|
Post by Dale on Jun 7, 2012 8:15:37 GMT -8
1. Yeah, I figured I probably missed something somewhere. I did a lot of numbers really fast so it's all too easy for one to slip through. Cid/Hilda have been added to the Male/Female aggregate, and I recalculated the average but (thankfully) it's still 6.6, so none of the placements or anything need to change. No, they haven't. There's still no 6 there. But thanks for giving the other explanations.
|
|
|
Post by Fleck on Jun 7, 2012 10:31:13 GMT -8
(Finish places by gender. "a-" is the average. The number before each category indicates the number of items in that category) 10Male/Male=3/4/12/4/6/8/12/1/5/7 a-6.2 19Male/Female=1/2/7/8/10/11/ 2/3/5/9/10/11/3/4/ 6/8/9/ 6/11 a-6.6 6Female/Female=5/9/1/7/2/10 a-5.6 Yes there are. There are two sixes in that list, one for Cid/Hilda and the other for Fujin/Raijin. Or are we talking past each other?
|
|
|
Post by Dale on Jun 7, 2012 11:46:16 GMT -8
Sorry. I thought it'd just go in after the first two since I assume that was season three's standings that were listed first.
|
|
|
Post by Fleck on Jun 7, 2012 21:00:09 GMT -8
Psh. That'd take effort.
|
|
|
Post by Dale on Jun 17, 2012 12:27:17 GMT -8
Oh, this season is already so much better than last season. I don't see any potential (and predictable) dominators just yet, the cast seems to genuinely gel and mesh together a whole lot better than last season's cast (which, aside from the Blank & Marcus/Lucil & Elma bond, had ZERO chemistry or fire between them), and, best of all (for me, at least), a very good combination of teams on their first flights, with most of my early favorites on the first flight!
Eh. Three of the four teams currently on the last flight can go out on this first leg, and I won't really care all that much. So watch the only one I do care about go home first.
Whew! But man, were there a lot of spelling and grammatical errors spotted!
|
|
|
Post by Bob on Jun 17, 2012 13:13:54 GMT -8
Glad you're liking it! I'm liking the cast, too.
|
|
|
Post by Fleck on Jun 17, 2012 18:51:31 GMT -8
Verily! I think your Episode 1 Part 1's are getting better each season. I must admit, I had doubts about some teams all the way up to now, but you seem to have a pretty good idea of how to best characterize them. No one here feels bland or left out.
WRITE MORE DAMN YOU!
|
|
|
Post by Bob on Jun 17, 2012 19:26:59 GMT -8
I must also admit, I had a few doubts, which is why I wrote the entire first episode before declaring teams officially (or at least most of the first episode until I felt satisfied with whatever team I was announcing). Several teams transformed, but I think all that actually got written stayed, meaning no substitutions were made midway.
I think I had about three other teams that were initially cast, plus another couple teams that half of the team remained, but not the other half. Original teams included:
Cid/Edea (now Edea/Seifer) Rydia/Luca Vayne/Larsa Laguna/Raine (now Laguna/Ellone) Rin/Al-Cid
Uhhh....I think there were more, but yeah, a lot of others were originally being cast. I THINK Kefka/Gestahl was originally high in the planning phases, but it was nixed, partly because Gestahl hurts my brain to type. But I altered the cast and found I really like these guys. I have plans for almost all of them, though obviously, some plans will not be fully developed as they get eliminated. We'll see who remains!
|
|
|
Post by Fleck on Jun 19, 2012 23:14:41 GMT -8
Still awesome. Keep going. I thought you'd save the Rejects until one of the returning cast seasons, but seeing all the Rejects definitely made this part a lot of fun, so I won't complain.
|
|
|
Post by Dale on Jun 20, 2012 1:10:18 GMT -8
Agreed! It was such a treat to see all of the rejects show up!
Interestingly, the only changes in position were Galuf & Krile and Scarlet & Heidegger. The former went from the first group to the last group, and for the latter, it was vice versa. The second group, however, seemed to stay completely intact.
|
|
|
Post by Bob on Jun 20, 2012 8:22:36 GMT -8
Saving the rejects would've been neat, but I designed this task and thought "y'know, I could spend a LOT of time looking up locations and such for the teacher/student or pornstar/sex-addict or pie-maker/pie-eater or whatever they actually have in Archades, OR I could make it more fun and interesting by doing my own twist." It was close though. I ALMOST didn't have enough teams since a few of them I had to remove from the list because they're either racing now or in the past or in cases like Jote/Mjrn, I figured Jote wouldn't leave the Wood for this.
Dale: What's funny is that I didn't even notice that they were the only two technical changes in position. A lot changed position, but you're right that they're the only two groups to be in new groups now. Very interesting.
|
|
|
Post by Fleck on Jun 24, 2012 1:04:42 GMT -8
Hell of a first episode, Bob! Anyway, here's my commentary based on mine and Statie's original picks, with my now revised picks.
Statie was DEVASTATED by this first elimination, as he pegged Galuf/Krile to finish second. I didn't fare so well either, since I put them in 6th, but so far the score (the difference between the predicted finish and the actual finish) right now has me in the lead, with 6 points of difference and Statie racking up a painful TEN points of difference. For the sake of my pointless little game, only my original picks will be factored in to future rounds, since Statie is unable to adjust his picks now. If anyone else wants to play, you're free to compare the differences in your original picks with the actual finishes. We can see who ultimately had the most accurate original picks.
Anyway, I still like revising my picks, so I'll give my new guesses just for fun:
11=Kefka/Terra This team is limping along on luck and the sheer size of the field of teams still left in the game. Their weak skills in challenges have now been crippled by Terra's destruction of the Slave Crown, which makes these two the team with the worst dynamic since Malak/Rafa. Even Amarant/Lani and Scarlet/Heidegger look like bestest buddies compared to these two. These two are going to be hard-pressed to stay alive, unless Kefka can fix that Slave Crown.
10=Scarlet/Heidegger I still don't like their chances, but at least the terrible performance from Kefka/Terra almost certainly gives these two a buffer for the next leg or so. They have the ruthlessness of past winners Rufus/Shinra, but an even worse dynamic and weaker skills in challenges. These two are not long for this race.
9=Laguna/Ellone These two have taken a bit of a dip for me, because they are completely blah in challenges, and seem like they might be naive enough to be taken in by the machinations of this season's many villains. Their best bet is to play a solid game and not make errors and hopefully skate by on their own mediocrity.
8=Edea/Seifer Plummeting from my original 5th place, Edea/Seifer form yet another pair of strong individuals with a weak bond. Seifer is quite a petulant little child, and his outbursts are going to drive these two down a shortcut to elimination.
7=Zidane/Vivi While these two have technically moved up in my rankings, it's not really because I think they're a terribly strong team or anything. To his credit, Zidane is so far doing a remarkable job of compensating for Vivi's weaknesses, but that doesn't change the fact that he IS compensating for his teammate, which does not bode well for these two. Zidane can only carry his partner for so long.
6=Kuja/Seymour These two jumped up quite a bit, because they have a surprisingly strong bond. Well, not really a strong bond so much as a mutually beneficial gameplan. Their machinations will either bring them deep into the game or make them a hoard of enemies and earn them an early eliminations. The next few legs will be critical for these two. If they can escape detection until they're later in the game, they can start really gaining momentum.
5=Cid/Brother They slipped a little for me, but I still think they have enough juice to keep the F5 finish streak for FF10 racers alive. Brother is pretty hilarious too, which definitely helps their chances in AFFR.
4=Gabranth/Basch Their relationship is fast crumbling, which forced me to bump them out of the F3. Unless they can come together, right now, over me, they'll be taking a Yellow Submarine to Abbey Road.
What were we talking about?
3=Yang/Ursula These two are strong, a lot stronger than most pre-FF7 teams. Yang's insistence on maintaining focus, plus their combined strength, intelligence, and teamwork has made them quite an imposing threat.
2=Fang/Vanille First place certainly doesn't hurt their ranking any, but I'm not quite ready to put them at the top of my list yet, as I'm not sure Vanille is going to be terrifically helpful in challenges. Fortunately, she's still a viable partner, so these two can still make it far.
1=Snow/Lightning My faith in them has been shaken a bit with their near-elimination, but I still like them to win it all. Another poor leg might convince me to step them off the top of the podium though, as this team has its share of faults. It would not surprise me if Statie turned out to be right when he predicted an early departure for these two.
|
|
|
Post by Dale on Jun 24, 2012 2:00:13 GMT -8
Okay! The first leg's over and done with, and as I expected, my rankings have changed around dramatically. So here are my rankings for episode one:
1. Fang & Vanille: Boldly established themselves as the team to beat. These girls so far seem to have it all. Physical abilities? Check. Mental skills? Check. Great teamwork? Check. Despite Vanille's screwup with not hanging onto Ultros's card, they still maintained a good position and finished the rest of the leg's tasks admirably quickly. I can see good things in store for the Pulse girls, so I'm putting them down as the early frontrunners. I think Fang was a bit too cocky in turning down the Express Pass, though. Still, hopefully, they'll get past the curse that's been with other winners of the first leg -- not finishing any higher than eighth place. And since they're the only women's team, I really want them to get past it.
2. Gabranth & Basch: Despite their middle-of-the-pack placement, I'm keeping them up pretty high. Yes, their teamwork sucked the first half of the leg, but they pulled it together and managed to get themselves into a fairly good position by the end of the leg. Add in the fact that their physicality can no doubt save them in a pinch, and I still have a feeling that the two of them can recover from this rocky beginning and start to do very well in the race.
3. Yang & Ursula: I was very impressed by how well they were able to gel on this first leg, especially after Yang stopped treating this like a training ground for Ursula. They seemed to get through all of their tasks at a very good pace and get on all of the earlier modes of transportation. Now that Yang is going to stop being too rough on Ursula, I can see some good things in their future. The only thing I can see ending their game is a task that works against Yang due to his age. But until then, I at least have them in third place.
4. Zidane & Vivi: I'm actually slightly surprised to be ranking them this high. Zidane did a good job in getting them on the first flight. He also did a good job of securing the Teleport Stone and getting them the early time in the Lhusu Mines. He even dominated with the All Call Detour. So why do I have them at fourth place instead of in the top three? Note whom I didn't mention in their accomplishments for this leg. Vivi really hasn't done anything noteworthy so far. Zidane's picking up the slack the entire way through. He's completely carrying this team, something that shouldn't be so obvious so early on. They have a decent team dynamic, but in the end, I really think having to carry both of them through the race is going to wear on Zidane -- right before the end of the race. So fourth place for these two.
5. Cid & Brother: Pretty much a near-perfect leg for them. They avoided the last flight, Brother killed the Roadblock, and with his help, Cid managed to get that uncooperative drunk to pay up at the Detour. Plus, they demonstrated some pretty good physical strength. So yeah. I think they're gonna go a good long way. But only so long. Cid's tendency to get impatient and frustrated with Brother, coupled with Brother's overexuberant nature and inability to comprehend even the simplest of sentences and concepts, will be their undoing and land them in fifth place.
6. Snow & Lightning: If this first leg is any indication of their abilities and their team dynamic, I'm less enthusiastic about them. Snow bungled the Roadblock and then botched both jobs he was given at the Detour. Lightning had to be the one to save the team by making the call to switch Detours, which was good for Snow. With any other partner, he probably would've been booted instead of the team who actually was. Even worse, they're not working together as well as I thought they would. So I'm seeing them getting the boot in sixth place unless they get it together.
7. Scarlet & Heidegger: Just like I thought, they proved themselves to be really clever. Even with their struggles at the Roadblock, Scarlet wisely chose to go it alone in getting the Teleport Stone for herself and Heidegger. They also played the people to whom they were selling the drinks like pros. They were even bigger puppetmasters than the self-proclaimed ones. I can see them at least getting halfway through the race, but only halfway -- their lack of physicality is going to do them in the way it did in Brahne & Garnet. Count on it.
8. Kuja & Seymour: I really wanted to rank them higher, but this leg had one "oops!" after another from them. Especially from Seymour. It's good that their not knowing each other hasn't really hurt them, but getting too focused on eliminating Zidane & Vivi and Cid & Brother has hurt them. Unfortunately, if they don't just focus on their race for the time being, they'll be the ones eliminated from the race instead of one or both of their targeted teams.
9. Laguna & Ellone: They remained solidly in the middle of the pack for most of the leg, but the Detour demonstrated what might hinder them. While the race is a fun experience, it's still a race. They focused too much on the fun and not enough on the urgency of the race. They left the Detour in the next-to-last spot and surely would've gotten the boot if it weren't for the greater errors of Snow & Lightning, Kefka & Terra, and Galuf & Krile. So they need to focus on not being eliminated a little more than just the enjoyable experience. Till then, I have them in ninth place.
10. Edea & Seifer: Well, Seifer has indeed proven to be quite the hothead, but at least this team knows how to recover from a bad start. Plus, if the footrace for sixth place was any indication, they can at least run fast enough. Fast enough that even Edea could outrun two men's teams, no less! However, teamwork is gonna be their weak point, I think. That, and any Roadblock Seifer will have to do. Hopefully (except not really), Edea has the mental skills to save them in the race. But I don't think she does. So I have them down here in tenth place -- not going home next, but after the next elimination.
11. Kefka & Terra: I had the correct idea to rank them so low. When Terra was still under the slave crown's control, I thought maybe Kefka could get her to cooperate with him, so I was ready to place them higher. Then, she freed herself and exerted her own will against his, and the true volatility of their team dynamic reared its ugly head. Regardless of how good they might be at some tasks, they are not going far with a dynamic like that. Unless something really surprising happens, I am so putting them down as the next team to go. Eleventh place. Oh, and Bob? Lay off the crying. Terra doesn't cry that much and over such unimportant things.
12. Galuf & Krile -- Eliminated on Leg 1: Wow. Just . . . wow. I never saw this team winning -- or even making the F3, for that matter -- but I certainly didn't see them going out first. No, not at all. But like Galuf said at the Pit Stop, it was entirely his fault. Bad, bad performance at the Roadblock, and it put them into a hole that they just couldn't seem to pull themselves out of. Pity, because I'd been waiting for another grandparent/grandchild team since Strago & Relm from the first season, but they really let me down. And they let their fellow FF5'ers, Reina & Faris, down, too. Oh, well. Assuming I don't see anyone else who interests me more from the early-ousted group from this season, bring on Fallen-Stars! (I hope. . . .)
But these are just my rankings. How about everyone else's?
|
|
|
Post by Fleck on Jun 24, 2012 6:02:56 GMT -8
Oh, and Bob? Lay off the crying. Terra doesn't cry that much and over such unimportant things. To that I respond with "Sorrowful Waters." Any character with an attack like that in any videogame kind of deserves to be made fun of. Hell, pretty much all of Dissidia demands that Terra be treated like a wuss.
|
|
|
Post by Dale on Jun 24, 2012 12:02:20 GMT -8
And even in that, she didn't cry.
I'm pretty sure that's just what she says to conjure up the spell. That wasn't what it was actually called.
|
|