PC-FX Zeroigar Translation Development Thread

[NecroPhile]

Yarr, that could be.  I'm sure there's a few people grabbing it thinking they'll buy a system down the road too.  Whatever the reason, it's nice to see lot of interest in such a niche system.

[esteban]

It might be fun to LightScribe or slap a label on the CD-ROM.

If you do, take a pic of the finished product

HELP: If you have the real disc, can you tell me what the actual catalog/part number is? I know nobody cares, but each part has its own unique # (the disc, the traycard, the spine card). I guess it was for internal auditing/management for printing/assembling game for retail. Anyway, I'd like to fix the number on the label . I have OCD.

[NightWolve]

TurboRip will automatically name the CD image set with the catalog number bracketed. Here it goes:

Tyoushin Heiki Zeroigar [FXNHE624] (J)

Since there was only one pressing, that's the only one (for example, Ys IV had 2 pressings, so there are 2 catalog numbers, not to mention the TOCs are different, a few redbook audio tracks are padded and just differ by a few zeroed/nulled bytes).

[esteban]

TurboRip will automatically name the CD image set with the catalog number bracketed. Here it goes:

Tyoushin Heiki Zeroigar [FXNHE624] (J)

Since there was only one pressing, that's the only one (for example, Ys IV had 2 pressings, so there are 2 catalog numbers, not to mention the TOCs are different, a few redbook audio tracks are padded and just differ by a few zeroed/nulled bytes).

Ok, I guess there is a "Part #" (under the catalog #)...I used "78983071" on the CD, but that's actually the part # from the spine card.

[NecroPhile]

A couple questions for ya:

1.  Any idea how many games had multiple pressings?
2.  If they did get a second pressing (or more), did they always get new volume number, different toc, and/or some other easily recognized difference?

[elmer]

Tyoushin Heiki Zeroigar [FXNHE624] (J)

I've always meant to ask ... does anyone know where did the "Tyoushin" comes from?

Is that just another mistaken English bastardization of the name, like "Super God Trooper"?

SamIAm always calls it "Choujin Heiki Zeroigar".

By the way, about the subtitle 超神兵器. "Super God Trooper" does not appear to be official, thank god. 兵器 doesn't mean "trooper", it means "weapon", for one thing. Also, contrary to what many English websites say, it is not "Choushin Heiki", it's "Choujin Heiki". Somebody used the wrong on-yomi there. I am positive that this is a bit of wordplay on 超人兵器, which would mean the giant humanoid robot weapon.

[NightWolve]

A couple questions for ya:

1.  Any idea how many games had multiple pressings?
2.  If they did get a second pressing (or more), did they always get new volume number, different toc, and/or some other easily recognized difference?

Yeah, I can answer this by looking at the NEC TOC data I have from Squaresoft74. When he started to build his website with PCE/TG-16 data, he didn't ask the person with the original CD to fetch the catalog number, but after discovering multiple pressings, that's how he started differentiating - via the catalog number. So because of that, only games he discovered multiple pressings for have catalog numbers, while the rest don't and then when he got to PC-FX, he always had the provider read off the catalog number and include it in the name.

So anyway, looking at the folder where I store the data, I gathered the following:

- Stats: 2, with differing TOCs
Ys IV - The Dawn of Ys {HCD3051-4-1108-R1F} (J)
Ys IV - The Dawn of Ys {HCD3051-5-1116-R1P} (J)

- Stats: 6, TOCs ALL identical, no changes!
Tokimeki Memorial {HRKM70217-4FAAT} (J)
Tokimeki Memorial {HRKM70414-1FAAT} (J)
Tokimeki Memorial {HRKM70414-1FABT} (J)
Tokimeki Memorial {HRKM70701-2FAAT} (J)
Tokimeki Memorial {HRKM71014-3FAAT} (J)
Tokimeki Memorial {HRKM71014-3FABT} (J)

- Stats: 2, TOCs differ because the the 1st has a 28th audio track, the 2nd only goes to 27!
(Since this is when he started collecting catalog #s, he didn't get one for the first)
Linda ³ (J)
Linda ³ {HLHLF HE230908-2 V9V4} (J)

- Stats: 2, TOCs differ because track 1, the warning message, is smaller for HCD4066!
Lodoss Tousenki II - Record of Lodoss War II {HCD4066} (J)
Lodoss Tousenki II - Record of Lodoss War II {HMD-003} (J)

- Stats: Not sure about these, 1st is likely the prototype, the last 2 [ver 5] have the same TOC.
Mahou no Shoujo Silky Lip [Ver 3.1] (J)
Mahou no Shoujo Silky Lip [Ver 5.0] (J)
Mahou no Shoujo Silky Lip [Ver 5.0] alt (J)

- Stats: 3, TOCs match for first 2, but last one, the audio tracks are bigger by a few bytes.
Last Armageddon {BRCD0001-6-0625-R1F} (J)
Last Armageddon {BRCD0001-6-0625-R3D} (J)
Last Armageddon {BRCD0001-7-0904-R1D} (J)

- Stats: 3, TOCs match for first 2, but last one, *slightly* shorter last audio track before hitting the Leadout
Galaxy Fraulein Yuna {HRH310827-3FAAT} (J)
Galaxy Fraulein Yuna {HRH310827-3FABT} (J)
Galaxy Fraulein Yuna {HRH310827-3FAFT} (J)

That's about it. It's possible more exist, just that Squaresoft74 never encountered them (with the help of the public who own originals), but that's as thorough an answer as you're ever gonna get from anyone.

Tyoushin Heiki Zeroigar [FXNHE624] (J)

I've always meant to ask ... does anyone know where did the "Tyoushin" comes from?

Yep, multiple places.

Team: Bt Garner and David Shadoff:
http://pcecp.com/?mode=catalog&action=info&gameid=927

Squaresoft74's TOC+CUE collection of NEC discs.
http://www.necstasy.net/
http://www.necstasy.net/tocpcfx/Tyoushin%20Heiki%20Zeroigar

I can easily change it for the local copy of the data (storied in text files) I use to compile TurboRip right now if Sam is confident he's right and there's a chance to correct a mistranslation that spread.

To fix it elsewhere, an email will have to be fired off to Squaresoft74 and others and then it's up to them when/if they feel like fixing it.

[NecroPhile]

Thanks, N.W.; Tokimeki sure got a lot of pressings, which I suppose explains why it's so easy to find and nigh worthless.  Either he missed 'em or they were made identical, but I know there's at least two other titles that got a second pressing: Dungeon Explorer 2 (US version with B&W manual) and I have some RPG with a gold colored obi ('greatest hits' version)... I wanna say Arunamu no Kiba.  Not that any of this matters in the grand scheme of things - it's just interesting to look at.

edit - I checked, 'twas Sol Moonarge.

[esteban]

- Stats: 2, TOCs differ because the the 1st has a 28th audio track, the 2nd only goes to 27!
(Since this is when he started collecting catalog #s, he didn't get one for the first)
Linda ³ (J)
Linda ³ {HLHLF HE230908-2 V9V4} (J)

The first pressing of Linda³ had bug(s) (...like, game-breaking!), so first pressing was recalled and second pressing released.

Or, something like that.

I have a silly joke about it, but I am afraid that folks will think it is real:

https://archives.tg-16.com/Dengeki_PC_Engine_1995_11.htm#linda_squared

Original Pressing (game-breaking bugs):



Corrected pressing:

[NightWolve]

Aaaah, thanks for pointing that out, Squaresoft74 used the '³' superscript on both of them. I will fix that right now for TurboRip and use '2' for the buggy one! Good find! Maybe an extra warning message about the bugs on that would be useful down the road too.

Oh, scratch that, I didn't read you clearly. Heh. So just a recall message given the bugs might be useful on that one then when its TOC is encountered.

EDIT:

Random History: http://pcecp.com/?mode=catalog&action=ratings&gameid=927

Bernie rated Zeroigar 5 out of 5 stars back in 2010.

I am kinda surprised he gave the system a shot and found it.

[dshadoff]

Careful about terminology here...

When Bt and I referred to the "Catalog number" in PCECP, we were referring to the identification in ink on the disc and on the back cover of the packaging.  Something along the lines of "HCD4066"

On the other hand, there is an identification number in contrasting tones pressed into the innermost part of the aluminum itself on the disc.  This would be more like "HRKM70217-4FAAT", and would probably represent either the pressing batch, or the digital glass master from which the pressing was made.  I'm not sure what else to call this than "disc identifier" or something along those lines.  I previously used the term "serial number, but that's technically incorrect as the discs themselves are not serialized - only their masters or pressings would have been.

There were a few discs which got different pressings or otherwise multiple releases, like:

- Tengai Makyo Ziria, which was CD the first time, and Super CD for the re-release

- Urusei Yatsura (released with and without soundtrack)

- Galaxy Fraulein Yuna (rereleased with the HuVideo disc)

- Emerald Dragon, Seiya Monogatari, Tengai Makyo Kabuki Den, and both Lodoss War games, which were released both as a regular game, and also as a "CD and Mook".  There are likely all different versions because these were often promotional, and may not be the entire game.  To bo honest, I don't recall if any of them were the entire game.

- "Special Version" Super Real Mahjong games (kisaku would know more about these than me); supposedly the "nude" scenes are "more nude".

- Bug fix games.  Gotzendiener (if I recall correctly) was legendary, having been pressed a few times, and never having fixed all the bugs.  I think Mad Stalker might have had a bugfix release as well.

- I wasn't aware of Last Armageddon (although it doesn't surprise me, as I heard somebody on this board invested 80 hours to find that they could never complete), but I vaguely recall something about Linda3 having a quick recall and re-release.

- I wan't aware of Ys 4 as a re-release either

- The story of Tokimeki Memorial is even more convoluted than the re-pressings listed above.  I had heard a rumor that there were different *versions* released, with slight differences in them (such as mini-games, etc.).  The story goes, that the packaging has a symbol next to the catalog number, on the back cover of the disc package (such as a star, filled circle, circle with the dot in it, etc.).  This is probably where the origins of the tracking of the serial numbers disc identifiers came into effect.  I never saw this corroborated or proved though.

Still on the subject of Tokimeki Memorial... If I remember correctly (sorry, my memory is foggy as this happened about 15 years ago), I acquired three different "versions" according to this symbol, and ripped them to find that two of the data tracks were identical - but the third one had slight variances according to a binary compare.  I'd have to go digging and spend some time repeating this experiment in order to verify it though.  Even if true, it could just have been a bugfix release.


By the way, it would be interesting to find out how many of these "multiple pressings" have identical TOCs, but different binaries.  That would be very likely in the case of a bugfix, but a TOC change could happen on a major code change.

... Tracking this sort if thing would be especially important for patches.

-Dave