The following article by Robert Seddon was reprinted with permission from Face of the Moon.
TIN_1
Robert Seddon says: TIN_1, the first carriage on the Midgar train (apart from the Cargo van), is the last of the regular maps with decent-sized chunks of unused text. One piece of dialogue in this file was actually moved around by the translators so that it wasn’t on its own between blanked-out slots.
Another point of interest in TIN_1 is {0xFEDA}『ルートマップ画面へ』{END}, which corresponds to “To the Route Map Screen” in the English files: it’s placeholder text from development, and so it never appears in the game. Consequently I had to dig around in emulator memory to find out what the otherwise unseen FEDA did: it causes text to flash alternate white and grey. There’s another (glitchy) code, FEE0, which causes text to scroll upwards while the confirmation button is held down; according to the Loveless.exe help file both of these are operative in the PC conversion too, even though they’re not used anywhere in the final game proper. FEDF produces the same glitches but no other apparent effect.
Other things I found while probing the dialogue memory: FC00 – FC18 replicate the kanji represented by FBE7 – FBFF for some reason. Elsewhere there are chunks of numbers which produce kana, but displaced downwards by several pixels (sometimes with the bottom of the character descending through the top of the line).
| 「こ、こわいかい?{EOL} |
A, are you scared? |
| 大丈夫だよ、ぼ、僕が君を守ってやる。{EOL} |
It’s alright, I, I’ll protect you. |
| (まいったなあ・・・こしぬけちゃったよ)」{END} |
(I give up.. I’m a coward.) |
| 「(たのむ。あっちいって){EOL} |
(Please go away!) |
| きっと、いい人たちだよ。{EOL} |
I’m sure you’re good people. |
| し、心配ないよ・・・たぶん」{END} (Please, go away…) |
I, I’m not worried… honest. |
| 「キャッ!!{EOL} |
Eek!! |
| どうしましょう・・・。{EOL} |
What do I do… |
| どうしましょう・・・・・・」{NewScreen} |
What do I do… |
| (ちょっとしたスリルだわ。{EOL} |
(It’s a little thrilling, |
| このビリビリな緊張感・・・。{EOL} |
this electrifying nervousness… |
| さっきの爆発事故より恐怖ね)」{END} |
It’s even scarier than that explosion!) |
| 「キャッ!!{EOL} |
Eek!! |
| どうしましょう・・・。{EOL} |
What do I do… |
| どうしましょう・・・・・・」{NewScreen} |
What do I do… |
| 「(あ、いんねんをつけられてるのかしら。{EOL} |
(I wonder if he’s picking a fight. |
| からまれているのかしら・・・・・・?)」{END} |
Am I involved…?) |
| 「ごめんよ・・・・・・ちょっと気分が・・・」{NewScreen} |
Sorry… I feel a little… |
| 「変なもん食ったからなあ。{EOL} |
I must have eaten something weird. |
| あのミッドガル名物のプレートピザ・・・」{END} |
That famous Midgar plate pizza… |
Robert Seddon says: Those lines, or at least some of them, presumably belong to the Shinra manager. Below is that looks like placeholder or debug text; the two blank lines are an odd detail.
| {EOL} |
|
| {EOL} |
|
| {PURPLE}ドアロックまで{END} |
{PURPLE} To Door Lock |
ROOTMAP
Robert Seddon says: ROOTMAP is the Route Map which Jessie shows to Cloud:
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「ね、{Cloud}」{NewScreen} |
Hey, Cloud! |
| 「聞いてる?」{EOL} |
Are you listening? |
| ☞ ああ・・・・・・{EOL} |
☞Yeah… |
| ☞ 聞いてない{END} |
☞No. |
| {Cloud}{EOL} |
Cloud: |
| 「なるほど・・・・・・」{NewScreen} |
I see… |
| 「ずいぶん{EOL} |
It’s pretty |
| くわしいんだな」{END} |
complicated, huh. |
| {Cloud}{EOL} |
Cloud: |
| 「聞いてなかった・・・」{NewScreen} |
I wasn’t listening… |
| 「もういちど{EOL} |
Let me hear it |
| 聞かせてくれ」{END} |
one more time. |
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「え!・・・・・・うん」 {NewScreen} |
What! …OK. |
| 「あのね、アバランチの規律があって{EOL} |
According to AVALANCHE’s rules we have |
| いろいろ暗記させられるわけ。{EOL} |
to memorize a lot of things by heart. |
| いちおう、大義名分ってやつなのよ」{NewScreen} |
Anyway, it’s for a good cause. |
| 「{Barret}がよく難しいこと言うでしょ{EOL} |
Barret often talks about difficult subjects. |
| 魔晄の本質とかなんとか・・・」{NewScreen} |
The true nature of Mako, for example… |
| 「ああいうのもね、暗記したのがついね{EOL} |
The things we memorize |
| でちゃうのよ」{END} |
just pop out sometimes. |
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「はいはい。{EOL} |
You got it. |
| まっかせといて」{END} |
Leave it to me! |
| 「いい?{NewScreen} |
Ready? |
| 「魔晄都市ミッド ガルは{EOL} |
The Mako city Midgar is a man-made |
| 地上から約50Mの高さに{EOL} |
city constructed 50 meters |
| 建設された人工都市なの」{END} |
above the planet’s surface. |
| 「最高水準の技術の結晶。{EOL} |
A crystallization of the highest technology. |
| 人間の知と力のしょうちょうね。{EOL} |
A symbol of humanity’s power and wisdom. |
| このミッドガルは・・・」{END} |
That’s what Midgar is… |
| 「考えてみると、あらためてすごいよね。{EOL} |
Shin-Ra’s technology is amazing |
| 神羅の技術って」{END} |
when you think about it. |
| {Cloud}{EOL} |
Cloud: |
| 「神羅か・・・・・・」{EOL} |
Shin-Ra, huh… |
| ☞ 神羅について聞かせてくれ{EOL} |
☞Let me hear about Shin-Ra. |
| ☞ 興味ないな{END} |
☞Not interested. |
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「え? {Cloud}{EOL} |
Huh? Cloud, |
| 私よりくわしいんじゃない?」{END} |
don’t you know more than me? |
| {Cloud}{EOL} |
Cloud: |
| 「昔のことなんか覚えちゃいない。{EOL} |
It was a long time ago. |
| 俺は本社勤務じゃなかったしな」{END} |
I didn’t work at headquarters or anything. |
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「はいはい」{NewScreen} |
OK then. |
| 「神羅カンパニー・・・・・・{EOL} |
Shin-Ra Company… |
| 私たち、アバランチの目下の敵」{NewScreen} |
They’re the current enemy of AVALANCHE. |
| 「この列車も、この街も{EOL} |
A giant corporation with this train, |
| もちろん魔晄炉も・・・」{NewScreen} |
this city, the Mako reactors, of course… |
| 「さいふからせいふまで{EOL} |
everything from our wallets to |
| すべてをしょうあくする巨大企業」{END} |
the government in its grasp. |
| 「神羅カンパニーのトップ は{EOL} |
At the top of the Shin-Ra company is |
| プレジデント神羅という人物よ」{NewScreen} |
a man called President Shin-Ra. |
| 「魔晄炉建設を積極的におしすすめて{EOL} |
He actively pushed forward the construction of the Mako Reactors |
| いまの神羅の地位をきずいたの」{END} |
and was instrumental in helping Shin-Ra get where it is today.. |
| 「私たち、無謀な戦いを挑んでるの。{EOL} |
We’re fighting a reckless battle. |
| 勝てるのかしら・・・・・・」{END} |
I wonder if we can win… |
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「はいはい」{END} |
Well, there you have it. |
Robert Seddon says: It’s easy enough to see why that might have been deemed redundant. The following, however, is another example of Jessie’s character development being cut back…
| 「私たち、スラムの住人が{EOL} |
For those of us who live in the slums |
| ミッドガルに上るには、この列車に乗るしかないの」{END} |
the train is the only way to get up to Midgar. |
| 「スラムの街からミッドガルへ・・・・・・{EOL} |
From the slum towns to Midgar… |
| なにもかも管理されたこの列車で{EOL} |
A variety of items are transported |
| いろんなものが運ばれていくの」{END} |
by this train that controls everything. |
| 「それにね、この列車に乗ってるとわかるの」{NewScreen} |
Anyway, riding this train makes you realize something. |
| 「上の街が吸い取っていくのは{EOL} |
Those things aren’t all the city |
| それだけじゃない」{NewScreen} |
above sucks up. |
| 「やさしい気持ち・・・{EOL} |
Kind feelings… |
| ふわっとあたたかい心。{EOL} |
Warm, light hearts… |
| だんだんなくなっていくの・・・」{END} |
They’re gradually disappearing… |
| 「そういうのって、やだな。{EOL} |
I won’t let that happen. |
| だから、私、アバランチに入ったんだ」{END} |
That’s why I joined AVALANCHE. |
| 「ごめんね、話、長くなっちゃったね。{EOL} |
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to talk for so long. |
| でも、{Cloud}に私の戦ってる理由{EOL} |
I just wanted you to know |
| 知ってほしくて」{NewScreen} |
the reason I’m fighting. |
| 「私、ただの爆弾女と思われるのって{EOL} |
I didn’t want you to think I was |
| いやなのよ」{END} |
just a girl who’s bomb-crazy. |
Robert Seddon says:
Another place where we have odd blank lines; I wonder why some of them are shorter than the full 27 characters. Presumably the text is intentionally centred; this is how it looks in a monospace font. [Update: owing to problems getting it to look right with the kanji displayed, I’ve replaced them with alphanumeric characters to show the form the text box would take.]
________________________
_______________
___________oooo____________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
Maybe it was intended as some kind of notice…
The following article by Robert Seddon was reprinted with permission from Face of the Moon.
TIN_1
Robert Seddon says: TIN_1, the first carriage on the Midgar train (apart from the Cargo van), is the last of the regular maps with decent-sized chunks of unused text. One piece of dialogue in this file was actually moved around by the translators so that it wasn’t on its own between blanked-out slots.
Another point of interest in TIN_1 is {0xFEDA}『ルートマップ画面へ』{END}, which corresponds to “To the Route Map Screen” in the English files: it’s placeholder text from development, and so it never appears in the game. Consequently I had to dig around in emulator memory to find out what the otherwise unseen FEDA did: it causes text to flash alternate white and grey. There’s another (glitchy) code, FEE0, which causes text to scroll upwards while the confirmation button is held down; according to the Loveless.exe help file both of these are operative in the PC conversion too, even though they’re not used anywhere in the final game proper. FEDF produces the same glitches but no other apparent effect.
Other things I found while probing the dialogue memory: FC00 – FC18 replicate the kanji represented by FBE7 – FBFF for some reason. Elsewhere there are chunks of numbers which produce kana, but displaced downwards by several pixels (sometimes with the bottom of the character descending through the top of the line).
| 「こ、こわいかい?{EOL} |
A, are you scared? |
| 大丈夫だよ、ぼ、僕が君を守ってやる。{EOL} |
It’s alright, I, I’ll protect you. |
| (まいったなあ・・・こしぬけちゃったよ)」{END} |
(I give up.. I’m a coward.) |
| 「(たのむ。あっちいって){EOL} |
(Please go away!) |
| きっと、いい人たちだよ。{EOL} |
I’m sure you’re good people. |
| し、心配ないよ・・・たぶん」{END} (Please, go away…) |
I, I’m not worried… honest. |
| 「キャッ!!{EOL} |
Eek!! |
| どうしましょう・・・。{EOL} |
What do I do… |
| どうしましょう・・・・・・」{NewScreen} |
What do I do… |
| (ちょっとしたスリルだわ。{EOL} |
(It’s a little thrilling, |
| このビリビリな緊張感・・・。{EOL} |
this electrifying nervousness… |
| さっきの爆発事故より恐怖ね)」{END} |
It’s even scarier than that explosion!) |
| 「キャッ!!{EOL} |
Eek!! |
| どうしましょう・・・。{EOL} |
What do I do… |
| どうしましょう・・・・・・」{NewScreen} |
What do I do… |
| 「(あ、いんねんをつけられてるのかしら。{EOL} |
(I wonder if he’s picking a fight. |
| からまれているのかしら・・・・・・?)」{END} |
Am I involved…?) |
| 「ごめんよ・・・・・・ちょっと気分が・・・」{NewScreen} |
Sorry… I feel a little… |
| 「変なもん食ったからなあ。{EOL} |
I must have eaten something weird. |
| あのミッドガル名物のプレートピザ・・・」{END} |
That famous Midgar plate pizza… |
Robert Seddon says: Those lines, or at least some of them, presumably belong to the Shinra manager. Below is that looks like placeholder or debug text; the two blank lines are an odd detail.
| {EOL} |
|
| {EOL} |
|
| {PURPLE}ドアロックまで{END} |
{PURPLE} To Door Lock |
ROOTMAP
Robert Seddon says: ROOTMAP is the Route Map which Jessie shows to Cloud:
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「ね、{Cloud}」{NewScreen} |
Hey, Cloud! |
| 「聞いてる?」{EOL} |
Are you listening? |
| ☞ ああ・・・・・・{EOL} |
☞Yeah… |
| ☞ 聞いてない{END} |
☞No. |
| {Cloud}{EOL} |
Cloud: |
| 「なるほど・・・・・・」{NewScreen} |
I see… |
| 「ずいぶん{EOL} |
It’s pretty |
| くわしいんだな」{END} |
complicated, huh. |
| {Cloud}{EOL} |
Cloud: |
| 「聞いてなかった・・・」{NewScreen} |
I wasn’t listening… |
| 「もういちど{EOL} |
Let me hear it |
| 聞かせてくれ」{END} |
one more time. |
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「え!・・・・・・うん」 {NewScreen} |
What! …OK. |
| 「あのね、アバランチの規律があって{EOL} |
According to AVALANCHE’s rules we have |
| いろいろ暗記させられるわけ。{EOL} |
to memorize a lot of things by heart. |
| いちおう、大義名分ってやつなのよ」{NewScreen} |
Anyway, it’s for a good cause. |
| 「{Barret}がよく難しいこと言うでしょ{EOL} |
Barret often talks about difficult subjects. |
| 魔晄の本質とかなんとか・・・」{NewScreen} |
The true nature of Mako, for example… |
| 「ああいうのもね、暗記したのがついね{EOL} |
The things we memorize |
| でちゃうのよ」{END} |
just pop out sometimes. |
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「はいはい。{EOL} |
You got it. |
| まっかせといて」{END} |
Leave it to me! |
| 「いい?{NewScreen} |
Ready? |
| 「魔晄都市ミッド ガルは{EOL} |
The Mako city Midgar is a man-made |
| 地上から約50Mの高さに{EOL} |
city constructed 50 meters |
| 建設された人工都市なの」{END} |
above the planet’s surface. |
| 「最高水準の技術の結晶。{EOL} |
A crystallization of the highest technology. |
| 人間の知と力のしょうちょうね。{EOL} |
A symbol of humanity’s power and wisdom. |
| このミッドガルは・・・」{END} |
That’s what Midgar is… |
| 「考えてみると、あらためてすごいよね。{EOL} |
Shin-Ra’s technology is amazing |
| 神羅の技術って」{END} |
when you think about it. |
| {Cloud}{EOL} |
Cloud: |
| 「神羅か・・・・・・」{EOL} |
Shin-Ra, huh… |
| ☞ 神羅について聞かせてくれ{EOL} |
☞Let me hear about Shin-Ra. |
| ☞ 興味ないな{END} |
☞Not interested. |
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「え? {Cloud}{EOL} |
Huh? Cloud, |
| 私よりくわしいんじゃない?」{END} |
don’t you know more than me? |
| {Cloud}{EOL} |
Cloud: |
| 「昔のことなんか覚えちゃいない。{EOL} |
It was a long time ago. |
| 俺は本社勤務じゃなかったしな」{END} |
I didn’t work at headquarters or anything. |
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「はいはい」{NewScreen} |
OK then. |
| 「神羅カンパニー・・・・・・{EOL} |
Shin-Ra Company… |
| 私たち、アバランチの目下の敵」{NewScreen} |
They’re the current enemy of AVALANCHE. |
| 「この列車も、この街も{EOL} |
A giant corporation with this train, |
| もちろん魔晄炉も・・・」{NewScreen} |
this city, the Mako reactors, of course… |
| 「さいふからせいふまで{EOL} |
everything from our wallets to |
| すべてをしょうあくする巨大企業」{END} |
the government in its grasp. |
| 「神羅カンパニーのトップ は{EOL} |
At the top of the Shin-Ra company is |
| プレジデント神羅という人物よ」{NewScreen} |
a man called President Shin-Ra. |
| 「魔晄炉建設を積極的におしすすめて{EOL} |
He actively pushed forward the construction of the Mako Reactors |
| いまの神羅の地位をきずいたの」{END} |
and was instrumental in helping Shin-Ra get where it is today.. |
| 「私たち、無謀な戦いを挑んでるの。{EOL} |
We’re fighting a reckless battle. |
| 勝てるのかしら・・・・・・」{END} |
I wonder if we can win… |
| ジェシー{EOL} |
Jessie: |
| 「はいはい」{END} |
Well, there you have it. |
Robert Seddon says: It’s easy enough to see why that might have been deemed redundant. The following, however, is another example of Jessie’s character development being cut back…
| 「私たち、スラムの住人が{EOL} |
For those of us who live in the slums |
| ミッドガルに上るには、この列車に乗るしかないの」{END} |
the train is the only way to get up to Midgar. |
| 「スラムの街からミッドガルへ・・・・・・{EOL} |
From the slum towns to Midgar… |
| なにもかも管理されたこの列車で{EOL} |
A variety of items are transported |
| いろんなものが運ばれていくの」{END} |
by this train that controls everything. |
| 「それにね、この列車に乗ってるとわかるの」{NewScreen} |
Anyway, riding this train makes you realize something. |
| 「上の街が吸い取っていくのは{EOL} |
Those things aren’t all the city |
| それだけじゃない」{NewScreen} |
above sucks up. |
| 「やさしい気持ち・・・{EOL} |
Kind feelings… |
| ふわっとあたたかい心。{EOL} |
Warm, light hearts… |
| だんだんなくなっていくの・・・」{END} |
They’re gradually disappearing… |
| 「そういうのって、やだな。{EOL} |
I won’t let that happen. |
| だから、私、アバランチに入ったんだ」{END} |
That’s why I joined AVALANCHE. |
| 「ごめんね、話、長くなっちゃったね。{EOL} |
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to talk for so long. |
| でも、{Cloud}に私の戦ってる理由{EOL} |
I just wanted you to know |
| 知ってほしくて」{NewScreen} |
the reason I’m fighting. |
| 「私、ただの爆弾女と思われるのって{EOL} |
I didn’t want you to think I was |
| いやなのよ」{END} |
just a girl who’s bomb-crazy. |
Robert Seddon says:
Another place where we have odd blank lines; I wonder why some of them are shorter than the full 27 characters. Presumably the text is intentionally centred; this is how it looks in a monospace font. [Update: owing to problems getting it to look right with the kanji displayed, I’ve replaced them with alphanumeric characters to show the form the text box would take.]
________________________
_______________
___________oooo____________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
Maybe it was intended as some kind of notice…