My absence can only be explained by some engagements outside of the internet. I haven't even been at my computer much, so I haven't been around to make an update. Regardless, I'm here now, so it's time for an update.
The initial English release for Rosenkreuzstilette is done and can be found here on the Darkside Translations site. Despite my own earlier judgment, I'm going to go ahead and say something about it. Before, it was stated that the script work was going to be split between TDOMMX and myself, with him handling the Spiritia script and me, the intense Grolla fanboy I am, handling the Grolla script. Well, that didn't happen. I wrote a script, but much of it was pretty much rejected by TDOMMX. Not so much flat-out thrown away, but in the end, so many changes were made that it didn't feel like my script anymore. There were a lot of creative differences and various disagreements, and finally, I could not take it anymore and just threw my hands up. My text had to fit his predetermined characterization and meet his editorial criteria, and it became so much of a big deal that doing this project for a game that I enjoy as much as I do went from something fun and exciting to something frustrating and headache-inducing. I couldn't enjoy it anymore. It's unfortunate, but what's done is done, I guess. While the script that I did write was referenced and used in bits and pieces, what you see is not really my work anymore and, as such, not really what I wanted. Hopefully you all will like this far more than I do. I apologize for my ranting.
[erka:es] released the digital-distribution version of RKS far sooner than I thought they would, and it is available through both Melonbooks and DLSite. However, I knew about this a few days ago and was hesitating to post anything about it for a reason. There have been a few changes that were made to the game during the course of the English translation, and I want to bring all of that to Isemiya's attention to see if he will decide to implement some of those changes or not. Regardless of the answer, as soon as I get word, I will provide a full tutorial on how to get the game through the download sites. If you don't really care and simply want to purchase the game as soon as possible, check out the [erka:es] diary page and use the links they provided.
Anyway, we look forward to working on Freudenstachel in the future, so if you like RKS enough now that (some of) you can play it in English, stick around. That's all for now.
Are they expecting us in the US to pay for the game in Japanese Yen, or will these sites accept US Dollars?
ReplyDeleteYou guys worked so hard and have done well. Thank to you :D
ReplyDeleteNow I can play it in my second language. (my first language is Vietnamese.) :D
So the RKS 1 translation is going to be out soon? I'm confused.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteThe translation for RKS is out now if you have the disc (or an .iso) for it. If you don't, then you'll have to wait hopefully around August for the non-CD-required version of it. You can get the CD-required translation patch now at Darkside Translations (or at Mediafire).
Bloody hell, that was fast. I wasn't expecting the download version of the game to come out for a few months at least. Guess [erka:es] don't mess about....
ReplyDeleteWell, I hope everyone who has the CD is having fun playing Rosenkreuzstilette in english! Hopefully the rest of us won't have that much longer to wait either.
@David: I'm not.
ReplyDeleteFun fact: When you get to Sepperin Stage 2, the English-translated title for the stage is "Bloody Tears". It references to a famous similarly-titled Castlevania song.
ReplyDeleteYou guys did an excellent job with this patch and translation.
ReplyDeleteI give you a hint.. I have an ISO which made by myself... You all should happy. ^^'
ReplyDeleteHas anyone been able to confirm for sure yet that the DL version works with the translation patch?
ReplyDeletehttp://eng.dlsite.com/work/=/product_id/RE051185.html english DL site entry for RKS
Didn't I make a post about making a separate installer for the digital-distro version?
ReplyDeleteYes, Letty, you in fact did. You said you were going to do an non-CD version in August.
ReplyDeleteIs there anything in particular that's special about the "Greatest Hits" version of Rosenkreuzstilette (like a secret mode, art gallery/concept art, a "sound test," etc.) at Melonbooks or DLSite?
ReplyDeleteBecause I would hate to blow about $13 if there's nothing special at all about it when people can manage to find the original version of the game for free... :P
If you want to support [erka:es], purchase the game.
ReplyDeleteI'm liking the translation so far. Finished up Tia's mode, but now I'm having unrelated framerate issues that give the Grollschwert version of the Cross Wall fight an extra set of fangs. Damn my cheap-ass computer.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the other issues... I'll be frank; I was surprised when I heard that each mode would be translated by a different person. This was partially because I was worried something like this might happen, though not on the scale or to the extent that it actually wound up happening. Translation is pretty much exactly as complex a process as actually writing a story, so artistic differences and inconsistencies Re: style and characterization are practically a given in situations like this. Still, I'm sorry to see that it wound up causing such a rift, just the same.
@ Anonymous: The installer needed to patch the existing game minus CD and the installer needed to patch the version that [erka:es] is now offering for download will almost certainly have to be different. At least that's the assumption that Letty and TDO are working under until proven otherwise, from what I can gather.
Glad to hear you're enjoying it, Majutsukai. If it's any consolation, my tower is just as crappy as yours - the moment my anti-virus starts its scheduled system scan or runs an online update, the game slows to a crawl. Turning off V-Synch can help boost performance if your PC is somewhat outdated.
ReplyDeleteI think I should clarify how the scripts were handled to clear up any possible misunderstandings. Our moonspeakers, Akira and Tanin, translated both scripts in their entirety. The English scripts, on the other hand, were penned by different writers - RKS by yours truly, GS by Letty - using both translations as the basis. Since I had some downtime after completing the graphics and hacking work, I also provided Letty with my own take on the GS script to help keep the creative juices flowing. This take was not intended to be inserted in the game, so I had some fun with alternate lines (Zorne: "That does it! YOUR ASS IS MINE!!").
Letty and I think very much alike, but our writing styles are just as different. While not a fair comparison by any means, you could think of it as the difference between Ted Woolsey's and Tom Slattery's versions of Chrono Trigger. I thought that players would be put off by the disconnect between our styles and rewrote many lines during the insertion phase so that the characterization would stay consistent (admittedly, GS was more heavily edited than RKS since the RKS script had more or less been finalized). I knew this would be a disservice to Letty and asked to review my changes with him in the same way he had reviewed the RKS script with me. As of late, Letty has not been as energetic as he had been when we first started work on the project, so he reluctantly passed on the offer (partly in favor of keeping his set deadline). So, out of respect for his original script, I tried to retain as many of his lines as I could while keeping the tone and characterization consistent. The end result: a script that was very different from the version Letty had submitted.
I'm sure that, had we taken things at a slower pace and there hadn't been any fallout from the Dramasbombe, Letty and I would have come up with a Grollschwert script that the both of us could be proud of. Though neither of us are quite satisfied with the GS script in its current state, I at least feel the localization is superior to many of the translation efforts I have seen in the past. Sure, it could be better, but I'm not ashamed of it even though it's not perfect. I'm hoping we'll revisit the scripts further down the line for a subsequent release, but that'll depend on our respective moods and the quality of the constructive feedback we receive. If you'll excuse my venting for a moment, only two non-staffers have ever used the Darkside email address or forums. If not for this blog, I'd think almost no one actually cared about the project.
As for the two upcoming releases that Letty mentioned: it's quite likely that version 1.05c and "The Best" version have significant differences - enough to warrant separate patchers. It's also possible that [erka:es] simply bundled the latest version into a zip file and is offering that as digital download. I have no way of knowing until we check it out for ourselves. Once I have a copy of the Best version, we'll discuss whether or not two separate releases are necessary and plan our course of action from there.
This take was not intended to be inserted in the game, so I had some fun with alternate lines (Zorne: "That does it! YOUR ASS IS MINE!!").
ReplyDeleteI tried my best to avoid unnecessary profanity, not because I'm against profane language but because I just felt that lines like that didn't have a place in the game.
As of late, Letty has not been as energetic as he had been when we first started work on the project, so he reluctantly passed on the offer (partly in favor of keeping his set deadline).
It had very little to do with the deadline and more to do with the fact that I reached my argumentative limits. Like I told you, it was like fighting an uphill battle, so finally, I washed my hands of it.
Though neither of us are quite satisfied with the GS script in its current state, I at least feel the localization is superior to many of the translation efforts I have seen in the past. Sure, it could be better, but I'm not ashamed of it even though it's not perfect.
This drives me crazy. I've said this before, but you are impossible to please. Your perfectionist nature is nigh insatiable, and because of it, I was constantly second-guessing my work. I lost all freedom in my own creative processes, and in the end, I had to let it go for my own sanity.
Yeah, the same thing happened to my RKS on my computer once - not only that, but at one time, the scheduled scan messed up a replay file I was watching on my RKS. In that replay file, which was of a no-death speedrun through both castles, Tia was fighting the Zorne Golem after having beaten the Luste, Freu, and Schwer Golems. In a flash, BOOM Tia was, to my unexpectations, beaten down in a flash and lost one life. That shouldn't happen in a no-death run, but it was likely due to the scheduled scan still being performed. Anyway, when I watched the replay from that stage again, everything was back to normal the way the replay was supposed to be.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, I've been waiting patiently for the decompression tool. How long must it take for it to finally be released for all of us?
Yeah, I know that I'm perfectionistic to a fault. In this case, though, I meant something different - recall that, early in the project, I said that I wouldn't be completely happy with the release unless all of us were satisfied with it.
ReplyDeleteI'm thoroughly pleased with the RKS script since it was reviewed by the entire "council" and all of our concerns were addressed. I can't say the same for Grollschwert, which was handled in a more compressed timeframe with a smaller staff. This and your general disapproval of the final version are why I think there is plenty of room for improvement.
I won't say any more on that note since I have a nagging feeling my words will backfire and light another Dramasbombe.
Anonymous, I'll be posting an announcement regarding the later releases, the decompression tool, and the translation notes in a little while. Right now, support for the digital distro version has priority. The decompression tool GUI is the last RKS item on my relatively short to-do list. I don't expect the remaining portion to take very long, but I have more important issues to address at the moment; the online release of the game came much sooner than any of us expected.
Well, a lot of new Rosenkreuzstioette art is on deviantART. And I do mean, a lot.
ReplyDeleteBut does the art all suck?
ReplyDeleteGood work overall with the translation, guys.
Dragnfly, not everything is terrible.
ReplyDelete@anon, do you have a link to the fanart, please?
ReplyDeletehttp://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=§ion=&q=Rosenkreuzstilette
ReplyDeleteHmmm.... I wonder what will the third Rosenkreuzstilette game would be like?
ReplyDeleteI imagine the third Rosenkreuzstilette game would be called "Rosenkreuzstilette Zornesbombe" and therefore star Zorne as the main character. Think about it: The first game - RKS001, Spiritia, and the second game (Freudenstachel) - RKS002, Freudia. Seems that the games being released are based on the RKS numbers, so the third game would have to be RKS003 and star Zorne as the protagonist.
ReplyDeleteI'd dig it if RKSF had a Zorne mode akin to how RKS1 had a Grolla mode.
ReplyDelete@anon, how about a Rosenkreuzstilette Geister Wand (A Schwer-Muta spinoff)
ReplyDeleteI want an Iris mode!
ReplyDeleteAs an avid model addict, RKS gashapon would absolutely rock. RKS PVC statues would make me question if I'd already died because that'd have to be heaven.
ReplyDelete