Mega Man X4 Undub (v1.13) & Mega Man 8 Undub (v1.4)

[acediez]

What's been changed:
- Japanese opening song restored (japanese song inserted over american video to preserve the Mega Man X4 title).
- Japanese story videos with hardcoded english subtitles. Based on Hondori's translation, with minor editing (like replacing "Irregulars" with "Mavericks" to keep it consistent with the english script)
- In-game X's and Zero's english voices replaced with japanese ones.
- Restored voice clips at the start of each boss battle (Credits: DarkSamus993)
- Restored voice clips DURING boss battles (even though they weren't dubbed, they did cut some of them).
- Japanese ending song restored.
- (Optional) Script from NectarHime's Final Weapon relocalization project for the PC version. The script has been modified from the original project to match american localization (ex.: "Irregulars" -> "Maverick").

Kept from english version (for consistency with localization):
- XA track from the title screen ("Mega Man X4" title call)
- Voice clips from the stage select screen
- Voice clips from the Weapon Get screen

Still missing from japanese version:
- The animation of the title screen from the japanese version (Zero and X flashing over the screen while the title screen is drawn). I don't plan to restore this.

Extras:
- Corrected the localization error in Magma Dragoon stage introduction ("Irregular" -> "Maverick")
- Touched up colors in the loading screen logo (stray red pixels removed)
- Additional hacks available in the "readme" as hex editing instructions:
  - Exit Stage Button Always Available (8 Main Stages)
  - Disable Double Tap Dash Input
  - Change Default Button Configuration

Patch variants:
UNDUB:
- The original version of the project. Doesn't include any changes to script or font.
- Video subtitles based on Hondoori's translation. Made specifically for the PS1 version (320x240), so the font size and style is optimized for a low resolution.

UNDUB + RETRANSLATION:
- Includes the script from NectarHime's relocalization of the PC version (Final Weapon project)
- Additional tweaks to font and text spacing (variable font width) are exclusive to this version.
- It uses the same videos from the original Undub version, as they're are optimized for the PS1 version.


Lef: UNDUB (script and font unchanged from original game)
Right: UNDUB + RETRANSLATION

Change log:

v1.13
- Patch versions: simplified as "Undub" and "Undub + Retranslation" (previous video subtitles alternative removed from this and future releases)
- Videos re-centered vertically. Previous release placed two-lines subtitles too low and out of screen.
- Corrected the localization error in Magma Dragoon stage introduction ("Irregular" -> "Maverick")
- Touched up colors in the loading screen logo (stray red pixels removed)
- (Retranslation) Fixed a typo in Split Mushroom's dialogue (X's side)
- (Retranslation) Fixed a few text boxes that were causing crashes on real hardware (wasn't affecting emulators, apparently)
v1.12
- Built on the latest mkpsxiso (v1.25)
- (Final Weapon script versions) Restored original menu font.
- (Final Weapon script versions) Variable font width spacing
- (Final Weapon script versions) Fixed two instances of text frozen on screen after the text box closed (Zero after fighting Magma Dragoon, Zero before entering Space Port)
v1.11
- Player ARC files rebuilt (though the previous ones didn't seem to affect the base undub, they were causing problems in Final Weapon script versions)
- (Final Weapon script versions) Changed "Repliroids" to "Reploids".
v1.10.1
- (Final Weapon script versions) No longer crashes when facing Frost Walrus as Zero.
v1.10
- (Fix) Fixed broken palette colors in button icons from menus (in the "Final Weapon Script" version)
- All videos re-encoded. No color/quality loss (as far as I can tell). The misplaced "damn you" in the Zero fight video's subtitle was fixed.
- Subtitled videos from the PC Final Weapon project added to the "Final Weapon Script" version of the patch. The previous mixed version (Final Weapon script, Hondoori script video subtitles) was kept as a separate patch.
v1.9
- (Fix) Voice clips and ending song should play for the right length now (Credits: DarkSamus993)
- Added a BETA for the NectarHime's Final Weapon localization project, based on Hondoru's retranslation.
v1.8
- (Fix) Two minor typos on the subtitles.
- Disc image rebuilt with updated tools and scripts, so I expect less surprise bugs from now on.
v1.7
- (Fix) Fixed another hang before X's Final Weapon 2.
v1.6
- (Fix) Fixed a broken file within the disc image that would freeze the loading screen before starting Zero's Final Weapon 2 (Thanks bukopandan for reporting it!)
- (Fix) Subtitles placed within the bottom black border.
v1.5
- (New) Restored voice clips at the start of each boss battle (Credits: DarkSamus993)
v1.4
- (New) Finished replacing in-game voice clips! Everything done, except the XA track at the start of the Maverick battles...
v1.3
- (Fix) ECC/ECD data fixed. Now the game boots on consoles with no issues!
v1.2
- (Fix) Increased subtitles size for better readability and fixed a few typos.
v1.0
- Initial release.

DOWNLOAD LINKS

Target: "Mega Man X4 (USA)", "REDUMP" release.
Format: xdelta
xdelta UI (Windows)
MultiPatch (OSX)



Mega Man 8 Undub

What's been changed:
- Japanese opening song restored (both versions of the video have slightly different timming, so instead of a simply replacing the audio, the american logo was edited into the japanese video).
- Japanese story videos with hardcoded english subtitles. Based on Hondori's translation, with minor editing
- All in-game voice clips
- Japanese credits song restored. The two tracks played on the japanese version were merged into one to match the single track format used on the american version.

Unresolved issues:
- Ending song might start playing out of sync, or not play at all, depending on which system or emulator the game is being played on. It cuts off a few seconds before the track ends.

Changelog:

v1.4
- Rebuilt using the latest version of mkpsxiso (v1.23).
- All videos re-encoded. No color/quality loss (as far as I can tell).
v1.3
- (New) Thanks to a recent update of LameGuy64's mkpsxiso, the japanese ending song was restored!
v1.2
- (Fix) Fixed a problem in the disc-building process that didn't properly rewrite all the new file locations, which caused a freeze in Wily Stage 3 in v01. Now the game should playable all the way through.
v1.0
- Initial release.

DOWNLOAD LINKS

Target: "Mega Man 8 (USA)", "REDUMP" release. (The one with a BIN data track and two audio tracks)
Format: xdelta
xdelta UI (Windows)
MultiPatch (OSX)



Credits:
There was very little left for me to figure out on my own. All the actual hacking info was already available. Credits go to:
- DarkSamus33. All voice clip related modifications. Also, thanks for this, and this, and this. I wouldn't have dared to try making this if it wasn't for the information he's been sharing on this forum.
- CUE. Thanks for this, and this!  It's thanks to his step-by-step explanations on romxhack.esforos.com that I was able to make any progress at all!
- blade133bo: The author of the spanish translation/undub of X4. Gave me some key tips at the start, and gave me his subtitle files to use as a base.
- Hondoori: Author of the translation I based the video subtitles on. It's also the source for Final Weapon relocalization project.
- NectarHime: Author of the PC version's Final Weapon relocalization project
- bukopandan: Beta testing! Thank you so much.
- LameGuy64: Added ".DA" support to mkpsxiso after I asked him about him. I couldn't have finished MM8's undub without this. Can't thank you enough!
- AxlRocks: Project logo.

Tools:
Disc Extraction/Building:
IsoBuster (Free version): data files extraction, LBA/Sizes information. You can use it to make a Filename/LBA/Filesize tree log of a disc image using these parameters: isobuster.exe "inputfile.bin" "/tree:all:outputfile.txt>?<`%RELPATH>`,<`%LBA>`,<`%BYTES>" /c
Gemini's XtrActor: XA files extraction, (following these instructions)
Lameguy64's mkpsxiso: Most replaced files are considerably bigger so rebuilding the disc image was needed. Thanks Gemini for the tip!
STARWIN's EDC/ECC Recalculator: Necessary to make rebuilt disc bootable on real hardware and accurate emulators.

Multimedia tools:
jPSXdec: STR files extraction/conversion to AVI.
VirtualDub (plus, the "subtitler" filter by Avery Lee): Subtitle injection to AVI files
STR Converter by ikskoks: AVI to STR conversion (all settings default, except Sound changed to "37.8Hz Stereo" instead of the default "18.9Hz Stereo")
PSound: Playback of PS1 sound files, either as individual files or inside packed archives. Very helpful to find sound samples inside ARC files.

[taikyoku]

Now here's something that can really be called a fix. Thank you. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to playtest this right now, but hopefully I can take a look at it later.

I'm not here to beg, I just want to say that I hope this inspires someone to redo the translations of this trilogy, especially X5. People wanna make fun of Working Designs changing some jokes, when some idiot at Capcom USA themselves thought it'd be a good idea to rename all the bosses in this one specific game something completely different from every other game in the series, and pick a real band at that. That's like, acknowledging the music theme from the classic series, and then choosing to disrespect it in the most profane way possible. I guess I should be glad they didn't pick Korn or something like that? I don't even know.

[acediez]

Now here's something that can really be called a fix. Thank you. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to playtest this right now, but hopefully I can take a look at it later.

I'm not here to beg, I just want to say that I hope this inspires someone to redo the translations of this trilogy, especially X5. People wanna make fun of Working Designs changing some jokes, when some idiot at Capcom USA themselves thought it'd be a good idea to rename all the bosses in this one specific game something completely different from every other game in the series, and pick a real band at that. That's like, acknowledging the music theme from the classic series, and then choosing to disrespect it in the most profane way possible. I guess I should be glad they didn't pick Korn or something like that? I don't even know.

You'll probably want to check this.

[SCD]

That's cool that you're doing a undub hack for Mega Man X4, I hope you get the help that you need to finish this up.

Are you going to make one for the Saturn version as well? That's my favorite version of this game.

Are you also going to make one for the Saturn version of Mega Man 8 as well?

[Metalwario64]

I have had an absolutely atrocious day, but this is something that I'm definitely going to try soon. Always wanted something like this!

[acediez]

That's cool that you're doing a undub hack for Mega Man X4, I hope you get the help that you need to finish this up.

Are you going to make one for the Saturn version as well? That's my favorite version of this game.

Are you also going to make one for the Saturn version of Mega Man 8 as well?

I'm not planning of doing anything beyond what I mentioned at the end of the first post...
But once I'm done with that, I could look into the Saturn versions, but that will depend on how similar or different the files are, and what tools are available for video conversion and disc rebuilding...
I'm not familiar with the Saturn at all, so it would probably be easier if someone else already familiar with it did it, I'd gladly share my video files and whatever is needed.

[vergil2012]

Even though I can't promise that it will be happen in the near future, I will definitely try this out.

Thank you for this, I really appreciate it. I hope you can get your desired results at the end.

[acediez]

First post updated with new version.

Made a few fixes on the subtitles and changed the license file I used to build the disc image. With this, I managed to boot it on my PS2, but still not reliably. It takes a couple of tries, while my other games load instantly.

I made a separate thread for this issue, any tip on possible fixes would be very appreciated

EDIT: FIXED!

[Dellamorte]

The link leads only to the tools used to hack MMX4.

[acediez]

Wrong link, now it's fixed. Thanks for the heads up!

[Thirteen 1355]

I recently started playing the X games again, and once I'm at X4 I'll gladly test your patch 

[acediez]

Patch updated and bumped to v04! Not only I fixed what was preventing it from booting on consoles, I replaced the remaining in-battle voice clip files. Went file by file and I'm pretty sure I got all remaining voice clips this time. That wraps it up! Everything's done now, except the introduction voice clips for the eight Mavericks... but since that's something I'm not able to tackle at the moment, I'm gonna leave it at that for now.

Anyone who downloaded a previous version to test it, please update and try the new one instead! 

[taikyoku]

You'll probably want to check this.

I guess my wish was granted years ago! Too bad the project seems to have sorta stopped, though. It's an even bigger shame because X5 is one of those games that has so many problems that are worth fixing with a project like this.

Actually, I do have a request. Is there any chance I can get you to release a second version with the "Mega Man" opening and ending preserved? They're of a different character than the rest of the X4 (and X5) localization(s) because they feature songs actually composed by the main composer(s) and slightly edited footage to match; you could edit the "Mega Man" videos to have the Rockman X4 (or X5) logos and it'd work exactly as well. I think that should be respected and preserved in an effort like this.

I think the same applies to Mega Man 8? I haven't played the American version since I was, uh, 10, so I don't actually remember.

[DarkSamus993]

I guess my wish was granted years ago! Too bad the project seems to have sorta stopped, though. It's an even bigger shame because X5 is one of those games that has so many problems that are worth fixing with a project like this.

It hasn't stopped, just momentarily stalled while I've been busy working on other projects of mine and helping others out with theirs (taking a break in other words).

[acediez]

Actually, I do have a request. Is there any chance I can get you to release a second version with the "Mega Man" opening and ending preserved? They're of a different character than the rest of the X4 (and X5) localization(s) because they feature songs actually composed by the main composer(s) and slightly edited footage to match; you could edit the "Mega Man" videos to have the Rockman X4 (or X5) logos and it'd work exactly as well. I think that should be respected and preserved in an effort like this.

I think the same applies to Mega Man 8? I haven't played the American version since I was, uh, 10, so I don't actually remember.

Sure! Now that the tools and scripts are in place, it's just a matter of replacing some files and rebuilding. I'll make it next time I work on this.

[Possessed]

Sorry about possibly stupid question, but for the pc version somebody (I forget their username) made a mod where they replaced the in game voices of x and zero with the voices from x8. Personally I took this a step further and also replaced the cutscene voices with some fandubs I found (with most of zeros scenes actually featuring the guy who did zero in x8, I assume he dubbed some scenes for fun or practice and put them on YouTube and I think the lady who played alia even did iris for him... But even the scenes he didn't do I was able to find dubs that were close enough or trying to mimic their x8 counterparts so its actually mostly cohesive but I'm getting off topic) but that was easy since they are just stored as avi files in a folder. My question is would something like this be possible for the ps1 version? It makes the presentation so much better if you prefer English but the speed that the pc version plays on my computer feels slightly off, like certain moves are too slow. I'm not asking anybody to do it for me just asking if it would be possible.

[acediez]

It's perfectly possible. If the AVI files are already made, you can convert those to STR. As for in-game audio files, besides converting them, you'd have to figure out how to fit them into the file packages. In my case, that wasn't necessary since I just took whole portions of the files from the japanese version and replaced them. It would be more manual work, but probably not that difficult.

(Personally, I'm not a fan of the american X8 voices neither)
May 06, 2018, 04:02:16 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Good news! DarkSamus993 figured out how to restore all voice clips at the start of boss battles.

The first post is now updated with a new version of the patch that includes this change. With this, the patch is now complete! I hope you guys can give it a try and confirm everything works as it should!

* * *

As for variants people have been asking, I'm gonna do a breakdown:

Keep the english songs:
Done! Added as a variant for this newest version. This one was easy.

Put ALL the japense audio clips, even if they don't match with localization:
Ok, I gave it a try, and realized it involves more work than it seems:
1) Title screen audio track (saying Rockman instead of Mega Man): the japanese track is longer, because it's made to match an animation the american version doesn't have. If I simply replace the audio file, it stops before it should. There's a pointer somewhere that needs to be changed.
2) Maverick introductions when selecting a stage: these can be replaced directly with no problems.
3) Weapon Get voice clips: these are played on a different pitch if I just replace them, and sound hilariously bad. I woulnd't even know where to begin to fix this.
As 2 out of 3 involve extra hacking I don't know how to do, it really is pointless to make a different version for it at the moment. I agree it would be great to have a full de-localization, with all sounds taken from the japanese version, "Rockman" titles included... even a complete retranslation would be nice... But that's beyond the scope of this project. I'm sorry to dissapoint some of you with this, but right know I'd rather move to the other projects I mentioned.

[HippyJ3]

Anyone got past the Final Weapon Loading screen before fighting Iris in Zero's Route? Got stuck at that point while using the patch, and one other thing, this could be minor, but is it possible if the subtitles 
can be adjusted or moved a bit lower so some of the text don't overlap the FMV's black borders? The subtitle seems a bit unnatural at it's current appearance.     

[acediez]

Anyone got past the Final Weapon Loading screen before fighting Iris in Zero's Route? Got stuck at that point while using the patch, and one other thing, this could be minor, but is it possible if the subtitles 
can be adjusted or moved a bit lower so some of the text don't overlap the FMV's black borders? The subtitle seems a bit unnatural at it's current appearance.   

Thanks for testing!

Are you using the latest version? If you aren't please update and try that stage again. Also note that if you're using save states you're gonna need to start from memory card, since disc contents loaded at the moment are saved in the save state itself, you would technically still be playing the previous version.

As for the subtitles, I'll consider making some tweaks after I confirm everything else is working. I used the default positioning of the SSA subtitle format, but if possible I should try putting them a little lower so they're completely cointained in the black border

[HippyJ3]

Yes, I'm using the latest patch which is (v05), and I'm not using savestates while playing the game, I created a save file before that point I mentioned, rebooted the game and it still frozed at the "Now Loading" Screen, then I booted up the unpatched clean ROM and surprisingly, I got past that point after loading the save file, it seems something on the patch must have affected that portion of the game. I'll make a full play run on X's route and see if there are any other crash points, I'll report back if I notice anything unusual.