Trails from Zero

[Dave55811]

1 hour ago, Koby said:

Kiseki is DRM-free on all platforms, even Steam. Steam DRM is optional btw and most devs actually choose not to use it. In any case with Kiseki it's the exact same build across all PC platforms and comes bundled with their APIs regardless of which you buy from, but they can all be deleted and the game run fine. The devs who built the PC ports have confirmed this multiple times. So yeah, no DRM in any of the games.

Well, that's good that Kiseki is DRM-free.

 

I think the reason I chose GOG was because I just wanted to be able to download & install my games so I could play them without having to start up an app.  Of course, I say this from a stance of having not installed Steam.  Maybe you can still play games from Steam without having to log in to Steam?

 

Though, as much as games being DRM-free can be appreciated, I will venture into declaring that it's better to have physical games than digital games.  Even if Kiseki is DRM-free, I still feel that the concept of "physical > digital" is valid here.

 

But, like I said, that's all a different topic for another time.

[Koby]

49 minutes ago, Dave55811 said:

Maybe you can still play games from Steam without having to log in to Steam?

That's what the Steam DRM is, the games that actually use it require you to actually have the Steam client installed. I'm not sure there is an actual showcase of whether or not a game requires that or not.  But unlike Denuvo, Epic, etc... that doesn't require you to be online.

 

Denuvo for example requires a periodic check online to reconfirm you have the right to play it. If denuvo's servers are down, which has happened before, then your game is rendered unplayable.

 

Likewise plenty of Epic's games requires an internet connection always.

 

Steams DRM on the other hand doesn't require an internet connection, it just requires the client from my understanding. You can play them offline, etc.

 

But considering the Kiseki games don't require Steam DRM, you can delete Steam and play the game just fine and transfer those files to other devices. You just need the Steam client for the initial download.

 

While GOG does allow you to download their games without their client... they still have the GOG Galaxy client that makes it easier to maintain your full library so most people utilize it anyways.

 

I've also never really seen or had a problem with having the Steam client. I like it. Gives you more controller support and a bunch of other features if you want them, a way to track achievements, talk with friends, maintain screenshots, and now even a beta for screen recording your games and having a timeline.

 

But I also use the Playnite app to bring all of my games across all the platforms, storefronts, and even emulators into one big library and organize them. It's neat. Though it's basic until you add some of the plugins for various features and a theme to improve the look.

 

After having my entire physical collection stolen by an ex when we split up.. I fully stopped collecting videogames and movies physically. Much rather have it digitally where they can't be stolen and don't take up physical space that just sits on a shelf to collect dust or hoarded in some box in storage.

[Dave55811]

13 hours ago, Koby said:

After having my entire physical collection stolen by an ex when we split up.. I fully stopped collecting videogames and movies physically. Much rather have it digitally where they can't be stolen and don't take up physical space that just sits on a shelf to collect dust or hoarded in some box in storage.

Holy shit; that's awful.

 

I don't think you should give up on physical media, but at the same time, I sense validity in your reason.  The idea that digital media doesn't take up physical space & will never collect dust nor have to be hoarded makes sense, too; it's actually something I would know, personally.  But, what strikes me is the idea of someone you trust stealing your physical media collection.  That's almost as bad as a girlfriend breaking her boyfriend's PS3, although that was just a video I saw on YouTube over a decade ago.  Still, though; God damn.

[Zemekis]

@Dave55811 Since you've finished Zero now...what's your take on Yin, KeA, and Noel? We never talked about them in this thread.

Thoughts on meeting up with Joshua & Estelle again?

 

WARNING: There is a story recap feature on the main menu of Azure. A page with characters. Do not read them! There is a full-blown spoiler. I couldn't believe it when I started up Azure and read the story/character recap because it had been a few weeks since finishing Zero & they outright spoil some secrets revealed near the end of the game.

 

For those who have completed Azure, the spoiler was:

Spoiler

Yin being Rixia. It just outright says it in the character blurb, despite being revealed in the latter half of the game.

 

[Dave55811]

1 hour ago, Zemekis said:

Since you've finished Zero now...what's your take on Yin, KeA, and Noel? We never talked about them in this thread.

I had suspected that Yin would be the Crossbell Arc's version of Loewe.  Yin was a pain in the ass to fight, but I didn't lose to him.  Thank the fuck Christ that he wasn't like Loewe; Loewe was, like, ten times more of a pain in the ass to fight than Yin.  At least Yin didn't have that attack where he comes up to you and does that quick vertical slash that takes thousands of your HP; as basic-bitch as that attack was, I fucking hated it.  Still, Yin took a little bit of strategery to deal with.

 

KeA?  Well, in my post last week, though it's now hidden because of the update I implemented, I said "KeA is precious."  She even got a head-pat, too; that was amusing to see.  It's a shame about what she's been through, though.  D∴G is likely still after her because they see her as "the True God", and, er, it should go without saying, but KeA must be protected at all costs.  That being said, though, I remember hearing something about her being a "bomb".  That was brought up once or twice, I think, but there haven't been any hints relevant to that detail......at least, not yet.  Maybe I'll find out some day.

 

Sergeant Major Seeker (Noel) is probably my favorite of the two sisters.....as you all know, her sister is that chick who deals with my reporting of side-quests, requests, and missions.  Fran.  I don't know; I just think that a chick who happens to be a soldier is a nice combination.

 

1 hour ago, Zemekis said:

Thoughts on meeting up with Joshua & Estelle again?

That was great, although I didn't put them on the front; they were kept to the back, occasionally lending assistance during the game's last few battles.  Estelle gave us buffs, and Joshua did his Flicker show thing (which didn't work on the final boss).

 

Throughout the game, I exhibited a bit of a rivalry with the Bracer Guild in Crossbell.  The story was that the Bracer Guild was getting more recognition than the CSPD (or CPD?), which I was a part of, so I played along with it.  If I could have Lloyd flip the bird at the Bracer Guild, I would've.  But, Estelle & Joshua?  They deserve respect.  Sure, I was like "Fuck you, Bracer Guild!" but I like Estelle & Joshua....probably because I played as them in the last game, but still.  And, I will say that I was grateful for the Bracer Guild's help in that joint-effort to take down Dr. Guenter, who played me like a fiddle the whole time....just like Weissmann, come to think of it.  Hell, actually, now that I think about it, maybe Weissmann wasn't such a bad guy after all.  What say you guys to that?

 

1 hour ago, Zemekis said:

For those who have completed Azure, the spoiler was:

I'm not reading that shit.

Edited July 18 by Dave55811
Removed the spoilers from the reply box.

[Koby]

Honestly @Zemekis

Spoiler

Yin's identity is so obvious that idk how anyone doesn't immediately connect the dots. I see Dave calling Yin a he, but idk how one would be confused of Yin's gender either. The game doesn't attempt to hide it from the player and makes it pretty obvious, even if in-game the characters don't put it together, the player is suppose to. I'd figure by the time Azure came around it wouldn't be considered a spoiler and that's probably why Falcom and NISA by extension just outright says it in the recap.

 

[Zemekis]

5 hours ago, Koby said:

Honestly @Zemekis

  Reveal hidden contents

Yin's identity is so obvious that idk how anyone doesn't immediately connect the dots. I see Dave calling Yin a he, but idk how one would be confused of Yin's gender either. The game doesn't attempt to hide it from the player and makes it pretty obvious, even if in-game the characters don't put it together, the player is suppose to. I'd figure by the time Azure came around it wouldn't be considered a spoiler and that's probably why Falcom and NISA by extension just outright says it in the recap.

 

@Koby It's all a moot point because I'm dumb and it WAS revealed in Zero.

Spoiler

Gotta disagree, I didn't put it together. What made it obvious to others? Don't they refer to Yin as "he" in-game? I was trusting that the characters standing feet away could tell. I also do this thing while playing games where I get so fixated on NOT spoiling myself that I'll almost...turn off the dot-connecting part of my brain.
During the game I thought it was a fake-out, like Yin was going to impersonate Rixia...because of how nonchalant the reveal is it seemed sketchy, considering Yin's prior behavior. In my defense, I played Cold Steel II before the Crossbell games. I had already seen Rixia, and there wasn't anything Yin-related from what I had seen. I always thought Yin was a separate character. I never assumed it was one of the other cast members in disguise. To the point that when it was revealed, I didn't buy it.

 

Edited July 19 by Zemekis
Adding spoiler tags and formatting because I posted this on mobile first

[Nekone]

Since he's finished with Zero I'll just post this as I promised I would. This was one of my gameplay videos from Zero (the clip ended up being over 6 hours long!!!), linked at what I feel was one of the coolest points of the game along with the soundtrack to back it up.

 

https://youtu.be/8Ncpvuz-U3w?t=20843

[Zemekis]

8 hours ago, Nekone said:

https://youtu.be/8Ncpvuz-U3w?t=20843

Oh HELL YEAH, Inevitable Struggle is my #1 Kiseki song (I like the Evo version a lot too). I loved this part as well, I remember sending my friends video of it.

Cool channel, btw. Are you involved with amateur radio at all? 

[Nekone]

10 hours ago, Zemekis said:

Oh HELL YEAH, Inevitable Struggle is my #1 Kiseki song (I like the Evo version a lot too). I loved this part as well, I remember sending my friends video of it.

Cool channel, btw. Are you involved with amateur radio at all? 

No but I've been wanting to get licensed and such. I do a lot of storm spotting and being able to use it to make reports would be nice.

 

Back on topic, with the Kiseki games - yes Inevitable Struggle is one of my faves but there's a large number of tracks I've really loved through the whole series. Hell, the next one up from Zero (Azure) kind of took it up a notch for its battle themes especially that of its last dungeon and final fights. And even beyond that it just gets better. The whole series has shown one thing it can do incredibly well and that is its soundtracks.

[Zemekis]

On 7/19/2024 at 7:56 PM, Nekone said:

No but I've been wanting to get licensed and such. I do a lot of storm spotting and being able to use it to make reports would be nice.

How do you report them now?

On 7/19/2024 at 7:56 PM, Nekone said:

The next one up from Zero (Azure) kind of took it up a notch for its battle themes especially that of its last dungeon and final fights.

Agreed. While it's really tough to point at a Kiseki game and say that its soundtrack is bad or worse than another's, I think it's fair to say that the Crossbell games are a significant step up on certain tracks & Cold Steel builds on that in a lot of ways. Concentrate All Firepower!! is a favorite of mine from Azure...but here we are at the end of the Zero thread. Dave's Azure thread is already up & running so I'll see you over there.

[Lonewolfe187]

finished it last year and it was ok.