Fire Emblem Gaiden re-make sprite request and map critiques.

[Treats]

Hello!

I'm making a Fire Emblem Gaiden re-make and would like to see if anyone is interested in making the portraits of the characters.

Also, I would like critiques on the maps so that they may look well.

[spoiler=Battle 1]

Before:

After:

I made it to look like you're about to enter a large forest.

Compare them and please point where can it look better. Also, I would like suggestions as for how can I make the gates look less like a square without expanding it much.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[cyron]

Base the maps less of Gaiden, be more creative. Map design was one of the worst part of Gaiden it's one of the bests places to take creative liberties, try to make it look more like an innovation and less like a port.

[Lord of Gabriel Knight]

I say keep the maps based on Gaiden, but make them better like you did to chapter one's map.

After all, it is a Gaiden remake, so why would you use anything but Gaiden maps?

Edited June 28, 2013 by GabrielKnight

[Randoman]

I have to partly agree with Cyron. There's some parts of the game that practically need to be changed and fixed (like the swamps that both drain HP and greatly hinder movement, as well as Alm's team getting trapped in the volcano and constantly being forced to face dragons which may get you killed if your team isn't up to par).

Otherwise, basing the remake maps on the original shouldn't be too much of a problem and I don't see anything wrong with it (I prefer staying as true to the original as possible when it comes to remakes, unless it's changing things to make things more convenient or fair). It's ultimately up to you regarding which path you want to take, though.

[Lord of Gabriel Knight]

How's this for Alm?

Sorry, I can't make mini mugs though.

Edited June 28, 2013 by GabrielKnight

[Treats]

Base the maps less of Gaiden, be more creative. Map design was one of the worst part of Gaiden it's one of the bests places to take creative liberties, try to make it look more like an innovation and less like a port.

The thing is, I don't know how to innovate the map without making significant changes. Look what I ended up turning battle 2's map into.

Although I like how it looks, the very essence of the map is almost completely gone. I agree with GabrielKnight; it wouldn't be much of a re-make if I make the maps look nothing like the original. I also agree with Randoman; I could make changes in term of how the game-play on the map will be since that doesn't need to replicate the original Gaiden game.

How's this for Alm?

Sorry, I can't make mini mugs though.

I'm one of those that can't tell whether a portraits looks good or not. To me it looks pretty good. And I don't mind about the chibis.

Edited June 28, 2013 by Treats

[Tryhard]

Honestly, I love FE2, but I can say that I'm pretty sure no-one misses that map design. It was just a step-down from FE1, period.

I actually like how that Map 2 looks, despite it looking very different from the original. Whatever, anything beats trekking through the forest tiles at the start.

I would take creative liberties on this one, myself. The maps were so basic in FE2 that I don't think anyone will really miss them. Keep the same structure and starting positions, but I wouldn't say worry too much about keeping it like the original. While your Map 1 looks better than the original, it still looks fairly bare by GBA standards. It's unfortunately what you get when you stick to the FE2 style.

Edited June 28, 2013 by Kelsper

[Treats]

In that case, I guess I'll make them all different. I'll base the maps with the Gaiden ones, but only with the size and maybe structure (if the circumstances force me to).

How about this replacement of battle 1's map?

Edited June 28, 2013 by Treats

[cyron]

thats, good i like it no errors in the map that i can see

[Lord of Gabriel Knight]

Now it looks nothing like Gaiden, it's kind of disappointing.

[Tryhard]

In that case, I guess I'll make them all different.

Don't need to take just my opinion for it, it's just that your hack seems more in terms of a reboot than a remake, considering several things will probably need to be changed from FE2. The maps are definitely one of the weakest parts of FE2.

Now it looks nothing like Gaiden, it's kind of disappointing.

How would you suggest he makes maps like this (and yes, there is a lot of them like this) look respectable?

Edited June 29, 2013 by Kelsper

[Lord of Gabriel Knight]

If that's possible. It's a Gaiden remake. It'd wouldn't be much of a remake if it looks nothing like it. I'm not saying it has to look EXACTLY like Gaiden, but don't just go in a completely different direction.

[Tryhard]

If that's possible. It's a Gaiden remake. It'd wouldn't be much of a remake if it looks nothing like it. I'm not saying it has to look EXACTLY like Gaiden, but don't just go in a completely different direction.

Fair enough, I suppose I just don't hold any kind of value to the old maps. I wouldn't mind if they were all changed, but that's just me.

[Treats]

Hmmm. Perhaps I can use these maps to replace those that re-uses a previously seen map, like the first battle from chapter 3 (Alm) using the same map as the seventh from chapter 1 or the Thief Shrine's and it's numerous clones. However, I like each part of a map to have a purpose, which is something that Gaiden lacked. So I may change those spaces where no unit sets foot, be it with terrain or with allies, reinforcements, etc.

[Tamanoir]

You will have to add new maps, anyways... And since no maps have chests/village, you will have to add them somehow...

For example, The Steel Lance in the Resistance HQ can be add on the map, and the Fear Shrine will need a complete overall.

So, even if you keep the same maps, you may add things like village or chests, to find Items or recruiting character, or shops.

ANyway, good luck ! That's a really exciting project !

Edited June 29, 2013 by TendaSlime

[Crimson Red]

Regarding the maps, I think staying at least somewhat true to the original maps is important because for people who haven't played a lot of FE2 and probably don't intend to, this might be the closest thing to FE2 they see, and it wouldn't be a very true experience to FE2 if the maps/terrain were completely different; it should look enhanced, not just better. There's a difference (at least IMO).

FE12 for instance had new maps and new features and maps that looked and at some points played better without altering it so much that it wasn't recognizable (or clashed with FE11, for that matter, since IIRC you do visit the same place in each once or twice... not sure though).

On another note, I like the battle 1 map and think if you approach things similarly you should be okay. I also think maps in general will be your easiest thing to do because they take the least artistic skill IMO. As for portraits, once you have more to show I think people might jump in on helping a bit more--this kinda thing usually depends on the quality of the hack in everything BUT portraits, to my knowledge (meaning maps, graphics in general, battles sprites, gameplay, music, etc.).

[deleted35362]

I don't think you have to make a strict decision on this. The maps in your hack should hold varying degrees of resemblance to the originals as long as you keep the settings the same.

[Hawk King]

I agree that the maps should be close enough to the original so that someone familiar to FE2 will recognize them.

For that map that Kelsper posted. You could move the building up so that grass on the top isnt there anymore. Cut back the 5 "fingers" of the building by like 8 tiles. And have like 5 forts where those Sorcerers? are with the same enemies on them but make them not move. And make that lake less perfectly straight.

The map will be recognizable, but way less boring.

[Treats]

For that map that Kelsper posted. You could move the building up so that grass on the top isnt there anymore. Cut back the 5 "fingers" of the building by like 8 tiles. And have like 5 forts where those Sorcerers? are with the same enemies on them but make them not move. And make that lake less perfectly straight.

The map will be recognizable, but way less boring.

That battle is still very far at the moment, but I'll copy & paste this for future references.

Battle 2's map:

The center is almost like in the original game and the setting is still there. The mountains didn't convinced me -especially the lower one-, but I intent to let the player know how the next battle will be like.

Edited June 29, 2013 by Treats

[Lord of Gabriel Knight]

The mountain tiles look like they are in night. That map looks very similar to the one in Gaiden, but you can add more mountains and forts for bandits to spawn to 'enhance' it.

I really admire your map making skills. I have no experience myself.

Edited June 29, 2013 by GabrielKnight

[NobodiePichu]

use a diffrent pallete treats the mountains in this one are really startiling.

other than that id say that it seems kinda empty. looks ok otherwise.

[Treats]

That's the palette that comes with the tileset. It won't look like that in-game.

Alright, I'll fill up the empty spaces and fix the mountains, but I'll stop with maps for the moment so that I can progress some more in hacking.

[Matt Snow]

Well I never played Gaiden, but I just saw a video and it said that they introduced archers in that chapter? If you're still going to do that then maybe you could add some cliffs, more or less in the middle, to give them higher ground, and to make the map look a bit less empty. I have no idea what the small room with the chest is for, but you could make it bigger so it doesn't look so detached from everything else.

As for the map most things have been said, the mountains look really weird though... are you sure you used the same pallet for them? It does look kinda empty, but mostly in the middle where the light grass is. I think no ones said this so far but I think that you forgot a tile or something here:

The mountain just kinda stops in thin air, took me awhile to notice because of the pallet.

Hope that helps.

[Primefusion]

Trying using set 6A006B6C (aka Bern) to make the mountains not look funky.

[NICKT™]

Don't need to take just my opinion for it, it's just that your hack seems more in terms of a reboot than a remake, considering several things will probably need to be changed from FE2. The maps are definitely one of the weakest parts of FE2.

How would you suggest he makes maps like this (and yes, there is a lot of them like this) look respectable?