Final Fantasy Hacktics

Welcome to the Shrike Patch! This is a mod for Final Fantasy Tactics A2 that aims to make the game more fun and engaging. Features include:

- Combat has been heavily rebalanced to be swingier and burstier. Most of the game's abilities, enemies, jobs, and equipment have received changes to make combat more exciting.

- Enemy gear and ability sets have been massively expanded and their stats and levels improved to make the fights more engaging. This isn't a kaizo hack that aims to kill you in the tutorial, but you'll need to pay attention to what you're doing. In addition, all non-Hume characters now have elemental weaknesses and resistances to consider.

- The Thief, Tinker, Scholar, and Moogle Knight jobs have received extensive reworking to make them more fun and reliable to use.

- AP and gold costs have been slashed dramatically across the board, and gear sells for more of its base value. In addition, which gear teaches which abilities has been shuffled around extensively to give you access to fun toys earlier than normal. Related, it has been made much easier to obtain loot via use of the Thief class, which makes the bazaar much less frustrating.

WHAT'S NEW?

HIGH-LEVEL CHANGES:

- It's the patch of the Moogle! Moogles received buffs across the board, both in stats and abilities. Of particular note are buffs to the Juggler, Moogle Knight, and Fusilier. In addition, the Moogle inherent bonuses were changed to be less bad, no longer crippling their attack stat.

- The Scholar received a complete reworking, and the White Mage, Arcanist, and Fencer received some sizeable improvements as well.

- The base stats and stat growths of all jobs and monsters have been completely recalculated from scratch. Special thanks to ScarletMagi for her help with the math and balancing on this. A lot of the weaker and slower jobs got stronger, as did most monsters, whereas a few of the high-end jobs and monsters got a touch weaker. Raptors and Lanistas are also now more focused on their role as tanks and less on their role as physical bruisers. Due to the stat changes I recommend starting with a new file for this patch, but if you really want to keep using your old file it should work.

- Mid-to-late game weapons with few or no abilities on them gained substantial buffs to their stats to make them more exciting to obtain, and make endgame gearing more interesting. All weapons and armor have had their gil costs recalculated based on their stats and rarity.

- Abilities were moved between weapons to smooth out when you have access to which skills, and some abilities were given AP cost adjustments. Passives are available to more jobs and they're available on much earlier gear. Some very powerful abilities like Geomancy have become rarer and more exclusive, while other key abilities like Dual Wield and Halve MP are now available to more units. The basic stat boosting passives like Attack UP and Magick UP have been made much more numerous and accessible, being spread mostly across the intermediate jobs and put on more common gear. And a couple of passives (Immunity and Maintenance) were removed entirely.

- Reduced the difficulty of late-game story missions and made serious nerfs to the difficulty of Lord Grayrl, The Cat's Meow, The Eastwatch, Lanista's Pride, Ravager, and Banbangaa! This should make it possible to do them earlier and unlock the advanced classes more easily. They're still challenging fights, I just toned down the absolute insanity like Magick Frenzy Dual Wield Ninjas and max evasion Monks with Bishop spells and Halve MP. I also made smaller difficulty adjustments to many, many other fights. I'm still in the process of doing more fight editing, but it's taking a really long time and I didn't want to hold the next update hostage for eighteen months while I dig through all of them.

KNOWN BUGS:
- Random encounters with the Bangaa Brotherhood are locked to levels in the 30s instead of scaling to the player.
- Two of Vaan's abilities, Crime Spree and Jackpot, do not function.
- Steal Life and Feeding Frenzy do not show HP gained by the user (visual bug only; HP is still restored.)
- Forbidden Lore does not show MP gained by the user (visual bug only)
- Vicious Clash does not show damage taken by the user (visual bug only)
- Swarmstrike sometimes does not display damage numbers for all of its hits (visual bug only)
- Power Within does not display buff to Move (visual bug only)

WHITE MAGE:

White Mages were suffering with the global increase to the MP cost of healing abilities, so I decided to swap out Arise for Benediction. This new spell has very long range and no MP cost, giving White Mages something proactive and useful to do while they're charging up for their spell turns. (I *may* have stolen this basic idea from ScarletMagi's Final Fantasy Tic-Tacs mod >.>) Turbo MP felt like a bad fit for them since their MP costs are already really high, so I replaced it with Regenerate as a nod to the original FFT.

o No longer learns Arise; now learns Benediction instead.
o No longer learns Turbo MP.
o Now learns Regenerate.

+ Benediction: MP Cost 0; Range 7; adds Regen and buffs Resilience of one ally, increasing their resistance to negative status conditions.
+ Cure, Cura, Curaga: Base healing increased by ~50%.


BLACK MAGE:

Geomancy was too powerful an ability to have on a base job. I made it appropriately more exclusive; now Humes and Moogles can't learn it at all, and it's restricted to late-game Nu Mou and Gria.

o No longer learns Geomancy.


THIEF:

I'm honestly not sure why Waylay didn't already deal the same damage as Strongarm. Now you won't have to deal less damage when you're farming gil. I also gave Thieves Gil Snapper, mostly for flavor. Safeguard has been removed from the game entirely since the gear stealing and destroying abilities have been removed from almost all enemies.

o No longer learns Safeguard.
o Now learns Gil Snapper.

+ Waylay: Base damaged buffed by ~50% (Now deals the same damage as Strongarm)


ARCHER:

Concentration has been bumped from the basic ranged jobs to the more advanced ranged jobs.

o No longer learns Concentration.


PALADIN:

Like several other healing abilities, Bright Halo got a bit overnerfed by last patch's global healing MP cost increase, so it's getting a buff to its throughput.

o No longer learns Reflex.
o Now learns Defense UP.

+ Bright Halo [Nurse]: Base healing buffed by ~50%


FIGHTER:

o Now learns Attack UP.


BLUE MAGE:

Immunity, like Safeguard, has been removed from the pool of passives.

o No longer learns Immunity.


HUNTER:

Vital Shot was a mediocre dice roll of an ability that I never really found myself using, so I figured I'd give Hunters a new ability in its place. Seal Evil is a more powerful anti-undead tool than Silver Arrow, and is a reference to Mustadio's similar ability from FFT.

o No longer learns Vital Shot; learns Seal Evil instead.
o No longer learns Regenerate or Attack UP.
o Now learns Concentration.

+ Seal Evil: Petrifies undead enemies (checks evasion instead of resilience) and cleanses undead graves.


ILLUSIONIST:

o Now learns Magick UP.


NINJA:

o Now learns Reflex.


SEER:

+ Cura: Base healing buffed by ~50%


WHITE MONK:

I was unhappy with how Chakra was working out, so I threw in the towel and changed it back into a healing and status dispelling option; it also got a higher MP cost but greater potency, to match the other healing abilities.

o No longer learns Reflex.
o Now learns Regenerate.

+- Chakra: MP Cost 12 > MP Cost 16; Base Healing buffed by ~100%; no longer restores MP; now cleanses all debuffs.


DEFENDER:

Vicious Clash was one of several abilities that was reworked from an earlier ability with a high AP cost, and then never got its AP cost adjusted, so I bumped it down quite a bit. Absorb Damage also felt much more useful on Defender than on Trickster.

o Now learns Absorb Damage.

+ Vicious Clash: AP cost reduced


BISHOP:

o Now learns Magick UP.

+ Cura: Base healing buffed by ~50%


GLADIATOR:

o Now learns Attack UP.


MASTER MONK:

Unscarred has been moved to Dragoon. It doesn't fit Master Monks very well since they like to mix it up in melee and have a pretty potent self-damaging attack.

o No longer learns Unscarred.
o Now learns Reflex and Charged Attacks.


TRICKSTER:

Tricksters got quite a few new reaction abilities, including the extremely powerful Replenish MP which helps defray their relatively high MP costs. It's also nice to put on Bishops and Templars.

o No longer learns Absorb Damage.
o Now learns Critical: Haste, Gil Snapper, and Replenish MP.


DRAGOON:

Dragoons get Unscarred instead of Master Monks because I feel like it plays nicer with their Jump ability. Lancet felt really clunky with an MP cost - you were barely getting any MP back with it until the extreme late game. After some testing I realized that it doesn't need one. Its melee range does a lot to keep it balanced.

o Now learns Unscarred.

+ Lancet: MP Cost 10 > MP Cost 0


TEMPLAR:

I wanted to lean more heavily into Templar's identity as an anti-mage job, so Evade Magick seemed like a natural fit for them. Final Judgment now deals Holy elemental damage as well. I also fixed a bug where it couldn't be used if the caster was in the AOE.

o No longer learns Attack UP.
o Now learns Resistance UP and Evade Magick.

+ Final Judgment [Soul Sphere]: Now deals Holy damage; now deals magic damage instead of physical; fixed a targeting bug.


CANNONEER:

o Now learns Concentration.


BEASTMASTER:

Beastmasters now have a pretty nice pool of passives and reactions which are available on very early gear, which should help with the way Nu Mou often had empty passive and reaction slots until way too late in the game. It also makes the early Beastmaster dip to unlock Sage feel less onerous, because you'll be picking up some useful stuff along the way.

o No longer learns Immunity.
o Now learns Reflex and Defense UP.


ALCHEMIST:

Transmute was hard-coded to suck, so I decided to just replace it altogether. Alchemists get early access to Mirror Items now, which fits thematically and gives them some more versatility. Alchemists now also gain Ribbon-bearer. This leaves Seeq as the only ones who can't wear Ribbons at all, and given that the most reliable way to handle a rampaging Berserker or Lanista is status effects it'll likely stay that way.

o No longer learns Safeguard or Magick UP.
o Now learns Ribbon-bearer.
o No longer learns Transmute; now learns Mirror Items instead.


SAGE:

Blind and Rasp felt out of place on the Sage's move set, so I replaced them. Final Judgment is a big upgrade to Rasp in terms of MP damaging spells, and fits with the Sage's theme of high cost wide AOE spells. Arise is now exclusive to Sages, no longer being learned by White Mages. Healing Light [Esunaga] has been greatly improved, now being a smart-targeting healing spell and anti-undead tool in addition to cleansing status.

o No longer learns Rasp; now learns Final Judgment instead
o No longer learns Blind; now learns Arise instead
o No longer learns Reflex.
o Now learns Evade Magick and Resistance UP.

+ Scathe: AP cost reduced
+ Esunaga: Now called Healing Light; now restores HP in addition to cleansing status effects; damages undead and banishes undead graves in area.
+ Final Judgment [Soul Sphere]: Now deals Holy damage; now deals magic damage instead of physical; fixed a targeting bug.


TIME MAGE:

o No longer learns Evade Magick.
o Now learns Pierce.


ARCANIST:

The Arcanist's level-based spells were unique and it pained me to simplify them, but this is for the best. Arcanists have a couple of reliable darkness-based attacks now. They also gained a strong but short-ranged AOE haste ability. Syphon got some substantial buffs because it's more situational than I initially realized - you need to have an enemy with a big stockpile of MP for it to do anything too crazy. They also get access to Turbo MP now, which restricts the ability to Nu Mou.

o No longer learns Pierce.
o Now learns Turbo MP.

+- Lv. 3 Dark: Now called Dark; base damage nerfed by ~66%; Target All > AOE 1, Range 4; Targets Level Divisible by 3 > Targets Anybody
+- Lv. 5 Haste: Now called Umbral Wings; Target All > Target Self + Adjacent; Targets Level Divisible by 5 > Targets Anybody
+- Lv. ? Shadowflare: Now called Shadowflare; MP Cost 18 > MP Cost 26; base damage buffed by ~66%; Target All > Single Target, Range 4; Targets Level Divisible by ? > Targets Anybody
+ Syphon: MP Cost 12 > MP Cost 0; Drains 25% of damage dealt > Drains 100% of damage dealt


SCHOLAR:

The Scholar got completely reworked, Tinker-style. Ever since I removed the elemental absorption from the majority of gear way back in the first version of this patch they were just trash Illusionists with a few gimmick spells. Now they're a proper endgame job. Their elemental spells no longer target all allies and enemies; instead they are now wide AOE spells that do better than smart targeting. Not only do they not damage allies, but they apply mass buffs. Mad Scientist got a boost to its AOE and also grants random debuffs to enemies in the area. Throw any of these into a huge melee and watch the fireworks. Study has been reworked into a free debuff that makes enemies more vulnerable to spells of all kinds, which gives you something constructive to do when you're not using MP. Forcefield [Force] got its MP cost reduced so that you can use it on your first turn and still have 16 MP for your big spells on the next turn. And Natural Selection was replaced with Forbidden Lore, a powerful MP charging option. To top it all off, they get access to the insanely strong Geomancy passive, which they learned by studying Geomancers. I initially wanted to restrict the ability only to Gria, but ultimately decided that it makes a nice endgame capstone for Nu Mou as well. They're your big magic guns, after all.

o No longer learns Natural Selection; now learns Forbidden Lore instead
o Now learns Geomancy.

+ Forbidden Lore: Drains 25% of the user's max HP in order to gain MP equal to 25% of the damage dealt.
+ Force: Now called Forcefield; MP Cost 6 > MP Cost 4.
+ Study: No longer reveals loot and items; now debuffs Resistance and Resilience with perfect accuracy.
+- Earth Dragon Tome: Now called Earth Dragon Scales; MP Cost 28 > MP Cost 16; Targets All > AOE 2, Range 4; damages enemies and buffs allies' Resistance in area.
+- Rime Bolt Tome: Now called Glacial Wall; MP Cost 28 > MP Cost 16; Targets All > AOE 2, Range 4; damages enemies and buffs allies' Defense in area.
+- Thunder Flare Tome: Now called Cacophonous Storm; MP Cost 28 > MP Cost 16; Targets All > AOE 2, Range 4; damages enemies and buffs allies' Attack in area.
+- Umbral Ghost Tome [Shadow Shade Tome]: Now called Whisper From Beyond; MP Cost 28 > MP Cost 16; Targets All > AOE 2, Range 4; damages enemies and buffs allies' Magick in area.
+ Mad Scientist: AOE 1 > AOE 2; now grants random buffs to allies and random debuffs to enemies in area.


FENCER:

The Fencer has been slowly drifting toward more of a magic knight job and I've decided to just embrace it. Their abilities are slightly stronger and deal elemental damage but have MP costs. Swallowtail in particular got a substantial buff, closer in power to the Paladin's Storm of Vengeance. Manastrike can now be used in conjunction with dark absorption to restore MP. The only thing to get an undiluted nerf was Checkmate because, uh, did you know that Doom is actually a really good status effect? Imagine my surprise.

+ Swarmstrike: Non-elemental > Wind Elemental
+- Featherblow: MP Cost 0 > MP Cost 4; Non-elemental > Wind Elemental
+- Swallowtail: MP Cost 0 > MP Cost 14; Half Accuracy > Normal Accuracy; Non-elemental > Wind Elemental
+ Manastrike: Non-elemental > Dark Elemental
- Checkmate: MP Cost 14 > MP Cost 16


GREEN MAGE:

The Green Mage loses Absorb MP mostly because I needed something to give to Elementalists, who had no passives or reactions at all.

o No longer learns Absorb MP.
o Now learns Resistance UP.


RED MAGE:

Magick Counter is a much better reaction ability than Sticky Fingers, and makes a ton more sense for this job.

o No longer learns Sticky Fingers or Magick UP.
o Now learns Magick Counter.

+ Cure: Base healing buffed by ~50%


ELEMENTALIST:

The Elementalist was one of the few jobs in the game with no passive or reaction abilities of any kind, so I spread things out a little bit to give them a new toy to play with. I also buffed Earthsalve and Whiteblaze's output, since they were falling off really hard in the midgame.

o Now learns Absorb MP and Magick UP.

+ Earthsalve: Base healing buffed by ~33%
+ Whiteblaze: Base healing buffed by ~50%


SUMMONER:

I fixed a bug that was causing Phoenix to always deal 0 damage.

+ Phoenix: Now properly deals damage.


SNIPER:

Sniper had two abilities that got reworked from gear rending abilities, and as such had really high AP costs for no good reason. Fixed now. They also get Concentration, since it got moved up onto advanced ranged jobs from intermediate ones. Death Strike felt like a natural fit for them as well, and is pretty good with Doubleshot.

o No longer learns Regenerate.
o Now learns Concentration, Death Strike, and Attack UP.

+ Ebon Arrow and Masterstroke: AP cost reduced


SPELLBLADE:

I wanted to give the Spellblade some options for a build that doesn't rely on Blood Price, and Doublehand pairs with their stat spread pretty nicely to make them strong physical attackers.  Of course, they have an even better option in that regard now, because...

o Now learns Doublehand.


ASSASSIN:

Turns out Viera can actually learn Dual Wield (giving it to anybody else besides them and Humes will crash the game.) How could I not? Enjoy! Critical: Vanish is also pretty great for the fragile Assassins, ambush predators that they are.

o Now learns Critical: Vanish and Dual Wield.


ANIMIST:

Animists are the most defensive of the basic Moogle jobs, building into Moogle Knights, so they get a suite of reaction abilities that should help them in that niche. They get Regenerate right from the start of the game, which should help with how fragile early Moogles can be. Evade Magick and MP Shield are learned later, but combined with the Moogle Knight's new acquisitions should give you a wealth of options for Moogle builds.

o No longer learns Archer's Bane.
o Now learns Regenerate, Evade Magick, MP Shield, and Resistance UP.


MOOGLE KNIGHT:

I needed to increase Moogle damage, and buffing Moogle Knights was a no-brainer. The damage on their main attacks was kinda pathetic. Combined with their stat boosts they hit much more solidly now. They also get somewhat early access to Absorb Damage, which can help them tank more effectively. And I couldn't resist giving them Dragonheart - it just feels right for them. I also reworked Unstoppable [Moogle Aid] a little bit, making it a stronger tanking tool at the expense of its status healing potential. This way it's not just an exact copy of Chakra. It also got another, more referential rename.

o No longer learns Critical: Haste.
o Now learns Absorb Damage, Dragonheart, and Defense UP.

+ Blade of Peace: AP cost reduced; Base damage buffed by ~100%
+ Blade of War: Base damage buffed by ~100%
+- Unstoppable [Moogle Aid]: Now called Determination; no longer removes status effects; now reduces damage taken by half until next turn.


JUGGLER:

I was really unhappy with where Jugglers were at. They're one of my favorite jobs and for some reason I can't fathom I nerfed the absolute bejeezus out of them. Time for a correction. Dagger Toss and especially Molotov Cocktail got their raw damage output drastically increased. Ring Toss and Ball Toss got unique updates; if they connect they now have a chance to critically hit and apply an extra status effect. I did drop Ring Toss's base effect from stop to immobilize, however, both because a free stop spell was pretty overpowered and there really isn't anywhere further to go from stop anyway. Having both Gil Toss and Juggle [Weapon Toss] was redundant, because they're both ways to turn your spare endgame gil into damage. I kept the more interesting of the two and replaced Gil Toss with the Trickster's Traumatize, which Jugglers can capitalize on beautifully now that they can inflict multiple status effects at once. And Smile Toss is now a free haste spell that has a chance to critically hit and quicken the target. This allows it to be stronger without the guaranteed infinite loops of the old version. (NB: Allies with higher resilience will have a lower chance of getting quickened, so keep that in mind.)

o No longer learns Gil Toss; now learns Traumatize instead.
o No longer learns Sticky Fingers.
o Now learns Critical: Evasion UP and Attack UP.

+ Dagger Toss: Base damage buffed by ~100%.
+ Molotov Cocktail: Base damage buffed by ~150%.
+- Ring Toss: Now inflicts Immobilize instead of Stop; has a chance to critically hit and also Stop the target.
+ Ball Toss: Has a chance to critically hit and also Addle the target.
+ Smile Toss: Now adds Haste instead of a random buff; has a chance to critically hit and also Quicken the target.


FUSILIER:

As part of the general effort to increase Moogle damage output, Fusiliers got some buffs. Fireshot, Boltshot, and Iceshot can now be used in two concurrent turns after a charge turn, which helps round-over-round damage output a lot. Stopshot and Charmshot now deal the same damage as the other status shots, so you're penalized less for fishing for your big status effects.

o No longer learns Concentration.
o Now learns Archer's Bane.

+ Fireshot, Boltshot, Iceshot: MP Cost 16 > MP Cost 14
+ Stopshot, Charmshot: Quarter Damage > Half Damage


TINKER:

Tinkers now get acess to both Absorb MP and Halve MP, neither of which Moogles previously had access to. This should really help your Animists, Black Mages, Tinkers, and Fusiliers in the late game.

o No longer learns Regenerate or MP Shield.
o Now learns Absorb MP, Halve MP, and Magick UP.


FLINTLOCK:

Protect Cannon and Shell Cannon didn't feel like they were worth the Prime turn, so I replaced them with Barrier Cannon and Haste Cannon. Barrier Cannon is still a little meh, but you might have some use for it time to time. Haste Cannon is quite a bit more useful. Teleport Cannon is now perfectly reliable, given that it is both niche and fun to use. I swapped the damage numbers on Ether Boost and Blowback, but gave Blowback recoil based on its damage dealt instead of the user's HP, which should make it a little more dangerous to use all the time.

o No longer learns Protect Cannon; now learns Barrier Cannon instead.
o No longer learns Shell Cannon; now learns Haste Cannon instead.
o Now learns Concentration.

+ Barrier Cannon: Adds Protect, Shell, and Regen to the target.
+ Haste Cannon: Adds Haste and Regen to the target.
+ Teleport Cannon: Half Accuracy > Perfect Accuracy
- Ether Boost: Nerfed base damage by ~20%
+- Blowback: Buffed base damage by ~20%; 20% HP Recoil > 25% Damage Dealt Recoil
+ Ether Cannon: AP cost reduced


BERSERKER:

Vicious Blow, like the Hunter's Vital Shot, just wasn't all that fun or interesting to use. I replaced it with Savage Beating, a low-accuracy spike damage attacking move in the vein of Beatdown or Sneak Attack. Ground Shaker, Thump, and Thrash [Furore] were doing utterly obscene damage. Berserkers have really good attacking stats as it is, and they didn't need a free Earth Render on top of it. This nerf should bring them more in line with other fighting classes. They still hit plenty hard, they just won't be reliably threatening to one-shot squishy units for free any more.

o No longer learns Vicious Blow; now learns Savage Beating
+ Thump AP cost reduced

+ Savage Beating: Weapon attack; Half Accuracy; Double Damage; has a chance to inflict Immobilize on hit
- Ground Shaker: Base damage nerfed by ~33%
- Thump: Base damage nerfed by ~33%
- Thrash [Furore]: Base damage nerfed by ~33%


RANGER:

Ranger traps are fun and interesting, so why not make them easier to use? (Okay, to be honest this is just another thing I'm swiping from Triangle Strategy.)

o Now learns Resistance UP.

+ Sten Needle, Silence Gas, Mana Leech, Love Potion: Range 2 > Range 3


VIKING:

Vikings now get Absorb MP and Halve MP so they can keep up with your other casters better in the late game. Tsunami also became more generally useful at the cost of some of its flavor.

o No longer learns Safeguard or Absorb Damage.
o Now learns Charged Attacks, Absorb MP, Halve MP, and Magick UP.

+ Tsunami: No longer requires the user to be standing in water.


LANISTA:

Absorb Damage was moved from Vikings to Lanistas because it feels more on theme for them.

o Now learns Absorb Damage and Defense UP.


RAPTOR:

Raptors traded in Counter for Blink Counter, since they have a knockback theme now. They also get Absorb Damage instead of Reflex because they're supposed to be lacking in the evasion department. Tank also swapped from Ravagers to Raptors, since Ravagers can no longer equip heavy armor. Raptors are now solidly the defensive job, while Ravagers focus on offense.

o No longer learns Counter, Reflex, or Safeguard.
o Now learns Tank, Blink Counter, Absorb Damage, and Defense UP.


RAVAGER:

Ravagers lost Strikeback for the same reason Raptors lost Reflex. Critical: Berserk is pretty bad and I don't expect you'll ever actually use it, but for pure flavor reasons I felt like it fit.

o No longer learns Tank, Strikeback, or Defense UP.
o Now learns Critical: Berserk, Death Strike, and Attack UP.


GEOMANCER:

Geomancers now have nearly exclusive access to Geomancy, with Scholars being the only other job to get it. Not only does this make a ton of obvious sense, but it's way less broken for them than it is for, say, Paravirs. This will give those finnicky geomancy spells enough punch to be well worth the hassle of using them.

o No longer learns Critical: Evasion UP.
o Now learns Regenerate, Charged Attacks, and Geomancy.


SKY PIRATE:

A couple of Sky Pirate abilities are still broken and I have absolutely no idea what I did. I'm sorry. At least know that when I get these abilities working again they'll have somewhat more generous effects.

+ Jackpot: Now steals double gold four times instead of three.
+- Crime Spree: Instead of stealing one piece of L4 loot, double gold, and one consumable item, now steals double gold and three pieces of L4 loot.


BARD:

Hurdy now gets fighter movement instead of caster movement, since Bard is a hybrid job. I also cut the cost of Nameless Song in half, and fixed a big that was causing Hide to not work.

+ Move 3 > Move 4

+ Hide: Now properly functions.
+ Nameless Song: MP Cost 12 > MP Cost 6


SHELLING:

When I took most of the gear rending abilities out of the game I missed one. Shellings will no longer spike your blood pressure at random points.

- Munch: No longer destroys gear; now deals damage and debuffs Defense.


WEAPONS AND ARMOR:

Mid to late game weapons with no or few abilities got substantial boosts to their stats to make them less disappointing to obtain, and to make late game gearing more fun and intersting. In addition, knightswords and books got some small buffs to differentiate them from each other better. The White Hat, White Robe, and a couple of other high end robes got some buffs as well. Resistance gear in general got better, since it's a less appealing stat than the others. Detailed information on weapon and armor buffs is included in a text file.

COMPLETE CHANGES:










MORE DETAILED INFORMATION IN INCLUDED TEXT FILES!

Seeq seem more like porcine than sharks to me, especially concerning their Final Fantasy XII designs.

Quote from: Dual-Wielding Ninja on November 27, 2022, 04:56:03 amSeeq seem more like porcine than sharks to me, especially concerning their Final Fantasy XII designs.

Huh, looks like you're right. I think I was thrown off by their coloration and pointy snouts. Oh well. It'll give me an excuse to change out their elemental properties.

This looks promising. I'm going to play through this soon and provide some feedback after a full run. Some preliminary thoughts:

1) I'm assuming you haven't done anything with the Chocobo Knight? I'll just ignore them for now, if so.
2) For Al-Cid: maybe just give him Unscarred and boost his attack growth so he has a little niche as a long-range physical damage dealer? Plus maybe Blur or Evade Magic to help him avoid being countersniped. I dunno, he's terrible no matter what but this is what I tend to do when I'm messing around with my own rom.

EDIT: Hey, the Base HP value on the Ninja class in your hack is 79. All of your other Base HP values are divisible by 5 (80, 95, etc). Did you mean to make the Base HP of the Ninja 70? I'm probably gonna switch it to that in my run, assuming that's what you meant. It would be in line with the HP values of the other Hume jobs.

Ignoring the Chocobo Knight is safe. I'm not actually sure it's even possible to give them their own ability set, which is always going to make them marginal. Their stats are really good, though, particularly the ones on White Chocobos who get an innate 75% resilience.

And thanks for the heads up on Ninja HP. That is definitely supposed to be 70 base.

Thanks so much for taking a look! Really looking forward to any further feedback!

Quote from: PeppySSB on December 23, 2022, 12:08:14 am1) I'm assuming you haven't done anything with the Chocobo Knight? I'll just ignore them for now, if so.

So I know I said I didn't change these guys much but actually I kinda did. All Chocobos got their skillsets buffed. I just forgot about it because, y'know, Chocobo Knight. Anyway, they're all boring numbers boosts. Nothing got overhauled, just made a little more competitive. Only nerf was to their MP granting skill which restores 10 now.

Longtime lurker here, first hack in a while that's grabbed my attention enough to log in. Even though I wasn't here at all for like a year
Out of curiosity, do you have any better documentation of the stat growth changes in particular? The file in the .zip mentions things like buffing Viking magic growth but there's no stat numbers given for it so it's hard to gauge whether that's intended to be merely comparable to a vanilla White Mage or on par with the vanilla Moogle mages.
Still, very excited about it and going to give it a shot when I have the spare time. It all looks great and you've clearly put a lot of thought and planning into this.

Quote from: Squire Doodad on February 01, 2023, 07:40:33 pmOut of curiosity, do you have any better documentation of the stat growth changes in particular? The file in the .zip mentions things like buffing Viking magic growth but there's no stat numbers given for it so it's hard to gauge whether that's intended to be merely comparable to a vanilla White Mage or on par with the vanilla Moogle mages.

I didn't make documentation for that, but I definitely could! Should be a pretty quick job. I thought about including it but wasn't sure there'd be a lot of interest. Give me a little time and I'll make it available.

Quote from: Squire Doodad on February 01, 2023, 07:40:33 pmOut of curiosity, do you have any better documentation of the stat growth changes in particular?

Okay, I have these ready but I can't attach them to a reply. I'm going to have to put them in the zip file for 1.1, I'm afraid. If you'd like the notes earlier I can send them to you through Discord or something if you're comfortable with it.

I downloaded the new version, but it still doesn't seem to work with the US rom.  I tried several times with different patchers, and they all report an error.

Quote from: SpaceCowboy321 on April 04, 2023, 08:12:48 pmI downloaded the new version, but it still doesn't seem to work with the US rom.  I tried several times with different patchers, and they all report an error.

I just tested it with the 2384 build and didn't have any problems. Do you have any details on the error you're getting?

Quote from: Shrikesnest on April 09, 2023, 02:28:48 pmI just tested it with the 2384 build and didn't have any problems. Do you have any details on the error you're getting?

When I use DeltaPatcherLite program, I get the following error pop up:



When I use https://kotcrab.github.io/xdelta-wasm/ I get the following error:
Error occurred while patching

Details: unavailable secondary compressor: LZMA (code -17710)
When I use https://hack64.net/tools/patcher.php I get the following error:
Error: Unimplemented feature

See console output for more information.
However, I just now tried using the xdeltaUI program, and that seemed to work without any errors.  Do you think the issue is just with those patchers or is xdeltaUI failing to detect the errors?  What patcher do you use?

I've only been using xdeltaUI, so I didn't realize there were issues with other programs.

Version 1.1 is now available! Let me know if you have any trouble with it and I'll help as best I can.

I've been trying out Version 1.1, and I've been enjoying it a lot.  It really improves on so many different aspects of the game.  I'm only a few hours in, but I just figured I would give some feedback on things I've noticed so far.  Some are bugs and some are just balance feedback.  Also, would it possible to upload the version 1 change descriptions somewhere or update the version 1.1 change descriptions to include the version 1 info as well?  I would prefer the latter, but either would be very helpful.  It's just difficult to fully understand all the version 1.1 changes without the context of the version 1 changes, especially the ability changes.

• The Fencer's Swarmstrike doesn't seem to be hitting multiple times.  Featherblow seems to be working fine.  It does twice the amount shown in the damage estimate.  However, Swarmstrike just does the damage once when I use it.
• I know you intended to make Thief a bit overtuned, but even with that in mind, I think Strongarm is a bit too strong, at least this early in the game.  It does almost twice the damage of a normal attack, is guaranteed to steal 3 loot, and costs no mana.  There is basically no reason to ever use any other abilities.  I like the loot stealing aspect to make acquiring loot less of a chore, but I think maybe either the damage should be toned down a bit or it should have a 10+ mana cost so it can't be spammed every turn.
• Similar to Strongarm, I think the Warrior's Guard Break ability is a bit too strong, though to a less extent.  It does almost as much as Body Slam with no self damage and it bypasses reactions.  Again, I think maybe either the damage should be toned down a bit or it should have a mana cost.
• This is more of an issue with the base game than with your changes, but I think the Animist's Tailwag ability is a bit underpowered.  A 10+ mana 1-range charm is ok if it hits, but it's generally not worth the risk.  It's also outclassed by the Thief's new Charisma ability, which Moogles also have access to.  However, I'm not sure what the best way to change it is.  Just lowering the mana would just let you spam it every turn, which would maybe be ok since the 1-range puts the user at risk, but I could see it getting out of hand.  Giving it range like Charisma would be fine, but then I think the abilities would overlap too much.

Thanks for all the work you put into this.  I'll let you know if I have any more feedback as I continue playing through it.

Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate it. It's very well-thought out and helpful. I'm looking forward to more of your thoughts as you go.

Quote from: SpaceCowboy321 on July 03, 2023, 10:36:10 pmAlso, would it possible to upload the version 1 change descriptions somewhere or update the version 1.1 change descriptions to include the version 1 info as well?

That's a good idea. I can put this together but it's going to take me some time. Summer's a very busy time of year for me.

Quote from: SpaceCowboy321 on July 03, 2023, 10:36:10 pmThe Fencer's Swarmstrike doesn't seem to be hitting multiple times.  Featherblow seems to be working fine.  It does twice the amount shown in the damage estimate.  However, Swarmstrike just does the damage once when I use it.

I've noticed this issue where sometimes multi-hit attacks or melee attacks that drain health don't show all of the numbers. I'm not really sure why. I think it's just a visual bug and the abilities still have full effect, though.

Quote from: SpaceCowboy321 on July 03, 2023, 10:36:10 pmI know you intended to make Thief a bit overtuned, but even with that in mind, I think Strongarm is a bit too strong, at least this early in the game.  It does almost twice the damage of a normal attack, is guaranteed to steal 3 loot, and costs no mana.  There is basically no reason to ever use any other abilities.  I like the loot stealing aspect to make acquiring loot less of a chore, but I think maybe either the damage should be toned down a bit or it should have a 10+ mana cost so it can't be spammed every turn.

Strongarm is definitely really strong in the early game. I probably do need to tone it down a little. It does fall off pretty hard in the mid-late game, though. It's still strong enough to use, but the better damage-dealing jobs you unlock eventually eclipse it. I'm walking a fine line with this one because I still want it to be usable later in the game. But yeah, if you're finding that you don't want to use anything else then it's too good.

Quote from: SpaceCowboy321 on July 03, 2023, 10:36:10 pmSimilar to Strongarm, I think the Warrior's Guard Break ability is a bit too strong, though to a less extent.  It does almost as much as Body Slam with no self damage and it bypasses reactions.  Again, I think maybe either the damage should be toned down a bit or it should have a mana cost.

This one I could definitely done down. It's less fraught than Strongarm because I'm not trying to keep it eternally viable, and it does kinda make Body Slam less worth using. Body Slam used to be stronger but got nerfed in testing, so there used to be more space between them and I guess I forgot to adjust the other Warrior moves.

Quote from: SpaceCowboy321 on July 03, 2023, 10:36:10 pmThis is more of an issue with the base game than with your changes, but I think the Animist's Tailwag ability is a bit underpowered.  A 10+ mana 1-range charm is ok if it hits, but it's generally not worth the risk.  It's also outclassed by the Thief's new Charisma ability, which Moogles also have access to.  However, I'm not sure what the best way to change it is.  Just lowering the mana would just let you spam it every turn, which would maybe be ok since the 1-range puts the user at risk, but I could see it getting out of hand.  Giving it range like Charisma would be fine, but then I think the abilities would overlap too much.

Yeah, Tail Wag is a tough one to balance for all the reasons you mentioned. My half-solution was just to put Tail Wag on really early gear, so it gets a brief chance to be somewhat useful before you get cards. I could also put some extra thing on it, but it's hard to find an effect that both fits the move's flavor and synergizes with Charm. I'll probably just leave it as-is unless some inspiration hits.

Hey, I made an account just to comment on this! I'm approaching 50 hrs in, it's really been adding a different flavor to the game, but I think I discovered a class-breaking issue.

In the write up, you said that nu mou can't use edged weapons without breaking the game, so you gave Scholars cards as their secondary. I'm trying out a Scholar now, and he can't equip cards, even though I've already purchased one that has a Scholar ability. Meanwhile he can equip knives.

You also mentioned that you bumped up Cannonneer's Potion Shell to 70, but it's still doing 30 for me.

I'm pretty sure I'm using the 1.1 version, not any of the older versions, and most of your other tweaks mentioned seem to be in line with the 1.1 changes. Would it be possible to re-patch the game in progress?

Quote from: Hyatt on July 09, 2023, 12:56:19 amHey, I made an account just to comment on this! I'm approaching 50 hrs in, it's really been adding a different flavor to the game, but I think I discovered a class-breaking issue.

In the write up, you said that nu mou can't use edged weapons without breaking the game, so you gave Scholars cards as their secondary. I'm trying out a Scholar now, and he can't equip cards, even though I've already purchased one that has a Scholar ability. Meanwhile he can equip knives.

You also mentioned that you bumped up Cannonneer's Potion Shell to 70, but it's still doing 30 for me.

I'm pretty sure I'm using the 1.1 version, not any of the older versions, and most of your other tweaks mentioned seem to be in line with the 1.1 changes. Would it be possible to re-patch the game in progress?

Oh shit, I must have missed those. Yeah, I'll push out an update maybe later today that fixes those. Scholars with knives is a real problem.

Glad you're playing it, though! Thanks for letting me know!

Alright, pushed out the 1.1.1 update real quick. All of the notes included in the post and in the patch folder should be fully up to date with all changes included.

Added the patch to the fresh version of the rom, was able to continue where I left off, Scholars can indeed equip cards now!