RPG SiteinterviewedNihon Falcom's president Toshihiro Kondo about the upcoming localization of The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and the whole series:
Trails from Zero Interview: Toshihiro Kondo on the Crossbell Problem and Beyond
The last time we had a chance to talk with Nihon Falcom's president, Toshihiro Kondo, was back in 2019 - and a lot has changed in the years since, such as with Trails from Zero's localization announcement. Now, with the Crossbell Duology's imminent western release starting in September, we've once again had the chance to ask him about the series' as a whole, with a focus on the upcoming localization.
Unfortunately, our interview this time around was only possible through email correspondence, compared to our in-person interviews with Kondo in the past - we were limited in the scope of the questions we could ask, naturally. If you're interested in some other upcoming Trails titles, feel free to read up about our impressions on Trails into Reverie's Japanese release, as well as our thoughts on the currently Japan-only Kuro no Kiseki/Trails Before the Dawn.
Q. Trails from Zero was the first title in the Trails series which wasn't originally released on PC back in the day. Though we're over a decade away from the original Japanese release, is there anything specifically that stood out when switching to developing the series for a handheld console?
Toshihiro Kondo: At the time, we took the opportunity to review the Trails series and how to adjust it to the PSP market. The results of that were things such as the world setting and art concept being greatly revised. I remember that some people internally who were against the idea and said, "Why would you deliberately change things when the 'Trails in the Sky' games went so well?" In the end, both series fans, as well as newcomers, accepted the changes, so the result of this experience is that we found a special cycle for the series of having new locations and main characters while keeping the same overall world setting and always revising the systems and graphics. I think this title taught us the importance of knowing what can be changed and knowing what to leave alone in a long-running series like this.
Q. While Trails from Zero's Switch and PC versions are being handled by NIS America and PH3, one thing that stood out to me a few months ago was learning that Falcom was behind the Switch port for The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails themselves. Assuming the port is successful, are there any plans for Falcom to branch out to even more platforms on their own terms, like PC or Xbox?
Toshihiro Kondo: I think the number of in-house versions we do will increase, but that isn't to say all titles will be done in-house going forward. I'd like to be flexible in our approach depending on the situation. We have many titles and series, but we don't have that large of a development staff. Furthermore, those members who are in our development staff are mainly focused on creating new titles. In order for as many fans around the world as possible to be able to play our games, it's necessary that we rely on the help of those around us.
[...]
A new trailer:
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure - Character Trailer
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Here's details on our latest update and key localization questions!
Ho there, adventurers!
Since the release of the game, we have received many questions from you on several topics, including the future translations of the game to various languages.
In this update, we are presenting a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) that gives answer to the most frequent questions we have received. At the end of the update, you can also find the changelist of the most recent patches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: I thought the game would be translated to my language by now. Why are some languages available while others are still not? Do you prefer some languages to others?
Answer: There is no preference between languages, we would love to add all of them. The only thing that determines which languages are added are our possibilities, including our financial options. The game currently has more than 280,000 words of text, which is an extreme amount of text for an indie title. Translating this many words is usually very expensive, and takes a very long time for an affordable translator.
Question: I still don't get it. Why were some languages already added that have a much smaller player base compared to other, major languages that are still unavailable?
Answer: As a small indie studio, we are adding languages that we can, not the ones we want to. For example, some of the existing/upcoming translations were made by our friends or enthusiasts of the genre/game, who are professional translators but translated Black Geyser basically for free or at a very low cost. We don't prefer adding language X to language Y because we like X better than Y, but because there was enough time and budget for language X. Skipping/postponing language X wouldn't have helped for adding language Y at all.
Question: My language is still not there anyway. Should I forget it?
Answer: Definitely not! As soon as we have more information (such as an ETA) about a particular language, we will let you know. By the way, Russian and Turkish translation will be added very very soon. We will post more information about them in the upcoming days.
Question: As a small indie studio, you still had a budget for the game and translations, what happened with that? You also had a Kickstarter campaign.
Answer: As stated on our Kickstarter page, the Kickstarter funds were only a part of the funding that we secured from external sources. Unfortunately, as an indie project, we faced many difficulties in the years following the Kickstarter, including the challenges caused by the pandemics. Based on community feedback throughout the years, we also changed the scope of some things in the game and refined/reworked certain features. Altogether, the overall budget required to complete the game increased by the time the pandemics ended. Therefore, less budget remained for translations than we initially anticipated.
Question: Why don't you allocate more budget? It would allow you to add the missing features and languages. I have also posted a negative review about the game with the hope it will encourage your company to fix bugs faster and add the missing languages. Do you not listen to these reviews?
Answer: We do not have any external funding. Black Geyser is currently our only project, and it is the only source of revenue for the team. We appreciate all feedback, including negative reviews as well, because they are very useful to us for deciding how and where to improve the game. Regarding your question, paradoxically, the more negative ratings we get, the less the game's revenue will be, even reducing our financial resources to the extent where we're unable to improve the game by adding missing features or language translations. At the moment, our team is very small, and while we read and process every single review, we lack the resources to implement all requests in a short time.
Question: If you have had so many issues, why have you released the game so early? I'm glad to see you are constantly improving the game and listening to player feedback, but why didn't you do these much earlier?
Answer: As a small team, we have been doing our best. If we had been able to postpone the release and refine the game before the launch, we would have done it. Black Geyser has been our dream project, but there are financial limitations. The question wasn't whether there can be a "Perfect Black Geyser" or a "Black Geyser that needs refinements", but whether Black Geyser exists or not. Based on the feedback of our community, we felt the only right decision was to stay together, release the game and then keep supporting it as we do now.
Latest Changes
3440x1440 resolution now always works correctly
Fixed Shady Dealer dialogue in Garden of Delights
Added Potion Case, Parchment Satchel and Ingredient Pouch for storing items
Item containers (such as bottomless bags) now retain their content if sold
Temple of Alnarius no longer needs a loading screen in Market Street
Level 1 to 4 scrolls are now restocked by vendors
Jade romance now has a correct cutscene
The Fish Out of Water quest now correctly ends in every scenario
Fixed ghost visual effects
Loot added to many empty containers in Crimson Crossing
Loot added to small houses in Amanuel's Hoard
Loot added to Fasitgrove houses
Isilmerald Sightseeing achievement description is now more accurate
Multiclass characters can now utilize the Outlaw "Disarm Trap" skill as well instead of Magical Perception to disarm the Wizard's tutorial trap
The levelup tutorial no longer appears if the player finishes the levelup process while another tutorial panel is displayed
The Twisted Requiem spell now properly adds buffs to the revived party members and reduces the caster's HP by the correct amount
Resurrection fix: Revived character's contribution to Adventure XP will not be lost as long as they can be revived
Additional recipes added to various vendors (Ilio, Zelima, Hu'dai, Red Damsel, Freynagar Brewery, Ay'eda, Regon, Arnulf, Aravina, Deron-Guld Herbalist, Southern Shore)
Incorrect reply options no longer appear in Rothgor starting dialogue
Cannibals, corrupted wolves and skeletons added to Castle Alastor outdoors area
All powders are now plantable
Planting stacked items no longer plants the full stack
Large white visual bug no longer appears for some freezing effects
Tolbard's shop now displays correctly in all circumstances
Arnulf now correctly moves to Fasitgrove after you complete his quest
The Estranged Sisters quest no longer gives gold as a reward when it shouldn't
Fixed Kronica longsword's attack times to match other Longswords
Added missing Shortbow damage bonus for Fighters
The Divine Aid spell now damages Abominations as well
Isla cutscene no longer breaks in the Trapped Under the Surface quest when you attack her
Shady Dealer can now spawn/despawn while he is in party sight
Reply option that ends the companion dialogue is now always the last option
Reply option in Stephan's dialogue now correctly reflects your intention to attack him in the Trapped Under the Surface quest
Fixed a bug that prevented Lich Agelas from casting the Unholy Siblings spell
More loot added to Thieves' Guild and cemetery crypts
The Turn Based Lovers checked out the Aledorn demo:
Aledorn | Single-Player First Person Tactics Turn-Based RPG | Gameplay First Look
Spiritual successor to many old school hard-core RPG/Dungeon masterpieces, that combines tactical combat system, exploration in the first person view and intriguing travelling system between main map locations.
At the end of GOG's summer sale you can get VirtuaVerse for free:
GOG's Summer Sale Finale with VirtuaVerse giveaway
June 24th, 2022 - That's it, after almost 3 weeks of DRM-free deals for gamers from every generation are slowly coming to an end. Yet, before Summer Sale on GOG reaches its finale after the weekend, there are still a few surprises - the final giveaway, a bunch of releases, and new bundles.
After putting 5 great giveaways, there's one more waiting for the fans of new and old. VirtuaVerse is the true tribute to point-and-click adventure games. The game features a beautifully pixelated art style, challenging puzzles even for the veterans of the genre, a great cyberpunk story, and a stunning soundtrack. VirtuaVerse is available for grabs on GOG's front page till Monday, June 27th at 1 PM UTC.
Redo is a world without sorrow created by the virtuadoll Regret. Virtuadoll songs give Redo residents respite from their struggles. Our protagonists discover the truth and form the Go-Home Club to return to reality. Make your way home with companions bearing heavy burdens in this..
The Steam Summer Sale has started - some general picks by JumboPixel:
STEAM SUMMER SALE - The Best Steam Deals for 2022
The 2022 Seam Summer Sale is here! Here is my collection of the best pc gaming deals for the summer sale, with a focus on the best value picks across all genres, but of course a stronger look at strategy, simulation and similar games, or those that I think strategy gamers will enjoy from genres like RPG, Action, etc. Enjoy!
Wildermyth is now available on GOG and got a new patch:
1.8 Mara Mallard
GOG Release, QoL Legacy Browser Updates, New Events, Improved Controller Support, and more!
Rejoice, GOG users- Wildermyth is now available to purchase on GOG! We've been working on this for a while, so we're excited it's available to you all at last.
For the longterm players whose Legacies are bursting with heroes, we heard you; we've made some quality of life updates to the Legacy Browser! You can now filter by legacy tier, class and playability, and search by aspects to help find that one specific hero. We added a hero list view where you can scroll through and search for heroes by name, and set whether or not they're playable more easily. You can also see what past versions of your legacy heroes have looked like (and what companies they've been in), and what heroes will look like when you recruit them in a new campaign! And for those of you tired of seeing your heroes in their 80's and 90's, there's now an age customization option.
As for controller improvements, during missions the controller cursor now snaps to targets rather than needing to move the cursor across the board. (The old functionality is still available by turning off the "Snap Controller Cursor to Ability Targets" interface option)
You'll also find four new events, and all hairs have been updated to fit all heads so there shouldn't be any more wonky barber jobs.
The Tyrant landed in Tyberia bearing promises of a paradise, without war, without suffering... and without death. All Tyberians had to do in order to enter his paradise was to simply die at the hands of his Dead Army. The war was over before it even began, with thousands perishing in the Tyrant's wake, only to be brought into his fold as undying thralls, bound by magic. The few living warriors left are scattered across the remnants of their homeland, tirelessly looking for a way to turn the tables on the tyrannical Tyrant. Lead a great Uprising, defeat the Dead Army, and drive the monstrous overlord back into the depths of the sea from whence he came.
Tyrant's Blessing is a tactical turn-based game where your ability to plan, adapt, and strategize is more important than min-maxing your units or finding the sharpest sword in the hoard. Select battles every day, make challenging choices, and cleverly use the strengths of these rag-tag insurgents to defeat the undead hordes and maybe - just maybe - bring real life back to Tyberia.
Before you bring the battle to the Tyrant's doorstep, you'll have to make sure you live long enough to reclaim the Island.
Decide whether to fight, rescue the living from the Undying, or gather your strength. Every choice matters throughout every day of the Uprising.
As you fight your way across the face of Tyberia, face off against random encounters that force difficult decisions. Do you intervene and fight highwaymen, putting your warriors at risk? Do you try to save a child, risking valuable time and resources? Only your morals and ideals hold the answer.
Pick your heroic roster carefully. Screeg, the elder wizard advising the Uprising, can only teleport three heroes and a pet at once: Do you send your elite warriors in? Or rookies to train and hold the line? Are they up to the task? Can you handle the consequences?
The Tyrant can't be defeated without destroying an army's worth of the Undying. However, winning is more than simply whacking the enemy as hard as you can.
Analyze the fray and plan accordingly. Place warriors around the battlefield to gain strategic advantages.
Stay ever mindful of surroundings: kick up dust to make the enemies lose sight or hop over stones and dodge into bushes to avoid enemy attacks.
Mind the enemy: every attack is telegraphed, but take care, simply moving away leaves behind a shadow. This remnant of a character can still be attacked if there is no way to avoid it..
Knock the enemies out of the way and into obstacles, shield weaker heroes with ones that can tank damage, as well as chain powerful elemental attacks using the environment. Brute force works, but fight smarter, not harder.
Each of your heroes has their own personality, properties, and abilities. Who will you choose to put in harm's way?
Enlist twenty hallowed heroes, each with a distinct set of abilities that can dramatically alter the course of any battle.
But stay mindful: Not all heroes appear in a playthrough - and not everyone is guaranteed to make it to the finish line of this quest.
Pick the right team for the task. An assassin may thrive in confined spaces, while an archer will suffer in close quarters. Some heroes may even bring their pets along, who might provide just enough leverage to win a battle for the group.
Even if heroes fall, they can still be freed from the Tyrant's grasp. Track them down, defeat them in combat, and restore them back to their stolen life!
The card based RPG Gordian Quest will be released today:
Gordian Quest
A sinister curse corrupts the land. Darkness reigns. Monsters roam. Scoundrels loot. Cowards flee. Heroes emerge.
Lead heroes on an adventure to save what's left of this fallen world and destroy the root of evil abound. Will you fall at the claws of your enemies or the consequences of your poor decisions? Your Gordian Quest is about to begin.
Gordian Quest is an epic deckbuilding RPG inspired by old-school classics like Ultima and D&D, using modern gaming concepts like roguelite elements and turn-based strategic combat. You will form parties of heroes whom you will have to lead and manage on grueling missions. Help them forge bonds and discover new skills among them. Be fearless and unwavering as you work to unravel the curses laid upon the lands and defeat the ultimate evil at the heart of it all.
Features:
Four Acts (Campaign Mode) - The current Early Access version features three Acts, each providing more than 5 hours of playtime per playthrough.
Adventure Mode - An end-game mode where you can explore procedurally generated areas or take on solo challenges.
Ten heroes - At the moment, players can choose from nine different heroes - each with their own unique class, skills, and playstyle to form a party of three and bring to adventure. Play as the Swordhand, Cleric, Ranger, Scoundrel, Spellbinder, Druid, Bard, Warlock, Golemancer, or the Monk.
Hundreds of skills - The heroes have a combined total of close to 500 passive and active skills that can be deployed during turn-based battles, allowing players to discover and formulate their favorite combos.
Realm Mode - Challenge an ever-changing version of the game with unpredictable threats and rewards. See how far can you go...
PVP mode - Engage in skirmish fights with other players using your preferred mix of heroes and skills.
Train and equip heroes - Heroes can be upgraded, trained and equipped with a large selection of weapons, armor and enchanted trinkets to enhance their abilities.
High replayability - Procedurally generated maps and dungeons and randomized hero skills make each playthrough different from the last.
Various difficulty levels - Take on hardcore mode for a teeth-gritting permadeath experience, or play more casually where death is only a setback.
Loot galore - Gather items and relics throughout your journey to boost your heroes' abilities. In the future, you will also encounter mysterious items that can bless your heroes but also cripple them with a curse at the same time.
Carryover rewards and progression system - Get rewarded the more you play through an Artifacts system that can benefit Realm Mode, Campaigns, or Adventure Mode.
Decisions to make - Shape the course of your adventure with critical decisions and dice rolls.
Twilight Star: Heart of Eir Preview - Unique Western JRPG (Party-Based RPG)
Twilight Star: Heart of Eir: The RPG that you've been waiting for. I call it Western JRPG. A narrative rich experience coupled with nostalgic mechanics, refined with modern ideas and playability. Discover a wealth of original concepts within a hand-crafted, magically infused fantasy universe.
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RPG Site interviewed Nihon Falcom's president Toshihiro Kondo about the upcoming localization of The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and the whole series:![[IMG]](https://sorcerers.net/images/news/rule.gif)
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