Giant Maps!

[Tetragrammaton]

8 minutes ago, Florete said:

3. Make sure foot units aren't obsolete.

I want to see a few of "Battle of Thermopylae".

[Sire]

While giant maps and massive battlefields definitely have their allure for the sense of scale, in practice the gameplay tends to suffer because of it. Of course, mileage will vary depending on the actual game, but in Fire Emblem's case, I rather take shorter condensed maps than super large ones. (I liked Radiant Dawn's maps - there was plenty going on at all times and provided a great sense of scale with all the battles going on.)
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I tried making a giant map in a different TBS game called Battle for Wesnoth, but the gameplay turned into a slog and instead of being fun and "look at the massive battlefield and all of these units!" it turned into "Right, so I gotta move my army from one edge of the map to the other, and nothing really is happening in the meantime..."

One can still have the scale of a massive battle, but just break it down in more sensible chunks. Maybe cut the battlefield in half and make the chapter a two-parter so the experience is condensed while preserving the "massive scale" somewhat.

[NekoKnight]

On Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 5:03 AM, Interdimensional Observer said:

I'm envisioning Begnion's capital Sienne- it gives off the impression of being pretty big from the CGs. Just imagine trying to defend something like that. Like four gates or something where the enemies are invading from. The main city roads are maneuverable enough, but not really defensible; while the many narrow alleyways are good for defending, but bad for rushing from one quadrant to another. Add bonus objectives so we're encouraged to protect more than just the heart of the city, and we've got a frantic defense chapter. And if we want to do a seize, the challenge becomes catching the fleeing leader before they escape.

This sounds like a fun scenario. Id be all for different phases of the battle and side objectives.

9 hours ago, Sire said:

One can still have the scale of a massive battle, but just break it down in more sensible chunks. Maybe cut the battlefield in half and make the chapter a two-parter so the experience is condensed while preserving the "massive scale" somewhat.

When PoR did that with the battle in Serenes Forest, it felt like a slog to me, without story moments to break it up. Maybe I'd feel differently if each segment were more distinct but I feel shorter battles is better for pacing. 

[Slumber]

5 minutes ago, NekoKnight said:

When PoR did that with the battle in Serenes Forest, it felt like a slog to me, without story moments to break it up. Maybe I'd feel differently if each segment were more distinct but I feel shorter battles is better for pacing. 

Yeah, I think that fight might have been a bit more interesting if it WAS one massive chapter. Of course, that wouldn't work as is in PoR because saving mid-fight isn't quite as practical as it is in Genealogy, but yeah. The way that chapter was presented was pretty boring.

[Jotari]

I'm surprised with the way this threads opinion is. Seems most of the people commenting are against larger maps, but the poll is remaining neck and neck even for people who are for and against it.

Edited April 28, 2017 by Jotari

[Tetragrammaton]

I've played Super Robot Wars games, where giant mecha flying and fighting all over in giant shrine is possible, so I like giant maps too.