Chrono Trigger: DS Ultimania OUT!! Translators Desperately Needed!

[FouCapitan]

In JP games, those 2 words are usually mixed up. They are not that strict sometimes(e.g., in CC), although according to wiki, they usually call the western dragon 竜 to avoid confusion. In fact, they are the same word written in different way. 竜 is already out-of-date in China, but is still used in Japan.

From what I understand, 竜 and 龍 both mean the same thing in Japanese, 竜 is just a more simplified kanji and is more commonly used.

[utunnels]

Yeah, according to the Japanese wiki(http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%89%E3%83%A9%E3%82%B4%E3%83%B3), some fantasy fans like to use "竜" to name the western dragon in order to distinguish those 2 different creatures. It's a habit, not a rule.

[lockgar]

Can someone explain to me what this ultimania is suppose to be? From what I understand from the chrono cross ultimania, its kind of like an art book with additional side notes the creator put in as to why or why not this design was used. I'm guessing its "offically" made.

[FaustWolf]

Oh, how I wish this were an artbook! The four examples of concept art that made it in were really awesome.

Basically lockgar, it's a glorified strategy guide published directly by Square Enix (via some division called "SE MOOK"). It's like ye olde Nintendo Power Chrono Trigger strategy guide, only souped up with notes on every aspect of gameplay. What we're most interested in are storyline commentary sprinkled into certain sections, as well as developer interviews with Masato Kato and Yasunori Mitsuda (Kato taking precedence for now).

[cdreed3000]

I was seriously considering buying it until FaustWolf mentioned that was all the concept art there was. I still feel a bit like buying it, but I just can't justify buying a book that I can't read. If I were to buy it, it would be because I would then own a big book full of Chrono Trigger awesomeness. I wouldn't be able to read the awesomeness, but I'd know it was there!

[Lorenz]

cdreed3000 and Crisis54, yeah, the caption is indeed saying that, essentially, the baby is Kid.  I think my use of the word "really" in the translation somewhat muddled that point.  The guide does, techinically, ask the question of whether or not that is Kid, but in Japanese a lot of assumed facts, opinions and observations are phrased in a question form, even if the "answer" is obvious.  I suppose it is somewhat analagous to the rhetorical question we have in English, though the nuance is quite different.  Some people attribute it to the Japanese habit of equivocation and indirect speech, making them more comfortable by phrasing things in a somewhat open-ended question form and leaving a level of ambiguity and interpretation open to the listener/reader.  Anyway, regardless of the the techinical jargon and socio-linguistic pontifications, the end result is that the caption is basically pointing out that the baby is Kid, as is obvious to anyone who can connect two dots and has played Chrono Cross.  Not much of a revelation.

utunnels and FouCapitan, again, interesting stuff and your insights are much appreciated.  To toss in my two cents once more, I would point out two side notes in addition to what you have already correctly mentioned on this board.  1) A lot of times the choice of kanji (or simpler kana) is rooted in very pragmatic techinical concerns.  The original, and more complicated, kanji for dragon can be very hard to display on some systems depending on their graphical prowess and the amount of space and detail alotted to text boxes.  As such, simpler characters will be used in its stead.  It's just easier to display and easier to read.  2) Just to further complicate things, I have found that actually transliterating "dragon" into katakana is a very popular trend as well.  Japanese people love sexy foreign loan words and especially when describing a "foreign" dragon (the D&D / St. George-type) they would be apt to use the katakana version of the word.  Most of my elementary school students in Japan knew what a "dragon" was when pronounced katakana-style.  Not many of them could write the kanji.  None of them could write the old school version of the kanji.  Just some food for thought.

[Chrono'99]

It's nice to see the characters were originally designed by Masato Kato. Lucca's bow tie and Marle's sweater(?) in the "3 Women" sketch give a really modern feel. I wonder how the original 1,000 A.D. was meant to look like, what with these sketches and the World War I airplanes from the CT alpha version...

The similarity between the original Robo and the Mammon Machine was already noted, but am I the only one that sees a resemblance between the original Crono and Tata? Short spiky hair, goggles, a cape... He really looks like him, apart from the "wild" personality.

On a random note, it would be funny if the old man were related to the similarly-removed old man from Chrono Cross, though the latter was apparently not meant to be playable (see the portrait next to young Kid: http://www.chronocompendium.com/images/wiki/f/fe/Dialogue_Demo_Cross_Characters.png ).

[ZealKnight]

I assume he was going to be a master swords man and have a similar story to Frog but you know without the form change. But Yeah I noticed the Tata thing too, I'm personally glad Toryama went against it.

[utunnels]

2) Just to further complicate things, I have found that actually transliterating "dragon" into katakana is a very popular trend as well.  Japanese people love sexy foreign loan words and especially when describing a "foreign" dragon (the D&D / St. George-type) they would be apt to use the katakana version of the word.  Most of my elementary school students in Japan knew what a "dragon" was when pronounced katakana-style.  Not many of them could write the kanji.  None of them could write the old school version of the kanji.  Just some food for thought.

Yeah, if they want to use "dragon", they would, like in many final fantasy games.
Or perhaps dragons from chrono series have special history background, unlike in DnD.
 
The totems on the summit of Terra Tower are sort of oriental-style.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[FaustWolf]

Translation of p. 572 straight from Lorenz:

Page 572
Secret 30

Many unknown secrets are buried between the flow of thousands of years.  Here, we present you with 30 stringently selected secrets, ranging from practical techniques to some rare phenomenon that will make you laugh.

01)
In the DS version of Chrono Trigger there are various features that weren’t its SNES or PS predecessors.  Not only are there different menu layouts, but there are also some big changes as well.  So, we have compiled a list of the features new to the DS version, especially the major, standout changes.  Let’s take a look:

* Arena of Ages (see page 530)
The Arena of Ages, where you raise and battle monsters, makes its debut.  You can also battle against other players via Wi-Fi.

Caption: The battle system used in the Arena of Ages is completely different than the one found in the main game.

* New Events and New Endings (see pages 344, 378, 408, 561)
Three new side quests have been added: G (Dragon Sanctuary), H (Dimensional Vortex) and I (Time’s Darkness).  Upon clearing I (Time’s Darkness), you can view a new ending connecting the original game with its sequel, Chrono Cross (see page 581).

Caption: If you challenge yourself to unlock the additional ending, you can enjoy a new story.
Picture: In the photo Magus is saying, “From the depths of the Darkness of Time that stretches before us, a new enemy is trying to be born.”
(NOTE: As usual, there a several ways even I can think of translate this line, so I am sure that others will devise other interpretations, as well.  Literally, it is more like this: “Ahead, a new enemy is attempting to be born.  Expanding from beyond this point, at the bottom of Time’s Darkness.”  I would also point out that the word “new” is used in the English here, but the Japanese word actually implies more a “fresh” concept, implying some connection to a previous enemy who has changed in same way, likely referring to Lavos metamorphosing into the Dream/Time Devourer.)

* New Items (see page 413)
There are 56 additional types of items that were not present in the SNES and PS versions of the game.  You can obtain these items through the Arena of Ages and the added side quests.

* New Monsters (see pages 513-527)
40 types of monsters have been added.  They appear in the new side quests.

* Controls Unique to the DS (see pages 45-60)
You can control most of the game using the touch screen.  During battles, you can choose between two modes: an easy-to-use touch screen control setup (DS) and one that is similar to the SNES version (Classic) (see page 60-61).

Caption:  Characters and monsters are no longer hidden behind battle gauges in the DS game mode.

* Change to the Menu Setup (see page 48)
The entire design of the menus has changed.  Along with that, the way in which you navigate the menus has also changed.

Caption: The menus have been changed so that you can easily navigate them with the touch screen.

Picture: The menu shows Chrono’s equipment menu.  He is equipped with a Swallow, Haste Helm, Nova Armor and Gold Earring.  The player is currently examining the list of available swords.

* Kanji for Item and Tech Names (see page 416-434)
The bulk of item and weapons that were written in hiragana in the SNES and PS versions now have their names displayed in kanji.

(NOTE: Obviously, this doesn’t really matter much to western audiences, but it does make the game easier to play in Japanese in my opinion.  Once you learn the language, reading things in kanji is much faster and smoother than doing so with only kana.  This also may reflect the games maturation, as it is now expected that older gamers, those who probably couldn’t read a great deal of kanji when the first played the game, are now going to be playing it anew.)

* “Bonus” is now the “Gallery” (see page 564)
What was called the “Bonus” section in the PS version has been renamed “Gallery” in this version.  Also, in the PS version entries increased according to the types of endings you achieved, but in the DS version entries increase as you encounter them throughout the core game.

(NOTE: I have never played the PS version, so this final point is a little difficult fore me.  I am pretty sure it is saying that when you beat the PS version, it updates you “Bonus/Gallery” with the appropriate items, whereas in the DS version the game updates you spoils as you play.  So if I get the Swallow in PS version, it won’t show up in my Bonus area until I get an ending with it in my inventory, in the PS version.  Whereas, in the DS version, obviously the second you acquire the Swallow it is available for viewing in the Gallery area.)

[Lorenz]

Wow, that's a lot of typos  .  I'm not even sure it can be considered an "English" translation, lookin' like that, but I hope it helps.   

[V_Translanka]

In the PSX version the bonus stuff is unlocked in bunches after each Ending is collected. Basically making the beastiary useless to all but collectors or maybe looking at who had Tabs to Charm from.

[cloudvii]

2) Just to further complicate things, I have found that actually transliterating "dragon" into katakana is a very popular trend as well.  Japanese people love sexy foreign loan words and especially when describing a "foreign" dragon (the D&D / St. George-type) they would be apt to use the katakana version of the word.  Most of my elementary school students in Japan knew what a "dragon" was when pronounced katakana-style.  Not many of them could write the kanji.  None of them could write the old school version of the kanji.  Just some food for thought.

Yeah, if they want to use "dragon", they would, like in many final fantasy games.
Or perhaps dragons from chrono series have special history background, unlike in DnD.
 
The totems on the summit of Terra Tower are sort of oriental-style.

First I would like to thank you everyone who is working on that project it helps us fans of the series a lot. I rarely post here anyway but I have been here since ages watching chrono related news and other stuff.
Anyway, The reason I am sending this post is unfortunatly offtopic. I was surprised with the picture which utunnels has posted above. The one with the Pre-rendered BackGround from Terra tower from Chrono cross. I was wondering where can i find the pre rendered backgrounds of Chrono cross. I am usually interested in games for Art and literature values. So it would great if someone told me where can i get them.

[utunnels]

http://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php/topic,6904.0.html

You can check this topic.
Although, I'm still working on it.

[cloudvii]

Congratulations. You have made me a happy man really. I was looking for this since forever maybe (Of course I am exaggerating).

Thanks utunnels.

Back to topic, I can't wait for the interviews translations really. I don't think there would be any hints for sequels but I am hoping for some secret details about the making of previous games and how they connect to each other in every single way