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Project forums => Q-Gears => Topic started by: Tsetra on 2009-03-02 21:57:47

Title: The purpose of Q-Gears
Post by: Tsetra on 2009-03-02 21:57:47
There's no way to ask these questions without sounding like an asshole, so I apologize before hand. I just want to know if your FAQ still stands. If Q-Gears is intended to ONLY be an engine alike FF7 which just happens to also be able to import FF7 data but not insert anything else to modify the FF7 playing experience. To me, this leaves the program with a dual purpose - to play FF7 in it's original form on a PC or to play programs based on Q-Gear's proprietary script.
If I'm missing something, please let me know. I would assume the majority of downloads when this is finished will be people clamoring to play FF7 on their PC. But if there are no improvements, how long is it going to be before the following two arguments are made?:

1. Emulators do it better. The backgrounds can be smoothened out, game play made higher resolution, and while it may seem a bit more arcane than a ready-to-go program, I honestly can envision most people discovering emulation afterwards and ignoring the program while trying to get their emulator to work.

2. PC version has the mods. The people who don't care about the mods will use the emulated PSX version while pretty much everyone who DOES care will be using the PC version.

The FAQ seems to convey the idea that Q-Gears players will get to enjoy vanilla Final Fantasy VII on their computers, as it was originally made for the PSX. I'm an active member of romhacking.net and when this idea was posted there, the topic TANKED. It's not exactly an interesting concept. Anything Q-Gear is going to run on, so will ePSXe. Sure, I can't make my own games on ePSXe, but I'm on a computer. I can make one using any assortment of programs. What's so special about Q-Gears?
I do not ask that question rhetorically or with intent to insult your efforts. I honestly would like to know the benefits of Q-Gears. The FAQ doesn't exactly generate interest. A lot of people get excited until they see the part about no mod support and no extra features. Even if you were to mod the PSX iso, you're still limited to the same music, backgrounds, and some other limitations - the exact same thing as you get with Final Fantasy VII on PC with FF7Music.
"It will be a superior and more accurate transition" is cool, in a niche sort of way knowing you've got a perfect version of Final Fantasy VII. The problem is, you've got a perfect version of a decade and a half old game. In some cases this is cool - like with Ultima Exult as that game just failed hard on Windows NT. But I can already play FF7 on Windows NT with nothing taken or added if I want to. The means are different, but the end is the same.

If you guys really don't care about any of this and this is simply a "let's see if we can do this" effort, I applaud you. If this is intended as something huge and all it does is recreate the FF7 Engine, I can't see it picking up much steam. If you guys have changed directions and are going to add support for enhancing the game, then you need to let people hear about it because right now there's absolutely no buzz and for sure that would create some.
I'm not trying to change any minds, but I'll explain my rationale for saying that: If you were to take Final Fantasy VII on the PC and give it high res background like Synergy Blades rendered awhile back, that would mean incredibly high-res characters would fit into the game nicely. Also, I noticed mention of DirectX 9 in here. That would make your program compatible with the ENB Series, which would mean if YOU guys didn't enhance the lighting or anything, then that would. That in turn would mean an almost brand new looking game. How many people on here have wanted to contribute to FF7 only to be shot down by it's severe limitations your program could potentially eliminate? It would be a swarm.
Again, only explaining my rationale for saying mod capability would generate buzz, and if you don't care, I again applaud your insistence on nothing but accuracy.

I've tried to ask these questions with as much respect as possible, and I'm not asking you guys to change a thing. I just want clarification on your purpose, your goals, and what you are expecting to happen when this project is completed. Forgive any oversights I may have made in this, I've read as much as there is available on your project without being actively involved.

Regards.

P.S. - I've read about others asking this some time ago, and just to make it clear, I fully understand that functionality comes first. I get that. This topic and the questions herein concern the project AFTER functionality has been achieved. And I also understand the desire to say "We don't think that far ahead" but it should be apparent already - you either want to enhance or you don't.
Title: Re: The purpose of Q-Gears
Post by: Vehek on 2009-03-02 22:43:12
I believe the FAQ is out-of-date.
I think it's more of a general 2.5d engine now.

The current Q-Gears does not use the original data; it uses converted data.

For an example of how things are different now:
http://community.livejournal.com/q_gears/15447.html?thread=37463#t37463
Title: Re: The purpose of Q-Gears
Post by: Akari on 2009-03-03 15:12:18
Purpose is simple - create 2.5d/3d engine similar to one used by square for games like Final Fantasy 7-10, Xenogears, Legend of Mana, Parasite Eve and so on. A lot of other games use this type of engine too (star ocean 1-2) If you can find engine that can allow you do the same - please tell me =)

FFVII is just one of contents that can be runned by engine.
Title: Re: The purpose of Q-Gears
Post by: Tsetra on 2009-03-03 17:07:42
It's called ePSXe.

Just joking, but seriously;
OK, but why would I want an engine that plays all those games when I've already got an emulator that does it? I didn't make this topic as a point and laugh, "haha you're wasting time!" type of thing, I genuinely do not see the point as it is. My same arguments pretty much apply to any playstation game, why should the player choose your engine over existing methods of playing these games? What makes Q-Gears so great?

I've read up just now on how you're converting existing assets for use in Q-Gears, will these be in an easy to modify format?

Should Q-Gears be considered more of a developer resource than a Square game playing engine, that others can use to make their own games through learning the script? A Square game enhancer? When you start working on Q-Gears, what do you envision when it is finished?

I also have to give you props after reading your livejournal and your insistence on sticking with the program no matter what "anyone" says about it, regardless of purpose.
Title: Re: The purpose of Q-Gears
Post by: Marc on 2009-03-03 17:40:44
If I recall correctly, it was mentioned when the change of purpose occurred that this would basically be a RPGmaker kind of program but for PSX era games instead of SNES ones.  So to create new RPG games from a set of existing content.

It also should be able to import materials from existing Square RPG's so people can have materials to make their games with.

That's pretty much the purpose I had understood at the time.

Whether or not that's current, I have no idea.
Title: Re: The purpose of Q-Gears
Post by: Akari on 2009-03-03 17:49:30
If I recall correctly, it was mentioned when the change of purpose occurred that this would basically be a RPGmaker kind of program but for PSX era games instead of SNES ones.  So to create new RPG games from a set of existing content.

It also should be able to import materials from existing Square RPG's so people can have materials to make their games with.

You are right.
Title: Re: The purpose of Q-Gears
Post by: halkun on 2009-03-10 18:17:22
Well, Kind of right...

It was originally a reimplementation of the FF7 engine, but Akari forked it after it became a project too big for me to handle.

I still romanticize about a generic FF7 engine though...
Title: Re: The purpose of Q-Gears
Post by: Cyberman on 2009-03-14 03:32:41
You still alive there halkun?

Hmmmm reality tends to drain ones time and resources I've noticed. Everything takes forever it seems.

At least Qgears is going forward!

After I finish some work on the Beagle Board stuff I'm working on I'll have a bit of time to play, hopefully it builds on linux with cross platform compilation.

The Palm platform is DEAD so no point in developing for that, however the beagle board is almost the same as the Pandora practically. So whatever runs on the Beagle will definitely run on a Pandora.
FF7 on 1 4 gig SD card in HD? hmmmm maybe?

Cyb
Title: Re: The purpose of Q-Gears
Post by: halkun on 2009-03-14 10:08:32
I'm always here. I'm always watching... I just don't post. I have the Q-Gears wiki on my RSS feed and have personally checked every update.

I've wasted way too many years here to just go away :P
Title: Re: The purpose of Q-Gears
Post by: Cyberman on 2009-03-14 22:02:43
I'm always here. I'm always watching... I just don't post. I have the Q-Gears wiki on my RSS feed and have personally checked every update.

I've wasted way too many years here to just go away :P
LOL!
That seems sad to me some how. :D

Cyb