New FF6 hack in discussion...thanks for any feedback.

Okay, one last question, since I have both the ability rename and graphic unsensored .ips files patched into the Divergent Paths build, what tool should I use next to address the many glitches taking place. Should I play through the game with an emulator on Dubug mode? Or should I use something like HxD or maybe Notebook ++???

Okay, one last question, since I have both the ability rename and graphic unsensored .ips files patched into the Divergent Paths build, what tool should I use next to address the many glitches taking place.  Should I play through the game with an emulator on Dubug mode?  Or should I use something like HxD or maybe Notebook ++???

Well there is no tool that will magically stop at the right place in the code where you have a bug/conflict, and bugs can be cause by various things (event code conflict/asm code conflict/free space conflict, etc.). What you could do is list the bugs and then from there, knowing well the changes to all the hacks used to make your thing, solve one bug by one knowing what to change if you know the source of the conflict.

Got it, so I would benefit by playing through the corrupt game as is.

With these patches, I’m assuming the conflict originates from the same lines per register (C2/C3/C4/C5) being used by more then one of the patches. If I expand the rom and move the conflicted code to an unused register then the conflict should resolve. It could also be that some of the code in DP has been moved to a different register as well. That’s where I’d like to start searching. Most of the patches I’m using come from this website so it should be possible for me to become familiar with how they operate...I hope.

If I run into problems booting my rom in any of the aforementioned applications, I’ll ask for further suggestions. I want to finish what I started with my script, then I can start to tackle other projects like this. I’ll try to keep my posts on this thread light until I’m ready to start.

With these patches, I’m assuming the conflict originates from the same lines per register (C2/C3/C4/C5) being used by more then one of the patches.

Yeah mainly there are three possibilities, for events and assembly code:

1) Two different hacks use the same free space for the extra/custom code, in this case you "point" on of the two to use another free space sport in the ROM.
2) Two different hacks modify the same thing/aspect/event/code (e.g. two runic different hacks or two different intro scene event hacks). This is more complicated to fix as it require more re-coding to merge both hacks features.
3) A bit similar to reason 2, some different hacks just don't play nicely with each others (e.g. same free memory bit used for two events, same free RAM/SRAM use for two asm patch). The fix for these two example is to use different RAM values for each hack if possible.

Okay, one last question, since I have both the ability rename and graphic unsensored .ips files patched into the Divergent Paths build, what tool should I use next to address the many glitches taking place.  Should I play through the game with an emulator on Dubug mode?  Or should I use something like HxD or maybe Notebook ++???

On the subject of tools...

I use Geiger's Snes9x Debugger all the time. It has a hex editor built in.
(Unstable with the sound / display filters enabled. Especially wind sound effects can crash the emulator)
https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/241/

There are other probably better debuggers out there.
I'm only just now seeing bnes-plus, for example...
https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/1197/

HxD is good for moving big chunks of data around.
I use WindHex a lot, too.

When addressing conflicts, there's also nothing like a nice visual diff tool for binary/hex.
I use Beyond Compare, but unfortunately it's not free software.


As Madsiur mentioned -- and maybe it goes without saying -- when you move data to another location, you need to update all of the pointers to that data, so the game knows where to look for it at its new location. To do that, you need to find the pointers. Sometimes that is easier said than done. Patch documentation & bank documentation can help here. You can also set breakpoints in the debugger to stop execution whenever the game tries to access data at a given location -- in this case, the original location of the data you are moving.

Divergent Paths uses almost every byte of free space. It does not play well with other patches. I didn't do much to the compressed graphics, aside from switching out Raiden with Leviathan. My recommendation to get the graphics uncensoring in is to use the editor that allows you to change out monsters and espers. Export the graphics from a rom patched ONLY with the uncensored graphics, and then import that image into Divergent Paths. I thought about doing this myself, but as explained before, I think that the censoring for Espers and Monsters was done in very good taste. I think some of the artists were just... horny... when they made this game. The "censored" graphics fit the style of the original so well that you'd never know they were censored without a side-by-side comparison.

The main thing you'll run into with the restored ability names is that I have relocated the spell descriptions to allow for additional descriptions to be added for the 10 new spells. You'll need to look at the rom map on the wiki to find where the pointers are. From there, you'll be able to follow my edited pointers to get to the block of code with the descriptions.

For adding in the TWU script, it's best to do this manually in FF3usME. Export the script from an untouched rom, then the script from TWUE, and do a comparison of the 2 in Notepad++. Where you find differences in TWUE, navigate to that same text string in Divergent Paths and change it.

So, lots of manual work, which is the nature of FF6 hacking. Patches just go to a direct address and change bytes. They can't find a chunk of code and replace it. Any time code has been relocated, which is a practical necessity for FF6, patches will conflict with each other.

Got it, thanks Panda. Yes, I agree that the artists who worked on this game may have been lonesome, but there’s quite a bit of adult content in FF as a franchise in general. I can take my FF either way, censored or uncensored, but I think it’s important to allow for the art to speak for itself most times...

I’m running into a hitch with my wishlist. I’ve been looking into a brave new world (BNW) and beyond chaos gaiden (BCG). I’ve noticed something called the fanatix tower hack??? Is that an extension of beyond chaos or is it a solo patch?

My hitch stems from a desire to provide extra content for the new game + with the possiblity of adding the Kaiser Dragon from GBA/BNW...I’m not sure which would be more realistic: placing Kaiser on the island/cave it shows up in during GBA or putting Kaiser at the top floor of the Fanatix Tower in (what I assume is) the BCG hack.

The GBA location could be modified by allowing access to it only via. the Green/Blue Chocobo that I mentioned at the very beginning of this thread. But putting him on the top floor of the Fanatix Tower is just as compelling. I’m assuming I’d have to harvest code no matter which option I go with, but I’m still not exactly sure where to go looking for either of them...at any rate.

This is basically an open statement. Any creative feedback is welcome, even from new comers to the scene.

The gist of my wishlist build goes something like: Divergent Paths (DP) to clean up the plot points. Ted Woolsey Uncensored (TWU) to bring it in line with conventional norms. Brave New World (BNW) in order to rebalance the level/combat system in general. Finally, adding a New Game Plus option after all 8 of the dragons have been defeated (with a new Clyde sprite added if all his dreams have been viewed (congruent with DP’s alternate ending)), and possibly an “optional” Fanatix Tower (placing the GBA Kaiser Dragon at it’s top floor).

The last tid-bit would be to bring in the overkill.ips patch and assign it to the Atma and Ragnarok swords respectively, along with the Ultima spell. In that way, only those three “items” would be able to inflict overkill.

I know that’s a mouth full, and I may not be able to pull something like that off, but that’s the general idea...one project at a time I guess.

The gist of my wishlist build goes something like:  Divergent Paths (DP) to clean up the plot points.  Ted Woolsey Uncensored (TWU) to bring it in line with conventional norms.  Brave New World (BNW) in order to rebalance the level/combat system in general.  Finally, adding a New Game Plus option after all 8 of the dragons have been defeated (with a new Clyde sprite added if all his dreams have been viewed (congruent with DP’s alternate ending)), and possibly an “optional” Fanatix Tower (placing the GBA Kaiser Dragon at it’s top floor).

The last tid-bit would be to bring in the overkill.ips patch and assign it to the Atma and Ragnarok swords respectively, along with the Ultima spell.  In that way, only those three “items” would be able to inflict overkill.

That sounds like an ambitious project. I definitely welcome those changes, as I know the main request for Divergent Paths is to combine it with BNW and TWUE.

Note that combining with BNW is not going to be possible in an editor; you're going to have to get down into the hex code itself. I'd consider combining with TWUE to be entry level romhacking, and combining with BNW to be expert level. TWUE I could probably do in 1-2 days of concerted effort. BNW would take a year. Both Divergent Paths and BNW make changes to some core elements of the battle system, and each of those changes would need to be sorted out individually. For example, BNW restricts esper usage, making it so not every character has magic. DP utilizes B-Run's MMMMMagic patch, which shifts spell learning from being stored on the character profile to being stored on the Esper, allowing enough space in SRAM for 2 more magic lists. Those 2 changes are fundamentally incompatible, and you'd need to code a reconciliation by hand.

Divergent Path also consumes the Kaiser Dragon sprite and battle AI to create its 4 new bosses. 3 monsters were merged with similar monsters in order to make room, so there are 0 unused enemy slots, and there is only enough room in the enemy AI for a single monster to have a single fight command. You'd need to figure out a way to expand/relocate the monster code, or use T-Edition's solution of loading a different rom for NG+ content.

Not trying to dissuade you from trying, but I want you to have a realistic picture of what this is going to take. DP + TWUE? No problem. DP + BNW? Awesome, but it won't come easy.

Lastly, I want to respond to this.

I can take my FF either way, censored or uncensored, but I think it’s important to allow for the art to speak for itself most times...

I totally understand that opinion. But you get very different perspectives on this from fans and from developers. Development is a messy process, and almost everything that reaches you was a result of either a compromise or an oversight. I mean, if you look at prototype screenshots of FF6, Terra had blonde hair late enough into development that it made it into magazine previews. 

I am a professional board game developer, and the last game I worked on, I think only about 60% of the original design made it through to the final product. The other 40% was my design and development that the credited designer signed off on. Then, when we were preparing the files for print, our graphic designer forgot to make one of the layers visible while exporting an image, and it created a typo that changed gameplay. None of us knew about it until we opened our final copies. That certainly wasn't the intent, but it's now canon. The idea of creative purism is something that really only makes sense when the only version of a game you saw was the final one.

Yep-yep, I’ve been aware of my enthusiasm and want to keep myself grounded in what’s do-able. That’s why I’m still surprised at the “green light” response I’ve been getting from vets like you and the other big names around here. I’ll stick with my original desires, just trying to clean up the script from the vanilla version and maybe merging TWUE with your build.

Your insight of game developing was a welcome one. It helps me consider why I’m interested in doing what I am. It should be said that our exposure to FF6 in The States wasn’t identical to the one that was presented in Japan. Although, your observation still stands on its own (message received). I’ll keep taking baby steps from here. First I need to finish what I started.

Thanks everyone.

Moved here by request:

LOL, I didn't get the memo...thanks again, buddy.

Yeah, I usually use TUSH for headers. I've been backing up almost every change I make these days, duplicating and storing vanilla Roms, etc.. The good thing about being a noob is I learn from my mistakes.

Okay, the header was the solution. Now I just need to figure out the softlock during Setzre's intro at the auction house. I won't stress about that. I've got about 46,000 bytes to work with on the script, 90% of which is already completed. I'll take a break until version 2.0 comes out. I don't think the lock has anything to do with the save file since I'm using files from DP's archive. I'll play from scratch after I'm done transposing my own script over to DP's script...see what happens. I'm just excited because it would seem that all the work I've been putting in is about to bear fruit. It won't take more than a week or two to build a .ips file using LUNAR once DP v2.0 arrives. In fact, once I'm done transposing, it shouldn't even take a day.

Update: One last tidbit before I head in. When I try to access the town dialog within FF3usME an "error" message reads: Dialog routine pointers were hand hex. edited, FF3usME cannot work with the reformated data. So the pointers aren't matching...this might be happening due to the fact that I'm managing town dialog for the extra bytes after I expand the Rom from 24bit to 32bit. I'm able to play the Rom via emulation...but I'm no longer able to edit it...again, this is after the ER.ips file has been patched (I think). It's WAY past my bedtime, laters...

Any suggested steps I should take in order to make progress editing an expanded Rom would be helpful.