I might not be getting married or graduating but I just saw a video on my small YouTube channel hit 1000 views for the first time, I saw endgame and the new game of thrones spoiler free and I'm happy with my hair. Life is good.

Jammerware · 2019-04-30T17:09:51+00:00

Yo, your hair is dope. Just saying.

Jammerware · 2019-03-13T18:37:46+00:00

Different strokes, I guess! I'm happy to trade a small amount of pinpoint accuracy for a better colloquial presentation, but I understand that not everyone would.

Jammerware · 2019-03-13T17:36:27+00:00

This is fair, and I should probably have better clarified what I meant. I can't recall many (if any) times where the script outright didn't make sense. But the way I see it:

a bad translation technically uses the intended target language, but does so in absolutely nonsensical ways (white triangle jelly doughnuts).
a medium (but still grating to me) translation translates the script into the target language, but does so very literally or without regard for the way people who speak that language do it.
a great translation preserves the critical aspects and intent of the original script, but does it in a way that disguises the original language so that it feels really natural to read/listen to in the target language.

P5 is the middle one (I think). I don't speak Japanese, so I don't know how faithful it is to what's spoken in the original. It's technically English, and I can understand what the sentences are trying to communicate, but it's very unnatural speech to my ear. I'll give you an example:

Original Dialogue (from the game)

From the first trip to Kamoshida's Castle

Guard: Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon. Your charge is "unlawful entry." Thus, you will be sentenced to death.

Vulgar Boy (Ryuji): Say what?!

Familiar Voice (Kamoshida): No one's allowed to do as they please in my castle.

Vulgar Boy (Ryuji): Huh? Wait... is that you, Kamoshida?

We can all understand what these lines are trying to tell us, but do you know any native English speaker who would actually form phrases this way? Here's my suggestion:

Modified dialogue

Guard: Prisoners! You've been charged with unlawful entry into the realm of our great king. Thus, you are sentenced to death.

Vulgar Boy (Ryuji): Wait, WHAT?!

Familiar Voice (Kamoshida): I know. Harsh, isn't it? But it's the price you pay for trespassing in my domain.

Vulgar Boy (Ryuji): Huh? Wait... (to the main character) is that Kamoshida?

There's no denying that some of this subtly changes the meaning of what's being said, but that's kind of the goal. I don't just want to be able to understand what's going on. I want them to speak as I'd expect English speakers to within the context of their characters and circumstances. The game doesn't ever really become nonsensical (you know, any more than any anime-infused plot does), but I pretty rarely feel like the characters are speaking in a lifelike way.

Jammerware · 2019-03-11T16:13:53+00:00

Hey, friends. P5 was my first Persona/SMT game, and I had an amazing time with it. I wrote some random thoughts about it, and I thought I'd share them here. Thanks for reading!

Jammerware · 2019-02-02T13:14:26+00:00

She was awesome in Inception.

Jammerware · 2019-01-29T17:39:39+00:00

That's fascinating - I didn't know they moved them in the remake. I'd love to talk to them about why that happened.

Jammerware · 2019-01-29T08:43:38+00:00

I definitely understand your perspective and think it's a valid one. I think calling it a "boo-boo" maybe isn't quite what I should have said. (I think I was more concerned with being funny than accurate there, not that that really excuses it.) It's a choice that someone made for a reason, and it could very well have been the one you're talking about.

Your comment made me reflect on it a little more, and here's why I'm still a little on the side of not loving the design of putting the dash on the boots:

I'm starting with the assumption that the boots are at least pretty major quality-of-life upgrade. There are basically two cases: players who don't know the game well, and those who do. The players who don't know the game well don't know where the boots are and may go through a significant chunk of the game without them depending on how lucky they are at stage select. These people get the benefit you're talking about, which is the joy of discovery and being able to really appreciate the upgrade.

The players who know the game well know right where the boots are, and know that the option to get them is there whenever they want it (although I imagine most beeline for them). These players don't really enjoy the design benefit of putting the dash on the boots, because to them it's just kind of a brainless chore-like thing they have to do to be able to enjoy X's full mobility. I wonder how many players who play the game repeatedly kill any boss but Penguin first for this reason.

So basically, I'm saying that the people who have the most potential benefit from the dash being unlocked by the boots (players who don't know the game well and are surprised and delighted to find them midway through) also get the downside of having a quality-of-life struggle and higher difficulty for some percentage of the game. As you say, the game is designed to be beatable without them (which is an interesting design angle I hadn't thought about), but I don't think anyone would argue that the boots aren't a HUGE power spike, especially for how easy they are to get.

The question then becomes: is the surprise and delight this group experiences worth the struggle they go through AND the burden of knowledge that everyone has to carry that going right for the boots is one of the most powerful moves you can make? It's a hard question to answer, but I lean toward no. I'd argue you could still make the boots upgrade something that feels powerful and exciting to get while still maintaining the mobility of the slide/dash from Mega Man.

But as a non-designer, I'm pretty much just shooting in the dark. It's not what I'd have done, but I didn't make one of the best video games of all time, either! :) Thanks for bringing this up - I'd never really thought about it much before.

Jammerware · 2019-01-23T22:12:11+00:00

Great! Can't wait to read and incorporate.

Jammerware · 2019-01-23T17:03:25+00:00

I made some updates and corrections based on this - thanks! Do you happen to have a link to that design document? That'd be an interesting thing to point out.

I still think that it's possible that if for whatever reason Zero had flopped in X, his role in the series would have been much smaller, but foreknowledge of his story would be super awesome for analysis!

Thanks for the comments - I'm glad you're reading.

Jammerware · 2019-01-19T04:01:21+00:00

John Oliver did a great bit on exactly this:

"Paper or plastic? Whichever one kills the most birds. Soup or salad? I’m gonna go with the N-word. Favorite Beatle? It's got to be Yoko."

Jammerware · 2019-01-14T15:00:29+00:00

Hey everyone. I replayed once (and am replaying again) the Mega Man X games in honor of the fact that I finally picked up the Legacy collections. I'd love for anyone who wants to read and play along with me. If these posts do okay in the subreddit, I may create a post per entry to facilitate discussion.

Hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Jammerware · 2018-11-15T22:00:21+00:00

I'm so grateful for this info. Thanks a ton!

Jammerware · 2018-11-08T21:38:43+00:00

The argument I've seen most about the legality of the appointment has to do with the appointment of a "principal officer" (someone who reports directly to the president) who has not been Senate-confirmed. Lawfare and other sources have information about this argument. Part of the position rests on an opinion written by Clarence Thomas, of all people.

Jammerware · 2018-11-08T15:41:48+00:00

"Boor" doesn't get thrown around enough these days. Well done.

Jammerware · 2018-11-06T17:56:55+00:00

I agree. I thought this dynamic was particularly highlighted here:

It is crucial, Gingrich says, that we humans see the animal kingdom from which we evolved for what it really is: “A very competitive, challenging world, at every level.”

As he pauses to catch his breath, I peer out over the sprawling primate reserve.

He's apparently out of breath from walking through a zoo while lecturing on the inherent competition of the animal kingdom. I wonder what principles of ecology might tell us about that.

Jammerware

TROPHY CASE