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

[SkittyKittles]

Hello SkittyKittles.

Just in case: Are you using the option "Save anywhere"? If you do you have to close the game (not reset) and then use your save file. If you don´t you´ll see a black screen.

Nah I don't have have a mod to save anywhere, the only option for new threat 2.0 vanilla combat in 7th heaven is "new threat mod - core files" that I have turned on. Luckily there's a save point just before the encounter so the crash isn't to much of a issue. Though for a completionist who likes to explore and collect every item I must needs explore that areas

[SkittyKittles]

I've updated 2.0's Vanilla Combat and Combat Only:

VC
*) Forced the Type A (regular) Gongaga Reactor scene to avoid the new battle
*) Removed the encounter with Shinra Troopers on Mt. Nibel

CO
*) Restored the Cactuar formation for Corel Desert prison

Sorry to bug you with another "Bug" report so soon after posting yesterday. Can confirm the update yesterday fixed the crash by removing the type b route at the reactor. However I noticed few more odd things, firstly I never encountered the turks in the forest in Gonganga the encounter Rude saids he likes tifa then a battle starts.


Second Cosmo canyon the fight at the end isn't the vanilla boss instead it a bunch of
adamantaimai spamming shell and protect, unlike  the scarlet one from yesterday though it dosn't crash the
Game. It's just a bit random, I assume it's not supposed to be part of the vanilla combat?.

Nibleheim some random commandos are blocking the entrance to the shrinra manor and the battle is in a black area against a giant yellow cube with a messed up name. Again no crash but definitely isn't supposed to be here.

I feel like somehow along the way my save switched from type A to type B..

[Deathlike2]

Hello,

I have been enjoying New Threat 1.5 [1.55] (will try 2.0 at some point), but wanted to report a bug.

Running 7th Heaven 3.4.0.0 (stable) with FFNx 1.18.1.1 (canary).

When reaching the end part of Don Corneo's Wall Market event where you drop into the trapdoor and follow the sequence at Shinra HQ, the game crashes when transitioning to the discussion with the president.

There were mods in conjunction with your mod to cause the crash:
Cosmos Limit Break 1.22
Also tried SYW Unified Field Textures 1.03 (not together obviously, but separately) and it also cause the crash. I tried that as an alternative since it was the same as Cosmos Limit Break w/o the widescreen support.
Any other option outside of turning the animated textures off causes the game to crash.

The bug also pops up with the discussion with the president after being captured at Shinra HQ.

This does not occur with New Threat 2.0 when running the same scene (only swapped to that briefly using same save to avoid crash).

I do have other mods enabled, but they do not seem to cause the crash itself (with limited testing anyways), but will list them just in case (listed in the order as auto-sorted by 7th Heaven:
Wizard Staff 1.72
Cosmo Memory 1.14
Finishing Touch 2.5
Cosmos FMV 1.1
60/30 FPS Gameplay 1.12
Ninostyle Battle 23.0701
SYW Unified Battle Textures 1.03
AxlRose's Blender v1 1.0
Ninostyle HD 23.0305
Enhanced Stock UI 2.926
Symphonic Remasters: Redux 2.01 (have also tried the other music mods like Deet's XG Music 1.0 FFNx FF7Music 1.03, and OST Music Remastered 1.0 thinking that it was the culprit)
SYW Unified Minigames Textures 1.04
SYW Unified Spell Textures 1.03
Cosmos Gaia 1.01

Other possibly relevant info [FFNx settings]:
Auto (DX11) [running an AMD RX 6900XT with 24.1.1 drivers- did try changing this option to no difference in outcome]
1920x1200
Windowed
Widescreen (16:10)
4x MSAA
Anisotropic Filtering On
Vsync Off
Advanced Lighting On
NTSC-J Gamut Mode Off
Internal Resolution Scaler 6x

Thanks for your time.

[Sega Chief]

Sorry to bug you with another "Bug" report so soon after posting yesterday. Can confirm the update yesterday fixed the crash by removing the type b route at the reactor. However I noticed few more odd things, firstly I never encountered the turks in the forest in Gonganga the encounter Rude saids he likes tifa then a battle starts.


Second Cosmo canyon the fight at the end isn't the vanilla boss instead it a bunch of
adamantaimai spamming shell and protect, unlike  the scarlet one from yesterday though it dosn't crash the
Game. It's just a bit random, I assume it's not supposed to be part of the vanilla combat?.

Nibleheim some random commandos are blocking the entrance to the shrinra manor and the battle is in a black area against a giant yellow cube with a messed up name. Again no crash but definitely isn't supposed to be here.

I feel like somehow along the way my save switched from type A to type B..

Yeah, I reckon it's the character AI from the vanilla kernel that's causing the switch to Game Type B; I need to replace all the triggers with something else. I'll try to finish that off tomorrow.

Hello,

I have been enjoying New Threat 1.5 [1.55] (will try 2.0 at some point), but wanted to report a bug.

Running 7th Heaven 3.4.0.0 (stable) with FFNx 1.18.1.1 (canary).

When reaching the end part of Don Corneo's Wall Market event where you drop into the trapdoor and follow the sequence at Shinra HQ, the game crashes when transitioning to the discussion with the president.

There were mods in conjunction with your mod to cause the crash:
Cosmos Limit Break 1.22
Also tried SYW Unified Field Textures 1.03 (not together obviously, but separately) and it also cause the crash. I tried that as an alternative since it was the same as Cosmos Limit Break w/o the widescreen support.
Any other option outside of turning the animated textures off causes the game to crash.

The bug also pops up with the discussion with the president after being captured at Shinra HQ.

This does not occur with New Threat 2.0 when running the same scene (only swapped to that briefly using same save to avoid crash).

I do have other mods enabled, but they do not seem to cause the crash itself (with limited testing anyways), but will list them just in case (listed in the order as auto-sorted by 7th Heaven:
Wizard Staff 1.72
Cosmo Memory 1.14
Finishing Touch 2.5
Cosmos FMV 1.1
60/30 FPS Gameplay 1.12
Ninostyle Battle 23.0701
SYW Unified Battle Textures 1.03
AxlRose's Blender v1 1.0
Ninostyle HD 23.0305
Enhanced Stock UI 2.926
Symphonic Remasters: Redux 2.01 (have also tried the other music mods like Deet's XG Music 1.0 FFNx FF7Music 1.03, and OST Music Remastered 1.0 thinking that it was the culprit)
SYW Unified Minigames Textures 1.04
SYW Unified Spell Textures 1.03
Cosmos Gaia 1.01

Other possibly relevant info [FFNx settings]:
Auto (DX11) [running an AMD RX 6900XT with 24.1.1 drivers- did try changing this option to no difference in outcome]
1920x1200
Windowed
Widescreen (16:10)
4x MSAA
Anisotropic Filtering On
Vsync Off
Advanced Lighting On
NTSC-J Gamut Mode Off
Internal Resolution Scaler 6x

Thanks for your time.

Ah this used to come up in the past but I had trouble replicating it; I'll try it out with the mods you mentioned and see if I can fix it this time.

[Deathlike2]

Ah this used to come up in the past but I had trouble replicating it; I'll try it out with the mods you mentioned and see if I can fix it this time.

Thanks.

I wanted to also ask (but forgot to previously) was that when I did the Reno fight during the Sector 7 plating event, that I was unable to remove the barriers with physical attacks (which was the vanilla counter IIRC). Using limit breaks that did physical damage did not appear to do it either.

I did also want to mention I was running the Arrange mode difficulty (not the Normal mode) and hoped the brief change to New Threat 2.0 (2.099992) to temporarily work around the animation crashing bug isn't causing this.

[SkittyKittles]

Yeah, I reckon it's the character AI from the vanilla kernel that's causing the switch to Game Type B; I need to replace all the triggers with something else. I'll try to finish that off tomorrow.

Ah I must admit I'm not to sure what vanilla karnel character Ai is. But I did stop playing for now as I feel the bugs will just get worse the more I progress, I still have the saves from before the Cosmos canyon boss and Gongaga, soI can always continue from one of those saves if you manage to fix the issues. As I didn't wanna save outside shrinra mansion considering the glitched commandos are right there.

I also tried installing the normal New threat 2.0 to see if it puts my saves as type A, but still type B.

[Lionheart83]

Recently got into the game again after spending my entire childhood playing the original. The game literally changed my life. Can't believe the amazing mods that have been developed. The game looks, feels and plays fantastically.

Only problem I have, and I think it is this mod, is the game difficulty. It never asked me at the start if I wanted to play a harder version of the game but i'm finding it impossible and also frustrating due to the long periods between saves and having to replay over and over. For example. After clearing Don's mansion (last save before you go to save Tifa) you drop into the sewer. Sewer Beast kills Aerith with it's opener. Cloud/Tifa need to use instant Potions to stay alive and then you're on the back foot. Sewer Beast hitting for c.300 and Cloud HP is only 457.

I can't remember it being so hard and my boomer brain just can't beat it without thinking about going back to grind mobs and out level the boss.

So onto the question. Is this mod making it so difficult? If yes can I tune it down? If yes and I remove the mod, what else am I missing out on? I don't want to lose all the awesomeness that makes this new game fun, I just want to be able to play the game instead of the game kicking my ass

[Sega Chief]

Thanks.

I wanted to also ask (but forgot to previously) was that when I did the Reno fight during the Sector 7 plating event, that I was unable to remove the barriers with physical attacks (which was the vanilla counter IIRC). Using limit breaks that did physical damage did not appear to do it either.

I did also want to mention I was running the Arrange mode difficulty (not the Normal mode) and hoped the brief change to New Threat 2.0 (2.099992) to temporarily work around the animation crashing bug isn't causing this.

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

Ah I must admit I'm not to sure what vanilla karnel character Ai is. But I did stop playing for now as I feel the bugs will just get worse the more I progress, I still have the saves from before the Cosmos canyon boss and Gongaga, soI can always continue from one of those saves if you manage to fix the issues. As I didn't wanna save outside shrinra mansion considering the glitched commandos are right there.

I also tried installing the normal New threat 2.0 to see if it puts my saves as type A, but still type B.

Yeah would be for the best until the patch is ready for VC.

Recently got into the game again after spending my entire childhood playing the original. The game literally changed my life. Can't believe the amazing mods that have been developed. The game looks, feels and plays fantastically.

Only problem I have, and I think it is this mod, is the game difficulty. It never asked me at the start if I wanted to play a harder version of the game but i'm finding it impossible and also frustrating due to the long periods between saves and having to replay over and over. For example. After clearing Don's mansion (last save before you go to save Tifa) you drop into the sewer. Sewer Beast kills Aerith with it's opener. Cloud/Tifa need to use instant Potions to stay alive and then you're on the back foot. Sewer Beast hitting for c.300 and Cloud HP is only 457.

I can't remember it being so hard and my boomer brain just can't beat it without thinking about going back to grind mobs and out level the boss.

So onto the question. Is this mod making it so difficult? If yes can I tune it down? If yes and I remove the mod, what else am I missing out on? I don't want to lose all the awesomeness that makes this new game fun, I just want to be able to play the game instead of the game kicking my ass

I had a look at Aps and saw that his Sewer Tsunami was hitting unusually hard compared to the other variant which comes from behind the player. I realised that the back attack flags for these attacks have been set the wrong way round so I'll have this fixed in the next patch.

One thing about the sewer though, there is a save point added up in the corner of the field (however it won't be there if Combat Only is being used):



If the combat difficulty isn't to your liking, then there is a toggle in the IRO for relax mode which eases the enemy parameters a bit. Another option is reverting to vanilla encounters using the Vanilla Combat variant of NT but that currently needs a patch to fix an issue which I'll hopefully be done with today.

[Deathlike2]

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

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

[Sega Chief]

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

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

[Sega Chief]

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

[PokeFaize]

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

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

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

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

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

[Maziac]

Hello SegaChief, and happy Rebirth everyone!

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

[ClawsTheOne]

Hi Sega Chief and all,

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

[Seraph_Sephiroth]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[rufusluciusivan]

Hi Sega Chief and all,

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

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

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

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

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

[Sega Chief]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hello SegaChief, and happy Rebirth everyone!

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

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

Hi Sega Chief and all,

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

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

[ClawsTheOne]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[rufusluciusivan]

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

You're welcome.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[ClawsTheOne]

You're welcome.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[rufusluciusivan]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hope you'll enjoy your playthrough!

[Seraph_Sephiroth]

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

Hope you'll enjoy your playthrough!

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

[ClawsTheOne]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hope you'll enjoy your playthrough!

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

[daverboczi]

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

[Seraph_Sephiroth]

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

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