Author Topic: [Tutorial] How to Use Aali's lgp/unlgp Program (Read 47004 times)

DarkFang · « **on:** 2010-06-02 15:22:10 »

In this example I will be using the battle.lgp file and be applying the Advent Children Cloud mod made my kula wende.

Instructions:
1. Download Aali's lgp/unlgp program from here.
2. Make a folder on your desktop and name it Aali.
3. Extract lgp.exe and unlgp.exe to the Aali folder on your desktop.
4. Go into C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\data\battle and copy the battle.lgp then put it in the Aali folder on your desktop.
5. Inside the Aali folder, create another folder called battle. Don't to anything in this yet.
5. Open a CMD window by going to Start -> Run -> Type in cmd -> hit ok
6. In the CMD window, type in "cd Desktop\Aali" (without the quotes)
7. Type in "unlgp battle.lgp" (without the quotes)
8. Wait until it's finished extracting. It should say successfully extracted.
9. Copy ALL the extracted files into the battle folder inside the Aali folder. They are all four letters long and have no extension. They go from aaaa to smda.
10. Download the Advent Children Cloud mod from here. (link removed)
11. Extract the contents to your desktop.
12. Go into Custom Ac Cloud and then into the battle folder. Copy all the files (from rtaa to rtda) and put them in the Aali -> battle folder. Be sure to overwrite all files.
13. Go into Custom Ac Cloud, into the battle folder, then into the final battle folder. Copy all files (siaa to sida) and put them in the Aali -> battle folder. Be sure to overwrite all files.
14. Open a CMD window by going to Start -> Run -> Type in cmd -> hit ok
15. In the CMD window, type in "cd Desktop\Aali" (without the quotes)
16. Type in "lgp battle battle.lgp" (without the quotes) This will overwrite the current one in your Aali folder.
17. Go into C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\data\battle and backup the battle.lgp file. This can be done by renaming the battle.lgp to backup_battle.lgp.
18. Copy the newly made battle.lgp (the one created in the Aali folder) into C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\data\battle and be sure to overwrite it.
19. You have successfully installed the Advent Children Cloud mod!

Video Tutorial Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmQA_H7g9ho
Video Tutorial Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btax3k0wQ54

Kranmer · « **Reply #1 on:** 2010-06-02 15:42:30 »

DarkFang nice tutorial, i have actually just made a quick automatic UNLGP and LGP installer so it will help people so they wont need these steps, check it out if your interested, it should make it a bit easier.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zxj5iyzzmwi
just run that and you can select what LGP's to either UNLGP or rebuild, it will automatically detect the FF7 folder and extact whichever LGP you select to a folder with the same name, so battle.lgp is extracted to a new folder called battlelpg, then once its done it will open the folder in windows explorer,
And when rebuilding it will make a backup of the existing LGP (it makes a backup then if you run it again it renames the first backup so you can keep 2 backups) then replace the original with the new one.
This should also work with all versions of windows, but with win7 and vista make sure to run as ADMIN or turn UAC off.

salem123 · « **Reply #2 on:** 2010-06-02 15:52:12 »

don't worry dark fang i will create the video for you

sl1982 · « **Reply #3 on:** 2010-06-02 15:53:24 »

Quote from: kranmer on 2010-06-02 15:42:30

DarkFang nice tutorial, i have actually just made a quick automatic UNLGP and LGP installer so it will help people so they wont need these steps, check it out if your interested, it should make it a bit easier.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zxj5iyzzmwi
just run that and you can select what LGP's to either UNLGP or rebuild, it will automatically detect the FF7 folder and extact whichever LGP you select to a folder with the same name, so battle.lgp is extracted to a new folder called battlelpg, then once its done it will open the folder in windows explorer,
And when rebuilding it will make a backup of the existing LGP (it makes a backup then if you run it again it renames the first backup so you can keep 2 backups) then replace the original with the new one.
This should also work with all versions of windows, but with win7 and vista make sure to run as ADMIN or turn UAC off.

Thank God! Maybe we wont have to explain this stuff for the 1000th time again.

DarkFang · « **Reply #4 on:** 2010-06-02 15:57:16 »

Quote from: kranmer on 2010-06-02 15:42:30

DarkFang nice tutorial, i have actually just made a quick automatic UNLGP and LGP installer so it will help people so they wont need these steps, check it out if your interested, it should make it a bit easier.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zxj5iyzzmwi
just run that and you can select what LGP's to either UNLGP or rebuild, it will automatically detect the FF7 folder and extact whichever LGP you select to a folder with the same name, so battle.lgp is extracted to a new folder called battlelpg, then once its done it will open the folder in windows explorer,
And when rebuilding it will make a backup of the existing LGP (it makes a backup then if you run it again it renames the first backup so you can keep 2 backups) then replace the original with the new one.
This should also work with all versions of windows, but with win7 and vista make sure to run as ADMIN or turn UAC off.

Oh I didn't realize this. I'll go install it now.

Oh I thought it actually installed something on your computer. It's pretty good I guess. I think I'll use Aali's though.

Kranmer · « **Reply #5 on:** 2010-06-02 16:11:24 »

Quote from: DarkFang on 2010-06-02 15:57:16

Oh I didn't realize this. I'll go install it now.

Oh I thought it actually installed something on your computer. It's pretty good I guess. I think I'll use Aali's though.

ah sorry for the confusion, what it does is copy's Aali's LGP and UNLGP to whichever folder you select in the installer and unpacks or packs the LGP. Then after that it deletes the UNLGP and LGP EXE's and if you made a new LGP it puts it in the original's place (making a backup of the original)
Its basicly just an automatic way of extracting and recompiling LGP files in your FF7 data folder so that you dont need command line.

(also i still use Aali's UNLGP and LGP EXE's compiled by me, which i think most people use, unless you compile them yourself's)

sl1982 · « **Reply #6 on:** 2010-06-02 16:13:33 »

Interesting, i had thought of trying to use nsis to make some sort of program for this but wasnt sure if it would work. Nice work, hopefully one day we can have a whole gui based program for this.

Kranmer · « **Reply #7 on:** 2010-06-02 16:19:16 »

yeah a GUI would be nice, it actually kind of suprises me that no one has made one yet.

nikfrozty · « **Reply #8 on:** 2010-06-02 16:23:52 »

Quote from: DarkFang on 2010-06-02 15:22:10

In this example I will be using the battle.lgp file and be applying the Advent Children Cloud mod made my kula wende.

Windows XP:
1. Download Aali's lgp/unlgp program from here.
2. Make a folder on your desktop and name it Aali.
3. Extract lgp.exe and unlgp.exe to the Aali folder on your desktop.
4. Go into C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\data\battle and copy the battle.lgp then put it in the Aali folder on your desktop.
5. Inside the Aali folder, create another folder called battle. Don't to anything in this yet.
5. Open a CMD window by going to Start -> Run -> Type in cmd -> hit ok.
6. In the CMD window, type in "cd Desktop\Aali" (without the quotes)
7. Type in "unlgp battle.lgp" (without the quotes)
8. Wait until it's finished extracting. It should say successfully extracted.
9. Copy ALL the extracted files into the battle folder inside the Aali folder. They are all four letters long and have no extension. They go from aaaa to smda.
10. Download the Advent Children Cloud mod from here.
11. Extract the contents to your desktop.
12. Go into Custom Ac Cloud and then into the battle folder. Copy all the files (from rtaa to rtda) and put them in the Aali -> battle folder. Be sure to overwrite all files.
13. Go into Custom Ac Cloud, into the battle folder, then into the final battle folder. Copy all files (siaa to sida) and put them in the Aali -> battle folder. Be sure to overwrite all files.
14. Open a CMD window by going to Start -> Run -> Type in cmd -> hit ok.
15. In the CMD window, type in "cd Desktop\Aali" (without the quotes)
16. Type in "lgp battle battle.lgp" (without the quotes) This will overwrite the current one in your Aali folder.
17. Go into C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\data\battle and backup the battle.lgp file. This can be done by renaming the battle.lgp to backup_battle.lgp.
18. Copy the newly made battle.lgp (the one created in the Aali folder) into C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\data\battle and be sure to overwrite it.
19. You have successfully installed the Advent Children Cloud mod!

Things to Add:
1. Windows Vista installation instructions.
2. Windows 7 installation instructions.
3. A video showing how to use Aali's lgp/unlgp on Windows XP.

Damn man nice!!

sl1982 · « **Reply #9 on:** 2010-06-02 16:37:09 »

Quote from: kranmer on 2010-06-02 16:19:16

yeah a GUI would be nice, it actually kind of suprises me that no one has made one yet.

I know of someone that was thinking of it. Maybe i should bug him a little bit.

salem123 · « **Reply #10 on:** 2010-06-02 17:57:46 »

here is the video dark fang as i said

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EosPDeBRbUY

DarkFang · « **Reply #11 on:** 2010-06-02 18:09:16 »

Quote from: salem123 on 2010-06-02 17:57:46

here is the video dark fang as i said

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EosPDeBRbUY

Oh I already made one lol. I'm just too lazy to upload it. :/

salem123 · « **Reply #12 on:** 2010-06-02 18:14:07 »

Quote from: DarkFang on 2010-06-02 18:09:16

Quote from: salem123 on 2010-06-02 17:57:46
here is the video dark fang as i said

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EosPDeBRbUY

Oh I already made one lol. I'm just too lazy to upload it. :/

then just post this one

DarkFang · « **Reply #13 on:** 2010-06-03 17:35:31 »

Added tutorial videos.

Jaitsu · « **Reply #14 on:** 2010-06-03 22:21:00 »

i know im gonna get ripped sinse im always telling people to use the search button but

what EXACTLY is the bug/issue found in lgptools? i have never encountered any problems

DarkFang · « **Reply #15 on:** 2010-06-03 22:35:18 »

Quote from: Jaitsu on 2010-06-03 22:21:00

i know im gonna get ripped sinse im always telling people to use the search button but

what EXACTLY is the bug/issue found in lgptools? i have never encountered any problems

Neither have I.

Kranmer · « **Reply #16 on:** 2010-06-03 23:18:36 »

Quote from: Jaitsu on 2010-06-03 22:21:00

i know im gonna get ripped sinse im always telling people to use the search button but

what EXACTLY is the bug/issue found in lgptools? i have never encountered any problems

The bug in lgptools was discussed here
http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=8035.msg106413#msg106413
and
http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=8641.0
basicly if you dont have the right locale lgptools would corrupt the LGP archive (this is my understanding but if i am wrong feel free to correct me)

nikfrozty · « **Reply #17 on:** 2010-06-04 11:33:48 »

So to be safe we should now use Aali's lgp/unlgp program right?? But I think the link to lgptools is still up and is available for download and that means many new people will use those instead and they may get some problems later on.

Jaitsu · « **Reply #18 on:** 2010-06-04 12:55:00 »

it just makes me wonder how it went this long without anyone discovering the issue

Aali · « **Reply #19 on:** 2010-06-10 22:22:35 »

Actually, LGPTools has 3 main issues (apart from the fact that it is randomly unstable)

1. Your locale settings affect the output, anything that changes the way files are sorted results in corrupted archives. (Workaround exists)
2. It doesn't know anything about subdirectories/conflicting file names. (Workaround exists but is difficult to use and can result in the LGP archive slowly filling up with leftover garbage)
3. It doesn't handle some filenames correctly, for example any file that has "_" as the first or second character of the filename. (No workaround exists, FF7 will be unable to find these files in an archive created by LGPTools)

obesebear · « **Reply #20 on:** 2010-06-11 02:16:24 »

If anyone wants to add any extra batch files or installers, do it. This is going into FAQs now.

DarkFang · « **Reply #21 on:** 2011-05-21 18:19:17 »

Link to kula wende's model removed, as it is no longer allowed on the forums.

I'll re-write the guide using a different model when I get around to it.