Non-Automating Berserk, Bloodsuck; changing Draw Out/Iaido options

[Neophyte Ronin]

About Berserk & Blood Suck:

Are Berserk and Blood Suck hard-coded into sending your character into an automatic mode, or can it be switched so that you, instead, must live with some drawbacks while essentially regaining control of your character?

I understand that suffering the status effect means you start to use a particular command constantly.  Does Blood Suck...
A) draw upon the actual Blood Suck Command Ability, or...
B) does it just run around, picking a Ability over and over?

I bet it's B, but that's my point in the first question.

Reasoning:

Berserk, in SaGa Frontier II, dismisses the use of Anima Arts (magic) and enhances the character's Weapon Arts (high direct damage).  Figured this could be make-or-break, meaning the enemy AI could cast it on their own guys if they were so inclined.

Like Silence and Frog, certain monster skills, magic, and intellect-oriented abilities (stock-based ones like Item, Salve/Heal, etc.) would be restricted, while it otherwise enhances virtually every martial technique and permit their use.  Pummel and Cyclone?  Yes.  Chakra, Aurabolt, Shockwave, Doom Fist, Revive and Stigma Magic?  No.  Dash and Throw Stone?  Yes.  Salve and Focus?  No.  Charge/Aim?  Yes.  Stat-Adjusting Break Arts yes (but not gear-smashing ones).  Steal, no.  As usual, reaction abilities except Reflexes and Parry, as well as Movement ability effects that proc something upon resolution, would be negated as well.

Essentially, a playable Berserk featuring limited tactical options.  Considering how Frog works on a character, it's possible at least in theory to make Berserk into something similar.

Meanwhile, Blood Suck has its own Command Ability.  Once you are afflicted Blood Suck, you're automatic and use this ability exclusively, going after the first person you see.  Suppose if you, instead of losing control of your character, ended up playable yet with an alternate, overriding Command Set Ability that featured thematic options beyond sucking blood, taken from the aforementioned Command Ability?  (E.G. able to use Allure to charm any enemy, or a modified Dark Whisper that adds Protect, Shell, Haste, Transparent and Innocent to oneself.  Things you get when you become a vampire, other than going around sucking blood all the time--that's just cheesy).

I know at the very least the Command Ability can be switched so to make those situations where characters with that ability become far more intimidating, like a whole new set of options to torture your party with (I would use the Vampire Cat version of the Ability itself to prevent hair-pulling agony).  As debilitating a condition Blood Suck is, it should rearrange how the character operates in the fight.  If you ditched it for thematic purposes and replaced it with something like "Accursed" or "Insane" (I mean not even Confusion-grade--just really fucking depraved go-after-everybody spiel), if you had the option to make it playable, you'd have a list of unique commands that are just gonzo.

In either case, what does Silence do?  Well, it affects magic across the board, so obviously Berserk handles that and more.  It's just easier to treat because Silence doesn't restrict all possible recovery options.  Berserk would also not restrict Word Skills, while Silence obviously would.  This would apply to Ramza's unique skills, assuming he still has those.

I've checked the FFTPatcher, and there are checkmarks, many of which are blank in their description (and thus, I'm frightened to even touch them), so I suppose someone devised an assembly language hack that I didn't spot.  If not, I will probably be forced to comprise one, assuming it's at all possible.



Draw Out/Iaido

Is it possible to assembly-hack Draw Out/Iaido so it does not check for stock, but instead checks for what the character has equipped in the right or left hand?

Reasoning:

I figured the Samurai needed a facelift, since Iaido is used more than the Class once a player A) gets the blades, B) gets the skills, and C) Class Changes to a fucking Black Mage.

Essentially, tell the game to check for what is equipped in your hands to determine if you may Draw Out the technique.  It would then see what weapon it is, what ability it is associated with, and then ask for targeting and confirmation.

For Iaido, if Equipment-Dependent, you need the following:
Ability Licensing
Equipped Katana
Restrict Katana from Dual-Wielding (sorry assassin girl) to dodge bugs
and Abolish breakage, its purpose during the "stock days" served.

Iaido would become akin to Geomancy, requiring a specific blade held in the hands instead of a terrain type.  The Samurai would have Innate Double-Grip for enhanced sword striking power, longbow and shields are made available, and Innate Re-Equip so players have choices and not pull their hair out, making both the ability and class engaging again.  Given its loss of flexibility, Iaido techniques would receive slightly improved power, or retain the goodness they already have.  Since the AI cannot Re-Equip, enemy Samurai encounters will sport rare, powerful, or useful blades to stay competitive with the player.

Otherwise, with stock access, the Iaido Command in Vanilla is abusive, better than sex because it assumes everyone lugs their entire arrowhead collection around in battle.  It's rule of cool subordinating suspension of disbelief big time.  If I recall Japanese swordsmanship terminology, Iaido is simply quick-drawing techniques, flashy readying of a blade at a moment's notice (bonus points if you hit an enemy and not yourself or a buddy).  Not that adding mysticism on top is a bad thing, but what should matter is not what you have in stock, but what you have in your hands.

Thank you for your time.

[Choto]

couple things.

With the ARH, you can set draw-out abilities to require a specific sword and I know there's a hack around that modifies the break chance. So that's that.

In regards to berserk and blood suck... what you propose is possible to do, but improbable to be done. You could easily steal one of those blank checks as a "powered by berserk" flag. It's not on anybody's list of shit to do though. I was thinking about a hack that would allow berserk to use abilities but still be under AI control. Not sure if i'll ever get around to that either. Honestly, I don't think I've seen where the game defaults to "blood suck" ability either unless I just can't think of it atm.