Patch is up (v1.01 incoming)

Talk about Kojima's hard sci-fi masterpiece.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by Pizuz »

slowbeef wrote:What if the character palette is stored in a completely different place? I mean, when you decompose the ISO, you get a bunch of DPK files - won't your new English have to reside in the same file as the current character data?
Of course. I never talked about storing the character data inside that file. That approach wouldn't work for a few reasons:

From what I was told the character data (strings, text, dialogue, whatever you call it) is stored together with the game's control script (event programming and stuff). There are numerous such files all containing different parts of the game script. The scripting engine processes the script and occasionally gets pointed to a string via an offset (string location relative to the current position of the "cursor"). One could try to reverse-engineer the scripting langage in order to identify the control codes for printing text. This would reveal the string pointers that could be modified in order to match the new string lengths.
slowbeef wrote:I guess what I'm getting at, what if the character palette is in font.dpk, but your character data is a different file like data.dpk? Can the text pointers go to a completely different file? I guess it would still be the same issue either way though; you'd just have to find somewhere else to put it.
I was thinking about something different. You know, the font.dpk could be massively reduced in size in order to make room that might be needed for storing the game script I was talking about above. Just in case the memory originally reserved for the script wasn't enough. You'd basically have to alter the loading routine to store the script at the new location.

Anyway, this might not be needed, at all, if the space reserved for the script is large enough. The real issue is identifying the string offsets hidden inside the scripting language (which needs some reverse-engineering) in order to be able to modify them to one's needs.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by JimboKudo »

Whatever the problem is, it doesn't really matter. X Lupin's right. Just be patient. If anybody can find another good hacker who's got time to work on it, then great, but otherwise, it will just take a while.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by Anubis »

I'm just curious Pizuz, are you helping with the patch?

It certainly seems like you know a lot about programming, and look like you could be a great help.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by slowbeef »

Pizuz wrote:The real issue is identifying the string offsets hidden inside the scripting language (which needs some reverse-engineering) in order to be able to modify them to one's needs.
Honestly, that sounds like the biggest pain in the ass ever. I think I realize what you're saying now about reducing font.dpk so you have more room to work with re: other files. Hmmm.
JimboKudo wrote:Whatever the problem is, it doesn't really matter. X Lupin's right. Just be patient. If anybody can find another good hacker who's got time to work on it, then great, but otherwise, it will just take a while.
Er, I thought it was a just a fun little side discussion?
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by JimboKudo »

Well, it was sorta an indirect suggestion, that if you have great knowledge about Playstation 1 programming, then why not try and help by working on it? It does sound like some of you have the skills necessary. Since they already know what the problem is, they need somebody to help work on it. I wasn't trying to rain on your parade, I was just saying, help with the patch if you can.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by slowbeef »

I didn't mean to imply that I have the skills necessary, or anything, I just wasn't sure if I was breaking a rule or something. I could imagine that you probably get a lot of people here who read a doc on romhacking.net or something and go, "Hey, why don't you just find a text pointer. It sounds really easy. What's taking so long?" I can most certainly appreciate why this is month of work. But hey. It's intriguing work, is all. Pizuz sounds like he's light years ahead of me anyway.

At the very least, I found "BEYOND COAST" in my savestates and later the ROM today, so I'm kinda happy with small achievements like that. :) (Which is absolutely nothing in the terms of what you'd need to be able to do to translate this thing.)
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by akor1108 »

I'm new here but don't have the attention span to read all 64 pages, so...

Good luck! And from what I've read so far, it must be hard.

I wish I could help.

thanks to you guys, I might be able to play the game in english finally.

I don't understand why Kojima just doesn't try to rerelease Policenaut's in English now, considering all the technology available today.

:(
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by seraphssavior »

I think the two main reasons behind it not being released outside of Japan are

1) His fear of the lack of money it would make.
2) His belief that western audiences wouldn't like it.

Both of these stemming from the fact that the American/PAL versions of Snatcher didn't sell well, which I believe came from a lack of promotion. When that stuff first came out, I didn't even know the SEGACD existed...though you're right. With DLC and all, there's no reason not to release it internationally.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by Henry Spencer »

The game would take a lot of manpower to localise, since it's easily Kojima's most detailed game (who is all ready master at putting in loads of detail into his games as it is). Jeremy Blaustein himself said that back then "you wouldn't get anybody willing to translate that much text". I guess people just weren't used to localising such a massive script back then. Click on almost any item or character and it has a back story of some sort. It's quite incredible that we're going to get this translation for free of charge as it is, if you ask me.

Another probable factor that played into the death of Policenauts localisation is Snatcher bombing in sales. In fact, Snatcher is possibly one of the biggest let downs for Konami ever, as far as the release of the game onto our shores goes. The situation was so bad, someone in Konami even got fired for trying to bring Policenauts over here, to the "West", if that's any kind of message of much money Konami lost on Snatcher and how much Kojima was pretty much "poison" in terms of making sales in the West.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by JimboKudo »

Actually, I found out about Snatcher by going to wiki and finding a list of Kojima's games. I played the msx version without ever realising that the SCD version existed. If they were to release policenauts, then they would have to advertise it in every gaming magazine with full review to get any good feedback probably. I know that anime fans would immediately have their interest piqued, but aside from that I'm not so sure. Unless the gaming magazines wrote it up as one of the most amazing graphic adventures of all time. Things are complicated, and not everybody likes adventure games, especially in this day and age.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by 8bitsonic »

JimboKudo wrote:not everybody likes adventure games, especially in this day and age.
I don't think so. You have the DS, which has singlehandedly brought back point and click adventure games, being the best selling system right now (more than any of the consoles). The Wii also caters to gamers who aren't always looking for fast action-type games, but something a little different and calmer. I wouldn't care what platform a port of Policenauts came out on (if they really got crazy, they could translate and release the PSX version themselves; Konami has already re-released a PSX game with MGS in that box set from just a few months ago), but I think the best fit for it would be the DS, given that the game is not graphically demanding and I really think that with audio compression, the whole game with full voice acting could fit onto a 256 MB card (the biggest current size of a DS game). But that is just a guess, as I have never played it and am only estimating... But ditto that for Snatcher, at least- I am very disappointed at Konami for not porting it to the DS already...
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by X_Lupin »

The point exists, though, that the vast majority of the gaming audience are idiots.

Just the other day, I talked to a friend of mine whom said MGS4 was trash because it was "boring" and "too many cutscenes" and "bad graphics."

He, like many gamers, put graphics above all else, followed by constant violence. Which is why he states that Crysis is "omg the breast game ever."

In Policenauts, the graphics are from an older era, and it is all story-telling, which requires thought processes. There is no putting your dong into the eye of an alien terrorist every half second, so the majority of gamers (the ones that buy games, I'd say 90%) wouldn't like it.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by Anubis »

The point exists, though, that the vast majority of the gaming audience are idiots.

Bingo. Only I'd change that to the majority of people are stupid. There is no reason to limit the lack of reason and intelligence to the casual gaming crowd.

It's hard to express my disappointment with the state of modern day gaming. In retrospect, even MGS4 was a letdown for me. It's good, but it comes nowhere near the greatness that is 1,2, and 3.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by Pizuz »

Let's face it: We all are just a bunch of "Games are art!" hippies ;)
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by ratperson665 »

X_Lupin wrote:The point exists, though, that the vast majority of the gaming audience are idiots.

Just the other day, I talked to a friend of mine whom said MGS4 was trash because it was "boring" and "too many cutscenes" and "bad graphics."

He, like many gamers, put graphics above all else, followed by constant violence. Which is why he states that Crysis is "omg the breast game ever."

In Policenauts, the graphics are from an older era, and it is all story-telling, which requires thought processes. There is no putting your dong into the eye of an alien terrorist every half second, so the majority of gamers (the ones that buy games, I'd say 90%) wouldn't like it.
I know exactly the type of apes you're talking about! Half my friends are like that. "We need gore! We no like think. What Snatcher? This Snatcher? Boring. No fighting. Too much plot. Too many talking. Ooh-ooh-ooh Aah-aah-ahh!" And also, "MGS4 bad graphics", was that friend of yours serious?
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by JimboKudo »

8-Bit Sonic, I think you must know some REALLY strange gamers, because I only know ONE person who's ever really been into adventure games like the people on this forum. Most people I know are all about the Xbox360 since it has pretty much all action games, where you don't have to do anything but run'n'gun. As for the DS, the only "adventure" games that are really selling well are not really adventure games; they're puzzle games. So really, the best-selling games on the DS are casual games (the bane of my existence). The DS has all this potential, but it's wasted on pleasing little kids who couldn't beat the real mario games and had to switch over to princess peach (yes that is a real DS game). I think that Snatcher would work perfectly on the DS, but it doesn't hold interest as only being a graphic adventure game.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by slowbeef »

The Phoenix Wright series is pretty much a story-heavy adventure game series when it comes down to it. I don't think they sold outstandingly well, but well enough to warrant sequels being ported here. Also, they have Hotel Dusk, though I don't think it did great.

I dunno, I think Konami could make a quick buck with Snatcher, if it were marketed well. Although, they'd probably want to add new features for the DS like touch-screen shooting or something.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by JimboKudo »

I have Hotel Dusk, and that's actually a very cool game. It didn't sell well unfortunately, but I know that the Pheonix Wright games sold much better. I don't know if they sold nearly as well as the mario games, but I was surprised to find that they were fairly popular. Still, I think the PW games are the only adventure series that was really popular on the DS. Maybe Snatcher on the DS would do as well as the PW games. I think what's gonna happen is that they release Project S, and then, if that did well, they might release a port from the SCD for the DS then, since it would have a tolerable fan-base.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by Andrigaar »

slowbeef wrote:I dunno, I think Konami could make a quick buck with Snatcher, if it were marketed well. Although, they'd probably want to add new features for the DS like touch-screen shooting or something.
Flashlight search and the shooting galleries would work fine. Come to think of it, they'd probably do examine/look/verb like Phoenix Wright.

More nerd fantasy when you get down to it. Shame really too since SCUMMVM proves how awesome adventure games are with a touch screen.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by X_Lupin »

ratperson665 wrote: And also, "MGS4 bad graphics", was that friend of yours serious?
Yes, he was. He claimed that it wasn't Anti-Aliased enough. I attempted to explain to him that you don't need 16xAA when the models are that detailed, and the fact that everything was rendered in real time, he then pulled something out of his ass about "TEXTURES R SUCK." Which they weren't, and "CUTSCENES SHUD HAVE BEEN PRE RENDERED," which is just silly.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by Junker Gear Snatcher »

I think the really problem is that Video games are popular.

And when something is popular and well liked, suddenly everything's got to cater to everyone.

Just because Nintendo made Princess Peach for the DS does not mean everyone with a DS is buying Princess Peach.

I think differently. The majority of gamers are not stupid FPS loving kids, with short attention spans, lack of respect.

The VOCAL majority of gamers are stupid FPS loving kids.

There's a lot more of a market for good games than most gamers think. And casual gamers can not be excluded either.

I talk to a lot of "non-gamers" that now play games like Wii fit and such, and then two days later they've picked up the Legend of Zelda for the Wii.

You'd be surprised.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by The Spoony Hou »

X_Lupin wrote:Yes, he was. He claimed that it wasn't Anti-Aliased enough.
You know, I saw the game running once, and the aliasing looked like ass. I hope it's not so bad for other PS3 games.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by Kojima_Devotee »

I wonder what's going to happen when Metal Gear Solid 4 reaches its re-release. (Like Integral, Substance, and Subsistence.) I'm still convinced that a 360 port is possible, even if the game would require about 5 discs. After all, Microsoft has a way with "monetary persuasion" and the sales numbers don't lie. Of all the multi-platform games, like Call of Duty 4, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Assassin's Creed, only Devil May Cry 4's PlayStation 3 version outsold its 360 counterpart. (From what I understand, though, it wasn't by a wide margin.) Plus, Metal Gear Solid 4 on the 360 would sell incredibly well, and a heavily-delayed re-release wouldn't hurt the Konami-Sony relationship or most fans. (Those that invested in a PS3 just for MGS4 might be a bit upset.) What gets to me is that there are compelling reasons on both sides - It's extremely hard to take a guess since both outcomes are equally likely. :P
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by cyrano »

What would be wonderful would be Kojima deciding to translate policenauts and put it in the MGS4: existence/substance/whatever special edition.

Though he did translate and include a never released in the US before game for the MGS3 re-release (MG2 MSX), I guess it is unlikely, because of the sheer amount of text involved.

At the same time... is it really impossible? I know this sounds crazy, but maybe Ryan Paytton (not with Kojima production anymore, but he probably still talks to Kojima) would be open to the idea (he is pretty good at keeping in touch with the state of mind of the gamer community in the west).

What bothers me is that I really feel it would be a wise business discussion. I could be wrong, but I just feel that having a "new" Kojima game, one which is good on top of that, released with the special edition of MGS4 would drive sales nicely. The Ps3 plays PSX games easily- and I surely hope it would be easy for them to simply change the script. Hell, they could even use Marc Laidlaw's script. Anyhow. I am curious what they will put in the special edition in any case, if there is one.
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Re: Current Project Status (English Screenshots & Trailers)

Post by snatchernaut »

i blame chavs in the uk. (for all you who dont know what a chav is, its the low of the low in the uk. the tracksuit wearing, benefit claim, jobless thugs that walk my streets getting drunk and fighting).
the computer game companies reach them here. countless football games released for their pleasure, and if its not football games its the games that would entertain their many many children so they can claim more benefits.
i love games like policenauts and snatcher, they actually require some brain power and skill to play. i had to spend a long time learning to read japanese to play them (apart from scd release of snatcher) and i dont think people in this country have the paitients or lack the mentality to play these games. they dont want to spend hours reading text and listening to story, they want goal scoring shoot-em ups, car theft gameshows and to watch re-runs of jerry springer to watch their foriegn relatives. (dont worry i dont mean to offend people from us as we have a show which is the same over here called jerremy kyle.).

this spoils the gaming experience for those here who do love these games.

i know this may seem like a lame reason but it would just not sell here as the majority of game players just love fifa or need for speed.
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