Messages

2941

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Attack of the SwordRats

« on: March 09, 2008, 06:34:36 AM »

That does sound possible, but as you say it would be quite a lot of work.

Well, as a start, you could probably use the "Rydia's Restored Summon" hack as a base to start reworking the command to the enemy summon command.

The other part is to find what bit controls the battle's "enemy summon slot".

And it still wouldn't solve the problem of if you use the command more than once. Definitely workable, though.

That's your job to add the extra checks.. or perhaps increase the number slotted in that spot (this will require testing for sure).
If you are able to summon more in the same position (see 3 Red Dragons formation) and not create any extra bugs, it just might work.
(You will have to document the bug, but at least you won't have to worry as much due to user idiocy or accidents.)

2942

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Metallic Oddities

« on: March 09, 2008, 06:27:04 AM »

I've thought the same thing about creating another metallic area, or changing it to something else (Silence would be cool for a non-magic area). I checked the event script when you enter the Magnus Cave, and there's nothing in there that would create that effect.

However, if you return to the Cave later the magnetized effect is gone. So I checked the Dark Elf battle event script, and it sets one event flag and clears one event flag at the end (there are 256 event flags, oo-FF). The one cleared is E1, which is the only event flag that is set at the beginning of the game. (Event Flags Initially Set are from 97440-9745F, with 1 bit per event flag.) I've been wondering what that one event was, but I think we've found the answer. I tested it, and that event flag determines whether the battles on maps in the Magnus Cave have the magnetic effect.

So, there's some code located somewhere (or perhaps in the location properties data) that says battles are magnetic if E1 is set, and not is E1 is cleared. It's the same thing as the world maps changes -- there's ASM code that says if a certain event flag is set, the map looks one way (like the destroyed Castle of Damcyan) and if it's cleared it looks another way (i.e. the non-destroyed Castle of Damcyan).

Now that sounds like an awesome find.. I'd actually like to revisit the Tower of Zot or the Tower of Babil... and maybe the Giant.

However, if I have to equip RubyRings again for another section of the game. I'll have your head! 

2943

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Dispel - Ill Conceived?

« on: March 09, 2008, 06:18:55 AM »

Ok, I definately tested this, and I can confirm that Dispel not removing Reflect as a retarded oversight.
However, I think I have an explanation.

Have you ever tried bouncing Holy/White off of Reflect and realize the Behemoth doesn't cast Storm on you?
Well, this is probably the issue that's being experienced. Whatever is being reflected is changing oh so slightly
(the game may be treated something reflected differently... but that in itself makes little sense).

However, I could not reproduce Dispel removing Stop in FF4ET (the spell should simply behave the same in theory).
I'm using the staff that FuSoYa starts with that casts Dispel (it works just dandy as an equivalent).
Perhaps the Stop effect didn't last long enough (I believe that the Spell Power is multiplied by the  Spell Multiplier...
but I personally can't tell and haven't really tested that (nor the Hourglass items either... I never really use items in this game).

  to item magic.

2944

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: SNES Bug - Caller's Magic Orb Description Missing

« on: March 09, 2008, 06:14:07 AM »

They did??? 

You know, that hidden menu thread doesn't look so silly now...

2945

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Cockatrice Summon

« on: March 09, 2008, 06:13:07 AM »

That logic, I can live with.

2946

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Random Lesser Known Facts

« on: March 09, 2008, 05:58:10 AM »

This game has many more unsolved mysteries than... pretty much more than any other FF game I've completed.

2947

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Agility and ATB Speed - Theory of Relativity

« on: March 09, 2008, 05:49:24 AM »

Count has go to be the most evil of all statuses... and unblockable to boot.

Which makes it even more ironic that they gave Easy Type Zeromus the ability to use it...

Yes. That's the problem with the FF4ET "being FF2 in Jap" undeserved reputation...

2948

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Scripted Battle Screws With Spell Multipliers

« on: March 09, 2008, 05:22:34 AM »

I'm not sure if this is actually applicable to FF4A (probably not, but meh).

Anyways, when you do the Golbez-Tellah battle, Tellah should be doing magic damage in multiples of 5, assuming he is unequipped and hasn't had his Wisdom changed (16 Wisdom/4 + 1 = 5x multiplier). For some reason, he doesn't do magic damage in such a manner for that only battle.

Go figure.

2949

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Random Lesser Known Facts

« on: March 09, 2008, 05:18:30 AM »

Three related to Rubicante:

1. The Rubicante Edge fights solo is the same one the party fights, unlike the Golbez Tellah fights or the Zeromus Golbez and FuSoYa fight.

That explains the massive battle script that makes almost no sense.

2. Rubicante counters any summon magic with Ice-2 on himself, not just Shiva.

Hmm... this isn't DS specific right? I'll have to try this.

3. Rubicante has a rarely seen ending message, to get it you need to get him under 1000 HP and have your next attack do less than that.

Sometimes, I want to smack the programmers over the head for just doing that.

2950

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Counter Battle Scripts Failing...

« on: March 09, 2008, 05:15:40 AM »

Lunar Odin's battle script makes more sense than the Odin at Baron one... to be honest.

2951

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Agility and ATB Speed - Theory of Relativity

« on: March 09, 2008, 05:12:39 AM »

Jump doesn't stop the counter, and Hide only makes it stop at 0 (meaning when you show yourself you're dead). Running does delay the timer, but the delay between command choice and execution is also delayed, meaning it doesn't help very much.

I just tested the running part.. and yes, that's sounds about right.. I think it is actually more detrimental instead (the ATB bar appears to stop in FF4A).. so yes, I agree.

Count has go to be the most evil of all statuses... and unblockable to boot.

2952

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Dispel - Ill Conceived?

« on: March 09, 2008, 05:09:14 AM »

If you make Dispel ignore walls/reflect, it will dispel Reflect status. This makes think it was an oversight in the programming, since it does successfully remove the status.

That's interesting. I'm pretty sure that was the original intention, given the entire FF series.. even FF5+FF6 do this. FF4A

Also, it dispels Stop (which is a bit strange, considering in FF games Dispel usually only removes positive statuses). So, positive statuses it appears not to dispel:

It doesn't dispel Stop.. ever. I think you were testing with the bit being changed. Retest please. I've done this test before and it doesn't touch Stop...

Haste
Slow
Protect
Shell
Float

Haste/Slow/Protect/Shell use special algorithms... so it doesn't surprise me.
Float on the other hand is a strange thing. For one, enemies don't have that status ever unless you reflect it onto them.
Since Aerial weakness (Bow/Arrows+Boomerngs) is the part of Quake immunity and monsters never cast this spell,
it makes you go 

Statuses it does dispel (if you change the ignore walls bit):

Berserk
Image
Barrier

That was pretty much my existing list. 

Reflect
Stop
Anyone have anything to add to these lists?

I'll have to try this myself though.

2953

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF2/4/4A Command+Magic Questions

« on: March 09, 2008, 05:01:12 AM »

Note about Protect/Shell only stacking three times:

This is false. I casted it 30-40 times on Cecil, and the damage against him consistently went down.

The best test AFAIK is the battle vs Yang. The only bug though is that it isn't supposed to make Yang miss.. just deal 1 point of damage. It is really strange how the game makes Yang's Kick behave differently here.. (I'm trying to remember if Yang's Kick misses the Imp Captains before engaging the MomBomb.. I don't think it ever misses at all ever).

2954

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Metallic Oddities

« on: March 09, 2008, 04:49:23 AM »

I may be wrong on this, no scratch that, there's a 90% chance I'm wrong on this, but I think having a piece of metallic equipment on every character before the battle starts gets you an instant game over regardless if you have the TwinHarp or not. For some reason I remember this happening to me in the past, back when I was first playing the game. There's a good chance, however, that I just didn't have the TwinHarp and forgot.

The TwinHarp is a trigger for which Dark Elf you encounter. Note the script "YOU FOOLS!" in FF2US.

The insta-lose game is definately occuring for regular battles.. it just so happens that the Dark Elf's battle (when you have the TwinHarp) is scripted to make you lose anyways and continue the story.

2955

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Bow+Arrow, Slight Strangeness Explained

« on: March 09, 2008, 04:46:37 AM »

I've known about this for a while, the attack power comes from the first blank item slot and the evasion comes from the one after the arrows. If you give the first slot a name (Say Unarmed) it'll be used for any blank slots in your equipment.

Yea.. you know it would be an interesting hack for a "nude character" to be killing stuff w/o equipment... I mean we could make them "Vampires"
and have a cool mod based on that. So many ideas for that kind of game.. so little time.