New to modding /w project concept; pointers appreciated! (Resolved)

[OveliaAtkascha]

So I actually JUST got my PSP usb cord and CFW installed today, all because I found this website a little over a week ago while looking to see if PSP cheat codes were a thing.  I'd always wanted to add to or modify the original game, ever since I beat the original and found out that was all there was, but I never knew it was actually possible without a game development crew and a ton of money.  Needless to say, I'm excited by what I've seen on FFHacktics.

I've been reading through the forums and tutorials on the website trying to piece together ideas and figure out the basics of tweaking the game, but I've run into a bit of a wall with the main thing I wanted to accomplish first.  My idea for a FFTactics mod has always revolved around playing the game from the perspective of the Shrine Knights/Knights Templar, since I thought it was a shame that Ramza didn't actually have the option to join them after all their begging    With that said, I wanted to start off by making a 'simple' mod where Ramza was replaced by Ovelia - in sprite, name, class, etc.  I found out how to mod the Princess class to my liking, so that it was able to cast a few white mage spells, but after a few attempts and reading through some threads on the forums here, I've found that it's not possible to completely replace him without some hex editing?  All of the discussions I'd seen were a few years old and not definitively answered at the time, so I'm not sure if it's a common trick these days.

Ultimately I intend to delve into the more complex facets of modding the game as I push to bring life to the story adaptation I'd been holding onto all these years and would greatly appreciate any pointers or even just advice on which aspect of modding I should focus on first, but I'd really like some help with my first project: kick Ramza out of my mod and put Ovelia in his place!

Thanks for taking the time to read this; I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone and gain some momentum with this project!

[3lric]

Ultimately I intend to delve into the more complex facets of modding the game as I push to bring life to the story adaptation I'd been holding onto all these years and would greatly appreciate any pointers or even just advice on which aspect of modding I should focus on first, but I'd really like some help with my first project: kick Ramza out of my mod and put Ovelia in his place!

Thanks for taking the time to read this; I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone and gain some momentum with this project!

If you've read the forum then you know this isn't possible on the PSP version. You'll need to mod the PSX version if you want to do this. Those who make tools and mods do not work with the PSP version because, well, we hate it. So nothing was ever developed for it. The best you will be able to do with WotL is some skill and character placement adjustments, however it will still be a vanilla mod. If you are trying to make a story mod then you will need to use the PSX version of FFT.

Secondly, if you want to start a project, you will need to work a bit on your own first. We are a VERY small community and much of the active community is either working on Jot5, or their own mods. I can tell you right now that even on Jot5 we have issues finding anyone new to help us out. IF you are looking to build a team then you will need to first put out a buttload of (VISUAL) work to get people interested in helping you.

This is in no way meant to deter you from working on this, we are here to help and give advice/answer questions, but when it comes to actually -MAKING- the mod, you will be largely on your own until you have a lot to show for it. And if you insist on modding WotL, you are gonna have a bad time and a sad reality check

Speaking of, you may want to use this:

http://rc.ffhacktics.com/

[OveliaAtkascha]

Thank you for the detailed response!  I apologize for mine being a bit succinct as I'm replying on my phone from work, but I think I'll avoid using that website as I have not fleshed out nearly enough of what needs to be changed in order to pull my mod off.  At this point I'm just learning the methods used to achieve it by playing with FFTPatcher and other tools.  I like to learn the science before I appy it, if that makes sense.

However, I completely understand the logic behind using the PSX version now that you mention it.  Most of the threads I read mentioned that they used the PSX version, but I did not know why the preference until now.  I'll continue working with what I'm learning and simply apply it on the easier option.

Once again, my apologies for the hasty response, but phone posting isn't as convenient!  I'll play with your suggestions later.  To completely replace Ramza on the PSX version, is the hex editing required or can I hold off on teaching myself to do that?

[3lric]

It's fine, a lot of my posts here are done on my phone as well.

AFAIK you shouldn't have to do any Hex editing to replace Ramza, unless there is something I'm forgetting, most of what you need should be in Ravens Workbooks,

[OveliaAtkascha]

Okay, I'll take a look into that and see what I can get done.

As far as the concept for my own mod, I'll take the time to flesh out what exactly I want to do and get changed so I can more effectively ask for pointers.  Already, I know that I want to make the enemies myself so that they are customized to a certain difficulty and more varied, instead of the hijinks that tend to arise from randomized enemies.  In the first Dorter map, a knight with monk abilities and wizards with heals would be a prime example.  May have to raise the amount of JP available to them, but I'll figure that out as I go.  Other than that, just having a story that follows the Shrine Knights will probably involve needing to edit all the battles and cutscenes.  I'm sure that will be involved, if not outright impossible.

But yeah, once I have a more solid concept, I'll know where to get started and ask for more specific pointers as I run into problems.

Thanks again for all of your help.