What I hope FE Echoes doesn't mean for FE 2018

[uran10]

Super_Boom said:

Lonely_Dolphin said:

Stuff

Linear Class: I actually preferred how Echoes did this. Part of the appeal of Fire Emblem is how unique the characters feel, which applies to stat growths, skills, and classes as well, so this is something I don't necessarily want too many options with. Shadow Dragon was probably the weakest entry in the franchise for me...and part of that was because the completely open reclass system threw away a lot of character individuality, and you were basically left with generic faces you could assign to any class you want.

That being said...I'm okay with branching promotions, though I'd personally prefer multiple tiers like Echoes incorporated.

Pair-Ups: I'm okay with this provided its either nerfed or the enemies make use of it, like in Fates. The system was broken as all hell in Awakening. I prefer the system in Echoes, but this does provide a nice way to grind supports, which was pretty awful in older games.

Grinding/Cantors: Agreed with you here. Grinding is almost never fun for me, and while I loved Echoes, this was something that really could have used some refinement.

Lack of Weapon Triangle: Agreed, though I can't see this being an issue moving forward anyway, as you said.

Maps/AI: I agree Conquest was superior here, the more variety the better.

Bulky Units: Probably agree...never thought much about this one but units did feel a lot tankier. Not a huge deal for me I guess.

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Outside of what you said, some things I'd like to see return or change in FE 2018:

 

• Nice compelling story with a conflict that actually makes sense. Awakening felt too generic, and Fates was convoluted and filled with plot holes. Echoes was probably the first time I cared about the conflict in a Fire Emblem since Radiant Dawn. For a game series with war as the focus...this is kind of a problem!
• My Unit/Tactician as an observer character, not a key story character. Robin was pushing this a bit already, but Corrin had no idea what he/she wanted to be. Having an avatar in a game like Fire Emblem is unnecessary (I'd rather take an established MC any day)...but having an avatar with an established backstory doesn't even make sense, and contradicts the point of having an avatar in the first place. It was like Fates was going after two rabbits and catching neither. Blazing Sword had the best inclusion of an avatar so far...i.e...basically just watching from the sidelines and almost never showing up.
• No more children! I like the romance options, but the additions of kids just makes me cringe, especially when their implementation is as contrived as it was in Fates. If they are brought back, find some good story reason for it, and not just create a random other dimension to fast-bake them into adults. Gosh what sad pointless lives those kids in Fates led. /rant
• Depth of Supports vs. Breadth. I get why Awakening and Fates went with a wider variety of support conversations...but to me, the GBA titles had the best and most compelling supports in the series so far. Hector/Lyndis and Eliwood/Ninian were fantastic, and even changed the outcome of the story in Blazing Sword. It was a disappointment to go from such compelling support conversations to "Oh I'm shy I want to be more outgoing....oops it's hard to not be shy...I guess it's okay to not be shy...let's get married." I'd much rather have a few well written pairings than a million trivial ones.
• Ability to auto-promote at level 21. Enough said...I just prefer this over having to wait for Master seals to show up.
• Weapon durability to return. I know this is annoying, but I prefer it over the stat debuff mechanic in Fates. Inventory management adds a certain managerial charm to the game that I enjoyed.

 

I could probably think of some more things...but this is what's important enough to come to mind right now. For the record, I do enjoy Awakening and Fates...but they both brought about mechanics I really didn't like...and well...I'm very critical of this franchise I love so much. Overall, I'd say Path of Radiance is the gold standard I hold for the franchise, but that's not to say there aren't mechanics out there that could improve it.

I agree with everything you said here. I hope they give us map designs on par with radiant dawn. hopefully enemy turns don't take as long with some of the longer maps but I'd prefer this. You have casual mode making it accessible along with everything you stated and RD difficulty and we have the perfect FE.