Final Fantasy VII NES Project (Completed!)

[Lugia2009]

I just spent the last several hours reading this entire thread, and I simply must congratulate you, Lugia, on extremely good work!

Thank you so much!   It's been fun working on this game.

My favorite game of all time is Final Fantasy VIII, and it makes me sad that there are no demakes of it...

I need to go to bed soon, but tomorrow I will assess the possibility of launching an FF8 demake. By that I mean whether it would be best to use an engine of some sort or use code from another NES game (like FF1), or something else.

Why not use this game as a base for FFVIII?

Personally, I kinda like some aspects of this game better than previous Final Fantasy nes games.  Each map on this game has it's own graphic tiles which allows for much more detail.  The repeated NPC and character graphics for each map may seem like a waste of space, but it has helped make different animations for the characters. And the battle system allows the character's battle sprites to have more than just 3 colors. 
The event system is also pretty decent.  I also think this game's ROM size is definitely a plus

I am the world's worst artist, so if I did it I would surely need help creating graphics, but I can do the programming, given enough time.

I could help with some of the graphics for the game.

[Korichu]

Love the progress for the next patch so far, and FFVIII with this engine sounds pretty interesting.

After this game is fully translated and improved, I was thinking about working on a Resident Evil Famicom translation project.

I'd approve of a translation for it, I was considering speed running it for shenanigans.

[lowena]

The thing is, if I used this ROM as a base, I would have to work in 6502 assembly... not impossible, but very difficult, especially for an amateur like me. I have enough trouble already with Java and C++.

So, I think I'm going to try doing it in Java, with a 8/16-bit style.

And thank you very much for your offer of helping with the graphics! I've been reading some tutorials on "pixel art theory" and how to draw, so I think I could do something if I try.

I think I could manage maps to some degree, and small sprites, but larger ones have too much detail for a completely non-skilled artist like myself.

[Lugia2009]

Materia Tree is finished:




Luckily this area of the ROM had a lot of unused space after the map.  So I was able to expand the map to 3x it's size.

I did my best to show both the lower portion on the bottom screen and the upper portion where Sephiroth's body is on the upper screen.

Now when the event plays out, cloud will actually appear to be floating up into the air to give Sephiroth the black materia, rather than Sephiroth appearing out of nowhere amongst all of the characters on the ground.

[Lugia2009]

*Update*

I finished working on Materia Tree's events and everything, so that map is now 100% complete.  So I uploaded a new video showing a little of the Gaia Cliff events and all of the events at Materia Tree.

I also added new dialogue to make up for some scenes that were removed which explained Cloud's past.

You can watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaW9I65RtlI&feature=youtu.be

[Vincent7]

Bug: in bone village while talking with man near tent if you choose to dig good treasure and set men for digging, you can't talk to man near tent anymore.

[KingMike]

Not sure if you're looking for comments about the text.

The ouside is rich with Mako energy,

This is perfect! Both Jenova's Reunion and Sephiroth's will!

Incomplete sentence?

Now that I think ofit, Why did you want to join SOLDIER in the first place?

[Lugia2009]

Bug: in bone village while talking with man near tent if you choose to dig good treasure and set men for digging, you can't talk to man near tent anymore.

Okay, I'll check it out. 

Not sure if you're looking for comments about the text.
Quote

    The ouside is rich with Mako energy,


Quote

    This is perfect! Both Jenova's Reunion and Sephiroth's will!

Incomplete sentence?

Quote

    Now that I think ofit, Why did you want to join SOLDIER in the first place?

Thanks for finding them, I'll fix them.




Lifestream is done:




In the game, this map will appear as two different areas.  The top screen's going to be used for the final fight with Sephiroth.

[mrrichard999]

Nice!

[Chpexo]

Looks good, but I believe some easy fixes can be made to improve the map.

First, I don't remember those pillars in the original game and they seem out of place. Also, the rocks' palette can be improved changing the tan color to a light grey color. The rock texture on the bottom seems orderly. Rocks in real life aren't this organized, but I realize you are limited with tiles (removing the pillars will give you some tiles). Below is my modification of the rocks I made. Feel free to use it.



For the top image, make the stars grey and it would be fine.

[Lugia2009]

Looks good, but I believe some easy fixes can be made to improve the map.

First, I don't remember those pillars in the original game and they seem out of place. Also, the rocks' palette can be improved changing the tan color to a light grey color. The rock texture on the bottom seems orderly. Rocks in real life aren't this organized, but I realize you are limited with tiles (removing the pillars will give you some tiles). Below is my modification of the rocks I made. Feel free to use it.

For the top image, make the stars grey and it would be fine.

How's this?

[lowena]

I think the before shot is a lot better... The stars appear randomly placed, whereas the after shot you can clearly see the tiling.

[mrrichard999]

The stars before make it more random. So what are you going to do after this project is done anyways? Got anything in particular planned for after completion of this?

[Midna]

Both the gray and the blue/yellow stars are obviously tiled, try shaking those up some and they'd look a lot better.

[ChronoMoogle]

I would also suggesgt to not place the stars in a repeating pattern. Placing them a little random should already do the job

[Zoinkity]

Have to admit that the star layout in the original shot gives it a more random feeling.  Conversely, you could say the new star field tiles over such a short distance that it's just too obvious about it.

[Spooniest]

Without custom tiles, there is no plausible way to create a sufficiently random appearance to anything except, as in the before shot, with a few tiles being an alternate color.

To be honest, it's not supposed to be a starfield at all but actually Holy.

Assuming it is supposed to be the scene right before the fight with Bizzaro-Sephiroth. If it's Sephiroth vs. Cloud in the lifestream, then a simple black background will do nicely.

[Lugia2009]

After thinking about it, a black screen might be better for what I have in mind.  The top screen is for when Cloud and Sephiroth face off against each other.  There are character sprite that aren't necessary, so I turned those sprites into stars that would zoom by to try and simulate the scene where Cloud is traveling through that tunnel leading to Sephiroth.

But I planned out the events and dialogue for this map, I also made some new dialogue, here's what I have.
Also, on this scene, the characters for the final fights are predetermined.  So it's best to have all character's levels high, and to have them well equipped.  Cid, Cait Sith, and RedXIII will fight bizarro Sephiroth. And Barret, Tifa, and Cloud will fight Safer Sephiroth.



Cloud enters and moves towards the center of the stage.

*He stops*

*After a pause the screen flashes and Sephiroth appears in the center.*

*The screen shakes and flashes.*

Cloud: Uuuugh....!!....Sephiroth!!

*Barret appears*

Barret: Ugh....! I this....the true power of Sephiroth?

*Cid appears*

Cid: My....my body....I can't control my body....Uuugh!!

*RedXIII appears*

RedXIII: My front legs....my hind legs....my tail's about to tear off!!

*Cait Sith appears*

Cait Sith: This is definitely not good....He's way outta our league....

*Tifa appears*

Tifa: Cloud....Cloud....

*Screen flashes and all characters are pushed back*

Cloud:Ugh....Ugh....there....It's....there....

Tifa: Cloud....?

*Screen flashes*

Cloud: ....Holy....Holy is there....The Holy is shining....Aerith's prayer
is shining....

Tifa: Holy....Aerith....

*Screen shakes and flashes, all characters are pushed back again*

Cloud: It's not over yet....This isn't the end yet!!

Eyaaaahhhhhh!!

*Screen shakes and flashes*

*Everyone steps forward*

*Remove Cloud and all other characters, then add Cid, Cait Sith, and
RedXIII*

Cait Sith: I'm so happy to have met you all, really! Everyone's counting
on us! This is it!

Cid: Hoo-ok....! I can't be foolin' around in the bottom of this hell
hole....I still have lots of stuff to do with my life!....Shera....Don't
worry Shera. I'm coming back in one piece! It'll take more than this to
kill me!

RedXIII: All life on this planet, indeed the very life of this planet is
in our hands....Father! Mother! Grandpa! I'll see to the safety of this
planet! I won't lose!!

*Begin battle against Bizarro Sephiroth*

*Remove all characters and add Cloud, Tifa, and Barret*

Barret: Don't worry Marlene! Daddy's comin'back home! This is our last big
job! Biggs! Wedge! Jessie! Avalanche's dream'll be realized here!

Tifa: ....We're not gonna lose!!

Tifa: Aerith is here....everyone is here....Cloud is here with us! There's
still many things for us to do....I'm not giving up!!

Cloud: Aerith's memories....Our memories....We came....to tell you....our
memories....Come Planet! Show us your answer! And Sephiroth! To the
settling of everything!!

*Screen shakes and flashes, short pause, screen flashes again*

*Begin fight against Safer Sephiroth*

*Screen flashes 10 times and Sephiroth's sprite flashes until finally disappearing*

*Long pause*

Cloud: This was all we could do.

Barret: Wait! What about Holy? What's gonna happen to the planet?

Cloud: That....I don't know. Isn't the rest up to the Planet?

Tifa: ....You're right. We've done all that we could do.

Cloud: All right, everyone. It's no use thinking about it. We'll leave all
our worries here.

Cloud: Let's go home proud.

*All characters turn to leave and Cloud stops*

*Tifa faces Cloud, then all characters face him*

Tifa: What happened?

*Screen flashes*

*Cloud lowers his head*

Cloud: ....I feel it....

Tifa: What....

Cloud: He is still....here.

*Screen flashes again*

Barret: Yo Cloud!

*Pause*

Cloud: Still....

RedXIII: Cloud....?

Cloud: He's....laughing....

Tifa: Cloud!!

*Screen flashes then goes black*

*Scene opens back up to a dark area and cloud is near the bottom of the screen with his arms out and eyes closed*

*Stars move down across the screen*

*Then cloud floats to the center of the screen and Sephiroth appears in the top part of the screen and moves down to the center (without the walking animation to make it appear as though he is standing still). Both character's movements slow down until stopping*

*Cloud lowers his head pauses, lifts up his head and faces up. He pauses, then steps towards Sephiroth, The screen flashes*

*Begin fight between Cloud and Sephiroth*

*Sephiroth steps back, bloody with a shocked look on his face*

*His sprite starts to flash*

*Sephiroth closes his eyes, more blood begins to appear, his sprite flashes more until finally disappearing*

*Pause*

*Cloud faces down and lowers his head, then looks up*

*Screen goes black*

*Scene opens up back at the planet's core with all characters facing cloud and cloud with his head down.*

*Tifa walks to Cloud*

Cloud: ....I think I'm beginning to understand.

Tifa: What?

Cloud: An answer from the planet....the Promised Land....I think I can
meet her....there.

Tifa: Yeah, let's go meet her.

Barret: Now what're we going to do?

RedXIII: Holy should be moving soon, and that means this place will....

Cait Sith: We should get going.

Cloud: Come on everyone, let's head home.

*They all leave, there's a pause, the screen fades to black*


(For here, Mideel map should be used for final dialogue piece)
(Mideel is a 4x4 screen and I could move the graphics elsewhere so the
most possible graphics could be used to make a final cut scene with
dialogue describing what happens at the end.)



If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

[Spooniest]

Holy has to be visually represented somehow if the characters are going to talk about it.

[Zoinkity]

Any way you could exploit the 'flash' to do an ambient slower 'pulse' sort of thing until the dramatics start up?  Even if it's just on-off, it would convey something is unnatural about the room.  Official FF games usually did things akin to this in crystal rooms.

If the backdrop has to be a single color, holy would be better represented by something that isn't black (at least to a western audience).  In general, that would appear too much like a void or nothingness, which in this case is the exact opposite of what's there.