Author Topic: [WIP] Final Fantasy VII - Revised (Working Title) UPDATED 2/1  (Read 38923 times)

Tsetra

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The goal of this project will be to attempt to restore Final Fantasy VII's dummied content and recreate intended scenes from scratch. This will be presented using a modular system so you can pick and choose only what you want in your game. I may also include some content that was never in the game at any stage but is widely considered a good inclusion. Again these will be optional so you purists don't have to touch them.

Update 2/1/09:
While I had planned on working with both this and helping FF7Voice, apparently they've got no need for script revisions from me now. As a result, most of the revision work I had planned to do will be instead crossing over into this and I'll be able to work full steam for you guys. Best of luck to them.

This means this FF7Voice will largely be incompatible with this project as several lines have been revised for accuracy, many lines have been added, and the result would be half the lines spoken, half the lines unspoken, and several spoken dialogs mismatching the written text. Fair warning.

Here is a small collection of screenshots with descriptions showing some of the changes. I didn't want to give away TOO much before the demo, but just letting you know I'm not blowing smoke at all of you. The screenshots are also taken with YAMP's transparent boxes, damage limit breaking, high-res patch, and NPC-RP/PRP applied - they will not be included with my mod and must be downloaded separately! 

Just a simple dummied line restored, was added by myself originally for FF7Voice:


I find it a better introduction to Materia than simply telling you that you found some. The message box informing you that you've found it, of course, is still present and shown after you actually pick it up.


Barret needs a vacation:



Unused dialog from the international FF7 by Face of the Moon, translated by Glitterberri, and "Barretized" by myself. Gives some meaning later to the Cosmo Canyon scene where Barret is supposed to allude to this scene.


Jessie 2.0 - now with 200% more personality!




Face of the Moon/Glitterberri/Revisions where needed. As you can see, I goofed that choice box a bit, that'll be fixed before the demo.


Cloud getting his pimp on at the Honey Bee Inn... well, sort of...:




The dialog comes from the Face of the Moon blog, found in the international version of FF7, translated by GlitterBerri, and shortened or revised in some cases where necessary by myself. 


Cloud's "first time":




Same source and story as the last pictures.


Cloud giving the Honey Bee Inn girls even more of a hard time:



Originally there was a third choice as shown in the first picture, which then could lead into the choice shown in the second. These were already in the game, they just needed to be inserted back into the code.


A couple uncensored dialogs:



(What's really funny is after I took the screenshot, I noticed that apparently Johnny just couldn't hold it anymore and decided to go beside the Inn to take care of business...)
Because @(&%! just doesn't cut it. Nothing over the top in the game, I promise.


Weapons with lore?!


Depending on the sneaky tricks I can accomplish to not make the game crash, I'm going to try to add lore descriptions to as many items as possible. These descriptions largely come from official sources such as the Ultimania, the game itself, the manual, etc. In this case, the Buster Sword's description comes from Cloud's bio.


Properly translated/renamed items/spells/techs/etc. for accuracy and continuity.


Before anyone gives me crap about Ogre Nix, let's face it - the sword looks like an axe, and in previous FF games there was always an Ogre axe (not to mention the fact Ogre Nix was in VI). Organics was supposed to be a "prettier" revision, but it made no sense at all. If you don't like it, it takes all of 10 seconds to revert in Teioh. It stays Ogre Nix.
This whole portion will be an alternative to the currently available Kernel2.bin replacers. Nothing will be speculated, so don't worry about made up items or descriptions. The picture before this one also showcases the Kernel2.bin changes. I know there's currently a limit, but, don't worry about that.

END OF 2/1/09 UPDATE



Below is a selection of changes and inclusions I intend to make. So, *spoiler* alert I guess:

- Improved reactor mission. More than double the present content will be here, consisting of restored lines, options, recreated scenes, new encounters, and a new introduction sequence. AVALANCHE will become memorable.

- Improved scene at Seventh Heaven. Your options will now actually MEAN something here, as I'll be restoring some content.

- Improved train escape sequence, when the alarm sounds. Again, nearly twice the content. New cutscene, new dialog.

- Improved Honey Bee Inn. Hilarity awaits with the original intended scenes restored.

I could go on, but you get the point. Thing is, I haven't even gotten further than, say, the Golden Saucer in the game files, and I've already got a platter full of new content. It's amazing how much was left out of this game. Not EVERYTHING will be restored, some dummied content was left out for very good reason.
« Last Edit: 2009-02-02 02:34:57 by Tsetra »

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #1 on: 2009-01-14 19:51:01 »
This is exactly what I've thought about doing quite a few times. Have you been reading this, by any chance? I too would like to see more of AVALANCHE; I think that my favourite parts of the game are near the start. I was particularly interested by some of Jessie's character development that got left out of the final game, which you can see here. I also agree that not everything should be put back in; the foreshadowing of Sephiroth here is probably better left out.

Tsetra

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #2 on: 2009-01-14 20:04:23 »
Actually I came up with the idea after talking to the writer of that blog (she's also on the FF7Voice project), after looking at all the dummied dialog in FF7's script in Loveless while dumping said script for FF7Voice.

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #3 on: 2009-01-14 20:07:41 »
And will you be leaving out the repeated dialogue? I've noticed when using loveless that every field in a certain area has all of the dialogue used in that area (i.e. every file for the Shinra building has all of the dialogue used in the Shinra building). Can this be deleted, or is there a reason why it has to be left in?

Tsetra

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #4 on: 2009-01-14 20:15:29 »
There's really no reason to delete any of it, and it leaves the dialog IDs intact to leave them in for use in other projects. Some of the lines are actually variations, even. If you look at md1stin for example, it appears to have duplicated dialog from the other reactor field files but in fact it's different in some areas. But it's not used obviously. At best, deleting these lines would simply pretty up the LZS files when viewed in an editor.

Bluegrass79

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #5 on: 2009-01-15 16:27:03 »
I cant wait for you to complete this project! I hope it's as good as you make it sound.

Cazador

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #6 on: 2009-01-17 20:59:08 »
wow, very excited to see the completed version of this. A new reason to play through the story once again! haha  :-D

Tsetra

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #7 on: 2009-01-19 19:26:39 »
Thanks, I apologize for the lack of updates on this - I've been trying to wrap up a project I've been working on for Morrowind.

I HAVE been messing around with the Final Fantasy VII sampler disk looking at some of the scenes in that, though. I'm hoping I can find a way to open it's field files so I can study how certain scenes in it were created. For example, after you set the bomb in the first reactor mission, in the sampler not only is Jessie's leg stuck, but Biggs has been knocked out as well. You have to grab them both before you can escape. You can't miss him where he's laid out, and it doesn't add any difficulty in the escape really. At most the extra running gives you one extra random encounter. But I think it helps further paint the scene of what AVALANCHE really is - just a bunch of kids that maybe don't have the most talent, but they've got a lot of heart, a will to learn what they need, and they believe in their cause. This idea is almost completely ripped out of the final game and it's a shame, because it really draws you closer to them, and makes you understand their awe they have of Cloud.

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #8 on: 2009-01-19 21:42:02 »
I must say that I really like this idea. So, is it a one man project, or can others join? Maybe being a humanities student could actually help me out here; I don't know much about programming, but I do like my stories ;-)

LimitBreak

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #9 on: 2009-01-19 22:46:05 »
I also agree that not everything should be put back in; the foreshadowing of Sephiroth here is probably better left out.

Wow. That could have destroyed the entire pacing of the game.

Thanks, I apologize for the lack of updates on this - I've been trying to wrap up a project I've been working on for Morrowind.

I HAVE been messing around with the Final Fantasy VII sampler disk looking at some of the scenes in that, though. I'm hoping I can find a way to open it's field files so I can study how certain scenes in it were created. For example, after you set the bomb in the first reactor mission, in the sampler not only is Jessie's leg stuck, but Biggs has been knocked out as well. You have to grab them both before you can escape. You can't miss him where he's laid out, and it doesn't add any difficulty in the escape really. At most the extra running gives you one extra random encounter. But I think it helps further paint the scene of what AVALANCHE really is - just a bunch of kids that maybe don't have the most talent, but they've got a lot of heart, a will to learn what they need, and they believe in their cause. This idea is almost completely ripped out of the final game and it's a shame, because it really draws you closer to them, and makes you understand their awe they have of Cloud.

Adding a little extra complexity reminds me... What about the Temple of the Ancient's? I read somewhere that in the Japanese version the scene with the clock hands was this really cool and challenging puzzle with many steps, but then it was turned into this pointless exercise because "Americans are teh stupid" apparently. Hmm... I wonder if you could put Biggs in some out of the way place that you had to search for him (you are given a ridiculous amount of time after all).

Anything with more of Avalanche is great. It'll give more emotional "oomph" when you get to Cosmo Canyon and Barret says how he promised he'd take the gang there one day, and of course when they're killed (Barret really should have some expanded dialog when the plate crashes... these people were his dearest friends!).

Good luck. I tried messing with the game text many years ago using one of Ficedula's programs and it didn't go so well. :oops:



Suggestions? Well, watch out for suggestions. Restoring cut out content is great and all BUT... as you probably know, things can go overboard. HOWEVER if you make it modular, then there's no risk, I guess! I'd say try to expand the scene at Fort Condor. That place offer such a huge mini game but the whole thing seems almost tacked on. Check out the Letters (key items that were never used) and maybe, just maybe, SPOILER: ... actually have Marlene and Aeris' mom in Kalm (I read a rumor somewhere that said the letters were related to them - one to Aeris' mom from her dead husband that has been lost, and the other one to Marlene from Dyne... but it was just a rumor, another one said the letters were regarding some guy in Gongaga).
« Last Edit: 2009-01-19 22:48:28 by LimitBreak »

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #10 on: 2009-01-19 22:58:20 »
Quote from: LimitBreak
I read somewhere that in the Japanese version the scene with the clock hands was this really cool and challenging puzzle with many steps, but then it was turned into this pointless exercise because "Americans are teh stupid" apparently.

Then why didn't they put it back in for the PAL version? :-P

LimitBreak

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #11 on: 2009-01-19 23:17:10 »
Quote from: LimitBreak
I read somewhere that in the Japanese version the scene with the clock hands was this really cool and challenging puzzle with many steps, but then it was turned into this pointless exercise because "Americans are teh stupid" apparently.

Then why didn't they put it back in for the PAL version? :-P


I suppose since they already made all the edits they wanted to in the NTSC version they just left things as they were. I don't even know if the rumor is true because I've never played the Japanese version.
« Last Edit: 2009-01-19 23:18:59 by LimitBreak »

Tsetra

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #12 on: 2009-01-20 00:46:23 »
I must say that I really like this idea. So, is it a one man project, or can others join? Maybe being a humanities student could actually help me out here; I don't know much about programming, but I do like my stories ;-)

At the moment I'm not adding much in the way of completely new dialog that was never intended to be included. Most of the new dialog is derived from dummied game files, the translated dummied lines from that blog/Face of the Moon, as well as early magazine scans and demo disks. This is to keep all the content "lore friendly" in that it came straight from Square. I've read the Ultimania and countless guides, as well as played through the game repeatedly. Coupled with my script dumping for FF7Voice I did for awhile (Marcis heads that now) I have a very good grasp of the game and know where I want to go with it.

But, depending on what I can accomplish in Meteor I might think about adding completely new things into the game after my current goals are wrapped up. Learning the field script for me is quite challenging. Adding new dialog and dialog choices is pretty easy, along with animating the characters while they talk. However, adding completely new NPCs in a field and moving them around I'm finding rather hard.
If you look at the translated dialog at Berri's blog, you'll see the translated lines from the Honey Bee Inn. I'm recreating the scene entirely to use THAT dialog, and so this involves completely reworking the scene in which Cloud passes out. Originally, he's supposed to get into the hot tub/bath with the girl that accompanies him, so I'm trying to make that happen at the moment. When I post screens, you'll see some of the parts from there I've already completed without a hitch, though. :)

I'd also like to make some use out of the cave in the Ancient Forest or whatever it's called that was clearly intended for SOMETHING but never used. If anyone can find me some information on that I'd be grateful.


LimitBreak,
I'm thinking about just getting a copy of the Japanese game to note all the differences. I've read the same thing about the clock and I'd like to include that change as well. There's a lot of rumors I want to verify, like hidden bosses and such.
Well so much for Morrowind. :( After writing about this so much and doing more research, I'm wanting to jump back over to this project.

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #13 on: 2009-01-20 01:13:02 »
Well, I was referring to choosing which dummied lines should be out back in and which should be left out rather than making new lines, although maybe the latter would be necessary for clarifying some of the things that aren't made clear in the game.

As for the cave in the ancient forest, I have to agree (after having a look at the field script) that it's strange how little there is in there. I wonder whether Ho-Chu was meant to be there? That reminds me, will you be putting Tonberry back into the whirlwind maze? It seems odd that he was left out.

I think it's likely that nearly all of the rumours about hidden bosses in the Japanese game are false. Back when they started it was hard to communicate with Japanese gamers and verify anything. It isn't any more and I find it hard to believe that there are things as important as different bosses in the Japanese game whose existence hasn't been proven to western gamers yet; presumably there would be a few youtube videos as well as lots of mentions about these bosses on Japanese websites. Still, maybe there are some other differences that have been harder to notice...

LimitBreak

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #14 on: 2009-01-20 01:14:49 »
Ah, forget morrowind. That game has been modded to death anyways! :-D

Vehek

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #15 on: 2009-01-20 01:59:59 »
http://www.ff7citadel.com/gameinfo/textfiles/ff7import1.txt
This old walkthrough by the deceased Kao Megura describes the clock puzzle.
« Last Edit: 2009-01-20 02:01:59 by Vehek »

Marc

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #16 on: 2009-01-20 14:02:41 »
I slightly modified Kao Megura's walkthrough for my personal use a few years ago and he does mention the clock puzzle being different.

As for him being dead, I didn't know that.  Accident ?

There are a lot of great internet contributors who have met their demise for some reason, much moreso than the death rate in the general population would seem to indicate (since major internet contributors are for the most part below their 30's).

Tsetra

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #17 on: 2009-01-20 15:39:35 »
OK, so tonight I will seriously stop procrastinating on the screenshots and post them online. I've got a slow internet connection so I'm always like "Ah man I reeaaallllyyy don't want to upload these" lol. But I will.
I'm about to look just for curiosity's sake at the Sector 7 LZS file to see if that scene between Cloud and Tifa remains intact in the PC version as well. I was looking in Seventh Heaven some more, and it would appear that the dialog I had intended to re-add is already in the game and used, but something keeps you from ever being able to see it. I should be able to figure that out with no trouble. At this point though I'm wanting to restore access to that dialog and combine that with a slightly edited version of the scene between the two outside so the Sephiroth references are much more vague, if not removed entirely.
In the bar, there's also a different scene which Cloud is ready to walk out, Tifa asks if he'll stop, then Barret climbs up, gives him his money, and tells him to get the hell out. There's also a scene in the bar where Tifa is constantly asking Cloud if he'll keep his promise, and you can either say a promise is a promise, or you can keep saying "But I still hate Barret" and Tifa will say new things letting you know how pathetic you are. :p
So what I'm thinking is, in that video above the GameShark code cut out some stuff. I think what's supposed to happen is that you're able to say sorry to Tifa, and then Tifa will ask if you'll just wait, a TV announcement happens, Tifa talks some more, Barret climbs up and tosses you your money, and then you leave. The video above would then take place (again I intend to edit out the story foreshadowing) and you'd eventually realize you have to go back into the bar. Alternatively, after the talk between Tifa and Cloud, you can just go back into the bar.
And I'm pretty sure at this point you'll go back into dialog with Tifa and she'll ask if you're going to keep the promise, you can still say you hate Barret, but in the end Tifa says she'll talk to Barret and you go to sleep.
There's also dummied dialog between Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge about how they're scared about SOLDIER, so maybe when you go back into the bar, they're supposed to be there and you can talk to them before you talk to Tifa.

I'll have a lot of questions answered about what goes where when I figure out what's keeping the player from accessing the dialog, but if anyone has some input in the meantime, by all means.

Akari

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #18 on: 2009-01-20 16:19:55 »
I'll have a lot of questions answered about what goes where when I figure out what's keeping the player from accessing the dialog, but if anyone has some input in the meantime, by all means.

Mostly all this things can't be happen because you can't get into some places at some point of story. There are scripts for them, just main progress variable too great for this event to happened.

Switch is like
Code: [Select]
if progress >= 90 then
    REQSW(A,C6)
elseif progress == 87 then
    REQSW(A,C5)

So if progress is too great some models not appear on field and their dialogs and so on can't be listened.

In sector 7: allow cloud to leave the bar without event with tifa and you see some new scene on MDS7.
In sector 7: allow cloud to enter the closed house (it closed when you arrive and opened next morning) and you see some new scene.

Swampthing15

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #19 on: 2009-01-20 16:32:10 »
so ive got a question? are you going to release this in stages, or are we all goina have to wait for the final product? I ask, because i dont really know much about this (tho ive thought about trying it in the past) and have no idea how long it might take.

Tsetra

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #20 on: 2009-01-20 16:58:26 »
I was thinking of making a demo spanning the duration of your initial time in Midgar at some point, and then after that the final package. No estimate on how long it'll take. If things go my way the demo will be out by, at the very least, May. This summer I'm fighting fire and we go out for 2 weeks at a time, which won't leave much room for FF7.

EDIT - I just got back home and I'm freaking tired. MOAR DELAYS on the screenshots. However, I did manage to enable the scene between Tifa and Cloud outside in the slums in what time I had to work on this. I just have to find a clean way to integrate everything now and piece together a couple lines that have no clear place. Also, I noticed a lot of blank lines in the Seventh Heaven basement which generally indicates something was ripped out. Perhaps someone with a Japanese version of the game could take a look at the field file?  :wink: I'll give you free cookies? lol
« Last Edit: 2009-01-21 04:29:33 by Tsetra »

Swampthing15

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #21 on: 2009-01-21 19:02:54 »
about the biggs being knocked out thing...

Its been forever since i played the psx, and quite a while since i started a game on the pc version, but if i recall correctly biggs was knocked out close to the door he opens on my old psx version. I dont recall if he was or not on the pc version. Was he supose to be somewhere else in the original?

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #22 on: 2009-01-21 19:13:22 »
Which version did you play? I have the PAL PSX version and I don't remember that happening; my playthroughs in the reactor have all been like this (except not as quick ;-)).

Akari

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #23 on: 2009-01-21 19:30:28 »
about the biggs being knocked out thing...

Its been forever since i played the psx, and quite a while since i started a game on the pc version, but if i recall correctly biggs was knocked out close to the door he opens on my old psx version. I dont recall if he was or not on the pc version. Was he supose to be somewhere else in the original?

This was on early demo but was cut later. Maybe it was too hard for very beginning of the game. Some flags still in script, but biggs action was cut off.

Swampthing15

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Re: Final Fantasy VII - Clever Hack Name Here
« Reply #24 on: 2009-01-21 20:46:40 »
huh, thats really weird cause like i said, he was definitely on the floor on my old psx game, cause i always thought it was weird. Ill have to pull out my old ps1 disks....