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Releases / Re: [FF7PC-98/Steam] New Threat Mod (v1.5)
« on: 2019-06-13 01:41:44 »
That's a tricky one to answer because it depends on what you're looking for. I tried to enhance the base game where I could with script adjustments and convenience features. The combat is a bit more involved (midcore) so this'll depend on what you're willing to put into it, but there's a vanilla version I made recently that uses the NT scripts but with vanilla enemies + kernel. A few people have used NT as their 'first run' or returning run after a long time away from the game and they seemed to enjoy it.
Reunion would also be a good choice for a vanilla experience as it doesn't adjust the battles (not yet, as far as I know) and focuses instead on retranslating the script, bug fixes, etc. You can adjust the level of translation (or not have it at all) using its installer.
As for visual mods and the like, you'll want to use 7th Heaven mod loader but be warned now; the installation process has a lot of pitfalls and can cause headaches. But it's also currently the best way to mix mods together. You can also use direct folders to add loose files that will override the default ones but I can't remember if that is available with Steam by default, may need the game converter that 7th Heaven also relies on.
Some info on the game converter; in order to get the Steam version compatible with 7th Heaven we use a tool called the game converter which recreates a 1998 FF7 PC installation using the steam files as a base. This separate install of the game is then used to apply mods to, etc. It behaves more or less the same as the steam game except it has a more up-to-date version of Aali's Graphics Driver (which the Steam version also runs on). This mod (and I think Reunion) can install to the Steam version and 1998 version if not using 7th heaven, or can be run through 7th heaven if you go that route.
For models, Kaldarasha's Chaos7 and Nino's models (I think both can be found on Nexus, Kald's stuff is there and also on this forum) are ones I quite like as the former uses shaded polygons in the same style as the game (visual consistency) and the latter uses a super-cool art-style based on the promotional character art/concept art. There are others as well (hundreds of them), and most of them use textures for the models like Nino does. Uprisen also did a mod that retextures the battle backgrounds which is worth a look; his mod is also on Nexus.
Thanks for the detailed comparison! I'll continue thinking about my options. I don't often replay games due to time constraints, so if I'm going to mod FFVII it's pretty much now or never. Especially with the remake releasing next year.