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DCFFVII Research Thread

Tenshin26100

A fan of Betas/Demos
According to the Ultimania FF VII guide, there was an event in the multiplayer extension of Dirge of Cerberus, that was live from the 05th of June 2006 to the 22th of June 2006. The name of the event can be translated as Turks of Turks -Abandonned Memories-.

I really wonder if this event brought any interesting informations about the Turks or anything related to the story of FF VII. :)
 
Many thanks to riccochet for reporting exciting developments from over at XeNTaX: daemon1 has managed to extract the 3D character models from Dirge of Cerberus, as well as texture data. I've been told that daemon1 is the same person who first extracted the FFXV models.

F6ew6M1.png


Just like when you force this model (o099) to become your player character, in this viewer all the armors and headgears etc are equipped at once.

GozOUtY.png


cJQYtfD.png

I have browsed the 3D models but I found nothing new, apart from placeholder models like cubes and flat sheets that may or may not be used.

EDIT: Download link to the 3D models, as extracted from the International version of the game.
 
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Using daemon1's program I've extracted the textures for the character models.

- Download link

Images are in the .tga format which can be viewed in Photoshop and Gimp (among others). These fifteen objects could not be extracted, as daemon1's program crashes too soon, and I'll be alerting daemon1 to these just in case he ever revisits his extractor.

file10601.raw - e056: Cargo Crate (white, destructable box)
file10612.raw - e057: Explosive Drum Can
file10798.raw - e075: Box (wooden, brown)
file10809.raw - e076: Drum Can (rusty)
file10820.raw - e077: The blue ropes that link Weiss to Omega
file11020.raw - e097: Female Researcher (Este-D)
file11193.raw - e121: Red Box (used for Extra Missions)
file11316.raw - g008: Yuffie's shuriken
file11360.raw - g015: Bag of ice, used by Yuffie on her head
file11868.raw - g066: Sword of Omega Weiss
file13373.raw - w010: DG Knife, Beast
file13384.raw - w011: DG Missile
file13429.raw - w015: Rosso's Blade
file13540.raw - w025: Omega Weiss "Mine"
file13619.raw - w032: Argento's sword

Extractions are mostly great with there usually not being any unwanted artefacts. However some mysteries remain, like the mostly empty "envmap1" files that are sometimes extracted. Their use is unknown. Also, as you'll see the same "graphics" are shown through multiple files but in different color palette channels. Usually this means that each graphical objects get shown in their correct palette in at least one of these files, but in the case of the online mode masks all four images show this:

cJQYtfD.png


In other words most of the masks in the upper half are never shown in their right color.


Enemies have two texture variations: High-resolution and low-resolution. My bet is that the low-resolution is used when enemies are far away, or perhaps even when a great number of them gather close to the player, as a way to save on processing resources. It is also possible that the distinction is in regards to cutscene, with zoom-in scenes using the high-resolution renders.

FOaBOQB.png
  
9mYR9vu.png



Texture extraction reveals that the designers bothered with eyes for the SOLDIER enemies...human and robot SOLDIER both! You have no chance of catching these eyes in the in-game character model viewer.

Model: e037
e5BeU9k.png
  
39t4Ru1.png


Model: e071
A5tQ4hc.png
  
iFTrEk9.png



A third SOLDIER variation, which only exists in a high-resolution version, shows retouched graphics where the eyes have been removed!

Model: e088
75uSjX6.png


Notice that the e088 version has a well-polished sword. This is curious, since e088 is the only SOLDIER model not to have a sword embedded into its main 3D model. I can also find no in-game instance of a human SOLDIER using a well-polished sword like this (not even in snapshots from the online mode) so I think we can surmise this to be unused graphics.

e088 is specifically the SOLDIER in Scene 1 (Online Mode) whose sword breaks in half. All the other SOLDIER in this scene are the e037 model.



Many main characters have a specific "cutscene model" with higher-poly faces and higher-resolution textures to match. Usually these high-res face textures are about this size:

Oe0k5fB.png
  
3vv1Zok.png


However characters like Shelke and Rosso, whom the developers spent extra time on with their expressions, have larger faces.

hV6Edo3.png
  
1FJLm2w.png



Okay this is getting a bit creepy, so for some levity let us look into Nero's eye of Sauron.

Kyn6t83.png


Ah, that's much better.

Noticed now that the forum doesn't allow more than 20 images in one post so I'm sharing the other highlights in the next post.
 
Omega Bud
C76wzrA.png


Crystal Feeler
KiUq3xC.png



Weiss's Gunblade
7fd1EPq.png


Symbols 地 [Earth] and 天 [Heaven].


High-res Cardkey (unused)
wa8Bd1R.png



High-res Omega Report (unused)
WRSpQHi.png



One-time mine Vincent shoots in this cutscene with Azul (Chapter 4)
bEr5Utx.png


It appears to read "W23" and no, this does not match the model name (which is actually g037).


Picnic basket from flashback scene with Vincent & Lucrecia
LSACSKC.png


Zoom in on the bottle texture and you'll find a label that appears to be a minimalist Cait Sith easter egg.
1uH9LIJ.png


The bottle label is only visible in-game if you pause the cutscene at just the right few frames when Lucrecia reveals the basket.


Here is the Cactuar enemy versus the golden Cactuar that appears on the Beginner's Machine in the online mode.

mZB63Au.png
K5bAZxa.png



Here then is the Jukebox model used for shops in the single player versus the Beginner's Machine in the online mode. The former has a label that reads "ITEM BOX" while the latter has a label that reads "MAIL BOX".

G0r5GlJ.png
3ttnAEf.png


I don't think I paid attention to the "MAIL BOX" label before today!
 
Went ahead and renamed the 3D object files to match their actual shorthand names. The zip file also includes a text document with the full model list for reference. Now it should be easier to find any model that you are looking for, plus you can match each object easily with the texture files I uploaded earlier.

- Download link: Renamed 3D objects from Dirge of Cerberus

While browsing the 3D models more carefully I also noticed that there weren't actually unused placeholders. The cubes and flat sheets were actually familiar objects, I just forgot to consider the fact earlier.
 
While most of the game text uses ASCII and Shift JIS symbol tables I was curious about the tables for non-standard text like this:

jh88WSR.png


I uncovered that each symbol is a 1-byte value. The text table includes both latin letters and a katakana table. In the list below I use a hex value for each symbol.

Code:
00    {EMPTY}    *Ends text entry
01    {EMPTY}
02    {EMPTY}
03    {White space} 
04    ! 
05    " 
06    # 
07    $ 
08    % 
09    & 
0A    ’ 
0B    ( 
0C    ) 
0D    * 
0E    + 
0F    , 
10    - 
11    . 
12    / 
13    0 
14    1 
15    2 
16    3 
17    4 
18    5 
19    6 
1A    7 
1B    8 
1C    9 
1D    : 
1E    ; 
1F    < 
20    = 
21    > 
22    ? 
23    @ 
24    A 
25    B 
26    C 
27    D 
28    E 
29    F 
2A    G 
2B    H 
2C    I 
2D    J 
2E    K 
2F    L 
30    M 
31    N 
32    O 
33    P 
34    Q 
35    R 
36    S 
37    T 
38    U 
39    V 
3A    W 
3B    X 
3C    Y 
3D    Z 
3E    〔 
3F    ¥ 
40    〕 
41    ^ 
42    _ 
43    ` 
44    a 
45    b 
46    c 
47    d 
48    e 
49    f 
4A    g 
4B    h 
4C    i 
4D    j 
4E    k 
4F    l 
50    m 
51    n 
52    o 
53    p 
54    q 
55    r 
56    s 
57    t 
58    u 
59    v 
5A    w 
5B    x 
5C    y 
5D    z 
5E    { 
5F    | 
60    } 
61    ~ 
62    ァ 
63    ア 
64    ィ 
65    イ 
66    ゥ 
67    ウ 
68    ェ 
69    エ 
6A    ォ 
6B    オ 
6C    カ 
6D    ガ 
6E    キ 
6F    ギ 
70    ク 
71    グ 
72    ケ 
73    ゲ 
74    コ 
75    ゴ 
76    サ 
77    ザ 
78    シ 
79    ジ 
7A    ス 
7B    ズ 
7C    セ 
7D    ゼ 
7E    ソ 
7F    ゾ 
80    タ 
81    ダ 
82    チ 
83    ヂ 
84    ッ 
85    ツ 
86    ヅ 
87    テ 
88    デ 
89    ト 
8A    ド 
8B    ナ 
8C    ニ 
8D    ヌ 
8E    ネ 
8F    ノ 
90    ハ 
91    バ 
92    パ 
93    ヒ 
94    ビ 
95    ピ 
96    フ 
97    ブ 
98    プ 
99    ヘ 
9A    ベ 
9B    ペ 
9C    ホ 
9D    ボ 
9E    ポ 
9F    マ 
A0    ミ 
A1    ム 
A2    メ 
A3    モ 
A4    ャ 
A5    ヤ 
A6    ュ 
A7    ユ 
A8    ョ 
A9    ヨ 
AA    ラ 
AB    リ 
AC    ル 
AD    レ 
AE    ロ 
AF    ヮ 
B0    ワ 
B1    ヰ 
B2    ヱ 
B3    ヲ 
B4    ン 
B5    ヴ 
B6    ヵ 
B7    ヶ 
B8    ー 
B9    中 
BA    断 
BB    {White space}
...
FF    {White space}

The table ends with two kanji symbols. 中 and 断. I have not seen any menu text use this but in combination (according to google translate) they can read...
中断 = Interruption
断中 = Discontinued

...so they seem likely candidates for error messages.


A prime reason I wanted to know this text table in the first place is to find if the online menu options are present in RAM while playing the game. Turns out that two of these online-exclusive options are present in the English KelStr text!

Reminder: The "KelStr" text is present in the same location in memory no matter when/where in the game you are and is composed primarily of menu text. In comparison cutscene dialogue text is only temporarily loaded into memory while the cutscene is happening.

q05poSn.png

The options "Friend List" and "System" are never available in the offline game. As an aside, I have not seen the description text...
This option is currently unaccessable
...displayed in-game either. Also, shame on the translator for misspelling "inaccessible". :wacky:

While I have not unlocked any unused/online-only menus I had fun and edited two of the main options into "Friend List" and "System" just so we can see what it would look like.

K4QKvG3.png


Mmm, that's a mouth-watering sneak peek.


The Japanese International version is slightly richer as the JP KelStr also includes the online-only option インフォメーション [Information]. But there are still many online-only menu options that I am yet to see in RAM. Hopefully they do still exist in the data.

ランキング
[Ranking]

グループ
[Group]

キャラクターピック
[Pick Character]

トレード
[Trade]

バトルエントリー
[Battle Entry]

リザルト
[Result]
 
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Tenshin26100

A fan of Betas/Demos
Because I could finally get my hands on a new scanner, I've decided to scan the entire manual of the DoC Beta that Square released. The pictures are extremely small, but I tried my best to make them look as decent as possible. There is a full PlayOnline set of unseen before screenshots too in the manual. Because of the 20 images limitations, I will post them in more than one post. It took me a lot of time to scan this manual btw. I hope it is fine. I also believe the manual has never been shared in high quality before.
At least, if our dear Shademp say so, that means it's true :desucait:

Play Online Screenshots :







Gameplay Screenshots :



 
Thanks to Tenshin's amazing work it is far easier to make observations from the content of the beta manual. I can't recall if I mentioned this earlier but this bit from page 24 of the manual remains a favorite section due to what it clears up.

p24-excerpt.jpg

状態異常の種類とアイコン

バインド(移動不可)   リレイズ(死亡時復活)
フラッシュ(画面やきつき)   アレイズ(死亡時復活、HPMAX)

[Google Translate]

Status abnormalities and icons

Bind (unable to move)   Re-raise (resurrection at the time of death)
Flash (screen flash)   Raise (Resurrection on Death, HPMAX)
---


There is no evidence of the "Bind" status effect ever being used but it does add context to the unused Bind Materia which has no functionality on the game disc. The Flash effect wouldn't be used until the 2006 era of the online multiplayer but we don't know if the icon for this "status effect" was ever used. Although the Flash Materia doesn't do anything in the offline game I'm still holding out hope that the memory for getting it to work exists somewhere on the game disc, waiting to be re-implemented. I distinctly recall unlocking the 2D status icons for Bind and Flash in the past but somehow I've lost those snapshots.
EDIT: Okay here they are in this post.
7gUs6YX.png



Moving on to something completely different, it seems weird in hindsight that I didn't realize how many of the addresses I found for Dirge of Cerberus were actually Float variables. For example I kept using 4-byte (or sometimes 8-byte) Integers for Vincent's running speed, jump height etc and didn't question how oddly high and arbitrary the values seemed to be. Knowing now that these are Float variables, adjusting- and finding values is far more elegant.

The address and value for Vincent's running speed in the Japanese Original had long eluded me but now I know it's a Float variable with a value of 50. In developer interviews- and announcements it was said that Vincent's running speed was increased by 1.2 for later releases. This is correct: Vincent's running speed post-JORG is 60.

When Vincent's running speed is further increased in the Extra Missions "Vincent the Beast" and "Two-Handed" it is changed from 60 to 100. If you want to phase through electromagnetic barriers you'll want to change the speed to 1500 or higher.


Playing further with floats I found and adjusted values for aim-zoom, both with scope and without.

Zoom-in values for different scopes:
Sniper Scope [Single Player] - 8
Sniper Scope [Multiplayer] - 6
OS5 [Sniper Scope+] - 3
OS6 [Sniper Scope-] - 8

This matches in-game observations that the degree of zoom between offline Sniper Scope and the online Sniper Scope- (minus) are the same.

The lower the value, the deeper the zoom. Ergo at value 0 you'll be zooming into the very edges of the map, seeing either blackness or flickering textures. Will you see Vincent if you lower the depth of the zoom enough? No. Everything from where Vincent is standing and behind is a huge blind spot.

g14WgQa.png


DEz15Gh.png

Increasing the zoom value stretches the perspective into infinity until everything is black...and increasing the value further (or going below 0) has visibility return...but everything is turned upside down (or more precisely, everything is rotated 180 degrees).

oeVJH3M.png


DgtZPU5.png

So that's humorous and analogous to real-life lens physics.


In adjacent addresses I could also adjust the no-scope aim to set it wherever I want, even without using the analog sticks. Convenient for if you want to explore areas from afar and even check their appearances before being properly loaded.

SZfa4W8.png
 
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In an old post I talk about how in the online mode players could drop items on the field for others to pick up...or just to express themselves artistically. :monster: The menu option to perform this, 置く ["Put/Place/Set"], is never available in the offline game.

While I still can't perform the actual item "Drop", I did find that each item has their own switch in memory that sets the Drop option to on or off.

PsSILde.png
  
3mHGw9S.png


Selecting the option leads either to a completely empty menu screen or that same screen with the text "!!na!!" on it.

NlrAFoK.png


EuFRtqu.png


You are allowed to leave this screen but no item drop will have been performed. I have tried to drop Handgun Bullets and Potion (both Single Player and Multiplayer variations) but with no success. Hopefully one day I'll be able to do a deep dive into the assembler and figure out what the game is checking for here.

Albeit a small discovery I quite enjoy seeing yet another tiny aspect of the online mode revealed this way.
 
The heavier the player's equipment, the slower they will move while aiming. If too heavy then the player will not be able to move from the spot at all from where they chose to raise their aim.

The weight, or "WT", number displayed in the game's menus is a signed 2-byte integer. This variable does not impact the actual weight. That honor goes to a float variable. With the Single Player equipment however it is consistent that a WT of 30 is equals to an actual weight of 1. The only exception is Death Penalty which in the menu is said to have a WT of 500 but the actual weight is 1.

At what point will the equipment be so heavy that the player can't move? I have only determined this down to three decimal points. Naturally all this only concerns the Single Player.

JORG:    131.651 (WT 3949,53)​
Post-JORG:  179.167 (WT 5375,01)​

Interestingly the heaviest Vincent's total equipment can get in the post-JORG game (without cheating) is 146 (WT 4380). Meaning it's impossible to reach the point of critical mass in those versions. Equipment weight were not changed between the North American, European and International releases.

Meanwhile in the Japanese Original it is quite possible to reach critical mass. Add to that Vincent is more sensitive to weight increase in that version. For comparison, this setup (which you'll experience in chapter 1 of the game)...
Cerberus - 18 (WT 540)
Long Barrel - 55 (WT 1650)
Totalt weight: 73 (WT 2190)
...will halt Vincent to slow walking speed in JORG, while in post-JORG you will notice no slow-down.


For funsies, here are the actual weights of all equipment items in Dirge of Cerberus, including online- and unused items. From heaviest to lightest.

Code:
Version: Post-JORG

Actual Weight  - Name
70    Caol
70    Revis
60    Scarlet Custom
60    Tlemill
60    Ockdhu
60    S Auto Scope
55    Clynel
55    Power Booster Revo
55    Rapidfire Unit Revo
55    Long Barrel
54    OF31
50    Rouge X
50    OB9
50    Auto Scope Revo
48    Bror
48    OF30
45    Blast Machine Gun
45    Grogono
45    Terashima
45    Rouge Prime
44    Balmen
41    OF29
40    Tomin
40    Farran
40    Rouge
40    Power Booster
40    Rapidfire Unit
40    Long Barrel II
40    Long Barrel III
40    Long Barrel β
40    Long Barrel γ
40    Nova L Barrel
38    Ullman
38    Foresythe
35    Auto Scope
35    Auto Reloader
35    Hydra
35    Hydra II
35    Hydra III
35    P Hydra
35    P Hydra γ
35    Gigant Hydra
35    Griffon
35    Griffon II
35    P Griffon
35    P Griffon β
35    P Griffon γ
35    Dueling Griffon
34    Stenberg
30    Elgarial
30    Nelson
30    Hopcroft
30    Manaheart
30    M Griffon
30    M Griffon β
28    Broken Handgun
27    Vernis X
27    S Griffon
27    S Griffon β
25    Sniper Scope
25    Sniper Scope
25    Power Booster
25    Power Booster β
25    Power Booster γ
25    Auto Reloader
25    SO10
25    SO11
24    Caballerial
24    Steelfish
20    Bayonet Rifle
20    Vernis Prime
20    OA15
20    OA16
20    Normal Barrel
20    Normal Barrel II
20    Normal Barrel III
20    Normal Barrel β
20    SS5
20    Manamind
19    S Hydra
19    M Hydra
19    M Hydra γ
19    Velvet Hydra
18    Shinra Handgun
18    Cerberus
18    Cerberus II
18    Cerberus III
18    P Cerberus
18    P Cerberus γ
17    S Griffon γ
17    M Griffon γ
16    Three Sixty
16    Seven Twenty
15    Materia Floater
15    OS5
15    Materia Booster
15    Guard N Barrel
15    Materia Floater
15    Materia Floater γ
15    Materia Booster
15    Materia Booster γ
14    Gatling Gun
14    OT1
14    OT2
14    OT3
14    Powered Cerberus
14    S Cerberus
14    S Cerberus γ
14    M Cerberus
14    M Cerberus γ
14    Gatling Gun
13    Vernis
12    Five Fourty
12    Sniper Scope
12    Normal Barrel γ
12    Master N Barrel
12    Short Barrel
12    Short Barrel II
12    Short Barrel III
12    Short Barrel β
11    S Hydra γ
10    Sonic Griffon
10    One Eighty
10    Parfum
10    OS6
10    Recoil Limiter
10    OA14
10    Lucky S Barrel
10    SS4
10    Manasoul
10    Starry Griffon
8    Quantum Cerberus
8    Miller Flip
8    Short Barrel γ
5    Ringbank
5    Smith
5    Parfum Prime
5    Silencer
5    OA21
5    Fire Materia
5    Blizzard Materia
5    Thunder Materia
5    Cure Materia
5    Flash Materia
5    Bind Materia
5    Grenade Materia
5    SS2
4    Zero Cerberus
4    OB10
3    S Adjuster
3    M Adjuster
3    L Adjuster
3    Faerie L Barrel
2    Revo Guard Relief
2    Power Cross Revo
1    Model Gun
1    Silver Model Gun
1    Gold Model Gun
1    Ultima Weapon
1    Feather Hydra
1    Alley-Oop
1    Parfum X
1    Materia Booster β
1    Guard Relief
1    Power Cross
1    S Adjuster Revo
1    M Adjuster Revo
1    L Adjuster Revo
1    Limit Breaker
1    Limit Breaker Revo
1    SB7
1    SB15
1    Gale S Barrel
1    SB23
1    SS9
1    SO14
1    SO15
1    SO16
1    SO17
1    SO18
1    Motion Detector
1    Item Radar
1    Composite Radar
1    Quickturn
1    Cerberus Relief
1    Cerberus Relief β
1    Cerberus Relief γ
1    SA16
1    SA17
1    SA18
1    S Adjuster
1    S Adjuster γ
1    SA21
1    M Adjuster
1    M Adjuster γ
1    SA24
1    L Adjuster
1    L Adjuster γ
1    SA27
1    SA28
1    SA29
1    SA30
1    SA31
1    SA32
1    SA33
1    Power Cross
1    Power Cross β
1    Power Cross γ
1    SA37
1    SA38
1    Recoil Limiter
1    Silencer
1    Fire Materia
1    Blizzard Materia
1    Thunder Materia
1    Fire Materia
1    Blizzard Materia
1    Thunder Materia
1    Death Penalty
0    Handgun Bullets
0    Rifle Bullets
0    Machine Gun Bullets
0    Death Penalty Bullets
0    Bullet 4
0    Bullet 5
0    Bullet 6
0    Bullet 7
0    OO8
0    OO9
0    OO10
0    OO11
0    OO12
0    OA17
0    OA18
0    OA19
0    OA20
0    OA22
0    Auto Scope
0    S Auto Scope
0    SA44
0    SA45
0    SA46
0    Cure Materia
0    Blind Materia
0    Bind Materia
0    Grenade Materia
-20    Gravity Floater
-40    Gravity Floater
-40    Gravity Floater β
-70    Gravity Floater γ
 
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If it wasn't already obvious I've been looking into memory regions devoted to the traits of various items, in particular the equipment items. The region for equipment items appear in the same spot in memory every time you load the game: 21FAB398 - 21FB28C7. Each item has 120 bytes devoted to it. The addresses are the same for all post-JORG versions. The only difference in JORG is that the memory region is longer to accomodate for three additional equipment items. These accessory items were changed post-JORG into the EX File ①, EX File ② & EX File ③ items (which are not equippable).

Here is what each offset does in a given region devoted to an equipment item.

Offsets described as simply "Unknown" have 0 as their default value for all equipment items. With these I can't determine if they are extensions of previous variables or what function they might have. It is also possible that these bytes hold no function at all.


Code:
* = Signed Variable
Byte, 2-Byte and 4-Byte all refer to Integer variables.

Offset - Variable Type - Description

00    4-Byte    Item ID
04    Byte      Auto-Fire, Sniper-Scope-Zoom, Silencer, Recoil, Auto-Lock [JORG only]
05    Byte      Bullet Damage On/Off, Auto Reloading & Quickturn
06    Byte      Able-to-equip, Gatling Mode, Automatic Aim (S Auto Scope), Manual Aim, MP Restoration
07              Unknown
08              Intended for the defunct Motion Detector, Item Radar and Composite Radar
09              Unknown
0A              Unknown
0B              Unknown
0C              Enemy knock-back effect
0D              Unknown
0E              Unknown
0F              Unknown
10              Item Equipment ID (Separate from initial Item ID)
11              Unknown
12    Byte      Equipment Type
13    Byte      Magic Type
14    Byte      Materia Lvl & Weapon Type [Weapon model, 2D silhouette ammo consumed etc].
15              Unknown
16    Byte      Bullets/Shot
17    Byte      MP Restoration Rate
18    Float     Bullet Range
1C    Float     Bullet scattering, short-range accuracy
20    Float     Bullet scattering, mid-range accuracy
24    Float     Bullet scattering, long-range accuracy
28    Float     Recoil Amount
2C    Float     Bullet Speed
30    Float     Weight [Actual]
34    Float     Sniper Scope Zoom
38    Float     Auto-lock sensitivity [Only functional in JORG]
3C              Unknown (3C - 3F might be a Float variable)
3D              Unknown
3E              Unknown
3F              Unknown
40    2-Byte*   Base Power [Actual]
42    2-Byte*   Button Press to Fired Shot: Delay
44    2-Byte*   Firing Rate: Minimum delay between shots
46              Indicator of gun type: Gatling, Handgun, Machine Gun or Rifle.
47              Unknown
48    2-Byte*   Ammo Round Cap
4A    Byte*     Enemy knock-back adjuster
4B    Byte      Unknown
4C    2-Byte*   Power Increase/Decrease
4E    2-Byte    Speed Increase
50    2-Byte    M Adjuster
52    2-Byte*   Range Adjuster. Unused!
54    2-Byte*   Recoil Adjuster
56    2-Byte*   Melee Increase/Decrease
58    2-Byte*   POW [Number Only]
5A    2-Byte*   WT [Number Only]
5C    2-Byte*   SPD [Number Only]
5E    2-Byte*   RNG [Number Only]
60    2-Byte    S Adjuster
62    2-Byte    L Adjuster
64    2-Byte*   Magic Power Increase/Decrease
66              Accessories SA14, SA15, SA16, SA17, SA18 use this offset but the intended function is unknown.
67              Unknown
68    2-Byte*   Defense Increase/Decrease
6A    2-Byte    EXP Gain Boost
6C    2-Byte*   S RNG [Number & Letter Only]
6E    2-Byte*   M RNG [Number & Letter Only]
70    2-Byte*   L RNG [Number & Letter Only]
72              Unknown
73              Unknown
74              Unknown
75              Unknown
76              Unknown
77              Unknown
78    4-Byte    NEXT Item ID

The same structure above is actually used for memory regions devoted to the traits in Vincent's weapon slots. That's where you'll find things like Vincent's total weight, total power, total bullet range etc.


Thanks to this deeper knowledge it is far easier for me to investigate esoteric things like bullet range- and accuracy. On that topic, it appears that the L Adjuster and L Adjuster γ accessories are broken/glitched/nerfed. Not only is it impossible to acquire perfect long-range accuracy, but sometimes equipping L Adjuster γ will cause zero improvement. In certain cases neither L Adjuster nor L Adjuster γ improved the ACTUAL long-range accuracy. Wouldn't surprise me if this effect is wholly unintended.


It was of course a neat easter egg to find the byte devoted to the unused, defunct items Motion Detector, Item Radar and Composite Radar. Value-wise...
Motion Detector = 2
Item Radar = 4
Composite Radar = 6

What's actually going on here, same as with many other offsets in this list, is that certain bits set qualities to on or off.

Decimal → Binary
2 → 00000010
4 → 00000100
6 → 00000110

You can thus see which bit was assigned to activate the Motion Detector and which bit was reserved for the Item Radar. Of course in the end these items are still defunct.

Offset 52, Range Adjuster, is by default set to 0 for all equipment items, ergo it's unused. Frankly I would have preferred an accessory that increases the range of your gun rather than adjusting accuracy. It is easier to determine if shots are far-reaching enough than to determine whether your bullets are scattering too much in short- mid- or long range. That really is the fundamental problem with the whole short- mid- and long range deal: The player has pretty much no way to determine where the transitions are between short- mid- and long range. Graphical highlights of some sort would have helped immensely.

Offset 66 is yet another mystery. Values are used here for only a few unused accessories but I have not been able to figure out the function. Like with the Detector/Radar items, it is quite possible that the function is no longer present at all.


In the Japanese original you can't activate MP restoration via these offsets. This is somewhat expected since the items for gradual MP restoration, Manaheart/Manamind/Manasoul, was only introduced post-JORG. What's odd though is that offset 17 in the original Japanese game is set to the value 12 (decimal) for EVERY equipment item. Once again, I have no idea why.

...and so and so forth. In short I can't guarantee that I'll find every secret hidden in these bytes but I have still found plenty to make me happy.
 
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In the vicinity of the same static addresses I've been investigating were the mappings to the traits of each magic spell. This gave me the keys to unlock traits normally only seen in the online mode.

- Fire spell parabolic trajectory
- Cure spell GFX and restoration effect



Observing the RAM, each magic has 108 bytes devoted to it.

1ZTaBBc.png

The bit I refer to as "Dummy" [21FB62DC - 21FB6347] is what multiple unused materia accessories utilize, including the Cure materia. All it does is deal tiny damage and instantly generate firey smoke wherever you aim and fire. The online/multiplayer-version of the Fire Materia utilizes the same spot in memory as the single player Fire Materia does [21FB6348 - 21FB63B3].

Fortunately, adjacent areas held blueprints for unlocking the parabolic trajectory and (kind of) unlocking the Cure spell. The unlock method was to copy-paste these bytes over the regions normally responsible for Fire Lv.1 and "Dummy" respectively.

Array of bytes that unlocked parabolic Fire trajectory:
Code:
15 04 00 00 01 00 1E 00 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 08 00 00 00 08 00 00 0C 08 00 FF FF FF FF CD CC CC 3E CD CC 4C 3E 9A 99 99 3F 00 00 80 3F 62 73 6A 5F 31 30 39 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 62 73 6A 5F 31 31 31 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 80 BB 44 CD CC 4C 40 00 00 00 40 00 00 F0 41


Array of bytes that unlocked the Cure spell:
Code:
2E 00 00 00 04 00 1E 00 64 00 78 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 8C 43 00 60 08 00 00 58 08 00 00 2C 08 00 FF FF FF FF 33 33 33 3F CD CC CC 3E 00 00 20 40 00 00 80 3F 62 73 6A 5F 31 33 39 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 62 73 6A 5F 31 34 31 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 80 BB 44 00 00 D0 40 33 33 73 40 00 00 E8 41

The blueprints include the restoration effect (120 HP in this case) and the spell impact graphics but is incomplete in other ways. It does not use the correct value to summon an actual Cure spell projectile (only the impact explosion), but after much research I did find the correct address and a proper value to make the Cure projectile visible. The blueprint does refer to the sound effects for the Cure spell but all you'll get is silence. This is either because the sound files have been deleted or because the game doesn't know how to access them. Because of this I added the Mega/X-Potion sound effect for the impact sfx of the spell. I figured the recording would feel more satisfactory that way.
:monster:


The jury is still out on whether the Flash spell can be unlocked. Most offsets for the magic traits are still a confusing mess to me and we don't have any recorded footage of the Flash spell being used so there's nothing to compare with. It is also possible that the Flash effect was created in some esoteric fashion. For example when I hacked the Fire spell to be larger than the entire map (I felt like I was summoning Meteor!) that naturally enveloped the area in whiteness...followed by burning flame. :wacky:


I most certainly feel like the God of Dirge right now. Countless times, both in waking and sleeping hours, I've dreamt of unlocking these aspects of the online mode and now that day finally came.
 
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On this day, 13 years ago, Dirge of Cerberus was released in Japan. Seems like a good Dirge day to make a good Dirge post. :awesomonster:

Skipping the more in-depth details for now, what began as a quest to understand the flags that set Omega- and G Reports to your inventory ended up showing keys to unlock a few cutscenes from the online mode which are not available in the Event Viewer. Whoever provides a proper translation of the Japanese text has my gratitude, as always. ^_^




!!na!!:貴様のような者から、その言葉が出るとはな
!!na!!:《寥々たる秋毫の道》、
あまり聞かぬコードネームだが、
もちろん、知っている
!!na!!:このエリア1の教官が不在時に私が、
指示を出すことになっているが……

Officer-East:しゅ、しゅーちゅうするら…… ちゅうちゅう?

!!na!!:なるほどな。
あれでは、不在と変わらぬか……
!!na!!:では、Argento殿より指示ありし時は、
私が《寥々たる秋毫の道》へ通じる
ミッションを許可しよう

Speaker names/titles are provided from the KelStr file and on the retail releases of DCFFVII almost none of the online NPCs have their names preserved there. Ergo why the officer who does most of the speaking here has a speaker name that reads 'not/none available'. Viewing the game's memory, the speaker name is represented as "$o0008". Each online NPC is assigned a different "$o000X" number.

The third video embedded in this post takes place in Area/Sector 2 (the southern lobby) where Officer-South resides. The Officer speaking there has the internal speaker name "$o0008" so I'm going to assume it represents the deleted/lost speaker name "Officer-South".





Officer-South:貴様のような者から、その言葉が出るとはな
Officer-South:《寥々たる秋毫の道》、
あまり聞かぬコードネームだが、
もちろん、知っている
Officer-South:このエリア1の教官が不在時に私が、
指示を出すことになっているが……
Officer-South:?!
Officer-South:な、なるほど、いきなり彼では、
荷も重いというものか……
Officer-South:では、Argento殿より指示ありし時は、
私が《寥々たる秋毫の道》へ通じる
ミッションを許可しよう




The normal way the start of Scene 4 plays is in Area/Sector 1 of Deepground rather than Area/Sector 2.

Nothing new needs translation here since the text for this alternate intro to Scene 4 is the same as the default version.

Officer-South: 彼らは、先ほど、ツヴィエートになった。
しかし、それは頂点ということではない
Officer-South:これからも、更に最強を
目指し邁進するであろう
Officer-South: ただ、強くなればなるだけ、
敵も多くなるのだがな……


Officer-South: Those two recently became Tsviets.
But that doesn't mean that they've reached the top.
Officer-South: They'll have to work even harder to become the strongest from here on.
Officer-South: However, the enemies they face will become even more powerful and numerous.




あなたの、実力では、まだ勝てないようですね……
準備ができたら、再び戻りなさい……


GOOGLE TRANSLATE
It seems you can not win yet with your ability…
When you are ready, please return again…

Scene 12 is represented by the value 125 and Scene 13 is represented by the value 127. The above hidden scene is right in the middle of these at the value 126.

Scene 12 leads on to the fight against one of the Restrictors, in the online mission The Price of Control. The way Shelke speaks make me think that what I unlocked is a Game Over screen for if you lose in the battle against the Restrictor.

I wish you could have seen my face when I found this brief sequence. It was the first of these four cutscene revelations that I found and it was quite the transcendent experience.



Scene value 7 unlocked two error messages, depending on where in the Event Viewer you made your selection while this scene value was locked on with the use of Cheat Engine.

qkyteaY.png


このイベントは、
次回の更新まで見ることが出来ません。

引き続き、マルチプレイをお楽しみください


GOOGLE TRANSLATE:
This event can not be seen until the next update.

Continue to enjoy Multiplayer



bIBKbVf.png


FLAG ERROR!!!

現在、記憶の断片から、
このイベントを見る事は出来ません。
マルチプレイをお楽しみください


GOOGLE TRANSLATE:
FLAG ERROR!!!

Currently, you can not see this event
from memory fragments.
Please enjoy multiplay

I have no idea if any player of the online mode ever saw these error messages.


There are limitations to the hack that allowed me to unlock this wonderful content and there are still many variables unaccounted for. In other words I do not know how many more scenes remain to be unlocked.
 

Strangelove

AI Researcher
AKA
hitoshura
i did a translation for the first scene:

!!na!!: I would not have expected to hear those words from the likes of you
!!na!!: “The Few and Meagre Paths”
It's not a codename one hears often,

but needless to say I know it.
!!na!!:When the instructor for Area-1 is absent,
it falls to me to give direction...

Officer-East: F-focus... cus-cus?

!!na!!: I see.
That's as good as absent, I suppose...
!!na!!: Then when we have direction from Lady Argento,
I shall approve the mission that leads to
“The Few and Meagre Paths.”

i don't know if a translation already exists for 寥々たる秋毫の道 (there's a second meaning for 寥々 which would render it something like 'few lonesome/lonely paths').


the second scene only changes two lines

Officer-South: ?!

Officer-South: I-I see, is this too heavy a burden
to be put upon him so abruptly...

i would also disagree with the last line of that scene that was already translated:

Officer-South: However, the enemies they face will become even more powerful and numerous.
> However, the stronger you become, the more enemies you find...
 
Thank you so much hito! The translations have now been added as subtitles. ^_^

寥々たる秋毫の道 hasn't been translated anywhere prior to now, far as I can tell. It does seemingly clear something up from Cloze's blog which is the only other place (outside of the newly unlocked cutscene) that it's mentioned in the archived material.

ミッション中、鳥を倒した時まれに「飾り気のないピアス」を落とすことがある。
これをLjungberyに渡すと信頼が得られる。

Argentoからミッション「寥々たる秋毫の道」の許可が下りる。
Officer-Eastへ話すようにいわれるので、はなすとイベント。
Google Translate said:
During a mission, when you kill a bird in rare cases it may drop "Plain Earrings".
Passing this to Ljungbery gains confidence.
Argento gives permission for the mission "The Few and Meagre Paths".

As it is said to talk to Officer-East, it is an event to tell.
What confused me was that no other material references a mission by that name. But now thanks to the unlocked cutscene and hito's translation we can say with some confidence that 《 寥々たる秋毫の道》 is merely a codename for something else and not a mission name in its own right. I would wager that the player knows this codename because it was revealed to them either by Ljungbery or Argento.

The now defunct Japanese FF Strategy website had guides to the DCFFVII Multiplayer, including a chart on how to progress in the story. The progression matches with what is described- or hinted at in player blogs. However even when looking at the progression of unlocked online missions it isn't clear what "The Few and Meagre/Lonesome/Lonely Paths" might be referring to. The only "lonely" aspect here is that the two subsequent missions you unlocked, Monster Box and then The Stolen Secret, only have a maximum of 1 player participant each. The full context of the codename may only be revealed once more online NPC text has been uncovered.
 
The memory address that unlocked the previously unseen online mode cutscenes is part of a memory region I like to call "The 64 Flag Addresses". Here are these addresses, represented with the numbers 01 - 64, and their confirmed functions.

Code:
01 - Stage Mission Chapter
02 - Chapter 1: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
03 - Chapter 2: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
04 - Chapter 3: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
05 - Chapter 4: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
06 - Chapter 5: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
07 - Chapter 6: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
08 - Chapter 7 & 8: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
09 - Chapter 9: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
10 - Chapter 10: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
11 - Chapter 11: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
12 - Chapter 12: Story/Gameplay/Stage Mission Progression
13 - Unknown
14 - Signal to activate Nth Stage Mission in Status Menu
15 - Unknown
16 - Unknown
17 - Unknown
18 - Unknown purpose. Set to 1 briefly when Ch5-3 cutscene begins.
19 - Load zone models, music etc: Y/N
20 - Unknown
21 - Chapter 7: Shelke respective cutscenes On/Off
22 - Unknown
23 - Chapter 7-2: Lower Decks cutscene has happened, Y/N
24 - Unknown
25 - Have spoken to one of three particular WRO members in the Lower Decks, Y/N
26 - Chapter 7: Cid respective cutscenes On/Off
27 - Chapter 7: Yuffie respective cutscenes On/Off
28 - Chapter 7: Reeve respective cutscenes On/Off
29 - Load Shera Sick Bay / Lower Decks data when moving between the two, Y/N
30 - Unknown
31 - Set to 1 unless you are in Tutorial Mode or just selected a New Game. Unknown purpose.
32 - Chapter 4 Stage Mission "Time to WRO Command" result: Saved for Cait Sith Ch 7-2 flag.
33 - Unknown
34 - Chapter 5-2 flag: Sets to 1 if Cait Sith gets KO'd. Saved for Cait Sith Ch 7-2 flag.
35 - Cait Sith Chapter 7-2 Scene: Line Variation [Number 5 is alive / Number 6 ready for action / Number 7 nice to meet you]
36 - Nth Extra Mission picked and currently playing
37 - Antecedents: Cutscene Value
38 - Extra Features Menu(s). Default cursor positions & menu "scenes": Shalua greeting & Congratulations screen.
39 - Unknown
40 - Unknown
41 - Chapter 1: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
42 - Chapter 2: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
43 - Chapter 3: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
44 - Chapter 4: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
45 - Omega Reports Collected
46 - G Reports Collected
47 - Chapter 5: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
48 - Chapter 6: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
49 - Chapter 8-1: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
50 - Chapter 8-2: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
51 - Chapter 9: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
52 - Chapter 10: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
53 - Chapter 11: Sum of Stage Mission Rankings
54 - Unknown
55 - Unknown
56 - Current/Most-recent 2D image of Tutorial Slide in Ch1 & Ch3
57 - Stage Mission #1 Score: Current
58 - Stage Mission #2 Score: Current
59 - Stage Mission #3 Score: Current
60 - Stage Mission #4 Score: Current
61 - Unknown
62 - Unknown
63 - Unknown
64 - Unknown

Needless to say, quite an enlightening and useful memory region for cheats. Not all addresses can be used for cheating though. Address 36 for example can't influence what Extra Mission you get teleported to. It is only a mute counter, where the first Extra Mission is #0 and the 46th Extra Mission is #45.

Address 37 is what was used for the recently unlocked multiplayer cutscenes. However, you can't magically unlock every possible cutscene (and every variation) from cutscene values in the Antecedents or in other places of the Event Viewer. There are too many flags and objects specific to game zones, not contained with this region of "64 Flag Addresses".

Thanks to Address 14 it is easy to unlock both of the unused Stage Missions into the Status Menu: "Information Gathered" for Chapter 7 and "Bullets Obtained" for Chapter 12.

ZLoeI0M.png


ZCQVXHr.png

I had actually unlocked this unused text via different cheats not too long ago by referencing text IDs. This included changing the text for the transition that signals the start of a Stage Mission.

Ui2ITqX.png



RgqTEUL.png



I can't say for certain if the intended maximum score for both these unused stage missions is indeed 30, as indicated by the way that I "unlocked" the Stage Missions using the flag addresses. No matter what I've done there hasn't been any way to stack points in the "Information Gathered" or "Bullets Obtained" score board. Talking to NPCs on the Shera (where I am convinced this SM belongs) does nothing and the only reason that there is a score of 2/30 in the Bullets Obtained snapshot is because of a rather amusing fact: Chapter 12 keeps in memory all the Stage Mission results from Chapter 11. This data never goes away for all of Chapter 12!

I distinctly remember being able to unlock the "Information Gathered" SM where the default cap score was 3 and that this only happened for the second half of Chapter 7. For some reason I am completely unable to replicate that result at this moment. However even if I did replicate that I would not be certain of the true score cap or if there is indeed a way to "gather information on Midgar" and get a score accordingly.



Address 35 was a massive joy to uncover, since thanks to that one I can unlock any version of the Cait Sith scene in Chapter 7-2. Value-wise...
0 = Number 5 is alive!
1 = Number 6, ready for action!
2 = Number 7. Nice to meet you!

In the past I could only unlock the "Number 7" variation by changing the voice- and text IDs (which would then inevitably freeze the game) but now I can change the underlying flag!

More joy was found with Address 32. When you clear Chapter 4, the result gained from the Stage Mission "Time to WRO Command" is saved here. The faster you get to Reeve's office the higher your score, with 4 being a perfect score and 0 being the worst.

Once gameplay starts in Chapter 7 the game will check Address 32 and this will then determine whether Cait Sith will say "Number 5 is alive!" or "Number 6, ready for action!".

If your score in "Time to WRO Command" was 0-2, Address 35 is set to value 1.
If your score in "Time to WRO Command" was 3-4, Address 35 is set to value 0.

To have at long last confirmed with reliability this if-condition is a huge success. The bittersweet part is that the conditions for activating the "Number 7" line without cheats remains unknown despite the extensive testing I've performed. The game really, really doesn't want me to figure this one out. :wacky: But it's only a matter of time before even this secret is demystified.
 
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Clement Rage

Pro Adventurer
Vindication at last! Funny enough, I always assumed the responses had to do with the Cait Sith stealth missions. So at least one Cait dies if you don't get there quick enough in ch 4, interesting.

Y'know, the impression I'm getting from all of this is that Dirge is quite well designed.
 
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