Banon's Donkey Farm > Gaming Discussion
How to do Step Mine for 0 MP
mblock129:
This invloves exploiting 2 bugs and can only be done in a few select places but it is possible.
The 2 bugs:
1. In a timed area (like the escape from the Floating Continent), Step Mine's MP cost is calculated from the time remaining (MM:SS) not the total time elapsed in your game (HH:MM). Step Mine costs 1 MP for every 30 seconds left. So if you've only got 29 seconds left until the Floating Continent explodes, Step Mine is free.
2. Step Mine's MP cost is not calculated from the actual time. It is calculated from the time when you last went to the subscreen (by pushing X). On a side note the damage is calculated from the actual step count. You don't need to exit to the subscreen to refresh this.
So, wait until there are 29 seconds left on the Floating Continent (or the collapsing house in Tzen), go to the subscreen, then get in a fight. You got yourself a free Step Mine.
Here's a picture:
http://zephyr129.brinkster.net/stepmine.html
Another thing you can do is charge up your Step Mine for a big battle, but don't go to the subscreen. You get the increased damage without the increased MP cost.
Lenophis:
Would it be possible to manipulate the timer in a way of checking the menu early, doing a timed event (such as the fall of the FC), then load the menu afterwards and have a really low time at the start of the WoR? This sounds like it would be possible, but either way it's worth investigating.
assassin:
very nice. i linked to this thread on Mnrogar's forums, in case there are people who read those but not these.
#2 kind of reminds me of this bug (however unrelated):
http://mnrogar.slickproductions.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=108&p=2188&hilit=leafer#p2188
(the post is an elaboration and explanation of the "Monsters in the wrong area" from the Bugs Guide.)
out of curiosity, will the time be updated by entering+exiting battle or boarding+unboarding the airship, or by only visiting the menu? while the bugs are quite different, i figured i'd pursue the parallel.
a fix for #2 would involve reading the timer variables directly. however, a difficulty is that one time variable might change in between reading the variables. for example, let's say we're at 5 hours 59 minutes, and fractions of a second away from 6 hours even. a "fix" function might read the hours as 5, and by the time it reads the minutes a few milliseconds later, they're rolled over to 0; so you'll get a bogus reading. i'll assume whatever saves the timer variables when you visit the subscreen momentarily freezes them first. if not, that's a rarely-occurring bug in the making. if so, it's worth mimicking if anybody ever tries to make a patch for this Step Mine issue.
do any of you Bank C3 explorers (Lenophis, Imzogelmo, etc.) know anything about freezing the timers?
assassin:
hmm, i should note that the screenshot isn't showing up. Brinkster doesn't like the direct linking (unless it's to HTML files and maybe TXT ones) or embedding. best just present URLs as plain text in the future, so people can copy+paste them. btw, how much did the personal domain cost you? glad to see you join the ranks of Brinksterites. Brinksteronians? Brinksterese? :)
mblock129:
@ Lenophis
I see what you're suggesting but the FC would be very impractical. You would have to get from the end of the FC to picking up Strago/Gogo in the WoR without checking the menu. That means no equips for Celes. But I did try hacking the events so you start on the Solitary Island with Strago in your party and I was able to go out and fight some battles. Step Mine was indeed 0 MP.
Another thing worth trying would be to delay picking up Sabin in the WoR, and use that timed event instead. You could probably pull a free Step Mine on Kefka that way. Unless the part where you choose your fighters for the final battle updates the clock...
@ Assassin
Brinkstars, Brinkstoners...
Fighting and winning battles doesn't refresh the clock. Neither does loading a new map, staying at an inn, buying/selling, changing parties in the Airship, having that guy remove everyone's equips, riding a Chocobo, finding the Floating Continent, or participating in an auction. Cart saves and tents can't be tested because you must check the menu.
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