ROM Hack Baten Kaitos HD Remaster - Dub Restore Effort

[MarnoAr]

To dismay of me and multiple fans of the original Baten Kaitos games on GameCube, Bandai Namco decided to remove the original english VA from the Switch remaster, leaving it only with the Japanese VA. I have been trying to see into the possibility to swap the original audio files from the GameCube release into this new version but I don't know how feasible it is.

I came across this amazing tutorial on how to mod Paper Mario, that even includes a section on sound editing and it looks promising (anti-spam wont let me post the link here).

My first objective in this quest was to retrieve the original VA sounds from the Gamecube .iso file but when I tried to access the file system using Dolphin, it has no folders or identifiable files, just a bunch of files with no apparent extension (see attachment), and for now my progress is blocked.

I was wondering if anyone here with more experience in modding could give me some clues on how to procceed.

 

[OldManKain]

Hmmm

 

[Helsionium]

UPDATE: v1.0 of the Baten Kaitos 1 dub mod has been released.
See this post for more info.

UPDATE: v1.0 of the Baten Kaitos Origins dub mod has been released.
See this post for more info.

I am already working on this. I made some patches and a fan translation of the original Baten Kaitos Origins and I know the inner workings of the original games very well. I already extracted most of the voice files from the original games - the more difficult part is inserting them into the remastered version (different engine, different file formats).

However, things are going well. I already managed to replace the entire main story dialogue in Baten Kaitos Origins with the English dub as a proof of concept. Replacing the battle voices is more challenging, but certainly doable. I'm pretty confident I will be able to release a patch within a week or so, if my job doesn't get in the way.

 

[elunesgrace]

I am already working on this. I made some patches and a fan translation of the original Baten Kaitos Origins and I know the inner workings of the original games very well. I already extracted most of the voice files from the original games - the more difficult part is inserting them into the remastered version (different engine, different file formats).

However, things are going well. I already managed to replace the entire main story dialogue in Baten Kaitos Origins with the English dub as a proof of concept. Replacing the battle voices is more challenging, but certainly doable. I'm pretty confident I will be able to release a patch within a week or so, if my job doesn't get in the way.

Seems like they assumed people wouldn't receive the dub well?

"In developing the remastered version, we tried to make adjustments on some of the expressions to match the current era. That’s why we made the difficult decision not to use English VOs for this remastered version, due to the discrepancies that will happen."

Rather odd thing to say. I've never played the game and looking forward to this english dub you're working on, but surely it isn't something really controversial is it?

 

[Helsionium]

Rather odd thing to say. I've never played the game and looking forward to this english dub you're working on, but surely it isn't something really controversial is it?

Nothing too controversial in my opinion.

The first game's dub was pretty bad overall, as they hired second-rate professional voice actors and amateurs living in Japan, but I can see why some people find it appealing. Some people think the audio quality of the dub is bad, but that was in fact a bug of the original game that could be fixed simply by switching to surround sound (even if playing on stereo speakers only).

The second game had a stellar dub in my opinion with (good) American actors, definitely one of the best American video game dubs of that time. There are a few instances of strong language unusual for Nintendo-published games of that era, but nothing I'd consider controversial (one character calling another character a "wench" several times, the primary antagonist calling the main character's mother a "wh*re" at one point). As far as I can tell, they didn't censor the text for this release, so the removal of the dub can't be related to that.

 

[MarnoAr]

Nice to know that you are working on it, Helsionium!

Just out of curiosity, how did you navigate the files of the original games?

 

[Lightmanone]

This is great news! I was hoping for exactly this.
I hope both of the games will have the original dub "restored" in this effort? It would be greatly appreaciated. I want to archieve FULL nostalgia. The absence of the english voice overs is a disgrace to the franchise!

 

[Bimmel]

I am already working on this. I made some patches and a fan translation of the original Baten Kaitos Origins and I know the inner workings of the original games very well. I already extracted most of the voice files from the original games - the more difficult part is inserting them into the remastered version (different engine, different file formats).

However, things are going well. I already managed to replace the entire main story dialogue in Baten Kaitos Origins with the English dub as a proof of concept. Replacing the battle voices is more challenging, but certainly doable. I'm pretty confident I will be able to release a patch within a week or so, if my job doesn't get in the way.

Hallo Helsionium!

Ich bin erst vor kurzem auf deine (eure?) Arbeit zu Baten Kaitos Origins gestoßen und war völlig begeistert!
Das du nun auch dieses Projekt angehst, freut mich wirklich sehr.

Eine Frage: Weißt du, ob diese Version von BKO auch wieder zensiert (Kreuz/Chaotic Dance 2/sonstiges) wurde? Und wie verhält es sich mit der Quest, die man nur mit einem BK Spielstand beginnen kann? Und wirst du eventuell auch deinen deutschen Patch für das Remaster umsetzen?

__________________________

Hello Helsionium!

I only recently came across your (your?) work on Baten Kaitos Origins and was completely thrilled!
That you are now tackling this project as well really makes me happy.

One question: do you know if this version of BKO was censored again (Cross/Chaotic Dance 2/other)? And what about the quest that you can only start with a BK savegame? And will you eventually implement your German patch for the remaster as well?

 

[Helsionium]

Eine Frage: Weißt du, ob diese Version von BKO auch wieder zensiert (Kreuz/Chaotic Dance 2/sonstiges) wurde? Und wie verhält es sich mit der Quest, die man nur mit einem BK Spielstand beginnen kann? Und wirst du eventuell auch deinen deutschen Patch für das Remaster umsetzen?
__________________________
One question: do you know if this version of BKO was censored again (Cross/Chaotic Dance 2/other)? And what about the quest that you can only start with a BK savegame? And will you eventually implement your German patch for the remaster as well?

Ich weiß es nicht. Ich habe das Spiel noch nicht gespielt, weil ich zuerst den Patch fertigstellen möchte.
I don't know. I haven't played the game yet, because I want to complete the patch first.

Nice to know that you are working on it, Helsionium!

Just out of curiosity, how did you navigate the files of the original games?

Using the Dolphin emulator, I observed at what point the game would load certain files and found out that the files are grouped by type (kind of like "folders") - that's the first four to five digits of the file ID. The file "index.bin" contains a table of these file IDs together with a byte for compression type (0 - none, 1 - LZSS, 2 - custom RLE compression, 3 - 1&2 combined) and uncompressed file length.

20001*** = some event/cutscene files (BK1 disc 2 only)
30001*** = disc 2 movie files (BKO only)
30004*** = disc 2 voice files
30006101 = the epilogue movie (BKO only)
50001*** = disc 1 movie files (BKO only)
50004*** = disc 1 voice files
50006100 = the intro movie
60001*** = don't know, didn't care about those, maybe 3D models?
60002*** = battle system files
60002C** - 60002F** = battle event (cutscene) files (BK 1 only)
60003*** = menu graphics
60005*** = face graphics (BK 1 only)
60006*** = title screen, credits, other stuff (60006009 in BKO contains all of the game's text)
70004*** = common voice files (battle voices)
70004F** = music files
A0002*** = disc 2 battle event (cutscene) files (BKO only)
A0007*** = disc 2 exclusive map files (Tarazed, BKO only)
A0008*** = disc 2 map event (cutscene) files (BKO only)
C0002*** = disc 1 battle event (cutscene) files (BKO only)
C0008*** = disc 1 map event (cutscene) files (BKO only)
E0002*** = common battle event (cutscene) files (BKO only)
E0005*** = map files (BK1)
E0007***-E0008*** = map files (BKO)

 

[Ryab]

Seems like they assumed people wouldn't receive the dub well?

"In developing the remastered version, we tried to make adjustments on some of the expressions to match the current era. That’s why we made the difficult decision not to use English VOs for this remastered version, due to the discrepancies that will happen."

Rather odd thing to say. I've never played the game and looking forward to this english dub you're working on, but surely it isn't something really controversial is it?

It just wasnt good at all. Poor quality overall.

 

[Helsionium]

For testing my patch, I would be very happy if anyone could provide me with save files for the BK1 and/or BKO remaster from as late into the game as possible (they should at least have all playable characters in the party). Thanks in advance!

Und wirst du eventuell auch deinen deutschen Patch für das Remaster umsetzen?
__________________________
And will you eventually implement your German patch for the remaster as well?

I think I will. @RadiantHistoria kindly gave me some necessary technical assistance. But I will finish the dub patch first, then check if I can patch out the bad word filter for the player's name, and then work on implementing my German translation.

 

[Bimmel]

For testing my patch, I would be very happy if anyone could provide me with save files for the BK1 and/or BKO remaster from as late into the game as possible (they should at least have all playable characters in the party). Thanks in advance!


I think I will. @RadiantHistoria kindly gave me some necessary technical assistance. But I will finish the dub patch first, then check if I can patch out the bad word filter for the player's name, and then work on implementing my German translation.

This sounds great, I'm looking forward to it.

I hope someone can provide a savegame, since I have not much time at the moment. If no one can, I will see what I can do. Should not that long with 300 % speed up.

 

[Lightmanone]

Rather odd thing to say. I've never played the game and looking forward to this english dub you're working on, but surely it isn't something really controversial is it?

When the game came out, i remember a lot of people bashing the english Voice overs. And I didn't hear other people saying otherwise. Which was weird, cause I really liked it. Was it amazing? No. But it had a certain charm, and I really liked it for that.

Then the remaster was announced, then it came to light it was only gonna be japanese, and there was a shitton of people, including me, who stated that they LIKED the english dub. I never knew how many people had fond, or deep memories with that dub. The fact that this effort is made by the community (or people that really want them) only shows that there are a group of people who don't like them, and a group of people who love them. And if you are making a "glow up" of a game... you leave the voices alone. You ADD them to the game, and not leave them out.

#BatenKaitosEnglishDubPlease

 

[Elevna]

I am already working on this. I made some patches and a fan translation of the original Baten Kaitos Origins and I know the inner workings of the original games very well. I already extracted most of the voice files from the original games - the more difficult part is inserting them into the remastered version (different engine, different file formats).

However, things are going well. I already managed to replace the entire main story dialogue in Baten Kaitos Origins with the English dub as a proof of concept. Replacing the battle voices is more challenging, but certainly doable. I'm pretty confident I will be able to release a patch within a week or so, if my job doesn't get in the way.

Great to hear someone is working on this! I still have hope they'll bring it in officially as a patch but it's very unlikely.
Also, would you recommending playing it through Ryujinx or Yuzu? Edit: I've done some research and currently it seems the game dosen't run on Yuzu, though it does run on Ryujinx by enabling 'ignore missing services' I've started the game on switch but assuming this mod gets made I'm going to look into getting it running through emulator legally

 

[Soak_n_fused]

I am already working on this. I made some patches and a fan translation of the original Baten Kaitos Origins and I know the inner workings of the original games very well. I already extracted most of the voice files from the original games - the more difficult part is inserting them into the remastered version (different engine, different file formats).

However, things are going well. I already managed to replace the entire main story dialogue in Baten Kaitos Origins with the English dub as a proof of concept. Replacing the battle voices is more challenging, but certainly doable. I'm pretty confident I will be able to release a patch within a week or so, if my job doesn't get in the way.

Since you know of the inner workings of the game, is there any way that you can shed some light on the Heartflask quest?

Specifically in the remastered version, because I know in the original you had to have BK1 save data for it be eligible to start.

Try as I might it doesn't matter where I am in BK1 Remaster, I still can't get access to the Heartflask in BKO Remaster.

Really hoping it's just a bug from when they combined both games into 1 software, but if they changed the requirements, I'd love to know what the actual answer is.

 

[Helsionium]

Unfortunately, I can't say anything about the remastered version. It runs on Unity Engine and I know almost nothing about that engine, much less how to reverse-engineer Unity Engine games. Given the overall "quality" of this "remaster", I kind of expect that they just didn't bother to implement the heartflask quest at all. Should be easily fixable, though (for the developers, not for me).

 

[CommodoreToad]

I am already working on this. I made some patches and a fan translation of the original Baten Kaitos Origins and I know the inner workings of the original games very well. I already extracted most of the voice files from the original games - the more difficult part is inserting them into the remastered version (different engine, different file formats).

However, things are going well. I already managed to replace the entire main story dialogue in Baten Kaitos Origins with the English dub as a proof of concept. Replacing the battle voices is more challenging, but certainly doable. I'm pretty confident I will be able to release a patch within a week or so, if my job doesn't get in the way.

Do you plan patching in the old intros? It should be fairly easy. The original file is a THP file which can be played natively by VLC.

Are you talking about the battle voices for EWLO being difficult? Those are just CSF files in the original.

Post automatically merged: Sep 20, 2023

Ich weiß es nicht. Ich habe das Spiel noch nicht gespielt, weil ich zuerst den Patch fertigstellen möchte.
I don't know. I haven't played the game yet, because I want to complete the patch first.



Using the Dolphin emulator, I observed at what point the game would load certain files and found out that the files are grouped by type (kind of like "folders") - that's the first four to five digits of the file ID. The file "index.bin" contains a table of these file IDs together with a byte for compression type (0 - none, 1 - LZSS, 2 - custom RLE compression, 3 - 1&2 combined) and uncompressed file length.

20001*** = some event/cutscene files (BK1 disc 2 only)
30001*** = disc 2 movie files (BKO only)
30004*** = disc 2 voice files
30006101 = the epilogue movie (BKO only)
50001*** = disc 1 movie files (BKO only)
50004*** = disc 1 voice files
50006100 = the intro movie
60001*** = don't know, didn't care about those, maybe 3D models?
60002*** = battle system files
60002C** - 60002F** = battle event (cutscene) files (BK 1 only)
60003*** = menu graphics
60005*** = face graphics (BK 1 only)
60006*** = title screen, credits, other stuff (60006009 in BKO contains all of the game's text)
70004*** = common voice files (battle voices)
70004F** = music files
A0002*** = disc 2 battle event (cutscene) files (BKO only)
A0007*** = disc 2 exclusive map files (Tarazed, BKO only)
A0008*** = disc 2 map event (cutscene) files (BKO only)
C0002*** = disc 1 battle event (cutscene) files (BKO only)
C0008*** = disc 1 map event (cutscene) files (BKO only)
E0002*** = common battle event (cutscene) files (BKO only)
E0005*** = map files (BK1)
E0007***-E0008*** = map files (BKO)

60001* Are various images/textures in EWLO. In BKO they are dialouge box character portraits

 

[LiaSae]

Also, would you recommending playing it through Ryujinx or Yuzu? Edit: I've done some research and currently it seems the game dosen't run on Yuzu, though it does run on Ryujinx by enabling 'ignore missing services'

I've gotten it running on Yuzu myself, though only with the Vulkan backend, and I didn't exactly go very far see how stable it is. The OpenGL one insta-crashes once the game proper loads. My machine's running Windows 10 with a Radeon 290X.

My own goal is to decompile the games in both their iterations mostly for the fun of it, and also to provide speedrunners with some insights if possible. What I've got so far is that we're dealing with three Unity titles in one - the launcher, BK1, BK2 - and that it's Addressables asset bundles all the way down. That's a recentish (and notoriously buggy) way to package assets in Unity games and I suspect there's a bunch of asset duplication going on. The engine version also looks fairly recent, which annoyingly breaks a lot of the established Unity reverse-engineering tooling.

Helsionium, let me know if I can help. I've got an old Switch setup for dumping, and just enough Unity experience to kinda know my way around (my main trade is otherwise custom C++ engines). I'd love to give a hand in bringing back the English dubs and BKO fan translations.

 

[Helsionium]

Project update:

• Dialogue voices are already almost 100% in English now. I only need to replace the few remaining Japanese voices (less than 20 lines)
• Battle voices appear to work properly, but can't really test much at the beginning of the games.
• In some scenes (including once in the proof-of-concept video) there are voices outside of dialogue. They are stored in various different files. I have identified them, but still need to extract and replace them.
• The "voice" magnus dialogue in BK:EWatLO is now subtitled, but the subtitles are new translations. They need to be replaced with the spoken lines. Perhaps there are other in-battle voices with subtitles, too?
• In some dialogues in BK:EWatLO, the dub gets out of sync with the text. To fix this, the text, which also contains control codes for the voice track, needs to be restored from the original game. Should be possible to automate.
• At the moment, I can't replace movie and BGM audio tracks because I don't have an encoder for CRIWARE HCA version 3. This problem affects the opening and Mizuti's song in BK:EWatLO, as well as the flashback movies in BKO. Using version 2 (like I did for the voice files) results in very distorted audio.

Do you plan patching in the old intros? It should be fairly easy. The original file is a THP file which can be played natively by VLC.

Are you talking about the battle voices for EWLO being difficult? Those are just CSF files in the original.

I have already extracted everything from the original games, that was fairly easy. Battle voices are present both in regular CSF files (70004***) and the battle effect files (6002****), which are compressed. I can decompress them and I know the offsets of the voices within those files, so that shouldn't be a problem either.

The audio track for the opening movies and BKO's flashback movies are stored in the BGM file of the remaster and apparently must be encoded as CRIWARE HCA version 3 in order to work properly. I don't have an encoder for that format yet.

 

[Elevna]

I've gotten it running on Yuzu myself, though only with the Vulkan backend, and I didn't exactly go very far see how stable it is. The OpenGL one insta-crashes once the game proper loads. My machine's running Windows 10 with a Radeon 290X.

My own goal is to decompile the games in both their iterations mostly for the fun of it, and also to provide speedrunners with some insights if possible. What I've got so far is that we're dealing with three Unity titles in one - the launcher, BK1, BK2 - and that it's Addressables asset bundles all the way down. That's a recentish (and notoriously buggy) way to package assets in Unity games and I suspect there's a bunch of asset duplication going on. The engine version also looks fairly recent, which annoyingly breaks a lot of the established Unity reverse-engineering tooling.

Helsionium, let me know if I can help. I've got an old Switch setup for dumping, and just enough Unity experience to kinda know my way around (my main trade is otherwise custom C++ engines). I'd love to give a hand in bringing back the English dubs and BKO fan translations.

I ended up trying it myself and with Ryujinx the game takes like 5 minutes to load with OpenGL (breaks completely on Vulkan), gets to game select screen, then takes another 5 minutes to load eternal wings and then crashes.
I haven't tried Vulkan on Yuzu but with OpenGL the game works fine and loads quickly, I got up to the name selection screen to test but didn't play further than that, waiting for the dub mod to try it out further