Thread 12006030

I'm wanting to give Skies of Arcadia a go. I've never played it before and know nothing about it only that it is a turn based RPG and there is a Dreamcast and GameCube version. Which version should I go with? Either way it will be getting emulated. Is there anything else I need to know going in?

You just had a thread on v.

>>12006030 (OP)
dreamcast has better sound, vmu shit involving a fat kid and better transparencies.
gamecube has several new boss fights with bounties, new final weapons, new discoveries, a 1st person minigame involving moonfish, a side quest involving piastol that explains some backstory and a new super boss with an erection.

gamecube version did take a fat hit making the music quality worse, but its not worth lacking the gc content unless you're a dreamcast enthusiast.

>>12006720
So the hit to the music isn’t bad enough to justify missing out on the extra content? Do you think someone who’s never played the DC version would notice that the music is off?

>>12006739
depends entirely on your sound setup. when i played both on a crt years ago it was whatever, but keep in mind the ost is 10/10.
there's been effort to try to crack the gc sound but I don't think they're there yet.

maybe one day dolphin will let you load sounds in a folder or some shit. people were adding mp3 support for snes games for awhile.

>>12006739
Nah. Play the GC version. Anyone who bitches about the audio is a retard. It's perfectly fine.

Why are her boobs

>>12007196
Yes

>>12006030 (OP)
>>12006720
I think the GC version also has a reduced random encounter rate

>>12007585
This is a myth. There is no difference between the encounter rates of either version of the game. Enemies also do not have any altered experience or money payouts with the exception of the very first scripted encounters giving slightly more EXP to make the start a bit easier.
If you're going to complain, then at least make it a real complaint, like how the DC version takes around 18 seconds to load encounters from the start of the battle transition to when you may make your first input, while the GC version only takes 10. Still, considering how Skies of Arcadia is reasonably well-paced and doesn't require grinding to clear the game normally, this isn't even that big of a deal unless you're a grindfag, in which case, you deserve to suffer.

The way people have always been insanely butthurt about SoA's encounter rate is a testament to how good the overworld is and how much people wanted to explore it.
I know about the white patch but they should have let you get an item that turns encounters off for discovery hunting.

>>12006030 (OP)
>Which version should I go with?
If you're okay with shitty, shitty audio go with the GC version and its extra contents.

https://old.reddit.com/r/skiesofarcadia/comments/1huwffj/here_are_the_starting_steps_to_replacing_the_audio/
really hoping some lil nigga can be roped into fixing this shit, sounds like we know how all the audio works, just a matter of someone going through each file

>>12008250
>2025
>GPT exists and will walk you through literally anything
I’ll take a look at that link and see if I can be arsed to be the hero this board deserves.

>>12008228
Shitty in what way?

>>12009553

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNugQ37VUqw

>>12009619
Difference between FM and AM radio.

>>12009647
Brutal.

Does the game really need extra content

>>12009769
the new bosses are fun
and they gave closure to vigoro

>>12009619
I knew their was a difference but I didn't think it was this big of a difference

>>12009619
Without headphones you can barely tell the difference… Jesus anons were making it seem like they replaced the music with a fart machine. Sure, the quality is undeniably worse. But it’s definitely not bad enough to ruin the fucking game outright kek. It’s still the same tracks, just slightly worse quality. If the GC version has updated content that is actually good then it’s absolutely the definitive version of the game.

>>12009857
Maybe it’s because I’m listening on my phone’s speakers but it really doesn’t sound that bad.

>>12006030 (OP)
Should I play this in 480i on my GameCube and crt or 480p through a lcd on my Wii?

>>12010383
They sound the same too if you plug your ears.

>>12010275
The battle themes are a better example of how much shittier the music is in the GC version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afx5jtSJH1M&list=RDafx5jtSJH1M&start_radio=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUmyddg9T-A&list=PLEOt8Ruk4OEmeUWCmYEIaakDy2-8VwEIz

>>12011517
Yeah, that’s an undeniable downgrade. I’m not convinced that it’s egregious enough to warrant missing out on extra content, though. At least not from my perspective since I’m 34 and haven’t played either version before. I can appreciate how much it’d ruin the game for someone who played the game when they were younger and became deeply enamored with the game’s OST, since that’s pretty huge part of what makes an RPG memorable. I can definitely see how the variation of a beloved tune that not only sounds different, but *worse* could easily ruin the experience. But for those of us who don’t have the emotional attachment to the songs, the difference is negligible. At least that’s how it seems to me right now.

>>12011517
I can't even tell a difference

>>12011643
Christ.

>>12008250
Had a look at it, the menu theme and some in-game sfx can be reencoded to .dsp files pretty easy, gives a slight improvement, but the in-game OST is using .samp/.info files which are harder to work on.

In DC these used .MLT files which were kinda like MIDI for the DC hardware, those hold samples + instructions on what to play, different effects to use etc.
GC .samp/.info is similar but for GC hardware, apparently the .samp files can have their .dsp sample data changed with some tools, but afaik one of the complaints with GC is music had some effects/instruments removed entirely, would take some work to recreate those from DC accurately.

(also didn't have much luck finding working tools for the DC .MLT files, there's some ancient stuff made for python2 that can convert to .DSF but wasn't able to run that properly, theres also a pack of .DSF files pre-converted but they were all renamed different to the game files ;_;)

I'd guess if the samples can be taken from MLT -> converted to WAV -> converted to DSP -> injected into .samp that would help a bit, really I never noticed too much wrong with the in-game OST myself though, the menu OST is probably the one that was hit worst (and gets compared in all the YT videos), but that can have .dsp of it switched pretty easily.