WTB: Metal Slader Glory English Repro

[P]

I will do repro, no need to canibalize existing MMC5 games.

How good is this MMC5 clone? I'm not interested in the translation but I am interested in MMC5 repro boards.

[krzy]

It can mimic MMC5 in generally everything except for the EXRAM usage shared between CPU and PPU and the additional audio.
From what I just observed, Metal Glory uses the following features of MMC5:
* 4 x 8 kB PRG-banks,
* 2 x 4 kB CHR-banks,
* no external RAM, EXRAM used just for additional 1kb of RAM for CPU,
* multiplier,
*additional audio (just for the beeps during dialogs)


So it will be really easy to make.

But I would appreciate if somebody used this following modified FCEUx emulator which logs all MMC5 activity, then play the game for some time and send me the file: c:\mmc5_writes
(please change extension from fceux.mpg to fceux.zip because this wonderful forum engine does not allow zips to be attached)

[Kagemusha]

Hacker for the English translation here.

The game is currently playable on hardware through the NT Mini, so it's not like there aren't options available to play on hardware.

I'd personally rather see a new flashcart with larger PRG and CHR-ROM capacity with improved emulation etc, but if I had to choose over cannibalizing old boards or making new ones, the latter is the best option. There are plans for future updates to the translation, which is why I feel a flashcart is the best option. Why would you want to play an outdated version?

Legality issue aside, there's opportunist individuals who shamelessly take advantage of the goodwill by myself and others and that's what I least like about the repro community. Not to say everyone involved is like that, there are a few pretty cool folks like gywndion etc.

The English manual for the game should almost be complete, but I'm seriously thinking about adding a draconian watermark to discourage attempts at reproducing the manual illicitly.

Krikkz, can you add support for my Jajamaru Ninpou Chou translation to the Everdrive? I expanded the VRC2 mapper to 256kb, past its limitation. Also, can you add support for my upcoming SD Gundam Gaiden translation? That uses one of those Bandai mappers and it was also expanded past its limitation. It probably won't work on the Everdrive.

[famiac]

I think you're mistaking krzy for krikzz.

What are future plans for the translation?

[Retrospectives]

I think the same. He mistake of Krzy and krikkzz....Krzy is very good guy, and helped me debug strange mapper to fit into cart, and his "repro" bears nothing in similarity to original. Is just a very well made PCB with a generic cart shell and regards of label, absolutely nothing can be mistaken as "opportunist" when he not even try make "almost same as original". Only thing "reproduced" is the PCB. Rest totally generic and would be impossible take it as even "near to genuine".

If want make near 1:1 repro I am sure can be found other doing that, but with all respect, Krzy is no "opportunist" by any mean. Rather the opposite.

[Hiveul]

Hacker for the English translation here.

The game is currently playable on hardware through the NT Mini, so it's not like there aren't options available to play on hardware.

I'd personally rather see a new flashcart with larger PRG and CHR-ROM capacity with improved emulation etc, but if I had to choose over cannibalizing old boards or making new ones, the latter is the best option. There are plans for future updates to the translation, which is why I feel a flashcart is the best option. Why would you want to play an outdated version?

Legality issue aside, there's opportunist individuals who shamelessly take advantage of the goodwill by myself and others and that's what I least like about the repro community. Not to say everyone involved is like that, there are a few pretty cool folks like gywndion etc.

The English manual for the game should almost be complete, but I'm seriously thinking about adding a draconian watermark to discourage attempts at reproducing the manual illicitly.

Krikkz, can you add support for my Jajamaru Ninpou Chou translation to the Everdrive? I expanded the VRC2 mapper to 256kb, past its limitation. Also, can you add support for my upcoming SD Gundam Gaiden translation? That uses one of those Bandai mappers and it was also expanded past its limitation. It probably won't work on the Everdrive.

I understand your point and, trust me, if flash carts were a possibility, I wouldn't be pursuing a repro cartridge. I actually have fewer than 10 of those, and all of them are repros of things I couldn't have had on flashcarts otherwise at the time I purchased them. I am not interested in the slightest in owning a console such as the NT Mini, a huge part of the pleasure is seeing the NES being pushed to its limit, even if the cartridge is a custom board.

I went with Krzy first and foremost because he claimed to be able to make a custom board for it. The prospect of not having to destroy another donor cart is of importance to me as well. I can attest that, on top of this, his pricing actually ended up being below what most major websites ask for some of the easier repro projects, he's being more than fair about it considering he'll be using material and time to build this board that a donor cartridge based repro really doesn't require. I understand that I'll be stuck with an outdated version and I can live with it as is. I actually would've gotten the original game with the intention of actually playing the game on an emulator on the side, but the cartridge is far too expensive considering how I would derive very little actual game time from it in its original language.

I did not mean for you guys to feel like you're getting taken advantage of by this whole thing and I'm sorry I brought it up. I know it was inevitable anyway as this translation is a huge news story in my opinion, but I still feel like I might have opened up the floodgate for people to merchandise it. I understand that a lot of the credit for the very existence of this repro will be due to your work and I do not mean to belittle that all. If you guys have a donation link of some sort than I can verify as official for your translation team, I would be happy to send you something for all your work.

I am in absolute agreement that it'd be awesome to see less limited flash carts on the NES/Famicom absolutely murder the donor repro scene and people at flea markets selling pretend original cartridges of fan translation claiming they are somehow "rare". However, my collecting time is mostly behind me now. It'd have to be a flashcart that feels completely final and safe before I replace mine.
Post Merge: September 06, 2018, 02:19:51 am

But I would appreciate if somebody used this following modified FCEUx emulator which logs all MMC5 activity, then play the game for some time and send me the file: c:\mmc5_writes
(please change extension from fceux.mpg to fceux.zip because this wonderful forum engine does not allow zips to be attached)

I jumped to the end game combat and then played through some of the scenes right before the combat in order to make sure to capture what seems to be the more intense stuff going on in that game. There is about 10 minutes of gameplay in there. Hope this helps! Thank you again!

[Kagemusha]

There's a few instances of text not properly formatted and some glitchyness in a few spots.

[keiffer01]

I don't remember how long I've been waiting for this english translation, feels like forever! Finally glad to see it out! I've got the original cart sitting on my shelf, I also thought it would be neat to get the chips swapped out with the translation if this was possible (obviously I'd keep the original chips safe!).

[krzy]

Tada!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGE-j7UXoYo

[keiffer01]

Lovely! I'd like one sooo bad!

[famiac]

Wow there's actual solder mask. Nice!

[Hamburglar]

Nice, when will these be available? Any links?

[MWK]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGE-j7UXoYo

Where is the -

*additional audio (just for the beeps during dialogs)

?

[Kagemusha]

Those beeps may seem insignificant, but they're part of what makes Metal Slader Glory what it is. You can read a translated interview that explains all that at Shmuplations.

[L___E___T]

 



Yeah you definitely need those SFX to characterise the different speakers.  

They were a deliberate feature according to the creator himself, I can see why.

Wouldn't this be easier to make from a MMC5 donor and bolt on some extra RAM?