Extracting PSP game data files (Code Geass: Lost Colors)

[ShoujoQ]

Hello,

 

I'm considering translating a PSP visual novel (Code Geass: Lost Colors) and while I've been able to unpack various parts of the game data, I'm running into a wall attempting to get the scenario text out of the file I believe it to be stored in - /PSP_GAME/SYSDIR/UPDATE/DATA.BIN.

 

If anyone has any knowledge of how to unpack and repack these files, please let me know! I can supply the file in question if needed by PM or by query on IRC (I idle the #fuwanovel IRC channel on Rizon whenever I'm online - my nick there is Shoujo_Q, or Shoujo_Gone).

Update: Disregard question about /UPDATE/DATA.BIN, but still looking for advice/help on unpacking/repacking game data files, especially scenario text, for this title.

 

Hello,

 

I'm considering translating a PSP visual novel (Code Geass: Lost Colors) and while I've been able to unpack various parts of the game data, I'm running into a wall attempting to get the scenario text out of the file I believe it to be stored in - /PSP_GAME/SYSDIR/UPDATE/DATA.BIN.

 

If anyone has any knowledge of how to unpack and repack these files, please let me know! I can supply the file in question if needed by PM or by query on IRC (I idle the #fuwanovel IRC channel on Rizon whenever I'm online - my nick there is Shoujo_Q, or Shoujo_Gone).

Update: Disregard question about /UPDATE/DATA.BIN, but still looking for advice/help on unpacking/repacking game data files, especially scenario text, for this title.

[Funyarinpa]

IIRC .bin files were mountable using Daemon Tools. If not, there's a program called IsoHunter which, I think, can unpack .bin files. DT is freeware but IH is not.

[ShoujoQ]

IIRC .bin files were mountable using Daemon Tools.

It depends on the .BIN, to be honest. They're not all actually disc images, some are just binary blobs. Windows (or whatever OS you're on) still has to recognise the file as an actual disc image to be able to open it. Virtual CloneDrive (basically the same thing as Daemon Tools) does not recognise this file, which means that it's probably not a disc image (unlike the actual .ISO file that is dumped from the UMD).

I'll see what Daemon Tools gives me, anyway.

[ShoujoQ]

I'll see what Daemon Tools gives me, anyway.

Nada. Doesn't even recognise it - which is what I expected.

Also, the only Google results for IsoHunter are for the similarly-named torrent website.

[Scorp]

/PSP_GAME/SYSDIR/UPDATE folder used in UMD's for PSP Firmware updates. It have no relation to game itself, and obv it have no game text.

[ShoujoQ]

/PSP_GAME/SYSDIR/UPDATE folder used in UMD's for PSP Firmware updates. It have no relation to game itself, and obv it have no game text.

Hm, ok, thanks. I'm new to learning how PSP games work.

FWIW, there is some game related text in /PSP_GAME/SYSDIR/EBOOT.BIN (once decrypted with jpcsp), but it does not appear to be scenario text (looks like character names).

Back to the drawing board on trying to find the actual scenario text, I guess.

[Scorp]

You know japanese? Or you know how to do asm hacks?

[ShoujoQ]

You know japanese? Or you know how to do asm hacks?

I know Japanese well enough to translate, yes - I even used to translate for anime fansubs before I quit a couple of years ago.

[Scorp]

Actually someone already translated lot of stuff. http://code-geass-lost-colors-translation.yolasite.com/emulator-patch.php and even made a patch.

 

You can take his textes and contact him to provide you with further info... In case if he did not typed all textes manually, obv.

 

What I can say that most probably scripts are inside the root.cvm, compressed. You can actually extract files, using this tool: http://forum.xentax.com/viewtopic.php?p=67532#p67532 to convert CVM to ISO, but they are compressed themselves (I believe files with OOCH signature are game text scripts).

[ShoujoQ]

Actually someone already translated lot of stuff. http://code-geass-lost-colors-translation.yolasite.com/emulator-patch.php and even made a patch.

Yes, this person abandoned the project, and their patch was actually a plugin for an emulator that hooked and replaced text on the fly. This is a bit different to what I am seeking to do (patch the files on the PSP image itself) and, as even the person behind that project admitted, their emulator patch was meant as a stopgap on the way to the kind of patch I am seeking to make.

 

and contact him to provide you with further info

I have already sent him an email at the only address I could find (listed on one of his light novel project pages). Hopefully he responds.

 

What I can say that most probably scripts are inside the root.cvm, compressed. You can actually extract files, using this tool: http://forum.xentax.com/viewtopic.php?p=67532#p67532 to convert CVM to ISO, but they are compressed themselves (I believe files with OOCH signature are game text scripts).

Yes, I have already managed to unpack the root.cvm file into its constituent .P files (which is what the tool you've linked does). Using another tool called kallen (appears to have been developed for this game specifically), I have managed to unpack most of these - they are mostly graphic files or tables of characters like this:

No game text that I've seen, but some of the files don't seem to contain any intelligible information at all and are quite small, so perhaps these are additionally encrypted/compressed text? If so, do you have any ideas about how to unpack (and repack) these files?

[Scorp]

Most likely these small files contain script, that's what I meant. Your only choice is to reverse that with debugger. Ask someone who know how to do it or educate yourself it seems.

[ShoujoQ]

Ask someone who know how to do it

That was kind of the purpose of this thread, tbh...

 

or educate yourself it seems.

...in the meantime, I'll keep attempting to get at these files.

[Scorp]

As you tell there is lot of images with text, then I could assum that game uses custom table text encoding. So it could be that these short files still contain meaningful data just you need to corellate it with the actual font images. This is just a guess, though, so could be wrong.

[ShoujoQ]

So it could be that these short files still contain meaningful data just you need to corellate it with the actual font images.

Kind of hard (for me) to make heads-or-tails of stuff like that. And yes, the character set is correct (Shift-JIS).

This is where I get lost.

[Scorp]

This file is definitely packed, according to your screenshot.

[ShoujoQ]

This file is definitely packed, according to your screenshot.

[Kirashi]

Before anything, I want to make sure one thing: are you serious about this project? I can ask a friend of mine to take a look over this game. He is very good with this kind of stuff and since he is a big fan of CG, I'm pretty sure he'll manage to do something for you if he has the time.

[ShoujoQ]

Before anything, I want to make sure one thing: are you serious about this project?

Yes, I'm a huge fan of Code Geass and I've been looking for something that tickles my fancy to translate for a little while now.

I can ask a friend of mine to take a look over this game. He is very good with this kind of stuff and since he is a big fan of CG, I'm pretty sure he'll manage to do something for you if he has the time.

Awesome. Check your PM folder - I'll send you my email address so you (or your friend) can get in contact with me that way.

[Kelebek1]

That file you print-screened up there is compressed, but what you said before makes me think you've already been able to decompress the archives? After you extracted the .P files, you used kallen to decompress them, so why not with that one you screenshot? Did it fail or something?

[ShoujoQ]

That file you print-screened up there is compressed, but what you said before makes me think you've already been able to decompress the archives? After you extracted the .P files, you used kallen to decompress them, so why not with that one you screenshot? Did it fail or something?

It doesn't work for the text script files, just for font files and graphics (GIMs, which can be converted to and from PNG with gimconv).

[Kelebek1]

Well it should be the same archive type, it looks exactly the same. When you say doesn't work, what do you mean?

 

I've sort of lost interest though, so if the guy who may help above wants, the decrypt code is right at 0x0880F8A0, I dunno what the rest of the function actually does. The OOCH header is read at 0x0885D750.

[ShoujoQ]

Well it should be the same archive type, it looks exactly the same. When you say doesn't work, what do you mean?

I mean it produces a file with a PSP header and a bunch of null (all the way down, except for one or two isolated characters):

[Kelebek1]

Well that'll be the extracted file then. Should try checking the bigger files, like the CH_ and CT_ ones. I had no hits in memory for the text in UTF8, UTF16 or SJIS form, so I'm pretty sure the game will just use the character index for each character.

[ShoujoQ]

Should try checking the bigger files, like the CH_ and CT_ ones.

[Scorp]

Well that'll be the extracted file then. Should try checking the bigger files, like the CH_ and CT_ ones. I had no hits in memory for the text in UTF8, UTF16 or SJIS form, so I'm pretty sure the game will just use the character index for each character.

That's same guess as mine, so most likely that's how it is. Also could be even more interesting encoding (tokenization with parts of image, like that crazy encoding done in PSX version of Parasite Eve 2, which had a special font image per each screen image - but I am almost sure here is used most standard approach like encoding by image), but for sure it is not a plain text.

 

ShoujoQ that's quite slow work to find the encoding, create table and make decoder/re-encoder, so seems you need someone really dedicated and not that usual "i can hack using existing tools and hexeditor" approach.