[FF8R-PC/Steam] FF8 Remastered (Lunatic Pandora) Mods Progress

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Hello again!  Just checking in after a long while away.

@Mcindus, I watched some of your photoshop stream and was impressed and a little hypnotized. You were working on an elevator sign, some hallway stuff and a Class Room sign - also watched a bit inside the classroom and a few easter eggs on a whiteboard. The backgrounds are looking fantastic! Not only are you patching in different AI types into one image, but you guys are putting insane hours of custom-reworked art into this project. I'm incredibly impressed. This is SOOO much more than just an AI upscale!

Is there some type of progress indicator on where we are at on the Ultima backgrounds release for the remaster? From a comment you made on a stream, it sounds like we are getting really close!

I can't wait to start a new playthrough with all of this amazing work!
 
Check out https://twitter.com/mcindus_mods

There is a video of the remade NPCs working with ANIMATION!

Working on the LAST Background!

Angelwing: Ultima is almost here!
As soon as it's complete I'll be releasing to Patrons for bug testing and QA for a few weeks until public release!

Thank you so much everyone involved, and for all of your hard work
@DefyingFate
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Why doesn't Demaster work with Japanese language?

I can't use most of these mods because they're relying on that tool.
 
Thanks!
Will the upscaled FMV also be included in the Lunatic Pandora: Remaster mod package?
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That is not currently the plan due to the many different FMV mods being offered as it would make the mod HUGE. In the future, I will be doing my best to work with Darziak, Fated Courage, and Klitlika to create the best FMV pack possible that I will THEN include in an addendum/update/separate installer to the main LP pack.
 
That is not currently the plan due to the many different FMV mods being offered as it would make the mod HUGE. In the future, I will be doing my best to work with Darziak, Fated Courage, and Klitlika to create the best FMV pack possible that I will THEN include in an addendum/update/separate installer to the main LP pack.
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Hey McIndus, have you ever heard of video enhance AI? It's video upscaling software that can add details, made by the same company that made gigapixel. I don't know much about modding but I bought video enhance AI to upscale old anime/shows/etc (you can also download a free 30 day trial, I don't think it adds a watermark or at least it didn't use to?) so if you are able to provide me with the ff8 video files I could upscale them with that program and then you guys could manually adjust from there if possible/needed, I think it's the best video upscaling software on the internet right now. Unfortunately I only have a laptop with a 1660ti so it takes me about 20 hours to upscale a 720p video 40 minute video to 4k.
 
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thank you so much for all your hard work on this, it's really made the game feel like the remaster it should have been!
 
Thanks for all your work on this. I just recently bought the remaster to relive nostalgia from my teenage years. Supported your patreon to try out AngelWing and can't get enough how amazing everything looks. Finally the backgrounds look as high quality as the character models.
 
That is not currently the plan due to the many different FMV mods being offered as it would make the mod HUGE. In the future, I will be doing my best to work with Darziak, Fated Courage, and Klitlika to create the best FMV pack possible that I will THEN include in an addendum/update/separate installer to the main LP pack.
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Thanks for your efforts. I can't wait to try the game with Lunatic Pandora mods. Btw are there any update about the public release?
 
Terrible character faces. Highly contrasting textures in the world. This gives me the same disgust as the remaster. But (!!!) apart from game design, a lot of work has been done. It seems to me that the author did the best that he could without ordering new graphics.

This is Squall:
https://i.imgur.com/IT9ukgK.png

Unfortunately, the mods feature a completely different character.
 
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Yeah? Well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man....
 
Hello MCINDUS and Fated Courage,

I have been following this project for ages.
I first got interested when I discovered that fans were remastering the
prerendered backgrounds in Final Fantasy VII using AI upscaling programs for the Remako mod.
My excitement went through the roof for what fans would upscale next.
My mind immediately went to Final Fantasy VIII because it was the first
game I played in the series and was a major part of my childhood.   
I instantly feel in love with the series and Squaresoft, and played them all, and completed most.
Then the Final Fantasy IX Moguri mod started and I became even more
confident that the Final Fantasy VIII fans would deliver.
Sure enough, you and the fan community have been making dreams come true.
I appreciate all the hard work you have done.  THANK YOU!!!

I have couple thoughts and rabbit holes I have dived into that I wanted to share and get peoples insight on.

First off, I wanted to share this website, https://www.kusanagi.co.jp/art/.
This is an art studio in japan that worked on a lot of the concept art and prerendered backgrounds for Squaresoft
during the time they worked on Final Fantasy VII - X along with many other great game developments and anime.
Just thought I should share this bit of history because they do amazing work and it is fascinating.

I also wondered and dreamed of what other games could get the HD AI treatment and
thought of Legend of the Dragoon, Chrono Cross and Koudelka. 
I found that fans are working on Legend of the Dragoon but I haven't yet seen anything for
Chrono Cross and Koudelka. I know that the process to do these fan mods are VERY complicated
and rely heavily on reverse engineering everything and coding programs to rip assets, and programs
to allow bigger higher resolution images back in and make everything line up and work perfectly.
Amazing stuff! I know that is probably why the PC ports of the Final Fantasy games were used to mod.
Legend of the Dragoon, Chrono Cross and Koudelka don't have pc ports unfortunately.
Looking at the The Legend of Dragoon Upscale Project page, https://legendofdragoon.org/2021/01/01/upscale-project-debut/ , I noticed that they are, "Currently we are still only targeting the upscale to work on RetroArch with Beetle PSX HW."
This gives me hope that all Playstation games with prerendered graphics can be
updated and have mods and patches used on emulators. Keepin' the dream alive!

Since I've been following this project I have been collecting all of the upscaled images that have been released
and have had them cycling as my desktop background. It even inspired me to go into the game and capture footage
to make gifs of the the backgrounds with animations.

Ever since I was young child playing Final Fantasy VIII the clock in Ultimicia's Castle has bugged me.
The roman numeral 4 is shown as "IIII" instead of "IV". I know both are considered correct but I
much more prefer "IV". (Big Ben in London has it's 4 as "IV")
Anyway, I plan on modifying this background in Photoshop once the mod is complete just for my own amusement.

This also got me thinking. The prerendered backgrounds could be completely changed as long as the places where the
characters walked were still the ground and things that they interact with also need to be considered.
This would be the easiest way to make a fan sequel, side quest or new environments or whatever.
Not that it would be easy but not impossible.

I've just barely been holding back from paying the 2 measly dollars to MCINDUS's Patreon
only because I don't want to try the mod until it's ready. MCINDUS has said though that is
very close to being ready and that it will then be released to the public.
I want help in any way I can to the project but just don't know how I can help or contribute.
I am kinda really hurting financially right now too. I can pay $2 though.
My only question is though, what can I do to help with the project?
I have a background in graphic design and have Photoshop.

This project seems to be in more than capable hands and is turning out epic! Thanks again!
 
Agree 100% the FMV Squal looks way cooler than the Kingdom hearts Squall. That's why FF VIII was so successfull, the characters and the world seemed more real per se but at the same time "fantastical.

FF 8 is undoubtedly the best FF game imo. been recently playing 9 and 10 and 15 and , the 8 story is by far the most compelling. The sound and Music is just super cool. It's an Incredible world that diserved the Remake and not 7. Anyone know about a remake of 8 or they are really skipping it and going for 9 only ???
 
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Hello again everyone,

Expanding on my last post I decided to make google drive with
all the Final Fantasy VIII stuff I have been collecting.
My hype for this mod has sent me down a rabbit hole and I have
collected miscellaneous things related to Final Fantasy VIII that
I thought would be fun to share and make more easily accessible
to other fans just like me.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MEfj9luDVIsLVi4uOeq85ppqfZ8sV1C_?usp=sharing

This folder contains the following:
-Concept art
-Fan Art
-Fan 3D renders
-Fan videos of upscaled videos and recreations of Balamb Garden
-Pre rendered background captures
-Pre rendered background gifs
-HD remakes of the Pre rendered backgrounds (mostly from MCINDUS and Fated Courage)
-A fan Unity demo of Final Fantasy VIII combat
-Square 5.1ch Movie Collection (a dvd released by Squaresoft only with the purchase of
a specific Toshiba DVD player to show off Final Fantasy VIII cutscenes. It is higher resolution
then what is a available in any of the games but only has a few cutscenes and a Squaresoft
watermark in the corner.)

I am constantly finding new interesting things that I add to this folder.
Let me know what you think and if there is anything you would like to see added.

I also have made smaller similar folders for Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy IX, Legend of the Dragoon,
Chrono Cross, Bravely Default, Fantasian, Blade Runner PC and misc other games with prerendered backgrounds.

These worlds help inspire me and get my creative juices flowing.
Hopefully these will inspire others to create something that we will all enjoy.
 
Is there a special launcher? I followed the youtube video on how to do everything.. launched the game and to my surprise nothing was modded =O
 
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