Final Fantasy IV - Ultima

[8.bit.fan]

Version 2022 Update (5/25/2022):

Hi Everyone! 

v2022 is finally out and ready for download!! Brand new features such as a full Bestiary, Achievements via RetroAchievements(https://retroachievements.org/game/1072), Menu UI improvements, New Character to Recruit, Bosses, Weapons, Armors, Items, Area, and MUCH MORE! Hope you'll enjoy all the new content and features added! http://www.8bitfan.info/

Tweet with screenshots:
https://twitter.com/8_bit_fan/status/1528902250101280768



Cheers!!
8.bit.fan

https://www.romhacking.net/news/2720/
http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4134/
http://8bitfan.info/
https://discord.gg/4MqjwJt
https://retroachievements.org/game/1072

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Version 21k Update (1/10/2020):

4 new summons for Rydia, new command for Kain, reworked summons, bug fixes.




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Version 20k Update (12/18/2020):
New Game+ mode!





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Version 11.0 Update (7/24/2020):






List of version 11 changes:

• FULL Party Swapping!
• DKC is also available at endgame!!
• New status 'Aura'!
• 2 New Weapons! 2 New Spells! New Attack Items!! New areas!!
• BOSS RUSH Mode!
• New Commands and Upgrades!

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Version 10.0 Update (5/29/2020):





List of version 10 changes:

• Party Swapping is now available at endgame with up to 6 different characters!
• 4 New Weapons! 6 New Spells! 2 New Bosses including one at endgame that had a randomly generated AI!
• Magically Imbued Weapons!
• New commands and upgradable commands!
• Damage Limit raised to 14999!!
• Connecting the Upper and Lower half of Tower of Babil!
• Blue Magic for Fusoya!

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Version 6.0 Update (12/23/2019):

NEW ENEMY GRAPHICS!

Other updates such as new bosses, items, events and scenarios, etc.

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Version 5.30 Update (11/7/2019):
AI is no longer a required battle at the Lunar Core.



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Version 5.0f Update (10/8/2019):

3 Brand New Areas!
3 New Items! Including the legendary Megalixir!
2 New Spells!
...and MORE!!




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(Not-)FINAL Update (8/8/2019):





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Update (7/26/2019):

Version 4.10f

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EDIT:
Updated to version 4.0!
New Weapons! New Armors! New OP Bosses! New Endgame Secrets and Scenarios! New Areas!!







Hi Everyone!
I think this is a good time to show what I've been working on for the past several months as the project is nearing its release. At first, inspired by great FF4 hacks such as Unprecedented Crisis and Golbez Edition, all I wanted to do to the game was add some new weapons and make some edits to existing ones for my own enjoyment. Yes, it was going to be a small personal hack that I play on my own. But as I made the additions and edits, I started to balance the stats for the items, and then one thing lead to another, the next thing I know I'm already making a full blown FF4 hack! 

At first, I didn't even have a name to the hack. The file name was something like "Final Fantasy 2 - 8bitfan edition.smc". I eventually gave this hack a name and called it Ultima. I'm calling it that because of the Ultima Weapon introduced to the series later on, and the fact that Ultima is my favorite RPG series growing up. I said, hey, why not call it Final Fantasy 4 - Ultima! 

This isn't a complete overhaul of a hack such as Unprecedented Crisis or Golbez Edition, so the majority of the base story and game are left intact with the exception of some major edits on existing bosses. What I have done is sort of a 'Deluxe' version or a 'Re-imagination' of the vanilla game, and I did this by adding extra content...lots of it. 

Before I continue, I would first like to give credits to Pinkpuff, vivify93, Fauntleroy and Yousei. Pinkpuff and Fauntleroy for their inspiration with Unprecedented Crisis and Golbez Edition. Pinkpuff for the AMAZING ff4kster editor! This hack would NOT have been possible without it! Yousei for the FF4ed editor as it was the only one I found that allowed me to edit the world maps! Huge thanks also to vivify93 for allowing us to use Project II as a base! I chose to use Project II because it's the closest to FF2US, with most of the dummied out content added back in.

Here's a short list of what you'll be seeing in this hack:

1) 21 New Weapons! Including Ultima Weapon the sword.
2) 11 New Spells! And revamped exiting spells so the useless ones are now useful!
3) New Armors.
4) New commands for characters and end-game party.
5) New events!
6) 8 New bosses!! 
7) Revamped shops/equipment and balanced their progression.
Edge is now buffed and no longer useless!*
9) Rydia has also been buffed(slightly). It's a surprise!
10) Cecil has been buffed as a tank. I've nerfed some of the ridiculous stats from a few of his weapons(don't worry, there are still uber end-game weapons such as Ultima). He's still strong offensively, but he's now able to block physical attacks for wounded members without much problems.
11) Rosa can use more White Mage combative gears.
12) Kain has a few end-game offensive buffing white spells and new commands as he rejoins the team. (Having just 'Jump' made him kind of boring in the vanilla version)
13) Rare items and summons now drop much easier! This hack is designed as a 'play-through' without grinding.**
14) Many enemies now have meaningful rare drops, and all end-game enemies now have rare ultimate drops!
15) New thrown weapons and back-row weapons!
16) Lots of secrets that can lead to early acquirement of better equipment!
17) Few minor tweaks to the base game such as save points, etc.
18) Useless finds now replaced with good items or equipment!
19) All weapons/armors used by characters no longer in party are now usable by at least one character from the end-game party!
20) MOST items/equipment are now non-missable. Meaning they will be acquirable in some ways at end-game. (not including unique ones such as Excalibur, Masamune, etc. so don't throw those for 100% games!  )

* Edge always felt kind of useless at end-game. I see the intent was for him to be a well-rounded, jack of all trades character but I think that fell short and the end result is he's really not that good in anything. I buffed him so he's now capable both physically and magically! He has new spells, new gears, and end-game steals have good items as opposed to useless junk in the vanilla version.
** Some ULTRA rare items are still hard to come by at end-game and will likely require grinding to acquire.

As the vanilla version was a very easy game, here's what I did with this hack's difficulty:
-About 1/3 into the game, the difficulty starts to increase slightly from the vanilla game.
-At around the events after the Sealed Cave, the game's difficulty ramps up.
-After the last save point in the last dungeon, the game becomes 'Nintendo hard'. Casual players would likely not make it and might need to grind a bit. Veterans of the game should still have no problem beating it. 

I won't be releasing any beta or early versions of this hack as I'm VERY CLOSE to completing this, so I'll just submit it to RHDN when it's ready.

Anyhow, without further ado, here are some screenshots: 

Wait a minute. Where am I??


New summon! Way to go Rydia.


Oooo...fancing weapon there Rosa.


When all else fails, use Ultima.


All I wanted was to visit the Hummingways.


Easy with the Explosives there Edge. You'll wake up the forest animals.


Hey give that harp back to Edward, Rydia!


New weapons galore. SPOILER ALERT! Oh wait, too late.


How can I get to Mist now??


Hmmm...can't land here...


...can't land here either.


Close call...


Is that the legendary...?

Link to the patch:
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4134/

All comments and suggestions welcome! 

Cheers everyone!! 

8-bit fan

[Swordmaster]

This looks incredible, 8.bit.fan!  Did you actually add new items to the game, or just alter existing ones?  I would definitely like to check this out when it's finished.

[FlamePurge]

It looks amazing, 8bitfan! I'm very excited to see the further developments of this mod.

As a side note, I'm going to be cleaning up a couple of small text issues in Project II--would you like me to send them your way so you can correct them yourself?

[8.bit.fan]

This looks incredible, 8.bit.fan!  Did you actually add new items to the game, or just alter existing ones?  I would definitely like to check this out when it's finished.

Thanks for the kind words Swordmaster!
I added new items as much as I could with the given space. I also altered some existing ones because they were more or less not very useful or interesting.
Hope you'll enjoy the hack when it's ready!

It looks amazing, 8bitfan! I'm very excited to see the further developments of this mod.

As a side note, I'm going to be cleaning up a couple of small text issues in Project II--would you like me to send them your way so you can correct them yourself?

Thanks so much for everything vivify93!!
Hey that sounds great! Please send them my way when you have them ready!
This project is actually nearing completion so hope you'll check it out and enjoy it also!

Cheers everyone!! 

8-bit fan

[FlamePurge]

Here's everything so far.

Bank 1, Message 307:
Missing /name10 name variable; instead displays "Edge" in text (simple fix; change "Edge" to "/name10")

Bank 2 - 1: Baron Town, Message 15:

Wh-why hello,sir! No,I've
said nothing bad about His
Highness! Why don't you
watch me dance?

Bank 2 - 12: Baron Inn, Message 7:

Sir [/name00]! W-we've been
paying all our taxes!

Bank 2 - 128: Mount Hobs Summit, Message 8:

Fixed typo in message box 4:
from...
"...which I have personally lead."
to...
"...which I have personally led."

Bank 2 - 164: Cid's Airship - Giant sequence, Message 1:

Changed Cid's 2nd line in message box 2:
from...
"[/name09]:Who the heck do you
  think I am?!"
to...
"[/name09]:Ya got the best man
  for the job!"


Not sure if these exist anymore in your mod, but:
- Changed CharmRod to FairyRod
- Changed Silence Staff to Rune Staff
- Changed Charm Arrow to Angel Arrow


How to restore Baron Stripper:

1. Go to "Edit NPCs"
2. Go to 1: Baron Town
3. Go to Placement 9; go to NPC: Baron Dancer. Press Enter twice
4. Change sprite to 57: Dancer in Dress
5. Go to Placement 11; go to NPC: Baron Dancer's dress. Press Enter twice
6. Change sprite to 88: dress?

[8.bit.fan]

This is wonderful!
Thanks so much for this vivify93!!

I was wondering how I could restore the dancer's graphics too!

[FlamePurge]

Ah, hang on a sec. I forgot I changed a few battle messages. I was trying to make Zeromus' manner of speech consistent between battle dialogue and field dialogue. (That, and the first one was always phrased a little weirdly.)

- Message 118: Changed to "Status buffs dispelled!"
- Message 135: Changed to "Zeromus:You...Son of Dark..."
- Message 137: Changed to "...the Crystal's power..." (Difference is subtle; final period changed to another ellipsis tile)
- Message 172: Changed to "None can stop us now!"

[8.bit.fan]

Hey thanks again for the update vivify93!

I actually had the hack ready to go last weekend, but I couldn't stop working on it and kept adding extra content. It should be all done now. I just need to complete my test play-thrus just to check for bugs, etc.

Cheers!! 

[8.bit.fan]

Hi Everyone!
Project is now COMPLETE and the hack has been submitted to RHDN!! 

Here are some updates:

1) 21 New Weapons now!
2) 11 New Spells!
3) 8 New BOSSES!!

Here are some new screens:

Orbs...I'm surrounded.


What a Goddess!


Hey you were supposed to explode!


Ummm...I rather not...


Ouch. Zemus comes in Spirit form too??


Is that all you cast FuSoYa?


That sword over there...how do I get it??


Uh oh...

Hope you all give it a download and play! And hope you all enjoy it!! 

Suggestions and comments are always welcomed!

Cheers!! 

8-bit fan

[Special]

Looks very cool, congrats on the release.

[8.bit.fan]

Looks very cool, congrats on the release.

Hi Special!
Thanks for the kind words!! 

Hope you'll enjoy the hack once it's been approved by RHDN!

Feel free to let me know what you think afterwards.

Cheers!! 

8-bit fan
September 05, 2018, 05:06:05 AM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
It's out!
Here's the link to the download page:
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4134/

Hope everyone enjoys it!

[Special]

A small request, but I noticed with 1.0a there are two SPOILERS!!.ods files, I was like what the heck is a ods file... turns out you need an excel viewer to view them, could you make them as .txt or just an image? No rush or anything.

[8.bit.fan]

A small request, but I noticed with 1.0a there are two SPOILERS!!.ods files, I was like what the heck is a ods file... turns out you need an excel viewer to view them, could you make them as .txt or just an image? No rush or anything.

Hi Special!
No problem!
Here are TEXT versions of the documents attached:
http://www.8bitfan.info/docs/Weapons%20List%20-%20SPOILERS%21%21.txt
http://www.8bitfan.info/docs/Spells%20List%20-%20SPOILERS%21%21.txt
http://www.8bitfan.info/

Hope this helps and thanks for your continual support!
How are you enjoying the hack so far? Feel free to comment or let me know what you think!

Cheers!! 

8-bit fan

[Special]

Those are perfect, thanks.

[Cavery210]

Is this compatible with Free Enterprise?

[8.bit.fan]

Is this compatible with Free Enterprise?

Hi Cavery210,
I haven't tried it but I don't believe it would because of the changes I made to the game. Plus it's a headered rom so it wouldn't work unless we strip that.

Thanks for the idea though, it might be worth exploring to release a stripped down version of FF4-Ultima so that it can work with Free Enterprise.

Cheers! 

8-bit fan

[aml435]

One minor suggestion I'd suggest is to add the sprint button that a lot of other hacks have now.

[8.bit.fan]

One minor suggestion I'd suggest is to add the sprint button that a lot of other hacks have now.

Hi aml435!
Thanks for the suggestion!
The sprint function is actually in the game as I used Project II as a base for this hack.
You can toggle sprint with the L button while standing still.

Hope this helps and enjoy the hack!

Cheers!! 

8-bit fan

[aml435]

Good to know. I totally missed that when I was playing it.

Oh, I did think of a couple other things, which may just be too much of a pain to integrate, but I figure it doesn't hurt to throw the ideas out there.

1) Compatibility with or integration of Gedankenschild's Final Fantasy IV graphics update:
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3753/

2) In the GBA version, after the Giant of Babil, the rest of your past part members are in Mysidia's prayer tower and you can swap out party members to use whatever party you want in the endgame and a dungeon was added to get Ultimate Weapons for each of the party members to bring them up to snuff with the original final party. It would be really cool to have some variation on that idea to swap out party members in the endgame.

[8.bit.fan]

Good to know. I totally missed that when I was playing it.

Oh, I did think of a couple other things, which may just be too much of a pain to integrate, but I figure it doesn't hurt to throw the ideas out there.

1) Compatibility with or integration of Gedankenschild's Final Fantasy IV graphics update:
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3753/

2) In the GBA version, after the Giant of Babil, the rest of your past part members are in Mysidia's prayer tower and you can swap out party members to use whatever party you want in the endgame and a dungeon was added to get Ultimate Weapons for each of the party members to bring them up to snuff with the original final party. It would be really cool to have some variation on that idea to swap out party members in the endgame.

Hi aml435!
Thanks for the suggestions!

It's be cool to have the hack to be compatible with other patches, but it turns out that by editing the world map, I have pretty much made it impossible to do so because the edit that I used to edit the world map rearranges the hex in the file quite a bit. But I'll look into it and see if it's possible.

For your second point, I would love to do something like that and toyed with the idea. But because the game has limited amount of space and especially for in game events, etc. I would need to remove lots of stuff from the game to even begin with this idea. So actually for this hack, I got around that by giving the endgame party the most useful abilities from previously left party members. I also added many endgame ultimate weapons for each player, including a few that is equip-able by everyone such as the Ultima Weapon.

Hope this helps and thanks again for the great comments and suggestions! 

Cheers!! 

8-bit fan