Editing Final Fantasy VII (section)

===Graphics===
With the shift from the SNES to the next generation consoles, ''Final Fantasy VII'' became the first project in the series to use [[3D computer graphics]].<ref name="EdgeMaking"/> Aside from the story, ''Final Fantasy VI'' had many details undecided when development began; most design elements were hashed out along the way. In contrast, with ''Final Fantasy VII'', the developers knew from the outset it was going to be "a real 3D game", so from the earliest planning stage, detailed designs were in existence. The script was also finalized, and the image for the graphics had been fleshed out. This meant that when actual development work began, storyboards for the game were already in place.<ref name="VIIinterviews"/> The shift from cartridge ROM to CD-ROM posed some problems: according to lead programmer Ken Narita, the CD-ROM had a slower access speed, delaying some actions during the game, so the team needed to overcome this issue.<ref name="CGVsakaguchi"/> Certain tricks were used to conceal load times, such as offering animations to keep players from getting bored.<ref name="EdgeMaking"/> When it was decided to use 3D graphics, there was a discussion among the staff whether to use sprite-based characters on 3D backgrounds or fully rendered polygonal models.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/things-are-much-different-for-the-creator-of-final-fant-1629514442|title=Things Are Very Different For The Creator Of Final Fantasy|last=Schreier|first=Jason|work=[[Kotaku]]|publisher=Gakwer Media|date=September 2, 2014|accessdate=January 13, 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824131428/http://kotaku.com/things-are-much-different-for-the-creator-of-final-fant-1629514442|archivedate=August 24, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> While sprites proved more popular with the staff, the polygon models were chosen as they could better express emotion. This decision was influenced by the team's exposure to the 3D character models used in ''[[Alone in the Dark (1992 video game)|Alone in the Dark]]''. Sakaguchi decided to use deformed models for field navigation and real-time event scenes, for better expression of emotion, while realistically proportioned models would be used in battles.<ref name="FamVIIanniversary">{{cite web|url=http://andriasang.com/con11g/ffvii15/|title=Nomura, Kitase and Nojima Discuss Final Fantasy VII's Development|last=Gantayat|first=Anoop|work=Andriasang |publisher=Andriasang.com|date=May 16, 2012|accessdate=January 13, 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313202219/http://andriasang.com/con11g/ffvii15/|archivedate=March 13, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The team purchased Silicon Graphics [[SGI Onyx|Onyx]] supercomputers and related workstations, and accompanying software including Softimage 3D, [[PowerAnimator]], and [[N-World]] for an estimated total of $21 million. Many team members had never seen the technology before.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/>

[[File:FF7 background.gif|thumb|left|The pre-rendered backgrounds, such as this scene in Midgar, provided the developers with a choice of camera angle, giving a more cinematic experience.|alt=An internal industrial environment, with metal walls, girders and a pipework dominating the scene—a track is visible far below, and steam escapes rhythmically from two points within the area.]]
The transition from 2D graphics to 3D environments overlaid on pre-rendered backgrounds was accompanied by a focus on a more realistic presentation.<ref name="EdgeMaking"/> In previous entries, the sizes for characters and environments were fixed, and the player saw things from a scrolling perspective. This changed with ''Final Fantasy VII''; environments shifted with camera angles, and character model sizes shifted depending on both their place in the environment and their distance from the camera, giving a sense of scale.<ref name="VIIinterviews"/><ref name="CGVsakaguchi"/> The choice of this highly cinematic style of storytelling, contrasting directly with Square's previous games, was attributed to Kitase, who was a fan of films and had an interest in the parallels between film and video game narrative.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> Character movement during in-game events was done by the character designers in the planning group. While designers normally cooperate with a motion specialist for such animations, the designers taught themselves motion work, resulting in each character's movements differing depending on their creators—some designers liked exaggerated movements, while others went for subtlety. Much of the time was spent on each character's day-to-day, routine animations. Motion specialists were brought in for the game's battle animations. The first characters the team worked with were Cloud and Barret.<ref name="VIIinterviews"/> Some of the real-time effects, such as an explosion near the opening, were hand-drawn rather than computer-animated.<ref name="NaoraLecture"/>

The main creative force behind the overall 3D presentation was Kazuyuki Hashimoto, the general supervisor for these sequences. Being experienced in the new technology the team had brought on board, he accepted the post at Square as the team aligned with his own creative spirit. One of the major events in development was when the real-time graphics were synchronized to computer-generated [[full motion video]] (FMV) cutscenes for some story sequences, notably an early sequence where a real-time model of Cloud jumps onto an FMV-rendered moving train.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> The backgrounds were created by overlaying two 2D graphic layers and changing the motion speed of each to simulate depth perception. While this was not a new technique, the increased power of the PlayStation enabled a more elaborate version of this effect.<ref name="CGVsakaguchi"/> The biggest issue with the 3D graphics was the large memory storage gap between the development hardware and the console: while the early 3D tech demo had been developed on a machine with over 400 megabytes of total memory, the PlayStation only had two megabytes of system memory and 500 kilobytes for texture memory. The team needed to figure out how to shrink the amount of data while preserving the desired effects. This was aided with reluctant help from Sony, who had hoped to keep Square's direct involvement limited to a standard API package, but they eventually relented and allowed the team direct access to the hardware specifications.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/>

''Final Fantasy VII'' features two types of cutscenes: real-time cutscenes featuring polygon models on pre-rendered backgrounds, and FMV cutscenes.<ref name="CGVsakaguchi"/> The game's [[computer-generated imagery]] (CGI) FMVs were produced by [[Visual Works]], a then-new subsidiary of Square that specialized in computer graphics and FMVs creation. Visual Works had created the initial movie concept for a 3D game project.<ref name="FFVIIhistory"/> The FMVs were created by an international team, covering both Japan and North America and involving talent from the gaming and film industry; Western contributors included artists and staff who had worked on the ''[[Star Wars]]'' film series, ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'', ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]'', and ''[[True Lies]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=April 1994 |title=You Should Know This Game: Final Fantasy VII |magazine=Computer and Video Games |issue=185 |page=88 |publisher=[[Future plc]] |url=https://archive.org/stream/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_185_1997-04_EMAP_Images_GB#page/n87/mode/2up |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317043635/https://archive.org/stream/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_185_1997-04_EMAP_Images_GB |archivedate=March 17, 2016}}</ref> The team tried to create additional optional CGI content which would bring optional characters Vincent and Yuffie into the ending. As this would have further increased the number of discs the game needed, the idea was discarded.<ref>{{cite book |date=July 31, 2000|script-title=ja:ファイナルファンタジーVII 解体真書 ザ・コンプリート|trans-title=Final Fantasy VII: Book of Deconstructions – The Complete|page=215|language=ja|publisher=Aspect|isbn=978-4-7577-0098-7}}</ref> Kazuyuki Ikumori, a future key figure at Visual Works, helped with the creation of the CGI cutscenes, in addition to general background design.<ref name="IkumoriLecture">{{cite AV media|date=March 20, 2015 |first=Kazuyuki |last=Ikumori |url=http://www.twitch.tv/squareenixpresents/v/3927230 |title=SMU Guildhall: The Cinematic Evolution of Final Fantasy |medium=Video |accessdate=December 6, 2015 |format=[[Twitch (service)|Twitch]] |publisher=[[Square Enix]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011224842/http://www.twitch.tv/squareenixpresents/v/3927230 |archivedate=October 11, 2015}} [http://www.ffworld.com/2015/05/24/dans-les-coulisses-de-visual-works-avec-kazuyuki-ikumori/ Transcript in French] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118062032/http://www.ffworld.com/2015/05/24/dans-les-coulisses-de-visual-works-avec-kazuyuki-ikumori/ |date=January 18, 2017}}</ref> The CGI FMV sequences total around 40 minutes of footage, something only possible with the PlayStation's extra memory space and graphical power. This innovation brought with it the added difficulty of ensuring that the inferiority of the in-game graphics in comparison to the FMV sequences was not too obvious. Kitase has described the process of making the in-game environments as detailed as possible to be "a daunting task".<ref name="EdgeMaking"/>