Part 2: Grind - Random Battle! - ing

Well, the goon hivemind has spoken and we shall henceforth be playing as Kite, starting off with the Balanced Pack. Just hang on a bit while I go through the prologue for the fifth time...

This is horseshit. I demand a recount. I never even got a say.



See? SEE? I gave your votes 0.6 of a vote, just like I said. So there.

Formal protest.

Denied.

Informal protest.

Informal 'fuck you'.

Update 2: Grind - Random Battle! - ing

So, folks, now that we're all caught up to where we were, let's make some actual progress towards beating the game, shall we?



Click for music!

Conga, conga, conga.

Well, fucking finally! We can start exploring the world without having to pause every five seconds to talk to nerds.



This thing is bizarre. Just noting that. Anyway, we're gonna start out at northwest.



This guy is Leomon, and he runs the gym where we can train to raise our stats. More on that later when I can finally get swole.

(Please note that Leomon will not die and we can, in fact, train no matter what.)

...Is that the Jesus allegory lion from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?

No, it's just a running joke that Leomon always dies in the show.



Conga, conga, conga.



Straight down from the gym, there's this weird antenna thing? It looks like it has eyes.

Satelite TV is a thing in this world, huh.



Okay, cool. There's actually exits on all four sides, but as I'm trying to be thorough we're gonna finish exploring Central Park before going anywhere. The fact that I can continue listening to its music this way didn't factor into my decision in the slightest.



And who's this?

Tamer Natsumi: I'm Natsumi, a happy high school student! Sorry. I'm not interested in younger boys.

Bitch. Just because we're not cool enough yet...

Eh, just show her your pokermanz. She'll swoon immediately.



Continuing on down towards the southeast, there is a hole. I'm, uh... not sure why. I am, however, certain that this is my hole.

Auntie Teresa: ...oh? What is this hole? It seems too big for a mole...

This game is so droll, making these rhymes not-gold.



There's a neat little pier here.



That's it towards the eastern half of the park (there's a screen exit to the east, like the sign said, but we don't want to go that way just yet.) Instead, if we follow the south path, we can -



Gerk!


Click for music!

No, click this for music.

So! Random battles are a thing. They are plentiful and quite jarring when they show up - but only when you're trying to go somewhere or explore. If you're actually trying to grind? Fucked if the little bastards show up. Anyway, I guess I should talk about who we're fighting, huh?


Name: Kunemon
Level: Rookie
Location: Asuka Central - Central Park, Wire Forest Entrance
Asuka East - Wire Forest West, Wire Forest East

Drops: None

3 STR, 2 DEF, 3 SPR, 3 WIS, 3 SPD,
2 FIRE, 2 WATER, 2 ICE, 1 WIND, 3 THUNDER, 2 MACHINE, 3 DARK

EXP: 6, BIT: 10

Regular Attack: No Element
Technique: None



That's a lot of data. So let's break it down, shall we?

Name and Location should be pretty self-explanatory (what the Digimon is called, as well as where you'll encounter them), as should be drops. That being said, let's talk stats.
The stats you see there - STR, DEF, SPR, WIS, SPD, and the elementals - are analogous to our own stats. That is:
While 3s in everything except defense might seem high, it's on a scale. 3 is basically middle-of-the-pack. 1 is the worst, 5 is the best; these are still relative, though, so encounter area will count. The split between physical and magical attacks is nebulous, but general rule of thumb is that if the Digimon actually goes over to the target and strikes it's a physical attack, if they just shoot a projectile it's magical.
EXP is how much EXP we get for beating the enemy, and BITs is our reward money.
Finally, all enemies have a regular attack - if the attack has an element attached, it will be noted. Some, but not all, enemies will also have a technique, a special attack similar to ours. Kunemon doesn't have one, but if he did it'd be in the Technique slot.

Relative? Fucking really?

That being said, this is still the first enemy in the first area, so we beat Kunemon's face in



Kotemon even leveled up from the fight. Neato.



Team huddle! You there, Pikachu! GET OVER HERE.



Looping around and skipping the exit like always, there's some weird shit that shouldn't be here. This is thing for Digimon, I guess. I'm still not sure what was up with that desert of telephone poles or Forest of Irrelevent Road Signs in the first anime.



A new hole to pay the toll. Should I take a poll for these holes?

I loathe you with every fiber of my being.




Conga, conga, conga.

If we follow the western path, it leads us to the final screen exit.



But more importantly it lets us down to this treasure chest so we can be filthy looters. It wasn't anything special, just a Power Charge, but beggars can't be choosers, and I have all of 20 BITs to my name.

Anyway: now that we've finished exploring Central Park, it is time to do our rightful duty as a player of an MMORPG and systematically eliminate all foreign life until WE ARE THE ONLY ONES REMAINING. In other words, it's time to grind. A lot.

Though, I don't really find it difficult to grind. I just imagine that every enemy is actually Giver, and you know what they say about loving what you do.

I don't swing that way, Yeti.

Oh, and before I forget:


Name: Tapirmon
Level: Rookie
Location: Asuka Central - Central Park, Wire Forest Entrance

Drops: None

2 STR, 3 DEF, 3 SPR, 3 WIS, 3 SPD,
1 FIRE, 2 WATER, 2 ICE, 2 WIND, 2 THUNDER, 2 MACHINE, 3 DARK

EXP: 5, BIT: 20

Regular Attack: No Element
Technique: None

Note: Can Run Away (but doesn't, because I murder them too quickly)

Grind session 1 highlights:



Evasion! This happens when the dice are rolled and you come up snake eyes. If this happens, that's because your speed isn't high enough; the enemy takes no damage and you basically wasted your turn. Sucks to be you.

What we have here is Yeti trying to emulate Giver. He hates me, yet he emulates me. I command respect, you see.



Oh, hey, here we go. This is an ambush: when that happens, the enemy gets a free attack and -



OH FUCKING SHIT this is not good that was one hit and Renamon got fucking owned

Jesus Christ, Yeti. This is only the starter area. BOO! THE LPER SUCKS.



Right, let's just switch to Patamon, tank the hit, then kill that Kune-



Okay wait wait what the fuck.

Okay, so here's the deal: Speed does more than just affect your hit chance. If your speed is high enough (or low enough, compared to an enemies) it's possible to get two turns in a row before the enemy can get one. Yeah. Speed is magnitudes more important than every other stat in the game, and so Patamon - being the slow-ass piece of shit that he is - is pretty much the worst 'mon I could have switched to. Naturally, I didn't remember this, and so proceeded to get my ass handed to me.

>Didn't remember this
>wrecked by starter enemies
Yeti, have you played this game before. Hell, ANY RPG? Speed is always important!

Bite me. It's been years since I played the game.



I mean, I still beat it. (By the way, this is what Patamon's Boom Bubble looks like. Like the flying rat, it's not very impressive.)

Alrighty, folks, we see here that Pikachu is getting ready to use Thundershock! Pikachu isn't very strong at this stage of the game, so this might take a bit!




And here's Renamon's Diamond Dust (or Diamond Storm, whatever.) Tech. The thing about Renamon is that she can't take a hit, but her magic attack is through the roof at this point in the game.

And the audience is in COMPLETE SHOCK. Pikachu somehow learned Blizzard! Apparently it's trainer knows the secret to teaching Pokemon hidden moves.

The secret move of 'Use a different PokeDigimon', apparently.

Grinding session #1 has ended



After all of my 'mons are level 3, I stop by here.

Leomon: This is the training gym. Do you want to work out?


Click for music!

Alright, so explanation number two time: training. See that number down at the bottom left, the one marked TP? That's Training Points, and you get five Training Points per level up to a max of 99. Any TP gained after that is lost, so don't forget to hit the gym every now and then.



There are five different options to train (corresponding to each of the main stats) and there are three different amounts of TP to spend, 1, 5, and 10. The amount spent is more or less immaterial; they tend to come out approximately equal.



Every time you succeed, you raise that stat by however much TP you put in: 1 TP usually nets +1 or +2, 5 TP is +7 or +8, and 10 TP is a whopping +15/+16. That is, of course, if you succeed. And if you succeed three times in a row, you get a bonus fourth chance to train that's worth extra stats, doubling your total boost if you succeed at all four compared to just three successes.



That being said, there's a chance of failure. The first three exercises have a success rate of 75%, while the last only has a success rate of 50%. In other words, you'll get the full four boost approximately 27/128 of the time, or about 20%. And the thing is, you burn the TP at the start - so if your Digimon fails the first exercise, you're fucked, no getting the full amount.

In other words, it's totally fucking random how your training is going to go. I've had runs where Patamon (that FUCKING useless sack of SHIT) failed to solve 10 - 2 three times in a goddamn row. I mean, really? FUCKING REALLY?

Pikachu is useless?

However, I have save states and thus can afford to save scum faster than the average player - who has to save at Gatomon's Inn and reset every time they fail - and so I'm gonna get the boost from all four chances because this game can and will kick you in the balls if you give it the chance. See Ambush -> two attacks in a row for an example.

At least there are neat little animations for everything.




Yes, the defense training is them getting pelted by balls. When Kotemon is doing the training, his failure is dropping his bokken.



Pikachu!



Abra!

Apparently, meditation should lead to being able to hover in place.




PATAMON

Fucking retard.




Training Session #1 results:
Renamon: Power +33, Defense +32 (Yes, I know, not the usual stats for a Renamon. I know what I'm doing.)
Patamon: Wisdom +66
Kotemon: Speed +65



Conga, conga, conga.

Now that everyone is level 3 (and I went and purchased some armor for Renamon, to make her marginally less squishy) let's make a little bit of progress.



This is the Wire Forest Entrance! It's got exactly jack and shit to do here.



I mean, there's this guy, Mitch, but he's got nothing of interest for us.

Tamer Mitch: I am just so hyped up!

I don't care, Mitch.

And people say I'm mean.



And there's a watermelon submarine, for some reason.

Gotta eat healthy



Well, that's enough of that. On to the next screen! (No new Digimon in this area. Still just Kunemon and Tapirmon.)


Click for ambience!

Welcome to the first screen in the East Sector, West Wire Forest.




I SAID GROUP HUDDLE. Pikachu! Pay attention goddammit!

There's A/V cables lying around, for some reason.

Right, new encounters on this route screen:


Name: Kuwagamon
Level: Champion
Location: Asuka Central - Wire Forest East, Wire Forest West

Drops: None

4 STR, 3 DEF, 2 SPR, 3 WIS, 3 SPD,
2 FIRE, 2 WATER, 2 ICE, 1 WIND, 3 THUNDER, 2 MACHINE, 3 DARK

EXP: 11, BIT: 20

Regular Attack: No Element
Technique: None


Name: Betamon
Level: Rookie
Location: Asuka Central - Shell Beach, Plug Cape
Asuka East - Wire Forest West, Wire Forest East, Divermon's Lake

Drops: Power Charge

3 STR, 3 DEF, 3 SPR, 3 WIS, 3 SPD,
1 FIRE, 3 WATER, 2 ICE, 3 WIND, 2 THUNDER, 2 MACHINE, 1 DARK

EXP: 10, BIT: 25

Regular Attack: Thunder Elemental
Technique: None

The main reason I got to level 3 first is because of Kuwagamon and Betamon. They're giving me double the experience and about double the BITs, but they're correspondingly more difficult if you rush here as soon as you can. Nothing too special now, though, so just keep wailing on them. Patamon finally makes itself marginally useful - Boom Bubble is Wind-elemental, so it kinda wrecks any Kuwagamon that show up.

And you didn't catch that Bulbasaur because?



Inside this chest (Go north at the Red cable) is a Buckler - which is a shield and therefore vendor trash. It sells for 20 BITs.



Oh by the way I hope you like random battles. Because this game's encounter rate is ridiculous.

Oh, the pain.



Get the fuck out of my way.



There, now we can



ONE FUCKING STEP.





We could talk to her right now, but that's a bad idea because she'll fight us and probably kick my shit in. I'm going to avoid that for now...

Fucking noob.



Conga, conga, conga.



Back on the main path, it's a straight shot to the next screen.

SO LET'S GRIND SOME MORE.

Grind #2 highlights:



I'm not entirely sure how I managed to get myself stuck behind this tree, since I was watching TV at the time. I managed to get out, fortunately, but it was kinda iffy for a second.

If left alone, Yeti will almost softlock the game. Monkeys could probably do better.

Grind session #2 ended



I grinded until all my Digimon were level 5 - because that's when they learn their first Champion Digivolutions. Also note that it took 170 EXP to get Kotemon to level 5; remember back when it took 10 to get to level 2? Good times. The EXP curve in this game is less a curve and more a straight line up.

But before I do anything else, we have 10 TP to burn.

Training #2 results

Renamon: Spirit +33, Speed +32
Patamon: Wisdom +33, Spirit +31
Kotemon: Defense +32, Wisdom +33

I still hadn't realized just how SLOW Patamon was, so I didn't up Speed yet. Instead, I focused on magic since physical damage was right out. There's a bit of a clash in job roles: Renamon is just straight up better at what Patamon can do. Kotemon is a powerhouse, though, so I just filled in some low spots in his defenses.

Pikachus aren't all that fast, but their Sp. Atk is fairly decent.