FF9 Let's Finish This Model Format New Findings Added

[Zerox]

The contents of this post was deleted because of possible forum rules violation.

[ultimaespio]

I posted this in the Noesis thread back in January. We must have similar taste in games

I'll quote what I posted incase I have something you didn't.

I dunno if your interested in FF9, but I just found some stuff about the model formats.

http://zidane_games.webhost.ru/formats_FFIX.doc

File extractor:
http://zidane_games.webhost.ru/FF9_TOOLS.rar

As well as a battle scene viewer and source:
http://zidane_games.webhost.ru/FF9_TOOLS.rar

http://zidane_games.webhost.ru/FFIX_BattleScene_viewer_final_+_SRC.rar

FF9 needs some love.

[Zerox]

Okay so I got in contact with Chev and got some new information.

To quote what he said, "You can do yourself a huge favor and start with directory 8 (weapons, which mean no need ot understand animation at first), then 7 or 10 (both battle models) and not the trickier field models (directory 4) like I did."

So for now what I know is

Folder/What They Are:

0 - Status/Menu/Battle/... -Text and random stuff.
1 - Misc Images (Logos, Fonts, World 'mini' Map images, etc).
2 - Dialog Text
3 - Map models (Mini-zidane, airships, save point moogle, tent...) and, IIRC, the map texture.
4 - Field models
5 - Monster Data (Part I, stats, names, etc).
6 - Location Data (Dungeon, Cities, etc).
7 - Monster Data (Part II, 3d models)
8 - Weapon Data (including models)
9 - Samplebanks and Sequencer Data (ie music).
10 - party members Data (including models)
11 - Sound effects
12 - World Map Data.
13 - Special effects (magic, summons...), the file system's different form the other directories so I don't know how to access it.



If you downloaded my renamed files from this thread you can easily copy the following into your bat file and convert the archives of folder 10. Just copy and paste your .bat, db_extract and DB_Extract.exe to folder 10.

Or just use this to make your own bat file easily: http://textmechanic.com/Generate-List-of-Numbers.html

Code: Select all

DB_Extract.exe 0_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 1_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 2_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 3_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 4_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 5_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 6_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 7_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 8_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 9_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 10_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 11_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 12_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 13_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 14_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 15_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 16_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 17_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 18_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 19_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 20_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 21_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 22_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 23_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 24_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 25_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 26_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 27_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 28_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 29_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 30_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 31_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 32_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 33_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 34_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 35_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 36_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 37_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 38_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 39_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 40_10.db
DB_Extract.exe 41_10.db

Hopefully this update is of some use. Thanks ultimaespio.

Edit: Updated folder contents based on Chev's info.

[Chev]

So, uh, hello guys.

The directory contents are, more or less (based on a post by Zande on the Qhimm forum, and slightly updated with my own sightings):

0 - Status/Menu/Battle/... -Text and random stuff.
1 - Misc Images (Logos, Fonts, World 'mini' Map images, etc).
2 - Dialog Text
3 - Map models (Mini-zidane, airships, save point moogle, tent...) and, IIRC, the map texture.
4 - Field models
5 - Monster Data (Part I, stats, names, etc).
6 - Location Data (Dungeon, Cities, etc).
7 - Monster Data (Part II, 3d models)
8 - Weapon Data (including models)
9 - Samplebanks and Sequencer Data (ie music).
10 - party members Data (including models)
11 - Sound effects
12 - World Map Data.
13 - Special effects (magic, summons...), the file system's different form the other directories so I don't know how to access it.
14 - ???

DB files are containers, ie directories themselves, used to group data. Just, well, read how they work in the qhimm wiki, since you'll be dealing with them all the time. For the battle and weapon models this means you can find the matching texture somewhere in the same root DB, though a DB can contain DBs, so it can be in another branch. But I never made a tool to visualize the whole directory tree so I never figured out how it works for field and map models, only that it didn't work quite the same way.

[ultimaespio]

I've used Timrip on the files in folder 10.

0 - Vivi
1 - Cinna
2 - Blank
3 - Marcus
4 - Garnet
5 - Zidane
6 - Garnet
7 - Freya
8 - Beatrix
9 - Quina
10 - Garnet (this one's probably her short haired one)
11 - Garnet
12 - Eiko
13 - Zidane
14 - Steiner
15 - Garnet
16 - Garnet
17 - Quina
18 - Freya
19 - Eiko
20 - Beatrix
21 - Eiko
22 - Amarant
23 - Amarant
24 - Trance Zidane
25 - Trance Zidane
26 - Trance Garnet
27 - Trance Garnet
28 - Trance Vivi
29 - Trance Vivi
30 - Trance Garnet
31 - Trance Garnet
32 - Trance Steiner
33 - Trance Steiner
34 - Pluto Knight
35 - Trance Eiko
36 - Trance Eiko
37 - Trance Amarant
38 - Steiner
39 - Zidane
40 - Vivi
41 - Steiner

My guess is that this folder has both field and battle models for playable characters only.

[Chev]

Yep, that's precisely it. Also, most characters are found twice because field and Battle models are stored separately, even thought they're usually identical (there are exceptions, like Amarant).

[LUBDAR]

Hi there, my name is Lubdar, I'm new to the board; I didn't see a introductions thread so I just jumped right in.

I've been perusing the forum trying to absorb some information before I ask incorrectly. I've managed to extract the DBs for directories 7,8, and 10. I got as far as you've shown thus far where I find separate folders with a .model file, .animation file, and a couple TIM files.
I was looking for some clues on the Noesis thread to see how I move from these files to viewing them in Noesis. I saw MrAdults says that the FF9 plugin is only for the #7 and #10 directories. If anyone finds the time and wants to help me figure out how to move from where I am to being able to view the models in Noesis , I'd appreciate it.

[Zerox]

Hi there, my name is Lubdar, I'm new to the board; I didn't see a introductions thread so I just jumped right in.

I've been perusing the forum trying to absorb some information before I ask incorrectly. I've managed to extract the DBs for directories 7,8, and 10. I got as far as you've shown thus far where I find separate folders with a .model file, .animation file, and a couple TIM files.
I was looking for some clues on the Noesis thread to see how I move from these files to viewing them in Noesis. I saw MrAdults says that the FF9 plugin is only for the #7 and #10 directories. If anyone finds the time and wants to help me figure out how to move from where I am to being able to view the models in Noesis , I'd appreciate it.

Extract FF9.IMG with Noesis and you'll have the files laid out for you.

[elric03200]

Hello EveryBody...

I's been a few weeks that I try to mod FFIX. I started to try to extract some files from my Official FF IX CD's when I seen you post. 5sorry for my poor english I'm French)

My great question is :

Once I extracted my .db and mods my .tim for example : HOW to repack files ???

Let me explain, if i extract my 0.db, i'll have à file which contains a lot of elements. when I did what I wanted, I don't know who restore files on a only .db. I search all over the web, even tried to make my own tools with the Db_extractor.exe I don't find any solution...

Thanks to all and again sorry for poor english

[Chev]

We simply don't know enough about the format to repack files.

[elric03200]

If I understand good, try to extract files from FF9 is completely useless...

[Darkfox]

Not really, not all reasons for extracting files is to edit the game, but rather to examine the files within and such.

Edit: Then again, extracting is the first step in recompilation, so who knows?

[Chev]

elric03200> It's not useless at all, we can get better looks at things than in-game, or even things that don't appear in-game at all, or things about the developers. For example, there's a hidden message written on one of the FF9 monster models, and that's something that never could have been learned without being able to extract the models.

It's like analysing a book to understand what makes it a good book, opening a machine to see its circuits, seeing what rules Michaelangelo followed to make his great paintings. It's interesting in itself.

[finale00]

Wow everyone's so ambitious.
I would just extract it so I can throw them into some animation program

[elric03200]

Hey ! It's been a lil time =)

I have an idea : Can we try to ask to the tool's creator if there is a way to repack this ???
He can make tools to extract, he can maybe even make a repacker no???

Even if we have to give him paypal donates right ?