A total noob asks a lot of questions.

[ffta707]

First make an ISO image, you don't want to be editing your disk. You can make different saves that are at different points in the game. If making  jobs and abilities, I would set all job requirements to Zero, and all abilities to free in jp cost. This will only be for the testing (Obviously).

[philsov]

Ok. I got ePSXe to run, finally, and it turns out my copy of FFT was ferreted away by my 1-year-old son.  It still works, so now I can begin actually editing the game.  So, uh...  What do you guys recommend as the best way to test changes?  Should I just start a new game each time at 10X speed, or what?

Thanks again for all the help.  I always start off as a completely useless milksop, but give it a year, and I will be a major asset, I promise!

depends on what you're changing.

most stuff in fftpatcher can be sharked in (I use the PEC plugin) so I can just load up a savestate, toggle the codes in, and I'm good to go.  It also lets me tweak on the fly via loadstating (assuming you savestate before you activate the codes) or overwrite a portion or another.  

For thicker stuff like hex edits, attack.out parameters, etc -- loadstating won't do much and you need to restart the game to see those changes.  But savefiles will be converted automatically so you don't need to fight at orbonne every single time

[ffta707]

Ok. I got ePSXe to run, finally, and it turns out my copy of FFT was ferreted away by my 1-year-old son.  It still works, so now I can begin actually editing the game.  So, uh...  What do you guys recommend as the best way to test changes?  Should I just start a new game each time at 10X speed, or what?

Thanks again for all the help.  I always start off as a completely useless milksop, but give it a year, and I will be a major asset, I promise!

depends on what you're changing.

most stuff in fftpatcher can be sharked in (I use the PEC plugin) so I can just load up a savestate, toggle the codes in, and I'm good to go.  It also lets me tweak on the fly via loadstating (assuming you savestate before you activate the codes) or overwrite a portion or another.  

For thicker stuff like hex edits, attack.out parameters, etc -- loadstating won't do much and you need to restart the game to see those changes.  But savefiles will be converted automatically so you don't need to fight at orbonne every single time

What converts save files? Is it the new patcher? I haven't been able to do that yet.

[philsov]

there's no conversion needed O.o

Say I input the Weapon Guard innate all ASM, and want to make sure its in game.  I can just load up the iso and then load up any previous save file.  the change will be there.

[ffta707]

there's no conversion needed O.o

Say I input the Weapon Guard innate all ASM, and want to make sure its in game.  I can just load up the iso and then load up any previous save file.  the change will be there.

Oh, you meant your own save files. I thought you meant the patcher made files for you.

Thanks though~!

[DaveSW]

Ok, more questions,

First, I am assuming that it is best to just keep asking questions in this thread, instead of creating new ones, is this the best way to go about it?  

Second, I looked around, but couldn't find out how, if at all, is it possible to make certain skills come already learned?  I want to do this with every item skill, and change the chemist into a completely different class.

Third, is it appropriate in this forum to discuss the changes I want to do, and ask for ideas from others?  If so, what/where is the best way to do this?

Again, thank you all for your help.  This is so much fun, you guys rock.

[Pride]

Ok, more questions,

Lets see if I can help again! ^_^

First, I am assuming that it is best to just keep asking questions in this thread, instead of creating new ones, is this the best way to go about it?

I see nothing wrong with keeping one thread. Perhaps rename it though?

Second, I looked around, but couldn't find out how, if at all, is it possible to make certain skills come already learned?  I want to do this with every item skill, and change the chemist into a completely different class.

This I'm not sure about... I'd have to run some test to see if its possible. I don't think it is though. Perhaps someone else might know.

Third, is it appropriate in this forum to discuss the changes I want to do, and ask for ideas from others?  If so, what/where is the best way to do this?

There is a new projects forum where people go to post ideas, in particular you can create a new thread for the patch you are working on (assuming you are) or there is a thread there called "Patch Ideas" or something to that effect where you can post about your ideas.

Again, thank you all for your help.  This is so much fun, you guys rock.

Sorry I couldn't give you a full answer on the second one! But I hope I was able to assist you with the other two.

[DaveSW]

Ok, so now I'm working on my own personal patch, when I get better at this I plan to start my own major project, but for now, the simple stuff.

A few more questions:
1, it was mentioned that it is possible to rename this thread, how do I do that, and what should I rename it to? Something like, A total idiot asks a lot of questions?

2.  Interesting bug that occurred, randomly, the accuracy and Max HP displays will be reduced to a single digit, the accuracy display doesn't seem to change the actual accuracy, but the Max HP display does make it impossible to regain HP, and sometimes current HP will get set to the new max.  Is this fairly common?  I have a few ideas of what might be causing it, and am currently testing that, but if it is an already well known bug with a known cause, that would save a lot of time.

[Jon]

I don't know about the second question, but to rename a thread, you, the creator have to go to page 1 and find the very first post and hit the "Edit" button on the upper right in the box. Then just change the name and hit Submit. Done.

[philsov]

Is this fairly common?

Newp.  wtf did you do?

if at all, is it possible to make certain skills come already learned? I want to do this with every item skill, and change the chemist into a completely different class.

Every skill to learn needs an associated skillset.  There are a few ways for common things, like 0 JP cost with a 100% AI learn rate -- or giving enemy custom skillsets (anything in the lower half of the skillset list) which is a 100% auto-learn for all skills.  In the case of item, that's a bit trickier because it needs it own unique skillset since it draws from your item inventory.  If you wanted to combine Basic Skill with Battle Skill (e.g.) that'd be no big deal at all but item... not so much.  

There IS an Item Innate All ASM hack, which simply makes all units always have the item skillset equipped (though it is buggy if a unit also has the defend ability, 90% sure on that), which is worth persueing... but you still need to have a normal chemist with a normal item skillset to pull it off.  Imo you're better off consolidating something else to free up space, or working within the item skillset itself to get what you're going for.  For example, while Item is limited in the number of skills, you don't need antidote and soft and maidens kiss and yadda yadda yadda.  Just make remedy cheap and this nets you 5-ish Items to toy with -- though items themselves are sadly limited in function.

[Jon]

Philsov, is it possible to have Item innate all (without the asm hack, I'm talking about just putting it as one of the four innates from a job) and somehow having them all mastered? I guess like you said 100% chance to learn and 0 JP would do the trick, but would for example Ramza have then all the items at Gariland? I think it would be sorta cool to have everyone with Item, FFTA style or the main stream FF games style. Just want to know how to do it right. I have a feeling it would sort of work for Ramza, the instant he absorbs a crystal...

[philsov]

I... don't think those 4 innate slots work that way, but its worth a spin I guess.

[DaveSW]

I figured it was something to do with the ASM hacks.  I was messing around with all the ASM hacking options, and set innate Defend, Item, and Equip Change.  If they are buggy when used together, then I think I found my problem.  I gotta say though, I found that bug to be quite amusing, watching Gafgarion getting one-shotted by Viggs.  Made the second fight un-winnable though, as Ramza, Delita, and both my chemists died in one hit.

[Jon]

Ha, wait til you start playing around with the ATTACK.OUT. I changed the opening Orbonne praying scene to the Gariland fight, and it was sort of an auto battle, no battle formation screen, and I was in control of just 1 generic Squire with 0/1 HP and he was killed instantly because his turn never came around.

[DaveSW]

That sounds awesome.  


Right now I'm working on buffing up the chemist, giving him poison potions and the like.  So far, so good.  Just thinking about exactly to give him.  I'm going to try to implement the elemental demi items from FF12.  I think they were called fangs.  Should work just fine, I hope.

That reminds me, are there still constant updates to the FFTPatcher?  I would suggest changing the name of the Remove Status formula to Modify Status, as Remove is misleading.  Just nitpicking, I knew right away that wasn't what it really was, but not everyone would, hence why the change would be helpful.  I'm not being an asshole by suggesting that, am I?

Right now I'm working on a patch that mostly just rebalances the game, and makes use of all the awesome abilities that never get used.  Goal is to make every class save for the basic Squire to be viable, and part of that is giving every class the same growth stats.  I hate having to level in a given class when I don't want to actually use that class, and want to create a hack that requires absolutely zero grinding, so most skills have much lower JP costs.  I still plan on making it harder than vanilla FFT though.

Update:  Weirdness abounds, cant add elements to Potions, and X and Y are always 0 for weapons, I think.  I was hoping that changing the item type would change weapon power and hit% into X and Y... so far, turning daggers into attack items results in hitting the foe with rocks, and I don't know what, if any, damage formulas actually work.  Still, it is fun testing it out.  I just wish I had more free time...

[Jon]

No grinding is good, but if you lower the JP costs, the game might become easier due to the fact that you can buy the bigger and better spells & abilities quicker. Can you tell us how you actually did change knives/daggers into the rock animation? That sounds funny! I wanna try that sometime, maybe someone should really make a just "Throw Stone" patch, I wonder if anyone would play it though...?

[DaveSW]

The knife turning into one of the geomancer's rock spells was just a result of turning the dagger into a chemist item.  Fire ball turns into the haste animation, and Im sure every other item has a corresponding spell effect too.  

Lower JP costs is balanced by the fact that more abilities doesn't really translate to having a stronger character, just a more versatile one.  I plan on just outright killing mathskill, and replacing Calculators with Blue Mages.  As for everything else, learning Bahumut would only take 10 minutes of spamming Accumulate, instead of 20, for instance, so that doesn't make the game easier, just quicker.  Besides, lower JP costs mean that enemies have more skills too.

I plan to use the ASM hack that would cut XP in half. I already gave every class the same stat growths, so that I can level in whatever class I want without screwing the character, or being able to abuse the level down trick.  I think they are set to 5 for HP/MP, 50 for Speed, and 35 for PA/MA.  Really good, but with the XP gained cut in half, it ends up being around the same stats.  

I also plan on giving every class one or two innate abilities, and some classes I will probably change drastically.  I am quite fond of several of completed sprites available for download, so I was thinking about making use of those.  I know that I want to get rid of the mediator, as well as all 'utility' abilities, for the most part, as I would rather the game encourage you to always set up your party to be as effective as possible.  I plan on giving Ramza the mediator's most important skill, Invite, as it fits his character, (he is the one recruiting people, after all), but because it can be so effective, because it essentially the best death spell ever, I was thinking about giving it an mp cost.  I was thinking enough MP so that Ramza would have 1 use of it in the begining, and maybe enough MP for 10 castings a battle end-game.  I know I want to add a lot of skills to Ramza's base class, but I want them all to be eclectic, and none of them should really be that damaging.  Ideas would be appreciated.

[philsov]

turning daggers into attack items results in hitting the foe with rocks, and I don't know what, if any, damage formulas actually work.  Still, it is fun testing it out.  I just wish I had more free time...

Item's basically on its own little table. I can import a very limited number of formula into item (namely, anything which can stand its X and Y value to be zero), but that would only serve to diversify Item itself... which, might be fun to dick around with.  Afaik the only things that can actually be "items" are part of the original item set, so I again strongly advise consolidating the current ones to make room for the new ones.

Formulas that actually do work with Item in addition to the standard ones:

spoiler

01 = 1 * WP damage!
02 = WP*WP damage with 25% chance to cast ability/spell (rigging up potion to cast holy is pretty funny when combined with auto-potion!)
03 = WP*WP damage
04 = weak faith-based ice damage
05 = WP*WP damage, 25% chance to inflict status off status table
06 = drain WP*WP damage
07 = Heal WP*WP
09+ = MA% chance to inflict status/quick/ct00/all health but 1/all MP damage (ew)
14 = Golem (with some pretty funky success #'s)
1E/1F = single-target single-hit with truth or untruth formula (quadratic MA!) damage (440 damage from a mage at level 99)
20 = 0 damage, 25% status proc
24 = elemental formula, [PA / 2] * MA damage + status proc
25 = weapon strike
2D = PA * WP, 100% status
31 = [PA/2] * PA damage
32 = PA*3 damage
33 = PA% chance to inflict (ew)
38 = 100% status infliction
3C = Wish (heal 40%, receive 20% damage)
3E = 100% hp-1 damage (OP!)
43 = Shock (max hp - cur hp damage)
44 = damage HP = current MP (kinda cool, imo, but OP for the player at zodiacs)
45 = Climhazard (targets max - current) damage
52 = self descruct (complete with 100% status) -- imagine auto-potion THEN.
60 = truth formula + 6.25% status
63 = SP*WP damage (throw)

[DaveSW]

Thank you for that table! Very useful.  I do plan on just changing all of the single status recovery Items into attack items, but it is fun messing with everything else.  Seems like it just isn't possible to have an Item do 50% max HP damage with a flat 50% success rate, and elemental.  Oh well, I can settle for stone dust and doom clocks...  Though I do like the idea of throwing bombs that do 100 damage, and randomly cast Flare...

Any ways, some changes I plan on doing include giving the knight and thief more offensive abilities, turning calculators into blue mages, (suggested monster skills welcome), turning mediators into... something (nerfed assassins, maybe?), and overall, just making sure that every skill in every class is something that is worth using.  After all, if you are never going to bother using it, then why have it at all?

Oh, and I plan on re balancing monsters so that they are a lot better overall, and changing their stat growth so that MA based monster abilities would be balanced when cast by a Blue Mage.  Oh, and increasing monster's MP so that they can actually use the stronger Blue Mage skills.  (If I remember correctly, monsters never use MP, but still need the minimum amount in order to cast a spell, right?.)

Oh, I want to give Mimes a reaction skill, what do you suggest? I was thinking Damage Split, because it means the Mime is doing the exact same amount of damage to the enemy.

[philsov]

I'd recommend either damage split, counter flood, or both counter and counter magic.  Counter + Counter Magic is the most fitting, mime-wise, and it works against most skills from both ranged and melee.  But, that needs two innate slots to work so you'd need to sacrifice something (monster skill) to pull off.  Damage split or counter flood for the same reason -- they work against most skills.