Valis II: The Fantasm Soldier drum kit enhancement patch v2

The 1989 game The Fantasm Soldier Valis 2, by Reno, got another update on it's PSG drumkit. The updated patch for that is available as we speak.

Just a couple of years ago, FRS (aka sd_snatcher) took the classic MSX2 game The Fantasm Soldier Valis 2 by its balls and pimped it to have a better balance between the PSG and FM sound. Further more, his "turboFix" was added to speed up the game. The PSG drums especially where changed to a better sounding set. More recently, the game was also translated into using English captions.

While FRS was keen to call it his Easter gift, the man repeated this mantra by bringing an update on that same PSG patch. Yes, again during Easter. Version 2 of the drumkit enhancement patch has the following improvements over the previous patch version:

• An even better sounding drumkit than patch v1
• Turbofix of the OPLL I/O routine, and optimization of this routine for non-turbo computers
• Better multiplexing of the PSG between the SFX and BGM. It's a simple workaround and not yet the definitive solution, but at least it allows the drums to be heard most of the time now.
• Implements a workaround for the sound bug that happens at the 2nd part of the cutscene at the end of act 5

Please note that the cutscenes are not turbofixed yet, so they will play faster than they should. Check the included README file for a workaround. For an even more pleasant music experience, you might want to check if your MSX computer needs a hardware sound fix at this page.

All in all another fine upgrade to an already great game. Have fun this Easter.

Relevant link: Download the patch here
Relevant link: Listen to the OST