Sega! Registered an account here to tell you what a fantastic job you've done on this mod. FF7 has been my favorite game since i played it in the 90s but I havent been able to enjoy a playthrough of the vanilla version due to slow pace, low level of difficulty, etc. You nailed it and I've been having a blast with the mod. Thank you!
A couple bugs to report in 2.0.9991:
during the Corel Huge Materia train fights, Aeris' commands do not animate about 50% of turns. I believe the actions still have effect, but no graphical indication is present. For example, I cast Cure 3 and only see her HP count increase with no other indicators.
I believe there's a bug with one of the 1/35th soldiers, I remember picking up every one on my first entry into their respective area per the documentation, but I still only have 11. I have doubled (and tripled) back and checked all locations and there are none to be picked up. The only one I do not vividly remember collecting is the one in Gongaga. Sorry i cant be more precise.
General feedback:
The game is an excellent challenge 95% of the way through but I think the W-Item glitch breaks the game in the late stages. Unlimited Megalixirs and Gospel Sparks made Shinryu and Omega cake, when previously I'd lost to them 12 times in a row. I still need to fight Ozma, Ruby and Emerald but i think the same principle applies. Infinite invincibility shouldnt exist.
I would also suggest a slight late-game difficulty boost. Ultima Weapon and Godo (2nd round) were pushovers even with Yuffie, who's never been in my party (if i can help it). Still need to give Lucrecia, Omega Cait Sith and others a shot, but I cannot imagine they'd be much different. It would be cool if the difficulty factor was somewhere near FFX's final weapon challenges. Like extremely hard, but not quite impossible. It would give the game a lot more depth and playability. Currently I dont feel compelled to even fight these bonus bosses after other similar encounters proved so easy.
But most importantly: FF8NT!