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Desired Results File with All Languages What is want to end up with from our AI (with any iterative fixup and manual integration) is an FM-only version of TDM’s UTF-8 all.lang. That file has 17 language sections in a particular order, which we will adopt too (in the prompt further below), although, other than English being first, it doesn’t really matter. Once we have our FM all.lang, we can easily generate all the required ISO-encoded *.lang files, e.g., french.lang. Strategy of Feeding the AI One approach would be to just feed the entire #str list in one gulp, with prompt engineering that covers all aspects. This would minimize the post-translate integration time. But the concern is that prompt engineering becomes more difficult. The AI might get confused about what restrictions and hints apply to which strings. While sometimes shared context across strings can be helpful, too much shared context could lead to overly-creative translations (e.g., hallucinations). [BTW, if accessing the AI through an API, there’s often a "temperature" value you can specify, from 0.0 to 1.0, from most-predictable to most-creative. We can use a few words in the prompt to approximately achieve similar ends.] So, to maintain more control, I’m going to batch-feed. The assumption is that translating #str_ in batches of related input groups will allow more focused guidance from prompt engineering, leading to better results. I’ll start with inventory items, that have the shortest strings and most dictionary-like lookup. An alternative/additional batching (particularly needed with large FMs) would be by "scene". In the case of Air Pocket, it could be thought of broadly as 4 scenes, based on timeline and location. The story, as driven by objectives, is fairly linear; larger FMs would typically have some randomization in scene order. Would batching by scene be useful (i.e., give better AI results) for some of Air Pocket’s #str_ s? Thinking this over. But for now, treat inventory items independent of scene. Prompt Engineering for Inventory Items A stab at a reusable template follows in blue. It describes the overall translation task, the desired tone, and input and output formats. Text specific to inventory items is shown in bold. Text that is specific to this FM, to clarify the context and the meaning of particular words, is in italics, with spoilers hidden. You are an expert translator between English and other European languages, including Russian. You wish to translate a list of inventory items, all inanimate objects, from English to these other languages. Each line of the list begins with a tab, then a word beginning with #str_ within double quotes, then another tab, then a phrase within double quotes. When you translate a line, in the output keep the tabs and the #str_ word unchanged, and only change the phrase to the other target language in UTF-8, keeping it in double quotes. Make the translated phrase reasonably short while preserving the formal meaning. Avoid modern slang. Old-fashioned wording is fine. At the end of each line, add another tab, and then add a back-translation of the previous phrase into English again. When back-translating, ignore the original English phrase. Most of the inventory items are keys, and the associated phrases describe locked doors to particular locations aboard a ship, or locked trunks or safes on a ship. The "Master Key" opens all locks. Following the input list of inventory items, append output lists in these target languages: 1. German 2. French 3. Polish 4. Italian 5. Spanish 6. Portuguese 7. Russian 8. Czech 9. Hungarian 10. Dutch 11. Slovak 12. Danish 13. Swedish 14. Romanian 15. Turkish 16. Catalan. List of inventory items: [... skipping 1 potential spoiler] "#str_fm_map_inv_key_captains_cabin" "Captain's Cabin" "#str_fm_map_inv_key_captains_safe" "Captain's Safe" "#str_fm_map_inv_key_galley" "Galley" "#str_fm_map_inv_key_master_key" "Master Key" "#str_fm_map_inv_key_mess" "Mess" "#str_fm_map_inv_key_sea_trunk" "Sea Trunk" Using ChatGPT As discussed at the outset, you can use this without signing in (it will nag you). Also, if you’d like it not to retain your input for training purposes, click on the circled question mark and change it under "Settings". As of this post, of you ask ChatGPT what model it’s using, it responds "You're currently chatting with GPT-4o, the latest model from OpenAI as of 2025. The "o" stands for "omni" — it's designed to handle text, images, and more, all in one model." Following up by enquiring about usage limitations, it says "Free users can access GPT‑4o, but with strict usage caps, which vary based on demand and time of day". More specifically, "usage falls in the range of 5–16 messages per 3–5 hours, after which you'll be limited or switched to GPT‑4o‑mini." The latter is a faster but lower-accuracy model. "We’ll notify you once you’ve reached the limit and invite you to continue your conversation using GPT-4o mini or to upgrade to [paid] ChatGPT Plus." Because I’m doing this at a leisurely rate (and reporting it to you in posts), the usage restrictions should not bite. About Input and Output Formats As you can see above, the input is the AI prompt, appended with content from english.lang, namely, the lines between the "{" and "}" brackets. For those lines, no change to tab-separation is done. The output is the same format, but with an added English back-translation added to each line. When ChatGPT generates the response, each requested language is enclosed in its own HTML response frame, with a separate "copy" link. So you have to copy each link separately, pasting them successively into your FM-specific all.lang file while adding headers, e.g., [French]. Also, the frame margin contains the word "vbnet". When I asked, ChatGPT indicates that’s the style of syntax highlighting applied to the results, based on source material, but it may be inappropriate and so ignorable. Which explains why the word "key" was always colored green. In the next post, I’ll discuss the specific results.

Maybe some of you have the same sort of situation and haven't found an aswer for the pointer appearing in the centre of your tdm game when switching to an other computer and back, and have to quit and restart the game for it to go away ... I just found a solution!: I hooked up another mouse (both logitech now, so maybe that matters .. dunno) to my game computer and just left it on top of the case .. only to keep saying to the game computer: I'm a mouse! Now I can play TDM and switch to mij low wattage internet computer, use my main mouse and keyboard, switch back and don't have the annoying pointer in the middle of my game : ) It will probably work for other games with the same issue.

Or, just get in contact with the owners of the IP and ask them since just because an IP lawyer in one jurisdiction says it would be okay, doesn't mean it would be okay globally. There are several packs out there of scripts/definition files which are licenced under free licences (CC0 and WTFPL mostly) and claim their freedom by recreating them using "clean-room way". In fact, I used them in getting TDM running with mostly free licenced files by selectively choosing which had clearly been written from scratch albeit with reference to the originals, and which were just direct copy and paste with claimed free licences (I didn't use them). Then it was a case of finding/replacing the core engine textures, sounds, etc. the engine required to launch with free alternatives (again checking the packs since some were just copied direct from the game files and claiming to be free). In the end, the only non-free licenced files that were still required were those from TDM itself. The result of this TDM version is the screenshot I posted some posts ago here: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22346-libre-version-of-tdm/page/3/#findComment-500642 However, you will notice the giant cursor on the screen in the screenshot, why? because the only reference to hiding the cursor is within the UI files which come under the game eula, so I didn't add in the command to hide it in game. In the case of the script/def files, this "clean-room" approach has stood up in a court of law when I looked online, however you wouldn't really want to end up being in the position of ending up in court defending yourself in the first place. The flaw in the def/scripts that were recreated are that they all wrote their files using the originals as reference. So if the originals are under the game eula, and if the information contained is in some way protected, then all these "clean-room" files revert to the original game eula, as the authors didn't have the right to change the licence. I believe (with a pinch of salt )that if the core scripts/files were made GPL by idSoftware/Microsoft then as files based off of or using them as parents (basically all TDM scripts/defs as far as I can make out) then all of the TDM scripts and def files would automatically become GPL as their authors could also not claim their work was NC-BY since it was then based on GPL work.

I had copies in both just in case I was wrong about which place it was supposed to be. At this point I think I'd be fine getting any further help in a message, if it would help me take less than a page up here.

In that case is your darkradiant pointed to the right folder? If it's loading from your fm folder instead it needs to be in fms/yourfm/sound

None taken, so long as I (and in this case the author) like it I don't mind how others receive it, same as anything!

Just a small question: For the 2 shops. Is the audio from the speech of the shop owners custom, or borrowed from another fm? I ask in case I want to make subtitles for them. This is the only (possible) custom speech in the mission, I think.

I just noticed you included a / in there, because Godot uses / for all paths, and all path validity checks just failed when I was testing the code. I'm presuming I don't need to worry about it, as the zip file will probably always contain the compatible one, and it may be ok to not check for that character. But I'm a bit confused at how / causes problems, though, so I'm not sure what to think. The python version uses \ instead (I think), which may be why I never noticed this before, but maybe that's because I'm on windows. If that's the case, then it will misreport every path as invalid on linux.

Starting the Conversion with I18N.pl Folks have found that it is best to do the conversion only when an FM is complete, which is certainly the case here. As a prerequisite, I installed and tested Strawberry Perl on my Win11 dev box. It worked this time, unlike in the distant past on a different, Win10 machine, where I tried and failed for 3 days to get it to work. Then, as specified in our wiki’s I18N page, I set up a directory with the airpocket.pk4, and a copy of TDM 2.13 strings/english.lang. (The wiki specification missed that last step, which I corrected.) Running the I18N.pl script generated the expected results in its “output” folder: an altered airpocket.pk4 and new airpocket_l10n.pk4. Within both, a /strings/ folder was now present with just an english.lang file, with 28 #str_ entries, covering: maps/airpocket.map xdata/airpocket.xd xdata/mission_briefing.xd darkmod.txt readme.txt However, I believe #str_ support for the last 2 was never implemented (and the output version of those files don’t include #str_ s). So this will be lowest priority for me. Also, I don’t see any auto-generated #str_ for the 5 player “thought messages”. Probably need to add these. English text for these is in the .map file (found by searching for tdm_message_no_art).

Yep, and it's very satisfying going back over it all with what I've learned since. I'm usually a proponent for not revising your work, but in this case I think it's worth it.

When talking about a possible libre version of TDM (https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22346-libre-version-of-tdm/) it seems we believe all media/gamedata included in TDM is licensed CC-BY-NC-SA. I am not familiar with how the process of adding new media/gamedata works today; I have seen files uploaded to the bugtracker which developers then commit to SVN, but I don't know if there are other ways. It may be a good idea to implement a process that when new components (media/gamedata included in TDM) are added, the contributor is asked to be explicit about the license (a choice which may defaults to their previous preference, for usability). It won't fix the past, but it may help in the future. This will make it easy for contributors to add future data under a more permissive license if they choose. Libre media can be added and its license can be tracked, rather than assumed to be CC-BY-NC-SA. I suggest looking at how Wikimedia Commons has implemented this: the contributor state the source and license at the time the data is uploaded. This can be done either by providing urls or by saying "It's my work and I choose this licsense". The first step could be to add a way to keep track of each filepath in SVN, author, license, sources. Start by setting the value for each file's license to "(default/legacy CC-BY-NC-SA)". Possible implementations for a user interface for new additions are: * Use our own wiki, which runs Mediawiki (same as Wikimedia Commons). I see several benefits of this, but we also need a way to accept uploads of batches, not just single files. * Look at how other open source projects have solved this. There may be more appropriate solutions available. ... but I'll leave the implementation open. Suggestions are very welcome! If the author of each file already in SVN can be tracked, then it may be possible that the author is willing to give a blanket permission for all their past files in one statement, and all their files in SVN can be updated in one commit. A productive contributor willing to release some of their work under a more permissive license could make a big change. If Dark Radiant would support letting mappers search media/gamedata by license (does it already?), it would make it easier for mappers to create a completely libre mission, which would help facilitate a TDM-libre release. If I understand things correctly. This post does not address all details and it may contain misunderstandings or assumptions, but it's a start. Also relevant: * Is there a compiled and maintained list of recommended or deprecated resources for mappers to use? * https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/20311-external-art-assets-licensing/

Regarding the existing Russian version of TDM's MasonAlternative font, this had a different origin than those Russian fonts processed by Riff_Keeper. Tels created this in 2012. He started from bitmaps of an ASCII Mason font, then used his Perl patch program to copy selected ASCII glyphs (that resemble in some way Cyrillic) to new font "MasonAlternative". See https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/12863-translating-the-tdm-gui/page/15/#findComment-274617 In GIMP, he flipped or otherwise hand-edited to make them Cyrillic. He said, "There are still a few dozen missing, but this is enough to render the two headlines we have (New Mission and Setting)" https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/12863-translating-the-tdm-gui/page/15/#findComment-274623 This accounts for the incomplete coverage. Speculatively, he took this approach because it couldn't find a Mason-style TTF font with both Russian characters and an acceptable license (e.g., public domain, or at the least freely redistributable for non-commercial use). @kalinovka,I wonder what the licensing is for your masonchronicles3.ttf.

Evidently a significant portion of the Cyrillic work was done by Keeper_Riff (in conjunction with Tels) back in 2011. These folks are not active in TDM these days. Keeper_Riff outlined a workflow, starting with FontLab to edit TTF files... https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/12863-translating-the-tdm-gui/page/12/#findComment-271548 Specifically Carleton: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/12863-translating-the-tdm-gui/page/4/#findComment-262135

Scope of Work TDM currently supports a partial localization with a moderate amount of work. With a heroic effort, and a separate build on a separate site like DarkFate.org for Russian, one particular language can be fully supported. I'm not striving for that. Instead, I'm looking at AI-enabled moderate-effort partial localization across ALL TDM-supported languages for a particular FM. Choosing a Test FM As a test case, I'm going to report on internationalizing my small FM "Away 1: Air Pocket" (install name is airpocket). This FM is an "internationalization virgin". Furthermore, here's what it DOESN'T have: Custom video or speech audio Custom inventory items or weapons Custom images with embedded language text Signage Mission title & credits on splash screen (as either text overlay or embedded) Instead, these are my work targets, to translate to ALL languages: Text briefing Standard inventory items, mainly keys, but with custom names. Objectives A few sheet readables Some "thought messages" from the player (in the form of white text in midscreen, done with atdm:gui_message with atdm_gui_message_no_art.gui)

I think it's for good. In best case (game would be success and praised by players and critics) we would have new installment in franchise. In worst case (game would be failure and banned by the most) we would have new installment in franchise. Possibly new faces will appear in community. As for "Thief is female" - I don't care. There are Thief 2X and TDM's own Goldwell's mission Noble Affairs so it's not a problem. Making 1998-2004's Garrett some kind of relic from ancient times is not that bad. I have no VR so I hope for non-VR rerelease and/or new non-VR/VR optional game in franchise.

Websites prove their identity via certificates, which are valid for a set time period. The certificate for forums.thedarkmod.com expired on 10/18/2024. Error code: SEC_ERROR_EXPIRED_CERTIFICATE

I mention this in case it's useful: https://libretranslate.com/

Might this not be better suited to https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/forum/58-tdm-tech-support/ or failing that make the text collapsable.

Yeah, it's a sorta wild decision to bring back a dead franchise as a VR only title. Would be nice if it does good enough for them to consider a standard keyboard and mouse follow up. I loved Half-Life Alyx as a VR title but I'm very aware of just how much the traditional gameplay had to sit on the sidelines to make it work. Best case scenario, is that it sells good and renews an interest in the franchise. Worst case is we just get a stinker of a fence sitter and our beloved series is no more dead than it was before. I'm optimistic but I'm certainly not holding my breath here either.

I'm not really sure about that. The version of Bloodlines GOG sells includes my patch already for a long time without me offering any kind of legal assistance or exact info about who helped me with it or whether it includes content from other creators. I believe they are willing to take the responsibility themselves in that case...

A Winter's Tale By: Bikerdude "One of the few pleasures I have as a man of the thieving profession is to return to my old home town for the holidays and relax in the company of friends and relatives. But a local lord has been going out of his way to making the lives of the locals a miserable." Notes: - TDM 2.12 or later is REQUIRED to play this mission. - This is my entry for the speedbuilding jam. - This FM should play on the vast majority of systems. I have perf tweaked this map with low end players in-mind. And have moved the globale fog/moon lights to the ‘ better’ LOD level. - min recommended spec (as per beta testing) Intel Core i7(3rd gen), nvidia 1030 4gb (GDDR5), will get you 60fps inside and 45fps outside. - Various areas will look better with shadow maps enabled (SoftShadows set to medium/high, Shadows Softness set to zero and LOD set to 'better'), at the possible expense of performance depending on your system specs. - this mission continues the imperial theme, with this being a border town slightly further out from the main imperial lands than Brouften. - build time roughly 130hrs. Download Link: - (v1.4) - https://discord.com/channels/679083115519410186/1310012992867405855/1310022631415746632 v1.4 changes: I have been tweaking the LOD levels through-out the map - - Snow fall has been moved to LOD low/normal. - world fog moved to LOD better. - fireplace grills to LOD better. - world moonlight moved to LOD high. Other tweaks - - reduced light counts in all the fireplaces. - reduced the length of the looping menu video background. - Some new assets Gameplay: - added more ways for the player to get around. - tweaked existing routes to make some easier or more of a challenge. - and added an additional option objective. Credits: Special thanks go to - - Nbhor1more, flashing out the briefing and creation of readables. - Amadeus, Help w/custom objectives, script work, proof reading, mission design & testing. - Dragofer, for custom scripts and script work for the main objective. - Baal, for additional tweaking of the main objective and script work,. - Beta testers: Amadeus, Nbhor1more, Mat99, DavyJones, S1lverwolf, Baal & Dragofer. - Freesound.org, for ambient tracks, further details in sndshd file. Speed Jam Thread: - https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152747

No that's me. And yes I don't think people who install a "patch" expect it to change art and story elements in people's missions. At a minimum there is usually a way to opt out of it. Didn't you learn this with your own Bloodlines patch already? Weird approach that you make authors “opt out” in the first place - but if that is the case I would just reiterate you do not have my permission to modify the art or story in anyway in *any* mission I have and will ever work on, not just the one. To be clear you do not *need* my permission to mod the game (and make no mistake - the unofficial “patch” is a mod, not a patch) but I would consider it a courtesy if you please honor my request. I don't know why I am doing this again, but in TDM "Britain" and "France" do not exist. TDM is set on psuedo continental europe in an alternate history which diverges thousands of years ago. While that is stated case on the TDM wiki, the art selections for the maps leave the contours of the continent vague enough, even “mysterious” to the point that users like you were not even aware this was the case: Let’s see how that aligns with some of your art selections: Wow - you really have to squint to make out Europe. Cool map - but you haven’t exactly kept the “mystery” intact here.

actually i found one that was even cheaper in germany here -> https://www.caseking.de/en/sapphire-pulse-radeon-rx-9060-xt-gaming-oc-graphics-card-16384-mb-gddr6/GCSP-272.html or this one but i was unsure if a 3 fan model would fit your case -> https://www.caseking.de/en/asus-prime-radeon-rx-9060-xt-oc-edition-graphics-card-16-384-mb-gddr6/GCAS-683.html

I recently picked up Deathloop when Epic Store gave it away as a freebie. Played half an hour, then closed the game, then opened it again the other day, thinking I could continue where I left off... and I had to play it right from the beginning again. I know it's a rogue like, but, meh, that sucks. Didn't like the protagonist anyway, and that whole "I babble the whole time, so the player knows what to feel and what to think". Modern AA or AAA games are kinda hopeless. Made for an audience which simply sucks. Even in the unlikely case that Arkane did anothe Dishonored... it would be written for that crowd. Ugh. Dishonored 2 already was borderline.

Double topic. See also topic: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22754-thief-vr-legacy-of-shadow-announcement/