Live Blogs TVTropes The Webcomic Liveblogs EO3

Bladist2011-12-19 12:18:43

Supplemental 04 - BDL and Recurrences

I'd like to take the time to talk a bit about some of the idiosyncracies of Etrian Odyssey, as well as explain a little bit about BDL to those who aren't familiar with it. I've no idea if there is already a trope like this on the wiki, even though I haven't checked everywhere.

Basic Dungeon Logic, or BDL, is a common theme that most if not all RPGs follow. It contains following aspects:

1. The Dungeon: RPG definition considers anything that is not the Safe Zone (i.e., towns, the inside of your airship, etc.) or the Overworld Map as a "dungeon", regardless of whether or not it's a literal dungeon. Dungeons classified as such under this definition are commonly subject to BDL.
2. The Floor and The Area: A section within a Dungeon that is cordoned off by the edge of the map, entered and exited via area transfers. BDL dictates that a Dungeon have at least two Floors (if Areas are not present in the game), or at least three Areas if only one Floor. Tutorial Dungeons can get away with two Areas and one Floor.
   • Floor and Area Terminology: Floors and Areas are often numbered in order to help players not get lost or as confused when they check their map (if one is available). Floors tend to have an "F" after their number (denoting "floor"), while Areas are often just "[Name of Dungeon] [Area Number]".
3. The Staircase: The type of area transfer that both connects and separates Floors. Though sometimes pictured as a ladder, its purpose is still the same.
4. The Edge of the Screen: The transfer type that links adjacent Areas. Called "The Edge of the Screen" due to the common method of implementing these being to have the "camera" be able to scroll around the area to a certain extent as you move around, but it stops moving at the "edge" of it, where you can move to a different area by touching that "edge".
5. The Treasure Chest: Dungeons commonly have chests containing gold, items, weapons or other helpful stuff. These chests are always fully-laden and never opened prior to your arrival, regardless of how many other adventurers had been through before you.
6. What Has No Right To Be How It Is: A.k.a. "Why Is It Like That?", is when the logicality of an item's location or even presence in a Dungeon is brought into question, often by an overly-analytical player or spectator. While technically a reaction instead of part of the game, it is considered an aspect of BDL because it occurs so frequently, often in succession. Case in point from Final Fantasy I: "Why is the Ice Brand found inside the volcano?"
7. "Shut up and take the damn sword. It's good, it's there (which is better than it not being there), so stop worrying about how it got there.": Often shortened to "Shut Up and Take the Damn Sword", this is the common response to "Why Is It Like That". While it can be viewed as a response or reaction to the above, in this sense it is intentionally used by the game's own developers, making it worthwhile to actually use where you find it. "Why is the Ice Brand found inside the volcano?" "Shut up and equip the damn sword. Marilith's vulnerable against Ice."

So in the previous update, Ere's complaint is part of Aspect #6, while Axel's response is Aspect #7. Ere is confused about there being staircases in a (supposedly) natural geographical feature, and annoyed that all of the areas seem to look the same (though that part is normal). Everyone else has long since learned to stop questioning things and just take things as they come.

There's actually a good deal more to BDL, but these seven pieces are what matters right now.

As with most any series, the games in the Etrian Odyssey franchise display certain identical trends across different installments. I plan to highlight as many of these as I can, though I probably won't get all of them.

When I get to one, I'll probably display it in BOLD ALLCAPS and follow it with the definexplanation*

Please Note: I have not played Etrian Odyssey 2*

• I get one of these wrong.
• You have more information to contribute to what I already have.
• You noticed additional recurring things that I didn't.

Feel free to tell me about them. Just don't be a jerk about it.

Like I said, I'll call attention to these recurrences as I get to them, but not a minute before. I can, though, talk about ones we've already come across:

RECURRENCE OF EO: THAT FIRST MISSION - "MAP THIS SH!T"

"Take this half-complete map of the first floor and fill it out. Then you'll be recognized as a proper guild."

The only thing I can certainly say of all three games, the local government body makes you complete a mission before letting you proceed past the first floor. The mission is always to fully map a section of the first floor, and "fully" means walking over almost all of the tiles you can access, drawing all of the walls properly and marking the door and every treasure chest and harvest point in that area. A guard prevents you from getting to the stairs until you complete the mission, and you have to show him the map and get his approval before you can turn the mission in back in town. Etrian Odyssey 2 pulls an especially douchebag move; not only do you have to map the entire floor minus the stairs and hallway leading to it, but at the start a guard blindfolds you and dumps you somewhere deeper inside the floor. Not only do you have to find your way back amidst random encounters that can drop a party member in a single hit, but the guard doesn't let you go back to town until you finish the map, so no healing and saving. At least Medic heals are cheaper and he gives you five free Medicas beforehand.

RECURRENCE OF EO: ESCAPE ROPE

The Warp Wires (or Ariadne Threads) become available after you complete the first mission (where you would actually most need them) at 100 en a pop. Always.

RECURRENCE OF EO: LEVEL 1 DEATHPOISON

Early-game poison spells death for party members that aren't the Hoplite.

Or "Landsknecht and Protector" for those playing the first two. Poison deals a set amount of damage at the end of each round. As the things you fight get stronger, those that can poison have stronger poisons. In Etrian Odyssey, the first (and therefore weakest) thing you encounter that can poison you is the Venomfly. Venomfly poison is the weakest poison out of all the poisoning monsters—and hits for 25. So yeah. Etrian Odyssey Poison isn't like Pokemon Poison. Pokemon Poison sticks around after battle and deals damage every few steps you take; a nuisance at best. Pokemon Poison is merely light food poisoning compared to Etrian Odyssey's arsenic. Treat Etrian Odyssey poison like Pokemon poison and you die.*

RECURRENCE OF EO: RUN FROM THE STALKER

"It's okay to run from Red FOEs. They can waste your ass instantly." -Etrian Odyssey, B3F.

The first Red FOE you encounter in any of the games coincides with a message from the game telling you that it's okay to run from battles you can't win, when the enemies are too strong. Not-so-subtly hidden within this message is a message saying that there is a reason why the original message popped up when it did. Hidden within that is another message telling you to run because the FOE can and slaughter you instantly, and it wants to. The "Stalker" in the title of this recurrence refers to an FOE of the same name in the first Etrian Odyssey. The stairs down from B2F dump you into a large room where the game momentarily pushes its hardware to allow you to see the Stalker's orb and simultaneously displays this message as soon as you enter the floor. The only way to be safe from the Stalker (it will chase you all over the room) is to exit the room through the door in the lower left, because it won't chase you through doors. However, the staircase is at the upper right of the room, so you're supposed to head straight south until you're one space from the south wall, then dash due west to the door because the Stalker will be literally on your heels. Oh, yes, and if you get into any encounters while the Stalker is chasing you, you're dead.

I think that's all for now, so that ends the update. Tune in next time as we get...sidetracked!

No Comments (Yet)