Japanese personal computer aesthetic is best aesthetic

[Gastrick]

Some girls, the main thing those computers are known for.

 

[shywn]

The closest thing I can think of is this site. Its not Midi though, its some bizarre file format called VGZ that I couldn't figure out how to convert to midi on my machine.

They're not MIDI. You don't convert them to MIDI. The vgz format is, more or less, raw instructions to be sent to the relevant sound chip. It's similar in idea but it's not, and it cannot be MIDI.

I use the midiplayer and use the munt extension for it, which allows you to play midi files using the mt-32. As far as I can tell, the munt emulator seems to be pretty accurate, if not the same.

Yeah, I'm not too hot on the MT-32. It's good for... music written for the MT-32, but honestly, it's a 1987 device. The sound quality on those devices improved in leaps and bounds in the 1990s. As I mentioned previously, 1995 was the point when MIDI finally started gaining ground on the PC-98, and I assure you, nobody was writing music for the MT-32 then, that late. Besides, the MT-32 never seemed to have much penetration in Japan.

But here you go anyway. Nine rips of JAST and Tiare games. Took the SC5 files (Recomposer format) and converted them to standard MIDI files, and added a fadeout. Haven't had time to proof all of them yet.

Here: https://1fichier.com/?gvhzxi8x678sqpkex6mu

These games are General MIDI:
- Meisou toshi (aka Runaway City) (uses GS drumkits)
- San shimai (aka Three Sisters' Story) (uses GS drumkits)
- Setsujuu
- Tenshi-tachi no gogo: Tenkousei (uses a few GS patches)
- Vanishing point

These games use Roland GS extensions:
- Eden no kaori
- Majokko paradise
- Sakura no kisetsu (aka Season of the Sakura)
- Shuukan from H

And I added Nails (GM, mostly) to the archive too because I had it handy and I kind of like the music for that game. Not all of it, but some tracks.

 

[deama]

Yeah, I'm not too hot on the MT-32. It's good for... music written for the MT-32, but honestly, it's a 1987 device. The sound quality on those devices improved in leaps and bounds in the 1990s. As I mentioned previously, 1995 was the point when MIDI finally started gaining ground on the PC-98, and I assure you, nobody was writing music for the MT-32 then, that late. Besides, the MT-32 never seemed to have much penetration in Japan.

What were some of the best?

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

They're not MIDI. You don't convert them to MIDI. The vgz format is, more or less, raw instructions to be sent to the relevant sound chip. It's similar in idea but it's not, and it cannot be MIDI.

I could figure out the first bit, but the rest seems strange to me. Surely it could in theory, it had to be converted into VGZ to begin with.

 

[shywn]

I could figure out the first bit, but the rest seems strange to me. Surely it could in theory, it had to be converted into VGZ to begin with.

That's akin to saying that you have a recording of some band on tape, and you want the sheet music.

I'm sure *some* games' music was translated from MIDI, and there were programs to do that translation (there must have been demand for such a thing, anyway), and these programs, I speculate, came with instrument libraries (made specifically for the sound chip in question) of their own. The composer could then freely choose instruments from these libraries in order to rearrange a version suitable for the sound chip.

Yes, it is probably possible to extract the notes from the VGZ files, but to do the equivalent conversion in reverse, you need to find each note (channel) a matching instrument, and I suspect that this will take the better part of an hour (per track) to do in a satisfactory manner.

The same problem applies to module files such as ScreamTracker's S3M. They have notes and embedded instruments all right, but you can't translate them mechanically to MIDI since you lack a mapping between the track's instruments and the MIDI standard's instruments.

Nevertheless, it is not a given that a composer ever used MIDI as an intermediate format during the composition process.

What were some of the best?

What? Do you mean which sound module is the best?

If so, probably the same sound module the composer used, or a newer, compatible one from the same series. This makes the Roland SC-88pro the most likely contender, and the Yamaha MU-series taking the second place.

You can play it on a module of a different brand if you want, and the overall quality will probably be good, but since the module comes with different patches, different timbres, the balance between the instruments will be off at points, and each track may need some volume adjustments to sound optimal.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Nevertheless, it is not a given that a composer ever used MIDI as an intermediate format during the composition process.

I was actually just saying that it had to be translated from the game's original format into VGZ, not that MIDI was necessarily ever a step. Otherwise you've satisfactorily explained it.

 

[Testownia]

Some girls, the main thing those computers are known for.

I don't know why, but wearing white panties always yucked me out in a woman. Too child-like?

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Some girls, the main thing those computers are known for.

Lol, she must be the most popular slut on that beach.

Anyway, notice the intensity on her face:

She takes her MegaDrive porn games seriously!

Zany TV. Megadrive had porn?

 

[Gastrick]

She takes her MegaDrive porn games seriously!

Lol, I noticed that as well.

I don't know why, but wearing white panties always yucked me out in a woman. Too child-like?

It's hard to tell whether I agree because it looks almost like a loincloth instead.

 

[shywn]

I was actually just saying that it had to be translated from the game's original format into VGZ, not that MIDI was necessarily ever a step. Otherwise you've satisfactorily explained it.

I think VGZ files are usually recorded, i.e. people don't crack open the game and reverse engineer the music files in order to convert them, but instead let the game play them and record them that way, with a special build of the emulator.

I think that was what I was trying to say.

 

[Citizen]

Fuck Japan.

Yeah that's exactly what weebs want to do

 

[abnaxus]

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Dude should have taken the cycle for himself.

 

[abnaxus]

I wish there was a City Hunter game

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

I wish there was a City Hunter game

There is though. Probably not the best title ever, but Its probably a competent side-scroller.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

That Senpai, such a noodle guzzler.

 

[Nutmeg]

 

[abnaxus]

 

[abnaxus]

 

[Nutmeg]

TIL

This



was remade as:

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

TIL

This



was remade as:

It's also available on PS1 as SPACE GRIFFON VF-9. In English.

 

[abnaxus]

What I found looking for the artist of Wasureenu Honou box art

ローズ・トゥ・ロード “Roads to Lord” (1984) designed by Naoto Kadokura and published by Tsukada Hobby, is the first Japanese fantasy RPG, preceding Dungeons & Dragons in Japanese by a year.

Character generation starts by rolling percentile dice and consulting a table to determine one’s race and social status. The races are human, fairy (elf, sylph, gnome, salamandar, or undine), dwarf, halfling, shape changer (wolf, tiger, bear, or snake), half-elf, and giant. There are unnumbered rows for goblin and ogre, so apparently a player cannot play these. Whatever roll the player gets, there are initial values for Strength, Dexterity, Will, and Charisma, to which the player adds the result of d6 roll.

A weapon chart indicates the amount of damage each weapon does. Armor subtracts from the damage taken. So for example a short sword does 2d6-1 points of damage, but if the defender is wearing chain armor the result of the roll is reduced by 3 points. If a player takes damage, it is subtracted from Strength, Dexterity, or Will at the player’s discretion.

Magic is of the following types: black (B), white (W), water (T), fire (T), earth (E), air (A), and mind (M). There is a deck of spell cards with letters on the back indicating the type of magic. Anyone can cast a spell if they have the card and the necessary Will. Players are given opportunities during the course of play to draw from the spell deck.

The fairy races sylph, gnome, salamander, and undine are strong in air, earth, fire, and water magic respectively. These names are taken from a team of DC Comics superheroes called the Elementals which first appeared in 1978.

A setting book describes the world of Jerusalem. A scenario book contains two adventures: “Cave of the Witch” and “Black Tower of Millea Island”.

 

[Nutmeg]

Who was the artist? Style is a bit like Jun Suemi.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Interesting, that reminds me of a metal band from Japan called Hydra that had an album called Long Ways to Lord and Other Stories. I wonder if the band based anything off that? Kind of like how so many bands in America or Europe borrowed from Tolkien or DnD.

 

[Viata]

Who was the artist? Style is a bit like Jun Suemi.

The wikipedia page says the old one were done by Naoyuki Kota, while the most recent version(a remake from 2010) is done by Eishi Kinota.