This article only introduce most widely used ripping tools(content may like |[Pennywise]|'s Westside thread) and some my opinions. Welcome to suggest or correct.
Universal RIP-Tool
1, WESTSIDE
http://www.westside.co.jp/
Westside can rip most of galgames from 1994 to now, supports many platforms such as PC,PS,PS2,PS3,SS,DS.
Though it's a commercial collection of tools, it provides some free tools, see
http://www.westside.co.jp/download/free/index.html
In the commmon we search game infos like name, company with using GameUtilityDB and then get needed tool.
Usage infos of GameUtilityDB see
http://www.westside.co.jp/download/free/gudb/gudb.htm
Usually we can get backup image of saled cd from Share or ╮(￣▽￣)╭. Here, we should thank |[Pennywise]| for his brilliant contribution, because he provides Westside's BT sharing, some used widely tools and good infos, see
http://www.hongfire.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58013
Thanks for JimBond007's http and PKGoliath's ftp downloading, see
http://www.hongfire.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1381809
http://ion-h.com/uploader/index.php?dir=Tools/Westside/
Also thanks for xilufei(name in HACG)'s sharing, see
http://www.sharebig.com/share.php?id=s14alhapnmeSacI4F
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=4e2aad4cdfd60bcd4012e8015643d9c8ff89f3edc220312b
And JimBond007 wrote a tutorial on how to search effectively Westside's tools, see
http://www.hongfire.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1020256
Note:
Westside lacks enough infos about new games due to sale lag. If so, we can make use of experiences based on the company and the extension of archive or transformed image(all are the specialties of package system or transformation system), then we may find available tools. If you find nothing, Crass may be a good choice.
2, Susie
Because of open spi structure, it's used widely in japanese software world, ie. famous ACDSee also supports.
http://dawg.s56.xrea.com/help_search.html
(You can search by game name, company, saled date, extension during it, only giving spi's indirect link, it may cost some work to find.)
http://newjizou.s6.xrea.com/
(You can hunt out ripping infos of games from 2003.1 to 2004.7, also only indirect link)
http://www.cgdreamland.com/projectsusie/
(Cgdreamland provides ripping infos of games from 1991 to 2004, you can directly get spi)
http://www.fireemblem.net/cjb/zhuanti/susie/040625.htm
(bt870411 collects ripping infos of games from 1995.11 to 2007.2, but no any link, only spi's name, great value)
Download see
http://www.digitalpad.co.jp/~takechin/download.html
Usage infos see jsnut's guide
http://www.hongfire.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8143
Here i provide my susie pack(inc. chinese version made by me and some spi gathered by me), see
http://www.box.net/shared/7f7lx5ov6e
Note:
Because Susie don't support batch converting, though there is spi2bmp, it's always in trouble. So we usually use third software like Graphlic which can load spi. It's easier to use third software than directly to use Susie, but third software isn't a good judge of spi. They automatically load relevant spi only according to the extension of archive or transformed image. Many package systems and transformation systems use the same name for their files such as dat and arc. Obviously, one simply based on extension always makes trouble. So it's also necessary to use Susie(judge by not only on extension, but also infos if exist in archive or transformed pic). If you know which spi can be properly used in which archive or transformed pic, you can only depend on Graphlic and Susie's spi, but it usually costs hard work to get so many experiences.
Another Note:
As same as the problems of some open source projects, spi only depends on developer's passion. And there is no organise which can manage them and make common standard. Third, the ability or effect of spi is irregular. Now some famous developers nearly stops, and Susie can be replaced by other tools.
3, Crass(Crage)
Chinese 痴漢公賊 develops Crass. Crass consists of Crage used in extracting and Assage used in repacking. Before Crage and cui profile are completed, 痴漢公賊 will not update Assage and SDK. Now 痴漢公賊 works much to perfect Crage, totalled supports more than one hundred systems and more than thousands of games. Crage uses cui as interface, 痴漢公賊 shares his source code of cui if it's ideal. If you are interested in studing these, it's very useful.
Crage is a very powerful cmd tool, has many parameters. -p, -l, -d, -o, -u, -O are most important for us. -p specifies single input archive. -l specifies index file if exists. -d specifies input directory in which all archives will be loaded by Crage. -o specifies output directory. -u specifies which cui to force use. -O specifies processing methode of special game(usually encrypted) and always cooperates with -u. You'd better check every cui's document then know which game need to use the particular -u, -O.
Another Chinese Lighting(name in KF) makes a gui for Crage. With it Crage is easier to use. Of course, CrageGUI include a English version.
Detailed infos see
https://www.yukict.com/bbs/forumdisplay.php?fid=69
痴漢公賊 updates so quickly, you'd better always check above url.
Welcome suggestions and questions that can't be answered by document.
If you find a game whithout in support list can't be worked by Crage, please report it.
If you unterstand Englich and Chinese well, you can be a translator to make Crass better.
4, ExtractData
Developer 結羽 makes it. I think ExtractData is most like a genuine software in all ripping tools. It has powerful setting, include specified file search, output mode, alpha option, blend effect, buffer size, spi support and so on.
It not only supports some popular systems like Majiro, NScripter and Kirikiri, but also in all tolls except Crass has own feature - simply decryption. The highlight of ExtractData is automatic decryption on xor of xp3 without our work. Some Company only simply use some modes of xor to encrypt xp3, we can easily rip these xp3 under the help of ExtractData(please open simply decryption). But ExtractData isn't the master key of all xp3, some Company do other xor mode even strongly complicated encryption.
I think that ExtractData lacks enough expansibility. All core codes of extraction and transformation need 結羽's own programming. From a development point of view, it's not a good phenomenon. Though it can load spi, the problems of spi make it not be a true strong point that should be a advantage of ExtractData.
Download see
http://atelibet.s11.xrea.com/side_yuu/tool/
Note:
Before using ExtractData to extract xp3, you'd better try Crass which provides many decryption modes for Kirikiri.
5, HCG Converter
Starts by 鷹場狼, he recently updates new version, from last update it has been nearly a year.
It can automatically and properly judge archive and provide particular ripping option for some systems. It may be very useful for the systems that use dat as archive extension. And it has some feature like bmp force out, xor decrypt, alpha reversal.
Detailed infos see
http://www.angelfire.com/nm/fbkcfy/
6, asmodean's commandline tools
The name is only a concept, it means a set of tools programmed by asmodean, a little like Westside.
asmodean is a new famous programmer in japanese ripping, also like 十一寒月(he nearly is in shutdown period). asmodean always produces tools for new games as soon as possible.
All of asmodean's tools are commandline. It need some basic knowledges about cmd, such as absolute or relative path, required or optional parameter, input or output. If you see them a little, with asmodean's hint, it's not hard to use these tools. In fact, for ripping we don't care about how or why these cmd work, only follow the format of usage and then write a right cmd. If you want to study implement of algorithm, asmodean always releases his source codes, i believe you will not lose them.
Detailed infos see his blog
http://asmodean.reverse.net/
Note:
The difficulty is that it's hard to batch deal with a great lot of files, because asmodean's cmd tool don't support wildcard character.
1,Run in Windows:"for %variable in (set) do command %variable" in cmd or "for %%variable in (set) do command %%variable" in bat(variable is only a parameter, can be any valid character; set also is only a parameter, means file group, allow wildcard character)
2,Install cygwin, use similar Linux/Unix's command
3,Build a macro with regular expression is quite OK. For example, i write a macro and use in EmEditor(you must under concrete issue alter regular expression):
src="(\\w+\\.<file extension>)"
cmd="command \\1 [parameter]";
document.selection.Replace(src,cmd,eeFindReplaceRegExp|eeReplaceAll);
4,Use small tool which can build text template(write a general cmd template), then use template's variate to edit.
5,list all files at first, then use replace function of normal text editor like notepad to edit, until all cmd fit the format.
6,welcome your solution
7, GameViewer
Programmed by Chinese prefetchnta.
It supports some games from great janpanese company like Falcom,GAINAX, 工画堂, KONAMI. There are many features that other tools can't handle. It can rip 3D material, play plural frames with alpha blend, show customized complicated 3D effect with D3D9's shader and view, change, flip RGB or alpha channel. These are the strong advantags for it. GameViewer aims at 3D render, so the ripping ability isn't good as some other tools.
The open flexible architecture of GameViewer makes up of three different plug-in: extract plug-in(load archive), image plug-in(view image directly from archive and transform) and audio plug-in(play audio file directly from archive and convert). It has good expansibility, we can specify plug-in and add new games through editing script of input in xml. It's remarkable that prefetchnta has opened SDK.
Detailed infos see his blog
http://blog.ccidnet.com/tags.php?tagname=GameViewer&type=blog
8, WESTSIDE Media Extractor
Westside releases own Media Extractor instead of Neko57. It can extract any particular format determined by its plug-in.
Media Extractor can config whether extraction of any file and any type and restrict strictly variable size from 0.0001 to 999999. In plug-in setting, it's feasible to enable or disable any plug-in and view advanced properties of some plug-in.
The default plug-in are provided by Westside Media Extractor, including AVI, BMP, JPG, MID, OGG, PNG, WAV, WMV.
Download see
http://www.westside.co.jp/download/free/index.html
Detailed infos see
http://www.westside.co.jp/download/free/ws/20080108/index.html
9, スペシャルねこまんま57号(Neko57)
Though it is as a veteran here in ripping, essentially うさぴょん's Neko57 isn't only a ripping tool. It has many functions that now always is used widely, i always pick one - CRC32/MD5 check.
In ripping it can force find bmp, jpg, png, wav, ogg, avi. In fact this ability is limited, it only can rip some systems that don't use unusual compression, don't transform and don't encrypt those files, because it works only according to build-in condition code. Neko57 only judge by condition code then force output. Once files exist, Neko57 ignore anything, only force to rip.
Condition code? Can i write one? The answer is evident. You can offer a right condition code to rip any file that fits the condition code.
Download see
http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dl/win95/hardware/se254476.html
Usage infos on ripping see
http://www.westside.co.jp/otacd/help/neko/neko.htm
10, Grapholic
Grapholic provides own plug-in - ghp, but they're so old that seems to be useless. I treat it as a third software which can load spi.
If you don't like, Vix is alteration in japanese software.
Download see
http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/win95/art/se039492.html
11, GameLoader Pro
Mephist's work，also a grand old man as ripping tool, supports tens of games. Because of formly contribution in ripping, i list it here.
Download see
http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dl/win95/art/se247307.html
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Special RIP-Tool
1, 真美ツールズ(MamiList3)
せーじ's MamiList3 mainly is used to rip ELF's game, from Words Worth to DragonKnight4
Detailed infos see
http://www.dsl.gr.jp/~sage/sagepage/
2, KayugaCut
It's well-known that it's hard to deal with アトリエかぐや's CG.
The systems in sub-brand of アトリエかぐや is different, like TEAM HEARTBEAT and DREIZEHN use a common system, other used in Berkshire Yorkshire and Honky-Tonk Pumpkin.
The property of first system is whole frame event image(with a mask blend edition), decomposed character image(separate into clothing and face but in whole frame or decomposed frame).
We're always tired of second system - decomposed frame event image(bring complicated combination of background, body action, face and h-mask/succus with transparency) and decomposed frame character image(bring complicated combination of costume and expression).
Back to KayugaCut, the writer Chinese ffv likes Berkshire Yorkshire very much, so he develops KayugaCut. It aims to be a image software that can easily convert and process アトリエかぐや's CG.
KayugaCut can rip all アトリエかぐや's games, here we should pay attention to new games of Berkshire Yorkshire and Honky-Tonk Pumpkin that need load particular xor configuration.
Also KayugaCut can merge アトリエかぐや's decomposed image(only from game archive) though it's manual. It's almost impossible to merge all imaginable permutation and combination from decomposed event image by ourself. I did one - ナースにおまかせ
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=93581, it was a crazy memory(got 5G images but costed a whacking time). I heartily wish ffv can add a function - automatic composition, though it is so impossible.
Download see
http://sircus0001.hp.infoseek.co.jp/soft/soft.htm
3, 乃亜アーカイバ(noa32) + 萌衣☆Player(mei-player)
The analogous MPEG standard made by Entis. There are five classes. Ususally company respectively use eri, mio and mei to transform image, audio and video, then use noa to pack them.
So we first use noa32 to extract, then use mei-player to transform.
Download see
http://www.entis.jp/gls/download.html
http://www.entis.jp/eri/player/index.html
Notice:
mei-player don't support OpenDML, as i known it's no way to successfully transcode whole mei if produced avi is bigger than 4G.
4, KID Tools GUI
In China there are a mass of KID fans, Inventer is Chinese AyuanX, It can rip all kinds of resources in KID games.
Download see
http://ayuanx.web.fc2.com/patch/
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Assistant Tool
1, PicComposite
I get it from 2DJGAME's kha, thanks to him. I never see such magical composition tool, i regret that i so far as miss out so long.
its powerful functions consist of basic features and special configurations.
at first, introduce basic features - difference composite, transform, order, search same image, paste, decomposite.
difference composite - choose all images from group list, merge each other at a time, save them in terms of combination
transform - convert pictures to specified format, erase original files
order - name images after form of "yearmonthdaytime_groupNo_classNo", allow to duplicate files
same image search - look for same image in current folder, list them
paste - similar as difference composite, merge images with one-on-one name in different group
decomposite - crop as same as size of resized preview window
secondly, come to special configurations as follows:
save format - 24/32-bit bmp/png, 24-bit jpg or 24-bit bmp with mask
save option - destination mode(file or clipboard), size method(original size or preview window area), flip method, whether overwrite, whether creat sub-directory named after filename in most left group
preview - whether open preview window
automatic adjustment - automatically adjust final size after position composition
always on top - no more explanation
coordinate position - get position during filename, rule: number at end of filename after upper/lowercase x/y or other delimiters such as "+-"
alpha usage - treat 8/24-bit mask named after "filename_(underscore)" as alpha
alpha flip - horizontal and vertical
alpha reversal - no more explanation
i summarize according to order from left to right inter menu and from above to under intra sub-menu, i think you should understand a little, if so, i'm happy.
Finally i upload PicComposite here
http://www.box.net/shared/sp5xmacg08
Note:
I don't like PicComposite's patterns of automatic naming after number, it's not convenient to check composition result. So i always use ImageMagick and mux_png which can define custom name showing merged file info.
2, ImageMagick
ImageMagick® is a software suite to create, edit, and compose bitmap images.
ImageMagick includes a number of command-line utilities for manipulating images. Most of you are probably accustomed to editing images one at a time with a graphical user interface (GUI) with such programs as gimp or Photoshop. However, a GUI is not always convenient. Suppose you want to process an image dynamically from a web script or you want to apply the same operations to many images or repeat a specific operation at different times to the same or different image. For these types of operations, the command-line image processing utility is appropriate.
(quote from homepage)
For cg composition, there are some commandlines we can use as follows:
command line for drawing null image:
convert -size widthxheight xc:"rgba(0,0,0,0)" {result}
command line for stretching decomposition image:
composite -geometry {+-}x{+-}y {overlay} {background} {result}
command line for cropping image equally:
convert -crop width{%}xheight{%} {source} {result}
command line for appendding mask:
composite -compose CopyOpacity {mask} {background} {result}
recommendable result is using "png32" for output file, but in cropping should add effector, like this "png32
utput_%d.png".
We can associate with advanced command like "for...do" or apply regular expression, so that we can quickly complete a mass of works.
Here i take an exsample for quarter cropping images with advanced command - for...do(you must under concrete issue alter command):
for %i in (*.png) do convert -crop 50%x50% %i png32:%~ni_%d.png
Here i take an exsample for stretching some images extracted from asmodean's tools with EmEditor's sample macro using regular expression(you must under concrete issue alter regular expression):
src="((\\w+)x(\\d+)y(\\d+)\\.png)"
cmd="composite -geometry +\\3+\\4 \\1 null.png png32:\\2.png";
document.selection.Replace(src,cmd,eeFindReplaceRegExp|eeReplaceAll);
Download see
http://www.imagemagick.org/script/binary-releases.php#windows
Detailed usage infos see
http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/
Note:
I don't recommend to use "for...do", though we can use it to replace macro in above 2nd sample as following.
for /f "tokens=1,2,3 delims=xy." %i in (*.png) do composite -geometry +%j+%k %ix%jy%k.%l null.png png32:%i.%l
filename of some images extracted by asmodean's tools may have position info in form of "x<offset>y<offset>". In the rule, "x" and "y" is delimiter. But sometimes it's hard to find such obvious boundary separator to exactly control filename component in command, if you are newbie as me, so i suggest to use regular expression. After all, we don't need optimization(no launch lefficiency care) and only apply simple to ideal text(no result precision confirmation).
Another Note:
ImageMagick don't support non-ascii character, don't forget use "ren" command to rename gibberish after processing image with non-ascii name.
3, BMPMixer
Also from ffv's excellent work, currently the well tool in processing image composition. It owns powerful features - 6 blend mode, 2 flip method, position adjustment and group composition(new), but can't support tga of input.
The point of new BMPMixer is group composition. Now BMPMixer can based on group(combination of one background with multi-overlay) automatically merge decomposed images in whole frame. The loaded image order and wanted overlay number determine composition rule. So it's easy to merge these game cg from Active, BISHOP, DISCOVERY, Selen and so on.
Download see
http://sircus0001.hp.infoseek.co.jp/soft/soft.htm
4, mux_png
I get it from HongFire's daeyna, thanks to her boyfriend. This is a commandline tool, only source of png. I usually use commandline tool b2p to convert bmp to png.
Under the help of mux_png it's also simple to merge one background with multi-overlay. mux_png fits for those files that have regular name and a great amount of composition work. If you see regular expression, i think mux_png will be much more powerful than BMPMixer.
The rule of composition is written in config, here i little point:
background, overlay prefix, overlay suffix list
I have written some rules of following games's character image:
ごっちる-ラブリーレディーメーカー-
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=421985
南の島に降る雪
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=390905
で-る-た！～おねだり天使とひとつ屋根のした～
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=385625
ダンジョンクルセイダーズ～TALES OF DEMON EATER～
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=327285
人妻コスプレ喫茶2
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=238145
マジカルウィッチアカデミー～ボクと先生のマジカルレッスン～
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=125821
裏入学～淫液に濡れた教科書～
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=111321
瀬里奈
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=65381
人妻コスプレ喫茶
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=24546
Finally i upload mux_png here
http://www.box.net/shared/p3ubthe7jr
Note:
I find mux_png's composition method is a little different from ImageMagick. It seems that ImageMagick's default method is better.
