Xanadu I and II - General Translation Project(s) Thread

poponon · 12/13/2016, 08:00 AM

always happy to see an update , I check this thread almost every day

SamIAm · 12/14/2016, 05:43 AM

Quote from: poponon on 12/13/2016, 08:00 AM always happy to see an update , I check this thread almost every day

Really? Shoot, I better update it more.

Recently, I've been a bit preoccupied with being barfed on by a tiny human. Lucky for him, he's also the cutest baby in the world.

Elmer and I exchange PMs about the project basically every day. As we've both said, this dub-thing is going to be like a rocket launch. We have to be confident that everything is as finished as-can-be, fully in place, and that all other conditions look good.

The plus side is, once we do hit the big red button, it will be over quickly. Relatively speaking, anyway.

spenoza · 12/14/2016, 08:47 AM

Quote from: SamIAm on 12/14/2016, 05:43 AMRecently, I've been a bit preoccupied with being barfed on by a tiny human. Lucky for him, he's also the cutest baby in the world.

This may call for a baby picture showdown, because I am pretty sure my baby human is the CUTEST EVAR!!!!1111!11one

geise · 12/14/2016, 11:05 AM

Quote from: guest on 12/14/2016, 08:47 AM
Quote from: SamIAm on 12/14/2016, 05:43 AMRecently, I've been a bit preoccupied with being barfed on by a tiny human. Lucky for him, he's also the cutest baby in the world.
This may call for a baby picture showdown, because I am pretty sure my baby human is the CUTEST EVAR!!!!1111!11one

Sounds like baby pic showdown thread needs to start!

NightWolve · 12/19/2016, 02:48 AM

Quote from: SamIAm on 10/28/2016, 01:11 AMI now have a working insertion tool that quickly and easily gets all of the ADPCM clips into Xanadu 1, and was just able to listen to my test-dub running in the game via Mednafen.

The audio quality is distinctly better than the original!

Thanks to the high quality background music provided by the official soundtrack, and thanks to elmer and SOX, our converted tracks are squeaky-clean.

Whatever tool Falcom was using in 1993 was simply not up to this standard.

I've got web pages for casting and recording made up. I just need to make all final adjustments to the script, and tweak the mixing here and there.

Cool, I'll have to get a copy of that from you guys some time to re-encode the Ys IV dubs from their source waves if elmer has finalized it all.

elmer · 12/19/2016, 01:35 PM

Quote from: NightWolve on 12/19/2016, 02:48 AMCool, I'll have to get a copy of that from you guys some time to re-encode the Ys IV dubs from their source waves if elmer has finalized it all.

I can send you the latest binary anytime ... but I'm going to need to strip out a lot of old cr*p from the source in order to release it as open-source on github, and that may take a while (it's not high on my list of priorities).

Arjak · 01/22/2017, 02:33 PM

Hey, how are things going with preparing the dub? Are we any closer to recording?

dejan07 · 01/22/2017, 08:21 PM

I heard that Sam will be voicing all the characters including the female ones.

elmer · 01/22/2017, 08:36 PM

Quote from: Arjak on 01/22/2017, 02:33 PMHey, how are things going with preparing the dub? Are we any closer to recording?

We're definitely closer!

I'll leave it for SamIAm to say how close we are ... I'm just amazed at the sheer amount of detail we've gone through in polishing up the scripts, and then in SamIAm making sure that the in-game text matches with the cutscenes.

What do you think Sam, I just counted nearly 60 versions of cutscene and intro files, and that doesn't include stuff that's been in emails!

I'm actually quite shocked at how much work SamIAm must have put into those files in the first place, before we even started this round of editing.

mj9123456 · 01/22/2017, 09:10 PM

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to hearing more as it progresses.

SamIAm · 01/26/2017, 10:02 PM

Quote from: elmer on 01/22/2017, 08:36 PMWe're definitely closer!

I'll leave it for SamIAm to say how close we are ... I'm just amazed at the sheer amount of detail we've gone through in polishing up the scripts, and then in SamIAm making sure that the in-game text matches with the cutscenes.

What do you think Sam, I just counted nearly 60 versions of cutscene and intro files, and that doesn't include stuff that's been in emails!

I'm actually quite shocked at how much work SamIAm must have put into those files in the first place, before we even started this round of editing.

It's been a long journey.

I've said this before, but a big motivator for me in this project is that it's a chance to try doing something as well as I can do it. I don't want to make big claims about how good the dub-scripts are now, but I can say with confidence that they are much better than they were a few months ago, and I'm really glad that we took the time to do go through this editing stage.

Things have slowed down in the last few months, yes, but they have never stopped. In spite of how few updates this thread has seen, elmer and I have been PMing each other literally every day, and often at length. Deciding how we really want to say things in these cutscenes has forced us to decide how we want to say things throughout the entirety of both games, and the game-world is so huge that there is an incredible amount of minutia to deal with.

Do you remember when we publicly discussed what the main title should be (The Legend of Xanadu vs: Legend of the Wind - Xanadu) and what Xanadu 2's subtitle should be (The Last of Dragon Slayer vs. a bunch of other options), and how that dragged on for longer than anyone expected? It's been that x100.

The good news is, I think we're done. Elmer and I have both "signed-off" on the most recent versions of the scripts, and all we're doing now is tying up loose ends before we start inviting auditions. If things go well, we'll have a big roll-out within a week or so, so stay tuned if you're interested in participating.

Thanks to everyone for following along. It's always encouraging to see people talking about the project, even when they're just asking how it's going. We'll keep you posted.

NecroPhile · 01/27/2017, 11:57 AM

Woot! The end is in sight.

LentFilms · 01/27/2017, 08:15 PM

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!

dejan07 · 02/02/2017, 03:25 PM

After completing this mammoth project i wanna know how do you guys feel? Are you like can't wait for the next mammoth translation project to sink all of my free time for free or are you more like never the f**k again!

spenoza · 02/02/2017, 08:13 PM

You goof, when this is done they're going to Disney World! That's still a thing, right?

elmer · 02/02/2017, 08:55 PM

Quote from: guest on 02/02/2017, 08:13 PMYou goof, when this is done they're going to Disney World! That's still a thing, right?

I live in SoCal, so it's "Land", not "World".

SamIAm · 02/08/2017, 12:09 AM

We've been spending a lot of days going over the formatting of the scripts to make them consistent, easy to read, and fully informative.

With generous spacing between character lines, lots of notes for actors, and thorough numbering and timing information, the combined length of both scripts is 148 pages. The total word count is over 22,000, although probably close to half of that is not actual dialogue itself. Regardless, it's on-par with a medium-sized movie script.

elmer · 02/08/2017, 12:52 AM

Just to let you guys know ...

Tobias will be including fake developer-signed copies of the Director's Edition of these milestone scripts in the forthcoming PCE Works special "Falcom Collector's Edition Box Set" of the Legend of Xanadu translations that he'll start duplicating as soon as we'd made his life easy by finishing it off and releasing it for free to everyone.

NecroPhile · 02/08/2017, 10:02 AM

With a bag of Limited Edition ~~Corn Nuts~~ Roda Tree Nuts!

geise · 02/08/2017, 11:16 AM

Marooga nuts are better.

Arjak · 02/08/2017, 02:20 PM

Quote from: guest on 02/08/2017, 10:02 AMWith a bag of Limited Edition ~~Corn Nuts~~ Roda Tree Nuts!

If people can't talk to trees after eating those, I'd demand a refund.

SignOfZeta · 02/08/2017, 04:54 PM

This is a good joke.

ashrion · 02/09/2017, 07:41 AM

Quote from: elmer on 02/08/2017, 12:52 AMJust to let you guys know ...

Tobias will be including fake developer-signed copies of the Director's Edition of these milestone scripts in the forthcoming PCE Works special "Falcom Collector's Edition Box Set" of the Legend of Xanadu translations that he'll start duplicating as soon as we'd made his life easy by finishing it off and releasing it for free to everyone.

Insert one line in title "work in translate game is xxxx and xxxx, Pce works and tobias only takes advantage of our work to earn money"
Publicity in all arround, tobias sell copy not copyright konami tittles, sending information konami.
Tobias has done very good things, force gear.
A few days ago a seller in Spain bought a shappire tobias by 1000e, I advise the seller that he sold a copy, but he did not care, and sell.
Is the problem and the danger of tobias games, that at least in Spain, almost nobody has a fucking idea of the system, is more, they are very ignorant of everything that is Japanese.
If the same that translate these two games will get physics in a nice edition, I would be happy to pay what they asked me for their work and for the physical edition. But if you do not it is normal that another, take advantage of your work.

ParanoiaDragon · 02/10/2017, 02:37 AM

Quote from: geise on 02/08/2017, 11:16 AMMarooga nuts are better.

Not a bad idea actually, I hear there was a good harvest this season!

elmer · 03/12/2017, 05:50 PM

Wow, where did the last month go!

Time for a quick update ...

SamIAm and I are pretty-much-ready to get started on the dub ... we're just waiting for the web pages to be finished.

Hopefully soon!

Johnpv · 03/13/2017, 09:44 AM

Very awesome to hear, thank you guys again for your hardwork!

pixeljunkie · 03/15/2017, 02:04 PM

Quote from: elmer on 03/12/2017, 05:50 PMWow, where did the last month go!

Time for a quick update ...

SamIAm and I are pretty-much-ready to get started on the dub ... we're just waiting for the web pages to be finished.

Hopefully soon!

this excites me beyond words

seieienbu · 03/15/2017, 03:48 PM

I'm looking forward to submitting my audition.

NightWolve · 03/27/2017, 01:07 PM

Falcom going on a nostalgia trip reminding their Twitter followers of Xanadu. They call this "Nostalgia Illustration #23."

Loading: twitter.com/nihonfalcom/status/846260726649929728

elmer · 03/27/2017, 01:34 PM

Quote from: NightWolve on 03/27/2017, 01:07 PMFalcom going on a nostalgia trip reminding their Twitter followers of Xanadu. They call this "Nostalgia Illustration #23."

So beautiful! Thanks for finding that.

Quote from: pnauts on 03/27/2017, 01:24 AMDo you consider releasing as it and giving just some translation sheets for the dubbing part ?

Nope.

AFAIK we're still planning on releasing an undubbed-version with scripts for those crazy folks that hate the idea of a dub, but the point is to do this as faithfully as possible, and that means telling the story with voice-acting, just as it would have been done if the game got a real US release.

We definitely don't want to release a half-completed translation just because some people are impatient. Too much time and work has gone into this for that.

It shouldn't be too long ... the web-pages made great progress this weekend.

destructive cactus · 03/27/2017, 02:51 PM

This is so exciting! Great work so far.

Again, feel free to hit me up for audio stuff if it ends up being needed (I know I'm not active in the forums but I'd be glad to submit an example mix or something)! Aside from that, I look forward to auditioning for the dub.

SignOfZeta · 03/27/2017, 04:34 PM

I have zero interest in a dub, however I'm not so dumb as to not know how to leave the OG tracks in.

NecroPhile · 03/27/2017, 05:05 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 03/27/2017, 04:34 PMI have zero interest in a dub, however I'm not so dumb as to not know how to leave the OG tracks in.

That's not going to work for all the ADPCM stuff.

pnauts · 03/27/2017, 06:17 PM

Quote from: elmer on 03/27/2017, 01:34 PMWe definitely don't want to release a half-completed translation just because some people are impatient. Too much time and work has gone into this for that.

It shouldn't be too long ... the web-pages made great progress this weekend.

it's not about impatience, just personally I prefer the Japanese acting when it's related to voices.
the top would be to release a dubbed and no dubbed version as you mentioned it.

elmer · 03/27/2017, 07:34 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/27/2017, 05:05 PMThat's not going to work for all the ADPCM stuff.

Yep, most of the cutscenes in LoX1 are ADPCM.

Quote from: pnauts on 03/27/2017, 06:17 PMit's not about impatience, just personally I prefer the Japanese acting when it's related to voices.
the top would be to release a dubbed and no dubbed version as you mentioned it.

Sure, we know some people feel that way, even though it's going to really suck to watch a cutscene in Japanese, and then break-concentration to read the English script in order to understand what was said.

If we could possibly have implemented subtitles, then we'd have done that for the folks that don't want to hear English voices ... but it's just not technically possible for us.

For the (hopefully few) folks that are just going to impatiently sit through the Japanese cutscenes and NOT read the English script ... well ... ... ... that's just plain sad.

Johnpv · 03/28/2017, 10:02 AM

Can I just say again I'm super excited for this! I know I haven't been able to get on the board much in the last few months but hopefully auditions for the dub haven't happened yet.

seieienbu · 03/28/2017, 11:19 PM

I get excited every time I see the Xanadu threads with new posts. Eagerly looking forward to auditioning for the dub. I asked my girlfriend and she seems interested in trying out as well.

SamIAm · 03/29/2017, 05:49 AM

Thanks for staying with us through the delays. Elmer and I still PM each other about this almost every day and try to make progress wherever we can.

Mum's the word, but the actor-recruitment website is finally ready to go, and we've set a tentative launch date for April 7th.

EmperorIng · 03/29/2017, 07:02 AM

Here's to hoping you guys don't end up with Rina-chan voicing nearly every female voice in her "exactly the same for 10+ years" anime voice!

seieienbu · 03/31/2017, 03:10 AM

Quote from: SamIAm on 03/29/2017, 05:49 AMThanks for staying with us through the delays. Elmer and I still PM each other about this almost every day and try to make progress wherever we can.

Mum's the word, but the actor-recruitment website is finally ready to go, and we've set a tentative launch date for April 7th.

I'm happy that these threads have been updated as frequently as they have been. I'm sure it helps keep interest and discussions like what specifically to name the game or what font to use have been entertaining to read.

...that being said, nothing has been as exciting about this as a new aspect of the project finally rearing it's ugly head. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing that webpage.

Pokun · 04/03/2017, 02:30 AM

Quote from: pnauts on 03/27/2017, 06:17 PM
Quote from: elmer on 03/27/2017, 01:34 PMWe definitely don't want to release a half-completed translation just because some people are impatient. Too much time and work has gone into this for that.

It shouldn't be too long ... the web-pages made great progress this weekend.
it's not about impatience, just personally I prefer the Japanese acting when it's related to voices.
the top would be to release a dubbed and no dubbed version as you mentioned it.

Yeah of course there is no way hobby voice-actors will be able to compare to the professional voice-actors of the original. Japan has a very nice climate for professional voice-acting (I think they are alone in the world to have dedicated voice-acting schools), unlike most other countries that would use normal theatre or movie actors to do the voices. And they are almost never able to compare with the original voice-actors (Snatcher for Mega CD is a notable exception).