Control (ability)

Control, also known as Manipulate, is an ability that appears in various games in the Final Fantasy series. In most instances, it allows a character to take control of an opponent via the Control status. In many games, this ability is required to learn certain Blue Magic spells.

Final Fantasy V
Control is the Level 2 ability in the Beastmaster class that inflicts the Control status, learned for 50 ABP. This is useful in learning the Blue Magic spells White Wind, Mighty Guard, and Transfusion. The ability has a 40% chance of working without the Hypno Crown equipped, and a 75% chance of working with the Hypno Crown equipped.

Final Fantasy VI
Relm Arrowny and the optional character Gogo can use Control if they equip the Fake Moustache. It allows for Strago to learn some Lores at an easier rate by having Relm or Gogo to control specific enemies, such as Dark Force, and have them cast their Lore spell. Players may also use the opportunity created by controlling the final enemy to use Osmose to absorb the monster's MP as this spell will not end the controlled enemy, and control has no set time limit. Enemies under Relm or Gogo's control will have their sprite flipped horizontally, facing the same way that the controller if facing.

All enemies and bosses have a Control menu with a least one option out of four abilities regardless of being immune to the command or not. This is a safety measure place by the developers to ensure that if the game decides to glitch for one reason or another, the game will not freeze on the player. If Relm controls a target that doesn't have any abilities in this menu, when her turns comes up, the game will freeze.

The chance for the user to successfully Control a monster is as follows:
 * If (Controller's level * 256) / Target's level > [0..255] then successfully control the enemy, otherwise miss.

If the Hypno Crown is equipped, the formula is modified as follows:
 * If (Controller's level * 256) / (Target's level * 170 / 256) > [0..255] then successfully control the enemy, otherwise miss.

If the target has either Invisible, Zombie, Sleep, Confuse, Rage, Trance, or Hidden status, then Control will automatically fail. If the player makes a controlled enemy use Snort on itself, it results in a glitch.

An enemy that has been successfully been controlled, the monster's battle menu will contain up to four abilities. Most of the time, the default Attack and Special will be present on the majority of the enemies along with a mixture of magic spells, Lores, and enemy spells. Occasionally, there will be fewer abilities on the battle menu depending on which enemy is under control. Using spells requires MP, and if a controlled enemy doesn't have enough MP to use the spell, it will fail.

The monster's fighting at the Dragon's Neck Coliseum will not use their regular AI scripts, they will instead use the abilities in Relm's Control options for that monster. Confused enemies will also use the abilities in Relm's Control option, meaning that monster will have abilities ranging from one to four abilities to play with.

Final Fantasy VII
The Manip. command can be used with the Manipulate Materia, found on Cait Sith when he joins. If successful, it inflicts the Manipulate status, which is required to learn the Enemy Skills Big Guard, White Wind, Death Force, Angel Whisper, and Dragon Force.

The success rate for most vulnerable enemies uses two steps. The first step is adding 50 to the user's level, and taking the target's level from the total.
 * $$Hit\% = 50 + User's Level - Target's Level$$

So a user at level 50, against an enemy at level 35 would result in 65.

If multiple enemies are being targeted through Mega All, there is an additional step. There is less chance per enemy, as the Hit% is multiplied by four, then divided by 5, and is then truncated to reach a whole number.
 * $$Hit\% = [(Hit\% * 4) / 5]$$

Using the first example, 65 multiplied by four is 260, divided by five is 52, a whole number.

The second step adds the random element into the math. It randomly selects a number between zero and 99, and if that number is smaller than the Hit%, the target is manipulated.
 * $$Rnd(0..99) < Hit\%$$

If a Hit% adds up to 100 or more, it is certain to hit. In the example used further up, if the result is any number from zero to 64, it will hit. If it is any number from 65 to 99 it will not hit. This means that there is a 65% chance it will succeed, and a 35% chance it will not. If the command is trying to target multiple enemies, the example of 52 would have a 52% chance of hitting and a 48% change of missing.

If the target is not immune to Manipulate, does not have it already afflicted, and does not have any of the statuses that Manipulate cannot be inflicted over, there are two other ways of guaranteeing a success. If the target is weak to the element or status used, it will be inflicted, and if the Hypnocrown is equipped, it will be inflicted.

Manipulate will not work if the target is under Paralyze, Death, Stop, or Petrify, or is already being manipulated.

In the pre-release versions of the game, the menu has a scroll bar and the enemy doesn't glow blue and face away, instead being marked by a yellow pointer.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
The Control command, which can inflict the Control status which can give Control over many species of monsters, can be exercised by a Beastmaster.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
The Beastmaster class returns in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, however the mechanics for controlling a monster have changed: simply causing the monster to use one of its attacks during the Beastmaster's turn rather than flat out controlling its turns. Although this means Control can never fail, the ability to move the monster is lost.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Ark Angel MR's card can use Control. To use it, the player must dull Ark Angel MR, discard another Ark Angel MR card, and pay two Wind CP. Control allows the player to select two Forwards the opponent controls, and deal damage to them equal to their combined power.