FionordeQuester

Actually, by that reasoning...I'd say Mila herself was a Camus. She probably knew Duma and her were in the wrong; yet she sealed the Falchion anyway.

In my opinion? Yes, you can. There's something of a learning curve due to how different this Fire Emblem is from all the others. But once you've got that, there are all kinds of cheap tricks you can do to trivialize the game's challenge; and there are plenty of crutch units good enough to carry you even into the endgame.

Hmm...that's not a bad idea, actually. Only problem is, how would I write the instruction for Marth to "change into" the "Star Lord" class every time he uses Falchion? Presumably, it'd be the same way Manaketes turn into Dragons (beside the transforming animation), but, I don't know how that's done.

Alright, so I did some testing of my own...and it seems it may not be possible. Aside from the Class ID# (which the editor itself warned me not to change), I made everything but the flavor stuff about the Iron Sword and Firestone the same (down to the Unknown values), then made all the non-flavor stuff between the Lord and Manakete classes the same. Marth now used Dragonstones instead of swords, the Iron Sword now showed up in the "Item" part of the Convoy, the enemy Thieves couldn't use their own weapon...I made everything relevant as similar as I knew how. But, it still failed. The Iron Sword gave no stat bonuses; and Marth's combat animation did not change a bit. So what I'm wondering now is...how exactly DID the game designers give Manaketes the ability to get stat boosts from Firestones? I just don't get it... EDIT: Waaait a minute...now I see! So the Dragonstones THEMSELVES don't actually give any bonuses! What's happening is that Bantu and Tiki switch classes when entering battle! The game goes from reading them as Manaketes, to reading them as Fire or Divine Dragons! And in doing so, it gives them the BASE STATS of said Fire and Divine Dragon classes as well! So if I still wanted to pursue my dream of Marth getting stat bonuses from using Falchion, the Falchion itself would have to change Marth's class! It'd have to change it to a class with much higher base stats than what the Lord has. Hmm...anyone have any clue how to do THAT?

I see...Is it possible to copy the Dragonstone bonuses onto it, then?

I'm using Nightmare to hack Shadow Dragon; but it doesn't seem as though there's an option to give stuff like the Falchion stat bonuses like what most other games do with their divine weapons. Does anyone know of a way to do this, or...is that feature just not in Shadow Dragon? Thanks for your time, and God bless you.

Indeed. I think I've said it before, but, the difficulty of an AAAA Ranked run is part of the whole reason why I made the LP that way. Otherwise, 90% of it would've just been... "Sigurd/Celice solos this chapter...again. And guys like Levin occasionally chip in once in a blue moon." I believe it would be the other way around? Thracia would make this part of FE4 non-canon, instead. Kinda like how the new Star Trek movies retroactively retconned every movie ever made up until that point :P . Oh yeah...Because technically, I don't really HAVE to rescue Leen, do I? That's one thing I tend to always forget. I COULD just gun straight for Bloom; meaning he'd HAVE to deploy the Magus Sisters to hold off Celice. Thanks for pointing that out.

Well, since Cirosan DOES indeed visit this forum...I have a request. Could you please buff Camus's stats? According to lore, he is essentially the Chuck Norris of the Archanean world. His strength is SO preposterously high, that he was actually able to single-handedly defeat an army with... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -50 Paladins -70 Knights -A fire dragon Manakete -"100 other men" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This feat (which was done while Camus was helping Nyna escape) was so ludicrous, that Medeus himself had to personally intervene. And upon seeing Camus, he personally commented that his strength reminded him of Anri. What that implies is that Camus could actually beat Medeus if he had (and knew how to use) the Falchion. Citations for all this can be found here... https://www.reddit.com/r/fireemblem/comments/84f5yr/fire_emblem_power_level_analysis_camus/ So what I propose is this; make a separate patch where Camus is given a major stat buff. Don't max out his stats; just make him strong enough to beat Medeus on all modes, Normal or Hard (assuming he was using Falchion). Give him an A Rank in Swords (even though he doesn't use them), pump his HP to 60, then make sure his H5 self has his Level 20 averages in New Mystery for the rest of his stats. Instead of Camus having... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40-58 HP 14-21 STR 13-19 SKL 17-21 SPD 15 DEF 8 RES ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Make it so Camus has... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 59-60 HP 25 STR 23-28 SKL 25 SPD 23 DEF 15 RES ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Instead. Would you mind doing that, Cirosan? Thanks so much!

Well, I'm not sure what you mean by a "working emulator version" of the game. But, I know where you can find both of the commonly used translation patches, and I know the best emulator to use for SNES games! So if you ever need any help, feel free to PM me, alright? In any case, here's the next update! This LP may drag it's feet, but it NEVER dies ! Chapter 7, Part 3: https://lpix.org/sslptest/index.php?id=150847

One of the things I always did in all my Shadow Dragon playthroughs was to intentionally build Marth up more than the other units; just until he took Hyman down. Then I'd start balancing out everyone's levels agan. I know that there's already the Ogma!Killer Sword + Barst!Devil Axe strat...but I always found that annoyingly unreliable; and I usually don't like using the Map Saves just for beating up bosses. So instead, I'd build Marth up until he got at least 11 SPD; then let HIM be the one to kick Hyman's butt (or even Gomer, the C2 boss; provided he was strong enough by that point). I always liked that, for multiple reasons... --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) I've never found Ogma to be THAT terribly good, outside of the early chapters. He's locked to 30% Speed, even in the Mercenary class; and this is a game riddled with enemy cavaliers and other lance users. While Marth also faces WTD, he, at least, has the Rapier to help with that. 2) Marth is a unit you're required to field in every chapter; so it's in your best interest to make him as good as he can be. 3) Marth, at base level, is too weak to survive a hit from Gazzack (C1 boss). So he at least wants +1 extra point in HP and/or DEF so he can help the others grind him down. 4) He's got a higher STR growth than Ogma, and more levels with which to raise said STR. Get him to B Swords and 11+ SPD before Hyman, give him the Killer Edge, and he (IMO) actually does a pretty decent job of killing Hyman by himself. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Of course, the downsides to this are that the others aren't getting as much EXP. Marth will be entering Chapter 3 at something like...LVL 8-9, while most of the others will be 3-4. Still...I always found it worth it . Anyone else ever try this? Any efficiency runners that'd like to weigh in on this? If so, please weigh in! I LOVE talking strategy!

So I was surfing the Romhacking.net forums a few days ago...and apparently, someone named "Cirosan" released this! https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3961/ That's right. Patch that puppy, and you'll always go through the Prologue on all difficulties! And if you want, you can use the version of it that also gets rid of Gaiden requirements. No more having to kill off your characters! You'll wanna be careful though; H5 Prologue is no picnic. The guy had to make some drastic changes to Prologue I and II just to make them possible. Giving Marth a Vulnerary at the start, making certain enemies drop Vulneraries, and even changing the class and equipment of some of those enemies...those are all things he did. And even then, the difficulty was still comparable to Lunatic Reverse on FE12... ... Course, on the other hand, Chapters 1-3 end up being a lot easier; to the point where my Marth was doubling the Chapter 1 pirates . But yeah, anyone else hear of those?

Ah, I see...so it's basically just Jedah that's the problem then? Because yeah, I definitely would've re-worked his dialogue a bit, if I had been given a chance. Maybe not so much try to make him pretend to be nice, as I kind of like the idea of a bad guy that doesn't try to put on that big of an act. Instead, I'd paint him more as a Chaotic Evil person pretending to be Chaotic Neutral. Have him use cold, hard logic, and cutting commentary on Celica's own inadequacy, instead. Like... ------------------------------------------------------------------ Jedah: Oh? That attack on Mila? Oh, that wasn't my idea; I don't care about her. All I care about is pleasing my Lord Duma. Celica: Then why do you have her in your temple? Jedah: Like I said, I don't care. Rudolf offered her up as a gift to Duma, and I happily agreed. Celica: Then, Rudolf was the one... Jedah: But I suppose Duma himself would want her back; she is his sister after all. Such a shame that he does not have the power to do so... Celica: Then if you don't care, how do I know you even have her to begin with? Jedah: You don't. But I doubt you'll find her anywhere else; and I don't think I need to remind you of what will happen if you don't rescue her soon. Celica: ...! Jedah: Go ahead...come to the Tower of Duma. You'll see. And if you think you can liberate her without giving up your soul, then by all means! Do so! ------------------------------------------------------------------ Or... ------------------------------------------------------------------ Celica: Why did your men attack my FRIENDS?! Jedah: "Men"? No, no...I command no "men". We are but fellow believers...joined together to glory in our Lord and Master, Duma. And you are on sacred ground... Celica: Then how am I to come any closer without you hurting my friends?! Jedah: Easy. Don't bring your friends. Unless your precious Alm matters more to you than them... Celica: No! Of course not! How dare you suggest that! Jedah: Then your choice is obvious. Send them away; go off when they aren't looking...for once in your life, DON'T let your loved ones be killed over matters involving YOU! Celica: !! Jedah: Come to [this or that battle map]. Alone. Show my brothers the purity of your intent. Otherwise, well...they may get the wrong idea. (cue battle map, where Celica tries to do just that; only her friends arrive before she can, and the big battle starts) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Or maybe... ------------------------------------------------------------------ Celica: Oh no! Mila is stoned! Jedah: You see? That's what I've been trying to tell you! Celica: ...no...It can't be true... Jedah: I'm afraid it is. And there's no force in the world that can bring her back now... Celica: So the people of Valentia will all... Jedah: Die, yes. Unless you were to give your soul to Duma? Then, perhaps, he could provide your people the safety he needs. Celica: But Duma is a God of heartless ambition...bereft of compassion...the people's lives will be filled with chaos and darkness... Jedah: But "lives", they shall have. Duma is a god that welcomes all who would but call upon his name. Besides...Who knows? Perhaps he'll find a way to help Mila, if he's feeling generous. Like I said, she is his sister... Celica: And why should I believe a word you're saying? Jedah: Why not? Will we not all die if Duma is not restored to sanity? Will I not die, if the lands wither and perish? Do you doubt my devotion to Duma? Does my well-being not depend on his? Celica: ... Jedah: We all face hard choices in this life. But you are choosing between the world's second chance at life, and it's guaranteed demise. I trust you are smart enough to know which is preferable... ------------------------------------------------------------------ Would that approach also work, do you think?

Hmm...I mean, I see what you're saying, it sounds rational, and I do believe the writing was a little shaky throughout that whole section...but for some reason, it's never really broke me, if that makes sense. It was stupid on Celica's part, obviously...but it wasn't stupid in a way that made me think "ok, Celica would never make that mistake if the plot didn't need her to do so". I'll have to think more on, later. But for now...I think, if I had to explain my feelings best...that I can buy Celica not being totally rational, due to everything she's been through. I can see someone, in real life, maybe reacting the way she did, if they were in the exact situation. She's... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Already traumatized by being helpless her entire life; and traumatized people don't tend to make the best decisions. She's desperate (and I mean desperate) to not lose anymore loved ones. And she's convinced that Alm and everyone else are going to die if she doesn't do something (anything will do) 2) She's been raised to think that everyone will die without the gods. 3) Jedah has clearly done a lot of research on her (either through crystal ball magic, telekinesis, or an insane amount of research); so he knows exactly what her blind spots are, and exactly what buttons to push (which is also probably why he wants her friends out of the way so badly; he doesn't want any of them talking sense into her). 4) She probably became more and more caught up in the idea of sacrificing herself, ever since Jedah put the idea in her head. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hopefully that makes sense? I mean, it definitely stretches my suspension of disbelief...but it didn't break it, if that makes any sense.

Hey, no worries! I'm GOING to update this, believe you me! I've just gotten involved in some other things, that's all. But it won't be too much longer ! Honestly? I'm pretty sure we're getting the remake one day. Gaiden is the game I thought we might never get localized...and we got that! Plus, we've already got all the voice actors for Genealogy's characters, and I doubt they'll just let them go to waste. So while I can't say for sure what'll happen, I'd be surprised if they remade Gaiden, and not Genealogy Hehehe...I never even played Fates, though I heard Conquest has got some great gameplay. As for Awakening, yeah...it definitely had it's strong spots, but it's story ultimately didn't leave as much of an impression on me as this one's. Thanks for all the praise, btw .

Well, the "fear and chaos" thing...again, Jedah isn't really offering her a good choice. I mean, he says he'll free Duma, but he probably knows that Celica doesn't trust him completely. So I imagine he's still kind of relying on Celica choosing the lesser of two evils. Ted Bundy instead of Adolf Hitler. An atomic bomb instead of a nuclear bomb. A scantily clad 14 year old, instead of a scantily clad 5 year old. "The Room" instead of "Manos: Hand of Fate". He promises more than that in their first meeting...but he steadily lets more and more of his true nature shine the more Celica's spirits have been broken. He starts off pretending to be calm and reasonable in his first meeting, then lets his true nature show the more Celica's bought into his nonsense. I mean, I know that doesn't sound like something that makes a lot of sense...but this sort of nonsense happens all the time in real life. For example, a skilled cult leader (like Jim Jones) pretending to be a paragon of goodness and virtue at first...but then gradually let their freak flag fly higher and higher the more invested their recruits get. First they give up a bit of their time, then a bit of their money, then a few of their friendships, then one of their jobs...and it goes on and on until finally, the poor sap is in too deep to feel they can turn back, even if they wanted to. As for the "Swamp" and "Tower" fights...yeah. Those are definitely big problems that came from Echoes trying too hard to be faithful to Gaiden. I will definitely agree with you on that much!

Alright, but Celica didn't find any of that out till after it was already too late. Jedah was offering the chance to release Mila up to the very end. And most everything else he said? About Mila and Jedah succumbing to madness, about how they were fated to destroy each other, about how Mila has sealed herself away(which he said later on), how Celica's soul could set Duma's path to rights (pay attention to how he worded it the first time he met her)? Everything he said was either true, or not proven false until it was too late for Celica to resist. He always phrased things in a way that left just enough wiggle room for Celica to think maybe he's telling the truth. And I don't think he was actually lying about whether or not Celica's soul could ease Duma's madness, so much as he just thought it might be able to. I mean, yes, he has the quote of... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jedah: Silence, girl! You know nothing of what you speak. And if suffering is the gods’ will, what of it? Without their strength at its foundation, Valentia cannot sustain life.- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ But I never took that as him lying about C). Rather, he just hoped Alm and Celica's souls could help Duma, but was ready to serve Duma either way. Like... "Ok, I'm hoping my master returns to sanity...But if not, oh well. He's the boss"

You know, I just realized...I never actually updated this thread to talk about some of the other controversial stuff in this story. So, here's another one... Number 2: Celica's Characterization: Me personally, I thought it was actually pretty perfect. Yes, she gets a lot of flak for her decisions in the endgame; and I've also heard that Alm's characterization kind of screws with the whole "Might vs. Love" theme that Gaiden had going. However...I would argue that in this case, the pair were never intended to represent that theme. Instead, that job was shifted to Berkut and Rinea. Berkut ends up an unhinged madman that's obsessed with power, and Rinea ends up as a passive observer that ultimately gets sacrificed by her wacky boyfriend. THAT is where the whole "Duma vs. Mila" theme comes in. Berkut/Duma's approach is destructive, and destroys everything around it. Rinea/Mila's approach is useless, and is ultimately inadequate in solving the problem that really matters (human evil). With that in mind, I'd argue that Alm and Celica are more on the midpoint of the spectrum, rather than on the far ends of them. Celica is NOT weak, nor is she passive. If anything, she's anything but. And Alm is obviously as great a person as they come. So if there's any difference in how effective they are in solving the story's problems, it's because of their backgrounds, not because of their attitudes. Think about it... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alm: A Rigelian that grows up in a village of Mileans, as well as the tutelage of a battle-tested Rigelian General. A wise Rigelian General at that. Wise enough to know the strengths and limitations of both Duma and Mila's approach. In this way, Alm gets a balanced upbringing; one that grants him Duma's strength and Mila's love. Celica: A Milean that grows up in a covenant of Mila worshippers. Her only role models are her wicked dad, her powerless mom, and the passive Milean priests who still fully buy in to all of Mila's doctrine. A doctrine that seems to comprise mostly of "Don't worry! Mother Mila will make it all better!" She...is decidedly not so lucky as Alm was, in regards to fostering a balanced viewpoint. Actually, the reason she was as eager to fight as she was is because of all the loss she suffered. She was powerless to save her family, powerless to prevent herself from being taken away from Alm, and now fears being powerless to save Alm and the rest of Valentia's people. So there's still a BIT of Duma in her, just in that she's tired of being powerless. But...it's still not enough, as the events of Chapter 4 show us. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, the point of Celica and Alm isn't "don't be too much like Mila or Duma". The point is "don't rely so much on the gods". Alm did things in his own strength, and won. Celica and Berkut tried to seek Mila and Duma's help, and got their souls taken for their trouble. That was ultimately Celica's weakness, not her lack of strength. Because as far as strength goes, she was determined enough to march through an entire fricken continent of brigands, pirates, zombies, gargoyles, dark mages, fricken DRAGONS, and a whole slew of other things that would've sent most people running home to mommy. And she was strong enough to lay down her own life and soul to save others. There is absolutely nothing "weak" about either any of that. And why was she "fooled" by Jedah's offer? Well my opinion is that she wasn't...At least, not really. She KNOWS people like Jedah are as untrustworthy as they come. That's why she questioned his honesty when they first met. But the thing is, Jedah never really tried to convince Celica that he was some sort of benevolent guy. He still waved his freak flag loud and proud, even as he was conversing with her. And furthermore, he never actually lied to her about anything he was saying (up till the whole "I'll spare Alm bit"). Celica tested the truthfulness of his claims, and found almost every one of them to be true. So really, Jedah was offering her two choices. She had a "bad" option (with a 5% chance of working out well), and an "unthinkable" option (with a 0% chance of working out well). She could... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Let Mila and Duma die, and GUARANTEE the death of everyone and everything on Valentia (because remember, her mindset is "we need the gods and goddesses"). 2) Trust the obviously untrustworthy dark mage in the hope that maybe he's telling the truth (and up till then, he HAD proven everything he said to be true), and will maybe give Valentia a second chance at life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In other words, she was facing the choice of "probable annihilation of all things" and "guaranteed annihilation of all things". And she chose the "probable annihiliation" option. This...by the way, is why I made such a stink about Echoes' lack of atmosphere in the "Things You Missed From the NES Version" thread. Echoes does a horrible job of showing just how desperate things are supposed to be. And in this case, I believe it's to the detriment of Celica's characters. Because had things truly appeared to be as bad as they supposedly were, Celica's choice would have made a lot more sense to most casual observers. So in short... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Berkut & Rinea: "This is what happens when you're too much like Duma or Mila" Alm & Celica: "This is what happens when you try to depend on gods" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are at least two different parties I know of, J2E and Artemis, that did the translations for Gaiden. Plus, a user called "Gaiden Guy" once attempted a Name Update patch, and even succeeding in fitting longer names such as "Luthier". Unfortunately, he stopped visiting this site before he actually got done with the patch, so, I'm not sure how to contact him. Anyway, does anyone know where I can find the resources needed to hex edit the script? Table files, offsets, and other such things? Thank you very much, and God bless you! EDIT: Alright, I got my question answered a while ago; since then, I've been hard at work trying to do what Gaiden Guy once attempted. So for those who wish to edit the game as well, here you go! https://pastebin.com/c0kvsYjN

Hmm...what about when you used the patch? You mentioned a bunch of your FE3 Roms didn't show up when you tried to patch them, right? I'd like to see what it looks like when you try to find them.

Nah, you can just upload the images into the thread itself; that way, someone else might be able to help in case I can't. Just find an image hosting site, and...go from there!

Perfect. Then, without further adieu... Ok, but...the whole point of a prophecy, as far as I can tell, is that it's meant to be an immutable fact. There's not stopping it; it's going to happen one way or the other. So any attempts to "hurry it along" or "stop it" are useless at best, or outright harmful, at worst. In fact...you asked me if I was underestimating the power of religion? I most certainly am not. I myself am an ardent Christian; to the point where all of my LP updates end with "God bless you"! And, maybe this is my Christian bias showing, but... One of the Bible's most important lessons is that humans should never try to mess with things that are beyond their pay grade. If God has something he wants to do, then he's going to do it His own way, in His own time. Nothing good ever happens when humans try to fulfill God's promises by themselves. For example, Abraham attempting to conceive an heir with a concubine, instead of trusting God to give his barren wife a child (a situation that ultimately ended with the poor concubine and her son being driven out). And that's kind of the perspective I have with any divine prophecies I come across in video games. Rudolf is just one man!! Instead of trying to decide what Zofia does or doesn't need, and what deep moral and philosophical ideals Rigel could or could not handle...Rudolf should've just stuck to running his kindgom, and raising Alm and Berkut as best he could. Him thinking he knew best when deciding a foreign country's fate...to me, that's nothing short of arrogance.

Hmm... Do you know how to take screenshots of your computer? It's should be something like "CTRL/ALT/FN + Prt Sc", depending on your computer.

Well, I did say a lot of those complaints applied only to me, right? But anyways, the difference here is that soloing the game isn't just possible. It is also, far and away, the fastest way of playing the game; even on the highest difficulty. That, IMO, is never a good sign. Granted, Dark Dragon, Mystery of the Emblem, Genealogy, and Awakening were like that as well...but it kind of stinks that Echoes became that way when Gaiden was not. And yes, everyone got improved growths. But Celica's buffs were absolutely absurd compared to what most other people got; and Alm was already OP enough, even in Gaiden. Combine that with instant access to an effectively bottomless supply of healing items, and the ability to access every accessory in your Convoy, and you've got units that are broken even by Fire Emblem standards. Indeed. Unfortunately, I'm a bit...OCD, when it comes to my video games. So I have a very hard time taking anything but the most efficient route through my video games. Stuff like that is why I made my Fire Emblem 4 Genealogy LP an AAAA Ranked Run, instead of just playing it straight. Otherwise, 95% of the LP would have been "Sigurd and Celice crush this map all by themselves...again..." You know what? Thinking of it now, you're right. They DID take out a lot of the OTHER fun stuff from Gaiden...which is probably why the general OPness of Celica an Alm sticks out that much more.

Yeah...I did kind of miss that, too. I didn't cover it in my first two posts, due to those already getting much more bloated than I was expecting...but that was something I thought was odd, as well. But wait, how in the world did they get the assets needed for walking around town? I don't remember a single non-dungeon where there was an actual, 3D environment! Were there some unused maps, or something ?! Actually, that guy...I don't know WHAT the deal was with his name. The original Japanese name was ベルレス; which I think is a reference to the Demon King "Beleth". He's a mighty and terrible king in Hell, and he's got 85 legions of demons under his command. That doesn't exactly match up to the Katakana, though. So if you wanted to translate it more literally, you'd come out with something like "Belreth" or "Belres". Either way? I have NO idea how Artemis and/or J2E got "Bahdess" from it. And for that matter, I have no idea why 8-4 changed it to "Naberius".