FINAL FANTASY VII | Akabane101's 'Remaster' Mod List

FINAL FANTASY VII | Akabane101's 'Remaster' Mod List

	This list is designed to help those interested in "remastering" their version of FINAL FANTASY VII (1998 PC, Steam) with up to date models that respect the original Tetsuya Nomura character design and animations, A.I. 4x Upscaled and redone fields, battle models / backgrounds / textures, world map improvements alongside an optional gameplay update. Please follow the installation tutorials offered by the creators of these mods in order to get everything working properly.

Step 1: Clean install "FINAL FANTASY VII".

	- Backup your "save" folder. (?:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\FINAL FANTASY VII\save)
	- Uninstall any current versions of FF7.
	- Delete everything else in the "FINAL FANTASY VII" folder.
		For me it's located in ?:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\FINAL FANTASY VII

	Install FF7, whether that be the STEAM version, or the original 1998 PC release. The version I'm using is the Steam release. Remember the folder you installed it in. If on Steam, right click "FINAL FANTASY VII" > "Properties" > "Browse Local Files..." to find the install folder.

2. Install 7th Heaven 2.0
--> https://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=19533.0

Watch the "Tutorial Video" to learn how to install 7th Heaven 2.0 correctly.
--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9rBC7K0SYM

3. 7th Heaven Settings

	On the top left of the 7th Heaven Launcher, select the cogwheel "Settings" and select "General Settings".

Paths
	FF7 Exe: ?:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\FINAL FANTASY VII\ff7.exe
	Movies: ?:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\FINAL FANTASY VII\data\movies
	Textures: ?:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\FINAL FANTASY VII\mods\Textures
	Library: ?:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\FINAL FANTASY VII\mods\7th Heaven

Options
	Activate Newly Installed Mods Automatically (On)
	Import Library Folder Mods Automatically (On)
	Warn When Mod Contains Code (Off)
	Auto Update Mods By Default (Off)
	Ignore Mod Compatibility Restrictions (Off)
	Check For 7th Heaven Updates Automatically (On)

Catalog Subscriptions:
	If the catalog's aren't already there, let's add them.

	Click the "+" icon and add the following:
		Name: Mods of the Round
		Url: iros://Url/http$pastebin.com/raw.php?i=QBGsgGK6

		Name: Qhimm Catalog
		Url: iros://Url/http$pastebin.com/raw.php?i=EpQBv5PL

Shell Integration:
	Open iros:// links with 7th Heaven (On)
	Open Mod Files with 7th Heaven (On)
	Context Menu in Explorer (Off)

Additional Folders to Monitor:
	Click "+" to add Folders.
		direct
		music

	If these folders do not exist, create them. *Capitalization matters*.

///Click save.///

Settings > Game Driver

	Graphics
		Window Mode: Fullscreen
		Aspect Ratio: Preserver to Fit
		Resolution: 1920x1080 (Or any 16:9 aspect ratio you prefer)
		Vertical Sync: Off (On if game is running at a higher framerate than your Monitors Refresh Rate)

	Rendering
		Transparent Dialogs: On
		(everything else is off)
		Texture Memory: 2048 (lower if experiencing issues).

	Advanced
		Music Option: VGMStream (Recommended)
		Movie Option: FFMPEG (Recommended)
		Use Mipmaps: On
		(everything else is off)

///Click save.///

Settings > Game Launcher

	Options
		Auto-Mount Game Disc: On
		Auto-Dismount Game Disc: On
		Auto-Update Disc Path: On
		Show Game Launcher: On
Controls: Launch FF7, set controller buttons as desired in-game. When done, save game. Type desired name of control scheme in 7th Heaven's Control Scheme, hit "Save". This will save your control scheme for all future playthroughs. I have no idea how to get D-Pad to work on DS4, so you're stuck with analogue for menus. There's fixes out there, I'm sure, but I haven't seen any that actually work for me.

	Audio Output Device
		Sound Device: Whatever you want, mine's Line 2 so I can feed it through OBS in recordings.
		MIDI Device: General MIDI
		Logarithmic Volume Control: Off (I turned it off as music switches awkwardly for me otherwise)
		Reverse Speaker: Off

	Compatibility
		High-DPI Scaling Fix: Off
		Reunion Driver Fix: On (Not really important, Reunion doesn't work with 7th Heaven, rip.)

	Graphics Driver Options
		Renderer: Custom 7H Game Driver (Needed to run Texture replacing mods)

///Click save.///

And done!

4. MODS (Outside of 7th Heaven)

	7th Heaven uses what are called ".iro"s to install mods. So typically when you get a mod outside of 7th heaven, they will appear as such. Keep in mind, The Reunion / Beacause mods DO NOT WORK with 7th Heaven, period. There are no workarounds, so it will not be used (as much as I love the menu overhaul / translation provided by said mod).

	You'll see an indicator to the right of each mod as you add them under the column labeled "Active". Check that each of these mods are toggled "On". If the indicator isn't slid to the right and red, then the mod is off. This is a great way to enable and disable mods at your leisure. Note you can only configure mods that have been enabled.

NinoStyle's Chibi Models
--> https://www.nexusmods.com/finalfantasy7/mods/4?tab=description
		Head to "Files" > "7th Heaven Chibi field" > Download

		Please donate to NinoStyle as his work is some of the best I've seen for FF7 Field Models. He's continuously working on the mod and doing phenomenal work. These models fit perfectly with the original animations in the game, are the correct sizing and feel like a perfect recreation of the original simplistic art design. Easily my favourite mod for FF7.

	To Install
		--> Extract .rar file with your preferred Unzipper. (WinRar or 7zip are great).
			--> Double click the .iro file provided while 7th Heaven 2.0 is open and it will be put into your "My Mods" section.

NinoStyle's Character Modpack
--> https://www.nexusmods.com/finalfantasy7/mods/4?tab=description
		Head to "Files" > "7th Heaven Character Modpack" > Download

		Although Qhimm offers the option to download this through the "Browse Catalog" section, I find it better to use nexus to ensure you're getting the most up-to-date models from NinoStyle. This also sorts the mods individually to make it easier to cherry pick your favourite models. Install everything except for World Models and Chibi Models. The Chibi models we installed earlier is more up to date.

	Configuration
		Field Models
			- Enable NinoStyle Sephiroth, Caith Sith and Vehicles.
			- Disable everything else, as it's covered by the other parts of the mod, or Chibi Models.

	To Install
		--> Extract .rar file with your preferred Unzipper. (WinRar or 7zip are great).
			--> Double click the .iro file provided while 7th Heaven 2.0 is open and it will be put into your "My Mods" section.

ReMako Mod Version 1.0
--> https://captrobau.blogspot.com/2019/05/remako-mod-version-10-released.html
		Scroll down and under "Download Link", click "This Link". (I could provide the actual link, but these sites deserve some hits and love for all the mod author's hard work and dedication.)

		Although Qhimm offers the ability to download ReMako alongside a handful of other texture packs, this version helps to separate the areas of the mod individually, which will in turn make it easier to layer texture packs / mods when we get to load order. This also upscales the cut scenes, however, you need to install those manually. Make sure you read through the blog's install guide fully.

	To Install
		--> Extract .rar file with your preferred Unzipper. (WinRar or 7zip are great).
			--> Double click the .iro file provided while 7th Heaven 2.0 is open and it will be put into your "My Mods" section.

OST Music Mod
--> https://steamcommunity.com/app/39140/discussions/0/846963165398928417/

	This is hands down the best mod for bringing the original OST back from the PlayStation 1. It's better than any other music restoration mod out there. It perfectly gives PC players the ability to enjoy FF7's OST in all it's glory. A must have for purists. Follow install instructions to the letter!

AVALANCHE ARISEN Battle Textures
--> https://www.nexusmods.com/finalfantasy7/mods/3?tab=files

	These are completely redone (not remastered) battle textures for various areas in the game. Although the Battle Textures from the ReMako mod covers 100% of the fights by upscaling them, this is even higher quality recreations of the same scenes. It's really something else, and I think a must have. The only thing I dislike is that "Echo-S" (a mod that seeks to add voice acting to FF7) has a HUGE sign in first battle screen. Kind of annoying, but it's only for one battle screen, so... meh.

	To Install
		--> Extract .rar file with your preferred Unzipper. (WinRar or 7zip are great).
			--> Double click the .iro file provided while 7th Heaven 2.0 is open and it will be put into your "My Mods" section.

5. Mods (7th Heaven Browse Catalog)
	--> If you haven't added the Catalog's yet, please scroll back up and check out which IRO Catalog's you need!

We'll go into Load Order after this part, and the mods here are in no particular order, but you should see them in the "Browse Catalog" section in "7th Heaven 2.0 Launcher".

To Download: Double Click on the desired mod, or left click on the mod and click the underscored "Down Arrow" icon located on the right side of the mod list to start downloading. Some mods may not want to download, so either restart the launcher, or try the "Down Arrow" method again. (I find Double Clicking fails to download more often.)

Media (Music) (Optional)
	[Tsunamods] EDMusic FF7 Soundtrack
--> I was pleasantly surprised with this music pack. Although it's not the full game, it's a pretty strong recreation of the original pieces without sounding too over-the-top. It's pretty respectful overall to the original work whilst also being a bit of it's own thing. Music is a thing of taste, so this is entirely an optional choice, but if I had to choose between this and the "[Tsunamods] Arranged Soundtrack", I'd pick this every time.

Double Click the mod to configure which songs you'd like toggled on or off.

///Click save.///

Media (Movies, Music, Sound Effects)
	Media - Qhimm Catalog
--> Update the in-game movies to feature A.I. upscaled visuals. This is a huge file, and it may take forever to download (2-4 hours roughly). But it offers more features than just updating the movies on their own by manually throwing them into the "video" folder. If you want to install Remako's upscaled FMVs easier, then do it this way, but it'll take waaay longer. However, we get an option for a different FMV upscaled version, music, and even a slew of sound effect enhancements if desired.

	Configuration
		Movies
			1 - [AI] CaptRobau - Remako HD
		Music (We've already installed a way better music remaster mod than any of these)
			0 - No Change
		Sound (Personal preference, but I quite enjoy the original sound effects. Although wturner859's FFXIII sounds for menus is quite nice if you don't want the loud original menu interfaces.)
			0 - No Change

///Click save.///

Objects (Field Models)
	Field Models - Qhimm Catalog
--> This mod is like a bag of goodies, but since we've already installed NinoStyle's models, we can ignore the vast majority of it. So only toggle the following on:

		- Double Click "Field Models - Qhimm Catalog) to get to the "Configure Mod" menu.
		Objects
			Huge Materia: 1 - Grimmy
			Materia: 2 - Team Avalanche
			Potions: 2 - Slayersnext
			Save Point: 2 - Team Avalanche

///Click save.///

Animations
	Animations - Qhimm Catalog
--> The 60FPS version of this mod doesn't really work all that great in comparison to when it was used in "The Reunion". So toggle it on if you'd like, just note that sometimes damage numbers will appear before the animation completes. But the animation fixes make the player models look nicer when running around.

	Configuration
		Battle: 0-15 FPS
		Field: 1 - Bloodshot + Kaldarasha
		World: 1 - Bloodshot + Kaldarasha

///Click save.///

Battle Models
	Battle Models - Qhimm Catalog
--> Since we've already downloaded NinoStyle's Models, we don't need those for this. But this is an easy way to avoid conflicts for enemy models so you get the ones you desire in-game.

	Configuration
		Main
			Select "0 - No Change" for each individual character.
				(We're using NinoStyle's Mod already, even though it's a part of this one, we want it up-to-date via NexusMods.)
		Enemies
			Select "NinoStyle" if available
				else, choose desired updated model.
		Weapons
			Select "0 - No Change" for each individual character.
				(These are all redone by NinoStyle's mod already.)

///Click save.///

Field Textures
	[4x Upscale] - Project Edge Fields (Optional)
--> This is a complete overhaul of many Fields in Final Fantasy VII. Where Remako is an A.I. upscale, this mod recreates various scenes with completely new textures and designs whilst staying as close to the original feel as possible. These screens are absolutely gorgeous, but may clash with the original's pre-rendered backgrounds when you go from scene to scene. So it has the potential of being considered jarring going from scene to scene. But I honestly couldn't recommend the mod more. Project Edge is a fantastic piece of work and a must have in my opinion, but I'm leaving it "Optional" just because it's so high quality that even Remako can't compare to this.

Gameplay
	Gameplay - Qhimm Catalog (Optional)
--> The single greatest gameplay overhaul for FF7 is in this, and it's called "New Threat". Not only does it fix a few translation errors, but it completely revamps the gameplay, storyline, materia, stealing, morphing and the list goes on and on. The mod is expertly balanced from start to finish. Too many difficulty mods ruin the experience of FF7 by making it impossibly hard, or by forcing the player to play VERY specific way. New Threat gives you more options to have fun and experiment. It is the single greatest difficulty / balance mod for any game ever made, period.

Oh, also this pack comes with a "Skip Cutscene with Ctrl+S" button, so that alone is worth picking up, even if you don't care for New Threat.

	Configuration
		Difficulty
			Difficulty: 6 - New Threat
		Tweaks
			Hand Idicator: 0 - Default (Defaulted to 1 - Removed... for... some... reason.)
			Skip Cutscenes: On (Use Ctrl+S).
				--> Note that when you skip a cutscene, you wont get music audio until after you switch scenes or finish a battle.

///Click save.///

Spell Textures
	Spell Textures - Qhimm Catalog
--> Exactly what it says on the tin. Although the original spell textures look fine, I personally like the upscaled versions. Also adjust coin skill and limit break visuals.

	Configuration
		Main: 2 - [4x Upscale] Kela51 + Satsuki
		Coin Skill: 23 - Transparent Metallic Yellow
		Limit Break: 8 - Mike - Version 1

///Click save.///

User Interface
	User Interface - Qhimm Catalog
--> Possibly the most important mod, and the most potential for crashes, unfortunately. Don't mash the buttons on your controller after battle scenes, or when transitioning zones. I tend to get crashes that way. Maybe I'm just unlucky, but those are the issues I run into. This is really the only option we get for a Menu Overhaul with 7th Heaven, and I really hope they patch it.

	Configuration
		Menu
			Enhanced Stock: On
			All Status Visible: On
			Items + Materia Icons: Colored Items + Standard Materia
			UI Bar Thickness: Thinnest Bars
			Font Brightness: Bright Fonts
			Battle Field View Size: Recommended View, Optimised UI
			Help Box Transparency: No Box, Text Only
			Field Dialog Style: Menu Overhaul (May cause issues, but the current version of this mod has fixed a ton of bugs)
			EXP Bar Toggle: Exp Bars Enabled
			Controller Icons: PSX Icons (Pick your preference) NEW THREAT MOD OVERWRITES THIS
		Avatars (This is all personal preference)
			MinMin: For those that want a cleaned up version of the original avatars.
			Wictoriously: What I currently use, anime art in the style of "FINAL FANTASY VII - Crisis Core".
			AbyssWolf: Legit a really cool pixel version of each model. Would love to see a classic FF1 version (like in FFXV).
			Milo Leonhart: For those obsessed with Advent Children.
			Tsunamods: FF7 Remake images, and Advent Children (for models that haven't appeared in Remake yet.)
			Wolfman: Okay, look at the Red XIII version, and have a good laugh. I... can't even, dude.
			Zendar: Nice simplistic version. It's alright. Not offensive, nothing special.
		Background (This is all personal preference)
			Game Over: 1 - Game Over
			Prelude Credits: 2 - JordieBo
			Start Menu: 7 - Buster Glare

///Click save.///

Mod Load Order

	Literally the most important thing ever of all time when it comes to modding ANY VIDEO GAME. If you don't create a proper load order then you'll probably summon a meteor that destroys the entire planet, aka your game. Please, for the love of all that is holy, follow load order to a T. Yes, there is an "Auto-Sort" function, but only if the mods are properly categorized, and even then, certain mods need to overwrite others in the same category, and 7th Heaven 2.0 will not account for this. So, we are going to do this the old fashioned way, manually clicking and dragging our load orders in the correct way.

*Note that 7th Heaven 2.0 will load files from Bottom to Top.
!!!Mods at the bottom of the list will be overwritten by mods above them.
**Mods outside of 7th Heaven 2.0 will be overwritten by mods located in the 7th Heaven 2.0 launcher. (i.e., the OST mod we installed manually).

The 7th Heaven 2.0 recommended load order is as follows:
--> https://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=15520.0

Miscellaneous
Animations
Battle Models
Battle Textures
Field Models
Field Textures
Gameplay
Media
Minigames
Spell Textures
User Interface
World Models
World Textures

So, let's get to it.

LOAD ORDER FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

1.  Animations - Qhimm Catalog
2.  Ninostyle - Battle Models
3.  Battle Models - Qhimm Catalog
4.  AVALANCHE ARISEN Battle Textures
5.  Remako HD Graphics Mod v1.0 - Battle Textures (battle)
6.  Field Models - Qhimm Catalog
7.  [Tsunamods] EDMusic FF7 Soundtrack
8.  Media - Qhimm Catalog
9.  Ninostyle - Chibi Field Models
10. NinoStyle Models (For vehicles, Cait Sith, and Sephiroth until the chibi's are out)
11. [4x Upscale] - Project Edge Fields
12. Remako HD Graphics Mod v1.0 - Pre-Rendered Backgrounds (field + char + minigames)
13. Gameplay - Qhimm Catalog
14. Spell Textures - Qhimm Catalog
15. User Interface - Qhimm Catalog
16. Ninostyle - World Models (If not using Chibi Models, will be overwritten anyway if you are.)
17. NinoStyle - Vehicles (If you are not using Caith Sith or Sephiroth's (Battle) Field Model)
18. Remako HD Graphics Mod v1.0 - World Textures (world)

Double check that each of these mods are toggled "On". You'll see an indicator to the right of each mod under the list "Active". If the indicator isn't slid to the right and red, then it's off. This is a great way to enable and disable mods at your leisure. Note you can only configure mods that have been enabled.

And there you have it!

I hope you enjoy your time with FINAL FANTASY VII Original and have a blast with these new mods!

Check out my playthrough over on:
http://www.YouTube.com/Akabane101

Happy gaming. ^_^