"My Castle" Explanation Video Translation

[Geek]

The insistence that Fire Emblem has ever been balanced is puzzling to me.

Because a developer just throws a bunch of numbers at the wall until they stick with no thought put into how the game should be played whatsoever. The context that I've used the term balance in has been, from the very beginning, been the idea that the developers design and tune the challenge of the game, either to make the game beatable under the right conditions or to make the difficulty appropriate for the individual modes. I'm not saying every play style or unit should be on an even playing field, that's another use of the word balance.

Again, THE GAME IS BEATABLE WITHOUT GRINDING. Does this have ANYTHING to do with the intentions of IS and how they designed the game? My point was that IS obviously designed Awakening with grinding in mind, just like how the designed the game with Pair Up in mind. The reason we're talking about grinding is because that's what everyone jumped on. Grinding, pair up, stat boosters, it doesn't matter. What I'm worried about is whether or not the challenges presented to the player will be designed under the notion that the player is fully utilizing the castle. If it is and Lunatic is prohibitively difficult, then the people who don't want to play Rune Factory Tactics will be forced to play a base management game instead of a strategy game.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Geek

[Thedeathby2]

Most people.tm You should try the Lunatic club thread, plenty of people there have done nogrind lunatic.

Yeah I would try it but I'm not looking forward to abusing pair up, second seals, MU, and getting perfect children, I really don't like the children mechanic as it forces you to use units you dont like to get certain characters.

[goodperson707]

Because a developer just throws a bunch of numbers at the wall until they stick with no thought put into how the game should be played whatsoever. The context that I've used the term balance in has been, from the very beginning, been the idea that the developers design and tune the challenge of the game, either to make the game beatable under the right conditions or to make the difficulty appropriate for the individual modes. I'm not saying every play style or unit should be on an even playing field, that's another use of the word balance.

Again, THE GAME IS BEATABLE WITHOUT GRINDING. Does this have ANYTHING to do with the intentions of IS and how they designed the game? My point was that IS obviously designed Awakening with grinding in mind, just like how the designed the game with Pair Up in mind. The reason we're talking about grinding is because that's what everyone jumped on. Grinding, pair up, stat boosters, it doesn't matter. What I'm worried about is whether or not the challenges presented to the player will be designed under the notion that the player is fully utilizing the castle. If it is and Lunatic is prohibitively difficult, then the people who don't want to play Rune Factory Tactics will be forced to play a base management game instead of a strategy game.

How is it obvious? I would say limiting grinding on hard/lunatic is saying something different than grind to win. Easy and hard require no grinding and the game is in no way built around it, i don't see how lunatic having a chapter you find hard/nearly impossible changes anything. Plenty of people have beat lunatic and it is called that for a reason it is difficult it may not be perfectly balanced but grinding is not lunatics problem.

[Mad_Scientist]

Okay, I get a bit better where you're coming from. Basically, "does IS expect that players will use this feature when they beat the game on the highest difficulty"?

And the answer to that is almost certainly yes, because they clearly intend for My Castle to be an appealing part of the game that they want players to check out and experience, probably regardless of difficulty.

Now, as to the follow up, "regardless of what IS expects, how necessary is My Castle really gonna be in order to beat the highest difficulty" is completely impossible to say because we don't have the game, and so we don't know how hard Lunatic+ or whatever is. And indeed, even if the game was already out, this thread has shown that plenty of people disagree with how necessary grinding is to beat Lunatic/+ for Awakening, so I expect there were be similar arguments about My Castle in IF.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Mad_Scientist

[Zerosabers]

Because a developer just throws a bunch of numbers at the wall until they stick with no thought put into how the game should be played whatsoever. The context that I've used the term balance in has been, from the very beginning, been the idea that the developers design and tune the challenge of the game, either to make the game beatable under the right conditions or to make the difficulty appropriate for the individual modes. I'm not saying every play style or unit should be on an even playing field, that's another use of the word balance.

Again, THE GAME IS BEATABLE WITHOUT GRINDING. Does this have ANYTHING to do with the intentions of IS and how they designed the game? My point was that IS obviously designed Awakening with grinding in mind, just like how the designed the game with Pair Up in mind. The reason we're talking about grinding is because that's what everyone jumped on. Grinding, pair up, stat boosters, it doesn't matter. What I'm worried about is whether or not the challenges presented to the player will be designed under the notion that the player is fully utilizing the castle. If it is and Lunatic is prohibitively difficult, then the people who don't want to play Rune Factory Tactics will be forced to play a base management game instead of a strategy game.

How was awakening balanced with grinding in mind? The game never requires it, and even actively punishes it on Lunatic and Lunatic+.

[Mighty Kamina]

Again, THE GAME IS BEATABLE WITHOUT GRINDING. Does this have ANYTHING to do with the intentions of IS and how they designed the game? My point was that IS obviously designed Awakening with grinding in mind, just like how the designed the game with Pair Up in mind. The reason we're talking about grinding is because that's what everyone jumped on. Grinding, pair up, stat boosters, it doesn't matter. What I'm worried about is whether or not the challenges presented to the player will be designed under the notion that the player is fully utilizing the castle. If it is and Lunatic is prohibitively difficult, then the people who don't want to play Rune Factory Tactics will be forced to play a base management game instead of a strategy game.

That is a bit of a concern I have for the Hoshido route, but I believe that it has been explicitly mentioned that you gain no extra gold or EXP from the "my castle" in the Nohr route. Forges and minor stat boosts can only do so much. I'm somewhat confident that this won't be an issue balance wise.

[Tryhard]

Because a developer just throws a bunch of numbers at the wall until they stick with no thought put into how the game should be played whatsoever. The context that I've used the term balance in has been, from the very beginning, been the idea that the developers design and tune the challenge of the game, either to make the game beatable under the right conditions or to make the difficulty appropriate for the individual modes. I'm not saying every play style or unit should be on an even playing field, that's another use of the word balance.

In some regards, this is true - but every game can also be exploited in some way, and some more than others can be broken with very minimal effort. I would still struggle to call any FE game balanced, but if you are using it to refer to the attempt that the developers have for creating challenge in the game, then fine.

Again, THE GAME IS BEATABLE WITHOUT GRINDING. Does this have ANYTHING to do with the intentions of IS and how they designed the game? My point was that IS obviously designed Awakening with grinding in mind.

But people have showed you repeatedly that it is in fact not necessary to grind in order to beat the game, even on the hardest difficulties - how is always grinding still intended? I'm not sure if you just don't want to back down, but this seems pretty obvious to me - grinding is an option open to the player. In this regard, FE2 and FE8 are the same with their repeatable skirmishes making them obviously intended with grinding in mind. Or so you would say?

As for FE14, I have no clue if it is necessary yet, but I would wager not. Who knows, though?

Edited June 2, 2015 by Tryhard

[goodperson707]

In some regards, this is true - but every game can also be exploited in some way, and some more than others can be broken with very minimal effort. I would still struggle to call any FE game balanced, but if you are using it to refer to the attempt that the developers have for creating challenge in the game, then fine. But people have showed you repeatedly that it is in fact not necessary to grind in order to beat the game, even on the hardest difficulties. I'm not sure if you just don't want to back down, but this seems pretty obvious to me - grinding is an option open to the player. In this regard, FE2 and FE8 are the same with their repeatable skirmishes making them obviously intended with grinding in mind. Or so you would say?

Though i don't agree that the games are designed and balanced around grinding, i would say that the trainees (amelia/ewan, ross is a bit more iffy)and possibly donnel are sorta designed to take advantage of grinding but that is a big difference in scale.

[ENS]

feplus, it's clearly showed in the video that is the cafeteria to give stat bonuses to the characters.

However.

After twenty years of the same mechanics, IS thinked that could be nice to improve something.

THANK YOU, FUCKING GRIMA.

Thank you. It's took twenty fucking years for see something new! And, I like these features: they're nice, and as the other FE can prove they're not thinked for being into the game balance.

I like the building thing, and the garden. Things like these are a pretty obvious choise for something new to put in the game.

The bath? I've always said that seeing each other naked with your friends bond links. Also, I think is a nice thing to add. Of course My Castle needed some features for not being a worthless piece of data, and the bath are perfect and pretty obvious, from a setting and mechanical prospective. Yes, in war too. These are their barraks and they bath. Oh My.

...

So. You can dress your characters. You can put on them hats, fox's tails. You can rub their faces and they squee and moan for the pleasure.

Otaku dung.

Edited June 2, 2015 by ENS

[Tryhard]

Though i don't agree that the games are designed and balanced around grinding, i would say that the trainees (amelia/ewan, ross is a bit more iffy)and possibly donnel are sorta designed to take advantage of grinding but that is a big difference in scale.

I'd agree - but so is every 'Est' archetype in the series - and most of these in games that do not have repeatable maps. You could also say arena training is grinding in itself, as well. Edited June 2, 2015 by Tryhard

[Ownagepuffs]

I disagree. There are certain points where the game's difficulty spikes upwards so drastically that if the game isn't balanced around grinding, it's not balanced at all. Chapter 5 Lunatic is a good example of this. Even if you do Donnel's paralogue to get the Rescue staff and have proper pairings and use chokepoints properly you'll still be overpowered if you're unlucky or didn't abuse Frederick in earlier chapters.

That's you being inadequately prepared, tough as it might be to hear. There's been many a no grind run for FE13. I've done 2 now. We have a user who beat L+ without resetting.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Ownagepuffs

[NekoKnight]

Felicia: Somehow...it feels like I`m the one being taken care of.

.

Harold: It is an honor to be directly touched by you.

Joker: I will always stay by your side.

Sorry to beat on a dead horse but I find this increasingly unnerving. Kamui privately inviting his subordinates to his room for some sensual touching is creepy, but what's creepier is the way these 'people' respond. This isn't normal human behavior. It would have to be some really submissive roleplay for anyone to say "It is an honor to be directly touched by you". That's not genuine bonding, it's character worship. Degrading and unrealistic.

It's not enough to say "It's optional,so ignore it." If touching below the belt were allowed, would people still say the same? There is no ambiguity here, this game is appealing to the fujos and otaku; people with unhealthy interests. It's a game where you can caress underage girls. AND THEY WILL LOVE YOU FOR IT.

Gross.

[Ownagepuffs]

None of the girls are confirmed underaged, mate. This shit is pretty terrible to me too, but keep the criticisms accurate a la Irysa/feplus.

[Technoweirdo]

To quote myself:

Feel free to correct me, but I recall Awakening barracks working identically to Awakening shiny tiles: you get something completely random. Sometimes it's a token amount of experience, sometimes it's a small support bump, sometimes it's a random weapon or item.

This system is completely different. You can now reliably increase support points, and with multiple units at a time. You must now go mining if you want to forge weapons. You can now get significant, wide-scale stat bumps by having units talk and eat (and maybe face-rubbing, this is still unclear).

It's more reliable than Awakening, yes. That says nothing about needing to rely on it though. Also, given how that steak turned out -- +1's to str/mag for most units, +2's for others but with -1's in other stats -- I'm thinking other foods will have similar effects and won't be a gamebreaker. It helps, but it's +1. Really not a big deal. Until we know how much of a support boost face-rubbing is, I'm just going assume it's not that big a deal either. I mean, other units have their own supports and I can't imagine theirs being built slowly. Why would it be slower for Kamui?

Fair point on forging. We need to know more about that as forging's powerful but costly and the costs are related to My Castle this time.

[Mad_Scientist]

Underage? Do we know the ages of any of the characters yet?

Edited June 2, 2015 by Mad_Scientist

[NekoKnight]

None of the girls are confirmed underaged, mate. This shit is pretty terrible to me too, but keep the criticisms accurate a la Irysa/feplus.

Fair enough. I presume Elise and Sakura will available for Kamui's play room, but even if they aren't my criticisms still hold. The interactions are unatural and inappropriate.

Edited June 2, 2015 by NekoKnight

[Shrouded In Myth]

I first want to say thank you to SoC for the translation.

As for whether or not FE14 will be balanced around My Castle, we really don't have enough information to know for sure,

I personally think that I won't enjoy it because it seems mindless way to just pass time and relax, which is exact opposite of why I play a strategy game.

I'm specifically worried about the farming thing because apparently some materials to forge weapons can only be obtained this way.

I like strategy games because it is my skill and understanding of the mechanics that gets me cool weapons and beat tough challenges,

not how much time I have to waste.

[Ryo]

Surprisingly, Felicia's reaction was much healthier than I thought. Harold's on the other hand...

[Book Bro]

After twenty years of the same mechanics, IS thinked that could be nice to improve something.

THANK YOU, FUCKING GRIMA.

Thank you. It's took twenty fucking years for see something new!

I understand your point but I'd just like to point out they always have changed things throughout the history of the series.

[ENS]

I'm specifically worried about the farming thing because apparently some materials to forge weapons can only be obtained this way.

I need to correct myself: it seems, has it's yet been stated on the reddit, that My castle is necessary for some things. Without mining, you can't forge. You made stronger your soldiers with the cafeteria.

Effectively, saying "it's just" optionally it seems to me an immature way to put it.

It's NOT optional if i can't forge my weapons without it.

Edited June 2, 2015 by ENS

[HeroMystic]

That's you being inadequately prepared, tough as it might be to hear. There's been many a no grind run for FE13. I've done 2 now. We have a user who beat L+ without resetting.

This.

As a person who is pretty "Meh" on Awakening's balance, saying it was balanced with grinding in mind is very silly.

Lunatic is actually laughably easy if lowmanned (3 paired up squads at most, everyone else acting as heal/movement support), and people have beaten Lunatic with full deployment on every chapter (though to be honest I'm sure they had a power unit). As Jedi said, Lowmanning has always been a strong tactic in most FE games, but it's more pronounced here due to Pair-ups and the insane bonuses that supports give along with that.

So if you really wanna blame a feature for Awakening's unbalance, blame pair-ups. In fact, try to play Lunatic mode without pair-ups and see how you do. Even Hard Mode can be somewhat of a challenge without it.

[Book Bro]

Regardless of balance I do feel Awakening was designed around grinding though. Skills, reclass, children are big parts of the gameplay that encourage grinding. If this game similarly encourages My Castle then I would understand people disliking it.

[ENS]

Designed, not balanced. It's a good thing to have replayability.

[Jedi]

Regardless of balance I do feel Awakening was designed around grinding though. Skills, reclass, children are big parts of the gameplay that encourage grinding. If this game similarly encourages My Castle then I would understand people disliking it.

I can understand people disliking it, but they can be a tad more respectful overall imo.

[Geek]

So if you really wanna blame a feature for Awakening's unbalance, blame pair-ups. In fact, try to play Lunatic mode without pair-ups and see how you do. Even Hard Mode can be somewhat of a challenge without it.

Pair Up was actually the first feature I listed as being balanced around. People just got really defensive about grinding, since apparently pointing out how IS designed Awakening with grinding in mind means I'm trying to invalidate peoples' no grind runs.