Shenmue 2 no voice + MDF struggle

[Dezorian]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to start another Shenmue Play and stumbled upon these problems.
I use NullDC (if there is a better one please elaborate), and all sources on the net offer .MDF image files of Shenmue2 (incl. EP).
NullDC cannot play MDF files afaik. Why is it converted to MDF? Maybe for some other emulator on the web that plays it better than NullDC?
Which one is it? :O
As for now I had to use diskjuggler to convert those files to .cdi to be used in that emulator.
Then ingame, when I talk to any character (except the scripted events) I get no voices...just the text. Those characters just stand there moving their
lips but no sound. Music plays though. Weird...I remember that it worked flawlessly back in the days...

I have tried absolutely nothing and I am all out of ideas. Can somebody help me please? Thanks in advance!
Dezorian

[Zorlon]

Update NullDC to NullDC 1.0.4 r150 found at http://www.epforums.org/showthread.php?66669

Now tell me it does not support Alcohol images (why they did not just share in cdi is beyond me though too lazy to convert it I suppose)

though if needs be I have it in CDI anyway as well as GDI but would rather not upload all that if I can help it, especially as my uploads tend not to last that long anyway

P.S. I am not sure how well that game emulates though mind, the best way to play Dreamcast games is still via a Dreamcast mostly

P.P.S. you are playing a RIP from a GD-Rom to a CD-ROM

[Dezorian]

Still no voices in actual gameplay. Any ideas?
I am now trying to play the japanese version, this is the one I played years ago.
I actually own the Shenmue2 Pal Version, and I remember it had voiced dialogue...

[Zorlon]

Yeah it does but chances are you have a RIP that removed the voices to make it fit onto a CD from a GD-Rom that is over 1GB in size

You want GDI images instead of CDI images or any other type of CD image

GDI images are RAW dumps of the original media
CDI images are rips from GD-Rom to CD-Rom and with some games that does = re-sampling or ripped and dummied files including sound or video

Personally I would of gone for quality if it was a rip I made, but have no interest in doing the Jap version of the game

Not 100% sure everything was voiced but do think it was, it's just been a long time since I played it though the voices are not in english anyway, it was only the first one that used English voices on the Dreamcast, the English voice versions are a combination of the original EU version of Shenmue 2 with the voices Ripped from the Xbox version of Shenmue 2, that I also own as happens anyway.

P.S. did the EU Shenmue 2 have language options anyway maybe even jap subs, honest do not remember it has been some years though since I got into that game and it's prequel

Not sure if you have the Jap version as a GDI image or not though you did not state that but if it is a CD dump instead of a GD dump then it has a high chance of having some if not all voice data removed, just keeping a Jap subs and none of orignal voice files that don't think was jap maybe some jap, but was sure it was chinese mostly with Eng sub for the EU release (maybe other languages I only played the UK version) and would of thought the jap version was just about the same but with jap subs and chinese dubs

[Dezorian]

Thanks for the feedback.

So, I went full retard and downloaded any Shenmue II I could find.
It seems not only me went all the way but all the uploaders too. 2 sources for a pal version had .cdi with aprx. 750MB/DISK in size.
Only a japanese version I found has been .gdi and 1,2gb/DISK in size (I think it was from EP here).

Summary: One PAL version gave me voice of the very first person you see ingame, the rest was cut. The other cut all voices (except the scripted speeches).
The japanese .gdi as you said seems to be fully voiced.

Verdict: Why would people upload a voice cut Shenmue? I mean even if you tried exlaining that to me, I wouldn't get it at all. It isn't like Shenmue hasn't got any fans left. It isn't like people are still burning their disks to play it on the dreamcast. People are using emulators. Isn't someone going to tell those uploaders? :O ...nah, I must be doing something wrong, voices couldn't have been stripped off...no way a shenmue fan would upload such a cadaver...never.

[Zorlon]

Because a full voice version will not fit onto a CD and there is no such thing as a GD writer for home use

The Dreamcast can read CD-R's without modding the console but the media is a lot smaller than the original GD-Rom media

Dreamcast emulation is a lot newer than rips and it is only in recent years that full GD-Rom dumps have been shared as previously it was only private dumps that had been used to create usable CD-R rips (Only the rips got shared), the best rips done for Shenmue II are on 99min CD's ( Very hard to find now ) and have full speech but even those are down sampled to make those fit (There is a full speach 80 min version also by the same group if I remember but even lower quality audio) CD rips are aimed at console owners not emulation though (Long winded answer I know )

P.S. demul may be a better emulator for this game though it does want higher end specs for that game, best to test both on your end at least a small way in-game and look out for glitches, personally I only let the demo intro play a bit and noticed errors in nulldc that are not in demul (the hawk or whatever it is as it flies up and off the top of the screen (coming towards you), I noticed more because I tested the game in demul otherwise I might not of noticed, just looked a bit odd at first until I had a second look after testing nulldc then demul and a second go in nulldc to verify that was not a one off glitch

[Jackhammer]

Not sure if you've already found this version.

Shenmue II Full English 99min SMiTH RePACK

Will PM you the link.

[Dezorian]

@Jackhammer This is also a down-sampled version, am I right? Oh, and it is in english dub? If so, is there a regular Shenmue II PAL .gdi (jap. voice, engl. text) somewhere to be found? :O

[Zorlon]

As I said I have all versions anyway, kinda just need free space for me to upload it to [It is a massive 2.41 GB compressed file though that contains all 4 GD-Rom dumps] (Unless Jack has a link for that anyway he is rather resourceful)

No Dreamcast version has english voices normally (The english voices are ripped from the Xbox version re-sampled for the 99min CD rip)

Jap Voices vs Eng Voices to be honest not much to choose between them (same voice talent as the first game mostly for the Xbox Eng Dub) but some prefer one over the other, but it's not like the Siren games on the PS2 that no matter what version you grab the acting is awful to the point I refused to play them any more and was kinda looking forward to a nice couple of horror games at the time (Not played the 3rd version though)

[Jackhammer]

As I said I have all versions anyway, kinda just need free space for me to upload it to [It is a massive 2.41 GB compressed file though that contains all 4 GD-Rom dumps] (Unless Jack has a link for that anyway he is rather resourceful)

Only GDI links I know of are for the supposedly full USA set, I say supposedly because I'm not sure if they are all there. I don't think there is a Shenmue II USA release, could be wrong though.

[IcemanSR]

I have this version if u are in need
Download Links:
Links are hidden from guests. Please register to be able to view these links. it has 4 cd's ~760mb, all is voiced

Download Links:
Links are hidden from guests. Please register to be able to view these links. high compression only 1.5gb

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edit nvm.. just noticed that Jackhammer already offered u links,ignore my post then.


@Zorlon
if u have good JPN voiceover repack that would be nice to have if u could manage space to upload.

[Zorlon]

Yup Shenmue II was EU and JAP only Microsoft had the copyrights to the US version that did get an EU release on Xbox about a year later also

Anyway I have the EU GD-Rom dump no Repack junk

They could of made an oversized version of the English mod using the highest quality sound for emu use only (i.e. too big for a CD if that is even possible), as far as I know though you can't rebuild a GD-Rom into a GD-Rom, not that I have looked in recent years

EDIT:-

Uploaded please see code box

Download Links:
Links are hidden from guests. Please register to be able to view these links. My Mil-CD Rips are on a Drive that is currently stored away so would need to double check but I am sure I have Full Speech (not to be confused with the English Rip) versions in both 80min CD format and 99min CD format

P.S. http://www.epforums.org/showthread.php?94188 may be of interest also, it's What's Shenmue that was a demo disc
Game is based in the same area as Shenmue though a restricted area (small amount so not that much to explore) but a totally different story and a mini game of it's own, a little short especially if you know what to do, otherwise a fun little game, this has English subs, otherwise it uses the original voice actors (no english dub in this, it was Jap only) and has a couple of other features outside the playable demo game (That one is in cdi format but nothing was ripped and it has full speech)

[Dezorian]

I cannot seem to be able to unzip the files. can you check if you can?

[deadlegion]

I cannot seem to be able to unzip the files. can you check if you can?

Use the latest version of 7zip from the official site.

[Zorlon]

I cannot seem to be able to unzip the files. can you check if you can?

In what way? any sort of error message displayed???

What software is used (As above recommend 7-zip as that is what was used to compress with)

I no longer have those files like that, no point in me keeping those like that in a passworded split archive, when I have the game stored on that drive in another archive