Sharin no Kuni Prefundia page is up

[littleshogun]

If mod Nosebleed think this thread is a horrible idea, I think this thread was useful to cure boredom for some member who argue here I supposed (Although I understand that this is one of Fuwanovel tradition here I guess).

Anyway, if I may said I think the idea of removing Extra Mode was pointless if the goal was to made the difference between low price and normal price (Not that I care anyway since this game already discussed to the death out there, even if the translation was quite fanfic level according to conjueror). And even if it's the Frontwing's right to remove extra mode, I said once again it would be pointless move (For emphasize here).

For the conclusion, I think my opinion that I wouldn't care about this kind of Prefundia too much, since well we already got Sharin translated for a long time. But if for example Sharin was about to localized and not translated yet, I think it's deserved the heat if Frontwing really plan to cut the Extra Mode.

PS - Although I said Frontwing did some pointless move, guess it's still good if they really want to expand outside Japan and I think Sharin could be the good VN that will introduce many new VN player to Visual Novel in the future.

[Kawasumi]

"We'd like to thank everyone for your comments and feedback. From the number of responses we've received, it's clear that people have taken a strong interest in this project. We at the PR team are taking everybody's comments into consideration and are currently rethinking our plans. We'll be answering questions on the page shortly, so please wait a little longer."

 

hopefully this means that they will actually do it  

[Crayten]

*5/10 Update*

Sorry for the long wait, everyone, and thank you for the feedback so far. Since we've received a number of similar questions, we decided to address the most common ones with this update.

Removal of DLC for General Sale
First of all, we've decided to abandon the DLC plan we initially announced, in accordance with user feedback. As of now, the version of the game available for digital download on Steam at release will have the Sound Mode and CG Gallery intact (previously the Deluxe Edition), and is planned for general sale at $40. For this reason, the words "Deluxe Version" will also be removed for clarity.

Changes to the Rewards Section
Due to the removal of DLC and announcement of the game's pricing, the some pricing changes have been made to the Rewards section, most notably the following:
・A digital copy of the game - as described above - will be offered to backers who pledge $30 or more. 
・An early bird offer will be available to the first 100 people to pledge $20 or more. These people will be able to get the same rewards for a reduced price, though this will be limited to 100 places only.

Regarding an 18+ version/patch
Although we had initially planned to release an all-ages version of the game (which, to clarify, was released on consoles in Japan), we now promise to release the 18+ version as well, following strong support for its production.

Since there are a number of technical issues surrounding its development, it has not yet been decided whether the 18+ content will be in the form of a patch or a complete 18+ version. We (Frontwing) are working with AKABEi SOFT2 to resolve these issues. We would also like to assure that those who pledge and receive a digital key as a reward will be able to enjoy the 18+ version for under $10.

Developing this may take some time, so it will come out after the all ages version has been released. We'll continue working hard to fulfill your requests. We'll keep you updated on any new progress.

--The PR team

--------------------------------------------------

They are learning   

What a time to be alive.

[Darklord Rooke]

Correct me if I'm wrong, my memory is a bit spotty, but did the price (for kickstarter backers) just go up by 10 dollars? I'm going to laugh very, very hard if this is the case.

EDIT: My chuckles being directed at the community, in case it wasn't clear.

[Caio000]

A-akabei Soft2 accept to r-release a 18+ version of one of t-their visual novels!?

So is there still a chance for G-senjou no maou?

[XReaper]

almost feeling quite bad for sekai after them being exposed to an enormous amount of hate & flame when they didnt release g-sensou´s 18+ version, despite having wanted to & now that frontwing took over the lead everything seemingly does flow smootly like a newborn popping out of some ++sized manko. strange days we´re living in...

[Fred the Barber]

1 hour ago, Rooke said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, my memory is a bit spotty, but did the price (for kickstarter backers) just go up by 10 dollars? I'm going to laugh very, very hard if this is the case.

EDIT: My chuckles being directed at the community, in case it wasn't clear.

My guess is that we all misunderstood what was in the $20 backer bundle. They never said specifically that that price point would be for the "Deluxe Version" rather than the CG- and sound mode-less version. So... yeah, it kind of went up?

[solidbatman]

Glad they actually listened to people

[RikiSanic]

4 hours ago, XReaper said:

almost feeling quite bad for sekai after them being exposed to an enormous amount of hate & flame when they didnt release g-sensou´s 18+ version, despite having wanted to & now that frontwing took over the lead everything seemingly does flow smootly like a newborn popping out of some ++sized manko. strange days we´re living in...

The reason for that is probably because Akabeisoft2 was directly exposed to the criticism in a single location (prefundia). And if they didn't listen, it could mean a failed project.

Whereas Sekai Project had to take all the hate from multiple fronts and since it never negatively impacted Akabeisoft2, they never budged from their no-18+ position.

Publishers have it rough.

[Crayten]

3 minutes ago, RikiSanic said:

Western publishers have it rough.

Fixed that for you 

[RikiSanic]

3 hours ago, Crayten said:

Fixed that for you 

That's definitely true. It's especially evident when you consider this quote from the prefundia: "This project is a collaboration between AKABEi SOFT2 and Frontwing, two visual novel developers in Japan. (Actually, the presidents of both companies are good friends!)"

This means that Frontwing has a direct line to Akabeisoft2 and can more easily persuade them. I'm sure that Frontwing didn't like all the hate they were getting, and since they're also trying to break into the Western market on their own, having this Kickstarter be a blight on their reputation would be bad news for them. Another Japanese company is probably more convincing than a Western company that can just take the blame anyway. When it's your buddy who's in trouble, Akabeisoft2 was much more willing to comply.

[Darklord Rooke]

5 hours ago, Fred the Barber said:

My guess is that we all misunderstood what was in the $20 backer bundle. They never said specifically that that price point would be for the "Deluxe Version" rather than the CG- and sound mode-less version. So... yeah, it kind of went up?

Looks like it. It's fairly amusing to see people wandering out treating this like a win, when all they've done is eliminate the production of a cheaper option (and possibly even forced the price point higher. $40 would have been high for the deluxe version when backers were getting it at $20.) I can imagine a few people would have bought the cheaper option, then just downloaded the CG gallery off the internet. A decent saving right there.

And to think, all that vitriol was aimed at the developers not because they were ripping people off, but because they had produced a cheaper version for customers. People should learn to think before they rant.

[Decay]

6 hours ago, XReaper said:

almost feeling quite bad for sekai after them being exposed to an enormous amount of hate & flame when they didnt release g-sensou´s 18+ version, despite having wanted to & now that frontwing took over the lead everything seemingly does flow smootly like a newborn popping out of some ++sized manko. strange days we´re living in...

Akabeisoft2 weren't facing a potential kickstarter failure with g-senjou. 

[Darklord Rooke]

And now people on Reddit are complaining about the price. Rule of thumb, a person can be either smart or stupid, but mobs are almost always retarded. It's such a shame there isn't a cheaper option to appease those annoyed about the price ...

Trying to sell over 10 years old visual novel (updated assets) which also isn't horribly long (something like 20-30 hours, am I right?) and also with existing translation for 40 USD is... and add to that more for uncut version, so it will probably be 45-50 USD. They should ask themselves, they want to gather more fans/make visual novels more popular, or get 500-2000 sales on their products? I don't see any casuals/non-vn fans buying this game on Steam for this kind of money. They should seriously reconsider their strategy, because it will fail pretty hard, at least that's what I think. Do they want as many people to read their VNs and have fun, or do they want to rip-off money out of small VN crowd?

Intensity of laughter ... rising.

EDIT: The quote's from Reddit.

[Caio000]

18 minutes ago, Rooke said:

And now people on Reddit are complaining about the price. Rule of thumb, a person can be either smart or stupid, but mobs are almost always retarded. It's such a shame there isn't a cheaper option to appease those annoyed about the price ...

Wait, wait. Assuming the DLC price was going to be the difference of the current price and the former price wouldn't it be too much for a CG gallery and a music mode? This price difference just doesn't make sense for me. Even I who am pretty lenient with things would be annoyed to pay so much for a CG gallery and a music mode.

[Darklord Rooke]

32 minutes ago, Caio000 said:

Wait, wait. Assuming the DLC price was going to be the difference of the current price and the former price wouldn't it be too much for a CG gallery and a music mode? This price difference just doesn't make sense for me. Even I who am pretty lenient with things would be annoyed to pay so much for a CG gallery and a music mode.

It was probably going to be about a 10 dollar difference. And considering you can download the CG gallery from the net for FREE, it’s a pretty decent deal. Yep, the CG gallery and sound mode aren’t worth 10 bucks, and that’s what made the cheap deal a GOOD deal. It wasn’t the deluxe version being ramped up in price, but rather the developers offering a cheaper version at a steal. Eliminating the cheap option wouldn’t reduce the price of the deluxe (NORMAL) version, that’s what people couldn’t wrap their thick heads around. Eliminating the cheap option would just force people to buy the more expensive option.

People were crying out about paying extra for content already in the game. Now it’s revealed they were never being asked to pay extra at all. It was a baseless assumption.

The developers were arbitrarily making a cheaper version of the game by locking content so they could bring in new customers. That’s a standard practice in the software world. The idea of campaigning on ‘precedent’ is a young person’s crusade, I judge on what’s before me. 

It may even push the price up. Because they can no longer count on dragging in casual consumers (outside the VN landscape) at a reduced price, they may have contemplated putting up the price of the normal version to compensate for the lower sale numbers.

See, this is why we can't have nice things.

Also the situation is absolutely delicious. To complain about the cheap version locking existing content, then when it's eradicated for people to complain about the price, it's all too much. I love this. I need more popcorn!

[Caio000]

1 hour ago, Rooke said:

It was probably going to be about a 10 dollar difference. And considering you can download the CG gallery from the net for FREE, it’s a pretty decent deal. Yep, the CG gallery and sound mode aren’t worth 10 bucks, and that’s what made the cheap deal a GOOD deal. It wasn’t the deluxe version being ramped up in price, but rather the developers offering a cheaper version at a steal. Eliminating the cheap option wouldn’t reduce the price of the deluxe (NORMAL) version, that’s what people couldn’t wrap their thick heads around. Eliminating the cheap option would just force people to buy the more expensive option.

People were crying out about paying extra for content already in the game. Now it’s revealed they were never being asked to pay extra at all. It was a baseless assumption.

The developers were arbitrarily making a cheaper version of the game by locking content so they could bring in new customers. That’s a standard practice in the software world. The idea of campaigning on ‘precedent’ is a young person’s crusade, I judge on what’s before me. 

It may even push the price up. Because they can no longer count on dragging in casual consumers (outside the VN landscape) at a reduced price, they may have contemplated putting up the price of the normal version to compensate for the lower sale numbers.

But it would still be unfair to people like me who would like to have CG gallery and the sound mode as it was in the original version to pay so much for it when the normal version is considerably cheap in comparison. I'm wouldn't care for it if the price was fair for a CG Gallery and the sound mode but at this price it would piss off me and a lot of people. And if the could lower the price so much for something like the CG gallery and the sound mode they could have put less than $40. What I want say is that I (and presume other people) want to pay a fair price for want I get and the DLC price wasn't going to be fair.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Caio000
I forgotten a word.

[Darklord Rooke]

22 minutes ago, Caio000 said:

But it would still be unfair to people like me who would like to have CG gallery and the sound mode as it was in the original version to pay so much for it when the normal version is considerably cheap in comparison. I'm wouldn't care for it if the price was fair for a CG Gallery and the sound mode but at this price it would piss off me and a lot of people. And if the could lower the price so much for something like the CG gallery and the sound mode they could have put less than $40. What I want say is that I (and presume other people) want to pay a fair price for want I get and the DLC price wasn't going to be fair.

If I were to hazard a guess, lowering the price of the full VN affects market expectations. That is, yes if they could sell the VN without a CG gallery at a reduced price, they COULD sell the whole thing at a reduced price. But that affects market expectations for the cost of a full VN going forward, and from what I understand they already think the Western World are getting things cheap (considering full price of VNs over there tend to be 75-110 dollars, or something outrageous.)

If you like to have a CG gallery in the game, then it seems the existence of a cheap bundle with DLC's wouldn't affect you one iota - you will still be paying the same amount for that game whether a cheaper bundle is in place. To say that this is unfair, what you're really saying is that you don’t want other people getting a good deal, and I find that kind of attitude to be dangerous, imo. Because it’s no longer about what YOU get, but rather depriving OTHERS of something, and that's not really healthy and can be extended to plenty of other scenarios. If you deprive the world of a cheaper package and the price of the remaining version hasn't decreased, what have you achieved other than deprive someone else of something?

If you were going to pay 40 dollars for your product whether or not the cheap deal exists, why would you care about the DLCs? It doesn’t affect you, you’re still paying the same price.

[Caio000]

7 minutes ago, Rooke said:

If you like to have a CG gallery in the game, then the existence of a cheap bundle with DLC's doesn't affect you one iota. You will still be paying the same amount for that game whether a cheaper bundle is in place. To say that this is unfair, what you're really saying is that you don’t want other people getting a good deal, and I find that kind of attitude to be dangerous, imo. Because it’s no longer about what YOU get, but rather depriving OTHERS of something, and that's not really healthy and can be extended to plenty of other scenarios.

If you were going to pay 40 dollars for your product whether or not the cheap deal exists, why would you care about the DLCs? It doesn’t affect you, you’re still paying the same price.

What is bothering me isn't whether the price final would be the same or not, I don't care much about the current price. What is really bothering me is that the price of the DLC would be overpriced for what one would get from it.

[Darklord Rooke]

4 minutes ago, Caio000 said:

What is bothering me isn't whether the price final would be the same or not, I don't care much about the current price. What is really bothering me is that the price of the DLC would be overpriced for what one would get from it.

Yes, and that doesn’t affect you. It’s content cut from the game arbitrarily solely so they could have a ‘non-full VN’ to offer the consumers for cheaper. I would also mention that the flip side is if the cheaper game + DLCs = the full price, then the game offered in the cheap version is being offered at better than market price. Which would tend to soothe the feelings of the target audience.

You, not buying the DLCs, aren’t affected by this. Considering you’re buying the full game at full price and that full price hasn’t changed.

I’ve noticed that many people arguing the worth of the DLCs aren’t people interested in buying the DLCs, only the full game. They, not being the target audience for that package, love to talk about its worth to them, which is very little because the package wasn't designed for them. But once again, why does it matter to you?

[Caio000]

14 minutes ago, Rooke said:

Yes, and that doesn’t affect you. It’s content cut from the game arbitrarily solely so they could have a ‘non-full VN’ to offer the consumers for cheaper. I would also mention that the flip side is if the cheaper game + DLCs = the full price, then the game offered in the cheap version is being offered at better than market price. Which would tend to soothe the feelings of the target audience.

You, not buying the DLCs, aren’t affected by this. Considering you’re buying the full game at full price and that full price hasn’t changed.

I’ve noticed that many people arguing the worth of the DLCs aren’t people interested in buying the DLCs, only the full game. They, not being the target audience for that package, love to talk about its worth to them, which is very little because the package wasn't designed for them. But once again, why does it matter to you?

Hmm, sorry for stretching so much this discussion but it's just that seems wrong for me charge so much for such DLC regardless the reasons I guess is some principles bullshit in my head. But whatever, they won't do it anymore so it doesn't matter anymore. 

Edited May 17, 2016 by Caio000
Oops. Repetition of words.

[Nosebleed]

I'm happy to see Frontwing listened to their fans and got rid of this ludicrous DLC deal, gives me hope they're actually serious about the market and its expectations.

[wolfrayet]

On 5/17/2016 at 10:54 PM, Rooke said:

Yes, and that doesn’t affect you. It’s content cut from the game arbitrarily solely so they could have a ‘non-full VN’ to offer the consumers for cheaper. I would also mention that the flip side is if the cheaper game + DLCs = the full price, then the game offered in the cheap version is being offered at better than market price. Which would tend to soothe the feelings of the target audience.

You, not buying the DLCs, aren’t affected by this. Considering you’re buying the full game at full price and that full price hasn’t changed.

I’ve noticed that many people arguing the worth of the DLCs aren’t people interested in buying the DLCs, only the full game. They, not being the target audience for that package, love to talk about its worth to them, which is very little because the package wasn't designed for them. But once again, why does it matter to you?

Perfectly logical assessment, but it rests on the assumption of trust in the developer/publisher. Look at their word choice: "Deluxe" denotes the full game, while "Regular" is the cheaper version. If what you're saying is true and the intent is to offer a cheap alternative to a full price VN, wouldn't it make more sense for the full game to be "Regular," and the alternative be called "VN on a budget," or something along those lines? I admit I'm not very familiar with VN pricing, but have CG galleries and voiceovers really been considered "deluxe" in the past? I won't accuse Frontwing of anything devious, but cutting content out of a game and offering it as DLC is always dicey. Even if they do it right, it sets a precedent.

In any case, having already played Sharin I'm relatively indifferent. Guess it couldn't hurt to throw a few bucks their way, though.

[Mr Poltroon]

1 minute ago, wolfrayet said:

Perfectly logical assessment, but it rests on the assumption of trust in the developer/publisher. Look at their word choice: "Deluxe" denotes the full game, while "Regular" is the cheaper version. If what you're saying is true and the intent is to offer a cheap alternative to a full price VN, wouldn't it make more sense to have the full game be "Regular," and the alternative be called "VN on a budget," or something along those lines? I admit I'm not very familiar with VN pricing, but have CG galleries and voiceovers really been considered "deluxe" in the past? I'm not going to accuse Frontwing of anything devious, but cutting content out of a game and offering it as DLC is always dicey. Even if they do it right, it sets a precedent.

In any case, I've already played Sharin so I'm relatively indifferent. Guess it couldn't hurt to throw a few bucks their way, though.

I conjecture it may have something to do with appealing to the otaku's collector spirit, which wouldn't waste the opportunity to acquire a deluxe version where available. That certainly is a devious use of the language, but since they would otherwise be offering the VN at a cheaper price, for everyone's benefit, I'd say it's pardonable.

Otherwise, I agree that if you don't trust the companies, setting a precedent isn't necessarily a good thing.

[kingdomcome]

It's up!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tokyootakumode/sharin-no-kuni-a-visual-novel-localization-project?ref=hero_thanks