yes, the timer will run from the beginning of the run to the end of the run, this includes naming things. You can set the text to instant speed, so all you really should be doing is mashing Start to skip through the entire thing.

Okay, I've gotta be quick at naming then. I presume the loading is because I'm using the UMD but it doesn't seem right since I have installed the install data, but I don't think I'm using UMD Cache because of how loud it is. Still weird though. My PSP also experiences some... hardware issues, by opening up the menu (the grey screen asking if I want to quit) randomly, without me pressing a button, along with the occasion freezing for a second and that loading thing... It could cost me a sub 4 run, due to how serious it is. The Amarec sounds interesting, may have to look into that. And also, the PSP is PlayStation TV compatible?

[quote="WanderingMind"]Huhh, random loading screens after you select a character.... something... doesn't feel right.  I kind of want to go back and test stuff out.

I was recording the run with Amarec, which was a total pain in the butt to set up.  When it does work, all I have to do is hook up my PSP to the TV and there really isn't much else other than making sure the capture card is properly hooked up.

Yes, the timer will run from the beginning of the run to the end of the run, this includes naming things.  You can set the text to instant speed, so all you really should be doing is mashing Start to skip through the entire thing.[/quote]
Okay, I've gotta be quick at naming then. I presume the loading is because I'm using the UMD but it doesn't seem right since I have installed the install data, but I don't think I'm using UMD Cache because of how loud it is. Still weird though. My PSP also experiences some... hardware issues, by opening up the menu (the grey screen asking if I want to quit) randomly, without me pressing a button, along with the occasion freezing for a second and that loading thing... It could cost me a sub 4 run, due to how serious it is. The Amarec sounds interesting, may have to look into that. And also, the PSP is PlayStation TV compatible?

WanderingMind

2015-03-28 10:29:58 pm

Stay chill, be cool.

Yeahhhhhhh you may want to look into getting a new PSP. Also if recording in composite is your only option, go for a 3000 model since I think the 2000 model does component only. 3000 can do both.

PSP games for the most part should work on the PS TV. For VC2, you need to download it from Sony's content manager program for the computer or download the game onto your PS3 and then transfer it over to your PS TV.

I'm going to be comparing my splits for my 4:04:27 run against Ghoul's splits for his 5:22:54 run to see who did what mission faster, and then see where I can improve. Despite the 1:18:27 time difference, I already know he did some missions faster with his strats, so now I can get a more clear picture of how to improve.

InfiniteSheldor

Edit history:

InfiniteSheldor: 2015-03-29 01:43:55 am

2015-03-29 12:54:01 am

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

Good idea. We need good mission strats. As for my 100% save file I have A ranked all extra missions and January, February, March... And another one, somewhere. I do remember a DLC package of 22 extra missions on the PS Store. I keep forgetting to check if it is there or not now. It intrigues me since I got the golden complete (for A ranking all the missions there) for the Extra section, unless it only counts the ones you have installed. I have the two Phantasy Star Portable missions and the Vs. Class E and Vs. Class F missions. I was going to get a 3000 but I got a 2000 instead. Don't remember why.

Ghoul02

2015-03-29 02:14:55 am

www.twitch.tv/ghoul02

DLC should still be available on the store.

Also, you have to install the game then toggle in options install data on. Failing that, buy the game on PSN for 10 dollars. Sounds like you have one of the Birth By Sleep models? I've heard of issues with them, there are hacks, but mine has generally held up just fine.

Naming your squad and tank is worthless. You can do it, but given that a single button press pushes you past it, totally not worth it. I dunno, I see the desire for the reference, just seems like a waste.

I haven't done much rerouting since making the initial route, beyond adding Beyond the Floodgates. TWM has some strats I don't use, and I never fully routed what using the new turret does (I used the stock turret the full run). At the moment, I'm probably done with the game and won't come back for a while. I feel like honestly, I'd work on routing VC3 before going back to VC2. It'd be fun to do VC Trilogy runs, given that I know (and am awful at) the route for VC1, and did most of the initial work on VC2.

DLC should still be available on the store.

Also, you have to install the game then toggle in options install data on. Failing that, buy the game on PSN for 10 dollars. Sounds like you have one of the Birth By Sleep models? I've heard of issues with them, there are hacks, but mine has generally held up just fine.

Naming your squad and tank is worthless. You can do it, but given that a single button press pushes you past it, totally not worth it. I dunno, I see the desire for the reference, just seems like a waste.

I haven't done much rerouting since making the initial route, beyond adding Beyond the Floodgates. TWM has some strats I don't use, and I never fully routed what using the new turret does (I used the stock turret the full run). At the moment, I'm probably done with the game and won't come back for a while. I feel like honestly, I'd work on routing VC3 before going back to VC2. It'd be fun to do VC Trilogy runs, given that I know (and am awful at) the route for VC1, and did most of the initial work on VC2.

InfiniteSheldor

Edit history:

InfiniteSheldor: 2015-03-29 02:27:22 am

2015-03-29 02:20:30 am

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

Hey Ghoul02

I don't have a specific Birth By Sleep model, but I do have the game installed on the system. I could probably pick up the PSN version for my birthday in April.

I guess the reference is worthless, but I feel like doing it for one run would make me happy

As for VC Trilogy runs, I know there's a run for VC1 that's been fully submitted to SDA. I can't run it because my laptop is to terrible to hold up the Steam version and my PS3 randomly overheats. There's no way it'll last a few-hours-long run like VC1. As for VC3, I'd be happy to route it with you. The maps and stuff are mostly the same but with a few new additions. So yeah, I'll route it with you if you want.

And TWM's work on VC2 so far is very useful. Sub 4 is possible for me, but probably once I get the PSN version

Speaking of the DLC missions, what are they?

Ghoul02

2015-03-29 02:37:07 am

www.twitch.tv/ghoul02

Yeah, once you install the game, you have to tell it in settings that the game is installed. It's a bit backwards admittedly. Trust me, I was insanely mad when I found the same thing on Persona 3 Portable and found that was why in fights, everything seemed to take so long.

VC3 is a long way off. And I feel it's going to be a total oddball to route. In what I've played of it, interception fire seems much more powerful, which negates a lot of the strategy used in VC1 and 2. I don't think the tank was nerfed too badly, but really, a majority of the routing in VC2 was removing as much of the tank as possible while still being consistent. It's going to take a while and is behind finishing the route for Persona 4 Golden, among other things potentially. I'll get to it when I get to it, in other words.

I didn't really do much of the DLC beyond the first few. They're challenge missions essentially, never really grabbed me as a casual player, didn't feel like digging them up to try them on emulator when I was routing either. They're almost definitely not useful unless there's some absurd weapon (and I can't imagine anything being more OP than the turret we already use) you get from one; even then, you're looking at a several minute time loss to complete them, as there are no optional missions in the 55 the route takes beyond the single one to get the Capt Turret. I never 100%ed the game, but I enjoyed it and the speedtech in VC1 enough to waste like a week and a half hashing out what was still, IMO a pretty decent route.

Yeah, once you install the game, you have to tell it in settings that the game is installed. It's a bit backwards admittedly. Trust me, I was insanely mad when I found the same thing on Persona 3 Portable and found that was why in fights, everything seemed to take so long.

VC3 is a long way off. And I feel it's going to be a total oddball to route. In what I've played of it, interception fire seems much more powerful, which negates a lot of the strategy used in VC1 and 2. I don't think the tank was nerfed too badly, but really, a majority of the routing in VC2 was removing as much of the tank as possible while still being consistent. It's going to take a while and is behind finishing the route for Persona 4 Golden, among other things potentially. I'll get to it when I get to it, in other words.

I didn't really do much of the DLC beyond the first few. They're challenge missions essentially, never really grabbed me as a casual player, didn't feel like digging them up to try them on emulator when I was routing either. They're almost definitely not useful unless there's some absurd weapon (and I can't imagine anything being more OP than the turret we already use) you get from one; even then, you're looking at a several minute time loss to complete them, as there are no optional missions in the 55 the route takes beyond the single one to get the Capt Turret.  I never 100%ed the game, but I enjoyed it and the speedtech in VC1 enough to waste like a week and a half hashing out what was still, IMO a pretty decent route.

InfiniteSheldor

2015-03-29 02:40:22 am

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

Quote from Ghoul02:

Yeah, once you install the game, you have to tell it in settings that the game is installed. It's a bit backwards admittedly. Trust me, I was insanely mad when I found the same thing on Persona 3 Portable and found that was why in fights, everything seemed to take so long.

Yeah, it's backwards, and yeah, it takes so long. But how do I do that?

Ghoul02

Edit history:

Ghoul02: 2015-03-29 02:47:50 am

2015-03-29 02:47:30 am

www.twitch.tv/ghoul02

Just look in settings, there's a toggle for install data, set the flag to yes instead of no.

Weirdly enough, I believe it actually makes loads on digital copies faster as well.

InfiniteSheldor

Edit history:

InfiniteSheldor: 2015-03-29 11:48:28 am

InfiniteSheldor: 2015-03-29 11:34:15 am

InfiniteSheldor: 2015-03-29 02:51:56 am

2015-03-29 02:47:57 am

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

Oh yeah, that was pretty stupid. But I've already done that Sad

Try running Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

There's 2 install packages

WanderingMind

2015-03-29 12:54:19 pm

Stay chill, be cool.

I have the PW model PSP in case anyone was wondering.

As a rule of thumb for running PSP games, I go digital over UMD when possible. I was so glad I caught the option to toggle install data when I did.

I did all the DLC the game had to offer, and it goes from easy to insanely hard. At times it actually felt unfair. The weapons you get from these missions absolutely break the game. Having the DLC on your system for some reason makes the initial loading screen where the game checks data when you start up the game take that much longer. When I have to hard reset my PSP because my run would get killed in the first few missions, it felt that much longer. I don't know if this affects loading times otherwise.

I still think what Ghoul made for the initial route was very good. I adapted a lot of his strats and setup for my route, changing stuff around as needed. My internet where I was staying last summer was horrible, I couldn't watch his PB video, and all I could do was read his notes. As a result the route changed even further. We weren't too sure how much time the turret would save when it was originally worked into the route, but a lot of time savers and new strats were found as time went on.

Outside of Beyond the Flood Gate being added in, the other significant change to the route is replacing Rain of Mortars with Protecting the Water. Rain of Mortars was not only an escort mission, but with night and snow in effect. Mortar rounds being deployed and fired each turn wasted even more time. Enemy placement was also way too random for my own comfort. Protecting the Water has the advantage of the enemy AI being really dumb there, as their turn phase was usually short and they wouldn't do much.

I 100% the entire game and all the DLC in the past, and while I did enjoy it, I burned out so hard on VC2 that I didn't know if I would ever play it again. Watching Ghoul run this game last year was what got me back into playing it. The postgame takes forever to do, and it's nothing but grinding to 100% the game since maxing out R&D requires some materials that may or may not drop in the areas where you want to do your missions. Since they are three-star missions, these missions can take even longer than the two star missions.

One thing I want to test out in Beyond the Flood Gate is whether or not I can fire at a Supply Vehicle further away than I had been doing with a Lancer. It would be riskier, but I could save some time with less Lancer movement. I could see this working with either possible spawn point in Area 2.

I have the PW model PSP in case anyone was wondering.

As a rule of thumb for running PSP games, I go digital over UMD when possible.  I was so glad I caught the option to toggle install data when I did.

I did all the DLC the game had to offer, and it goes from easy to insanely hard.  At times it actually felt unfair.  The weapons you get from these missions absolutely break the game.  Having the DLC on your system for some reason makes the initial loading screen where the game checks data when you start up the game take that much longer.  When I have to hard reset my PSP because my run would get killed in the first few missions, it felt that much longer.  I don't know if this affects loading times otherwise.

I still think what Ghoul made for the initial route was very good.  I adapted a lot of his strats and setup for my route, changing stuff around as needed.  My internet where I was staying last summer was horrible, I couldn't watch his PB video, and all I could do was read his notes.  As a result the route changed even further.  We weren't too sure how much time the turret would save when it was originally worked into the route, but a lot of time savers and new strats were found as time went on.

Outside of Beyond the Flood Gate being added in, the other significant change to the route is replacing Rain of Mortars with Protecting the Water.  Rain of Mortars was not only an escort mission, but with night and snow in effect.  Mortar rounds being deployed and fired each turn wasted even more time.  Enemy placement was also way too random for my own comfort.  Protecting the Water has the advantage of the enemy AI being really dumb there, as their turn phase was usually short and they wouldn't do much.

I 100% the entire game and all the DLC in the past, and while I did enjoy it, I burned out so hard on VC2 that I didn't know if I would ever play it again.  Watching Ghoul run this game last year was what got me back into playing it.  The postgame takes forever to do, and it's nothing but grinding to 100% the game since maxing out R&D requires some materials that may or may not drop in the areas where you want to do your missions.  Since they are three-star missions, these missions can take even longer than the two star missions.

One thing I want to test out in Beyond the Flood Gate is whether or not I can fire at a Supply Vehicle further away than I had been doing with a Lancer.  It would be riskier, but I could save some time with less Lancer movement.  I could see this working with either possible spawn point in Area 2.

InfiniteSheldor

2015-03-29 12:59:30 pm

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

PW - Peace Walker?

I would go digital over UMD, but this was back when I didn't understand that stuff. But I've been playing it, and over the past 30 mins I've had about 3 mins of random loading during missions - with install data installed and with it set to yes.

Yeah, the initial route was good.

Interesting news about those routes.

You probably can't do it at that point of the run, but have you thought about using AT Snipers? I beat this mission for the first time yesterday and used an AT Sniper to take it out from the spawn of the Escort APC

WanderingMind

2015-03-29 01:07:54 pm

Stay chill, be cool.

It's very hard to get the credits needed for AT Snipers with the route being used, so I usually don't go for an AT Sniper. If there is some way I can adjust the route to make it more likely to happen, I'll post it here.

The thing I want to look into is what sticker would be best placed on the tank. I figure there has to be something useful out there.

InfiniteSheldor

Edit history:

InfiniteSheldor: 2015-03-29 01:13:05 pm

InfiniteSheldor: 2015-03-29 01:11:34 pm

2015-03-29 01:10:51 pm

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

You should route the way to getting an AT Sniper for this, it'd be useful for other missions where lancers are not an option due to the distance between the tank/supply vehicle

I'm playing it now, I'm currently looking into the best sticker. I'm guessing probably for extra AP and possible defence increases. I've been using Vanquish, which gives me an extra 10 AP - but you need a code for it.
EDIT: Vanquish is the only one with 10AP, the rest are 5

WanderingMind

2015-03-29 01:26:06 pm

Stay chill, be cool.

I think I may allow the use of password stuff since it's in-game and doesn't have to be downloaded like DLC does. Pretty much anything listed for the NA/EU version: http://valkyria.wikia.com/wiki/Passwords_%28VC2%29

InfiniteSheldor

2015-03-29 01:28:56 pm

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

Thanks, I'll look at that in a sec, see if there's anything I still need.
But before that, I look into changing my profile picture into something from Psycho-Pass - but Chrome isn't downloading anything right now. Yay.

WanderingMind

2015-03-29 01:41:31 pm

Stay chill, be cool.

I found some old threads on GFAQs if you also want to look at those:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/961429-valkyria-chronicles-ii/57669124?page=1

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/961429-valkyria-chronicles-ii/57344617

InfiniteSheldor

2015-03-29 01:42:10 pm

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

Thanks, I'll look at those now

InfiniteSheldor

2015-03-29 01:52:15 pm

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

Interesting... I would rather use Alicia or Vanquish as personal preference

WanderingMind

2015-03-29 02:17:19 pm

Stay chill, be cool.

I'll look into the stickers and test a whole bunch of them out when I have the time. Something like the Class G Emblem sticker will add 50+ morale to the morale you already gain from certain actions like capturing a camp or destroying an armored unit.

The Afterburner Climax sticker seems like it may be the sticker to use. Increased accuracy is always nice and +5 anti-personnel attack will really stack up with a 30 shot clip on the Cptd AA Gtlg A1. I could already see it making The 9th Heavy Infantry in September safer. My main worry there was the enemy Ace running past everyone and breaking the defensive line.

My notes are really out of date and need to be changed, but this was the route I put together last August:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Byqo61dNcWpkh5rEsod1KPTC3InTlaIcpPycZqZ3D0k/

InfiniteSheldor

2015-03-30 01:17:42 am

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

I actually don't use the gatling gun with the Cptd AA Gtlg A1. I only use the rocket because for some reason, it now has pinpoint accuracy. That said, while it won't be pinpoint during the run, I remember it having pretty good accuracy. But not brilliant accuracy. I think I'll use Afterburner Climax in heavy tank-aided missions and Alicia or Vanquish in light tank-aided missions.

Either way I'll probably use one of those three.

Those notes are interesting. Needs updating, as you said, but the initial route is quite good anyway. Even though we've now improved by about an hour and... something

Is everyone using Google Docs now!? A friend and I use it to write books... and I come back to see everyone using it! lol

WanderingMind

2015-04-01 08:31:43 am

Stay chill, be cool.

The gatling gun is pretty much there for interception fire during the enemy phase turns, as I never really use it during my turn. The anti-tank rounds are crazy accurate enough to one-shot most things.

The reason why the anti-tank shell has pin-point accuracy is because of the Light Tank B model and possibly the Big Sister potential, which turns the crosshairs from a small circle to a dot. It also increases firepower, which let me one-shot Dirk during my practice sessions in Battle for Anthold.

I already know the one strat I'm keeping in the early game is how I throw my grenade during the second mission of the run. If you ever see my video, notice how I will aim at the edge of a sandbag. This is a point of reference for me to adjust my grenade toss into an exact position to launch a crouching Shocktrooper outside of the camp. Both of his feet have to be standing outside of the camp grounds for me to capture the base. It is one of the more difficult grenade tosses, and the way I did it in the PB video is how I've remained consistent.

And yeah, haha, I think everyone uses Google Docs now. It makes it so easy to write notes and make them look nice.

The gatling gun is pretty much there for interception fire during the enemy phase turns, as I never really use it during my turn.  The anti-tank rounds are crazy accurate enough to one-shot most things.

The reason why the anti-tank shell has pin-point accuracy is because of the Light Tank B model and possibly the Big Sister potential, which turns the crosshairs from a small circle to a dot.  It also increases firepower, which let me one-shot Dirk during my practice sessions in Battle for Anthold.

I already know the one strat I'm keeping in the early game is how I throw my grenade during the second mission of the run.  If you ever see my video, notice how I will aim at the edge of a sandbag.  This is a point of reference for me to adjust my grenade toss into an exact position to launch a crouching Shocktrooper outside of the camp.  Both of his feet have to be standing outside of the camp grounds for me to capture the base.  It is one of the more difficult grenade tosses, and the way I did it in the PB video is how I've remained consistent.

And yeah, haha, I think everyone uses Google Docs now.  It makes it so easy to write notes and make them look nice.

InfiniteSheldor

2015-04-01 08:41:14 am

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

I never use the gatling gun in my turn either. Thanks for informing me of that, I only use the Light Tank B model and it's ALWAYS pin-point accuracy, usually 1-hit kill.
The sandbag grenade trick is a thing I've been doing for about a year or so now, so I'm very consistent. There are enemies later in the game who won't be killed by the grenade, and the good thing about tactic is that it kills some enemies, but if they're strong enough to survive the grenade attack, they're tossed out of the area (unless they evade it). It's very useful.
Great! It's not just me who sees that everyone uses Google Docs now! I used to use Notepad... lol
As for watching the run, 4 hours of something like that would probably kill me, unless I'm running it myself. I think what I'll do is download it onto my phone and watch it when I have little/no internet. I know there's going to be a few times this year that this will happen, so I will probably will have watched the run by the end of the year. By which point it turns out that you've beaten it... so I have to do it all over again...

WanderingMind

2015-04-01 08:55:21 am

Stay chill, be cool.

I think there are some enemies that can never be tossed out by a grenade toss, no matter how many times I tried. Cry

What I end up doing with a lot of the RPG speedruns I watch is to have them in the background as I do stuff, paying close attention to things when I need to. And it's good to be able to watch different runs of VC2, even if the one I have right now becomes out of date. VC2 has enough RNG per mission that no single run of the game is ever the same and there was stuff in an older run or two that I wasn't able to do in a more recent run. And nothing wrong with watching a long run in multiple sittings! thumbsup

It's funny, being in a place with little to no internet was how I did my original route for the game because I had nothing else to do. I was super lucky to have an emulator and an ISO of this game that I downloaded earlier. I also remember doing an 'ideal' run of my route where I would pause the timer and reload my game to a certain save point if I made major mistakes. The 'ideal' run timed at 4:45, while my first run of the game timed at 5:05. Already feels like a long time ago, haha.

I think there are some enemies that can never be tossed out by a grenade toss, no matter how many times I tried.  :'(

What I end up doing with a lot of the RPG speedruns I watch is to have them in the background as I do stuff, paying close attention to things when I need to.  And it's good to be able to watch different runs of VC2, even if the one I have right now becomes out of date.  VC2 has enough RNG per mission that no single run of the game is ever the same and there was stuff in an older run or two that I wasn't able to do in a more recent run.  And nothing wrong with watching a long run in multiple sittings! :thumbsup:

It's funny, being in a place with little to no internet was how I did my original route for the game because I had nothing else to do.  I was super lucky to have an emulator and an ISO of this game that I downloaded earlier.  I also remember doing an 'ideal' run of my route where I would pause the timer and reload my game to a certain save point if I made major mistakes.  The 'ideal' run timed at 4:45, while my first run of the game timed at 5:05.  Already feels like a long time ago, haha.

InfiniteSheldor

2015-04-01 09:02:52 am

The name's Sheldor. InfiniteSheldor.

Hehe, nice. That's how I used to plan walkthroughs (which are now speedruns to me). There is a LOT of RNG in the VC series anyway. I think the people who can't be 'grenade tossed' (if that's what we're calling the tactic now, a Grenade Toss) are most people in the Armor Tech class and enemies who are annoying enough to evade it.

WanderingMind

Edit history:

WanderingMind: 2015-04-01 06:35:37 pm

2015-04-01 06:34:00 pm

Stay chill, be cool.

There's one enemy that I always have trouble grenade launching, and it's a crouching Shocktrooper guarding the target camp in Mountain Stronghold in May. It will just stay in the camp instead of launching out like I want to happen. Oh yeah I could definitely make a list of other enemy units like that where I have trouble launching them or can't do it.

One place where I absolutely need to get the grenade launching correct on the first go is Rebel Stragglers in July. The notes for that are out of date, as I now start from Area 1. I need to figure out a precise angle because my Scouts will get hit by Attack Down, and I may get really unlucky with an enemy guarding the north camp. The worst kind of enemy spawn is an Armor Tech class. My backup strat there is to do Attack Boost on Avan and finish it off from behind.

Seriously this game is just one big "That's never happened before" to me.