ProtoArmor's GamePage - Final Fantasy series

Steps to get FF7 in BEST QUALITY Graphics & Sound:

What this tutorial uses:

Official 1.02 Patch and other patches (chocobo races crash etc, see forums.qhimm.com

Do NOT use the 1.4 patch, it is a slimy hack with problems and edits some windows system file. It is just a hacked 1.02 patch with the chobo patchttp://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=2670.0h and submarine patch, which can be found seperately (without 1.4's bugs) at http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=2670.

NPC Project patch (various custom-created and battle-quality characters for field -- even some important characters such as Lucrecia)

Somedude41's SBLive patch with ORIGINAL PSX LATIN VOCALS

Run movies from Hard Drive registry hack (and fix "Palmer Crash" the easy way)

The instructions below using NPC Project patch may be superceded by the "Higher Resolution FFVIIPC" project patch if they get battle textures working and stuff like that. Also, if they get billinear filtering working, then the game could actually run at high-res with smooth backgrounds! For now, my instructions will do fine and look better any other method.
--for more on [BETA RELEASE] Higher Resolution FFVIIPC [v1.00]
see http:http://www.gzanime.net/index.php?gz=dl&name=ff7//forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=3203.0

The rest of this tutorial is for people with SB Live and Audigy who want the sound to work, and have the ORIGINAL PSX LIVE LATIN CHOIR in One-Winged Angel (I haven't tested that in the game yet, but I have tested it with the game midis directly inside the game data files).

(note: I will say "<FF7>" to refer to your installation folder, usually "C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII" -- or wherever you installed it.)

Requires:

SB Audigy or SB Live
lgptools zip extracted to <FF7> folder (get from ficedula.co.uk, click Homepage, FF7 Programs, lgptools
ficedula.dll extracted to <FF7> folder or WINDOWS\System32 folder (get from ficedula.co.uk, on Homepage, click ficedula.dll)

Part 1: Fix FF7 for XP and apply new high-res models:

Apply the Official Patch 1.02 (XP Patch 1.4 is a hack and edits a windows system file, and the 1.5 patch is not real, that is a virus), the chocobo patch, and the submarine patch:

Find Official Patch 1.02 and information about your specific glitches (i.e. fix for bike minigame too fast, and many crash fix patches) here: http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=2670.0
Download patcher and many optional patches, and Instructions on installing the submarine patch here: http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=5124.0

(if any links on this page are broken, just to to forums.qhimm.com and search for the name of the patch)

Apply NPC Project patch - http://stormmedia.aodhosting.cjb.net/npc_project/screen.html
(if link is down you could also try the Reunion patch, available at: http://www.gzanime.net/index.php?gz=dl&name=ff7)

highres battle-style models for MANY characters, not just main characters!
once you extract all files EXACTLY where they tell you to, and then their patch is finished, you need to re-create char.lgp (they say to do it, but not how):

rename your old char.lgp to char.lgp.old
Open lgptools
Click New
import all the files from the folder they had you create
save the file as char.lgp and make sure you put it in <FF7>\data\field
if you followed his readme exactly, now the high-res models are loaded!

Part 2: Force the Soundfont Midi for SBLive and Audigy:

Set FF7Config to general midi
Set FF7Config midi output to SB Audigy Synth B (or A) or whatever your sound card is (NOT microsoft mapper)
Set FF7Config rendering to Software rendering (if hardware rendering gives you messed up fonts and backgrounds)
Software rendering is MUCH better now after installing the NPC Project patch with high-res models.
Install Somedude41's SBLive soundfont patch - http://mywebpages.comcast.net/somedude41/ (has lgp and sf2)
Rename midi.lgp to midi.lgp.old
Copy his awe.lgp and rename it to midi.lgp, and make sure it is in the <FF7>\data\midi folder (this forces awe midis to load when you choose General MIDI in FF7Config)
In SB Soundfont settings--i.e. right-click Audigy 'A' icon on tasktray then click SoundFont, or see Somedude41's ReadmeXP for SBLive instructions (make sure you configure the same midi output chosen in FF7Config--such as 'A' or 'B' if you have an Audigy with multiple midi outputs, or just do both like I did!), load Somedude41's "FF7.sf2" soundfont (test using FF7 Configurator to make sure it's loaded in the proper midi output - you can play the sample midi in FF7Config WHILE you change the soundfont to make sure it worked--you'll notice a big difference if it worked),
LATIN VOCALS ARE NOW ENABLED!!!
Test latin vocals (it's a good test, AND fun :) ): Select proper midi output, open midi.lgp using ficedula lgptools, double click the entry named lb2 and wait for choral part (if you don't hear ACTUAL LATIN VOCALS make sure you followed all of the steps above and the Somedude41 Readme file.

*notify me if one-winged-angel vocals do not appear inside the game, but it seems impossible to fail if they show up in this test.

In Sound Blaster EAX settings, choose "Cathedral" (hidden menu top of screen for audigy: click blue box by "I want to" then choose "Select EAX", then in the next blue box choose "Cathedral") -- this make's your midi sound REAL nice and almost like a live (albeit synthesizer) performance. Sometimes I switch it to "Auditorium" to get a good effect that is less distant/echoey.

YOU'RE READY TO PLAY! Keep an eye out for the high-res models in various parts of the game!! You'll first notice CLOUD, BARRET, the guards, and the rest of AVALANCHE all in battle-quality models!

Conclusion:

The only way FF7 graphics will be truly great on PC though, is TV OUTPUT!! Maybe your video card even has this, and all you need is an S-Video to Composite adapter (search eBay). Then, before I load the game, I go to Display settings in Control Panel and set the TV as my Primary Monitor (and I usually drag that monitor over to the left and drag the icon to that monitor before running it just to be sure, but that may be overkill).

If your video card doesn't have TV Output, you could instead search eBay for a VGA to TV adapter.

I am currently playing through the game using TV Output and software rendering with all the patches above, and I can't describe how much it ROCKS!!! Everything looks and plays perfectly, and there is no pixelation on the backgrounds. So...very...beautiful. I am so glad to be playing it like this (and with all the patches above) the second time through!

Part 3
Run movies from hard drive AND fix Palmer Crash
(You shouldn't have a problem unless you or your computer makes a mistake but do this part at your own risk)

Create a folder called C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\movies
Insert Final Fantasy VII CD1, copy all files from the movie folder to C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\movies
repeat for each disk, so all movies from all disks are on your hard drive in the same movies folder
Click Start, Run, type regedit, push OK
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Square Soft, Inc.\Final Fantasy VII
Double-click on MoviePath and change it from "d:\FF7\Movies\" to C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\movies\
Push OK and close regedit
Now fix the crash after fighting Palmer:

(NOTE: this trick will make the take-off movie play TWICE instead of playing the landing, which makes some computers crash)
Open your new C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\Final Fantasy VII\movies\ folder
rename jairofal.avi to jairofal.avi.bak (right-click then click rename, then type the new name)
Right-click on jairofly.avi, then click Copy
Click Edit, Paste
Rename the NEW pasted file named "Copy of jairofly.avi" to "jairofal.avi"

(NOTE: If you want to uninstall this fix later, just delete jairofal.avi and then rename jairofal.avi.bak to jairofal.avi)
This fix works if you get the gaea's cliff crash too--if your game crashes when you make it to the top of the gaea's cliff, just follow the instructions again except with greatpit.avi (instead of jairofal.avi).

Part 4 (OPTIONAL): FF7Music is great, but I do not recommend it. I recommend that you stop here and enjoy your newly remade Final Fantasy VII like I currently am!

FF7Music does not synchronize perfectly with the game, and sometimes it will screw up and interfere with the game, causing a movie to play without sound, or causing you to fight a boss such as the boss of the motorcycle chase without sound. To avoid VERY ANTICLIMACTIC situations like that one, do not follow the instructions below.

If you insist on using FF7Music, It is best to just download a pre-packaged version (search for FF7Music on forums.qhimm.com)--that way you get the ini file which includes all of the memory locations. I never got the program to work with the instrutions below, probably because the ini file needs that information....

FF7Music Replaces each midi with MP3 automatically (if only I had it working and had the full OST and ripped it to 80 MP3s or whatever)
   -copy FF7Music exe to <FF7>\ficedula or it won't be able to save the INI file
   -copy out_wave.dll and in_mp3.dll from <Winamp>\plugins to <FF7>
   -download all FF7 MP3s
        -Hmm...
            Bombing Mission
            Fanfare 2
            Shinra Explodes 1 and 2

            -all may need to be cropped from other tracks on the OST that they are mingled in with.
   -rename them using the names of the original midis (for list and description of each, see Idiot's Guide to To FF7Music on forums.qhimm.com for actual titles corresponding to the midi file names)
   -put the mp3s in <FF7>\ficedula
   -Make sure you have "ramping" and "stop" enabled in FF7Music
   -Make sure you choose in_mp3.dll for input and out_wave.dll for output in FF7Music
   -Select mute midi output, but don't forget to mute midi on soundcard yourself in case it can't!
   -Now use FF7Music to run the game. It *should* play your mp3s to replace each midi file if you configured FF7Music perfectly.

Post/View Comments!