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Ingame Strings Editor
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Merri
Vehicle Driver


Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: Finland

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:13 pm    Post subject:  Ingame Strings Editor
Subject description: ENG/FRA/GER editor for Tiberian Dawn / Red Alert (+others?)
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This is an old tool that saw it's first sunlight already in the year 2000. The revised edition back from 2003 has apparently has it's users in these years I've been out of the community, so about a week ago I got inspired enough to make a total rewrite with the current level of skills and tools that I have.



The new version introduces vastly improved search capabilities as well as a new filtering feature, which makes it much easier to find just the strings you're looking for. Type in a few letters and you're there.

I've also added support for line changes, which was the biggest thing that missed from the last version.


The tool is not limited only to Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert, I can add more file formats to be supported, although I guess there isn't many other C&C related string file formats (I have never played TS/RA2 so I don't really know for sure). But other games with special string file formats can be suggested. The other game currently supported is The Settlers II.


Download 2.11Download 2.10


Currently known issues: handling big files is slow. This is due to the listbox getting entirely updated each time filtering changes or when a string has been changed. I need to rewrite that at some point so it'll work much faster.


2009-05-22: updated post links

Last edited by Merri on Fri May 22, 2009 2:24 pm; edited 1 time in total

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CCHyper
Defense Minister


Joined: 07 Apr 2005

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hey man, welcome to PPM Wink

Its nice to see people still making tools for the old classics, and im sure this ill come in handy for me.

If you want suggestions for new formats, check out the CSF file format. It is used by RA2, YR, General, Zero Hour, BMFE (I think) and C&C3: Tiberium Wars.

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Crimsonum
Seth


Joined: 14 Jul 2005
Location: Fineland

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Welcome.

About the editor, which looks interesting, what's with the Oil Tanker? As far as I know, there's a "dead oil tanker" only in TS, as a terrain image file, but all the other string seem to be Red Alert/Tiberian Dawn strings.

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Merri
Vehicle Driver


Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: Finland

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

TSHyper: Thanks for the info, do you know where I could find the file? I tried initial googling, but that has failed pretty badly this far.

From what I've found out, it looks like it'll need a bit more fields than the simple file formats used in TD/RA and S2.


Edit!
Reply in the middle. I don't really know about the Oil Tanker, but I guess it'd be some object that can be placed on a map.



Edit #2
Oh, almost forgot, I had a problem registering here for days, it always said something about too many registration attempts - even if it was the first time I was accessing the registration form.

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Siberian GRemlin
Grenadier


Joined: 13 Aug 2004
Location: Russia

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread


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Merri
Vehicle Driver


Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: Finland

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

You need much more work with Settlers II strings, it fails with mission texts and German text doesn't look right.

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CCHyper
Defense Minister


Joined: 07 Apr 2005

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I dont know anything about the CSF format, but you might find a ton of info in the XCC source code, it can read and edit them IIRC.

Also Siberian GRemlin's (posted above) tool edits them, maybe he has the format...

EDIT: Yea, found this on hes website...

Goto the "File Formats" on the left navigation bar, you will find CSF some where in the middle.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://sg.redsys.ru/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://sg.redsys.ru/%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG

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Merri
Vehicle Driver


Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: Finland

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I found a file: a Chinese one! I'm familiar enough with many "simple" file formats, so I already know how I can read the strings simply by looking at the file in a hex editor. Now I only need info on a few certain bytes, but I'll probably figure them out, eventually. If I get myself as far as coding, I may have an update with support for CSF in a few hours Smile

Biggest trouble will be with character sets, for example, how I can detect the Chinese file apart from other languages - it seems to be using certain code page instead of it being Unicode.


Edit!
Now that I've spent some time with the strings, it seems just to be a simple XOR. Downloaded the file from a Chinese site, so I first assumed it would be a translation.

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Merri
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Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: Finland

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I have now implemented reading support of the CSF files. However I need more testing before I'm ready to push out a final release with a saving feature, so here you have a beta test release:

Version 2.11 beta release

It should inform you immediately when it encounters a file that needs more support to be added Smile I'd like to see it being tested against all the games that are known to support CSF files.

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VK
Pyro Sniper


Joined: 28 Jul 2005
Location: in GAMEMD.EXE

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Why you create duplicates?
We have many CSF editors.
but for example we haven't good font editor at all.

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Merri
Vehicle Driver


Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: Finland

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

There are many of them, but from what I've seen this far, most of them are cumbersome to use. I've done a lot to make mine easy to use and mostly keyboard driven. Thus I'm making something I consider worthy of the time I've spent into it. Also, CSF was a suggested format to be included, and I see no reason to omit it since it fits perfectly into the area of the program.

In contrast, if you think there are no good font editors, why you're not making it yourself?



Edit!
Humm, first real challenge. C&C3 uses refpack compression in their string file, which means I'd have to implement my own code for it. I've added support for opening the decompressed file, there is nothing really special in it in comparison to the earlier versions.

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Banshee
Supreme Banshee


Also Known As: banshee_revora (Steam)
Joined: 15 Aug 2002
Location: Brazil

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

OS BIG Editor and SDK Extras does have RefPack decompression code that you can use in your program.


@VK: PaD has made a nice font editor.

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VK
Pyro Sniper


Joined: 28 Jul 2005
Location: in GAMEMD.EXE

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
@VK: PaD has made a nice font editor.

it support only one font type from YR.
no support of other fonts.

Quote:
In contrast, if you think there are no good font editors, why you're not making it yourself?

because I do something more important...

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CCHyper
Defense Minister


Joined: 07 Apr 2005

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 10:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Well you should see it this way, maybe hes making a tool for experience? And hes nice enough to release it...

Nothing wrong with having multiple apps that do the same thing. Just more options.

Also, last time i remember, pd was working on the TS format, he just could not find enough data on it.

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Siberian GRemlin
Grenadier


Joined: 13 Aug 2004
Location: Russia

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 12:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

VK wrote:
but for example we haven't good font editor at all.

My font editor support:
Eye of Beholder
Eye of Beholder 2
Dune 2
Legend of Kyrandia
Legend of Kyrandia 2
Legend of Kyrandia 3
Lands of Lore
Lands of Lore 2
Lands of Lore 3
C&C: Tiberian Dawn
C&C: Red Alert
C&C: Sole Survivor
C&C: Red Alert 2
Dune 2000
etc., except TS and Nox. I'm not have information about TS font format. Can you research it?

P.S.: My font editor for my own usage now, but in future I released it for public... when it's done, completely.



Font_Editor.gif
 Description:
Siberian Font Editor
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 Viewed:  23480 Time(s)

Font_Editor.gif



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Merri
Vehicle Driver


Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: Finland

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Banshee wrote:
OS BIG Editor and SDK Extras does have RefPack decompression code that you can use in your program.

Mostly the problem is that I don't want to use external libraries or files, but keep it as a standalone executable, and I'm not using the same language to be able to import the source code directly.

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Siberian GRemlin
Grenadier


Joined: 13 Aug 2004
Location: Russia

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Merri wrote:
C&C3 uses refpack compression in their string file.

Most of TW's BIG files use refpack compression, not only for CSF. You just need to use Extractor, that support refpack uncompression, like OS BIG Editor or GAUP. Thats all!

P.S.: Old tools, like FinalBIG 0.4 extract compressed data as file. Refpack support for CSF Editors not needed!

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Merri
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Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: Finland

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

It just goes deeper into application making philosophy. I want to have have a support for refpack to let my program basically read anything that it could be expected to understand. But I probably won't add refpack into the next release. Adding it would require changes to how I load and save files, I'd have to read/create the file first into memory and then go on and process it, instead of reading the file as the process goes on. I may add refpack if I make something else that requires it, so making my own code for it would make more sense (and I'd like to gain more experience on the area).

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Nyerguds
General


Joined: 24 May 2004
Location: Flanders (Be) Posts:300000001

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 1:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hey nice little project you got going here Smile

I've been using Istrings for years... well, ever since I discovered it. Came in handy for modding Sole Survivor, since the old CCNAMES.EXE couldn't open the SS conquer.eng file.
(Unfortunately I found Istrings exactly AFTER figuring out the entire strings format and hex editing my way through it, making the entire strings file I needed manually #Mad )


Can you make sure there's a fuction to add the byte '0D' in it as a character? C&C1 often uses it for storing multiple lines in one string entry, and I hate having to hex edit my strings file after making it.

[edit]

Nevermind, I just realized from that screenshot that it simply support multiple-lines input. Seems like a cleaner way Very Happy

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Banshee
Supreme Banshee


Also Known As: banshee_revora (Steam)
Joined: 15 Aug 2002
Location: Brazil

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 2:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Merri wrote:
Banshee wrote:
OS BIG Editor and SDK Extras does have RefPack decompression code that you can use in your program.

Mostly the problem is that I don't want to use external libraries or files, but keep it as a standalone executable, and I'm not using the same language to be able to import the source code directly.


On OS BIG Editor, it is one function that I converted to do it. I originally got it written in C++ code from the first post of the topic linked below:

http://www.derelictstudios.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=15016

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Merri
Vehicle Driver


Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: Finland

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 4:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Nyerguds wrote:
Can you make sure there's a fuction to add the byte '0D' in it as a character? C&C1 often uses it for storing multiple lines in one string entry, and I hate having to hex edit my strings file after making it.

[edit]

Nevermind, I just realized from that screenshot that it simply support multiple-lines input. Seems like a cleaner way Very Happy

The new version auto detects line changes in the file, from the Format menu you can set how line changes are saved. It should be pretty much a perfect solution for the needs of editing the good old strings files Smile


Banshee: thanks for the link, I actually found another post by you in another forum that linked into some program that was stated to be removed somewhere else, which had a source and compiled code for both compressing and decompressing RefPack files. Thus I've now implemented the decompression algorithm, I made it as a class module so I guess I'll share the VB6 source code for that at some point - not that I'd expect anyone else here to actually use a language that old (besides the coincidence of already mentioned PaD's OS Font Editor). Seeing the general attitude towards VB6 here it looks like a lot of people have had their issues understanding how it works...

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IcySon55
Commander


Joined: 19 Nov 2003
Location: Overworld

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Merri wrote:
PaD's OS Font Editor

FNT Editor is not Open Source.

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Merri
Vehicle Driver


Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: Finland

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread


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IcySon55
Commander


Joined: 19 Nov 2003
Location: Overworld

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The OS version of the program was discontinued. I urged PaD to work on a new one and FNT Editor 1.0 has since been released here: http://pdsoft.sytes.net

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gordon-creAtive
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Joined: 14 Jun 2007

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 9:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread


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Siberian GRemlin
Grenadier


Joined: 13 Aug 2004
Location: Russia

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Nyerguds wrote:
Can you make sure there's a fuction to add the byte '0D' in it as a character? C&C1 often uses it for storing multiple lines in one string entry, and I hate having to hex edit my strings file after making it.

My editor already supported multilines strings.

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emperor206
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:22 am    Post subject:  Please Help Me Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Please Send New Cfs Editor For Edit Cfs File In REd Alert 3 & Tiberium Wars My Name Is Ali Sharifiniya . My Location Is Iran . And My City Is Mashhad .
Please Send The Tools In My Email Address
Emperor_sh2001@yahoo.com

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Nyerguds
General


Joined: 24 May 2004
Location: Flanders (Be) Posts:300000001

PostPosted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

^ sucks at the internet? X_x
Why the heck can guests post in this forum anyway?

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Banshee
Supreme Banshee


Also Known As: banshee_revora (Steam)
Joined: 15 Aug 2002
Location: Brazil

PostPosted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 11:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

emperor206,


You can download the latest version of Siberian Gremlim's CSF editor by clicking at the link below:

http://sg.redsys.ru/files/text/SSTEditor.rar

The program is both in english and russian. However, the documentation is in russian.

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Nyerguds
General


Joined: 24 May 2004
Location: Flanders (Be) Posts:300000001

PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 3:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hmm... Merri, your last version has a small bug... the "this file has not been saved, are you sure you want to exit?" box appears even if the file IS saved.

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Nyerguds
General


Joined: 24 May 2004
Location: Flanders (Be) Posts:300000001

PostPosted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I hacked around in this tool a bit today, and fixed the bug of it not resetting the "file changed" status on save. So now it won't give the annoying "this file has not been saved, are you sure you want to exit?" box even if you did save Wink

This edited version also shows the IDs as they are actually used in the game, namely, starting from 0.

http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/tools/instr212_0based.zip

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