Need Help Fixing SF2 Bug

[MikeK102]

OK, I'm trying to fix the "Lemon can't equip anything" bug in the Shining Force 2 ROM that I have. My game is currently saved in Galam, right after Chaz and Lemon joined the force in Yeel. I have not played the short battle with the Hydra as the leader yet.

I downloaded the Save-State program, but when I tried to use it, I got an error message saying "A required .DLL file, VB40032, was not found." <img src=smilies/angryfire.gif>

So then I tried downloading GenEdit. I tried each of the .exe files once, but I don't know if any of that did anything. So when I went back to the game to see if he could equip anything, I found that no he still couldn't.

So now I have no idea what to do. I wasn't really sure how to fix the problem to begin with, but now I'm just totally lost.

Does someone know the exact process that I need to go through to fix this?

[Ugly Joe]

> I downloaded the Save-State program, but when I tried to use
> it, I got an error message saying "A required .DLL file,
> VB40032, was not found."

It needs the VB4 runtimes in order to run. You can get them from Microsoft http://download.microsoft.com/download/vb40ent/sample27/1/w9xnt4/en-us/vb4run.exehere</a>.

[MikeK102]

> It needs the VB4 runtimes in order to run. You can get them
> from Microsoft here.
>

OK, I downloaded the runtimes, and when I went to open the .exe file, it gave me a self-extractor notice. So I unzipped the files and saved them to a VB4Run folder. I then moved that folder into the system folder (C:\WINDOWS\System) and tried running Save-State again, only to get the same error message as before. <img src=smilies/banghead.gif>

What did I do wrong?

[Ugly Joe]

> I then moved
> that folder into the system folder (C:\WINDOWS\System) and
> tried running Save-State again, only to get the same error
> message as before.

Move the files out of the vb4run folder and put them directly in the windows\system directory. If that doesn't work, try copying them into the same folder as the application you're trying to run.

[MikeK102]

> Move the files out of the vb4run folder and put them
> directly in the windows\system directory. If that doesn't
> work, try copying them into the same folder as the
> application you're trying to run.
>

Check.

Now how do I convert my save-game file from a .ksb file to a .gs0 file so Save-Edit can use it?

[Ugly Joe]

> Now how do I convert my save-game file from a .ksb file to a
> .gs0 file so Save-Edit can use it?

I'm not too familiar with Genesis emulation, so someone else will have to field that one.

[The 9th Sage]

> Check.
>
> Now how do I convert my save-game file from a .ksb file to a
> .gs0 file so Save-Edit can use it?

If this is a stupid question, please don't shoot me, but if the bug is a problem with your ROM, how is mucking about with your Shining Force Savestates going to fix the bug? Won't it just reoccur?

[MikeK102]

OK, I've been able to convert the file to something the program can use. Now all I need to know is what exactly do I need to edit in the program to fix the bug?

I checked the program's Help menu, and it said that things marked with an asterisk are equipped items. Well, clicking on Lemon in the character list doesn't change what items are asterisked. Furthermore, all his stats are set to values of "000", but that's the case for several other characters as well, and they're fine.

So I'm left wondering that if everything appears to be A-OK, why is not everything A-OK?

[MikeK102]

> If this is a stupid question, please don't shoot me, but if
> the bug is a problem with your ROM, how is mucking about
> with your Shining Force Savestates going to fix the bug?
> Won't it just reoccur?
>

Well like I said, I'm wondering what the exact process of fixing the problem is. I don't even know if it's GenEdit that I need to use or Save-Edit.

[The 9th Sage]

> OK, I've been able to convert the file to something the
> program can use. Now all I need to know is what exactly do I
> need to edit in the program to fix the bug?

I'd guess you could probably force him to be equipped with stuff using an editor like that. I guess that'd get around your bug, but wouldn't exactly fix it.

[MikeK102]

> I'd guess you could probably force him to be equipped with
> stuff using an editor like that. I guess that'd get around
> your bug, but wouldn't exactly fix it.
>

Well having him equip something is essentially fixing the problem (at least in my opinion), but what I don't know is how I can do that. What setting do I need to adjust to enable him to equip something? Reading parts of the script is like reading a foreign language.

[The 9th Sage]

> Well having him equip something is essentially fixing the
> problem (at least in my opinion), but what I don't know is
> how I can do that. What setting do I need to adjust to
> enable him to equip something? Reading parts of the script
> is like reading a foreign language.

Huh?

Well, never used this save state editor so I'm not sure. Check it's instructions to see if you can change what people have equipped, and just do that for that Lemon fellow there.

[MikeK102]

OK, I've been able to run both the Save-Edit and GenEdit programs properly, and neither has done anything. The kicker is that the files I've been editing don't seem to affect my saved game at all! So now, I neither know what file my savegame is or even IF savegames have separate files at all.

Will someone who knows how to use these programs help me out? I'm at my wits' end. <img src=smilies/banghead.gif>