Translating Lunar Silver Star Story 1.5.1

[TrekkiesUnite118]

Did you use the PC fmv for the MPEG version as well? The ones for the "remastered" use the PC ones with upscale filter, so no improvement there.

For the MPEG version the video is unchanged. Only the audio was swapped.

I registered just to mention I am trying to upgrade the video for the mpeg of the game. I increase the quality while still being in 240p (color correction, better compression) but I am having issues repacking the files to test. I would not mind providing the mpg's.

Here is a comparison:

The MPEG disc is tricky to rebuild due to how it's structured. As a result we didnt swap video files entirely. @Mr Conan made the patcher swap the audio only. That said there's more than just downscaling to 240p. The actual resolution is 320x224 I think you'll find. Also the audio format needs to match the original and the bitrate needs to be in spec.

 

[S.Madman]

For the MPEG version the video is unchanged. Only the audio was swapped.


The MPEG disc is tricky to rebuild due to how it's structured. As a result we didnt swap video files entirely. @Mr Conan made the patcher swap the audio only. That said there's more than just downscaling to 240p. The actual resolution is 320x224 I think you'll find. Also the audio format needs to match the original and the bitrate needs to be in spec.

I matched both audio and video format. The original japanese one is 240p, I even matched the bitrate, I would just need to swap in the US audio. The color hue was completely wrong, and the blocks are so visible compared to my version that its worse than a lego version of a Gameboy pokemon character.

I would have to either be lower in size or identically the same to avoid the Saturn from accessing the wrong portion on the disc/image, and to avoid breaking your awesome patch. I think the problem I am having is that I need to unpack the iso and then repack it.

I am just not finding any modern software that does that, and I am too old to start writing one.

If you guys want it, I can send it, and then you can tell what you need for me to modify to be usable.

Edit: you are right about the resolution is 320x224, and the audio is dual-mono? The MPEG card is capable of outputting 704x480. The only reason I can think of is file size. I need to fix this. I also need to see if the Saturn is able to output at 240p with the game on it.

 

[derek (ateam)]

I matched both audio and video format. The original japanese one is 240p, I even matched the bitrate, I would just need to swap in the US audio. The color hue was completely wrong, and the blocks are so visible compared to my version that its worse than a lego version of a Gameboy pokemon character.

I would have to either be lower in size or identically the same to avoid the Saturn from accessing the wrong portion on the disc/image, and to avoid breaking your awesome patch. I think the problem I am having is that I need to unpack the iso and then repack it.

I am just not finding any modern software that does that, and I am too old to start writing one.

If you guys want it, I can send it, and then you can tell what you need for me to modify to be usable.

Edit: you are right about the resolution is 320x224, and the audio is dual-mono? The MPEG card is capable of outputting 704x480. The only reason I can think of is file size. I need to fix this. I also need to see if the Saturn is able to output at 240p with the game on it.

I haven't looked at this disc image closely, but cd-replace is a great general purpose tool for replacing files in a CUE/BIN disc image and rebuilding all sector/ECC/etc. data therein.

https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/852/

Maybe worth a shot? I know Trekkies said there are some quirks to this one, so I'm not optimistic.

 

[Mr Conan]

@derek (ateam) I'm doubtful that will work. My notes on the CD layout are on my old laptop which is in some basement corner right now. My recollection is that the MPEG2 tracks are in Mode 2 in the track 2 (track 3?) area and there are some complicating factors. Knight's tool does not currently support this game, which is why the patch uses xdelta. Track 1 contains the normal game data.

Regarding the MPEG2 data, the game is using some sort of library, or library parameters where it wants to see certain mux parameters in the headers. I tried converting regular video to MPEG2 with ffmpeg and the game would not take it. Here is what worked:
1. Encode Video Elementary Stream using tmpegenc at 1100k cbr. I used TMPEGEnc trial version 2.5 (TMPGEnc-2.525.64.184-EN). If you want to add subtitles, just add them in prior to encoding with tmpeg.
2. Encode Audio Stream at 192kbps 44.1kHz. (If you use ffmpeg then something like, ffmpeg -i an000.avi -ab 192000 -ar 44100 Audio_1.mp2 )

I then wrote a program that would take in both elementary streams, and overwrite the existing data in-place. This preserved the MPEG2 headers and kept the game code happy. The limitation here is that you cannot extend the audio/video past the current playtime. This only impacts trying to import in some of the WD videos that added some extra video.

After you modify the track with the new MPEG2 data, you then create another xdelta for that track, and theres your patch.

If someone figures out something simpler that works and that can raise the bitrate, I wont complain. For now that program is the best i have to offer. Its also sitting on that PC, so ill have to dig it up.

 

[Mr Conan]

Looks like I have a copy of the program. Runs on x86 windows.

Usage: updatePS.exe fname.bin Input_Dir Method;
Method: 1=Audio Overwrite, 2=Video Overwrite, 3=Both

Fname.bin should be track2 of the redump version of the game.
You need to have the audio and video files inside of the specified input directory.
Audio files need to be named Audio_1.mp2 , Audio_2.mp2 , Audio_3.mp2 , ... Audio_N.mp2
Video files need to be named Video_1.m1v , Video_2.m1v , Video_3.m1v , ... Video_N.m1v

** Disclaimer - I'm not looking to incorporate anything derived from the rerelease for the time being, so feel free to make a separate track2 only patch if you want. Too paranoid of C&Ds. My copy just got shipped in the mail today....

 

[derek (ateam)]

@derek (ateam) I'm doubtful that will work. My notes on the CD layout are on my old laptop which is in some basement corner right now. My recollection is that the MPEG2 tracks are in Mode 2 in the track 2 (track 3?) area and there are some complicating factors.

As suspected! And cd-replace only supports MODE0/MODE1 disc images.

 

[S.Madman]

Looks like I have a copy of the program. Runs on x86 windows.

Usage: updatePS.exe fname.bin Input_Dir Method;
Method: 1=Audio Overwrite, 2=Video Overwrite, 3=Both

Fname.bin should be track2 of the redump version of the game.
You need to have the audio and video files inside of the specified input directory.
Audio files need to be named Audio_1.mp2 , Audio_2.mp2 , Audio_3.mp2 , ... Audio_N.mp2
Video files need to be named Video_1.m1v , Video_2.m1v , Video_3.m1v , ... Video_N.m1v

** Disclaimer - I'm not looking to incorporate anything derived from the rerelease for the time being, so feel free to make a separate track2 only patch if you want. Too paranoid of C&Ds. My copy just got shipped in the mail today....

Epic that you remember where all this goes, and you found the your custom program. That was a concern with making it. The laser targets a specific spot on the disc, and if it's not there it says no can do sir, and gives an error manifested as a black screen crash.

I experimented with CBR on the video at around that rate, and only got an odd stutter halfway thru it, but I got it fixed.

The audio coincidentally is in the same parameters I used minus the odd usage of dual-mono channels in .mp2,

One mono channel handles the left and other the right channel.

I have a sealed copy, that I have refused to open for about 15 years (since I got the PC version).

But I am just going to order an open one and see if this is how the original was. I remember the original disc being in the correct color hue when a buddy of mine had it in the late 90's. I got a feeling whoever repacked it back then (original Japanese one) edited the video to make it fit on a regular CD-R.

One advantage that it has (and I hope the original follows) is that there is audio on the beginning, and the end of each video. Audacity has a auto record feature that starts recording audio, and it auto stops when it stops "hearing it". So I play the Japanese one, record it which creates a timer, which I then use to match the English one to. It speeds up editing by a lot.

Edit : I am also going to check if the real cd has dual-mono audio. This is too strange for them to have used.