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Messages - old school

1
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
May 08, 2020, 09:17:37 am
It seems like the most correct answer is to rebalance MA/PA and leave MP out of the equation.  It sounds like this achieves the highest degree of vanilla authenticity and customization potential.  This also makes other skills like Aqua Breath, Aero 1/2/3, and Flamethrower, Blue Magic staples, feasible again.
2
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
May 07, 2020, 07:14:27 pm
@Nyzer @nitwit Good points.  I just wanted to clarify for the sake of the integrity of the original post (which I've updated).

As far as why, Duskblade on Orlandeau can crush MP with the fury, but I suppose if you're doing that, you'd be killing it with a different ability instead.  I don't know.  I'm feeling inclined to try now, just to say I've done it.

Anyway, thanks for the answers.
3
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
May 07, 2020, 04:47:30 pm
Quote from: Nyzer on May 07, 2020, 01:29:39 pmThe skills don't need to be 0 MP. Monsters won't consume the MP, but the AI won't attempt to cast if their MP isn't high enough. You just have to give them better MP multipliers.

I don't think I'm asking the question the correct way.  In fact, I'm sure of it, because I should be asking for clarification around "MP".  Is that current or max MP?  Can a monster use a 40 MP skill with 0/200 MP if the monster skill consumes 0 MP?  I'd be concerned about the exploit @yamish pointed out, "Osmose"-ing a monster to 0 to cause it to avoid using a skill.
4
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
May 07, 2020, 11:56:04 am
Is it possible to give some of these monsters an innate "No Charge" hidden ability?  Specifically the ones with 4 innate abilities already.  I would feel much better with 0 MP skills if the Blue Mage had to cast and the monsters didn't (unless they did, like the Ultima Demons).
5
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
May 07, 2020, 09:21:41 am
Hey, @Nyzer , can the Blue Mage Dual Cast?  :D

jk, but I updated the post slightly to include some of your points.
6
Quote from: Elric on January 20, 2020, 11:04:05 pm1) Ja, Raven's Workbooks has the weapon battle graphic assigner

@Elric Sorry to bring this back up.  I don't find a lot of time to just sit at my computer much these days to follow up.

I've looked through the folders, but haven't seen anything that stands out for the battle graphic assigner.  Am I missing it?  I've clicked through most, if not all, of these files in the resources provided.


https://ffhacktics.com/smf/index.php?topic=7271.0 Raven's Workbooks here.
7
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
February 27, 2020, 06:57:56 pm
Quote from: Nyzer on January 21, 2020, 09:43:32 pmAn alternate animations spreadsheet exists, we use it for Jot5 to allow monsters and humans to have different animations for the same skill. Unsure if it's public.

@Nyzer @Elric  Would one of you be so kind as to share?  I was unable to find the sheet referenced.
8
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
February 25, 2020, 11:16:46 am
Quote from: Heisho on February 23, 2020, 08:50:16 pmIf I may add something.

Don't let the sarcasm fool you. I'm all about collaboration in this post! :)

Quote from: Heisho on February 23, 2020, 08:50:16 pmIn my take I will do that instead of using something that deals damage. That way the stats re balance might not be as difficult.

If you have anything you are especially proud of, let us know and I can add it to the main post.
9
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
February 21, 2020, 09:58:53 am
Quote from: Timbo on February 20, 2020, 12:27:26 pmLooks like it.

:D I love the honesty.
10
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
February 20, 2020, 10:08:27 am
@Timbo I specifically call out the rebalancing. I do actually need to restructure the original post, though, so I'm open to recommendations on format. Not to point the finger, but did you miss it? Should I move it up in the post?

Quote from: old school on January 21, 2020, 07:15:02 pmIn conclusion, to successfully implement the Blue Mage, you would need to
:v/: Rebalance all the stats of your monsters, accounting for MP consumption and MA/PA consequences
:v/: Get a nice list of versatile monster magics to fill your skill set (and make some of your own!)
:v/: Figure out how to
     • do conditional animations
     • animate them all as magics for player and monster, or
     • give up and still feel good about your crappy Macarena looking deal you do before blowing away a foe
:v/: Come up with a cool name!
11
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Red Mage
February 20, 2020, 10:04:44 am
Oh man, I totally forgot to add a nod to the "Enhancer". Also this:

Quote from: Nyzer on January 22, 2020, 10:14:42 amRemoving beneficial effects in order to heal a unit, removing negative effects from allies at the cost of HP, MP restoration (if not using the Red Mage for it), etc. They can be status-focused without being so one-note.

That's pretty awesome, Nyzer. I like that idea!
12
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
January 27, 2020, 08:32:30 am
Quote from: yamish on January 23, 2020, 07:35:26 am
One pitfall not mentioned is that though monsters don't consume MP, if they don't have enough for a skill, they won't use it. So if you put Ice 2 on a mindflare, it'll use it and not consume MP. But if you osmose its MP down, it will no longer use Ice 2. Now osmose type skills suddenly become almost exploitative when fighting certain monsters.


@yamish Thanks for the heads up!  It definitely changes things.  Any idea how that affects adding MP to the monster skills that already exist?

Quote from: Heisho on January 26, 2020, 06:37:07 pm
Hello there!

In my patch I'm using skills that doesn't rely on MA except for accuracy. Emmy created a lot of formulas that can be used for this purpose (i'm using various formula hacks from her set).
As from me, I created a functional formula for Transfusion. Combined with ARH to be used only on critical.

Enjoy:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Patches>

  <Patch name="Form 21 - Transfusion">
    <Description>Heals HP and MP to target equal to MaxHP and MP from caster/ Deals MaxHP and MP DMG to caster</Description>
    <Location file="BATTLE_BIN" offset="1225F4">
1980023C
942D428C
1980033C
902D638C
2A004494
00000000
060064A4
2E004594
50000634
250066A0
0A0065A4
1980023C
8C2D428C
01000334
000043A0
040044A4
A0000634
250046A0
0800E003
080045A4
    </Location>
  </Patch>

</Patches>





@Heisho Mind if I add that to my evergrowing first post?  Thanks a lot for the idea/formula!
13
That's awesome! I'd totally rock that, but you're right... No smart watch.
14
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Red Mage
January 22, 2020, 07:14:46 am
Updated!  Thanks for catching my error!

To be honest, though, I don't know what you expected from a conversation with a guy named "old school".  Clearly, the earliest, blandest, most pixelated versions of the Red Mage were the best crappy job.  (jk, sarcasm, it doesn't translate well in text).

I actually really like your thoughts on the "mana battery" approach.  It does sound like a cool mix of melee and magic.
15
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
January 22, 2020, 12:12:37 am
Quote from: Nyzer on January 22, 2020, 12:03:28 am
Monster MP Growth is set very high across the board, and the higher they're set the worse they grow.


Exactly. But more MP means draining can be more effective. Personally, it's not something I'd spend a ton of time on, but I'd rather enumate all the possibilities for the next person that cares for maybe a more genuine experience. I think we're probably THINKING the same thing, Nyzer. I'm just trying to call out all the possible pitfalls.
16
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
January 22, 2020, 12:09:36 am
Elric, there's a disturbing lack of passive aggression in your posts these days!  :lol:

For real, though, any tips you guys have, I'd like to kinda aggregate it all and help out with what I can.  Less questions for you guys means more time you can spend doing pro level mods. These posts today are just to get initial thoughts on paper so other people can take advantage of my progress and failures (which are quite abundant).
17
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Red Mage
January 21, 2020, 11:55:29 pm
All great points. Sorry, phones don't do any favors for these forum posts. I'll keep this one short and just say "Yes." They started out crappy, then got several much needed reworks. 
18
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Blue Mage
January 21, 2020, 11:34:48 pm
This is the reason for this post. I have been struggling for so long, and I figured this would turn up some resources. I'd love to check those out.

As for Absorb/Osmose, monsters have almost no MP. I play almost never, and haven't modded in a long time due to life, but can't you only drain what your enemy has? If so, a Chocobo with 5MP max will only yield 5MP.
19
PSX FFT Hacking / Re: The Red Mage
January 21, 2020, 11:28:57 pm
Quote from: Nyzer on January 21, 2020, 10:07:58 pm
Um... no, you *don't* share learned skills across jobs in FFT. If you have a Freelancer with Cure, a Red Mage with Cure and Cura, and a White Mage with Cure-Curaga, learning Cure on the Freelancer will not learn it on the other two jobs.


That's actually good to know. I thought I had experimented before and had that issue, but could easily have been mistaken.  I'll update when I can get to a computer.

As for the rest of it, they definitely aren't made for late game. You either play them for Dual Cast or it's FFXI. Raise was a Red Wizard spell, which you can also argue that the White Wizard gets Holy and the Black Wizard gets Flare. My opinion is hardcore against the armor, though.  They, traditionally, aren't meant to wear it.

Of course it's all really RDM flavor and personal preference. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I hope this back and forth helps people make the Red Mage they always dreamed of, lol.

I should also add, and maybe I'll clarify up top, this is not what they can be, but rather what they have been in the series. A lot of your ideas are more geared toward a more FFXI approach of self-sustainability, and I like that. I was happy with the Sorceror/Red Mage they made. I'm not sure that's for me, though. The one thing I noticed you didn't argue with, however, is the Oracle. Can we take a second to reflect on that?
20
PSX FFT Hacking / The Red Mage
January 21, 2020, 09:06:21 pm
Old School's Red Mage Schooling

I should start this thread with the following disclaimer:
"I love red mages, but they still suck"


Then, I have to follow that with an explanation:
Red Mages in many games of the series were unbalanced and in some cases served as utility classes.  Despite this, I actually really enjoyed the challenge of still running them end game.  Fun fact, FF1 for NES came out when I was very young, and the original description (direct from the original game book) was so appealing:
Quote from: Original NES BookThe Red Magician has the ability to learn some of both black and white magic spells and is a fairly good fighter.
To a small child, words like "some" and "fairly" hold no weight.  As such, I ran 4 Red Mages, and soon learned the error of my ways.

First and foremost, what is a Red Mage?
The Red Mage has been a Final Fantasy staple since the dawn of FFTime.  When it debuted in FF, it existed only to suck.  Most people would argue and say "you're wrong, old school!  They used white and black magics, a wide variety of weapons, and heavy armors!"  To this, I usually grunt or roll my eyes.  I like to think I'm an expert on the topic, having made a huge mistake my first go round at the age of 5 and playing 4 Red Mages.

End game Red Mages couldn't use any armor, plateaued in their stats, lacked the best white and black spells, and had a crappy selection of even mage gear.  Later games introduced cool stuff like spell proficiencies, dual-casting (the Red Mage trademark), enchanting weapons like the FFV Sorceror...  This did a lot for the Red Mage, and serves as the foundation for my Red Mage.

If you think I'm full of crap, you're not wrong.  My spouse's ex would absolutely agree with you.  I do rely heavily on my experience grinding Red Mage JP/XP, as well as the incredibly thorough stuff at https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Mage.

I wanted to show my appreciation to Lijj & Cheetah as early in the post as possible, so it's worth noting that several Red Mage sprites exist (http://ffhacktics.com/sprites.php?search=red+mage) and in addition to my son who loves Red Mages, served as inspiration.  Thanks, Lijj, Cheetah, and Nightmare Child!

What do they wear?
Red Mages have seen a lot of changes over the years as games evolved.  Unfortunately, none of those changes made them great.  They just have cool hats.  Originally, Red Mages used knives, swords, rods, staves, and a few other miscellaneous items, and wore armor and light shields, but ended up just being a crappier version of its black and white counterparts as the black and white robes were exclusively for their respective mages.  In FFIII, however, they became slightly more versatile with the use of a few bows.  True to the Red Mage form, though, the best bows were reserved for real Light Warriors!

Does FFT support Red Mage Mechanics?
:|  It depends on your preferred flavor of Red Mage.  To Nyzer's point, the Red Mage doesn't have to suck, but the early releases in the FF series didn't know that.  Your Red Mage can be anything, but because I prefer the genuine vanilla experience, I prefer the early Red Mage, which I can then augment with other class magics (Time, White, Black...).  If you still want traditional Red Mage but want more power, that brings us to Dual Cast.  The general consensus at present is that the level of effort would most likely be astronomical due to the fact that FFT does not support multiple commands in a single turn.

FFXI was also kind enough to bring us skills from an actual awesome job (Sorceror), stealing them instead for your Red Mage.  FFT doesn't support the elementally charged strikes without heavier modding.  That brings us to enfeebling spells.

What Red Magics already exist?
All of them!  Red Magic was a mix of white and black magics.  It's really about how you want to make your Red Mage unique.  I personally try to avoid duplicating any skills across classes.  It's just... lazy.  Good news, there's an even crappier job than the Red Mage, and that's the Oracle!  If you pair up White Magic and your new Red Magic skillsets, you have a healing, enfeebling, useless in end-game, magical warrior.  Just an example.  You can save yourself something like 14 (fourteen!!) ability slots by getting rid of the most notoriously worst class in Final Fantasy history.  No, I'm not an advocate for the level down cheat.

This is not the only Red Mage flavor, but because it's mine, I'm going to pass it off as the best.
It's not.  I just can't stress enough how much I hate the Oracle and love vanilla.

Awesome, old school!  I'm going to jump in and make one!
Unlike my post about the Blue Mage, I really think this is a worthy addition, and I'm honestly disappointed in Square for not having done it initially.  Even better, the only thing you really may want to change is the PA multiplier.  Remember, like the Oracle, the Red Mage is supposed to suck.  Just up the multipliers, add a few weapons types, and you're good to go with your crappy, sorta versatile, new Warrior of Light!  But, for the love of God, please don't give them armor and knight swords!


I'd love to hear your Red Mage designs in the comments below.  This post is oozing with seeming disdain for Red Mages, but they are my favorite class, and how you'd make them not suck is interesting!

Suggested Red Mage Flavors
It is recommended that you explore your own creativity, but here are a few to get you started.  Feel free to mix and match to your heart's content, and if you have an idea that is worth sharing, add it in the comments below to have it featured.

If you feel your idea has been misrepresented, please contact me directly so we can collaborate and get your idea out here properly.

You got the wrong game, bruv.  Try this: https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_V

  • Rename all instances of Yin Yang Magic to Red Magic because Red Magic is a better, gluten-free option
  • Give the Red Mage Knives, Swords, Rods, Staves, Bows (introduced in FFIII, look it up), Shields
  • Give the Red Mage Hats, Robes, Clothes
  • As a front-line fighter, I'm toying with reducing spell CT
  • Boost HP growth/mult, Speed mult, PA mult (Oracle SUCKS), Move & ChEv% (to be on par with other versatile/mobile classes)

For a very basic change to keep the vanilla feel and limit the need for extensive modding, change the Oracle HP multiplier/growth, and PA and Speed multipliers.  Make sure to update equipment and possibly reaction abilities to support this better version of the Oracle.

  • Give it strong (but not the best) MA and PA, and slightly above average SP, but to give it low HP, MP, and Move, and merely average Ev%.
  • Update equipment selection to include your preference for weapons, as well as armor, robes, etc

@Nyzer's explanation:
Quote from: Nyzer on January 21, 2020, 10:07:58 pmThe low Move would fall in line with the Red Mage being a caster. This wouldn't cripple its usefulness because it has both ranged damage and support options. Yes, its lower spell levels would mean that this isn't going to be OMGWTF damage, but it's not nothing, and allowing the Red Mage to have high PA still allows it to be a useful damage dealer in melee range. Not as much as a Knight Sword wielder, but KS are stupidly OP anyway with all their buffs and the ability to dual wield them. Rebalancing Knight Swords just so that - for example - they can't be dual wielded, while regular swords still can; or so that they're forced 2H but swords can still be used with shields or the Doublehand support, would easily make the Red Mage a worthy melee fighter without giving it Knight Swords.

The low HP wouldn't cripple the Red Mage either. Giving them Protect, Shell, and Regen, in addition to their lower Move, easily allows them the opportunity to buff up before they hit the front line. A Red Mage with Protect & Regen could theoretically be tankier than a heavy armor job without it.

  • Give skills that control the flow of battle via MP restoration (ex: single target restore caster, AoE restore allies)
  • Give short range skills to force melee range combat

@Nyzer's explanation:
Quote from: Nyzer on January 21, 2020, 10:07:58 pmGive the Red Mage its own unique niche: the mana battery. FFT surprisingly really doesn't do much with the concept of MP restoration. Even the Dark Knight's Dark Sword/Duskblade/Infernal Strike skill is nearly useless as an MP restoration skill since it's exclusively put on jobs that have no-cost healing and attack moves. You could give the Red Mage a very unique role with just two skills: one ranged skill that costs MP, restores MP (whether AoE or single target is up to you), and cannot hit its caster, and then one sword-requirement weapon range skill that drains a target's MP. (You could even drop that last skill if you just wanted to move Duskblade here but I'm not much of a fan of that idea, especially since I think forcing the Red Mage to be in melee range if it wants to do a lot of casting is a good way to reinforce its mixed-role design.)

All of this would turn the Red Mage into a unit that perfectly straddles the line between caster and melee, encouraging the player to switch between both no matter what the Red Mage's current role in the team is. If you're using them as a melee attacker, you'll still want to toss out some Blizzaras before you can close the gap, and regularly top up its Protect/Regen. If you're using them as a supportive caster, you'll still want to dart in and top up your MP with a Manastrike (name pending trademark) since you don't have the MP pool that the focused caster jobs do.

Quote from: Nyzer on January 22, 2020, 10:14:42 amKicking some of their status effects to a physical job would free up space to get experimental with their niche and expand a bit on what they do. Removing beneficial effects in order to heal a unit, removing negative effects from allies at the cost of HP, MP restoration (if not using the Red Mage for it), etc. They can be status-focused without being so one-note.

Resources:

This post has been made possible by the members of this site.  Special thanks to:
Lijj
Cheetah
Nyzer
Nyzer
Nyzer
Nyzer