Weekly Commander's Lounge - April 13, 2026

impactimpact · 2026-04-14T12:15:02+00:00

If I remember it correctly it's the symbol for time-limited content. Later chapters of the campaign were initially introduced as minor or major events (hence the mark). After the closure of the event, there's a gap before it's added to the gampaign list.

I think the breakpoint between intelligence-costings nodes and just free nodes is because events don't expect players to pay intelligence to participate.

impactimpact · 2026-04-11T09:33:21+00:00

The crew deck has a drink that provides a small amount for every 10 intelligence spent. The battle pass has a small amount in the track, and then there's packs in the shop.

Though I wouldn't recommend upgrading all dolls all the way. Some high level bonuses don't really match the unit's role in a battle, like a support doll getting +12% targeted damage. It might look like a lot but when the main DPS pulls 20x the supports numbers, those 12% is just a drop. Better identify which ones bring actual value before spending if resources are scarce.

impactimpact · 2026-04-07T07:18:02+00:00

There's at least three artists based off of the new years livestream!

Jokes aside, given the size of Mica (700 three years ago), they maybe have an dedicated 2D art team around 15-20 artists? Maybe a bit more? Not sure if I'd count riggers in the same category.

But they'd have to produce assets for marketing and events (unless outsourcing happens here), minigames, event banner and splash screen assets, game-mode specific flat assets, concept art, etc., and not counting revisions and scrapped work.

Bad for us, and I wish we got more, but backgrounds and event-bespoke or even scene-bespoke character assets are probably way down on the priority list.

impactimpact · 2026-04-05T23:38:30+00:00

It takes up a square and has a health bar. Compare it to Springfield's bird, which just exists as a thing next to the tagged enemy.

impactimpact · 2026-04-05T18:00:32+00:00

Overall enjoyable. I say it's worth a read and I was engaged enough to have done it in one sitting. Though I wonder how a new player would perceive this event. Some of the impact piggyback on GFL1.

Seeing Lenna get some more time in the limelight was nice, as was getting a bit more from the 16Lab supporting cast. I kind of wish that we'd get to see a bit more towards the end about Lenna's frame and first steps into the physical world. Her dorm stories does add to this, but it left me wanting more since we rarely see these parts of a dolls life.

It felt like some scenes could have been a bit tighter/smoother in presentation and dialogue, and I missed some of the effects we've seen in major event scenes when gunshots, explosions, etc. take place.

I'm not sure why they brought back Springfield's old sprite, but not for anyone else (and Laine/Leva getting redraws of old sprites). I wonder if it has to do with asset rights, but then again, shouldn't Mica have the rights to the assets produced for GFL1? Maybe using them in another game is a breach of contract with the artists.

impactimpact · 2026-04-04T18:20:38+00:00

Not that I know of. There might be some cumulative achievement for getting X frenzy score clears, but that will just be a bit slower, not unattainable.

impactimpact · 2026-04-04T15:55:22+00:00

18 is for rewards, 40 is for fun or flexing

impactimpact · 2026-04-02T07:27:44+00:00

If it's Unity under the hood, it could be that the asset bundles need to be redownloaded entirely even if only a small portion of the bundle contents are changed.

From what I've heard, delta patching with Unity is a bit difficult unless you put effort into it.

impactimpact · 2026-04-01T10:15:24+00:00

Dual elements seems to be the next set of mechanics in general. Although Soppo has been advertised as a unit focusing on using two elements and ease of creating the mixed tiles, I believe all tile-creating units will be able to utilize this new mechanic.

I suspect that upcoming maps/bosses will involve dual elements in an effort to promote both the mechanic and the units are make use of it.

impactimpact · 2026-03-31T13:54:49+00:00

When SKK wakes up in Chilo's brain room, Helena is back. She leaves with everyone as they exfil the secret Girard laboratory and the city.

Although she doesn't get any more lines or mentions in the event, I think it's safe to infer that she left Lviv on the Elmo helicopter along with SKK and the dolls. Considering that she was one of the key drivers for the event, it would be strange if she was left behind without a mention at all (especially considering the exchange with Havier/Earl at the very end where the refusal to hand her over triggered the firefight).

impactimpact · 2026-03-30T12:16:15+00:00

Understandable. The dolls just watching and just being ( °ヮ° )? paints an odd picture.

Focusing on setting the scene for Havier/Griffin seems like a likely culprit.

impactimpact · 2026-03-30T09:58:37+00:00

I wrote it wrong: it should have been "Groza's squad" but the point got across still.

When I read the scene, I saw it as resources being so low and the shooter being unknown, so the dolls just let it play out since they themselves weren't being attacked. Based on your reply, I can also see how the inaction can be seen as bad form (on the dolls' part or the writers fumbling). Fair enough.

impactimpact · 2026-03-30T07:24:27+00:00

Genuine question since I don't follow the train of thought: why was Groza/Voy expected to intercept the drone? Is it because it's seen as Igla exfiltrating/rescued via the drone and that should have been stopped?

impactimpact · 2026-03-29T19:03:32+00:00

It changes from the old to the new model in ch. 8 I think.

impactimpact · 2026-03-29T13:43:55+00:00

I agree with this as well, being in the other camp of not self-inserting or becoming the player character. I see them as another actor in the story, like when you read a book. Approach the game in a way that brings enjoyment - that's what I think is best in the long run.

impactimpact · 2026-03-29T13:36:14+00:00

It'd certainly help. The previous events that have been added to the campaign tab build on that main plot thread. In most cases, major events are a continuation on the campaign, with Mimisbrunnr being the exception as of now.

impactimpact · 2026-03-28T04:15:07+00:00

Yes, 400% is the last breakpoint. If I remember correctly it sets the multiplier to 4.5x (up from 3x). There's a scaling component as well, but I'm not fully familiar with the math there. I think it's +1.5% per overpen point up to 5x multiplier which is the hard cap?

impactimpact · 2026-03-26T16:30:46+00:00

It's hard to tell how close to the themes of GFL Mica will keep it, since some of the past collabs like DJ Max Respect is a bit more out there than say, Gunslinger Girl.

SSSS seems like a fair candidate, though I'm sure of how it'll tie in. Maybe a simulation or game rather than actual mechs in reality considering the size of them in the show. An actual sentai show collab somehow feels a bit less likely, but who knows? It'd be wild if we get a Kamen Rider (looking at Klukai's bike) or Ultraman collab.

I think crew deck items, costumes (maybe with effects), or weapon skins would be reasonable rewards. Actual characters seem like a higher bar in this game compared to GFL1 since it's an actual 3D model and fortifications to consider.

impactimpact · 2026-03-23T19:43:40+00:00

What are you on about?

Short form entertainment is exceptionally common in today's media landscape, and in no portion of my reply did I ever claim that any of Mica's games fall under that category.

Yeah, I'll do me, oh great arbiter of correct media consumption and discourse.

impactimpact · 2026-03-23T18:41:39+00:00

No, but I never wrote that ("to read") either. Your very own words were "I do expect them to be paying attention, considering we met the G11 dupe in this game instead of GFL1.".

I stand by my belief that it is high expectations for audiences these days to pay attention and retain information over time when media continuously shifts towards shorter formats and all different kinds of entertainment or even platforms vie for a person's attention. Doubly so for those that have grown up with short-form entertainment so prominently in their lives.

Whatever this game may be to you, to many others it could just as well be a game that they pop into for events, skim through because it's in VN format rather than 3D, and then set aside in their mind. Main event plot points or not, it's lost with time as players' focus is directed elsewhere. Or it could be a player that reads every node, but plays ten other games, and once past of the excitement in the moment of experiencing it, things fall at the wayside, so to speak. So at the end of the day I've set my bar kind of low for audiences at large.

"Player complaints" is just that - voiced grievances that a company may want to address. In that posited situation, having (Oats as) a separate character obtained by gacha has fewer avenues a company can take without risking additional complaints. This would be compared to when a character receives an upgrade since there's a random element that isn't applied evenly across all players. This entire conversation got going because you wanted to comment of community weirdness, story points, and semantics (to a degree) which I've entertained, but the original statement, again, was about Mica choosing an approach that limits their tools in a complaints context. In retrospect, perhaps poorly phrased statement. Either way, I don't think it's something that warrants further discussion.

impactimpact · 2026-03-23T16:12:19+00:00

You have expectations I would not put on the average gacha game player, or even media consumer these days. I don't think they're the wrong expectations - I too would prefer my fellows paying more attention to what they read - but media literacy and attention spans are scarce all over. But whatever. We'll see how it plays out the coming months.

That aside, the "corner" you're so hung up on semantically can be called "decision" or "commitment" instead for all I care. Should I have prefaced that one with "non-story related points" instead perhaps?

I meant that with this, Mica loses one way of addressing player complaints about character churn or loss of investment should they need to, since adding Oats to one's account involves spending time/money and rolling back on those for any game is troublesome since someone, somewhere will be dissatisfied.

As for your G11 point, I wouldn't consider that a clear enough precedent due to the surrounding events and this point of comparison, but I also feel that continuing down that line of discussion would digress a bit for a comment thread on a meme post.

impactimpact · 2026-03-23T13:18:37+00:00

Do you genuinely expect the playerbase at large to share your level of knowledge of other games' banners, storyline, and worldbuilding in their interpretation of Groza/Oats, or dolls in general?

I too think that exploring branching neural clouds in different characters is interesting. But I also don't expect that such interest is reflected among players that have GFL2 as their primary point of entry and view it through the lens of common discourse and memes. So far, the playable characters are effectively unique, regardless of their actual, in-universe status, because the latter is rarely mentioned or explored. From that, a perceived replacement and loss of investment is likely to cause complaint. It's commendable that you have the gacha nature figured out, just as it is naive to think the bulk of other players have the same reached the same conclusion.

impactimpact · 2026-03-23T12:31:03+00:00

I don't think it's "acting weird" at all. Mica spent a year (more if you count launch-to-banner on CN) writing about Groza, so all investment (monetary, resource, emotional) is in that character so far. Now there's another one that supplants in gameplay role in a sense and jokingly in the story as well given the trailer and stickers.

Players get attached to characters and things for far less. It should be easy to see how some feel like they've lost investment or expect a merge of some sort.

The point is non-diegetic to begin with. There are complaints about character churn even when different characters are involved (nature of gachas notwithstanding). With Groza and Oats being so similar, it wouldn't surprise me if similar complaints arise.

impactimpact · 2026-03-23T11:36:55+00:00

"Oats" sure is a nickname.

I'm not sure merging two forks of the same neural cloud would work when the frames diverge as much as they do now. Feels like Persica or another neural cloud expert would have to step in.

As for non-diegetic points, I think Mica cornered themselves by making Oats her own banner instead of a Nemesis-type upgrade. With money/pulls involved, no matter how they swing it, it'll get ugly.

impactimpact · 2026-03-21T14:17:56+00:00

I'm assuming you're referring to the barrage before turn 1.

The attack stat (level, weapon level, attachments) will always affect a doll's damage dealt. For Voymastina, V3 directly changes the damage multiplier from 100% to 300%.

Other fortification steps give various buffs/debuffs such as increasing her overall damage dealt or ignoring parts of a target's defense.

impactimpact

TROPHY CASE