Messages

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Thanks for the update Sam, it sounds like you and elmer both have a lot going on in your personal lives right now. I wish you guys the best and I look forward to hearing/playing the results of your work eventually.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

I'm doing it again (sorry) but how are things coming along with the dub?

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Anearth Fantasy Stories - Translation Development Blog]

It may not be rocket science but...

For the type of persons that can translate games, I'd wager that the two most necessary skills are programming and translating.  I feel it's unlikely that someone who's expertise is in dubbing/organizing 50 or so people into getting you high quality dialogue.  For that reason I think the hardest part is likely the dub given that it's outside of peoples' presumed skillsets.

Plus you need to keep in mind that you have to work at a faster pace. When you are translating/hacking a game with a group of two or three people you can take as much time as you are willing to sacrifice. However, with a dub, you need to do a lot of pre-planning so that when you get all the actors/actresses together you can create the dub relatively quickly. Keeping 50+ people on standby for 3 or 5 years is not going to work and the performers' voices might even change over time. So you have to dedicate a lot of time over a shorter period instead of pecking away at something in your free time for years.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Anearth Fantasy Stories - Translation Development Blog]

It may not be rocket science but running the audition, organizing all the actors, getting the recordings to match the timing of the original game and re-inserting all the audio back into the game without it popping or glitching was very difficult. I only watched my brother from the sidelines, mainly helping with sending invites to actors/actresses during the audition, but it makes complete sense to me why it took so long for a project like the Ys IV dub to get finished since getting all these elements to line up is a real pain in the neck.

Even before starting the Ys IV dub project proper, my brother got his feet wet by learning how to insert audio into PCE-CD games with Rondo of Blood and was experimenting with the idea of dubbing Ys IV for a year or two before actually starting the project (he even mentions wanting to dub Ys IV in Rondo's readme). So it wasn't just a matter of my brother getting some voice clips and putting them in the game but a long period of him getting his skills to the point where he could start the project and then spending the better part of a year getting each line recorded, tweaking each file to fit in the game and tirelessly re-inserting each file back into the game himself (plus testing each voice clip ingame). He basically worked on the project every free moment he had in 2012, doing almost nothing else.

So, again, I totally understand why so few people would attempt a fan dub project or why GeeMac32bit and Justus would throw in the towel when they fully realized how much work it would be. Even though my brother managed to finish the dub, I know that the project really burned him out on fan translations in a lot of ways and even made me back away from the scene for a while. All the more reason I really respect Elmer and SamIAm for attempting to dub Legend of Xanadu I/II and understand why they wouldn't want to do the same thing with Anearth Stories. If dubbing Ys IV was hard I can only imagine what they are going through right now with their project.

Anyway, I guess what I am basically trying to say is dubbing a game is a lot more work than most people might think and it shouldn't be downplayed.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Sorry to hear that things have slowed down but I guess that is to be expected with the holidays season upon us. Again, keep up the awesome works guys and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the States.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

The topic looked like it was in danger of leaving the first page so I decided to bump it. How goes the dub guys? If there isn't any news worth sharing, I apologize for the update begging.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Thanks for the update Elmer! Happy to hear you had a good trip and I hope Sam is doing alright with his family.

I think that we'll be going with the gentleman who has already recorded an excellent performance of the lines for us.

His voice is a little bit younger than we'd like to have as the ancient Grandfather figure, but there's no problem in changing one palette color in the intro graphic a little and making the picture of him look a tiny bit younger.

If this is the same actor we spoke about through PM than I think the part is in good hands, he can do a great "old man" voice. But even if he sounds a bit younger than you wanted, or that the original Japanese sounded like, I don't think it would be a good idea to alter any of the graphics to make the character look younger. I don't think it would make the performance more convincing and it could potentially ruin the look of the original artwork.

The dub is a huge amount of work, and honestly, I'd really recommend that translations avoid doing one, if possible, it's just too big a commitment unless the leads involved can dedicate almost-fulltime work to it.

I'm absolutely amazed at what Burnt Lasagna and his Ys IV dub team achieved!   

Yeah, my brother pretty much spent the better part of a year doing almost nothing else with his free time except work on that dub. It is indeed a lot of work. All the more reason your dub project is so impressive, I can't imagine what it must be like creating a dub for two games at once.

Keep up the awesome work guys

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Gonna be that guy again but how has the dub been coming along? Was a voice for Areios's Grandfather ever decided on? Just curious to know if there are any updates worth sharing.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Anearth Fantasy Stories - Translation Development Blog]

That's right, I seem to remember the mention of not doing dubbing on Anearth.  I always prefer dubbing, but of coarse, on a homebrew translation project, it's an added bonus.  It's nice that there's subtitles, that helps!

Same here.  Without a dub it feels incomplete.

I would love a dub too but I also know what an insane undertaking it is to create a fan dub, let along one of any quality. Organizing all those volunteers and having the whole audition period is a monumental task, all the more reason the Xanadu dub is an awesome feat. If the game has speech bubbles for all the voiced lines then I am totally fine with just having a text translation, which is already going to be a huge project for Sam and Elmer.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

I got my copy of The Legend of Xanadu and I thought I'd go ahead and scan the tower map that elmer mentioned for anyone that doesn't have the game or the poster it came with.


OG: https://tinyurl.com/yawlrsct

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Anearth Fantasy Stories - Translation Development Blog]

This is really awesome news! Anearth Fantasy Story is at the top of my list of awesome looking RPGs on the PCE-CD that I've always wanted to play in English. Based off some of the off-handed comments you had been making on the Xanadu threads I was guessing that maybe this was going to be Sam and your's next project. I barely understand most of the technical posts in the Xanadu Development thread but I look forward to reading about your progress on Anearth!

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Just read through the email thanking me for participating. Kind of already guessed that I won't get a part but I'm not not bothered by it, especially since it looks like you guys got some real awesome talent for the project. I was also happy to see that one or two of the actors/actresses I contacted about the project at the beginning of the auditions actually got cast as a few characters.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

A funny thing to me about the first game is that it is so cheap!  It's criminally undervalued; if you have any interest in picking up a physical copy I'd say buy it immediately.  You can buy it off of ebay for less than $15 shipped. 

Unlike most games I can think of for the system, the first Xanadu has gone down in price over time.  I assume what's off putting to people is, of course, the language barrier.  I actually expect it to go up in price after your translation finishes.

I was thinking the same thing so I purchased a copy the other day for $13. Now I'll be fully prepared for the release of the translation patches

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

I don't have a custom case but I still have my copy of The Legend of Xanadu II that I purchased when I was recording voices for the old dub back in 2011. Maybe I should complete my set and get a copy of Xanadu I before the translation comes out.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Okay, that's what I thought. Felt pretty dumb right after posting my comment. Anyway, I hope everything goes well with the recordings. Good luck guys!

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Focus is starting to turn to recording, and SamIAm is going to be doing a live internet recording session with one of the professional VO actors today.

Very cool, I would love to watch that. Where is this going to be available and which character is being recorded? Unless I'm misunderstanding and you mean he is doing a private Skype call and not a live stream for people to watch. 

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Awesome news and thank you guys for all your hard work, can't wait to hear the dub. Have you guys started recording anything yet or are you just focused on getting the parts cast at the moment?

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Oh wow is that right? I heard her lines in that old version of the dub but I had no idea it was Buckland, she was using a screen name at the time. I liked her line reads for the Xanadu Goddess so I actually ended up contacting her on VAA in 2012 and asked her if she would like to audition for the Ys IV dub. She ended up playing one of the Goddesses in that dub too. Crazy that I never made that connection.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Thanks for the update Elmer!

Very excited to hear that you got some professional actors/actresses to play some of the main characters. I actually remember seeing Kira Buckland responding to a question SamIAm had on the Voice Acting Club forums. She was the actress that recently played 2B in Nier Automata and also did some other roles in Trails of Cold Steel. Not sure if she actually auditioned for anything but it was cool to see some recognizable anime/video game performers looking at the project.

Anyway, keep up the awesome word guys!

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Trying not to be that guy that always asks for updates but is there any news on how the auditions are going?

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Wow, 200 individuals sent in auditions for the dub!? Congratulations you guys! I don't know the exact numbers but I think only about 30 or 25 actors/actresses auditioned for the Ys IV dub back in 2012. Picking out the cast from so many people is going to be a lot of work but it is amazing the number of auditionees that have sent in their performances!

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

I have absolutely no idea how we got this much interest ... but we got our 1,000th audition today. 

That's counting by actor/actress & character, and not just actor/actress ... most people (as expected) send in auditions for multiple roles.

The next few days are probably going to be really crazy! 

That is insane! I just sent in some more auditions, so I guess I've added a few more to that pile. Good luck you guys, can't wait to hear the final product

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

I've checked that linked-in, and it's not 100% certain that it's the same guy, and he's looking really-really-old from his photo there, and he hasn't updated the page since about 2010, so I'm not even sure if he's still alive!

I'm almost certain that that is his actual Linkedin page. Also, I think Reynolds is 87 year-old now and not dead from what I can tell 
It would be a real long shot to get Mike Reynolds to be in the dub but if this was a professional production I think he would be a perfect fit for the role.

If anyone wants to watch an old-school anime where Reynolds plays one of the main characters I would recommend Lily C.A.T., it is a decent Alien rip-off that you can watch on Crunchyroll: http://www.crunchyroll.com/lily-cat

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

This is not a very realistic idea but what if you asked Mike Reynolds to read the lines of Areios's Grandfather? Reynolds is an old-school anime actor that did a lot of work for Streamline Pictures as well as many other companies in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. I've been a fan of his voice for a long time and I think he would be perfect for the role. He's even done some work with Falcom properties in the past, playing one of the main characters in the old Legend of Heroes OVA from the 90s.

If you have no idea who I am talking about watch this small montage of his older work: https://youtu.be/jnHU4SJsMKw

I don't think he does a lot of voice work now-a-days but maybe he would be willing to read a few lines for Xanadu. He has a Linkedin page so maybe you could contact him through that, I don't know for sure since I can't look at his full profile because I don't have an account. The worst he could say is "no".

His Linkedin page is located here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-reynolds-2030a39

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

If you need more actors/actresses of a certain voice type or want to hear more auditions for a specific character then I would highly recommend bumping all your threads on the voice acting fourms you have your project on and giving everyone an update. It is a good way to keep the project more lively on those fourms and potentially attract more volunteers. It was something my brother tried to do once a week with the Ys IV dub and we always got a few more auditions every time we gave an update, plus it helps people focus on parts that need more auditions.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Honestly I'm pretty embarrassed by some of the stuff I recorded for that original dub too 

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

So, will elmer and/or SamIAm be heard in this dub by chance ? ;)

I remember in the old Xanadu II dub, Sam did the voice for Daimos and I thought it sounded pretty alright, although a little monotone. It would be fun if Sam and Emler put their voices in the dub somewhere, even if they just played a minor role like Townsman #1 & 2 or a voice in the backround during a crowd scene.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

I'm absolutely amazed that we're getting mentioned in some very-unusual places ...

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/04/casting_call_-_fan_translation_of_legend_of_xanadu_now_holding_auditions

That's wonderful in terms of getting people's attention, but the worry-wart in me is starting to get concerned that we might eventually attract the wrong attention! 

If you're thinking that all this attention might attract a C&D from Falcom I honestly don't think there is a chance of that happening. This almost never happens to fan translation projects and the two most recent examples I can think of were because the patches had copyrighted material in them, the Type-0 translation having the entire game in its patch and the Dragon Quest VII 3DS patch re-using the script from the PS1 game. These two examples were also cases where the copyright holder, Square Enix, was planning to officially localize the games around the same time the fan translations were being worked on.

With Legend of Xanadu I & II being such old titles at this point, over 20 years-old, I don't think Falcom would pay much attention to a fan translation being released. Plus they don't have a history of shutting down fan projects like Square or Nintendo.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

EDIT: I'd get in touch with BurntLasagna, his brother is in this thread, LentFilms, and ask for his contacts, like the female actresses he found for Ys IV (with VAA at the time) since you're indicating there's a shortage there (understandable).

I actually already directly contacted a small number of the actors/actresses that worked on Ys IV as well as some new people that I've heard in random fan projects over the years. I haven't heard back from anyone but that is understandable since I made it clear that I wasn't involved in the Xanadu dub and was just making them aware of the project, so they may have just sent some stuff to Sam or are just not interested. The thing is that a lot of people seem to have moved on to other things, are not that active online anymore or I have no way of contacting them since VAA is no more. My brother may be able to send some emails but those addresses are almost 5 years old at this point and may not be used anymore.

Not exactly sure how the auditions have been doing lately but last I heard Sam was getting swamped with auditions so hopefully trying to get old actors/actresses to return from Ys IV will be unnecessary.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

There actually already is a thread on NeoGaf about the dub that was created a day after the site launched: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1359015

Most people in the thread seem excited about the project.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

I'm really very, very impressed with some of the auditions that are coming in! 

It's still early days, and we're going to need a *lot* more, though. 

It is awesome to hear that you guys are getting some quality auditions! Don't be afraid to ask some actors/actresses if they would be willing to play multiple parts, my brother did that with the Ys IV dub and many professional productions do it all the time. Don't have one person play several huge parts but it won't hurt to have them maybe play one sizable role and another smaller part with only a handful of lines.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Do you know what happened to VAA? I could swear I was there just the other week myself.

I was on there not long ago too. I did some causal searches and it seems the site got infected with viruses (or something) so the site owner shut it down and it doesn't seem like it will be coming back.

Also I contacted some actors/actresses directly, telling them about this project and linking them to your site. They are just some people I heard in various fan projects over the years that I thought sounded good and that might be willing to work on a fan dub. Hope that helps.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

I know that the VAA is no longer around, which I only discovered this week, but have you guys thought about posting your project on the Behind the Voice Actor's Casting Call? I'm very familiar with the site's voice actor wiki but I don't know a lot about the Casting Call. However, a lot of amateur actor/actress seem to audition for projects there. Might be worth a shot. Here is the link to the site: http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/casting-call/

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: The Legend of Xanadu Dub Project - Auditions Wanted]

Really awesome to see this project coming so close to completion after all these year! Getting auditions for the female roles was a problem with the Ys IV dub as well. We ended up getting a lot of our actresses from contacting people directly that I had heard in various fan projects at the time and even then some of the actresses ended up playing multiple roles, but even professional dubs often have actors/actresses play more than one part. I'm sure once more people hear about this project you'll start to get more auditions from actresses. Anyway, good luck guys and godspeed.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Xanadu II Translation Development Blog]

Wow, that new font looks incredibly nice! Awesome work guys!

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Xanadu I and II - General Translation Project(s) Thread]

I think I say this everytime I post here but it is really exciting to see this project coming so close to completion after so many years of progress. Congratulations guys!

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Where should I advertise auditions for the Xanadu dub?]

You can also directly contact amateur actors/actresses. The way the Ys IV dub got a lot of its talent was from sending emails to people, telling them about the project and inviting them to audition while suggesting what kind of roles you'd think they'd be good for based off their demo. We didn't contact any high profile actors, mainly people who do parody dubs or other fan stuff, and not a lot of people responded but I think we got some of our best actors/actresses by asking directly.

I think you should definitely ask Sonicshadows and Haushinka to reprise their roles as Arios and Ishtar. They both did a great job in the old dub and did some great work in the Ys IV dub as well.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Xanadu II Translation Development Blog]

Personally I like Phase's logo at the bottom. It is similar to the English logo used by Falcom and it looks the least stiff, if that makes sense.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Xanadu II Translation Development Blog]

Just throwing my two cents in about the game's name: the English text on the box says "The Legend of Xanadu" and that is the title the game is known by for most English fans, so I think that would be the best name to use. But I also don't see a problem with just having it say "Legend of Xanadu" on the title screen.

As a side note, I don't think you really need to spread the word about the project while it is being tested. Once the patches are released, word will get around. A lot of websites even covered your guys' Zeroigar patch and I don't think most people outside of this forum even knew about the project as it was being made. So I think having a fancy project page or trying to "spread the word" before everything is done and out is unnecessary. But do whatever you want to do. 

Keep up the awesome work!

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Xanadu II Translation Development Blog]

Really amazing to see all those graphics in sexy English! Keep up the awesome work guys!

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Xanadu I and II - General Translation Project(s) Thread]

I did some random Googling and found a site that I think has what you are looking for. It is call Sound Effect Lab and a lot of the stuff sounds like it came straight from a 90s anime, especially in the "Battle" and "Cartoon/Production" tabs. It appears to all be free as well so I hope that helps.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Xanadu I and II - General Translation Project(s) Thread]

I'd be happy to do some background voices, I have a Snowball mic so hopefully my audio quality should be adequate.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Xanadu I and II - General Translation Project(s) Thread]

Wow, seeing the Xanadu II footage is really throwing me for a loop. Congratulations you guys, it has been a long time coming.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Xanadu II Translation Development Blog]

We're going to need a LOT of people for a dub, though.

If you need me to reprise my role for "Sailor/Thug" I'd be happy to do so.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Original Tengai Makyo 3 script - Haruka]

I remember seeing this book on MARS Corps', Shoji Masuda's development company, website but I had no idea what it was. It would be neat if someone translated Haruka but it would be a lot of work (the book is about 536 pages according to amazon).

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Legend of Xanadu II Translation Patch announced!]

I have a rather random question about the Legend of Xanadu games. I was researching the series recently and noticed that both games were released on the Virtual Console in Japan and were given new CERO ratings. The first Legend of Xanadu was rated C (15+) and the 2nd game was rated B (12+). Does anyone one know why the first Legends game has a higher rating? Just curious.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys English Dub Patch Released!]

Started playing this last night, and it is sooo nice.  Testing it is one thing, but actually sitting down to play it really shows the effort that went into this fan release. 

Thanks a lot! I watched my brother work on the dub for a very long time (I still have notes on my iPod about the project from 2010) and I'm glad that people are enjoying it.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Anearth Fantasy Stories - Translation Project Thread]

You and Esperknight are working on so many projects! I really respect the amazing work ethic you guys have and I look forward to seeing all your projects completed.

It is going to be really cool when Xanadu 2 is finished. I still remember seeing SamIAm's help wanted ad for voice talent 2 years ago on romhacking.net. It has been ages since I last listened to the lines I recorded for the dub...they're probably pretty bad.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Tra$lation Compen$ation - Anearth Fantasy Stories]

Very Exciting news! Thank you Sam and EsperKnight! I wish you luck on this and your many other projects.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Legend of Xanadu II Translation Patch announced!]

You know, a little late, but welcome to the forums, LentFilms! Did I read that there are 3 brothers total in the Lasagna clan or just you ? You drew the Ys IV stuff, right ? I thought it was interesting that you were merely recent Ys converts, it wasn't something you had grown up with or knew about for all that long.

Thank you.
In total I have 5 brothers including Lasagna and Tim who drew the Ys IV artwork and the fake Rondo of Blood cover. Tim also did the envelope art on the letter we sent to Retronauts and I drew the picture of Adol on the letter itself.

And yeah my brothers and I are new Ys fans, so new that I've only really finished one game in the series.
I first found out about the Ys franchise when Ys Books I & II was released on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2008. I actually avoided the Ys series for a while because of people's comments on the game's "bump and run" gameplay. I only started playing the series in 2010 thanks to sites like Retroware TV, Retronauts, HG101, and XSEED releasing Ys Seven. 2010 was also the same year that Lasagna, Tim, and I all played Sakura Wars 5 together witch indirectly lead to the Ys IV Dub.