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Messages - Shard

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326
I must be missing something, because that doesn't make any sense. If each field has unique models and textures and animations, then there are nearly 1000 different models for each main character in the entire game. That's a metric f***ton of wasted space on the CDs.

In any case, I added a little bit from your long lost thread to the wiki. Right now I'm suffering from programmer syndrome (sunrise is letting me know it's time for sleep) so I have to go pass out.

327
I'm making this thread for two reasons.
1) There's currently no way to know how many frames are in a particular model's animation without just playing one, and trial-and-error is a pain because if your frame counts go outside the animation length, the game freezes.
2) People trying to crack the model/animation format of FF8 can look here to get clues based on the frame count of each animation.

Not much yet, but it's a start.

How to read this:
ANIME <animation ID>: <frame count> (description of animation)


d043 (Laguna)
ANIME 0: 3 (stand idle)
ANIME 1: 29 (walking)
ANIME 2: 21 (running)
ANIME 3: 255 (Spazzy vertex stretching)

329
Graphical / Re: FF8 Triple Triad HD Project
« on: 2014-03-04 21:48:54 »
It's not really a lack of programmers stopping us from putting better character models/textures into FF8. It has a lot more to do with the fact that we don't fully understand FF8's model format.

330
FF8 Tools / Re: [0.7b] Deling - a FF8 field editor
« on: 2014-01-21 04:18:39 »
I know that I could do that, but I'd rather just click one button. It's a feature request. The project I'm working on has a pretty long time table, so I can wait patiently :)

331
FF8 Tools / Re: [0.7b] Deling - a FF8 field editor
« on: 2014-01-20 01:38:42 »
I have a request for your next release, and it seems simple enough:
Can we add sounds to areas that have no sounds?

332
FF8 Tools / [PC] Import/export sounds - FF8Audio (1.1)
« on: 2014-01-19 20:08:42 »
DOWNLOAD

What is FF8Audio?
FF8Audio is an upgrade of Qhimm's FF8SND. In addition to everything FF8SND offers, FF8Audio also lets you add and/or replace sounds to the sound database, lets you add descriptions to each sound, shows you the Field ID for each sound effect (which is different from the FF8SND IDs), has an "export all sounds" button, and can write all the sound data back into the database files.

How do I use FF8Audio?
Extract FF8Audio.jar and FF8Audio.bat (the Descriptions file is optional but you should use it) to the same folder which audio.dat and audio.fmt are located (usually within "Final Fantasy VIII/Data/Sound/" ) and run the bat file. ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR FILES!! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOUR FILES BECOME CORRUPT! The buttons should be self-explanatory, but just in case. . .
  • Load FMT loads all the sound data from the aforementioned files.
  • Save FMT writes all the sound data you've loaded/messed with back into those files.
  • Play Sound plays the currently selected sound.
  • Extract Sound saves the currently selected sound to the "/export" folder this program creates (in the same location).
  • Extract All saves all valid sounds to the "/export" folder, named by their Field ID.
  • Mass Import imports every sound contained in the /import folder. The file name of each sound file will be its Field ID (for example, to replace the "escape from battle" sound (Field ID 7871), place a sound file named "7871.wav" in the /import folder)
  • Replace Sound replaces whichever sound you're selecting with a sound file from your computer (a file chooser dialog will pop up)
  • Add Sound adds a new sound file of your choice to the end of the list.
FF8 supports only one type of sound format: Microsoft 4-bit ADPCM WAV. No program I know of can make these anymore, but luckily, Audacity gets close enough that my program can import a file made by Audacity and do a little housecleaning on it to make it work. To prep a sound file in Audacity, do the following:
  • Make sure your Audacity project is 1 channel, 16 bit PCM
  • Export the sound with the following options: "Other uncompressed formats -> WAV Microsoft -> Microsoft ADPCM"
  • You can then import it with FF8Audio. To make sure it imported correctly, extract the sound back from FF8Audio and open it in whatever media player you use, because the "play sound" button sometimes doesn't work (see below).

What can I do with this?
FF8Audio only lets you modify the sound archives. It doesn't have any functions that let you actually change anything in the game (of course, replacing existing sounds will affect the game). Beyond switching sound effects for better (or different) sound effects, you'll need to have some knowledge of the field files and the script language to make big changes to FF8. With that kind of knowledge, you might be able to do something as spectacular as this.

I guess I should mention that this only lets you change sound effects. This program can't change the game's music.

Are there any bugs
You betcha!
The only known bug is that the "Play Sound" preview doesn't always load the sound properly. This is because Java doesn't really like playing 20-year-old sound formats. The sound files themselves are fine. If there's a sound that doesn't play properly (or doesn't play at all), just export it and open it with your favorite media player to hear it correctly.

The highest field sound ID that FF8 will load is 19999. This program has no way around this limitation. The IDs start at 7850 and FF8 only comes with 2700 of them (the highest ID that comes with the game is 10640), meaning you can add 9359 new sound effects that will work.

My voiceover project will eat up most of that space, I will edit this when I know exactly how many sounds it uses. If you plan on making a mod with new sound effects (as opposed to updated/replaced sounds) that's compatible with the voiceover project, you will have to avoid the IDs that I use.

Is source code available? Can I modify it?
I have released the source under the GNU public license.
https://github.com/ShardFenix/FF8Audio
You are free to use/modify/fork the code as long as you keep me and Qhimm as authors.

Special Thanks
I of course have to thank Qhimm for figuring out the file formats for the audio files and for releasing his FF8SND source code, which I used to get started on this project. I'd also like to thank the rest of you for releasing all these cool mods I love using.

333
Scripting and Reverse Engineering / Re: FF8 Script OpCodes
« on: 2014-01-19 19:29:48 »
Actually I'm using Deling to view the script files, so you'll have to ask myst6re.

334
General Discussion / Re: Wiki editing
« on: 2014-01-17 03:21:40 »

335
Support / Re: FFVIII Sounds Effect Catalog
« on: 2014-01-16 21:30:54 »
I'm hijacking this thread.

00011 - Battle Start (unused? sounds a lot like FF7)

00013 - Some enemy appear?

00016 - Generic "thump" sound (used in lots of places)
00017 - Get item (on field and post battle)
00019 - Enemy spell cast

00027 - unsure if used in game, used in FF8PC installer.
00028 - unsure if used in game, used in FF8PC installer.

00033 - Generic "wood creaking" sound

00062 - ladder step
00063 - ladder step

00102 - Ambience in various underground/water rooms
00103 - Ambience in various underground/water rooms
00104 - Ambience somewhere

00114 - Draw
00115 - Draw
00116 - Draw
00117 - Menu on the Galbadia Missile base computer

00122 - Esthar elevator start
00123 - Esthar elevator loop

00127 - Generic elevator loop
00128 - Balamb attack boat loop
00129 - Balamb attack boat loop (inside?)

00150 - Rinoa wrist weapon fire
00151 - Rinoa wrist weapon hit

00155 - Quistia whip pre-attack

00169 - Irvine attack hit

00171 - Some enemy attacks use this when throwing something big

00173 through 003xx? - Enemy appear and death sounds

01339 - Sound made before Ellone gets attacked in training facility
01340 - The monster scream when it attacks Ellone in training facility

01450 - Balamb Garden Faculty whistle

336
Scripting and Reverse Engineering / FF8 Script OpCodes
« on: 2014-01-15 20:46:13 »
This thread will be my notes on opcode usage in FF8's script files and what I'm currently trying to figure out. I'll list everything the wiki doesn't have a page for. I'll remove things from this thread as I add them to the wiki.

UPDATED 3-13-2014

BATTLE
Some battle flags are still unknown
2^0 (+1): unknown, used with the +128 flag in some boss fights, also used in every deep sea research ruins battle
2^3 (+8): unknown, used in bahamut's room, probably for the bahamut battle. When used on +0 battles, prevents XP and items from being earned
2^5 (+32): unknown, used in the scripted fights at Dollet
2^6 (+64): unknown? Used in Laguna Pandora flashback and in Bahamut's room. Also used in some X-ATM battles
2^7 (+128): unknown, used in oilboyle, abaddon, minotaur/sacred and bahamut's "ruby dragon" fights. Also used in the missile base if you choose to fight everybody
2^8 (+256): unknown, used exclusively while trying to board lunatic pandora from Esthar

CTURNL and CTURNR
These functions seem to do the same thing given the same inputs. They both pause script execution while running. L and R don't appear to mean Left or Right (I've tried near rotations, far rotations, and 120 degree rotations (half circle). They always rotate the shortest angle)

EFFECTPLAY2
The first 2 parameters are almost definitely volume controls, but I haven't played much with them. Many sounds have 127 as the first parameter and either 127 or 128 as the second parameter.

It's also unknown why the channel number is a power of 2 rather than just an integer, but this isn't really important.

CLEAR
My suspicion is that this will "reset" the game's memory (temporary variables). It's used in a bunch of debug rooms and in start0 right before it sets up a new game. The problem with testing this is that I don't know very many of the game's variables, so I wouldn't know how to tell what data is being cleared. (Maybe myst6re knows some of them?).

MESMODE and message channels
There seem to be five usable message channels (from 0-4) in FF8's scripts. MESMODE has three options (0-2). Some channels have different behaviors than other channels even when MESMODE sets them to be the same (for example, channel 1 mode 1 stays on the screen while channel 0 mode 1 does not).

UNKNOWN17
This function's only parameter is a field map ID. It is always used in a script before one of the MAPJUMP functions. Maybe it's a preloader?

337
General Discussion / Re: Wiki editing
« on: 2014-01-15 19:55:06 »
I see. I guess I'll just make my own thread and update it when I find new stuff.

338
General Discussion / Wiki editing
« on: 2014-01-15 18:40:14 »
I've noticed that I can't register an account on the wiki. I assume I have to request an account or something? I'm working with FF8's script files and would like to contribute to the (mostly undocumented) opcode list.

339
Scripting and Reverse Engineering / Re: FF8 wav format
« on: 2013-12-28 04:05:46 »
That's interesting, but luckily that's not what I'm doing. I'm only trying to add new sounds.

340
Scripting and Reverse Engineering / Re: FF8 wav format
« on: 2013-12-18 00:57:44 »
Thanks guys. It turns out FF8's sound effects are ADPCM just like FF7. It looks like I'll have to find a library for java that plays them. At least I can freely edit the audio dat now.

341
Scripting and Reverse Engineering / FF8 wav format
« on: 2013-12-15 12:49:40 »
Long time viewer, first time poster.

Using Qhimm's FF8SND I've been able to write a program that reads and writes FF8's sound effect data (audio.fmt and audio.dat) and has the capability to add or replace sounds. However, the waveform format that FF8 uses seems to be archaic (or uses some compression I don't know about). I'm not talking about the wav file format, just the waveform data.

I was foolish enough to write my program in java, and java has trouble playing the sound files (reading and writing them works fine, and WMP opens extracted sound files perfectly fine). I've been messing with each wav's format data, trying to trick java into playing them correctly, but haven't had much luck yet. The files sound distorted and scratchy, but I can hear remnants of the original sound in each file, which suggests that the correct data is playing, just in the wrong format. Being able to play sounds isn't really necessary of the program, but it led me to another problem. . .

I'm not sure if adding/replacing sounds will be possible, if the imported sounds aren't of the exact same format that FF8 uses for wavs. I really wouldn't know where to start, and was hoping someone else knows more about waveform data than me. At the very least, it would be nice to have a program that can convert any sound to FF8's wave format (opening and saving one of FF8's wavs in audacity about quadruples the size of the data segment).

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