Valkyria Chronicles

2010-04-01 05:23:51 am

My feelings on The Demon Rush

What he means is that when you level up, you can level up multiple jobs simultaneously, as opposed to leveling up one at a time (which is what Tigger77 did).

TJazZ

2010-04-01 06:17:58 am

Ohhh, I knew that. Tongue

At first I though he meant there was a way to chain/multiply jobs together to level up faster or something ninja like that.

Tigger77

2010-04-01 01:21:56 pm

I survived MIKE-Fest 1

Thanx for clarifying Mike ... yes I thought that you would already know that but just to make sure that there are not 2 speedruners how making a dump mistake like that

-M2-

2010-10-05 03:45:01 pm

Allright;
Tigger77 and I just finished our segmented run today and got a total time of 02:41:44 (without the ending), or 02:50:26 (with the ending) which means that we easily reached our target-time and will now begin to encode the files and create some weird audio-commentary-stuff. Tongue

Baxter

2010-10-09 07:59:44 am

Sounds good, looking forward to it :).

Mystery

2010-10-10 05:39:13 am

Nice! Looking forward to the run.
It IS going to be accepted, isn't it? Wink

Genjis

2010-10-12 12:58:12 pm

I picked up the game pretty late (this summer) but it's great - and a bitch when it comes to accuracy. It's literally hit or miss every time you try to headshot someone. I'm looking forward on how you performed.

arkarian

2010-10-12 01:50:14 pm

gamelogs.org

it's not once you get better guns. Tongue

-M2-

Edit history:

-M2-: 2010-10-14 02:04:31 pm

2010-10-14 02:02:04 pm

Ok, here is some more information about our run:

It's done in 26 segments (including the ending part, which is done as an own segment but doesn't count onto the runtime). Tigger77 did 17 of them. The rest is my work. Both of us have played more than an hour of this run. We used to save right before a 'level' starts so the end of each segment we're just skipping through book-mode, but there are some exceptions after real hard levels or because of stupid asterisks which can be incredibly frustrating.

Here are the segment's times:
01 - 03:33 (Tigger77)
02 - 03:30 (Tigger77)
03 - 05:14 (Tigger77)
04 - 05:18 (-M2-)
05 - 03:44 (-M2-)
06 - 04:38 (Tigger77)
07 - 05:18 (Tigger77)
08 - 04:45 (Tigger77)
09 - 15:50 (Tigger77)
10 - 13:11 (-M2-)
11 - 03:41 (Tigger77)
12 - 03:51 (Tigger77)
13 - 08:26 (-M2-)
14 - 08:45 (Tigger77)
15 - 05:35 (Tigger77)
16 - 03:39 (-M2-)
17 - 04:38 (Tigger77)
18 - 05:38 (Tigger77)
19 - 09:51 (Tigger77)
20 - 04:00 (-M2-)
21 - 04:03 (Tigger77)
22 - 17:19 (-M2-)
23 - 04:09 (Tigger77)
24 - 07:23 (-M2-)
25 - 05:45 (-M2-)
26 - 08:42 (-M2-)

Quote from Genjis:

I picked up the game pretty late (this summer) but it's great - and a bitch when it comes to accuracy. It's literally hit or miss every time you try to headshot someone.

Well, we definately know about that accuracy-problems...^^

Quote from Mystery:

It IS going to be accepted, isn't it? Wink

We think it is Tongue

Funny fact at the end: We don't have this game. Grin

Ok, here is some more information about our run:

It's done in 26 segments (including the ending part, which is done as an own segment but doesn't count onto the runtime). Tigger77 did 17 of them. The rest is my work. Both of us have played more than an hour of this run. We used to save right before a 'level' starts so the end of each segment we're just skipping through book-mode, but there are some exceptions after real hard levels or because of stupid asterisks which can be incredibly frustrating.

Here are the segment's times:
01 - 03:33 (Tigger77)
02 - 03:30 (Tigger77)
03 - 05:14 (Tigger77)
04 - 05:18 (-M2-)
05 - 03:44 (-M2-)
06 - 04:38 (Tigger77)
07 - 05:18 (Tigger77)
08 - 04:45 (Tigger77)
09 - 15:50 (Tigger77)
10 - 13:11 (-M2-)
11 - 03:41 (Tigger77)
12 - 03:51 (Tigger77)
13 - 08:26 (-M2-)
14 - 08:45 (Tigger77)
15 - 05:35 (Tigger77)
16 - 03:39 (-M2-)
17 - 04:38 (Tigger77)
18 - 05:38 (Tigger77)
19 - 09:51 (Tigger77)
20 - 04:00 (-M2-)
21 - 04:03 (Tigger77)
22 - 17:19 (-M2-)
23 - 04:09 (Tigger77)
24 - 07:23 (-M2-)
25 - 05:45 (-M2-)
26 - 08:42 (-M2-)

[quote="Genjis"]I picked up the game pretty late (this summer) but it's great - and a bitch when it comes to accuracy. It's literally hit or miss every time you try to headshot someone.[/quote]
Well, we definately know about that accuracy-problems...^^

[quote="Mystery"]It IS going to be accepted, isn't it? ;)[/quote]
We think it is :P

Funny fact at the end: We don't have this game. ;D

Tigger77

2011-07-14 06:19:14 am

I survived MIKE-Fest 1

sorry for the delay guys but finally its up for verification (and shame on us : with no Audio commentaries :-( )

so go and verify this

Molotov

Edit history:

Molotov: 2012-08-01 10:55:50 pm

Molotov: 2012-08-01 10:52:29 pm

2012-08-01 10:47:00 pm

I'm apparently considering the idea of running this game because I hate myself. Other than a few planning changes, most of the run will involve the same strategies as the current run. No idea what time to expect, because planning isn't even remotely closed to being finished. Also, happy grass.

(I know this is quite a necrobump, but the rules say to bump stuff instead of duplicating topics.) I've been playing around with this game since last Friday with the intention of recording some mock run videos. It's mostly been on a whim, but since Nitrodon and I have put some decent planning time into this so far, it almost seems wrong to not do anything serious with it. So for the moment I've decided that the three segments I have recorded (prologue, chapter 1, and chapter 2) should be the start of an actual run. I'm 24 seconds ahead of the current run right now, but I honestly have no idea how much faster it will be by the end. It's too early to tell with where the planning is now (chapter 7 is the current focus).

Speaking of planning, most of the strategies won't change from the current run because the game isn't exactly flexible when it comes to speedruns. For now, it's probably shorter if I just list the changes. Keep in mind that this stuff is very likely to change:

Levels: 12/11/11/3/15 [Scout/shocktrooper/lancer/engineer/sniper]

Weapons: Not much progress into this area yet, but it's looking like T-MAG10 for the shocktroopers (down from T-MAG12) is likely. More on this change later.

Characters: Melville, Salinas, <male shocktrooper>, <another male shocktrooper or Edy>, and Yoko.

Melville - He'll likely stay because as much as I'd prefer to use Nancy in 8-2 (no points for guessing why), she lacks the HP and she'd be forced to shoot the base guard from far away.

Salinas - Still the best choice for handling Maximilian, because I really wouldn't want to use Vyse and end up triggering Child of Nature somehow. His support with Edy may be helpful too, but that's something I'll have to test more.

Male shocktroopers - They have a faster firing rate than female shocktroopers, so I'll put priority on using one of them instead when possible. I don't think it's a huge deal either way, but every little bit helps. Especially when you're dealing with 30-shot weapons and need to go multiple rounds, like with the Valkof.

Yoko - She's my intended replacement for Nils (and Largo at the end). According to one of the FAQs, her base accuracy matches Nils' maximum accuracy. She also has Super Anti-Armor, so there shouldn't be any problem.

While these character choices are fairly solid, I also have a few more in mind that are far more iffy. Namely: Theold, Kevin, an engineer, and a sniper (likely Marina). Theold has a combo of anti-armor potentials at just level 4 that lets him 5-shot the Batomys, but he would need engineer support. I'm doubting the setup and luck involved would be worth the effort compared to the 8-shot Edelweiss method, but I'm noting it anyway.

Kevin has Metal Head and the firing speed advantage, so I'm considering using him for the Valkof. Assuming my math is correct and I didn't miss something, he can two-round the Valkof with Metal Head x2, Demolition Boost, and Penetration. No doubt it would be a huge pain to manipulate, but it's worth considering anyway.

Marina or any other sniper is something I haven't gotten the chance to properly test yet. The troop bridge in 10-2 can be destroyed from the bridge near your starting point if you have enough anti-armor/range. You need somewhere between 121 and 136 anti-armor to destroy it, but I don't know the exact number yet. The GSR-30 with Damage Boost is 136 and works perfectly, but that's obviously not an option even if I showed massive favoritism to my snipers. More on this in the description for 10-2.

Nowhere near finished planning, but here's the basic stuff I have/had in mind:

Prologue - Town Watchman is faster and so is firing from maximum range.

Chapter 1 - One-hit kill on the scout leader with a grenade and Welkin runs a more direct line to the exit. He doesn't often survive the trip, but yay segmented runs.

Chapter 2 - Same as the current run, but with slightly slower aiming and/or worse luck. It's a stupid map that's extremely frustrating to run.

Chapter 3 - Mash X to quickly place any scout (Melville is likely) on the left side and deploy. Defense Boost that scout and run down the left alley. Everything else is the same as the current run. I haven't timed this, but I'm guessing it's faster because you don't have to travel as far and you use 1 less CP.

Chapter 4 - No changes.

Chapter 5 - No changes, unless it turns out to be quicker to go down the next alley and use the grenade for something else. Either for killing that annoying scout to avoid any counterattacks, or to blow the two shocktroopers out of the camp. More likely to be the former because the shocktroopers would be pretty angry about it if they don't die. Also depends on Jaeger getting over his obsession with turning Alicia into Swiss cheese.

Chapter 6 - No changes.

Chapter 7 - I probably shouldn't even try to say what the plan is, because it's a real mess right now and might not even resemble what I'm about to describe at all. Basically, my current thought is to send Rosie and another shocktrooper up the hill to take out all the goons. One of the shocktroopers can easily get a double kill on the scout and lancer to save time and add precious style points. After that they'll get in position to kill all of the reinforcements with interception fire and hopefully be at the right angle that Selvaria doesn't attempt to attack on her first move.

A third shocktrooper will find somewhere to hide on turn 1 and will take out the left and back radiators when possible. After the second radiator explodes, the unit hides behind the nearby L-shaped wall. At some point I'll have to call a scout from the second camp (engineer and Theold in the unlikely event I go that route) and have them hide in the same spot Alicia does in the current run. There's a huge blind spot to take advantage of when approaching the Batomys at this point, so the scout won't need Defense Boost at all. After the third radiator explodes, it's either the standard Edelweiss method or the experimental Theold plan.

Chapter 8-1 - No changes. Just a lot of frustration for this map even existing.

Chapter 8-2 - No changes. As I said before, using Nancy instead would make me happy, but it's just not going to happen. The power of happy grass will be greatly missed by all. (And by all, I mean just me.)

Chapter 9 - I'd prefer to use a male shocktrooper, but otherwise no changes?

Chapter 10-1 - Probably no changes.

Chapter 10-2 - Continuing from the Marina bridge thing, there's a faster and more frustrating alternative that I'll likely be forced to use. This would be to use the Edelweiss instead, because it has enough anti-armor to make up for being out of range. The problem, of course, is that Welkin's aim is horrible and if I want to be anal about saving time, I can't buy any of the accuracy parts to help. Can't use Aim Boost either, since that would waste time too. Best I can do is wait until turn 2 because there's a tank mostly blocking the shot on turn 1. Since it's a 2-turn anyway, I don't lose anything by waiting.

Other than that, I think the map will go just like in the current run. Alicia will stop early and pray that she doesn't die to the lancer elite so that Welkin gets his moment to shine by utterly missing that bridge. I don't look forward to this, but it's for the best. Sad

Chapter 11 - No changes.

Chapter 12 - No changes.

Chapter 13 - No changes.

Chapter 14 - No changes come to mind. Alicia slaughtering the ace is very important for this run though.

Chapter 15-1 - Totally theory at this point, but I might hit the switches in a different order (1-3-2) and avoid using Awaken Potential. I probably won't have Double Movement anyway, since the plan is to go with level 12 scouts.

Chapter 15-2 - I plan to use a smoke round and Zaka for this. A two-round is possible without upgrades and that's likely what I'll stick with. I have a feeling a one-round is possible, but asking Zaka to hit that many times without upgrades or orders would probably be far beyond my patience and wouldn't make a huge difference anyway.

Chapter 16 - No changes? I remember wondering if Edelweiss could solo this when watching the current run, but I haven't put any time into this map yet.

Chapter 17 - Probably no changes.

Chapter 18-1 - Going to try Kevin instead, but otherwise the same.

Chapter 18-2 - I've tested some stuff with this map, so this one might not change much. It should go something like this: Yoko destroys the far tower and a close tower -> shocktrooper (with ZM MP 4 (g)) moves close to Maximilian and destroys the last tower -> All Units Attack -> Salinas moves in and team attacks Maximilian -> pray the counter misses -> Penetration/Awaken Potential on Salinas -> Super Damage team attack for the kill.

With this plan (or something similar), Maximilian dies before he can power-up and teleport. Busard's topic on GameFAQs claims he does this at 50% HP, but it's actually closer to 2/3. Because of that, I'll probably need to miss a few bullets in the first round on purpose and need a huge amount of firepower for the second. That's why the ZM MP 4 (g) is important.

So that's what I have in mind for this run right now. I don't expect any planning suggestions, but I certainly welcome any you might have. Tongue

I forgot the times and links to current progress:

Segment 1 (Prologue): 0:03:23 [-10 seconds]
Segment 2 (Chapter 1): 0:06:38 [-15 seconds]
Segment 3 (Chapter 2): 0:11:53 - No video yet because I'm lazy. [+1 second]

[spoiler="Too long; didn't read summary"]I'm apparently considering the idea of running this game because I hate myself. Other than a few planning changes, most of the run will involve the same strategies as the current run. No idea what time to expect, because planning isn't even remotely closed to being finished. Also, happy grass.[/spoiler]

(I know this is quite a necrobump, but the rules say to bump stuff instead of duplicating topics.) I've been playing around with this game since last Friday with the intention of recording some mock run videos. It's mostly been on a whim, but since Nitrodon and I have put some decent planning time into this so far, it almost seems wrong to not do anything serious with it. So for the moment I've decided that the three segments I have recorded (prologue, chapter 1, and chapter 2) should be the start of an actual run. I'm 24 seconds ahead of the current run right now, but I honestly have no idea how much faster it will be by the end. It's too early to tell with where the planning is now (chapter 7 is the current focus).

Speaking of planning, most of the strategies won't change from the current run because the game isn't exactly flexible when it comes to speedruns. For now, it's probably shorter if I just list the changes. Keep in mind that this stuff is very likely to change:

[b]Levels[/b]: 12/11/11/3/15 [Scout/shocktrooper/lancer/engineer/sniper]

[b]Weapons[/b]: Not much progress into this area yet, but it's looking like T-MAG10 for the shocktroopers (down from T-MAG12) is likely. More on this change later.

[b]Characters[/b]: Melville, Salinas, <male shocktrooper>, <another male shocktrooper or Edy>, and Yoko.

[b]Melville[/b] - He'll likely stay because as much as I'd prefer to use Nancy in 8-2 (no points for guessing why), she lacks the HP and she'd be forced to shoot the base guard from far away.

[b]Salinas[/b] - Still the best choice for handling Maximilian, because I really wouldn't want to use Vyse and end up triggering Child of Nature somehow. His support with Edy may be helpful too, but that's something I'll have to test more.

[b]Male shocktroopers[/b] - They have a faster firing rate than female shocktroopers, so I'll put priority on using one of them instead when possible. I don't think it's a huge deal either way, but every little bit helps. Especially when you're dealing with 30-shot weapons and need to go multiple rounds, like with the Valkof.

[b]Yoko[/b] - She's my intended replacement for Nils (and Largo at the end). According to one of the FAQs, her base accuracy matches Nils' maximum accuracy. She also has Super Anti-Armor, so there shouldn't be any problem.

While these character choices are fairly solid, I also have a few more in mind that are far more iffy. Namely: Theold, Kevin, an engineer, and a sniper (likely Marina). Theold has a combo of anti-armor potentials at just level 4 that lets him 5-shot the Batomys, but he would need engineer support. I'm doubting the setup and luck involved would be worth the effort compared to the 8-shot Edelweiss method, but I'm noting it anyway.

Kevin has Metal Head and the firing speed advantage, so I'm considering using him for the Valkof. Assuming my math is correct and I didn't miss something, he can two-round the Valkof with Metal Head x2, Demolition Boost, and Penetration. No doubt it would be a huge pain to manipulate, but it's worth considering anyway.

Marina or any other sniper is something I haven't gotten the chance to properly test yet. The troop bridge in 10-2 can be destroyed from the bridge near your starting point if you have enough anti-armor/range. You need somewhere between 121 and 136 anti-armor to destroy it, but I don't know the exact number yet. The GSR-30 with Damage Boost is 136 and works perfectly, but that's obviously not an option even if I showed massive favoritism to my snipers. More on this in the description for 10-2.

[spoiler="Chapter plans"]Nowhere near finished planning, but here's the basic stuff I have/had in mind:

Prologue - Town Watchman is faster and so is firing from maximum range.

Chapter 1 - One-hit kill on the scout leader with a grenade and Welkin runs a more direct line to the exit. He doesn't often survive the trip, but yay segmented runs.

Chapter 2 - Same as the current run, but with slightly slower aiming and/or worse luck. It's a stupid map that's extremely frustrating to run.

Chapter 3 - Mash X to quickly place any scout (Melville is likely) on the left side and deploy. Defense Boost that scout and run down the left alley. Everything else is the same as the current run. I haven't timed this, but I'm guessing it's faster because you don't have to travel as far and you use 1 less CP.

Chapter 4 - No changes.

Chapter 5 - No changes, unless it turns out to be quicker to go down the next alley and use the grenade for something else. Either for killing that annoying scout to avoid any counterattacks, or to blow the two shocktroopers out of the camp. More likely to be the former because the shocktroopers would be pretty angry about it if they don't die. Also depends on Jaeger getting over his obsession with turning Alicia into Swiss cheese.

Chapter 6 - No changes.

Chapter 7 - I probably shouldn't even try to say what the plan is, because it's a real mess right now and might not even resemble what I'm about to describe at all. Basically, my current thought is to send Rosie and another shocktrooper up the hill to take out all the goons. One of the shocktroopers can easily get a double kill on the scout and lancer to save time and add precious style points. After that they'll get in position to kill all of the reinforcements with interception fire and hopefully be at the right angle that Selvaria doesn't attempt to attack on her first move.

A third shocktrooper will find somewhere to hide on turn 1 and will take out the left and back radiators when possible. After the second radiator explodes, the unit hides behind the nearby L-shaped wall. At some point I'll have to call a scout from the second camp (engineer and Theold in the unlikely event I go that route) and have them hide in the same spot Alicia does in the current run. There's a huge blind spot to take advantage of when approaching the Batomys at this point, so the scout won't need Defense Boost at all. After the third radiator explodes, it's either the standard Edelweiss method or the experimental Theold plan.

Chapter 8-1 - No changes. Just a lot of frustration for this map even existing.

Chapter 8-2 - No changes. As I said before, using Nancy instead would make me happy, but it's just not going to happen. The power of happy grass will be greatly missed by all. (And by all, I mean just me.)

Chapter 9 - I'd prefer to use a male shocktrooper, but otherwise no changes?

Chapter 10-1 - Probably no changes.

Chapter 10-2 - Continuing from the Marina bridge thing, there's a faster and more frustrating alternative that I'll likely be forced to use. This would be to use the Edelweiss instead, because it has enough anti-armor to make up for being out of range. The problem, of course, is that Welkin's aim is [b]horrible[/b] and if I want to be anal about saving time, I can't buy any of the accuracy parts to help. Can't use Aim Boost either, since that would waste time too. Best I can do is wait until turn 2 because there's a tank mostly blocking the shot on turn 1. Since it's a 2-turn anyway, I don't lose anything by waiting.

Other than that, I think the map will go just like in the current run. Alicia will stop early and pray that she doesn't die to the lancer elite so that Welkin gets his moment to shine by utterly missing that bridge. I don't look forward to this, but it's for the best. :(

Chapter 11 - No changes.

Chapter 12 - No changes.

Chapter 13 - No changes.

Chapter 14 - No changes come to mind. Alicia slaughtering the ace is very important for this run though.

Chapter 15-1 - Totally theory at this point, but I might hit the switches in a different order (1-3-2) and avoid using Awaken Potential. I probably won't have Double Movement anyway, since the plan is to go with level 12 scouts.

Chapter 15-2 - [url=http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?igrnl4mhkmg6spo]I plan to use a smoke round and Zaka for this.[/url] A two-round is possible without upgrades and that's likely what I'll stick with. I have a feeling a one-round is possible, but asking Zaka to hit that many times without upgrades or orders would probably be far beyond my patience and wouldn't make a huge difference anyway.

Chapter 16 - No changes? I remember wondering if Edelweiss could solo this when watching the current run, but I haven't put any time into this map yet.

Chapter 17 - Probably no changes.

Chapter 18-1 - Going to try Kevin instead, but otherwise the same.

Chapter 18-2 - I've tested some stuff with this map, so this one might not change much. It should go something like this: Yoko destroys the far tower and a close tower -> shocktrooper (with ZM MP 4 (g)) moves close to Maximilian and destroys the last tower -> All Units Attack -> Salinas moves in and team attacks Maximilian -> pray the counter misses -> Penetration/Awaken Potential on Salinas -> Super Damage team attack for the kill.

With this plan (or something similar), Maximilian dies before he can power-up and teleport. Busard's topic on GameFAQs claims he does this at 50% HP, but it's actually closer to 2/3. Because of that, I'll probably need to miss a few bullets in the first round on purpose and need a huge amount of firepower for the second. That's why the ZM MP 4 (g) is important.[/spoiler]

So that's what I have in mind for this run right now. I don't expect any planning suggestions, but I certainly welcome any you might have. :P

I forgot the times and links to current progress:

Segment 1 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNA7mY-jiZk]Prologue[/url]): 0:03:23 [-10 seconds]
Segment 2 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IhgUMtekgc]Chapter 1[/url]): 0:06:38 [-15 seconds]
Segment 3 (Chapter 2): 0:11:53 - No video yet because I'm lazy. [+1 second]

Tigger77

2012-08-03 02:20:52 pm

I survived MIKE-Fest 1

Awesome Molotov that you tackle that run it is definitely improvable but the run starts really weak and gets stronger later so be prepared for a lot of frustration but if someone can take it it's you.

Those new strategies look good when I'm back from vacation I will look for improvements but when you don't mess up the leveling and optimise's more you should cut off already a huge amount off time with those improvements you posted this will get a fantastic run.

Good luck with the run and good job on those segments so far keep up the good work.

Molotov

Edit history:

Molotov: 2012-08-09 07:06:49 pm

2012-08-09 05:41:08 pm

Not much of a progress update in terms of videos, but in the past week Nitrodon and I have planned the heck out of this thing. Almost everything is nailed down at this point, so here's what changed from the previous post (note that I haven't timed a lot of these yet):

New characters: Nancy (replaces Melville) and Mica (replaces Salinas). Might also pick up Jane, but I need to test her performance in chapter 7 first before deciding.

Chapter 3: Place a shocktrooper instead to avoid using Defense Boost. Still takes 3 CP, so I'd be very surprised if this wasn't faster than using a scout.

Chapter 4: Don't use Defense Boost. Instead of Largo, I'll have a scout throw a grenade at the wall and distract the shocktrooper in the process. This allows Alicia to run past him unharmed and therefore survive without an order.

Chapter 8-2: No Defense Boost here either, because you can block the closest tank and shocktrooper with the Edelweiss when you're busy firing at the wall anyway. Amusingly enough, this turned Nancy from a bad choice to a good one. Power Scout lets her take out the base guard before entering his range, which is something that would surely kill her if she tried. Not using the order allows Welkin to skip the grenade boost and use 3 CP instead, by the way.

Chapter 12: I've skipped Defense Boost before in practice and Alicia barely survived with 15 HP. So clearly this means I'll be doing that again. Tongue

Chapter 14: Completely untested, but I'm considering replacing Largo with Theold. This eliminates the risk of triggering Double Tank Damage, which eats up seconds for no good reason. Also, Theold has a very tiny chance of destroying one of the tanks in a single hit. Nitrodon said this would involve triggering both Anti-Armor Boost AND Tank Slayer if I go with the Theimer M02, but only one of the potentials is necessary with the Theimer M03. The former is obviously not something I'll restart for thanks to Yoko's nonsense, but if it happens, it'll be fantastic. Picking up the M03 just to save one attack probably wouldn't do much (if any) good, so I'm not really planning to do that. I'll be sure to test all this at some point though, obviously.

Chapter 15-1: Level 12 Alicia has a higher survival rate here than the level 17 version, but it adds a turn. I know how to cut most of the enemy phase down, but the whole map takes about 1+ minute longer than at level 17. I've been too lazy to time the level up business that Nitrodon told me about (I'll do it eventually!), but it seems likely that level 17 is faster. It's kind of a shame, because I was fairly pleased with my 2-turn plan and this would mean I'd have to rely on Resist Crossfire to actually activate when it's supposed to.

Chapter 16: Edelweiss solo with smoke rounds. Works very well.

Chapter 17: No need for a grenade boost. Instead, I use it to blow up the the middle base's right wall and take a shortcut. May not be any faster, but it completely removes anything resembling difficulty.

Chapter 18-1: There are two plans for this so far and both involve Kevin activating Metal Head twice in a row for a 1-turn completion. The difference is that one uses a battle save to manipulate it without going insane and the other does not. The good thing is that even with the massive save penalty, it's still faster than a 2-turn. So I'll likely record that one first and then put in some attempts at the other version until I realize how hopeless it is and give up. As icing on the cake, both also require an absurd double heatsink shot that is really hard to set up and involves luck too.

Chapter 18-2: Maximilian will die in a single round, so that I can skip some silly dialog and the teleport. (Mica with +187% versus personnel damage is no joke.)

As for progress, I've finished a better version of chapter 2 and saved one second over the current run. That's a bigger feat than it sounds by the way, because it's so luck-heavy. I'm hoping the next segment will cover the shop visit and chapter 3 itself, so that I can save about five seconds from the save penalty. It should be reasonable because of how simple the battle is (almost no luck involved), but I'll find out.

[Edit]: Nitrodon pointed out that I could also use Nils or Hector with Super Anti-armor to one-shot a tank in chapter 14. I'll have to keep that in mind. Also, have a sloppy demonstration of what the 18-1 plan will look like.

Not much of a progress update in terms of videos, but in the past week Nitrodon and I have planned the heck out of this thing. Almost everything is nailed down at this point, so here's what changed from the previous post (note that I haven't timed a lot of these yet):

New characters: Nancy (replaces Melville) and Mica (replaces Salinas). Might also pick up Jane, but I need to test her performance in chapter 7 first before deciding.

Chapter 3: Place a shocktrooper instead to avoid using Defense Boost. Still takes 3 CP, so I'd be very surprised if this wasn't faster than using a scout.

Chapter 4: Don't use Defense Boost. Instead of Largo, I'll have a scout throw a grenade at the wall and distract the shocktrooper in the process. This allows Alicia to run past him unharmed and therefore survive without an order.

Chapter 8-2: No Defense Boost here either, because you can block the closest tank and shocktrooper with the Edelweiss when you're busy firing at the wall anyway. Amusingly enough, this turned Nancy from a bad choice to a good one. Power Scout lets her take out the base guard before entering his range, which is something that would surely kill her if she tried. Not using the order allows Welkin to skip the grenade boost and use 3 CP instead, by the way.

Chapter 12: I've skipped Defense Boost before in practice and Alicia barely survived with 15 HP. So clearly this means I'll be doing that again. :P

Chapter 14: Completely untested, but I'm considering replacing Largo with Theold. This eliminates the risk of triggering Double Tank Damage, which eats up seconds for no good reason. Also, Theold has a very tiny chance of destroying one of the tanks in a single hit. Nitrodon said this would involve triggering both Anti-Armor Boost AND Tank Slayer if I go with the Theimer M02, but only one of the potentials is necessary with the Theimer M03. The former is obviously not something I'll restart for thanks to Yoko's nonsense, but if it happens, it'll be fantastic. Picking up the M03 just to save one attack probably wouldn't do much (if any) good, so I'm not really planning to do that. I'll be sure to test all this at some point though, obviously.

Chapter 15-1: Level 12 Alicia has a higher survival rate here than the level 17 version, but it adds a turn. I know how to cut most of the enemy phase down, but the whole map takes about 1+ minute longer than at level 17. I've been too lazy to time the level up business that Nitrodon told me about (I'll do it eventually!), but it seems likely that level 17 is faster. It's kind of a shame, because I was fairly pleased with my 2-turn plan and this would mean I'd have to rely on Resist Crossfire to actually activate when it's supposed to.

Chapter 16: Edelweiss solo with smoke rounds. Works very well.

Chapter 17: No need for a grenade boost. Instead, I use it to blow up the the middle base's right wall and take a shortcut. May not be any faster, but it completely removes anything resembling difficulty.

Chapter 18-1: There are two plans for this so far and both involve Kevin activating Metal Head twice in a row for a 1-turn completion. The difference is that one uses a battle save to manipulate it without going insane and the other does not. The good thing is that even with the massive save penalty, it's still faster than a 2-turn. So I'll likely record that one first and then put in some attempts at the other version until I realize how hopeless it is and give up. As icing on the cake, both also require an absurd double heatsink shot that is really hard to set up and involves luck too.

Chapter 18-2: Maximilian will die in a single round, so that I can skip some silly dialog and the teleport. (Mica with +187% versus personnel damage is no joke.)

As for progress, I've finished a better version of [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXWFctTZ_LY]chapter 2[/url] and saved one second over the current run. That's a bigger feat than it sounds by the way, because it's so luck-heavy. I'm hoping the next segment will cover the shop visit and chapter 3 itself, so that I can save about five seconds from the save penalty. It should be reasonable because of how simple the battle is (almost no luck involved), but I'll find out.

[Edit]: Nitrodon pointed out that I could also use Nils or Hector with Super Anti-armor to one-shot a tank in chapter 14. I'll have to keep that in mind. Also, have a sloppy [url=http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xc0jzefqh65qcvk]demonstration[/url] of what the 18-1 plan will look like.

Omnigamer

Edit history:

Omnigamer: 2012-08-09 10:06:37 pm

2012-08-09 10:06:01 pm

All the things

Hello all, I've been gradually watching the run that went up on SDA, and it's great work Smiley

I'm not sure if this has been discussed already, but in the Chapter 15 battle (Silveria's Last Stand) it's possible to get clean shots off on Silveria much earlier by using another character (I used Rosie) as a decoy on one of the stairways. If you can get her turned enough, you can get Alicia up on the opposite stairway and with a combination of skills or orders you can kill Silveria in one or two shots. I have no idea if it would be faster or slower than the current route, but that's the strategy I used for this mission. I also never used orders in my playthrough, so there are probably a few ways to optimize it there as well.

Molotov

Edit history:

Molotov: 2012-08-13 10:34:03 pm

2012-08-13 12:57:32 am

That's not a bad way to handle that battle, but I'm sure that the Zaka two-round is the way to go here. You don't need to deploy anybody and it only takes three actions. You do need to set the Shamrock to the proper weapon in an earlier base visit, but I think it still comes out ahead. I'll definitely play around with my options a bit more when I get there to be absolutely sure.

In other news, I have completed chapters 3 and 4. Mixing the base visit into the chapter 3 battle wasn't a problem, but getting the characters I wanted was. I won't claim that my menu work is perfect, but man I hate resetting the game just to get another shot at the Command Room. Preventing the player from leaving the base early was such an awful decision and I'm sure it was done just to troll people.

Chapter 4 is something I'm not completely sure I'm sticking with yet. I think the attempt is solid overall, but there's one more silly strategy I want to test before moving on. I'm fairly sure that the Gallian-2 has more range than an Imperial scout's rifle, so it may be possible to have Alicia replace Karl after all. The idea would be to get four (!!!) shots on the scout in the base from almost maximum range at the end of Alicia's first move. Everything else would be straightforward.

With that gun's (in)accuracy at that range, I don't expect this plan to end well at all. It was one thing for the Town Watchman to get a few shots against a standing enemy with no cover, but to get a guy who is crouching behind sandbags would be something else entirely. But hey, I've got to say that I've tried everything before moving on...right?

Segment 4 (Chapter 3): 0:20:04 [-1:15]
~~Segment 5 (Chapter 4): 0:24:26 [-1:31]~~
Segment 5 (Chapter 4): 0:24:24 [-1:33]

[Edit]: Improved segment 5 using Alicia instead. Running into the corner of that tank was dumb, but I can live with it considering the incredible luck right before that.

That's not a bad way to handle that battle, but I'm sure that the Zaka two-round is the way to go here. You don't need to deploy anybody and it only takes three actions. You do need to set the Shamrock to the proper weapon in an earlier base visit, but I think it still comes out ahead. I'll definitely play around with my options a bit more when I get there to be absolutely sure.

In other news, I have completed chapters 3 and 4. Mixing the base visit into the chapter 3 battle wasn't a problem, but getting the characters I wanted was. I won't claim that my menu work is perfect, but man I hate resetting the game just to get another shot at the Command Room. Preventing the player from leaving the base early was such an awful decision and I'm sure it was done just to troll people.

Chapter 4 is something I'm not completely sure I'm sticking with yet. I think the attempt is solid overall, but there's one more silly strategy I want to test before moving on. I'm fairly sure that the Gallian-2 has more range than an Imperial scout's rifle, so it may be possible to have Alicia replace Karl after all. The idea would be to get four (!!!) shots on the scout in the base from almost maximum range at the end of Alicia's first move. Everything else would be straightforward.

With that gun's (in)accuracy at that range, I don't expect this plan to end well at all. It was one thing for the Town Watchman to get a few shots against a standing enemy with no cover, but to get a guy who is crouching behind sandbags would be something else entirely. But hey, I've got to say that I've tried everything before moving on...right?

Segment 4 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egoAljgMUEY]Chapter 3[/url]): 0:20:04 [-1:15]
[s]Segment 5 (Chapter 4): 0:24:26 [-1:31][/s]
Segment 5 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjfdGGytQiE]Chapter 4[/url]): 0:24:24 [-1:33]

[Edit]: Improved segment 5 using Alicia instead. Running into the corner of that tank was dumb, but I can live with it considering the incredible luck right before that.

Molotov

2012-08-26 05:56:07 pm

Chapters 5 and 6 are done now. Not much progress in the past two weeks, because the fall semester began recently and I'm going full-time. It also didn't help that chapter 5 was extremely evil and the RNG hates me with a fiery passion. I had actually completed it something like two or three times using the method you'll see in the video, but I kept making dumb mistakes at the end that ruined it for me. So I had a lot of fun playing for hours straight just hoping Alicia would finally stop missing and/or dying.

Chapter 6, on the other hand, was fairly easy. I completed a decent attempt back on the 18th and finally showed it to Nitrodon today. He then told me that he heard it could be finished in only four actions, so I went back and improved it. It's only three seconds faster than the previous attempt and has some mistakes, but I can live with that. Nothing more than one or two seconds, I think.

I should note that my chapter 6 segment is technically slower than the current run. This is because the shopping plan is slightly different and I get the first cemetery visit out of the way now. I'll pick the time back up later, because I won't need to make a trip to headquarters just for the cemetery stuff like the current run does.

Segment 6 (Chapter 5): 0:29:15 [-2:00]
Segment 7 (Chapter 6): 0:34:51 [-1:09]

(Chapter 7 will be so much fun!)

Chapters 5 and 6 are done now. Not much progress in the past two weeks, because the fall semester began recently and I'm going full-time. It also didn't help that chapter 5 was extremely evil and the RNG hates me with a fiery passion. I had actually completed it something like two or three times using the method you'll see in the video, but I kept making dumb mistakes at the end that ruined it for me. So I had a lot of fun playing for hours straight just hoping Alicia would finally stop missing and/or dying.

Chapter 6, on the other hand, was fairly easy. I completed a decent attempt back on the 18th and finally showed it to Nitrodon today. He then told me that he heard it could be finished in only four actions, so I went back and improved it. It's only three seconds faster than the previous attempt and has some mistakes, but I can live with that. Nothing more than one or two seconds, I think.

I should note that my chapter 6 segment is technically slower than the current run. This is because the shopping plan is slightly different and I get the first cemetery visit out of the way now. I'll pick the time back up later, because I won't need to make a trip to headquarters just for the cemetery stuff like the current run does.

Segment 6 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQbhzITao7E]Chapter 5[/url]): 0:29:15 [-2:00]
Segment 7 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkaStZZY4Jk]Chapter 6[/url]): 0:34:51 [-1:09]

(Chapter 7 will be so much fun!)

Molotov

2012-11-10 09:23:35 pm

Apparently I'm not dead and I've actually made some progress on this. I don't believe it either, but it seems to be true. For the past few months I've been extremely lazy about working on this thing. Half of it is because (serious) speedruns are a complete chore and the other is because chapter 7 is the worst freaking thing. It's not even fun to play that map casually, so a run just makes it even better.

If you haven't looked at my YouTube channel lately (I don't blame you!), I'd like to point out that I discovered that you can actually 4-turn this map without having high level mortar users. The Edelweiss can take out all three Batomys radiators at the same time with two Increased Payload mortar rounds. This means you need to buy both that upgrade and the Extra Magazine upgrade, because you only get one mortar round normally. (Unless the game glitches and gives you +1 capacity for no good reason, which I've actually seen happen before.)

You also need level 8 lancers for Demolition Boost and the Lancaar M2. Any other lancer weapon at this point (the M1 or M3) won't work. After that, you need Yoko and Largo to hit each radiator with two Tank Slayer shots. Demolition Boost on the Edelweiss and two mortar rounds will do the remaining damage and destroy all three radiators at the same time.

This leaves you with 7 CP to destroy the Batomys, which is a real pain. Theold needs to activate Tank Slayer on all three hits, but that's not the truly annoying part. The real killer is that he needs at least one activation of Anti-armor Boost. I think the potential activation rate is something like 11%, but I don't really remember anymore. What makes it horrible is that stacks with all the other random junk and you don't get a chance at it until like 10/11 minutes into the segment.

So yeah, to say I had fun with this chapter would be putting it very lightly. On the bright side though, I shouldn't have another "ohmanwhydidIdecidetorunthisfreakinggame" moment until at least chapter 10-2. Getting the Edelweiss to hit that puny bridge rail from all the way across the map is going to be so much fun! Also, this gives me another excuse to just not do attempts for months on end. Hopefully that doesn't happen though.

Also note that I redid chapter 6 a while ago because it wasn't going to work with the new chapter 7 plan, but I didn't bother uploading it. While I start chapter 7 "behind" the current run (I wasn't actually behind), I gain all that back and then some by the end of chapter 7. This lead should continue to grow because of menu planning stuff starting to pay off.

Segment 8 (Chapter 7): 0:48:55 [-2:55]

~~P.S. Maximilian, I hate you. I really do.~~

Apparently I'm not dead and I've actually made some progress on this. I don't believe it either, but it seems to be true. For the past few months I've been extremely lazy about working on this thing. Half of it is because (serious) speedruns are a complete chore and the other is because chapter 7 is the worst freaking thing. It's not even fun to play that map casually, so a run just makes it even better.

If you haven't looked at my YouTube channel lately (I don't blame you!), I'd like to point out that I discovered that you can actually 4-turn this map without having high level mortar users. The Edelweiss can take out all three Batomys radiators at the same time with two Increased Payload mortar rounds. This means you need to buy both that upgrade and the Extra Magazine upgrade, because you only get one mortar round normally. (Unless the game glitches and gives you +1 capacity for no good reason, which I've actually seen happen before.)

You also need level 8 lancers for Demolition Boost and the Lancaar M2. Any other lancer weapon at this point (the M1 or M3) won't work. After that, you need Yoko and Largo to hit each radiator with two Tank Slayer shots. Demolition Boost on the Edelweiss and two mortar rounds will do the remaining damage and destroy all three radiators at the same time.

This leaves you with 7 CP to destroy the Batomys, which is a real pain. Theold needs to activate Tank Slayer on all three hits, but that's not the truly annoying part. The real killer is that he needs at least one activation of Anti-armor Boost. I think the potential activation rate is something like 11%, but I don't really remember anymore. What makes it horrible is that stacks with all the other random junk and you don't get a chance at it until like 10/11 minutes into the segment.

So yeah, to say I had fun with this chapter would be putting it very lightly. On the bright side though, I shouldn't have another "ohmanwhydidIdecidetorunthisfreakinggame" moment until at least chapter 10-2. Getting the Edelweiss to hit that puny bridge rail from all the way across the map is going to be so much fun! Also, this gives me another excuse to just not do attempts for months on end. Hopefully that doesn't happen though.

Also note that I redid chapter 6 a while ago because it wasn't going to work with the new chapter 7 plan, but I didn't bother uploading it. While I start chapter 7 "behind" the current run (I wasn't actually behind), I gain all that back and then some by the end of chapter 7. This lead should continue to grow because of menu planning stuff starting to pay off.

Segment 8 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm5ip_sfIOM]Chapter 7[/url]): 0:48:55 [-2:55]

[s]P.S. Maximilian, I hate you. I really do.[/s]

Molotov

2012-12-09 02:10:46 am

I considered waiting for more before another update, but I guess three segments is enough to make it worthwhile. I've finished chapters 8-1, 8-2, and 9 this time. You can probably just check the YouTube description if you want to know specific details, but basically 8-1 and 9 changed quite a bit at the last minute. 8-1 involves Welkin chucking stuff, including two grenades and a ponisera plant from the other end of a wall. Alicia, on the other hand, just hobbles around and steps on a mine at the end.

8-2 went almost exactly as planned, but there wasn't any happy grass. This is a terrible thing.

I changed 9 to replace Rosie with Kevin because Strong-Willed hates me. This means I needed to place two extra units to cover the CP loss, but I guess it worked out. I'm honestly not sure it's faster (it looks even to me), but at least it wasn't as luck-heavy.

Segment 9 (Chapter 8-1): 0:57:19 [-7:42]
Segment 10 (Chapter 8-2): 1:01:30 [-7:12]
Segment 11 (Chapter 9): 1:04:38 [-7:55]

I considered waiting for more before another update, but I guess three segments is enough to make it worthwhile. I've finished chapters 8-1, 8-2, and 9 this time. You can probably just check the YouTube description if you want to know specific details, but basically 8-1 and 9 changed quite a bit at the last minute. 8-1 involves Welkin chucking stuff, including two grenades and a ponisera plant from the other end of a wall. Alicia, on the other hand, just hobbles around and steps on a mine at the end.

8-2 went almost exactly as planned, but there wasn't any happy grass. This is a terrible thing.

I changed 9 to replace Rosie with Kevin because Strong-Willed hates me. This means I needed to place two extra units to cover the CP loss, but I guess it worked out. I'm honestly not sure it's faster (it looks even to me), but at least it wasn't as luck-heavy.

Segment 9 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNdlVvHyS7c]Chapter 8-1[/url]): 0:57:19 [-7:42]
Segment 10 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVLakpQ6dY8]Chapter 8-2[/url]): 1:01:30 [-7:12]
Segment 11 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxtuZCkIkHI]Chapter 9[/url]): 1:04:38 [-7:55]

Tigger77

2012-12-11 03:55:31 am

I survived MIKE-Fest 1

Just have to say man you are doing an amazing job, the Maxi thing was incredible

keep up the good work.

unfortunately I have nothing more to offer then cheering Sad

kazrya

2013-01-13 09:33:47 pm

I'm hoping to be able to learn some of these strats. Molotov, Tigger and M2 are destroying this game more than I thought possible, lol

Molotov

Edit history:

Molotov: 2013-04-03 12:21:30 pm

2013-04-01 03:16:29 pm

I finally stopped being so lazy and decided to work on this run a bit more. I only have 10-1 to show for all these months of procrastination, but hey, at least it's in HD now. And to be fair, 10-1 is far more difficult than it looks. Most of the difficulty came from decision to go for a blind radiator shot on the first tank. You don't get a chance at it until turn 2 and if you miss, you have to restart the attempt. Thanks to some genius deciding that tank shells should have small hitboxes, it was much harder to hit that radiator than it really should've been.

Honestly, if I had known that I would be doing this and at least two more insane shots with the Edelweiss, I would've spent a few seconds to pick up two accuracy parts before chapter 7. I think Nitrodon said the base accuracy is 6%, so I look forward to even more fun later. On the bright side though, at least I'll actually be able to see the targets from now on.

But enough of that. The strategy for this map changed several times, including up to the last minute. Our initial plan was something like 3-3-4-3 (number of Edelweiss actions per turn). You can do this without deploying anybody else, since the game gives you seven CP per turn. The main problem area back then was on turn 3. I needed to shoot the second tank once and then hide behind a nearby rock to avoid being attacked in the enemy phase. On turn 4, it would be simple to drive up to the tank and fire two more times as I pass. Not so simple was the part where I needed enough AP to make it to the end point on my third move or it was all ruined. So I tried to find the perfect balance between hiding behind the rock and being close enough to make it to the end.

I wasn't having much luck with that at all, so I changed the plan to something less precise: 3-3-5-2. With this plan, I was free to skip shooting the first lancer entirely if I wanted and I basically just had to drive toward the bridge instead of tricky rock stuff. Unfortunately, this plan also had a major flaw in it. If my theory is right, missing that second tank on any of your three attacks will ruin everything. Not only does it waste time, but it seems that by missing, both of the lancers near the tank think the shot was intended for them instead. Because of that, their vision range gets extended and since the Edelweiss is out in the open, you're screwed.

After much frustration and many hours of failed attempts, I finally gave up on that method and went back to 3-3-4-3...but with tweaks to make it easier. For some dumb reason, I had it in my head before that I needed to turn the Edelweiss, drive toward the rock, and then turn again to get into position. This was difficult and clearly wasn't working. Instead, it finally occured to me to think about one of the game mechanics in this game related to vision ranges. By shooting the tank the first time, I revealed myself from beyond its vision range. To fix this, all I had to do was back up behind an obstacle (the rock) and suddenly its vision range is reset and I can drive much closer than before.

This realization made things much easier than before. To make it even better, the first lancer was generous enough to provide a marker for when you're out of sight by plopping his corpse down on the spot I needed to back up to. I was even allowed to miss the headshots on either one of the lancers, because the fourth action was just a movement turn anyway. (Fun fact: Welkin actually managed to miss the kill on the grass lancer even at point-blank range in one of my attempts.)

Anyway, I also had a Training Field visit to take care of after this map, so I technically lost time compared to the current run on this segment. That's just on paper though.

Segment 12 (Chapter 10-1): 1:13:34 [-7:25]

[Edit]: Just a minor update, but 10-2 is done too. I'll take a one map break from Edelweiss Chronicles and then possibly come back to it in 12, so fun times. The shot in 12 is the easiest of the Edelweiss trick shots though, so that's nice at least.

Segment 13 (Chapter 10-2): 1:20:46 [-8:58]

I finally stopped being so lazy and decided to work on this run a bit more. I only have 10-1 to show for all these months of procrastination, but hey, at least it's in HD now. And to be fair, 10-1 is far more difficult than it looks. Most of the difficulty came from decision to go for a blind radiator shot on the first tank. You don't get a chance at it until turn 2 and if you miss, you have to restart the attempt. Thanks to some genius deciding that tank shells should have small hitboxes, it was much harder to hit that radiator than it really should've been.

Honestly, if I had known that I would be doing this and at least two more insane shots with the Edelweiss, I would've spent a few seconds to pick up two accuracy parts before chapter 7. I think Nitrodon said the base accuracy is 6%, so I look forward to even more fun later. On the bright side though, at least I'll actually be able to [i]see[/i] the targets from now on.

But enough of that. The strategy for this map changed several times, including up to the last minute. Our initial plan was something like 3-3-4-3 (number of Edelweiss actions per turn). You can do this without deploying anybody else, since the game gives you seven CP per turn. The main problem area back then was on turn 3. I needed to shoot the second tank once and then hide behind a nearby rock to avoid being attacked in the enemy phase. On turn 4, it would be simple to drive up to the tank and fire two more times as I pass. Not so simple was the part where I needed enough AP to make it to the end point on my third move or it was all ruined. So I tried to find the perfect balance between hiding behind the rock and being close enough to make it to the end.

I wasn't having much luck with that at all, so I changed the plan to something less precise: 3-3-5-2. With this plan, I was free to skip shooting the first lancer entirely if I wanted and I basically just had to drive toward the bridge instead of tricky rock stuff. Unfortunately, this plan also had a major flaw in it. If my theory is right, missing that second tank on any of your three attacks will ruin everything. Not only does it waste time, but it seems that by missing, both of the lancers near the tank think the shot was intended for them instead. Because of that, their vision range gets extended and since the Edelweiss is out in the open, you're screwed.

After much frustration and many hours of failed attempts, I finally gave up on that method and went back to 3-3-4-3...but with tweaks to make it easier. For some dumb reason, I had it in my head before that I needed to turn the Edelweiss, drive toward the rock, and then turn again to get into position. This was difficult and clearly wasn't working. Instead, it finally occured to me to think about one of the game mechanics in this game related to vision ranges. By shooting the tank the first time, I revealed myself from beyond its vision range. To fix this, all I had to do was back up behind an obstacle (the rock) and suddenly its vision range is reset and I can drive much closer than before.

This realization made things [i]much[/i] easier than before. To make it even better, the first lancer was generous enough to provide a marker for when you're out of sight by plopping his corpse down on the spot I needed to back up to. I was even allowed to miss the headshots on either one of the lancers, because the fourth action was just a movement turn anyway. (Fun fact: Welkin actually managed to miss the kill on the grass lancer even at point-blank range in one of my attempts.)

Anyway, I also had a Training Field visit to take care of after this map, so I technically lost time compared to the current run on this segment. That's just on paper though.

Segment 12 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GwY7a1f5_g]Chapter 10-1[/url]): 1:13:34 [-7:25]

[Edit]: Just a minor update, but 10-2 is done too. I'll take a one map break from Edelweiss Chronicles and then possibly come back to it in 12, so fun times. The shot in 12 is the easiest of the Edelweiss trick shots though, so that's nice at least.

Segment 13 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcG94r7PhQM]Chapter 10-2[/url]): 1:20:46 [-8:58]

Molotov

2013-04-12 06:27:15 pm

Chapters 11, 12, and 13 are all done now. If you missed 10-2, it's in the edit to the previous post. 11 is almost a direct copy of the current run (plan and segment time) because I simply couldn't find anything better. The game really doesn't give you much freedom in that map and all but one of my attempts to blast someone over the barrier near the third base ended in failure. (The one time I did succeed was with Largo, who is obviously useless.) The only real change I made was to run around the sandbags at the end instead of climbing over them, since you don't need to conserve AP and I think it's slightly faster to go around. I did need to wait around for friendly fire on the scout though, because I had a weaker weapon than the current run (Gallian-4 versus Gallian-A1).

Chapter 12 doesn't involve any orders in this version, but yet I only saved 17 seconds here. I'm not really sure how the heck that works, but I'll take it. I covered everything relevant in the YouTube description, but the summary of the plan goes like this:

1. Move diagonally left with the Edelweiss to get a better angle and then shoot the cannon guy in the face.
2. Fire a smoke round in the grass patch.
3. Move Alicia up to the truck and look down before entering the smoke to eliminate lag.
4. Cross the street and run around the cannon guy on the left (going right will provoke the shocktrooper and you will die).
5. Blast the ace out of the base and seize.

If for some reason you're wondering why the base visit after 12 was given its own segment, that's because the old man in the cemetery is a massive troll. He enjoys offering you every other order except Awaken Potential and sometimes just goes "nope" and fakes amnesia. The original plan was to purchase the Gallian-A10, Theimer M03, and equip the gatling gun. Since chapter 13 is the last time a scout ever fires at something and Nitrodon said even the Gallian-2 would be capable of taking down the heavy tank, I felt I couldn't justify any rifle purchases. As it turns out, that was a wise decision because the 13 plan changed to the point where a better rifle would've been absolutely pointless.

As for chapter 13, I'd probably be better off just pasting the YouTube description in here, because I think I covered everything important and then some:

"This was a very frustrating map to plan, because the layout greatly limits your options. I spent a solid day trying every strange method I could think of and finally came across this one, which as ridiculous as it looks, is the fastest I can come up with.

A previous version of the plan involved using Nancy to hide in the corner I fire the grenade from. There's a spot there that will conceal you from all enemies, but the interesting part is that Alicia can't use it. She's slightly taller than Nancy, which gives the bunker just enough to work with so that Alicia can't hide there. That's why you see me hide in a different spot in this video.

Another good reason to switch from Nancy to Alicia was the fact that Alicia has 45 more total HP. This made survival on the base run go from being near impossible to slightly less impossible, which was definitely appreciated.

Killing the shocktrooper isn't necessary with Nancy, but you'll be so low on HP that you'll need ragnaid. And if you use that, you'll be at less than full HP and your odds of survival are even worse. Because of both of those things, I thought it was best to just take the guy out before he could shoot at me. That way I usually made my base run at full HP (and even then, it was still very risky).

You may also notice that the main base was deserted except for the heavy tank. I think the two extra enemies only spawn if you kill one (or both) of the shocktroopers from the previous base. So not only does sparing their lives seem to save time initially, but it also means I didn't need to blast the scout out of the main base like the current run does.

Finally, the grenade shot took me a long time to figure out and you'll notice I spend quite a while aiming. That shot is fairly precise, so it's worth taking the extra time to line it up properly. If you want to know how it works, this is exactly how to line it up:

1. Run into the corner and aim in the general direction of the base.
2. Hit L2 and aim close to the "face" looking scratches on the nearby wall.
3. Find the spot where your aim goes up (usually near the left eye of the face).
4. Aim just to the left of that spot and adjust your angle all the way out.
5. Lightly tap the D-pad to bring our aim back in five times and fire.

If you did it correctly and neither enemy ducks, you should blast both guys out of the base and the guy on the right will be staring at the wall. He won't see you as you pass and that's the key to survival.

Of course, you could also use a different method I found earlier that's extremely easy and safe. It's much slower than this method though, so unfortunately it's only useful for a single-segment run. Oh well?"

I'll explain the single-segment method I mentioned as well, since somebody might want to reference this someday. You send out Nancy instead of Alicia and the first action is the same. On your second action, you run past the shocktrooper and move up against the left front corner of the wooden planks. Take one step back and aim a rifle grenade at the base. Line your aim up with the middle of the left tent and move your aim out with three quick D-pad taps. That will hit both enemies and it doesn't matter if they duck, since any damage is fine. From there, you hide in the safe spot in the corner close to the nearby shocktrooper. If you're very careful with your AP usage, you can do this in two actions.

After that you just end turn and watch the morons evacuate the base (this is very time consuming). One of them actually climbs back out of the trench and gets killed by the rockets. From there, you have a free run on the base and only need to deal with the heavy tank in the main base. Assuming your grenade aim is good, it's impossible (or close to it) to fail with this method. It's just very slow compared to riskier methods, because the two guys leaving the base run a marathon on the enemy phase.

Or instead of reading all of that, you could just watch a demonstration.

Segment 14 (Chapter 11): 1:26:21 [-8:58]
Segment 15 (Chapter 12 + 13 preparations): 1:29:43 -> 1:31:44 [-9:15 -> -11:52]
Segment 16 (Chapter 13): 1:36:51 [-12:23]

Chapters 11, 12, and 13 are all done now. If you missed 10-2, it's in the edit to the previous post. 11 is almost a direct copy of the current run (plan and segment time) because I simply couldn't find anything better. The game really doesn't give you much freedom in that map and all but one of my attempts to blast someone over the barrier near the third base ended in failure. (The one time I did succeed was with Largo, who is obviously useless.) The only real change I made was to run around the sandbags at the end instead of climbing over them, since you don't need to conserve AP and I think it's slightly faster to go around. I did need to wait around for friendly fire on the scout though, because I had a weaker weapon than the current run (Gallian-4 versus Gallian-A1).

Chapter 12 doesn't involve any orders in this version, but yet I only saved 17 seconds here. I'm not really sure how the heck that works, but I'll take it. I covered everything relevant in the YouTube description, but the summary of the plan goes like this:

1. Move diagonally left with the Edelweiss to get a better angle and then shoot the cannon guy in the face.
2. Fire a smoke round in the grass patch.
3. Move Alicia up to the truck and look down before entering the smoke to eliminate lag.
4. Cross the street and run around the cannon guy on the left (going right will provoke the shocktrooper and you will die).
5. Blast the ace out of the base and seize.

If for some reason you're wondering why the base visit after 12 was given its own segment, that's because the old man in the cemetery is a massive troll. He enjoys offering you every other order except Awaken Potential and sometimes just goes "nope" and fakes amnesia. The original plan was to purchase the Gallian-A10, Theimer M03, and equip the gatling gun. Since chapter 13 is the last time a scout ever fires at something and Nitrodon said even the Gallian-2 would be capable of taking down the heavy tank, I felt I couldn't justify any rifle purchases. As it turns out, that was a wise decision because the 13 plan changed to the point where a better rifle would've been absolutely pointless.

As for chapter 13, I'd probably be better off just pasting the YouTube description in here, because I think I covered everything important and then some:

"This was a very frustrating map to plan, because the layout greatly limits your options. I spent a solid day trying every strange method I could think of and finally came across this one, which as ridiculous as it looks, is the fastest I can come up with.

A previous version of the plan involved using Nancy to hide in the corner I fire the grenade from. There's a spot there that will conceal you from all enemies, but the interesting part is that Alicia can't use it. She's slightly taller than Nancy, which gives the bunker just enough to work with so that Alicia can't hide there. That's why you see me hide in a different spot in this video.

Another good reason to switch from Nancy to Alicia was the fact that Alicia has 45 more total HP. This made survival on the base run go from being near impossible to slightly less impossible, which was definitely appreciated.

Killing the shocktrooper isn't necessary with Nancy, but you'll be so low on HP that you'll need ragnaid. And if you use that, you'll be at less than full HP and your odds of survival are even worse. Because of both of those things, I thought it was best to just take the guy out before he could shoot at me. That way I usually made my base run at full HP (and even then, it was still very risky).

You may also notice that the main base was deserted except for the heavy tank. I think the two extra enemies only spawn if you kill one (or both) of the shocktroopers from the previous base. So not only does sparing their lives seem to save time initially, but it also means I didn't need to blast the scout out of the main base like the current run does.

Finally, the grenade shot took me a long time to figure out and you'll notice I spend quite a while aiming. That shot is fairly precise, so it's worth taking the extra time to line it up properly. If you want to know how it works, this is exactly how to line it up:

1. Run into the corner and aim in the general direction of the base.
2. Hit L2 and aim close to the "face" looking scratches on the nearby wall.
3. Find the spot where your aim goes up (usually near the left eye of the face).
4. Aim just to the left of that spot and adjust your angle all the way out.
5. Lightly tap the D-pad to bring our aim back in five times and fire.

If you did it correctly and neither enemy ducks, you should blast both guys out of the base and the guy on the right will be staring at the wall. He won't see you as you pass and that's the key to survival.

Of course, you could also use a different method I found earlier that's extremely easy and safe. It's much slower than this method though, so unfortunately it's only useful for a single-segment run. Oh well?"

I'll explain the single-segment method I mentioned as well, since somebody might want to reference this someday. You send out Nancy instead of Alicia and the first action is the same. On your second action, you run past the shocktrooper and move up against the left front corner of the wooden planks. Take one step back and aim a rifle grenade at the base. Line your aim up with the middle of the left tent and move your aim out with three quick D-pad taps. That will hit both enemies and it doesn't matter if they duck, since any damage is fine. From there, you hide in the safe spot in the corner close to the nearby shocktrooper. If you're very careful with your AP usage, you can do this in two actions.

After that you just end turn and watch the morons evacuate the base (this is very time consuming). One of them actually climbs back out of the trench and gets killed by the rockets. From there, you have a free run on the base and only need to deal with the heavy tank in the main base. Assuming your grenade aim is good, it's impossible (or close to it) to fail with this method. It's just very slow compared to riskier methods, because the two guys leaving the base run a marathon on the enemy phase.

Or instead of reading all of that, you could just watch a [url=http://www.mediafire.com/?ocb5m31466d8rzz]demonstration[/url].

Segment 14 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0-9dgYGQ4o]Chapter 11[/url]): 1:26:21 [-8:58]
Segment 15 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_9cJ-13bMg]Chapter 12 + 13 preparations[/url]): 1:29:43 -> 1:31:44 [-9:15 -> -11:52]
Segment 16 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovro-S-CxPo]Chapter 13[/url]): 1:36:51 [-12:23]

Molotov

2013-04-22 02:30:51 am

The run is finished now, in case anybody still cares about this. I hope to have the remaining eight segments uploaded sometime in the afternoon, but it may take longer than that. I'll probably edit the links in here as they go up.

The final time is 2:21 flat, so it's an improvement of 21 minutes, 44 seconds. I'll admit that I started to rush out the segments a bit toward the end (as in, after chapter 14), but overall I'm happy with what I have. Mostly though, I'm just happy that I don't need to play this game ever again unless my initial idea to do a single-segment comes back in force (which is extremely unlikely).

I'd write a novel about all the planning nonsense that went into the remaining segments, but I'll just save it for the comments. Instead, I'll finish this post with an attached video that pretty much sums up my entire experience with running this game. (For added fun, watch it using frame advance!)

Attachment:

Valkyria Chronicles - Ultimate Troll.mp4

VorpalEdge

2013-04-22 03:21:09 am

welcome to the machine

that's special.

Rakuen

2013-04-22 04:47:05 pm

Weegee Time

Valkyria troll is best troll.

Congratulations on finishing the run! Cheesy