Battle Graphics

[Archael]

Editing Effect File Graphics:
All
Vanya

here's a step-by-step explanation of how to do this.

1) Open your effect file in TileMolester. (it can be downloaded from Romhacking.net or Zophar's Domain.)

2) Click on the view menu. Go to the Codec option and click on "8bpp linear".

3) Next click on the view menu again and go to the mode option. Now click on "2-Dimensional". Now if you scroll down the image you'll be able to make out the form of the raw image in the effect file.

4) This is the most complicated part. now you have to figure out where the palette is located for the file that you opened.

First let me explain the rules for locating the palette as read from the Final Fantasy Tactics Investigative Project.

http://web.archive.org/web/20070124055559/http://www.m-l.org/~greerga/fft/

If the effect file is larger than 70KB (71,680B)...
-the last 64KB (65,536B) of the file is a raw image 256x256 pixels.
-the palette is 1028B before the start of the raw image.
-the offset for the palette = the size of the file in bytes minus 66,564 bytes.
-NOTE to view the image correctly for files of this size you have to expand the width of the canvas to 32 instead of 16.

If the effect file is larger than 34KB (34816B) but smaller than 70KB...
-the last 32KB (32,768B) of the file is a raw image 128x256 pixels.
-the palette is 1028B before the start of the raw image.
-the offset for the palette = the size of the file in bytes minus 33,796 bytes.

If the effect file is smaller than 34KB (34816B)...
-the last 15,872B of the file is a raw image 128 pixels wide.
-the palette is 512B before the start of the raw image.
-the offset for the palette = the size of the file in bytes minus 16KB (16384B).

As an example take E161.BIN (Wish)
I'm editing it to make it look less like Esuna.

Size: 51,336B
Palette offset: 51,336B - 33,796B = 17,540B

5) Import the palette from the file. Click on the Palette menu and go to the "Import From..." option. Click on "This File...". This will open the "Import internal Palette" dialogue. In the box marked "Offset" type in the location we got for the palette. In this cast it's '17540'. Where it says "Size" always type 512 because it always used a 256-color palette with 2 bytes for each entry. then click OK and you're ready to edit!! =)

6) Make your changes. Save or Save As... You now have a brand spankin' new effect!! Woohoo!!!!!!! =)

Be warned the program is kinda finicky when undoing stuff so be careful and save often. Also, you can open multiple files to copy over stuff! =)

This is pending submission to the main site.

this is huuuuge should be added to an faq / wiki

rad/10

[Vanya]

I originally posted it months ago in the spell effects thread. Zodiac has been lazy about adding it to the main site. Bitch at him a little to get it up. In the mean time I guess I could add it to the wiki myself.

[Vanya]

Done. Added to the Notes section on the main page of the wiki.

[SydneySoul]

I heart you, Vanya!

[Vanya]

^_^

*joy*

[CHIMERA]

Thx for this.

[Patri]

-------------------------------------------------
most everything else is used up, but several monsters have attacks that call upon the sword strike animation without the spell look, ideal for creating new sword skills:
Small Bomb(Blue)
Small Bomb(Black)
Small Bomb(Red)
Choco Attack
Choco Ball
Choco Meteor
Eye Gouge
Bite
Beak
----------
Singing Animation:
Grand Cross
Nano Flare
----------
Dancing Animation:
Stab Up
Sudden Cry

Does this still hold true or does the animations tab in FTTPatcher allow you to change these?

[LastingDawn]

-------------------------------------------------
most everything else is used up, but several monsters have attacks that call upon the sword strike animation without the spell look, ideal for creating new sword skills:
Small Bomb(Blue)
Small Bomb(Black)
Small Bomb(Red)
Choco Attack
Choco Ball
Choco Meteor
Eye Gouge
Bite
Beak
----------
Singing Animation:
Grand Cross
Nano Flare
----------
Dancing Animation:
Stab Up
Sudden Cry

Does this still hold true or does the animations tab in FTTPatcher allow you to change these?

Animation tab lets you change this.

[Zozma]

yeah that was an old post long before we had access to the animation tab in fftpatcher