Utter Newbie question

[seru]

I'm a major fan of Final Fantasy Tactics, and have always been looking for a way to do something more with it.

War of the Lions was awesome, but not enough.

Then about three days ago I stumbled onto this site, but am utterly lost. How exactly do I patch? And more importantly, can I do it with an emulator, or does it require some obscure method of Memory Card abuse?

[Nashidaran]

Not with the emulator or memory card, no--it's mostly to do with the ISO. Memory cards and save-states rarely enter the picture unless you get into ASM hacking.

First and foremost, BACKUP YOUR GAME DISC. This is important, see? It requires extreme emphasis. Always always always keep a clean copy of your game on hand. Although you can probably find a copy on the net, I strongly suggest making your own clean copy, as it is the only way to be sure that you are not using a modified ISO.

Onwards. Depends on what you want to patch. For starters, take a look through the miscellaneous downloads section of the site. Key downloads to note are:
FFTPatcher (Edit a shwackload of stuff -- needs .Net frameworks 2.0 and 3.5)
Shishi Sprite Editor (edit battle sprites)
FFTactext (edit game text)
FFTorgASM (apply pre-made ASM code hacks)
(These come in one package; peruse the boards for info on basic usage)

CDMage or CDProg
- Enables importing and exporting of game files from the ISO on your computer

PPF-O-MATIC
- For applying .ppf patches to your ISO

FFTEVGRP (translated by melonhead)
- For inserting/extracting new palettes or graphics for the character sprites/portraits which appear in the formation screen. Use CDMage or CDProg to import and export the needed files to/from your ISO. Use your image editor to muck around with the graphics.


PSX    Reassigned Spritesheets (PPF) [Extended]  
- Apparently does neat stuff with how the game handles sprites--look around for info

PSX    Extend ISO (PPF)
- Extends the size/capacity of your ISO without breaking it. Needed for some tasks/patches.

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Other Tools not in the download section:
Hex Editor -- XVI32, WindHex, WinHex
- WinHex works best, but costs money
- These are mostly for People Who Know What They Are Doing
- Use for searching hex code of files and making instant changes.

Image Editor:
GraphicsGale - (free) designed for editing sprite graphics
GIMP - (free) Photoshop alternative
MSPaint - (free) If you're desperate
Photoshop - great tool, but not designed for sprites and heavy palette usage/editing
Paint Shop Pro (v7/v9 - the Jasc versions) If you can get your hands on one of these, it's a fantastic little program; not as powerful as Photoshop, but much better for spriting. Avoid the new ones made by Corel.


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There are many other tools and editors for various purposes, but that should get you started. Also, http://www.ffhacktics.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=3. Forum. Tools Section. Crystal?