Messages

46

Newbie Coding / Re: How to update tutorials' screenshots?

« on: September 20, 2016, 09:24:59 pm »

Hello. I made some tests, and you were right: "it will be much better (and easier) to redo the whole tutorial". Well, this implies a few questions about scripts and testing them.

* Seq_tutorial.ufo, obj2d:
 - "pos" : presented as "normalized to 1024x768 resolution"; what happens to objects when not displayed on that resolution?
 - "enlarge" : how does it work? (I tried to put a x,y "destination" - assuming that the beginning was the position of the objet set by "pos" and that the 2 dots would define the diagonal sizing the object-, or tried a sort of percentage, but I couldn't achieve anything).
 - "rem" vs "delete": what is the difference between them (word size excepted )? Is one of them deprecated?

* Images: better use .jpg or .png ?

* Testing: can you test a modified sequence without quitting the game (I tested via the console, and seq_start, but it didn't work... my mistake maybe?)?

47

Discussion / Re: A short feedback about v2.6-dev

« on: September 18, 2016, 08:59:26 pm »

Well, it works greatly! I translated "orbitron-medium" and "orbitron-light" into "DejaVuSans", and the result is really good: letters and signs are displayed as they should be. Moreover, even some places where the text was truncated are not truncated anymore (like «mot de passe », now fully displayed). I am perhaps too enthousiastic, but I even think that readibility was improved (not very objective there... let's have one night waiting period ).

48

Newbie Coding / Re: How to update tutorials' screenshots?

« on: September 17, 2016, 09:51:08 pm »

Thanks! That's exactly what I needed. I'll try to do my best, and ask if any question arises.

I will ask for help for sure, because I think I will also change the texts that comes with the images (because they are a bit outdated too). But it will be in a few days (weeks), time to make my first steps and mistakes with this sequence file and check what I can do with images.

PS: and thank you for your other answer (about changing polices); I will start with that point.

49

Newbie Coding / Re: How to update tutorials' screenshots?

« on: September 17, 2016, 02:32:16 pm »

Ok, I think I understand how it works: you have images, and the "seq_tutorials.ufo" scripts tells what to do with them. So changing the script changes the sequences, with keywords to put images on a certain position (pos), remove images (rem), wait for X seconds (wait), etc.

I will start some testing with the campaign tutorial to get familiar with it (this will take some time, and I probably will ask for help:)). Which is the .pk3 that contains the sequence (to test changes on my computer)? Is there a short readme explaining all the keywords in the seq_tutorials.ufo script?

50

Discussion / Re: A short feedback about v2.6-dev

« on: September 17, 2016, 02:02:31 pm »

I really enjoyed v2.5 before, and I really enjoy v2.6 now .

 1- Interface :
   - Oh, didn't see this one.
   - Yes, perhaps a compromise could do. It is always difficult to deal with tastes; mine would be = no fuzzy overlay over base buildings and over the image when starting a mission. But I will play even if this overlay is every- or nowhere:)

 2- Gameplay
  - Yes, that's what I meant.
  - Perhaps the "Reservations" buttons (fire and crouch) and the position (crouch and stand) could be displayed as 2 buttons graphically paired together? Or perhaps something similar to the button to change what you have in your hands (which was a very clever soIution)?

 3- Typography
  - Truth is that I removed uppercase in the translation I tested and submitted.
  - Sounds like a good compromise. How do you change that police?
  - Ok, I'll try to compile places where texts areas are too short (with thematic research to ease corrections). But perhaps the new police is too wide, and using a narrower one or reducing its size could simply solve the problem (and the problem of diacritics).

51

Newbie Coding / Re: How to update tutorials' screenshots?

« on: September 17, 2016, 01:23:26 pm »

I made a mistake in my analysis: I tought that each single tutorial was a sequence of images displayed one afer one while text was printed over (or above or under) them. Wrong... . Only one tutorial is a slideshow (campaign), others are basicaly a single image with program adding its comments over it (= text and display not clearly separated).

I could change the image order in the campaing tutorial (=renaming the .pk3 containing images into .zip, adding my own images, renaming .zip into .pk3, lauching the game, and testing the result). I will now look at base/ufos/seq_tutorials.ufo to check whether i guess how it works (or not:))

And of course, we can work together . I just didn't know if you had some spare time to do that. What would be your idea to rework these tutorials (knowing my lack of technical skills)?

52

Newbie Coding / Re: How to update tutorials' screenshots?

« on: September 16, 2016, 10:54:08 pm »

Thanks!

The problem about changing other things in the tutorial is that I don't feel skilled enough: I don't know how to change gettext msgids (to add advices), and I don't know how to change the flow of images (because I don't have any real programming skill). Of course, I can learn, and listen to advices and tips.

I'll try to replace the existing images to improve the slideshow first, and if you are happy with it, I'll try to do some more updates

53

Discussion / A short feedback about v2.6-dev

« on: September 15, 2016, 09:37:11 pm »

Hello. After playing with the 2.6 version of the game, I really wanted to thank you for the many improvements of the game and its revamped graphical interface: the battlescape looks really great, and is more elegant and more practical; and the geoscape interface and base management are greatly improved once you get used to it. I also appreciate some gameplay changes, like the the higher stunning effect of smoke grenades, and the differents prices of items in the market (buying > selling).

Of course, there are still minor glitches, imho. Just a few examples for your information:
 1) Interface
  a) The earth image (bottom of the screen) is nice, but prevents a correct reading of UFOpedia descriptions: too bright, really; better remove this background image when you have to read something (or remove transparency).
  b) The new interface seem to use a kind of layer that adds some "dark grain" or some "dark pitch" over the GUI (it's difficult to describe it). It is a nice touch to menus, buttons, borders, etc., but I don't like it when it covers the base buildings and the background image used when starting a mission.

 2)Gameplay
  a) I miss the menu tips (will they comme back? or will they be integrated somewhere else, like during loading times?).
  b) In battlescape, I slightly miss the reservation to crouch soldiers.

 3) Police and typography
  a) I am not fond of the use of UPPER CAPS, even in menu; moreover some text areas are too short, and text doesn't display well. Example: (on my screen), the title "UFO:ALIEN INVASION", over the start menu, is not displayed well -> the last N is slightly truncated (and I prefer the typo : "UFO:Alien Invasion").
  b) Moreover, when you change the langage of the game, diacritics are very reduced, and some specific typo disappears. Example : in french, the letters "é è à ù ç â ê î ô û" (and their uppercase counterparts...) often ressemble letters with a simple dot over it. And the the « an » signs are not displayed. Many other languages use diacritics because this is meaningful for them, and I fear that they could have the same problem.
  Notes:
  * I don't criticize the change of the police; shifting from the old police to a more readeable one is a good idea, really;
  * maybe this problem occurs only because the size of the police is a bit too high.
  c) Many text areas are really too short; I often corrected my recently submitted translation by using synonyms or shortening sentences, but it is sometimes impossible. For example, the connexion dialog use the word "password", translated into « Mot de passe » (no other solution). But the french version only displays « Mot de pas... »; or the "Coronas" translated into "Couronnes" is truncated).

I can post more detailled descriptions of theses small issues in the bug tracker if you want. As I assume you noticed many of these points by yourselves, and I know that the v2.6 is work in progress that just need time. just tell me which one retain your attention. Thank you.

54

Newbie Coding / How to update tutorials' screenshots?

« on: September 15, 2016, 09:26:09 pm »

Hello. I would like to update the screenshots used in the tutorials for the v2.6 version. How can I do it? (Thas is : where are the screenshot files? and are there some things to be careful at?)

55

Translating / Re: translation in french

« on: September 15, 2016, 09:17:22 pm »

Hello. I submitted a new translation today, with many changes (issue n° 5603: http://ufoai.org/bugs/ufoalieninvasion/issues/5603). Here is a summary (cosmetic changes, typos and long rewrinting not included).

 a) Many changes based on Rodmar's proposals (cf. his .po file). Examples : "Esprit" -> "Mental" ("Mind" in english), "Rafale de N coups" -> "Rafale de N", "Tir rapide" -> "Tir instinctif", "Tir ... retardé" -> "Tir ... à temps", "Coque" -> "Blindage", english "Coilgun" -> "Fusil à induction" (changed my mind here), english "Tolerant" -> "Attentiste", "Chargeur de lance-aiguille" -> "Chargeur d'aiguilles", "se dirige vers une mission" -> "en opération", "Tour radar" -> "Station radar", etc. I also reverted many "alien" into "extraterrestre" or "envahisseur".

 b) Many changes to shorten the texts (greatly improves the display in the graphical interface) and to be more accurate. Examples: "Entrepôt à antimatière" -> "Cuve à antimatière" (I really hesitated with "Chambre à...", but I think "Cuve" is good), "Centrale électrique" -> "Réacteur" (to comply with Rodmar's proposal "Arrêter le réacteur"), etc.

 c) Few elements renamed, to shorten their names to improve display or accuracy. Main examples: "Centre de commandement" -> "Salle des opérations", "Quartiers d'habitation" -> "Caserne", "Inferno" -> "Brasier", "Entrepôt à OVNI" -> "Parc à OVNI", and "Épée à plasma" -> "Broche à plasma" (I really never liked "Épée" because this is obviously not a sword, but something to pin and burn people painfully; thus, "Broche" adds something brutal, turning victims into simple dead meat).

 d) Uppercase labels turned into lowercase: in many occasion, uppercase labels were too long and did not display well (like "Télécharger", "Personnaliser", or even the name of the game, "UFO:Alien Invasion - with uppercase, the last N was nearly truncated over the main menu -, etc.)


EDIT (18/09/2016):
 An updated .po file was added to issue 5603. The reason is...

 e) "orbitron-medium" and "orbitron-light" polices translated into "DejaVuSans" police: better displayed of diacritics (é, É, è, È,à, À, etc.), and special letters and signs (Å“, Å’, «, », etc.). Less truncated captions in dialog boxes (ex.: connexion dialog => with orbitron : « mot de pas... » ; with DejaVu Sans : « mot de passe »).

56

Translating / Re: translation in french

« on: August 06, 2016, 01:47:08 pm »

I am using the v2.6 .po file (that is: the one you can find following the link in the "Contribute" tab of this site). Be careful regarding the v2.5: I read somewhere in the forum that there would be no 2.5.1 release of the game (lack of contributors). It may be wrong now, but I still fear that any change to any v2.5 .po file would not be committed.

I will rework on the v2.6 .po file soon: I would like to check your first file more carefully (it contains real improvements; ex.: "Mental" is more adequate than "Esprit", "Attentiste" more elegant, etc.) As you are telling that you will do some more work on the long UFOpedia description, I will wait for your new file before checking these one. If you can (and have time to), it would be helpful to point the changes in your comments.

57

Translating / Re: translation in french

« on: August 05, 2016, 09:25:36 pm »

Rodmar, I just gave a very quick look to you .po file (I'try to give a closer look later . Accordly to its contents, I think we should replace...
 Mind -> Mental
 Tolerant -> Attentiste
 Entrepôt à antimatière -> "Chambre à antimatière" (or "Dépôt à antimatière" or "Dépôt d'antimatière")
 Fleuve tropical -> Rivière tropicale
 OVNI sous les tropiques -> OVNI en zone tropicale ("en zone tropicale" is also better than "sous les tropiques" for other msgids)
 Coque -> Blindage
 Rafale de N coups -> Rafale de N
 Protection flood  -> anti-flood
 Coilgun -> Fusil magnétique (or "fusil à induction")
I will do this changes in the next patch if I can.

58

Translating / Re: translation in french

« on: August 05, 2016, 02:39:35 pm »

Let the "blaster" case for a while (I thought the weapon had a burst mode... not sure, because I never use it).

In the current .po file (v 2.6, in the master branch), the word "weapon" is used in original msgid. As "weapon" = "arme", "Particle Beam Weapon" = "Arme à faisceau de particules". But I don't really mind if "canon" is used.

Bolter / coilgun: I told you, I have no preferences (just use "fusil", and not "canon"). I will someone else deal with this tedious search and replace (except that I think i will change "coilgun" in "fusil magnétique" in the next patch : shorter and more precise). Moreover, there are no "fusil à bobinages" in the current version of the .po file (v2.6), and i don't recall having read this name in the v2.5. So, what is the version of the game you are playing with ?

59

Translating / Re: translation in french

« on: August 04, 2016, 10:40:58 pm »

Hello. Many points here

A- Writing rules: don't worry, I am quite familiar with french writing "rules"; all capitals are with diacritics (Ç, É, Œ, À...), quotes use the « and », spaces are put before double punctuation, acronyms are not with plurals (or these are remaining misprints), military ranks were checked (they were correct before I made any change to the po. file), etc.

B- "alien/alienne", "extraterrestre", and "envahisseur": I left some "alien/alienne", and used many "extraterrestre(s)" and few "envahisseur(s)". I don't think we should get rid of all "alien/alienne" in the game. Ancient wisdom teaches us that "Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien" and, imho, to many repetitions of "extraterrestre" in a single sentence is more ugly than a rather reasonable use of differents words, even of english (or alien:)) origin; please keep in mind that mixing words is a naturel process in all natural languages.

C- .po file: Sorry, I should have read you more carefully.

1- Blaster: I wouldn't go for "lance-plasma" because this generic word could apply to all other weapons (after all, a "pistolet à plasma" is also a "lance-plasma"... ok, a light one). According to your comments and Darkrain's, I would choose "Fusil-mitrailleur à plasma" (cf. "Originally the Blaster was envisioned as the plasma equivalent of a heavy machine gun"); or, as it seems very very heavy, "Mitrailleuse à plasma"; or "Tromblon à plasma" or "Arquebuse à plasma" (cf. the short range). I let Darkrain and you choose.

2- In the .po file, I don't have any "Particle Beam Canon"; I have a "Particle Beam Weapon" instead -> "Arme à faisceau de particules"

3- As i told you, neutral with this point. I totaly disagree with "Balliste", which refers to a siege weapon. I like "Fusil Bolter", "Fusil magnétique", "Fusil électromagnétique", and "Fusil à induction", but as Darkrain said, "As for coilgun, it seems that coilgun and Gauss rifle/canon are generally used as synonyms everywhere I've ever seen them terms used", and I will let someone else deal with this point because I don't really have time to check everywhere.

4- Neutral as well. I think soldiers would say "Araignée" and "Araignée sanguinaire", but scientits that studied the beast could say "Arachnoïde" just to remind that this is a mechanical device. I would let the current translation, which sounds more lively imo, but could live with other names.

60

Translating / Re: translation in french

« on: August 03, 2016, 11:37:37 pm »

1- "Blaster" : I know that the french "lance à plasma" is a tool, that cuts and doesn't fire projectiles at all; thus, I wouldn't recommend it as a good translation for a range weapon. Should we translate it, I would pay more attention to something like "<Truc> à plasma", where <Truc> would be the name of an existing weapon (even outdated, like "Arquebuse à plasma"? or "Tromblon à plasma"?) or a new word that gives the "feeling" of what a blast is ("Exploseur à plasma" ?); "blaster" could also be changed in "blasteur" (like "container", sometimes spelled "containeur" in french). That said, I played other games where blaster was not translated and could live with it.

2- I submitted a patch a few days ago (n° 5601; see http://ufoai.org/bugs/ufoalieninvasion/issues/5601). I am afraid, I don't understand your point: I fear that v2.4 translations could prove obsolete now, and searching to match these 3 years old entries with the new ones is way to much work... (note : moreover, I cannot unzip your file).

3- "Bolter" & "coilgun": present translation are "fusil Bolter" & "canon électromagnétique"; it seemed ok because I thought that "Bolter" was a surname (B, uppercase) & "canon électromagnétique" was fine. But if you want to change them with "fusil électromagnétique" & "fusil à induction", please do. This is quite a lot of work (names of the weapons + ufopeadia articles that contains cross-references + ammunitions).