FFVII on PC - which option is best?

TetraNitroCubane

I'm thinking about replaying FFVII soon, but I'm rather uncertain of which version would be best to play, or easiest to set up. To be clear: I originally played the game years ago via the official PC release, back when 640x480 resolution was a huge deal. I remember playing the game with the wavetable synthesizer installed, and MIDI music was actually pretty good with my soundcard (though from what I understand, that was a mixed bag depending on your hardware).

Right now I still have possession of those discs, and could install the old PC version. However, I know Square-Enix recently released a retooled version of FFVII for the PC via their online store. I'm uncertain of which version would be best to get a hold of and play.

While the old disc-based PC version has the advantages of (A) being moddable, (B) having no DRM, and (C) I already own it, I'm not sure how much work it would take to get it working with Windows 7 and modern hardware, particularly since the old version relies heavily on outdated codecs (if I recall correctly). Alternatively, the new re-release has the advantage of working on modern hardware without fuss, but has the disadvantages of (A) not being moddable, (B) having some rather prickly DRM (from what I've read), and (C) apparently having pretty bad music packed in.

It's a pretty stupid and hair-splitting question, but I was just curious if anyone had opinions on which version would provide the superior experience - or at least be the smoothest experience.

Dark Raven X

I'd go for the newer one; it's the most easily available, and you're gonna have less trouble getting it working. Neither version is optimal, they both have some heavy flaws (to the point where I'd suggest grabbing the PSN version or eBaying an actual PlayStation copy of it) but if you're set on the PC version, I think the newer one is the way to go. ;D

halkun

It's super simple to get the old version to play the old version on win7. The release is actually the old executable wrapped with DRM, cheevos, and online saving. (They didn't even recompile, which leads me to believe they lost the source code.) The wrapper checks memory for things you have done and then throws up a cute QT window with a blerb when you make an achievement. It's not even part of the game, but code that runs along side.

If you have the old game, just go here and grab the top two "Essentials" (OpenGL Driver and 1.02 patch). After that enjoy the game.

Tofystedeth

halkun wrote: »

It's super simple to get the old version to play the old version on win7. The release is actually the old executable wrapped with DRM, cheevos, and online saving. (They didn't even recompile, which leads me to believe they lost the source code.)

Not surprising at all given the bizarre history of its development. Which I think I only know about because you linked to it a long time ago.

halkun

I know, I really feel sorry for the game. It will be cheaper to remake it from scratch than to use any of the old code. However, from an archive prospective, it would be nice to see the original render files (Those are long LONG gone). The good news is we have enough of the debug data from the original game that, given some time and effort, we can rebuild the code. Not only this, but we even have a partial list of the the source code file names and original source tree. (you can see that here)

Essee

It should be noted that the new version of FFVII, in place of the old MIDI files, has pre-recorded playback of the MIDIs instead. I've read complaints that this means the instruments are off (seems like you've heard the same thing). I guess it would depend on your sound card whether the prerecorded MIDIs or the original MIDIs playing through your sound card are better, but I would probably bet on the originals. On the other hand, I guess the new version has texture filters that make the game look a lot nicer... but some of the mods @halkun linked might look equal to/better than that. I'm not personally familiar with them (having never owned the game) but the game looking as good or better than the official new version seems likely to me from my experience with various old game modding scenes. Also, you know, using your original copy to check out those mods is free! And it definitely works on Win 7 just fine with them! So there's that.

Reznik

I highly recommend installing the version you have already and then going nuts with the available mods.

TetraNitroCubane

Thanks guys. From the sound of it, getting the older copy working should be easier than I anticipated. Hopefully it'll be possible to get a few mods running at the same time. If the re-release is just the old version with a few extra bits slapped onto it, I'm more than happy to put in the apparently minimal work required to get it running.

Incidentally, I did try to play the PSN re-release on the PS3. The low resolution was positively grating, which is why I'm very interested in resolution upscaling and looking into the PC version.

Thanks again for the help. Oh, and @halkun, if you'd be willing to link to the development history that @Tofystedeth is talking about, I'd be delighted. It sounds like a fascinating read.

Rysca

I'd highly recommend checking out one of the hi-res mods. It won't do anything for the QT events, but will improve the battle screen backgrounds and character visuals during battle. Of course, there's always the nostalgia of playing with characters with blocks for hands