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Post by gamemjoe on Jan 17, 2015 16:36:32 GMT -5
I want them. Badly. I have Brandish 4, but it has problems running on modern machines (I have Windows 8.1), and since I use NP2-fmgen, that's not a problem with VT. Plus, I like VT's music better than 4's. If you could please help me out, that'd be great.
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Gu4n
Uhnos
Keikaku Manager (TL note: Keikaku means plan)
Posts: 39
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Post by Gu4n on Jan 17, 2015 17:09:43 GMT -5
I want them. Badly. I have Brandish 4, but it has problems running on modern machines (I have Windows 8.1), and since I use NP2-fmgen, that's not a problem with VT. Plus, I like VT's music better than 4's. If you could please help me out, that'd be great. It's not compatible with x64 machines, I had the same problem. Solution: running a virtual Windows XP, for all your retro Falcom needs!
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Post by treeghettox on Sept 15, 2015 19:28:02 GMT -5
Hey y'all. I've been bitten by the Brandish bug recently and I crave more. I beat the SNES version, got halfway through Brandish 2: Expert (then the battery died) and am currently working on Dark Revenant.
Does anybody know how I can find Brandish 3 or 4? I'd be much obliged if anybody can direct me to somewhere I can buy these, because ebay sure doesn't have them.
Thanks! - tree
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Post by SkyeWelse on Sept 17, 2015 13:59:20 GMT -5
Hi Treeghettox. If you are looking to purchase them, you're best best is to get them off of Yahoo Japan Auctions. But even if you do get a copy of Brandish 3 or VT (which is basically the same game as Brandish 4) it is only for PC-98 computers. You could play it via Emulation if you wanted if you did not have real hardware available. If you do get a copy of the game, if the disks are still good and not on their way out to the disk format afterlife. you should be able to rip the disks yourself and play them in a PC-98 Emulator such as Project Neko II or Anex 86. Or you can go hardcore like a few folks here on this forum (myself included) and get PC-98 computer equipped with a FM-86 sound chip. Then you would be rocking and rolling with a true Brandish III experience. Brandish 4 is on PC and can be played fairly easily under compatibility settings, Applocale and a windower program such as DXWND. -Thomas
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Post by treeghettox on Sept 20, 2015 9:58:45 GMT -5
Mang... those are some intense hoops to jump through but for Brandish it's worth it. I wish I had the cheddar to play on original hardware but I guess I'll just emulate it. Can you please confirm the Brandish 3 disks work on a standard 3.5" floppy drive?
Anyway, thanks for the info! I just beat Dela mode in Dark Revenant and every second was priceless. My only complaint about the original is its fairly tame difficulty so the more challenging puzzles and jumping patterns really hit the spot. I really wish the series was popular enough to warrant more remakes, but for now I guess I'll fix the battery in my Brandish 2: Expert until I can get my hands on 3 and 4.
Also, what's so terrible about the SNES version? It's the first version I played, so of course I'm biased, but I thought it was A-OK.
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Post by SkyeWelse on Sept 20, 2015 18:42:31 GMT -5
I've not tried to insert Brandish 3 disks directly into a standard PC/AT floppy drive for use with an emulator, but you should be able to dump these disks using a PC/AT floppy drive that is 3-Mode or you can simply use one of the many dumps that exist already for it on the net. There is also an HDI image that can be created from the disks that would make it a bit easier to play as well. Or you can just play the Project EGG version, which would essentially pack it all in a proprietary emulator that can be played on a Windows PC, maybe Mac too, not sure.
How's your Japanese? Reason I'm asking is that some folks have already fan-translated Brandish 2 SFC, and a member named Gu4n here is working directly on his main project of translating Brandish 4 for Windows PC and our team at Heroes of Legend is also trying to currently figure out if we can insert Gu4n's translation of Brandish 2 Renewal (PC-98) into the game. If we can do that, I think that Brandish 3 might be a possible candidate as well, which would then make all of the Brandish titles into English with the exception of Brandish VT, which is essentially the same game as Brandish 4.
I think that Brandish 1 for SFC/SNES is the worst version of the game. It's not a bad version of the game, and it can be adjusted somewhat by increasing the game speed in the menu optoins, but it's definitely not the definitive version of the Brandish I experience and I think that if more people had started off with Brandish's remake on PSP, their opinion and interest in the game would likely hold and their would be more Brandish fans. I just find the first SFC/SNES game a tough sell when you are attempting to get someone into the series for the first time. It also holds true to me in that when I first played Brandish for SNES, I could not get into it at all, but I fell in love with the PSP version.
-Thomas
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Post by treeghettox on Sept 21, 2015 20:00:21 GMT -5
Yeah, I know about the fan translation, but I'm a serious video game enthusiast so I play on original hardware as much as possible. If I had an extra few grand I would totally buy a PC-98 but that's outside my league. I hate cheating/cheaters, so I don't even want myself to have the opportunity to use save states. Unfortunately, I'm completely Japanese illiterate, which I'm personally a little embarrassed about because I think Japanese games are lightyears ahead of Western ones (with some notable exceptions) and I miss out on a lot of titles because of the language barrier. That being said, I have no problem beating certain Japanese games where I understand how the core gameplay works. I beat the first Fire Emblem game on the SFC because I had beaten the GBA ones, and so far I've had no problem with Brandish 2: Expert outside of having to translate a few of the plaques to get the puzzle hints. The best thing about Brandish is that the items have icons, whereas with Fire Emblem I had to memorize which items were what. I tried playing some Shiren games in Japanese and they're all but inaccessible because item usage is really important. Anyway, I'll play the translated version of 4 when I get around to it because it's still on original hardware. I feel like I can handle Brandish 3 without the translation because I'm powering through 2: Expert.
By the way, do you have any idea what's the difference between 2 and 2:Expert?
I played Brandish on SNES as a kid and I immediately hated it because it wasn't Zelda. I thought, "What is this shit? You have to rotate the world? This game seems like it was made in the stone age." Little did I realize that control scheme allowed for far deeper exploration elements. As an adult, and having acquired a strong taste for old-school dungeon crawlers such as Wizardry and the Might and Magic series, I really appreciate the genius of Brandish. It contains all the best elements of the genre but streamlines certain tedious elements. Brandish is fantastic at never letting you get bored. It's like, every ten seconds you're either fighting a monster or breaking down a wall or tackling a puzzle. The level design does a great job of rotating the elements of its gameplay so you don't get too sick of any particular thing. I wish 1 had more bosses, but 2 definitely improved on it in that respect.
I see why the PSP version is so beloved. The remade OST brings the already fantastic compositions to life and the graphics are really charming. The combat is also far more tight, albeit a little easier. That being said, I feel the series has a slight barrier for entry that turns off the vast majority of new players. For example, if you don't understand that you're supposed to break down walls sometimes, it's likely you'll get stuck really early on. Even though the game alerts you to certain stuff (the PSP version tells you about illusory walls, for example) unfortunately most gamers have no patience and immediately hate something if they can't grasp it right away.
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Post by SkyeWelse on Sept 23, 2015 22:13:47 GMT -5
If I had an extra few grand I would totally buy a PC-98 but that's outside my league. And By the way, do you have any idea what's the difference between 2 and 2:Expert? If you are interested in possibly playing on real hardware one day, forget what you see being sold on eBay. That stuff is way overpriced. The only thing I'll say to their credit is that at least in most cases they are tested and guaranteed working, whereas some of the other outlets for getting these computers MUCH cheaper, has a bit more risk involved since it's usually being sold as JUNK or for parts or untested. The Japanese classification of junk though is really anything that cannot be confirmed operational or guaranteed to work, it doesn't automatically mean it's busted and/or no good. Both Xalphenos and I got our PC-98 machines from Yahoo Japan Auctions, which is where most importers get them these days. You just want to do the research on which computer or series within the life of the PC-98 most interests you. You should probably focus on two things: Does it support the games that you are most interested in playing? Does it have a Yamaha 86 FM or compatible sound chip. If it doesn't I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to find a C-BUS 86 FM sound card, which can go between $60-100 depending on where you are getting it from. Anyway, the point being that you can easily find a good system and research it and see if the seller shows it at least powering on, and try to go for those auctions. I got my PC-9821 Ce2 and a PC-98DO models shipped together off of Yahoo Japan Auctions for $300. As for the differences between Brandish 2 and Brandish 2 Expert, I'm not positive, but I think it's mainly the difficulty that was changed. -Thomas
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Post by lezard999 on Jan 18, 2016 17:56:00 GMT -5
Hey, not sure if anyone can help me, but I wanted to know the easiest way possible to play brandish 3. I don't need it translated, I just need it to work. Preferably just downloading would be good. I own a laptop PC, with windows 10 program, with everything installed, when it was manufactured in July 2015. I don't know much at all with programing or stuff like that. I get emulating to work in other games like snes stuff, but not really sure completely how I get it to work. I usually know to click emulator than ROM. Just an example of my limited knowledge. Anyway I played 1-2 and was hoping to somehow play 3, so any help would be appreciated, thanks
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Post by SkyeWelse on Jan 19, 2016 0:42:41 GMT -5
Sure! I can help you get started. Well there are two ways to go about playing Brandish 3. You can either go the Project Egg route which has Brandish 3 built in their own emulator or if you happen to already have a copy of the game disks (please do not ask for them here) they can be emulated via a PC-98 emulator such as Project Neko II or Anex 86. So to get started, you really have to know how to start a new game which normally would be addressed in the Starting Manual of the game in Japanese, but typically you are given 8 disks for the program and 1 disk which we'll call Disk 0 to be used for a UserDisk which contains all of your character data. I took a picture of what each disk is to help identify what disks are used for what by number, but fortunately the game will often just ask for a certain Disk# to be inserted into Drive A or B and for the Return Key to be pressed when ready. So if you are going after an Brandish 3 archive somewhere on the net, you'll likely find that it has 8 disks, not 9. The missing 9th disk or rather Disk 0 (as seen in the picture above) can be any formatted disk that is ready to be used with a PC-98. So create one if you do not have one provided. Next, in Drive A put in Disk#8 as that is your Master Disk and in Drive B put Disk#0 which is your User Disk. You should see a menu like this: *Notice how many of the menu options are greyed out, and that is mainly because this Master Disk only provides some of the basic functionality, such as creating a new User Disk. In order to operate this menu, you'll need to use a mouse, so if you are using Project Neko II for example, this can usually be toggled on by hitting F12 on your keyboard and F12 again to release it and get your regular PC cursor back. Or if you have a mousewheel button on your mouse, you can click that in to enable mouse actions for PC-98 in the NPII emu and click again to release. Go to Mouse mode and select the bottom right menu option that reads as: ヂィスクUTY (or Disk Utility). Select the top option that says: ユーザーヂィスクの作成 (Create UserDisk) and make sure that Drive B has the disk you want to have a UserDisk made onto it i.e. Disk#0. This will lead to this screen, which is mainly a confirmation screen to tell you what is going to happen with the Master Disk in Drive A and Blank Disk in Drive B. Hit the Return Key and it will start to copy data from Drive A to Drive B. When you see コピー終了 you'll know that this process has completed. Now, the next thing is to go ahead and power down the emulator and insert Disk#0 which is your new UserDisk into Drive A. And just for the sake of time, go ahead an insert Disk#5 into Drive B since it will ask for this later when creating your character. Now when starting the emulator you should see that you now have more options available on the Main Menu. All of them will now be available except for the most important one! Game Start, which will be greyed out. In order they are Opening, Display, Game Start, Sound, Character Selection, Cache, End and Disk Utility. Game Start is greyed out because Brandish 3 has 4 playable characters and you'll need to choose who you wish to start out as first. So click on the one for Character Selection and you'll start the process: (Note you will need Disk 5 inserted for this to load the Character Selector) When you've made your choice, choose OK. After the new data finishes copying to your UserDisk you'll be taken back to the Main Menu where you now select Game Start. *Note that if you want to view the opening, you'll need to choose the menu option for this first, and it will prompt you to insert Disk 6 in Drive A and Disk 5 in Drive B. Once you hit Game Start, you'll need to make sure you have Disk#0 in Drive A, and Disk#1 in Drive B. Hope this helps and good luck! -Thomas
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Post by lezard999 on Jan 19, 2016 19:51:20 GMT -5
hi, thanks for your help, but I don't have any disks so I can't use that option. I checked on ebay and such, so I wouldn't know where to find any. what was the first option? I didn't quite understand that. if it is a way to download it, please give me a link, since I tried to search for it and couldn't find it. I tried to download a few links on these sites and one tried to install weird things on it, which may or may not have done damage.hopefully not, I am really not good at downloading things I probably shouldn't try, but I am stubborn for my games. anyway getting this game is being quite hard, I wish they had a snes copy, it would have been so easy for me,lol. thans again for any more help you can provide for me
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on Jan 19, 2016 20:08:13 GMT -5
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Post by lezard999 on Jan 20, 2016 13:37:58 GMT -5
So I went on the link u gave me, and I put my info and all in to register. I got to the pay 500 yen for a subscription to the site. Is that right? What exactly am I buying on here, I am buying the disks right? Just a little confused I am new to the Japanese type stuff, it took me 5 min. Just to translate the page, I kept hitting the wrong button somehow. Now with this subscription is this cost just for the game, or I still have to buy that too? Also how long do I need the subscription, when can I cancel it? Any help is again appreciated, thanks
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on Jan 20, 2016 19:45:15 GMT -5
Ignore this post. On the page, the 500 yen button should be "add to cart". I don't think you have to subscribe, but you do have to register to run the games. Your login info is needed for the launcher. You do need to log in with the launcher to play the games directly from your computer (I don't believe there's a physical product here). The launcher includes a legal emulator dedicated to running these classic games.
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Post by SkyeWelse on Jan 21, 2016 22:34:20 GMT -5
Hi Lezard, I see that maybe you weren't quite expecting Brandish 3 to be a bit more challenging to get started with, but I wouldn't let that stop you if you are enjoying the series. As you stated, yes, it sure would have been easier to be able to play Brandish 3 on a cart like the SNES rom of Brandish 2 for example, but Brandish 3 was only released on the PC-98 and there may have been a port/version released in Korean for PC. In any case, if you do want to play through the game you'll need to become at least a little familiar with how the PC-98 version works and how disk swapping works as the game would periodically ask you to insert certain disks to load data. While I can't confirm because I don't have the Project Egg version of Brandish 3, I have instead an original copy and a PC-98 machine to play it on, I'm sure that even the Project Egg version would likely swap disks in and out just like the real version, even if it is packed in their proprietary emulator. So! If you are set on playing Brandish 3 and you want to get it from Project Egg, just understand that Project Egg is at its core, a subscription based service. The way it works is this, you pay a small membership fee each month and for as long as you are a member there, you are then allowed to purchase and keep legal digital downloaded files of many classic games. Most of these games will likely be packed in their own emulation software which will grant some easier accessibility in terms of playing the game and compatibility when playing on modern PCs. Anything that you buy there is something you get to keep, even if you should end your subscription service with Project Egg. So, if today you were to start your subscription with Project Egg, you would want to ideally purchase and download any games that you are interested in and then end the subscription when you feel you are not going to buy anything for awhile. There are some loyalty points and such for staying there as a long term member and possible perks, but if you quit, those loyalty points reset I believe. There are some free games there too for anyone who is at least a Project Egg member. One such game, Wander Wonder, is what that we are working on translating into English and our patch will likely be exclusive to the Project Egg version instead of the CD-Rom version which is floating around as an ISO on the internet. The reason it's best to buy from Project Egg is not only is it the legal means of acquiring the game you want to play, but it supports the original developers who made these classics. Project Egg membership per month is 540 yen, which currently is roughly $4.50 when converted. On our forum over at Heroes of Legend, I've put together a guide in English for how to become a Project Egg member and also equally as important, how to cancel your membership with Project Egg once you are done with it. It's all a part of the Wander Wonder thread we have there. Back to PC-98 and why you should think of learning more about it. There is a project that was started not too long ago to translate Brandish 2 for PC-98. The reason for this is that the SNES version of Brandish 2 is missing quite a bit of content that the original releases had. That and the music and graphics are far superior to the SNES version. The SNES version isn't a bad game and I really enjoyed it, but this will be a much better Brandish experience. Also, perhaps one day Brandish 3 will get the same treatment. -Thomas
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Post by lezard999 on Jan 30, 2016 0:16:51 GMT -5
So, I have decided after careful research on my part and all of your advice to go the project egg route. Especially since after seeing screen shots of the actual game, and what it is, is strange to me. I didn't know games were on floppy disks, at least games of this magnitude. Especially what it takes to get it to work, plus even finding the parts, game etc. I even tried finding a ROM and emulator for it, obviously I found less than nothing. I also understand the difference between the SNES versions of the 1st 2. I still like doing things the easier way even at expense of graphics and sound...guess I am lazy,lol. I'll have to look at the stuff on YouTube that is extra and see what I missed, if its a lot and worth it and I get project egg to work, I might have to get them too. I believe they are on there as well. Its a shame they couldn't fit them on the SNES versions. Anyway I have one final question through my research I found that the originals were controlled with the mouse of the computer. I was wondering if project egg let's u use a controller. Which I would prefer and am used to more. I saw a boss rush completion videos on YouTube and it look to me he is using a controller or at least the keyboard. Just wondering if u knew what he was using, and how to do it. If I must use the mouse, what are the controls for it. It doesn't have many buttons. Anyway thanks again in advance to everyone who has helped me and any further help you can offer on my last question- lezard
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Post by SkyeWelse on Jan 30, 2016 14:27:25 GMT -5
Hi Lezard,
Sure I can go over the basics for you. So as explained earlier, Brandish was really at it's core, developed as a PC-98 game and had a control scheme built round the mechanics of a mouse and keyboard. Even the SNES Brandish 2 could utilize the SNES Mouse that came with Mario Paint.
The idea was that you could move your character around easily with the keyboard arrows, have easy "hotkey" access to items in your inventory by hitting the corresponding numbers on your numpad which would align with the position of the items you had picked up / organized. The mouse could then be used to also move your character, jump, easily pick up items, attack and guard enemies, and toggle between various modes such as action, viewing information about something in your field of vision or inside your inventory. It was also used to throw-out unwanted items, when the trash can was selected.
Keyboard Controls
^ Up / v Down will move your character backwards or forwards. < Left / > Right will turn your viewing angle 45 degrees.
While Holding the SHIFT key down:
^ Up will make your character jump forward and skip a space. Useful for jumping over pits/traps and people who are in your way. v Down will move your character backwards. < Left / > Right will let your character side-step to the left or right. Great for combat and for times when you do not wish to change your viewing angle.
Mouse Controls
Basic Pointer, allows the selection of the 3 buttons at the top and their menus. Rest, Utility, Equip.
Rest allows you to regain your hitpoints at the cost of 1 day's expense. There isn't really a limit to days that you can spent, but I guess you might consider your score to be better, the lower the amount of days it took you to complete the game.
Utility will give you various options such as map adjustment, color makers, a "hitbox" guide for when you are using the mouse if you aren't used to exactly which spots will change the mouse icon to do different things such as turn, defend, attack, move, and jump. It can be good to use if you need some practice with it. It also has the options for mouse speed, message speed, game speed, as well as saving and loading a game here.
Equip will allow you to now click-on and drag weapons such as the starting sword you have (if you are playing as Ares) and allow you to equip it to one of your character's hands. What is important to note about weapons is that they will block for you when you are not attacking. So for example, the first soldier that attacks you when starting the game will slaughter you if you are impatient with your attacks. Wait for him to strike, block, quickly strike back. You should be able to defeat him in no time.
The right-mouse button will toggle between Arrow (movement) Eye (Identify/Talk) and Hand (Action) and again, depending on where you click and how far your mouse pointer is away from your character is what type of action will be performed.
Good luck!
-Thomas
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beef
Lurker
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Post by beef on Feb 8, 2016 4:59:16 GMT -5
Falcom's purchase page for Brandish 4 is 404'd, 3rd party shops are out of stock. Is it still piracy if I can't buy it? I'd rather not support some scalper while pretending I'm supporting Falcom.
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Post by SkyeWelse on Feb 11, 2016 3:43:33 GMT -5
Fortunately, if you are going for the game itself in a DVD case and not the big box set, it's usually sold fairly inexpensively on places like Amazon.co.jp and Yahoo Auctions Japan and it's quite frequently sold on there. Only on places like eBay are you going to be dealing with a scalper.
And yes, it's still piracy, but you'd make a solid argument if the above wasn't true about it being easy to find on those two sites. Either way, I doubt many of us would really care how you get the game as you stated, it's not as if Falcom is getting the sale if they don't have a working order link, but no need to explain how you got the game either. Most of us sought a real copy.
-Thomas
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Ghaleon
Othclos
Well, it could be worse, I could have kidnapped his girlfriend...
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Post by Ghaleon on Mar 13, 2016 17:40:33 GMT -5
Fortunately, if you are going for the game itself in a DVD case and not the big box set, it's usually sold fairly inexpensively on places like Amazon.co.jp and Yahoo Auctions Japan and it's quite frequently sold on there. Only on places like eBay are you going to be dealing with a scalper. And yes, it's still piracy, but you'd make a solid argument if the above wasn't true about it being easy to find on those two sites. Either way, I doubt many of us would really care how you get the game as you stated, it's not as if Falcom is getting the sale if they don't have a working order link, but no need to explain how you got the game either. Most of us sought a real copy. -Thomas Speaking of which... Any chance that this series will get more love? I'd happily buy as many as there are released, especially if they get touched up for modern consoles and devices.
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