Renaming the spells via hex editing

So, I've been following the hex editing guide for changing the length of the characters for spell names in battle and in the main menu. Somehow, I managed to learn how to located and change the values A9 07 to "A9 0A" to make the character limit to 10.

"In Menu:
C3/4FA1: A20300 LDX #$0003 (X position of left half of spells)
C3/4FAC: A21000 LDX #$0010 (X position of right half of spells)
C3/4FB5: A00700 LDY #$0007 (spell letter length)
C3/4FBA: A067F5 LDY #$F567 (spell name address)
C3/4FBF: A9E6 LDA #$E6 (spell name bank)
C3/5052: A2929E LDX #$9E92 (position of spell progress)
C3/5AF9: A2929E LDX #$9E92 (space between spell name and ':')
C3/87CB: AE3421 LDX $2134

In Battle:
C1/601A: A907 LDA #$07 (7 = spell name length)
C1/6031: BF68F5E6 LDA $E6F568,X (Load Spell name X)
C1/65E8: A907 LDA #$07 (from C1/65AA)(7 = spell name length)
C1/65F3: BF67F5E6 LDA $E6F567,X (Load Spell name X)
C1/6B1D: A907 LDA #$07
C1/6B2E: BF67F5E6 LDA $E6F567,X (Load spell name X)

In simpler words, the 'address' E6 F5 67 contains the spell names in the ROM (that is, using the HIROM notation).

Spells are limited to 7 characters, including the icon that specifies whether it's a healing, attack or support spell. So if you'd like to expand the spell names in battle, for example, to 10 characters, you would need to replace the '07' bytes in the C1 bank (addresses C1/601A, C1/65E8 and C1/6B1D) to '0A'

When increasing the number of characters from 7 to 10 in the example, you will run into a problem: you will see that to successfully rename the spells you will need to overwrite some data from other parts of the game, which will in turn screw up your ROM. You will need to make some space in your ROM to create the new spell names.

That is where the addresses C1/6031 , C1/65F3 , and C1/6B2E come into play. When you create the new spell names, you will need to "tell the ROM" to "look for the new spell names" in the address you've created them. If the spell data is created at "F0 11 03", then I would need to change the three locations above mentioned from the old address to 'F0 11 03'."

The part that baffles me is on the last paragraph (that I copied) "tell the ROM to to look for the new spell names." I don't know how to tell the ROM to find the changes, much less change the spell names from the old ones to the ones I want to name them; why isn't there a tutorial for that? Once I change the spell names, do I change $"E6F567" to something else? I need a bit of clarification here as no one mentioned how to change the names in WindHex. Again, I know where the addresses for the character limits are located, it's the actual name-changing that baffles me.

So, I've been following the hex editing guide for changing the length of the characters for spell names in battle and in the main menu. Somehow, I managed to learn how to located and change the values A9 07 to "A9 0A" to make the character limit to 10.


"In Menu:
C3/4FA1: A20300 LDX #$0003 (X position of left half of spells)
C3/4FAC: A21000 LDX #$0010 (X position of right half of spells)
C3/4FB5: A00700 LDY #$0007 (spell letter length)
C3/4FBA: A067F5 LDY #$F567 (spell name address)
C3/4FBF: A9E6 LDA #$E6 (spell name bank)
C3/5052: A2929E LDX #$9E92 (position of spell progress)
C3/5AF9: A2929E LDX #$9E92 (space between spell name and ':')
C3/87CB: AE3421 LDX $2134

In Battle:
C1/601A: A907 LDA #$07 (7 = spell name length)
C1/6031: BF68F5E6 LDA $E6F568,X (Load Spell name X)
C1/65E8: A907 LDA #$07 (from C1/65AA)(7 = spell name length)
C1/65F3: BF67F5E6 LDA $E6F567,X (Load Spell name X)
C1/6B1D: A907 LDA #$07
C1/6B2E: BF67F5E6 LDA $E6F567,X (Load spell name X)

In simpler words, the 'address' E6 F5 67 contains the spell names in the ROM (that is, using the HIROM notation).

Spells are limited to 7 characters, including the icon that specifies whether it's a healing, attack or support spell. So if you'd like to expand the spell names in battle, for example, to 10 characters, you would need to replace the '07' bytes in the C1 bank (addresses C1/601A, C1/65E8 and C1/6B1D) to '0A'

When increasing the number of characters from 7 to 10 in the example, you will run into a problem: you will see that to successfully rename the spells you will need to overwrite some data from other parts of the game, which will in turn screw up your ROM. You will need to make some space in your ROM to create the new spell names.

That is where the addresses C1/6031 , C1/65F3 , and C1/6B2E come into play. When you create the new spell names, you will need to "tell the ROM" to "look for the new spell names" in the address you've created them. If the spell data is created at "F0 11 03", then I would need to change the three locations above mentioned from the old address to 'F0 11 03'."


The part that baffles me is on the last paragraph (that I copied) "tell the ROM to to look for the new spell names." I don't know how to tell the ROM to find the changes, much less change the spell names from the old ones to the ones I want to name them; why isn't there a tutorial for that? Once I change the spell names, do I change $"E6F567" to something else? I need a bit of clarification here as no one mentioned how to change the names in WindHex. Again, I know where the addresses for the character limits are located, it's the actual name-changing that baffles me.

I just remembered you sent a PM about it, I'm sorry I didn't answer earlier.
I tend to read threads and PM's really fast, and sometimes forget to answer them promptly. The command that tells the room to "look for spell names" is BF, followed by the Hex address.

BF 67 F5 E6 means "Look in address E6F567". By changing the bytes 67 F5 E6 to something else, the rom will look for stuff in other addresses.

Hope this helps. BTW, this is not a tutorial, and should go into the hack discussion part of the site.

I'm still confused, I want to know how to change something like "Fire 3" to "Firaga", etc.

Check the PM

Hi everyone. I'm also having trouble with this.

I can edit names and relocate banks just fine. But somehow, the Skill screen on the Menu will never show more than seven characters. Less is fine, but no more. The "using spell" screen displays the right number of characters (although it breaks out of the box, but that's another story).

Can anyone help me with this? Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone. I'm also having trouble with this.

I can edit names and relocate banks just fine. But somehow, the Skill screen on the Menu will never show more than seven characters. Less is fine, but no more. The "using spell" screen displays the right number of characters (although it breaks out of the box, but that's another story).

Can anyone help me with this? Thanks in advance.

I just released a patch with the changes for spell names, check in IPS patches :p.

It sounds like you didn't change the spell names in bank C3. There are many instances in which the code looks for spell names: in battle (c1 bank) and in the menu (C3 bank).

Hi everyone. I'm also having trouble with this.

I can edit names and relocate banks just fine. But somehow, the Skill screen on the Menu will never show more than seven characters. Less is fine, but no more. The "using spell" screen displays the right number of characters (although it breaks out of the box, but that's another story).

Can anyone help me with this? Thanks in advance.

I just released a patch with the changes for spell names, check in IPS patches :p.

It sounds like you didn't change the spell names in bank C3. There are many instances in which the code looks for spell names: in battle (c1 bank) and in the menu (C3 bank).

I'm sorry, what do you mean by "didn't change the spell names in bank C3"? The Menu displays the "new" names I put into a large blank space, it's just the screen won't show more than 7 characters for each spell name.

I can take a couple screens if I'm not making myself clear (I'm not even a native english speaker, please bear with my poor grasp of the language =P). Also, I'll check the patch, but I'd like to learn how to solve it by myself.

Thanks again for your help.

The Menu displays the "new" names I put into a large blank space, it's just the screen won't show more than 7 characters for each spell name.

I can take a couple screens if I'm not making myself clear (I'm not even a native english speaker, please bear with my poor grasp of the language =P). Also, I'll check the patch, but I'd like to learn how to solve it by myself.

Thanks again for your help.

I see what the problem is now. BTW, your english is very clear and understandable :p

take a look at the line of code below: (did you change this?)

Code:

C3/4FB5:   A00700      LDY #$0007   (spell letter length)
C3/5052:   A2929E      LDX #$9E92   (position of spell progress)

At C3/4FB5, change the 07 (in my case, I changed it to 09). You need to also move the spell progress to the right. It will become messy later on if you don't change it. At C3/5052, change the 92.

Hope that helps. If not, come back and I'll be glad to help again.

The Menu displays the "new" names I put into a large blank space, it's just the screen won't show more than 7 characters for each spell name.

I can take a couple screens if I'm not making myself clear (I'm not even a native english speaker, please bear with my poor grasp of the language =P). Also, I'll check the patch, but I'd like to learn how to solve it by myself.

Thanks again for your help.

I see what the problem is now. BTW, your english is very clear and understandable :p

take a look at the line of code below: (did you change this?)

Code:

C3/4FB5:   A00700      LDY #$0007   (spell letter length)
C3/5052:   A2929E      LDX #$9E92   (position of spell progress)

At C3/4FB5, change the 07 (in my case, I changed it to 09). You need to also move the spell progress to the right. It will become messy later on if you don't change it. At C3/5052, change the 92.

Hope that helps. If not, come back and I'll be glad to help again.

I changed the "spell letter length" value from 07 to 0A. What exactly does the "position of spell progress" value? Since I increased the first number by four, my wild guess would be to change the 92 to 96? (Turns out this, by itself, didn't work at all)

Thank you very much for your help.

Well, that's...odd.

I changed the 92 to 94. This only moves the "Percentage" of a spell in the process of being learned to the right.

I'm clueless right now about what could it be...please post a picture of the problem, maybe I'll get another idea by looking at it?