==REQUIRED TOOLS==
*IsoBuster: Free download @
http://www.isobuster.com/isobusterdownload.php
(For ripping an image from the Japanese game CD)
*Daemon Tools Lite: Free download @
http://www.daemon-tools.cc/eng/downloads
(For mounting the game image in a virtual drive, useful for emulator
compatibility)
*SadNESCity's Delta Patcher: Free download @
http://www.romhacking.net/utils/704/
(For applying the translation patch -- this one's required!)
*SSF Version 0.11 alpha_R5":
Free download @
http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~phantasy/ssf/files/index.html
(The only emulator and only release version confirmed to play Dragon Force II
fully. See
http://www.verve-fanworks.com/SMF/index.php?topic=275.0 for
setup recommendations.)
*MD5 Checksum Tool: Free download @
http://windows.podnova.com/software/959575.htm
(This is a must for deciding which patch to use)
==INSTRUCTIONS==
*Pop your Dragon Force II-J CD into your computer's CD/DVD ROM drive. Open the
disc in IsoBuster. Right-click on the top-level CD icon and do as follows:
Extract CD <Image> -> RAW (*.bin, *.iso)
*Save the image as a .BIN, and you should be prompted to save a .CUE sheet too;
this is what Daemon Tools needs to see when loading the game into the virtual
drive.
*Run the MD5 Checksum Tool on your .BIN image. The MD5 checksum is the information
you need to decide which patch to apply -- there were apparently multiple prints
of Dragon Force II and the differences between them require different patches.
Verve Fanworks has prepared patches for the two prints that should be most
common as confirmed by the Japanese discs available to the team:
MD5 Checksum: 4afce9af40ec374376072782b028045d
Patch to Apply: Dragon_Force_II_Playable_Type_4af.xdelta
MD5 Checksum: 0cef72d491d1a370024b29534ffa29c2
Patch to Apply: Dragon_Force_II_Playable_Type_0ce.xdelta
If your Dragon Force II-J CD did not produce either of those through IsoBuster,
it isn't the end of the world! Head on over to the Verve Fanworks Dragon Force II
English discussion forum and we'll see if an alternate patch can be produced.
All alternate patches known to date will be issued as attachments to a sticky
thread in our Patch Uploads, Help and Bug Reports subforum.
*Now, unzip the translation patches for Dragon Force II and SadNESCity's Delta
Patcher archive into directories of your choice.
*Using DeltaPatcher.exe (*NOT DeltaPatcherLite.exe*), apply
the appropriate patch to your .BIN file.
*Load up your .CUE sheet in Daemon Tools, and direct SSF to your Daemon Tools
virtual drive in SSF's Options menu.
*For far less headaches down the road, please follow reinofheart's suggested
SSF settings:
http://www.verve-fanworks.com/SMF/index.php?topic=275.0
Otherwise the game will freeze when more than 120 troops are on
the battlefield.