Topics

51

Scripting and Reverse Engineering / The YAMADA.BIN, colour coded for your convenience!

« on: 2010-05-03 15:32:33 »

Here's the contents of the YAMADA.BIN file, with annotations

66 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 67 02 00 00 D2 33 00 00  
0266h = LBA of YAMADA.BIN in hex 0267h = LBA of WINDOW.BIN 33d2h = Size of WINDOW.BIN

6E 02 00 00 68 57 00 00 1B 45 00 00 76 04 00 00  
026Eh = LBA of KERNEL.BIN  5768h = length of KERNEL.BIN 451Bh = LBA of BROM.X 0476h = Length of BROM.X

1C 45 00 00 56 32 00 00 23 45 00 00 12 FD 01 00
451Ch = LBA of TITLE.BIN 3256h = length of TITLE.BIN 4523h = LBA of BATTLE.X 01fd12h = Size of BATTLE.X

63 45 00 00 40 16 00 00 66 45 00 00 00 20 04 00
4563 = LBA of BATINI.X 1640h = Length of BATINI.X 4566h = LBA of SCENE.BIN 042000h = Length of SCENE.BIN

EA 45 00 00 1E 0E 00 00 EC 45 00 00 40 16 00 00
45EAh = LBA of BATRES.X 0e1eh = Length of BATRES.X LBA of CO.BIN CO.BIN length

Using this information, it should be possible to get over the the space limitations on the KERNEL and SCENE .BINs by inserting the file somewhere else on the ISO and altering the YAMADA info accordingly.

52

FF7 Tools / [FF7] AI Template Project - Welder

« on: 2010-04-30 22:45:44 »

CAUTION: The templates here are old. For the latest plugins, and an easy-to-use AI building environment, try out my 'parser', which comes with the latest versions of each template.  Click for more info.

Edit: Rewritten because it was, well, a bit of a muddle

OVERVIEW

Welder is an AI template based around a 'header', a 'footer' and a series of independent 'plugins'. The header will pick an attack, but x/yths of the time consult a series of plugins, that might decide to choose a different attack if their conditions are matched. In either case, the game will then reach a 'footer', that performs the action either the header or the plugins have stored in memory.

This way, enemies can simulate smart decisions, with different priorities and quirks, but not act 'telepathically'.

Users will need to copy the header, and then copy the plugins they want to use - the lowest priority decisions coming first. Once all the plugins they require have been copied into Proud Clod / Wallmarket, it's then a matter of typing a 'footer', which is just the opcode 92.

The structure of AI scripts produced by Welder might look like the following -

** header : Choose claw attack,
** header : make smart decision instead 2/3rds of the time -
  * Plugin - If enemy is in regen, cast dispell
  * Plugin - If enemy is critical, kill
  * Plugin - If ally is critical, heal
** footer : use the spell or attack that has been chosen

In this case, the monster - let's call him Gordon - will use a claw 1/3rds of the time. But, 2/3rds of the time he'll consider other possibilities - healing allies, snatching opportunities to KO enemies and destroying buffs in that priority, should those conditions be met (otherwise, he'll carry on using his claw).

FOR USERS

Don't care about AI code, just want to be able to easily customize it? Well, that is what Welder is for. You need to copy the HEADER -

Code: [Select]


12 2070
02 20a0
82
90
60 20
61 index of the 'dumb' attack

81
60 X
34
60 Y
43
70 ZZZZ

Where: Y+1 / X is the chance of making a 'smart' decision (you can make different enemies more or less intelligent than one another) and ZZZZ is the address of the 'footer' (see above), which is merely the opcode 92 at the end of the script. Put the index of the attack you'll use by default into the first instance, insert your preferred 'IQ', and then find the footer location, replacing ZZZZ with it.

Between the header and footer, you can paste in 'plugins', which are sections of code I and (I hope) others will post in this thread. Each plugin is self-contained, and caters to a specific circumstance and response - for instance, casting a spell when an ally is below 50% health, or using a particular spell on oneself (say, reflect) if enemies are in a certain status (in this case, the reflect status).

Once you've finished copying in the plugins you want for your monster (and customizing a few values - these will be marked up in the plugins), you need to create an opcode 92, which comes right at the end of the AI script (before 73). Easy, huh?

FOR DEVELOPERS

Ok. Here's the idea:

The header leaves two values on the stack: 20 and the index of the 'default' or 'dumb' attack. Plugins each check for conditions, and if these are met, the index is popped and replaced by the index of a new attack. The target data is changed too. If these conditions are not met, the stack goes on untouched. At the end of each plugin, no matter what happens, there will always be on the stack

*20
*a valid attack index

In summary

• Header writes data for primary attack
• Rolls a dice to decide whether it will use this attack, or consult the plugins - which might but don't have to change the attack to something more 'tactically' suitable
• Performs whatever attack is left on the stack

The 'rules' of the plugins are:
* Note the length of the plugin, and the amount we will have to add, in hex, to the current address to reach the next plugin (and mark this up clearly within your code)
* Always leave the stack with exactly two values on it - the 20 needed for enemy attacks, and a 0-FFFF attack index.
* You can use as much internal logic as you like, just leave the stack 'clean'.
* Plugins respond to one particular condition with one particular attack. Keep it simple so that people can chop and change to avoid redundant data or alter the priorities an enemy has.
* Try to keep your plugins short and sweet. Space can be important.
* Plugins are self-contained. It's important that this template be orthogonal, and therefore easy to chop and change.

The idea is that newbies can simply take the header, runner, and the plugins that are appropriate to the creature they're thinking of, and still create a smart but not 'telepathic' monster who is fun to play against.

In summary:

Copy the header, modify the attack indexes and target data to your liking
Drop in the plugins
Create a 'runner' which is Opcode 92


So, shall we get posting?

See this page for an excel spreadsheet with templates

53

Troubleshooting / Hyne - My ff8 save file editor

« on: 2010-04-25 23:50:12 »

http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=9713.0

Nice interface; kudos on the sprites extracted from FF8.

54

Releases / [FF7PC/PSX] Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth (Midgar Demo)

« on: 2010-03-29 16:14:19 »

Latest news: Disc One demo released. See here: http://www.moddb.com/mods/final-fantasy-7-rebirth/downloads/rebirth-v1-disc-one

I've released a Midgar demo! Find out more here and download the latest version at http://www.mediafire.com/?rpja1qrb7iy7soo

For the last four months, I've been working on a comprehensive rebalance of Final Fantasy Seven.

From the ModDB page:

Final Fantasy 7. The perfect game?

Proving popular with countless generations of gamers, despite its age, inspiring fanart, fiction, a series of spinoff games and even a full-budget movie, it's tempting to fit Final Fantasy VII with the title 'Greatest. Game. Ever'.

And I'll agree, it's an awesome game - but, as much as I love FF7, as much I enjoy playing through it over, and over, there's always been a nagging suspicion: could it be... better?


Let's be honest. The battles can get a little too samey, there's little incentive to experiment with materia, and the game can all to easily be bested by simply attacking and spamming Cure-All. We've all heard horror stories about players who have managed to push themselves to the Northern Crater without even grasping the basics of the materia system.

This mod - this rebalance - seeks to address these issues, altering enemy statistics and AI, nerfing overpowered skills whilst promoting others that have been neglected, introducing new tactics, creating cunning and entertaining creatures, and overall making battles far more exciting and engaging.

So, what exactly will the rebirth mod feature? Work is still in progress, and I intent to keep certain features secret until release, so as not to spoil matters, but the mod has the following broad aim in mind: to promote a more strategic mode of gameplay. You won't be able to mash attack to get through REBIRTH. You'll have to keep your wits as sharp as your sword, and think carefully about every choice you make through the entire game.

I think you'll love it.

-------------------

I am currently working towards a demo version without many AI changes, that relates to disc one, for the purposes of garnering feedback on balance, difficulty levels and the proficiency of the enemy class system.

What will REBIRTH have?

* A new elemental system. Enemies can now be intuitively divided into classes, each with their own elemental affinities. It should be intuitive when a creature is weak to a certain spell. Who looks at a Wolfmeister and guesses it will be weak to water?
* A new status system. Enemies can now have their status vulnerabilities guessed from their appearance and bearing. Status spells now no longer take note of accuracy, and enemies now *all* have some status vulnerabilities, but *none* are subject to gamebreaking combinations. You should be able to see an enemy, use your brain, and change tactics to confound an enemy - in vanilla FF7, it's a matter of randomly trying out spells, hoping they'll hit, and occasionally finding a gamebreaking combo (like an enemy weak to both mini and berserk). This makes for dull trial and error followed by dull single-spell spamming.
* Enemy skills rebalanced: some are altered completely. Consider Lullaby, that acts like FF9's Night. Or Purge Flame, that heals statuses at the cost of fire damage.
* Holy, Air and Wind spells are now available to the player, and these elements now play a real part.
* Enemy stats boosted; steal rates tweaked to make stealing genuinely useful.
* Weapons completely changed. Vincent now has a range of pistols - including an MP sapping Silver Rifle and the Sleep inducing Tranq Rifle. Cloud now has a Blood Sword; Cid now has a range of elemental spears; and Barret has a collection of multi-targeting machineguns.
* Stat curves completely altered to differentiate characters. Materia stat changes are now non-trivial, and can make a radical difference to how characters play.
* Vincent no longer makes spacktastic Limit Break choices, like using Beast Flare on the Materia Keeper
* Sephiroth controllable
* Completely rejigged accessories. Status protection carefully portioned out to promote a more tactical style of play. Will you use Headbands with Lullaby to put enemies to bed? Will you try the Zombie Ring for massive power at the cost of being able to heal? Use Star Pendants to make Bad Breath a multi-hitting, MP cheap Esuna? With enemy stats boosted, and overpowered spells preened, there's now a real incentive to experiment with these strategies.
* A new Defence Break mechanic that works with a spell named 'Shatter'. Like Meltdown, Shatter reduces enemy defences, *but* multiple castings *don't* stack (it doesn't work like an inverted Dragon Force).

MODDB PAGE HERE: http://www.moddb.com/mods/final-fantasy-7-rebirth

SCREENSHOTS:






VIDEOS:

Spells and Blue Magic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrIv8ANmJQk

Older, experimental video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5UU6lupK3g

55

FF7 Tools / [PSX/PC] LImit BReak Editor (Version 0.3)

« on: 2010-03-19 14:08:16 »

LIBRE for Final Fantasy 7 is here! No more fiddly hex editing to change the properties of limit breaks!

EDIT - Updated to version 0.3: PC support added!

NOTIFICATION (08/2012): LiBrE does not currently support the 2012 PC re-release. I will work on this for the next version.

Overview:

• Features
• Screenshots
• Choosing a version
• Download links
• Bug reports and issues

Features:

• Full editing of Limit Break attacks - statuses inflicted / toggled / cured, power, damage calculation, special attack flags, elements, animations, sounds, MP cost, targetting data - you name it.
• A Wallmarket-like interface that makes it intuitive to use
• PC version support added
• Extract data from one version, modify, and patch another
• Files produced tested and verified to be reliable
• Fully explained damage algorithm and additional effect flag choices
• Short load, save, and boot times
• Accesses data to all limit breaks, including Cait Sith / Vincent's 'general' limits, the secondary parts of Finishing Touch / Satan Slam
• Non Windows-functionality in the form of a Python package - work on Mac and Linux
• Standalone EXE download that needs no extra packages nor installation
• Supports Windows 95 / 98 / 2000 / XP / Vista / 7

Screenshots:

- WinXP -


- Linux -


Choosing a version

This depends on your operating system, really. You have either a standalone Windows Executable that should work for Windows 95+, or a Python File Directory. Python is a programming language integrated into most Linux and OS X distributions. If you have Python 2.5 and the WxPython (a small download) for your operating system, you can just run the 'Libre.pyw' file from either command line or IDLE and work away.

The executable comes as a five megabyte 7z file. The Python version is a mere 15kb.

To run the Python version on Linux, you will need python-wxgtk2.5+ and python-wxversion. You should be able to find these easily with a package manager.

Below:Install the top two packages for Ubuntu


Download Links

WINDOWS VERSION 0.3:

Mediafire: http://www.mediafire.com/file/nkvzz4mhfgy/Libre 3 for Windows.zip

Mirror: http://libre-limitbreakeditorforff7.yolasite.com/resources/Libre%203%20for%20Windows.zip

PYTHON FILES FOR PYTHON 2.5 AND WXPYTHON, VERSION 0.2:

Mediafire: http://www.mediafire.com/file/errtiyomriy/Libre 3 for Python.zip

Mirror: http://libre-limitbreakeditorforff7.yolasite.com/resources/Libre%203%20for%20Python.zip

Bug reports and issues

Fixed in 0.3:
- HP Absorb flag issue resolved
- Can work without loading data

Current issues remaining:
- It's still a bit ugly on certain Windows installations thanks to the shortcomings of WxPython.
- Executable doesn't yet play well with WINE. I need to investigate this, but I suspect it's to do with the dlls that make the program work with the Windows environment. In which case, there's not much that can be done. Confirmed to run in WINE. See Kranmer's post below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjymmGvG4B8

its ububtu 9.10 with the latest version of wine (i think its 1.1.43 or somthing like that) and VC++ redists for 03,05 and 08 installed and then it worked. Please note i havent fully tested it, just wanted to let you know it runs on wine.

Bug reports can be posted here. Or you can email me at the details listed in the helpfile.

Oh, and another thing. Limits that are stored in the KERNEL.BIN probably trump Limit Break attacks in the LIMITMENU.MNU, so you will likely need Wallmarket to edit them all. I need to confirm this.

56

Scripting and Reverse Engineering / Limit Break Editing, PSX (not a repost) / "LiBrE"

« on: 2010-03-04 23:49:18 »

Firstly, information on Limit Break editing for PSOne:

The data for all limit breaks is stored in the LIMITMENU.MNU file, which lives in the MENU subdirectory of the PSOne disk. Below is a table of the data, the limit, and the position / offset of this data in the file (in hex, obviously):

CLOUD
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 32 00 32 00 13 00 11 30 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Braver: 1324-133F
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 34 00 34 00 13 01 11 34 FF 3F FF FF 00 00 00 02 00 00 FF FF Cross-slash: 1340-135B
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 33 00 33 00 13 02 11 38 FF FF 1A 7A FF FF FF FF 00 00 BF FF Blade Beam: 135C-1377
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 35 00 35 00 13 03 11 46 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Climhazzard: 1378-1393
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 36 00 36 00 97 04 11 1A FF FF 00 06 FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Meteorain: 1394-13AF
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 39 00 39 00 17 05 11 00 FF 3F 18 78 01 00 00 00 00 00 FF FF Finishing Touch: 13B0-13CB
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 3B 00 3C 00 97 06 11 0C FF FF 00 0F FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF DF Omnislash: 13CC-13E7

BARRETT
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 46 00 46 00 13 07 11 34 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Big Shot: 13E8-1403
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 48 00 48 00 17 08 11 36 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Grenade Bomb: 1404-141F
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 49 00 49 00 13 09 23 20 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 20 00 FE FF Mindblow: 1420-143B
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 4B 00 4B 00 13 0A 11 00 FF 3F FF FF 01 00 00 00 00 00 FF FF Hammerblow: 143C-1457
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 4D 00 4D 00 17 0B 11 23 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF DF Satellite Beam: 1458-1473
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 4E 00 4E 00 97 0C 11 08 FF FF 00 12 FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Angermax: 1474-148F
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 4F 00 4F 00 97 0D 11 14 FF FF 00 0A FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Catastrophe: 1490-14AB

AERIS
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 5A 00 5A 00 15 0E 24 10 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 02 FF FF Healing Wind: 14AC-14C7
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 5B 00 5B 00 17 0F 22 00 FF 3F FF FF 80 04 00 00 00 00 FF FF Seal Evil: 14C8-14E3
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 5E 00 5E 00 15 10 22 00 FF 7F FF FF FC 7E 80 36 00 00 FF FF Breath of the Earth: 14E4-14FF
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 62 00 62 00 15 11 00 FF FF FF 14 FF FF FF FF FF 00 80 FF FF Fury Brand: 1500-151B
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 60 00 60 00 15 12 22 00 FF 3F FF FF 00 00 00 01 00 00 FF FF Planet Protector: 151C-1537
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 61 00 61 00 15 13 08 20 FF 7F FF FF 01 00 00 00 00 02 FF F7 Pulse of Life: 1538-1553
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 63 00 63 00 15 14 08 20 FF 3F FF FF 00 00 00 01 00 02 FF FF Great Gospel: 1554-156F

TIFA
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 3E 00 3E 00 97 15 B1 14 FF FF 13 FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Beat Rush: 1570-158B
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 42 00 42 00 97 15 B1 16 FF FF 13 FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Somersault: 158C-15A7
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 40 00 40 00 97 15 B1 18 FF FF 13 FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Waterkick: 15A8-15C3
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 41 00 41 00 97 15 B1 1A FF FF 13 FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Meteodrive: 15C4-15DF
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 43 00 43 00 97 15 B1 1C FF FF 13 FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Dolphin Blow: 15E0-15FB
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 44 00 44 00 97 15 B1 1E FF FF 13 FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Meteor Strike: 15FC-1617
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 45 00 45 00 97 15 B1 2A FF FF 13 FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Final Heaven: 1618-1633

CID
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 64 00 64 00 13 1C 11 34 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Boost Jump: 1634-164F
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 65 00 65 00 13 1D 11 14 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 CF FF Dragon: 1650-166B
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 67 00 67 00 17 1E 11 38 FF 05 FF FF 01 00 00 00 00 00 FF FF Hyper Jump: 166C -1687
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 68 00 68 00 17 1F 11 24 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Dynamite: 1688-16A3
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 6A 00 6A 00 97 20 11 17 FF 07 00 06 01 00 00 00 00 00 FF FF Dragon Dive: 16A4-16BF
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 6C 00 6C 00 97 21 11 12 FF FF 00 08 FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Big Brawl: 16C0-16DB
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 6D 00 6D 00 97 22 11 0B FF FF 00 12 FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Highwind: 16DC-16F7

RED XIII
FF 27 00 FF 00 00 23 00 50 00 50 00 13 23 11 30 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Sled Fang: 16F8-1713
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 51 00 51 00 00 24 22 00 FF 3F 17 A0 00 01 80 00 00 00 FF FF Howling Moon: 1714-172F
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 53 00 53 00 13 25 11 14 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 CF FF Blood Fang: 1730-17FB
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 55 00 55 00 97 26 11 0A FF FF 00 0A FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Stardust Ray: 17FC-1767
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 56 00 56 00 15 27 22 00 FF 3F 16 96 00 01 00 00 00 00 FF FF Lunatic High: 1768-1783
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 58 00 58 00 97 28 11 1E FF FF 00 05 FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Earth Rave: 1784-179F
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 59 00 59 00 17 29 11 7D FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Cosmo Memory: 17A0-17BB

KATE STIFF CAIT SITH (GENERAL)
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 78 00 78 00 13 2A 68 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Dice: 17BC-17D7
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 79 00 79 00 13 46 11 FF FF FF 08 FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Toy Box: 17D8-17F3
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 7A 00 7A 00 17 2C 00 FF FF FF 0F FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Slots:  17F4-180F

VINCENT (TRANSFORMATIONS)
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 82 00 82 00 00 2D 00 FF FF FF 03 00 FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Galian Beast: 1810-182B
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 84 00 84 00 00 2E 00 FF FF FF 03 01 FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Death Gigas: 182C-1847
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 86 00 86 00 00 2F 00 FF FF FF 03 02 FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Hellmasker: 1848-1863
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 88 00 88 00 00 30 00 FF FF FF 03 03 FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Chaos: 1864-187F

YUFFIE
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 6E 00 6E 00 13 31 11 32 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Greased Lightning: 1880-189B
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 73 00 73 00 15 32 24 10 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 02 FF FF Clear Tranquil: 189C-18B7
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 71 00 71 00 17 33 11 30 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 08 00 FF FF Landscaper:  18B8-18D3
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 72 00 72 00 97 34 11 0A FF FF 00 0A FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Bloodfest: 18D4-18EF
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 74 00 74 00 17 35 11 1C FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF DB Gauntlet: 18F0-190B
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 76 00 76 00 97 36 11 0A FF FF 00 0F FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Doom of the Living: 190C-1927
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 77 00 77 00 17 37 11 80 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF All Creation: 1928-1943

CAIT SITH (SPECIFIC)
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 7E 00 7E 00 15 38 22 00 FF FF 10 FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Transform: 1944-195F
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 7B 00 7B 00 15 39 08 20 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 02 FF FF Mog Dance: 1960-197B
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 7C 00 7C 00 17 3A 11 50 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Toy Soldier: 197C-1997
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 7D 00 7D 00 15 3B 22 00 FF 3F FF FF 00 00 00 40 00 00 FF FF Lucky Girl: 1998-19B3
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 80 00 80 00 15 3C 22 00 FF 3F FF FF 01 00 00 00 00 00 7F FF Death Joker: 19B4-19CF
FF FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 81 00 81 00 17 3D 22 00 FF 3F FF FF 01 00 00 00 00 00 7F FF Game Over: 19D0-19EB

VINCENT (SPECIFIC)
78 25 00 FF 00 00 23 00 7F 00 7F 00 13 FF 11 18 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Berserk Dance: 19EC-1A07
64 FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 83 00 83 00 17 3F 22 3C FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 01 00 FF FF Beast Flare: 1A08-1A23
78 2C 00 FF 00 00 14 00 8A 00 8A 00 13 FF 11 2A FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Gigadunk: 1A24-1A3F
64 FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 85 00 85 00 17 41 22 46 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 04 00 FF FF Livewire: 1A40-1A5B
78 23 00 FF 00 00 E2 00 8B 00 8B 00 13 FF 11 08 FF FF 00 05 FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Splattercombo: 1A5C -1A77
64 FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 87 00 87 00 13 43 22 00 FF 3F FF FF CC 18 00 00 00 00 FF FF Nightmare: 1A78-1A93
78 19 00 FF 00 00 A3 01 93 00 93 00 17 FF 11 28 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Chaos Saber: 1A94-1AAF
64 FF 00 FF 00 00 FF FF 89 00 89 00 17 45 22 00 FF 07 18 79 01 00 00 00 00 00 FF FF Satan Slam: 1AB0-1ACB
FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF FF FF FF FF 17 4D 11 32 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Finishing Touch: 1ACC-1AE6
64 FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF FF FF FF FF 17 4E 22 5A FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF Satan Slam: 1AE7 1B03

(Attack Data from Kudistos Megistos' post.)

Information on the attack data can be found here.

Secondly: I've been wanting to get back into programming for a while, and a little project that would help ease me back into things might be an editor for just this kind of thing, a Limit Break Editor (LiBrE). Question is, should I bother? Would anyone here want to use it? It would edit both PC and PSOne data. I plan to write in Python then compile for Windows and Linux - using it would require no VB powerpacks or necessitate a chunky .NET framework download, so it would be pretty trivial to use. Thoughts?

57

Scripting and Reverse Engineering / A few questions... mostly techy stuff

« on: 2010-03-04 12:02:35 »

These are a few miscellaneous questions, without much practical purpose, but just for my own interest.

1. Where exactly *is* the executable on the PSOne disk? Is it split across files? Does the PSOne even read filenames?

2. How, exactly, do FF8/9 work? From what I've seen, you've just got these chunky BIN files on each disk. Why is this? What advantage is there to this? And how does the PSOne navigate them? By sector?

3. How much research has been done into the filetables and boot directories (if they exist) on the PSOne disk? I know we can't author our own disks, but is that because we don't know much about the ways in which these tables are coded?

4. Can anyone point me to information about the way the PSOne boots? I've seen that certain disks can 'hack' the PS logo that appears on startup, so I'm guessing there's some kind of bootstrap program on the disk itself. Google just gets me scores of spammy emulation sites.

5. What's the real reason EIDOS directly ported many of the files from PSX to PSOne? I've heard several theories: that it was unnecessary work, that the port was rushed, or even that Square didn't want to divulge certain information key to modifying and working on the files.

6. Do we actually know much about the executable on PSOne? Not that I'm thinking of modifying it! Can anyone point me to info on the PSOne architecture?

Thanks for reading my scrappy little thread.

58

General Discussion / ARGH. Design decisions make my head hurt.

« on: 2010-01-29 18:26:21 »

As a few people know, I'm currently creating an FF7 mod for PSOne. It's quite radical, and is intended to provide a comprehensive 'rebalance' to the game.

One of my objectives was to make element and status vulnerabilities intuitive, and debuffing less luck-reliant, meaning that players can rely on their memory and skill rather than the random number generator. The problem that I'm facing is: to what do I attach certain status vulnerabilities, making them 'intuitive' without being either OP or useless?

For instance, we might make large creatures vulnerable to Mini, but many of these creatures are reliant upon physical attacks, so that might be OP. If we make *small* monsters Mini-prone, then what's the point? These creatures don't rely on physical attacks anyway, though I suppose we could give *all* creatures a large variety of moves to counter that.

Another problem is that I have to make consistent decisions on status vulnerabilities, but without these statuses compounding one another to make a certain monster completely impotent. For instance, if I say that debuffs 'exaggerate' the natural attributes of their targets, we might say

Large bulky creatures - slow, sleep : Small, spazzy creatures - berserk, mini.

Berserk + mini = a pushover, of course, as does slow + sleep. But if we do the opposite, then

Large, bulky creatures - mini, berserk...

ARGH!

Any ideas? I need to deal with the following status attributes. Here are my thoughts so far:

Death (living things) / Petrify (the non-living?)
Slow (large monsters?) / Mini (small creatures?)
Berserk (stupid monsters, 'low' on the evolutionary ladder) / Sleep (intelligent entities)
Silence (all - have monsters able to deal a variety of attacks) / Poison (anything organic)

Stop likely replaced by paralysis - it's a bit OP - and now suits everything.

Thoughts?

59

FF7 Tools / [FF7PSX/PC] Animation Indexes for Proud Clod / WallMarket (2009-12-10)

« on: 2009-12-06 15:42:15 »

Edit: Now includes data for the PC version.

As I've been doing a fair bit of modding, I've decided to create a spreadsheet properly detailing animation indexes and how to reach them using player spells, enemy skills, and enemy attacks. I've therefore added a spreadsheet in xls. format (see below). It has two sheets: the first details the absolute animation indexes for every attack. The second tells you the index you need to reach those absolute indexes in each case. For convenience, all numbers are in hex.

Instructions:

Let's say that you want to use Diamond Flash as the animation for an Enemy Skill. The sheet named 'Indexes' tells us that the Absolute Index of Diamond Flash is FB. The 'Obtaining' sheet tells us that if we want to reach Absolute Index FB with an Enemy Skill, we need to input the relative index C5. Insert and... lo and behold, you've an Enemy Skill that looks like Diamond Flash (burgeoning white fire, then a massive white beam).

In each case, the steps are the following:

1. Go to the 'indexes' tab
2. Find the absolute index for your chosen animation
3. Go to the 'obtaining' tab
4. The black column has the absolute indexes. Find the value you're looking for.
5. The green column has the relative index you need to insert for a spell, blue for an enemy skill, purple for an enemy attack (PSX), pink for an enemy attack on PC. A dash means the animation cannot be used for that class of attack.

Find NFITC1's post on "relative animation indexes" (search for the term) to understand how this all works. Basically, offsets are applied to relative indexes, so that one-byte animation numbers can refer to animations in a pool of over 255. 36h (54 in decimal notation) is applied to enemy skills, for instance, so that the relative indexes 0-255 can refer to 54-309 (0+54 to 255+54). Thus, enemy skills cannot refer to absolute indexes less than 54.

The files:

Here's where you can find the file:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Avv5n_dvnE2jdFVMUEpqNm5jVFk3SUYwdnI4S1JXTlE#gid=0

Mirrors:
SOURCE 1: http://www.angelfire.com/space2/jimmy_breck-mc_kye/Animations2.html

SOURCE 2: http://www.mediafire.com/?tzdu0mi23oi]http://www.mediafire.com/?tzdu0mi23oi Dead link ~Covarr

For further details, see here: http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=8195.0

60

Troubleshooting / Can't get METEOR to run

« on: 2009-10-23 18:24:40 »

Hello,

I'm having trouble getting METEOR to run. It just gives me the typical 'This program has encountered an error and needs to close' message. Trying to run it on other compatibility modes doesn't help. I'm running Windows XP with SP2, and .net framework 3.5, along with the VB power packs used to run WALLMARKET.

Does anyone have any idea what might be going wrong?

61

Completely Unrelated / Hello...

« on: 2009-07-10 19:19:21 »

Well, I hope I haven't missed some 'Introduce yourself' board and ended up filling the wrong board with my rubbish, but here goes anyway -

I'd like to say hi. I'm Bosola, who's spent an awful lot of time trying to customize and rejig FF7 for *PSX* the hard way, by using GS hacks. I've done work on Homebrew Hardcore projects, where we create custom enemies.

But options are limited. At best, one can alter stats. I'm the only one who's managed to alter AI, it seems, for the PSX version, as you can see here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6glyaXOpP4Q

Of course, that's not particularly impressive. And you can see how many GS codes it requires - it's rarely stable.

So, the next option - editing FF7 for PC. After finally getting my hands on a copy via eBay, I've now managed to get FF7 running (a little problematic on a WinXP laptop with a bad-tempered graphics card), and I'm ready to go.

Eventually, if things go well, I'd actually like a go at a full modification of FF7 that rebalances the game. Less like a hard mod, more like, say, what Shifter did for Deus Ex: rebalancing the game.

What would a rebalance entail? A few things, though some would be more difficult than others:

1. Reduced enemy 'species', but greater variation: Too often, FF7's enemies don't really seem particularly individualized or memorable. One way around that would be a smaller number of enemies with their own idiosyncracies. Status/ elemental strengths and weaknesses would be made more consistent through members of the species, and also a little more intuitive. Think of a bestiary more like that of the original roster in Pokemon Red/Blue : enemies whose weaknesses make sense, for one thing. Who on earth looks at a Wolfmeister and assumes it has a weakness to water?

2. Eliminating mime chains - i.e. a mime cannot be the 'subject' of another mime. Not sure how easy this would be to pull off.

3. A greater number of Added Effect, Counter and Elemental materia, but stronger enemies, to prompt more strategic thinking.

4. Stress the differences between weapons more - force more choices and compromises between materia slots and attack power.