I'm all for clever localization but please don't just leave out important story.

[Intaki]

I know very well how localization works. I also know that we have been outright told by the devs that FFXIV does not have a typical localization scheme. Each language team works together and collaboratively adds their own ideas in the process of creating the script.

And you're more than welcome to make your polite requests and claim your story is "belittled". Just don't be surprised when you're called out for making mountains out of molehills; if you didn't seek public feedback for your ideas, you would not have posted on a public forum. I apologize that you're not getting the feedback you wanted.

As a polite request, I'd please ask that in the future you try and seek education on a subject before attempting to speak about it. When you talk about the "original Japanese writer" it severely undermines your credibility on the subject by displaying an inherent lack of knowledge about how the process actually works.

[Intaki]

You are taking the lore team words too seriously, there's an original text, and yes. they said they took some ideas form the localization teams to modify and improve the original, kudos to them, team work always gives better results, and a lot of brains work better than a few, but the original is still there, and it's Japanese, don't give the EN team more merit than they deserve.

Then please, enlighten me as to which lines are "original" and which are revised. Once you've sorted out the revised areas of the lore, then we can have a discussion about the originals. That sounds fair, right?

[Hyrist]

Really? What evidence is that?

This is the only retort I will reply to.

The Japanese voice and text has been pulled and translated directly here. Additionally, members of the EU community have spoken out about the FN and GR translations and have confirmed that its text and tone matches the Japanese version.

That's 3 languages to 1 in terms for versions of the story. And as it has been said, many times, there is a difference between there argument of preference and the argument of facts. Those who are arguing preference are wasting their breath. They are entitled to their opinion, I don't agree with them, and they seem far more content to insult me, or debunk me than concede that opinions differ and let mine stand.

Nor are they truly explaining their viewpoint in defense of their perspective, they're arguing instead that theirs is more valid cause Koji tried to sell his approved localization. What I am saying is I'm not buying it. I appreciate the idea of having text stylized for each region, but this, in my opinion, goes too far. I draw the line at the altering of character depiction, and have just as much problem with Midgardsormr as I do the Ishgardian House Lord residing in Fort Dragonhead. (If you did not know, other game versions depict him as a pervert.)

If you wish to continue this conversation and defend your preference, to the point where I would be interested in engage. Approach this from a pesonal perspective: Why do you prefer the current style? Why would you prefer a character depicted differently than all the others? What sense of value is added in having a character re-described to the point where it causes a conversational rift with those of our community that are multi-lingual?

I don't find it right that 'Old Sage Midgard' got depicted as an insulting louse with a superiority complex in only one language. I don't think it's fair to have someone ignorant of the different depictions entering a conversation in the international community of this game having an opinion fueled only by the 'stylized' translation of a single Localization team of four. I believe having a united vision of the game serves us better to bring our separate communities together rather than differentiating renditions of said story, especially as some of us still share server space with those of different languages.

This is why I don't approve, and I hope the EN Localization team takes that into consideration.

[Velox]

snip

I play with English audio and I was easily able to deduce Midgarsormr's intentions the whole time, so don't assume everyone is the same as you. I will admit that he comes off as very subtle and I can imagine that people not well versed in such subtlties would have trouble understanding, but I found the character to be very refined. It was a nice change of pace to say the least. I grow bored by the shallowness of some of these character pools.

[Kazumac]

Hardly the first time character personalities are changed in this game... Seriously anyone who thinks we get the same experience just needs to talk to someone who plays the Japanese Version.

I'm not sure why people are making a big deal out of this one. I guess maybe because some had a hard time understanding midsgarsomer?

[Hyrist]

Hardly the first time character personalities are changed in this game... Seriously anyone who thinks we get the same experience just needs to talk to someone who plays the Japanese Version.

I'm not sure why people are making a big deal out of this one. I guess maybe because some had a hard time understanding midsgarsomer?

To be fair, Midgardsormr is pretty much confirmed as the linchpin character of the entirety of the Heavensward expansion at this point. So while the other, more minor characters do not really have a grand influence on the overall tone of a story, this one will, and it will grade the nerves of many of us.

As it's too late at this point to expect any changes for Heavensward's localization (this late in the voice acting and writing period, what's done is done.) This is more, in my view, a feedback for future stories.

[Kazumac]

To be fair, Midgardsormr is pretty much confirmed as the linchpin character of the entirety of the Heavensward expansion at this point. So while the other, more minor characters do not really have a grand influence on the overall tone of a story, this one will, and it will grade the nerves of many of us.

As it's too late at this point to expect any changes for Heavensward's localization (this late in the voice acting and writing period, what's done is done.) This is more, in my view, a feedback for future stories.

Point taken with the importance of this character. Though many of the past discrepancies in personality we've (my wife plays the Japanese version as that is her native culture) noted have been with the scions... So it's not like those are minor characters either. Y'shtola's personality comes to mind for me here.

[Corfish]

I'll just say I like EN Midgardsormr, I like the fact that it seems he thinks you're just a tool and wants to see if we have any real independence outside of Hydaelyn. Besides, we don't know what Part 2 is building up to. For all we know it would make more sense to have Midgardsormr behave the way he does in the EN version. Either way I don't think its that big of a deal. Localization changes character attributes pretty often, sometimes minor and sometimes major, but the overall story is still there and that's good enough for me.

[Renik]

Then please, enlighten me as to which lines are "original" and which are revised. Once you've sorted out the revised areas of the lore, then we can have a discussion about the originals. That sounds fair, right?

this is the last time i answer to you... you have not only requested for the impossible, you also think that by doing so makes your opinion more valid than mine, when it's obvious that you have no idea about how localization works and how videogame scenarios are written, so please, use google and educate yourself a bit, but stay away from opinion articles made by videogame sites, those are evil.

[Hyrist]

Point taken with the importance of this character. Though many of the past discrepancies in personality we've (my wife plays the Japanese version as that is her native culture) noted have been with the scions... So it's not like those are minor characters either. Y'shtola's personality comes to mind for me here.

And that remains a criticism of mine as well.

With the Scions, however, their roles were quite divided and split as a larger role. Writing wise, it seems that the bulk importance of a representation is going to be put on Midgardormr's wings, so I feel as if the importance is greater here.

That and the depiction here is very different, as different as a neutral and a highly negative tone can get. If they maintain it, it will change the tone of the expansion itself for the English language. I'm not fond of that concept, speaking as an individual.