Sword Art Online - Episode 16 Discussion / Poll

[LKK]

Kirito seemed to positively relish the freedom to kill players this time around.

I was a little doubtful about a new game set in a fairy world. Not because I don't like fairy lands, I do. But I was afraid this new game would be cutesy. However, I don't that's going to be something I'll have to worry about going forward.

[Jerseykid]

I've been in Kirito's position with bugged/hacked/cheated stats, this makes me feel all tingly!

Lets hope kirito's unique skill this time if there is one involves magic

I really enjoyed hearing more mmo jargon, we got away from that after awhile when the episodes blended into a reality

[MagicaLideaL]

I've been waiting for Kirito's action for 2 whole weeks and I guess he didn't disappoint me as a newbie. heh.

Agil mentioned that Alfheim Online emphasize on skills rather than levels. He also mentioned that this time around it does not have any sword skill but magic skill. So why bother having sword as the weapon when the player is not even having any sword skill.

[creb]

Originally Posted by MagicaLideaL

I've been waiting for Kirito's action for 2 whole weeks and I guess he didn't disappoint me as a newbie. heh.

Agil mentioned that Alfheim Online emphasize on skills rather than levels. He also mentioned that this time around it does not have any sword skill but magic skill. So why bother having sword as the weapon when the player is not even having any sword skill.

The impression I got was that sword "skills" may be gone, but that's just because you are 100% in control of your use of the sword, as opposed to how SAO fired off sword skills as you started them. So, having no "skills" doesn't mean you can't fire off a thousand-swords of doom or whatever. You just have to do it 100% yourself.

Magic skills exist, presumably, because there's no way to do magic on your own?

As I write this, I'm suddenly getting worried about incestous cousin girl. I'm wondering if her kendo match with Kirito was simply done to show us, "hey, in a game where you are 100% in control of your sword skills, incestous cousin girl is going to be awesome". Which means, now I'm starting to be scared that she really does show up in-game in this arc.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by MagicaLideaL

Agil mentioned that Alfheim Online emphasize on skills rather than levels. He also mentioned that this time around it does not have any sword skill but magic skill. So why bother having sword as the weapon when the player is not even having any sword skill.

Well, "sword skills" meaning like automatic combos. You use your own ability to swing the sword, so you can still use it as a weapon to cause damage. I imagine using magic probably has a skill cost and cooldown, so your mainstay would still be weapon attacks.

[ZGMF-X10A]

damn Kirito is so OP. wonder if he'll be able to use nitoryu again in this game. Also 6 days for him to beat the game before the wedding. Going to be interesting.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by ZGMF-X10A

Also 6 days for him to beat the game before the wedding. Going to be interesting.

Well, this is sort of a technicality, but I'm assuming you probably can't actually "beat" this game. The different races are competing against each other to get to the top of the World Tree, but even once one of the races wins, I imagine it could become a sort of castle defence proposition (where the other races are trying to take over).

Of course, for Kirito "beating the game" has a different definition, so your statement still applies.

Oh yeah:

Originally Posted by ZGMF-X10A

wonder if he'll be able to use nitoryu again in this game.

I think not (that skill was unavailable), because two-handed weapons (and having weapons in both hands) aren't practical in a game where you need one hand to fly.

[Awrya]

That extremely cool way of landing will surely set new anime standards
Seems like no matter which VRMMO, there exist the counterpart of SAO's The Army and Kirito killed one like a boss. Somewhat surprising, even if his skill levels are high, for an experienced/regular player to get owned just like that.

[Dengar]

Aura Yui so cute.

[ookamigirl]

Alfheim online - a new game...
That Kirito just can't learn his lesson on games.
Seems like Asuna's fiance is keeping her prisoner in another game.
It was really cool how he got Yui back ^^
So this game is practically a SAO copy.
Him keeping his stats is good 'cause he's probably gonna need them soon enough.
Looks like another adventure is about to begin!

[ZGMF-X10A]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Oh yeah:I think not (that skill was unavailable), because two-handed weapons aren't practical in a game where you need one hand to fly.

well flying and melee isn't practical anyways. If I could fly I'll rather be Nanoha (long-mid range magic) type then Fate (melee) type. Although I'm a huge Fate fan.

How do they even fly when u control the flying with the controller and hold a sword in the other. It seem like the girl with the sword wasn't even holding the controller when her sword was out. Recon the guy that died was holding the controller and a sword how does that work?

[creb]

Originally Posted by ZGMF-X10A

damn Kirito is so OP. wonder if he'll be able to use nitoryu again in this game. Also 6 days for him to beat the game before the wedding. Going to be interesting.

Well, they haven't established what it'll take to free Asuna. The OP seems to show a character that looks awfully lot like Heathcliff, but based on his closeness to a character introduced in this episode as presumably a good guy, I'm not sure if it is him, or what to make of it:



This seems to be this arc's Big Bad:



Presumably that is Asuna's deranged fiance?

If that really was "Heathcliff" in the first picture, does that mean he's going to side with Kirito against Glasses-Kun?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by ZGMF-X10A

How do they even fly when u control the flying with the controller and hold a sword in the other. It seem like the girl with the sword wasn't even holding the controller when her sword was out. Recon the guy that died was holding the controller and a sword how does that work?

Hmm... that's a good point. I wonder if the controllers is only for beginners, until they learn to control it using their minds or other means? You're right that Lyfa doesn't seem to be holding a controller, but Recon was, and he was in every way a n00b. Perhaps it'll be explained next week.

(Edit: Yeah, in that battle scene, everyone was holding a controller except her, so I imagine you can "graduate" from the controller, if your skills are a high enough level or so on. Lyfa does seem to be a lot more agile in the air than the rest of them are.

Edit 2: In the ground battle part, we see one of the fighters (the leader?) holding a shield in his left hand. It could be that the shield has the controller functions on it,or perhaps he too doesn't need a controller anymore.)

[SilverSyko]

ALfheim Online huh? So...why is this series called Sword Art Online when its not even involved in the series anymore?

World's a bit lamer than SAO IMO. Faeries aren't exactly what one would call "cool". I liked it a bit more when they were just regular human swordsmen. That said though, it does make me glad that there's actually player avatars this time around, which helps it feel more like a game. (What's even the difference between those 9 classes anyway? They're all faeries right? Seems to me like just alternate colors.)

So, considering how Kirito retained all his character data from SAO in this game, would that mean that anyone who played SAO would retain their data here as well since they run on the same server? (Btw, the scene where he was hesitating to delete his inventory was pretty amusing.)

Yui's back. Don't really care myself since she's going to be even more useless and annoyingly cutsey here than she was in SAO now that all she has is navigation purposes. She'll be SAO's equivalent of Navi.

This Lyfa chick seems alright though, even if she's obviously just going to be a replacement for the position of female lead until Asuna gets rescued. As much as I'd like her player to be male, that's probably not going to happen considering how this show seems to like continuously injecting estrogen into itself.

Not really a bad episode, but unfortunately my interest in this show is starting to wane thanks to it. Some of the interesting aspects are beginning to disappear. I'll probably watch it to the end anyway since I've come this far though.

[creb]

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

ALfheim Online huh? So...why is this series called Sword Art Online when its not even involved in the series anymore?

World's a bit lamer than SAO IMO. Faeries aren't exactly what one would call "cool". I liked it a bit more when they were just regular human swordsmen. That said though, it does make me glad that there's actually player avatars this time around, which helps it feel more like a game. (What's even the difference between those 9 classes anyway? They're all faeries right? Seems to me like just alternate colors.)

While it wasn't spelled out in this episode, I'm 95% certain that your "class" is like selecting a "race", and that the 9 classes are essentially 9 factions, ie: 9-faction world pvp.

I could be wrong, but that's the impression I got.

[busetgadapet]

decent episode though it only will be 10 eps long T.T

i hope there will be no more still shot in battle scene

what quite bother me in my mind is how that world tree doesnt looks like a tree at all ?
It looks like tornado cloud

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by creb

While it wasn't spelled out in this episode, I'm 95% certain that your "class" is like selecting a "race", and that the 9 classes are essentially 9 factions, ie: 9-faction world pvp.

I could be wrong, but that's the impression I got.

Yeah, that's what I thought too. They may have some small differences and advantages for each one, but the nine different factions are fighting against each other. So it's more like picking your allegiance/team. (And Kirito picked his team purely because they wore all black. )

[GDB]

Originally Posted by creb

While it wasn't spelled out in this episode

Seemed pretty spelled out to me. They called them races as far as I saw, not classes. And since Agil mentioned the races compete to the tree, it's pretty obvious that it implies factional warfare.

[Awrya]

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

ALfheim Online huh? So...why is this series called Sword Art Online when its not even involved in the series anymore?

Egil said that their 'fight' (SAO) hasn't ended yet, so it has some connection with Sword Art Online. Besides, if the name changed from Sword Art Online to Alfheim Online, it'd cause confusion for viewers.

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

World's a bit lamer than SAO IMO. Faeries aren't exactly what one would call "cool". I liked it a bit more when they were just regular human swordsmen. That said though, it does make me glad that there's actually player avatars this time around, which helps it feel more like a game. (What's even the difference between those 9 classes anyway? They're all faeries right? Seems to me like just alternate colors.)

Alfheim is the world inhabited by elves, while Midgard is the human world, they are part of the 9 worlds of Norse mythology.
Since it's called Alfheim, it makes sense the avatars are fairies.

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

Yui's back. Don't really care myself since she's going to be even more useless and annoyingly cutsey here than she was in SAO now that all she has is navigation purposes. She'll be SAO's equivalent of Navi.

Well, she said she's a navigation pixie in this game

[creb]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Hmm... that's a good point. I wonder if the controllers is only for beginners, until they learn to control it using their minds or other means? You're right that Lyfa doesn't seem to be holding a controller, but Recon was, and he was in every way a n00b. Perhaps it'll be explained next week.

(Edit: Yeah, in that battle scene, everyone was holding a controller except her, so I imagine you can "graduate" from the controller, if your skills are a high enough level or so on. Lyfa does seem to be a lot more agile in the air than the rest of them are.

Edit 2: In the ground battle part, we see one of the fighters (the leader?) holding a shield in his left hand. It could be that the shield has the controller functions on it,or perhaps he too doesn't need a controller anymore.)

The way Yui called it an assist-controller during her explanation of flying makes it sound like it's a noob-tool. Maybe it's like Aion, where noobs press the buttons on the GUI to fly, or something?

Also, Kirito is not using the controller to fly in the OP, as his hands are full dual wielding swords. So, presumably, he won't stay a noob for long!