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Having posted negatively about mercs up to this point, I will point out a potential positive. I think mercs offer a strong replay-value possibility for an RPG. Most of my anti-merc comments stem from, as the player, not knowing how my core party will be affected by hiring the merc. On a 2nd playthrough, this problem is most likely alleviated and I am more willing to experiment with my party. This makes mercs a simple way to add variety without changing the story, which is much more difficult for the author to handle.
I am Srime
Thu Jul 22, 2010 9:42 pm 
Sun Jul 25, 2010 5:27 am
This looks like plenty of opinion for now, so I'm gonna call it a wrap and get to writing. I'll represent everyone's opinions, and only responses from this thread will be quoted.
I think I'll be writing the article in this format:
1) Form a subject, like Mercenaries and Gameplay or Mercenaries and Story.
2) Present a speaker and a quote.
3) I'll elaborate on the speaker's point or make footnotes if necessary.
4) Examples of this subject in various video games.*
5) Present a rebuttal with another speaker and quote.
6) Repeat steps 2-5 for all quotes relevant to the subject.
7) My summary about the subject, its importance, its implementation, etc.
9) Repeat from step 1 until all subjects have been discussed.
10) Conclusion - I will not take a stance here, but rather emphasize that whether using mercenaries is a good idea or not depends entirely on the game and situation. If time permits, I'll list broad ideas of generic RPGs where mercenary use is definitely positive or negative.
* - My reference pool is a bit limited here. If you know of any instances in any game that has used mercenaries, be it commercial, indie, and especially OHR, please let me know in the next few days.
I think I'll be writing the article in this format:
1) Form a subject, like Mercenaries and Gameplay or Mercenaries and Story.
2) Present a speaker and a quote.
3) I'll elaborate on the speaker's point or make footnotes if necessary.
4) Examples of this subject in various video games.*
5) Present a rebuttal with another speaker and quote.
6) Repeat steps 2-5 for all quotes relevant to the subject.
7) My summary about the subject, its importance, its implementation, etc.
9) Repeat from step 1 until all subjects have been discussed.
10) Conclusion - I will not take a stance here, but rather emphasize that whether using mercenaries is a good idea or not depends entirely on the game and situation. If time permits, I'll list broad ideas of generic RPGs where mercenary use is definitely positive or negative.
* - My reference pool is a bit limited here. If you know of any instances in any game that has used mercenaries, be it commercial, indie, and especially OHR, please let me know in the next few days.
Sun Jul 25, 2010 5:37 am
FF6 has Shadow available for hire at several points in the game. Sometimes he's free, sometimes he'll charge a nominal fee. You're not forced to use him until the Vector mission.
SaGa Frontier has plenty of throwaway recruitable characters.
Pokemon has at least two instances of a purchasable (Magikarp and Porygon in RBY) and several tradables in each installment (e.g. Mr. Mime and Farfetch'd in RBY).
I think Fire Emblem has done this, but I can't remember anything specific.
At a more generic level, most SRPGs let you recruit new characters at will.
Mega Tact v1.1
Super Penguin Chef
Wizard Blocks
SaGa Frontier has plenty of throwaway recruitable characters.
Pokemon has at least two instances of a purchasable (Magikarp and Porygon in RBY) and several tradables in each installment (e.g. Mr. Mime and Farfetch'd in RBY).
I think Fire Emblem has done this, but I can't remember anything specific.
At a more generic level, most SRPGs let you recruit new characters at will.
Mega Tact v1.1
Super Penguin Chef
Wizard Blocks
Sun Jul 25, 2010 6:24 am
As a matter of fact,
I did some research, and many Fire Emblems have had exactly one character that had to be recruited with money - about 10,000 G each, and that's quite a lot in this franchise.
The curious thing about the folks above is that they're all average at first and don't really help you much in the chapter you hire them in (except Volke on the right, who almost fits the "game breaker" description.) In this regard, they're almost identical to your early-game units, except they come later and at a cost. Sometimes they have important items, like the Member Card, so some consider that an incentive.
Even though you could just steal it from them without paying.Now, here's a nifty thing - Beowulf, on the far left, was hireable in Genealogy of the Holy War, where every character had an individual pool of money that couldn't be traded easily. So, the 10,000G goes right into his pocket and the player decides what to do with it from there.
I'm not sure if this sort of thing could be implemented in an OHR game, though. Even if so, it probably belongs in a separate thread.
I did some research, and many Fire Emblems have had exactly one character that had to be recruited with money - about 10,000 G each, and that's quite a lot in this franchise.
The curious thing about the folks above is that they're all average at first and don't really help you much in the chapter you hire them in (except Volke on the right, who almost fits the "game breaker" description.) In this regard, they're almost identical to your early-game units, except they come later and at a cost. Sometimes they have important items, like the Member Card, so some consider that an incentive.
Even though you could just steal it from them without paying.Now, here's a nifty thing - Beowulf, on the far left, was hireable in Genealogy of the Holy War, where every character had an individual pool of money that couldn't be traded easily. So, the 10,000G goes right into his pocket and the player decides what to do with it from there.
I'm not sure if this sort of thing could be implemented in an OHR game, though. Even if so, it probably belongs in a separate thread.
Sun Jul 25, 2010 9:42 pm
Volke is not a pay to recruit character. His promotion is paid for, but even that is a story event and doesn't come out of your pocket.
Half of FE9's cast breaks the game anyway.
None of the characters you listed are Jeigans for hire either.
<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb
Half of FE9's cast breaks the game anyway.
None of the characters you listed are Jeigans for hire either.
<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb
Sun Jul 25, 2010 9:53 pm
Newbie Newtype wrote:
None of the characters you listed are Jeigans for hire either.
None of them leaves the party, either.
Mega Tact v1.1
Super Penguin Chef
Wizard Blocks
Sun Jul 25, 2010 10:15 pm
Jeigans are typically benched once other characters become better, so the effect is the same.
<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb
<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb
Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:21 am
Newbie Newtype wrote:
Volke is not a pay to recruit character. His promotion is paid for, but even that is a story event and doesn't come out of your pocket.
I meant FE10's Volke. Elincia or Bastian pays to recruit his services for combat.
Also, I forgot to mention that Hugh (the mage with purple hair) is also unique in that you can try to bargain with him - but every time the price goes down, his stats are lowered.