Changing Classes in TLA

[VanishMantle]

I have finished modding the first Golden Sun which was a hard-type, re-balance and content mod and now i am aiming to do the same with TLA. My Only problem is that Isaac and Felix seem to have the exact same class and I am not sure how to change Felix's Base class to another class tree. I also Want to do the same with Ivan and Sheba as well. Does anyone know how to change this?

[Aile~♥]

There's a handy thing in the "patch" section that separates Party 1 and Party 2's classes entirely, not just their base classes.

[Salanewt]

To add onto what Jamie said, that is currently the only available patch that would let you do that. The main problem with it is that Party 1 wouldn't be able to access Party 2's classes and vice versa, unless this is what you want for your hack.

[VanishMantle]

That would be the class separation right? I tried it out but for some reason it keeps flagging the starting characters as NPCs... Not sure what i am doing wrong here and I can't recall if there was a topic for this already.

[Salanewt]

All right then. I think I found a topic that might help located here, but I'm not fully sure if this is what you want. If it is, I hope it helps!

Edit: Basically, you grab a class value and add 20 to assign it to Party 2, which includes everyone from Felix to Piers.

[VanishMantle]

All right then. I think I found a topic that might help located here, but I'm not fully sure if this is what you want. If it is, I hope it helps!

Edit: Basically, you grab a class value and add 20 to assign it to Party 2, which includes everyone from Felix to Piers.

Salanewt Thanks a ton! This is actually what I was looking for i just could not figure out how to do that. Also I was wanting to post my Mod of the first GS to the sight and I wanted to know how to go about doing that?

[Salanewt]

You are welcome, I'm glad that I could help! For your hack, you will need to upload a patch with a program like LIPS because uploading the game itself is against this forum's rules. Do you know how to make a patch?

Edit: I might as well post this here, but there is also a reference topic that might be able to help you develop your hack.

Or for another way to put it, if you are interested in doing some additional research on GS hacking, that topic might be able to provide some assistance.

[VanishMantle]

You are welcome, I'm glad that I could help! For your hack, you will need to upload a patch with a program like LIPS because uploading the game itself is against this forum's rules. Do you know how to make a patch?

Edit: I might as well post this here, but there is also a reference topic that might be able to help you develop your hack.

I actually had my mod on another site that has similar rules so i have the IPS file for the mod as well. I just need to fix a few things before i posted it up here.

[Salanewt]

Ah, excellent! I guess the only other thing to mention is where to upload your file. I think Atrius prefers it when people use the Downloads section, but you might want to create a topic for your hack as well. In the end, I think it is up to you.

[Kide]

Just a heads up: for your classes to work correctly you'll need to sort them properly. You can't just put them in any slot, or else you might be getting some unwanted results.

If you don't want to erase all/some of the original classe, nor the ones you already created (assuming they're in a right position) you should place your classes using the originals as some sort of guide. So start putting base classes first, then the two Mercury-based duals and their related tri, and so on. That's NOT the only way to do it, but it might be the simplest. Just make sure that for each class type index the 2-element classes appear before the 3-element ones and you're good.

You could erase everything, though, and make it more organized. But if you have no problem with it, that's not needed at all.

[VanishMantle]

With the class separation is there a way to flag the dual and tri elemental classes for both teams or do i need to remake those classes as well?

[Kide]

With the current separation patch you have to remake those too. But I'm thinking there should be a way to make a "base classes only" separation patch, if that's what you want.


Edit: Yep, there IS a way, and it's quite simple. However, you'll have to hex edit some stuff (the current patch and the dreaded class type chart). If you (or anyone else) still want to know about it, I'll tell.

[Salanewt]

Oh yeah, where the code separates Jenna from Garet and Piers from Mia? You could easily probably just move that and assign two new values to Felix and Sheba in order to allow them to have new base classes, if you can do it and/or want to have it done that way.

[Kide]

That would work, but it'd require you to relocate stuff, which wouldn't be as simple, as you already pointed out.

Here's what can be done: go to the class type chart and change all base classes index to 1. Then, instead of "add 20 to class type", you make "if class type is 1, change it to 2". Now all party 1 base classes have an index of 1 while party 2's have an index of 2, conveniently enough. The nice thing of having it that way is the values are easier to remember and, since there will be no more auto checkboxes (and hopefully the editor will be able to change class types on its own), it would make customization way more viable.

This method would also give you some more options. For example, you'd be freeing types 6 and 7 so you could use them for something else (symbiotic separator, maybe...). Of course, you can always use other values, but keeping all values from 1 to 10 is easier to remember, again. And maybe you could give type 1 to other combinations (like  primary  secondary) and separate some more classes without being forced to recreate all of them.

[Jiten]

That would work, but it'd require you to relocate stuff, which wouldn't be as simple, as you already pointed out.

Here's what can be done: go to the class type chart and change all base classes index to 1. Then, instead of "add 20 to class type", you make "if class type is 1, change it to 2". Now all party 1 base classes have an index of 1 while party 2's have an index of 2, conveniently enough. The nice thing of having it that way is the values are easier to remember and, since there will be no more auto checkboxes (and hopefully the editor will be able to change class types on its own), it would make customization way more viable.

This method would also give you some more options. For example, you'd be freeing types 6 and 7 so you could use them for something else (symbiotic separator, maybe...). Of course, you can always use other values, but keeping all values from 1 to 10 is easier to remember, again. And maybe you could give type 1 to other combinations (like  primary  secondary) and separate some more classes without being forced to recreate all of them.

So in conclusion, you could make a parameter guideline to organize how classes could work while setting to one specific party.

[Aile~♥]

That... sounded nothing like what Kide just said.

[Kide]

So in conclusion, you could make a parameter guideline to organize how classes could work while setting to one specific party.

Hmm... don't know if I understood you here. Did you mean that what I said works like that? Or are you asking me to make a guideline?

[Jiten]

I thought you were saying in basic terms,  that you'd be able to make a seperate setup of a guideline for both party #1 and party #2.  So only one party would have a setup of Of specific classes while the other party would have its own specific class setup.  That's what I picked up from what I read from "Kide.". I wasn't sure if I got it right or not.

[Aile~♥]

So in conclusion, you could make a parameter guideline to organize how classes could work while setting to one specific party.

Hmm... don't know if I understood you here. Did you mean that what I said works like that? Or are you asking me to make a guideline?

^ My point exactly.

[Jiten]

I just thought it was a class seperation idea between 2 parties.

[Durza]

It was. Instead of the patch we currently have, which completely seperates them, this one would make it so they keep their dual and tri-elemental classes, but the parties have different base classes.

[Kide]

Yeah, what Durza said. And you could also separate some of the duals/tris if you gave 'em the same value of the base classes (1 for party 1 and 2 for party 2). And notice that I said 'some', because you can't do it for all of them, unless you're planning to change the class system concept of your hack. In this case it'd be just easier to use the current patch (that's what it serves for after all).

But this thing would be helpful just if you're feeling lazy to redo all classes. If you're making a serious hack, that wouldn't be happening (or shouldn't).

[VanishMantle]

No worries as i still have to redo the skills of each of the classes so recreating them is no problem just a pain in the butt. i already have reworked the base classes and i am now working on the rest of the classes.

[Rolina]

The problem with that, of course, occurs if you have a situation like you do in Felix's team in TLA.  If the dual- and tri- elemental classes don't fit their build, it's the same problem all over again with Jenna and Piers - Jenna becomes a fighter with mage equips and PP growth, and Piers is screwed out of his base class.  The point behind the class patch was to allow for complete separation, thus eliminating much of that problem.

Of course, if your hack doesn't have such a problem, you may not even have to bother.  Choose the patch that best fits your needs.

[VanishMantle]

The problem with that, of course, occurs if you have a situation like you do in Felix's team in TLA.  If the dual- and tri- elemental classes don't fit their build, it's the same problem all over again with Jenna and Piers - Jenna becomes a fighter with mage equips and PP growth, and Piers is screwed out of his base class.  The point behind the class patch was to allow for complete separation, thus eliminating much of that problem.

Of course, if your hack doesn't have such a problem, you may not even have to bother.  Choose the patch that best fits your needs.

I actually made gear equipable by all characters minus weapons and certain gear that I felt should be unique. I do have some things I need to rebalance. Namely with the classes in this game.

[Rolina]

It's more than just gear - it's stat growths as well.  Piers fits the role of a warrior better, while Jenna's more of a mage.  Build isn't just about weapons and armor, after all.  It's the style of fighting most natural to that character.

Piers is way out of place in a mage build.  It doesn't allow him to take advantage of his higher attack growth, and punishes his lower PP growth.  That's why I'm just giving you the heads up to keep that in mind.

[VanishMantle]

It's more than just gear - it's stat growths as well.  Piers fits the role of a warrior better, while Jenna's more of a mage.  Build isn't just about weapons and armor, after all.  It's the style of fighting most natural to that character.

Piers is way out of place in a mage build.  It doesn't allow him to take advantage of his higher attack growth, and punishes his lower PP growth.  That's why I'm just giving you the heads up to keep that in mind.

Oh, yeah that makes sense. Either way in both my GS1 mod Fallen Star and my TLA mod Risen Star I accounted for things like that. Each character can be used in what ever way the player wants. A lot of the armor has buffs to it like adding more attack or giving more PP and regenerating PP to name a few. So it is possible for the player in my mod to make Piers more of a mage and Jenna more of a melee attacker.

I wanted people to have freedom with how to use each character rather than sticking to a select few.

Thanks for the advice and tips though.