>>250039
flying RANGED tiberium.

>>250012
Excellent name for it. The Sapphire Tide.

So, is there going to be a lot of these templates? Because as far as I can tell, it feels like I'll never manage to come with a good enough idea for one. And I can't build them ahead or suggest them ahead of time because we never know what we're going to get or even who we'll be playing as... Ugh. I liked Yellow. :<

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)06:20 No. 250111 ID: ab04d4
File 128844484988.png - (29.47KB , 600x450 , Frame 16.png )

>>250067

Ehh, depends on who you guys like playing as. The surface players have the opportunity to get more unit templates, but later Yellow will have the opportunity to develop her small party with more influence. So basically you can play an RTS with RPG influences, or an RPG with RTS influences.

You need power. And this template is just that- power.

You create a hulking warrior. A destroyer unmatched, a being with prowess both to destroy and create.

You create...

The SAPPHIRE AETHERLITH. An avatar of your base's power, just as you are an avatar of your self in this game.

>Sapphire Aetherlith: TIER TWO TEMPLATE
>7/4/6
>Attacks: Melee Smash, Medium Ranged Crystal Shot
>Movement: Good, Flying
>Special: Carbon Copy- transforms any enemy killed with Crystal Shot into a small controlled unit. Larger units, perhaps, will yield stronger servants, up to the Avatars themselves.

Discourse:
FS: whats a tier two template
AO: goddammit FS I told you that was mine
FS: sorry AO :( i thought you were prepared so i kinda moved fast

An absolute lie, but AO buys it.

AO: theyre just strogner templates they have a +2 to cost but generally its worth it
AO: of course you would get the really powerful one that occurs like once a game
EM: You know nothing of Power.
AO: stfu you
AO: anyways how many points

You ignore him for a second as you pan your screen up to your base.

What a sad spectacle... Your defense network is crushed, and all your units are dead save the Cherubs that your base auto-builds.

But perhaps with your new unit you can turn the tide...?

What will you do? Will you try to destroy AO's influence in your base with your new power unit or will you wait yet, while you try to defuse AO's continual bumbling?

>Resource income: 0/second
>Resource total: 22
>Unit costs:
>Improve Cherub Output for 5 seconds: 1
>1x Shell Singers: 4
>1x Traverse Warship: 5
>1x Sapphire Aetherlith: 19

Improve Cherub Output for 10 seconds
THEN
make 1 Sapphire Aetherlith, the cherubs will distract the units enough that it can kill some guys and start it's army going.

>>250114
this, but you will need to micro a bit more

whine that it was a 5 point template with a bad distribution of base stats, like 0/5/0

i just figured the raised unit would be like a skeleton or a undead. are they temporary?

I'm just worried Yellow won't be able to catch up with everyone else, is all, because of something we couldn't avoid at all.
And this is your base. There shouldn't be any question.

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)06:57 No. 250130 ID: ab04d4
File 128844706252.png - (31.91KB , 600x450 , Frame 17.png )

>>250117

wait and see

Discourse:
FS: it was bad :( :(
FS: 5 points and 5 in speed
AO: dont give Me that bullshit

Whoops.

AO: tier twos have at least 10 points always
AO: now how about you tell Me
AO: wait what
AO: haha you cant be thinking of an uprising

Perhaps now is a good time for you to remain silent.

AO: wait what the hell is that
AO: omfg wtf
AO: fucking what GODDAMMIT
AO: well you still cant kill Me
AO: I have a dozen snakes in the river
AO: ...never mind make that two snakes now

You can't help but feel some glee. Who would have thought that your new creation would be so powerful?

EM: Even more and more amusing. You two do a good job as entertainment.
AO: fuck you
FS: sorry AO but I want to play on my own and not as a support :(
AO: fuck you too FS
FS: :'(
AO: ...sorry I didnt mean it
AO: its just a game, nice job there, you got Me for once
AO: not going down easy though, prepare for another wave of enemies hahaha
FS: i can take you

Wow. This thing is powerful. And apparently quite resistant to those snake-things' bioelectrical attacks. This won't be as hard as you were afraid.

EM: The amusement will continue only for so long before I will demand your attention once more. Finish your infights quickly lest my wrath is provoked.
AO: goddammit what part of shut the fuck up do you not understand
AO: I even made an effort to use small words so you could understand


>Resource income: 0/sec
>Resources: 1
>Unit costs as usual
>Double Cherub output will continue for 8 more seconds

What do you do?

Keep on slayin.

Maybe we should scout more or something? Look for another template?

>>250130
use the small units to tank the damage, let the large unit deal the last blow.

if you can sell the batteries for cash, do so now. we need one more at least.

and ask ME for details. trolling is best done when time is critical!

>>250132
uh, i mean, EM instead of ME.

I really wish I could get you in IRC so I could talk with you personally rather than hope you might reply to my spoilers...

have it finish off the guys to the right, and then send all your new sub minions to the left.

>>250135
i sure hope that was not me. im alt tabbing in a MMO because im bored as hell of so much grindam

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)07:52 No. 250154 ID: ab04d4
File 128845034985.png - (31.67KB , 600x450 , Frame 18.png )

>>250135

though ive been lurking here as an anon for a while i don't know how to IRC- where do i go? i am not good with intarnetz

>4 seconds have elapsed
>resource income: 0/sec
>resources: 1
>4 more seconds of double speed Cherub production

Discourse:
AO: wow that thing is so overpowerd
AO: massive damage AND spawn?
FS: lol!!

You have him running. All the snakes got killed and turned into Microliths.

Your forces are smashing the enemy base on the left. The two creepers from south shouldn't make a difference, as far as you know. The right, though, is under heavy fire. The Cherubs and a single Microlith are under heavy fire, and Cherubs are not designed battle in small numbers. Only your skill at micromanaging has allowed the Microlith to absorb most of the fire. Still, your cherubs aren't matching up even with the increased speed of production.

Discourse:
FS: so lets have a civil talk ok?
FS: why do you want us to leave so bad???
EM: ...Because you're hazardous.
AO: oh I'll show you hazardous
AO: I will hazard your face with my hazard sword of + one billion hazard until you die of hazards
EM: ...Anyways.
EM: I have a mission to do, and I cannot do it with civilians present.
EM: I have no more time remaining. I must proceed with my operatives. Please comply and enter the portal.
AO: fuuuuuuuck youuuuuuuu

Uh.

You get the feeling some stuff may be going down back at your avatar's place. But you can only focus on one place at once!

>Make sure the base is flawlessly liberated
>Go back to your avatar and see what's going on

wait, shouldn't selling all those batteries give you enough to make another AETHERLITH? if so then make that and then switch back. if not then keep fighting here.

>>250158

>DERP

0_0 I forgot to update the resources and tell you about selling batteries

each sold battery is 2, they cost 3 at beginning

>updated: Resources are at 13

[spoiler] Simplest way to IRC is to Mibbit and go to the server called Rizon. in the channel blank, put in #rubyquest.[spoiler]

>>250158

Yeah two of those things should be able to handle themselves. Seriously.

>>250154
Enter the portal. Drag AO in with you.

sell three more batteries and use money to buy another Lith.

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)08:56 No. 250180 ID: ab04d4
File 128845417623.png - (4.12KB , 600x450 , !.png )

>>250165
>>250166

The base looks fine. You sell more batteries that are kind of useless now and build another Aetherlith. Surely two of them can easily trounce the enemy without your microing.

You return and.

And what?

Discourse:
AO: no way you can take on all My units haha
AO: youre surrounded like a sardine
FS: whats going on?!?!
AO: just pwning this noob

He cannot possibly be this stupid.

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)08:58 No. 250183 ID: ab04d4
File 12884543206.png - (4.02KB , 600x450 , @.png )

Discourse:

EM: I must insist you remove your forces. I do not wish to resort to violence.
AO: violence THIS
FS: AO no!!!

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)08:59 No. 250184 ID: ab04d4
File 128845434350.png - (18.89KB , 600x450 , #.png )

Discourse:

AO: what

Well, he's too stupid to live. May as well chalk it up to natural selection and try not to die yourself.

>>250184
ಠ_ಠ

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)09:08 No. 250191 ID: ab04d4
File 128845492214.png - (25.10KB , 600x450 , Frame 19.png )

Discourse:

EM: I really did not want to do that. You shouldn't have attacked.
AO: holy fuck
AO: your damn health bar is
AO: how the hell did you grind your hp up that high

...

Well, at least you could say that you saw this coming. AO's brashness has pretty much doomed him.

EM: Know that I do not like your presence.
EM: You are disruptive, and you will only interfere when I descend.
EM: It would be best for all of us if you had listened.
EM: Nevertheless, I will let you live.
EM: I have no desire to kill you, not when I can avoid it. I have no more time to play games with you, and I cannot force you to return, even if it indeed is for your own good.
EM: I bid you good luck in the darkness below.

Well, that's a relief-

a sound, slashing, like the fabric of time being peeled aside

EM: A parting gift. Do not interfere with my mission, or you will find even that last single point of health depleted as well.
AO: fuck you!
FS: AO!

>>250191
Joy.

Get back to base.

when he poofs cast heal on AO.

>>250204
Why.

He attacked us, without provocation, and showed us he's too stupid to trust with anything.

Helping him will only give us another thing to worry about. Leave him to die, like he deserves.

>>250208
you are right but we cannot lose him.

simply whine about how lame red is, make him squirm a bit, maybe even make a cherub battle him before considering healing him.

As tempting as it is to finish him off, that would make FS a winner and end the game, right? We still haven't found TA. We'll have to let AO live.
I really don't know why you guys are still playing with him. He's the most annoying douche I've seen in a long while.

ZtP, your pixel art is great, but I have one small request: could you, after all is drawn and done, stretch the frame to 200% and post it as a 1200x900 picture?
The sprites are fairly small, and to see any detail I have to download it and zoom in to 2x anyway. If you doubled the resolution (without adding more detail, of course) that would be very helpful.

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)10:56 No. 250254 ID: ab04d4
File 128846136851.png - (24.73KB , 600x450 , Frame 20.png )

Oh no he can't die he-

Wait. If he dies you win. You can go home first if you win. And if he dies, he'll also go home. You could just kill him, and be done with this. You could-

Discourse:

EM: Goodbye.

The strange white avatar vanishes in another rip of sound.

FS: AO why did you do that???
AO: why not
FS: now youre at 1 hp
AO: too bad
FS: ...come here, i'll heal u
AO: why would you heal me? kill me
FS: what?? :(
AO: i cant win against this guy
FS: you dont have to win
AO: besides if you kill me the game ends and we all go home
FS: im certainly not killing you when youre weak from an outside force
AO: goddammit FS fuck your stupid morality game
AO: we all know youre just pretending to be nice so that you can feel better about yourself
AO: you should leave me alone
AO: you have the super powerful unit and i have no control over your base anymore
AO: go ahead, go and do whatever you want for once
AO: your super things are cheap enough for you to start spamming and i cant stop them whatever i do
FS: ...youre not capitalizing your self-pronouns anymore
AO: ...im going back to my base.
FS: listen AO even if i kill you the game wont end, EM is a player and i cant kill him
AO: goody then we ALL FUCKING LOSE the end
FS: AO i need your help too
AO: ...what
FS: we keep going
FS: we head into the caverns and we bring an army
AO: you cant, theres no way you can get an army into the caverns
FS: and i suppose theres no way you can get that high of a health bar either right AO?
AO: ...
FS: the game is obviously malleable
FS: so we malle it
AO: thats not a verb you know
FS: toooooo bad :P
AO: anyways your idea sounds nice but do you have any idea whatsoever about how to pull it off
FS: get templates
FS: build templates with specials designed to chain into each other
FS: have the final output be a portal leading to wherever it is you said you were going
AO: thats cool, why are we going into the caverns again now
FS: Like you said, to figure out whats going on. nothing has changed you know, this encounter doesnt mean anything
AO: and why dont you just take EM's offer and leave
FS: Do you trust him?
AO: no
FS: Me neither.
FS: If theres any place that can give us power to defeat EM and win its the place that you said maintains the weird stuff
AO: ...if you wont kill me i certainly cant kill you with the hp i have right now
FS: God you're so dense sometimes just follow me

As the two of you leave, you dimly consider that it worked. The whole passive thing. You've got control of so much more than the conversation now.

FS: Okay, first things first, we get our fastest and cheapest units and send them in all directions, forget everything else
FS: We need as many templates as we can get
FS: Don't spend any of them, i'll figure out a way to build them.

There. Everything accounted for.

Actually, wait. You forgot something.

FS: Get over here so that i can heal you now
AO: ...okay.

chapter 2 end

mandatory group hug!

also schedule anger management lessons for red.

yay~

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)19:16 No. 250445 ID: ab04d4
File 128849138983.png - (11.97KB , 600x450 , Ch3.png )

It's harder, and it hurts more, now. You have to actively fight- absorbed in martial prowess- while reminding yourself that it's all fake. And when you get stabbed, or when you are shocked, there's real pain now. The pain is more and more vivid, and the more you get hurt the more getting hurt hurts.

But you have to survive physically, and you have to survive mentally as well. The two contradict each other and yet you must balance both. And so you go, and so you live, the difficulty of existence becoming commonplace as breathing, the disparity of mind and body becoming greater and greater.

"How much further?"

"The Port ain't much further milady, just a few dozen more tiles." Lucasio, your tracker. He almost made it to the next Stratum- he got ambushed by a high level drone as he was crawling towards the exit. According to him, he was only a foot away when death came. He's been leading your troops through the maze that is the First Stratum, and without him you and the rest of your group might have perished long ago.

"And what about you, Jimmy?"

"Uplink's working fine! Once we get there just cover me." Another emancipated soldier. A chinese hacker in real life, he is apparently the most recent killed of all your units. You need him for a plan which he hatched; at this point, he is below only you in importance.

"Alright. One, Three, you guys all prepared?" You have named your troops without names with numbers. According to some research, this indicated that they were trapped in memory gems for at least ten years, a terrifying prospect should you fail and be condemned to hibernation like the rest. Perhaps, one day, you will find a better way to address them, or they will remember their names. Perhaps.

"Yes, my lady." One. The first to be unlocked of all your soldiers. Nervous, slim, yet dedicated. And desperate, desperate for you to save him even as he saved you from danger uncounted times. And when he thinks you don't notice, he's always watching you. Worrying that something will befall you. An attack, an ambush.

"Three is prepared." Three. He's... quiet. Really quiet. And he always speaks in the third person. You think he may have been in the memory gem for so long his sense of self has all been replaced with unswerving machine dedication. Of all your mentally broken troops, he unnerves you the most.

Two died. You don't like thinking about it. It was your fault, you know.

Esther speaks up in her motherly tone. "Are you sure you want to lead us into battle? You don't have leadership bonuses, remember, and we don't want to risk-"

"We've been over this. Yes, I do." You have to, after all.

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)19:17 No. 250447 ID: ab04d4
File 128849143742.png - (10.18KB , 600x450 , Frame 1.png )

You can't stay outside of battle. You're afraid that you'll forget that they're equals. That you'll start thinking of them in disposable strategic terms again. That you would lose some else just as you had lost Two. He died agonizingly, a million volts crackling through his body over a dozen seconds. The worst part was his eyes. Not that they were staring- no. The fluid in his eyes evaporated as the energy vaporized him.

You wonder what he was thinking when he died. Did he blame you? In a sense, you were deified. You bring someone into being and then just as soon condemn him to destruction.

So you won't command them. You'll fight with them. If you can forget about leadership and focus on combat, you won't force them to die for you again. Never again. Not even if you were about to die yourself.

"We move as soon as we hear the next deployment pass." That was the vulnerable time. When a port belches out a deposition of troops- that was the time there were no defenses, that they had the slightest chance of succeeding.

A grim set of nods. Some would die, an undeniable fact.

"One, Esther, Lucasio, you take the second watch. Wake us if an enemy squad passes. Three, Jimmy, and I will take first watch."

"We have to take control of their base. There is no defeat possible. We will not survive unless we can defeat them in confrontation. We will flee no longer."

"Rest, everyone. We will need all the energy we can muster."

>FS: get templates
>FS: build templates with specials designed to chain into each other
>FS: have the final output be a portal leading to wherever it is you said you were going

Bloody fantastic, we have to waste templates to advance the plot.

There goes all the ideas I had.

Anyway, give us the skinny. What's this plan? What are you attacking? Why is it important? What are their capabilities, gamewise?

Not so fast missy. Remember that you alone (and your two friends who are incognito atm) have not been trapped in a memory gem. That seems significant as only you can release people from them, and not any of your units. The long and short of it, you are more important than everyone else, not because they're not people or because they're not worthy, but because you're the only one who can free all those others from their memory gems. Once you die it's only a matter of time before everyone else protecting you is killed, but as long as you live you can continue to build your forces and try to find some way to escape from this madness.

I'm not saying back out of the combat. But don't lead the charge. If I was in your unit I would hold you back for the good of us all.

id say that their fates are linked to yours. dont put yourself on the frontline just yet, its possible that your death would kill them as well.

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)19:58 No. 250460 ID: ab04d4
File 128849393666.png - (10.31KB , 600x450 , Frame 2.png )

>>250449

actually the templates are going towards enabling FS and AO to bring their units into the underground. I've received flak on IRC so I may have FS become inspired and thus be able to save on a few templates, or something.

"Jimmy?"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Make sure that the uplink will work."

"No problem, I've checked a dozen times." His words are perfect english. Too perfect. Smooth sounds, perfect intonation, the works. The game obviously translates languages, as Jimmy has said that he has never learned english.

Somewhat unnerving, the abilities of the game to enable it to be played.

"Check it again. I don't want it to fail." That uplink is the only hope, despite your internal critic groaning at how cliche it sounded. Jimmy simply muttered and went back to work, picking away pieces of scrap plate to get into the salvaged innards. Salvaged from dozens of Steelhive drones, the uplink would allow them to hack into the Steelhive network's control itself. Or, at the least, take control of regional units and turn machine against machine.

That was the plan. Wait until a major Port dumped its contents, avoid the enemy, get into the base while the enemy was out, and seize control with brute cybernetic force. If done right, a huge swarm of units would have been controlled by the small party, and, more importantly, you would gain control of a Port, allowing you to summon in troops to fight for you as you pleased.

"It's working fine. Made a few changes to minor wrap-up code for boredom."

"Good."

"You know, we're machines just like them. We're just as artificial as the enemy."

"Jimmy, stop talking your Taoist bullshit."

"We're fake. Even the ones who have names. And yet we act real and think real. But I remember my body died a month ago and with it went my immortal soul to the ancestors."

"Isn't that what we're fighting for? If we can get out of here, we'll all return home. We'll all be saved."

Jimmy leaned in closer.

"I don't believe that. The programming in my brain tells me that. Hope tells me that. But somehow I don't trust the promises. We don't know what's beyond the first Stratum. We've never gotten far enough, or at least I haven't."

Just as you were about to reassure him, he spoke again.

"I know things I'm not supposed to know. Hacked into the memory gem's uplink to a main server with my mind alone.

Did you know there's another stratum?"

"What?"

"Another universe, supposedly beneath this one. And when you win, you go to the next one."

"But... But I thought I- we could escape if we got to the exit."

"I don't know anymore. Maybe I was wrong, my brain wasn't working right. Adrenaline and death throes do things. Still, I'm not telling them." Jimmy looked at Three, who was as usual neutrally silent, as if he didn't even register the conversation. "Three won't tell either. I don't think he's talked to anyone besides you anyways, boss. And I don't want to ruin their dreams."

You look behind yourself as Jimmy pointed. "See Lucasio and Esther? See them? They're holding hands." Indeed, they were, apparently satisfied that nobody had noticed. "They think they're real, that they got second chances. They think they're moving towards salvation. Who am I to even put a dent in that shining optimism?"

Three spoke.

"Three can hear enemies moving. They will not intercept us. We attack now."

I scramble and grab my spear as I recollect my knowledge of my units' strengths.

ZtP 2010/10/30(Sat)20:02 No. 250461 ID: ab04d4
File 128849414792.png - (12.11KB , 600x450 , Frame 3.png )

>Lucasio: All-round fighter, quite effective with melee and ranged combat in all forms.
>Esther: Weak in close range but has proven useful as a sniper. She's been furnished with a cobbled-together scope for her rifle, and thus usually attacks from far farther away than usual.
>Jimmy: If he can get to an immobilized unit quickly enough he can convert it into an ally, but this rarely happens. He's certainly not going to be allowed to do so this time, due to his importance in the plan.
>One: Abstaining from combat most of the time, One is most useful as a distraction. He moves the fastest, now, after training, and is quite excellent at stealth and distraction.
>Three: Average in all skills, but perfectly obedient and rather resolute in endurance. If ordered, he will stand stone-still with nary a sound as a horde of crawlers devour him. When allowed to fight on his own terms, Three tends to absorb and deal damage in an extremely simple way, with little consideration for tactics or health.

You don't see the enemy, but that's because you know they're beneath the stone surface. Dormant.

They will activate, the permanent guards, as soon as you enter the rectangular base area.

How will you proceed? Based on your knowledge the square pits usually conceal the greatest concentrations of enemies.

>>250461
Could we get a briefing on what kinds of enemies we've run into, what their weaknesses/strengths are, that kind of thing? Also how many we would normally encounter in a situation like this- if there are a relatively small number, or they activate only a few at a time, or activating some won't activate the rest, I'd go for a basic gunline strategy while you tank in the chokepoint. If there will almost certainly be an overwhelming number, we'll need something more creative.

my mind is blank asides making a meatwall in the corridor with the snipers picking whoever they can in the back.

also im pretty sure that we cna make a V like wall to allow ONE to slip trhu. one can immobilize it even if it just trip and knee hitting, jimmy can work his magic on him then.

Hold on, a frontal assault? You're vastly outnumbered, though maybe not outgunned. What you should do is draw them out and eradicate them methodically faster than they can produce new units. You're not exactly in a good position to do sneak attacks, but you should at most get in, rile them up then get the hell out of there. Once we have an idea of their true numbers we can strategize and/or manipulate the stratum itself to try and bring our environment to our advantage. But if you go in now and your exit gets cut off, that sounds like game over.

In fact, if I was them I'd have a bunch of fast units poised to cut off both exits stalling you long enough for the power troops to walk through you. I don't know how much tactics these bugs use though.

>>250461
I got nothing.

hit and run. make them pop up, engage hard, then withdraw. run a fighting retreat until they are dead.

>>250461
We could just have One run in real quick and trigger everything while everybody else picks them off from the entrance.

>>250589
If we're going to have people stand back and pick them off, we'll want it to be from significantly farther back than the entrance. The path that we've been walking down towards them is an excellent kill corridor; we could have everyone else pull back so that the first pits are just at the limits of their range, then we personally trigger the enemies and draw them back to the rest of the group. We're the fastest, toughest, and best in melee combat, after all; that makes us the obvious lure. We'll want maximum ranged firepower on the gunline anyway. Since as far as I know the steelhive has no ranged units at all, it's a relatively low-risk job.

>>250664
Actually, we just haven't seen any of their higher-level units so far. That big guy who killed us had a ranged attack.

ZtP 2010/11/20(Sat)10:20 No. 258394 ID: fb7332
File 129027724955.png - (13.55KB , 600x450 , Frame 4.png )

I'm back, apologies for the unforeseen delays.

"One, run in at max speed, draw the buggers out, and we'll just use this narrow path as a kill corridor. Esther, Jimmy, you're in back. Jimmy, don't fuck up and die. Everyone else, front line melee action now."

"Yes, my lady." "Three acknowledges." "Alright."

>>250462
So far you've seen two aggressive steelhive units- the creepy spiders which seem to rely on melee and swarming, and the huge fuck-off ufo disk thing which led to your current situation.

You have no idea what you're going to be seeing- Lucasio admitted that the defenses of each node vary from time to time. But you expect a contingent of around 20-30 grunts and a medium-level leader-boss-unit thing. Lucasio reassured you that they'd be easily handled.

They don't use tactics, as far as you can tell- Lucasio told you a while back that only a few units are built with tactical cognition, such as the one that assassinated him. The metal spiders that chased you a while back are generally mindless seekers of combat- those won't be difficult to deal with.

And there goes One, faster than anyone else. The enemy drones emerge and-

Huh. A new breed, or something, fuckers that can fly. Shit.

Of course, things never go the way you want them to, do they?

ZtP 2010/11/20(Sat)10:38 No. 258398 ID: fb7332
File 129027830716.png - (13.87KB , 600x450 , Frame 5.png )

Lucasio yells at you- "I've never seen these things before! The game must have changed its arsenal!"

"I'm hit!" One. Some sort of flying drone with apparently more than one type of attack. Just great.

...Ranged attacks too. Great.

"One, get back here-"
"Working on it milady AAAAGH yup definitely working on it ohmygod AAAAAAAAaaaaaa"

You hate not being able to see the health of your allies as a quantitative statbar above their heads. Such is the fate of realism.

Three and Lucasio open fire with their rifles, taking down a unit. Esther makes a well-placed shot and destroys another.

One isn't doing so well, but he's moving. The ranged attack seems to be some sort of continuous drain until the target moves out of range.

No time for waste- the plan seems to be working, but the flying units could prove problematic. Luckily, there's only two, one of which is dealing with One.

Changes in the plan? Keep going?

>>258398
...man, that's hardly an optimal firing line setup. Too much of our firepower in front, even assuming that friendly fire isn't a problem. Worse, our bait went way too far in to top that off, virtually ensuring his own death. This has turned a solid plan into what is about to be a total clusterfuck.

If that flying thing is in range, order fire to be redirected to it in the hopes that we'll be able to get One out alive. If it's not in range, then have Esther move forward to provide you with covering fire while you charge forward to try and save him, with everyone else keeping up the pressure on the main charge. Can't afford to let anyone else die.

And for crying out loud, why is Jimmy not shooting? "Stay alive" does not mean "be utterly useless". That's a 20% cut in our firepower that we cannot afford!

yeah, shoot it or dash jump stab.

Do you have ranged attacks? If not, get in there and lay waste.

If yes, stay here and go for kill shots. FOCUS FIRE, SLAM THEM ONE AT A TIME.

>>258398
You and Esther rescue One while everybody else holds the line.

>>258440
And by that I mean kill the enemy that's attacking him.

Man, one does not know how to pull. Guess you gotta cover him.

ZtP 2010/11/20(Sat)17:41 No. 258502 ID: fb7332
File 129030371034.png - (16.41KB , 600x450 , Frame 6.png )

>>258411

"Jim, when I said stay safe I did not mean sit on your ass and watch! You have a gun, shoot over shoulders!"

"Gotcha boss."

Now...

>>258424
>>258429

One's going to die if you don't do something, and your allies are up to their legs in mecha shit.

So you charge-

shnnnnnn-k

Two down, and- zero to go? Huh. Lucasio was right, these things aren't worth crap unless they actually get in a hit on you, their defenses got traded for offense apparently.

Unfortunately, One took way more than just one hit.

"Move back, we'll cover you. Enemies are out in force so we can pull back to a choke-point." He did his job. Your turn to do yours.

Enemies, including lots of flying enemies. This could be problematic. The real issue is that they can circumvent all choke-points, and seeing from what happened to One you'd guess they have a combined stun/life drain ability along with a basic higher-ranged attack. These stupid bugs could surround your friends on the catwalk, and it wouldn't be an easy escape.

And you know they aren't powerful enough to take you down, one by one, but there's a bunch of the melee crawler things and you're sitting in the middle of the entire platform, they could converge on you, and that would be bad.

A retreat may or may not work, but attacking doesn't seem like an option either, except...

If you could take down the main node, the enemies in the area would shut down long enough for Jimmy to easily reprogram everything and fix the node.

Or you could do something with your ground-shattering move, though this might damage the entire platform into collapse.

You note that you still haven't seen the leader.

Shit, now what?

back up slightly so that in order to surround you they would need to put themselves in range of the other's fire.

>>258502
Have your men fall back. They're drawing the attention of the guys in front, you should be able to get right in and fuck them up.

>>258502
Have the others start a slow retreat while firing. One joins up with them. You hit the remnants of the first group, hard, and try to stamp them out before the second wave shows up.

Once the first group is wiped out, you get onto the catwalk with the others and fall back a bit. Have all of them move into a tight group, Jimmy in the middle in case they get flanked, you a VERY SHORT way in front of them. Esther needs to start sniping all the enemy flyers; you should be positioned such that she can snipe enemies before they're in range to shoot you. They'll still be able to get you if they all hit at once, but it'll be better than nothing. Enemy flying units take fire priority whenever they come into range, because a stun attack is something you can't afford to leave against you.

After that, just try to chew up all of them coming at you with combined fire, and if they manage to close anyway you get to tank for the five gunmen. It should work.

ZtP 2010/11/23(Tue)18:15 No. 259308 ID: ab04d4
File 129056490560.png - (15.13KB , 600x450 , Frame 7.png )

Regroup. That's what you have to do- and so you run, your metal boots pounding against the rough stony floor, as ahead of you, you can see your team moving forward with suppressive fire, preparing to receive and provide cover-

You spin around as you reach the beginning of the walkway.

You think you'll stay here. Yes, you'll do just that- you'll make a fine meatshield and draw the enemy fire.

One, for his part, moves as swiftly as he can back into relative safety.

Everything is going swimmingly, you daresay.

And you do find the violence and chaos cathartic. The quiet hiding and stealth has been... getting to you.

ZtP 2010/11/23(Tue)18:20 No. 259311 ID: ab04d4
File 129056525435.png - (24.04KB , 600x450 , Swarmed.png )

A bolt of energy shears a hole in your cloak and you don't even care. The flying drones aren't nearly strong enough to make much of a dent on your vitality. Their electric shocks tingle- a bit ticklish, a bit stingy, ad you can feel them trying to reach into the core of your life energy to suck out your soul and mind and all that drives your body-

Psh. Right. You're built of sturdier crap than that. Maybe your allies couldn't take the drain, but you seem to be able to resist the power quite well, pivoting around acrobatically by using a single foot as axis once in a while to dodge a searing plasma beam that seems to be the flying nuisances' secondary attack. And the spins are quite helpful too when it comes to smashing drones en masse.

ZtP 2010/11/23(Tue)18:38 No. 259323 ID: ab04d4
File 129056631079.png - (13.81KB , 600x450 , Frame 8.png )

...

"They're all dead, aren't they?" You didn't realize you spoke until you feel a distinct taste of metal on your tongue. The air, suffused with ozone from the disintegration of steel machinery by laser rifles. Tastes like blood.

A hand behind you-

You spin, to see Three reaching out and quickly stop the trajectory of your spear before it embeds itself into his head because thats his weak point and thats what you see first now just the weak points first before anything else comes to importance and you shake off the melancholy thought.

"Three reports that all aggressors are terminated."

"Jimmy, One, you guys alive back there?"

"Yeah boss we're fine! Think I got a few kills too, eh?" He grabs his hacking equipment and moves forward past Lucasio. "Shame I didn't get to hack a few of the aerial drones, really. Shoulda thought of that before I shot them down."

"..."

Uh. One doesn't look... Good... "One..?"

"...i'm fine my lady... need a bit of rest... we're safe for now, you can leave me to recuperate..."

"I could carry you for a while, again, like last time. Not like I don't do it a lot anyways."

".... ha ha. no."

"Fine, have it your way." Not like anything would get him on the catwalk... But just in case. "Three, watch him, make sure he doesn't roll off the side or something stupid like that."

"Three acknowledges."

Alright, that's everything dealt with. You feel great- and not just from the adrenaline. You have a base in control now, and with it you have hopes for clearing out the whole strata instead of cowering and subsisting on memory gems. And even better, you can rest in security and let your constructed units do the guarding instead of the nerve-wracking night shifts.

You move towards the huge conic tower as Jim trots up besides you, emanating an obvious aura of smugness and focus that to any hacker is bread and butter.

>>259323
Hey. Hey Alena.

You can't taste anything, fool.


Order everyone to keep on their toes until you're certain that the base is hacked and entirely yours.

>>259327
Aye. You say you feel great? From the adrenaline? IT'S NOT REAL. Tell yourself that. It. Isn't. Real.

ZtP 2010/11/23(Tue)18:50 No. 259331 ID: ab04d4
File 129056701074.png - (11.05KB , 600x450 , Cybercone.png )

"..."

"I know what you're thinking, Boss."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"I was thinking that it looked a lot bigger from up close."

"Replace bigger with more awesome."

"Yeah, that too, Jim. Now get to the actual hacking stage of it."

"Alright, boss, workin' on i-"

You hear a slam behind you as you realize you forgot something that would soon prove to be quite important.

It's quiet.... too quiet.

YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE BOSS YET!

ZtP 2010/11/23(Tue)19:12 No. 259337 ID: ab04d4
File 129056835358.png - (15.67KB , 600x450 , BOSS.png )

>>259335

>smart man

You spin around, in realization, just as Lucasio's yells reach you-

"The boss is still there!"

...Uh-oh.

It's huge. A four-legged walker, more complex than any of the melee units you've encountered so far.

You surprisingly feel relieved that it isn't as huge as the first boss you fought.

>cont. cutscene

ZtP 2010/11/23(Tue)19:20 No. 259340 ID: ab04d4
File 129056882190.png - (12.87KB , 600x450 , Frame 9.png )

>BOSS:
>SCYTHE REAPER
>Height: ~9 feet
>Attacks: Unknown
>Defenses: Unknown
>Movement: Four-legged terrestrial, Speed Unknown

Shit, shit shit shit.

Fuck. Fucking huge four-legged walker tank shit.

"Jim! Turn the box off, get out of there!"

"Can't, once the hacks are in place I can't deactivate them!"

Worse shit.

Okay, okay, calm down, tactical check-

Lucasio and Esther, following up from behind those strange cylinder things. Esther could get in a good shot from this range. One and Three are out of range but they're safe.

You could order Jimmy to drop the box and run, but chances are the hacking attempt would fail and the box would get destroyed by the guardian thing. Of course, that's not out of the question- there's always more attempts at seizing a base, after all.

You're the closest, followed by Jim- and you're relatively sure you can make your move first.

What do you do?

>>259340
Tell Jimmy to hack fast.

Shout out a call for supporting fire.

Take a defensive stance and engage, fighting a delaying battle while your militants deal some damage and, hopefully, Jimmy hacks the base. Your job is to buy time.

Your giant spear should be pretty excellent for blocking, at least.

>>259342
This. Also, do you have a big, awesome special move or something?

Because now would be the time.

>>259342
This. Also, do you have a big, awesome special move or something?

Because now would be the time.

BIG TEAL THING, FIVE ROUNDS RAPID.

Melchsee's lance Go!!!!


or you know, insta-dash lunge im then bounce back before it moves.

ZtP 2010/11/24(Wed)10:30 No. 259467 ID: ab04d4
File 129062342251.png - (6.48KB , 600x450 , Battle1.png )

>>259344

>There aren't any simple things like compact gaming-abstractions like skills anymore. You want move, you come up with move and type it out as much detail as you want.

>>259435
"Open fire!" Only Esther, at that range, would be able to hit it. Sure enough, Lucasio's attacks all go off-center.

Not like that single attack really did anything, though... Dammit, what's the weak point on this thing?

ZtP 2010/11/24(Wed)10:31 No. 259468 ID: ab04d4
File 129062346082.png - (6.29KB , 600x450 , Battle2.png )

>>259446

You charge forward, trying to make the best use of your ever-shrinking timeframe, and aim for the chest orb-things. Maybe those are vulnerable, just as the huge orb on the back of the first boss was its weak point.

The monstrous machine rotates, its insides gyrating as it slowly, painfully, reorients its balance, seemingly taking a combat stance, preparing for your impending assault.

ZtP 2010/11/24(Wed)10:33 No. 259469 ID: ab04d4
File 129062360268.png - (7.53KB , 600x450 , Battle3.png )

Holy crap but this thing is fast.

It deflected your attack at an angle, taking your spear up and changing its vector of motion completely- and sending you into a hasty leap as to not lose your spear-

Your attack was completely blocked. You distinctly feel two emotions; on one hand, you feel rather cheated and petulant.

On the other hand, you're rather terrified now. That was faster than anything else you've ever seen, faster than you could ever match-

There's no way that you could beat it in a one-on-one fight, not now.

ZtP 2010/11/24(Wed)10:34 No. 259472 ID: ab04d4
File 129062365311.png - (6.96KB , 600x450 , Battle4.png )

And as the residues of the crackling waves of power vanish, you are able to see through the light even as your trajectory leads you towards landing and-

What is it doing?

ZtP 2010/11/24(Wed)10:37 No. 259473 ID: ab04d4
File 129062382928.png - (7.43KB , 600x450 , SHOOP DA WHOOP.png )

FUCK

ZtP 2010/11/24(Wed)10:39 No. 259475 ID: ab04d4
File 129062399837.png - (14.28KB , 600x450 , Battle5.png )

...

Ow.

That really hurt. Looks like it has to recharge, though- the chest gems are dull now, though they seem to be brightening back up slowly but surely.

You hear a whoosh through the air just as you realize your spear left your hand in the blast-

Your spear lands just below you, crackling with a small bit of residual ionic charge as its point embeds into the hard metal covering of the upper cone.

What good fortune, you dryly think.

Well, at least you can see a lot of the battlefield from up here.

SHIIIIIIIIII-


(allow gravity to help out a little 'operation ground and pound')

ZtP 2010/11/24(Wed)10:52 No. 259478 ID: ab04d4
File 129062477337.png - (13.17KB , 600x450 , Frame 10.png )

You might as well use your new range of vision to take a look.

Esther and Lucasio are using the cylinder things as cover, firing out at the mecha advancing on them. Luckily, it seems to be ignoring Jim for now.

Three and One are moving, but One is still lagging behind a bit, and Three might take a while to get there.

And while you're up here, you don't think you can quite leap far enough to use gravity to your advantage. Pity- that would've made a nice idea, seeing if it had a weak spot on its back or something.

What do you do? What commands do you give?

>Port Conversion-Hacking: ~20% complete

Ok then, how about this, slide down the side of the node and jump off.

Hit the ground running and make to lunge it again, BUT, stab the tip in the ground instead and vault over it.

Try to see if you can hit it while you are in the air, even if its just a tap, hit it on the back of the head.

When you land, pivot on one foot to get behind it then stab.

Hows that for a plan.

oh yea, have the others do a fighting retreat to lead it away from Jimmy, maybe weaving around the cones to get maximum advantage and stop it from using that beam effectively.

No, it didn't really hurt. The pain is not real, remember?

You have to use the recharge delay. Call for suppressive fire, this thing can't deflect everything. The shots will be a distraction while you aim for the core/blaster.

>>259478
It's very important that you not let it engage anyone other than you in melee. If it was able to throw you back so easily, what chance will the others have? They'll be killed. You must engage it repeatedly and count on them only for supporting fire and the occasional distraction.

It might help if you attack from the opposite direction that they're in, so that it will end up getting shot in the back.

>>259480
Nooooooo. No acrobatical stuff. Acrobatics only work if they arn't fast enough to attack you while you're doing them. If you are, you're a sitting duck. And this thing is fast enough to do that. So, just get back on the ground, and try spamming some thrusts at the 'unarmored' area between the 'breastplate' and its legs, that might be a weakpoint.

Oh, and order Esper to try aiming at the 'visor' and the crystals on its 'chest'. Those might be weakpoints too.

Try to keep your distance, use your spear's longer reach to your advantage. If it tries to charge up another ranged attack stab it hard wherever the attack is coming from.

Also, the pain is only an illusion

The pain is an illusion, the force behind his blows is an illusion
Nothing can hurt you
You cannot die.
Your weapon is an illusion, created to force you to play the game 'their' way

Well screw that.
Walk up and break it.

I know you watched The Matrix, well guess what, you are in it and you are the chosen one. Go kick some ass.

>>259740
I'm going to have to support this.

Tell 1 to fall back over the bridge and let 3 start attacking it to hopefully draw the boss away from Jimmy and the hack.

Esther and Lucasio need to start running north, splitting up.

Defend Jimmy. If the boss does get drawn away then hit it in the back. Also be ready to strike if it does the laser attack again as it's probably vulnerable while it's doing it.

ZtP 2010/11/25(Thu)20:01 No. 259845 ID: ab04d4
File 12907440931.png - (31.24KB , 1200x900 , Frame 11.png )

You leap down, spear pointed down to use as a spinning fulcrum, aiming to reach the ground and convert your descent into the greatest speed possible-

>>259606

"Esther! Aim for the chest!"

Somehow, you doubt that Esther can miss at this range. Esther aims, reloads, fires-

And the bullet goes in, easily, quickly, so simply you have trouble comprehending it- you expected defenses to the obvious points of vulnerability-

And nothing much happens. No explosion, no final scream like in all those B-movies you watch so much, nothing- Apparently, it was just a wound...?

The sheer shock of the letdown prevents you from yelling out as Lucasio runs and slides under the beast, vaunting back out forwards over its back, landing squarely behind its head and opening fire ferociously into its back armor. The creature shrieks and charges forwards, plowing between the cylinders, causing Esther to roll out of the way and reload and fire once more, but this time missing the second chest gem-

Three opens fire, providing cover even as Lucasio wrangles the mech so that its front absorbs the damage-

>>259750

And before you can yell at One to fall back and hold the bridge (better for him to feel like he's doing something useful, you guess), he does it for you. Or he does something close enough.

After a few more feeble steps, One fumbles and falls, coming to an inert stop on the stony floor. That'll probably keep him out of the fight, you think.

Of course, through all this, you haven't been staying still, heavens no. You've been charging straight at the thing, as fast as you can while your allies distract it to provide you with a window of opportunity-

And all you have time left for is a single decision before your legs send you into the final leap to provide a surge of speed-

Where do you aim your spear?

>Port Conversion-Hacking: ~45% complete

>Two D10 rolls requested, one roll per post

rolled 7 = 7

---

Yell for him to sterr it near you, and then JUMPSLAM

>>259845
Well, that facial plate looks like another obvious potential weakpoint... stab it in!

yea, you probably can't just ignore it.

well you could, but it would likely be detrimental to your mental health.

Spear it in the back :V

rolled 9 = 9

---

FORGOT MA ROLL!

rolled 5 = 5

---

>>259845
Kill it until it dies.