Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:13 pm Post subject:
Ingame Strings Editor
Subject description: ENG/FRA/GER editor for Tiberian Dawn / Red Alert (+others?)
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.
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 QUICK_EDIT
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. QUICK_EDIT
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. _________________ QUICK_EDIT
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. QUICK_EDIT
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
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. QUICK_EDIT
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:
It should inform you immediately when it encounters a file that needs more support to be added I'd like to see it being tested against all the games that are known to support CSF files. QUICK_EDIT
Why you create duplicates?
We have many CSF editors.
but for example we haven't good font editor at all. _________________ ARM forever - x86 sucks QUICK_EDIT
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. QUICK_EDIT
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.
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. QUICK_EDIT
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! _________________
Westwood Studios forever! QUICK_EDIT
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). QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 24 May 2004 Location: Flanders (Be) Posts:300000001
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 1:37 am Post subject:
Hey nice little project you got going here
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 )
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 _________________ QUICK_EDIT
Also Known As: banshee_revora (Steam) Joined: 15 Aug 2002 Location: Brazil
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 2:06 am Post subject:
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:
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
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
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... QUICK_EDIT
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 _________________ QUICK_EDIT
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.
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:22 am Post subject:
Please Help Me
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 QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 24 May 2004 Location: Flanders (Be) Posts:300000001
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 3:37 pm Post subject:
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. _________________ QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 24 May 2004 Location: Flanders (Be) Posts:300000001
Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:24 am Post subject:
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
This edited version also shows the IDs as they are actually used in the game, namely, starting from 0.
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Ingame Strings Editor
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