[Release] Higurashi: When They Cry 3ds Port

(Except for the screenshots, the OP is completely spoiler free.)
Higurashi: When They Cry 3ds port
Higurashi-Vita/3ds, for short.
Also a somewhat limited generic visual novel engine.

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Note: the last release for 3ds was v2.6.4.

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Spoiler: About

This is a port* of the Higurashi: When They Cry remakes available on Steam and MangaGamer. It supports the updated character graphics and the PS3 Graphics & Voices patch. As of 11/18/17, all of the ones that are out work. Meakashi only works if you install the PS3 Voices & Graphics patch too.

This requires the files from the Steam or MangaGamer versions of any of MangaGamer's Higurashi remakes.

The script converter is made with C#. If you're on Windows, you can run it with the .NET Framework that you probably already have. If you're on Linux or macOS, you need a program called Mono to run it. I've personally tested this on Linux Mint. If it doesn't work, make sure you update the .NET Framework or Mono.

* I say "port," but it's really just a generic visual novel engine I've created from scratch with playing these games in mind,

Spoiler: PS3 Patch Installation (text tutorial)

This is done BEFORE you use the script converter.

The PS3 patch is being changed so often that I can't keep up.
For now, I don't think I'll support the version where they mod the game's code.
Here are instructions for installing the release right before the DLL changes.

AUTO INSTALLER (Windows & Linux only)
====================
Step 1 - Download my auto-installer.
Step 2 - Extract the ZIP file.
Step 3 - Run HigurashiPS3AutoC. Windows users can double click the program. Linux users can run "run.sh."
Step 4 - When prompted, enter the game you want to install the patch for.
Step 5 - When prompted, enter 6. This is the option labeled "Install the older Higurashi-Vita compatible version."
Step 6 - When prompted, enter the file path to your game instillation's data folder. If the program can automatically detect the location, you can just press enter without typing anything to use the example.
Step 7 - Wait for it to finish. This can take a while depending on your internet speed and computer speed.

MANUAL INSTRUCTIONS
====================
Step 1 - Find your StreamingAssets folder. For me, chapter 2's StreamingAssets folder was at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Higurashi 02 - Watanagashi\HigurashiEp02_Data\StreamingAssets.
Step 2 - Head here.
Step 3 - Select one of the files you see on the Github page. The file you choose depends on which chapter of the game you are patching. For example, if I was patching chapter 2, Watanagashi, I would open "watanagashi.urls"
Step 4 - After you open the file, you'll see a bunch of URLs. Download all of them. There should be 4 in total.
Step 5 - Unzip all of the files you just downloaded.
Step 5.5 - After unzipping the files you downloaded, you should see folders with names like "Update", "SE", "CG", and "CGAlt".
Step 6 - Move these folders into your StreamingAssets folder. If done correctly, you should be asked if you want to overwrite some files. Choose to do so.

Spoiler: PS3 Patch Installation (video tutorial)

Spoiler: Setup (text tutorial)

You need to actually own the games on Steam or MangaGamer. Link to the first chapter on Steam.

Main homebrew setup:
Step 0 - (CIA USERS ONLY) Make sure /3ds/dspfirm.cdc exists. If not, dump it with a DSP dumper homebrew.
Step 1 - Download the latest version of the main homebrew The file should be named Higurashi-3ds-vX.X.zip.
Step 2 - Extract the ZIP file. On Windows this is done by right clicking the file and pressing "Extract All."
Step 3 - If you're using the 3dsx version with the homebrew launcher, open the "3dsx" folder. If you're using the CIA version, open the "CIA" folder.
Step 4 - Copy everything in the folder to the root of your 3ds' SD card.
Step 4.5 - If you're using the CIA version, install the CIA, of course.
Step 4.8 - If you want, delete /3ds/data/HIGURASHI/Games/PLACEHOLDER.txt

Game converter tutorial:
Step 0 - If you want the PS3 Voices & Graphics patch, install it first. Refer to the special instructions in this post.
Step 1 - Download the script and image converter.
Step 2 - Extract the ZIP file.
Step 3 - The next step is to get the files from the Higurashi game you want. Right click on of the Higurashi games on Steam and click "Properties" at the bottom of the menu.
Step 4 - Click "LOCAL FILES" in the top bar and then click "BROWSE LOCAL FILES".
Step 5 - A folder will be opened showing the game's files. Look inside the folder called HigurashiEpXX_Data. Copy the folder called "StreamingAssets".
Step 6 - Paste StreamingAssets in the same directory as the extracted script converter program.
Step 7 - Run HigurashiVitaCovnerter.exe.
Step 7.2 - When prompted by the program, enter 1 because we're converting for the 3ds.
Step 7.3 - If the script converter is stuck trying to rename the StreamingAssets folder, make sure no programs are using the folder and you're not viewing it in the file explorer.
Step 8 - When it's finished, take the StreamingAssets folder and put it at /3ds/data/HIGURASHI/Games/.

Spoiler: Setup (video tutorial)

Spoiler: Usage

On the title screen, you can load a converted StreamingAssets folder to play the game in an elegant, user friendly way by pressing "Load Game". If it says that no or game folders were found, you've done something wrong. You either forgot to convert the StreamingAssets folder, or didn't put the StreamingAssets folder there at all.
You can also manually select a script to load from the "StreamingAssets/Scripts/" directory through manual mode.

After loading a game, one of two things can happen. If it's your first time loading that game, you get a menu where you can either choose your last completed chapter or start a brand new game. If you've already played that game before, you'll be brought to a menu. From there, you can go to the next chapter, go to a previous chapter, view TIPS, and exit.
TIPS are like mini scenarios you unlock as you play.

Settings:
You may want to have a look at the settings. From there, can change the bust (character art) location. The options are "CG" or "CGAlt". Normally, "CG" is the original graphics and "CGAlt" is the Steam graphics. If you have the PS3 patch then "CG" is the PS3 character sprites. When changing the bust location, a sample image will be shown. If you're having trouble hearing the voices over the background music, you can lower the BGM volume and increase the SE volume. You can configure auto mode's speed. The bigger the number, the more time it waits after text is displayed. The unit is milliseconds. Hold L and press left or right to add or subtract 200. Don't hold L to add or subtract 500. Activate auto mode in game by pressing SELECT. You can configure the text speed. You can change the message box's alpha. This is an important setting because you may find the text too white to read. If that's the case, increase the alpha. There's also a setting that lets you change the text box between "full" and "small." "full" makes the text always start at the far left of the screen and end at the far right. "small" makes the text start at the start of the background and end at the edge of the background. So if the background isn't as wide as the 3ds' screen, the text will only be over the background. You can make the text appear on the top screen or bottom screen. If you're switching from top screen to bottom screen, the old text that was on the top screen will go past the boarder on the bottom screen, but new text won't.

In-game controls:
Press B to toggle the text box, hold Y to fast forward, press SELECT to activate Auto Mode, press X to access the settings, press START to access the textlog, and press A to advance.
You cannot save mid-chapter. You must finish the day/chapter/script for the game to save. Good thing sleep mode is a thing on the 3ds.

Secrets:
After loading a preset, press up, down, left, right in that order to get to a menu that you can use to edit your last COMPLETED script ID.
On the title screen, press right, up, down, left, and Y to activate top secret Speedy Mode.

Spoiler: Known issues and bugs

Please only report any crashes or things that don't work in chapters 1-4.

* Color inversion commands do nothing. This isn't used too often.
* "Films" are used to change the screen. Ones that tint the screen a color should look fine. Ones that do anything else, like inverting the colors, are just replaced with a white filter. This may be changed eventually, but it's a small thing and I think it doesn't look too bad.
* "Filters" are used when drawing backgrounds and busts to give them a fancy entrance. I don't know how to program this well, so backgrounds and busts have simple fade in and fade out transitions. It still looks good.

Spoiler: Game engine information

Maybe it's the year 2021, MyLegGuy is long gone and few care about 3ds homebrew anymore. With the slow release of the Higurashi remakes, they are still coming out to this day. Unfortunately, this homebrew has been long forgotten and the latest games don't work. That's where you come in. You, the hero, wish to make the new games work. But how? You don't know anything about how this engine works. Luckily, you can learn.

Game engine information wiki

Spoiler: Screenshots

These screenshots depict two of the main characters and one of the game's settings.
So, almost no spoilers. I just thought I'd point it out because I said this is a completely spoiler free thread.

Spoiler

Normal graphics. Only takes up part of the screen.

PS3 graphics with the optional ADV mode enabled.

Sexy main menu

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Credits -
dmaskell92 of wololo.net - PS3 patch Meakashi port
07th Modding - PS3 Voices & Graphics patch for PC
License files are included in the download at /3dsx/3ds/data/HIGURASHI/License/

Download:
https://github.com/MyLegGuy/Higurashi-Vita/releases
Script converter download:
https://github.com/MyLegGuy/HigurashiVitaCovnerter/releases
(Optional) PS3 Voice & Graphics patch easy installer:
https://github.com/MyLegGuy/HigurashiPS3AutoC/releases/

 

Yeah, you have to buy the games and convert the game files using my script converter.
The only copyrighted files this contains are the game icon and banner. I hope I'm not sued.

Edit:
The script converter also contains a modified version of the game's menu select sound effect that attempts to remove all the background static the original one has.
Edit 2:
I'm moving the menu sound effect so it's included with the main program.That change will be included starting in v2.4.

 

Probably not because I don't plan on playing Umineko anytime soon.
Somebody else could do it, but they probably wouldn't use this engine because it only saves your progress between script files, and Umineko uses one massive script file.
I do hope to port at least one other visual novel using this engine, though.

 

nobody cares about this verison and 3ds homebrew is a nightmare, so i don't want to update it.
the features described in this thread still work though. the application is just a little buggy.
you can likely still play the first 5 games fine.
the last version released for 3ds: https://github.com/MyLegGuy/Higurashi-Vita/releases/download/v2.6.4/Higurashi-3ds-v2.6.4.zip
and the latest HigurashiVitaConverter will still work i think...

 

You don't need wine, you can use mono:
https://www.mono-project.com/download/stable/
After installing it, you can easily launch the exe using the terminal.
Launch a terminal in the HigurashiVitaConverter extracted directory and run "mono HigurashiVitaConverter.exe"