Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Saint Rubenio]

Just now, Acacia Sgt said:

Phila.

That's the one, thanks. Have I talked before about how I wish she had been a traitor? Because Phila being a traitor would've made so much more sense than... sort of dying after doing nothing and being entirely forgotten immediately. Her body barely gets to land before Emmeryn distracts everyone from her lol. If she was a traitor she'd at least get to return and have a role in the story.

[Codename Shrimp]

Is it hating time? Do i need to pull out my old hate?

3 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

did you use the Birthright units mod with any other mods? Modding Fates is a massive pain in the ass and I've been struggling to combine it with my other mods.

You can, but it's a pain in the ass.

I was able to combine it with voice and icon mode.

There's a paragon guide on combining mods on gamebanana

[Saint Rubenio]

1 minute ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

Is it hating time? Do i need to pull out my old hate?

We hatin'.

Nah, but I'm just along for the ride. Don't really feel like hat time too much.

1 minute ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

You can, but it's a pain in the ass.

I was able to combine it with voice and icon mode.

There's a paragon guide on combining mods on gamebanana

I do know how to combine, but I have a problem: Neither the unit swap mod nor the icons mod have paragon import files. I found a download for the icons mod made by someone else in the comments of the mod, but it's not working for some reason. I can only work on this for intervals of 15 minutes before I start feeling steam coming out of my ears, my will to play Fates leaving my body with it as my mind flashes to all the maps in Conquest I don't like.

So uh. Yeah. Might end up replaying Vandal Hearts 2 instead lol. I need a new game, when's Wonder coming out again? My parents brought my switch back from the city after their last visit to the apartment, so I can actually play it.

[Codename Shrimp]

3 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Neither the unit swap mod nor the icons mod have paragon import files

Had to make the icon mode import myself.

Let me see if i can send it to you

[Codename Shrimp]

-snip-

Edited October 11, 2023 by Shrimpy -Limited Edition-

[Saint Rubenio]

Just now, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

Had to make the icon mode import myself.

Let me see if i can send it to you

That would be a great help. If the modding experience subsequently results in a victoree, victoree I will owe it to you.

[BrightBow]

2 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

That was the protagonist from the first game, right? It may be "daring", but more sequels need to do that. Sometimes it works, but all too often it feels like sequels are bogged down by giving the original protagonist too much of a role.

Yeah, she was the protagonist. Blue hair. Sword. No parents. Elderly bearded man as her mentor and right hand. Has 3 entirely different at styles depending on whether you go by promotional material, the intro cutscene or the actual in-game art.
Not much to say about her.
 

24 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I will give him this, the Hierarch is pretty fucking amazing in how utterly incomprehensible a character he is. The pegasus knight too, the one that's unplayable, her name's not coming to me right now. My mind keeps saying "Flora" but I know that's wrong.

Gangrel good though.

The only rational I can think of is that there used to be a draft of the story where Philia and The Hierarch were the same character. After all, Philia is the one we actually see the entire time serving as Emmeryn's advisor.
I mean, why shouldn't she be the traitor? The hamfisted introduction Chrom gives of the Hierarch 10 second before he dies could just as well apply to her. And it's not like there is anything else for her to do besides randomly popping in just to instantly die to teleporting skeletons.

I suspect that the story was shifted in a pretty dramatic manner at some point. Resulting in a really clumsy rework with little regards of which parts were important for that new direction and which ones were not.

Edited October 11, 2023 by BrightBow

[Codename Shrimp]

8 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

That would be a great help. If the modding experience subsequently results in a victoree, victoree I will owe it to you.

...serenes doesn't wanna let me send this to you lol

You have discord?

[Saint Rubenio]

1 minute ago, BrightBow said:

Yeah, she was the protagonist. Blue hair. Sword. No parents. Elderly bearded man as her mentor and right hand. Has 3 entirely different at styles depending on whether you go by promotional material, the intro cutscene or the actual in-game art.
Not much to say about her.

I saw her dad, too. He's a great meme.

1 minute ago, BrightBow said:

The only rational I can think of is that there used to be a draft of the story where Philia and The Hierarch were the same character. After all, Philia is the one we actually see the entire time serving as Emmeryn's advisor.
I mean, why shouldn't she be the traitor? The hamfisted introduction Chrom gives of the Hierarch 10 second before he dies could just as well apply to her. And it's not like there is anything else for her to do besides randomly popping in just to instantly die to teleporting skeletons.

I suspect that the story was shifted in a pretty dramatic manner at some point. Resulting in a really clumsy rework with little regards of which parts were important for that new direction and which ones were not.

It really would've been better that way. But then I wouldn't have gotten to laugh at the Hierarch, so what can I say. Writing is like seeds.

Just now, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

...serenes doesn't wanna let me send this to you lol

You have discord?

Aye, saintrubenio. They don't use the numbers anymore, do they?

[BrightBow]

Just now, Saint Rubenio said:

I saw her dad, too. He's a great meme.

He now has a level 2 version of his groove, where he can watch birds near mountains and forests. Always double down on the joke.

...especially if it also happens to be unironically great character building. He is really a wonderfully dorky dad and it's easy to imagine that his death would cause so much pain to those close to him.

 

[Saint Rubenio]

Well shoot, thanks to Shrimpers's file, I finally got the mods to work.

Might do some Fatesing then. It's been a while. Still haven't fully decided if I want to do Birthright units, reverse recruitment or else, but I'm glad the files are now working.

15 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

He now has a level 2 version of his groove, where he can watch birds near mountains and forests. Always double down on the joke.

...especially if it also happens to be unironically great character building. He is really a wonderfully dorky dad and it's easy to imagine that his death would cause so much pain to those close to him.

 

Just a swell guy, unfairly taken too soon. Alas.

Edited October 11, 2023 by Saint Rubenio

[BrightBow]

I suppose one thing I don't like about Wargroove 2 (besides the whole thing about it being a glitch infested mess) is the lack of character themes.

But I do get the change. Wargroove 1 did it like Advance Wars, where each Co had a theme and that theme always plays when it's their turn. Which ends up silly a lot of the time when the theme does not fit the mood of the battle itself.
In Wargroove 1, Mercia's own theme was a very big offender of that. It's a lovely character theme, but also way too upbeat for any serious battle.

So instead they went with a soundtrack that focuses on the mood of the battle, instead of the character currently in control regardless of context. That IS the better approach, no question. And it most certainly helps giving the game a much stronger atmosphere.
But that is no reason for not having any leitmotifs. For a game with so many good character moments, the lack of actual recurring character motifs is a damn shame.

There are still soft character themes. They do have specific themes that play when they are picked in standard matches. But they are clearly not used as character themes in the campaigns, no matter what the soundtest might imply.
Sedge's "theme" for example is used a lot. But never in a context that relates to him in any way. He is still dead and is a complete non-factor in the story. Same with the other deceased characters that still remain playable.

Edited October 11, 2023 by BrightBow

[Eltosian Kadath]

7 hours ago, GuardianSing said:

I have a doctors appointment todayyyy, here's hoping to finally make some progress.

Good Luck, hopefully it goes/went well.

 

5 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Wait, what? What do you mean, they don't let you use cash? Why would they do that? What's the point? Is this another 9/11 side-effect, are they afraid you'll hide bombs under the bills?

More of a post-Covid thing, as during that time it was pointed out that money was the most germ infested thing human beings deal with on a regular basis. On average money is filthier than the average public toilet seat.

 

4 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Is this RD bashing?

Sounds like one of my big complaints about RD's story...

 

3 hours ago, BrightBow said:

Awakening is a fantastic piece of media to serve as a negative example for just about any point. Plus, bashing it is both fun and deserved. In extremely rare cases you get gems like the Hierarch, where things get so bad it's good. But 99% of the time it's just regular old awful.

Bad games can most certainly be quite an enriching experience. Knowing just how bad a game can be helps appreciating all the good decisions that other games make. All kinds of stuff that one might have taken for granted otherwise.

I find Awakening distinctly unmemorable from a gameplay perspective, and my biggest complaint about the story is how they were so clearly working towards a tragedy where the timeline cannot be changed (cemented by the clever use of the non-choices), but then they chickened out on such a bleak ending.

 

@Saint Rubenio I am thinking about joining the FE6 ironman relay, but have never recorded gameplay video before, do you have any advise for what kind of recording software to get/use for it?

[Interdimensional Observer]

After not playing anything in days Boktai 2 has fallen victim to my "end of game, yet I don't finish it" tendency, I've started Kirby Returns to Dream Land Deluxe. Kirby is always good for me. Kirbs isn't exactly long either, and I'm not sure if I'll touch Extra mode this time (certainly not the True Arena). The new Magolor mode interests me, not sure when that'll unlock.

 

23 minutes ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

More of a post-Covid thing, as during that time it was pointed out that money was the most germ infested thing human beings deal with on a regular basis. On average money is filthier than the average public toilet seat.

Which is reason enough to not want to touch it. -Although in my case, autism gives me a reflexive dislike for touching cash, especially coinage.🤢

27 minutes ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

and my biggest complaint about the story is how they were so clearly working towards a tragedy where the timeline cannot be changed (cemented by the clever use of the non-choices), but then they chickened out on such a bleak ending.

Would a bleak ending been a good finale for a dying franchise? Awakening being intended as a potential swansong makes me think IS wouldn't have wanted FE to go out on a depressing note.

And given everything else about Awakening, namely its characters, a bleak ending would've been tonally dissonant.

[Acacia Sgt]

8 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Would a bleak ending been a good finale for a dying franchise? Awakening being intended as a potential swansong makes me think IS wouldn't have wanted FE to go out on a depressing note.

And given everything else about Awakening, namely its characters, a bleak ending would've been tonally dissonant.

I bet that would've affected sales too. If it tanked because it had a bleak ending... well, then IS would have no one to blame but themselves.

Still, I don't think it would've actually happened. Not enough of a loss... I think.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Acacia Sgt

[Eltosian Kadath]

12 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Would a bleak ending been a good finale for a dying franchise? Awakening being intended as a potential swansong makes me think IS wouldn't have wanted FE to go out on a depressing note.

Yet there is something compelling about raging against the dying of light, to push against the ceaseless waves, and shout meaning into the void, despite their ultimate futility. I don't think it would have been a bad note to end on.

 

13 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

 

And given everything else about Awakening, namely its characters, a bleak ending would've been tonally dissonant.

They already setup that intentional tonal dissonance with the arrival of the Risen, and Lucina's story of a doomed future...

[Acacia Sgt]

With the whole point being to change it.

You already got the alternate ending where they just push the Grima problem down the road to be the future's problem (now that's realistic!). I'll just be here enjoying I can witness a happy ending even if it has to be in a video game...

Edited October 12, 2023 by Acacia Sgt

[GuardianSing]

7 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Wait, what? What do you mean, they don't let you use cash? Why would they do that? What's the point? Is this another 9/11 side-effect, are they afraid you'll hide bombs under the bills?

I remember hearing something about a coin shortage that was causing it but I don't live in LA or anywhere close to it to really understand. All I know is that when I was in the airport then it was this odd case where you could pay in cash but only if specific people were running the cash register.

5 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Ahhh that's not fair, you brought up the Hierarch, you know I've a preference for that guy. Most incomprehensible character in the entire series, his very existence puzzles me.

Still fondly remember the time @GuardianSing said "I could whip out a character analysis for any Awakening character, try me bitches" (something along those lines) and I replied "Hierarch" and they actually went and did it, the madtzal.

Gangrel good bite me

I've always looked at Awakening with rose tinted glasses as it was the first Fire Emblem game I properly completed when I was 14 and I haven't really gone through the story in years. The linked run doesn't count since I was skipping cutscenes.

While it is true that if I played through the entire story today I would probably recognize it as a whatever story, I can't really think of anything in it that's hugely offensive that would be the cause of people saying outright that it's an awful story. At worst I'd think it'd just be boring and forgettable.

...Which is arguably the worst thing a story can be, so I guess there's that. Fates may be terrible but at least it's entertaining.

People talk about the Hierach but that's literally only one chapter and barely relevant to the plot. It was a sloppy lazy way explain why the team was being ambushed, that's pretty much it.

And Gangrel is pretty fun. Best attempt at an actually fun pure evil villain from FE if you ask me. Garon being only fun ironically.

 

[Acacia Sgt]

Okay, time to resume Clannad...

[Acacia Sgt]

As someone who's been a fan of Dragon Ball since childhood, I can't help but keep being amused every time they mention pilaf. XD

[Acacia Sgt]

Okay, Kotomi's route it is.

It's so relaxing... I should try to get more VN's, heh. I know there's more Key works in Steam. Should try to go for fully understanding Kaginado. XD

---

Ah, I feel my drive for writing back. But I'm still not sure on how to write about the fighting... well, hopefully it won't take long to think on something...

---

Not the mapo curry! lol

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by Acacia Sgt

[Armagon]

10 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

That's the one, thanks. Have I talked before about how I wish she had been a traitor? Because Phila being a traitor would've made so much more sense than... sort of dying after doing nothing and being entirely forgotten immediately. Her body barely gets to land before Emmeryn distracts everyone from her lol. If she was a traitor she'd at least get to return and have a role in the story.

I'm just surprised Phila didn't return as a SpotPass character. Emmeryn falling like 300 feet didn't kill her, Walmart was just too angry to die, Yen'Fay came from another universe but nah, Phila had to die.

6 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

but then they chickened out on such a bleak ending.

Bleak endings are a surefire way to make me hate your story so I'm glad they didn't do that.

5 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

Yet there is something compelling about raging against the dying of light, to push against the ceaseless waves, and shout meaning into the void, despite their ultimate futility. I don't think it would have been a bad note to end on.

Nah it would've been garbage. It's the same reason dystopian media is usually garbage. It's like what's the point.

Mind you, this is not the same as a bittersweet ending. Bittersweet endings, depending on variables, are good. But if it's just "everyone died and it was all for naught" I will make sure you never write again. This is like the biggest reason I hated Aldonah.Zero when I watched it years ago before I realized there was a Season 2.

This is like my hot writing take but I don't care if you have to asspull out of it, do not end your story on a bleak note under any circumstance.

5 hours ago, GuardianSing said:

While it is true that if I played through the entire story today I would probably recognize it as a whatever story, I can't really think of anything in it that's hugely offensive that would be the cause of people saying outright that it's an awful story. At worst I'd think it'd just be boring and forgettable.

It's not that different from most Fire Emblem stories to be fair. I think it's villains are kinda neat sometimes tho.

Brightbow hates it with a passion but there's only like five games in the entire world he actually likes anyways, everything else is an affront to mankind in his eyes /s

[Eltosian Kadath]

5 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

With the whole point being to change it.

The point could just as easily be you can not change the past, even if you want to.

 

5 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

 

You already got the alternate ending where they just push the Grima problem down the road to be the future's problem (now that's realistic!). I'll just be here enjoying I can witness a happy ending even if it has to be in a video game...

Eh, happy endings are a dime a dozen for videogames, would have been nice to see them do something different with it, especially with how many times they reinforce the idea that the timeline can't substantively be changed in the game, until sudden it just can.

 

2 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Nah it would've been garbage. It's the same reason dystopian media is usually garbage. It's like what's the point.

A surprisingly philosophical question given the things I was deliberately referencing. The first was a poem by Dylan Thomas

Quote

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

The second was a fair bit less heady reference, but at its heart was about the task of maintaining the order of civilization in the face of its inevitable descent into chaos.

The third a simple exclamation for why it is worth living even if life is originally meaningless, as we shout its meaning into the void.

 

[Saint Rubenio]

8 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

More of a post-Covid thing, as during that time it was pointed out that money was the most germ infested thing human beings deal with on a regular basis. On average money is filthier than the average public toilet seat.

Ah, that makes sense.

8 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

Sounds like one of my big complaints about RD's story...

You and me both, but believe it or not, I wasn't thinking of it specifically.

8 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

@Saint Rubenio I am thinking about joining the FE6 ironman relay, but have never recorded gameplay video before, do you have any advise for what kind of recording software to get/use for it?

Windows 10 comes with this handy tool called Xbox Game Bar. You press Win+alt+R and it starts recording. Otherwise, all the well-known GBA emulators come with recording functions.

6 hours ago, GuardianSing said:

I remember hearing something about a coin shortage that was causing it but I don't live in LA or anywhere close to it to really understand. All I know is that when I was in the airport then it was this odd case where you could pay in cash but only if specific people were running the cash register.

Amazing.

6 hours ago, GuardianSing said:

I've always looked at Awakening with rose tinted glasses as it was the first Fire Emblem game I properly completed when I was 14 and I haven't really gone through the story in years. The linked run doesn't count since I was skipping cutscenes.

While it is true that if I played through the entire story today I would probably recognize it as a whatever story, I can't really think of anything in it that's hugely offensive that would be the cause of people saying outright that it's an awful story. At worst I'd think it'd just be boring and forgettable.

...Which is arguably the worst thing a story can be, so I guess there's that. Fates may be terrible but at least it's entertaining.

Hey, it's okay to like different things. You don't have to explain yourself. I mean, I unapologetically enjoy Fates's story. Sure, you can say ironically, but the fact of the matter is that I got more enjoyment out of it than a few other FE stories. It's not a bad thing to enjoy a videogame.

6 hours ago, GuardianSing said:

People talk about the Hierach but that's literally only one chapter and barely relevant to the plot. It was a sloppy lazy way explain why the team was being ambushed, that's pretty much it.

Well, to be fair, "people" is basically just me and Brightbow because he knew that was the right button to push with me. I just find it so fucking funny that he's established as the most important person to have ever imported across Ylisse, then he's instantly a traitor and dies, all in the span of like 30 seconds. Best character arc ever farted onto a sheet of paper.

6 hours ago, GuardianSing said:

And Gangrel is pretty fun. Best attempt at an actually fun pure evil villain from FE if you ask me. Garon being only fun ironically.

Garon's awesome because he's so bad. Gangrel is legitimately awesome and if he had been the main villain the game would've been that much better off for it.

1 hour ago, Armagon said:

I'm just surprised Phila didn't return as a SpotPass character. Emmeryn falling like 300 feet didn't kill her, Walmart was just too angry to die, Yen'Fay came from another universe but nah, Phila had to die.

I don't think anyone in the development team remembered who or what Phila was by the time they got around to making the spotpass characters.

I don't get the obsession with taking their revivals into account with the rest of the plot or the claims of them "ruining the story", either. They're very clearly non-canon, pseudo-postgame extras. As far as I'm concerned, Emmeryn died when she did - the other thing was just a fun "what if" scenario.

14 minutes ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

happy endings are a dime a dozen for videogames

Ain't that the truth.

[Lightcosmo]

9 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

They already setup that intentional tonal dissonance with the arrival of the Risen, and Lucina's story of a doomed future...

yeah, too bad they focused the storyline on the wrong character. XD

(I would assume this was to avoid making it too similar to FE4?) But really Lucina should always have been the MC. (Also fairly sure the writers expressed disappointment with how her story turned out?)