Final Fantasy Hacktics

Man I despise this guy. I'm sure I'm not the only one either. He's only good for one thing: taking the equipment from him at the very beginning of the game. He's not even threatening when hes a deathknight for cryin out loud. How are you not scary with a job like that. I suppose I should ask Argath. His name sucks to.

Argath, Argus, Algus, Argas, it goes on and on... in any case, 1.3 really gives the Deathknight what he deserves in terms of skills. Of course getting to him is 9/10 of the fun, heh...

^^^And I still haven't done that yet  

Is 1.3 a patch? Ive heard of it but never seen a topic that elaborates on it.

Ah, there's a whole forum on this site about it, right below "Mercenaries" (shameless plug)

Do you mean in the vanilla ISO section? I looked there and it was talking about untouched ISO files. Thank you LastingDawn. Your quotation of Sun Tzu is beast.

Hmm, well best to copy a clean ISO as well to play any of our other patches. 1.3 is the most complete hack the site has to offer, except for a few scattered ones about, actually.

Quote from: "Beowulf cadmus"Argath.. What a terrible name.

Title says it, Algus was a much better name for him. It hurts to see how much they butchered the names and terms for the WOTL version

In my translation exercises with FFT I've found no reason to interpret the katakana as anything other than 'Algus' or maybe 'Argus'.

Vanya, you give far too much weight to literal translations. I'm not talking about in this instance, but in general.

As for TWOTL butchering names, the originals aren't exactly great names either. They probably should have left Golagros alone though.

Donalbane, what terms are you referring to in you post?

Quote from: "Dominic NY18"Vanya, you give far too much weight to literal translations.

It's not about literal translation for me, but rather about the interpretation of the original intention of the writers. 80% of the time a more precise translation with good interpretation of the intention of the creators is better than an aesthetic localization.

Argath Thadalfas <- Arugasu Sadarufasu  -> Algus Sadalfus
Tietra Heiral <- Tīta Hairaru -> Tita Heiral
Ludovich Baert <- Bāto Rūdovihhi -> Barto Ludovicci
Alphonse Delacroix <- Arufonsu Dorakurowa -> Alphonse D'LaCroix

Actually I think I read in a fan made (at least I think it's fanmade?) they translated Rudvich as Lugwig, which I thought is an interesting idea. In essence though the name Tietra brings to light "Tetra" which is a large part of the underlying symbolism in the game's story. Well, at least I think so.

Quote from: "Vanya"It's not about literal translation for me, but rather about the interpretation of the original intention of the writers. 80% of the time a more precise translation with good interpretation of the intention of the creators is better than an aesthetic localization.

Argath Thadalfas -> Arugasu Sadarufasu  -> Algus Sadalfus
Tietra Heiral -> Tīta Hairaru -> Tita Heiral
Ludovich Baert -> Bāto Rūdovihhi -> Barto Ludovicci
Alphonse Delacroix -> Arufonsu Dorakurowa -> Alphonse D'LaCroix

Are you saying that WOTL's translation of names and terms was a purely aesthetic one? And what do you define a "precise" translation as?

As for the what the writer's intentions are, you assume that your translations are closest to what the writer intended. Well, that's how your remarks sound to me anyway.

Quote from: "LastingDawn"Actually I think I read in a fan made (at least I think it's fanmade?) they translated Rudvich as Lugwig, which I thought is an interesting idea. In essence though the name Tietra brings to light "Tetra" which is a large part of the underlying symbolism in the game's story. Well, at least I think so.

Can you go in-depth about this?

Quote from: "Dominic NY18"Are you saying that WOTL's translation of names and terms was a purely aesthetic one? And what do you define a "precise" translation as?

I wouldn't say that the WotL localizer's/xlater's work was as narrow as being purely aesthetic, but they were definitely most concerned with making the names more European sounding. Now, I believe that that was the original intent of the designers, I just think with more time and a bit more research they could have done a much better job. Quite a few of the names are clearly intended to be Italian, French or Spanish, but aren't treated thoroughly enough in my opinion. On the other end of the spectrum they also got carried away with Europe-izing names that didn't need it like Tietra as opposed to Tita (ティータ) which is a perfectly good Spanish name. (BTW, it is the feminine form of the Latin name Titus.)

Quote from: "Dominic NY18"As for the what the writer's intentions are, you assume that your translations are closest to what the writer intended. Well, that's how your remarks sound to me anyway.

I know this is going to sound arrogant, but... I do. I'm not saying I can see into their heads better, some shit is just obvious when you have a broad knowledge base. And what I mean by that is that I know about more than just Japanese and English.

Well, I was wrong about the meaning of the word after (about 15 or so minutes of searching...) I found that it means Land, nothing to deal with Tetra, or anything as such. That in itself is an interesting meaning but... in any case.

The original meaning I had meant to portray was something Voldemort said along time ago, which in the end does make the game have a much more poetic sense to it. At the start there are three squires...

One dies standing up for his beliefs, another falls in the line of sibling duty, and the last falls at the hands of his beloved (WoTL really does show that Delita somewhat cared about Ovelia.)

In this respect from the moment Algus died, the other two fates were sealed. There was a reason they were all called "Squires" at that time. From that time on they were merely playing the roles assigned to them.

When Algus takes his stand against the party and kills Teitra the rest of the plot is put in motion. Algus in this way plays the main catalyst, along with Tietra. Algus turns Delita into a manipulative man who believes "the end justifies the means". Algus turns Ramza into a scared boy who tries to escape it all by becoming a mercenary and disconnecting himself. Ramza's name means "sign" or "symbol", a relatively rare Muslim name these days. Another theory I read puts Ramza as "Lamb The" in a way showing his final fate as one being lead, and perhaps a sacrificial lamb, but I'm not too fond of that theory (sort of breaks the point of the name Ramza meaning "symbol")

Ramza's eventual fate is hinted at a few times throughout the games story. First and foremost is the explanation of Mosfungus, which (according to the Chemist) means the grave with Mosfungus on it will see the end of their family line. That is the first sign that it might not be a happy ending.

 Secondly is the added scene from WoTL, Agrias makes it clear to Ovelia that she Will return to her, no matter what the cost, it can be argued that they didn't add anything to change the ending because they couldn't but I beg to differ, making a check to see who was still in your party at the end really couldn't have been that difficult by that point. As they had done so numerous times in the PSP version and even in the PSX version. What happens? Ovelia still succumbs to maddening grief, accusing Delita of Ramza's death which he in turn stabs her (I believe the reason he stabbed her back was because he didn't want to believe he caused Ramza's death, but more on that for another time). Agrias never coming back shows that they did not survive, as Agrias would have returned to her leige lord no matter what the cost.

The third and most famous case that they didn't survive is Rofel's "Welcome to Murond" speech, he explains there is no way out and the game makes a true Note of this. It is one of the only games I've ever played that will not let you leave the final dungeon. It really drives home the "there's no way out..." feeling, it's a feeling of despair, that there is truly No Way Out of Murond. That's the final nail in the coffin in my book, Murond is described as being buried far under the sea. And by that explosion,  I think there's no way that any of them made it out alive. FFT is an incredibly dark game with slight bits of foreshadowing that really doesn't hit until you look at it in retrospect. As such if Ramza dies so must Delita die, as would be the poetical end of the three squires. Of course as it stands the theory is really in pieces, and I'd like to try to refine it, but eh... not currently. Just an idea I like to throw around. Though I was Completely wrong on Tietra having to do anything with the word "Tetra" Though does it...?

Let's look at the siblings names... Delita and Tietra... remove the "i" from both of them and you get Tetra and Delta, both words meaning "three". Just something to think over and hah, this post came out quite incoherent, eh heh...

I hate to poke holes in a theory as poetic as this, but while I agree that delta is symbolic of a triangle, tetra is a fish and tetr- is a combining form meaning 4 not 3. Also, delta has many more connotations that symbolize 4 than 3. Perhaps there is a fourth element that can be added to this? Still, it may be what the localization team was going for.

Well, I guess if there would be a fourth element it would be Alma if anything, this would keep it in accord with the "Wish" symbolism shared between the four (Alma, Tietra, Delita, Ramza). I listened to an hour and thirty minute podcast on FFT's music and may I say it was pretty inspiring, I had no idea that Alma's theme made it's way into so much music in the game. Only thing very wrong with Alma's inclusion is she breaks the pattern, the three Squires are, without contest Ramza, Delita, and Algus, as such any other inclusion would screw up that precious balance. If Alma were added in as a decision, that would instead create another different "4", if we go by the music Ramza and Alma's theme compliment one very well and they both make it into a surprising amount of music in the game. As such Delita and Ovelia's theme play off one another as well, except like Ramza's Theme, Delita's is much more melancholy, compared to Alma and Ovelia's "initial" themes. You only hear the original Ovelia's Theme once or twice in the game, other then that you hear variations of it. Though I still think the original three squires fit this best, because (Tietra lacks her own theme) if it instead meant the four Wish holders it would be Ramza, Alma, Delita, Tietra/Ovelia. I've read a theory that Delita tricked himself into feeling for Ovelia because he saw her as a fine replacement to Tietra. But that says a lot of poor things about Delita which I don't think fully fit him.

Delta does ordinarily mean "difference" in Greek, but Delta's symbol , Δ is the character used in their math equations (honestly most of that math goes right over my head) Tetra on the other hand often means four but it goes hand in hand when describing a pyramid, which most people see as a "triangle", though it's apparently a tetrahydron or something like that. Adding in the girls is interesting, but it really doesn't help the theory.


Oh yes also a link to that grand podcast..

http://intothescore.blueandbrownbooks.c ... a-ivalice/ (http://intothescore.blueandbrownbooks.com/2008/10/27/23-symphonia-ivalice/)

An interesting lesson in music and explains a bit of the more underlying themes in the music (why Alma, though only having a few scenes is symbolized by her theme making it into many songs, making her feel all the more important)

Quote from: "Vanya"I wouldn't say that the WotL localizer's/xlater's work was as narrow as being purely aesthetic, but they were definitely most concerned with making the names more European sounding. Now, I believe that that was the original intent of the designers, I just think with more time and a bit more research they could have done a much better job. Quite a few of the names are clearly intended to be Italian, French or Spanish, but aren't treated thoroughly enough in my opinion. On the other end of the spectrum they also got carried away with Europe-izing names that didn't need it like Tietra as opposed to Tita (ティータ) which is a perfectly good Spanish name. (BTW, it is the feminine form of the Latin name Titus.)

Tita? Seriously?

Look, I realize that may be a perfectly good translation and a perfectly good Spanish name. But do you honestly think that would be a good name for a character in a game aimed at English speakers?

"Butz" is apparently a "correct" translation for "Battsu", but I definitely see why the localizers for the English versions of FFV decided to go with "Bartz."

QuoteI know this is going to sound arrogant, but... I do. I'm not saying I can see into their heads better, some shit is just obvious when you have a broad knowledge base. And what I mean by that is that I know about more than just Japanese and English.

But simply possessing a broad knowledge base (whatever that means) + knowledge of English and Japanese doesn't equal knowing what they intended.

I think you probably missed my other question, but what exactly do you mean by a "precise" translation?

Quote from: "Dominic NY18"Tita? Seriously?

Yes. It is a perfectly fine name and it is what the kana sound out in the original game.
I don't see any good reason to have changed it to Tietra.
I understand choosing something different than Teta, which is tit in Spanish, but I don't see any reason not to use Tita.

Quote from: "Dominic NY18"Look, I realize that may be a perfectly good translation and a perfectly good Spanish name. But do you honestly think that would be a good name for a character in a game aimed at English speakers?

Why not? In FF6 Terra was originally Tina. From what I remember they chose Tina because it would sound a bit exotic to the Japanese audience.
Ted Woolsey chose to change it to Terra because Tina wouldn't sound as exotic to an American audience. Maybe it was a similar situation with Tita/Tietra, but I can hardly call Tita a common name.

Quote from: "Dominic NY18""Butz" is apparently a "correct" translation for "Battsu", but I definitely see why the localizers for the English versions of FFV decided to go with "Bartz."

Actually, if they were intending the Battsu to be a German name like his surname, Klauser, then "Bartz is the correct translation.
Japanese a = ah as in watt, not like uh as in what.
The translator that chose Butz had an iD10T error.

Quote from: "Dominic NY18"But simply possessing a broad knowledge base (whatever that means) + knowledge of English and Japanese doesn't equal knowing what they intended.

It means I know a bit about Spanish, Italian, German, and French. I've studied them all at least a little. Also, I know quite a bit about the fantasy/sci-fi media that Final Fantasy draws much of its content from.
That broad knowledge base makes it easy for me to often recognize what the kana are getting at even when the word is mangled in Japanese.

Quote from: "Dominic NY18"I think you probably missed my other question, but what exactly do you mean by a "precise" translation?

Yeah, I did. Sorry. That's probably not the word I should have used. What I mean is a translation that takes probable intent, technical accuracy, possible source, and localization into consideration. Of course a translation that is more "precise" would take much longer than the average localization time most games get & is of course subjective to the translator doing the work. =P

Does that make any sense?

Quote from: "LastingDawn"Well, I guess if there would be a fourth element...

What if you looked at it from a zodiac perspective?
What if it is a dichotomy between a 3 and a 4?
Think about how the compatibilities work on the zodiac wheel.
You know... the signs on a triangle have good compatibility and the ones on a square have bad. Could that be a part of it?

Quote from: "Vanya"Yes. It is a perfectly fine name and it is what the kana sound out in the original game.
I don't see any good reason to have changed it to Tietra.
I understand choosing something different than Teta, which is tit in Spanish, but I don't see any reason not to use Tita.

And I'm sure the average English speaker will think Tita -> Tit. If the game was going to be translated into Spanish, I wouldn't leave her name as Teta either, for the reason you stated.

QuoteWhy not? In FF6 Terra was originally Tina. From what I remember they chose Tina because it would sound a bit exotic to the Japanese audience.
Ted Woolsey chose to change it to Terra because Tina wouldn't sound as exotic to an American audience. Maybe it was a similar situation with Tita/Tietra, but I can hardly call Tita a common name.

My above response deals with this. My problem with Tita isn't because of any perceived exoticism of lack thereof.

QuoteActually, if they were intending the Battsu to be a German name like his surname, Klauser, then "Bartz is the correct translation.
Japanese a = ah as in watt, not like uh as in what.
The translator that chose Butz had an iD10T error.

Noted, but I brought this up to back up what I said above.

QuoteIt means I know a bit about Spanish, Italian, German, and French. I've studied them all at least a little. Also, I know quite a bit about the fantasy/sci-fi media that Final Fantasy draws much of its content from.
That broad knowledge base makes it easy for me to often recognize what the kana are getting at even when the word is mangled in Japanese.

OK. My problem with this is even with in mind, that still doesn't necessarily equal knowing what they were aiming for.

QuoteYeah, I did. Sorry. That's probably not the word I should have used. What I mean is a translation that takes probable intent, technical accuracy, possible source, and localization into consideration. Of course a translation that is more "precise" would take much longer than the average localization time most games get & is of course subjective to the translator doing the work. =P

Does that make any sense?

It does.

I've said this before elsewhere, but when it comes to the names, I'm neutral overall. I didn't care for many of the original names before, so the changes they did do don't bother me. It's obvious that even if the names in TWOTL aren't what you would have in mind when considering everything you said above, the original names aren't consistent by those standards either.

More important to me is that IMO, WOTL has better terms overall, especially when it comes to abilities and items.

Quote from: "Dominic NY18"And I'm sure the average English speaker will think Tita -> Tit. If the game was going to be translated into Spanish, I wouldn't leave her name as Teta either, for the reason you stated.

I'd only say that about the average teenage American male, not Americans in general.

QuoteOK. My problem with this is even with in mind, that still doesn't necessarily equal knowing what they were aiming for.

No, it doesn't, but knowing more about many languages and subjects would make it easier for someone to figure it out. I'll give you an example where knowing some French spelling conventions and some knowledge of D&D lead to a translation more in tune with the intent of the original. In FF5 there is a monster called a 'Barette' (バレッテ).
(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/a/a7/Baretta-ffv.gif)
You might ask yourself, "what the hell is a barette?"
The RPGe fan translation went 100% accurate and called it a 'Barette'. Not any more clear.
The PSX translator decided to call it a 'Baretta' which is a kind of gun. That just causes further confusion.
The GBA translator called it a 'Bulette'. This guy most likely played D&D, because there is a monster in that game called exactly that and it looks similar enough to the Square sprite.
(http://www.hobbyjapan.co.jp/dd/miniatures/dodr/53.jpg)
If a curious individual were to look up 'Barette' they get nowhere, but if they look up 'Bulette' they'd get the D&D wiki page. So in this case who got closer to the probable intent of the designers? It was the guy that had more knowledge. See what I mean?

BTW, this thing has been around since FF1, but they tried to pass it off in the US as an ankylosaur.

QuoteIt does.
I've said this before elsewhere, but when it comes to the names, I'm neutral overall. I didn't care for many of the original names before, so the changes they did do don't bother me. It's obvious that even if the names in TWOTL aren't what you would have in mind when considering everything you said above, the original names aren't consistent by those standards either.

More important to me is that IMO, WOTL has better terms overall, especially when it comes to abilities and items.

I see where you're coming from. I just think that they still both have their own level of fucked up translations that make no real sense. ...How does one get from 'Northstar Bone Crush Strike' to 'Northswain's Strike'? And who the hell is Northswain?


On a side note: This should be in a rules post on how to debate like adults. =P

Quote from: "Vanya"I'd only say that about the average teenage American male, not Americans in general.

You're in denial then if you think only males teens would think that. How old do you think I am?

QuoteNo, it doesn't, but knowing more about many languages and subjects would make it easier for someone to figure it out. I'll give you an example where knowing some French spelling conventions and some knowledge of D&D lead to a translation more in tune with the intent of the original. In FF5 there is a monster called a 'Barette' (バレッテ).
(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/a/a7/Baretta-ffv.gif)
You might ask yourself, "what the hell is a barette?"
The RPGe fan translation went 100% accurate and called it a 'Barette'. Not any more clear.
The PSX translator decided to call it a 'Baretta' which is a kind of gun. That just causes further confusion.
The GBA translator called it a 'Bulette'. This guy most likely played D&D, because there is a monster in that game called exactly that and it looks similar enough to the Square sprite.
(http://www.hobbyjapan.co.jp/dd/miniatures/dodr/53.jpg)
If a curious individual were to look up 'Barette' they get nowhere, but if they look up 'Bulette' they'd get the D&D wiki page. So in this case who got closer to the probable intent of the designers? It was the guy that had more knowledge. See what I mean?

BTW, this thing has been around since FF1, but they tried to pass it off in the US as an ankylosaur.

OK. Let's go back to what started this tangent then. Why is your translation of the names more on-point then? Is it because you make the names look more European?

QuoteI see where you're coming from. I just think that they still both have their own level of fucked up translations that make no real sense. ...How does one get from 'Northstar Bone Crush Strike' to 'Northswain's Strike'? And who the hell is Northswain?


On a side note: This should be in a rules post on how to debate like adults. =P

I don't think so. There just far too many terms in the original that are just literal translations of their Japanese counterparts.

- I know what First Strike does. I can't say the same about Hamedo.
- How about Sunken State? I think Vanish makes far more sense, even if it's no where close to the original term.
- Or Secret Fist? Doom Fist is more to the point.
- Is MP Switch a literal translation of the ability name in Japanese? Mana Shield is more fitting, considering how the ability works.
- There's also the names of the knightly orders. Only those with a knowledge of Japanese would have an idea of just what Hokuten and Nanten mean and how they compare to one another. They didn't even bother translating those names.

In your example, seeing anything like "Northstar Bone Crush Strike" would make me think it was just a literal translation.  None of the names of the abilities have meaning beyond the abilities themselves (though I'll admit that Stasis Sword is more descriptive of the effect of the ability).

Also, keep in mind that one of Ashe's Quickenings is Northswain's Glow. There's quite a few abilities in TWOTL that reference FFXII abilities:

Short Charge -> Swiftness
Martial Arts -> Brawler
Speed Save -> Adrenaline Rush
Secret Hunt-> Poach

It's obvious that FFXII was another influence of TWOTL's translation, especially in terms of abilities.

There's other examples of what I was talking about regarding the original's translation of terms and abilities. But when it comes to names that make no sense, the original is on another level.

Quote from: "Dominic NY18"You're in denial then if you think only males teens would think that. How old do you think I am?

Not in denial, probably overestimating the intelligence and maturity of the average player. I tend to do that often.
As for your age, I don't know and I never gave it a thought.

QuoteOK. Let's go back to what started this tangent then. Why is your translation of the names more on-point then? Is it because you make the names look more European?

Because I'm looking at it from lots of different perspectives instead of what seems to me to be a narrow one.

QuoteI don't think so. There just far too many terms in the original that are just literal translations of their Japanese counterparts.

And the new one sometimes strays way far from the original without being any more descriptive. Not as bad as vanilla, but still annoying to me.

Quote- I know what First Strike does. I can't say the same about Hamedo.

I kind of understand Hamedo because of the trend of not translating martial arts terms. They could have done a better job with consistency in the case of the Monk over all.

Quote- How about Sunken State? I think Vanish makes far more sense, even if it's no where close to the original term.
- Or Secret Fist? Doom Fist is more to the point.
- Is MP Switch a literal translation of the ability name in Japanese? Mana Shield is more fitting, considering how the ability works.

Sunken State = Sempuku = concealment; hiding, ambush.
Vanilla: ridiculous.
WotL: concealment was fine, no need to call it vanish. Note it wasn't far off from the true original term.

Secret Fist = HikouKen? = Fatal Spot Fist?
I don't have anything but a translation that I don't trust on this one.
I wouldn't translate this one or use the more widely known term Dim Mak.

MP Switch = MP surikae = MP to switch (secretly); to substitute.
Vanilla: overly accurate, yes.
WotL: very descriptive, but they went too far with 'mana'. MP Shield would have sufficed.

Quote- There's also the names of the knightly orders. Only those with a knowledge of Japanese would have an idea of just what Hokuten and Nanten mean and how they compare to one another. They didn't even bother translating those names.

You're right. Not translating these is unexcusable.

QuoteIn your example, seeing anything like "Northstar Bone Crush Strike" would make me think it was just a literal translation.  None of the names of the abilities have meaning beyond the abilities themselves (though I'll admit that Stasis Sword is more descriptive of the effect of the ability).

Northstar Bone Crush Strike is just an example. I don't have the kanji/kana for this one and I don't trust the translation I found.
I would never use something as awkward as this.

QuoteAlso, keep in mind that one of Ashe's Quickenings is Northswain's Glow. There's quite a few abilities in TWOTL that reference FFXII abilities:

Short Charge -> Swiftness
Martial Arts -> Brawler
Speed Save -> Adrenaline Rush
Secret Hunt-> Poach

It's obvious that FFXII was another influence of TWOTL's translation, especially in terms of abilities.

I'll begin by saying that I dislike the FF12 translation more than the WotL one. I suspect both were translated by the same individual(s). There are quite a few classic monsters that were mistranslated/changed for no good reason.

I tracked down the kanji/kana for Ashe's Mist Knack and it seems we had it sort of backwards. Her mist knack/quickening is named after Agrias' Holy Sword skill. Actually, all of them are named after the Holy Sword skills. I don't know who's ass they pulled 'Northswain' from. I'm guessing it must be some thing related to the north star somehow.

北斗骨砕斬 = hokuto hone saizan = Hokuto Bone Break-Beheading = ?

QuoteThere's other examples of what I was talking about regarding the original's translation of terms and abilities. But when it comes to names that make no sense, the original is on another level.

Agreed.

Norths wain loosely refers to Ursa Major.

Ah, just about to post that, indeed Northswain is an actual star constellation if memory serves me right, Darth Paul beat me to it though, heh. Also, the FF12 translators were helped by Matsuno himself with the initial translation (many notes were given to them, personally I'd love to see if we could get a hold of them by chance...)

OK. That makes sense because Hokuto is the shortened name of Ursa  Major used in Japan. You sure weren't kidding about is being loose. Seems it all originates from an old Norse name for the constellation; Odin's Wain. Also it is mentioned in the Illiad as 'the Wain'.
'Northswain' seems, basically, an amalgam of 'North Star' and 'Odin's Wain'. Wain means wagon, BTW. So it would make more sense if the move was called 'North's Wain Strike'.


Also, I'd freakin' love to have those notes.

Quote from: "Vanya"Not in denial, probably overestimating the intelligence and maturity of the average player. I tend to do that often.
As for your age, I don't know and I never gave it a thought.

I think you are giving people too much credit. It's not necessarily an issue of maturity though.

(I'm 21 by the way )

QuoteAnd the new one sometimes strays way far from the original without being any more descriptive. Not as bad as vanilla, but still annoying to me.

Examples?

QuoteI kind of understand Hamedo because of the trend of not translating martial arts terms. They could have done a better job with consistency in the case of the Monk over all.

There's the issue. None of the monk's other abilities are left in such a state. They were all translated to some degree.

QuoteSunken State = Sempuku = concealment; hiding, ambush.
Vanilla: ridiculous.
WotL: concealment was fine, no need to call it vanish. Note it wasn't far off from the true original term.

Secret Fist = HikouKen? = Fatal Spot Fist?
I don't have anything but a translation that I don't trust on this one.
I wouldn't translate this one or use the more widely known term Dim Mak.

MP Switch = MP surikae = MP to switch (secretly); to substitute.
Vanilla: overly accurate, yes.
WotL: very descriptive, but they went too far with 'mana'. MP Shield would have sufficed.

1. And yet the ability causes the unit to literally turn invisible...
3. How far they went wasn't my point (and really, I've no issue with using mana in this instance). My point was that it's more accurate than the original.

QuoteI'll begin by saying that I dislike the FF12 translation more than the WotL one. I suspect both were translated by the same individual(s). There are quite a few classic monsters that were mistranslated/changed for no good reason.

I tracked down the kanji/kana for Ashe's Mist Knack and it seems we had it sort of backwards. Her mist knack/quickening is named after Agrias' Holy Sword skill. Actually, all of them are named after the Holy Sword skills. I don't know who's ass they pulled 'Northswain' from. I'm guessing it must be some thing related to the north star somehow.

Well, thanks to Darthpaul and LD, we do know where it came from. And they didn't pull it out of anyone's ass apparently.

1) I do give 'em too much credit sometimes, you're right. (I'm 31, BTW. ^_^)

2) Later... I'm tired now. =P

3) Very bad, I agree.

4a) FFTA2 (maybe A1 also) use invisibility status for both magical and non magical skills, so I don't think it's literal in this case.
4b) I get you, but I do take issue with it.

5) That's one point for you, Square, but I'll be back for... REVENGE!!![/i][/b]

Algus is a worse name than Argath

Quote from: "Ansem"Algus is a worse name than Argath

Everyone is allowed their own opinion, if it's gonna get flamed though keep it to yourself, please.

How will it be flamed? To silence opinion of this kind is really anti-productive. Algus is just a bad a name as Argath in my opinion. Argus or Argas, would have been a fine name though.

Indeed it would be counterproductive. I should have pointed out that a reason or a replacement name would be better than just a statement. Like you post, I too believe that Argus would be a much better name in such regards.

somewhat related, for some reason I allways thought Teta was pronounced with the 2nd T silent.

That is an interesting rendition of her name.

Does that mean you got her name sounding something like Tehah?

Actually it was more just Teah

Teitra did not get as much focus as she should have. She should have been a guest or something. I mean, if your going to have her as a "Guest" at Zeikdan and she has a job with abilities than why shouldn't she use them? Of course that would mean I couldn't edit her skill set with the Text Editor or make skillsets.