Patch  version 070103 (yymmdd)
Readme version 070103 (yymmdd)




                                  Warsong
                               Graphics Hack
                               by M.I.J.E.T.




 History
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070103 Initial release




 Overview
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This is a patch for the Genesis game Warsong. Warsong was localized by Treco
and some of the graphics were changed in the process.  This patch hacks the
graphics back to the ones used by Langrisser.




 Applying the Patch
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Hopefully included with this document is a patch file in the IPS format.
You can use any program that supports that file format to apply this
translation patch to your ROM file.

Alternatively, you can use the program from my website to apply the patch,
but make sure that you have the latest version or it won't work.  The program
will check the ROM file (de-interleaving it if necessary) and will give
you an error message if something went wrong.  A normal IPS program cannot
do this as it has no idea what it is patching.  The program has not been
extensively tested, so if you have problems (or simply don't trust a foreign
executable) you always have the option of using a different program.

Please note that you are morally obligated to own an original copy of this
game in order to use the ROM file.  However, I am sceptical of those who say
that it is illegal to do otherwise.




 Playing the Game
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Once you've patched the ROM file, simply load it up in your favorite
Genesis / Mega Drive emulator, console copier, or flash cartridge.




 Q & A
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Q: This patch doesn't work!  What do I do?

A: Make sure that your ROM file is not in an interleaved format.  It's also
   possible that there is more than one version of the game, or that your
   copy is corrupt.  If you have problems, try using the program that I wrote
   to apply the patch; it checks for the above issues.  It is available on my
   website.


Q: It doesn't work with my copier / flash cartridge!  Why not?

   This was tested on a real Genesis so you shouldn't have any problems in
   that respect.  The most likely reason is that something went wrong during
   the patching process.  See the previous question and try it in an emulator
   to see if that works.

   Another possibility is that you are using a PAL Mega Drive.  This game was
   designed for NTSC systems and I didn't make any changes in that respect.
   It should still run (probably at the wrong speed), but you never know...


Q: Is your patcher program safe?

A: No.  Anyone could replace it with a trojan and rewrite this readme to
   make it seem safe.  That's one reason why I don't include it with the
   patch itself.  It's up to you to decide which program to use to apply
   the patch, but unless you wrote the program yourself there's always
   some risk involved.


Q: Is this compatible with the Warsong-to-Langrisser text hack?

A: Yes, as long as this graphics hack is applied last.  The checksum will be
   wrong, but the game will not fail.




 List of Changes
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Treco logo reverted to Masaya logo
Title graphics changed from Warsong to Langrisser (in katakana)
Character portraits reverted
Checksum disabled




 Hacking Notes
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The biggest problem with this hack, aside from finding the graphics data to
be replaced, was the extreme lack of free ROM space.  There was less than 2k
of free space total and little more than 1k of it was contiguous.  Further
complicating things was the fact that Warsongs graphics were smaller so
simply overwriting them was not possible.  The data had to be split up and
loaded into RAM prior to processing. As it stands, there are only a few
hundred free bytes left scattered throughout the ROM.




 Contact
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mijeto@gmail.com

I cannot guarantee a timely reply; this address is sometimes not checked for
weeks or months at a time, depending on recent activity levels and Internet
availability.

And on the web:

http://mijet.eludevisibility.org/
http://www.geocities.com/tougi_ou/ (backup site)