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Difficulty, PSX v PSP, Easy Hack and ASM, Sprite and Job Editing Questions

Started by Scrooge, July 15, 2013, 02:40:21 am

Scrooge

Hello.  I am attempting to dive into FFT Hacking with a personal pet project, but I have lot of questions, was hoping I could get steered in the right direction, as I'm not entirely certain where to begin.  I've browsed through most of the forums, but some things I'd like to know specifically.  My initial thoughts were to patch WotL, as I enjoy all the extra content it has, but I've repeatedly come across the fact that it is both not as popular to mod, and not as hack-friendly.  I'm trying to first and foremost figure out all the differences between the two versions from a modding perspective, so I can evaluate whether it is even worth attempting in WotL, or if I should just stick with PSX.

1. So my first question is: Is there a comprehensive list of differences between the two from a modding perspective, and if not, what are the differences?  The major issue I've come across is that FFTorgASM does not work with the WotL version, meaning spreadsheet hacks are out the door.  Are more difficult methods of ASM Hacking available on WotL?  There also seem to be far more issues creating custom characters/jobs in WotL because of the lack of applications available.

2.  It seems battles can only support 16 characters in total, and 9 different jobs.  Is this only true for PSX, or does it apply to WotL as well?

3.  Is there a way to globally increase generic job enemies' stats but not effect players'?  Say, give all generic job enemies a flat 400 HP increase?  Additionally, is there a way to force all enemies to have all skills learned, but players not have it also?

4.  Regarding Ramza's sprite:  I'm under the impression that it can be changed, but simply changing the battle sprite and the formation sprite won't fix all the events he is in.  That is, he reverts to his default sprites during special animations.  Assuming I modify him with a custom sprite, will this cause actual errors with the game or does he simply look like he instantly changes clothes for several frames?  And if so, is this simply temporary for those few frames, and he goes back to his modified custom sprite?

5.  I am under the impression items can't be simply added.  That to input new items, you must override an existing item's slot.  Is this correct?  Are there any existing tutorials on how to most easily add the new multiplayer equipment from WotL into the regular game somewhere?  I had at first hoped to just overwrite them into existing poach slots for various monsters, but I recall reading something about these new items being two byte codes, making it impossible to reference them for move-find, poach, or war spoils.  Can they simply be added to a shop?

6.  Is there an Easy Hack method of *adding* an entry into the Brave Story?  Or would the most realistic method be to override an existing characters?  Is this possible to do with FFTextTac?  I could not find the brave story entries.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Angel

1.  Basically, you're limited to what you can do with Shishi and FFTPatcher. Otherwise, nobody with the knowledge of how to do more wishes to do more with WotL, so nothing gets done on it.

2.  That I'm not sure of. I only -assume- it's the same on WotL, due to the way the game was converted, but I am not positive. Could be making the wrong assumption.

3.  I don't believe so, no. You can directly control what level the enemies are at, but not directly control their stats. And yes, you can control the level of learned abilities in FFTPatcher.

4.  Those are all evtchr frames, which would need to be edited by hand. There's a brief explanation on how to do so here.

5.  While there is a finite amount of space for items, I think you can add more without replacing the existing ones, but it's a pain. Like, massive pain. So, it's easier to just overwrite the data for an existing item. You don't want to just copy and paste from WotL, either way.

6.  Someone other than me would be better able to handle the Brave Story question, since I don't even remember what handles it...
  • 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?

SilverRegret

from my experience (im also patch a WOTL ISO)
1. as Toshiko explained, WOTL is limited to FFTP, shishi, EVGRP, FFT'o Matic and lion Editor ^^;
at the moment WOTL cant use org.ASM (and all its ASM hack),and change sprite type (even though you changed it with shishi). but is still can insert custom sprite and others, just a bit limited.

2. dunno about 16 number but i think i've read here somewhere that WOTL is not limited to just 9 sprites/ battle if im not mistaken.. and also WOTL offer 24 slot on formation screen (more than the original FFT) + all its extra character items & contents (but currently uneditable via EVGRP).
western WOTL got voices on some of its cutscene but lose the original random quotes when u cast spell (how i miss them..)

3. NO, enemy generic and your generic job share same job stat i believe, but you can buff the enemy by setting their abilities (shirahadori, soulbind, HP boost, or Lifefont?), set their level +xx from your current level.
about abilities, like Toshiko said you can edit it on FFTP.

4. yes, consider your modified ramza (or any other event character you edit) flicker back to its original sprite a bit on few frame (but it wont crash the game) and it will still back to your modified sprite.
its just.. you know kinda weird looking it.

5.again, just as Toshiko explained, editing items is lots of pain (trust me, its from my own experience) so many just say easier to overwrite the existing items.
about adding the WOTL multiplayer items you can edit those on FFTP to make them sold on store..

6. i dont know, sorry. though its been tickling me to turn back some of the names like
Messam Elmdore to Mesdoram Elmdore or Milleuda Tengile to Milleuda Tingell (if im not mistaken) or maybe hid Alzalam full name? (on the original FFT you find out Alzalam was Orran descendant on the very end of the ending scene, thus conclude the zodiac brave story) :3
but i found no such text on FFTactext.
also one thing i really want to edit on WOTL texts is to bring back spell quotes T-T;
anyone can confirm that its really gone for good? can't it be copied from the original FFT?

Glain

Regarding ASM hacking the PSP version, it's probably doable to modify FFTorgASM to support that... but none of the PSX hacks would work on the PSP version.  The ASM code is different between the two versions (and in completely different places).  We'd have to create new hacks to do the same things.

I suppose you could hex edit BOOT.BIN if you really wanted to ASM hack the PSP version.
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown

RavenOfRazgriz

1. The difference between modding the PSX Final Fantasy Tactics and PSP Final Fantasy Tactics is that the PSP version is an emulated Japanese FFT ISO that's been compressed and romhacked by Square-Enix itself to add in the new features.  This means a lot of code either doesn't match the PSX version or is in different locations, as the Japanese version of the game is built differently than the English one to begin with and none of Square's changes make reconciling them any easier.  For you this means you're basically limited to what you can do in FFTPatcher, FFTacText, ShiShi Sprite Editor, and a very nominal amount of ASM hacks that you'll have to apply by hand at best if you edit the PSP version of the game.

2. The first is true and applies to all versions of the game.  The second I believe is not true to War of the Lions because the Sprite files are compressed differently, allowing the game to store a larger number of them in RAM without it glitching out.  I can very easily be wrong though.

3.  You would have to make every enemy in the game use a unique Job that's a copy of the generic enemy Job with higher multipliers to do something similar to what you want.  It would be very tedious work to say the least.  If you equip a Skillset starting from x19 (Guts) to a unit by force via the ENTD, it will automatically know every skill and RSM in that set.  So, assuming you don't mind going through, editing, and applying text to empty skillsets, you can make any enemy unit force learn any combination of skills you want in this manner.  (For example, you could make Skillset x4D an exact copy of Punch Art, give it appropriate text, and force-equip it to an AI Monk over its "generic" Punch Art as its Primary Skillset and that AI Monk will be able to access all skills in the Punch Art set.  The player will not be able to inherit those skills through a Crystal, though.)

4.  If you change Ramza to a new sprite and do not edit those EVTCHR frames used in Cutscenes, his sprite will revert and/or bug during those frames but return to normal afterward.

5.  You have to overwrite an existing item in the PSX FFT Item list as all the valid IDs for 01-FF are used (I don't know where Toshiko was told otherwise), but considering I have no idea how the PSP Exclusive Item List works (the one that uses two bytes), you might be able to do some fennangling there on the PSP only.  I wouldn't know how to add them to Shops or anything, there's probably a way to do so that involves lots of stupid but I wouldn't know it.

6.  Adding entries to the Brave Story involves you adding a Variable check into the Event of the battle or cutscene you want one to be added that sets the entry to be enabled.  You can find a list of which Variable coincides with which Brave Story Entry on the main page somewhere.  In TacText the files you want to edit are WLDMES.BIN (Character Bios 1-4) and WORLD.LZW (Persons).


Angel

Quote from: RavenOfRazgriz on July 16, 2013, 06:48:25 pm
You have to overwrite an existing item in the PSX FFT Item list as all the valid IDs for 01-FF are used (I don't know where Toshiko was told otherwise)

Was likely idle conjecture I picked up on in chat that had no proof of concept and was abandoned due to being absurd, or someone who didn't know what they were talking about. Expanding the table to allow for two byte items, the feasibility in moving the data around to accommodate, etc.
  • 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?

Scrooge

Thanks for the replies.

Regarding item editing, the "Rare" tag in FFTPatcher, does this just prevent enemies from equipping these items naturally outside of forced equips (e.g. certain story characters having Knight Swords and Hair Ornaments always equipped)?  Is there -anything- else the Rare tag does?

It's good to know regarding the Ramza events that they won't cause significant errors or crashes.  I suppose I can deal with how silly it'll look in the few cutscenes compared to the vast amount of time I won't have to look at Ramza's atrocious chap4 clothes during normal gameplay.

Quote4.  Those are all evtchr frames, which would need to be edited by hand. There's a brief explanation on how to do so here.

Good to know, probably more work than I'm yet ready for, but nice to know it's possible even in WotL.

Quoteyou can control the level of learned abilities in FFTPatcher.
Quoteabout abilities, like Toshiko said you can edit it on FFTP.

How precisely is this done?  The method I was conceiving was globally raising JP required to unlock jobs, then manually assigning each and every enemy that appears in ENTD a "Job Unlocked" to a job with many job requirements to force them to have tons of JP to learn all the prereq jobs' abilities.  I'm not even sure that's how it works correctly, and it'd be highly tedious (I can live with that I guess).  Is there a way to more quickly just force all enemies to have all jobs and abilities unlocked but keep player's normal?

QuoteIf you equip a Skillset starting from x19 (Guts) to a unit by force via the ENTD, it will automatically know every skill and RSM in that set.

Is this in regards to Primary only, or will this work with Secondary as well?  I'm assuming given you said starting from x19 (Guts), it means this little bypass only applies to "special" job skillsets?  Like, I can't give a chap1 enemy Squire the Geomancer's skillset as his secondary and have him magically know all Geomancy without doing further copy paste adjustments as you described?  Sorry if that's a jumble and difficult to follow, can't figure out a better way to word that.

QuoteI suppose you could hex edit BOOT.BIN if you really wanted to ASM hack the PSP version.

Quotea very nominal amount of ASM hacks that you'll have to apply by hand at best if you edit the PSP version of the game.

I believe, for now, I can accomplish almost everything I want with FFTPatcher, etc.  The only thing I really wanted to do with ASM is add extra stages to Midlight's Deep.  Like Floors 11-20.  I know I can edit actual battles with FFTPatcher, but I assume -adding- floors to Midlight's Deep requires a certain amount of ASM hacking?  Is it even currently possible to do in WotL?  I believe I recall seeing a PSX patch where someone had a 40 floor Deep Dungeon or the like, but I've no idea if it can yet be done in WotL.

QuoteIn TacText the files you want to edit are WLDMES.BIN (Character Bios 1-4) and WORLD.LZW (Persons).

Ahh, WLSDMES.BIN.  Just what I was looking for.  I see a lot of empty entries between Ramza and everyone else.  Can I safely insert new entries here, and these characters will appear right after Ramza in the bio lists?  I'm unsure if I'd have to overwrite existing stuff or if this is an exception.  I've seen a few posts mentioning deleting some text in order to "fit" other text, can't recall the context, but I assumed that meant there was a finite amount of space for text these files have allocated.

Regarding editing abilities' animations, I take it that the "Weapon Strike" checkbox in Patcher auto forces a character to swing their weapon for animation instead of what's normally used?  As in, if I click "Weapon Strike" under Fire III, my character will swing his wand, instead of the lifting arms regular cast motion?  If I use this, do I still need to make changes to the Animations Tab, or will this check box alone suffice?

Most custom character tutorials I see involve shifting characters like Simon/Balmafula/Dead Malak to the unused Celia and Ledes, then building a new character on the newly freed upSimon, for example.  Why can't I directly build a new job on the unused Celia or Lede?

Regarding editing Ramza's abilities through chapters, are his previous chapter abilities inherited through slot or actual ability.  For example, if I wanted to leave chapter 1 Ramza Squire with his original newbie skillset, and he's learned Throw Stone, but I want him to have Crush Punch in place of Throw Stone starting in chapter 2, do I just edit over chapter 2 Ramza's Throw Stone with Crush Punch, and the game will have him auto learned Crush Punch once chapter 2 rolls around?  And if I failed to learn Throw Stone before the end of chapter 1, then Crush Punch will still replace it, but it won't yet be learned?

SilverRegret

QuoteMost custom character tutorials I see involve shifting characters like Simon/Balmafula/Dead Malak to the unused Celia and Ledes, then building a new character on the newly freed upSimon, for example.  Why can't I directly build a new job on the unused Celia or Lede?


because most of the non party member sprite like unused celia and lede dont have formation sprite slot linked to them.