DCFFVII Research Thread

Welcome to the Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII research thread!

This thread began with me wondering if my copy of DC:International was legit (answer: it was) and then turned into in-depth Dirge of Cerberus investigations. You can enjoy the journey from post-to-post and/or you can follow the highlights linked below.


- The Dirge of Cerberus Multiplayer Archives
While not *everything* has been compiled into this one place, there is plenty to look at.



- DCFFVII Unlocked (YouTube playlist)
Primarily out-of-bounds exploration and visiting hidden maps but there is some other neat stuff in there as well. I have two YouTube accounts: "Shademp" and "Gast Faremis". This playlist is mixed with videos from both channels.

- All S Rankings playthrough (YouTube playlist)
Video series on how to achieve perfect grades in all categories. Hard mode, original Japanese release.
The playlist contains 24 videos that add up to a total length of 4 hours 20 minutes 10 seconds.


Item Lists
- Plain English item list
- Weight stats
- Item Qualities: Byte Mapping


3D & 2D graphics
- 3D Character & Object model list
- Low-res vs high-res 3D models
- Menu 2D graphics
- Viewing 3D models and extracting 2D textures, tool by daemon1


Gameplay
- How to get the Chapter 11 mid-air item case
- Midgar battle FMV easter egg
- Collection of glitches
- Shera cutscene triggers
- Phases of the moon: Dirge's timeline
- Chapter 11: Sneaking past the Bizarre Bugs
- Doing "Gatling Shower" mission the hard way
- Capsules that unlock the Antecedents cutscenes
- Tifa's OG artwork silhouette in Edge
- Ch8-1 soldier glitch
- How to defeat the three Epiolnis birds in Ch6-2
- Defeating all the snipers in Ch3-2, Japanese Original
- Defeating all the Guard Hounds in Ch2-3
- Deflecting Spit - Disappearing Sahagin
- Missilebreaker Melee - Only Melee, No Damage
- MP Consumption: List of values
- Missilebreaker Melee - 'Safe Spot' Method, No Damage
- Primitive damage graph
- Clock-based voice lines in Tutorial Mode
- HP values of bosses (outdated)
- How Stage Missions determine the number of Death Penalty Bullets you start out with (incomplete)
- How to unlock Cait Sith's line variations on the Shera
- Cardkey logic
- Arachnero AI- and strategies
- Gorgonero trick shot
- "Infinite Galian Beast" Chapter 3 glitch
- The Long-Range Adjustment Bug (Short, Medium and Long-range stats explained)
- The Mechanics of the Crystal Feelers
- Infinite Machine Gun Ammo glitch
- Duration(s) of Limit Break status (three posts)
- Item Selection Glitch (Japanese Original only)
- Stagger Mechanics of the Dragonfly GL and Dragonfly GL: Moveset and general AI


Version Differences
- Shera doors: JORG/NA vs PAL/INT
- Ending Credits JP subtitles: JORG versus JINT
- Ch11 cutscene difference: Falling debris
- Map compass + Nero effect
- "Geostima" detected
- Elevator room: JORG vs Post-JORG invisible walls
- "No Map" menu map text + EM barriers in Ch11-3
- Weird blue-green texture in JORG: Part 1
- Weird blue-green texture in JORG: Part 2
- Extra cardkey in NA version
- "Hail Weiss" in multiple languages
- JORG vs Post-JORG: Ch10-3 lighting
- Invisible ammo pickups in Ch4-4
- JP in European version
- Range stats display: JP vs ENG
- "Item Received" notification
- "Mission Complete" in multiple languages
- Difficulty modes in multiple languages


Unused content
- Death Penalty's description hinting at planned gameplay
- Test 2 Debug Mission
- Flag error: Time to write up a bug report
- Pre-release names of Vincent's guns and barrels: Part 1
- Pre-release names of Vincent's guns and barrels: Part 2
- Cait Sith stealth segment voice clips
- DoC showcase demo build
- The only unused artwork for the Art Gallery
- Railing model + online mode stuff + corrupting the game
- "Bind" status effect
- Checkpoint images and text


Out-of-bounds:
- DG Lobby
- Kalm (by SolidSnake11)
- The Shera
- Bridge
- WRO HQ
- Deepground (Chapter 10) and DG Lobby


Homebrew software:
- Playing with Open PS2 Loader, USB method
- Load times with USB method


The 64 Global Flags
- List
- Explanation


Dirge of Cerberus Save Editor
- McDirge v0.1 with source code
- McDirge v0.3 with source code and executable

- Press Document purchased


------------------------------------------------

the circle/x thing is normal, that's the default setting for the majority of japanese games. they just change it when they're localised

does anything look off about the disk itself? (label placement not being straight, fuzzy quality) what's the box and manual look like?

Where did you get it? Sounds like you need to go on Judge Judy

Got busy playing the original Japanese release. That copy was legit. At least as far as game content goes.

Strangelove said:

the circle/x thing is normal, that's the default setting for the majority of japanese games. they just change it when they're localised

does anything look off about the disk itself? (label placement not being straight, fuzzy quality) what's the box and manual look like?

Click to expand...

The label on the disk looks a little fuzzy, but not any different from how my disk for the original Japanese version looks "fuzzy" (almost like they are going for a 3D effect with how the label is pasted into it). In comparison, the label on the PAL/European disk is very clean and flat.

I took photos and compiled an image gallery of the box. Can you see it?

Also, we can now confirm that DC:International is satanic, since its ID code is 66629.



The box and the manual all look legit. The manual is in Japanese and clearly covers DC:International, not the original.


Watching the GameFAQ list of DC versions, I believe the mystery is solved.

DC was re-released in the US as a "Greatest Hits" game in 2007. That must be the copy I have. That's why the intro screen has the year "2007" written on it, instead of "2006" like the original JP and PAL releases. This is interesting because one normally does not expect differences between "black label" and "Greatest Hits" releases, even small discrepancies like these. FASCINATING.


In short, I WAS DUPED. Somebody had the DC:International manual, took a copy of the US DC greatest hits release, pasted a copy of the DC:International label on there etc and sold it to me.

Octo said:

Where did you get it?

Click to expand...

Ebay. Loooong ago. Would take days to find the mail confirmations from when I bought it.

shifty ebay devils

that sounds like a lot of trouble to go through for little reason

although why would the confirm/cancel button layout be different then?

Not to mention there is still one thing that doesn't make sense, that I remembered again just now: The Japanese-style button configuration. Circle for OK, Cross for Cancel. Why would this be changed for an American Greatest Hits release? Or did somebody have the know-how to mod a Greatest Hits release? I look forward to buying the ACTUAL US Greatest Hits release to see what it's like.



EDIT: I've looked up ways to tell if a PS2 game is an original or pirated, but none of the criteria reveal my copy of DC:International to be pirated. I've placed the game into my computer to search for clues, but nothing conclusive there either. A folder was last edited on July 23, 2008. This is in line with the JP Greatest Hits (International) that was released September 4, 2008. I can accept a game resting for a month before actual distribution happens.

Everything just fits too perfectly. The disc and box matches up to physical scrutiny. There is a file with the name "SLPM_666.29", just like the ID number for DC:International. If not for the English text, this would be the Japanese DC re-release.

Well, another difference between DC:International and the US/PAL versions is that in DC:I you can unlock cutscenes from the PlayOnline mode. I can't confirm if room is reserved for those scenes in this odd copy of mine, without playing through the entire game and spending 30+ hours searching for capsules.

WHAT IF this is an early version of DC:International that was accidentally released? That sure would be something. This demands that the Japanese text was implemented between July 23 and September 1 (or 2 or 3, depending on how you account for shipping time).

WHAT A MYSTERY


EDIT #2: In the manual, the image of the intro screen is one without an "International" subtitle. The year at the bottom reads "2007". Could be that they are just recycling old images, but I wonder if the actual International version reads "2006, 2008" or "2007" at the bottom of the intro/selection screen.

Still wondering if my region free PS2 is somehow accessing English data that is supposedly dormant in the JP re-release... I've checked my PS2 settings to figure out if this could be the cause, but no dice.

Guys, I'm not alone! (See also alternate thread)

This is a list of PS2 games where the text in the game changes depending on which language is selected for the PS2 console itself. This is not a list of games where the language of the game is selectable in the game itself (i.e. from the options/configuration menu).

List

[SLPM-66629] Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII International (Ultimate Hits)

A back story first:

Some time ago, I bought Final Fantasy VII -Dirge of Cerberus- International (Ultimate Hits), a Japanese exclusive PS2 game. I played the disc on my Australian version PS2 console. This PS2 console was modded so it could play games from any region. When the game started up, I noticed that the voice acting was in English, and every single text was also in English. Remember that this is a Japanese exclusive PS2 game, so I thought how could Japanese people (whose national language is Japanese) possibly understand and play this? Isn't this a massive oversight? It should be following what Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix and FFX International did before it, and have a combination of English voice acting and Japanese text.

I also owned an un-modded Japanese PS2 console. When I played the game with this console, the game was still in English. I refused to believe that Japanese gamers played this game entirely in English; at the very least, the text should in Japanese.

Then I remembered about a feature of current generation consoles (e.g. Xbox 360 and PS3) whereby the language/locality of a particular game is determined by the language setting of the console itself. So if the language of your console is in English, your copy of Street Fighter IV (whether it is an English or Japanese copy) will also be in English, whether the region of the console itself is American/Western or Japanese or Asian. Likewise, if you change the language of your USA/JPN console to Japanese, then the game (USA or JPN) will also change to Japanese. Of course, whether this locality change happens depends on the game itself (it is where the text is stored, if a certain language is not there, then it's not there) so the feature can not be activated in all games. Also of course, in the case of Street Fighter IV, the language can also be changed in the game itself via the options menu and then saved for the future. The feature only determines which language is the default setting.

So what I did was, I changed the language of my JPN PS2 console from English to Japanese. Accordingly, the text in FFVII: DOC changed to Japanese.

This feature (language-switching) cannot be activated in Western consoles (American, UK, Australian, etc...) because the Japanese language is not selectable unlike Japanese PS2 consoles that allows both Japanese and English languages. Furthermore, even if it was possible to select Japanese in Western consoles, PS2 consoles are originally region-locked so you normally wouldn't even be able to play the game to activate the feature. It might be possible for certain Western-developed games to contain both Japanese and English languages, but this cannot be determined without a Japanese PS2 console (assuming that the language of the Western game cannot be changed in-game from the options menu, which is not what this thread is about).

The game language/locality-switching was made popular with the Xbox 360/PS3, and existed as early as say, Sega Mega Drive games (e.g. the game cart contains both Bare Knuckle 2 and Streets of Rage 2 depending on the region of the console it is played on), but for PS2 games, this seems more unknown and obscure.

Click to expand...

So the way things are now, it looks like I can't play DC:International with Japanese text. At least it looks like I wasn't fooled.

EDIT: Wait, maybe there is a way...

I can't account for why the text is in English, but SLPM-66629 which is on the disc is definitely the code for the Dirge of Cerberus International JP 2008 release.

which seems to match up with yours, but it's hard to make out if there's a difference because that image is of low quality and yours are a bit blurry. But it honestly looks legit.

And if you've checked the files and last modified was in 2008 then I find it unlikely that someone's doctored it. Is it possible that there were two versions released in Japan, one with English text and one without? Or is there an option in settings to change to Japanese text? I ask because the FFX International JP version came with English voicing but the ability to change between English and Japanese text.

If there is such an option, I'd say it's legit since no other version aside from the original JP allowed for Japanese text as far as I know. But then again that doesn't explain why English would be enabled by default.

Also, I know you said you bought a region free PS3 but if you've set the console language to English there's a possibility that the game took the setting from your console system. It happens with some other games that if the option is there the game detects this and switches to it automatically. Just a thought.

EDIT: Goddammit Shademp I come through with the answer from my own head and you have to ninja me.

Anyway yes you can play with Japanese text if that's the case, you just have to change your PS2's console language to Japanese. Just remember how to get back into the menu.

the console's system language affect the game was something i thought of (on modern consoles they will switch the button layout to the console region standard for some imported games as well), but i didn't realise there were ps2 games that did this too.

edit: now i am wondering, if you unlock the online cutscenes will they have english subtitles?

How cool that would be. But a lot of work too.

Strangelove said:

edit: now i am wondering, if you unlock the online cutscenes will they have english subtitles?

Click to expand...

I will do my best to confirm this. But first I'm gonna play through the original Japanese release at least once. I'm in the sewer on my way to Nibelheim now.

Is the original every bit as awful as they say?

The Twilight Mexican said:

Is the original every bit as awful as they say?

Click to expand...

Pretty much. (I will now refer to the original as JORG, just like with the original FFVII)

Running and aiming is a BITCH, unless you are running straight with a target right in front of you. Post-JORG, aiming is simple: Aim with right analog stick, position Vincent with left analog stick. In JORG, the left analog stick is cumbersome because while it barely moves Vincent it will simultaneously force your aim downwards (if you are aiming up) until you face straight ahead.

So say that you are fighting the Dragonfly (sorry if I'm remembering the name wrong) boss in Kalm. You aim upwards and want to simultaneously give chase. But you can't give chase because while aiming, Vincent runs really slow AND your aim naturally tilts downwards, away from the flying boss. Your best bet is to first find a good position, then shoot while standing still.

But the Dragonfly battle has another annoyance. The auto-lock feature is oversensitive, so when you are aiming upwards, suddenly the auto-lock forces you down to the exploding barrels.
"NO! I WANT TO SHOOT THE BOSS, NOT THE BARRELS!"

The thing you'll notice first while playing though is the awful camera whilst you are running with your gun out (at least in Kalm; later areas get better). The shoulder-perspective and the first-person perspective are your only options. Post-JORG, the camera can zoom back and give you a proper view of your surroundings while aiming. In JORG, you barely have any sense of where Vincent is walking while you are shooting.


You are so limited in this version. The only thing you can do mid-air is change direction. You can't shoot mid-air and you can't use melee attacks. You can't even do these things mid-air while transformed into the Galian Beast.

Most people know that in JORG there is no double-jump. In one respect, not having the double-jump was interesting at one spot in Edge. Because I couldn't jump high enough, I couldn't reach the box that had 3000 gil in it. The only way to reach it was to transform into Galian Beast, who has a higher jump. That discovery felt rewarding. Post-JORG you simply do a double-jump to reach the box.

In the sewer level (on your way to Nibelheim) the lack of a double-jump becomes annoying. It is absolutely ridiculous that you can't jump up to certain platforms, but instead you have to backtrack just to walk up a few stair steps.

Thanks to Easy Mode, these limited controls and the annoying camera is little more than an aesthetic inconvenience, because losing in Easy Mode is almost impossible. So far, I can enjoy these version differences thanks to my love for comparing game editions.

Oh, I forgot to mention... There is needlessly long loading time between shots for Vincent's main gun. >___< You can shoot much quicker post-JORG.

One simultaneously annoying and relieving part about playing the original version is the smaller number of capsules. When you only have a general feeling of where you found a capsule in the post-JORG version and then don't find any, you have to conclude that the capsule was added post-JORG (for the extra features).

Maybe this is some contra-intuitive oddity of Easy Mode, but multiple areas that have Juke Boxes (aka "Shops") in the later versions don't have any here. For example, just outside the Shinra building. No juke box in JORG.

A number of other stuff have been spotted, but just like with the shops I'm not sure if these peculiarities are limited to Easy Mode or if they reflect changes between versions. For example I didn't find the sniper scope until the Edge level. That was annoying. I wanted to aim at stuff from far away in Kalm! In the PAL version, you gain the sniper scope in Kalm.

I'm not going to write and publish a DC Version Guide anytime soon. Got too much else on the plate. Just having careless fun for now.

Getting close to the finale in DC JORG.

- In main gun upgrades, I am used to there being three paths. S, M and P. Only S and P are available in Easy Mode.

- Inside Deepground, there is normally an exploding barrel that reveals a cactuar. No barrels at all were present. The ceiling still had holes reserved for barrels, so they should be present beyond Easy Mode.

- Transforming into Galian Beast depletes half of your magic meter. While in Galian Beast mode, your magic meter depletes. You can either exit Beast form early or wait until your MP reaches 0, at which you transform back into Vincent. I have absolutely no recollection of this type of Limit Break mechanics being present in the localization.

- I didn't notice before, but in the flashback where Lucrecia "chooses" Hojo, Hojo's Japanese voice sounds completely different from his normal tone. Hojo actually sounds...like an OK dude! I can't tell if it's the same VA. I wish the English game had done something like this. If for a moment Hojo had not sounded like a creep, that would have been interesting.

The international releases used the Limit Breaker item for Galian Beast.

I admit it I totally should have been doing other things today... >__>

End-game observations:

- Final Deepground stage. Encountered a graphical error when I entered the area with the bazooka guys who are all standing around a pillar. The fog and the walls at some points would disappear, replacing by white-grey walls. I could see unpicked items in an adjacent room.

- Near the end of this stage, I have always found a floating item case that is too far high up to reach. I was expecting to see it in JORG...but it wasn't there! WAT

- Had to use Galian Beast form to reach the third G Report. There was no way to make the jump otherwise. Not saying that the change in limit break mechanics was better or worse, but I really do enjoy that the game forces you to transform (here and in Edge) in order to reach a platform. Plus with the limit break depleting magic, it is satisfying to walk on mako spots and pick up Ethers in this particular spot to sustain limit break mode for an extended period. (Btw I tried to use every item in my inventory and the Limit Breaker simply does not exist in JORG)

- Yet to confirm, but I'm pretty sure that in the scripted battle against Weiss (the one you can't win) the post-JORG versions will ignore if you have Phoenix Down equipped. You will lose immediately, without being resurrected. Correct me if I'm remembering this wrong. In JORG, my Phoenix Down was used up so I had to lose twice.

- Could be just my imagination, but it feels like Omega Weapon had a ton of more HP in JORG, despite this being Easy Mode. Hmmm.

- Wow! Was not expecting that Theatre Mode would be accessed by clicking on Single Player mode! I quite enjoy the image you get to click on. I don't think it appears anywhere post-JORG.

- Kind of impressed with myself. I only missed three memory capsules. The final memory capsule only appears in the last stage after clearing the game, so that one doesn't count (plus I already knew about that one). Will have to consult a guide to find those three memory capsules, or I'll drive myself insane looking for them. Would be easier if memory capsule unlocked the scenes to which their placement is in close proximity to, but often this is not the case.
EDIT: I must have remembered wrong earlier about JORG having fewer memory capsules. If I recall, only the capsules in the Extra Missions unlock artwork, music etc. Yet I find myself convinced that certain places should have capsules... Oh well.

After consulting a guide and finding those last memory capsules, I'll do some testing with the console language settings and then start playing the International version fo realz.

Beating Easy Mode in JORG unlocked Hard Mode. Just figured I'd confirm that. EDIT: False. All three difficulties are available from the start.

I briefly began a Normal Mode playthrough in JORG, just to check if the Sniper Scope is found in the same spot that it is found post-JORG. Answer: NOPE. The Sniper Scope has been moved to a later area, probably Edge (again).

In that one save-civilians section in Kalm where the sniper scope COMES IN HANDY (stares angrily at DC JORG) I found it easier now to just transform into Galian Beast and spam the homing fire attack. All three civilians were quickly saved.

My time with JORG ends, for now...

--------------------------

Holy smokes, navigating the Assembler forums is an overwhelming nightmare. I don't even know where to start in order to find the program that can supposedly force Japanese settings on my PS2. >_______<

I've sent a message to the guy who apparently created a program to force Japanese settings. Hopefully he will not be too annoyed.

The only languages available on my region-free PS2 are:
English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Portugese & Italian.

By changing the settings on my console, I confirmed that the PAL version of Dirge of Cerberus has English, German, French, Spanish and Italian text. No Portugese and no Dutch! Voice acting is only in English.

What surprises me is that the start-up FMV (where all the developers names appear) ALSO adjusts the text according to the setting. Even the final bit that reads "And so the hound weaves the final chapter in this tale of life..." is changed to be written in German, if that's the language setting. I didn't confirm this bit in particular for the other languages.

So... Apparently the PAL version holds five versions of the start-up FMV? The text is hard-embedded into the video, afaik, so these FMV versions must be taking up extra space. =/
The story-intro FMV, which has text shown on a cell phone and television, did not have the displayed languages change according to the console setting. This makes sense, given the length of the FMV it is probably too huge to justify making multiple versions of.

DC:International, naturally, did not have German text. Have not checked other language settings.


I wanted to play DC:International only after having figured out how to get the Japanese text working (for some raisin). But I'm gonna start playing with the English settings anyway. In the PAL version, the memory card save from my English playthrough was still valid even when the language changed, so I assume the same will apply for when changing language settings in DC:International.

My playthrough of DC:International has now begun.

- JORG and post-JORG there are probably a ton of small changes that I'll never notice.

Some small things I do take notice of though. At the very beginning, after Vincent runs down the stairs and says "Now where am I supposed to meet Reeve" a map shows up. In JORG, the game forces the map to scroll from down to up, showing your destination. Post-JORG, the map shows up and then the player can scroll however much they like.

- I didn't mention this before, but in JORG Vincent will roll and enter crouching mode when you are running and pressing the square button. It is quite easy to move about fast while in crouch mode because you can keep on rolling and rolling. Post-JORG, the roll is replaced by the dash. This is mostly an improvement, because now you aren't forced into a crouch position when you run and press square. If you liked moving about quickly while in crouch mode (via rolling), you'll be sorry because that's no longer an option.

- At times the gameplay stopped and a spinning disc appeared right in the middle of the screen. I don't know if this means that the console has trouble reading the disc correctly or if it's just an extra loading thingy that will appear even if you are playing the game on a normal "legal" console.

- By the gods I love that the camera is moved back in Kalm. It was too goddamn close to Vincent in JORG! Yay also for Vincent who now runs faster. I have my suspicions that Vincent's first jump is higher than in JORG, but we'll have to wait for the Nibelheim sewer level to confirm that.

- So thankful that the Sniper Scope appeared where it should! I went with my JORG strategy instead though and transformed into Galian Beast to save those three civilians. Quickest method I've found for that part of the game, actually.



It strikes me more than ever just how the game tries to teach you the different advantages and disadvantages of the guns and the gun barrels. Normally I wouldn't care because the supply of potions etc is so great that even if you use the wrong gun-configuration and lose health for it, you'll still clear the game well enough. I am just fascinated that only NOW I spot the good use of the Short Barrel when you face a barrage of enemies, versus the long barrel for more high-impact hits on bosses.


Shooting memory capsules like a BOSS. Quick and easy because now the capsules are way fresh in my memory. It is fortunate that even mediocre games can feel rewarding by mastering them.

In my JORG playthrough I made sure to watch every cutscene. This time I'll be breezing through the game though and skipping cutscenes constantly, so I hope to bring you updates about the PlayOnline Mode cutscenes soon.

I am enjoying this.

Alright, played all the way from Edge to the finale just now.
Total playtime according to game clock: 6h 18m 54s. Keep in mind that I didn't skip stuff in gameplay. I defeated 100 enemies in that one area in Deepground etc. The game would be cleared even quicker if I didn't feel the completionist urge.

Final cutscenes playing while I write this (can't skip them).



Alright, time to check the theatre... Sorry guys. No English subtitles for the PlayOnline mode scenes. The subtitles are in Japanese. I don't feel too disappointed, fortunately. Voice acting still in Japanese, of course.

The online mode scenes are filed under "Antecedents". Scene names read "Scene 1" up to "Scene 13". In the Theatre Mode, it's placed above the Official Trailers but below the Final Chapter: Omega cutscenes.


EDIT: Dammit, my pride! I missed three memory capsules, completely different to the ones from before. I thought I had taken them all. Confound it.

Forgot to mention... My memory was correct about the scripted Weiss battle. Post-JORG, your active Phoenix Down is ignored and Vincent is not revived. Surprised they didn't catch that part while playtesting for JORG before initial release. Then again a lot of the game seems lacking in play-testing.




- It *might* actually be that the shots from Death Penalty have more of a "spread gun" effect post-JORG. I found myself shooting multiple targets at once more often compared to JORG. This applied to the battle against Omega Weapon as well, who is composed of two parts that you can inflict damage upon; torso and head. If an added spread-gun effect is at play, then that could be why it felt like Omega had a ton more HP in JORG.


- Even in DC:International the order of two Edge cutscenes is messed up. The cutscene where Vincent spots a sniper (at the Meteor Monument) is placed *after* the cutscene with the boy.


- PAL DC and DC:International have the exact same names when you browse the Memory Card data. Can be confusing if you've played both recently. Probably identical to American DC as well.


ALRIGHT! I just watched all the PlayOnline cutscenes. Seeing them all in SUPER-HIGH QUALITY felt awesome. No more of, ya know, THIS. Still grateful for the playlist, of course.

Everything indicates that the recordings uploaded by Grimoire Valentine of FFVIIExcavation are actually from JORG. (I thought the one scene with Argento was the only one from JORG, with the rest being from INT.) DC:International does NOT include the ending credits at the end of Scene 13. I was a bit disappointed at this.

Speaker names are written in English, both in International and in the recordings from JORG. If even JORG had this, I doubt that International will have Japanese speaker names when the console settings are changed.

The PlayOnline scenes in the International version never uses the player model we see in the playlist I linked earlier. At first I thought the game randomly selected player models for each time you select a cutscene, but it looks like the game is settled on certain models for certain cutscenes. If any conditions exist to change the models, I have not found it.

Model for scenes...
- 1 & 2 Very generic.
- 3 & 8 Silver-haired. Neat.
- 4 & 5 Jebus that's silly.
- 6 BWAHAHAHA!!! CHOCOBO TRANSFORMER!!!
- 7 Moogle Head
- 9 Generic Guy
- 10, 11, 12 & 13. Holy frick it's Yoshimitsu!!!

Click here for full album. The album also compares two NPC models:
International versus JORG recording

During the weekend I will try to get my Elgato Game Capture working so I won't have to resort to silly photographs. The new scart I bought *should* be compatible with Elgato.


- I used to think that the little girl shown in the PlayOnline scenes was Shelke. This felt weird because of the contradictory perspective that we should be seeing a version of Shelke's memories, so why would she be seeing herself? The low video quality in online videos also made me think that we were seeing tiny Shelke submerged in a mako bath. But the child model is the same as used for Shelke's flashback of Shalua in single player mode, so I conclude that the girl we see is actually Shalua. The child is actually surrounded by blue fire, not mako.

It's just a tiny bit misleading/potentially-confusing because in the final online scene, Shalua's child model appears right in front of Shelke.


- Previously it bothered me that the WRO HQ was included in the PlayOnline scenes. Realized now how stupid that was. Nothing ever says that the WRO HQ was only built after Meteorfall. In fact it feels more believable that the building was simply unoccupied after Meteor and that Reeve took the chance to use it as a base of operations.

- In high quality, Argento's design gives me a Sephiroth vibe. I like her even more now.

Version Difference: Reeve's cell phone message to Vincent

I actually noticed this shortly after starting my JORG playthrough and then checking cutscenes online. The message on Vincent's cell phone is vastly different between JORG and post-JORG.

Message in JORG: Lengthy message in Japanese. The time is 18:36? Looks like Reeve's avatar is Cait Sith. Naturally. Thanks to uploader Antoff7.

JORG again?: I found this online. It's from what is supposed to be a playthrough of the Japanese version, but strangely enough the message is translated into English. It must be a fan who edited the text into the FMV. It has to be. Source.
The text reads:

Fr: Reeve
Sb: Let's meet at Kalm

There's a rebuilding festival
at Kalm.
It's celebrating the completion of
the rebuilding from the damage
caused by Meteor 3 years ago.

Let's discuss the details there.
I'll arrange your accommodations
at the inn.
Please just enjoy the festival.​

European & International: Probably the same in the American release. Very short message.

To: Vincent
From: Reeve

Message:
Meet me in Kalm.
We need to talk.​

Essentially, post-JORG, you get zero clue in on what the festival in Kalm is about. Peripheral material must be studied (interviews & guides) to learn this. You also never learn post-JORG that Reeve arranged for Vincent's stay at the inn. The loss is small though because tbh the original message is way too long and only very fast readers will pick it up.

---

I got a response from sp193 about the program that is supposed to force a Japanese setting!

Hi,

Thank you for your interest in my work. I've searched with Google, and the tool that you're interested in was posted here by me:
http://www.assemblergames.com/forum...2-soft-Region-Faker-v1-00&p=596134#post596134

There should be a README file in the package. If it doesn't, I think that you're supposed to boot into uLaunchELF, insert your disc and wait for it to be detected, before starting the tool.

Thank you, and have a nice day.

Click to expand...

We'll see when I get around to testing this.

I kind of feel like you have enough material here to make an article out of it already. =P Some of that stuff (like the text message) is pretty wild.

Shademp said:

- 3 & 8 Silver-haired. Neat.

Click to expand...

Is it silver hair or a hat? Looks like a hat. Nice, though, like you say.

Shademp said:

- 6 BWAHAHAHA!!! CHOCOBO TRANSFORMER!!!

Click to expand...

WTF XD

Shademp said:

- 7 Moogle Head

Click to expand...

So, we know now that Vaan from XII fucks a moogle somewhere down the line.

Shademp said:

- Previously it bothered me that the WRO HQ was included in the PlayOnline scenes. Realized now how stupid that was. Nothing ever says that the WRO HQ was only built after Meteorfall. In fact it feels more believable that the building was simply unoccupied after Meteor and that Reeve took the chance to use it as a base of operations.

Click to expand...

When was it in there?

Shademp said:

- In high quality, Argento's design gives me a Sephiroth vibe. I like her even more now.

Click to expand...

She does have a genuinely cool design.

The Twilight Mexican said:

I kind of feel like you have enough material here to make an article out of it already. =P Some of that stuff (like the text message) is pretty wild.

Click to expand...

I agree, but progress with other stuff must be made first. Like me being able to take proper game snapshots using Elgato. I also have to buy the american version of DC.

The Twilight Mexican said:

Is it silver hair or a hat?

Click to expand...

The hair is silver and the hat is white. If you watch other parts of those cutscenes it is very clear that the hair is silver (I just didn't take a good photo where this was obvious).

When was it in there?

Click to expand...

The WRO HQ area is used for Scene 8. This scene was really cool in HD btw.


EDIT: I noticed that the recording of Scene 7 is incomplete at one point or possibly just didn't load properly when played in JORG. See 2:17. When I view the cutscene through International, we get a clear POV shot from the dying soldier where Shelke puts her hand over the soldier's eyes.