FF8/Variables

By Shard.

Game variables can be accessed using the PSHM family of script functions, and can be written to by using the POPM family of functions. Which one you use depends on the size of the variable.

The variables are all stored in save files, with the save block starting at address 0xD10 on uncompressed PC saves. The parameter to access a variable in the game scripts is basically the offset from this point in the variable block. For example, getting main story progress (word 256, which is word 0x100 in hex) just gets the two bytes starting at address 0xD10 + 0x100 = 0xE10. The varmap is continuous in memory while the game is running as well. In the en-US version of the original and SE releases (and likely most other versions), the varblock begins at 0x18fe9b8. You can use this Cheat Engine table to track them as you play.

Because we don't have a way to analyze the battle scripts yet, some of these variables (even the unused ones) may be used during battles.

Var type	Var Number	Description
Long	80	Counts the number of frames since the current movie started playing.
Word	84	Last area visited. This is related to SETPLACE somehow.4
Word	256	Main Story quest progress.
Byte	266	World map version? (3=Esthar locations unlocked)
Byte	300	Card Queen re-cards.
Byte	301-303	unused in fields
Byte	304-305	Timber Maniacs issues found.
Byte	306-319	unused in fields
Byte	320-332	Ultimecia Gallery related (pictures viewed?)
Byte	333	Ultimecia Armory chest flags
Byte	334	Ultimecia Castle seals. See SEALEDOFF for details.
Byte	335	Card related
Byte	336	Deling City bus related
Byte	338-340	Deling Sewer gates opened
Byte	341	Does lots of things.5
Byte	342	Deling City bus system
Byte	343	G-Garden door/event flags.
Byte	344	B-Garden / G-Garden event flags (during GvG)
Byte	345	G-Garden door/event flags.
Byte	346-349	FH Instrument (346 Zell, 347 Irvine, 348 Selphie, 349 Quistis)
Word	350-356	Health Bars (Garden mech fight)
Byte	358	Space station talk flags, Centra ruins related (beat odin?).
Byte	359	Centra ruins related (beat odin?).
Long	360	Choice of FH music.
Byte	364-368	Randomly generated code for Centra Ruins.
Byte	369-370	Ultimecia Castle flags
Byte	371	unused in fields
Byte	372-376	Ultimecia boss/timer/item flags
Byte	377	Ultimecia organ note controller
Byte	378	Centra Ruins timer (controls blackout messages from Odin)
Byte	379	unused in fields
Word	380	Squall health during mech fight.
Byte	382-383	unused in fields
Byte	384	Something about Laguna's time periods and GFs.
Byte	385	Laguna dialogue in pub. Only the +2 bit is ever set. Don't change the +1 bit.
Byte	387	Winhill progress?
Byte	388	Timber Maniacs HQ talk flags (main lobby)
Byte	389	Timber Maniacs HQ talk flags (office room)
Byte	390	Edea talk flags at her house
Byte	391	Laguna talk flags (in his office, disc 3)
Byte	392	unknown (used in Edea's house and in the Balamb Garden computer system)
Byte	393-399	unused in fields
Long	400 and 404	Related to monsters killed in Winhill, but I don't think it actually does anything. Will investigate.
Byte	408	unused in fields
Byte	409	Balamb Garden computer system
Byte	410-431	unused in fields
Byte	432	BG Main hall flags
Byte	433	Flags. Switches are assigned all over BG. No idea what any of them control.
Byte	434	Flags. Switches are assigned all over BG. No idea what any of them control.
Byte	435	Flags. Switches are assigned all over BG. No idea what any of them control.
Byte	436	Moomba friendship level in the prison? Some actions cause these flags to be set.
Byte	437	In BG on Disc 2, keeps track of who's in your party. In the prison, it's the current floor you're on.
Byte	438	Cid vs Norg event flags
Byte	439	Cid vs Norg event flags
Byte	440	Event flags. (+1 Quad ambush, +2 quad item giver, +4/+8 Infirmary helped, +16 Nida, +64 Kadowaki Elixir, +128 Training center)
Byte	441	Cid vs Norg event flags
Byte	442	Rinoa Garden tour flags
Byte	443-444	unused in fields
Byte	445-447	Propagator defeated flags
Word	448	Unknown
Byte	450-451	Various magazine/talk flags
Byte	452	Lunatic Pandora areas visited?
Byte	453-455	Moomba teleport variables
Byte	456-457	unused in fields
Byte	458-459	Used with MUSICSKIP in some Balamb Garden areas
Byte	460	Random flags (some used for Card Club)
Byte	461-473	unused in fields
Byte	488	Alternate Party Flags. Irvine +1/+16, Quistis +2/+32, Rinoa +4/+64, Zell +8/+128.1
Byte	625	Balamb visited flags (+8 Zell's room)
Byte	720	Squall's costume (0=normal, 1=student, 2=SeeD, 3=Bandage on forehead)
Byte	721	Zell's Costume (0=normal, 1=student, 2=SeeD)
Byte	722	Selphie's costume (0=normal, 1=student, 2=SeeD)
Byte	728	Does lots of things.3
Byte	730	Flags (+1 Joined Garden Festival Committee, +4 Gave Selphie tour of BG, +16 Kadowaki asks for Cid, +32 and +64 Tomb of Unknown Kind hints?, +128 Beat all card people?)
Byte	734	Split Party Flags (+1 Zell, +2 Irvine, +4 Rinoa, +8 Quistis, +16 Selphie).2

Notes

1. When the party splits in disc 2, each party member in the inactive party except Selphie has one of the eight bits changed for this variable. One member has a flag in the 4 most significant bits, and the other has a flag in the 4 least significant bits. It's done this way so that when the characters appear, they animate towards different locations in the field, rather than stacking on top of each other.

2. This byte contains flags for which characters are in Squall's party when the party splits in disc 2.

3. List of everything that 728 holds throughout the game:

• SeeD field exam "Conduct" score (lose points when you do something wrong at Dollet).
• Train job attempts (Timber)
• Tomb of the Unknown King student ID.
• Who you took to space in disc 3.

4. The field controlling restriction unlocking in Ultimecia's Castle uses this to figure out where to jump the party after they've broken a seal. It's unknown how SETPLACE actually sets this, it's not always related to the field ID or the SETPLACE parameter. This variable is also set at Balamb Garden's front gate manually.

5. List of everything that 341 holds throughout the game:

• First flashback team
• Selphie's current action when escaping from Deling's mansion (changes the dialogue)
• FH Concert Crappiness
• Something in B-Garden classroom during the paratrooper attack.