Uploaded September 2015 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In which we must pray to the Random Number God for a good Enemy Phase 1. Also in which getting quickdraw helps a ton, only I can't do it consistently and just mash to enter Target Mode.
To explain: quickdraw is when you're able to enter Target Mode before any enemy fires bullets at the unit you selected. It has a few-frame window, and when running at 60 FPS this means an even shorter time window than on the PS3 version of the game (which runs at 30 FPS). I don't think I get a quickdraw on this recording (maybe when I first select Alex on Turn 2 since the Scout didn't turn around?). But being able to do that consistently makes the stage a lot more possible, as you will note the interception fire is kind of ridiculous upon selecting a unit.
In regards of good RNG: the AI seems to choose which units to move and in what order somewhat randomly. There are several scenarios in which Rosie dies -- usually when a Scout team-attacks with a Shocktrooper not tagged with the ATTACK DOWN debuff -- or a Scout sneaks behind Coby and escapes, both being failure conditions of the stage. Even if neither of the failure conditions are met, a good amount of the time, one of the three deployed Shocktroopers dies, which severely cuts down the likelihood of an A rank. Those situations unfortunately happen more often than one would want, so many restarts were necessary.
Besides that, the MAJ-X machine-gun series continues to be the best gun to use on Troopers on basically every occasion. It has superior Range, and the -50% ATTACK DOWN debuff makes it so that your units can actually survive a volley from the enemy and have a chance to counterattack. As was touched upon earlier, an all-male Shocktrooper deployment on the southeastern corner of the map is essentially a must, due to males' higher firing rate compared to the female Shocktroopers and the fact that some of the enemy units are scripted to kamikaze their way to the goal. Even if they don't succeed in reaching the line, they may have turned a defending female (or male! But less likely) Shocktrooper enough that they won't fire upon the next enemy unit. (This is why Lynn wasn't deployed in this stage.)
Only one more pre-NG+ stage to go...
In which we must pray to the Random Number God for a good Enemy Phase 1. Also in which getting quickdraw helps a ton, only I can't do it consistently and just mash to enter Target Mode.
To explain: quickdraw is when you're able to enter Target Mode before any enemy fires bullets at the unit you selected. It has a few-frame window, and when running at 60 FPS this means an even shorter time window than on the PS3 version of the game (which runs at 30 FPS). I don't think I get a quickdraw on this recording (maybe when I first select Alex on Turn 2 since the Scout didn't turn around?). But being able to do that consistently makes the stage a lot more possible, as you will note the interception fire is kind of ridiculous upon selecting a unit.
In regards of good RNG: the AI seems to choose which units to move and in what order somewhat randomly. There are several scenarios in which Rosie dies -- usually when a Scout team-attacks with a Shocktrooper not tagged with the ATTACK DOWN debuff -- or a Scout sneaks behind Coby and escapes, both being failure conditions of the stage. Even if neither of the failure conditions are met, a good amount of the time, one of the three deployed Shocktroopers dies, which severely cuts down the likelihood of an A rank. Those situations unfortunately happen more often than one would want, so many restarts were necessary.
Besides that, the MAJ-X machine-gun series continues to be the best gun to use on Troopers on basically every occasion. It has superior Range, and the -50% ATTACK DOWN debuff makes it so that your units can actually survive a volley from the enemy and have a chance to counterattack. As was touched upon earlier, an all-male Shocktrooper deployment on the southeastern corner of the map is essentially a must, due to males' higher firing rate compared to the female Shocktroopers and the fact that some of the enemy units are scripted to kamikaze their way to the goal. Even if they don't succeed in reaching the line, they may have turned a defending female (or male! But less likely) Shocktrooper enough that they won't fire upon the next enemy unit. (This is why Lynn wasn't deployed in this stage.)
Only one more pre-NG+ stage to go...
