Question. Can the kernel(s) determine how many people are in and who is in the party at particular points in the game, and also what stats they have at random intervals. so say for instance i was recreating a different game based on the FF7 engine. Would editing the Kernel allow me add characters when you meet them, give them X stats, remove them when they are removed from the party and make them return freely, and with different stats, just like Aeris and sephiroth are? I'm simply curious to see how this is done, if it anything to do with the kernel, and if so, would WM be able to do this in the future? something tells me the code in the scene files denotes this, however...
*whistle* That's a complicated question. The short answer is no. The kernel has data for Sephiroth and Young Cloud for the Kalm flashback, then that data gets forcibly overwritten by Vincent's and Cait Sith's data by the active script at some point after the flashback is over, possibly as late as the moment they "join the party". The kernel does not contain these characters' stats and, regrettably, can't be affected by WM. Aeris's data never actually leaves the memory. Only the flag allowing you to switch to her is turned off. Same thing can be said about assigning stats. I don't think the game ever assigns this (indeed, there may not even be a function to do so). Rather, it will calculate stats based on average party level at the time the character is first recruited. They start out at level 1. Then they are given experience until their level is within a certain level of the average level of your active members (which is counted in halves in kernel.bin2). Their levels and stats are then increased accordingly.
It is most unfortunate as Vincent's and Cait Sith's initial data are not in the kernel. I don't even know where they are, but they're probably hard-coded into the main executable script.