Best way to add depth to a scene (in a hack)?

What really makes a scene stand out?

  • CG (Cinematic Images)
  • Voice Acting
  • Dramatic Writing
  • Music
  • Some combination of the above
  • Other (please explain below)

0 voters

Edit: If you want to, you can also list a good example.

2 Likes

Simply having units walk through part of the map before starting the next dialogue goes a long way for presentation. It’s not that hard and it looks nice to have 2-4 units walking simultaneously between scenes.

(If you use move commands but save the ENUNs until the 4th, then 4 units will walk together in unison.)

5 Likes

I voted for voice acting cause I didn’t read the “in a hack” part, but otherwise dramatic writing would be the best option.

For example from the main series, boss quotes are some of the best moments as they elevate tension and do a lot with very little, take Seth vs. Orson, Joshua vs Caellach, Micaiah vs. Soren, Pelleas vs Izuka, I could go on. I think a lot of people might be quick to call some of these a little “edgy” or melodramatic, but I strongly disagree and think such moments are what really make Fire emblem great.

When it comes to something like a cutscene in between chapters, I agree with Vesly that showing something on a map or some kind’ve visual even if it isn’t much really goes a long way.

1 Like

As much as I’m a big supporter of good writing, music can make or break a scene in some really fascinating ways. A strong tone-setter can clue a reader in immediately on how they should be feeling about a scene, even before they’ve ever read a line of dialogue, and with the limited capabilities of the FEGBA format, that’s a huge deal IMO.

3 Likes


Depth.

7 Likes

Voice acting of course. But you canot do that in a GBA hack.

Although somewhat limited, you actually can have a bit of voice acting in a hack. You can insert them as sound effects in the form of a compressed .wav file. And yes, it would be quite difficult to set a standard of voice acting when you can only have so many clips in game (ROM size limit).

Thank you for this tip, I do think that spacing conversations is a good way to progress. I will try this in my hack.

1 Like