Sire

Finally beat the DLC after overcoming the hurdle of Chapter 6.The finale was a fun battle, with my MVP being Dimitri because his Monster Slayer combat art paired with a Killer Lance is amazing. If Dimitri gets his Crest proc on top of that, oh man... (So, buy extra Killer Lances for Dimitri.) Story-wise, the DLC was relatively average with some incredible moments here and there (Dimitri x Edelgard convo comes to mind). I liked the expansion on the lore the DLC provided, and the new map objectives were a refreshing change of pace from the standard rout maps. * * * * * Now I'm off to see what is all available on the main game and going with the Golden Deer. Claude would love to know the secrets of the Abyss, so it makes sense I go Golden Deer for this run.

Playing through the DLC on Hard Classic. It was challenging and interesting enough, but Chapter 6 is insane. It may be because I'm going all in with offensive tactics and I have more time than I realize, but still.

2/10/2020 Update Surprise! Updates will now be done on Mondays instead of Fridays, as it seems I get the most chances to actively work on Tears of Serenia during the weekends. It makes little sense to write a report on Friday only to make progress on Saturday and/or Sunday. Also, I'll be streaming ToS progress each Sunday at 8:00 PM, US Central Time, at my Twitch channel. What will be shown will be depend on the project's progression. I know it's not the most interesting thing to watch (trying to see a man wondering about what a character would say or what the map looks like can be boring), but it's there nonetheless. That aside, Chapter One is finally finished and playable. At the moment it's undergoing testing in the Discord, but I'll probably make a public release every 3 chapters or so. Hopefully things continue to go somewhat smoothly, although the Three Houses DLC will likely devour all of my time... * * * * * Project Progression -- Chapter One Finished! -- Delved into some Music for the upcoming chapters and the like. Priority Tasks - Skill: Unstoppable (Proper Implementation) - Level Design: Chapter 2

Sometimes I miss Tellius-style Knives and Daggers. Thing is, they are only really for one class (save for the time Sages could use them for some reason), so I can see why they are cut and Swords are simply used instead. // Fate's Hidden Weapons were okay, but it only really worked due to its setting. I guess as a compromise, perhaps add back in Knives, but they count as Swords and can only be wielded by Thief classes? It works similarly to how Dark Magic is an offshoot of regular Anima. This will give Swords a 1-2 range option, but is limited to certain classes.

@Burklight Out of curiosity, how many "S" Supports do you have? If you chained correctly and chose a different person each run, you should have all your "S" Supports available for your current run. Also, check your playtime. Your playtime continues to accumulate as the chain progresses. So, say each route is about 50 hours, if you are on your 3rd route and your playtime is less than 100, something may be wrong. * * * * * NG+ only works in one, continuous chain. So, you will have to play the routes in order, one at a time, in order to keep the NG+ bonuses. -- You cannot be playing multiple routes at once for the NG+ bonuses as each will count as a separate chain. -- The NG+ "stamp" is not an indicator that gives you all the NG+ unlocks. If you cleared Black Eagles and Blue Lions in separate saves and try to play Golden Deer in NG+, you will either have BE or BL unlocks, but not both. -- Make sure you use the latest "clear" file so you get the benefits of the entire chain. If you accidentally use an older "clear save," your last playthrough will not count.

I haven't done one of these in a long while, so here's my take on F!Morgan. Specifically, it's a take on Future Past F!Morgan that had Cherche as her mother. (If you are familiar with the Create-A-Hero topic in the FEH forums, this is an adapted form of one of the characters I made over there.) F!Morgan, "Renee"

1. CYL Winners - Not surprising given recency bias and the popularity of Three Houses. While a part of me wanted to try and vote each day for Duessel, it wasn't really worth it in the end. However, as I like all the winners, it doesn't bother me that they all won. 2. Anniversary Events - Fairly standard affair with tons of stuff to do around anniversary. Nothing in particular caught my eye. 3. Valentine's Banner - Since I absolutely love Shadows of Valentia, seeing them get alts is nice. 4. Summoning Focus Changes - Huh, so there's a chance to get one of the features heroes as a 4*? A part of me wondered why not everyone got a 4* counterpart, but then I remembered this is Fire Emblem Heroes and not other games (Another Eden, Dragalia Lost). I suppose there's no need to guess who's getting demoted anymore as it happens right on the banner. 5. Divine Codes - I haven't touched FEH in a long while, so most of this stuff went over my head. Hopefully its a good addition to the game to those who play regularly. 6. FEH Pass - Oh boy... -- Resplendent Heroes: If it was just exclusive character skins, I would be okay with it. However, the fact that they also add stat boosts, locked behind a paywall, makes it definitive pay to win, even if it is supposedly "minor" in increases or supporting outdated heroes. == Ah, and it looks like the subscription just grants the Resplendents of that month. If you subscribe later, you will need to purchase the older skins separately. (And you have to be subscribed in the first place to even purchase earlier Resplendents ...) -- Feh Pass Quests: They just seem to give bonus items that help speed progression along, but normal players have access to these, just at a reduced rate. I'm fine with this. -- Summoner Support Expansion: Once again, locking stat boosts behind a paywall ruffles my feathers. This should have been given to everyone. -- Re-Act: Essentially a paid Mila's Turnwheel, but can only go back a maximum of one turn. Another paid feature locked behind a paywall that most players don't have access. -- Auto-Start: Seriously, they are locking a Repeat function behind a paywall? This screams of greed. Honestly, I don't care about the price and if its worth it or not. It's the moral implications that bother me the most. Alas, as I don't play anymore, my opinion is likely mute... * * * * * * * * * * In an alternative reality where I was in charge of FEH Pass, I would... 1. Resplendent Heroes - Subscribers get access to all Resplendent skins, as long as they remain subscribed. // There are no stat boosts here whatsoever. 2. FEH Pass Quests - Subscribers get access to exclusive quests that grant additional materials. // As normal players can already obtain these materials, it is fine for a paying player to get them at a faster rate. 3. Increased SP Gain & Hero Merit - Subscribers gain SP and Hero Merits at a faster rate. // As the cap remains the same for normal and subscribers, all that happens is that subs get to the cap faster. The rest of the features would be given out for free as a regular update.

@PeonyofLeosa Dreamworld Manaketes are essentially Dancers/Bards that can transform into Dragons. There is no real transformation sequence (it happens on the map) or any "dancing/singing" animation. (It exists in combat art, but I don't know how to get it to work via ability.) The purple text usually means something is incomplete, such as missing portraits. Manaketes are in purple a I'm still unsure on how exactly to handle them balance wise as it will likely change as development progresses. * * * * * 2/1/2020 Update It's been two weeks since the last update, and that's mostly because I rather make an update where I have something to show instead of saying "Sorry, I got nothing." I still got nothing. While I have recovered from the illness over time, my family members are still stricken by it and I've been helping them with what they need. In my off-time I've been playing other games and dabbling in a different project as I try to sort out how to work with Tears of Serenia. So, due to the lack of progress thus far, I'll going to do a Livestream at 6:00 PM, US Central, at https://www.twitch.tv/sirmarcuscalibur. The focus will be on finishing Chapter 1 and maybe I'll work a bit on Chapter 2 as well depending on how things go. The stream will last for at least 2 hours, although it could go for much longer. Hopefully all goes well! Project Progression -- None... Priority Tasks - Skill: Unstoppable (Proper Implementation) - Level Design: Chapters 1

I made it through the first 100 floors. If there was more time, I probably wouldn't mind doing the other 100, but the grind got to me. Not being able to play on my own schedule and being forced to play on timers is frustrating.

It depends on the character, but generally, I do change classes. A part of it is to expand on their NG+ options while another is to see how interesting it is for people to be in different classes. However, I haven't gone off the rails and make someone into a class they are not build for, or went all-in with a "mono-class" team. I eventually plan on Byleth having mastered all the classes in both genders, but I haven't gotten around to my F!Byleth runs yet.

I recently got back into Fate/Grand Order, mostly because I watched the Case Files and the Babylonia anime. Now I'm starting to remember why I dislike timed events as the event grinds can be pretty tough and time-consuming. That aside, I still love the setting and characters of the Fate series, as well as its storytelling. Currently around floor 70 of 100, and then I have to scale the tower again for the latest event. While grinding out the event sucks, the gameplay and story is interesting enough to keep me going (as well as the rewards as I'm material starved at the moment.) * * * * * * * * * * Starcraft 2 I somehow found myself going back to Starcraft 2, specifically playing the Co-Op missions and messing around on the Arcade with the custom maps. Something about progressing with the different coop commanders on maps with varying objectives is satisfying, and it fills my RTS void. As for the Arcade, I mostly play Crap Patrol 2 ("Hero Siege," Control a hero and annihilate your foes), Oh No It's Zombies Arctic Updated (A game where a player can control the zombie horde while other players play as humans as they attempt to evacuate the facility), and Undead Assault Chronicles (A zombie game where the player controls a soldier and fights off the undead in various game modes). I find myself trying to limit my time playing Starcraft 2 so I can actually play fulfilling games instead or work on my projects. Once I start playing, it just pulls me in and it is difficult to get out (the classic "one more match" problem). * * * * * * * * * * Warcraft 3, Classic Man, I thought I would be hyped and excited for Warcraft 3: Reforged. While I wasn't going to get it immediately, it was something to get somewhere down the line. The problem? They force classic War3 users to use the Reforged client, and the Reforged client absolutely sucks. The classic client for Warcraft 3 is gone, so unless you have the actual disks or access to older versions of Warcraft 3, you will be forced to play War 3 in the Reforged client. The UI is terrible, custom games are always online, and if you want to play offline, you need to download something else to even play! Oh, and the campaigns seem broken as they like to auto-defeat you when you attempt to start them. There's a reason where Warcraft 3: Refunded is a thing. Aside from the terrible, terrible client, I managed to get a single game of classic Warcraft 3 in. While the gameplay is the same, some of the new sounds and voices somehow made their way into the classic version which is somewhat off-putting. The fact I had to make a custom online game to play a match is ridiculous, and the fact the game downloaded like 25G worth of data (presumably for Reforged), when I only have access to Classic! So yeah, I'm not too happy with Blizzard with their treatment of Warcraft 3. Maybe it'll be fixed somewhere down the line as Blizzard always has launch problems, but attempting to fix something that wasn't broken in the first place is ridiculous. * * * * * * * * * * World of Warcraft, Classic Despite my reservations with modern Blizzard, I still play their "older games." WoW Classic is a nice nostalgia trip (even though I actually joined WoW in the dying days of the Burning Crusade), and it helps I have a family member that I play with every now and then. I don't play WoW Classic all the time, but it is fun to log in every once in a while to level my characters. I tend to be an alt-a-holic, but my main is currently a Human Fire Mage due to their ease of play. (I used to main a Paladin back in Wrath and Cataclysm). * * * * * * * * * * Fire Emblem Three Houses: Crimson Flower, NG+ Maddening This is my 5th playthrough of the game as I always wanted to go back and try out Maddening mode and attempt to max out some characters. The current run is fairly casual as I haven't been playing it much lately, but that may change as I would like to finish it before the DLC drops. Problem is I'm still in Part One... Playing through NG+ Maddening mode is pretty fun, as the NG+ elements level out the playing field. While I would still love a post-game mode for Three Houses, I don't see that happening as IS may end up working on the next project after the DLC is done. Crimson Flower was my first route in Three Houses and I actually considered doing a normal NG CF Maddening run. While I believe I managed to get past the Red Canyon chapter, I ended up tossing that run as I don't think that run would be worth the time invested. I cleared the first five chapters of Awakening's Lunatic+ on Classic without anyone dying, so I think I'm good in trying to prove my tactical superiority. I never got around to my F!Byleth runs, and I'll have to play through CF again as M!Byleth with the DLC story enabled to see what is all different. I wonder if I'll ever get around to doing all of those runs... * * * * * EDIT: Eh, the Warcraft 3 Reforged thing was so sour I ended up uninstalling Starcraft II and Warcraft 3. Man, it's hard to separate "Old Blizzard" with "Modern Blizzard," especially since the modern version is the one that gets all the profits and benefits for playing and buying their games. While I would love to also quit WoW Classic, playing together with a family member is still important. While I tried to get them to play other games, the default is always WoW. (At least they are playing Classic which I'll actually play instead of the current retail version of WoW).

Man, the 4* Ticket is rough. My list of options are... NP2 Saber Alter NP3 Artoria Lancer Alter NP4 Heracles Tomoe (Archer of Inferno) Medusa Lancer (Ana) Katou Danzo While I love Salter, I have the OG at NP 2 and maxed out already while Salter still needs investment. Tomoe and Ana have the potential to appear in regular summons and I'm currently low on resources anyway so it's difficult for me to raise new Servants. Danzo I want mainly due to the design and the fact she's story locked, even if her kit only has niche uses. Meanwhile, Lalter and Herc have competition. I use Lalter regularly and she's story locked so she may win, but upgrading Herc so he is eventually NP5 is a goal of mine. So, it's essentially down to Lalter (High Usage, Story Lock), Herc (Support List, Hard Carry), or Danzo (Story Lock, Pure Aesthetic)... * * * * * Sometimes I wish there was a way to reset Grails. As much as I love Georgios, I don't really use him enough to warrant the Grails being on him (and no one seems to use him either from my Support List). It doesn't help I don't have a Siegfried to take advantage of Georgios' Ascalon, and the grail buffs do little since he is a low rarity Servant. Besides, Georgios wants to focus more on getting defense buffs instead of improving his stats. My other grails are more spread out, mostly placed on welfares. Aside from that, special mention goes to Arash who got a grail (for better farming and honoring him from Camelot), Tamamo Cat (farming and being my first 4*), and Heracles (because Heracles).

As I've been out of the loop for a while, when is a good time to start burning my FP on FP Summons? I think I was saving them for whenever 4*/5* embers get added and/or the command code implementation. I got so many points stocked up, and the last time I spent them was probably during the Fate/Zero event. * * * * * For this year's summoning goals... 0. King Hassan - Alas, King Hassan only seems obtainable through the paid gacha, so I doubt he'll ever join my Chaldea... 1. Eresh - I missed her last year, so I guess I'll try again this year. If I get any of these, let it be Eresh. 2. MHXA - A bonus, but I could use a counterpart to my NP3 MHX... 3. Okita - Mostly a bonus, and mostly because having her and Nobu be separated isn't right. 4. Brynhild - Mostly personal preference since I already have Scathach, but a Buster Lancer may be fun. 5. Valkyrie - The 4* of this list. I'm a sucker for Valkyries in most media, and FGO is no exception.

1/18/2020 Update The sickness remains. I checked in with a doctor on Wednesday and apparently I have Bronchitis. Not sure if I'm actually getting better or not as I sorta feel the same, but it is what it is. Needless to say, no progress was made this week. * * * * * Project Progression -- None! Priority Tasks - Skill: Unstoppable (Proper Implementation) - Level Design: Chapters 1

What I meant by "post-game sandbox" is something more like "anyone can be fielded, regardless of story consequences, on random auxiliary battles." While I would obivously love a post-game sandbox similar to the Creature Campaign from Sacred Stones or Shadows of Valentia, I don't see that happening anytime soon. Heck, the "postgames" of Awakening and Fates can work too... But yeah, the more I look into it the more I see it is a separate mini-campaign with the main reward being able to use the Ashen Wolves in the mainline campaigns. * * * * * The Abyss is the location. Cindered Shadows is the "story title" from my understanding, which is also the separate game mode that will likely focus on the Abyss location.

Is this the "post-game" sandbox that I have been looking for where I can mix and match my army, or is it set on a per-map basis? Regardless, I'm hype!