Part 34: Short Asides - Revisiting the Combat Tutorial

Hi again! Sorry I've been posting sparingly, I was hit by the LP curse and had to replace my CPU and motherboard this morning as they did not survive the trip. But now that I've dealt with all that crap, let's talk about the combat tutorial back in zone 0.



Let's start a new game!



Close enough! We've already seen the beginning of the game, so let's just skip to the right bit.



Music - Empty Warehouse

This time we select Yes, and it zooms into a battle with the Judge. The music stays the same as the rest of the zone, though. No Pepar Steak yet.





: Your opponent however, in this case yours truly, will be located on the left, the correct place for a single combat. At the beginning of combat, you will be confronted with a choice. You have to decide whether to "Attack", "Auto" or "Flee".

: "Attack" naturally permits you to engage the fight in the classical fashion. If "Auto" is your decision, the computer will make the strategic choices in your place, making you simply the spectator. Finally, "Flee", as its name indicates, is the option of the coward. I dehort this alternative.

: But now it is time for the offense. Choose "Attack", select the Batter, then choose "Attack" anew to off me with your bat.

Yeah no I think we're gonna do something else instead.



Selecting Auto causes the Judge to get super mad as soon as our bar fills up.



: Select the Batter, then the "Attack" command. Select myself right away to strike a classic bat blow to my teeth.

As soon as he says this the Batter's strike lands for about 20 damage. I let him auto attack 3 or 4 times before I got bored of reading the same message over and over, and I decided to follow the tutorial the rest of the way.





: It is possible that you or your advesaries could avoid the barrage of attacks that you will throw at each other with slyness. On occasion, your cast iron will get you a critical hit, which will cause teeth to fly in heaps. But let us move on, if you are willing to.

: You may have noticed that when you chose "Attack" for the first time after you selected the Batter, a new windows opened itself at the lower right-hand side of the screen. There, you have the choice between four new options. "Attack" leads to a sole strike against a likewise sole adversary. "Competence" permits you to use one of your special skills. "Objects" will grant you access to the items you are currently carrying. Finally, you have, yet again, the opportunity to flee. But remember: solely the Batter is responsible for that option in his personal menu.

: How about trying to utilise an object? Take this Luck ticket and use it on the Batter's person with gratitude.



So, right after giving us the Luck ticket, the attack from the previous command went through. Apparently the auto attacks I let through had done juuust enough damage that the required non-auto attack killed the Judge, making him freak the fuck out.



: Select the Batter, then the "Objects" command. Then, pluck out the Luck ticket and use it on the Batter. Simple!

: Poor imbecile. You have drained my health points... I am going to die in this empty land, where your sacred mission ends.

Whoops sorry!



Game Over Music - Stay in Your Coma

We get kicked out to the main menu and - wait, fuck! We hadn't hit the save point yet!





LET'S PRETEND THAT NEVER HAPPENED. Use a Luck ticket you say? Why, don't mind if I do!

Music - Empty Warehouse





: I am of course talking about competences. They are generally, in layman's terms, special moves. They can trigger surprising effects. They may induce a resurgence of health points, or may be in and of themselves, powerful attacks. Nevertheless know this: any use of competences leads to a consumption of competence points (CP). So I ask that you use these skills sparingly. Once your CP are completely consumed, it will be impossible to carry out heavy assaults. And if you happen to cross swords with a tougher opponent before being able to get some more CP, victory will be uncertain.

: But try it right away. Choose "Competence" and try using "The Wide Angle", which will allow you to analyse your enemy.



: Eh eh eh. You now know not only all about me, but also about the art of combat. About the Wide Angle... Know that its analysis will always be based on the start of the battle. Thus, it may accidentally analyse adversaries you have already knocked out for a long time. The confrontation ends, theoretically, when the health points of your team, or all of your opponents, fall to zero.

: Take good care of your health if you want a successful career in purification.



: Well, supposing your intelligence is on the same level with your undeniable capability of dealing bat blows to an innocent cat. Be it as it may, your training has not reached its end yet. Let me ask you to follow me, if you still want me as your guide.



There you have it! The combat tutorial.