Square Enix Crack Down on Fan Made TYPE-0 Patch

They're a little late. I mean, the patch was available and widely distributed even before their announcement of the English release. And, to be fair, it was just a patch, and you need the game files for it to do you any good.

It wasn't even as though the guys doing the translation were being subtle about it. There was some pretty heft coverage for the year and a half that they were working on the translation.

Anyway, if anyone wants the patch, I've got it downloaded already. Send me a text. If you need a copy of the game to patch, you'll have to import one though.

Originally Posted by Skyblade

They're a little late. I mean, the patch was available and widely distributed even before their announcement of the English release. And, to be fair, it was just a patch, and you need the game files for it to do you any good.

Just for clarification, do you know if people were acquiring the game files by purchasing a legal copy of the game from Japan and just using the patch so they could understand it?

Originally Posted by ToriJ

Originally Posted by Skyblade

They're a little late. I mean, the patch was available and widely distributed even before their announcement of the English release. And, to be fair, it was just a patch, and you need the game files for it to do you any good.

Just for clarification, do you know if people were acquiring the game files by purchasing a legal copy of the game from Japan and just using the patch so they could understand it?

Most people were downloading the game to emulate using a PSP emulator and then patching it with the patch to change the JP text to EN.

I get why they'd protect their property. I don't know what they've done to this guy, but I hope they haven't been unreasonably harsh to him given that he's not trying to make money off this.

I imagine the translation process is a lot more work than the actual hack needed to put the new translation in. Is it against the law to translate a work of fiction for personal use?

Originally Posted by ToriJ

Originally Posted by Skyblade

They're a little late. I mean, the patch was available and widely distributed even before their announcement of the English release. And, to be fair, it was just a patch, and you need the game files for it to do you any good.

Just for clarification, do you know if people were acquiring the game files by purchasing a legal copy of the game from Japan and just using the patch so they could understand it?

You could do that, but you can't just apply the patch to an UMD like that. You would first have to extract the UMD to your computer, then run a patch program that would alter the contents, then move the filessback to the PSP. Now that it has been altered, the PSP will no longer run it, as its digital cryptological signature is detected as false because the files have been altered. This means you can only run the game with a PSP that accepts unsigned code, also known as a hacked PSP with a custom firmware.

It would be at least 50 times faster to just download an ISO of the game and run the patch directly on that, then move it over to a CFW PSP, because CFW PSPs run pirated games anyway, that's why probably no one would actually pay for the game to play it in english.

Or as aulayna said, just use an emulator.

Originally Posted by Mirage

I imagine the translation process is a lot more work than the actual hack needed to put the new translation in. Is it against the law to translate a work of fiction for personal use?

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD has it written it may not be edited, translated or anything. I see no reason why I would not be the same with another Final Fantasy.

While I don't agree with the approach SE has taken because that's just no way to treat your loyal fans (if it wasn't for profit), if SE had announced that they would be releasing the game overseas at some later point, I don't see why the rush to play the game and take on a project like this. Now I don't know when SE announced they would make a western release, I don't really have this game on my radar, but if the announcement came after the fans announced this project, SE could have been more respectful in its approach.

edit: didn't see the second page of this conversation. so if the patch was done before announcing a western version, they are pretty late on the matter. If no money was being made, and if translating wasn't illegal, then I don't see why they have to be harsh on the guys.

Originally Posted by Mahad

While I don't agree with the approach SE has taken because that's just no way to treat your loyal fans (if it wasn't for profit), if SE had announced that they would be releasing the game overseas at some later point, I don't see why the rush to play the game and take on a project like this. Now I don't know when SE announced they would make a western release, I don't really have this game on my radar, but if the announcement came after the fans announced this project, SE could have been more respectful in its approach.

edit: didn't see the second page of this conversation. so if the patch was done before announcing a western version, they are pretty late on the matter. If no money was being made, and if translating wasn't illegal, then I don't see why they have to be harsh on the guys.

http://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-fan-...sco-1608340061

This is an interest read about it.

That was interesting. Sounds like this sky guy knew that they were going to announce it and so he released the patch early so they'd get some notoriety. Otherwise they'd get ignored with the big official release. Sounds like SE tried to intervene and work with them but hmm.

Not surprised, specially since they announced it's HD re-release on PS4/XBONE.

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Originally Posted by Mirage

I imagine the translation process is a lot more work than the actual hack needed to put the new translation in. Is it against the law to translate a work of fiction for personal use?

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD has it written it may not be edited, translated or anything. I see no reason why I would not be the same with another Final Fantasy.

I didn't know that. However, whatever a company chooses to write on their covers or in their software manuals does not override a country's own laws, so I'm still not sure if he was doing something that could be punishable by Spanish law (they were spanish, right?).

I know for example that even if a CD explicitly stated that copying, even for personal use, is forbidden, that doesn't make it illegal for me to take copies for personal use in Norway. The key word is of course personal, and what i was going to suggest was that perhaps the translator (or translators) should have kept quiet about it and done it for personal use (allegedly), then suddenly "someone" would hack them and steal their translation and make a patch in a shorter time than SE could react. Once it's been released to the internet, there is no way to make it go away, after all.

In either case, it is a shame that their hard work ended with a C&D, but at the same time, that is the only reasonable thing for SE to do when they are themselves going to release the game officially localized. They should have said it in a nice way, though.

Apparently they had and this was the last course. Apparently they had been in contact with him for months.

I retract my previous statements about Square, then. Sounds like they tried to be reasonable after all. My heart goes out to the rest of the team who kind of got spat on by Sky.

Even more things I did not know. Where do you get this info ;o

Originally Posted by Mirage

Even more things I did not know. Where do you get this info ;o

Aulayna posted http://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-fan-...1608340061/all back on page two.

i'm still on the first page

but all right, seems like i missed that post

Just a side note, I followed/am following the translation and patching of Valkyria Chronicles 3 and Shining Blade PSP games that SEGA has been refusing to release to the West, and an interestingly large number of fans had actually purchased those games and imported them, to rip and patch. That way they could get their translation and still support the developer. I heard bits and pieces about this project as well, and while I don't think as many people did this, I believe a decent portion of the fans were doing this. Some of the videos I had watched online were from imported copies waiting to be patched. Most of those people said it was so fun that it was worth playing with the language barrier in place, just because it was so fun, and they couldn't wait for the translation patch

That being said, I heard about the translation LONG before I heard that Square had finally decided to bring the game over. Hell, I was under the impression they made that decision simply because of the positive response garnered by the fan-translation happening. I imagine Bravely Default had something to do with their decision as well. Regardless, it's an old game, released on a dead system, that was never initially brought over, nor was there ever any plans to bring over the initial game

I have little sympathy for either parties. Square is just trying to cash in from what I can tell, and Sky handled things all wrong from most accounts. But regardless of how things fell out, the fans are getting what they want in the end either way. So a win for them. I was never really interested in the game to begin with. But I may check it out. Though I'll probably join Skyblade with this patched translation. Just to spite the whole situation ¬_¬ Then again, I don't imagine I'd really enjoy the game, and would merely need to taste test it, and as it stands, there's no legitimate way to "rent" it, so meh

Ooh, that Kotaku article. Square can do PR after all! Sky sounds like a douche, sue the pants off him boys! Eagerly awaiting the next installment that shows Square sent thugs to Sky's house to kneecap him, but then it's revealed Sky burned down an orphanage, which it's later found out to be the one he grew up in and it was run by Sorceress Edea.

After finally getting the chance to read that Kotaku article, I can only shake my head at Sky for how he acted. There's an interesting comment by someone in the translation community on the article, too, which really shows how much Sky got it wrong. Not to mention going against his colleagues to release the patch early without discussing it with them. Geez. Why do you think he would have done that without discussing it with them if he wasn't aware of What Was To Come?

Yeah, I hadn't read that article before my comment. It sounds like Sky wanted his time in the spotlight, and if the game got released, then he wouldn't have the praise he wanted from his fans. It was no longer about just getting the game, but about getting credit for the work. All that hard work was about to just be voided out and he so he released it so everyone could gobble up and praise his name and whatnot. That's the impression I'm getting anyway

I think Square could have solved a lot of problems by not being so coy and evasive. Too many companies do this crap, and this is the problem it causes. They should have told everyone they had a half-translated version done, and they should have told everyone they were putting it on hold to release for the next generation. Everyone would have been happy. Impatient maybe, but satisfied at least. Other than Sky, that's all anyone on the translation team probably wanted anyway

I have never held a high opinion of Square Enix in general. They are just lucky to have such a good game/series and blessed to have so many people who love it!