2015-01-01, 07:25 PM
Stumbled onto this today looking at some good old Brigandine stuff. I have a partial GE translation from years ago running on an emulator and I don't even totally recall where it came from. I am ecstatic that this is so current and there is not only demand for this but also some very dedicated fans putting the time into it. Thank you.
I would be honored to volunteer my services for any voice acting. I saw mention of that buried in another thread (I have not read this topic in it's entirety) so if that is still a thing or may come up in the future, I would love to help.
In terms of balance, I think the AI does not use lower level knights, and that may be in part because the AI targets low HP Rune Knights primarily (think of any fight involving a level 1 Cortina.) Do we know what makes up their targetting choices? Is it based on maximum damage dealt, lowest HP target, etc? I think back to Ogre Battle where you had 4 options on what you could have your troops target. Strongest (highest HP), Leader, Lowest HP, Best (most damage dealt.) Would implementing something like this potentially encourage the use of lower level knights by the AI since they wouldnt automatically be targets by default and need extreme sheltering? Maybe each knight would have their own predetermined parameters for their troops (Bagdemagus gunning for lowest HP to be a slaughterhouse, Magicians using Best to leverage AOEs total damage, etc.) Probably a lot more involved in implementing this than I realize, but just a thought. There is a lot of strategic potential that could be introduced here (bring an AE healer vs Camden, pack lots of GScorp fodder when charging Bagdemagus.) There is a small degree of that already but it basically consists of don't bring Cortina into a fight vs Zemeckis in LOF, despite their cheeky dialogue you get, its a really bad idea.
I think exp modifiers on AI troops would be interesting. Maybe some kind of "training grounds" type of drill going on for idle troops if they are still in a castle and not attacked that particular turn. The WAIT option could be replaced with Defend, where you hold the castle and if there are no attacks, you gain exp. If this is a player option as well, it should be carefully implemented. Think about putting Dinadan and Cai on a border town and defending indefinitely. Even with low troops, the AI will almost never go after Dinadan and Cai in the same castle. Maybe 100 EXP to give to a troop of your choice? I think the AI could get a lot more than that, maybe even ramp up the amounts they receive based on difficulty level.
My other biggest personal gripe would be the requirement of taking out Esgares, recruiting Kazan, and then leveling Kazan to be able to unlock Ninja Master. I start off every game wanting Hyude or Sheridan to end up as a ninja master, and by the time thats a possibility I am strong enough to steam roll the map with other troops. Its a bit of an overpowered class so I get the exclusivity involved in obtaining it, but other melees at 25+ can be just as overpowered.
Also, in GE monks/guardians have an automatic kickback as their primary attack. That would be extremely more useful as an option, and disallow it entirely in counterattacks. As is, it almost eliminates the ability to frontline a monk, as a monster can pop him for hit #1, get knocked back, and open that space for a second attack. I would like to see it as an optional melee attack, useable after movement, maybe with a 80% damage modifier. That move has enormous potential and introduces great battle plan potential, by pushing a target into a breath attack path and also eliminating the counter attack. This makes monks a really great class despite their lower melee attributes, but the fact that their pushback counterattacks open them up to more frontal assault severely limits their use.
I would be honored to volunteer my services for any voice acting. I saw mention of that buried in another thread (I have not read this topic in it's entirety) so if that is still a thing or may come up in the future, I would love to help.
In terms of balance, I think the AI does not use lower level knights, and that may be in part because the AI targets low HP Rune Knights primarily (think of any fight involving a level 1 Cortina.) Do we know what makes up their targetting choices? Is it based on maximum damage dealt, lowest HP target, etc? I think back to Ogre Battle where you had 4 options on what you could have your troops target. Strongest (highest HP), Leader, Lowest HP, Best (most damage dealt.) Would implementing something like this potentially encourage the use of lower level knights by the AI since they wouldnt automatically be targets by default and need extreme sheltering? Maybe each knight would have their own predetermined parameters for their troops (Bagdemagus gunning for lowest HP to be a slaughterhouse, Magicians using Best to leverage AOEs total damage, etc.) Probably a lot more involved in implementing this than I realize, but just a thought. There is a lot of strategic potential that could be introduced here (bring an AE healer vs Camden, pack lots of GScorp fodder when charging Bagdemagus.) There is a small degree of that already but it basically consists of don't bring Cortina into a fight vs Zemeckis in LOF, despite their cheeky dialogue you get, its a really bad idea.
I think exp modifiers on AI troops would be interesting. Maybe some kind of "training grounds" type of drill going on for idle troops if they are still in a castle and not attacked that particular turn. The WAIT option could be replaced with Defend, where you hold the castle and if there are no attacks, you gain exp. If this is a player option as well, it should be carefully implemented. Think about putting Dinadan and Cai on a border town and defending indefinitely. Even with low troops, the AI will almost never go after Dinadan and Cai in the same castle. Maybe 100 EXP to give to a troop of your choice? I think the AI could get a lot more than that, maybe even ramp up the amounts they receive based on difficulty level.
My other biggest personal gripe would be the requirement of taking out Esgares, recruiting Kazan, and then leveling Kazan to be able to unlock Ninja Master. I start off every game wanting Hyude or Sheridan to end up as a ninja master, and by the time thats a possibility I am strong enough to steam roll the map with other troops. Its a bit of an overpowered class so I get the exclusivity involved in obtaining it, but other melees at 25+ can be just as overpowered.
Also, in GE monks/guardians have an automatic kickback as their primary attack. That would be extremely more useful as an option, and disallow it entirely in counterattacks. As is, it almost eliminates the ability to frontline a monk, as a monster can pop him for hit #1, get knocked back, and open that space for a second attack. I would like to see it as an optional melee attack, useable after movement, maybe with a 80% damage modifier. That move has enormous potential and introduces great battle plan potential, by pushing a target into a breath attack path and also eliminating the counter attack. This makes monks a really great class despite their lower melee attributes, but the fact that their pushback counterattacks open them up to more frontal assault severely limits their use.