Kicking out Umaro + Moogle Bonanza

So, as much as I love Umaro, I'm considering kicking him out of the game for whenever I start my miscellaneous hack. I'd like for him to appear in game, but have his story take a different turn. Back to this in a minute.

Mog, arguably my third favorite character, is another one I'd like to change. In the WOR you find him alone, and we can assume that all of his Moogle friends were killed. As soon as you find him, he snaps out of his depression and joins you immediately.

I was considering placing 10 other moogles around the world- after talking to them they return to Narshe. After meeting all of them, Mog will join you again.

Back to my favorite berserker- getting to him with Mog would be the same, but after the fight I'd like the screen to fade from Mog yelling at him, to him being thrown out of that little overlook he appears in.

This could lead to another character slot opening (I've got some ideas), and Umaro setting up a little shop for the party in his cave.

...I just have lots of ideas.

...Second side note: Moogle Bonanza would be a good band name.

The moogles from around the world? That's not hard to pull off, just have to recycle enough NPC bits to place them around the world, a bit for each so they could be picked up one at a time. Some event coding, no problem.

Removing Umaro, not hard, replacing him with a real character, little work but do-able. Keeping him as a NPC afterwards... might require some sacrifice and planning.

Yeah, the NPC part of Umaro was just a final thought. I'd like him to show up, just so the player can see Mog didn't commit murder in the 1st, but I suppose I could make him scamper off, or jump away on the ground.

Umaro as an NPC wouldn't be an issue, replacing him as a character AND using him as an NPC would be.

You could replace him as a character, sprite and all, but you'd still need a basic sprite set somewhere in order for him to be an NPC, after you replaced him as a full character with a full sprite sheet of someone else.

Maybe assign that character a moogle sprite set, leaving Umaro's sprites intact and still use his character data... or the expanded sprite sheet hack to give your new character a full, formerly NPC sprite sheet. Maybe I'm over thinking that part or not explaining what I'm thinking. As a whole though, its doable just possibly not simple.

Maybe I'll just throw a moogle in there. Thanks for the explanation- that definitely helped.

How about making Banon the last party member? XD

I've actually decided that I'll be replacing Umaro and Gogo with Cid and Darill. I'm highly considering replacing Gau as well, but I have plans that could involve him... Any thoughts on him? I could make him a guest then ditch him after a story event.

Moogle Bonanza...a band that covers FF songs? I have a band and know at least 1 song from FF6-10 each, so I'm halfway there...but I'm pretty sure my other members wouldn't be on board with that.

Unless you plan on editing a whole lot of events and dialog, I would have to suggest leaving Gau as Gau through the WoB. (for instance, someone like Daryl just wouldn't look right jumping around howling at the moon and talking about shiny things.) An easier route would be to either leave him be, or insert an entirely new character that would look right acting that way.

Another option that MIGHT work... and I stress MIGHT, is to have him in the WoB, then let him die in the airship crash, or script a little scene where he dies on the Floating Continent. (Maybe just edit the dialog for the hunters in the Veldt cave that says they found the body of a wild boy).

Then, in the WoR, recruit that character slot, assign him a different palette, and somehow assign different skills to him on recruitment (Not sure that is even possible).

As for the assigning palettes and sprite sheet, an exert from the Event Script during the battlefield with Moogles:

Code:

CC/A94B: 7F 02 12    Change character $02's name to $12 (KUPEK )
CC/A94E: 40 02 12    Assign properties $12 to character $02 (Actor in stot 2)
CC/A951: 3D 02       Create object $02CC/A953: 37 02 0A    Assign graphics $0A to object $02 (Actor in slot 2)
CC/A956: 43 02 05    Assign palette $05 to character $02 (Actor in slot 2)
CC/A959: 7F 03 13    Change character $03's name to $13 (KUPOP )
CC/A95C: 40 03 13    Assign properties $13 to character $03 (Actor in slot 3)

That's the code that replaces Cyan with a Moogle. I've never tried to do it personally though outside of that event. In theory, you could write an event, linked to an NPC in a town or cave, run a code similar to that on Gau's character, then recruit that new character. As long as nothing else changed it, I think it could work for the rest of the game. I do not know how it would work with Leap though. Not sure what happens when you pick him up after a Leap.

As for the NPC graphics you load: Expanding NPC Sprite Sheets Tutorial

If you can get it to work, you'd give a standard NPC a full sprite sheet, assign that sprite to the "new" Gau, and maybe it would stick and load.

As far as keeping his Rage command for the WoB, then assigning new skills for the second recruiting... I have no clue if it can be done. If the rest of it works, you might just remove Leap and Rage, and give him a skill set for your future character. That wouldn't hurt the story any I don't think.
*EDIT* Actually, if you open up FF3usME go to the "actors editor" and to character #19 it is the stats for Moogle "Kupop". That line of "Assign properties" might be the one that assigns stats and Commands to the actor in question. If that IS the case, then find one that is unused, or maybe just use the battle commands and stats for Maduin (Actor #30) since he's never in battle, and adjust them how you want. Might work in theory...

I'd love to know if that works to be honest. If you noticed I said "Maybe" and "might" alot. I mean every one of them. I've never tried this, (Well I tried the expanding NPC sprite sheets once, got the right sprite just a little funky so I ran without it, but I didn't make any attempt at all to fix it so it might have just been a typo on my part.) Again, I repeat, I have no clue if any of this will work based on the fact I've never tried it personally. That being said, the commands are there, and (in theory) it could work. Just back up your work right before you try it.

So I understand about two of those words. I really need to start learning the event coding so I can clue myself in. I'm getting the vibe that removing Gau in the WOR would be really difficult? I think I'll just keep him- but how hard would it be to put him in a different place? I'd like him to start in his father's house, and just join the party normally from there. As much as I love to hate him, he is a pretty good addition to the team I suppose.

While I'm on the topic- how hard would the following be:
Replace Terra with Celes in Mobliz- have Phunbaba end up killing her, and bringing in a new character to replace her?