Final Fantasy VII [DX11]

geo-11 fix for Final Fantasy VII. Specifically for FFNx, which is a new engine, and not for the unmodified game.

Update (2022-08-08): updated fix after checking the new official widescreen mode. I have disabled my widescreen mode because the official one is better. And I have also improved my handling of scissor clipping to not cut single color fullscreen effects (and also to not stereoize them).

Fixed

• Skyboxes (overworld and summons) now at full depth, for default textures and multiple mods.
• Shadows in the overworld now at approximate depth (they were fully 2D), for default textures and multiple mods.
• Options for HUD depth that also affect 2D backgrounds. With fixed clipping.
• Optional widescreen mod (until there's widescreen officially in FFNx).

Installation

• If you're starting with the unmodded game, first of all install the latest canary version of FFNx. This step is mandatory, because it's what will make the game run in DirectX 11.
• I recommend installing the latest canary version of 7th Heaven, which gives you an interface for easily configuring game settings and installing mods.
• You need to configure it in a specific way to ensure the best stability. This is what I set for my 2560x1440 monitor in 7th Heaven (Settings -> Game Driver):
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  If you're not using 7th Heaven, these are the key settings in "FFNx.toml" to play normally in 16:9 aspect ratio (with your own resolution output, scale and antialiasing. Do what you want with the rest):
  
  renderer_backend = 3
  fullscreen = true
  borderless = false
  window_size_x = 2560
  window_size_y = 1440
  internal_resolution_scale = 6
  aspect_ratio = 2
  enable_vsync = true
  enable_antialiasing = 16
  
  For the best image quality with "internal_resolution_scale", try to not go over 2x your resolution height (1 is 480, 2 is 960, etc). For example 6 is great for 1440p, because it's 2880. More than that looks actually more aliased. At that internal resolution and 16xMSAA, there was still a lot of performance left for my RTX 2080Ti (I only saw near 50% usage only during some spells or summons).
  
  
• Download this file (contains geo-11 build v0.6.58) and extract its contents in the "FINAL FANTASY VII" folder, where "FF7.exe" is. Remember to edit "d3dxdm.ini" to change your "direct_mode" to the output you need. It's sbs by default. For 3D Vision monitors, use fullscreen ingame (better configure the game before installing the fix) and "direct_mode = nvidia_dx11" or "direct_mode = nvidia_dx9" in "d3dxdm.ini". "nvidia_dx11" has better performance and probably more stability than "nvidia_dx9".
• Run the game, with 7th Heaven if you have it installed.

Hotkeys

• F1 or XB_RIGHT_THUMB: convergence presets (0, 100, 300, 600, 1200). 600 by default, good for battles, but a bit low for the overworld, which is better with 1200.
• F2: HUD depth presets (0%, 20", 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%). 0% depth by default. This also affects 2D prerendered backgrounds.
• F4: toggle for 0 separation and convergence, to quickly play through uncomfortable 2D backgrounds, because they don't contain any 3D information while characters and other polygonal objects do.
• F5: presets for my widescreen mode (default, 16:9, 2560x1080 AR, and 3440x1440 AR). Unmodified by default, which I recommend unless you can't wait for widescreen to be official. The other modes are intended to be used when you select Aspect Ratio -> Stretch to Fill. Battles look excellent, but the overworld and 2D backgrounds will show aggressive culling done by the game, so you won't that that much extra content at the sides. Non default modes also disable the scissor clipping fix for the HUD, so you may see some glitches related to that.
• F6: black bars toggle. Not used by default. This will only work when the F5 hotkey is not at default state, placing back bars to cover everything outside the original 4:3 area. Intended for 2D backgrounds if culling is annoying to you.

Recommendations

• Install and use the "60 FPS Gameplay" mod, as well as using "ff7_fps_limiter = 3" in "FFNx.toml".
• Use a cutscenes mod that makes them run at least at 30fps. I use "Cosmos FMV (30 fps)" combined with all three "Ninostyle" mods for character models (the FMV mod can show models from the other mod as an option).
• If you're playing at 4:3 without any stretching, you will notice that separation can be lower than usual. This is normal, and you can compensate it by using 33% higher separation to match other 16:9 games.
• Use the official widescreen mode.
• Most areas with 2D backgrounds will be annoying to play with 3D enabled (sadly they don't contain any 3D information, unlike Final Fantasy IX). Just use the F4 key to switch to 2D, and reenable 3D again in battles and outside.

If you liked the fix and want to contribute for more future fixes, you can donate to this PayPal account: masterotakusuko@gmail.com

Or you can join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/masterotaku