Topics

1

General Discussion / [FF7 PC] Warping into the Debug Room

« on: 2014-08-28 15:00:52 »

Someone finally found a glitch that allows one to legitimately access FF7's Debug Rooms.
I thought some people here might be interested to hear that.
Here's a video of how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzbuABYClaE

2

General Discussion / [FF7 PC Re-Release] Framerates

« on: 2014-08-19 02:04:49 »

Hey.
The re-release versions of FF7, i.e. the version that SquareEnix released for PC in 2012, the Steam version of 2013 and the International Release from the Japanese Square Enix Online Store in 2013, have a very peculiar issue with the framerates the different modules of the game are supposed to run at.

So, apparently, in contrast to the original 1998 PC version, the re-release is supposed to run at 34 FPS on fields. Additionally, like the 1998 release, at 15 FPS in battles and in FMVs, at 30 FPS on the world map and at 60 FPS in menus.

I myself have the Steam version run at those values it should apparently run at, it drops to 32/33 fps during the transition to another field though, (I honestly can't even say if 34 is the cap for fields but I have never heard of anyone having a higher field framerate) but a lot of people I have talked have the game run at 30-32 fps on fields and we have not been able to find the cause for these so different framerates.

This framerate issue has been raging ever since FF7 was re-released via SquareEnix in 2012 and has yet eluded explanation and/or resolution.
Therefore, I would be very glad if anybody could provide suggestions on what could be the cause for this erratic behavior and/or on how to solve it (i.e. have the game run consistently at its capped field framerate).

3

Scripting and Reverse Engineering / FF7 Drop Rates

« on: 2014-07-13 00:21:21 »

Hello.

So, after reading some  threads on in-battle and post-battle randomness, I wonder if there is a way to manipulate (in a non-TAS setting for the PC version) drop rates.
I do know that drops are determined after the battle using the RNLUT found in the kernel.bin.

Here is what I am asking myself and have not been able to find answers to:

1) How is the seed for the RNLUT drop check derived? Is the kernel.bin RNLUT also used for in-batte checks?
Imagine that, after killing 3 enemies, I knew the drop rate RNLUT check pointer started at the first number in that table (63h), which means that the first three numbers in the table (63h, 06h and F0h, respectively) would be used for the drop rate check. Would running away from any encounter after that battle before eventually killing 3 more enemies allow me to get the RNLUT entries just after the first three ones used in the previous drop rate check, so 23h, F8h and E5h for the next drop rate check?

2) Imagine I kill 3 enemies in a battle (say 2 Mirage and 1 Dorky Face for a Mirror drop in the Nibelheim Shinra Mansion). Is the order in which I kill the enemies relevant in the drop rate check? I assume not as I find it unlikely the game even tracks the order of killing.

Thanks in advance and feel free to point out anything I might not have yet considered.

4

Scripting and Reverse Engineering / FF7 World Map Glitch

« on: 2014-06-19 04:04:24 »

If you catch a Chocobo before going to Kalm, then do what looks like random running around on the world map before dismounting on the small patch of grassland before the Mythril Mines, you can trigger a strange world map glitch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJBPNLmmFlk

It works on both PC and Playstation but its effects are broader on PC as it seems

(on PC, some of the mountains in the swampland will randomly turn into extremely sharp spikes pointing skyward
  ).

Also, one can submerge below the map and the menu will read Gold Saucer Area (one will even be able to encounter enemies from the Gold Saucer Area Grasslands).

In case anyone can explain how this glitch is triggered precisely and/or why this works, I would like to know.

5

Scripting and Reverse Engineering / FF7 - World Map Encounters / Mystery Ninja Encounter Mechanics

« on: 2013-08-25 20:24:56 »

Hello,

I am wondering if there is a complete understanding of how world map random encounters are handled, i.e. how it is determined which encounter one will get and when a random battle will start.
In particular, I am interested in learning more about how the Mystery Ninja encounter is worked out. More importantly, I wonder if there is a way to manipulate the probability of getting that encounter (in the Junon Area).

I have done some testing myself and here are my findings:
I used a save file from just after the Mythril Mines in terms of game progression, adjusted my world map camera so that I would be able to walk perfectly horizontally by tapping Left/Right, went back into the Mythril Mines and saved just outside of the Mythril Mines without changing my world map location or camera angle once outside.
Afterwards, I used a save editor to alter my game time, loaded my save file and started running immediately upon loading the file. I only moved horizontally and never stopped moving (I held Left and/or Right all the time) until the first battle would occur. By pressing Left/Right, I always found a pattern to arrive in the forest closest to the exit of the Mythril Mines without getting a random battle beforehand.
Now, for certain game time values, I could get the Mystery Ninja encounter regardless of my exact movement (as long as I only moved horizontally and never stopped running). For instance, 00:00:03 and 259 seconds (but not 515 seconds) allowed me to get a Mystery Ninja encounter all the time.

In case anyone has more information on how world map encounters and the Mystery Ninja encounter in particular are determined, it would be very helpful if you could provide them.

6

Scripting and Reverse Engineering / (PC) FF7 - Yuffie escapes from battle Glitch

« on: 2013-08-23 06:24:32 »

Hello,

while working on Yuffie Warping, I found yet another Yuffie related glitch.

As you might know, if you fight the Mystery Ninja, it will escape after ten turns. Apparently, if this occurs on the PS version, you are just brought back to the worldmap (you don't get any battle results screen) and nothing strange is to be witnessed.
If you do this on any PC version (I have tried it on both the 1998 1.02 patched version and the Steam version), however, you will spot these peculiarities:

1) When Yuffie escapes, she will turn and flash red, like ordinary enemies do when they are defeted.

2) You don't get a battle results screen, but if you open the menu afterwards, the game will freeze and you will get a mixture of the normal menu and what appears to be the battle results screen from the last Mystery Ninja battle.

3) If you don't open the menu but engage in another world map battle, the battle screen will begin to load but the game will freeze as well. The screen will turn black but the battle music will continue playing.

Also, both of these freezes don't occur if one enters a field before trying either. Additionally, they look and behave exactly like the Emerald Weapon Countdown glitch on the PC version.

So, my question is: Does anyone have an explanation for this glitch?

7

Gameplay / [WIP] FF7 - Hardcore Hack - Some Random Hardcore Enemies

« on: 2011-08-19 19:49:35 »

So, after having been introduced to the joys of AI scripting, I figured someone might want to test out what I have done so far. Therefore, I am publishing here the compilation of all FF7 enemies, which I have created, i.e. whose appearance and AI I have drastically altered, so far or which I am working on.

In case someone would like to try these out, send me a PM.

Penultimate and Secondary Weapon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqABK5bessM

-----

Scarlet the Scary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yVkco8N1CE

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Wicked Reno:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvWItXP_mzY

How to beat Wicked Reno:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCtysEVdizY

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Trash Weapon, God and Sephi's Yummy Mummies Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNxICwU83FA

Trash Weapon, God and Sephi's Yummy Mummies Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-3t9YFT74E

How to beat Trash Weapon, God and Sephi's Yummy Mummies Part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf3VbXGBtQE

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Incommensurable Cell:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXtQVMYWbro

How to beat Incommensurable Cell:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtqDqBs_PXg

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Final Sephiroth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0YR_B4kXwg

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Perhaps I will once include all these enemies in a comprehensive hack. Yet, at the moment, they are just some insanely hard stand-alone hardcore enemies.

8

Scripting and Reverse Engineering / FF7's Blade Beam - magical/physical attack attributes confusion

« on: 2011-08-11 16:38:59 »

When doing some research on Limit Breaks in FF7, I came across the probably most mysterious attack in the entire game, namely Blade Beam.

According to Libre and WallMarket, both of Blade Beam's attack parts, as it consists of two seperate attacks as Finishing Touch and Satan Slam, are physical. However, this only holds true as long as at least two ennemies are present and in the same row at the moment Blade Beam is employed by Cloud for, in case only one enemy can be targeted by the entirety of Blade Beam's attack, something strange happens.

Firstly, Blade Beam will consist only of its first attack part, whereas the secondary subsequent diffusing beams will obviously be left out, and secondly, that first attack will even look slightly different. The peculiarity of Blade Beam being used completely excluisvely on a single becomes manifest in this: While it is still inflicting physical damage, since a magically immune enemy will still sustain damage, it is simultaneously triggering that enemy's magical(!) counter, which I cannot understand why this occurs, seeing that neither WallMarket nor Libre indicate that any part of Blade Beam could be a magical attack. As far as I know, not only is there no other attack that does physical damage and triggers magical counters as well but it is also impossible to copy that property of Blade Beam.

Because of this elusive attribute, it seems to me Blade Beam is hardcoded in any way. In case anyone happened to know more about why Blade Beam behaves so strangely, I would like to know.