Part 63: Better Security Than The Real World.

Welcome to Secret Area 3, the last new Internet area we will ever see.

Rare virus alert! If you go back to the last two updates and count the number of distinct virus formations each area had, that number would be 12. This area has a total of 16 distinct virus rooms, 4 of which are super rare.

I swear, you're like Rain Man for this game. Only more retarded.



Damn, I wish I had MissEchelon here. She could easily open up this door. Yeti! Why aren't you more caring like her!?

Because fuck you, that's why.



Oh wait, that's a fucking Press path beyond this door, isn't it? God dammit! Why do people in the Secret Area STILL use Dial-Up!? I hate them and I hate that stupid, shit-sucking BubbleMan for introducing Press.

I love how everyone hates BubbleMan because of that. I'm torn - on one hand, it's not the Zelda-type of problem solving, where you get an item, rub it on everything in the dungeon, and then never use it again; and then on the other it's fucking Press.

Well, I can't go beyond this door unless I backtrack and complete the virus minigame. So we won't be seeing what's beyond there until the next update.



Luckily, I can still cover the viruses. And holy shit, look at all the Holy panels. With those halving our damage output, viruses with an Aura of 200 (meaning we'll need to deal damage equalling 400 or more on a Holy Panel) AND the enemies dealing upwards of 200 damage or more, this is where Secret Area shows its teeth. The other two areas were weaksauce compared to the encounters in here.

This is the part where the game really kicks into high gear. You thought the earlier stuff was bad? Hooooly shit this encounter alone is like 'You know the mechanics, motherfucker? No? WELL TOO BAD '

Solution: Then (SuperArmor Required)

This one was actually really difficult to dissect. The reason this requires SuperArmor is because of chip cooldown times. You'll see this in the GIF, but I can't immediately fire my attacks when I want to, forcing me to eat a hit in order to put CopyDmg on the Scuttlest. Fortunately, the SuperArmor EX Code comes with 0 penalties.



A compelling thought exercise, being that I'm trying to do it with only 2 BattleChips. THAT METTAUR CHIP IN THE GIF MEANS NOTHING! SSSSH!!

I just love the 'fuck you' laser from the Scutt. Anyway, this is probably the best way of handling Auras - ignore them entirely.



This encounter is straight up impossible -- I don't yet have the chips to do this with my requirements. We will revisit this, much like that one encounter in Secret Area 2.



Solution: Then

Same as the last, only difference is you need to paint CopyDamage on the Scutz just as he passes you. The Plasma3 will deal 360 damage to the Scuttle, which deals that exact damage to the Scutz, bypassing the aura and the Holy panel halving the damage.



Ladies and Gentleman, we have a new entry into the BattleChip Hall of Fame. Respect the CopyDmg.

I never used it in my original playthrough, but holy shit that thing is useful.



Finally, we get our first LifeAura chip. This is a MegaChip and it blocks all attacks that hit for 199 damage or less. All versions of Scuttlest drop this chip. Since the code doesn't change when you score a Rank S+ or Rank S++, many players just equipped Collect and killed any encounter containing a Scuttle virus. Bam, easy MegaChip. Since all the Scuttlest versions drop the same chip, it's a little pointless to have so many versions, but what are you gonna do.

What are we going to do? The same thing we do every update.



Try to take over the world! Collect EVERY chip!

I don't have a problem.





Damn, these can't be done with my current selection of chips, either. Put it on the backburner!

Remember how I said these encounters were tough? Yeah. Even GIVER can't break them yet.



Seriously? We're still meeting a scrub virus like Fishy3 in here? They only do about 90 damage!

Solution: Then

Pretty self-explanatory. We don't want those Holy Panels on the field. This wouldn't have worked on the Scuttlest encounter because Sensor3 would just get destroyed easily.



Even a Sensor2 would work here.

Hey, neat, you got a counter kill!



Wow, another easy one. No GIF for this encounter. Just put down any sensor chip as soon as you exit the screen. Then, play "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen.

I'm partial to 'We Will Rock You' myself.



Ah, Swordy3. You really make my life easy.

Solution: And

Fun fact: Jealousy will hit Moles even if they're buried.

Get fucked, ya little rodent!



DIE MOLES, DIE!

Seriously, what is it with rodents and these games? Those fucking moles, Rattys...

Fun zoological fact: Moles aren't actually rodents, contrary to popular belief. They don't have the constantly growing incisors.





I hate the damn Moles. And with the Holy Panels thrown in, I can't figure out a way to do this reliably. We need to get a certain BattleChip in order to meet my requirements. That's just more encounters I need to re-show. :eyeroll:

Please, like you're mad about needing to fight more.



Had to use my heavily grinded, partly White Version exclusive S-coded folder.



Dominerd3! Although, the fact that it uses Geddon pretty much makes the Holy Panels under it moot. Not sure why they bothered, really.

Solution: Then

Sensor3 requires some good timing. Watch the Breaker in the front. When it's about halfway finished with its jump, put down the Sensor. If you did it right, you'll get a Double Delete.

Do they always jump to the same place? Or is it just that it jumps to the center row?

It will always home in on your row, just the square it picks is more or less random, depending if none of the squares have holes and whatnot.



And then just wait for the Dominerd. Good thing Sensor tears those things apart.



There are Holy Panels on the PLAYER's side this time.

Solution(Temporary): Then

While the GIF may indicate a permanent solution, it was really luck. I've had times where the Breaker went on a different square and locking me out of a Double Delete.



We'll have to revisit this. If the Breaker goes on the back square, no double delete, and no S-rank.



So we saw the first 12 encounters. To see the rare viruses, I'll need this program.

For those that can't remember and/or read the image, OilBody is one of the elemental attract programs, raising the chance that we'll see viruses of that type and occasionally allowing us to fight the rare encounters. There's four in total.

This has been your friendly GeneralYeti reminder of what the fuck Giver is doing, since it's probably looking like wizardry at this point.



A Level 1 virus. Not even gonna bother.

Pfft. That's just embarrassing.



Hmm, well there doesn't seem to be anything special.

Solution: Then

When you see a Dominerd, always think of CopyDamage or Sensors as your most effective non-Navichip options.

Anything that has an annoying shield, really. Dominerds, Scutts, so on and so forth.





Finally, what we're here for. Without equipping OilBody this encounter has a measly 1.92% chance of appearing. With the program equipped, our chances raise to 9.09%.

Solution: And

This game loves putting Spikey viruses everywhere for some reason.



Can you imagine not having any LocEnemys and running into this virus by complete accident? Then imagine you ace the encounter and get HeatSide (you have a 2/3rds chance of getting it because of 2 Spikeys). That can be seriously rage-inducing.

So how many times did it happen to you? Watching you suffer amuses me.



Getting a Rank S++ on Volcanest will still drop the Volcano chip. So in order to get LavaCannon 3, we have to score a slightly lower rank. Getting a Rank S+ or lower give us the new chip we desire. Recall that a Rank S+ is basically a Rank S++, but visiting the Custom Screen more than once. Complicated, huh?



Oh boy, this encounter. I had to go back to my NaviCust and equip Fish. This encounter also has a 1.92% appearance rate, but the catch is that with Fish, it only goes up to 5.56%! I literally ran around for 40 minutes and if I didn't have prior knowledge of N.O-3 being here, I would have stopped a while back. Even when you equip the elemental attractors, it's still pretty rare.

The encounter's no joke, either. N.O.-3 can heal his entire HP total back near instantly, so you may as well knock it out in one hit. That, coupled with my restrictions AND a 200 Aura made this a very good thinking exercise.

Solution: Then

Hell, this encounter is so rare, I don't think many people have even SEEN it.



Need to keep your data safe? Want to be sure there aren't dormant viruses in your system? Then call 1-800-336-Bust. You'll have a virus specialist working for you, day or night. Don't believe me? Look at these glowing customer reviews!




I'm still proud of that insult, by the way. Childish, yes, but I'm proud of it all the same.



So, I have a total of 6 encounters to revisit once I get the right chips. Moving on, we have to perform what Capcom considers hacking.



This one isn't so bad. Just put up a Barrier and do any huge move like LifeSword that can hit both of the "#1"s. Personally, I used a Punk command code.

Because anything we can do, Giver can do better with command codes and 150% more gloating and smug



I guess they had to stick this in somewhere. Also, there are no money drops in Secret Area 3. Instead, you get a 50% chance of finding a virus in these green datas.



Very nice. We'll be seeing these in action at the end of this update.



Oooh, unlimited AntiDmg farming.

Too bad it's not * code, but we can't have anything. Or can we? What's the chip order code for AntiDmg?



WOAH



Untrap, you are the best SubChip in the series. Unlockers can give you a bad reward every now and then. Untraps only cost 100z and will always be cost-effective. Such an underused SubChip. More Untraps, guys! More Untraps!

Fucking hell you got MINE out of that?



Our natural progression has been stopped by this. Well, let's see if this one is any harder than the last and can make me switch to a decent folder.



Mettaur 3. Enough with the Mets! They are not hard!



Oh wow, this game is stepping it up! Pengon carries IceStage if you recall. That means that once it gets it off, I could be looking at two nigh-invincible viruses with reduced movement. It's so close. If Shadow was at least a Red Devil and if there was another Pengon, I'd be forced to switch. Oh well.

Does this folder even have breaking chips?



And just after I compliment it, it goes right back to being easy. The hole in your area is actually a boon, not a problem. That, and a Canodumb is never threatening, no matter what you do.

It's a stationary virus that's slightly less annoying than the Wind/Fan viruses. The only time it could hit you is when you (logically) ignore it so you can deal with actual threats.



Like so.



Game please. You're killing me.



KILLING ME



Oh, this is cute. You'd have to be a complete spaz to let them trap you. It should be easy to nuke one of them down. That, and I'm sure you have plenty of stage chips.



The things move in a predictable pattern, and the only time they'll even be dangerous is if you let them attack in the center of the stage. So don't do that.



I'm willing to bet even an 8 year old can beat these encounters with my stats and folder.



Just remember that if you have trouble with this, there are other games out there that cater to your skill level, like Call of Duty.

Heh.



I guess the fact they shoot out 3 bombs at a time is annoying? They don't deal high damage, so they're pretty much useless.



This encounter is pretty aggravating, but only because of the Moles. There are sand panels on my side of the field, and because of my folder being what it is, I have to be near frame perfect to have enough time to get into position and hit the virus. It's not hard, just very time-consuming. I hate Moles.

Another fun etymological fact: a group of moles is called a labor. As in, 'one of Hercules's 12 Labors was KILLING THESE FUCKING MOLES'



Final round. You know, a few Holy Panels littered about would have actually made me switch, just like the last final Monoluth round. You almost had it, game.

Man, so close to making Giver shut the hell up. You can do it, Battle Network! Please!



This security system isn't blocking the main road, but it does guard an exclusive chip reward, so we have to kill it.

So you may be wondering why my HP is so low.



Welp, we've got 3 Number Monuments with 650 HP that must all die at the same time. The permanent holes are precariously placed in such a way that kill a lot of potential strategies. You can't run away either, so if you don't have the right chips for this, then you better reload your last save. What. The. Fuck.

Basically, if you didn't know this was the formation, FFFFFUCK YOU! says Battle Network 3, HOPE YOU SAVED FIRST!



And here is the reason right here. Recall that Muramasa gets stronger with the less HP you have

Up to a cap of 999, assuming you have 1000+ health. This is easy enough to do; just stack a bunch of HP+ programs, and BOOM instant power boost - since MegaMan's health doesn't go up in the Net. Just be careful not to get into a fight, because it'll probably drop a healing item. Which would be annoying.



I find this to be the most effective way of beating this monoment battle. The only other ways I can think of require several turns of setup:

Alternate Way #1

Turn 1:
Turn 2: + + + +
Turn 3:

You can get access to 2 Fire+30s easily. The problem is getting the last 2, or 1 more and substitute the fourth with an Attack+30. You'd have to farm chip trader for that.

Doable, but not easily. Then again, if you're in this deep you're probably insane.

Alternate Way #2

Turn 1:
Turn2: (SET THIS UP AT END OF TURN)
Turn3: + + + +

Well, if you could grab a V4 chip, you probably already got the chip reward this thing holds. Pretty much the same as the last one, only you have to account for CopyDamage. You set it up at the end of the turn because you need all 5 chips in your next turn to power up FlameManV4.

Alternate Way #3

Turn 1:
Turn 2: (SET THIS UP AT END OF TURN)
Turn 3: +++

You use CopyDamage to hit the Monolith in the back, and HeatSpread on the front two. The GrassStage coupled with the Fire+30 will make the damage 660, which is just enough. If you had a GrassStage J, you could pull this off in one turn. The only other semi-reliable method.


This security, man. If the world was like this there'd be far less NetCrime.

Why is it, pray tell, that the only place with good security is literally an isolated server that you can't even jack out of - so, basically, a place that doesn't really even NEED security? Seriously. I'm asking here.



Behold, our reward. The only place in the game to get this chip, too.

Ooh! Shiny!



Like the DarkMan chip, it lets us use DarkChips. We still haven't run into any of those yet, so I can't show this off. All in good time.



Oh wow, STAIRS! The hype train has left the station! What does it lead to?

THE PAIN TRAIN.



It leads to a door I can't open. The hype train has crashed. There are no survivors.

...Or, that too. It could just be a door. At least everyone died, so there's a happy ending.



It means I need to get all the Standard chips. Lo and behold, the dreaded "Collect all Standard chips" gate. This is what defeats many a player from completing the Battle Network games. If they ever do unlock these doors, it's with heavy chip trader abuse, or by using Compare Library in the Network menu. Of course, what you're supposed to be is extremely methodical about getting everything in the green mystery datas, random computers and rare viruses. Most people are too lazy for this. A shame since Battle Network usually contains an extensive postgame. Good thing I grinded up a lot of BattleChips.

This is basically telling Giver 'Your addiction is a good thing. Feed your addiction'. This game is an enabler, and if this LP hadn't stretched for a good while longer than it really should have I'd say we should stage an intervention.



191/200. This is actually the most you can get before this point without doing the Virus Sidequest or spamming Chip Trader. The next update will focus on that, and whatever encounters I couldn't break down into 2 BattleChips.



We're going to end this update off wth another ghost boss located in Secret Area 2.

Who is it?

_{...get it, it fits because the ghost is saying it's a mystery}

Fight starts at 0:10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO-2UADMBVE



JapanMan's chip is somewhat interesting. He hits an entire column 3 times 2 squares ahead, and then finishes off with a spear attack that goes 3 squares ahead. A total of 4 hits.

Not too terribly powerful, but it's got pretty good range.



Like so.




However....

Of course. OF FUCKING COURSE there's a command code.

Secret Extension: While JapanMan is doing his multi-hit slashes, quickly mash A and B alternating, starting with A. After the initial three slashes, the amount of times you pressed affects what happens:

6 - 7 times: 1 extra hit
8 + times: 2 extra hits

This brings our total number of hits to 6.



Secret Second Extension: During the extra hits, if you press buttons 3 or more times, JapanMan will tack on one extra hit before the final slash.

Oh what the fuck.



Our total number of hits is now 7. Stack some chip add-ons like Navi+40. Command codes, bitches.

FUCKING BULLSHIT. There's. That's.
WHY. Just why. What the fuck. What the fuck.
_{What the fuck.}