FF 7 mods - Where to start?

[Bas]

Hi!

I am pretty new to the FF 7 mods scene so I dont have any clue at all.

In what am I interested in?

- Gameplay mods
- Graphical & sound mods
- Balance mods are also welcomed
- Story as well, but pls not some kind of text-exchange only.

Mods should be at a stable rate.

Can you recommend me anything?

I already read about this one (http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=10958.0) FF 7 Lost Wing, but...does it feature a new storyline? Or just exchange some characters?

Can I activate and use more than one mod at the same time?

[PitBrat]

This is a list of most of the important FF7 downloads:
The Big List of Final Fantasy VII Mods and Tools

This is a tool to install and configure FF7 mods:
Bootleg - Final Fantasy VII Mod Configurator

[Bas]

OKi, I now have following mods installed:
Avalanche HighRes
" GUI with AC avatars
ficemusic

So, how to continue now?

Also, worth to mention; I have the German version of the game.

[Bosola]

Well... play the game. If you want other mods, take a look at what they change and decide for yourself whether they're worth playing. Just keep backups in case they don't play nicely together.

[Bas]

Can I use bootleg with  the German version of the game?

What is Lost Wing? (Mod)

A TC, featuring a total new story, means a total new game? Not just replaced text boxes and stuff?

Any other difficulty-rebalancement mods aside of ff7rm out there?

Also, any mod existing rebalancing the AP gained per battle? I mean, I always had the feeling I am getting basically none AP from random battles, but too much from boss battles. I would welcome a mod where I get less AP from bosses, but more from random battles instead.

[Bosola]

I don't know about non-English compatibility - I'd suggest reading the thread for the bootleg mod, and if it isn't clear, asking a question there.
 
The Lost Wing mod is a gameplay / spells / mechanics mod, not a story mod. I don't know of any story mods - field editing is arduous. Story mods would probably have to be addons which use existing characters and assets; creating new locations would be very labour-intensive.
 
As for difficulty mods, there's ARM's mod, Gjoerulv's mod and Armorvil's project. They all affect difficulty. My own Rebirth mod increases difficulty, but I don't have a full release yet - only a (slightly buggy) Midgar demo (which you can find at http://www.moddb.com/mods/final-fantasy-7-rebirth/downloads/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-midgar-demo).
 
I don't know which mods play with AP; Rebirth doesn't change the amounts won but does alter materia growth.

[Bas]

OKi, I now have following mods installed:
Avalanche HighRes
" GUI with AC avatars
ficemusic

But...I am not sure if other mods will work fine, how do I find out?

For now, I found myself interested in the FF7Remix mod, LostWing mod and Phoenix Rejuvenation Project mod (in the topic the author says it isn't compatible with any other mods). And one of the AI mods (http://wiki.qhimm.com/FF7/Technical/Customising#AI_Modifications, maybe armovil's one as well, what's ARM?) Doesn't Lost Wing also rebalances the difficulty?

So, I don't know if they all play together nicely.

TBH, I find it very hard installing mods for FF VII compared to other games. It is just pretty complicated, you have to look out for so many things and so on. Nobody wrote a cross-language-version mod manager?