What are some new game mechanics you'd like to see/try in a new FE?

[Boomhauer007]

I think about this stuff a lot when I'm bored at work. (like right now)

The idea of fatigue has existed before, but I think it'd be much more interesting within a single battle. Basically, each round of combat a unit participates in increases fatigue, which in turn lowers (say) hit and avoid by (say) 2% each time. It could be any stat by any amount, coming up with hard numbers isn't really what I'm worried about here. I think it would be a cool mechanically logical way (fighting be tiring yo) to prevent soloing / low manning. The game would have to not have a huge enemy count, but that's lazy design anyway. It would reset at the end of the map. Lastly, I thought about an item or staff curing it but that would probably have to be very limited or it'd defeat the point.

Similarly, negative growths exist in rom hacks, but I think they'd be a different way to balance Jeigan archetypes. Instead of a hypothetical punishment of losing hypothetical experience on other units, make the crutch character actively worse through use. Logically, this makes way more sense for an old person, like actual Jeigan, and no sense for someone like Seth. I don't think this is the best idea I've had ever had, but I oh well. 

Speaking of weird thoughts, I've played with the idea of mounts having a fixed amount of tiles they can move per map before having to dismount. Flying mounts would reach this in about half the time as horse mounts. Basically use something like 3H free dismount system, but limit movement while mounted to some arbitrary number of tiles before the mount "gets tired" and either completely loses movement and forces dismount or loses movement to something like half its normal value (while mounted). This is something I came up with because, as we all know, having a mount, especially a flying one, is a strict upgrade in every game in the series. 

I could probably list more but the work is about to let out. I tried avoiding ones I've seen before like hit/avoid being a fixed percentage of total damage kind of thing. I actually think the concept of avoid as a thing itself is pretty interesting... anyway, maybe I'll throw some other ones up later. 

[X-Naut]

FE12 arena had a unique level-up RNG in that it bracketed the number of points you get by your growth total. I'd like to see a game that tries using that system for all level-ups, just not that game.

I would also like to see a game where instead of being a generic accessory giving a fixed Defense boost, shields offer percent-based damage reduction and can only be equipped with certain weapons. Armored classes would receive permanent physical damage reduction as part of the armor package instead of having zero strengths and multiple weaknesses.

Edited February 15, 2020 by X-Naut

[vanguard333]

Hm... I would like to see siege engines; namely battering rams, siege ladders, and siege towers. The idea would be that, in order to get up walls, one would have to use the ladders or towers; the ladders can be carried, while the towers have to be pushed, but enemies can knock down ladders. The battering ram would be for breaking through enemy gates. 

[Flere210]

I want a SF-like progression, wich basically means more consistent growths 

For example if swordmaster A has 20 average speed at level 10, the game make will adjust the growths so he has never less than, say 17 and never more than 23. There is still randomness and bless/screw, but there is also consistency, so the enemies can be scaled properly. 

Enemies built for a level 20 A won't double him if he got to 17, but if he got 23 he won't be able to double things he was not supposed to double. 

Also, in sf boosters count toward the averages, so there is some merit into hoarding them for the right unit instead of using them ASAP. 

[Interdimensional Observer]

2 hours ago, Flere210 said:

For example if swordmaster A has 20 average speed at level 10, the game make will adjust the growths so he has never less than, say 17 and never more than 23. There is still randomness and bless/screw, but there is also consistency, so the enemies can be scaled properly. 

Berwick Saga tried this actually for all stats not Weapon Skills, with character-by-character variance on how tight the stat floor/ceiling is. Growths being very low there means it might not have mattered all much though.

I'd like seeing this, or a fixed growths mode like PoR, or even SD dynamic growths implemented again. Make it optional of course, but it'd be a good idea indeed to roughly balance the game around it.

 

3 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

Hm... I would like to see siege engines; namely battering rams, siege ladders, and siege towers. The idea would be that, in order to get up walls, one would have to use the ladders or towers; the ladders can be carried, while the towers have to be pushed, but enemies can knock down ladders. The battering ram would be for breaking through enemy gates.

Sounds like an NPC escort and protect to me for a map or three. I wouldn't mind. FE doesn't really do city/fort sieges much or historically accurately, other than say Thracia with Tahra and maybe Leonster. Admittedly, it's b/c sieges were slow and not the best idea IRL, and you'd rather hope the enemy city just surrender in hopes of being spared from rape, murder and pillage you'd inflict after starving them out and slinging incendiaries and diseased bodies inside the walled city.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Interdimensional Observer

[vanguard333]

8 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Sounds like an NPC escort and protect to me for a map or three. I wouldn't mind. FE doesn't really do city/fort sieges much or historically accurately, other than say Thracia with Tahra and maybe Leonster. Admittedly, it's b/c sieges were slow and not the best idea IRL, and you'd rather hope the enemy city just surrender in hopes of being spared from rape, murder and pillage you'd inflict after starving them out and slinging incendiaries and diseased bodies inside the walled city.

True, but sieges were more far common than actual battles, and Fire Emblem has battles all the time. True; trying to take a castle through the brute-force approach was always a last-resort; saved for if there wasn't time to starve them out and there wasn't an easier way (like sneaking people into the castle). I was just thinking it could be interesting.

It could be a defend chapter where the enemy has the battering ram, ladders, and towers, and the player has to defend the castle, or a mission where the player has to take the enemy-occupied castle, so the player has the battering ram, ladders and towers. 

[Zapp Branniglenn]

For years I always pointed out the narrative ridiculousness of body counts left behind by our paragon protagonists in Fire Emblem games and suggested some non-lethal forms of combat. Then the story can change based on how much your army is killing or merely subduing its opponents - particularly in quelling a rebellion or responding to an unknown threat. A sort of Reputation system that impacts the main Lord's disposition toward his enemies and affects which characters and factions become your allies or enemies. I know now Thracia's Capture system is much like what I envisioned in a gameplay sense by being much harder than simply attacking, but in that game the goal is to steal items and make some money, not to have mercy on your foes. I'd like entire weapons and classes dedicated to non lethal combat for this purpose. I always proposed hand to hand fighters as a class and now we have them. Wooden or training weapons would also be appropriate. The Subdue combat art would also be an easy answer, though I feel like Subdue is the ideal name for the non lethal attacking command. Instead the new combat arts would revolve around disarming an opponent so that they must continue with their fists as you attempt to knock them out. 

Beyond that, I'm hoping Fire Emblem games focus more on honing what's already there, not trying out new things. Definitely had enough of new things. How is it that ambush spawns and fog of war are near indistinguishable in the last 20 years mechanically? Some things have gone un-addressed for far too long, and yet here I am, bored out of my mind fishing. You may say "that's optional" to which I would retort: not when you have an addiction to killer weapon forges. 

[Perkilator]

Hmm…

Well, how about sending a unit or two out with soldiers for stuff like recon, taking care of smaller groups of enemies while you focus on larger battles, or doing errands for villagers or friendly forces?