Best/Worst Character Designs

[LegendaryHero0]

Would be kind of interesting to see the game show technological advances relative to the time period it's in..

I DO remember an interview where IS developers were dsicussing making changes to the FE franchise, including one in the future or on mars, so...

[Melonhead]

, including one in the future or on mars, so...

omgomgomg no no no no. PleasePleasePlease Nooohooo!! That would be terrible.

[LegendaryHero0]

omgomgomg no no no no. PleasePleasePlease Nooohooo!! That would be terrible.

To be honest, i'd totally be okay with that.

Might sound odd, but i'm all for change. Besides, i'm sure it'd actually turn out to be a lot cooler than it sounds when spoken.

But! I digress.

Speaking of character designs, the new Ephraim looks pretty badass.

[Ein]

Uh so Nono. Her outfit. Why, IS, why?

What? She's adorable anyway.

[CrashGordon94]

What? She's adorable anyway.

She's also underaged and that's a super skimpy outfit...

[Polaris]

She's also underaged and that's a super skimpy outfit...

This.

That outfit gives me the creeps. Nono gives me the creeps, which is sad because I've found all of other the baby manakete adorable till date.

I DO remember an interview where IS developers were dsicussing making changes to the FE franchise, including one in the future or on mars, so...

I actually like the sound of this. It'd be an interesting direction to move in, but...

At least, they should phase in rifles etc. as part of progress. Super-effective against armor.

[eharper256]

This.

That outfit gives me the creeps. Nono gives me the creeps, which is sad because I've found all of other the baby manakete adorable till date.

[/size][/color]

I actually like the sound of this. It'd be an interesting direction to move in, but...

At least, they should phase in rifles etc. as part of progress. Super-effective against armor.

Of course, firearms existing first requires the existence of an effective propellant. If there is no black powder parallel, there are no guns.

It's also the case of why invent guns when we can throw fireballs? Why invent aircraft when we can ride Pegasi? Magic in FE seems relatively common (5-10% of people can use it?), and all magical settings have the same kind of issue.

On topic, I really like Vake, Sol, Tiamo, and Tiki's adult version.

Not very fond of Serge's dragon neck brace. Or Donny... (gets savaged by fangirls)

As for Nono, Ein Silver Roses current avatar says it all. Haters gonna hate. She could be worse. No really.

Edited May 12, 2012 by eharper256

[Anouleth]

Yeah, I think that firearms would be really inappropriate for the setting. The pseudo-medieval fantasy setting is already pretty incoherent without introducing firearms on top of that. Especially rifles, which weren't invented until the 18th century.

[Polaris]

I suppose muskets might have been more appropriate and this is so wonderfully off topic.

Personally, the concept of technology overtaking magic/integrating magic interests me, especially when you can have a man versus machine story. (I suppose IS could do that for Advance Wars though, and it'd be less jarring.)

Why have mages if everyone can use a magic gun? Why have pegasi, when a machine can do the same more efficiently? The repercussions of introducing technology into a culture is almost always an interesting story when you explore the human element - one facet of story-telling FE is rather good at, if 4, 5 and 9 are anything to go by .

You guys do make good points though. I'll concede that.

Finally, it has a lot to do with my personal preference of story, so... :V

Vaguely on-topic: I know this topic says no DLC, but Ephraim's new design is fantastic. Come on, IS, do the same for the ladies... please?

[eharper256]

I suppose muskets might have been more appropriate and this is so wonderfully off topic.

Personally, the concept of technology overtaking magic/integrating magic interests me, especially when you can have a man versus machine story. (I suppose IS could do that for Advance Wars though, and it'd be less jarring.)

Why have mages if everyone can use a magic gun? Why have pegasi, when a machine can do the same more efficiently? The repercussions of introducing technology into a culture is almost always an interesting story when you explore the human element - one facet of story-telling FE is rather good at, if 4, 5 and 9 are anything to go by .

Oh, aye, its something I've tackled a bit in my own D&D setting and it can be pretty interesting to watch the interactions. The first time the party was assailed by some Verunans with 'exploding sticks' (arqubuses) took them all by surprise. By the 3rd campaign, Railtracks powered by Thunder Mages have become widespread, muskets/flintlocks have replaced arquebuses, basic printing presses, clocks and the ability to make textiles and buttons have all appeared too. But I've said there can't be an industrial revolution in the setting; since there is no coal or other abundant fossil fuel.

Vaguely on-topic: I know this topic says no DLC, but Ephraim's new design is fantastic. Come on, IS, do the same for the ladies... please?

Ephraim's good since I think they actually had a Fire Emblem artist draw him. Fanservice Micaiah is worthy; but I guess she's only a victim of female Dark Mage outfit in general.

Actually, mage character designs as a rule look pretty silly. It's either fanservice or the stupid hats. Only Male dark mages seem to escape with dignity. Which is a shame, since I was thinking of making Tiamo into a Dark Mage because I think that's cool.

[Silith]

Degel needs more love. Though her armor is pretty rediculous. I hope she isn't liek Wendy, Amelia and Meg in game (stat wise)

[Ein]

Everyone should have the Dark Mage outfit by default.

[Melonhead]

To be honest, i'd totally be okay with that.

Might sound odd, but i'm all for change. Besides, i'm sure it'd actually turn out to be a lot cooler than it sounds when spoken.

But! I digress.

Speaking of character designs, the new Ephraim looks pretty badass.

That's called advance wars. Sure, it's a little different, but.. I just don't like the idea at all.

And yeah, one of my favorite DLC art so far.

[Velth]

Degel needs more love. Though her armor is pretty rediculous. I hope she isn't liek Wendy, Amelia and Meg in game (stat wise)

She can't possibly be like any of those knights because children base stats are based on the parents stats at the moment you enter the childs chapter and recruit them and from the looks of it growths are also somewhat affected by parents

so being a crappy knight is almost impossible .(there seems to be a limit on how low the base stats of children characters can be.)

Edited May 12, 2012 by Velth

[CrashGordon94]

That's called advance wars. Sure, it's a little different, but.. I just don't like the idea at all.

Well, modern FE could have something like Advance Wars with FE mechanics.

[Anouleth]

Personally, the concept of technology overtaking magic/integrating magic interests me,

It doesn't really interest me.

especially when you can have a man versus machine story.

You mean, like AIs?

Why have mages if everyone can use a magic gun? Why have pegasi, when a machine can do the same more efficiently? The repercussions of introducing technology into a culture is almost always an interesting story when you explore the human element - one facet of story-telling FE is rather good at, if 4, 5 and 9 are anything to go by .

I personally feel that the actual reality of how advancing technology affected warfare is far more interesting than a novelist making up some crap about how some fictional technology affected some fictional culture, normally in a way that isn't actually true or realistic. How can we imagine what a magical society might look like and evolve when most of us barely understand our own society?

In addition, when you throw established high fantasy conventions out of the window like you're suggesting, you also throw away any leeway you have to be unrealistic. If you want FE to seriously consider questions of how technology and culture would interact with magic, that technology and culture would also have to be realistic. So no axes or heavy armour in the 17th century, for instance. Maybe it would be really really cool if they could pull it off, but it's very hard to pull off and given that they can't even do medieval europe accurately I think it's asking a bit much for them to engage in speculative fiction.

Also, flying machines is a 20th century thing. So what you're really talking about is Advance Wars.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Anouleth

[Polaris]

A differing view

Man versus Machine is pretty much the catch-all term for any story that involves a conflict between humans and technology. So even a little story about farmers rebelling against the use of steam-powered harvesters is technically Man versus Machine. You can have AIs, but there really is no need to.

I believe that the beauty of fiction lies in what ideas it conveys. I don't really care about how realistic the portrayal of a technology or culture in a fictional setting is simply because I'm more interested in the human drama. Silly technical details don't really bother me as much, as long as it isn't something blatantly wrong or stupid, like having people cut down planes with steel swords. Being unrealistic is a decent price to pay for a story that explores human conflicts well, in my opinion.

Anyway, you and I have fairly different views on the matter, so I think we can agree to disagree.

EDIT: (Speaking of flying machines - Balloons and Balloonists have been around for longer than planes, and they also happen to be machines. Just sayin'.)

Also, as mentioned a little below this, Xenoblade did an amazing job of integrating magic and technology. Ether (their version of "magic") is their version of a fossil fuel.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Pandorakun

[General Banzai]

Congratulations, Anouleth has stumbled upon why there are no good fantasy stories

The fact that people constantly claim Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia to be allegories is merely a grasping-at-straws attempt to make those stories relevant to any real-world purposes.

[LegendaryHero0]

That's called advance wars. Sure, it's a little different, but.. I just don't like the idea at all.

And yeah, one of my favorite DLC art so far.

Well, Advance Wars is more.. military-based, and there's not the same drawing focus on characters.

If it were a future Fire Emblem, i'm sure it'd be Final Fantasy-like, where magic and technology is integrated together. Xenoblade is another very good example of that, where it flows nicely.

Granted, i'm a bit biased, because I prefer modern/future type warfare FAR over anything even remotely in the past, but I do think it could work. I'm sure the same old FE charm would be there, too..

But hey, this is just aimless speculation over something that was a thought in the developers' minds, not something that's necessarily going to happen.

[Polaris]

Congratulations, Anouleth has stumbled upon why there are no good fantasy stories

The fact that people constantly claim Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia to be allegories is merely a grasping-at-straws attempt to make those stories relevant to any real-world purposes.

This is wrong on so many levels...

Narnia was intended by the author himself to be an allegory for Christianity. It was a theological allegory, and your belief that it is irrelevant is kind of ingenuous. Lord of the Rings was basically Tolkien's rendering of the mead hall tale sung in Anglo-saxon times. Maybe it doesn't have a real-world parallel anymore, but I hardly think that some of its themes are irrelevant to us today. Character archetypes and emotions are universal. The latter I can literally prove with psychology research. Plots are universal.

I don't even quite get what you mean by a real-world purpose. You have themes that you wish to convey and it shouldn't matter if that theme is couched in a fantasy setting or no, as long as they come across to the reader. Those themes are what need to be relevant. Of course, real-world settings are more evocative, but if that's all that matters to a reader, then maybe I need to stop reading books about 1950's USA. That setting means nothing to me except pages from a history book. I'm not even from the same country!

Well, you might not enjoy fantasy, but I don't think it's fair to diss an entire genre because your tastes preclude it, I think. To be fair, yeah, most fantasy is generic paint-by-numbers rubbish, but to say that nothing good exists is a bit much.

Eh, whatever. This rant isn't going to get me anywhere.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Pandorakun

[Thor Odinson]

Degel needs more love. Though her armor is pretty rediculous. I hope she isn't liek Wendy, Amelia and Meg in game (stat wise)

I like her design when she take off the bulky jetpack part. Looks cool.

[Melonhead]

Well, Advance Wars is more.. military-based, and there's not the same drawing focus on characters.

If it were a future Fire Emblem, i'm sure it'd be Final Fantasy-like, where magic and technology is integrated together. Xenoblade is another very good example of that, where it flows nicely.

I was thinking of a more modern technology science fiction like FE. That would be terrible. But something along the lines of Final Fantasy or Xenoblade would be much, much better. I would actually like to see something like that.

EDIT: Just no guns. :/

Edited May 12, 2012 by Melonhead215

[Othin]

Degel needs more love. Though her armor is pretty rediculous. I hope she isn't liek Wendy, Amelia and Meg in game (stat wise)

Degel seems solid statwise, although I didn't use her a whole lot.

The one kid I've found to be really terrible is Brady. Might just be that I didn't use Mariabel enough, but his base stats seem really pitiful, for a character who takes a while to feasibly get. You need to complete Ch15 to even reach his map, but the enemies are powerful and more along the lines of Ch18 enemies, while swarming you in a more challenging way. And then he's a Priest: even if he promotes immediately, he has just E rank in axes or tomes.

[General Banzai]

This is wrong on so many levels...

Narnia was intended by the author himself to be an allegory for Christianity. It was a theological allegory, and your belief that it is irrelevant is kind of ingenuous. Lord of the Rings was basically Tolkien's rendering of the mead hall tale sung in Anglo-saxon times. Maybe it doesn't have a real-world parallel anymore, but I hardly think that some of its themes are irrelevant to us today. Character archetypes and emotions are universal. The latter I can literally prove with psychology research. Plots are universal.

I don't even quite get what you mean by a real-world purpose. You have themes that you wish to convey and it shouldn't matter if that theme is couched in a fantasy setting or no, as long as they come across to the reader. Those themes are what need to be relevant. Of course, real-world settings are more evocative, but if that's all that matters to a reader, then maybe I need to stop reading books about 1950's USA. That setting means nothing to me except pages from a history book. I'm not even from the same country!

Well, you might not enjoy fantasy, but I don't think it's fair to diss an entire genre because your tastes preclude it, I think. To be fair, yeah, most fantasy is generic paint-by-numbers rubbish, but to say that nothing good exists is a bit much.

Eh, whatever. This rant isn't going to get me anywhere.

Wrong, Lewis specifically denied that the books were supposed to be an allegory.

And what, pray tell, are LotR's themes again?

Oh, and I enjoy fantasy quite a bit. It's why I play these fucking games.

[BBM]

Wrong, Lewis specifically denied that the books were supposed to be an allegory.

And what, pray tell, are LotR's themes again?

Oh, and I enjoy fantasy quite a bit. It's why I play these fucking games.

Works of art can have interpretations different from what the creator might have intended. And finding Christian allegories in the Chronicles of Narnia is certainly more than grasping at straws. Whether or not Lewis intended to express his religion in his books, it is definitely possible to find it there.

LotR, however, doesn't have many themes, true enough. But it doesn't need to either.