Part 29: Update 27 – Meet the Crew

Wow, that sure is a landslide. At the moment the vote stands at Fina with 37 votes, Vyse with 11 and Aika trailing with 7 votes. And one vote for alternating them after every battle. I could let the vote go on for a little long but I'm not sure there's a lot of point. dolphin it is!
_{Disclaimer: will not actually be featured in this update, but I'll stick it in the next one along with the dialogue for the other two choices and anything else I've forgotten.}



Alright! The upgrades on the Delphinus are done, so we can fly basically anywhere now. But while sky rifts and stone reefs may mean nothing to the mighty Delphinus, what good is a ship without its crew? The time has come to assemble the motliest, scurviest, swashbucklingiest crew ever to sail the skies!



Speaking of the Delphinus, though, is it just me or does it look a little...different? More piratey, somehow.



Yep, Brabham threw in a fresh coat of paint and some mad stylings while he was tuning up the engine and the hull. Now this is a ship worthy of an Air Pirate.



So, what's this noise about a crew? Well, here's the new crew management screen. For now the only crew member is Marco the sailor, but it'll fill out before long. There are eleven positions to be filled, and somewhere in the world are two people vying for each position. Once you pick them up you can swap them between active duty and standby whenever you like. Each crew member has a unique effect on the ship while on active duty, either a passive effect or by using the crew member from the new Crew option in ship battles. Marco here restores some SP in ship battles but costs 8SP to use in the first place, which is a bit strange.

Anyway, on with the search! And where better to start looking for sailors than on Sailor's Island?



While we're here, it's also time to answer that riddle, the one that nobody really cares about very much: Why do so many random NPCs have official artwork?

Actually, Polly, we were wondering if maybe you'd like to join our crew? We'd be delighted if you would come with us and be our cook. You're probably the best cook we know...

What? You want me to be your cook? This is a joke, right? Well, ever since the sailor that I married got shipwrecked during one of his voyages to the east... I've had to make ends meet by running this tavern with my only daughter Anne. I can't just suddenly pick up and leave.

Anne: Why not, mother? Go ahead and go.



Anne: I don't even remember my father's face, you know. If anything, do it for me. Go find my father and bring him home. Don't worry about the tavern. I can take care of things while you're away.

Anne...

... Thank you, Anne. I will find your father and bring him home to show him what a wonderful daughter he has, I promise. Well, I guess this is it, then. If you were serious about your offer, I'd be happy to join your crew. Leave the ship's galley to me! I'll cook up lots of tasty food loaded with nutrition!



Anyway, two crew members down, twenty to go! And, as you probably worked out already, the answer to the riddle is simple: All the previously minor characters with official artwork are potential crew members! The only characters with official artwork are major characters like the party members, Dyne, Teodora, Galcian and so on, characters introduced in the Legends re-release like Doc and the bounties, and the members of Vyse's loyal pirate crew, so anyone who isn't one of the first two must be one of the last. How many can YOU remember?

Oh yes, and Polly's ability is to restore 10MP to a character in ship battles, at the cost of 6SP. Onto the next candidate!



I only join crews when the owner of the ship is willing to pay me what my skills are really worth. I want 10,000 gold. Get me the money, and I'll come aboard.

10,000 gold, you say? All right, I'll pay.

Good. We have a deal, then.



The Helmsman position is whoever gets to stand behind the wheel of the Delphinus while Vyse isn't flying it. In any other game, Lawrence would be the slickest, most badass character around, but this game is loaded with awesoem characters that he doesn't even make the party. He increases the ship's Quick by 30 just by being in the active slot.



Pinta is one of the few exceptions to the artwork rule, in that he's both an important character (in the Dreamcast version at least) AND a crew member.



The Delegate position is a bit of an oddity. I'm not quite sure why a pirate ship needs a delegate, but since the little guy takes a mere 10SP to provide total immunity to enemy cannons for a turn, I'm not complaining.



And, since we're on Sailor's Island, we may as well see what the residents think of Vyse's new title.









Everywhere I look I see something that reminds me of Drachma . On the bright side, Vyse is moving steadily up the ranks. They're going to have to invent some new ranks by the time we get done with Valua.

That's all for Sailor's Island for now. There's a couple more things to do here but those are going to have to wait, this update is dedicated to assembling a crew.



Next stop takes us all the way back to Pirate Isle, with a couple of quick stops along the way to terrorise passing merchant ships.

Merchant Ship: Wait a second... That's a Valuan Ship! You stole it!!! You're either very brave... or very stupid.



Merchant Ship: What? You're Air Pirates? Heh... you scared me there for a second. But wait... I suppose I should still be scared, huh?



Luke: Wow! I don't know if you're crazy or just plain tough, but one things for sure... you're always full of surprises!





No, we stole the best ship. In the world.

Briggs: That's incredible! But we've got a new ship, too! We just finished preparations on the Albatross II! We've been working on it for a long time in the underground port, and it's finally finished! I can't wait to take her out sailing!!

What, you thought things stopped happening in the hometown just because the main characters don't live there any more? This is the Doomed Hometown that managed to un-doom itself as soon as the protagonists went off to do protagonist-y things, you know. Dyne of the Blue Storm doesn't take NPC status lying down.





Trouble is, where are we going to find a crew member motley enough to be in our crew here? Poaching members from Dyne's crew isn't really on, after all. The answer lies outside...





Jimmy: Well, actually, I was just helping my dad move some boxes... hehe. But, you gotta learn the little things like that before you can become a sailor, right? I'm gonna be the best sailor in the whole wide world!!



Alan: You should come home more often! I want to hear all about your adventures and stuff! I bet you've seen some really neat stuff!



Jimmy: We really wish we could go with you and help out... but we're still too young, I guess. Well, that's what our parents say... So, instead, we want you to take Pow with you. He'll help you out instead!

Pow pow!

Alan: Pow has always been there for us... Whenever we needed someone to cheer us up, he was there. And we were just thinking that maybe if Pow could go with you, he could cheer you up whenever you needed it, you know?

Haha... I see. Well, then... Pow, looks like you're the newest member of my crew!

Lindsi: You hear that, Pow? Vyse is going to take you with him! You're going to get to sail on that big ship with his crew!

Pow! Pow pow!!



...yeah. Pow is one of the stranger crew members, but he acts just like every other crew member, complete with active and standby duties. For the cost of 4SP, he increases the chance of attacking first in ship battles.

Next stop, Ixa'taka!



You know the very best thing about the Delphinus? I will never have to go through South Ocean again. The Delphinus can just cut straight through the sky rifts to get to Ixa'taka.

You're a captain, now, aren't you Mr. Vyse? Congratulations! Right now I'm working as a factory technician, but when my stint here is over... er... that is... I wonder if you would be willing to take me on as part of your crew? I'd like to be your ship's engineer.

Sadly, some crew member's just won't join right away. Hans here won't join us until we complete the next part of the story.

Of course, Hans! It'd be great to have you aboard!

Really, Mr. Vyse? I can be your engineer? Thank you very much. I'm so excited to be working with you!



Other characters want a certain item, which may or may not be available when you can first try to recruit them.

I wrote a letter to Quetya and sent it into the sky. I asked Quetya to please send strong warriors to aid my cause.

Could this be that letter by any chance? I picked it up in the Ocean.

That is the letter I wrote to Quetya! I sent it looking for help. Quetya surely sent you to me. You must be the warriors that I am waiting for. Please! Take me with you! I want to fight against Valua! I... I may not be strong, but I can dance. My dancing will lift everyone's spirits!



Wow, that letter did well to make it all the way to the Sailor's Island lighthouse, huh? Anyway, you have to feel sorry for Merida. Not only does she have to compete against a dog for her position, but she loses. Badly. Merida is the sole crew member who serves absolutely no useful purpose whatsoever. She increases the value of the ship by 10%, which does...absolutely nothing. I seriously have no idea why the ship even has a value in the stats screen, because it does nothing whatsoever. Despite my best efforts, I haven't been able to find out if it served a purpose in the Dreamcast version either.

Poor Merida.



It's not all bad news in Horteka though! We get our very own chicken-man!

Have you seena ship with all women sailors around here? Sometimes I see them flying nearby. They are very different to the women here. Even with my eyes, I cannot always see where they go. I am very curious about them.

Women only? Maybe you're talking about the “Village of the Ixa'ness.”

Yes! Yes! That must be it! So, there really is a village of only women. I've been searching for it for many years. Thank you. You are the best sailor I know. Take me with you on your ship. I want to travel with you.

Really? You'll join the crew of my ship?

That's right, I'll join your crew. I've been looking for someone who can make good use of my incredible eyes. With my eyes, I can see the enemy from far away. Other things, too, as clear as day. This will be useful to you.



Tikatika is awesome. As well as having the best reason for joining, he gives a delicious torpedo accuracy bonus. If you love torpedoes as much as I do, you'll put him on duty and never take him off again, but I'll leave that up to the thread to decide.



Looping around Ixa'taka to North Ocean reveals something...strange., and with a strangely familiar looking sign.



Welcome to Gordo's Bistro! His bounty listing did say he opened a restaurant in North Ocean after being defeated, after all.



I had a change of heart and I decided to open this restaurant here in North Ocean! It's a nice place, don't you think? I have taken flavours from the four corners of the world and made a new style of cooking! Hahaha!



Guest: And I heard that the owner used to be a Black Pirate, too! This place is great!



Guest: Air Pirates may think that all loqua is the same, but in my opinion, New World loqua is the best.



They even have food for synthetic, non-organic life forms!



Anyway, here's what we came here for. He's singing quite a different tune now than when first met him on Sailor's Island.

You know of me, right? I'm the travelling treasure hunting, Domingo. I travel the world looking for new Discoveries... it's quite a relaxing job if you ask me...

If it is okay with you, I would like you to join my crew. Let us work together and find all the Discoveries in the world...

Heh... sorry, but the only people I team up with are beautiful women, or men who are better treasure hunters than myself. Well, if you can find at least 30 discoveries, I'll admit that you're better. But, I doubt that there's anyone who could actually do that...

Heh... I wouldn't talk so fast. I've already found more than 30 Discoveries.

R, really?! I don't believe it... you actually found more than 30 discoveries... you truly are a treasure hunter, Vyse. Like I promised, I'll join you in your quest. And besides, you've got two very beautiful women with you... how can I resist?



All right! Domingo is probably the most important crew member to recruit, because once he's a crewmember he stops searching for Discoveries, meaning we can take as long as we like to find them. Not that I plan to stop grabbing them all as soon as they become available, of course. Domingo's effect increases critical hit rate in ship battles, at the cost of 6SP.

Next stop, Nasrad! There's got to be a few people there out for revenge, after all.



But I let down my guard, and before I could do anything to stop them, the enemy turned the whole city to dust. It really chaps my hide! I think I will fly right over to Valua and give them a blast in the chops!

Calm down, calm down. You do anything like that, and you'll get blasted right back. It's way too reckless.

Ha, ha. So says the man who was so reckless as to escape from Valua twice over.

Wh, what is that? Y, you are not...? Could you be that pirate Vyse who abducted the Valuan prince and blasted your way out of the Grand Fortress?

Well, I don't know about the abducted part, but otherwise, yes, I am indeed Vyse.

In that case, you've got to do this for me, Vyse! Let me join your crew! I will never be satisfied until I have delivered a blow from my cannon to Valua! I must join forced with you and become your ship's gunner! Good! It is decided!

Well, well, it doesn't look like you'll take no for an answer, so I suppose we might as well have you come aboard.



Khazim! Khazim is pretty great. Merely having him on active duty boosts the power of the Delphinus's main cannnons. And really, what more do you want from a gunner?



After the destruction, Nasrad also has an extra chest and a Cham which were inaccessible before. See, it's not all bad, right Osman?



My shop is nothing more than a heap of rubble, and my clerk ran off with all the money... I am completely ruined.

I feel kind of sorry for her... You know, Vyse, maybe we should take her with us on our ship.

Ship? You own a ship?! How big is it? How much cargo can it hold? How much money do you make transporting goods? Heh heh... you may not look like much but you seem to be doing well for yourself. Okay, I have decided. I will go with you on your ship. It sounds like I can make some money!

Hold on a second! You can't just decide that all by yourself.

I am an excellent trader. I can help you find treasures that would normally be almost impossible to find!



And then she muscles her way into the crew, whether you like it or not. Osman is...odd. Her stats page says that she increases the chance of expensive items dropping, which isn't very much help. What she actually does is give certain ship battles a chance of dropping certain ship items, which I'll point out as they come up.

Sadly, the recruitment frenzy has to end on a dour note, because the final crew member we can get to at the moment is another one we just can't recruit yet.



It was a dream in which someone holding a “Suiran Blade” beckons me into the sky... perhaps it was nothing... do you wish to know of your fate?

The reason we can't recruit Kalifa just yet is because we simply can't buy a Suiran Blade yet. Not to worry, we'll have her pressganged just as soon as we finish up the next bit of the story. Which won't be for a little while, since having the Delphinus opens up a wealth of new discoveries and bounties, but as soon as those have been discovered and bountified we'll be sailing off for caela incognita.



Also, between Lawrence, Brabham and Izmael the game has stripped my wallet to the bone. Seriously, I have 102 gold to my name. Anyway, here's the newly fleshed-out crew screen. For now the only choices we have are Merida vs Pow for the position of jester and Tikatika vs Domingo for the lookout. That means it's time for another vote! Just post whichever one you want me to use in the active position in the thread, and bold it just to make it clear you've voting and not just talking about them. Don't worry about which is the best choice for gameplay, if there's anything I particularly want to show off with one crew member I'll temporarily swap them, so just vote for whichever one you like the look of more. Naturally, as we get more crew members there will be more positions open for voting,

So then! Next time we take care of all the new bounties and discoveries, and after that I guess we can go look for some Moon Crystals or something. See you then!

Video list

None at all!