Kngt_Of_Titania

1) With the NSA, here's the problem -- the 4th amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures, with people's effects being protected from the government with the SOLE EXCEPTION of a WARRANT. However, I *believe* the Supreme Court ruled in the late 70s something to the effect that the government can acquire records from a third party so long as they give permission or submit a subpoena; in this case, the third party being Verizon or Google -- in effect, so long as you use practically any electronic communication, which naturally involves a third party, the government is able to get proof of communication without a warrant, but not the content of the messages itself. The NSA takes this to a massive scale, absorbing pretty much EVERY phone call record of every citizen that uses these third party, period -- this is called meta-data. The problem is that you can use this meta-data to track/stalk people and can even derive an undue amount of personal information about a person without even checking the content of the message, using basic logical deduction. I think the Supreme Court needs to review this issue again, and I hope a case comes up which presents the opportunity. My concern is A) FISA courts failing to reject more than like 1/2000 warrants given to them, which is suspicious, and B) the NSA is supposed to monitor FOREIGN conversations, or did we forget the purpose of the FISA act here? So no, this bothers me a ton. I'm a rather conservative person, and this is one of the few issues where your stance on the matter isn't really broken down by party lines. 2) As for Snowden, I really don't know. I'm REALLY glad that he brought this to light, since we NEED to have this conversation here and we should have this information, "classified" or not. This information goes to the basic function of the NSA. A guy revealing that the government is spending vast resources to spy on its own people should not be a crime -- never mind that the entity that is guilty of espionage against its own citizens is trying to accuse Snowden of it, which is hypocritical at its core. As for the people who claim that he should be punished for breaking down the U.S. talks with China, all he did was point out that the U.S. was doing what it was accusing China of doing. Why, then, is the story that he supposedly harmed U.S. interests by uncovering the information, and not that the government compromised its own position (and morals) by doing those acts which we condemned China for doing in the first place? I think he helped the case as to why we don't need a large and inherently dysfunctional government, and how it damages both liberty and national interests. With that being said, though, the fact that he fled to China is a wee bit suspicious. I doubt that his intentions are completely pure. I think it will suffice to leave it at that.

That's because they went overboard on the accuracy ding. I mean, I'm imaging javelins being around 70 hit and longbows being around 70-75 hit here, not like 55-65 hit. Enough to make them situational, but not useless.

Well, I guess I can say that anybody who wants to see how I'd balance archers can just look at my balance patch for FE8 (since I am its creator and I am aiming for what I believe is balance, this makes sense, I guess), and I think it works out quite well. But to point it out in a few bullet points: A) Archers should exist as the counterpoint to keep flying units in check, and have enemies have enough (and strong enough) fliers to make this important. Archers are a great tool to keep flying units (on both sides) in check without forcing fliers to have shitty combat to counter their inherent utility (or risk going Jill/Haar mode if no such limitation exists). Ideally, you would want 1-2 archers in a team, much like you'd want 1-2 healers, 1-2 mages, a few melee units, cavs, etc. B) In general, bows should have better stats than lances/swords/axes to counter their inherent 2 range only restriction. I have bows with the MT of axes and and Hit of swords, defining them as a dominant weapon in PP and near useless in EP. This allows ALL classes that have bows as a primary secondary weapon to have a legitimate reason to use them. C) Archers and snipers should have the worst or near worst defensive stats in the game, but have the best overall offensive stats, to solidify their PP. People accuse my balancing of homogenizing, but with archers, you need to MAKE THEM AS DISTINCT AS POSSIBLE. Bows, by their nature, are PP weapons; the unit that specializes in them should be the same. Archers are all about chip/finishing off, so make archers have high STR/SPD and massive SKL (have one archer focus most on SPD and the other most on STR, for example, with both having massive SKL). Snipers having bonus crit is also a no-brainer here. Archers/snipers should be feared when they attack, but easy as hell to shut down if exposed. D) Nomads should have a similar design as C, but not as extreme -- i.e., they focus on offense over defense, but still have decent to mediocre defense, since they DO have to utilize swords and deal with counters to make full use of their kit. E) Longbows should be for everybody, imo. They should be 2-3 range and considered the javelins of bows, with a MT/Hit penalty applied accordingly. EDIT: Also, Wil craps all over Virion in usefulness. Wil doesn't get doubled (his only problem is doubling later in the game than Beccy does if used, but with the benefit of hitting harder than her and using the Brave Bow to good effect) like Virion can, he has all of Lyn (training dummy) mode to raise past his low bases (I'd hardly call the beginning of FE13 the same thing), and both can be just as useful if trained.

Yeah, I can give them out -- for convenience, though, I parsed many of them into two separate, small hacks so that assemble ARM handles them without a problem. So there are a ton of them. Are there any in particular you want to see the most? Let's see, here is the core hack for all HIT changing talents:

So say I'm making an ASM code for an ability. I write out what it does and then I stick a "class filter" right before it in the code, which was basically ripped from the code for Sure Shot/etc. and copy pasta'd in my ASM hack. Let's take the "class filter" for warriors that I used (which is just a minor redesign of the one coded into the vanilla FE8 ROM by IS programmers): CHECKWARRIOR: ldr r3,[r5,#0x4] ldrb r3,[r3,#0x4] cmp r3, #0x40 bne CODE_END The first two lines simply pull up the "class number" of the unit in question (the one you see in the Class Editor of Nightmare), the third one compares the class number of the unit in question with the class number for warriors (the warrior class number is 40; thus, the unit in question must ALSO be a warrior for its class number to be 40), and the fourth line says that if the unit's class number is NOT 40 (that is, if the unit is NOT a warrior), the ROM must skip to the end of the hack and not grant the ability. So a better description, I guess, would be that it is hard coded to that particular slot in Nightmare, much like the old Sure Shot and Great Shield were. So if you were to take a vanilla FE8 ROM, take the Sniper (M) class slot, and change everything about it in Nightmare so that it is identical to, say, a Druid, in stats/sprite/growths/weapon bases/etc., it should be identical to a Druid EXCEPT FOR THE FACT that it will also have the Sure Shot ability (haven't tried this personally, but looking at the code, that is how it should work).

I'm genuinely not sure if you're being sarcastic, so I'll just respond as if you're serious. No, not really. Since the ASM code only works for specific classes, I use Nightmare to change Seth's class as necessary (instead of, you know, manually editing hex). I then use No$GBA Debugger to check that the ASM runs right, including making sure that the section of code that says "If active character is X class, run the code for this skill" that I basically copy pasta'd from what the IS programmers used for Sure Shot/Great Shield/Pierce functions properly. EDIT: And thank you, fuzz94. Sadly, I am so poor at artwork that most of what I draw is limited to terrible renditions of what is supposed to be stick figures, so having full-blown custom mugs is out of the question. I could probably swing the events and storyline, though. On that note, I might as well give a juicy tidbit I have planned for the next version of the patch. I've always wanted to design Chapter 6 so that shamans appear on the map and cast a spell that brings fog of war and/or reinforcements, either of which can only be stopped when those units die. Done right, I'd think it make for an awesome, fun, and intense chapter.

You very much can, since the skills are hard coded to those particular classes (and I have used Nightmare to change Seth's base class on Prologue and then tested them); you simply have no chance to promote and see any of them besides Inspire (paladin hit aura) before you finish Chapter 5.

I have made minor changes to the ROM; mostly bug fixes and small difficulty changes. > Brave bows and hero bows now properly have 60 and 50 uses, respectively. They weren't this way because I forgot to include them when editing with Nightmare; honest mistake (and thanks for pointing it out!). > Main Gauche, Defender, and Sarissa now have 2 more MT, but only give +3 DEF. > Mage Bane now only gives +3 RES. > The glory of Valter is now properly reflected in the in-game text. > There have been minor nerfs to C5's difficulty. Namely, the soldiers now are two levels lower and have steel spears instead of iron spears, causing them to double considerably less. In addition, the wyvern riders now have iron spears instead of steel spears. > Rapier and Reginleif now properly have E rank requirements. > Fixed a minor graphical error where Eirika's bases are reported incorrectly in the cinematic accompanying the title screen. I am updating the UPS file now, because the last change ends up screwing up Eirika's stats for existing files and because the time I have to fix existing bugs in the next couple of weeks is limited. I deeply apologize for any inconvenience that this causes, and I got out the UPS file ASAP to minimize the irritation caused by this. EDIT: Elie, I'm moving to Houston, TX.

Sadly, you can't experience all but one of the ASM hard-coded abilities in the normal course up to chapter 5, since they're all for promoted units. You can, however, manipulate Inspire (Paladin ability -- all allies within 3 spaces get +10 hit); all allies within 3 spaces of Seth get +10 hit, which I took advantage of personally playing this. @Hawk King: Thanks for pointing out the typo. Fixed.

Sorry for the delay in responding to you! I forgot to add the effects of the weapons in their description, so I'm working on that now and will update the OP accordingly. But I can answer your questions now. 1) SKL change and poison damage are experimental, but both seemed to work out alright when playtesting them. With that being said, you aren't the only one concerned about them being OP, so I'll be watching for comments on them. There are a couple of poison weps in the first few chapters, so you can get a feel for them. 2) For any given weapon rank, blades have +2 MT and -10% hit over normal swords. They ARE merc/hero/ranger/wyvern lord only, and all of those classes will be able to wield them (mercs -- iron and steel blades) with little or no AS loss because of their high CON. Mainly used in early game to provide a distinction between mercs and myrms and in late game to provide a distinction between heroes/SMs and wyvern lords/falcoknights. 3) Eirika and Ephraim should get their S rank weapons, but they'll mostly be used to slay the Demon King. My main concern is that they'll pretty much be used to trivialize content at will while they exist. If necessary, I can always use them -- I haven't actually removed them yet (although I stole Excalibur's animation for Miasma), but I plan on not using them. 3) Gust/gale -- Lower MT, but 30% crit; thief/sin/rogue only. 4) Light/Sol Brand -- Ranged swords 5) Blood Sword -- My baby. Not only has a Nosferatu effect, but gains 1 MT for every 10% health you are missing (this bonus calculated at beginning of combat). 6) Brave/Hero Sword -- 2x attacks; split it into two tiers (i.e. changed slim weapons into something you might use). Designed to be effective against magic users, who have low DEF. 7) Flatbow/Longbow -- 2-3 range bows; again, split into two tiers. Allows me to give Neimi a 2-3 ranged option without it being too powerful. 8) Main Gauche/Sarissa/Defender -- Very low MT, but high hit and gives user +5 DEF when equipped. Mainly used to make users tankier to hold chokepoints or survive enemy phase. 9) Harpoon -- Since lances don't get specialty weps like blades/gust/gale/etc., they get this, a specialty ranged attack. Lower MT than slender spears, but an awesome 1-3 range. Basically used to wail on magic users without eating a counter. 10) Armorend -- Since axes also don't get specialty weps, they ALSO get a specialty ranged attack. Lower MT than tomahawks, but does 3x damage against knights, cavalry. Hence the name ARMOR - END/ARMOR - REND. 11) Miasma -- Indeed, it does poison. 12) Bullseye/Savage Axe -- Simply more accurate (lower MT)/less accurate (high MT) options for their respective weapons.

@Eclipse I did the promotion bonuses that way for a couple of reasons: A) I wanted to dissuade people from promoting early by not giving too much on promotion. Every single class gets an ability on promotion (Paladins get a +10 Hit aura, Heroes get +10 Hit when wielding axes/blades and +10 AVO when wielding swords, unmounted magi get +1 ATK/+10 Hit, etc.), and if I kept the same promotion bonuses, the power jump would be a bit too jarring. I also plan to increase the minimum level for promotion to 15 in a later patch (it is still 10 now). B) Because I increased growths by ~14% on average, these promotion bonuses are that low so that characters do not go above any class caps at 20/20. This allows every character to choose either promotion option without "losing" stats due to stat cap ramming, if that makes sense at all. @PKL There is some stat inflation over the original FE8 for both characters and enemies, and enemies will have slightly lower levels than your party, so that DEF isn't nearly as bad as it looks. I just ask you to give it a shot and then tell me if you think enemy defense is too high, and if so, I'll definitely make the appropriate changes. I've played through all of the chapters myself, and low ATK characters versus high DEF enemies (with +DEF weps) designed to hold chokepoints are the only time where you'll tink (or come close to it). It's not like enemies are defensive juggernauts. EDIT: I will be using your comments to see how I can improve this hack, so I am listening.

Status: FEE3 video is out! Enjoy it in all of its glory! Prologue: For those of you with good memories, you may have remembered the first attempt of this hack, close to a year ago. Some of you even over-reacted to some joke screenshots I made of it, and still others cheered me on. My progress was halted by real-life interruptions (and technically I'm about to have more) and the fact that all of my progress was erased when the computer I used fried and had to be sent in to be wiped and fixed, but I never did give up on the dream to make my own ROM hack. I began again back in March 2013, and while it is still only partially completed, I am well on my way and have something to show for my efforts, so I'm definitely content. This is and will most likely remain for the most part a solo project, so it will take time, but I truly hope that you guys enjoy it, and PLEASE let me know of any bugs you find with it or anything that severely turns you off. This ROM hack is my vision of Fire Emblem, but I am making it for you all to enjoy, and I take great satisfaction and pride in giving you guys the best game possible. As I will be leaving to move to Texas on June 15th or 16th for graduate school, I am releasing my initial patch now. Note that I have personally playtested this patch extensively and ironed out as many bugs as possible. However, if you note any bug or any mistuned content, do NOT hesitate to tell me it -- this is technically a beta patch, so changes will be made if necessary, and as soon as reasonably possible. Introduction: So what is the KOT Patch? It's name is similar to the Shin Patch for FE4, and for good reason; it was what I considered to be an awesome hack, and it is the inspiration for this whole project. I want to keep the story and the flavor of FE8 intact, while at the same time balancing classes, revamping the experience, and upping the challenge, all while presenting the best level design I can. This was and still is my first hack, and it is a large undertaking for a solo project, but it's challenged me and (hopefully) made me better. In the following sections, I will provide you with a link to the (beta version of the) game and show you all of the changes and new additions that makes the KOT Patch so special. UPS Patches (Click on Link Below): Original Version: https://www.dropbox.com/s/sy1z2lcci7hz9dl/KOT%20Patch%20Release%20Version%201%20%28Up%20to%20Chapter%205%29.ups Updated Version w/ Bug Fixes: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0299ifyo40b4miz/KOT%20Patch%20Release%20Version%202%20%28Up%20to%20Chapter%205%29.ups Screenshots: [spoiler=Prologue] [spoiler=Chapter 1] [spoiler=Chapter 2] [spoiler=Chapter 3] [spoiler=Chapter 4] [spoiler=Chapter 5] [spoiler=Chapter 5x] Sorry for the large delay in the screenshots! Turns out lab work and maintaining a rent keeps you busy (who knew?). Engine Changes: [spoiler=Click Here to See]The KOT Patch does make heavy use of ASM hacking, so there are a fair number of engine changes that come with the game. Most of them are with battle formulas, largely designed to balance stats/classes, but for the most part the game retains the exact same feel. They should all be here, but I might have forgotten one or two minor ones, so please forgive me. > SKL now provides 5 HIT per stat point, up from 2. Still provides 0.5% crit per point. This change is designed to make low SKL particularly relevant and allows the stat to be close to the value of STR in terms of offensive potency. > SPD now provides 4 AVO per stat point, up from 2. 4 AS difference for doubling is unchanged. This change is designed to keep AVO rates similar to that of HIT rates granted by SKL. The buff seemed necessary to the dramatically lower incidence of doubles in the KOT patch. > LUK now provides 1 HIT, 2 AVO, 1 DGE, and 0.5% Crit per point. This change does two things -- allows CRT to scale the same as DGE throughout the game (meaning you'll need LUK both to crit and more LUK to keep enemies FROM critting), and makes LUK a valuable stat to have. > Staff hit is now 45 + (MAG*3) + (SKL*2) + LUK. Staff avoid is now (RES*3) + (SPD*2) + LUK + DISTANCE*2. These two changes are designed to make SKL more useful for staff users. In addition, while the range of status staves is still MAG/2 (minimum of 5 range), note that the old formulas had SKL counteract the decreased accuracy caused by increased range, these new formulas do not; this means that while the range of status staves will gradually increase as the game goes on, the hit penalty from range will not be mitigated in such a way, making long distance status application possible in late game, but a risky venture. > Poison now does 5 damage. Poison is now actually relevant and poison weapons are now not completely terrible. > Class power changes have been made, which essentially changes the EXP those classes get/give for killing/getting killed. Most classes with lower class powers have been bumped up to 3, with the exceptions of pre-promo healers and trainees (obviously). This is mostly to compensate for the fact that thieves no longer have terrible combat and monsters such as revenants are just as potent as their monster counterparts. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Or not. > Female and male unpromoted mounted AID is now always 25 - CON. Promoted mounted AID is now 30 - CON. These changes are designed to make female mounted characters not have a severe handicap for rescuing, and allows promoted units to have an increase in AID roughly the same as the average CON increase on promotion. Now the horses GET DA POWA on promotion too, not just the riders. Swords/Lances/Axes: [spoiler=Click Here to See]Some planned late-game enemy-only weapons are not included. Also note the lack of S-ranked weapons -- don't worry, at least Eph and Eirika will get them. Bows/Tomes: [spoiler=Click Here to See]Some planned late-game enemy-only weapons are not included. Also note the lack of S-ranked weapons -- don't worry, at least Eph and Eirika will get them. Staves: [spoiler=Click Here to See]Only changed staves and ones found in or before Chapter 5 are included. Player Classes: [spoiler=Click Here to See]These do not include enemy-only classes. Abilities: [spoiler=Click Here to See]All of these abilities should now be properly integrated into the game, although there is nothing in the in-game text to indicate that they exist. This will be addressed in a future patch. Planned Promotion Bonuses: [spoiler=Click Here to See]These are not yet implemented, but will be once I get enough of the game made that promotions will actually occur. Approximate 20/20 Stats: [spoiler=Click Here to See]These are simply approximations/rough averages that don't take promotion bonuses into exact account. There to give you an idea of each character's strengths and weaknesses. Only changed characters are included so far. Enemy Bases: [spoiler=Click Here to See]Only unpromoted enemy classes are included at this time. Enemy Growths: [spoiler=Click Here to See]Only unpromoted enemy classes are included at this time. Conclusion: Enjoy the patch, and I wish you both luck and skill on your journey to Chapter 5!

I never really got Fiona to work, but Meg (and Gatrie too) just get an awesome skill in third tier. Luna is absolutely amazing. Meg is weird in that her growths don't really fit with her class, and she gets Fortune but has absurdly high LUK anyways. On NM, I only had her at 20/10/0 by that laguz chapter in part 4, and I had fun with it and had her solo the entire chapter with concoctions and silver swords -- ended the chapter around 20/20/20 and just destroyed everything once she promoted -- Luna procs, everything without Nihil dies. Just explodes in a gigantic cataclysm of blood. Which is why I always thought Meg didn't deserve to be in the lowest tier -- she has a ton of faults, yeah, but she does at least reward your efforts quite handily, at least more than some other characters in that tier do. It's kind of a shame that FE10 efficiency is about gaming fliers, trading units for straight out better ones with awesome stats to boot, and having "good enough" combat.

I remember reading a Q&A from one of the developers saying or at least strongly suggesting that FE4/5 and Archanea were in the same world (sorry, I can't find the link -- it's the same one where they explain how the holy weps of FE4/5 imbue their wielders with the will of the dragons who forged them); Elibe is most likely connected somehow (I think that Jugdral/Archanea is the world where the dragons fled after the War) due to the Dragon's Gate. I found somebody make a wild claim that they can make out Magvel on the FE13 world map, although no proof of it exists. However, the risen in both FE8 and FE13 suggests that they are connected somehow, although as of yet no connection is made between the Demon King and the Dark Dragons.

Basically, I've tried to balance these before, and I thought what I ended up doing (similar to FE13's approach) worked well enough. > Make them about 50-75% more expensive per use compared to weapon of equal wep rank req. (E/D/C/B/A/S). > Lower their MT considerably (I found having 6-8 less MT to comparable weapons was the sweet spot for the GBA games, at least). > Increase their WT -- bonus points if you delete Body Rings from the game so that they always bring an AS penalty (enough to prevent doubling in most cases, not enough to be doubled in most cases). > Make their accuracy about 5-15% less than comparable weapons. They end up being very useful, but only situationally, like when you need a little extra chip. Archers/mages will always be better at chip, but the option is there and, at times, vital to certain strats. Oh, and I forgot the most important thing: > Enemies need to be strong enough compared to your guys to make these changes relevent. Doesn't matter if you nerf them if you can stick a 1-2 range wep on your Jaigan and solo the entire map with sufficient offense. GBA FEs are especially guilty of this.

Where's the like button? WHERE IS IT?! We need a like button. No, seriously. Anyways, Kuja is easily the most fleshed out villain in FF and the most badass, imo. Here's why:

I'd love to come in as an archer, but realistically I'm more of the early game shaman -> druid. Fits my personality too well -- bookish, sardonic, stubborn to a fault, intrigued by the arcane, and driven to personal power.

Ah damn, and it was my life dream to be a game tester for IS. You ruin dreams, man. Totally.

You don't? He's basically saying that's how FE always seems to work. You can't call yourself a FE player without missing a 99% hit or eating more than a few 1-2% crits.

But Knoll suggests just the opposite. Darkness harnesses the power of knowledge, of the known, of the certainty -- it predicts future events, it draws on the power of the individual wielding it. Light, by contrast, is the power of faith; it is, by definition, believing that the outcome will be good, despite the unknown. It would seem to me that light would be more unpredictable since you mess with a power that derives its power by you NOT knowing how it works, since the power comes from outside you, from the mysterious order that governs the cosmos. Knoll: I don't know what it is, but clerics and mages seem to be like oil and water. And we mages can be an enigmatic bunch at times. Shadowy and sinister... Or at least, that's how I've always imagined you clerics saw us. Natasha: Oh, no! I never-- Well, no. You're right. We had few dealings with the mages. But that's in the past. I have a question for you, Master Knoll. Knoll: I think I can guess. It's about the Sacred Stones and Prince Lyon, is it? Natasha: It is. My mentor died...trying to warn us about the threat our Sacred Stone posed. I want to know the truth. What is Emperor Vigarde up to? What is Prince Lyon's role in this? Knoll: There are as many truths out there as there are people to tell them. Perhaps it's best simply to choose the truth with which you are most comfortable. Natasha: ...... Knoll: In the eyes of your mentor, I would imagine we must have seemed quite evil. He imagined our magical studies using the Sacred Stone were sacrilege. I suspect he quite loathed the ancient magics he called "dark." Natasha: You're wrong... My mentor wasn't like that at all! And isn't this war the direct result of all your dark magic research? Knoll: ...... Natasha: ...... Knoll: Hm... Well, I suppose you are right about that. Your magic stems from faith in the unknowable, the divine presence. In contrast, dark magic stems from knowledge, from understanding. We distrust what we do not understand, and we strive to know the unknowable. Perhaps our disciplines truly are incompatible. Natasha: ...... Perhaps my favorite support convo from FE8.

I've always asked myself this question when playing FE8. In most Fire Emblems, it's always at least portrayed as evil and vile -- its usually relegated to villains, people usually "succumb" to it, etc. The most egregious example of this is FE7 -- Canas is constantly worried about losing himself to dark magic (although, oddly enough, both his son and his mother practice it as well despite the dangers of it), Nergal's whole plotline is based on him being a gigantic dick immensely powerful dark druid who lost himself to his magic, and 19xx takes it even further by having the boss state that one can only truly master dark magic by emptying their soul so the void can consume them, and then implies that Nergal has forgotten about his children in his pursuit to become strong enough to save them through dark magic. The only thing I never really got in FE7 is that they also imply Athos is almost as powerful with dark magic (at least, in-game), but yet he shows no signs of this deterioration mentioned by Canas or in 19xx. FE8, however, makes it more controversial. While, on its face, dark magic again appears evil (Lyon is a necromancer, and acts as one of the final bosses of the game), it's not quite as straightforward once you look into it. First, it is explained by Knoll that dark magic is "ancient", and has a long stigma of being evil, which he seems to take offense to. It would then be feasible to say that a demon sealed in ancient times would've been sealed through the use of these dark and ancient magics, into a container known as the dark stone. Now, what happens next is never explained, but considering the stigma, I would theorize that the use of dark magic became strongly discouraged afterwards in an attempt to keep somebody from ever undoing the sealing spell, which then caused the dark magics to be shunned and reviled over the course of centuries. Knoll also explains that dark is the antithesis of light because light represents faith while dark embodies knowledge -- which makes sense, considering light magic is all about healing and impulsively jumping in to a situation, while dark magic is all about prediction, weighing the logic of each course of action, and acting cautiously. The only problem is that Knoll constantly feels remorse for his research in his support conversations, but yet at the same time defends dark magic from both Lute and Natasha. I think he feels terrible that he messed around with forces that he knew little about because of his own greed for knowledge and his desire to impress Lyon and achieve Lyon's dream of helping Grado. He is directly responsible for the release of the Demon King because he sought to use the power contained within the dark stone instead of releasing its true purpose. Yet, at the same time, dark magics will ultimately save uncountable citizens of Grado because it predicts the cataclysm which will engulf the region years in advance, and Knoll resolves to pair up with Natasha and use their unique talents for the greater good. Ultimately, FE: Awakening tried to tie up all of the lore from (at least) the NES, SNES, and GBA Fire Emblems together in one story, although I'm confused as to whether Magvel and Tellius are included in this as well (especially considering FE10 said that Tellius was the only continent not consumed by the flood inadvertently caused by Yune's sorrow). If they are all in one world, then dark magic is either universally evil or it's not, but the conflicting lore on the topic is making this difficult. Any thoughts?

Best of luck, dude. Most of us here are glad to help anybody who's willing to put in the time and effort to make their own ROM hacks, so know you have support; we (generally) just hate lazy people who expect everybody else to do it for them. May your hack be as awesome as you wish it to be. d(^.^)b

Are you as curious as I am as to why they made one signed and one unsigned (assuming they did)? I mean, I don't think that IS ever made a class have growths over 100% in the GBA games, so it doesn't matter to them, but it still strikes me as an odd choice. "Oh, hey, guys, I coded it so that only half the values in the bytes that control class growth are functional!" (Btw, thanks for the confirmation from the ROM)

Okay, so I did a test that lasted longer than 30 seconds, and I got more information. A) I was using the FE8 ROM, and I think I accidentally checked the (M) HP base instead of the (F) HP base, which caused my mistake. When I set the HP growth to 128 (which Nightmare stores as -128), I accidentally assumed the value was slightly below HP base when it was exactly at base. B) When I set HP growth for a class to 127 and a HP base of 20, the level 20 promoted enemies have ~69 HP due to autoleveling. When I set the HP growth to 128, however, the same enemies have only 20 HP. This strongly suggests one of two things: > All growths above 127 are set to 0. > The growths are in fact negative; however, at least when autoleveling, the ROM will not allow a stat to drop below the base, although there may be exceptions I don't know about. C) I then was curious to see if I set a growth to negative this way and leveled a character, would it decrease the stat? I found something unexpected (and also solves a quandry you posed in your last post) -- when you set a growth for a character, values 128+ are not considered negative; in other words, Karel can have those growths but a generic enemy cannot because class growths seem to be capped at 127. This seems like a pointless restriction, considering the fact that even if you WANTED to set a growth negative, the game prevents it from having any effect; again, unless there's something happening behind the curtain I don't know about. Sorry Klok, looks like unless you mess with ASM, you can't achieve the Sick Sadist Seth you wanted. P.S. I use "signed bytes" for lack of a better term, tbh. When I said "signed," I basically meant that the ROM treats values of 1-127 as positive and values of 128+ as -1*(255-VALUE IN HEX)

To say I find that sadisitic design on behalf of the player would be an understatement. As a player, I'd much rather see FE12's style of a sick Jeigan. Also, this. Wolt doesn't really need more base defense so much as he needs more base strength. Archers, when played well, don't really get hit a ton and shouldn't be designed around it. I mean, I do kind of like Wil for the fact he has just enough defense/HP to take a hit in sticky situations, but it's his STR coupled with the power of brave bow that I really like. Archers really need to be PP powerhouses simply for the fact that they usually don't have an EP unless you game the AI (i.e. stand at the edge of the range of a javelin user/mage/etc.), and buffing Wolt's STR, as well as probably buffing the MT of bows by 1 or 2, will accomplish that sufficiently.