Patch is up (v1.01 incoming)

Talk about Kojima's hard sci-fi masterpiece.
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epitaph
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Re: Current Project Status (11/01/08)

Post by epitaph »

The Spoony Hou wrote:Hey, Slowbeef, when you figure that out, try to keep the solution in mind for when someone tries to hack the PC98 version :wink: .
The PC9821 version would indeed be great to have; however, I suspect the lack of a disassembler would make it hard to conduct any sort of development for that particular platform...

Fun fact about the PC9821 version: the telops - at least the ones for locations - are stored as simple ASCII strings in the binary executable (changing them will indeed affect the in-game display).
"The west, so afraid of powerful government, now has no government. Only financial power."

Localization, not translation.

It is a title screen.
Something pushes a button.
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slowbeef
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Re: Current Project Status (11/01/08)

Post by slowbeef »

epitaph wrote: The PC9821 version would indeed be great to have; however, I suspect the lack of a disassembler would make it hard to conduct any sort of development for that particular platform...

Fun fact about the PC9821 version: the telops - at least the ones for locations - are stored as simple ASCII strings in the binary executable (changing them will indeed affect the in-game display).
The particular scene I'm working on would probably not require an extra hack like the PSX/Saturn versions do, I'd imagine. The fact that it was overhauled for the PSX version is the only clue I really have as to why it works differently than almost everything else on Disc 1.

I've thought about the lack of disassembler on the PC9821 version, and as of now, I've honestly no idea how to address it, save finding an open source emulator and trying to roll my own... (gulp).
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slowbeef
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by slowbeef »

I think I'm about ready to finally knock out this horrible, horrible bug. It really, really was a nightmare and the only reason I haven't written more about it is that I think it would take me like an hour to write something up on it. Just trust me when I say:

- It seems like Konami really hacked this one. There might be performance or memory concerns that I'm not seeing but I can't figure out why the hell one - and only one - scene on Disc 1 was coded the way it was.

- The hack I did to get around it is equally ugly... but hey whatever. It's one scene and it's so insular, it won't affect anything else.

We've re-prioritized some bugs. The "insect bug" and "summaries" are considered necessary for beta, but not Alpha.

So, really 3 bugs until Alpha Disc 1. (Another bug is precluding us from working more on Disc 2, but hopefully that will be fixed within the hour according to another programmer on it.) And two after I finish this one. I can't reliably audit how long until both Discs are Alpha anymore until that bug is out of the way.
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The Spoony Hou
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by The Spoony Hou »

Very nice! Thanks for the update. And thanks for all the work you're putting into this :).
slowbeef wrote:- It seems like Konami really hacked this one. There might be performance or memory concerns that I'm not seeing but I can't figure out why the hell one - and only one - scene on Disc 1 was coded the way it was.

- The hack I did to get around it is equally ugly... but hey whatever. It's one scene and it's so insular, it won't affect anything else.
Which scene is this?
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slowbeef
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by slowbeef »

The Spoony Hou wrote:Which scene is this?
I don't think I need to spoil this. It's the highway scene in Act 2. All other shooting scenes work the same as every other voiceover subtitle scene. This one scene is different, and the only reason I can ascertain is that it was overhauled from the PC-9821 version.

Also I have to buy a new laptop charger, so I got some work done, but not enough to completely fix the bug. So I guess I'll work on other stuff until I pick it up tomorrow.
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The Spoony Hou
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by The Spoony Hou »

You know, I figured it would be that scene for some reason (I played the PC98 version) :P. Thanks :).
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by briancaulfield »

I'm getting more and more excited about this. I can't way to play it on the Saturn. I love using the Stunner Gun! But two questions. Will the patch be available for use with all versions? And I've never actually worked with a patch before, so how do I use one? DO you just put the disk into the PC's disk drive and write the patch onto it, or what? Thanks :mrgreen:
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slowbeef
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by slowbeef »

Project FAQ thread explains it.
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by briancaulfield »

Thanks. But you can't apply the patch to the original disk? You need an ISO file written to a blank disk? Sorry, I don't know much about computers.
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The Spoony Hou
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by The Spoony Hou »

Yeah, you need to make an ISO of the game, patch it, and burn the patched ISO on a CD (or play it using an emulator).
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by briancaulfield »

Ahhh, I see. I was looking forward to buying the Saturn game with the cool case and artwork and everything. But at least I still get the game itself. :D
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by Gillian_Seed »

Haha, I think now that the project is moving forward, it feels like it's taking even longer.

Because so much progress has been made, every time I come here I expect to see "It's Done!".

Ahh, I'll be so happy when it is.. :mrgreen:

Anyway, I hope everything is going well!
Ganbatte!
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fairuza
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by fairuza »

the upcoming patch isn't for the saturn anymore. it's for the psx/playstation.
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Omega579
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by Omega579 »

Would it be possible to patch the PSN version of Policenauts?
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DarkTetsuya
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by DarkTetsuya »

Omega579 wrote:Would it be possible to patch the PSN version of Policenauts?
If you can save psone games to a memory stick similar to the way you can do the same with Wii VC games, then possibly.... But I'm thinking that's not possible.
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by snatchernaut »

no you wouldnt be able to. the psn version has a singed ps3/psp code. you will not be able to edit the file. shame because i would love to play it on my ps3. how ever there is a way to play backed up ps1/ps2 games on the ps3 but involves opening the console
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by slowbeef »

Gillian_Seed wrote:Haha, I think now that the project is moving forward, it feels like it's taking even longer.
You're telling me. The devil really is in the details. The highway/motorcycle scene is now at a point where it's more about making the scene look good - meaning it prints exactly how I want to, and it's all about timing, subtitles, and the actual printed dialogue - all subjective stuff I'd like the team to look at.

I'm calling this done because it requires no more technical work and is at a point where I can easily generate the text for it.

Two bugs to Alpha Disc 1. We ran into a Disc 2 bug that I haven't had time to look at yet. Always something.
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by Supergrom »

I've been lurking off and on for quite some time (a few years anyway), but moreso lately with the excellent progress and frequent updates you guys are making. Just thought I'd hop on the "I'll register to give my advanced vote of thanks and appreciation" bandwagon. I can't tell you how excited I am to play the spiritual successor to my favorite game :)
abhi
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by abhi »

out of curi, how will it work

I mean will you complete the game on alpha, work out things, again do it on beat, work out stuff and then release it ?
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slowbeef
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by slowbeef »

abhi wrote:I mean will you complete the game on alpha, work out things, again do it on beat, work out stuff and then release it ?
Depends, really. Both discs will have to go:

Alpha -> Beta -> Release

We're close to Alpha on Disc 1, so I'm thinking of getting there first. After that, we've got 2 known bugs on Disc 2 (one is a repeat of the Disc 1 bug, though, so that should fall with it). I need some translation materials for Disc 2, so if we get to the stopping point there, I'll go back and work on some beta features.

It could go:

Alpha Disc 1 -> Beta Disc 1 -> Alpha Disc 2 -> Beta Disc 2

Or:

Alpha Disc 1 -> Alpha Disc 2 -> Beta Disc 1 -> Beta Disc 2

Or hell, even:

Alpha Disc 1 -> Alpha Disc 2 -> Beta Disc 2 -> Beta Disc 1

We'll have to hit all four before release, and alpha must come before beta.

For the record, I haven't spoken with the team about this, but I am personally against releasing Disc 1 without Disc 2, but I don't think we'd find ourselves in that position.
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The Spoony Hou
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by The Spoony Hou »

I really don't think anyone on the team wants to release disc 1 without disc 2 :).
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by briancaulfield »

If you guys could give a percentage of progress, where would you say you guys are at? Just curious.
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slowbeef
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by slowbeef »

briancaulfield wrote:If you guys could give a percentage of progress, where would you say you guys are at? Just curious.
I've thought about how to reply to this and the most honest thing is I'm simply not sure how to give any sort of metric like that. The alpha/beta goals are the best I can do, because... well, what counts?

If each Disc is 50%, I don't know enough about Disc 2 to say. The VOX and movies should be done, but there's a critical bug with the in-game text that precludes me for seeing them for myself. So how far along are we in Disc 2? I don't know. I've played maybe 1-2% of it before it crashed on me, and it took awhile to figure out it was actually the in-game text file causing that.

Does that mean it's only 1-2% done? Not really - like I said, all cinemas and voiceover subtitles should work fine, and we've verified that at least one cinema and one VOX conversation patched as expected. ...So does that mean I can say we're 2/3 done with it, thereby adding about 33% to the total percentage? Well, I guess, but if there's bugs that I haven't found that means one cinema won't work or part of it or something, so I'd have to take a step back as far as that metric.

Plus that critical bug? I think it's a one-off, so if I figure it out, everything should fall into place. But I don't have all the translation materials for Disc 2 yet, either, so it's not really patched.

Disc 1 is almost there, minus summaries and two other bugs. Can I say that one's 49% done? Well, no that's not true either, because we haven't done any of the beta stuff like two graphical changes, telops, and the credits. But Artemio's done work on that.

There is honestly no great way to say how long it takes to go from Alpha -> Beta -> Release. That disc 2 bug came out of the clear blue sky. That motorcycle bug, I can say almost definitively, was from a rush programming job on Konami's part. That, or it was Kung-Fu coding - stuff they did to enhance performance that I'm just not getting. Who'd expect one part - and only one - of the game to act differently from all the rest and never appear again? Especially in something like a shooting scene which worked as expected everywhere else?

Summary:

It's a big project, so it's complicated to give a metric of how done we are. The biggest things to watch for are when we call Discs at Alpha and Beta. Betas are the big ones.

I want to be done hacking this some day, too, so I'd like a metric for when I can rest, arguably, I'd like that percentage count more than you guys would.

I know it's frustrating, and even frequent updates don't quite help without knowing where the end goal is. If we do get a clearer view of it, we'll post about it.
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by briancaulfield »

Ahh, don't worry, you guys take your time. I don't mind waiting at all. It was just a question of curiosity, lol :wink:
abhi
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Re: Current Project Status (12/01/08)

Post by abhi »

slowbeef wrote:
For the record, I haven't spoken with the team about this, but I am personally against releasing Disc 1 without Disc 2, but I don't think we'd find ourselves in that position.
yeah that is worse than the guy getting released, I mean can you imagine doing disc one and then tearing your hair out for Disc 2 to come out.

I want them both at the same time
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