FF7 in 32 bit?

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Won't work. All the files already have their filename encoded in them as an ASCII value. The problem is that FF7 decodes them and sends only the midi messages through to WinMM. That's a crap way to do it - why not just let Windows do all the work? - but that's how it does it. Hence all the problems with identifying the midis.
 
if it decodes them straight out of the lgp file, why not have the lgp file filed with dummy midi files? each with their own sig' that is coded in midi format, or something?
by the way, i was thinking, does ff7 really need to be running to make the pat files? why not decode the midi out of the lgp the way ff7 does it, and use say ff7midi.exe to play it and make a menu where the midi plays and at the same time the user has to match the midi to the mp3, and then when the midi closes, the pat files are generated and then renamed automatically by the player? i dont think that sounded right  :D but u should get the general idea, that maybe its time to do similar decoding outside of the EXE.
 
I twould be cool to some how have the MP3s play though Windows Media Player. Reason? Heard the SRS Wow effects? it would be way cool to have them used playing FFVII Music.
 
Skillster: Not many programs DO decode the midi's internally like FF7 so it'd be hard to generate correct 'signature' PAT files using anything but FF7.I really think a totally different method is needed ...
 
hmm maybe a bruteforce (TM) tactic is needed? any suggestions? how about we strip the executable code outta ff7 and plce it in to a pat spewing exe or something  :wink: (joke)
seriously, this needs to be done logically and it looks like mp3 music is going back to the drawing board!
 
Yeah, a completely new approach would be best. Obviously it'd have to be a WinMM layer since that's the only way to intercept midi messages, and the Winamp plugin method is a good one to use for playback since it lets people use whatever plugins work best on *their* PC. The only problem is still how to identify the damn midis! Argh.I might have a look at the midis again now I've done a Cosmo bugfix. I can't help thinking there should be a really simple, elegant way of doing this ... probably just wishful thinking.
 
hmm maybe if we bullet ideas on the board? or if we do some kind of flow charts or something?
 
Yeah, well the first few posts were to do with 32-bit FF7...I think I've got a way to ID the midis properly now. I'll post a test version of the app when I've got it working on my PC. Of course, I thought this about the original release ... but the new method is better anyway...
 
what is it? hows it work? whats it involve? and all the general stuff too please :P
 
OK...Basically, FF7 decodes the midi's itself then sends midi messages to Windows to pass on to the sound card. Messages along the lines of:

-Activate instrument flute
-Play note X of length Y
-Stop playing note
-Play note....... etc etc etc

The PAT method was just a log of these messages. However, if your PC ran slightly differently to someone elses the messages might arrive in a *slightly* different order. Not enough to make the music sound different, but the PAT files wouldn't match up.

The new method I'm trying (seems to work for me!) is to log only the instrument change messages, and to disregard the order. So it basically stores which instruments the midi uses on which channels. Since it's no longer reliant on the messages arriving in a particular order it should work on any PC...at least, that's the theory.

Ironically, it's easy to do because FF7 has already decoded the midi messages into nice blocks for me...

Update: Anyone who's already got the original FF7MUSIC patch can download an update from
 [url="<a]http://www.legacy-ovwp.org/~ficedula/download/ff7musicb.zip[/url]" TARGET=_blank>http://www.legacy-ovwp.org/~ficedula/download/ff7musicb.zip

Hopefully it works on everyone's PC ... please test it!

[This message has been edited by ficedula (edited April 05, 2001).]
 
will do, ill test it now...
hold on, its not there  :( u sure u uploaded it?
 
Yo! Skillster send my a copy of your battle.pat when you have got it! and where are you playing from? Shall I start the game again or shall I countenu playing from the desert prision? Personnaly I would like to start again and get the pat files myself(Since you will most likely be slower than me. I have easter hilidays now. 2 weeks of school   :) )So what up?

Edit:
I dont get it. I never had one of them .dll file in my folder in the first place. My FFVII Dosent play the mp3s and make midi dumps.
So how do I set this up?

[This message has been edited by Sir Canealot (edited April 05, 2001).]
 
hmm looks complicated but then so was the first one!
there are no more pat files now, all u need is ID numbers!
bin all those pat files and start again, hopefully we can compare id numbers to check, and keep the midi set to GM. i cant check till tomorow cos im in windows 2000  :(
but this way looks very weird, but still as long as it works  :wink:
ill post my id numbers tommorow, untill then someone figure out how to use this? i mean ficedula? u r cery bad at writing user freindly readmes  :wink: lol
just kiddin ill have this sorted by tommorow.
 
Yeah, I wrote the readme with that in about 2 minutes ... there was a programme on TV I wanted to see.You can check straight away! Once the patch is installed, fire up FF7 and go into a few locations (hint: World map and a battle would work well). Exit and look at LOG.TXT. If it includes some lines saying something like "Midi file found! - World map" then guess what, the ID's I generated are working on your PC too.
 
hmm i am excited so i did it already  :wink:
but i forgot to put your ids into the files.ini
instead i got my ids from the log.txt and i got bad news already  :(
your ids:
00448F8F8F8F0027002700328F8F000000348F8F0034003400460047002F8F8F=World Map
00300030003C004900490039003A0026002F000100490030003800388F8F8F8F=Battle
003100310031003100300030003800380038000000398F8F8F8F005100510051=Fanfare
right? here are mine
0003004400470046003C002E0030003000300000003000300030003000000039=world map
00300030003C004900490039003A0026002F000100490030003800388F8F8F8F=battle
003000300030003000300030003800380038000000398F8F8F8F005100510051=fanfare
looks VERY CLOSE TO IDENTICAL! but not close enuff, eh hold on! the battle is identical! success! only fanfare and world map r different...
 
are u using general midi with yamaha soft synth? cos maybe we need to distribute an identical midi.lgp?
 
man, i cant get it to run mp3s at all! it wont fond them on the cd, if i copy them over and rename them to bat.mp3, and change the id entry to bat or bat.mp3 it wont work, but sometimes about 15 seconds into the midi, it either crashes with an excaption in ff7.exe in module 10H or it sayd "cannot set co operative mode" or something. this is kinda hurting my head, as i cant see what im doing wrong it says in the log "matched..." with the battle id of yours, and i put my ta.mid id in and it matches but nothing!
 
I'm using SB Live with General Midi. SHouldn't make a difference though...Cooperative level - are you using the Winamp Directsound output plugin? Thats the one the works for me...

ID codes: Email me your PRE.MID, BAT.MID. They might be different. It's possible, somebody's told me about a bug in Cosmo a while ago; when he emailed me some of his original FLEVEL files they were different to my originals...
 
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