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[MGLN] Enforcer Quest : What the future hold

EVA-Saiyajin said:
Got a point there Ferian. What do you think, Sinsystems?
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Mostly that the comparison is a bit unfair due to Hayate's style of combat magic to me at least appears to be large high spells that require a moment to set up and are things your supposed to have a targeting system for.

By comparison the custom style is focused around the basics and simple taken them to a logical extreme. So while in terms of destructive power Hayate's spells would be superior we'd have the edge with cast speed since most of our attacks will simply be large amounts of basic spells layered on top of each other.

Also that the whole Powerful, but with problem of control thing can be interpreted differently instead of "Terrible at aiming" route Hayate uses, for my interpretation I consider it more that Marisa has a lot of power but has trouble with the control needed to properly utilize the more complex styles of magic and instead opted to focus on the stuff she could use properly AKA the basics which she eventually ended up using to make her custom style.
 
Control/Efficiency, is basically a measure of how good a mage you are, not considering power. The lower the control, the harder it is to cast high ranked spells, basically.

Precision is a little different and specific. It's, among other things... precision. Of course, you can compensate a weakness there by increasing the volume of fire. Obviously, you have to be careful for collateral damages. In addition, a certain finesse is needed for specific spells. For examples, healing require to adequately adapt the parameters of the spell* depending on the injury you want to heal, otherwise the results can be disastrous.

In addition, low precision would mean that the character may have trouble to use weaker spells.

*As an aside, adjusting the parameters of the spell for the specific situations is something that is needed all the time. One thing that has bugged me about MGLN's magic system is that basically, if the device are there to do the calculation needed for magic, why does the mage even need to know anything about maths? I mean, no matter how much of a genius you are, you won't be able to solve a partial differential equation with mental calculation (If you received extensive neural implants and/or gene modification, I don't say, but Nanoha, for example, is a normal human... I think). And that's likely the sort of calculation that are needed, among other things. In addition, once you "load" the spell, why don't you just let the "program" run and use it? My answer is this : there's many parameters that need to be updated each time you cast a spell. In addition, whatever calculation are needed, there's at least some without efficient algorithms to do them, but intuitiveness and guidance from a human can allow the calculations to be done in a short enough time.

I'm still not satisfied with this, but I think it's coherent with the facts we have.
 
Sinsystems said:
Mostly that the comparison is a bit unfair due to Hayate's style of combat magic to me at least appears to be large high spells that require a moment to set up and are things your supposed to have a targeting system for.

By comparison the custom style is focused around the basics and simple taken them to a logical extreme. So while in terms of destructive power Hayate's spells would be superior we'd have the edge with cast speed since most of our attacks will simply be large amounts of basic spells layered on top of each other.

Also that the whole Powerful, but with problem of control thing can be interpreted differently instead of "Terrible at aiming" route Hayate uses, for my interpretation I consider it more that Marisa has a lot of power but has trouble with the control needed to properly utilize the more complex styles of magic and instead opted to focus on the stuff she could use properly AKA the basics which she eventually ended up using to make her custom style.
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Strictly speaking Marisa's weak though... it's her Hakkero that has a lot of power. Still, by custom style, that means fighting like she does in the fighting games, right?

I guess we'll be spamming Master Spark and Blazing Star then.
 
Feng Lengshun said:
Strictly speaking Marisa's weak though... it's her Hakkero that has a lot of power. Still, by custom style, that means fighting like she does in the fighting games, right?

I guess we'll be spamming Master Spark and Blazing Star then.
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Pretty much, the way I imagine it is a mixture between what she does in the normal shooter games and what she does in the fighting games. So basically mix these three videos




and you'd have a good idea for what it'd look like.
 
Hmm... I'm still not buying it. Considering the sheer volume of spells she will need to channel and the efficiency drop from power over control, the stamina drain should force her into burst tactics and makes her largely unsuitable for prolonged combat. ...Unless she uses focused bombardment, that is, but that requires far more control than I believe viable here. Even Nanoha only uses that for her finishing moves - jungling focusing with active channeling for ongoing spell spam would require something akin to the Nasuverse Mind Partitioning.

I now see some of the possible merits of the build, but prefer to have staying power, which I find it lacking in. A melee fighter has the option of falling back onto her martial prowess when in danger of overchanneling; a long range combatant, on the other hand, is forced to retreat and recover. A lack of utility options also harms a long range mage far more than a close quarters one. Area search spells, concealment and general stealth, effective binds that are more difficult to break out of with simply raw power, etc. A ranged attacker benefits from these much more than a melee fighter, and as such, I cannot condone conscious decisions that effectively cut them off from the spellcaster's repertoir.

EDIT: There's also the point that quantity is a quality of its own. All spells of significant volume that have appeared in canon, even if they are variations of basic ones (Photon Lancer Genocide/Phalanx Shift, Stinger Blade Execution Shift, etc.), require largely unfeasible preparation time to cast. The one exception that comes to mind is casting from the Book of Darkness, but that thing is a top rate Lost Logia for a reason.
 
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Yeah, I'm preferring having consistent staying power backed up by physical hardiness. Than we won't need to worry nearly as much about control in the beginning.
 
I'm not in a state suitable for writing right now, so I will keep the vote open until tomorrow.

Right now Ferian's proposition has 7 votes while Sinsystems' has 6. For the other plans, it hasn't changed since the previous tally.
 
While I generally agree with Ferian's argument's against the everyone else's characters, I'm purposefully not voting for Ferian's choice because I find her rather boring. If we really want to go with a more traditional character, I find @SoaringHawk218's the most interesting. Remember people, we have two options for magic systems unique to Gamesverse. I provided a character using Galean, and we have a couple options for Kabupatenic. (Although I'm surprised nobody realized the most interesting Kabupatenic I can think of, spoilered below.)
Name: Yuri [redacted]
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Home-world: [Redacted]
Reason for joining: It was a calling, and you turned out to have talent for it.
Power Level: Weak, but compensating with precise spell-casting.
Style: Kabupatenic
Device: A storage device.
Description: Yuri has not killed a man, and it definitely was not with a spork. We can confirm that he has not single handedly brought down planetary governments, and that certainly isn't what happened at [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted]. Further, the rumors he graduated top of the class from [redacted] are clearly unfounded, the Bureau would never sponsor an Academy specializing in [redacted]. Lastly, He did not [redacted] to [redacted], that would be [redacted].

Yes, this character is supposed to be a !Russian special operative, if that wasn't clear.
 
I think the Gamesverse's worldbuilding indicated that Kabupatenic was the "Dutch" style rather than the Russian one :).

If I have to be honest, the two choices I found the most interesting were your Galean's proposition (Because examining what you can do with Galean style would be interesting, and the original device choice) and Lunaryon's reformed accidental criminal (for the detailed backstory). That say, I'm fine with all of the proposed choices, as how you will play the character will be more important in the end. Marisa has the advantage that it would be easy to name your spells :) (and encourage me to play DDC, too, because intelligent device hakkero just beg for that).
 
Bki said:
I think the Gamesverse's worldbuilding indicated that Kabupatenic was the "Dutch" style rather than the Russian one :).
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I could have sworn it was the slavic style, but I'm probably wrong here.

I'm glad you found my suggestion interesting, I just wish somebody else had (especially since I left holes for them to fill in).
 
[x] Sinsystems

Changing my vote since mine isn't winning and I kind of want to see Marisa in MGLN.
 
*sulks* Boring, huh...
I had assumed Bki would have his own ideas for the character and left her blank in respect to that. :( And, well, I was going for a broad appeal, if I were to be completely honest.
Bki, if you wish to, I can add as much flavour and backstory to her as necessary. I had ideas ever since deciding on that pic.
 
Ferian said:
*sulks* Boring, huh...
I had assumed Bki would have his own ideas for the character and left her blank in respect to that. :( And, well, I was going for a broad appeal, if I were to be completely honest.
Bki, if you wish to, I can add as much flavour and backstory to her as necessary. I had ideas ever since deciding on that pic.
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I never said boring. If there truly was a boring choice that I didn't want to play, I would have objected to the character as soon as I saw it had some supports.

Of course, if you have your own idea to give flavour to the character, don't hesitate to do so.
 
Bki said:
I never said boring. If there truly was a boring choice that I didn't want to play, I would have objected to the character as soon as I saw it had some supports.

Of course, if you have your own idea to give flavour to the character, don't hesitate to do so.
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Just chiming in here, if we end up with Ferian's character might I suggest the Yang Xiao Long route with a kick boxer style of fighting style. Possibly with the weapon being a set of gauntlets and boots with the cartridges acting as explosive strikes or rapid movement bursts.
 
Ferian said:
*sulks* Boring, huh...
I had assumed Bki would have his own ideas for the character and left her blank in respect to that. :(
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Sorry, but the character read to me as a standard Wolkenritter/Fate cross. It's been quite a while since I actively took part in the MGLN fandom, but my impression was that sort of character wasn't particularly original.

(Also, Bki did say "Giving more details is encouraged" in the op.)
 
Sinsystems said:
Just chiming in here, if we end up with Ferian's character might I suggest the Yang Xiao Long route with a kick boxer style of fighting style. Possibly with the weapon being a set of gauntlets and boots with the cartridges acting as explosive strikes or rapid movement bursts.
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There will be more votes after this one to further develop the character (for example, the forms of your devices, which spells you are good/bad at regardless of the magic system used, which "theme" do your spells follow in their naming and aesthetics...).
 
Bki said:
There will be more votes after this one to further develop the character (for example, the forms of your devices, which spells you are good/bad at regardless of the magic system used, which "theme" do your spells follow in their naming and aesthetics...).
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Ahh understood, will chime in some idea's there depending on what we get. Although hearing that gives me hope for my character since there is the chance to plug the weaknesses a bit.
 
[X] Plan Ferian

If only because I'm too late to the draw to come up with something else.
 
Bki said:
There will be more votes after this one to further develop the character (for example, the forms of your devices, which spells you are good/bad at regardless of the magic system used, which "theme" do your spells follow in their naming and aesthetics...).
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Can we assume wether or not we have a familiar(/guardian beast) and what form they take will be in their as well?
 
Bki said:
I never said boring. If there truly was a boring choice that I didn't want to play, I would have objected to the character as soon as I saw it had some supports.

Of course, if you have your own idea to give flavour to the character, don't hesitate to do so.
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The first part was in response to sebsmith. Sorry for not making that clear.

For the flavour I had in mind... it's a late hour and I'm sleepy, so I'll type a cliff notes version ALL THE THINGS here for the time being.


Emma is a descendant of some Belkan nobility, apparently. At least, the DNA test has said so, and her general disposition, both magical and psychological, is in line with what's known of them so she doesn't have a reason to doubt its validity.

The family in question was a rather militarist-heavy bloodline that had resorted to genetic engeneering to bring themselves closer to the ideal of a Belkan knight. The most notable effects of these alterations are:
- Emmanuel's outstanding magical capacity, its artificial quality betrayed by the slight but noticeable imbalance that still causes her trouble with improving her control; while on one hand, this has granted her unusually high magical stamina and maximum output, precise long-range attacks are unlikely to become her forte... well, ever - she won't have problems with wide area bombardment, but targetting becomes too troublesome to handle as distance increases, and guided shooting spells will probably be beyond her for a while yet;
- somewhat inhibited emotional responses, which shows in a mellow personality of low temperament in usual everyday life and also makes it easier for her to remain calm and composed even under great duress; it is theorized that she will also have a far easier time coping with psychological trauma than most others, but this remains untested for obvious reasons. On the other side of the coin, her low emotional sensitivity (stemming from the same trait) has resulted in a somewhat abrasive personality that often rubs people the wrong way. Due to this peculiarity, Emma has always found herself uncomfortable around her highly impressionable peers, instead preferring the company of older children, then adults, at least those that didn't call her a "cheeky brat";
- improved reaction time and hand-eye coordination; combined with her general unsuitability for more delicate facets of long-ranged combat as well as some personal considerations, this made her choice of device type obvious;
- the crimson red hair and eyes were just the metaphorical icing on the cake as well as the tip of the iceberg.

Personality-wise, Emma is a person of a calm demeanor, which accurately denotes her inner state of mind. The girl has always been difficult to faze, rile up, or get any kind of extreme emotional reaction from. Ironically, this distinction, which often causes peers to regard such a person with certain respect, has constantly caused her trouble in social interaction due to its persistence. It's not that she is more mature than others her age, or more in control of herself - she just plain does not feel as much, cannot care as much as other people. As such, instead of being revered as the mature older sister type, she would be considered just distant, unfriendly, hollow, and later on, when the kids learned more crass language and cruelty, "a frigid bitch", "inhuman" and the like.

That namecalling does not actually reflect her character, at all - if anything, her decreased sensitivity has led to her caring more than the average person. Emma is a person of strong morals who won't hesitate to extend a helping hand to someone who needs it, even if doing so puts her into danger - she may not be able to feel for them in most situations, but that should not stop her from doing something for them. Even if "they" are jerks - it's not like she really cares either way for their behaviour.

On a different but very much related note, in retrospect, polite honesty may not be a good combination with a lack of ability to distinguish the sensitivity of one's words and actions. But while she has been reconsidering that stance as of late, old habits die hard, and so, for the time being Emma remains her usual self, often coming off as unpleasantly blunt, if not outright offensive, by saying something that, while entirely true, should have been left unsaid.

In all honesty, Emma is rather mystified by the way other people can get worked up over meaningless things, maybe even a bit envious of the high tension and excitement she so often sees but so rarely feels. This may be another reason for her choosing to work for TSAB as well as for her choice of fighting style - in the midst of combat, the world rushes by at an unnaturally slow pace, and despite the contradiction, she cannot find better words to describe the feeling; everything is brighter, more vibrant, fuller of life, of magic, of feeling, including herself. On some level, Emma realizes that this may not be a healthy direction to head into, but that realization is not yet truly formed into something that can guide her actions and decisions.

Emma has grown up on an administered world, so she often had the opportunity to see the TSAB mages at work. Unlike most people, however, she had the unfortunate luck (and need) to see them in action.

The incident was a peculiar one - Emma was scouted into a TSAB sponsored research/development program due to her suspected lineage. All things considered, this had been a good thing, as modified bloodlines such as hers can be outright dangerous to the person and to those around them when the dormant traits surface, berserkers being one notable example. While that was not the case with Emma, the attained awareness of her traits, both magical and character, and the reasons for them has done wonders for her development as a person and as a mage.

...Being used as a hostage when the program was revealed to border on illegal (and even that only due to the peculiarities of her homeplanet), on the other hand, was decisively not fun, and the following rehabilitation from suspect drug use was just plain boring - the professor had at least spoken to her as an equal and explained what he was doing to her satisfaction. The doctors, on the other hand, would wave her off as an ignorant child who should be left ignorant because, obviously, what is going on with her body and why should not be her concern. Well, at least her parents would relay the important parts to her. Still, that treatment had been the most infuriatingly annoying thing to ever happen to her.

Interestingly enough, Emma looks back on the incident and the people involved with more fondness than anything else. This may be a mild case of capture-bonding, but the girl doesn't see it that way. The damage was reversible within a timeframe of a year, and even that was a generous estimate that included the entire monitoring period on top of the actual treatment, and she wasn't informed about the specifics of it, anyway, so there was no reason to judge the professor hard on that account. The positives, on the other hand, were considerable and easily outweighed the negatives - the insights into herself and her abilities alone would do it, but the children had also been receiving magical education of a quality their parents would be hard-pressed to top even if they were ready to spend a fortune on it.

That incident probably holds the most important reason the girl would later decide to become a TSAB mage herself. It had brought her attention in this direction, and... that sufficed. She wouldn't know that she liked fighting until later on, and her morals only went so far in terms of caring for others, certainly not far enough to center her entire career around the concept. But it was like a calling, and she had the talent for it. No sufficiently attention-grabbing alternatives were looking her way, so Emma ended up signing up for the TSAB training program as soon as she was allowed to. By the end of it, the deal was sealed as she had confirmed that the "calling" was a thing, and a thing she liked, at that.

Ugh... Specifics of her fighting style can be debated but what I had in mind was a polearm - a halberd or something like a naginata/guandao. A sword on a stick spear with a longer than usual blade/tip will also do. As for spells, lightning-based and plasma-based attacks, mostly, with a few specifically armour-piercing applications (think Nanoha's ACS driver/Strike Flame combination), preferably available on short notice (should not be an issue for an armed device, considering the cardrige system), and very strong and fast shields (frankly, this should be her main focus, all things considered). Binds are a secondary concern, as she will need to halt the target for but a brief moment to strike true or force them to block rather than dodge; breaking them, on the other hand, has to be a high priority (Barrier Jacket Purge for a fast solution in extreme situation, as well as more sane measures for everyday use). Her Barrier Jacket should function akin to a Faraday's cage, lessening the risk of being fried by her own (or an opponent's) spells to a minimum - lightning isn't exactly precise by its very nature, and Emma's control issues would implore her to be better safe than electrocuted.

Familiar... nope, tomorrow. Not now. Good night.
 
Locking vote now. Ferian's proposition win.

I have already written most of the update (because most of it didn't actually depend on your character). I will just have to start your character sheet and adapt what need to be adapted.
 
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