Recca wrote:
There's quite a few good SNES games left that are still yet untranslated, just check "My top translation list" thread in the D-D group discussion forum to see which ones I'm talking about. The main reason why so many people are quitting this hobby is mostly due to the fact that they're older and much more busy now than when they first started years ago. It's also likely that they've already finished translating the games that they were personally interested in and have now moved on to something else. But like Taskforce said, different games appeal to different people. It's all subjective and comes down to one's personal tastes, as with just about everything else in life.
Another big reason why some have chosen to leave the translation scene behind is because they're tired of hearing people complain and criticize them over things which are offered to them for free. It takes a lot of time and dedication to properly hack and translate a game, especially text heavy RPGs. You can thus imagine how it must feel to see a bunch of hate filled posts online attacking these people because of something as trivial as a "word being used" that didn't sit well with snowflakes (as was the case with Tom) or throwing a tantrum because of a few modern day political jokes that were added in the script (like in Wildbill's case). And of course, having others sell their translations and romhacks as repro carts doesn't help either...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZP672xjmuMNothing will ever drive me away from something I want to do unless my activity infringes on someone's freedom or property. I wouldn't encroach on my neighbors anyway. My main career has always been protecting Americans, our allies, and our friends, not denying them their human or other rights. Plus, I would make the strong argument that I am the polar opposite of a fragile person.
I do this for the pure enjoyment, challenge, and association with my teammates and the gaming community that assists, enjoys, and appreciates the end results of our synergy. Being built the way I am, I end up laughing at these handsful of folks who get their underwear in a bunch over the way I and others have chosen to pursue this hobby. I'm the crazy nut who after another scary firefight will throw empty brass at the jungle and holler, "Come and get me, ya suckers!"
I'll admit now that I was wrong to hold up SSMS-II for a few years, simply because word got back to me that the usual Hee-Haw gang was in an uproar over my anti-communist satire. Or else, some wanted a dry literal translation, such as Poyon mumbling, "I have flatulence. I'm hungry," instead of writing a scene in which the characters speak and react like normal people on a combat patrol in the boonies. Only one person had a right to discuss how I "localized" SSMS-I, and that was because he had a vested interest in the materials we used initially to begin the project. I respect his position. We talked it out, and that's that.
So, what I'm saying, if we pour our emotional energy into worrying about a few detractors, as well as the people who build carts using our patches and selling them for money, we could be wasting our creative energy over matters beyond our control that could possibly be better spent in the pursuit of additional happiness.