March Retro Community Playthrough - Phantasy Star

[MaterialHandlerMike]

Managed to get Noah. Back in Camimeet until the next checkpoint

[JerryGreenwood]

Nice Mike, I'm around the same place. What weapons/armor do you have? I'm lightly equipped for the area we're at.

Alis - Titanium Sword, Light Armor, Leather Shield
Myau - Iron Fang, Thick Fur
Odin - Needle Gun, Iron Armor
Noah - Wood Cane, White Mantle

[singlebanana]

I'll be honest. I'm one of these guys who plays an RPG and will not leave an area until I have the best gear available. This is probably why I am having no problems in dungeons (good gear/overleveled). I had the diamond armor before I even picked up Noah. If you are looking for a good place to grind for coin early on....

Spoiler (hover to show)

The forest around Parolit, the town south of Camineet (the starting town), is full of vampires. If you can catch them in groups of 4, you can get 200+ in coin in one battle.

[ericeskapade]

CHECKPOINT!

what irritated my a little bit, is that you can't choose which enemy you attack when there are multiple. so there is no "taking down one after another" like in so many other RPG's.
And the trap doors suck... they made my loose my way, even i already tried to map it.

But overall i have to say: i like this game. it still can catch you, no matter the graphics and stuff. so that is what defines a game for the ages. playing it, sets me back in that "summer holdidays-beverages by the side-just play and discover"mood i dig about retro-gaming

@ Jerry Greenwood: i have nearly the same gear: but no "Iron Fang" , and for Alis and Odin Ceramic sword and shields .

[Addicted]

@singlebanana: I'm the same way, and I used the same method.

[Disposed Hero]

what irritated my a little bit, is that you can't choose which enemy you attack when there are multiple. so there is no "taking down one after another" like in so many other RPG's.
And the trap doors suck... they made my loose my way, even i already tried to map it.

That annoys me too.  I always like to allocate my attacks to try and take down enemies as efficiently as possible, but it can't be done in this game.  I just have to shake my head when my strongest attacker (Alis) wastes her attack on an enemy with almost no health left, when they could have been taken down by one of my weaker attackers.  It hasn't caused me much of a problem though in this game, just a minor gripe really.

I had the same problem about falling through trap doors.  At that point, I just set my maps aside, say 'screw it', and charge on blind.  Fortunately I've always still been able to find my way, although I may not be so lucky in the more complex dungeons later on.  Can't really fault the game on that one since it's obviously a design choice.  They want you to feel disoriented after falling through the floor.

As far as equipment, I believe I currently have all of the best gear available to me right now with the exception of the diamond armor.  I didn't feel like doing the amount of grinding required to be able to afford it, and I feel like I'm already a little over prepared as it is.

[JerryGreenwood]

I couldn't disagree more about the battles. I love that you can't choose who want to attack. I like hitting Attack and letting the chips fall where they may. It's a gamble, it's rolling the dice (figuratively and literally). I think it makes the battles much more exciting. I find myself rooting for certain members of my team to hit certain enemies. When it works out the way I want it to, it's THAT much more satisfying. If you could choose who you wanted to hit, I think it would hurt the game a lot. It would make the battles very dry and too calculated. But I understand that most people probably don't feel this way. I much prefer this method than whiffing an attack an already dead enemy, a la Final Fantasy.

Speaking of battles, there is very little in video games that satisfies me more than landing 4 (or more if you use a gun) hits in a row to finish the battle. The speed of the strikes and the sound effects really tickle my fancy.

The traps can be frustrating, but it's part of the challenge of the maze. They aren't random and they drop you in the same place every time, so if you're drawing your own maps, you can make a note of where they are.

(I've been doing all mazes without maps so far. Again, I'm pretty experienced in this game so I vaguely remember the layouts the earlier dungeons, but I might need to start drawing my own soon. I'm going to try and beat the game without maps, but that is VERY hard near the end)

@ ericeskapade - I'll give you a tiny hint. You can get Myau's Iron Fang now, but it's not in stores. PM me if you want a little more info on that.

@ banana - I can't believe you grinded THAT hard to get the Diamond Armor. You're a maniac!   I usually get that when I naturally accrue 15,000 mesetas. Also.........

Spoiler (hover to show)

Did you mean the forest town of Eppi instead of the forest east of Parolit? There might be Vampires east of Parolit, but I think there are more Owl Bears. Near Eppi, the Vampire population is more abundant. Another good spot in the shore near Scion. Fishmen give a lot of experience and mesetas and usually travel in large packs.

[singlebanana]

I'm not a big fan of not being able to choose the enemies either. However, you have to remember that this game was released very early on and was one of the first (if not the first) to have multiple enemies; Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest) only allowed you to battle one enemy at a time. I think it works fine and is a great example of sort the natural progression of fine tuning RPG's.

I didn't grind that hard to get the diamond armor (maybe 30-45 minutes) with a full party. The town I was referring to in my earlier spoiler was the one directly south of the starting town and below Medusa's Cave. I may have gotten the incorrect name off of a website. You may be correct.

[singlebanana]

Eric, I'd suggest finding the Iron Fang. It's a slight aggrevation, but will really help you progress better in the game.

[MaterialHandlerMike]

Nice Mike, I'm around the same place. What weapons/armor do you have? I'm lightly equipped for the area we're at.

Alis - Titanium Sword, Light Armor, Leather Shield
Myau - Iron Fang, Thick Fur
Odin - Needle Gun, Iron Armor
Noah - Wood Cane, White Mantle

 I have Zirconian Armour I believe, for Odin and Alis, but the rest is the same

Iron fang is semi-ridiculous to acquire but SO worth it. Makes Myau on par with Alis with the damage done.
 

[MaterialHandlerMike]

Just out of curiosity. Did anyone fight the

Spoiler (hover to show)

optional boss in the cave south of Scion (Iron Fang cave)

?

[techwizard]

Just out of curiosity. Did anyone fight the

Spoiler (hover to show)

optional boss in the cave south of Scion (Iron Fang cave)

?

i haven't actually done much in that cave yet, i started exploring it then died and realized i hadn't saved for a while, so i haven't been back yet...really should as i'm well past there now.

[techwizard]

week 2 checkpoint is up! this week has a lot of possibility for exploring and doing non-essential things, so the time estimate and checkpoint are extremely rough estimates.

[douglie007]

I got the Hovercraft, LandRover and Flute 2 days ago, and I have been running around trying to find the next thing to do, any help.. do I go to the Medusa's tower now ?

[Addicted]

I got the Hovercraft, LandRover and Flute 2 days ago, and I have been running around trying to find the next thing to do, any help.. do I go to the Medusa's tower now ?

I would try

Spoiler (hover to show)

searching for something that will allow you pass through the gas fields of Sopia.