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The Kiseki / Trails (of the Sky/Zero/Ao/Sen/Etc) Community Thread: SPOILERTAGS OR DIE

Holundrian

Unconfirmed Member
I can argue that 3rd and its giant cast was actually handled pretty well, though. So large cast =/= OMGBAD, to be honest.

And I'll say it again. Trails in the Sky and Zero no Kiseki both have the smallest casts of playable characters and they're still at about 8. So why do we think Sen no Kiseki III is just going to have four, again?

Well haven't played 3rd yet so can't comment on that but that still leaves the fact that CS I and II weren't handled all that great.

As for it only being only 4, I'm not saying that at all? I'm just explaining where the party speculating/guessing/etc comes from. With 3 being shown in battle(Altina, the 2 new ones). Rean being a safe bet. Alisa and Sara seem likely too that already makes 6. + the confirmed returning characters from Liberl and Crossbell?
And given the characters that haven't gotten attention yet as well as plot threads of other characters, of course people are going to speculate.
 

Eylos

Banned
I can argue that 3rd and its giant cast was actually handled pretty well, though. So large cast =/= OMGBAD, to be honest.

And I'll say it again. Trails in the Sky and Zero no Kiseki both have the smallest casts of playable characters and they're still at about 8. So why do we think Sen no Kiseki III is just going to have four, again?



Which we also have a whole lot of nothing on. And Falcom's going to play coy with this info because Ys VIII is going to be coming first.

what i agreed wih holundrian, is that some member of class 7 would retire (Appearing in a quest or chapter) and give space to others new members, and some older class 7 members would return to the party

i dont think we will see only 4 too, but i dont think all class 7 will return

but its just guesses
 

omgfloofy

Banned
And given the characters that haven't gotten attention yet as well as plot threads of other characters, of course people are going to speculate.

I've not problem with speculation, but there's a lot of people taking things as fact here. The thing I'm trying to remind people of is that Falcom has yet to say anything but that blurb that I quoted from my article before.

While I've not yet read the article that Dengeki and Famitsu have, I'm not sure how many people here have either. As a result, people need to remember that this is speculation, and these aren't facts yet, especially as Falcom has a tendency of turning people's perceptions over during the early process of announcing a game.

Case in point: Falcom has, on multiple occasions, carried on massive mislead campaigns to make people think one thing, then pull something else on them later. They've even done it relatively recently.

When something is treated as vague from the source, and when people jump in and put their assumptions forward as fact, then we get a 'Sen no Kiseki is a prequel to Trails in the Sky!' situation all over again. (Yes, this was a thing. A really big, and really irritating thing.)
 
Srsly what do you expect to get out of Elliot, Machius or Jusis hanging around another game. It's going to be awkward as shit, like a college person hanging around his highschool awkward. Without giving them anything new of value it will be like having 3 additional CSI/II Reans in your party. Their stories have finished at a good/decent point, where they don't need to be around a whole game. A guest appearance giving a quick update on where they're right now is going be more than enough.

I think Jusis still has a role left to play, I just don't think it's the sort of thing that would allow him to be a main party member. But we could see him a guest for a bit in a Bareahard chapter.
 

Baliis

Member
Oh fuck! Things just got interesting, just saw a new topic posted @ the translation project forum for Zero no Kiseki:

Pretty cool. I was planning to try to play through Zero in Japanese instead of the fan translation, but if they're editing it now I might give it a shot.

Quick, sell it to Xseed
 

Holundrian

Unconfirmed Member
I think Jusis still has a role left to play, I just don't think it's the sort of thing that would allow him to be a main party member. But we could see him a guest for a bit in a Bareahard chapter.

But what role. I'm not saying CSIII can't make any of them relevant again by giving them something new. Heck we could totally get another epic arc for Elliot making him the main protagonist and offing Rean, basing it of his experiences at music school.
All I'm saying is the way some of the characters ended in CSII, they got their time and don't have any immediate conflicts/plot threads that need to be resolved or continue, beyond maybe "I want to help my bro Rean".

I've not problem with speculation, but there's a lot of people taking things as fact here. The thing I'm trying to remind people of is that Falcom has yet to say anything but that blurb that I quoted from my article before.
Fair, I don't disagree with this. Seems like I didn't pick up on people taking stuff as facts already, my bad.
 

Eylos

Banned
But what role. I'm not saying CSIII can't make any of them relevant again by giving them something new. Heck we could totally get another epic arc for Elliot making him the main protagonist and offing Rean, basing it of his experiences at music school.
All I'm saying is the way some of the characters ended in CSII, they got their time and don't have any immediate conflicts/plot threads that needs to resolved to pick up on, beyond maybe "I want to help my bro Rean".

there's turmoil in the west if i'm not mistaken after the war, if the game has some conflict in the west with nobility, jusis could appear to resolve things with nobility (rean faces the erebonian west new members on the artwork) machias could appear too
 

omgfloofy

Banned
All I'm saying is the way some of the characters ended in CSII, they got their time and don't have any immediate conflicts/plot threads that needs to resolved to pick up on, beyond maybe "I want to help my bro Rean".

This is something I disagree with.

Here are my speculations with the characters:

Elliot has said that he believes that his role with music can help the others in Erebonia. He will have a bigger drive to help people and so forth, I suspect, after a year of whatever he's doing. I suspect that things are going to get much worse before they get better. CS2 NG+ scene implies this, especially after what we've seen in other games.

Machias and Jusis are both on the path of becoming major political players. Hell, their "friendship" (but don't tell them that) will probably becoming a key factor in truly uniting people in Erebonia. Hell, Jusis will be critical in stuff elsewhere because of his familial relationships, I suspect.

Gaius. Hahaha. Gaius. Yes. But without 3rd, it's pointless to talk on that one.

Alisa's role in the Reinford Group will play some importance, but we've already seen sign of her coming back.

Emma will have a major role in things, especially with Rean and his 'role' in everything that's happening. The NG+ scene for CS2 has already told us that something major is expected of Rean, and as a result, Emma's part is going to be crucial there.

Laura is definitely coming back- especially if we have stuff with Aurelia and all going on, so we'll probably find out more about the Arseid connection to the Steel Saint.

When Altina is in the key visual for Sen III, there's absolutely no escaping that Millium will be involved in things.

The images of Fie easily placed what she'll be doing, especially after one of the Cold Steel III screenshots we've seen.

I could break this down into more detail and be far less vague, but I'm pressed on time and the post would end up getting spammy.

Fair, I don't disagree with this. Seems like I didn't pick up on people taking stuff as facts already, my bad.

It's all good! The 'Sen is a prequel' thing was persistent and extremely annoying, simply because someone (Siliconera) took an assumption and ran with it as a fact. As a result, this ended up getting onto Wikipedia- who kept reverting the edit because "Siliconera is a trusted source" and even after XSEED announced Cold Steel, people were still all '...but isn't it a prequel to Trails in the Sky?' Siliconera's mistranslation stayed on wikipedia until long after CS2 was released, and XSEED announced the game. It took changing the source to XSEED's summary once they released that to change the Wikipedia entry.

wtfno

I don't want to see that again. Especially considering the kind of traffic that comes about on gaf. You can't ignore this site's influence on people and their perception of things.
 

Holundrian

Unconfirmed Member
there's turmoil in the west if i'm not mistaken after the war, if the game has some conflict in the west with nobility, jusis could appear to resolve things with nobility (rean faces the erebonian west new members on the artwork) machias could appear too

I mean sure, I guess I just don't put that on the same level as Emma or
giving Gaius finally an arc to make him undergo some sort of progression and by that token Laura too in a way
. Or continuing on Zephyr. Or any of the other things I listed a few pages back. That seems like a scenario that if it happens, it doesn't happen for the characters so they take a new step growing but for the plot itself.
It's something I definitely could live without for CSIII and I think that's where the contention comes from.
Whereas things like the Hexen clan, the revival of Krueger(which also seems to connect to Ourouboros), the black workshop, etc are all things that I want to know super badly and all have a character connected to it.

This is something I disagree with.

Here are my speculations with the characters:...

Mmmh yeah I feel like my arguments are way too based on assumptions on how much story space each of that would actually take anyway.
Making my arguments basically boil down to "I don't think that makes that party member material that needs to travel around for any extended amount of time" which is kind of worthless in a way I guess.
 

Nyoro SF

Member
I just heard the news about the Zero fan translation being headed by three huge Kiseki fans. Great news. Gu4n now has to familiarize himself with more advanced English. :p So as you can see, we've gotten over the barrier after all! And uh, shattered the irritable illusion. I'd love to assist in editing where possible.

For CS3 the technical side of me is super hyped. Better graphics, better shadows, actual anti-aliasing, and then Kondo comes in and says he wants seamless transitions and they updated the control scheme to make battle controls less clunky. Then we get a comment from him that they're reducing load zones in Ys 8. For someone like me that is just fantastic cause I really value smart seamless gameplay design in games, and many RPG developers tend to drop the ball on that.

I'm sated for now... but now I need a trailer... and a music preview...
 

omgfloofy

Banned
I just heard the news about the Zero fan translation being headed by three huge Kiseki fans. Great news. Gu4n now has to familiarize himself with more advanced English. :p So as you can see, we've gotten over the barrier after all! And uh, shattered the irritable illusion. I'd love to assist in editing where possible.

Don't worry. Gu4n's got two native English speakers (though my English can easily be questionable at times! D:) helping out.
 

Nyoro SF

Member
Don't worry. Gu4n's got two native English speakers (though my English can easily be questionable at times! D:) helping out.

Excellent, excellent... I know Yotaka's English is really good too.

Maybe I am being presumptuous in asking, but am I correct in assuming that there are no plans to hand off your work to XSEED?
 

PK Gaming

Member
Wow I missed a lot. Wasn't feeling too good last night so I couldn't stay until 5AM indulging in the hype.

On CS3:

New characters

Tonfa girl rules, dual sword guy looks pretty crap and Altina's looking okay. I guess Rean has his own personal squad now?

Rean as the protagonist

Yo i'm not even going to lie, i'm pretty happy about this haha. Not the most popular of sentiments, but I really liked the direction they were going with his character at the epilogue and I want them to see more of it.

Where art thou, Class VII

I expected it given the game's second ending, but the focus away from Class VII has me feeling mixed. On the one hand, seeing them grown up (sorta) doing their own thing is incredibly exciting. I can just imagine a scenario where Rean goes on a mission and Laura just shows up and kicks all sorts of ass. And you can bet they'll be recruitable down the line... On the other hand... I like them a whole lot and i'm going to miss them. I'm sure the new kids will be fine, but it just won't be the same.

Social elements?

Bonds events are likely still in, but I wonder how the game will handle social events in general. Will your choices from the 2nd game even matter?

Overall

Not sure how I really feel about it tbh. Definitely happy and excited, but I just cant even fathom what the experience will be like without a trailer. The most exciting part about the game for me is that the Liberl characters are supposedly going to show up.
 

Holundrian

Unconfirmed Member
Social elements?

Bonds events are likely still in, but I wonder how the game will handle social events in general. Will your choices from the 2nd game even matter?

Denial until official confirmation. Fuck bonding events.
#MakeTrailsGreatAgain
Of course I refer to the implementation in CSI+II. The core concept of the system is not bad if properly used.
 

Nyoro SF

Member
Wow I missed a lot. Wasn't feeling too good last night so I couldn't stay until 5AM indulging in the hype.

On CS3:

New characters

Tonfa girl rules, dual sword guy looks pretty crap and Altina's looking okay. I guess Rean has his own personal squad now?

Rean as the protagonist

Yo i'm not even going to lie, i'm pretty happy about this haha. Not the most popular of sentiments, but I really liked the direction they were going with his character at the epilogue and I want them to see more of it.

Where art thou, Class VII

I expected it given the game's second ending, but the focus away from Class VII has me feeling mixed. On the one hand, seeing them grown up (sorta) doing their own thing is incredibly exciting. I can just imagine a scenario where Rean goes on a mission and Laura just shows up and kicks all sorts of ass. And you can bet they'll be recruitable down the line... On the other hand... I like them a whole lot and i'm going to miss them. I'm sure the new kids will be fine, but it just won't be the same.

Social elements?

Bonds events are likely still in, but I wonder how the game will handle social events in general. Will your choices from the 2nd game even matter?

Overall

Not sure how I really feel about it tbh. Definitely happy and excited, but I just cant even fathom what the experience will be like without a trailer. The most exciting part about the game for me is that the Liberl characters are supposedly going to show up.

That post topic lmao

It's true that I didn't like Rean as a character in CS1 and CS2, but in my opinion this CS3 Rean is going to be a brand new Rean and I'm wide open to him making a new impression on me.

I'm assuming the bond choices from the 2nd game won't matter, but Links are still in the game, and you can't have the Link System without a Bond System. I would expect the bond system to get revamped in order to meet the large scenario and the potentially huge amount of characters.
 

Eylos

Banned
Denial until official confirmation. Fuck bonding events.
#MakeTrailsGreatAgain
Of course I refer to the implementation in CSI+II. The core concept of the system is not bad if properly used.
With persona 5 selling a lot, i doubt we Will not see bonding events and the social links
 

omgfloofy

Banned
edit: i saw someone already brought it up, but still this could be a nice Christmas gift if December is still happening
is it still happening btw Floofy?

I've only had limited glimpses at the script thus far- my attention has been prepping for that shareholder meeting last night. But I've seen enough to see that there are still a number of issues with the script, and I'd rather make sure everyone gets as good of a script as we can promise without a time compromise... so I doubt we'll be able to wrangle it by December, unless we throw our regular real lives out the window. lol
 
Not really much of a need to get out before the 3rd is released at any rate, so the timing doesn't matter much right now. It's just great to know that the project is in good hands.
 

SephLuis

Member
Hello, guys. I want to get into this frachise, which game I have to play first?

Trails in the Sky FC in the PC/Vita/PSP. It's just called Trails in the Sky in Steam.

It's the first game of the current story.

Then you will go to Trails in the Sky SC (Second Chapter).

After you finish both, ask us again. By the time you finish XSEED might have localized a few more.
 

zakujanai

Member
I swore I'd stay away from Zero until xseed either released or conclusively started they wouldn't be doing it. Seems we're closer to the latter but with Gu4n and Floofy on the case I have much more confidence in the fan project, definitely excited to give it a go now.

That said, obviously I would still buy any legitimate release immediately were it to ever get one.
 
Trails in the Sky FC in the PC/Vita/PSP. It's just called Trails in the Sky in Steam.

It's the first game of the current story.

Then you will go to Trails in the Sky SC (Second Chapter).

After you finish both, ask us again. By the time you finish XSEED might have localized a few more.

Trail in the Sky First Chapter. You can play it on the vita or on the PC as long as you have a computer that's not from the early 2000s.

Either this (preferably):


Or start with Trails of Cold Steel for PSVita/PS3, which is a valid point of entry for the franchise.

Guys, thank you so much. I don't have a Vita so I'll get it on PC. PSP version wasn't localized, right?
 

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
Guys, thank you so much. I don't have a Vita so I'll get it on PC. PSP version wasn't localized, right?
The PSN store version is for PSP, I think.
 

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
Oh really? Then I don't know if I should play it on PC or PSP. Guess I'll get where it's cheaper.
The PC version has HD assets, trophies, and other misc. fixes.

PSP is portable, graphics take a bit of a hit. It's entirely playable on PSP though (it was the original release after all)
 
Oh really? Then I don't know if I should play it on PC or PSP. Guess I'll get where it's cheaper.

PC

Better performance, higher resolution, most up to date translation, and The 3rd is PC exclusive, so if you'd like your saves to carry over across all the Trails in the Sky games it makes the most sense to start on PC.
 
The PC version has HD assets, trophies, and other misc. fixes.

PSP is portable, graphics take a bit of a hit. It's entirely playable on PSP though (it was the original release after all)

You know what, I think I'll just sell some Dota 2 itens and buy the PC version lol

PC

Better performance, higher resolution, most up to date translation, and The 3rd is PC exclusive, so if you'd like your saves to carry over across all the Trails in the Sky games it makes the most sense to start on PC.

Didn't know the saves carried over. Guess it settled then.
 
I am getting ready to play through SC, but it has been awhile since I've beaten FC and feel like I'm rusty on the story bits. Can somebody provide a quick recap of FC or simply correct and fill in any holes from what I remember? What I remember is in spoiler tags below; apologies if anything is incorrect.

SPOILERS FOR TRAILS IN THE SKY: FC

So basically what I remember of the game is that Estelle and Joshua are going from town to town doing quests for the Bracer guilds on their way to becoming full fledged bracers; which they become by the end.

Joshua was brought home as a child by Cassius and sort of adopted. Cassius is a a former war hero and now a badass Bracer who is off on a mission most of the game, but I can't recall what he was doing. I think he comes back right around the last boss though.

There is a plot to overthrow the Queen (queen of Liberl?) and replace her with the Duke, is that correct?

You end up going into some ancient ruins under the castle and fight some ancient weapon that was awoken by Colonel Richard, I think...I can't for the life of me remember what that ancient weapon was supposed to do or what Richard's goal was.

Game ends with Estelle confessing feelings to Joshua (or did she just have the intent to confess?), but then Joshua talks to Professor Alba and finds out about his assassin past. He confesses this to Estelle and then runs off back to be an assassin?

Also, I remember Olivier being an amusing and fun character.

So yeah, some of that could be horribly wrong, which is why I would greatly appreciate any corrections or if anybody can provide important plot points that I completely forgot. I just want to make sure my memory is all refreshed going into SC
 
I am getting ready to play through SC, but it has been awhile since I've beaten FC and feel like I'm rusty on the story bits. Can somebody provide a quick recap of FC or simply correct and fill in any holes from what I remember? What I remember is in spoiler tags below; apologies if anything is incorrect.

SPOILERS FOR TRAILS IN THE SKY: FC

So basically what I remember of the game is that Estelle and Joshua are going from town to town doing quests for the Bracer guilds on their way to becoming full fledged bracers; which they become by the end.

Joshua was brought home as a child by Cassius and sort of adopted. Cassius is a a former war hero and now a badass Bracer who is off on a mission most of the game, but I can't recall what he was doing. I think he comes back right around the last boss though.

There is a plot to overthrow the Queen (queen of Liberl?) and replace her with the Duke, is that correct?

You end up going into some ancient ruins under the castle and fight some ancient weapon that was awoken by Colonel Richard, I think...I can't for the life of me remember what that ancient weapon was supposed to do or what Richard's goal was.

Game ends with Estelle confessing feelings to Joshua (or did she just have the intent to confess?), but then Joshua talks to Professor Alba and finds out about his assassin past. He confesses this to Estelle and then runs off back to be an assassin?

Also, I remember Olivier being an amusing and fun character.

So yeah, some of that could be horribly wrong, which is why I would greatly appreciate any corrections or if anybody can provide important plot points that I completely forgot. I just want to make sure my memory is all refreshed going into SC

You have the gist of it.

Enough to go into SC with and pick up on specific details through context.
 

PK Gaming

Member
FC

The quests in this game are so goddamn good. One the quest tasked me with killing a monster near Ravennue Village. The thing is, I've never been to Ravennue Village and I assumed it would be a mandatory location i'd eventually run into... but no, you actually have to go and find it, and it's a genuinely fun experience. This game just nails the sense of exploration that most RPGs don't really have nowadays. It was fun just exploring the Bose region until I found the village, fighting enemies, gaining experience/items and getting stronger along the way. Resting at the inn was crazy satisfying after fighting monsters non-stop.

277C781E199689533E7A8DFB8C5AFFF726C22F87
7A730403513B9BBF008E391DEA53A149F92B35F1

The boss was pretty tough too

The act of playing FC is just so fun right now. It almost feels like a WRPG at times.
 
@Bentmywookie:

Use this lets play to reaclimate yourself if need be. It's basically word for word all the dialogue and some pics/gifs.

FC

The quests in this game are so goddamn good. One the quest tasked me with killing a monster near Ravennue Village. The thing is, I've never been to Ravennue Village and I assumed it would be a mandatory location i'd eventually run into... but no, you actually have to go and find it, and it's a genuinely fun experience. This game just nails the sense of exploration that most RPGs don't really have nowadays. It was fun just exploring the Bose region until I found the village, fighting enemies, gaining experience/items and getting stronger along the way. Resting at the inn was crazy satisfying after fighting monsters non-stop.



The act of playing FC is just so fun right now. It almost feels like a WRPG at times.

That it does; (well, computer RPG). It contextualizes that change in pace from console/over-focus tested games nicely.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
I just heard the news about the Zero fan translation being headed by three huge Kiseki fans. Great news. Gu4n now has to familiarize himself with more advanced English. :p So as you can see, we've gotten over the barrier after all! And uh, shattered the irritable illusion. I'd love to assist in editing where possible.

good news everyone
the zero translation is under new managerment
http://www.heroesoflegend.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=308&sid=8b7e6c7f70c6c2b47159babb5b946c65
edit: i saw someone already brought it up, but still this could be a nice Christmas gift if December is still happening
is it still happening btw Floofy?

Uh, wow. So I guess this fan translation is actually going to be worthwhile in the end.

Which version(s) will be patched? Wondering if I should import the Japanese PC version or PSP. I'd definitely prefer it on PC, but I don't know what's wrong with Falcom's version (DRM, performance problems, etc). If it's worse than just playing the PSP version on PPSSPP or similar I'd go with PSP.


And XSEED probably got the Ys script when it released on Vita, so that would give them a head start even if we only get the PS4 version in English.
 

duckroll

Member
Regarding party speculation for CS3, here's what we know so far from Kondo's Dengeki interview:

- The story picks up 1.5 years after the CS2 ending, Class VII has graduated and everyone has gone their separate ways (translation: this is just like how CS2 starts, with everyone split up and Rean on his own)

- Rean is still working under Osborne trying to find his own way. Based on the key art and the screens, he's probably still paired up with Altina

- Sara is no longer an instructor at Thors

- The two new characters in the key visual seem to be Thors students, but he doesn't comment on the actual nature of the uniform, the girl with green hair in one of the screens is a character who has a connection to Rean as well (translation: more harem bait zzzzzzzzzz)

- There will be returning characters from the Liberl games who will join the party

- A certain "someone" from the Crossbell games will have a role in the story

- Rean's remaining mysteries will be revealed

- The new Brave Order system has to do with commands Rean can issue so he's definitely the main character again lol


Here's what we can assume based on stuff from CS2 as well:

- Fie still has a big role to play if they're going to do story stuff regarding Zephyr

- Laura and Gauis are probably going to be involved in the story at some point if they want the rivalries to play out with those two generals they introduced in CS2

- If Altina is a party member, it seems unlikely Millium will be, but she'll probably play a role in Altina's storyline

- Elliot sucks no one gives a fuck about him (haha made you read!!!)
 
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