Touhou 13.5 東方心綺楼 Hopeless Masquerade. Yay!

[Vyrien]

i7 CPU and above whut.

The next intel CPU hasn't even been released yet :v

[The Hating Hater]

i7 CPU? How did I missed that. What is in the full game?

[Maiden Synnae ミ☆]

i7 CPU and above whut.

The next intel CPU hasn't even been released yet :v

Maybe there's secretly an unofficial i9 one in japan :V

[MaStErSpArK94]

Maybe there's secretly an unofficial i9 one in japan :V

It needs i7 or higher because ZUN is the final boss. That's not easy to handle, you know.

[Imosa]

I think we should look back at the idea that judging is done by ZUN himself. What if, instead of having ZUN judge every match, they simulate ZUN to judge the matches.

[Gpop]

Damn, on the last day of Anime North, so it's gonna be hard to talk about this game, but I would love to try to play it by then

Still, this is awesome. I kinda expected the game to be released by then after they released the official web demo for it.

[cuc]

i7 CPU and above whut.

The next intel CPU hasn't even been released yet :v

I copy-and-pasted hastily. There shouldn't be an "and above" after that. It'd take 2000s' id and Epic to put out future-proof system requirements like that.

==============

Since the expected release date has been properly announced, it's time to discuss something serious.

If you intend to make the English translation patch for HM, start planning now. I think I should be able to arrange your communication with the programmer working on the Chinese patch. But even with the right tools and knowledge, there's still some work ahead.

Because, look at this:


These are the image files for dialog balloons found in the web trial version. Their shapes, when viewed in the light of HM's overall art direction (the game logo and messages displayed at match beginning and end are all vertically aligned), can only indicate one thing: the dialog text in HM will be displayed vertically, up-to-down then right-to-left, like in a manga.

The English patch will have to add word wrap, make the text horizontally aligned and center-aligned, and probably reduce the default text size to make up for space. For translators, since the size of text balloons are fixed this time (unlike Soku), there will be a problem with the amount of space available, both vertically and horizontally. Hyphenation most likely will have to be done manually. Variable-width font(s) will be helpful.

So, if you know someone who is going to, or might be able and willing to take on the HM English patch, you should pass the message to them.


Analysis of file names:
-Most balloons are named a/b/c/d + Num1 x Num2.
-The a/b/c/d here is balloon type: a=talking (rough edges), b=shouting, c=talking (smooth edges), d=thinking.
-Num1 is the number of characters in each vertically displayed line, and Num2 is the number of lines.
-There are 3 different balloon sizes: small=5x2, medium=11x2, large=15x3.
-The hukidasi (fukidashi=blowing) balloons are talking balloons, larger than type a.

Even the largest balloons are only meant to display 45 kana or kanji characters, or the equivalent of 90 Western characters. (EDIT: the hukidasi balloons are larger than that.)

[Clarste]

...is it weird that I find the word balloon thing way scarier than the system requirements? It's not like I have a good computer either...

[Formless God]

Dayum I can't wait to play this game with my future renderstation :getdown:

[cuc]

...is it weird that I find the word balloon thing way scarier than the system requirements? It's not like I have a good computer either...

The CPU requirement is nothing but a joke. The word balloons are serious business.

I'm now looking at the balloon files. They are large enough that as long as the other problems - horizontal alignment, center alignment, word wrap and variable width - can be solved, the amount of space shouldn't be an issue if the text size is sufficiently small. I can still imagine lots of cases that would require manually tweaking the dialog so that they don't look terrible in-game.

At least this task doesn't appear impossible.

[cuc]

Cover art.

http://d-stage.com/shop/detail.php?seq=39859

[Stuffman]

MIMA CONFIRMED!!

[KaiserKnuckle]

Oooh damn, first time i've seen a boss with aura on their (hypothetical) cutin, if the oliveness taking the left is her sillouhette.

Though, if it's the neon green one in the middle that is it, then I can only assume she is a god of some sort, because if I remember correctly, the circular things above her are whatever these things are on his back, since my mind has failed me in remembering what they were and what they did, though I do think I remember that they were worn by some god.

MIMA CONFIRMED!!

or that  :derp:

[Tiamat]

In all seriousness, it really might be Mima.  I mean, wouldn't say it's super high chance (although it does seem more spirit/ghost-ish than human-ish in shape), but it does seem kinda plausible. Maybe they'll do the god of Hakurei shrine thing after all.

[Zil]

In all seriousness, it really might be Mima.  I mean, wouldn't say it's super high chance (although it does seem more spirit/ghost-ish than human-ish in shape), but it does seem kinda plausible. Maybe they'll do the god of Hakurei shrine thing after all.

The silhouette pretty clearly has feet, and Mima doesn't. I guess they could have just given her feet for the heck of it, but in any case I really doubt that's Mima of all people.

MIMA CONFIRMED!!

I thought the chin was a smile at first. Pillsbury dough Mima.

[Tiamat]

The silhouette pretty clearly has feet, and Mima doesn't.

Mima has feet in the last game she appeared in, Mystic Square. (or at least, legs). She doesn't on that retro CD soundtrack cover, but maybe that's just cause its retro

[cuc]

-What's not sure: the objects surrounding her can be vines & flowers (especially if you consider the other silhouette overlayed on the cover to be the same character's profile), spirits (see the game's old logo), or fireballs forming a Buddhist statue halo like a post above has pointed out. The outline of her whole upper body looks thorny, yet her skirt/trousers and shoes don't.

-She is holding some artifact in her right hand, reminescent of Greek or Buddhist statues. I've seen someone cry out "she has Shou's pagoda!" Indeed, if you search for Bishamoten's statue...

-The background pattern depicts fabric. So "heart fabric" is indeed a thing in the story. She's stealing human thoughts to weave into something?

-Someone needs to figure out what plant does the leaf in the new logo belong to.

[Validon98]

-The background pattern depicts fabric. So "heart fabric" is indeed a thing in the story. She's stealing human thoughts to weave into something?

This reminds me of a theory I had regarding the "incident" in this game. While I believe the pessimistic feeling in the Human Village is natural, the sudden disorder and complete lack of care about life resulting from this feeling is not. Someone (most likely the one on the cover) is manipulating the pessimism in the village to create the chaos in the village. For what reason, I don't know. But the sudden chaos just seems REALLY out of place, even with pessimism to back it up.

[Maiden Synnae ミ☆]

inb4 it's not Mima and then some people complaining about Zun trolling the fanbase :V

[cuc]

Bishamoten's statue, note the fireballs on his halo, and the pagoda.

The oni underneath his feet is the Amanojaku mentioned in a post above as speculation for the culprit.

Mashing up all the theories together, so Amanojaku/Amenosagume has disguised herself as her enemy Bishamoten, and is stealing the thoughts of humans to weave them into the heart fabric? That's as good a guess as any. :flowerpower:

The leaf in the new logo, I still can't identify. Looks like Chinese cabbage or radish to me, but I know there are plants that look closer to this one...

EDIT: Probably daimyo oak, a common design element in Japanese kamon/emblems.

The fabric pattern on the cover is decorated with bells, platycodon and a plant I can't identify that shouldn't be Venus flytrap (native to South America).

EDIT2: The plot thickens. There is a 3rd silhouette overlayed in the center, of what appears to be some kind of orchid blades. It has a slightly purple hue. Orchid + fabric + daimyo oak leaf + wisp = ?

[Formless God]

inb4 it's not Mima and then some people complaining about Zun trolling the fanbase :V

no no its defnitly mimer bcoz i can feel mimer in my boner

[Bound]

No guise, the announcement of the release was made exactly 33 days in advance! The only logical explanation is we're getting a loli Jesus, I mean, seriously.

[cuc]

Actually, the orchid, the bells, platycodons and other details on the background pattern shouldn't be important - they are traditional design motifs ZUN simply draw up from some image libraries, and liberally used throughout the Touhou games. Same for the textures used on the HM game logos (yeah, a Japanese fan has already figured out which library these come from).

Aside from the game logo, the only things that matter are the dark, aggressive and oppressive tone of the cover, the two silhouettes, and the idea that there are "fabrics".


My friend isolated the character after some work:

[HyperGumba]

So there is going to be a new character, interesting. This one doesn't look quite like Mima...

It would actually be pretty interesting to have the Hakurei Shrine deity show up at last. It is a religion themed game, after all... though I honestly can't guess what kind of person this on the cover art is supposed to be, I don't know much about Japanese Mythology to make a rough guesstimate.

[cuc]

Another friend's work. So the unidentified plant is the orchid.

The character:


The large shadow:


The orchid (he missed one or two blades on the upper half):


EDIT: the orchid image helped me see a 4th layer: a bright red satin band, starting from the bottom center, reaching below the left flower.

The orchid and the band are most likely unimportant.

[Tsalop]

Actually, the orchid, the bells, platycodons and other details on the background pattern shouldn't be important - they are traditional design motifs ZUN simply draw up from some free image libraries, and liberally used throughout the Touhou games. Same for the textures used on the HM game logos (yeah, a Japanese fan has already figured out which library these come from).

Aside from the game logo, the only things that matter are the dark, aggressive and oppressive tone of the cover, the two silhouettes, and the idea that there are "fabrics".


My friend isolated the character after some work:

This is the ultimate proof... It is clearly Mima holding the jeweled pagoda.

[cuc]

The results of investigation by knowledgeable Chinese fans:

The orchid is a stock image of sagiso, a species native to Japan, and a very popular subject of Japanese art. It should be unimportant.

The kashiwa (daimyo oak) leaf in the logo, OTOH, can potentially be important. Kashiwa leaves are sacred leaves that have been used for religious purposes since ancient times in Japan, so only a priest clan such as Mononobe can possibly use it for their emblem, not your average samurai. Its significant is also only confined to Shintoism, not other religions. So, this suggests something with a strong link to Shintoism.

Also, the image libraries ZUN used are not free.

In summary, we've found:

The game logo;
The new character's silhouette;
A large silhouette, may be the same character;
A purely decorative orchid;
A even more pointless, barely visible red satin band;
A fabric motif background, decorated with bells and platycodons (bellflowers).

[Validon98]

This is the ultimate proof... It is clearly Mima holding the jeweled pagoda.

If I hear "It's Mima!" one more time, I'm going to throw my laptop out the window. It's not Mima, it hasn't been Mima for several games now, and I'm tired of people using this as a theory. There is no actual evidence to back it up. Besides, Mima couldn't be possibly related to this incident. Manipulating people's emotions isn't on her power list, last time I checked. I know people want Mima to come back, but it's getting a little ridiculous at this point.

[Suikama]

It's Mima!

[Ikari]

* Ikari stands by Validon's window.

Hah, this is way less expensive than buying a new one.