Apr 2018:Booster Tower - Revision history

Pascal at 20:26, 5 July 2019

2019-07-05T20:26:41Z

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			**Booster Tower has been updated since these reviews.

	[[Category:Area of the Month]]		[[Category:Area of the Month]]

Pascal at 13:40, 14 December 2018

2018-12-14T13:40:53Z

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	'''Player: Scribble(Knight/16)'''		'''Player: Scribble(Knight/16)''' - TOKEN'D

	'''Review Date(s): 4/1/2018'''		'''Review Date(s): 4/1/2018'''

Sunflash at 17:31, 11 November 2018

2018-11-11T17:31:24Z

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	[[Category:Area of the Month\|*]]		[[Category:Area of the Month]]

Pascal at 17:16, 27 September 2018

2018-09-27T17:16:30Z

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	('''''Yes,''''' a wiki account is required to edit the page and therefore post your review, but take heart: The wiki is hosted by the Cleft itself, not a third party!		('''''Yes,''''' a wiki account is required to edit the page and therefore post your review, but take heart: The wiki is hosted by the Cleft itself, not a third party!

			**Post-reviews, Booster Tower was altered too significantly to note every change here, thanks. 9/27/2018

Sunflash at 19:39, 1 May 2018

2018-05-01T19:39:47Z

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	'''Player:''' Aludra(Wizard/8)		'''Player:''' Aludra(Wizard/8) -- Token'd

	'''Review Date(s)''': 04/06/2018		'''Review Date(s)''': 04/06/2018

Sunflash: Category added here too.

2018-05-01T19:32:03Z

Category added here too.

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			[[Category:Area of the Month\|*]]

Sunflash: Date correction whoops.

2018-05-01T19:25:07Z

Date correction whoops.

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	Area of the Month for ~~March~~ 2018 is [[Booster_Tower\|Booster Tower]]!		Area of the Month for April 2018 is [[Booster_Tower\|Booster Tower]]!

	A template format for your review is below; click 'edit' at the top of the page, copy-pasta from the <nowiki>----</nowiki> to the next <nowiki>----</nowiki>, and fill in the gaps!		A template format for your review is below; click 'edit' at the top of the page, copy-pasta from the <nowiki>----</nowiki> to the next <nowiki>----</nowiki>, and fill in the gaps!

Kolem at 05:54, 27 April 2018

2018-04-27T05:54:06Z

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	A clever way across the fireball floor without an encounter would be welcome, as would some more flavor in the interstitial floors.		A clever way across the fireball floor without an encounter would be welcome, as would some more flavor in the interstitial floors.



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			'''Kolem (Playing as Belle, L. 8-13 Moogle Geomancer, with various others; also Paisley, L~10 thief)'''

			'''Review Date(s): 4/26/2918'''

			As is standard with my reviews, all sections begin with five points. Consistent positives or excellent examples gain points; consistent negatives lose points or half points. Here we go!


			'''Descriptions: 5/10'''

			Oh, Booster tower. You hold a special place in my heart, but you show your age in a lotta places. One of them is the near-dearth of extra look descriptions--the only ones there are for interactables, as well as a single T.V. On the bright side, all monsters in the tower respond to talking, and spookums and snifits aside, seem to be desced decently. I was gonna ding this area half a point for lack of extra descriptions, but it doesn't really IMPEDE the player--it just feels like a missed opportunity, especially given the bonkers nature of the source material. I'll give it functional marks, but this is an area for improvement.


			'''Balance: 5/10'''

			This is a hard one, and I feel like it's one of Booster Tower's high points--and low points. The real problem I have with the zone is that, outside of the boss enemies and quest items, there aren't any real 'drops' to speak of in the tower. Spookums, Bob-ombs, Orb Users, Chain Chomps, and Remo Cons don't appear to have any drops whatsoever, and the boss rewards are either high-end of the range or storebought at the very lowest end of the scale (as is the case with Valentia's drops).

			On the other hand, I have nothing but praises to sing ABOUT those mobs. Booster Tower's mobs--the ones above, before we get to the bosses--all have interesting, engaging combat tricks. Analyze reveals that chain chomps have a random major weapon resistance, making melee classes have to think and plan, while Bob-Ombs will severely punish, say, a caster who bungles a few spells (this happened to me more than once). Orb users introduce low level blind and fire attacks into the mix, while Remo Cons inflict the Curse ailment, which can lead to real problems. Coupled with the levels you might attempt the tower being the introduction to the necro mechanics, these monsters are incredible teaching moments. Which leads us to...

			The bosses. They can and WILL thrash players who are much too low level to challenge them, with powerful attacks. One sore point is the Apprentice miniboss, who can come off as a nasty surprise the first time you encounter them, and is probably single handedly responsible for most of the new player deaths in the tower. Fireballs are also fairly obnoxious, but much less challenging than just about everybody else in the zone. Some sort of trick mechanic to switch them 'off' for a bit might be cool, similar to the trick for the chain chomps and spookum at the doorway. Maybe a minor in-room puzzle? Booster can call for help, and Valentia has powerful spells for the level.

			Another sore spot is the items--not just the lack thereof from the main common monsters, but the boss drops, as well, and those items gleaned through quests and mini-quests. They're all over the scale, swinging wildly from cheap but usable to high level and very useful, with levels that don't really quite suit their placement. The Balloons item, wands, and rod in particular in this zone are all handy to have, but have caveats--whether they be rot-death, high level, or simply hidden in a multi-level quest with a slightly obscure (but fun!) beginning. I kinda wish it was possible to expand the entry point to the quest, just because I enjoy it personally.

			All in all: Plus one full point for dynamic, interesting monsters that have multiple approaches to fights, minus one half for a lack of drops, and minus another half for the swinginess of item level and placement--it's items that hold this zone back, and that's a pity, because the combats here are genuinely a blast. (Hah!)


			'''Attractions: 7/10'''

			Hmm. While Booster Tower has solid experience payouts, the treasures--once you know what is here--are pretty useful, even though their levels are skewed. Additionally, there's at least one major item for a tie in quest later. I wish there were more to recommend here, especially in Marrymore--it's just big enough and themed enough with enough facilities to suggest expanding it to a mini-town, like Monstro Town or Medina. It'd really add some zing to the tower! There are also some mini-quests available in other areas that tie here, and a little lateral thinking can net you an nice piece of equipment. I can award one point for that--the distinctive items that are here are pretty fun, but I wish there was more reward for the lower end challenges here. See the Suggestions section for more.

			Additionally, the Beetle-catching minigame--and the hidden quest given by it--is really fun, but as others have pointed out, the mobs in the tower don't return items. I'll award another half point to the beetle game, and I wish there was more to do with it. There's also a minigame miniboss, which is always nice to see! I'll award it another point for that.


			'''Connections: 5/10 '''

			Booster tower itself has been worked on, off and on, by different builders for several years. This sorta patchwork addition is fine, but the surrounding environments--truce and Rocket town--refer to it only sparsely. It might be nice if it being obnoxious and visible played into more areas.

			Ultimately, it only has two exits, and one of them is locked by default. Which is... ehhhn. I wish there was more to Marrymore, and I wish there were more connections to external zones--it feels like the sort of place a Cannon Travel guy would totally make an installation on a balcony, or something.

			Five points for a functional, easy connection to one of the starting towns, but it could always stand to be improved.

			'''Personal'''

			Woof. What do I even say here? Booster's tower is practically a fixture of my time in the cleft, and it really sold me on the kind of lateral-thinking fighting on your feet that comes more into play as you fight later monsters. I love the flavor of the enemies here, but the tower itself could use a lot of touch ups.

			FINAL AVERAGE: Out of four categories, average score is '''5.5'''.

			SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT:

			*Rebalance item levels and flags and grant minor loot drops to the lower end monsters. One suggestion that sticks out in my mind is a hunk of Cosmo Brimstone as an uncommon drop from bob-ombs, regardless of if they explode or not--one gold treasures are decent enough for the level, and it would reward players with crafting components that they could feasibly use to start poking the crafting shops. It would also be thematically consistent with the bob-omb recipe sold in cosmo canyon.

			*Touch up room, mob, and extra descriptions. For being such a gaudy place, Booster Tower uses criminally little color--the portraits are begging for ascii art or at least extra descriptions, along with loads of other spots it'd be easy to add more un-style.

			*Expand the beetle minigame! Yes this is silly and dumb and unnecessary but I love it, and I wish more beetle-based enemies yielded special rewards / there were more variants of beetle / a beetle box event item. Shush don't judge me.

			*Add additional resources to Marrymore. It has a fountain and even benches--expanding it into a minitown would reward adventurous players, and would be a great spot for 'toys' and the like to be sold in the future.

			*Give more external clues about the way to bypass the guard / get various prizes / bypass the chomps with the use of a logically fitting item.


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Kaze at 15:48, 18 April 2018

2018-04-18T15:48:34Z

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	Most of the puzzles are in the descriptions, fair dinkum. This is good. Some level of hand holding is appropriate such an early stage, even, so the clarity is welcome.		Most of the puzzles are in the descriptions, fair dinkum. This is good. Some level of hand holding is appropriate such an early stage, even, so the clarity is welcome.

			Mobs are pretty descriptive and have a jovial feel. None stood out as particularly bad, but a few were especially good. Valentina's rich trailer-trash vibe was readily apparent. The train's animation played in my head.

	~~What about mobiles(mobs)~~ and ~~their descriptions? Can you get~~ a ~~decent mental image of who or what this NPC/monster is? Do they respond when you talk or interact with them?~~

	~~Some areas have interact~~-~~able objects like fountains~~. ~~Do they stack up well also?~~


	'''Balance: 9/10 (OR N/A)'''		'''Balance: 9/10 (OR N/A)'''

Kaze at 02:34, 17 April 2018

2018-04-17T02:34:38Z

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	Fire vulnerability is NASTY in the tower.		Fire vulnerability is NASTY in the tower.

	The Bob-ombs seem overpowered for their level. You need DPS to drop them. The boom is devastating or deadly at the low end of the level. Still, if you have enough, they are otherwise a bit easy. They are pretty binary that way. Going into the tower at level, I'd recommend most steer clear. On your way out, waste them for the exp.		The Bob-ombs seem overpowered for their level. You need DPS to drop them. The boom is devastating or deadly at the low end of the level. (If you have the HP to survive, I suspect they are much easier. Warrior handled them much lower than thief, say) Still, if you ''have'' enough, they are otherwise a bit easy. They are pretty binary that way. Going into the tower at level, I'd recommend most steer clear. On your way out, waste them for the exp.

	Orb users can also be deadly, especially to the fire vulnerable, but their tricks mostly seem challenging to me, not unfair. They blind and hit hard, yet are a bit fragile. I think they're well balanced for level.		Orb users can also be deadly, especially to the fire vulnerable, but their tricks mostly seem challenging to me, not unfair. They blind and hit hard, yet are a bit fragile. I think they're well balanced for level.
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	Item rewards range from about what you'd purchase to nice for the level. Clown Gloves are really nice for their level. Otherwise things tend to be a bit light.		Item rewards range from about what you'd purchase to nice for the level. Clown Gloves are really nice for their level. Otherwise things tend to be a bit light.

	All in all, this is pretty much my standard for combat balance. It's ~~probably~~ the best, that way.		All in all, this is pretty much my standard for combat balance. It's one of the best zones, that way.


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	'''Connections: 7/10 '''		'''Connections: 7/10 '''
	Why it's where it is isn't clear, but it does link to its surroundings in a rational way. Really ought to have a bit more description on the road, though. A tower that big would be visible from quite a ways off.
			''Why'' it's where it is isn't clear, but it does link to its surroundings in a rational way. Really ought to have a bit more description on the road, though. A tower that big would be visible from quite a ways off.