8 replies to this topic

[Cero]

Since FE:IF is getting closer and closer to release I wanted to what your guys' stance is on S supports for this game. Now for me, I would prefer if S supports didn't return. S supports limited the way a relationship could develop between characters since it always ended in marriage. I would prefer marriage to be relegated to the epilogue like the GBA titles since that allowed for platonic and romantic endings.

[Voffie]

I don't really care about the S-supports to be honest. I don't care much for the marriage either, and would be perfectly fine with supports ending at A rank which would allow for a better epilogue than the ones used in Awakening, which where generic (in my opinion) as all hell.

[Mercurius]

I usually don't even bother to put in the work for the sake of seeing supports anyway. Awakening was a different matter only because of how mind-blowingly easy it was with Pair Up, and even then I didn't unlock most supports, I just went with whatever came with Pair Up. Because of how specifically you get supports (in other words, people won't see them that often unless they are completionists) I don't think they warrant putting much that's particularly interesting in them. The only one that stands out in my mind is when I read the support between Gonzales and Lilina off the internet and then killed Gonzales in FE6 while he was still the enemy.

[Fire Blazer]

pretty much the same outlook as Voffie. I really don't care. If there are going to be S-rank supports/marriage supports, let them at least be very limited an... organic? let them make sense, don't let everyone marry everyone, etc., that kind of thing

[Knight of Argentum]

I do not wish for the S supports to return in IF, and I echo Cero with his claims. The S support system and the general premise of the supports in Awakening I found to be linear and unintersting. Better epilogues in place of marriage and more character development would create a better atmosphere (in my opinion).

[Snow]

I've never been that aware of supports. I didn't really know how they worked in FE8 and FE7, I don't really remember if I used them in FE9, and the supports in FE10 was different from everything else from what I understand. So I guess I'm indifferent to this.

[Fire Blazer]

I've never been that aware of supports. I didn't really know how they worked in FE8 and FE7, I don't really remember if I used them in FE9, and the supports in FE10 was different from everything else from what I understand. So I guess I'm indifferent to this.

 

they came a lot faster/more naturally in FE13, so yeah, that's a thing. but besides that they've generally been a sort of deeper aspect of FE to delve into the characters and that was really neat. it really added a bit of depth to the personality and backstory of characters while also building some relations and, on occasion, resulting in some cool paired endings and such.

 

I get not being too familiar with them though, I feel like I actually just read most supports online or through FEditor Adv, as opposed to getting them in-game, lol

[kirant]

I'm fine with S supports but I feel they need reworking.

 

The major issue is that C-A supports should tell a complete narrative between two characters...that they either get along, explore an aspect of a character, or have fundamental issues. That's the supports that I loved.  Nor does it hurt if it does some completely out of the blue stuff COUGHkent/fioraCOUGH.  The problem is that Awakening did away with that and forced a resolution in the S support for marriage compatible characters.  This basically leaves 80% of M/F supports incomplete and unsatisfactory on any given run. 

 

I don't mind the idea of marriage blooming if the game lasts months and years again.  It makes sense somewhat.  However, make it much harder to get.  This should happen far, far down the road.  They solve their issues, bond, whatever...and then they remain friends for a longtime.  Then it's some reaction to an in-game event or a time jump that pushes the final button.  Persona's on my mind a lot for gold standards on social bonding in games and I think their approach in 4 Golden was excellent: make the final step take place after a major game event.

 

So...tl;dr version:

 - Make the C-A conversations self-contained.  This should wrap things up like in the older FE games or with marriage incompatible characters in Awakening

 - Make S supports much more difficult to attain and near endgame bonding.

[Fire Blazer]

I'm fine with S supports but I feel they need reworking.

 

The major issue is that C-A supports should tell a complete narrative between two characters...that they either get along, explore an aspect of a character, or have fundamental issues. That's the supports that I loved.  Nor does it hurt if it does some completely out of the blue stuff COUGHkent/fioraCOUGH.  The problem is that Awakening did away with that and forced a resolution in the S support for marriage compatible characters.  This basically leaves 80% of M/F supports incomplete and unsatisfactory on any given run. 

 

I don't mind the idea of marriage blooming if the game lasts months and years again.  It makes sense somewhat.  However, make it much harder to get.  This should happen far, far down the road.  They solve their issues, bond, whatever...and then they remain friends for a longtime.  Then it's some reaction to an in-game event or a time jump that pushes the final button.  Persona's on my mind a lot for gold standards on social bonding in games and I think their approach in 4 Golden was excellent: make the final step take place after a major game event.

 

So...tl;dr version:

 - Make the C-A conversations self-contained.  This should wrap things up like in the older FE games or with marriage incompatible characters in Awakening

 - Make S supports much more difficult to attain and near endgame bonding.

 

I like this approach a lot more simply because it feels like it is commandeered (don't question my weird choice) towards a higher level/quality of character writing and development; one that is less about giving interactions between characters regardless of what kind of interactions they are (often times just two tropes intertwining or something, which is entertaining but not very deep) and more about really doing what feels helpful or natural or something. Idk, but take like, Renault from FE7: as most people know he's got one of the more interesting backstories in the game despite the fact that he JOINS SO FREAKING LATE. And it's difficult to get into that backstory but it's there and despite everything he still has some nice relationships.

 

IIRC not only were SpotPass characters very lacking with their supports but so were the later characters in general, such as Flavia and Basilio (I think those were their names, I really struggled to come up with them just now). They really failed to build something here, especially with backstories and other things; most of the characters either meet each other through the course of the game or already know each other.

 

On the other hand other games had more variation in terms of allegiances, where they came from, who they knew, and other things, and that made it more interesting. I think we have Say'ri from that one country she's from and you have a few characters from Ferox or whatever (until you get the shallow leaders Flavia and Basilio or whatever their names are) and then most people are from Ylisse in FE13. FE10 also had problems with supports not just because of the dialog but as far as I know some characters were just booooring and didn't have a lot going for them in general. even then though there were at least a few interesting character relationships between characters you wouldn't otherwise suspect to have any connection to each other amongst other things (characters that already knew each other either before FE9 or at least before FE10 or that got to know each other in the middle of FE9 and FE10...)

 

tl;dr I just want more from my FE games though I know it's tough