11/18/2007 - No, John! You are the demons!
Apologies for no Sylvanian or Breath of Fire-ian updates in the last eight months. If you know where to look, you're already up-to-date.
Inspired by the hilariously bad "Repercussions of Evil" Doom fanfic, I've made my own "Dramatic Version" (using the term "dramatic" loosely). Over-the-top voices and At Doom's Gate ahoy.
Check it out here, or follow the link to the left. Enjoy.
03/15/2007 - Do you have what it takes to bring TheCheat into the digital age?
I SURE DOES!
Pardon the intentionally bad English. In response to feedback regarding the functionality (and lack thereof) of TheCheat, I've been working on the next generation of the program, a complete rewrite from the ground up.
I call it...TheCheat 2.0. (Cue the laugh track.)
TheCheat was meant to be a VWF previewer and formatting tool. Problem is, formatting is a bigger chore than it has any right to be: the script loading functions are shambolic at best, making the single most effective way of using TheCheat as a formatting tool copying-and-pasting every single page of text into the viewer. In other words, it's not very effective at all.
The new version of TheCheat is meant to do precisely what the original was meant to do...for reals this time. (Again, pardon the Homestar reference.) When it's done, it will be possible to handle all aspects of script editing in TheCheat itself. TheCheat ignores comments and Atlas commands by default, and its dictionary of what to ignore and what to parse will be fully extendable. The preview window will show you exactly what the text will look like in game. All you have to do is tell TheCheat how to treat your tags.
I can't make any release estimates at this time, but I've got most of the basic functions implemented. Watch this page for further details!
02/11/2007 - This Is A Tiny Tale Of Time...
...concerning one of gaming history's most infamously bad translations. Happy belated new year, Watercrown fans.
Thanks to Tauwasser's help, I've gotten a handle on Sylvanian Melodies' end credits, though I've been too busy on another project to delve into the finishing touches: a little SNES game by the name of Breath of Fire II.
Yes, you heard me right.
Not too long ago, d4s finished his German-language translation/enhancement patch...and what enhancements they are. His improvements are so unbelievably professional-looking, I might have thought they were part of the original game if I hadn't seen the original myself. The title screen music is now a vocal piece, background artwork has been added to several screens, text boxes now have transparency and gradient effects, the world map now has a nice Mode 7 pseudo-3D effect (more like a scrolling sphere than the perspective background used in Final Fantasy VI), VWF has been added in numerous places...this is some genius work, and I'm proud to be able to make his work accessible to the English-speaking world.
Find out more at d4s' homepage for the patch: http://bof2.blogspot.com/
This is the first time I've had the luxury of multiple translation scripts to help provide context: they're not the perfect solution, but they help me work through the spots where my Japanese knowledge is imperfect.
Breath of Fire II's localization is infamously weak, and I have every intention of rectifying this problem. Names were changed due to lack of space: since this is no longer a problem, you'll be able to fight with Ryu, Bosch, Nina and Lin in both Breath of Fire V and Breath of Fire II now. And don't forget Rand, Tapeta, Aspara and Sten. The demon who rips into you at the start of the game is Barbaroi; as it happens, this is actually the Greek word for "Barbarian". The English script has been rewritten in my inimitable style: I've tried to give all the major characters distinct speech patterns to match their personalities, and I've added detail and flavor to NPC dialogue. Never again will you feel like you've wasted 10 seconds of your time talking to someone.
My translation effort is currently up to the Capitan scenario; I will probably need to make some edits for context and for textbox space, but things are going smoothly. Like d4s, I'm not ready to make any estimates regarding a completion date, but expect it sometime this year.
I really want to finish this. I like the story and I want to see it done justice. I just hope everybody is satisfied with the end results of my work.
12/17/2006 - It's Not Over Yet!
Taking on a quick and easy project now: "Sylvanian Melodies", a rhythm-action spinoff starring Willow Cottontail, a.k.a. "the girl from the first game who won't let you get to that last flower until you master the piano". Well, everybody's gotta have a hobby, and hers is music: when the famously klutzy fairies accidentally seed all of Sylvania with clouds, she gets put up to the job of Elite Beat Agent-in-training to bring blue skies back to the land.
As a result, the SF1 fan translation page is now officially my home base for all future translations for the series. Check it out.
12/12/2006 - Sylvanian Families - The Fairyland Pendant Translation Patch Officially Released!
Get it here. (IPS and RUP versions)
Enjoy.
12/07/2006 - Get On The Deck!
Announcing the newest addition to the family: the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters OCG Structure Deck Card Listing. Because I care.
Check it out at the link above, or in the sidebar.
10/09/2006 - Sylvanians On A Page!
Finally added the beginnings of a page for my much-debated fan translation of That Game You've Never Heard Of.
Includes a revised version of the project backstory I posted on my DevBlog six months ago, plus a blank page I've titled "Screenshot Gallery" for future expansion. Join the obsession.
I also put up proper pages for two of my other notable works, the Murakumo OP Music Video and the Super Robot Wars Logo Photoshop. Notice anything missing? If you do, and you're upset about it, feel free to PM me on one of my boards. (Not SFCCE. They've been having hacker troubles lately. -_-;)
10/08/2006 - If Pushing Doesn't Work...
A while back, I translated the text in the "Doa ga Hirakanai, Buchiyaburou" animated GIFs. Now you can view both parts of "If The Door Won't Open, Break It Down" entirely in English (not much of a stretch, as there are exactly three pieces of Japanese text between them, though the joke is still funny) here on my website.
Check it out on the sidebar, or below.
If The Door Won't Open, Break It Down (English Version)
If The Door Won't Open, Break It Down: Part 2 (English Version)
(A hint for others using Googlepages to display animated GIFs: Googlepages will attempt to butcher anything you upload. Make sure you disable image optimization under Site Settings, and Edit HTML on the field they're displayed in to make sure your originals are shown instead of the .jpg thumbnails Googlepages will generate.)
10/07/2006 - We Have A Pulse!
After several days of unannounced updates and almost a month of silence, TheCheat 1.4 is now available for download with a bunch of new features.
Get it from the link at the left. Or below. Whichever you prefer.
09/06/2006 - Where TheCheat Is At?
TheCheat, my completely unannounced homage to/ripoff of Stefan Pettersson's Bitmap Font Writer, has been completed and is now up for download here.
If you ever had problems with formatting VWF text for your translation work, here's the answer to hopefully at least one of your prayers