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New Naval Battle Info
A lot of new information has been released concerning the naval battles in Suikoden 4. Specifically, a bunch of stats relating to naval combat has been released. Take a look.
Ship Stats
Flag: Shows what flag the ship sails under.
Movement: Shows the speed of the ship.
Endurance: Shows how much the ship can withstand attacks.
Range: Shows the range of the ship's cannon.
For example, a Gaien warship shows the following--
Flag: Gaien
Movement: 3
Endurance: 15
Range: 3
This means different ships would affect the battle in ways that would expand the player's tactical options.
Also, each ship displays information on who is aboard in the following format--
Captain: The captain of the ship
Rune Cannon: The character who mans the rune cannon
Combatant: Characters who are designated combatants in hand-to-hand combat.
Troops: The number of troops on board.
For example, the following has been seen in a magazine--
Captain: Snowe
Rune Cannon: Keneth (Lightning Rune)
Combatant: Hero, Tal, Paula, Jewel.
Troops: 50.
Furthermore, each character has naval battle-specific stats, which come in the following categories--
HP: The amount of damage the unit can take before being defeated.
Attack: The attack power of the unit.
Defense: The defensive power of the unit.
Troops: Troops allocated to the unit
The example in the magazine shows the following stats for the hero's unit--
HP: 10
Attack: 15
Defense: 5
Defense: 12
Based on this limited information, it seems like naval battles are not purely based on cannon-fire. At some point in battle, characters will likely lead their troops to board enemy vessels.
Multiple Parties!
Dengeki PS has stated that "After the story progresses for a while, you will be able to form more than one party." This means, despite the fact that you can only have 4 combat characters/party, there'd still be the chance to experiment with numerous characters.
It seems like parties can be switched in a status menu by pushing either the L1 or R1 button.
Support Characters
I mentioned this a bit back, but support characters will be back in Suikoden 4. If you remember, support members provided bonuses to your combat party, such as how Jeane was able to help speed up your party's spell-casting speed, and how Tuta healed your party after each battle. This would be exactly the same in Suikoden 4, which means each party would have 5 characters including the support member.
Headquarters Info
A lot of info on the headquarters has been released--here are some of the shops and other features we already know of--
- Jeane's Shop: The rune shop where you can remove, attach, and purchase rune crystals.
- Bath: A bath that looks like an authentic Japanese public bath. A man in a yellow jacket sits at the entrance.
- Appraiser: This shop is right next to Jeane's shop. A man in blue, Japanese-style clothes is seen.
- Raffle Booth: Based on a sign seen in a magazine, it seems likely they will have raffling booths in Suikoden 4. Coupled with the fact that Chiepoo had what can possibly be seen as a raffle ticket, this seems likely. The shop seems to be managed by a chubby old man with white hair, wearing brown clothes and a light-blue vest.
- ? Shop: An unknown shop with a sign that displays a bloated bag. Perhaps it’s the vault or an item shop.
- Mermaid's Shop: The shop run by Leelin. What's being sold there is uncertain, but Famitsu PS2 states, "they probably sell something related to the sea."
- Mao's Room Probably not a shop, but it is a room filled with mushrooms.
A lot of new info has been released about the HQ, but we still don't know what the HQ actually is. One thing for sure is that all of the pictures seen so far features structures and backgrounds that are completely wooden, and the ceilings are all low. Furthermore, Famitsu PS2 stated, "Who knows if the HQ would even be a castle??" Also, in what appears to be a party-selection scene, the choice to "save" and "anchor ship" are seen. This seems to point towards the HQ being a ship.
One thing fans of previous Suikodens would be happy about is that the "Castle Level" system will be back. Those familiar with Suikoden 1 and 2 would recall that the HQ increased in size as more members were recruited. In Suikoden 3, that system didn't exist much to the dismay of the fans. As stated by Konami, "the HQ will grow as you recruit more people" in Suikoden 4. This is great news, isn't it?
Character Info
Some tidbits have been released concerning characters--
Sigurd
He is an ex-soldier and used to command a fleet under a regional lord. Apparently he lost a battle and ended up lost in the sea--and then was found by Kika.
Harvey
He was wounded in battle a long time ago, and was found by Kika.
Mao
A shady character in a lab-coat and wearing goggles. The room he is found in is covered with mushrooms. It seems like he is an uninvited guest in the HQ, and is found by the hero. It seems like he has something to do with mushrooms--and perhaps this has something to do with the "Mushroom Army" which has been seen in the Suikoden 1-style mass combat screenshot.
Shiramine & Ugetsu
Shiramine is Ugetsu's senior, he is a kind man. Ugetsu is good at fishing with a rod.
Torpe
A man with a stern expression, wearing what looks like white Japanese-style clothes. He notices some odd presence in the HQ and asks the hero to investigate, which leads to the discovery of Mao.
Riciae
Previously I said this character is male, but she is female. Actually, she has been referred to as "triangle mom" in my character list. However, we don't know if she is actually Rakghi's mom. She has the "healing" skill as a support character.
This info was assmbled with the generous help of Kai from Gensui Kouryaku Shinsho, a Japanese fansite.
Written by SARSadmin
July 12th, 2004