Lord Glenn

On top of that, from a technical / ROM perspective, night maps are simply just a different map palette compared to their daytime variant(s). Thus, you can basically make a map in its natural palette and then change to the night palette. (This is easier when inserting into a ROM though, since it's generally just a matter of changing some stuff in Nightmare. Alternatively, you could just use Yeti's Map Converter Tool.)

In desktops, sure. In laptops, it is significantly harder. And, given the nature of the topic, I would wager that Freohr probably wouldn't be able to add RAM to a laptop by themselves, meaning that that low cost would be increased by having to have someone else do it. EDIT - While custom built desktops always will have better performance for their cost, since this is a graduation gift, I think it is safe to assume that it may be used at college/university, where portability is often handy. In that case, having to lug a tower/case, monitor, etc. from home to school might not be practical either.

I'm getting bent out of shape because I respect my hobby and I trust that a contest that I enter in from time to time is run fairly and that all participants obey the rules. You broke the rules by entering an icon that wasn't new (nor was it really your own), in the sense that the base icon was pre-existing. Everyone else took some semblance of time to make their own icons. If they can do it, you can do it. And, since you chose not to do it, I don't feel that that's fair to the rest of the field of entrants. I heard that one of the entrants took 15 minutes to make their icon. It's not a serious time investment. If you want to get better, you need to start making designs on your own. Simply grabbing an existing icon and modifying it can only take you so far. I'll leave Cam to explain why he allowed the entry in the first place, since I can't know why he did. It's entirely possible that he was unaware of the link or hadn't even looked at the entries since he couldn't make the voting topic. But, again, I can't know that for certain. Anyway, I've said my piece. I'll leave the rest up to Cam.

...You do realize that the challenge was for a B+ rank staff, right? Meaning that B Rank, A Rank, and S Rank weapons were completely viable options? -_- While I'm not in charge of this contest, since you entered a contest with an entry that knowingly infringed upon the rules just to see if it would get votes, I personally feel that you should be disqualified from all future competitions. That's a STUPID reason for entering a contest, especially since you expected your entry to get called out given that it was basically a palette swap, slight edit, and reshade of an icon from LoZ. If you can't be somewhat serious about it (even though spriting is just a hobby for us), then I don't think you should be allowed to participate. I'll leave that up to Cam, though. ------------------------- I voted for AK. It's the cleanest sprite of the bunch, and barring the odd part of the staff's shaft that juts out, it also is the most visually appealing, IMHO. SL's icon is nice, but it seems more like a C Rank staff to me.

@Valmanway - Wasn't intended, as I mentioned a page or two back, but I can see where you'd make that link. (No pun intended.) ------------------ Lo and behold, on this false day of Rapture, I come bearing, as they say, an image dump. For starters, someone had asked me for the base template for my current statsheet. So, in the spirit of "Why not?", I'll post it here also: Note: The regular FE8 positioning templates will only PARTIALLY work with this. You will have to use my signature to make sure everything is lined up properly. Next, I have two quick map updates, mainly focused on some cleanup issues (and gameplay issues in the case of one of the two). I'm only going to put the links to the maps in this post, but the maps will be updated in the first post. Map 1 Map 2 Now for an icon dump: Icon Contest: FE9 Icon Update: Elibian Nights: Yuri's Sidestory: FE4 Holy Weapons (New Versions): New Teaser Image:

I have to apologize about the length of the plot in Chapter 2, since I had a large hand in writing most of it. Had Yuri's Sidestory been longer than 2.5 chapters, a fair deal of the text could have been spread out to some of the later chapters. As it was, Chapter 2 was the finale of the project, so there was a long list of important plot points that needed to be touched on in the chapter. Plus, you need to account for transitional and exposition scenes, since those set up the later plot points... As such, that amount of text was basically inevitable. Plus, if you want to think about this in another way, I've not seen many hacks give you 20+ minutes of dialogue before a map even starts. So, I'd like to think that we were being different than everyone else. ---------------- That being said, I see 100+ views in this topic. Y'all had better be downloading the patch! Just because it's short doesn't mean that it isn't good or isn't somewhat challenging! (In fact, most people that I've talked to have said that at least part of the hack can be quite challenging...)

I've been pondering on what to say for a day or two now. First off, I'm kinda amazed at how close I was on a couple of those things, despite completely guessing. Aside from that astonishment though, I have more thoughts/questions for those that are significantly more knowledgeable about the SRW-verse than I am: About this ZLAI AI thing in the DGG unit that seemingly is a predecessor to the RaiOh... Are we talking a *sentient* AI here? It seems to me that this is the case, seeing as the AI is the one in the dialogue windows during battle. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, since there have been tons of different levels of AI in enemy mechs, but considering the ZLAI AI is specifically hunting the Dygenguard and Aussenseiter... So... How canon is the Exbein (and, consequently, the Guarbein) going to become? In OG The Inspector, it was just a replacement for the Huckebein Mk III because of "lolgundam," so does this mean that canon is going to be retconned again to either replace the Mk III or introduce the Exbein as a prototype for it? (And, if it's related to the Mk III at all (even as a testbed), wouldn't it already have a T-Link System on board...?) So, the new and improved Wildraubtier is boss (even though the FM was the only cool part of the original) and the fact that it's now seemingly Lat's personal mech is also win. However, this then brings me to two questions: #1: So, where exactly does Lat stand in terms of Offense now - Melee or Ranged...? She jumped the shark from OG1 to OG2, and I have no idea where she leaned in OGG... #2: Since Lat's been running around in the Raub for a while now, are the Fairlions out of comission or just in storage in chase Shine ever comes back to battle (being that the WI^3NK system is less effective if only Lat is using it...?)? Just a random note, but I am disappoint at the lack of the Grungust Custom's old paint job. Kinda digging the new Gespenst options. Obviously, I think that Type-C is going to end up winning out. (Though, I can't decide whether to keep Katina her Mk II M Custom or swap her into a Super like I normally do... :/) And why would anyone switch Kai's Mk II M Custom to Type-N? Seriously? Also, I hope that they get rid of Leona's hideous Siegerlion... It's so ugly~ ;_; EDIT (5/21/11) - I remembered something that I had been discussing with some fellow SRW fans (well, it was mainly me saying it and getting no response, but...) and I was curious to see what everyone else's reaction would be. And, given some of the information from Famitsu, it could actually be plausible... So, there have been (and likely always will be) units that are customized based solely on the plot (see: Siegerlion, Ganduro, Wildraubtier, etc.). However, as a player, I've always felt like it would be significantly more awesome to have some semblance of control over these customizations, beyond those of simply upgrading the HP, EN, Mobility, Armor, etc. With these new packs/swaps for the Halloween Plan Gespenst upgrades that allow you to effectively "customize" the mech for specific situatons, what would you all think of something like a promotion tree concept where after you buy/obtain certain parts/packs/etc., you can spend money to fund R&D to customize a mech in a direction that *you* want to go with it instead of something plot driven? Take Wildwurger for example. Over the course of the game, you might run across new technology, like an improved crusher-type weapon and a new type of Tesla Drive. Using these and improved armor plating, you could choose to upgrade the Wildwurger to the Wildwurger Custom, giving it that new crusher weapon, non-purgeable armor plating, and the improved Tesla Drive so that it can keep up with the Wildfalken without having purge its Jacket Armor. And, this would be like 1 of 3 or 4 possible variants that you could produce, depending on the materials you chose to drop onto the mech. This would be, of course, provided that the Wildwurger wasn't set to upgrade via plot. But, the concept could even be extended to ancient mechs, like the Huckebein 009, Wildschwein, or Schutzwald. That way, mechs of the past stay relevant and are able to remain on par with newer mechs. (I'd have suggested the Huckebein 008L, but hopefully it'll get its upgrade to the Huckebein EX by plot finally...)

It'll probably be more of a mix of @2 and @3, given that OGs was a mix of @1 and @2 (and, @G as well, to some extent) and some aspects of @2 still haven't been touched on (such as Ibis getting the Altairlion, which she now apparently will). I have to ask, what is up with Kai's Gespenst Mk II? First, he has the kickass Mk II M Custom in OGG with two Plasma Bucklers and now it magically changes to one matching Albero's Mk II M Custom with the F2W Cannon? I am disappoint. Though, the fact that Katina and Russel finally get upgrades helps (though, Katina will always be a SR pilot for me, and Russel's new Mk II Custom looks like it just crossed with a Schutzwald...) Also, did I see a Wildraubtier Custom in those screenshots, or was that just a mech that looked similar to it? And, on a similar note, do I see the lovely Grungust Custom (minus its purple and black paintjob) in there too? (This may be a stupid question, but what's the mech with the cape and sword at the top of the page. It looks like a cross between the Vysaga and the Huckebein Mk III/EXBEIN... Is it something like an ART-Sword or something?)

Post-OG1 and through the very early parts of OG2, he's an Aggressor, with Lat and Kai (out in Hawaii, IIRC). The topic creator is also forgetting Tempest and Kar-Wai... As for me... ... ...I think I'll have to go with Kai, too. I mean, just how badass do you have to be to seriously kick ass in a non-prototype Gespenst?

Wow, I'm a bit surprised. Of all people, I didn't expect to be the one making this post, since I'm hardly as huge of a fan as some of you. So... you know that trailer that was showcased at the end of OG The Inspector? Well... http://www.siliconera.com/2011/05/17/the-2nd-super-robot-taisen-og-will-land-on-playstation-3/ Definitely a new entry in the OG series. Presumably a tentative title (as listed in Famitsu - though, it would follow the pattern that Alpha and Z have established), we'll be seeing The 2nd Super Robot Wars OG on the PS3... some time this year (in Japan). And, there will be a hugely expensive (~$500 US) limited edition, which bundles OG The Inspector (on Blu-Ray) with the game in an apparently grandiose package. Also, according to the article, we'll still have the ever-stylish 2-D mech "sprites" that we all love, with 3-D backgrounds. All I can say is this: "DO WANT", followed by "IMPORTING - THANK GOD FOR NO REGION LOCK ON THE PS3". :D

...You do realize that prior to the shuffled group icons, that that's what we had...? (Well, granted, for years members have just had pips, but for a short while when the icons were first rolled out they were based on post counts.)

Why is it that everyone thinks that the people who develop and make the game are the ones that translate it? IS is the developer. NoA/NoE have translation staff members translate the text, etc. for their respective regions. Aside from that small semantic issue, all I can do is to wish you the best of luck. I never much cared for Shadow Dragon's archaic mechanics (heck, I'd rather play FE4 with its silly pawning system than FE11), but I've heard that FE12 is a significantly better beast. Still doesn't mean I'll play it, but for the sake of the fans who *do* want to play it, I think this is wonderful. So, good luck.

Voted for Feaw. Might be a little big, but of the other three options, I feel it fits the best. I like the concept on Moulder's, but it's more sword-like than knife-like. And, while Cam's seems more like a knife, it's a little too simple compared to Feaw's.

After a short hiatus, I return.

Not sure how I missed this being pinned. Custom Weapon Icon Tutorial Custom Icon Tutorial v2.0

You're both reading it wrong. If you compare it to the other entries that Blazer posted (such as the ones that are marked "no permission needed"), then it's clear that that field is listing who you need to get permission from for the package, not who has already given permission. As such, you need to ask TBA and you don't have to ask Blazer.

It says right there that you have to get permission from TBA if you want to use the Halberdier. (Seeing as, you know, he made the sprites.)

If I'm interpreting it correctly, it seems to be that the female Archer is weaker, and thus has to use both arms to pull the lever up. Then with all of the force to pull it up, she immediately lets go, so that it returns and fires the ballista's bolt. (Whereas, the male Archer has enough strength to pull the lever up and push it back down with one hand.)

I do believe that it's just Fin's promoted TCG art: Here

Speaking of Dragon Quest II, I think this article is quite relevant: http://www.siliconera.com/2011/05/10/dragon-quest-anniversary-collection-brings-first-three-games-to-wii/ To summarize, it'll have DQI (Famicom), DQII (Famicom), DQIII (Famicom), DQI&II (SFC), and DQIII (SFC) on it. Personally, I'd have preferred a little more effort on SE's part (perhaps a compilation with updated graphics and scripts that could be played through chronologically (3 -> 1 -> 2) to get the full effect of the series), but they are trying to get DQX done, I suppose. I'd also have liked the GBC version of DQI&II, but I guess I'll just have to wait until it's available on the 3DS Virtual Console... EDIT - Also, maybe it was just a change in the GBC version of DQI&II, but I distinctly remember that grinding was quite helpful in surviving against Hargon and Sidoh.

@Kaoz - I guess I can briefly comment in return. For the four columns aspect, I felt that limiting the area to a relatively narrow rectangle felt cramped, so I widened it by an extra column. As for the neutral area, if the plan is to have generic units as well as character cards in that area and that one loses if they have no more unit cards on the field, you kinda have to keep enough units on the field to survive. By increasing the playable area, you prevent cases where someone draws only one generic enemy and gets smashed in two turns before they can have a chance to draw another. It removes a small portion of the luck aspect of any card game. Ten character cards was an off-the-cuff suggestion, just to give the players an ample number of choices at the beginning. And, if their starting characters were defeated, then they have others to fall back on in the deck. Though, I suppose that one could get by with 6-8 instead of 10. The map card would make unit placements uniform between the two players as well as apply terrain types to the squares for calculations (Forest, Sand, etc.). These also might change the number of squares units could move across the field. (For instance, mounted units (minus flying units) have only 1 move on Forest and Sand, etc.) I think that this would need a mixture of the two mechanics (EXP + Promotion Items), because you could easily progress from a base unit card to a promoted unit card early on if you get an extremely ideal opening draw. This way, you'd be required to train your unit somehow before just tossing down a promotion item card and paying the required amount of funds/gold to use it. Not sure how I'd implement this, but it's at least an idea. I agree on the searching and prepromote stuff, though. Well, with the stipulation that if I've got Soren (Mage) on the field and he dies, I can't play Soren (Sage) later in the match if I happen to draw it, since he died earlier. I'd say that this should apply to both teams, but that's not very fair to restrict what cards the other player could use because I played them first. I like the extension of the gold stuff. I was kinda going along with the MtG Lands/Pokemon Energy concept with mine. I suppose, to prevent issues with having a return of money or having to pay with exact amounts, one could also have a counter that increases and decreases based on the cards you play. (Open a treasure chest with 10000G in it? Added to counter. Play Master Seal, -10000G from counter. Instead of having to discard the a 10000G card to play the Master Seal.)

I've been thinking about adding some suggestions and comments to this since the topic was thrown up, but Kaoz's post inspired me to think a little more on the subject. Here's my input on what I feel might work: I suggest a slightly larger "playing field" - Each player has an area of 3x4 cells (rows by columns) that they control, with a separating area of 2x4 cells in between them that are neutral. Each player has a mini-deck of character cards (forced number of, let's say, 10), from which they select two character cards (without showing their opponent what the cards are). Player cards are unique and only one of them can be on the field at a time. If both players select the same character card, then a coin is tossed to determine who gets to use the card at the start. The losing player must pick another character card. These character cards are placed on the field in a formation by the means of a map card, which not only sets the formations for both players but also sets the terrain types for each cell on the playing field. (This map card would be part of a small "side-deck" of map cards which is shuffled and is thus randomly played. Also, this would be something that both players would have and would be standard. Could be expanded via expansions, but this promotes issues depending on if this is digital or not.) The remaining (8) player cards would then be shuffled into the regular deck. This regular deck would contain the aforementioned weapon cards (to strengthen the units) and gold denomination cards (to pay the cost of "buying" weapon cards or "hiring" new units (either generic cards (with weaker stats than character cards, but there can be duplicates of the generics on the field - also, generics can get a bonus/boost if a character card affiliated with them is on your side of the field) or other character cards)), as well as the newly aforementioned generic unit cards (which operate like character cards). Also, there would be other kinds of cards like scenario cards (Trainer cards in Pokemon, for instance, or Spell cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!) which would cause events to take place. Also, you would have EXP cards, which would give certain amounts of EXP to the unit cards (generics or characters). To prevent a ridiculous deck size, these would have to minimally be valued at 100 EXP, possibly with rarer variants providing more (and with a cap on the number allowed in the deck). Characters gain EXP and when they reach a level where you have another character card of them, you can replace the current card with an upgraded one. (Say you set a minimum character level of 10 for the start of the match and you start with a Lv. 10 Soren (Mage). If you feed him 5 100pt. EXP cards and you have a Lv. 15 Soren (Mage) card, then you can "evolve"/upgrade the card on the field.) These upgraded character cards would not be part of the main deck. The goal of each match would be to eliminate all of the opponent's unit cards on the field (requiring a player to continually field units), capture the opponent's Seize square (as defined by the Map card), or cause the opponent to run out of cards in his deck. And, obviously, some of the other stuff mentioned by the other posters could be incorporated in as well.

...The pink color is just the image's background. It's not part of the palette. The palette is only the 15 "circles" that are in the image. For the Blade of Roses, I'd suggest either using the Red+Outline Purple, Red+Orange, Red+Brown, or Red+Dark Grey-blue as your combination (results may vary).

I think you might need to be a bit more specific in describing the elements of this. You know, items such as the offset where you inserted the map array, the map's size, the exact tileset string (10 00 11 12, for instance), etc. As it stands, I think the only possible advice anyone could suggest would be to re-export the map array and reinsert the map again (which, oddly enough *can* fix stuff - I don't try to understand it, but I've inserted a map once and had issues, but then starting clean and inserting it again, it worked) or check to make sure that you have don't have a corrupted tileset.