Macross 30

[Tochiro]

I'd say because Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver didn't/don't know how to speak Japanese :)/>

Right. But it would take very little effort for them to learn how to count from 1 to 10, right? ;-)

[Rabidweezil]

Right. But it would take very little effort for them to learn how to count from 1 to 10, right? ;-)

counting from 1 to 10 in Japanese, vs speaking a whole movie worth of dialogue in Japanese? I'm not sure I get where you are going with that.

Edited November 30, 2012 by Rabidweezil

[sketchley]

counting from 1 to 10 in Japanese, vs speaking a whole movie worth of dialogue in Japanese? I'm not sure I get where you are going with that.

See VF5SS's post above.

Edited November 30, 2012 by sketchley

[Rabidweezil]

See VF5SS's post above.

I guess I completely missed the context of the conversation. I thought it was about adding more of another language to a movie/game not just blurting out random lines/numbers/words in another language because it happens to be in that languages setting.

That doesn't make any sense to me really, but it honestly doesn't matter

Edited November 30, 2012 by Rabidweezil

[Kelsain]

So is the VF-30 the real, final NUNS production model of the YF-24 platform? Probably a good thing, because I think it's been done to death, at this point. Looks good with the delta wing, though.

[Astralith]

I guess I completely missed the context of the conversation. I thought it was about adding more of another language to a movie/game not just blurting out random lines/numbers/words... That doesn't make any sense to me really, but it honestly doesn't matter :)/>

I agree.

To be blunt, if English is so popular that its included in the game and the series and Playstation 3 sells like hotcakes in the English speaking world then why not have an English setting in the game. Not even voice overs. Subtitles and settings are fine. It's just stupid.

[D.D. Ivanov]

I agree.

To be blunt, if English is so popular that its included in the game and the series and Playstation 3 sells like hotcakes in the English speaking world then why not have an English setting in the game. Not even voice overs. Subtitles and settings are fine. It's just stupid.

Because they're not going to cater to a market that they can't even legally access.

[VF5SS]

I think you're overestimated how popular English is in this case. It's popular in the sense of using phrases and words are teh kewl but not the whole language. Also this isn't like a fansub where subtitles and translations can be had for free. They'd have to program all this into the game and hire a professional translator just to service the gray market buyers.

[TyrValein]

So is the VF-30 the real, final NUNS production model of the YF-24 platform? Probably a good thing, because I think it's been done to death, at this point. Looks good with the delta wing, though.

So far it seems that its a YF-30. Only a prototype. Its yet to be seen whether or not it'll be turned into a production model. Maybe we'll get a new platform after this, maybe this IS the new platform, or maybe the game will feature both the YF-30 and the VF-30. Who knows. Either way, I know I'll miss the swing wings...

I'm looking everywhere to see if we can get more of the famitsu pages translated, I want to know more about this openworld RPG-style Macross game that I've only dreamed of until this day. Seriously, the guy who stepped up at the board meeting and said "Guys, guys, wait. I think this should be an open world RPG.", already has a spot reserved in heaven for him. Heck, I'd even give him MY spot (assuming I'm going there.) We just need to get the complete scans of each page and a translator and I'm ready to read the entire article over and over until the next one comes out.

Also, no one's going to comment on how the YF-29B resembles Alto's more than the stock YF-29? (Two head lasers as opposed to one). Any other changes you think they added to the B version?

EDIT: And who are the two in the left page of the second scan? New characters?

Edited December 1, 2012 by TyrValein

[Rabidweezil]

I think you're overestimated how popular English is in this case. It's popular in the sense of using phrases and words are teh kewl but not the whole language. Also this isn't like a fansub where subtitles and translations can be had for free. They'd have to program all this into the game and hire a professional translator just to service the gray market buyers.

English is the 3rd most spoken language in the world this year.

[sketchley]

English is the 3rd most spoken language in the world this year.

So, wouldn't it make much more sense to put the #1 language in? And they're not even doing that!

[VF5SS]

English is the 3rd most spoken language in the world this year.

Not in a 98% homogeneous country!

[sketchley]

Not in a 98% homogeneous country!

Which is a fallacy for propaganda purposes!

[VF5SS]

Here's a Japanese game with dual language options

it turned out pretty great and loves freedom and justice

[Chronocidal]

English is also the international standard language for aircraft operations.

[VF5SS]

Sankyuu!

[D.D. Ivanov]

I habu contororu!

[Marzan]

I habu contororu!

LOL!

[VF5SS]

oh a rare moment from season 2 where Allelujah isn't saying MARIE

[VF-15 Banshee]

Allelujah's four or five episodes of MARIE! was not even close to the level of Kio "I'm the worst, most annoying, most pathetic Gundam kid ever" Asuno.

[Tochiro]

To be blunt, if English is so popular that its included in the game and the series and Playstation 3 sells like hotcakes in the English speaking world then why not have an English setting in the game. Not even voice overs. Subtitles and settings are fine. It's just stupid.

I think you're overestimated how popular English is in this case. It's popular in the sense of using phrases and words are teh kewl but not the whole language. Also this isn't like a fansub where subtitles and translations can be had for free. They'd have to program all this into the game and hire a professional translator just to service the gray market buyers.

Veef has pretty much hit the nail on the head. I think I'm gonna have to borrow the Straight-Talk Express from gundamn@mahq for this one...

...toot toot.

Let's look at the practical and financial barriers to 'just' putting English subs on the game, as well as industry precedents.

Wait, let's start with industry precedents for bilingual games on current platforms where the game was never slated for release outside of Japan.

....

.............yeah, not many, are there?

The few exceptions I can think of are things like MGS: Peacewalker where the fact that the artist they used for cutscenes was an native English-speaker meant that the speech bubbles in the Japanese version were all in English accompanied by Japanese subtitles. Then again, the game was always meant to come out in English-speaking countries as well. Games like fighting games often use English for menus, and a fair bit of detailed menu text in some of the Front Mission series was in English. As for story though? Nothing. Why? Well, because....

(i)Very few people at Bandai Namco Japan speak English.

This applies to the overall country as well. Basic numbers and adopted loan-words from English are common, but trying to ask someone on the street for directions in English will not get you far. Asking a random person to try to translate the entire plot of a game that includes characters and references to previous installments going back 30 years? Yeah, good luck with that.

The only option would be to farm the translation work out to an external translation house, however...

(ii)This crap costs money.

How much could a simple translation cost, you ask? The issue here isnt so much the translation as it is the fact that the text translation is only the tip of a money iceberg.

First you have the translation which could be an ongoing expense depending on any changes that are made to character lines or story elements or item names or HUD closer to the game reaching its final build. (Also, keep in mind that Japanese translation houses are often 2-3 times more expensive than similar businesses in the US but are favoured by Japanese developers because of the lack of time difference, common work ethic, and ease of access).

Then you need someone to implement/time the text. Since they wont be an English speaker someone else will then be needed to check the implementation of the text. On the UI side extra menu options also need to be added.

And even if all that gets done, the game then has to be submitted to Sony for testing. And unfortunately,unlike Microsoft, Sony QA is not a single global process.

For a regular Japan-only PS3 game, this would be done by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan. But since there's English included, then the game will probably have to be submitted to Sony Computer Entertainment America as well - effectively doubling submission fees and QA costs on top of everything else.

All this for a market with legal complications, and a niche, gray-area market at that (if Amazon Japan refuses to export software, then its a gray market area as far as most people are concerned - not to mention the big warnings on the games which clearly state that they are not meant for sale outside of Japan). On top of that, its a market whose numbers are unknown and difficult to measure - I've seen much bigger, well-known IP than Macross be localized for foreign markets and bomb spectacularly.

So, in a nutshell, the unfortunate fact of the matter is that just adding subtitles is far from being cheap and easy.

Edited December 3, 2012 by Tochiro

[Astralith]

Alrighty then... Moving on.

How difficult is it to play this game without knowing Japanese? Any other lingual Cyclopes out there that have tried it?

[Tochiro]

So....you are asking if anyone has played a game that won't be released for 3 months yet? (°_°)

If I were to make a guess, given that there are towns and a guild-based sub-quest system, yet is based on a familiar series of games, it would be like playing Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker in Japanese while being familiar with the game mechanics of earlier MGS games.

[Chronocidal]

No one's tried it yet, since it's not even out. Considering how many people have bought and enjoyed the PSP releases though? I doubt it'll be any kind of serious problem.

Think of it this way. You have something like 10 buttons, two joysticks, and a directional pad. The controls can't be that complex, it's nothing like a sim.

Worst case, you get some missions with screwy completion requirements, and have to consult a guide. I don't consider "understanding the plot" to be a necessary part of this game, because let's face it... even if you could read Japanese, I'm not sure the plot would even make sense then. You've somehow fallen through a wormhole, and the major characters of every Macross series to date have somehow miraculously appeared in the same airspace in their various personal valks. Stuff happens. Then you fly around and blow things up for fun.

All plot/character development/etc is secondary to the fact that we're getting to fly around in 30 years worth of Macross valk designs on our TVs, blowing stuff up with copious amounts of gunpod ammo, and liberal application of the Itano Circus.

Edit: Beat me to it, and I actually missed the entire "guild based" thing.. so yeah, there might be more depth to this than I thought. I was under the impression it was just an overall upscale of the PSP games and their mechanics.

Edited December 4, 2012 by Chronocidal

[TyrValein]

No one's tried it yet, since it's not even out. Considering how many people have bought and enjoyed the PSP releases though? I doubt it'll be any kind of serious problem.

Think of it this way. You have something like 10 buttons, two joysticks, and a directional pad. The controls can't be that complex, it's nothing like a sim.

Worst case, you get some missions with screwy completion requirements, and have to consult a guide. I don't consider "understanding the plot" to be a necessary part of this game, because let's face it... even if you could read Japanese, I'm not sure the plot would even make sense then. You've somehow fallen through a wormhole, and the major characters of every Macross series to date have somehow miraculously appeared in the same airspace in their various personal valks. Stuff happens. Then you fly around and blow things up for fun.

All plot/character development/etc is secondary to the fact that we're getting to fly around in 30 years worth of Macross valk designs on our TVs, blowing stuff up with copious amounts of gunpod ammo, and liberal application of the Itano Circus.

Edit: Beat me to it, and I actually missed the entire "guild based" thing.. so yeah, there might be more depth to this than I thought. I was under the impression it was just an overall upscale of the PSP games and their mechanics.

Judging from the pictures, I got the impression they were going for a Borderlands-esque RPG.

I have to admit, even if I get stuck on quests, the potential to just fly my valkyrie around without having to worry about much, defeating rogue Zentradi/Vajra as they show up makes my mouth water. Judging from the inventory list in some of the scans and the fact that they show graphical depictions of gunpods/missiles, it seems there's potential to switch around weapons and parts. Maybe you can put a VF-25 gunpod on your YF-19? Or put missiles and engines designed for later valks on the older ones? With an upgrade system it could make the old valks have similar stats to the new ones if you just change out the internals.

EDIT: I don't know what magazine this is from, but it has a slightly more detailed sketch of the YF-30 in the bottom left. (Its partially cut off) Thought you all would want to know.

Edited December 4, 2012 by TyrValein

[VF5SS]

I hope this is Just Mac-cause 2.

[Astralith]

Oops! I thought folks were getting there pre-ordered copies.

http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/im-so-embarrasses-i-wish-everybody-else-was-dead.jpg

[Tochiro]

Kotaku weighs in with an article- no new info tho.

http://kotaku.com/5965352/macross-30-looks-to-be-the-macross-game-weve-been-waiting-for

[Mommar]

I don't own a PS3 so somebody better take A LOT of video of the game in action.

[CoreyD]

I pre-ordered the regular version thinking it was going to be similar to the DYRL blu ray game, but I'm not so sure now that I'm getting more details about the RPG aspects.

If it's going to be like GTA or Zelda, where you have open world quests, I'm thinking that a non-japanese speaker isn't going to have an easy time figuring out what's going on

Edited December 4, 2012 by CoreyD

[TyrValein]

I don't own a PS3 so somebody better take A LOT of video of the game in action.

Well, I don't have a PS3 either, so I'm buying one when my import order ships. I do have a Hauppauge however, so I can record every embarrassing accident as I'm unable to read for most of the game.

I pre-ordered the regular version thinking it was going to be similar to the DYRL blu ray game, but I'm not so sure now that I'm getting more details about the RPG aspects.

If it's going to be like GTA or Zelda, where you have open world quests, I'm thinking that a non-japanese speaker isn't going to have an easy time figuring out what's going on

Yeah, its going to be hard to figure things out, but I don't mind. At the very least, the prospect of being able to fly around and fight randomly spawning enemies is enough to make me pre-order.

Also, have you guys noticed numbers popping up on some of the scans? I guess they're going for a borderlands damage system?

[LOW_ALT]

I've been playing Gundam Senki since it came out and there is pretty much no english in that game at all, not even the names of the mobile suits. I have no understanding of Japanese and was still able to get around in that game so I doubt this one will be too difficult for non-japanese players.

Plus in my opinion Macross storylines aren't anything I'd miss anyway, I'm just in it for the valks

[VF-15 Banshee]

Hell, I'll play it on my apartment clubhouse's PS3 if that's what it takes.

[Mommar]

Well, I don't have a PS3 either, so I'm buying one when my import order ships. I do have a Hauppauge however, so I can record every embarrassing accident as I'm unable to read for most of the game.

Thanks for taking one for the team. I don't buy Sony products so I'm SOL on all of these Macross games, but I like to see what they look like and how they play. Free flying sounds like a lot of fun though, hopefully the play control is strong enough to warrant the freedom.

[Strumvogel]

Any idea on how the game controls are? If they're like the one's in the Hybrid movie releases I just might give this a miss. They're not very intuitive to me and half the time I'm wondering what the hell am I doing, and still getting "A" or "S" ranking anyway.

I would even say that as mediorce as the VFX games were, they at least still feel quite natural, so long as you're not stomping around in a gravity enviroment, compared to the hybrid games.

As for the state of the franchise overseas, well I keep complaining that people outside of Japan want to give them money but they just don't want to take it. Just look at the the major Japanese online sites and you'd see that they refuse to ship game software overseas, not because they don't want to but because the companies publishing them are telling them not to in some sort of agreement clause.

Something of which screwed some of the online retailers over during the first Frontier movie release because it's a Hybrid release. CDJapan for instance comes to mind, though they since changed that eventually but the damage was done and they lost sales because of that. Amazon Japan however are still held captive by that agreement though from my last check.

Then there are BD release which for some reason are listed as software when they're nothing but proper OVA releases that gets caught in the mix (re: Carnival Phantasm) and you begin to get the idea how insane things are and you'd just have to make the conclusion that well, the companies really don't want the money that'd come from overseas.