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Post by nobodyspecial on Apr 27, 2009 14:15:50 GMT -8
Hmm.. so whats with all the "asdfd"s?
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Post by countlieberkuhn on Apr 27, 2009 15:30:16 GMT -8
Yay, part 3 is up! I can read the full episode now! I've been holding out from reading parts 1+2 until 3 was finished. I like to read full episodes in one sitting, or I forget what everyone was doing
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Post by nobodyspecial on Apr 27, 2009 15:33:10 GMT -8
Beware, the third part has asdfd at the beginning of nearly every line, I think Bob still needs to touch it up a bit.
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Post by Bob on Apr 27, 2009 15:59:40 GMT -8
GAH, stupid asdfd's! I should've double-checked it before posting it up, but I was in a semi-hurry this morning.
The meaning behind asdfd: In DreamWeaver (what I use now), I can't figure out a way to let it add spaces by itself. Cuz in html, a simple "_" (not an underscore, just call it a space) will make "_", but "__" (two spaces) makes "_". You instead need to use the marker to indicate another space. SO what I do to indent paragraphs is type "asdfd" since it's easy to type and will never occur in any other string, then at the end I do a find/replace to cover them up with " " to make the five spaces. And this time I guess I forgot to do the find/replace at the end (I wrote this part last week and assumed it was done...). So sorry, NS and anybody else who's already read it. Hope it didn't ruin the episode for ya.
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Post by Dale on Apr 27, 2009 22:56:47 GMT -8
Okay. New rankings based on episode four:
1. Reno & Rude: They've been in the top three all four legs so far. They've been remarkably consistent. At this point, the only way I'll ever take them out of the top spot is if they get eliminated, or come in last on a non-elimination leg.
2. Fran & Balthier: They finally nailed their first win. All because they've kept on getting their tasks done quickly enough to move on to the next one. They're still at second place, but only because the others can't even come close to touching them, at this point. They're smart, savvy racers, and only Reno & Rude can possibly beat them. They're the one team who's finished ahead of them on every leg so far (except for this last one, of course).
3. Zone & Watts: They remain in third place on my rankings, and their plan to stay under the radar and middle it out remains intact. They are, to me, still one of my two dark horse teams. I still disagree with Fleck that they're mediocre. They know exactly what they're doing and how to approach the tasks. But at this point, the one thing that could stop them from making the F3 is Zone's cowardice regarding doing Roadblocks. Watts has done three already, and Zone has none. If Watts maxes out all of his Roadblocks and Zone is left to do all of them after that, he might cost them the race by getting stuck with a Roadblock he can't do, something that'll be all his fault.
4. Reina & Faris: They are still my other official dark horse team since they've remained in the upper tier of the placements. I'm really liking them a lot more now that they're really racing strongly. But Reina needs to toughen up, or her lack of toughness could get herself and Faris eliminated sooner than they'll deserve to be. Till then, though, I have them firmly in fourth place and just missing the F3, though it's really up for grabs between them and Zone & Watts. And as a sidenote, do I smell a romance between Reina and Zone?
5. Brahne & Garnet: This leg cemented it for me. This is the parent/child team I want to see last longer. Yes, Brahne lets Garnet drag her around most of the time, but at least she's funny. As for Garnet, she's one determined girl to drag around this big load and still stay in the race leg after leg. I think one more good (or at least solid) finish will move them into "dark horse" territory right along with Zone & Watts and Reina & Faris. Enjoy being in fifth place in my rankings, ladies, just as you were in this episode.
6. Ma & Zell: These two move up to sixth place because of their performance on this leg. Even starting in last place and running into no major bunching, they still made up a lot of time and actually managed to go from ninth (last) to seventh. They definitely seem to balance each other out in terms of good and poor decisions, and while they sometimes make some questionable choices, they do the best job they can with what they decide to do. The Yield choice was certainly a smart one, and I don't think Zell should be ashamed for using it on Freya & Fratley. Even if Dona & Barthello are hated by all, they're still weaker than Freya & Fratley. Using it on the Burmecians was the smarter move. I'm putting them down for the F6 elimination just because I feel like they at least deserve to outlast Dona & Barthello and Biran & Yenke.
7. Dona & Barthello: This team is the current villain team (though I do think Reno & Rude are also villains in this race, and Fran & Balthier aren't far from emerging as such, either), so it made sense they just squeak by this leg. That said, they're one of the two weakest teams left (along with Biran & Yenke) and should be gone soon. The time they bled on this leg, courtesy of Dona being too lazy to help Barthello at the Forge Axe Detour, and then her totally biffing the Roadblock, is indicative to me that they aren't long for the race at all. If they're not the next ones to go, then they'll go out in the rank I'm placing them in -- seventh place.
8. Biran & Yenke: Easily the weakest team left. I love them, but it's obvious how they're staying in the race -- the luck of easy, physical tasks, and being able to follow and copy teams when they get to hard tasks. These guys just won't die. They're like cockroaches. Big, hairy, horned cockroaches with a glaring inability to speak grammatically-correct sentences. By all rights, they should be the next team to go, so I'm putting them at eighth place.
9. Freya & Fratley -- Eliminated on Leg 4: I was surprised. When I found out their injuries were (mostly) healed, I figured they'd at least have another three or four legs in them. But I guess that's not the case. But really, they probably could've slid by this leg if not for Ma & Zell's Yield. That said, other than Freya's accident on the third leg, they weren't really all that interesting, although the growing feud with Dona & Barthello had potential, as did a potential one with Ma & Zell had Dona & Barthello gotten eliminated instead (though they probably would've resolved that one right quick, given how honorable and understanding they generally are). Still, glad they had a nice time, and that their relationship is so much better because of it.
10. Cecil & Rosa -- Eliminated on Leg 3
11. Cid & Celes -- Eliminated on Leg 2
12. Barret & Dyne -- Eliminated on Leg 1
. . . But these are just my rankings. How about everyone else's?
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Post by Fleck on Apr 27, 2009 23:28:40 GMT -8
1 = Fran and Balthier: I'm gonna hold on to these two for as long as possible, despite growing evidence that they aren't quite as good as they think they are. It seems to be mostly misfortune, but this team has had trouble reaching the top (until the most recent leg). Hopefully this last leg will be the start of their dominance, but somehow I don't see that happening. I think they'll continue to bounce around the ranks and keep things interesting. This leg they proved that they CAN come in first; the only question that remains is: can they come in first when it really counts?
2 = Reno and Rude: Mostly wishful thinking on my part keeps these two from taking the first spot on my list. I really don't have much to say about these two. They're consistent and intelligent and physically able to complete all their tasks better than pretty much all the other teams. Fran and Balthier are really their only competition.
3 = Reina and Faris: I think there's going to be a trial for this team at some point. Eventually Reina is going to have to overcome her weaknesses and become a tougher racer, or these two will get knocked out prematurely. I'm betting that they'll stay a few more legs at least, possibly breaking into the top three, if Zone and Watts don't get there first.
4 = Zone and Watts: Fine, fine, I'll admit it: they DON'T totally suck. A team so completely average all around should, by all rights, finish somewhere in the middle, but given how unpredictable and chaotic things are and how many weaker teams are still in the race, "average" is pretty strong in this season.
5 = Ma and Zell: What's with this season and teams that have one strong racer and one racer with a critical flaw? Zone, Reina, Brahne, Ma, Dona... so many teams have a racer who isn't living up to his/her potential or worse, fully living up to their really, really small potential. Once again, this is another wishful thinking placement on my part, as this team could honestly go at any minute. One screw up by Zell or a bad task by Ma could instantly end the race for these two. I'm hoping they'll stick it out a few more legs.
6 = Dona and Barthello: Barthello can do a lot, but he can only do so much. Somewhere around the middle of the race, they're going to have to rely on Dona for something and this leg proved that she's pretty much useless. I won't really be sad to see them go.
7 = Biran and Yenke: Eventually people are going to realize that they need to stop helping these two and get on with the cutthroat racing. At that point, these two will find themselves howling alone and they'll probably get lost, get angry, get violent, get desperate, and then lose.
8 = Garnet and Brahne: Damn it, Bob! Cut these two already! I know Brahne is funny, but c'mon!
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Post by nobodyspecial on Apr 28, 2009 13:05:42 GMT -8
Here is my opinionated view of how the race will go down. 1. Reno & Rude: Strong Team, good teamwork, good logic, excellent at completing challenges, they have very few actual weaknesses besides possibly women or booze. I don't see much getting in their way. 2. Fran and Baltheir: Another good strong team, they will eventually catch up and make it into the final 3 and then finish in second. 3. Freya and Fratley: Provided their injuries heal up, this or an early elimination at Episode 4. 4. Dona and Barthello: Villain Team, they will lash out on other teams and barely make it to 4th before Fran and Baltheir overtake them. 5. Garnet and Brahne: Decent team, they wouldn't make it to the Final 4 or 3 but 5th ought to suit them. 6. Zone and Watts: Smart team, logical, good at challenges, but they'll remain a middle team. 7. Zell & Ma: They will only make it so far, they are good but not good enough 8. Reina & Faris: They will slip up and get eliminated, a major navigational mistake or just a failed challenge and they are out for the count. 9. Biran & Yenke: Mental challenge will screw them over. 10. Cecil & Rosa: Eliminated 11. Celes & Cid: Eliminated 12. Barret & Dyne: Eliminated And here's my view on what actually will happen. 1. Zone & Watts: Cunning well-played challenges and remaining neutral to other racers will win them an unseen victory. 2. Fran & Baltheir: They'll make a come-back but just barely lose to Zone & Watts. 3. Garnet & Brahne: They'll barely make it to the final 3. 4. Reno & Rude: They'll be close into the top 3 but just won't make it. 5. Zell & Ma: They'll be a little behind Reno and Rude in 5th but just won't make it into the final 4. 6. Reina & Faris: They'll run a good race an make it to the final 6. 7. Dona & Barthello: Being the villain team will make them enemies who will surely undo them. 8. Freya & Fratley: Being injured they'll be boosted by others to get a team like Biran & Yenke out of the race but will inevitably be wiped out. 9. Biran & Yenke: They're the next to go. No doubt. 10. Cecil & Rosa: Eliminated 11. Celes & Cid: Eliminated 12. Barret & Dyne: Eliminated I more or less stand by what I had before. Turns out Freya and Fratley did end up getting eliminated early at episode 4, I didn't really want this to happen, they were a good team but I guess it had to happen sometime since they got injured. Biran and Yenke need to go soon, as episode 4 proven, they're so stupid, they can't even figure out how to do the physical challenges they're supposed to be good at (!). Brahne doing the physical challenge was just downright stupid on their part, they'll suffer for it and be eliminated probably in Episode 6 after the Ronso go. Then, come Episode 7, Zell & Ma will be eliminated, they weren't a bad team, but now they've been slippin' up and they won't last much longer, still though, they're keepin' ahead of some others. After that its anyone's guess who will win. Zone & Watts' plan to stay under the radar has worked perfectly so far, most people don't even seem to realize they're in the race, they might be able to pull through with an unseen victory at the end. Reno & Rude and Balthier & Fran are both uncertain, but they are definitely strong teams, who knows which will be better in the end. Reina & Faris so far have been doing better than I expected, but my guess is that due to a yield or something, they'll be able to pull through above a stronger team but be eliminated next round, or they'll make it to the last 3 in the same kinda way Rikku & Yuna made it. Dona and Barthello can suck it. I can't say for sure when they'll kick the red and yellow bucket but they won't make it to the top 3 or 4. Their luck will run out. So to summarize... Top 3: - Reno & Rude/Baltheir & Fran Reina & Faris Watts & Zone 4. Reno & Rude/Baltheir & Fran 5. Dona & Barthello 6. Zell & Ma 7. Garnet & Brahne 8. Biran & Yenke
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Post by wyvernxk7 on May 3, 2009 9:40:39 GMT -8
I'm going to throw my hat in the ring, and what I come up with might be surprising, but it could happen!
Top 4: Reno and Rude - For obvious reasons, Rude and Reno are still top-seeded choices for me. To me, however, it's less about what they have shown and more about what they haven't: When they make a mistake, they don't get frustrated, they don't give in to bickering or distraction, they roll. They understand that they aren't perfect and become all the better because of it.
Zone and Watts - A wild-card team that gets more interesting as they go. Through their smarts, they've been able to coast at an even plane so far, but if they don't crank it up a notch (which I think they're capable of doing), they're not winning.
Biran and Yenke - Yes, I'll acknowledge that they are the second-weakest team right now, but, unless they get knocked out this turn, I think we'll be seeing more of them than we thought, too. "Why?" you ask. After all, they aren't subtle, they are inhibited by lack of language skills, and their abilities in non-physical realms are sub-par. All valid points. However, this is a race, and not just any race - the Amazing Final Fantasy Race. For starters, they would probably argue that Ronso are the Amazing Final Fantasy Race (it sure ain't the Seeq, that's all I know). More seriously, however - they A. haven't earned any enemies; B. seem dumber than they are (not by much, but at least a bit); C. have great physical prowess that helps them accomodate for their crippling INT scores... shouldn't that make them lousy summoners? Er... nevermind. I don't know what I'm talking about, having not played through yet :-\ . Anyway, they lack the charm and sexiness that Yuna and Rikku exploited to get as far as they did, but Biran and Yenke could still make it interesting. I would certainly argue that they are a much stronger team than Dona and Barthello... by far.
Garnet and Brahne - While I have very rarely actually been amused by them, I have laughed many a time when they're on screen... because of the Ronso, typically. That being said (I don't see how a floundering fat woman is funny), I think they are being short-changed by a lot of people in the "potential" department. While Brahne's endurance is low, her strength is high, and she's also managed to subtly pull off some crafty deceit on other players without anyone else noticing. She's better than we give her credit for. ...Which brings me to my next point - she's also just as bad as we give her credit for. However, where she is bad, Garnet excels. Most of the time, her limitations are directly countered by Garnet's - in a speed-based road-block, she can often finish much faster (climing being an exception) than her opponents, offsetting the loss from Brahne's slowness. Expect a combination of factors - a yield, unexpected luck/misfortune-dodging, etc - to give them a run further than you expected. Unless they get ousted in this next round. Their odds of Winning overall are very slim, however, due to the prospect of the final foot race, so I'm not expecting that. Besides, why do they need a mil. gil?
5th Reina and Faris. Two pirate oustings in a row? It could happen.
6th A few bad turns ruins a number one seed's shot at the mil. gil when Fran and Balthier can't quite recover from an as-of-yet unforseen obstacle.
7th Zell and Ma. If they keep going the way they've been, they're not long for this race. Honestly, I would be happier predicting them at 5th, but I ran out of spots. However, of all the not-top-seeded teams, I think these guys are the true dark horses. Why? Reina and Faris and Zone and Watts have been consistently strong, and anyone who's paying attention wouldn't be surprised to see them continue at that pace. However, Zell and Ma have almost as much potential, but are still figuring out how to allocate that. If they can, I think they're going to move up on a lot of people's lists... mine included.
8th Dona and Barthello. If they're not gone here, then 7th... but really... is there any fair world left? If so, drop these two from a building... a tall building. Any hindrance at this point should do them in.
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Post by Fleck on May 3, 2009 19:05:04 GMT -8
Interesting choices, partly because they're unexpected, and partly because they're plausible.
And hey, if Fran/Balthier don't make it to the final three, you can be the only one of the forums with the right to say, "I told you so!"
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Post by Dale on Jun 8, 2009 23:49:58 GMT -8
Whoa! What a shocking ending to leg five! I didn't see that coming! I totally thought a last-second upset was coming, but was surprised -- and happy -- that it didn't. So with that, here are my new rankings based on episode five:
1. Fran & Balthier: Well, now that their biggest competition is gone, these two are taking my top spot. U-Turning Reno & Rude right out of the race was definitely the best possible decision they could make, as they're now the strongest team in the game. Their placements have been solid and consistent, and they have both the physical and mental edge in the tasks. They're the whole package, and their performance on leg five should prove that. I'm now calling them as either the winner or the villainous runners-up.
2. Zone & Watts: They finally won their first leg. Good. While their "middle of the pack" strategy was a decent one, I think it's definitely high time they ended it. Especially since Reno & Rude are gone. Now, the other teams are only gonna be looking at them and Fran & Balthier, the only other team who might be targeted. They're no longer my dark horse team. I think this team is in the F3 for sure, unless one of them does something to get them eliminated well before that. I'm placing them in second place, unless they totally dominate the final leg and win instead (and knowing there's always a memory challenge on the final leg, I think it's a possibility).
3. Reina & Faris: They nose up to third place now that Reno & Rude are gone. Despite their performance on this leg, they remain as my dark horse team, only now, my sole dark horse team. They don't exactly have much of a mental edge, and they're still barely getting the hang of navigation (or Reina is), but they are the more physical of the two women's teams, and I think they can at least ride that -- and their amazing powers of observation they make use of whenever they watch another racer or team -- to the F3, but then, I think they'll be the team that falls out of it while running the final leg.
4. Ma & Zell: They skyrocketed up through the ranks, going from seventh to second on the last leg. And their amazing leg shot them up to fourth place on my rankings. I think the two of them have their flaws as individuals and as a team, but for the most part, they have great teamwork, and their physicality is decent (Ma's recent Roadblock performance notwithstanding). I now think they can at least make it to the F4 before falling victim to the final elimination in fourth place, and I'm especially rooting for them now that they're back in the upper tier again.
5. Brahne & Garnet: While they had a rough leg, I do think they can get back into the thick of things on the next leg. This leg was incredibly physical, something that really worked against Brahne. Even worse, she's wanted to do the obviously-physical Roadblocks that Garnet should've done twice now. That said, I still think they're stronger, on the whole, than the two teams below them and should make it at least to the F5 and thus finish in fifth place after Brahne finally meets with one physical task too many. Also, I just generally enjoy them, mainly for Brahne, which is a surprise since I outright despised her in FF9.
6. Dona & Barthello: I'll give it to Dona. Making the secret alliance with Brahne to get rid of Reno & Rude was very impressive. I thought she was deliberately sabotaging her team at first, but she was actually trying to ensure that Brahne & Garnet got through the leg with them, a very smart, but risky, move on her part. While I'll give it to Barthello for trying to think smart with the U-Turn, Dona had the right idea trying to use it. Barthello made a big mistake there, and Fran & Balthier had to fix it for him. That said, they should plod along in the middle or back of the pack until the F6 due to their recent finishes, though if they finally grasp the concept of picking the right person to do the Roadblocks, then they could actually be contenders in the race. Still, they're the current villains right now, so I think either the F7 or the F6 is the appropriate place for the villain boot, so I'll put them in sixth place.
7. Biran & Yenke: Still the weakest team left in the race. I still do love them so, but they got really, really lucky that most of the tasks on this leg catered to their physical abilities. If the next leg is full of mental tasks -- or is at least predominantly that -- they're toast. Flat-out. So technically, as fun and interesting as they are, the novelty of this team is still actively wearing off, and by all rights, they should probably the next ones to go, in seventh place.
8. Reno & Rude -- Eliminated on Leg 5: Well, I said previously that I'd only take them out of the top spot if they got eliminated or came close to it, and indeed, the former happened. Like they said in the story, it was a lot of bad luck, mainly with their Flammie-Taxi, and it was made worse by Fran & Balthier's U-Turn. Add in Dona helping Brahne get through the Roadblock with a fairly sizable lead to spare for both teams, and you've got the elimination of the strongest team in the race. I will give them their due for coming really, really close to overcoming the U-Turn, though, only checking in about two minutes behind Brahne & Garnet. I'm not too torn up about their elimination, though. Nor will I miss them. Honestly, aside from a few snarky one-liners from Reno, they kinda bored me since the only other thing to them was "race, race, race!"
9. Freya & Fratley -- Eliminated on Leg 4
10. Cecil & Rosa -- Eliminated on Leg 3
11. Cid & Celes -- Eliminated on Leg 2
12. Barret & Dyne -- Eliminated on Leg 1
. . . But these are just my rankings. How about everyone else's?
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Post by Fleck on Jun 9, 2009 19:41:24 GMT -8
*sigh* I give up. The first season of AFFR (at least for the first few legs) was semi-serious, with a few lighthearted gags thrown in to keep the series in line with Bob's other FF-related projects. However, it's become abundantly clear that Bob's primary focus for this season is to go for laughs. Not that I'm complaining, but with such a mentality, using logic and statistics to predict anything is a futile pursuit. So I'm dropping out of the "guess who wins!" race and I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the hornless jokes.
I'm still rooting for Fran/Balthier though.
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Post by Bob on Jun 9, 2009 20:58:31 GMT -8
I'm actually going less for laughs than in Season 1, though I always do enjoy the laughs, especially when it comes to ANY kind of fan fiction... But yeah, weird things have been happening. I think the episodes have possibly been outlined to benefit all teams and equalize (kinda like the Amazing Race has been doing with less physical challenges and more "just pet the goat" challenges). So I think that's why predictions have been tough. This episode really should've seen the end of Garnet/Brahne, but some crazy random numbers told me the Turks just SUCKED at finding Turtle Island...
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Post by Dale on Jun 10, 2009 17:27:02 GMT -8
Come on, Fleck. It's still fun to predict and see just how right or wrong you turn out being. That's the fun of unpredictability!
I can't wait for nobodyspecial's, though. His are always fun to read.
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Post by nobodyspecial on Jun 10, 2009 18:41:45 GMT -8
Final 3: - Garnet & Brahne/Zell & Ma Reina & Faris Zone & Watts
4. Fran and Baltheir
5. Zell & Ma/Garnet & Brahne
6. Biran & Yenke
7. Dona & Barthello
8. Reno & Rude: Eliminated: I'm kinda sad to see these guys go, while Dale was right about them not always being all that interesting, they were still among my favorite teams and they were pretty good racers.
9. Freya and Fratley: Eliminated
10. Cecil & Rosa: Eliminated
11. Celes & Cid: Eliminated
12. Barret & Dyne: Eliminated
Well, I think the Final 3 will come down to Garnet & Brahne, Reina & Faris and Zone & Watts. I didn't ever really see Reina & Faris as a particularly strong team and I expected them to be eliminated fairly soon, but they're still in the game and seem to have a lot of race left in them, they just seem like a Final 3 Team to me. Garnet & Brahne I'm not too sure about, they may either be eliminated in the next episode or two or they might actually survive until the Final 3, as long as Garnet does more of the physical roadblocks. Zone & Watts are a good team overall like Reina & Faris, I think they'll make the cut for the Final 3.
Fran & Baltheir are good racers no doubt, but they are probably seen as the strongest team right now or soon will be. I won't be surprised if another alliance takes place to wipe these guys out, plus they've used their u-turn to wipe out Reno & Rude, other teams now can u-turn/yield them to take them out of the race. They're at a disadvantage now to say the least. They feel like Steiner & Beatrix did, everyone expects them to win or get into the final 3, but they just wouldn't quite make it and end up in 4th.
5. Zell & Ma will either finish at 5th place, or take Garnet & Brahne's place in the Final 3 should they fail (Garnet & Brahne would then finish at 5th or 6th maybe).
6. I hate to put Biran & Yenke at 6th, but every time I put them in the slot to be eliminated next, they somehow pull through. I hate them, funny though they be, but with their 3rd placing in the last episode I think they'll make it to either 6th or 5th maybe even. Or Bob will finally 'drop the deuce' and eliminate them in the next episode.
7. Its hard to tell who will be in 7th, and I'm not so sure I wanna peg Dona & Barthello as being that team, but I can't find a better place for them at the moment.
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Post by Dale on Jun 10, 2009 23:54:48 GMT -8
Interesting picks. Good.
Now Wyvern?
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