15th Character Workaround

While the 15th Man project works on, I was pondering some manner of workaround to get a 15th party member that is at least mostly workable using what is already in FF6.

Say I do a replica of the Ghost recruitment on the Phantom Train, with General Leo. You revive Leo via a new event and he appears aboard the Falcon, talk to him with an empty slot in the party and he'll join your party like the Ghost. Just like normal guests, the player will be able to use Leo as a playable character but cannot equip him Espers, teach him magic, or change his equipment (so he wouldn't be seen on shop menus anyway, nor the menu equipment screens note what he can equip). If the player changes their party Leo will not be in the party select screen but will reappear aboard the Falcon to be spoken to again.

Would this be do-able and how functional would Leo be?

It's highly doable, I'd say check out this video here to get an idea of some trials and tribulations with it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcOQEjkqtG8

It sounds like your aware of most of this though. Besides this, there are little things like needing to update the unequip NPC to include his character ID, and other event related issues that might come up, where they do not program any character to be on the screen higher than Umaro (0D). That's the only things that come to my mind atm. The main issues are with him in the Colosseum and I think the final battle roster list, but referencing Hatzen's Guest Adder patch code can probably help solve those issues.

Oh, they wouldn't be unequipped, I'd keep them unable to have their equipment changed. My idea for the General Leo revival would use the Phoenix magicite, so it'd be pretty late into the World of Ruin and I'd be comfortable giving him top-tier equipment to be useful into the end game, as he won't be acquired early enough to be overpowered. EDIT - That is to presume, if I add Leo to the party using my intended method, he'll stay unable to have his equipment changed?

I'll look into the Guest Adder patch, thanks. I've no intent to make Banon playable too though, just Leo. Guess I'll have to test how that affects things.

I'm actually using the guest adder patch to make UMARO an unequippable guest. (He practically is anyway.) I'm then placing Leo into Umaro's slot. I will then probably use the MMMMMMMMagic patch to give him an equippable esper and spell list, but I may still choose to just give him Gau's magic list, since Gau has full access to Magic through his Rages.

Some restrictions:

• OAM Data! (Shops and Save menus)
  
• Equipment
  
• Colosseum functionality
  
• Portrait
  
• actor name in dialogues
  

See 15th Man Project!

Some restrictions:

• OAM Data! (Shops and Save menus)
  
• Equipment
  
• Colosseum functionality
  
• Portrait
  
• actor name in dialogues
  

See 15th Man Project!

Well, which how I intend to do things, I think only the Colosseum will be a problem. My intent is basically to just have a permanent Guest character on the airship that can be spoken to to join the party - no changing equipment (and thus no need to appear in shop menus), will already have a portrait. will have a static name you can't change (though I wonder how the Rename card will work on them). They might not look right on the save screen but I can live with that.

Made an initial effort today. Didn't work out but I'm by no means giving up, this was just a first try.

Added a Leo to the airship, talk to him to initiate a new dialogue event - if you have an empty slot in the party, Leo will join your team. Leo came into the party named "KEFKA," used the Ghost's portrait and field sprite, and in battle looked like the Imp. I took him to the Coliseum, seemed to work fine - I can't confirm what happens when he wins a fight because of the next problem.

In the menu Leo is Level 43, has some 2000 HP and 350 MP. However, in battle he has only 600-ish HP. Furthermore, it seems that any status ailments or damage he takes does not register - I took him into a fight, he took damage, after the fight his HP was still 2000 and full - enter another battle, he's properly damaged.

I'm confident the sprite/portrait stuff can be solved simply on my own, but yeah, that battle quirk was not expected.

Okay, progress report. Got the right graphics used, mostly. Uses Leo's portrait and sprite on the overworld and in battle, but as the party leader aboard the airship and in locations, it's blank.

Figured out it's calling Leo Kefka due to the last time the 15th slot was used, it was for the cinematic battle of Kefka and the Esper in Thamasa, which is char 2B. Renamed Kefka, changed equipment, didn't affect anything. But if I had to guess, I'd have to start a new game to have the changes take effect. For the hell of it, tried to use a Rename Card on him, and it plain wouldn't let me.

The battle stat problem is still happening.

Also Leo overwrites Umaro when he joins the party. Not sure why, Umaro is 0E while the 15th char is 0F. Double checked my recruiting event to be sure it refers to the right characters, and it does.

Anyway, if anyone wants to take a look, here's what I have so far. Mostly its copied from the Ghost event with the relevant character values changed.

Code:

CB/AB14: 4B    Display dialogue message $02CC, wait for button press
               SABIN: What is it?
               CYAN: Seems to want to come with us.
               Bring it along?
               ^(Sure)
               ^(No way)
CB/AB17: B6    Indexed branch based on prior dialogue selection [$CBAC53, $CA5EB3]
CB/AB1E: FE    Return

Code:

CB/AB1F: B2    Call subroutine $CAC5C1 (set CaseWord bit corresponding to number of characters in party)
CB/AB23: C0    If ($1E80($1A3) [$1EB4, bit 3] is set), branch to $CBAAD9
CB/AB29: DE    Load CaseWord with the characters in the currently active party?
CB/AB2A: C0    If ($1E80($1A7) [$1EB4, bit 7] is set), branch to $CBAB4E
CB/AB30: 40    Assign properties $10 to character $07 (Actor in stot 7)
CB/AB33: 3D    Create object $07
CB/AB35: 3F    Assign character $07 (Actor in stot 7) to party 1
CB/AB38: 37    Assign graphics $14 to object $07 (Actor in stot 7)
CB/AB3B: 43    Assign palette $00 to character $07 (Actor in stot 7)
CB/AB3E: 7F    Change character $07's name to $10 (????? )
CB/AB41: 88    Remove the following status ailments from character $07 (Actor in stot 7): Float, Hide, Chant (Casting Spell), Morph (Esper-form), Instant Death Protection, Frozen, Rage, Death (Wound), Petrify (Stone), Imp, Vanish (Clear), Poison, Zombie, Dark
CB/AB45: 8B    For character $07 (Actor in stot 7), take HP and set to maximum
CB/AB48: 8C    For character $07 (Actor in stot 7), take MP and set to maximum
CB/AB4B: 42    Hide object $10
CB/AB4D: FE    Return

Just a small observation from that hex snippet: it looks like you're setting up character 10 with the properties of Leo, but then you create him as object 0F, not 10. You have 40 10 0F, then right after you create character 0F instead of 10 - If your going to use character 10 for him like the ghost recruiting event does, I believe you'll have to create him as 10 then and not 0F. So in other words it looks like he is not being set up 100% correctly and this could cause some of those weird issues.

I'd prolly not opt to use the ghost recruiting event as a base for this as it has some undesired code associated with it. Perhaps referencing the actual Leo recruitment done in thamasa is better, unless I'm forgetting something important regarding that as not a viable option in the WoR. But I'd definitely wanna have him as character 0E or 0F and not 10, and this would help prevent some bugs I'd think.

For his name showing up as Kefka, why not just give him Leo's normal name ID value of 0F instead of 2B? 2B is 'KEFKA', 0F is 'LEO'.

There's gonna be lots of fun little glitches with things like rename card not working for him because the game is just not coded to include anyone over Gogo for various things, sounds like the rename card is one of these... The event code-related stuff can be fixed up easily to include characters over Gogo/Umaro, but the assembly coding stuff is of course on another level.

In order for me to truly help out with this (event-wise) I'd need to go in and get my hands dirty so to speak, which I just might be interested in doing, but hopefully the thing about the properties could solve something for now at least!

I am kicking myself repeatedly because I could swear initially I DID directly copy the Leo stuff. Apparently not, because a direct copy of Leo, he's working fine! Shows up in towns and on overworld, works fine in battle, uses the right graphics and name, has the right equipment.

But, one snag, predictable - the Coliseum. Entered a battle with him, he not only had graphical glitches, but he was dual-wielding what seemed to be the first two weapons in the index. And when he died it played the "Banon fell" message, which it doesn't do in normal fights.