It’s not often we get great news right out of the blue, but that’s what happened this morning!
Over the last few years, since I translated the Final Conflict script, various people have contacted me requesting permission to use it in an attempted translation patch. All had failed thus far. When I saw the email subject line “Final Conflict Translation”, I thought “Ah, fresh blood! Someone else is going to try…”. Needless to say I was surprised when I read the email fully only to find the author claiming to have made a working translation patch.
It had to be a hoax.
But it isn’t!
Attached to the email was a set of files including an IPS patch for the Final Conflict ROM. I tried it, dubiously… and much to my amazement, it worked. Final Conflict – with English text (and not ‘cavespeak’ either)! Huzzah!
It seems a kindly fellow going by the name of z80 gaiden has spent a number of years working on this patch and has now got it into the final stages of completion. All it’s lacking in fact is some input from me in the form of a couple hundred missing lines of translation (basic text for item usage, status effects etc) which need to be added to complete the script.
I shall be hard at work on these ASAP, as well as revising the script to sound a little more English rather than Engrish 😉 I did, afterall, translate it to be as close to the original meaning as possible without ‘floawing it up’, so to speak. Time for some flowers, methinks.
I never thought the script would really end up in the game, and I think this news is fantastic. z80 has been kind enough to send me all the files needed to finish off the script for insertion into the patch and has given permission for me to post a few screenshots. No, these aren’t PhotoShop edits – I applied the patch to my ROM of the game and took these myself less than an hour ago!
I think I can speak for all of us when I say a huge thank you to z80 for his years of hard work on this project and the amazing results. I know we’ll all enjoy playing the game in English 🙂 I know he’d like the patch to be tested before it’s put up for download (which won’t be until after the script is finished either – don’t worry, I’ll be as quick as I can!), so at some point I’ll be asking a few peeps I know I can trust not to distribute the patch to play through the game and check for problems. Please do not email me asking to be a tester, if you do, you won’t get to be one :p Likewise, please don’t ask me for the current patch as it’s been sent to me as a private demo for the time being.
Soon… yes soon, my friends, there will be a time when we can all enjoy the wonder that is Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict in English!! Huzzah 😀