Famitsu 14th May: Phoenix Mode and No More Weapon Uses

[MajorMajora]

Late to this, but since you have so many siblings/adopted siblings, it seems there's no focus on waifuing this time around. Maybe the avatar themselves can only pair up with certain other characters? Maybe there's just one.

KamuKamu konfirmed.

[shadowofchaos]

If a game requires either a guide or trial and error it's BS difficulty, hence my I wanna be the guy comparison.

That and you're relying on some wonky RNG (And for some reason in Normal mode it's similar to FE8 RNG while in Harder modes there's a lot more things you'd expect from FE6 RNG).

...uhhh, Lunatic Mode doesn't require that.

[Jedi]

people used those too? I really only used legendary weapons on the dragon and demon king. And Prf weapons sparingly mostly. Only time i used warp and made more use of Prf weapons was in thracia 776 but prf weapons had 60 uses (also stamina system means you have to have stamina drinks to overuse Prf weapon wielders) and warp/rewarps were relatively easy to get more of. Only game i think you overuse legendary weapons is in Fe4 but that had the repair system.

I'm just too used to the LTC crowd using those things whenever they need em I guess lol.

and seconding SoC, Lunatic doesn't require a guide or heck even grinding.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Jedi

[Sky Soldier]

Thanks for this Sky. :)

No problem. I would translate Nohr as well, but the pictures we have right now are pretty bad quality, so I can't make everything out though from what I can tell, Camilla's bio seems to read that "There isn't anything she wouldn't do for the sake of Kamui" ...

[Tamanoir]

I wasn't really trying to single you out, was just a general statement.

Really though, I find it slightly difficult to understand your position, or rather, the position you and others seem to have. Either experiences and potential players cannot be denied as long as they are optional (maximum accessability), or they can. If they can, then what exactly is the reasoning for it? I mean, sure, I drew a line in the sand, but as I explained, it was on my interpretation on the principle of the importance of permadeath. I'm getting a lot of mixed messages from people trying to sort out their thoughts on Phoenix Mode though, so I'm not sure whether or not it's a permadeath issue, or something to do with difficulty, insulting the playerbase, strategy, or what.

Basically, what reasoning sustains Casual Mode is fine but Phoenix Mode isn't? Obviously the latter is more extreme, but if the objection against it is the same as my own against Casual Mode, then that would indicate that you would side against Casual Mode on principle, but pragmatically accept it. Which I was not the impression I got from many people.

You can totally use a Classic Strategy on Casual.

Except instead of ragequitting because you got a 1% Crit or had a unit killed at the last second because you thought you were safe, you can continue like it's nothing.

In this case, it's more a safeguard than anything.

You can include Casual in your strategy, but you can still use the Classic ones.

And if your thief get kill in a map full of chests/doors, or your main flyer, or any other strategically important units, you still will restart anyway.

It seems you can't use Classic Strategy on Phoenix because it's such a big change.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Tamanoir

[Jedi]

No problem. I would translate Nohr as well, but the pictures we have right now are pretty bad quality, so I can't make everything out though from what I can tell, Camilla's bio seems to read that "There isn't anything she wouldn't do for the sake of Kamui" ...

Alrighty! Just do what you can, don't kill yourself trying to read hard images :P

[Bovinian]

Not saying this will necessarily be the case, but can you imagine what the implications of infinite weapon durability would be if Awakening-style forging and earlygame Spotpass Brave weapons were in this game? God damn...

[Jedi]

Not saying this will necessarily be the case, but can you imagine what the implications of infinite weapon durability would be if Awakening-style forging and earlygame Spotpass Brave weapons were in this game? God damn...

Probably won't be, but who knows lol. I'm still wondering if those shiny spots still exist that can give you random stuff.

[Lushiris]

No problem. I would translate Nohr as well, but the pictures we have right now are pretty bad quality, so I can't make everything out though from what I can tell, Camilla's bio seems to read that "There isn't anything she wouldn't do for the sake of Kamui" ...

sforzur translated them in another topic :) http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=52844&p=3759352

- Marx (Paladin / CV. Konishi Katsuyuki)

Amongst Nohr's royal family, he is the eldest son. Although taciturn, he has an honest personality. For the sake of the kingdom, he follows his father's -- the king's -- intentions (?) .

- Camilla (Revenant Knight / CV. Sawashiro Miyuki)

Nohr's eldest daughter. She dotes on her younger brother/sister (the protagonist) to the point where she'd be more than willing to kill someone for their sake.

- Leon (Dark Knight / CV. Miyano Mamoru)

Marx's younger brother. Unlike his older brother, he excells at magic. He's a genius who can flawlessly handle anything.

- Elise (Rod Knight / CV. Suwa Ayaka)

The youngest child amongst Nohr's royal family, with an innocent personality. Despite not being related by blood, she's just as close with the protagonist as she is with her real siblings.

- Ryouma (??? / CV. Nakamura Yuuichi)

On top of being Hoshido Kingdom's eldest son, he is also the protagonist's real brother. He is full of samurai spirit and has an extremely reliable presence.

- Hinoka (Pegasus Warrior / CV. Nazuka Kaori)

Hoshido Kingdom's eldest daughter. She began training as a pegasus warrior after the protagonist was kidnapped by Nohr Kingdom.

- Takumi (Archer / CV. Kaji Yuuki)

Ryouma's younger brother. In order to obtain other's recognition of his own strength, he has been perfecting his martial arts. He has a somewhat suspicious personality.

- Sakura (Shrine Maiden/Priestess / CV. Kanemoto Hisako)

Ryouma, Hinoka, and Takumi's younger sister. Unlike the other three, she's shy and timid.

[Aurath8]

Not saying this will necessarily be the case, but can you imagine what the implications of infinite weapon durability would be if Awakening-style forging and earlygame Spotpass Brave weapons were in this game? God damn...

That's a scary thought, but I think weapons will be much more tightly regulated in this game. Its the only way I see infinite weapons being balanced, besides them just being horrifically expensive.

[Jedi]

Translations***

Whoa Marx is being voiced by KAMINA!?

I missed that obviously. Now please localization team get Kyle Herbert for him.

[ClevelandSteve]

I'm not upset about Phoenix mode existing since I'm not forced to use it. I don't see the point in getting mad over more options being there for people who want to play the game but suck at it. Unbreakable weapons is kinda dumb, though (unless it's some kind of toggle. Like I said about Phoenix Mode, I wouldn't be upset about the option existing if I wasn't forced to use it). It removes strategy, the reason to use weapons that are weaker than your best ones (unless weapon weight comes back), and the purpose of having money late in the game (I can't tell you how many games give you a currency system and then about 2/3 of the way in, if not earlier, makes money pointless by making all the best stuff available for free either by story progression, completing sidequests, or random drops from enemies). I guess they saw how pretty much everyone was using Armsthrift in Awakening to essentially make weapons unbreakable, but that was kinda game breaking and should have been nerfed, not made into an innate feature of all weapons.

[Cysx]

Are you implying the Fe:IF team is inferior to all the people who made Shining Force ? Frankly that's harsh...

The guy in my avatar was inspired by Julian from Shining Force 3(his idol), and he just told me that this wasn't gratuitous in the slightest.

I think that may have been sarcasm.

[Anacybele]

Whoa Marx is being voiced by KAMINA!?

I missed that obviously. Now please localization team get Kyle Herbert for him.

Grr, as much as I hate to admit it, Kyle Hebert would be a good fit since Marx looks close in age to Frederick who Hebert voiced in Awakening. I'd want to hear Hebert do his stuff again in Hoshido though. But he wouldn't be a good fit for anyone there!

I think either Travis Willingham (he was Lon'qu) or Liam O'Brien (Inigo) should do Ryouma. :D The latter would need to go a bit deeper though, as Ryouma looks older than Inigo.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Anacybele

[Tamanoir]

The guy in my avatar was inspired by Julian from Shining Force 3(his idol), and he just told me that this wasn't gratuitous in the slightest.

I think that may have been sarcasm.

Well, it's the closest comparison to FE.

And since Phoenix Mode made me think of another broken Phoenix (I was first gonna comment about how even Peter wasn't this broken, even if it's his whole point), this was too obvious to miss.

I really should play SF3 at some point.

[Mighty Kamina]

I'm never going to touch Phoenix mode, but I honestly don't mind the lack of weapon usage. As long as they limit the really good weapons (like one brave sword in the game, for example), I think it'll be fine. It'll be like FE4 all over again, but without having to pay money repairing weapons.

I'd love it if Marx was voiced by Kyle Hebert in the English release.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Monado Boy

[Florete]

Jesus Christ this topic blew up fast.

Phoenix mode seems kinda dumb, but whatever, I won't be playing it.

Unlimited weapon usage I'm mixed on. On one hand, if it's balanced well, I could see it being okay, but with weapon weight removed and now this, it feels like all the strategy in picking the right weapon is gone and is now just "strongest available weapon every time." And how is shopping going to work if we only need one Iron Sword for everyone who can use one instead of needing to stock up?

[Cysx]

Well, it's the closest comparison to FE.

And since Phoenix Mode made me think of another broken Phoenix (I was first gonna comment about how even Peter wasn't this broken, even if it's his whole point), this was too obvious to miss.

Pretty much the same for me. Although I loved SF3, I'm no Shining Force fanatic, but I couldn't let the joke pass by. I'm still ashamed that I didn't recognize Peter sooner though.

[arvilino]

Jesus Christ this topic blew up fast.

Phoenix mode seems kinda dumb, but whatever, I won't be playing it.

Unlimited weapon usage I'm mixed on. On one hand, if it's balanced well, I could see it being okay, but with weapon weight removed and now this, it feels like all the strategy in picking the right weapon is gone and is now just "strongest available weapon every time." And how is shopping going to work if we only need one Iron Sword for everyone who can use one instead of needing to stock up?

I think It would be interesting if there isn't enough Iron Swords for everyone who can use them or prices are inflated due to the infinite uses that buying that amount of Iron Swords means you can't actually afford any other weapons.

[saifors]

...uhhh, Lunatic Mode doesn't require that.

Tell me, who immediately thought of giving Frederick the MU's bronze sword on chapter 1 on their very first try?

I doubt anyone thought of that on their first playthrough of Lunatic.

[Tsunami922]

Is the unlimited weapon usage toggleable, or can it not be turned off?

[Gamer7956]

I thought of a possible use for Phoenix mode that is vaguely justified. PLEASE don't get me wrong - as far as full playthroughs are concerned, I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

So, let's say you were playing through the Nohr campaign, and towards the end of the game, you had a unit you hadn't used for whatever reason, and you wanted to try that unit (lets call him John for the sake of argument). You copy the save file, and change the copy to phoenix mode. You then try out the unit really easily, as you can grind him up to a decent level in one fight as HE CAN'T DIE!!! In the Nohr campaign testing characters would be nearly impossible as there is limited experience. Phoenix mode is likely not intended for full playthroughs, but to allow people to easily test things in the Nohr campaign. This WOULD make sense, as casual mode doesn't allow you to do this in only one fight, as the character will likely drop dead after a single hit, whereas phoenix mode prevents you ruining the story in a test fight.

Now I don't doubt that this is going to get shot to bits, but I thought I'd have my say, as no-one else seems to have thought of this. Also, I don't want to start talking to much about the weapon durability - could be good or bad depending on how they handled it. Phoenix mode is the same as casual for me - cool for newcomers, and the vets can just leave it alone.

[Tangerine]

lol.

I'm okay with both changes. Who could complain about having more modes? If you want a harder game then don't play on easy modes, Phoenix Mode (from what we know of it so far, which is not much) is at least seemingly an "easy" mode that alters gameplay beyond weakening enemies or spawning less of them, and gives you something new to play around with. These are the types of game modes that players should be encouraging, ones that present you with a different experience through the game.

As for weapon durability, that was never really a factor in the recent installments of the series outside of particularly low use or low availability weapons (gotta stock up on killers cause they aren't in a shop again for a while!). All games gave you more than enough money to never run out of strong weapons, the only thing it ever really did was discourage you from using your unique weapons too much. I very much doubt that they are going to leave everything the same and not rebalance weapons and weapon acquisition now that they've made durability a non-factor. It has the potential to be a much more interesting resource management system than what we had.

[Kuroi Tsubasa Tenshi]

Tell me, who immediately thought of giving Frederick the MU's bronze sword on chapter 1 on their very first try?

I doubt anyone thought of that on their first playthrough of Lunatic.

I didn't, because kiting is a thing and keeping the sword on Robin let him more safely engage the Fighters and gain experience. I didn't have to look at the stats twice to realize that Fort tanking wasn't going to be a reliable option (which is was something of a concern because this was on the demo, meaning that dying meant having to replay Prologue).

[shadowofchaos]

Tell me, who immediately thought of giving Frederick the MU's bronze sword on chapter 1 on their very first try?

I doubt anyone thought of that on their first playthrough of Lunatic.

Bro... Weapon triangle. You should PAY ATTENTION to things that will kill you.

I can honestly say that the Hammer Guy on Chapter 1 has never killed me on my first try due to giving the bronze sword to Frederick.

Hell I gave the bronze sword to Fred in the prologue.

Do not immediately assume that you speak for everyone in regards to playing Lunatic Mode.

I was named "the King of Casuals" by someone in this thread earlier and I am all for lowering difficulty.

But when you start talking crap about the design without knowing what you're talking about... ooohh boy.

I admit I screwed up A LOT on my first playthrough on Lunatic. But they were all my own fault.

Like relying on Frederick too much.

So giving If crap for that isn't fair.

Edited May 12, 2015 by shadowofchaos