Qhimm.com Forums
Final Fantasy 7 => Graphics => Releases => Topic started by: yarLson on 2011-03-10 22:25:09
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This is a tremendous undertaking for just one man. All I ask is for your kind patience.
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Mission:
The basic idea is to upscale the field backgrounds from Final Fantasy VII by a factor of 4 using Perfect Resize 7.1, and to maintain them as close to the original images as possible. Therefore imaging effects are kept to a minimum and are only applied to sharpen detail, add detail and correct color distortion that is caused by the resize. I am constantly experimenting and rechecking to reach the highest quality possible for this project.
Feedback is always appreciated
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Releases:
Note: Installation instructions are at the bottom
V0.35 Torrent [uncompressed] [215 backgrounds complete] [1.25gb]
http://www.mediafire.com/?o32ac3cv6nvj8kk
I am seeding this one pretty much constantly and Aali is also helping to seed at amazing speeds so it should be no problem :D
MegaUpload Installer [uncompressed] [854mb]
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HJJMHNHP
Note: Thanks to Kranmer for making this installer
MediaFire Another Installer [compressed] 7 part download
http://www.mediafire.com/?hrv9b6cxcxnd8
Note: Thanks to Vgr255 for making this installer for the compressed version
Launch the executable and select your modpath directory (under the mods\ folder)
Google Mirror [compressed] [991mb]
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B3FK0dqybqUCYTYzODQxZDktNzk5Yi00YjNiLTk5ZTYtZDM1ODhmYmYzZTFm&hl=en
MegaUpload Mirror [compressed] [991mb]
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NBKYFPYQ
please inform me of a dead link!
Enjoy!
Note: there is no visible difference between the compressed and uncompressed versions, although some of the images may have been reduced from 32bit depth to 24bit depth so I have decided to include both. The compressed version should load faster in game but I haven't tested this yet
*Attention!*
V0.35 Source
Part I [700mb]: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B3FK0dqybqUCZTQ5NmZhNzAtZjg4Zi00NmJlLTkzZGItNWY2NmJlOWRmOWJm&hl=en
Part II [648mb] : https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B3FK0dqybqUCNDIyNTZjMTItZWVhMC00OTZiLWEyNTYtNTY0ZGZlMjBiZTRh&hl=en
The source version is available for those of you who would like to make changes, would like to filter them in a different style, or would just like to take a look at what the layers look like before they are converted using Palmer. If you make a change or a correction that you think might benefit my pack, and you would like to share it with me, just send me the source layers with your modifications and I'll check it out.
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Important:
Note: Some of the scenes cause glitch errors due to palette changes. I have included the files anyways for those that wish to use them. If you want to get rid of the errors just delete the PNG that has the 15 in it. IE tin_1_15_00.png
Please if you find any problems be descriptive and post a picture if possible
I am spending a lot of time going over these images and correcting any errors I find but when your working with thousands upon thousands of images it is perfectly normal to miss something so please do not hesitate to post your issues!
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News:
[03/29/2011]
I am slowly pumping out new backgrounds but I am still more focused on cleaning up the ones that are already finished.
my main focus right now is smoothing, check this thread for the details
http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=11596.0
and in this file is a perfect example of the drastic difference between smoothed and unsmoothed layers
http://www.mediafire.com/?cwm5kmz08tcf5xx
[04/06/2011]
I have found a new plugin for Photoshop called Perfectum which allows me to make all of these photos look even better and more detailed when combined with a new technique I have developed. I will be applying this to all the images which are already finished as well as whats to come in the future. I am really excited about this! Check out the full, in game, comparison here!
http://www.mediafire.com/?2kbecfc817f8bu4
[04/09/2011]
1.epic problem that has been stalling progress for almost two weeks has finally been solved! Read about it here!
http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=11663.0
Thanks to this new solution, progress can once again resume at a steady pace. However do not expect a full release as quickly as the last one. Due to the high amount of errors in my first release I am testing much more thoroughly for each image. Plus the smoothing process, which I am happy to report is finally moving along at a consistent and reasonable pace, still adds a decent amount of time to the workload so it will be a while.
2.I did say above not to expect a FULL release. I consider a full release to be a version upgrade, this will not happen until I have smoothed the layers in all of the existing images from v0.35 and added a decent chunk of new backgrounds on top of that. However stay posted because I have decided to release smaller separate packs from the new areas I am working on. First up will be Gold Saucer! probably in about a week or two as long as my schedule stays the way it is now. The main purpose of this new release schedule is two fold: to give you guys something new to experience without having to wait for the next full version release, and second, to demonstrate smoothed layers and the Perfectum filter in action!
All of this careful attention will help result in a much cleaner final product. I will not allow myself to be rushed.
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Screenshots:
Here are some screens. I would recommend you open them up to full size in order to see them clearly. Hope you all enjoy them!
http://img41.imageshack.us/g/zz4000000000.jpg/
I converted them to jpeg so that I could upload them, so you may find some small artifacts. Don't worry about them if you do, they won't be there in the release.
Please note that these images have not been updated using my new Perfectum method, I will update these screenshots once I have finished cleaning up much more of the backgrounds
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Progress:
Finished:
The Northern Cave
Return to Midgar Mission at the end disc 2
The Entire Shinra Building [Smoothed]
The Highwind
Rocket Town and the inside of the rocket
The Ancient Forest [Smoothed] [Updated]
The materia caves, Lucretia cave, chocobo sage house, sleeping man's cave, and blacksmiths house
The Forgotten City [Smoothed] [Updated]
Cosmo Canyon
Underwater Reactor and Sub
Galnika
the sequence with cloud and tifa in the lifestream
Mideel
clouds end of game flash back with zack
In progress:
The Gold Saucer
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Installation:
Requirements:
Final Fantasy VII for PC
1.02 Official Patch
Aali's Custom Graphics Driver
http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=8306.msg156782#msg156782 (http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=8306.msg156782#msg156782)
to install just place the field folder in your mod path "mods/(mod path)/"
for example if your using the Team Avalanche Graphical Overhaul then you would place it in "mods/avalanche"
to reiterate: place the field folder inside the mod path, not the folder tree inside of the field folder or it won't work!
additionally, if you are downloading the torrent, you can just tell your torrent client to save the field folder in the mod path and it will download everything exactly where it needs to be
also make sure you have the mod path set up and activated in Aali's config file
for example
mod_path = avalanche
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Thank you!
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Could you post a comparison of your upscaled battle textures?
Would be interesting to see how much it improves.
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sure thing, I will edit the original post in a little bit.
*edit*
I am really sorry I never noticed you were asking for battle textures specifically and I only posted screens of the field, my bad Timber
I decided I am not gonna worry about battle textures for a while, since the battle scene reconstruction project in the Team Avalanche forum seems to be making decent progress. felix_leonhart just released 10 of his scenes and they are really great. I'll probably get around to it when I'm all finished with the field textures. Just because its easy to do and there might be those who would prefer the original textures but would also prefer them to not do be pixelated to hell. It would probably take me less than a week since there are a lot less to do compared to the field, and no layers to cut up (that I have seen). I wouldn't do it normally since theirs already a beautiful project underway but since its so easy I probably will.
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Jus' wondering, but when will be the next release? Your work is pretty good and I would like to have some others soon :D
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I can't say exactly but it should be in about a week or less.
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Hi, sorry, but I don't understand one thing: I create a folder and I nominate "modpath" or what? I don't know how to insert the new field in the game
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hey did you read my instructions I don't know how else I can explain it. What do you mean by nominate?
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Do I have a folder mods in the folder of the game?
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what's in v0.1 and the current file size is 388mb so by the time I finish the other 3 new parts it will probably be over 500mb. Just a heads up.
Been doing some research into lossless PNG compression, and I get the best results from PNG Monster: http://www.vbgore.com/PNG_Monster
Not only will it reduce the files sizes, but this should result in making them load slightly faster in-game too.
But do note that it takes a LONG time to compress, but at least you only have to do it once :)
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Interesting. I may have to give that a shot.
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I'll look into it as well but I'll wait until I am finished. Is there any noticeable loss in quality or detail?
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I'll look into it as well but I'll wait until I am finished. Is there any noticeable loss in quality or detail?
into lossless PNG compression
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duh my bad :-o
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release coming after this weekend. Get ready because this is a big one!
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Way to go, yarLson! ;)
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Awesome news, hopefully with your mod and mine a good chunk of the game will be done.
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I agree ! Many thanks to you two (again & again).
Thanks to continue the game's enchacement ! :)
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Awesome news, hopefully with your mod and mine a good chunk of the game will be done.
yep, with your help, and if I can keep anything close to the pace I have had this week, it'll be done in no time. By the way, were you able to use my actions to run a good batch after all?
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Honestly I havnt looked at them yet. I dont know if i will be able to as Perfect Resize does not work in photoshop for some reason. I have to use the standalone
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oh man that's very odd. does it give you an error message or is it just not showing up? it should show up in the file>automate menu (at least in CS5) underneath the droplet option. You might have to install the OnOne service although I'm not really positive on this one, its just something I had to do to get it to work. I had to download the OnOne service from their website, although if its not showing up in the menu then thats probably not it, because mine was showing up but it was giving me an error message.
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have not tried it but previews look amazing. thanks a lot!
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its okay it'll be better to try it after Monday anyway :D
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Oh well that is a neat trick. I didnt realize that was there.
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Oh well that is a neat trick. I didnt realize that was there.
did you get it working?
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Sorry, but PMs are there for a reason...
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Very beautiful work, thank you so much for sharing :)
I have a small (dumb?) question, though.
When I place the files in my modpath, do I need to extract all pics from their folders?
For instance, right now all the files are in their folders (Field/"folders") placed directly into my modpath (mods/avalanche/).
Should I extract all the pics from their folders and just place them all within the Field folder?
Sorry for having my 1st post here filled with questions, hehe :)
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Questions are always welcome. You don't want to remove the files from their folders or they won't work just leave the folder structure exactly as is. Also in about an hour or two I'll be posting a huge update so stay posted today.
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Version 0.35 out now! 215 backgrounds are completed in this release.
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Thanks, i am DLing now (its a shame its a torrent though), i will try and seed for a few hours though and again tomorrow.
Also have you given any thought about making a installer when you get to the final version ?
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Well I don't really have the know how to make an installer but I fully support the idea if anyone would like to help me. Sorry about the torrent, I actually uploaded the whole thing to badongo last night but when i woke up it just wasn't there so I decided to go torrent for now until I buy more space. Thanks for the help seeding :mrgreen:
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Thanks yarLson !
I'm downloading it right now (will help for seed too). I've seen your screens, and I think it's pretty much like Sl1982 is doing. Maybe an installer will be a great idea ... combining sl1982's fields and yours maybe ?!
Anyway, PNG format is great for me ^^
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As far as me and sl1982 go, we are using the same resize tool and originally we were going to do this project together, but we ended up using slightly different post processing methods to clean up the images further and so we decided, for the sake of continuity, that we would keep the projects seperate.
Since that decision I have changed my post processing technique to be a little more similar to his but honestly the difference is still noticeable, mostly because he is adding grain where I am reducing noise. However we decided to start at opposite ends of the game, to encourage the end user to combine our projects together to get a finished product faster. However where I am sitting now, I think I am just going to finish the entire game using my method. That's not to say that sl1982 hasn't been a tremendous help with troubleshooting and helping me get started.
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hey yarLson, i have made this quick installer
http://www.mediafire.com/?rg3t372ie414s4a
this installer will automatically install a folder called "FIELD" which is in the same folder as the "setup.EXE" (when i get the files i could make it all in 1 EXE but since i am still downloading i thought i would do it this way) to your FF7\mods\avalanche\field folder (which it should autodetect the correct path but it can be changed if needed).
And if you want it customized more it can be this, but is only a quick installer so its very plain.
Also when i get it would you mind if a made a mirror on megaupload ? (you can upload upto 1GB on megaupload so it should be possible to jsut split it into 2 parts and upload there)
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that would be great if you could mirror it. Thanks for the installer as well! If you can make another one once you get everything that'd be even better! Thanks.
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Looks great :) Patiently waiting for the completion... ^^
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if we can just get like 3 or 4 seeders going the download speeds will improve drastically
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Thanks for clarifying :)
I'll download it now and then I'll seed for a while.
Once again, thank you very much for sharing this awesome work!
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Mine's pretty much grind to a halt; 5kb/s. I'll guess i'll wait until tomorrow when hopefully somebody has uploaded a mirror *Hint hint :mrgreen:*.
In all seriousness though, great job. I've scrolled through the images you had up before and it looked incredible. This is what I've been waiting for the most, I know it isn't completed but the amount of work you've put in and the 215 backgrounds you've done thus far is something I must thank you for.
I look forward to future releases :).
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I will Seed once it finishes downloading. I'll dedicate a day or two to seeding. Great work! ;D
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I'm sorry I really didn't expect such a quick response 20 people are trying to download already and I'm the only seeder. I guess some people really just don't understand how torrents are supposed to work. Please if you read this and you are downloading JUST WAIT unless you plan on seeding. If it would only allow me to choose which peers I could send it to specifically I could get it to the ones who promised to seed first but my client can't do that. If this keeps up I may just erase the torrent and try to upload elsewhere. I'm sorry everyone this is my fault for not seeing this coming.
*edit* actually this has already gotten out of hand. I am calling up a friend to help me out. I don't have any money on my bank card so I need to use his to buy more space and I'll just pay him with cash. I'm gonna cut the torrent temporarily once everything goes through and i'll upload to google docs and repost later this evening. Again my sincerest apologies. I like torrents because they are free un-throttled downloads but since some people don't know how to be patient we'll have to do this another way.
*edit2*
uploading to Google right now!
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ok so should we abadon the torrent now then ? i am already at 80% and uploading at 210kb/s.
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no hang on to it I am going to start seeding again once I finish the Google upload. Sorry Kranmer I didn't mean to screw you like that.
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nah its fine, it gives the others a chance to catch up since i seemed to have the highest %, that should also help increase people's speed upto 80% that i am at (so hopefully people wont complain about the speed for awhile)
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well I feel like a complete idiot right now. After waiting four hours to upload Google tells me the files is too big. After looking into this I guess it is because it can take up to 24 hours for Google to verify the purchase of new online storage or some BS. Anyway I am terribly sorry for wasting so much time. Don't know why it couldn't tell me the file is too big before uploading but whatever, I am already seeding the torrent again and will repost it once I get a few seeders behind it. Thanks for the patience and I'm really sorry about my screw ups :o
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Just use MegaUpload.com, I use it to host all the time, files can be up to 1GB
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well I've got a bunch of people sitting on 80 percent so I should be able to get some seeders relatively soon and then it will suffice until tomorrow. I'll leave the torrent active for as long as possible though because for people with lots of download bandwidth to spare this can sometimes be the best option unless they have a paid account on all the major DL sites :-P
also I will be seeding all night and all day tomorrow until I have to upload to Google again
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So... can I have the torrent then? :)
You don't need a paid megaupload account, like kranmer said you can just split it into 2 files.
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WE HAVE SEEDERS! Thank you so much for your patience everyone. Please seed as long as possible :mrgreen:
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yarLson one thing : Thanks !
Just don't worry ... you are sharing your works with us ... we can wait one or two more days ! Well now Torrent is complete for many users (me too). I'll seed to thanks you ...
Just take your time, like Krammer & Timber saids, you only have to compress yours PNG onto 2 RAR parts (less than 1Gb by part) to upload them on Megaupload (without prenium account) or an other website like that. Anyway now the torrent is active and everybody can have it by the moment.
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Somehow I can't download it. I just don't get a connection with the tracker. Is it down, or does the problem lay on my end?
EDIT: fixed by using utorrent.
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I'm kind of new to using torrents and such but I've been seeding all night and when I checked uTorrent this morning it was 100% and seeders is 0 (8), and leechers 0 (2).
What does this mean?
Cause it doesn't seem as if I'm uploading anything anymore :-\
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Hi moothead, I suggest you don't worry about it, as I'm currently compressing the PNGs for yarLson, and should have them uploaded within 24h.
Compression is still going, but it's already more than 250mb lighter :)
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great job Timber thank you so much for the effort! Feel free to upload it when your done and I'll put the link in my original post if you PM me or you can just post in the thread, I'll also mirror it on my Google account.
will make it much quicker to download :).
I am more concerned with the performance boost in game :]
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Looks like i also got 100% this morning as well and have seeded over 3GB of data. I haven't had much time to test yet since i only just got back but later i will have a very good look at this in-game.
Also i was going to upload to megaupload but since someone has already done it i wont bother now (seems little point).
I will still make a installer version though, i should be able to make it under 1GB with a little bit of compressing the actual files (not converting the PNG's like Timber, i will only compress them, the user will still get your original PNG's, the cost of this though is a installation that will take around 10-15Min's but that time is pretty much saved on the download size)
@Timber what program are you using to compress the PNG's ? you have to be carefull when compressing 32bit PNG's like these, programs like PNG Monster/OptiPNG/PNGguantlet etc only really work on 24bit PNG's, if used on a 32bit PNG it will convert it to 24bit (so its not lossless), also I'm not sure but 24bit PNG's used to load slower on Aalis driver (this may not be the case anymore but it used to be).
EDIT:-
here is a quick example of what happens if you run one of yarLson's PNG's through PNGmonster
(http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9458/comparedpng.png) (http://img27.imageshack.us/i/comparedpng.png/)
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oh wow I didn't know that. Might have to hold off on the compression after all, or perhaps could offer both versions for those that don't care :o
also thanks for the seeding help Kranmer you've uploaded pretty close to the same amount as I have
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I'm currently having a ratio of 5.330 on your torrent (6.68Go uploaded ^^). I have it running since you've released it. I think I will stop it tomorrow, but I can reseed whenever its necessary :)
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When I finish downloading I'll leave it seeding for a good long while too.
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Hi Kranmer,
Thanks for your input, I did not realise some of the images were 24bit, because in my testing they were 32bit! But:
- It IS lossless, the tools only use 24bit on images that benefit from it, and 32bit for those that don't.
- There are no 24bit png error from Aalis driver when using these, and no performance hit that I can see, so that problem must be a thing of the past.
To further ease concerns, here is your example pic, in-game, both uncompressed and compressed (they are exactly the same):
http://justincoutts.com/files/ss/Final_Fantasy_VII-2011-03-30_12.03.06.jpg
http://justincoutts.com/files/ss/Final_Fantasy_VII-2011-03-30_12.06.09.jpg
And here is the finished package, total at 991mb: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NBKYFPYQ :)
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Congratulations on your latest release, yarLson!
I wish you also the best of luck with your ambitious attempt to cut smoother layers! It's already very good that you can get the result manually but I really hope you can find a more automated way to go through them!
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I uploaded the files to a few filehostingsites.
http://www.filesonic.com/file/406674991/fieldff7.part1.rar
http://www.filesonic.com/file/406675011/fieldff7.part2.rar
http://www.filesonic.com/file/406675041/fieldff7.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/455046756/fieldff7.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/455046817/fieldff7.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/455044992/fieldff7.part3.rar
hope this helps.
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Euh Timber ... I wasn't interrested by your compression ... because I have big HDDs ... but euh I wasn't now I am XD
Really the result is the same ! If we can gain place without lose quality so why not ?! Thanks for your helps !
EDIT : My torrent now have a ratio of 7.047 (8.82Go uploaded) but there still one leecher ... and only two seeders (me included). So I will wait until this leecher has finished and I will stop it by now. That's allways the problem with torrent ... 10 completed, 2 seeders :S
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Once finished, I will upload it to MediaFire to there won't be any need to download a torrent with potentials viruses :)
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Downloading and seeding indefinitely at 100Mbit/s.
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I uploaded the files to a few filehostingsites.
Once finished, I will upload it to MediaFire to there won't be any need to download a torrent with potentials viruses :)
Downloading and seeding indefinitely at 100Mbit/s.
Uhhh no offence, but why are people still using the torrent, and mirroring the uncompressed version?
To reiterate, here is a single link, with PNGs that are of superior size, and same quality: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NBKYFPYQ
yarLson requested these, not sure why he hasn't edited the first post yet, he replied to my PM.
Euh Timber ... I wasn't interrested by your compression ... because I have big HDDs ... but euh I wasn't now I am XD
Really the result is the same ! If we can gain place without lose quality so why not ?! Thanks for your helps !
Thanks :) It took me like 15 hours to compress these, even with a Core i7 cpu running near max.
And even if you have a big hdd, having smaller files should reduce hdd load time too!
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Oh you have an i7 processor too ?! ^^ I have one (950) but I don't know how you are doing to compress. For the next release, if I can help compressing files (if you explain me how to do) I can maybe helps to gain time ! :)
Edit : I mean if the compression is automated (by configuring options of a software by example). Thing that I can do in the same condition :) If it' not automated then I agree, it will be a waste of time :S (Because my result would not be like yours).
If I've understand you are using PNGMonster with 24bits PNGs. But you were talking about 32bits PNGs too (on yarLson's files) so what ? Using Fireworks to convert 32bits to 24birts first ? Then compressing with PNGMonster ? Well ... if you need help next time, just tell me.
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sorry Timber, I meant to post it up last night but I got caught up by my gf ::)
I'll post your link and my link right now
Downloading and seeding indefinitely at 100Mbit/s.
and thank you Aali ;D
Once finished, I will upload it to MediaFire to there won't be any need to download a torrent with potentials viruses :)
come on man you really think I would just throw in a virus after all the hard work I put in? :evil:
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sorry Timber, I meant to post it up last night but I got caught up by my gf ::)
I'll post your link and my link right now
Haha no worries. :P
Oh you have an i7 processor too ?! ^^ I have one (950) but I don't know how you are doing to compress. For the next release, if I can help compressing files (if you explain me how to do) I can maybe helps to gain time ! :)
Edit : I mean if the compression is automated (by configuring options of a software by example). Thing that I can do in the same condition :) If it' not automated then I agree, it will be a waste of time :S (Because my result would not be like yours).
If I've understand you are using PNGMonster with 24bits PNGs. But you were talking about 32bits PNGs too (on yarLson's files) so what ? Using Fireworks to convert 32bits to 24birts first ? Then compressing with PNGMonster ? Well ... if you need help next time, just tell me.
Yeah no worries it is fully automated, don't need to edit manually at all.
The main problem is the speed of compression, as the tools PNG Monster uses are not very well threaded (Only using about 13% CPU)
So to solve this, I simply made several duplicates of the PNG Monster folder, ran the PNGMonster.exe in each of them, and gave them seperate folders of images to each work on, simultaneously. So just run as many instances as your CPU can handle, and listen to it roar :)
With an i7 950 you could probably run 7 instances or more, just check the task manager and see how much its using.
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Hi yarLson, i just finished upload my setup for this, i managed to get the filesize to 854MB, using your original PNG's but they are double compressed so installation takes around 16 Min's (well that's on my Dual Core AMD5000+, installation times will vary depending on the system) which i know is a long time for a installer but that's because its 1.25GB compacted to 854MB with 2 compressions, and when done they will have your original PNG's (also 1.25GB is the final install size)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HJJMHNHP
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@Timber :
Allright, I will try PNGMonster (with some other PNG files to see the software). If I can help you gaining time for the next files ! :)
PS : I don't even waiting for a thanks, nor a credit, I just want to thanks the modders scene for all you are all doing (that I can't do !) So if I can help, I would be happy ! :)
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Kranmer thanks a ton, I'll throw the link on the main page :lol:
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http://www.mediafire.com/?hrv9b6cxcxnd8
7 files, compressed and it should pose no problem since you just launch the first one, select the folder (NOT the field one, the one before) and everything is going by itself.
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wow another mirror. I can't thank you guys enough for the help
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You're welcome, but isn't it better to put the link on the first page along with the information ;D
Note : This is Kranmer not Krnamer ^^
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done ;)
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I meant putting the link : http://www.mediafire.com/?hrv9b6cxcxnd8
Info : Launch the executable and select your modpath directory (under the mods\ folder) and everuthing is going by itself.
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haha oh man I thought I already did i must have missed it, I'll do it now
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Well, finally I've tested your enhancement yarLson. I have to agree ... I prefer your enhancement because of the grain (on Sl1982's enhancement). Great work ! Now I'm waiting for the complete release :P Good luck !
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Ingame screenshot
(http://i.imgur.com/KhlBb.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/2gVYB.jpg)
This looks so much better than pixelated background.
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I have an awesome update for you all. Thanks to the use of a new plugin which I recently discovered called Perfectum, and because of a new technique I have developed, I can clean up these images even better than they are right now and make them look cleaner and a bit more detailed. Here is a small example of the new technique. Sorry I have nothing to compare it to right now but I think you will like it.
http://www.mediafire.com/?tnczkz75vk4bue1
I will try to get a comparison of the difference up soon, and its a pretty big one. This one here was just the image I was using to test the changes and is not actually a part of my project because the layers have not been smoothed. However if you know how to use Palmer you can actually try this one out in game for yourself since I have included all the layers. The colors look slightly different in game then they do in Photoshop.
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Excellent news, yarLson!
Thanks for your hard work, man! :wink:
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Wow, those are great. They don't look painted anymore like they do with the regular clean up filters.
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New Project Name: Project Blackfan!
and here is a full comparison of the new and old technique described above.
http://www.mediafire.com/?2kbecfc817f8bu4
this download includes the full png image for each method as well as the in game files for use in the mod path for both methods so that you can try the difference in game!
Tip: the best way to compare the images would be to open them up in an image editing program, such as Photoshop, and put them both in the same image in different layers. This way you can toggle the layers on and off and see the difference clearly.
also made some small edits to the main page to be more descriptive and less messy
enjoy!
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Judging by the size of your first post it looks like this will take a while, and judging by the magnitude of it, it seems more appropriate in Projects instead of Mods.
Are you planning to update all of the files using Perfectum, or just pick up where you left off with the old way?
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I am updating everything using the new process, it doesn't take much time at all. If you notice in the progress portion on the main page, next to a few of the entries under finished, it shows a little side note that says [updated], these are the images that have already been updated with perfectum. Funny thing is I started this thread in projects and sl1982 moved it to mods. Hopefully it can find a stable home in one of the two :-D
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I am updating everything using the new process, it doesn't take much time at all. If you notice in the progress portion on the main page, next to a few of the entries under finished, it shows a little side note that says [updated], these are the images that have already been updated with perfectum. Funny thing is I started this thread in projects and sl1982 moved it to mods. Hopefully it can find a stable home in one of the two :-D
Well then, looks like we need to further discuss and define what goes in projects and what goes in mods. Off to the drawing board...
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Mods is for anything that has a release. Projects is for WIP's. At least that is how I see it.
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^ This project is both ^
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Well then, looks like we need to further discuss and define what goes in projects and what goes in mods. Off to the drawing board...
Is it time for a new thread in "announcements and site development"?
Anyway your right about this being a long term project. At first I could have finished it in maybe 2 months but now with my new smoothing process each layer takes much longer to do. Could be a whole year before I finish depending on how much time I will have to work on this. Overall I feel, as an artist, that I have no choice but to continue on this way rather than the quick and easy route because so many of these scenes look hideous without smoothing and it kinda defeats the purpose of the entire project.
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Is it time for a new thread in "announcements and site development"?
Anyway your right about this being a long term project. At first I could have finished it in maybe 2 months but now with my new smoothing process each layer takes much longer to do. Could be a whole year before I finish depending on how much time I will have to work on this. Overall I feel, as an artist, that I have no choice but to continue on this way rather than the quick and easy route because so many of these scenes look hideous without smoothing and it kinda defeats the purpose of the entire project.
Nah, we'll just figure it out behind the scenes, descriptions just need some ironing out.
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and here is a full comparison of the new and old technique described above.
Firstly you can check this image shack album to get a quick idea of the changes, it should say which is old and which is new in your address bar.
http://img855.imageshack.us/g/oldd.jpg/
Hate to say it yarlson, but comparing the oldd.jpg and newsl.jpg, and I can say that oldd.jpg looks much better.
The new one looks less detailed, and has a yellow tinge.
What do other ppl think?
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like i said if you really want to see it correctly try downloading the file rather than just glancing at the imageshack album. I should actually probably take it down because its not an accurate depiction at all. I am noticing right now that there is a great range of discoloration in the jpeg version of the new image so I can understand your analysis. I am saying this because you quoted the image shack album, however if your going off of the original pngs and you still think it doesn't work well also try it in game. Honestly it looks a lot better, it adds detail, kills the blotch effect and makes lettering and numbers look much more crisp. It also works wonders on lighting and water layers making them look vivid and realistic. Also keep in mind the images show up differently in game then they do in a photo viewer so you really need to see it in game before you can conclusively decide which is better. If you still don't like it please give me a detailed description as to why and I'll see what I can do. IMO it makes a pretty drastic difference.
edit: I just removed the imageshack link and am proceeding to delete the album out of fear of this misconception spreading. Please Timber, take a look at the file and tell me what you think again.
http://www.mediafire.com/?2kbecfc817f8bu4
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edit: I just removed the imageshack link and am proceeding to delete the album out of fear of this misconception spreading. Please Timber, take a look at the file and tell me what you think again.
http://www.mediafire.com/?2kbecfc817f8bu4
No probs, I had a look at the file, and the result is the same.
I think the only reason it looks less blotchy is because it is blurry.
And the colours look off, for example the wall beside cloud looks really yellow and unnatural, especially compared to original.
Here are some in-game PNGs for people to compare:
Original: http://justincoutts.com/files/ss/Final_Fantasy_VII-2011-04-08_15.27.25.png
yarLson Method 1: http://justincoutts.com/files/ss/Final_Fantasy_VII-2011-04-08_15.17.24.png
yarLson Method 2: http://justincoutts.com/files/ss/Final_Fantasy_VII-2011-04-08_15.21.59.png
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Well for starters, your actually wrong about the blur because there is absolutely no blur effect used, on the contrary if you examine the png's closely you will see that the new method actually contains more detail. To test this easily you can zoom in on any given piece in both images and compare, the old one will start to pixelate sooner. Also as bloodshot said, it looks painted in the old method.
I can see what your saying about the color, if you have a huge problem with the color being too vibrant, its a very simple fix, can be fixed without even having to reconvert the files so that's no issue and it shouldn't be the basis for a decision. I am going to stick with my Perfectum unless there is a major consensus that I shouldn't. This is just one image, in places like inside the Shinra building the drastic difference is pretty straight forward. I plan on releasing more comparisons once I have a fair amount of them redone.
edit:just as an example of how quickly the color can be fixed. All I would have to do is run the same adjustments I made here as a batch on palmer's outputs and the extra color will be gone. This is the same image you posted up.
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/8767/finalfantasyvii20110408.png
also I just finished correcting the color of all the images I have used perfectum on and I have taken the extra vibrance adjustment out of my action so there should be no more color problems.
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I am in no way an expert about this so I trust the author's judgement on which looks better in the end.
Personally, I don't see a very big difference although I think I like the new method image a little better.
Keep it up! ;)
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Just wait and see, it makes much more of a difference on certain areas, for example areas with a lot text and highly detailed environments. Sometimes after Perfect resize does its thing there are left some spots which are kinda hard to describe but they tend to appear at the edge of words and certain structures. You could almost call it a blurry or pixelated look but that doesn't describe it entirely accurately. In any case it isn't very pretty. Some images have more of these spots than others thus Perfectum has a much more profound and noticeable effect on some backgrounds than others, but overall it removes the blotched effect without blurring anything in ALL the images which is something I have been trying to figure out for a good while now. Also I am using a nice new trick with grain to actually add visible detail to the image, but I bet you can't tell that there is any grain added at all :wink:
I can see what you mean when you say you don't notice much of a difference but I guess its a world of difference to me because I have been working with so many of these and to finally see these issues disappear is outstanding.
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so I remember reading in the rules that it's okay to double post after 48 hours or something so I hope there is no problem. I have good news and bad news to report. Good news is I am almost completely finished with Gold Saucer and it will be finished very soon. However the bad news is somebody spilled beer all over my comp last night frying virtually everything while I was over at my girlfriends house. My roommate was having a party and some assholes went into my room (i don't have a lock but that will change now) This isn't completely terrible, for one, because I back up my work onto a portible harddrive after every work session and also because I backed up my OS and all my programs just a few days ago so nothing is lost. Also because that computer was really getting dated and I've been saving for a new build for a while. I need a little more money to build what I want to but until then I am going to see if I can borrow a comp from a friend. Once I finally the system I'm after it should help speed up the work flow. X6 core all the way ;D
if your wondering how I am able to write this, I am writing from my palm pre.
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Double posting is allowed in a project thread if you are the author.
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"This isn't completely terrible, for one, because I back up my work onto a portible harddrive after every work session and also because I backed up my OS and all my programs just a few days ago so nothing is lost."
Thank goodness. I can't begin to recount the number of projects I've seen get erased because the creator didn't back things up.
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I've only been able to work on this a little bit in the past week or so. I still don't have a PC of my own anymore and I've been working at a friends house. I have got my hands on an old p4 machine for now and I will be upgrading it a bit with some spare parts, so it should be up and running any day now. My schedule is a little hectic as I have been trying to find another part time job, but things should settle down in a couple of weeks and I'll be able to make some decent progress again. Just wanna keep everyone posted.
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okay so far its been a real pain trying to work on this since my PC got fried. The computer im working on is pretty crappy and I can barely even get photoshop to run. As soon as I have a fresh new PC I will continue working on this, until then I have to call temporary hiatus because this is killing me. I'll considered releasing what I have of gold saucer, its just about finished anyway. If I do it"ll be in the next couple days. For now I have to get going, sorry for the stream of consistently bad news. Hopefully I can change that very soon.
THIS PROJECT IS NOT DEAD, AND WILL NOT DIE :mrgreen:
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This is one of the coolest projects I've seen since stumbling on this whole ff7pc mod community this past week. I am absolutely astounded at the quality you've produced and just the fact that these things can be done at all. Godspeed.
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thanks for the support, I appreciate the sentiment. I am happy to say that the next release will be of much higher quality because of how well the smoothing has gone so far. I just gotta get a decent PC in my possesion first :o
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Finally I have some good news to report. For the next week I will be able to work on this project again. The reason being because I am house sitting for a friend who is out of state and he has a really nice computer that he gave me permission to use for this project. I might not get a whole lot done today because I will may have to rewrite my actions which could take a while but I'll try and get as much as I can done starting tomorrow. I do have work to consider but other than that I should have plenty of time (I am already done with school for this semester)
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I have to say this is one of the best mods iv seen i was actually hoping somebody would take up the huge task of sharpening all that horrible background.Keep up the great work and dont listen to the peeps that dont like it they must have some problems with thier eyes or somthing in my oppinin its 10x better than the original :)
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I have to say this is one of the best mods iv seen i was actually hoping somebody would take up the huge task of sharpening all that horrible background.Keep up the great work and dont listen to the peeps that dont like it they must have some problems with thier eyes or somthing in my oppinin its 10x better than the original :)
Definitely check out SLs twin project: http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=11501.0 (http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=11501.0)
Idk what the deal is there, guys, but I think you two should team up once Yarlson has a compy. I really don't know how to say it to either of you but, I think your two styles would actually be best served by some sort of compromise. There are big time +s and -s to both of the sets but the results are absolutely astounding in both cases. To me, the background work that's contained here in Blackfan and sl's field enhancement mod are much heavier in impact to FF7 PC than the battle enhancements are. I would be inclined to donate some funds to keep this work going... Blackfan is somehow more cartoonish and sl's field enhancements are industrial and more "comic book" if you'll indulge me. Both styles have their place in FF7, obviously.
The effect is that I almost don't want to play the rest of the game with the awful backgrounds. In particular I want to see a rendition from either of you or both of the trip down the crater or whatever at the end of the game. I remember it being jaw dropping when I was young and in love with my PS1. I have not yet been to that part of the game again in some 15 years, and I don't want it to be a bad trip, you know?
Anyway, someone needs to buy Yarlson a computer or something.
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I see looks like sl is doing some nice work too,i read a few other posts looks like they are working together as such ofcourse it would be crazy not to with such a big undertaking.
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well actually from what I understand sl1982 isn't really working on this at all anymore. Perhaps I am wrong thats just what I heard the last time i talked to him. In other news, I decided to take summer classes so I will have a finacial aid check coming in soon and there should be some spare change left, enough for me to finish saving for my computer, hopefully. If not I have a new job that pays much better than my previous work so either way it shouldn't be long before I can get back to work. As for combining styles, please note that I have changed my approach time and again to try and compromise with sl1982 so don't think I am being lazy, my final approach now uses a little bit of what he was doing as well as what I deem as best for the images. Also any kind of donation would be appreciated, and would definitely help me work faster. If you'd really like to make a small contribution please PM me.
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i've followed the instructions carefully and done almost everything. where is the mod_path=avalance? is it supposed to be inside the ff8_opengl (cfg file)??because i'm not sure and i don't want to mess it up :S
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kicker,
Your mod path should be the 19th line of ff7_opengl.cfg (not ff8).
You can set the mod path to whatever you like (for example, mod_path = Blackfan/) and this corresponds to a directory inside your %ff7%/mods/ directory
So if you set the mod_path = Blackfan/, you need to create a directory named Blackfan in %ff7%/mods/ and place your field directory inside of that.
Good luck ;)
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Found my problem. Latest Aali driver was replaced from an older from the remix patch. Changed it to the latest and set the correct path. :) thnx for the help and keep up your good work :) maybe sometime i can help you with your work if you like :)
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torrent stoped in 44% because don't have seeds,you really seeded this? :|
PS: i will not download this in megaupload or in parts in mediafire because my internet speed is horrible,of course i download the torrent because i can pause and continue later without any problems.
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There are several different links. Try the Google download, I host that one personally
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Hey i dont have the Avalanche folder in my modpath for some reason even though i installed the graphical overhaul mod so do i just put it in mod folder there's nothing inside it
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Ooooh this is awesome. I hope you get the chance to keep working on this. The facepalmer stuff will tide me over for now though.
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E1SUNZ,
Extract the 'field' folder from 'yarLson Field Upscale Project v0.35.zip'
If you're using Avalanche place the 'field' folder in .\mods\avalanche\
If you're using Menu Overhaul, it goes in .\mods\DK\
Edit ff7_opengl.cfg to set the mod path to the same mod folder into which you placed 'field'
For Avalanche:
mod_path = avalanche
For Menu Overhaul:
mod_path = DK
-PitBrat
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school is holding me back. I have been working on it though. There is something about the facepalmer outputs that I do not like so I decided just to keep going. Could be a while though. I am working pretty slowly now
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Yeah, i know has gone off for 30 days this th but i just wanna say i'm downloading right now and i'm exited with those preview and gona use it asap =P
Thx for this awesome mod
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Is there any way to use shaders to emulate the lighting effects?
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:) Looking forward to an update on this project. :)
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No probs, I had a look at the file, and the result is the same.
I think the only reason it looks less blotchy is because it is blurry.
And the colours look off, for example the wall beside cloud looks really yellow and unnatural, especially compared to original.
Here are some in-game PNGs for people to compare:
Original: http://justincoutts.com/files/ss/Final_Fantasy_VII-2011-04-08_15.27.25.png
yarLson Method 1: http://justincoutts.com/files/ss/Final_Fantasy_VII-2011-04-08_15.17.24.png
yarLson Method 2: http://justincoutts.com/files/ss/Final_Fantasy_VII-2011-04-08_15.21.59.png
I agree but i wouldn't say blurry i'ld say way too smoothed which has actually made you lose alot of the texture detail.
Here's a pic of the original shot but with simple colour, contrast,levels etc.. that i quickly done which shows how the textures where smoothed and makes things like scratches, dents disappear, even straight lines have gone off more.
original: http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/recko2010/original_zps76281918.png
yours: http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/recko2010/yours_zps88e92c75.png
mine: http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/recko2010/mine_zps6fa30656.png
(remember mine isn't an enhancement for less pixels just modified to show detail)
don't agree on the wall though yours looks fine, remember when the train pulls in midgar is dark and lite up
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The third image loses a lot of detail especially in the dark areas.
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The third image loses a lot of detail especially in the dark areas.
thumbs up!