Beyond Chaos EX changelist

Changes from Beyond Chaos "beta"
General:
* Rather than calling it a "beta" of a future version of Beyond Chaos, this fork is now titled Beyond Chaos EX. This more accurately reflects reality.
* If a tool is breakable, you can now buy it from a shop even if you have one in your inventory. (Non-breakable tools still prevent you from buying more.)
* Vargas starts with higher HP than before, but only changes the phase of the fight when his HP is low, rather than on the first hit.
* If Banon has Life 3 status and is killed, it no longer triggers a game over after he revives.
* There are a few more names on the namelists.
* There are a few new secret items.
* A couple of NPCs in South Figaro give helpful hints about the current seed (if certain flags are set).
* The README has been updated to give a more useful quickstart guide and updated FAQ.
* In the event of an error, the randomizer deletes the bad ROM as intended.


Flag changes:
* 'a' and 'h' are removed. Rages are always sorted alphabetically.
* The 'g' flag:
  • no longer allows banned skills (like Sneeze) in dances.
  • no longer allows you to see the moves in dances you haven't learned yet, you cheater!
  • also randomizes the names of dances.
* The 'i' flag now randomly adds a "special action" to weapons (e.g. scimitar ability), instead of accidentally adding a dodge animation.
* The 'q' flag:
  • also randomizes characters' run values
  • and randomizes level average values. When using 'worringtriad', level averages are not randomized .
* The 'm' flag:
  • Doesn't allow monsters in the solo Terra part of the Narshe caves to have Tek Laser or Blizzard.
  • Doesn't allow two enemies to swap stats if their levels are too far apart.
* The 'o' flag now allows the character who starts with X-Magic to cast magic from the menu.
* The 'r' flag randomizes where (some) characters are recruited in the World of Ruin. Terra, Locke, Sabin, Cyan, Relm, Strago, and Gau will be recruited in each others' places. (Celes, Edgar, and Setzer are not shuffled by design. Shadow isn't because it's complicated if he dies. Mog, Umaro, and Gogo aren't yet because naming them makes it more complicated.)
* The 't' flag:
  • will no longer put monsters in the three chests in the falling ceiling room (because it interferes with the ceiling events).
  • controls the randomization of auction house items (instead of them randomizing always)
* The 'u' flag no longer gives berzerkers sketch or morph.
* The 'w' flag:
  • no longer includes the R-Mana spellset, and R-Drain now contains Rasp (which was the only spell in R-Mana but not R-Drain).
  • includes two new spellsets:
    ○ R-Level: level-based spells
    ○ R-Miss: spells with low accuracy
  • disables the skill menus for commands that it replaces.
  • does not allow Quick to be first in a combo skill.
  • does not let you select multiple targets for combo skills that will only affect one target.

Code changes:
* 'johnnydmad' randomizes the music. (Thanks to emberling!)
* 'johnnyachaotic' randomizes the music crazier. (Thanks to emberling!)
* 'makeover' uses version 1.5 of CtrlxZ's sprite pack.
* 'rushforpower' undoes the change to the Vargas fight.
* The 'suplexwrecks' and 'bravenewworld' codes also rename guest characters appropriately.
* 'Randomboost'/'madworld' codes no longer affect the selection of status-based enemy specials.

Bug fixes:
* Some secret item procs that were broken in an earlier beta work again.
* Fixed a text bug in the auction house.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------


Consolidated full changes from Beyond Chaos v63:
General:
* Rather than calling it a "beta" of a future version of Beyond Chaos, this fork is now titled Beyond Chaos EX. This more accurately reflects reality.
* If a tool is breakable, you can now buy it from a shop even if you have one in your inventory. (Non-breakable tools still prevent you from buying more.)
* Vargas starts with higher HP than before, but only changes the phase of the fight when his HP is low, rather than on the first hit.
* If Banon has Life 3 status and is killed, it no longer triggers a game over after he revives.
* A few more names on the namelists.
* There are a few new secret items.
* A couple of NPCs in South Figaro give helpful hints about the current seed (if relevant flags are set).
* The README has been updated to give a more useful quickstart guide and updated FAQ.
* Emberling's flag speeddial can be used to save commonly used sets of flags/codes.
* The tintinabar effect is now tied to an item flag rather than hard-coded to an item number (Lenophis's unhacked tintinabar patch). This means other items that randomly receive the tintinabar effect now work correctly.
* Items can now break, and weapons can proc, for all magic spells and espers by default (previously was all magic spells and some espers).
* Rename Card has a 90% chance to be replaced with a low-tier secret item if items are randomized.
* The things intended to be customized by users (i.e., namelists and sprites) have been moved to a new folder "Custom". The .exe will read from that folder before falling back to the packed version. (In other words, you can customize the names and sprites without installing Python.)
* Name lists are now sanitized: invalid characters are removed from names, names with no remaining valid characters are removed, and names are truncated to 6 characters.
* The main menu now shows the original character name. (Thanks to Myself.)
* The Item menu now lets you see the special effects equipment has. (Thanks to Myself.)
* The rage menu now lets you check the properties of the rages. (Thanks to Myself.)
* Gogo's status menu now properly displays the available commands by scrolling. (Thanks to Myself.)
* The number of natural magic users is randomized. (Thanks to Myself for expanding the number of possible natural mages.)
* Whelk no longer triggers the event at the beginning of the fight where Vicks and Wedge talk.
* Halloween is spookier.
* Christmas has fewer text bugs.

Flag changes:
* 'a' and 'h' are removed. Rages are always sorted alphabetically.
* The 'd' flag no longer softlocks if you talk to that one guy while using the Textless ROM.
* The 'g' flag:
  • no longer allows banned skills (like Sneeze) in dances.
  • no longer allows you to see the moves in dances you haven't learned yet, you cheater!
  • also randomizes the names of dances.
* The 'i' flag now randomly adds a "special action" to weapons (e.g. scimitar ability), instead of accidentally adding a dodge animation.
* The 'l' flag can no longer give another blitz the same inputs as Pummel (which is never randomized).
* The 'm' flag:
  • Doesn't allow monsters in the solo Terra part of the Narshe caves to have Tek Laser or Blizzard.
  • Doesn't allow two enemies to swap stats if their levels are too far apart.
  • Doesn't randomize Zone Eater.
* The 'o' flag:
  • now allows the character who starts with X-Magic to cast magic from the menu.
  • now correctly sets natural magic.
* The 'q' flag:
  • also randomizes characters' run values
  • and randomizes level average values. When using 'worringtriad', level averages are not randomized.
* The 'r' flag randomizes where (some) characters are recruited in the World of Ruin. Terra, Locke, Sabin, Cyan, Relm, Strago, and Gau will be recruited in each others' places. (Celes, Edgar, and Setzer are not shuffled by design. Shadow isn't because it's complicated if he dies. Mog, Umaro, and Gogo aren't yet because naming them makes it more complicated than the others, but they'll happen eventually.)
* The 't' flag:
  • will no longer put monsters in the three chests in the falling ceiling room (because it interferes with the ceiling events).
  • Randomizes the shops in Narshe after Kefka@Narshe.
  • Randomizes the following items given by events:
	○ the sleeping bags given by Arvis
	○ the autocrossbow that comes with Edgar
	○ the Genji Glove and Gauntlet from Banon/Returner guy
	○ the Tintinabar from the injured soldier
	○ the Tonic in Crescent Mountain
	○ the Gold Hairpin from Lone Wolf (His text is changed to indicate the item he has.)
	○ the grand staircase treasures in the Cave to the Sealed Gate (These are randomized based on what they SAID they gave in vanilla, not what they actually gave.)
	○ the Tintinabar and Charm Bangle from the Imperial Banquet
	○ the floating chests in Owzer's Mansion (These are randomized based on what they SAID they gave in vanilla, not what they actually gave.)
	○ the Aura from completing Cyan's Dream
	○ the treasures of the Phoenix Cave!
	○ the Ragnarok sword and Cursed Shield from WoR Narshe
	○ the Pearl Lance from the dragon in Fanatics' Tower
	○ the Hero Ring, Zephyr Cape, Cherub Down, and Cure Ring in the Auction House (The text in the auction house is changed to reflect the actual item.)

	The ones in the Cave to the Sealed Gate and Owzer's Mansion can be monster-in-a-box. The rest cannot.
* The 'u' flag:
  • no longer gives berzerkers sketch or morph.
  • no longer has a rare error that causes no character to be selected as berserker.
* The 'w' flag:
  • no longer includes the R-Mana spellset, and R-Drain now contains Rasp (which was the only spell in R-Mana but not R-Drain).
  • includes two new spellsets:
    ○ R-Level: level-based spells
    ○ R-Miss: spells with low accuracy
  • disables the skill menus for commands that it replaces.
  • does not allow Quick to be first in a combo skill.
  • does not let you select multiple targets for combo skills that will only affect one target.

Code changes:
* 'airship' no longer softlocks if you go inside the airship in the WoR before doing Daryl's tomb.
* 'collateraldamage' now works again.
* 'dancingmaduin':
  • Restricts which characters can use which espers. Most espers are unique to one character, but they have a small chance of being used by multiple characters.
  • Mutates the paladin shield's spell learning, so it's less likely to teach Ultima.
* 'darkworld' gives all the enemies have higher stats than normal (from DarkSlash)
* 'dearestmolulu' code gives 3x XP for all fights.
* 'electricboogaloo' lets items break for ANY ability and weapons proc for MOST abilities. Blitzes, swdtechs, superball, flash, chocobop, h-bomb, and 7-flush are banned from procs because they don't work properly in that context.
* 'johnnydmad' randomizes the music. (Thanks to emberling!)
* 'johnnyachaotic' randomizes the music crazier. (Thanks to emberling!)
* 'kupokupo' now randomizes moogle names.
* 'madworld' makes almost everything tierless. It implies "randomboost" 0 plus makes skills and shops tierless.
* 'makeover'
  • includes a lot more sprites (Thanks to CtrlxZ)
  • gives more party members random sprites.
  • changes portraits of characters (most of which are also thanks to CtrlxZ) (Due to a technical limitation, Locke may have the wrong sprite when disguised as a merchant. A character whose sprite is replaced by the merchant may also have the wrong portrait.)
  • works even if you use neither partyparty nor the s flag.
* 'masseffect' makes items more likely to have randomly added effects.
* 'metronome' now works again.
* 'notawaiter' replaces 'cutscenes'. It now:
  • skips ALL cutscenes before Kefka@Narshe (Thanks to Lockirby)
  • skips the things previously skipped by 'cutscenes' after that (specifically, the esper world flashback, the boat scene, and the esper meeting/Kefka@Thamasa).
  • Fixes bugs with some of those skips.
  • No longer skips the Leo vs. Kefka fight.
* 'partyparty' now gives riding sprites to party members replaced by Leo, Banon, Esper Terra, Merchant, Ghost, and Kefka instead of using the soldier sprite for all of them.
* 'randomboost' no longer affects the selection of status-based enemy specials.
* 'randombosses' randomizes bosses skillsets the same as the enemies. (from DarkSlash)
* 'rushforpower' undoes the change to the Vargas fight.
* 'strangejourney':
  • now works again.
  • is slightly more manageable (but you probably still shouldn't play it).
* 'supernatural' makes everyone who has Magic or X-Magic have natural magic.
* 'suplexwrecks' and 'bravenewworld' also rename guest characters appropriately.
* 'worringtriad' also puts items from WoB events in your inventory.