Author
|
Topic: Is it possible to be a PSX hacker WITHOUT being a programmer? (Read 2 times)
|
Rai
Guest
|
 |
« on: April 13, 2008, 01:39:59 pm » |
|
So say you're in this situation, you want to translate a PSX game, but you can't seem to find where the text is. You search through the folders and search all the files for text, but you find nothing. But then you find some files that COULD possibly contain the script, however, that file is in a custom format, that can't be opened in any general program. In this situation would you absolutely HAVE to be a programmer to translate the game?
|
|
|
|
|
creaothceann
Guest
|
|
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2008, 01:50:33 pm » |
|
To find the text you'll probably need to understand the machine code, and from there it's not far to programming... which might come in handy when you want to extract/modify/insert the script. (You don't need to do that in ASM though.)
|
|
|
|
|
Rai
Guest
|
|
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2008, 04:53:46 pm » |
|
Well what should I do in my situation? Searched every file in SRW2 PSX, nothing. There is a PAC file in there but I have no idea how to open it nor how to write an extractor.
|
|
|
|
|
zebber
Guest
|
|
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2008, 05:21:23 pm » |
|
You could always cast out for some help from someone more comfortable with the hacking side. Several projects often seem to have a break down of "people who translate" and "people who hack the game to use the translation." Granted, the lines blur, depending on people's abilities and schedules, but there's the precedent for division of labor in these things.
|
|
|
|
|
Rai
Guest
|
|
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2008, 05:23:38 pm » |
|
You could always cast out for some help from someone more comfortable with the hacking side. Several projects often seem to have a break down of "people who translate" and "people who hack the game to use the translation." Granted, the lines blur, depending on individuals' abilities and schedules, but there's the precedent for division of labor in these things.
Well yeah, I would just need someone to do the programming part, then if the text IS in there, I would probably do everything hacking wise from there. I'm also confident I could do the translating on my own. |
|
|
|
|
BRPXQZME
Guest
|
|
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2008, 05:45:59 pm » |
|
But then you find some files that COULD possibly contain the script, however, that file is in a custom format, that can't be opened in any general program.
Hex... editor? |
|
|
|
|
Rai
Guest
|
|
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2008, 05:52:30 pm » |
|
But then you find some files that COULD possibly contain the script, however, that file is in a custom format, that can't be opened in any general program.
Hex... editor? No I mean like PAC files, as they can't be opened with any general archiving program. What I mean by that, is sure you can literally OPEN them, but you unpack the contents inside it with any normal program. |
|
|
|
|
tc
Guest
|
|
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2008, 06:38:07 pm » |
|
Not really. If that were the case, there are many games I'd be fixing the typos in (as opposed to an actual translation)...
|
|
|
|
|
KingMike
Guest
|
|
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2008, 10:39:27 pm » |
|
You could try Google for some pages about file extensions. But PAC sounds rather generic, so I wouldn't be surprised if they used some custom format. |
|
|
|
|
saito
Guest
|
|
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2008, 03:52:53 am » |
|
But then you find some files that COULD possibly contain the script, however, that file is in a custom format, that can't be opened in any general program.
Hex... editor? No I mean like PAC files, as they can't be opened with any general archiving program. What I mean by that, is sure you can literally OPEN them, but you unpack the contents inside it with any normal program. I guess KingMike's right, that's mostly a custom format. Actually you don't need any custom tool to open the file (unless if the case is that your file is abnormally huge), you can use any hexeditor to open the file. A plain custom extracting tool will extract the "glued parts" from a custom format, but it won't "magically reveal" the text for you (unless if is is a gfx extractor/converter for graphics) . In your case, the file values should be stored on the header or in some other file like the main elf or in another custom "index" file. I think that most likely, the game uses custom values to store the script, or the text is compressed. |
|
|
|
|
Rai
Guest
|
|
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2008, 07:49:48 am » |
|
But then you find some files that COULD possibly contain the script, however, that file is in a custom format, that can't be opened in any general program.
Hex... editor? No I mean like PAC files, as they can't be opened with any general archiving program. What I mean by that, is sure you can literally OPEN them, but you unpack the contents inside it with any normal program. I guess KingMike's right, that's mostly a custom format. Actually you don't need any custom tool to open the file (unless if the case is that your file is abnormally huge), you can use any hexeditor to open the file. A plain custom extracting tool will extract the "glued parts" from a custom format, but it won't "magically reveal" the text for you (unless if is is a gfx extractor/converter for graphics) . In your case, the file values should be stored on the header or in some other file like the main elf or in another custom "index" file. I think that most likely, the game uses custom values to store the script, or the text is compressed. Ah, so extracting the PAC wouldn't really help? I see. So what's my best bet? Should I try relative searching each of the files to see if the game simply uses another table? Should I try to figure out how the text is compressed? Should I use a debugger and try to figure how the game loads text? I'd like to know that. It IS most likely compressed. |
|
|
|
|
hanhnn
Guest
|
|
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2008, 11:47:22 am » |
|
How many projects are you working on now ?
|
|
|
|
|
Rai
Guest
|
|
« Reply #12 on: April 14, 2008, 12:53:59 pm » |
|
How many projects are you working on now ?
That's really irrelavent to the topic, but 2. Possibly this once I find the text and Fire Emblem. |
|
|
|
|
|
RHDN Forum Archive
