Translations: Rent-A-Hero No. 1 has been Translated into English for Dreamcast!

[RHDNBot]

Update By: VincentNL

Dear Heroes, the wait is over!

Unofficial Rent-A-Hero No.1 - English patch v.1.0 for SEGA Dreamcast has finally been released!

It should be noted that this is not an ordinary translation, as it includes new exclusive features:

- Unlockable content
- 3D models / animations
- VMU graphics / animations
- Opening/Ending subs
- Interface controls
- Debug menus
- Secret modes ( One-Punch man fans rejoice! )
- Developers message board with original team + Rent-A-Modders dev comments
- Skip logos sequence with START button
- Bug fixes

...And much more!

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Project Story:

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- Back to the year 2000, the release of an English version of Rent-A-Hero No.1 for the Dreamcast was eagerly anticipated, but it never materialized until 2017 when an unfinished Xbox localized prototype version appeared on hiddenpalace.org. Unfortunately prototype text data could not be used on the Dreamcast due to the file archives being totally different, therefore in order to port the text, VincentNL had to reverse both formats, write scripts to extract and reassemble the data.

- On February 9th, 2021, a first proof-of-concept video was released, and positive feedback encouraged VincentNL to begin disassembly and setting up a translation process. Thousands of untranslated lines from Xbox prototype, control codes to refactor, 3D models with Japanese names and over a hundred of textures had to be taken care of in a qualified team effort.

- Rent-A-Modders team grew in numbers and quality, with outstanding translators such as Korp13 and CurtainFire, who diligently tackled thousands of untranslated lines.

- The project stepped up with the contributions of fellow reverse engineers like Egregiousguy who made brand new 3D content + animations for the game, and Nanashi's SH4 work on font / decompression algorithms which prompted the creation of new features for the game.

- Over 60+ new functions were coded in SH4 assembly by VincentNL, in particular Name entry, Debug menu, VMU animation system, subtitles, and new SECAMAIL interface controls with the analog stick.

- A special mention goes to Togepichu, who tirelessly worked on multiple playthroughs to find over 200+ bugs that needed fixing, and our Beta Testing team!

Although the journey was challenging, it was always fascinating and rewarding to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges together!

RHDN Project Page

Relevant Link

[Grillkick]

Amazing! The work that your team put into this is beyond impressive. Thank you!

[noneother]

Just wanted to shoutout the patch creators. I've been playing this since the patch came out and having a good time. The Genesis original did not live up to its potential, and this remake is in an entirely different league. It's essentially the missing link between Shenmue and Yakuza - the grounding in mundane, everyday life of Shenmue, combined with the fun wackiness of Yakuza and livened up with the brawler-style fighting from SpikeOut (I like Shenmue's fighting engine, but you barely every got to fight!) And if you start digging into the credits, you'll find that almost everyone who worked on the original Rent A Hero went on to play key roles in Shenmue's development, a few also worked on the Yakuza series later on, and the director for SpikeOut was Toshihiro Nagoshi, who lead the Yakuza team until recently! It all goes back to AM2.

[RetroProf]

After all the waiting, after all the talk about that dumb cat texture, about the so called bug fixes, the VMU graphics, etc. Etc. Etc.

It finally drops and you guys failed to fix the biggest flaw of all. 

THE LACK OF THUMBSTICK SUPPORT.

I forgot this crappy game forces you to use the d-pad, LIKE A PEASANT.

Between retexturing the cat and adding easter eggs, did no one think: gee, maybe we should address the biggest problem this game actually has, which is the utterly dog crap controls?

Still, B+ for effort guys.

[Antonio Nero]

Wonderful job. I've played the first Genesis game times ago, and I've found it amazing. Now, I can play this one too.

[noneother]

nonsense

Don't be such a princess. A game controlling with the D-Pad is not a "flaw", it works perfectly well, and it's the easiest thing to get used to. You could literally map the controls to a joystick on any emulator or even just click the "Mode" button on a standard Logitech pad if you can't.

Unless you're trying to be funny, in which case... try again.

[RetroProf]

Original hardware, ODE (GD-USB), standard official controller. 

Using the d-pad feels wretched.

[noneother]

Eh, it's a matter of taste, but surely you can get over that.

[saito]

Nice work! It's good to see another dreamcast rpg translated. Dreamcast needs more love.
 Btw, ignore the trolls, it comes with the job.

[Cris1997XX]

After all the waiting, after all the talk about that dumb cat texture, about the so called bug fixes, the VMU graphics, etc. Etc. Etc.

It finally drops and you guys failed to fix the biggest flaw of all. 

THE LACK OF THUMBSTICK SUPPORT.

I forgot this crappy game forces you to use the d-pad, LIKE A PEASANT.

Between retexturing the cat and adding easter eggs, did no one think: gee, maybe we should address the biggest problem this game actually has, which is the utterly dog crap controls?

Still, B+ for effort guys.

Why the hell should the translators feel compelled to fix a flaw that wasn't even their fault? Just blame the original developers and move on

[RetroProf]

Why the hell should the translators feel compelled to fix a flaw that wasn't even their fault? Just blame the original developers and move on

Only just seen this quote of my previous post.

Because my thinking was this: a little less time fixing some stupid unnecessary cat texture, and a little more time fixing things which actually matter, such as thumbstick support, would have been great. 

[zianro]

Would it be possible to release a patch without the extra features? I'm reluctant to use this hack since it's not clear what those changes are.
Either way I appreciate the work.

[safebarrage]

Yes! In the past, I have attempted to play this game using tutorials and Google Translate, but I was never successful. I wonder if I wasn't correctly leveling up my character. Amazing that I can now play this game to my heart's content! The translators deserve praise.

One significant translation from the Dreamcast library was this one. I'm hoping someone will attempt Segagaga one day! After delivering flyers, how do you ascend the stairs or exit the house? I can't tell if it's a bug or not, but I'm stuck and have no choice but to speak to the mother.