Nightmare dropdown menu

[Rickochet]

So I've been trying to expand and repoint some of my nightmare modules and I ran into the problem of the dropdown menu. I expanded and repointed the modules(at least I think I did it correctly) and was wondering how do I get the dropdown menu to show the extra room I expanded.

I inserted several new animations via spell animation inserter and then proceeded to expand the spell association editor and repointed the hex stuff in HxD. Where do I proceed from here? When I open the module in nightmare the dropdown menu doesn't reflect any changes I made. I only see 3E and 3F pass the last item animation spell.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Rickochet

[Primefusion]

Nightmare lists typically have a number at the very top that indicates how many entries there are (you can edit this with Notepad). Increase the number to view more entries.

[Rickochet]

When you say nightmare list are you referring to the module opened in notepad? or the text file (Spell Animation) that is in the same folder? I opened both and have found numbers at the top of both files. I changed the text file number and nothing happens, so I revert back to normal and changed the number in the module now opened in notepad and the dropdown menu worked but I could no longer open the insert spell animation tab in FEditor.

[Primefusion]

To increase the number of entries for spell animations, change the number in Spell Animations.txt (make sure you write something in those new entries too!).

As for FEditor, did you try saving the ROM and then reopening it?

[Rickochet]

Yes I did try saving and reopening the ROM. I'm not sure what else to do at this point.

Just to make sure the order for this is:

Expanded and repointed spell association table on a brand new ROM.

Used Slot 0x3E for the new spell animation by naming it "Wind"

Set Animation used" to 0x3E

Opened up FEditor to now insert the intended new spell animation (wind) but at this point FEditor won't open the spell animation inserter tab.

[Primefusion]

Expanded and repointed spell association table on a brand new ROM.

What exactly do you mean by this? FEditor should be taking care of any necessary repointing for you if you increase the max index.

Do you mean the .nmm?

IIRC the process should just be:

- Increase max index in FEditor

- Insert animation

- Adjust the animation list the Nightmare module uses.

- Profit

[Rickochet]

I guess some of the tutorials I read were more confusing than I thought. Okay so let me get this straight. I don't need to expand and repoint before adding more animations or items or classes? If upping the max index is automatic repointing. What is it when I go to the offset in HxD and copy and paste the data for say, spell animations to an empty spot in the ROM? If I just up the max index, wouldn't the possibility of the data spill into the next area because I read that the data in the ROM are tightly packed. Or does this process only apply for certain things?

The process I used is similar.

Repoint the data in HxD using the offset I got from the animation spell association module that was opened in notepad.

Increase max index and input index (input index so I dont overwite anything)

Inserted Animation

Adjust the spell animation list text file that Nightmare uses by increasing the number of avalible slots and names of those slots

At this point, after I adjust the nightmare module in notepad to increase the dropdown menu. I am no longer able to open the Spell Animation Inserter tab in FEditor to insert more spell animations.

And just to be super clear, could you give me a run down on what and how expanding and repointing works? I think that may be the problem, though I'm not sure. Did I expand and repoint where I'm not suppose to?

[Primefusion]

I was just able to get index 0x41 working on a test ROM, so here's what I did:

Open the ROM in FEditor and head to the spell inserter menu.

Type in the index that the spell is going to go into, 0x41 (FEditor by default has the max index set to 0xFF)

Load the script for the spell and then press Terminate Animation so that FEditor inserts the spell.

Save the ROM and close it.

I head over to the item editor Nightmare modules

I opened Spell Animations.txt and add some entries so that 0x3E - 0x41 are in there and adjust the number at the top denoting how many entries there are (68 here).

I open the Spell Association editor, and tweak the item that needs the animation.

Use the item in game and profit.

It's been a while since I fiddled with spells, so I forgot that FEditor has the max index at 0xFF by default. No repointing needed on your part, 0xFF is plenty.

[Rickochet]

Everything worked but I had to use a little work around at the end. Could you clarify something for me Prime?

I'm confused on which text file corresponds to which nightmare module. Specifically: "Item List" and "FE7 Item Editor".

When I open the Spell Association Editor, the very first dropdown menu, which text corresponds this? Because the way the items are listed, the numeric values are out of order and does not correspond to either list, but it has to be one of the text files because that is where the information comes from yes?

I know you can find which menu uses which text file by opening up the nightmare module in notepad. But for my Spell Association Editor, all I see is two nulls under the weapon slot numbers like so:

1

FE7 Spell Association Editor by Zeld, updated by Nintenlord

0xC999C0

127

16

NULL

NULL

Weapon

0

2

NDHU

Item List.txt

No. of Chars to Display (1 or 2)

2

2

NEDU

NULL

Animation Used

4

2

NDHU

Spell Animations.txt

Alternate Pointer

8

4

NEHU

NULL

Return to Original Position (map)

12

1

NDHU

Returning.txt

Facing Position (map)

13

1

NDHU

Facing.txt

Enemy's Flashing Colour (map)

14

1

NDHU

Enemy flash.txt

Where as say, for example, the "Item Editor" module looks like this:

1

FE7 Item Editor by SpyroDi, updated by Nintenlord

0xBE222c

159

36

FE7 Item Editor.txt

NULL

Item Name Pointer

0

2

NEHU

NULL

Item Description Pointer

2

2

NEHU

NULL

Use Item Description Pointer

4

2

NEHU

NULL

Item Number

6

1

NDHU

Item List.txt

Weapon Type

7

1

NDDU

Weapon Type.txt

Weapon Ability 1

8

1

NDHU

Weapon Ability 1.txt

Weapon Ability 2

9

1

NDHU

Weapon Ability 2.txt

Weapon Ability 3

10

1

NDHU

Weapon Ability 3.txt

Weapon Ability 4

11

1

NDHU

Weapon Ability 4.txt

Stat Bonuses Pointer

12

4

NEHU

NULL

Effectiveness

16

4

NEHU

NULL

Durability

20

1

NEDU

NULL

Power

21

1

NEDU

NULL

Hit%

22

1

NEDU

NULL

Weight

23

1

NEDU

NULL

Critical%

24

1

NEDU

NULL

Minimum - Maximum Range

25

1

NEHU

NULL

Cost Per Use (0 = Unsellable)

26

2

NEDU

NULL

Weapon Rank

28

1

NDDU

Weapon Rank.txt

Item Icon #

29

1

NDHU

Item Icons.txt

Staff/Use Effect (Partly Hardcoded)

30

1

NDHU

Staff&use effect.txt

Weapon Effect

31

1

NDHU

Weapon Effect.txt

Weapon Experience

32

1

NEDU

NULL

***UNKNOWN***

33

1

NEDU

NULL

***UNKNOWN*** (Zero)

34

1

NEDU

NULL

***UNKNOWN*** (Zero)

35

1

NEDU

NULL

So in the end I had to replace the 60-use vulnerary animation slot instead of using one of the free slots because I couldn't find it on the dropdown menu (the free slots are 0x9A, 0x9B, 0x9C, 0x9D, and 0x9E in the first dropdown menu in the FE7 Item Editor) (while the first dropdown menu in Spell association module does not list the free slots), which is okay but I want to access those presumably open slots. And yes, the two modules are different and aren't typos.

Sorry if I'm being confusing, I'm having trouble trying to describe this problem.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Rickochet

[Agro]

any drop down menus are sourced from .txt files whereas the modules themselves are the .nmm files. if you like, a nmm is made up of several different txts. does that make any more sense?

[Primefusion]

When I open the Spell Association Editor, the very first dropdown menu, which text corresponds this? Because the way the items are listed, the numeric values are out of order and does not correspond to either list, but it has to be one of the text files because that is where the information comes from yes?

That's because the items are listed out of order in the ROM itself. If you go to the offset the Spell Association Editor uses, you'll see the list starts with 0x01, then goes to 0x05 or whatever, and keeps jumping around. The module is using the item list and displaying the item name associated with the entry it's currently looking at.

[Rickochet]

Yes I understand that dropdown menus are sourced from text files and what nightmare modules are. I was merely trying to figure out which list corresponds to which module.

So how would I access those empty slots? I did look through the list but don't see the empty slots. I'm trying to assign new weapons/customs to those slots found in the item editor, so I can assign new animation to those new weapons/customs in the spell association editor. Am I suppose to increase the list size via text file?

[Primefusion]

So how would I access those empty slots? I did look through the list but don't see the empty slots. I'm trying to assign new weapons/customs to those slots found in the item editor, so I can assign new animation to those new weapons/customs in the spell association editor. Am I suppose to increase the list size via text file?

I'm a little confused on what you're talking about. Do you mean those blank entries at the very end of the item editor? That's just from the item editor expecting a longer list than it's been given. The list has like 64 entries or so, but the item editor is expecting somewhere around 70, so it just shows blank entries.

I think the limit for the Spell Association Editor is a little more rigid, so you would have to move the entire array to free space, then change all the relevant pointers. If this is what you were doing from the get go, then oops on my part for not really understanding you.

[Rickochet]

Yes that is what I was originally asking.

Does all that apply to the Class Animation Manager as well? Say I was replacing few of the existing classes, how would I tell what class to use what animation? Are the animations in the Class Animation Manager order specfic? For example, if I wanted to replace Lyn's lynlord class with eirika's animation, do I have to make sure eirika's attack and dodge animation are in place of lyn's attack and dodge animations?

Edited April 28, 2015 by Rickochet

[Eliwan]

Does all that apply to the Class Animation Manager as well? Say I was replacing few of the existing classes, how would I tell what class to use what animation?

If you want to replace the existing classes, unless they wield the same weapon types, then you need to edit things in the nightmare modules-- the animation manager iirc-- so that the animations play at the proper time (when wielding a given weapon).

Are the animations in the Class Animation Manager order specfic?

Technically no and technically yes.

No: Their order does not matter in the end.

Yes: Everything in the game is already pointed to their current locations.

So if you want you could completely change everything-- move the t1 classes to start at the 1rst animation slot, have *all* the T1 classes, then start the T2 classes (wherever it may start)...

You'd just have to repoint all the battle animations.

For example, if I wanted to replace Lyn's lynlord class with eirika's animation, do I have to make sure eirika's attack and dodge animation are in place of lyn's attack and dodge animations?

Yes and no.

Yes: If you don't want to have to change the pointers.

No: You can insert the animations elsewhere and then repoint Lyn's Lord class in the Class module to load up different map sprites, then find the animation manager and repoint that to the newly added animation.

Computer Science (and games/hacking/modifying) rarely has questions that can be answered 'yes' or 'no' at this level.

[Rickochet]

Could you also give me a rundown of repointing and/or expanding? (Not too sure if repointing and expanding are the same thing or not) I have read the ultimate tutorial multiple times but it is still a tad confusing. How would I find all these pointers to repoint to ensure everything works properly? I was under the impression that all I need to repoint is the data section for the class animations into an empty section of the ROM. Is this correct?

[Agro]

http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=51147&hl=repoint

Hxd -> Search -> Find -> [write pointer] -> F3 to find next pointer

Alternatively, "Replace All..." would probably also do the trick

Repointing and expanding aren't the same thing, but if you're repointing, then you may as well expand.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Agro