Vana'diel Tribune Chronicles: North America Release Date?

[Iamthatis]

http://store.jp.square-enix.com/detail/9784757542716?fromsearch=


Just found out about this and sincerely hope this book gets released outside of Japan as well.


Is there any plans for an English release? It would be really unfornate if there wasn't an English release like the 10th anniversary art book which also wasn't released outside of Japan. I hope SE will consider an English release since this book is for the 11th anniversary...

[Sapphire]

Not to mention the ingame items...

Though right now my main hope is that it isn't an SE store exclusive or anything, so I can pick it up at a Kinokuniya or something.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

Just found out about this and sincerely hope this book gets released outside of Japan as well.


Is there any plans for an English release?

AHAHAHAHAHHHAHHAAAHHHH.... /hack /wheeze /inhale

Hoooooo...

Wow.

Yeah, right after we get Adoulin for PS2.

[Iamthatis]

Not to mention the ingame items...

Though right now my main hope is that it isn't an SE store exclusive or anything, so I can pick it up at a Kinokuniya or something.


I was able to find the book on other sites but it's 600+ pages in Japanese... if it was an art book that'd be a little different and Non Japanese players could still look at the pictures at least. But I imagine it's mostly lore so it'd probably be just a collector's item for most people.





Yeah, right after we get Adoulin for PS2.


I think a more accurate analogy would be no SoA outside of Japan. At least with SoA, PC and xbox can still play outside of Japan. Sure it's unfornate with SoA and PS2 but at least there were other options.

With the Vana'diel Tribune Chronicles, unless someone has +5 years of Japanese as a second language, they won't be able to enjoy this book. And that's quite unfornate since XI has a lot of history...

[Raydeus]

I´m hoping they release it outside of Japan, but not getting my hopes up. Specially considering how SE goes way out of their way to prevent people outside Japan from buying stuff that is released only there.

Edit >
BTW at least they are selling it on Amazon.co.jp and it doesn't look like purchase is region restricted. In case anyone else wants to import it.

[bungiefanNA]

Amazon never region-restricts books from shipping internationally, just software.

[Raydeus]

Amazon never region-restricts books from shipping internationally, just software.

It's rare but they do. I've had at least one instance where Amazon Japan did not sell a book to me because the item contained a game code like this one does. They also love holding movies/CDs and others when they contain any sort of gaming related item. For instance I was unable to buy the Macross Frontier BD movies because they contained a very small demo for the PS3 Ace Frontier game.

But then again I don't live in the US so maybe the restrictions only apply to other countries.

[Elexia]

AHAHAHAHAHHHAHHAAAHHHH.... /hack /wheeze /inhale

Hoooooo...

Wow.

Yeah, right after we get Adoulin for PS2.

Ironically they stopped producing a lot of 'side stuff' because the interest on the NA/EU side of things waned far more than the Japanese interest, so if anything if we do get it'd be a surprise because the only reason people care for it now that it's gone is because they can't have it xD. I can understand Japanese so it doesn't bother me, It's just...where was the interest prior? :p

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

It's just...where was the interest prior? :p

I've got a copy of all three BradyGames books on my shelf. The Vana'diel Atlas still has the best/most useful maps of notorious places like the Elshimo jungles.

I still log on through the PS2 client from time to time and would buy a NA release of Adoulin in a heartbeat.

I didn't jump onto things like the Tidal Talisman or the pre-order pack-ins for the soundtrack CDs, but you also won't see me complaining about the fact that I didn't buy them.

Maybe you're just addressing the plural "you" here, but I personally have already demonstrated prior interest. I'm just not interested enough to learn Japanese, or to commit to buying 50 copies just to inflate demand.

[Imakun]

Also Europe, please. ALL of it this time.

[Vivivivi]

Ironically they stopped producing a lot of 'side stuff' because the interest on the NA/EU side of things waned far more than the Japanese interest, so if anything if we do get it'd be a surprise because the only reason people care for it now that it's gone is because they can't have it xD. I can understand Japanese so it doesn't bother me, It's just...where was the interest prior? :p

We're in the kickstarter era! Let people willing to purchase agree to pay a price, if enough "pre-proudction orders" are reached (aka whatever the number is to be profitable) why not put it into production?

Take my money pls SE.

[Raydeus]

We're in the kickstarter era! Let people willing to purchase agree to pay a price, if enough "pre-proudction orders" are reached (aka whatever the number is to be profitable) why not put it into production?

Take my money pls SE.

Agreed.

I still don't understand how in this day and age companies like SE don't just make kickstarter-like campaigns for projects like this where fans are asking for something but they are not sure if it's worth the investment.

They can set a goal of what is worth it for them and if the goal is reached people will get charged and the item will be sent to them once it's produced. Not only does that mean people will be able to get things they normally wouldn't in the past, but this presents zero risk for the company.

Bonus points if they add goals and benefits (again just like with a kickstarter) for people willing to contribute more than the asking price.


Edit > If they did this with things like a Japanese voices DLC for X/X-2 HD it would also be great.

[Sapphire]

So I had a moment, and since I've had to deal with J->E translation for YEARS now, and have watched the horror of Large Print Translation Projects That People Thought Could Be Done Cheaply, I decided to get up from my desk and walk over to an actual translator and ask her how much the translation cost ALONE would be.

608 pages, which will be mostly text, since each story will likely have one big picture, all lore intensive, requiring great familiarity with the game and tons of research and...

$6000+ Just for the translation. Admittedly the person I asked is NOT a cut-rate translator (who are used far far far too often). But yeah. She pointed out she could do an entire 13 episode anime series for less than that.

And that doesn't cover printing costs, minimum orders and hordes of other things.

If SE can't/won't bring over translated Ultimanias for blockbusters like FFVII and Kingdom Hearts...

[Raydeus]

If SE can't/won't bring over translated Ultimanias for blockbusters like FFVII and Kingdom Hearts...

Which is precisely why a kickstarter-like approach could help change things around. Most of the times they don't bring these items outside of Japan because they don't know if there's enough interest to make the investment and time worth it, so they usually just don't bother.

[bungiefanNA]

I would go for a printed lore book. Even in PDF format would be fine.

[Sapphire]

Which is precisely why a kickstarter-like approach could help change things around. Most of the times they don't bring these items outside of Japan because they don't know if there's enough interest to make the investment and time worth it, so they usually just don't bother.

Whereas I'm saying a Kickstarter would just cause disappointment because fans really have no clue how much cost these things take, both money and time.

[Raydeus]

Whereas I'm saying a Kickstarter would just cause disappointment because fans really have no clue how much cost these things take, both money and time.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with people understanding how much money, time and effort it takes to make these things.

And if we are lucky we could end up with a fanbase that is more involved in the process of decision making and that has a more meaningful input in what is brought to the rest of the world outside Japan.

If people were so afraid of the ¨disappointment¨ of the reality of product making then we wouldn't have things like the Oculus Rift, or games like Broken Age, Skull girls, Banner Saga, Star Citizen, etc. etc.

Nowadays more and more people are understanding what it takes to make things reality, and they are making them happen.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

Before they even think about selling a hardcopy in English, they'd have to first translate this (http://www.playonline.com/ff11/xiyears/vt3/index.html) and the first eighteen volumes of this (http://www.playonline.com/ff11/guide/development/vt/backnumber/index.html).

And while we're dreaming, I'd like to see the pre-NA update notes translated as well, prz, for the sake of history and curiosity.

[Draylo]

I hope they let us buy it, I want that gun!

[bungiefanNA]

Before they even think about selling a hardcopy in English, they'd have to first translate this (http://www.playonline.com/ff11/xiyears/vt3/index.html) and the first eighteen volumes of this (http://www.playonline.com/ff11/guide/development/vt/backnumber/index.html).

And while we're dreaming, I'd like to see the pre-NA update notes translated as well, prz, for the sake of history and curiosity.

Elmer of JPButton had all the patch notes translated from before NA launch on his site, before it went offline. The Internet Wayback Machine probably has it archived.

http://web.archive.org/web/20101016101018/http://www.jpbutton.com/?p=157

http://web.archive.org/web/20090802075936/http://www.jpbutton.com/?p=188

Special bonus, 2001 beta update notes:

http://web.archive.org/web/20110409051404/http://www.jpbutton.com/?p=145

No harm in trying a KickStarter, it doesn't collect payment from anyone until the project reaches 0 time left while have met or exceeded its goal. It would be a way to guage interest. A lot of game developers have had success with it, like Inafune with Mighty Number 9. They could start the Kickstarter, make an announcement, and we could see the realistic costs involved in doing something like this and any stretch goals.

Interesting, from the patch on 07/09/2002:

Goods one may sell at the Auction House reduced from 8 at a time to 7.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

Elmer of JPButton had all the patch notes translated from before NA launch on his site, before it went offline. The Internet Wayback Machine probably has it archived.

http://web.archive.org/web/20101016101018/http://www.jpbutton.com/?p=157

http://web.archive.org/web/20090802075936/http://www.jpbutton.com/?p=188

Oh look, there was a first-party online encyclopedia of game information that got axed years before windowed mode was legitimized.

/sigh

[bungiefanNA]

Well, it was clunky to use, since it wasn't plainly accessible from a web browser, it was only visible inside PlayOnline Viewer, meaning you had to close the FFXI process and drop into POL Viewer to look it up. Had they put it right on their web site like they did with FFXIV, it would have seen more use. Also, from what I remember of it when ti was still online, it was very hard to search and navigate.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

At this point I'd still be willing to trade "Find the Right Wiki" in for that.

[Iamthatis]

So I had a moment, and since I've had to deal with J->E translation for YEARS now, and have watched the horror of Large Print Translation Projects That People Thought Could Be Done Cheaply, I decided to get up from my desk and walk over to an actual translator and ask her how much the translation cost ALONE would be.

608 pages, which will be mostly text, since each story will likely have one big picture, all lore intensive, requiring great familiarity with the game and tons of research and...

$6000+ Just for the translation. Admittedly the person I asked is NOT a cut-rate translator (who are used far far far too often). But yeah. She pointed out she could do an entire 13 episode anime series for less than that.

And that doesn't cover printing costs, minimum orders and hordes of other things.



That does give us a good idea of how much it would cost SE and it's interesting, I didn't expect it to be that much. o.o

However, I imagine some of the lore has already been translated since the old Vana Tribunes were translated to english. Also, I could be wrong, but I imagine SE has some on-staff translators that already do XI material such as the Localization team. Regardless, I'd love to see SE have more XI stuff for sale. I waited a week to order those darn nation keychains and when I tried to order them they were all sold out ; ;.


As someone else said, SE take my money plz!