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Phantasy Star III: Script Unhackable?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:10 am
by Edge
It'd appear Aridia(http://www.huguesjohnson.com/aridia/) doesn't support editing text that is longer than one message box... It keeps giving an error about how many characters are used rather you use more or less or dead even than it's original.

When I tried to edit the rom with a hex editor, and edit one of these strings of text that are longer than one square, it makes the game start with a red screen, and then doesn't run, and if you try to open it with Aridia to repair the checksum, Aridia doesn't recognize it anymore.

Any suggestions on how to fix this to edit the game script?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 7:57 am
by BenoitRen
Aridia can't expand the available space for text. I've tried hacking the script myself a couple years back, but I've been unable to locate the pointer table, whose modification would allow me to change it.

Most hacking documentation is for the SNES, unfortunately.

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:24 pm
by Edge
Actually I figured it out... The problem was the fact it doesn't support quotes (") or (:) so you have to use two apostrophes (' ') together ('').... SO! Hacking the script is back in progress.

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 7:44 pm
by Edge
Well, isn't that annoying as hell...

"I am honored that youøwant to marry me, Rhys.ìPerhaps someday we willìfind out where I'm fromìand who I am!ì"

See that funky "i" it uses to separate it, and open another box? The editor actually won't edit those scripts cause it considers the "ì" an illegal character in the font... SO NOW I'M STUCK >_<

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:20 pm
by rodrigo
I didn't understand.

what can't you edit?

if you change something in that sentence what happens?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 4:18 pm
by Edge
Okay, let me explain... The editor doesn't support odd fonting... Characters such as " / < > you know, stuff not in the game...

Lets say Your monitor is a handyødevice. Use it to findìout where you are in theìworld. for example...

Your monitor is a handyødevice. Use it to findìout where you are in theìworld.

Now, lets tell you what these things mean...

ø = Use the next line of the current box in text, so...

Your monitor is a handy
device. Use it to find

ì = This is NOT a normal i, this character means, make a new box, for the next line of text...

NOW, the editor can edit anything you want it to edit, but when you have a message that uses more than one text box, then they use "ì", as a result of this, the editor thinks that "ì" is an illegal character and does not accept you to use it, and says "Illegal font"

I have emailed Hughes Johnson (The genius creator of Aridia), he replied

"That's a pain - I thought I fixed it for all those funky characters, must be one I missed. I should experiment to see what happens if I just change those all to blanks."

We also had a chat before that about some other updating I suggested that he was interested in cracking the editor open to try out...

Anyhow, for now, unless I can find a way to hex edit this rom, without ruining the header (which somehow must be possible cause I can change names np) the script hack is on hold.

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 5:08 pm
by rodrigo
hope it works someday

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 5:30 pm
by Edge
My girlfriend is going out with one of her girlfriends later tonight, when she does, I will attempt to see if it's Hexable.