Translation of SF 2

[ThatCrazyGuy]

Indeed, a bunch of people are annoyed that the most common SF 2 ROM in circulation is in Japanese. Here is the procedure to translate it, and while you're at it, to remove most of the weird bugs, like transforming to a walker in space. In space, the select button is now assigned to the camera (1st person 3rd person toggle).

Here goes...

How to patch SF 2

1. Get the SF 2 ROM. Please do not link to ROMS

2. Get the patch.

http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=starfox2

3. Get SNES Tool

http://www.programmersheaven.com/download/13301/download.aspx

4. Put SNES Tool in the same directory with the ROM. Having nothing else in the directory makes it easy to find because SNES Tool is a DOS program and it truncates the file names. Run SNES Tool.

5. Hit D for Delete Header. Select STARFO~1.SMC or whatever the first 6 characters you named it are with your arrow keys. It will then delete the 512 bytes of information at the beginning of the ROM so the emulator can show the video correctly once it is patched.

6. There are two patches in the ZIP file. sf2-e-debug.ips translates it to English, but keeps the debug stuff for your enjoyment. I think it keeps all the weird bugs too. The second one, sf2-e-final.ips, removes the debug stuff, fixes as many bugs as the patch guys could find, and translates it to English. Which one you choose is a personal preference. Maybe make two copies of the ROM and make a debug and a final.

7. Put either, but not both, patches in the folder where the ROM and SNES Tool is. Open SNES tool. Hit U for Use IPS. Select the file with the extension IPS first, then the SMC (ROM). The two files will be merged. Be careful with this, because it can screw up your ROM. Make a backup copy.

(If that doesn't work for you, make both files the same name (e.g. starfox2.smc and starfox2.ips) and just load the ROM into yor emulator (see below). You will probably get it to work this way, but you will also have to lug around the patch file.)

8. Run it in an SNES emulator. SNES 9x or ZSNES work the best because they don't have that annoying SFX emulation error and make everything speed up.

http://www.snes9x.com/

http://www.zsnes.com/

You shouldn't have a problem with using the keyboard if you don't have a controller (me gots an Adaptoid ) because all the buttons on the SNES are digital anyway. Just make sure you map them to a comfortable position. For those of you with Adaptoids or those PSX and N64 adapters, here's a good button config for an N64 controller...

D-Pad = D-Pad

B = Down C

A = Right C

Y = Left C

X = Up C

L = L

R = R

Start = B

Select = A

I think it's quite ingenious, especially the whole C Button thing. They're arranged exactly like SNES buttons!

Yeah, I guess that's it. I should stop rambling before I start getting off topic. If you have any problems, I guess you can post here.

And yes, astoundingly, I am a nerd.

[DZComposer]

Please do not link to ROMS.

Emulators and fan patch files are fine, but ROMS of commercial games are not.

[ThatCrazyGuy]

Whoops! Sorry. Well, at least I gotta say that you can't use an early beta with the patch.

I hope this is useful to someone so I didn't post this just to waste some of my time.

[Guest DamienFox]

Well, I do have something to say, 

yes, I am new, but I ran across this and I felt I had the need to say something, Since SF2 was never released, wouldn't that make it public domain? I personally don't think Nintendo would mind the distribution of an unreleased game in rom form, I think if it got released on the Virtual Console, then I wouldn't distribute the rom itself, just the patch and patcher, but I think they are more worried about games like the NES Super Mario Bros., Mario Party 8 Wii, And things like that. I'm not trying to argue with the rules, I'm just saying I don't think Nintendo would mind if a game they didn't really even profit off of.

[Mr. Krystal]

Since SF2 was never released, wouldn't that make it public domain?

No.

"The Copyright Act of 1976, effective 1978, abolished common law copyright in the United States; all works, published and unpublished, are now covered by federal statutory copyright." ~Wikipedia on "Public Domain"

I personally don't think Nintendo would mind the distribution of an unreleased game in rom form.

They do.

"Nintendo is known for a "no tolerance" stance against emulation of its video games and consoles. It claims that mask work copyright protects its games from the exceptions that United States copyright law otherwise provides for backup copies." ~Wikipedia on "Nintendo's Policy (towards emulation)"

Also, from their official legal site: http://www.nintendo.com/corp/legal.jsp#roms

[Guest DamienFox]

Ehh, I just think it's kind of odd that they'd care about a game that never got released commercially, and I mean for the fact that they even sold the original test cart to Rom release groups, I guess it just doesn't make much sense to me, but oh well, life moves on. I really wasn't looking for the Rom anyway, as I have GoodSNES, but I noticed something today, What about linking to sites that have the Rom's on them? I know for a fact that Arwinglanding have all the cartridge based game's Rom's on them. It does have the "24 Hour Rule" above the download links, but I know for a fact that the 24 Hour Rule is not applicable in any case whatsoever, but it is a policy among some Rom sites.

Oh yes, and Dwight, is your icon a Death Note reference? It seems alot like L in the anime.

[PuffNStuff]

Ahem.... "Do what you want cause a pirate is free, you are a pirate!"

[foxbird22]

Puffy, you're officially awesome.

[DZComposer]

Ugh.... Please stop dredging, people.