Final Fantasy VI Advance: FF6A (E) Woolsey Slattery Compromise Patch

A patch that reverts some selected FF6A dialogue, enemy names, item names, spell names and ability names from the GBA version to the SNES equivalent, in some cases mixing the accuracy of the GBA translation and dialogue with the more evocative language of the SNES translation's dialogue.

It started as a personal project, but I decided to release it publicly in case others were interested, as I've heard many fans dislike some of the same changes I have on more than one occasion.

In addition to reverting some of the dialogue, it attempts to restore the more interesting, clever, amusing and/or evocative spell, item, enemy, and ability names from the SNES translation of the game where the GBA equivalent wasn't as strong. Attention has been paid to try to avoid having to get sloppy with abbreviations, though, since the absence of that is one of the strengths of the Advance version.

This patch is for the European version of the game. (See readme for further details.)

FF6A (E) Woolsey-Slattery Compromise Patch v2

By Black Telomeres

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Which version of the game should this be applied to?
----------------------------------------------------

The European version of FF6 Advance.
The filename will usually be: "ety-ff6a" - "ety" is the group designation.
The original "last modified" date should probably be 06-27-2007 if it wasn't
modified since it was created.

Use LunarIPS or some other IPS patching program.

-----------
What is it?
-----------

In short, a patch that reverts some selected FF6A dialogue, enemy names, item
names, spell names and ability names from the GBA versions to the SNES
equivalents, in some cases mixing the accuracy of the GBA translation with the
more evocative language of the SNES translation.

-----------------------------
Who are Woolsey and Slattery?
-----------------------------

Ted Woolsey is the translator of the SNES version of FF6 and Tom Slattery is
the translator of the GBA version of FF6.

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Ok, more in depth about the patch, please?
------------------------------------------

After having played the Advance port of FF6 a few years ago, I felt that the
compact nature of the menu layout, the lengthening of the namespaces, the
subsequent lengthening of the up until then required abbreviated item/spell/
enemy/ability names, the nice bonus dungeon, and the fixing up of some unclear
lines made for a game that had a feel of polish in many places where the SNES
version lacked it.

However, for me - and from what I've heard other fans as well - there were
some issues that marred these otherwise nice improvements and kept the
Advance version from being definitive.

1. The music was rearranged and horribly botched, often sounding very different
from the SNES music.

2. Some of the spell and ability sound effects sounded rather alien compared to
their SNES counterparts.

3. Some of the more interesting Woolsey names for items, spells, abilities and
the like were changed in favor of names that weren't as interesting or
evocative, although they were often more accurate.

4. Some of the classic Woolsey lines had been removed in favor of duller
alternatives despite Slattery attempting to stay close to Woolsey's translation
in many cases and in some cases adding his own flair to the game. Slattery did a
decent job of preserving some of the classic lines and Woolseyisms that made the
SNES translation amusing despite those lines not really being literal translations,
but there were still a few places where he didn't preserve such lines.

This patch is an attempt at a solution to the last two issues, at least from my
perspective. It started as a personal project, but I decided to release it publicly
in case anyone else was interested, as I've heard many fans lament the same changes
I have on more than one occasion. It restores some lines that I didn't really
appreciate the loss of in the Advance version of the game.

It also restores what I considered to be the more interesting, clever, amusing
and/or evocative spell, item, enemy, and ability names from Woolsey's translation
of the game where Slattery's equivalent wasn't as strong. Attention has been paid
to try to avoid having to get sloppy with abbreviations or the like, though, since
the absence of that is one of the strengths of the Advance version.

I tried to stay away from being a total purist for either the more accurate or the
more nostalgic naming. In other words, no reversions of Firaga to "Fire 3" or
Reraise to "Life 3" just for the sake of being close to the SNES version. The
number of names linked to items and spells your party learns that were changed
was rather low in fact, since I assume most of us are used to the newer styled
names like Esuna, Blizzaga, and the like. The enemy spell/abilities and enemy names
were the places where more changes took place on the naming front.

-----------------------------------
Why is it for the European version?
-----------------------------------

Why the European version of the game instead of the US version? Because of another
particular patch only available for the European version. Namely, the sound
restoration patch circulating out there on the Internet for the European version
of FF6A that largely makes its music sound like the SNES version's music (don't play
FF6A without it, kids). Since the English translation in the European release is
identical to the US version, nothing much is lost by creating the patch for the
European version, but the ability to use those two patches together is gained.
That's where my priorities lay.

--------------------------------------------
Will previous saves be compatible with this?
--------------------------------------------

Hard saves (in other words, .sav files) will be. Even save states from the European
version likely will be. Oddly enough, I believe that hard saves from the US version
are compatible with the European version, and thus this patch, as well.

---------------
Some specifics:
---------------

Regarding the dialogue,

Where I had space left over after converting a line, I tried to preserve as much of
the Slattery translation as I could where it was appropriate, so that some added
details the Advance version had wouldn't always be lost in the reverts. An example
of this is with an NPC line talking about the Emperor's portrait.

The GBA version says this: "I finished the emperor's painting. I ended up turning it
into a portrait. I have no idea why he didn't like it... I even painted that thing
he originally asked for in the background! Anyway, I sure didn't need a painting of
the emperor, so I sold it to a rich man in Jidoor named Owzer."

The SNES version says this: "I finished the Emperor's portrait. It was a true
representation of the Emperor... but he hated it. I ended up selling it to Owzer, a
rich man who lives in Jidoor."

The SNES version has a hidden layer of commentary and pathos present because it tells
of not just Emperor Gestahl rejecting the portrait, but rejecting a portrait that was
a "true representation" of himself, as if he hated something that displayed his true
self due to some flaw he recognizes in himself. However, restoring just that line
would've lost the detail that the painting was only decided upon as a portrait later
by the artist, and the mention that it had something additional in the background
(likely part of the clue to the Phoenix Cave or the Phoenix Magicite itself).

Therefore, I rendered this line as: "I finished the emperor's painting. I ended up
turning it into a portrait. I even painted that thing he originally asked for in the
background! It was a true representation of the emperor... but he hated it. I ended up
selling it to Owzer, a rich man who lives in Jidoor."

This includes most of the additional information from the Advance version, while keeping
the key evocative line that was absent in Slattery's translation.

Regarding the naming,

A sample of most of the item names reverted back to the SNES names:

SNES GBA
---------------------------------
Dirk Dagger
Assassin Assassin's Dagger
Graedus Gladius
Flame Sabre Flametongue
Mythril Pike Mythril Spear
Forged Kiku-Ichimonji
Tempest Kazekiri
Strato Murakumo
Sky Render Mutsunokami
Tackstar Pinwheel
Full Moon Moonring Blade
Fire Knuckle Burning Fist
Paladin Shield Paladin's Shield
Tao Robe Magus Robe
Cherub Down Angel Wings
Hero Ring Hero's Ring
Coin Toss Heiji's Jitte
Czarina Ring Princess Ring
Offering Master Scroll
Rage Ring Berserker Ring

A sample of some of the enemy abilities reverted back to the SNES names:

SNES GBA
---------------------------------
Demon Rage Fiendish Rage
Takedown Beatdown
Waistshake Bootyshake
Fallen One Heartless Angel
10 Hits 10-Hit Combo
Revenger Vengeance
Virite Venomist
Down Dust Featherdust
Figaro Tea Figaro Malt
Cinderizer Incinerate
Megazerk Mega Berserk
Phantasm Poltergeist
Discard Release
Petriglare Stone Gaze
Slip Hit Sapping Strike


A sample of some of the enemy names reverted back to the SNES names:

SNES GBA
---------------------------------
Abolisher Venobennu
Adamanchyt Adamankary
Allosaurus Weredragon
Aquila Galypdes
Bloompire Vampire Thorn
Brawler Zaghrem
Buffalax Devoahan
Crass Hopper Nettlehopper
Doom Dragon Fiend Dragon
Hazer Cloud
Karkass Shambling Corpse
Lunaris Luna Wolf
Mindcandy Rock Wasp
Nohrabbit Desert Hare
Psychot Psychos
Sky Cap Schmidt
Slam Dancer Veil Dancer
Tomb Thumb Onion Dasher
Tusker Gorgias
Vommamoth Megalodoth
Marshal Guard Leader
Nerapa Nelapa
Czar Dragon Kaiser Dragon
(Yes, Czar's name is present in the SNES game code for those who don't know)

There are a few cases where, for the names of specific enemies or espers, I made or
had to make interpolations that are neither purely from Woolsey's or Slattery's
translation, and in rare cases gravitating towards adapting to the facts of the
naming in the Japanese version. These are noted here:

Primordite

Space issues forced me to shorten this one using a method Woolsey did himself with
another enemy: Adamanchyt. Thus this enemy is restored as Primordyt. This is one of
the only cases where I felt the "abbreviation" didn't really harm the polish of the
name, since it looks like a legitimate alternate spelling with some stylized aspects.
There were a few other places where something like this simply couldn't be done
without - in my opinion - losing polish, so I stuck with Slattery's enemy name.

Rhinotaur

Space issues forced me to shorten this to Rinotaur. Normally I wouldn't take out a
letter like this since I'm avoiding any obvious abbreviations like the plague.
However, in this case, like the previous one, I didn't think it made too much of a
difference since the h is silent.

Mantodea/Greater Mantis

The Japanese name is "Grand Insect" sounded out phonetically in Japanese ("Guran
Insekuto"). Since Slattery included an aspect of that in his translation with Greater,
and I had room, I threw in a Grand before the Mantodea to form Grand Mantodea.

Phase/Face

I don't know about you, but to me an enemy that's a giant face having the name Face
seems so simplistic that it's silly. The Japanese name is "Feizu." Due to space
restrictions I couldn't restore the name Phase (which is obviously a mistranslation
anyway) but I settled on a compromise with some inspiration from the Japanese name.
That compromise was Faze. If one reads it a certain way, they can get a stylized
version of the word "Phase" due to having an F instead of a Ph, but if one does a
paradigm shift, one can also get Face out of it, pronounced with a bit of an odd
emphasis. In this way it seemed to me to be the best of both worlds, still offering
a more exotic name while referencing both Woolsey and Slattery's translations. Of
course you may dislike it, who knows...

Goblin/Devil from the Ancient Castle

Another space restricted one. I needed the name "Devil" for another reason as you'll
see, and Devil isn't technically the 'right' translation here; the enemy's Japanese
name is literally "Satan". However, if this wasn't changed for ESRB or Nintendo
censorship reasons (yes, there still is a little bit going around; look at Siren's
GBA sprite), I get the reason why Slattery just changed it to Devil. As a Westerner,
seeing a piddly random enemy named Satan would likely provoke a strange reaction,
whereas that'd be less of a worry for the Japanese audience. I couldn't restore Goblin
due to the space problems, so I settled on preserving a hint of the 'correct' translation
in the same way Slattery did, with an alternate name. I went with the Islamic equivalent
to Satan: Iblis. It will sound a lot more obscure and unknown to a Westerner, while still
hinting at the Japanese name in the same way Slattery's translation did.

Doom/Fiend

Neither "Doom" nor "Fiend" fits the strongly religious flavor of all three Warring Triad
members in the Japanese and the other two Warring Triad members in Slattery's translation.
Doom's Japanese name, Majin, according to all translators I've consulted, is likely more
correctly translated as "Devil" or "Demon" so I went with Devil, keeping the strongly
religious flavor of the Warring Triad more intact than the term "Fiend" does, while
avoiding giving him Poltergeist/Demon's FF6A name, which would be way too confusing.

Terrato/Midgardsormr

Midgardsormr is one of the correct ways to translate the name of the esper, but the
consonant jumble at the end looks awkward for English speakers (since it's Old Norse).
There's nothing that great or special about the name Terrato, especially not the accuracy,
so I saw no real reason to restore it. Midgard Serpent or World Serpent would be too long
to fit in, so I went with the alternate name for the world serpent in Old Norse that isn't
as awkward: Jormungand. That name is actually what the esper is called in the French
translation of FF6A, and it's been used variously in other Final Fantasy titles (like FFX)
to represent the same entity as the Midgardsormr, so there's little difference beyond one
looking a bit nicer and being easier to pronounce.

Zone Seek/Zona Seeker

Hate that "a"! So I reverted the e to make it Zone while keeping the Seeker. A strange
minor change.

Zokka

Zocca. Purely cosmetic change. I have no idea why I did this.

Coco

Koko. Oh, so that's where those Ks went! Purely cosmetic change. I have no idea why I
did this.

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Special Thanks
--------------

Novalia Spirit. Without his table files for the European version of FF6A, this wouldn't
have been possible.

Deathlike2. For answering a specific question I had in the course of the process of
creating the patch and thus enabling some additional lines to be reverted.

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Disclaimer
----------

I am not responsible for any crazy things that happen as a result of this patch, but it's
been pretty well tested and the edits are mostly just to text and spacing, so I wouldn't
expect there to be any problems. Obviously keep a copy of the original version of the game
just in case. One note though: it hasn't yet been tested using GBA or DS flash carts. I
don't see why it wouldn't work, since these aren't major programming changes, but just a
warning.

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Compatability note for other patches
------------------------------------

This patch modifies and uses monster lines that were dummied out of the original game at
9BF0C3, 9BF33B and 9BF1FC. It also modifies a 4 bits of monster AI to point to different
dialogue locations (only to gain additional space for particular lines).

ety-ff6a.gba
CRC32: D15DEBA5
MD5: 7F6BF3B4D84F113AA454136E5B53FD77
SHA-1: C5B27ED0870EA64E6A001C5BC367F76571ACE973