The Let's Play Archive

Final Fantasy V Challenge Megathread

by Various

Part 29: Post 4 - Beryllium

Post 4 - Beryllium



Since SOMEONE got our ship stuck in a whirlpool, we need alternate transportation. Luckily we find both a previously thought extinct chocobo and pin it with the most scientifically sound way to corral it.



Fuck Crescent Island, we're out.

We quickly arrive at the Library of the Ancients, talk to Cid and Mid, idly wonder why the hell I can't just float over the sand myself since Levisalve is a mix that exists (you'll see it, I promise! ), but fuck it, they know best, right?



Haha, they're using bells. They're Geomancers. Hahahaha.



Bridge made. Let's earn our bridge in blood.

Not our blood, of course, what are you thinking? We're a goddamned Chemist.



code:
Sandworm (Desert, Heavy)
HP: 3000
Vulnerable to Slow.

AI Script:
{Fight,Quicksand,Quicksand}
Condition:??{
     Change Target:Self
     ??
     }
React:Magic:No-Damage Magic{
     Fight
     }
     
Hole
HP: 3000
MP: 10125
Vulnerable to Slow.

AI Script:
Nothing
React:Physical{
     Demi
     }

Walter cares not about the nonsense about "dummy targets" and "holes that counter attack" and "sandworm moves around". He cares about one thing and one thing only - sucking out its vital fluids with some sort of odd vamipiric poultice.



Along the way, Walter hit level 24, which is good for another magical M. I guess I should explain multipliers now.

Walter's Math Corner

At its core, the math of Final Fantasy V is very simple. You can distill every damage formula down to:

(Attack + Random Variance - Defense) * Multiplier

When I or other runners talk about "M", we mean Multiplier. It varies based on type of attack and there's some niche ones (like the dagger/whip formula, which is bugged and only considers one byte of the Agility formula), and the Chicken Knife, but the biggest two are:

Physical M = [(Level * Strength) / 128] + 2
Magical M = [(Level * Magic) / 256] + 4

FFV truncates all division, so at level 23, Walter's M was 5: 23 (level) times 22 (magic stat) is 506, and divided by 256, that's 1.something, and the remainder is truncated. 1 + 4 is 5. When he hit level 24, 24 * 22 became 528, which is just barely more than twice 256 (512). Since most early bosses lack Magic Defense, this means that the damage of a Succubus Kiss is basically (255 + random variance) * 6, or roughly 1500-ish damage.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1AS41DVVGk

LEVEL: 24
RECORDED MIXES: 3
DEATHS: 0

And relatedly, I don't even think Mimir could've Predicted how easy a time Zerky! would have with the Sandworm. Good for Zerky!



Again, why doesn't Levisalve do anything?



We get to the Town of Ruin and then begin a boring game of hide and seek with the presumed-dead king.



Yup. Hide and seek.



He hasn't been alive since you started this quest. Come on, Walter.



You're on the list after that asshole on Crescent.



Nothing bad can go wrong from pushing random buttons.



Shit.



Oh hey I wonder what this boat with propellers could be.




No shit. Except oh no, the darkness held a spooky monster!



Wait, never mind, it's a Karl Boss palette swap.

code:
Cray Claw (Creature, Heavy)
HP: 2000
Weak to Lightning.
Absorbs Water.
Vulnerable to Death, Stone, Poison, Blind, Old, Sleep, Paralyze, Confuse, Berserk, Silence, Stop, Slow

AI Script:
{Tailscrew,Tailscrew,Fight}
{Tailscrew,Tailscrew,Fight}
{Tailscrew,Mucus,Fight}
He gets a Tail Screw off. He then has fifteen hundred of his two thousand HP sucked out, and keels over.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ipm_T0ai5k

LEVEL: 24
RECORDED MIXES: 2
DEATHS: 0



We have an airship! Hot damn. That's nice, because I forgot something in that town of ruin while chasing the King.



Um.



How many fucking Levisalves did they BREW?!



Thank god you're still competent.



Well shit.



Jesus christ just use Levisalves.




Galuf: vaguely useful for once?




Witty banter. Also a boss. "Boss".



code:
Adamantoise
HP: 2000
Weak to Ice.
Vulnerable to Death, Poison, Blind, Old, Berserk, Silence, Slow.

AI Script:
No Interrupt{
     Fight
     Fight
     }
{Fight,Fight,Specialty}
No Interrupt{
     Specialty
     Specialty
     }
{Fight,Fight,Specialty}
Remember how I said that I had a plan for that Elixir that the Moldwynd dropped, all that time ago? Time to bust it out! Note how, above, Adamantoise doesn't mention that he's Heavy. That is his downfall. Time for a new mix, kids.



Elixir and Turtle Shell. Results?




Dud Potion 1. It has 75% odds of inflicting HP Leak on the target. That's not the result I want, nor got. The result I got?



Reducing his HP to single digits. A single slash of the knife removes the remaining 1-9 HP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyTT8GBKUc4

LEVEL: 24
RECORDED MIXES: 1
DEATHS: 0



Aww yeah, floating defense systems. That's for next time.

Next time: Floating defense systems. Walter continues to have an easier time than Zerky! or Mimir.