Computer story · MSX
My life with MSX.
The MSX was more than a computer—it became a place to explore ideas, learn how software worked, and build friendships that would last for decades.
All computersComing back to MSX in 2008
I came back to MSX development in 2008. What began as a return to a computer I had always loved soon became something much larger: a new period of programming, reverse engineering, and game translation.
The forum thread that started everything
A discussion about translating Ganbare Goemon brought together several people who would shape my later work. Django first believed the game could not be translated because its font only contained the letters in KONAMI. Hap pointed out that translation involved more than replacing character values, while Sama — Rieks Warendorp Torringa — argued that no game was too Japanese to translate if the language and culture were researched properly.
From a partial patch to real localization
Django later found the character table, redefined the missing alphabet, and produced a partial English version. Randam — Tsunami/232 — noticed translation problems and had already begun translating the game more carefully. Our conversation turned to the real obstacle: fluent English needed larger text windows and changes to the game code. That became the principle behind the work that followed — not merely replacing Japanese words, but making each game feel as polished as a real localization.
The translation origin story
Ganbare Goemon changed the direction of my MSX work.
The 2008–2009 discussion is still online. It records Django’s first experiment, Sama’s insistence on proper research, Randam’s corrections, and the conversation that turned a forum idea into our first complete translation.
