Newest interview (abyssea was a mistake?)

[Meyi]

I'm going to try and translate it, but please forgive me if it's wrong. I'm fearful of Google translate, but my own skills are awful. If anyone finds errors with this translation and is decent in Japanese, please let me know so I can correct it. (I will give you credit!)

ディレクターの伊藤です。

ZAMによるインタビュー記事の内容が、第3者による某匿名掲示板への誤訳と捏造を含む無責任な投稿によって誤って日本のユーザーに伝わっている件について、改めてインタビューの質問の趣旨と回答の意図をご説明したいと思います。（なお、海外コミュニティでもかなりネガティブな印象なのでは？と言った投稿や、スレッドが荒れているという投稿もありましたが、概ねポジティブに捉えられ、建設的に議論されています。）

某匿名掲示板には、【伊藤「アビセアは失敗作だった」】というタイトルで以下の文が掲載されました。

This is Director Ito.

The ZAM interview article content was falsely translated by a third party person and so once again I am regarding the interview's questions and answers.

Furthermore, the foreign communities seem to have a negative impression. This submission [I'm assuming this very topic] has started a heated discussion.

An anonymous bulletin board titled "Ito: Abyssea was a failure" [again I'm assuming it's this topic] says there is a downward movement.

• アビセアはプレイヤー的には好評だったが、運営側としては失敗だった
• 特にアートマやジェイドでの強化はやりすぎた
  
  これらはアビセアに関する質問と回答の中から、前後の文を無視して抜粋されたようです。
  
  インタビューの趣旨は「アビセアの成功で得たものは何か？」でした。
  それに対しては次のように回答しています。
  
  
  • アビセアで得たものは成功ばかりではない。
  • プレイ感覚も価値も、他のコンテンツとの格差が生じるという問題が浮き彫りになった。
  • アビセアは概ね成功だが、アビセアに関してユーザーから指摘のあったそれらの問題点を開発チームは強く認識している。他のコンテンツをテコ入れすると共に、新規コンテンツの教訓にする。つまり、アビセアは失敗ではなく、他のコンテンツに今後の課題が出来た。
  なお、インタビュー記事でも概ねそのように書かれています。

* Abyssea was a success among the players, but a failure among developers.
* Special atmas and abyssites made the players too powerful.

This question and answer concerns Abyssea, which seems to have been disregarded.
The purpose of the interview was to answer what was gained from the success of Abyssea.
The opposition is next to be answered.

• We were merely questioning the triumphs of Abyssea.
• We wanted players to feel that other content was worth doing as well. However, there were problems of disparity that Abyssea had engraved into the game.
• Abyssea in general was a success, but, developers realized the strong issues of identification at hand. We want players to participate in new content.

In short, Abyssea was a failure and we are now presenting the new content's theme.

Furthermore, interviews will be written generally.

• ヴォイドウォッチはアビセアの失敗を受けて製作された
• バランス、ジョブ、戦利品の仕様など、今までの中でも完成されたコンテンツと思っている
  
  これらはヴォイドウォッチの現状や問題点についての質問の回答を、投稿者が逆の意味に翻訳し、脚色した文章のようです。
  
  インタビューの中では、ヴォイドウォッチの戦利品仕様やバランスなどの現状の問題点の例を挙げ、「ヴォイドウォッチにはまだ今後の調整課題が残されている。」という趣旨で、賛否両論のあるコンテンツと話しています。

* Voidwatch is the production of Abyssea's downfalls.
* Jobs and drop rates are complete, I think. [Note that Japanese often attach 'I think' at the end of sentences to sound polite. However, I can't decide if this is out of politeness or if he's genuinely considering a change, so I decided to leave this in.]

The contributions to Voidwatch's current drop rate system are dramatized because of the article's improper translation.


Inside of the interview the balance of Voidwatch was brought up. We are still reserving adjustments to the drop rates, and are weighing the pros and cons.

• 今のプレイヤーはストーリーよりも強敵との戦闘がしたい、と考えている
  　なので、今後はヴォイドウォッチがFF11の主流になる
  
  こちらは今後についての質問と回答の中から抜粋したものを、投稿者が逆の意味に翻訳し、記事中で述べていない内容でかなり脚色した文章のようです。
  
  インタビューでは、「アビセアとヴォイドウォッチはバトルに焦点を当てたコンテンツでしたが、ストーリーのあるコンテンツが待ち望まれているため、次はこれまでとは異なる新しいものを考えている。」と答えています。

* I think the balance between jobs and the drop rates are complete.

The article was dramatically incorrect in displaying information about this.

In the interview, it was said that Abyssea and Voidwatch battle systems were the main focus, and that story has a desirable wait to it. Here we are still deciding new considerations.
　

• 12月のバージョンアップで弱いジョブというものはなくなった、次からは強すぎるジョブのバランスを取る
• 新規を増やそうと色々頑張ってる
  
  これらは投稿者の捏造のようです。あるいは記事中の様々な単語を持ってきて繋げたのかもしれません。

* In December's update there were no longer weak jobs and strong jobs needed a balance.
* There were new augments preserved.

It is possible that the article had varied vocabulary in this section. The connection is not yet known.
　
　

ZAMに限らず、海外でインタビューや発表が記事になる場合、校正や事前の確認を行えないため、何をどう書かれるかは公開されるまで分かりません。

ただ、今回の記事の原文を見る限りでは、私たちが伝えたかった内容はインタビュワーには概ね伝わっており、記事の内容に関しても否定する部分はありません。

機械翻訳などのツールを用いて私的に記事を読むのは問題ないと思いますが、それを投稿する場合にはそれなりの責任を伴うはずですし、読み手も充分に注意する必要があると思います。
今回はこうして誤った情報を前提として議論が過熱してしまったところがあり、私も開発チームもだいぶ困惑しているというのが正直なところです。

一方で、この投稿からアビセアとヴォイドウォッチの評価についてフォーラムで皆さんに真剣に語って頂けたことにより、皆さんと私たちの認識がそこまでズレていないことが確認できたことは意味があったと考えています。

私のTwitterのアカウントにも誤った情報を前提としたコメントが寄せられたため、その内容を確認しましたが、フォーラムではない場所で過熱していたためにフォーラムで急に語るわけにもいかず、Twitterで疑問を投げかけさせて頂きました。その結果、余計に混乱を招くことになってしまいました。申し訳ありません。

折角フォーラムがあるのに･･･という点は仰る通りだと思います。案件の大小や内容に関わらず、今後はこう言った部分も含めて、フォーラムを通じて皆さんへ意図をお伝えしたり、ディスカッションをさせていただきます。

最後になりますが、ここまで大きな拗れになったことは、私の信頼のなさも要因のひとつになっていると受け止めています。今後は信頼を得られるよう、より一層、開発に励んで参ります。どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。

As of this ZAM article's limitations, we have decided to proofread foreign interview announcements beforehand to validate their translation accuracy.

Now we are converting the subject in the interview in a suitable time. [I don't understand this sentence but I tried my best. orz]

Maybe machine translation tools (like Google) pose a problem. Take necessary caution when reading machine translated articles, as they may be inaccurate. It can cause gossip and overheating. Both I and the development team are bewildered at the honesty and integrity of the place.

One day, the assessments about Abyssea and Voidwatch from the forums concerning everyone's seriousness will be recognized, but the current premises are fresh and will be changing.

My Twitter account made a mistake too. If it happens again, comment there, but don't overheat on the forums. Don't rush to the forums, but rather leave me a comment, otherwise there will be unnecessary chaos created.

The forums have great pains although, said points have been received. Subject sizes from now on version drafts of said portion will include everyone and will convey the report of those who have had the privilege of discussing. [I may have butchered this, I'm sorry.]

In conclusion I trust things will not become progressively worse. I have faith that we will obtain the correct method, but we must brace ourselves until the time comes. Please, let us all be nice to each other.

*****

As I stated earlier, this might be inaccurate, and, judging by their dislike of the ZAM "third party" translate, I'm not quite sure how this post will fair. Um, I tried my best. ^^; You can take it or leave it and my feelings won't be hurt. From what I gathered though, it seems Mr. Ito is upset at the uproar the "improperly translated article" has caused. I think he's genuinely concerned for us and will be going to great measures to make the interview more understandable for us nonJapanese members. I don't think they considered Abyssea a failure in the sense that we took it as, but rather as something that would be difficult to outmatch and therefore, have decided to take a completely different turn because of it. They also seemed upset at how powerful atmas and abyssites had made us, so maybe that was their biggest concern.

[Ravenmore]

That just makes them look even worse if they couldn't see how strong atmas or the like would make us. Right back to "we don't play our own game". No matter how they spin it they are so out of touch at this point as a whole the writing is on the wall. The player base had already accepted that any WS numbers, solos in abyssea was in abyssea and didn't mean much once you left abyssea. It still fels like they are back tracking from the last hurrah feel of abyssea over powering.

[Meyi]

That just makes them look even worse if they couldn't see how strong atmas or the like would make us. Right back to "we don't play our own game". No matter how they spin it they are so out of touch at this point as a whole the writing is on the wall. The player base had already accepted that any WS numbers, solos in abyssea was in abyssea and didn't mean much once you left abyssea. It still fels like they are back tracking from the last hurrah feel of abyssea over powering.

No, I think the * bullets were from the article's translation to which they were referring to. It's not that atmas made someone too powerful or just right, but that they are more concerned with future development being weighed against Abyssea and being judged by Abyssea's standards.

[Seriha]

I don't think anyone really expected Abyssea itself as the form of new content, but it seems weird for them to imply they learned from it and tailored Voidwatch around those errors, only to pretty much have it blow up in their face by disregarding one of the most dominating aspects of Abyssea in that effort is actually rewarded.

In the broadest sense, VW did further expand the proc system, taking us beyond a small party having all triggers covered at the expense of the majority of other jobs. However, just because a given job has a unique ability or two doesn't automatically make them desired by players. This is further confounding by their thought that there are currently no weak jobs and that recent nerfs have been justified in reigning back those they feel too powerful. Players with a good knowledge on how jobs currently fare, especially without Atma holding them up, will more than likely disagree with this sentiment.

I dunno. People still want answers about the new WS and their justifications for sidegrades/weaker WS. VW will never be as popular as it could be if they maintain poor drop rates and/or refuse to implement a point system. There are still jobs out there who need help, to be more than just a trigger spell or ability. There is still the issue of trials being unreasonable grinds, maybe even taking matters away from player effort toward how big your wallet is. People do want more stories.

Continued ignorance of these pleas have nothing to do with Abyssea directly. However, it does add fuel to the fire of a lingering sense of disconnect, especially if the interview itself was translated properly. Ultimately, I fear some kind of censorship coming from this as a result, where details expressed on the JP side might be omitted from other languages. Or worse, the rare interview is so watered down and lacking with substance that it would be no real loss if it never happened.

I don't know if the Japanese have an equivalent phrase to "Actions speak louder than words," but what hits the game is representative of the dev's thoughts. In absence of more frequent discourse, game changes are the only communication we get, and it's painfully one-sided. We're mean because we're mad. We're mad because we feel ignored. These are issues that can be fixed, but blaming it all on a mistranslation just emphasizes the current disconnect.

[Runespider]

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.htm...03542301021635

Mizuki Ito made a thread saying the contents of the interview were mistranslated by whoever posted it for Japanese players, which set off some crazy "sh*tstorm." He says someone irresponsibly posted a slipshod version, basically.

To help clear this up, I went through and did a quick summary translation. I'll keep an eye on the thread a bit to field any questions you might have, as well.

---

First, he addresses the idea that the devs think Abyssea failed.

Ito says: This quote is taken out of context. Abyssea wasn't all successes. The problem is the Abyssea created a rift between itself and other content in terms of play and price. Abyssea was an overall success, they agree, but it brought up some key issues they need to address in existing content and keep in mind for new content.

Then questions concerning the current state and issues involving Voidwatch were translated to give opposite meanings.

Ito says: The issues concerning the Voidwatch drop system were raised, and they will be adjusted. The pros and cons are being debated.

Next, players got the impression that devs are saying "players want big mobs over story, so let's focus on Voidwatch."

Ito says: This was again taken out of context and the meaning was completely reversed in translation to Japanese. The answer was that Abyssea and Voidwatch had focused on battles, and people were waiting for a good story, so they are going to do something different (different than straight battle content)

Lastly, the player who posted the Japanese translation said devs dropped weak jobs in the Dec. update and worked to balance only the strongest jobs. Also, the devs are doing lots of stuff to attract new players.

Ito says: A complete fabrication. At best, he just strung together random words from the article.


Ito goes on to say when interviews like this are done, you cannot simply assume and fabricate what the content is and then present it as fact. Despite the outcry, as far as the original article stands, there is nothing he objects to in terms of what I wrote.

He warns against the problems that machine translation can cause, and says that writers need to accept some responsibility for what they put out there, and readers need to take these translations with a grain of salt.

He also apologizes for not responding quickly enough, but, naturally, he couldn't rush to the forums immediately without understanding the problem. All the while, he's being deluged on Twitter with overly angry and impassioned criticism and questions.

Ito says he is a little disappointed that although they took the effort to create official forums for discussion, things got out of control so quickly. However, he admits that part of this reaction is rooted in a mistrust of the development team, something he genuinely will work to improve.

[Meyi]

Yay, Elmer translated! ^^ Tell him thank you for me on Allakhazam.

[Greatguardian]

So is the complaint about the reverse-translation of the interview from English back to Japanese? Or about the original translation from Japanese to English?

If it's the former, this really doesn't mean anything to the English-speaking playerbase as our translation of the interview was correct, yes?

[Avelonia]

So is the complaint about the reverse-translation of the interview from English back to Japanese? Or about the original translation from Japanese to English?

Yes I'm pretty sure this post by Ito was in reference to the reverse-translation.

the contents of the interview were mistranslated by whoever posted it for Japanese players

Despite the outcry, as far as the original article stands, there is nothing he objects to in terms of what I wrote.

[saevel]

So this is SE tap dancing now that the JP and EN community is starting to get on the same page here. They delete our posts put are quick to answer the JP's. Makes sense considering the NA's can't do jack to effect SE's business operations, but the JP players can interact with the JP gaming community and cause all sorts of press problems over here.

Now to the real question, will they start listening now that the JP's are questioning them? Or will they insist 500 PW kills is "jobs and drops complete".

[Olor]

If they think that the reason we like Abyssea over other content is Atma and feeling powerful - they are nuts (although atma did help fix some serious shortcomings in otherwise lacklustre jobs) - it is the effort to reward ratio - and steady progress over endless RNG

That said - as a BST, having atma show me how crapped on the job was because pets don't usually get buffs - definately did expose how underpowered the job is in normal group content outside of abyssea - but maybe they should work on FIXING that instead of wasting time with the nerf bat.