I was just going to suggest an ATB bar too! Would this use the 2nd control timer .. what I call the "master control timer"? That value technically decreases to zero over time starting from a varying value; how would you calculate an increasing percentage from it?
Are you talking about the timers at 7E2A07?
If so, then yes.
The current version of my User Options patch makes use of some normally unused character stat byte... like 2043,x or something.
When the timer resets (is at its highest point), the value is stored into that character stat byte
then it keeps checking the timer and uses this formula (where M is the max timer value and C is the current timer value):
(M-C)/M
The result is a 16 bit value (without looking at it again... I don't remember exactly how the calculations work) that then goes through the normal decimal conversion routine to be displayed as a percentage in the Party HP window.
Now those are some brilliant ideas!
One thing that may need to be tweaked is the HP per level for the characters so after say level 69 when the lovely 70-99 level ups happen the melee characters have the ability to go over 9999 at some point. Or would you add another Apple item that raises more than 50/100 HP? If it were me I would raise the EXP requirement for levels 50-69 to be about double the default amount, but, as a reward for leveling up get a substantially larger amount of HP per level up. If memory serves me I believe the only character than could legitimately get over 9999 is Yang without the use of Silver/Golden Apples. Cecil statistically can get close (~9800?) if you manage to roll the lucky number every time.
What do you all think?
If you're increasing HP and damage all around and making the higher values generally available, then I don't think you need to make it harder to get to the levels that will exceed 9999 HP.
I mean, anybody who gets their characters up to Lv. 99 in FFIV is doing a
lot of grinding anyway...
If you want to make above 9999 values "special," like they are in FFX, then I wouldn't build them naturally into the level-up system.
Apples would be one possibility...
Then there's the possibility of creating equipment that increases the wearer's max HP by a percentage (though I don't know exactly how this would work... FFIV doesn't seem to have a place to store base vs. adjusted Max HP like later FF games)
You could also make equipment that gives HP bonuses at level up (make the level up routine say, "check for bonus armor, if equipped, add 200 to the level up HP award")
Or... what about simply increasing the max level? Again, I don't know exactly how difficult this would be without doing some research... the sticking point in my estimation would be whether the "current Exp" and "Exp needed for next level" have enough room for many more levels.
But if characters could level up to, say 150, then Cecil and Kain would have no problem exceeding 9999 HP eventually.
