Hello everyone, and happy new year.
It's been quite some time since the latest update, but today I finally managed to finalize a new version for this mod. During the last couple of weeks, I spent quite a lot of time on learning the game's Field script language more properly, which allowed me to do more things than initially planned, and that's part of the reason why it took way longer than expected. Sorry again to anyone who was hoping for an earlier release. And thanks again for all the feedback and ideas. A lot of it was taken into account and is now included, as you can see in the changes overview below.
As always, let me know if you find any bugs. I have double-checked everything, especially the new sidequests, but it could be that something was overlooked. But for now, enjoy
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1) Balance changes
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Card Previous CurrentImp 1 = 5 Magic Stones 1 = 3 Magic StonesRed Giant 1 = 5 Meteor Stones 1 = 3 Meteor StonesElvoret 1 = 1 Windmill 1 = 1 Dynamo StoneJ. Cactuar 5 = 1 Jet Engine 1 = 1 WindmillTri-Point 1 = 1 Dynamo Stone 5 = 1 Jet EngineC. Chocobo 1 = 100 LuvLuvG's 1 = 20 LuvLuvG'sGilgamesh 1 = 10 Aura Stones 1 = 10 Fury FragmentsCarbuncle 1 = 3 Glow Curtains 1 = 20 Dragon SkinsDiablos 1 = 100 Steel Orbs 1 = 20 Steel OrbsOdin 1 = 100 Dead Spirits 1 = 20 Dead SpiritsPhoenix 1 = 3 Phoenix Spirits 1 = 3 Phoenix PinionsBahamut 1 = 10 Megalixirs 1 = 3 Shaman StonesKiros 1 = 3 Accelerators 1 = 3 Aegis AmuletsLaguna 1 = 10 Heroes 1 = 3 FriendshipsSeifer 1 = 3 Holy Wars 1 = 3 HeroesSquall 1 = 10 Adamantines 1 = 3 Adamantines
Triple Triad cards
Some cards that previously had no elemental property have been given an element or have their element changed in an attempt to achieve a more evenly distributed elemental representation for the actual Card game (in the original, there is only one Holy-elemental card, for example). The changes are as follows:
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Card Previous CurrentGrand Mantis -- WaterOchu -- PoisonDeath Claw Fire WindTorama -- HolyAdamantoise Earth WaterElnoyle -- WindIguion -- FireKrysta -- IceSphinxara -- Holy
Besides that, the Pupu Card's stats have been slightly improved, as its stat sum is very low compared to other Level 5 Monster cards, no matter the A value on the right side.
Chocobo World
The following items can no longer be imported from Chocobo World:
Hero, Holy War, Power Generator, Dark Matter, Ribbon, Aegis Amulet, Rosetta Stone, Moon Curtain, Steel Curtain, Accelerator, Phoenix Spirit, Gaea's Ring, Hyper Wrist, Adamantine, Royal Crown, Magic Armlet, Solomon Ring
Stat Up items and other items of similar value are still available, but the probability of finding them has been significantly reduced.
SeeD Salary rebalance
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S-Rank Prev. Current01 500G 500G02 1,000G 1,000G03 1,500G 1,500G04 2,000G 2,000G05 3,000G 2,500G06 4,000G 3,000G07 5,000G 3,500G08 6,000G 4,000G09 7,000G 4,500G10 8,000G 5,000G11 9,000G 5,500G12 10,000G 6,000G13 11,000G 6,500G14 12,000G 7,000G15 12,500G 7,500G16 13,000G 8,000G17 13,500G 8,500G18 14,000G 9,000G19 14,500G 9,500G20 15,000G 10,000G21 15,500G 11,000G22 16,000G 12,000G23 16,500G 13,000G24 17,000G 14,000G25 17,500G 15,000G26 18,000G 16,000G27 18,500G 17,000G28 19,000G 18,000G29 19,500G 19,000G30 20,000G 20,000G31 30,000G 30,000G
The lowered amounts in the mid-range might seem harsh at first, but keep in mind that loot generally sells better since v1.0.8, so you can use that as a secondary source for income in addition to SeeD salary. Besides that, the Cottage/Mega-Potion money making trick still kind of works, and in case that all is still not enough, the update also adds some sidequests that rewards the player with Gil (see further below).
Spells and GF
Break now does some Earth damage as well and can be junctioned to Elem-Atk and Elem-Def. Spell damage is between Fire/Blizzard/Thunder and Aero and the maximum Earth damage/protection through Elem-Junctions is 40%. Float also grants protection against Wind in addition to Earth when junctioned to Elem-Def (max. 30% for both). The base damage of all GF up to Brothers has been lowered, but damage is still higher than in vanilla un-boosted.
2) Enemies
- There is now more variation in the Granaldo/Raldo boss battle on disc 1: Raldos attack even while Granaldo is still alive and can do an AoE that has a chance to inflict Slow. If Granaldo is defeated before the Raldos, the Strength stat of all remaining Raldos doubles until the battle ends. Likewise, if all Raldos are defeated before Granaldo, Granaldo gains access to Dissolving Acid in addition to his standard physical attack.
- There is also more variation in the battle against Edea (1st), depending on her current HP. She starts with weaker spells and no longer spams Firaga/Blizzaga/Thundaga for the entire duration of battle, and the probability of her using Dispel on characters under Reflect has been reduced. Instead, she now uses Astral Punch more often, which has been buffed and has a chance to silence the target.
- Death Claw now uses a Wind attack on lower levels to justify its affiliation to the element Wind (see above) in addition to it dropping Shear Feathers and it offering the Aero spell for drawing (which has been there in vanilla already).
- Some alterations have been made to Omega Weapon and Griever.
- It now takes 10 more turns to make Gilgamesh appear and defeat Seifer at the end of disc 3, to make the battle more challenging if the player got Odin before.
- The probability of late-game enemies and bosses skipping their turns has been further reduced.
- The last Ruby Dragon battle before facing Bahamut (the one that is always a back attack) now has another monster in it to prevent being wiped by Ruby Dragon's Breath attack right away, which can feel unfair and needs a very high Vitality stat to be survived.
- When Zell is chased down by Galbadian Soldiers inside D-District Prison, the only possible encounter is the one against a single Guard (varied between 1 and 2 Guards before - facing 2 can be a gamble, considering Guards use Stop instead of Sleep in the mod).
- Ultimecia (final form) is now able to use her GF disabling move again (it was absent in v1.0.8 due to an oversight).
3) Sidequests and new content
The old couple in Deling City
The old man sitting at the bench near the sewer gates who lost all his good cards to grandma can now be helped building up his card collection again by finding a bundle of cards he lost somewhere in the city. In the end, the player will be able to choose between 3 different rewards:
- 3 Turtapod, 3 Bomb and 3 Chimera cards
- 1 Granaldo, 1 Abadon and 1 Propagator card
- 6,000 Gil
Furthermore, the couple now plays stronger cards than before, but the old man refuses to play until the quest is completed. The dialogue between the two also changes once the quest is done (after leaving and re-entering the screen once, and only when grandma is walking around).
Dollet revisited
Heading back to the Communication Tower after the SeeD mission on disc 1 now triggers a non-escapable battle against a new X-ATM092 variant that uses a different AI script and attacks (it would normally just fall down a cliff and that's it). The battle will likely be tough when attempting it at first occasion, as he starts nuking the party with strong AoE's if the battle takes too long. It should be easily doable on disc 2 or 3 though.
More items in Fisherman's Horizon
Talk to the man near the elevator when controlling Irvine after leaving the concert preparations. It triggers a short conversation that gives Irvine's character a bit more depth (it is the same as in the original - shame it is so well hidden that most players will likely miss it). After the concert is over, talk to him again with Irvine in your party, and he will apologize for what he said earlier, handing out a Triple Triad card.
Trading in Trabia Garden
There is one NPC in Trabia Garden who sells some of her belongings as her savings have been destroyed as a result of the missile attack. The player can use this opportunity to get good value for just 20,000 Gil: 2 boss cards and 3 different items. Buying or creating these items separately would be much more expensive.
Galbadia Garden
Some time on the way to Seifer and Edea, a non-escapable battle against 4 high-leveled Galbadian Soldiers will trigger: 2 G-Soldiers, 1 Elite-Soldier and 1 Paratrooper.
Centra Ruins
On the way to Odin's chamber, there will be a non-escapable battle consisting of 1 Chimera and 2 Armadodo's that can be challenging when visiting the Centra Ruins at the very first occasion.
Magical Lamps
Leftover Magical Lamps the player may have received by either staying at Galbadia Hotel or through Chocobo World can be traded in for a random Stat Up or an Elixir at Esthar Seaside Station (talk to the old man there). Can only be done after the Lunar Cry.
The dog in Esthar
Stop the dog running around the streets in Esthar to make him return to his owner nearby. If you then talk to the owner while having Pet Pals Vol.3 in your inventory, you have the option to give it to him for free for an item, or sell it to him for 15,000 Gil. If you don't have it in your inventory, he will hint at it. Can be done anytime before entering Lunatic Pandora as Zell and Edea.
Rescuing the girl at Esthar's Shopping Mall
Talking to the crying girl at the Shopping Mall will trigger a non-escapable and unique battle with 2 Behemoths in it. The reward is an item and a card. Can be done after Lunar Cry only.
Lunatic Pandora Laboratory research project
After the Lunar Cry events, Esthar digs out its old mobile weapons and tries to improve them. At Lunatic Pandora Laboratory, the player has the option to try 3 different battles that consist of stronger variants of Gespers, Cyborgs and Elastoids. The battles can be repeated multiple times for no costs, but the rewards are one-time only.
4) Other changes or improvements
- Early-game Draw Points change their contents on disc 2 to keep them more relevant later. For example, the Cure Draw Point at Balamb Garden's Gate will contain Cura, the Fire Draw Point inside Fire Cavern transforms into Fira etc.
- The Double Draw Point in Balamb Garden's Library becomes usable again on disc 2 and keeps refilling until the end of the game. The same goes for the Bio Draw Point inside the Timber Maniacs building that never refills on disc 1, but now does so on disc 2 onwards.
- Julia now actually plays the piano during the first Laguna flashback in Deling City.
- The elevator in Fisherman's Horizon now operates at a higher speed and the characters' legs are no longer cut in half when riding it.
- The wounded Dollet Soldier right before the mini-boss battle against Anacondaur in Dollet now acts as a save opportunity (in a similar way as Cid does before entering Balamb Garden's MD-Levels on disc 2). Note that talking to anyone but your team members during the Dollet mission will result in deduction points though, so don't talk to the soldier if you go for the highest possible SeeD score.
- A "Quit/Never mind" option has been added to the Queen of Cards text box options in case the player accidentally talked to her, ending up being forced to hear some of her longer dialogue.
- The new Odine Shop has been added to Joker on the Ragnarok in case the player never visited the shop before the point of no return at the end of disc 3. He has been also given a "Quit/Never mind" option for convenience.
- On disc 4, the probability of CC-Group card members playing rare cards has been reduced.
- Cid now uses his 3D model during the scene at Balamb Garden's directory before heading to Dollet (it wasn't a hard thing to do, since this screen has his 3D model by default).
. I think i will go with Lunatic Pandora Mod, altough the difficulty mod there is only 20% harder than vanilla. For an english playthrough my english isn´t good enough. Am i right when i say that all the other hard mods for FF8 in this forum are also only for the english version?