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Tomoyo After - English Patch v1

You can post error reports about the game itself here.

You can post errors in the scripts here.

Hello everyone! Approximately 17 months ago, I decided to expand into the area of Visual Novels, and take on Tomoyo After as our first project. Finally, we are able to present the completed patch to you. Thank you all for your patience! Many people have been involved in this project, and I would like to thank Clannad_Man for his leadership. If it wasn’t for him, who knows when we would have finished this project. I’d also like to thank Delwack for his role in leading after Clannad_Man became occupied with RL. Special mention to the translators Kuzu, NeWbY and egshady for persevering with this project. A full list of credits will be included with the readme.

Delwack has a few words to say on this release.

Greetings everyone! I’m Delwack, a relatively new addition to the Doki VN team. Before I get into some of the other details, just a few quick note on the patch itself. This patch executable is rather simplistic and it uses the default director TA is normally installed to. If you chose to install TA to a directory other than the default one, be sure to point the patcher to the right directory! Note that if you’ve played the game before in Japanese, the save games are not compatable with the English version. Please delete any files found in C:\KEY\智代アフター\SAVEDATA (default directory again) before installing this patch.

With that out of the way…
I joined when Doki absorbed the Clannad project, and offered to lend a hand with Tomoyo After. As with many projects, Doki’s first attempt at translation a visual novel with Tomoyo After has not gone as smoothly as we would have liked. A lot of work went not only into the text, but into getting all the things around it working properly. While we have worked hard to solve many issues, there are still outstanding issues both major and minor that we are looking to resolve. I’m here today to give you a flavor for some of the known issues and challenges that we are still looking to overcome.

Major issues:
Font selection: The default font used is MS Gothic (MS ゴシック) with bolding and shadows enabled. The font options are not currently functioning properly. Attempts to change the font will result in using the lowest quality, no-shadow, no bolding version of the selected font. It is not possible to revert back to the default font as set up without reinstalling the patch.

Line Overruns: Luckily the game doesn’t crash when a large chunk of text runs over the 3-lines allocated to it. It does, however, cause some odd corruption of the name tag box. This is likely an issue inside of rlbable, as this behavior doesn’t appear on other VNs that share the same resources.

Known Crash Issues: From the start-up screen, attempting to load a save on the first line of July 14th will crash the game.

Minor issues:
D&T line-overruns: The auto-line breaking used throughout the game doesn’t work properly for D&T. We are working on either fixing it or adding in manual line breaks.

D&T skill cut-ins: Minor display issues with 2 cut-in skills (uses an incorrect older style for the cutins.)

D&T item name inconsistency: There are a handful of item and skill images that are inconsistent with the text. Some of this is intentional, due to space limits, but we are still working on fixing all the inconsistencies.

D&T item puns: The bane of translation effort, there are a frightful number of puns with the item names and descriptions. Figuring them all out of half the battle, trying to properly convey them the other half.

Some system message titles still in JP: We’ve tried to catch everything, but there are some occasional system messages (like if you try to close the program through alt+f4) that are still in JP. These should not adversely affect your play experience.

Despite these issues, I hope you enjoy this patch, and look forward to the day when we release a final version.

And a few words from Clannad_Man.

Greetings Doki Legion, from your brother in arms, the Clannad Man.

What a journey this has been, eh? I don’t know about you, but from my perspective, it’s been a wild ride. With rapids. Several class five rapids. But, we got through them, together.
The release of this translation patch is something I think we’ve all been looking forward to for a long time. Sure, the patch isn’t entirely polished (yet), but to have even arrived at this stage is something I’ve had a difficult time wrapping my head around. We did it! And that, ladies and gents, means I have some heartfelt confessions to make.

I cannot begin to properly express my gratitude to the fine men and women who have worked on this project as members of the Doki Visual Novel Department. It has been a true joy to work with each and every one of you. I know better than anyone the extremes it took to co-ordinate everyone’s busy schedules together, but you stuck with it, even though I’m certain my many demands placed a burden on your shoulders. For your persistence, passion, and for the great service you have provided to the Key Kazoku as well as to Clannad Fans worldwide:

Thank you!

To the many people who worked on this project from its Baka-Tsuki days, kudos for setting the foundation and getting the ball rolling. Though I’m sure progress was not as forthcoming as you would have liked, my hope for you is that when you play through the patch, you’ll be able to relive your experiences volunteering at B-T, and gain a sense of pride from knowing your contributions will live on. For your ambition and vision:

Thank you!

I must give a mention to Holo and Dys for initially reaching out to me to assist with the project. Even though I resisted, you kept at it, and as a result I have been able to experience something I will cherish for the rest of my days. You have been respectful of my conditions and wishes, and have always been open to suggestions. For your service as diplomats:

Thank you!

Finally, to everyone who has supported the project since its inception… As the VN Team can attest, you’ve made the entire experience worthwhile. Sometimes all the motivation it took for the team to get going was a quick look at the main TA post to see all of the appreciation you showered upon them. Though not directly involved, the fans of the Tomoyo After Translation Project have played as large a role in the scheme of things as anyone. Even those from traditionally hostile groups have been cordial, and I respect them for that. It is due to the Doki Legion and Clannad Fans from around the world that this project was resurrected from its neglected state and raised to the position it’s at today. For everyone who has ever shown any interest in the project, the VN Team, or works from Key/Visual Art’s:

THANK YOU!!!

It is my sincere desire that everyone enjoys the patch and supports the great people over at Key/Visual Art’s by purchasing a version of the game. While of course I cannot force you to do so, providing some sort of financial support to Key will allow them to continue making great games for everyone to enjoy. I won’t preach, since many of you likely don’t want to hear it; just consider respecting their efforts in some way.
To conclude, here are the plans for the VN Division in the immediate future: work to polish the TA patch will continue, succeeded by efforts to translate the new portions found in the Memorial edition of the game, and finally followed by the final translations / edits for CLANNAD. Though my own role in this process is drawing to a close, I ask that you continue to show the amazing support to the people at Doki as you have done for me and the rest of the Visual Novel Division. Exciting times lie ahead, in each of our unique paths. Forging onward is where the fun really beings!

Be careful out there, folks. I’ll catch ya’ on the flip side.

Happy trails!

Remember to support the Key 15th Anniversary Letter Project! To participate, visit the Submission Wiki.

For info on Key’s Official/Authorized Music, click here.

Windows: Tomoyo_After_English_v1.00_[Doki].exe

Torrent | XDCC

Linux/Mac: TomoyoPatchv1b_[Doki].tar.gz

Torrent | XDCC

(Note: An official English release of Tomoyo After will be published by VisualArt’s. Please look forward to their release.)

Readme: Click here

843 comments to Tomoyo After – English Patch v1

  • WiseKouichi

    NOO the image is gone *_*

  • HalfBeard

    I can’t believe there is a Linux version! Doki is now my favorite fansubbing group, just because they know what Linux is. =)

    • I’m glad you like it, HalfBeard!

      When the idea to create a Linux patch was proposed, I discussed the idea with the VN Team talked it over and it quickly got the green light. Please offer ‘swiss’ your thanks if you see him around!

  • Kyoooou

    How would I use the Mac patch?
    Is there a step-by-step tutorial anywhere?

  • new here:)

    Does the patch catch the sub to english??? cause i’m getting jap sub after patch…please reply asap. Thanks in advance….

  • The new girl?

    Dose the patch work with the Memorial Edition, because that is the only one I can find onsale ^^”

    • Hey there new girl! Sorry to say the released patch does not work on Tomoyo After’s Memorial Edition. HOWEVER, Doki’s VN Division is working on a patch for the Memorial Edition. It requires some more work, as there is a significant amount of new content in that version of the game. Hang tight, and they should have something for release.

  • Rokudaime

    Thanks for helping out with replying to and helping everyone Clannad Man! ^^ Haven’t seen you around much in a while, so it’s good to see you active again. ^^

  • DreamerAr

    Any new Info about the translation going?

  • GaleSiege

    i got NSIS error:
    error launching installer..

    why is this? o.O

  • GaleSiege

    nevermind… i got it
    but why can’t i load my old save datas?
    whenever i try to load my old save data, the dialogue box wont show up so i can’t do anything.

    But it works fine when i start the game from the beginning

    Do i really have to play from the start? :v

    • Rokudaime

      Unfortunately, yes. If you have save data from before you installed the patch, then that data will only work with an unpatched copy of the game, just as saves made after you’ve installed the patch will only work with a patched version of the game. This is the case for most translation patches for most Visual Novels in general, actually.

  • First of all, thank you Doki for translating this game! Though I have a question:After installing the english patch, the initial loading screen and the settings are working fine in english. However when I start the game, the dialogues are in symbols. Please help me out here! *Reference to the symbols if it’s needed: http://imgur.com/SF5hx

    • Rokudaime

      The most likely problem is that your Windows Locale isn’t set to Japanese. Go to your Language Settings in your Windows Control Panel and change it to Japanese if you haven’t already (or alternatively use Applocale to run the game). There are other potential reasons for that problem as well though. Go to the Forums, and the “Visual Novels” section, and then the “Tomoyo After Game Error Thread” (stickied at the top). Go to page 2, and check both of my responses to “minhtnguyen97” for a full list of possible reasons for the problem, and the solutions.

  • VanENTerrier

    I’m currently waiting for memorial edition…since i heard the ending is much different than that of this translated one..

    • Ruuko kirei na sora

      yup it is, it said 40% longger than original!!! @o@ isnt it amaizing, my son? i could play with tomoyo much longger, btw how progress of ME is it start yet?

      • Rokudaime

        We’re still working on perfecting the patch for the Regular Edition of TA, and we won’t really work on the ME Edition until after this patch is perfected and released, so there’s not much point in asking this question over and over again, everyone. 😉 The answer will always be the same until then, it won’t change. You’ll KNOW when we’ve really started working on the ME patch, because it will be after we have made a nice big release post with the final version of the patch for the Regular Edition. We will tell you when that happens, trust me. But please believe me when I say that the team is hard at work still, and not slacking off, so please bear with us! ^^

        • Jack

          The regular edition? Isn’t that what you guys released back in September? I am waiting for the Memorial Edition release because I don’t any hentai IN MY Tomoyo!

          • Hi Jack. The edition released in September still needed some editing done, especially in the Dungeons & Takafumis minigame. The VN Team released the patch in September for people to have a chance to play the translated game, though the next patch they release should be the complete, final version.

  • NEW_2_VN

    soo…just to confirm one thing,the tomoyo memorial edition english patch(the stable and final working patch) isn’t going to be available soon, eh?

    • DreamerAr

      probably, ,maybe they release ME in this summer season or fall season, ,just dont lose your hope ^_^

    • Rokudaime

      The final version of the patch for the Memorial Edition of the game is still far off, yes. After all, the ME has 40% more text, and also uses a different engine, than the Regular Edition of the game, so there is plenty of work to be done there.

      • hope he? well i really like that song makes me motivate in my life when ever i heard, that is because i remember tomoyo when and where ever i heard that 😀 waiting patch be complete then 1 could marry….. i mean play tomoyo after

  • NEW_2_VN

    owww……already played the regular version(thanks to the patch you guy make,AWESOME.)memorial edition is on standby in my pc.Cant wait to play it.(while actually reading the story,sometime just played it to browse the CG)being a anime fan sure hard if you don’t read Japanese eh?(good time to consider formal Japanese learning.)

    • Rokudaime

      Yes indeed, the life of an anime, manga, and VN fan is hard when you don’t know Japanese. I myself have been waiting for this project to finish ever since it first started way back on Baka-Tsuki. 😉 Same with Clannad.

  • NEW_2_VN

    in case you’re wondering why i play both edition (a regular VN player probably would skip the other version if that one don’t have hentai in it)big fan of KEY”s work,the first VN game I’ve decided to D_load(with all the bad rumor that VN is pure hentai with story just to give reason a girl strip) is Key’s “Kanon” standard, though hentai is not the strong point there(not a bad thing)glad that’s the first……(just ignore this comment,just a reader stating a love,he..)

    • Rokudaime

      Oh, I wouldn’t say that, I totally understand. I plan on playing both versions myself as well! ^^

  • NEW_2_VN

    um…i was wondering,in making english patches for VN,do you guys translate VN game the one you guys like to patch or is it fanbase? you guys accept request?(well,not just by one guy,but if there’s a whole load fans hoping for it,well i guess that quite the same as fanbase isn’t it?)anyway to let you guys know?….sorry..load of text.

    • Rokudaime

      We don’t choose what VN’s to translate based on fanbase requests. Holo wanted to expand from anime into VN’s, and since he and other members of the staff are fans of Key’s games and the anime series that have been made based on those games, Key’s VN’s were a natural choice for which VN’s to work on. Since Clannad and Tomoyo After had not been completely translated by anyone yet, but was being worked on by other groups (Baka-Tsuki and Team Fluffy), it seemed natural to offer these groups a helping hand rather than start from scratch on our own. As I’ve said before, the merger of the Doki VN translation team with Team Fluffy (the Little Busters VN translation team) was to help combine some of the toolsets each team had available, in order to speed up the translation process and make it easier for both teams.

      • FYI – Tomoyo After wasn’t worked on by Team Fluffy, and the Clannad TL project actually has a rather storied history. Generally though, what Roku said is true.

      • Rokudaime

        I didn’t mean to say that Team Fluffy worked on Tomoyo After, but I can see now in my post that it looks like I did. Poorly written on my part.

  • NEW_2_VN

    boy I’m sure glad you guys are around to translate these Key’s game,making them accessible for non-Japanese fan,gotta wonder why publisher like “JAST” and similar(is there any other?)seems not to be interested translating it.well,not that i care much that with KEY’s popularity,there bound to be a patch.

    • Rokudaime

      JAST and other companies like them (of the major ones, the other most important VN localization company apart from JAST would be MangaGamer) ARE interested in translating KEY’s games my friend, but Visual Art’s (the publisher for KEY’s games) and KEY themselves are not. That’s where the problem really lies. Maybe the Key 15th Anniversary Letter Project will change that, who knows (please consider contributing to that one if you have the time, and haven’t already done so: http://key15th.com/ ). One can dream. Anyway, I believe Mangagamer actually offered to localize Clannad, but KEY wanted quite a large sum of money for the rights, which MangaGamer couldn’t afford.

      • Jack

        Thats what I was saying back in September, Key/Visual Arts (its not just them, but also other visual novel developers) hate foreigners, why would they put a DRM that restricts people outside of Japan to play Rewrite, which is a game that has no pornographic content in it?

        When localization companies are unable to publish Visual Novels because publishers/developers do not want their games to get out of Japan, then translations teams tries to do volunteer work and translate it themselves they receive DMCA notices from the developers of the game, same developers/publishers who knows damn well that the game will never be published in english anyways.

        The visual novels (eroges) released officially by JAST and Mangagamer arent really “high profile”, anime fans are interested in stuff like Mahoyo, Clannad, Rewrite, Steins;Gate etc. Not in the likes of thepurpletentaclesofrape and alienabucteesbreastsprobing. But since the more high profile VN companies can afford to be prejudiced and discriminatory about who and where people play their games, you wont see high profile visual novels getting released outside of Japan, ever.

        99% of japanese VNs is really just gross drawn japanese porn involving 8 year old blond girls getting boned by giant veiny penises anyways, so the japanese VN devs are treating VN like JAV by trying to shove their dirty little secrets under the rugs hidden away from the attention of the dirty foreigners.

        • Rokudaime

          I see your point, and you’re right about what you say in your first two paragraphs, but…: “The visual novels (eroges) released officially by JAST and Mangagamer arent really ‘high profile'”:
          I have to correct you on this bit, since JAST have been in partnership with Nitro+ (who among other things made Steins;Gate, which you mentioned) for a while now, and are steadily bringing out their games (Nitro+ btw has a very cool and friendly attitude towards foreigners and localization of their games, so not all Japanese VN companies have the bad attitude you describe). Overflow’s “School Days” is also high-profile, as is minori’s “ef – the first tale”, both of which Mangagamer has released. Navel’s “Shuffle!” is also pretty big. And then of course there’s “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni”, which is massive.

          Also: “99% of japanese VNs is really just gross drawn japanese porn involving 8 year old blond girls getting boned by giant veiny penises anyways”:
          This is simply not true. Not even remotely true. I know that for a fact. 😉 Try not to exaggerate and generalize so much.

          • NEW_2_VN

            sounds like JAST and other are giving the chance(really?)for fans to actually create patches that see fit themselves,while they focus on the later,or in this case, um…..the BIG GUN?(yeeaap…i know sounds farfetched,but just a personal opinion)

  • Jack

    Also I wanted to add, there is a good reason why Key dont outright say “No” but instead demand for unreasonably high sums for localization rights.

    足を引っ張るを英語に訳すと
    Do something to keep somebody from succeeding; try to obstruct [frustrate] somebody in his attempt.

    彼はそれを実行しようとしたが仲間たちに足を引っぱられた
    He was frustrated [thwarted] by his colleagues in his attempt to carry out the plan.

    This is a typical underhanded tactic of Northeast Asians used in buisness deals, employment etc.

    They have absolutely no intention of getting their let their games taken away from Japan, but they dont say no instead they drag their feets and made completly unreasonable demands that cant resonably be fulfilled.

    • NEW_2_VN

      “He was frustrated [thwarted] by his colleagues in his attempt to carry out the plan.”…….well its working,id say its a bit to much(well, if i a have a hot selling VN game that even earn a anime and solid fanbase, i wouldn’t give it that easy anyway too)

  • Jack

    – I have to correct you on this bit, since JAST have been in partnership with Nitro+ (who among other things made Steins;Gate, which you mentioned) for a while now

    I was refering to the high-profile titles, not the companies themselves. Nitro + high-profile games would be Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate, Robotics;Notes, Guilty Crown and thats it, pretty much the stuff they released on console and have/are some kind of adaptation like anime or manga.

    – Overflow’s “School Days” is also high-profile, as is minori’s “ef – the first tale”, both of which Mangagamer has released.

    School Days isnt so big really (maybe it is in Japan, but outside of Japan it isnt), but ef is, though its also a 6 year old game that was already released as a patch a long time ago and anybody that was still interested in it either already downloaded the patch or watched the anime, also it is just one part so no wonder it didnt do too well after six years, also it seems that minori tried to drag off their feets as much as they could in order to frustrate NNL unto giving up and dropping the localization altogether (read their blog) it also seemed that minori werent too thrilled during the whole thing and are even less so after the official localization.

    – Navel’s “Shuffle!” is also pretty big. And then of course there’s “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni”, which is massive.

    I didnt say that ALL VN developers/publishers were against localizations, I said that it was Key but that it was not just them (as in there were others beside them doing this sort of stuff).

    – This is simply not true. Not even remotely true. I know that for a fact. 😉 Try not to exaggerate and generalize so much.

    Go on VNDB and look at the database, youll see that basically they are for the most part 18+ eroges, the all-age titles are very scarce. minori released their first All-Age title Supipara in 2012 and it bombed, in Japan eroges sell faster and more easily than all-ages titles.

    • NEW_2_VN

      well,if profits come in the play, no matter what emotions they intend to relay with the game they release,there always people in the organization going to say “no” to that,isn’t it always the case when talking about VN and especially anime releases(with all age release version, im just glad they even thought of making one)

    • Rokudaime

      Lots of things to say here…First of, one of the games JAST has released a localized version of in cooperation with Nitro+ is “Deus Machina Demonbane”, which is a pretty big title.

      “School Days isnt so big really (maybe it is in Japan, but outside of Japan it isnt)”:
      No offense, but strictly speaking, NO VN’s are really that big OUTSIDE of Japan, per se, so that’s a moot point.

      “also it is just one part so no wonder it didnt do too well after six years, also it seems that minori tried to drag off their feets as much as they could in order to frustrate NNL unto giving up and dropping the localization altogether (read their blog) it also seemed that minori werent too thrilled during the whole thing and are even less so after the official localization.”:
      Mangagamer and minori are cooperating and working on the second part, and will release it eventually (I know this, because I asked them directly in an email). minori just wants the localization to be up to their standards, and so are personally making sure the release will be good. They are picky, and I see that as a good thing.

      “Go on VNDB and look at the database, youll see that basically they are for the most part 18+ eroges, the all-age titles are very scarce. minori released their first All-Age title Supipara in 2012 and it bombed, in Japan eroges sell faster and more easily than all-ages titles.”:
      Yes, that is true, but you didn’t SAY in your initial statement that most VN’s are 18+ (which is true), you said: “99% of japanese VNs is really just gross drawn japanese porn involving 8 year old blond girls getting boned by giant veiny penises anyways”, and THAT particular statement is wrong, and that is what I pointed out. It is true that the larger portion of VN’s are 18+, and it is also true that most of those are pornographic (i.e, has H-scenes). It is NOT true however that most of these VN’s have “gross pornographic content usually involving 8 year old blond girls getting boned by giant veiny penises”. See the difference now, and what I was correcting? 😉

      • Jack

        “No offense, but strictly speaking, NO VN’s are really that big OUTSIDE of Japan, per se, so that’s a moot point.”

        Point was is that I dont know if its big in Japan or not, I just know its not big anywhere else which is what I was saying. I know it had an anime adaptation and from what I just read now it is also part of a “days” series (School Days, Summer Days and Cross Days).

        “First of, one of the games JAST has released a localized version of in cooperation with Nitro+ is “Deus Machina Demonbane”, which is a pretty big title.”

        I know, JAST released Demonbane and Mangagmer released Shuffle! They also licensed Tick! Tack!.

        “Mangagamer and minori are cooperating and working on the second part, and will release it eventually (I know this, because I asked them directly in an email). minori just wants the localization to be up to their standards, and so are personally making sure the release will be good. They are picky, and I see that as a good thing.”

        As I said read their blog, the translation was finished a long time ago and they released as a patch, that was before minori went on its “dirty foreigners dont touch our games!” chimpout, after awhile NNL and minori came to a settlement and minori changed its tune to “dirty foreigners buy our games!” it was agreed that ef would be released and made in english in an official manner and then they made an agreement with mangagamer to act as the distribution platform for the localised version. Problem is, the game took two years and a half to get on mangagamer and the reasons for this are explained here

        “-2011.11.26. Build two

        On the 21st, we received a second build from MG and minori. While this build fixed a number of technical issues, it introduced some new, catastrophic ones, such as the main menu not appearing, and the message panel disappearing from time to time. We are unable to test under these conditions, so we reported these almost immediately. However, minori has not replied yet, so all we can do is wait again.

        At this point, non-script development is largely out of our hands, so hopefully minori can shift gears in order to meet the Christmas target.”

        “-2012.02.23. Where’s the effort?

        The first tale beta is finally in our hands, which is pretty much the release candidate minus the installer. Once we hand in the beta report, MangaGamer will be able to finally announce a release date.

        However, we can’t work on it yet. minori lengthened the primary message panel text margins, which could re-introduce the possibility of wrapping errors. We’ve requested a code revert, which would take minori all of ten minutes to perform.

        …It’s been three days since that request. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to wait for a critical fix. This update revealed that we were waiting for a fix on alpha build 2. The turnaround time for that was two weeks.

        We’ve put our best effort into this localization. If minori wants to be respected, they need to show more effort on their end as well. minori claims that they are very busy with Supipara. However, the “Japanese market is our focus” excuse falls apart when we’re only asking for ten minutes of their time from them.”

        As I have said, the game was already translated before all that and a patch was released, minori was just 足を引っ張ると (あしをひっぱる) this translate to this expression “pull [impinge] someones leg” in french a similar expression would be “mettre des bâtons dans les roues”, which translates to “put wood (branches/sticks) in the wheels”, so kinda like putting a wheel clamp.

        So basically an impigment a “cripplement” upon another party with the aim to frustrate in order to force the other party to give up, thats a technique that is typically used by the Japanese and other North East Asians against gaijins, gweilos, waegukins etc.

        “It is true that the larger portion of VN’s are 18+, and it is also true that most of those are pornographic (i.e, has H-scenes).”

        Visual novels are known as “eroges” for a reason, it might not be 99%, especially if you include the console VNs but most of them (the majority) are pornographic, that is true especially if you specifically talk about the PC, on consoles however the original pornographic game is turned unto all-age or 12+/15+ etc.

        • Rokudaime

          “I know, JAST released Demonbane and Mangagmer released Shuffle! They also licensed Tick! Tack!.”:

          If you knew, then you shouldn’t have said that JAST and Nitro+ aren’t releasing high profile games together in the first place. You can’t do a 180, and pretend you never meant to say anything of the sort.

          “Visual novels are known as “eroges” for a reason, it might not be 99%, especially if you include the console VNs but most of them (the majority) are pornographic, that is true especially if you specifically talk about the PC, on consoles however the original pornographic game is turned unto all-age or 12+/15+ etc.”:

          Sorry for being rude, but I have to ask, did you even read my reply? I already said that I KNOW that, but that that is NOT the part of what you said initially that I am correcting. We all know what an eroge is, and we all know that most VN’s are 18+ eroge with porn. Nobody ever disagreed with you on that. But again, you said: “99% of japanese VNs is really just gross drawn japanese porn involving 8 year old blond girls getting boned by giant veiny penises anyways”. The “gross drawn” and “8 year old blond girls” being the key parts here that are wrong. Why can’t you understand what I’m saying, and that that part of your statement is what I am correcting? It is NOT true that most VN’s, eroge or otherwise, are grossly drawn (this is subjective), and more importantly, it is really really not true that most VN’s, eroge or otherwise, are about sex with 8-year old blond girls, or underage characters in general. This is an objective FACT. Please tell me you understood me this time, and stop repeating yourself.

          Also, I would like to get back on topic for this thread, and keep it to TA related matters, rather than long discussions about VN’s in general. We have the forums for that.

          • Jack

            “are grossly drawn”

            Ok that is a misundertanding, I was saying that the sexual acts depicted (drawn) are gross, not the drawings themselves. Though usually the art in VNs on PC arent on par with the standards you have come to expect from animes art standard, there are some exceptions of course like the titles released by minori which are always very pretty and nicely drawn, usually the drawing standards for VNs seems to be much better on consoles (compare Umineko PC vs console releases or White Album PC vs console releases).

            “If you knew, then you shouldn’t have said that JAST and Nitro+ aren’t releasing high profile games together in the first place. You can’t do a 180, and pretend you never meant to say anything of the sort.”

            I didnt thought that we were going to include very old titles in the conversation, afterall Shuffle is an 8 year old game from 2004. I dont know about you, but art in VN is important for me and depending on the art some titles aged worse then some others, the art in VN is getting more sophisticated and high grade troughout the years so I tend to disregard very old titles especially if the art didnt age so well, of course there are always some exceptions if the art still meets acceptable standards despite the title age.

          • Rokudaime

            It’s only natural to include what you call “old” VN’s (they’re not that old by my standards) because the Western market is obviously very far behind Japan with the few VN’s they have translated. You really can’t expect them to churn out English translations of the latest VN’s.

            Also: “Ok that is a misundertanding, I was saying that the sexual acts depicted (drawn) are gross, not the drawings themselves.”:
            Frankly that’s even worse. If you think 99% of all sexual depictions in VN’s are “gross”, then I have to question your sexual preferences and your taste. 😉 I’m also thinking that maybe you shouldn’t be playing eroge to begin with in that case.

            Also, this a very subjective thing really, but I don’t agree with you in terms of art in VN’s generally being worse than in anime (I generally find it to be the other way around with modern VN’s. Maybe you just haven’t tried enough of the actual good VN’s?), though I agree that the art is generally much better in newer VN’s, of course.

  • NEW_2_VN

    i know this maybe a wrong tread to ask, but any news about other upcoming ME edition patch since KEY”s 10th memorial box is out and all Key’s have a ME edition(Tomoyo,Kanon,Air,planetarian,little buster EX)about Tomoyo ME patch i know it’s still in the works,planetarian..what I’ve read in a tread somewhere there just about an idea to make one(hopefully it happen,i love this kinetic novel)about little buster i don’t about that one,may do some searching,cause you guys are somehow associated with other translator group,thought you know….

    • Rokudaime

      The Doki Visual Novel division is working on Tomoyo After, Little Busters, and Clannad, in that order. The former two will be worked on first, and then Clannad last. Patches for the regular editions of these games will be made first, and then patches for the ME editions will follow. The team is split into two, with one group working on TA, and one on LB. Once the final patch for the regular edition of TA is out, the ME edition will be worked on. The patch for Little Busters ME/EX edition is being worked on simultaneously with this (the final patch for the regular edition of Little Busters is already out). Once all of this has finished, Clannad will follow, with both teams working on the game. Likely the development here will follow the same format, with a patch being made for the regular edition of the game first, and then one for the ME edition (though bear in mind that the ME edition of Clannad doesn’t have large changes and additions that are not in the regular edition, like the ME editions of LB and TA have).

      As for the other VN’s from KEY, Kanon has been translated long ago by NDT (Non-Directional-Translations), but their patch is for the regular edition of the game only (I don’t know if there are any plans anywhere for a patch for the ME edition). Their site can be found here: http://radicalr.pestermom.com/vn.html

      Air is being worked on by Winter Confetti here: http://winter-confetti.blogspot.co.uk/ and by these guys here: http://forums.novelnews.net/showthread.php?s=70064593ffaaee53ae990b2773807d69&t=16662

      Rewrite is being worked on by Amaterasu Translations here: http://amaterasu.tindabox.net/

      Kud Wafter is being worked on by Project Wafuu here: http://hosikuzu.wordpress.com/

      Planetarian was also translated long ago, by Haeleth and Insani, but Insani’s site seems to be down, so I’m not sure where you would get the patch. There are probably torrents lying around with the game patched though.

      I THINK that’s everything? Hope I didn’t forget anything, but Clannad Man will probably step up if I did. 😛 A couple of good sites to use to keep track of translations of VN’s are VNDB: http://vndb.org/ and Fuwanovel: http://fuwanovel.org/

      Hope that answers your question.

      • Jack

        “Planetarian was also translated long ago, by Haeleth and Insani, but Insani’s site seems to be down, so I’m not sure where you would get the patch. There are probably torrents lying around with the game patched though.”

        It should be mentioned that the patch does not work with the ME version.

        • NEW_2_VN

          got that one,read it,and immediately fell in love with it….i was wondering about planetarian ME editon out with the 10th memorial box…seems unlikely to have patch right?

          • NEW_2_VN

            unless the memorial edition is just about the same with the regular,there’s no point gettin it,but key re-release their VN for something right?(maybe extra content,new graphic,just assume..)

          • Rokudaime

            @NEW_2_VN
            Actually, that varies. Some of the ME editions of Key’s VN’s, such as in the case of Tomoyo After, and Little Busters, have a lot of new content compared to the original, regular version, but others, such as in the case of Kanon, don’t really have much new content, outside of voices and a different engine with slightly improved graphics.

        • Rokudaime

          This is true. I forgot to mention that. ^^’

  • Dary16

    I heard that Planetarian iOS released in English Ver (Official by Key)

    Here the website
    https://itunes.apple.com/app/planetarian-dream-little-star/id474121500

    • Rokudaime

      Nice! This is good news! Maybe they’ve changed their attitude already! 😀

      • Dary16

        Now Visual Arts are currently working on Little Busters! iOS
        (Still Komari Vol 1 and 2, and Mio vol 3)
        Let’s hope for english translation of LB
        Joy! 😀
        (Btw, why Key decided to translate Planetarian in EN???)

        • Rokudaime

          This is awesome! ^^ I’m going to go spread the news everywhere! ^^

        • NEW_2_VN

          yay! IOS,to bad dont have a ipad…but all the sudden EN version and on a Apple platform of that,sudden change of heart?

          • Rokudaime

            Well, it might just be a trial on Visual Arts part, to see if there is a western market for their games (so if you have an IPhone, go buy the official release of Planetarian right now to show your support!), but if we’re lucky, maybe they’ll keep releasing more of their games. I have hope. It’s a good sign at least, and a move in the right direction.

          • NEW_2_VN

            hopefully this will keep up for sometime(fingers cross)

        • Dary16

          Who wants to twitter VA or Baba about the reason behind Planetarian translation?
          Also ask what about android? Will they treat it same with iOS?
          I’m still curious why they decided to localize it?

          • Rokudaime

            About that…my trail of thought goes like this: I don’t think we should ask them WHY they did it, because that could make it sound like we think it’s odd that they did, in turn implying that there is no market for it, which in turn demotivates them from localizing any further. Extremely paranoid thinking, I know, but I’d prefer to be cautious here. If anything, we should instead ask them if they will translate any other KEY games, and then encourage them to do so.

          • Dary16

            Oh… I’m understand.

            Although I’m not Key fan, but I apreciate it greatly because its quality, plot, and story .
            Btw, beware of the latest game from Illusion, named “Premium Play Darkness” (Another rape [or not?] game).
            It will impedes not only VN fansubs and but also Key Letter Project if International newsmakers know about it.

            Thank You

  • Lori

    im running windows xp with jap. unicode thingy. I can run the game normally, text appear when unpatched, problem is, error “unable to format text” appears when I patch the game, so uhh, how do I fix this?

    • Rokudaime

      Have a look at page 9 of the comments for this post, and check my responses to “alenus”. You’re missing the necessary Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, and need to download them from Microsoft’s pages. : )

      • i wonder is windows XP also need microsoft visual C++? never mention in last comment as far i read

        • Rokudaime

          ALL Windows platforms need the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables. 😉 Whether XP, 7, or other versions. And I’ve mentioned it plenty of times, just not on this particular page, perhaps.

  • Dary16

    I found this news from vntls twitter yesterday.
    Many of Key fans can’t believe this, because Visual Arts never translate their titles to English.

    So, who want to spread this news???
    (What about android users? No Android Planetarian EN)

    • Rokudaime

      “So, who want to spread this news???”

      I already did. 😉

    • NEW_2_VN

      i think its when KEY or any VN company release their game in english for both platform (IOS and ANDROID) that they open their market for english speaking fans,or any platform of that….wow,kinda being a pushover just now hoping this turn of event will change everything.well if their opening up VN game region(face it,some people still think its just sex game with text on it)hope other japan media follow suit(faster release of anime in other language..etc)

  • it has been 4 month since patch release i wonder when the patch will be update, cant wait until its polish/fix so i could play without bugs

    • Rokudaime

      4 months isn’t all that long really, in my experience, when it comes to these things. That said, well…it’s hard to give an estimate, but we believe we’ll be done with the next version of the patch by the end of Q1. All dates and times are subject to change though. No promises.

      • well i though it would be fast update some patch, well cant be help but waiting :D. but i wonder how game like far cry, assassin creed, etc’s patch released very soon after game release. maybe they very quick working to fixing bug game

        • Rokudaime

          Then you thought seriously wrong, and should from now on remember for all time that it is rarely just “fast to update some patch” with VN’s. Most VN’s being translated take years before they are done, and usually go through several releases before a final version of the patch is released. Also, my friend, you can’t compare official game companies that have a large staff (and who are all educated in their line of work; working on games), and are paid to do what they do, in their work hours, with a fansub group of people who work on the patch in their spare time, and of whom not everyone has the same kind of background in the field of working on games. Assassin’s Creed 3 had a team of several 100 people working on it every day, in their work hours. You also cannot compare a Visual Novel to a Shooter like Far Cry, or an Action-Adventure game like Assassin’ Creed. That doesn’t make any sense. Most importantly, this patch for Tomoyo After does not include just programming, like the patches you’re refering to, but textual translation as well (the main game has been translated, but Dungeons and Takafumi’s is still in the works), and that is something different entirely, and takes much more time. You can’t make a comparison like the one you’re making. It makes no sense at all.

  • JbstormburstADV

    …How long has it been since I’ve been around here?

    Anyways, if people are still checking this page, I’m curious what the current status of the translation is for both Clannad and Tomoyo After. Also, good job on picking up Little Busters.

    Per Laborem ad Astra,
    JbstormburstADV

    • Your first post here was on July 18th of last year. So, it’s been a little while. ^^

      The complete & revised, final Tomoyo After TL patch is going through late stage revisions. There has been some debate as to which translation will get more attention after the final release of TA:LE. There may be a split of resources between Clannad and Tomoyo After: Memorial Edition or one might be given preference over the other. Clannad predominantly needs TLC and editing work while TA:ME needs more raw translation work. Little Busters! is progressing with a new TL and has been worked on at the same as Tomoyo After; you can find updates regarding the translation here: http://tinyurl.com/LittleBustersUpdates

      While you’re waiting for updates, why not send a thank you message to Key via the Key 15th project? It is an effort to thank those at Key for their achievements over the past 15 years. Messages, artwork, cosplay, etc. can be submitted in any language; people from around the world are encouraged to contribute, and thus far there has been a very positive response. If you or those you know would be interested in contributing, please check out http://www.key15th.com/ for updates and submission instructions.

      Hang in there, VN fans! I know the team is working hard.

  • Rokudaime

    In case anyone’s interested, Amaterasu Translations have finished their English patch of KEY’s latest game, Rewrite: http://amaterasu.tindabox.net/blog/?p=1710#comments If you’re going to grab their patch, make sure to at least leave them with a small word of appreciation in the comments.

    • Dary16

      May I ask?
      Where can I find Rewrite VN?

      • Rokudaime

        http://www.paletweb.com/selectpage.asp?code=0004464
        http://www.jlist.com/product/PCG6916

        Bear in mind that “Rewrite” and “Rewrite Harvest festa!” are two seperate games, and the latter has not been translated yet, so make sure you don’t grab that one by mistake. Now, if what you’re asking me is where you can download the game…I know the answer, and I could tell you, but I don’t know if Clannad Man would like it if I did. 😛 You should be able to find it just by Googling or looking around the most well-known Anime-torrent places. Or asking other people in various sites like this one. Don’t ask Amaterasu themselves though, they’re against pirating VN’s.

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