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Monster sprite frames crack

Started by jimmyjw88, September 27, 2009, 10:03:01 am

jimmyjw88

September 27, 2009, 10:03:01 am Last Edit: September 27, 2009, 10:42:31 am by jimmyjw88
Hi guys, I've look at monster sprites for awhile now and just wondering if want to make a new monster sprite, how do we crack the frames that are used for its attacks, skills, and etc?

Here's what I've got so far...

Coeurl/Cougar as example:


So, as you can see from the above, scratch and poison nail used the same frames. So, if we were to create a new monster sprite, is there a way to crack this, like let's say example, make it use different frames for the poison nail skill, frames that we custom-made, extra frames that we extend at the bottom? Is this have something to do with hex editing?

EDIT: Sorry for posting at the wrong section.
Kindly upload the images to other image hosting sites. I can't view imageshack. Thanks.

MiKeMiTchi

September 27, 2009, 10:06:05 am #1 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by MiKeMiTchi
Does this apply to all MON sprites?
Jot5 GFX Designer :: Spriter :: Mitchi

jimmyjw88

September 27, 2009, 10:09:28 am #2 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by jimmyjw88
Well, I'm not sure about that actually.  haven't check them all yet. Sorry. I think only this monster that used same frames and I know Minotaur don't use the same frames for its attacks; Shake Off - a set of frames, Wave Around another set of frames and etc. Hmm....I'll go check it out. Sorry for providing insufficient infos.

EDIT: So far, Ghost, Ariman, Treant, Dragon have shorter spritesheet. The rest monsters' spritesheet are long, like this Coeurl.

EDIT: Alright, I took a look at the rest of the monsters' spritesheet and perhaps not applied to all monsters' sprites but it applied to some of them.
Kindly upload the images to other image hosting sites. I can't view imageshack. Thanks.

MiKeMiTchi

September 27, 2009, 10:16:11 am #3 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by MiKeMiTchi
Hmm.. Maybe we could also make the spritesheets of Ghost, Ariman, Treant, Dragon longer like coeurl!?
Jot5 GFX Designer :: Spriter :: Mitchi

jimmyjw88

September 27, 2009, 10:28:18 am #4 Last Edit: September 27, 2009, 11:10:10 am by jimmyjw88
I think that would be great because more attack animations but problem is how are the frames set for each of the skills and attacks? I'm not sure how which is why a problem. Ghost, Ariman, Treant, Dragon, Hydra used same frames for certain skills, like all the three attacks for Ghost used that normal attack frames (I think), then Ahriman, used same frames for Look of Devil, Look of Fright, Death Sentence (which is that Charge frame, I think); Same goes for Treant and Dragon and Hydra. Well, Hydra used same frames for Triple Attack and Triple Flame.
Anyway, if we can determine how the frames are set, then we can create extra frames for all the attacks and skills of the monsters and split those monsters that used same frames for their attacks and skills. Look at Steel Giant, such long spritesheet...Hmm...
Kindly upload the images to other image hosting sites. I can't view imageshack. Thanks.

MiKeMiTchi

September 27, 2009, 10:33:53 am #5 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by MiKeMiTchi
This should be in the General Hacking section then.
I think this does something when editing the skills..

I'm not good at hacking, so let's pass this to the hexorz.
Jot5 GFX Designer :: Spriter :: Mitchi

jimmyjw88

September 27, 2009, 10:41:06 am #6 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by jimmyjw88
Me neither ^^
Yeah, sorry about posting at the wrong section. Hope someone can move it there. ^^
Kindly upload the images to other image hosting sites. I can't view imageshack. Thanks.

Setzer

September 27, 2009, 11:55:16 am #7 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Setzer
Every MON have the same frames until the first protrait.
Down there are their unique abilities frames, wich arent even part of the main sprite. (they're SP2).
The only difference between a normal MON and a Lucavi MON is that the Lucavi doesnt have a dead frame. Instead, they have a casting frame.

I thought the SP2 frames had a pattern, but I was wrong.
Some have 4 frames por animation, e others have 5.
Problably the ability animation determine how many it will use.

Cheetah

September 27, 2009, 03:06:24 pm #8 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Cheetah
I believe this is how these work, correct me if I'm wrong someone. The order and sequence of a specific animation is assigned set up in the MON.SEQ and MON.SHP file in the battle folder. Which animation that is actually used for a particular attack is assigned in FFTPatcher I believe (or can be edited there). I would look at the thread in the hacking thread on attack animations for more info.

So... basically it is all put together really jumbled and a certain animation might work for a couple monster sprites but be a completely different attack for each of them. This is a decent idea and by doing this you will help identify animations and potentially this could all be put into ShiShi with an extra designation say which animations work with which monster.
Current Projects:

Vanya

September 27, 2009, 04:30:12 pm #9 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Vanya
That's right, Cheetah.
Plus remember that MON type sprites can also have .sp2 files.
That is why some monsters have more animations than others.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
¯\(°_0)/¯

Seushiro

September 27, 2009, 05:57:15 pm #10 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Seushiro
With that MON.SEQ and MON.SHP if edited correctly even humans can be placed in Monster sprite frames to have special animations like kicking and jumpslash?

Vanya

September 27, 2009, 07:51:22 pm #11 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Vanya
Well, the problem with that is that we have like zero documentation about how .SEQ & .SHP work.
Plus we don't currently have any way to add new .SP2 files for units that don't already have one.
Take the coeurl sprite, the cat kick animation is in it's .SP2 file. Right now if you made a new MON type sprite that looks human it's basic movement and attack images would be ok, but any extended animations are up in the air. No idea how they would be handled.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
¯\(°_0)/¯

Cheetah

September 27, 2009, 08:02:44 pm #12 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Cheetah
Yeah there isn't an easy way to do it I think Seushiro, you couldn't really fit a human into a monster sprite format anyways since they are in pieces. Also don't forget that part of the human sprites are compressed. We are a long ways away to adding additional graphics and animations I think.
Current Projects:

Vanya

September 27, 2009, 08:07:25 pm #13 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Vanya
Well, if you are using the expansion patch or allowing the new shishi to 'reorganize' the ISO the newly replaced .spr files are no longer compressed. At least they all seem to be the same size as the WotL files.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
¯\(°_0)/¯

Seushiro

September 27, 2009, 09:17:31 pm #14 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Seushiro
* I gave up messing with the files. . . Shishi cannot even replace a type 1 to Mon and could not import SP2 on sprites u want to convert as Mon.

Vanya

September 27, 2009, 10:53:00 pm #15 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Vanya
Here's some info from about shishi that should be kept in mind:

Quote from: "Shishi read me"When you open a brand new PSX ISO, the program will ask if you want to restructure the ISO. You must select "OK" to continue. This will rearrange the contents of the ISO so that you can use 65536 bytes for every sprite and allow you to use a unique spritesheet for all 0x99 sprites

Quote from: "Shishi read me"*.SPR files:
These contain 16 16-color palettes and an image that is 256 pixels wide, with
variable height. Some of the data in the SPR file is compressed. The program should detect it and decompress it. When you save it will compress what it needs to automatically.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
¯\(°_0)/¯

Seushiro

September 27, 2009, 11:07:09 pm #16 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Seushiro
I know that. . . what I mean is example Ramza Sprite to a Mon type Sprite. . . but only the first SPR can be placed cannot add other SP2 into it. . . unless i replace the original .SPR in the ISo with the mon that I want but not sure. . .

Oh yeah the unique spritesheet is just = to the length of 1 huma and the original sprite of a Monter without the SP2. . .

Vanya

September 27, 2009, 11:12:53 pm #17 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Vanya
Like I said before, you can't add sp2 files unless they already had them.
You can only make new monsters have basic animations.
There's no way around it unless someone figures out how to add .sp2 files and correctly link them to .spr files.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
¯\(°_0)/¯

Seushiro

September 27, 2009, 11:22:14 pm #18 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by Seushiro
So If I copy the Sprite of the Monster I want and replace a Human Sprite is the CD/ ISO itself it still cant put SP2 or detect that it is a Monster sprite?

jimmyjw88

September 28, 2009, 12:06:37 am #19 Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by jimmyjw88
Quote from: "Vanya"Here's some info from about shishi that should be kept in mind:

Quote from: "Shishi read me"When you open a brand new PSX ISO, the program will ask if you want to restructure the ISO. You must select "OK" to continue. This will rearrange the contents of the ISO so that you can use 65536 bytes for every sprite and allow you to use a unique spritesheet for all 0x99 sprites
About this Vanya, does this means that those unused sprite slot can be use now, like that Celia and Lede (unused)?
Also, any luck on those "????" slots? And another question is why are there 5 Male Squires sprite slots? (Sorry for asking at the wrong section)

And about Sp2.file, is it possible that we just extend the length of the spritesheet and custom-made the attack animation that we desire and there's the SP2? Does it work like that? Also, can we use Steel Giant's Sp2 to make the extending work?
Kindly upload the images to other image hosting sites. I can't view imageshack. Thanks.