The Darkness of Shinra – Deepground’s History Revealed
by Makoeyes987 September 6, 2009 0 comments
Deepground.
This location has been the most esoteric plot addition to the Compilation of FFVII for Western fans, due to the lack of an international release of Dirge of Cerberus’s short lived Multiplayer mode.
Following the release of the single player Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus in Japan in 2005, an online mode was established to enable fans of the title to use their honed skills to do battle in a multiplayer environment based on the world and characters created by the original. Dirge of Cerberus: Online allowed the player to delve deeper into the history of the secret facility of Deepground, and of the antagonists of the single player mode; the Tsviets. The player controlled a newly-recruited Deepground SOLDIER entangled in the conspiracy that led to the eventual seizure of power by the Tsviets. Unfortunately, many secrets regarding its back story, NPCs, and overall plot have been lost due to its subsequent canceling on September 29, 2006, after a mere 7 months of service.
However, S & G, has been able to accumulate numerous images and some hard to find details regarding the intricacies of this online mode’s storyline, and has compiled a lengthy synopsis of the history of Deepground and what US fans might have missed in this rare, and now completely out of production chapter of the Compilation of FFVII. You can read his awesome history synopsis, with some hard to find screenshots below.
The Shinra Company
Shinra Manufacturing Works was originally established as a weapons manufacturer, but on September 23, 1959, this company’s future would be changed forever upon the discovery of a new form of energy; Mako energy. The utilization of Mako as an energy source was an evolution in the basic standard of living for people across Planet, and the Shinra Company was quick to monopolize their discovery. Over time, Shinra was able to grow rapidly as the world’s dominant power, achieving unrivaled commercial, economical and political status. The process of extracting Mako from the Mako mines and turning it into electricity proved costly but highly profitable, and the Company constructed their first cost-effective Mako Reactor in the Nibel Mountains in 1968. Shinra Manufacturing Works became Shinra Electric Power Company, absorbing all competition, and expanding to encompass new fields of study. One such field was that of biological and biochemical research.
In 1976, the Shinra Electric Power Company began the construction of a Plate above the city of Midgar as a location to centralize the Company with a modernized headquarters at the heart of the Plate. The vast upper-city was designed to house the growing support and investment base of Shinra, powered by eight enormous Mako Reactors around its circumference. However, unknown to most, commencement on the construction of a secret facility in the caverns below Midgar took place simultaneously. The complex was primarily established as an infirmary for injured SOLDIERs, powered by its own Mako Reactor – dubbed Mako Reactor 0. All records of its existence were locked away, accessible only by the senior members of the company. The facility became known as Deepground.
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Excellent job, Mako. You’ve used the images wisely.
Anyone in search of further info, feel free to PM me in the forums or email me at [email protected]
Hope you enjoyed the article
“In 1992, the Shinra Electric Power Company declared war on the Empire of Wutai when it denied Shinra permission to build a Mako Reactor on sacred Wutai grounds.”
This seems like an odd thing to focus on, I know, but I’ve gotta ask — is it implicitly stated anywhere that Wutai used to be an empire? If so, AWESOME.
“Conscious that their chosen subject would need to be one worthy of the rank of Tsviet and have a secret motive to want to kill the Restrictor of their training sector, Argento was ordered to identify an appropriate candidate immediately”
I’m just a little confused about Argento. I mean, she went to find a candidate and never came back?
No, that doesn’t mean she left at all. It meant she scouted a candidate amongst the current pool of soldiers already there. Her disappearance outside of the DC Multiplayer mode is never explained.
So….the summary says that Deepground used to be a sort of hospital for SOLDIERs, which is something we’ve known for a while, but….it says that things changed AFTER Genesis was born.
I was under the impression that SOLDIER did not exist until after Sephiroth had come into existence, seeing as he is said to have been the very first one.
So Sephiroth came before SOLDIER, and Genesis came before Sephiroth, but now SOLDIER came before Genesis?
What the bullycock is going on?!
Sucks that we still don’t know exactly what happened to Argento.
Overall, it was def a nice read. Thanks for the effort.
Actually that should’ve been “soldiers,” my mistake.
Nice screenshots. The ones of Nero are from the Online mode, right?
I wonder if there are any shots of him unmasked.
Great work on this, S and G. Also, good job to Mako with the appropriate use of images throughout the article.
Fun fact, you can see one of the other functions of the DGS glowy uniforms in these screenshots. When they were forced to combat each other in teams, they would be divided into a Team Shiva and a Team Ifrit; the strips on Team Ifrit would go red, allowing the two teams to identify their allies and enemies.
Yeah, me and Makoeyes were talking about that the other day. We should really have noted that in the article. Thanks for reminding us Suzaku.
@Jurhael: all the pics here (other than the obvious artwork) are taken from the online mode. Unfortunately, no images of Nero unmasked.
Hello guys, I’m new here! This was a wonderful summary, I really wish they remade this story in single player or at least read an official book…
4 questions :
1) So, what happened? How did the TSVIETS brake free & how did everything go? I mean, did they kill the restrictors (Lost Force, right?), did they completely ‘kill’ Patricia, & what happened to Argento?
2) So, when did they break free? Before or after the meteorfall? If they broke free before the meteorfall, then why didn’t they try to destroy Shinra, & if the broke free after the meteorfall (most likely), WHAT had been going on in Deepground since meteorfall? WHAT have the restrictors been doing since meteorfall & the time they were killed by the TSVIETS?
3)When exactly & how exactly was Hojo’s mind uploaded into Weiss? Through Argento? Through Patricia? Was the plan to break free from the restrictors really was Weiss’s idea, or maybe Hojo consciousness’s plan all along? If it was Hojo consciousness’s plan to break free from the restrictors, then we should assume that the TSVIETS broke free after the meteorfall, which leaves us with the question of WHAT exactly have the restrictors been doing since President Shinra died….
4) What’s this whole deal with Genesis? He refused to help the TSVIETS escape because he wanted to atone & that he would isolate himself in a chamber UNTIL THE PLANET NEEDS HIM… Ok, so, in the secret scene in the ending of DoC, what happened when Vincent beat Weiss that would make the planet NEED Genesis? And why Genesis changed his mind towards Weiss? Should we assume that the ‘planet’ (or Minerva) is going to be the villain in the next installment?
P.S. : Something I never understood… How did Weiss ended up in Lucrecia’s cave? Vincent left him there after he beat him? Why?
Thanks very much, please discuss!!!
Welcome Spiroth. Just for future reference, it would probably be best to post any questions you have in the designated thread in the forums (here: http://thelifestream.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2501) since you are more likely to get a quick answer that way.
You will also find the translated scripts on the web for the online mode events. That’s about as close as you’ll get to a book.
In answer to your questions:
1) Long story short, the plan was for the Tsviets to use a computer virus to hack into the supercomputer – Patricia – so that they could allow an individual to pass into Deepground without being implanted with a restriction chip, and thus could not be controlled by the Restrictors. This individual would make their way through the ranks until eventually they won the right to battle a Restrictor and defeat them. The individual would then secretly replace the Restrictor and the plan would repeat over time without the Restrictors or Shinra knowing until all 4 Restrictors were defeated, breaking their control over the Tsviets.
Patricia was a computer and was not ‘killed’.
It is not known what happened to Argento after the insurrection.
2) The first individual taken into Deepground without a Restriction chip takes place a month or two before the start of FFVII. The final Restrictor is defeated two-three weeks before the start of Dirge of Cerberus. After Meteorfall, Deepground just became a warzone under the Restrictors’ rule.
3) Before Hojo died on the Mako Cannon at the end of FFVII, he uploaded his digital mind onto the Worldwide Network. After Meteorfall, the Network was broken and the fragments of Hojo’s data were scattered. When the Worldwide Network was fixed, the fragments became one again and Hojo sought out to take over a powerful mind not tainted by Jenova. At the same time, the final Restrictor was defeated and a three-day time-release virus was released into Weiss’ body because of the defeat of all the Restrictors. Using SND to scour the Worldwide Network for a cure, Hojo overthrew his disconnected mind, and took control of Weiss’ body. Thus began the plot to awaken Omega. For further details, see the script of Dirge of Cerberus
4) It’s unknown exactly why Genesis declined the Tsviet’s request for his help other than he wished to atone. It has also yet to be explained why he took off with Weiss.
The cave where Genesis resided and escaped from was not Lucrecia’s cave. It was just a cavern below Midgar where Weiss’ body had fallen after the defeat of Omega.
I’ve read that the Multiplayer Mode content was compiled in DoC-FFVII- INTERNATIONAL (ironically titled in this regard, since that content wasn’t released overseas). Can you look into it, see what’s retained, or if there’s a video series on-disc that could be subtitled by…whoever all does that? Something? Anything to see these actions in motion.
…and hopefully some rationalization as to why Nero and Weiss were let out at all, let alone in simple SOLDIER uniforms.
If I’m reading this right, Nero & Weiss were let out before Shinra became extremely paranoid. That said, I have 2 queries:
1) Where does this information come from? Is it exclusively from the online mode, or is there another source?
2) What happened to the soldiers that replaced the Restrictors?
Damn editing feature.
I seem to recall that Deepground was actually intended as another level to the city, aside from the slums & the plate, before the war broke out & that idea was abandoned.
This is very informative, thank you!
By the way, did anyone know what ‘Patricia’ stood for?