If want me to do the font routine (and single byte ascii read routine, and possible DTE or dictionary compression, etc), then it's gotta be for the extended SCD card (more ram). Else, it's too much of a pain to handle otherwise (time and frustration). That would be my requirement, to be on board.
You want a VWF routine? That always complicates the script side of things (formatting), but if all I would handle is the font and string read routine, then no problem here.
It looks like right out of the box, it's just like Ys IV, and I can already do this:
Either Courier or a hacked 8x12 Ys Book I&II font. I wanted to make a GUI patch down the road for Ys IV to let you choose between either font, but never worked on it yet. But yeah, that's what I was telling David, why risk flaky VWF hacks like EsperKnight's hack that doesn't work on real NEC hardware. I can live with the same result as Ys IV. If it had zero support for an English font, was using the system S-JIS 16x16 one like many games do (Startling Odyssey II), then I would've asked ya for a serious font hack job that might as well be VW if it can be accomplished. Seems like "if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it" to me, although a VWF hack is so ideal, it would be cool (what you did with the Dracula X opening was amazing).
Alright, so the major obstacle to overcome is reversal of the decompression code, to be able to recompress a text block and insert it back in. I think I'll wait for David on that. When I was mulling taking the project over, I kinda thought he already finished that and I just needed to work things out with SamIAm, prepare my Translation Station software again for him, get a handle on where things left off, and resume it, etc. But yeah, looks like I still need an advanced programmer's expertise.
Also, for the tight menu system, we might need to make graphic tiles of the whole word to fit, but I think I might be able to actually do that by using left over tiles from the font area. But that might be something that I'd need your help on if my idea doesn't work. Another idea is maybe to disable some of the ADPCM voice acting when there is simultaneous text being displayed by the character, acting as subtitling. That would reduce the dubbing part of the project for down the road.
All the source code is yours to do with as you want, once it's finished (you'll have ownership/license/whatever).
That's cool of you, but just to let ya know, I wouldn't "deucebag" you if somehow an XSEED Games type of situation/commercialization happened (There's zero chance here, but not if it was say a PC game). Work hours that you did for free as a fan under different circumstances become retroactively billable AND credit-worthy and I don't get to just throw you under the bus because of ideological/political/philosophical bigotry/animus, and pretend that you were never there, etc.
True, you're essentially verbally giving up your IP Rights for the product of your work hours by the formal statement that you just made, but still... You don't step on people like that in the face of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Also, I dunno if I ever mentioned this before, but I always really appreciated the way you stood up to the extortionists over at "romhacking hacks.net" back in '07 with the Felghana leak drama, etc. Many people I thought were friends turned out to be cowards or backstabbers-in-waiting.
Anyway, back on topic. I'm gonna work on building the new font bitmap and test insertion. I also gotta rebuild Translation Station for SamIAm and for me because the way David left it is confusing. A reextraction is gonna be needed cause he didn't record the offset of where the script block begins in the database it appears... I'm pretty rusty, but gonna give it the ole college try!