The Last Samurai

[ShadySands]

I've been on the fence about making this for a while but I figure what the hey

 

Please forgive the bad cropping job, I'm lazy

 

First thing first

 

Here we gave all the different game modes

 

What is in a name?

 

I'll probably die really quick but at least that will keep this fairly short

 

I picked this clan because they have a lot of land. The symbols are honor, generalship, swordsmanship, and land ( I think so anyway, I don't have the manual anymore). Land is the most important stat as it determines how big your army can be and bigger is always better

 

So it looks like I was right about what each symbol means but that's probably because I'm a symbologist in real life. Anyway, after saying how land is the most important I go ahead and choose honor as my family advantage

 

Now we meet the hatamoto Lord Munesada and he introduces us to our rivals who will all be positioning themselves to become the next hatamoto

 

In order of their power we first have this guy and I don't know about you all but I don't like him already

 

Next up is chump number 2 in line. He will probably be my first target

 

Next is bottom guy well technically he's above me but just barely and it it's because I'm new. He may be desperate enough to try some dishonorable acts against me but I dunno, he has kind eyes

 

And now we have me and yes, I do get my eyebrows done

 

Now it's time to decide how we want to spend our time moving up the ranks

Equip more samurai - Exactly as it sounds and the more land we have the more we can equip

Practice kenjutsu - Train your sword fighting skills. I never really do this and I actually don't even know if there is a point to raising your skill

Drill your troops - Practice your general skills by commanding your samurai in a mock battle

Donate land - I never ever do this one. You get some honor I believe but at the cost of land which means at the cost of troops

Travel- take to the world map and seek adventure

 

[alanschu]

THis is an old school strategy game?!?!?!

 

52 samurai doesn't seem like much. I think upping those numbers is a good idea!

[ShadySands]

THis is an old school strategy game?!?!?!

 

52 samurai doesn't seem like much. I think upping those numbers is a good idea!

 

I want to say this game came out in 1989 or so and it's one of my favorite of all time.

[HoonDing]

Best Sengoku themed game after Sengoku Rance.

[ShadySands]

More info on the current situation in the world AKA the other screens we can view

 

Here you can see the current ranking and the stats for each

 

Anteki is the most capable

 

Yoichi has many fine qualities

 

Kuemon is an adequate retainer

 

I am a disappointment (like I haven't heard that before) but I have nice stats

 

 

Next up we have what is going on in the world

Currently there are no campaign actions or bold deeds available but I'll try to describe what each of them are

 

Bold deeds - These come in two basic types duel and melee

• Duel is a swordsmanship mission in which you are fighting one on one with another opponent (ninja or samurai) in a 3rd person perspective. First to 4 hits wins but there are power attacks (that leave you vulnerable on defense) that count as 2 hits
• Melee is kind of a top down birds eye view of a village, castle, or rice field in which you fight against a lot of enemies of varying types. Spearmen, archers, swordsmen and on higher levels ninja (invisible until they are right next to you or attack) or gunmen. You have 2 attacks, a bow to hit enemies at range and a sword to hit them close up and 1 hit kills them but 2 hits kill you

 

Campaign action - are always army against army but the terrain can change a bit and figures into your tactics a lot. There are offensive and defensive battles but I believe that campaign action battles are always offensive

[HoonDing]

It's a pity kenjutsu comes down to button mashing, I wish the duels were like in Prince of Persia.

[ShadySands]

Taking Allan's advice I went ahead and equipped more samurai

 

 

Which looks like was a good choice

 

But then I see it was definitely a good choice because

Oh snap!

 

Then all my rivals decide to add to their armies as well

Not sure why Kuemon got to recruit twice and Yoichi not at all but whatever I have more pressing concerns

 

Then like the impossibly handsome love child of James Bond (Sean Connery of course), Han Solo, and Boba Fett that I am I get approached by a matchmaker trying to tie me down. But as you know I have more pressing concerns like my land being under attack and even if I wasn't aint nobody got time for that

Besides she doesn't seem like that great of a catch anyway

 

it also seems that my time at the top was short lived

Looks like everyone else increasing their armies countered me increasing mine

 

and then the battle begins and I have no help and no options but to defend myself

 

but first I must choose my formation

 

There isn't a whole lot of variation right now because my army is so small but basically you get to choose from 3 formations that each have their own strengths and you can also flip formations but as I said my army is so small that it doesn't make a big difference

 

The combat in this game is fairly simple and numbers and flanking are the main things to focus on. Since I'm on defense the enemy will charge my position and I'll need to be careful as there could be a second unit hidden in the trees. 

 

The terrain here isn't much of an issue since I'm defending and out in the open but trees can hide and slow you down, rivers also slow you down a lot while leaving you in the open and the small cliff or hilly area is much the same.

[ShadySands]

Sure enough there were a lot more troops hidden in the trees but I still have decent numerical superiority so I just take the charge head on. I know that I will end up with more casualties this way but I honestly don't remember how to maneuver my troops at the moment. I would have liked to move my troops to the side and attempt to flank but maybe (hopefully) next time

 

Their numbers quickly dwindle and they retreat

 

I lost half of my samurai in the process but in the grim darkness of feudal Japan there is only war

 

And that leaves me back at the main decision screen with the same options that I had as before

[Oner]

Do go on, I want to see what Tom Cruise's eventual fate will be!

[alanschu]

Hard to not think "I need to recruit more men" after that!

 

Alternative would be to potentially drill them so you lose less in the future?

[ShadySands]

Definitely need more men

 

I've gone about recruiting quite a bit after losing half the army

 

Since this is my first time posting something like this I'm not exactly sure how much or how little to post so I'm kind of winging it. I've left out the few recruiting screens from my rivals during my recruitment but any feedback would be appreciated.

 

After the 3rd time recruiting 

Back on top!

 

and then...

A campaign action available. What's nice in this game is that you are actually competing against your rivals and if you don't attempt the deeds and actions they will

 

Speaking of which

and

 

missed out on the matchmaking offer but Anteki, the filthy bugger, couldn't resist

 

before I head out I check the current rankings

Oh Yoichi, how you have fallen

 

when you choose to travel you have 3 options presented to you

Travel alone - you travel around and can formally visit your rivals or your lord and can have a couple different kinds of random events (duels, melee) happen to you

Travel disguised - this is using for causing trouble like assassinating, kidnapping, stealing, inciting riots

Travel with troops - used to attack or help rivals defending themselves, attack a hatamoto in a rival provice, or take your troops to you lord and attempt the campaign action

 

it's the map, it's the map, it's the map, it's the map, it's the map, it's the map, IT'S THE MAP!

my house

 

my lord's house

 

I enter the castle and tell bossman we are ready for war

 

Now just like on defense we have a choice of 3 different formations and now that my army is bigger and I'm attacking you can see what they're all about

 

Note the guys in the front are archers

Just like last time the formations can also be flipped

 

It looks like the enemy is hidden in the trees so I have no idea what I'm up against and since I'm attacking they won't charge me until I'm right in front of them

[ShadySands]

This will probably be my last post for the day but I welcome any feedback

 

The battle went well as I remembered how to move troops around the battlefield

I took my spearmen around each side of the woods and took the archers right up the middle. Archers are weak up close but their main purpose was just to draw out the enemy while my spearmen flanked them

 

For my troubles I get decent addition to my lands

 

and another offer from a matchmaker

I should probably get hitched soon and get on with the getting on of making heirs. I'd hate the game to end because I died a virgin

 

After the battle I'm back at the castle but it appears my rival has left and my only option are to court a bride or leave

 

I'll let you guys decide what our man Tom should do here and I'll pick back up here tomorrow morning

 

Thanks for putting up with me

[Gfted1]

This is awesome.

 

Are their "better" wives to be had? If not, may as well marry her.

[ShadySands]

The more honor the better I believe but it doesn't really matter in the long run

 

I think the best you can do would be to marry the daughter of a high honor rival but I haven't actually tested that since honor is pretty easy to get and a wife is both a baby making machine and a liability (kidnapping)

[alanschu]

It's fun.  No obviously feedback aside from "continue"

[babaganoosh13]

At some point of time, are you going to have to face Christian Bale?

 

 

The game looks great, BTW.

Edited September 11, 2013 by babaganoosh13

[HoonDing]

Actually there are instances in the game where ninja tactics are warranted.

 

I'll let you guys decide what our man Tom should do here and I'll pick back up here tomorrow morning

Edited September 11, 2013 by Drudanae

[Leferd]

Those dastardly ikko ikki have no honor.

 

http://youtu.be/_EQWcB1vXXg

 

Definitely want GOG to release SotS.

[ShadySands]

I'd love an updated and expanded remake that isn't streamlined to the point of pointlessness or an FPS

 

I think Shogun 2 is probably the closest we will get in a while

 

Anyway , I went to save the game only to find out that I can't save unless I'm at home so here is everything that happened on my way home

 

 

When we last left our hero he was pondering getting married and since the consensus here seemed to be for it Tom went to court a bride

 

Only to discover that she had been kidnapped by bandits

Since I had nothing better to do I figured that I might as well rescue her

 

As I enter the not so abandoned castle

 

I start searching every room killing bad guys along the way

 

The bodies start piling up quickly

and there I've found Momo 

 

I pick her up and sling her over my shoulder and make my way out

 

and then we have our big moment

Marital bliss

 

and now we are back at the castle but it appears that we are not alone

Let's visit them and see what's what

 

It's Kuemon and we are presented with 3 options here

We can insult him which will either result in a duel, probably to the death, or he will laugh it off like the coward that he is

We can invite him to a tea ceremony which will improve our relations if he agrees or cool them if he declines

Or we can leave but is that ever really an option

 

In truth there was ever only one option

to arms!

 

and so we begin the dance of death

 

and then I've taken first blood

 

Unfortunately I killed him so fast that I didn't get screen shots of the next few hits

 

Kuemon's heir takes over and becomes the new "new guy"

 

and then we are home at last

Home sweet home

[ShadySands]

I needed to rebuild a bit after that last battle and take advantage of the new land we were granted

 

Didn't get nearly as many as I thought I would

but that also goes to show that I had almost no casualties as well

 

then this happens

a daughter, yay. You don't get to name your daughters in this game only your sons so moving on

 

The new guy Takanobu is under attack and send me a message about helping him crush the invaders. I find this odd since I baited his father into a duel and then proceeded to pretty much murder the guy. At least he has no hard feelings about it so that's nice

Since he can get past what I did I guess that I can help him defend his lands

 

I take my troops and march over to help Takanobu defend his lands

 

Only to have him defeat them as soon as I arrive

What a jerk

 

At this point you don't know how badly I just want to attack this guy

but I know I won't last if the others turn against me and I have no heirs so I'm strongly considering just turning around and going home

 

The thought occurs to me that since I'm already out and about maybe I should just march my army to our rival province and just attack them. The problem with that is that I'm sure I will be at the very least slightly outnumbered at this point. I wanted to get some suggestions on what you guys would like to have me do here

 

Here are the current standings

 

Takanobu's stats

 

My stats

[sorophx]

can you ally with him? make him your pawn instead?

[ShadySands]

We can become friendly but there is no real alliance system in this game

 

By helping him defend his lands and inviting him to tea ceremonies (if he accepts) we will eventually like me but I don't think it really helps that much. 

[AGX-17]

So is this like the western answer to Nobunaga's Ambition? Make sure to control Gifu.

 

I'll probably die really quick but at least that will keep this fairly short

The implication that "bigger sword = better samurai" is hilariously bad, especially considering the inclusion of a Miyamoto Musashi vs. Sasaki Kojiro scenario, which historical accounts state (speculation by later historians of political intrigue and so on are irrelevant given the simplistic presentation/context,) ended with the nodachi-wielding Kojiro being clobbered to death by Musashi with a wooden sword.

Edited September 13, 2013 by AGX-17

[HoonDing]

Musashi had a really big wooden sword.

[Humanoid]

The correct nomenclature is "Buster Sword".