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[Kresnik258]

That's why a lot of the posts here are bizarre. We PC guys dealt with the Cold Steel situation with no problem at all. Might've been a bit of grumbling but we accepted it and bought it for our PS3 or Vita (most posts suggested Vita version). Seeing the difference in reaction is kind of shocking, especially given in context to how old this game is.

Sorry to drag up an old conversation, but surely you can see how these two situations are different?

On the one hand you have a game which exists in two different forms capable of being played on the platform that isn't coming to the west, and people are expressing disappointment that neither of those two versions can make it across.

And on the other hand you have two games which do not exist on the platform you're talking about, having instead been developed for different platforms.

 

[Durante]

Just a random thing, I anticipate that the 33% discount on SC is the lowest it's going to be for a while. I anticipate both the summer sale and the winter sale to have it at 33% off, similar to how FC has always been 50% off max for coming on two years now.

So if you want to jump right in to the sequel... you have 5 more days to capitalize before getting a good deal again.

I bought the sequel the day it was released.

If I only bought games I intend to play immediately my Steam library would probably be 1/3rd its size

 

[Nyoro SF]

Sorry to drag up an old conversation, but surely you can see how these two situations are different?

On the one hand you have a game which exists in two different forms capable of being played on the platform that isn't coming to the west, and people are expressing disappointment that neither of those two versions can make it across.

And on the other hand you have two games which do not exist on the platform you're talking about, having instead been developed for different platforms.

All your explanation does is point out who to shift the blame in regards to how things are the way they are.

It doesn't change the reality of platforms.

I bought the sequel the day it was released.

If I only bought games I intend to play immediately my Steam library would probably be 1/3rd its size

Oops. Well, at least other people are informed now... heh

 

[charlequin]

These news motivated me to finally finish up FC (I was in the last dungeon).

I did chuckle at seeing a Steam notification pop up while I was reading this thread.

 

[omgfloofy]

In fairness, there's a difference between considering ports like this as a basis for a marginal extra platform with an uncertain upside, vs. going after them as potentially the only viable way to tackle a game that would otherwise be unlocalizable.

It was a while back, and while we've not heard anything, detail wise... Joyoland has talked about releasing Ys Seven PC in English.

I don't know what's happened to it since, though.

But this tells me that they do have an interest in the western market.

 

[chaosblade]

It was a while back, and while we've not heard anything, detail wise... Joyoland has talked about releasing Ys Seven PC in English.

I don't know what's happened to it since, though.

But this tells me that they do have an interest in the western market.

I could have sworn I read somewhere that they canceled it, but I don't remember where.

 

[wrowa]

Sorry to drag up an old conversation, but surely you can see how these two situations are different?

On the one hand you have a game which exists in two different forms capable of being played on the platform that isn't coming to the west, and people are expressing disappointment that neither of those two versions can make it across.

And on the other hand you have two games which do not exist on the platform you're talking about, having instead been developed for different platforms.

The situations are entirely different and yet not that different at the same time.

It's technically right that there are two versions of 3rd that could be played on the Vita. However, at the same time, expecting those versions to get an English release isn't that much more reasonable than expecting a PC port of Cold Steel.

Yes, there's a 3rd version for PSP that could be played on both Vita and PSP. However, it's an undeniable fact that the PSP is 12 years old and long since dead. Whatever gets released these days on PSP is great and a nice surprise, but having the expectation that something should get released on PSP is a bit silly. There are many more reasons why a PSP release in 2017 might be difficult/impossible/financially not viable than reasons that speak for a PSP release.

Yes, there's an Evo remake of 3rd. However, that game isn't even out yet in Japan and it's also an entirely different SKU that would need to get licensed separately from the PSP/PC version of the game. Even when we ignore whether or not it'd be at all possible for XSEED to acquire the license, it'd still be unreasonable to assume that XSEED would be able to afford paying for an additional version of the game, when 3rd is a passion project to begin with. You've seen the available numbers for SC as well, you know as good as rest of us that 3rd most likely won't make XSEED a significant chunk of money.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

These news motivated me to finally finish up FC (I was in the last dungeon).

Spoiler

Four final boss fights? Come one now! Well, as least the last one wasn't real

After that ending I finally understand why people were so adamant about playing SC. Better late than never I guess.

Just roooooooooooooll right on into SC when you get a chance. See how I got this avatar.

 

[Kresnik258]

The situations are entirely different and yet not that different at the same time.

It's technically right that there are two versions of 3rd that could be played on the Vita. However, at the same time, expecting those versions to get an English release isn't that much more reasonable than expecting a PC port of Cold Steel.

Yes, there's a 3rd version for PSP that could be played on both Vita and PSP. However, it's an undeniable fact that the PSP is 12 years old and long since dead. Whatever gets released these days on PSP is great and a nice surprise, but having the expectation that something should get released on PSP is a bit silly. There are many more reasons why a PSP release in 2017 might be difficult/impossible/financially not viable than reasons that speak for a PSP release.

Yes, there's an Evo remake of 3rd. However, that game isn't even out yet in Japan and it's also an entirely different SKU that would need to get licensed separately from the PSP/PC version of the game. Even when we ignore whether or not it'd be at all possible for XSEED to acquire the license, it'd still be unreasonable to assume that XSEED would be able to afford paying for an additional version of the game, when 3rd is a passion project to begin with. You've seen the available numbers for SC as well, you know as good as rest of us that 3rd most likely won't make XSEED a significant chunk of money.

Well I mean I agree, I think a PC port of Cold Steel is an inevitability at some point down the line. At this second, however, it's just a hypothetical, versus the reality of two versions of the 3rd existing.

For me personally, I can understand the reasoning for both not coming over. I think the only part that irks me a bit is when talking about the Evo versions, we basically just get "we tried and we can't and we can't talk about it" (see: Tom's quote in the OP). Which I can live with and I do trust them, but it leaves a lot of room for discussion (see: a lot of this thread) when the reasoning is as vague as that.

 

[CertifiedFP]

I'm curious.

Why is voice acting culture in Japan such a clusterfuck?

No other region is so particular about how, where, when voices can be distributed - And in some cases even what platforms they can be distributed on (Trying to remember which game it was, but there was a PC port of some JRPG that had cut out dual-audio for a Steam release because the firm that did the voiceovers in Japan suddenly refused to play ball).

I want to support that whole planned voice-actor strike in the west, but if their demands lead to western voice acting unions becoming as much of a hot mess to work with as their Japanese counterparts then... Well... The last thing we need are even more barriers to Atlus games releasing in Europe.

 

[jman2050]

I'm curious.

Why is voice acting culture in Japan such a clusterfuck?

No other region is so particular about how, where, when voices can be distributed - And in some cases even what platforms they can be distributed on (Trying to remember which game it was, but there was a PC port of some JRPG that had cut out dual-audio for a Steam release because the firm that did the voiceovers in Japan suddenly refused to play ball).

I want to support that whole planned voice-actor strike in the west, but if their demands lead to western voice acting unions becoming as much of a hot mess to work with as their Japanese counterparts then... Well... The last thing we need are even more barriers to Atlus games releasing in Europe.

Imagine if Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake etc. were also accomplished voice actors who leverage their acting work as part of their/their label's overall brand and merchandising.

 

[skLaFarebear]

These news motivated me to finally finish up FC (I was in the last dungeon).

Spoiler

Four final boss fights? Come one now! Well, as least the last one wasn't real

After that ending I finally understand why people were so adamant about playing SC. Better late than never I guess.

Having to wait 2 years like I did only made that pain grow, especially never knowing if it was actually gonna happen or not as things got touch and go there while following the XSEED blog posts.

Enjoy SC though! It's a fantastic game.

 

[Gu4n]

For me personally, I can understand the reasoning for both not coming over. I think the only part that irks me a bit is when talking about the Evo versions, we basically just get "we tried and we can't and we can't talk about it" (see: Tom's quote in the OP). Which I can live with and I do trust them, but it leaves a lot of room for discussion (see: a lot of this thread) when the reasoning is as vague as that.

Personally, I don't see why the argument "we tried and we can't and we can't talk about it" needs to be discussed in the first place, since, well, they can't talk about it.

Regardless, I'm glad the Evolution versions aren't an option. They're an unbalanced mess that put Falcom's originals to shame.

 

[Dio]

I'm curious.

Why is voice acting culture in Japan such a clusterfuck?

No other region is so particular about how, where, when voices can be distributed - And in some cases even what platforms they can be distributed on (Trying to remember which game it was, but there was a PC port of some JRPG that had cut out dual-audio for a Steam release because the firm that did the voiceovers in Japan suddenly refused to play ball).

I want to support that whole planned voice-actor strike in the west, but if their demands lead to western voice acting unions becoming as much of a hot mess to work with as their Japanese counterparts then... Well... The last thing we need are even more barriers to Atlus games releasing in Europe.

It's not really specifically voice acting. It's the extremely bureaucratic and inflexible business culture that's taken root in most Japanese companies. There are exceptions, but for the most part it's a nightmare to get things down the pipes sometimes.

The fact that Chara-Ani is extremely protective of their voice actors isn't a problem by itself, it's the fact that there's also a prejudice towards foreign companies getting the 'rights' to use the voice acting at all. Voice acting is a hell of a lot more important in the Japanese industry than it is in the States, I think - we don't really have the same sort of celebrity and status for them. Like, famous Japanese voice actors regularly appear on TV and variety shows, have their own radio programs, et cetera and people will follow them. I somehow doubt, even though he's one of the more famous ones, that Nolan North would have the star power to boost viewership to a daytime TV show by appearing on it.

Also, China has a long relationship with Falcom titles and a large fanbase for 'em, so they're the 'closest' to them and get all the preferential treatment when it comes to things like making PC ports of Falcom titles that were previously console only.

At least, this is how I understand it. Someone feel free to correct me.

 

[omgfloofy]

I could have sworn I read somewhere that they canceled it, but I don't remember where.

I've not seen anything official from Joyoland, but just assumptions towards that since they've not talked about it.

They went into radio silence about Celceta for like a year, and suddenly it has a release date a month away. That was a bit of a surprise to me.

 

[Kresnik258]

Personally, I don't see why the argument "we tried and we can't and we can't talk about it" needs to be discussed in the first place, since, well, they can't talk about it.

They can't talk about it being the key thing there. This is a forum, things get discussed

 

[The Silver]

Finally beat Second Chapter, ready for the 3rd which I assumed I would never get to play.

Kevin sure got a lot more interesting at the last second

 

[Mozendo]

Spoiler

Four final boss fights? Come one now! Well, as least the last one wasn't real

Dragon Quest 2 has it worse.
Way worse.

 

[charlequin]

But this tells me that they do have an interest in the western market.

Yeah, I definitely believe it's possible that the Ys PC ports could come out in English, I just don't think the absence of those really says much about whether Zero/Ao on PC in English is possible.

 

[Se7enSword]

Yeah, I definitely believe it's possible that the Ys PC ports could come out in English, I just don't think the absence of those really says much about whether Zero/Ao on PC in English is possible.

I'll be kinda sad if Ys PC ports are released by Joyoland instead of XSEED.
I guess that's an odd statement, but I just want it to be done by XSEED.

 

[wrowa]

I'll be kinda sad if Ys PC ports are released by Joyoland instead of XSEED.
I guess that's an odd statement, but I just want it to be done by XSEED.

I don't think it's odd. If Joyoland wants to bring over their Falcom titles themselves, it might actually make the Ao / Zero situation more complicated.

 

[FLD]

I'll be kinda sad if Ys PC ports are released by Joyoland instead of XSEED.
I guess that's an odd statement, but I just want it to be done by XSEED.

I agree. It's not as big of a deal as with Trails but it would be better if the translation/terminology was consistent series-wide. IIRC, that was the main reason why they chose to retranslate Ark of Napishtim from scratch instead of trying to license the existing english script.

But man, it would be all kinds of awesome if they could manage to get their hands on the PC versions of Celceta and Seven. No idea how feasible that is, though, so I don't wanna get my hopes up.

 

[chaosblade]

I figure if the Ys games were viable to release they would already be done. Ys is probably XSEED's most reliable franchise at this point, not picking those up would be leaving money on the table. But who knows, maybe they haven't tried for some reason.



For what it's worth, I tinkered with PSPdisp since that seemed like an option for people to play 3rd on PSPs and Vitas. I tested with the also-exclusive Ys Origin, and didn't really come away impressed. The most playable I got it had it running at something like a solid 20 frames per second, it didn't feel very good at all. And the streaming (I tested wireless, which I'd imagine most people would want to use) would occasionally cut out for a few seconds (I think about 4 times, I played through the first boss).

Neither of those are total dealbreakers for a game like Trails, which is slow paced and turn based. The settings that got the game mostly playable left the text almost unreadable, and the interface was completely unreadable, which are problematic for Trails.

I wouldn't recommend it unless you are absolutely desperate to play the game on your PSP(/Vita). It's a neat, quality bit of homebrew that probably has some uses, but it's not quite up to the task of streaming a PC game.

 

[wrowa]

I figure if the Ys games were viable to release they would already be done. Ys is probably XSEED's most reliable franchise at this point, not picking those up would be leaving money on the table. But who knows, maybe they haven't tried for some reason.

They released Ark on Steam just a year ago, so I wouldn't rule out potential plans for / interest in Ys Seven just yet. It makes sense that XSEED would want to get the old games out of the way before moving on to Seven and it also makes sense that they wouldn't want to release too many Ys games at once (arguably something they've already did, considering Ark's less than stellar sales).

If XSEED is interested in licensing Joyoland's ports then I think that Ys Seven would be a great starting point in order to test the waters. Ys Seven should be a safe bank financially and yet they could test this way if a partnership is at all viable and whether or not Joyoland's ports can be fixed somehow.

 

[Eila]

I'll be kinda sad if Ys PC ports are released by Joyoland instead of XSEED.
I guess that's an odd statement, but I just want it to be done by XSEED.

I wouldn't cry as long as they have a quality translation, unlike the Ys games on iOS.
But since XSEED already have a translation of Seven and Celceta if possible I'd rather that be used.

 

[omgfloofy]

I don't know. Considering how heavily burdened Joyoland's PC titles were with DRM tools (SecuROM, even), I don't think we'd get it DRM-free at all if they were to release it here.

The setup with the DRM was awful and always requires an internet connection... and I can't even run Zero PC now, because my old computer that it was installed on died and I can't get the serial # released to be able to reinstall it.

 

[Abyssal God]

I don't know. Considering how heavily burdened Joyoland's PC titles were with DRM tools (SecuROM, even), I don't think we'd get it DRM-free at all if they were to release it here.

The setup with the DRM was awful and always requires an internet connection... and I can't even run Zero PC now, because my old computer that it was installed on died and I can't get the serial # released to be able to reinstall it.

Can't they do some black magic and remove all of that somehow?

 

[wrowa]

Can't they do some black magic and remove all of that somehow?

The question is if Joyoland would allow them to.

 

[vladisaac]

So excited to be able to play Trails in the Sky the 3rd in english! One of my favorite!

I don't know. Considering how heavily burdened Joyoland's PC titles were with DRM tools (SecuROM, even), I don't think we'd get it DRM-free at all if they were to release it here.

The setup with the DRM was awful and always requires an internet connection... and I can't even run Zero PC now, because my old computer that it was installed on died and I can't get the serial # released to be able to reinstall it.

I don't know if you can do it with the mainland Chinese version and Joyoland, but I managed to unlock the game by sending a mail to the support of the company who localized the game in Hong Kong (Typhoongames). They asked me to take a photo of the serial key and they unlocked the game on their system.

 

[idalarian]

I've got a question for those who played The 3rd. Does the game take place in Liberl, with exactly the same re-used content like the two previous games? I've enjoyed FC and SC, but I would really want for the game to take place elsewhere. I don't mind the re-used graphical asset for new locations, but I just wouldn't want to see the exact same Liberl again after spending a good 150 hours in that region of the world.

 

[omgfloofy]

I've got a question for those who played The 3rd. Does the game take place in Liberl, with exactly the same re-used content like the two previous games? I've enjoyed FC and SC, but I would really want for the game to take place elsewhere. I don't mind the re-used graphical asset for new locations, but I just wouldn't want to see the exact same Liberl again after spending a good 150 hours in that region of the world.

There are a lot of reused locations, but about an equal amount of new locations. It's a fairly different situation, and you'll probably see the reused locations in a very different way during 3rd.

 

[Nyoro SF]

Plus if XSEED can get their mitts on the source code of the kiseki games in question, I have confidence that they can do something about it.

Whether it will be worth their time to do so financially, is something we will find out probably by summer 2017. In the meanwhile, uh... everyone buy all the games. Do it now.

 

[Gu4n]

I've got a question for those who played The 3rd. Does the game take place in Liberl, with exactly the same re-used content like the two previous games? I've enjoyed FC and SC, but I would really want for the game to take place elsewhere. I don't mind the re-used graphical asset for new locations, but I just wouldn't want to see the exact same Liberl again after spending a good 150 hours in that region of the world.

There are a lot of reused locations, but about an equal amount of new locations. It's a fairly different situation, and you'll probably see the reused locations in a very different way during 3rd.

Remember that door in the Rolent Sewers that you finally got to open in SC? Well, people tend to forget about the locked door in the Grancel Cathedral.

 

[charlequin]

I don't know. Considering how heavily burdened Joyoland's PC titles were with DRM tools (SecuROM, even), I don't think we'd get it DRM-free at all if they were to release it here.

Given their release strategy on PC so far, I expect the options for XSEED would be DRM-free or nothing, so I certainly hope this doesn't wind up being a sticking point for future releases.

I thought I had heard the invasive DRM crap was removed from the Japanese release of Zero, is that not true?

 

[idalarian]

Remember that door in the Rolent Sewers that you finally got to open in SC? Well, people tend to forget about the locked door in the Grancel Cathedral.

Gotta admit I forgot about that one! lol I thought I vaguely remembered opening it during FC chapter 4 or something... Still, it would be great if we could go somewhere else, even within Liberl. Like I always wondered what could be on the peninsula in the south-west region. But the fact that everything is set in stone in terms of city, villages and roads, doesn't leave much to the imagination.

 

[Peff]

I thought I had heard the invasive DRM crap was removed from the Japanese release of Zero, is that not true?

Yeah, but IIRC that was Falcom touching up the Zero PC port in order to release it in Japan themselves. The issue there is that no such version exists for Ao.

 

[Thud]

Plus if XSEED can get their mitts on the source code of the kiseki games in question, I have confidence that they can do something about it.

Whether it will be worth their time to do so financially, is something we will find out probably by summer 2017. In the meanwhile, uh... everyone buy all the games. Do it now.

We can't buy 3rd and CS2 yet

 

[omgfloofy]

Given their release strategy on PC so far, I expect the options for XSEED would be DRM-free or nothing, so I certainly hope this doesn't wind up being a sticking point for future releases.

I thought I had heard the invasive DRM crap was removed from the Japanese release of Zero, is that not true?

That is true. I never bothered with the Chinese one again since I got the Japanese one. I can understand that one, anyway. xD

But the only time the DRM bit would be an issue, I suspect, is if Joyoland decided to try to release things. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't use DRM in their English releases.

 

[charlequin]

But the only time the DRM bit would be an issue, I suspect, is if Joyoland decided to try to release things. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't use DRM in their English releases.

....you're right, I lost track of which possibility we were talking about there. Yeah, it would basically be terrible for Joyoland to bring out anything themselves.

 

[Eila]

Yeah, but IIRC that was Falcom touching up the Zero PC port in order to release it in Japan themselves. The issue there is that no such version exists for Ao.

I don't know why people trouble themselves so much over it when we're still long ways off Azure. We still have Cold Steel II, 3rd and then Zero and possibly Cold Steel III.
I imagine if the series become very profitable XSEED will find a way, be it coming to terms with Joyoland or paying a third party to do the port job for them.

 

[wrowa]

I don't know why people trouble themselves so much over it when we're still long ways off Azure. We still have Cold Steel II, 3rd and then Zero and possibly Cold Steel III.
I imagine if the series become very profitable XSEED will find a way, be it coming to terms with Joyoland or paying a third party to do the port job for them.

I don't think there will be Zero without Ao. XSEED will not want to have a second SC on its hands, so I doubt they'll start working on the Crossbell games without making 100% sure they'll be able to work on Ao after Zero.

 

[chaosblade]

I don't think there will be Zero without Ao. XSEED will not want to have a second SC on its hands, so I doubt they'll start working on the Crossbell games without making 100% sure they'll be able to work on Ao after Zero.

I'm sure they would handle it the same way they handled the Cold Steel games. Plan do them back to back with some overlap (translator can start on Azure while Zero is being edited).

Or maybe SpaceDrake's pleas and promises won't fall on deaf ears and the Cold Steel/3rd folks (Varion, Brittany) will tackle Zero while Carpe Fulgur works on Azure, but that seems way less likely to me.

 

[zakujanai]

Remember that door in the Rolent Sewers that you finally got to open in SC? Well, people tend to forget about the locked door in the Grancel Cathedral.

That one always really bugs me, as does the one in the basement of the ZCF building.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Well I didn't know Trails Day was around the corner, but I finished up a bundle of fan-made Roland MIDI arrangements of Falcom JDK music right around this time.

You can get the Falcom Music Room Sound Canvas MIDI Collection (MP3 + MIDI files) at Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/k5zb45q953ova4k/Falcom Music Room Sound Canvas MIDI Collection.7z?dl=0

There's big folders of Sora no Kiseki music mainly, but also earlier Legend of Heroes tunes. Falcom Music Room's owner (the arranger here) closed the site in 2008 and has only done a few MIDI arrangements since, meaning there's nothing like this for the Crossbell and Erebonia games AFAIK.

 

[Necromanti]

The people working at XSEED must be crazy given what behemoths these titles seem to be to localize.

 

[chaosblade]

The people working at XSEED must be crazy given what behemoths these titles seem to be to localize.

You could say they are getting good at handling big projects, but I'm not sure they actually had that much trouble in the first place other than the ridiculous monster that is SC (and it had it's own unique issues). FC didn't take much more than a year and it's about average as far as Trails-length goes, barring the oddball that is SC. And they have also done stuff like Story of Seasons and Rune Factory which is in the same ballpark, script-wise (and apparently those are actually more difficult due to the nature of the games).

Granted, most of FC's editing time was crazy crunch time, so maybe things go a little smoother and faster now.

 

[SephLuis]

The people working at XSEED must be crazy given what behemoths these titles seem to be to localize.

The 3rd is, at least, smaller than SC. This gigantic though.

I suppose that both Crossbell games are around the same size, if not bigger, than SC. That one, should be tough for them to translate everything

 

[chaosblade]

The 3rd is, at least, smaller than SC. This gigantic though.

I suppose that both Crossbell games are around the same size, if not bigger, than SC. That one, should be tough for them to translate everything

That's based on incorrect speculation. SC is by far the most text heavy game in the series.

The very rough breakdown Tom mentioned before, might not be 100% accurate but it's in the general ballpark:

FC - 1.5m
SC - 3.5m
3rd - 1m
Zero - 2m
Ao - 2m
CS - 1.5m (but a bit smaller than FC)
CS2 - 1.3m

Still, even 3rd is pretty huge. He said the number of games they localize with more than around 600k characters is very small (basically Trails, SoS, and RF).

 

[SephLuis]

That's based on incorrect speculation. SC is by far the most text heavy game in the series.

The very rough breakdown Tom mentioned before, might not be 100% accurate but it's in the general ballpark:

FC - 1.5m
SC - 3.5m
3rd - 1m
Zero - 2m
Ao - 2m
CS - 1.5m (but a bit smaller than FC)
CS2 - 1.3m

Still, even 3rd is pretty huge. He said the number of games they localize with more than around 600k characters is very small (basically Trails, SoS, and RF).

I could swear that Zero would at least be in the same range as SC.
It took me a long time for me to beat it. Glad that's not the case, so then they can put it out faster.

 

[Shizuka]

Guess who just bought SC on PC today. I'm sorry Vita, but I'm still a Kiseki fan through and through.