Topic: Dispel - Ill Conceived?

[Deathlike2]

Dispel only appears to remove only three statuses.. Berserk, Image, and Barrier.

Is that it?

The difference between this and the Black Hole attack is that it is simply Dispel+Reflect removal... as far as I can tell.

Edit: Updated post to include Barrier Status. Yes, the Black Hole attack does dispell Barrier for sure.

[Phoenix]

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.

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:

Haste
Protect
Shell
Float

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

Berserk
Image
Barrier
Reflect
(and Stop if Count-status is active)

Anyone have anything to add to these lists?

[Deathlike2]

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.

[Deathlike2]

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.

[Phoenix]

I was doing it with the ignore wall bit set, but I retested with it not set (i.e. Dispel as normal) and it worked on Stop, too. Here was my test set-up: I fought Plague for the White Lance, waited for it to cast Count, and then cast Stop on Cecil. Then I used Dispel on him, and the count restarted. Without Dispel it wouldn't restart until after everyone was dead.

I just did another test, and it appears it's Count-specific. I did a test in a normal battle, and Dispel did not remove Stop.  Bizarre . . .  Any ideas on why this would be occurring?

[Deathlike2]

I was doing it with the ignore wall bit set, but I retested with it not set (i.e. Dispel as normal) and it worked on Stop, too. Here was my test set-up: I fought Plague for the White Lance, waited for it to cast Count, and then cast Stop on Cecil. Then I used Dispel on him, and the count restarted. Without Dispel it wouldn't restart until after everyone was dead.

I just did another test, and it appears it's Count-specific. I did a test in a normal battle, and Dispel did not remove Stop.  Bizarre . . .  Any ideas on why this would be occurring?

I have don't have too many guesses on Squaresoft bugs. 

The only situation that even remotely mirrors this is ZeromusEG's attack behavior. One of his evil counters is using Count on a single target.
Coincidentally, I believe he does Black Hole like the original (as part of his battle script).
That's the only instance where your application of Stop is neutralized and screwed over.

[Phoenix]

Perhaps that's why. It makes sense, if that's the only time the programmers thought it would occur and the only way to fix it. Although why you would cast Stop on someone with Count (since there's no cure and they're going to die anyway) is beyond me. It'd be better to just let them die and revive them.

[Deathlike2]

Well, the one thing about Count that is interesting is when it is used during a back attack. The timer's text above the characters heads are reversed.

[Phoenix]

  Ha, never saw that before. They must just mirror everything about the sprite, including the counter.

[Deathlike2]

Ha, never saw that before. They must just mirror everything about the sprite, including the counter.

You'll never normally see it... just play JCE's hack.. you'll find the Spirit monster series be the most evil idea conceived.

[Deathlike2]

I forgot about Barrier status. That's the status inflicted on you when you use the "stronger" Reflect item in FF4. You'll see it when Reflect wears off.

[Phoenix]

The reason Blk.Hole removes reflect is because the spell ignore walls. However, it's effect byte (value 2A) is different from that of Dispel (value 10), so it probably has some differences. Are you sure Blk.Hole doesn't remove any of the other positive statuses (Haste, Protect, Shell, Float)? Any idea what the difference might be?

[Deathlike2]

The reason Blk.Hole removes reflect is because the spell ignore walls. However, it's effect byte (value 2A) is different from that of Dispel (value 10), so it probably has some differences. Are you sure Blk.Hole doesn't remove any of the other positive statuses (Haste, Protect, Shell, Float)? Any idea what the difference might be?

Haste/Slow affect the ATB only (somehow). Protect/Shell only affect the damage algos for their associated boosts. Float is anyone's guess.

Black Hole is simply a multitargetable, unblockable, and boss compatible dispel.

Edit: Black Hole does remove Float. I guess that's the only slight difference other than Reflect. 

For a thought, but did you know the form Zeromus engages your party in (the one that requires the Crystal before starting the real battle) casts some sort of Dispel/Black Hole on everyone during that sequence? That also removes Float from your party.

[Phoenix]

He casts Disrupt (spell 73 -- different from the instant kill Disrupt), but the name is not shown.

Well, at least there's some difference. It's one possible reason they have two different spell effect bytes.

[Deathlike2]

He casts Disrupt (spell 73 -- different from the instant kill Disrupt), but the name is not shown.

Well, at least there's some difference. It's one possible reason they have two different spell effect bytes.

I guess it could be possible to remove say Haste/Slow or Protect/Shell.. (in order to make the battle fair for the boss).. but it's hard to tell and those aren't really "statuses" by definition. If you've looked over Entroper's FF4A docs, those are a number of statuses that exist other than the obvious status inflictions:

Count
Jump
Twin
Charging (Yang's Build Up command)
Parry (defending for a turn)
Egg (monster spawning)
Stop (well, it's not inflictably by weapons)
Too Heavy (Magnetic Cave)
Critical (CurHP < 1/4 MaxHP)
Cover (target that was targeted with the Cover command)
Image (1 image - also used by FF4's Mist Ring-Dragon combo)
Image (2 images)
Barrier ("stronger" item Reflect status)
HP Leak
Hide

If you have the time, you can test against a number of these that actually can apply to you.