Fellow Final Fantasy 7 Geeks!

[YARDofSTUF]

A guy at the hard forums directed me to Qhimm.com for Some FF7 issues(PC version)

The FF community is damn good at fixing and improving things!

If you still enjoy FF7 and want to play it on XP, with better character graphics, NCPs, and some other little effects, look for a torrent called "FINAL FANTASY VII PC - NEAT COMPILATION OF PATCHES AND MODS"

It has instructions to walk you through installing all the patches including one that lets you play as sephiroth, switches cloud and sephiroth's roles around.

Its really a great group of patches put together by a member named miracle flame.

[7thkevin]

[Jim]

I haven't played the PC version in quite some time (not long after its release, which should tell you something), so how is it these days with the patches?

Is it still limited to 640x480? Is there full Direct3D support (as this was one of those Glide games from back in the day)? How does the music sound on modern MIDI cards?

I'd actually like to play through it again lately, but the 3d textures on the PSX version paled compared to the PC one, even back then.

[YARDofSTUF]

I haven't played the PC version in quite some time (not long after its release, which should tell you something), so how is it these days with the patches?

Is it still limited to 640x480? Is there full Direct3D support (as this was one of those Glide games from back in the day)? How does the music sound on modern MIDI cards?

I'd actually like to play through it again lately, but the 3d textures on the PSX version paled compared to the PC one, even back then.

Doing the right patches, in the order instructed, you can play it at 1280x960 with AA, uses D3D(DO NOT INSTALL D3D FROM THE CDs) You have to do the max install (hahaha ya, liek the game is large bytodays standards)

Patches the mini games so teh new PCs dont speed them up too fast

Makes the dialog boxes semi transparent or removes them, your choice

Removes 9999 limit for HP/MP/Damage

Alows skipping of movies

Has a couple luck/limit break cheats for Tifa and Cait Sith

Improved cloud model

Then eitehr add normal hands to all characters or do teh NPC mod that adds normal hands to most as well as better models of NPCs, other characters, and enemies(my choice)

Edits the spell names to make them more normal

Replaces the menu pictures/AVs of characters with pictures/AVs taken from FF7: advent children

Provides the playstation music files, you start the game from that from now on and the music is MUCH better, can set it up in many different ways, I have it just using the psx stuff only. you can edit audio from Advent children and it will help you add it to the game, but thats alot of work.

So in all, the characters look better, slightly more realistic, still the FF7 feal, menus look more modern, and spells will now confuse me a bit on which ones are the best/worst lol

Background images are the same though, but dont look so bad stretched to 1280x960.

I'll put up some screenies, they come with the torrent package, take a few of my own as well.

EDIT: I havent done the Sephiroth mod yet, wanna play through it regularly first.

[Jim]

Yeah, I'd like to see the screens if you get around to it (no rush).

But some of those patches are more of what I'd consider to be tweaks or modifications as opposed to simply fixing the game to run on modern machines. Which isn't a bad thing, but I'm the old fashioned type that would probably never use many of those (such as the Advent Children icons, removing the 9999 limits, etc.).

[YARDofSTUF]

Ya I agree with the Tifa/Cait/9999 limits, but the Advent AVs just improve looks and not game abilities so I went with it.

Screenies are easy, no funky buttons. The guide also tells you how to put the movies on the harddrive to run it faster, but you still need the cd in there so I didnt bother, I can wait the 3 secs for the movie to start.













Those are all my after screenies.

heres a couple befores:

[Jim]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...F/FF7/FF72.jpg

Whoa whoa whoa whoa...what happened to the Popeye arms?

[YARDofSTUF]

Whoa whoa whoa whoa...what happened to the Popeye arms?

Thats part of the NPC Reconstruction mod.

[Jim]

Thats part of the NPC Reconstruction mod.

Is there a way to choose which mods you want installed/active, allowing you to tailor it to your liking? Or is it an all-or-nothing mod?

[YARDofSTUF]

Is there a way to choose which mods you want installed/active, allowing you to tailor it to your liking? Or is it an all-or-nothing mod?

Each mod is separate, this miracle flame dude just put them all in one zip and provided instructions on how to set them up, and in what order, so if you dont want one you skip down to the next one you want in the list and follow the directions.

Total of 12 mods, not all are for looks liek you see, one is for sound lag, not needed on modern PCs, and 2 you have to choose between, but both of them get rid of the lego block/popeye arms, so you would then probaby choose not to install either, but the hand one still leaves teh popeye arms, just adds human hands, see:





I dont know what other mods are done in those 2 shots, and I dont know how much of the look is connected to the NPC reconstruction, I think must of it is in the highrez patch though.

[YARDofSTUF]

For anyone thats interested in doing this, if the torrent is to slow hit me up on aim and I'll send the zip of all the stuff, its 39megs.

And when you get it all set and go to start the game, assuming your using the playstion music, in Ficedula's FF7Music program, on the first tab "Setup" I changed the Input Plugin to "in_psf.dll" and in the "Playback Options" I unchecked "Emulate ramps" and "Delay stops" and it helped improve when the sound was played.

[koldchillah]

That looks awesome! I'm still playing the original FF using the Nestopia emulator.

I have the PC version of FF7 but the CD's are too old and scratched up. I'll have to hit you up for this one, once I'm done with the old school original.

[YARDofSTUF]

Ya, mine are in good shape still, plus I have a backup copy.

[Mikerad]

There's now a page with a direct download if you can't find the torrent (or if it's too painfully slow):

http://fem1.uniag.sk/Miroslav.Jezik/ff7ncopam.html

[YARDofSTUF]

Cool! I tried that link before and it looked like the site was down, nice and fast now.