Some of you may have already figured out what I'm going for with that title. Eh.
Anyhow, way back in the nineties, Nintendo released a little game by the name of Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu (or Genealogy of the Holy War, for a translation). It's the fourth game in their long-running series of Strategy RPGs set in swords and sorcery worlds, where you control a small band of heroes and cut your way through large armies. Seisen no Keifu has the most epic scale of any of these games, with entire countries being represented on one map, and a storyline that spans two generations. The storyline, while not the greatest game story ever told, has several good turns, and was extraordinary for a strategy RPG at the time. Also remarkable are the number of dark themes touched on in a comparatively lighthearted series, including child sacrifice, incest, and betrayal. All well done for a medieval setting.
If you have any interest in this game, I'd advise you to stop reading here, go look up the translation patch, and give it a shot. I WILL be spoiling it if I post my faction designs, though I will try my best not to ruin too much of the storyline.
In any case, the first sovereign I made when I loaded up Elemental was based on a major character in that game...which got me thinking how a mod for it would be. The idea took root, and I'm planning on following through with it. I have never done a mod before, but Elemental actually looks easier to work with than most. And while I do know a couple programming languages (Python, C#) I couldn't be called an expert at them...still, I generally understand what I'm looking at in the XML.
I am probably in over my head.
This topic is intended as either a litmus test for how realistic my goals are, or a tracker for the project going forward. I am not asking for help, nor do I expect it -- certainly not without any code of my own done.
I'm laying out my philosophy and intended scope. While I am doing work on this already, I'd rather get the most basic results before I post plans for the factions (already written up in a document), units, and general STUFF.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:
- Focus more on tactical battles than Empire Building. Empire building will be unchanged, or have very few alterations (mostly along tech trees) from main game. Tactical battles will have a number of interesting strategic choices, even in the early game.
INTENDED SCOPE:
- Replace all current factions with new ones based around some of the major characters, be they hero or villain, of Genealogy. All factions will have unique advantages and disadvantages, 2 advantages to 1 disadvantage. Naturally, all will have their own default leaders and dialogue for all situations, in some cases quoting the source, in others using original writing based on the personality of the character.
- Add in a lot of new characters based on major and minor characters in both Seisen no Keifu and its associated 'midquel' Thracia 776.
- Replace choice of magic for sovereign with holy blood -- 13 types of holy blood, each with a weapon associated with it. Your sovereign will begin with this weapon, which will make him or her very powerful in combat, especially early on. (This may be the most difficult bit.)
- Implement Wyverns and Pegasi as possibly mounts. Units riding these should be able to cross both water and mountains. (I am uninformed about if flying mounts exist in Elemental -- I have, admittedly, played very little of it thusfar, but enjoy what is there)
- Alter skills -- some are fine the way they are, but generally speaking, most skills will be focused on combat capability. Characters will also be able to have several skills.
- Alter spellbook to represent bonuses and traits of the holy weapon, unlocked after study/'practice'. These will all be geared towards making the sovereign more powerful. (Or this.)
- Alter magic to be based on equipment - magical tomes and staffs to equip on units or heroes in the same way as a weapon, each with their own effect. (...Or this, actually.)
-'Generational' System -- Allow a child to inherit all the skills their parent possesses. The firstborn child should also be able to use their parent's holy weapon. (Track the bloodline, in other words.)
- Remove 'monsters' from the world -- bands of roving bandits, barbarians, and mercenaries should fit the same role while being truer to the source material.
- Alter random events to fit the source thematically.
- Alter goodie huts to appear MUCH less frequently even on the high settings, but give out very powerful items.
- Long term - write entirely new quests to fit the source thematically. I say long term because I honestly have little idea what I could do on this front.
- Speaking generally, nothing should have to be altered graphically. Generally. Mainly because I have no skill with graphics, and don't pretend that I could possibly do anything with them.
More than anything, I'd like either reassurance this is possible, or to be told it's realistically impossible. I will accept either.
