Dunal

Yes? --- Which is the main reason why the map was changed to make everyone fairly useful to some degree. So on that note, the debate's just going in circles. =p To summarise it up -- that's the entire point. The intention is to tune the map to make every available unit relevant. And also to encourage splitting your units as well (some go north, some go to through the middle, others go to Dieck as normal if that's an option you still want go for, since there's more enemies in the middle). Pretty much all my changes are made because of 'strategic diversity' even if it's just a better illusion of choice. I know many would argue that that isn't required -- as in, it's fine if specific units are much better than others. But... I just disagree. There isn't a right or wrong here. Marcus is always going to be amazing unless, yeah, stats are changed tremendously. But that isn't the intention. Buffing/nerfing stats of units isn't enough, you even said that yourself. If I need to make map changes to affect the priority on unit usage, then that's what I've done. Again, if you don't think certain units need to necessarily be more useful, then that's fine. But if your question is to why I've made those changes, this would be your answer.

Just test ran it. Was 'aight. I get what you mean, but its in regards to many factors. Wolt gets a Cleave Bow if he specifically visits a village in CH1 (effective knights). So with it, you don't even need say, the armorslayer to be efficient regarding the boss. Or the Hammer which can reliably hit. Bors 2RKOs the guy. He can reach him turn 2. So can Wolt if gains a speed proc on a level. Marcus doesn't have to do everything you know. Most things. Not everything. =p

The middle road essentially makes the map smaller for his group. The latter is true. I get the impression you're not reading my entire posts. =x Not every player is like you or Dondon, I'm afraid. In the end, the game isn't necessarily better for LTC, but it's at least different and not necessarily worse either (I mean, if you were to play the new map and have a point to be made as to why it's terrible well then... that's a different matter altogether, and if enough agreed I'd change it). It's a new puzzle to solve, for whatever that's worth. Instead of having to replicate what you've already learned, is there much wrong with it being different, even if slightly​? Hypothetically, if someone were trying to LTC it then things like rescue chaining would still be done. Probably. For casual players, I would consider it an improvement. Dieck has the exact same role, but Roy's group constantly has something to do. 95% of players don't rescue chain every map, as far as I know. And as mentioned, units like Bors/Wolt are better. If casual players want to use those units, what's the problem? Are you saying that's wrong too? Again, it's a perspective to how you play. With your standpoint, you're saying doing anything that isn't absolutely optimal is silly. That could also go for units, or weapons, or selling etc... In fact, certain units being better may well completely change how a map is played anyway. Any context regarding how you think the new map would work out could be very different than perceived. Marcus isn't a great knight. Another can of worms? =o

If I were to explain, then I would consider improvements to be this: 1) The need to use more units in general and to use them well. Wolt/Bors/Low mobility units overall. Map changes so they can contribute and don't need to worry about being too sluggish. 2) That lack of requirement to rescue chains to not make the map feel sluggish. Because there are other players too who don't play absolutely perfectly. I've taken into account many people who've played the game. Most just tend to have Dieck and Co. sit and wait while Roy's group catch up to proceed (for EXP? For grouping up? Because they don't know any better? Players have a lot of different mentalities). This isn't just to accommodate LTC, but casual play is important to. And I'm not sacrificing anything for LTC other than for the sake of keeping it the exact same.

You're basically saying "This exact strategy for this exact map is exactly how it should be played and if you can't replicate it then it's not as good". Not that I'm saying I'm changing maps for sake of changing them, but surely a changed map would also have an alternative yet 'interesting' way to clear it? It would just need to be discovered (which, as far as I'm concerned is a good thing, it makes things feel fresh -- and a further reason to play the hack over the original game)? Whether it's better for LTC isn't the concern -- it's giving the map more nuance for all kinds of players. And actually makes better use of the units you have. Bors/Wolt/Roy have an application because mobility is less important. Marcus can't just blaze through the middle so his mobility means little. Bors is just as effective at clearing the path (I mean, he's now a level 5 Knight with strong bases to match, he's pretty darn good). 1) The village being guarded means that on turn 1-3 you can have say Lance/Alan go clear enemies to get to it (because Marcus can't do everything). Then have Thany port over the Armorslayer OR have an efficient way of getting the weapon from Lance/Alan/Whoever all the way to Dieck/Marcus. Heck, Thany can reasonably handle the enemies with one other unit with her. So that works too. Then you ferry it. 2) Dieck and Co. still have a lot of enemies to deal with that will save you a lot of time. The forts near their starting location is still in close proximity to enemies 'defending' the boss. While Roy and Co. are clearing out the enemies towards the middle (which do spawn for a few turns), Dieck can clear the path for them on the other side, or even lure the reinforcements so Roy's group has less to do. 3) Marcus can't solo the middle all that efficiently. There's a few 7 SPD soldiers/mercs he can't even double at base. There's also a soldier with a Horsekiller on a fort blocking the exit. Marcus isn't safe either. And by the time you reach the other side with Roy and Co. Deke's gang can clear the enemies on the other side. But that's just a matter of argument without context. And I thought that "Marcus romping though" was perfectly fine, and that he didn't even need stat changes? If anything, that supports the argument he shouldn't be able to destroy everything. Again. Marcus is still very strong, but can't solo everything and enemy placement means his mobility is hindered. As for Clarine and the other healers, they will be balanced to be better when promoting early (much better promo gains or bases) while having less growths. 10/1 Clarine would be better, while 20/1 should be about the same. Promo items are better changed to be worth much less. As if it matters that it will enable you to buy more at secret shops. =p And then having ~4 of each (2 or 3 Orion's/Whips) before CH14 or so is a good amount.

I've already discussed Sophia. I know that bases are much more important than growths. That goes for other units like Wendy too, of course. A unit should never have to rely on growths to be good. It just doesn't' work. Percival would be fine if he joined later into the game, but he doesn't (Or if he wasn't a paladin, probably the best class in the game). His stats are a tad too good for the time he joins IMO. But again, that's subject to change. We'll see how it goes. I for one think he needs some kind of notable drawback, whether its just weapon ranks or something. Map design isn't bad overall but some are too large or linear (often both). Chapter 2 is fairly dull for instance -- it's just a straight path to the boss. For that map for instance, I've made an extra path in the middle of the mountains towards the boss, which is much faster than the other route, but have more enemies blocking it. This feels like a far more natural route for Roy and Co. For Dieck and Co, They spawn the same as before and take the usual route to the right to meet up with the others, dealing with enemies along the way. The way the map currently is, is awkward for Roy's group. With the changes it also means there's less to travel and units like Bors have more use. The village is also higher up with some enemies blocking it, meaning you'll need to have a couple of your units dedicate to taking that objective rather than everyone just going straight for the boss. Therefore it's more similar to CH5 which I agree is a well designed map. That map probably won't change much, if at all beyond enemy placement/classes. It's changes like that I'm doing.

By lowering growths overall, how am I doing that? Most tier 1 units now have ~250% total growths, so Alan/Lance probably need even more level ups to reach Marcus's power level to begin with, even with changes. Which means that Marcus is still your best unit for at least the same amount of time as in the original game. Everything is relative. Perhaps so, but I was mainly talking about the early game. Enemies start out too strong but then don't scale enough relative to the tools that are given to you. I speak about enemies around the mechanics of the game. EXP formula was bad and growths are too high, but the enemies weren't made to accommodate that. But it's true that those are what what need fixing first. I meant trivialising the early game. And maybe trivialising is the wrong word but he's a bit too good compared to other units, when enemies are also really strong to make him heavily relied upon. That makes it less interesting in regards to making the best use out of your full team. Marcus doing a bit less damage means you may need to make good use of another unit to make up for it. And with other units like Wolt being better then that's already applicable. And as mentioned, with growths being lower then Marcus is still amazing for a long time, it's just that actual stat difference between other units is lower. Percival's role in the game is fine -- I'm not contesting that. But he's a bit too good. A unit who has the 20/10 stats of a Tier 1 unit is a little bit more than 'RNG proof'. In the original post and follow up posts explaining that? - As mentioned I don't think the story/characterisation needs to be as in depth as say, FE9 but could be better or more fleshed out. - More classes/weapons/units add more nuance to the game so long as they're balanced properly. Again, not strictly necessary but provides the player with increased options. - Map design and variance in objectives could be improved. Game balance is clearly an ongoing subject but my philosophy is this: It doesn't need to be perfect, but it should be done in a way so that all units have some kind of purpose and do not completely disqualify each other. I also don't think any unit should be an auto-include, but have some kind of notable drawback to them, for the sake of having a reason to not deploy them (For example, there's nothing wrong with Percival being a statistically strong prepromote, but not to the point where he's an absolute auto include until the very end of the game -- the argument may be "what's wrong with that?" but in a game with 50 or so units it doesn't really benefit strategic diversity). Units being at least closer together in overall usefulness does make it less obvious in regards to who is necessarily 'better'. But a game where every unit is perfectly balanced and you have to deploy all ~15 unit slots with equally relied upon units is unrealistic. What can be done though is an improvement on the feasibility of beasting the game with 3-4 units. If LTC is the topic of discussion then any player doing it will obviously use a full team since everything counts. Usually. But relying on very specific units is still done to the degree where some improvement can be made. By all means I'm happy with these discussions because it lets me gain the perspective of others before I make certain changes to the game. I'm not saying I'm necessary correct in my analysis. It's just a point of view. I'm also not making changes on a whim. I'm testing the original game parameters with other map/weapon changes first, and then making changes I feel are beneficial (someone like Lot barely need changes with axes being better). It just happens to be that someone like Marcus improved the game when I changed him slightly, which is a matter or perspective others can input on when I release the game. In the same way, I'm expecting I'll change Percival in some way for the reasons I've described, including tier 1 unit growth changes.

Awakening enemy stats are overboard and don't even matter past a certain point when you can break the game with certain things, so that's not really a fair argument. New Mystery was a good direction IMO. It's just too bad that 75% of the playable cast are awful because growths arguably matter a bit too much and base stats aren't high enough. Are you really saying that FE games are best being easier in the lategame than in the earlygame? Or that units like Percival make the lategame more interesting? I do disagree on both. 'Finesse' is arguable for anything. I'm not sure what you mean by that. Any strategy that doesn't involve turtling can be done better with 'finesse'. Whether Percival can 1RKO most things or not is irrelevant. EDIT: Cecilia or Igrene are good examples of well balanced mid/lategame prepromotes. I will probably experiment with Cecilia having a worse staff rank but slightly better base stats + growths and that's about it. Niime is 'aight. Staff-bots are fine. But this is just my own thought process on things of course. In fact, most prepromotes in FE6 are fine IMO. Percival is the only real exception and then you have... Yuno? Depends really because Falco Knights will likely be a lot better with other indirect changes, so might not even need that much of a change. Marcus was actually 1RKOing some enemies in hard mode with an iron sword -- still does against archers/magi in the hack's current state. Even with nerfs, he's strong enough. I actually had to give him a Bronze Sword so he doesn't melt everything (rather than reducing his stats even more). I won't deny FE6 Marcus is probably the best designed 'Jeigan' in the series, but when there is room to move him down a notch without taking away his niche, then it feels better. He's still extremely good. And with some maps being Rout rather than Seize it enforces his efficiency even more, in some respects.

Within context of other changes (including enemies) reducing his base stats ended being more beneficial. There's a fine line between trivialising the game and not doing his job properly. There was actually room to weaken him a bit but still be awesome (this is hard mode btw). Certain early maps are also easier than the original game (CH7 in particular). So he performs the same, but your other units are generally better in contrast. For growths they've increased a lot (+25% or so STR/SPD which he'd still need 5-7 levels to make up for lost stats). But again, tier 1 units don't grow as much so Marcus still has a lead for a long time. Marcus has 10 AS which Alan needs to be like level 16 to match. (So actually I lied, Marcus lost 1 speed). Sophia's a bit of both really. No way is she going to remain level 1 with the base stats she has. That's just unusable. She doesn't need to be an amazing unit but she does needs bases to be usable. What with growths being lower overall then underleveled units shouldn't be as bad anyway (relative to trained units). Heck, if her starting level is low and her bases are really good, she might not even need great growths anyway because a lower base level just means fast EXP. =p Something like Nino would work good enough for her. Problem with Nino was that she joined way way too late even for her archetype. Sophia's jointime is reasonable but her stats are just so much worse. Bumping her up to Nino's level would give her the best of both worlds. There's also the 'rule of redundancy'. Lategame enemies need to be just strong enough so that growth units are actually efficient compared to base stat units. Most FE games, including FE6, can be ploughed through with units like Percival so that also needs to change. So if training Sophia saves effort/time in later maps, at the cost of earlier ones then at least her role has some purpose, even if she still isn't an amazing choice. Someone like Nino was also bad because her stat outcome isn't really necessary or useful for anything, let alone the effort getting her there (base level pent is sufficient at doing anything you'd want Nino to do).

Depends what you mean by that because total growth %s are going down a bit overall. There's a lot of benefits to it, honestly (It means you can make pre-promotes weaker overall but not make them bad, makes underleveled units less worse, makes overleveled less strong etc... I've actually grown to really dislike high growth amounts). Ultimately it means base stats can be the focal balance point because let's face it, bases are what make or break certain units and pumping up growths to silly levels doesn't solve anything unless you make enemies subsequently silly. Marcus for example has like -2 STR/DEF in this hack but since growths are lower he doesn't completely suck later on, while being much better for the game early on. If you mean balance then well, the intention is to make to make it fairer on certain units of course. Sophia won't have stupid growths but they'll be better than the average unit.

It's all based on perspective. Whether there's anything to 'fix' is an arguable subject, as with anything, but for the most part I don't think FE6 lives up to its potential. And simple balance changes won't do that. As some of you know I already made a FE6 patch a couple years back, but there was a lot to be learned from it. It solved some issues but possibly created others. Also, 'power creep' comes to mind. And it's not like any kind of number changes can make things like Armor Knights good. For character/story telling, it doesn't need to be FE9 level but it could certainly be better. There are lot of positive changes to be made for maps (some would argue but... eh). More units/classes/weapons aren't strictly necessarily but do add more nuance into the game, assuming they're balanced properly. It's not like FE6 is a bad game or anything, it's just a game I feel could be more. Whether I will actually execute that is up to others.

He's not actually from Ostia though. But to correct myself, taken from his supports, he travelled to Ostia from some village to then become a knight (Which is indeed correct; I'm mostly talking about before that -- although it is bizarre that his info text describes him as a mercenary and not a knight). At what time that happened isn't stated, but it could well have been shortly before he appears in FE6. With the script wrote so far you could easily deduce that he's from Ostia anyway, and if there's an inconsistency somewhere I can change it. The events take into account that he was travelling with Wendy as someone recently hired into Ostia -- so it doesn't matter either way. Regardless I'm not against changing a very plot irrelevant character. And even someone like Guinivere actually fights in the main story now which technically didn't happen. 1x would be pretty hard if you only had Ellen as a unit. Especially in regards to conditional events. It's doable with assembly though. So far only 2 chapters are planned (but that may change) which all happen within a short time period. Events begin with Guinivere immediately being spotted by Bern troops (after some character introduction stuff) and then fighting them off in a rout map, followed by a defend one. Cue being captured afterwards. Guin/Hellene/Ellen are taken to the keep in CH2. Others are eventually sent to Ostia to be imprisoned similar to Lilina to be re-recruited (yay gameplay consistency for Wendy/Ogier). Again, I may just condense it to one map.

By 'new chapters' it's pretty much just 1 or 2. It's just not set in stone yet. CH1x (as seen in the OP) are the events immediately leading up to getting captured prior to CH2. The events that you described aren't really told in depth. It's like saying "Roy travelled to Ostia to save Lilina -- ignore all the stuff that happened while doing so". Consider similar logic, add a few more characters, and it's not too absurd a concept. =p Ogier/Oujay is a hired mercenary, not a knight. And this is way before CH8 of course. But ignoring that, I've still related him to Ostia through the events in 1x. Events aren't going to be completely parallel to the original game for the sake of convenience/gameplay. Zeiss is now an ally from the get-go. Ogier/Wendy are also in 1x (They are travelling to also meet up with the Lycia Alliance, but get caught up in Guinivere's s***). It just so happens that those characters have very little plot relevance/meaning in the original game, so doing otherwise is just consistency for the sake of consistency. In the case with those characters, I can actually include them in the plot, if only for a chapter. Better than their status before. Hopefully that clears something up. One of those used to be Mamkutes but not sure now (Seems to be very possible in FE7 as seen in other hacks), and there are a few other good things about FE6 (Event related). I wouldn't say FE7 isn't overall better of course, that goes without saying. For me it might as well be the sake of doing it cleanly in FE6. It's more than possible, just takes a bit more effort. Again, I have others to credit for adding more support for FE6 recently just to help me out. It's mostly the support/knowledge that makes FE7 better, it would appear. Primarily? Kinda. I know direct hex editing can be more efficient/effective than nightmare (?). Otherwise, I'm just using the basic tools recommended. Roy actually gets a Heaven Seal ~Ch14 to promote whenever. Those classes all added, including a tier 1 version of the Mage Knight which is Hellene/Hugh's class (currently looks like a troubadour but ignore that).

Hellene's looking a tad yellow as well. idk FE6. Was thinking of porting it over to FE7 but FE6 is sufficient enough. There's less support for it but I can fill in the gaps (more assembly required + module ports and stuff) with the help of others if need be.

Fire Emblem Binding Blade: Rebirth [DISCLAIMER: Art assets are not final. Many used in these images are place-holder] For some years now, a fair number of FE6 hacks have been made for the sole purpose of improving the base game overall. Some smaller in scope, others more ambitious. There are likely a few of those larger ones still in development, but a proper overhaul of the game has yet to be fully realized within the community. This is my take on a potential 'overhaul' of the game. Quite simply, I set out to improve all aspects of FE6 whether it be gameplay, story, or content available. This project is still within its very early stages, and it's clear this isn't a task for me to handle alone. I've made this topic now to seek advice and offer those who are interested in the project to possibly take part. This is my first proper romhack and of course, being the large project it is, I feel that I could appreciate any assistance. Massive props to those who have helped me so far. There will be a release fairly soon to showcase the first few chapters. Main goals for the project: Improved and more varied gameplay, including new units, weapons and classes, inspired from other FE games and hacks. New chapters which follow Guinivere's side of the story prior to meeting Roy. Expanded script and characterisation, with main story events having much more character involvement (death checks ahoy). Revamped map design where appropriate, as well as varied objectives. That's all for now!

There's a huge difference between 'bad from a tier perspective' and 'flat out bad with no redemption'. Wendy is terrible in every regard. Her growths aren't even good. Heck, Bors arguably has a better distribution. So training her has no satisfaction aside from the sake of using her. If Wendy had great growths she would likely still be low/bottom tier but at least she'd have some kind of appeal. Same goes for Sophia. On the other hand I feel that Nino is more or less fine. She's technically a bad unit but she at least has some kind of identity. And there is some appeal in using her. Not that I don't think she could use a few tweaks to further enforce her archetype but at least we know what IS was actually trying to do with her. Whilst with Wendy 'Zero to Hero' isn't even that accurate...

I strongly disagree. All units should be 'good' in some respect. Just in different ways. What does the game gain from having someone like Matthis or Tomas? Would be better off if they had 'interesting' growths or something, at least. Meg on the other hand, is at least an interesting unit. But elements that make her 'interesting' aren't what make her bad. If she were level 10-12 with bases to match, she'd be a genuinely intriguing unit that could be put to use. And at least you'd have more option for units at that part of the game. The game would be better as a result. Your point doesn't really make sense for units in different classes especially. Meg being bad doesn't make Nolan stand out. In the same way, If they were exactly equal in usefulness then chances are it would be for completely different reasons.

Generally no. But I've learned that sometimes they can be good design to have placed strategically so the player can't abuse them. And/or when used correctly in context. In FE6 there's those circle of houses on a certain Sacae map. Ambush spawns make sense for those. Or CH21 where there's Wyvern's waiting to ambush you in the mountains. Why would they reveal themselves before attacking? Create a sense of context.

As far as leaning towards strategy as much as, if not more than the RPG aspect, yes. Awakening has definitely shifted that balance though towards RPG more, so idk. But as a whole, the series consistently has the most credible gameplay in regards to SRPG. At the least, the baseline mechanics are extremely solid, with the only limits being how the games are designed/balanced. Disgaea's the only other active game these days but I'd consider it more a grid-based sandbox grinder... thing.. than a SRPG. It surely is one of a kind. =p Even La Pucelle, the most minimalistic of that series, is/was sandbox-y. I see things like FFT and Tactics Ogre being mentioned in these kinds of discussions but I don't see how they compare. I could definitely consider them stronger RPGs but they have fairly standard gameplay.

EDIT: Problem fixed.

I would think XNA comes before 7x. XNA is the groundwork of what 7x essentially is. And 7x won't be a small game. It's the same scale of an actual FE release. The first half of the game is stills a ways off completion apparently. Give it a couple years.

To be fair, most of the community still overvalue growths by a wide margin. Apparently Soren is still generally believed to be so much better than Ilyana because of like -3 AS at 20/10 (Despite them being two of the most similar units in the whole series, availability aside). In a game where that doesn't even come into play too often. =P Everyone have their own cycle of thoughts. It's the FE way, yo. Jeigan's steal EXP, amirite?

FE9 is extremely easy sure. But that by itself doesn't make it a bad game. From the perspective of someone who would be new to the franchise it's an excellent game. I would always recommend it first. Adjust the difficulty/balance and it would be one of the better games in the series, IMO, technical elements aside (animations?).

By your viewpoint though game balance =/= more fun. The point is that it objectively improved game balance. "Hurting the game" is subjective as to whether you take balance seriously. Awakening wasn't all that balanced but it's your opinion as to whether that actually mattered at all. I feel it does. And you don't gain anything from removing the system anyway aside from making certain weapons overshadow others even more.

I'm sorry but weight was/is a good balancing mechanic. With the right values it just makes weapon usage far more worth considering. Also it stops Brave weapons being extremely silly/broken. And the concept of Peg Knights being able to use Steel Lances with zero penalty is pretty silly. Once again, weight adds interesting decisions in weapon usage when done right. A slim weapon might be 10x2 on a squishy unit. But Steel would be 17x1 on them. And a tankier unit a slim would be 2x2 but a steel would be 9x1. Point is, is that it just makes weapons really diverse. Remove weight and that Steel weapon is now doing 9x2 or 17x2 which completely invalidates the slim. When enemies are sucky it doesn't matter of course. In something like FE7 past a certain point most units could double with any weapon. Balance speed/con though and you just flat makes things more interesting. There's absolutely nothing bad about the system when done right. Also, some weapons like Nosferatu feel really silly without weight. You'd have to gut the weapon harshly without the system. Or just make it really inaccessible or make the units who can use it bad etc...