Help on translation

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Ikat
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2014 5:13 pm

Help on translation

Post by Ikat »

Hello, i am translating Commander Keen Ep 1 and 4 and i'm having some problens with the first episode. I redid all the graphics, i've translated the help and story text but i can't translate the in game texts like "Keens left"and so on. I hope somebody could help me because i'm really new on this ^^U. I've been researching and also searching on the forum but i didn't find any solution so far. Also, i'd need help with the EP 4.
Benvolio
Posts: 228
Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2004 4:44 pm
Location: Ireland
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Post by Benvolio »

Welcome, Ikat! Are you doing the text patching yourself, or using ready-made patches?

The first thing to ask you I suppose is whether you are using Ck1patch or whether you are editing the Keen1.exe directly. I will assume for now that you are using Ck1patch, as this is the convention in the Keen community. If not, just ask and we'll tell you what it is.

So, if you want to translate all the in-game text, you could:
=> Take the patchfile from a mod such as the two I link below, or many others, and find all the lines (i.e. patches) containing the text strings and replace the text with your own, taking meticulous care not to lengthen or shorten the string.
OR... => Explore repositories of text patches which can be found here http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Patch:Text_patches
OR => This old post by Levellord viewtopic.php?t=728
OR... => Try this viewtopic.php?p=17655&sid=42983e13751df ... c7b5b96c1e

I, for one, have made two mods for Keen1 in languages other than English, namely Irish and Dutch.

I had a quick look back there and saw that the "Keens left" message eluded me when I did the Irish one. I don't want to overwhelm you if this is all new to you. But seeing as you mentioned that text string specifically, I'll just elaborate a little. In my Dutch mod, I had a patch for it (stolen from Herry Jerry's Banana Mod). The patch was used in conjunction with an elaborate infinite lives patch, so I'm not sure if it will stand alone. Nevertheless, here is the text part:

Code: Select all

%patch $15ED8 "GOEIEDAG!!" $00 

So... anyway... what language are you translating into?
levellass
Posts: 3001
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:03 pm
Location: Ngaruawahia New Zealand

Post by levellass »

I can help with the patching of any text, even if it needs more space to fit in. The patches are quite simple to generate. In fact this utility will automatically find text patches for you: viewtopic.php?p=19132#19132
Ikat
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2014 5:13 pm

Post by Ikat »

Benvolio: Thank you so much for your help! :). Well, i'm translating the game into Esperanto and i'd like to translate it into Ido as well. I was trying to edit the Keen1.exe with a hexeditor, i didn't try ckpatch (I still don't understand how to use it well) So, if i lengthen or shorten the string could i corrupt the game? because i am sure i will need more characters for my text. I am a mess editing old games, i always corrupt them haha.

levelass: So there's a way to get more space so my text could fit in? That would be awesome :O.

EDIT:Yes, i've corrupted the game ^^U.
levellass
Posts: 3001
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:03 pm
Location: Ngaruawahia New Zealand

Post by levellass »

If the text is shorter, no problems. But it MUST end where you want with the character 0.

If it is longer then you need to move the whole text to someplace else where there is more space AND change the 'pointer' (Ltext will show you those) to look for the new text in the right place. See: http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Patch:Text_patches

I suggest using CK1Patch which is the only legal way to modify the exe, plus it's a heck of a lot easier.
Benvolio
Posts: 228
Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2004 4:44 pm
Location: Ireland
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Post by Benvolio »

Hey Ikat, just checking, how are you getting on?

Have you tried Ck1Patch? It is quite simple to use. Basically, you add Ck1patch and a patchfile to your existing Keen1 working folder. The patchfile is just a text file. Let's say it is called patch.pat.

The patchfile can start off as an empty text file, made in notepad or editor of your choice. As far as I know, the bare minimum it needs to contain for Ck1patch to work is:
at the very start of the file:

Code: Select all

%ext ck1
and at the very bottom of the file:

Code: Select all

%end
.

You will later add the bits you choose to add in order to modify the game!


So anyway then, to run the game, instead of typing "Keen1" at the dos prompt, you will need to type

Code: Select all

Ck1patch patch.pat
In your patchfile, as alluded to above, you basically specify locations in the Keen1.exe file and then specify what you want ck1patch.exe to put there instead of what originally was there.

NOTE that this will only work if you use unlzexe.exe. This just processes Keen1.exe once, after which ck1patch will work indefinitely on that copy of the exe.

So once you've got the bit I have just described in this message done, then you consider the options myself and Levellass have suggested. Simplest option is, as Levellass suggests, to find the patches here: http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Patch:Text_patches

Good luck with your noble work of universal mutual intelligibility. BonÅ￾anco.

Oh, er, I just noticed, there are accents in Esperanto. Which of course will demand some ingenuity on your part to find a place for them in your in-game font. But, let's not worry too much about that right now!
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