Hacking Final Fantasy Type-0 RomHacking

[LoyalZero1]

I'm afraid that has no solution. All PSP (prerrendered) videos are 480*272. Even if we manage to edit them without loosing quality, it's impossible to increase its quality, and when expanding such a low resolution in a big screen, there will always be a noticeable pixelization.

I don't know about that... I'm also playing other PSP games full screen on my laptop and there is no drop in video resolution in these games:

Gran Turismo
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
Dissidia
Dissidia 012
Kingdom Hearts BBS FM
Soul Calibur Broken Destiny

There's just something about the Crisis Core videos that make them look very poor in quality on a full screen. I wonder how it is that they don't look that way on youtube when using full screen? I hope SE made the videos in Type-0 with a higher resolution like they did in some of the games above. Those videos have to be a higher resolution than those that are in Crisis Core. There's no other explanation that I can see.

 

[SkyBladeCloud]

Well, that deppends on what you mean by "videos". I meant prerrendered cutscenes, which are basically mpeg2 streams. Those can't be upscaled (they can only be stretched to a bigger screen, which is what looks awful).

All prerrendered videos in a PSP game are always 480*272, matching the PSP's resolution. This is the case of Type-0, all the games you mentioned, an basically every video of any PSP game (excluding smaller videos that you may preview in the XBM, which are 144*80 IIRC).

Now there is another case: scenes rendered in real time (that I usually just call "cutscenes"): they are actual 3D graphics and can be upscalled up to 1080p, and in theory, any higher resolution, improving the overall quality. Note that any kind of scene can be prerrenderes or real time.

For example, in Crisis Core, when you begin the first mission (first two battles, one agains soldiers, an another agains the behemooth), they mix both real time, and prerrendered scenes:

-The 1st angeal call -> real time scene... Can be upscaled gaining quality.
-2nd Angeal call (when Zack's agains sephiroth) -> that's prerrendered, if you try to upscale that, it'll look bad.

In the PSP it's unnoticeable, since real time graphics are also rendered at 480*272, so in many cases there is no quick way to tell them appart.

The only possible thing one can do with videos (and I mean prerrendered scenes) is filtering after stretching them, but then they would stop working alright in the PSP, since you would be playing higher resolution videos in a smaller screen, so you would only see part of the video.

Now keep in mind that you can only upscale real time graphics in an emulator. In you're using a program like remote joy like, it wont do it for you (It can't). It can, however, filter all graphics (both prerrendered and real time), but the ressult is not nearly as good as upscaling

In any case none of this has anything to do with the game itself, but rather with the program you use to play it (PSP+RemoteJoyLite VS Emulator)

~Sky

 

[Bneundh]

Well

Well, that deppends on what you mean by "videos". I meant prerrendered cutscenes, which are basically mpeg2 streams. Those can't be upscaled (they can only be stretched to a bigger screen, which is what looks awful).

All prerrendered videos in a PSP game are always 480*272, matching the PSP's resolution. This is the case of Type-0, all the games you mentioned, an basically every video of any PSP game (excluding smaller videos that you may preview in the XBM, which are 144*80 IIRC).

Now there is another case: scenes rendered in real time (that I usually just call "cutscenes"): they are actual 3D graphics and can be upscalled up to 1080p, and in theory, any higher resolution, improving the overall quality. Note that any kind of scene can be prerrenderes or real time.

For example, in Crisis Core, when you begin the first mission (first two battles, one agains soldiers, an another agains the behemooth), they mix both real time, and prerrendered scenes:

-The 1st angeal call -> real time scene... Can be upscaled gaining quality.
-2nd Angeal call (when Zack's agains sephiroth) -> that's prerrendered, if you try to upscale that, it'll look bad.

In the PSP it's unnoticeable, since real time graphics are also rendered at 480*272, so in many cases there is no quick way to tell them appart.

The only possible thing one can do with videos (and I mean prerrendered scenes) is filtering after stretching them, but then they would stop working alright in the PSP, since you would be playing higher resolution videos in a smaller screen, so you would only see part of the video.

Now keep in mind that you can only upscale real time graphics in an emulator. In you're using a program like remote joy like, it wont do it for you (It can't). It can, however, filter all graphics (both prerrendered and real time), but the ressult is not nearly as good as upscaling

In any case none of this has anything to do with the game itself, but rather with the program you use to play it (PSP+RemoteJoyLite VS Emulator)

~Sky

Do you know video upscaling filter called madvr? If only someone could implement them to the psp emulator. Even sd videos look like hd.

 

[LoyalZero1]

Sky, i'm telling you.... When you first start Crisis Core. The scene where Zack is fighting the soldiers on the train... that video and videos like it - pre-rendered videos.... in Crisis Core look horrible full screen. And I don't mean in a way where you can just learn to ignore or get used to it. The videos are that bad in that game. But as you said, the actual in game battles are beautiful. See?

But like you said - in the game, it looks great.

Now let me show you how clear the videos are in some of the games I mentioned. No, they aren't 1080p but you can clearly see that the Crisis Core videos must be a lower resolution than the videos in the other games:

I take back what I said about Dissidia having no drop in video resolution though. Dissidia's just like Crisis Core. But Dissidia 012 still maintains a pretty high quality.

 

[LoyalZero1]

Well
Do you know video upscaling filter called madvr? If only someone could implement them to the psp emulator. Even sd videos look like hd.

Here's an idea.... download the same videos from youtube in 1080p, edit them and then replace the videos in the game with those???

 

[Kalker3]

Those videos look terrible in your laptop because they're at the PSP's native resolution. Since your laptop has a way bigger screen, the videos look like shit. However they look gorgeous on the PSP because of its small screen. The videos are crappy on the PC because it's stretching them.

Then there are cutscenes that are not pre-rendered. That means that those cutscenes are not simply videos, but the characters themselves are doing it. Since the resolution and texture quality can be upscaled in PPSSPP those cutscenes look better in a PC. However pre-rendered videos can't. I guess you could compare it to watching videos in YouTube.

Even if you have a 1080p screen, videos in 144p or 240p look like crap.

 

[LoyalZero1]

Yeah. I get what you guys are saying. But what i'm trying to say is, those Crisis Core videos are a lower resolution than what those other videos are. And i'm hoping that Type-0's videos.... once edited for subs.... don't look like the Crisis Core videos when played on a full screen like mines. I know the videos aren't going to be HD. But I just hope they are high quality like those other videos i've shown you. As you can see.... there's a huge difference.

 

[Kalker3]

Yeah. I get what you guys are saying. But what i'm trying to say is, those Crisis Core videos are a lower resolution than what those other videos are. And i'm hoping that Type-0's videos.... once edited for subs.... don't look like the Crisis Core videos when played on a full screen like mines. I know the videos aren't going to be HD. But I just hope they are high quality like those other videos i've shown you. As you can see.... there's a huge difference.

Where did you get screenshots of those videos?
Did you get them using the PSP?

 

[LoyalZero1]

No. They were taken using PPSSPP in full screen mode on my laptop.

 

[Kalker3]

Quick question:

Could you tell me your settings?
Namely rendering resolution, texture upscaling, anisotropic filtering and if you're using a filter, which one?

 

[LoyalZero1]

Rendering resolution is set to "Auto"
texture upscaling 5X and xBRZ
anisotropic filtering 16X

Not sure how i'm supposed to check for which filter i'm using.

EDIT: I think you're asking me for the "Texture Filtering" setting. right? If so, it's set to "Auto"

 

[Kalker3]

Rendering resolution is set to "Auto"
texture upscaling 5X and xBRZ
anisotropic filtering 16X

Not sure how i'm supposed to check for which filter i'm using.

Try putting your rendering resolution to 4x or whatever the highest value that won't reduce your FPS or fry your GPU is.

 

[coredecepts]

Unless I'm mistaken, our top priority in terms of platforms is PSP. Anything past that is extra.

Sky, please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[LoyalZero1]

Try putting your rendering resolution to 4x or whatever the highest value that won't reduce your FPS or fry your GPU is.

I did. I put it on 8X. it still looks the same.

 

[SkyBladeCloud]

Yeah, that's our priority. About Video comparison, they still have the same resolution, always 480*272, and that's how the videos are supposed to look. I'd say youtube videos are using a more complex filtering than the one provided by the emulator, but there is no point in inserting those into the ISO: keep in mind that the natural, untouched video source is always the PMF file inside the game. From there, quality can only decrease. Again, if the video is filtered, is due to an external program. If we had direct video sources (3D models, CGI projects, etc...) we could render them at a higher resolution, but those assets are not in the ISO.

...

 

[LoyalZero1]

Unless I'm mistaken, our top priority in terms of platforms is PSP. Anything past that is extra.

Sky, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Yeah. We all know that. But that doesn't mean questions can't be asked about other platforms. Were you saying things like that when Sky was talking about Android? Anyway, I do also have a PSP to play it on, but I have a feeling that like me, many other people will prefer to play it full screen on a PC because it's such an awesome game.

 

[SkyBladeCloud]

In fact, I might play it on a PC myself xD

...

 

[LoyalZero1]

What i'd REALLY like to do is play it on a 1080p 60" big screen, running an HDMI cable from my laptop. but I think that's going too far in terms of expecting decent video quality...

 

[coredecepts]

Also, just a wild guess, the culprit here could be a combination of image compression and image complexity. There is so much more going on in that image of Midgar compared to the image of Sigma. The thick lines and solid colors in Mega Man will naturally look cleaner compared to all the bits and bobs in the Midgar skyline.

But that's just my impression as someone who is not in any way an expert on this stuff.

Yeah. We all know that. But that doesn't mean questions can't be asked about other platforms. Were you saying things like that when Sky was talking about Android? Anyway, I do also have a PSP to play it on, but I have a feeling that like me, many other people will prefer to play it full screen on a PC because it's such an awesome game.

I only bring it up because we have some work to do on a few of the videos just to get them ready for PSP. Then we can look at accommodating other platforms. Or rather Sky can do that whenever he wants, because he's Sky and he can do whatever the hell he wants.

 

[LoyalZero1]

You do have a point, but i'm also watching the rest of the videos fully. And I only saw it get that bad in Crisis Core and the original Dissidia. Good observation though.