Update: Preliminary beta testing is going very well. This game is so complicated, two rounds of beta testing may very well be justified. Here are some excerpts from a message I just wrote to Swordmaster in one of his latest Mantis reports...
"For all of his simplistic utterances, Poyon is a complex character in skills and such. I actually have him leading Party B in the final dungeons. When I'm translating and writing, I don't have time to dwell on all of these finite details that you're meticulously sifting.
The translations of effect statements are often incomprehensible, likely idiomatic Japanese pronouncements that are anecdotal and/or humorous in nature. All of this sort of labor you're doing is very helpful to the cause, so thanks again!"
That same thanks also goes out to MariusB and akualung. This trio has sent me a copious amount of needed fixes, likely approaching 300 in number! I have never worked with a finer beta test team.
As tedious as this effort is, we've all had fun uncovering a multitude of secrets in SSMS-II. These guys are so good and thorough, basically, their efforts are crafting the final form of this game - everything from naming conventions to effects of everything and even some dialogues and character interactions. They are finding glitches I would have never uncovered - even if I made a half-dozen passes - because the dialogues are so incredibly variable, according to party composition and even placement positions within as many as two parties operating interdependently in the same scenario.
Still have NOT decided about a universal release to the general public or posting a possible release on another person's website that frequently becomes toxic with the tacit approval of whomever controls policy over there, but I do know that with the exception of one mysterious individual, player support for both SSMS-I and II has been tremendous on our boards here.
I will continue to guarantee this: Anyone who dials up a request on this board such as, "Hey, Wildbill... I really, really want to play SSMS-II!" I will ask him or her to PM me with an e-mail addy and personally sent a patch along. Not yet, though.
We will go through one more round of beta testing AFTER the "Agreesome Threesome" I named above have finished their fine works.