please God just call it port

[Ilyrian]

I assume it's Americans doing the translation... choosing 16th century English nautical terms (which have since been updated in the following 300 years) is a bizarre choice... where they getting them from?

[jameseoakes]

It just seems such an odd choice to dredge it up, nautical phrases aren't that clear to begin with and that just over complicated an already unforgiving mechanic

i'm not angry about it - I feel like I've learned something today. But these aren't just 'old-terms' they are literal dead phrases. I have never seen or come across it any literature, let alone spoken word.

It's not used on ships anymore, it was completely supplanted by port as far as I can tell.

[Tempest222]

Yes it would be immensely helpful if the two worlds differed from each-other more so it’s easier to read at a split second glance.

Im totally unfamiliar with nautical terms and always have a mental block with starboard and port anyway and would have to remind myself which was which prior to going into the fight regardless, but using a word that’s very visually similar to starboard instead of port just adds an extra layer of hesitation for a decision needing to be made in split seconds.

[Astrus]

Yes it would be immensely helpful if the two worlds differed from each-other more so it’s easier to read at a split second glance.

Im totally unfamiliar with nautical terms and always have a mental block with starboard and port anyway and would have to remind myself which was which prior to going into the fight regardless, but using a word that’s very visually similar to starboard instead of port just adds an extra layer of hesitation for a decision needing to be made in split seconds.

Not that it helps with the fight in any way but a nice way for remembering which is which in real life is memorizing that both "port" and "left" are only 4 letters each.

[Fredco191]

I’m pretty sure they used larboard just to trick people

[Hamada]

I assumed localization team chose Larboard because it rhymes better with Starboard.
As for other languages, as far I know in Japanese they used nautical terms for these attacks too (左舷 and　右舷), though it's much easier to tell because they included characters meaning 'left' and 'right' in the words.

That being said, I do find it funny when they said the reason they did not go with traditional Final Fantasy spell naming convention was because it'd be too confusing for some players, yet they keep using specific technical terms in fights which require you to learn on the spot, or sometime outright non-nonsensical localization eg. Argath's "Stop" or "Keep moving" moves in Rabanastre.

Oh wow, I never put those 2 together before, what is with the double standard with that? I would LOVE to hear them explain that one. As I posted in a different thread it causes issues with people with dyslexia, they really need to stop with making mechanics like this. it is not "hard" by any means, all it is frustrating to those with issues like that.

[lordnaarghul]

Fun fact: it's a really, REALLY old term for the left side of a ship that they discontinued...for being confusing.