SE: Please tone it down a hair

[Rydin]

I.....never had a problem reading ANY of it. O.o Whats wrong with the rest of you?

What's wrong with everyone else?

That's the best example of the modern egocentric attitude I've ever seen

[Fiosha_Maureiba]

So I started up a character on Ragnarok under Limsa Lominsa. I find that if I'm reading the text more consecutively, my mind can attune to the pirate accent. And can quickly deviate to hear th' drylanders speak n' their tongue, then back to the Lominsans (minus the words that I don't know due to my Gograno-like education and quest-giver-like laziness).

[Laraul]

The LOC team, however, hasn't been completely silent on this issue. We have voiced our concerns regarding dialogue length, as well as relayed to the higher-ups user opinions found in this and similar threads (the "Brevity is the Soul of Wit" post being the first to come to mind). And, while I don't believe that XIV will ever be called 'light on text,' I do genuinely believe that some changes are in store for 2.0. There are those among us who realize that while there is a place for a good, meaty yarn, there is also a place for quick, concise storytelling.

It's not the excessive amount of text that's the issue, but it appears that way because a total lack of varied styled text to hi-light specific terms (NPC names, areas on map, etc). There is no way to get a basic idea of the construct just by quickly glancing over the lengthy text. As a result the text looks incredibly bland and monotonous.

But the problem is, non of the developers working on the actual game source/scripts/etc understand anything but Japanese, and they simply see it as not their problem but the responsibility of the localization team to do this on their own. And I suppose their are ways (using all CAPITAL LETTERS for example, wrapping terms in |special| characters is another). But the developers may not care for these unique alternatives nor understand how those who rely soley on a LATIN alphabet for written text actually process words.

[Rydin]

It's not the excessive amount of text that's the issue, but it appears that way because a total lack of varied styled text to hi-light specific terms (NPC names, areas on map, etc). There is no way to get a basic idea of the construct just by quickly glancing over the lengthy text. As a result the text looks incredibly bland and monotonous.

But the problem is, non of the developers working on the actual game source/scripts/etc understand anything but Japanese, and they simply see it as not their problem but the responsibility of the localization team to do this on their own. And I suppose their are ways (using all CAPITAL LETTERS for example, wrapping terms in |special| characters is another). But the developers may not care for these unique alternatives nor understand how those who rely soley on a LATIN alphabet for written text actually process words.

Actually, many Japanese students are taught English in middle/high school. I obviously can't speak for the developers, however, many of the students are mainly taught to read and write English, as opposed to speaking it.

Your point is still extremely valid though, in the sense that there are cultural differences that come into play.
Even the themes of Square RPGs have always been so different than that which our minds have become accustomed.

Specifically, SE stories tend to require an understanding of the history of the lore to really appreciate what's going on in the present. Contrary to western stories where everything is about "Now Now Now." In games like that, lore history still exists, but it is not required to really understand the current story

That why I've always loved Japanese RPGs, they have always been (At least from my perspective) less predictable.
Like in FFX when you found out that the Guardian becomes the final summon and ultimately the new Sin, which in turn kills the summoner, further perpetuating Spira's "Downward spiral of death" (For lack of a better phrase)

And how could we not forget the big mess (Which made for an incredible story) that was Jenova vs Cetra vs Sephiroth vs Shinra vs AVALANCHE and the planet
The plot in FFVII was arguably complex, but through straightforward dialogue and TONS of exposition, we were always able to keep up with everything we were supposed to know at any given time.

A case can be made that a very complex story would go well with very simple straight forward dialogue. Obviously, that is a matter of preference, however it does hold merit. For instance, Shakespeare initially disliked his play, Hamlet (More specifically Hamlet as a character). Hamlet wasn't overly complex. It had plot twists, but no more than Much Ado, Romeo and Juliet or Merchant of Venice. What Shakespeare didn't care for was the overly intellectual Hamlet as opposed to the far less Sagacious characters of other works like King Lear. Hamlet's sagaciously complex soliloquies seemed extremely out of place in a tale of rage and revenge (Which was probably the point).

I know, you're thinking "But Hamlet was so popular, doesn't that make a case for complex dialogue"
Not exactly. Hamlet's plot was actually one of the least complex of Shakespeare's works. In fact, most of the Elizabethan era audiences were already extremely familiar with the story of the Prince of Denmark. In contrast, "Romeo and Juliet," "King Lear," "Othella" and even the comedies "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Merchant of Venice" had more plot complexity and less introspective psychological monologues

Also worth noting, the one thing the offline titles have that this game doesn't have the privilege of is a party dynamic that affords many opportunities for exposition. The party would bring new characters up to speed on the situation, and in doing so, keep the player informed as well.

tl;dr For all of those who say "I enjoy the text, let's not dumb it down.. It's intellectual... attention spans.. ADD.. blah blah blah..."
My point is simply "If the story is good, you don't need all of that"

/thread