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FFXV in English doesn't give the option to toggle Metric Units and that's dumb

B-Dex

Member
In Britain:

- We get taught only metric at school
- We drive in imperial speeds but fill up the car in metric litres
- We drink milk and beer in pints but drink water and soft drinks in litres
- We measure our height in feet but measure everything else in metres
- We measure our weight in stones and pounds but weigh everything else in grams and kilograms

..and it goes on... must be confusing for visitors :)

This is like Canada. Minus weighing with stones. And we drive in metric too.
 
Hrm, interesting complaint.

FF XV is such a play on Americana that I can't see it being necessary to change here, but as a general service for video game information tools, go ahead and have the computer do the math, sure.

Even for somebody living in the States, if something changes from "2 miles" to "800 feet", it'd bother me. I'm much more in favor of a display system using simple base-10 tenths of a mile, at which point, it doesn't matter whether we're measuring in miles or kilometers or farthings or building stories or mattress sizes, it's all just a number and fraction of that number which I need to travel to get from place to place.

The game already does this. It was developed with meters and km in mind and then the computer translates it to miles and feet when you choose English. Any of the other 8 language options that my North American disc has (Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, German, French, and two versions of Spanish) displays distance in meters. It's the fact that we can't choose when playing it in English that I'm pointing out.
 

Unai

Member
The point though is that the game does take care of this for you, and you do understand how the units change and what they means, even if you're not watching the screen. (Unless you literally do not know that a mile > foot, then I could see it being a problem.)

1 km becomes a number of meters. You've gotten closer.
1 mile becomes a number of feet. You've gotten closer.

I've seen some people say, "Well, I see the "m" and assume meters and then realize it's miles, and that's much further." Well, the same thing happens to me when I play Forza Horizon 3; I drive on the side of the road I think I should be driving on, see an oncoming car and think, "Oh, that's right, I'm on the wrong side here." I recognize it, reorient my thinking, and continue playing. Are people unable to do that?

I know that 1 mile > 1 foot, but I don't know by how much, so I wouldn't know without doing the math if 1 mile > 800 feet.

It's not a big deal by any means, but both metric systems are already in the game, so an option would be appreciated.
 

NeonBlack

Member
But it's not real measurements. If they had them in Ding Dong Alley-oops the numbers would still decrease as you get closer. And you still get the estimated time of arrival.

More options are good but this is minor.
 
I know that 1 mile > 1 foot, but I don't know by how much, so I wouldn't know without doing the math if 1 mile > 800 feet.

Once again though, my point is, why do you need to know that 1mile > 800ft? The game won't present you with a number like 16000ft and expect you to understand that it's more than a mile; that would be really poor game design on the developer's part. It will tell you it's a mile, until that unit is too large to be useful, an then switch to a smaller unit; just like metric.

Edit: And with you edit, as I said in another post, I agree with the idea in principle that if metric is present in the game, it would be nice if it was something you could toggle. My comments are only to rebuff the idea that the units of measure are somehow unintelligible if you've grown up outside the metric system.

Edit 2: Changed number as it was pointed out that I left off a zero in my example. Don't want to cause confusion.
 
In Britain:

- We get taught only metric at school
- We drive in imperial speeds but fill up the car in metric litres
- We drink milk and beer in pints but drink water and soft drinks in litres
- We measure our height in feet but measure everything else in metres
- We measure our weight in stones and pounds but weigh everything else in grams and kilograms

..and it goes on... must be confusing for visitors :)

Don't forget double decker buses, football pitches and - for really large areas - Wales.
 

HMD

Member
Miles to feet is so confusing, one moment you're at 0.36 miles and the next you're at 999 feet wtf?
 

ReaperXL7

Member
I'm sorry, the US is just more important you guys :(

FJMoq.jpg

Damn right it is.
 

Kamina

Golden Boy
Once again though, my point is, why do you need to know that 1mile > 800ft? The game won't present you with a number like 1600ft and expect you to understand that it's more than a mile; that would be really poor game design on the developer's part. It will tell you it's a mile, until that unit is too large to be useful, an then switch to a smaller unit; just like metric.

Edit: And with you edit, as I said in another post, I agree with the idea in principle that if metric is present in the game, it would be nice if it was something you could toggle. My comments are only to rebuff the idea that the units of measure are somehow unintelligible if you've grown up outside the metric system.
It's also confusing that the game goes into the 0.X miles numbers.
 

pmj

Member
The point though is that the game does take care of this for you, and you do understand how the units change and what they means, even if you're not watching the screen. (Unless you literally do not know that a mile > foot, then I could see it being a problem.)

1 km becomes a number of meters. You've gotten closer.
1 mile becomes a number of feet. You've gotten closer.
Units don't switch at all with metric, km means kilometer and kilo is of course a thousand.
 
Units don't switch at all with metric, km means kilometer and kilo is of course a thousand.

Right... but 1 km still becomes XXX m as you approach your target, does it not? I understand that the system is based upon the meter, and each measure is derived from it, but the attachment of km, or m, or cm is what we're talking about here.

Now you know how Americans feel when they're out playing Pokemon Go.

"How far I have to walk to hatch this egg?"

miaaaaa.jpg

Ha, humorously, if people were trying to get a handle on the metric system using that, they would have gotten a wildly incorrect perspective anyway, as tracking on that app for distance travelled was all over the place.

But it's so stupidly simple and efficient.

It's a good system.
 

Zebetite

Banned
The scale in the game is kinda fucked anyways, you can travel a mile on foot in like a minute in-game. Don't pay too much attention to distance measurements.
 
You may not realize how disorienting it can be for a Metric user to have a measurement that goes from 0.19 to 999 in the next couple of steps. It's not a deal breaker but it makes the world less intuitive to navigate.

I also continuously keep feeling it takes too long to advance one 0.1 but thats because 0.1 of a mile is way more than 0.1 km.

Yes, they could've called the units something else but if they were going to go for real units and went to the trouble of including both Metric and Imperial then just give us the option to choose.


Yes but, like I said, it's not that simple because after 999 it goes to 0.18m rather than 1000 or 1.00 like it would in Metric. It's incredibly jarring for non Imperial users.

No because these "steps" don't have an understandable distance for metric thinkers.
Look, you are trying to describe a system to us that doesn't really make sense. We are used to 10mm being 1cm, 10cm being 1dm, 10dm being 1m, 1000m being 1km. Each of these are easy to comprehend due to the factor 10.

But I AM from a metric user country D:<!
 

HMD

Member
Right... but 1 km still becomes XXX m as you approach your target, does it not? I understand that the system is based upon the meter, and each measure is derived from it, but the attachment of km, or m, or cm is what we're talking about here.

No it doesn't change, 1 kilometer is 1000 meters. It's that simple.
 
Right... but 1 km still becomes XXX m as you approach your target, does it not? I understand that the system is based upon the meter, and each measure is derived from it, but the attachment of km, or m, or cm is what we're talking about here.



Ha, humorously, if people were trying to get a handle on the metric system using that, they would have gotten a wildly incorrect perspective anyway, as tracking on that app for distance travelled was all over the place.



It's a good system.
Not necessarily. Sometimes they'll change 1 km to 999 meters but you can can still represent 999 meters with 0.999 km. Its scalability is part of the beauty of the Metric system.
 
What I meant was I'll still choose to play FFXV in English even if I cant play with Metric units because its not a deal breaker and for me the advantages of playing it in English greatly outweigh the advantages of playing a FF in Spanish for the first time. But it is something I feel needs to be discussed. There are millions and millions of english speakers in the world that do not use Imperial units. The game already carries both units, why not give the option?

You can play with english audio with menus and subtitles in spanish.

What's the problem if you speak both languages?
 

Aikidoka

Member
Once again though, my point is, why do you need to know that 1mile > 800ft? The game won't present you with a number like 1600ft and expect you to understand that it's more than a mile; that would be really poor game design on the developer's part. It will tell you it's a mile, until that unit is too large to be useful, an then switch to a smaller unit; just like metric.

Edit: And with you edit, as I said in another post, I agree with the idea in principle that if metric is present in the game, it would be nice if it was something you could toggle. My comments are only to rebuff the idea that the units of measure are somehow unintelligible if you've grown up outside the metric system.
1600ft is not more than 1 mile. It's a bit less than a third of a mile.
 
No it doesn't change, 1 kilometer is 1000 meters. It's that simple.

I don't understand what you're trying to prove. Once again, I understand 1 kilometer is 1000 meters. You can say 1 km, and you say 1000 m. And the way scaling works in the game, if the game goes from km to m, you can understand that you're getting closer. If it doesn't mean that, the game's conveyance of distance is silly.

Not necessarily. Sometimes they'll change 1 km to 999 meters but you can can still represent 999 meters with 0.999 km. Its scalability is part of the beauty of the Metric system.

Sure. As I said, it's a good system. Even as a native user of the Imperial system, I see no reason why Metric isn't a better measurement system.

My point is only, and continues to be, that this doesn't actually get in the way of understanding what the numbers mean when it comes to this video game.

1600ft is not more than 1 mile. It's a bit less than a third of a mile.

Yeah, I left a zero off. My mistake.
 
You can play with english audio with menus and subtitles in spanish.

What's the problem if you speak both languages?
Because I've played every FF ever since IV in English.

All the monster names, the items, the weapons, all the terminology I know it by instinct in English. It would take me a long time to relearn what the fuck a Potion, a Phoenix Down or a Summon is in Spanish. Sometimes the translations aren't as direct as you'd think and it's not worth it. I also don't feel they give the same attention and care to the Spanish localization as they do to the English one but that's another matter entirely.

I would prefer playing with metric but the pain of playing it in Imperial and in English is still less than what it'd be to play a FF for the first time in Spanish.
 

pelican

Member
Err, the UK still uses the Imperial system. Not everything conforms to the metric system.

Our roads are still miles, we talk about miles per gallon and miles per hour. There are other Imperial measures outside of roads/driving we use e.g. pints, gallons and pounds.
 
I don't understand what you're trying to prove. Once again, I understand 1 kilometer is 1000 meters. You can say 1 km, and you say 1000 m. And the way scaling works in the game, if the game goes from km to m, you can understand that you're getting closer. If it doesn't mean that, the game's conveyance of distance is silly.



Sure. As I said, it's a good system. Even as a native user of the Imperial system, I see no reason why Metric isn't a better measurement system.

My point is only, and continues to be, that this doesn't actually get in the way of understanding what the numbers mean when it comes to this video game.



Yeah, I left a zero off. My mistake.
It's quite disorientating. It's hard to explain, but when you're used to the metric system, imperial feels weird. Despite you being right that they shouldn't get in the way, they do. It's odd. Not a deal breaker but there's definitely a feeling of weirdness that's hard to quantify.
 

Venfayth

Member
My American perspective:

Metric makes more sense, we should use it. Imperial units are pretty arbitrary and dumb.

-

Why the hell does it matter what units of measurement a game uses? You're not measuring things out. If seeing an illogical system of measurement being used upsets you when it's not actually relevant to the game, I dunno what to say. Of the problems FFXV has this seems like completely benign.

It's quite disorientating. It's hard to explain, but when you're used to the metric system, imperial feels weird. Despite you being right that they shouldn't get in the way, they do. It's odd. Not a deal breaker but there's definitely a feeling of weirdness that's hard to quantify.

Disorientating? Really?
 
My American perspective:

Metric makes more sense, we should use it. Imperial units are pretty arbitrary and dumb.

-

Why the hell does it matter what units of measurement a game uses? You're not measuring things out. If seeing an illogical system of measurement being used upsets you when it's not actually relevant to the game, I dunno what to say. Of the problems FFXV has this seems like completely benign.



Disorientating? Really?
Yes. It's hard to explain, as I said. Just because it's a benign complaint doesn't mean it should be silenced.
 

Dunkley

Member
At first I was surprised too. I tried to toggle it over to meters too and was confused when I didn't find out that you could.

But at the same time, even though I have no freaking clue how the imperial system works, there's more that I care about than virtual distance to my quest/marker target.

With that said, I do hope however they patch it in. Even though it's not game breaking or disorienting for my Austrian ass, it certainly would be neat to have the option.
 

Venfayth

Member
Yes. It's hard to explain, as I said. Just because it's a benign complaint doesn't mean it should be silenced.

I don't think any complaints should be silenced, but I think complaining about it is just as silly as not using metric in the first place.

I also find the idea of being disoriented by a different system of measurement silly. Maybe since I have had to adapt to two different systems of measurement being used all the time I'm just used to it though.
 
After having played a ton of the Judgment demo in Japanese... the switch to imperial units threw me off... It does seem kind of weird/irrationally upsetting to assume that even those of us who are from America, wouldn't somehow be able to fathom the metric system in this game.
 

Meier

Member
I always figured Mexico used the imperial system too. The distance is pretty arbitrary anyway.. you just keep going in a direction until you're there. I do think it's a little strange they don't offer the option if the metric numbers are already in the game otherwise.
 
I don't think any complaints should be silenced, but I think complaining about it is just as silly as not using metric in the first place.

I also find the idea of being disoriented by a different system of measurement silly. Maybe since I have had to adapt to two different systems of measurement being used all the time I'm just used to it though.
Asking for options is not silly though. That's really weird to say. Maybe disorientating is the wrong word, but I definitely get a little confused when miles turn to feet and vice versa. As I said it's weird and hard to explain but to me as someone who knows metric, I can tell there's something "off" about the measurement UI.
 
After having played a ton of the Judgment demo in Japanese... the switch to imperial units threw me off... It does seem kind of weird/irrationally upsetting to assume that even those of us who are from America, wouldn't somehow be able to fathom the metric system in this game.

And yet, in this very thread, there are many who somehow cannot fathom the use of the Imperial system.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt this thread would have appeared from someone who uses Imperial natively if the game used Metric across the board.
 
Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt this thread would have appeared from someone who uses Imperial natively if the game used Metric across the board.

Because the US uses both. Metric is not particularly common outside of certain things (ie 100m dash, etc) but most educated people in the US know how many meters in a kilometer, etc. Whereas you have people in this thread who have no concept of how many feet are in a mile.

If you want to really confuse people from the US, display weights in grams. Then you will get an equivalent reaction.
 
Now I'm curious... I don't have the game yet myself, but here in Northern Europe we always get the English version language version of games.

Any Nordic FFXV-owners that know if our version uses the Imperial system as well?
 
As an Aussie I'd like to say the toilets flush the wrong way too. Though they nailed the murderous wildlife.
Can we get a update for FFXV that allows us to switch which way the toilets flush to the right way? For fucks sake Square.

It is weird that they went with Imperial but it's not like it matters.
 
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