Challenge Mode Questions - Ask away.

NDW

NDW

03:US/Fodra:02-11
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I thought a separate Challenge Mode question thread would be more appropriate then having it in the Meeting thread. Sometimes it can get congested with questions and whatnot. So if you have any questions, just ask here - there are a few experienced players that can/will/should/want to answer your question :lol:



Challenge Mode Terms:
dt = damage trap
ct = confuse trap
ft = freeze trap

hpm = hp mat
tpm = tp mat
mm = mind mat or monomate (in most cases mind mat)
pm = power mat
lm = luck mat

kp = knight power
gp = gen power

*For arm units, use arm#*
marm or m/arm = marksman/arm
garm or g/arm = general/arm
e/arm = elf/arm (rarely used)

arm# = ATA on arm unit. (ex: Gen/Arm = 5, so arm5)
s# or #s = # of slots on armor, if any

mm = monomate
dm = dimate
tm = trimate (rarely used - only appears from graves)
mf = monofluid
df = difluid
tf = trifluid (rarely used - only appears from graves)
$ = scape doll

Weapons:
s = saber
b = brand
b = buster
p = pallasch
hg = handgun
ag = autogun
lg = lockgun
rg = railgun
sw = sword
g = gigush
mg = mechgun
ass = assault
pt = partisan
hb = halbert
sl = slicer

Area %:
Native/A.Beast/Machine/Dark/Hit -

All E1 stages can contain ONLY one area % and hit.
All E2 stages can contain any area % and hit.

Calling out weapon %:
E1: Stage 2 is caves so only AB % and hit % can appear - ex: 5530 means 55AB and 30hit. (no need to say ABH like example below)

E2: Stage 4 is Seabed so any % and hit can appear - ex: 5530 DH means 55dark and 30hit or 2045 MD means 20machine and 40dark, etc.

Note also that some people condense numbers into 2 figures, so a 76 DH weapon is a weapon with 7X Dark and 6X Hit.

Freeze glitch:
Cause damage cancel (dmc) to frozen enemies to keep them frozen.

Confuse glitch:
Cause damage cancel (dmc) to confused enemies to keep them confused *less likely/harder to occur and see*

Mate count:
monomate/dimate/scapes, ex: 563 (5 mm, 6 dm, 3 scapes)

Fluid count:
monofluids/difluids/scapes, ex: 750 (7 mf, 5 df, 0 scapes) (manually say tf if you have any from graves)

Specials:
Highest tier to lowest available (will be based on activation rate)

  • Devil

  • Dark
  • Shadow
  • Dim

  • Fill
  • Drain
  • Draw

  • Soul
  • Mind
  • Heart

  • Seize
  • Hold
  • Bind

  • Storm
  • Thunder
  • Shock

  • Flame
  • Fire
  • Heat

  • Freeze
  • Frost
  • Ice

  • Havoc
  • Riot
  • Panic

  • Lord's
  • Master's



Episode 1 and 2 Maps *Credit: PSO-World*
Episode 1
Episode 2



crate's Beginner C-Mode Guide *Credit: crate*
Link



How To Attack Monsters: HUcast *Credit: Grifter*

The following will be from HUcast perspective:

FOREST

Booma-type - Use N delay N delay H.
Rappy - N N H. If you miss, the Rappy will knock you down, so if you notice you miss and can stop your combo and re-start it, use a second combo to kill them.
Monest - H H H or N H H if you miss too much.
Wolf-type - N N H. Annoying buggers when they leap around everywhere.
Hildebear - Fast, but easily stunned. Let the Hildebear swing at you, run to your left, its right, do N H H. Last H will keep it stunned. Let him swing again and run to side again. Repeat until dead. I've noticed sometimes it's harder for the solo-stun method to work in Episode 1, so sometimes it's just better to Freeze trap them and have 2 HUs H H H them.

CAVES

Shark-type - Use N delay N delay H.
Poison Lily - N N H or N H H.
Nano Dragon - Normally best if left to FOrce and their Barta, but can use a delayed combo while on ground.
Poifully Slime - Place a Damage Trap right where they initially spawn in a room to instant kill when it detonates.
Pan-Arms - Best if left to FOrce to kill with Foie. However, your FOrce may want to conserve TP at times so once it splits, just kill the Hidoom and Migium however you see fit.
Grass Assassin - They're pretty slow so you can N H H to kill them. Easiest if you just attack them from the side and don't give them any opportunity to attack.

MINES

Gilchic - N H H, provided you don't miss as a HUcast and have either Shifta or small Machine % Saber-type, they die in one combo.
Sinow Beat/Sinow Gold - N H turn and run to avoid attack then N H H to kill, provided you're character is strong enough, otherwise, do N H again and run tactic until dead.
Canadine - Kill right away if you can before they fly away with N H H. If they do manage to fly away, best left to FOrce or HUcl with a gun, or bring back down with a Damage Trap.
Dubchic - HUct with the strongest weapon just N H H, or H H H if you can, repeatedly until dead. If you know you're on the last combo before they die, should say something to let others know it's almost done. Annoying time wasters
Garanz - Run-around method works where you get them to fire their missiles at you and you run around them in circles so that the missiles hit themselves. However, this is sometimes hard to do because of other monsters in the room, or the missiles targeting other players. So Freeze Trap and H H H when frozen works to keep the freeze glitch working with another player attacking as well.

RUINS

Dimenian-type - With a Saber-type weapon, use N delay N delay H, or N delay H delay H. With a Sword-type, the timing is a little different to keep them stunned and it's better to just learn the timing in-game.
Claw - N H N as a HUcast should kill them in one combo. Weird combo, but Claws have strange recovery times, so this compensates for that.
Bulclaw - Best if a FOrce handles or someone with a gun because of their elevation, makes it hard to hit sometimes with a melee weapon.
Chaos Sorcerer - N N H x 2 should kill as HUcast.
Dark Belra - Use a Confuse Trap and the HUct with best weapon should attack H H H since they are usually the longest to kill. You can keep attacking consistently and hopefully his arm launches will not hit the other players. You could use a Freeze Trap but they can be better saved for other purposes.
Dark Bringer - These guys have a blind spot when attacking, their front left corner, so get to it and H H H to your hearts content. If the Bringer is spawning far away from you, avoid its charge and also try to line it up with a wall so it has nowhere else to go. Then find the blind spot on its side and kill.
Delsaber - FOrce's responsibility until HUct gets a good weapon. If HUct has weapon, entice him to attack you, avoid it, then do N delay N delay H. Do this twice and they should die.

TEMPLE

Rappy - Same as above.
Poison Lily - Same as above.
Dimenian-type - Same as above.
Grass Assassin - Same as above.
Hildebear - Same as above.
Dark Belra - Same as above.

SPACESHIP

Gilchic - N H H x 2, but many times it's better for FOrce to line up a bunch of Gilchics and use Barta on all of them.
Dubchic - Can be ignored in most rooms, aside from ones with the necessary kill switches to open doors. Treat like a Gilchic but then once the switch is available, break it immediately.
Wolf-type - Same as above.
Pan-Arms - Confuse Trap immediately and H H H.
Delsaber - Same as above. However, once you get a handgun, shoot your own Freeze Traps to keep Delsabers lined up and have FOrces' Bartas hit multiple at a time. You can then focus on the more annoying monsters running around, like Wolf-types.
Garanz - Same as above.
Chaos Sorcerer - N H H immediately to prevent from having enough time to Gizonde you. Use a Freeze Trap when necessary or other monsters also worth freezing, such as Delsaber.

CENTRAL CONTROL AREA

Meritas - N N H.
Merillia - Ignore these pretty much during a run. If you wish to attack them, N H then avoid their poison cloud.
Gibbons-type - Ignored usually but N N H or N H H depending on your accuracy.
Mericarol - Best left to FOrces and Barta.
Gi Gue - Leave for FOrces and Zonde.
Gibbles - Best handled by FOrces and Barta, or can use Freeze Trap and H H H while keeping freeze glitch going.
Sinow-type - Ignored in stage.

SEABED

Recobox - H H H.
Recons - Ignore for the most part.
Dolmolm/Dolmarl - Squids have fast recovery time after your third hit, so it's best to use N N delay H to keep them stunned.
Deldepth - H H N where the first two H attacks will miss, and the N will connect. Sometimes get unlucky and have one of the H's connect. When frozen in proper standing position, N N H.
Sinow-type - Freeze traps and damage traps are your friend. Freeze first then have damage traps detonate while you attack with N N H or N H H. If a Sinow-type is in a hallway and you're trying to run past him, use N delay N and he will use his warp power, allowing you to run by him during the animation.
Delbiter - Freeze Trap and H H H or N H H with other players to keep freeze glitch going.
Morfos - Ignore.

TOWER

Recobox - Same as above.
Recons - Same as above.
Gi Gue - N H H. Hope you can time a Freeze Trap to keep it stationary and easier to kill.
Meri-type - N H H and Freeze Trap. Run away when you hear any of them chirping. If multiple attackers, freeze glitch continues, making it easier.
Delbiter - Same as above.
Del Lily - Freeze trap + N H H makes it easiest, and with other player also attacking, keeps freeze glitch going. If solo, N H H then run to your left so when he tries to smack you, he'll miss.
Ill Gill - When possible, leave to FOrce behind safe barrier and let them Foie it to death. When that's not possible, Freeze Trap and another player also attacking to keep the freeze glitch going, while you N H H.

*KEY NOTES*

-Multiple people attacking the same monster causes not only Damage Cancel, but can throw off delays in combos so you get smacked in the face. That's why it's important to 1V1 monsters as much as possible.
-Since these are tips for having basic weapons, if you find a weapon that has enough Hit, you can use N delay H delay H instead of N delay N delay H. The timing is a bit quicker since you have to fit in the extra H attack, but you'll get used to it.
-Better enemy % weapons of course change some of these combos, but that's pretty self evident. The more you play, the more you instinctively get a feel of what combo you can do based on your weapon and the HP left on the enemy.
 
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Are there any JPBB sites that have Episode II maps, since PSO-W has apparently never had maps for Stage4 (or 5, ish)? Even archive.org doesn't show any images on the Stage4 page saved many years ago.
 
Yes, here.

No map for C5 though, but if you need a map for that, well... go play another game (also you'd wonder how you got that far).
Please note that in the C4 map there's a couple of mixed up dots:

Area 1:
  • Green is P1
    Red is P2
    Yellow is P3
    Blue is P4

Area 4:
  • Blue/Green is P1/3
    Red/Yellow is P2/4

This also occurs in 2C2 Area 1 map, where P1/3 and P2/4 are switched, but apart from that it is accurate.
 
Bless you, sir. That site may also be the source of PSOQuest's old maps, as they are quite similar.

As for the slots, it looks like they're using the DC gem order for the Episode II stages, which is odd and good to know, thanks.
 
Going to bump this old topic up. Could I get some clarification on how Olga Flow's DF Wave works? I noticed he does this in really odd angles. His animation makes it seem like its a frontal cone but occasionally it travels completely backwards. (I didn't create this theory) Could it be that it launches towards a random player's position? If this really was the case then perhaps I need to space out more away from the party. While I've been told that dodging this isn't completely necessary, I would like to have some knowledge of how it works rather than having to change the sequence of my actions due to RNG. I've been observing his AI pattern for a couple of hours in Sandbox and this uncertainty seems to be one of my obstacles. I want to graduate from being the cargo to being the wagon.
 
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I believe he targets the player closest to the center of him right before setting up for DF wave and that's where it will travel.

If you have players all around him and are not paying attention, most likely you're going to get hit with DF not not knowing where it's going to travel towards.

It's just easiest for all players to be in front of the center of Olga, run under him as he prepares DF wave, avoid DF wave, U-turn left to the side of his right foot, get hit by the foot, and avoid DP damage.
 
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Was going to comment on that tpyo, it was pretty funny <:

Okay my own question: I got most of my map knowledge from PSO-W and would like to know how people here prefer to do it, mostly how they split up; For example, in 2c1, who gets the boxes in the second room, who goes through the barrier in the third room, in the 7th room who stays on the switch letting other 3 go through, and what does that person do when the other players are busy?
 
I don't think there is any preferred method for who goes through barrier in room 3. Unless you really are TAing. I guess the first cast in the room would go in as to get a ct off quicker for the next spawn. 7th room, FO usually waits and regenerates TP until door opens.

I could spend all day typing on this thread about how teams split up in cmode but at the end of the day there is no right and wrong way of doing things. Some strats are just optimal, but aren't necessarily required. I mean, we got the server record for 2c3 yesterday and were still discussing which switch room is fastest to lock in. Just play xD
 
For the 7th room of 2C1, it's best to trap the FO and the FO actually turns around, goes back to the square "maze" room and goes east. You'll enter a room with 4 lilies in a corner and 5 boxes in the middle. Loot these and go back and the other people should be done (or almost).
 
I made some maps back when for a few of the stages but it looks like they disappeared with the old Schthack forums. Please bear in mind that these maps likely aren't completely accurate and so use them at your own risk, lol. I don't claim complete credit as the ep2 maps use assets from a jp site's graphic and the caves maps use assets from pso-world. The ep2 maps actually had quite a bit of kanji on them and quite a handful of people on schthack were responsible for having translated it to English for me. Unfortunately I can't remember specific names but I'd like to at least mention that they helped make these possible.

That being said, here they are. I hope they are atleast mildly helpful.


There are four more maps in the spoiler.




I was using the caves images within the stage walkthroughs that PSO-World.com hosts for each stage. What I would do is download their page for that stage and then replace their stock image with my version so that I could view it while using the walkthrough. I did this since I felt like their images for these floors omitted so much information that I would have found useful and felt would be easy to visually display. Hence I created my edits to them.

I never finished the ep 2 maps for the later areas. I don't know about you but you might be surprised by how much work it took to make those three maps. I spent, I guess, an hour or two watching TA videos and taking notes on enemy placement, boxes, and routes for each floor. At some points I had to watch a separate video for each player's route. Then I had to sit down and play the level in order to see what items were on the offbranching paths that TA players ignore and also for paths that I didn't find videos for, this took another thirty minutes on up to an hour if nothing wrong happened. Then I'd spend 2-3 hours creating the graphic. After that I would go through and briefly check each path for errors - not as thoroughly as I should have, I'm sure, but it would still take up another 30 minutes or an hour. After that I'd give the graphic one final run-through, looking for graphical mishaps and things that could be improved, which took another 30minutes or up to a few hours depending on how picky I was feeling that day. All of that adds up to around 4.5-8 hours per graphic! Maybe I work too slow? lol. Buuuut then came the fun part, the part that made it alllllllll worth it! That is, then came using the images while playing and, more enjoyably, getting to share them with the community. :D

I think the large effort required was one reason that I lost interest and also maybe the following stages were simpler and so I didn't feel such a want for a graphic? I don't remember all of the details. Unfortunately I no longer have the original files but the maps shouldn't be too hard to pick apart for the purpose of graphical editing. Feel free to modify/improve them if you like. I doubt that I'm going to be interested in continuing my work here. I'm sure that someone more experienced than I could make them a lot better than they currently are! :)
 
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So I have a vague memory of es rank weapons with no prefix to them from some other server...(I think Schtserv)...was this, and if so, how was this possible?
Example:
Rather than "KILLER Needle"
It would just be "KILLER"
 
Probably was /item'd. Not normally obtainable.
 
Okay that makes sense! There was nothing about that on the net at all.
I did, however, remember I had this little tool from wayyyy back in the xbox original days that I happen to pick up when I was learning to code a little bit. Programmer admins might find it kinda interesting cause it translates the binary automatically! I probably have the last copy of it cause it was so long ago but here, just for fun, you can check this nifty little thing out. Obviously it's useless to the community but as admins or other programmer users that remember the coding of the game it might be a somewhat entertaining. (maybe it could be used to add this ability back into this server)
 

Attachments

Your level and items are all reset according to the stage, you cannot return to Pioneer 2, you cannot use Moon Atomizer or Reverser, and you can only use the items the stage gives you at the start and what you find along the way. You start with a certain number of Scape Dolls, and if you die without a Scape Doll, you cause everybody to fail the stage and return to Pioneer 2, where you can try again or quit.

Challenge requires you to use teamwork to solve puzzles and defeat unknown monsters, as unlike the regular game, the monsters are randomly generated (in Episode I -- as usual, Sega got lazy later on).
 
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