So, now that the map properties are done, then aside from whatever other random stuff gets discovered in the wishlist thread (on that note, FF4kster now has the ability to edit two-handedness and key-item-ness in a new "Item Ranges" editor that I hope to be able to expand as more info emerges), all that's left is the monster section.
I'm working on the monster editor now, and it doesn't appear too complicated. After that will be monster AIs, and then, once it's been debugged a little of course, FF4kster will be considered v1.0 and I'll be in completely new territory. There are definitely other things I'd like to be able to edit, but I haven't been able to come across any actual documentation for it.
In particular, I'd like to be able to edit the maps (the actual tile layouts themselves, much like FF4Tools). I might be able to reverse-engineer most of the necessary info from playing with FF4Tools, but in either case, another thing I'd like to be able to do, that in a certain sense is kind of required for the map editor, is to be able to preview the graphics. Not necessarily edit the graphics themselves, as there are lots of tools for that, but it'd definitely be nice to, for example, see what a monster will look like if we give it such-and-such graphic with such-and-such palette without having to save and load it up in the emulator for each combination. Likewise, I'd love to be able to preview the animations for weapons, and even spells.
The thing is, while I'm sure it'd be easy to find the location of the graphic tiles themselves with something like Tile Layer, finding the palette information is another thing altogether. For example, I was able to easily find and read the menu graphics which the editor makes use of directly, but it uses a hard-coded palette, not the one in the rom. Is there one set of palettes that's used for all the graphics throughout the game? Or do different kinds of things have different palettes available to them? Is palette 25 for weapons the same set of colors as palette 25 for spells or palette 25 for character portraits?
Also there are things in the monster section that would be very nice to be able to edit but yet I have no documentation for, such as, the actual monster formations themselves (e.g. Imp x3, SwordRat x1), not to mention the monster domain / encounter charts (the list of monster formations you could randomly encounter in a given area).
Anyway thanks again everyone for all your help. We're on the home stretch!
Topic: Developing FF4kster: a comprehensive editor for FF4 (Read 273827 times)