Author Topic: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project  (Read 125001 times)

JBedford128

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #250 on: 2021-01-26 10:26:19 »
初動[μ]-εγλ1968
兵器開発会社神羅製作所

"159-COVER1.0" seems as good as anything. It's definitely "COVER" (they call the doll construction a "Jenova cover") and looks like "1.0". Don't know what it was meant to say in Crisis Core.

Devina

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #251 on: 2021-01-29 21:44:03 »
-Dialog font and battle numbers in bottom left now have thicker borders to make it easier to read them. The black pixel garbage on the bottom has also been fixed, but you get the idea. All transparent UIs and Xbox UIs have been updated.




(Just noticed the u is higher than it should be, will fix that later)





-Final battle soldiers have been upressed using screencaps, making them look like they truly belong in the scene. As a result, they no longer animate but it's worth it since their frames-per-second was off-putting and slower compared to everything else. It doesn't make sense why they're constantly moving up and down anyway, or shooting at Zack while he's fighting the other soldiers since they could be hit in crossfire. What the game does is have 3 types of soldiers doing 3 types of animations, and each only has about 30 frames.
« Last Edit: 2021-01-29 21:45:53 by Devina »

tirrorex

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #252 on: 2021-02-06 03:33:40 »
Thank you for the hard work !

Anybody knows if the texture pack is working with the japanese patched version?
Would like to play with original voices if possible :)

Is there some way to improve the cutscenes quality?
I play on a 65"4k tv and i can every pixel :D
Maybe i missed some settings on the upscaling or something.
Upscaled did fix the text though
« Last Edit: 2021-02-06 03:53:21 by tirrorex »

Devina

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #253 on: 2021-02-12 19:08:34 »
^ I wouldn't know anything about that yet, sorry.

I know it's been two weeks since I posted, but there's a major update coming soon and that is, we're using a new algorithm to upscale. Since most of this project is done by AI, this means that most chromatic abberation should be gone and textures will look way better. Various textures are also going to be double their size so there's higher quality.




Even little details that were lost are going to be re-added, like the indents here:





I encourage everyone to wait until all the new textures are rolled out, then do a replaythrough and check for errors.

randoomdude

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #254 on: 2021-02-25 19:15:31 »
Some of the sign and billboard text is almost to clean, like the Welcome sign at the inn I think would almost look better if it was kept illegible, or having more signs in Japanese, I think the mix of English and Japanese is one of the cooler design aspects of FF7 that they kept even in the remake that gives it a cyber punk feel

eqprog

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #255 on: 2021-02-26 18:45:39 »
Updated the ‘wall’ texture directory with the new model upscales. The Texas Winter Storm basically made me lose a week plus I had to play catch up with my personal and professional life. However I did also finally upgrade my pc and it looks like batch upscaling these models will take about half the time as before. I also developed a tool for comparing and approving the new upscales versus the old ones, which makes the process significantly faster. Hopefully finishing up will not take long from here on out.

Zakkura

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #256 on: 2021-02-28 22:20:43 »
I've just realized I didn't post here the last update I made some while ago.... So here it is :
The laboratory is "fully" edited. I might do some more edits later on the lab device again when other maps will be edited too.




I started to work on the small forest map after Wutai too. It's still WIP, I think I can try to upscale some of the background textures to get a better base to work on or merge with my current edit.
Anyway, it's now uploaded if you want to see it.



----------------------------------------------------

I'm  currently focusing on all this Wutai area. Today I've started to edit some textures from the forest before Wutai until the end of the fortress.
I 'm almost done fixing this area. I still miss some crates in the fortress and minor edits, maybe some edge fix on the foliage too.
I still need to fix the outside and inside of the Wutai Arena after that.
(These edits are not submitted yet)


Ground, grass, rock edit



Fake tree edit


Rock edit


Small wall edit



Floor stone, ground, rock



walls, red buildings




wall, ground




Wood structure(might edit shadows/color again), ground



WIP chest

The new upscale tool is really good to get clean base textures. It's really time-saving, I think I'll be able to work quicker now.
I'll try to get a day off this week, I want to continue editing these textures.




Devina

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #257 on: 2021-02-28 22:50:13 »
Hey everyone, the new textures are all in now, and much of the quality has improved.
As a warning, we're going to need a couple weeks or so to fix things that are broken as the pack is now unstable with errors like this:



So don't bother download from Github in the meantime.

Devina

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #258 on: 2021-03-07 11:55:51 »
After a week of reviewing the game on another playthrough, I'm pleased to announce that the game is once again stable, so everyone should update their packs using the latest Github build.

I've fixed various errors caused by the recent update.

There are some minor little goofs here and there, and not everything is 100% perfect (NPCs still phase quality for now), but the game is very much in a solid playable state so if anyone is super eager to play CC, just go ahead and play it. Like I said, the goof are minor. If anyone sees anything they feel is a distracting major errorr, however, feel free to post them here or on our Discord server.

Me and Zakkura also remastered this door texture (original/first release/revision):



You can really see how the new algorithm provides a much better, cleaner and more accurate base.

Heros

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #259 on: 2021-03-07 15:21:25 »
hello to all,
I would like to know if the mod is compatible with crisis core version EUR ?
i'm french and i'd like bcp to install this mod on my game.
thank you !

obesebear

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #260 on: 2021-03-07 18:04:51 »
That third one is perfect.  Great work.   

Elmorepow

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #261 on: 2021-03-11 11:07:31 »
I want to thank you for an awesome project. Crisis Core is a very important game for me as a Final Fantasy 7 fan. Overall the project looks insanely good, but I think some issues arise when artistic liberties are taken with upscaled textures. I believe this mod would get universal appreciation from Final Fantasy fans, if the original colors, saturation and contrast was kept intact in all textures. PSP was a limited hardware and even though Crisis Core engine is brilliant in many ways, it has a lot of limitations regarding the lighting and post-processing for example. For this reason the color grading for example was "baked" in the textures and this results in colors that some might think are muted and would like to fix them.

Great example of this is the Buster Sword texture. I understand why the artist have thought he made the right decisions by upgrading this texture the way he did, but it stands out in the screenshots unfavourably due to the inconsistent saturation and contrast compared to the rest of the game. Same applies for some other minor liberties that was taken, like altering the colors of the Soldier outfit ever so slightly. As we know, brown can appear purple or even black under certain lighting conditions. I believe Square-Exix has done a hell of a job to ensure consistent look for the game on PSP hardware and it should always be respected when upscaling the textures and improving the look.

I am an CG artist myself, so I have fixed some of the problematic changes for my own playthrough, but since you have the best understanding of your own project, it would be great if you could provide a "purist" version of the upscale project. Thank you!

Devina

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #262 on: 2021-03-12 02:08:51 »
It would help if you were a bit more specific. I do have future plans to make the golden part of the sword less gold and a more subdued color. It would also help if you shared your textures too.

Elmorepow

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #263 on: 2021-03-12 08:02:57 »
Thank you for your reply.

The colors get more saturated in sunlight, but this is a game where you spent time in multiple different lighting conditions so the original developers had to make sure these textures work just as well in sunny Balmora as they do in the Sector 5 slums. The brass of the Buster Sword reflects the surrounding environment. The more saturated version might work for the area with sunlight, but sticks out in the gloomy and dark envinronments of the Shinra Mansion or Wutai Fortress outskirts for example. So the final texture what they come up with is a result of an compromise: it is designed to look as good as possible in all the scenes of the game. The game also aims at color grading with muted colors and it does so in spectacular way. This ensures the muted brass color of the original Buster Sword does not look too out of place, even in sunny scenes of the game.

I think people who want to play your Crisis Core HD mod are looking for an authentic experience and I think you have done hell-of-a-job to ensure that in most cases, but if people run into change that they know is not respecting the original work, they will play the SD version instead. The reason for this is that they can't be sure what else is changed. Same goes for changing character portraits according your own taste for example. When making changes like this, you are placing yourself above the game director at Square-Enix, who has ordered this original artwork for the Zack's portrait. It is your project and you can do what ever you want with it of course, but I think you could choose to be faitful for the original work. It would be something you could be very proud of and you are so close in achieving this goal. I for one, root for your success!

It seems I can't attach any images or textures since I'm a new user on this forum. I used Photoshop CC's smart A.I. upscale 2.0 and a little cleanup for the Buster Sword which I used to replace the one in the current HD mod locally on my PC. The changes that you have made for the Soldier uniform are less offensive but boosting the saturation or changing the color of the shoulderpads makes them stick out in some scenes too much. I would highly recommend reverting these changes as well. You have done amazing job making a higher resolution Zack's textures, and changing the colors is the only issue in my opinion. I don't think anyone really cares if you have taken some liberties in replacing some of the environment textures, but the changes to iconic characters or iconic objects like Buster Sword affect the whole experience from start to finish.

Some people will reject the mod if they don't agree with some of the changes that you have made and that would be a real shame, because I think this mod could be the best way to play the Crisis Core and I would love to be able to recommend it for all.

https://ibb.co/ZM8dzDw
https://ibb.co/BLqfqfN
https://ibb.co/6cK9z7h
« Last Edit: 2021-03-12 14:03:10 by Elmorepow »

Devina

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #264 on: 2021-03-12 12:43:55 »
I'll try to be mindful of this for future editing. I have an alpha prototype for the 2nd Class sword, but I think it's too dull and not reflective enough so it's on hold for now.

Sometimes, I've had to make sacrifices and changes in order to maintain an HD presentation, like how there is no 3D art of Zack's portraits in high quality, so I went with the Nomura 2D look. And then there's the filler text.

I've sort of burned up a lot of energy working on this project so I'm not going to go into overdrive mode or anything, or make wild changes, I've been wanting to focus on the Before Crisis remake now. I do plan on fixing on NPC phasing soon at least. Just keep in mind, nothing is finalized and someday, I could make Zack's clothes duller. It just takes a lot of time and effort for me and I'm a bit busy these days so it's not a high priority.

Unfortunately, if people don't want to use the project because they're super purist about the original presentation, there's not much we can do about that because making an HD version of the game simply requires artistic choices ultimately. I did give a warning in my post on page one about how for the most part, we try to stay true where it counts. I could make a fun gallery comparison in the future explaining some of the more major artistic changes so people won't need to fear what they may be missing out on, and I also mentioned the player can toggle the texture replacement hotkey as well.

Elmorepow

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #265 on: 2021-03-12 12:57:57 »
Thank you for thinking about it! I think people expect to see original textures that are upscaled, because it is called Crisis Core upscale project, not Crisis Core art replacement project. I believe for many of you who have worked hard on this project, the distinction is not so clear anymore as sometimes things had to be remade for a reason. Original texture might have been so blurry, that things had to be made from scratch, or there might be an opportunity to use a little bit of freedom to add extra information on computer screens for example, but it is a different story for key assets that are already relatively hi-res, like the Buster Sword for example. In these cases the original art made by Square-Enix is closer to the original vision than anything fan could provide.

I just want to offer a view from outside. I think this mod is amazing and keeping it focused will help you reach new heights in fan-awareness.
« Last Edit: 2021-03-12 21:17:37 by Elmorepow »

Elmorepow

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #266 on: 2021-03-12 13:47:08 »
But this was all I wanted to say! Thanks a lot for this Mod! I will follow the development with great interest!

Natalia_LS

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #267 on: 2021-03-28 20:11:22 »
Hi CCUP team!
      I just finished the game last night. And it was amazing! I had never been able to figure out how to play Crisis Core before, until I came across your project earlier this year. Thank you so much for the clear instructions, on how to set it up, on this forum and Github page for it.
      Also, I think somewhere on the Github page, Devina, mentioned to hotkey the texture replacement. I didn't have the technological saavy to know how to do something like that. So thanks for sharing that tidbit! It was so fun to compare and contrast, the before and after upscale effects, throughout the game. And playing the OG FF7 is on my to-do list. But I played the remake last year. And now that I've been able to play Crisis Core, major plot points from both games, make a lot more sense now! Though I wish last year's FF7 Remake Part 1 told us what happened to "Cissnei." But thanks for plugging your "Before Crisis" remake project too. I know Cissnei is in that game too. And I'll be following that project as well!
     Thank you again for all your hard work and art, in this project! This was probably my favorite quarantine project I've learned about, this past year! Keep up the great work!
Cordially,
Natalia
 

CalyxTDeuced

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #268 on: 2021-04-02 19:16:08 »
Hello Team,

And first and foremost i wanted to say thank you, THANK YOU SO MUCH! for the love you gave to game of my heart, every moment is enhanced, improved, restored to the vision it deserves.

I enjoy this to no end, but i wanted to ask maybe someone knows is there a way to run these textures while playing on PS VITA, I do own crisis core in more than one copy, but i would love to play it on vita when on the go, or PS TV when home.

If not then not. Ill just grind PPSSPP to nauseum :D

Thanks again,

Calyx

nex86

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #269 on: 2021-04-03 12:22:31 »
ULUS10336\.git\objects\pack\pack-09b25c1deeb61f23338eaff153ce2fe20e4c1115.pack

why is this file 8 GB?  ???

Zakkura

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #270 on: 2021-04-07 20:30:21 »
The Wutai update is available (89 edited textures).
It contains every edited textures of my previous post and some others.









I'm now doing a walkthrough and editing some textures along the way.


Here are some update in the Shinra building :



Carpet pattern is redrawn




I also made some updates in Banora.

Soil + Tree trunks



Brick wall



Palm leaves



I also redrew the pink flower texture to look more like the original texture




I think I will edit more Banora textures before continuing my walkthrough




Skopin

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #271 on: 2021-05-02 02:47:05 »
I love what you're doing here; it looks fantastic and makes me excited to play this game again. Is there any plans to do any work on the FMVs? If it's possible to inject different resolutions, I would be happy to work on remastering them to make this project even more complete.

eqprog

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #272 on: 2021-05-22 19:58:46 »
As far as I can tell, injecting higher resolution cutscenes directly into the gameplay would required modification to the emulator.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I did get a website set up to provide a faster download mirror however!
http://eqprog.com/static/ff7ccupreleases/0.9.zip

Devina

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #273 on: 2021-07-06 19:25:04 »
I've been pretty busy lately so I haven't been able to edit much, but I wanted to post this little update.

Zack's portrait in the main menu have been updated thanks to Sabekio.

Because these are more accurate, the 2D versions are now a mod in the folder (we were previously using 2D art so it would look nicer).


14190ateru

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Re: FF7 Crisis Core Upscale Project
« Reply #274 on: 2021-08-04 14:58:33 »
I've been pretty busy lately so I haven't been able to edit much, but I wanted to post this little update.

Zack's portrait in the main menu have been updated thanks to Sabekio.

Because these are more accurate, the 2D versions are now a mod in the folder (we were previously using 2D art so it would look nicer).



Hi, I've been loving you and your collaborators' work on this mod!

I truly appreciate your dedication on making this game into HD.

I would just like to share a few edits I did for the new 3D portrait, with absolutely no disrespect meant for Sabekio's work. I thought I'd try to match it more to the original portraits by changing some details and coloring here and there.



I would be more than happy to give you the .pngs if you'd like to use them, or if there is any contribution I can do that is within my abilities then I can work on them as well.

Also, I notice the red ties on the Turks in the "Missing Personnel" screen. I think their whole outfits should be desaturated as well, like the other Turks?