[PC98] Mystic Square Modding Toolkit

[Tom]

MysticTK (Mystic Square Toolkit)

Project website at http://lunarcast.net

Discord Server: https://discord.gg/jXNf8MK

What is this:
This project is a collection of utilities that allow extensive modification of Mystic Square's game archives. Stage enemies, enemy scripts, bullet patterns, backgrounds and dialogue can currently be completely customized.

StageDef.exe: Decompiles .STD stage definition files in to scripts and tables and compiles resulting file back in to .STD files Usage: d <InputFile> <OutputFile> - Decompile STD file to source file c <InputFile> <OutputFile> - Compile source file to STD file Uses: Edit Stage Name, BGM Name and Boss BGM Name Edit Stage Design and Layout (Rearrange tile sections which are 24x5 rows of tiles composed in MAP files) Edit Enemy Scripts Edit Enemy Spawn Table Edit Bullet Patterns spawned by stage enemies

MapDef.exe Decompiles .MAP files in to a table of tile indices and compiles indice lists back to .MAP files Usage: d <InputFile> <OutputFile> - Decompile MAP file to source file c <InputFile> <OutputFile> - Compile source file to MAP file Uses: Rearrange tiles within a Tile Section (Sections 24x5 tiles (5 rows, 24 across))

MpnDef.exe Usage: d <InputFile> <OutputFile> - Decode MPN file to BMP file c <InputFile> <OutputFile> - Encode BMP file to MPN file Uses: Edit the individual tiles used in MAP files and stages Edit the palette used for the stage (Warning: Affects everything on screen!) Warning: Use a program that supports Indexed Color to edit the outputted bitmaps (such as GIMP or PS), most programs (such as MSPaint or Paint.NET) mangle the color palette information.

TxDef.exe Usage: d <InputFile> <OutputFile> - Decompile TX2 file to source file c <InputFile> <OutputFile> - Compile source file to TX2 file Uses: Edit the dialogue text in game Edit which portraits appear during dialogue scenes

CDGDef.exe Usage: d <InputFile> <OutputFile> <PaletteFile> - Decompile CDG file to source file c <InputFile> <OutputFile> <FrameWidth> <FrameHeight> - Compile source file to CDG file Uses: Edit character portraits and player selection portraits Edit player spell backgrounds

BFTDef.exe Decodes .BFT files in to 16 color (4bpp) .BMP files and vice versa Usage: d <InputFile> <OutputFile> <PaletteFile> - Decompile BFT file to source file c <InputFile> <OutputFile> <FrameWidth> <FrameHeight> - Compile source file to BFT file Uses: Edit player sprites Edit stage enemy and boss sprites Edit shot sheets and items (Warning: These files may have their own palettes but use MPTN palette ingame)

PIDef.exe Decodes .PI files in to 16 color (4bpp) .BMP files and vice versa Usage: d <InputFile> <OutputFile> [PaletteFile] - Decompile PI file to source file (Custom palette optional) c <InputFile> <OutputFile> - Compile source file to PI file Uses: Edit menu and UI backgrounds Edit stage loading logo Edit startup splash screen (Warning: These files set the palette on menu screens)

BmpConv.exe Reencodes 16 color (4bpp) .BMP files if they are not recognized by the other tools Usage: <InputFile> <OutputFile> - Convert bitmap Uses: If a BMP file is not directly recognized by MpnDef this might help

Download (WinXP+): http://file.lunarcast.net/mystictk/latest.zip
Download (Win95/WinNT3.1+/PC98(Win)): http://file.lunarcast.net/mystkcrt/latest.zip

Examples:

Change enemy item drops (StageDef)

Moonlight Palette Swap (MPNDef)

[Tom]

TxDef tool has been added to Mystic Toolkit, which allows you to edit the dialogue files

[Tom]

CDGDef tool has been added to Mystic Toolkit, which allows you to edit image files used for dialogue portraits, player spellcard backgrounds and menu character selection portraits

[Silent Sinner in Scarlet]

There is once crucial tool lacking here: an utility for converting BMP image files into BFT image files (for the individual character and object sprites, in addition for customizing the on-screen gaiji font). Many years ago, I wrote a C program for converting BFT into BMP, but not the other way around. But I cannot locate that utility anymore: it is held hostage in a non-responsive hard drive in my possession. And I don?t currently have US$ 3000 for retrieving data from that HDD 

Actually, not all BFT files are single-image sprites, they are more like sprite collections sharing a common 16-color palette.

Fortunately, before this HDD crashed, I was able to use that utility of mine to convert all BFT files from all Tōhō games from TH02 to TH05 into BMP files which I saved to a USB thumbdrive that still survives as of today; the original BFT files are also in my safe possession. If anyone needs them, I can share them here.

[Silent Sinner in Scarlet]

Looks like someone already had an utility for opening those BFT files:

https://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,20614.msg1320795.html

They called it BFNTCONV. Well, anyway, I am posting here what I could reverse-engineer from BFT (and BB0, BB1, ?) files

Also, this other thread mentioned another utility, YY-CHR, used to apparently edit BFT files. So check which of these two utilities, BFNTCONV or YY-CHR, would be the best one to be included into the Mystic Square Toolkit.

[Tom]

Important! An update to Mystic Toolkit has been released (0.1.8b) (http://file.lunarcast.net/mystictk/)
This corrects a serious bug affecting Shift JIS text handling during compilation in TXDEF.EXE, its recommended everyone using the toolset for projects update ASAP. 
To update you will need to compile your files using your current version of MysticTK then decompile using the new version! 
I cannot stress this enough, backup your files/project before upgrading.  This is doubly important for people using automation systems like AutoMSTK (http://file.lunarcast.net/automstk/) to compile entire DAT files at once!

[Tom]

Mystic Toolkit Update Released http://file.lunarcast.net/mystictk/latest.zip (Normal) http://file.lunarcast.net/mystkcrt/latest.zip (CRT Special Edition)
* Changed MapDef coordinates to hexadecimal instead of decimal (xx,yy -> 0xYX)
* IMPORTANT: A bug in StageDef that led to stage corruption which was patched a long time ago resurfaced (was never really patched in the first place) in TXDef, so I urge you to update and double-check your dialogue files for potentially wrong functions!  (Confirmed to exist in _DM00 at line 16 SetActiveBoss(); should be replaced with FadeToWhite(1)