Should platonic supports and endings return?

[Pretty_Handsome]

Such as where paired endings aren't romantic or having opposite genders only end up at A Rank between certain characters?

Like say Corrin only being able to A Rank their siblings, not marry.

[Zerosabers]

Keep S ranks but use them to show paired endings. Localized Fates already does this with Kana and Soleil.

[Time the Crestfallen]

Maybe not platonic necessarily, but I heavily advocate for a more limited support pool for all characters i.e. three with members of the same sex, three with the opposite gender (not counting the Avatar). The current method is very much quantity over quality and the support system suffers for it, as they have to write supports for people who would never realistically interact to any meaningful degree (can any of you see say, Azura or Jakob spending enough time with people like Odin or Peri respectively to justify a C-S Support?) and even if the C-A is above average, the transition to the S-Support is often forced and unrealistic.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Phillius

[Great Geargia Gateway]

I think a majority would say yes as it would/might remove the title waifu simulator in degrees.

[NeonZ]

The transition to S will always be problematic though, since the A supports try to stay neutral. The best transitions are generally from A supports that have some romance undertones already, which cause their own issues.

I think everything could become much smoother if they added an "A+" support between A and S, that locked the character out of other A+ supports, but it doesn't happen because IS acts like supports are worth their weight in gold, and even with the current set up we end up with characters with very little support options.

I actually like the current freedom in support pairings though. Sometimes I just couldn't agree with which pairings were real and which ones went nowhere in FE7 and FE8, and then there were characters with just plainly limited support options that likely wouldn't suffer from that in the current system, like Guy. I don't think limiting supports necessarily results in more unique and developed ones, it just cuts down their number overall (thus reducing filler supports but also reducing the potential for interesting interactions).

Edited March 3, 2016 by NeonZ

[Pretty_Handsome]

Eh.

Sakura x Kaze isn't neutral at all in C-A. They have chemistry and Sakura leaves huge hints in her A Support that she's romantically attracted to Kaze.

Hinata in his C Support with Hinoka has him say that the energy/aura from Hinoka's training is very attractive as well.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Pretty_Handsome

[joshcja]

Keep S ranks but use them to show paired endings. Localized Fates already does this with Kana and Soleil.

I think it does it with all of the male/female 2nd gen pairings (at least in conquest) as the girls are a LOT older than their shotabait S supports.

As for platonic endings, I just wish A+ had actual text but yeah A support rank was where ti capped back when marrige options were limited. Just dont activate the S support if you dont want to.

TL:DR platonic endings still exist.

Edited March 3, 2016 by joshcja

[NekoKnight]

Keep S ranks but use them to show paired endings. Localized Fates already does this with Kana and Soleil.

This. There are a variety of platonic human relationships that can be as strong as romance. Give me bromance or give me death.

Maybe not platonic necessarily, but I heavily advocate for a more limited support pool for all characters i.e. three with members of the same sex, three with the opposite gender (not counting the Avatar). The current method is very much quantity over quality and the support system suffers for it, as they have to write supports for people who would never realistically interact to any meaningful degree (can any of you see say, Azura or Jakob spending enough time with people like Odin or Peri respectively to justify a C-S Support?) and even if the C-A is above average, the transition to the S-Support is often forced and unrealistic.

Also this. Fewer supports and get a dedicated writing team for creative and consistent characterization.

[Tolvir]

I can see the A+ Supports being expanded on to do this. Give all characters a few S Supports, and then a few A+ supports that change their ending depending. If kids have to return then you can always write the A+ Support more as the 2nd gen character being an apprentice, squire, or whatever other "underling" situation you can think of, with the "passed down" skills being more of something that was taught to them, it would make more sense too. but overall yes, I would like to see it return.

and I fully agree with fewer supports, the supports right now are really hit or miss. I feel they did a better job in Fates making some of the S supports come a little more naturally, example being Kaze and Camila in my opinion, but then there are some really forced supports, like Nyx and Corrin where the S support was so rushed it didn't make any sense. I feel if they just lowered the amount of supports, we could get some really well written ones. Quality over Quantity.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Tolvir

[Fircoal]

Why? If you don't want to deal with all the romance and such then don't marry them.

That said limiting doesn't sound fun either. I like seeing all the possibilities for characters to interact with each other. It's fun :3 (although it ends up making me grind for supports a LOT)

[nordopolica]

Definitely definitely definitely. I really want a return to supports that make sense for each character, meaning limited and more varied in scope rather than (C-A = funny platonic conversation S= i love u). That, and unique endings. Sadly I don't anticipate this happening given the direction of the series, but I can dream.

[Chaotix]

IMO, keep the S supports relegated to marriages. Platonic supports are already in the game, it's called anything besides an S support.

If they want to add joint endings between characters who are not romantically involved, that's cool too. But you don't/shouldn't need an S support to do that; the only reason they introduced them in the first place was for the marriages. The platonic supports in this game are only a result of localization anyway, in the Japanese version they are romantic just like all the others.

Now, whether you want to let the aged-up children characters marry each other in the first place is another question entirely, and that I wouldn't remind if they removed across all regions in the next game.

[Shadow Mir]

Maybe not platonic necessarily, but I heavily advocate for a more limited support pool for all characters i.e. three with members of the same sex, three with the opposite gender (not counting the Avatar). The current method is very much quantity over quality and the support system suffers for it, as they have to write supports for people who would never realistically interact to any meaningful degree (can any of you see say, Azura or Jakob spending enough time with people like Odin or Peri respectively to justify a C-S Support?) and even if the C-A is above average, the transition to the S-Support is often forced and unrealistic.

Also this. Fewer supports and get a dedicated writing team for creative and consistent characterization.

and I fully agree with fewer supports, the supports right now are really hit or miss. I feel they did a better job in Fates making some of the S supports come a little more naturally, example being Kaze and Camila in my opinion, but then there are some really forced supports, like Nyx and Corrin where the S support was so rushed it didn't make any sense. I feel if they just lowered the amount of supports, we could get some really well written ones. Quality over Quantity.

I disagree - limiting supports doesn't mean we'll get better written ones, if you ask me.

[NekoKnight]

Personally, I wouldn't mind if they divorced characterization supports with gameplay bonuses, and instead have a combination of talking supports and Radiant Dawn style "pair whoever you like" battle supports. Everyone gets proper characterization (in theory) and gameplay focused people get their pair up flexibility.

[Dark Holy Elf]

It doesn't, but it's certainly more likely. (EDIT: This was a response to Levant's previous post.)

Yes, I definitely want to see more platonic supports.

-Not every male and female are compatible romantically, and let's not pretend otherwise. They may still interact, but that doesn't mean they want to end up in a relationship. Fates already does this a little with, for instance, the siblings (e.g. Camilla and Xander, etc.), but there should be more like that.

-This would of course allow more supports to feel natural. Potentially romantic supports could build towards that, while non-potentially romatic supports would build towards something else.

-Yes, this will limit your pairing options somewhat, but you can still manage. I know some people are attached to getting all kids in one file (something I've never cared about at all myself), and it could certainly still be done, though it might now take a bit more planning. People seem to like planning pairings anyway, though, so I don't think this really changes much.

-While I'm at it, can we get away from cases like Shura and Scarlet where they can only support the avatar character? Seriously, cut out a few junk opposite-sex supports between characters who would never interact, and give a few more to characters like them.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Dark Holy Elf

[December Knight]

IMO, keep the S supports relegated to marriages. Platonic supports are already in the game, it's called anything besides an S support.

If they want to add joint endings between characters who are not romantically involved, that's cool too. But you don't/shouldn't need an S support to do that; the only reason they introduced them in the first place was for the marriages. The platonic supports in this game are only a result of localization anyway, in the Japanese version they are romantic just like all the others.

Now, whether you want to let the aged-up children characters marry each other in the first place is another question entirely, and that I wouldn't remind if they removed across all regions in the next game.

My thoughts as well, other then the last part anyway.

I think that if platonic character endings do come back then I think they should be from A+ rank or something similar, not an S rank. Since you know, the whole point of an S rank is to have a romantic relationship upgrade and not be whatever Kana/Soleil's (or at the very least Kana's) "S" ranks were.

I also think that if we are going to get platonic character endings back then they should be in the original Japanese version, not something the localization made up. Since you get something like say, Shigure and Soleil's character ending ("After the war, Shigure traveled the land singing to heal hearts. Love songs were only for his beloved. Historians disagree about Soleil's final fate but agree she was an inspiration to everyone she met.", yes that's in the English version of the game).

[iavasechui]

Such as where paired endings aren't romantic or having opposite genders only end up at A Rank between certain characters?

Like say Corrin only being able to A Rank their siblings, not marry.

I would have loved that last one there. Seriously I cannot 100% the support log this time around because S ranking siblings is really creepy to me.

(-_- says the person who consistently marries Claude and Sylvia -_-)

Also I would love it if they did it so that some children were tied to mothers and others to fathers to get more siblings and heck maybe even certain pairings that just don't have children if the children mechanic does return. Lets say Character A has a daughter, Character B has a son, Character C has no children tied to them and Character D has no children tied to them, A could marry B and have two children but if C married D they would have no children. If A married C and D married B then both couples would have one child. Also maybe have a character with twins tied to them. This combined with characters who can support but not marry everyone would make things interesting. Also if children are going to be playable again I would prefer a time skip after a certain plot point, while this could cause you to miss out on characters getting married it makes more sense than time travel or hyperbolic time chamber kids. Maybe certain characters die or retire between the time skip, while others are playable in both. There should be some incentive to use the characters that would eventually be unable to be played maybe passing a unique class or weapon to their child if they were married.

Edited March 3, 2016 by iavasechui

[Nyanko]

Yes!! I want that and more same-gender supports more than anything. It won't happen, though, with the marriage system the way it is and especially if they force a second gen in the next game.

[Kurrin]

This. If the Avatarsexuals don't get any S-supports with anyone other than the Avatar (if any supports at all. I'm looking at you, Emmeryn support options), they could at least throw the poor people a bone and give them a couple of supports to at least give them something.

Regarding everyone else, still yes. Especially the buddy exclusive options (e.g. Ryoma and Xander, Camilla and Beruka, Soleil and some second gen female, etc).

If they can't bang, at least let them travel the world together or have some kind of sitcom-y ending.

[Glyth]

They should call them A+ supports or something other than S. They don't need everyone of the opposite gender to be able to S anyway. They should also be in the original Japanese version and not just crap the localization made up. If they "return" in that way I don't want them.

[Tolvir]

I disagree - limiting supports doesn't mean we'll get better written ones, if you ask me.

The reason I said it is that Fates showed some really well written supports, maybe some of the best in the series, but a lot of them fell short. If they had just taken their time with them at least, which is why I said fewer, so you could write a good 3-5 really good supports as opposed to 7 ok supports with 3 good ones.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Tolvir

[Pretty_Handsome]

It doesn't, but it's certainly more likely. (EDIT: This was a response to Levant's previous post.)

Yes, I definitely want to see more platonic supports.

-Not every male and female are compatible romantically, and let's not pretend otherwise. They may still interact, but that doesn't mean they want to end up in a relationship. Fates already does this a little with, for instance, the siblings (e.g. Camilla and Xander, etc.), but there should be more like that.

-This would of course allow more supports to feel natural. Potentially romantic supports could build towards that, while non-potentially romatic supports would build towards something else.

-Yes, this will limit your pairing options somewhat, but you can still manage. I know some people are attached to getting all kids in one file (something I've never cared about at all myself), and it could certainly still be done, though it might now take a bit more planning. People seem to like planning pairings anyway, though, so I don't think this really changes much.

-While I'm at it, can we get away from cases like Shura and Scarlet where they can only support the avatar character? Seriously, cut out a few junk opposite-sex supports between characters who would never interact, and give a few more to characters like them.

I like your style.

[FluffyWarlock]

And also, why not a brothel option so you can get the kid without having to date someone within your own army?

[Volke29]

This would be great. There are some units I like to pair with but don't want to marry and I have to avoid mistakingly engaging in S conversation in support.

It would be cool to get A+ status.

[Roflolxp54]

The line's gotten pretty blurry as platonic S-supports are a thing, and it's not limited to pairings that are incestuous (with M!CorrinxAzura being the main exception). Several of the S supports with Kana are platonic (male Kana is seen getting friendzoned in a few of his S-supports) with Kana and the opposite gender character setting for BFF status.