We hope everyone is enjoying V25. It has been well received and the mod options are starting to grow.

However, there was an issue that needed attention, that we didn’t want to wait to address, so we’re releasing V25.1! Download with the button to the right.

There was an issue with patch/mod conflict reporting, where the patch wizard wasn’t reporting conflicts properly in some cases. That has been fixed. In addition, V25.1 includes a pretty big development-centered update that allows making files larger than the originals via DFR.

An issue was also discovered with the PCs with Enemy Weaknesses bugfix patch that wasn’t working properly for a handful of items and causing the absence of secondary bonus effects. This patch has been updated (v1.1).

A few more bugfixes new with V25.1

Sc2 Battle 27 Barrel Fix Sc2
Enemies on the main map and Barrels in the ruins share IDs and the barrels would disappear on game load if the enemies had been defeated. This ensures the barrels and loot will still be there.

Sc2 Special Illusion Fix Sc2
Patches Sc2 to match Sc3. Removes illusion status effect from Penguin Flash (Silver Beak special) and adds it to Plasma Shell (Robby/Shell L1 special).

Sc2 Syntesis with Saraband Key Fix Sc2
-spoilers- Forces Syntesis into the active party in Saraband when the arrest happens. The player could put her in reserve before the arrest and then not have access to the Saraband Key, which is needed to advance the story.

Leader Always Active Fix v1.01 Sc1, Sc2 (v1.003)
IN TESTING. The Hero will never be placed in reserve by the game even if he is the lowest level character.

Sc3 Unpromoted Music Fix Sc3
Unpromoted characters now play the correct battle music. Previously their Promoted music played.

Speaking of mod options, we have put together a few since V25 was released that we think you should know about.

Preferred Weapon Mods
This series of mods solves the issue of having a penalty for using anything but the default weapon for each character. These give an appropriate weapon on join and move weapon XP to the chosen preferred weapon. This allows you to experience all equipable weapon types (and their special attacks) with every character without falling behind due to the transition. Due to the sheer number of these mods, this series will be permanently located in the Mods directory on the FTP.
https://sf3transftp.shiningforcecentral.com/Mods/PreferredWeaponMods/
Using these has really been special for me personally. I love the variety of all the different combinations.

Blacksmith Interface Update and Results
Phase 2 of weapon empowerment is making the blacksmith a bit more customer friendly. The Blacksmith Interface Update mod gives Sc2 and Sc3 Blacksmiths a similar interface to Sc1, including showing your gold total. The Blacksmith Results mod allows you to see what item the Blacksmith plans to make before you pay, so you can back out and try again without having to constantly reset if you don’t like the RNG. Note Patch Wizard V25.1 is required for these two. These mods may see additional improvements and there may be additional Blacksmith mods in the future.

Note Phase 3 of weapon empowerment will be the inclusion and/or placement of all the fully-functioning gameshark-only weapons, but that is not ready just yet.

Show High HP v2 (Updated to include 3D battle scenes)
High enemy HP (600 and above) replaces ??? with actual value in the status menu and the target window in battle, including battle scenes.

Reserves Available in Town
Allows access to reserve characters in status menus outside of battle. This enables inventory management with reserve characters, which reduces tedious trips to the HQ.

Walcuray Be Quiet
Removes sound the Walcuray makes in Sc3 Battles 4 and 28 which some find annoying.

Increase Centaur Movement in Sand v3
A long complained-about mechanic has a solution! This mod reduces the movement penalty for Centaurs (friend and foe) on Sand and Desert terrain.

Thanatos Animation
The Thanatos animation was inexplicably changed for the PD. This patches the PD to have the same Thanatos animation as the previous scenarios.

Text and Dialog:
A handful of small corrections across all scenarios.
HQ carrying too much line overlap fixed.
Blacksmith incidental lines made consistent across all scenarios.

In addition to the FTP Mods directory, you will find mods in the V25+ directory.
https://sf3transftp.shiningforcecentral.com/Mods/
https://sf3transftp.shiningforcecentral.com/V25+/
The 25+ location will be our proving ground between releases and Mods will house mod series’ such as the Preferred Weapon mods, which might normally ship with the main package, but are too bulky. There are a total of 97 mods with the Preferred Weapon series alone!

You’ll find new versions of the Extra Mods pack, including new mods:
Open Locked Chests – All – QoL
Allows the player to open locked chests in and outside of battle.
Show Hidden Stats – All – Mods
Makes status boxes available for enemies and objects, such as barrels, that are usually hidden.

Thank you for providing feedback! Please continue to share any comments and issues you find during your adventure.

legalize freedom!