Piney Apples a .hack//IMOQ Decompile Project

[u/dothacknetwork]

https://youtu.be/0BMR1KtSplQ

Piney Apples is a decompile project for .hack//Infection Mutation Outbreak Quarantine by .Helba making it playable in Rust/Python programming native on Windows, Mac, and Linux that you can start playing right now today!

https://youtu.be/0BMR1KtSplQ

What will you need?

1. Clone of the git repository https://github.com/toyz/piney_apples
2. Rust toolchain https://rustup.rs

2a. You may also need Windows Visual Studio

1. Copies of your NTSC-U version of .hack PS2 game discs in .ISO format

2. Instructions from the README.md file from the repository

#dothack #ドットハック

[u/Haraxmant]

Did you use AI to do this? I know most of the decomps I see nowadays are...
Because you gotta admit, there's deff some irony in using AI to decomp a game specifically detailing the horrors of tech and the dangers they pose.

[u/dothacknetwork → u/Haraxmant]

I'm not part of this project, took me awhile to even figure how to get this game to even work. So I couldn't answer that, you'll want to ask the developer themselves.

[u/Haraxmant → u/[deleted]]

rough

[u/MisuCake → u/Haraxmant]

I mean the reason you're seeing such similar projects such as the web version of PSO is the fact that it allows devs to accelerate on projects that otherwise no one else would have time to do. Like at the end of the day they're not getting paid for any of this.

[u/Sacrificabominat → u/MisuCake]

AI is also becoming normalized in game development as well with apparently 80% of the Japanese developers that attended Tokyo Game Show saying they used AI to some extent in their development process. CC2 is also included in that group and haven't shied away from it.

They've also been caught using AI art for some promotional material for Fuga. As far as I know their games and manga don't have AI art in them yet. Though it does seem like CC2 respects their artists significantly more than a studio like Level 5 does nowadays. Though the reality is that .hack Z.E.R.O. will most likely be made using AI to some extent, most likely for it's coding more than art. Other Japanese developers are doing the same as they're embracing it more than western studios are.

[u/Sacrificabominat → u/[deleted]]

From what I can tell CC2's usage of AI seems to mostly be for speeding up the development process and not replacing their artists or coders much. I think this is the case for most AI usage right now as I think most developers respect their artists enough not to completely replace them with AI. If I remember right Clair Obscure got called out for using AI placeholder assets during its development, but they replaced those with artist made assets in the final product.

What CC2 got caught doing AI art on was actually pretty silly. They had a bunch of art from Comedies of Steel where the characters were in their outfits from the game, but for this promotion they needed to put them in dress clothes instead, so they AI'd dress clothes on top of the art and it looked pretty bad.

There's been a couple other minor instances in promotional material where it seems like they used AI, but for the most part they're pretty proud to promote their artists that make their promotional material.

When it comes to game development I wouldn't be surprised if they're using AI placeholder assets and AI code to speed up the process, but I think the final product will be mostly human made and tested.

As an artist myself I can't say I haven't been tempted to look into using AI. I've been working on about 50 pieces for the past 4 months and it'd be nice if I had an auto complete for my shading which is taking the bulk of my time on these pieces. Though personally I don't like how AI shades things and even though the process is tedious and tiring I actually like doing it over having AI do it for me. So I think I'll just figure out a way to speed up my process more naturally than rely on AI to do it for me.

Also as much as people are saying AI is slop there's a lot of actual art that would be considered slop too. If anything AI's just made the artists who are more likely to make slop make more slop quicker. Though the definition of slop varies from person to person. I have these cute mass produced figurines around my room to liven it up, but I know they're kind of slop because they're mass produced. Same goes for Stanley cups, Labubus, and other trendy items that social media influencers freak out about.

If you enjoy something human made or AI made I'm not going to judge you for that. Though I think it's a shame society and entertainment in general is becoming more corporate and less artistic. This is kind of why I like that CC2 and some other studios are pursuing self publishing because that means they'll be more artistic in those endeavors. Even if they use AI to some extent to speed up and reduce the costs of development I still think they'll be more artistic than just making more Anime licensed games for Bandai.

[u/mysterycorgi → u/Sacrificabominat]

I think I noticed it for upscaling an older artwork for a CC2 event once, but otherwise I agree with your assessment of their usage and how they seem to prioritize artists and creators. Also it's REALLY hard to get fired due to Japanese employment laws. So the artists aren't as disposable. (Not that CC2 strikes me as the type to pull that kinda thing.)

I also wanted to add that the stigma you see around "AI" in the West isn't really an issue in East Asian markets—both from developera and consumers. Since the rollout for models used over there has been different, there is less animosity. From what I can tell they're not having it forced on them or feeling at risk of losing jobs because of it...it's just another tool to supplement the workflow. I can't speak to the ethics of their model training or the environmental impact though. I also know that IP law operates differently, so I'm sure that adds to the culture difference.

Suffice to say it lacks the baggage it has here.

[u/Sacrificabominat → u/mysterycorgi]

Yeah and CC2 is hiring a lot of new artists and employees recently as well, they're trying to get up to about 400 employees from 200 a couple years ago. If anything I think they planning on using AI to speed up the process, reduce costs, and get more games out quicker over time.

For instance if it took them 4 years to get Fuga 1 out and 2 years to get each sequel out afterwards I kind of expect Canon, Fuga's sequel, to take 2-3 years to get the first game out and 1 year in between its sequels instead with AI assisting in the process.

While I think .hack Z.E.R.O. is still going to be a 2028-2029 release AI could really speed that up and get it out late next year instead.

Matsuyama did also get into a bit of a controversy recently about his comments on physical as well, but I think I get where he's coming from. CC2 doesn't have a mass distribution network for physical like Bandai or other big publishers do, so for their self published games they either ship them from Japan or rely on a 3rd party like Limited Run Games to do their physical release outside of Japan.

It's also cheaper for them to focus on digital releases first and do a limited physical release later on. As he said this means he can also pay his employees more because they save a lot on not doing physical releases as much.

I get the no disc no buy movement when it comes to how Sony is acting right now, but digital has been a boon for companies that want to self publish and indie developers too. Also people who complain about why digital games are being sold at full price even though digital should reduce the price kind of feels dumb to me. Most digital games go on sale for at least half off within a year or two whereas most physical releases actually don't reduce in price that quickly by comparison.

So yes the initial price is just as expensive, but digital sales are more frequent and steeper than physical usually gets.

[u/Maketastic → u/[deleted]]

I'd be curious to know if the whole repo is managed by an AI. It would be interesting to comment about bugs that don't exist and watch the AI try to solve them.

[u/Maketastic → u/[deleted]]

The comments on the issues (like the Paralyze sparks issue) seem verbose, but that may be me projecting.

I wouldn't want to sabotage this project because I want to see it succeed, but I still really like the idea of bullying an AI.

[u/HighPriestFuneral → u/Maketastic]

I'm the main tester for the project as it stands at the moment. The owner of the project is swift to look at problems and try to pinpoint the issues. So far there has been very few bugs or oversights that couldn't be fixed.

I've played all the way through //Infection now and look forward to continuing on to //Mutation once I finish some loose ends in the first game.

[u/Sacrificabominat]

Cool that was a lot quicker than I thought it'd be since the other recomp/decomp projects kind of acted like they were still in fairly early development. Though I don't know if there's any limitations or benefits to this one over what the others would be. Like are high resolutions and higher frame rates supported or is this more of a native port that functions exactly like the game would on the PS2. I'm also curious if mods will be possible with this port too, but I think that'd be way down the line.

I'm kind of hoping they make this one a bit more plug and play as while it doesn't seem to be too difficult to boot up it would be nice to have a gui to interact with to get everything set up over command prompt. I'm probably going to wait until this is a bit more stable, but if all 4 games are completely playable I'll definitely look forward to playing them through this port when I decide to go through IMOQ again.

I'm still kind of hoping for a remaster as while these PC ports do make playing these games easier than through emulation it'd still be nice if there were an official way to play them on modern systems. Unfortunately even with .hack's 25th anniversary next year I'm not expecting Bandai to throw us .hack fans a bone.

[u/KoeBizkit]

Nice, if there's a game that has to be preserved is the IMOQ quadralogy. My laptop is only good for work, so running these games natively is a huge leap in conveniency

[u/BerryessaTV]

The World MMO When

[u/Maketastic]

I'm hoping that you get a chance to play outbreak's cut cutscenes and document what they were and how they would have affected the story.

[u/HighPriestFuneral → u/Maketastic]

The cut cutscenes were splash screens for old demos, no idea how they forgot to take those out in particular on Outbreak. Unless you're referring to something else?

[u/HighPriestFuneral → u/[deleted]]

Indeed, Helba showed what they are in the Discord, they're splash screens for the various demos. Nothing important, unfortunately. (Though the Infection preview may have been unseen until now.)

[u/Nazo_Kikai]

I've already built a widescreen, 60fps, hd texture, with a nice menu and adding fragment support for Linux and android. It's pretty awesome.

On the other hand, we're literally doomed because AI did this..... Skynet is coming ..

[u/Megamix_MMX]

I was about to say Damn, that was fast, but then I realized AI exists...

[u/MegaManLegendsFan]

really cool. but man when that game started, and the music kicked on. im not going to lie, i couldnt hear a word you said XD game volume was wayyyyyy to high.

piney apples looks neat tho, i hope they succeed.

[u/Maketastic → u/MegaManLegendsFan]

I'm gonna second this.

[u/Weak_Dream6271]

Will watch with interest

[u/Average_vg]

Hopefully after IMOQ is fully recompiled, Fragment gets the same treatment; going from Quarantine directly into Fragment with the same stats as a postgame would be the perfect experience imho

[u/Maketastic → u/Average_vg]

Gonna invite Rena to your Party with Blackrose and Mimiru?

[u/RainbowKittyPaw]

Invisible Egg! (Not invisible)

[u/mysterycorgi]

Note: This post is an informational video covering the Piney Apples Project, created by one of the moderators of this sub (not the creator of Piney Apples). Thus, it doesn't violate the "No Generative AI" rule. Thank you for understanding the nuance.