Clephas

Cross Channel is a classic for good reason, but no, I never felt an intense personal connection with Taichi, except on the level I empathize with all protagonists.

For the repacking, I dunno. However, an extraction tool exists on Asmodean's page: http://asmodean.reverse.net/pages/exs4alf.html First rule when looking for unpacking tools... Asmodean's page, lol. I have contacted Avisch, asking him for the stuff he's already tled. However, I've yet to receive a reply.

http://vndb.org/v768 I don't know how many people know the Ikusa Megami series in general, but those who do will probably remember this game as the best one ever produced by Eushully. The battle system is pretty straight rpg fare, though the visual aspects are kind of weird. Before Kamidori, Eushully was known for combining excellent writing with playable, easy-to-use battle systems (well, they are still known for the latter), and Ikusa Megami Zero is the best of those. The Ikusa Megami setting is their longest-running setting and is a fascinating world where science has been soundly rejected in favor of magic, where demons and dragons roam, and where gods born of human faith are worshiped devotedly by legions of humans who inevitably seem to 'misunderstand' their gods' intentions and desires. Ikusa Megami Zero is the beginning of the story that ends in the earlier games Ikusa Megami and Ikusa Megami II and it tells the beginning of the journey for Serika, a young swordsman in service to the temple of the god of lightning. While I say 'the beginning' the actual story spans several thousand years and a pretty grand set of events that is fascinating to read. Now, what all this is about is that I was considering reviving the tl project for this game. While I could secretly go around recruiting people for it and begging them for help, I figured I'd go ahead and write an appeal on this site for anyone who is interested. First Translators. I need one translator for the interface and the item/weapon/armor/skill names. I'll also need as many other tls as I can get to accelerate the raw translation of the story. I'm not going to be picky. If you can translate, I'll take you in. I'll also need a minimum of three editors. This game is LONG, and it is also text-heavy. One editor will without a doubt give up and if they do so it will completely screw things for the next stage, tlc. I need at least one other tlc besides myself, preferably someone who is used to figuring out complex Japanese sentences and who possesses college-level english writing skills (so as in order to keep the results from sounding awkward). Last of all, I'll need a hacker to repack the game files and create a usable patch, as well as a number of testers to see if the game works well with the patch. I'm also looking for someone else to take over leadership of the project - someone with the patience to manage a bunch of fantls and editors with all their associated problems. To be blunt, if I want to tl, I won't have time to manage the people. So, more than anything else I want to grab someone with enthusiasm and organizational skills to manage me and anyone else who joins the project. Needed members: Interface Translator: 0/1 Translators: 2/?? Editors: 1/3 Translation-checkers: 1/2? (could always use more but I'll want at least one other) Hacker: 1/1 Project Leader: 1/1 Recruited members: Interface TL: Translators: Clephas, Basaka Editors: KaiserD Translation-checkers: Clephas Hacker: RusAnon Project Leader: Ikaruga Post here if you are interested. Make sure you have at least three hours a week to tl if you are a translator, though I won't be hurt if you do more. For the Project Leader, it is necessary that he/she not be a translator or editor, as both these roles are too time-consuming to allow for management. Once the leader volunteers, he/she will be in charge of recruiting and replacement of members (including himself) as well as making sure everyone is in communication. Ideally, if we all die, we can all be replaced and eventually produce a finished product. In other words, this will be a project that doesn't rely on the charisma of a single group of people but a project that will hopefully take on a life of its own. lol Also: Until the project is complete, lets avoid making a big deal out of it. I have no desire to get hit with a C&D and have half the people on the project drop out because we just had to advertise our efforts on a blog or other site.

Tenshi no Hane wo Fumanaide, Devils Devel Concept, Yurikago yori Tenshi Made, Comyu, Izuna Zanshinken, Evolimit, Ayakashibito, Bullet Butlers, Chronobelt, Ikusa Megami Zero, Ikusa Megami Verita, and about a hundred or so others along the same lines or that I picked up out of curiosity through my friend living in Japan... in all for around 20K in VN spending over the past five to six years...lol

I was pointing out the problems from a neutral perspective, as I have little invested in the localization industry or in fantranslations in general. Pointing out the difficulties and the reasons for the attitudes on the Japanese side is necessary for discovering ways to overcome those same problems. Failing to acknowledge those realities will only result in a higher likelihood of any effort to change their minds failing.

One thing that must be said is that inertia has made most VN fans in the US into pirates, and it is hard to change a habit once established (make that impossible for many). Considering the oddly traditionalist nature of the Japanese eroge industry (because Japanese business culture in general is traditionalist) there is little emotional or cultural incentive for companies over there to choose nontraditional methods of licensing. Making it worse is the general apathy for the super super niche market for VNs in the US that most express and the issues with sexual content that first exploded with Rapelay. Most Japanese countries are terrified that content they send over here will earn censure and vitriol from prudish Americans and so they can't help but be wary of offers from Americans in general.

Like a lot of early story-focused games (and even a lot of modern ones) it isn't possible to get a complete picture of the entire story without going through all the heroines. In particular, in Akiha's story things go unexplained that come out in Kohaku's and Hisui's stories. So, yes it is worth it.

I plan to preorder the remake through my source when it becomes available... curious to see if Takajun will do a revival and translate it after it comes out...

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?9d03ir36i0phdbx One more, one I came up with the other day. *Clephas yawns* Time to get back to work.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?8v568qin8fnjp6a What I've written so far, if someone wants to continue it...haha

Register on this thread if you're interested in participation on a project and have the available time and commitment. Alternatively, you could look for a project yourself in this thread here: https://forums.fuwanovel.net/index.php?/topic/7108-list-of-projects-currently-recruiting/ Format 1) Handle (the one you use or plan to use): 2) Positions you can fill: 3) Types of projects (VNs) preferred: 4) Availability (edit this one as you get involved in projects): 5) (VNs most interested in producing an ftl for: 6) Motivation for joining in on ftl: 7) Conditions* (any additional conditions, under which you will or won't work): *Please mention whether you are fine with working on Yuri, Yaoi and Otome games. It is recommended you don't say 'anything' on your 'preferred VNs' section. You should always pick games that fit your interests or were good enough to keep your interest even after it has tortured you for several hundred hours. It's one thing to take anything when you are making money, it is quite another to do so when you are a volunteer. Example (by Clephas): This thread has various rules to ensure the highest accuracy and usability: -Do not register here if you believe you will be unavailable soon after. Commitment is necessary for projects. -Please make sure to click "Show 'edit by' line" when editing you post, or at least, add a date for when it was last updated if you can help it. -This thread will be heavily moderated to assure only posts which fulfill all the conditions will remain. -If you fail to follow the format you will be PM'ed and we will inquire about what you missed. You will then edit your post with the missing information or will have it edited by a board mod. -People who still remain on this thread will all be PM'ed by a board mod in order to ask whether they are still as readily available as they were when they registered. This will happen irregularly (but probably not more than 3 times a year).

This is from an aborted attempt to write a VN I started a while back - as in three years ago... (lost the artist, programmer to rl) I already have part of this written (and the brainstorming was mostly an afterthought, as I started writing it and basically did the brainstorming to give purpose to what I'd written). Since I wrote the brainstorming for my personal use and reference when I went back later, it isn't really suitable to reading by anyone else... but meh. *Clephas makes a face* I'd forgotten that my old brainstorming process for fiction was even more out there than my current one. It would be easier just to post a sample scene, but brainstorming was the request. Edit: I was writing this before I realized how fickle enthusiasm could be. Well, I already knew from being a fansubber just how easily people could abandon a project, but I hadn't realized that would apply to paying work as well... *at the time, Clephas had put forth several grand worth of his own money to pay the artist and programmer, but they both jumped ship on him* Fortunately, I'd only set the money aside, not actually paid them.

I was more focused on the fact that the side-routes and their heroines were completely irrelevant. I liked the game more after I went back and treated it as a kinetic novel and loathed it when I tried to act as if the heroines actually had their own routes rather than fakes that are meant as a sop to those who want to see h-scenes with them.

Nitroplus has an exclusive partnership with JastUSA. This isn't workable as a fantranslation, since it is likely to (eventually) get an official translation.

With Eushully's games it depends on the game. With Ikusa Megami Zero, I was careful to start using a walkthrough at the late game, when optional areas started popping up, but most of the rest of the game can be completed pretty well without that. (the optional characters in that game are some of the most powerful) Soukoku no Arterial on the other hand... most definitely needed a walkthrough. Too many endings, hidden items and the like to make it a viable choice to not play that way. Not only that, but the game got ridiculously hard at the end if you weren't careful. I never played Kamidori, because it is generally despised by Eushully fans for being the worst game on their list (besides Kodzukuri Banchou). I always find it highly ironic that the ones that got tled were the ones most hated by fans of the company... Daiteikoku is virtually unplayable without some kind of roadmap to figure out what order to do certain things after turn 15 or so. In particular if you don't choose Nihonka (or Japanization in english), the game becomes a bit too hard to manage without a walkthrough of some sort. With G-senjou, its best to just do the main route only. The side routes will only sour you on the game in general.

Most walkthroughs don't provide any real spoilers, save for who the heroines are. For games two years old or more, Foolmaker's walkthroughs provide the most efficient methods to get through the game with the least amount of repeated text and skipping while getting all the CG's. Right now, most games have seiya-saiga walkthroughs... (non-nukige anyway). As for pitfalls... moege tend to be hit and miss. There are ones that are just too archetypical for words (the greater majority of them) and ones that are truly awesome (a very small number). To be blunt, VNs are meant to be read more than played, and I 'play' them as a reader rather than as a gamer.

Understandable. However, if there is one common factor to most of the people who enjoy VNs... it is that they hate being spoiled. If you ruin the key points of a visual novel's story, just what is there left to enjoy? (besides ero) While reviews can be helpful, that is only if the writer is careful to be objective (even to the point of taking it to excess when they love the game) and avoids spoilers inasmuch as possible.

For the past year or so, I've gotten into the habit of leaving comments on games I've played on vndb for those who want more information than the summary provides but don't want spoilers. If more people who played games in Japanese did this, it would probably be easier for people to avoid surprise kusoge or games that don't match their tastes... Unfortunately, most people just vote, which doesn't say anything about the game itself, unfortunately. As for English games... there are just too few translated VNs. Most newbies will go through all of the non-nukige in less than a year and then get hungry for more while they wait endlessly for translations... unfortunately for them. Also, since not everyone has a gift for languages, suggesting they learn Japanese is not an option for many. If I had more time, I'd be working a translation myself, but I've been having less and less time - ironically - since I rearranged my schedule around playing VNs (due to the fact that I switched from one-off jobs to contract work). Real life can be such a drag sometimes...

Reviews do create undo influence on the reader. Also, they often are completely off the mark when it comes to particular games. The english review of Devils Devel Concept that introduced me to the game was so far off that it didn't even resemble what the game was when I played it. Also, reviews with spoilers for games that bill themselves on their complexity are unacceptable, but for some reason people insist on spoiling those the most often... If I could copypasta my knowledge and understanding into your brain, I would. Unfortunately that is impossible. Also, even if I find great games, nobody translates them because they inevitably focus on well-known companies or moege... Well, part of that is because the best games are almost all too wordy for most tls and a smart tl won't take on more than he/she can handle. Edit: I really do suggest that anyone who is stuck with English play Cross Channel. I don't know how many people I mention it to who say 'I keep meaning to...' and then never get around to it because it takes second place to some other game. However, amongst the translated VNs I've played, I honestly enjoyed that one the most besides FSN and Tsukihime. For those looking forward to future releases, I'm pretty sure Grisaia will eventually become the most popular fantranslated work. This is because it holds all the best elements of your average moege with all the melodrama of a chuuni game, the depth of a story-focused, and the unique personalities of a chara-ge to create truly awesome result. Also, the protagonist reminds me of Sagara Sousuke from Full Metal Panic, save for the fact that he is more messed up.

Ever17 is for those who want a good mindfuck. I enjoyed it immensely but I found a lot of VNs I liked more later...

Cross Channel, Tsukihime, Fate/stay night, and the Muv-luv series (with the stipulation that playing Unlimited and Extra is solely to prepare you for Alternative). Sekien no Inganock is also a good one if you don't mind lots of weirdness and a different art style. Cross Channel is... more than a little psychotic. Tsukihime has an awesome story but no voices... and I'd seriously suggest that you switch the music out with something more suitable. Fate Stay/night will be somewhat familiar to those who have watched the anime, though the anime is a horrible bastardization of an epic (and very long) story. Little Busters and Clannad will do for something lighter and non-H.

This is an idea I was given to get around the problems with sexual content and localization in the US, but how about an all-ages version or title? While a game with sexual content is more likely to get more direct support, it is all too likely that it would run into legal barriers that would prevent its localization. I already made a thread in this forum with a list of all-ages PC games, and anyone else can feel free to add their own obsessions to the list (all-ages, not by a company that has a strong possibility of localization already).

Here is a list of decent PC VNs with all-ages versions that I've come across over the years. (I'm not counting anything by companies that already exclusively localize with JastUSA or Mangagamer) I won't mind if people add in console VNs for LIVING consoles like Utawarerumono 2, but I am only going to list ones that had an all-ages PC release. Tokyo Babel Dies Irae Negai no Kakera to Hakugin no Keiyakusha (not out yet, but Propeller has never failed me yet) Bloody Call (yes, it's an otome game, but it was also decent) fortissimo EXS//Akkord:nächsten Phase (all-ages version coming out a bit later) Kajiri Kamui Kagura ... One thing I learned skimming my list. Regular VNs rarely make the transition or start out as all-ages games on the PC. Chuuni games seem to be the most likely to make the transition, probably because what people who play them want out of them has virtually nothing to do with ero... I literally didn't come across any that had an all-ages version on the PC that weren't chuuni (other than Key or Ryuukishi games) on my list at the rank of 7 out of 10 or above.

Hackers are as hard to find as translators. Editors are as plentiful as leaves on the ground in autumn, though good editors are rarer than natural diamonds.

Robotics:Notes is out of the question, as JastUSA still has exclusive rights to Nitroplus-related localizations. Daitoshokan... *Clephas makes a face* latest fad. Also, that sixth option is too unilateral to avoid being quashed in the legal arena (the second money gets involved, official channels become vital). Perceived legitimacy is vital to gaining crowdfunding from the type of people on the other side of the argument, Aaeru. Bashing the wall with your hands isn't always the best solution... sometimes you have to dig under it or climb over it.