The bare minimum I suggest is just the guy with the hatchet. Steal is a pretty viable option that can be more efficient than capture in certain occasions (especially in this one, since you can count only on 2 chonky boys).
During playtesting the average number of broken weapons was around 2-4, depending on the playstyle.
The weapon durability of irons and bronzes are a little bit of a mistery. Mainly because during the project phase I put on just a skeleton and then make adds and changes depending on the ideas I get and the feedback from fellow hackers.
The two solutions I have in mind in this moment are the further reduction of durability and making weapons harder to get by removing save points/increasing further the prices.
With time, the answer will be clear.
Yeah itāll be a lot clearer as the hack is further along in dev. Looking forward to seeing it.
Update #1 - 21/05/21
Good day. This week has been one of rest, feedback and enjoying the hack being played by so many people. 41 downloads is far more than I expected.
Today Iām back stronger than ever, expect a patch that fixes all the reported issues in the near future.
FEE3 deadlines are closer than ever and for this reason I decided to put the development of new chapters on hold, focusing instead on honing and updating the current build.
This includes: revision of the script, balance adjustments, but most importantly a custom title screen and stats menu (if I have the time I will try to venture into custom menus too).
With this, I will leave you a new mug I was working on recently.
Spoiler
This is Cynthia, I have great projects for her as a unit. For revision and colour adjustments: Sterling.
Hey Roze,
I managed to beat chapter 1 after a few more attempts (it prob took me about 4-5 times overall, a few of them were killed early because I missed twice on the first or second turn which put me in a bad spot) and started chapter 2.
I have lost three times in a row. I appreciate the difficulty and recognize I am bad.
However, one of the biggest challenges I have (and that Iāve struggled to articulate to myself) is that it feels like the game becomes much easier if I choose not to engage in its core system, namely capture. Perhaps that sounds obvious, but it also feels bad given how novel capture is as a feature.
While I understand wanting to make capture a risk/reward, the amount of weapon uses being low in general, the low action economy (ie i donāt have enough units to do what the game demands of me turn by turn), and lack of reliable options for capture when I do want to pursue it, make the game feel a bit more challenging than it should.
I was thinking about some possible ideas and why it felt this way to me as I was playing, and I looked towards FE5 for inspiration. In Thracia, you get units that are notably stronger (Eyvel, Dagdar, Finn) and weapons designed to enable capturing more easily (Brave Lance, Brave Axe). Additionally, Thracia gives you units like Marty, who are great pack mules and add a ton of value just by having inventory space and the BLD to hold and drop units. You also have a huge cast to work with from the get go, making it easier to dedicate turns to higher risk plays, like reducing your hit for capture.
That said, I think the early part of Vestrian Tale would be a bit more reliable (and frankly, easier), if you added a tool like this early on to help enable capture. For me as a fan of capture, it feels bad when engaging with the system poses such a huge risk that I am better off avoiding it except in very specific situations. It makes capture feel more like a puzzle rather than a feature. If it were me, Iād probably add another playable unit like a Marty or Finn type that can help with capture and take drop, and/or a tool that makes capturing more reliable. I felt like if I chose to capture, I had to play very slowly.
I also get if you have a specific vision in mind and donāt want to compromise on that. The game strikes a unique tone and the feeling of desperation is strong on every turn. However, it also makes things a bit more punishing when they donāt go your way. Thereās a reason many Kaga games with iffy hit rates give you a ton of units and low quality enemies, since it makes each interaction lower stakes. The game is high stakes right now, perhaps a little too much so - I feel like a single mistake means I have to reset. I donāt think you need to reduce enemy quality, though.
Perhaps I could stand to get good, but I figured Iād share my thoughts a bit more here as I play. Iām determined to beat the demo, but I bring this up because it feels like these things are missing and would enhance the experience without drastically reducing difficulty.
Hope I articulated my thoughts clearly. Iām probably coming across as a bit nitpicky and granular in my feedback, but itās because I do enjoy the game and think thereās a lot of potential to make a smoother experience. Happy to share more in detail if you have any questions.
Thanks you for the in depth feedback. I have to admit that this is a point of contention regarding the game. I consider myself to be a little bit of a gamble man and I find the possibility of a chapter ending on a coin flip extremely thrilling. But at the same time, I would like the game to be enjoyed by most people. For now the solutions I am working to solve some of the issues are: implementing FE11 hit for most weapons, having Helena be able to access the convoy and add a new unit recruitable from the village in chapter 1. Sounds like a good compromise, considering I want to remove some check points.
Some more details would be nice, I am curious to know if some of you find the characters to be pleasing to hang around.
Iād say of these, increasing hit rates and a new recruitable would be best IMO. I think convoy access would take away a good element of capture because your inventory slots are more limited. In a capture game, Iām generally a fan of no on map convoy, but up to you.
None of the characters are grating at all writing wise. No issues there. I think you do a nice job of giving them their own voice and showcasing their personalities.
Unit wise they all feel good to use and distinct. Biggest issue is that Samir and Anatolij are the only consistent units available for capture, and Samirās hit rates are super shaky even without capturing. I havenāt used Alva much but assuming w/ axes it isnāt much better.
Update #2 - 04/06/21
Hello folks, development is proceding slowly but steadily. The title screen is complete and the works on a new unit are going pretty well. The status screen is also on its way to completion.
I would like to share this progress with you.
Title Screen
Finally, a title screen that looks like the logo of a tea brand. Huge shout outs to Hagane for helping A LOT with the composition.
Status Screen
A heavy work in progress, but the idea is still there. Again, shout outs to Hagane for the help.
New Unit
Say Hello to Sanzan the monk, a gruf but kind man, user of the Light Arrows tome. Capture is his forte!
Credits to Sterling for revising the mug.
Hope you have a good day and see you for the next updates!
Update #3 - 24/06/21
Good day my boys, today I would like to announce the release of the second patch of A Vestrian Tale. I am sorry it took so long, but life is a cruel mistress at times.
What changes from the previous version?
This patch is a response to the feedback provided by the FEU community. It provides:
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Various bug and typing fixes
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New pieces of dialogue
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A new unit
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New weapons
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Various graphical updates like a modifies BattleScreen, updated portraits and palettes
and a new title screen
If we do not consider a couple of commisions I am waiting for, this should be the version used to the FEE3 showcase.
What about future updates?
July and August will be pretty busy on my part, so regular progress will be back in September. I will try to complete the script for the game, and after that proceed with the creation of maps and mugs.
With that being said, I hope you will give this new patch a try. Have a good day. B)
Update #4 - 25/07/21
Greeting folks. Today, Iāve finished making the mugs for all the characters in A Vestrian Tale.
I left a couple of spots just in case a playable unit or an NPC was needed, but I am pretty sure these will be all the relevant faces. The palettes for these character are also very close to completion.
Shoutout to Zoisite for allowing me to use the Phantom Soldier, Generic Pretzel for the Captain, Melia for Anna, Glaceo for his past and future work, Sterling for revising and improving the vast majority of the cast and Hagane for creating some of the designs.
With that being said, I hope you have a good day and see you in the next update!
Thank you for the review! Fun fact, the bronze weapon issue has been tacked in the last few days! They now are more expensive and their might is the same as the one in awakening, making them not as good in every single occasion. A slight hit reduction also sounds like a plan! I guess 10/15 hit should be enough I guess.
Thanks again and hope you stay tuned, as I have some new content to show off in the near future.
Update #5 - 02/09/21
Good day big boys! September has come and with it a more cozy and regular routine, perfect for hacking. Nontheless, August was home of few but fun to work on updates.
Mainly, Iāve created the maps for chapter 4 and 5.
Chapter 4
Prepare yourself for some escape shenanigans.
Chapter 5
I am not exactly a fan of field maps, but this one was pretty rewarding to create.
For now my main goal is to make these maps playable.
Other than that, I made some playtest runs in order to recalibrate some weapons and characters. I am pretty satisfied of the shape the hack is taking; comparing it to the May release I can feel the improvements, even if Iām still relying to trial and error.
With that said, I hope yāall have a great day. Stay tuned for more A Vestrian Tale updates B)
Update #6 - 04/10/21
Greetings peeps!
Playtesting for chapter 4 and 5 is coming to an end with pleasing and somehow funny results (chapter 5 was a particularly hard nut to crack).
In the meanwhile, Iāve created the map for chapter 6. I should start the unit placement this same day.
Chapter 6
I am pretty confident this map will not create any troubles, itās a pretty straightfoward castle map, my favourite type to work with.
Other than that, the only āobstacleā to face is writing, but I have collected a lot of notes for these chapters.
Worst case scenario, I think I should be able to release the next patch in no more than 2 months.
With that being said, I hope yāall have a good day!
Update #7 - 17/10/12
Greatings folks!
Scrolling back some old chats, I noticed that the first instances of me working on AVT date back to the 9th of October 2020. This means that some days ago the hack past its first anniversary.
As a guy whoās really fond of symbolic dates, I would like to leave you some updates and old stuff to celebrate.
Updates
It hasnāt past a lot of time since I posted the last update. All I can say is that chapter 6 will is entering the playtesting stage and that my pal Kaiser and I started to write and translate a good chunk of the script.
In the last few days, I also dabbled in the creation of some ports that will be used in the hack. Here are a few examples:
Ye, I really like the PokĆ©mon series soundtrack, itās very nostalgic.
Old mugs and designs
This is a small collection of old, and honestly, pretty ugly mugs. From first to last: beta Liquirizia, beta Jerez, a now non existing character and a CC Helena.
Hereās also some sketches, with some design for the characters: beta Samir, beta Liquirizia (both by Hagane), beta Ginepro (by me).
With that being said, see you soon for some more AVT updates! B)
Ngl that second sketch is 
Today, after some playtesting, Rivian hit me with this pearl of wisdom:
He was definitely speaking the truth. I have a group of epic fellow hackers to which I turn to when in need of help. Thing is, after more than 9 months of playtesting, they have become very accostumate to all the quirks I throw at them and in general to the way I structure the chapters.
For this reason, before proceeding to other hacking sections like text insertion or cutscene eventing, I would like to have some new testers play and experiment with the chapters, expecially the newer ones.
If you are interested, please contact me on Discord (Roze #0858).
Update #8 - 04/11/21
Hi people! Today the FEE3 presentation for A Vestrian Tale has dropped. JBR has done a very good job with the recording and he played like a champ too! B)
A big thank also to the whole organization team behind FEE3 2021 for the months of hype and epicness.
This would not be an update post if I had nothing to show off tho, so here you are the last maps Iāve been working on.
Chapter 7
I feel like this one might need some touch ups here and there, but overall, I feel pretty good about it.
Chapter 8
I have huge projects for this one, letās just say it should have around 10 secret events. B)
Final map
Late game sickness is a great turnoff for me, thatās why the map is so small.
With that being said, I hope you have a nice day! Stay tuned for the next (few) updates!
Update #9 - 06/04/2022
Greetings peeps! Itās been a while, hasnāt it?
What happened in these months?
Iāve been working on the project/ doing Fire Emblem related stuff almost everyday since October 2020. During November 2021, I got a little bit fatigued of the franchise and decided to take a break. That lasted four months.
Itās been a good time: I played some epic games with my homies, travelled a bit, read a few fine books, passed some exams. You know, stuff that people on the net call ātouching some grassā.
Remember kids, take short breaks from time to time or you will be in need of a big one .
What's poppin'?
I resumed the hack development around a month and a half ago, following a pretty slow but steady work rythm. Iāve been encountering some road blocks (for me, Endgame is untrodden territory with some new challenges to tackle, but nothing that a good dose of playtesting cannot solve. Writing is also a thing, itās being tackled in small bits.) but overall, I consider myself pretty satisfied about how stuff is coming together.
Do you have anything to show us?
Tecnically, yes. But in my opinion, it is not anything worth the time.
All I can say is that chapter 7 is being tested as I am writing this post, chapter 8 needs some heavy rework, but at the same time the Finale has all of the units already inserted in the game, it only lacks eventing and testing.
The most important message I wanted to deliver is that the project is not dead, it is in a healthy development cycle and that it will very probably archieve the much desired [Complete] at some point.
I will not give myself any deadlines, since I have the tendency to not respect them, but if I have anything worth saying, be sure I will post it over here.
With that being said, have a good one. See you, space cowboy B)
Update #10 - 21/10/2022
Greetings everyone! The FEE3 2022 video featuring A Vestrian Tale has just dropped out! Many thanks to bpat and Pikmin1211 for helping me out. FEE3 2022: A Vestrian Tale by Roze - YouTube
No new patch for yāall, but I would like to take advantage of this moment to inform you about the new stuff cooking in the back.
The hack made with a slow cooker
I must be honest with you, when I started the project, I didnāt think it would take me so long to complete it.
I have to confess that I am taking quite a lot of comfort in the community; I am guilty of doing FE related stuff, like discussions and general lollygagging with the people of FEU, and disguising it as work on the hack.
Nevertheless, the last months were characterized by a heavy intent in making the game more ironman friendly.While it may never be completely ironman friendly, now the loss of a strong unit will have smaller snowball effects than before. Padding was definitely necessary.
This means new units are in the cast! Give a warm welcome to our laddies:
I have also introduced a good amount new weapons and I am in the process of reworking some stats like weapon experience and accuracy and weapon ranks.
Having the game in a quite complete state grants me the bird eye view necessary to adjust everything up to the thresholds I want to hit.
Speaking of game completness, I am positive about every map being fully playable by the end of October or the first week of November.
After that I will start a private playtesting round and adjust everything accordingly.
As last, writing. It is still a big head scratcher, I am terrible at it and I do not enjoy the process too much, but at the same time I still have that motherly
feeling towards my characters; I want them to be interesting and likable, for crying out loud!
My hacking options are becoming more limited by the day, the moment in which writing is the only thing remaining to do is nigh.
But regardless, progress is being made on this front too.
In conclusion, the hacking community is reaching new cealings every single year: the games are getting more complex and nuanced, the art department has some examples
that make Dream of Five, a beauty to be reckon with regarding graphics, blush in shame, and donāt let me start on Deity Device and Lady of Masks, two sacred monsters in
what concerns writing. In whole honesty, seeing such high bars being touched feels very overwhelming.
The most important part is being able to channel that energy into a healthy competitive spririt and trying to deliver the best product a person can produce.
Worst case scenario, if the hack flops, ya made yourself some friends.
With that being said, happy FEE3 and see ya next time for, hopefully, a full flegded release. Have a good one, yāall.
Hello fellas. After literally more than two years, I have some more content for yāall.
But worry not, I can assure you that the waiting time is going to be worth it.
A lot of progress, in terms of balancing and overall aesthetics, has been done in these long months.
The last part of the game will be delivered in a timely manner.
The last batch of chapters is going to be released one by one.
Who knows, maybe Iāll be able to create some hype for FEE3(my submission is already ready and steady haha).
What is left to do is just a modest chunk of writing. Luckily I am getting some help with that.
If it was not for people like PastaGuy or Kaiser I would probably still be stuck in writing hell for the next 3 geological ages.
Huge shoutouts to them.
See you soon with some more new content. Stay safe.
Yesssss Iāve been waiting for this! Hacks are never dead, glad to see, I love this hack