SMT: Nocturne

[Puukko]

You'll be lvl 80-85 at the end of the game, gauge it from there.

 

[Silva]

So far I would say Nocturne, SJ and DS1 have all been excellent games in their own right ... Almost hard to say what I prefer.

What, no Persona?

 

[Tse Tse Fly]

Picked up this game again (after abandoning my original playthrough after ~10 hours about 4 years ago), it's again SMT: Nocturne US ps2 release on pcsx2, but on hard difficulty this time. I must may, the rate of random encounters is driving me mad already, and I'm but a few hours into the game, haven't even got out of the hospital, I get a random encounter like once in a minute, this is really fucking annoying. And I didn't notice the audio quality was so shit before, it's almost like the soundtrack was recorded on a cheap cell phone from 2005. I wonder how does the ps2 version on pcsx2 hold up against the recent hd remaster? For one thing, I'm getting some weird graphical glitches when playing in resolution above native, I'm using 1.7.2715 nightly release for win 64, avx2 version. Did the remaster do anything in regards to random encounters rate and quality of audio? Also how does the switch version of the hd remaster compare to the pc version?

 

[Average Manatee]

I know there's settings and hacks to get Nocturne graphically perfect, but there's a good chance they wouldn't be applicable with all the emulator changes since I last played. Every time I play I think I need to figure it out again because the devs constantly go back and forth on what the "default" settings should be and which graphical glitches are better to have by default than others. From what I recall all the graphical glitches were present on native resolution though so if its just playing above native that causes them then there's probably something wrong with your setup.

If you want to check to make sure your sound is working compare it to a youtube video.

As far as random encounters go, Estoma sets the encounter rate to 0% for all encounters below your level. Earliest to get it is either buying the demon from the broken in the first kalpa or leveling an archangel to level 20. Until then you just have to cope.

 

[Puukko]

The audio quality is low because the game uses MIDI samples. As far as I know, this is still the case with the HD version, which also has no fan fixes due to uncracked Denuvo. The only real reason to play that version would be the cleaner presentation due to the HD UI, but I know there's an HD texture pack in the works for the original. Haven't tried it myself so can't vouch for it.

https://gbatemp.net/threads/shin-megami-tensei-nocturne-usa-hd-texture-pack-by-panda_venom.610781/

As for the encounter rate, Estoma and emulator turbo are your best friends.

 

[Beggar]

Where is the cracked version

 

[Tse Tse Fly]

Lol, so they cared enough to record full voice overs for the remaster but did not do anything about the sound quality of the music..? Interesting how well it paid off.

 

[visions]

The audio quality is low because the game uses MIDI samples. As far as I know, this is still the case with the HD version, which also has no fan fixes due to uncracked Denuvo. The only real reason to play that version would be the cleaner presentation due to the HD UI, but I know there's an HD texture pack in the works for the original. Haven't tried it myself so can't vouch for it.

Isn't it only the HD version that lets you pick which skills fused demons get from their parent demons? Wasn't skill inheritance random in the original? This alone seems like a reason enough to prefer the HD version. Unless there's some fan patch that does this for the rom of the original version.

 

[cruel]

Yep, only HD version has skill inheritance option. I don't remember any issues with music / sound quality as well.

Sent from my KB2005 using Tapatalk

 

[Tse Tse Fly]

I'm continuing my playthrough on HARD, recently beat Matador, and truly, on hard difficulty game offers good challenge, one adjustment I would've made though is to introduce a cost in macca for summoning/dismissing demons, and for sustaining them in your current party (IIRC it was present in some of the previous SMT games, such as DDS: Megami Tensei, but also likely others, it's been some time since I last played any of them, so my memory is hazy), THEN hard would truly be hard.

Also, does anybody know if there is an xp gain adjustment based on your group level relative to the enemy group level? I noticed that my lower level demons (like the weakest Pixie, Jack Frost, etc) strangely gain too little experience upon defeating groups of higher level enemies, so it takes dozens of encounters to level them up even one level, and additionally it results in the main character being *overlevelled* over time since he continues gaining experience along with the rest, even if it's but a small amount.

 

[Average Manatee]

Your demons in general level much slower than the main character. I'm not aware of any XP adjustment in the way you are stating. If you want to level lower level demons up better give them watchful and they can level up while in storage, and if you really want to level them up then use sacrifice fusions.

 

[Tigranes]

Matador is probably the "holy shit" difficulty point in a normal playthrough - i.e. a true litmus test that you haven't been playing on autopilot. It's a good moment.

 

[Sarathiour]

From my experience in SMT, player tend to have a linear progression for xp needed to level, while it is square from demon. The more you're leveling up away, the harder it became to make them progress.

 

[Viata]

Matador is the "newbie killer". If SMT 3 is your first SMT, he will rape you. If it's not, then it will be pretty easy. By SMT, I don't mean persona shit, I mean good SMT game.

 

[Tse Tse Fly]

Had any of you such graphical glitches on pcsx2 in resolutions above native (I've set the internal resolution to '4x Native')? Look at the 'shadow' (I think it's supposed to be a shadow) on the floor, it's got weird divides in which there's no shadow.

Spoiler

These glitches seem to go away after I select the native resolution. Could it be an issue with the game's assets themselves (they're not supposed to be rendered in higher resolutions) and not a bug of emulation?
Also, is it just me or the aspect ratio seems incorrect? The tattooed guy appears thinner than it should be.

 

[Average Manatee]

That's a weird shadow glitch I haven't seen before, and it's not listed in https://wiki.pcsx2.net/Shin_Megami_Tensei:_Nocturne

Try changing to the openGL or DX11 renderer, whatever you aren't using.

The demifiend is really thin and scrawny. Hard to tell if he's TOO scrawny though. Also PCSX2 screenshots can be misleading because that's the internal resolution of the game before it undergoes whatever stretching that you see on the final output, so what you see while playing might be accurate. Best way to notice while playing would probably be to judge whether the compass is a perfect diamond.

 

[Tse Tse Fly]

Ok, regarding the aspect ratio, it was incorrect indeed. I think I've sorted it out, I checked the option Config > Graphics Settings > General GS settings > Screen Offsets and now it looks correct. Fuck, it means my entire schreenshot gallery is botched.

 

[Puukko]

The above issue is fixed by ticking "disable depth emulation" under hardware fixes, though this has the side effect of making DF's shadow defy him. Still, the lesser of the two issues.

As an aside, the new PCSX2 UI makes it easier to see what the options do as the output is changed in real time. As a result I can tell you going up to 5K and forced SMAA via Reshade is worthwhile for this game as far as removing jaggies is concerned.

Spoiler

It's a pretty small thing, but I've got to say I appreciate how the HD pack enhances the smoke and light effects in battles. I've gone through so many battles but this time I just stopped and spent a solid 5 minutes watching the battle idle. Won't really come across in screenshot form.

Spoiler

I guess it's not too bad that my Hardtype pt has been on an indefinite hiatus, considering all the improvements to the emulator that have been added since I started it.

 

[Viata]

Reminds me that Nocturne was the first PS2 game I finished on the PS2 emulator many years ago. I don't even remember any problem with that, so it's weird people are having problems with it now.

 

[KafkaBot]

Reminds me that Nocturne was the first PS2 game I finished on the PS2 emulator many years ago. I don't even remember any problem with that, so it's weird people are having problems with it now.

The remaster appears to have a few issues, which is just sad.

The saddest part is that they're selling Maniax as DLC, but Atlus has always been a money-grubbing corporation (more than the norm, that is), so it's not like it is surprising.

 

[Cryomancer]

Sorry for reanimating this thread, but brought the game on steam and am liking a bit but one question. How I learn magical skills? I liked the level design, that you can talk and capture demons but I want to use magic.

 

[Tweed]

Sorry for reanimating this thread, but brought the game on steam and am liking a bit but one question. How I learn magical skills? I liked the level design, that you can talk and capture demons but I want to use magic.

 

[Louis_Cypher]

Sorry for reanimating this thread, but brought the game on steam and am liking a bit but one question. How I learn magical skills? I liked the level design, that you can talk and capture demons but I want to use magic.

It's a beautiful game.

To learn magic, you injest a Magatama from the menu. I assume you must have progressed the story far enough that you have been given your first one. This serves as your equipment loadout would in another game. Changing between Magatama changes your stats like an item of armour might in another RPG, and you gain magic from them as you level them up to their maximum.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Sorry for reanimating this thread, but brought the game on steam and am liking a bit but one question. How I learn magical skills? I liked the level design, that you can talk and capture demons but I want to use magic.

By leveling up. What spell you acquire depends on which magatama you have equipped/ingested.

https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Magatama

 

[Cryomancer]

To learn magic, you injest a Magatama from the menu. I assume you must have progressed the story far enough that you have been given your first one

Thanks. Eat the ice magatama.