Higurashi - When They Cry 3DS

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About

This is a port* of the Higurashi: When They Cry remakes available on Steam and MangaGamer. It supports the updated character graphics and the PS3 Graphics & Voices patch. As of 11/18/17, all of the ones that are out work. Meakashi only works if you install the PS3 Voices & Graphics patch too.

This requires the files from the Steam or MangaGamer versions of any of MangaGamer's Higurashi remakes.

The script converter is made with C#. If you're on Windows, you can run it with the .NET Framework that you probably already have. If you're on Linux or macOS, you need a program called Mono to run it. I've personally tested this on Linux Mint. If it doesn't work, make sure you update the .NET Framework or Mono.

• I say "port," but it's really just a generic visual novel engine I've created from scratch with playing these games in mind!

Setup

You need to actually own the games on Steam or MangaGamer. Link to the first chapter on Steam.

Main homebrew setup:
Step 0 - (CIA USERS ONLY) Make sure /3ds/dspfirm.cdc exists. If not, dump it with a DSP dumper homebrew.
Step 1 - Download the latest version of the main homebrew The file should be named Higurashi-3ds-vX.X.zip.
Step 2 - Extract the ZIP file. On Windows this is done by right clicking the file and pressing "Extract All."
Step 3 - If you're using the 3dsx version with the homebrew launcher, open the "3dsx" folder. If you're using the CIA version, open the "CIA" folder.
Step 4 - Copy everything in the folder to the root of your 3ds' SD card.
Step 4.5 - If you're using the CIA version, install the CIA, of course.
Step 4.8 - If you want, delete /3ds/data/HIGURASHI/Games/PLACEHOLDER.txt

Game converter tutorial:
Step 0 - If you want the PS3 Voices & Graphics patch, install it first. Refer to the special instructions in this post.
Step 1 - Download the script and image converter.
Step 2 - Extract the ZIP file.
Step 3 - The next step is to get the files from the Higurashi game you want. Right click on of the Higurashi games on Steam and click "Properties" at the bottom of the menu.
Step 4 - Click "LOCAL FILES" in the top bar and then click "BROWSE LOCAL FILES".
Step 5 - A folder will be opened showing the game's files. Look inside the folder called HigurashiEpXX_Data. Copy the folder called "StreamingAssets".
Step 6 - Paste StreamingAssets in the same directory as the extracted script converter program.
Step 7 - Run HigurashiVitaCovnerter.exe.
Step 7.2 - When prompted by the program, enter 1 because we're converting for the 3ds.
Step 7.3 - If the script converter is stuck trying to rename the StreamingAssets folder, make sure no programs are using the folder and you're not viewing it in the file explorer.
Step 8 - When it's finished, take the StreamingAssets folder and put it at /3ds/data/HIGURASHI/Games/.

Usuage

On the title screen, you can load a converted StreamingAssets folder to play the game in an elegant, user friendly way by pressing "Load Game". If it says that no or game folders were found, you've done something wrong. You either forgot to convert the StreamingAssets folder, or didn't put the StreamingAssets folder there at all.
You can also manually select a script to load from the "StreamingAssets/Scripts/" directory through manual mode.

After loading a game, one of two things can happen. If it's your first time loading that game, you get a menu where you can either choose your last completed chapter or start a brand new game. If you've already played that game before, you'll be brought to a menu. From there, you can go to the next chapter, go to a previous chapter, view TIPS, and exit.
TIPS are like mini scenarios you unlock as you play.

Settings:
You may want to have a look at the settings. From there, can change the bust (character art) location. The options are "CG" or "CGAlt". Normally, "CG" is the original graphics and "CGAlt" is the Steam graphics. If you have the PS3 patch then "CG" is the PS3 character sprites. When changing the bust location, a sample image will be shown. If you're having trouble hearing the voices over the background music, you can lower the BGM volume and increase the SE volume. You can configure auto mode's speed. The bigger the number, the more time it waits after text is displayed. The unit is milliseconds. Hold L and press left or right to add or subtract 200. Don't hold L to add or subtract 500. Activate auto mode in game by pressing SELECT. You can configure the text speed. You can change the message box's alpha. This is an important setting because you may find the text too white to read. If that's the case, increase the alpha. There's also a setting that lets you change the text box between "full" and "small." "full" makes the text always start at the far left of the screen and end at the far right. "small" makes the text start at the start of the background and end at the edge of the background. So if the background isn't as wide as the 3ds' screen, the text will only be over the background. You can make the text appear on the top screen or bottom screen. If you're switching from top screen to bottom screen, the old text that was on the top screen will go past the boarder on the bottom screen, but new text won't.

In-game controls:
Press B to toggle the text box, hold Y to fast forward, press SELECT to activate Auto Mode, press X to access the settings, press START to access the textlog, and press A to advance.
You cannot save mid-chapter. You must finish the day/chapter/script for the game to save. Good thing sleep mode is a thing on the 3ds.

Secrets:
After loading a preset, press up, down, left, right in that order to get to a menu that you can use to edit your last COMPLETED script ID.
On the title screen, press right, up, down, left, and Y to activate top secret Speedy Mode.

Known issues and bugs

Please only report any crashes or things that don't work in chapters 1-4.

• Color inversion commands do nothing. This isn't used too often.
  
• "Films" are used to change the screen. Ones that tint the screen a color should look fine. Ones that do anything else, like inverting the colors, are just replaced with a white filter. This may be changed eventually, but it's a small thing and I think it doesn't look too bad.
  
• "Filters" are used when drawing backgrounds and busts to give them a fancy entrance. I don't know how to program this well, so backgrounds and busts have simple fade in and fade out transitions. It still looks good.

Game engine information

Maybe it's the year 2021, MyLegGuy is long gone and few care about 3ds homebrew anymore. With the slow release of the Higurashi remakes, they are still coming out to this day. Unfortunately, this homebrew has been long forgotten and the latest games don't work. That's where you come in. You, the hero, wish to make the new games work. But how? You don't know anything about how this engine works. Luckily, you can learn.

Game engine information wiki

Screenshots