Rednusander
06-05-2009, 03:53 PM
http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/title.gif
Well guys, the release date is coming up quick now; are you excited yet!?
Our last blog took you into the dungeons, but this time, I thought we’d talk about the school and the characters you’ll meet along your journey. If you haven’t figured it out yet, yes, I’m writing in Sam’s stead, because when I’m not moderating the forum, I’m doing my real job: editing games, just like Class of Heroes. (Besides, Sam is currently in a post E3 stupor, passed out on his desk, frothing at the mouth...)
In a game with such deep gameplay elements, things like plot and characters can sometimes take a backseat to all the treasure plundering and monster bashing that goes on inside the dungeons. But Class of Heroes actually has a plot to unravel and a lot of zany characters who really bring the world to life. I know it’s kind of counter-intuitive for people to want to get to know their teachers – but in this case, that’s half the fun.
But first, since I know you care more about how to actually advance the plot, let’s go over that. When you select a new game, you’ll be given a tour of the campus by Ms. Yuno, your homeroom teacher. And just like real students, you’ll sit through Principal Feinman’s welcome speech. He’s a dowdy old fellow, but that’s part of his charm. Perhaps he’ll share some of his “masterful” poetry with you if you get on his good side.
http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/05/2009-01-13.12-33-19-209.bmp
After that, it’s all you! Once you’ve enrolled some students of your own, (see blog number #2!) you’ll want to head to the library, the place where you can accept classes and quests. Each teacher has their own department at Particus, and by completing their respective classes, you’ll open up new classes and quests to accept. The early classes are tutorials on how to play the game without getting pwnzored, and I don’t recommend skimming them.
http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/05/Menu.bmp
Not all the classes are mandatory to advance the plot, of course, but the optional ones are where the story really shines. These side quests are the only way to truly meet Tax, the gang-like boss of the school who holds a dark secret in his family. Then there’s Estella, the high-and-mighty, prim-and-proper student from the opposing Mashlenia Institute. If you do enough quests, one of your lucky students might even score a date with her!
http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/05/2009-01-14.14-46-19-673.bmp
As an editor, one of the most frequent questions I get asked is, “which character was your favorite to work on?” For Class of Heroes, that’s a really tough one, because there were so many crazy personalities! Dr. Joule is your Holy Arts teacher, and he’s constantly drunk. Check that off for good times. The Mystic Arts teacher is Doc, and if you get him excited about his collection of strange objects, his entire character portrait shakes. But if I had to pick just one, I’d say Ms. Neowmin, the Thievery Arts teacher, edges everyone else out.
http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/05/2009-01-13.12-40-27-978.bmp
This is a screenshot from the back of the box, featuring one of her many oddball insults. She’ll be throwing them at you in just about every line she has. I’m sure it’s obvious by now just how seriously this story takes itself, and Ms. Neowmin is the proof in the pixels. Her quests are hands-down the most fun and the most rewarding, especially if you see it through all the way to her AP Thievery Arts Class. I’m certainly not going to spoil that, though!
Oops, I mentioned the AP classes! All I’ll say to that is good luck with those, fellas...
Oh, hey, what’s this!? Sam had the foresight to write out the answers to your questions on post-it notes taped to his eyes!
i saw on like gamefaqs a chart made based on the Japanese game that diablon's are bad with every race including themselves so whats the point in them being there unless you solo them?
Every group needs a bad guy. Keeps things interesting. Some of it's simply challenge related. Like some of you mentioned about hearing about Diablons or Felpiers not getting along. The point is you can give yourself an easy time with a group where everything is pink ribbons and flowers and hugs, or you can step up the challenge with a group of students who would rather eat dungeon slime than work with each other. It's really simply another mechanic for you to tweak your own experience.
Are there any 'instant escape' items/magic like the Warp Wires in the EO games? I know the Magic Orbs would probably make them less useful than they where in EO, but I'm still curious.
Yes there are. Magic Orbs take you back to Particus only though. Sometimes you don't want to go all the way back to Particus, so their usefulness becomes somewhat limited later on. Warping items can be pricey too.
If you get a non-innter sanctum map that you've been through before, will your map already be filled out for it, or will you have to fill it out again?
It will already be filled out.
Say you wanted to make a new party halfway through the game. Would you have to train the new characters up from lvl1, or is there a way to make characters with slightly higher levels?
Yeah, you'll have to bring them up from scratch.
Are there any FMVs or voice over work that moves the plot along? If so, will be getting english, japanese or both?
The game has very little voice work. Voices are basically limited to battle voices, and when you enroll them in school, they yell stuff like 'Iku zo~~!'. All this was left in Japanese. Interesting fact: In the Japanese version, the Dwarf male and female voices ended up being the same. This was a bug that has been corrected in our version.
Are there levels outside of your major level, or is it just major levels?
There aren't any major levels, just character levels. And these are reset when you change majors. There is no leveling that's tied to your major specifically.
If you switch majors from a lvl 99 warrior to a lvl 1 paladin, does your character have a lower affinity with the team than it used to?
This is a good question, and honestly, I can't give you a straight answer. I want to say that your affinity isn't directly tied to level or major. As the character develops, it gets more locked into place, but I don't think it's directly tied to the character's level.
If monsters get progressively stronger into the game, how do you level up new/low characters? Would it be the case of selecting the level of the new character?
Just like you would in any RPG, stick them with a group of stronger characters until they are up to speed.
Well guys, the release date is coming up quick now; are you excited yet!?
Our last blog took you into the dungeons, but this time, I thought we’d talk about the school and the characters you’ll meet along your journey. If you haven’t figured it out yet, yes, I’m writing in Sam’s stead, because when I’m not moderating the forum, I’m doing my real job: editing games, just like Class of Heroes. (Besides, Sam is currently in a post E3 stupor, passed out on his desk, frothing at the mouth...)
In a game with such deep gameplay elements, things like plot and characters can sometimes take a backseat to all the treasure plundering and monster bashing that goes on inside the dungeons. But Class of Heroes actually has a plot to unravel and a lot of zany characters who really bring the world to life. I know it’s kind of counter-intuitive for people to want to get to know their teachers – but in this case, that’s half the fun.
But first, since I know you care more about how to actually advance the plot, let’s go over that. When you select a new game, you’ll be given a tour of the campus by Ms. Yuno, your homeroom teacher. And just like real students, you’ll sit through Principal Feinman’s welcome speech. He’s a dowdy old fellow, but that’s part of his charm. Perhaps he’ll share some of his “masterful” poetry with you if you get on his good side.
http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/05/2009-01-13.12-33-19-209.bmp
After that, it’s all you! Once you’ve enrolled some students of your own, (see blog number #2!) you’ll want to head to the library, the place where you can accept classes and quests. Each teacher has their own department at Particus, and by completing their respective classes, you’ll open up new classes and quests to accept. The early classes are tutorials on how to play the game without getting pwnzored, and I don’t recommend skimming them.
http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/05/Menu.bmp
Not all the classes are mandatory to advance the plot, of course, but the optional ones are where the story really shines. These side quests are the only way to truly meet Tax, the gang-like boss of the school who holds a dark secret in his family. Then there’s Estella, the high-and-mighty, prim-and-proper student from the opposing Mashlenia Institute. If you do enough quests, one of your lucky students might even score a date with her!
http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/05/2009-01-14.14-46-19-673.bmp
As an editor, one of the most frequent questions I get asked is, “which character was your favorite to work on?” For Class of Heroes, that’s a really tough one, because there were so many crazy personalities! Dr. Joule is your Holy Arts teacher, and he’s constantly drunk. Check that off for good times. The Mystic Arts teacher is Doc, and if you get him excited about his collection of strange objects, his entire character portrait shakes. But if I had to pick just one, I’d say Ms. Neowmin, the Thievery Arts teacher, edges everyone else out.
http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/05/2009-01-13.12-40-27-978.bmp
This is a screenshot from the back of the box, featuring one of her many oddball insults. She’ll be throwing them at you in just about every line she has. I’m sure it’s obvious by now just how seriously this story takes itself, and Ms. Neowmin is the proof in the pixels. Her quests are hands-down the most fun and the most rewarding, especially if you see it through all the way to her AP Thievery Arts Class. I’m certainly not going to spoil that, though!
Oops, I mentioned the AP classes! All I’ll say to that is good luck with those, fellas...
Oh, hey, what’s this!? Sam had the foresight to write out the answers to your questions on post-it notes taped to his eyes!
i saw on like gamefaqs a chart made based on the Japanese game that diablon's are bad with every race including themselves so whats the point in them being there unless you solo them?
Every group needs a bad guy. Keeps things interesting. Some of it's simply challenge related. Like some of you mentioned about hearing about Diablons or Felpiers not getting along. The point is you can give yourself an easy time with a group where everything is pink ribbons and flowers and hugs, or you can step up the challenge with a group of students who would rather eat dungeon slime than work with each other. It's really simply another mechanic for you to tweak your own experience.
Are there any 'instant escape' items/magic like the Warp Wires in the EO games? I know the Magic Orbs would probably make them less useful than they where in EO, but I'm still curious.
Yes there are. Magic Orbs take you back to Particus only though. Sometimes you don't want to go all the way back to Particus, so their usefulness becomes somewhat limited later on. Warping items can be pricey too.
If you get a non-innter sanctum map that you've been through before, will your map already be filled out for it, or will you have to fill it out again?
It will already be filled out.
Say you wanted to make a new party halfway through the game. Would you have to train the new characters up from lvl1, or is there a way to make characters with slightly higher levels?
Yeah, you'll have to bring them up from scratch.
Are there any FMVs or voice over work that moves the plot along? If so, will be getting english, japanese or both?
The game has very little voice work. Voices are basically limited to battle voices, and when you enroll them in school, they yell stuff like 'Iku zo~~!'. All this was left in Japanese. Interesting fact: In the Japanese version, the Dwarf male and female voices ended up being the same. This was a bug that has been corrected in our version.
Are there levels outside of your major level, or is it just major levels?
There aren't any major levels, just character levels. And these are reset when you change majors. There is no leveling that's tied to your major specifically.
If you switch majors from a lvl 99 warrior to a lvl 1 paladin, does your character have a lower affinity with the team than it used to?
This is a good question, and honestly, I can't give you a straight answer. I want to say that your affinity isn't directly tied to level or major. As the character develops, it gets more locked into place, but I don't think it's directly tied to the character's level.
If monsters get progressively stronger into the game, how do you level up new/low characters? Would it be the case of selecting the level of the new character?
Just like you would in any RPG, stick them with a group of stronger characters until they are up to speed.