Own
Moderator
A few thoughts I had across my last Arcade Mode Run:
1. Wow, I'm really hurting for a new weapon. Really, really hurting. [Challenge 1: Essence. Boss: Essence. Boss 2: Essence. Challenge 2: Essence.] OH COME ON!
I believe that Essence alone should never be a reward from a bossfight or a chest in Arcade Mode, except for possibly early floor challenges, and even then I get frowny if I took damage from a challenge and got an Essence for it. If it has to be awarded, let it be something that drops rarely as an additional bonus. When you're far in Arcade Mode, you'll take just about anything that actively contributes to your run. The Toy Machine drops a random stat potion 100% of the time and I'm always happy to have it, regardless of what it is.
(But mainly I'm just salty 'cause I have 400 essence and nothing to do with them. >_>)
If Essences absolutely have to be awarded for bossfights on later floors or challenges on later floors, it seems like they ought to award Golden Essences worth 5 or something. A challenge on floor 1 shouldn't award the same prize as one on floor 12. I'll take a Stat Potion over an Essence any day on floor 12, honestly.
2. Okay, two Summon Crystals, I can do this. Rush over to them, BANG BANG BANG, both dead - damn, they summoned things first. Run around, kill them, and... Time: B?
2b. A yeti, some frostlings and a present? Dodge the snowballs, pound down the frostlings, then circle slice around the yeti avoiding his attacks and... Time: C?
I'm not sure exactly how time score is calculated in the Arcade. I assumed it was something like, every enemy in the game is assigned a number of seconds on average it takes to kill it. When you go into a room, all those seconds are added together for every enemy in there. If you kill them all under that average time, you get an S Rank?
Because if it works like that, the time for Summoning Crystals, Peckos and Yetis are way off. I immediately start moving the instant I enter the room, weave around the first volley of projectiles and kill everything as quickly as possible with a high damage burst build. But Peckos have so much HP that if you try to shield block their attacks - or even if you perfect guard them - you still won't hit S-Rank. Same with Yetis. Summoning Crystals always summon at least one extra thing you'll get an A or B-Rank trying to kill.
Or maybe you're supposed to recklessly take every hit without shielding if you want S-Rank?
3. Oh look, it's Marino playing Darude - Snowstorm... again. Dududududu... wait. This is the fourth time in a row.
Did Bossling + Block get patched out when Marino got put in? It seems strange I've always gotten Marino+Toy Factory. Bossling and Block were a fun boss.
4. Fantastic! A shopkeep on floor 11-12! You sell... a single green wizard hat. Or a single scale boots. What?
I'm not sure if this is bugged or what, but there's always only one thing ever to buy on floors 11 and 12. I think the selection could stand to be a little bigger. Or shops on the last two floors of Arcade Mode should also sell a bunch of purely cosmetic items from Story Mode, like the mask or ski goggles. If you're gonna set a high score you wanna decorate your statue in style, yeah? Though maybe that's better saved for if we do get a Mr. Fabulous hat NPC to unlock all cosmetic hats and face items with.
1. Wow, I'm really hurting for a new weapon. Really, really hurting. [Challenge 1: Essence. Boss: Essence. Boss 2: Essence. Challenge 2: Essence.] OH COME ON!
I believe that Essence alone should never be a reward from a bossfight or a chest in Arcade Mode, except for possibly early floor challenges, and even then I get frowny if I took damage from a challenge and got an Essence for it. If it has to be awarded, let it be something that drops rarely as an additional bonus. When you're far in Arcade Mode, you'll take just about anything that actively contributes to your run. The Toy Machine drops a random stat potion 100% of the time and I'm always happy to have it, regardless of what it is.
(But mainly I'm just salty 'cause I have 400 essence and nothing to do with them. >_>)
If Essences absolutely have to be awarded for bossfights on later floors or challenges on later floors, it seems like they ought to award Golden Essences worth 5 or something. A challenge on floor 1 shouldn't award the same prize as one on floor 12. I'll take a Stat Potion over an Essence any day on floor 12, honestly.
2. Okay, two Summon Crystals, I can do this. Rush over to them, BANG BANG BANG, both dead - damn, they summoned things first. Run around, kill them, and... Time: B?
2b. A yeti, some frostlings and a present? Dodge the snowballs, pound down the frostlings, then circle slice around the yeti avoiding his attacks and... Time: C?
I'm not sure exactly how time score is calculated in the Arcade. I assumed it was something like, every enemy in the game is assigned a number of seconds on average it takes to kill it. When you go into a room, all those seconds are added together for every enemy in there. If you kill them all under that average time, you get an S Rank?
Because if it works like that, the time for Summoning Crystals, Peckos and Yetis are way off. I immediately start moving the instant I enter the room, weave around the first volley of projectiles and kill everything as quickly as possible with a high damage burst build. But Peckos have so much HP that if you try to shield block their attacks - or even if you perfect guard them - you still won't hit S-Rank. Same with Yetis. Summoning Crystals always summon at least one extra thing you'll get an A or B-Rank trying to kill.
Or maybe you're supposed to recklessly take every hit without shielding if you want S-Rank?
3. Oh look, it's Marino playing Darude - Snowstorm... again. Dududududu... wait. This is the fourth time in a row.
Did Bossling + Block get patched out when Marino got put in? It seems strange I've always gotten Marino+Toy Factory. Bossling and Block were a fun boss.
4. Fantastic! A shopkeep on floor 11-12! You sell... a single green wizard hat. Or a single scale boots. What?
I'm not sure if this is bugged or what, but there's always only one thing ever to buy on floors 11 and 12. I think the selection could stand to be a little bigger. Or shops on the last two floors of Arcade Mode should also sell a bunch of purely cosmetic items from Story Mode, like the mask or ski goggles. If you're gonna set a high score you wanna decorate your statue in style, yeah? Though maybe that's better saved for if we do get a Mr. Fabulous hat NPC to unlock all cosmetic hats and face items with.