Messages

501

Troubleshooting / FFVII: Not possible to change MIDI music volume

« on: 2008-01-19 09:13:50 »

Hello!

I was wondering if any of you might have a solution/suggestion about this problem of mine. I am using a very high quality MIDI card for playing the MIDI only (Yamaha SW1000XG) which does an excellent job and luckily works in-game.

The problem is that I can't seem to regulate its volume, no matter how low/high I regulate its sound output in the Audio mixer panel of Windows.

In the Configuration tab for MIDI, I can test it successfully but even there the Logarithmic Volume Control option is greyed out and I can't move the bar of the Volume Test.

This situation represents itself in-game where I have to have music at 100% volume level (way too much for my taste).

Can I do something about it? Is there a way to "force" the game to run the MIDI at lower audio level by tweaking some .ini file or something?

Thanks for your help!

502

Q-Gears / Re: Working on Field models.

« on: 2008-01-19 07:46:57 »

Good luck with this new challenge and thanks for keeping us updated.

503

Releases / Re: [Release] NPC Reconstruction Project

« on: 2007-11-09 05:44:19 »

Thanks, stormmedia! I had already seen the latest Cloud you pointed me to. My request was if it was possible to upload the newest Cloud of yours with the model that is included in version 0.6 of the NPC project so that people could see with their own eyes how the two models differ.

I wish you the best! 

504

Releases / Re: [Release] NPC Reconstruction Project

« on: 2007-11-07 07:19:52 »

So yes, you could say that his models will clash with those made by me or ice_cold513. But they won't clash any more than the original lego models, so I can't see why could they harm the project.

Well...  I thought that the NPC Project had, among his goals, to make us eventually forget about the lego models. A clash of style will surely end up reminding me of those instead... 

So while your original statement wasn't out of line, as modder's etiquette goes, your continued arguing about Stormmedia's "lack of proficiency" is completely out there.

You can criticize me all you like for this rant, I don't care. Someone needs to stand up for the modders here. Take a look at TES boards for an example of how to treat modders.

I tried to be as gentle as I could with my criticism and I realized it could hurt stormmedia's, Borde's or ice_cold513's sensibility anyway. To them, I apologize, if that is the case. Still, my answer to Borde was just a normal reply to his original statement. While I am really happy that there are people like you that feel the need to stand up for modders (proper nick, by the way), I do believe these guys have broad enough shoulders for discussing things directly with people providing feedback. I am a modder myself and I believe criticism is not important but plain essential.

I have also pointed out that I won't play this mod in case it will end up not being homogeneous in its different contributions. So your invitation to not play this mod is uncalled for and redundant.

Said that, I believe this project is very good and that it has a big potential. My thanks and congratulations come more than once in this same long thread. Sometimes alternated with criticism which I have always hoped could be called "constructive" because argumented. Feel free to label them instead as simple whines. Others have done it before, I will not mind.

505

Releases / Re: [Release] NPC Reconstruction Project

« on: 2007-10-25 05:29:57 »

So yes, you could say that his models will clash with those made by me or ice_cold513. But they won't clash any more than the original lego models, so I can't see why could they harm the project.

Well...  I thought that the NPC Project had, among his goals, to make us eventually forget about the lego models. A clash of style will surely end up reminding me of those instead... 

506

Releases / Re: [Release] NPC Reconstruction Project

« on: 2007-10-23 17:54:24 »

Hello Borde!

Thanks for your answer. You're for me the ideal kind of person to discuss this subjects because I know that it's not popular to speak so openly and you have been highly understanding. Furthermore in stormmedia I have great confidence and I do think he is really talented. Speaking so openly was thus hard for me.

I didn't mean to criticize his work that is not of course in a final stage. I was only thinking of his premise earlier on: "I must give my priority to improving my modelling skill. I am trying to combine this with working on the NPC Project as well". Which is admirable.

But I was just wondering if this could end up with "damaging" the project itself and not because stormmedia is not capable of valid contribution but only because his goal would seem to draft the models to another direction compared to what you and ice_cold seem to propose. I can be totally wrong here. Only you guys can tell me if there is some truth behind this impression of mine.

I would never dream to even dare suggesting who should be part of the team or not, mind you guys. I was just expressing a feeling that started lurking inside me after reading again those words.

Thanks again!

507

Releases / Re: [Release] NPC Reconstruction Project

« on: 2007-10-23 06:36:21 »

Hello again!

After few months I decided to take my time and read through all the posts of this topic again (a daunting taskl )

I have a small request for stormmedia: could you please post here again your new Cloud Model and the one that the current version of NPC has?

Also, a question for ice_cold and Borde: you guys realize that the difference of style between your models and the new upcoming remodernized versions of stormmedia is going to be huge, right? 

Is there anything that can be done in order to keep things consistent?

Reading through this topic again, I couldn't help pondering the question stormmedia asked people here earlier: do you still want me in this project? (meaning: even after I have decided to work on NPCs mostly for training my skills?)

My first reaction is of course to say "Of course! You are talented and have contributed so much to this project! Who could ever forget your inputs about clipping, for instance?". Now, though I do still have this kind of instinctive reaction, I believe that for my personal kind of preference, I'd rather have stormmedia's new models not be part of the NPC project.

Please, try and understand I am trying to be honest. I have thought long before posting because I know this post might be misinterpreted and I know that there are always the "paladins" lurking and coming "to the rescue" as soon as they get the chance (they seem to live for this purpouse).

I know it's not worth much but as player, I won't use NPC project if the final result will be a clash of the original kind of editing and a complete overhaul of already edited models.

I end this with my sincere (I always try and be that, both in criticism and praise) thanks for your hard job and wishing you all the best in your lives! 

508

Troubleshooting / Re: ff7.exe still runs after quitting

« on: 2007-10-18 14:14:56 »

Then at this point I really need to ask: does having compatibility mode on help at all?  I have always used it in the assumption of it should increase compatibility/reduce amount of crashes, but can anybody else confirm it?

509

Troubleshooting / Re: ff7.exe still runs after quitting

« on: 2007-10-12 06:21:35 »

I am actually running the game in Windows95 compatibility mode though I can't be sure of the real benefits that this brings. Still, being a game made for Windows95 and having it crashed (although only once) before when it was not running in compatible mode, I think it's still worth to just manually terminate the .exe file to keep the W95 mode on.

510

Troubleshooting / ff7.exe still runs after quitting

« on: 2007-10-11 14:53:43 »

Hello!

I would like to know if this happens to you too. On my game, there are few mods, among them The_Saint's High Res patch which, as you all know, modifies the .exe file.

Might this be the reason?

After quitting the game I must CTRL-ALT-DEL to have the ff7.exe closed manually.

Thanks!

511

Archive / Re: [Release] Scene Redux v1.2

« on: 2007-10-09 10:06:02 »

ARMs,

it's obvious that I can't agree with your statement. This mod has a minor impact and its ambition is limited to making things more realistic when it comes to steal/win items. Winning items now is a much rarer event than it is in the unmodded game. About stealing, I believe some people get frustrated when they fight against very difficult enemies and risk constantly the game over sequence because they delay the decisive blow hoping to steal an item.

It's not much change compared to the original game but I just believe that the original game does not need major overhauls.

And about being rude with your criticism, it's okay for me. I am just sharing this with the community because I think there are others who might enjoy it. Not all like hardcore-crazy beefed-up monster to fight against, you see. Some changes can be subtle and elegant. People have different tastes.

512

Archive / [Release] Scene Redux v1.31

« on: 2007-10-09 08:43:14 »

Hello!

Here I can finally announce the release of my mod Scene Redux. Now updated to version 1.31.

Link:  http://hosted.filefront.com/Crimes73/
(download file SceneReduxV1_31.zip)

INTRODUCTION
-----------------------

The Mod modifies the quality and number of items carried by ingame creatures, altering the success rate of stealing. There are no modifications whatsoever to the difficulty level of the game itself.

In the unmodded version, monsters often had different items as spoil of war and for stealing. This modification brings back a touch of realism and variation by making the player always have a chance to either win or steal the item(s) monsters carry. The winning rate has been considerably reduced and made uniform all through the game (the player has always the same chance of winning an item as it should be purely luck-based) while it's now generally a little easier to steal.

The original Scene.bin is vastly inconsistent in its arbitrary distribution of the stealth success percentage in the game, often bringing the player to the verge of frustration. This will no longer be the case.

Additionally, all monsters (with due exception for special ones) can now be morphed into an item while before they could not.

A file called NewTable.txt is included in the archive with details about each change made to the single encounter: modifications done are reported by two numbers in parenthesis (the first indicating the winning rate and the second the stealing rate) and after the letter M indicating the item a specific monster will be morphed into. The casual player is not recommended (and does not really need) to go through the list of specific changes as it could spoil the game by knowing in advance what kind of new items the player will be rewarded with.

The Mod introduces also some items that before were not carried by any enemy thus trying to rebalance the underrepresentation and uniformity of the number of stealable items.

INSTALLATION
---------------------

Make a backup of the original Scene.bin found in the directory C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\data\battle\ by renaming it Scene.bak

Make a backup of the original kernel.bin found in the directory C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\data\kernel\ by renaming it kernel.bak

Now unzip the new scene.bin and kernel.bin and replace the original ones in the above mentioned directories.

Start the game normally.



UNINSTALLATION
-------------------------

Just cancel the modified Scene.bin and kernel.bin and rename Scene.bak Scene.bin and kernel.bak kernel.bin.



CREDITS
------------

Thanks to the authors of Scenester (Lord Ramza) and Scene Reader and every other modder at Quimm's messageboard (http://forums.qhimm.com/)

Thanks to kruci for creating his tool FF7Stok.exe

Thanks to Squaresoft for producing my favourite episode ever of the Final Fantasy Saga

Thanks to Eidos for porting this game to PC thus giving us a chance to improve some aspects

Enjoy!

513

FF7 Tools / Re: [Relaese] Scene.bin Lookup Table updater

« on: 2007-10-09 06:52:56 »

Thank you very much, kruci!

It worked like a charm! 

514

FF7 Tools / Re: [Relaese] Scene.bin Lookup Table updater

« on: 2007-10-08 08:40:21 »

Oh okay, then it's even more complicated than I thought. How do I extract the third file of the Kernel.bin?

515

FF7 Tools / Re: [Relaese] Scene.bin Lookup Table updater

« on: 2007-10-08 07:19:17 »

I tried to run your program, kruci.

First let me just explain a little better to other potential users how to run it because your instructions, with all due respect, are very hard to understand.

The user can simply unzip the .EXE file (ff7StoK.exe) in the main FF7 directory. Then copy paste the modified Scene.bin and the original kernel.bin (ambiguous here: you wrote "kernel.bin2" which does not exist but I guess you meant "kernel.bin" instead? I am asking because there is also a kernel2.bin making things all the more confusing) to the same directory.

The copied kernel.bin will need to have the "Read Only" tag unchecked by right clicking on it and choosing "Properties".

Then from the Command window, you will write:"ff7StoK.exe scene.bin kernel.bin"

I did that and the program patched the kernel.bin without any error message.

The problem is that as I run the game, the computer just locks forcing me to a hard reboot.

Please, kruci, could you just try and make my  Scene.bin work on your installation?

I would be very greateful if you could test it for me since from my side I seem I can't make it work right.

If you could do this favour to me, please just tell me and I will send you a PM with the link to my modified SCENE.BIN

Thanks a lot!

516

Archive / Re: Collaboration request for one person capable of working with the SCENE.BIN

« on: 2007-10-08 05:07:47 »

Thank you very much for this, kruci!

As soon as I have time, I will certainly try this out!

517

Archive / Collaboration request for one person capable of working with the SCENE.BIN

« on: 2007-10-06 14:07:09 »

Hello!

Some time ago, I prepared a series of changes to the single scenes of FF7 (SCENE REDUX) that affected items carried by monsters and introduced the chance to practically morph any monster into some item.

The goal was to rebalance the representation of items in the game, add more realism by setting a fixed chance (1%) of winning an item and by always being able to steal an item that is winnable plus more.

Unfortunately some bug present in the scene editor used makes it so that, upon recompressing the files into a SCENE.BIN, would lead to corrupting the encounters in the game.

I am asking if any of you is capable of safely decompress and recompress the scenes modified into a valid SCENE.BIN file.

I would either welcome being taught or a more direct collaboration. The modifications' list is already ready and what needs to be done is just to apply those changes to the single scenes and then recompress them into a valid SCENE.BIN file.

Thank you very much!

518

Archive / Re: XG Midi

« on: 2007-08-15 05:24:32 »

I am a MIDI freak and satisfied owner of a Yamaha SW1000XG.

With my equipment, I have nothing to complain about music-wise when I play FF7.

It is simply excellent.

519

Completely Unrelated / Re: Did Halkun die again? (A Little off-topic)

« on: 2007-07-22 07:11:30 »

Wishing you the best with you own project, I'd like to know how this is going to influence the development of Q-Gear, now that the main supporter (Akari) has also decided to stop working on it.

520

Q-Gears / Re: Little update and announce!!! [Mod title edit: Q-gears fork]

« on: 2007-07-01 20:54:48 »

Thanks Akari for taking Q-Gear to such extent! I am sorry to read that you no longer will work on the original project but I do wish you the best in your new endeavour.

I hope Q-Gear will see a constant development and reach its goals without a sweat but I am sure you will be missed.

Thanks again! 

521

General Discussion / Re: Final Fantasy 7 1080p PS3...

« on: 2007-06-12 12:31:55 »

I have not tried yet FF7 on the PS3 but thanks for reporting your experience, masteraden.

Reading your post without punctuation though is hard sometimes though. I must agree with James Pond.

Instead about Consoles vs PCs, my opinon is that the first have often been best machines to play videogames while PCs would take care of the rest.

But now, with Consoles (like the PSX3) that can substitute a PC in many other functions, I'd definitely bet on Consoles to gain market share.

522

Completely Unrelated / Re: Bye bye, loyal subjects!

« on: 2007-06-12 09:34:44 »

@Jari:

you have repeatedly - during your time as Moderator - made use of injurious words and uncalled personal attacks. Such behaviour is not tolerated by most jurisdictions including the U.S. and incurs defamation (http://www.expertlaw.com/library/personal_injury/defamation.html)

Your accusation of libel against me is risible as my statements can be easily proven true (http://www.cyberlibel.com/defences.html) and truth is the first mean of defence. If you think otherwise, please go ahead and take the necessary legal steps. I will happily produce the proves already collected in case you would do it.

The only apologies in order here should be yours. And not only to me.

By the way, Salk is my pseudonym. I have no problems using one since I never happened to use it for gratuitous insolence. Should we enter legal actions you will have the pleasure of finding out about my real name. I still wonder if you'd dare repeat your insults face to face.

In respect of Alhexx's request, this is also my last message in this Topic.

523

Completely Unrelated / Re: Bye bye, loyal subjects!

« on: 2007-06-12 05:54:04 »

Not at all, squeeble.

I just said that offenses on the Internet can be legally accounted for and become a serious problem for both the author and the site hosting him. That's why I hinted he can be glad to have no more than one legal issue going on (perhaps).

524

Completely Unrelated / Re: Bye bye, loyal subjects!

« on: 2007-06-12 04:04:55 »

@Alhexx:

Hi. No intention to escalate to anything. Just expressing my point of view here since it seems everybody posting - as usual when such things happen - seem to weep and glorify the deeds of a former Moderator.

I just wanted him (and the others) to know that there is one person that has no problem writing his content about it. I'd enjoy more saying it face to face to see if Mr. Tough Guy have the guts to repeat some insults then. You know, from behind a keyboard insulting is cheap...

Well, at least one person is grateful here.

@Jari:

I have no problems with Moderators doing their job (translation to make you feel happy: boss me around). I had a problem with you only. Problem gone. And be thankful I didn't whine to other ears so that you won't have more legal problems (http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=6708.0).

525

Troubleshooting / Re: Scene.bin FFVII trouble. Wierd stuff

« on: 2007-06-11 05:39:37 »

I have been working with Scene.bin as well.

I can confirm you that there is no way - known at least - to edit and then repackage the file without completely screwup the encounters.

I had asked for help from a member (Ombra) who tried once to run my files through his custom made packager but it's been a failure.