[VX ACE] Conquest (complete game, but no cg yet)

[Lucky777]

To Kuragari about Elven forests:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Or you just follow the paths with the big red flower in 'em, including the one you came from when the one you came from HAS the big red flower in it, duck south when the bunny threatens, and then break the mirror in the southwest of that place you ducked into, which mirror is hidden by clickable trees which inexplicably turn out to be illusory,
but only if you click them and not when you fucking WALK INTO THEM.
Might be the exact same thing Mrttao told you.
Sounds simpler to me though.

I've never liked mazes or puzzles myself, but whatever I guess.

[mrttao]

A fellow from hongfire forums asked me to post these questions here as he is having trouble with the registration process:

(Finished one play through where I first started sharing heroine and other girls between the overlord and the orcs, as game progressed got Mu and Alexia alone as mistresses... Now on second play through where I am going for all mistress ending...)

1. Orcs dont level up in battle - is this intended?
2. After Defeating the Lich King, it is possible to remove Poison status on all members by equipping and removing the Lich crown (saves Antidote)
3. Save point just before each boss fight would be nice...
4. Last fight (demon) is weaker than Penultimate fight (very difficult due to Starless night every three turns).
5. After defeating the St General, we proceed to attack the city - I wanted to explore the entire city before fighting the captain, but since I did not know where he was (first time), I stumbled onto his location and automatically was drawn into battle. This might be harsh on first time players as they may not even have healed up after the previous fights...
6. As already pointed out, no need to go into the Dwarf King fight immediately after the fight with the princess. Allowing to use up some potions to heal if required would be nice...

Thanks
AKS

[Kuragari]

I've been following the red flowers, but every time I get to one with a path going north, west, and south, any direction I go seems to take me back to the start. Am I missing something somehow?

[mrttao]

I've been following the red flowers, but every time I get to one with a path going north, west, and south, any direction I go seems to take me back to the start. Am I missing something somehow?

You are missing several things.
You are missing my post where I answered you with detailed mapping of the entire forest maze
You are missing the will to get a pen and paper and map it out yourself
You might be missing the dialog where it was explained that this is an enchanted forest maze, taking the wrong path obviously teleports you to the beginning of the maze, so don't take the wrong path. As far as mazes go it is one of the easier ones.

[Lucky777]

Kuragari

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

You're also missing: "Go west at that particular path, as that is the one where the red flower is IN the western path you just came from."

[Kuragari]

Got through the forest, thanks folks. Then I was battling the Dwarves, and got to the Princess. Was in the middle of the fight......

when some sort of script error occurred...and crashed the game

[Lucky777]

Which version do you have? Guarded Strike should have stopped crashing the game from since the version released on the 24th.

[Kuragari]

08/23/2013 version.

[bigdick69]

hey i am in the barbarian market i beat the shit out of everyone but i cannot get out. how i do it?

[mrttao]

hey i am in the barbarian market i beat the shit out of everyone but i cannot get out. how i do it?

go inside, there is a back room on the bottom left with a boss fight and your first slaves

[Lucky777]

08/23/2013 version.

Well, that explains your dwarven woes.
I think you can transfer save files though, so it shouldn't be a problem.

As to the whole "getting stuck in the barbarian market" thing, I did that too for a minute, it'd be good to see that stairway better defined.

I think a couple other doors or stairways could also stand to be more obvious but I don't remember 'em right now.

[Robaron]

I'm also having trouble recruiting the last mistress. I've recruited the all of them before I talk to the imp and the beat the last one but it only gives me the Orc and Overlord option. Is there something I'm missing?

[mrttao]

08/23/2013 version.

Well, that explains your dwarven woes.
I think you can transfer save files though, so it shouldn't be a problem.

As to the whole "getting stuck in the barbarian market" thing, I did that too for a minute, it'd be good to see that stairway better defined.

I think a couple other doors or stairways could also stand to be more obvious but I don't remember 'em right now.

I got stuck there for about 15 minutes... and a couple of times later. However, I learned to identify the tells of a pathway to another map zone (the wall shape makes a "dip", either 1 square wide or wider)

[dragon1412]

i have the same problem with MrTTao with the 8th mistress and i already convinced all of them before talking to the goblin so could take a look through my save and tell me what's wrong ??

[Lucky777]

So I said I'd discuss some things related to dat tactical battle, earlier.
...Maybe...
...Maybe leave reading it for a weekend or a holiday or something, one that isn't taken up with other engagements, so you have way too much free time.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Welp.
This took embarrassingly long to organise, and that amateurish excuse for a "flowchart" (in fucking PAINT of all things) took an even more embarrasing time to make, so I'll
just not even mention the lengths of time now, and also never speak of them again.

Aiiie

You can download it instead of looking at it in the post, for maximum clarity.

On the flowchart, the lines in green are what I think might be the best choices, the ones in blue are acceptable, the ones in grey are dubious,
and the ones in red are arguably suicidal.

As such, the green paths SHOULD lead to the easiest battle, the blue ones to the current one, the grey ones to the poorest battle, and the red ones
to either a very hard/probably unwinnable battle, or to the current simple game-over screen of unavoidable defeat.

Hopefully I didn't fuck up the paths or the colours, but even if I did, I'm hoping to make myself clear with the words that follow as well.


TO THE CONTENT:

Like I said, the pitched battle/army tactics/strategy/whatever you call it section in the taking of St Astha is fun for me, I think the concept's great.
Like I also said, I have a serious problem with the way it's currently organised.
That problem is that only one path leads to a fight, while the rest lead only to defeat - although I don't think they should.


There are about 5 stages of the battle, the way I see it.

Archery Range stage (1),

Flanking Start stage (2),

Flanking Continue stage (3),

Frontline Wavering stage (4), and

St General's Fight stage (5).

At the end of the day, I've only got 2 main points to make.

MAIN POINT ONE

Currently a single choice in stage one can bone you irretrievably.
Actually, 2 of the 3 choices bone you irretrievably.
I don't think they should.

Actually, I don't think ANY of the choices in stage one should be able to bone you irretrievably, because they all seem arguably useful to me.

MAIN POINT TWO

Currently, you don't have a choice in stage 4, and you are compelled to launch your rear-guard orcs into the frontline battle.
I don't think you should be.
Additionally, I think that what you choose to do with your rear-guard orcs in stage 4 should be instrumental in deciding what battle you get as well.


Set out a little more fully, here's what I've got in mind.


Green Path One, to easiest battle.

Archery Range Stage (1)
Shoot the knights' horses.

Firstly, I'd like to see the option made a bit clearer.
Shooting at heavily armoured knights with shitty Orc bows is a poor decision, though shooting at their unarmoured horses is a good one.
As it's currently worded, it sounds like you have to HOPE your orcs miss the KNIGHTS and manage to hit the horses by MISTAKE.

I'd rather have it say explicitly that you're shooting at the horses.


Well, the reason that it's a great decision to attack the knights is relatively clear, and it's probably why you made it the only path that allows
victory, although I don't agree with that last-mentioned decision of yours.

The knights are the main threat.
They took out your previous invasion almot single-handed.
It would indeed be best to harm them as much as possible early on, especially since your orcs have shown many times that they can deal with
foot-soldiers.

Thus weakened, the knight forces won't be nearly as much of a threat as they were before.


Flanking Start Stage (2)
Reinforce the archers with your Elites.

Really you should be able to reform the pikemen to absorb the knights' charge.
That's what they're for, and they're there specifically to trump the knights.
Sadly, it seems that somebody forgot to train them in how to step sideways a few feet and stabilise themselves in response to the knights' charge.
*shrugs*
Odd, but hardly a matter of severe contention. If the new Pike Orcs are too unskilled to do that, then they're too unskilled to do that.

So the second best choice here, the only one you CAN currently take to stay in the fight, is to reinforce the archers with your elites.

I'm a bit surprised that the elites can actually withstand the charge, but I guess there's a lot to be said for the skill and hardiness of the Greenborns.

Anyway, the reason for this to be a sound tactical decision also seems relatively clear: You stop the knights from running roughshod over your
archers and taking your Pikemen from the side or the back.
(Of course... the problem with reinforcing the archers is that the knights can probably ride around the archers and the elites and crash
straight into the Overlord. Well, that seems like a reasonable thing for them to do, anyway. Since they don't do that as it stands, I guess
reinforcing the archers turns out to be the right choice. Hm. *shrugs*)


Flanking Continue Stage (3)
Keep your rear-guard with you.

This is another thing in the battle's current set-up which makes a fantastic amount of sense.
The Saint General isn't among the opposing army this time, so you have to know something's wrong going in.
Keeping your rear-guard Orcs with you also helps to strengthen the obvious position of vulnerability from the rear that the Overlord finds himself in,
sticking out in the back of the army like he is.

Any other action here SHOULD provoke the Saint General's charge, and it is good and right that it does.


However, if you've chose to send the rear-guard towards the knights instead of towards the infantry, I feel like it should be possible for them to
interfere with the knights from the sides, so that instead of an instant loss, you get the poorest possible fight again.

If you keep your guard with you, then the St General does not charge, the full number of elite squads fight the knights, and the knights cannot
break free, because they have been weakened by the archers.


(If you sacrifice the archers and then send the Orcs in to flank the knights while the knights flank your Pikemen, I think you should still have a fighting chance, since you
can wreck the knights while they're busy with your pikemen. That option is certainly going to be messy as hell, though, and it's also certainly going to involve a lot more
trouble from the infantry when the infantry arrives, since your pike orcs will be far fewer.
If you have a fighting chance after sacrificing your archers in that way, I'd expect it to be a chance in the poorest possible end battle.
Probably.)


Frontline Wavering Stage (4)
Keep your Rear-guard with you.

Nothing about the Overlord's vulnerable position at the back of the army has changed.
Sending your Orcs away from their guard position is almost as foolish now as it was before, though admittedly not AS foolish at all.

The pikemen can handle the infantry, and if they don't, then only a few pathetic infantrymen will bleed through for the rearguard or the overlord to
stomp.

With the rearguard there, the Saint General may delay still further, and finally end up attacking when she realises that the rear guard will NOT leave.
Then at least one of her knights can get taken out by the Elites, or at the very very least, be severely weakened by the elites.
If an extra infantryman shows up in round 3 or 4 of the mounted St General battle, or in the unmounted st general battle, then fine: he's no problem.


Blue Path One, to current battle:

Same as above, but in the Frontline Wavering stage, (4) send the Elites to deal with the infantrymen, as is now compulsory.
The St General will charge as she does now, and will strike you without her knights being weakened by your rear-guard, as she does now.
The knights from the side will be unable to break free, because they've had their horses shot by archers, as it is now.


Blue Path two, to current battle:

Archery Range Stage
Attack the Infantry.

Your foot-soldier orcs have already shown that they're good against infantrymen, so thinning the numbers of those should make those orcs have an even
easier time against them. Additionally, it's been demonstrated time and time again that archers are the weak DPS of your army, and they're very good
against ordinary infantry.

It's true that your untrained Pikemen haven't "already shown" that they're good against anything as yet, and they're replacing your "footsoldier orcs"
for now. But as it turns out they ARE good enough to take out the infantrymen without the archers' input, in the current setup,
so they should be even better able to deal with them after the archers have thinned them out.

That'll leave some of the pikemen free to turn and fight the knights on the sidelines, and things like that.

I mean even if they're not trained enough to intercept the incoming knights' CHARGE, I have to assume they're able to fucking turn 90 degrees to the
side when they're done fighting infantrymen or when they're not required to fight infantrymen because there are fewer of those said infantrymen.

Shooting at the infantrymen in these circumstances is not a tactical "failure" at all, much less one severe enough to warrant losing the engagement.
It's a sensible choice.
As a matter of fact, considering the actual phrasing of the command you're giving as it currently stands,(shooting at the knights themselves
with your shitty bows, and not at their unarmoured horses)
it's arguably the MORE sensible choice.


Flanking Start Stage (2)
Reinforce, as before.

If you don't reinforce, then perhaps there should still be a fighting chance, as before, but it might be iffy.


Flanking Continue Stage (3)
Keep your rearguard with you, as before.

This is becuase you're obviously vulnerable without it, as before.

If you don't, then worst possible battle, or straight loss, as before, for the same reasons as before, but even WORSE now because you haveb't shot
the knights' horses, so the knights, the main threat, will be even more threatening.


Frontline Faltering Stage (4)
Keep your rearguard with you again, as before.

Still vulnerable without it.

Now, when you send the rearguard to the front, the knights still break free and fall upon you, because you haven't weakened them.

They may STILL do that when the St General charges after you keep your rearguard with you, because she has realised that you won't be so stupid as to
commit your guardians to battle - but the knights should spend more time fighting the elites because the St General has hesitated for a longer period,
so the knights should be weakened. And the elites you KEPT in your rearguard should be able to stop those weakened knights from actually reaching you.




Dubious Path one, to a poor battle (this time, with perhaps 1 or 2 extra knights)

As with Blue Path 2 above, but at the Frontline Faltering Stage (4), send your rearguard to fight the knights on the sides, instead of keeping them
with you a second time.

Before they reach, the knights will break free, but your rear-guard should be able to take out some of the knights before they reach you...
unless the knights just ride AROUND the rear-guard.

(The great mobility of cavalry was one of its advantages, after all.)

That's why I'd say that the result when your guard IS further from you, (so they end up having to move a larger distance to intercept the charge)
should be a bit worse than the result when your guard IS close to you, (so that they have to move a shorter distance in order to be able to
intercept the charge, from whatever direction it may come).

And that's why sending your rearguard AWAY, towards the knights, is dubious.
It provokes the St General, Leaves you open, and MAKES the rearguard less able to deal with alterations in the knights' course.
I don't think it's necessarily a straight loss situation though.



Dubious Path Two, to a poor battle
Waste your arrows on the small number of archers and then do everything else right, including KEEPING your rearguard with you at stage (4).

The poor battle could start off like the previous poor one, but then some infantrymen would show up as well in some round, since you didn't
thin their numbers out.

Reinforcing the frontlines when you HAVEN'T weakened the knights should result in the knights running over you as they do now, perhaps the poorest
battle.

Keeping your rearguard when you haven't weakened the front line should result in the front line being able to bleed through, but some infantrymen
aren't going to be a problem for your Elite Orcs.

The infantrymen PLUS the Knights might be, though.


Dubious path Three, to a poor battle
As in Green Path one, but instead of reinforcing the area you did NOT weaken (ie, the infantrymen, if you shot the knights) and instead of
keeping your rearguard with you, send your rearguard to deal with the already weakened knights in the frontline wavering stage (4).

You'll provoke the Saint General's charge, and some infantrymen will show up as well, either in the charge or in the unmounted battle.


Dubious path Four/Suicidal path 1, to a poor or the poorest battle:
As in Blue path one, shoot the infantrymen and hold so as not to get charged prematurely, but then
instead of reinforcing the area you did not weaken, or keeping your rearguard with you again, send your rearguard to assist the part you DID weaken
(in this case, the infantrymen.)

You'll provoke the Saint General's charge and the knights will break free and crash into you as before.


Suicidal path 2
Shoot the archers and then DON'T do everything right including keeping your rearguard with you at the frontline wavering stage (4).


(Thus, to commit suicide, don't weaken the knights, and DO send your rearguard elites away from you AND to fight infantrymen,
as you are compelled to do now.)
Sending your rearguard away (and into the infantrymen, no less) is a foolish decision, given the circumstances.

A decision justly to be punished, but the problem is that as it is now, you don't give the player a chance to make any other decision.


Oof.
This is more of an outline than a full discussion, but it's already too long, and it'll have to do.
If nothing else, I hope you take the easiest to implement change, and explicitly say that you're shooting the unarmoured horses in the beginning.

[Abominog]

Stuck in Demon Tower. Made it through invisible maze, but get message "Not Done Yet" when I try to go to next level.

[mrttao]

Stuck in Demon Tower. Made it through invisible maze, but get message "Not Done Yet" when I try to go to next level.

it isn't done yet, the demon tower is a bonus dungeon and is not part of the main quest

[Abominog]

Doh! Thanks.

[DarkJaqb]

I have problem with Saint General mistress, as it was hinted in previous posts I went to mentioned location but there is nothing I can interact with...

... Was facing wrong direction and missed the spot...

[DarkJaqb]

I managed to get all 7 mistresses, then talked to imp, still only rape options for 8th mistress remains