Has anyone ever wondered the following? 1.) What were they thinking when they made the BEAUTIFUL field models with their block arms and no mouths I mean really. It's just down right sad. But they do make up for it with the battle graphics don't ya think. The battle graphics on this game are so cool. I remember I would always think "Wow Cloud looks so cool and clear and awesome like that," right? Let me know if you agree with these statements.

Yeah 1997 was a bad year for graphics, wasn't it.
He said sarcasticly.
The graphics were good for its time, and some argue they still are today. It was a perfect way of changing from flat, 2D designs to new 3D ones. But I couldn't agree with you more about the battle graphics.

I know, if they remake that game I want the same type of battle graphics (nothing like on 8 or 9 where you can't see anything and it's too detailed for too bad of graphics but yeah model graphics on that game are the worst ever (ff3 a.k.a 6 had better !!!) lol. I liked the background graphics though. Thanks for posting

Yep they make stuning background,battle and movie graphics. Then you go to the field and its like oh my that sucks SOO bad!

u cant blame them tho.....ps1 wasn't exactly capable of a high amounts of polygons was it?

Ummm. it was capable of a lot better graphics than the character models on the field. Look at like Madden 97, the players didn't have block hands did they? Or look at like well...a lot of other games.

Those weren't RPGs. The biggest kind of game is an RPG. They have to have more than just graphics in there. They need story line, quests, scenarios, all that jazz. If they spent all their time on graphics, they wouldn't be able to spice up all the other stuff. Plus they tried to make it similar to the 2D FF's. Like in FF6, you would walk around as a pudgy little thing, but in a battle their bodies were more balanced. Plus in Japan it was released a whole year earlier than enywhere else. The companies that recieve the game just dub them. They don't upgrade the graphics.

So don't say bad shit about the graphics because in Japan it was like '96 when they released it. The graphics were great then. Don't compare them to the "new age'' graphics of FF10 or what have you.
I feel sorry for people who think FF7's graphics stink.

I am not criticizing them for it I just think that it could have been a little better. FFVIII graphics were a lot better and they were only a year apart or so so there wouldn't have been THAT much of a graphics breakthrough in such a short time. I can understand that they were trying to make it look sort of old school though.

I kind like them, they have the good ol ff7 feel to it, ff7 wouldnt be ff7 with out them :)

Ummm....you mean that FFVII wouldn't be what it was like now without them? Uh, duh. And if they would've made them differently when the game first came out, you would say the exact same thing so how do you know that those are the right graphics? Have you played it with different graphics?

................yes but they didn't

*sighs* there is no way they could'v made ff7 graphics better...reasons:
1)in around 1995(or whenever they started making it)console wasn't capable of making graphics better then what they where already..they didn't have the technology...
2)i dont know if u know this but making games takes a lot of memory(specially when altogether it takes up 4 disk)...when there putting 15 to 20 hours on each disc im sure ther isn't enough memory to improve the graphics...
so stop arguing the case....it was a good game....the graphics were good 4 it's time...live with it!!!

Damn straight.

*loooooooooong sigh*

I hope this arguement doesn't go on.

I accually like the graphics. Sure they arn't good compared to the graphics of today, but besides, they are one unique quality of the game.

Ummmm......then how do you explain how good the battle graphics were? Did they purposefully make the field graphics horrible so the battle graphics could be good? I am not saying that the graphics are a bad thing I am just saying that they make me laugh because they are SOOOOOOOO horrible.

think about it this was....they could'v made the feild graphis better...but they would of have to take some out...for instance make the battle graphics lamer!!!

YO I AGREE WITH YOU AT THE END WHEN CLOUD BATTLES SEPHIROTH, THE GRAPHICS BECOME EVEN BETTER HOW COME THEY COULDN"T MAKE THE SAME GRAPHICS WITH THE OTHER BATTLES?!

Originally posted by Cloud_Strife_Jenova
YO I AGREE WITH YOU AT THE END WHEN CLOUD BATTLES SEPHIROTH, THE GRAPHICS BECOME EVEN BETTER HOW COME THEY COULDN"T MAKE THE SAME GRAPHICS WITH THE OTHER BATTLES?!

COS IT TAKES MORE MEMORY!!!!!! :o *drops his head* i give up!!!

You know, there is a lot of technical terms and general un-informed-ness going on around here, so i'll try to clear things up.

First, there is a distinction between memory, as in the PS1's graphical processor, and available space, ie, the 1.8 gig of program that comes on the three PlayStation discs.

Anyone who's ever ripped the FMVs from a PS disc knows they could have fit FF7 on one CD - assuming Square didn't put any cutscenes in. Those cutscenes are humongous files, and in order to get the graphical quality, they're not compressed - hence, it's spread across 3 CDs.

The graphics in the game are more about the number of polygons the PlayStation's processor was capable of moving at one time. Since the base processor of the PS1 was a measly 33MHz, Square didn't have much to play with. Also, they like those huge pre-rendered backgrounds, which not only take up a heap of space on the CD, but are a bitch to program around.

You'll notice in battle scenes, especially the one with Sephiroth, there is no prerendered background - hence, more of the processor can concentrate on polygons. Also in battles, you've got a limited number of enemies - while in the town or world map view, you can have many people interacting at once.

Final Fantasy VII was praised as a graphical marvel at the time - mainly for its gorgeous backgrounds, summons, and FMV. The actual polygon models were nothing special for the time - it was the incorporation that was praised.

And of course, the graphics improved - FF8 introduced proportion, and FF9 introduced higher detail - over the years, Square became used to the PlayStation hardware, and pulled more out of it. The same happens on the PS2 - compare FF10 and FF10-2, and you'll notice subtle increases in graphical quality.

However, in closing I must agree that to a certain extent, the field models detracted some emotion from the game - it's no problem for those who are drawn into the story, but it's hard to convince someone that FF7 is deep and meaningful when they look at the screen and say - "He looks like a LEGO." :whatever:

THANK YOU ExS!
I tried to explain some of that but I didn't have all that info on hand. Plus I couldn't find the right words. I'm glad you came in and posted.

As for me, it's time to hit the old dusty trail.

*flings jacket over shoulder and walks out into the sunset*

Yes FF VII is beautifull!!

Only the character models on the 2d backgrounds could have been better like in FF 8...

At the time, I thought the graphics for Final Fantasy VII were great. As with any other game, or anything, over time the impact of said special effects or graphics will decrease as newer, better technology comes forward and replaces the previous incarnation. As a result, people turn around and sneer at the older technology saying it's rubbish.

How many people here have played FFVI and said "oh, it's not that great, the graphics are rubbish" despite the fact that the technology used for it was built at the beginning of the 90s?

I haven't played VII for a bit now, but doubtless if I do I'll find myself feeling that the graphics lacked something. But at the time, the game made such an impact, and is the reason why I'm here now typing this post. If I'd never played FFVII, I'd probably have never become a fan.

Yeah, uhh, I think I'm sort of on topic. =/

Hmm... FFIV - FFVI conveyed more emotion through the character graphics. I think it was a mistake to make the characters in FFVII the emotionless motionless polygon-heaps that they are. It could have been better, really. They could at least have used the usual tricks to convey surprise or shock: The eyes grow big, or this anime-inspired drop or something like this. The characters look stupid, sadly.

Originally posted by Misao
Hmm... FFIV - FFVI conveyed more emotion through the character graphics. I think it was a mistake to make the characters in FFVII the emotionless motionless polygon-heaps that they are. It could have been better, really. They could at least have used the usual tricks to convey surprise or shock: The eyes grow big, or this anime-inspired drop or something like this. The characters look stupid, sadly.

I thought the Cloud suddenly shooting backwards in alarm when someone says something / a boss attacks was always quite amusing. Example of this on the final disk before Jenova Absolute attacks you, he shakes his head as she comes up then suddenly moves backwards. So it isn't a facial expression, but it's still a body movement that conveys emotion.

Plus the characters used touch as a way of conveying emotion. At the end of disk 2, you have Tifa and Cloud snuggled up sharing together the "last moments" before they go down the Crater, perhaps alone. Tifa leans her head against his shoulder and closes her eyes, showing at last that she definitely cares.

Although some facial expressions would've added to the game, definitely.

Yeah it sort of had movement but it was a little cheesy and as for the touch thing, they may have tried but touch on that thing is like these two lines touching | |. They didn't really look like they were actually touching it looked like they were 10 inches from each other.

You make a better game on a 33Mhz processor and come back to me.

yeah landlord you really dont understand the laws of time...do you???

Personaly, I love the graphics of FFVII. This may sound wrong, but I believe them the probably be the best I've ever seen. Even though they are pretty sad, they are CLASSIC and Classic games and graphics are the best. But maybe I'm just a dumbass...oh well...

Originally posted by Insanity's_Requiem
Personaly, I love the graphics of FFVII. This may sound wrong, but I believe them the probably be the best I've ever seen. Even though they are pretty sad, they are CLASSIC and Classic games and graphics are the best. But maybe I'm just a dumbass...oh well...

i totaly agree with what you just said!!!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ExS
[B]
Anyone who's ever ripped the FMVs from a PS disc knows they could have fit FF7 on one CD - assuming Square didn't put any cutscenes in. Those cutscenes are humongous files, and in order to get the graphical quality, they're not compressed - hence, it's spread across 3 CDs.

You know that reminds me of a trick I did a few times. My PS was a piece of crap and the laser burned marks on the discs so they didn't work too well but did you know if your game freezes you can take that disc out and put another one in and you CAN play the whole game on one disc. The only drawback is when a movie comes up (Ex. the escaping from Shinra movie could be when weapon attacks Junon if you have the second disc in.)

As for everything that you are saying Boogybro, it seems like you agree with about what everyone is saying. I never once said that I didn't like the graphics and you keep twisting my words around so I would appreciate if you didn't. And what I was trying to say is that I think that MAYBE they should have evened it out instead of having field graphics poor and battle graphics awesome.

Originally posted by Landlord of Sector 7
Yeah it sort of had movement but it was a little cheesy and as for the touch thing, they may have tried but touch on that thing is like these two lines touching | |. They didn't really look like they were actually touching it looked like they were 10 inches from each other.

so this post is not taking the piss out of ff7 is it?

Well, he has a point, hasn't he?

Anyway... I though the contrast between the characters and the normal graphics were too big at times. I've seen SNEs sprites that looked better than those characters, really. More details and everything. Why did they have to use those polygons?

Knowing how people in this thread think,,,(not trying to be disrespectful) but I'm sure people are going to say that it was because they didn't have the technology to make them different and they wanted them to be as good as they possibly could be (even if they were crappy polygons instead of like good 2d's) It wouldn't have been too bad if they would have made the characters completely 2d because the balloons on the snowboarding game are 2d and they don't look bad do they?:D

Some of the later RPGs for SNES had detailed, pretty character sprites... Seiken Densetsu 3, anyone? I am not comparing FFVII to later games, I'm comparing it to older games. :(

i totally agree with Exs...
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sqaure might have tried to even out the graphics....but maybe they didn't agree on it...maybe it wouldn't look as good as you think it might look...
remember everything is done for a reason!!!

Yeah they might have tried doing that and they might not have. You are just speculating and coming up with anything you can think of to argue your point.

well...either way....the game came out 7 years ago....so unless you have a time travelling device, theres no way of knowing!!!

Exactly so don't bring up those pointless arguments.

Originally posted by Misao
Some of the later RPGs for SNES had detailed, pretty character sprites... Seiken Densetsu 3, anyone? I am not comparing FFVII to later games, I'm comparing it to older games. :(

What you're forgetting there though is that Square had programmed several games on the SNES before and knew more about its characteristics and what not. They knew how to get the goodness out of the system. When they programmed Final Fantasy VII, it was probably the first project they undertook for the PSX, therefore they weren't sure exactly HOW far they could push things.

Now, if you compare FF7 with an early SNES RPG (FF4, for instance) and then compare a later SNES RPG like FF6 and a later PSX RPG like FF9, you can see the leaps and bounds on the same technology. FF4, in comparison to FF6, looks quite tacky and it's hard to make out ANYTHING on the sprites bar a bowed head for sadness, etc. It does not detract from the fact it was one kick ass, awesome game. Ditto 7 to 9.

I'm sure there are some people in Square who are wishing they'd known the tricks they'd utilised in FF9 to make the game more realistic looking - but such is life, they didn't, and I think due to the profit margin, the number is a very small one.