Final Fantasy VII Demo README File
----------------------------------

1. Demo System Requirements
2. Game Controls
3. Technical Info 
4. Final Fantasy VII Technical Support and Web Site Information


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1. Demo System Requirements
===========================
The Final Fantasy VII Interactive Demo has the following minimum
system requirements:
Pentium 133 w/ supported 3D accelerator card (4Mb video memory or greater)
    or P166 w/out supported 3D accelerator card (see below)
Intel or 100% Intel-compatible CPU
32 Mb RAM
Windows 95
DirectX 5.1 (see below)
DirectMedia 5.2 (see below)
DirectX-compatible video and audio cards (see below)

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2. Game Controls
================

You can play the demo of Final Fantasy VII with the keyboard or a game 
controller supported by DirectX 5.1.  The default keyboard commands 
all revolve around your Numeric Keypad.

KEYBOARD
NumPad 8 (Up Arrow)    - Move Up or Menu selection Up
NumPad 2 (Down Arrow)  - Move Down or Menu selection Down
NumPad 4 (Left Arrow)  - Move Left or Menu selection Left
NumPad 6 (Right Arrow) - Move Right or Menu selection Right
NumPad Enter           - [OK] (Action)
NumPad 0               - [CANCEL] (Cancel, Run in field w/ arrow keys)
NumPad +               - [MENU] (Bring up menu)
NumPad . (Del)         - [SWITCH] (Switch from Materia to Equip menus) 
NumPad 9 (PgUp)        - [PAGEUP] (Page up in menu, Escape from battle w/ [PAGEDOWN])
NumPad 3 (PgDn)        - [PAGEDOWN] (Page down in menu, Escape from battle w/ [PAGEUP])
NumPad 1 (End)         - [TARGET] (Highlights targets in battle)
NumPad 5               - [START] (Pause during battle)
NumPad -               - [ASSIST] (Help pointers in field, Help window during battle)
CTRL+Q                 - Quit

GAMEPAD
Direction Pad - Movement and Menu Selection
Right Button  - [OK] (Action)
Bottom Button - [CANCEL] (Cancel, Run in field w/ arrow keys)
Top Button    - [MENU] (Bring up menu)
Left Button   - [SWITCH] (Switch from Materia to Equip menus) 
L1            - [PAGEUP] (Page up in menu, Escape from battle w/ [PAGEDOWN])
R1            - [PAGEDOWN] (Page down in menu, Escape from battle w/ [PAGEUP])
R2            - [TARGET] (Highlights targets in battle)
Start         - [START] (Pause during battle)
Select        - [ASSIST] (Help pointers in field, Help window during battle)

Playing the game:
This is a limited demo of Final Fantasy VII.  You will be able to explore 
some of the area of Mt. Corel and talk to the citizens of North Corel.  Use the 
movement keys to walk around Mt. Corel, and the [OK] key to talk to the people 
you encounter.  The [OK] key is also used to pick up the various items that 
you will find.  Use CTRL+Q to quit the game.

Menus:
The Item Menu is where you organize and use the various items that you find.  
Selecting an item will display the uses of each particular item.  Simply select 
the item you want, push the [OK] key, and select whom you will use the item on.  
Some items can only be used in battle.  These items will be grayed out in the 
item menu.

The Magic Menu allows you to see each character's magic spells and to cast spells 
such as Cure and Life on your characters.

The Materia Menu is where you arrange your materia.  Materia allow you to cast 
the various spells in the game.

The Equipment Menu is the place to organize the weapons, armor and accessories 
you find or buy.  Selecting armor or weapons will show your current attack and 
defense ratings, and the effect that the selected items will have on these ratings.

The Status Menu shows you the current status of the selected character.

The Battle System:

As in any RPG, one of the most important parts of the game is the combat.  
In Final Fantasy VII, this system may vary from the traditional RPG mold.  
Combat uses the Active Time Battle (ATB) system.  In the ATB system attacks 
are time-based, not turn-based.  Various stats, such as your characters speed, etc, 
will determine how soon the time bar will fill for your next attack.  If you 
hesitate, the enemy may seize the opportunity to attack before you do.  
If you wish for a more traditional setting, you may change the ATB settings 
in the Config menu to either "Active" or "Wait".  While in combat, the [OK] 
button is used to select which combat option you desire.  The [CANCEL] key 
is used to go back in menus.  The [SWITCH] key will hide the battle menu box 
so you can see your character's HP and Limit Break status.

Here is a handy definition for all the commands you'll have at your disposal 
for the demo:
Attack:  This option attacks with your equipped weapon.  

Magic: This will cast one of your spells from your equipped Materia. If the spell 
name has a little red arrow next to it, that means it is paired with an "All" 
materia and can be cast on an entire group of targets.  In the lower left corner, 
the number there represents how many times you can cast that spell on a group of 
targets during this battle.

Summon: This option allows you to use your Red Materia to call upon one of your 
Summon Monsters.  The number in the lower left represents how many times you can 
call upon this monster this battle.  

Item: This option allows you to use any of your items that can be used while in 
battle.  You cannot equip new weapons, armlets or accessories in battle.  You 
cannot use items that raise your permanent statistics in battle either, 
(i.e. Speed Up, HP Up, etc.)

Sense: This option allows you to scan the enemy for any weakness and to determine 
how many HP/MP they have.  If you have the Battle help window open, it will keep 
a running count for you throughout the battle.  This is handy for determining 
whether to attack, or deciding that "wouldn't be prudent."

Change: This option can be accessed by moving off the far-left border of the 
selection menu.  If you select this, the party member whose turn it is will change 
positions from front row to back row, or vice versa.  After the battle is 
finished, that party member will return to the position he/she was assigned at 
the beginning of the battle.

Defend. This option can be accessed by moving off the far-right border of the 
selection menu.  If this option is selected, this party member will not attack, 
and will take half the normal damage from affected attacks.  It is equivalent 
to putting that character in the back row for one turn.

Materia:

This is where all the fun begins!  By placing Materia into the slots on weapons 
or armor, the characters can access many new abilities, such as summoning monsters 
or casting Bolt spells.

There are five types of Materia:
1. Independent Materia (Purple) - These Materia give the character a special 
advantage, such as increased HP or higher Luck.  For example, Aeris has the Long 
Range Materia equipped in her Striking Staff.  This allows Aeris to attack without 
penalty from the back row or at enemies in back row.

2. Magic Materia (Green) - These are the most common Materia.  They allow you to 
cast certain Magic spells.  Magic will be more effective against certain enemies 
and less effective against others.  You'll want to keep in mind the enemies that 
you can encounter in each location and equip accordingly.  Not all Magic harms 
the enemy.  By using these Materia creatively, you can often turn the tides of a 
battle faster than with just brute force.  The Restore Materia and Revive Materia 
are the key to keeping your party in good shape.  Try using Transform Materia 
that you find for a taste of things to come! 

3. Support Materia (Blue) - Support Materia must always be paired with another 
Materia.  An example of a paired slot is Cloud's Mythril Armlet.  Initially, 
Cloud has an All Materia paired with a Lightning Materia.  This lets Cloud 
target the entire group of enemies when casting Bolt.  Another useful combination 
is All and Restore, which lets you heal the entire party at once for the same 
MP cost.

4. Command Materia (Yellow) - These Materia add to the commands that can be used 
in battle.  For example, Aeris' Sense Materia adds the Sense command.  Use this 
to find out more information on your enemies.  This is great for finding their 
weaknesses.

5. Summon Materia (Red) - Undoubtedly, the coolest of all the Materia.  Use these 
Materia to summon monsters of extraordinary magnitude!  Just check out the Bahamut 
Materia that Cloud has!

Through the course of the game, Materia will increase in ability much like the 
characters gain levels.  The Materia's counterpart to experience is AP.  One 
trick to speed up Materia growth is to equip the Materia that you want to level 
up in Double growth slots like those in Cloud's Force Stealer.  Higher level 
Materia let you summon more times or gives you access to more powerful versions 
of existing spells.  For example, a level 3 Restore Materia will give you the 
Regen spell.

One minor caveat is that equipping Materia affects the character's stats - often 
sacrificing physical attributes for increased magical abilities.

Variety is the spice of life and experimentation is the key to using Materia 
effectively.  Try different combinations of Materia and test them on various 
enemies.  You never know what you'll find!


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3. Technical Info
=================

Setting up the game:
Run the SETUP.EXE program on the CD to install the FFVII Demo.  You will be 
prompted to choose a folder and a program group in which to install the game.  
You will also be prompted to install DirectX 5.1 and DirectMedia 5.2.  These are all 
needed to run the demo.

VIDEO CARDS

Supported 3D Accelerator Video Cards
The Final Fantasy VII demo currently supports 3D accelerator video cards 
that pass the criteria contained in the FF7 Configuration graphic card test.
At release time, the demo supports the cards that contain any of the 
following chipsets:
3Dfx Voodoo
3Dfx Voodoo2
3Dfx Voodoo Rush
3Dlabs Permedia2
ATI Rage Pro
Intel I740

In addition, the demo will support the following chipsets when they 
ship later this year:
Matrox G200
NEC PowerVR2

Please use the latest drivers for best performance of your 3D accelerator 
video card.  You can get the very latest drivers from the web sites of 
each of the 3D chip companies:
3Dfx: http://www.3dfx.com
3DLabs: http://www.3dlabs.com
ATI: http://www.atitech.com
Intel: http://www.intel.com
Matrox: http://www.matrox.com
NEC: http://www.powervr.com

If you do not have a supported 3D accelerator video card (or do not 
have a 3D accelerator video card), you can still play Final Fantasy VII 
in the software rendering mode.  The demo will automatically default 
to the software rendering mode if it does not detect a supported 3D 
accelerator video card.  To play in 640x480 (Full Screen) in the
software rendering mode, it is highly recommended that you have a 
Pentium 300 or better.  Otherwise, please select one of the other two
software rendering modes in the Configuration menu.

If you experience graphic display problems while playing the game, please
check to ensure that your 3D accelerator card has at least 4Mb of video
memory.

For ATI RagePro users, please run in 640x480 Full or Quarter Screen
mode.  These modes are faster than 320x240 Full Screen mode.  A P233 or higher
is recommended for RagePro users playing under hardware mode.

For users of Matrox Millenium (not supported but can run in software 
rendering mode), if you cannot run the FF7 Configuration program,
please uncheck the Bus Mastering box located in the PowerDesk settings 
in your Display Properties.

AUDIO CARDS
Final Fantasy VII supports all DirectX 5.1 supported audio cards.  
For a list of DirectX supported audio cards, please visit Microsoft's 
web site at:

http://www.microsoft.com/directx/pavilion/hardware/soundcardlist.htm

You should use the latest audio card drivers for your audio card.  You 
can get the very latest drivers from the web sites of the various audio 
card companies:
http://www.creativelabs.com
http://www.ensoniq.com
http://www.yamaha.com

DIRECTX, DIRECTMEDIA INFORMATION
To play the demo of Final Fantasy VII, you must have DirectX 5.1 
and DirectMedia 5.2 already installed on your computer.  If you do not 
already have these installed, you can download them from 
http://www.microsoft.com/directx/download.asp
and follow the directions provided at the Microsoft web site.

For additional DirectX or DirectMedia information, please visit 
Microsoft's web site at:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/directx

Windows 95, DirectX, and DirectMedia are trademarks of 
Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

WIN95 CONTROL KEYS
If you press ALT-TAB, ALT+ESC, CTRL+ENTER or the WINDOWS key on your 
keyboard while playing the demo, you may not be able to return properly 
to the game.  Therefore, it is strongly advised that you do not use these 
Windows 95 functions while playing the game. 

OTHER NOTES
It is strongly advised that you close all programs before playing the 
Final Fantasy VII demo.

Windows 95 note: You need to have the Audio Compression component of 
Multimedia installed.  Under Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs, 
click on the Windows Setup tab, click on Multimedia, click on Details, 
and check to see if the Audio Compression box is checked.  If the box 
is not checked, check the box and click OK.  Follow the instructions 
on the screen to complete installation.


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4. Final Fantasy VII Technical Support and Web Site Information
===============================================================

There is no technical support for the Final Fantasy VII demo.

You can find general information about the game and the latest 
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list and technical support information
at the Final Fantasy VII web site.

The official Final Fantasy VII PC web site is located at:
http://www.ff7pc.com

The official Eidos Interactive web site is located at: 
http://www.eidosinteractive.com

The official Square Soft, Inc. web site is located at: 
http://www.squaresoft.com
