Thread: The 2.5 (Part 1 & 2) speculation thread

It's theory time!

Let's start with our good friend, Ser Aymeric

I can't help but think there's possibly something about him, for one, his friend Lucia, appears to be Garlean, also in the above artwork, he looks somewhat similar to the pictured Ascian, no? It's probably not him though, as he has some stubble on his chin. I also can't help thinking that us going to the Keeper of the Lake is what awakens Midgarsormr, and who hinted that maybe we should take a closer look in the first place?

Second of all, Lady Iceheart seems to be protecting Ishgard?

Originally Posted by WellFooled

I got the opposite impression with Iceheart. That barrier came down and then the trailer cut to Iceheart, making me think that she may be responsible for the shield falling.

It looked more like the barrier was going up, since Ishgard appears normal, then there's a flash of light, then the barrier looks to appear from that flash.

Originally Posted by WellFooled

You could be right, but based on that small glimpse I would still argue that it's being destroyed. I say this because I think that flash of light only makes it the barrier visible (I think that shield has been there all along, even now. We just can't see it) and then immediately after it becomes visible it starts vanishing, starting at where that flash originated.

I think that flash of light, whatever it is, is disabling the shield.

True, it could go either way, I don't think Iceheart wants to see Ishgard destroyed though, I got the feeling that she wants peace, instead of Ishgard being decimated, though perhaps that could be her way of getting 'peace'. Good point about the barrier possibly being there all along, it would make sense, given the constant attacks the city suffers.

Originally Posted by WellFooled

You could be right, but based on that small glimpse I would still argue that it's being destroyed. I say this because I think that flash of light only makes it the barrier visible (I think that shield has been there all along, even now. We just can't see it) and then immediately after it becomes visible it starts vanishing, starting at where that flash originated.

I think that flash of light, whatever it is, is disabling the shield.

It definitely looked like she was destroying the shield to me.

Originally Posted by Grayve

So, I assume the staff mentioned in the opening is the one the scions have, which is shattered, and formally belonged to Louisoix. Do we know more about why it is important?

Edit: also, I read on reddit that the Japanese trailer opens with Iceheart talking, not Urianger. Is that true, and if so does anyone know what she says?

We’ve noticed people here and there wondering about why the EN and JP 2.5 trailers begin with different characters speaking, as well as what the woman in the JP trailer is saying. First of all, allow me to provide you with the corresponding EN:

Lucia: When a great wyrm roars, his brethren cannot choose but answer. We prepare for battle.

It’s a perfectly serviceable line, and I would’ve been happy to see it used (I wrote it!). However, there’s a rather simple reason why it wasn’t: the EN line is roughly 5.5 seconds long, whereas the JP one is just over 10.

You see, the vast majority of the voiced lines in FFXIV are not timesynced, which is to say that the lengths of a given line across languages are not standardized. This allows each team to write and record lines at natural lengths for their language, instead of, say, dragging out an interjection (DIIIE, DAAAMN YOOOOOOUUU!), or cramming an eloquent thought into a split second (Iamtheverymodelofamodernmajorgeneral). This works because the next line doesn’t automatically play─you have to press a button to continue. Of course, for scenes in which lines advance automatically (such as a certain woman’s pleas to the heavens, of which I’m also rather proud), line lengths do have to be standardized, and our job gets a little more complicated.

You can probably see where this is going.

When the team creates trailers, they choose lines based on their JP length and content. However, they can’t restrict themselves to timesynced lines, since that would severely limit their options. Therefore, any line is fair game, and if the corresponding EN/FR/DE line isn’t suitable, we have to compensate. Cutting, splicing, swapping─we do whatever is necessary. We work closely with the sound team to make sure everything fits, and any significant changes─such as swapping the Lucia line with the Urianger line─are approved by those in charge (“Does it sound cool? Okay, as long as it sounds cool!”).

However, to be perfectly clear: these are exceptions. Most EN lines in our trailers correspond to the JP lines, and we will only swap lines as a last resort.

Fortunately, the team understands our situation, and they do their best to accommodate us. They use tricks to allow for variable line lengths in trailers, like showing a person speaking, then cutting away as their line continues. The Alphinaud line, for example, is about 10.5 seconds in JP, and about 6.3 in EN, but that doesn’t matter because you no longer see him on screen and are now distracted by foreboding music and a cackling villain with wicked sideburns.

And there you have it! Hopefully, by clearing up this mystery, y’all can focus on the other dozen or so currently being discussed.