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Modding FFT

Started by Doxus, December 13, 2016, 01:05:39 pm

Doxus

December 13, 2016, 01:05:39 pm Last Edit: December 14, 2016, 08:52:18 am by Doxus
I have started modding FFT and still have a few questions, so here we go:

Party
What's the blank slots for NPCs?
Is the max slot number 16 units? Can I handle with it as using "permanent guests"?
How many time a guest can be in my party?
Can I use guests in normal battles?
Can I control guests?

Battle
Can I battle with more than 5 units per time? If affimative, how can I do it? Can you give me instructions for doing it? If not, do know anyone who can?
How can I know what I'm changing in in-battle ability effects in FFTPatcher columns?
Why marking that columns?
Can I edit the area of abilities?I saw it can be done in FFTPatcher
Can I give more movability to classes? How can I do this? Can you give me instructions? If not, do know anyone who can?

Classes
Can I create a way of "job changing" monsters? If affirmative, how can I do this?
Is the max job number for normal human units 20? Can I add slots? If affirmative, how can I do this? Can you give me instructions? If not, do know anyone who can?I saw it in FFTPatcher, the dancer is a female bard and vice-versa
How do special jobs work? Can I only input them on NPCs? Or can I get soldiers frm soldiers office with special jobs? If possible, how can I do this?
Why all that Squires (sprites) in ShiShi?

Monsters
I saw that there's a lot of slots non-used for monsters in ShiShi, can I edit it to "increase" the number of possible monsters?
For being direct to the point, let's say I wanna have 5 kinds of chocobos, can I do this? How to edit this? Can you give me instructions? If not, do know anyone who can?
I saw that we have only 2 kinds of demons and a lot of empty slots in ShiShi, can I edit these slots and add something new for being usable? How can I do this?

Modding
What slots are currently "blank" for having formation sprites? I mean stuff non-used as Simon's sprites and this kind of stuff.
What things can I consider as blank slots for adding something new?

Effects
Can I insert more in-battle ability effects? Or just edit the pre-existing ones? Can I combine two ability effects into one? Example: can I add a new black-ice effect for Stasis Sword. Note: I don't want to replace the Stasis Sword in-battle visual effects, I wanna add a new ablity with Stasis Sword's ice effect with a effect with a black-coloured ice. Is it possible? If affimative, can you give me instructions or tips for doing it?

Items
How can I edit item sprites? Is there a program for doing it? If is there any program, what's the easier to use?
Is there items that I can consider as blank slots?
Can I edit item categories? Example: can I edit "Knightswords" for making them be "Greatswords"?This can be done by just using FFText
Can I edit how items get equipped? Example: making one-hand weapons forced to be two-handed?I saw it in FFTPatcher

Abilities
How can I insert new features for abilities? What tool would I use for it?
Let's do an example: I want an ability for giving units the ability of equipping 2 two-handed tagged weapons and having a damage debuff, like equipping them an receiving 33% more damage from all sources. Consider this to answer the question above.

Chapters
How can I compress chapters for adding stuff? Is there blank slots for it and so, under a limit I wouldn't need to compress anything?

Coding
What is "coding"? FFTOrgASM has something to do with it?Part of this question is answered in the other topic
By coding, how can I know what letters will add a thing? Is there complete tables for the hexadecimal codes?
What's does mean a hexadecimal line? A ability for example?
What's my limits for hexadecimal lines? Is there limits?
Can I add more features beyond the list of FFTOrgASM through the FFTOrgASM?
How do "Fury" works? I don't understand the explation in FFTOrgASM.

Shops
What features can I add to shops?
How can I change shop sprites? Is it possible? What tools to use? Can you step by step or just give me instructions?
What can I do with fur shop? Can I add more functions to it? How? What tool to use? Can you step by step or just give me instructions?
How do Synth Shop works? How can I add this to my mod? Is it possible? If possible, I'll give the credits to Xifanie for it.

Chatting
How can I chat with someone here of the forums? I can't find anyone in mibbit/no one answer me in mibbit. Answered
  • Modding version: PSX

Angel

Quote from: Doxus on December 13, 2016, 01:05:39 pm
Chatting
How can I chat with someone here of the forums? I can't find anyone in mibbit/no one answer me in mibbit.

I have no idea how you found the years-dead Esper channel, but that is not where we chat. Look toward the top of the screen you're on. See the mibbit link there? If not, Ctrl+F for 'MIBBIT (IRC)' and click there - it should take you to the correct server (irc.ffhacktics.com). It's not always lively, but there are people there.
  • Modding version: PSX
* Angel should quit being a lazy bitch
<@Elric> I agree to that as well

nyanyame nyanyajuu nyanyado no nyarabide nyakunyaku inyanyaku nyanyahan nyanyadai nyannyaku nyarabete nyaganyagame
At the end of the day, are we not all trapped inside lemons?

Xifanie

Before you post 133 questions again, how about you read the answers provided in your previous topic? Those 55 questions, that, by the way, you have copy/pasted into this topic?

I also invite everyone to not answer these questions until Doxus has removed the appropriately answered questions from his topic.
  • Modding version: PSX
Love what you're seeing? https://supportus.ffhacktics.com/ 💜 it's really appreciated

Anything is possible as long as it is within the hardware's limits. (ie. disc space, RAM, Video RAM, processor, etc.)
<R999> My target market is not FFT mod players
<Raijinili> remember that? it was awful

Angel

To reiterate, generally speaking, you cannot add anything* to the game. You can edit, you can re-assign, and in some cases condense to make room, but you cannot add anything. To add anything would take a very talented and very dedicated programmer, with a lot of free time.

* There's room for more events, for example, but that's for another time. Anything you're currently asking about and wanting to accomplish, the answer is no.

With apologies to my wife for directly disobeying her.  I've been a bad girl.  Spank me~
  • Modding version: PSX
* Angel should quit being a lazy bitch
<@Elric> I agree to that as well

nyanyame nyanyajuu nyanyado no nyarabide nyakunyaku inyanyaku nyanyahan nyanyadai nyannyaku nyarabete nyaganyagame
At the end of the day, are we not all trapped inside lemons?

Nyzer

Your questions cover a massive range of topics. Everything from Patcher edits to spriting to eventing to changing battle graphics to ASM (the big one).

One of the answers I gave you in your previous topic was to start your modding adventure by opening FFTPatcher and tinkering with it. You can do a lot of editing with just the Patcher alone (followed by Tactext to change names and descriptions).

Add in everything else you're asking about, and whatever you're planning changes from a couple-month project to a several-year one.

You can't just dive into all of this. Take it slow, start with the easier tools, and learn what reasonable expectations are for a mod project.

And if you had been tinkering with the Patcher and testing things out like I suggested, you'd have several of these questions answered already. Such as: "How do innate abilities work". You slap on the Support/Movement passives as job innate abilities and then that job has them forever. You could have figured out that much in a couple minutes of patching and testing, plus whatever time you spend on any more specific questions on that subject. It's honestly taking me just as much time simply to type that to you as it would for you to have tested it already.
Then I see the question "Can I edit how items get equipped? Example: making one-hand weapons forced to be two-handed?" and I just think... did you even look at the Item tab in the Patcher?

Then you ask something like "Can I create new [abilities]?" and I'm thinking, man, did you even look at the multiple responses I gave you in the last topic?

You've missed some of the answers I've already given. You don't seem to be taking a serious look at the Patcher and giving it a spin, like you should be. And you have no idea what's realistically feasible for your mod. Adding new chapters? Coding? New CG scenes? Holy crap, dude. Learn to crawl before you walk, let alone try to pilot a spaceship.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown

Doxus

December 14, 2016, 07:43:33 am #5 Last Edit: December 14, 2016, 09:16:59 am by Doxus
I didn't see it was being disrespectful.
I'm really sorry with all people that I could hurt, and again, thanks for support and for helping me.
I'm going too fast with things, I need to breath, sit... relax, and go modding part-to-part.
What was happening is that I was lost in a lot of info and was not getting the right way of using it.
The worst problem with my project is that I'm alone doing it all. I'm trying to teach my brother how to do it and so it'll be a project of two people. Anyway, thanks for all you all are doing for me.

Anyway, can I go and ask my questions just in a topic?
What's better, asking in main post or posting my questions?
  • Modding version: PSX

Emmy

Most of these questions can be answered by tinkering with Patcher.  Patcher is 95% easy to use, and the other 5% are hardcoded things that you eventually learn about through tinkering with Patcher (many of which have an ASM fix for).  Many of the other questions, you need to learn eventing or ASM; possibly learning the basics of these to even understand a proper answer to your questions.. <_<

Party:

There is a buggy asm hack somewhere here that uses the guest slots as party slots.  You need to remove all instances of guests appearing in formation (via events and patcher) to use it, and even then it still has some issues.  If you use a unit from slots 17-20, it'll prompt to rejoin after every battle.  It also doesn't seem to play well with monsters (not even giving you the option to choose them if they're using non-vanilla moveset slots).  Controllable guests is a patcher change.

Battle:

Only way to battle with more than 5 is through guest units.  The rest of those questions either are part of patcher or i have no idea what you're asking. :(

Classes:

Monsters can't change jobs.  The only way to get something like that is if you make them not a monster in the code (assign male or female) and use a monster-like sprite, replacing a special character for it.  They will be able to change from their base class to the generic classes.  Changing the soldier office to buy more than just squires is what this is for: http://ffhacktics.com/smf/index.php?topic=10622.0  Characters with special jobs will replace the squire with their special job. 

Monsters:

You need to replace unused class slots from elsewhere to create 5 different types of chocobo.  The other chocobos are not poachable, not breedable, but otherwise will function.  Most of the empty sprites in Shishi can be replaced with something else, though you also need to change their formation sprite to make them look right if playable.

Modding:

Up to you. :)

Effects: 

I know I saw that answered somewhere else...

Items:

Not 100% sure if you mean editing the look of the item (which you need Photoshop), or editing which graphic is used by which item (which you need Item Workbook Compilation, from Raven's spreadsheets).  Again, blank slots are up to you. :) 

Chapters:

No idea what you mean by "compress" but you can add/subtract content with event editing.

Coding:

You need to familiarize yourself with the basics of how ASM works.  I'm not exactly sure what you're asking :(  But the possibilities are almost endless.  :)  I've written a lot of asm hacks.

Shop:

You can change all of the (graphical) appearance of it with Shishi, and items can generally be changed in Patcher.  Of course it's possible to add Synth Shop, unless you're using an incompatible ASM hack with it (in 90% of cases, the incompatible hack can be moved).  If you want to change Fur Shop in any other way besides hacks that are already made, you're going to need to learn ASM and make it yourself.
  • Modding version: PSX

Nyzer

QuoteI'm going too fast with things, I need to breath, sit... relax, and go modding part-to-part.


Yep. Once you get past Patcher/Tactext modding, you start to hit a steep upward curve in terms of the time it takes to learn and do everything you're thinking of doing.

The very first thing you should do is get into the Patcher, check out all the tabs, and plan out all the changes you'd like to implement from there, doing searches for pre-existing topics whenever you have a specific question. We do have some rather useful link topics here.
And like I said, you can change a lot with the Patcher alone. For your first time modding FFT, hammering out what you'd like to do with just the Patcher can be something you'd spend months on.

QuoteWhat was happening is that I was lost in a lot of info and was not getting the right way of using it.


Not just that. You were asking about essentially changing every facet of the game. A project that covers the full scope of what you were asking about would be something like Journey of the Five, and it's taken years for a team to build it up as far as it's gotten. We don't even have the Ch. 1 re-release out yet.

The dedication it'd take to do something that robust is incredibly rare. I'm sure Elric, Xifanie, and Angel have many stories about trying to help a brand new forumgoer learn how to sink their teeth into everything, only to have them go "whoa this is just too much, see ya".

QuoteThe worst problem with my project is that I'm alone doing it all. I'm trying to teach my brother how to do it and so it'll be a project of two people.


Yeah, but everyone's project starts off that way. Not that I'm gonna say that people will just outright join your project, but if you show that you're dedicated to getting it done, people will occasionally help you out. For example:

http://ffhacktics.com/smf/index.php?topic=10967.0

I was just trying to cook up a Mystic Knight sprite, and I ended up having several people give me advice. In the end, Twinees even outright made the portrait for me, and I've been using it as my avatar for a while (yet I apparently never actually put it in the topic because I'm a forgetful idiot?!? Gotta fix that up).

But all that help probably wouldn't have been provided if I'd just opened up with a list of questions about spriting, instead of cracking open the tools that were there and giving it a serious try before I ever made a topic about the sprite. It also helps that the people advising me were able to mention specific things instead of addressing broad, general questions. (You'll notice a lot of my answers from your last topic say things like "depends".)

QuoteAnyway, can I go and ask my questions just in a topic?
What's better, asking in main post or posting my questions?


Since you already had a pre-existing topic, it would have been best to keep asking questions in it, unless of course one of the admins went "hey, you're posting in the wrong subforum, don't be a butt" or something. Making a new topic doesn't help with the impression that you only skimmed my answers, and for anyone who comes in later to do a topic search for answers to their own questions, it's easier if all the answers for you are up in the one topic.

Just post new messages in your same topic. It'll bump the topic, and any regular forum-goers who're logged in will see the (New) notification next to the topic to boot.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown

Doxus

So, it's better go and construct a routine of what I want to do and what can be done in terms of FFTPatcher and FFTactext first.
After this, I must come with things to be done for the other purposes.

Anyway, anyone advise me a topic with teaching how to create new sprites with a lot of pallet colors?
I say cuz when I open a .bmp file extracted from ShiShi (let's say the Archer spritesheet), there is 6 color paletts that I can see in ShiShi or Palette Editor, so, how can I make a sprite that appears in ShiShi by different color palett sets?
I'm saying cuz at editors (using graphics gale) it only shows the sprite which appear as 1 in ShiShi.

Anyway, is photoshop shareware? (Asking this here cuz graphicsgale is going cool to me, but people says that photoshop is better and I'm still learning)
  • Modding version: PSX