THE iDOLM@STER 2 Gameplay Thread

[Cael K.]

となった。また、注目度が変化した"後"に減衰が起こっていた。
S→AとB→Cの時に減衰率の増加が激しく、A→Bでは抑え目になってる。
よって、
ファン人数が多くなる中盤以降からは減衰させないことを重視
ファン人数の多い地域は注目度を下げすぎない
注目度Bになってからライブ等で注目度回復させるのが効果的
S→Aの時も割と減衰するので、全体ライブでSをキープするとお得？
と言えるかと思う。

Don't know where you got this from, so I'm taking this out of context. Here's my best shot.

... Is how things go. However, even after your Awareness level for an area changes in any way, you'll still be hit with a decrease. (TL: Probably number of fans?)
When it changes from S->A, or B->C, the decrease is pretty harsh (and you will feel it if it keeps on), so try your best not to fall from A to B.　(TL: First time I've seen 抑え目, could've gotten the nuance wrong.)
So.
At around mid-game, when you've got a metric boatload of fans, absolutely do not let this happen. Just because you've got a lot of fans in an area doesn't mean you won't lose Awareness.
If you ever hit Lv. B, pump it back up with a Live or something.
The hit from S->A is stupid bad, but I think... full-member Live Stages (TL: 全体ライブ. Totally out of context, no idea what they're referring to. Guessing.) can keep this pegged at an S.
... Something like that.

100x more complex D: The original barely had any complexity to it at all...not like this.

It's just a bunch of small multipliers on top a base number. It looks complex, but it's actually simplicity in disguise, in my opinion.

I am interested in seeing exact numbers for how multipliers increase and decrease, though. In particular...
Rate of decrease (by hitting the appeal).
Rate of recovery (if you don't hit the appeal for a while).
Value multipliers are set to after a Memory or Burst Appeal.
Change of multiplier on Burst Appeal. (I think it's just 2x current.)
Percentage gain of Voltage

EDIT: Rule of thumb, by observation. On release, take 2 times your fans and add 10 times your high score (optionally, add like the 20% bonus from your fifth release or something). In four weeks, you will sell this many CDs, (near) worst case scenario.

EDIT 2: By the fifth week, sales stop. Look for keeps.

[Elixir]

So I guess my current playthrough is going to end in horrible failure. I'm image level 16, around week 35 or so. and am on my third song and I'm not even in the top 20 yet.

I think I'll just wait for someone who knows what they're doing to upload.

At least I probably won't see hell training this time... but it's not like I will be able to make any fans.

[KIRBYSIM]

So I guess my current playthrough is going to end in horrible failure. I'm image level 16, around week 35 or so. and am on my third song and I'm not even in the top 20 yet.

I think I'll just wait for someone who knows what they're doing to upload.

At least I probably won't see hell training this time... but it's not like I will be able to make any fans.

Oh yeah, very important thing that the game doesn't tell you up-front:

You unlock harder sets of Auditions/Fes/Lives/Promotions etc by ranking in within top 50, and subsequently ranking in within 20.

So if you're looking to get the true ending, the easiest way is to get within top 20 before you even face RK (I did it on the 8th week on my 2nd playthrough). It's possible to get within top 20 by the 6th week at the earliest (basically the VERY FIRST TIME you see Dotop TV).

As the weeks go by it's harder to unlock the 20th-rank-and-above set of Audition/etc, so try and get this done as early as possible.

But even if you don't manage to do so, if you plan well you can still win the IA grand prix award as well as some, if not all, of the special category awards. Once you get within top 20, it's very easy to meet the 300,000 fans requirement for the grand prix award. It's the individual special category awards that'll really kill you (all 5 of them).

On my first playthrough, I realised in the best case scenario I could only get IA grand prix + 4 out of 5 special category awards. And this even though I made a number of scheduling mistakes like focusing on Revive when I should have been trying for Keeps to hit top 20 as soon as possible.

So I went for the Utahime Fes in the capital area so as to get the special NamKyara mascot, and walked away with IA grand prix + 2 out of 5 special category awards for a Good ending. Difference between Good and True ending is that in the True ending you get one more cutscene.

[hamuzou961]

man i got licked by RK the first time and barely beat them the second time. hopefully things go better on my second play through now that i have a better idea of the game system.

[Elixir]

Oh yeah, very important thing that the game doesn't tell you up-front:

You unlock harder sets of Auditions/Fes/Lives/Promotions etc by ranking in within top 50, and subsequently ranking in within 20.

So if you're looking to get the true ending, the easiest way is to get within top 20 before you even face RK (I did it on the 8th week on my 2nd playthrough). It's possible to get within top 20 by the 6th week at the earliest (basically the VERY FIRST TIME you see Dotop TV).

As the weeks go by it's harder to unlock the 20th-rank-and-above set of Audition/etc, so try and get this done as early as possible.

But even if you don't manage to do so, if you plan well you can still win the IA grand prix award as well as some, if not all, of the special category awards. Once you get within top 20, it's very easy to meet the 300,000 fans requirement for the grand prix award. It's the individual special category awards that'll really kill you (all 5 of them).

On my first playthrough, I realised in the best case scenario I could only get IA grand prix + 4 out of 5 special category awards. And this even though I made a number of scheduling mistakes like focusing on Revive when I should have been trying for Keeps to hit top 20 as soon as possible.

So I went for the Utahime Fes in the capital area so as to get the special NamKyara mascot, and walked away with IA grand prix + 2 out of 5 special category awards for a Good ending. Difference between Good and True ending is that in the True ending you get one more cutscene.

How did you even manage getting in before RK? Is it mostly a combination of bought items for stat boosts from the previous run, or something else?

[KIRBYSIM]

How did you even manage getting in before RK? Is it mostly a combination of bought items for stat boosts from the previous run, or something else?

You need one of those super amulets that lowers the 興味rate (中) for two stats.

When you make your debut in the audition on the third week, equip stuff that focuses on those two stats. At the beginning of the audition, fire your memory appeal, make one of the two stats 1.50 (Dance appeals increase voltage for Visual, Visual increases for Vocal, and Vocal for Dance), and concentrate on that stat until you you hit Burst.

For your Burst Appeal make sure you use a character who gives you 1.30 (or at least, 1.19) for your SECOND stat (i.e. Visual if your amulet lowers the kyoumi rate for Dance and Visual, Vocal if it's Visual and Vocal, Dance if it's Vocal and Dance). Pump the rate up from 1.30/1.19 to 1.50, focus on that stat until burst, rinse and repeat.

You should be able to get about 20,000 points using this method.

Anyway, after the debut audition, do the following:
Week 4: Paid Promotion + Lesson
Week 5: Paid Promotion + Lesson
Week 6: Audition/Live on the area you went to for Paid Promotion in week 4 (to try and get two pink Awareness areas and a better high score - over 30,000 if you want to get into top 20 right away; I got 25,000).

You should get into the top 50 AT LEAST in Week 6. Actually the wiki states that it's possible to get within top 20 right away either on Week 6 or 7, but I didn't manage to pull it off

Week 7: Live to try and for a Keep; if possible pick an audition area with reporter 小柴 徹. This provides a boost for lesson results.
Week 8: Lesson + Super Lesson
Week 9: Lesson + Super Lesson
Week 10: Vs RK, 小柴 徹 leaves at the end of the week

Because I didn't get into Top 20 right away, I did Lives during Week 7 and 8, and got into top 20 in the 8th week.

Source: http://www44.atwiki.jp/idolmasterim2/pages/40.html

[hamuzou961]

does it take a few weeks for your newest single to show up on the charts? also, i have trouble getting the Revival bonus becuase I cant change my song during auditions.

[KIRBYSIM]

does it take a few weeks for your newest single to show up on the charts? also, i have trouble getting the Revival bonus becuase I cant change my song during auditions.

4 weeks after announcing it.

I had that problem too. Try doing a Live/Fes first to change it to the one you want.

Not confirmed, but I think maybe local auditions don't allow you to change it, but national does. Give it a shot and see if it works.

Edit: okay, it looks like you can't change songs in Auditions/Live/Fes the moment you announce a new single. You're stuck with it until after it's released.

*****

I just managed to get a Revival for the first time ever (unlike what I previously thought, they do properly indicate that it's a Revival), halfway through my second playthrough. So it's definitely tough. It happened only after I did the song in auditions two weeks in a row - maybe the lucky stars are accumulative.

Also, make sure you equip items accordingly. Equip a set to increase chances of lucky stars appearing. Equip your best items if you're going for hi-score.

[Sakura]

So I guess my current playthrough is going to end in horrible failure. I'm image level 16, around week 35 or so. and am on my third song and I'm not even in the top 20 yet.

Keep in mind your 4th song will sell better than your 3rd and your 5th will sell better than your 4th. Even if you aren't there yet, you could do it.

[Elixir]

Oh man, I barely won that National, the appeal saved me at the end (I was 3/100 n the second-to-last note).

Would it not be wise to cram National auditions (just like the original game) in the 4 weeks of a new song?

You need one of those super amulets that lowers the 興味rate (中) for two stats.

What was the name of the amulet? I'll probably aim for collecting them all.

Also, is FIRE BALL a rigged match? I'm really having issues with it, even with image level 16.

[meltdowner]

Also, is FIRE BALL a rigged match? I'm really having issues with it, even with image level 16.

I just beat it with image level 12. The amulets that decrease the 興味rate for two stats (にくワン and リンカモ) really, really help. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to break top 10. The ranking system is hard to get used to.

[Elixir]

I just beat it with image level 12. The amulets that decrease the 興味rate for two stats (にくワン and リンカモ) really, really help. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to break top 10. The ranking system is hard to get used to.

I literally JUST beat them, 30904 vs. 29700, buuuuuuuuut I actually think losing to them is a GOOD idea, because then the game will loop week 53 again, forcing you to do hell training, which adds to lessons. So, basically, I don't need to grind to image level 16 like I did, as it's possible to reach image level 16 by forcing the game to loop.

It's seriously broken, but whatever, I'm not complaining.

By the way, I was using amulet Pizzaman suggested, which wasn't all that useful here.

[airgeneralpong]

Can anyone please tell me, I have some questions;
1) How can I unlock Ryugu Komachi clothes and Ritsuko?
2) How many clothes shops are there, and how to unlock those shops?
3) How can I gain the other rewards from Idol Academy?
4) Is there a way to edit the song singing in S4U mode similar to L4U ?
Thank you.

[KIRBYSIM]

I literally JUST beat them, 30904 vs. 29700, buuuuuuuuut I actually think losing to them is a GOOD idea, because then the game will loop week 53 again, forcing you to do hell training, which adds to lessons. So, basically, I don't need to grind to image level 16 like I did, as it's possible to reach image level 16 by forcing the game to loop.

It's seriously broken, but whatever, I'm not complaining.

By the way, I was using amulet Pizzaman suggested, which wasn't all that useful here.

Why do you need Lv 16 though? You can get an A with Lv 14 (which is what I did on my second playthrough, which I finished with AASSS, overall producer ranking S).

The thing about looping is that the game tracks the number of times this happens. 0 times = S, 1 time = A, etc. It's one of the five criteria when evaluating your Producer Rank.

Those three amulets, にくワン, リンカモ and あわんこ, are seriously the best amulets in the game. The strategy I use in general is to train my unit in ONLY the 2 stats that correspond to the amulet, and equip clothes and songs that only boost those two parameters; with an emphasis on the second parameter.

In the case of あわんこ which affects the Vocal and Dance parameters, this means getting your Dance parameter as high as possible, and then get Vocal up a decent amount. When in Audition/Fes/Live, start with a memory appeal to get every parameter's rate to 1.10, and then do a couple of Vocal appeals to get Dance to maybe 1.30 there around (you don't want to spend too much time doing Voice Appeals, as Dance appeals are your primary weapon). Then just keep doing Dance appeals until Burst Appeal is available, and use a character whose burst appeal mode mostly corresponds to the parameter you didn't pump!

Burst appeals ignore your parameters and give you Unity X 興味rate. So if your strongest parameter is Dance, and you've been doing Dance appeals the whole time, your Visual interest rate will be at 1.50 - which you can cash in with a character that gives you 5 or 6 burst appeals with that genre. Miki gives you 5 Visual, Chihaya gives you 6 Vocal, Yukiho gives you 6 Dance, and Mami gives you 5 Dance bursts.

Then after a burst appeal, use a memory appeal to get everything back to 1.10, rinse and repeat.

Refer to the table here for more info: http://www44.atwiki.jp/idolmasterim2/pages/34.html

With that strategy, in general I only need to use 2 memory appeals per audition/live/fes. To get a good high score, when you fill your voltage gauge for a second time, do not burst appeal yet. Save it for near the end of the song and burst at the last few appeal chances.

The aforementioned strategy mostly works for Live and Auditions, not so much for Fes. But if your parameter is high enough, you can just keep doing appeals of one genre and get like 300+ score per appeal. That was what I did and, at lv 14, and even though I let Jupiter burst twice (or was it once, can't remember), I still beat them by a couple thousand points without even using up all my memory appeals.

[Elixir]

Why do you need Lv 16 though? You can get an A with Lv 14 (which is what I did on my second playthrough, which I finished with AASSS, overall producer ranking S).

The thing about looping is that the game tracks the number of times this happens. 0 times = S, 1 time = A, etc. It's one of the five criteria when evaluating your Producer Rank.

Because I listen to 2ch trolls!!

I'll try your beginning strategy this time.. I really don't understand how people are expected to beat this game without resorting to a guide.

I didn't realize it kept track of the looping.. not surprised.