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Author Topic: Actor names in battle  (Read 1619 times)

Pinkpuff

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Actor names in battle
« on: August 27, 2013, 09:48:08 AM »
It appears that actor names are stored differently in battle than they are outside of battle. Is it known where this data is? I'd like FF4kster to automatically change both names when you change an actor name.
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Lenophis

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Re: Actor names in battle
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2013, 10:08:01 AM »
FF6 did the same thing, actually. It had a separate "battle buffer" for names, status ailments, HP, MP, and something else I'm forgetting. I'm willing to bet FF4 started what FF6 (and likely FF5) did.

If you're versed with Snes9x's tracer, why not put a breakpoint on the known name location when you use a Namingway to see what else changes?

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chillyfeez

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Re: Actor names in battle
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2013, 10:12:33 AM »
Are you talking about the fact that the paladin will always have the same name as the dark knight in battle, or is there more to it than that?

Pinkpuff

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Re: Actor names in battle
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2013, 11:10:41 AM »
Are you talking about the fact that the paladin will always have the same name as the dark knight in battle, or is there more to it than that?

I think the problem you're describing is related to this, but I think it's a little more fundamental.

The best way to illustrate what I'm talking about is to change someone's actor name to a different name index (so in FF4kster, Edit Actors -> Change Name -> select a different name from the list, doesn't matter if you change the actual string of letters or not). Then save and open the saved rom in an emulator. Go to your status screen with that actor in your party. It will match what you selected. Start a battle however, and their name will appear in battle to be whatever it was before.
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Grimoire LD

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Re: Actor names in battle
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2013, 12:27:57 PM »
Alright, it should be something in the basic information that is written to battle data... Instead of the normal naming, it is copied from the basic data however. Where does the editor draw its name to save? In the out-of-battle data and the very first byte of in-battle data the name is proceeded by an 8X so 81 is Cecil, 82 is Kain, etc.

It should be noted that the editor does not edit either of these, but seems to edit something else, somewhere else to show it on the formation screen.

 :edit: 0x7AB00 is where it begins, starting with Dark Knight Cecil as you are aware these are the initial stats. it does not seem now that the first half of the byte is the name. Only the second half. I cannot say what the first half does, but the second half is the naming used in battle.

 :edit: 2 : The Editor can actually edit this already, you have the listing under "Initial Actor" but as far as I can gather it is purely the name byte used in-battle.

 :edit: 3: Nope, I'm wrong. That also changes the commands for the character and their ID... and when they're removed... so it's clearly not just... name. Hmm...
« Last Edit: August 27, 2013, 12:39:13 PM by Grimoire LD »

Grimoire LD

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Re: Actor names in battle
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2013, 03:48:10 PM »
Finally found this one! I failed to find it in LoRom/HiRom/RAM in any way but I went to where the original sequence was in ROM and thought there had to be a copy of it elsewhere, so I copied the original sequence, searched and found the location in only a minute.

In Rom at...

0B7B3F-0B7B54 - Location of Character Names (In Battle)

And that should be that in regards to this matter.

Pinkpuff

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Re: Actor names in battle
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2013, 05:56:53 AM »
I just went to implement this but I think there must be some mistake. The data at that location in a clean rom is a series of 40s and 41s... is there something I'm missing?
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Grimoire LD

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Re: Actor names in battle
« Reply #7 on: November 02, 2013, 09:24:54 AM »
No, no you are definitely right, now let's see... what did I do wrong here...

Wow. I must have really did a number on this test ROM, I've been using, let's see if I can't find its location in a not severely altered rom...

Oh! Header or Headerless, that explains it. In an unmodified rom it falls at 0B7D3F, as the Header is still included

Pinkpuff

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Re: Actor names in battle
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2013, 04:49:03 AM »
Thanks! That did the trick.
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