Simple PC-FX utilities...?

[punistation]

While I'm at it, here's what happenned when I tried CDdump:



Of course, it simply stays like that.  If there's no PCFX CD in there, it'll tell you such.



And while I'm at it:  When I look at the PCFX CD in Win98 Explorer, it only shows an audio file  (the one you hear when you put the CD into a CD Player.  Y'know, "This is a PCFX game CD, etc...").  HOWEVER, look what I see when I turn on my CD wav/MP3 maker program:




Ah-HAH!  game data!  Something to rip from!    (Now, if only I had a program that could DO that...)



 Kisses XXOOXX
Jen Edited by: punistation at: 6/16/02 2:32:54 am

[RURUiNa]

CDDump ran for you in the windows command line which means it is not a linux program. Whether it did what you wanted or not is another story.. perhaps you need something more than just the exe in the command line.. perhaps the name of the file you want outputted? format? which drive letter? I haven't used it so I'm not sure..

It's quite normal for windows to only show the audio portion. You can go to drive properties (in some versions of windows) and then pick "Volumes" and you will see a complete list of the tracks on the disc.

NEC uses a proprietary filesystem for their data tracks which means it cannot be read in Windows. The PC-FX-GA is supposed to include software to allow the reading and writing of this NEC format.

Let me know what happens if you get it to work.. Ripping pictures seems cool.

-RUiNa

[Pcenginefx]

Thanks for trying to get this stuff to work.  I've still not had time to mess with it yet on my end   But as far as I remember from messing with it in the past, I've only been able to rip the AVIs from FX titles not the still-frames..  Well, keep at it and when I mess with it on my end I will post what I find... Aaron Nanto
Webmaster Pcenginefx.com
www.pcenginefx.com

The ultimate resource for NEC console information!

[punistation]

Well, I finally got CDdump to work.  It was a matter of figuring out the commandline.  Sure enough, I got myself a 500MB CDF file of my PC-FX game (and a 128MB file for disc 02)

Sadly, when I loaded it into FXview, it couldn't find any images.  It kept looking and looking, but eventually finished with no result.   (It says the program looks for images, then stops searching when it finds one.  Left-click to continue).

Tragic... tragic...




I guess my ONLY hope now is to pray for the successful (and very hasty indeed) completion of the 1st PC-FX emulator.


Kisses XXOOXX
Jen

[punistation]

Wai~iiiiiiiiitaminnit.


If there's no working emulator... and no image extraction utilities... how is it you guys have Tenchi Muyo FMV & Gameplay images on the website?

(and why haven't I realised this until now...?)


Kisses XXOOXX
Jen

[Pcenginefx]

LOL....it's not magic...I can record any FMV or video source into my machines at home with my video capture card, and still frames just as easy  Aaron Nanto
Webmaster Pcenginefx.com
www.pcenginefx.com

The ultimate resource for NEC console information!

[punistation]

What's this?!  I come back after almost a month, and STILL no working PC-FX emulator?!

Honestly, what  am I paying you for?


(I'm sure you'd say I'm not paying you at all, but I'm talking in terms of life.  You see, I've saved your life on 3 seperate occasions so far.  I went back in time and prevented your death, thus creating an alternate timeline and saving your life.  The last time; you were eaten by a pack of wild zebra taking revenge on the world.  All I ask in return is a working emulator, or at least a partially working emulator so I can grab the images from my TENCHI MUYO FX game, but no~ooooo...)

You better pull up your socks and start wit' da hardcore programming, buddy boy... or I will hunt you down, grab your arm in a heavily-populated public shopping center...and cry.  

...very loudly.


 Kisses XXOOXX
Jen Edited by: punistation at: 7/16/02 9:36:02 pm

[Pcenginefx]

Hey now...be nice   I'm getting updated info on the emu hopfully this week, but we are a LONG time from a working emu yet... Aaron Nanto
Webmaster Pcenginefx.com
www.pcenginefx.com

The ultimate resource for NEC console information!

[punistation]

I realise that buying a PC-FX is the only way to see the goodies on my TENCHI MUYO FX game (what with no FX utilities working for TM!)... but what're the ways I can get the audio/visual goodness onto my PC?


One way I think works is a Video Card with that funky VIDEO-IN hole.  A 'capture card' I think it's called.  How would I get that to work?  Do I plug the PC-FX into my TV by way of VCR, record onto VHS while I'm playing, then plug the VCR into the VIDEO-IN and record the VHS?  Is that how it works?  

Recording onto VHS, then VHS to PC, sounds pretty low quality.  Is there anything better?

Howazabout those funky PCFX-GA cards?  What exactly do they do?  Do they allow plugging the PC-FX into your computer, and playing it using the PC Monitor?  That sounds nice, because I can simply take screen captures (They'd be good digital quality too).  But then, there's two types of GA cards, right?  One which won't work on a PC, and one that does, ne?   (PC9800 & DOS/V I think they're called)

GA cards sound expensive though...



Are there any others ways to get PC-FX goodness onto my PC?   (an emulator or image-ripper utility would be ideal, but I don't think they'll be around anytime soon.  *cries*)


Kisses XXOOXX
Jen

[RURUiNa]

You can put the video from the PC-FX out directly into the capture card on the pc. no need for a VCR or a TV. most capture card software will display what's coming into it in a window on your pc monitor. So with a capture card you can play any system on a window on your pc and record it using the capture card software as well.

It seems you found the major cache of PC-FX utilities so if none of those worked on tenchi then you're out of luck.

The FX-GA cards are meant as a developer kit so its way overboard. It's basically a pc-fx on a card but I imagine it has video out to go to a television and will not play on your pc.

On average the PC-FX is going for around $180 on ebay (thats what i paid) including a pad and at least one game. It's a pretty good deal considering.. and for tenchi fanatics, there's the Tenchi Muyou FX 2-disc game plus the tenchi stuff on Anime Freak Vol. 3 (you can watch this tenchi video on your pc using mixplay, etc.).. Neither of these games is available for another system as far as I know.

However for the biggest selection of Tenchi Muyou software, I recommend the Sega Saturn. There's 4 games and an info disc out from the Tenchi series and another 2-3 games from the magical girl pretty sammy series.

About 2/3 of those exist on the playstation.

There's also a decent tenchi game for the turboduo and a great tenchi rpg (translated to english versions exist) for the SNES/SFC.

-RUiNa

[punistation]

Thanks for the info, Ruru~san.


Yeah, I've gone through the utilities.  This entire thread is a testimony to my failure on that one.  My best bet was the Image-viewer, but it couldn't find anything on the TM! CD's.  I am a TM! fanatic, so I really want to play the FX game.   (It's just sitting around, collecting dust)

Yeah, most TM! games appear on the Saturn.  I've got quite a few, spanning accross multiple systems.  I grab what I can from 'em, and put them on my Homepage   (Feel free to drop by if you like TM! goodies!  As surreal as it feels to think this, I honestly believe I am the greatest source of TM! games n' goodies in the western world.).  

The PC-FX stuff however is an unknown to me.  What exactly is on the Anime Flick #03 CD?  Is it a game?  Sounds like a movie clip to me.  Is it an actual episode?  Is it an original, or just one of the OAV's?


I think I may have the opportunity to buy a PC-FX tonight, but it looks like the shipping will be as much if not more than the cost of the PC-FX itself!  *cries again*

sigh... All the good stuff is always on another continent.  As a veteran importer, I can say without a doubt: Importing sucks.


Kisses XXOOXX
Jen

[punistation]

I missed out on the Ebay auction.  The Shipping cost was just too much.

*cries*


Kisses XXOOXX
Jen

[RURUiNa]

Just keep your eye on ebay.

I bought mine on there for around $180 (It ended at $97 and the shipping was $83!!!!) They usually end cheap like that when you know the shipping is going to be high.

There's no getting around that. If you find a domestic seller, someone's going to jack the price up to $180 + a small shipping charge..

BTW I really like your website (I'm a tenchi fanatic too.. hardcore).. Have you thought about putting up original scans (in japanese) ?

-RUiNa

[punistation]

Original scans?  

Well, I'm not quite sure of what.  I did scan and upload a whole bunch've never-before-seen images from the Naoko Novels (novels written by original scriptwriter of OAV1-6 & movie 02), but they're over at the Aeka Fan Club Message Board.  

Yeah, that's actually a good idea.  I think I'll link to the specific AFC pages from my FUN STUFF page, just like the 4-koma manga stuff.  Thanks for being my muse, Ruru~san!


Kisses XXOOXX
Jen


P.S.  I want the goodies locked within the TM! FX game SO much.  Anyone willing to sell me their PC-FX?  For maybe... $40?   (Jen blinks eyes and makes sad pathetic expression to gain pity from PC-FX owners)

[niki]

hey guys don't give it up !!!! i discovered this site today cause i was loocking for pcfx isos (by the way if someone could help me about that ... ) and ended on your post. i've been to the japanese pages with the tools on and just didn't understood anything at all.... i don't have any programming experience... all i can do is clicking on a button and hope it works. but if someone explains things to me clearly, step by step... then maybe... so please could you try to make a short but clear guide about the pcfx video/audio/pictures ripping ?? (especially the video...). that would be nice.   (congratulation about being so persistant punistation !! ^ ^ )