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211

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4PSP - Journey Log

« on: January 31, 2013, 04:27:54 PM »

Ok, here's an update:

Blind testing is not complete (or done), just so you know....

Healing Weed heals the following:
Poison, Sleep, Confuse, Berserk, Paralysis, Curse

So, out of battle, it's only good for Poison removal. Same effect happens during Healing Wind (I didn't do a thorough test, but let's be honest what the band is based of)...

Related status healing involving Feast of the Land band:
Every status outside of Float, Death, and Break are healed (not sure about Blind).

Chakra only heals Poison (pretty much a personal Yang healer in some ways)..
Chakra's healing algo is defined by the following:
Spell Power: 54 (based on Spirit)

Healing = Chakra's Spell Power * Spell Multiplier (Spirit) + (Ursula's) CurrentHP/6

I'm not sure if that's exact formula (it's between 16.6% or 15% for me), but that's pretty much how the healing is defined in this skill.

Five Star Crimson Palm negates Haste when applied... (obviously applying Slow if Haste is not applied previous). However, this attack also causes instant death to targets not resistant to it.

Fist Dance (Yang+Edward) and Sword Dance (Cecil+Edward) are mostly physical related, but there's a semi-magic component that isn't elemental based, but seems to be powered by like a magic-ish component like Flare, but not as powerful (at least on the part of Edward's Harp magic). It does actually deal some damage to Flan... which is good for once. High magic defense targets are not affected (well, Fist Dance seems to be affected a bit more for some reason).

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Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4PSP - Journey Log

« on: January 31, 2013, 12:46:36 PM »

To be tested sometime today:
spell power of Chakra
see the effect of Five Star Crimson Palm band vs Haste
see what the hell does Restore Weed cures
blind resistance testing (apparently the Wild Bat tries to blind you) - will need to test with Lunar Mail, Pink Armor (probably), and some piece of the Phase equipment should have it
requests taken

Some thoughts:
Inferno band probably has the same power as the original attack (spell power = 360)
Ninjutsu+Black Magic makes it more magic-ish (so, it's a new addendum rule for bands)

213

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Unknown info from FF4 that would be great to know

« on: January 30, 2013, 09:13:05 PM »

I can't really explain that phenomenon to you other than there may be "futzing" with the attack multiplier at lower levels and/or bows.

 

The only thing this reminds me most of is the WSC/GBA port's new Flan rule where you commonly use 1 or occasional 2 of the attack multiplier when you attempt to hit Flan.

214

Gaming Discussion / Re: Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection

« on: January 30, 2013, 05:17:48 PM »

I guess the only "new" thing the tunneler and the extended Mist Cave... but that is FF6's Locke mission in a nutshell. I think the more important part is the development between the two characters... much less the events that surround them.

No, video games don't get to work this way.  I'm playing through the same damn content I did in the original with a few new lines of dialogue, no amount of characterization that happens during that changes anything. Locke's scenario was entirely different; they reused the locations, but with entirely new dialogue and events. After Years just consistently takes the lazy route throughout most of the game.

Sure, I've already seen the flashbacks (would be more relevant in the Wii port, not so much in the PSP port) and there is way too much reuse. The best you can do is really "polish the turd" and I'm not entirely surprised at this reaction. It could have been better by far.

Familiarity does breed discontent.

215

Gaming Discussion / Re: Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection

« on: January 30, 2013, 01:16:40 PM »

They imply Rydia's been living in the Feymarch again too, so shouldn't she be, uh, dead, now? I think Rydia had the worst characterization in this, she acts like a kid looking for acceptance through her entire tale. She's somehow less mature than she was in the original.

Well, there are issues with that. Growing up suddenly doesn't mean you won't have outstanding issues, like being alone (no family, no other summoners). Just because people seem to be mature for their age, doesn't mean they seemingly lose such deficiencies in their character. However, it's almost like the conclusion Porom comes to that she's "lost" w/o Palom.

My biggest gripe with TAY has to do with it recycling content from the original game. I don't have any problem with the reused monsters or maps or equipment, because having those around grounds it as being a part of FF4's world, but the parts of it that follow the original plot identically are ridiculous. Really, Ceodore and the Hooded Man escape Baron through Mist, get attacked by Baron's soldiers in Kaipo, fight an Octomammoth in the Watery Pass...? It's stupid and lazy. It doesn't help that we get to do the same recycled dungeons multiple times over the course of the tales.

I guess the only "new" thing the tunneler and the extended Mist Cave... but that is FF6's Locke mission in a nutshell. I think the more important part is the development between the two characters... much less the events that surround them.

I never really got into the Bands. I played the game when it was brand new and avoided looking anything up about it, so if I didn't figure them out myself I didn't know about them. For the ones I did figure out, I rarely used them, just playing it like it was normal FF4 instead.

Considering the bands provides certain benefits... maybe it's worthwhile actively pursing it. On the other hand, it makes the game much much easier.

216

Gaming Discussion / Re: Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection

« on: January 30, 2013, 12:04:47 AM »

OK, having played TAY in full.. I have something to say (in a more educated way anyways).

I think that compared to the original game, it's on par with the type of development of the original... which that is, it's good enough, but there's some serious plotholes or issues and some under-development.

For instance, in FF4, Rosa is underdeveloped (and I don't mean boobies) in terms of character. Other than that she cares for Cecil, she's kinda one-dimensional... unlike Rydia. In TAY, we continue the same theme, except she's covered up like she's gotten really old (she's like twice her age in the TAY storyline)... and Rydia shows everything off (unmarried, then again, Edge must be taking some long route or Rydia is really playing hard to get). Did I miss something there?

How does Shiva manage to kill the Dark Elf? Her special attack is far inferior to the Particle Bomb band (or Bio for that matter), yet the Dark Elf is known to have a wicked high magic defense... WHAT THE HELL?

Then again, does anyone expect Luca's Dolls to say anything worthwhile? I guess being the reincarnation of Chuckie and his bride is good enough... although IMO they are truly clones of Palom and Porom if they were made super crack fighters (which they are).

There's issues of balance for that matter... why make Cid really obsolete? He's simply damn slow and his special isn't even boss-friendly... why even bother with the moon phases at that point?

Calca's Jive skill is obsolete by the time you can actually use the dolls.. then again, they are likely underleveled compared to the rest of the characters. If only Brina's Dance would produce more favorable results (or at least, controllable results)...

Harley is useless, from both a story and character standpoint. First off, making her not a Blue Mage makes her worthless... plus it's the only time where I find Gil Toss to be powered by INT (seriously, it is) outside of STR and AGI. I don't get it. She's gotta be stealing money away from Edward's Kingdom... it shouldn't be that easily possible to go bankrupt the way they do. Maybe Edward buys extravagant gifts...  but even then, Harley's useless where it matters most... on the battlefield. Edward is an upgrade to Harley... and that's not saying much (the only useful band is Feast of the Land).

For characters that already have character... they got more development.. like Palom and Porom (to some degree), but Ceodore is a disgrace. At least Kain salvages this as that character development is at least a reasonable plotted course...

In the end, it's more of the same... and the same shit that was there before is still there, more shit. It's still enjoyable by the game's relative stands and I think the band system is an improvement given what there is to work with, and in some ways, makes it enjoyable (do Ice Crush enough, and you'll laugh). Although, I cannot explain the Weapon in Progress band nor the Rapid Fire band. I don't really see the connection. Although, with the spying ninjas, you can actually see logically created bands based off who they spied which are actually very good despite the strangeness of them at times.

The moon phases... allows for some interesting stuff, but in their own ways can be annoying. They only matter when you want to dish damage...

I'll say more when it comes to it, but ultimately it's more of the same, and fighting monsters that were easily kicked in the ass in the original is kinda lame (at least, make it interesting). The FF1A-like add-on monsters are not really that interesting to me and neither are the superbosses, other than kicking their ass and then some (well, the only boss that was a true challenge was Nova Dragon aka Shinryu).

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Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4PSP - Journey Log

« on: January 29, 2013, 11:34:09 PM »

Arg... I think I got the #s now.

Kick Power = (Attack Power/2 * Elemental Modifier) + 200 (Spell Power of Blast)
Elemental Modifier = .5 for absorb/resistance, 1.5 for weakness, 2 for extra weak
Explosive Kick Multiplier = (Yang's) Attack Multiplier + (Gekkou's) Spell Multiplier [INT]


Damage = (Kick Power - Target's Defense) * Explosive Kick Multiplier

There we go. I'm pretty sure the numbers work out correctly.

The correct Kick formula should be....

If Target = Flan, Damage = 0, Skip All Other Steps
Kick Base Damage = (Attack Power/2) - Target's Defense
If Kick Base Damage < 0, Damage = 1 (or 0/Miss!, depending on which version of game), Skip all other steps
Kick Damage = Kick Base Damage * Attack Multiplier * .5

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Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4PSP - Journey Log

« on: January 29, 2013, 04:27:10 PM »

Explosive Kick is very powerful for something that doesn't seem very attractive on paper.

Two components:
Regular Kick Damage = Attack Power/2 * Attack Multiplier (same as original)
Kick Multiplier = Gekkou's Spell Multiplier on INT
Damage = Regular Kick Damage * Kick Multiplier

It is fire elemental, but the damage bonus from that is relatively minimal.
Modified Kick Damage = Regular Kick Damage * Elemental Modifier (.5 for absorb/resistance, 1.5 for weakness, 2 for extra weak)

Monsters with high magic defense have no influence on damage. High defense does affect the results.

Also, I've constructed a team of Ceodore, Ursula, Tsuiknowa, Palom, Porom...

It takes advantage of the 3-character band of Rapid Fire, though losing Makeshift Cannon and Delta Evolution when you drop out Luca... but you also gain the awesome band of Healing Wind (Curaja * 2 + unreflectable). It's a very usable alternative to the team for Makeshift Cannon.

 
OK, I think I was wrong a bit... lemme restate the algo:
Regular Kick Damage = (Attack Power/2 * Kick Multiplier) * Attack Multiplier * .5 (is the same as original - need to fix my algo FAQ)
Kick Multiplier = Gekkou's Spell Multiplier on INT
Modified Kick Damage = Regular Kick Damage * Elemental Modifier
Elemental Modifier = 1.20 on weakness, 1.25 on extra weak, 1.20 on absorb/resistance... (not sure)

The great thing is that Explosive Kick works against Flan... the bad news is that the damage dealt is like 4 times less than normal (well, this is with the strongest attack power stat possible, so it is probably worse at lower levels).

Remember that the Attack Power loss is tested against the monster's defense stat.

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Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4PSP - Journey Log

« on: January 29, 2013, 11:24:48 AM »

If you can substitute level in the damage formulas, you are on your way.

Well, I've figured Advent of Phoenix out..

There are two components:
Base Damage = All of the lost HP of characters using the band
Elemental Damage = 128 (?) * All of the combined INT or spell multipliers of each individual character
Total Damage = Base Damage + Elemental Damage

Elemental Damage is affected by the same basic rules... 50% less damage on resistance, 50% more damage on weakness, 100% more damage on being extra weak.

So when you are using the attack, don't be surprised that the Dinozombie or high magic defense monsters take only the base damage portion of the spell.

 
Revised Algo...
Base Damage = All of the lost HP of the characters using the band
Elemental Damage = AVG LEVEL of all the characters in the band * All of the combined INT/4 or spell multipliers of each individual character
Total Damage = Base Damage + Elemental Damage

This explains a lot in some of the youtube vids where the damage really bad at lower levels.

220

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4PSP - Journey Log

« on: January 28, 2013, 11:14:41 PM »

A small update between Shuriken and Throw...

Throw uses the same formula as the original game. Shuriken is simply this:

Damage = level * attack power of thrown weapon (in this case, only shurikens) * 1.25
Note: There is randomness added between 1 and 100 after the math.

So, in some, Gekkou is a stronger thrower of shurikens than Edge. Damage is still capped at 9999 (no need for the Limit Ring though).

221

Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4PSP - Journey Log

« on: January 28, 2013, 12:59:46 PM »

Here's some notes on a few bands...

Vibra Prime (Team Baron - Cecil, Ceodore, Kain, Rosa, Cid) - there's no elemental aspect to it (despite "Holy" appearing)... overly physical based... hits all monsters equally (no solo monster bonus)

Final Fantasy - it's more affected by high magic defense (less on physical), non-elemental

Advent of Phoenix - Even if a target is resistant or can absorb the elemental (Fire), the monster still takes the damage based on HP... for some reason it deals an additional 10% more damage to the Blue Dragon... go figure.

Makeshift Cannon - loses 30% damage vs high magic defense targets, loses 50% vs high defense targets

Infinity - Holy elemental, loses 50% damage on high magic defense targets... only 5 character band to be absorbed by the Blue Dragon...

Frost Wave - Ice elemental (duh), 50% bonus damage to a solo target, Blizzaga level magic I think (no split damage loss)

Rapid Fire - affected by both Black Magic moon and Attack moon (Attack is more beneficial with two attackers)... it is affected more by physical resistance...
deals 25% less damage vs high magic defense, 60% less damage vs high defense... needs Limit Ring to expose damage potential

Constructing a team of Tsuiknowa, Izayoi, Ceodore, Palom, Leonora is alright, but are really limited to those two bands.

So, AFAIK, the only two Ninjutsu based bands to heal the Blue Dragon are Frost Wave and Flare Tornado.. but the "no physical blows" on the monster rule generally holds true. Frozen Moon Dance, Blazing Moon Ring, Saint Dive... and many others (including Rocket Launcher) are designed to by physical based (using the Attack command or other means). Although Rocket Launcher is not a physical blow, it actually combines the attacks of both Ceodore and Cid...

 
I believe that Throw and Shuriken are powered by STR (in addition to level). I noticed that Gekkou seemed to do more damage than Edge throwing the Fuma Shuriken... and the only real difference between Edge and Gekkou is that Gekkou has far more STR than Edge.

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Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Unknown info from FF4 that would be great to know

« on: January 28, 2013, 09:53:14 AM »

Berserk would probably have precedence. You only react during critical status once your turn is up.

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Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: FF4PSP - Journey Log

« on: January 28, 2013, 01:06:22 AM »

Ok... some useful info before I goto bed.

If the Band Attack is physical-like in nature (meaning, there will be some nasty direct blow to the enemy), the 50% damage bonus (100% if extra weak) will apply. Ninjutsu bands seem to fall into this category (including Wheel of Elements, the latter part looks like Tsuiknowa is actually hitting the enemy with wind)... there is actually no penalty for having a monster resistant to the elemental (in the same way most physical attacks are).

If the Band Attack is strictly magic in nature, it will behave/react more like a spell. Using bands like Inferno, Flare Tornado, Palom in the Sky, Ice Crush, Tri-Elemental Disaster, Thunderstorm (and many others) will either heal, or simply cancel the benefits out. For instance, using Tri-Elemental Disaster on the Vampire Bats seem to do "normal" damage on the bats, whereas the Vampiress that are not resistant to Lightning take 2 times the damage. You can find lots of fail on a Blue Dragon....

Also, for Advent of Phoenix... if the target is actually weak vs Fire... the damage dealt is 60% more damage than normal... 66% more damage than normal for extra weak monsters.

 
I had to do this test before I sleep...

Magic still has the same weakness multipliers as before... 2 times the spell power (damage) for normally weak monsters... and 4 times the spell power (damage) for extra weak monsters.

Physical attacks with elementals has changed a few. 2 times the attack power for normally weak monsters and only 2.25 times the attack power for extra weak monsters.

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Final Fantasy IV Research & Development / Re: Unknown info from FF4 that would be great to know

« on: January 27, 2013, 11:21:10 PM »

I'd rather not use Dark Wave while critical... 

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Game Modification Station / Re: "D" and "T" messages in FFII US' dialogue?

« on: January 27, 2013, 03:04:21 PM »

I think the answer is yes.