Shademp
420
FFVII is filled with many secrets; both of the very interesting and trivial kind. By searching the game's files, using programs like 7mimic and Meteor, you can look at all the pre-rendered backgrounds of the game and their animations. Even some that were never used. Here is a list of those things we never saw in the actual game.
a) Unused Cargo Ship field
b) Unused animations
c) What was there but not fully seen
a) Unused Cargo Ship field
This area can actually be walked about on; you can walk up the stairs or even go through the door; however no animation exists. It may be speculated that this field was to be used for showing the Buggy parking in the cargo. Maybe it was scrapped to save loading times; who knows. (And yes, that's Cloud over there; I made him walk through the wall)
b) Unused animations
Note: Only the first ones are of great interest; the rest will be a growing list of trivial animations.
Northern Cave obstacle 01
This one shows a fallen stalactite blocking your path to the right. No intermediate animation exists; suggesting that either the full animation wasn't finished, or an action on a different screen was supposed to trigger the fall of the stalactite.
Northern Cave obstacle 02
Yet another obstacle that was never used. No intermediate animation. The Northern Cave was indeed originally planned to be even more complicated than it ended up being.
Mt. Nibel bridge
Even if you return to the bridge after it breaks in the flashback it will be whole again. Yet they had this animation/transition ready!
Corel Prison
We see three unused animations;
1) The removal of the iron bars that block the elevator up to Gold Saucer. Could have been used for a transitional scene when Ester takes you up.
2) The truck door. Although you can sleep here you never see the door open or close.
3) The backdoor to the Prison Pub. You can't enter this way in the game.
Link: http://iloapp.worldofbits.com/data/_gallery/public/16/1248387331_resized.jpg?width=932&height=464
c) What was there but not fully seen
The full scope of some of the pre-rendered backgrounds are not always seen in the game because your motion across the screen is limited. Here I show the most surprising cases.
Rooms to the right in Honey Bee Inn
There are actually animations to enter these occupied rooms; however when you enter them they magically cease to be occupied.
What's interesting is that you view this exact screen, although darkened, through a keyhole; but the keyhole should be in the red door you see to the left. So the perspective is contradictory.
Huge Battle Arena
Seeing the whole field gives more of a 'battle-cage' feeling. The background shows a crowd that apparently is supposed to watch your battles however their view of your cage is kinda construed, isn't it?
The upper level area would be walkable if you could get there, as seen through this walkmesh from Meteor;
http://iloapp.worldofbits.com/data/_gallery/public/16/1248632567_resized.jpg?width=640&height=476
Corel Valley's mystery cave
Chances are the reader has been perplexed by this area in which there seems to be an unreachable cave entrance.
http://iloapp.worldofbits.com/data/_gallery/public/16/1251480829_resized.jpg?width=265&height=464
Truth is that this cave entrance does not lead anywhere at all even though the area is theoretically traversable as seen in this walkmesh.
Indeed it leads into the very 'cave'. While many impossible-to-reach spots exists in numerous areas of the game it is not illogical to speculate that this cave originally was not just meant to tease the player.
Northern Crater mako cave field
Technically, this field is unusued in the main game. Although you see it in an fmv (the one where Sephiroth's cocoon drops), this actual still-image is not used outside of the debug room (in which the lower portion of this background can be seen).
One can easily imagine that this background was supposed to act as a transition to the aforementioned fmv but as we know the fmv instead starts on an earlier screen.
END
7mimic is the best one for viewing all the animations of the pre-rendered background, while Meteor shows where the environment can let you traverse. 7mimic and Meteor work for the PSX and PC version respectively.
a) Unused Cargo Ship field
b) Unused animations
c) What was there but not fully seen
a) Unused Cargo Ship field
This area can actually be walked about on; you can walk up the stairs or even go through the door; however no animation exists. It may be speculated that this field was to be used for showing the Buggy parking in the cargo. Maybe it was scrapped to save loading times; who knows. (And yes, that's Cloud over there; I made him walk through the wall)
b) Unused animations
Note: Only the first ones are of great interest; the rest will be a growing list of trivial animations.
Northern Cave obstacle 01
This one shows a fallen stalactite blocking your path to the right. No intermediate animation exists; suggesting that either the full animation wasn't finished, or an action on a different screen was supposed to trigger the fall of the stalactite.
Northern Cave obstacle 02
Yet another obstacle that was never used. No intermediate animation. The Northern Cave was indeed originally planned to be even more complicated than it ended up being.
Mt. Nibel bridge
Even if you return to the bridge after it breaks in the flashback it will be whole again. Yet they had this animation/transition ready!
Corel Prison
We see three unused animations;
1) The removal of the iron bars that block the elevator up to Gold Saucer. Could have been used for a transitional scene when Ester takes you up.
2) The truck door. Although you can sleep here you never see the door open or close.
3) The backdoor to the Prison Pub. You can't enter this way in the game.
Link: http://iloapp.worldofbits.com/data/_gallery/public/16/1248387331_resized.jpg?width=932&height=464
c) What was there but not fully seen
The full scope of some of the pre-rendered backgrounds are not always seen in the game because your motion across the screen is limited. Here I show the most surprising cases.
Rooms to the right in Honey Bee Inn
There are actually animations to enter these occupied rooms; however when you enter them they magically cease to be occupied.
What's interesting is that you view this exact screen, although darkened, through a keyhole; but the keyhole should be in the red door you see to the left. So the perspective is contradictory.
Huge Battle Arena
Seeing the whole field gives more of a 'battle-cage' feeling. The background shows a crowd that apparently is supposed to watch your battles however their view of your cage is kinda construed, isn't it?
The upper level area would be walkable if you could get there, as seen through this walkmesh from Meteor;
http://iloapp.worldofbits.com/data/_gallery/public/16/1248632567_resized.jpg?width=640&height=476
Corel Valley's mystery cave
Chances are the reader has been perplexed by this area in which there seems to be an unreachable cave entrance.
http://iloapp.worldofbits.com/data/_gallery/public/16/1251480829_resized.jpg?width=265&height=464
Truth is that this cave entrance does not lead anywhere at all even though the area is theoretically traversable as seen in this walkmesh.
Indeed it leads into the very 'cave'. While many impossible-to-reach spots exists in numerous areas of the game it is not illogical to speculate that this cave originally was not just meant to tease the player.
Northern Crater mako cave field
Technically, this field is unusued in the main game. Although you see it in an fmv (the one where Sephiroth's cocoon drops), this actual still-image is not used outside of the debug room (in which the lower portion of this background can be seen).
One can easily imagine that this background was supposed to act as a transition to the aforementioned fmv but as we know the fmv instead starts on an earlier screen.
END
7mimic is the best one for viewing all the animations of the pre-rendered background, while Meteor shows where the environment can let you traverse. 7mimic and Meteor work for the PSX and PC version respectively.
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