Martin

@nyainou Well, I personally find it better than just calling him "black" considering that most tanned FE characters don't really have black features other than the slightly darker skin tones. Now that I think about it, I guess would give in and just agree to call them tan. But yeah. The game could at least use RNG to decide the grunts' appearances. Even a few differences in hair color, type, and body type would satisfy me. OH! I REALLY hope that every character in the game wont be the same, lanky body build. I hope to see some absolutely massive body types in boss or even midgets! The puppet thing in the trailer already got me excited, but I WILL "eek" at the sight of a dude towering over everyone else in head-to-toe armor. UGH, that would be so cool. :)

Speaking of which, I really don't understand the trend of making people of color having blond/white hair. It looks cool though. (But I still really want animal people to be playable...)

More or less. (Although, I never know you could set a variable to be equal to something in the initial defining of a new method. That's hella interesting.) Even I would agree to someone who would say that having every single generic on the map very different from each other would get really tiring for a player. Hell, the chapter moves a lot slower for me whenever I see that many enemies have different weapons which could cause some trouble for my army. XD

As for the soldiers in the back ground, they seem to be an actual part of the battle game play, with the formations they are commanded in and what not. I'm just praying that we could chose to serve the old head with the whip sword. It'll be pretty bad ass to serve an older lord who can be more of a father figure and not a bro/waifu for once. I know I'm just wishing for unicorns to exist in a sense since that guy will most certainly be the main villain of the game, but what ever. Looking over the trailer, I'm just saddened about how bland hte world looks outside of the castles. It just seem more like a glob of trees and open fields, which is fine, but I was hoping for something more out there. Maybe something like a fictional plant whose leaves are blowing in the wind or something or outlandish weather conditions to battle in! Like come on, Fire Emblem is a fantasy type of setting right? Well the only things that reminds me of that are the usage of offensive magic and monsters scattered about. Lets have some talking bears who wield weapons, or some other wacky things for once and not just the worn out "Humans are killing each other and dragons have something to do with it" plot. GAWDS! It does not help that Eldgaurd or whatever her name is seems to be pretty bland in personality Other than that, I have no true complaints. I don't really care about the art style used or anything like that. At the end of the day, the game and battle mechanics seems fun to me, but I just want the world within it to be more fantasy like in a way. I hope I'm not the only one with this opinion.

So something like a Jagen as a main character? I'll say, that'd be pretty badass! Right now, I'm imagining the story as something like the move Logan, where the main character is watching over a bunch of pansies in a dangerous world and it will be up to the player to decide who the exp will go to or who to use in potentially dangerous events.

@bottlegnomes 10 chapters with 25 units is a hell of a lot of people to be programming, I'll give you that, but in the case of generics, I'm pretty sure the devs could get away with keeping a semi class system in place since most of the generic grunts are going to be the same anyways. So the team could just code a new class, and give it to a good third of the units on a chapter and place them that way. I have a small idea on programming, but I do not have a general idea about that language you displayed, (I'm still trying to get proficient AF with python), so I'm not sure rather or not they could add, subtract, or change stats right before the declaration of a new unit. If this is the case however, most of the generic units won't need to be that different aside from the weapons, levels, and skills they have and a new generic could be coded by the way it's done in example one, just with some tweaks here and there in the stats the "class" would have. For the record, I'm not talking about changing the stats to an actual "class", just something that is coded outside of it like adding an amount here or changing this to be equal to that there before the new unit is coded. The main focus of the game without classes are the playable units and major enemies, such as bosses, mini bosses, and ect. For the generics, there could be people that are generally the same. Sword Guy, Lance Guy, Magic Guy. Three "classes" to program instead of fifteen individuals to code. @Alastor15243 That problem exists even with the classes set in place. There are low tier units and high tier units. Some FE games have a fair cast of characters, most others possess characters that are just unbelievably over/underwhelming. With the class change system, there is indeed a desire to make the top tier team to where everyone has a set of abilities that do look similar to the majority of their army. Plus, if IS is creative, there would not be a single combat build that is used in every situation. There are things that some people should be allowed to do which other people would not be allowed to. There are specific events that requires one type of character that another type may be useless for. That is something that is not going to change with the removal of classes. Like you, I want to see what the game would be like if this idea takes a effect and would not at all be upset if it is never done again if it ends up doing more harm than good.

Playable generic units. We should have them! (and not just in DLC) It would be nice to just have some throw away units that the game would give you in some cases such as fog wars for baiting/rushing or GTFO chapters for rushing/stalling. How they would be handled when the chapter ends is something I'm not too sure about, but playable generic units could be pretty sweet to have on some chapters here and there.

I don't exactly like Ross's support cast. Due to his personality, I'd be extremely interested in reading supports with him and Ephraim, due to their possibly competitive natures or with Ross and Seth, one of the many people who respected his father.

I'm going to go ahead and curse you with Boey. I think he's supposed to be a defensive mage? Idk, but I never really put him in a spot to really test that out. But yeah. Boey

OOOF! Sorry about the absolute absence, but I'm back! Anyway, this is 2018 and the devs should have a pretty sizable budget gained from Heroes and the main games. I'm pretty sure that there could be a mechanic they could use to just copy and paste each unit on the maps here and there like @bottlegnomes jokingly suggested and then slightly alter the stats and other things after they get most of the basic makings of the enemy army on the map. The biggest thing that could be very annoying to deal with is making the army unique in appearance with each chapter that a player may go through. After getting most of the hard coding done of the game, the thing that IS would need to do is just put yes or no when it comes to usable weapons and skills; sort of like a check mark you'd see when using the FE builder at the character skill section. (Completely forgot the official name of that section) And yes, if coded right, saying rather this or that guy can do this or that really is that simple. Your point is very valid for the first games in the franchise where technology and programming was not that advance, but today, I have faith that IS could easily program the game in a way where it is easy for them to place units. @bottlegnomes When you put it that way. You have a good point. I guess it would not be too exciting to see an absolute obnoxious combination of units on the map that has no flow or apparent pattern that the game makers were trying to achieve and that this new system might end up turning into a clusterbunk. (I'm not sure of the levels of profanity we are allowed here. XD) Well, at this point, I guess it just relies on faith. If IS did take this direction to where there are no class, would this freedom and lack of consideration that classes do offer cause them to create the Frankensteins of FE maps, or would it turn out a master piece? I'm personally willing to see where it would go if they did do this. Although, I have to research rather or not IS could afford to mess up a main FE title.

That was not my point. Of course we could have what you just said in the current system. I'm talking about that tribe each having different alternate weapons besides their transform ability and it would be just tedious for it to be a specific class for each beast/weapon combination. And what I want offers a stronger possibility to make the enemies, allies, generics, and bosses more life like. @bottlegnomes "As I mentioned, I'm totally for trying it, but to play devil's advocate, one thing the class system does do is force the devs to evaluate their decisions about who gets what. With the class system, the devs would then have to come up with a new class and figure out specifics for it, possibly even come up with generics if it can show up as an enemy, on top of the specifics of the character. Making them do that might lead them to compare it to an existing class and evaluate whether the differences are significant enough to actually bother with creating the class. I'm blanking on an example that doesn't suck in my head, but there is the KISS philosophy (Keep It Simple, Stupid), which while overly simple is popular for a reason: Complexity—in this case more combinations of weapons and skills—isn't always innately a good thing, especially if it gets out of hand. Making Kent wield solely lances and Sain wield solely axes doesn't exactly differentiate them much than their growths already do since lances and axes are at least somewhat balanced in FE7 in regards to each other, and the WT isn't a huge deal. Not a real great example since both those things aren't exactly completely true, but I'm blanking hard." Sorry for the ghetto quote, I can't figure how to edit the actual quote into a comment. I don't see how this could be any less true without the classes in place. Removing classes adds simplicity to the actual code and stats of the character. As you said, because of classes, we have specific class stats along with class growths that is then added with the personal character's stats and growths, two separate entities that IS have to decide and then implement. Plus, rather or not it gets out of hand is solely up to the game design. IS might go a bit overboard and give characters the most obnoxious combinations of abilities ever or they might do it in a way that it works wonderfully. Plus, eliminating the classes don't effect just who gets what weapon, it could also allow a more diverse set of character specific skills, plus the growth rates, which as multiple people already said, makes the characters seem more unique alone. The growth rates along with the removal of classes can only amplifies how different each unit ends up being.

Hey! Can you do a fashion analysis on Chrom? Like what's up with that shoulder armor and unsymmetrical set of clothing in general? (I think it looks badass)

But it is a much simpler process to just give characters the abilities and weapons that the devs believe they should have. If there is such a "variety of classes" to where every type of combination of trait exist, it would take more than a while to create and remembering what each class does what would be like remembering the names of every Pokemon. Having a snazzy title for a specific set of abilities adds very little to the game play experience. You never questioned why this jerkoff in FE8 (who's name I've forgotten) is considered a "Hero" despite being one of the main villains in the game? Also, the class system is not required to have such classes where people can transform or use special weapons. Again, that is completely achievable without class names. Hell, one could even diversity the cast of transformers by giving them different side weapons while keeping their transform ability. There's no need to come up with specific class names and specific abilities to go with that new class so two transformers can wield different side weapons and the world that this game would be set in would seem soo much more realistic that way. No matter who traditional a transforming tribe would be, there's zero way that they would all use swords when not in beast or whatever.

Lol. So I actually read the title wrong. I thought it said, "What character did you want to BE like, but couldn't". Hah. So, actual answer: Boey. I like his design and personality, but like some other people within Echoes, he just does not stand out from the other people in his class you would get later on in the game. I don't remember, but I think his main asset was his defense.(?) If that's so, I feel as though that is sort of a waste. I nearly never put my Mages in a position to tank damage when other units could do that better. Either way, anything he did, most of the other mages was able to do it much better, not including the male specific spells gained from the Sage class. Maybe I got stat screwed with him. Either way, as much as I liked having him around, he was just extremely mediocre.

Fine then. Class names, classes, whatever. The idea of my OP is that the developers could truly create any character they want without going through the hassle of picking a class, or developing a new one if they can make that character use any type of class, movement types, skills and more. Also, I don't want classes even being a background thing where this and that character both promote to the same set of new units and ends up having the same skills. Promotions, skills, movement, stats, whatever you could think would be more diverse if there is not a class locking the character down. Instead of the class data giving a person the traits, abilities, and limitations he has, imagine his actual character replacing that role. @bottlegnomes said what I was trying to say, but 6x better. XD As for your second point, I would be in favor of that. It offers an insane amount of replay value and makes every player's experience unique. Of course, there would be limitations to what a character could do in terms of branching out to foreign abilities like BattleGnomes described and I'd be down for a game like that. At the end of the day, the ditching of classes (or class names for the most part) offers more freedom for development, which will then give us a more dynamic game, story and gameplay wise.

I DON'T want the soldiers getting the shaft, like they usually do. I don't understand what's so hard about having a standard, infantry lance unit with humble stats that are balanced, sort of like the mercenary. I know they appear in a handful of games, but what is so religiously difficult about making them a main class? I felt just insulted when I learned that Hoshido had a lance only infantry class, yet Nohr don't (not a playable one anyways, excluding re classing [unless I'm missing DLC and stuff like that].)

Why not just introduce OCs? The world in Kid Icarus is really wacky and could gain many character ideas from the different Greek deities. There could also be some returns from the classic snes/gameboy games, such as Minotaur (I don't know why, but I imagine him having a feminine personality if he was ever remade.) I personally would love to see how the different weapons would be handled in this environment. We got the Blades, which could either extend the actual blade and become a giant laser blade for the melee. There is also the bow which could split into two or even stay as one for some cool twirly action. Let's not forget the clubs and cannons. There is also the arms, orbiars, claws, staves, and and palms. I'm not sure rather or not they are ALL going to be utilized if this game ever did become a thing, but I'd be pretty excited to see at least one weapon out side of a bow being Pit's/Dark Pit's main.

I personally enjoy the Cain and Abel archetypes, but would not care too much if they were to no longer be apparent. The ones I feel to be must haves are the Jagens and the Trainees. I love the underdogs.

So my point is, the addition of classes is not necessary to keep that statement true. Yes. Stuff like stealing would be allowed and certain characters would be able to activate the command. And these questions that would be raised are not all that advanced. Any changes to a game that may be a little out there may raise some questions that devs have answers for as they build up the mechanic. That's like saying in a world with fire emblem without classes: "So in this game with classes, would only [insert class here] be able to use this or that ability?" You got me here. Characters do just fine growing to become different in terms of stats with the current system. As for the backfire, does this not already exist even with the classes in place? A person could still be RNG screwed with each character Bad wording. My fault. Mounted Samurai then. When I originally made that post, I was thinking of the title and position of a mounted knight story wise, not the dude-in-metal-armor class and of course, we already have Paladins and actual great knights, but why would highly trained officials be limited to a spear and a sword(plus an axe in the GK's case). How about a knight trained in archery and magic? Yes. Most lords and removing classes would not change their positions as such. Well take Fire Emblem Heroes for example. There are many characters, from many backgrounds and experiences, that appears within the game. Had there been classes that dictates the specific skills and they use, many more of them probably would have been extremely similar to another, unless the creators decided to waste their time attempting to come up with different, fancy class titles to more specifically fit a character's role. Now in a setting in an actual Fire Emblem Game, where people are allowed to possess more than one weapon type, this format of classing could open up possibilities for unique bosses left and right. That Grimleal jackass don't have to be just some other dark mage. He could be a badass user of dark magic and an axe or whatever. In the dev's position, when you have classes and want to place a boss, you're not going to be able truly to truly express the boss and what he is about as a character. What if I wanted my boss to be based off of Lu-Bu and have him use a spear and a bow and be mounted on horse back? There's probably not going to be a class for that and yes, one could be made for it, but then time would be wasted trying to come up with a cool name for it and over the top skills. Where in a game without classes, one could just pick the skills necessary. I don't know, guys. At the end of the day, I'll admit that the removal of classes probably will not change much of the game play, but it definitely will not make it worse. I guess it's just the story appeal that gets me with the cool weapon and movement type combinations we could get without classes. I just want to say that if Fire Emblem never had classes in the first place, a lot of you would be extremely against the idea of implementing it if became a topic. Well, that's the character design's fault, not the actual mechanic. I don't know who in IS thought it would be a good idea to have a troubadour as Effie's second class. [It was a troubadour, right?] @Jotari No. I do not want personalized promotions. I want open possibility of seeing an extremely fast lancer, a defensive sword user, a resistant knight, an armored and mounted bow user and just other unique enemies and allies. With classes active, I'm actually extremely against personalized promotions, at least when there is only one option anyways.

So how does that benefit a class system if you can easily just explain to new players that this guy does this and that without mentioning them?

I would love to be like Ross from Sacred Stones. You have this badass dad who is a legend to even generals and paladins that serves princesses and such. Then you quickly go from this scrawny kid to a giant dude with a giant axe that rekts everything in sight. That would be kind of cool. OF course, I'd have to get used to the constant chopping and stabbing from and to other people in battle after battle, but just sitting here and the modern world things are settled by nukes or bullets, I don't think I'd be much better off if I get drafted. Lmao

I'm just upset that I won't be able to use this class to summon those creepy saw things for my army.

Making character's roles could be done just as easily with some good dialogue and immediate appearances. If I see a chick(or man) riding a flying mount, I'll immediately assume that I can fly over mountains with him and as soon as I select him with the cursor, good level design will tell me that he can indeed do so when his move options are over mountains and such. Before I send him off to do his job, he can just easily tell the MC that "Hey, I'm extremely weak to arrows, so if you can have me avoid those jerks with the bows, that would be fantastic". Even with the class system, IS does exactly that in nearly every game. A new player would know not to put his Pegasus knight near an archer even if her class did not specifically say "Pegasus knight" With some cursor manipulation and some more good dialogue, I can know rather or not a person is a thief. I did not look at Colm's class as he popped in from the east entrance and proceeded to unlock a door without a key. I just knew that from his shady cloak and big bag, he could rob some stuff. I also think that removing the class system allows characters to be less interchangeable and more diverse. The only reason a green and red cavalier are different if because of what they say and the colors they wear. Without the class system, they could have gradually learned different skills, became different promotes, and filled different roles. However, this cannot always be the case since at the end of the day, they have the same class bases and growths and require their personal growths to let someone know that they're different. @CyberController The game is could easily express that once you see that this guy haves a flying mount, or that dude has a horse, or that guy has a shield. Besides, simplicity is not always that fun. The simple game mechanics that a typical fire emblem game haves makes it fun to me, but if people are the same classes and have the same roles, then what can be done with the game mechanics make the game a little less fun for me to play. At the end of the day, classes are nothing more than names that prohibit characters from truly growing into some cool roles and possessing some entertaining stats.

I actually got Draug to lv forty, ditching his brave sword in favor of a silver one. I THINK I also equipped him with a speed boost, but I don't really remember all that well, but yeah, he's pretty good. I hated him at lower levels because of his low attack power, but he just sort of grew on me because of his odd speed stat. XD If I remember correctly, he actually was extremely fast for a unit in the actual games because how much the knight class takes away someone's speed. Another knight I love for their odd stat distribution is Sheena. Her surprisingly good res just makes me smile whenever I deploy her. @XRay Unfortunately, I don't have her at this moment. But I just love how it's nearly always the lolis who have a crap ton of attack power in the Fire Emblem Heroes universe. Well, it seems that way to me at least. @Indigospace Ooooh. Ephraim is my favorite Lord in the franchise, so I GOT to check that out now! I literally "eeked" in excitement when I first summoned him. @bottlegnomes Yeeeah, 42 speed is still enough to double most of the units I mainly use, so I'd said it's not that big of a sacrifice. XD How about you try mounted Chrom? Maybe with a few RES boosts, he can deal with Nowi with his overpowered-Plus-5-to-all-stats-if-damage-is-taken- Falchion.

Sorry for the late reply, but basically, I just like the freedom it could give the devs. Like this character don't HAVE to promote into a sword and axe/bow unit just because he is a mercenary. Instead, he can obtain any weapon his personal skill set allows him to obtain and maybe even get a mount or something. Classes just sort of put a strict limitation on the ways characters could be promoted. It could allow them to keep there style of clothing no matter what weapon they use, that way a dev could make a character's appearance be based on his personality, not his class. Although, this might admittedly be a flaw if it takes time to develop generic units now, but I would not mind if many of them look the same as they already do even with the class system in place. Like seriously, did anyone REALLY promote Lissa into a war cleric and was satisfied? I did it because it felt cannon with the way she kept her dress, but her value as a unit had plummeted to nearly zero for me until I just gave in and re-classed her as a sage.