Translation prospects - Games that have ONLY spoken parts?

SamIAm · 04/11/2015, 11:14 PM

My little Let's Read project has reminded me that recording and audio mixing is not all that scary. While Xanadu II and other projects wait for coding work to be done on them, it occurs to me that if there are any games that have no text to translate, we could do them without any hackers, or with hacking as simple as locating and swapping some ADPCM.

Metamor Jupiter has only redbook, I think.

Steam Hearts' has lots of ADPCM stuff and redbook, but at least no text.

What else?

Nazi NecroPhile · 04/11/2015, 11:25 PM

I can't think of any off hand, but a translation of Steam Heart's would be awesome. Its story is just too frickin' silly.

esteban · 04/11/2015, 11:29 PM

Download 2...I think qualifies...

cabbage · 04/12/2015, 12:24 AM

Definitely Download 2 is all voiced. I think Shubibinman 3 is too.

SamIAm · 04/12/2015, 01:46 AM

Steam Hearts would be a total gas, I have to admit. However, it runs head on into the biggest problem of doing amateur voiceover projects: getting female performers.

The Xanadu II dub project needed about...was it six female voices? And maybe ten male voices, I think. Getting guys was no problem. I could take my pick. But getting women was so difficult, I had to go with whatever I could get. It still turned out fairly well in the end, but it was a struggle.

Steam Hearts is the story of one guy and, what, ten women? And each of these women is involved in some blatantly sexual stuff. You would have to get actresses who are willing to make orgasm voices.

Metamor Jupiter looks like it could work well. I might get to work on a draft of that. Shubibinman 3 as well.

Download 2...Maybe. Honestly, that game makes me ill.

CrackTiger · 04/12/2015, 08:50 AM

Valis IV
Valis PS
Golden Axe
Kabuki Itouryoden: what little text there is, is voiced over and a translation would look and feel best with those subtitles left in Japanese, given the theme and style of the game.

esteban · 04/12/2015, 08:51 AM

I can provide the voice for a sexy, seductive woman who has been chewing tobacco and chain smoking unfiltered cigarettes since she was in 6th grade.

I'm serious.

xcrement5x · 04/13/2015, 03:22 PM

Quote from: SamIAm on 04/12/2015, 01:46 AMSteam Hearts would be a total gas, I have to admit. However, it runs head on into the biggest problem of doing amateur voiceover projects: getting female performers.

The Xanadu II dub project needed about...was it six female voices? And maybe ten male voices, I think. Getting guys was no problem. I could take my pick. But getting women was so difficult, I had to go with whatever I could get. It still turned out fairly well in the end, but it was a struggle.

Steam Hearts is the story of one guy and, what, ten women? And each of these women is involved in some blatantly sexual stuff. You would have to get actresses who are willing to make orgasm voices.

Metamor Jupiter looks like it could work well. I might get to work on a draft of that. Shubibinman 3 as well.

Download 2...Maybe. Honestly, that game makes me ill.

Getting female VAs should be super eaaasy. I'll just put together and ad to place on Craigslist and wait... would this go under jobs or personals?

In all seriousness though it would be very cool to get some of these done. It would be like doing old school anime where you have to match the lip flaps, words and rough meaning!

ShadowKitty777 · 04/13/2015, 04:30 PM

Quote from: guest on 04/13/2015, 03:22 PM
Quote from: SamIAm on 04/12/2015, 01:46 AMSteam Hearts would be a total gas, I have to admit. However, it runs head on into the biggest problem of doing amateur voiceover projects: getting female performers.

The Xanadu II dub project needed about...was it six female voices? And maybe ten male voices, I think. Getting guys was no problem. I could take my pick. But getting women was so difficult, I had to go with whatever I could get. It still turned out fairly well in the end, but it was a struggle.

Steam Hearts is the story of one guy and, what, ten women? And each of these women is involved in some blatantly sexual stuff. You would have to get actresses who are willing to make orgasm voices.

Metamor Jupiter looks like it could work well. I might get to work on a draft of that. Shubibinman 3 as well.

Download 2...Maybe. Honestly, that game makes me ill.
Getting female VAs should be super eaaasy. I'll just put together and ad to place on Craigslist and wait... would this go under jobs or personals?

In all seriousness though it would be very cool to get some of these done. It would be like doing old school anime where you have to match the lip flaps, words and rough meaning!

I actually do know females that do fan VA stuff.

Nazi NecroPhile · 04/13/2015, 04:51 PM

Quote from: ShadowKitty777 on 04/13/2015, 04:30 PMI actually do know females that do fan VA stuff.

But would they do naughty stuff?

Arkhan Asylum · 04/13/2015, 05:03 PM

Can I do a voice for steam hearts? I just want to grunt and breathe heavy into a microphone.

esteban · 04/13/2015, 05:31 PM

Quote from: guest on 04/13/2015, 05:03 PMCan I do a voice for steam hearts? I just want to grunt and breathe heavy into a microphone.

No.

esteban · 04/13/2015, 05:35 PM

My wife, who had a short career as an actress, would be willing to be a voice actor. However, this would require me to actually complete a long list of IOU's she expects me to take care of. Damn.

SignOfZeta · 04/13/2015, 08:44 PM

This is a good idea. I know it's a good idea because I had the same idea ages ago and all my ideas are good.

However I eventually lost interest because I realized that l as far as I've seen, if a PCE game is English everywhere except for voice, then it probably doesn't need translating for any practical reason. You can "localize" it by making it English, put some good ol American stank on it, but there is little to no actual language barrier in any of these games.

Valis for example. Valis is basically a Sailor Moon video game that plays better than actual SM games but still not good. The dialogue is stilted and shitty in Japanese, translating it to a stilted and shitty recording in another language is...if it's fun, do it, but I don't see the point.

If you need another suggestion, maybe Conan? I think there is some text, but not much. There is quite a bit of voice. This would be really fun if you could get a decent child actor to play Conan. Hell, get kids to do everything, it'll sound like vintage Peanuts.

esteban · 04/13/2015, 09:10 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 04/13/2015, 08:44 PMThis is a good idea. I know it's a good idea because I had the same idea ages ago and all my ideas are good.

However I eventually lost interest because I realized that l as far as I've seen, if a PCE game is English everywhere except for voice, then it probably doesn't need translating for any practical reason. You can "localize" it by making it English, put some good ol American stank on it, but there is little to no actual language barrier in any of these games.

Valis for example. Valis is basically a Sailor Moon video game that plays better than actual SM games but still not good. The dialogue is stilted and shitty in Japanese, translating it to a stilted and shitty recording in another language is...if it's fun, do it, but I don't see the point.

If you need another suggestion, maybe Conan? I think there is some text, but not much. There is quite a bit of voice. This would be really fun if you could get a decent child actor to play Conan. Hell, get kids to do everything, it'll sound like vintage Peanuts.

You don't need a kid. It would be awesome to have Conan voiced by a lumberjack.

SamIAm · 04/14/2015, 10:19 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 04/13/2015, 08:44 PMValis for example. Valis is basically a Sailor Moon video game that plays better than actual SM games but still not good. The dialogue is stilted and shitty in Japanese, translating it to a stilted and shitty recording in another language is...if it's fun, do it, but I don't see the point.

Wouldn't you like to know the story? Most people would. Maybe it's enough if I just write up a translation and post it, and that may be what happens. But if I didn't understand Japanese and wasn't trying to learn, I'd much prefer playing a working English version to sitting there trying to remember what the FAQ I read last week said was happening in whatever part of the game I might be playing.

See, you guys here already know the PCE library so well that if I explain the story of a game, it will fill in a few cracks for you and everything will be fine. But for someone else who has never tried said game and has zero outside context for understanding it, a translation could make it way more accessible and enjoyable.

I get that people here want stuff like Xanadu I, which is nearly impenetrable if you don't understand the language. I've been trying to get that stuff translated, but the hackers are not here doing it. I am here, however, and I want to get something done. Yes, it will be fun.

I'm almost finished with Metamor Jupiter, by the way. After that, I'll do Shubibinman 3. Steam Hearts is pretty long, so that one will take a while.

Arkhan Asylum · 04/14/2015, 11:55 PM

hah

Steam Hearts.

long.

haaaaaaah

dshadoff · 04/15/2015, 01:46 AM

Quote from: SamIAm on 04/14/2015, 10:19 PMSteam Hearts is pretty long, so that one will take a while.

That's what she said.

Keith Courage · 04/15/2015, 05:01 AM

best female voice over work.

But in all seriousness, anything being translated for the TurBob is awesome.

SamIAm · 04/15/2015, 06:58 AM

Steam Hearts is actually really easy to translate so far. At least the in-game stuff is just really basic conversation.

Think about the intro to Ys1+2. "Ys. The ideal utopia. Once a country so peaceful and prosperous. A country where children were as free as the wind. Where harmony blew through the hearts of all men." There's a huge difference between this kind of thing and your more typical in-game "Talk to the mayor to receive a pass." stuff. A lot of these voiced intros are more like the former, but Steam Hearts is only as complex as the latter.

Nazi NecroPhile · 04/15/2015, 11:36 AM

"fuck the cure into those bitches!"

ShadowKitty777 · 04/15/2015, 12:20 PM

Quote from: guest on 04/13/2015, 04:51 PM
Quote from: ShadowKitty777 on 04/13/2015, 04:30 PMI actually do know females that do fan VA stuff.
But would they do naughty stuff?

Yeah, wouldn't be an issue.

_Paul · 04/15/2015, 01:46 PM

Pop 'n' Magic!

SamIAm · 04/15/2015, 11:37 PM

It's been four years since I did the Xanadu II stuff. Maybe things will be easier.

Anyway, another funny thing about translating Steam Hearts is that when I'm working on some other game, I'll write a draft sentence and think "Nah, that could be misconstrued as something sexual. Better change it." With Steam Hearts, it's more like "That could be construed as something sexual. Perfect!"

SamIAm · 04/16/2015, 04:49 AM

Hey, does anyone have the manual for Steam Hearts? Can you take a picture or read katakana?

I would love to know the names of all the characters. It seems like most or all of them have some crazy-long fantasy name, and it's hard to suss them out precisely from the audio alone.

Please help out if you can!

I've done two stages and cutscenes out of about 9 stages/cutscenes total, and already the script is huge.

Aside from getting a female voice cast, though, this would be super easy to dub. I think it's all redbook tracks, and the cutscenes (which comprise the majority of all voiced parts) are still shots with no lip movement. Plus, there are only a couple of background tracks used behind the voices, and they're so simple that we might be able to filter out the Japanese voices enough to use them as-is.

Nazi NecroPhile · 04/16/2015, 10:27 AM

I can bring the manual to work tomorrow and scan it in for ya.

esteban · 04/16/2015, 03:59 PM

Quote from: guest on 04/16/2015, 10:27 AMI can bring the manual to work tomorrow and scan it in for ya.

Fantastique.

ToyMachine78 · 04/16/2015, 04:08 PM

Is there a Gulliver Boy translation? If not, there needs to be. Plenty of voice and text in that one. Gorgeous game too.

SamIAm · 04/16/2015, 10:13 PM

Quote from: guest on 04/16/2015, 10:27 AMI can bring the manual to work tomorrow and scan it in for ya.

That would be great!

You know, if you have a camera that can take photos clear enough for me to read the text, you might spare your manual's spine the wear.

If there's a story introduction paragraph, I would love to have that, too, as it might fill me in on some little details that they don't really explain in the dialogue.

SamIAm · 04/18/2015, 05:45 AM

Received! Thanks, NecroPhile!

I've done the first three stages/cutscenes now. I think the whole thing is going to come in at over 10,000 words.

SamIAm · 04/25/2015, 06:53 AM

It's been a very busy week, but I'm now done with the first five stages of Steam Hearts.

The plot is getting thicker!

BigusSchmuck · 04/25/2015, 10:45 AM

A little late to the conversation, but maybe 3x3 eyes?

esteban · 04/25/2015, 11:33 AM

Quote from: SamIAm on 04/25/2015, 06:53 AMIt's been a very busy week, but I'm now done with the first five stages of Steam Hearts.

The plot is getting thicker!

Thicker. If the Steam Hearts fans don't comment on this development, they might as well be eunuchs.

Nazi NecroPhile · 04/27/2015, 10:30 AM

Quote from: SamIAm on 04/25/2015, 06:53 AMIt's been a very busy week, but I'm now done with the first five stages of Steam Hearts.

The 'cure' is getting thicker!

Fixed.

I can't wait to hear the whole (hole?) crazy story.

xcrement5x · 04/27/2015, 02:20 PM

Quote from: SamIAm on 04/25/2015, 06:53 AMIt's been a very busy week, but I'm now done with the first five stages of Steam Hearts.

The plot is getting thicker!

So you would say it has girth and length?

SamIAm · 05/22/2015, 12:02 AM

In between taking care of tasks to get Zeroigar out the door, I've finished my first draft of the Steam Hearts' script.

I'll give it an edit, and then I'll probably just post publicly it for anyone who wants to read it or use it. I think that both the PCE and Saturn versions of this game are 100% redbook audio, so all you need is a program like Audacity and a voice cast if you want to do a dub. I think you could even extract the cutscene music, because it repeats so often that a sophisticated program could compare the multiple tracks and subtract out the differences.

Is anyone interested?

The story is...OK. I won't put on my game-critic hat just yet. Suffice to say, the end is a little weird, and not in a good way, but the earlier parts of the game are campy fun.

SamIAm · 05/22/2015, 03:57 AM

EDIT: Screw it, this ought to have its own thread.

12/31/2025: Localization News - Year of the Dragon...Emerald Dragon!

Translation prospects - Games that have ONLY spoken parts?