From: MalcolmMasher | #050
Not all advantages will be reflected by turncount, though, and I certainly don't like the implication that no other metric has significance. Is it impossible to improve on a LTC strategy in Talons Alight because any success is a 7-turn? Surely not!
Turns are the best metric since they're the only really solidly quantifiable thing to judge by (EXP doesn't even mean anything on its own, same with funds), everything else you can go by is ridiculously subjective to the point of being pretty impossible to judge (even reliability, what success rate makes a strategy good? Who knows?). The best part is that other factors are pretty much included anyway - if your strategy in one chapter prevented your units from leveling up so much that it slows you down in another, that will end up being reflected in the final turn count more effectively than any experience rank will demonstrate, since so much of that isn't even useful, it's just finding as much irrelevant busy work to do as possible (hence why staff users are extra good for ranked runs even when you're not in a game like FE5 where staffs are god, they can benefit your EXP rank while doing utterly irrelevant things).
By playing for Funds, you're giving up short-term advantages in return for long-term flexibility, both in and out of universe. Perhaps you give the first Speedwings to Alan while I hold it in reserve; later we find that Lance is one Speedwings short of some important ORKO. I can still get that KO, and if I was able to maintain parity in other departments despite my weaker Alan, then my skills are demonstrably superior.
Not really, since this is a faulty comparison - you're assuming that using resources earlier can't be done to any effect. Why are we assuming that you're using the Speedwings to get something useful while not assuming that I'm using the Speedwings for something useful as well? If we're equal in skill, then you're not going to maintaining parity, because I'll have used that Speedwings intelligently too, and its bonus will be in play longer, giving me more time to make use of it. I lose the ability to get a specific boost at a later date, sure, but I still get that same potential "must score big ORKO" opportunity and I also have the stronger team until you use it on your playthrough, assuming the RNG is being reasonably fair with each of us.
Now, in order to maximize Funds, you have to never use that Speedwings. Out of universe, that's fine, because it means you have beaten the Never Use That Speedwings Challenge.
I fail to see how this is a particularly interesting or enjoyable challenge <_<
In-universe, who is to say that you know ahead of time when the final battle will be, and what you'll need to win it? It's best to hold your resources until emergencies, so that when emergencies inevitably happen, you are prepared.
In-universe, you don't get to reset the game either, and you don't know emergencies until they're too late (the player can know to bring along a Luna tome to FE7 Final but Hector and co. certainly don't know what they're about to fight). Saving on weapon uses is one thing, but stat boosters provide a permanent boost that is always in play, it makes your army stronger and doesn't run out. Gems are even worse since to get the best Funds rank you can't even use them to do anything other than look pretty.
Character limit reached, holy long post Batman!
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Mistake you're making - overlooking the fact that we might not want to be saved.