A quick update I’m afraid, as much like usual I am short on time today!

I wish I had time to try this new wonder out for myself, but it will have to wait until later. Meanwhile I’m sure you’ll all enjoy it very much.

KnightOfDragon and his crew of eager SFIII Translation Patchers are due many thanks from us all. Because of their efforts, the Premium Disc is now mostly translated. This certainly bodes well for the Scenario 2 translation patch project!

For full details and the downloads, please refer to the original SFC topic.

Nice work KoD and co!

While I’m here, I’ll also put in a quick plug that Tatakai is progressing very well and should hopefully see another test release soon, along with my completed test MOD. We need to take a break from adding stuff and tinkering so everyone else can have a play 😉

Well folks, it’s been about 3 months since the Final Conflict translation patch was released, and in that time various bugs, typos & untranslated strings have come to light. Nothing really major that I know of, but enough to warrant a new release of the patch.

I’ve not played this one all the way through, but no doubt if there’s anything wrong with it, I’ll soon be told.

Note that you’ll probably have problems using old save states with the new patch, but old save files should be happy enough.

Enjoy 🙂

I’ll try to get another update done before Christmas, and get those 6 month old contest results put up. My, how busy life has been!

Download the updated patch ~ 47KB

That’s right folks – sing it loud and sing it clear – the Final Conflict translation patch is here!

But, no big event like this would be complete without a long blurb first 😉

…

When I first found out about Final Conflict, I was excited at the prospect of playing a ‘new’ Shining game. Despite being in Japanese, I was never put off playing it through – like many other fans.

The obvious references it had to Shining Force and Shining Force II made me curious and eventually I decided to start learning Japanese, in a bid to understand it. A year of hard work followed, cross referencing various Japanese dictionaries with online tools, and my basic understanding of the language. At the end of this year, the bulk of the translation was complete and fairly accurate. Fans could finally enjoy playing the game and have a clue what was going on.

Over the years that followed, various individuals and groups contacted me asking permission to use my script in their attempts to hack it into the ROM. None ever got back to me.

Then one day early this year, out of the blue, a rather interesting email arrived in my inbox from a chap by the name of “z80 gaiden”. Not only was he claiming success in his previously unannounced venture into hacking the FC ROM, but had also provided an attachment.

Dubiously, I opened it… and on patching my ROM, got very excited!

It worked.

English text… in Final Conflict!

The great news was, all the hard work had already been done and all he needed was the translation of a few hundred short lines from the game to be translated. Naturally I got to work right away.

Unfortunately, before I could finish, z80 lost his ISP connection indefinately and informed me I should locate others to assist in finishing the project. Several peeps (you know who you are, and thank you indeed!) kindly volunteered to have a look, and see if they could understand. Meanwhile, I worked further on the translation and chapter title graphics.

Joy of joys – z80 returned, and not a moment too soon, as no-one else had yet managed to make any progress (do bear in mind that this project took z80 years and was anything but easy).

Various emails back and forth between us gave me the understanding to compile alterations to the ROM’s new script myself, and so I continued to work. z80 got the new graphics into the ROM and then another email out of the blue – this time, from my friend and fellow SFCer, Aspartate. With help from Landius, the two had worked on revising my original translation to improve the accuracy. Fantastic!

Obviously, these things take time… but within weeks another chapter of revision arrived and slowly but surely the new, improved script was added to the game.

z80 has been a great support and his patience most admirable. I cannot thank him enough for his efforts, and I’m sure everyone here is very grateful too!

I’ve now played through the game enough to be quite sure the script fits in right, and received a few file updates from z80 to improve the package as a whole.

Yes, that’s right folks – the package. Not only will the IPS patch be available for you to download at the end of this news article, but also a package containing all the relevant files for putting other translations into the game. The data and programs in the package may also be of help in modifying other Shining ROMs, particularly the Gaidens but also some of the Genesis games use a similar compression method. Who knows, maybe it can even be of help to the SFIII translation project.

One thing is for certain though – it’s good to finally have a previously Japanese-only Shining game fully playable in English now. Let’s hope it’s the first of many!

Now, before I link to the files, a few notes:
• I chose not to modify the game’s title screen, as it looks much better in Japanese than trying to make ‘Side Story’ line up and look good 😉
• I also chose not to modify the Japanese text, ‘Suika’, on Suika’s portrait – no point in writing ‘watermelon’, as it defeats the whole Ikasu/Suika joke.
• Some lines of the script (muddles etc) don’t crop up that often in the game, as such I haven’t been able to check that every single line is in the right place, but they seem to be. If there are major mistakes (very doubtful!) please contact me to right them.
• There appears to be a soundtest in the game, but I’ve no idea how to access it.
• Most important of all, I hope you enjoy the game!

Download the IPS Patch ~ 50KB
Download the IPS Patch and Tools Package ~ 1MB

Once again, huge thanks to all involved. This has certainly been a community effort!

Earlier in the week, I had a surprise email from z80! He’s put together a very comprehensive set of instructions for recompiling the FC ROM with script updates, so I can now do it myself!

I spent most of yesterday afternoon updating the script (thanks to Aspartate & Landius who have kindly sent through some revisions to make the script more accurate) and trying to compile the ROM. I just couldn’t get it going right and was forced to give up when a friend dropped by unannounced…

All evening I pondered on why it wasn’t working. Now all morning I’ve pondered, tinkered and repondered, and finally I’m there. The revised (thus far) script is now in place and I just need to play through the game quickly to check for bugs etc, while I wait for any further revisions from Asp & Landius.

This should speed things up somewhat, as I’m now pretty familiar with the process and can do it within a half hour. Huzzah!! Huge thanks to everyone for their support, assistance and general encouragement. No thanks to those who’ve nagged, hassled and been generally rude ;P

Hopefully the patch will be ready very soon – but please, don’t hassle Asp about the revisions. She’s doing this off her own back and I appreciate her work very much – the patch will be ready when it’s ready, just look forward to that 😀

Sega Japan have updated their Shining Tears site today to include information on the latest Shining Tears merchandise – high quality digital prints of artwork.

I’m assuming this sort of thing is already known in Japan, can’t say I’ve ever seen anything quite like it before. It would appear that they can be printed off via special Digiprint Auto machines in selected shops, or ordered via the web or mobile phone (with a shipping fee of course).

Retailing at 150 yen each (around US$1.50), the prints go on sale June 23rd and fourteen different designs are available.

Just a quickie, as I have lots on today. Expect more of an update later in the week!

Sega Japan today opened their Shining Force Chronicle site – it is without a shadow of a doubt a remake of Gaiden I, and as you can see from the main page, Gaidens II & III are on the horizon too! The graphics and menus have of course changed a bit – and some of the portraits look a bit off, but I don’t doubt this’ll do well in Japan – shame we’ll likely never see it in our own countries 🙁

With so many remakes, perhaps there is a chance of a new SFIII one day – but I’m sure KnightOfDragon’s patch will be available long before then 🙂

As you probably know, I’ve had some big issues in real life which delayed my work on the script for the Final Conflict patch. I’m close to being finished with it, but at the last minute disaster has struck.

z80’s ISP is going down and he will be offline for at least a month, but at present indefinately. He has provided me with all his notes etc on the project and asked me to find a suitable replacement for him to realise the dream of Final Conflict in English.

Not being too techy with this stuff, I don’t even really know quite what I’m looking for – someone who’s good with technical stuff, programming, z80 compression (maybe, maybe his notes/programs negate the need for that?), someone who has experience of ROM hacking. By that, I don’t just mean someone who’s edited tiles in a game or two – I think we’ve all done that 😉

Serious applicants only – a few names come to mind as potential candiates. I will send all the documents through to whoever is chosen, and hopefully it’ll all make sense to them!

BTW – if I get any more messages hassling me about the progress on this, I’ll deliberately delay it. I’m sick of “it’s been weeks, why isn’t it done?”, “why did you lie about it?”, “I can do it for you, tell me what I need to download” (I’ll tell you what you need to ‘download’: some patience and a bit more age :p )

Not much else to report at this time – haven’t received my Neo yet, don’t really care. Shining Road Scenario 4 is now out in Japan, but we can’t play it >.<;; In SFC news, we're still around US$50 away from the hosting fund target - just a couple of weeks left now until the bill arrives in my inbox, so if you'd still like to donate, please feel free to via the support page.

Not much time to update today, so I’ll keep this brief.

Today sees the launch in Japan of Shining Force Neo for the PS2, and it seems the game has gone to #2 in Sega Direct’s sales charts – I guess interest in it picked up.

Sega Japan’s SF Neo Site has been updated a couple of times in the last few days to include a buttload of new wallpapers, which I have put up here at SFC.

There’s also been an update to the characters page, to include some information on Kane, Vandorf and Maria, as well as the addition of a FAQs page, which you can find here Babelfished. Most of the questions aren’t of much interest, covering the release of a couple of books (one tomorrow, one late April) and general questions about the game. There is, however, one question I found interesting, asking about the relationship between the original SF’s Max, Kane and Adam, and those found in Neo. The answer seems to imply that the characters were named thusly only in homage to the original… strange, since Neo really does seem to tie into the story changes encountered in Resurrection of the Dark Dragon.

Anyhoo, enough babble. I’ve got a busy day ahead, and Lee’s off work next week so I’ll not be around so much…

Hoping to have time to do a bit more translation/script revision for the Final Conflict patch, but I don’t think I’ll get it finished off for z80 today >.<;; Sorry folks, but I guess it does give you all the chance to spend some time on Shining Tears instead, which was released in the USA in the last few days. Some quick links, for anyone looking to try either game... and contribute to SFC at no extra cost... Buy Shining Force Neo from Lik-Sang for US$59.90 (free shipping!)
Buy Shining Tears USA Version from Amazon for US$49.99 ($2 will go to SFC)
Buy Shining Tears Official Strategy Guide from Amazon for US$14.99

Lil’ update at Sega Japan’s SF Neo site today, in the form of a new gameplay video and three rather fancy desktops.

To save you the hassle of streaming the low quality vid, as usual I’ve uploaded the high-res version to the SFC Video Archive, and the desktops are available for download here too.

Can’t say I’m impressed by the vid, but what you think might be another matter.

Off to the shops now, then time to continue the FC translation – much more exciting than Neo IMHO 😉

Just a quick update, as I’m currently working on more FC translation for the patch 😀

Sega Japan’s Shining Force Neo site has had a small update today to announce that the manga will be launched in “Magazine Z” on April 4th, retailing at 530 yen (around US$5) per issue.

There’s also an article about Neo on Sega’s “Sega Voice” column, though right now I’ve not got the time to read it – have a look at what Babelfish makes of it if you’re interested 🙂

Back to the grindstone 😉

Thanks to SFCer Rocknroll1 for pointing me to The Magicbox for the first screenshots of Shining Force Chronicle.

The game is, as speculated, a remake of Shining Force Gaiden I and looks quite nice indeed. Let’s hope these mobile titles make it outside of Japan in some shape or form.

Judging by the “I” behind the Shining Force Chronicle logo, we can expect to see Gaiden II and perhaps even Final Conflict (Gaiden III) remade for mobile phones too!

Speaking of Final Conflict, I’d best go and get translating – z80 has said that if I can get a few of the files ready in the near future, he’s willing to release a 50% playable patch for all to try. I think, if I work hard today, I’ll be able to get the whole lot done – it’s not a very long script and I’m eager to help get it finished for y’all. If that means my SEE update has to wait until next week or the week after (or is that Lee’s easter break? Not sure…), so be it. I think an English playable FC is more important at this time!

It’s not often we get great news right out of the blue, but that’s what happened this morning!

Over the last few years, since I translated the Final Conflict script, various people have contacted me requesting permission to use it in an attempted translation patch. All had failed thus far. When I saw the email subject line “Final Conflict Translation”, I thought “Ah, fresh blood! Someone else is going to try…”. Needless to say I was surprised when I read the email fully only to find the author claiming to have made a working translation patch.

It had to be a hoax.

But it isn’t!

Attached to the email was a set of files including an IPS patch for the Final Conflict ROM. I tried it, dubiously… and much to my amazement, it worked. Final Conflict – with English text (and not ‘cavespeak’ either)! Huzzah!

It seems a kindly fellow going by the name of z80 gaiden has spent a number of years working on this patch and has now got it into the final stages of completion. All it’s lacking in fact is some input from me in the form of a couple hundred missing lines of translation (basic text for item usage, status effects etc) which need to be added to complete the script.

I shall be hard at work on these ASAP, as well as revising the script to sound a little more English rather than Engrish 😉 I did, afterall, translate it to be as close to the original meaning as possible without ‘floawing it up’, so to speak. Time for some flowers, methinks.

I never thought the script would really end up in the game, and I think this news is fantastic. z80 has been kind enough to send me all the files needed to finish off the script for insertion into the patch and has given permission for me to post a few screenshots. No, these aren’t PhotoShop edits – I applied the patch to my ROM of the game and took these myself less than an hour ago!

I think I can speak for all of us when I say a huge thank you to z80 for his years of hard work on this project and the amazing results. I know we’ll all enjoy playing the game in English 🙂 I know he’d like the patch to be tested before it’s put up for download (which won’t be until after the script is finished either – don’t worry, I’ll be as quick as I can!), so at some point I’ll be asking a few peeps I know I can trust not to distribute the patch to play through the game and check for problems. Please do not email me asking to be a tester, if you do, you won’t get to be one :p Likewise, please don’t ask me for the current patch as it’s been sent to me as a private demo for the time being.

Soon… yes soon, my friends, there will be a time when we can all enjoy the wonder that is Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict in English!! Huzzah 😀