This is so cool! I should say, when I first found the forum and was lurking around the public boards before even making an account, watching you systematically break this game into tiny tiny pieces was one of the first things that made me feel like I wanted to be here haha.
Edit: Reading back that maybe sounds like I hate the game and want it broken, which is def not the case! I actually played it before FFVII and had a great time, just loving seeing the dedication to finding all its component parts.
I remember when Shad first showed off a functioning cure materia that was from the online mode and I was so mad they didn't include it in single player.
This is so cool! I should say, when I first found the forum and was lurking around the public boards before even making an account, watching you systematically break this game into tiny tiny pieces was one of the first things that made me feel like I wanted to be here haha.
Compared to many other data diggers I'm not that effective or talented. The fact that not many other people do this stuff also ensures that I will continue to drip-feed discoveries for at least one more decade.
On the topic, investigating the aforementioned memory region revealed the variable that indicates the current locale/language. These are the values and the locale they correspond to.
0 - Japan
1 - US
2 - UK
3 - Italy
4 - Spain
5 - France
6 - Germany
The Beta Version and the original JP release did not have a dedicated "locale" folder. With the addition of localization, the locale folder was created to hold 7 region/country folders. Each one holding their own KelStr (main menu text) file, Omega Reports file, G Reports file etc.
Though these folders were created as early as the NTSC-US (North American) release, the non-JP folders all contain English text. Translation work into Italian, Spanish, French and German had not yet been worked into the files. By the time of the PAL release all the translations were completed of course.
The NA release (SLUS-21419) is the only one to employ the "us" folder for English text. The PAL and JP International game both look to the "uk" folder for their English. In fact the last release, JP International (SLPM-66629), only has two region/locale subfolders: "jp" and "uk".
The PS2 emulator, PCSX2, has a quirk where if you perform a fast boot-up on the PAL or International version the game will default to the Japanese KelStr and the JP font. In the case of PAL, the cutscenes will still be using the English scripts but with the JP font (where the latin alphabet has very thin symbols).
For some reason this quirk of defaulting to Japanese does not manifest when doing a fast boot-up with the North American game. That limitation does not stop me anymore! Thanks to knowing the address for the game's "locale" setting I can set even the North American game to use Japanese text, menu- and cutscenes both.
Sometimes I imagine creating a player character and using my own alias there. Or for that matter, seeing the names of familiar Internet fellows on a revived DoC online multiplayer. For lack of a true revival of character creation, I decided to just type in some name tags.
I've imagined "what if" scenarios like this for fun before. Like, what if we had a tool that could extract the wire frame and texture map of a Dirge multiplayer map and convert it to a format compatible with Unreal. Then start building the maps from there with the game's assets. At the same time, develop some third-person shooting mechanics that replicate the feel of Dirge, add in some peer-to-peer online multiplayer and boom, got yourself a game.
The third address of major interest that was found on the eve of November 23rd (same time as I found the Demo Version state and the locale indicator) is the "Retail Game Version" address.
Potential values and the corresponding game version:
0 - Japanese Original
1 - NTSC-US
2 - PAL
3 - JP International
What makes knowledge of this address so powerful is that you can reinstate behavior from the original release. Set the value to 0 when you are playing any of the post-original releases and the following traits will be restored.
- Start menu options "Single Player", "PlayOnline" and "Tutorial Menu".
- The golden claw cursor. While I have a fondness for the claw cursor, the way it obscures the text of any given selection becomes way more apparent now that the game is in English and I actually read the text.
- Partial restoration of the Japanese standard where Confirm = Circle and Cancel = Cross. This becomes true if the game version value is set to 0 or 3. Even if you are playing the North American game, released over two years before the International edition, will the game know that value 3 specifically is a Japanese standard setting in the Confirm/Cancel department.
- Access to the post-game checkpoint "Memory Fragments" that leads you to the original Event Viewer.
- Double-jump is disabled.
- Midair shooting and midair melee are disabled.
- Vincent's dash mostly remains the same but the game *tries* to perform a roll. Primarily the acceleration and deceleration is different. Vincent stays crouched after the completion of the dash/roll.
- The item "Limit Breaker" is no longer functional. Limit Breaks are now activated by pressing down L1+R1 and consuming MP. Being in Galian Beast form gradually depletes your MP.
- Config menu options such as "Keyboard Usage", "Chat" and "Battle Emotes". Just like in the original retail release, the "Chat" and "Battle Emotes" functionality is locked away even though they are listed in the menu. You can no longer select Sight Support options to change Manual, Semi-Automatic and Automatic targeting.
- Targeting now becomes Manual by default and ignores any targeting settings you had in Sight Support. The auto-lock feature of certain guns and scopes now become functional again.
Online Mode Scopes
- Auto Scope
- Auto Scope Revo
- S Auto Scope
Single Player Scopes
- SS4
- SS5
The Single Player scopes "Auto Scope" and "S Auto Scope" (unique from the identically name Online Mode counterparts) still will not grant auto-lock targeting. This is because the feature was deactivated in the bgd file that govern item traits. To restore auto-lock in these items one must edit the bgd file.
- Vincent's maximum running speed is now set to 5 m/s instead of 6 m/s.
- The MP restoration effect of Manaheart/Manamind/Manasoul will now be disabled.
- And many more subtle effects that I may have overlooked...
Not long after changing the game to believe it's the original JP version, your savefile data will be corrupted and you'll no longer be able to access any checkpoints.
Interestingly, save data will not be corrupted if you are merely switching between the values 1, 2 and 3 (NTSC-US, PAL and JP International). This must mean that the variable does not represent a complete shift in the game's identity. If NTSC-US, or "SLUS-21419", was changed into believing it was PAL, "SLES-"54185", then the game should not be able to recognize your NA savedata.
The Event Viewer in the JP Original is placed in zone158 while the post-original Event Viewer exists in zone132. Zone teleportation cheats have not worked for me when trying to access the original Event Viewer in any of the later editions. Thanks to setting the game version address to value zero I can access the menu via the post-game checkpoint. This reveals the option for the online multiplayer cutscenes:
既往章《ディープグラウンド》 (lit. "Previous Chapter <Deepground>")
This menu option was translated as "Antecedents" in DCFFVII International.
Selecting this submenu reveals an empty list where none of the selections lead you anywhere. Even if you've destroyed memory capsules in the multiplayer maps, thus saving that obscure progress to your memory card, none of the cutscenes will be unlocked. In the North American game this menu will only have 8 rows, reserved for 8 cutscenes. PAL and INT will have 13 rows present, matching the full number of listed cutscenes.
Since the NTSC-US version was released August 15, 1 1/2 months before the online mode ended, it makes sense that this menu would be incomplete. We know from online mode screenshots that the list gradually became longer as the story progressed.
Screenshots of "Chat" and "Battle Emotes" options in the Config menu (because I reached the maximum of 5 images in my previous post).
I knew that this menu text was translated and existed in the data but I did not believe that unlocking the text would be so easy.
EDIT: One limitation that did surprise me was that changing the game to "PAL", when playing the International version, did NOT unlock the PAL-exclusive option to change the screen position. The text for this option is present in the KelStr, but I can't revive the actual function. Nor can I remove the option in PAL by changing the game to "NA" status. Clearly the Screen Position option is coded outside of the "Retail Game Version" address scope.
Found a switch that removes the game's HUD! The address is immediately adjacent to the aforementioned "Retail Game Version" variable. Normally its value is set to 1. When I set it to 0, indicators like the player's HP, current gun, shortcut item, aiming reticle etc disappear.
All menu actions are suspended and you can perform no actions in menus, but you can still move around your player character, shoot, use items and so on.
This makes me overly excited because now I can take screenshots without the HUD cluttering things up. Quality of life feature: Achieved.
When Tempsave Teleporting to certain multiplayer maps, it felt like a small blessing that the player character model (o099) isn't actually loaded. It just meant that now the player character isn't obstructing the view when I take snapshots. It still looked ugly though with the player data still displayed on the screen. No more of that!
The reticle will no longer be an issue when taking screenshots, whether I'm in third-person or first-person mode. What is super awesome though is that now I can remove the dark edges that obscure the view when you are using the sniper scope!
- The "ping" sound from increasing your killchain does not play.
- The chain indicator on the top right still shows up, even with your HUD otherwise removed.
- The "Stage Mission" foreground will not go away until you reinstate the HUD. The sound of this foreground appearing will also not play.
- Any timer that is present at the moment when the HUD is switched off will visually freeze at its current digits though the timer will still be counting down.
- Damage digits, items picked up, action prompts etc will enter a queue while 'No HUD' is on. This means that when you switch on the HUD again, a few or most of these effects will show up on the screen for one frame. The "ping" sound of boosting your killchain will also play.
I have not tested to see if the queue can get so full that the game crashes.
We can speculate that the HUD switch was employed when taking screenshots in the online mode. Albeit in low quality, we see at 2:49 and 5:16 in this video examples of snapshots being taken during a match of capture the flag. The game pauses, the HUD is removed, copyright text immediately added to the bottom right, and then gameplay resumes.
The resulting lag in gameplay is especially egregious in the 5:16 example, as it would seem the act of taking the snapshot causes a co-player to zoom by at super speed. Presumably this is because of delay with the server packets and synchronization, due to the game being busy with the screenshot action. Admittedly many online mode recordings show this phenomenon of allies and enemies zooming by or teleporting in- and out of existence, even when photos are not being taken.
The online multiplayer did not employ the killchain mechanic so it would make sense that the 'Disable HUD' switch for taking snapshots would not be adapted to remove the chain indicator at the top right. The same logic holds true for the Stage Mission foreground which is unique to the Single Player. Up until the 2006-04-20 update the online mode also did not remove timers when in-game photos were taken.
All retail versions display this behavior where disabling the HUD does not remove timers. Perhaps the code that fixed this error in the online mode never made it onto the retail discs. Or perhaps there exists a different switch/path/mode to access this timer-removal update. I certainly hope for the latter.
In order to completely restore Vincent's moveset from the original JP release, while still playing a post-original version, you need three things.
1) Game Version set to 0.
2) Moveset address set to 0 (instead of its default of 1).
3) Appropriate melee data in the zone's bzd file.
I mentioned earlier that setting the "Retail Game Version" address to value 0 will disable the double-jump and all midair actions but Vincent will still perform a dash. Well, visually he will be performing a dash with an awkward acceleration- and deceleration cycle. Vincent will still end up crouched, just like in the original game's roll action. This semi-restored roll also will lack the ability to deflect bullets, damage/destroy boxes and stun enemies, being true to how useless the roll is compared to the dash.
A different address in the same region controls additional aspects of Vincent's moveset animations however. By setting this value to 0, Vincent will now visually perform the roll instead of the dash. This is true even if you have not adjusted your Game Version value to be 0 (JP Original). Animations for midair actions like double-jumping and midair shooting will no longer be accessible to the game, though if your Game Version value is 1 or higher you'll still be able to perform said actions.
Setting the "Moveset address" to value 0 means Vincent will visually perform the original ground-melee combo, minus the attack from the fourth melee input. Pressing the melee button a fourth time in the original game would result in Vincent performing three kicks, the last kick launching Vincent upwards. That's where the "appropriate melee data in the zone's bzd file" comes in.
Five years ago I uploaded this video of a test map that's only present in the post-original releases. From 0:35-1:00 you can see Vincent acting strangely when performing melee attacks. Odd delays and incomplete animations. That's because this test map, zone012, loads the melee attributes from the original game. This is how the game is able to "try" to perform the three kicks from the fourth melee input. To properly call the attack animations, you must set the moveset address to value 0.
These settings too will be incomplete. If your Game Version value is set to 1, you'll still have the delay before the *actual* impact of your first melee strike, Vincent will perform double-jumps and midair shots with little- to no animations etc. Set the Game Version value to 0 and all of this will be fixed...assuming that you are in the test map zone012.
Many areas in the games no longer possess the data referencing human Vincent's original, weaker melee combo. You'll still commonly find the data for the Galian Beast's weaker melee in memory (see earlier post about how the Galian Beast was empowered), but not human Vincent's old data. The test map of zone012 is rather unique in that it has all the data we need for a complete restoration of Vincent's original moveset.
- The "Now Loading..." foreground can be interrupted, summoned or even entirely disabled. This will not impact the actual content being loaded, showing that this loading screen is merely a formality. For anyone wishing to make "clean" recordings of DoC cutscenes this could be a welcome tool as there are a few instances where the loading foreground will briefly be present when the cutscene starts.
- On the same topic, the disk icon on the top right to show that content is being loaded can be interrupted though I have not found a definitive "Disable Disk Icon" switch. With Cheat Engine you can freeze addresses to retain a given value. Due to the limited refresh rate of any given cheat tool however, this means that even though I may freeze an address value to prevent the disk icon from appearing there will still be some frames where the disk icon manages to manifest. Perhaps the easiest way to remove the icon would be to make the game reference an empty texture instead of the actual icon.
It has long been my desire that the option would exist to record DoC cutscenes both without the "Now Loading..." foreground and the disk icon present. With the first half of this goal achieved I'll stay on the lookout for a means to disable the disk icon as well.
*EDIT: Disabling the HUD also removes the disk icon, so that's a viable method. The only "limitation" is that you also visually disable the subtitles this way.*
- I can now activate a loading icon that would normally only show up in the online mode.
It might represent data being retrieved from the server database and uploaded to an HDD cache. Though it could just as well represent data already present in the HDD being retrieved. Or maybe the icon represents multiple loading steps. I quite simply do not know.
- Mist can be disabled/enabled.
Disabling the mist in the "Jungle" map reveals that the draw distance of the environment is very short. You don't get many meters of extra visibility because the map simply doesn't load that far ahead.
- The environment can be disabled/enabled at any point while still retaining all other game behavior. This makes it easier to observe out-of-bounds objects. In Extra Mission #41, "Drumline", you summon a Dual Horn by crossing a border near the start of your spawn point. The game handles this by first spawning a Dual Horn beneath the ground, then spawning the actual Dual Horn fiend on the ground. The out-of-bounds Dual Horn doesn't perform any special animations and disappears after a short while.
I haven't really paid attention to the fact that different maps have a different default color for their void. The above mission uses a dark shade of blue magenta. Other maps typically use black or grey for their void. The Jungle map void displays a cyan-blue and is only invisible due to the mist. Jungle, in other words, technically doesn't have a skybox because quite frankly it doesn't need one.
On November 30th, City Hall was streaming his Dirge of Cerberus speedruns. 10 minutes before reaching the end, the stream was cut off and the recording ceased. On this run he achieved a 1:21:10, which was a WR by 4 seconds.
The run could of course not be submitted to speedrun.com, due to the lack of complete video, but there is no controversy as to the truthfulness of City Hall's achievement. The previous record holder, NT (aka NT1_Evolution), conceded to City Hall being the new champion.
Naturally City Hall was still frustrated and kept on playing with the goal of getting a WR on video. Today, on December 2nd, he achieved just that, landing a whopping 1:20:24. The milliseconds he stopped the counter at was also very NICE.
Dirge of Cerberus Any% (zoom climb/hover included) is set to be speedrun at the event "No Holidays Allowed" on December 15th, 5:20 EST. City Hall will be playing. Couch commentary is expected to be by NT. This will be the first speedrunning event where Dirge of Cerberus is one of the hosted games. *CORRECTION:DoC was actually ran at the Final Fantasy Relay Race in November 2018. So the "No Holidays Allowed" is actually the second marathon event for Dirge.
In the same spirit as the imaginary Trophy list, here is a little bit of fun. What changes/improvements/additions would you make to Dirge of Cerberus but without fundamentally changing the gameplay and the story? Mileage may vary as to what constitutes a "fundamental" change. Are there any flaws/quirks you wish to keep?
I'm thinking of this as an HD Remaster where the source code is available and modding the game to a modern platform is relatively easy. Quite a long wishlist here. Let us imagine...
Dirge of Cerberus Complete: Final Fantasy VII
Primary new gameplay modes
- "Turk Vincent" mode. Play as Turk Vincent in both the story campaign and in the Extra Missions. Quirks from the tutorial will remain, such as Vincent having a "human" limit break instead of a beast transformation. Additional features from the online mode might be borrowed, like throwing hand grenades and using the Cure Materia. No three-barrel handguns in this mode.
- "Max Level" switch. When you have reached the level cap of 50 with Vincent once you'll be able to start any playthrough with Vincent already at max level.
- "Deepground Campaign" added to Extra Features. Play through the story from the online mode, experiencing this game's features albeit only with game AI companions instead of real online players.
- Shelke missions. Clear a limited set of Extra Missions in fast-paced, melee-focused missions as Shelke the Transparent.
- Photo mode: The snapshot feature from the online mode now available at all times.
- Trophy hunting! Win that Platinum by completing all the challenges to become the Alpha and the Omega.
- "Recollections" added to Extra Features. At your leisure, read the Omega Reports and G Reports collected in the main game. Read also general lore entries and reflections by characters who did not take center stage in the main story (like Cloud, Nanaki, Rufus Shinra etc) to learn where they were during- and after Deepground's attacks.
Quality of life additions
- Multiple savefile slots for the main story campaign. No longer forced to gradually overwrite an old playthrough when you select a new one. Selecting Ex Hard still requires that you use an old playthrough as a base for your starting data.
- Pop-up menus for each checkpoint to confirm Vincent's current scores and ranks. A capsule icon indicates that all memory capsules in the chapter have been destroyed.
- Starting equipment in Extra Missions can be changed in the mission list menu.
- On/Off switch for cutscenes. With cutscenes disabled you always skip straight to gameplay automatically.
- Volume adjusters for sound effects, background music and voice clips.
- Menus, environments and character models updated with HD textures.
- Smooth 60fps gameplay.
- Increased environment exploration possibilities due to fewer invisible walls.
- Less repetition with Vincent's grunts. (Say mostly goodbye to HEGH-HUGH, HEGH-HUGH, HEGH-HUGH)
Cutscenes/Story/World
- Awkward scene choreography mitigated in places.
Example 1: Azul's exit from the Kalm office intercepts too closely with Reeve's entrance, making it impossible for them to not run into each other. Fix by changing things like the scene's timing and how many walls Azul walks through.
Example 2: The WRO members are running through a closed door when they enter the Edge warehouse. Make the door be open.
Example 3: Change Shalua's "motor oil blood" to actual red blood.
- More obvious story progression triggers on the Shera (Ch7-1 and Ch7-2).
- Adjust the Train Graveyard so that it fits better with the Sector 7 platefall scenario. Populate the area with debris and/or situate the graveyard closer to the plate edges.
- Recast the English voice of "G" in the secret ending. Options would be Oliver Quinn (English VA for Genesis in Crisis Core on the PSP) or any modern equivalent who ends up being the new voice for Genesis.
More gameplay stuff
- Size reduction of reticle for automatic aim.
- Graphical distinction between Semi-Automatic and Automatic aim.
- Stage Mission foreground obstructs way less of the screen and is timed better to not interrupt gameplay.
- Enemy AI have fewer instances of pointless invincibility frames (in particular when they pop up on the field).
- Complete configuration options when starting your first playthrough (rather than limiting it to just one page of config settings).
- "Gauntlet Guard" accessory that lets you keep Vincent's claw raised indefinitely, letting you easily deflect bullets coming in from the front. Vincent can't walk while keeping up the guard and the guard can't deflect missiles. The guard can be raised while in midair.
- When wearing an S/M/L Adjuster item, let the color of the reticle indicate if you are currently aiming at a distance of short/medium/long. Matching the accessory colors: Short = Red, Medium = Yellow, Long = Blue.
- More accurate/comprehensive stat attributes display for equipment. The displayed WT, POW, SPD, RNG etc attributes of equipment is often erroneous/inconsistent/incomplete in the current game.
- Artworks displayed for selected objects in the item menu, such as artwork for Potions, Gold Moogle Doll etc.
- Correct cardinal directions assigned in the menu map for Edge so that Midgar is to the west and not to the north.
Event Viewer
- Cutscene auto-play feature for each chapter. Pausing will provide the option to skip to the next cutscene or to return to the Event Viewer menu.
- Move the position of the Ch3 scene "DG Sniper" to the correct spot in the list; before the scenes involving the boy, not after.
- Option to view any of the three Cait Sith scene variations on the Shera. "Number 5 is alive", "Number 6 ready for action" and "Number 7 nice to meet you".
- For Antecedents (online mode cutscenes) add option to switch the gender and equipment of the player character who appears in the cutscenes. This setting will also affect if flashback-Shalua calls out for "brother" or "sister".
Sound Gallery
- Auto-play feature, looping a song twice before moving on to the next theme.
- Include themes from the multiplayer and the Extra Missions.
- Correct this BGM description error:
"Redeem the World : BGM used during Vincent and Shelke's conversation on the Shera"
The tune is played outside of the Shinra Building, not on the Shera. The description in Japanese, at least when auto-translated, is confusing and should perhaps be corrected as well. Depends on how misleading the auto-translation is.
ミッドガルへ乗り込む直前、シェルクとヴィンセントの会話シーンのＢＧＭ
Auto-translate:
BGM for the conversation scene between Shelke and Vincent just before they board Midgar.
Extra Missions
- Expand the displayed IGT for Extra Missions to include fractions of a second.
- When all Extra Missions have been cleared the game should display the total sum of all your completion times.
Glitch Fixes
- Remove "Global Playtime Pause Synchronization" glitch so you can't cheat yourself to low IGTs in the Extra Missions.
- Remove the Long-Range Adjustment bug.
- Undo the random +100 damage added to Galian Beast's fire projectiles. Possibly boost the strength of fireballs.
- Make it so the Shrikes in Midgar Assault (Ch8-1-3) always display the correct damage digits. In current versions, the displayed damage is uncapped (beyond 9999) even though the actual damage is never more than 9999 per projectile. This is true for bullets, Fire- and Blizzard magic. Bullets also in general tend to display the wrong damage outputs.
Unsure if I would want to remove the oversight where melee and Thunder magic can be used to grind EXP from bosses when they are invincible or defeated.
I want the Zoom Climb/Hover and the Infinite Machine Gun Ammo bugs to stay. My heart is too attached to these.
Page 9 of "Dirge of Cerberus -FFVII- Official Complete Guide" shows the interesting distinction that Grimoire was a freelance scientist. So it can be gathered that he did not work solely for Shinra.
フリーの科学者
ヴィンセントの父、グ
リモアは神羅カンパ
ニーに資金援助をし
てもらい、ルクレツィ
アと共に、ある研究
を行っていた。
グリモア・ヴァレンタイン
Grimoire Valentine
Auto-translation
Freelance Scientist
Vincent's father, Grimoire,
was conducting some research
together with Lucrecia,
funded by the Shinra Company.
Grimoire Valentine
Grimoire Valentine
The official Japanese guide does not contain much lore info. What little it has can at times be unique though. It's the only guidebook, as far as I know, that defines Chaos as a 'Weapon', same as Omega. Until this definition of Chaos appears in modern lore again I remain skeptical as to its canonicity.
The guide also implies that Barret is now living together with Marlene, which gives the impression that Barret is no longer off hunting for oil (or at least not doing so for considerable stretches of time). From Page 21...
現在は、親友の遺児であるマリンと共に暮らしてい
るが、DGによってエッジの街が襲われたのをきっ
かけに、今回の戦いに参加することになる。
Auto-translation
Currently he lives with Marlene,
his best friend's orphan, but joins
the battle this time after the city of Edge
has been attacked by DG.
Once again the final canonicity here is up for debate due to how little post-AC canon has been explored. Further complicated by the fact that Kazushige Nojima, arguably the main FFVII author, only received a "Special Thanks" in the Dirge of Cerberus staff credits and presumably had limited impact on the writing of this Compilation entry.
That's all new to me! Certainly didn't know Grimoire was a freelance scientist, I thought he was officially with Shinra, which would make Vincent going to work for Shinra seem natural. His dad did so why wouldn't he, right? But this reveals something else. It's an interesting bit of backstory.
Also that news about Barret and Marlene is quite welcome. Not sure if you've ever been exposed to Barret and Marlene discourse, where some fans accused him of pawning of Marlene to Cloud and Tifa or stating the writers attempted to write Barret out of Marlene's life to make her stay with Cloud and Tifa instead. It's ridiculous but it's great to have something to point to which shuts down that bizarre interpretation entirely.
I hope at least that the translation of フリーの科学者 as "Freelance scientist" is correct. It literally means "Free scientist", which DeepL took as "Freelance scientist". The full term should have been "フリーランス科学者", but maybe the book simply shortened the description.
I manually transcribe parts of the book when I'm in the mood. See zip-file attached to this post to download the Excel file with the transcriptions and auto-translations as of today, 2021-12-13.
The section of greatest interest to have fully translated would be the developer interviews at the end. The current translation up on the frontpage are incomplete, as you'll find if you browse the tab "P.286-319_S6_Et-Cetera" in the Excel document.
Turns out Dirge of Cerberus was speedrun at the Final Fantasy Relay Race in November 2018, meaning that was actually the first time the game was hosted at a marathon. Back then the runners were NT1_Evolution (aka NT) and GocuComeBack, with sk84uhlivin delivering commentary.
Its second marathon participation happened yesterday, 15th December 2021, at the No Holidays Allowed event. City Hall ran the game and the main commentator was NT.
You can watch the run in this VOD, starting from the 7h13m45s mark. Be aware the run suffers from an audio de-sync error where the audio from the host, runner and commentator are out of sync. This results in their audio overlapping on the stream's end. The issue is mitigated somewhat about 15-20 minutes into the run due to changed settings, so the audio overlap is not nearly as egregious after that point.
Many thanks to runner City Hall and commentator NT for taking the time out of their busy schedules to make this marathon run happen. It's a joy to see how the game has evolved and to see Dirge getting more exposure in the speedrunning scene.
As I may have said already, I am totally upset by the amount of FFVII material Square Enix is making, as if the story of FFVII needed things added upon it to make it clearer. It doesn't! The FFVII story is perfection! ...now the way the game was made, with no Vincent FMV, is a different thing...
I remember people on AC.net being confused as fuck when it was announced, especially considering the genre and main character. It was hilarious. People were wondering who the hell the enemies were, if Sephiroth was somehow connected, if Shinra had somehow resurrected, and a bunch of other theories.
I remember people on AC.net being confused as fuck when it was announced, especially considering the genre and main character. It was hilarious. People were wondering who the hell the enemies were, if Sephiroth was somehow connected, if Shinra had somehow resurrected, and a bunch of other theories.
...now the way the game was made, with no Vincent FMV, is a different thing...