More Chrono Trigger

So basically, I don't know what I was thinking, recommending the 6th battle in Black Omen over Geno Dome for XP grinding.  I've been doing it in Geno Dome this time, and it's so much faster that it's ridiculous.  I also got Magus his tech points there.

Geno Dome has always been the levelling spot of choice for speed runners, but I wasn't so sure because of the requirement for Robo to be in the party.  Once he's maxed and not gaining XP, it's technically a wasted party slot.  However, between his damage output and the low health amounts on the enemies, the XP rewards are high enough for it to not matter.  I guess I should have done the same thing the speed runners do, but... meh, whatever.

I've done the math, based on this table that shows how much XP is necessary to get from one level to the next, and it never takes more than seven runs through the conveyor belt battles to level up an in-party character.  Only levels 98 and 99 will take seven grinding runs, the rest will take six at most.  An out-of-party character will take at most nine grinding runs.  Once again, only levels 98 and 99 will take nine grinding runs, the rest will take eight at most.  I am, of course, rounding everything up to the next whole run, because you can't leave in the middle of it.  For programmers, this is the ceiling() function.

For kicks I compared this to the grinding run I used previously, just to further cement how bad it was.  Going from level 98 to level 99 with that method would take 25 grinding runs, and 34 for an out-of-party character.  See now how Geno Dome is faster, even once Robo is at 99?

I still personally believe that it's faster to level Marle and Lucca out-of-party, even though out-of-party characters only receive 75% of the XP that in-party characters receive.  The damage they deal with their regular attacks just isn't high enough, and would slow down the process if they're in the party.  I know Lucca has the WonderShot, which is capable of tripling her damage, but there's a reason why I call it the WonderShit: It hardly ever deals respectable damage.

I'm levelling Robo, Ayla, and Magus currently.  Magus is still catching up in level since I didn't grind his tech points using the DoomSickle and two dead party members like last time.  Ayla will most definitely get swapped out when she hits 99, just so I can bring in Crono.  Once it's down to just Marle and Lucca, I'll put together my highest physical damage party and let 'er roll.  I kind of wish I had three Berserkers so I wouldn't have to press any buttons at all.

Long story short, Ayla now has Bronze Fists.  I was actually confused at first because she reached 96 on the last conveyor belt battle and still had the Iron Fists, but fighting a single battle at level 96 causes the fists to change.  I believe this applies to all of her fist upgrades, including the two that don't change the name.  Just FYI, they happen every 24 levels and pretty much just exist to raise her critical hit rate.