Translations of early Famicom games

[Psyklax]

KingMike has just released the patch for Indora no Hikari, so that one's done - you can cross it off the list.

Ha, I didn't notice that, just got added to the database a couple of days ago. I'll correct my list then.

Also, is there any Japanese in Booby Kids? I don't remember this game well enough to be sure, but I believe there wasn't any... unless you count the bit on the title screen, which is just "Booby Kids" in Japanese.

Good call on that: looking inside, there's a capital English alphabet and "Booby Kids" in Japanese. So, since a translation would literally be "colour those tiles black", it seems totally pointless. I'll remove it from the list.

Aside from terrible patch for Stargazers (Hoshi wo Miruhito)...

I only include complete translations in the list - or at least 99% complete. So maybe you can get back to this one at some point (though I can see you did it a long time ago).

I suppose it should be noted my Saint Seiya patch is based on the official French translation (as was the other group that did a second translation a few years after mine).

I noticed that you have to apply it over the French ROM. After looking at Dragon Warrior/Quest, I don't blame you. Hopefully the original French translation was good, although I suppose some multilingual person could compare all three versions (Japanese, French, your translation).

Both Bio Senshi Dan and Makaijima do have official localizations, though not officially released. ROMs have been released for both (Bashi Bazook and Makai Island)
(the official localization of Makaijima put the dialogue text on a separate screen since the JP text used sprites and as such would have been limited to an unusable 8 characters per line limit without some non-trivial hacking work)

Interesting couple of examples. Bashi Bazook's intro seems totally different to the original Japanese, whereas at least the fan translation is more faithful. No idea if it's much different in-game. Makai Island, on the other hand, is a bit more tricky. I noticed Pluvius recommending to play the prototype instead, despite the wobbly translation. Incidentally, while both the Japanese and the English prototype work fine in FCEUX, Snark's translation crashes. It works in BizHawk and Nestopia, which are more accurate of course.

Supposedly the SMS version of Haja no Fuuin (Miracle Warriors) is a significantly enhanced port, so the scripts may not be similar.

I just had a look, it does look a lot different, so not sure how easy it would be to adapt. Also it uses that damn Elizabethan English ("WHAT WILLST THOU DO?!").

[cccmar]

It seems that the main issue would not really be the number of games in itself, but rather the fact that 1987 is more or less when the RPG/text adventure blitz began. It's curious though that there aren't any untranslated strategy games in that year.

As far as the RPGs go, some of them seem alright, could be even fairly good (Artelius and, especially, Ginga no Sannin), and some are, well, SWAT and Hoshi wo Miru Hito. Speaking of Ginga no Sannin, the PC-88 version seems quite different, not surprisingly. Perhaps the FC port was a remake of sorts.

There still aren't too many untranslated adventure games at least. I only ever played Sanma no Meitantei, and it seemed alright, although not really groundbreaking in any way. Adventure games seemingly begin to crop up around 1988 more or less.

[moritasan2040]

Ooh, Ginga no Sannin? I've never played it, but it's had my interest for a while. It's got a Yellow Magic Orchestra song in it.

You know, now that I've got the text sorted out, I might as well do several patches, one for each translation. That way everyone's happy!

As for the title screen, I don't think it'll be difficult at all, I just need time to look into it, because I'm a bit busy with life right now.

Well, as I said, I'm happy with just a title screen hack...However, I'm sure plenty of people would appreciate a version with the mobile version's translation. So if you'd like, I could try to prepare a script for you. I couldn't find one online, so I'd have to play thru it and write it all down...but it'd be a good excuse to play thru a Dragon Quest game. If you would like me to, just let me know how you would like the scrip (format, file type, etc).

[Psyklax]

I'd have to play thru it and write it all down...

That sounds a bit much to me... I don't know how this mobile version works, but if it's possible to get the binary data and look through it for text, that would save a lot of time. Also would mean no errors. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. (by the way, the guy who wrote the translation on GameFAQs still hasn't emailed me back about using his script)

Anyway, I think I want to do a little update because things are getting a bit busy for me (and I hope people are still reading - things seem a bit quiet on RHDN in the last week...).

So, as you know, I started work on Time Stranger, but my translation work has stopped. I've been busy with other things, and frankly translation, especially all-kana translation, can be a tiresome job for me. Although I got into ROM hacking through my interest in the Japanese language, since I've started assembly hacking I've realised that I enjoy the hacking process more than the translation. I'm going to talk about it in my other thread in the Script Help forum.

I also got started on Space Hunter, despite the fact that KingMike said he made progress on it at some point. I've hit a bit of a block with the way the game does text: it does it in pieces, mixing and matching them, so getting the grammar to work in English will be a challenge, not to mention that the lines are rather terse in Japanese and there's very little space to work with.

Then there's Dragon Quest, the main step being to import the Japanese title into the US version. The actual dialogue stuff shouldn't be that much of a pain (and to be honest, this is not really in the spirit of this project).

For full disclosure, I was approached by someone about Sindibad - Chitei no Daimakyuu for the PC Engine - not to translate, but to insert a translation that he could make. I had a look and it looks quite straightforward, so I'll probably have a go at that. Since I'm only inserting a translation into a game with a convenient text routine, I don't think it will distract me too much from this project.

So, anything else? Actually, yes. Given the state of the other things I've been looking at, I thought I'd check out some of the 'low-hanging fruit' of 1987, specifically the three games that are under 64KB.

Ikinari Musician is a weird thing. You play music, and that's about it. The only Japanese is the title, which means Spontaneous Musician in English. My question is just to ask, what should I call it when I change the title: Spontaneous Musician or Ikinari Musician? I can't decide, so I want to ask you guys.

Tokoro San no Mamoru mo Semeru mo is a platform game starring a guy who goes by the stage name George Tokoro, famous in Japan. Only Japanese here is on the title screen, the ending, and the game over screen, which amusingly parodies a famous song called Love Is Over (the Japanese Wikipedia page is surprisingly in-depth on this game). I guess this one won't be too much trouble.

Finally, Tsuppari Oozumou is a sumo game. So, lots of 16x16 text, written VERTICALLY. Just what the doctor ordered... but most of the text appears to be kanji for the names of the wrestlers, stored in a funky way in the ROM so they can have double the amount by using one colour. How I can look at it correctly in Tile Molester, I don't know.

So, that's the state of things at the moment. A bit more confusing than when I started with the simple games. I'll keep on going - though maybe not as prolific as I have been up to now.

[Pennywise]

Tsuppari Oozumou is a tough one. It's been on my backlog of games I wanted to do, but haven't had the time for it other than ask for a title screen design. I had decided on the title "Sumo Clash" for the series.

Anyhow, it's one of those 32kb PRG-ROM games like SMB. Meaning you can't expand the ROM and bankswap and you have to work with the space available. Then there's the 16x16 kanji names for all sumo wrestlers that also happened to be displayed vertically. I was thinking of converting that one screen where the screen scrolls horizontally to instead scroll vertically, so the names could be written horizontally. But that's a lot of work.

[filler]

That sounds a bit much to me...

Ditto.

So, as you know, I started work on Time Stranger, but my translation work has stopped. I've been busy with other things, and frankly translation, especially all-kana translation, can be a tiresome job for me.

I wanted to let you know that I was prepared to review your translation work, but since you posted the blocks raw I'm assuming you are more interested in finding a translator to tackle the script in your stead? I haven't taken a close look at this yet since I'm working on other things.

My question is just to ask, what should I call it when I change the title: Spontaneous Musician or Ikinari Musician? I can't decide, so I want to ask you guys.

I think Spontaneous Musician sounds good.

Since I'm interested in supporting this 1987 effort, I'd also like to make an update.

So far I've dumped scripts for:
EDIT: City Adventure Touch (patch released)
Outlanders (patch released)
Uchuusen Cosmo Carrier (Script dumped. Seeking translation help)
Mezase Pachi Pro - Pachio-kun (Script in progress)
EDIT: SWAT (patch released)
EDIT2: and, Kyonshiizu 2 (Script translated. Seeking technical help.)

As I'm currently translating Maison Ikkoku and Power Dolls 3, ostensibly with hacking support waiting on me, I'm prioritizing finishing those scripts before working on anything else.

It is my intention to take a stab at translating the scripts I listed, as well as looking into dumping others from 1987. As I said, I'm okay with smaller scripts currently and willing to prioritize these over some of the other Famicom scripts I have such as Idol Hakkenden, and Chibi Maruko-chan.

I spoke with KingMike recently and I assume he's okay with me sharing that it sounds like he has a translated script for Ginga no Sannin. There's also a FAQ on GameFAQs with a lot of translated story and menu text though I have no idea how accurate it is. I started making a table file for the game but I stopped when I realized how huge the dictionary is for it.

[moritasan2040]

That sounds a bit much to me... I don't know how this mobile version works, but if it's possible to get the binary data and look through it for text, that would save a lot of time. Also would mean no errors. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. (by the way, the guy who wrote the translation on GameFAQs still hasn't emailed me back about using his script)

That sounds like it'd be helpful, but I don't have a clue how to do that. ;p
I'm currently playing thru in original Japanese, original English, and mobile English, while watching Let's Plays of the Japanese mobile version. I think I'll use cheatcodes to help with the Famicom/NES versions. It WOULD be nice if I had a dump of all four scripts...but I can probably manage without. Beside, I don't know if the Famicom/NES script dump would even match up well enuf with the mobile version's to easily see them side by side. It's important that I compare the two versions of the Japanese script to check for changes, so that I can undo them from the mobile translation. Since you're quite busy, I should probably just work on it in the meantime, so it'll be ready when you are.

[Psyklax]

I wanted to let you know that I was prepared to review your translation work, but since you posted the blocks raw I'm assuming you are more interested in finding a translator to tackle the script in your stead? I haven't taken a close look at this yet since I'm working on other things.

I wouldn't say I'm actively looking for a translator, it's just that with this particular game, the text seems a bit harder for me, and I know it'll take me ages (while also trying to hack other games). I posted it all there just in case anyone needed to know more and I didn't have to waste new posts in the thread explaining context and whatnot. And of course, if anyone REALLY wants to tackle the whole thing, they're welcome to do so.

With the crazy heat at the moment, plus some stuff in real life distracting me, it's just getting harder to sit down and hack at the moment. But I carry on.

[filler]

With the crazy heat at the moment, plus some stuff in real life distracting me, it's just getting harder to sit down and hack at the moment. But I carry on.

Excuses, excuses.

[Psyklax]

Excuses, excuses.

Hey, it's very hot, and I have a young child to look after. I'm sticking with my excuses.

Anyway, since I've got your attention, perhaps I can run a couple of things by you, namely Tokoro San no Mamoru mo Semeru mo. There's so little text in the game I might as well mention it here.

First is the title. I suggest George Tokoro's Attack and Defense. Got any better ideas?

Second is the game over screen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7jl1HZjxkw
Based on this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be_YZiQm3Yk
Which someone tried translating here:
http://stage48.net/studio48/loveisover.html

But I'm not sure about the translation: rather than "I want it to end, but can't cut off my feelings", it looks more like "we should end it now or it never will"? I think the translator took "kiri" to mean "cut off", which doesn't sound right.

Third is the ending:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7S20YKm9ow
(this guy thinks there must be a 'good' ending, but having looked at the CHR-ROM I very much doubt that)

My best guess is "Tokoro might continue" or something like that. Any better ideas?

And that's all there is. Incidentally, the game does something interesting for the game over screen that I haven't seen a Famicom game do thus far: the text is actually stored in CHR-ROM and the game says "take those bytes and store them in RAM", then it loads the text from RAM. I've never seen a game use CHR-ROM for text before, but it's something I think I can take advantage of in Time Stranger (there's a huge amount of empty space in CHR-ROM because the game's mapper loads half in the sprite bank and half in the background bank, meaning half the sprite bank isn't used).

[filler]

I think you've got it.

First is the title. I suggest George Tokoro's Attack and Defense. Got any better ideas?

I assume this is based on George Tokoro? I might go for either:
George Tokoro's Attack and Defend
or George Tokoro's Offense and Defense
just for consistency.
EDIT: You could of course do "Mr. Tokoro's" for brevity.

But I'm not sure about the translation: rather than "I want it to end, but can't cut off my feelings", it looks more like "we should end it now or it never will"? I think the translator took "kiri" to mean "cut off", which doesn't sound right.

Yeah, that translation is off. "kiriganai" it "endless" or "boundless". Literally "there is no limit". However, I think your idea that it's related to the previous line is correct. "Let's end this, since it's endless (it will never end)."

My best guess is "Tokoro might continue" or something like that. Any better ideas?

Tokoro is...
To be continued... Maybe...?

[Psyklax]

I assume this is based on George Tokoro? I might go for either:
George Tokoro's Attack and Defend
or George Tokoro's Offense and Defense
just for consistency.
EDIT: You could of course do "Mr. Tokoro's" for brevity.

If you search for 'tokoro-san' on the net, his face appears. And the Japanese Wikipedia makes it clear that it's him. In the UK attack and defence is a logical option, but I take your point and will probably use the more American option since it's slightly less confusing. Also, on the title screen, brevity isn't really necessary.

[filler]

In the UK attack and defence is a logical option, but I take your point and will probably use the more American option since it's slightly less confusing.

We are two peoples, divided by a common language.

[KingMike]

I only heard of Outlanders after a new person started a patch on it a few years ago (and I bought a pretty beat-up CIB for scanning purposes). But I haven't heard of it.

On Tsuppai Oozumo... if you wanted to make it feel like a localization, I'd probably give a pretty to-the-point title and call it something like Tecmo Sumo Fighting, like they did with the rest of their sports line.

[moritasan2040]

If you search for 'tokoro-san' on the net, his face appears. And the Japanese Wikipedia makes it clear that it's him. In the UK attack and defence is a logical option, but I take your point and will probably use the more American option since it's slightly less confusing. Also, on the title screen, brevity isn't really necessary.

Brevity aside, isn't it just 所さんのまもるもせめるも? Are you perhaps adding in the full name so people can look him up if they don't know who he is? Also, I might as well add in my own name suggestion. Defend and Destroy (cuz alliterations are fun).

[cccmar]

I only heard of Outlanders after a new person started a patch on it a few years ago (and I bought a pretty beat-up CIB for scanning purposes). But I haven't heard of it.

Pikachumanson dropped it I believe, MrRichard999 has some of his old files. If anyone wants to have a stab at hacking it, these files could potentially help somewhat perhaps. It seems that there was no active translator on that project, that's why it was never finished.

[Psyklax]

I think it's about time for an UPDATE!



Yes, I've finished Tokoro-san's game. It was probably more trouble than it's worth! But that's my first of 1987 out of the way. You might've noticed I'm a quantity over quality kind of guy.

You can pick up the patch over at my site, or just wait until it appears in the RHDN database. Or just not bother, cause it's hard as balls.

Are you perhaps adding in the full name so people can look him up if they don't know who he is?

Yes.

[filler]

Awesome!

[Pluvius]

I've finished up my analysis of 1987 games.  That should be it for a little while, since there's plenty to do there.  Work has kept me from getting back to The Black Bass, but I should be on it again shortly.

[Psyklax]

What the hell, I might as well do ANOTHER update, less than 24 hours after the last one.



Yep, I started and finished Ikinari Musician (or Spontaneous Musician) in the space of an hour or so last night. Just a new title screen and changing Kanon to Canon. Sooo much easier than Tokoro-san. It's actually a fun way to kill time: it's not a game, rather a music player, and when you choose a backing track, you can only play notes in the same scale, so it's always in tune. Great for people who aren't very musical.

So, time for something new! Looking for more easy options in 1987, I spotted Takahashi Meijin no Bugutte Honey, which has a Japanese title screen and nothing else - even the in-game messages giving you information are in English. It's based on this anime:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5ZkK3021K4
And I have no idea how to translate that title. Bug'tte? Bugutte? Something else? Wikipedia claims the anime is known in English as Honey Bee in Toycomland, but a Google search turns up nothing. Furthermore, I figured it'd be good to make two patches: one that is more literal and another which is more of a localisation, connecting it to the Adventure Island series.

Next on my radar is Pro Yakyuu - Family Stadium '87, which is rather interesting. I didn't know, but some of you may do, but Pro Yakyuu - Family Stadium was released in the US by Tengen (Atari) as R.B.I. Baseball. PYFS87 is essentially identical to the original, except there are two more teams (looking inside the ROM, there may actually be three more). Although they look identical on the surface, things have been shifted around under the hood. I'm left with a confusing situation: do I basically make this R.B.I. Baseball '87, or do I translate it properly, with the Japanese teams and players? The complicating factor about this is that R.B.I. Baseball has been hacked to high heaven by dedicated players - it's probably still being hacked now with updated rosters. So, what's the point of translating this, then? I've no idea if they fixed any bugs or whatnot. What do you guys think? Should I translate it just to tick it off the list?

I've finished up my analysis of 1987 games.  That should be it for a little while, since there's plenty to do there.  Work has kept me from getting back to The Black Bass, but I should be on it again shortly.

Great to hear!

EDIT: my hunch was right. I found tecmobowl.org which has R.B.I. Baseball 2017 (not as an IPS though, naughty), which has clearly had a bit of hacking because it has all thirty teams rather than the original ten. Again, it's hard to see the purpose of translating PYFS87, since if anyone wants to play, they'd be better off playing that hack. Thoughts?