FF IX Stuff

[Zande]

Ok, I've been playing around with the FF IX data for a whiley. Time to post a little about it, me thinks

Here's what I've got and not:

All text/labels/whatever (doh! like that's hard )

3D Models:
Weapons - 100% correct, I hope =)
Main/Side characters, enemies, objects - Basically stored the same as the weapon files, but thoose got some kinda grouping I haven't understood yet.
Examples: A coupla 3D models (No textures yet, 'cos I'm not sure how the mapping works (+ I'm using StereoLitho [*.stl] format, which is quite limited ;p)).

Textures:
Mostly stored in standard TIM format, not hard to track down.
Some images got the CLUT stored as a TIM images though, dunno yet how the mapping works… FF1&2 also stores CLUTs this way (IIRC!), anyone knows anything 'bout this type of CLUT?
Examples: A coupla textures

Audio Streams (music samples/sound effect) (Akao chunk):
A coupla thingys left, the actual audio uses the same compression as vag/vab (4-Bit ADPCM), which is really easy to detect.
Examples: Sample set for Black Mage Village, weird sound effect (<-- when's this effect used? ;o)

Sequencer Data (Akao chunk):
Minor things, I know where the data and settings for each track's stored. That's about it, though.

X-Mod Data (sound effects) (Akao chunk):
Haven't touched this yet… Anyone got any info about it? =)
[/list:u]I'll post up progression here, aswell as more detailed information (format documents, etc), when I get time for that.

If anyone got info about seq files (the standard gaystation sequencer format, aint it?), I'd like to check that out, may make it easier to understand Akao's sequencer format…

Well, that's it for now… Also, thanks Qhimm for your exellent img extractor app =)

[DeadLajik]

Some images got the CLUT stored as a TIM images though, dunno yet how the mapping works… FF1&2 also stores CLUTs this way (IIRC!), anyone knows anything 'bout this type of CLUT?

So the TIM image format is inside the color lookup table ? I'm not sure what you mean here.. But then again I'm not to familiar with the TIM file format. Is this data encrypted on the FF9 CD's ?

[Zande]

So the TIM image format is inside the color lookup table ? I'm not sure what you mean here.. But then again I'm not to familiar with the TIM file format.

Nah, it's just that the colour map (CLUT) is stored as an actual (and seperate) image, not as a colour map (of the image). Does that sound better?

Is this data encrypted on the FF9 CD's ?

Nope, no compression/encryption.

[DeadLajik]

Yeah that makes much more sense now. Interesting.

[Cyberman]

Ahh I'm familiar with the textures, I just hadn't found the model data structure (been lazy in other words).

I think Part of my problem is I look at the skeleton data and have no idea what I'm looking at (for animation etc.) blah

Cyb

[mirex]

Zande: welcome to the boards !  nice work !

[Lord_Skylark]

Do you know the order (which their name) that the enemy models are stored in the data?

Thanks,
~Sky

[trickstar66]

That weird sound effect might be just some extra junk that was never taken out of the game because Square either didn't have the time or they all got drunk the day before it was to be produced and thus never got it taken out. It reminds me of the "secret" sound effect from FF8. [/quote]

[Cyberman]

Do you know the order (which their name) that the enemy models are stored in the data?

Thanks,
~Sky

Hmmmmm
I would have to have the enemy names first
I could get them for you then, I have a tool for zipping through FF8 and FF9 data images to find the models.

They are stored in an odd format 0x18 hex offset from the begining of the model is the Texture data though. (They are TIMS thank goodness)

Cyb

[Lord_Skylark]

The monsters are stored in the data in FF9 like they are in FF7 by battle formation groups and the exact same enemy is stored in the data multiple times like they are in FF7. FF7 and FF9 are the only two FF games that store the monster data in this format - and I don't know why as it uses up a lot more space storing them in this fashion.

But I do know that based on the unique hex code for each monster that some hex codes are missing from the FF9 data. And the ones that were the most interesting is that there are 3 enemies missing directly after Earth Guardian - leading me to believe that you were originally suppose to fight all 4 Guardians in actual battles. As well, if you look at the file names for the movies - there are several FMVs that were removed from the game - mainly end of disc 3 and on disc 4.

FF8 deleted probably 5 or 6 FMVs as well as their titles are still found in the debug room. (such as Squall and Laguna Moon - which is really weird since there was a CGI artwork released with a moon behind Squall and Laguna which were probably taken from these scenes)

~Sky

[Lord_Skylark]

If you wanted to share that program with me - I could tell you the names of all of the enemies for you so you wouldn't have to do it yourself and serach for the names if you didn't want to.

THanks,
~Sky

[Zande]

mirex: Thanks


Found this little fella today, not sure what it is though ;o

Also discovered a couple of good stuff the last weeks, nothing that you can see/hear though

And if anyone wonders what x-mod is, it's short for cross modulation which is the same as frequency modulation (FM).

[Lord_Skylark]

Isn't that a Fang?

Here's a list of all the enemies that have statistical data stored in the game. There might be models though floating around that have no data linked to them (like a few in FF7)

http://www.ffcompendium.com/~Skylark/ff9/index.html

~Sky

[Zande]

Nice

I think that's actually Fenrir? You do see him in the summon animation (the long one anyway), don't you?
First summon model I've found, in that case

[Lord_Skylark]

Have you managed to find most of the enemies then?

~Sky

[Zande]

Yeah, I know where all monsters are stored... and right now I found out where the monster names/attack names/HP/MP/et cetera are located

Edit-os: According to the HP bytes, the HP of Nova Dragon, Deathguise, Trance Kuja and Necron is more then what's listed in the strategy guide (and Skylark list aswell)! Interesting...

[Lord_Skylark]

Yeah, alot of the boss enemies have 10000 more HP than they are suppose to have. It must be some sort of flag or something. Yeah, I noticed that when I hacked the data a LONG LONG time ago when the game first came out. I've hacked the data a long time ago. I was just wondering if you've located most of the actual models.

~SKy