Many people seem to have dificulties with playing japanese fangames. So here is a short guide on how to do it.
Japanese Support (Windows)
You must ABSOLUTELY have Japanese Locale (the last option on Applocale) on EVERYTHING. When extracting, use Applocale. When booting the game, use it. If you feel more comfortable, you can set your system's locale to Japanese instead of using Applocale.
You must have the East Asian Languague Support before even considering to play fangames.
Installing East Asian Language on Windows XP
NOTE: You must have your Windows XP installation CD or at least the necessary files.
- Enter the Control Panel, then go to Date, Time, Language and Regional Options, and finally to Regional and Language Options. Sometimes you will be able to go directly to the Regional and Language options depending on your Control Panel display.
- Click on the Languages tab and check the Install East Asian Languages box under Supplemental language support.
- Insert your OS installation CD and click Ok. If you don't have the installation CD, but have the /i386/ *NOT sure about this, since I have the Service Pack 3* folder with all the necessary files somewhere, click Ok and select the path where the folder is.
Downloading and using Microsoft Applocale
Microsoft Applocale is a useful tool that 'emulates' another language's locale, so you can use programs in different languages without changing the whole computer's locale. It can be downloaded here.
After installed, using Applocale is very simple.
- When you open the program, it asks if you want to add or remove programs or launch an application. Select the Launch an application box and then browse for the one you want. IMPORTANT NOTE: Applocale won't locale .rar and .zip files, so you'll have to search for your WinZip or WinRar .exe, and from there export your files. DON'T forget to always extract things with japanese locale!
- It then asks the language you want. Select the last one, or 日本語. That's japanese.
- It will then ask if you want a shortcut to the application. I usually make shortcuts for the games' RPG_RT.exe and for WinRar, so I won't have to do all the previous steps every time I want to play.
Just remember to use it EVERYWHERE related to japanese games.
Changing the System Locale
If you would rather change your whole computer's locale to japanese instead of using Applocale, do the following:
- Go to the Control Panel and then Regional and Language Options.
- Click on the Advanced tab.
- Under System current locale, select the language from the drop-down list.