Cloudef
Rheboll
O, the world of dharma is filled with light.
Posts: 16
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Post by Cloudef on Oct 20, 2012 8:33:55 GMT -5
Funnily enough, item descriptions/names, some character names, etc small stuff are hardcoded into the executable, similar to ZnK with the Japanese script.
At least some of the stuff can be translated with the PSP files. Like game's script. The game uses version of SECUROM's drm (with the PAUL.dll) which at the first glance doesn't seem to be so easy to crack. (same as ZnK).. And all modifications to the executable will make the game not launch. The DRM however does not do evil things to your system, like other popular solutions. So in that aspect it's not that bad (even though, no DRM would be always the best)
Anyways, the game is still good. And I'm glad I can finally play it as I don't own any consoles, and it doesn't seem to look half bad in 1080p resolution.
The data files also seem to contain files with extension .st (and .stb, bytecode compiled) that seems to be some sort of scripting language. I'm haven't yet tried if the executable compiles the source (.st) versions, if .stb counterpart doesn't exist. This would make it possible to mod the game to some extend.
Similar files exist with .sai (.sab bytecode) for AI scripting I guess.
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Post by SkyeWelse on Oct 20, 2012 21:39:32 GMT -5
Hi Cloudef, thank you for looking into this and from what you stated it might not be possible to get the Chinese PC version of Ys Seven into English much more than it can be with inserting script files from the PSP version unless their is a possibility to modify some of the files as you mentioned that may not be compiled from the exe file or if the SECUROM can be cracked.
I'm not a programmer so a lot of this is a bit over my head, but I wanted to extend a big thank you for helping this project along and if I can be of any use as far as testing something from my end, please let me know!
-Thomas
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Cloudef
Rheboll
O, the world of dharma is filled with light.
Posts: 16
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Post by Cloudef on Oct 23, 2012 16:15:56 GMT -5
SkyeWelseSo far editing the exe looks hopless. It's propably encrypted, and there's the DRM. The strings for items can be found from the data files, but the game just never uses them. So they are pretty surely compiled in. Also, the quest file from PSP needs to be edited a bit to not crash the PC Chinese version. The monslib in PC version seems to be in totally different format, so PSP version of it will crash the monster library. I'm atm at the last dungeon, so I can propably take more look later. But I'm not a cracker either so I won't propably go do deep with things. Mainly interested, if the game compiles the script files from source when there is no bytecode counterpart available, this could open possibilities for many interesting things. The funny thing is that the game's actual dialog is in script folder and the logic scripts in text (+few translations like monster library, quests, main character names..) EDIT: Err... I just thought well I can test the script thing before I go sleep anyways.. So I moved e001.stb to different location so game doesn't see it. And edited e001.st to give the first monster in Altago ridiculous level, hp and shadow size. Started the game, and it did something completely unexpected. It doesn't even compile the .stb file, it just runs from the source script! I think whoever was responsible of this Chinese version, leaved the files by accident? Since now that I look on the PSP data files, there are no source files. In theory, if PSP binary works the same way, these files could be replaced to PSP ISO and you could modify the game however you like (make it harder?) even for PSP. TL;DR I have squirrels in Altago that run with the speed of light and deal over 90k damage. The scripts look really simple, and there seems to be some leftover script that are not actually used in the final product. Like test monsters, etc.. I'll see what happens if I swap those with normal monsters. You could actually make Adol as monster as well propably.. The scripts for relevant objects/monsters/etc seems to get reloaded when you enter the zone again (reloading area), so the game doesn't need to be restarted when you tinker with them. Oh well.. I tinker more when I finish the actual game Might be nice if, it could be made Adol only. EDIT2: I'll go sleep now.. Here is something I found. cloudef.eu/armpit/ys_seven_warp_map.pngThe green stones at top of image are some test maps, but their files are not there so they crash. Backdrop of this warp map seems to be the first shrine without the dragon altar. To go there, modify the firstline in text/warpdata.tbl like so: CHECK_POINT_ALTAGO "A^Ss" 325 55 "map/mp_9999/mp_9999.arg" 0.0f -5.0f 0.0f WARPICON_TOWN
And then warp to Altago in-game. There are propably more hidden maps.. (at least map ids 9999-9997) E3: cloudef.eu/armpit/ys_seven_adol_mage.png
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Cloudef
Rheboll
O, the world of dharma is filled with light.
Posts: 16
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Post by Cloudef on Oct 24, 2012 10:26:58 GMT -5
Further analyzis.. The item descriptions etc, are not in executable it seems. Item descriptions are in text/item.txt, skills are in text/skill.txt. They are stored different means than in PSP version which uses .tbl files. I guess rest of the untranslated stuff are stored same way in different container.
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Post by SkyeWelse on Oct 24, 2012 12:47:47 GMT -5
Hahaha, those are some Super Badass squirrels! : ) That would be funny to see a video of Adol getting swarmed by a pack of 90k damage squirrels. : )
Sounds like you are off to a great start here with finding out how the game can be tinkered with and although it's way over my heard, if you want me to test any files, feel free to send them on over to me and I'll give them a shot.
I had never thought that having Ys Seven with Adol only might actually be a possibility. Wow, that would be very cool indeed!
Edit: Being able to edit the game's bosses could make for some very interesting fights when recorded. : ) Can you imagine, Adol vs. A boss that moves twice as fast as the original and still coming out the victor? That would be amazingly cool to see.
I've love to see someone do that in a Dark Fact fight with Dark Fact being 2X his normal speed. lol : )
-Thomas
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Cloudef
Rheboll
O, the world of dharma is filled with light.
Posts: 16
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Post by Cloudef on Oct 27, 2012 17:33:52 GMT -5
Yeah, there are few ways to get Adol only game. Easiest way is to define every character type as Adol, which makes every other character when they join your party invisible. Effiectly they can't be used. These can be defined in the inc/mons.h.
There is better way, but it will need bit more work. I would love to take a look and reverse engineer some of the files that are bit unclear.. But I already have too much stuff I do at the same time. So I try not to.
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Post by ashkentou on Nov 21, 2012 4:34:47 GMT -5
sorry, can you share link down ? link media of Xalphenos are die
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Post by ashkentou on Nov 22, 2012 23:19:34 GMT -5
ok i can down it but it not crack for game how can crack hame ?
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Post by SkyeWelse on Nov 23, 2012 0:20:03 GMT -5
Ashkentou,
There is no crack for Ys Seven PC and even if there were, you would not find it available from this forum. This forum does not support piracy of Falcom games, especially those still being sold in the current marketplace.
What is being talked about here in this thread are two entirely different things:
1. How to come up with a way to easily allow Non-Chinese speaking/reading International Ys Fans an easier method of purchasing a license and downloading the files needed to play the game.
2. How to play around with the code inside some of the game files to change certain features and hopefully make the game into English.
If you want to play the game, you will need to purchase a license key from the company that makes the game. There should be a method to purchase a license key online, but there is only one person here so far who has figured that out. The rest of us, including myself, have purchased the game by importing it from China with a license key inside the box.
-Thomas
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Post by ashkentou on Nov 24, 2012 0:45:42 GMT -5
sorry i understand
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Post by SkyeWelse on Dec 7, 2012 18:24:49 GMT -5
Well.... The darnedest thing just happened. I was upgrading to a new PC and was copying all my original Windows files over and now I can no longer play my Ys Seven PC. I have a file that was created called "activate.dat" when I originally installed the game and entered my serial CD key, which contains a unique number of sorts. I'm guessing my customer ID when I first registered the CD key, however each time I begin the game, it now prompts me to enter a CD Key and does not accept the one that I received with the game. Even more puzzling is that now when I hit cancel, I get a nice, friendly little windows pop-up message stating that the software is not finding the correct disc that was used to install/play the game, which is silly because I'm using the same exact disc... This is why I hate DRM sometimes and why I can very easily see why someone would want to pirate a game like this if one were to have that option as an easier or more convenient solution. Some companies just make it too difficult to use the product you've shelled out good money for. What is even better is that there does not seem to be any customer support or contact us form/email that I can use to write to Joyoland on their website. There's a number to dial if I'm bold enough to make an international call and hope they speak English. : ) Fat chance of that. Starting to think that the next best option is to order a new CD Key, one that is digital and just hang on to that one. Only I don't think we ever quite figured out from ankc just how he managed to purchase one of these CD keys from TaoBao. Edit: I learned what my problem was now and like I suspected, it has to do with DRM. : ( I found that if you visit: www.joyoland.com/Unlock/Unlock.aspx you can input your serial number (also known as the CD Key) in the top field, and in the second, a unique long activation request code with several dashes. When I hit submit after that, I received the following message: 错误:在不同的电脑里激活次数过多 Which google translates to: Error: activated too many times in different computer So... that's the problem alright. One too many computers, or rather... 2 computers is a no no. Great... So that leaves 2 options at this point: 1. Try to contact a Joyoland Customer Service person to try and explain to them that I own the game and this license with photographs if necessary to hope they will help reset the key. 2. Purchase a new CD Key somewhere, hopefully a digital one for a cheap price... Once I can figure that part out. Thanks DRM! : ) Love you. Hopefully this information will help someone else at least who is experiencing similar issues. -Thomas
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Post by Xalphenos on Dec 7, 2012 21:39:33 GMT -5
Yeah securom sucks but this game does have a deactivate option. So if you still have access to the original PC you installed it on you should be able to deactivate it there then activate it on your new PC. If you don't then you will have to email them. I think someone did this in the other thread for ZNK.
This goes for any game with securom. Which is why I usually don't buy any game with it. You have to deactivate it before you switch to a new computer or re install windows. It also makes for a huge hassle if your system crashes or sometimes even if you just do basic upgrades. You have to contact the company and hope they take pity on you and reset your activations. And they are under no obligation to help you out even if you have proof.
Edit: And I tried a few more places online with no luck. I found one that looked promising but my new job is a lot busier than I thought it would be. I knew it would be more work than my last job but wow. I barely have time to come check the forums anymore.
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Post by SkyeWelse on Dec 7, 2012 23:29:19 GMT -5
Hi Xalphenos,
Good to see you around again, and I definitely understand the being busy part. I do still have access to the original PC, so I guess if I were to move my files over to it (Original harddrive contents were backed up, but it wouldn't be the same snapshot or anything like that, just files from program files and such) and try deactivating, that could work.
Any idea of where I would go to initiate this step to deactivate it?
Thanks for letting me know that such a feature exists! There may be hope yet!
-Thomas
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Post by SkyeWelse on Dec 8, 2012 17:43:21 GMT -5
Hi Xalphenos,
I unfortunately can't seem to put it all back together just like I had it before, meaning same drive, same OS, et cetera. Only the same machine, but with a different OS (Vista) different harddrive and different Administrator (my wife, since I gave her my old PC which was better than the one she was using at the time). I just copied the files over there and attempted to launch the game and same splash screen presents itself asking to enter the serial number/ CD Key and it does not activate.
Think I'm pretty screwed on this one. If I can just easily get another CD Key cheaply, this wouldn't be an issue, so maybe that's the solution to look at for myself and any others who are hoping to play the game.
Thanks for your help,
-Thomas
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Post by Xalphenos on Dec 8, 2012 22:39:24 GMT -5
Yeah it would need to be the exact same windows install/Securom install in order to deactivate it. So if that is no longer accessible, which is your case, you are unfortunately SOL. I have not tried to deactivate myself I just looked it up on their website to make sure it had one way back before I even thought about trying to get the game. Its at the bottom of their activation page. In bad Google translate it's called anti-activation. Based on Google translate and the picturs you enter your activation key into it and click the first button. Then it will deactivate the game on that pc. The page didn't really tell you how to start the process though. I looked around my install dir to try to figure it out for you and found a .bat file. I can't tell you what the name is because its three Chinese characters, but it's the only .bat file there. Just run the .bat and it will bring up a box for you to enter your activation code. I know this won't help you anymore but it's good info to have here in the forums. I too have been in you position and it sucks. DRM sucks, and it sucks knowing that if my windows install craps out I will have this game and one other that I can't deactivate, and will have to try to contact the companies to get my activation's reset.
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Post by Xalphenos on Dec 10, 2012 1:09:20 GMT -5
I have successfully purchased a valid key for this game. Here are the instructions. Total process took about 24 hrs. Sorry no Paypal option on this website. Short Version 1. Here is the Item.2. Buy it. It ain't rocket science. Long Version 1. Go to TBA. 2. Create an Account. You will probably have to do the email validation thing, I can't remember. 3. Once logged in click on "my account" in the top right. 4. Scroll down until you see "add funds" and click it. 5. Click on the credit card tab. Then click on the link provided. 6. Create and email verify an account at aliexpress. 7. purchase the amount you want, default is $10 I didn't try to change it. 8. Enter you amount and order number into TBA and click submit.* 9. Wait about a day until the funds get through to your TBA account. 10. This is the Item I bought. Just click add to shoping bag. 11. Complete the process. It's pretty self explanatory. 12. After it says "confirmed, waiting for payment" click the pay button beside the item. 13. Check your "my account" page daily and eventually you will have a message with the key. * I don't actually remember doing this step. Hope this helps somebody out. As for my links to the legal ISO. According to my mediafire account they are still there, and have been downloaded almost 200 times. I wonder how many of those people were expecting the key to be in it. Addendum: The least amount of money you can add to your account, using the method I did at least, is $10 leaving you with $9.50 after aliexpress takes their cut. That will leave you with 3.98 left over in your account. You can increase your amount in increments of $10. So it wouldn't be a bad Idea for several of you to do a group buy to try to minimize on wasted money if you are never going to use the service again. I'm not volunteering, we are about to close on a house and Christmas is right around the corner, my wife would kill me.
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Post by SkyeWelse on Dec 10, 2012 9:14:17 GMT -5
Wow, this is great and thank you very much for providing this information Xalphenos. I will definitely be doing this later today, but trying to determine now if I should add funds of either $10 or $20, since it seems like with $20 I can purchase about 3 Keys instead of one with left over change that might never be used.
Thanks very much for putting in the time to figure all this out. : )
Edit:
So doing the math based on what Xalphenos described from his process above, each unit package of adding funds to a Aliexpress account is $10 with a fee of .50 per unit, totaling in $9.50 that would be available to spend. Since his remainder in his account was $3.98, that would conclude that each Ys Seven Key is roughly ($9.50 - $3.98) or $5.52 each.
Therefore, the best deal to have the least amount of remaining money in the AliExpress account would really be about 3 units of $10 or $30, as after the fee's are taken ($1.50 by my math) you would end up with a total of $28.50 to use to purchase the Ys Seven Keys, which would net you with 5 Keys and only around .90 cents left in the account, which isn't half bad if you wanted to keep some for yourself or distribute them out and just get reimbursed through Paypal with trusted users.
-Thomas
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Post by Xalphenos on Dec 10, 2012 9:36:58 GMT -5
Forgot to mention there is also a "Agent Charge." It brought the total up to $3.52. So doing some quick math. If you bought $30 that would give you $28.50 in your TBA account. Five keys would cost you $27.60, assuming the fee would stay the same for each item and not go up or down any because of multiple items. You would waste $.90. It doesn't get better than that until you buy 12 keys and $70 wasting $.26.
That's quite a lot though so a group of 5 seems like it would be best if you could find 4 other people to split it with you. $6 a key feels a lot better than $10 with $3.98 wasted.
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Post by SkyeWelse on Dec 10, 2012 9:38:32 GMT -5
Haha, I think we both came to the same conclusion at the same time there, Xalphenos. : )
-Thomas
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Post by Xalphenos on Dec 10, 2012 9:51:26 GMT -5
HAHA. Yes we did.
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