Castle Ostia

[Paper Jam]

One thing that I like about Fire Emblem is that the maps sometimes tell a story of their own, and I find it particularly interesting to compare the maps of Castle Ostia when Denning attacked it in FE7 and when Roy attacked it in FE6.

In FE7, Denning uses the stairs at the bottom-right corner of this map (http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/29.png) to enter Castle Ostia. The game script mentions enemies breaking through the walls, but I'm rather inclined to believe that that refers to the enemies coming in from the right border of that map, and from the stairs in the upper right, rather than Denning himself. If nothing else, it is extremely odd to have stairs leading up to a wall rather than a gate, and the position of those stairs relative to the throne room suggests that that entrance was Castle Ostia's front gate. (Moreover, we see Eliwood, Hector, and their friends passing through that entrance at the start of the chapter.)

In FE6, however, Roy does not use that same entrance, but instead uses the hallway and stairs leading from the bottom-right corner of this map (http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter8.png). This approach to the throne room is much longer and more convoluted than the entrance shown in FE7, and it is very clearly a side entrance rather than the front entrance.

I find it interesting to think about why Roy might have chosen to attack Castle Ostia through a side gate rather than through the front gate.

[DragonLord]

Can't believe I never considered such a thing when playing the two games so many times. I usually take notice when comparing Laus in FE6 and FE7, since the maps are nearly identical, so I find it interesting to compare the area over the years. Castle Ostia seems to be pretty much the same, but FE7 gives a different perspective of the map than FE6 does of course.

I like to think that the reason why Roy and his army attacked by the side gate instead of the main entrance is that attempting the main gate would be suicide, and the side gate would allow for a more strategic approach to taking the castle when they are clearly outnumbered.

[Magical Glace]

I combined them a while ago

Roy probably went the long way to take out the troops slower and not get overwhelmed. Plus he had to worry about Lilina.

[Paper Jam]

I suppose I was remiss in not mentioning that Chapter 11 of Hector's tale in FE7 also takes place in Castle Ostia: (http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/11H.png)

And the cutscene leading up to chapter 11 of Hector's tale seems to overlap with that map as well: (http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/E3.png)

Strangely enough, the cutscene in which Athos talks about Arcadia (http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/E16.png) is inconsistent with chapter 8 of FE6; the chamber immediately behind the throne room has different dimensions. I guess Hector did some remodeling between FE7 and FE6; note that the tiles have also been changed from blue to purple in that time.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Paper Jam

[Magical Glace]

I suppose I was remiss in not mentioning that Chapter 11 of Hector's tale in FE7 also takes place in Castle Ostia: (http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/11H.png)

And the cutscene leading up to chapter 11 of Hector's tale seems to overlap with that map as well: (http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/E3.png)

Strangely enough, the cutscene in which Athos talks about Arcadia (http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/E16.png) is inconsistent with chapter 8 of FE6; the chamber immediately behind the throne room has different dimensions. I guess Hector did some remodeling between FE7 and FE6; note that the tiles have also been changed from blue to purple in that time.

Where does the Ch 11 lead in overlap? I'm looking but can't find it.

[Gradivus.]

There's definitely no wall left of the throne room since it's where the reinforcements in FE6 come from.

Actually, I think FE7 C11 doesn't overlap with the big castle ostia maps, and the place west of the throne might be where Hector leaves.

[Paper Jam]

The Chapter 11 Hector map doesn't overlap with the Sands of Time map, only with the "departure" map. (And although the red carpet in the latter is similar to that in the throne room in the Sands of Time map and the FE6 chapter 8 map, the dimensions are different, suggesting that it is a different room.)

[Magical Glace]

There's definitely no wall left of the throne room since it's where the reinforcements in FE6 come from.

Actually, I think FE7 C11 doesn't overlap with the big castle ostia maps, and the place west of the throne might be where Hector leaves.

I guess I added an extra dimension on the left fsr. Strange.

The Chapter 11 Hector map doesn't overlap with the Sands of Time map, only with the "departure" map. (And although the red carpet in the latter is similar to that in the throne room in the Sands of Time map and the FE6 chapter 8 map, the dimensions are different, suggesting that it is a different room.)

I just got confused about what you said then. Don't mind me!