Author Topic: [FF7PC-98/PSX] The FFVII AV mod (2010-11-22 Demo)  (Read 66224 times)

Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: My FFVII AV mod - the demo...
« Reply #25 on: 2010-11-15 21:24:36 »
What you describe is the same as power-leveling - something I don't agree with. But because I don't agree with it, doesn't mean I should remove this option. All players play the way they like. Once again, they have the choice. As long as they have fun, this is all that matters to me.

My mod is designed so you should never need to farm sources, anywhere. You're just supposed to use the sources you get, from fighting random enemies while running from point A to point B. With your logic, even Experience and AP points are a bad thing, because they also lead some players to grind. Someone likes grinding ? I say let him do it. I'm not creating a hardcore mod of some kind, so I can laugh at people who can't beat a boss (no offense to the hardcore mods out there, though - I really liked gjoerulv's, for example). But this is not what my mod is. My mod is another take at FFVII, that is harder and challenging, but that any kind of player can play through and have a blast doing it. And if a player doesn't feel confident with his skills enough, he can grind as much as he likes. Whatever floats one's boat.

As for the elemental attributes of weapons and limits, well... ...It's a choice of mine. It might be 'right' or 'wrong', I don't know - but this is the choice I made. I thank you for voicing your opinion, and I expect others to do the same (as I said, nothing is set in stone). But I would like for some people to try at least the demo and to give me some feedback too, before I changed anything. But one thing is for sure : the mod will evolve. Ideas will be ditched, and some will be born. This elemental business could very well be one of those that will be ditched, who knows.

(but you also have to understand, that if I listen to everyone, nothing will ever get done. Even if not perfect, I intend to complete this project - and I already know that everyone won't be satisfied. You just can't please all players ; it's impossible)

(and thanks Beavii, by the way ;) - the file is being uploaded at the moment)

EDIT:

Upload complete! :) First post edited to give the download link & instructions.
« Last Edit: 2010-11-15 23:50:50 by Armorvil »

xLostWingx

  • *
  • Posts: 801
  • No Comment
    • View Profile
    • FFVII Lost Wing Mod/Hacks
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #26 on: 2010-11-15 22:33:53 »
Do you know (or anyone that is reading this) what happens if I apply the kernel and scene patch (flevel mabe too....idk what that is) to a clean scene/kernel then stick them into the PSX version?  I know I wouldn't get the full effect of your mod, but does such a procedure work?

EDIT:  If you designed it for PC then some of those files are likely too large to do this...but maybe one could work around this?
« Last Edit: 2010-11-15 22:39:26 by xLostWingx »

Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #27 on: 2010-11-15 22:38:52 »
@Lost Wing : yeah, it would work. Though you wouldn't get the text changes in the kernel.

ATTENTION : I tried downloading my patch and installing it, just to make sure, and I noticed an unexpected behavior from xdelta. Even though I asked the bat files to create new files, it looks like they sometimes overwrite the FF7.exe, Scene.bin, Kernel.bin, Kernel2.bin and flevel.lgp you put in this directory. So you can ignore some steps (like the renaming ones) in my installation instructions. But make sure you create backups ! I'll edit the first post again to reflect this. It's weird, because the new files were created, when I tested it before making the rar file.

EDIT:

Yeah, Scene.bin increased in size. You should be able to make it fit into the iso, by deleting some useless scenes (useless for the first disk)... ...I think I also read somewhere that Gemini found a way to go around this problem... ...I'll eventually try to make this a PSX compatible mod, though (by creating 3 different scene.bin, I imagine - one for each disk).
« Last Edit: 2010-11-15 23:53:28 by Armorvil »

Beavii

  • *
  • Posts: 79
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #28 on: 2010-11-16 21:13:27 »
Hey guys, with Armorvil's permission i have began working on an alternative instalation for this mod.
I am looking at making an extra option that allows you to choose between various mods that are at
present not compatible as they all edit the same files.

I will work on this for the next few hours, and hopefully have a beta to release soon.

My Aim is to be able to install unlimited scene/flevel/kernel mods and ff7 simply askes which set to use.



Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #29 on: 2010-11-16 22:05:37 »
Nice project ! I wish you well on your endeavour :)

As for me, there are still many things I forgot to say about this mod / demo.

The flevel changes :

For now, I'm only working on game-breaking things, in the Field files. So, I still didn't edit the item names. You'll thus sometimes read things like :"obtained Elemental materia x1", when you actually obtained something else (you'll quickly notice what it is, in the materia menu). In fact, as of right now, there are only three changes I made :

- after the bombing mission, Barret only gives 15 gils to Cloud. 1500 was way too much.

- in Wall Market, the weapon shop owner would normally sell batteries that you wouldn't be able to afford, 300 gils being a lot in this mod. I changed their prices (in field) to 1 gil each, but it looks like the game still checks for the # of gil you have, before accepting the trade. For this reason, even if you have the 3 gils, the guy won't sell them to you. I got around this by just adding the 3 batteries to your inventory, anyway, after you said yes. So, if you don't have at least 300 gils available, you'll still get the batteries (and for free - you'll see the message "obtained batteries" but won't hear the item sound), but the game won't realize it. If you talk to the shop owner again, he'll still ask you to buy them. Just ignore this.

There is only one drawback to my fix : strangely enough, the third battery won't work. When you'll get to the third box while climbing towards Shinra's HQ (the one holding the Ether), the game will display the message "not enough batteries...", even though you still got one in your inventory.

- I made it so, that the boss battle that occurs in the elevator, in the Shinra Tower, calls a different enemy formation. If you recall, I created a topic for this problem, and it had to deal with an enemy being invisible. My third modification to the field files fixed it.

The Scene changes :

The biggest changes next to the Kernel's. And there are some things you should know.

- First, you can safely ignore the row function now. All enemies' attacks make your characters change rows, even though it's not visible on screen. So, if you have Cloud in the back row, the first hit he'll take will deal half damage, while the second will hit at full damage. The third hit will then be half damage, the fourth one full damage, etc. A design choice of mine, so that, for example, triggering a back or a pincer attack won't lead to an instant game-over if the enemies are too powerful. The row system is a broken system, and this is the best method I found to "remove" it. Plus, I like the "random" damage effect (and if an attack killed a character because it dealt 100 damage, fear not, because after reviving him, the same attack would only deal 50).

- Most enemies have an item to steal, and can be morphed. Heck, even bosses can be morphed. And I tried to make the effort worth the trouble. I tried morphing the first boss once, but didn't succeed :( Can you do it ?

- All random enemies have three item drops. Two of them are different sources (so you can't farm them as easily). The last drop - the rarest one - is what I call a battle item. Like a Potion, a Phoenix Down, a Blind Stone, a Fire Stone, etc. You can also instantly get this battle item by stealing the enemy. This way, you can choose what you'll get at the end of a battle. Will you kill the enemy without stealing them for a high chance of a Source drop, or will you steal from it to stock on helpful items ?

- enemies don't use the same spells. Some enemies that used Enemy Skills might now just use a magic spell, while some enemies that didn't use Enemy Skills might now use them. For a little help, here are their locations :

-> Find an enemy skill in the first reactor.

-> Find an enemy skill in the second reactor.

-> Find an enemy skill in the Sector 8 (near the church / Aeris' house).

-> Find an enemy skill in the sewers

-> Find an enemy skill in the Train Graveyard 1st part (same as the one in the 1st reactor).

-> Find an enemy skill in the Train Graveyard 2nd part.

-> Find an enemy skill near the shop in Shinra's HQ.

That makes 6 different enemy skills, but you might end with 7 when you reach the world map.

That's all I can think of, for now. Don't worry, you don't need to try and manipulate every enemy to get the E. Skills.
« Last Edit: 2010-11-16 22:52:51 by Armorvil »

Beavii

  • *
  • Posts: 79
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #30 on: 2010-11-17 08:02:44 »
het guy's,

I have sucsesfuly created a new AI script selection option for ff7, which will allow the user to choose from multiple mods without the need copying, extracting, renaming etc. Instalation is now fully automated, and backups will be stored.

I have 4 working options at the moment and will add to these as more mods are released, I will create a new topic for this tool with the first release, of which i hope to get out later today. The first beta release will contain 4 mods and is compatible with almost every mod on this site.

Will update in this topic too.


Link to the topic Multiple Dificulties Tool
http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=11041.0
 
« Last Edit: 2010-11-17 08:35:21 by Beavii »

Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #31 on: 2010-11-17 19:56:28 »
So, no one tried it yet ? :(

Beavii

  • *
  • Posts: 79
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #32 on: 2010-11-17 21:07:12 »
Sorry spent too much time on my wee tool.

I did try this for an hour before you sent me the other fileset i asked for, but for some reason alot of 0's were flying around (my pc was being weird), Have not done many battle's while testing my Project. and am running 5 mods in that tool so not all battles were with your files.

Will give a proper play tonight once i fix my laptop.


Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #33 on: 2010-11-17 21:13:00 »
No problem. That's nice to hear :)

Beavii

  • *
  • Posts: 79
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #34 on: 2010-11-17 21:51:30 »
can i ask though,

your battle.lgp file. i would have expected some changes to this giving can you confirm which version you have.
Is it original, part of another mod and if so which mod.

Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #35 on: 2010-11-17 22:31:18 »
Battle.lgp has to deal with in-battle 3D models, so it has no relevance to my mod / this thread.

Beavii

  • *
  • Posts: 79
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #36 on: 2010-11-17 22:35:56 »
good point,

How newbish of me to ask such a question, and thanks for halving the size of my beta.  :P

Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #37 on: 2010-11-17 23:18:54 »
Well, the Cloud model is Kula Wende's AC Cloud, if this is what you're asking ;) You should still be able to find the download link somewhere around here.
« Last Edit: 2010-11-17 23:21:39 by Armorvil »

Beavii

  • *
  • Posts: 79
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #38 on: 2010-11-17 23:27:25 »
I was being retarded, I dont actualy need to touch the file at all. soz :-P

Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #39 on: 2010-11-17 23:28:55 »
No prob ^^ Looking forward to your installer :)

TimeSpaceMage

  • Guest
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #40 on: 2010-11-18 16:07:09 »
I will have a chance to try out this mod at the end of next month... really looking forward to it!

Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #41 on: 2010-11-18 16:40:32 »
Cool, thanks ! If you have trouble installing it, let me know ;)

Kranmer

  • *
  • Posts: 766
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #42 on: 2010-11-18 19:59:12 »
CodeFusion couldn't compare the two LGP archives, as far as I can remember. But it's possible I didn't use it correctly.
Anyways, thanks for the tip regarding "ClickTeam Install Creator" and "CreateInstall", though I think I'll keep the bat files for the demo (a child could install the mod, with them).
And yeah, I'll create a rar archive containing all the needed files, so this compression should further reduce their size.
i am just downloading now and i will hopefully try it either later today or tomorrow morning now,
Also when i finish downloading i will have a quick look as well at the size of the xdelta patch's and see what can be done about it (i mean i will see if i can make the size smaller for you).

EDIT:- OK i have played to just past the first boss (died only once due to my own stupidly in that boss battle, i let Barret die thinking i could revive him with a Phoenix down, i was wrong) and i have to say i am quite enjoying it so far (i was getting slightly annoyed at Barret though who kept getting hit by poison).

Also i did have a quite look at your patch's and why the delta patch's are so damn big, the reason seems to be because of the way the LGP was put back together, when it was recompiled the files are in a different order from the original LGP (if you look at both in a hex editor you will see what i mean), there isn't really a fix for the order problem but you could make the patch hell of a lot smaller by making a .bat to command UNLGP to extract the archive and just patching the changed files then using LGP to recompile the LGP and hey presto you will save over 70MB,
And 1 more small question, i had a look at your flevel and saw you only changed 4 files from the original, but what exactly did you change in the .TEX file you altered ?
« Last Edit: 2010-11-18 22:32:48 by kranmer »

Beavii

  • *
  • Posts: 79
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #43 on: 2010-11-18 22:21:40 »
Your mod is included in my project,

I could make you a custom insatller if you want a stand alone version, it wont be anything to fancy
tho, probably an sfx with backup option.

Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #44 on: 2010-11-18 23:02:24 »
I'm glad you're playing it, Kranmer. Thanks for posting your thoughts ^^

If Barret getting often poisoned is annoying, I can decrease the chance that the status triggers. Let me know if you feel it would make the mod better.

And thanks for the insight about the patch's size. I have no clue why the order of the field files was rearranged. And... ...hahaha, I modified a .TEX file inside flevel.lgp ?! That's news to me xD
Maybe I inadvertently saved the file after I tried some field background editing with some utility (like Palmer, maybe ?). Hopefully I didn't destroy the tex file ^^; (I don't think so but hey, anything is possible).

@Beavii: no, I don't want to abuse your time. It's already great that this demo is part of your installer ;)

Kranmer

  • *
  • Posts: 766
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #45 on: 2010-11-18 23:15:52 »
I'm glad you're playing it, Kranmer. Thanks for posting your thoughts ^^

If Barret getting often poisoned is annoying, I can decrease the chance that the status triggers. Let me know if you feel it would make the mod better.

And thanks for the insight about the patch's size. I have no clue why the order of the field files was rearranged. And... ...hahaha, I modified a .TEX file inside flevel.lgp ?! That's news to me xD
Maybe I inadvertently saved the file after I tried some field background editing with some utility (like Palmer, maybe ?). Hopefully I didn't destroy the tex file ^^; (I don't think so but hey, anything is possible).

@Beavii: no, I don't want to abuse your time. It's already great that this demo is part of your installer ;)
Well to be honest i think more of the problem with Barret getting poisoned was that i had used my MP up early on so i didn't really have many ways of curing him apart from remedy (which i really wanted to save since i had no idea what battles where ahead, and i didn't want to go wasting my only way of curing any status), a few antidotes would have been nice but i am fairly happy with things the way they are now to be honest (well so far but i have only go up-to the slums in sector7 so far),
and it was Hand_1.tex you had edited, and the only part you edited was a empty part of the file with "EXTFieldArt/hand_1", it doesn't appear to be broken or anything, but i thought i should mention this, There where only 4 file changes to the whole of Flevel.lgp and they were
hand_1.tex
eleout
mds7pb_1
mkt_w
is this correct ?

Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #46 on: 2010-11-18 23:25:14 »
Hmm... ...Could this slight edit explain why Aeris' left hand is invisible, the first time you see her just after the bombing mission, in my game ?... ...I don't think so, since everything related to the character models on the field should be in char.lgp, but I guess there's no harm to ask.

And yeah, this list is exact, if you remove hand_1.tex from it that is. I don't know how on earth I managed to edit this texture.

« Last Edit: 2010-11-18 23:27:13 by Armorvil »

Beavii

  • *
  • Posts: 79
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #47 on: 2010-11-21 09:00:32 »
Finally I've played enough to comment on this. so without further delay here's a quick review.

If its a new FF7 experience your after then this mod is for you. Throw out that guide book, Forget what you think you know, And please remember to save. For in the AV Demo, Expect the unexpected.

Ive been an FF7 Player since day 1, And for the first time ever, AV's Demo got me a 'Game Over' in Midgar. It seems that every battle, monster and magic has a surprise. To survive you Absoloutely must have individuality for your characters, No more Super cloud, with Yufiie and barret Miming every move.

Admittantly not one for the "Original is Best" scene, But defo worth a try.

If you are having difficulties with installation then try this
http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=11041.msg153903;topicseen#msg153903

Nice work Armovil, If/when you decide to take this beyond Midgar give me a shout

Armorvil

  • *
  • Posts: 621
  • Working on : FFVII Total Grudge
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #48 on: 2010-11-21 11:02:47 »
Thanks for the little review, Beavii. I'm glad you like it. I don't know what you mean by "Admittantly not one for the "Original is Best" scene", though.

Anyways, yes, I'm still working on the mod. I planned all shops' contents, bosses' drops and morph items throughout the game, yesterday (by the way, in the final game, if you plan to morph a boss, then you should steal it first - since most bosses' stealable items will be the same as their winnable items, it ensures that you get their drop as well as their morph item).

As a side note, I realized I forgot to add protection against the Hit element to most enemies in the 2nd reactor (at least), in the demo. For this reason, the Midgar weapons utterly destroy most of the enemies, and this overpower-ness wasn't intended. It will be fixed in the final version (Vices, for example, will be immune to them). I'd love to add the possibility of more elemental reactions (like enemies only suffering 1/4 or 1/8 elemental damage, taking 300% or 400% elemental damage, etc). Only having enemies able to halve, block, absorb or take 200% damage from elements is too restricting, IMO.

Oh yeah, and I'm also working on converting the demo to the PSX.
« Last Edit: 2010-11-21 11:05:49 by Armorvil »

Beavii

  • *
  • Posts: 79
    • View Profile
Re: [WIP]The FFVII AV mod - demo released
« Reply #49 on: 2010-11-21 12:25:21 »
Thanks for the little review, Beavii. I'm glad you like it. I don't know what you mean by "Admittantly not one for the "Original is Best" scene", though.

Some Members only like mods that uprade the AI thinking and Calculating, Expect a few post saying "Why'd you change this,Why'd you change that" lol,