My PC-98 translation projects

[BabaJeanmel]

I'll ask Alpharobo, as he's the project leader.

 

[BabaJeanmel]

Progress on Dante (about 2% done):

 

[Nikokaro]

Progress on Dante (about 2% done):

Wow! That much?

Hahaha... just kidding!

Hopefully it will be finished by the time I retire...

 

[BabaJeanmel]

You won't have to wait so long hopefully There's about 200 Kb of text to translate. It will be done in a few months.

Eve will be... longer. It has 2,5 Mb of text, the existing script is not easily accessible (I'm using Asenheim), and you won't beleive how much made-up crap, insensitive jokes and bad phrasing made their way inside it... Reinserting, cleaning and testing (not to mention the missing segments that will need to be translated from scratch) is a pretty herculean task.

 

[Nikokaro]

You won't have to wait so long hopefully There's about 200 Kb of text to translate. It will be done in a few months.

Eve will be... longer. It has 2,5 Mb of text, the existing script is not easily accessible (I'm using Asenheim), and you won't beleive how much made-up crap, insensitive jokes and bad phrasing made their way inside it... Reinserting, cleaning and testing (not to mention the missing segments that will need to be translated from scratch) is a pretty herculean task.

Sure, I remember when I played it twenty years ago on Windows 98, some strange, out of place, foreign to japanese culture and clearly invented jokes/puns. Anyway try not to overdo it and don't tire yourself too much; you've already done too much for us PC-98 fanatics, without any financial reward, by the way. And the nervous breakdown is always there at the door. That infamous sabbatical year, often announced by you but never practiced, I fear will remain a dead letter; just a simple mirage.
Always grateful,
your number one fan.

 

[Avlus993Ruf]

Tamashii no Mon... The existence on NEC PC-98 game inspired by the poetry of Dante Aligieri deserves interest and attention.

 

[BabaJeanmel]

Heartbeat.

We're around 10-12% done with Gate of Souls. The opening and chapter 1 and 100% done and proofread, lots of hardcoded stuff have been taken care of, and we even have the graphics for the title screen (not re-insertable yet, unfortunately, but we're slowly getting at it )

I have good hopes or having the whole game done for this summer. We'll see

Here's a mockup for the title screen (don't mind the color issue for the left part of the image, it won't look that way in-game):

EDIT: here's the actual in-game title screen

 

[S-Groove]

Hello!

Any new updates on Gate of Souls? Really looking forward to it!

 

[BabaJeanmel]

Hi,

I just suffered a hard drive failure and lost basically everything I had done after chapter 1. So it will take a bit longer than expected. I just need to regain motivation to start again, but basically the ETA has been moved to 2026.

Check your HDD SMART status once in a while, people. Don't be as dumb as I am ^^

 

[S-Groove]

Hi,

I just suffered a hard drive failure and lost basically everything I had done after chapter 1. So it will take a bit longer than expected. I just need to regain motivation to start again, but basically the ETA has been moved to 2026.

Check your HDD SMART status once in a while, people. Don't be as dumb as I am ^^

Damn... thats a huge shame. Here's hoping you can keep up the great work! Very much looking foward to it since I've been doing a lot of reading for the Divine Comedy for a video project I'm working on. Seeing your translation was such a nice feeling. Praying for ya big man, hope things go smooth

 

[BabaJeanmel]

Thanks. Don't worry, it'll be completed eventually. I just need a break before re-doing these 5 chapters. Translation isn't the biggest task actually, as the script is not *that* long. The main issue is reinserting, as it's really tedious and needs a lot of in-game testing.

As a matter of fact, I've already re-formatted the scripts from chapters 2-7 (sentences are split up in a very weird way and split all over accross the data files) to ease the process. It'll make things quicker when I resume work on the project.

 

[BabaJeanmel]

A surprise script port, before I resume Dante at a more steady pace (I redid part of what was lost, but there still is much to do to recover from the damage done), thanks to the hacking talents of ikun35, Alpharobo and Valley Bell...

Already well advanced (something like 75%), still has a couple issues to sort out, but I don't think it'll take us too long. I'll let you know

 

[Nikokaro]

Already well advanced (something like 75%), still has a couple issues to sort out, but I don't think it'll take us too long. I'll let you know

What a nice surprise, chief! An unexpected title, but a welcome one. . Cute, sweet and romantic dating sim. Are the bgms better than those of the more popular (at least in the west) Win 95 version?

 

[BabaJeanmel]

The FM ones are way better than the stock midi mapper IMO, but if you have a good MIDI setup there's virtually no difference between the two.

 

[Tintinterix]

What a nice surprise, chief! An unexpected title, but a welcome one. . Cute, sweet and romantic dating sim. Are the bgms better than those of the more popular (at least in the west) Win 95 version?

By cute, sweet and romanting sim do you actually mean gross perverted game where a horny boy secretly watches girls undress and instigates borderline (or actual) sexual assault in an attempt to sleep with as many students as possible? Yeah, sounds so sweet and romantic.

The efforts to translate these PC98 games is truly exceptional and an amazing bonus for preservation/exposure outside of Japan. I think it's amazing we can play these games in English. However, it would be disingenuous to call this one cute and sweet. It most definitely isn't that.

Toxic patriarchal garbage runs through the majority of PC98 games unfortunately. One does have to try and find the artistic value though for sure, of which True Love possesses in various ways. You gotta be realistic about it though my man.

 

[Nikokaro]

gross perverted game where a horny boy secretly watches girls undress and instigates borderline (or actual) sexual assault in an attempt to sleep with as many students as possible? Yeah, sounds so sweet and romantic.

Guy, are you sure we're talking about the same game? I remember it very differently, but I played it twenty years ago now, and I could be wrong. I remember courtship, shared experiences, and a few hentai scenes, only at the end, and with just one girl, if you were faithful in your choice. There are much worse games.
Also, you don't have to play it, if it offends your sensibilities..

 

[Tintinterix]

I haven't been offended by something in decades and Yu-No is one of my favourite games. The point is True Love is standard toxic 90s male gaze with a fundementally problematic ethos. There are certainly worse games but you specifically said it was cute and sweet, so all I meant was to dispel that. There certainly are some innocent moments but overall it's pretty dodgy like most old dating games.

Hey, I'm very fond of PC-98 games and will be playing the translation on my Steam Deck, but it's good to be able to objectively recognise (as much as one can) the origin of something and where it stands as society changes AND STILL be able to appreciate it as a piece of art.

 

[Stellar]

Very much appreciate PC98 translations if nothing else because I'm fascinated by the graphics of the era.

I would love to play all these games.

 

[neilz]

I haven't been offended by something in decades and Yu-No is one of my favourite games. The point is True Love is standard toxic 90s male gaze with a fundementally problematic ethos. There are certainly worse games but you specifically said it was cute and sweet, so all I meant was to dispel that. There certainly are some innocent moments but overall it's pretty dodgy like most old dating games.

Hey, I'm very fond of PC-98 games and will be playing the translation on my Steam Deck, but it's good to be able to objectively recognise (as much as one can) the origin of something and where it stands as society changes AND STILL be able to appreciate it as a piece of art.

Sounds more like you're judging Japanese culture by your own set of values and applying your standards onto theirs. Japan is a patriarchal society, and has for the most part been this way since the beginning. Heck even the new and first time in history female prime minister in Japan is against a number of women's rights (such as allowing them to not use their husbands last names). Sure some games will push things well beyond modern day reality, but generally speaking it's very different from the west, and you can't apply the same expectations either.

 

[Tintinterix]

Sounds more like you're judging Japanese culture by your own set of values and applying your standards onto theirs. Japan is a patriarchal society, and has for the most part been this way since the beginning. Heck even the new and first time in history female prime minister in Japan is against a number of women's rights (such as allowing them to not use their husbands last names). Sure some games will push things well beyond modern day reality, but generally speaking it's very different from the west, and you can't apply the same expectations either.

So? My own set of values being that misogyny is bad. It is entirely reasonable to take that into account when critiquing a misogynistic dating game created in a patriarchal environment. You think because it's normalised in Japan means it's justified and we should just accept it? Not at all. Does that mean I hate everything from Japan? No. Does that mean I don't appreciate or respect Japanese culture? No.

Similar to let's say Italian Giallo. An absolutely wonderful period of creativity and imagination that gave us some of the most amazing works of European cinema... except that a large number of them have morally questionable attitudes and depictions of women (The excellent "Cosa avete fatto a Solange?" for example). It's just normal in 70s Italian films so one always expects it, but that does not mean we can't have discussions about it on a societal level.

Oh also, "Japan is a patriarchal society" like pretty much everywhere else including "the west".

Anyway, old dating game with cool art is a bit creepy and gross. Who knew. I was actually going to play it for a bit but the Dead of the Brain 2 translation has taken priority!