[FF7PC-98] Higher Resolution (v1.00)(Discontinued, use Aali's driver)

[ff7.vincent.v]

how i unnistall the his res patch ?

[hay]

just restore your ff7.bak file.

damn, this patch is pure evil! This is awesome good work!

[cosmocanyon]

In short, if the most dating factor of FF7 is going to be fixed, we might as well just write an entirely new engine, since overhauling each background individually is going to be more than enough work to merit the additional effort.

Seriously, why *don't* we code a new engine?  Would certianly be much more productive than trying to fix the buggy code that this game has had thus far.  Probably easier and more productive, at that.

- Evan

[Otokoshi]

cosmocanyon does make a good point.  I saw someone mention on another post about using the open source 3d engine "Ogre"  I do lack the professional programming expertise of others on this forum, so I would like to hear their opinions.  Could we build an up to date graphics engine for FF7, then incorportate the original game resources (battle system, animations, etc.) into it?  Similar projects I have seen on these forums mentioned it's just a matter of hacking the rest of the file formats from FF7.  I figured a new or updated graphics engine would make some people's lives easier (The SaiNt) rather than having to rewrite code for a very aged engine to provide us these great patches.  Could something like what cosmocanyon suggested be done?

[cosmocanyon]

Well, i think the first question is what are we trying to accomplish?

I know that with my current level of coding experience, it would be much easier to code a "replacement" engine that simply was more aware of the way that new hardware would interact with the game.  The original FFVIIPC was written around early-ish PSX coding, at a time when 3d rendering was relatively new.  Most PCs were able to work with the programing team's "hacks" - then.  Hardware 3d rendering has changed quite a bit, and things like load times, video memory size, and color depth/memory throughput are no longer issues.  As a result, 16x16 background chunks are something that a modern video card (which could easily load the entire background as once piece) laughs at.  

So, what I'm saying is, I don't think that it would be too hard to write a new engine that follows the design of the original closely.  Update it to load the backgrounds in a workable way (that would allow for easy pre-render replacement), allow for increased resolution, and revamp the lighting sceme.  Anything much more ambitions (eg trying to "modernize" the game with bump maping, hardware T&L, dx9 calls, and the like would require us to basically recode the graphics engine so entirely that we would also have to recode AI, music, battle, lighting (well, this should probably be re-worked anyways), ANIMATIONS - well it would basically be making a new game.  - Which may be a worthwile project, but it's certianly beyond my level of ability/time to put into this project.

But reworking the current code in such a way that many of the obsticles to making this game look the way it should - that isn't much harder than what people are doing now ... hacking a system that was designed before "modern" hardware was invisioned.   Come'on guys, this was practically coded for windows 95.


EDIT: Oh, and whatever Windows XP didn't brake, you can bet that Vista will.  We're looking at one more year of feasible play anyways - there's no way that this will hold up under Vista.
- Evan

[Aaron]

cosmocanyon: Avatar too big.  Change it please.

[Phyltre]

Well, i think the first question is what are we trying to accomplish?

I know that with my current level of coding experience, it would be much easier to code a "replacement" engine that simply was more aware of the way that new hardware would interact with the game...
So, what I'm saying is, I don't think that it would be too hard to write a new engine that follows the design of the original closely.  Update it to load the backgrounds in a workable way (that would allow for easy pre-render replacement), allow for increased resolution, and revamp the lighting sceme.
- Evan

Do it. It'd be a huge help around here.

[vidiot]

Cosmocanyon-
Square-Enix is a stickler when it comes to that type of stuff. Even a simple Unreal Tournament mod that would have remade Chrono Trigger was destroyed. I don’t think they are as open to say, Valve, when it comes to modding. I wouldn’t be surprised if they thought ill of even the NPC replacement project, if it is ever brought to their attention. Recreating a new engine for this game would be wise for exactly the reasons you pointed out (Especially the thing about Vista) But seeing Squarenix’s track record when it comes to user created projects, and how they seem to not be able to understand what they are most of the time, you would have to be very careful on how to pull that off.

If such a project would be done, you would have no choice but to do exactly what Otokoshi said above: “Could we build an up to date graphics engine for FF7, then incorportate the original game resources (battle system, animations, etc.) into it?”

[EmperorSteele]

Only one problem i see with an "updated engine": ff7 is still profitable, and if squeenix decideds to embark on a remake (small, slight pssibility, and it would be well in the future), they may see such a modification as a direct compettiion to thier upcoming project.

[Phyltre]

Only one problem i see with an "updated engine": ff7 is still profitable, and if squeenix decideds to embark on a remake (small, slight pssibility, and it would be well in the future), they may see such a modification as a direct compettiion to thier upcoming project.

And yet nothing that's been done so far is competition?

Speculation has its place.

[Zack]

Square-enix undoubtably know about this forum and I guess they also monitor the projects closely as well. AFAIK they haven't complained about the modifications so far as they are relatively minor. However, if the game engine was to be completely rewritten a cease and desist order will most likely be sent to the authors.

[Kiggles]

Facts are, legal issues are what prevent a new engine from being developed publicly, but it largely isn't anymore or less illegal the hacking the binary code, which is to say, breaching the EULA, if it is determined to be a legally binding agreement, and in some cases, decrypting data. It just may attract more attention. But all of the above is largely irrelevant, since even DMCA can't be used against decryption, unless it can be proved such decryption was done with CRIMINAL INTENT. The US justice system depends on that little detail to function.

Include a CD check, and don't include the binary with any updated content. It is JUST an alternitive engine for the LEGITIMATE and original FF7 that includes features any self respecting PC game would include. Like flexible resolutions, color depths, speed determined by clocks, not frame limits, reuns reliable on WinXP? etc. You will not be remaking FF7. If it turns out to be an outlet for entirely new content. That's someone else's problem.

If you have the know-how and the inclination to undertake the project, do so. Just do it privately, and keep the scope of the project within reason. Ideally, you will probably want to make a game engine, that also happens to run FF7 game content. From there, if anyone takes the game content, and tweaks it above and beyond the original, by loading plan 3Dmax files and such using the other more general potions of your engine, then again, that's someone else's problem. You just made a simple PC game engine, and allowed it to play the original FF7 gme content. Even threw in a CD check when that content was being loaded to ensure it wasn't utilized as a no-cd crack.

[ForceStealer666]

hmmm am I right to say that this high res patch takes up more RAM? I only have 128 . will it run slow if I apply this patch?

[hay]

on my pc it takes about... 4kb more...
You should have at least nice graphics card and monitor.

[Marc]

This works great.  Really nice work.  I've been wanting to make the AA run forever on my radeon!

However I do have a question.  I usually play the game on my tv-out.  This makes the background effect alot less visisble.  But I do see the jaggies from the AA (or lack thereof).  However, my tv-out only supports a max resolution of 1024x768.

So I was wondering if it would be in your future plans to release a version of the patch at standard resolution (so it has all your little fixes, notably the AA one) or at a 1024x768 resolution so it could work on my tv-out.  This option would be even more appealing if you ever find a way to get some kind of filtering going for the backgrounds.  Whatever the answer may be, keep up the good work!

[hay]

Not possible without putting in a lot of effort.
I might consider it sometime in the future.
I'm working on ironing out all the bugs first.

Reading several posts won't hurt ;]

[virtual]

Hi.. I'm trying to use the patch but the game exits right after I try to start the game

Computer specs :
WinXP with enough RAM and HDD space..
NVidia GeForce4 MX 440, updated with latest driver ver 78.01
Max resolution display set at 1024x768, 32-bit

Here's what I did :

1. Installed the game fresh from my 8-year old original FFVII CDs

2. Applied ff1.02 patch (basically replacing ff7.exe and FF7Config.exe from the ff7_102.zip file downloaded off this board)

3. Tried the game. Game runs fine without checking the NVidia box (just selected Direct 3D Acceleration at 640x480, 8-bit palette also Pass). But game exits right after starting the game when I check NVidia box, choosing either Riva or TNT..

4. Applied Saint's Hi-res patch. CRC check OK, ff7.exe patched successfully.

5. Tried the game. It won't start at all, whether NVidia box is checked or not in the FF7Config...

Can anyone help? Is there anything else I can try?

[EmperorSteele]

Hmmm, try installing just the 1.02 config, and NOT the 1.02 exe file, apply the patch, and see if that does anything.

[The Skillster]

I am getting the same problem.
I am using XP SP2 on one machine with a Geforce 5900Ultra and it uses the nvidia patch fine.
The other machine has XP Media Centre SP2 and a Geforce 5200 and it cannot use the Nvidia option as it seems to pass the 8bit pallated Textures test (if I do choose any nvidia modes it just quits when trying to run FF7.exe).
Both are using the same Detonators.

[cosmocanyon]

Well, then I suppose the next step is do start looking at the exe and see what I can figure out about how it's coded.  Hopefully it's at least makes sense.  I'll keep ya'll posted.  Anyone have DX9 vs OpenGL 1.4 preference?  If we went OpenGL, it would certianly then be easer to "port" the PC FFVII to non-windows systems.

- Evan

[virtual]

Hmmm, try installing just the 1.02 config, and NOT the 1.02 exe file, apply the patch, and see if that does anything.

I've tried, but it doesn't work..

The ff7.exe would still be of the original size (5,684KB), and Saint's Hi-res patch responds by saying "wrong filesize", i.e. it won't work on the ff7.exe...

I have to upgrade my ff7.exe to 1.02, which is 5,745KB and is patchable.. after which, it becomes 5,747KB and the game won't statr at all

[virtual]

I forgot to add this : I can't use the 1.02 patch for ff7.exe.

The game starts perfectly fine with the original exe, but once I upgrade with eidos' 1.02 patch, it just gives me a black screen. The same for the Hi-res patched 1.02 exe..

Any recourse? :~(

[hay]

use edit mode.
Mabe you've cheked wrong checkbox in Nvidia. I remeber that something similar happend when I had GF2.

[virtual]

I tried playing around with the config.. checking NVidia box, unchecking it, trying Riva or TNT buttons.. but it still doesn't work.

[Harou]

hi..recently i have just install ur high res patch, and i cant even load the game, the moment i launch the game, it a black screen and i do a CTRL + ALT+ DEL and i saw that The_SaiNt res patch*********.exe at my process and it says it is not responding, i have del all files concerning this patch but when i relaunch the game, the process is still there, can u tell me how to del it? thx lots