@RyuuMasken Check out the channel I'm posting from, dude! Also, you can find more on reinofhearts' channel and some more recent uploads to FaustWolf's channel.
Man, It's awesome that someone is actually working on this game. the first one was SO amazing. It seems a wonder that they didn't localize DF2. I would definitely love to help in any way I could. I could understand most of the audio content but for the life of me I can't read a bit of japanese.
What alphabet do they use more in the game? Katakana or Hiragana or is it full of Kanji? Knowing my luck it's probably an equal mix of the 3. I'm learning Japanese and I would rather focus on what this game requires.
don't worry, i'm not gonna harrass ya to see how much u've done ^.^ just wanted to keep the interest going... i totally would love to play this and be able to read what the hell everyone is saying :P i've actually started playing around with the sprite rips from the first Dragon Force game... trying to hi-res them a bit. they're pretty simple looking so it's not too hard, just a bit labour intensive so i haven't done much :P anyways, can't wait! good luck!
@ShadowWolfRising Ask me that again around New Year's and you'll like the answer much better. :) I'll do another preview video around that time, hopefully showing off some of the translated story scenes too.
Will this (someday) be playable on a modded Saturn or only via emulator? Maybe some members of the shining force III translation project are willing to help after their (also great) project is finished. Keep it up!
@Omnibot2010 No promises, mainly because I'm not sure anyone on the project team has a modded Saturn to test on. Sandslice (the main translator so far) might, or she might have a Japanese Saturn. I'm playing and testing with the emulator SSF myself.
@FaustWolf Thanks for your answer. I'm quite sure if it works on an emulator, it will most likely work on the "real thing". I just bought an original japanese Disc of the Game, ready to patch it in a few Years :-) Please don't let this great project die.
This is awesome, I just started playing dragon force 2 since I finally got a working emulator, my brother owns the game but doesn't have a Japanese Saturn so he was very happy to play it on my computer. I wish I knew how to do what you guys need help with because I'd love to help but I'm kind of useless because I don't know Japanese :( But the game is awesome even though some things about the first one are superior its still badass. Id be happy with just menu/item translations hehe
@Biodth88 No prob. It'll still be awhile before it's complete (unless the team gets a sudden rush of translators!) but if you can remember us long enough to spread the word when it's finally done that'd be great!
With some trial and error you'll be able to figure out the menu commands. The fact that different types of generals have different troop commands will throw you for a loop at first, but keep at it and you'll find a really deep and rewarding game!
@FaustWolf I've already told at least 5 people I know that love the game, but sadly none of them know Japanese either so its just more hype instead of help >_< I'll spread the word as much as possible and maybe I'll get lucky and find someone who can help with the works.
You guys are awesome for doing this! What a great game DF was. Too bad I duno how to do any of that or I would volunteer XD.... anywho, good luck and thanks for your efforts!
Well Faust, I really wish I had any experience at all in translating, because i'm a huge fan of the first Dragon Force. I'd never taken a look at the 2nd dragon force once I found out it was in japanese only, but finding your Localization Project has gotten me quite excited.
I know you're still pretty far off from finishing, but I look forward to any public releases you guys make. Subfuckingscribed.
Having the battle menu mostly done is quite an accomplishment and makes me happy someone even tried working on this. I hope the project isn't dead. I'm totally behind you guys. Dragon Force is one of my all-time favorite RPGs
@Vykrom In the words of Styx, "We're not...dead...yet!!"
Next thing on our agenda is to finish translating and inserting the text for gameplay (non-story) elements. That will happen later this summer, to be followed by a video showing the project's progress. My hope is the video will draw in a final burst of translators to help with the storyline dialogue, of which there is a LOT! Still too early to project a release for the translation patch. :(
OH!! good luck on this!! Always been one of my dreams that this was playable one day!! I remember back in the day, Dragon Force and Guardian Heroes were the shit!
@anonypc Thanks! Expect an update in September showing the project's progress. There's a very long ways to go yet, but this will be a real treat when the project is finished. As always, we're keeping an eye out for translation help!
I know this is kinda old but... what happened with the translation? Did you guys finally translated it? Or at least a good part of the argument... or the menus... whatever. Did you?
Still goin'! We could use some more help on the translation side though. Sandslice has a ton of the pre-battle banter complete, in addition to lots of miscellaneous text. I'll probably do another video several months from now to show off what's been done so far, and to generate more interest on the part of potential translators.
Hehe, this is why it's important not to give out release dates for projects like this. The reason why these drag on is because paid work, family matters, etc., have to take precedence over volunteer projects. Rest assured that we haven't given up on it, and will continue plugging away.
I think what matters most are the technical options set up in SSF. If you check the video details on the lefthand sidebar now, you'll find a link to a picture illustrating a compatible setup in the "Program" options. Check your "Program" setup and set it to these values, then restart and see if the game will load the battle for you.
Yeah, Faust was cool. Probably part of the reason why Junon's was my fave scenario, aside from the fact that Junon looks like Darth Vader.
hi FaustWolf, I linked to this YouTube video from your post in Gamefaqs. I completed this game when it first released on Saturn about 10 years ago? Back then, I didn't understand any Japanese and just played without really knowing much about the story. Now, with a little bit of proficiency in Japanese, I intend to replay this game again. Reason for it being an awesome game and also to improve my Japanese language.
Seems like you already gotten a good translator in your team else I would be gladly request to take part in the project. As a programmer by occupation, I am also quite interested to learn about game emulations like how they build emulators, etc. Can you point me to some place where I can learn about it? I guess modifying the text scipts is one of the best area to begin with.
I'm so happy to hear this is getting translated. I still own the original game for my saturn and got the sega ages to try out the second, but i can't read japanese, so this is awesome. I just signed up on GameFAQs (been using that site for years ^.^) and have all the sprites you've released and was wondering (since the boards are archived and i couldn't ask there) if you're gonna release DF2 sprites as well? i've been itching to make my own DF game with game maker and i'd love more sprites.
Pink, if you're able to code (preferably in Flash) or have art talent, you might be able to partner up with someone who's planning out a sort of online Dragon Force type game. PM me if interested.
Otherwise, I'm still arranging the sprites liberated by Fenrisul's SPROUT viewer and that'll take me until Christmas, when I hope to release all the sheets in nice orderly fashion.
Dragon Force II uses compression for its graphics, buuuut...it looks like a very simple decompression routine :)
unfortunately i don't get a lot of time for this kind of stuff, so i doubt i'd be very helpful. i have VERY limited coding experience, but my art skills are pretty good. i've done sprite sheets for fighter maker and they do take a lot of time. the online game idea sounds brilliant! the game i'm thinking about making is gonna be like a mix of my favourite games using dragon force as the main inspiration. IF i actually get the game somewhat playable i'll definately share it.
im so freaking stoked for this. will i be able to use an original saturn? and what is the estimated time that this will be complete and ready to sale?
At first I was actually considering approaching Sega for some kind of official download distribution, but there's just no infrastructure for it; Sega's dropped the Saturn like a bad memory, whereas it's re-releasing Genesis downloadable content.
Thus, this project will be distributed as a patch like other non-official translations. A modded Saturn would be needed, but you're better off tracking down a copy of the game and using an emulator.
You can feel free to ask here currently, though the most likely answer will be: "We're working on it." ;) There'll be a nifty release video certainly, but it's still to early to suggest a release date.
Yup, the team has an awesome translator, and I hope to gather one or two more to pitch in as we go along. This is going to be a long-haul sort of thing, and everything will get translated.
I was considering voice redubbing early on as well, but as you can no doubt tell from the video the original Japanese voices were pretty much spot-on. Seeing negative reaction to suggestions that the Policenauts team should redub has pretty much dissuaded me from pushing for it altogether. 99.9% unlikely.
This is gonna be so awesome! Dragon Force 1 is one of my favorite games on the Saturn! I played trough it last year and i think it plays just as well now as it did then.
I have the JAP version of DFII but haven't played it yet, and won't until the patch is released (hopefully). I agree that DF1's "Gunstar Heroes" graphics looked better but it would be a shame to alter the style of DFII IMO.
I hate emulators so will this patch be released so i can play it on my Saturn like the SFIII project?
Will do. Actually, you may luck out compared to emulator users because SSF, the one emulator currently capable of playing Dragon Force II reliably, allows a maximum of 170 troops in the battlefield or else it freezes. I've always wondered if the original hardware would fare better. You may be interested in tracking down a copy of the Japanese version and seeing if there's any such problems.
I do have a copy of the Japanese version. Since Dragon Force 1 could do 200 troops +2 generals i'm pretty sure that DFII can do at least that. I'll try to get into the game later this week and see if i can figure out the maximum number of units it can handle.
Very nice. Love what you guys have in this video. Though might I add, instead of having "Order 1" and Order 2" change it to "Troop 1" and "Troop 2" and for "Use Magic" to "Special," like in the first DF. How much do you guys have translated??
I wouldn't mind working on the graphics. Learning how to do pixels characters and redefining them and maybe the portraits.
Within the fan translation scene, keeping the original as pure and faithful to the original as possible is highly valued -- though we'll see about changing things when it fits better with the English translation of the first Dragon Force. The project is still in an early stage, but is going incredibly smoothly.
I also thought about improving spell animations and graphics at first as well, but when you spend significant time with the game, the original state of the graphics will grow on you.
...But if you're good with Photoshop, I think it would be grand if we could issue a partial "instruction booklet" in PDF format with the character descriptions and game soldier types, similar to what WD did with the first Dragon Force game. Thus, some neat graphic designs suitable for game instruction booklets is welcome.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I've gotten so used to the graphics in DF 1 that I would have loved to seen it in that format. I haven't really beaten it because I love how you can choose the different faction and the story that goes along with that certain faction. And like you said the spell could use a tweak, because the fireball that was in the video seems to be frame skipping.
If you can get past the change in art and music direction from the first game, Dragon Force II is a real treat. Since the strategy is much more varied (way more troop types and commands available), Dragon Force II has aged very well compared to DF I.
Probably the hardest thing to get used to will be the music; I spiced up this video with some Dead Can Dance, so this isn't in-game audio aside from sound effects. Check out the "Dragon Force II Music Expo" videos for a taste of the in-game BGMs
Are you guys still doing this project?
RyuuMasken 5 months ago
@RyuuMasken Check out the channel I'm posting from, dude! Also, you can find more on reinofhearts' channel and some more recent uploads to FaustWolf's channel.
VerveFanworks 5 months ago
Man, It's awesome that someone is actually working on this game. the first one was SO amazing. It seems a wonder that they didn't localize DF2. I would definitely love to help in any way I could. I could understand most of the audio content but for the life of me I can't read a bit of japanese.
tycho042 10 months ago
What alphabet do they use more in the game? Katakana or Hiragana or is it full of Kanji? Knowing my luck it's probably an equal mix of the 3. I'm learning Japanese and I would rather focus on what this game requires.
SeanUCF 11 months ago
HS!@! I never knew about this. thumbs up!! you couldnt have picked a better game to make me blast out of the roof.
700gsteak 1 year ago
don't worry, i'm not gonna harrass ya to see how much u've done ^.^ just wanted to keep the interest going... i totally would love to play this and be able to read what the hell everyone is saying :P i've actually started playing around with the sprite rips from the first Dragon Force game... trying to hi-res them a bit. they're pretty simple looking so it's not too hard, just a bit labour intensive so i haven't done much :P anyways, can't wait! good luck!
pinknips69 1 year ago
how far has the patch come along?
ShadowWolfRising 1 year ago
@ShadowWolfRising Ask me that again around New Year's and you'll like the answer much better. :) I'll do another preview video around that time, hopefully showing off some of the translated story scenes too.
FaustWolf 1 year ago
I am so looking forward to the english version of this I wish I could help translate but I'm clueless
RemoteFortress 1 year ago
Will this (someday) be playable on a modded Saturn or only via emulator? Maybe some members of the shining force III translation project are willing to help after their (also great) project is finished. Keep it up!
Omnibot2010 1 year ago
@Omnibot2010 No promises, mainly because I'm not sure anyone on the project team has a modded Saturn to test on. Sandslice (the main translator so far) might, or she might have a Japanese Saturn. I'm playing and testing with the emulator SSF myself.
FaustWolf 1 year ago
Comment removed
Omnibot2010 1 year ago
@FaustWolf Thanks for your answer. I'm quite sure if it works on an emulator, it will most likely work on the "real thing". I just bought an original japanese Disc of the Game, ready to patch it in a few Years :-) Please don't let this great project die.
Omnibot2010 1 year ago
Comment removed
Omnibot2010 1 year ago
This is awesome, I just started playing dragon force 2 since I finally got a working emulator, my brother owns the game but doesn't have a Japanese Saturn so he was very happy to play it on my computer. I wish I knew how to do what you guys need help with because I'd love to help but I'm kind of useless because I don't know Japanese :( But the game is awesome even though some things about the first one are superior its still badass. Id be happy with just menu/item translations hehe
Biodth88 1 year ago
@Biodth88 No prob. It'll still be awhile before it's complete (unless the team gets a sudden rush of translators!) but if you can remember us long enough to spread the word when it's finally done that'd be great!
With some trial and error you'll be able to figure out the menu commands. The fact that different types of generals have different troop commands will throw you for a loop at first, but keep at it and you'll find a really deep and rewarding game!
FaustWolf 1 year ago
@FaustWolf I've already told at least 5 people I know that love the game, but sadly none of them know Japanese either so its just more hype instead of help >_< I'll spread the word as much as possible and maybe I'll get lucky and find someone who can help with the works.
Biodth88 1 year ago
You guys are awesome for doing this! What a great game DF was. Too bad I duno how to do any of that or I would volunteer XD.... anywho, good luck and thanks for your efforts!
kamacost 1 year ago
Well Faust, I really wish I had any experience at all in translating, because i'm a huge fan of the first Dragon Force. I'd never taken a look at the 2nd dragon force once I found out it was in japanese only, but finding your Localization Project has gotten me quite excited.
I know you're still pretty far off from finishing, but I look forward to any public releases you guys make. Subfuckingscribed.
PhurgawtiN 1 year ago
Having the battle menu mostly done is quite an accomplishment and makes me happy someone even tried working on this. I hope the project isn't dead. I'm totally behind you guys. Dragon Force is one of my all-time favorite RPGs
Vykrom 1 year ago
@Vykrom In the words of Styx, "We're not...dead...yet!!"
Next thing on our agenda is to finish translating and inserting the text for gameplay (non-story) elements. That will happen later this summer, to be followed by a video showing the project's progress. My hope is the video will draw in a final burst of translators to help with the storyline dialogue, of which there is a LOT! Still too early to project a release for the translation patch. :(
FaustWolf 1 year ago
OH!! good luck on this!! Always been one of my dreams that this was playable one day!! I remember back in the day, Dragon Force and Guardian Heroes were the shit!
anonypc 1 year ago
@anonypc Thanks! Expect an update in September showing the project's progress. There's a very long ways to go yet, but this will be a real treat when the project is finished. As always, we're keeping an eye out for translation help!
FaustWolf 1 year ago
I know this is kinda old but... what happened with the translation? Did you guys finally translated it? Or at least a good part of the argument... or the menus... whatever. Did you?
Briault 1 year ago
@Briault
Still goin'! We could use some more help on the translation side though. Sandslice has a ton of the pre-battle banter complete, in addition to lots of miscellaneous text. I'll probably do another video several months from now to show off what's been done so far, and to generate more interest on the part of potential translators.
FaustWolf 1 year ago
Hehe, this is why it's important not to give out release dates for projects like this. The reason why these drag on is because paid work, family matters, etc., have to take precedence over volunteer projects. Rest assured that we haven't given up on it, and will continue plugging away.
FaustWolf 1 year ago
@LordofDarkness70
I think what matters most are the technical options set up in SSF. If you check the video details on the lefthand sidebar now, you'll find a link to a picture illustrating a compatible setup in the "Program" options. Check your "Program" setup and set it to these values, then restart and see if the game will load the battle for you.
Yeah, Faust was cool. Probably part of the reason why Junon's was my fave scenario, aside from the fact that Junon looks like Darth Vader.
FaustWolf 2 years ago
Er, "righthand sidebar." Whoopsie, I hate it when that happens.
FaustWolf 2 years ago
hi FaustWolf, I linked to this YouTube video from your post in Gamefaqs. I completed this game when it first released on Saturn about 10 years ago? Back then, I didn't understand any Japanese and just played without really knowing much about the story. Now, with a little bit of proficiency in Japanese, I intend to replay this game again. Reason for it being an awesome game and also to improve my Japanese language.
smurfchang 2 years ago
Seems like you already gotten a good translator in your team else I would be gladly request to take part in the project. As a programmer by occupation, I am also quite interested to learn about game emulations like how they build emulators, etc. Can you point me to some place where I can learn about it? I guess modifying the text scipts is one of the best area to begin with.
smurfchang 2 years ago
Check your PMs smurfchang!
FaustWolf 2 years ago
Comment removed
smurfchang 2 years ago
I'm so happy to hear this is getting translated. I still own the original game for my saturn and got the sega ages to try out the second, but i can't read japanese, so this is awesome. I just signed up on GameFAQs (been using that site for years ^.^) and have all the sprites you've released and was wondering (since the boards are archived and i couldn't ask there) if you're gonna release DF2 sprites as well? i've been itching to make my own DF game with game maker and i'd love more sprites.
pinknips69 2 years ago
Pink, if you're able to code (preferably in Flash) or have art talent, you might be able to partner up with someone who's planning out a sort of online Dragon Force type game. PM me if interested.
Otherwise, I'm still arranging the sprites liberated by Fenrisul's SPROUT viewer and that'll take me until Christmas, when I hope to release all the sheets in nice orderly fashion.
Dragon Force II uses compression for its graphics, buuuut...it looks like a very simple decompression routine :)
FaustWolf 2 years ago
unfortunately i don't get a lot of time for this kind of stuff, so i doubt i'd be very helpful. i have VERY limited coding experience, but my art skills are pretty good. i've done sprite sheets for fighter maker and they do take a lot of time. the online game idea sounds brilliant! the game i'm thinking about making is gonna be like a mix of my favourite games using dragon force as the main inspiration. IF i actually get the game somewhat playable i'll definately share it.
pinknips69 2 years ago
im so freaking stoked for this. will i be able to use an original saturn? and what is the estimated time that this will be complete and ready to sale?
Anifreak1307 2 years ago
At first I was actually considering approaching Sega for some kind of official download distribution, but there's just no infrastructure for it; Sega's dropped the Saturn like a bad memory, whereas it's re-releasing Genesis downloadable content.
Thus, this project will be distributed as a patch like other non-official translations. A modded Saturn would be needed, but you're better off tracking down a copy of the game and using an emulator.
As for release date, it's still too early to say.
FaustWolf 2 years ago
thanks for the info. and where can we find updates on the project?
Anifreak1307 2 years ago
You can feel free to ask here currently, though the most likely answer will be: "We're working on it." ;) There'll be a nifty release video certainly, but it's still to early to suggest a release date.
FaustWolf 2 years ago
thanks so much for answering my questions just one last one. do you plan on having the whole thing translated? and possible voice translations?
Anifreak1307 2 years ago
Yup, the team has an awesome translator, and I hope to gather one or two more to pitch in as we go along. This is going to be a long-haul sort of thing, and everything will get translated.
I was considering voice redubbing early on as well, but as you can no doubt tell from the video the original Japanese voices were pretty much spot-on. Seeing negative reaction to suggestions that the Policenauts team should redub has pretty much dissuaded me from pushing for it altogether. 99.9% unlikely.
FaustWolf 2 years ago
Unfortunately i can't be of much help :/ Just wanted to let you know that i support this project and it's gonna rock my world when it's finished! :p
Konsolkongen 2 years ago
This is gonna be so awesome! Dragon Force 1 is one of my favorite games on the Saturn! I played trough it last year and i think it plays just as well now as it did then.
I have the JAP version of DFII but haven't played it yet, and won't until the patch is released (hopefully). I agree that DF1's "Gunstar Heroes" graphics looked better but it would be a shame to alter the style of DFII IMO.
I hate emulators so will this patch be released so i can play it on my Saturn like the SFIII project?
Konsolkongen 2 years ago
I assume a modded Saturn would be needed at the very least. We haven't looked into this matter yet.
The graphics may on you. I didn't like them at first, but now I love them and think DFI looks weird, haha.
FaustWolf 2 years ago
I have a modded Saturn for the Shining Force III fan translations. It works very well and is extremely easy to install (on a model 2 Saturn at least).
If you ever need any testing on the real hardware let me know :)
Konsolkongen 2 years ago
Will do. Actually, you may luck out compared to emulator users because SSF, the one emulator currently capable of playing Dragon Force II reliably, allows a maximum of 170 troops in the battlefield or else it freezes. I've always wondered if the original hardware would fare better. You may be interested in tracking down a copy of the Japanese version and seeing if there's any such problems.
FaustWolf 2 years ago
I do have a copy of the Japanese version. Since Dragon Force 1 could do 200 troops +2 generals i'm pretty sure that DFII can do at least that. I'll try to get into the game later this week and see if i can figure out the maximum number of units it can handle.
Konsolkongen 2 years ago
Very nice. Love what you guys have in this video. Though might I add, instead of having "Order 1" and Order 2" change it to "Troop 1" and "Troop 2" and for "Use Magic" to "Special," like in the first DF. How much do you guys have translated??
I wouldn't mind working on the graphics. Learning how to do pixels characters and redefining them and maybe the portraits.
1thru8 2 years ago
Within the fan translation scene, keeping the original as pure and faithful to the original as possible is highly valued -- though we'll see about changing things when it fits better with the English translation of the first Dragon Force. The project is still in an early stage, but is going incredibly smoothly.
I also thought about improving spell animations and graphics at first as well, but when you spend significant time with the game, the original state of the graphics will grow on you.
FaustWolf 2 years ago
...But if you're good with Photoshop, I think it would be grand if we could issue a partial "instruction booklet" in PDF format with the character descriptions and game soldier types, similar to what WD did with the first Dragon Force game. Thus, some neat graphic designs suitable for game instruction booklets is welcome.
FaustWolf 2 years ago
Yeah, I know what you mean. I've gotten so used to the graphics in DF 1 that I would have loved to seen it in that format. I haven't really beaten it because I love how you can choose the different faction and the story that goes along with that certain faction. And like you said the spell could use a tweak, because the fireball that was in the video seems to be frame skipping.
1thru8 2 years ago
Awesome, the psx never had a game like this. I mean, they had brigandine, but that's shit compared to this.
IdeonFukkatsu 2 years ago
If you can get past the change in art and music direction from the first game, Dragon Force II is a real treat. Since the strategy is much more varied (way more troop types and commands available), Dragon Force II has aged very well compared to DF I.
Probably the hardest thing to get used to will be the music; I spiced up this video with some Dead Can Dance, so this isn't in-game audio aside from sound effects. Check out the "Dragon Force II Music Expo" videos for a taste of the in-game BGMs
FaustWolf 2 years ago
Scythe will stay dead when Averus stops obsessing over his "nee-san" Celine. Seriously. :)
Sandokiri 2 years ago
Scythe just won't stay dead, will she?
cjiwakura 2 years ago