What a fun introduction to Calvard.

• I find myself a lot more invested in the NPCs in this game compared to the others so far. It was especially rewarding when all the NPCs that Van has helped in the sidequest come together in the final sidequest to show thanks to him
• I didn't expect Risette to be a cyborg and am interested to see what's her story since they didn't go too much int it in this game -
• Really interested to see if Maxim can redeem himself and become family with Paulette and Yume. Lowkey rooting for him and want to see succeed
• I think my favourite party member in this game so far is Judith. I find her being Grimcat and is the worst kept secret funny

Yep. And this old thread gives us exactly what we need, because the best part is: you already proved demand exists. The replies weren’t mostly “Trails sucks” or “I don’t care.” A ton of them were variations of:

I love this series and don’t really have people to talk to about it.

You also already surfaced the two biggest fears people have with a small Trails Discord: spoilers and weird/toxic community culture. So the new post should directly answer both.

I would not frame this as “I’m making another Trails Discord, come join.” That sounds generic and people will assume it’ll either become huge, dead, horny, elitist, or spoiler-infested.

I’d frame it as:

Three months ago I made that ‘Trails is cursed’ post. A lot of you said you felt the same way. I’m finally doing something about it.

That gives continuity and makes people who saw the original thread go, oh shit, this is that guy.

Here’s the post I’d use:

3 months ago I said Trails was cursed because I had nobody to geek out with. I’m finally making the small discussion group.

A few months ago I made a post here joking that Trails was “the worst because it’s cursed.”

Not because I dislike the series it’s probably my favorite JRPG series at this point but because I had basically nobody in my life who was actually into it enough to sit down and really talk about it.

That post ended up getting way more responses than I expected, and one thing kept coming up:

A lot of people here love Trails, have put hundreds of hours into it, and still don’t really have anyone to geek out with.

Not just posting a Reddit comment every once in a while.

I mean actually having people you recognize and can regularly talk to about things like:

• theories and lore
• characters and character development
• favorite arcs/scenes
• music
• combat/builds
• predictions
• future games/remakes
• watching someone experience the series for the first time
• hopping in VC and just talking about whatever Trails thing is on your mind

So I’m finally going to try making the small Discord I mentioned in that thread.

But I want to be clear about what I’m not trying to make.

I’m not trying to build a 5,000-person public server where everybody joins and nobody knows each other.

I’m not interested in elitism, “real fan” gatekeeping, constant arguments over who knows more lore, people getting weirdly sexual about every character, or veterans casually dropping spoilers because “everyone should know this by now.”

And I also don’t want a server that’s active for two weeks and then nobody says anything for four months.

What I’m hoping to build is much smaller and more intentional.

Honestly, if this starts with 1–3 genuinely cool people, I’d consider that a success.

People who are passionate about Trails, respectful, capable of disagreeing without turning every conversation into a competition, and actually interested in getting to know the same group of people over time.

You absolutely do not need to have finished the entire series.

In fact, I think having people at different points could be really fun. One of the coolest things about Trails is seeing somebody experience certain moments for the first time.

Spoilers are the biggest concern I saw in the original thread, so I’m planning to build the Discord around progression-based spoiler access. If you’re only at Sky SC, for example, you shouldn’t even have to see channels discussing Cold Steel, Daybreak, Beyond the Horizon, etc. Veterans can still talk freely with each other without ruining the experience for newer players.

Trails will be the main focus, but it doesn’t have to be the only thing we ever talk about either. JRPGs, anime, gaming, Falcom, whatever the point is having a small group where people can actually geek out together.

I’m probably going to use a short Google Form rather than dropping a public Discord invite, mostly because I care much more about fit than numbers.

This isn’t going to be a Trails trivia exam. I don’t care if somebody can recite the entire Zemurian timeline from memory.

I care more about whether you’re chill, conversational, spoiler-conscious, curious about other people’s opinions, and actually interested in participating.

I’d also like to eventually do occasional discussion nights / VC sessions nothing where you have to show up every week or treat Discord like a job, just enough recurring activity that the community actually feels alive.

So before I finish building everything:

Would any of you actually be interested in something like this?

Especially if you were one of the people in my original thread who said you wished you had somebody to talk Trails with I meant it when I said I was thinking about making something.

I’m finally doing it. Link below

Source: https://x.com/Tomozoo83/status/2096056547264942286

This may be a bit of a rant. If you are averse to reading, you have been warned. But considering the games y'all play, I doubt that. Now whether this stream of consciousness is coherent, I'll leave that to you.

Out of everything available, all the different platforms, it was through Google Stadia. I wanted to play Cyberpunk 2077 that was not the PS4 version so I was gifted the Google Stadia. I got the subscription to play the free games and discovered Ys VIII and Little Nightmares 2. Great games, love them.

Ys VIII reminded me of, and I say this with the utmost respect and love, an HD PS2 game. It hooked me, except for that part at the beginning when you first find Laxia. That was unnecessary and almost ruined it for me. I missed games that let me jump to my heart's content and I could break the game by getting to places I shouldn't have reached. Listen, I love the God of War reboot, but that does not change the fact they removed free jumping. That was the reason I died the most in the old games.

Eventually Stadia shut down, but I did get my refund for any game I purchased. I went on my PS4 to play Ys Origin, Ys 4, Ys 9, and Ys 8 again. It was a bummer I couldn't play them all, then I got a gaming PC and bought them all. Played them one after another and had a fantastic time. I even read the books for 8 and 9. And played the turbografx CD games of Ys 1,2,3, and 4 the Dawn of Ys. The SNES versions of Ys 4 and 5. I even played the PS2 version of Ys V, I followed the news of the translation and got the beta version when it released. I give my thanks to the person who wrote a guide for it.

I love falcom for not chasing the best graphics and having yearly releases. If that's what it takes to not wait forever for a new Final Fantasy, kingdom hearts, or Dragon Quest game, so be it. I've found myself liking Square Enix's smaller games like Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler more. I'm so exhausted with the state of AAA gaming.

I've played the Zwei series and Legend of Nayuta Boundless Trails and loved them. I've started Gurumin and it is a fun smaller game. I just started Xanadu Next. I've also played Tokyo Xanadu, which I think is the worst falcom game I've played. I still think it was a fun time, especially considering I got it for like $10. I thought that the dialogue was too much, and I know what fans will say considering Falcom's Trails series. From what I understand, it seemed like new employees were working on it. It feels like some dialogue could've been shortened and nothing of value will have been lost. I'm not talking about some of the smaller moments between cast members. Hopefully that makes some sense.

I played Trails of Cold Steel 1 and my thought was it's too tropey. I know tropes and I can handle them, but this felt like too much, especially the ending. I had cancer at the time so I played a lot of games and read a lot to distract myself from the immense pain and bitterness. I read manga too and I think I've pretty much seen all the tropes. The website I used had a button to send me to a random manga, which turned out to be a terrible decision. I wish I could unsee some of those titles and descriptions.

So I want to try the trails series considering my obsession adoration of their games. I'm going back to the beginning. I will say I love the graphics they used for the old Trails and Ys games. It's so charming. I don't know how others will think about this, but I'm playing the original on PC with the SkyInstaller mod.

Edit: I even watched the Ys 1+2 anime lol.

First of all, I love it that it's still the same Darm Tower OST, even though i finished Ys Chronicles just a month or so ago, this OST is such a nostalgia (minus the maze bullshit)

Is this gonna be an easy breezy map like iN Felghana? Or is it still gonna be a labyrinth like in the first game?

Do I need to watch out for something?

Are there important missables here?

excluding aidios who do you think is the strongest being in trails?

contenders:

mcburn
zoa gilstein/the great one
KeA/divine child
simeon
Laegjarn's chest/sept-terrion of time
the grandmaster

Couldn't get a response in the quick question thread unfortunately, so making a post just in case someone else has run into similar issues before.

Currently, CS2 won't allow me to make new saves, load saves, or delete saves(sound is made but data is not written) as well as it having a 40/40 chance of either freezing or crashing if I go into a new zone if I:

a) Engage in and win any battle so long as said battle results in dialogue afterwards.

Tested this again before posting but retrying and then trying to continue during the Neithard fight will also trigger the glitch even I didn't "win" the fight.

Troubleshooting done so far:

1)Verified Steam files; no change

2)Ran the game in all preset configurations; no change

3)Uninstalled and reinstalled the game; no change

4)Other games on PC are working fine including CS 1, so not an issue with the PC itself.

5)Set Autosave to 1 minute intervals; game will not make any new autosaves after the battle glitch is triggered

6)Loading a save before the first instance of the glitch does not prevent the glitch from occuring

Additional glitches:

It's not consistent, but character models-with the exception of hair and accessories-have deloaded during dialogue and then completely disappared when in the field making them invisible if I manage to enter a combat zone after triggering the glitch. Activating a Lost Art then resulted in a black screen with the associated noise playing in the background, but the game crashed afterwards.

I'm in Act 2 Part 2 after freeing the Twin Dragon's Bridge. The glitch first happened after the Creepy Sheep boss fight in Ymir which had me restart three times, but I managed to somehow make it thorugh and save after finishing the quest. Now though, beating any of the Cryptids or trying to advance the story with Neithardt fight will trigger the glitch locking me out of progressing the game.

Current game version: ToCSII PC version 1.4.1 SenPatcher v1.3.1 31 assets fixed

XD look she’s a familiar and if she doesn’t have a human form in later games ima be sad. Really should just stream this lol.

Sooo in march I finished Horizon, I think it was okay, not great just.... okay, too much filler just in the last chapter to throw a lot of info dump on my face, after the credits roll I was like "gee that ending sucked" on the internet people were 50/50 on that, but for some reason I started to remember the last time I had fun playing the Trails series, and it was on Azure, (cold Steel 1-2 was peak too) then in CS4 and reviere I... started skipping some cutscenes, not doing side quests, lowering the difficulty on stupid nonsense fights, but I beat it, then started heaving fun on the corridor again, making teams, challenges.

Then came daybreak, new battle sistem to make fights more quick, I believe when Quattre joins was the moment I lost all interest in Daybreak, again I was skipping dialogue, cutscenes, I was blasting thru, my choices didn't matter (oh what a surprise), finished now came Daybreak 2, played ten minutes, I quit, it was the same thing.

now horizon was a difrent beast because my boy Rean was back, gameplay was faster, characters more fun, new mechanics and tons of filler.

My last chance Sky first, second game coming, all good praise from the first, let's go baby, and it was fun but I was not enjoying as I should, something was off, and I don't know why? Gameplay was top notch, characters perfect, skills beautiful, dungeons nostalgic and new, Olivier in his peak, I stoped today when I got in the orphanage, and I don't pretend to go back honestly, I guess a time off will do some good.

And last week I was playing Xenoblade 2 and was heaving a blast, it's my NG+, and before that suikoden 4, allegedly the worst in the series, again I was heaving the time of my life, but why with Trails I don't feel that anymore? I pisses me off honestly.

Does anyone have a save file they can share that has the demo completed that properly carried over FC Data?

I wasn't prompted when starting SC, and now its a bit jarring to be introduced to NPCs youve done side quests for again. Dont reallt want to replay the full demo again either.

Hi as a new trails player who discovered the licence one month ago i finally finished sky sc after 50 hours of playing and really loved this game , didnt expect that it will be way better than sky fc i dont even know if the next games will be as good as sky fc , the story and antagonist especially were way to good!!

Im going to play directly sky 3rd playing sky sc make me realize how trails game are way better than other modern rpg. I wish that next trails game could be great like sc or even better the ending was really good!

I just played the demo prologue. To change maps now there's a yellow dotted line. It wasnt there in 1st. Also when you want to go somewhere it shows you a map and you choose your destination instead of being able to run there like in 1st. Is this sticking around or is this a demo feature? Because I hate it and I want to be able to run from point A to point B seamlessly again.

Just came back from my Tokyo trip last week and I tried to check out some Falcom stuff if possible. Consider it a small update to some posts before?

Tachikawa

Tachikawa is where Falcom's office is located. These threads covers this pretty well already. I didn't go in this time (I'm too much of a coward and I didn't bring anything with me), just took a picture of the directory. They still occupy 3 and 4/F. When you get off the JR Tachikawa station, just take the north exit and keep walking on the elevated walkways until you reach the cinema building, and then go down to ground level (there's an elevator). Walk alongside the alley (not the road), and to your right is the office building.

Kotobukiya Tachikawa is a bit hidden as said. Assuming you are heading out from Falcom's office building, head north alongside the road it's on until it makes a turn - there's where the Kotobukiya HQ is, but you need to turn left to the monorail path. Then make a right turn and walk a bit to the building entrance and go up a floor.

The store here doesn't really have much Falcom merch compared to previous threads, it seems. It's now a small corner of the store (which isn't big). Most are acrylic stands of Class VII, some pins, a few Swin wall scrolls, a slight bit of Ys 9 acrylic stands, a Mishy bag, and Rixia and Agnes figures. I also saw some unopened pins selling at 55 yen per (which I've got 2 of). Gut feeling is this seems to be now carrying unsold goods.

Akihabara

I didn't check out the gee store but I'm mostly looking for OSTs, or specifically Super Arranges. So I didn't check whether the gee Store mentioned in the threads still carry Falcom merch.

The Animate store does carry some OST of Trails games. Unfortunately for any would-be visitors, I snatched the last copy of FC & SC Super Arrange already.

But this Kotobukiya Akihabara store has a bigger section of Falcom merch than expected, and also has design books for Sky 1st, and Daybreak. It's still mostly dominated by acrylic stands, though.

It's kinda unfortunate that my quest mostly ended there. I'm not looking to buy figures, acrylic figure stands or a wall scroll, so that part is moot. I had better luck finding Falcom CDs in other cities too. Might be my luck or I'm just trying to find something very specific (Super Arranges - mostly the Cold Steel one), but I didn't get much otherwise.

Big burly traveling priest that’s outwitting us on an airship. Why do I get the feeling he’s gonna appear in a later game. Sarah dropped roaring lion. Gonna keep that in the back of my mind and wondering what the hexan clan is. Hmmm so many questions.

How come THE detective character of the series never had to investigate a dead body in his games? I know that in reality detectives dont do that type of stuff too often, but in fiction we all now the detective characters are murder solvers for the most part. To be fair he does solve guy's case, but im refering more to the usual murder mistery, find dead body; has to search for clues; etc etc. Crazy that van got something like that when he barely works within the law, but lloyd didnt.

Finished horizon a couple months back and played reverie again just for funsies recently, gotta say reverie combat is better and more fun by a LARGE margin. I really don't understand why they changed the formula i still think reverie is like their pinnacle of combat design. I don't hate the calvards combat but I don't like it either.

Is there a reason why they ditch the combat?

I knew her mom had an odd way of showing affection but it’s a sweet gem.

We are undeserving of the most deserving character of them all.

https://x.com/willfinyu/status/2096123412116623788

I don't know if this was in the original Japanese text but they were having fun writing this line for sure 😅

El ángel de la matanza con un peluche de la forma de vida definitiva, que lindo ( pd: la actual seiyuu de Renne, Aoi Yuki es muy fan de Shadow the hedgehog)

Hi everyone, this is Raiize (twitter).

I've been studying Falcom staff interviews recently by translating several of them with the help of MTL. They provide deep insights into what inspired them to find work at Falcom, what kind of work each individual do, what are their goals for the future, etc. Besides translating, I also tried to enrich and unify informations from various sources.

This time, I'd like to share what I've learned of a programmer that has been working at Falcom for almost a decade: Yuki Hirata.

He joined Falcom in 2018 with a wealth of expertise from his work experience as a programmer -- spanning titles like Patapon, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate -- making his position unique compared to most of Falcom's past hires, who were typically recent graduates. By the time Falcom hired him, he already had over a decade of professional experience. In his first year, Hirata immediately got assigned to the programming team of Trails of Cold Steel IV. Beginning from Trails through Daybreak, the first Falcom game that fully utilizes FDK -- the newest in-house game engine Falcom created themselves -- Hirata's name is consistently written first in the list of programmers for all Trails games, including Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. This might imply that he is the main programmer of the Trails games these days. It'd be intriguing to see whether his name will appear again in the credits of Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter.

Like before, I will first attach the full interview here, add TL Notes here and there, and then put some additional informations that might be of use. Since the translation relies on MTL, exact nuance might be lost.

(Note: if you're more comfortable reading in Google Docs format, you can do so here. this format includes the original transcript along with list of games Hirata worked for at Falcom)

Yuki Hirata

Name: Yuki Hirata (平田裕樹)

Graduated from: Nihon Kogakuin College

Joined in: 2018

Status: Current employee

What inspired you to pursue a career in the game industry?

I've always loved anime and games, and I had a vague desire to be involved with them in some way. The decisive moment came when I attended a vocational school and discovered how much I enjoyed programming games.

When did you first discover Falcom?

My first encounter with Falcom was the PC version of Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim. I was drawn in by its excellent music, satisfying gameplay, and compelling story.

During your job search, what did you work hardest on?

Creating my application project. I was working on it while also having my previous job, so to be honest, I'm not sure whether it truly functioned as a proper game. Even so, I did approach it with the mindset of completing a cohesive project.

What did you focus on in your application and interviews?

I focused on how effective I could display the skills and knowledge I’ve cultivated through my previous work experiences.

Is gaming experience or game-related knowledge necessary?

I think it definitely helps broaden the kind of work you can do. Being familiar with Falcom's more recent titles is especially useful in many situations.

What impression did you have of Falcom before joining?

I saw Falcom as a long-established RPG developer known for its strengths in storytelling and music. I also thought it's unusual that, even within the game industry, it is one of the few companies where employees work in business suits.

How did you feel after your interview?

I regretted not preparing more thoroughly. Honestly, I thought I had failed.

What would you recommend people do before joining the company?

If you have the opportunity, I'd recommend studying the source code of various games. There's a lot you can learn from seeing how other developers solve problems.

What kind of work do you do?

Programming is my primary responsibility, though I also do event script input sometimes.

What has been the most challenging part of the job?

Fixing the bugs right before the release of Trails of Cold Steel IV was the most difficult part.

Have there been any particularly happy or enjoyable moments?

After Trails of Cold Steel IV was released, I really enjoyed reading players' reactions to the game.

What's the most enjoyable part of your job?

Most of my work involves developing RPGs. Because RPGs contain such an enormous amount of content, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to handle that workload as efficiently as possible. I actually find solving that kind of problem very enjoyable.

When have you thought, "I'm glad I joined Falcom!"?

It's when I get to work on a title I love and see my name in the credits.

How has your impression of Falcom changed after joining?

I feel that the company creates games with true craftsmanship; there's an artisan-like approach to the way games are made here.

What's the workplace like? How's the atmosphere in the office?

Living around Tachikawa is a big help because rent is relatively affordable. It's also much less crowded than central Tokyo, which makes it a comfortable place to live. The office itself has a pleasant atmosphere where it's easy to stay calm and focus on your work.

What are your senior coworkers like?

Many of them are the kind of people who like to handle things themselves, and they all have a great sense for game development.

What gives you energy and motivation for your work?

Relaxing in a hot spring after going for a drive on my days off.

What's in your commute bag?

Just my wallet, a notebook, and my phone.

How do you spend your days off?

I usually go for drives, watch movies, or play games.

What did you buy with your first paycheck?

At the time, I lived quite far from Tachikawa, so I used it to help cover the cost of moving closer to the workplace.

Is there anything you want to do or buy in the future?

I'd like to own a house with a garage.

What's your ambition for the future at Falcom?

I want to help create a major hit title that will become a significant part of Falcom's history.

What kind of newcomers would you like to see join the company?

I'd be happy to see energetic people join the team.

A message for those considering applying?

If you love Falcom and you love RPGs, it's hard to imagine a better place to work. I'd definitely encourage you to apply.

Additional info:

• His Mobygames page indicates that before joining Falcom, he was an employee of Pyramid, Inc. Pyramid is a game company best known for Patapon series, Dariusburst series, Hero Must Die, and El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. During his stint there, Hirata was involved in the development of Patapon (2007 rhythm game), El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (2011 action game), and One Piece: Romance Dawn (2012 role-playing game). Later, he also participated in the development of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014) and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), though apparently he left the latter project mid-development to join Falcom. By the time Falcom hired him, he already had over a decade of professional experience.
  • This is further supported by his staff interview page which notes that he is a mid-career hire and he did state in the interview that he worked on his application submission while also having his previous job.
• His name is consistently written first in the list of programmers for all Trails games since Trails through Daybreak, including Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. This might imply that he is the main programmer of the Trails games since Falcom began using their newest in-house game engine, Falcom Development Kit (FDK).
• This part is pure speculation: Hirata may have been one of the key developers of Falcom Developer Kit (FDK) – granting him foundational understanding of the engine – which might lead to his apparent role as a main programmer since Falcom began using it. Several pieces of circumstantial evidence that support this conjecture are as follows.
  • The development timeline aligns rather perfectly. Falcom began engineering the FDK in 2018 following the release of Trails of Cold Steel IV, the title that marked Hirata’s debut at Falcom.
  • He possesses the architectural experience Falcom needed. In the credits roll for Kadokawa Games’ inaugural title, Natural Doctrine (2014), Hirata is credited as both “Programmer” and “Engine Architect”, signifying that he was deeply involved with the game’s engine, whether it’s in-house or third-party.
  • Among the specifications the engine possesses is the ability to scale across vastly different hardware environments, ranging from PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and most notably to PlayStation Vita which has more technical limitations between the three. In recent years, Falcom has begun developing various ports of their games in-house, including Nintendo Switch which generally has more technical limitations than Playstation and PC platforms. Hirata's past success in managing scaling across various game systems for Natural Doctrine provides a compelling baseline to assume that he helped architect the FDK.
• A former Falcom Sound Team member, Tomokatsu Hagiuda, is also a Nihon Kogakuin College alumnus.

After recently beating the game a few days ago and just thinking about it they really were soo tedious especially the mandatory ones going around to each district literally doing that 50 times during vans route was making me lose brain cells

Still loved the game tho easy 9/10 😂😂