Grammar, Style and the Colopedia

[raystuttgart]

@ElCid0204
By the way, if you want to do translations you MUST work based on the current branch using GIT which is at the moment "New_Hope".
All the work you would do offline on e.g. (outdated) 3.0.1 will be completely wasted because the effort to merge will be too big.

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Summary:
Rule 1: Work properly with GIT ! (i.e. synch regularly)
Rule 2: Work based on the current branch ! (i.e. not outdated 3.01.)

If you don't you will just waste your time and the time of the team.
(Because merging will become so much effort that nobody will do it.)

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Also if you get "New_Hope" there I have already set up all the stuff I had written above.
So you could try to start with translations if you want.

 

[Kendon]

I tried to translate the english texts directly (between the <English> and </English> markers) with success: The XML_AUTO_UTF8_BonusInfo.xml file easly can be translated.

I've made some more tests and it seems that my first chosen file (CIV4GameTextInfos_Original_utf8.xml) is quite specific, cos it gives xml error during load, but the mod starts anyway.
I don't know what might be the reason of the error. Maybe is it just a reference xml and doesn't need to translate? (version 3.0.1)

One of my early tasks would be to translate CIV4GameText_Colonization_DiplomacyText_utf8.xml.

Diplomacy discussions are where you see the personalities of the game characters. It's also a chance to choose words that have local connotation for the language being used, to make it feel closer to home.

I might do Achievements and Events after that. You can see from the update times in the history that that's where a lot of the action is.

Some of the bigger files can be a long slog, so it's refreshing to stay on top of the most active ones. That helps me follow the other parts of the game, which is how I learn a little bit about programming, which was a black box when I started this.

 

[ElCid0204]

@ElCid0204
By the way, if you want to do translations you MUST work based on the current branch using GIT which is at the moment "New_Hope".
All the work you would do offline on e.g. (outdated) 3.0.1 will be completely wasted because the effort to merge will be too big.

----

Summary:
Rule 1: Work properly with GIT ! (i.e. synch regularly)
Rule 2: Work based on the current branch ! (i.e. not outdated 3.01.)

If you don't you will just waste your time and the time of the team.
(Because merging will become so much effort that nobody will do it.)

----

Also if you get "New_Hope" there I have already set up all the stuff I had written above.
So you could try to start with translations if you want.

Thanks your feedback and the setup of Hungarian language. Probably it was my inexperience with the xml stuff.
And yes, I want to make the translation in the correct way and work with the current branch of GIT. But I need some time to get use to it. This is totally new for me, but I'm eager to get famailiar with it.

 

[Kendon]

I've finished writing English for the New Yields Colopedia entries. That's the fifth and last of the new major categories.

The strategy part of yields needs a double check just to be sure that links work the way they should. In particular, the text might not always acknowledge all the different terrains that enhance various yields, so I'll look at that. It's only as I write and connect things that I begin to understand the method in the madness.

In the meantime I think the Colopedia as it stands will get new players up to speed. My priority was to write background for everything so the history and anecdotes about each facet add a small reward for making the effort to look something up.

I see there've been new entries in text files over the last couple of months but it shouldn't take long to go through them and make changes, if necessary.

 

[Kendon]

The Port Royal quests have been updated for typos and syntax, so all the text with a Civ prefix has been reviewed.

I'm going through the XML prefixes for any changes in the last few months that have involved a text file. It's going fast, with minor changes or none, so I'd say the English text is ready for translation or release.

In my translation class at university, mainly translating into English, the goal was to make the work sound like it was originally written by a native English speaker, as opposed to a literal transcription. In other words, Spanish or Hungarian versions here can change metaphors or use wordplay that fits that language. I see some new documents already have French added.

 

[Mr. ZorG]

I'm starting work on translating the mod into Russian. I'll start with the main menu, interface and units. while I will not translate the entire file, but only what is needed for the normal start of the game. I think we won't have to interfere with each other by working on the same files.

 

[Kendon]

Searching the Text folder for TODO shows no English entries, only German and Spanish. I searched after writing some BonusInfo descriptions that were empty when I looked them up in the Colopedia. There should be English now for everything.


My next task is going through Civ4ProfessionInfos in the GameInfo folder to make sure Yields Consumed are accurate for the Profession entries, since there are a lot of new professions. The learning curve is steep enough without having to guess which raw materials are needed. Adding the details isn't be a big job.


For the last long while I've been working from 3.0.1. Seeing the current game in all its complexity is impressive. The graphics are far more detailed and varied.


I know the text will have typos and there are going to be other surprises, but gameplay is the best way to find all that. Overall I think the text is ready.

 

[Mr. ZorG]

sugar can no longer be harvested in the marsh, only in the savannah. this description needs to be corrected.

 

[Mr. ZorG]

Looking through the latest changes, I noticed one inaccuracy in the description.

<Tag>TXT_KEY_PROFESSION_FLAX_PLANTER_STRATEGY</Tag>
<English>Shoreline tiles let you grow [LINK=YIELD_FLAX]flax[\LINK] if the colonist working them is assigned to the [COLOR_HIGHLIGHT_TEXT]flax planter[COLOR_REVERT] profession.

the fact is that flax, like hemp, can be grown not only on tiles along the coastline, but also in the depths of the mainland / island. I think this passage should be rephrased.

 

[Fürstbischof]

Searching the Text folder for TODO shows no English entries, only German and Spanish. I searched after writing some BonusInfo descriptions that were empty when I looked them up in the Colopedia. There should be English now for everything.

My next task is going through Civ4ProfessionInfos in the GameInfo folder to make sure Yields Consumed are accurate for the Profession entries, since there are a lot of new professions. The learning curve is steep enough without having to guess which raw materials are needed. Adding the details isn't be a big job.

Please avoid New_Professions for the moment, at least until my commit has arrived. I've fixed the major part of the non-functional links. Names of professions and units (old and new) have been revised for better readability.

You might also want to look at New_Experts which has - in contrast to Unitinfo - only a few links.

 

[Kendon]

Following a suggestion from @AemonAlCaar, the Strategy English entries in New Buildings are now specific to gameplay.

The English for Jail is complete on GitHub but it doesn't show up on the Colopedia screen.

@Raubwuerger is adding new trade quests so I'll go through the English there soon, reviewing phrasing and idiom.

Otherwise I'm just checking little things as they occur so that the English text stays current. That way it can serve as a basis for translation, which is going on steadily, so that's very good.

 

[Kendon]

Thanks to @Fürstbischof discovering some text omissions, I've written English for several new features in FeatureInfo.

Unless we uncover something else, English is done for each item in the game. Right now I'm adding occasional tips when something new happens while I'm playing.

 

[Kendon]

For the planned release I've expanded three early game hints in Credits_Readme_Hints : for example, that colonial militia now needs gunpowder; that pioneers and scouts refuse to work unless they have baked goods; and that the King will sometimes offer a discount price for a galleon.

Several of the hint spaces are used for historic quotes. If we need more quotes we could replace some: perhaps 1, 10, 12, or 18.

 

[raystuttgart]

Several of the hint spaces are used for historic quotes. If we need more quotes we could replace some: perhaps 1, 10, 12, or 18.

Again, please do not replace unnecessarily existing stuff.
(Unless the hint / quote is actually wrong.)

Please simply add new TXT_KEYs instead.
Then of course also reference it in the XML as explained below.

If you want to have new stuff appear twice as often you could refernce the text key twice.
But again, please do not start replacing TXT_KEYs if you can just add references in CIV4Hints.xml.

For example if you want to have a message display 3 times as often, then reference it 3 times:

... <HintInfo> <Description>TXT_KEY_HINT_TO_SHOW_3_TIMES</Description> </HintInfo> <HintInfo> <Description>TXT_KEY_HINT_TO_SHOW_3_TIMES</Description> </HintInfo> <HintInfo> <Description>TXT_KEY_HINT_TO_SHOW_3_TIMES</Description> </HintInfo> ...

 

[Kendon]

Here are some English changes to clarify play possibilities, and two new hints.

Windmills can only be built on a plot where food will grow. If there's no food available at all in that particular terrain, it won't be possible to build a windmill. It's a similar situation for the iron mill on terrain where there's no ore.

The iron mill can be built only on terrains that already have [LINK=YIELD_ORE]iron ore[\LINK]. It's like the situation for windmills on terrains where there's no food.

Hint 25
As terrain increases in variety, choosing where to settle is a more subtle choice. A bonus resource is good but that might be only one of three or more resources on a single terrain tile. [NEWLINE]Resources affect how building is done. Without original food available a windmill can't be built. Without ore there can never be an iron mill.[NEWLINE]Depending on strategy, the best site might have no bonuses. Instead it will have tiles with the right combination of basic resources for production and trading success.

Hint 39
Goods need storage. Ships need berths. Soldiers need barracks. Warehouses, docks and forts are all necessary to keep your people busy and secure.[NEWLINE]Capacity has to increase as the colony grows. Buildings need regular upgrades.[NEWLINE]Infrastructure may not be the exciting side of politics, but when it's neglected business, private and public, will grind to a halt.

 

[raystuttgart]

These Hints sound really nice.
They combine "philosphical wisdom" and "gameplay".

 

[Kendon]

First of all, awesome work guys.

However I am having an issue with household goods. The Colopedia doesn't specify what raw resources are required. By trial and error I figured out that one resource is exotic wood, not sure what the other resource is. I have exotic wood in my city, yet it tells me I don't have any at the beginning of the turn and says the worker can't continue working.

What is the other resource for making household goods? Why is it telling me that I don't have exotic wood when I do? Should it not be telling me I don't have the other resource to produce?

The other resource is goatskins, though I can understand why that might not be your first guess. I've added the necessary yields to the Colopedia. The new text will be there when the next minor update is published. In the meantime, here are the changes:

[COLOR_HIGHLIGHT_TEXT]Household goods[COLOR_REVERT] can be made from [LINK=YIELD_VALUABLE_WOOD]exotic wood[\LINK] and [LINK=YIELD_GOAT_HIDES]goatskins[\LINK] or purchased in Europe.

[COLOR_HIGHLIGHT_TEXT]Fieldworker tools[COLOR_REVERT] can be made from [LINK=YIELD_HARDWOOD]hardwood[\LINK] and [LINK=YIELD_PIG_SKIN]pigskins[\LINK] or purchased in Europe.

I've also reduced the paragraph spacing because the available window is a bit small.

 

[Kendon]

... we are dealing with a lack of information about the unit. brave lieutenant gives ground troops experience, and capable captain gives naval experience.

@Kendon , could you update this information for the brave lieutenant and capable captain?

Here's the updated text:

Like the great general, the brave lieutenant contributes experience points to one or more military units, just not as much experience.[NEWLINE]When younger sons aren't smart enough for the priesthood, and their father's rich enough to buy them an army commission, they start as junior officers, charging into battle at the head of their troops. Bravery gives them a fighting chance.

Like the great admiral, the capable captain adds experience points to one or more naval units, just not as much experience.[NEWLINE]To attain command a capable captain needs the ability to win a fight. In the American Revolutionary War naval battles were fought on inland lakes and rivers, as well as on the open ocean. Seaports were also a common target.

 

[Kendon]

The potter's house entry now shows the potter using peat as well as clay.

 

[XSamatan]

Marvelous text-work all around!
It reads well, is hugely immersive and still manages to transport the old TACs sense of fine humour

Kind regards
XSamatan