Final Fantasy Hacktics

I can offer any feedback on the sprites because I'm not a good spriter by any strecth of the imagination. I just wanted to say it's great to see you come back with some contributions. Love to see them.

If I had to choose. I like Ruvelia Beta 2.

Dude, that Garland is SERIOUS! I absolutely LOVE how the shoulder moves beneath the cloak. Beautiful. Can't wait to see the completed versions.

Quote from: Myrmidon on October 16, 2013, 05:51:50 pm
hah, glad to know just how much I have to learn when it comes to Ruby.  perhaps I'll have to look into seeing just what Ruby can accomplish...

Definitely. The coders who are making these scripts have improved after working with Ruby for years and years. RMVX Ace is a great engine and a lot of people got behind it. The quality of scripts that were released are fantastic. Not to mention I had to shell out a few bucks to have some made for me.

Quote from: Myrmidon on October 16, 2013, 05:51:50 pm
perhaps a "terrain" skill that offers a choice of 3-4 spells based off current battle terrain?

I like that as an alternative.

Much appreciated. Still working at this day by day. The only problem I have is making sure the game is balanced after removing/changing key components of FFT's mechanics. This has really become a FFV game, with FFT abilities/damage formulas and FFX10's battle system.

The other part of this is the size of the game. I'd really like to keep this project small for now. If it gains a considerable amount of interest then I'll take it to the next step. My main focus is cutting down on the amount of classes, because the variance between them really only shows when movement/ranged/AOE attacks are involved.

For instance, Summoners have a great variety of spells and their man appeal is the large AOE of their attacks. Since AOE isn't really a factor in a traditional battle system, I feel that the effect of the Summoner spells can be split up between Black Mage and White Mage skillsets.

Another example. Lancers. Their entire skillset is basically one move where vertical and horizontal reach determines how effective the skill can be. In a traditional battle system, this can simply become one skill. Same goes for Ninjas' Throw, in this case.

Bard and Dancer skill effects can be split up too. In FFT, the best way to use these classes is by keeping them away from the front lines of battle. Kinda hard to do in a traditional battle system.

So you can kinda see where I'm going with this. It's not so much about porting the classes as it is about porting the abilities. I'm basically looking at a pool of abilities and assigning one to the appropriate class as I go.

Quote from: Myrmidon on October 15, 2013, 01:34:09 pm
as a fellow RM maker, I see a few minor flaws (ones that stopped me form porting FFT to RMVX)

1) WP and defense
FFT uses WP*PA=DMG
default Attack in RMVX is 4*C.STR-2*T.DEF

2) Jump, Throw, Geomancy, and Math are all very difficult without delving deep into Ruby

3) Job Change systems are a pain in the ass in general, actually...

4) Ramza's Ultima

5) skill learning in general

also: accessories are fine, you still get Weapon/Sheild/Heat/Body/Accessory in VX, unless you were planning on removing accessories for a different reason..

Well whaddya know! Nice to see someone else here that's familiar with the engine. I'm glad you brought this up. Hopefully you'll share the same enthusiasm as me after reading my reply. I had a LOT of hurdles to overcome in order to reproduce the effects of a lot of the FFT skills. I hope the following answers will help get rid of the skepticism.

1) I'm using RMVX Ace, which allows you to use your own damage formulas. I'm also using a Ruby script that allows you to use custom hit formulas. I can factor any statistic into either formula.

I also have a Ruby script that can assign damage formulas to specific weapons. So the differences in Knight Swords, Swords, and Poles can be accounted for.

2) To me, Jump is expendable. All ranged abilities are, as there will be no grid or movement. As far as jumping in the air and avoiding attacks until you drop, that effect can be reproduced. This hasn't been fully tested by me, but I've seen it done already.

With Throw, I already have a Ruby script in place that I've fully tested to reproduce the effect. You can choose from your inventory of weapons, and when a skill is used, your inventory will be reduced each time as you throw the items. The best thing about this is that you can remove the limits on what type of items you can throw. Wanna throw a bottle of potion and break it over someone's head to inflict damage? I can make it happen.

Geomancy is definitely expendable. Where there's no grid, I can't really change the effects of the skill because the terrain doesn't change in battle. I think that takes away from the appeal of the class. If I did include Geomancy, It would have to be more like Mog's Dance skills from FFVI, without being automated. This has already been reproduced and tested by me.

Math is by far the easiest. I have a Ruby script that assigns levels to enemies. And I can use those enemy levels as values in the damage formula and hit formula. Btw, enemy levels can scale with the party. Either match the highest level of the character in the party, or the lowest. I can set it to have a random value within a particular range as well. The possibilities are huge.

3) The Job System has already been fully tested. JP is earned from executing actions in battle. Earn enough JP and you can raise class levels. Then you can unlock classes based on the levels of prerequisite classes. This is fully tested by me, and working flawlessly.

4) Do you mean Ramza's Ultima as in learning skills that you're attacked with? That's done. As a matter of fact, I have already fully tested a Blue Mage class, which I have plans on including in my game as a unique class.

5) As I mentioned in #3, the JP system is in full effect. The ONLY thing I can't reproduce (yet) is the formula that determines how much JP is gained. That's not really important to me, as I could just do something like Kokojo's COP and have a static number for JP gained per action.

I've really done my homework guys. I wouldn't reach out to you based on a "theory". I've managed to literally reproduce almost all of FFT's mechanics. And with some creativity, we can really create those classes that you never thought you'd ever see in an FFT game.

The discussion really turns into...

"What changes would you like to see in FFT? -- Yeah? How would that translate to a traditional battle system that had no movement? -- Does it make sense? -- Good, it's done."

Quote from: Philogosten on October 14, 2013, 04:54:48 pm
Oh I thought of something. What if through certain choices you could go evil in the game? Kind of like how in Growlanser 2 you can end up ditching your team and joining up with the bad guys.

Again, great ideas depending on the type of game you want to make. But I'll have to disregard. I should have been a little more specific when I said that a lot of ground-work has already been laid.

The world lore, storyline, and characters have all been fleshed out. So any suggestions that aren't tied specifically to battle mechanics will probably be ignored. I'm all for creative ideas, but I need to keep it within the scope of the battle system.

To put it simply... Picture this as a FFT mod where you're not hampered by the limited capabilities of ASM hacks and game space -- And as I mentioned before, no grid or movement.

Quote from: Elric on October 14, 2013, 06:20:25 pm
Sooo many variables...

Either way I'd be happy to help out in some way. I've wanted to branch out a bit
anyway.

Yeah, definitely. That's why I don't want to stray too far from the original design. The further away I get, the more factors come into play. I just want to make a few tweaks, rather than major overhauls.

Quote from: Vanya on October 14, 2013, 11:04:41 am
I think the best way to handle "classes" is a style similar to Final Fantasy II (J). Your actions determine how your character progresses. This takes away the problems of having primary and secondary jobs without restricting customizability for the player.

Star Ocean had an interesting mechanic in it's talent system. Combining the two ideas, action based skill progression and talent restricted choices would strike a good balance. Character stats would determine what jobs a character has access to.

If you want access to a specific job you have to take actions in battle that promote growth in the needed area. You have a mage type, but you want him to be able to access the Knight job? Equip a sword and have him attack to raise strength until he has the base str to do the job of knight. Conversely, a brutish fighter can use spells to raise intelligence and become a full blown mage.

Of course you would have to do away with weapon restrictions which don't make much logical sense anyway, but you end up with a much more realistic and versatile system. And as far as accessibility to different types of attacks from the beginning, well a revamped Squire job with a large variety of skills that can be used to increase all the different stats can be made. Call it the Novice job or something. And of course to allow for more customizability to the player you can include a Freelancer job.

And on the subject of special jobs, I never liked them much. I don't see any reason why Agrias couldn't have helped trained other characters to be Holy Knights. I think it would be better represent each character's individuality by giving them specific signature moves like the way limit breaks are used throughout the series. Perhaps they can gain specific skills based on their favorite weapon and or their talents. A thief-like character can have special moves associated with daggers and speed. A holy knight character can have moves associated with swords and holy elements. A wizard can have special combination spells. It's all about the creative use of the systems you're borrowing.

Not sure how I feel about this one. The idea itself is fantastic. But I feel that's too drastic of a change. I've always seen people abuse this type of system and lose focus of how a battle should actually flow, focusing on raising stats instead of actually trying to defeat the enemy. If there were random encounters and a lot of exploration in my game, I would definitely consider this so as to give a purpose to engaging in battles that you could easily win. The idea is to make every battle in this game somewhat challenging. Every turn counts. So I'd prefer not to force the players to use skills that don't give them a strategic edge in battle. I also don't see the Job Points system meshing well with the idea you mentioned. I'd have to go with one or the other.

With regards to signature moves. That's exactly the plan. I won't be making hybrid classes with combined skills from generics and specials.

Quote from: Zotis on October 14, 2013, 10:43:08 am
Yeah, that's understandable.  I know it takes a but load of work to incorporate things like that.  On the other hand, the better you make the elements that you do decide to incorporate the more people will likely be interested in your project.

Risk/reward scenario. I'll have to generate more interest before I even think of taking the plunge.

Quote from: Zotis on October 14, 2013, 10:43:08 am
I just had an idea for magic, what if the more it drained a character over time to use magic the longer the charge times became?

I'll consider that, if I decide to go with charge times. On that note, Toshiko's input on MP really got me thinking about doing away with Charge Times altogether and just using Delayed Next Turns. The stronger/more useful the spell/skill is, the longer the wait until that character's next move. Again, just throwing thoughts out there.

However, I do like the strategic element of cancelling charges. So I'm not sure.

Quote from: Zotis on October 14, 2013, 10:43:08 am
Another idea: The more damage a person takes the weaker they become.  It is kind of unrealistic to have a character with 1 HP still fighting as effectively as when they had full HP.

I COMPLETELY forgot about this! I've been wanting to use this idea for a while. Thanks for the suggestions. This can be executed quite easily. I'm thinking a character who's in critical will have a drop in speed and attack.

Quote from: Zotis on October 14, 2013, 09:37:25 am
What about affecting character appearance based on their gear?  You change your armor and you see the new armor on your character.  That would be something that really appeals to me and just makes sense.  If I give my priest equip armor and a carabini mail, why is she still wearing just a robe?  And a character's weapon(s) and shield actually being in their hands the whole time instead of appearing out of thin air when they use them.

One thing that I think would have really improved the aesthetics of FFT would have been the random generic characters you recruit having unique hairstyles/faces.  So you keep shuffling the characters until you get one you like, and while their equipment changes and is visually represented their head stays the same no matter what class/equipment they have.  Well, except for their helmet obviously, but if they have long hair it would trickle out.

All great ideas that I would love to incorporate. However, this is a one man project. To have every piece of equipment in the game change the overall look of the sprites is a LOT of work. It isn't a wise way to spend my time. I'd like to hold off on those kind of features until I'm sure that this game is something a decent number of people will enjoy.

What I WILL have is visual weapons, like FFT. And skills won't just show a character standing in place swinging their weapon with an animation playing over the targeted enemy. There are going to be some different sequences depending on the skill that's used. So I'm sure battles will be aesthetically pleasing to some degree.

Quote from: Toshiko on October 13, 2013, 10:40:11 pm
I certainly wouldn't have any gripes about primary classes being static; it forces a strategic hand, and makes each character truly unique. I'd especially like this if the secondary jobs weren't universal, either. Would especially be a boon if FFX's mid-battle party change mechanics were incorporated.

Still thinking about party swapping or increasing the battle party size. Regarding the secondary classes... When you say you would like if the secondary jobs weren't universal, do you mean preventing a physical-based character from accessing magic-based classes? If so, I already had that in mind as well.

Quote from: Zotis on October 14, 2013, 12:17:40 am
On topic though, thechancellor, do you plan on having any character customisation?  Hair style, face, etc... for example in FFT when you change class your character completely changes appearance, I'd rather the outfit changed but not the face/hairstyle.  And main characters didn't change appearance, but I think they should.

The problem with not allowing main characters to change job classes kinda seems like it arbitrarily limits what they are allowed to train in.  I don't see why Agrias wouldn't be able to pick up some Mediator skills.  At the same time though, it isn't very realistic for her to no longer be able to use the other skills she knows.  I know it's for the sake of balancing the gameplay, otherwise characters would be way more overpowered than they already could be.  So yeah, I don't know what you intend to do there, will characters only have access to the skills of the class they're currently in?

Also... characters should have noses. 

Changing appearances is a good idea and makes sense in the case of FFT, because primary classes could be changed. But where I plan to have static primary classes, I don't see the point. The class system will be mimicked in how it works, but it won't be an actual "class" system. More like the characters will be "studying/practicing" an art or fighting style. Hard to justify any change in appearance.

Regarding the classes... What I plan to do is make primary classes static, while secondary classes are changeable. It won't be like FFT where you can only earn spillover JP for your secondary class. In my game, JP can be earned for both skillsets you put on the character. So if Ramza is a squire and equips a Knight skillset, his actions will directly influence an increase in total JP for that particular skillset.

So you'll still have some customization and flexibility to create unique setups. I just don't want to see a unique character spend a bunch of time in a class that isn't their own. Takes away from the consistency of character development. Gaffy as a Black Mage? No thank you.

Quote from: Philogosten on October 14, 2013, 06:16:54 am
Well I would suggest more dark element skills and more variety with weapons for mage types as they tend to just get short changed with a staff. You could expand on that and put in spell books, scythes, wands, tattoos for free hand casting. A customizable main character would be nice too as well as some choices throughout the game to help immersion instead of the player feeling railroaded into stuff.  Kind of like what DAO did.

Ditto on the weapon availability. Definitely going to work with that. I was thinking of making the bonuses consistent through each weapon type. Sort of like 1.3 where daggers all increase speed by 1. Books could increase MA, Runes/Tattoos could increase elemental affinities, and Rods may get an increase in PA across the board so Mage-types aren't completely useless in Melee combat. Just a thought.

As far as character involvement goes... I'm totally running away with that and making it my own. I absolutely hated the fact that unique characters would eventually fall out of the story and become just as relevant as generic characters. Granted, it was to account for characters that crystallize, so I get it. But that won't happen in my game. I'm not going to be having characters crystallize. Character deaths will be more controlled to take out the random factor.

EDIT: Guys, thank you so much for the input. This project isn't something I've just started. I've been at this for a while and a lot of ground-work has been laid. This discussion alone helps in more ways than you can imagine. Seeing even the slight bit of interest from others helps keep my motivation at a high level. I need to keep development going. Very easy to hit a wall at this stage.

Quote from: Toshiko on October 13, 2013, 08:47:05 pm
Charging is a justifiable mechanic, as is delaying next turn after a suitably strong ability. Use both, and you have every bit of penalty you would ever need. If you disagree, give the stronger abilities cool down periods as well. But MP is the single worst mechanic ever devised, due to never being used in a way that isn't horrible. Especially early game.

FFT gives you several methods of replenishing MP, but how many are available early on? Effectively zero. You can use a spell maybe twice, and then your mage is a worthless little mudskipper who cannot attack, nor survive any amount of damage. And it isn't as though they're glass cannons, either, since Fire doesn't do an appreciable amount of damage more than a physical attack, especially when you consider that the spells have charge times. What MP says to FFT is, "you won't be able to use this job effectively until better jobs are already available to you." The level one spells would have been quite acceptable with their existing CT cost and 0 MP cost, and having both a before (a la FFT) and after (a la FFX) action delay penalty is enough to balance any skill's use that isn't insanely overpowered to start with (which cool down would handle nicely). All of the abilities are balanced from start to finish, at any stat or EXP level. No job is ever useless.

If you're dead set on including MP, make it start at 0 and increment 15-20% or so per turn, with a Skies of Arcadia like Focus as an innate skill for all characters to spend your turn raising MP. Or start at 100% and regenerate 5-10% per turn. Not as preferable to abandoning it altogether, but far less grievous a mechanic than the standard method.

Point taken. Three deciding factors for a skill so early in the game is simply too much.

I may have to go with a draw/focus mechanics. It's not just about making the game mechanics work for those who play it, but it also needs to work with the lore of my world. That's the one thing I actually hate about MP. The mechanic doesn't tie into the world upon which the game is based. It's never explained. So for that reason, I think I'll deviate from the traditional MP method and jot down some key takeaways from Toshiko's input. Thank you Toshiko.

The next thing for me is the class system. I had a HUGE problem with unique characters being able to access all classes. For me, it took away from the individuality of the characters. If Agrias is a Holy Knight, I believe she should stay a Holy Knight, not change to a Mediator.

So what I'd like to do is have primary and secondary classes. Primary classes will be static, whereas secondary classes can be changed. Picture being able to accumulate job points for your second skillset instead of just the first. Thoughts?

Quote from: Toshiko on October 13, 2013, 06:55:56 pm
My single biggest complaint about any game that uses it: MP. Get rid of it. If you already have charge time penalties, or cool downs, or delayed next action, or any other such thing, MP better not exist. You already have all the penalty you need for balancing ability use, especially if you have more than one of the aforementioned mechanics in place. The only way I would ever excuse MP use is if it had auto-regen. FFTA flirted with this, but did it wrong by setting it to 5 MP per turn universally. A set percentage per turn would make it not bullshit, but I'd still vastly prefer MP never ever ever be used again in any game ever. EVER.

You make a wonderful argument here, but I actually feel that FFT used MP in a great way. You can restore it in multiple ways, and using it up gives you access to powerful attacks and ranged AOE damage. I feel the benefit of the extra damage and capabilities justifies the MP cost. So how would I go about this within the confines of FFTs damage formulas and mechanics?

Do I keep MP and get rid of Charging? Do I lose MP and keep Charging? Do I lose MP and Charging while expanding on different lengths of Delayed Next Actions?

QuoteAlso, given that positioning isn't a factor, wouldn't this really be FFX with no FFT whatsoever? Unless you mean that you're including jobs and sword skills and such, which would still be better described as FFX + FFV, but that's just me being pedantic. Either way, X had my favorite battle system of any game in the franchise, so I'm totally in support of the project.

You're right. I forgot about FFV. However, the damage formulas, hit formulas, skill types, and job system will be very much like FFT. I'm not a fan of high damage numbers and the low stat numbers are easier to manage when it comes to balancing the game.

Hey guys,

I wasn't sure where this would fit as a topic, so I decided to post it here. I'll understand if Admins feel it should be moved.

So beings that we're all pretty much FFT advocates, I wanted to see if I could get some input on a project I plan to execute. This will all be made with a game making engine called RPG Maker VX Ace.

What I plan to make is a game that is somewhat of a hybrid between FFT, and FF10. Movement will have no bearing on the game, and there will be no grid. There will also be a charge turn battle system, though the mechanics will vary slightly from the original.

Everything else can be replicated. From the hit percentage and damage formulas, all the way to reaction and support abilities. This means that Brave and Faith mechanics can also replicated.

What makes me excited about this project is that I'm not limited by ASM - at all... I can really think outside the box and start creating skills that changes the dynamic of the battles drastically. The thing is, I don't want to go overboard with having to balance things.

So... I'm reaching out to you guys for ideas. What would be the main thing you'd change about FFT if you were to get rid of movement altogether?

Movement Abilities and accessories would obviously be removed. Aoe attacks would have to change their scopes to all/single/random enemies. I'll also have to tinker the evasion and hit rates due to the lack of the front/side/rear attack mechanics. Any thoughts?

Some great headswaps. Ajora looks kind of... Androgynous. Not that this is a bad thing. Still love them.

That is one badass sprite. This is definitely one of my favorites.

I was curious because I'd like to edit some weapons. But honestly, I'd find it a bit too tedious to have to go back and test it in-game every time to fix a minor glitch.

I was curious as to whether there was a way to preview a sprite attack animation with a weapon equipped. Not sure if there was a Shishi available that did that.

Quote from: Kaijyuu on September 05, 2011, 06:17:13 pm
Take a look at final fantasy 5, I guess. Without the chessboard, FFT's gameplay is pretty simplistic.

Definitely, but factor in the class system along with the effects of the skills and you have some sweet gameplay. I'm just afraid of people having a problem with using the same system without the chessboard gameplay.

I'm looking to get some help from the forum, seeing how we all love FFT. I'm in the middle of creating a RPG with a specific engine. With it, I'm able to duplicate the Conditional Turn-Based/Count Time Battle System. I also have the ability to make it so that every skill and weapon can have their own damage formulas, just like FFT.

Basically, I can recreate the FFT battle system without the positioning/move/height factor. What I need help with is finding out what I can implement into the system to compensate for the lack of said factor.

My main concern is evasion, and how to deal with it. I'd like to keep it so that armor has the same effects {HP, evasion, etc.}, but this important strategic element is gone without being able to position yourself beside or behind the enemy.

This is where I need your help. Any ideas for an alternative? Or, do you have any ideas to keep this part of the strategy relevant in gameplay?

Quote from: Dominic NY18 on August 04, 2011, 10:33:53 pm
Technically, I didn't . I ran it through one of the filters in Paint.NET (I think) some time last year. One of these days, I'll sit down and actually hi-res it. Though I'll admit I'm not sure how to go about doing it besides making the original portrait less pixelated...

Anyway, I really want to buy it, but knowing me, I'll just get frustrated with it, especially since it costs $16. As for feedback, you can leave a review for it on the App Store under the Reviews section for the game.

So sorry for being off topic, but what was the filter called?