Final Fantasy II: Final Fantasy IV - Ultima

Final Fantasy IV - Ultima is a 'deluxe' version of Final Fantasy II for the SNES. This hack adds a bunch of additions to the base game while keeping the majority of the main story intact and the feel of FF2US the same.

List of features, additions and changes:
- Party Swapping among 11 different members at Endgame!!
- Dark Knight Cecil now available at endgame!!
- A Full-Featured Bestiary!! A Brand New Title Screen!
- A VERY Challenging BOSS RUSH Mode unlocked at endgame!!
- New Game+ mode with higher MAX level/stats!!
- 58 New Weapons! Including Magically Imbued Weapons!
- 62 New Spells/Summons! Also revamped existing spells!
- 38 New Bosses! Brand New Boss at Endgame with Randomized AI!
- New Achievements Feature at: https://retroachievements.org/game/1072
- New Status 'Aura/Color' for buffs/ailments during battle!!
- Damage Limit increased to 14999! Can turn Encounters On/Off!
- New Areas! New Side Quests! New and Upgradable Commands!!
- New Optional Patches for Alternate Sprites and Palette!
- New Enemy Graphics! New Events! New Endgame Scenarios!
- New Equipment/Spell Menus with DETAILED info!!
- New attack/swing/spell animations!
- New weapon graphics!! New sound effects! New items!!
- New maps, new areas and new edits to overworld maps!
- New events! New enemies!! Sprint with the Y button!!
- New commands for characters. New Armors and Gears!
- Revamped shops/equipment and balanced their progression.
- Dark Knight Cecil now dual-wields and is 2-handed!!
- Edge is now buffed offensively! Can steal Rare items!
- Rydia has new summons!
- Cecil has been buffed as a tank.
- Rosa can use more combative gears and new spells.
- Kain has various new spells and commands.
- Yang, Edward, Palom, Porom and others have also been buffed!
- Lots of secrets that can lead to early acquirement of better equipment!
- Few minor tweaks to the base game such as save points, etc.

More guides and info at:



Discord:

Final Fantasy IV - Ultima
---------------------------------------------------------
-= Complete hack v2022(rev25c) =-

For a non-headered file, apply...
'Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022rev25c - no header.ips'
directly to a non-headered 'Final Fantasy II (U) (V1.1).smc'

or...
For a headered file, apply...
'Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022rev25c - headered.ips'
directly to a headered 'Final Fantasy 2 (V1.1) (U).smc'
---------------------------------------------------------

Description:
---------------------------------------------------------
FF2US is one of the greatest games in the series and is one of my favorites. However, the version we got always felt lacking in the areas of extra content. The base game had a lot going for it and was full of potential - with a great soundtrack, lovable cast of characters, and a ATB battle system that is second to none in the series ... I have always wanted MORE of FF4. This was the reason for this hack. It started out as a personal project for myself, but when it was completed, I decided to release to the public. Hope everyone enjoys it!
This hack adds new content to the base game, while keeping the main story intact and the feel of FF2US the same.
This hack aims to be a 'deluxe' version of FF2US.
---------------------------------------------------------

List of features, additions, and changes:
---------------------------------------------------------
1) 58 New Weapons! Including Ultima Weapon based on character's HP!
2) 62 New Spells, Summons, and Enemy Techs! Also revamped existing spells to become more useful!
3) Party Swapping among 11 different members at Endgame!! You can now even Solo Cecil!!
4) Dark Knight Cecil available for use at endgame!! DKC now dual-wields and is ambidextrous!
5) New Game+ mode!! Full-Featured Bestiary!! New events! New side quests!
6) New Armors, Gear, and Items! Brand New Animated Title Screen!!
7) Improved UI Menus and a New Equipment Screen with DETAILED buffs and stats!!
8) In NG+, Max Level is now 149 plus increase of max stats and HP!!
9) New Status 'Aura' and 'Face Color' indicating what buffs and ailments a character has during battle!
10) New Magically Imbued Weapons that cast spells upon striking enemies!!
11) New commands and upgradable commands for characters and end-game party!
12) An Extrememly Difficult Boss Rush Mode that can be unlocked at endgame!!
13) 38 New bosses!! New areas!! New endgame scenarios!! New enemies!!
14) Brand New Boss at Endgame that utilizes Randomized AI!!
15) Damage Limit has been increased to 14999!!
16) New attack/swing animation! New sound effects! New weapon graphics!!
17) Other easter eggs such as Upper/Lower Babil being connected via teleporter at endgame!
18) New shops!! Lots of equipment balance!
19) Can turn Enemy Encounters On or Off!!
20) Edge is now buffed and an offensive powerhouse! He can also steal rare items using a special Item!
21) Rydia has been given more Summons and other surprises!
22) Cecil has been buffed as a tank. He's also been given a slew of new defensive buffing spells and commands.
23) Rosa can use more combative gears and several new white spells.
24) Kain has various new spells and a new command as he rejoins the team.
25) Many enemies now have meaningful rare drops, and all end-game enemies now have rare ultimate drops!
26) New thrown weapons and back-row weapons!
27) Lots of secrets that can lead to early acquirement of better equipment!
28) Few minor tweaks to the base game such as save points, etc.
29) New optional alternate graphical patches!!
---------------------------------------------------------

Tools and resources used:
---------------------------------------------------------
ff4kster, FFIV Project II, FF4ed, FlexHEX, Tile Layer Pro, snes9x, zsnes, SD2SNES, discord and romhacking.net.
---------------------------------------------------------

Special thanks:
---------------------------------------------------------
I would first like to give a big THANK YOU to the entire FF4Ultima team:
chillyfeez, Ace_Aileron, mathguy86, Couch_23, Smbai, JDP, scarlet, Lily, verdelet, Caterplus07, edgeworth, DarkZitan, Retrohacknerd, and CasualTom.

I would also like to give credits to everyone that's contributed to this project:
Pinkpuff, vivify93, Fauntleroy, Yousei, Grimoire LD, b0ardface, SnowPin, and Crow!

Credits to contributors on various optional patches:
chillyfeez - Final Fantasy IV - Ultima - Sylph-Bloodfeast fix
FlamePurge - Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Rosa alt menu portrait
T29 - Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Record Keeper battle sprites
mrBrawndo - Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Super Remaster portraits
Gedankenschild/MObreck - Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Enemy Graphics 4bpp upgrade
MObreck - Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Pixel Remaster and All The Bravest graphical upgrade

Pinkpuff and Fauntleroy for their inspiration with Unprecedented Crisis and Golbez Edition.
Fauntleroy for the amazing Golbez sprites from the Golbez Edition!!
Pinkpuff for the AMAZING ff4kster editor! This hack would NOT have been possible without it!
Yousei for the FF4ed editor as it was the only one I found that allowed me to edit the world maps!
Huge thanks also to vivify93 for allowing us to use Project II as a base! I chose to use Project II because it's the closest to FF2US, with most of the dummied out content added back in.
Also, a very special thanks to chillyfeez and Grimoire LD for indentifying and fixing the critical hit bug!
Thanks to chillyfeez again and Myself086 also for the improved version of the SPRINT function! Also a big thank you to chillyfeez again for the multiple attack swings mod and help with improving the sound effect for the Thunder Slash! Another HUGE thanks to chillyfeez for the help with new enemy graphics!!
Grimoire LD again for the Immunity bugifx patch.
A very very special thanks to b0ardface from the Free Enterprise FF4 Randomizer mod (http://ff4fe.com/) for fixing the attack power overflow glitch!
Last but not least, huge thanks to Crow! for help implementing the Equipment Screen Mod!
Crow! is also the author of the amazing FF4 randomizer called The Lunarian Shuffle. You can find more info for his works at the following: Twitch channel (https://www.twitch.tv/iicrowii) and The Lunarian Shuffle's official blog (https://ff4-lunarianshuffle.blogspot.com/).
A hugh thanks to SnowPin for the partnership with RetroAchievements.org for adding Achievements to FF4Ultima!! You can find more info here: https://retroachievements.org/game/1072
---------------------------------------------------------

Acknowledgements and Credits:
---------------------------------------------------------
SQUARE for this amazing game.
Nintendo for licensing the game in the US.
Lord British/Richard Garriott and Origin Systems for my favorite RPG series - Ultima.

FF4 Ultima Team:
Creator/Main Designer - 8.bit.fan
Main ASM - chillyfeez
Script and Text - Ace_Aileron
v2022 Main Testers - mathguy86, Smbai, Lily, verdelet
RetroAchievements.org - SnowPin
Discord Admins - Couch_23, JDP, scarlet, Caterplus07, edgeworth, DarkZitan, Retrohacknerd, and CasualTom
---------------------------------------------------------

Files included in zip:
---------------------------------------------------------
Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022rev25c - no header.ips
Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022rev25c - headered.ips
Final Fantasy IV Ultima readme.txt
Final Fantasy IV Ultima changelog.txt

Optional Patches:
--- Final Fantasy IV - Ultima - Sylph-Bloodfeast Fix.ips ---
--- Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Remove Multiple Hit Attack Animation.ips ---
Various Sprite/Palette/Graphics/Font patches:
--- Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Record Keeper Battle Sprites by T29 ---
--- Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Alternate Golbez Rosa battle menu sprite palette ---
--- Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Alternate Rosa Portrait by FlamePurge ---
--- Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Super Remaster Portrait/Font Pack by mrBrawndo ---
--- Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Enemy Graphics 4bpp upgrade by Gedankenschild/MObrec(v1,v2) ---
--- Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Pixel Remaster and All The Bravest graphical upgrade patches by MObreck ---
--- Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022revXX - Revision in Title.ips ---
--- Final Fantasy IV - Ultima v2022 - Remove Bestiary Arrows.ips ---

(The only optional patch RetroAchievements will work with is the Sylph-Bloodfeast fix patch)
---------------------------------------------------------

Latest Changes:

Version 2022(rev25c) changes:
---------------------------------------------------------
Minor adjustments:
Chicken Knife - Buffed to make it a more unique endgame weapon.
Octomamm - Buffed slightly again.
Updated 1 chest in the Lunar Sub.
Toad no longer works on Jelly.

Optional Patches:
-New additions to Record Keeper sprites by T29
---------------------------------------------------------

Transferring Older Save Files:
---------------------------------------------------------
Saves from versions 2022(rev19) 2022(rev20) 2022(rev21) 2022(rev22) 2022(rev23) 2022(rev24) 2022(rev25) 2022(rev25a) 2022(rev25b) will work perfectly without any issues.

Saves from versions 2022(rev14) 2022(rev15) 2022(rev16) 2022(rev17) 2022(rev18) will work fine without any issues except:
1) If Kain in your save is before level 20, your save will work 100% without any issues.
2) If Kain is after level 20 but before 40, you will miss his Blink spell.
3) If Kain is after level 40 but before 52, you will also miss his Protect spell.
4) If Kain is after level 52, you will also miss Shell in his spell list.
*In scenarios 2 3 or 4, starting NG+ will clear the bug.

Saves from versions 2022(rev12) 2022(rev13) will work fine without any issues except:
1) If your save is before defeating Ultima Buster, your save will work 100% without any issues.
2) If your save is after defeating Ultima Buster, Dark Wave for DKC will not get upgraded. In this scenario, starting NG+ will clear the bug.

Saves from versions 2022(rev6) 2022(rev7) 2022(rev8) 2022(rev9) 2022(rev10) 2022(rev11) should work without any issues with a few caveats:
1) If your save is before using the Magma Key, your save will work 100% without any issues.
2) If your save is after using the Magma Key, speaking to the well in Agart and/or dropping the Key again will cause all sorts of glitches! Do so at your own risk! In this scenario, starting NG+ will clear the bug.

Saves from versions 2022 2022(rev1) 2022(rev2) 2022(rev3) 2022(rev4) 2022(rev5):
1) If the save is before the battle with the CPU, it will work perfectly without any issues.
2) If the save is after the CPU, the newest recruitable character will miss 1 of 3 obtainable spells. In this scenario, starting NG+ will clear the bug.

For more info, please reach out to us on the FF4Ultima discord: https://discord.gg/4MqjwJt

Saves from all versions before 2022 will absolutely GLITCH. Please start a new game and enjoy! :)
---------------------------------------------------------

More info:
---------------------------------------------------------
http://www.8bitfan.info/
https://discord.gg/4MqjwJt
http://romhackwiki.8bitfan.info
https://retroachievements.org/game/1072
http://www.8bitfan.info/RomHackingWiki/index.php?title=Final_Fantasy_IV_-_Ultima
https://twitter.com/8_bit_fan
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4134/
8.bit.fan@8bitfan.info
---------------------------------------------------------

2023.8.8 - 8.bit.fan

Final Fantasy II (U) [!] (v1.1).smc
English
Version 1.1
Unheadered (1,049,088 bytes)
CRC-32: 23084FCD
MD-5: 27D02A4F03E172E029C9B82AC3DB79F7
SHA-1: 41A74EB369A7A91815529EF99AB1B20E20E2BDF3E26