Kingdom Hearts V-CAST Game Files Ripped

[kraze1984]

Dear people at KHInsider forums,

First of all it is astonishing that somebody decided to dig up such an obscure game and moreover managed to do that from a platform no longer alive.

While not being enthusiastic about the game itself, I am merely interested in the technical challenges it involves. I am collecting various BREW software and games, and this one never caught my attention. Now it did.

I have various devices based on BREW platform, including the Zeebo, and can, within some limits, get the software to run on some of them without the appropriate production signature and .mif file.

Upon analysis and tests to try to run these backups on my devices, the backups might be incomplete. They might miss the extension which is necessary to run the game on the device.

*Might*, because the 3D games published by Superscape usually used their iswerve 3D engine which was included as a separate extension (in a separate folder within the /mod folder), with the name iswerve_XXX_XXX.mod. On the other hand, some of the games did not use the extension, or used another extension with named imicro3d.

Next, the .mif file which is required to run the game is encrypted in both backups, so, you would never be able to run the game except on the phone from which it was backuped from. Unless the .MIF file is rebuilt from scratch with the correct ID and there is a test signature for the specific device.

Upon investigation in the .mod file, I could recover the ID which is used to launch the game and the IDs of the supposed extensions. However none of the versions of iswerve and imicro3d engines I have in my possession seem to fit. The game (both versions) throws its internal error "The application has failed and will close (Error 3)". If the appropriate extension IDs are changed in the .mod to the versions of the extensions I have, then the error codes differ, but still no luck to launch.

Also this might be due to my devices' screen resolutions not fitting to what the game is expecting.

So the questions are:
- which phones are these backups from? They are from different models, because the .mod and .sig files differ (the AGRABAH backup has a .sig (signature) file from 2005, and the first backup from 2006)?
- is it possible to get other folders with numbers from the phone from which the AGRABAH backup comes from?

As for backing up files from the K1M I would suggest trying revskills (although I never tried it on a Motorola phone):
https://mega.nz/#!ibgh2IIB!1ZVD7oxFCwMamJ1_oO4MLH-RRyDGJETFNUeJFo3W8_E

Regards

 

[kraze1984]

So, I have some news.

I found the necessary versions of the Swerve engine extension for both versions. They both also work on the Zeebo, so I can record off the composite output. Expect a footage soon.

I am willing to invest into a K1m and show how to dump files from it. That is, if the user with the final chapter is still anywhere here and willing to share...

I could as well try to extract the image of the filesystem from the bricked phone of the user with the second episode, if I could have my hands on it. That, however, is not guranteed. Too many unknown factors, including whether the files are still there.

And as a final note: the swervenet.superscape.com server was still available in 2016, if I can trust archive.org, and one could potentially download the data (.m3g) files from it if the correct request string was provided to the server. The data files were not stored in V-Cast service, but on this server. Now the server is defunct.

Regards

 

[kraze1984]

Footage of the training and the first episode uploaded to my Youtube channel.
I cannot move further because I cannot map the magic button to the controller, and also because I need to edit the savegame file to make it run from the beginning of the Agrabah episode.

Magic must be used in Agrabah several times, including in a quest to light all the lights, while the annoying little ghost tries to put them off.

 

[Moonie]

So, as I suspected, it is possible to run Kingdom Hearts V-Cast on Zeebo because its operating system is also BREW (and from what it looks like, it can run practically everything that was done for BREW even with much more powerful hardware than phones that ran BREW.)

I have Zeebo, it is a very fascinating console, despite running BREW it has some very interesting games like an exclusive remake of Double Dragon, an excellent port from Zenonia, competent ports from Quake 1 and 2 in addition to some games of its own TecToy as Zeebo FC Super League (it's like Mario Strikers, but with Zeeboids who are like the Miis for Zeebo) and Um jogo de Ovos which is a very interesting 2D Co-Op platform.

Here in Brazil it is easy to find Zeebo for 100 ~~ 200 R$ ( 20 ~~ 70 U$ )

The problem is that Zeebo's hack scene is practically non-existent, even for us Brazilians it is very difficult to unlock the console compared to others like 3DS, Wii, Wii U, PS3 etc... some knowledge of the hardware is required and if done incorrectly it can even damage the console. (which has already happened in some cases in a Brazilian group on facebook called Zeebo Club),

and to make matters worse, Zeebo did not have a physical media, it was the first console to bet everything on digital (which generated several problems and losses for TecToy itself because the 3G network was not paid by users, it was funded by TecToy itself and Zeebo was 100% connected at all times, which generated several expenses for the company) With the end of the online store, the only way to add games to Zeebo is with this super complicated unlock method. There were people who tried to find an easier way to unlock the console or even re-create the online store (by inserting any SIM-Card you can go back to Zeebo online, but as the update and store servers were closed it ends not being very useful) but in the end, it came to nothing and people disappeared.

It's great to see people testing new things on Zeebo, to be honest, it's the first time I've seen people running BREW applications from other devices on it, so far the most I've seen are emulators to run games like Street Fighter Alpha.

PS: Sorry for my english, Brazilian Here.

 

[The_Echo]

Footage of the training and the first episode uploaded to my Youtube channel.
I cannot move further because I cannot map the magic button to the controller, and also because I need to edit the savegame file to make it run from the beginning of the Agrabah episode.

I can't believe we actually have proper footage of this game after all these years

 

[MATGSY]

I'll admit, I would never have expected to see a mini-golf world in KH.

 

[kraze1984]

The choice of the setting for the Obstacle Course was lazy, indeed....

 

[ShardofTruth]

Great stuff, thanks for the new footage kraze1984.

 

[JoJoSoraX]

Its actually stupid the amount of ups and downs everyone has seen in trying to recover this game, possibly a lot more effort and work than actually programing and designing the game itself, the game is clunky and weird but the fact were all looking for it makes it a special, its amazing that you thought to use the Zeebo of all things to try this, didnt even the know the zeebo operated on BREW (and im Brazilian so im familiar with the console's existence, despite never owning one) im excited to hear more from you about this game kraze1984, already subscribed to your youtube channel and stuff, great job getting us more footage and information on this (hopefully soon to be not)lost game!

 

[kraze1984]

Well, the model of content distribution is to blame. Also, thank you for subscribing.

By the way, what are those Final Fantasy VII games for BREW which are considered lost and later found? Is there a backup thereof floating anywhere?

 

[The_Echo]

Well, the model of content distribution is to blame. Also, thank you for subscribing.

By the way, what are those Final Fantasy VII games for BREW which are considered lost and later found? Is there a backup thereof floating anywhere?

I'm not sure if it was BREW but Final Fantasy VII had Before Crisis (Japan only) and Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode.
Both of which are probably even harder to track down than KH V-CAST

 

[kraze1984]

Uploaded a preview of the Agrabah episode. Just before the game decided to crash on me.
Still need to solve the puzzle why the MIDI sound effects are not playing when opening chests and achieving goals.
They do play on the phone.

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

Footage of the training and the first episode uploaded to my Youtube channel.
I cannot move further because I cannot map the magic button to the controller, and also because I need to edit the savegame file to make it run from the beginning of the Agrabah episode.

Magic must be used in Agrabah several times, including in a quest to light all the lights, while the annoying little ghost tries to put them off.

I'm absolutely stunned by all this, it doesn't even feel real. Thank you so much for uploading these!

 

[Moonie]

The episode in Agrabah seems to be much more polished than the other episodes, it is even incredible to imagine that a game like this was launched in 2004 for cell phones, at that time the most we had was JAVA cell phones with 2D games (in some places in the world, still had black and white cell phones)

 

[Neo_]

This is unbelievable... thank you so much for this effort! If this was actually a known thing, Sora sliding down the rope shouting "Wheeeeeeeeeee!" would've been a meme by now.

A lot of this stuff is interesting, like why "Swashbuckler's Island" over Destiny Islands? Did the people who made the game not actually have full rights over KH?

We must uncover the scene with Goofy's head on fire now.

 

[kraze1984]

Meanwhile, here's a short look at the castle (and me being very bad at the controls)

I watched this video with more scrutiny.

So, there is NO background music during gameplay, nothing is wrong with my phones.
As for the sound effects on the Zeebo I have overcome the issue. Had to convert midi tunes of the FX to wave files with QCELP compression and pack into .pmd files. So now we have some more sound FX. Stay tuned.

 

[kraze1984]

Let us enjoy some more footage

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

Let us enjoy some more footage

 

[Neo_]

You are doing God's work my friend.

Edit: I will die on the cross that VCAST VR should've been what they are offering instead of VR Experience.

 

[MATGSY]

That parrot needs to be recognized as a lost Disney character in Wasteland or something.