Messages

3496

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Dummied FF4 Feature

« on: December 07, 2007, 08:25:14 AM »

interesting, there is so much research on FF6 but not as much on FF4 (at least that I have seen) so this is cool.

Does anyone else here like FF5? I really like it and it'd be cool to go digging in that one too sometime.

I like FF5, but that has been documented to the death (not in terms of romhacking though, although that could just be my perception). Check out Gamefaqs FF5 Algo doc, and it clarifies pretty much everything and also applies against FF5A (except the FF5A specific stuff). It is missing one thing AFAIK, but that involves immunity+elemental physical/elemental attack.

The research for FF4 is not as documented.. although you would think it is (Ben Siron's FF2 algo doc is still incomplete).

This is why I spend some time asking said questions about the game.. since it is known by the romhackers, but just simply not documented.

It seems to me here though that there were "incomplete" features of this game (not surprising though) and arguably FF4A's "character select" feature was supposed to be implemented in the original game (which I agree with, given how the equipment data was set up).

Then again, it is worth pointing out JCE's gripe with this game that it is craptacular codewise. 

3497

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Dummied FF4 Feature

« on: December 06, 2007, 07:37:06 PM »

This is supposed to be used when you call the fat chocobo with a whistle. I forget if this was actually used in FF4 SFC or not, I know it was used in the GBA version. Unfortunately it doesn't work correctly, enabling this replaces the string regardless of how you call the chocobo.

If I go by the J2e translation, the answer is no.

3498

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Dummied FF4 Feature

« on: December 06, 2007, 06:27:12 PM »

That does seem nice, yet kinda redundant though...

3499

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF2/4/4A Run Behavior

« on: December 06, 2007, 04:45:46 PM »

Ah,  I found where I read this: http://www.replacementdocs.com/download.php?view.1235

It was in the FF2 manual... page 19.

  I misread+misinterpreted what it meant... 

3500

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF2/4/4A Special Effect Hit Rate?

« on: December 06, 2007, 04:15:00 PM »

Does this hit rate get screwed up when both weapons are the same type? For instance, if I had two Catclaws, I seem to not be able to put enemies to sleep as often as I'd like... or is this simply just my imagination?

On the flip side, if both weapons that had a special effect (Catclaw+Poison Claw for instance), it seemed to increase the chances of the special effects to occur....

3501

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Elemental (and Enemy) Resistances - Physical+Magical

« on: December 06, 2007, 04:12:33 PM »

I thought a bit about this and did a little testing on this, and I came to these conclusions (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong):

1) Elemental Resistance Against Physical Attacks:
If an enemy is resistant to your elemental based physical attack, you will deal 1/2 as much damage as normal... or in the worst case, Dark Knight (Darkness) weaponry vs Zombies (is there a specific multiplier/divider?).

If your weapon's elemental is effective against the enemy, you will deal 2x damage (sometimes 4x, unless there's something specific I'm missing here?).

If your weapon has an enemy type property, a specific "enemy type multiplier" is in use? In other words, all anti-Dragon weaponry will deal 4x damage, regardless (Whip, Spear, Arrows)...

If you are two handed (Yang/Edge), or your weapon has both an elemental+enemy type attribute... the target that has a weakness to the any of the attacks will take precedence over the resistance (if it even applies).

For instance, if you attack a FlameDog with a FireClaw+IceClaw, the Ice Claw takes precedence over the Fire Claw, therefore dealing awesome damage.

In FF4A, the Apollo Harp has the Fire attribute (I think) and the Dragon attribute. Attacking the Blue Dragon will allow the Dragon attibute to take precedence over the Fire resistance. Similar thing would occur with the Dragon Claw+any of the elemental Claws...

2) Elemental Resistance Against Magical Attacks:
If you are weak to an elemental, you will take 2x (or 4x in some instances?) damage.

If you are resistant to an elemental, you will take 1/2 damage (rare for enemies, usually applicable to character equipment).

If you can absorb an elemental, invert damage intake (though, some attacks seem to do 1 point of healing).

If there is an uninterrupted sequence of attacks, any elemental based attack that you can absorb or resist (absorbing taking precedence), all further attacks will accumulate against applied absorption/resistance.

Does this sound about right?

3502

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4A "Resistance" Descriptions

« on: December 06, 2007, 03:46:41 PM »

Ok.. is this resistance strictly against physical attacks or do they actually include spells as well?

3503

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4A "Resistance" Descriptions

« on: December 06, 2007, 03:35:45 PM »

Sounds close to what I had... 

I will eventually follow up with a different post though.

Do you know if any of the new armor (FF4A) fall into any of the catagories?

3504

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4A "Resistance" Descriptions

« on: December 06, 2007, 03:04:15 PM »

Armor can have the following resistances: Dragons, machines, reptiles, spirits, giants, flans, mages, and undead. No armor resists machines or flans so those can be considered unused. The resistance causes a 75% reduction in damage.

Before I make my guesses, but why the hell isn't any of this documented? (I've posed similar questions prior to this, such as weapons that work against Flans.)

The "best" last known documentation of this game was Ben Siron's FF2 info from way back, but even that is simply incomplete.

Lemme guess the equipment that have the resistances...

Dragons: Kain's Dragon Armor set
Reptiles: Ice Shield/Armor? (it is that or the Fire Shield/Armor)
Spirits: Mythril Armor set plus Silver Ring (as stated by FF4A's info)
Giants: Zeus Gloves (or whatever they are called).. perhaps the Power Armband and/or Power Suit?
Mages: Rune Rings
Undead: Crystal Shield+Gloves, "Paladin equipment set"

Does that sound about right?

3505

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4A "Resistance" Descriptions

« on: December 06, 2007, 01:34:11 PM »

I presume it is a specific damage reduction factor? (50% most likely..?)

Are those that I have listed the only ones or are there more (and perhaps some that haven't been used...?)

3506

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / FF4A "Resistance" Descriptions

« on: December 06, 2007, 07:42:22 AM »

In some of the equipment you can buy at Mysidia, they are described as having certain protection against ghouls and undead.

Are these actual resistances or BS descriptions?

Note: Some of the Crystal equipment also has such descriptions, so it's not just a random question. 

If these resistances are real though, do they also apply to FF2/4?

3507

Game Modification Station / Re: Your opinion (FF3J NES)

« on: December 06, 2007, 07:04:58 AM »

Not a bug, but something that annoyed me about that game is the fact that everyone could dual-wield. It made shields useless and it was odd having wizards going around with two rods or two staffs all the time (since there's no reason not to). Also, characters that can equip shields could equip two shields (one in each hand) if you really wanted them to, which is also kinda silly if you ask me.

you could also dual wield shields in FF2 as well, but it's helpful to boost your DEF. Though i do see your point in FF3, really no need for them to dual wield shields if it's not gonna benefit you anyhow. You CAN'T whack an enemy upside the head with a shield now can ya?

Why not?

3508

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF2/4/4A Special Effect Hit Rate?

« on: December 05, 2007, 09:57:19 PM »

Too bad that doesn't restore my faith in the Mist Whip. 

Isn't the Mist Whip one of the weapons where they forgot to set the "normal" status for that weapon type (Paralysis in this case)? Been a while since I've used it, I just give Rydia an Assassin Dagger.

Yes, but that was fixed in the revision. I don't like the Assassin Dagger in this instance though, because the Dragon Whip (Dragon's Whisker) is simply far superior overall. Besides, Porom is so much more useful with that weapon. 

Speaking of forgotten status effects, the Shadow Blade was supposed to cause darkness status, several guides mention it and there is an unused dark (element)/darkness combination, only dark is used for the weapon though. I can't say the weapon would've been any more useful with it but it would've been cool to have anyway.

Well, that status was never fixed, but only one enemy (which simply happens to be a boss) has been weak against said weapon from Day 1. It would've been even nicer if the armor matched the weaponry (for obvious reasons)... specifically immunity to Death (especially if you made the dumbass mistake of confusing a TinyMage) and Darkness (damn SandMoths). I find it strange that in the beastiary lists a few monsters that are not undead types that are immune to the darkness elemental (Blue Dragon comes to mind)... why that is beyond me...

3509

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF2/4/4A Special Effect Hit Rate?

« on: December 05, 2007, 09:09:13 PM »

I haven't looked into these much but I'm leaning towards a fixed value - the data definitely isn't stored with the rest of the weapon data and it seems unlikely that they'd store the success rate separately (It's not impossible though, we already know what determines if a weapon can cast magic when used as an item is stored elsewhere as is the spell graphic it will use). Whatever the success rate is it must be high, it's very rare to see a status effect fail unless you're fighting a monster with a resistance to that status, they do fail from time to time so it's not 100%.

It's gotta be like 75-80 (90!?!?)% or something like that.

If I had to guess I'd say FF4 Advance uses the same rate and they just forgot to update the code to check for the items past 256, would easily explain why none of the new weapons can inflict their status in the US and Japanese 1.0 releases.

Too bad that doesn't restore my faith in the Mist Whip. 

3510

General Discussion & Support / Re: If I made another FF2us hack would you play it?

« on: December 05, 2007, 08:20:46 PM »

At least make the monsters interesting... that's all I'd ask.