Monster hunter

[Stove]

So I've been watching weapons guides and cool gameplay.
I think I'll use the Heavy Bowgun, the Greatsword, or the Hammer often. I dunno.

[VerdantShade]

Wait, wait, wait. . . what's hard about the demo? The only problem I've had is the asinine 25 minute time limit when quests are normally 50 minutes allotted on average, and even then Gore Magala is beatable with two people online and one person offline. The advanced equipment is to cover up mistakes and to pretend the time limit is reasonable for new comers.



I suppose since other people are talking about weapons, I'll mention I have a few main choices. 

My first weapon was the SnS, later acquired a taste for both Lance and Hammer. After that, I passed on MH3U, and now that I have the MH4U Demo from a code, I've also acclimated to Insect Glaive as a favorite, I tried out Bow a little bit, and I defeated Gore Magala with my very first try of a Heavy Bowgun. I don't think I'm going to devote much to ranged weapons, but I suppose I could take up one or the other. 

[Stove]

Feb 9, 2015 0:56:33 GMT VerdantShade said:

Wait, wait, wait. . . what's hard about the demo? The only problem I've had is the asinine 25 minute time limit when quests are normally 50 minutes allotted on average, and even then Gore Magala is beatable with two people online and one person offline. The advanced equipment is to cover up mistakes and to pretend the time limit is reasonable for new comers.

The fact that there's a 25 minute time limit. We also don't know how Al played it or what weapon he used so...meh.
Some games are harder for people to get into than others, even if they're good at gaming.

[Deleted]

Feb 9, 2015 0:58:20 GMT Stove said:

Feb 9, 2015 0:56:33 GMT VerdantShade said:

Wait, wait, wait. . . what's hard about the demo? The only problem I've had is the asinine 25 minute time limit when quests are normally 50 minutes allotted on average, and even then Gore Magala is beatable with two people online and one person offline. The advanced equipment is to cover up mistakes and to pretend the time limit is reasonable for new comers.

The fact that there's a 25 minute time limit. We also don't know how Al played it or what weapon he used so...meh.
Some games are harder for people to get into than others, even if they're good at gaming.

Charge Blade.

And yeah, it definitely took me a long time to finally get into this game, both enjoyment-wise and skill-wise, but I've pre-ordered a much cheaper physical copy and my body is ready for more. I really respect Shade for beating Magala with the bow gun, I don't know where to begin with the long range weapons. I'd probably have a hard time against the Jaggi using those weapons.

[Stove]

Feb 9, 2015 1:16:40 GMT @alberenza said:

Feb 9, 2015 0:58:20 GMT Stove said:

The fact that there's a 25 minute time limit. We also don't know how Al played it or what weapon he used so...meh.
Some games are harder for people to get into than others, even if they're good at gaming.

Charge Blade.

And yeah, it definitely took me a long time to finally get into this game, both enjoyment-wise and skill-wise, but I've pre-ordered a much cheaper physical copy and my body is ready for more. I really respect Shade for beating Magala with the bow gun, I don't know where to begin with the long range weapons. I'd probably have a hard time against the Jaggi using those weapons.

Wait, where did he say he beat him with the Bowgun?

[VerdantShade]

Feb 9, 2015 1:18:10 GMT Stove said:

Feb 9, 2015 1:16:40 GMT @alberenza said:

Charge Blade.

And yeah, it definitely took me a long time to finally get into this game, both enjoyment-wise and skill-wise, but I've pre-ordered a much cheaper physical copy and my body is ready for more. I really respect Shade for beating Magala with the bow gun, I don't know where to begin with the long range weapons. I'd probably have a hard time against the Jaggi using those weapons.

Wait, where did he say he beat him with the Bowgun?

You missed it, I edited my post right around when you posted your response. It was also my first time with a ranged weapon. And no, I didn't use Beginner mode, I used Advanced or whatever they call it.

[Deleted]

Feb 9, 2015 1:20:57 GMT VerdantShade said:

Feb 9, 2015 1:18:10 GMT Stove said:

Wait, where did he say he beat him with the Bowgun?

You missed it, I edited my post right around when you posted your response. It was also my first time with a ranged weapon. And no, I didn't use Beginner mode, I used Advanced or whatever they call it.

I believe you since you can't fight Magala on beginner mode. How do you control bowguns? Tips?

[Stove]

Feb 9, 2015 1:22:58 GMT @alberenza said:

Feb 9, 2015 1:20:57 GMT VerdantShade said:

You missed it, I edited my post right around when you posted your response. It was also my first time with a ranged weapon. And no, I didn't use Beginner mode, I used Advanced or whatever they call it.

I believe you since you can't fight Magala on beginner mode. How do you control bowguns? Tips?

(This is coming from someone who hasn't played it, so take my points with a grain of salt. Verdant can confirm what I say if he agrees though.)
Bowguns are best used in groups as opposed to soloing, but if you want to use them solo, a few little things to point out are:
Turret mode is your best friend if you get an opening as it lets you keep firing without having to reload. Use this only if you get a large opening though since it does root you to the ground.
In the demo there's no customization, but I'd think evade skills would be very useful since the Heavy Bowgun's movement is really, really bad.
Switch bullets for the situation. Much of the Bowgun's power comes from its different bullets.
Last, the reticle (by pressing R) is nice for aiming.

These could've been things you already knew. If so, oh well.

[VerdantShade]

^As you can see, I didn't even know that. XD


Honestly, I learned on the fly. Same way I learned when I got Monster Hunter 3, though apparently I have a thick skull - never realized that SnS were "The weakest weapon for underwater combat" until after I beat Ceadeus with it. Admittedly, my entire MH experience was mostly blind until I had a good number of hours on Tri. 



Anyways, Gunner armors, to my memory, have worse raw defense but better elemental defense? Also remember that ranged weapons aren't really for "Sniping" monster. Different ammo and different weapons have "Ideal" shot ranges, you'll know them when you see the screen shake, and you can be either too close or too far and you'll deal less damage. The other problem with staying too far away is that many monsters like to use trampling attacks or charging attacks on distant players and it is harder for your Blademaster team mates, who will have to run all the way across the room to chase down the much faster monster. 


As far as mobility is concerned, Light Bowgun and Bow should work out fine, not that I've tried the former. The Bow is especially focused on mobility and constant attacking, since it uses "Coating" mechanics to change its basic attack's functions rather than the attack being determined by what "Ammo" you have. The Heavy Bowgun packs a lot more firepower than either weapon but will leave you comparatively slow, though I think they provide meager defense when equipped? I don't know, you can't even view your stats or most of the rest of the menus in the demo. 


Coats and Ammo provide you a range of useful abilities at the cost of limiting them based on what weapons (and armor) you pick out and giving them a limited ammo, whereas a paralysis blademaster will constantly inflict a bit of paralysis throughout the fight. 


One last note is that I"m pretty sure the demo doesn't explain "Siege Mode" or "Rapid-Fire", special abilities of the Heavy and Light Bowgun, respectively. But you definitely end up using them by accident, as I ended up in Siege Mode twice while fighting Gore Magala. Maybe someone else can explain their uses. Or maybe someone who actually uses ranged weapons on a basis that surpasses "once a month" can give actually useful explanations, rather than my incoherent ramblings.

[Deleted]

Yeah, it all sounds really technical. I'll give those tips a try, it might be useful at some point, but I think the charge blade is the weapon for me at this point. I just want to understand how people are even supposed to use long range weapons.

Anyway, I'll leave a room open for the demo tomorrow because I want to see what online multi-player is like. I've already beaten the Magala Solo now, but from the looks of things the online is the best part of this game. I just hope the lag is ok. Does the game have voice chat? It seems like it'd be irritating to have to slowly type out text or even gesture in order to communicate with your allies as a monster is clawing at your face.

[Stove]

(Glad you decided to buy it after all, Al.)

I don't think voice chat is a thing, but I could be wrong.
Oh, also, all ranged weapons have a distance where they deal "critical damage". Anywhere else and they don't deal good damage. For spread bows, this is about 1-2 back hops away. Rapid is 3-4, and Pierce is 6-7 I believe. I don't know about bowguns but I think it's 3-4. You can tell because the screen shakes.

[Indigo]

You decided to get it after all, Al?! So happy and hype! And, you should delete and repost next time if it's been a while from the post, I just saw when you first mentioned you changed your mind in the edit on the previous page. Don't think I ever would have seen that last post edit if I didn't accidentally click into page 2.

And demo Magala is hard... Of course it's beatable, but it's no joke either. Partly because this game has improved the AI to be much more lively and less predictable/robotic. Struggling to beat it in time alone is the proof that it's challenging even if you're not dying, because once you really get good at fighting it, it can go down solo in less than 10 minutes with any weapon. I dunno, the demo's pretty tough, and especially so for a newcomer to the series.

Anyway, I'm a fan of all the gimmicky weapons. Mostly played Switch Axe on Tri, and I've always been a big fan of the Gunlance. I started out the series long ago as a pure gunner... Not as much of a fan now, but I still like them from time to time. I prefer Bows most now, because bows are graceful. And naturally, gimmick heaven has come upon us with the two new weapons. Charge Axe literally does everything except shoot, it can even KO monsters faster than a hammer, has SnS speed and blocking, guard points to block while attacking, great status dealing, SA's axe mode for amazing reach and damage, explosion attacks that ignore monster defense, and a discharge explosion, and crazy style. So mary sue. And awesome. It's not the best at anything though.

I'm becoming partial to the Insect Glaive, too. I mean, it's a polearm and so stylish. And can jump anywhere, and has a very fun insect gimmick. I'm sad we didn't get tonfas so I could bangbangbigbang (MH Frontier has tonfas...), they could also jump anywhere, but oh well.

Also like LS because it's so fancy. And when I get the Gunhammer I'll be using that hammer exclusively every now and then. Also Hunting Horn because it's the Monado. Let me just say I use anything as I like being a jack of all trades, and end this here. I think Switch Axe is my main weapon though as it's the true polearm, and feels much more classic to me at this point. Naturally, Charge Axe, too, even though Charge Axe made me question why Switch Axe still exists...

So... Gunning.

SPOILER: Click to show

You just really have to get the feel of positioning and aiming. Like Verdant said, each shot has different sweetspot ranges, where the screen will shake. Hitting outside of that will do meager damage. Generally, Pierce, then elemental shots and Normal are the way to go. Pellet/Spread for some specific monsters... Pierce is your main damage on anything decent sized. Shooting Pierce so it'll go through as many hitboxes as possible does lots of damage. After that, normal shots aimed to the head or other weak points. You can also sneak some quck extra shots without aiming if you just move towards the monster and shoot. The most important things are staying in sweetspot range, and getting good pierces or quick-aiming at the weakest spots, and attacking constantly but safely. Never stay in front of a monster for more than half a second, you usually want to aim at them as they turn then roll. It's pretty simple, but more based on hitting from, and at, the right areas, and quickly zipping away. It's much more 'natural' in multiplayer when half or more the attention is on someone else, but solo, it's still more like dueling, just at ranged.

LBG is best in coordinated groups, but mostly outclassed by Bow as a damaging solo weapon. It's more versatile and elemental, fast, and can inflict more status, usually can carry heal shots, but the least damaging gunning type. Bow is a very offensive and well-rounded ranged weapon, and usually you'll be only two or three backsteps away (even way up close with Close Range coating), constantly shooting while running and dodging around monsters. They can inflict status, but they're more scarce, and rarely inflict more than once because of limited coatings. Almost like long-ranged melee with aimed hits.
HBG is very powerful, also good at solo. Being slower is its only downside. They can equip a shield (auto-blocks if you just stand still), or opt for a power barrel instead. Shield is extremely handy sometimes, especially since a gunner's worst dream is getting stuck in an unavoidable situation, but extra power is really good, too. Siege can do some serious damage, deadly in multiplayer, but later on you can remove siege for a straight damage increase, too.

Also Al, no voice chat unfortunately. Digital keyboard, and customizable presets in hunts. Not the best, but oh well, people ruined it by abusing MH3U's voice chat, and the 3DS can't handle USB keyboards like previous games. Still a lot more communication than most Nintendo console online games. In the demo you can't chat (just presets in the hunt), so it's not really the same since you can't even say hi. The actual game has a fuller experience with being able to walk around and communicate and all before going into quests. The demo requires weird codes to play with friends and stuff and is super barebones, but we should go for a hunt tomorrow. Should we just get an IRC chat going?

[Stove]

So Al's going with the Charge Blade, Clax is probably using the Switch Axe, and I'm going with the Greatsword or Lance probably.
Seems legit.

[Deleted]

I'm not really sure how team synergy is supposed to work, would the team be lopsided if we had too many heavy damage dealers? I honestly have no idea, I just have this vague thought in my head that the Hunting Horn would probably be best for co-op play. I'm ok with the thing but I'm terrible at learning the different combinations. While Charge Blade is my favourite right now, that might change eventually. I'll keep on using a bunch of different weapons, I'll at least see if I can make ranged weapons usable with all this helpful information. I'm surprised you're interested in the Great Sword, Steve, that thing is nearly impossible to swing properly.

Other weapons I liked included the Switch Axe, for obvious reasons since I like the charge Blade. I liked the Insect Glaive, I loved everything about that weapon except for the actual kinsect gimmick, which I couldn't be bothered with. Go figure. I liked the lances, but they felt a bit basic, and they weren't particularly flashy. The Hunting Horn felt surprisingly good to actually swing around, I just don't know any note combinations. The Long Sword was the first weapon I tried out, but the spirit blade stuff didn't do as much damage as a Charge Blade and it didn't make up for the lack of a block function. Dual Swords felt surprisingly clunky, mainly when it came down to the demon form stuff. Uhh... Oh, of course, the Sword and Shield. Was probably my second best weapon. I like the way the thing moves but it doesn't have any way of doing a huge amount of damage. It really is a jack of all trades. This is why I prefer the Charge Blade, since I can have all the mobility of the SnS, but I can turn to Axe form and absolutely destroy the thing when needed. I don't think I'll ever go back to the SnS, if I'm not using the Charge Blade, I'd much rather use something more different.

IRC chat would probably be a good idea.

[Indigo]

Any team works, really. Different weapons are mainly for playstyle. Having a gunner or hunting horn is nice, but all melee has its perks. Monado horn is defintely very welcome though, yet rare to see (I reeaaally hope Volcanic Gig is back now that Gravios also is. Dat rock guitar HH.). Some can heal, others can buff attack, make you immune to wind, other stuff... Playing in a team you just should focus on who hits where. Hammer and GS generally get priority on the head, make sure you're not running in front of a gunner, give each other some room (especially lancers), etc.. You can also decide to split specific roles, like axes or LS should focus on the tail and stuff. Mostly you just jump in and co-op things however it plays out naturally, as long as you don't upswing teammates or blow them up with a gunlance, or stun lock a poor lancer with spirit combos or SnS/DS.

Longsword is a bit weak, but it's very solid overall, landing full spirit combos buffs your damage, and it has the amazing side-jump slash that can combine with rolls to easily maintain an offensive defensive. GS is slow but also the most powerful. It's supposed to feel like molasses, and it's satisfying to land big hits... It has an almost iaido style, run, unsheathe attack, dodge, sheathe, repeat, until there's an opening. After a monster rams past you, unsheathe into charge, and unleash a level 3 charge on the head as they turn back to face you. Most powerful thing in the game.

Dual swords are pretty fun, you shouldn't use the demon dance combo, their only clunky move, except for big openings. Its hack and slash all day with them, and they get a fast roll-step. They seem clunky but most moves are instant dodge cancelable (which works wonders with their flash step).

SnS isn't too bad. They shine best with elements, so you kind of need a small collection of different element SnS, to fight according to monsters' weaknesses. They can do very comparable damage then.

I guess I'll check out how to make an easily accessible IRC room.

[VerdantShade]

Hm. I was hoping to get MH4U but I'm not sure. At any rate, if I do hunt with you lot, expect any of my usual weapons - SnS, Hammer, Lance, Insect Glaive - and any sort of element or status, especially Poison or Paralysis. Actually, I missed out on MH3U, so I'm probably going to try out the Slime element too.

[Stove]

Feb 9, 2015 11:34:46 GMT Indigo said:

Monado horn

So I'm not the only one who thinks that.

[Deleted]

Going Magala hunting.

ID: 63-4194-8775-3804

Passcode: 0020

EDIT: Who is in my room right now?

[Indigo]

The ninja ofc

... Uh. What just happened?

[VerdantShade]

Did you guys actually put together an IRC channel, or perhaps use something like Skype or Steam Voice chat before trying to create an online room?

Edit:Monado Hunting Horn? The red one used in the demo? I've never really touched Hunting Horn.