Jagged Jagen

Not sure if it is true. If it is, it assuages a lot of my concerns about the tone, but poor maps again is a big letdown. Honestly, I'd love to see one more game with maps as tight as RD. I thought Conquest came really close at time (especially Chapter 10, one of the best chapters in the franchise), but overly-gimmicky maps such as Ninja Hell, Kistune Hell, Fuga's Wild Ride and Endgame hold it back for me. Not to say RD didn't have the odd subpar map (Swamps and Bridges spring to mind), but I love most of them.

Above all else, genuinely great maps. I don't love the tone thus far, but great maps would go a long way. More than anything, I want maps that have more objectives than rout and kill commander, but make gimmicks feel special, so that the learning curve of the maps seems best (i.e. mastery of stage 10s mechanics goes a long way in stage 15). I could also do with more commoners (going with Golden Deer for this reason), and for reclassing decisions to actively effect narrative (a person who loves pegasi, has trained with them all their life, etc. should not be suiting up as a mage. It needs to feel natural).

The Maps!!! I do not like the toneshown thus far, not digging the over emphasis on the school for mechanics. I need great maps. So far, the maps shown look like massive, open, chokepointless rout fests (barring a bridge).

Maeda isn't? Who is?

Am now... :/

So, I was rewatching the Three Houses trailer and I saw what looked like a Turnwheel on the map of Fodlan (or maybe it was a compass) in the lower left hand corner. Do you think we will see it return? Personally, I hope so. I was skeptical of it but found myself really liking the mechanic as it saved time without mitigating the challenge. It was a godsend in some of Echoes' more egregiously brutal maps (Nuibaba's Abode, I'm looking at you). That being said, there may have been a slight bit too many cogs and I would've liked RNG results to be fixed so I could strstegize around instead of just hoping I'd be lucky. Ultimately, I really did like the mechanic though and hope it would find a way in Three Houses with some nsrrstive significance (Call it Gift of Seiros or somrthing). Thoughts?

Fair enough. Never quite thought of it that way

Fair, but still, things such as the functionality of the emblem and Tiki being the last of the Divine Dragons have been heavily retconned.

Depends on the fanservice you are talking about. Starting with fanservice as servicing the fans, I believe that it is ok in moderation but games need to stand on their own. For crossovers such as Heroes and Warriors, it is expected that there will be lots of love for countless characters, settings and eras of Fire Emblem. For main series, not so much. Echoes and Binding Blade are minor offenders of this. Echoes' chapter 6 did help improve Awakening's lore, but it also prevented the game from fully standing on its own (barring the excused SD characters as Gaiden was a midquel). Binding Blade stands on its own mostly, but rides the coattails of the Akaneian saga a bit too much. Awakening is a complicated subject here. Awakening is full of references and they mostly work, but some (such as setting the game in Akaneia) defy pre-established canon and only serve to just say "hey, member FE..." This is mostly excused as it was intended as a final installment. Fates rides a bit too heavily on fanservice with the Awakening trios. It was excusesable in Echoes/Gaiden as that was set in the same timeline as FE1. In here, it frankly feels forced just because of the popularity of the trios in Awakening, and (for me at least) it prevented Fates from truly standing on its own. As for the other type of fanservice, again it depends. It makes sense for a dancer to dress skimpy. Zettai Ryouki has been a staple of Pegasus Knights from the beginning, exposed legs are common among warriors, hell I'll even accept dark mages wearing skimpy clothes due to the conditions of the desert. The first area fanservice becomes problamatic is where it doesn't belong? Thong Knights? Thong Cavaliers? Why... that is completely impractical and not remotely attractive on the low res 3ds models. A bizzare choice all around. Then there are characters such as Camilla and Charlotte where they put too much focus on the fanservice. Some in this thread have said that Camilla is wearing this to seduce Corrin but they are Camilla's adopted siblings! Raised from birth! A really odd choice all around that I would argue harms a potentially compelling character. For all of Tharja's faults they seemed to focus a bit less on the fanservice aspect of her (at least at first). Finally, there are those that step over the line entirely in my eyes. Nowi, Bride Sanaki, Hot Springs Elise, Hot Springs Sakura, etc... It is too much and still makes me uncomfortable, even with Treehouses attempted fixes.

Thanks. :)

I recently posted a thread about Three Houses with a poll discussing the implementation of various mechanics, both new and old after changes made to many in Echoes (i.e. Support convos, permadeath, voice acting). That got me thinking about permadeath and difficulty and how they could be implemented, including incentives. I posted here to debate the merits of such incentives, as I believe it lead itself better to discuss here than in the Three Houses thread.

I said in my opinion, I see nothing wrong. I am not looking for agreement, in fact, many of the dissenting replies have raised incredibly good points I did not take into account such as the potential imbalances of additional EXP and some of the ways prior installments did implement bonuses and the positives and negatives therein (i.e. I feel that locking story content behind difficulty should not be done.) Now, as for the reasoning behind this thread, I wanted to discuss the merits and drawbacks of incentivizing harder modes, drawing comparisons to other games that do so. I feel that we should be allowed to discuss the merits of game design, replayability, incentivization and the choices made. It is also not a concept Nintendo is adverse to, having released the BOTW Master mode DLC to great success, that helped make the game replayable and provide both challenge and incentive. If this is not genuine enough for you than so be it, feel free to lock the thread. I have made my point, I have heard many great counter points, so be it.

Fair point on the playstyle part. I agree higher risk should lead to higher reward. Fair enough. You bring up a good point on the power creep that can result from giving extra items and exp making the game ultimately easier. I was viewing it more as levelling the playing field on online play as those (particularly ones who do not grind/reset) would be at an inherent disadvantage, but it does run the risk of breaking the single player experience. I will be the first to admit that the drops in Bethesda games can be too good at points, leading to an easier experience than anticipated. I liked how Awakening handled Reknown and would love to see a merger of that system with old-school ranked play. Difficulty Incetives do not equate to easy mode mockery. FE warriors can still be enjoyed on lower difficulty levels, Forza and Forza Horizon are perfectly fun experiences regardless of difficulty, I've played Bethesda games since I was a young inexperienced kid who had never touched an Action RPG and I had just as much fun then as I do now, Smash Bros. rewards playing hard versions of Classic and is still one of Nintendo's most beloved and accessible series, Kid Icarus Uprising also incentivized hard play perfectly. IMO there is nothing wrong incentivizing tougher play, it even adds replay value. It is only when things get out of balance when it is an issue. It is not "telling people how to play" either, it is simply rewarding those who take a challenge and incentivizing future play amongst newcomers. Sorry about the title confusion. You bring up a similar point about difficulty as Ertrick, and I ultimately agree that too many EXP incentives would make the game easier. I viewed it more as balancing multiplayer as those who do not reset would be at a disadvantage, a major reason why I also advocate for fixed unit multiplayer. I also agree that we should recommend (but not force) Classic as it is a part of series history. Good points all around. I ultimately think all levels should be unlocked for all, but I like how extra bonuses and difficult modes were given as rewards.

After the map. I could have worded it better.

Fire Emblem Warriors dishes out additional in-game funds to those who play on hard. Heroes gives out an extra orb for each harder level played. In Forza, the higher the difficulty, the higher the payout. In Bethesda games, enemeies drop better loot on higher difficulties. Should the main line series start to incentivize playing with Classic/on Higher Difficulties. Personally, I think they should. It requires a lot of time and patience and incentives would be nice. Maybe a bit more gold, an extra endgame weapon, a bit of extra BXP, an extra cog in the turnwheel (if it comes back), a silver card, a few more buried items, etc. Maybe even an extra challenge level or character but that may be a bit far? Little treats should be given above all, not half the game or some crud like that. It is especially important if multiplayer is back without standardised units as those who play classic (especially without resetting) will likely be at a disadvantage. Thoughts?

Permadeath: My Guess: Casual + Classic My Hope: Ironman/No Reset mode added Squads: My Guess: Replenished on certain tiles. My Hope: Replenished on certain tiles at cost. Multiplayer: My Guess: Fates Style My Hope: Variety of modes. Would love for a battle with pre-determined units so people who lose units are not at an online disadvantage Supports: My Guess: C-S + Children My Hope: C-S + Canon pairings Voice Acting: My Guess: Almost entirely voice acted My Hope: Same. I want supports to be fully voiced too. One other I couldn't fit on Poll Grinding: My Guess: DLC, Open Skirmishes My Hope: BEXP, Training with Byleth. Linear game.

My brief on the bus analysis of mechanics. Thank god durability is back. https://imgur.com/a/j5ZfrCv

Sorry yes, this was the picture

Submitted a picture but it has been proven to be from another game. Please disregard

Yeah, unfortunately. They almost went up to 100, but thankfully the dollar stabilized.

To play devils advocate here, games are becoming more expensive nowadays. In my country, Warriors is already 80 dollars, and dlc costs about the base of the game on top (typically, not always). 160 dollars is a lot of money, and for a crossover type game where the appeal is the cast of characters, a subpar cast is more than a valid reason to reconsider. Also, characters from other games are not guaranteed i n the sequel, and even if they were, that's another 80 on top. Now I will admit it's a tad petty to reject based on one character, but for many it's not ex. No Ninian, no buy, it's No Ninian, Ike, Lyn, Sigurd, etc. If they choose not to support the game, that's there choice. They have no obligation to do so, just so they get the chance at what they felt should have been in the game in the first place.

It gets a 5 from me. PROS: The character artwork is far better than anticipated, and fanservice (in a sexual sense) is kept to a minimum. The game is free, and handled better in some aspects compared to other F2P games. Graphics are good. Voice Acting is strong around the board. The games difficulty does rise later on. The cast while biased in favour of newer games + Akaneia does feature a good assortment of Elibe characters. As annoying as I may find 2 range exclusive mages, it is a good idea for balance. CONS: The game lacks optional permadeath, meaning it feels watered down. Worse yet, those who want to play with the Reset!permadeath mindset are faced with increasingly higher stamina rates. Stamina stays stagnant. Maps are simple and lack any objective variety. Makes Awakening look like Thracia. No items, weapons tied to skills. No inventory management. No weapon durability or drawbacks. Bland story and characters

Good points all around, thanks for the answers.

Hi guys, so for those who have never played Gaiden/are unaware of the story, I recommend you leave this thread and go about your day, as there may be minor spoilers. Anyhow, moving on, as some of you may recall, Gaiden, as a side story to the original Shadow Dragon, featured a few characters from that game. Namely, the white wings and Camus under the guise of Zeke. Do you think these characters will be kept in Gaiden, or do you think due to the subpar sales of SD they may be replaced with characters such as the Awakening trio, replaced all together, or simply omitted from the game.