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Let's Play : Secret of Mana - Episode 15 : Over 30GB Served this month!

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  • iadrianiadrian Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Doc, I just finished all three episodes in a slow workday marathon. Absolutely fantastic.

    I don't remember much of the game, so it's like I'm right there with you not knowing exactly what's going on. Loving the videos, and your commentary is great. Good stuff.

    And for the record, I was actually going to suggest Uncola, but I didn't get around to it. :lol:

    iadrian on
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  • ArikadoArikado Southern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited March 2008
    What about LYMON.

    Arikado on
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  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Episode 4 is uploading as I chill here in the lounge at SXSW Interactive. They have faster upload speeds than I have at home, so I might just sit here for 30 minutes or so.

    edit: nevermind - it slowed down to 50kb/s which will take over an hour, and I'm definitely not bumming around here that long.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
  • Xenogears of BoreXenogears of Bore Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    forty wrote: »

    Edit to be vaguely on topic:
    I always go for 7-Up.
    Brilliantly clever, but I don't think you could put numbers in SoM names, only capital A-Z.

    Yeah, that was unfortunate D: I almost went with "uncola" but then I wouldn't be picking one of your choices. Can't you rename your characters in SoM? Seems some SNES RPG let you do that...

    Hahaha. I booted up my save and guess what my Sprite is called? Uncola! I knew I wasn't crazy!

    Hi-5.

    Xenogears of Bore on
    3DS CODE: 3093-7068-3576
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Doc Holliday on
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  • NeoTomaNeoToma Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I personally always thought the sprite was a girl. But that's mainly based off the long hair.

    NeoToma on
  • FCDFCD Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I thought the things in the sprite's hair were just more hair bunched into balls and then wrapped in ribbons, kinda like Shampoo's hair in Ranma 1/2.

    FCD on
    Gridman! Baby DAN DAN! Baby DAN DAN!
  • FrosteeyFrosteey Elaise 1521-2945-8940Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    seikendensetu2.jpg

    Frosteey on
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    it's... horns? Still looks like a dude to me.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
  • gilraingilrain Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Man, dude, Doc... you've gotta watch your party members' health better! You're driving me nuts! When you were fighting the last boss, I was like, "Hm, you should give Popo a candy." Then he got hit again and I was, "Wow, now he really needs a candy." Then he got hit again and died and you had to use a cup of wishes. :(

    Anyway, another great episode! I like the frequency, too. LPs are becoming a part of my daily entertainment. Keep it up! :^:

    gilrain on
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    gilrain wrote: »
    Man, dude, Doc... you've gotta watch your party members' health better! You're driving me nuts! When you were fighting the last boss, I was like, "Hm, you should give Popo a candy." Then he got hit again and I was, "Wow, now he really needs a candy." Then he got hit again and died and you had to use a cup of wishes. :(

    Anyway, another great episode! I like the frequency, too. LPs are becoming a part of my daily entertainment. Keep it up! :^:

    Haha, yeah... I'm 100% focused on OMG GIANT TIGER ATTACK ATTACK and not so much on Popo's heath there. My multitasking ability in general is rather crappy, so don't expect the trend to change ;-)

    I'm all wrapped up in SXSW stuff today and most of this weekend. Hopefully I'll get an episode recorded tomorrow and uploaded Sunday. Maybe I'll record two and stagger the releases a bit.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
  • RakaiRakai Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Frosteey wrote: »
    seikendensetu2.jpg

    Who do I have to kill to get some posters made of those two images? :x
    (Minus the characters of course.)

    Rakai on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]XBL: Rakayn | PS3: Rakayn | Steam ID
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Rakai wrote: »
    Frosteey wrote: »
    seikendensetu2.jpg

    Who do I have to kill to get some posters made of those two images? :x
    (Minus the characters of course.)

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Secret-of-Mana-Poster-SNES-Super-Nintendo-Manna_W0QQitemZ360029055624QQihZ023QQcategoryZ187QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

    disclaimer : not my auction.

    IMG_1543.jpg

    edit: although, it looks like Marketing guy for the US was like "what? this looks boring, let's add a DRAGON YEAH THAT WOULD BE AWESOME"
    edit 2 : I just realized I have like 200 issues of Nintendo Power. I wonder if I have this poster.
    edit 3 : Holy crap I have the entire Secret of Mana walkthrough spanning 3 Nintendo Power issues. AWESOMESAUCE.
    edit 4 : VICTORY! I have the Secret of Mana poster still attached to the Nintendo Power. Excellent.

    Doc Holliday on
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  • FrosteeyFrosteey Elaise 1521-2945-8940Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    That...dragon, ahaha....

    Frosteey on
  • Vangu VegroVangu Vegro Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    it's... horns? Still looks like a dude to me.

    I always thought they were feathers.

    True Secret of Mana story #1: I used to name the other characters after classmates that kinda looked like them. The girl was Karin and the Sprite Raymon (no space left for the last D...)

    True Secret of Mana story #2: While playing the game, one of my nephews, who always wanted to be a crane driver (which he is now), refused to ever take off his starting armor, the Overalls. A while later, he saved the game over my file. I wasn't happy...

    Vangu Vegro on
    In my PC: Ryzom, Diablo III, Naruto Shippuden UNSR, The Old Republic
    In my 3DS: Super Smash Bros, AC New Leaf
    Last game completed: Steamworld Dig
  • FrosteeyFrosteey Elaise 1521-2945-8940Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    ii-28.jpg
    Feathers, yeah.

    Frosteey on
  • SeeksSeeks Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Man, the more I watch these the more I like 'em. I almost pissed myself laughing at the guard not moving. That happens to me just way too goddamn often.

    Seeks on
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  • ZythonZython Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I was wondering, how do you do the uploading and recording of the LP stuff, because I was thinking about doing one of my own.

    Zython on
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  • Tonberry KingTonberry King Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    :lol: I was like, "Oh god, I forgot to tell him about the Iffish, shit!" Those things are your first "fast enemies" so it's only natural that they gave you some trouble. That being said you're getting a lot better. You handled the last two bosses very well. Just remember to keep a healthy stock of healing items.

    Player Tip
    Hate to ruin your continuity, but you're not going to the ruins. If you want level two magic and the Ruins Boss elemental weakness, you're going back to Gaia's Naval.

    Before you do anything level up your magic. Remember that the girl's magic levels up faster when you're in an area with enemies. I just go to that section North of Pandora for my first first few levels. Use Ice Saber on all three characters and she'll level up in no time. To level up Popo use some of that Ice magic on all three of the iffish outside of the Water Palace. You can save some money by using Luka to restore your MP.

    At Gaia's Naval, you'll find a cave in the Dwarf Village. Use ice magic on the orb to unlock the Underground Palace. The Palace is very hard. Enemies like the Ma Goblins make it a pain in the ass. Honestly, I think you should maybe grind a little at the first Ma Goblin and then run through the rest of the dungeon. Eventually you'll get to a boss that shouldn't be too hard for you. Just make sure that Popo has full MP. Use level 1 Ice magic on him for massive damage. After that you get Earth magic and another sealed magic seed.

    Now that you have all weapons I'll give the rundown on each. It certainly not definitive and it's tailored more to my play style, but I think it will help you get a better idea about which weapons are worth using.

    Sword : This is usually your second or third strongest weapon. It's almost always the first to get upgraded so that's nice. Nearly every weapon in the game has a bonus at each upgrade and the sword is no exception. Too bad it's bonuses aren't that great. The range is fairly short so it's poor against fast enemies. I usually give this weapon to one of my supporting characters.

    Spear : Usually second or even the strongest weapon in your inventory. The spear has the perfect balance between long and short range. The bonuses are some of the best in the game. The sprite spear for instance, will cast the balloon effect on your enemies. It almost never fails too! This is a very handy weapon.

    Axe : The axe trades spots with the spear as first or second most powerful weapon in the game. It's slow and has short range. Bonuses are fairly unremarkable except for the coveted +5 strength that you receave near the end of the game. You'll need the axe occasionally to cut down obstacles. I'm not a huge fan because of it's speed but you might like it.

    Glove : The glove has mid to low power, extremely short range, and very fast rate of attack. It has some pretty bad ass charge attacks as well. The short range pretty much disqualifies it from any use against fast enemies unless you have a death wish. The fast rate of attack is good against small slow enemies that flinch easily. Bonuses are decent.

    Bow : One of your strongest long range weapons but still not especially powerful. The arch the arrow makes is useful for attacking enemies at an angle. One draw back to the bow is that it can only hurt one enemy at a time. The bonuses are alright. You get two bows that can confuse enemies. The bow usually gets ignored in favor of other long range weapons.

    Boomerang : The attack on this thing is just pitiful. You may like it because it's a long range weapon and it can hit several enemies at once but be prepared to hit the enemy several times. The bonuses are for the most part crappy. I hate this weapon.

    Whip : The whip is like the boomerang except powerful enough to be useful. The only downside is that the whip can only hit an enemy when it's at the end of it's long range. I find this weapon very useful for killing fast enemies. Few enemies have attacks that have a range longer than the whip. You need this weapon to cross chasms. The whip gets two forms that can slow enemies down making it the official fast enemy killer.

    Pole Dart : I may be the only one who likes it, but I have good reason to. It trades spots with the bow as the most powerful long range weapon. Plus you get that great ark that allows you to hit enemies at an angle. It's better at hitting the enemy than the bow because of it's unique shape. The pole dart gets bonuses that balloons enemies but unlike the spear it receives this bonus twice! Trust me on this one. This should be your favorite long range weapon.

    Tonberry King on
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Ok, so I shouldn't be all that embarrassed to get creamed by the iffish.
    Google video is up for all who care.

    Tonberry :
    Yeah, I knew about the fire gigas, but got lost in the story ;). Thanks for all the help with everything-- walkthrough, weapons, and all that. That's a lot of info to type! I just read over it now, I'll read over it again when I get home tonight and record chapter 5.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
  • Tonberry KingTonberry King Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    It's no problem. I'm enjoying the LP so far and I want you to finish it.

    Tonberry King on
  • ArikadoArikado Southern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I remember grinding the hell out of Speed Up and Wall towards the end of the game. So many walnuts used.

    Are you going to grind the magic levels? I know Fireball looks and Gem Missile look pretty wicked when maxed out.

    Arikado on
    BNet: Arikado#1153 | Steam | LoL: Anzen
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Yeah I'm going to grind as needed for now. Later on, when the spells get crazy, I'll focus more time on grinding those off camera and showcasing them for you guys.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
  • ArikadoArikado Southern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Cool, I never got to see all the Shade spells fully upgraded.

    Arikado on
    BNet: Arikado#1153 | Steam | LoL: Anzen
  • FCDFCD Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Frosteey wrote: »
    ii-28.jpg
    Feathers, yeah.

    Nice pic, though I think they could also be ears. Just sayin', is all.

    FCD on
    Gridman! Baby DAN DAN! Baby DAN DAN!
  • Tonberry KingTonberry King Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    A few of you have commented on the music so I thought I'd show everyone how to listen to the soundtrack *legally. It involves the use of a relatively new music format, SPC.

    First of all you need an SPC player. There are standalone players out there, but I use Winamp. This walk through will tell you how to do it with Winamp. The plug in you need for Winamp can be found here. Download SNESamp and place it in your Winamp/plugins folder. Make sure Winamp is closed and then click the SAmp333.exe. Installation is pretty straightforward. Now open Winamp and go to preferences. Check the Input tab and look for Alpha-II SPC Player. If it's there you've installed successfully. You now have a working SPC player.

    Next go to this page. Click "Download SPC soundtrack." It should be a very small file called sd2.rsn. Open the file with winamp and you should be able to listen to the complete Secret of Mana OST in SPC format.

    Hate winamp? I do too. So let me teach you how to convert these into other formats like Mp3s. Go back to preferences and click Output. Look for the Nullsoft Disk writer plug in and configure it. First choose which directory you want your new files to go. For conversion into Mp3s click the "Convert to format" check box. Click the button below and make sure it's on MPEG-layer 3. You can also edit the bitrate from here. Click OK to finish configuring. Once again click the rsn to play it. The player should now go through every song, convert it, and then spit it out in the directory you picked earlier. You now have a fairly complete OST with decent quality. The only annoying part is that you need to edit the title and tags.

    *and by legally I mean there's no law that I'm aware of that mentions the process. I can't say much about how it works but I can tell you that it's essentially a rip of the music directly from the game. I'm not breaking any rules by discussing it but it is borderline.

    Tonberry King on
  • CraigopogoCraigopogo Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Possibly the best video game soundtrack ever.

    Craigopogo on
  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Actually endless Remedying in an area with monsters is the quickest way to do things. Just don't remedy the girl and you can chain cast that thing really really fast. 1 MP each, need 100/(10-(level you're going for) casts to level as I recall. You get 9 experience per cast at level 0, once you hit 100 you get level 1 with that spell. Similarly with the Sprite, use tangle to level up Gnome really fast. And Gnome has Earth Slide, which is the weakness of something like 40% of the game's bosses.

    My usual set up with my friend was: Boy got the Sword, Girl got the Spear, Sprite got something to stay out of the way (bow, usually). He played the boy, I took the girl, and switched to the sprite for chain casting in battles.

    enlightenedbum on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Just started watching these.

    I think that, within the first five minutes of having two characters you have pressed select more than I have in all of my playthroughs.

    Blackjack on
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    3DS: 1607-3034-6970
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Blackjack wrote: »
    Just started watching these.

    I think that, within the first five minutes of having two characters you have pressed select more than I have in all of my playthroughs.

    It sped things along, and makes the forest with the Chobin Hoods much more manageable in my early levels. I haven't done it as much since.

    If anyone knows how to concatenate h264 mov files without re-encoding (passthrough) let me know.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Blackjack wrote: »
    Just started watching these.

    I think that, within the first five minutes of having two characters you have pressed select more than I have in all of my playthroughs.

    It sped things along, and makes the forest with the Chobin Hoods much more manageable in my early levels. I haven't done it as much since.
    Yeah, I noticed it was helping with them (until everything went south, anyway). That's always been the hardest section of the game for me, too. Which is fitting since it's right before you get a major reward (magic).


    Player Tip
    Tossing my own weapon votes into the mix.

    Give Doc the Sword, since it's thematic and fitting. Switch to the axe if you need to smash rocks or whatever. Let Rachel have the spear (give her the whip for areas with a lot of gaps that need to be jumped) since, as you noted, she does do pretty decent damage and you won't really be casting as much with her. The spear has a decent range, too, so she'll be able to deal damage without getting right into the melee. Popo can have whatever ranged weapon you want, since it doesn't matter since he sucks at attacking.

    Blackjack on
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    3DS: 1607-3034-6970
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Just to show you guys how dedicated I am to this LP, I am vowing not to buy Smash Bros. Brawl until it is finished and all magic and all weapons are leveled up. That is, all weapons, regardless of character (not all weapons for all characters).

    So there you have it. Faith in the LP! Episode 5 is uploading now.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Just to show you guys how dedicated I am to this LP, I am vowing not to buy Smash Bros. Brawl until it is finished and all magic and all weapons are leveled up. That is, all weapons, regardless of character (not all weapons for all characters).

    So there you have it. Faith in the LP! Episode 5 is uploading now.

    Dude. D:

    There's dedication, and then there's madness.

    SimBen on
    sig.gif
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I know, I know; but I have enough self-awareness to realize if I buy it today, you guys wouldn't hear from me for, like, months.

    Months.

    edit: argh, sorry guys, the uploading failed because I switched rooms here at sxsw. I may have to wait until I'm home to upload it. I should really upload from my home server. Learning++

    edit 2 : Vangu - I did the same thing. That is, named the characters after classmates. The girl was Carrie and the dude was Sohale. So, Carrie or Sohale, if you're here, congratulations.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Blackjack wrote: »
    If anyone knows how to concatenate h264 mov files without re-encoding (passthrough) let me know.

    If they were .avi's you could do this really easy with VirtualDub, but Quicktime files I have no clue.

    ASimPerson on
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Thanks, I eventually found out that I can just copy + paste at the end, then flatten the quicktime file without re-encoding.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
  • Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    New episode released!

    Secret of Mana : Let's Play - Episode 5 - "This is my angry face"

    Apologies to those subscribed to the podcast feed. I had difficulties uploading and Blip can't tell the difference between a completed upload, and one that failed, so it creates a new episode every time I try. I'll hopefully resolve all these issues from now on.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Um... the video seems to just up and stop when you pause it for grinding.

    SimBen on
    sig.gif
  • TVs_FrankTVs_Frank Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    SimBen wrote: »
    Um... the video seems to just up and stop when you pause it for grinding.

    I get the same thing too.

    TVs_Frank on
  • gilraingilrain Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    TVs_Frank wrote: »
    SimBen wrote: »
    Um... the video seems to just up and stop when you pause it for grinding.
    I get the same thing too.
    Yeah. :(

    gilrain on
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