The best FE8 hack evar

[Tables]

http://www.mediafire.com/?ghhhb49c96t9cx6

So I've been working on this hack for ages, literally an hour or so, and so it's definitely the best hack ever! I've included loads of cool features like:

• Randomising everyone's growth rates! Now you don't know who the good characters are and aren't. Don't worry, every growth is between 5% and 65% (except HP, 35% and 95%)
  
• Butchering Seth repeatedly! But he has awesome growths now which is balanced.
  
• Stronger Enemies! So your now completely random strength characters face tougher enemies!
  
• In particular, tougher monsters! They have slightly better stats and better weapons, plus they give less EXP so you can't abuse the tower as easily!
  
• Higher HP and stronger weapons! It was one of the coolest features of FE4 so I implemented it here

I was gonna do more but I didn't have enough time.

[spoiler=The serious bit]

I made this for a reason. The hack is both a parody of some of the recent hacks that have come out (not naming anyone in particular...) which are either badly thought out, badly designed, or both. This hack is surprisingly not too much of either of them. Certainly, some aspects are intentionally stupid (random growths... I think Franz has <10% growths in STR, SPD and DEF, and other stupid things like 50% defence mages), but actually, despite this, the hack was quick to make and has some simple, but interesting aspects. Higher HP and stronger weapons is one of those - it's not a perfect design, but it certainly makes for an interesting and different hack.

The point I'm making is this: If you're gonna hack, don't just do things haphazardly you think would be cool. Consider what you can do and what you want to do, and whether the end product would work. Even with limited skill, you can do some interesting things, but quality is much better than quantity when it comes to hacking. Make a single good hack that people remember, not lots of rubbish ones infamous for being so bad they're good (unless it's intentional)

Can I has Let's Play?

[Anouleth]

This actually sounds... interesting. Did you just generate a RN between 5 and 65 and use that for their growth rates? Because I would have done it between 20 and 50, 5 is a bit too low as a minimum.

[Tables]

This actually sounds... interesting. Did you just generate a RN between 5 and 65 and use that for their growth rates? Because I would have done it between 20 and 50, 5 is a bit too low as a minimum.

yes, and if I had more time, or I was making a (more) serious hack, I'd have used a cropped Normal Distribution, something like mean of 35, S.D. of 12. Maybe reroll for <4 and >70, say.

Also, I kinda regret putting this in FFtF now. I should have put it in General FE or hacking. Maybe.

Edited October 26, 2010 by I Eat Tables

[Thor Odinson]

Seth is butchered... you mean his bases?

He has awesome growths to begin with :>

Edited October 26, 2010 by Luminescent Blade

[CT075]

Fragmaster? Where are you?

OWAI- It's Tables. We're safe.

[Tables]

Yes. It's a parody of most Seth balancing attempts, which for newbie/noobs end up being either: Too strong initially so low growths don't matter or more rarely, useless from the start and useless later thanks to non-existent growths. So I went for the other extreme. Make him weak to begin with and then become awesome (we're talking growths better than Karel here). I actually just noticed there's a mistake in the patch, Seth should be level --/10, not --/1. I forgot to change the chapter data :P.

Edit: Forgot to mention, trainees are now completely balanced. I boosted their growths.

Edited October 26, 2010 by I Eat Tables

[riariadne]

What's sad is that at thd time, this might actually be the best FE8 hack ever (most of the good ones aren't done yet like Sacred Dawn, and I'm not sure about ones that are already released). ._.

[Thor Odinson]

Yes. It's a parody of most Seth balancing attempts, which for newbie/noobs end up being either: Too strong initially so low growths don't matter or more rarely, useless from the start and useless later thanks to non-existent growths. So I went for the other extreme. Make him weak to begin with and then become awesome (we're talking growths better than Karel here). I actually just noticed there's a mistake in the patch, Seth should be level --/10, not --/1. I forgot to change the chapter data :P.

Edit: Forgot to mention, trainees are now completely balanced. I boosted their growths.

I'm so playing this.

[CT075]

So am I.

[Tables]

Lol. But you might change you mind when you see Seth's bases and factor in that he should be 9 levels higher (same stats).

And as for:

What's sad is that at thd time, this might actually be the best FE8 hack ever (most of the good ones aren't done yet like Sacred Dawn, and I'm not sure about ones that are already released). ._.

There's plenty of better ones out there. Fire Emblem Girls for a start. Then China FE. Someone made an impressive hard mode hack about a year ago (Seph?). I'm sure some stuff Xeld and Co have done is better. Basically, no. You've just been so bogged down looking at all the bad ones that the good ones are obfuscated.

[CT075]

Actually, IIRC it was Revan who did the epic Hard Mode hack.

[Thor Odinson]

Lol. But you might change you mind when you see Seth's bases and factor in that he should be 9 levels higher (same stats).

I'm not going to change my mind.

I'm going to play this on a ROM with my epic-bandage Seth inserted so it will be alright.

[CT075]

Lol. But you might change you mind when you see Seth's bases and factor in that he should be 9 levels higher (same stats).

*Nightmare's Seth into a kickass Swordmaster*

[Thor Odinson]

If all else fails, I'll learn to insert and put in my naked!Seth instead.

[Furby]

As a veteran whose been around the hacking community since years before nightmare, this sounds like the best hack I've ever seen.

10/10, would vote again.

Figure out which part of that is a lie!

[Tables]

Revan then, fair enough, thanks. And... epic bandage Seth, eh?

Anyway, there's a chance I might even attempt to turn some of the ideas in this into a semi-serious hack, although I promise nothing.

In particular, the random growths thing I might adjust to factor in class growths (say, something like a mean of CG + 10, and S.D. of 10, reroll for +/-3 S.Ds), but otherwise reuse, so characters will be of unknown, and hidden, potential. Also, the increased weapon power and higher HP idea. Big numbers are cool, although the problem is lots of characters cap ramming HP (but maybe not THAT many... how many normally reach 50 HP+?)

[Furby]

In particular, the random growths thing I might adjust to factor in class growths (say, something like a mean of CG + 10, and S.D. of 10, reroll for +/-3 S.Ds), but otherwise reuse, so characters will be of unknown, and hidden, potential. Also, the increased weapon power and higher HP idea. Big numbers are cool, although the problem is lots of characters cap ramming HP (but maybe not THAT many... how many normally reach 50 HP+?)

Actually, on a serious note, if you did some hacking and made it so the growths ARE random (Or at least the bases) (Well, as random as FE Pseudo RNG can be), that might be an interesting hack to play. Every play through would be different!

Think the designer screwed up the stats of yoru characters?! MAKE A NEW SAVE FILE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!

Edited October 26, 2010 by Furby

[Tables]

Actually, on a serious note, if you did some hacking and made it so the growths ARE random (Or at least the bases) (Well, as random as FE Pseudo RNG can be), that might be an interesting hack to play. Every play through would be different!

Think the designer screwed up the stats of yoru characters?! MAKE A NEW SAVE FILE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!

Hehe, yeah, I wasn't really thinking that, and it's probably outside the scope of what I can do, certainly at the moment, and especially considering how FE's RNG works it'd mean everyone's first playthrough would have identical growths - well, assuming all characters were generated at the same time. At the very least if generated at the character's first appearance, Eirika and Seth would be identical, and some people would have identical early characters. Maybe I'll look at a little ASM hacking...

[Defeatist Elitist]

Actually, IIRC it was Revan who did the epic Hard Mode hack.

I did, but I technically never finished it (it still needed some touch up work, and I was somewhat afraid the later chapters would be too easy). It's still on my old computer's hard drive though, so I might dig it up and try to upgrade it a bit.

[Thor Odinson]

So yeah. I'm testing out Seth's growths. He gained +2 HP, +2 STR, +2SKL, +2SPD, +2LUK, +3 DEF, and +3RES on his first level.

What kind of steroids did you feed him?

Not doubling sucks, though. >___<

[Junkhead]

LOLThishack.

I would try it if I remembered how to patch.

[Thor Odinson]

Just change the patch name to the same as the Rom's or vice versa.

[Deliriyum]

I want to play it, but time does not allow me to do so.

[Junkhead]

Okay, I'm playing it. Yay for LunarIPS, thanks to Lumi~~~~~ as well.

Seth isn't bad at all here. He 2HKO's many enemies and is worth training.

[Thor Odinson]

I bet Seth has 255 for all his growth rates.

A few levels and he resumes godhood.