We have been looking forward to Chinese for too long

To Frontier Developments Team,‌

As a devoted player passionate about sci-fi and space exploration genres, every journey through these narratives feels like living a new life. First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude for creating Elite Dangerous — a masterpiece that has captivated me beyond words. This game has delivered unparalleled joy and experiences I never imagined possible. Yet after years of exploration, one frustration persists: ‌even after consulting countless guides, I remain unable to fully grasp Elite Dangerous' lore through my native language, Chinese.‌

Before discovering Elite Dangerous in 2018, I spent seven years (from high school through college) immersed in Freelancer, a game that defined my love for space simulations. While I've played numerous titles like Egosoft's X Series and Relic's Homeworld, Elite Dangerous stands as the first game since Freelancer to reignite that sense of cosmic wonder. To this day, I continue exploring new space games, yet none match the depth of your universe.

As a non-native English speaker, my journey began with purchasing, refunding, and repurchasing the game — all driven by an unshakable passion for space epics. Over 1,412 hours (and counting), I've painstakingly mastered basic mechanics through fragmented translations, yet the ‌core narrative remains obscured‌. I yearn to decode the galaxy's secrets: to trace the Guardians' lost civilization, decipher Ancient Ruins, and unravel the Thargoids' origins and motives. Like the ethos of Star Trek, I wish to proclaim within your universe: "To boldly go where no one has gone before" — but linguistic barriers shackle my curiosity.

Some may ask: "Why not learn English? Use translation tools?" Yet true immersion requires undistracted wonder — would you pause mid-warp to consult a dictionary? I acknowledge the challenges of maintaining multiple localized versions, but as one of your most dedicated Commanders, I must emphasize: ‌China represents a gravitational well of untapped potential‌. With its vast population and thriving gaming ecosystem, prioritizing Chinese localization could propel Elite Dangerous into hyperdrive.

This is more than a request — it's a testament to loyalty. I've navigated supercruise and Thargoid conflicts; now, I implore you to help me breach the final frontier: ‌making Elite Dangerous' galaxy accessible to Chinese explorers‌. Should this IP continue with sequels (which I'll unquestionably support), let linguistic inclusivity fuel its voyage through the decades.

With stardust in my eyes and gratitude light-years deep,
CMDR ZANKYO YUME
A Celestial Cartographer Awaiting Linguistic Jump Coordinates
 
致 Frontier Developments 团队,

我是《精英:危机四伏》的中国玩家。最近,一场为一位受困的中国指挥官展开的多语言协同救援行动,在中国社交媒体上引发了对该游戏的广泛关注。然而,语言障碍依然阻碍着数百万中国玩家深入探索游戏世界。

作为一名中国玩家,我曾多次向朋友们推荐这款拥有1:1星际沙盒的硬核大作,但我面临的现实是,其他太空游戏在中国社区的讨论热度比我们高出十倍。他们仅凭本地化优势就在哔哩哔哩创造了每日数百万的直播观看量。这迫使我不得不强调,官方的中文本地化将极大地提升中国玩家的游戏体验,创造更具沉浸感的世界观,并帮助《精英:危机四伏》拓展中国市场。

中国拥有2.3亿Steam用户,加上《流浪地球》百亿票房群体,已构成核心的科幻消费圈层。例如,2022年在中国重庆举办的“Bar Citizen”活动,数百名玩家聚集在酒店会议厅,其规模之大堪比“股东大会”,令海外开发者们震惊不已——官方团队甚至因中国玩家的正式氛围而短暂调整了状态。相比之下,海外类似的聚会通常只是几十人参与的小型酒吧沙龙。这背后,是中国科幻消费市场的扩张。然而,语言障碍依然是阻碍玩家深度参与的关键,2017年,由于官方加密游戏字体库导致本地化补丁失效,大量中国玩家被迫离开曾经遨游的宇宙,官方中文的缺失也导致大量潜在用户转向《星际公民》等已本地化的竞争对手。随着科幻爱好者的数量以每年 37% 的速度增长,数以百万计的人正在积极寻找能够承载他们宇宙梦想的载体——每个人都渴望听到自己的母语宣称“移帧驱动器充电”。

与此同时,人工智能技术的进步如今已实现高效且经济的本地化。我迫切呼吁在《精英:危机四伏》中整合官方中文以及其他语言版本。让跨越光年的相遇不再需要翻译。

o7 命令
忠实于你的,
中国球员。
We need Chinese please
 
To Frontier Developments Team,

I am a Chinese player of Elite: Dangerous. Recently, a multi-language coordinated rescue mission for a stranded Chinese commander has ignited widespread attention for the game across Chinese social media. However, language barriers continue to hinder millions of Chinese players from delving deeper into its universe.

As a Chinese player, I have repeatedly recommended this hardcore masterpiece with a 1:1 galactic sandbox to my friends, yet I face the stark reality that other Space Games have ten times more discussion heat in the Chinese community than ours. They only rely on localization advantage alone has generated millions of daily livestream views on Bilibili. This compels me to emphasize that official Chinese localization would profoundly enhance the gaming experience for Chinese players, create a more immersive world view, and also help Elite: Dangerous expand the Chinese market.

China has 230 million Steam users and “The Wandering Earth” 10-billion-yuan box office group have formed a core science fiction consumer circle. For example, the Bar Citizen event held in Chongqing, China in 2022, attracted hundreds of players to the hotel conference hall and shocked overseas developers with the scale of a "shareholders' meeting" - the official team even briefly adjusted its status due to the formal atmosphere of Chinese players. In contrast, similar gatherings overseas are usually small bar salons with only a few dozen participants. Behind this gap is the expansion of China's science fiction consumer market. However, the language barrier is still the key to preventing players from deep participation, in 2017, localization patch is invalid due to the official encrypted game font library, a large number of Chinese players were forced to leave the universe they once traveled, and the lack of official Chinese language also caused a large number of potential users to turn to localized competitors like Star Citizen. With sci-fi enthusiasts growing at a 37% annual rate, millions now actively seek vessels to carry their cosmic aspirations—each yearning to hear their native tongue declare, "Frame Shift Drive Charging."

Meanwhile, advancements in AI technology now enable efficient, cost-effective localization. I urgently appeal for official Chinese language integration in Elite: Dangerous, as well as other language. Let encounters across light-years no longer require translators.

o7 cmdr
your sincerely,
Chinese players.
We need Chinese!Please!
 
I am a Chinese player who deeply loves space science fiction games. My favorite is to pilot a spaceship and explore the universe, but unfortunately, the game does not have Chinese support. I have been waiting for the game developers to add Chinese language support for four years, yet there is still no Chinese version available. I kindly request the game developers to add Chinese language support.
 
Some of my friends are intersted but give up at last for the language gap. We hope for a translation, which will attract thousands of Chinese Sci-fi fans.
 
Back
Top Bottom