thank god, after refreshing the rumor tab after every story development I started losing hope that it'd ever update again and stopped checking
It does keep updating, yes, but not after every battle. In Chapter 1, the only update is after Tietra gets kidnapped. The next update after that is at the start of Chapter 2; then, you have two rapid fire updates right there, with one happening after three story battles, and the next happening after just two more story battles. We can give you forewarning on when the rumors update if you want - as I mentioned when saying that FFT story is much more missable than FFVIII was and mostly a wikipedia entry of itself, this is what I meant. If you miss enough of the updates, the story doesn't ever become incomprehensible, but the motivations of the characters other than Ramza, especially the more politically oriented like Larg, definitely do.
Although it's entirely possible that the WotL version has different updates time - somebody would need to check on that.
Speaking of things that are different, a few mentions of changes in the translation:
- While Dycedarg is convalescent on his bed, after saying "leave the cleanup to Zalbag" in both versions, his description of the state of the Brigade is subtly different from what the WotL version offers, with no mention of "just a score are left". Instead, he says "The Corpse Brigade is falling apart, the deserters are down to a few. Wiegraf will be caught, it's just a matter of time".
Not only is that better in terms of setting details (how would Dycedarg know the exact numbers of Brigade survivors? Much more natural that he knows "only a few are left" instead), it also gives us a more patient characterization for Dycedarg; he's still showing confidence that things will resolve his way (Wiegraf will be caught), but instead of it being confidence that Wiegraf has little time left, the confidence is that, no matter how long it takes, he will be hunted down eventually.
I feel like, considering we've been shown that Dycedarg is a plotter-type character, this suits him better, and so the WotL lines characterizes him as subtly different. Again. Still, even with that, I do think the conversation has slightly better flow in the WotL version.
- The conversation with Delita and Algus outside the castle, on the other hand, works better in the PSX version; it opens the same with Ramza telling Delita to calm down, and he saying he cannot, but then, where the WotL version has Ramza say "your search would be fruitless", the PSX has "without knowing where to look, you'd be wasting your time." In a vacuum, these two sentences seem equivalent, but then the speech has Delita react, and him saying "searching for my sister isn't wasted time!" is a much smoother follow up than Delita's WotL line, even if they express the same feeling. It reads as more emotionally charged, which better suits the situation.
The follow up with Algus is similar - after Algus clarifies that he'd never send troops to save some commoners in both version, the WotL reaction is a very subdued "so I heard you right" before the sudden punch, while the PSX has a more emotional "how dare you!" that makes the follow-up punch feel as a more impulsive, less reasoned action on Delita's part. Again, we can see a difference in characterization - PSX Delita is overtaken by his own emotions and lashes out, while Delita first asks confirmation that he's been wronged, and then coldly decides to take revenge for it. Or maybe I'm the only one who's reading too much into the scene, but I know that I would react differently if I saw a movie scene with a guy coldly going "I see" and then striking, rather than "You dare!?" and then striking. It just gives off a different vibe to me. And the PSX version is more coherent with the follow up of Ramza restraining Delita from striking again.
Following up, WotL Argath is much more explicitly offensive towards Delita than PSX Algus - saying that he should lick his boots, whereas the PSX version only says he should learn his place - and then, things are reversed when he lives, with the WotL version being "my soft-hearted friend", while the PSX has him use "spoiled rotten boy", which we know from
@Adloquium is more truthful to the original. And, of course, not only is it a line with more vitriol, but it fits Algus better, in that of course he would see Ramza as spoiled, given he hasn't suffered the disdain Algus has.
- Then there is the Mandalia Plains scene, which the WotL version turned into a FMV. I would embed the video here so that a visual comparison can be made, but I don't know how to do that, and following a link would likely lead to spoilers so... could maybe somebody help with that? In any case, as I said, I find that not having FMV, especially not in the style the game has chosen, helps my immersion.
In any case, a few crucial changes in the dialogue there are as follows. First, Delita is more self-assured; he doesn't ask Ramza if Tietra is watching the same sunset, he tells Ramza that she is. Then, rather than speaking around the issue by saying something is bother him, he more directly states that he's felt out of place next to Ramza for a long time, and then, when Ramza asks if this confession has been brought about by Algus' words, Delita moving into "there are things we cannot change" feels less like an agreement with Ramza (that Algus got to him) and more like a refusal of Ramza's words of comfort (that Algus just put to words something Delita himself already was thinking), even if the words are the same, due to the context provided by the previous phrase.
Additionally, when Delita recalls the reed flute, he doesn't say "your father"; he just says "father", which makes it sound like it either was Delita's father who taught them, rather than Ramza's, or that Delita sees Ramza's father as sort of his own adopted one. Either of these makes Ramza and Delita feel closer than the WotL line, although I suspect this is likely just an issue with the Japanese text being ambiguous - although I don't honestly know. I can only speak to the effect the translation has on the perception of the characters.
- In the opening of the Miluda fight, due to tripling the amount of words needed to say that they'd get killed if arrested, and that she'd not be imprisoned, the WotL translation had to cut the final line when she states "Fighting is the only way through!". Doesn't really changes the meaning much, but I wanted to note her that overusing purple prose will inevitably lead to lost content, because I'm pretty sure this will come up later in ways that are actually harmful to the narrative.
In fact, in the very next exchange, the text once again exclude a line from Miluda, specifically one regarding how, when nobles keep taking and leave them nothing, the only things commoners can do is strike back. It's a direct statement of something that the WotL leaves implicit, so again, not a big loss of content, but a loss nonetheless.
The rest of the discussion during this fight I would give to the WotL version - the concept are the same, but in this particular case the greater emphasis of the purpler prose gives them more impact and makes Miluda's grievances clearer, while not removing any more of her lines.
- The Wiegraf and Gragoroth (Golagros in the PSX version) discussion is mostly the same, with the biggest difference in content (as opposed to prose) is Wiegraf answering "so you would have us die?" with "not in vain, take as many of them with you as possible", which is a very different sentiment from the way he frames it in the WotL version.
On the opening exchange of the Windmill fight, I think the WotL takes the victory for better translation - the PSX version fails to have Wiegraf recognize Ramza from their previous meeting, and rather than Ramza asking "so you condemn those who work for us as well?", he just dismisses Wiegraf's words as "doesn't matter what is relation to us is", which is a much weaker rejoinder. There's just more meat on the WotL version of the exchange, even if it ends on the same note of "we were gonna free her regardless, but it won't matter because I'll kill you now."
The rest of the discussion is mostly the same, with the necessary allowances made for the difference between direct and flowery speech; I will note that the "spoony bard" line wasn't in the PSX version, which will surprise no-one, but that's really the only meaningful difference between the two. I'll rate them as equally competent for this particular section.
I hope this was interesting - the differences between the PSX and WotL translations are much smaller than what we saw in FFVIII, and I think I've been fair in pointing out when I think the WotL version is better - I just disagree that this is always the case and, as I'm pointing out, there's plenty of place where the WotL translation loses nuance or impact in order to keep up its aesthetic choice of being always as flowery as possible.
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