Patch updated! See http://arks-layer.com/nova.php for the latest version and help on installing it.

Current status of Nova translation:

- Game dumped, modification possible ✔
- CPK file successfully repacked ✔
- Files modified, patching possible! ✔
- Proof of concept created! LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! ✔
- Finish with our new fontmap tool so we can do a proper textdump and find out where all these strings are hiding! ✔

To do:

- Translate stuff! \ o /

Feel free to join our discord channel: https://discord.gg/PSO2

Thanks for reading, and here's to more vita games being translated! o/

 

[ObeSeeker]

If that is true then that is a pretty unfortunate thing to happen. Hopefully the update isn't all that important.

 

[Kyle873]

Yeah, the instructions on the http://arks-layer.com/nova.php page aren't correct.

Using the cartridge version, you can't use the english patch with the updated game.

Scenarios:
- Cart game with v1.05 update (PSN): The game won't detect the file on the "app" folder. If you try to replace the file on the "patch" folder, the game will crash. If you move the contents from the "patch" folder to the "app" folder, the game will not run.
- Cart game with v1.05 update (VPK or MaiDump): The game won't run. Just crashes. This is due to the cart being encrypted and the update decrypted (AFAIK).

I tested myself the scenarios above, so...
AFAIK, there's no way to run the cart version with the v1.05 update AND the english patch together... Not with those instructions at least...

I've pointed out to AIDA that the current instructions don't take into account dealing with a cart and the 1.05 patch.

If that is true then that is a pretty unfortunate thing to happen. Hopefully the update isn't all that important.

The update is mandatory and important, both from a gameplay and translation standpoint. We spent days working on a way to use the game's patch loading order to our advantage in order to not have to overwrite the original patch file itself, but there was simply no way to do so without patch 1.05 loading last in the load order instead of the english patch. In order for us to properly translate all the 1.05 content, we had no other choice but to overwrite and merge into the patch file itself.

As for the gameplay implications, not only does the patch add a lot of new content, but QoL features as well, and we strongly recommend anybody who wants to actually play the game be using the patch. The english patch from here on in will require the patch in order to function properly until further notice.

 

[xcore1989]

So if i'm reading this correctly future versions will include patch 1.05 and will overwrite it if we already have 1.05 installed?

 

[Kyle873]

So if i'm reading this correctly future versions will include patch 1.05 and will overwrite it if we already have 1.05 installed?

It won't include it. You'll still need to install the 1.05 update yourself first. The english patch is just merged into the patch CPK file (NOVA_FileList_Vita_patch.cpk), so you'll still need the eboot.bin and associated parameter files and such for the patch to actually work properly. After that, all you'll need to do is replace your current 1.05 patch CPK file with our file, and that's it.

 

[MDashK]

Using a cartridge, I think the only way to make this work, is to replace the fie while the game is "decrypted".
Meaning: Using the same method that, for example, save manager uses: By replacing the eboot temporarily, so that when you run the NOVA game, instead a different eboot is opened, like VitaShell for instance.
That way, the VITA will think it's running the NOVA game, decrypt the files, and then one can replace the needed file without issue.

Of course, I still haven't tested this in this specific case, but the method works for save manager and other file replacement situations (AFAIK).

 

[AIDA]

ohhi. Sorry, things have been crazy with PSO2PC for a few days and that stole a lot of my focus. Moving forward (as much as I wish we could), we won't be able to support playing from the cart anymore. It's simply not possible, due to the reasons outlined in the past few posts. You will need to dump your game with Vitamin first, then follow the directions on http://arks-layer.com/nova.php. Apologies for the inconvience D:

 

[Kyle873]

ohhi. Sorry, things have been crazy with PSO2PC for a few days and that stole a lot of my focus. Moving forward (as much as I wish we could), we won't be able to support playing from the cart anymore. It's simply not possible, due to the reasons outlined in the past few posts. You will need to dump your game with Vitamin first, then follow the directions on http://arks-layer.com/nova.php. Apologies for the inconvience D:

The main issue here revolves around mixing encrypted data (the cart) with unencrypted data (our patch CPK). As things are currently, there's just no way for this to be easily done. There may be some potential workarounds or hacks to deal with this, but it's all really not worth the trouble for us to try and support rather than just dumping the cart and being on the same page as everyone else. I hate the fact it'll probably be an inconvenience, but it's what we've got to do right now until there is a better solution out there to deal with data and patching on carts.

From my personal testing, I would recommend using Vitamin 2.0, as mentioned above. Using Mai to dump the game will render DLC, if any, unusable.

 

[MDashK]

This guide (https://github.com/s1cp/VitaGuide/wiki) might be usefull in replacing the file for cartridge/PSN original versions with update v1.05.
The base is the same: file replacement.

I still haven't done it, but I believe that using those steps will enable one to use the english patch with the cartridge version of the game.

EDIT: Forget that... The system makes the files/folders "read-only", so one can't replace the file using that method....

 

[spellBooks]

It won't include it. You'll still need to install the 1.05 update yourself first. The english patch is just merged into the patch CPK file (NOVA_FileList_Vita_patch.cpk), so you'll still need the eboot.bin and associated parameter files and such for the patch to actually work properly. After that, all you'll need to do is replace your current 1.05 patch CPK file with our file, and that's it.

Thanks for the update. Phantasy Star is my favorite game series, so I will just dump the cart and update. Seriously, I'm such a huge fan of this game, all the work you do is much appreciated. How can I donate via PayPal?

 

[Maverick81PL]

How % translation game have in latest update?

 

[AIDA]

This guide (https://github.com/s1cp/VitaGuide/wiki) might be usefull in replacing the file for cartridge/PSN original versions with update v1.05.
The base is the same: file replacement.

I still haven't done it, but I believe that using those steps will enable one to use the english patch with the cartridge version of the game.

EDIT: Forget that... The system makes the files/folders "read-only", so one can't replace the file using that method....

Yeah, sorry =/ I tried that method and multiple others ways. It may be possible in the future if someone discovers another method.

Thanks for the update. Phantasy Star is my favorite game series, so I will just dump the cart and update. Seriously, I'm such a huge fan of this game, all the work you do is much appreciated. How can I donate via PayPal?

\ o / Glad to hear you're enjoying it! Feel free to donate at http://arks-layer.com/donate.php !

How % translation game have in latest update?

Here's a list of what's done, in order of percentage (Keep in mind that story will be heavily tackled in December):

Weapons: 100.0%
Techniques: 100.0%
Shields: 100.0%
Races: 100.0%
Lobby Actions: 100.0%
Gran Arts: 100.0%
Gender: 100.0%
Friendship Levels: 100.0%
Crew Types: 100.0%
Consumable Items: 100.0%
Classes: 100.0%
Boost Items: 100.0%
Basic Terms: 100.0%
Base: 100.0%
Attachments: 100.0%
Area Names: 100.0%
Active Effects Descriptions: 100.0%
Chargen: 99.5%
NPCs: 95.8%
Costumes: 93.7%
Tutorial Titles: 91.6%
Gigantes: 91.3%
Skills: 89.7%
Affixes: 89.7%
Quest Objectives: 83.7%
Food: 83.3%
Menus: 82.0%
Class Descriptions: 80.0%
Enemies: 76.8%
Promise Order Objectives: 70.6%
Skill Descriptions: 69.9%
Promise Orders: 69.1%
Buttons: 68.5%
Affix Descriptions: 65.1%
Status Effects: 63.2%
Enemy Cores: 56.5%
NPC Styles: 55.1%
NPC Traits: 53.6%
Consumable item Descriptions: 50.0%
Technique Descriptions: 38.7%
Effects: 36.9%
Quest Names: 26.7%
Materials: 24.5%
Help Text: 22.8%
System Misc: 20.0%
Chargen Parts: 15.2%
Theater: 10.1%
Loading Screens: 08.1%
Story: 04.4%
Crew Descriptions: 03.7%
Credits: 03.4%
Lobby Action Descriptions: 03.2%
Tutorial Descriptions: 02.7%
Promise Order Descriptions: 02.5%
Gran Art Descriptions: 01.4%
Shield Descriptions: 01.2%
Story Summaries: 00.6%
NPC Comments: 00.4%
Weapon Descriptions: 00.3%
Enemy Core Descriptions: 00.2%
Costume Descriptions: 00.2%
Material Descriptions: 00.1%
Team Talk: 0%
Team Quests: 0%
Team Quest Descriptions: 0%
Quest Descriptions: 0%
Gigantes Blast Descriptions: 0%
Food Descriptions: 0%
Field Tutorials: 0%
Communication Messages: 0%
Boost Item Descriptions: 0%
Base Descriptions: 0%
Attachment Descriptions: 0%

 

[Kyle873]

Yeah, sorry =/ I tried that method and multiple others ways. It may be possible in the future if someone discovers another method.



\ o / Glad to hear you're enjoying it! Feel free to donate at http://arks-layer.com/donate.php !



Here's a list of what's done, in order of percentage (Keep in mind that story will be heavily tackled in December):

Weapons: 100.0%
Techniques: 100.0%
Shields: 100.0%
Races: 100.0%
Lobby Actions: 100.0%
Gran Arts: 100.0%
Gender: 100.0%
Friendship Levels: 100.0%
Crew Types: 100.0%
Consumable Items: 100.0%
Classes: 100.0%
Boost Items: 100.0%
Basic Terms: 100.0%
Base: 100.0%
Attachments: 100.0%
Area Names: 100.0%
Active Effects Descriptions: 100.0%
Chargen: 99.5%
NPCs: 95.8%
Costumes: 93.7%
Tutorial Titles: 91.6%
Gigantes: 91.3%
Skills: 89.7%
Affixes: 89.7%
Quest Objectives: 83.7%
Food: 83.3%
Menus: 82.0%
Class Descriptions: 80.0%
Enemies: 76.8%
Promise Order Objectives: 70.6%
Skill Descriptions: 69.9%
Promise Orders: 69.1%
Buttons: 68.5%
Affix Descriptions: 65.1%
Status Effects: 63.2%
Enemy Cores: 56.5%
NPC Styles: 55.1%
NPC Traits: 53.6%
Consumable item Descriptions: 50.0%
Technique Descriptions: 38.7%
Effects: 36.9%
Quest Names: 26.7%
Materials: 24.5%
Help Text: 22.8%
System Misc: 20.0%
Chargen Parts: 15.2%
Theater: 10.1%
Loading Screens: 08.1%
Story: 04.4%
Crew Descriptions: 03.7%
Credits: 03.4%
Lobby Action Descriptions: 03.2%
Tutorial Descriptions: 02.7%
Promise Order Descriptions: 02.5%
Gran Art Descriptions: 01.4%
Shield Descriptions: 01.2%
Story Summaries: 00.6%
NPC Comments: 00.4%
Weapon Descriptions: 00.3%
Enemy Core Descriptions: 00.2%
Costume Descriptions: 00.2%
Material Descriptions: 00.1%
Team Talk: 0%
Team Quests: 0%
Team Quest Descriptions: 0%
Quest Descriptions: 0%
Gigantes Blast Descriptions: 0%
Food Descriptions: 0%
Field Tutorials: 0%
Communication Messages: 0%
Boost Item Descriptions: 0%
Base Descriptions: 0%
Attachment Descriptions: 0%

Just a note so we don't need to keep re-posting this in the future. We have a coverage script that is run over the translation repo. If you'd like to see the latest version of that list, you can check it here.

 

[NeroIgnis]

Thank you for all your hard work! And thank you for giving us updates on how much of the game has been translated! You're all awesome!

 

[Maverick81PL]

Is there will be new update in this year? How about latest update?

 

[sTo0z]

Sorry to bump thread with nothing to add.. just hope work is going well! Excited folks here eagerly awaiting your updates and releases. Thanks so much for putting in the time and effort to make this happen!

 

[shawn_]

Sorry to bump thread with nothing to add.. just hope work is going well! Excited folks here eagerly awaiting your updates and releases. Thanks so much for putting in the time and effort to make this happen!

Agreed, thank you! [emoji4]

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[Kyle873]

New release Soon™.

But seriously, should be within a day or two if all goes well.

Also, on a side note, I'd like to personally make a request for anybody who is willing to help translate dialogue and story to come forward and help us do so. Currently it has just been the two of us working on the patch for over 2 months now, and while we've made a hell of a lot of progress, neither of us feel comfortable tackling the massive amount of dialog that the game contains.

Another issue we are having is with texture (AIF) files. We've had a translation of the common UI interface in the repository for quite a while now, but lack a tool to let us properly re-build the texture file to be inserted back into the game without causing serious graphical corruption issues. If someone is willing to take a look at the format and help us improve the tool for importing, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DarkSynopsis]

nother issue we are having is with texture (AIF) files. We've had a translation of the common UI interface in the repository for quite a while now, but lack a tool to let us properly re-build the texture file to be inserted back into the game without causing serious graphical corruption issues. If someone is willing to take a look at the format and help us improve the tool for importing, it would be greatly appreciated.

How does the game hold the textures? is there multiple images within the AIF? if so are they different resolutions? if that is not the case then I've no clue

 

[Kyle873]

How does the game hold the textures? is there multiple images within the AIF? if so are they different resolutions? if that is not the case then I've no clue

That's kind of the annoying part about it. It appears to be an encompassing format that can hold one or more images in several different kinds of formats. I've seen both single and atlas textures in about 4 different color formats so far. We've had luck importing smaller textures like item icons and cold sleep avatar images, but with bigger stuff like the common UI atlas, it just explodes violently, as seen in the above video.

I'm under the belief that this is a Tri-ace specific format, so if existing knowledge or tools exist that manipulate textures in their other games, that might actually be helpful in figuring out what's going on here.

Here's a link to the current tool's code. It's still really rough and our actual understanding of the format is pretty minimal, but I guess it's just enough to deal with the smaller images, which was all we thought we would need to deal with... Until we found the common UI atlas.

Oh, and here's a copy of the UI atlas AIF file itself.

 

[SpaceNEET]

Also, on a side note, I'd like to personally make a request for anybody who is willing to help translate dialogue and story to come forward and help us do so. Currently it has just been the two of us working on the patch for over 2 months now, and while we've made a hell of a lot of progress, neither of us feel comfortable tackling the massive amount of dialog that the game contains.

Understanding level, self taught moonrune reader here. I've translated lighter stuff here and there mostly doujin and images. Can't translate real fast, but I can say that I played through the story in full JP and understood it quite well(with more than a little help from a kanji dictionary every once in a while). I'd welcome the practice, if you'll have me.