Download Final Fantasy 3: Divergent Paths ROM Hack

Title: Final Fantasy 3: Divergent Paths
Author: PowerPanda
Version: 1.0
Applies to: FF3us v1.0 (headered)

Contents:  divergent paths.ips
	   divergent paths.srm

* The SRM save file will place you outside of the Returner's Hideout so that you
don't have to play through the intro of the game to experience the hack.

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-=Intro and Description=-

Final Fantasy 3 was one of my favorite games of my childhood, and one of two
games I credit for turning me into a gamer. However, there were 2 things I always
wanted to do to "perfect" the game. This hack is 1 of 2 complete hacks that I
will be releasing. The 2nd will be built off of this hack, but I decided to
release this separately so that others could use it as a template.

At the 1.5-3 hour mark in the game, you reach a full party of characters. In
previous Final Fantasy games, this would mean that a character had to either
die or leave for story reasons before you could add another. FF3 didn't do that
though. Instead, they split the party in 3 and sent them off on quests to meet
even MORE characters. It was a fantastic idea, but it suffered in execution.
Terra/Edgar's scenario could be completed in under 20 minutes, Locke's in under
30. Then there was Sabin, whose scenario was as long as the game up to that point.

This hack turns that brilliant portion of the game into what I believe its true
potential is. It starts with something simple: Edgar jumps from the raft to save
his brother. From there, the divergent paths of the characters tell a unified
story in 3 parts, each which foreshadows future character development.

SABIN and EDGAR: The brothers wash ashore next to the military camp, and witness
Kefka's poisoning of Doma. They aid CYAN, and then must travel through the
Phantom Forest to get to the Nikeah ferry, hoping to deliver warning to Narshe
in time.

TERRA and BANON: These two are knocked off course by Ultros, and are sent over
Barren Falls. They wash up on the Veldt, where they must befriend GAU and travel
the Serpent Trench so that they can get TERRA to the Esper before the Empire
invades.

LOCKE: Locke infiltrates South Figaro, where he meets CELES, who is defecting
from the Empire. Locke must sneak CELES OUT of South Figaro and IN to Narshe to
deliver information that might save the city. SHADOW tags along for reasons
that he does not disclose.

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-=Combining with other Hacks=-

The code of this hack is limited to events and text that take place during the
3 scenarios. All additional scenes were created in the free space leftover from
editing other scenes. So, if you are combining it with other event hacks, you
will not overwrite those events. If you are combining it with a text hack, add
this hack second. It will only change dialogue between the Returner's Hideout and
the battle to save the Esper in Narshe. All other dialogue is untouched. 
Additionally, all of the same event bits are set, just in a different order. The
only event bit changed is 162 (AC:2), which in the original game is set when you
recruit Shadow in Sabin's scenario, and then never cleared. In this hack, I
repurpose that event bit to determine if Shadow confronts you in the clock room.
It is set if you talk to him in the Cafe, and cleared when you meet him. 

There are edits to the WOB overworld, and the WOB and WOR mini-maps. I had to use
Madsiur's edited minimaps as a template to make edits to my own, as they are much
more stable for de-compression/re-compression. Due to this, the offsets for the
minimap have changed.

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-=CREDITS=-
Tools Used
 - Zone Doctor CE (map edits and event mockups)
 - FF3usME (text edits)
 - Cygnus (event hex editing)
 - MMGen (minimap template)

SPECIAL THANKS
A huge thank you to the FF6 Hacking community, especially Madsiur and Gi Nattak,
for their hours of help and advice, as well as cheering me on to finish.

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-=SECRETS=- (Read at your own risk)

* There is a merchant at the entrance to Barren Falls. He's not just there to
impede your progress. He will allow Edgar/Sabin to stock up on healing items.
* The chests in the Military Camp have been relocated.
* The path through the Phantom Forest is NW, SE, SW, NE.
* Shadow is an optional character. He will not confront you in the clock room
unless you talk to him in the cafe while in disguise.
* Shadow will not leave your party until you defeat the TunnelArmr. After that,
he has a 1/16 chance of leaving at the end of battle.
* Terra's scenario begins and ends with battle, so you will not have a chance to
re-equip before or unequip after her scenario.
* If you save Terra's scenario for last, Gau will have access to more Rages.

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-=What's coming in the future?=-

I mentioned this hack was part 1 of 2. The second hack is similar to the popular
"General Leo Edition" hack, but it takes a more story-centered approach that gives
Leo motivation, a character development arc, and a more balanced gameplay style.
His story involves Banon, a footsoldier named Dak, and a whole bunch of handwritten
letters.


The hack will also combine over 2 dozen previously-made hacks, plus a few new ones
that I am creating, to make a definitive FFVI experience.