RTC in more languages than only english?

[KlausM]

Hi guys, hi George,

Can you (@GG) can make RTC translate-able, so that all standard texts (like "Gothmog just gained a fighter level") could be replaced by another, translated string?

I suggest that this is a standard configuration of RTC, not of the Dungeon.

I tried before to change the text with a hex-editor, but my problem is, even when a new version is coming out, the complete work was obsolete.

You could make it like there: (config file)

Code: Select all

REPLACE stringID Text

or something

greetings, Klaus
(PS: I would like it when I could play RTC in german )

[Sophia]

This is a good idea, but I think to do this right it'd require a bit more doing than just simple string replacement in the main config file, because I think that this interface should be left open for custom dungeons to have translations in them as well.

[George Gilbert]

Yes, this is something I've considered before (and I agree is a good idea), but is quite tricky. The key point is that there are three areas that need translation.

1) The main RTC executable. This contains a few hard coded strings (such as the one you suggest); these can easily be translated and an option put in the config file to select which ones to use.

Unfortunately, that constitutes a tiny fraction (about 1% !) of the total number of strings in the game - the vast bulk of strings are:

2) Object definitions. These are contained in the data files and are things like the names of each of the objects. Again, this could be done relatively easily, but it's a lot of work.

3) Dungeon specific strings. These are contained in the dungeon.RTC file and are things like wall and scroll texts. I have no control whatsoever over these (other than in the default dungeons) and are specific to the RTC file. To do the translation here, would require different RTC files for each language - not the end of the world, but again, alot of work.

All 3 areas are logically completely independent from eachother.

So in principle it can be done. All that's needed is to put in all the plumbing to switch between languages (quite a bit of work in its own right) and then do all the translations for all the strings....

[Trantor]

I have absolutely no clue of programming, but I think I could provide complete translations of the strings into German, using the proper texts from the original games. I played both DM and CSB in German countless times, and most of the strings is still burnt in my brain. So, if somebody would give me something like a list to translate, I could provide help (you know, Translation For Dummies ).

[KlausM]

Hi there,

I think of a translation list for your points 1) and 2).

At point 2) i'm thinking of a translation-list of all objects, attack methods (all visible strings ingame, except scrolls and wall texts) that you have already built in as standard objects. If I look into the Editor i see a lot of e.g. predefined attack methods and objects.

If anyone uses these standard objects in his own dungeon, it would be translated on this way. (I know, I could clone all these and translate, but the list of objects would getting bigger and bigger and exploding of its size)

On point 3) : I agree, only the dungeon designer could maybe made a multilanguaged game.

greetings, Klaus