[FF7PC-98/Steam] New Threat Mod (v2.0.99994)

[Deathlike2]

In 1.5, I think the pyramids are immune to physical damage on Arrange mode so magic is needed. They have death weakness to the gravity element though so if you picked up any gravballs from the train graveyard they can oneshot the pyramid.

I never picked up a gravball in the Train Graveyard. I'm not sure if I somehow switched into normal mode (and saving in the added save point in the sewers before switching back) by temporarily switching to New Threat 2.0 during that sequence, but there's no visible indication (even if it is a debug/dev functionality) that says I am still in Arrange mode. I did some level of grinding in the Trainyard (just to check to see if an upgraded staff for Aeris was stealable - I got a Dream Powder instead. I did manage to steal a T/S Bomb from Reno (as a rare drop - often got a Bolt Plume instead) and that would have never occurred to me.

[Sega Chief]

I never picked up a gravball in the Train Graveyard. I'm not sure if I somehow switched into normal mode (and saving in the added save point in the sewers before switching back) by temporarily switching to New Threat 2.0 during that sequence, but there's no visible indication (even if it is a debug/dev functionality) that says I am still in Arrange mode. I did some level of grinding in the Trainyard (just to check to see if an upgraded staff for Aeris was stealable - I got a Dream Powder instead. I did manage to steal a T/S Bomb from Reno (as a rare drop - often got a Bolt Plume instead) and that would have never occurred to me.

The same flag is used between 1.5's Normal/Arrange and 2.0's Type A/B; hopefully the different event progression didn't mess anything up while 2.0 was active but if you're at Reno then it sounds like things should be fine. If no gravballs then just use magic attacks to eliminate the pyramids.

[Sega Chief]

Have updated NT and NT VC; I'll need to update the patch notes and the stand-alone installer + reunion versions later though. IROs are currently up to date.

[PokeFaize]

Coming back to New Threat again after getting the itch to play OG FF7, and this time I'm using 7th Heaven instead of the other option.

Nothing too big to say so far (other than it's still amazing!), but I noticed I had picked up Added Steal much sooner than when the Item/Materia/Enemy Skill documentation says I should get it, but I forgot where exactly I picked it up from. I suspect the documentation may need an update lol (I'm in Type A for reference)

I'm mainly here to say that the nerfs to HP and MP draining moves are way too harsh across the board. I fully understand that weapons and Added Effect=Drain needed to be nerfed (along with draining attacks used by enemies), but it comes with the consequence of abilities like Osmose being borderline useless. If possible, I suggest having 2 Drain Formulas: one being the nerfed drain called Partial Drain, and the other being a 1:1 drain called Full Drain. Partial Drains can apply to most enemy attacks, draining weapons, HP Absorb, Nanaki's Blood Fang Limit (since it drains both HP and MP), and so on, while Full Drains being used for Osmose, Player Drain Spells, Nanaki's Sled Fang Limit, and other spells & abilities you feel are suited for the Full Drain property.

I'm also here to complain once more about Howling Moon still being one of the worst limits in the game lol. There really isn't any point in the game where choosing Howling Moon is ever worthwhile due to the Berserk status. Like I mentioned last time I talked about Howling Moon, random battles end far too soon for Howling Moon to be worth using (and Earth Rave will often end random battles outright), and bosses are far too dangerous to use Howling Moon against due to the Berserk. Not to mention the fact that the Dragon Force enemy skill does basically the same thing but better and on demand. My suggestion is to remove the Berserk entirely, and tweak it to give some buffs to Magic Attack in some way, like giving the party one charge of Quadra/Octa-Magic for all of their spells and either an MP Regen effect or a No MP Cost Buff that lasts for maybe 4 spell casts, if these are at all possible to implement. This would improve his Lv.3 Limits Set by giving better utility effects for the party, and make his Lv.3 Limit Set actually appealing to Magic Based Nanaki builds.

All in all, it's been a blast to play through again!

[Maziac]

Hello SegaChief, and happy Rebirth everyone!

I've seen people asking for help on reddit a few times regarding 1.5 documentation. I think this google.doc https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X1sQP1Q6MVrxt1E7ytniaG_OEhN8XqlAH2Srv3iHjLc/edit#gid=1476248842 was posted somewhere in this thread and I've pointed a few people to it. Seems to be correct on all things, so I thought maybe you could pin it next to 1.5 installer. Thanks! Also thanks to the amazing person/s who made that spreadsheet!

[ClawsTheOne]

Hi Sega Chief and all,

I have played and finished FF7 a loooong time ago and I'm thinking of giving it a new play-through with New Threat. My question is what do you guys recommend? 1.5 or 2.0? And which mode? I don't really care if the story diverges greatly and I love hard games as long as it's not HP bloat. I started to test out version 2.0 and it was cool to see how things diverge right at the beginning with a certain someone joining right away in type B. So please give your feedback on which version I should play and please elaborate without any spoilers! Thank you for the amazing work on this project!

[Seraph_Sephiroth]

I bumped it up to Octo-Magic but oddly it doesn't seem to work for most and still only casts 4 times; it seems for you though it's getting the 8 casts but has the wrong name.

The reason that battle uses Cloud's name is because renaming a character also resets other information about them such as their sources used, so I wasn't able to rename them and then offer the player the chance to rename them back (some players use custom names so I can't just rename it back to Cloud). There was also a link to Cait Sith where renaming Cloud affects him due to Cait & Young Cloud sharing a slot. The battle also does use a Zack battle model for that part but I suspect model mods override it.

The latest update of Finishing Touch or Cosmo Memory (hard to say, as they both got an update) fixed the spell name, so now both the spelling and 8x effect are working correctly for me.

I was able to make Zack battle model appear by moving the Ninostyle Battle mod just below New Threat 2.0 on the priority list.

Has W-Attack (2x-Cut) been changed so that it no longer targets the person you selected? When I try to use 2x Cut, the game targets all enemies, and then the character attacks two random enemies. I unequipped all the Materia from the character to make sure they don't have anything that conflicts. I gave Cloud nothing but W-Attack (Masamune as a weapon), and he still wants to target everyone with 2x-Cut, and the same for Tifa with nothing but W-Attack (Premium Heart as a weapon). Is this a bug or an intended effect or a problem with conflicting mods?

Here's the list of mods I'm using again: 60/30 FPS for NT 2.0, 60/30 FPS, Project Edge/Team Avalanche Remodeled Fields, Tsunamods: SYW Unified Field Textures, Avalanche Arisen Battle Textures, SYW Unfied Battle Textures, SYW Unified Spell Textures, SYW Unified Minigame Textures, Finishing Touch, Enhanced Stock UI, SYW Unified Worldmap Textures, Cosmo Memory, SYW Unified FMV, Ninostyle Chibi, ReMusic (NT compatibility), EDMusic soundtrack, Dracula9AntiChapel's arranged soundtrack, New Threat 2.0, Ninostyle Battle.

For other news, I finished the game. Thanks for the mod, it was a blast to play! One particular thing I would improve in the late game: when you get your Chocobo to S-rank, can you disable Potion and Phoenix Down as rewards? It's really frustrating when you're farming GP in the highest rank class and even beat Teioh, and then RNG decides to give you nothing but a 5 GP / Potion reward.

Finally a question about the New Threat 2.0 Enemy Drop/Steal/Morph Google Spreadsheet by Berub (listed in the OP). In the Enemies sheet, what does the statuses column mean? Does it refer to the status effects enemies are vulnerable to, or immune to?

[rufusluciusivan]

Hi Sega Chief and all,

I have played and finished FF7 a loooong time ago and I'm thinking of giving it a new play-through with New Threat. My question is what do you guys recommend? 1.5 or 2.0? And which mode? I don't really care if the story diverges greatly and I love hard games as long as it's not HP bloat. I started to test out version 2.0 and it was cool to see how things diverge right at the beginning with a certain someone joining right away in type B. So please give your feedback on which version I should play and please elaborate without any spoilers! Thank you for the amazing work on this project!

Hello! I'm not a veteran of this Board, but for whatever my advice is worth, here's a quick feedback:

As a casual player who discovered New Threat late, I'd recommend 2.0.
Version 1.5 has more radical changes, notably other enemy formations and optional tournaments and an optional dungeon, but is rougher gameplay-wise in my opinion. Version 2.0 is closer to the vanilla game, but also a lot more polished, and I prefer 2.0's approach when it comes to re-balancing the game.

I'd recommend Type A (adjusted vanilla story) over Type B. Type B has a lot of merits, but its beginning can be a bit misleading. I'll try to explain it without spoilers: What I mean is that the kind of major tweaks of the plot such as the one you mentioned only take place during the Midgar arc. The rest of the story features an alternate boss roster (save for some plot-important bosses), but follows the tracks of the vanilla story (save for one or two minor details). There are a couple of big changes after the Midgar arc, but they can also be encountered in a Type A playthrough. Type A features enough differences with the vanilla game for the experience to feel different (the familiar bosses have altered patterns, a couple of mini-bosses and bosses have been added at some moments, the dialogues have been improved to clarify the story, plus a couple of changes that would be spoilers...).

I'm playing with the normal difficulty. For someone who never tried any hard mod and whose only experience with ff7 is the vanilla game, the midcore approach of New Threat means I was able to beat most bosses on my first try, albeit sometimes with difficulty, save for a couple of ones for which I needed two or three tries. However, I can't say what the hard mod of New Threat is worth.

[Sega Chief]

Coming back to New Threat again after getting the itch to play OG FF7, and this time I'm using 7th Heaven instead of the other option.

Nothing too big to say so far (other than it's still amazing!), but I noticed I had picked up Added Steal much sooner than when the Item/Materia/Enemy Skill documentation says I should get it, but I forgot where exactly I picked it up from. I suspect the documentation may need an update lol (I'm in Type A for reference)

I'm mainly here to say that the nerfs to HP and MP draining moves are way too harsh across the board. I fully understand that weapons and Added Effect=Drain needed to be nerfed (along with draining attacks used by enemies), but it comes with the consequence of abilities like Osmose being borderline useless. If possible, I suggest having 2 Drain Formulas: one being the nerfed drain called Partial Drain, and the other being a 1:1 drain called Full Drain. Partial Drains can apply to most enemy attacks, draining weapons, HP Absorb, Nanaki's Blood Fang Limit (since it drains both HP and MP), and so on, while Full Drains being used for Osmose, Player Drain Spells, Nanaki's Sled Fang Limit, and other spells & abilities you feel are suited for the Full Drain property.

I'm also here to complain once more about Howling Moon still being one of the worst limits in the game lol. There really isn't any point in the game where choosing Howling Moon is ever worthwhile due to the Berserk status. Like I mentioned last time I talked about Howling Moon, random battles end far too soon for Howling Moon to be worth using (and Earth Rave will often end random battles outright), and bosses are far too dangerous to use Howling Moon against due to the Berserk. Not to mention the fact that the Dragon Force enemy skill does basically the same thing but better and on demand. My suggestion is to remove the Berserk entirely, and tweak it to give some buffs to Magic Attack in some way, like giving the party one charge of Quadra/Octa-Magic for all of their spells and either an MP Regen effect or a No MP Cost Buff that lasts for maybe 4 spell casts, if these are at all possible to implement. This would improve his Lv.3 Limits Set by giving better utility effects for the party, and make his Lv.3 Limit Set actually appealing to Magic Based Nanaki builds.

All in all, it's been a blast to play through again!

Yeah I can review the drain formula change (and Osmose), and I'll adjust Howling Moon.

Hello SegaChief, and happy Rebirth everyone!

I've seen people asking for help on reddit a few times regarding 1.5 documentation. I think this google.doc https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X1sQP1Q6MVrxt1E7ytniaG_OEhN8XqlAH2Srv3iHjLc/edit#gid=1476248842 was posted somewhere in this thread and I've pointed a few people to it. Seems to be correct on all things, so I thought maybe you could pin it next to 1.5 installer. Thanks! Also thanks to the amazing person/s who made that spreadsheet!

Ah thanks for finding this, I'll add it to the front post.

Hi Sega Chief and all,

I have played and finished FF7 a loooong time ago and I'm thinking of giving it a new play-through with New Threat. My question is what do you guys recommend? 1.5 or 2.0? And which mode? I don't really care if the story diverges greatly and I love hard games as long as it's not HP bloat. I started to test out version 2.0 and it was cool to see how things diverge right at the beginning with a certain someone joining right away in type B. So please give your feedback on which version I should play and please elaborate without any spoilers! Thank you for the amazing work on this project!

I'd recommend 2.0 as I feel I refined it a fair bit but people tell me they prefer 1.5 as it's a bit harder and has a little more stuff to do.

[ClawsTheOne]

Yeah I can review the drain formula change (and Osmose), and I'll adjust Howling Moon.

Ah thanks for finding this, I'll add it to the front post.

I'd recommend 2.0 as I feel I refined it a fair bit but people tell me they prefer 1.5 as it's a bit harder and has a little more stuff to do.

Hello! I'm not a veteran of this Board, but for whatever my advice is worth, here's a quick feedback:

As a casual player who discovered New Threat late, I'd recommend 2.0.
Version 1.5 has more radical changes, notably other enemy formations and optional tournaments and an optional dungeon, but is rougher gameplay-wise in my opinion. Version 2.0 is closer to the vanilla game, but also a lot more polished, and I prefer 2.0's approach when it comes to re-balancing the game.

I'd recommend Type A (adjusted vanilla story) over Type B. Type B has a lot of merits, but its beginning can be a bit misleading. I'll try to explain it without spoilers: What I mean is that the kind of major tweaks of the plot such as the one you mentioned only take place during the Midgar arc. The rest of the story features an alternate boss roster (save for some plot-important bosses), but follows the tracks of the vanilla story (save for one or two minor details). There are a couple of big changes after the Midgar arc, but they can also be encountered in a Type A playthrough. Type A features enough differences with the vanilla game for the experience to feel different (the familiar bosses have altered patterns, a couple of mini-bosses and bosses have been added at some moments, the dialogues have been improved to clarify the story, plus a couple of changes that would be spoilers...).

I'm playing with the normal difficulty. For someone who never tried any hard mod and whose only experience with ff7 is the vanilla game, the midcore approach of New Threat means I was able to beat most bosses on my first try, albeit sometimes with difficulty, save for a couple of ones for which I needed two or three tries. However, I can't say what the hard mod of New Threat is worth.

Thank you both for the feedback. Yes I also read some people prefer 1.5 more than 2.0. However, since the creator is telling me to go with 2.0, then this is what I will do. Should I go with Type A or B? To be honest I don't remember much aside from the major story beats, but is one Type harder than the other? Is there already a significant difference in story and battle/enemies in Type A from Vanilla? Or should I go with Type B? Does Type B have any major additions that I will miss out on if go with Type A (extra battles, secrets, materia/spells/weapons/etc)?

[rufusluciusivan]

Thank you both for the feedback. Yes I also read some people prefer 1.5 more than 2.0. However, since the creator is telling me to go with 2.0, then this is what I will do. Should I go with Type A or B? To be honest I don't remember much aside from the major story beats, but is one Type harder than the other? Is there already a significant difference in story and battle/enemies in Type A from Vanilla? Or should I go with Type B? Does Type B have any major additions that I will miss out on if go with Type A (extra battles, secrets, materia/spells/weapons/etc)?

You're welcome.

When it comes to difficulty, Type A and Type B felt pretty similar to me. I remember having a slightly easier time in my Type B playthrough, but that was also because at that point I had finished Type A, and I had a better understanding of the strategy to use.

If you only have a vague remembrance of Final Fantasy 7's original plot, I'd recommend Type A. Type B rearranges the events of the Midgar Arc and includes shout-outs to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, so I think it's best experienced when one has a rather clear picture of the original plot. My advice would be to do a Type A playthrough, and then try (at least) the Midgar Arc of Type B to see all the differences. (Minor grips against Type B aside, the amount of work Sega Chief invested is stunning, and deserves to be praised and experienced.) You can of course keep on playing Type B once out of Midgar to see the alternate boss roster, but know that outside of boss fights, there won't be much difference with Type A.

All the major additions are available in both Types. (Save of course for the alternate Midgar scenario and boss roster which are exclusive to Type B.) The biggest plot change (no spoiler) which can be unlocked after the Midgar Arc is available in Type A and Type B. Same with the scenes that are altered after said arc (like Yuffie's and Vincent's recruitments or the Junon escape in Disk 2.) They are the same in both types.

When it comes to random battles, Version 2.0 only features the vanilla formations whether you play Type A or B - albeit with slightly different patterns to make them a bit more challenging. Only version 1.5 drastically changes the random battle formations.

There is a significant difference in Type A in my opinion already, in the sense that the original bosses have been altered, and most of them feel like different fights. (Not hugely different, of course, but they for sure require more strategy and management of your characters than their vanilla counterparts.) One instance that's not too-spoilery: Air Buster went from a complete joke to a decent challenge and one of my favorite boss fights because it's been made durable enough to withstand a good chunk of attacks, and strong enough to deal higher damage, so that it can take advantage of its shtick of counter-attacking. Type A also adds from time to time mini-bosses and bosses at some key moments (some of them optional, some of them mandatory). Once again, I don't want to spoil their arrival, but there is a decent number of them all things considered. From memory: 2 or 3 during the Midgar arc, 3 for the rest of Disk 1, 4 in Disk 2 (I'm counting mini-boss fights against squads of elite troopers), and a good chunk of new optional superbosses in Disk 3.

However, if you want truly different boss fights that happen regularly, then Type B features that. (Plus, some of the added mini-bosses and bosses are also featured in Type B. And of course all the superbosses are.)

[ClawsTheOne]

You're welcome.

When it comes to difficulty, Type A and Type B felt pretty similar to me. I remember having a slightly easier time in my Type B playthrough, but that was also because at that point I had finished Type A, and I had a better understanding of the strategy to use.

If you only have a vague remembrance of Final Fantasy 7's original plot, I'd recommend Type A. Type B rearranges the events of the Midgar Arc and includes shout-outs to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, so I think it's best experienced when one has a rather clear picture of the original plot. My advice would be to do a Type A playthrough, and then try (at least) the Midgar Arc of Type B to see all the differences. (Minor grips against Type B aside, the amount of work Sega Chief invested is stunning, and deserves to be praised and experienced.) You can of course keep on playing Type B once out of Midgar to see the alternate boss roster, but know that outside of boss fights, there won't be much difference with Type A.

All the major additions are available in both Types. (Save of course for the alternate Midgar scenario and boss roster which are exclusive to Type B.) The biggest plot change (no spoiler) which can be unlocked after the Midgar Arc is available in Type A and Type B. Same with the scenes that are altered after said arc (like Yuffie's and Vincent's recruitments or the Junon escape in Disk 2.) They are the same in both types.

When it comes to random battles, Version 2.0 only features the vanilla formations whether you play Type A or B - albeit with slightly different patterns to make them a bit more challenging. Only version 1.5 drastically changes the random battle formations.

There is a significant difference in Type A in my opinion already, in the sense that the original bosses have been altered, and most of them feel like different fights. (Not hugely different, of course, but they for sure require more strategy and management of your characters than their vanilla counterparts.) One instance that's not too-spoilery: Air Buster went from a complete joke to a decent challenge and one of my favorite boss fights because it's been made durable enough to withstand a good chunk of attacks, and strong enough to deal higher damage, so that it can take advantage of its shtick of counter-attacking. Type A also adds from time to time mini-bosses and bosses at some key moments (some of them optional, some of them mandatory). Once again, I don't want to spoil their arrival, but there is a decent number of them all things considered. From memory: 2 or 3 during the Midgar arc, 3 for the rest of Disk 1, 4 in Disk 2 (I'm counting mini-boss fights against squads of elite troopers), and a good chunk of new optional superbosses in Disk 3.

However, if you want truly different boss fights that happen regularly, then Type B features that. (Plus, some of the added mini-bosses and bosses are also featured in Type B. And of course all the superbosses are.)

Wow really appreciate your spoiler-free feedback. I'm so torn between which type to choose but you seem to like Type A more. I haven't played the remake yet (not happy about Square-Enix splitting it into multiple games and padding each game out), so I won't understand any shout-outs to the remake in Type B. I guess I will go for Type A. Anything else you wanna share (spoiler-free) as tips and/or hints to enjoy the play-through more?

[rufusluciusivan]

Wow really appreciate your spoiler-free feedback. I'm so torn between which type to choose but you seem to like Type A more. I haven't played the remake yet (not happy about Square-Enix splitting it into multiple games and padding each game out), so I won't understand any shout-outs to the remake in Type B. I guess I will go for Type A. Anything else you wanna share (spoiler-free) as tips and/or hints to enjoy the play-through more?

You're welcome. I'm glad I could be of help.

I share your sentiment about the Remake. In my opinion, FF7 Vanilla is timeless first and foremost thanks to its pace. Even nowadays, I think it's still one of the best-paced videogame stories I've ever experienced. The Remake features cool moments, but that's what YouTube videos are for. (If anything, the scene in which Aerith beats up a goon with a chair makes the existence of the Remake worth it.^^)

There are hints I'd like to give, but then they would be spoilers.

I'd have a few tips to help you better experience the game, but they're pretty basic, as I said I'm a casual player. So I apologize in advance if you already know them.
- Version 2.0 emphasizes competitive balance and team building. The SP point system, and the revamped Materia and weapons with their bonus and malus to stats, give a lot of freedom when it comes to character building. However, turning all characters into Jack-of-All-Stats is not necessarily a good idea. It's notably preferable to have at least one character specialized in Magic and one specialized in Physical attacks (and speed) in the team. The game and Sega Chief on this very board stress the point several times.
- Similarly, before a boss fight, it's best to think a little of which character will do what. No need for long complex strategies either - at least on average difficulty. But make sure you have selected one character whose main role will be to heal and cast the buff spells. (A good chunk of the bosses are more aggressive, and deal more damage.)
- The Summon Materia are among the best ways to alter stats for your character builds with their high bonus and malus. For instance, Choco-Mog makes its wielder more fragile, but gives boosts in Strength and Dexterity any physical hitter will want. Try to not sell old weapons. Sometimes, they have interesting stat bonuses.

I'll end with more precise hints.
- Destruct is a must for almost any boss fight - in New Threat bosses love to buff themselves with Barrier and/or M.Barrier. It may sound obvious, but I remember Destruct was so useless in the vanilla game that it took me the better part of my first playthrough to finally take the habit to use it.^^
- Dexterity is your most important stat. It's the one that governs the speed of your ATB gauge. No matter what build you choose for a character, try to not lower it too much. Or if you lower it with one Materia, compensate the loss. (Some of the Materia who raise Magic or Strength the most also lower Dexterity.)
- Haste is a cool buff, but it also speeds up your other positive status effects. If possible, it's preferable to give Dexterity boosts with a Materia or equipment. (When a character has a high Dexterity, it's as if they permanently have the Haste status effect without its drawbacks.)

Hope you'll enjoy your playthrough!

[Seraph_Sephiroth]

I'll end with more precise hints.
- Destruct is a must for almost any boss fight - in New Threat bosses love to buff themselves with Barrier and/or M.Barrier. It may sound obvious, but I remember Destruct was so useless in the vanilla game that it took me the better part of my first playthrough to finally take the habit to use it.^^
- Dexterity is your most important stat. It's the one that governs the speed of your ATB gauge. No matter what build you choose for a character, try to not lower it too much. Or if you lower it with one Materia, compensate the loss. (Some of the Materia who raise Magic or Strength the most also lower Dexterity.)
- Haste is a cool buff, but it also speeds up your other positive status effects. If possible, it's preferable to give Dexterity boosts with a Materia or equipment. (When a character has a high Dexterity, it's as if they permanently have the Haste status effect without its drawbacks.)

Hope you'll enjoy your playthrough!

Another hint I would give. In the vanilla game, status ailments are quite useless, as mobs are easy enough, while bosses are immune to them. In this mod, some bosses are vulnerable to status ailments, so it's worth using some of them, especially Slow and Poison. I also recommend leveling up the Seal materia for one special fight (I don't want to spoil it), as Silence or Sleep makes the fight much easier. I didn't find much use for Mystify (Confuse/Berserk) or Transform (Mini/Toad) materias, but Hades + Added Effect (or Bad Breath) is still an effective way for crippling mobs.

[ClawsTheOne]

Another hint I would give. In the vanilla game, status ailments are quite useless, as mobs are easy enough, while bosses are immune to them. In this mod, some bosses are vulnerable to status ailments, so it's worth using some of them, especially Slow and Poison. I also recommend leveling up the Seal materia for one special fight (I don't want to spoil it), as Silence or Sleep makes the fight much easier. I didn't find much use for Mystify (Confuse/Berserk) or Transform (Mini/Toad) materias, but Hades + Added Effect (or Bad Breath) is still an effective way for crippling mobs.

You're welcome. I'm glad I could be of help.

I share your sentiment about the Remake. In my opinion, FF7 Vanilla is timeless first and foremost thanks to its pace. Even nowadays, I think it's still one of the best-paced videogame stories I've ever experienced. The Remake features cool moments, but that's what YouTube videos are for. (If anything, the scene in which Aerith beats up a goon with a chair makes the existence of the Remake worth it.^^)

There are hints I'd like to give, but then they would be spoilers.

I'd have a few tips to help you better experience the game, but they're pretty basic, as I said I'm a casual player. So I apologize in advance if you already know them.
- Version 2.0 emphasizes competitive balance and team building. The SP point system, and the revamped Materia and weapons with their bonus and malus to stats, give a lot of freedom when it comes to character building. However, turning all characters into Jack-of-All-Stats is not necessarily a good idea. It's notably preferable to have at least one character specialized in Magic and one specialized in Physical attacks (and speed) in the team. The game and Sega Chief on this very board stress the point several times.
- Similarly, before a boss fight, it's best to think a little of which character will do what. No need for long complex strategies either - at least on average difficulty. But make sure you have selected one character whose main role will be to heal and cast the buff spells. (A good chunk of the bosses are more aggressive, and deal more damage.)
- The Summon Materia are among the best ways to alter stats for your character builds with their high bonus and malus. For instance, Choco-Mog makes its wielder more fragile, but gives boosts in Strength and Dexterity any physical hitter will want. Try to not sell old weapons. Sometimes, they have interesting stat bonuses.

I'll end with more precise hints.
- Destruct is a must for almost any boss fight - in New Threat bosses love to buff themselves with Barrier and/or M.Barrier. It may sound obvious, but I remember Destruct was so useless in the vanilla game that it took me the better part of my first playthrough to finally take the habit to use it.^^
- Dexterity is your most important stat. It's the one that governs the speed of your ATB gauge. No matter what build you choose for a character, try to not lower it too much. Or if you lower it with one Materia, compensate the loss. (Some of the Materia who raise Magic or Strength the most also lower Dexterity.)
- Haste is a cool buff, but it also speeds up your other positive status effects. If possible, it's preferable to give Dexterity boosts with a Materia or equipment. (When a character has a high Dexterity, it's as if they permanently have the Haste status effect without its drawbacks.)

Hope you'll enjoy your playthrough!

Awesome guys, thanks again. Super pumped to give this a try. Now I just have to make up my mind about which Type to play first!

[daverboczi]

Dear Sega Chief!
First of all thank you your hard works!
I'm notice 2 things with your mod:
1. If I use the mod with Thunamods Finishing Touch the expanded icon is not working. (If the NT mod is off its working again.)
2. For example in the Elemental materia (but in other materia also) the Magic def -7 is actually lowering the Spirit stat.
The result is the same but not exactly, because if its really just the Mdef reduce the Spirit is still remain the same.
Please change this lowering to Spirit -7.
i don't know there is other typos but I'm playing
Best regards.

[Seraph_Sephiroth]

Awesome guys, thanks again. Super pumped to give this a try. Now I just have to make up my mind about which Type to play first!

I'd play Type A first. It feels like a faithful adaptation but still enhances quite a lot, making both the storyline more sensible and the combat more balanced. Combined with graphical and musical mods, NT Type A makes the game feel like the definitive version, or the "true remaster", without all the padding and overly convoluted extras of the Remake/Rebirth, while giving you the full storyline. I'm still planning to play through Type B on my next run, but remember, that one will take quite a lot of liberties in the storyline (especially the Midgar section) and the boss roster.

[ClawsTheOne]

I'd play Type A first. It feels like a faithful adaptation but still enhances quite a lot, making both the storyline more sensible and the combat more balanced. Combined with graphical and musical mods, NT Type A makes the game feel like the definitive version, or the "true remaster", without all the padding and overly convoluted extras of the Remake/Rebirth, while giving you the full storyline. I'm still planning to play through Type B on my next run, but remember, that one will take quite a lot of liberties in the storyline (especially the Midgar section) and the boss roster.

Yeah I think this is the way to go because I finished FF7 a very long time ago (when the first PC version was released) so Type A would maybe bring back nice memories but feel fresh.

[satsuki]

Hello ^^
Any ETA about the standalone installer v2.0.99993 ?
I'll need it to update the NT mod in my AIO pack (big release coming so if i can get your lastest version too, it would be cool)

Thanks for allllllll your great work about this mod !

[Fulgrim66]

Hello, I would like to report a bug for New Threat 2.0 Vanilla. When Aerith dies, instead of fighting Jenova Life, I find myself fighting the two Shinra soldiers from the first battle of the game after the train.

Running 7th Heaven 3.4.0.0 (stable) with FFNx 1.18.1.0
Thanks for your time.

[Exeeter702]

Hello all,

Im not really a regular here but was recently looking to get back into playing original FF7 and decided to play NT.  After getting up to around wall market on type b I decided that I prefer a slightly more original / vanilla scenario and opted to start over with type a. I couldnt seem to verify anywhere else online, is Tifa joining at the start of the game and the first boss being the altered guard scorpion up stairs a universal change for NT in both scenario types or is my install bugged and not changing to the correct type when I start a new game, as these changes are present when I select type A. I understand that there are some changes to the core game with NT (which I dont mind) but just wanted to be sure before I continue playing.

My other question which is related to the above I suppose, is scenario type A ultimately faithful to the original game in terms of narrative? I love the idea of an improved for fleshed out narrative fix for the game but still want to keep it true to the original games intent. Im sure its an unpopular opinion by many, but personally I have never enjoyed any of the post psx ff7 related games / media that has come out over the years "expanding" ff7s mythos and world. I noticed in type B, the script for the game seemed to more align with things like crisis core and remake being canon, which id prefer my ff7 game to have nothing to do with that (no offense to anyone who likes CC or Re). 

Thanks

Also, in case anyone is interested, steam has a program called lossless scaling. If will inject artificial frames (interpolation) into windows, including borderless full screen games, with minimal induced input lag. It has made playing ff7 with the 60 fps mod absolute eye candy, running at "120" fps. Absolutely gorgeous.   

[Fulgrim66]

Hello, I'd like to report another bug for New Threat 2.0 Vanilla. During the fight against Jenova Death, it's not Jenova's musical theme that starts but North Crater's one.

I'm using 7th Heaven 3.4.0.0 (stable) with FFNx 1.18.1.0.

[Fulgrim66]

I'd like to report a new bug on NT Vanilla 2.0. The underwater boss that should normally give Barret his last weapon is bugged. Instead, we face a goblin.

[rufusluciusivan]

Hello all,

Im not really a regular here but was recently looking to get back into playing original FF7 and decided to play NT.  After getting up to around wall market on type b I decided that I prefer a slightly more original / vanilla scenario and opted to start over with type a. I couldnt seem to verify anywhere else online, is Tifa joining at the start of the game and the first boss being the altered guard scorpion up stairs a universal change for NT in both scenario types or is my install bugged and not changing to the correct type when I start a new game, as these changes are present when I select type A. I understand that there are some changes to the core game with NT (which I dont mind) but just wanted to be sure before I continue playing.

My other question which is related to the above I suppose, is scenario type A ultimately faithful to the original game in terms of narrative? I love the idea of an improved for fleshed out narrative fix for the game but still want to keep it true to the original games intent. Im sure its an unpopular opinion by many, but personally I have never enjoyed any of the post psx ff7 related games / media that has come out over the years "expanding" ff7s mythos and world. I noticed in type B, the script for the game seemed to more align with things like crisis core and remake being canon, which id prefer my ff7 game to have nothing to do with that (no offense to anyone who likes CC or Re). 

Thanks

Also, in case anyone is interested, steam has a program called lossless scaling. If will inject artificial frames (interpolation) into windows, including borderless full screen games, with minimal induced input lag. It has made playing ff7 with the 60 fps mod absolute eye candy, running at "120" fps. Absolutely gorgeous.

Tifa only joins the party at the start of the game in the Type B scenario. Same with the altered guard scorpion, it's only in type B. If you have these in Type A, then there is a bug. (Note however that in Type A, the guard scorpion comes back for an other round when you escape the Reactor, right after you save Jessie, trying to stall for time. And that's not a bug.)

Type A is faithful to the vanilla scenario - mostly improving the dialogues. It adds a couple of boss fights / mini-boss fights and a few scenes or dialogues here and there (most of them optional), but there isn't any wide change like in the beginning of Type B - with one exception: There is one potential big divergence at one point (roughly taking place in the middle of the story), but it's optional, so you can choose if you want a 100% faithful story or an altered one. I'll be using a spoiler tag because, while it's a well-known addition of the mod, if you went in blind it would be a shame to ruin the surprise. If you don't want to spoil yourself, just know that this change is optional, and it's easy to avoid triggering it. (It requires to act a certain way during a specific boss fight - and the solution will look pretty obvious once you reach the part.) The spoiler-y explanation:

Spoiler: show

During the fight with Jenova-LIFE, you can save Aerith's life if you defeat the boss without killing Aerith when Jenova re-animates her body to fight alongside it. If you want the original story, you just have to kill the re-animated Aerith, which isn't very hard because she doesn't have a lot of HP.

[Heru]

Do y'all prefer type A, or Type B? I'm kinda a type A purest I guess