[Yarn]

To help the FSO community better understand what files are different between different language versions of FreeSpace 2, I have written VPLogger, a program that generates a text file listing every file of every VP, as well as each file's MD5 hash and size. Files generated with different FS2 versions can then be compared in a program like WinMerge. If you have a version of FS2 in a language that is not listed at the end of this post, then I would like you to run VPLogger by following the instructions bellow.

Do not use VPLogger with pirated versions as they often have modified files or are missing "unnecessary" files. I'm interested only in full, official retail versions!

Instructions:

• VPLogger requires Java 7 or later, so make sure you have that installed.
• Make sure that the language of your FreeSpace 2 copy is not English or any other language listed near the end of this post.
• Begin installing FS2.
• During installation, you will be asked which components to install. You must install all components. Failure to do so will result in missing files.
• After installation is complete, go to where you installed FS2. Make sure the following files are present (the ".vp" parts might be hidden):
  
  • root_fs2.vp
  • smarty_fs2.vp
  • sparky_fs2.vp
  • sparky_hi_fs2.vp
  • stu_fs2.vp
  • tango1_fs2.vp
  • tango2_fs2.vp
  • tango3_fs2.vp
  • warble_fs2.vp
  If any are missing, then reinstall FS2 and make sure you follow steps 3 and 4 more carefully.
• Ensure that FS2 is updated to 1.20. An easy way to check is to open the readme file and check the first few lines for a version number. If it's lower than 1.20, then you might need to update by running this patch. Do not use the manual patch linked to in various places of this forum as it contains the English version of root_fs2.vp, and we don't want that. (I think all non-English versions are already patched to 1.20 anyway, so this step shouldn't be a problem.)
• Download VPLogger (link below) and extract it to where you installed FS2.
• If you are running Windows (if you were able to follow the previous steps, then you almost certainly are), then run the batch file (VPLoggerBatch.bat) instead of the JAR file (VPLogger.jar). This will ensure that a command prompt opens so that you can see the program's progress and any errors that are thrown. If you're not on Windows, then just run the JAR file, preferably through a command prompt or terminal window.
• Let VPLogger do its thing.
• If the program finishes successfully, a file called "VPLoggerOutput.txt" (again, the ".txt" portion may be hidden) should have been created. Open it to make sure it has some text, then deliver it to me by attaching it here or uploading it to a file-hosting site. I will host it on my own Dropbox account, so don't worry about keeping it available for an extended period of time.

That should be it! If you have any trouble, post here and I'll try to help.

And yes, I know that VPLogger won't tell us how the files are different (that will come later), but at least it will tell us which ones are different.

Without further ado, here's the program:
VPLogger.zip

...and here are the available logs (more will become available as I receive them):
English.txt
German.txt
German_Dimension_Pack.txt
Polish.txt

Also, here is the data from the German and Polish versions, minus the voice files:
fs2_german_data.zip
fs2_german_dimension_pack_data.zip
fs2_polish_data.zip

[Deepstar]

So, i hope you did not receive it yet.

The VPLog file from the german version.

This one i installed was already on 1.20 (patch can not installed and 1.20 is in the main menu) even the readme tells 1.01.


Unfortunately my '99 german retail with 1.0 do not work anymore. So i hope this low budget is exactly like a patched version .




[attachment deleted by ninja]

[Yarn]

Excellent. There are indeed some differences between the English and German VPs. Here's a list of which files are different (besides the useless vssver.scc):

• root_fs2.vp
  
  • data\pxohelp.txt (probably unimportant)
  • data\missions\sm1-05.fs2
  • data\missions\sm1-06.fs2
  • data\missions\training-1.fs2
  • data\missions\training-2.fs2
  • data\missions\training-3.fs2
  • data\tables\credits.tbl
  • data\tables\cutscenes.tbl
  • data\tables\help.tbl
  • data\tables\launchhelp.tbl
  • data\tables\rank.tbl
  • data\tables\sounds.tbl
• sparky_fs2.vp
  
  • data\fonts\font01.vf
  • data\hud\kills1.ani
• sparky_hi_fs2.vp
  
  • data\hud\2_kills1.ani
• stu_fs2.vp
  
  • Everything except data\voice\special\commnode.wav (of course, since they would all be in German). Also, some files that exist in the English version, primarily briefings and debriefings, are not in the German version.

Deepstar, could you extract the files listed above (except anything in stu_fs2.vp) with a program like VPView 32 and upload them somewhere?

[Deepstar]

Of course, no problem

Is also small enough for an Attachment

[attachment deleted by ninja]

[Yarn]

Thanks for attaching that! Here are the differences I noticed with those files:

• pxohelp.txt: Same as the English one (I think) but in German.
• sm1-05.fs2/sm1-06.fs2/training-1.fs2/training-2.fs2/training-3.fs2: Some of the chained events have a slightly longer delay, perhaps because the voice files played in preceding events are longer.
• credits.tbl: All of the XSTR structures were given actual tstrings.tbl indices. (In the English version, the ones here all use -1.)
• cutscenes.tbl/rank.tbl: The names of the cutscenes and ranks never used XSTR structures, so they were replaced with German translations.
• help.tbl: Similar to credits.tbl, all the strings here got tstrings.tbl indices. Also, some of the bracket and line parameters were changed to match the length of the German text.
• launchhelp.tbl: The text here has XSTR structures, but their indices are all -1, even in the German version; the text was just translated here.
• sounds.tbl: Many of the sound parameters were tweaked for some reason.
• font01.vf: This is the font file needed for German and other western languages other than English as it adds accented characters. Unfortunately, it can't be used with English since the HUD would be messed up in that case.
• kills1.ani/2_kills1.ani: These, which are for the kills gauge, were made wider to account for the longer German text.

[karajorma]

Thanks guys, this will be really helpful when I try to make German work in any future builds and also for a German translation of Diaspora.

What might be nice is to add (fixed versions of) this stuff to the media VPs so that FSO can seamlessly switch between English and German.

[niffiwan]

Is there anyone out there with the French or Polish versions of Freespace 2 that could provide the same info that Deepstar has for German?

[karajorma]

I still think the info from the Polish version would be useful.

[niffiwan]

yeah, I've changed my post back after I did some more searching on the web, and I am now re convinced that a Polish version was released, only thing being we don't have the original code used to support it in our codebase

[Black-Devil]

OK here we go.
Yarn asked me to get the files form the German Retail Dimension Pack and here it is.
Deepstar said that his German Retail does not work anymore but mine works well.
I did the whole stuff on the following Computer:
Win XP Service Pack 3
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4800
Geforce GT 520
Soundblaster live 24 Bit

I run the FSO Debug mode for both FS2 configurations.

OK here are the first two files for the Normal German Retail:



[attachment deleted by an evil time traveler]

[Black-Devil]

I got to do this in a second post. Its better to view.
I hope it helps anyway. If you need more help let me know

Here ar the files form the German Retail Dimension Pack:



[attachment deleted by an evil time traveler]

[Yarn]

Thanks for sending those files. The VPLogger output from your normal FS2 is identical to Deepstar's. The one from the Dimension Pack, however, shows two files of interest that are different from the normal German version: sounds.tbl and tstrings.tbl, which are found in root_fs2.vp. Black-Devil, I want you to extract those files from the Dimension Pack and upload them here. You can extract them by opening root_fs2.vp in a program like VPView 32 and browsing to data\tables. I also want you to upload the contents of your data\missions and data\voice folders (the real ones, not the ones in root_fs2.vp).

[Black-Devil]

Ok as soon as i got enough time i will do this

[Black-Devil]

So at first i got the wrong ones
But now i have the correct files.
The other files will be coming asap. (hope my connection is not to slow)



[attachment deleted by an evil time traveler]

[Black-Devil]

And here is the Mission Folder coming
i do not upload the voice folder because the folders are all empty. But if u want to have them i get it to you

[attachment deleted by an evil time traveler]

[Yarn]

Since the voice folder is empty, it's fine that you didn't upload it.

The sounds.tbl file in the Dimension Pack is different from the other versions, but the only differences appear to be tweaked parameters.

The other files are more interesting. The extra missions are the same as those in the English Sci-Fi Sim of the Year Edition, except all of them (except m-05) now fully utilize tstrings.tbl (they previously did not). Many new strings were added to tstrings.tbl to accommodate this.

[Black-Devil]

If any more help is needed let me know

[MetalDestroyer]

Bump, I uploaded the VPLoggerOutput.txt and also the root.vp from my French version (but technically speaking, the game launcher never ask to choose French. But only English and German. For the last one, it is grayed by default) :
http://www.mediafire.com/download/d1yj9t7322oxbna/Freespace%202%20FR%20Files.zip

[Yarn]

Hm, the VPLoggerOutput.txt that you posted is identical to the English one.

I don't think an actual French version was ever released. I can't find any screenshots or videos of that version, only pictures of the packaging. Someone on HLP even made his/her own translation (the thread is here, although the links are dead).

[karajorma]

Yeah, but you can just set the registry entry manually.