Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Digimon Heroes Adopts New Name Translations, Drops Dub Name Support

January 27th, 2016. This morning the English translation of Digimon Crusader, Digimon Heroes, launched worldwide on both Android and iOS platforms. In a surprise move, the app abandons many of the conventional English names for various Digimon, ditching many older names in favor of direct translations from Japanese. For example, Pegasusmon is now called Pegasmon, Armageddemon is now called Armagemon, and DemiDevimon is now called Picodevimon. Armor Digi-Eggs now go by their original Japanese names, Digimentals.

Although for many years Digimon has had strong advocates of adopting the Asian-English names used by Bandai of Japan in the Digimon Reference Book and merchandise, these names are not exactly the same as those used in Japan. For example, "Picodevimon" is normally parsed as "Pico Devimon." Some anomalies also remain in the translation, with the app using "Digifuse" (a dub name for DigiXros) for what Crusader just called "strengthen."

Players in Digimon Heroes take on the role of a Digimon tamer called to File Island by Angewomon to save it from Armagemon. In-game the player battles by matching cards of different colors, which power up Digimon of the same color.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Win Free Entry to Digimon Celebration

January 26th, 2016. Digimon World Tour updated the Pittsburgh Digimon Celebration Facebook page today, offering one lucky fan free entry to the Celebration on February 6th. Fans can enter to win by making the above image their cover photo on Facebook and commenting in World Tour's post about what they're most excited for at the event. The winner will be chosen Friday.

Digimon Celebration will take place at the Victory Pointe gaming lounge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 6th, 2016. Tamer Union will be traveling to provide on-site coverage of the event. The event is being organized through Facebook, and currently 68 persons have committed to going. 157 others are "interested," and 336 invited. In addition to the gaming and cosplay events that day, the Celebration will feature artist duo Ramen Bento as a vendor, selling Digimon plush toys, stickers, and magnets. Up until February 3rd, fans can purchase commemorative Digimon Celebration T-shirts from Redbubble, and those that arrive wearing one will be awarded 200 DigiDollars just for attending.

1999 Metal Etemon Giveaway Flyer Scans

On February 23rd, 1999, Shueisha published its official Digimon World guide, the pages of which contained the only known method of raising Metal Etemon. Earlier this year we took apart many of the rumors surrounding Metal Etemon, a Digimon programmed into the game but which can't be obtained without the use of cheat codes. The truth of the matter is that Metal Etemon's evolution item, the Metal Banana, was only obtainable through a giveaway on page 134 of this Digital World Guide, published under Shueisha's V Jump Books imprint.

According to the flyer, 50 participants were selected to be mailed a memory card containing the Metal Banana data. Fans participated by mailing in a "Metal Etemon Present Application Ticket" (seen in the top left corner of the page) along with their answer to a quiz from the page written on their postcard. The quiz question is as follows;
Metal Etemon Data Present Quiz
On the surface of book's outside cover binding is a "Digimon Life Theater," how many Digimon are there in all? From among the following 3 answers, choose 1 and write it on your postcard!
A. 30 kinds
B. 40 kinds
C. 57 kinds
(First, look closely at the cover's "Digimon Life Theater." Then, count the number of Digimon in the "Digimon Life Theater." There are small Digimon too, so don't overlook any. Once you know the answer, write either A, B, or C on your postcard. After that mail your postcard along with your application coupon to the below address. [Hint: The number of Digimon is "Bigger than 50 but smaller than 58!"]
The quiz is referring to a set of monochrome stickers beneath the book's jacket, attached to the binding. Metal Etemon himself appears on the giveaway page, inviting tamers to "Run wild with me through Digimon World!" and saying further down that he'll be waiting for fans' many submissions. The contest ran for just one month, ending on March 31st, 1999. Metal Etemon does not appear in the guide's list of Digimon or their stats, but the strategy guide did include a brief profile of him;
Metal Etemon Profile
A cyborg-type Digimon which debuted in Digimon Pendulum Nature Spirits. They are a powered-up version of Metal Etemon called the "King of Digimon." On a journey of rigorous battle, they acquired combat data, new finishing moves, and weapons to face formidable opponents.
The powered-up "King of Digimon" appears in your own Digimon World!

Online Koromon Evolves to Agumon

January 26th, 2016. Just an hour after we reported that Bandai's online virtual pet had evolved to Koromon, the Digimon crossed over the 8000 tweet threshold necessary evolve to its Child stage, Agumon. This has unlocked the next reward tier for Digimon World -next 0rder- and Linkz; every time the Digimon evolves, fans are rewarded for participating in the event by earning additional in-game Chain Melons (for -next 0rder-) and Digistones (for Linkz).

As of now Agumon has accrued a cumulative 8,964 tweets, and will evolve to Adult at the 12,000 mark. The current total number of rewards being given is three total Chain Melons and seven total Digistones. At the Adult level, fans will earn one additional Chain Melon and eight additional Digistones.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan March 17th, 2016, on the PlayStation Vita. Digimon Linkz will launch in 2016, on Android and iOS.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Mikagura Mirei Returns For Digimon World -next 0rder-

January 25th, 2016. Japanese Digimon fan @freedommon tweeted an image from Thursday's issue of Weekly Shounen Jump magazine, revealing that Mikagura Mirei of Digimon World Re:Digitize and Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth will also be making an appearance in the upcoming Digimon World -next 0rder-. Mirei's most recent appearance in Cyber Sleuth was as the attendant to the DigiLab, assisting the player in that game by helping coordinate certain quests and advising them in raising Digimon. Mirei's role in -next 0rder- remains enigmatic, but the issue states that she appears before the protagonists to advise them.

The issue of Weekly Shounen Jump also features Kuzuhamon as a key character, one of two Digimon seen accompanying Tsuzuki Shouma in the most recent trailer.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan March 17th, 2016, on the PlayStation Vita for 6,980 yen (7,539 JPY after tax). It is the latest entry in the World series, succeeding directly from Re:Digitize Decode on the 3DS, Re:Digitize on the PSP, and World on the PSX. Those that preorder the game will get access to five special DLC Digimon, a remastered copy of the 1999 Digimon World soundtrack, and two original Vita themes, "ver. Nostalgic" and "ver. Dot." Theme ver. Dot features a montage of original Digimon LCD sprites, while theme ver. Nostalgic turns the screen into the layout of a Digital Monster virtual pet.

Online Botamon Evolves to Koromon

January 25th, 2016. Early this morning Bandai's online virtual pet evolved to the Baby II stage, having well exceeded the 3500 care milestone needed for evolution. This unlocked the next tier of rewards for Digimon World -next 0rder- and Linkz, an additional Chain Melon and two Digistones. The Digimon was put up online on the 21st as a Digitama, and hatched into Botamon within 24 hours of going up. Fans around the world are caring for the Digimon using the page's "care" command, which creates a premade tweet for them to share on Twitter.

Currently the counter is at 7314; at 8000 Koromon will evolve to his Child stage. The next tier of rewards is one more Chain Melon and three more Digistones, items which are used to respectively extend a Digimon's lifespan in -next 0rder- and replenish its stamina in Linkz.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan March 17th, 2016, on the PlayStation Vita. Digimon Linkz will launch in 2016, on Android and iOS.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Leaked Tech Chart for Digimon World -next 0rder-, Other Gameplay Mechanics

January 21st's preview video and livestream for Digimon World -next 0rder- brought with it a number of reveals, among them a huge number of gameplay mechanics that were not previously covered in any detail. The most dramatic reveal by far is that of the tech and type system. Like in the original Digimon World, the Digimon in -next 0rder- all have at least one type that reflects what kind of techniques they can learn from battle. But unlike the first game where Digimon could have up to three types at once, in -next 0rder- Digimon have a maximum of two types.

For example, in the above screenshot Paildramon is Battle-type and has no secondary typing, so his second box is empty. There are nine types in total, which include the original seven (Fire, Ice, Air, Plant, Battle, Mech, and Filth) plus the two introduced by Re:Digitize (Light and Dark). Waru Seadramon has a second type not seen on the in-game chart below. What this means is unknown; the chart from the PV shows that Waru Seadramon can use all seven Dark techs, as well as Air 2-4 and 5-6.

Left to right: Fire, Water/Ice, Air, Plant, Dark, Light, Battle, Mech, and Filth.
There are seven techs of each type, with many of them being returning moves from the first game. Heat Breath is similar to the Fire Breath tech from Re:Digitize, while Fire Wall, Flame Storm, Roots Bind,  Electric Shoot, Wing Shoes, Dark Spirit, and Mach Jab are all returning from that game. These techs even share the same ranks as their Re: counterparts.

Techs (exact order unknown)
Fire: Heat Breath (Rank 1), Flame Storm, Inferno, Fire Wall, Fire Tower, Magma Bomb
Ice: Bubble Breath (Rank 1)
Plant: Roots Bind
Air: Electric Shoot (Air 1), Wing Shoes (Air 2), Elec Cloud, Wind Cutter
Dark: Dark Spirit, Blackout, Nightmare
Light: Saint Ray
Battle: Mach Jab, Spin Attack, Buster Dive
The Dark and Light attributes in Re:Digitize only comprise three techs each, while in -next 0rder- they cover seven. In addition to those listed above, a tech resembling Meltdown was seen used by Imperialdramon in the Jump Festa trailer. The stats for several techs were also leaked by the preview video:
Dark Spirit (Dark)
Power 30 MP 42
Range C

Wind Cutter (Air)
Power 200 MP 135
Range D

Chaos Cloud (Dark)
Power 300 MP 248
Range D
Added status: Confusion

Shadow Fall (Dark)
Power 330 MP 200
Range A
Bubble Breath (Ice)
Power 90 MP 18
Range D
Added status: Slow

Heat Breath (Fire)
Power 156 MP 25
Range D

Electric Shoot (Air)
Power 110 MP 23
Range C
Added status: Stun

Wing Shoes (Air)
Power 0 MP 60
Range B
Like in Digimon World, finishing moves are also categorized as a type of tech, though they are not transferable between Digimon. Waru Seadramon's is Evil Icicle:
Evil Icicle (Dark)
Power 2150 MP None
Range S
Other finishing moves include Dark Gaia Force (Black War Greymon), Rock Damashii (Shoutmon), and Fire Vortex (Gumdramon).

The game's evolution parameters were also briefly shown in the trailer. Evolution is affected by core stats (HP, MP, Attack, Defense, Brains, Speed), Weight, Care Mistakes, Bond (キズナ Kizuna), Discipline, Battle Victories, and Key Digimon. "Key Digimon" has not been explained in any of the game's press releases, but it may mean that the other partner Digimon can be a condition for evolution. In addition to these stats, Digimon have Age, reflecting how many in-game days old they are.

The cap for HP and MP seems to be five digits, 99999, but the highest seen at any time is 8983. In addition to their battle stats, Digimon have Happiness, Discipline, Virus, and Tiredness stats; these stats were all present in the original Digimon World, but Tiredness was invisible in that game and only made apparent when a Digimon revealed a sweatdrop. It's likely that Virus once again increases as a result of pooping outside of a toilet, and like in past games, maxing out the Virus gauge at around ~16 poops will cause a Digimon to evolve into Scumon.

The Bond stat displays how close the player is to their Left and Right Digimon, as well as how close those Digimon are to one another. In this screenshot, Takuto has a bond of 67 to V-mon, 81 to Yuki Agumon, and V-mon and Yuki Agumon have a bond to one another of 38. Based on what's been said about EXEvolution, it seems like the bond stat has to be strong between all three of them for EXEvolution to be possible. The cap for Bond is in the three digit range.

In battle the square button allows the player change their strategy, spending Order Power to issue new orders to their Digimon. Triangle lets them use recovery items like in the original Digimon World, and L and R shift whether the camera focuses on the L Digimon or the R Digimon. Circle causes the player to cheer, which increases their Order Power, building up towards being able to spend the OP on strategies. Issuing orders brings up a circular menu in which the player chooses which techniques they want the Digimon to use; the menu remains open for just 5 seconds. In addition to techs, the player can issue some special orders like "MP Regeneration" that give the Digimon a passive effect, and spend OP on using their Digimon's finishing move.

How many Order Points a tech costs to order is relative to its power. For example, Fire Tower costs 40 OP to order, while Fire Wall costs just 20. One change from past games seen in the stream is that all HP recovery items now automatically revive Digimon that are knocked out, and they seem to work on both Digimon simultaneously.

Tamer Level in this game affects which Tamer Skills the player has access to, which are divided into Basic Skills, Trainer Skills, Survivor Skills, and Commander Skills. These are further divided into subcategories; Survivor Skills include the Finder category (influences fishing and rare item drops), Extraction (material collection from spawn points), Camper (cooking), and Worker. To learn a skill, the player spends Tamer Points to purchase it in a menu. There are 71 Tamer Skills to learn in all, and the player increases their Tamer Level with experience points earned from various activities, gaining TP as they level up.

In this screen, the top option is "Praise," the second one is "Scold," and the third is "Let them be." Praise increases Happiness at the expense of Discipline, while Scold does the reverse. In previous games, if a Digimon was scolded after refusing to take an item, both their Happiness and Discipline would increase.

Digimon in -next 0rder- can detect items and enemies in the field, and will alert the player with messages like "I smell something good nearby!" or "A strong enemy is approaching!"

The town of Flowtier.
The destroyed Village of Beginnings/File City has been rebuilt in -next 0rder- as the town of Flowtier (フローティアFurootia). Flowtier is divided into six districts, and materials can be used at the village to upgrade the facilities of each district. For example, to upgrade Jijimon's house in the Central District from level 1 to 2 the player needs 30 Strong DigiWater, 30 DigiSand, and 20 DigiBamboo.

Finally, when pooping a shutter covers the screen as it did in Re:Digitize and Decode.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan March 17th, 2016, on the PlayStation Vita for 6,980 yen (7,539 JPY after tax). It is the latest entry in the World series, succeeding directly from Re:Digitize Decode on the 3DS, Re:Digitize on the PSP, and World on the PSX. Those that preorder the game will get access to five special DLC Digimon, a remastered copy of the 1999 Digimon World soundtrack, and two original Vita themes, "ver. Nostalgic" and "ver. Dot." Theme ver. Dot features a montage of original Digimon LCD sprites, while theme ver. Nostalgic turns the screen into the layout of a Digital Monster virtual pet.