Messages

1

Rants / Re: * The Great Merry "Fuck You!" (Better late than never

« on: Feb. 15, 2011, 09:42:19 AM »

I totally understand where you (and NightWolve) are coming from. Appreciation is a big deal to me too, and I've certainly donated to NightWolve an amount beyond 5 dollars. In fact, every time some official effort is made to domestically release a Ys game, I make it a point of sending a donation, as I believe that those domestication efforts happen because of passionate people like NightWolve, who are willing to put great effort to localize the game on their own time when the original company has not made it available. Now, here is where my ideas get complicated: NightWolve is certainly within his rights to solicit donations so he can cover operating costs of creating the translation patches. As an aspiring developer and someone who has had to produce working program code, I know programming takes a lot of time, effort, and concentration. But I also believe that Ys is ultimately Falcom's property, and things get iffy when the situation is that though NightWolve has worked hard on domesticating the game, he is using someone else's IP he may not have the rights to. This is why I say that I often wish NightWolve could have had a discussion with Falcom to get US digital distribution rights to the games and release them on a marketplace like steam, since that way he can legally profit off his work, and Falcom's work, and everyone has an agreement that benefits them.

Let me make a better example. Jonathan Coulton, the famous geek-culture musician, made  a mashup of a Beatles song and a Chicago song. He has no license to either song. Selling the songs is illegal: Therefore if he distributes the mashup, he may not earn money from it. I support NightWolve's effort with donations, but I don't believe he can ask for compensation for the effort done on someone else's property. He can certainly ask for donation support to keep operating, but should not demand money in exchange for a patch. Doing so infringes on Falcom, and I really would not like to see Falcom attack someone who merely loves their work and wants to see it enjoyed by more.

I support NightWolve with a donation, but I donate noting that he has sold me nothing that shouldn't be freely available. Because of the nature of his work, until he gets permission from Falcom, he shouldn't try to sell anything. He doesn't have that right. If you enjoy the results of his work, he certainly should be donated to, but if he's to distribute a translation, he doesn't have the right to do so in exchange for money. This isn't even an anarchocapitalisim situation where it's "pay what you want." since that implies an exchange of currency for goods. Until he has distribution rights from Falcom (i'm not even talking about distributing game binaries here. Falcom owns the content in NightWolve's translations), NightWolve's only real legal option is that he may distribute his work for free, and ask for others to donate if he's to continue working on projects like these.

2

Rants / Re: * The Great Merry "Fuck You!" (Better late than never)

« on: Jan. 21, 2011, 04:22:43 PM »

Wow NightWolve, hold a grudge much? I still disagree with you that ys fans are freeloading pirating @ssholes. The problem is simply that if the game is not made readily available for domestic sale, nobody is able to buy it, and if they only way to obtain it conveniently is to steal it on the internet, they will. I have donated to you since i respect the work and effort you have done, and lately any time a ys game is made available for sale on these shores, I make it a point to buy them. So far I have collectors editions of the north American releases of the following: Ys for ds,  Ys seven, Ys: Oath in Felghana, and this coming week I will put in an order to amazon for Ys I and II chronicles for PSP. I had also purchased Ys Book 1 and 2 for tg16 on virtual console and I also purchased the PSP version of ys VI. I am looking out for the PS2 version of ys VI as well. On top of this, I really firmly believe that I am not an exception to this rule, and that I am among many who are able and willing to support domestic releases of Ys games with their money and encourage future releases of the games.

It's a shame you wern't able to do with falcom what Carpe Fulgur did with the creators of Recettear and make it so that their game and your translations could have been sold via digital distribution. Ys on steam would be awesome as hell.

In my opinion, I think Falcom could make a lot of money releasing iPhone/iPad/iTouch and Android versions of their game library. Digital distribution on the smartphone marketplace is a good idea, and I'm certain that they will find success there.

I know you were greatly wronged NightWolve, but I really think you should let go of this grudge. The games you are so upset about now have legitimate domestic releases, and your translator friend was tapped to have his work featured in that release. I think as far as that whole situation goes, time has come to make things right in a way.

As for your political stances... actually nevermind, i'm not going there. I'm ill equipped to even approach your feelings on those matters. I can only disagree with you as quietly as I can.

I hope to see good things happen with Ys, with this site, and with you, Nightwolve. Despite your terrifying rage, I at least respect you and appreciate all you have done for the ys game series, even if sometimes it didn't turn out well.





 

3

Ys I & II Complete / Re: Ys I & II Chronicles for PC

« on: Oct. 23, 2010, 02:27:28 AM »

Well, limited improvements aside, I was wondering if it might be a feasible project in the future to have this version of Ys I & II be translated since this is technically the most complete package of Ys I & II to date, especially considering that it has all of the previous content/graphics and music with a few added bonus features this time around. I for one would love to have a patch for this at some point. I've already placed and order for this and Zwei II+ with Falcom's weekly sale, though I wonder if it will get processed in time since it was Golden Week in Japan when I placed the order originally...: 0

The PSP version of Chronicles has the best overall soundtrack of the music of Ys I & II in my opinion as well. It is really fantastic throughout!

-Thomas

Part of me wants a translation project for this and part of me thinks it's a bad idea.

The part of me that wants it is the part of me that would purchase an import of the japanese pc game and use the translation patch.
THe part of me that doesn't want it knows that if a patch does come out, it would lead to greater piracy of a game that is readily available at a somewhat fair price. Not only that, but because people will be able to get an english version of ysI/II on their pc without spending money, they'll be less likely to get the version of ysI/II in english available domestically for PSP (assuming a pc owner who owns a psp).

Now, I'll admit, I pirated Ys I & II complete for PC, and used Nightwolve's patch, but I did that at a time when Ys I & II complete was not available at any price, and if it were the price was far too high for me to afford. Furthermore, I did come to donate to NightWolve's patching efforts (this was well after the Felghana leak, felghana being a game I never obtained or played and won't do so until xseed's release on PSP). Being an aspiring game developer (currently making an indie shooter) I've thought a lot about piracy, and there are certain conditions where it is ok to just download a game without paying for it. With the advent of services like Steam and GOG.com, those conditions are becoming fewer and fewer, and piracy is less and less something I want to do.

But on this note: Falcom could make a LOT of money if they distributed english versions of their games on Steam. Perhaps Nightwolve, his translators, and Falcom need to have a conversation. I would pay readily and happily for steam releases of Falcom games, knowing that not only am I supporting Falcom, but people who love and care about the Ys game series.