The last 2 weeks of my game time has been consumed totoally by this game, so I figured I should start a thread and let WarpRattler talk about it.
Terra Battle is a free to play puzzle-ish strategy game by Mistwalker, for IOS and Android. Official home page here does a sucky job of explaining the game, so I’ll link to a better FAQ with videos.
This battlefield is a 6x8 grid. You can bring from 2-6 characters with you to a battle. The main conceit of this game is that you can directly move a single character per turn! You can, however, position other characters by running your character through them, causing them to swap position. (Watch any gameplay video carefully, and you’ll see what I mean.)
The larger metagame is grinding for 2 curriencies (gold, energy) plus a whole pile of other “ingredients”. Gold and Energy are used to buy more characters, while gold and ingredients are used to buy new jobs for characters (new job == new skills when leveling up).
The main thing I want to say with this thread is that even though the metagame of leveling up characters and getting more characters is so grindy, the main gameplay is really neat, and almost never boring by itself. But I want to vent that while I’m happy to grind away slowly, the upcoming Neo-Bahamut event is “strongly-encouraging” me to level up my guys from LVL 25 to LVL 35 within 4 days, which I think is impossible, since I’m still on chapter 7.
The best reference for the character movement system is Puzzle and Dragons, you can freely move your selected tile until a time runs out, and if you move through another tile, it swaps with the one you’re moving. You “attack” you “flank” an enemy: if you’re directly on either side of them. So, usually you try to swap a character to one side then move your selected character to the other side, and try to use the swaps to get multiple attacks in one round.
I’m playing it a bit, and it’s fine. A couple chapters in, my main complaint is that unlike many of these F2P character-card / battle games, the rate of new character acquisitions is pretty slow, and if doesn’t really introduce you to the economy / battle systems very well. There’s a core rock-paper-scissors with attach types, but then there’s a bunch of elemental attacks and status effects that aren’t explained at all until you stumble onto them. Slow character acquisition means that you don’t get exposure to different ability types that quickly either.
I like the idea of the battle system, but there’s a significant grind, and many of the battles feel the same. It’s mostly 1) attacks of convenience, 2) position healer so nobody dies. It has a bit of the King’s Bounty problem where you’re motivated to stretch out battles with 1 enemy left so you can heal up. Also, because multiple “battles” take place on the same screen (basically, your position at the end of the previous round is maintained, and re-inforcements arrive, it can feel like it’s punishing you for bad positioning when you had no indication what the good / bad positions would be.
I’m slowly seeing new elements (spike floors, poison trails) that might mix it up a bit, but so far they don’t really change the combat significantly. I like the boss battles, which are slightly more gimmicky, but explore the corners of the combat system a bit more.
It’s also online-only, and gets pretty mad if your connection drops, so it’s hard to play on the train.
I haven’t put as much time into Terra Battle as I’d like, mainly because it has occasional issues on my fourth-gen iPod touch. I picked up another device yesterday that should hopefully run it far better, though!
I really like that it uses a traditional XP system instead of the standard Japanese mobile game “fuse things to other things for XP” system, but I think that’s part of why the game feels like you don’t get characters very often. Games like Puzzle & Dragons constantly throw drops at you, but most of them are intended to be used as XP fodder. In comparison, Terra Battle wants you to focus on a core group of characters as you play through the storyline (something else other Japanese mobile games tend to lack).
One major improvement in the release version: A lot of gold costs in the soft-launch version were rather high, and have been reduced or removed entirely. You no longer have to spend 1,000 gold to run the first Metal Zone (in addition to the stamina cost), and recruiting new characters only costs 3,000 gold, instead of 8,000.
If you’re interested in playing the game, make sure to start before November 3rd, as you get a free named healer.
I am playing this. I still play Puzzle and Dragons daily and this is similar in someways but the final battle part is a lot more strategic and far more thought is needed.
First off I got really lucky and my first 3 rolls got me SS class characters which are the best. On top of that I have 4 A class and a couple of B class. That includes 2 healers which is a good advantage.
I have done the first 4 chapters but have spent a lot of time in the metal dungeon leveling all my toons to 20+.
I wish you could choose your start location on the first battle, all 6 on the bottom roll can be annoying, I have seen 3 at the top and 3 at the bottom at times but being able to place would be useful.
The enemies that move as you move is frustrating as mostly you end up wasting your time limit without knowing which ones may move as you get too close.
The additional jobs thing is good but there is no easy indication as to where you get the materials needed, this is something PaD does really well, for example I need a Dub Mythlit so that’s a Friday dungeon. With Mistwalker it all seems a bit random. Like the metal dungeon only giving Xp to under level 20 characters but the next level doesn’t open up until chapter 10ish meaning no advancement until higher chapters. This has meant I am levelling some of my other members at times just to ensure a decent mix of characters but initally I would like to focus on my main team so they can take on the higher dungeons.
I see it says friends coming soon, not sure how this works, PaD needs friends to supplement your team, not sure how Mistwalker will work this in.
All in all it’s a fun little game that sits nicely alongside Puzzle and Dragons.
Was really enjoying the game until 13-8. My luck with the random recruiting had been abysmal ( only 1 S character, a lot of A/B sword folks, 1 spear ). I have a couple of spear guys, one being the starter character and the other a ho-hum spear guy, that would be less likely to get wiped but I’d have to level them up a bit.
This was actually the first mobile game I’ve extensively played. I might reinstall and get back into it as maybe I just got burnt out.
Wow, I would instantly drop the game if the gold costs of things stayed as they were in the beta. Currently, winning a single bout of story battle rounds gives you 200-500 gold. The stamina limits you to playing around 5 bouts in one stretch before needing to wait for it to recharge, so it would take me more than a week to earn 8000 gold.
A healer is essential! If I didn’t get a free one, I’d be pissed off because I’d fail 1/2 my battles. (I get hit a lot…)
Regarding positioning between battles, the level designer can force you into predictable player placement if you are over-leveled enough to take out all baddies within a single round. I fully expect some nasty levels where in the first round the enemies are bunched in the middle, and the next round they are in the corners. (I think this just happened to me in chapter 7.)
The gimmick I’m waiting to play with is area-effect. So far I only have a single magic user (the Bahamut dragon that was available for a limited time last weekend), and it casts fire over the “pincer” area. I’ve seen videos of magic effects over several rows or columns, but I suspect that those skills are found either at high level 2nd job or mid level 3rd job. In 2 weeks I’ve only got the freebie 2nd job for the freebie character!
What’s worse (or better for some of you) is that this game isn’t really pay-to-win. I can buy Energy with real money, but I still have to play the game (and many MANY games) to level up characters to god-like levels. Energy only lets me refill stamina and increase the chance of getting better characters. I suppose it’s more fair when/if PvP arrives.
(I just saw Reemul and cheapfilm’s posts.) My team’s ranks are so-so: 2 S, 5 A, 3 B. I only have the freebie healer, but I have a spear guy that heals himself. I also levelled everyone I had at chapter 4/5 up to level 20 at the Metal Zone. What an odd level-up system…in Metal Zone #1, XP per enemy increases like 100x normal. Without it, my team may level up once per chapter. I would have ignored the story levels if they didn’t hide the next Metal Zone until…some wiki says it opens at chapter 8.
As for which level to find which item, luckily we have invented the internet and stuff…look here!
Started playing last week. Only managed to run dragon event once.
I’m at 13-8.
SS Spear user - Koko ? L35
SS Spear user - Some newbie L19. Not very useful yet because has half the hit points of the rest of the team.
B healer (Starter)
B archer (starter)
B Lizard dude sword lightning (guaranteed)
Two levitation persons
One anti bomb person
If anyone is interested in rerolling, I found a reroll guide. Basically you download a save game so each reroll takes about 2 minutes. You don’t have to play the tutorial battles.
You do NOT need to root. I used Astro file manager. It’s HOLD to trigger cut/paste in android. Note you can cut/paste the 5 energy code too for a total of 3 rerolls.
For Android, here’s a TL;DR
Download the resumedata.bin file
Install ASTRO (available regardless) or Root Explorer (available if rooted)
Start the game as usual
Get Grace/Bahl along with Kuscah
Get pushed to world map
Close game before pressing Chapter 1
Put resumedata.bin file into whatever directory works for you (they’re in the thread)
Open game
See a Kem roll, ignore that
Go to mail for energy+put in serial for energy and roll
Clear application data or delete resume+save .bin files and repeat
Note that if you find an SS you like but want to keep rerolling just go to options - transfer data and take a screenshot. Android default is power button and down volume.
I’m still playing this a bit, thanks to the insidious consecutive login day presents which makes me continue to logon even if I’m only lukewarm on it.
I have a full team-worth of A’s and B’s, but more importantly have fire, ice, sleep, and lightning abilities among them. No S ranks, sadly. As you get some more different units and abilities, it opens up a little bit. The Metal Zone and Pudding / Tin / Puppet Time challenges are more fun than the main quest path, because they mix up the combat a little bit. The core mechanic is pretty good, although it’s a bit buggy (it’s occasionally possible to drag a unit through and enemy).
Currently on Ch. 6, and it’s definitely a nice little time waster.
How has nobody mentioned the writing yet though? The writing is…wow.
There are character profiles, which are fine, whatever, they’re fantasy character profiles. But there’s also text associated with each plot chapter, and it’s among the worst fantasy writing I’ve ever encountered.
It’s weirdly second person, and has no attempt at tonal consistency. It reads sort like the notes you’d write when trying to outline a scene. It also uses italics for emphasis apparently entirely at random. (italics replaced with bold below).
You stand before the Tower of Temptation.
Soaring over the surrounding wastelands,
it seems to pierce the sky.
“The Maker is said to dwell deep underground, right?”
“So say many tales and ancient texts.”
“I heard that the Lizard God and Beast God are underground there, too.”
“Are we to find a clue to the Maker here?”
“If we knew for sure, we’d already be on our way.”
“There must be a reason why it’s not so simple.”
“All who return from this tower have one thing in common.”
“And what’s that?”
“They lose their memory.”
“Sounds like an old wives’ tale to me!”
“So that’s why no one knows where to find the Maker.”
“Hold on. If they lose their memory, then how is it we know about this tower and its relation to our creator?”
Though clouded by doubt, your party can only press on. To stop now would only mean acceptance of impending doom.
And so, you open the door to the tower…
“Let’s start by heading for the capital.”
“You aim to gather information there?”
“I hear there are lizardfolk and beastfolk at the capital.”
“Aye, and a troublesome lot they are. They are noisy, for one thing. And just plain rude, to boot.”
“I’d rather have nothing to do with them.”
“Normally I’d agree, but they keep knowledge others have forgotten.”
Knowledge…
It is the guidepost to the Maker, but humankind has neglected, even forsaken it.
“Do you think the Maker really exists?”
“It’s a matter of faith. Either you believe or you don’t”
“Shhh. Someone–or something–is here.”
Brawls are fierce when pride is on the line. In their world, the victor accepts the vanquished as a comrade, and the two are bound together by a bond of blood.
“We wish to ask about the guidepost to the Maker.”
“Hmph, then you should pay a visit to the Tower of Temptation.”
“The Tower of Temptation? Is that where the Maker dwells?”
“You’ll see when you get there.”
“That’s not very helpful.”
“To visit it is forbidden among our people.”
“Then there’s nothing more to tell?”
The question remains unanswered, but at least you have your next destination.
You look around, thinking that perhaps this wasn’t such a bad idea.
Lizardfolk, beastfolk, humans…
The tavern is a melting pot where wayfarers of all races gather.
“We’re going to need allies.”
“Is a show of force the only way to win them to our side?”
“There’s always another way!”
With those words, a scrap of parchment is placed upon the table.
“A man’s–or a woman’s-- word is sacred.”
It’s a written pact.
It is an oath of fellowship, a vow to share in a common purpose, a common dream.
All who sign are considered comrades and equals.
“People tend to ‘forget’ verbal promises too easily. Putting things in writing can help encourage a sense of commitment.”
I love how the 2nd question in the FAQ is 'Why did the app crash all of a sudden?".
Yes, I’m still hooked on Terra Battle. The stress of grinding for the Neo Bahamut drop got me so pissed off last week, but now that it’s over, I’m back on the groove of grinding levels in the Metal zone and grinding for new job items in the Hunting zones.
@CLWheeljack: Hurry and go finish chapter 8 to open up the 2nd Metal Zone. The story levels from 9 on are a bit more varied…especially Ch. 11 (which I just finished 10 minutes ago)…you will see monsters use slightly better strategy, and use status ailments.
Should be ok under the ios thread. I am still playing daily unlike terra battle. Not sure its got PaD legs though but it has a lot of content from Japan to be added to it which is similar to PaD.
“Stonefolk witches have a distinctive mode of communication that involves copious amounts of alcohol…
She has no interest in pathetic men. Perhaps that is why she drinks so much.”
I’ll just record here that even though I threatened to quit 2 weeks ago, I’m still playing daily. The grind is wearing me down, though, and there isn’t any new or interesting mechanics to motivate me to go further down the story or get more characters. (I’m at chapter 13.)
