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I need to know some information
Pluto - Jul 31, 2002
  Pluto Jul 31, 2002
I'm going to be taking up the task to try to translate devil summoner for saturn. The thing is I don't know where to start (i'm a noob to these things).

If anyone has experience in these things or if you can point me to a really good document, your help would be EXTREMELY appriciated.

If you would like to contact me by email it is pluto2179@ignmail.com...

 Artemio Urbina Jul 31, 2002
You can start by trying to dump the text. Searc the net for translation sites and script dumping.. rom hacking.

 Pluto Aug 1, 2002
That is my plan but I have no idea on which Hex Editor to use. Also, since Saturn isn't a big system on translations there is practically no where to find anything.

 ExCyber Aug 1, 2002
The core principles are the same on every system. The biggest difference between Saturn and systems for which translations are popular (read: SNES) is that Saturn has to load files from CD, so finding references to data is a little different. Dumping the text should not be much different though.

 CyberWarriorX Aug 1, 2002
Yeah, ExCyber is basically right. There's a very similiar approach one can use to find text/graphics in saturn games as opposed to snes. So it wouldn't hurt to consider reading some of the general hacking texts from romhacking.org - Klarth's Console Graphics doc is quite useful.

There's a number of ways to search for text/graphics, though I found the best way is to get an Commlink/AR setup working, start the game in commlink mode, go to the part in the game which has the text you're looking for, then dump the low/high wram and vdp1/vdp2 vram.

Try using tilemod2 plus the various modules I released for it and you -should- be able to find some kind of font. If you do, just open up a hex editor like Hex Workshop, go to the address where the graphics are, copy down about 8 bytes from that area, and either search every file on the disc, or just make an iso and search it instead.

Once you've found the font, the text should be easier. If the text looks like this: http://www.rtpro.yamaha.co.jp/RT/docs/misc/kanji-s...

Then chances are, the text is in shift-jis format. If it looks all random, you'll have to write your own table(see the docs at romhacking.org). Then try doing a relative search based on what you know.

Hopefully one of these days i'll released a number of the saturn specific hacking docs i've been working on. But the most important info for a newbie is still at romhacking.org. Basically once you grasp the basics, the rest is easy enough to pick up(and makes the rest of my documents more relavent).

Lastly, I would suggest you pick a different game for a starting project as iirc DS isn't exactly an easy game to hack.

Cyber Warrior X

 CyberWarriorX Aug 1, 2002
Forget what I said about DS. Font-wise at least, it's pretty straight-forward. In fact, they even labelled the font nicely:

29/11/1995 09:31 AM 1,664 FNT12X12.FON

29/11/1995 09:31 AM 864 FNT8X12.FON

29/11/1995 09:31 AM 13,824 FONT12.FON

29/11/1995 09:31 AM 59,904 FONT16.FON

29/11/1995 09:31 AM 336 FONT6.FON

29/11/1995 09:31 AM 2,048 FONT8.FON

29/11/1995 09:31 AM 1,512 ICON.FON

29/11/1995 09:31 AM 249,792 KANJI.FON

All the files are 1BPP(except ICON.FON, which is 4BPP) and size-wise range from 8x8-16x16(just play around with tilemod until it looks like font and not garbage)

That's one thing I forgot to point out, when it comes to saturn hacking, sometimes browsing a disc's directory can save you a lot of time searching through data.

Cyber Warrior X

 Pluto Aug 2, 2002
Thanks you, sir

I have found these files but I'm not sure what to do when I find these files I am looking for. For example, on SRWAG there is a file labled script.bin. I open it up in a hex editor. Now, I suppose I am supposed to make a table. So I guess I can get a Shift+JIS table or make my own. Now, with devil summoner I have found these file, but I'm not sure what to do next. Can you help me out a little bit. Once again, thanks for all your help so far. www.romhacking.org... has already given me quite an understanding. Yesterday, I was a bit discouraged by the project but today you have made my day brighter.

 Pluto Aug 2, 2002
I found out what to do with SRWAG's script. I could just save it as a .txt file and open it with NJSTAR or just open it straight through there since it was done in SHIFT-JIS. I'm not sure if DS is but that would be nice. Although, I think I'll end up hunting for script.

 soul Aug 2, 2002
CyberWarriorX , is it true? i mean about you leaving the translation scene, why? i know it's hard can't you rethink about it?

 CyberWarriorX Aug 2, 2002

  
	
	

		
		

			I have found these files but I'm not sure what to do when I find these files I am looking for. For example, on SRWAG there is a file labled script.bin. I open it up in a hex editor. Now, I suppose I am supposed to make a table. So I guess I can get a Shift+JIS table or make my own.


SRWAG?


  
	
	

		
		

			Now, with devil summoner I have found these file, but I'm not sure what to do next. Can you help me out a little bit. Once again, thanks for all your help so far. www.romhacking.org... has already given me quite an understanding. Yesterday, I was a bit discouraged by the project but today you have made my day brighter.


What I would suggest then would be to make an iso image of the game, open it up in hex workshop, and search for a string from the game(remember to convert the characters to shift-jis bytes). Once you've found a match, write down the offset it found it at.

Now, depending on the program, etc. the next step could be different. If you made the image in cdrwin, take that offset you wrote down, and divide it by 2352. That should give you which sector the data is at. Next take a program like Isobuster, load up the iso, and try to find a file that's located at a sector that's closest, but not greater than that offset. That should be the file where the text is. Just to make sure it is, load up that file in hex workshop, and do the same search again. You should find it.

After that, you can either write your own table, and use a program like thingy to dump the text into a readable format. Or you can write a program that extracts the text instead(recommended only if you have coding skills).


  
	
	

		
		

			I found out what to do with SRWAG's script. I could just save it as a .txt file and open it with NJSTAR or just open it straight through there since it was done in SHIFT-JIS. I'm not sure if DS is but that would be nice. Although, I think I'll end up hunting for script.


I wouldn't suggest doing that. You may end up losing characters or pick up garbage as script files are never text-only. Hence why you're supposed to either create a table or write your own script dumper.


  
	
	

		
		

			CyberWarriorX , is it true? i mean about you leaving the translation scene, why?


Would this site answer your question? http://www.litespeedcomputers.com/sx/transnext...


  
	
	

		
		

			i know it's hard can't you rethink about it?


When you've thought about it for around a month there's nothing to "rethink" about.

Cyber Warrior X

 soul Aug 2, 2002
well i gess thats it then