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Ripping transcript from Japanese MGS I (PS Version

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 1:13 pm
by tanaka
Hello,

I want to rip the transcript from all the codec conversations (PS Japanese Version). Please let me know if this is possible and if so how. Thanks.

Tanaka.

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:04 am
by Artemio
The C source code for the programs that dump the US and Spanish versions of the game is available at Junker HQ. The Japanese version is encoded in a different way though, via a character table in a similar way to Policenauts.

You'll need to create a character table, and would need the font of the game for that.

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:52 am
by tanaka
Thanks for your response.

Does this procedure require some knowledge of programing? I have no programing skills. How do I get the character table?

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:12 pm
by Artemio
If not programming it requires you to read and understand binary data. But programming would be an useful skill since you'll need to gather your own data from the binary files, it is very doubtful that any of the generic tools would be of any use for this project.

You'll need to find the character table withing the game files, it should be graphical data. The best way is usually debugging the game on a PSX emulator to figure out the address that is loaded and sometimes you can grab the graphical representation of such a table from the memory of the PSX emu. It is the table from which the font is taken.

Then you need to map every character ion the table to the Japanese Kana/Kanji that it represents, and use that to dump the text in the game.

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:42 pm
by tanaka
Thanks for the info. This sounds like a lot of work. I think I'll just stick to playing the game and typing the dialogs into a word pad as I go along.

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:29 pm
by Artemio
tanaka wrote:Thanks for the info. This sounds like a lot of work. I think I'll just stick to playing the game and typing the dialogs into a word pad as I go along.
That method would seem like less work, but I can assure you it is more so.. and you'll never get all the dialogs. But if you just want an approximation, buy the scripts. There are books with them.

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:19 pm
by tanaka
Where can I buy the scripts from, amazon.co.jp?

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:02 pm
by Artemio
yes

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:04 pm
by 87th
I believe this is what you're looking for:
Click here
(similar scenario books for MGS2 and MGS3 can be found here and here)

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:54 pm
by Artemio
Thanks 87th, since I was on the cellphone I couldn't type in Japanese to search for it

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:01 am
by tanaka
87th: Thanks for the link.

Artemio: You mentioned that the book is just an approximation of the actual dialogs from the game? So it doesn't contain an exact transcript of the game's codec dialogue. Do you have a copy of the book?

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:39 pm
by Artemio
tanaka wrote:87th: Thanks for the link.

Artemio: You mentioned that the book is just an approximation of the actual dialogs from the game? So it doesn't contain an exact transcript of the game's codec dialogue. Do you have a copy of the book?
yes I own the three books. I mention it is just an approximation since it was the script for the game, but it doesn't have all the codec conversations.. just the ones relevant to the main story, if I recall correctly. Surely Marc can give you a better idea, since he went deeper with them.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:05 pm
by Marc
The script books contain all the conversations in the games, Codec included. You even get the stage directions for the cutscenes, plus alternate stage directions for earlier versions of the cutscenes in some cases.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:30 pm
by Artemio
I seem to recall that some small, irrelevant, conversations were not included. Or at least that is the idea I had... I can't seem to find the Second book here at my office, but If I recall correctly all the boot sequence from the Marine's computer on MGS2 was not included, neither Otakon's comments on the pics you take and upload. Or at least my Japanese didn't help me there back in the time.

But it seems I was wrong indeed, I just spend some time reading the MGS1 one, and the part with Mantis Reading all the Memory Card data has indications for each game and genre... I guess I couldn't read as much and assumed incorrectly that some conversations I could not find were not included. I am sorry about assuming stuff I shouldn't.

Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:29 pm
by tanaka
助言ありがとうございます。
本を注文しました。
楽しみしています。

Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:06 pm
by tanaka
My order was canceled since it is no longer being published, only second hand is available for more than twice the original price.
Are the contents of this book being published in a new edition?

Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:12 pm
by Artemio
Did you check Yahoo auctions as well? I have no Japanese language support on the cellphone (yet!), so I cannot search for it now...

Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:18 am
by tanaka
Found it on yahoo auctions but they don't ship abroad so I just ordered it second hand from Amazon.