FF14 player count reached the lowest point in 4 years. We lost 75% of the playerbase.

[Shipp]

What happened to this thread what does this have to do with FFXIV?

It really isn't any harder to read previous posts declaring the problem of DT being "catering to the woke" nonsense than it is to post asking a question. While you asked that, you could have checked the prior page to see what led to that comment and how it related specifically to Dawntrail "criticism" now that SE has moved their crew back to Japan.

[Kozh]

Interesting. I find the french loc to be abysmal. I have a serious problem with how they translate almost everything, and everything reads like cringe to me. And let's not speak about the translation of job abilities. Ugh.

I rather have cringe dialogue (also jrpg by nature can be cringe tbh, so...) than having a localization team that has Main Character syndrome and changing things, or their obsession with "Ooo we make the character said the Thing *pog face*"

[CNitsah]

Interesting. I find the french loc to be abysmal. I have a serious problem with how they translate almost everything, and everything reads like cringe to me. And let's not speak about the translation of job abilities. Ugh.

Yeah it's true when I said that, I mostly thinking about the narrative side (voice acting and translation). Honestly, if you think THAT is abysmal, go take a look at the english version. But I know bashing the french version is a very popular sport with french talking people. They often don't realise how good their dubbing industry is because they remember the underfunded dubbing they saw as kids, and tend to idealise english and japanese versions because they don't have a native lvl (or any lvl at all), thus being far more lenient with those.

[Valence]

I rather have cringe dialogue (also jrpg by nature can be cringe tbh, so...) than having a localization team that has Main Character syndrome and changing things, or their obsession with "Ooo we make the character said the Thing *pog face*"

I guess it's a matter of preferences. I have my own problems with the EN version, but I can't play with something that reads cringe, it just puts me off completely and pulls me out of the immersion/story instantly, so I'll take the other drawbacks over this one out of necessity.

Yeah it's true when I said that, I mostly thinking about the narrative side (voice acting and translation). Honestly, if you think THAT is abysmal, go take a look at the english version. But I know bashing the french version is a very popular sport with french talking people. They often don't realise how good their dubbing industry is because they remember the underfunded dubbing they saw as kids, and tend to idealise english and japanese versions because they don't have a native lvl (or any lvl at all), thus being far more lenient with those.

Ok, now you're assuming a lot of things about me. I'm not some random pleb that goes through something in english subbed in french while I can't even understand the english. Yeah you bet to those people the foreign language is never gonna sound cringe if they lack the familiarity with it.
To me the french loc reads exactly like it's been translated by teens/kids. Not the EN one, and I do have my problems with the old dusty book tone, but at least it's mostly well written, if just dull and lacking of personality at times because that unfortunate choice.

Either way, if you like it, all the more power to you!

[Supersnow845]

In their defense, it was mostly because of JP players boycotting Forked Tower that any changes were made at all, because apparently on the NA & EU side it didn't matter how many people you saw complaining on the forums or social media about it, those same people would just pinch their nose, grab a spoon, and started shoveling the crap down their gullet anyway.

Though admittedly the PKing of "undesirables" with tankbusters/mechanics was first reported being done by JP players, and then of course NA & EU players thought that was a great idea and started doing it too.

JP had a higher clear rate of forked before they changed it anyway so this is completely illogical

Square listened to JP because they ignore NA but JP wasn’t the grand saviour that boldly boycotted the content while NA caved

[Daralii]

I guess it's a matter of preferences. I have my own problems with the EN version, but I can't play with something that reads cringe, it just puts me off completely and pulls me out of the immersion/story instantly, so I'll take the other drawbacks over this one out of necessity.

That's a universal part of the DT experience. It's juvenile, completely devoid of substance or flavor, is banking entirely on references to previous expansions and games, and it goes back to what the people at CS3 wrote and approved of.

[Basteala]

Don't mind me. I'm just here while FF14 is being DDOSed for the...eighth? time this week. I lost track.

[Vhel]

Still can’t win a plot

[0blivion]

The layoffs don't necessarily relate to the Western community at all. They relate to SE's inability to set up functioning remote work, as well as unwillingness to recruit international talent to deal with their spaghetti code codebase.

e/: Also, at least the French dub is mostly in line with the JP script, at least for battle dialogue. It's frankly infuriating how poorly the English loc does on that because Haha Memes. Can't speak for the German loc because hearing the ShB trailer in German made me wanna quit the game before even starting. But afaik the German at least keeps the FF spell naming theme, which is already miles better than the English lmao.

[TeresaFortell]

It's honestly crazy to me that some people repeatedly forget (or don't want to see) that this whole game is a business first and foremost and losing players to this extend is definitely not normal and not wanted.
The extreme defenders are as idiotic as the extreme doomers at this point.
No, the game won't die but it is not in a healthy place either right now.

Not to mention that this is an mmo, and the last thing you want in a genre like this is for people to leave, because that is detrimental not only to the player base but also to the company’s business.