Far East of Eden Zero Translation

[LostTemplar]

Yup, and I don't want invest time into something that's eventually overhauled by byuu anyway.

One thing I could show is a half-way done status screen:

But it may look totally different in the final version.

[Nightcrawler]

And so we've come full circle back to nobody is doing any actual hacking work on FEOEZ. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ok_3j0Ijd4

[LostTemplar]

Well, you can see it that way, if you want.
On the other hand, at least the translation itself is progressing at a good pace.

And seeing that a lot of translations (hacking included) take a few years, I'd say we're still going strong ;)

[Nightcrawler]

I'm not sure sure that step one has been accomplished yet.

You could also change the ROMs on an actual cartridge. By expanding the program ROM and not the data ROM (the game is separated into 1MB program ROM and 4MB data ROM, where the data ROM is behind to SPC7110), it should be able to run on an actual console. Simplified it's just connecting an additional address line to the program ROM to be able to select the upper MB of it. While I didn't try this, byuu said he has the game running in this configuration.

Are you sure he tested all the intended expanded regions on a modified FEOEZ cart? I agree the game will run with the intended map, but I call into question access to one of the intended expanded regions on the original cart.

As you can see, there was 1MB program ROM mapped to:
c0-cf:0000-ffff + 00-0f:8000-fff + 80-8f:8000-fff

I added another 1MB like so:
40-4f:0000-ffff + 10-1f:8000-ffff + 90-9f:8000-ffff

I can see that adding another address line (A20) to a replacement U1 ROM should work with the 10-1f:8000-ffff + 90-9f:8000-ffff, but I don't see how you're going to get that second MB mapped to the 40-4f:0000-ffff range. Unless I'm missing something, I'm not seeing how that is possible with the original cart mapping + plus added address line. I would hate to see this not run as intended on original FEOEZ carts (currently the only way to run it on real hardware as sd2snes has no support at this time). I would suggest asking him about it.

[KingMike]

I would hate to see this not run as intended on original FEOEZ carts

I'm guessing you wouldn't mind if it meant no repro sellers?

[LostTemplar]

Well, that's a plus, isn't it?

I did ask byuu some time ago and he explained it to me. It was of course a bit more complicated than just taking the address line, but honestly, I forgot what exactly he had in mind, lol. After learning about sd2snes my interest in modifying an actual cartridge went down a little, so it was enough to know that there might be a way to do it. But I'll ask him again later.

I'm by no means an electrical engineer, but isn't it just juggling around a bit (no pun intended) with the address bits? With $C0 and $40, there's only one bit different, after all.

[Nightcrawler]

KingMike:
I would if it means there is no way at all to play it on real hardware, which is the case here. I keep hearing about sd2snes, but it's currently a.) unavailable and b.) doesn't support SPC7110. Will it ever be released in quantities big enough to satisfy over 200 people in the future so everyone can have one? Will it one day support the SPC7110? Perhaps one day it may, but at present it cannot do either. The cart has and always will be able to support the SPC7110 and more readily available than sd2snes is likely to be this year from what I understand about it's 1 man limited production runs. It's a nice product, and I wouldn't mind having one if available. Even when launched, I believe only 200 are coming.

LostTemplar:
Hey, I'm not the guy doing the translation or developing the new mapping (yet). I could juggle all kinds of things around to make Frankenstein's monster live a variety of ways, but at present I'm just talking about YOUR/HIS mapper intentions, and what the two of you have publicly said about it, which didn't add up to me. How do you intend to also map the second meg non-linearly (in relation to the first) in the $40 region? I'm not sure how you intend to do that. I thought you said you did care about it working on the original cart as easily as possible. I just thought you should re-confirm or at the very least clarify this issue in the interest of making the original cart work and providing information to those interested. You can see my comments above to KingMike on the sd2snes.

I'm passionate about the project and I have a vested interest in doing all I can to help the project along and ensure it reaches as many people as possible. Real hardware people included.

[LostTemplar]

I'll just quote him:

The same way c00000-cfffff maps there now. The decoder chip on the cart can detect that range and select the ROM.

Force the A23 input to the address decoder to be permanently high, and now feed A23 into a switch (eg ISL84544) to select between the two 1MB ROM chips -or- invert it and add to address for 2MB ROM chip address bus value.

Sounds pretty reasonable to me, especially when he said he had the game running in this configuration. As A23 is the MSB of the bank, this way the decoder chip would select the U1 on $40 as well as $C0. The switch/inverter would then get the correct ROM chip/memory region selected.

If there's still something off you can of course state it here (such discussion is very appreciated), but I think it'd be faster if you just asked him yourself because as you see this is not really my métier.

[Nightcrawler]

That's what I was afraid of. That's a hefty requirement for something of little gain. To that I would say do not bother mapping anything to 40-4f:0000-ffff and allow it to remain unused as it is now. The expanded meg is already accessible via 10-1f:8000-ffff + 90-9f:8000-ffff and it would be fast access at that for the 90-9f region vs. slow for everywhere else. I don't see any reason one would need to map it to 40-4f, nor would want to access it there. This way, the original game will still function perfectly fine and the cart modification is actually reduced to adding the extra address line and you're done. Nothing more than a single wire and two solder points.

[Tom]

I sent the script to byuu and Lost Templar, so hacking should begin soon.

[Hiei-]

Didn't Byuu said it wouldn't start the hacking of the game before the whole script is translated ?

Or you mean you already finished the first draft of the whole script ? 

[LostTemplar]

Or you mean you already finished the first draft of the whole script ? 

This.

[Tom]

That's right. I sent the whole script over to him. Had a blast with it.

Can't wait to see the game running in English after all these years.

[Hiei-]

Wow. You are really fast. I know it's only the first draft and that it doesn't mean a release soon but wow 

[Gemini]

Tom is hard worker, as always.

[byte.me]

I sent the script to byuu and Lost Templar, so hacking should begin soon.

Woo-hoo! It's on now! Your pace is impeccable!

[Neil]

Tom is hard worker, as always.

Hard worker is an understatement. That's a freak'n quick turnaround for a one person translation on a script that large. He's gotta be some sort of machine. Wow. Way to go Tom.

[Tom]

No youtube. No games. No going out on the weekend, and it's done before you know it, really.
(Plus, it helps that I'm a huge fan of the game.)

I am not sure when the hacking will begin, but there are still some things that remain.
Graphics translation and the credits still need to be done.

I also want to translate the box and manual. Of course, my box and manual have been in storage
overseas for almost ten years, so I'm going to have to wait for Lost Templar to send scans.

[Validus]

this is PURE SEXXXX!

[Merta]

This and Marvelous- Another Treasure Island really interest me when it comes to untranslated Super Famicom games. I know that the series is big in Japan, this even saw an XBox 360 JP-only remake I think and that Translation Nation has hyped the game up as being one of the, if not the best Super Famicom JRPG which is saying a lot about a game. I also don't think that Gaijinworks has anything but Tengai Makyou IV on their minds should they localize a game in the series. It looks quite good, and is nice that I am not just a lone voice in the wilderness hoping to play one of these games in English along with knowing that this is a current project that is moving quickly. Thank you.