My Unit Question/Options

[Superbus]

Hey guys, I'm working on the game (the actual cartridge, not the ROM) for a review of it, and while I'm doing OK, my fairly weak Japanese skills are biting me in the ass. There's one question I have:

Is there an option - anywhere - to take My Unit out of the game? I'm not 100% sure I'm fond of them changing integral parts of the story for the purposes of self-insertion. I'd really like it if there was a "classic" option to play without My Unit.

Bear in mind that for now, I'm only playing on normal difficulty with classic deaths, so if this is an option on the higher difficulties, I'm not sure. But thanks in advance for letting me know either way.

[Don Draper]

Unfortunately, there is no way to take My-Unit out of the game. They've made him/her too essential to the new plot, and the mandatory prologue is centered around him/her.

[Colonel M]

...You "can" de-select My Unit after Prologue... but I don't see why you would do such a thing. :/

[dondon151]

Why would you want to review the game without using MU?

[TheEnd]

I guess this means you'll be happy to know that My Unit can have support convos with pretty much everyone, Bus.

Also, hard 1 is the real normal mode.

[Superbus]

That kinda sucks, actually. I wish they'd have had a classic option because so far, not only does it make the story weird in a Gary Stu/Mary Sue kind of way, it screws up the balance even more than things like the weapon triangle.

[General Spoon]

That kinda sucks, actually. I wish they'd have had a classic option because so far, not only does it make the story weird in a Gary Stu/Mary Sue kind of way, it screws up the balance even more than things like the weapon triangle.

Shouldn't you use MU so that you can properly review the game for "the casuals that run the market?"

[Mekkah]

That kinda sucks, actually. I wish they'd have had a classic option because so far, not only does it make the story weird in a Gary Stu/Mary Sue kind of way, it screws up the balance even more than things like the weapon triangle.

What's so imbalanced about MU, keeping in mind every character in the game can Reclass?

[dondon151]

That kinda sucks, actually. I wish they'd have had a classic option because so far, not only does it make the story weird in a Gary Stu/Mary Sue kind of way, it screws up the balance even more than things like the weapon triangle.

IS has screwed up balance in many, many more ways in past games, and to far greater extents.

Shouldn't you use MU so that you can properly review the game for "the casuals that run the market?"

Yes, exactly. And even if you're taking the stance of "FE purist," you have to admit that these features are designed to appeal to the target audience of your reviews.

[Superbus]

Shouldn't you use MU so that you can properly review the game for "the casuals that run the market?"

Of course I would. I'd play it both ways, the same way I'm jumping from my normal game straight into Lunatic. I make sure to do everything with a game that I can before I put my name on a review. I'm saying that there should be an option to eliminate it if someone wants to have the classic game experience. I will always say a game should have more options, not less. That said, my conclusion is going to be that this is a 20 year old game, and 98% of the gamers playing this are not going to remember Old Monshou. Even those using ROMs.

What I mean by affecting balance is that Monshou - both books - were made before the weapon triangle went into effect, and was made without those innovations in mind. They added the weapon triangle, and things took a turn because now, there was more to add to the old stage designs, stage designs that were made without the triangle. This especially affected axe users - in both games - who used to be useless but were now worth something.

Edited July 31, 2010 by Superbus

[TheEnd]

Reclass.

Forging.

Training arena.

Twice as many recruitables.

No weapon weight.

Save points.

FEDS-style Manaketes (why yes, Chiki can run out of dragon stone uses here).

Star shards give small fixed stat bonuses instead of huge growth enhancements.

My Unit is far from being the only thing upsetting the original balance, Bus. And if you aren't paying attention to the dialogues, it's nothing more than a powerful unit you can use.

What's so imbalanced about MU, keeping in mind every character in the game can Reclass?

Level 10 at Chapter 1?

Edited July 31, 2010 by Mr. Facepalm

[Colonel M]

Level 10 at Chapter 1?

That's only if you deny everyone else in your party to be honest. :/

[Superbus]

That's only if you deny everyone else in your party to be honest. :/

Even just playing normally, I was able to get my little Busu up to Lv. 6. That's one more Lv. 6 character added to your party, in addition to the levels gained by the other prologue characters.

[Mr. Francis York Morgan]

I'm probably the most hardcore guy on the site if my love of Deadly Premonition and budget titles is any indication, yet I am looking forward to creating my own my unit. Guess that means I'm a closet casual!

I don't really put any value on the terms hardcore or casual. Nerds just use them satisfy there feelings of rage/inadequacy whenever there games are threatened by anything in particular.

[dondon151]

Even just playing normally, I was able to get my little Busu up to Lv. 6. That's one more Lv. 6 character added to your party, in addition to the levels gained by the other prologue characters.

You are implying that the original FE3 book 2 was near perfectly balanced and that these new features break this balance. Let me tell you, sir, that this game was far from achieving any sort of balance in the first place.

[Colonel M]

Unless we're talking about Baby Normal Mode, unless My Unit is an Armor Knight, I'm placing some doubt on hitting Level 10 for a My Unit. Like I said; I think I reached Level 7. :/

[Paperblade]

You are implying that the original FE3 book 2 was near perfectly balanced and that these new features break this balance. Let me tell you, sir, that this game was far from achieving any sort of balance in the first place.

I would think that on H2 or a mode where half the cast isn't being one rounded in their joining chapter it would actually have better balance than the original, considering that that half the cast has pretty crazy growths...

[Anouleth]

Of course I would. I'd play it both ways, the same way I'm jumping from my normal game straight into Lunatic. I make sure to do everything with a game that I can before I put my name on a review. I'm saying that there should be an option to eliminate it if someone wants to have the classic game experience. I will always say a game should have more options, not less. That said, my conclusion is going to be that this is a 20 year old game, and 98% of the gamers playing this are not going to remember Old Monshou. Even those using ROMs.

What I mean by affecting balance is that Monshou - both books - were made before the weapon triangle went into effect, and was made without those innovations in mind. They added the weapon triangle, and things took a turn because now, there was more to add to the old stage designs, stage designs that were made without the triangle. This especially affected axe users - in both games - who used to be useless but were now worth something.

There were no axe users in the original FE3.

Also, I find it ridiculous that you expect that FE should have balance, or has ever been made with balance in mind, or has ever actually achieved this semi-mythical state of 'balance'.

[Superbus]

There were no axe users in the original FE3.

Also, I find it ridiculous that you expect that FE should have balance, or has ever been made with balance in mind, or has ever actually achieved this semi-mythical state of 'balance'.

That said, all Fire Emblem games fall victim to poor balance, and I believe this is intentional; some characters are simply more important than others, and therefore will have a statistical advantage, whereas others just don’t cut mustard; it could take one or two playthroughs, or a trip to FESS, Serene’s Forest or GameFAQs, to learn which characters to use and which ones to leave rotting on the bench.

source

The paragraph before:

For people that beat this game in either form on either the Famicom or Super Famicom, there’s also a lot to see here, as the weapon triangle, readjusted growths and updated stat caps change the balance of the game completely. In this version, the triangle gives a bigger advantage to axe users – a class that couldn’t promote in either of the previous games, and also couldn’t hit anything due to poor skill and heavier weapons – which immediately puts all four primary axe uses in play, and makes useful units out of Barts and Davos. Furthermore, unlike the last games – where all of the caps were at 20 for all stats – a character’s class after promotion (via the use of a Master Seal, between levels 10 and 20, preferably at 20 for max stat gain) determines their stats, and this makes certain characters like Sheeda and some of the axe users much more useful than they were in previous games; before, they’d cap their top stats before promotion and not gain anything on level up for the rest of the game, creating an unbalanced character (stat gains are done by a random number generator, which takes growth percentages and gives out stat gains upon level-up; it’s possible to have a level-up where every stat is gained, and it’s also possible to have a level-up that turns out to be a complete dud), whereas now, a super fast character such as Sheeda can have a cap of 30, and hit it, improving balance greatly.

To tl;dr it: Fire Emblem games are never balanced, but I think the changes made make the game a lot easier - at least on normal or hard - than the original game was. This is not a bad thing in most cases. What I was trying to say is that it does greatly affect balance, wity My Unit maybe skewing things a little too much to one side.

[dondon151]

I would think that on H2 or a mode where half the cast isn't being one rounded in their joining chapter it would actually have better balance than the original, considering that that half the cast has pretty crazy growths...

Sorry, I think I picked an incorrect word that clouded the meaning of my post. By "this game," I meant FE3, not FE12.

[nabvfgsyeahuwdefgfue7huiwr]

My Unit is far from being the only thing upsetting the original balance, Bus. And if you aren't paying attention to the dialogues, it's nothing more than a powerful unit you can use.

Its growth's aren't anything special. While My Unit is well rounded, he doesn't seem to "powerful."

Edited August 1, 2010 by FireEmblemReignsSupreme

[Paperblade]

Its growth's aren't anything special. While My Unit is well rounded, he doesn't seem to "powerful."

... You realize he gets bonus growths from the questions at the start of the game, yes?

[arvilino]

... You realize he gets bonus growths from the questions at the start of the game, yes?

Only in one stat though. Even then My Unit is beaten in every growth category except the chosen stat(unless it's speed, since the boost would have to be 25% or more), Magic and luck(equal) by Rody.

[Sploosh]

Yet he has far better bases than anyone you get in the prologue for a while. And since his growths aren't bad at all, chances are he'll be getting the lion's share of levels.

[TheEnd]

Its growth's aren't anything special. While My Unit is well rounded, he doesn't seem to "powerful."

I presume you haven't played the game yet.