If the timeskip was over a decade. (SPOILERS)

[The Void]

Okay, think about if after the first arc, the game has a timeskip to a time where Lucina is the Lord, the Avatar has become Grima (but this isn't revealed until later), etc. Lucina and other characters make up the playable characters until they get to the part where they time travel. And the 3rd arc is where Lucina and Co. meet up with Chrom and Co.

Now, if this is how the game was, would you say it would be better or worse? And how do you see the game being tweaked?

[Book Bro]

That sounds like it could have been interesting. But then the first arc would have had to be longer (not necessarily a bad thing) to get all the first gen characters in/married off and a bunch of emergency villager brides and grooms.

It sounds like it would be tough to balance the enemies' levels/stats, too. I'm picturing the kids starting at near-base level so they wouldn't be too OP by the end of the second arc when the parents come back in. But with grinding to take into account...who's to say the kids wouldn't be miles ahead of the parents and the third arc enemies. I wonder if it'd be possible to put in a mechanic where the enemies' stats adjust themselves to mirror your party's overall levels, with difficulty setting in mind too...

[Tables]

Put this in, replace Valm, sounds great to me. Care needs to be taken with how children work - unlike FE4, where you're sort of expected and very able to pair everyone, or vanilla FEA where you'd typically pair only a few females up, this would likely want a lot or most children, but the game doesn't give an incentive in itself for marrying/fielding the females. However there are ways around that (default/canon marriages, generic marriages, more children characters related to e.g. male parents, substitutes etc.).

I think it could have been better. But in a way, it's kind of how FE4 was planned to begin with, right?

[Fire Emblem Fan]

That actually sounds pretty darn cool.

[The Void]

Put this in, replace Valm, sounds great to me. Care needs to be taken with how children work - unlike FE4, where you're sort of expected and very able to pair everyone, or vanilla FEA where you'd typically pair only a few females up, this would likely want a lot or most children, but the game doesn't give an incentive in itself for marrying/fielding the females. However there are ways around that (default/canon marriages, generic marriages, more children characters related to e.g. male parents, substitutes etc.).

I think it could have been better. But in a way, it's kind of how FE4 was planned to begin with, right?

GotHW was supposed to have a 3rd part.

[Tables]

GotHW was supposed to have a 3rd part.

That's what I just said, right?

[Melonhead]

That would be pretty awesome actually. It would be like Radiant Dawn. Sort of.

[Darros]

I think it would actually be worse. The first arc is too short, and doesn't even really introduce all the females ((Cherche and Olivia would have like no time to get married)). Plus it would force you to pair people early in the game.

Edited July 6, 2013 by Darros

[NinjaMonkey]

Okay, think about if after the first arc, the game has a timeskip to a time where Lucina is the Lord, the Avatar has become Grima (but this isn't revealed until later), etc. Lucina and other characters make up the playable characters until they get to the part where they time travel. And the 3rd arc is where Lucina and Co. meet up with Chrom and Co.

Now, if this is how the game was, would you say it would be better or worse? And how do you see the game being tweaked?

What if you wanted the Avatar to marry Cherche? Or Flavia? Or Aversa? Or one of the children characters? Your proposed changes wouldn't work then.

Edited July 6, 2013 by NinjaMonkey

[Tables]

Obviously you change the first arc of the game a little. At some point (maybe after chapter 7) Virion calls Cherche as reinforcements. She could say arrive as an NPC during chapter 8, at a slightly lower level. Olivia joins after chapter 8/9. You can also extend the arc by a few chapters to give characters time to pair up.

As for pairing up with children character/unmarriable characters, just remove it. Not like anyone would miss it much.

[NinjaMonkey]

unmarriable characters

There aren't any playable characters who are unable to marry though...

[Tables]

There aren't any playable characters who are unable to marry though...

Basilio, Anna, Flavia, Tiki, Sai'ri, Yen'fay, Walhart, Gangrel? All the ones who can only marry Avatar. Childless might have been a better term for the females, but it doesn't sum up the males. Either way making them literally unmarriable doesn't lose anything of value. Why does Avatar need to be able to marry every opposite gendered character anyway?

[NinjaMonkey]

Either way making them literally unmarriable doesn't lose anything of value.

It doesn't add anything of value either. Plus, you'd have people complaining "Why can't I marry [insert opposite gendered character here]"

Also, I want my Shadowgift!Morgan damn it!

[CT075]

it makes the OP's idea possible

there, added value

[NinjaMonkey]

That is one of the dumbest things I've ever read...

Edited July 6, 2013 by NinjaMonkey

[CT075]

the feeling is mutual

[Tables]

It doesn't add anything of value either. Plus, you'd have people complaining "Why can't I marry [insert opposite gendered character here]"

Also, I want my Shadowgift!Morgan damn it!

Do you realise the context we're even talking about? Your complaint makes no sense. The reason you can't marry them is your Avatar is Grima at that point. Or at least not available, because of a story skip.

[NinjaMonkey]

Seeing as Morgan supposedly comes from a different timeline than all the other child characters (since s/he doesn't remember Lucina), I don't see why the Avatar would need to get forcibly married off before the conclusion of the first arc anyway...

Edited July 6, 2013 by NinjaMonkey

[The Void]

Seeing as Morgan supposedly comes from a different timeline than all the other child characters, I don't see why the Avatar would need to get forcibly married off anyway...

1. Morgan being said to come from another timeline is to account for how the Avatar can marry Say'ri, 2nd Gen characters, and Paralogue characters like Yen'fay.

2. All of Morgan's sibling supports have his/her sibling act like they know him/her that much. So there is or was a Morgan in the time that Lucina and Co. came from.

[The Void]

Edit: Whoops, double posted.

Edited July 6, 2013 by The Void

[Shengar]

It is a good idea when the game lengthened into 30 chapters or more. We could expected the lengthened number could at least make the story feel less rushed. And it would the best if they change the focus in second half of the game to Lucina and Co. when they time traveled to the past. Of course the question is, how to make the game chapters so difference to avoid repetition and redundancy? If they took Butterfly Effect account more seriously though, this shouldn't be a problem to begin with.

[amadeuscho]

I definitely can see this, especially considering the Future Past DLC. It would limit things (like who the Avatar could marry), but in terms of storytelling, it would be wonderful to watch. You would have to meet all generation 1 characters sooner, and the game would be longer, like 30 or so chapters. But overall, I like it since Lucina would get more of her own storyline.

[Fírnen]

When I first played Awakening I was dissapointed that there wasn't more about Lucina's future in the main story. It would have been nice to have the 2nd Gen characters other than Lucina play a part in the story.

Maybe they could make each female character marry the one they have the highest support by the end of the first part, like they did with Chrom. They'd have to make Olivia, Henry & Chreche join sooner too, and maybe make a few more levels, like if Emmeryn didn't die and the war continued or something, so there'd be more time before the skip.