What Leif Wants in FE15

[Leif]

After the huge success that was Fire Emblem Fates, it is almost a guarantee that we will be seeing the fifteenth entry to our beloved franchise in a couple of years. I thought it would be a fun idea to compile all the things that would, in my opinion, make the perfect Fire Emblem game.

I'll be focusing my attention on the following areas: aesthetics, gameplay, and story.

Without further ado, here is what I could think the perfect Fire Emblem game would look like! Feel free to share your thoughts on this as well.

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Aesthetics

ARTIST & ART DIRECTION

I believe that the best Fire Emblem character designs came from the Judgral Saga. The simple tunics and beautiful, flowing robes the characters wore captured the essence of medieval fantasy, almost as if they came straight from the epic, Beowulf. Unfortunately, I believe those rather archaic designs would not hold up in the current gaming market, especially considering that both Awakening and Fates had more of the stereotypical "JRPG-flavored" medieval high fantasy art direction.

As a compromise, I would want Senri Kita to return as the artist for the next Fire Emblem game. Her work seen in the Tellius Saga is almost as good as Genealogy's and Thracia 776's character aesthetic and she captured the medieval fantasy essence more so than Kozaki did. Her use of bright colors and simplistic designs make the characters look more mature and (slightly) more realistic (aside from the technicolor hair). It's an art style that I would like to see again. She also did a wonderful job designing EVERY class. I find that Kozaki's class art were rather hit or miss. Some of his art for the classes were amazing, like the Outlaw, Samurai, Mercenary (Fates), Wyvern Lord (Fates), and Wolfskin to name a few. However, some of his other classes, including the Great Knight (Awakening), General (Awakening), Knight (Awakening and Fates), Cavalier (Awakening) and Sorcerer (Awakening) were, put simply, HORRID. I understand that, by himself, Kozaki is a great artist and the reasonfor the bad class designs were due to an art director with bad taste. However, if Kozaki were to be the next artist for FE15, he HAS to get a new art director. Ideally, though, I would want Senri Kita to return.

Let's compare Kita's class design with Kozaki's. Let's use the mage class as an example.

[spoiler=Kita VS Kozaki]

KOZAKI

KITA

Credit goes to FE Wiki for these images.

I find Kozaki's design for the mage would be something one would find in a fashion show over a battlefield. It looks nice and flashy, but it is not practical for combat. If the weather turned cold, how would the person, wearing the garb, adapt to the cold?

Kita's, on the other hand, not only is more practical, but also is more in keeping with the medieval fantasy vibe. It gives the wearer ample protection against the elements, but is loose enough to allow the user to be relatively agile. It would help a mage be better suited for combat.

Let's not get started on the battle thongs present in Kozaki's female Paladin design. You never want to have an exposed derriere when riding on horseback; it would hurt like hell if your cheeks rubbed against the saddle as the horse gallops.

MORE UNIQUE ENEMY DESIGNS

While Fates did an amazing job in creating custom 3D battle models, portraits, and overworld sprites for chapter bosses, it didn't do much for the generic enemy units. Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, Tactics Ogre, and Final Fantasy Tactics had unique enemy color palettes that distinguished enemies hailing from different kingdoms. While Fates did have Hoshido and Nohr, there were chapters where the player faced ruffians. Among these ruffians would be Onmyojis, Paladins, and Generals. Why would units from both Hoshido and Nohr be in a band of ruffians? Also, what would someone as dignified as a Paladin be doing in a gang of highwaymen? I understand this choice from a gameplay perspective, but I find that Berserkers, Outlaws, Fighters and Mercenaries are units better suited to be affiliated with ruffians. Also, the Ice Tribe and Wind Tribe enemy units looked no different from your average Hoshidan or Nohrian (respectively). It would have been cool if they, at least had a different color palette.

Not only did Fates fail to incorporate ways to distinguish enemy factions, but it also failed to add more female generic units. Sure there were the Kinshi Knight, Falcon Knight, Strategist, Priestess, Maid, Shrine Maiden, and Troubadour but it would have been cool to see the occasional female Paladin, Sniper, General, or Berserker. Tactics Ogre (PSP) and Final Fantasy Tactics did an excellent job on this front. The player was treated to a diverse battlefield, with many different version of the same kind of unit. It made for an immersive experience.

It would be my hope that FE15 have unique class designs for every enemy faction involved in the war (like a "Ruffian" Mercenary would look different than an "Imperial Empire" Mercenary). I would also want to see more female units in classes they normally don't appear in.

If making a unique class design for all the classes in every army faction is too much work, then I suggest a simple recolor job. Essentially IS should consider doing something like this in their next game:

[spoiler=Mock Up Image]

Player Unit Color Scheme

Kingdom 1 Unit Color Scheme

Kingdom 2 Unit Color Scheme

Kingdom 3 Unit Color Scheme

Bandit/Ruffian Unit Color Scheme

Credit goes to FE Wiki for the base image.

It would be cool if something like this happened. It would be really cool to see more female variants to generic classes and alternate color palettes.

BETTER MENU TRANSLATIONS CHARACTER PROMOTION PORTRAITS & WEAPON ICONS

This is a minor nitpick, but I really loathe all the menu abbreviations. Instead of of "STR" or "MAG", I'd like to see "Strength" and "Magic". Being the OCD type, seeing the abbreviations crammed into a tiny space grinds my gears. It's my hope that IS designs a menu layout that's "localization friendly" for lack of a better term. This way, the menu can look more professional and, perhaps, give newcomers an easier time understanding the mechanics instead of remembering what the heck "AVO" is supposed to mean. I understand that they spell out what each stat does in Fates if you tap on the lower screen, but I think it would be cool if the menu looked better.

Another annoyance of mine is that the playable character portraits don't match up with their promotion class, or their reclass options. I REALLY hope that IS fixes this, because Berwick Saga was the only "FE-inspired" game that actually had character portraits change once they promoted. In Fates, it would be hilarious to have, lets say Midori, come to the private quarterers as a General then magically change out of her armor once the whole "bonding scene" took place. To me, it just shows IS's laziness. Having that kind of feature could be possible if the ensemble cast were, oh I don't know, 40% smaller. It would be really awesome to have character portraits match their current class.

Finally, the next nitpick is the weapon icon atrocity that appeared in Fates. I was NOT OK with having a ubiquitous icon to represent the specific weapon classes. It really made finding weapons in the convoy and stores a chore. I simply do not understand why IS couldn't have reused some of Awakening's icons. Lack of weapon icons made the game seem, unpolished. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT AGAIN.

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Gameplay

GAMEPLAY

I don't have much to add here since Fates had, by far, the best in the series. All that I would add would be more unique map objectives. Conquest did this perfectly. It was unfortunate that both Birthright and Revelation failed to do this, because it made their paths exceedingly dull. I want to see the return of more enemy-only weapons and skills, perhaps the Rewarp staff, Berserk Staff, and Stone Spell.

GAMEPLAY MODES

Get rid of Phoenix mode. GET RID OF IT. It trivializes the very essence of Fire Emblem. I'll be fine if they keep Casual (for the baby gamers out there), but Phoenix mode is simply laughable. I don't think I need to go into more detail on this matter.

Another cool idea I had would be to introduce "Birthright Mode" and "Conquest Mode." Essentially these modes would function similarly to the Birthright and Conquest campaigns from Fates. One would allow easier map objectives, where the other would have limited experience, gold, and more difficult map objectives. Normal, Hard and Lunatic difficulties would still be present. This could add to the "replayability factor" since there would be two different versions of the same chapter. So, if FE15 implemented something like this, the hardest difficulty would be Classic Mode, Conquest Mode, Lunatic Difficulty.

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Story

Finally, here is the touchy subject. Every Fire Emblem game has had a story that's either a derivative or utterly disastrous. IS needs to step it up and find an experienced writer who has experience writing for video games!! If they plan on doing a multi-route game again, I recommend keeping all the paths on one game cartridge. Perhaps the decisions the player makes could be based on tactics. Let's say the player is forced to make a tactical decisions, like invade kingdom A, take the mountain road over the forest route, or retreat from an enemy ambush over duking it out with them. These decisions will yield different endings and recruitable allies. That would be really cool and give more of an immersive experience over (basically) deciding between big tits Camilla or cutie pie Sakura in Fates.

Also, the writer for the game better draw inspiration form a major historical battle. I can think of the War of the Roses, Thirty Years' War, and Napoleonic Wars as excellent sources of inspiration for the next Fire Emblem story. We humans have a rich history, and I highly suggest that IS draw upon that treasure trove of information. The human conflict, political ramifications and drama that these wars caused can be used to make a compelling narrative for the next FE game.

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If IS ever reads this post, I pray that they take some of this into consideration... :(

Well, that's all I got for now. What do you guys think?

Edited May 23, 2016 by Leif

[Truthblade]

I would love it if the characters' portraits changed depending on the class, but i can understand why they won't do it. Time for some math one of my least favorite subjects

Lets take fates for example. Ignoring dlc and amiibo, there are 54 characters total. And (if i counted right) there are about 54 classes (again, ignoring dlc), but I'll round it down to 50. This would mean that they would have to make 50 portraits per a character. Multiplying 54 by 50, this would mmean they would have to draw a grand total of about 2700 PORTRAITS . I can't really call them lazy for not wanting to draw that many.

As for everything else, I pretty much agree.

[MCProductions]

PSA, Kozaki had NOTHING to do with the armor designs. In fact, dude was basically told to design the characters around the 3DS class designs, so Kita wouldn't solve that problem. I also think Kita's work is ugly, but that's an argument for for another time

I also don't mind keeping Phoenix mode tbh. Some people truly suck at games, and only play them for the story. Why keep them from experiencing the story cause they can't overcome a hurdle. It's optional, so I DON'T CARE if it's there.

I like the Birthright mode/ Conquest mode idea, but I'd also like to see a legitimate Ironman mode.

Tone down the enemy only weapons. Fates was way too over saturated with them.

Storywise, I want a minimalistic narrative like FE6's. Enough layers to keep me interested, but vague enough for me to theory craft. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I enjoy the FE plots with more worldbuilding significantly less than those with heavy duty worldbuilding, because I like drawing my own conclusions about things.

[maybe]

GAMEPLAY MODES

Get rid of Phoenix mode. GET RID OF IT. It trivializes the very essence of Fire Emblem. I'll be fine if they keep Casual (for the baby gamers out there), but Phoenix mode is simple laughable. I don't think I need to go into more detail on this matter.

why though

i mean it's dumb and i'd probably never use it but I don't feel like there's any real reason to remove it

[Leif]

I would love it if the characters' portraits changed depending on the class, but i can understand why they won't do it. Time for some math one of my least favorite subjects

Lets take fates for example. Ignoring dlc and amiibo, there are 54 characters total. And (if i counted right) there are about 54 classes (again, ignoring dlc), but I'll round it down to 50. This would mean that they would have to make 50 portraits per a character. Multiplying 54 by 50, this would mmean they would have to draw a grand total of about 2700 PORTRAITS . I can't really call them lazy for not wanting to draw that many.

As for everything else, I pretty much agree.

I know. I think I said in my post that the ensemble cast size should be reduced by a ton to make this more feasible.

PSA, Kozaki had NOTHING to do with the armor designs. In fact, dude was basically told to design the characters around the 3DS class designs, so Kita wouldn't solve that problem. I also think Kita's work is ugly, but that's an argument for for another time

I think I acknowledged this in my post as well. Kozaki is great by himself, but I like Kita's art a bit better. I suppose it boils down to taste. Whoever the art director was for Fates and Awakening needs to stay the hell away.

why though

i mean it's dumb and i'd probably never use it but I don't feel like there's any real reason to remove it

I feel that it cheapens the experience of FE I guess. I'm happy they did it in FE14 to attract more buyers, but I hope that these new fans will try and challenge themselves with a harder difficulty. xD

In actuality, it probably won't happen, though..

Edited May 23, 2016 by Leif

[General Banzai]

"Every Fire Emblem game has had a story that's either a derivative or utterly disastrous."

How quickly people forget that this was once a series praised for its storytelling. Have you forgotten Sacred Stones? Path of Radiance? Honestly, I'd even vouch for the stark, elegant simplicity of Shadow Dragon's story, or Thracia's "piece of a larger narrative" story. Not to mention Conquest wasn't that bad, and had as many good aspects as it did bad. The only "disastrous" story in the series is 13 and Birthright. And I'm the guy who once wrote a 30 page discussion of why FE7's story was shit, but at least it maintained cohesion and only fell apart upon scrutiny.

People need to stop spreading this bullshit narrative that FE stories were always bad, because it's frankly a lie.

[Truthblade]

I know. I think I said in my post that the ensemble cast size should be reduced by a ton to make this more feasible.

I didn't miss that. I do, however, doubt that a small cast is really something we can expect from a Fire Emblem game, but i can't see the future, so who knows?

*Looks at Orochi*

[Rapier]

I like the Birthright mode/ Conquest mode idea, but I'd also like to see a legitimate Ironman mode.

Now that you said it, I'd like to play a FE game with an Ironman mode like the XCOM games, in that the units you lost are definitely lost and you can't reset your game to a prior save point.

Also, I really like this:

Let's say the player is forced to make a tactical decisions, like invade kingdom A, take the mountain road over the forest route, or retreat from an enemy ambush over duking it out with them. These decisions will yield different endings and recruitable allies.

Which is what I hoped when Fates' premise was revealed to be about choices and consequences (that were dumbed down to "pick a side at chapter 5, have an A support with a certain character and something happens, and that's all folks")

[Leif]

"Every Fire Emblem game has had a story that's either a derivative or utterly disastrous."

How quickly people forget that this was once a series praised for its storytelling. Have you forgotten Sacred Stones? Path of Radiance? Honestly, I'd even vouch for the stark, elegant simplicity of Shadow Dragon's story, or Thracia's "piece of a larger narrative" story. Not to mention Conquest wasn't that bad, and had as many good aspects as it did bad. The only "disastrous" story in the series is 13 and Birthright. And I'm the guy who once wrote a 30 page discussion of why FE7's story was shit, but at least it maintained cohesion and only fell apart upon scrutiny.

People need to stop spreading this bullshit narrative that FE stories were always bad, because it's frankly a lie.

Derivative isn't necessarily bad. I actually liked Thracia 776, but it fell into the whole "young lord takes on evil empire" trope like every other Fire Emblem before it. I just want to see something different in a future FE title. A story that, perhaps, challenges players?

I applaud Conquest for trying something never done before, but it was, unfortunately, botched by Garon, Iago and plot convenience crystal.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Leif

[Truthblade]

Which is what I hoped when Fates' premise was revealed to be about choices and consequences (that were dumbed down to "pick a side at chapter 5, have an A support with a certain character and something happens, and that's all folks")

I think that's what everyone was expecting. Oh well...

[JasonMendez]

Art: I like both artists and honestly wouldn't mind if Kozaki stayed. I prefer Kozaki's character illustrations, but as you said Kita gives off a better medieval vibe. Just get rid of battle panties and ugly clothing like Odin's (Who looks like a weird jester).

As for enemy design I doubt many people would care for how a generic unit would look. If they have some significance to the story that's great, but otherwise I see it as unnecessary.

I like that anybody can be a ruffian as it adds diversity and it's not just your run of the mill axe user and mercenary. (Seriously that gets dull like running into Zubats.)

This is the first I've ever heard of somebody complaining about the abbreviations. If they actually spelled it out it would take a lot of unnecessary space (Unless they made like 3 panels one for stats, one for weapons and one for skills) and I really don't see that happening on handhelds. Also it's been like that throughout the series so I really don't think that's going to change anytime soon.

Gameplay: There seemed to be way too many enemy only weapons in fates. I would understand if they brought something like the stone spell back, but to make the berserk enemy only seems dumb in my opinion (mainly because I loved using that on Ishtar).

I get that you don't like Phoenix mode as I don't either. It doesn't really matter if it stayed as long as the game itself isn't too easy (SS and Awakening) because you won't be playing on it. It may be going against what Fire Emblem stands for, but you have to remember beginners have to start somewhere and the mechanics in fates are more difficult for newbies than Awakening hence phoenix mode.

Stories: FE has had some great stories if not simplistic yet entertaining. SS had great storytelling as did Thracia's and definitely Genealogy of the Holy War that actually had a reason for children. Strange to see kids aren't under your changes.

Also, the writer for the game better draw inspiration form a major historical battle. I can think of the War of the Roses, Thirty Years' War, and Napoleonic Wars as excellent sources of inspiration for the next Fire Emblem story.

The Napoleonic Wars is basically Binding Blade in a nutshell. One country (Bern) fight the rest of the continent (Lycia + Etruria + Sacae + llia) only to be defeated.

War of the Roses: Fates has two opposing family similar to this but not quite to the same extent.

The one that I can think of that would be unique for FE would be a civil war kind of setting. After all how would a Lord act against his country being torn apart and try to keep the peace.

[MCProductions]

"Every Fire Emblem game has had a story that's either a derivative or utterly disastrous."

How quickly people forget that this was once a series praised for its storytelling. Have you forgotten Sacred Stones? Path of Radiance? Honestly, I'd even vouch for the stark, elegant simplicity of Shadow Dragon's story, or Thracia's "piece of a larger narrative" story. Not to mention Conquest wasn't that bad, and had as many good aspects as it did bad. The only "disastrous" story in the series is 13 and Birthright. And I'm the guy who once wrote a 30 page discussion of why FE7's story was shit, but at least it maintained cohesion and only fell apart upon scrutiny.

People need to stop spreading this bullshit narrative that FE stories were always bad, because it's frankly a lie.

Amen, tho replace Birthright with RD, and you literally have my words here. Admittedly, I didn't pay much attention during Birthright tho

[Hardin]

For the record, Kita designed neither the units nor the characters for the Tellius games. She was a contract illustrator who created illustrations based off of designs from Sachiko Wada, Yoko Nakai, Daisuke Izuka, and Chie Takaya.

[Leif]

For the record, Kita designed neither the units nor the characters for the Tellius games. She was a contract illustrator who created illustrations based off of designs from Sachiko Wada, Yoko Nakai, Daisuke Izuka, and Chie Takaya.

How did I not know this? Thanks for bringing that up. I guess I should say that the Tellius art team should come back for FE15.

Art: I like both artists and honestly wouldn't mind if Kozaki stayed. I prefer Kozaki's character illustrations, but as you said Kita gives off a better medieval vibe. Just get rid of battle panties and ugly clothing like Odin's (Who looks like a weird jester).

As for enemy design I doubt many people would care for how a generic unit would look. If they have some significance to the story that's great, but otherwise I see it as unnecessary.

I like that anybody can be a ruffian as it adds diversity and it's not just your run of the mill axe user and mercenary. (Seriously that gets dull like running into Zubats.)

This is the first I've ever heard of somebody complaining about the abbreviations. If they actually spelled it out it would take a lot of unnecessary space (Unless they made like 3 panels one for stats, one for weapons and one for skills) and I really don't see that happening on handhelds. Also it's been like that throughout the series so I really don't think that's going to change anytime soon.

Gameplay: There seemed to be way too many enemy only weapons in fates. I would understand if they brought something like the stone spell back, but to make the berserk enemy only seems dumb in my opinion (mainly because I loved using that on Ishtar).

I get that you don't like Phoenix mode as I don't either. It doesn't really matter if it stayed as long as the game itself isn't too easy (SS and Awakening) because you won't be playing on it. It may be going against what Fire Emblem stands for, but you have to remember beginners have to start somewhere and the mechanics in fates are more difficult for newbies than Awakening hence phoenix mode.

Stories: FE has had some great stories if not simplistic yet entertaining. SS had great storytelling as did Thracia's and definitely Genealogy of the Holy War that actually had a reason for children. Strange to see kids aren't under your changes.

The Napoleonic Wars is basically Binding Blade in a nutshell. One country (Bern) fight the rest of the continent (Lycia + Etruria + Sacae + llia) only to be defeated.

War of the Roses: Fates has two opposing family similar to this but not quite to the same extent.

The one that I can think of that would be unique for FE would be a civil war kind of setting. After all how would a Lord act against his country being torn apart and try to keep the peace.

I already harped about the stupid second generation in Awakening and Fates in other threads so many times already, that I assumed that everyone, by now, knows how much I loathe the second generation. I should have included it in the OP. So yes, no damn kids!

I guess you can say that Binding Blade is kinda like the Napoleonic Wars, but I would have enjoyed a story, like Binding Blade's, minus dragons.

Fates is no where near the complexity that was the War of the Roses. I think you can get a great story if you base more of it on the actual event rather than the "two-sides" premise only.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Leif

[IfAwakened]

I really like the colour idea. Maybe... Misc. enemies (bandits/ruffians) can be coloured gray or something, to show they are essentially factionless and not with any particular side.

I think I would like to some more skills for the enemies in general. But don't make them annoying. Tricky, sure. But nothing crazy like Vantage/Counter/Aegis whatever.

As well as much more diverse chapter objectives, such as Chapter 16 of Conquest. That was kinda neat. Like, defeat all bosses of the red, green, yellow armies or something.

[NekoKnight]

For art style/design I'd be down for Senri Kita (Tellius) or Eiji Kaneda (Elibe). Not sure is they did the just the illiustrations or the outfits as well so I'll credit the art team for both worlds.

I love Kaneda's elegently embroidered robes/tunic, particularly for magic users and lords. His armored characters are also simpler but functional unlike some unusual Awakening/Fates designs.

[spoiler=Pent]

[spoiler=Milady]

Mind you, a lot of the Fates class models were good so I'd be happy to see most of them come back (minus battle panties and other fanservicey outfits).

Storywise, I'd like something more about human conflicts than the supernatural. Supernatural elements can give a story a good kick but stories that revolve around the ambitions, motives and morals of humans are generally the most interesting. Take Game of Thrones as a positive example of the balance of fantasy and political drama. Speaking of politics, I'd like a story which multiple nuanced factions and characters. No side should be wholly good or evil and the evil should probably have motivations for their actions, even if they are deplorable. I want the main characters to have a character arc and not be the same from the start of the game as the end. Lastly, I'd like tactics to feature in the game again. For all its problems, I'll credit Awakening for bringing tactics back as a thing observed in-universe.

[solrocknroll]

tl;dr, but I can't stand Kita's designs and I really would want no one but Kozaki.

I'm pretty sure that most of the stuff you'd advocate for would undo all of the positive changes that make Awakening and Birthright my favorite games in the series. Kozaki's designs may not be as practical, but I will always go for flashiness over practicality. That's why I want my units to do fun things and to have wacky personalities. That's what I want from Fire Emblem.

[Refa]

No one cares. People are only worried about what they want, and you're going to need to explain why these changes would be an improvement for them (regardless of how obvious they may seem to you). For example, why would the return of enemy only equipment improve the game? Why does the writer need to draw inspiration from a major historical battle? And so on.

[blah the Prussian]

The Napoleonic Wars is NOT Binding Blade. Just because one country fights a bunch of other countries doesn't make it the Napoleonic Wars. Actually if anything it's the 7 Years War; Bern is quite similar to Prussia in its militaristic nature. But yeah, blah the Official SF History Nerd likes the idea of basing more stories on history; it's a sure fire way to avoid plot holes, at least. But why limit the historical inspiration to Europe? I've been kicking around the idea of an FE game in a country based on the Ottoman Empire for a while. Alternately, how about following the adventures of a young General as he abolishes a corrupt Republic, Julius Caesar style? Or basing a lord off of a little known but still utterly badass monarch, Mithradates VI? This King fought to liberate the Greeks from the Romans, though he failed in the end. His story would fit with the General FE "beat the evil Empire" storyline, while still allowing the hero to be a badass conquered instead of, well, Corrin.

[Anacybele]

I've always said I want Kita back. I absolutely LOVE her work for Tellius. There's almost no design in Tellius that I don't like. I definitely agree on this one.

And I like deep stories with lots of world-building and good character development/characterization for the main character/cast and as many side characters as possible. Tellius is my favorite because of the excellent world-building and such. Many characters at at least some depth/development. I also like originality and freshness. Cliche can be okay depending on the cliche. People often talk about cliches like they're all horrible and must absolutely be as far away from stories as possible, but cliche doesn't mean bad at all. Some are bad, sure, but others can be done well or given twists to make them feel fresh again.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Anacybele

[solrocknroll]

I would also say that Corrin is my favorite Lord and I hope that more Lords in the futures are both like him and also avatars.

I don't want the series to be based on history because I don't like history that much. I'd rather have cool battles like from Fates or Awakening. I also hope that Fire Emblem moves more towards Birthright's style than Conquest's, visual or otherwise. I vastly prefer the Hoshidan aesthetic to the dark Nohrian one.

[Phantom037]

While I like the idea of unique class portaits for each character, as it was brought up earlier, it's incredibly difficult to make so many. I think a nice compromise would be to have unique portraits for each character's base class options, limiting it to two or three portraits per character. I'm a bit surprised you didn't touch on supports and how incredibly unevenly they're spread in Fates, although you can't really get rid of many supports without jeopardizing the second generation mechanic.

[Anacybele]

I don't want anymore avatar lords for awhile. Avatars are okay, but we've seen them so much now that I miss the traditional lord character. An avatar can be a background character with less involvement in the story and still work, can't it? I mean, it'd be just like FE7's Mark, but as a playable unit with some dialogue here and there.

Also, bring back RD's awesome mechanics. Ledges were AMAZING. And also realistic. Unique objectives too. Conquest does have them, but I couldn't get interested in that path.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Anacybele

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

i wanna say how much longer will it be until the traditional lord character will be "white haired boy/girl" but i don't come from the future.

[Anacybele]

Well, at least IS has strayed away from the blue-haired swordsman thing. It'd be so boring to go back to it now. I want the next lord to be a female redhead. We've had other redheaded lords (Eliwood, Roy, and also Celica, even though her hair sometimes looks more pink to me), but not many, and we've had no standalone females not counting female Corrin.

I think the only blue-haired swordsman I'd be okay with at this point is a boy that's Ike's son. lol

Edited May 23, 2016 by Anacybele