Page 1 of 5

Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 8:59 am
by Marc
This is the place to request features for future versions of the patch, either for the PlayStation version or another version. Just bear in mind there's no 100% guarantee we'll be doing a patch for another version of the game.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:25 pm
by Frogacuda
I don't know if it's possible, but a cursor speed option that also affects the shooting bits would be dandy. Also maybe some tweaking of the subtitle timing from the native Japanese as some things clearly go by faster than they can comfortably be read.

If you guys actually do another port of the game, you're nuts. Awesome, but nuts.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 1:55 pm
by Henry Spencer
Oh man, if you guys don't want to do the PC-98 version (I'd imagine that ancient piece of hardware would be next to impossible anyhow) then PLEASE could you do a translation of the Japanese script for us to gander at (you've said before the script is different, and is by far the longest).

Aside from that request, which I feel really cheeky to ask for, nah. Actually, there is one more thing I want, how about a feature that says "donate" on Policenauts.net. :)

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:12 pm
by bishopcruz
Don't know if this would be possible, but how about a no fail mode, or perhaps a difficulty setting for the shooting parts. Maybe it was just me, but I cam close to breaking my mouse/controller a considerable number of times during the game. The digital pad was actually more precise than the mouse in the shooting sections, but even it was really really bitchy, maybe an easy mode or something where you take less damage would be possible? If not, no worries...

And of course, I'd kill for a translation of the Saturn version, with all of its extras additional scenes, and light gun support. I still have my Saturn and light guns, just have to hook it up to an old TV I guess.

But you guys did a bang up job, so if nothing was added in the future, I can't say I'd be sad.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:18 pm
by Snatcher42
Good idea, bishopcruz! I don't know if it's easy, hard, or even possible, and I don't know if it's something the patch team would want to do... but I'd love to have some "cheat" options. ;)

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:36 pm
by mrgone
Snatcher42 wrote:Good idea, bishopcruz! I don't know if it's easy, hard, or even possible, and I don't know if it's something the patch team would want to do... but I'd love to have some "cheat" options. ;)
its a playstation game!
someone will come up with action replay codes, i'm sure

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:40 pm
by Jonesy47
I second the Saturn suggestion but i assume you, the original guys behind the translation, want that just as much, if not more, than I do.

As for a no-fail mode...god, do i hate that suggestion...seriously, If you came to the point of your controller playing the shooting portions, then you have attained true old-school nirvana! Bask in it and love it for what it is because that shit is rare...no where to be found in present day games anymore. Even Ninja Gaiden is a thing of the past now.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:44 pm
by Frogacuda
Saturn version might be cool as it's the latest and arguably most complete with light gun support and more scenes, PLUS you'd be able to reuse most of your existing work as far as graphics and script go.

PC98 version would be interesting because it's probably the most different, and hacking-wise I'd imagine it'd be the easiest. But shoot, you guys should do whatever sparks your interest.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:54 am
by Snatcher42
Jonesy47 wrote:seriously, If you came to the point of your controller playing the shooting portions, then you have attained true old-school nirvana!
That might have been cool back in 1996 when I was 12 years old, but now with a desk job and worsening carpal tunnel... not so much. ;)

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:19 am
by bishopcruz
Agreed, I probably have at least an hour and a half of my 10 or so hour game time tied up in the bags, the bomb, and the shooting scenes, specifically the end of act 2, and all of Act 7. The bags and the bombs I can't do much about (Though I do say that the magnet movement was impossible for me with a mouse.), but the gun scenes aren't as fun for me in this as the simpler ones in Snatcher were. A lot of that problem is not just the imprecise pointer, but the ridiculous levels of damage you take in some of these stages. No fail mode aside (which again, might not be the best, you'd miss out on some hilarious dialogue), taking half damage or something would be keen.

This would of course be less necessary on the Saturn one, mainly because of light gun support, it was really good in that port, and it made the scenes far less annoying.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:31 am
by Frogacuda
One script revision that I'd recommend:

There's a part where they're at a party and Jonathan asks Chris about her relationship with Sadaoki. She says he's her "main squeeze" and then says she meant it in a paternal sense. This double entendre doesn't translate at all. Wouldn't it be better to say "He's my old man" which can mean both father or husband? Even something like "papi" might work better.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:01 am
by khmr33
It's hard to judge since I'm still in Act 1, but it seems to me that the cutscenes could use nameplates to clarify who is speaking.

Also, isn't it more difficult to duplicate Saturn discs? All I have is an AR 4 in 1, which bypasses the region lock. I don't think it would dupe the system into booting a backup. I haven't actually tried though.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:29 am
by vincent_vincent
i can't let any chance to Thank you guys slip , so Thanks again .

add the Save/Load state feature for EPSXE .

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:50 am
by snatcher1996
I' love to have more than 4 save slots per memory card.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:29 am
by Supergrom
khmr33 wrote:It's hard to judge since I'm still in Act 1, but it seems to me that the cutscenes could use nameplates to clarify who is speaking.

Also, isn't it more difficult to duplicate Saturn discs? All I have is an AR 4 in 1, which bypasses the region lock. I don't think it would dupe the system into booting a backup. I haven't actually tried though.
Copying Saturn CD's isn't particularly difficult, and its not much more difficult to get them to boot on hardware than it is with the PSX. The AR 4 in 1 won't boot backups, but it will make the swap trick a little bit easier. The swap trick is never the best option though, you're much better off getting a modchip (which, apparently, are getting harder and harder to find)

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:47 am
by bishopcruz
Frogacuda wrote:One script revision that I'd recommend:

There's a part where they're at a party and Jonathan asks Chris about her relationship with Sadaoki. She says he's her "main squeeze" and then says she meant it in a paternal sense. This double entendre doesn't translate at all. Wouldn't it be better to say "He's my old man" which can mean both father or husband? Even something like "papi" might work better.
Good point. It really makes Jonathan and Ed look like idiots for not suspecting her. I mean, I think I missed the paternal sense, line but it seemed pretty obvious to me in that scene that they were schtupping. I'd go with the 'old man' thing, it works well.

Also, I'll second the more save slots and identification on who is speaking thing, it can be hard to tell some of the VAs apart sometimes.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:18 am
by slowbeef
vincent_vincent wrote:add the Save/Load state feature for EPSXE .
I can't! That's ePSXe's deal, not Policenauts. There would be no possible way to do that in the game.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:30 pm
by Frogacuda
While we're talking revisions, I did find a small error:
Image
(should be "breathe")

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:13 pm
by Newtype
I don't speak Japanese, but I think there are subtitles missing at some point in the opening cut scene. I think the narrator mentions the date when the Policenauts started working in space, but there are no subs that tell us what the date is.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 3:38 pm
by slowbeef
Newtype wrote:I don't speak Japanese, but I think there are subtitles missing at some point in the opening cut scene. I think the narrator mentions the date when the Policenauts started working in space, but there are no subs that tell us what the date is.
I'll let Marc speak more to that, but that's intentional.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:01 pm
by khmr33
slowbeef wrote:
Newtype wrote:I don't speak Japanese, but I think there are subtitles missing at some point in the opening cut scene. I think the narrator mentions the date when the Policenauts started working in space, but there are no subs that tell us what the date is.
I'll let Marc speak more to that, but that's intentional.
Yes, a primer on style choices would be excellent. I noticed at the space port Jonathan mentions BCP twice by name but it's only translated by name once. I figured it was because of how Japanese sentence structure and syntax worked that it wasn't needed to understand what he was referring to in English.

I also wondered if style choices were dependent on space restrictions for the text... if the english script was constantly revised to fit a certain amount of disc space.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:25 pm
by slowbeef
khmr33 wrote: I also wondered if style choices were dependent on space restrictions for the text... if the english script was constantly revised to fit a certain amount of disc space.
No, not at all.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:31 pm
by Marc
I'm currently writing a thread that will answer why there is the amount of swearing in the game that there is, why it has homophobic language, why it has a few internet words, why Jonathan sucks at grammar, among other points of contention.

Also, thanks to everyone for the typo spots and suggestions, will respond to them soon.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:41 pm
by Frogacuda
Marc wrote:I'm currently writing a thread that will answer why there is the amount of swearing in the game that there is, why it has homophobic language, why it has a few internet words, why Jonathan sucks at grammar, among other points of contention.
I think the cursing is an appropriate way to translate disrespectful tone from Japanese. The internet language thing is the only one that bothers me only because it will become dated so quickly. Other than that I don't mind any of this. They kind of should have "cop mouth" to an extent and it never felt gratuitous like in Yakuza or something. I'm glad this isn't super-literal.

Oh, I noticed there's no subs for the T-Gear99 terminal in the pharmacy. Obviously isn't hard to follow despite that, but just another thing that might make it that much more polished.

I don't mean any of this to complain though, the translation is really high quality, especially for the size and scope of it. You certainly don't owe us any updates, but if you're doing them, these are the things I noticed.

Re: Feature requests for future versions

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:18 pm
by Marc
Frogacuda wrote:The internet language thing is the only one that bothers me only because it will become dated so quickly.
To give you some quick replies, I used the internet terms because I'm imagining them as having fully migrated into mainstream speech by 2040 (use of "fail" in particular is spreading today). If the game took place in the present day then I wouldn't have used them.
Frogacuda wrote:Oh, I noticed there's no subs for the T-Gear99 terminal in the pharmacy. Obviously isn't hard to follow despite that, but just another thing that might make it that much more polished.
There are no subs for the T-Gear because everything that's said, with one exception, is written on its monitor. The exception is when the monitor says "Please Authenticate"; this was due to a different view I had of the situation. The Japanese dialogue basically spells out exactly what needs to be done, i.e. clicking on the crest that matches the onscreen prompt, but I disagreed with this. I don't think that a top-secret piece of hardware would give its user any help. Anyone authorized to use it would already know what they have to do. I understand that you're sitting there looking at two words while the voice is speaking, and a couple of beta testers did bring this up, but in the end I decided to leave it this way.