Hello everyone!
I'm proud to present my very first mod - Final Fantasy VIII Hard Edition (Reloaded, cause a previous attempt at this has already been made, but never completed).
Information
This mod is for PC only, but feel to try to make it work on PSX (don't ask me how to do it though).
The mod was done with FF8AC and Ifrit tools, by modifying the battle.* files that contained monster data.
Only the monster data were changed, everything else remains the same.
What does it do?
As you guessed, it will make FF8 harder. Battles are at least x3 times harder, with x4-5 for some specific bosses (Ultimecia!).
Not only the enemies HP will rise, but also all their other stats (Strength, Spirit, Speed, etc). Sadly, the enemies will remain stupid...
How hard is it?
Enough to give you a good challenge, but not too much to make it unplayable.
Playing the game from the beginning can be really challenging, but it's possible.
Is it safe to use?
Yes, only the battle.* files are modified, and you can even download the specific monster files (com00*.dat) to manually patch the game.
I'm currently on disc 2 (before Balamb->Ellone search->Fujin+Rajin->Pandemona), and everything seems fine so far.
Does it need Aali's driver?
Nope, you can use it with the default driver if you wish.
I recommend using the Aali + SeeD mods though, the game feels more "fresh".
Download:
Unfortunately, you can't distribute copyrighted files in their entirety - you have to instead distribute patches. You can provide a set of patch files for each individual file, or use a patch program like NSIS that can compare entire directories and create a self-installer. Nice work, all the same.- Bosola
Please let me know of any issues or question you may have.
Enjoy!