What FE Switch will likely do

[Jedi]

I'm thinking with Shadows of Valentia potentially starting a remake series of FE, Switch will push forward even further with Awakening and Fates mechanics, more reclass & pair up shenanigans, an avatar, etc etc. 

I also see My Castle making a return as it was seen favorably despite the Deeprealms being a very bleh idea despite that. Conquest's Map design was almost universally praised so I believe we'll get more like that in the future, along with some maps more akin to Awakening & Birthright. Unless they decide to do the two game route again to appeal to both sides, but as I said. Shadows of Valentia kind of fills the "veteran" niche. 

Pair up will hopefully finally be properly balanced, I have my doubts however. 

The new weapon triangle will likely be pushed along as well, I don't see Hidden Weapons going away anytime soon.

So what about the rest of you? These were just some random thoughts.

[escotanner]

Well we have nothing to go on, but I would like to see some new mechanics or possibly some old ones reintroduced for the newer crowd like home castles in FE4, dismounting and mounting in Fe5 and fe3( except you don't have to dismount indoors), etc.

[Jedi]

30 minutes ago, escotanner said:

Well we have nothing to go on, but I would like to see some new mechanics or possibly some old ones reintroduced for the newer crowd like home castles in FE4, dismounting and mounting in Fe5 and fe3( except you don't have to dismount indoors), etc.

I doubt we'll see those mechanics again until we get the Jugdral Echoes games, and thats if Gaiden's is successful. I don't see them trying those for a mainline game until they prove to be big with the new age FE fans.

[OpheliaNohrPrincess]

Yup My Castle, Avatar, no weapon durability, reclassing, personal skills, pair up, supports, Marriage and very likely 2nd gens being a series staple at this point I would like something similar to the holy blood mechanic that affect stats further more internal bonuses on specific units.

[Radiant head]

i think it's premature to call things exclusive to fates series staples, especially when we're moving to the next console.  

[saisymbolic]

The probability of the Avatar staying is relatively high. The same with My Castle. They'll probably tone it down with the fanservice (i.e. change the art director), marriage and second generation, though. I honestly hope Fates-style pair up stays, but there is a chance that it might not. They actually might fiddle with the weapon system by tweaking the buffs, debuffs and additional effects of the weapons. Hopefully, the forge system will probably change as well - it doesn't make any sense that you can easily gather the materials to create a +4 Iron Sword and just steamroll enemies early on in the game.

But, at the end of the day, all of these are "might" so we can never know until more information is released.

Edited January 27, 2017 by saisymbolic
expanded on a point

[OpheliaNohrPrincess]

Yeah also tone down the fanservice you can make any character appealing without literally trying too severely hard of the blatantly obvious characters(don't even have to name them) it obviously work before and is much better too.

Edited January 27, 2017 by OpheliaNohrPrincess

[Slumber]

I actually hope IS goes back to simpler systems than Fates. None of Fates' new mechanics were unbalanced by any means, but if just cluttered the gameplay so much.

Debuffs for weapons was fine for one game, but it'd really turn me off of the series if it came back. Go back to weapon durability, which I think is what they'll do.

2nd gens need to stop if there's no time skip and the parents don't die off. After just one game of just trying to justify the existence of children fighting alongside parents, it's already falling apart and starting to feel tacked on. I don't think many people liked how it was handled in Fates. Go back to how FE4 handled it. Kill/bench the parents, shift emphasis entirely to the kids. Kids will probably come back, however. I don't know how they'll deal with it, it could be a standard FE with no kids, since kids didn't sell people on Fates, or there could be kids and they'll have another bad excuse for them. Or they could to the fully split generations, since they'll likely try to ease us in to an FE4 remake.

My Castle needs to be revamped. Again, it was novel for what it was in Fates, but I don't want to see it as it was in Fates in anymore games. It felt clunky, and like an unnecessary meta-mechanic with too much micromanaging. It will probably come back revamped.

Avatars need to stop, or if they're in, stop making them Mary Sues who take up all the spotlight. Alternatively, actually make them characters instead of blank stand-ins for what the developers think we're like. Because as they are now, Robin and Corrin are boring as dirt and detract from both of the games they're in. Even Kris detracts from NM, and he/she's not even propped up as THE main character. They'll probably do none of this however, and the Avatar will be another aggravating stand-in who everybody can't stop loving and does everything(Or does absolutely nothing until the plot demands it, THEN they can suddenly do anything).

Pair up has been fixed in Fates, so if it returns, I won't be upset. However, I prefer the old school rescue mechanic. I don't know if it will return, one of the things I am not 100% on.

Get rid of all the alternative weapon types. Once again, having the usual sword/lance/axe/bow/magics+knives and another parallel set of similar but slightly different weapon types was fine for Fates, but it clutters up the gameplay and in any other FE game that doesn't have an east vs. west theme would give the game an inconsistent visual style. They'll probably go back to the classic weapon triangle with a few kinks thrown in like knives, differentiating magic and light/dark magics.

Aside from that, I actually expect them to adopt some ideas that we'll see in Echoes. Awakening took a lot from New Mystery/SD(Class swapping, Casual Mode, Avatars), so we might get a glimpse of Switch's new mechanics in Echoes. Maybe we'll get dungeon crawling and some more traditional JRPG mechanics like towns in Switch.

Overall, I think they'll back away from concepts that were generally divisive in Fates(How they handled weapons, how the children were implemented), and tighten up the things that got praised(My Castle, the continued rebalancing of Awakening mechanics like Pair-Up).

There is one thing I really want them to address in Switch though:

Stop trying to make characters so goddamn weird and eccentric. Make them grounded again, make their eccentricities an extra facet of their personality, and not the main defining characteristic. Awakening had the most one note, anime-stereotype characters in the series. While it worked for some, I can't stand most of the Awakening cast and I hate thinking that this is the same series as the Jugdral cast. Fates had generally more rounded characters, but they were still super anime and tonally all over the place because most characters had one really overstated personality trait, and the devs actually tried to write character development around this. It worked for some(Charlotte), and it absolutely failed for others(Peri, who I really like ironically).

Fire Emblem's supposed to be a series about country destroying wars, brutal civil wars, and sometimes destructive gods who want to kill everyone. Make the characters act like it, goddammit.

Also, a hope that I don't expect them to address at all:

Stop with the world maps. It's killing the balance of the series. Once again, Fates really put a cap on how much you could abuse overworld leveling, but it still had balance issues. It takes away from the idea that these games are supposed to be these desperate situations and these characters are trying to stop impending doom by grinding EXP on the map that they just fled from because the enemy army is in hot pursuit.

Edited January 28, 2017 by Slumber

[Sire]

Very Likely
- Avatars: While the story aspects of Avatar Characters can definitely be improved upon, I foresee Avatars becoming the norm in Fire Emblem. I can hope that the stories and character interaction will not suffer due to Avatar inclusion, but given the current track record (Awakening and Fates), it is something I am concerned about.
I am not against the idea of having an Avatar Character in the game as it is nice to have a customizable unit act as a stand-in or for roleplay purposes, but the implementation of such a character has been rather poor. Also, if IS does makes Avatars the norm, please make the Avatar Log like Awakenings. Sometimes I want to make a customized Avatar Army and not be restricted with some arbitrary system like in Fates.
- Personal Skills and Class Skills: I see these mechanics staying. I like Personal skills as they add some unique gameplay elements for using a certain character and Class Skills are always fun to play around with.
- My Castle: I see this as the natural evolution from the mere Battle Preparations with Merlinus in Blazing Sword, and from Base Camps from PoR and RD. I could live without the Deeprealm aspect, but a customizable main camp can be fun to see. One of my personal requests is to showcase the classic NPC vendors, such as the Blacksmith, Shopkeep, Anna the Secret Merchant, and so on instead of having player characters show up and fulfill that role.
- Casual Mode: While I am a diehard Classic player (with resets), the introduction of Casual Mode and Phoenix mode makes Fire Emblem much more appealing to potential players put off the "perma-death" aspect. At least the diehards and master tacticians should always have Lunatic difficulty to master.
- The "Boost DLC" Trio: Money DLC, Experience DLC, and Weapons DLC will become the norm. Other DLC may focus on fanservice, expanded character interactions, or may tell side stories. While my wallet will be complaining (and part of my moral self too), I'm likely to end up buying all of Fire Emblem DLC whenever I have the chance.

Likely
- "Classic" Classes: A return to classic classes instead of the more themed classes found in Fates. Please return the classic Spearman!
- Fate's Weapon System: While not perfect, I can see IS tweaking the formula some more to encourage usage of higher level weapons such as Silver weapons instead of relying on Iron forges to win the game.
- Fates & Daggers: While I personally prefer Radiant Dawn's approach to daggers and knives, I can see Fate's system being reused again so Daggers are "debuff" weapons.
- Branching Promotions: I can see branching promotions sticking around for class variety. However, I would like to see less hybrids or at the very least hybrids that make sense. A dedicated unit always seems to outclass a hybrid, there needs to be some redeeming factor for hybrids besides skill sets. Alternatively, give me promotions that offer a cool ability for that class, such as the Summoner from Sacred Stones.
- Reclassing: Like Branching Promotions, I see reclassing returning. While it is becoming a bit more limited, it still allows for some customization of units.
- "Limit Breaking": Essentially allowing endless leveling and grinding of characters. This also includes endgame grinding as well as normal grinding.
- "Radiant Dawn Style" Battle Map and Battle Sequences: An updated form of Radiant Dawn's 3D system, where there are 3D map models and 3D battle models. Alternatively, they can go the "XCOM" route and have seamless transitions from the battle map to action sequences using the same models.
- Map Music & Battle Music: While I miss the classic Battle themes which are completely different from map themes, I have a feeling IS may stay with the "Calm Map Theme" and "Action Map Theme." Boss battles will still have their unique tracks.

Possible:
- Pair-Up: I know some love the Pair-Up system and IS may continue to refine the system, but a part of me really wants the system to be done away with. Sure, I love how enemy units use it against the player in Fates and how it is a little more balanced there, but Pair-Up seems to focus much more on "super-leveling" a small team instead of having a balanced out roster. Even then, some members end up as "backup support," which begs the question why are they fielded in the first place?
Personally, I would like if Pair-Up stayed on the 3DS games and would like to see the return of the classic Rescue function or even Shove and Canto.
- Simple Objectives: While I vastly prefer the Conquest and Radiant Dawn methods of objectives, I can see simple objectives such as routing the enemy or seizing the throne becoming the norm such as in Birthright and Awakening. The simple answer is due to the more casual fanbase and I doubt IS will split games again for "hardcore vets" and "casual players."
- Children and Marriage: Possible because of Dreamrealm BS, but I really hope IS has learned their lesson regarding marriage and children characters with Fates. I would prefer if there were not any children in FE Switch, even if they were properly justified. Give me back normal characters with some more backstories to expand upon the lore.

Wishlist 
- Base Conversations: I loved the Base Conversation system in Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn and would love to see that return to FE: Switch. Not only it builds upon the world itself, but it also allows for other moments that don't have to be taken so seriously.
- Monsters: I want to see monsters again, much like how they were in Sacred Stones. While fighting human enemies throughout the entire game is okay, it would be nice to have some variety now and then.
- The Classic Magic Triangle: Light Magic, Dark Magic, and Anima Magic. Make it happen, IS!
- Platonic "S" Supports: Not everything needs to end in marriage. Characters can be best friends, best siblings, father and son, and so on.
- An "Endgame" Dungeon or Area: Think Tower of Valni or The Ruins in Sacred Stones. I think it would be cool to fight some sort of endgame challenge that is not necessarily story related.

* * * * *

That's all off the top of my head. If I sit around and think some more, there may be more ideas, but for now I'll leave it at that.

[Rezzy]

On 1/26/2017 at 7:30 PM, Jedi said:

I'm thinking with Shadows of Valentia potentially starting a remake series of FE, Switch will push forward even further with Awakening and Fates mechanics, more reclass & pair up shenanigans, an avatar, etc etc. 

I also see My Castle making a return as it was seen favorably despite the Deeprealms being a very bleh idea despite that. Conquest's Map design was almost universally praised so I believe we'll get more like that in the future, along with some maps more akin to Awakening & Birthright. Unless they decide to do the two game route again to appeal to both sides, but as I said. Shadows of Valentia kind of fills the "veteran" niche. 

Pair up will hopefully finally be properly balanced, I have my doubts however. 

The new weapon triangle will likely be pushed along as well, I don't see Hidden Weapons going away anytime soon.

So what about the rest of you? These were just some random thoughts.

I'm not sure if your new magical editor powers can do it, but did you want to my old general speculation topic with this one?  They seem to cover the same thing.

[Augestein]

Honestly, I'd expect the game to completely be overhauled again like it is almost each time it jumps to a new system. I'm sure some of the old mechanics will come back, but I expect new stuff as well. More new mechanics to be honest. So I'm expecting the kinda dip in quality the series kinda does when it goes to a new system. ... And yes, I'm not going to lie and I'll probably sound crazy for saying this... But I started playing FE3... And... I like Gaiden more than it. 

[Jedi]

23 hours ago, Rezzy said:

I'm not sure if your new magical editor powers can do it, but did you want to my old general speculation topic with this one?  They seem to cover the same thing.

I unfortunately don't hold that kind of power. You'd be best off asking eclipse haha. 

[IV-Red]

I'm hoping they go back to simpler systems too. There's some things that I don't think will change, probably ever, and that's both the angle of romantic relationships and the style of character writing. Those things weren't done because of handheld limitations, they were straight-up creative decisions, and from a business viewpoint they WORKED. Romantic relationships where everyone can fall in love with absolutely anyone made the new fanbases happy. Silly, exaggerated characters made more of an impression on fandom, artists and all those people who make noise online, show excitement, generate memes and overall show that the new characters written in that style were popular and well-received.

I most definitely don't like it, but we all have to recognize that videogames NEED to sell. They're made with love, for sure, but they don't survive on love alone. Videogame development is a job that needs to be paid, like any other. Popular things did save the franchise and will continue to be done, as long as they continue to be sold. So... even if I don't like them, I accept that some of the new popular things are gonna come back, and expecting them not to would lead to unneeded frustrations.

What might change and I really hope it does, is the world map. Being able to do infinite extra maps and grind really nullifies the difficulty of the game. Map too hard to beat? Go grind. Now it's easy to beat. Rinse and repeat. It also kinda breaks the flow of the narrative, with sometimes forced interruptions since here and there the enemies become super stronger and it's go grind or never get past this map. I really really really hope we get a continued story that just goes from one chapter to the next, I find it so much more exciting!

[Hawk King]

Fire Emblem has never had more than 3 titles on the same console/handheld. And it has never used the same basic mechanics and formula from one platform to the next.

 

I'm guessing Shadows of Valencia will be very similar to Awakening and Fates both graphically and basic gamplay mechanics wise (ie; pair-ups, same support style, abilities learned at certain levels for every class). And FE Switch will be completely different. Probably more similar to the tellius games graphically. Gameplay wise, i have no idea. Hopefully pair ups, marriages, and time travel babies will be gone, and good old fasioned rescue chains and, ya know, strategy will return...

[OpheliaNohrPrincess]

23 minutes ago, Hawk King said:

Fire Emblem has never had more than 3 titles on the same console/handheld. And it has never used the same basic mechanics and formula from one platform to the next.

 

I'm guessing Shadows of Valencia will be very similar to Awakening and Fates both graphically and basic gamplay mechanics wise (ie; pair-ups, same support style, abilities learned at certain levels for every class). And FE Switch will be completely different. Probably more similar to the tellius games graphically. Gameplay wise, i have no idea. Hopefully pair ups, marriages, and time travel babies will be gone, and good old fasioned rescue chains and, ya know, strategy will return...

I severely doubt it they dont wanna lose new fans that pretty much like those features that gave it the success and revival that will piss off many plus SoV is still in a concern for new fans that like Awakening/Fates.

Edited February 1, 2017 by OpheliaNohrPrincess

[Slumber]

3 hours ago, OpheliaNohrPrincess said:

I severely doubt it they dont wanna lose new fans that pretty much like those features that gave it the success and revival that will piss off many plus SoV is still in a concern for new fans that like Awakening/Fates.

Catering to new fans will cause the series to stagnate and it will be back on its deathbed again before long. 

Look at Fates compared to Awakening. Fates downplayed pair-up considerably, and those "new" features that brought in new fans with Awakening like tike travel babies and Avatars(Yeah, kids and Avatars had been in the series before, but not front and center like Awakening) were both universally panned in Fates, and Fates was very difficult. Yet Fates still sold gangbusters(Relative to FE sales). 

Honestly, part of the reason I think Awakening revived the series the way it did was simply because it was the first FE that really got any marketing in the West beyond "Hey look, this is the series that has those characters from Smash Bros", got good reviews, and strong word of mouth. FEs got some of this in the past, but the franchise has basically had 0 marketing in the West before Awakening. That said, I think SoV will kind of demonstrate how the series will do going forward. If it can be a success with NONE of those features that people think we're vital in reviving the series, then I think it will show a lot about how people actually like the series beyond babies and self-insert characters. If not, then you are likely correct, and people really only like the series for those things. 

Edited February 1, 2017 by Slumber

[AlexArtsHere]

9 minutes ago, Slumber said:

Catering to new fans will cause the series to stagnate and it will be back on its deathbed again before long. 

Look at Fates compared to Awakening. Fates downplayed pair-up considerably, and those "new" features that brought in new fans with Awakening like tike travel babies and Avatars(Yeah, kids and Avatars had been in the series before, but not front and center like Awakening) were both universally panned in Fates, and Fates was very difficult. Yet Fates still sold gangbusters(Relative to FE sales). 

Honestly, part of the reason I think Awakening revived the series the way it did was simply because it was the first FE that really got any marketing in the West beyond "Hey look, this is the series that has those characters from Smash Bros", got good reviews, and strong word of mouth. FEs got some of this in the past, but the franchise has basically had 0 marketing in the West before Awakening. That said, I think SoV will kind of demonstrate how the series will do going forward. If it can be a success with NONE of those features that people think we're vital in reviving the series, then I think it will show a lot about how people actually like the series beyond babies and self-insert characters. If not, then you are likely correct, and people really only like the series for those things. 

Well, the Avatar complaint is part of a bigger complaint/problem, which was the shoddy writing (though this was exemplified in the Avatar). While I can certainly see Second Gen units being retired, I don't see Avatar going away any time soon, and I don't think that's anything to do with whether the game can stand without them. I've played several different Fire Emblem games, and it's obvious they're more than good enough to sell without the Avatar or children (in fact, I'm very much itching to play Genealogy for its large, expansive maps rather than the child system). Thing is, the Avatar is becoming something of a series staple. While I think second gen will be gone in FE Switch due to negative reception, I don't think the reception of the Avatar was as bad, possibly because it was simply a facet of the controversial writing. At least, I hope not. I don't want IS to pull a Sonic Team and throw away something with a lot of potential just because it was marred by another aspect of the game.

[Slumber]

21 minutes ago, InfinityAlex said:

Well, the Avatar complaint is part of a bigger complaint/problem, which was the shoddy writing (though this was exemplified in the Avatar). While I can certainly see Second Gen units being retired, I don't see Avatar going away any time soon, and I don't think that's anything to do with whether the game can stand without them. I've played several different Fire Emblem games, and it's obvious they're more than good enough to sell without the Avatar or children (in fact, I'm very much itching to play Genealogy for its large, expansive maps rather than the child system). Thing is, the Avatar is becoming something of a series staple. While I think second gen will be gone in FE Switch due to negative reception, I don't think the reception of the Avatar was as bad, possibly because it was simply a facet of the controversial writing. At least, I hope not. I don't want IS to pull a Sonic Team and throw away something with a lot of potential just because it was marred by another aspect of the game.

The general reception on Corrin(And Robin in retrospect) in reviews and what I've seen around here, is that they really held the story of Fates back, when if Corrin had just been a normal lord, Fates would probably have had a much stronger story in general. 

The problem people have noticed with Avatars is that, since they're self-insert ego trips, IS makes sure that they're always center stage in the story, and everything completely revolves around them. The writing in the supports always dips when it's about Corrin and Robin(How many characters in Awakening and Fates are basically defined by how much they love the Avatar, and how few characters are there that ever actually have any sort of negative interactions with the Avatar compared to older games?). Robin got away from this a bit, as they only really took center stage in the second half, and Robin was a "new" concept to a lot of people. 

Corrin, it seems, has more people saying that Avatars have overstayed their welcome, much like how the shoehorned children did, and desperately need to be addressed. I don't think a ton are calling for their removal(I am, I have no confidence that IS could ever implement them well), but it's clear that the presence of an Avatar did more damage in peoples' eyes in Fates. 

I've already said this ad nauseum, but I doubt they'd actually get rid of the Avatars, who, by their nature, I think put IS into this corner that they can only get out of with shitty writing. BUT, I don't think Avatars are necessary for FE to do well, and I'd say it's a stretch to call them a series staple, when this series changes so often. Avatars have been in 1/5(4/15 if you really wanna stretch it and include Mark) of the total games, and if they were gone from Echoes onward, I think there'd be an understanding that it was just a mechanic that those few FE games of yesteryear had. 

Edited February 1, 2017 by Slumber

[AlexArtsHere]

4 minutes ago, Slumber said:

Lots of words. Check the post above for 'em.

I see where you're coming from, but I think that this isn't a problem with "there is an Avatar", but "the Avatar is badly written". As an Avatar, I'd say Robin was very well received, and us lot on the forums are often a vocal minority, so we can't really know the full extent of the reception of Avatars, but I think IS just needs to find their footing with them. They seem to be pretty good at taking stuff on board, so I'm confident that they'll crack it soon enough, though I wholeheartedly agree the story should never wholly revolve around the Avatar or be an ego trip, and I feel like this is completely possible to do without getting rid of the Avatar. Come to think of it, I've never found Avatars to be an ego trip for me personally, but I can see how they're praised by the story. Just give IS some time to get it together. I thoroughly enjoyed Robin's arc in Awakening, and I think going back to that and then developing it with a more fleshed out and rounded character with genuine flaws would be a great start.

Also, I barely even count Mark as a character. :P

[Slumber]

A good chunk of Robin's story is just bad plot twist after bad plot twist that I really don't care for. 

*gasp* Validar, that no-name boss from chapter 5 is Robin's father! 

*gasp* Aversa is Robin's adoptive sister! 

*gasp* Robin the the host for Grima! 

*gasp* There are two Robins! 

*gasp* The evil Robin is the actual host for Grima! 

A lot of that stuff rang hollow and it's really just lame for me, and the general pace of the game after dealing with Plegia makes me hold Awakening's story in low regards(Maybe even lower than Fates' story, since at least there were moments where Fates had teeth and didn't backtrack with paralogues). And a lot of it has to do with how Uber super important you(aka Robin) are. 

Yeah, this stuff could be addressed if IS found a way to write around Avatar characters, but they've shown no evidence that they're capable of this. Even with Kris, who was effectively just Marth's favorite soldier, and didn't really affect the main plot, was still a massive Mary Sue who everyone loved and stole the spotlight from several characters compared to FE3. 

Edited February 1, 2017 by Slumber

[OpheliaNohrPrincess]

4 hours ago, Slumber said:

Catering to new fans will cause the series to stagnate and it will be back on its deathbed again before long. 

Look at Fates compared to Awakening. Fates downplayed pair-up considerably, and those "new" features that brought in new fans with Awakening like tike travel babies and Avatars(Yeah, kids and Avatars had been in the series before, but not front and center like Awakening) were both universally panned in Fates, and Fates was very difficult. Yet Fates still sold gangbusters(Relative to FE sales). 

Honestly, part of the reason I think Awakening revived the series the way it did was simply because it was the first FE that really got any marketing in the West beyond "Hey look, this is the series that has those characters from Smash Bros", got good reviews, and strong word of mouth. FEs got some of this in the past, but the franchise has basically had 0 marketing in the West before Awakening. That said, I think SoV will kind of demonstrate how the series will do going forward. If it can be a success with NONE of those features that people think we're vital in reviving the series, then I think it will show a lot about how people actually like the series beyond babies and self-insert characters. If not, then you are likely correct, and people really only like the series for those things. 

If you've seen other sites fans love the features Awakening/Fates included this is definitely gonna make/break many fans just because vocal minority here doesn't like certain things if it makes money then that's what's important in the big picture from a bigger reception that are buying the new games from IS.

Edited February 1, 2017 by OpheliaNohrPrincess

[The DanMan]

19 hours ago, Hawk King said:

Fire Emblem has never had more than 3 titles on the same console/handheld. And it has never used the same basic mechanics and formula from one platform to the next.

 

I'm guessing Shadows of Valencia will be very similar to Awakening and Fates both graphically and basic gamplay mechanics wise (ie; pair-ups, same support style, abilities learned at certain levels for every class). And FE Switch will be completely different. Probably more similar to the tellius games graphically. Gameplay wise, i have no idea. Hopefully pair ups, marriages, and time travel babies will be gone, and good old fasioned rescue chains and, ya know, strategy will return...

What convoluted reasoning have you come up with that somehow has recent titles devoid of strategy?
And what's so special about rescue chains? Pair-up allows for similar antics.

Also, from what we have it seems like SoV is sticking pretty close to Gaiden-- it's all but confirmed that attack and defense stance are out, judging from footage. They've kept the way promotion functions the same (meaning they've probably kept growths the same), kept Gaiden's weapon system, and seemingly even weapon stats.

I'm pretty sure FE Switch is more likely to take what worked in Fates, try to improve it, and do more of its own thing. SD basically re-booted the series, and taking that into account, every game has built off of the previous one: SD -> NME -> Awakening -> Fates. Which also further faults your reasoning that FE Switch will be significantly different. The only games in the series that were notably different from eachother were the Kaga titles; FE 6-9 were largely the same, with RD doing some experimenting.
You're working off a "pattern" that doesn't exist.

Edited February 2, 2017 by The DanMan

[Hawk King]

16 hours ago, The DanMan said:

What convoluted reasoning have you come up with that somehow has recent titles devoid of strategy?
And what's so special about rescue chains? Pair-up allows for similar antics.

Also, from what we have it seems like SoV is sticking pretty close to Gaiden-- it's all but confirmed that attack and defense stance are out, judging from footage. They've kept the way promotion functions the same (meaning they've probably kept growths the same), kept Gaiden's weapon system, and seemingly even weapon stats.

I'm pretty sure FE Switch is more likely to take what worked in Fates, try to improve it, and do more of its own thing. SD basically re-booted the series, and taking that into account, every game has built off of the previous one: SD -> NME -> Awakening -> Fates. Which also further faults your reasoning that FE Switch will be significantly different. The only games in the series that were notably different from eachother were the Kaga titles; FE 6-9 were largely the same, with RD doing some experimenting.
You're working off a "pattern" that doesn't exist.

As far as LTC play was concerned, Awakening was literally a game of "Where do i place my extremely over-leveled and over-powered paired-up units on the map to kill all of the enemies in 1 or 2 turns?" Or "rescue staff my extremely over-leveled and over-powered paired-up boss killers ahead and kill the boss in 1 or 2 turns." All of the maps were either rout or kill the boss objectives. Fates was a little better in that it toned pair-ups way down and had more that just rout and kill the boss objectives but it still didn't require nearly as much planning as 6-10 did.

 

9 and 10 were way different from 6-8. Movements were all higher, every character had STR and MAG, Mounts had canto after attacking, shoving, STR was used to determine AS loss from weapon weight instead of CON, and abilities returned.

 

No, SD did not reboot the series. SD and NME were remakes of 1 and 3 which is why they didn't have rescuing. SD was received very poorly because it followed so close to FE1, which is why NME added so many new things. The DS games have very little in common with the 3DS games. Awakening if anything was a reboot as it was a last ditch effort to try to save the series. Hence why it is so much different from previous entries and not well received by older fans.

 

If you looked at FE 1-14 you would see that there is a pattern. It's not a personal opinion, it is objective fact.  From growth rates, to supports, to graphics, to gameplay mechanics, each era's titles have a lot in common with one another, and there are big changes from one era to the next. The first 2 games are quite different as the series didn't have it's identity yet, but they shared a console and mostly the same graphics. FE3 was a bit of a hybrid as it used the mechanics of 1 while ushering in the SNES graphics used in 4 and 5.

[The DanMan]

36 minutes ago, Hawk King said:

As far as LTC play was concerned, Awakening was literally a game of "Where do i place my extremely over-leveled and over-powered paired-up units on the map to kill all of the enemies in 1 or 2 turns?" Or "rescue staff my extremely over-leveled and over-powered paired-up boss killers ahead and kill the boss in 1 or 2 turns." All of the maps were either rout or kill the boss objectives. Fates was a little better in that it toned pair-ups way down and had more that just rout and kill the boss objectives but it still didn't require nearly as much planning as 6-10 did.

 

9 and 10 were way different from 6-8. Movements were all higher, every character had STR and MAG, Mounts had canto after attacking, shoving, STR was used to determine AS loss from weapon weight instead of CON, and abilities returned.

 

No, SD did not reboot the series. SD and NME were remakes of 1 and 3 which is why they didn't have rescuing. SD was received very poorly because it followed so close to FE1, which is why NME added so many new things. The DS games have very little in common with the 3DS games. Awakening if anything was a reboot as it was a last ditch effort to try to save the series. Hence why it is so much different from previous entries and not well received by older fans.

 

If you looked at FE 1-14 you would see that there is a pattern. It's not a personal opinion, it is objective fact.  From growth rates, to supports, to graphics, to gameplay mechanics, each era's titles have a lot in common with one another, and there are big changes from one era to the next. The first 2 games are quite different as the series didn't have it's identity yet, but they shared a console and mostly the same graphics. FE3 was a bit of a hybrid as it used the mechanics of 1 while ushering in the SNES graphics used in 4 and 5.

Sacred Stones is pitifully easy (I'd argue easier than Awakening unless you went out of the way to try and break the later from the start), and FE7 on a whole isn't that challenging either (basically just HHM). I've heard a fair bit on how PoR is pretty easy as well. I don't really care about LTC-- Conquest required more planning and thinking than any other FE game I've played (all the localized handheld titles).
I haven't played the Radiant Duelogy, so I didn't recall all the differences-- however, in a way you just proved my point. Path of Radiance didn't throw out a bunch of stuff from the GBA games and do a lot new; it took what was already there and tweaked/expanded on it while doing some of its own thing. RD took what was in PoR and tweaked/expanded on that while doing some of its own thing.

Mechanically, Shadow Dragon was something of a re-boot as it was back-to-basics, being a remake of the first game in the series. And considering it's overall sales (.6 million lifetime with suspiciously low numbers from Europe, which is more than 4, 5, and 8-10) and the fact it has a metascore of 81, SD wasn't that poorly received overall (the most likely reason that NME wasn't localized was the fact that it was a low-profile title launching right before the 3DS). And how can you claim NME is nothing like the 3DS titles when it introduced the Avatar and Casual Mode? Plus, there's other little things such as the elimination of weapon durability that carried over. NME built off of SD and re-introduced a few things while adding a lot more, Awakening further built off of NME and Fates built off of and refined Awakening.

FE1 and Gaiden are the exception, since as you said the series hadn't established an identity. Even then, FE4 is structured very differently from FE3 and FE5, with FE5 having mechanics and flourishes not seen in either; with Kaga, the series was always experimenting and growing. Once he left, the series went back to basics while experimenting with a couple side mechanics in FE6. FE7 simply refined what was there, and FE8 experimented with some older mechanics and concepts.

FE Switch will take what Fates did while expanding and improving on it while doing some of its own thing; the Avatar, pair-up (or some further evolution of that system), and casual mode are staying put; rescue, weapon weight, the magic triangle, and other smaller mechanics from older titles frankly have a fart's chance in the wind of returning.

But hey, those are just my thoughts and observations.

Edited February 2, 2017 by The DanMan

[AlexArtsHere]

3 hours ago, Hawk King said:

As far as LTC play was concerned, Awakening was literally a game of "Where do i place my extremely over-leveled and over-powered paired-up units on the map to kill all of the enemies in 1 or 2 turns?" Or "rescue staff my extremely over-leveled and over-powered paired-up boss killers ahead and kill the boss in 1 or 2 turns." All of the maps were either rout or kill the boss objectives. Fates was a little better in that it toned pair-ups way down and had more that just rout and kill the boss objectives but it still didn't require nearly as much planning as 6-10 did.

Because everyone plays LTC and thinks with that mindset? The thing about the newer games is, with the addition of casual mode, there's a much wider demographic and, naturally, a much wider variety of play styles. It's been a long time since the player base consisted only of people who are hardcore players. And while I don't dispute that Awakening's...lacking objective pool stifled the variety of the game, that doesn't mean it was devoid of strategy.