Latest work (FF7 Data hacking update a once a year event!)

[Cyberman]

Here is my more recent efforts on hacking the data information in FF7 Notice this is a complete skeleton (without the weapon). What we do know, complete skeleton information and model structure, what we recently found (I did at least) is the animation frames so this is the result. I am going to work on getting the textures applied to a few surfaces soonish (like tonight).

The FF7 script language information has been being actively hacked, but more importantly enemy AI and discovery of a number of other interesting things to those who are FF7 addicts (raises hand).

Qhimm's tech forum

 

[-Shadow-]

Wow , nice work ! Did you do this with the PC or the PSX version ? Maybe the hacking is easier if you use the PC version .

 

[Cyberman]

Wow , nice work ! Did you do this with the PC or the PSX version ? Maybe the hacking is easier if you use the PC version .

This is the PS1 version, I neglected to say that. The PC has been known for a relatively long time. It's the Playstation version that's not. I may add support for the animation sometime soon after I finally get the textures working. My biggest problem is figuring how to put the weapon in the characters hand next. All the weapon models are easy to find.

Cyb

 

[dwx]

http://www.zfx.info/IOTW.php?ID=118

another one who hacked the FF7 data.
it's in german but he says that it wasn't easy ...

cya dwx

 

[Cyberman]

http://www.zfx.info/IOTW.php?ID=118

another one who hacked the FF7 data.
it's in german but he says that it wasn't easy ...

cya dwx

It's quite a convoluted format. There are several people working on it so it's moving along well. I am working on the animation, it turns out to be a bit odd to say the least. Tell your friend to go to the URL I listed and he can PM me if he know english and ask questions. I found the data obviously

Cyb

 

[zenogais]

That document gears.doc/.pdf is quite informative. Thanks for the link

 

[Gorxon]

Oohh, Quimms site. Been a long time since I have seen that. I remember I used to visit it a lot when my brother was hacking FF7/making FF8 patches etc.

It actually still links to my brother's old FF8 Soundfont project page. DIdnt even know that one was still up...
http://ffsf.cjb.net/

Guess I gotta install FF7 again and start playing around

 

[Cyberman]

Gorxon they've hacked the script format (Laysan3 did) and people have been dumping the data and examining it left and right. To say the least the combat system etc. is quite interesting. Right now I am just wanting to read the 3d data. Perhaps later I'll make a script decompilor viewer. The weird stuff is the walk meshes no one knows where the heck it's hidden

Micky has something that shows battle scenes. I suppose with a bit more work and some duct tape maybe a seperate engine to run the FF7 data set is possible

Cyb

 

[cooliscool]

Cyberman, have you or anyone else found anything beta related in our FF7? (besides the Debug Room )

 

[Gorxon]

So, do I smell a FF7-2 on the rise?

Nah, seriously, what would be cool was if the models were updated. Better find the walk mesh first though or things would look rather stupid...
Is it possible now to export the models back in? I assume you'd have to use a bunch of converters though as I doubt they used MAX mesh files. Anyhow, a quick meshsmooth job could make things look pretty good quickly....but then you get an issue with texture cordinates.

 

[Cyberman]

CoolIsCool
Believe it or not a LOT of things were removed from FF7 before final release! Looking at the data and how much space was left on the discs, almost everyone has concluded that FF7 was HACKED canned and shiped out before it was complete. Square lucked out that it had a strong story line and great content already, or it could have been another Xenogears fiasco.

Gorxon
Well here is the problem.
You need a new engine or an updated one no matter what to do that.
The PS1 version models for battle contain the following information:

In Section [0]
Skeleton
  Bones
  Joints
  Bone Data
   Vertex array
   Textured Triangles
   Textured Quads
   Vertex colored Triangles
   Vertex colored Quads
  [ repeated for each bone in the Skeleton ]

The PC version is much more complicated (but easier to decipher).

You would have to create a completely new textured model with a bunch of UV coords. The models are mostly Colored Vertex polygons. This explains why the emulator version of FF7 scales nicely by the way. The eyes and lips and tatoos are the only things with textures on them in FF7. Even the field models are like that. There are only twelve models that have textures as a matter of fact that aren't the characters. NONE of the weapons have textures by the way

It is doable though, I'm currently working on the animation information. Which (surprise) turns out to be compressed (ARGH).

The way the playstation version works is interesting. It loads the entire decompressed model into memory. The default animation happens to be the first animation (starting at Section[2]). I can extract the first Frame of the animation on most models there, but some are different (Red13 comes to mind). It appears the playstation decodes each animation for what you choose to do in battle as needed from memory to memory. This keeps the amount of space used small. The textures are merely paletted TIM files. Models without textures have a 0 width tim file with a CMYK RGB palette in them. We believe it caches the animation sequences that are decoded in memory. Now if we only knew the stupid format (we have like the first frame but after that we are baffled).

Remaking FF7 is a bad thing, it's a copywrited game and more important Sqenix will sue anyone who dares do it (see Chrontrigger Resurection project).

Cyb

 

[zenogais]

ahem, did you just imply Xenogears was a bad game!?

 

[Gorxon]

Remaking FF7 is a bad thing, it's a copywrited game and more important Sqenix will sue anyone who dares do it (see Chrontrigger Resurection project).

Cyb

Whether it's a bad thing or not is in the eye of the beholder. I don't think a total remake of the game (at least not which includes the history) would be good for anyone. However, I really don't think Square would mind if someone made som patches to the games that had better models and perhaps music.

 

[MasterPhW]

Whether it's a bad thing or not is in the eye of the beholder. I don't think a total remake of the game (at least not which includes the history) would be good for anyone. However, I really don't think Square would mind if someone made som patches to the games that had better models and perhaps music.

For which version? The PSX or the PC one? Because I think modding the PSX version could be possible, too, with psf patches wouldn't it?
But I have the PC version too, so if there is some beta stuff (looking to cooliscool) the it would be great to see it.

 

[Cyberman]

Gorxon
Lots of patches for the PC version. The PS1 version doesn't need improved music believe it or not, it sounded a LOT better than the PC version. This is because the PS1 has a sound system that puts those expensive sound blaster toys to shame. 32 channel wave table midi synth to be precise with reverb and delay as well as CD and wave mixing all at once.

There is a patch for example to change cloud's field model to the battle model for the PC. And a bunch of others, not the least of which is the one to run FF7 in a window.

It's possible to update the PC engine and models.
Go to Qhimm's formus for all sorts of patches and interesting hacks. (Like Tifa's got a Advent children style attire etc.)

The PS1 version is much harder to update, this is partially due to the playstations limitations but mostly to do with the fact that a lot of the data is address by absolute sections on the playstation I think. For battle models you shouldn't have a problem. For field models you begin to get into that hazy area of possible trouble.

If you think you would like to have 3d backgrounds EEEK. That's much more difficult. Even though all the combat scenes are 3d it would take a lot of modeling to do 3d backgrounds not to mention you would have to hack the engine big time.

We haven't figured out the world model system but we know it's a tree structure and modifying it a little bit messes everything up. So it's complicated

Halkun's Gears project puts together a large volume of the data. Halkun is busy with school now but progress is steady. If I figure out that stupid animation format. Things will change drastically for both PC and PS1 information. As they use the same format for animation.

Cyb

 

[zenogais]

Heh, to get 3D backgrounds would require basically rewriting a major portion of the engine. Also the Playstation version would be harder to update as its more static then the PC version, meaning models are stored in one exact address, and that can't change. Along with a host of other problems, seems like this would make modifying it a big time job. Also, I found the file format info in the Gears project especially helpful, in fact just for the hell of it I may write a program to read a few different Playstation file formats and display the data, might be kinda fun So glad I learned about this project.

 

[cooliscool]

Cyberman: Sweetness, that's what I wanted to hear. Got any to show off?

 

[Cyberman]

CoolisCool
FF7 Game Hacks? Goto Qhimms though there are a bunch of odd little hacks I've seen posted about ther. The most common is the improved sound stuff. I've no FF7 game hacks though, as I am hacking the data. Halkun is collecting the information. I do have FF7 for the PC, but the playstation version has fewer bugs and behaves nicely in a window.

I started my FF7 data hacking to see if I could make an engine to run the data.
Goto the Game Tweaking forum on Qhimms to find the tweaks. Goto the Tech-related Forum for information on beating the FF7 data.

The save data format is pretty well understood now. At least by me (grin) as I have made a Jenova clone (Qhimms FF7 game editor), it adds a bit too it, and operates on the Ps1 data (using PSXmemtool).

Cyb

 

[cooliscool]

CoolisCool
FF7 Game Hacks? Goto Qhimms though there are a bunch of odd little hacks I've seen posted about ther. The most common is the improved sound stuff. I've no FF7 game hacks though, as I am hacking the data. Halkun is collecting the information. I do have FF7 for the PC, but the playstation version has fewer bugs and behaves nicely in a window.

I started my FF7 data hacking to see if I could make an engine to run the data.
Goto the Game Tweaking forum on Qhimms to find the tweaks. Goto the Tech-related Forum for information on beating the FF7 data.

The save data format is pretty well understood now. At least by me (grin) as I have made a Jenova clone (Qhimms FF7 game editor), it adds a bit too it, and operates on the Ps1 data (using PSXmemtool).

Cyb

Hacks are nice, but I was referring to leftover beta material still in the game.

Thanks though.

 

[Cyberman]

Hacks are nice, but I was referring to leftover beta material still in the game.

Thanks though.

Then try Qhimms Tech forum lots of discusion. One of the truest is Square never finished FF7 and a lot of the inconsistancys in the game are result of that. The splated the game together in the end after it as 68% complete. The main story line was finished. It's all the fun things in between that Square nuked that had not been finished.

If you download Gears, you'll find a LONG disertation of using the debug rooms and what they precisely do.

Cyb