Random Gaming Thoughts

[ElkinFencer10]

I'm on the last chapter of Super Robot Wars T (finally), and holy crap, it's suddenly relentless. I don't know if I'd call it a difficulty spike, per se, but it's definitely a difficulty jump.

[ElkinFencer10]

I'm on the last chapter of Super Robot Wars T (finally), and holy crap, it's suddenly relentless. I don't know if I'd call it a difficulty spike, per se, but it's definitely a difficulty jump.

Actually it was just that I'm stubborn and was unlucky. The last chapter is still tough, but my first defeat made it look a lot tougher than it really was.

[PartridgeSenpai]

Popo has graciously provided me with a BIG ol' txt file breaking down the mechanics of FFV, so I'm all ready to start that I suppose

It is really wild skimming through this and seeing just how much there is under the hood in this thing. It also really explains why I had so much trouble as a kid, because I definitely didn't even come close to realizing any of these mechanics Xp

[MrPopo]

Yeah, it's interesting how the damage formula works. Essentially, for a given set of stats you have breakpoints where a level suddenly gives you a big damage boost (as you get another M). Knowing where those are can really help you when you're deciding where it is worth grinding another level or not, especially with the experience curve of the game (an end game party can be in the low 30s). It's also interesting just how many bosses have a critical weakness to some status ailment or another; with proper job switching you can trivialize a large number of bosses.

[RCBH928]

So if you pay someone to install an RGB or UltraHDMI mod for you, all of that cost will be JUST for your N64. But if you bought an OSSC or Framemeister, you can use ANY retro console with them. So the cost will be spread out across all of your consoles and not just for one. And while you would really want RGB output for your N64 if you're using an XRGB or OSSC, S-Video is definitely passable.

Yeah, a Retrotink and S-video would be a good mid range solution. Again, the Retrotink could be used for multiple consoles like you said.

I have the NTSC 64, so is this my best solution? Shall I buy an S-video or component cable and connect it to this upscaler?
What am I losing for not going the framiester route which costs like 2.5x this device?

Also, is it a smart idea to connect component Wii to this device, or better go directly into the TV? It says it does not accept 480p signal.

[ElkinFencer10]

I've got my N64 outputting through S-video, and it looks fine to me. Maybe someday I'll up to an RGB mod and use HD Retrovision YPbPr cables, but S-video works just fine IMO.

[bmoc]

I have the NTSC 64, so is this my best solution? Shall I buy an S-video or component cable and connect it to this upscaler?
What am I losing for not going the framiester route which costs like 2.5x this device?

Also, is it a smart idea to connect component Wii to this device, or better go directly into the TV? It says it does not accept 480p signal.

N64 won't do component so s-video is the best you can do without modding.

The Framemeister is an upscaler which is a bit different than the Retrotink or OSSC which are line multipliers. HDTVs have built in upscalers but they generally suck for upscaling video games especially 240p resolutions. The Framemeister is a great device but adds about 1.5 frames of lag. The Retrotink and OSSC are lag free.

To answer your question about what you would be missing, the short answer is probably not much especially when the input is s-video. I don't think the added cost of a Framemeister would be worth it for an unmodded N64.

I would not connect a Wii to the Retrotink. You could tell the Wii to output 480i which the Retrotink could deinterlace but that will probably look worse than the Wii's native 480p. I'd just plug the Wii straight into the tv.

[Ziggy]

N64 talk: I thought this would make for a great stand alone topic, so I posted one here: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=52831

[PartridgeSenpai]

Thinking about the narrative of Final Fantasy V, I had an interesting thought. I have long held the belief that a truly exceptional game manages to blend its narrative and mechanics in a way that makes them truly inseparable: One cannot be properly experienced without the other.

On the topic of FFV, I was comparing its story to FFIV and FFVI. FFV is a bit better in its storytelling (in my opinion) because it isn't so incredibly overdramatic to shove a really flat-story in the player's face constantly. It does its storytelling through either 1) main plot beats, or 2) often optional scenes between characters showing interactions between them and/or their past before the start of the adventure. I then attempted to whittle down all 3 to what their main storytelling philosophies are:

FFIV is mostly focused on telling a story based on what its characters do (their jobs/classes), rather than who those characters are as people.

FFV's job system robs occupation of any meaning, so who the characters are as people is the only way to develop them or give them a personal touch.

FFVI's return to the fixed-class system of II and IV attempts to blend these two prior systems, where what a character does is integrally linked to who they are as a person.

And then I reached the thought that made me make this post in the first place: Are RPGs with job-changing systems, by their very nature, creating a larger divide between their mechanics and their narratives than games that don't? I honesty don't have an encyclopedic enough experience with RPGs to say one way or the other (especially as I've played quite few RPGs with heavy job-changing elements). I just thought it was an interesting concept ^w^

[Ack]

That is an interesting observation that I have never considered. I think in games where mechanics can change a character's role, then good storytelling has to be the method through which a character is given personality. However, characters should still receive characterization beyond their basic party role, because otherwise they don't feel "realistic". They're just a suit doing a job with no real purpose beyond that is what they are and what they do. The blended approach seems the best, where the role is a reflection of the character, not the other way around.