I understand japanese people asking the JP dub, but for westerns i dont get the point, is there famous Voice actors on the JP dub? The English is good, And as far as i know Makes more sense, since erebonia looks like an european monarchy with the european nobility titles, like England has.
From what I heard Cold Steel got quite a few big names for the Japanese dub. .Forgive me, I don't know many of them by heart.
I would have likely went with Japanese voices if it weren't for XSEED providing much more voicework for this PC release. For someone staunchly against English dub that would simply mean "more bad", so it wouldn't matter. However, while I'm not head-over-heels for the voicework in Cold Steel, it's decent. It's enough for me to want to hear more voiced lines rather than less.
So I'm playing on my laptop and having an issue: I completely lose the ability to move around my pointer (To for instance, look at another window) when I play the game. Is there any way to fix this?
I'm actually kind of disappointed in the writing of this game so far. Not extremely so, but a little.
The school setting and anime "hijinks" I knew was going to be a thing going in: such as how Rean and Alisa first meet, but I figured hey the Sky trilogy made the whole "technically not siblings romance" work to some degree so I figured maybe some tropey dialogue and situations would be carried by good writing and characterization.
Well...so far I'm mixed.
I'm in the middle of chapter 2, and of the 9 characters, I think 7 or 8 of them have either made it painfully obvious to the player that something is being hidden and yet to be revealed, or has had something revealed about them already. It's like this game has just learned the basics of writing intrigue in this manner and rotates through the same process over and over again, hint-reveal-reconcile.
Rean's an
adopted son of a noble!
Alisa is
seemingly also a noble (??)but IDK yet! Something about her last name has been telegraphed to me as being important.
Jusis is a
bastard child!
Emma can
heal or some shit
Fie has
combat training and a mysterious past ooo
Machias is a "
high rank commoner" or something
It's not the characterizations specifically that annoy me. I mean, Class VII obviously is made up of non-standard individuals. It's just the manner of which the writing is unfolding so far. I think in 10-15 hours of gameplay I've heard the "oh, it's nothing!" phrase a half dozen times when a character trait or other important plot point is hinted at but then withheld. It's frustrating.
Characters take "vacations" at rare intervals, as I put it. It lacks a consistantly escalating understanding of each character. I think two teams wrote the dialogue in this game with one having only light experience of Trails Writing Goodness from CEO interviews(?) so that would explain that if true.
That, and there's SO MANY OF THEM and so many of them are close to the MC that some get treated with NPC levels of attention. It's unfortunate, cuz they have these wonderful plateaus of bright spots to them but they're fighting for attention with others of a huge roster and that Slink mechanic and there are losers, some very important to the story and/or popular.
I'm actually kind of disappointed in the writing of this game so far. Not extremely so, but a little.
The school setting and anime "hijinks" I knew was going to be a thing going in: such as how Rean and Alisa first meet, but I figured hey the Sky trilogy made the whole "technically not siblings romance" work to some degree so I figured maybe some tropey dialogue and situations would be carried by good writing and characterization.
Cold Steel is gonna be mostly like that. The overall plot is pretty good, and the world-building is fantastic, but the characterization is filled with clichés and repetitive tropes. For example
bosses holding back so you can "win", then they kick your ass in a non-gameplay scene and all is lost until adult NPC comes to save the day -- that happens over and over and over and it's eye-rolling every time
. Then you have all the animé clichés like Alisa's "introduction", power of friendship nonsense etc.
It's frustrating because overall the story's pretty good and it just could be so much better without all the clichés. Unfortunately, it appears a lot of Japanese games/writers simply don't understand the concept of "show, don't tell" and love to beat you over the head with their plot points and their themes. :|
I think Trails in the Sky games have much better writing overall, though I overall prefer the combat and gameplay in Cold Steel.
Soooo, I'm confused about weapons customization.
...What's the point?
I'm at the first field trip, there are new weapons to buy and you can't continue customizing the older ones from that point on?
Soooo, I'm confused about weapons customization.
...What's the point?
I'm at the first field trip, there are new weapons to buy and you can't continue customizing the older ones from that point on?
Soooo, I'm confused about weapons customization.
...What's the point?
I'm at the first field trip, there are new weapons to buy and you can't continue customizing the older ones from that point on?
Had a couple instances where voiced dialogue didn't trigger (like 1-3 text boxes in an entire conversation; the first of which happened to me is on the walk to School with Elliot at the beginning Chapter 1, and when you run into Patrick as part of that same long scene). Mostly had it happen with conversations that were not previously voiced, if my memory serves me right.
Though when I reloaded my saves to replay through them, all the voices were there, so it seems like it's not consistent, and hard for me to reproduce (tried 3 more times afterwards, messing with the in-game fast-forward, boost mode, and a combo of the two leading up to the points where it happened before, couldn't get it to mess up). It was weird going through a voiced conversation, only to have 2-3 lines duck out, then the VA returned.
I understand japanese people asking the JP dub, but for westerns i dont get the point, is there famous Voice actors on the JP dub? The English is good, And as far as i know Makes more sense, since erebonia looks like an european monarchy with the european nobility titles, like England has.
Erebonia looks a lot like Germany. One region makes it really obvious.
There are more influences from western and eastern countries of course. Combined with folklore from all kinds of places.
The orbal revolution itself is like 250 years of human modernization fitted into a decade.
As for the Japanese voice acting, it's how Europe consumes anime I guess. I'm not fond of english dubs myself, but Cold Steel hits a good spots.
Some dialogue gets pretty corny. In Japanese you get away with it more easily. Most viewers don't know bad acting from good because of the language barriers.
Cold Steel is gonna be mostly like that. The overall plot is pretty good, and the world-building is fantastic, but the characterization is filled with clichés and repetitive tropes. For example
bosses holding back so you can "win", then they kick your ass in a non-gameplay scene and all is lost until adult NPC comes to save the day -- that happens over and over and over and it's eye-rolling every time
. Then you have all the animé clichés like Alisa's "introduction", power of friendship nonsense etc.
It's frustrating because overall the story's pretty good and it just could be so much better without all the clichés. Unfortunately, it appears a lot of Japanese games/writers simply don't understand the concept of "show, don't tell" and love to beat you over the head with their plot points and their themes. :|
I think Trails in the Sky games have much better writing overall, though I overall prefer the combat and gameplay in Cold Steel.
I agree that the introduction of their pasts could have been handled better and with more subtlety, but I think the actual character arcs for many of these characters are very strong.
Part of the issue as well is that they are juggling so many characters.
edit: of course this why the bonding points limitation is so infuriating since some of these great character arc moments come during the bonding events.
Trails' main theme is about the power of community and society and how despite the great chaos humanity can create, we are also capable of doing better if we trust in and work with each other. That's why all the NPCs are so important, and why something like the Bracer Guild even exists in this series. It's not like the "power of friendship" ever gives anyone an actual power increase just by BEING FRIENDS - see the ending of SC when the power of friendship prevails, not through magic, but deceit, trickery and trust.
Erebonia looks a lot like Germany. One region makes it really obvious.
There are more influences from western and eastern countries of course. Combined with folklore from all kinds of places.
The orbal revolution itself is like 250 years of human modernization fitted into a decade.
As for the Japanese voice acting, it's how Europe consumes anime I guess. I'm not fond of english dubs myself, but Cold Steel hits a good spots.
Some dialogue gets pretty corny. In Japanese you get away with it more easily. Most viewers don't know bad acting from good because of the language barriers.
It has lots of german names too. Heck, Schwarzer is absolutely german (which is, incidentally, why the english pronounciation of his name severly annoys me). There are some german words used as well and even Sara outright says 'Guten Tag' somewhere at the beginning
From the little we know about Calvard from the Sky and CS games, it looks like Calvard might be an America analogue. It's a large, expanding Republic with lots of political squabbling. It's also (as far as we know) fairly diverse - there are people like Zin and Kilika from Calvard, but you also have the President of Calvard looking like a pretty stereotypical fat American 1800's oil baron.
It has lots of german names too. Heck, Schwarzer is absolutely german (which is, incidentally, why the english pronounciation of his name severly annoys me). There are some german words used as well and even Sara outright says 'Guten Tag' somewhere at the beginning
Rean's Orbal camera still talks about the "Playstation® 3's" screenshot function. So far I've noticed miscellaneous dialogue that still hints at the port's origins, lol.
I assume it's the same reason they give you a choice between two companions for Estelle for the bulk of Sky SC, including all the interactions and scenes that go with either choice. You have to play twice to see all the story bits related to each companion.
If we're talking about real world counterparts, this is more or less what I always thought of the countries in Zemuria:
Erebonia: Germany.
Liberl: Either Austria or the Czech Republic.
Crossbell: It's not a nation but I always think of it as the Switzerland of Zemuria.
Calvard: This one is difficult, given how many different cultures and races it host. I hope Falcom step up its game when the Calvard arc comes. Calvard has a lot internal conflicts that could make its arc really interesting, depending on how Falcom touches it.
For comparison, I though the social class conflict in Erebonia so far has been ok and sometimes good, but it could be better.
If we're talking about real world counterparts, this is more or less what I always thought of the countries in Zemuria:
Erebonia: Germany.
Liberl: Either Austria or the Czech Republic.
Crossbell: It's not a nation but I always think of it as the Switzerland of Zemuria.
Calvard: This one is difficult, given how many different cultures and races it host. I hope Falcom step up its game when the Calvard arc comes. Calvard has a lot internal conflicts that could make its arc really interesting, depending on how Falcom touches it.
For comparison, I though the social class conflict in Erebonia so far has been ok and sometimes good, but it could be better.
Liberl's analogue is Thailand, which makes sense if you know its history. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Thailand was the only Southeast Asian country to never be colonized. The Thai leaders exploited the Anglo-French tensions (sound familiar?) to stay independent, and were receptive to certain Western reforms. Unlike Liberl, however, Thailand ceded various parts of its territory over the years to maintain its independence.
Is the story typical Japanese high-school shenanigans?
Because I have zero tolerance for that. If it's more mature and actually earnestly tells a story without teeny-boppers throwing hissy fits at each other, I'm in.
Is the story typical Japanese high-school shenanigans?
Because I have zero tolerance for that. If it's more mature and actually earnestly tells a story without teeny-boppers throwing hissy fits at each other, I'm in.
It takes place in significant part in a military high school but it's not really about the school life, unlike, say, Persona. The characters don't necessarily all start off strong (the absolute most "high-school shenanigans" part of the series is one scene right near the beginning), but they get good development over the course of this game and its sequel. The writing is definitely well above JRPG average, though I still think the Sky games have even better writing.
Liberl's analogue is Thailand, which makes sense if you know its history. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Thailand was the only Southeast Asian country to never be colonized. The Thai leaders exploited the Anglo-French tensions (sound familiar?) to stay independent, and were receptive to certain Western reforms. Unlike Liberl, however, Thailand ceded various parts of its territory over the years to maintain its independence.
That's very interesting, I didn't know about it. I don't remember exactly, but someone mentioned that either Crossbell or Calvard were based on Singapore, I think. (I suppose Crossbell makes more sense). So I suppose Falcom takes a lot of inspiration from Southeast Asia.
Is the story typical Japanese high-school shenanigans?
Because I have zero tolerance for that. If it's more mature and actually earnestly tells a story without teeny-boppers throwing hissy fits at each other, I'm in.
Is the story typical Japanese high-school shenanigans?
Because I have zero tolerance for that. If it's more mature and actually earnestly tells a story without teeny-boppers throwing hissy fits at each other, I'm in.
Is the story typical Japanese high-school shenanigans?
Because I have zero tolerance for that. If it's more mature and actually earnestly tells a story without teeny-boppers throwing hissy fits at each other, I'm in.
I'd have no trouble recommending Trails in the Sky, but Trails of Cold Steel takes a while to shed its high school anime trappings. If you have zero tolerance, you probably won't get through the game.
That's very interesting, I didn't know about it. I don't remember exactly, but someone mentioned that either Crossbell or Calvard were based on Singapore, I think. (I suppose Crossbell makes more sense). So I suppose Falcom takes a lot of inspiration from Southeast Asia.
Is the story typical Japanese high-school shenanigans?
Because I have zero tolerance for that. If it's more mature and actually earnestly tells a story without teeny-boppers throwing hissy fits at each other, I'm in.
If we ever get Crosbell localised I wonder how XSEED will handle certain characters.
Shirley, that gay Bracer or just Wazy being Wazy will surely rise some eyebrows.
Seems like there's a potential glitch that can occur if you use Cheat Engine to increase your Bond points in-game. It can lead to the Old Schoolhouse remaining locked during a quest and preventing you from progressing the story.
Seems like there's a potential glitch that can occur if you use Cheat Engine to increase your Bond points in-game. It can lead to the Old Schoolhouse remaining locked during a quest and preventing you from progressing the story.
Seems like there's a potential glitch that can occur if you use Cheat Engine to increase your Bond points in-game. It can lead to the Old Schoolhouse remaining locked during a quest and preventing you from progressing the story.
Can you show where this glitch is being discussed?
Edit: Is this about the New Game+ Max Bond Points (among other carryovers) or actually editing the values while in-game? If it's the latter, then my concern is lightened.
If we ever get Crosbell localised I wonder how XSEED will handle certain characters.
Shirley, that gay Bracer or just Wazy being Wazy will surely rise some eyebrows.
If you can't wait, there are ways to play them. While not ideal it did give me a good look on both games. The good fan translations will still take a while. I do hope XSeed could pick them up, but I'm sure CS3 will be first. They might do a good prestory on Zero-Azure and Cold Steel I&II.
Seems like there's a potential glitch that can occur if you use Cheat Engine to increase your Bond points in-game. It can lead to the Old Schoolhouse remaining locked during a quest and preventing you from progressing the story.
The gorilla in Lunaria Park on Nightmare are pretty hard, just fought three at the same time, but in the end I prevailed. Anybody used the Scepter master quartz ? Debating if it's worth equipping.
Yeah this has conditioned many people to instinctively hate any dub on Japanese media. Understandable and unfortunate, though I do not condone obnoxious behaviour in the slightest.
It has lots of german names too. Heck, Schwarzer is absolutely german (which is, incidentally, why the english pronounciation of his name severly annoys me). There are some german words used as well and even Sara outright says 'Guten Tag' somewhere at the beginning
Similar situation with HQ DoF on the GTX770 at 1440p. Below is what performance is like with the close-up of the tank /w dialog at the game opening, with and without the HQ DoF setting:
Maximum + Unlimited FPS (VSync off) + High Quality DoF Enabled = 7fps
Maximum + Unlimited FPS (VSync off) + High Quality DoF Disabled = 65fps
The setting just scales horribly with resolution increases. Seems like we could really use a half-resolution HQ DoF, assuming that would still be any better quality than the standard DoF.
Personally I'm liking running this game at Maximum (w/ 4xMSAA) + Unlimited FPS (VSync off) + High Quality DoF Disabled + 4xSGSSAA (nvinspector, 5120x2880 downsampled) which results in 40-75fps (~55-60fps avg), an acceptable range for my GSync Monitor. While this results in a softer look, it cleans up the alpha blending artifacts which are sometimes visible around character models and otherwise eliminates texture shimmering nicely. I could almost do 8xMSAA + 8xSGSSAA which runs at 30fps in scenes without DoF and ~25fps otherwise, if only my GPU were slightly more powerful.
Personally, I feel like the cast is more like something out of a Lunar or early Grandia game; cliche as hell, but they are still likable for the most part, and can put in some charm when it counts.
This is different from a Tales or Star Ocean scenario where the characters are cliche and unlikable/obnoxious (except Vesperia and Berseria).
Not to be too off-topic, but I'm using this for the first time and seem to be running into a "Missing DLL" error. I've read online about it, but no luck fixing it yet. Installed the program, (though I don't know where to put the config ini), added ed8.exe and imported the preset. However, when I try to launch the game, it won't and responds with d3d11.dll needed to be located in the SYS32. There is one there already though.
Edit: Okay, I got the game to launch now, but the toggle isn't working? At least I don't believe so.
