How would YOU make a Suikoden game?

[Xelinis]

As frustrating as the drought of Suikoden news can be, it's also when we as a community are at our creative peaks. So here's my question: How would you make a Suikoden game? You can either post your idea or you can comment on others.

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My game would utilize Harmonia as two of its settings and an undisclosed location as its third. The idea here is a "Sight Across Time" system, similar to Trinity Sight except that each playable portion is in a different era. You'd play as Hikusaak, or even one of his followers, during the Hero's War and you'd play as a new character in Harmonia 3-5 years after the events of Suikoden III. In the third setting, you play as a muted, cloaked figure in a hidden village located deep in the mountains in a area not known to the player. The time period during this one is never explicitly stated, though it is known that it is between the other two.

As the game opens up, the cloaked character arrives in a village filled with golem-like creatures just as the full moon shines. After some debate regarding his identity, he is summoned to meet with Old Father, the apparent chieftain of this hidden colony. Being left alone by the other villagers, the seemingly ancient Old Father lectures the cloaked figure of the illusion of history as well of the distortedly symbiotic relationship between what conscious beings consider to be the past and the future. It is from here that the cloaked one has the option to witness "that which has passed and that which shall be."

In the past, the player controls Hikusaak as he initiates the Hero's War against Aronia, as well as his acquirement of the Circle Rune Piece. Yes, I say "Piece" as it is a small curve with a large chunk missing from it. In the future, the player controls a new character who attempts to rebel against the rule of the corrupt Temple Faction. He too acquires a "Piece" of the Circle Rune; a plot device later in the game uses this as a way to bridge the two eras.

The village becomes a hub of sorts for the player to switch between the two Harmonian eras, with the player being able to go back and forth whenever they wish. However, sometimes you have to complete a certain event in one era in order to proceed in the other, not just from the past to the future but the reverse as well. This can affect also affect things like getting special equipment, getting special upgrades to the castle, and recruiting Stars. There can be a lot of fun to have with a system like this, and the replay value would be immense.

Even if the player returns to the present, he can leave the tent and interact with the villagers, something that can also trigger events in the other two eras. After some time, the villagers will being giving hints as to Old Father's true nature. "It was out of loneliness that Old Father gave birth to all of us. Is it not ironic?" It is revealed near the end of the game that Old Father, much like the Zodiac Sword, is a physical manifestation of a True Rune, specifically, the True Rune of Time. Too powerful to be possessed by anyone without them going mad, it locked itself away in the mountains until the feelings that Darkness once felt also overcame him, leading to the creation of the village that the cloaked figure is currently in.

As for the cloaked figure, he is actually the Tenkai Star, a pure manifestation of the player's choices and feelings taken form in the game. It is his interpretation of the events Old Father is dictating, as well as his bond and emotions for the other 107 Stars found within, that is actually writing history.

[JanusThePaladin]

Sounds fun. I'd play it. But then again, i played tierkries

[Rezard]

I would make a Suikoden to continue Suikoden III storyline and give the games proper ending.

Before the game: The Tinto-Zexen war involves Grassland, in other to stop the instability in the region, Hugo unifies the entire Grassland/Tinto/Zexen into one big country. After giving stability to the region and building a big army, Hugo begins a campaign agaisnt Harmonia in order to free their fellow Grasslanders and finish their threat once and for all.
Southern Harmonia, six months before the game: an epic crash of the armies happens and it ends disastrous for the Harmonians, so many Harmonian die in the battle that every one in Harmonia knew someone who died in this battle. Including, of course, the protagonist parents(there are no games without cliches).

During the game: Harmonia is in a big crisis, the population is in total panic. The barbarians are coming! In the southwest Harmonia some protectorate kingdoms began to revolt and suport the flame champion. The protagonist must prevent the kingdom break down while searching for the only hope, find and awaken Hikusaak.
In his search, Hikusaak, the True runes fate, Windy and Leeknaat all will be explained, the protagonist will wield a very dangerous rune, that Hikusaak himself sealed up because of its dangers. Eventually Hikusaak should be incapacited and it would be up to the hero to prevent a world of pure chaos.

Somehow we include Windy and Yuber/Persmega in the game and that's it.

[Neclord X]

1.Set (place/year)

It doesn't matter really.

2.Hero

Custom, you could chose gender, hair, color, face, voice, personality, etc, like in western rpgs.

Personality, it would determine the answers, the options would be allways the same ones A or B, but the tone of the answers would change.
For example in the same situation depending her/his personality he/she would say "Shut Up!" or "Silence, please"

3.Plot

The hero would be someone without past, a cadet from academy or something like that. All the past heroes in Suikoden were "son of...".

About the plot itself...for a change i wanna be the "bud guy". No more good boys saving the country from a big bad empire.
I would love being an ambitious boy who desires blood, glory and conquest. Invade the different zones/contries, not defend them like in the other Suikoden.


4.Fight System/Character development system

Only 4 characters for battles, and 2 waiting. (Like Bof4, Atelier 2 or FFX)

Graphics/perspective, like in Grandia or SIII with the characters in 3d moving in the zone.

With mounts

I would change the magic system. I would create different spells for each runes.

Example:

-Fire Rune:
Midle fire damage 1 foe lv1
Low fire damage to all foes lv2
Midle fire damage to all foes lv3
Extreme fire damage to one foe lv4
High fire damage to all foes lv4
Power up attack lv1
Provokes Fury lv2
Power ups party attack lv3

Thunder rune:
mid 1 foe lv1
low all foes lv2
mid all foes lv3
high all foes lv4
extreme 1 foes lv4
Power up Speed lv1
Power up Critical Rate lv2
Power up party speed lv3

You could use hability points to learn spells, but you could only equip 4-6 spells. So, you can have a mage with three runes equiped and 23 spells, but he could use just 4-6 on combat.

Those runes wich are more like "talents" (Falcon, swallow, ungry dragon, etc) would work more or less the same. Depending your weapon you could learn one or another, and then you could equip 4-6 "talents".

So, you could have someone with 6 spells, someone with 6 talents, or someone with 3 spells and 3 talents.

I would make the game more...difficult than his predecesors. Not a hard game, but at least...some strategy would be necesary to beat bosses.


Hability points would be used to support abilities as well (rune masters, blacksimths,,,)


Tactic battles would include more...tactics. Like any tactic rpg with untis.

1vs1 battles allways were boring, something more active would be fine.


5.Design

Manga style but whithout cellshading, someway like Kingdom Hearts.


7.Minigames

Sim-date/marriy system XDDDD
Some from the old games: Nadir's Theatre, Wakamole, karen's dancing...




8. Other

-Lot of info about suikoden world. In the first three suikoden was a lot of info, in the last one the info about the world was minimun.

-Real "choices" wich had consequences. Also you could decide wich zone attack first or your strategy

-"Administrative decissions", like choose your army uniforms or your headquarter arquitecture.

-In the hq, EVERYONe should have a paper. Selling war machines for tactic battles, training mounts, making equipment, etc.


9.New races

-Zombies
-Mermaids
-Lion mens
-Demons/onis

[Masked Bishop]

-Lot of info about suikoden world. In the first three suikoden was a lot of info, in the last one the info about the world was minimun.

While I do appreciate the input everyone's put into this thread, it's hard for me to take the first part of this comment seriously. In my mind, SIV is the most dismal of the Suikoden games, for sure, but I've always appreciated the information it added to the series. Yeah, the majority of its characters are stale in comparison to others (with some glaring exceptions like Snowe, Ted, Katarina, etc), but the history of the Island Nations is pretty damn well thought-out, and functions as one of the better aspects of the game. And, part of what makes SV SO amazing is all the backstory it adds, even to some pre-existing characters; I mean, seriously, how many of us would care THAT much about Georg without all the exposition offered in SV?

But, I am enjoying the ideas presented in this thread, even if it is making me slightly sad. I'm one of those dirty ones who've resigned themselves to the fact that SVI will never happen. Ever.

[Neclord X]

Well, in relative terms i really belive in Sukoden IV-V was very poor info about the Suikoden World.

For example, in the first three game 16 true runes were presented, in the last two just two of them were presented.

In five there was a lot exposition about Georg, true, but in the first three there was exposition about 20-30 characters relevant to the world.

[KC_MCDOHL]

I think Suikoden really needs to improve and/or utilise the following points in order to progress as a series:

1. I think the camera preference should be a mixture of all that we have seen so far. I like the way the camera angles changed in S3 making it very cinematic and more 'manga/anime' like. They should bring this back but with the camera shifting to the 'fixed cam' of S1, S2 and S5 every now and then in order to incorperate the more 'Suikoden feel' to the game. You should have the option to switch between this kind of 'cinematic cam' to 'third person cam' and 'first person cam' (as in S4) and of course - just 'fixed cam' if you want to. Having all these options looks after everyones preferences.

2. They really need to improve on their 2D graphic. Since moving the series to 3D, the 2D graphics have went right downhill. How can they go backwards after S2?

3. Improve rune spell cinematics. Again, how have they went backwards from a game that was created over 10 years ago?

4. Keep 6 person parties or maybe 3 or 4 person parties but with the option to switch between another 2 or 3 members in battle or have 2-3 members on auto pilot for the battle.

5. Improve 'involvement' during normal battles. Different camera angles, more sfx. Bigger range of character actions, motions and reactions, more detail - that kind of thing.

6. Drasticaly improove war battles. Playing S4 makes you see the potential for a third person Suikoden, a more western style approach to RPG's. A 'Dynasty-Warriors' style war battle would truly bring the game alive and more involving - if they pull it off right. Imagine, for example, Suikoden 1 with this kind of battle system. You are charging into battle with your unit, your unit is drastically outnumbered on the field, your men are dying fast but suddenly Fliks' unit charges over the hill to the rescue, you beat back the enemy only to see Pahn's unit fall in the distance. Pahn himself dies in battle. lol you know? A more intense and dramatic approach to war battles?

7. Make sure the next Suikoden ties up loads of loose ends, brings back a fimiliar story line and setting. Brings back between 60-80 old characters. I believe, before they expand the series further, they should give die-hard, faithfull Suikoden fans the game that they have been craving for years. We deserve that much. Then they can do pretty much what they like with the series after that (as long as they are still good games with appropriate stories/characters lol). A Succession Wars Suikoden would, of course, be perfect for this.

The next 2 points they probably don't need to do by now but it would certainly do the series no harm if they where to implement them.

8. Bring back Yoshitaka Murayama - the series creator

9. Bring back Miki Higashino - the original series composer and musical genius

If the next Suikoden had points 1 - 6, I would be happy. If it had point 7 as well then I would probably die of sheer ecstasy lol. If it was only point 7 without implemented the other points ...I would probably be dissapointed. Points 8 and 9 would be huge bonuses. lol We are picky us Suikoden fans aren't we?

Oh! and a bigger better castle with tonnes more mini games. You can't go wrong there either!

[KC_MCDOHL]

Sorry for double posting but I immaturely left out point 10: More 'Murayama style detail'. In Suikoden V characters in you're castle where mostly stationary and not moving around alot. They would also usualy be found in the exact same place most of the time. Also, there was a severe lack of 'townspeople' both in towns and in your castle. Murayama was a real genuis at bringing a game to life, hence why S2 was able to compete with the Final Fantasy's of the day without any where near the impressive 3D graphics capability. This is another example of how, again, Suikoden has went downhill since S2. In S2 characters would move around alot more, not just in there 'usual haunt' where you would find them most of the time, but they would move around your HQ alot too - in different rooms with different people and occasionaly crop up in the bar etc. This was an excellent touch. Bring it back!

[Aenima-]

Well I would definitely focus mine on the Pesmerga/Yuber story. I'd like to see how it started and probably have your main character be Pesmerga. It wouldn't be a classic Suikoden game with all the 108 stars joining you etc. It seems like they never age so in my game, I'd have them able to travel through dimensions and time and even include parts from 1 and 2 where you meet mcdohl and genkaku's grandson as well as other recurring characters. As for other characters joining you, I'd probably have them come and go including mcdohl and genkaku's grandson. I usually don't like this, but I don't see how else to have a group following Pesmerga around all the time since he does travel alone a lot. I'd definitely still want the Rune system and similar battle system and have the very last battle be a Duel-type battle between Pesmerga and Yuber. The story of these two has always been one of my favorites mainly because they are both awesome and their whereabouts are unknown, yet they always seem to show up in the middle of a great war. Well Pesmerga wasn't in 3 (wtf) but you know what I mean. Really I don't know how a game like this could work, but I just want to see a story built around these two that intertwines with other suikoden stories

[727]

Make a suikoden game? Stop talking crazy!

[Xelinis]

7. Make sure the next Suikoden ties up loads of loose ends, brings back a fimiliar story line and setting. Brings back between 60-80 old characters. I believe, before they expand the series further, they should give die-hard, faithfull Suikoden fans the game that they have been craving for years. We deserve that much. Then they can do pretty much what they like with the series after that (as long as they are still good games with appropriate stories/characters lol). A Succession Wars Suikoden would, of course, be perfect for this.

I'm afraid that I completely disagree with you on this. One thing I truly love about Suikoden is how each explores a new and exciting region in the fascinating world that the series takes place in. Re-exploring old regions should best be left for gaidens like Tactics or printed materials such as novels and manga. If you tie up too many plot threads at once, the series stops being interesting.

[tiki]

It's Suikoden 6. Ten years after Suikoden 3.

With the destruction of Luc and potentially one of the True Runes, the barriers between the worlds begin to break down.

The world of Suikoden merges with the world of Suikoden Tierkreis.

You start the game as a party of Tir, Riou, Hugo, Chris, Geddoe and the Prince teamed up to find the source of this great disturbance in the world and the unholy rotting stench that is seeping across the world.

And then you spend the next sixty hours hunting down every single last Star of Destiny from Suikoden Tierkreis, viciously murdering every single last one of them in graphic detail to free the world of Suikoden from the bonds of suckage. The final boss is Lazlo from Suikoden 4, who the heroes of Suikoden 1, 2, 3 & 5 mercilessly turn into a bloodstain on the floor. Then all the stars of destiny have some cake and dance on the grave of the leader designers of Suikoden 4 and Tierkreis for a few hours in an extended FMV.

I'm not saying this would allow me to forgive Konami, but it would be a step in the right direction. I might be able to consider someday forgiving them.

Edit: Also having the cooking minigame come back would be sweet. Maybe we could make dishes out of the corpses of Suikoden Tierkreis's cast.

[Hirathien]

The world of Suikoden merges with the world of Suikoden Tierkreis.

Oh please god no

[dorky106]

This one would sorta be all over the place time wise.
1. Have something showing the past, idk what for this maybe finding a True Rune, that at set points in the game show history on the runes or something.
2. Befriending Warlock or something and be there when he summons the Giant Tree
3. Meeting Ted before he gets the Soul Eater or even be in the area when he gets it.
4. No stars of Destiny, just the main character and temp characters that change depending on where you are in the game
5. Keep the 3 rune slots but make it that the runes equipped give bonuses, Wind = 1 Speed, Water = 5 HP, Earth = 1 Def, Fire = 1 Attack, Lightning = 1 Magic and of

[27x4=108]

The world of Suikoden merges with the world of Suikoden Tierkreis.

Never.

You only need Murayama and some cash.