Control All Units (Converting a code from Vanilla to WotL)

[meltorefas]

I am just now coming back to War of the Lions, since it *seems* to be working on the current version of PPSSPP. Finding this website has been great, and I am already really enjoying the FFTPatcher. I am fairly confident I can replicate all the gameshark style codes I used to use on the PSX version of the game (editing jobs and stats and such).

The only exception thus far is unfortunately also one of my all time favorites, the 'Control All Units' code. I have spent the last 3-4 hours or so looking around via google, the forums, and forum search, but I have not found any mention of how to (or even if it would be possible to) convert this code for use with WotL. Now, it seems I could replicate this by going through line by line in the ENTDs and flagging each enemy with Control. If That's the only way, I'll do it, but it certainly isn't ideal.

So, if anyone could tell me whether or not converting this code to work with WotL would be possible (and if so, the method by which it would be done), or if there is an easier way of flagging all the enemies/guests as controllable, I would appreciate the help.

Sorry if the answer to this is covered somewhere, I did my best to find it. And hopefully this post is coherent... I am very sick.

The old PSX code, for reference (not made by me):

spoiler

301908D1 0098     
30190A91 0098
30190C51 0098
30190E11 0098
30190FD1 0098
30191191 0098
30191351 0098
30191511 0098
301916D1 0098
30191891 0098

30191A51 0098
30191C11 0098
30191DD1 0098
30191F91 0098
30192151 0098
30192311 0098

[Angel]

Short answer is yes.

Long answer is, if you find the first byte in the first line in that list in the game's memory, the others should be in the same place relative to the first. Emphasis is on should, because WotL uses the Japanese version of the PSX original as a base, and a fair share of hacks were thrown in. But that code is broken as hell due to the lazy and uninformed way it was made, and is better off being done in ASM (which won't happen, since nobody ASM hacks WotL).

The job- and stat-related mods are also better to be done in Patcher by modifying the game directly, rather than using an obtuse amount of constant writes in RAM. It's quicker, easier, and you have a pretty little GUI to do it all in rather than typing in a thousand lines of addresses and values. If you prefer the latter for old time's sake, it's still very much feasible. Just cross-reference the old hacking guide; the values haven't changed, which makes searching for the proper addresses simple.

Edit: flagging every enemy with Control will work, and is the cleanest way of accomplishing your goal in a non-buggy way. Also less time consuming than learning how to ASM hack the game.

[meltorefas]

Hmm, what exactly is buggy about the code? It worked flawlessly back in the days I used it for the PSX version.

Depending on what's so buggy about it, I might actually go looking for that first line. Control flagging everyone will take a long time. On the other hand, it has been awhile since I did anything like this. I mean, I created a few codes myself once upon a time, but it has been... many years, so I would basically be starting over.

Regardless, thanks for your answer! And yeah, I DEFINITELY intend to use patches for my stat and job editing, that was what I meant (I can see where that would sound like I meant to use it to create memory hacks, but no, I definitely intend to patch). FFTPatcher is awesome.

(Unrelated, but I saw in another thread you had a notebook of FFT codes once, now lost. I think I still have my giant stack of papers from that game. Coolest thing I ever did was figure out how to meld human and monster chars so monsters could use jobs and equipment. Had a Living Bone Dark Knight, very fun.)

[Angel]

The problem with the code is pretty simple - it writes values that aren't always applicable and can cause errors and occasional crashes. It works most of the time, and usually flawlessly, but it likes to cause problems on the zodiac monster battles especially. It even caused graphical glitches on a few maps. To make it work as it's written, it needs a whole mess of conditionals, to the point that it would work far better as an ASM hack (and with far fewer lines of code).

Also, sorry for the late reply; I started typing this when I got home yesterday, but I got distracted by a certain Xifanie. She is pretty distracting...

And yeah, I used to have many many pages on nothing but FFT poking and prodding. Some of it got put on a very old (486) laptop that didn't come CLOSE to surviving through to today, but pretty much all of it was lost forever. Save for some random junk I didn't delete from an old GS Pro, anyway. None of which is noteworthy, that I remember.

[meltorefas]

Hm, I never encountered any of those errors. Lucky me, I guess!

And no worries about the delay. I didn't even check before today, been too sick. Also too sick to figure out how to find the updated addresses, so I have resigned myself to the task of ticking a billion check-boxes in FFTPatcher. Thanks for your replies, they've been very helpful!