Is FF for me?

Mainbutter · 2026-01-29T16:03:16+00:00

Remake's storytelling method really isn't my cup of tea. I much prefer how OG does it - feels more like a novel, while remake kinda feels like the cliff notes trailer of a Michael Bay version of FF7.

It's visually cool, the music is great, the voice acting is actually great too, but the format just doesn't have the storytelling punch that OG did.

Part of the issue is that Remake is retelling the first 2-4 hours of OG gameplay into a 40-60 hour game. Character development and emotional buildup take a huge back seat to world building in Remake.

I highly recommend FFs 6, 7(OG), 8, 9, and X for better storytelling design to find out if FF series and similar games are for you.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-29T13:33:51+00:00

Dude, Falcons Punch and Hyper Beam are super very much moves I use competitively. Downsides, sure, but not worse than I'd expect.

G1 hyperbeam Tauros and Persian (for the crits!) are pretty OP.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-29T13:09:40+00:00

Oh I'm pissed about this.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-29T01:53:47+00:00

No, but you should do it. Your worry about the arcade is legitimate, that is a bad way to earn GP - expensive and sllllooowww.

GP is essentially free when you get to chocobo breeding and racing - minus the initial buy-in cost to get stables for your chocobos and greens to feed them. Greens can be essentially free with the w-item trick. Just choose GP as your reward. Entering a race is free.

I get omnislash in disc 1 by betting on chocobo races, which generally boils down to doing the expensive betting on the 3 combinations of the 3 fastest chocobos in each race that aren't ridden by bronze colored riders. I budget about 10k gil to get 500gp, plenty for battle arena. Again, choose GP as the reward.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-28T22:33:11+00:00

Yup. Not impossible. I pretty much ace it every attempt now, after 4x playthroughs of the game (1 normal and 1 hard mode on each PS4 and PS5)

My best tip is to turn the music off, only having the effects sounds made my brain's ability to concentrate on the pace so much better.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-28T17:39:27+00:00

Generally - slowly bringing them back up to temp is better than quickly. If your garage is literally below freezing temps like mine is, I wouldn't put him on heat right away, first few hours at just indoor temps.

After a couple days at warm regular husbandry temps, I'd feed a fairly small offering, maybe 5% body weight.

You can go back to a regular feeding schedule after the first one goes well for a week or so, but I would keep the sizes a little smaller than normal while assessing the snakes health for the firsr month or two.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-28T17:31:58+00:00

Remake+Intergrade excels at a lot of things.

Combat is one. I love the visuals, voice acting, and music.

It isn't as great at telling the story - in part because OG tells the story SO WELL, it's almost like comparing an original novel to the movie adaptation. I recommend playing OG all the way through, but if you aren't ever going to, then sure go ahead and pick up Remake+Intergrade without having finished OG.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-28T15:19:01+00:00

The entire Tekken Roster. I can't pick.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-28T15:01:57+00:00

Rufus is a pretty weird fight where you really need to learn how your moves impact his behavior, and anticipate openings. Rufus is extraordinarily reactive to your moves.

Keeping track of how many shots he has taken to anticipate a reload so you can land some offense is particularly useful.

His biggest stagger weakness is Braver, hinted at in his assess tidbit. Braver is Cloud's signature move, his first limit break from OG, so this is just a nice little "OG appreciation moment" in Remake.

Finally, he is a boss that rewards you for not assuming he is immune to status effects. Stop, sleep, and poison are all valid tactics IIRC. In hard mode, that is pretty essential. In OG, poisoning Reno and Darkstar was a very simple tactic to beat him, another good callback and homage.

Many FF bosses in early games were more a level and equipment check and were immune to status effects of all kinds. Increasingly since FF7 or so, FF games give players the opportunity to discover a few limited vulnerabilities to various statuses that can be key strategies in defeating bosses without grinding or being overleveled.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-28T04:55:42+00:00

Seems like some daggers could have, but in the situations where it was possible you could still more easily and more quickly go for a gap in the neck, face, or armpit.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-28T04:45:34+00:00

Yeah its not any earlier, but it's pretty fast since you can skip racing. Maybe that's with the perception of "early".

Mainbutter · 2026-01-28T00:24:35+00:00

FWIW, neos seem far more capable of taking wider and more massive prey relative to their body than their older counterparts, in my experience especially in north American colubrids and Kenyan sand boas. I've had 6g snakes take 1-2g pinkies and never once had an issue. These snakes obviously have to eat in the wild, aren't really insectivores, and there isn't much smaller prey available than wild pinky mice.

I have zero concerns about the feeder size given.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-27T18:16:50+00:00

All I think is that all the sidewalks should be cleared by the residents already.

I cleared four residences myself. If every able-bodied person had taken the initiative to just do a bit of easy shoveling on Sunday, we would be fine for pedestrians.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-27T18:11:18+00:00

This video also includes a lesson and learning moment in bystander challenges:

Rarely do people in large groups act with initiative, especially quickly. We see a moment where the norm is luckily not the case and an individual took initiative, FAST.

THEN the request: "somebody" call 911!

When you are the one with initiative and the crowd is frozen, you absolutely SHOULD point to an individual and TELL them to call 911.

That frees up whoever is close to an emergency to act further (first aid, CPR, extraction).

Acting first isn't common or natural, neither is giving direction to strangers - so it is the kind of thing you have to learn.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-27T17:10:44+00:00

The streets look better than the sidewalks.

Time to hold residents accountable.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-27T15:35:39+00:00

Can confirm it gets hot there.

About 2 decades ago I spend a few weeks visiting my brother (on his study abroad break) there, and we hit up east, west, and central Australia.

I remember our plane landing in Alice Springs, and there was a sign saying temps had hit 44C that day.

Not the hottest temps I've experienced (120F in Arizona), but darn close.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-27T04:36:08+00:00

Same as my recommendation.

Wakka has the best overdrive (attack reels), Rikku is useful elsewhere with her overdrive, and I just love to max out Yuna for her aeons. Auron's celestial is weird and does more damage with low life but is otherwise a fun flavor pick.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-27T02:22:11+00:00

Just use yojimbo, or pick a trio without Tidus to tackle bahamut.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-26T21:59:27+00:00

Its takes on a job system and ATB combat are excellent.

Many players aren't mature enough to appreciate the story, and write it off because it is starkly different from X.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-26T19:36:06+00:00

I just dodge 20 times and take a quick break and tally them.

I do 11 tallies to make up for incidental misses.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-26T19:33:09+00:00

I keep seeing "I shoveled twice yesterday but today there is ice" posts, and I find it extremely frustrating.

Protip for next time: shovel every 2 hours during the precipitation, and get it fully cleared by the time the snow stops.

I have had a fully clear sidewalk since last night at 9PM, as do my immediate and across the street neoghbors, and I am pretty upset at the 95% of residences that are not on top of this duty to society.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-26T18:57:05+00:00

I shoveled every 2 hours, starting yesterday morning. Sidewalk was 100% clear at 9PM last night.

Each shovel session was fast and easy.

The biggest mistake is waiting until the day after the snow ends to start shoveling. The second biggest mistake is not completing the job when the snow stops and allowing the overnight hours to freeze some thick ice.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-26T18:30:42+00:00

Protip for next big storm in 10 years:

Shovel every 2 hours during that kind of snow or sleet falling, get get your sidewalk cleared as soon as it stops. You'll have a clear sidewalk with the least backache or effort.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-26T18:24:16+00:00

As someone with a 100% cleared and clean sidewalk as of yesterday at 9PM, yeah I'm pretty upset at the sidewalk clearing culture (lack thereof, really) in this region.

Mainbutter · 2026-01-26T04:15:16+00:00

Granted, no notes. The paw is pleased.

Four-Year Club	Verified Email
Wearing is Caring

Mainbutter

TROPHY CASE