ClaFan Advanced PSP

ClaFan Advanced
ClaFan Advanced
General
Author	Nick Pizanias (NickyP)
Type	OpenBOR Games
Version	Alpha 1
License	Mixed
Last Updated	2015/10/14
Links
	Download
	Website

ClaFan Advanced, short for Classic Fantasy, is the spiritual successor to ClaFan: Classis Fantasy. It improves upon it in several way, both graphically and technically.

Like ClaFan, it is a JRPG-inspired beat 'em up made for the OpenBOR engine. Up to 4 players can join together and venture off on their own journey. There is no real story, however there are many quests and missions the player can engage in. ClaFan thus encourages players to invent their own story: to be limited only by their imagination and the walls of the game world itself.

ClaFan Advanced follows the same principal as the original ClaFan; however it contains many improvements and a deeper combat system.

Installation

Requires OpenBOR to run.

Recommended OpenBOR version is 3.0 rev 3994 or above (tested with v3 Build 6391).

Simply place the FF1.PAK into the PSP/GAME/OpenBOR/Paks/ directory.

Also it is advised to change the Music settings to 200 (In Options > Sound Settings).

User guide

Basic controls

ClaFan Advanced has the following buttons:

Jump - it obvious? It's the jump button.
Attack - The main attack button.
Chain - The secondary attack button. Changes depending on when you press it.
Magic1 - Mages only. Casts a spell.
Magic2 - Mages only. Casts a second spell.
Block - Used for blocking and dodging.

Use the directional buttons to move in that direction. If you double tap and hold forward, you'll run.

Attacking

If you repeatedly press the Attack button, you'll perform an Attack Combo. Most characters have a five-hit Attack Combo - the last hit of which will knock enemies back.

You may also perform Attacks in the air. If an enemy was launched in the air, Jump to chase after them and press the Attack button. If you successfully land an Attack on the enemy, you may press the Attack button again.

Chains

The Chain button is very important, as it lets you use your character to their fullest potential. There are three kinds of Chains: a neutral chain, a midcombo chain, and an aerial chain.

Neutral Chains are executed by pushing the Chain button without any other action. All characters have a neutral chain.

Midcombo Chains are executed by pushing the Chain button immediately after pushing the Attack button. All characters have at least one midcombo chain. Non-mage characters have two midcombo chains.

Aerial Chains are executed by pushing the Chain button in the air. Only non-mage characters have an aerial chain.

Spells

"Mage" and magic-enabled characters can cast magic spells through use of the Magic1 and Magic2 button.

Casting a spell will consume the character's MP, but they are very useful.

Note that characters will slowly regain MP; so don't be afraid to use magic.

Glide Cancel

The Glide Cancel is a new feature in ClaFan Advanced. It can be used as an aerial dodge, an escape from on an oncoming attack, and even a means of transportation.

To Glide Cancel, press Block in the air. You will dash in the direction you're facing and be invincible during the dash.

Glide Cancels can be activated at any time in the air, except during a Glide Cancel. You can also change directions while Glide Cancelling.

Character Stats

On the character select screen, you'll notice that each character's basic stats are displayed and ranked by stars. Below are the stats and their explanation:

HP - The amount of health the character has.
ATK - The amount of damage the character is capable of outputting. This takes into account the damage output of their full Attack Combo, and their potential damage output that's made capable through Chains.
MP - The amount of magic points the character has. The more magic points there are, the more you can cast spells. If this stat is blank, that means the character doesn't have magic points.
MAG - The amount of damage the character is capable of outputting through spells. If this stat is blank, that means the character doesn't have spells.

Differences from ClaFan

ClaFan's characters and enemies are based on if not inspired by or edited to look like 8-bit NES sprites. ClaFan Advanced uses 16 and 32-bit sprites.

More effort was put into ClaFan Advanced to keep the color palette and integrity of level backgrounds.

In ClaFan, the HUD contained player and enemy parameters, in addition to taking up half of the screen. In ClaFan Advanced, the HUD has been reduced to take up less than a quarter of the screen, and only displays player parameters. Enemy health bars are displayed above the enemy now.

In ClaFan, the world map is a giant map that is explored in a top-down fashion. In ClaFan Advanced, the world map is a series of large, side-scrolling maps that connect to several other maps.

In ClaFan, towns and other exploration areas had no depth nor boundaries. You could walk on water and through walls, etc. This is not the case in ClaFan Advanced; as not only do cliffs, trees, and buildings have boundaries on them, but you can even jump onto some of them.

In ClaFan, all characters played different in their Attack Combo. Some characters had a maximum of 5 hits, others had only 3. In ClaFan advanced, all characters have a 5 hit Attack Combo. Further, all characters have an identical attack width and distance in their Attack Combo--so they are differentiated by their Chains, Magic, and stat parameters.

In ClaFan, you healed in towns by picking up food scattered about. In ClaFan Advanced, an NPC named Mr. Healer will automatically restore you to full health. Further, Mr. Healer appears throughout the game outside of towns, such as in dungeons or even parts of the world map.

In ClaFan, characters only had an Attack Combo and the three Chains (neutral, aerial, and mid-combo). In ClaFan Advanced, this differs by type of character. Characters who are not magic enhanced have a neutral Chain, an aerial Chain, and two mid-combo Chains. Characters who are magic enhanced only have a neutral Chain and one mid-combo Chain. However, magic enhanced characters have access to two different spells by way of the Magic1 and Magic2 buttons.

In ClaFan, characters could dodge by pressing the Block button while moving. In ClaFan Advanced, this is expanded upon; you can now additionally dodge in the air.

Tips & Tricks

Normal enemies can be hit an infinite number of times in the air. Bosses can only be hit 5 times in the air; and some bosses can't be launched into the air whatsoever.

Don't write off a character just because it appears to have a weak stat spread. The stats in the select screen are just a general guide. They don't take into account a characters "playability;" any character can be overpowered if you're clever enough to use them right! For example, cast a barrier as a White Mage and try jumping forward into enemies.

Feel like playing later? Exit the game in a town. It'll be an easier starting point for you to continue where you left off than in the middle of a quest.

Want to goof around with the law of physics? Jump, then repeatedly press Attack and Block in alternating sequence. It's called "Glide" Cancelling for a reason.

If a character doesn't have an MP and MAG stat on the character select screen, they're not magic-enabled. If they aren't magic-enabled, then the Magic1 and Magic2 buttons do nothing while using them.