screenshot Chaos reigns when I take the reins! - Let's play Tear Ring saga, Ironman mode, while being terrible at Fire Emblem!

[The Roger The Paladin]

5 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

On 10/31/2019 at 1:58 AM, Saint Rubenio said:

Ruben; Unluckily lucky in both gameplay and story.

Also a statement on why you don't try to use advanced magic before mastering the basics. (Weapon ranks actually are there for a reason)

 

5 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

I lost him on the map where you fight the Gharnef clones. I knew that dragonstones boosted resistance, so I brought him along with every unit in my army that had a decent resistance stat (and a thief, for the chests). Turns out, he wasn't as durable as I thought he was, but sadly a swarm spell killed him before I could get him out of range. I also lost Lina the same way. Twice.

I always stock up on a ton of pure water for that map (typically I buy it way back at the desert outside Khadein). That way, the characters can usually take one hit... as even the classes with lesser resistance tend to have more HP. As long as they don't get doubled (or worse, eat a crit) they're fine. All the same, it's the map that tends to be make or break for me on an Ironman run. If I can do it without a casualty... the next two are maps I tend to have an easy time with. Mostly because by then conserving weapon uses isn't high on my list of priorities.

[Saint Rubenio]

14 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

A nice twist, although I am curious how far ahead you planned it.

Not too far ahead, actually. It just hit me that it might look cool.

Then I forgot to put it in and had to do it afterwards. Great.

14 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

How many sword users are there in Berwick? 

17 units use swords at base. 2 other units gain swords upon promoting. There are 36 units in the game, if my counting is correct.

...I do not like these odds...

14 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

I think enough time has passed that the hype has died down somewhat. I've noticed people start bringing up its flaws more often (mostly about how the exploration parts are cool the first time around, but add up on subsequent playthroughs, and the involvement of TWSITD in the story).

Well, so far, I haven't seen that many people discussing how the game is an absolute failure of a strategy game. For the first time in the series, it's a game that is about the story and the characters first, and the gameplay second, rather than the other way around. And yeah, they're fine I suppose, but they won't make me excuse the appallingly bad game design that plagues the game's battles as a whole - you know, the strategic side of this strategy game.

It's why I did not vote for the game in the Game Awards, like everyone else in the community, and why deep down I was hoping it'd lose. The fact that it won not one but two awards (best strategy game?! Are you fucking kidding me?!), and just the game's massive popularity in general, will do naught but prove to Nintendo and IntSys that the formula works: focusing on lame minigames, waifus and the empty promise of branching storylines and dozens of hours of content (some locked behind DLC, of course), over the battles and the gameplay. And that's all they really care about. They're businesses, after all. Three Houses is well on its way to become the best-selling game of the series. To make more Three Houses will give them more money. It's only natural that they will do just that.

I have extremely low hopes for the future of the series as a result. Call me a stinking elitist if you want, but after the fiasco that has been Three Houses for me, I very much doubt I'll ever buy another modern FE game. Because it's only going to get worse from here.

If you like the way things are headed, though? More power to ya! I truly wish I could be as happy as you with this, one of my favourite videogame series. Don't let me stop you from loving the game to your heart's content. As for me, though, I think I'll just stick to my games and wait for Berwick Saga to be fully translated. You do you, I do me, I only ask that you respect my grumpiness.

14 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

I lost him on the map where you fight the Gharnef clones. I knew that dragonstones boosted resistance, so I brought him along with every unit in my army that had a decent resistance stat (and a thief, for the chests). Turns out, he wasn't as durable as I thought he was, but sadly a swarm spell killed him before I could get him out of range. I also lost Lina the same way. Twice.

I don't know what it is about Archanea, but it seems that magic hits like a truck in every game set there. Even Awakening, where both ally and enemy actually have a resistant stat, it is still overpowered despite having a ridiculously low might.

Well, dunno about Awakening, but in Marth's games, the problem is that nobody has any resistance. The only unit that ever seems to consistently get enough resistance to tank magic is Wrys, and he has all the other problems.

14 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

Heh heh heh heh, well, I can't blame Eugen for attempting to get god literally on their side.

Don't deny it, you know he'd try it. He's Eugen, he's enough of a reckless bastard to do it.

14 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

Thank you. I try to remain deliberately ignorant about such things.

Yes, I can see that much.

14 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

I am looking forward to Berwick Saga with some dread, but mostly excitement! Take your time with it. We can be patient.

Well, for the time being, we're dependant on Aethin. Once he's done, I probably will take some time to play through the game once and think things through. Maybe a month after the translation's release? Don't take this as gospel, I'm just thinking aloud.

8 hours ago, The Roger The Paladin said:

or worse, eat a crit

@Thoron

I hope I don't accidentally ping anybody with that.

[The Roger The Paladin]

21 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

If you like the way things are headed, though? More power to ya! I truly wish I could be as happy as you with this, one of my favourite videogame series. Don't let me stop you from loving the game to your heart's content. As for me, though, I think I'll just stick to my games and wait for Berwick Saga to be fully translated. You do you, I do me, I only ask that you respect my grumpiness.

I reacted the same way when DC rebooted their entire continuity throwing out heaps of stories, character origins, costumes and more back in 2011. If I was reading for the characters, I'm hardly doing so when everything I remember about them is discarded. Hence I kind of said "far as I'm concerned the new continuity, and therefore comics published since September 2011 don't matter".

Spoiler

DC only reinforced my viewpoint as justified when in 2015 they brought back the old continuity to kill anyone not named Superman or Lois Lane, who they shoe-horned into the new one before merging the new Superman and old one or some such. Then they also did another revamp on the continuity, and are apparently re-writing it again because they decided having everything start at the same point is counter to the years of history they used to have. Which seems pointless to me when the creator of every given character currently has their entire (or at the least their original) run with the character as non-canon, and some characters (Damage for instance) only retained their super-hero name, having completely different powers and appearances (I mean more than the costume... Damage used to be a fairly normal guy with explosive powers.. now he looks more like the Thing and has powers to match) to before-hand. Thankfully, I can just spend the money I would have on this stuff on older stuff... and I'm happier for it.

 

22 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

It's why I did not vote for the game in the Game Awards, like everyone else in the community,

But I didn't even vote. Come to think of it, the fact I never paid attention to the fact there was a vote until after the fact.

[Hawkwing]

On 12/16/2019 at 3:16 AM, The Roger The Paladin said:

Also a statement on why you don't try to use advanced magic before mastering the basics. (Weapon ranks actually are there for a reason)

That... actually might be an interesting mechanic. Being able to wield weapons outside your weapon rank but with penalties for doing so, and some weapons it would be especially hazardous. In practice, I expect that people would probably only wield weapons within ones rank, but it's an intriguing idea regardless.

On 12/16/2019 at 3:16 AM, The Roger The Paladin said:

I always stock up on a ton of pure water for that map (typically I buy it way back at the desert outside Khadein). That way, the characters can usually take one hit... as even the classes with lesser resistance tend to have more HP. As long as they don't get doubled (or worse, eat a crit) they're fine. All the same, it's the map that tends to be make or break for me on an Ironman run. If I can do it without a casualty... the next two are maps I tend to have an easy time with. Mostly because by then conserving weapon uses isn't high on my list of priorities.

Huh, I never really thought about using pure water before. Then again, I rarely (and I mean rarely) use any "consumable temporary stat boost items" in videogames, so that's probably why the idea of using pure water didn't spring to mind.

On 12/16/2019 at 11:47 AM, Saint Rubenio said:

Not too far ahead, actually. It just hit me that it might look cool.

I see. I guess I should have remembered that this is a series featuring permadeath and it wise not to plan too far ahead. The thought came to mind as I've been reading Order of the Stick and Darths & Droids quite a bit recently, and both of those are notable for their authors planning the storylines years into advance, and it shows.

On 12/16/2019 at 11:47 AM, Saint Rubenio said:

It's why I did not vote for the game in the Game Awards, like everyone else in the community, and why deep down I was hoping it'd lose. The fact that it won not one but two awards (best strategy game?! Are you fucking kidding me?!), and just the game's massive popularity in general, will do naught but prove to Nintendo and IntSys that the formula works: focusing on lame minigames, waifus and the empty promise of branching storylines and dozens of hours of content (some locked behind DLC, of course), over the battles and the gameplay. And that's all they really care about. They're businesses, after all. Three Houses is well on its way to become the best-selling game of the series. To make more Three Houses will give them more money. It's only natural that they will do just that.

I am very curious about what the competition was for the "best strategy game" category. I really do wonder whether Three Houses won because there weren't a lot of notable strategy games this year, or if out of those strategy games, it was thought to be the "best" overall.

On 12/16/2019 at 11:47 AM, Saint Rubenio said:

I have extremely low hopes for the future of the series as a result. Call me a stinking elitist if you want, but after the fiasco that has been Three Houses for me, I very much doubt I'll ever buy another modern FE game. Because it's only going to get worse from here.

Eh, I've always taken a "wait and see" approach towards the series. Given how the last few games have gone, though, I wouldn't be surprised if IS learns from feedback and fixes several of the issues from Three Houses, while continuing or creating others. Like how New Mystery improves on several of the complaints that Shadow Dragon had, but also rewrites the original plot and adds Kris, who's issues carry over into the next two games. Fates fixes a multitude of Awakenings balance problems and improves the maps, but it also tries to repeat popular things from Awakening without realizing why they were popular. Shadows of Valentia tones down the character wackiness and fanservice, but it has its own issues, and so on. I am curious what the next game will be like, even if I'm not holding my breath.

[BrightBow]

2 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

That... actually might be an interesting mechanic. Being able to wield weapons outside your weapon rank but with penalties for doing so, and some weapons it would be especially hazardous. In practice, I expect that people would probably only wield weapons within ones rank, but it's an intriguing idea regardless.

Berwick Saga did it.
Gives weapons a failure rate depending on the gap between your weapon rank and the weapon's rank. Also, secondary effects of the weapon are ignored. So you just get their raw stats.

[Saint Rubenio]

1 hour ago, BrightBow said:

Berwick Saga did it.
Gives weapons a failure rate depending on the gap between your weapon rank and the weapon's rank. Also, secondary effects of the weapon are ignored. So you just get their raw stats.

Berwick Saga did all the awesome things.

It also did no convoy and RNG weapon breaking, though, so I guess it balances out...?

I'd like to add that this extends to personal weapons. You can use somebody else's personal, but you won't get any of the special effects, just the stats.