Diving into the intricate mechanics of classic games like Ogre Battle: Let Us Cling Together (LUCT) often leads enthusiasts to explore beyond conventional gameplay. For those curious about the inner workings, particularly class statistics and level-up progression, save state hacking offers a powerful method for discovery. This guide will walk you through the process of uncovering class data within LUCT using save state manipulation and hex editing techniques, drawing parallels to similar approaches used in Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen (MOTBQ) and Tactics Ogre: Knight of Lodis (TKOL).
Gathering Essential Resources and Information
Before embarking on your data-hunting expedition, it’s crucial to arm yourself with existing knowledge and tools. A preliminary step involves leveraging community resources. Websites like RHDN (Romhacking.net) and GameFAQs are treasure troves of information, often hosting game data dumps compiled by fellow enthusiasts. Furthermore, seeking out PAR (Pro Action Replay), Gameshark, Game Genie codes, and any pre-existing save state hacking guides is invaluable. These resources frequently contain vital clues, such as class order within the game’s data structure, which can significantly streamline your search.
Determining Stat Gains on Level Up
A fundamental piece of data needed is the stat gains for each class upon leveling up. In games like Ogre Battle MOTBQ, stat gains are not entirely random but follow a pseudo-random pattern anchored by minimum values. To ascertain these minimum gains, the save state technique is exceptionally effective.
The process is as follows:
- Create a Save State: Position yourself in the game right before a character levels up. This is your experimental control point.
- Level Up Repeatedly: Load the save state and level up the character multiple times – ideally, a few dozen iterations.
- Observe Stat Gains: Record the stat increases for each level up. By repeating this process, you’ll observe a pattern and identify the minimum stat gains for that specific class. These minimum values are what you’re aiming to pinpoint within the game’s data.
This methodical approach eliminates the randomness and isolates the base stat growth for each class, forming the cornerstone of your data search.
Identifying Class Order in Game Data
With minimum stat gains in hand, the next step is to determine the order in which classes are arranged within the game’s data. Cheat codes designed to change a character’s class are incredibly useful for this purpose. These codes often rely on a numerical system to represent each class. By examining code lists associated with class-changing cheats (found in PAR, Gameshark guides, or online forums), you can deduce the numerical order that corresponds to the class sequence in the game’s memory. This order is critical for interpreting the data you’ll uncover.
Structuring Data for Hex Searching
Once you have both the minimum stat gains for several classes and the class order, you can organize this information to facilitate targeted searching within a hex editor. Assuming, as with MOTBQ, that class data is structured by stat type and then by class order, you can create organized data blocks.
For example, if you hypothetically determine the following (note: these are examples only, not actual LUCT data):
-
Class Order:
00 = Knight
01 = Paladin
02 = Archer
03 = Marksman -
Minimum Stat Gains:
- Knight: Strength +3, Agility +2, Intelligence +1
- Paladin: Strength +4, Agility +2, Intelligence +2
- Archer: Strength +2, Agility +3, Intelligence +1
- Marksman: Strength +3, Agility +4, Intelligence +1
You can structure the data for searching like this:
Strength gains, organized by class:
03 04 02 03
Agility gains, organized by class:
02 02 03 04
Intelligence gains, organized by class:
01 02 01 01Compile this organized data for at least ten classes to increase the specificity of your hex searches. Utilize the wildcard search capabilities of your hex editor if you have gaps in your data.
Hex Editor Searching and Data Verification
Armed with your organized stat gain data, open your ROM (for SNES versions) or a save state (for PS1 versions) in a hex editor. Initiate a search for the numerical sequences you’ve compiled. If your initial search doesn’t yield results, consider that the data might be organized differently – for example, by class first, then by stat type.
In Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis, class data was found by searching for starting stats and level-up stat gains in a combined format:
Starting Strength
Strength Gain on Level Up
Starting Intelligence
Intelligence Gain on Level Up
Starting Agility
Agility Gain on Level UpThis example from TKOL highlights that data arrangement can vary. You might need to experiment with different search patterns based on your understanding of game data structures.
Iterative Refinement and Data Confirmation
Finding the correct data block often involves a process of trial and error. Save state corruption (for PS1) or ROM corruption (for SNES) can be used to quickly test hypotheses. The process is iterative:
- Make an Educated Guess: Based on your data and observations, hypothesize a location in the hex data.
- Corrupt Data (Carefully): Modify values in your hypothesized data location.
- Test in Game: Load the corrupted save state or ROM and observe if the changes affect gameplay in ways consistent with your hypothesis (e.g., altered stat gains).
- Refine and Repeat: If your initial corruption yields relevant changes, refine your hypothesis and continue testing to pinpoint the exact data structure.
This iterative process, while potentially time-consuming, is a direct path to uncovering hidden game mechanics. Accurate data compilation and meticulous verification are paramount to avoid misinterpretations. Double-check your collected data to minimize errors and ensure the integrity of your findings.
By methodically combining save state manipulation, hex editing, and organized data analysis, you can effectively reverse engineer Ogre Battle: Let Us Cling Together to reveal its underlying class stat mechanics and deepen your understanding of this classic game.
