Fire Emblem!

I love Fire Emblem! It's one of my favorite game series to date, and I've loved (almost) every game in the series!
I've personally gotten back into the series, and more importantly its romhacks. This is the place to show off your cool team comps, general appreciation for the series, romhacks you love and more!

 

So I'm replaying Fire Emblem 6 and my only thought right now is SHANNA STOP DYING FOR CHRISTS SAKE JUST DODGE ONE ATTACK PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I feel like this is a pretty common thought.

 

I figure I should use this thread to showcase some get community made things for the Fire Emblem series.

https://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?/topic/6-translation-patches/ This is a list of the translation patches available for the Japanese only Fire Emblem games(1-6). I highly recommend 2, 3, and 4!
Here is a list of some Rom Hacks that I've heard good things about/have enjoyed quite a bit!
https://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?/topic/18554-the-last-promise/ Fire Emblem: The Last Promise. This is a Fire Emblem 7 hack that updates the visuals and gameplay, with an entirely new storyline as well! It has enough changes that it could be called its very own game.
https://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?/topic/34351-elibean-nights/ Fire Emblem: Elibean Nights. This is a Fire Emblem 7 hack that is more of a collection of one or two chapter stories with some interesting gameplay tweaks. Nothing super duper special but still interesting.
http://www.bwdyeti.com/fe7x/downloads/ Fire Emblem 7x: Immortal Sword. This is actually not a hack, but instead of a fully made fan game in its own right! Its based off of Fire Emblem and exists in the same game world as Fire Emblem 6 and 7, but there's a lot of differences involved to make this quite a new experience.
https://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?/topic/24662-fire-emblem-dream-of-five/ Fire Emblem: Dream of Five. This is a Fire Emblem 7 Hack that creates an entire new story and setting for the game, like The Last Promise.
https://serenesforest.net/forums/in...em-midnight-sun-~-v16-out-not-working-on-v20/ Fire Emblem: Midnight Sun. This is a Fire Emblem 8 Hack in the same vein of The Last Promise or Dream of Five
https://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?/topic/54594-fire-emblem-requiem-v14-is-up/ Fire Emblem: Requiem. This is a Fire Emblem 7 Hack with 24 main chapters and even some side chapters as well. A very dense rom hack.

Now, almost all of these, the exception being Immortal Sword, are .ups or .ips files, and as such need a program to apply the rom hacks onto the roms.
For the translation roms, you actually can just put the file in the same folder as the rom and run the emulator, it should work fine. If it doesn't, use these programs.

UPS/IPS patchers for Windows:
https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/519/ Tsukuyomi, a UPS patcher
https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/606/ NUPS, a UPS patcher
https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/240/ Lunar IPS, an IPS patcher

UPS/IPS patchers for Mac:
https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/746/ Multipatch, a UPS and IPS patcher for mac
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/10998/ips-patcher IPS Patcher for Mac, an... IPS patcher... for mac...

If you want me to add any links to Rom Hacks or other resources, lemme know!

 

Watching this thread, also busy replaying Awakening and playing Shadows of Valentina.

 

So last post I shared a good amount of resources for Rom Hacks and translation patches for the older games that were only released in Japan, but I realize that many people may just want to play the games themselves, and not really know where to start, so I'm going to share some base resources for emulation and my own personal recommendations for what order to play the series.

So, basic emulation. The Fire Emblem series has been on the NES, SNES, GBA, Gamecube, Wii, DS, 3DS, with one in the future supposedly being put on the Wii U. We'll be covering basic emulation for each of these in stated order.

ALSO, DISCLAIMER: Emulation's legal purpose is to be used to play games or systems that you own that have been damaged or otherwise been rendered unplayable. It is technically not legal to use Emulation to play games that you have not purchased. For the potential internet legal watchdogs, I do not personally condone people using emulation for illegal uses, such as playing games you do not personally own. Because of this, while I will be linking the emulators, I will not be linking ROMs. Google them yourself.

Also note that while the above is true, the effort it would take to track down and subsequently convict someone for stealing an outdated game through this method is far too much for the potential outcome, and as such, people really don't go out and search for this shit to try to crack down on it.

Anyways, back to business.

Also, if you have any setup questions, feel free to put them in the thread.

NES Emulators:
http://nestopia.sourceforge.net/ This page has download links for Windows, Linux, and Mac
NES Emulators are incredibly easy to run on almost any computer, so you shouldn't have any major issue with setting it up. Just use the default settings.

SNES Emulators:
http://www.zsnes.com/ Works on Windows, Linux, and Mac
http://www.snes9x.com/ Works on Windows, Linux, and Mac
SNES Emulators are in the same boat as the NES emulators. It's unlikely that you'll have any issues if you just stick with the default settings.
I prefer SNES9x, personally, but it's really personal preference.

GBA Emulators:
http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/gba/vboyadvance.HTML Windows GBA Emulator
(I know there's a linux version of visualboyadvance but I couldn't find a direct download link for it myself. If someone does, let me know and I'll add it.)
https://www.emuparadise.me/Nintendo_Gameboy_Advance_Emulators/Mac_OS_X/Boycott_Advance/223 Mac GBA Emulator
GBA Emulators are a little bit more taxing on older computers, but it is fairly simple so it shouldn't cause any major issues. Default settings, as usual.

Gamecube Emulators:
https://dolphin-emu.org/ Dolphin is a Wii & Gamecube emulator for Windows, Mac, and Linux that is absolutely amazing. It is very fast and very powerful, and it is constantly being updated. Unfortunately, due to the higher detailed and higher quality graphics of the games on those systems, it can be quite taxing for older computers. My computer is only a few years old and I can't really run it at all. If you get a newer computer, especially one that's designed for gaming? Should work like a charm.
https://dolphin-emu.org/docs/guides/performance-guide/ If you're having issues in making it work properly, they have this guide to help you out. If you have any specific questions, let me or the people on their forum know.
I personally use a different process with playing gamecube games, but it's a lot more complicated and requires some long setup, so I'll put it on a different post. My method for Wii games is the same, so it'll be there, too.

Wii Emulators:
See Above: Dolphin works for Wii Games as well.

DS Emulators:
http://desmume.org/ DS Emulator for Mac and Windows. This one, while not nearly as intensive as Dolphin, may have some issues running on older computers. I, personally, can only run very simple games like Phoenix Wright.
This is also the section of emulators I know the least about so if you need help with setting it up, I can add some resources here after I get them.

3DS Emulators:
https://citra-emu.org/ This is a 3DS emulator for Windows, Mac, and Linux, but I cannot vouch for its performance on any machine. To be safe, I would assume that only newer computers could properly run it, and if you're having trouble getting a stable frame-rate, it might be that you don't have a powerful enough computer. It seems to be quite new as well, so give it some time if you're having trouble.

Controller Support:
Most of these emulators can be used with keyboard, but it often feels better to use a controller, and especially for the games that use control sticks it is just more practical to use controllers. Thankfully, this has become a lot easier in recent years than it used to be. You can plug your PS4, Xbox 360, or Xbox 1 controller into the computer and it will automatically install the necessary drivers for the Emulators to recognize them.
If you want to use PS3 controllers, it might work as soon as you plug in the controller, but you might also need to install a separate program.
http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-ScpToolkit-XInput-Wrapper-aka-ScpServer-Reloaded This link has the download for the program and installing directions as well.

If you have any more questions, let me know!

 

For the order that I suggest people play the Fire Emblem games in, it goes as follows
1: Fire Emblem 7, also known as just Fire Emblem, for the GBA
This is a great start as it was intended to introduce the series to America. It has a comprehensive tutorial and a great difficulty curve, along with an interesting story.
Fire Emblem Awakening for the 3DS and Shadow Dragon for the DS are also great options for your first game.
2: Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones for the GBA, Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem for the SNES, or Fire Emblem: Binding Blade for the GBA
While Sacred Stones is quite possibly the easiest game in the series, it does expect some previous knowledge, and it is not quite suited for an immediate dive in. Mystery of the Emblem and Binding Blade also have the same effect, but are much more difficult. They will push you to think very cleverly, so be careful.
ETA: I forgot to add Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. I would put them here in the list, but do note that Radiant Dawn is the direct sequel to Path of Radiance, and you can even move a save file from Path of Radiance to Radiant Dawn.
3. Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, Fire Emblem: Gaiden for the NES/Shadows of Valentia for the 3DS(Shadows of Valentia is a remake of Gaiden)
These games are pretty damn difficult, especially Genealogy of the Holy War, but they are quite fun and allow for a lot of variety in how you approach the game. I haven't played Shadows of Valentia yet, but since its a remake of Gaiden, I suspect it has the same general feel as the original. At least, I hope it does. These are the extreme games, extreme in difficulty, but also in enjoyment, but should only be approached when you have some real experience in the series.

If you want to play the original, just play Mystery of the Emblem or Shadow Dragon, both are remakes of the original with additional content, and they just feel so much better than the original.

 

You know, they missed a great opportunity in Fates. They added the ninja class for Hoshido, but they didn't bring back the pirate class!

 

I never played Fates, mainly because what they did honestly kinda disgusted me. I hate it when games are carved up and forced to be bought separately for MORE than the original game. Any excuse for why they did that could have been solved with a fucking mode you select in a menu, not an entire other fucking game.

 

@thewispsoftime Thanks for the information; that's really useful! I've played FE13 and FE14 and been dying to play the older games for a while, so those resources will come in handy. (I'm actually planning to start with FE6 and playing sequentially from there, to avoid the frustration of getting used to later gameplay improvements then going back and missing them, but I may adjust if that ends up not working out. Need to finish this ridiculous playthrough of Fates first, though. @__@)

 

Hey, I'm happy to help!
If you've got some experience in the series, and you don't wanna deal with losing mechanics you've been relying on, I suggest you play Genealogy of the Holy War first. Fun Fact: not all characters in that game can double enemies. Most can, but its not universal. that'll probably be the biggest thing you'll have to learn to deal with.

Though, it is probably the 3rd hardest game in the series, so you may also wanna come back to it later. Your choice.

 

Wait, some of them can't double enemies like... at all? Even with high speed?

 

Yep! You gotta have the skill Pursuit to double in Genealogy of the Holy War. However, it is the most common skill, only a few characters not innately having it, so it doesn't come up tooo much.

 

That's... still pretty bad.

 

Well, there's a lot of other changes and things that make it seem more like a bonus for those who have it rather than a detriment to those who don't. I really do love the game, and even though that's a big change, I still recommend it.

 

I'll take that into account! I've been leaning towards coming back to Genealogy later, since I've heard it's particularly hard (and iirc there was a new translation patch in the works last I checked that I wanted to wait for), but it's definitely one of the ones I want to play.

 

... Is anyone else playing FE Heroes because I have a bone to pick with the summoning grids that WON'T STOP GIVING ME CECELIAS. All I want is a goddamned Hector.

 

I am, and I have a bone to pick with the grids never giving me the right colors. Fuck you I don't need another three blues, why is there not a single colorless in this array? GIVE ME ELISE DARNIT :(

(And then of course when I do get colors I'm willing to try it's just a third Serra, or a fourth Lissa, or a fifth fucking Barst, but what else is new.)

... my point is that yes, I feel your pain and I'm here for whining about Heroes luck.

 

I'd be happy to get a Serra, just for the Blazing Sword nostalgia, but when I summon with colourless orbs, it's either another 3-star Wrys or Matthew. Maybe if the RNG is feeling generous I'll get a 5-star Lachesis, but that also resets my 5-star chance, and at this point I've had like 7 of her.

Right now, though, none of the banners interest me so I'm in the process of trying to save orbs for my faves. When/if they finally appear in-game. Having favourites who are minor characters without much of a cult fanbase is pain. ;.;

 

I wonder who here is good at coding? I've been wanting to put together a general Fire Emblem engine without using mods or hacking roms in order to have it be a lot more flexible. It'd be a hell of a lot more work, to be sure, but once the base engine is done, there'd be so much potential for something like that. Remaking the older games with newer quality of life enhancements, making entirely new campaigns with new characters, items, and maps, or even just making single map scenarios.

I'm completely horrible at coding, however. I can make assets to put in the engine(maybe take a little bit of time for my art skills to become better), and design and write campaigns and mechanics.

 

Question regarding gaiden/echoes. Some classes can promote to a third tier class, such as gold knight or baron, while other classes can't. Does that mean the ones that can are inherently better because more levels/higher caps, or not so much?