Golden Reverie nearing completion state: Graphical Implementation!

Yeah, this is some good stuff. One of those things that you’re giddy just to see in action.

It bears mentioning that this massive update would not have been possible without the support of the Visual Novel Umineko Community at Reddit, and some amazing volunteers who will be credited in the final release.

Thanks, seacats!

As Miss Virgilia was kind enough to demonstrate, we’ve got the menu text translated AND implemented. We need to line it up and clean up some things, and insert some extraneous stuff, but by and large the worst is over!

The insertion process was kind of haphazard, as we basically just translated the Japanese graphics to English, tossed them in, and watched the fireworks.

As you’ll see here, it’s kind of an involving process.

Oh, but the results were worth it.

But wait, there’s more!

In-game moves will be translated as well, and…

We’ve added hard subs into the opening video too, since I’m sure you actually like to know what’s being sung in these things.

Final Cut Pro works wonders.

So in case you like hard numbers:

•     Script: 100%
•     In-Game Text: 100%
•     Editing: 95%
•     Graphics: 70%

As Ange would say… “have a nice day, see you again.”
-cj

Post-Mortem: KILLER IS DEAD

It’s been hard to be a Suda 51 fan over the past few years. Since Killer7, Suda’s works have either been pawned off on other directors with him being given headline status for whatever reason(Shadows of the Damned, Lollipop Chainsaw) or his crazier notions for a game being subdued by higher interests(Shadows of the Damned).

Shadowrun [Sega CD]: Chapter 1 reaches 60%

Konbanwa, chummers.

It’s hard to stay distracted when this project generates so much interest, so I hit the grindstone and got past the halfway point of Chapter 1.

So here’s some more of the script applied to some of the screens from before, now translated. Have an enjoy.

Stay tuned.

A real Suda 51 Trip: The Silver Case

Since finishing Soul Hackers, I decided to take on another raw Japanese game that has no chance of getting localized.
(Yeah, Soul Hackers actually happened, like I knew that was going to happen when I bought the Saturn version…)

I really enjoy Suda 51’s warped outlook on stories and gaming in general. The psychotic Killer7 was my first initiation into his works, and i was a fast fan after that.

You’re fucked.

Problem is, ‘Suda 51’ doesn’t really carry that same meaning anymore. As of late, since Grasshopper has hit it big, you see less works of art like Killer7 and more simple(r) mainstream-oriented titles like Lollipop Chainsaw and Shadows of the Damned(which I liked, mind you).

The era of the Silver Case and Killer7 aren’t nearly as accessible. The plots are obtuse, mature, and frequently expect the player to put thought into what they’re being exposed to. (Suda once said he had a similar, darker theme in mind for SotD, but naturally, EA made him simplify it.)

The Silver Case don’t play that. This was from Suda in his prime, firing on all creative and sanity-questionable cylinders.

In a city called the 24 Districts, a notorious serial killer is leaving death and horror in his wake.

Only a special team of police have a prayer of putting him away for good. Hopefully.

Much like Killer7, The Silver Case tries a lot of new things. The player experiments 3d environments and then interacts with them to find clues, bodies, and occasionally puzzles.

All backed up by some fantastic art design, and the compositions of the peerless Masafumi Takada.

The Silver Case most certainly is not for everyone. Also, it has a very steep language barrier. But if you want a taste of when A Suda 51 Trip really meant something, this is the bus to ride.

Golden Reverie reaches 100% script completion. 07th Expansion approved!

Great news for the Umineko scholars.

The script is as of now 100% playable in-game! Also, after contacting 07th Expansion via twitter, series creator Ryukishi07 was kind enough to offer his support.

“英語パッチがあると、海外の方にもプレイしてもらえるのでとても嬉しいです。感謝します。CROSSもいつかぜひお願いします☆（竜）”

(And the English patch so you can play overseas travelers happy. Thank you. CROSS sometime take too ☆(Ryu) )

英語パッチがあると、海外の方にもプレイしてもらえるのでとても嬉しいです。感謝します。CROSSもいつかぜひお願いします☆（竜） RT @cj_iwakura @07th_official Working on an English patch, yes.

— 07thExpansion (@07th_official) September 2, 2013

All that’s left are graphics and line break tweaking. Almost there!

Post-mortem: Shadowrun Returns

Haven’t had much to update with as of late in regards to projects(though I do have a small update on Shadowrun SCD), so here’s some thoughts on something related that I recently finished.

 

Shadowrun Returns was the first kickstarter I backed, and also the first one I got to play. The gameplay is not what one would call innovative: you use cover, weaponry, and magic during turn-based combat to kill your foes with ease. It is, however, effective and enjoyable.

At least up until the crazy final battles which involve lots of nigh-unkillable beasts attacking en masse.

What most hopefully came for was a return to the Shadowrun universe, and all the character drama and rich mythos that entails.

Boy did Harebrained Schemes deliver on that front.

Shadowrun Returns has a plethora of well-written NPCs with their own motivations, character arcs, and intriguing dialogue leaving you wanting to know more about them, their backstories, and the universe of Shadowrun, everything good writing should do.

Even throwaway NPCs with one or two lines have more weight to their dialogue than certain game characters with paragraphs if not novels of dialogue to drone on about.

Better still is the campaign editor, offering creative designers an entire world of tools to play around with.

My ream is to take the script I have here for Shadowrun SCD and make a SRR campaign out of it using the editor. Given my inexperience with graphics and module editing, that could take a while.

But hey, it’s a nice dream.

Oh yeah, Shadowrun SCD.

The good news is that the script is 40% don, two campaigns out of five. The bad news is that we’re still waiting on an alpha to test the insertion, due to some technical difficulties. We’re currently isolating the deckers involved, and have dispatched some Black IC to remove them from our branch of the Matrix.

Short version: we’ll get there, and soon.

See you in the sprawl, chummers.

(Disclaimer: iwakura productions in no way endorses the unlawful use or distribution of urban pacification firearms and shall not be held accountable for any death, dismemberment, or stolen organs/limbs that results.)

The end of an era: Ryutaro Nakamura – 1955-2013

It isn’t often I post about stuff not related to translation projects, but if it wasn’t for this man, my handle(and this group’s moniker) would not exist.

Serial Experiments Lain forever changed my opinion of anime, and its creator has sadly left us behind.

See you on the Other Side, Nakamura. You’ll always be Omnipresent.

 

On a lighter note(and somewhat relevant to our readers interests, I hope), Shadowrun Returns is now available, and is quite enjoyable so far.

See you in Seattle, chummers.

Golden Reverie Updates: New Font, Translated OP, Ronove, Chiester, Kanon scenarios

Lots of updates. Firstly, I’ve included a video of the OP with annotations of the lyrics I created. I adapted a translation into phonetic lyrics so you can sing along! (I’m sure you Ranma 1/2 fans will appreciate the touch.)

It will be hard-subtitled in-game.

Also, we have 5 out of the 18 scenarios done. Sorry it’s taking a while, but inserting the text is the tough part. Once it’s there, I edit, and golden.

Additionally, we have a new font!
Straight outta OMK Cross. (That’s the sequel which we’ll do someday, most likely.)

Here’s some screens:

Original Font (Ronove Scenario)

New Font (Battler/Lucifer & Chiester/Eva scenarios)

Stay tuned.

Spaaaace Chan-
wait, wrong game.

Golden Reverie: Battler & Beatrice, Stage 1

Walterion, one of our testers, was kind enough to record some in-progress videos of the alpha patch in action.

You can find more here as well:

(Ronove & Virgilia)

(Kanon & Shannon)

As an aside, editing is around 70% there.

When The Seagulls Cry: Golden Fantasia Alpha 1.0, accepting testers

The script for Golden Fantasia is currently 100% translated.

Editing is at, oh, 15% or so. I’m comfortable with taking on some testers if any 07th Expansion fans are interested.

Notes of helpfulness:

• Be Umineko and/or Japanese savvy.
• Identify line breaks and non-translated STORY text. The mid-stage dialogue exchanges are untranslated at the moment, it has yet to be incorporated.
• Note any typos or misused character names (i.e. Battler talking to Beatrice and addressing her as Eva). We did the script raw without context, so this may happen on occasion.

You can message me here or email cjiwakurax@aol.com if you’re interested. Good hunting!