The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
Who, other than Shademp, would have guessed there would be so many tiny differences?
Good luck with Hard.
Good luck with Hard.
DCFFVII Research Thread
- Thread starter Shademp
- Start date
Shademp
420
Speculation: *Not* having the default scope equipped in JORG means that you can easier aim for the head (or other weak point) for a critical hit on an opponent. I feel that with the scope, it's mostly chance if you get a critical hit, even if you personally think you are aiming directly at an opponent's head.
I mean, there has to be *some* advantage to not using the scope and this is the only one I can figure. Not using the scope is clearly intended for veteran players.
- I beat Omega Weapon again, just to see if I could get the final image (which links to the Event Viewer) to read "NORMAL MODE" instead of "EASY MODE". My speculation was that I had clicked past a segment when the memory card saves, when the DC logo appears after the "G" cutscene. But nope. The image still reads "EASY MODE". Annoying!
- Took snapshots of the Event Viewer menus in JORG and DC:International (Japanese setting) to see if any symbols were changed in chapter- and scene names. CONCLUSION: No changes.
- OMGOMGOMG. The "Antecedents" scene list...has full names for each scene, instead of being numbered in a boring fashion! HUZZAH!
Also, here is what the "Antecedents" are called in Japanese (row above the bottom one) :
I mean, there has to be *some* advantage to not using the scope and this is the only one I can figure. Not using the scope is clearly intended for veteran players.
- I beat Omega Weapon again, just to see if I could get the final image (which links to the Event Viewer) to read "NORMAL MODE" instead of "EASY MODE". My speculation was that I had clicked past a segment when the memory card saves, when the DC logo appears after the "G" cutscene. But nope. The image still reads "EASY MODE". Annoying!
- Took snapshots of the Event Viewer menus in JORG and DC:International (Japanese setting) to see if any symbols were changed in chapter- and scene names. CONCLUSION: No changes.
- OMGOMGOMG. The "Antecedents" scene list...has full names for each scene, instead of being numbered in a boring fashion! HUZZAH!
Also, here is what the "Antecedents" are called in Japanese (row above the bottom one) :
Shademp
420
Another JORG (1.0) vs post-JORG (1.1) difference, this one about the melee combo.
1.0 - Six-press combo. Hit, hit, kick, kick, kick and somersault kick.
1.1 - Three-press combo, one for ground and one for air.
Ground: Hit, hit, kick.
Air: Kick, kick, somersault kick.
The air-combo is very similar to the second half of the ground combo in JORG.
- Replayed a section in DC:International (Ex Hard) where robots arrive a-blazing. Ultima Weapon almost instantly killed it. Oh how wrong I've been to use Thunder magic against it!
- It's annoying how numbers of alleged "depleted HP" don't actually match up to the damage that is done. If this was true, then enemies would be dead almost instantly from the Machine Gun, because it racks up such a high numbers and with such speeds. But with a gun like the Ultima Weapon, lower values may be displayed than with the Machine Gun and yet the enemy is destroyed quicker.
- I remember back in 2005 when the Tsviets were announced. I was so excited by the designs because each one obviously borrowed design and character(?) elements from Vincent. I thought this would tie into the story in a deeper way than it did. But aside from Hojo probably having had a hand in the Deepground experiments, there is no connection between the Tsviets and Vincent.
Tsviet - Vincent Valentine Element
Shelke - Stunted aging.
Rosso - Redness + golden arm plates and claw.
Azul - Ability to transform into a beast; parallel between Galian Beast and Arch Azul
Nero - Black hair of Vincent + general "darkness" element that Vincent is associated with
The only parallel to be drawn between Vincent and Weiss comes from the DC plot, with Vincent harboring Chaos and Weiss "harboring" Omega at the end: Both are epic creatures spawned by the planet.
The Tsviets of DC are definitely more interesting than the silver-haired trio in AC. Even if the screen-time of the Tsviets had been equal to that of the Sephiroth remnants, it would have been more of a joy to watch. Their colorfulness and the multiple ways they are derived from Vincent is quite fun to see.
- When Arch Azul begins firing blue energy balls, post-JORG you are very safe behind the pillar, when Azul is on the other side. But in JORG, the explosion of the blue energy balls reach THROUGH the pillar and is able to knock Vincent back. Clearly the pillar was turned more solid post-JORG.
I actually had some fun right now in International and fought Arch Azul by using Vincent's normal melee attacks. It was decently effective! With Vincent's double-jump, it is easy to dodge Azul's tail swing. This is probably way difficult or even impossible in JORG. But in post-JORG, with equipment to boost melee attack strength (Bayonet Rifle + Power Cross), you can actually make this battle go by a lot faster. The key is of course to make Azul enter a loop and to always do his tail swing, then pay attention when he starts charging for energy blasts.
- The same, or at least roughly the same, amount of MP is depleted in JORG no matter if you are using Lv1, Lv2 or Lv3 magic. Post-JORG, the MP depletion starts out on JORG levels in Lv1 magic, but then quickly escalates for Lv2 and Lv3. Makes me wonder if the Materia Floater accessory in JORG is in fact broken and that magic is not strengthened with this accessory. Would explain the weakness of magic even on Lv3, in that version.
- Replayed the beginning of the Solid Cait section in JORG (again). Despite multiple attempts, I still can't get past the first guard unnoticed. Variables were DEFINITELY tweaked from version 1.0 to 1.1.
- I was curious if the Japanese subtitles for the Seventh Heaven segment of the ending had been changed (to fit the English voice acting). No changes in content, but some changes in line breaks and timing. I made a low-quality upload (you can't read most of the text) to show the difference in subtitle timing, which was clearly made to match up with the English voice delivery.
JORG to the left, International to the right
1.0 - Six-press combo. Hit, hit, kick, kick, kick and somersault kick.
1.1 - Three-press combo, one for ground and one for air.
Ground: Hit, hit, kick.
Air: Kick, kick, somersault kick.
The air-combo is very similar to the second half of the ground combo in JORG.
- Replayed a section in DC:International (Ex Hard) where robots arrive a-blazing. Ultima Weapon almost instantly killed it. Oh how wrong I've been to use Thunder magic against it!
- It's annoying how numbers of alleged "depleted HP" don't actually match up to the damage that is done. If this was true, then enemies would be dead almost instantly from the Machine Gun, because it racks up such a high numbers and with such speeds. But with a gun like the Ultima Weapon, lower values may be displayed than with the Machine Gun and yet the enemy is destroyed quicker.
- I remember back in 2005 when the Tsviets were announced. I was so excited by the designs because each one obviously borrowed design and character(?) elements from Vincent. I thought this would tie into the story in a deeper way than it did. But aside from Hojo probably having had a hand in the Deepground experiments, there is no connection between the Tsviets and Vincent.
Tsviet - Vincent Valentine Element
Shelke - Stunted aging.
Rosso - Redness + golden arm plates and claw.
Azul - Ability to transform into a beast; parallel between Galian Beast and Arch Azul
Nero - Black hair of Vincent + general "darkness" element that Vincent is associated with
The only parallel to be drawn between Vincent and Weiss comes from the DC plot, with Vincent harboring Chaos and Weiss "harboring" Omega at the end: Both are epic creatures spawned by the planet.
The Tsviets of DC are definitely more interesting than the silver-haired trio in AC. Even if the screen-time of the Tsviets had been equal to that of the Sephiroth remnants, it would have been more of a joy to watch. Their colorfulness and the multiple ways they are derived from Vincent is quite fun to see.
- When Arch Azul begins firing blue energy balls, post-JORG you are very safe behind the pillar, when Azul is on the other side. But in JORG, the explosion of the blue energy balls reach THROUGH the pillar and is able to knock Vincent back. Clearly the pillar was turned more solid post-JORG.
I actually had some fun right now in International and fought Arch Azul by using Vincent's normal melee attacks. It was decently effective! With Vincent's double-jump, it is easy to dodge Azul's tail swing. This is probably way difficult or even impossible in JORG. But in post-JORG, with equipment to boost melee attack strength (Bayonet Rifle + Power Cross), you can actually make this battle go by a lot faster. The key is of course to make Azul enter a loop and to always do his tail swing, then pay attention when he starts charging for energy blasts.
- The same, or at least roughly the same, amount of MP is depleted in JORG no matter if you are using Lv1, Lv2 or Lv3 magic. Post-JORG, the MP depletion starts out on JORG levels in Lv1 magic, but then quickly escalates for Lv2 and Lv3. Makes me wonder if the Materia Floater accessory in JORG is in fact broken and that magic is not strengthened with this accessory. Would explain the weakness of magic even on Lv3, in that version.
- Replayed the beginning of the Solid Cait section in JORG (again). Despite multiple attempts, I still can't get past the first guard unnoticed. Variables were DEFINITELY tweaked from version 1.0 to 1.1.
- I was curious if the Japanese subtitles for the Seventh Heaven segment of the ending had been changed (to fit the English voice acting). No changes in content, but some changes in line breaks and timing. I made a low-quality upload (you can't read most of the text) to show the difference in subtitle timing, which was clearly made to match up with the English voice delivery.
JORG to the left, International to the right
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Shademp
420
- After MANY attempts, I finally got past the first guard in the Solid Cait segment. The key was to not move too early (and possibly not to stand too close to the box you're hiding behind). Walking slowly, I moved to the other side of the box when the guard himself had reached the box.
- When Vincent dives into Omega's "inner realm", the game ranks you and you can get EXP or money. Originally, I took the EXP. But earlier today, I went back to this segment and got the gil so I could try out some gun upgrades, then quit the playthrough after the testing was done. I assumed that everything would reset to the situation when I accepted the EXP and not the gil. But...this was actually not the case. The game REMEMBERED that I had taken the gil and not the EXP, so when I revisited the final segment Vincent's HP was lower than it originally was. I thought the game would only save the take-gil scenario if I beat the final boss, but obviously not.
Must be that the game remembers the changes only for those segments I played, but then it leaves the rest alone. Wouldn't make any sense if I could go back to old scenarios, then beat the game and suddenly have different rankings.
- Tried a THIRD time to beat the game in JORG and get the thingy to read NORMAL MODE instead of EASY MODE. This time I let all the scenes pass without skipping a scene or even pushing a button. Still didn't get the result I wanted. I guess the only way to get the "NORMAL MODE" reading is to clear that mode before EASY. Srsly this must be an unintended glitch. I'd have to play NORMAL MODE again but on an empty memory card to test this. This task I refuse (at least for this year).
EDIT: Hito, you don't happen to have a memory save in JORG where you completed Normal mode before Easy?
- Just realized I still haven't played through Tutorial Mode in JORG. ...Don't want to! But I should.
- Memory Card icons and names.
The name "DC -FFVII-" is used for all the post-JORG versions. Like I've said before, those saves are very difficult to tell apart from one another in the memory card data. Also as you can see the image output is different when viewing the "console" rather than playing a game. These images are 768x576 pixels, instead of 640x480.
- When Vincent dives into Omega's "inner realm", the game ranks you and you can get EXP or money. Originally, I took the EXP. But earlier today, I went back to this segment and got the gil so I could try out some gun upgrades, then quit the playthrough after the testing was done. I assumed that everything would reset to the situation when I accepted the EXP and not the gil. But...this was actually not the case. The game REMEMBERED that I had taken the gil and not the EXP, so when I revisited the final segment Vincent's HP was lower than it originally was. I thought the game would only save the take-gil scenario if I beat the final boss, but obviously not.
Must be that the game remembers the changes only for those segments I played, but then it leaves the rest alone. Wouldn't make any sense if I could go back to old scenarios, then beat the game and suddenly have different rankings.
- Tried a THIRD time to beat the game in JORG and get the thingy to read NORMAL MODE instead of EASY MODE. This time I let all the scenes pass without skipping a scene or even pushing a button. Still didn't get the result I wanted. I guess the only way to get the "NORMAL MODE" reading is to clear that mode before EASY. Srsly this must be an unintended glitch. I'd have to play NORMAL MODE again but on an empty memory card to test this. This task I refuse (at least for this year).
EDIT: Hito, you don't happen to have a memory save in JORG where you completed Normal mode before Easy?
- Just realized I still haven't played through Tutorial Mode in JORG. ...Don't want to! But I should.
- Memory Card icons and names.
The name "DC -FFVII-" is used for all the post-JORG versions. Like I've said before, those saves are very difficult to tell apart from one another in the memory card data. Also as you can see the image output is different when viewing the "console" rather than playing a game. These images are 768x576 pixels, instead of 640x480.
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Shademp
420
- Just re-checked the effectiveness of Materia Floater in JORG. It is definitely not broken.
Thunder Lv1 - Narrow attack, low damage.
Thunder Lv3 - Wide attack, more damage, marginally more MP depleted.
So it was simply that magic was powered up (and MP depletion increased) for version 1.1.
- You know what's funny? Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth all whine about "being monsters". Then we have Vincent who is there all like "COOL STORY BRO". The most he complains about this is when he acquires Chaos in OG and says "I'm becoming less human..." which is actually just a statement and not a whine. True, he also says "this body is my punishment" and he has an annoying guilt complex, but I still enjoy Vincent more than Angeal and his "I'M A MONSTER" whining.
- I went back to the Arch Azul battle in JORG, and...it was surprisingly easy to dodge his tail swing. You just have to be more careful and pre-emptively move further away to dodge his tail swing. While in Galian Beast mode, the swing attack is easier to dodge thanks to Galian Beast jumping higher than normal Vincent. Vincent's melee attacks were almost worthless (in JORG) and will not serve to make the battle pass by quicker, unless it's a post-JORG version. But if you enter Galian Beast mode and get into a good loop with Arch Azul and his tail swing...the battle will end WAY quicker than if you had relied only on magical attacks.
Here's the JORG strategy:
- After landing the last hit on normal Azul, transform into Galian Beast. This ensures that you don't become a sitting duck for Arch Azul, which you might have if you transform when that battle starts.
- Arch Azul will be still for a while at the beginning, so you have time to go up to him, land a few strikes and get the loop going. But very soon you'll have to restore your MP, unless you have an Ether (which I didn't).
- Run around and make Arch Azul destroy the small pillars to unlock the mako points. Galian Beast runs fairly fast and his dodge move (similar to Vincent's post-JORG dodge) is actually faster than Vincent's normal dodge, so you should have no trouble dodging Arch Azul here when he comes up too close.
- Making use of the mako points can be a little tricky, because you need to jump and land exactly right to get them.
- With a full MP bar, you should have enough to defeat Arch Azul even without refilling your MP. Keep to 3-hit combos when you get Arch Azul into his swing-tail loop. You'll love it how fast the battle ends.
This is so great to find alternatives so you don't HAVE to run around in circles during the entire battle.
- Redid Shelke (JORG) with Galian Beast to see how that worked out. Not nearly as fail-proof as against Arch Azul, but I still did WAY better as Galian Beast than Vincent (who can't battle her worth a damn and who will lose HP immensely quickly, even with Cerberus Relief Gamma equipped).
General strategy:
- Even before the screen finishes loading, press L1+R1 like crazy. Only then will you transform fast enough to dodge Shelke's first attack with help of the transformation sequence.
- When you are able to land multiple hits then keep to 3-hit combos, as sometimes Shelke will jump into the wall and counterattack in her super cool way. Srsly her fighting style is really neat. Yes, I'm a total Shelke fanboy, SO WHAT?!
Jump away to dodge her counterattack.
- When Shelke raises her shield, move away and wait for her shield to go away. Use of a mix of jumping and dashing to avoid the combo she will now attempt to unleash upon you. After her combo is performed, you can resume the hit-and-run strategy.
- When you are desperately trying to locate Shelke, it may be worth it to perform the ground-pound finisher of your melee combo (4th hit) as Shelke will be stunned (if she is in the vicinity) and you can then proceed with 3-hit combos on her.
Lots of room for error (and there will be errors) because of how much higher Galian Beast's defense is compared to normal Vincent. I didn't have to use a single restorative item, in contrast to my attempt with normal Vincent where I use up items like snow flakes hitting a warm surface. If you want to last the full battle with Galian Beast, you'll have to use *at least* one Spirit Ration.
LOVING THIS. If these strategies work for Hard Mode, I'm already feeling better about facing that challenge.
- Turns out that Rapid Fire Gamma actually only has a weight of 30!
Rapid Fire -> 750 WT (Vincent can barely run while aiming). Spend 8000 gil to get...
Rapid Fire Beta -> 1500 WT (Vincent can't run while aiming). Spend 23000 gil to get...
Rapid Fire Gamma -> 30 WT. Vincent can now run while aiming and his firing speed is actually decent! A little power is sacrificed, but the increased firing rate is worth it.
Definitely spending money on that in my Hard mode playthrough.
Strategy against robot boss in Shinra Manor:
- As soon as possible, get behind the wooden pillars. The space is too narrow here for the robot to run into you. Simply evade its laser beam by moving from left to right with proper timing. It will never do the laser twice in a row, so you're good as far as space to move around goes. Constantly shoot the robot, preferably with Rapid Fire Gamma equipped.
- When the robot has fallen down from the roof and its underside is exposed, it may or may not help to unequip the auto-lock scope. After multiple attempts, it *seems* like you can easier hit the proper spot without the auto-lock scope, but I'm not 100% sure. Either way, make sure you walk up super-close to the robot and fire away at its weak spot. In JORG, without the Rapid Fire Gamma equipped, you will most surely not have enough time to finish the robot off here.
Thunder Lv1 - Narrow attack, low damage.
Thunder Lv3 - Wide attack, more damage, marginally more MP depleted.
So it was simply that magic was powered up (and MP depletion increased) for version 1.1.
- You know what's funny? Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth all whine about "being monsters". Then we have Vincent who is there all like "COOL STORY BRO". The most he complains about this is when he acquires Chaos in OG and says "I'm becoming less human..." which is actually just a statement and not a whine. True, he also says "this body is my punishment" and he has an annoying guilt complex, but I still enjoy Vincent more than Angeal and his "I'M A MONSTER" whining.
- I went back to the Arch Azul battle in JORG, and...it was surprisingly easy to dodge his tail swing. You just have to be more careful and pre-emptively move further away to dodge his tail swing. While in Galian Beast mode, the swing attack is easier to dodge thanks to Galian Beast jumping higher than normal Vincent. Vincent's melee attacks were almost worthless (in JORG) and will not serve to make the battle pass by quicker, unless it's a post-JORG version. But if you enter Galian Beast mode and get into a good loop with Arch Azul and his tail swing...the battle will end WAY quicker than if you had relied only on magical attacks.
Here's the JORG strategy:
- After landing the last hit on normal Azul, transform into Galian Beast. This ensures that you don't become a sitting duck for Arch Azul, which you might have if you transform when that battle starts.
- Arch Azul will be still for a while at the beginning, so you have time to go up to him, land a few strikes and get the loop going. But very soon you'll have to restore your MP, unless you have an Ether (which I didn't).
- Run around and make Arch Azul destroy the small pillars to unlock the mako points. Galian Beast runs fairly fast and his dodge move (similar to Vincent's post-JORG dodge) is actually faster than Vincent's normal dodge, so you should have no trouble dodging Arch Azul here when he comes up too close.
- Making use of the mako points can be a little tricky, because you need to jump and land exactly right to get them.
- With a full MP bar, you should have enough to defeat Arch Azul even without refilling your MP. Keep to 3-hit combos when you get Arch Azul into his swing-tail loop. You'll love it how fast the battle ends.
This is so great to find alternatives so you don't HAVE to run around in circles during the entire battle.
- Redid Shelke (JORG) with Galian Beast to see how that worked out. Not nearly as fail-proof as against Arch Azul, but I still did WAY better as Galian Beast than Vincent (who can't battle her worth a damn and who will lose HP immensely quickly, even with Cerberus Relief Gamma equipped).
General strategy:
- Even before the screen finishes loading, press L1+R1 like crazy. Only then will you transform fast enough to dodge Shelke's first attack with help of the transformation sequence.
- When you are able to land multiple hits then keep to 3-hit combos, as sometimes Shelke will jump into the wall and counterattack in her super cool way. Srsly her fighting style is really neat. Yes, I'm a total Shelke fanboy, SO WHAT?!
Jump away to dodge her counterattack.- When Shelke raises her shield, move away and wait for her shield to go away. Use of a mix of jumping and dashing to avoid the combo she will now attempt to unleash upon you. After her combo is performed, you can resume the hit-and-run strategy.
- When you are desperately trying to locate Shelke, it may be worth it to perform the ground-pound finisher of your melee combo (4th hit) as Shelke will be stunned (if she is in the vicinity) and you can then proceed with 3-hit combos on her.
Lots of room for error (and there will be errors) because of how much higher Galian Beast's defense is compared to normal Vincent. I didn't have to use a single restorative item, in contrast to my attempt with normal Vincent where I use up items like snow flakes hitting a warm surface. If you want to last the full battle with Galian Beast, you'll have to use *at least* one Spirit Ration.
LOVING THIS. If these strategies work for Hard Mode, I'm already feeling better about facing that challenge.
- Turns out that Rapid Fire Gamma actually only has a weight of 30!
Rapid Fire -> 750 WT (Vincent can barely run while aiming). Spend 8000 gil to get...
Rapid Fire Beta -> 1500 WT (Vincent can't run while aiming). Spend 23000 gil to get...
Rapid Fire Gamma -> 30 WT. Vincent can now run while aiming and his firing speed is actually decent! A little power is sacrificed, but the increased firing rate is worth it.
Definitely spending money on that in my Hard mode playthrough.
Strategy against robot boss in Shinra Manor:
- As soon as possible, get behind the wooden pillars. The space is too narrow here for the robot to run into you. Simply evade its laser beam by moving from left to right with proper timing. It will never do the laser twice in a row, so you're good as far as space to move around goes. Constantly shoot the robot, preferably with Rapid Fire Gamma equipped.
- When the robot has fallen down from the roof and its underside is exposed, it may or may not help to unequip the auto-lock scope. After multiple attempts, it *seems* like you can easier hit the proper spot without the auto-lock scope, but I'm not 100% sure. Either way, make sure you walk up super-close to the robot and fire away at its weak spot. In JORG, without the Rapid Fire Gamma equipped, you will most surely not have enough time to finish the robot off here.
Last edited:
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
- OMGOMGOMG. The "Antecedents" scene list...has full names for each scene, instead of being numbered in a boring fashion! HUZZAH!
Also, here is what the "Antecedents" are called in Japanese (row above the bottom one) :
ソルジャーの目覚め　(A SOLDIER Wakes)
無色と銀色 (The Colourless and the Silver)
ＳＳＳの危険度 (Threat Level SSS)
アスールの食事 (Azul's Meal)
ツヴィエートでさえ (Even a Tsviet)
闇のもと (At the Foot of Darkness)
リアルだけどフェイク (Real Yet Fake)
たまには遊びましょう (Come Play Sometimes)
無式の力 *1
楔解かれし帝王 (The Emperor Unbound)
帝王の字 *2
宿怨を晴らす時 (When the Score is Settled)
惨劇の終劇 (The End of the Tragedy)
*1 - 無式 was one of Shelke's titles but I can't remember enough about DC now
*2 - 字 was used in the G Reports (referring to the Tsviet's colour titles) but I don't know what the English translation of it was
Looking at the online event scenes again would help naming them better since some look like they came from the dialogue.
既往章《ディープグラウンド》
Past Chapter <Deepground>
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
Isn't 無式 a homophone of 無色, which means "colorless" and was translated as "the Transparent" in the localizations? So, 無式の力 would be "Power of the Transparent."
字 became "epithet," so 帝王の字 would be "Epithet of the Emperor." Though I think "Title of the Emperor" would sound better.
Shademp
420
I honestly had trouble remembering a spot in the official localization where Shelke is called "the Transparent", but this happens in the battle against her at the very least.
As a reminder, we have the English Omega- and G Reports on this site. I also have high quality snapshots of the Japanese reports, but I won't ask anyone to transcribe it all. The "epithet" thing Tres mentioned is from the third G Report.
As a reminder, we have the English Omega- and G Reports on this site. I also have high quality snapshots of the Japanese reports, but I won't ask anyone to transcribe it all. The "epithet" thing Tres mentioned is from the third G Report.
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
Hey, my memory was right. Yay and stuff. 
Shademp
420
Research about the native resolution of DC continues.
This GameFAQ topic from 2008 complains about DC not having a 16:9 setting, like FFXII apparently had. DC is supposed to be 4:3 (640x480). The original PlayOnline recordings are also at 4:3.
However, it doesn't look like my Elgato will ever accept 4:3. When I change settings and get a 640x480 output, no video is displayed in the program. Maybe it's just the case that with HDMI cables coming from the TV to the Elgato, the output is changed to 720x480 no matter what. *speculates and continues to test things and research to no avail*.
I reckon because Elgato is not *meant* for PS2 recordings, I'm not going to get what I want here. I mean, "Preserve Source Format" is supposed to preserve the original resolution and framerate, yet it ends up being 720x480 and 59,94 fps interlaced. I figure that snapshots end up interlaced instead of progressive (see snapshot from earlier where Vincent and Shelke look fuzzy)...
Despite Elgato effin up everywhere, except in most snapshots (it's so mysterious that this one ends up correct) do people still want me to upload a playlist of the PlayOnline scenes? I would of course write in the video description that the gameplay footage has been widened.
I'm probably the only one who feels really bummed about recordings not being 640x480.
This GameFAQ topic from 2008 complains about DC not having a 16:9 setting, like FFXII apparently had. DC is supposed to be 4:3 (640x480). The original PlayOnline recordings are also at 4:3.
However, it doesn't look like my Elgato will ever accept 4:3. When I change settings and get a 640x480 output, no video is displayed in the program. Maybe it's just the case that with HDMI cables coming from the TV to the Elgato, the output is changed to 720x480 no matter what. *speculates and continues to test things and research to no avail*.
I reckon because Elgato is not *meant* for PS2 recordings, I'm not going to get what I want here. I mean, "Preserve Source Format" is supposed to preserve the original resolution and framerate, yet it ends up being 720x480 and 59,94 fps interlaced. I figure that snapshots end up interlaced instead of progressive (see snapshot from earlier where Vincent and Shelke look fuzzy)...
Despite Elgato effin up everywhere, except in most snapshots (it's so mysterious that this one ends up correct) do people still want me to upload a playlist of the PlayOnline scenes? I would of course write in the video description that the gameplay footage has been widened.
I'm probably the only one who feels really bummed about recordings not being 640x480.
Last edited:
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
i am sure i have had it record in a smaller aspect ratio, but that was from playing ps1 games on the ps3. i only recorded one ps2 game so far (persona 4), which was mainly to test it out and i don't think i kept the video. i will have to try it out again at some point (also i have a bunch of ps2 games to finish anyway)
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
This is correct. =P The extra 80 pixels in the aspect ratio are unlikely to matter as much as the presence of the recordings themselves.
Shademp
420
SUCCESS (I think)!
I entered the console configuration and noticed the setting was on "Full". There are three settings: 4:3, Full and 16:9. Changed it to 4:3.
At first I didn't think this caused a change. The recorded video still CLAIMS to be 720x480. But when you actually measure the frames in the video player...they are 640x480. It's totally weird.
When frames are extracted via VirtualDub, frames are 720x480. This just keeps getting weirder. Alright, checking if YouTube will turn it into widescreen or not...... Huzzah! A simple upload via YouTube led to a high quality 640x480 video. It is barely noticable, but I think the quality is *slightly* better when uploaded via Sony Vegas, rather than through YouTube's service. When the recording is previewed in Sony Vegas, the resolution is 720x480, but as soon as the upload begins it is 640x480. I won't even try to understand.
Let the uploadings commence!
I entered the console configuration and noticed the setting was on "Full". There are three settings: 4:3, Full and 16:9. Changed it to 4:3.
At first I didn't think this caused a change. The recorded video still CLAIMS to be 720x480. But when you actually measure the frames in the video player...they are 640x480. It's totally weird.
When frames are extracted via VirtualDub, frames are 720x480. This just keeps getting weirder. Alright, checking if YouTube will turn it into widescreen or not...... Huzzah! A simple upload via YouTube led to a high quality 640x480 video. It is barely noticable, but I think the quality is *slightly* better when uploaded via Sony Vegas, rather than through YouTube's service. When the recording is previewed in Sony Vegas, the resolution is 720x480, but as soon as the upload begins it is 640x480. I won't even try to understand.
Let the uploadings commence!
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
You're going to take this as a sign that obsessing over the small details is the right idea, aren't you?
Shademp
420
So what were the translations for
無式の力
and
帝王の字 ?
Also, can
楔解かれし帝王 (The Emperor Unbound)
be "The Emperor Unchained"?
EDIT: Uploading the videos to my "Gast Faremis" channel, which also has my Toshiba DVD clips. I'd rather risk getting infractions on that channel than my main one, which has all the Unused Text/Scenes videos. 6 scenes uploaded so far.
DC:International - PlayOnline Cutscenes
If I find that there are ways to achieve even greater high quality uploads (there is a fairly big quality loss in the transition from original video to YouTube) I may do re-uploads.
無式の力
and
帝王の字 ?
Also, can
楔解かれし帝王 (The Emperor Unbound)
be "The Emperor Unchained"?
EDIT: Uploading the videos to my "Gast Faremis" channel, which also has my Toshiba DVD clips. I'd rather risk getting infractions on that channel than my main one, which has all the Unused Text/Scenes videos. 6 scenes uploaded so far.
DC:International - PlayOnline Cutscenes
If I find that there are ways to achieve even greater high quality uploads (there is a fairly big quality loss in the transition from original video to YouTube) I may do re-uploads.
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The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
Shademp
420
DERP
It was a long day, yesterday.Confirmed btw that I can upload videos with slightly less quality loss. Will re-upload when I get home.
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Shademp
420
Spent a lot of time right now trying different upload settings and looking up info on how to improve YouTube uploads.
What remains to be tested:
- Installing a H.264 codec (or other, such as the FFV1 which Cloud_S used) to make the video files more compatible with YouTube thusly allowing less quality loss. Installing the former felt unsafe because I didn't know what components in the DivX installation I was supposed to pick. PotPlayer (which is what I'm using) is suppsoed to have a H.264 codec built into itself, but some users commented on that codec version being "sucky". FFV1 is old and I'm just paranoid in general.
*My friend Dipsiel recommended a transcoder called HandBrake, I will try it out later*
- Recording and uploading 720x480 videos, to see if the widescreen mode actually enhances the video in a way that the 4:3 aspect ratio won't allow. Don't know if I will try this.
I feel pretty certain that there are ways to improve the uploads. For example, the size of Scene 1 when uploading is 28,6 MB, but the original video is 448 MB. If I knew a way to make the upload file remain huge, then we'd certainly get something a lot better. But without help from others, I'll get nowhere and I'll keep dilly-dallying around making the actual playlist, so I'm uploading videos now anyway. (Yes Tres, I actually do listen to you from time to time )
- Updated Playlist EDIT: *All 13 scenes now included!*
Will upload the rest soon. Bed now.
What remains to be tested:
- Installing a H.264 codec (or other, such as the FFV1 which Cloud_S used) to make the video files more compatible with YouTube thusly allowing less quality loss. Installing the former felt unsafe because I didn't know what components in the DivX installation I was supposed to pick. PotPlayer (which is what I'm using) is suppsoed to have a H.264 codec built into itself, but some users commented on that codec version being "sucky". FFV1 is old and I'm just paranoid in general.
*My friend Dipsiel recommended a transcoder called HandBrake, I will try it out later*
- Recording and uploading 720x480 videos, to see if the widescreen mode actually enhances the video in a way that the 4:3 aspect ratio won't allow. Don't know if I will try this.
I feel pretty certain that there are ways to improve the uploads. For example, the size of Scene 1 when uploading is 28,6 MB, but the original video is 448 MB. If I knew a way to make the upload file remain huge, then we'd certainly get something a lot better. But without help from others, I'll get nowhere and I'll keep dilly-dallying around making the actual playlist, so I'm uploading videos now anyway. (Yes Tres, I actually do listen to you from time to time
)- Updated Playlist EDIT: *All 13 scenes now included!*
Surprises me that, before today, I didn't pay attention to Rosso's succulent ass shots.
Will upload the rest soon. Bed now.
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Shademp
420
- All thirteen scenes are now uploaded. Enjoy. =)
See also the subtitles to this scene where this is said...
- To get a MCBoot-type memory card where you can use uLaunchELF and other extra features, it is not enough to copy all the data from a MCBoot memory card to a normal card. For this reason, I can only use the region faker on that MCBoot card. In order to get snapshots from every Extra Mission, I've switched "ultimate" DC:International save to the proper card.
If anybody wants to compare the Extra Mission names between the English and Japanese settings, here is a zip file with snapshots of them all. Created and shared just in case anybody is curious about the translation choices. Personally I'm mostly curious about what the Japanese equivalent of "Two-Handed" is here. Is it literally "Two-Handed" or is it something else? The name doesn't quite reflect the epicness of this mission.
- Extra Missions - English Setting (DC:International)
- Extra Missions - Japanese Setting (DC:International)
Pay attention that some Extra Mission names are shown twice via the last images in the series.
Let me know if there's anything any of you want me to record or take snapshots for.
- A small difference I forgot to mention.
JORG: Galian Beast's fire balls have no effect on the soldiers with shields against bullets. The soldiers aren't even knocked over.
Post-JORG: Galian Beast's fire balls now damage bullet-proof soldiers and knock them into the air pretty high.
- You know that bit in Deepground when a soldier comes down from above and takes juicy item cases right in front of your face and then disappears? Well, turns out the "chain" strategy is intended here as well. Right before, rolling exploding barrels appear; I've always dodged these before by climbing back up the ladder, but what you shuld do is shoot them down (all four of them) to get kill chains. Hurry to the spot where the soldier appears and gun him down like the f*cker he is! This must be the only way to successfully kill him in JORG!
My impression was always that the scientists used Grimoire's research into stagnant mako/lifestream as a basis for their Deepground experiments, but that Grimoire had no involvement in Deepground. I'm pretty sure his death predates Deepground.
See also the subtitles to this scene where this is said...
- To get a MCBoot-type memory card where you can use uLaunchELF and other extra features, it is not enough to copy all the data from a MCBoot memory card to a normal card. For this reason, I can only use the region faker on that MCBoot card. In order to get snapshots from every Extra Mission, I've switched "ultimate" DC:International save to the proper card.
If anybody wants to compare the Extra Mission names between the English and Japanese settings, here is a zip file with snapshots of them all. Created and shared just in case anybody is curious about the translation choices. Personally I'm mostly curious about what the Japanese equivalent of "Two-Handed" is here. Is it literally "Two-Handed" or is it something else? The name doesn't quite reflect the epicness of this mission.
- Extra Missions - English Setting (DC:International)
- Extra Missions - Japanese Setting (DC:International)
Pay attention that some Extra Mission names are shown twice via the last images in the series.
Let me know if there's anything any of you want me to record or take snapshots for.
- A small difference I forgot to mention.
JORG: Galian Beast's fire balls have no effect on the soldiers with shields against bullets. The soldiers aren't even knocked over.
Post-JORG: Galian Beast's fire balls now damage bullet-proof soldiers and knock them into the air pretty high.
- You know that bit in Deepground when a soldier comes down from above and takes juicy item cases right in front of your face and then disappears? Well, turns out the "chain" strategy is intended here as well. Right before, rolling exploding barrels appear; I've always dodged these before by climbing back up the ladder, but what you shuld do is shoot them down (all four of them) to get kill chains. Hurry to the spot where the soldier appears and gun him down like the f*cker he is! This must be the only way to successfully kill him in JORG!
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The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
What's in those item cases?
Shademp
420
Lots of money, one Elixir and possibly something else that I forget now (like an X-Potion or whatever). The money is of course the most juicy part if you're trying your best to upgrade equipment in the store.
Shademp
420
QUESTION: What does the mysterious, mid-air item case in Chapter 11 contain?
An Elixir. I uploaded a video now showing how to get it.
I honestly thought I'd have to use cheat codes to get it. I feel so accomplished.
EDIT:
The item was *probably* supposed to be on the floor but accidentally got a bad Y value, ergo why it is mid-air. But if DC was re-released I'd keep those item coordinates and change the item to "Manaheart"; the item that replenishes MP and which can be upgraded to Manamind -> Manasoul. Right after this section there are game segments that heavily rely on magic. Unless you are playing Ex Hard or the Extra Mission "Two-Handed" you will never see the MP-replenishing accessory. Including it for Normal and Hard mode this way would be fair, in my opinion.
I honestly thought I'd have to use cheat codes to get it. I feel so accomplished.
EDIT:
The item was *probably* supposed to be on the floor but accidentally got a bad Y value, ergo why it is mid-air. But if DC was re-released I'd keep those item coordinates and change the item to "Manaheart"; the item that replenishes MP and which can be upgraded to Manamind -> Manasoul. Right after this section there are game segments that heavily rely on magic. Unless you are playing Ex Hard or the Extra Mission "Two-Handed" you will never see the MP-replenishing accessory. Including it for Normal and Hard mode this way would be fair, in my opinion.
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Shademp
420
- Now started Hard Mode. You begin with the auto-lock scope NOT equipped. ...In fact the auto-lock scope is not even available at the immediate start!!!
This is going to be a BITCH when fighting some bosses.
- The Dragonfly boss was indeed different to fight without the auto-lock scope, but I accidentally amplified the difficulty by attempting to defeat the boss "with style" by making use of kill chains. Before starting Hard Mode, I redid the Edge boss battle a couple of times, and noticed of course that the battle will be over a lot quicker if you get the kill chains for first killing the six normal soldiers, then firing at the main boss. But when I tried to do the same thing with the Dragonfly, I only delayed the battle. Missiles are hard to dodge and even if you get some kill chains either from the exploding barrels or the soldiers that drop down, you may not locate the Dragonfly quickly enough or even got a good opportunity to shoot it.
- The central square with the tower that you can climb has a 500G item case at the top. Post-JORG it's a Limit Breaker.
- Well...holy shit. The final phase of the Dragonfly boss, at the church, was BRUTAL. I used up most of my healing items. The battle was long, because of the time it took for the ship to show its weakspot. I had to wail away at the weakspot about 6-7 times! The boxes with extra ammo become crucial and I regret not having made use of them all. If I had, I could have ended the battle with may more ammo and not having had to buy as much afterwards.
You need to know how to dodge the missiles and the rapid fire. In general, running towards the missiles and rolling is the way to go. You can briefly dodge rapid fire behind the boxes, before they get destroyed. In the end I stayed above the stairs, where I could crouch behind a short wall and avoid the rapid fire.
I mean...jeebus. I saw a final phase of the battle I've never paid attention to before. When the Dragonfly GL gets low on HP, it will fire about 12 or so missiles at you at once, then fly right up to you and put one thousand holes in you with its rapid fire, before retreating.
Also, because this is Hard mode and the game doesn't pause when you enter the menu, you better end the battle with the preferably equipment, or you're going to enter the next segment feeling really stressed. Changing to high-speed equipment while on the Shadowfox was intense.
- Tested to see if Galian Beast worked well against the Guard Hounds battle (on ground). Only good for clearing out the hounds charging you at first, but you can't lure the leader hound towards you. Next time I'll transform into Galian Beast only when the leader approaches me. Maybe that would be a better moment.
- Well holy shit again. The Pegasus Riders battle was brutal as well. I RAN OUT OF CERBERUS AMMO! I thought that starting the level with half of full ammo would be enough, but it was certainly not. I had to finish the last riders off using the sucky slow-ass Griffon. Next time I'm trying this battle using Galian Beast. Really, magic and Galian Beast's fire balls are very appreciated now because they don't require precise aiming.
- Didn't notice until now, but the game deals out Red Potions very early on. I used up all my Red Potions while fighting the Pegasus Riders. Post-JORG I think you don't get Red Potions until the WRO HQ level.
Conclusion: To play Hard mode, you NEED strategy. You need to know exactly what works or you'll be in for a harsh experience. I will probably revisit segments and practice them until I figure out the best methods.
Because of how the game demands precise aiming where you preferably hit weak spots, I'm going to upgrade my guns through the Speed path instead of the Power path. The slow firing rate has to be compensated for, this way.
- Don't know if this is a difficulty or version difference, but an Elixir in Edge was instead a Phoenix Down now. =/
It was also still the case in Edge (JORG) that if you don't destroy a box, there are two enemies that won't spawn until later. If you make them spawn later, you can more easily dispose of them.
- I actually got a Game Over against the Edge boss. -____- Things didn't go exactly according to plan because of the lack of auto-lock + less powerful weapon + the boss having higher stats. Because of this I'm NOT going the S path with Cerberus. Staying on Power path.
Hard Mode in JORG is more difficult than Ex Hard post-JORG.
This is going to be a BITCH when fighting some bosses.
- The Dragonfly boss was indeed different to fight without the auto-lock scope, but I accidentally amplified the difficulty by attempting to defeat the boss "with style" by making use of kill chains. Before starting Hard Mode, I redid the Edge boss battle a couple of times, and noticed of course that the battle will be over a lot quicker if you get the kill chains for first killing the six normal soldiers, then firing at the main boss. But when I tried to do the same thing with the Dragonfly, I only delayed the battle. Missiles are hard to dodge and even if you get some kill chains either from the exploding barrels or the soldiers that drop down, you may not locate the Dragonfly quickly enough or even got a good opportunity to shoot it.
- The central square with the tower that you can climb has a 500G item case at the top. Post-JORG it's a Limit Breaker.
- Well...holy shit. The final phase of the Dragonfly boss, at the church, was BRUTAL. I used up most of my healing items. The battle was long, because of the time it took for the ship to show its weakspot. I had to wail away at the weakspot about 6-7 times! The boxes with extra ammo become crucial and I regret not having made use of them all. If I had, I could have ended the battle with may more ammo and not having had to buy as much afterwards.
You need to know how to dodge the missiles and the rapid fire. In general, running towards the missiles and rolling is the way to go. You can briefly dodge rapid fire behind the boxes, before they get destroyed. In the end I stayed above the stairs, where I could crouch behind a short wall and avoid the rapid fire.
I mean...jeebus. I saw a final phase of the battle I've never paid attention to before. When the Dragonfly GL gets low on HP, it will fire about 12 or so missiles at you at once, then fly right up to you and put one thousand holes in you with its rapid fire, before retreating.
Also, because this is Hard mode and the game doesn't pause when you enter the menu, you better end the battle with the preferably equipment, or you're going to enter the next segment feeling really stressed. Changing to high-speed equipment while on the Shadowfox was intense.
- Tested to see if Galian Beast worked well against the Guard Hounds battle (on ground). Only good for clearing out the hounds charging you at first, but you can't lure the leader hound towards you. Next time I'll transform into Galian Beast only when the leader approaches me. Maybe that would be a better moment.
- Well holy shit again. The Pegasus Riders battle was brutal as well. I RAN OUT OF CERBERUS AMMO! I thought that starting the level with half of full ammo would be enough, but it was certainly not. I had to finish the last riders off using the sucky slow-ass Griffon. Next time I'm trying this battle using Galian Beast. Really, magic and Galian Beast's fire balls are very appreciated now because they don't require precise aiming.
- Didn't notice until now, but the game deals out Red Potions very early on. I used up all my Red Potions while fighting the Pegasus Riders. Post-JORG I think you don't get Red Potions until the WRO HQ level.
Conclusion: To play Hard mode, you NEED strategy. You need to know exactly what works or you'll be in for a harsh experience. I will probably revisit segments and practice them until I figure out the best methods.
Because of how the game demands precise aiming where you preferably hit weak spots, I'm going to upgrade my guns through the Speed path instead of the Power path. The slow firing rate has to be compensated for, this way.
- Don't know if this is a difficulty or version difference, but an Elixir in Edge was instead a Phoenix Down now. =/
It was also still the case in Edge (JORG) that if you don't destroy a box, there are two enemies that won't spawn until later. If you make them spawn later, you can more easily dispose of them.
- I actually got a Game Over against the Edge boss. -____- Things didn't go exactly according to plan because of the lack of auto-lock + less powerful weapon + the boss having higher stats. Because of this I'm NOT going the S path with Cerberus. Staying on Power path.
Hard Mode in JORG is more difficult than Ex Hard post-JORG.
Shademp
420
- Forgot to mention that, indeed, the M (Magazine) path for guns is not present in Hard mode either and is thus entirely a post-JORG feature.
- My earlier training against Shelke paid off. Goofed up slightly and lost a lot of HP, but that's nothing compared to what would have happened if I hadn't transformed into Galian Beast and if I didn't know Shelke's general movement patterns.
- The first guard in the Solid Cait segment spotted me the moment he turned around. Of course. Also he kept shooting at me from afar, even when I was sneaking behind other soldiers who were not aware of me. This thing where a soldier who detected you will still shoot you from far away doesn't feel like a post-JORG thing.
- It is fortunate that most soldiers have the decency to stand still, otherwise aiming would be horrible. Getting precise aiming by moving Vincent left-right (left analog stick) is of course much easier than moving the gun (right analog stick).
- My strategy against the Shinra Manor boss is solid, but when I wasn't able to finish it off immediately when its underside was exposed I messed up and lost a Phoenix Down. Even had Rapid Fire Gamma equipped, which I had just bought. F*CK I really wanted to dominate this one.
- I miss auto-lock. Even the guard hounds on my way to WRO HQ gives me trouble, because they run vaguely in zigzag.
In JORG, equipment accessories really MATTER. If you want to use a long barrel and still be able to run, you better have Gravity Floater equipped. Perhaps that is what I should have focused on instead of Rapid Fire upgrades. I'm not able to land shots at great speed anyway, because of the precise aiming required.
EDIT: Man that last play session put me in a bad mood. I hate it when SOLDIER enemies (the ones in standard SOLDIER outfits, not DG) and guard hounds land hits on me because I wasn't able to hit them or handle multiple opponents fast enough.
- My earlier training against Shelke paid off. Goofed up slightly and lost a lot of HP, but that's nothing compared to what would have happened if I hadn't transformed into Galian Beast and if I didn't know Shelke's general movement patterns.
- The first guard in the Solid Cait segment spotted me the moment he turned around. Of course. Also he kept shooting at me from afar, even when I was sneaking behind other soldiers who were not aware of me. This thing where a soldier who detected you will still shoot you from far away doesn't feel like a post-JORG thing.
- It is fortunate that most soldiers have the decency to stand still, otherwise aiming would be horrible. Getting precise aiming by moving Vincent left-right (left analog stick) is of course much easier than moving the gun (right analog stick).
- My strategy against the Shinra Manor boss is solid, but when I wasn't able to finish it off immediately when its underside was exposed I messed up and lost a Phoenix Down. Even had Rapid Fire Gamma equipped, which I had just bought. F*CK I really wanted to dominate this one.
- I miss auto-lock. Even the guard hounds on my way to WRO HQ gives me trouble, because they run vaguely in zigzag.
In JORG, equipment accessories really MATTER. If you want to use a long barrel and still be able to run, you better have Gravity Floater equipped. Perhaps that is what I should have focused on instead of Rapid Fire upgrades. I'm not able to land shots at great speed anyway, because of the precise aiming required.
EDIT: Man that last play session put me in a bad mood. I hate it when SOLDIER enemies (the ones in standard SOLDIER outfits, not DG) and guard hounds land hits on me because I wasn't able to hit them or handle multiple opponents fast enough.
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