ROM Hack Looking for some help with Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales

[caprathebest]

Hello.
I'm pretty new to the ds rom hacking, infact I'm encountering some problems on extracting and "opening" the files inside the game. I'd like some help with the .pak.z files.
I know that the files with .z extension (like all of them) are just LZ77 / LZ10 compressed archives, but the .pak has a header with the word "KAPH" on it. After a bit of googgling (like 3 days actually ) I found this. It says how to unpack them, since it's just a container. I need help with some file formats that I'll write later when I'm at home.
Anybody who could help me out please?

PS: My goal is to extract the card sprites and the fonts, because I need them for a project.
PPS: I know I can find the sprites online, but where's the fun of downloading them, when you have the original game on the ds and a lot of free time?

EDIT: Managed to dump the sprites of the cards and some pictures and textures. I just need to find the right tool to view the model / sprite and I think I'll even be able to view some of the game models, since they're pretty standard formats (like the BCA0 that are the animations for the models)

 

[GHANMI]

Have you tried opening these files with a hex editor (included in Tinke) or Crystaltile2?

 

[caprathebest]

Have you tried opening these files with a hex editor (included in Tinke) or Crystaltile2?

They doesn't even show up :T
I think I did something wrong when I extracted the rom
Gonna try again

EDIT: Nope, same .z files, same hashes

 

[caprathebest]

Actually I've made some progress. I extracted some .z files with the use of Tinke, and I've succesfully dumped a few minigames pictures, the font of the game, some models and their textures and lots of ingame text (there's a lot of it, and easily readable). Still I can't access to the cards data (I mean the pictures of the cards and the names of the moves, that uses the same palette I think), since I need a palette file that I can't find. Anybody got any idea where is it?

 

[Auryn]

Unless you need all cards to look like this:

You should give up extract the cards from the game and use the dumps online.

The name and attack name are added graphically:

And the text is ovelayed with the font you extracted.
By the way, both images are 200% the original size you will find in the game.

 

[caprathebest]

Unless you need all cards to look like this:

-SNIP-

You should give up extract the cards from the game and use the dumps online.

The name and attack name are added graphically:

And the text is ovelayed with the font you extracted.
By the way, both images are 200% the original size you will find in the game.

You sure about that? Well fine then
Btw why I should give up? The palette file is like hardcoded in game?

 

[Auryn]

Because I don't think somebody wants an empty card but if it's what you want, go on.
Tinke it's a wonderful tool but sadly it's a tool that make all newbie think hacking and translate games it's fast and easy but it's not. There are many hours of work behind the "plugins" tinke use to do what he does. That means that if it doesn't have the right plugin for your file, it's almost useless tool.
This apply even if the file is a simple compressed archive with the palette and the image on it in standard and uncompressed form.

 

[caprathebest]

Mh I get it. Thanks
I'll just download the cards then

 

[caprathebest]

I've managed to dump all the cards, and actually it was pretty easy.
Example:

Spoiler

The image was dumped by me and uploaded to TCRF

 

[caprathebest]

PROGRESS! Finally I've understood how the models works, and I've managed to get Chocobo out. That's an huge step, since now I can extract all the models inside the game. Also no one helped me, so I'm quite satisfied about the result. Reading docs around the web helps a lot

Spoiler