Users browsing this thread: 3 Guest(s)
[PS2] Need help ripping Chobits - Chiidake no Hito
#1
Sad 
Recently, I finally found a rare game called Chobits - Chiidake no Hito for the PS2. A visual novel, worth about 2 GB of content. The thing is, it has way more sprites than the GBA game and with good reason. Now, I don't really want to resort to just using the emulator and take screenshots (who does), but no guide online has helped me thus far.

I extracted the iso's contents and I'm greeted with... this.
The modules folder has this.
While the "A" folders have... this.
What do I do with this. Or. What program do I use? I need to rip these sprites and give the favor to the world. There's literally no other guide that has helped me, and I need some insight here. Or else, I'll just have to take screenshots and suffer. Thanks for your attention, and please help.
Reply
Thanked by:
#2
The first thing I'd do is scan everything with TextER and see if there's any TIM2s there.
Usage:
TextER -e Chobits_or_whatever.iso -tm
Once there was a way to get back homeward
Reply
Thanked by:
#3
(07-30-2018, 05:22 AM)Raccoon Sam Wrote: The first thing I'd do is scan everything with TextER and see if there's any TIM2s there.
Usage:
TextER -e Chobits_or_whatever.iso -tm

Maybe I'm really really really stupid, but when I open the program, even as admin, it just immediately closes. Am I doing something wrong?
Reply
Thanked by: Raccoon Sam
#4
(07-30-2018, 05:52 AM)DeeDee68 Wrote:
(07-30-2018, 05:22 AM)Raccoon Sam Wrote: The first thing I'd do is scan everything with TextER and see if there's any TIM2s there.
Usage:
TextER -e Chobits_or_whatever.iso -tm

Maybe I'm really really really stupid, but when I open the program, even as admin, it just immediately closes. Am I doing something wrong?

Generally speaking, there are two kinds of programs: Command Line Applications and Graphical User Interface Applications. Most stuff you use is the latter, but there are cases where GUI is not needed/not worth to implement so you have to work with these Command Line programs.
I'm a Mac User so I don't know how Windows does that stuff but I'm guessing you should google "How to Run Command Line Programs on Windows" or "understanding the command prompt" or something.

Alternatively, make a new text file that contains ONLY this:
TextER -e Chobits_or_whatever.iso -tm
And save it as "run.bat" to the same folder where both the ISO and the TextER program reside. Then open (or, run) the run.bat file.
Once there was a way to get back homeward
Reply
Thanked by:
#5
(08-03-2018, 02:32 AM)Raccoon Sam Wrote:
(07-30-2018, 05:52 AM)DeeDee68 Wrote:
(07-30-2018, 05:22 AM)Raccoon Sam Wrote: The first thing I'd do is scan everything with TextER and see if there's any TIM2s there.
Usage:
TextER -e Chobits_or_whatever.iso -tm

Maybe I'm really really really stupid, but when I open the program, even as admin, it just immediately closes. Am I doing something wrong?

Generally speaking, there are two kinds of programs: Command Line Applications and Graphical User Interface Applications. Most stuff you use is the latter, but there are cases where GUI is not needed/not worth to implement so you have to work with these Command Line programs.
I'm a Mac User so I don't know how Windows does that stuff but I'm guessing you should google "How to Run Command Line Programs on Windows" or "understanding the command prompt" or something.

Alternatively, make a new text file that contains ONLY this:
TextER -e Chobits_or_whatever.iso -tm
And save it as "run.bat" to the same folder where both the ISO and the TextER program reside. Then open (or, run) the run.bat file.

Still didn't work for me. I tried about this and still researched for long for ways to try and rip it. No go.
Reply
Thanked by:
#6
Welp, at least now we know that the game does not use TIM2 textures.
I'm taking a look myself, I'll keep you updated.

EDIT: welp, looks like there actually are a lot of TIM2 files inside, they're just compressed. Looking into it.....
EDIT EDIT: The TIM2 files are compressed with an unknown compression but I've got some leads. Trying to write an experimental decompressor....
EDIT EDIT EDIT: Yeeaaaaah the files are standard TIM2 files, packed with a typical LZish compression. <=$7F are raw bytes, anything above that is a compression word (2 bytes) where 6 bits are for amount and 10 bits for distance.
I wrote a decompressor and it yields good results but it fails on some files, not sure why. Investigating....
Here's A001, A002 and A004 files decompressed.
[Image: SkJHKgg.png]
[Image: Te8Uifr.png]
[Image: rtacXeY.png]
Once there was a way to get back homeward
Reply
Thanked by:
#7
(08-13-2018, 01:57 AM)Raccoon Sam Wrote: Welp, at least now we know that the game does not use TIM2 textures.
I'm taking a look myself, I'll keep you updated.

EDIT: welp, looks like there actually are a lot of TIM2 files inside, they're just compressed. Looking into it.....
EDIT EDIT: The TIM2 files are compressed with an unknown compression but I've got some leads. Trying to write an experimental decompressor....
EDIT EDIT EDIT: Yeeaaaaah the files are standard TIM2 files, packed with a typical LZish compression. <=$7F are raw bytes, anything above that is a compression word (2 bytes) where 6 bits are for amount and 10 bits for distance.
I wrote a decompressor and it yields good results but it fails on some files, not sure why. Investigating....
Here's A001, A002 and A004 files decompressed.
[Image: SkJHKgg.png]
[Image: Te8Uifr.png]
[Image: rtacXeY.png]

Well, it is a very rare game, and the version I found was in a spanish blog of an otaku who also uploads PS2 rare visual novels or animes, and it took me a LOT to find it. Nice that you're getting results! I'd like to know how you did it specifically since it didn't work for me. Thanks for the help, by the way! Cute
Reply
Thanked by: Raccoon Sam
#8
whole lotta research:
yeaaah out of all the files, only A002, A00A, A007, A006, A009, A00E, A00D, A001, A00F, A00C, A004, A011, A00B, A020, and A021 were valid TIM2-only archives. The others? Still unknown, so if you find something's missing from these, please let me know, as they could be hidden in the other files.
Compression ratio is okay-tier. The packed files take 37.8MB, everything uncompressed totals around 79MB.
I did notice that there's a huge amount of MPEG streams, too. I'm guessing the game has a lot of FMVs?

but yeah anyway, i can't convert them to PNG but i asked for help in discord
Once there was a way to get back homeward
Reply
Thanked by: Friedslick6, Kosheh, DeeDee68
#9
(08-14-2018, 01:43 AM)Raccoon Sam Wrote: whole lotta research:
yeaaah out of all the files, only A002, A00A, A007, A006, A009, A00E, A00D, A001, A00F, A00C, A004, A011, A00B, A020, and A021 were valid TIM2-only archives. The others? Still unknown, so if you find something's missing from these, please let me know, as they could be hidden in the other files.
Compression ratio is okay-tier. The packed files take 37.8MB, everything uncompressed totals around 79MB.
I did notice that there's a huge amount of MPEG streams, too. I'm guessing the game has a lot of FMVs?

but yeah anyway, i can't convert them to PNG but i asked for help in discord

I'll see what I can do. Sorry for all the trouble, let's keep at it huh? Content And again, thanks for all this!

Checked them out. Huh, so far the backgrounds could be ripped. Interesting.
Reply
Thanked by:
#10
Forgot the link

Here is every single TM2 I could get out
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7id20jmb57mlz...YadCa?dl=0
I can't convert them to PNG though so you need to try Rainbow (https://github.com/marco-calautti) or Tim2View (https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/799/)

If some colours look funny, try another CLUT
Once there was a way to get back homeward
Reply
Thanked by: DeeDee68
#11
(08-15-2018, 12:43 AM)Raccoon Sam Wrote: Forgot the link

Here is every single TM2 I could get out
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7id20jmb57mlz...YadCa?dl=0
I can't convert them to PNG though so you need to try Rainbow (https://github.com/marco-calautti) or Tim2View (https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/799/)

If some colours look funny, try another CLUT

Ladies and gents.

[Image: 39242314_257701951513709_675227053161080...e=5BC57FC7]

It worked. Thank you so much!!! Cute
Reply
Thanked by: Raccoon Sam
#12
Superb!!

For the benefit of the collective, I would advise you to submit each and every asset that converts successfully in your TIM2 tool of choice to tSR. I know there's a lot of sprites and you gotta dick around with the CLUTs a bit, but just like you had trouble and woe finding these sprites, in time, someone else will lament the same. To ensure these Chobits sprites are archived forever, please consider submitting them!
Once there was a way to get back homeward
Reply
Thanked by: DeeDee68
#13
(08-16-2018, 01:15 AM)Raccoon Sam Wrote: Superb!!

For the benefit of the collective, I would advise you to submit each and every asset that converts successfully in your TIM2 tool of choice to tSR. I know there's a lot of sprites and you gotta dick around with the CLUTs a bit, but just like you had trouble and woe finding these sprites, in time, someone else will lament the same. To ensure these Chobits sprites are archived forever, please consider submitting them!

Consider? You're saying it to the person who was going to submit them to tSR once they were successfully ripped. Even said it at the beginning of this post! "I need to rip these sprites and give the favor to the world."

It'll take me a lot of time of resizing and fixing since they're squished, but I'll do it.
Reply
Thanked by: Raccoon Sam
#14
Quote:It'll take me a lot of time of resizing and fixing since they're squished, but I'll do it.

Come to think of it, I don't know if tSR has an official policy on sprite resizing. The game assets are stored squished like that but the PS2 resolution stretches them to 200% height I think. Many 3D games do this, as its much more efficient to render a say, 1920 x 540 "squashed" image and stretch it to full HD than to render a full 1080p frame.

Look at this sprite sheet:
https://www.spriters-resource.com/playst...eet/40645/
[Image: MRgOrDW.png]

compare it to this in-game screenshot
[Image: rwChjHZ.png]


See where I'm coming from?

I wouldn't resize the sprites at all to be honest. Let the end-user do the stretching, using their scaling algorithm of choice.

EDIT: asked tsr discord and the Word of God™ is:
Random Talking Bush Wrote:1:1 would be the correct ones to submit. No harm in throwing in a second, "corrected" set on the same submission, though, but there are some cases where it won't be accurate to in-game by doing so.

so yeah don't resize them dude
Once there was a way to get back homeward
Reply
Thanked by:
#15
(08-16-2018, 01:43 PM)Raccoon Sam Wrote:
Quote:It'll take me a lot of time of resizing and fixing since they're squished, but I'll do it.

Come to think of it, I don't know if tSR has an official policy on sprite resizing. The game assets are stored squished like that but the PS2 resolution stretches them to 200% height I think. Many 3D games do this, as its much more efficient to render a say, 1920 x 540 "squashed" image and stretch it to full HD than to render a full 1080p frame.

Look at this sprite sheet:
https://www.spriters-resource.com/playst...eet/40645/
[Image: MRgOrDW.png]

compare it to this in-game screenshot
[Image: rwChjHZ.png]


See where I'm coming from?

I wouldn't resize the sprites at all to be honest. Let the end-user do the stretching, using their scaling algorithm of choice.

EDIT: asked tsr discord and the Word of God™ is:
Random Talking Bush Wrote:1:1 would be the correct ones to submit. No harm in throwing in a second, "corrected" set on the same submission, though, but there are some cases where it won't be accurate to in-game by doing so.

so yeah don't resize them dude

I still need to fix them regardless, since the original files are extremely transparent. Unless TSR wants me to post them that way? Surprise
Reply
Thanked by: Raccoon Sam


Forum Jump: