[FF7PC-98/Steam] Multiple mods and Modding Framework-The Reunion [R06f]

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Read the whole post below or your query may not be answered.
Do not report bugs here if they are caused by a mod you have added.


THE REUNION
 ファイナルファンタジーVII

The Reunion is compatible with the English 1998 executable (1.02) and the English Steam version of Final Fantasy VII. The Reunion is a complete modding framework, specifically designed so that the game can be modified to use a different language or translation.

All information below, including related posts, are relevant to R06 and above. Releases prior to R06 are now unsupported.


Please copy the below template when providing a bug report - it really does help me:

0. Before posting 1-9, Check The Reunion Database - Especially Reunion Bugs tab.  You can hit CTRL+H to find words.
Also make sure you are using the latest release.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...yAT4giTPeNmCR4TCaHAiXOLlU/edit#gid=1896870987

1. An explanation of the bug
2. Does the bug happen at same point more than once?
3. App.log (found in root folder)
4. Reunion.log (found in The_Reunion folder)
5. crash.dmp (found in root folder if the game crashed)
6. Your save file from just before the crash or hang
7. Audio.log (found in The_Reunion folder)

[if this is a performance issue]
8. Your CPU spec
9. Your operating system

If this is not done, you may end up being ignored.


R06f is HERE
Mirror is []Not available at moment[/url]

The Playstation version of the retranslation project is HERE

Donate HERE

Discord

The Reunion is a collection of 7 optional mods for Final Fantasy VII (1998 English 1.02 and English Steam release).  I strongly suggest that you click on the links below and learn about each before using the installer.  The help document (Reunion-help.rtf) also contains valuable information.  The 7 mods are:

1. BEACAUSE
2. MENU ENHANCEMENT
3. AUDIO REPLACEMENT
4. WEAPON
5. MODEL OVERHAUL
6. 60FPS BATTLES
7. SOLDIER QUEST

FAQ

Q. 7th Heaven doesn't work with this mod.
A. This is true. The two mods are completely incompatible.  Whenever you want to use 7th Heaven, please disable The Reunion from Options.ini [see The Reunion - Help.rtf].

Q.  It isn't installing.
A.  Make sure you have administrator privileges (right click- "run as admin" in later versions of Windows), and also make sure that your ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE IS DISABLED.

Q. There is a problem with X.
A.  Make sure that this problem is exclusive to this mod. If you get the same error when Disable_The_Reunion = y is set in Options.ini (again found in The_Reunion folder), do NOT post a bug report here, as it clearly has NOTHING to do with this project.  If there is a bug that's exclusive to The Reunion, see the bug report template at the top of this post.

Q. What if I'm using the Square Enix version of the game?
A. You can use this

Q. Will The Reunion work with X?
A. I don't take any interest in other mods, so I don't know.

Q. Why aren't achievements working?
A. The Reunion bypasses Steam code and anything Steam related is removed.  This is not something that can be resolved.

Q. I use 7th Heaven, and I have this problem...
A. 7th Heaven issues don't belong here.

Q. I liked R03's old Menu Overhaul mod.  Can you reinstate it?
A. I may re-include the Menu Overhaul mod as an option for R07 or R08.

Q. Can I use the Menu Enhancement as a separate mod?
A. No. The only way to do this is to manual add the original files into your own custom mod folder.

Q. Can you add the following....
A. I don't take requests.  R06 is a framework, which includes my own mods.  Others will need to create additional mods.


Tools

DLPB: Installer, TextMod, ddraw.dll, modifications to Aali's DLL.
           https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/9110/

Aali: Aali.dll, lgp/unlgp
         https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/5456/
               
Luksy: touphScript, modifications to Aali's DLL.
            https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/7970/
              Update to lgp/unlgp
              https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/8580/

Myst6re: Makou Reactor
                https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/6481/

NFITC1: Wallmarket
               https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/5149/
                 Proud Clod
                 https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/5580/

Maki: Updated movie code in Aali's DLL and various other fixes there.
       

For testing

Sithlord: Black Chocobo
               https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/6450/

DLPB: Ochu
           https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/9593/
           BoxFF7
           https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/9795/
 
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Beacause
  by DLPB, Luksy, and Charlie Beer

Beacause is a Final Fantasy VII relocalization. It is a complete retranslation and relocalization from the ground up, using the original Japanese script. The aim is to have an end product that is accurate and professional. Official sources have been used to minimize errors in context and spelling. The project's name "Beacause" comes from a misspelling (in the original localization) of the only line spoken by Jenova.


Key Features

  • Translated and localized from the ground up.
  • All text updated.
  • Option to keep original character names and series canon.
  • Option for American English (as opposed to British English).
  • Some unused dialogue reinstated.
  • - Two Scenes, accidentally missing in original game, reinstated (Gongaga, Corel Bridge).
Status
Completed.

  • Flevel Debug (Not being edited): 0/13
  • Flevel (by maps): 693/693

  • ff7.exe: Completed
  • Kernel.bin: Completed
  • kernel2.bin: Completed
  • scene.bin: Completed
  • world_us: Completed
Non-dialogue documentation can be found HERE.  Please remember to look at this before asking questions about character/item/weapon/materia names and so forth.  Note that entries in blue, orange, and white are not open to discussion.  I will discuss only those entries in green or red.

Information

Issues:

  • The original English localization suffers from errors in grammar, spelling, context and translation.
  • A lot of the errors point to a rushed job due to little communication with the original authors.
  • Many of the errors miss out on specific references to people, places, and mythology.
  • Some errors alter the plot; a few, severely. Some errors have been adopted as canon by SE, and some have been modified in later media.
What we have fixed:

  • Items, spells, places, monsters, and characters for which we have good evidence as having been incorrectly translated, or modified for a western audience, have been restored.
  • All dialogue checked for translation/context errors and modified as necessary. Grammar/spelling mistakes in the dialogue have been fixed.
  • Any error that has been adopted as canon does not preclude it from being changed.
What this project isn't:

  • A literal translation from the Japanese.
  • An attempt to rewrite or warp any of the game's original content.
  • An attempt to prove that we somehow know what the original authors wanted for every single byte in the game.
If there's anything there you do not agree with, please copy/paste and give us your thoughts.

The following are examples of the changes we have made. In the first example, there are slight errors in translation and major errors in localization. In the second example, the translation was completely incorrect. In the third example, the flow and feel of the characters is improved.

1. Video examples 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11

2. Original
 [/list]Code: [Select]
Code: 
{YUFFIE}“Are you waiting for {CLOUD}?”{NEW}“He's flying right now, so you can't get him.”{NEW}“Were you going to force me   into the submarine right now?”{NEW}“Quit it!   If you want to go, then just leave me behind.”{NEW}“…ooooooh.   What're you talking about? I…”
Relocalized
Code: [Select]
Code: 
YUFFIE}“{CLOUD}…”{NEW}“Have you decided  where we’re going yet?”{NEW}“Come on,I can’t take  much more of this.”{NEW}“Hey,you’re not thinking of  shovin’ me in that crappy  sub,are you!?”{NEW}“I won’t go! Never!  Leave me here,  leave me here!”{NEW}“…urrrrk…  What am I saying?”
3. Original
Code: [Select]
Code: 
Bugenhagen“…listen, Nanaki. I think you may already know.”{NEW}“If you have any mission in life,  it is not to defend this valley.”------------------------------Bugenhagen“Look at the withering mountain grass. Listen to the warble of the new born chocobo's.”{NEW}“Look always to the eternal flow of time which is far greater than the span of a human life.”{NEW}“It will teach you more, than staying here in the valley…”{NEW}“What you will see will eventually become a part of the Lifestream.”{NEW}“For my children… And for your children…”------------------------------“So please, Nanaki… Go with {CLOUD}… And use your eyes…your ears…”
Relocalized
Code: [Select]
Code: 
Bugenhagen“Listen to me,Nanaki.  And I think you may  know this already…”{NEW}“If you have any duty  at all,it is… not to  defend this canyon.”------------------------------“Look at the trees withering  on the mountain. Listen to  the warble of a newborn  chocobo.”{NEW}“Fix your eyes upon a span  of time… far,far longer than  that of a human life.”{NEW}“This will teach you so much  more than staying here in  the canyon ever could.”{NEW}“Before long,all that you see  around you will become one  with the Lifestream and will  be succeeded…”{NEW}“…by our children,and  by your children,Nanaki.”------------------------------“So,Nanaki,  accompany {CLOUD}.  With your own eyes.  With your own ears.”
My main aim is to release a full story based walk-through of Final Fantasy VII on Youtube that can do it justice (in fact, that's the reason I ended up being a permanent contributor here).  When I first attempted to do this in 2009, I stopped half way through and abandoned it. The original localization isn't good enough, and it's even more obvious when you're concentrating on the dialogue.  I started a project to improve the localization here on this forum and invited those who knew the Japanese language to help me in that endeavour. 

To say that this project is time consuming would be an understatement. There are roughly 130,000 words (slightly less than The Return of the King) of dialogue in Final Fantasy VII. Updating it all is no easy task. Only Luksy and Charlie Beer have been willing to put the effort into retranslating the dialogue from the original Japanese game.

Relocalizing the game is hard enough, but at the beginning there was no tool that could update the text, either. Editing the world map dialogue originally required a hex editor. I worked with Luksy to change that... and so Luksy's tool "touphScript" was also born.

Criticism

We  have strived to create the best localization of Final Fantasy VII we can within the boundaries of the original writers' wishes. Our job is to create something Hironobu Sakaguchi would be proud of.

Some of the feedback that we receive provokes a positive discussion or leads to corrections being made, but some of it is, in my opinion, unfair. The following criticisms are frequently made:

"You are changing something I grew up with.  I and many others loved it the way it was, bad translation or not."
Click to expand...
I don't find this a rational argument, because if we had been the original localizers, and the version that you grew up with was our version, you'd now be defending our version.  Also, people have the choice to play the original game if they don't like our relocalization.

"I liked the original place names and character names. They are canon and you are changing canon."
Click to expand...
Let us be clear what canon means. It means "English canon", because every game is localized for many countries, and each have their own quirks. A lot of these quirks exist because of a bad or lacking original translation (usually extending back to much earlier titles). I see no issue at all in correcting this type of error. On the other hand, there is a logical reason for "Megalixir" being used instead of "Last Elixir", and so in those cases I have given people a choice in the installer. I have also allowed the original character names to be used.

The canon of Final Fantasy VII (prequels-sequels and so on) is a hugely insulting mish-mash of retcons and ideas aimed at appeasing fanboys and the easily pleased. A number of totally unworkable and stupid plot threads have been introduced to the series, which had absolutely no business being there and cannot work within the confines of the original story. The original story was a mostly well-written, self contained piece of work.  The FF7 "canon" consists of characters who have been revived from the dead (Rufus, Hojo, Sephiroth) and other characters who have been plonked into the original story out of nowhere (for example: Genesis).  Citing "canon" isn't a good argument.  Personally, the only thing I find more disappointing than FF7 canon is Star Wars canon. Both suffer with the same problem: money making at the expense of art and intelligence—the mutilation of the original work, because that's easier than writing logical, thought-provoking dialogue. We've treated the relocalization of Final Fantasy VII as a separate piece of work.

"I liked Barrett being like Mr. T, and so did others. "
Click to expand...
We have adhered to the original writers' wishes on issues such as this. J R R Tolkien said it best in the following passage, upset by a translator's hack job with his material:

In principle I object as strongly as is possible to the 'translation' of the nomenclature at all (even by a competent person). I wonder why a translator should think himself called on or entitled to do any such thing. That this is an 'imaginary' world does not give him any right to remodel it according to his fancy, even if he could in a few months create a new coherent structure which it took me years to work out. [...] May I say at once that I will not tolerate any similar tinkering with the personal nomenclature. Nor with the name/word Hobbit.
Click to expand...

Credits

Manager
    DLPB

Translation
    Luksy [693/693 maps, and non-dialogue]

New Localization
    DLPB

Full Japanese Proof Check
   Charlie Beer (shikun)

File Editing
    DLPB, Luksy

Original Localization
    Michael Baskett

English Proof Checking and English language Consultant:
    Covarr

Non-Dialogue Quality Assurance
    DLPB, Luksy, Defade, Herman, Ragnarok2040, JeffreyATW

Scottish Proof Check
    Prince Lex

Testers / Additional Proof Checking
    Kalkano, Green_goblin, JeffreyATW, WatashiWaZero, Caledor, Tim Rogers (via his videos)

And
    All those who have helped on Qhimm forum.
 
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Menu Enhancement
  by DLPB and Kranmer

Menu Enhancement updates all menus to look neater.

Key Features

  • Thousands of menu alignment issues.
  • Battle menu moved to the bottom of the screen.
  • Dialogue box and font spacing improvements.
  • Playstation icons reinstated.
  • Game Timer upper-limit is 999 hr 59 min 59 sec.
  • More items in menus.
Status
Completed

Information

FAQ:

Q.  Do I need to install Team Avalanche Menu Overhaul?
A.  No. And it may cause errors if you do.

Q.  My other lovely updates like that World Map overhaul by FeliX are no longer working.
A.  Move other mods to the Reunion modpath folder.

Q. What isn't compatible with this mod?
A.  Check The Reunion - Help.rtf

Credits

DLPB:
   Hex editing
   Coding

Kranmer:
   Assembly documentation
   Teaching DLPB the basics of hex editing.  Without Kranmer, a lot of what you see in The Reunion probably wouldn't
   have happened.
           
IlDucci:
   Playstation icons
   Updated/tweaked textures

sl1982 / Team Avalanche (For 1998 version only):
   Character Avatars
   world/midlmap_00.png
   world/midlmap2_00.png
   world/radar_00.png

FeliX Leonhart (For 1998 version only):
   FF7 logo text (ff7logo_a_00.png, ff7logo_b_00.png,
                                 ff7logo_c_00.png)
 
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60FPS Battles
by DLPB, NFITC1, and Obesebear

Allows in-game battles to run at 60fps, so that you regain the experience of the original Playstation game.

The Playstation game runs at 60fps across the board, duplicating frames where necessary. The PC game cannot work in that fashion and must use frame-rate limiters. The porting team limited everything in battle to 15fps, creating the following problems (among others):

  1. The menu is 4x less smooth and, therefore, 4x less accurate.
      This is most noticeable with the slots of Cait Sith, Tifa, and the
      Battle Arena.

  2. The camera is 2x less smooth.

  3. Summon animations are 2x less smooth.

This mod will fix these issues and works by hijacking the pause function to duplicate the battle elements in much the same way as the PSX version. Because it is using a method the game was not designed for, there may be certain issues in game. Hopefully, these issues can be remedied in time.

Status
This mod is complete, aside from a few faults.

DLPB:
   Coding

NFITC1:
   Additional help and code

Obesebear:
Interpolated model animations

Dziugo:
   Fix for Tifa's Limit reels
 
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Weapon
  by DLPB

Weapon is a difficulty mod. Its aim is to provide a balanced, professional, and fair update to the game's difficulty. Weapon is currently at an early stage in development.

Status
This is a massive project that requires editing virtually every main file in the game. So far, only the Gold Saucer mini-games are completed. There is much work to do in every other department.

Key Features

As of R05

  • Gold Saucer has had extensive editing. Script has been amended or added for G-Bike, Wonder Catcher, Submarine, Coaster, Snowboard, 3-D Battler, and Wrestling.
  • Coaster mini-game has had a complete change in points allocation.  Some hitable objects have been removed, while others added. Hitable objects energy has been amended (for example, the mother ship is much harder to destroy).  The propeller bug and boat rotor bug have been removed.  The aimer speed has been fixed (originally it was 2x too fast).
  • Submarine mini-game has been reprogrammed somewhat.  The new controls are similar to the Europe/US/International release of the game, and 5 unique difficulties have been added. Other minor changes have been made.
Information

Most difficulty mods have, in my opinion, got the balance completely wrong. They've ended up making the game a chore, rather than a fun experience. This mod attempts to address the imbalance, and make the player think more about their actions in game.  For example, in battle, rather than pressing attack continually, a player will be encouraged to think about which attacks will hurt a particular enemy. A mechanical enemy will succumb much more easily to lightning attacks than anything else.  Weapon tries not to inflate difficulty artificially through high HP amounts or cheap gimmicks.

Weapon will also address the game-play outside of battle. For example, script changes have been made, the price of goods will be altered, and various mini-games have been modified.

Credits

DLPB:
     Programming
     File editing
     3D-Battler
     Coaster
     Snowboard
     Submarine
     Wrestling
     Wonder Catcher
     Clock fix

NFITC1:
       Code consultant, Wallmarket, Proud Clod
   
Luksy:
   3D-Battler
 
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Model Overhaul
  by SquallFF8, Kaldarasha, PRP, and Grimmy.

The Model Overhaul is an extensive replacement for the game's models. The models have been chosen to provide what I believe is an improvement to the original game, while staying true to it. The models are mostly from Kaldarasha's unshaded updates. The battle models are largely the same, owing to the fact that they already fit in stylistically with the original game.

Status

This revision is a collection of models, primarily from Squallff8, Kaldarasha and PRP. The main problem with this release is that certain models will have bad animation.  This is something that the modelling community are working to improve.

Key Features

  • All field models updated
  • World map characters and Weapon monsters updated.
Information

The original game models were already dated somewhat after the arrival of Final Fantasy VIII. Today, they look more dated than ever.  The original models are of low quality, and often resemble lego more than they do humans.  That is not to say that I see them as bad or useless.  I can appreciate that some people will like their look because it suits the overall original game style, but I personally believe that Final Fantasy VII is made better by more realistic looking graphics.  The developers also seem to agree because they improved on VII's models in later game releases.

I do however, make an effort to stick to models that improve on the original, while maintaining their intended look and style.  This means that prequel and sequel material (among others) will not be included in this mod.

Credits

See The Reunion Database, Models tab.
 
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Audio Replacement
  by DLPB

The Audio Replacement mod is a complete replacement for the original Final Fantasy VII sound module. The key features are:

  • Virtually all known bugs with the original sound module have been resolved. Please see The Reunion Database.
  • All sound effects have been re-recorded from the PSX game using Mednafen and, where applicable, perfectly looped.
  • Up to 65535 sound effects can be added.  The first 1000 can be optionally loaded into memory. The original game only has around 700 sound effects.  This also means voice over projects will heavily benefit from this addition. Effects are now located by default in The_Reunion\BASE\SFX folder - Vorbis OGG format.
  • All music tracks are handled by The Reunion - Vorbis OGG format..
  • Midi.lgp, awe.lgp, audio.dat, audio.fmt, music.idx, and the .wav sound effects have been abolished. The .wav sound effects are now located by default in The_Reunion\BASE\Music folder - Vorbis OGG format.
  • FMV audio obeys the game's config volume setting and no longer cuts out on loss of window focus.
  • The following options can be set:
Code: [Select]
Code: 
Mute = nMusic_Vol =100SFX_Vol =100Mono_Output = nCentre_Battle_SFX = nField_SFX_In_Battle = yMusic_Balance_Functions = nLoad_SFX_To_Memory = yAudio_Log_Level = 5
Mute can be toggled in-game using ctrl-alt-M.

Credits

DLPB:
   Everything apart from bass dlls
       
Un4seen:
        bass.dll / bass_fx.dll
        https://www.un4seen.com/
 
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SOLDIER QUEST
  by DLPB

99 1:35 Soldiers will be hidden throughout the world as collectables.
 
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Oops, the link doesn't work yet I think I jumped the gun ahaha. XD

EDIT: Nevermind, there it is. ^_^
 
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Oh Daniel... it was quite enjoyable reading the descriptions... especially the re-translation criticism part! LMAO... :D You should send this to OTAKU once it's complete!
 
AWW YEAH HERE WE GO. 8D

I'll log any grammatical or graphical errors I catch and let you guys know. ^_^
 
Please also be aware that the coaster and snowboard minigames will only work right with aali's newest driver.  If you don't have that, you can set ff7_opengl.cfg vsync to ON, the framelimiter to OFF, and then set your graphic card to 60hz monitor refresh rate.  That will work the same.  Also note you need to install Weapon for correct coaster aimer.

Retranslated FMV tomorrow.
 
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Okay, wow, I haven't even gone into Tifa's bar yet and I can already start raving.  The game has managed to already be darker (as is fitting) with a proper translation and I love the attention to the NPCs and their dialogue that I didn't realize even existed cause of the original translation. And Barrett's personality already feels a bit different (in a good way!) as a result of his more accurate lines.  And wow, a lot of reactions sure make a lot more sense than they did before!

I have encountered a slight problem, already, though.  Usually right after an FMV moment (not the full ones, but minor ones like them running out of the reactor as it blows up or when Cloud jumps onto the train), the sound cuts out.  It returns as soon as you change screens, so at worst it's mildly annoying, but I figured it was worth mention. I'm not certain its the mod though, so it could be some argument between the game and my PC.

I can't believe the game is already making more sense though, gosh. XDD

EDIT: Forgot to mention the models.  They work great visually and I can now say I think the HD chibi models would be all wrong.  They're just too detailed to fit with the rest of the environment.  The current ones don't look disproportionate like I half expected, either!
 
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I have encountered a slight problem, already, though.  Usually right after an FMV moment (not the full ones, but minor ones like them running out of the reactor as it blows up or when Cloud jumps onto the train), the sound cuts out.  It returns as soon as you change screens, so at worst it's mildly annoying, but I figured it was worth mention.
Click to expand...
This is a bug when using the 1998 version of FF7 on Windows Vista or 7; the game tries to cut out MIDI music, but since the OS no longer has a separate control for MIDI, it ends up cutting out sound altogether.

I haven't tried it yet, but I assume using the latest version of Aali's driver along with OGG music should fix this.
 
At last...PROPER SENTENCES! XD I'm loving the models. They fit right in without looking out of place.

....though this happened.
http://imageshack.us/a/img801/5682/ffoe.jpg

Dunno how it happened. Cloud's sword is now completely white and now the time bar is running too far to the left. It might be the stuff I installed from Tifa's package, but I don't know. I may try reinstalling the game later.
 
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At last...PROPER SENTENCES! XD I'm loving the models. They fit right in without looking out of place.

....though this happened.
http://imageshack.us/a/img801/5682/ffoe.jpg

Dunno how it happened. Cloud's sword is now completely white and now the time bar is running too far to the left. It might be the stuff I installed from Tifa's package, but I don't know. I may try reinstalling the game later.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't use The Reunion alongside Bootleg. There will almost definitely be bugs to iron out, but seeing as PitBrat is on hiatus for who knows how long, Bootleg won't see updates any time soon. I think moving onto 7thHeaven is the better option for installing mods alongside The Reunion.
 
This is a bug when using the 1998 version of FF7 on Windows Vista or 7; the game tries to cut out MIDI music, but since the OS no longer has a separate control for MIDI, it ends up cutting out sound altogether.

I haven't tried it yet, but I assume using the latest version of Aali's driver along with OGG music should fix this.
Click to expand...
It's not the driver, I made sure to update Aali's to the newest, but I'll look into that OGG issue. Thanks!
 
It might still be the driver... it definitely has one bug where the music just plays on through FMV. 

@sonickenshin Your issue with the time bar etc is caused by not having a clean ff7.exe before installing mod (some other mod you have installed has already altered the menu).
 
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Ah, well, I'm no expert when it comes to these things so its possible.

Actual error found though, grammar issue.  When you have the 'help' feature turned on in battle and hover over Magic it says "Cast a magic".  Grammatically incorrect, two easy fixes would be "Cast Magic" (a little awkward imo) or "Cast a spell". "Cast a magic spell" would work as well. I think it's referred to as 'a magic' in one other place but I forgot to note it. This is on the American English version, don't know if it would be present on the British English one.
 
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