Ade
;3
Lost Bind Assault
Episode 2: Retrieval
Areas: VR Spaceship Alpha, VR Spaceship Beta, Gol Dragon Boss Arena
Special note: I did several runs on both One Person Mode and Multimode to get an adequate feel for the quest. All of my screenshots, however, were taken in One Person Mode because people kill stuff too fast
Objective / Mission Bumper: "My weapon was taken from me when I was fighting Gol Dragon."
Client: Hopkins
Reward: 8,000 Meseta on Ultimate difficulty
Author: Ender (Ephinea Staff)
History / Tidbits:
Lost Bind Assault (LBA) was released on May 4, 2020 along with several other quests.
Source: https://www.pioneer2.net/community/threads/new-quest-update.18258/
This quest update was a huge morale boost for the Ephinea Community, as this was right around the time society was recognizing COVID-19 wasn't going away anytime soon. While everyone else was digging into the new Animal Crossing game on Nintendo Switch, Ephinea players were treated to one of the largest quest updates the server has ever seen. (And for free!)
At the time, VR Spaceship only had a small amount of Multimode quests; none which were full length (meaning: both areas plus boss fight). Prior to LBA, the only way to get "chunky" spawns in VR Spaceship was to run Sweep-Up Operation # 6 or to play a high-density quest with a VR Spaceship segment (ie. Maximum Attack 2 Version 2 or Maximum Attack: E VR). Thus, it was a welcome addition. The 2018 drop chart updates turned VR Spaceship from a "bottom tier" item hunting area into a powerhouse, so new hunts were needed. LBA released to high praise due to Ender's commitment to quality, balanced content.
Enemy and Box Counts:
Source: https://wiki.pioneer2.net/w/Lost_BIND_ASSAULT
Gimmick / Theme:
While retrieving Hopkins' lost weapon and fighting through dense spawns, players will encounter a number of laser fence scenarios.
The first that come to mind are the "split" rooms at the beginning of each area. Rather than separate the players by room (as Sega annoyingly chose to do with Free Field VR Spaceship), Ender chose to start all players adjacent to a singular starting room for each area, but with a laser fence split. The players warp in at different entry points depending on gem color. Thus, two players will be on each side of the laser fence in a full party. This is a better design than Sega because the fence opens when the room is cleared, so players can pick up their loot on the other side easily (instead of backtracking multiple rooms and hallways to grab a Photon Drop or Material).
The second laser fence scenario happens in VR Spaceship Alpha early in the quest. After defeating a couple of Baranz and some Gillchichs in a large room with a laser fence, players must clear a side room and press a button to open the fence in the larger room and continue on. (This is nothing revolutionary, but it's a laser fence, so it counts!)
The third (and most interesting) use of the laser fence gimmick comes in VR Spaceship Beta. There are two rooms with green warps that "trap" the player in a small laser fence enclosures for a "surprise attack." Once the initial waves are defeated, the fences open and create a larger combat area for the subsequent waves.
(The party was caught by surprise! Enemy party strikes first!)
(Fool me once...etc.)
All Sega "Lost" quests employed some sort of gimmick. LBA is a nice tribute to the laser fence gimmick found in Lost Soul Blade, but Ender takes it to a new level with fun results!
Section Score: 20 out of 20 possible points
Enemy Density / Placement / Pacing:
The quest begins with strong waves. All throughout, waves stay medium to strong and never let up. Given the sparse nature of Free Field Episode 2 in general, this is a godsend. Ender's mob placement is on par (and sometimes exceeds) Sega's most interesting enemy wave design. (Screenshots below for proof.)
(Cool spawn!)
(Another cool spawn! Plus they're adorable when they're resting!)
(ANOTHER cool spawn with multiple layers. Dubchichs in the front, Baranz in the middle, and a Dubwitch hidden behind the Baranz!)
(Cool "take up most of the room" spawn!)
(And finally, a cool spawn where I'm about three frames away from getting pummeled.)
Gillchichs and Dubchichs are frequent throughout the quest, and are often intertwined in the same wave. This creates an interesting "prioritization" process when deciding whether to deal with the Gillchichs while the 'Dubs are down, or skirt around the remaining enemies and destroy the Dubwitch. (Well, that's assuming the player is not just mowing them all down with Hell in One Person Mode- guilty as charged.) This quest avoids the mistake of forcing players to blast Dubchichs down five separate times; all 'Dubs have a corresponding Dubwitch and can be dispatched immediately.
Gulgus and Gulgus-Gue: I often give the VR Areas a hard time for reusing Episode 1 enemies, but VR Spaceship really makes far better use of the Gulgus species than Forest ever did. In Forest, it's just Grunts, Gulgus / Gulgus-Gue, and Hildelts. But in VR Spaceship, the player has Delsabers, Sorcerers, and Baranz to deal with while Gulgus and Gulgus-Gue get in the way. Without adequate crowd control, this can be very dangerous for low to mid-level parties, and makes combat more engaging.
Universally hated due to their "slow to appear unless they are stepped on" and "splitting" mechanics, Pan Arms are handled about as well as possible in LBA. There's only 14 total, they are often "triggered" through normal traversal, and frequently a couple appear at a time (which helps to "get it over with"). Immobilize, Hell, and repeat.
Delsabers are adequate as standalone waves as they rush or jump on the player, but really shine when spawning in with other enemies; sometimes at a slight delay for dramatic effect! Exponentially more dangerous in Multimode, they often force the player to prioritize the danger level when paired with Gran Sorcerers or Baranz. Make sure to stay stocked up on Freeze Traps, Androids!
Baranz, while appearing only in VR Spaceship Alpha, are the priority-one target for their area. With the ability to shred high-HP players instantly with missiles, crowd control is a must. They often appear alongside other enemies, and there are multiple waves with three at a time. They are used frequently in smaller rooms, which makes for some hectic decision making! (Or running away and using door / Confusion cheese!)
Gran Sorcerers only appear in VR Spaceship Beta, and are the other high priority target due to their ability to use high level Megid. They are often shielded by other enemies, so without crowd control, killing speed is necessary to take them down. Ducking outside of the room or quickly casting Ryuker to avoid their Megid, while cheap, is effective.
Overall, I didn't see a single "What were they thinking?" spawn in the entire quest. The spawns ranged anywhere from "Neat" to "Wow!" LBA meets and and sometimes surpasses Sega's finest enemy compositions.
Section Score: 30 out of 30 possible points
Challenge / Fairness:
Because VR Spaceship simply isn't a super dangerous area to begin with, no points were lost on difficulty. Although mostly covered in the previous section, the quest manages to produce some dangerous situations through smart enemy placement.
There's a few "smasher" traps, but not much else in the way of hazards. A bit more in this department would have been nice, but isn't sorely missed. The laser fence traps could be deemed "hazards," as well, and are unique!
The quest almost completely avoids wasting the player's time. There's only one instance of a forced "runback" after pressing a switch, and it's a short jog.
VR Spaceship Alpha has two side areas with extra enemies; one with a healing ring, and VR Spaceship Beta has one side room with some decent spawns and a healing ring. Androids who are willing to explore will have plenty of traps thanks to these. Players must do a bit of running back after exploring these side areas, but they are optional.
Section Score: 28 out of 30 possible points
Reward for Effort:
With plenty of strong hunts, LBA is a great HBR candidate. It feels good to run a quest and have a decent chance to find a desirable item. Daylight Scar, Guren, Handgun: Guld, and Diska of Braveman are all prominent hunts in this area given the correct Section ID.
The main route is jam-packed with plenty of boxes, and there are several smaller side rooms with quite a few more. Unfortunately, VR Spaceship isn't a great place to hunt for high-percentage common weapons due to its relatively low position the Drop Pattern Table (source: https://wiki.pioneer2.net/w/Weapon_attribute_drop_tables).
Regarding Meseta, I feel bad deducting points due to a mechanic initially implemented by Sega, but the Blue Burst "Lost" quests all pay pretty wimpy Meseta rewards. This is a long quest and only pays out 8,000 Meseta on Ultimate difficulty. I understand Ender's desire to stay true to Sega's form, but I don't think anyone would have minded a higher reward given the playerbase's propensity for Charge Weapons / Vjaya usage.
The boss fight against Gol Dragon is a nice reward and adds to the already considerable experience points dished out by LBA.
(It wouldn't be a "Lost" quest without a big bad to fight at the end!)
Section Score: 14 out of 20 possible points
Overall:
This month's HBR is very strong, and LBA stands tall with the rest as a fine addition to it. Two of the four quests are in Tower, and Phantasmal World 2 is in Mountain / Central Control, so LBA is a much-needed change of pace / visuals.
LBA is a perfect interpretation of what Sega would have likely done with the "Lost" quest format had they continued beyond Episode 1. Although this was 2.5 years ago, Ender was already demonstrating a vast understanding of balance, aesthetics, and difficulty. His level of craftsmanship consistently meets and often exceeds that of Sega, and he has only continued to improve since. (If that's even possible.)
If you see Ender in the Lobby, make sure to thank him for his hard work. He puts in a tremendous amount of time and effort to keep this aging game alive for us, and we're blessed to have him on Ephinea's staff.
Overall Score: 92 out of 100 possible points
9.2 / 10
Explanation of review / why I am I doing this: Every month I want to review one quest from HBR. I really enjoy being creative. I used to like drawing and writing, but my current profession does not provide a lot of creative outlet. I hope these reviews are enjoyable and create discussion.
All reviews are going to be done on Ultimate difficulty since the vast majority of the game takes place there.
Thanks for reading!
Episode 2: Retrieval
Areas: VR Spaceship Alpha, VR Spaceship Beta, Gol Dragon Boss Arena
Special note: I did several runs on both One Person Mode and Multimode to get an adequate feel for the quest. All of my screenshots, however, were taken in One Person Mode because people kill stuff too fast
Objective / Mission Bumper: "My weapon was taken from me when I was fighting Gol Dragon."
Client: Hopkins
Reward: 8,000 Meseta on Ultimate difficulty
Author: Ender (Ephinea Staff)
History / Tidbits:
Lost Bind Assault (LBA) was released on May 4, 2020 along with several other quests.
Source: https://www.pioneer2.net/community/threads/new-quest-update.18258/
This quest update was a huge morale boost for the Ephinea Community, as this was right around the time society was recognizing COVID-19 wasn't going away anytime soon. While everyone else was digging into the new Animal Crossing game on Nintendo Switch, Ephinea players were treated to one of the largest quest updates the server has ever seen. (And for free!)
At the time, VR Spaceship only had a small amount of Multimode quests; none which were full length (meaning: both areas plus boss fight). Prior to LBA, the only way to get "chunky" spawns in VR Spaceship was to run Sweep-Up Operation # 6 or to play a high-density quest with a VR Spaceship segment (ie. Maximum Attack 2 Version 2 or Maximum Attack: E VR). Thus, it was a welcome addition. The 2018 drop chart updates turned VR Spaceship from a "bottom tier" item hunting area into a powerhouse, so new hunts were needed. LBA released to high praise due to Ender's commitment to quality, balanced content.
Enemy and Box Counts:
Source: https://wiki.pioneer2.net/w/Lost_BIND_ASSAULT
Gimmick / Theme:
While retrieving Hopkins' lost weapon and fighting through dense spawns, players will encounter a number of laser fence scenarios.
The first that come to mind are the "split" rooms at the beginning of each area. Rather than separate the players by room (as Sega annoyingly chose to do with Free Field VR Spaceship), Ender chose to start all players adjacent to a singular starting room for each area, but with a laser fence split. The players warp in at different entry points depending on gem color. Thus, two players will be on each side of the laser fence in a full party. This is a better design than Sega because the fence opens when the room is cleared, so players can pick up their loot on the other side easily (instead of backtracking multiple rooms and hallways to grab a Photon Drop or Material).
The second laser fence scenario happens in VR Spaceship Alpha early in the quest. After defeating a couple of Baranz and some Gillchichs in a large room with a laser fence, players must clear a side room and press a button to open the fence in the larger room and continue on. (This is nothing revolutionary, but it's a laser fence, so it counts!)
The third (and most interesting) use of the laser fence gimmick comes in VR Spaceship Beta. There are two rooms with green warps that "trap" the player in a small laser fence enclosures for a "surprise attack." Once the initial waves are defeated, the fences open and create a larger combat area for the subsequent waves.
(The party was caught by surprise! Enemy party strikes first!)
(Fool me once...etc.)
All Sega "Lost" quests employed some sort of gimmick. LBA is a nice tribute to the laser fence gimmick found in Lost Soul Blade, but Ender takes it to a new level with fun results!
Section Score: 20 out of 20 possible points
Enemy Density / Placement / Pacing:
The quest begins with strong waves. All throughout, waves stay medium to strong and never let up. Given the sparse nature of Free Field Episode 2 in general, this is a godsend. Ender's mob placement is on par (and sometimes exceeds) Sega's most interesting enemy wave design. (Screenshots below for proof.)
(Cool spawn!)
(Another cool spawn! Plus they're adorable when they're resting!)
(ANOTHER cool spawn with multiple layers. Dubchichs in the front, Baranz in the middle, and a Dubwitch hidden behind the Baranz!)
(Cool "take up most of the room" spawn!)
(And finally, a cool spawn where I'm about three frames away from getting pummeled.)
Gillchichs and Dubchichs are frequent throughout the quest, and are often intertwined in the same wave. This creates an interesting "prioritization" process when deciding whether to deal with the Gillchichs while the 'Dubs are down, or skirt around the remaining enemies and destroy the Dubwitch. (Well, that's assuming the player is not just mowing them all down with Hell in One Person Mode- guilty as charged.) This quest avoids the mistake of forcing players to blast Dubchichs down five separate times; all 'Dubs have a corresponding Dubwitch and can be dispatched immediately.
Gulgus and Gulgus-Gue: I often give the VR Areas a hard time for reusing Episode 1 enemies, but VR Spaceship really makes far better use of the Gulgus species than Forest ever did. In Forest, it's just Grunts, Gulgus / Gulgus-Gue, and Hildelts. But in VR Spaceship, the player has Delsabers, Sorcerers, and Baranz to deal with while Gulgus and Gulgus-Gue get in the way. Without adequate crowd control, this can be very dangerous for low to mid-level parties, and makes combat more engaging.
Universally hated due to their "slow to appear unless they are stepped on" and "splitting" mechanics, Pan Arms are handled about as well as possible in LBA. There's only 14 total, they are often "triggered" through normal traversal, and frequently a couple appear at a time (which helps to "get it over with"). Immobilize, Hell, and repeat.
Delsabers are adequate as standalone waves as they rush or jump on the player, but really shine when spawning in with other enemies; sometimes at a slight delay for dramatic effect! Exponentially more dangerous in Multimode, they often force the player to prioritize the danger level when paired with Gran Sorcerers or Baranz. Make sure to stay stocked up on Freeze Traps, Androids!
Baranz, while appearing only in VR Spaceship Alpha, are the priority-one target for their area. With the ability to shred high-HP players instantly with missiles, crowd control is a must. They often appear alongside other enemies, and there are multiple waves with three at a time. They are used frequently in smaller rooms, which makes for some hectic decision making! (Or running away and using door / Confusion cheese!)
Gran Sorcerers only appear in VR Spaceship Beta, and are the other high priority target due to their ability to use high level Megid. They are often shielded by other enemies, so without crowd control, killing speed is necessary to take them down. Ducking outside of the room or quickly casting Ryuker to avoid their Megid, while cheap, is effective.
Overall, I didn't see a single "What were they thinking?" spawn in the entire quest. The spawns ranged anywhere from "Neat" to "Wow!" LBA meets and and sometimes surpasses Sega's finest enemy compositions.
Section Score: 30 out of 30 possible points
Challenge / Fairness:
Because VR Spaceship simply isn't a super dangerous area to begin with, no points were lost on difficulty. Although mostly covered in the previous section, the quest manages to produce some dangerous situations through smart enemy placement.
There's a few "smasher" traps, but not much else in the way of hazards. A bit more in this department would have been nice, but isn't sorely missed. The laser fence traps could be deemed "hazards," as well, and are unique!
The quest almost completely avoids wasting the player's time. There's only one instance of a forced "runback" after pressing a switch, and it's a short jog.
VR Spaceship Alpha has two side areas with extra enemies; one with a healing ring, and VR Spaceship Beta has one side room with some decent spawns and a healing ring. Androids who are willing to explore will have plenty of traps thanks to these. Players must do a bit of running back after exploring these side areas, but they are optional.
Section Score: 28 out of 30 possible points
Reward for Effort:
With plenty of strong hunts, LBA is a great HBR candidate. It feels good to run a quest and have a decent chance to find a desirable item. Daylight Scar, Guren, Handgun: Guld, and Diska of Braveman are all prominent hunts in this area given the correct Section ID.
The main route is jam-packed with plenty of boxes, and there are several smaller side rooms with quite a few more. Unfortunately, VR Spaceship isn't a great place to hunt for high-percentage common weapons due to its relatively low position the Drop Pattern Table (source: https://wiki.pioneer2.net/w/Weapon_attribute_drop_tables).
Regarding Meseta, I feel bad deducting points due to a mechanic initially implemented by Sega, but the Blue Burst "Lost" quests all pay pretty wimpy Meseta rewards. This is a long quest and only pays out 8,000 Meseta on Ultimate difficulty. I understand Ender's desire to stay true to Sega's form, but I don't think anyone would have minded a higher reward given the playerbase's propensity for Charge Weapons / Vjaya usage.
The boss fight against Gol Dragon is a nice reward and adds to the already considerable experience points dished out by LBA.
(It wouldn't be a "Lost" quest without a big bad to fight at the end!)
Section Score: 14 out of 20 possible points
Overall:
This month's HBR is very strong, and LBA stands tall with the rest as a fine addition to it. Two of the four quests are in Tower, and Phantasmal World 2 is in Mountain / Central Control, so LBA is a much-needed change of pace / visuals.
LBA is a perfect interpretation of what Sega would have likely done with the "Lost" quest format had they continued beyond Episode 1. Although this was 2.5 years ago, Ender was already demonstrating a vast understanding of balance, aesthetics, and difficulty. His level of craftsmanship consistently meets and often exceeds that of Sega, and he has only continued to improve since. (If that's even possible.)
If you see Ender in the Lobby, make sure to thank him for his hard work. He puts in a tremendous amount of time and effort to keep this aging game alive for us, and we're blessed to have him on Ephinea's staff.
Overall Score: 92 out of 100 possible points
9.2 / 10
Explanation of review / why I am I doing this: Every month I want to review one quest from HBR. I really enjoy being creative. I used to like drawing and writing, but my current profession does not provide a lot of creative outlet. I hope these reviews are enjoyable and create discussion.
All reviews are going to be done on Ultimate difficulty since the vast majority of the game takes place there.
Thanks for reading!
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