Shining Force: SF1 Various Patches and Fixes

[Siel]

Standalone Patches
These patches can produce changes to the gameplay on their own.

Change EXP Cap per Action to 100
The game originally caps EXP gains at 48 in a single action/turn. This patch essentially removes that cap by raising it to 100.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
EXP gain calculations are otherwise left untouched, so actually reaching 100 may be difficult.

No Stacking Healing EXP
The game originally adds up EXP via healing from each individual target, which can lead to very high gains for AURA users. This patch changes this so that only the highest EXP score among all targets is considered.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
This patch has no known conflicts with the editor.

EXP from healing can still be modified via the editor.

Extra data is added at 0x1C3280.

Static Combat EXP
The game originally grants EXP based on damage dealt. This patch removes that relation and makes it simply grant 1/3 of the enemy's total EXP per attack.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
The patch has no known conflicts with the editor.

EXP bonus for dealing the killing blow remains.

Muddle Enhancer 50%
66% version
75% version
Being under the MUDDLE status originally sets the chance to miss to 25%, except when attacking a target with high evasion, in which case it has no effect. These patches change MUDDLE's effect to additively increase chances of missing by 50/66/75%, including when attacking a target with high evasion.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
This patch has no known conflicts with the editor.
This patch conflicts with the editor starting from v3.0.0.

Default chance to miss remains at 3%.

----------

SF1 Editor Supplementary Patches
These patches don't really do anything on their own and require further changes to be made through the editor.


Multiple Outfits Per Character
The editor allows editing and adding outfit items per character, but only the first outfit for each character can actually trigger in-game. This patch changes it so that outfits beyond the first ones also get checked. Priority when there are multiple valid outfits is decided by the inventory slot order.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
Saving in the editor while in the item/outfit tab will re-overwrite the changes made by this patch, so the patch will have to be reapplied again. Conversely, this patch can be safely applied without overwriting existing expanded outfit data.

Battle outfits aren't supported (yet?).

Extended Class Promotion EXP
The editor allows expanding the number of classes, but none of the expanded classes are ever considered as promoted classes in regards to experience gain calculations. This patch fixes that, albeit in a slightly unorthodox manner. The upper half of the extended classes (rather than the lower half) becomes considered promoted in regards to experience gains. Incidentally, MGCR and YGRT also become considered promoted.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
Class ID 14 to 48 become considered promoted. This starts from SMR, ends at the halfway point of page 2, and includes Domingo's and Jogurt's classes. Originally, it only goes from SMR to the class right before Domingo and Jogurt.

This patch has no conflicts with the editor.

DETOX Copies Healing EXP
Even if healing EXP is modified in the editor, DETOX's EXP reward remains at 10. This patch makes it copy the minimum healing EXP setting instead.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
This patch has no known conflicts with the editor.

EXP from healing can still be modified via the editor.

Extra data is added at 0x1C32B0.

----------

Change Reverter Patches
These patches undo the changes from the patches above and return the original game's functions. Patches that add data and end up expanding the size of the ROM do not have that filesize change undone.

Spoiler

Change EXP Cap per Action to 100 Reverter: return cap to 48
No Stacking Healing EXP Reverter: return to summing healing EXP from a single action
Static Combat EXP Reverter: return to having damage amount affect EXP
Muddle Enhancer Reverter: return MUDDLE's effect to a 25% ineffective against evasive targets
Multi Outfits per Character Reverter: return to the SF1 Editor's version of the code
Extended Class Promotion EXP Reverter: return to having MGCR, YGRT, and extended classes be considered unpromoted
DETOX Copies Healing EXP Reverter: return DETOX's EXP independence

[Runesamurai]

Why do the Demon Masters even wield Holy Staves? That's something that's always bugged me. Because it makes absolutely no sense. They're totally evil and everything the opposite of what should be able to wield them. Yet the mages on the force can't wield them...For that matter the Master Mages shouldn't be able to wield them either. They should be equipped with Guardian Staves instead.

[Siel]

I reuploaded an actually functional multioutfit patch: there was one line of code missing from the patch itself to make it all work. (I had forgotten I was testing on a modified ROM with an equivalent of that line already included in a completely different location)

[cww80]

Standalone Patches
These patches can produce changes to the gameplay on their own.

Change EXP Cap per Action to 100
The game originally caps EXP gains at 48 in a single action/turn. This patch essentially removes that cap by raising it to 100.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
EXP gain calculations are otherwise left untouched, so actually reaching 100 may be difficult.

No Stacking Healing EXP
The game originally adds up EXP via healing from each individual target, which can lead to very high gains for AURA users. This patch changes this so that only the highest EXP score among all targets is considered.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
This patch has no known conflicts with the editor.

EXP from healing can still be modified via the editor.

Extra data is added at 0x1C3280.

Static Combat EXP
The game originally grants EXP based on damage dealt. This patch removes that relation and makes it simply grant 1/3 of the enemy's total EXP per attack.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
The patch has no known conflicts with the editor.

EXP bonus for dealing the killing blow remains.

Muddle Enhancer 50%
66% version
75% version
Being under the MUDDLE status originally sets the chance to miss to 25%, except when attacking a target with high evasion, in which case it has no effect. These patches change MUDDLE's effect to additively increase chances of missing by 50/66/75%, including when attacking a target with high evasion.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
This patch has no known conflicts with the editor.
This patch conflicts with the editor starting from v3.0.0.

Default chance to miss remains at 3%.

----------

SF1 Editor Supplementary Patches
These patches don't really do anything on their own and require further changes to be made through the editor.


Multiple Outfits Per Character
The editor allows editing and adding outfit items per character, but only the first outfit for each character can actually trigger in-game. This patch changes it so that outfits beyond the first ones also get checked. Priority when there are multiple valid outfits is decided by the inventory slot order.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
Saving in the editor while in the item/outfit tab will re-overwrite the changes made by this patch, so the patch will have to be reapplied again. Conversely, this patch can be safely applied without overwriting existing expanded outfit data.

Battle outfits aren't supported (yet?).

Extended Class Promotion EXP
The editor allows expanding the number of classes, but none of the expanded classes are ever considered as promoted classes in regards to experience gain calculations. This patch fixes that, albeit in a slightly unorthodox manner. The upper half of the extended classes (rather than the lower half) becomes considered promoted in regards to experience gains. Incidentally, MGCR and YGRT also become considered promoted.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
Class ID 14 to 48 become considered promoted. This starts from SMR, ends at the halfway point of page 2, and includes Domingo's and Jogurt's classes. Originally, it only goes from SMR to the class right before Domingo and Jogurt.

This patch has no conflicts with the editor.

DETOX Copies Healing EXP
Even if healing EXP is modified in the editor, DETOX's EXP reward remains at 10. This patch makes it copy the minimum healing EXP setting instead.

Spoiler

Compatibility/other info:
This patch has no known conflicts with the editor.

EXP from healing can still be modified via the editor.

Extra data is added at 0x1C32B0.

----------

Change Reverter Patches
These patches undo the changes from the patches above and return the original game's functions. Patches that add data and end up expanding the size of the ROM do not have that filesize change undone.

Spoiler

Change EXP Cap per Action to 100 Reverter: return cap to 48
No Stacking Healing EXP Reverter: return to summing healing EXP from a single action
Static Combat EXP Reverter: return to having damage amount affect EXP
Muddle Enhancer Reverter: return MUDDLE's effect to a 25% ineffective against evasive targets
Multi Outfits per Character Reverter: return to the SF1 Editor's version of the code
Extended Class Promotion EXP Reverter: return to having MGCR, YGRT, and extended classes be considered unpromoted
DETOX Copies Healing EXP Reverter: return DETOX's EXP independence

Is it possible to make a patch that ignores character level when calculating xp? Basically, would be nice to always get max regardless of level.

[Siel]

Here you go: a patch that makes the game ignore the actual level difference when calculating EXP, instead always awarding based on the maximum base EXP.

Exp Gain Ignoring Level Difference

[cww80]

Thanks so much! I know about the Shining Force Editior, but would a patch be possible to make level ups more in tune with Shining Force II's? (Or just re balanced?) Perhaps the ability to pass items from Max when his inventory is full? I know about some of the rom hacks that enable passing items to different characters, but they don't work on real hardware.

[Siel]

Just editing the growth curves to be less extreme should bring it closer to SF2. To go a step further, randomness in stat gains could be tuned down too, so here are a few patches:

Stat Gains - Halved Randomness
Stats are only randomized up to ±12.5% or ±2 instead of ±25% or ±4, whichever is lower for that stat.

Stat Gains - 1 Randomness
Randomness in stat gains only goes up to ±1

Stat Gains - Plus 0 or Plus 1
Stat gains are randomized by either +0 or +1, with no possibility of -1.

Stat Gains - No Randomness
Randomness in stat gains is reduced to none!

For reference, I think SF2's randomness is only +0 or +1.

As for item passing, I'm not familiar with real hardware differences and their issues. It might just be due to that feature involving expanding the ROM and going past the regular size of the ROM. In that case, editing growth curves via the editor might not work either. The closest you'd then have for SF2-like level ups would be to just edit everyone to a linear growth. The patches above should work regardless though, since they only affect the regular area of the game.

[Lobo]

Great, Siel!

I'm not pretty sure about how randomness work in SF2, but I would guess level ups gains are independent there, which is not the case here.

I mean, in SF1, if you get a top score for some stat in a level up t's likely you will get a low score (maybe 0) in next level, for the reference is a 'target value' on the growth curve, not a 'target expected gain'.

[Siel]

Yeah, that's another difference, but I'd say it's a pretty minor one unless stat-up items are involved. When randomness is mostly or completely removed from both systems, they essentially work out to be the same. If it were reversed for SF2 to have SF1's level of randomness though, the stat ceiling would go out of control under that system since SF2 lacks an upper limit.

[Lobo]

Yup!
But that's something I like better in SF1 than in SF2 (or maybe any other game).

It's about redeeming and becoming good after all
It doesn't matter if you got luckyless for five or more levels in a row.
If you get lucky in the next one, you'll achieve great numbers and become powerful or, at least, above average at once!

It's definitely a system that favors being over 'average'.
And, most of all, favors getting high numbers in a single levelup.

[cww80]

Just editing the growth curves to be less extreme should bring it closer to SF2. To go a step further, randomness in stat gains could be tuned down too, so here are a few patches:

Stat Gains - Halved Randomness
Stats are only randomized up to ±12.5% or ±2 instead of ±25% or ±4, whichever is lower for that stat.

Stat Gains - 1 Randomness
Randomness in stat gains only goes up to ±1

Stat Gains - Plus 0 or Plus 1
Stat gains are randomized by either +0 or +1, with no possibility of -1.

Stat Gains - No Randomness
Randomness in stat gains is reduced to none!

For reference, I think SF2's randomness is only +0 or +1.

As for item passing, I'm not familiar with real hardware differences and their issues. It might just be due to that feature involving expanding the ROM and going past the regular size of the ROM. In that case, editing growth curves via the editor might not work either. The closest you'd then have for SF2-like level ups would be to just edit everyone to a linear growth. The patches above should work regardless though, since they only affect the regular area of the game.

Thanks. Just went back to playing again. Took weeks for my posts to get accepted

[Siel]

Out-of-Battle Egress
This patch enables the use of Egress on non-town maps even when not in an active battle. Well, technically, it enables the use of any spell, but Egress is the only really practical one and the only spell Max has by default. One caveat is that buff spells can be an endless source of 1 EXP if Max is made to have access to them.

Hold B to Dash (tentative)
Holding B makes Max move around faster while in towns. However, the way this is currently implemented causes some side effects:

• NPCs also move faster
• sprites blink
• map tile redrawing often can't keep up, resulting in graphical map glitches

Ludicrous Speed
In addition to the game text, the following is also sped up when message speed is set to 4:

• in-battle automatic cursor movement
• player character action cancel initial position return movement
• enemy movement
• the horsecart at the beginning of the game, before the option menu can be accessed

[projectego]

Another awesome round-up, Siel. Cheers for these very, very cool patches.

With the 'Hold B to Dash' patch, however it seems that MediaFire will not serve the download link and is stuck in a perpetual 'continue' loop:

Spoiler

Would you be able to re-upload the patch, please?

[cww80]

Out-of-Battle Egress
This patch enables the use of Egress on non-town maps even when not in an active battle. Well, technically, it enables the use of any spell, but Egress is the only really practical one and the only spell Max has by default. One caveat is that buff spells can be an endless source of 1 EXP if Max is made to have access to them.

Hold B to Dash (tentative)
Holding B makes Max move around faster while in towns. However, the way this is currently implemented causes some side effects:

• NPCs also move faster
• sprites blink
• map tile redrawing often can't keep up, resulting in graphical map glitches

Ludicrous Speed
In addition to the game text, the following is also sped up when message speed is set to 4:

• in-battle automatic cursor movement
• player character action cancel initial position return movement
• enemy movement
• the horsecart at the beginning of the game, before the option menu can be accessed

Thanks so much for these. Have the same issue with the B button dash download not working.

Is it possible to patch back in the control enemy code from the Japanese version? Perhaps make it easier to do as well. Haven't gotten it to work yet lol

[Siel]

re: Hold B to Dash
Woah, I thought Mediafire had gotten some sort of download UI update, but it looks like that download-key-generator page shows up only for that specific file (among my files) and it's otherwise the same download page as usual. I tried reuploading the file with different filenames and even recreating the patch anew and uploading that, but to no avail. Maybe the file structure of that specific patch messes up something on their side? I instead threw the patch file into an archive and that seems to have done the trick:
Hold B to Dash.7z


re: enemy control
I'm not familiar with that cheat, but I'll try looking into it. Hopefully, it's just disabled instead of taken out entirely.

Edit: Does such a code actually exist? I can't seem to find anything concrete about it, not even in Japanese, except rumors about it in English.

I even tried hacking in player control over enemies, but the game doesn't seem to be able to handle it properly: the "enemy" can only choose targets as if it were a Force member (other enemies when attacking, a Force member when passing items or healing) and the target selection is processed wrongly (enemy targets a single enemy -> battle sequence shows enemy attacking multiple Force members, even some not actually present in the current battle).

[cww80]

This is what I'm referring to. https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/genesis/5 ... rce/cheats" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://gamehacking.org/game/15847" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This lists a control opponent (enemy) code

Found it for real hardware. ACCA-AA2E Will see if I can just patch it in with GGguy.

[Siel]

Yeah, that GameFAQs thing, references to it, and similar cheat aggregation sites are all that I could find about it. There's no documentation of it outside of old shoddy gaming sites, no confirmation of anyone ever succeeding at it, no mention of the feature on Japanese websites at all (at best they talk about SF1's debug mode, then SF2 and SFCD's enemy control). And at least for the US version, I haven't found anything in the code yet that suggests an alternate function for enemy control, so I'm starting to think that it's just an old fabricated submission that went through a lax verification process.

As for the Game Genie code, it seems to do the same thing as the enemy-control hack I mentioned in my previous post, meaning it doesn't actually function as expected.

[cww80]

Works well enough for me.

[Siel]

If it fits what you were looking for, I guess everything's fine then.

[cww80]

Yeah, it's basically what I've wanted since I was 14 and played Shining Force 2 and saw the debug mode code for it. Thankfully, I had already finished Shining Force 2 before using it, but ever since I have been hopelessly addicted to this series. Love seeing how strong I can make the force and control enemy makes it that much easier. Thanks for everything, will be trying all of your Shining Force 2 patches next. And keep them coming.