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What’s in an Interface?
For the foreseeable future, we’ll be zeroing in on FEBuilder: its layout and how to use it. FEBuilder is a tool to modify GBA Fire Emblem games. As always, this post builds off of the basis discussed in my first blog, so if you’re confused, head on there first. Then come back. I need the viewers. Here’s an introductory look at the basic interface (as of 3/16/18) which we’ll go over in more depth below.
In the last post, we downloaded FEBuilderGBA. Now let’s do something with it.
Welcome to the FEBuilderGBA!
So some things aren’t perfectly translated yet, it’s a WIP (humble self-promotion: I’ve updated a good deal of this to be consistent proper readable English). Let’s open up FEBuilder with our copies of FE8U (Fire Emblem 8, American English). We’ll break down that screenshot from above and figure out just what FEBuilder can do for you.
Selecting a Selection Bar
Progressing across the app screen like a book we can see several different sections of data:
Here we have our upper level selection bar. Most of the time this won’t see much use from you, but there are some very powerful options available here.
In the “File” tab, “Save as UPS difference” creates a UPS patch file with your customized changes. This is used with a UPS patcher for others to install your work onto their ROMs (as distributing ROMs is highly illegal). When will you use this? Not terribly often, at least not at first. But when you’ve finally got your project ready for others’ eyes or if you need help troubleshooting a problem, this button takes care of that conversion for you with two clicks (if there are further questions we can, of course, go over them later).
The “Execution” (now “Open”) tab allows one to open their ROM with other applications without leaving FEBuilder once you’ve set up a few things in Setting -> Option. You can play your ROM while FEBuilder is open; open the code; import songs and events; and open with a declared (or undeclared) program.
The “Tool” (Tools) tab has a ton of powerful creator tools that may be especially valuable if you are making custom art assets. For example, Cancel UNDO operation (“Revision History”) allows you to browse through the most recent ROM edit saves and revert to them as needed. Patches allows you to browse through the FE patches that have been linked with FEBuilder. As a general rule, if you know what you’re reading, you might use it. For basic projects, we probably won’t touch most of this, though.
The “Setting” tab (now Settings; I should probably update these images) allows you to link FEBuilder with other applications that are highly useful in the hacking process (the ones necessary to make the most of the “Execution” tab). Version enables you to make sure you are on the newest revision, but FEBuilder automatic updates should be enabled, and it should be up to date. Below is the option button expanded.
- An emulator for playing your ROM
- A secondary emulator
- Sappy for music editing
- Event Assembler for the myriad functions it has.
Who Needs Editors, I Certainly donut Don’t
Whew… Onto the next section, then! And this one calls for some appropriately exciting music.
Now this is substantial. This section of FEBuilder is the section that most people will do most of their hacking within. Each of these really calls for more detail than I can keep this post to, but we’ll go over them briefly.
Character Editor: This allows you to edit units. An important part to understand here is that units include the enemy unit templates that are used and reused throughout the campaign for a wide variety of enemies of varying classes. When looked at another way, this means that the class you set in Character Editor is 100% meaningless to gameplay (and must be set in chapter event data by using the Unit Placer).
Class Editor: This allows you to edit classes, their stats, and their growths. You can make new classes with new animations here to your heart’s content.
Item Editor: Edit and create items! The most straightforward one so far.
Map Editor: Edit maps. This option begins with the map you’ve selected on the left. However, you can change maps with the “Edit Tile” dropdown menu. The map editor is a lot like the previously mentioned Tiled, only within FEBuilder with a bit less freedom.
Unit Placer: Breaks down player, NPC, and enemy units into their groups and when they spawn. This modifies the unit portion of event data.
Chapter Editor: Breaks down each chapter into the datasets that form it. This is like a web of interwoven data and is a hub for some of the most important aspects of unique hacks, namely events and maps.
Image Editors: Opens a hub with various graphics editors. Many of these will be used for custom hacks.
Song Table: Fairly self explanatory, but it’s important to know that all sound effects are located within this table, not just songs.
Advanced Editors: This opens up the full gamut of editors that FEBuilder has available to it. And there is A LOT in here. Everything listed above and everything else is here, making it the ultimate tool hub, though it is not particularly straightforward. Luckily, it has a search bar!
All the editors currently available in the Advanced Editors tab.
With that we’re left with three parts of the UI.
The Final Chapter:
The rest of the UI relates to chapter data. Thank goodness. I needed a softball lobbed my way.
Oh... Okay then... Moving on...
Here along the left-hand side is the chapter list. Clicking on any chapter will update the next two pieces of the UI with the relevant data…
In the middle here taking up most of the screen is our map. You can interact with units on this screen,
but are unable to do most other edits that you can do in the full map editor.
And last but not least, we have our event pane on the right-hand side. This breaks up our events into the conditions upon which they occur and what happens during them. Events are probably the hardest task to wrap your head around as a novice or expert, so we’ll get more in-depth on those later. Much… later…
Bask In Our Triumph
With that complete, we’re all expert novices at FEBuilderGBA, together. Now that we understand the basics of navigating FEBuilder, we can hone in on the apps that excite you the most. Is there anything you want to know how to do? Anything you’re struggling with? Let me know and we’ll learn some things. Until then, I’m Shindad the Great, and you’re pretty awesome, too.