Can we use the Echo to explain game mechanics?

[Sabindurain]

This thought game to me a while back, with the power of the Echo and it's seemingly unlimited potential, could we use it to explain how certain things in the game works besides instead of just throwing it to just game design? We know this to already be somewhat true with the Echo buff in some raids, it can grant us power as well as foresight.



Example 1: Avoiding telegraphed attacks.

We know that the Echo can grant us visions of the future, so it's reasonable to assume that it can tell us in advance when a very powerful attack is about to happen, and how far we need to move to avoid it. They have a mechanic like this in a Wii game called "Xenoblade Chronicles" where we would get visions of an upcoming attack that could kill one of your teammates, and you had a limited time to prevent it from happening. I believe that because of the Echo we can seemingly move and react faster then any enemy that rises before us.



Example 2: Knowing boss strategies

There are no real examples I could give from any MMO that can explain how hero's can go into a bosses lair, and know exactly how to counter him and how to avoid and deal with all his moves and other thing. With the Echo, I think we can also reasonably explain that, once again, it grants us knowledge ether during or before a fight that allows us to see what's coming, and being closely linked to your team around you, allows you to coordinate and move as one. To lesser adventures who choose to ignore their powers of perception( AKA, people who don't look up fights in advance >.<) will be punished and killed, or maybe they only get visions of them failing until they finally get it right? Something to think about.



Example 3: Running older content

The echo can also allow us to look into the past to see events, but can it allow us to relive and reply content who have already done? I think with Echo, we can explain why we can go back to dungeons we have cleared out already, and can mentally play though it to gain more experience. Now I know what your saying "If we are just reliving the past, how can we still get loot?" And my answer to you is.....it's just a game, you can't explain everything away with lore and such you know?

[Morningstar1337]

Example 1: Avoiding telegraphed attacks.

We know that the Echo can grant us visions of the future, so it's reasonable to assume that it can tell us in advance when a very powerful attack is about to happen, and how far we need to move to avoid it. They have a mechanic like this in a Wii game called "Xenoblade Chronicles" where we would get visions of an upcoming attack that could kill one of your teammates, and you had a limited time to prevent it from happening. I believe that because of the Echo we can seemingly move and react faster then any enemy that rises before us.

The Echo cannot predict the future. Ergo the telegraphed attacks may have a tell that extremely obvious to the characters.

Example 2: Knowing boss strategies

There are no real examples I could give from any MMO that can explain how hero's can go into a bosses lair, and know exactly how to counter him and how to avoid and deal with all his moves and other thing. With the Echo, I think we can also reasonably explain that, once again, it grants us knowledge ether during or before a fight that allows us to see what's coming, and being closely linked to your team around you, allows you to coordinate and move as one. To lesser adventures who choose to ignore their powers of perception( AKA, people who don't look up fights in advance >.<) will be punished and killed, or maybe they only get visions of them failing until they finally get it right? Something to think about.

Again. cannot predict the future. It could work if we saw the bosses fighting style but that requires getting close to the boss or someone who had seen the boss fight and the echo working. Judging from the lack of chronic headaches everytime one enters a dungeon. That is clearly not the case.

Example 3: Running older content

The echo can also allow us to look into the past to see events, but can it allow us to relive and reply content who have already done? I think with Echo, we can explain why we can go back to dungeons we have cleared out already, and can mentally play though it to gain more experience. Now I know what your saying "If we are just reliving the past, how can we still get loot?" And my answer to you is.....it's just a game, you can't explain everything away with lore and such you know?

I don't think it's possible to relived your own memories

[Enkidoh]

Morningstar is right on all counts - although SE has been using the term 'the Echo' to describe the potent buff given if you fail a quest battle/trial/dungeon and then repeat it, it's effectively just flavour text and has no connection to the actual storyline. The Echo itself is simply a psychic ability that allows a person to view another person's memories, (rarely), understand another language that they've never learned, and also protect them from a Primal's corrupting influence.

The Echo isn't actually sending the player through time, they're basically in a dream, viewing another people's memories in a semi-waking state. Hence, because of this, they cannot view the future, because the future hasn't happened, no memory exists of the event and thus, no Echo trip to the future.