Can the ToP PSX translation work with the PSP version?

[alf717]

I was wondering if the ToP translation would work with the PSP version in anyway when you finish the project? For example with ToE on the PSP someone created a script translation by pulling files from ToDII PSX and adding then to a ToE iso. Will this work in anyway with your current project even if it only can translate a few things like script and character names?

[Vaan]

I don't think that will work because they will have different file sets. If you have a hacked psp you can apply the patch to the psx version and the convert that to an eboot and load it up on your memory stick.

[alf717]

OK, thanks for the info. I'll have to hunt down a copy on eBay one of these days. Thanks for the info.

[Carnivol]

Yeah. This patch will only work with the PS1 version of the game. You probably wouldn't want to mix its current state with the audio work for the PSP version anyway (though... the widescreen is nice... not so much a fan of the inconsistent sprite work in the battles, though).

The edits to the script are so major that they probably wouldn't work as subtitles for the audio in the PSP version (Anyone familiar with the differences between subtitles and dubtitles knows what I'm getting at)


You should be able to play the game on a custom firmware PSP, though. Through the use of popstation.
I've done a few tests in the past to check that it works, and although I've yet to do a full run, at least the old builds didn't display any unusual behavior at any point. 

There will at least probably be ONE full test run of the game pre-patch release. So that a heads up can evt. be given in advance if there should be any noticeable bugs.


As for ToE PSP + ToDII script, ToE PSP is much more a direct port than ToP PSP is (internally, one could almost say the differences between ToP PS1 and ToP PSP are similar to ToP SFC -> ToP PS1... or ToP GBA vs any other version of ToP. Things may look somewhat the same most of the time, but that's only one side of the coin).

Someone did the same type of file swap with Breath of Fire III, if I remember correctly. However, both of those games have also had official English releases on the PSP (Though, Tales of Eternia only came out in Europe and Australia on the PSP)

[Cless]

The main difference in ToP PSP's file structure is that everything isn't stored in a giant packfile. The actual formats of the data files are all the same and directly compatible existing tool code.

But frankly, as the FAQ states, the current difficulty of porting the countless, necessary assembly hacks into the PSP version is what's preventing us from porting the project to it.

The Japanese ToE doesn't really need anywhere near as many assembly hacks to translate it to English as ToP does (yay for its native 7-bit ASCII support), and its file structure is the same as the PSX version. That's why you could quickly drop the US ToDII map packfile into the Japanese ToE PSP and get an instant story translation.

[alf717]

Wow thanks a lot for the info guys. I just won an auction for ToE EU version off of eBay and bought ToP for the PSX while I was at it. I still would like to get my hands on ToP for PSP but since I'm a bit picky I'm holding off for a copy that is not "The Best" version or the Asia version of ToP on PSP. I know the project is still a ways off but I've been following this project for so many years now, I just always hung out in the background up until a few days ago. I think I'll grab a copy of ToD: Directors Cut and wait for the full translation on that as well. 

[ToP-4ever]

ToP PSX actually works pretty well with popstation, although some of Arche's spells and some of the movies (like when the magitech weapon is fired) make the game hang...  These bugs seem to vary on different firmwares though...

[Carnivol]

Yeah. Various pops versions have different compatibility.

But the thing is that some of the hacks done in the fan translation process always run the risk of somehow making the game incompatible with the emulation process, or otherwise misbehave in the emulator (there's also times where it goes the other way, where a hack works in an emulator, but not on real hardware).

Fortunately, what early testing I've done on multiple platforms for Cless hasn't shown any unpleasant behavior.  But I guess there should be a round two (with full playthroughs) for multiple platforms, just to be on the safe side.

For PSP, I'm sure that we'll list whatever pops version we feel works best with the game (and report any abnormalities that may have been encountered on the way in the version(s) that have been tested)

[DuskShark]

Use this to figure out which POPS to use.

http://www.gamerspress.com/index.php?title=PSX_on_PSP_Compatibility_List

According to the link, ToP works flawlessly on 3.71.

[AHPD]

Even translation hacks would make a .EBOOT useless on PSP, the Absolute Zero works pretty well on PSP, i've tested it long before, but at that time, the popsloader was lacking button mapping, currently solved today, but i didn't have the time to play the Absolute Zero's patch.

Many PSP's .ISOs are so modified in order to reduce size, even me, who uses PSP mostly for playing Tekken Dark Resurrection, i dump my own disc and modify the image, making a lot smaller, half of it's original size.

I know this is not the case, but i'm trying to state that's a little hard to make a game useless when patched, unless the game has some LBA checks, like Tales of The World Radiant Mythology, you cannot shrink the image as you please, you must keep the LBA's in check, and use some compression method available everywhere.

Probably works, i'm no expert to say that's a hundred percent possible, but the PSP homebrew scene are much better developed and supported than PS2 or PSX scenes, there's a lot of tools to work on it.

[alf717]

I may have to play the game on PSP if I can't get around to fixing my PS1. I've never been able to play CD-R back-ups on my 5501 unless someone else made them for me which is really really strange but I've never been able to solve this issue. Burn slow disc skips, burn fast game still skips. 

[Kelocena]

Maybe you're using the wrong software, or poor-quality CDs. I used Fujifilm for my PS2 games for a while and have not had problems.

I suggest Verbatim, as its the best brand of blank discs out there. Fujifilm is good, too, and I've had no problems with Sony. But with Sony, beware of the ones that don't write slower than 8x. Avoid Memorex. I used Memorex once for music CDs and it had noticeable static. When I switched to Sony, the static went away.

For software, I recommend Imgburn. It's a very useful tool.

[alf717]

Maybe you're using the wrong software, or poor-quality CDs. I used Fujifilm for my PS2 games for a while and have not had problems.

I suggest Verbatim, as its the best brand of blank discs out there. Fujifilm is good, too, and I've had no problems with Sony. But with Sony, beware of the ones that don't write slower than 8x. Avoid Memorex. I used Memorex once for music CDs and it had noticeable static. When I switched to Sony, the static went away.

For software, I recommend Imgburn. It's a very useful tool.

Thank you, I use Imgburn myself and think it works great. I've never solved this issue but I may look into Verbatim discs. I'm using Sony discs now but my old 5501 doesn't like the burns I make.  Just bought a PSone with LCD and am trying to decide between a solder mod or using the disc swapping method with PSX Change 2 or Breaker Pro 1.1. Just tried the PSP sprites out which look nice on the big screen but my 5501 sure was struggling to read the data on the disc.   

[Dhaos]

Hmmm... I just would like to hear that somewhere in the future there may be an oportunity to port this great translation into the PSP version... I wouldn't mind beating the game once again... the feeling and experience are just diferent... and its nicer

[ClesStahn]

Hmmm... I just would like to hear that somewhere in the future there may be an oportunity to port this great translation into the PSP version... I wouldn't mind beating the game once again... the feeling and experience are just diferent... and its nicer

Eh, it's a matter of opinion--I'm more a fan of the old-skool, so I'd personally be more partial to the PSX version.

[Carnivol]

Ignoring the technical issues, there's one really annoying thing about the PSP version, and that is the full voice side of things...

It's already been a subject of annoyance in the PS1 version that there are things that're voiced (such as the skits). 'Cause, really, you're stuck with the problem of having to go with one of the following:
1. Do accurate "subtitles"
-This breaks with the style of most text in general and a lot of stuff may get lost in translation (puns, references, etc.)
2. Attempt to find a "middle ground"
-This usually results in a lot of awkwardly worded text and still a lot of "lost in translation" material.
3. Follow the "localization" approach
-This means you'll be writing and editing the subtitles with extreme care, treating them more or less as if they were dubtitles intended for a non-existent English dub.

If doing the PSP version, you'd have to stomach a huge and excessive amount of audio/subtitle inconsistencies. People who actually understand some Japanese and play "undubs" should certainly be familiar with what a headache this can be to a man. Alternatively... someone could do a completely new editing pass for the game to tailor the script around the annoyance and limitations presented by the game's full voice presentation. Of course, a lot of general "feeling" will be expressed via audio and is no longer required to somehow be conveyed in text form.