Final Fantasy IV Namingway Edition (updated to Version 1.98d)

[Rodimus Primal]

As FlamePurge (formally vivify93) announced in his thread for Project II, he and I decided to allow me to branch off for Namingway Edition. For those looking now, this is my attempt at at taking Project II and renaming the items, spells, and monsters to a more traditional naming, and matching, if possible, the names used in modern releases of Final Fantasy IV.

I've been asked to drop Project II from the name of my project, to show the seperation. However, the work we did together is current up until Project II v2.08.

I'm going to be incorporating chillyfeez's B Button dash, as well as making a few more changes before I release it.  I'm going to take suggestions from folks for what would be worth adding in or fixing.
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Namingway Edition is officially released. The current version is now 1.98d. Changes are as follows:
V1.98d
-Typo in Paladin Room and Agart Inn corrected (thanks JBAU)

V1.98c
-Typo in Agart Inn corrected. (thanks Chrono 199X)
-Typo fixed in Slyvan Cave room (thanks superlowprofile)

V1.98b
-Typo found and fixed with dancer in Kaipo (thanks Chrysologus)

V1.98a
-Added chillyfeez's fix to the the Adamant Grotto so that it won't rip you off with Pink Tails.
-Fixed typos (Mysidian Elder before Mt Ordeals, Rosa's mother) (Thanks PersonWithTime)

Version 1.98
-Fixed drop items for Dark Sage monster.

Version 1.97
--Fixed a few script errors. (Cecil's room after Tower of Zot, Meeting Odin in Baron, during final confrontation)
(Thanks to Nosgothy for pointing them out!)

Version 1.96
-Typo fixed in Rosa's House (thanks Binarynova)

Version 1.95b
-Fixes typo from Baigan (My Liege) (Thanks Heaven Piercing Man)

Version 1.95a
-Typo corrected from King Giott (thanks Thirteen 1355)
-Wyvern changed to DkBahmut

Version 1.95
-Bug fix for Adamant Armor. (thanks vivify93 and 8.bit.fan)

Version 1.94
-Corrected remaining typos in script. Specifically following the battle with Rubicante with Seneschal
and Edge,and also during the final battle in the Room of Prayer.

Version 1.93 fixes critical bug at save points.

Version 1.92 updates:
-Improved B Button Dash function in towns and dungeons. (thanks chillyfeez)
-Script improvements at Adamant Grotto, Cagnazzo's defeat cutscene (with Golbez and Kain),
Cecil and Rydia ("You OK?" has been updated), Yang's wife, and dialogue with Rosa's mother.

Version 1.90 updates:

-Updated spell that Trap Door casts to 9thDimen.
-Corrected a few script errors.

Version 1.89 updates:

-Massive script overhaul. Many lines have been updated for better grammar, and to better reflect the original Japanese, the PSP, and the DS translations. Many thanks to Mato (Legends of Localization), Chicken Knife, vivify93, and Spooniest for the help in this important release!

-Added Critical Hit Bug Fix (thanks to all involved in finding and making that patch!)
-Correct instances where it still said SandRuby in the script.

Version 1.87 fixes include:

-Pink Puff is now Lady Flan (Another name for Princess)
-King Giott's opening dialogue corrected to better match the Japanese.
-Mist cave dialogue corrected to state ring instead of Package.

Version 1.86 brings these changes:

-Major typos found and corrected (thanks to yetisyny)
-expanded and updated script in numerous places
-updated item and key names to better reflect modern translations

Version 1.85 added extended item descriptions. Some item and monster names have been corrected and Rydia's starting equipment has been restored. A glitch found by vivify93 when you refuse a Key item has been fixed. Also a glitch within the Namingway text box has been fixed and numerous script changes.

Final Fantasy IV Namingway Edition

Take note to anyone reading this for the first time, Namingway Edition is now a completely separate project from Project II. While the updates made reflect the current versions of Project II, many (if not most) things are restored back to the way they were in Final Fantasy IV.

[FlamePurge]

Thank you so much for making a thread! I'm sure everyone will appreciate your continued dedication on this.

[Rodimus Primal]

Thank you so much for making a thread! I'm sure everyone will appreciate your continued dedication on this.

Coming from you, that means a lot! While I don't think Namingway Edition will be as popular as Project II, I had hoped there was this much attention for FFVI.

I started looking over everything now, and I could use some suggestions, or maybe even help expand the spell names. I want to rename Bolt and Ice to Thunder and Blizzard, but the only way to so currently is to use squish tiles. They will look very squished as its 8 characters fitting into 5 tiles, especially for the -ara and -aga spells.

[Grimoire LD]

If trying to expand Job Names from 7 to 8 caused that much of a  kerfuffle, expanding spell names seems a near impossibility unless you use the basic 6 character (5 with the symbol) limit and compress the name terribly and then use the battle version of that name to spell out the full name so while it will look condensed when cast, it will be 8 characters when used, if you change a pointer to look for the 8 length spell names earlier rather than the 5.

For the record this is what Chillyfeez's Threat from Within demo does.

[Rodimus Primal]

It would still end up only being 7 characters with the icon if I did it that way. Blizzard, Blizzara, and Blizzaga won't look TOO bad squished, but Thunder, Thundara, and Thundaga is where it's truly tough to make it look right, or even fit to begin with. It may take me some more tinkering.

[chillyfeez]

Rodimus, if you're interested in 8 letter class names, I spent the day solving all of the missing info. Posted it on the Project II thread.

Not sure if I can work the same magic for spell names, because that would likely require rearranging the menu to have two spells per line (I don't think there's enough space, even widening the menu, to have three 7+ letter spells)

[justin3009]

The magic menu in the main menu itself SHOULD be able to support 7 letters if you spread the columns out a bit.  Problem is the hand graphic would have to be readjusted I believe to make it fit in properly.  As for battle, that would be the biggest problem.  The whole 'MP Usage' box would have to be completely redone to be much smaller and maybe bump where the spells start by a line.

[Rodimus Primal]

Saw that, and I may incorporate the 8 character letters. It would make Dark Knight look better with the little bit of extra space.

As for the spells, 7 characters would be the most I need to squeeze it in and have it look right. Looking at the menu itself, it would seem that there at least two characters of space in between the spell names. I could be wrong, but to have just ONE extra character would be an extremely helpful way to make spell name expansions work, look right and have NO issues. The only problem I would run into, most likely is the locations for those specific spells do not have space in between them in the ROM. We might have to move the locations where those spells are IN the ROM itself.

[justin3009]

You would definitely have to move the spell names into a new area in ROM.  (Which is why I recommend Atlas/Cartographer as it can do pointers and adjustments automatically once you get it setup)

[Rodimus Primal]

I would only have need to move them for a handful of spells and not the whole set. But if its the only way to do it, then so be it. I've not tried using Atlas/Cartographer more than trying to read the documentation. I'm sure it would help with a variety of things, maybe even in FFVI.

I'm thinking of shortening Thundara and Thundaga to Thundra and Thundga. It's the only current way they can fit in its current form.

[Cavery210]

http://www.vizzed.com/vizzedboard/retro/user_screenshots/saves47/477454/SNES--Final%20Fantasy%20IV%20%20Namingway%20Edition%20v104_Feb20%205_21_23.png
The box that shows how much Gil you have in Inns still says GP.

[Rodimus Primal]

Okay, so big thanks to chillyfeez's instructions on expanding the Job Classes to 8 characters. Only thing I was missing at first was the one Hex edit that Grimoire LD found. I kept the LV, but I used a new L that is a little smaller so there is breathing room in between. I plan on giving a little extra to some of those job titles now that I can.

I looked through the game and found a few places that GP could still be. I would need to experiment a little and ensure I don't screw up a function if I change it. I tested a few, but none of them changed what the message says when you stay at an inn.

I'm still on the fence on what I might do with the spell names. If chillyfeez can come up with a solution for expansion of just ONE character it would be a life saver. If not, I'm up for suggestions on what to call those spells.

[chillyfeez]

I've been looking into it, Rodimus. I spent the morning working on how to widen the windows in battle, which would be a necessary step.
There are quite a few more logistical considerations here, though.
The obvious, and possibly easiest is the "need MP" window. I can make it smaller, and probably shift it to the right a bit, but I'll have to rearrange its contents in order to make any of that not look weird, and I'm not quite sure yet how much hacking that will require. I may have to rewrite the entire routine that draws that window (ugh).
The less obvious but possibly more serious problem is the amount of RAM devoted to the spell lists in battle. There may not be any wiggle room at all, which would pretty much make spell name expansion impossible. I don't know for sure that's the case, though, I haven't really gotten that far yet. Another issue in the same vein - assuming there is enough space in RAM for longer names - is getting the names to actually display correctly once they're expanded.  What I was trying to accomplish (for my own purposes) today was expanding command names by one letter (which I thought you'd also like... "summon," anyone?). That's proving to be a much tougher proposition than I ever imagined, and that doesn't require realigning three entries per row...
Like Grimoire LD mentioned, if you can live with abbreviated names in the spell lists but longer displayed names when the spell is cast, that's pretty quick and painless. A more complete solution is going to take quite a bit more time, if it's even possible at all.

[Rodimus Primal]

I had to take a look into how things are displayed in more recent versions, and the GBA displays the spell names in two columns instead of three. That would allow for expanded names without having to widen the Need MP box. 

[FlamePurge]

If you guys want to go the extra mile, you could expand command names to eight letters. That'd be enough room for most everything except White Magic and Black Magic. J2e expanded it to 10, but that's unnecessary in my opinion, since the only command names that would theoretically need to be longer than eight letters are the two magic commands.

[chillyfeez]

Guys, I don't think I'm going to be able to expand spell names, I'm sorry. I've poured lots of hours into cracking the code and there's just too much going on for me to make any headway. I just don't think I understand enough about how the game is drawing all of the windows in battle mode to manipulate them with any success. To change any of them is surely going to require rewriting the entire routine... which I don't really fully understand to begin with.


Expanded command names may yet be a possibility, but I'm burning out on this project at this very moment. I'll get back to looking into that at some point, but I gotta work on some other stuff. I have a bad habit of trying too hard to do a certain thing, then when it's finally accomplished I get really tired of ROM hacking for a while, and I just don't want to get to that point.

If you guys want to go the extra mile, you could expand command names to eight letters. That'd be enough room for most everything except White Magic and Black Magic. J2e expanded it to 10, but that's unnecessary in my opinion, since the only command names that would theoretically need to be longer than eight letters are the two magic commands.

This is interesting... I may look at this to inform my work.
Is J2e based on the Japanese version, though? if so, it may not be very much help.
Still, worth a look I guess.

[justin3009]

I remember helping someone slightly with the tables in battle and I had a RIDICULOUS amount of trouble trying to figure everything out.  I never actually got around to finishing what he needed because those menus are just an absolute BITCH to work with.  The text wasn't 'TOO' difficult but even then it was really just whacked out.

Most of the text, by the way, you can't exactly just choose to expand one of them.  They all tend to read from the same code so everything would have to support whatever letters, but if it's ran by pointers, then it can easily be whatever length.  It all just depends on how the game handles it.

[Rodimus Primal]

I realize that now looking over the everything. Currently I'm looking for where the Inn still says GP when it should read Gil. I cannot for the life of me find it.

As a compromise for now, I'll use whater space I have for the spell names.

[Grimoire LD]

I realize that now looking over the everything. Currently I'm looking for where the Inn still says GP when it should read Gil. I cannot for the life of me find it.

As a compromise for now, I'll use whater space I have for the spell names.

Eh? I've been using Namingway for a side project of mine and it shows Gil just fine for the inns.

[Rodimus Primal]

Eh? I've been using Namingway for a side project of mine and it shows Gil just fine for the inns.

Here's the issue I'm having:



You can see that the amount of Gil you have is being told to display GP. I'm not sure where that is in the game to fix it.

As for the spell names and class names, here's where I am so far: