stormwyrm

Got another one, this time it's Grandi's ending. Context is that Caprese has lain down on the side of the road one night while hungry and has lost consciousness. Grandi's soldiers find him and bring him to her. When he comes to, she asks him: Grandi: 体は大丈夫か?何か持ってこさせよう That last verb 持ってこさせよう is in an unfamiliar form. According to my references it is a 'causative volitional' or 'causative potential volitional' form of 持ってくる. I gather it might mean something like 'trying to bring something' but I am not certain of this. Any hints on how to translate it?

It's been over a year since I started my project to translate Arcana and so far I've only managed to get half of it done, and I've probably made a lot of mistakes while doing it. There's a whole second arc of the game which I'm probably not going to bother with, at least not for a long time, unless someone else wants to join the project to do the translation work. Hacking the VN and getting at the scripts took perhaps a few weeks. Translating the scripts, more than a year, and Arcana is a fairly short work. My estimate is that the common part is something like 60,000 words, and the light arc is also around the same length, and given the length of the untranslated scripts for the dark arc is in that range as well, I estimate that the whole script would be 180,000-200,000 words. That's about the length of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. To give an example of a long visual novel, once I tried extracting the text from Mirror Moon's Fate/Stay Night translation and found that the Fate Route is in the 330,000 word range, UBW is in the 244,000 word range, and Heaven's feel is in the 314,000 word range. The whole VN is 916,000 words or so, making it nearly twice as long as Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (580,000 words), and close in length to the entire Harry Potter series (1,084,170 words). I'll let that sink in for a bit to give an idea of the enormity of the task.

Yes, that sounds about right given the wider context of the story, which I really can't fully expound on here, other than to say that being in that position forced her to make the difficult decision to send Caprese into to war against his will after she realised what he was. Thanks for the clarification!

So now I'm nearly at the finish line, at least for the Light Arc, but judging from what I can see of the Dark arc I don't know if I have the heart to work on it myself. In any case I'm about to make a beta public release of the game, and would like guidance on how to do this. I'm also interested in making all my source files, including the scripts I wrote to extract and convert data and such, public, so that anyone who wants to pick up the translation work in the future can build on what I've done so far. Obviously I can't just export the Git repository I've got up on Github or a similar place. Maybe I'll just publish a tarball of the bare repository for download every now and then, and accept patches from people who clone from it.

I am presently working on a translation of Arcana, another Ciel game with Tony's artwork, and it's good to see someone else also working on another such VN.

So now I've finally finished the main Light Arc of Arcana, and am getting around to translating the endings. Since there are a total of 15 heroines, and 14 of which have endings in the Light Arc (only Dominante, the demonic fairy, doesn't have an ending in the Light Arc), there's quite a bit to go. I've finished two of them so far, Primo the Fairy and Princess Harp, and now I'm taking the other twelve in turn. I'm translating Analiese's ending at the moment, who is a scholar and librarian whom Caprese first meets while he is researching some lore. After realising that he is the one with no Icon of legend, she sends him off to fight in a war with infidels, and in this ending Caprese decides to see her again. She apologises for forcibly sending him off to war like that, and their conversation continues: Analiese: あなたは望んでイコンを持たなかったわけじゃないもの… Caprese: …でもさ… Analiese: え? Caprese: 確かに望んでそうなったわけじゃないけど…それはそれで運命だし、生まれたときからそうだったんだから、今の俺があるのはイコンを持たなかったからだよ。それはアナリーゼも同じだろ?望んだわけじゃないけど、法王の姪だから、今みたいな考えになって、\nここにいる。それを否定することはないよ The last portion I don't quite get. Here's a rough translation I've made of the rest. Analiese: You didn't wish to be the one with no Icon in the first place... Caprese: But you know... Analiese: Eh? Caprese: Certainly, I didn't wish it it but... Then that was destiny, decided from the day I was born, so being the one without an Icon is part of who I am now. Isn't it the same with you, Analiese? You didn't wish to become the niece of the Hierophant... (I struggle to make sense of the rest)

Well, in the current route he is indeed a very gentle person. There is, unfortunately, an evil route where he is completely corrupted by the Dark Side... I don't know if I have the heart to translate all of that by myself. Yes, Caprese is the guy. I was even considering using Capriccio as the translation of his name (カプリス）, given how the almost all of the names of other characters in the game are based on musical terms, e.g. Vivace, Animato, Grave, Amoroso, Marcato, Risoluto, etc., but that is a bit too far from the original katakana pronunciation. Caprice is also possible, but even more liable to misconception as a feminine name. But then again, the cute fairy girl who follows him around for most of the game is named Primo, and similarly many of the names are used without modification to feminine stems. It's worth considering whether to change the names so the female characters also have feminine-stem names (e.g. Animata, Risolutia, Prima, etc.) where required.

I've been continuing with the translation of Caprese and Risoluto's conversation in the final Light Chapter of Arcana, and now I run across another bit of strangeness. Further in their conversation, Caprese encourages Risoluto to try living not just as the Hierophant's Inquisitor, but as Risoluto, the person, as well, and she asks how she can do that. He suggests that she try to laugh (笑う), but she says she has nothing to laugh about. So he invites her to try to dance, and they are very clumsy at it: Caprese: ほら、そこで足は後ろに…あ痛っ!! Risoluto: あ、ごめんなさい… Caprese: 謝らないで、あなたがミスったのって顔してればいいの、女の子は Risoluto: あっ…また… I don't get the highlighted portion that well. It seems to be using 顔 as a する-verb, which I'm uncertain how to interpret. Here's my attempt: Caprese: Look, put your foot behind... ouch!! Risoluto: Ah, I'm sorry... Caprese: No need to apologise, you made a mistake, it is enough to just face it, as a girl. (???) Risoluto: Ah...I did it again...

My translation of the final Light chapter of Arcana continues, and now I'm running into something odd. Context this time is that after rescuing Princess Harp, he was brought before Risoluto to be judged whether he is worthy or not of the princess. One branch of this arc has Caprese found unworthy, because Risoluto's judgement using her special powers has found that his deeds for the Light are unsatisfactory. Caprese is dissatisfied with this outcome and that evening he goes to Risoluto's room and asks her to explain about her ability to see what Caprese has done. They have a bit of conversation: Caprese: …グランディに言われた…いや…いろんな人に言われたな… お前は光の使者、光の戦士だって…でも、ただの何にも考えずに嫁さん探ししてたんだぜ? いきなりそんなこといわれても…だけど…いろいろ…ヘンなこともしたかもしれないけど…俺はリソルートの前に立った…審判を受けるところまでは辿り着いた…光の使者として…認められはしなかったけど…俺にしては上出来だなって思ったんだ. Risoluto: すまない… Caprese: どうしてリソルートが謝る?だって、俺は満足してるんだ。結果はどうでもいいよ。俺は精一杯やった、それでいいんだ Risoluto: 精一杯… Caprese: そうだ、俺はそれだけでいい…だから…泣かないで… Risoluto: カプリス…お前の言葉…なんだか懐かしい… Caprese: 懐かしい…か…そうかもしれない… ずっと昔に…お互い記憶にないくらい昔…会っていたのかもな… Risoluto: では…なぜ、いままた出会った? The highlighted portions are a bit of a puzzle, not because I don't understand the meanings of the words, but because they don't seem to make sense in the context. Translation of mos of the rest: Caprese: It was Grandi [the reverse trap commander from Part II, Chapter 8] who said it... No, many people told me so. 'You are the Messenger of the Light, Warrior of the Light' they said... But without really thinking, wasn't I just an ordinary guy looking for a wife? And then all of a sudden, so to speak, I found myself embroiled in all sorts of strange things it seems. I stood before you, Risoluto, and received your judgement after many long struggles. As the Messenger of the Light... You won't recognise me as such but I don't think I really did so badly. Risoluto: I am sorry. Caprese: Why are you apologising, Risoluto? After all, I am satisfied. The final outcome doesn't matter. I did my best, and that is all. Risoluto: Thy best... Caprese: Yes, that was my all. So I won't cry over it... Risoluto: Caprese, thy words somehow are nostalgic... Caprese: Nostalgic huh? I suppose you might say that. Of my childhood... just like you I have no memories of my childhood. Maybe if I had met... Risoluto: Then why, now you meet? (????) '会っていたのかもな' sort of means 'If I might have met...' but from the context it doesn't seem clear who it was he was supposed to meet. I was originally thinking that it might be if he had met someone of authority the way Risoluto had met the Hierophant, but Risoluto's subsequent statement becomes nonsensical as well. Or perhaps there is a sense of 会っていたのかも that I am unaware of?

If you need aids with translation there is Translation Aggregator: http://www.hongfire.com/forum/showthread.php/94395-Translation-Aggregator?p=3648894#post3648894 This has been indispensable for me, mainly for the JParser support, which has helped remove a lot of the tedium when looking up unfamiliar words in a passage of text. You can use it to send text to machine translators if you want.

And so after sporadic work on it over the past several months, I've finally gotten to what I think should be the last of the Light chapters of Arcana. Anyhow, after Caprese manages to rescue Princess Harp after her abduction by Tombeau, her father the Hierophant Hymnus and the nun Risoluto have the following conversation: Narrator: 誘拐されたハープ姫の生還に\n法王は喜びを隠せなかった。そしてカプリスは… Risoluto: 法王…あなたは人の親である前に光の使者でもあるのです。そのお立場をお忘れなきように Hymnus: リソルート…お前が言うことはわかる…しかし…いまさら試すなどと… Risoluto: あなたはお年を召されてしまったようですね…いま、この世に届いている光…それはまだわずかなものです… あなたは、いえあなたの血族は法王として…ミトラ神の意志に従い、この世を光で満たさねばならないのです Hymnus: だから…あの若者が光の使者としてふさわしいか判断すると言うのか? I'm having difficulty translating the portion highlighted in yellow above. I am not so sure what Risoluto means by お年を召されてしまった above. Does it mean the Hierophant seems to be so overjoyed at the safe return of his daughter that it looks as though he has declared a new year? Also, she says something あなたは、いえあなたの血族は法王として, which I am not certain of. It seems she is trying to say that he and not his blood relation (Princess Harp) is acting as Hierophant. I think the rest sort of goes: Narrator: The Hierophant was unable to hide his joy at the safe return of the abducted Princess Harp. Meanwhile, Caprese... Risoluto: Holiness... Before you are the Father of the People you are the Messenger of the Light. Please do not forget your place. Hymnus: Risoluto... I know what you are saying, but is it too late to try... Risoluto: 「It seems as though you have declared a New Year.」? The Light has arrived in this world. But there is only a little as yet. 「You, not your blood relative as the Hierophant, must do the will of the Lord Mithras and fill the world with Light.」? Hymnus: And so, do you think it fitting that we recognise that young man as a Messenger of the Light?

Well, I'm back after a bit of a hiatus. Just finished Light Chapter 13. I've seen a new instance of the typing game in Chapter 14 (incompletely translated), and indeed it seems like random choices of words from the typing files in the game archive. Almost at the finish line for the light chapters. Then next the dark chapters, which look like they're full of rape and violence and such, judging from the game art...

And so I've finally gotten off my ass and resumed translation and conversion of Arcana after taking a break for several months, and now I've gotten to Light Chapter 14, one more chapter before I reach the end of one of the game's two major branches. Now I've run into a very strange verb form I cannot decipher. Here it is, with some immediate context: Meister: お前も…もう少し心に闇があればな…われらの眷属の一人になれたものを…わかっているのか…お前はどちらの道も選べたのだ… Caprese: そんなこと… Meister: まぁ、いまさら遅いわ… お前は既に我らの憎むべき光の眷属… これ以上… 力を付ける前に消えて貰わねばならぬ Larger context here is that Caprese and Primo are on their way back to the Hierophant's Palace after their long journey, and run into the Meister, who seems to be leading Marcato and his army to an assault on the Palace. The portion I highlighted seems to be a form of 貰う, but what does it actually mean? This -ぬ ending verb form seems to be rather strange. Googling for this form gives contradictory answers as to its meaning. It looks like some sort of conditional negative and I can't make sense of it.

Just curious as to what tools are widely used by the community for reverse engineering games and such. I haven't done serious reverse engineering in years and am wondering what debuggers, disassemblers, and similar tools are widely used these days as I'm looking to try doing this for various games here and there. I've heard of tools like ollydbg (http://www.ollydbg.de/), SoftICE (a rather old tool I think), GoVest (http://www.oocities.com/govest/), IDA, and Tracer (http://yurichev.com/tracer-en.html). What do you folks use here?

For some reason Arcana's Light §3.11.2 is much longer than most of the others I've seen so far, and I feel it should have been broken into at least three or four sections, given that it has at least four scenes. Anyhow, I've got another perplexing sentence here. Context is that the Hierophant Hymnus is explaining to his daughter Harp about how he and his elder brother (the father of Harp's cousin Analiese whom Caprese encounters in a previous chapter) received revelations from the god Mithras giving divine revelations that order them to slay a pair of twins who are prophesied to bring chaos and destruction to the world. A portion of their conversation goes like this: Hymnus: だが…兄が…双子を助けていた… Harp: お父様の…わたしのおじさまが? Hymnus: そうだ…いくらミトラ神のお告げでも…幼子を殺すに忍びないとな…それを機会に兄は…法王家と袂を別った My translation: Hymnus: However, my elder brother rescued the twins... Harp: Father, you mean my uncle? Hymnus: That's right... However many revelations from Lord Mithras, he could not bring himself to slay a child. So when the opportunity came, he separated himself from the House of the Hierophant and (袂 == ???). That seems to be more or less the gist of it, but what is this 袂 (たもと) that he says along with 法王家 (the Hierophant's Noble House)? My dictionary says 袂 means 'sleeve', 'pocket of a sleeve', 'vicinity', or 'foot of a mountain' but I can't think of any of these meanings that would make sense within the context.