Xenogears Project Update #2

I'm currently working on the kernel files. You know, the main stuff, like weapons, abilities, spells, deathblows, etc. It's gonna take a while to finish it, they're 33 files, the biggest ones being the items and equipment. The descriptions are stored somewhere else in the CD. Oh yeah, I hope no one minds this, but most of the unused content will be renamed as "Dummy" to save some space.

And now that I've learned how to edit enemy names, their techs and their respective pointers, this project's gonna be a piece of cake. There's only one thing holding me back right now, and that is the Xenoiso tool. For some odd reason, it isn't rebuilding the ISO from scratch as it was designed to. It's stopping right at the first folder. :/ I really need it working properly, or else this project may never be finished.


Screenshots:

SPOILER ALERT!!!
Only look at the screenshots below if you've already played the game (or don't mind spoilers at all).

Xenogears Project Update

Here's a few new screenshots for you. I finished editing the chapter names that are written in the Memory Card, and just finished the world map. Now that I've learned how to use Xenocomp and ExtXeno, finishing this project will be a lot easier (although a little boring, heh). It looks like the pointers are working just fine.

However...

Looks like the world map doesn't read character name opcodes. I inserted Bart's name opcode there (or so I think), which caused a little glitch. Maybe I wrote the wrong hex value, I don't know. All the other locations look fine. Anyway, stay tuned for more updates!

[PSX] Final Fantasy VIII - Uncensored Gerogero Boss + Minor Text Changes

I'm not dead yet!

This hack decensors the Gerogero boss of Final Fantasy VIII (PSX version), as well as his Triple Triad card. The American localisation team of Squaresoft censored them back in 1999, fearing that the game would receive an undeserved "M" rating in case they didn't. The monster was originally reddish like the image above, but his textures' colors were changed to blue-ish, so the monster wouldn't look so gory. They also censored a pool of blood in one of the rooms of the final dungeon by turning it into a green liquid, but I couldn't restore it, sorry. I believe these are the only instances of censorship in the US release (Note: the animation of the Devour command is as censored as the original. The only difference is that the Japanese text was translated to English).

 Fighting the monster.

Gerogero card.

The four "Red Gerogero" patches also fix a few text annoyances that were present in the official translation: "Buel", "Katal" and "Mega Phoenix" are now "Buer", "Katar" and "Mega-Phoenix", respectively. I felt that these changes needed to be included ASAP. Changing these names wouldn't require updating any pointers, which is why I did it. I wish I could've made more changes to the translation, but I didn't find any useful text-editing tools for the PSX version on the internet, so I just used a hex editor instead. I've tried the FF8 tools on Qhimm, but they're mostly for the PC version. If anyone with more advanced hacking skills wishes to fix the rest of the translation, please write on the comments below. I'll give you all the information I've gathered about this game's translation. You may also contact me via PM at Romhacking.net if you're a user there, or send an e-mail to: almagest994@gmail.com.

A few more screenshots:

There's also an optional patch that fixes Ultimecia's temporary accent with K's near the end of the game. That was a mistake and shouldn't be there. It must be applied to Disc 4 ONLY.

Screenshots:

All patches were tested with ePSXe and worked perfectly.

Download

[PSX] Breath of Fire III - Spell Name Update v1.1

This is an update of one of my submitted hacks. Please download it if you've gotten the initial release from RHDN's database. Very little was changed, but hopefully you'll enjoy it.

This hack updates Breath of Fire III's spell names in order to match their original Japanese pronunciations. Skill names are also affected by this patch, but not many. The reason why I did this hack was because there's actual voice acting in this game, and since the spells' names are actually mentioned while casting them, it'd make some sense to leave them in their original state. Many of the spell names were made up by Capcom and are neither in Japanese or English. In fact, there's some wordplay mixing both. I find the Japanese spell names to be quite interesting and unique, it'd be nice if other BoF fans knew about them.

Screenshots:

Download

Compatible only with the NA release for the PlayStation. Do not apply it to any other release, as it might corrupt your ISO.
Tested with ePSXe and works. It wasn't tested on real hardware though.

[PSX] Breath of Fire III - Desert Translation Fix

This Breath of Fire III hack fixes one translation error that can potentially keep you from finishing the game (in case you're playing without the help of online walkthroughs or strategy guides). Once you reach the infamous Desert of Death, a man will tell you how to get out and give you the directions. Because of the huge amount of information, he'll write it down for you so you can re-read everything in the campsite while traveling. If you're playing the official US translation, the notes he wrote will give you the wrong directions, telling you to head the opposite way.

This hack is only compatible with the US release for the PlayStation. It was not tested, however, but it should work fine at least with ePSXe. I couldn't test it because I don't have any cleared BoF3 savegames in my computer, sorry.

Download

[GBA] Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow - Aria of Sorrow Fix 2

This is a hack of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow that I uploaded 2 years ago to Romhacking.net. It's a complement of Radagast's Aria of Sorrow Fix. It reverts his changes taken from Symphony of the Night (accidentally included in the optional patch), fixes the remaining mistranslations and brings the translation a bit closer to the Japanese version. No changes were made to the dialogue, character names or the localisation choices (such as Soma Cruz being a foreigner living in Japan). References to Japanese culture, such as Tsuchinoko or Susanoo, were kept. Read the readme for further information.

This is only compatible with the North American release for the Game Boy Advance.

Screenshots:

Download

Almagest's ROM Hacking Blog Created!

Hello, everybody! I am Almagest of Romhacking.net!

Here in this blog, I will upload all of my ROM hacks without the need of RHDN's approval. To avoid copyright infringement and DMCA takedowns, only patches of old games will be uploaded and shared. When I speak of old games, I speak of videogames of previous console generations. No hacks/mods of current generation games will be posted. No ROMs or ISOs will be posted either, regardless of their generation. Links to illegal websites or illegal content will not be allowed in the comments. Also, hack/translation requests will not be tolerated here, even if you pay me for them. I like being free and doing what I like. If I ever announce that I am working on a new project, please do not ask when it will be finished. It will be done once it's uploaded and shared with the internet. And please, do not be upset if I don't post regularly, I am a very busy man!

Abandoned/unfinished hacking projects may also be uploaded here, in case somebody else wishes to finish them (please, do not forget to credit me if you do!).

All lovers of retro gaming are welcome here. Enjoy your stay! ^^