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Another Elminage thread! Let's use this thread to talk about all NON-GOTHIC Elminage stuff!

Self-Ejected

aweigh

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I'll start things off simple:

HERE'S SAMMY, BABY!
51R%2BY%2BLWrDL.jpg


Courtier Dorarnae Emmanuel2 Viata Zetor Helly MrRichard999 Dorateen Shackleton Haplo hackncrazy Mustawd Siveon an Administrator Celerity

Ok, i know, confusing. That is a picture of Courtier's best friend, one of the 6 post-game bosses from Elminage: Original (PSP/PC/3DS/PS2 -- Eng. ver. only on PSP); now the other reason I liked this pic is because it's the very first time I have actually ever seen, with mine own eyes, the original PS2 (two) ver. of the original release of Elminage: Original except that original release isn't titled... Elminage: Original.

It's called something or other about a dark seance or some shit. It's in jap: who cares.

...however, I am legitimately floored by how incredibly good the... (last time, promise)-- the original USER INTERFACE / GUI layout looks and is set up in this... o-ri-gi-nal release. WHY THE FUCK DID STARFISH STOP USING THIS VERY, VERY, VERY WELL DONE GUI LAYOUT FOR THE GAMES!?

It's a mystery.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION: so I was just googling for pictures of Elminage games and I keep finding a lotttt of pictures from the PSP games, namely Elmi 2 (PSP/NDS/3DS-- No localization) amd Elmi 3 (PSP only-- No localization) and i notice that these pics look fucking amazing. I mean, graphically speaking.

When I play those two games on PPSSPP emu what is displayed on my monitor does not come close to how good these screenshots look. Am I using the wrong shaders? For PPSSPP I mean. Is the reason the following shots look so good is because they're probably taken from PPSSPP emus and the player was using super l33t filters/shaders I don't know about?

THE FOLLOWING ARE PICTURES FOUND ON GOOGLE OF: Elminage 2 (PSP)
8tnu010000895a20.jpg


Ok, that looks very close to what it looks like when I play it on PPSSPP with the resolution maxed out (no filters, don't like the ones that come with PPSSPP)...
8tnu010000895a2a.jpg


HOLY SHIT. That looks great. So, basically, what I'm asking is:

- Could those in the know point me towards downloading/configuring PPSSPP to look as graphics-whoringly beautiful as possible? Currently I can run games on PPSSPP using 5x resolution coupled w/ 2x Texture Upscaling utilizing the 4th option that says it is a combination of two different methods. I don't bother using filters cos, like I said, the stock PPSSPP ones are all bad.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, don't worry guys I will be posting lots more on this thread, but to finish this first post I wanted to just make the entire 1st post simply about Elminage graphics whoring!

A kind Codexer whose name shall remain nameless in case the Trumpians are watching for inventory removal of items and the like floated my the (new-ish-ly released) Windows PC enhanced port of E: Original. Obviously, it's in japanese, but luckily for us:

- UNLIKE THE 3DS port of E: Gothic, all, and i man aaalll and every single one, i mean ALL enhanced ports of E: Original (one for PC, then another new port just came out for 3DS) _do not contain absolutely anything new content-wise; i repeat, there is zero new content, not 1 single item_ so the English lang. version we play on PPSSPP/PSP is still the definitive version of E: Original.

All that crap said, LOOK AT THE GRAFFIXX OMG OMG
Screenshot%202017-03-25%2006.35.44_zps8zcb0hmq.png
Screenshot%202017-03-25%2006.37.53_zps3t4qcgbz.png
maxresdefault.jpg
3bd7b66e.jpg



-------------------------------------

Bonus pix: let's all point and laugh at the ridiculosuly bad looking Elmi 2 port for Nintendo DS. It's a "remix" version, like what they did with E: Gothic, but there is simply no way in the world I'm playing through Elmi 2 on NDS having to look at THESE SHIT FUCK TEXTURE SHITS wow it looks terrible, especially in-dungeon ugh:
el2_387.png

9_250.jpg




-------------------------------------------------


Psyche, here's random pictures I found on Google of the various post-game, and i mean... possssssst gaaame God-Bosses, most of them being in Elminage: Original and in the 2nd game. (The 3rd game, the one that's PSP-only, AFAIK doesn't feature lots of Gods but I could be wrong. I have not finished it yet, unlike PSP-Elmi 2. And no, I have not killed the god-bosses...).
20150222.jpeg


hah... heh... jesus fuck. Fuck that.
EL2SS_110831_144028.png

EL2SS_110831_144046.png
elmi3_330.png



FINE. FINE STARFISH STUDIOS. I'LL TAKE MY BALL!! ILL FUCKING TAKE IT AND GO HOME U HEAR MEEE!!! Btw, for those who aren't aware:

E: Gothic inarguably features the best post-game dungeons, enemies, items, all around content: but E: Original is the complete opposite. It features only 1 so-so post-game dungeon... but the bosses make Incarnation and his other two pals from Ibag's Tower look like fucking children.

The E: Original god-bosses are where it's at. Trust me, they're just insane... probably it's because Elmi 1 (and Elmi 2, which has god-bosses as well, even harder ones) were the first RPGs that Starfish developed right after losing the license to continue making their WIZARDRY EMPIRE games.

In the Empire series of Wiz games, Starfish always made it a point of honor to have god-dragons be the hidden post-game enemies, and they are even beyond the E: Original god-bosses. Even the mighty Dorarnae said he could not man up and kill the final dragon-god in the final floor of the Temple of the Gods in the final post-game dungeon in the Eng. language ver. of WIZARDRY EMPIRE 2 (Windows PC).

Pfft. It's just a dragon dorar. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez....





(Fucker does 4-6k, yes, "thousands" of damage every single turn with his dragon breath, soooo... there's that. E: Original god-bosses ain't got shit on that. That shit is past ridiculous and back around to "hmm, really... I appreciate the ironical nature of this moment in life!").

Court didn't kill the Empire 2 god-dragon either. There is _someone_ here on the Codex who did, but I forgot his name. He casually, casuaaally cool as you please dropped that into one of his posts in the Empire 2 thread. LOL. Yeah, guy did basically the impossible, and is like yeah so how's the weather.

OH YOU... :)


---------------------------------

Finishing this up: back to the PPSSPP thing and the graphics. LOOK AT THIS:
EO_SS003.png

20110607224726d3d.png


No, that is not a magically-translated PC ver. of E: Original... that is a random pic of the PSP game.

WHY... DOES IT LOOK... SO GOOD. Seriously. how do I get my games on PPSSPP looking so amazing, and crisp and -not- blurry?

Here's some final random pics:

Dorarnae: the reason you didn't find Rem, the devilish Valk you can recruit in E: Gothic - 3DS Remix - version is because you need to meet her randomly in the ruined Church, and THEN she will also "randomly" fight you / join you while clearing the Guatella Grotto (Stalactite Cave)...
51DP946FbxL.jpg


Here's a "secret" weapon from Elmi 2 (PSP):
ae4e109f71e89e7fbd0827fd92486b7e.png


Yep. It's an ass. It's a giant pair of butt cheeks used to sit on top of enemies, just like the picture demonstrates. :) )))))

(LEWL @ it being 2-handed and also "short range" as well. Heh).

I don't know what part of Elmi 2 PSP this pic is from but I found it amusing:
EL2SS_121201_234305.png


love it when we touch rods boys...

-------------
20110804200017.jpg

20110804200017.jpg

20110804200017.jpg

20110804200017.jpg


------------

TWO-PARTER:

131419997284513321847_EL2SS_110824_234543.png


POINT THE FIRST:

- Wow. Some people have even more free time than me. That is Elmi 3 (three) which is only available on PSP (jap lang.).

POINT THE SECOND:

- DAMN IT LOOKS BETTER THAN WHEN I PLAY IT ON PPSSPP. It's specifcally the CRISPNESS of the text/numbers that makes everything pop.

On my play time it looks like that, sure, just... not as crisp.

I mean, here's is MY FINAL PROOF:

ELMINAGE GOTHIC PIC INCOMING:
e0ac1806.jpg

001.jpg


That's a pic from E: Gothic, PSP version (the first release of the game). The PC version is an "enhanced" port of the PSP version, just like the new PC port of E: Original is an "enhanced" port of the PSP/etc game; i.e. content is the same but enhanced graphics.

....EXCEPT THAT PSP PIC OF GOTHIC LOOKS FUCKING BETTER THAN WHAT I SEE ON PC!

almost. WOW. I want my emulator to look that good. Maybe it's natural colors filter combined with sharpening? I dunno.

thanks for reading my blog!













 
Last edited:

Dorarnae

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those high level boss you posted are from elminage 3 ;)
also I didn't do empire 2 post game, it was the dragon from the first game, it's not that it's hard, I can stay alive easily, just can't do enough dmg and didn't feel like farming for new weapon...

I'll eventually post some vids of Elminage 2 on 3ds, so far I am really loving the game, I had a hard time enjoying the second game but I guess the 3ds version fix the problem I had with the psp (mainly the loading times,pictures for every items....) still wishing for a pc port though because elminage original on pc is just awesome with music load, playing on big screen and high res...

as for hitting lvl 15k on elminage 3, it's not that hard....I really loved that game, but after finding how to exploit something, it kinda ruined it. I am hoping they'll release a remake someday and fix that.

as for god boss in elminage 1-2-3 vs gothic. wait til you get to the true final boss on the 3ds version, it's not that he's hard but that hp regen... lol




here the true final boss for each game:
at 15:19






elminage 2 being the hardest, because in elminage 3 you can just hide yourself(or use the alch spell) if you're very high in lvl, though I haven't tried if you new game + a couple time, since monster become stronger/higher in lvl each time you new game +...( I remember creating a dungeon in 3 with a very high level character , the dungeon you create have monster with the lvl around the character/party you used to create iti, I met one of those samurai who can suicide and blow your party and that fucker did like 100k to everyone lol)
 

Dorarnae

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also since you're playing gothic on 3ds, there are a few password you can input for some special items. I only know one because I bought the OST for the game a couple years ago. would be nice to know the other password...

9eS4-L82g-9P7F
 

Dorarnae

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this is how the 3ds version of elminage 2 look:

looks like they changed the portrait for those in elminage 3 (which is better because in the original game they sucked)

also use elminage 3 music, which is fine for the most part (I really like this song from previous version though .)

I am wondering if they're planning on releasing elminage 3 on 3ds with these portrait in elminage 2...
 
Last edited:

Sigourn

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WHY... DOES IT LOOK... SO GOOD. Seriously. how do I get my games on PPSSPP looking so amazing, and crisp and -not- blurry?
Have you tried putting your internal resolution to Auto 1:1 and messing around with upscaling?

IMHO, upscaling is bad for sprite-based games.

Usually, putting the IR to 1:1 gets the job done.

It's key to play in the original resolution of the game, and keeping the window size exactly the same.

I was playing SMT: Persona yesterday, and going from x2 upscale to original windowed resolution made it look much better as the pixels blend in seamlessly, but the draw is that the screen is smaller, and unlike a PSP, the only way I can make it look bigger on my screen is by getting awfully close to the computer (from three hands and a half a distance, to one hand and a half).
 

Puck Man

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Messages
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About the graphics, I think everyone else already nailed it. You can't try to play it fullscreen on a 1080p monitor. Especially with pre-rendered images and backgrounds. (You can but the result is like you described.)
For what it's worth, you might consider an actual PSP. They look great on that because that's what it was designed for. I've got my psp loaded up with every elminage title, wizardry empire 1-3, wizardry 1-5, plus tons of other stuff. It's like my little secret that I always keep with me in my bag wherever I go. lol
 
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aweigh

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1:1 resolution
upscaling off
deposterization off
anisotropic filtering 16x
display auto scaling (the option which decides whether to stretch the game screen or not)
filter: none

i'm running ppsspp with those options now, but the game does get noticeably sharper if i change the internal resolution to a higher multiplier. thanks for the advice.
 

Sigourn

uooh afficionado
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Messages
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1:1 resolution
upscaling off
deposterization off
anisotropic filtering 16x
display auto scaling (the option which decides whether to stretch the game screen or not)
filter: none

i'm running ppsspp with those options now, but the game does get noticeably sharper if i change the internal resolution to a higher multiplier. thanks for the advice.

That's pretty much it. Texture Filtering Auto is technically what the game uses by default, though when I increase the window size I prefer to keep it in Nearest, else the blur is noticeable.
 

Pyreen

Educated
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Feb 25, 2017
Messages
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Court didn't kill the Empire 2 god-dragon either. There is _someone_ here on the Codex who did, but I forgot his name. He casually, casuaaally cool as you please dropped that into one of his posts in the Empire 2 thread. LOL. Yeah, guy did basically the impossible, and is like yeah so how's the weather.

OH YOU... :)







That's me. If I had known that beating him was so illustrious, I would have humble-bragged the fuck out of it given helpful info on how to defeat him.



also I didn't do empire 2 post game, it was the dragon from the first game, it's not that it's hard, I can stay alive easily, just can't do enough dmg and didn't feel like farming for new weapon...

It's actually the same dragon storyline wise, but a different enemy. The dude you fight in Wiz Empire 1 is the second, weaker form of Empire 2's postgame boss, this guy:

2pt2l4n.png


His gimmick in this game is that he comes in a group of 1-9 and can call allies (more copies of himself) to make him more challenging.

Empire 2's new postgame final boss is this guy:


2lucrcx.png



Apart from his stats, what makes him so tough is that he (like all post game boosses except Faust) regenerates 100% of his HP every round, so you have to kill him during 1 round of combat. You also dont need super elite weapons to do it, as by the time you are high enough level to face him you'll have found adequate weapons naturally, at least that was the case in my playthrough. I beat him using 2 shields of fury on one attacker and the good old hammer of fury on the other.
I havent completed my item list yet (found 344 of <400 total items, current playtime exactly 100hrs), but from the highest tier weapons that I have found, their damage increase from the second highest tier isnt enough to rely on them to beat the boss if you cant do it with (at that point in the game) standard gear.
 
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aweigh

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God amongst men.

btw, it is 75% "head cannon" but it is written in the jap wikis that l'reiberesu is really a mis-translation and/or analog of L'kabreth.

the wizardry dragon god. (you also fight l'kabreth in wiz scenario 3, but it is unwinnable fight).

Wiz empire takes place in "main wizardry universe". there is only one dragon god in wiz....
 

Dorarnae

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lol ok so much hp. maybe if I kept beating on him I would eventually beat him. I thought it was maybe because he had some hp regen...
 

Dorarnae

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each time I see the pc version of Original, I wish that 2 and 3 makes it to the pc too.(they should redo gothic too...).
 

Pyreen

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God amongst men.

btw, it is 75% "head cannon" but it is written in the jap wikis that l'reiberesu is really a mis-translation and/or analog of L'kabreth.

the wizardry dragon god. (you also fight l'kabreth in wiz scenario 3, but it is unwinnable fight).

Wiz empire takes place in "main wizardry universe". there is only one dragon god in wiz....


Huh, that's some interesting info, since in the translation patch the enemies are called L'Ray Breath (the white scruffy bearded version that shows up as "Increase Hair (sic)" when he's unidentified) and C'Ray Breath (the final postgame boss version) respectively it's kinda hard to contextualize them from a lore perspective. I can see it if the katakana is reiburesu.
Wasnt Lkabreth himself a nod to Akalabeth? Cant say I ever paid too much attention to Wizardry storylines tbh.

In any case I might start playing Elminage soon, Im kinda in game limbo right now, playing SoSC and enjoying it, but not really blown away. Im also sad that the two games I want to play most are apparently so hard to translate due to encryption, Busin 0 (absolutely loved ToFL) and Wiz Gaiden 6 (I know about the English interface, but it's more of a psychological thing that I like to "feel at home" in a game, and having all the flavor text, quest blurbs etc. in a language I cant read hurts immersion for me).

How is dungeon design in the Elminage series compared to Wizardry (design principles, complexity, etc.), and which Elminage would you say has the best dungeon design?
 

Puck Man

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Im also sad that the two games I want to play most are apparently so hard to translate due to encryption, Busin 0 (absolutely loved ToFL) and Wiz Gaiden 6 (I know about the English interface, but it's more of a psychological thing that I like to "feel at home" in a game, and having all the flavor text, quest blurbs etc. in a language I cant read hurts immersion for me).

You got good taste! Those are such awesome games!
 

Dorarnae

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God amongst men.

btw, it is 75% "head cannon" but it is written in the jap wikis that l'reiberesu is really a mis-translation and/or analog of L'kabreth.

the wizardry dragon god. (you also fight l'kabreth in wiz scenario 3, but it is unwinnable fight).

Wiz empire takes place in "main wizardry universe". there is only one dragon god in wiz....


Huh, that's some interesting info, since in the translation patch the enemies are called L'Ray Breath (the white scruffy bearded version that shows up as "Increase Hair (sic)" when he's unidentified) and C'Ray Breath (the final postgame boss version) respectively it's kinda hard to contextualize them from a lore perspective. I can see it if the katakana is reiburesu.
Wasnt Lkabreth himself a nod to Akalabeth? Cant say I ever paid too much attention to Wizardry storylines tbh.

In any case I might start playing Elminage soon, Im kinda in game limbo right now, playing SoSC and enjoying it, but not really blown away. Im also sad that the two games I want to play most are apparently so hard to translate due to encryption, Busin 0 (absolutely loved ToFL) and Wiz Gaiden 6 (I know about the English interface, but it's more of a psychological thing that I like to "feel at home" in a game, and having all the flavor text, quest blurbs etc. in a language I cant read hurts immersion for me).

How is dungeon design in the Elminage series compared to Wizardry (design principles, complexity, etc.), and which Elminage would you say has the best dungeon design?

the best dungeon design for elminage is elminage gothic.
and yeah busin 0 and gaiden 6 are very good.
 

jungl

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What wizardry game should I play for the ps2 or in general that has been fan translated?
 

Puck Man

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I can't think of any for the ps2 that have been fan translated. But if you want something for PC that has been fan translated Mr Richard and some guys have translated Wizardry Empire II as well as Wizardry Chronicle. And although they haven't finished the first Wizardry Empire yet, I think it will be done soon as well!

Also if you want a Wizardry for PS2 that's in English: Tale of the Forsaken Land is awesome. And Wizardry Prisoners of the Battles has options to change most of it to English if that works for you.
 

Viata

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Bonus pix: let's all point and laugh at the ridiculosuly bad looking Elmi 2 port for Nintendo DS. It's a "remix" version, like what they did with E: Gothic, but there is simply no way in the world I'm playing through Elmi 2 on NDS having to look at THESE SHIT FUCK TEXTURE SHITS wow it looks terrible, especially in-dungeon ugh:
Ban aweigh for complaing about graphics in a dungeon crawler game. Nice thread, btw. I still enjoy reading your posts, aweigh, although I hardly post or even have time for it.
 
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aweigh

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serious question

wtf does Dispel actually really do...? i have never landed it, nor have i ever used it for anything that worked or whatever.

i used to think the holy flute instrument casts Harias (blesses weapons so u can hit ghosts) but no, that's the Kagura (some trumpet-like instrument, for reference). then i thought holy flutes would cast Harias, but no, they don't.

"This item breaks the curse of the spirits".

what
 

Eggs is eggs

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Messages
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I played a bit of the Japanese version of Elminage Original for PSP (it's called Original because it's a port from the PS2, iirc). They're basically just Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord clones. Though it does prove how well the original Wizardry games do stand the test of time (wireframe graphics notwithstanding). As a gaming version of comfort food, they're alright but I am shocked how many of these Proving Grounds clones keep coming out year after year. Is there really that much of a niche for them in Japan?
 

eric__s

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Messages
2,301
I want a Wizardry game with a million classes and a million races. I know there are Elminage games out there where you unlock crazy shit like Ogres and Goblins and Puppets. I don't know which one it is, but I want to play it.
 

Pyreen

Educated
Joined
Feb 25, 2017
Messages
36
You got good taste! Those are such awesome games!

Thanks for the compliment, though it increases my frustration at the lack of translations... From the amount of text Busin 0 seems to have, you would definitely need a team to do it; 1 coder, 2-3 translators minimum. I have some proofreading experience so could assist with cleaning up the translation itself but dont know a lick of Japanese.

the best dungeon design for elminage is elminage gothic.
and yeah busin 0 and gaiden 6 are very good.

Thanks, gonna be Elminage Gothic then.


What wizardry game should I play for the ps2 or in general that has been fan translated?

Tales of the Forsaken Land, prob my favorite PS2 RPG. Play it on emulator for the fast forward option though, the combat speed is pretty horrible esp. compared to the usual Wizardry pace. Apart from that it has an absolutely excellent aesthetic with a unique dirge-like or elegiac feel to it that is synergetic with the story, characters, quests and most importantly with the wonderfully designed dungeons themselves, giving the game an extremely cohesive feeling. The endgame feels a bit rushed, but levels 2,4,5,6 and 8 are among the best dungeons you'll find in any game, even if they're not particularly difficult by Wiz standards.

The only fan-translated Wizardry Ive played is Empire 2 Plus for PC, which I can wholeheartedly recommend. I'ld say extremely fun, well-designed dungeons and great itemization are it's biggest strengths.


As a gaming version of comfort food, they're alright but I am shocked how many of these Proving Grounds clones keep coming out year after year. Is there really that much of a niche for them in Japan?

It's a very small niche, able to sustain a handful of devs at most, but even companies that produce good to excellent games like success with Dark Spire or RacJin with ToFL and Busin 0 are often forced to close down or start designing other stuff like cell phone games.
 

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