FF7 NT - FAQ

The following is an overview of some commonly asked questions regarding the mod; what it is, what
it does, which platforms it is for, modding compatibility, etc. Feel free to pop over to the main forum
at Qhimm/NGPlus.net if the information here doesn’t quite cover everything.

What does the FF7 NT mod do/change?

The mod has overhauled every single enemy in the game with new AI, attacks, formations, and a
finely-tuned stat respec. Characters also have more clearly defined stat development, with the player
being able to choose which stats to increase through the Source Point/Rank Up system; they each
also have a unique innate ability to help them in battle, and better effects/bonuses on their weapons
to help with customisation.

New events and content have also been added, such as restored story scenes, sidequests, and brand
new enemies. Various quality-of-life (QoL) changes have also been introduced such as the option to
skip certain lengthy cutscenes like the Nibelheim Flashback, shortcuts, extra Save Points, and reduced
fees for items needed to progress (Gold Saucer ticket for instance). All of the game’s dialogue has
also been given a revision to clean up phrasing, while retaining the unique quirky style of FF7’s text.

Is this a hardcore difficulty mod?

NT is not hardcore-level, and aims instead for a reasonable level of difficulty that’s midway between
the default game and hard-type mods. The goal is to provide something that’s accessible to everyone,
and there’s plenty of tools put at the player’s disposal to give them an edge in the fights. However,
playing defensively can make the mod harder and slower so be wary about relying on Sadness and
Back-Row; there are other ways to mitigate incoming damage if need-be.

Do I have to min/max?

No, and it’s not possible in any case; every character build is viable for every fight in the game and
the diversity in equipment means you’ll be able to make adjustments if need be.

Do I need to grind levels/gil?

No, the EXP curves have been set in such a way that you will be at a recommended level for each
boss assuming that you haven’t run from every single fight, but even in this case the local enemies
will be enough to catch you up and bosses can be beaten at lower levels with an effective strategy.
The mod also encourages players to push forward as the returns on EXP/GIL/AP increases
exponentially with each new area. Players will often be approaching max Level by Disc 3 and can
quickly attain this (and Materia farming) in the North Crater area.

Where can I find out about Steals/Morphs/Drops/Item locations

NT’s download folder comes with documentation, including a spreadsheet that lists every enemy’s
steal, drop, and morph tables. Another document also lists the location of items, materia, etc. in-
game.

Are status buffs/ailments actually useful?

From early on, more magic is made available to the player such as Barrier, MBarrier, Haste, Slow,
Debarrier, and others. Making good use of these is the key to smoothly defeating enemies without
having to play too defensively. Barrier is great for front-row fighters or characters using Cover, while
Slow can make fights much more manageable.
Other status ailments like Silence and Poison are also effective; never assume that an enemy or boss
has no status weaknesses, as in 90% of cases at least one status ailment will work against them. If a
fight is difficult, try experimenting with different status magic.

How does Rank-Up/Source Points work?

The Source-Point/Rank-Up system is unlocked upon completing the Mythril Mines area later in the
game. Whenever you defeat an enemy or boss, the game adds the SP they were worth to a variable
that is then distributed to all characters when visiting a Save Point.

Save Points have been upgraded with more options when you use them and two of these options are
used for Rank-Up; you can check the amount of SP each character has and visit the Rank-Up screen
to use SP to buy sources for your characters.

When you visit the Rank-Up screen, each character will be checked. If they have more than 200+SP
then a flat upgrade of +5 to each stat will be applied, and the player will then choose one of four
upgrades for the character that improves key stats even further. An example of the choices would be:

[{CLOUD}] - Rank Up
+5 All Stats & Choose Upgrade:
{CHOICE}Ex-SOLDIER: +5 STR/MAG/SPR
{CHOICE}Mercenary: +10 STR{, }+5 VIT/LCK
{CHOICE}Makonoid: +10 MAG{, }+5 SPR/DEX
{CHOICE}Shinra Trooper: +10 DEX{, }+5 STR/LCK

So in the example above, Cloud will get +5 to every stat and then the player chooses the extra
bonus to go on top of that. All upgrades are given as Sources which then need to be used in
the Menu before the script will progress. You can pick different upgrades with each Rank-up
so you can mix and match the upgrades with each other for more customisation. Each
character can Rank-up 8 times total and they cannot be reset so pick your upgrades carefully.

Can I brick/mess up a character?

Some builds may not prove to be as effective as others, but they are all viable for clearing the
content within the mod.

Why does [insert enemy name here] seem to get so many turns?

Some enemies have scripts that will trigger under certain conditions, such as falling HP, or they might
have counter-attacks. Another possible cause is the Active ATB setting, which generally does not
favour the player. If an enemy seems too aggressive, consider halting offence and recovering your
party before resuming as you might be triggering counters; Slow & Haste can also adjust the flow of
a fight if the problem is a difference in speed.

Why can’t I sense bosses past a certain point?

The game has a hard-coded limit of 30,000HP for Sense (with a possible 65,535 limit overall with
hacks); due to this, bosses after the end of Disc 1 can no longer be Sensed for HP or elemental
weaknesses. The Ochu tool, however, can work around this to display enemy HP if need be:
http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=14194.0
What about the script? Is the story still the same?

I gave the game’s text a few passes and corrected some of the phrasing while being careful to keep
the original style of the dialogue. Some story points are explained more clearly, and some additional
scenes that were deactivated/bugged in the original game have been restored where it felt
appropriate to do so. There’s also a few easter eggs and gags tucked into the game here and there
for players who take the time to explore.

How do I know if the game has installed properly?

When starting a New Game, a dialogue box should appear before the Intro FMV that specifies the NT
build and asks the player to select a difficulty. In the first encounter of the game, the enemy names
should be ‘MP Trainee’ instead of just ‘MP’; and Cloud should be equipped with Fire Materia in
addition to Bolt and Ice.

The encounters you find are also important; if you are faced with an enemy that is massively stronger
than can be reasonably dealt with in the first Reactor then assume that there has been a problem and
report it to the forums for troubleshooting. This can sometimes happen due to either mod conflict or
security issues during installation.

What platform(s) can I play this on? Will there ever be a PSX version?

The mod is currently PC only due to limitations with the PSX files and hardware. The mod can be
installed to all known PC versions including 1998 PC, 2012 re-release, and the Steam version. The
mod can also be played through the ModLoader ‘7th Heaven’ and has its own IRO dedicated to this.
There are no plans to produce a PSX version at this time, as heavy modifications would be required
and not all content would be transferrable; it would be ‘NT Lite’ at best.