Proto:Mega Man Battle Network 2/Text Differences

To do: Text changes from the MagnetMan scenario onwards, roughly 50% of the differences remaining. Reorganizing/removing some changes (probably best to do this once everything is here).

This is a sub-page of Proto:Mega Man Battle Network 2.

The debug ROM of Mega Man Battle Network 2 contains an earlier version of the game's English script. It's very close to final, but there are still some changes, tweaks and fixes.

Minor/Recurrent Differences

Minor changes and changes that occur in multiple scripts.

Prototype	Final	Notes
mom	Mom	The 'M' and 'D' in 'Mom' and 'Dad' were capitalized.
dad	Dad
UnderNet	Undernet	'Undernet' is spelled as 'UnderNet' in some cases (not all). As the name was already used in the first game, all instances of UnderNet were changed to Undernet.
netbattle   Net Battle	NetBattle
officials	Officials
navis	Navis
Protoman	ProtoMan	When you talk to the girl that tells you which V3 Navis you've deleted with an S rank. Also occurs in Chaud's text after deleting ProtoMan in the Netopia castle dungeons.
Quickman	QuickMan	When you talk to the scientist at Okuden Dam after the QuickMan scenario.
ShadoMan	ShadowMan	No reason to shorten ShadowMan's name in normal dialogue, so this was fixed in several instances in the final version.
battle chip	battlechip
Net Mafia	netmafia	A couple of NPCs in Marine Harbor say 'Net Mafia' instead of 'netmafia' in the proto.
The Center	the Center	'The' in 'the Center' is not capitalized in the final version.
Zennys	zennys	'Zenny' is capitalized in some games, but this is not one of them. Appears in a couple of places.
til	till	Yup.

BattleChip/Boss Names

Prototype	Final	Notes
Nav+40	Navi+40	An 'i' was added.
Knight[V2]     Knight[V3]	KnghtMn[V2]   KnightMn[V2]   KnghtMn[V3]   KnightMn[V3]	Some NetNavi names were shortened in a different way so that the "Man" part could fit. Chip names have a maximum length of 8 characters and enemy names have a maximum length of 9 characters. ([V2] and [V3] count as one single character.) For ShadowMan, only his boss names were changed.
Shadow[V2]   Shadow[V3]	ShadowMn[V2]   ShadowMn[V3]
Magnet[V2]     Magnet[V3]	MagntMn[V2]   MagnetMn[V2]   MagntMn[V3]   MagnetMn[V3]
Freeze[V2]     Freeze[V3]	FrzMan[V2]   FreezeMn[V2]   FrzMan[V3]   FreezeMn[V3]
Planet[V2]     Planet[V3]	PlnetMn[V2]   PlanetMn[V2]   PlnetMn[V3]   PlanetMn[V3]
Napalm[V2]     Napalm[V3]	NaplmMn[V2]   NapalmMn[V2]   NaplmMn[V3]   NapalmMn[V3]

BattleChip Descriptions

For the Wind and Fan chips, the final descriptions use the names of the actual viruses that are being summoned as opposed to a generic description. In one instance, there's also a typo in "Wind box"; the 'I' is capitalized.

Prototype	Final	Notes
WInd box   blows at   enemy area	WindBox   blows at   enemy area
Vacuum box   sucks from   enemy area	VacuumFan   sucks from   enemy area

Style Change Explanations

When MegaMan undergoes a Style Change, Dr. Hikari pops up to explain the Style to you. In the proto, the Style names used in this explanation were the abbreviated forms; in the final version, he uses the full names.

Prototype	Final	Notes
Dr. Hikari:   ElecCust Style!   Lan:   ElecCust...   (...) Lan:   Wow...   Good job,MegaMan!   ElecCust style...	Dr. Hikari:   ElectricCustom   Style! Lan:   ElectricCustom...   (...) Lan:   Wow...Good job,Mega-   Man! ElectricCustom   style...	Similar changes exist for the following Styles: ElectricTeam, HeatCustom, AquaCustom, WoodCustom, ElectricGuts, HeatShield, AquaShield, ElectricShield, and WoodShield.
(...) Dr. Hikari:   was supposed to be   switched off before.   Call it...HubStyl!   (...) Lan:   HubStyl...   Cool!   We're unbeatable!	(...) Dr. Hikari:   was supposed to be   switched off before.   Call it...HubStyle!   (...) Lan:   HubStyle...   Cool!   We're unbeatable!

Item Descriptions

Prototype	Final	Notes
Opens a cube   run by Netopia's   NetBattlers	Opens a cube   run by Netopia's   Official NetBattlers	The final description makes the distinction between regular NetBattlers and Official NetBattlers more clear.

Jack In Points

Prototype	Final	Notes
MegaMan:   OK! I'll go check   the gas heater   program!	MegaMan:   OK! I'll go check   the gas-powered wat-   er heater program!	They really want you to understand it's a gas-powered water heater, even if it means completely mangling the text box's formatting.

L Button text

Prototype	Final	Notes
MegaMan:   Let's search Koto   Square again!   Please jack in!!	MegaMan:   Let's search   KotoSquare again!   Please jack in!!	'KotoSquare' was changed to be a single word.
MegaMan:   Let's get a license   at the Square!	MegaMan:   Let's get a license   at the Center!	While you do get the license at the Square in the end, at this point in the game Lan and MegaMan don't know that and need to register for the license exam at the Center.
Lan:   So that's the gas   water-heater   program,huh?	Lan:   So that's the gas-   powered water heater   program,huh?
Lan:   That room in   YumSqure...	Lan:   That room in   YumSquare...
Lan:   If Chaud is telling   the truth,I need   GateKeyD.	Lan:   If Chaud is telling   the truth,I need   GateKeyD to...

NPC Text

Prototype	Final	Notes
Lan got a chip for   "Guard *!!"	Lan got 20 chips for   "Guard *!!"	At a certain point in the game you can talk to an NPC in Electopia to receive 20 copies of Guard * chips. However, the text in the proto only claims you received one.
Woman:   If it happens again,   this time I'll   be...? (shiver!)	Woman:   If it happens again,   this time I'll   be...? (shiver!)	When you go to Yai's house at a later point in the game, there will be a woman there who took on a job as housekeeper. She utters this line when talking about the gas-powered water heater that was hijacked early in the game. The text is actually the same, but the woman stops talking when "(shiver!)" is printed to the screen in the final version, whereas in the proto, her mouth keeps animating.

Object Text

Prototype	Final	Notes
Lan checked the   water heater...	Lan checked the   gas-powered water   heater...	Look, they really want you to get this right, OK?
A redwood bucket.	A cypress bucket.	Some of the objects in Yai's bathroom were changed from redwood to cypress. Because reasons.
A redwood bathtub.	A cypress bathtub.

Miscellaneous Text

Prototype	Final	Notes
Regular memory   increased by 1MG!!	Regular memory   increased by 1 MB!!	When you receive the RegUP1 from the girl searching for her girl cousin who rode the Metroline to Marine Harbor.
Lan got a PowerUp   for "PowerUP!!"	Lan got a PowerUp:   "PowerUP!!"	Appears at various points. Kind of awkward in both versions.

School Text

Prototype	Final	Notes
Yai:   Well,I'm collecting   Japanese fans!	Yai:   Well,I'm collecting   Electopian fans!	In the Japanese version, the game actually takes place in Japan, and you can travel to 'Amerope' -- an amalgamation of America and Europe. Because this would be awkward for English players, Japan and Amerope were changed to Electopia and Netopia respectively. As a result, this particular line might make less sense in the final version.
Mayl:   I've got homework   for English class   to do...Sorry!	Mayl:   I've got homework   for Netopian class   to do...Sorry!	Similarly, English would be a foreign language to Japanese players, but not to English players, so it was changed to Netopian in line with the changes above. The fifth game's reveal her mother is from Netopia makes the English version's final line slightly odd in retrospect (Amerope's language is never specified).

Marine Harbor Text

Prototype	Final	Notes
Ribitta:   So,kid! What   about having a Net   Battle with me,huh?	Ribitta:   So,kid! What about   having a NetBattle   with me,huh?
Scientist:   We need to get Net   Battlers from all   over,and train them.	Scientist:   We need to get   NetBattlers from all   over,and train them.
Tanned man:   If the environmental   systems fail,such   horrors can occur...	Tanned man:   If the Environmental   System fail,such   horrors can occur...
Stern man:   Should city Net   Battlers go help at   the Center?	Stern man:   Should city   NetBattlers go help   at the Center?	Said by an NPC after deleting ShadowMan in the Mother Comp (?).
Orange shirt boy:   I hear there's a new   Chip Trader at   The Center!	Orange shirt boy:   I hear there's a new   Chip Trader at   the Center!	Said by a kid in the Marine Station after a certain point. 'The' is not capitalized in the final version.
Tanned man:   We'll stop even the   Net Mafia from   coming to our land!	Tanned man:   We'll stop even the   netmafia from coming   to our land!
Male Official:   Word is that the   Environmental System   has crashed.	Male Official:   Word is that the   Environment System   has crashed.	'-al' is removed for some reason even though it fits on the screen.
Mr. Famous:   OK...behold the   the Legend of   MR.FAMOUS!!	Mr. Famous:   OK...   behold the Legend of   MR.FAMOUS!!	When you fight GateMan V3. The second 'the' was removed, and the translator shifted the text around to make the "OK..." its own line.
Young woman:   City Battlers must   be responsible in   taking requests.	Young woman:   City NetBattlers   must be responsible   in taking requests.	Woman near the Request Board.
Tanned man:   Go! Cannon A,   Cannon B,Cannon C!   Activate ZCannon!	Tanned man:   Go! Cannon A,   Cannon B,Cannon C!   Activate Z-Cannon!	Man inside the license exam test hall.
Woman:   The Survival Game   always beats me.	Woman:   The survival battle   always beats me.	'Survival Game' was changed to the more natural-sounding 'survival battle'.
Scientist:   Dr. Hikari will   surely fix the   environment systems!	Scientist:   Dr.Hikari will   surely fix the   Environment System!
Scientist:   Dr. Hikari is brave   brave...to send his   own son to Kotobuki.	Scientist:   Dr.Hikari is   brave...to send his   own son to Kotobuki.	Second 'brave' removed.

Okuden Valley Text

Prototype	Final	Notes
Young woman:   I can forget bad   things by looking at   this stone carving.	Young woman:   I can forget bad   things by looking at   the Guardian Statue.	The statue in question looks like the statue summoned by the Guardian BattleChip, so the text was changed to reflect that.
Your regular memory   capacity has grown   by 2 megabytes!!	Regular memory   increased by 2 MB!!	For some reason the RegUP2 you receive from the old woman at Okuden Valley uses a completely different explanation text compared to all other RegUPs in the game. This is the only place it appears in the proto.
A stone carving with   a calm expression.	A Guardian Statue   with a calm face.	See above.
Pigtails girl:   The paths at the   campground are all   bumpy, Pigtails girl:   They're not flat   Pigtails girl:   ike in the city.	Pigtails girl:   The paths at the   campground are all   bumpy. Pigtails girl:   They're not flat   like in the city.	In the prototype version, the second sentence was split over two text boxes, seemingly by mistake. (The 'L' in 'like' is missing in the prototype version -- that's not a typo.)
Tanned man:   But the environment   system stops them   from happening.	Tanned man:   But the Environment   System stops them   from happening.	Man at Okuden Valley when talking about the frequent earthquakes in Electopia.
Entomologist:   What do you think   about joining the   Insect Society?	Entomologist:   What do you think   about joining the   Bug Society?	When you deliver the Den Beetle to the entomologist you met on the plane. Those Bowne/Capcom localizers were a dedicated bunch.

Den Airport Text

Prototype	Final	Notes
Female Electopia airport staff:   AAL is the airline   of Netopia.	Female Electopia airport staff:   NAL is the airline   of Netopia.	A great catch by one of the testers -- AAL stands for Amerope Airline in the Japanese version, which should naturally be changed to Netopia Airline. Any instances of 'AAL' are changed to 'NAL' in all other scripts as well.
Pompadour man:   You don't have "Catcher N!"   You don't!   You don't!	Pompadour man:   You don't have   "Catcher N!" You   don't! You don't!	When you take on Request #11 but don't have the required chip. This text is actually too wide to fit the text box in the prototype version! This was likely missed because the game uses control codes to dynamically insert the string "Catcher N", so you would only be able to see the error in-game.
The DEXP Counter.	The EEXP Counter.	'DEXP', the name of another airline in the game, was changed to 'EEXP' in the final version. It's not known what it stands for exactly. The first 'E' in 'EEXP' most likely stands for 'Electopia'. It's not known what the 'D' stands for. One possibility is 'Densan City', the Japanese name for DenCity, but there would be no need to change it in that case. All other instances of 'DEXP' are changed to 'EEXP' as well in the final version.
Blue shirt boy:   Choose cannons in   A,B,and C order,and   what do you get? > Omega Cannon > Ultra Cannon > Z Cannon	Blue shirt boy:   Choose cannons in   A,B,and C order,and   what do you get? > Omega Cannon > Ultra Cannon > Zeta Cannon	Question #5 in the airport's Quiz Master's quiz. The correct answer 'Z Cannon' was expanded to its full name 'Zeta Cannon' in the final version. Perhaps the answer was a bit too obvious?

Netopia Airport Text

Prototype	Final	Notes
Female Netopia airport staff:   Netopia's crazy from   virus damage but try   and have a good time	Female Netopia airport staff:   Netopia's crazy from   virus damage but try   to have a good time.	Minor tweaks. The period at the end is missing in the prototype version.

Netopia Text

Prototype	Final	Notes
You can carry   1 more subchip!	Number of subchips   you can hold   increased by 1!	When you receive the SubMem from a kid in Netopia, the explanation is different from when you get the other SubMem.
Netopian girl:   No more stealing   Decided if I got   caught I'd give up Netopian girl:   Tha's dit fer me.   No more stealin'!   I's goin' straight!	Netopian girl:   Tha's dit fer me.   No more stealin'!   I's goin' straight!	The unedited text box was accidentally left in the prototype version, and provides an interesting look at the translation to editing process of the game.
Pompadour man:   Hey! Our new   team!	Pompadour man:   Hey! Our new mate!	One of the NPCs in the alley after beating ThunderMan and earning the respect of Raoul, the leader.
Jim:   Just like a brother!   ...Hey! It ain't in   your pack!	Jim:   Just like a mate!   ...Hey! It ain't in   your pack!	'Brother' was changed to 'mate' in Jim's dialog when he asks you for the Guard * chip. May have been changed because the alley is full of people of color (including Jim) and 'brother' might sound stereotypical, but a number of the other kids do use 'brother' in the final version.
Pompadour man:   Mate! Long time   no see!	Pompadour man:   Mate!   Long time no see!	One of the people in the alley when you come back at a later point in the game.
Lan:   You talk like the   3-thief sisters!   You one of them!?	Lan:   You talk like the   "3 Bandit Sisters!"   You one of them!?	When you find one of the 3 Bandit Sisters in the hotel room. From one of the Request Board sidequests.
LAN Opened the   Refrigerator.	Lan Opened the   Refrigerator.	When you find the HPMemory in the refrigerator in the hotel room. As if the kid's name origin was clear enough yet! There's still a typo in the final version.
Female Netopian staff:   Oh,you're a NetBatt-   ler? I posted the   request.   (...) Female Netopian staff:   Please! Get the jew-   els back from the   3 Bandit Sisters!	Female Netopian staff:   Oh,you're a Net-   Battler? I posted the   request.   (...) Female Netopian staff:   Please! Get the jew-   els back from the   "3 Bandit Sisters!"	When you talk to the proprietor of the jewelry store after accepting the 3 Bandit Sisters request.
Pigtails girl:   W,wow wow   Castle,castle   Whaaaa!	Pigtails girl:   W,wow wow!   Castle! Castle!   Whaaaa!	The girl in front of the castle in Netopia. Exclamation marks added for extra drama.

Net Castle Text

Prototype	Final	Notes
Scientist:   Netopia's relying on   Mr.Raoul's assist-   ance,but in reality Scientist:   our biggest help is   coming from the Ele-   ctopian boy,Enzan.	Scientist:   Netopia's relying on   Mr.Raoul's assist-   ance,but in reality Scientist:   our biggest help is   coming from the Ele-   ctopian boy,Chaud.	'Enzan' is Chaud's Japanese name -- they forgot to translate it here.
Scientist:   What's the name of   the quick,rat-shaped   virus? > Ratton > Ratter > Squeaker	Scientist:   What's the name of   the quick,rat-shaped   virus? > Ratton > Ratter > Ratty	Question #2 in the Net Castle Quiz Master's quiz. The correct answer 'Squeaker' was changed to 'Ratty' in the final version. 'Ratton' is the name of the BattleChip it drops in all MMBN games it appears in. The Ratty virus also appeared in MMBN1, but viruses did not have names yet in that game, unlike in MMBN2. So 'Squeaker' may have been the early name for the Ratty virus.
Scientist:   What shape is Okud-   en Valley's air-   monitoring system? > Monk > Tent > Bear	Scientist:   What shape is Okud-   en Valley's air-   monitoring system? > Guardian > Tent > Bear	Question #4 in the Net Castle Quiz Master's quiz. The correct answer 'Monk' was changed to 'Guardian' in the final version. It refers to the stone statue at Okuden Valley, which has the likeness of the statue summoned by the Guardian BattleChip. Just like the text in Okuden Valley, this connection was not made yet in the prototype version.
Scientist:   Where is the statue   of the ancient Meru-   poposu god of war? > Net Castle > Jewelry store > Yai's house	Scientist:   Where is the statue   of the ancient   Melpos god of war? > Net Castle > Jewelry store > Yai's house	Question #5 in the Net Castle Quiz Master's quiz. The name 'Merupoposu' was romanized to 'Melpos', it seems to be completely made up. When you examine the statue in Yai's house, it does say 'Melpos' in the prototype version.
Old man:   What's the virus   that shoots CannBall   from its mouth? > CannBall > Handy > HardHead	Old man:   What's the virus   that shoots CannonB-   alls from its mouth? > CannBall > Handy > HardHead	Question #2 in the Net Castle Quiz King's quiz. It's a trick question -- the correct answer is 'HardHead', which drops the 'CannBall' BattleChip. Perhaps the localization team deemed it too tricky and decided to change the wording (awkwardly).
Old man:   Fullname of   Hinoken HeatMan's   operator? > Kenshiroh Match > Kenji Match > Kenichi Match	Old man:   Who is a former   WWW operator?   > Arashi > Chaud > Mr.Match	Question #4 in the Net Castle Quiz King's quiz. One of the most interesting text differences -- Mr. Match's full name in the Japanese version is Hino Kenichi (last name, first name), or Hinoken for short. In the English games, his name is simply 'Mr. Match', and his first name is never revealed. The answers given in the prototype version reflect his Japanese name -- if you assume that his last name 'Hino' translates to 'Match', then the correct answer would be 'Kenichi Match'. Anyway, the devs realized this question makes no sense in the English version, so they changed it. The new answers are now Arashi (AirMan's operator, member of Gospel -- technically not WWW), Chaud (ProtoMan's operator) and the correct answer Mr. Match.
Old man:   Question 13   Where was Quiz?     > Okuden Valley > The Center > Den Airport	Old man:   Question 13:   Old man:   Where was Quiz? > Okuden Valley > The Center > Den Airport	Question #13 in the Net Castle Quiz King's quiz. In the prototype version, the question number was in the same text box as the question itself, unlike all the other questions. It was fixed in the final version. Incidentally, none of the Quiz King's question numbers have a colon (':') behind them in the prototype version.
Jennifer:   Net huh...	Jennifer:   Lan huh...	When you find Jennifer wounded in the castle dungeon. 'Net'/'Netto' is Lan's Japanese name, they forgot to translate it here.
Neckerchief woman:   Tee-hee-hee! I   heard about you   from my sisters Neckerchief woman:   Those two never   mastered English so   they're easy to find	Neckerchief woman:   Tee-hee-hee! I   heard about you   from my sisters. Neckerchief woman:   Those 2 never maste-   red Netopian so they   were easy to find.	English was changed to Netopian in accordance with the change from Amerope (America/Europe amalgamation) to Netopia. The prototype version text boxes are also missing some punctuation.
Neckerchief woman:   ...   There's no use...   I'll return it all...   (...) Neckerchief woman:   We sisters decided   to get it back for   our grandfather	Neckerchief woman:   ...   There's no use...   I'll return it all.   (...) Neckerchief woman:   We sisters decided   to get it back for   our grandfather.	Upon beating said Bandit Sister. The final version tweaks some of the punctuation.