Which story structure do you predict for FE:3H?

[TheGoodHoms]

I would like to see a story that changes depending on actions you make during segments of gameplay and not just through simple dialogue menu options. However, for this to work the player needs to have some sort of in game cues that let them know when their actions are going to have lasting consequences. Because nothing is more frustrating that a game that sets you up for the bad ending because you didn't take your cleric to the invisible doorway hidden on the far end of the valley 3 spaces north of the the enemy commander in chapter 6 map B.

[Ivy Wife Supremacy]

I feel it won't be as complex or as branching as some here think it will (that's why I'm more leaning towards traditional linear or perhaps like Sacred Stones)its hard to tell at this point from what little we got I'll wait for more info regarding that.

Edited June 16, 2018 by Regal Edelgard Axe Master

[NeonZ]

I'd guess Sacred Stones. You'll play initial chapters commanding people from the various kingdoms, then some war starts and you side with one of them. However, later all main characters will unite to bring an end to the conflict. Maybe they'll make some characters exclusive to each route though.

Edited June 20, 2018 by NeonZ

[Marston]

I hope for something like Sacred Stones, but I wouldn't be surpsied if it would be like Radiant Dawn.

[Vitezen]

I have two ideas for how this story could go. One is fairly standard, the other is a bit out there. I'll start with the standard one.
The representative lords of the three houses are attending the school at which the avatar teaches. While they have different philosophies based on their family's values, they all hold deep loyalty to the country. As the students train, a massive threat eventually approaches that calls the students to be drafted to fight in the war alongside more seasoned officers. The students struggle to apply their lessons, as well as their philosophy, as they fight together. After much fighting, the country is saved, with each of the students learning much, and carrying their knowledge on to become wise and powerful lords of their estates. While there would be some drama between the main characters, they're ultimately still comrades and close friends, and find ways to make each of their ways work. There wouldn't be many places to diverge in this story. It would be very linear.

The second one has more opportunities for player choice, and I think is more likely to be the intention behind the game. In this route, the avatar takes a more active role in the life of his students. While they are still students, and the major war still erupts, the pivot is in how the students are able to act. As commanders-in-training, they are able to exercise their authority, within reason, with you, a master tactician, as their adviser. Because your different students have different ideas of how to run an army, it'll be up to you to guide them both in making tactical decisions on the battlefield, but also to consider what approach to take in other situations. I'll provide an example.

Spoiler

 

Your forces are ordered to travel through the nearby mountain range in order to assist another platoon in securing a key fortification against a massive incoming attack. Time is short, and the weather is treacherous in the mountains, snowy and blasted by gales. You fear that your supplies of medicine and warm clothing aren't suitable for the conditions. Your pupils come to you with their proposals on how to march...

Dimitri: March as fast as your soldier's feet can carry them. You order them to pay no mind to the conditions, to their bodies rattling and seizing in the cold. As the soldiers cross over the final crest and set sights on the battlefront, their eyes burn, and a fearsome battle cry can be felt welling in their chests... Your units have arrived on time, but the weather and brutal marching orders have weakened them.

Claude: You command your soldiers to keep their eyes open for signs of wild game up in the mountains as they travel. Soldiers occasionally break off from the pack to strike out at creatures that call the mountains their home, hoping to claim the furs off their backs as warm, valuable protection against the cold. Despite the severity of the situation, life at camp is more lively as soldiers stitch together warm coats and discuss the events of the hunt... Your units have maintained a positive morale and good health, yet their dalliances have slowed them. Your allies at the fort have been weakened, and you will face greater numbers of enemies.

Edelgard: The soldiers in your army look, some with relief, others with regret, as they remove the winter coats from their packs, and hand them over to their comrades under Edelgard's and your watch. Those giving up their clothing will remain stationed, safe and warm, at the bottom of the mountain, while those who received their gifts will march in fewer numbers. The soldiers wave from behind you until they can no longer be seen... While your selected force arrives on time and prepared, the soldiers stationed at the foot of the mountain simmer at their helpless situation. Deployment slots are reduced in the coming battle, and those units not deployed will take a penalty to their morale the next time they fight.

 

Of course, these choices will also have consequences besides affecting combat. The philosophy you choose to follow will shape the future of the nation. These commanders will eventually lead the country, after all.

What do you all think?

[Quiyonce]

Going off what little information we have, I'm going to guess Sacred Stones or Traditional Linear.

From Edelgard's last quote of 'I'll be back, don't forget me,' it doesn't seem like we'll get all three at the start. That or Edelgard's the true villain (which I'm totally here for).

I also can't see a Gaiden or Radiant Dawn structure with an avatar all but confirmed for this game. Either the player is taken out of the suspension or disbelief by having the avatar teleport between 3 factions or the dev's have to come up with some tricky restrictions in the order the separate armies can be played.

With Fates, I see us A) getting a Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (3 relatively shorter stories to make up a single narrative) story, which I'm not opposed to, but with FE's history of only giving us 1-3 save slots, I doubt it. Or B) 3 (or 4!) full games for an even 'fuller' experience. I really dont wanna buy 4 Switch games.

As for the Other Structure, please dont make me have to kill them. Again, unless we get villain! Edelgard, and even then, I might like that concept to much to stop her.

As off now, I can really only see a SS or Traditional Linear Structure working.  I like surprises though. Well written surprises.

[Dandy Druid]

I think it would be like FE7:

• Edelgard, like Lyn, will be an early game lord. Since it seems like we start at an academy as a teacher, she'll be our introduction into the game. 
• After shit starts going down, there will be more of a focus on the other 2 protagonists; I wouldn't be surprised if there's a Dimitri path and a Claude path. I think Edelgard will be present the whole game will be on both paths no matter which you pick, but she won't be the star in either route.
• The Church will be characterized in a way to make them seem like their original intentions weren't bad, but obviously they have strayed from that.

Meanwhile, here's some hopes that I have for the story and characters:

• Edelgard, although book smart, is not street smart. She will develop dramatically as the war goes on because she finally gets more experience in the matters of the world.
• Dimitri will be similar to Leo. Although he's the most serious of the 3, his biggest flaw is that he has a hard time communicating off the battlefield. 
• Claude is carefree and flirty disposition, and he's great at talking with people. However, he's stressed out about ruling and the responsibilities that come with it. He may try to run away from it emotionally, but eventually learns that it is something that only he can do.
• For other characters, I hope it follows Elibe more in the sense of giving commoners a national image, sort to speak. Sacaens, Lycians, Eturians, and Illians, for example, all were shown to have differing characteristics. Sacaens had darker hair colors and distinctive patterned clothing that made it easy to know a character was from Sacae. In contrast, Eturians were often fair-haired, and wore more typically European attire. What I want from this game is to show these differences. Maybe the majority of those from Leicester have darker skin tones than those from other countries. Maybe those from Fergus are more warlike or fair-haired.
• Also, if my split path idea is correct, it could be interesting to see more route dependent characters. Maybe a dancer for Claude and a bard for Dimitri, for example. Or a sword master for Claude and a hero for Dimitri? 

[FuranSuwa]

Honnestly many things we have in the trailer make me think we will have a school-based storyline, something like Trails of Cold Steel.

The 3 lords have a very similar outfits, like a school uniform, and Byleth is the teacher. The story will probably start at a lord academy, the first maps being like school training and exercises, with some characters in opposing teams (like Hilda and Mercedes who have the same collar (maybe a uniform too).

During their studies, something will happen, either a civil war or they will learn a terrible secret, and they will have to leave the academy (Edelgard promesses she will come back in the trailer).

And then classical FE story, they travel through the continent, meeting new allies and learning about the issue and facing it.

[Metal Flash]

I imagine that the story structure will be pretty linear, maybe similar to Sacred Stones. I would be all for each character having their own route, though it might be a bit ambitious.

[Cute Chao]

I went for the second option, where all the lords split and you reunite them. I reckon that seems likely, and you'll either get to pick the lord, or you stick with Edelgard at first and then eventually win Claude and Dmitri over (if this one, then I feel he'd be the last one to be won over). Actually, relooking at the choices, I'm leaning more towards an SS structure then, whoops!

I wouldn't mind a linear structure like that or FE7, or a structure like Gaiden. I really, really loathed RD's structure, though. I hated the parts and how you could pick your characters from the start and see them through, adding and dropping characters as more came in. It was too choppy and left me feeling dissatisfied.

Also don't really want the other two lords hostile or have them defeated, unless you can still recruit them. The three of them look like they'd make a nice trio, so I'd love to see them work with each other.

[Timlugia]

I have strong feeling that Byleth was more than a traditional MU/protagonist...

It's very possible Byleth was a hostile character some point in the game, as hinted in the trailer:

- His name Byleth is based on a powerful demon king in the hell

- His crest doesn't belong any of the house, in fact the symbol on his chest looks like a hexagram. Dark scheme armor is also strong contrast to three lords colorful design

- The soldiers under him are different than the three lords, the lords soldiers only wore circlets, but Byleth's men wore a face covering helmet. In fact, in the volcano scene it's clearly that Byleth was fighting soldiers loyal to three lords.

I suspect the game would have twists about Byleth being a turncoat/traitor, but still redeemable later since the ending line in the trailer sounds like Edelgard was trying to save her teacher.

 

In this case,

the game probably began as player controlling Byleth, introducing each lord and background as prologue.

In main chapters, Byleth disappeared/betrayed three lords, and player controlled lords have to fight and capture Byleth

The third section would be Byleth being imprisoned/sealed away, with Edelgard with trying to find a solution to help Byleth. The game could have divided paths at this point, features at least one lords disagree with Edelgard, forcing player to choose sides. Or having three lords strike out on there own like FE10

Then final chapter would bring all character together and decides the fate of the land.

[Ivy Wife Supremacy]

At this point with barely any info I can at least assume its gonna be straightforward with the 4 main characters all together for the same reasons, maybe letting US pick a house to go with first but the other 2 might be partially absent till a few chapters in SS style. I doubt they'll make it super complex which way they'll do it.

Edited June 27, 2018 by Regal Edelgard Axe Master

[jake72002]

I believe it would be like Fates Special Edition, having three paths involving Byleth joining one of the Lord's against the others. The fourth path would be Byleth betraying all three, forcing the three Lord's to unite against himself then is later revealed that he became the monster in order to bring unity to the three houses in a Lelouch-like magnificent bastardry.

[PrincessAlyson]

I'm picking option 2 for now. They might split off and you have to recruit the other lords so everyone is on the same page. I'm at least hoping you can play as the other factions for a little bit while they're on their own. 

[Rapier]

I have a feeling that they will start together, but then each of them will have their diverging points somewhere in the mid/late game after discovering some big plot twist and you will have to choose between one of them. I've got a weird, Yggdra Union/Covenant of the Plume feel about this.

Edited June 29, 2018 by Rapier

[Tenzen12]

On 6/27/2018 at 9:30 AM, jake72002 said:

I believe it would be like Fates Special Edition, having three paths involving Byleth joining one of the Lord's against the others. The fourth path would be Byleth betraying all three, forcing the three Lord's to unite against himself then is later revealed that he became the monster in order to bring unity to the three houses in a Lelouch-like magnificent bastardry.

I definitely think there will be infighting among lords and routes will split because of that, but I don't see more then two routes. Fates couldn't do it properly even with three games after all.

[jake72002]

14 hours ago, Tenzen12 said:

I definitely think there will be infighting among lords and routes will split because of that, but I don't see more then two routes. Fates couldn't do it properly even with three games after all.

Who knows? They could have learned a lesson from Fates and has a larger budget this time to hire better writers.

[Tenzen12]

if 3H was sold as four individual games, I would say that would be problem in its own right.

Edited July 2, 2018 by Tenzen12

[PrincessAlyson]

On 6/23/2018 at 5:01 AM, Dandy Druid said:

Edelgard, like Lyn, will be an early game lord. Since it seems like we start at an academy as a teacher, she'll be our introduction into the game. 

Let's hope not. I'd like a female protagonist that stays relevant and isn't screwed over by the writing. 

[Dandy Druid]

On ‎7‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 11:43 AM, PrincessAlyson said:

Let's hope not. I'd like a female protagonist that stays relevant and isn't screwed over by the writing. 

I'm really hoping too but I don't trust IS' track record. At least their last two games (Azura and Celica) didn't seem to lose that much relevance, so there is hope.

[redtutel]

On 7/1/2018 at 6:39 PM, jake72002 said:

Who knows? They could have learned a lesson from Fates and has a larger budget this time to hire better writers.

But Fates did have an outsourced writer

[BakanGin]

The way i would like it is, that you stay with a main lord and his/her allies. The other lords/lady and their armies decide to let you because your not going to be much importance except strategy. The house you side with would eventually win the conflict. 

Way I think it will is that we just get three linear stories based on a choice

[PrincessAlyson]

On 7/4/2018 at 4:24 PM, Dandy Druid said:

I'm really hoping too but I don't trust IS' track record. At least their last two games (Azura and Celica) didn't seem to lose that much relevance, so there is hope.

There is hope indeed. I kinda don't trust IS on this either, but they have been improving in that area slightly, so I'm hoping this game will prove me wrong and really surprise me. 

[Dandy Druid]

On ‎7‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 8:16 AM, PrincessAlyson said:

There is hope indeed. I kinda don't trust IS on this either, but they have been improving in that area slightly, so I'm hoping this game will prove me wrong and really surprise me. 

Yeah as long as they make sure to keep Edelgard present within the story and not forget her position as a princess of a country I think it'll be fine. The only way where she may lose relevance where it's OK IMO would be to be able to pick the lord you serve, creating 3 similar, but different stories. Similar to how Eliwood and Hector got their own paths, but this time add a Lyn path.