Topic: Dark Wave Command

[Deathlike2]

If someone could verify the numbers, that would be appreciated.

HP Loss: MaxHP/8
Damage: Attack Power*Attack Multiplier/2
Does not factor against defense/magic defense
Non-elemental based attack

Edit: Revised formula, damage has variation, but it becomes less obvious as you have a higher damage and attack multipliers.

[Deathlike2]

Ok, found some new info.

Undead monster types: Damage/4
Pudding/Flan/Slime monster types are immune to the attack (like Kick).

[Deathlike2]

This command ignores row.

[Deathlike2]

Command is disabled when fists are used. It doesn't matter what weapon is equipped. That's the only major check done for this command (since Dark Knight Cecil has a 3 weapon list, they were lazy to code this better). This becomes readily apparent in Paladin's hack.

[Paladin]

Yah...I tried it on other characters a while back (toyed with giving Rydia the command). It seems as long as you have any weapon equipped you're ok.

[Phoenix]

I took a cursory look at the DarkWave subroutine, and one thing of note that I didn’t know was that if you use it when Cecil has less than 1/8 of his max HP, it will still perform the command, but will kill him.

[Deathlike2]

Yea, it's an amusing non-check that there ever was.

[Phoenix]

It's more of a death-check -- the subroutine actually checks if his HP is less than 1/8, and sets his status to dead if it is. So they did think of it, and I guess it makes sense if you really needed to use the command at near death.

[Deathlike2]

Well, the check is there probably for the following reasons...

1) No HP is "visually" lost (no numbers pop up), which would probably trigger the "set death on 0 HP".

2) Prevent The Dark Knight Zombie! 

The randomization of damage is most likely Damage += (Attack Power / 2 * rand (100, 150) / 100) % 256

[Paladin]

Based on what Phoenix's data shows...I think it was intended for him to be able to die (swoon, or become wounded...whatever) as well as based on this translated passage about Dark Swords from the SSH - Settings Guide:

Unlike regular broadswords, dark swords have a dark power embodied within. If a person cannot overcome the dark power and tries to use these swords, he may become controlled by this power and may succumb to it. If this happens he will then become accustomed to killing and destruction without thought. To use the dark power of these swords, the dark knight summons his strength and calls on the dark power of the sword, which then absorbs the knight's vital force and waves of dark energy are released from the blade. The dark wave spreads over a wide area and those in its path are injured by it.

He's meant to succumb to it's power...if he's not careful.

It would have been really cool if there was a Zombie status in FF4, that would have been the ideal status for the Dark Knight to become if he "wounded" himself with the Dark Wave attack...

[Deathlike2]

Well, it would take some thought to make a new status... it would have to be made of a Charm/Berserk hybrid...

[Deathlike2]

I did an interesting test with this command. If a character has a maximum of 7 HP or less, this command will not reduce a point of HP from the attack. Unlike timed Poison damage that has a minimum of 1 HP loss, this command has no minimum (so HP loss can be at 0).

So if you want this command to be used on a very low HP gaining character, this is an awesome command to add.

[Zozma]

where is the data for this? like altering its damage etc

[Pinkpuff]

 
Ditto... Any word on where the locations are for how much damage it deals to the enemies, or to the caster? It'd be nice to be able to manipulate/configure those.

[Grimoire LD]

Based on what Phoenix's data shows...I think it was intended for him to be able to die (swoon, or become wounded...whatever) as well as based on this translated passage about Dark Swords from the SSH - Settings Guide:

Unlike regular broadswords, dark swords have a dark power embodied within. If a person cannot overcome the dark power and tries to use these swords, he may become controlled by this power and may succumb to it. If this happens he will then become accustomed to killing and destruction without thought. To use the dark power of these swords, the dark knight summons his strength and calls on the dark power of the sword, which then absorbs the knight's vital force and waves of dark energy are released from the blade. The dark wave spreads over a wide area and those in its path are injured by it.

He's meant to succumb to it's power...if he's not careful.

It would have been really cool if there was a Zombie status in FF4, that would have been the ideal status for the Dark Knight to become if he "wounded" himself with the Dark Wave attack...

The more I look at the game, I believe that it was intended for there to be some kind of Zombie status for characters. It's actually still in the game in some strange cases of functionality....

We know that Allies only have their first 40 bytes added when battle begins and the rest comes after, right? Well Allies can have Creature Types as well. If you change the 40th Byte in their data to 80 they will respond like a Zombie and take damage from healing items. So if we really wanted to we could add a "Zombie Status" which acts exactly as it does in FFV.  Healing would damage them and Life spells would kill them. Haha! Talk about a nasty surprise to see an enemy cast "Zombify" on you and then "Life".

Status is nothing but an assign to one of the four status bytes. Changing one instance of it somewhere to another would not be that difficult of a matter.