Bravely Default - Or, Square Enix still loves stupid names

Balladeer wrote:

End chapter 4 spoiler:

Minor spoiler for Balladeer:

I'm starting to think playing more of this game simply isn't worth the time investment, as chapters 5, 6, 7 and (probably) 8 are going to take 12 hours each judging from how long it took me to complete all the sidequests in chapter 5, and I now have the key that lets me open the blue chests.

Honestly Fronkhead if you're tired of the side quests I'd recommend considering you just skip them until chapter 7 and 8.  

Reasons why:

I skipped them mostly and it only took me about two to three hours per chapter until 8.

Thanks for the heads-up. It still doesn't excuse flawed game design, but I'll be more likely to want to continue now.

I've actually deleted it off my 3DS due to me not being able to stop playing it and then feeling bad about myself for wasting hours down the drain playing through this recycled content (I bought the download version) and backed up the save, so I'll be returning to it when I feel like it.

2-3 hours per chapter only sounds relatively better, for me I could play through a whole new game in the time it'll take for me to get to the end of Bravely Default. Heck, I could probably play through A Link Between Worlds in the time it takes to clear another chapter with all the sidequests.

Athrun888 wrote:

Mild future hint spoiler thing:

Yes I do!:

Sounds like there's stuff to be ignored in chapter six then, unless I want to grind with some context.  And I spent a good while early-game training up a thief to try and unlock those blue chests, damn it!  

I've spent the day dragon-hunting, me.  They're tricky bastards to be sure - I had a white mage and a ninja with white magic casting four dispels every three rounds.  The ninja only got to attack once in five of the battles!  Still, they've met their maker now - time for me to do the same (tomorrow).

Also obligatory  at Beemoh.

Balladeer wrote:

Sounds like there's stuff to be ignored in chapter six then, unless I want to grind with some context.  And I spent a good while early-game training up a thief to try and unlock those blue chests, damn it!  

And that's why I've given up, at least for now. If chapter 5 sapped out ~12 hours of my time doing something so mundane, and without the need for much backtracking, the thought of having to re-explore every dungeon at some point to get those blue chests was the last straw.

Bravely Default doesn't seem to be rewarding me much for my time investment. Few times have I actually regretted spending time playing a videogame, but it happened after I finished chapter 5.

Balladeer wrote:

Athrun888 wrote:

Mild future hint spoiler thing:

Yes I do!:

Sounds like there's stuff to be ignored in chapter six then, unless I want to grind with some context.  And I spent a good while early-game training up a thief to try and unlock those blue chests, damn it!  

Well:

And the blue chests were actually pretty quick to unlock, I just turned off the random encounters and turned on the freelancer's ability that shows the location of unopened chests.  Each dungeon took what felt like about two to three minutes at most when I did that.  Actually it's surprising how much the pace feels like it improves when you turn off random encounters and only turn them on when you want to grind, more games need to do this!   

See the previous page:

Balladeer wrote:

...and the ability to change monster frequency, which is an absolute godsend and should come as default (ha!) for every random battle-RPG from hereon out.  THIS MEANS YOU POKÉMON.

i.e., you're goddamn right. My general approach to dungeons (with that Freelancer ability on): -100% while I waltz through and pick up all the chests/summons, uninterrupted; then +100% to grind a few levels, compensating for the battles I would have fought. 0% is only for shortish trips across the map.

It's a solution, sure, but it doesn't hide the flaws that this game has. And I don't fancy having to grind another 23 levels (since you need to be around Level 99 for the endgame, and everything right now is essentially recycled content up to that point).

It's simply not worth the time.

Quick! Go tell the game's producer that you've found a flaw in his game!  

I'm still yet to play this but glad everyone is enjoying but as I have the demo still on my system I keep getting streetpasses for it. So my village has every thing unlocked I don't know if any of that transfers over though like the items I've got from it.

I'm glad the subject of grinding was brought up, because it will allow me to gush over the other function I love almost as much as the encounter rate settings, and that is the replay function! Whoever decided to include a replay function in this game should be showered with gold, it brings an end to the era where grinding required player input. With it it reduced grinding to simply running a little bit in florem gardens and keeping an eye on supplies, within a couple of hours the party was maxed! Like the encounter rate setter more rpgs need to have this function!   

Hmm.  I haven't tried Replay yet.  Might have to give it a go.

Just beaten the vampire chap (thank goodness for Agnès on Ramparts), and I got 999 JP but nothing else.  Is that the case for all of the remaining bosses?

EDIT: Yes, it appears it is. I see what you mean about chapter 5.  

On the plus side the story bosses give out exp, and by the end of it they were giving out 120000 exp per kill when someone was holding the growth egg.

And now for the real reason of my post, my team is now ready for deployment against the final bosses. I've spent a while grinding my jobs up and have finally decided on a set of combinations I like. Tiz will be a black mage that can cast white magic. Agnes is going to be a performer that buffs the party, and also a white mage. Ringabel will be a ninja with the thief job as a sub class for godspeed strike. Finally edea is going to be a knight that has the templar sub class to block one of the enemies signature abilities which rampart walls, but otherwise has a high chance of wiping the entire party out.

Now watch as this party gets wiped out!   

I'm not ashamed to admit it: I've started using a walkthrough. I'm going to use its suggestions to get lots and lots of money so that I can get my hands on that growth egg, and maybe use it for some of the harder sub-quests afterwards. I'll try and beat the final boss on my own, but I'm not overly hopeful.

Also everyone is going to have at least level 9 in performing, because Buff Up is my favourite skill since Multitask.

Chapter 5 question, chapter 6 (and onwards) speculation:

If you really want to have that answered...

Chapter six spoilers:

Spoiler:

I'm really getting quite worried here.  I love this game so far (although by the end of chapter 8, it sounds like I might be bored with it), but there are so many areas to improve on, and the producer's comments make me feel like none of them are going to be taken on board for the sequel. 

Balladeer wrote:

I'm not ashamed to admit it: I've started using a walkthrough.

Get out. *points at door*

Balladeer wrote:

Chapter 5 question, chapter 6 (and onwards) speculation:

Ah, you see, when I found out the answer I stopped playing the game. I do like to finish things that I start, but the rational part of my brain kicked in once I found out the answer to your question. And it's incredibly demotivating when you start each new chapter.

Balladeer wrote:

Spoiler:

I'm really getting quite worried here.  I love this game so far (although by the end of chapter 8, it sounds like I might be bored with it), but there are so many areas to improve on, and the producer's comments make me feel like none of them are going to be taken on board for the sequel.

Answer to your spoiler that's a spoiler to anyone who hasn't reached chapter 5 yet...

Spoiler:

Given Square Enix are making them develop a game every year, I dread to think what they've come up to artificially lengthen game time next time.

I might... not... (oh God this is hard to say) buy... the next... one... if it does this again.  Although I haven't hit chapter six yet (I'm about halfway through chapter 5), so I may enjoy it - but somehow I don't see that happening.  Hmm.

beemoh wrote:

Balladeer wrote:

I'm not ashamed to admit it: I've started using a walkthrough.

Get out. *points at door*

(walks through door)

Balladeer wrote:

I might... not... (oh God this is hard to say)... the next... one... if it does this again.  Although I haven't hit chapter six yet (I'm about halfway through chapter 5), so I may enjoy it - but somehow I don't see that happening.  Hmm.

beemoh wrote:

Balladeer wrote:

I'm not ashamed to admit it: I've started using a walkthrough.

Get out. *points at door*

(walks through door)

I'm probably going to return to it when I feel like it, but then I realise I have another three chapters to go anyway...

I told myself I'd do a subquest a day but it hasn't been happening. It's just there's better videogame experiences I could be enjoying than post chapter 5 (well, 6 for me) Bravely Default. The lack of EXP/pg gained from bosses also irritates me, random battles are getting tiresome now. Fastforwarding is nice, but still a second best solution.


Enjoyment from Bravely Default over time

Code:

    Fun  +
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         |                                          +---------+
         |                                          |         |
         |                     +---------+          |         |
         |                     |         |          |         |
         |                     |         +--------->+         |
         |                     |                              |     xxxxxxx
         |                     |                              |    xx     xx
         +------xx           xx+                              |   xx       x
         |       xxxxx   xxxxx                                |  xx        x
         |           xxxxx                                    |  x         x
         |                                                    +-xx         x
         |                                                                 x
         |                                                                 x
         |                                                                 xxxxxxx
         |
         |
         |
         |
         +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
                                                                                                  Time

...Go on then, -head.  What are the peaks and troughs?

I got beaten by the penultimate boss again!  Again!  Yet AGAIN!!!    I thought I had everything finally ready, finally I was going to take out that being, and I get bested again three times in a row!    And no, the fact I forgot a couple of the job skills hadn't been unlocked isn't acceptable to me, that's no excuse when I had the boss on the ropes even without them.  I'm sorely tempted to use the broken combination right now, but no, I must hold out.  A cheap victory won't sit right with me, if I don't beat this boss the proper way I'll feel like I never did.  


And I say don't bother with the side quests beyond chapter 6 besides the brand new one in chapter six, they aren't worth the time investment.  They drag out what would only take the same time as one of the early chapters in to a twenty hour plus borefest.

Right, enough whining about that boss, time for another crack at it.  Who knows, maybe this time they won't spam that particular attack three turns in a row gaining me that game over like last time.

Edit: And no sooner do I have a rant I succeed. Now for the final boss.

Posting partly so that I can say that this game has released its hooks somewhat, and partly so that poor old Athrun will have somewhere to show off when he beats the final boss without double-posting.  Although I'm still enjoying tuning my characters, the lack of new material is slowly starting to get to me.

EDIT: Have to say, the quick grinding via "Auto" (quicker once one gets the "Obliterate" ability ) and rapid story progress in chapter 6 have meant that I haven't had the same problems as Fronkhead.  I'm finding that it ticks along nicely, so long as one ignores all the extraneous sub-quests.  

The only things I'd rather have are the removal of those extraneous sub-quests, so as those who aren't advised against it don't feel like their time is wasted (maybe have the same people in the same places with just dialogue), and the crystal bosses changed around.  I am sick to death of Orthros, Rusalka, Chaugmar and Big Gee-El.

Oh, and that title screen - creepy or what?  Although it works better in the Japanese version, I'll warrant.

EDITEDIT (as of 05/02): I'm guessing you had the difficulty on hard, Athrun.  My regular party, with its regular abilities but special move types attuned to the penultimate boss (whose design I am very keen on), wiped the floor with it first go on normal.  Not that we didn't have problems (its physical move did more damage than its special one), but a regular stream of healing from Tiz on Spiritmaster kept the advantage on my side.