Dune 2000 Image Converter

[Gobalopper]

Siberian_GRemlin who last year made the Dune 2000 String Editor has finished a new editor for Dune 2000. This one, called Dune 2000 Image Converter, is still in beta but a final version should be ready soon. Right now the program lets you read, preview, and save the graphics in the R8 format and the final version will also add support for R16. For more details check the readme file included in the download, check their website, and watch for the final version soon.

[nemafakei]

Aha! Sounds promising.

[Inoculator9]

I agree. Perhaps I'll look into Dune2000 modding sometime ;)

[Matthias M.]

The source code would be interesting. However the homepage is down and I can't contact the developer.

[Nyerguds]

Yes, Siberian_GRemlin is notorious for playing possum for months, if not years... He still hasn't gotten back to me on my discussion for making a Russian C&C95 language pack. I also wish he'd finally release his C&C1 font editor.

[MrFlibble]

Not long ago Siberian_GRemlin approached me asking for help with fonts he needed for localizing a completely different game (I'd never heard of it before) but I didn't have any free time to do that then so I had to refuse. He had also been posting updates on localizations of various games (unrelated to Westwood Studios) in a Russian gaming forum lately, so I guess he's into other projects ATM. It is also my understanding that he considers his Russian translation of C&C95 completed for now, and no active development had been done for quite some time.

There were also plans to make a Russian voice pack, and Siberian_GRemlin supposedly had contacts with a studio and a professional voice acting crew who could record decent voice-overs for the game (including mission briefings), but then something didn't go as planned and the idea was scrapped. After that, Siberian_GRemlin also made a post in the same Russian forum asking if anyone were ready to help him out with voice-overs, as he had tried to do that himself, with limited success. It is very likely that he's unwilling to include the translation which he considers incomplete into the global patch. Siberian_GRemlin is generally known to aim for perfect quality and had often been unwilling to release stuff that he considered below quality standards.

But TBH, I haven't been following the situation closely for quite some time, being busy with other things.

[Nyerguds]

It is also my understanding that he considers his Russian translation of C&C95 completed for now, and no active development had been done for quite some time.

Wait what? I've built my fricking translation system FOR HIM originally, implementing all replacement systems he requested (fonts, title screens) and he never released a translation pack in my language-addon format! I asked him and he said he preferred to release it himself, but as far as I know, he never did.

And if he did, he never notified me of it...

The reason I wanted the Russian translation pack in the first place was obviously just for compatibility reasons, since I keep updating the game, while he usually releases translated games as pack including an edited exe. A translation pack, especially with my new ini-based strings file system, would allow people to play the game in Russian without having to wait for an updated translation pack every time.

The ini strings file system I built for C&C is handy because, unlike with WW classic strings files, strings that aren't in the file can simply revert to the underlying English defaults instead of not showing up at all. So if I add new strings to the game in a version update, an un-updated (and thus incomplete) language pack will use the English version of that string instead of simply showing nothing.

[Matthias M.]

http://openra.res0l.net/ supports FreeType. You can translate it easily without drawing your own fonts for C&C 1.

[Nyerguds]

Eh, that has nothing to do with the issue. WW FNT is one of the last file types without a public editor. We want one. That's all. You can't avoid that by playing a different game. No matter how hard it tries, OpenRA isn't, and will never be, the actual original. Just like all the Dune II remakes will never be Dune II.

The actual issue is that he HAS made a font editor, but hasn't released it for being 'incomplete' in his opinion, even though it's stable and functional.

[Matthias M.]

https://github.com/psydev is actually working on a cnc-classic mod that is somewhat bug-compatible with the original.

[Nyerguds]

...bug-compatible? I'm talking about mission-compatible, inaccurate-weapon compatible, and implementing all original game stats, as they are in C&C1. What does 'bug-compatible' even mean? I don't want a port of C&C1's bugs?

Quite simply, I don't think any remake will ever be better than the actual original game, so I want to have editors for all of C&C's internal file formats. No remake project is ever going to change that.

[Matthias M.]

Okay, that was mean - of course I meant feature-compatible. :P

https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues/2162

https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues/2164

https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/pull/9

...

are attempts to make OpenRA more accurate to the original. I will point https://github.com/psydev to your great http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/ project.

Maybe you could also give permission to use your CnC snow tileset and help fix it: http://www.sleipnirstuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15711

[Nyerguds]

Ohh, those gameplay mechanics. I see. I personally prefer C&C3 multiple-queue style. C&C's economy makes it horribly hard to make multiple queues anyway. But using the build time of the sell price, especially for the Refinery, is quite vital.

As for the C&C snow tileset... it's just the RA1 one, with a ton of tiles removed to make it exactly equivalent to C&C Temperate, and technically, I didn't convert it, Jk did. But, sure; besides the edited 1-cell-wide river crossings, it's just RA graphics anyway. I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be allowed to use that.

[MrFlibble]

Wait what? I've built my fricking translation system FOR HIM originally, implementing all replacement systems he requested (fonts, title screens) and he never released a translation pack in my language-addon format! I asked him and he said he preferred to release it himself, but as far as I know, he never did.

And if he did, he never notified me of it...

The reason I wanted the Russian translation pack in the first place was obviously just for compatibility reasons, since I keep updating the game, while he usually releases translated games as pack including an edited exe. A translation pack, especially with my new ini-based strings file system, would allow people to play the game in Russian without having to wait for an updated translation pack every time.

Whoah, I didn't know anything of that, really. The version of the C&C translation available from Siberian_GRemlin's site dates back to 2008, since then he has only added a separate download of dubbed video briefings he had ported from a pirate translation of the PlayStation version. I guess he's still holding back whatever new stuff he's got since last update of the downloadable version (which was released IIRC shortly after I proof-read the text of the briefings, but I might be wrong on this).

Siberian_GRemlin' posts about his own attempts at dubbing are from July 2011. I think that project didn't result in anything but a few test attempts.

[Nyerguds]

Generally, I track down fan-made translations, contact the authors, and convert their pack into a language addon for 1.06c. None of the others have ever made a problem of me releasing it, but Siberian_GRemlin said he was still working on some stuff, and thus preferred to release it himself.

I already sent him demos of his translation converted to a language pack, but have never actually gotten any reply on that.

With the way he tends to disappear for years, I'm really tempted to release the Russian pack myself anyway -_-

[MrFlibble]

I already sent him demos of his translation converted to a language pack, but have never actually gotten any reply on that.

Sometimes (quite often actually) he does exactly that, I usually treat that as a "no reply means affirmative reply". I'm guessing he took note that everything he hoped for was doable, and was working towards completing the actual voice-overs.

None of the others have ever made a problem of me releasing it, but Siberian_GRemlin said he was still working on some stuff, and thus preferred to release it himself.

That stuff was probably the voice-overs for speech and videos, I remember once he mentioned it in an e-mail saying it was a big secret.

I've actually just dug up my old correspondence with Siberian_GRemlin. He first told me about the voice-over project in early 2009, with the first, test version of the voice-overs having been completed by then, according to him. In late May the same year, you told me of a joint effort with him regarding the Russian translation pack, and Siberian_GRemlin (he asked to do some minor changes to some of the icons) also told me that you were working towards implementing v1.06 support in the Russian localization.

The next update came from September 2009, with Siberian_GRemlin telling me that the EVA voice had been completed, with the different voices for units planned to be done soon after that. In the same letter, there's a passage that can be interpreted as Siberian_GRemlin stating that his translation is still going to be a separate download but will utilize the v1.06 improvements. He also mentioned that he had asked you to add support for video subtitles but he didn't know if there were any progress on that at that point.

The next letter relevant to the translation of C&C is from June 2011, once again it was a request from Siberian_GRemlin to make some minor changes to several icons. He also told me that he planned to touch up the translation of the briefing texts a bit, add the voice-overs and v1.06 support, after which he would consider the Russian translation complete. In a subsequent letter he told me he was testing the voice-overs (also suggesting that only minor touch-ups and tweaks were required to complete them). After that, we didn't contact much at all, and I didn't really follow the translation project because I was working on completing my dissertation.

I've also looked up the post Siberian_GRemlin made in a Russian forum about his own attempts to make voice-overs for briefing videos, it's from late July 2011. In that post he says that the studio he used to work with had been closed down, and he had been unable to negotiate an agreement with another one. The intended self-made voice-overs weren't supposed to be a quality replacement, just a translation for the people who don't understand spoken English will to be able to get an idea of what's going on. Apparently, someone volunteered to at least supply a sample translation of the first Nod briefing, and Siberian_GRemlin himself posted videos of his translations of the first missions for both sides. However, if there was any further work in that direction remains unknown.

To sum up, Siberian_GRemlin is most probably still in possession of a finalised (or nearly-finished) translation of in-game voice-overs (EVA and unit speech), but has apparently never released them in any form. I'd venture it is very likely that he considers the Russian translation incomplete without dubbed video briefings, and therefore had not updated the latest publicly released version of the translation that dates back to 2008 (which does not have any translated voice-overs at all). As I already mentioned in a previous post, not long ago he added a pack of dubbed videos he had taken from a pirate translation of the PlayStation version (recently Siberian_GRemlin has taken up collecting various Russian pirate dubs of video games that had been made in the nineties), but he himself has mentioned somewhere that the PlayStation translation is full of mistakes.

He took a similar approach with his Red Alert translation, the videos there (also from a console port) being of a somewhat better quality.

With the way he tends to disappear for years, I'm really tempted to release the Russian pack myself anyway -_-

Something tells me Siberian_GRemlin isn't going to like that. You could try writing him and asking about it, he may respond if the matter seems important enough.

[Matthias M.]

Is the game still so popular in Russia?

[MrFlibble]

There are C&C fans in Russia, as well as anywhere else I guess. Having been a popular game worldwide back in the day, C&C got its share of pirate releases in Russia, including pirate translations. Apparently, the console versions got full voice-overs, whereas the PC version got nothing in that division before Siberian_GRemlin's project.

[Nyerguds]

He also mentioned that he had asked you to add support for video subtitles but he didn't know if there were any progress on that at that point.

Yeah, text layers on video layers was a nice idea, but quite impossible without more info on how these things actually work.

I've also looked up the post Siberian_GRemlin made in a Russian forum about his own attempts to make voice-overs for briefing videos, it's from late July 2011. In that post he says that the studio he used to work with had been closed down, and he had been unable to negotiate an agreement with another one. The intended self-made voice-overs weren't supposed to be a quality replacement, just a translation for the people who don't understand spoken English will to be able to get an idea of what's going on. Apparently, someone volunteered to at least supply a sample translation of the first Nod briefing, and Siberian_GRemlin himself posted videos of his translations of the first missions for both sides. However, if there was any further work in that direction remains unknown.

Eh? But, he DID release translated briefing videos. They're on his site! I got them downloaded, and they sound pretty OK to me, especially for fandubs.

Something tells me Siberian_GRemlin isn't going to like that. You could try writing him and asking about it, he may respond if the matter seems important enough.

I know, but he's always so slow to respond (if he responds at all), and by now I also got more strings added to the strings table that need translating. The whole situation is getting quite ridiculous.

[Nyerguds]

Apparently, the console versions got full voice-overs, whereas the PC version got nothing in that division before Siberian_GRemlin's project.

Seriously? There are Russian C&C1 console versions? omg, I need those! Was the Sega Saturn popular in russia? Because that one is by far the easiest to rip (it even uses VQA format for its videos :D )

[MrFlibble]

Eh? But, he DID release translated briefing videos. They're on his site! I got them downloaded, and they sound pretty OK to me, especially for fandubs.

As I said, those are from the PlayStation version, SIberianGRemlin has had nothing to do with their production. And apparently, they have been translated very liberally regarding what is actually being said in English (I haven't checked the out yet actually); as for the acting quality, they have been done by a pretty well-known and active duo that had dubbed a lot of Russian pirate localizations back in the day, so yeah, the quality in that respect is rather decent.

As a matter of fact - as far as I know at least - some of the more productive pirate crews actually had professional (or near-professional) voice actors on board, not just some amateurs.

I know, but he's always so slow to respond (if he responds at all), and by now I also got more strings added to the strings table that need translating. The whole situation is getting quite ridiculous.

I'm sure we'll find a way to fix that eventually :)

Seriously? There are Russian C&C1 console versions? omg, I need those! Was the Sega Saturn popular in russia? Because that one is by far the easiest to rip (it even uses VQA format for its videos :D )

Well, as I've never had any consoles myself, I can only tell you what I know from Siberian_GRemlin's site. He might know about that quite a bit since he's an avid enthusiast and colllector of pirate dubs.

I know there's a Russian translation of DOS C&C but apparently it didn't have any voice-overs.

[Nyerguds]

Oh, pirate dub? I was hoping for an actual official dub, like the Japanese one.

[MrFlibble]

Well, very few games from the nineties were officially released in Russia back then, and those that are released nowadays often don't get official translations. I think that officially localized games started to appear in early 2000's already, plus-minus a couple of years. Pirates, on the other hand, often worked to translate games with all the resources they had, and some translations were pretty decent (I do like the translation of Dune II even though it isn't perfect). They didn't always have the tools to decode a game's file formats, so translations could be incomplete because of that.

I'm pretty sure that none of Westwood's games were officially released in Russia, except for the unmodified The First Decade DVD which I think can be still found in some stores, but that's thanks to EA's ties with the Russian publishers. EA's C&C games, on the other hand, have been fully translated (although Siberian_GRemlin reports some minor errors in the RA3 translation that no one bothered to sort out).