Messages

16

The Lost Sanctum - Completed Items / Re: [2000] Collect Masato Kato's Twitter Drawings

« on: May 23, 2018, 11:23:44 pm »

Yes,we can KICK ASS! I want you to KICK ASS!　なわけで、キック・アスな人（笑）

HE LIKED THE FUCKING MOVIE

Thanks for finding all these!

I hate to drudge up an old topic, but any backup for these? None of the links seem to work anymore.

17

The Great To-Do List / Re: [5000] Place all Chrono Cross lines in the script accurately

« on: May 23, 2018, 11:20:34 pm »

If it helps anyone on this, yaz0r gave me his original dumped fieldscripts:

http://chronofan.com/Black/Other/ccScript.rar

Many thanks for this. I still need to learn how to read these sort of files (pointers and all, need to learn from scratch) but this seems really helpful.

18

Chrono Cross Modification / Re: Chrono Cross 70-80% NTSC Beta (Disc 1 Only)

« on: May 23, 2018, 10:07:43 pm »

Holy fuck, he came back.

CrAzY, I'm in the same boat—I started having a regular income after some Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon protos were sold, and I've never seen them dumped.

We have to venerate nullpointer forever. I mean, this is huge! How does this not have more replies? I'm trying to think of what we can do, even if it's a super late build:

• Create a patch to reinstate the debug room for a normal ROM
• Dump the script—maybe this build was before Honeywood's late changes from Kato were in the game
• Dump textures—some were changed for the US release so maybe there are some intermediate versions
• And someone could literally just start a playthrough or something[/i]
  

Moving this thread into Chrono Cross Modification. nullpointer, we massively owe you.

Edit: I threw the link over to the TCRF's Discord. Maybe they'll investigate as well.

It gives me chills that so many years after the game, unreleased footage is still being released. I'd pay premium money for such a beta, and here NullPointer just releases it.

I saw the link on the Chrono Cross modifications page, and though "hey, how come I missed that a few months ago". Turned out it's a new development!

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Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: Chrono Cross

« on: May 23, 2018, 08:55:48 pm »

Well, it's true, CC characters have more depth. They're 3D, unlike Trigger's 2D. They do have a Z-axis. 

Anyway... huh, that's probably a first I'm reading about when comparing the characters.

I just think that Chrono Trigger's characters are to the point, which is great for the game. They don't start talking about what would happen if they would have become a fisherman - that would take away from the focus, and confuse us more than it would help the plot.

Which seems to be what Chrono Cross does. On the flip side, what do we really know about Chrono's personality, or Lucca's? Outside their occupations and pixel art, I mean. Cross has examples like that (Fungey?), but there were more than enough NPC's that had actual backgrounds, outside the plot. I felt for that fisherman, yo.

20

Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: French book incoming -- share your Chrono recollections!

« on: May 23, 2018, 08:34:52 pm »

Many thanks to the fan who's bringing this together. This series is slipping away from the internet, since it's quite aged and Square Enix hasn't worked on it since the last installment 20 years ago.

I think first question we should answer is "how is this different than any other game?" The beauty in gaming is that many have a particular series they love and swear by, that has brought them much joy. And I've always thought of them as inflating the worth of something by what they personally want (pardon my expression). Any experience can be meaningful if it comes at the right time and is simple enough to ring true to the audience, right?

This series did something a bit different for me. I've played a few games as a kid, and they were nice - like a good book, enough to pass the time, and give me a little journey until I was ready to go back to doing homework and going to school. There were some really good ones too - the Final Fantasy series, Phoenix Wright, Diablo 2... there wasn't a shortage of story-driven games to entertain me. I've heard of Chrono Trigger, and played most of it. It was fun, really enjoyable. Characters were good, story was great, and it was so cohesive - you never really appreciate how good something is until you've gone through ones that suffer from characters or a weak plot point.

One day, I decided to start up Chrono Cross. What frustrates me is that I can't explain this, but I was floored. I wasn't "hooked" or "addicted" or anything like that - I just stayed on each screen for half an hour, soaking up the maps, soundtrack, and NPC (Non-playable character) stories.

We've all heard this story before - the one story or gameplay or character that just must be the best, and grips this one person who can't stop telling others about it. Usually some fantasy setting that is the "dream" plot or setting this person wants to explore.

I cannot stress enough how unprepared I was for Chrono Cross. I never liked islands, I liked RPG's, but wasn't looking at them for happiness, and I sure as heck was not going to romanticize dragons or fantasy to be "the ultimate best place."

I still don't. Yet, this game floored me, again and again. The in-game characters' stories were not just interesting , they had depth . People wondering about where they came from, what meaning can they bring to the world. "How would things be different if I chose a different career path?", "What if I weren't here right now?" It was anything but direct - just like thoughts are. Cross didn't point character conversations in a direction, to give you clues about how to solve the game or whatever. It's not some cheap confined device that's supposed to make sense.

There is no "hero" in this game. The main character cannot, and will not, be the important person making everything happen. You are not able to save the world - or anyone, for that matter - without something else going wrong. This is life - and this is what happens in Chrono Cross. People take inspiration from games. Chrono Cross is my inspiration - there is no application from concept A to concept B, no identifying with the characters, and no setting that fits my comfort zone.

I love this game with every fiber within me. I don't remember half the plot, nor have some "epic" plot point I like rewatching. From beginning to end, this game makes me happy. Unconditionally, unequivocally, happy.

It's not something I can explain. It's easy to point to the stellar soundtrack, vibrant hand-drawn maps, character dialogue that goes deeper than any conversation we had in real life. But can I point to a specific item and understand why I can die for this game? No.

I work in a Fortune 50 company, making a good salary, having great friends and hobbies. I am successful. Yet I have never been happier than when I played Chrono Cross. If I love my wife half as much as I love this game, I will be a lucky person.

To me, this game has a soul. I could have been distracted that first day, and went on to play something else. And I wouldn't be unhappy. It would be... normal, the way it was before I discovered Cross. It's different now - it gave me something I didn't know I missed.

21

Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: Chrono Cross

« on: May 23, 2018, 08:14:47 pm »

Chrono Cross's atmosphere... I don't know where to begin. How do we even create such a thing? There's been plenty of games before and after, but I can't give advice as to creating art like this.

What it lacks in character depth and story, it excels at creating a vibrant world. One I wouldn't mind revisiting.

What schism exists between Cross and Trigger is simply because Trigger has flawless execution all across the board. It does everything right - there's no weak area (and just about the only complaint I hear about Trigger is that it's too short at around 30 hours): innovative combat that is still engaging today thanks to the tech combo system, an engaging and original storyline, some of the best 2D sprite graphics of the era, an amazing soundtrack, etc. Chrono Trigger simply did everything right.

I think this is what creates a disconnect between Trigger and Cross. To repeat the success of Trigger on a balancing scale (referring to balance as the above points, plus some) would have been capturing lightning in a bottle twice.

I'm curious to hear why you find the characters a bit shallow in Chrono Cross, but not in Chrono Trigger. Did you find the ones in Trigger to have more depth? I had the opposite impression.

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Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: Chrono Cross

« on: May 23, 2018, 12:08:05 am »

I'm surprised to hear that people are disappointed in Chrono Cross as a sequel. The interviews all show that it was never meant to be one - it's a new game entirely, with some tie-ins to the series. Are we still making this mistake 20 years down the line?

You can't get atmosphere like Chrono Cross anywhere else. I don't need a perfect plot in disk two - I'm content living my life in El Nido, speaking to every in-depth, thoughtful NPC disk one has to offer. I can do that for as long as it takes.

Convenience is annoying when games aren't innovative enough to distract from it. Not every fairy tale is stale because "what are the odds". There's a beauty to some things that bending the rules lends to.

This game offers me something I can't replicate. Chrono Trigger's story - sure, it'd be really hard to beat, but it's possible. It's the same concept we know, just done better and better until we perfect it.

Chrono Cross's atmosphere... I don't know where to begin. How do we even create such a thing? There's been plenty of games before and after, but I can't give advice as to creating art like this.

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Chrono Cross Modification / Re: Chrono Cross Single-Disk Project

« on: May 18, 2017, 02:42:43 pm »

Chrono Cross single disk. There are errors on the iso, so we will call it a beta version.
Known problems:
*In the video where the Serge is flying to the  terra tower there is no sound
Changes:
*All data from disk2 added to disk1.
*fix Viper tech bug in Termina
*fix Dario battel logic
*fix Criosphinx battel logic
Download: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2xNMW7TdGFfalNWeFRadnlLdFU
Please test it.

Thanks, I was looking to replay Chrono Cross sometime soon anyway. If I play it and find any issues, I'll let you know!

What's the text file though? Do I need it to play?

24

Chrono News / Re: Chrono Сross Modification

« on: August 23, 2016, 01:06:58 pm »

Kolt, I think you may have better luck if you show your talents and show that you're willing to put in the work. Do you have experience writing? Do you have samples? Are you willing, if no one else is, to soldier through until it's finished? Are you willing to learn how to use the software? The way you have been talking, saying you're not sure if you'll still have motivation in a mere month without other people to depend on, it doesn't inspire much faith. As someone who has been working on a fan game for YEARS, I recommend you check how deep the pool is before diving in.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I recently had a serous family issue, and am still working on that.

And like you said, it takes a lot of dedication to pull something like this off. Do I have that level of perseverance? I don't have a clue. But it can't hurt to try diving, and see where it goes. If it doesn't work out, whatever work is done will help future projects.

I'm not going to waste anyone else's time unless I know that there's a good chance I can keep running with this. I do have writing experience, I don't have samples, and I'm currently playing the game again to try and highlight the points that can be changed to make the most impact - from there that should give enough of a boost to continue with more mundane writing. As things stand, I don't need to know any of the software, hence the nod from Danetta and others.

People here have a lot of heart, and work heart for a long time to make things happen. I hope I'm one of those people, but to be honest I really don't know for sure.

25

Chrono News / Re: Chrono Сross Modification

« on: August 22, 2016, 06:40:20 pm »

It has been a long time since I replied to this forum. Oh, well. You have my support in this 100%.

Chrono Cross is a game I actually like more than Trigger as it is one of my favorite battle systems that has never been replicated in any other game I know.

I would like to ask, once the Battle system has been fixed/tweaked, and the story has been modified, would it be possible to add a hard mode to the game? One that is a separate setting within the game? I know there already a hard mod out there, but this is a one of a kind mod.

Thanks! I'm still here, but... busy. I'm currently looking over the script, and hopefully soon will start some concrete recommendations.

I think if the title screen's options are of the same sort as options in the game, it should be feasible. I don't know for sure though, Danetta could answer better than me.

26

Chrono News / Re: Chrono Сross Modification

« on: August 07, 2016, 11:51:48 pm »

kolt54321, I don't know how would we decide is a particular idea/scene/dialog is good or bad, should be implemented or not, but if you need some vizualization/realization of your work then we can provide so. I still will work on other areas for now, but Prizvel definitely can do story-related stuff. At least something like heavily commented script code to distingush modified code/scenes from original, partial implementatin (to let you see how your additions looks in-game), etc.

Also, I recommend you to read full Chrono Cross original script, even if you already did it or completed game many times. Just because you really need a starting point of view even for almost blank characters.

I don't yet know how we should organize stuff for teamwork yet, I will prepare single-disk for further use right now.

Hi! I'm using this as a placeholder for my response in a few hours.

But I do want to apologize for the lack of communication in the last few days. I had a serious family issue (I wouldn't wish it on anyone), and it's been somewhat rough. I'm back though, and am eager to get this started.

Would you have an idea where I could find the script? Like you, I thought I need to go over it too, to get a good idea of what can be improved.

On the topic of what to put in and what not, I'll get to that soon. Thank you for your patience!

27

Chrono News / Re: Chrono Сross Modification

« on: August 02, 2016, 09:24:40 pm »

@Danetta: By all means, you should follow your muse. One thing you might end up touching on while you're working on the combat system that could help people interested in modifying the game script is more information on what some of the unknown battlescript and even fieldscript opcodes do—there are quite a few of them. If you find out anything of that nature, post it or add it to the encyclopedia/wiki.

@kolt etc.: Modifying the game script is actually a two-part (maybe even three-part) problem. Tools like the suite Terminus Traductions put together for their translation work should already be able to modify the text itself, but I doubt they can alter the number of lines spoken, make the models move or gesture, etc. That requires modifying the fieldscript, which is ugly stuff and not completely understood. yaz0r wrote a decompiler for it, but I think the only way of changing it is with a hex editor. Does anyone else know of an existing tool that might help?

(The possible third part has to do with additional cut-scenes—in Cross, they're normally separate rooms...)

I think the most important question to ask at this point is, other than utunnels, myself, and Danetta, is there anyone reading this thread who knows anything at all about programming? Because if we're waiting for me to code some solution, well, I might get to it sometime around Christmas. Might.

Regardless, I don't think there's a need to wait for Danetta's go-ahead—better to treat his(?) work and this as two separate mod ideas at this point, and maybe move to a separate thread. The two sets of work can be recombined at a later date if we decide we want them to "go together".

The main reason I'm looking for a "go ahead" is because I know that I can't actually modify this myself. So unless I can find someone who's able to efficiently mod the game via the script, and is able to commit to doing so, it's difficult to start this project altogether.

If I could actually use the tools, manipulate cutscenes, and add dialogue lines myself I wouldn't be pushing for a commitment from anyone. Since I can't though, I'm at the short end of the stick. If we don't have someone on the programming side of things, we're a wishful fanfic at best. We can't get off the ground. If there's a thread, it would be a request for someone who can actually marry the modded script and the game.

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Chrono News / Re: Chrono Сross Modification

« on: August 02, 2016, 07:16:52 pm »

@kolt: Sadly I know next to nothing about hacking, otherwise I'd love to. In any case, it's probably a good idea to set up a GitHub project or something like that so that everyone can help.

Same. I don't know anything about hacking/modding either, so I guess we'll have to leave that to the pros. I think we could start a private subreddit for those involved. I would like to make it public but wouldn't want to catch SE's attention so soon...

I've been checking back on this periodically since I first saw it. I'm very interested in this project! If you need any help, I'll lend a hand (if I can). Maybe I can work with alfadorredux to give underdeveloped characters more dialogue or something.

Hey, great to have you! I can assure you, if this project gets off the ground, it will be fun. Of course, not everything is fun and games, but I think this is, more so than other projects.

What I'm really waiting for is the thumbs up from Danetta. I'm not sure if Danetta meant that I could start working on this by myself, or if she's willing to help me for now.

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Chrono News / Re: Chrono Сross Modification

« on: August 02, 2016, 10:44:43 am »

kolt54321 , I do understand your position, but my time very limited, sometimes my survival pushed to edges. I am working on Cross for several years and still haven't the job done.
I know about motivation factor and how it interfere with time, but I am sure we just can't die after more than 15 years. I mean, if we are STILL here and there then it's already not possible for things to be completely abandoned.

Chrono Cross modmaking is not an easy task, sometimes you are just fighting with invincible wall over and over even when you left easier tasks untouched. Some things discouraged me when I can't solve them for a long time, but I still fight them over and over, Something solved, something is not, I am not gonna say something like "anyway we will live longer than it takes to complete" because for someone it's simply may be not true.

Anyway, I am still here, other modmakers still here too. If YOU can do something (making Turnip the greatest character or whatever) then you can start your work at any moment.

I will not shift priorities from battle-system to story rearrangement, I will look to both directions. I am not a director or lead designer here, but if we can do something together (ongoing investigations are always great (it's just nice to be engaged, lovely digging through resources, code and stuff), but it is not content-creating activity), then we should do it. You have my "yes".

I understand how it is, it's tough sticking through with modding for years at a time. I was unaware there were other modders, I thought that this was the only mod project still active.

Practically speaking, my work can't start until I'm able to see how (at least some of) the text will look in-game. Fixing up the script without being able to see any of it in game until completion just raises uncertainty I'm not sure I could handle and still put my 100%. As I have no clue how to mod, program, or anything else of that nature, I'm helpless without you.

Because of this, I'm afraid I can't dig through anything. So I'm not sure if that's the only thing you'd like to partner up with right now, and leave the script-changing for another time, or you're giving me the thumbs up, dividing your attention on each front. Since I don't have any technical knowledge, let me know if you're still okay with this, or would rather leave this for another time. Thanks!

30

Chrono News / Re: Chrono Сross Modification

« on: August 01, 2016, 07:07:34 pm »

"We can never make everyone happy"

I'm happy either way, it's the start of a new Chrono era. Maybe this is what we needed to revive the flame for the series? Who knows, but I'm hyped anyway.

You may now continue. Please.

I never thought I would say these words, but we have to keep the hype going. Get people interested, not lose them. I don't want to see whatever interest we have gone in 2 weeks, like almost every other mod.

I will not stop - I can't give up. I've been sitting on my hands for too long. This is my favorite game of all time, and I want to apply whatever I gained from those merciless years as a critic to this game - go all out. The only thing that will stop me is pushing this off for another time. The uncertainty extinguishes my motivation.

I have ideas, grand ideas. I can make Turnip the most memorable character of all time if people want me to - watch me. Please Danetta, let's make this happen. If you don't want to right now, I respect that, and it's completely your decision. But I am available now, and if we shelve it for even another month I may not be in a position to get this done. In two weeks, I start the year, with work from 7 AM till 11 PM. If I'm going to be working until 2 AM on the script, I'd like to get into the habit now. I don't know if I can motivate myself to do it starting with a full workload.

DarioEMeloD, Would you like to be on board? No worries, it's not a commitment, more of an interest check right now.