MSG Review (text corrections / changes for Fallout 1)

R

robbforce

First time out of the vault
I decided to start a new topic for these text changes, as I intend to continue working on them, and this will allow me to simply edit the first post with the updates and new links. Each patch will include the changes from all previous patches. They should always be applied to a clean TEXT folder after the Fallout FIXT 5.3 alpha patch is applied.

The original topic with the background for these changes is here.

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This is an initial offering of text changes with Fallout FIXT 5.3 alpha as the base. I built a unified diff patch file with BeyondCompare. (EDIT 2013-07-08: Apply the prepatch first, then the grammar patch, so the changes are easier to spot. This info has been added to the readme.) You can apply the patch easily in windows with TortoiseMerge, which you can get separately from the TortoiseDiff tools: http://sourceforge.net/projects/tortoisesvn/files/Tools/ This will let you review the changes before applying them. Select a copy of your TEXT folder as the directory when applying the patch. After the patch has been applied, "swap" your TEXT folders by renaming them, so you can see the changes in-game. Your original folder can be named TEXT_orig while your copy with the patch changes should be TEXT.

2013-07-08 MSG_review_08.7z - 374 KB
2013-03-23 MSG_review_07.7z - 160 KB
2013-01-31 netload.in/dateiFW1QX6v1b6/MSG_review_06.7z.htm (dead)
2012-12-25 netload.in/dateiBOkcOsrccf/MSG_review_05.7z.htm (dead)
2012-11-25 netload.in/datei1Eh8PKL93i/MSG_review_04.7z.htm (dead)
2012-11-19 netload.in/dateiGKsOdfvMKK/MSG_review_03.7z.htm (dead)
2012-10-26 netload.in/dateiDYVHdODpma/MSG_review_02.7z.htm (dead)
2012-10-18 netload.in/dateiz3RjdC49Pv/MSG_review_01.7z.htm (dead)

Change log
[spoiler:ba233f1a40]
GENERAL CHANGES:

- Unwrapped text in changed files. This has helped me discover extra white space in sentences.
- Removed colons in non-player character descriptions.
- Added colons to critters and objects. Example: "You see: Dog."
- Replaced action text in talking head dialogue and player options with comic book style actions. Example:
  • old - "All right, [Gizmo snorts] here's the deal. Junktown, it ain't what it used to be. The only reason..."
    new - "All right, *snort* here's the deal. Junktown, it ain't what it used to be. The only reason..."
- Reverted character and player actions, within the NPC dialogue, back to using parentheses instead of square brackets. These actions are generally longer and more descriptive, so they look better to me when written as supplementary information. Example:
  • old - "I hope you have a heart... [She winks at you as you fall under]"
    new - "I hope you have a heart... (She winks at you as you fall under.)"
- Leave all user actions as they are, within square brackets, like [More] or [Continue]. These actions should be the only text within square brackets now.
- Changed some long object and critter descriptions to short descriptions with an adjective and a longer description when you Look. This is consistent with existing items like "Hardened Power Armor". Example:
  • old - "You see a dog. He seems to be following you." Look at - "It seems that you have made a friend of this dog."
    new - "You see: Friendly Dog." Look at - "It seems that you have made a friend of this dog and he appears to be following you."
- General punctuation fixes, like replacing commas with colons or semi-colons when appropriate. Example:
  • old - "...begs the question, how did you make that passage?"
    new - "...begs the question: How did you make that passage?"
- Other wordsmithing attempts throughout, to improve sentence structure.
- Changed dialogue references and NPC descriptions of Super Mutant to super mutant since it isn't a title, but a race.
- Reverted references to "drugs" back to the original "chems" as the slang term was part of the Fallout theme. The manual also uses chems in all places.
- (NEW: 2012-10-26) Changed "script" to "scrip", which is the proper term for substitute currency.
- (NEW: 2012-11-25) Changed or reverted "Adytum" to "the Adytum". After seeing more references of "the Adytum" in the dialogue files and in the Fallout wiki, it looks like the writers intended it to read like "the Boneyard" or "the Hub" since adytum means sanctuary in latin. Some dialogue required a change to "the Adytum" while others have required reversions back to "the Adytum".
- (NEW: 2012-11-25) Changed "Peace" and "Unity" to all lowercase except when in reference to the Master's vision or organization.
- (NEW: 2013-03-23) Changed "Vault Dweller" to all lowercase except when referencing the main character.
- (NEW: 2013-07-08) Finally settled on "Adytum" instead of "the Adytum". There were too many places in the dialogue talking about "the Boneyard" and "the Hub" that it felt tedious having another location that started with "the" within the same sentences.
- (NEW: 2013-07-08) Simply a cosmetic thing, but I replaced all curly apostrophes "’" with typewriter apostrophes "'". I doubt they are rendered very differently in-game.


MSG_review_08 (2013-07-08) SPECIFIC CHANGES:

- Totals so far:
  • 441 fixes (to grammar, punctuation, spelling, or code errors in files).
    1031 reversions / wordsmithing changes.
- I had previously missed a fix to CABBOT. In his tell me about dialogue for "Ancient Order", he mentions a group breaking off during the Exodus and heading southwest. This should be the event described in the Ancient Brotherhood holodisk from D. Allen's corpse in the Glow. The group didn't break off until the Brotherhood was settled in the Lost Hills bunker, long after the Exodus. Also, the Glow is far to the southeast, not southwest. I removed the speech file tag from these lines and modified them to match what happened.
- General changes (unwrapped text, removing colons, punctuation, wordsmithing) to these files: GOODSLOT, GPWRTERM, GRAFFITI, GRETCH, GUARD, GUARD2, GUIDO, GUNCACHE, GUNTHER, GUSTOFER, GWEN, HALLGRD, HAROLD, HARRY, HBETH, HCHDGRD, HDTDN2UP, HEATHER, HGENCVAN, HGENFARM, HGENGRD, HHOOKER, HHOOKER2, HICRAPS, HIGHELD, HIGHTOWR, HJUSTIN, HOUSCHAR, HTWRGRD, HTWRGRGE, HTWRLEON, HTWRRICK, HTWRWIFE, HUBBER, HUBCAPTR, HUBCARVN, HUBCOP, HUBFLRCD, HUBJAKE, HUBSMITY, HUNTER, HWMHOST, INVADED, INVADER, INVGRD, IRWIN, ISMARC, IZO, JAIN, JAKE, JARVIS.


MSG_review_07 (2013-03-23) SPECIFIC CHANGES:

- Totals so far:
  • 269 fixes (to grammar, punctuation, spelling, or code errors in files).
    707 reversions / wordsmithing changes.
- General changes (unwrapped text, removing colons, punctuation, wordsmithing) to these files: GENKNIGH, GENMERCA, GENMERCB, GENMUTAN, GENPALA, GENPALAD, GENPALB, GENRAID2, GENRAIDR, GENSARG, GENSCRIB, GENSUPR, GENVAULT, GHDORGRD, GHGUARD, GHOUL, GHREFUGE, GHRNDGRD, GIDEON, GIZGUARD, GIZMO, GLO4WEAP, GLOBLELV, GLORDDOR, GLOWCAGE, GLOWDESK, GLOWONE, GLOWPUMP, GLOWTABL, GLOYLDOR, GLWALIEN.


MSG_review_06 (2013-01-31) SPECIFIC CHANGES:

- Totals so far:
  • 258 fixes (to grammar, punctuation, spelling, or code errors in files).
    649 reversions / wordsmithing changes.
- Reverted references of caps, in the Far Go Trader general dialogue, back to hubbucks. They reside in the Hub where the currency (bottle caps) originated and was also named Hubbucks.
- Removed a duplicate line (179) from FOLGUARD.
- General changes (unwrapped text, removing colons, punctuation, wordsmithing) to these files: FEVDISK, FGTCARVN, FGTGARD, FGTRTNVN, FIRE, FISHRMAN, FISHRSON, FLASH, FLIP, FLSUPMUT, FOLGUARD, FOLINIT, FOLINVAD, FOLSCHOL, FOLSCOUT, FOOTPRNT, FORCCOMP, FRANCIS, FREEZER, FRUIT, FRY, FRYSTUB, GABRIEL, GAMBLER, GANGER, GAR2, GARL, GARRET, GARY, GENCHANT, GENCHAT, GENDISK, GENERIC, GENGAMBL.


MSG_review_05 (2012-12-25) SPECIFIC CHANGES:

- Totals so far:
  • 206 fixes (to grammar, punctuation, spelling, or code errors in files).
    512 reversions / wordsmithing changes.
- Removed brackets from the Crash House room file. Other files for objects you can interact with do not use brackets, so it seemed silly that this file had most text enclosed in brackets.
- Reverted references of caps, in Demetre Romara's dialogue, back to hubbucks. He's a caravan leader in the Hub where the currency (bottle caps) originated and was also named Hubbucks.
- Removed some brackets from text, in the FALCON1 casino file, when the text was not with dialogue. Also changed earn or get to win in most places.
- General changes (unwrapped text, removing colons, punctuation, wordsmithing) to these files: CITIZEN, CLEO, CODEDISK, COMMAND, COOK, COOKSHEL, COOKTABL, CORECOMP, COUGAR, COVER, COW, CRASHRM, CREDDOOR, CRVNDRVR, CURTIS, DAN, DANE, DANWIFE, DARREL, DCMUTANT, DEADBRO, DEADCOMP, DEADGUY, DEALER, DEMETRE, DEPFRY, DIANA, DOCLOCKR, DOGMEAT, DOLGAN, DOORCODE, DRAGON, DUGAN, ELECDOOR, ELAVATR, EMITER1A, FALCON1, FARLI, FARMPART, FEARDARK.


MSG_review_04 (2012-11-25) SPECIFIC CHANGES:

- Totals so far:
  • 153 fixes (to grammar, punctuation, spelling, or code errors in files).
    367 reversions / wordsmithing changes.
- Another change to "Adytum" (see general changes).
- Fixed the directions Chuck provides in his tarot readings. He is located in the Boneyard, so now he reveals the Brotherhood of Steel is in the north, instead of south, and the Military Base is northwest, instead of north.
- General changes (unwrapped text, removing colons, punctuation, wordsmithing) to these files: BYGREG, BYMIKE, CABBOT, CALDER, CALEB, CALLY, CARDDRVR, CATHSHOP, CCVAN, CHANTER, CHDGUARD, CHDSCOUT, CHEPSLOT, CHIDINIT, CHIDNITE, CHIDSCOL, CHILD, CHILDMEM, CHILDRN1, CHILDRN2, CHOCTECH, CHUCK, CINDY.


MSG_review_03 (2012-11-19) SPECIFIC CHANGES:

- Totals so far:
  • 111 fixes (to grammar, punctuation, spelling, or code errors in files).
    251 reversions / wordsmithing changes.
- Reverted references of caps, in Bob of Bob's Iguana Bits dialogue, back to bucks. He's a merchant of the Hub where the currency (bottle caps) originated and was also named Hubbucks, so it seems natural for him to refer to caps as "bucks".
- Reverted Lori of the Brotherhood back to Lorri. This is how her name appears in the game files and in the Fallout wiki. Additionally, there is already a Lori of the Followers, which could be confusing.
- General changes (unwrapped text, removing colons, punctuation, wordsmithing) to these files: BITSBOB, BLKROM, BLKROOM, BOB, BOBDOUG, BOBSIGN, BOSLORI, BRAHMIN, BRENDEN, BROELD, BULLBORD, BUTCH, BVAIR, BVAIRL, BVCACHE, BVCORE, BVENT, BVLAD, BVLIB, BVMEET, BYCHRIS.


MSG_review_02 (2012-10-26) SPECIFIC CHANGES:

- Changed "Welcome to the new sanctuary." to a standard city greeting, "Welcome to Adytum."
- Changed "Hey, homie! Wazzup? ..." in the Beca / Jade dialogue to "Hey, bud! Wazzup?" Homie felt really out of place. "Wazzup" does too, but not as much, so I left it in.
- Removed duplicate line 501 in Michael's dialogue.
- Reverted several comments that were removed by adding them back in. Most of them came from TeamX's v1.2 & v1.3 and simply contained the original dialogue, but some comments also had translation notes.
- General changes (unwrapped text, removing colons, punctuation, wordsmithing) to these files: ASSBLOW, AVERY, BARRACUS, BARRY, BARTER, BILL, BILLY, CARVLEAD, IAN, KATJA, MICHAEL, MSTMERCH, NICOLE, RAZOR, TANDI, TYCHO.


MSG_review_01 (2012-10-18) SPECIFIC CHANGES:

- Changed "the New Adytum" to "the new sanctuary". According to the wiki, the Latin word 'adytum' means 'sanctuary' or 'shrine' and the text implies they are speaking of a new sanctuary. May change this if it occurs too often during play.
- Reverted "All-In-One Store" to the original "All-N-One store".
- Replaced "Tower" and "Station" in Aradesh's tell me about triggers with "Guard House" and "Guardhouse". Neither tower nor station are ever mentioned in his dialogue while guardhouse is, but had no trigger.
- Removed some stereotypical Engrish from Doctor Wu's dialogue. Almost all of his dialogue includes articles like a and an, so it looked out of place when they were omitted.
- Hopefully fixed some problems with Duc, the wandering merchant dialogue, as his description would display ERROR. Removed some inline comments that I haven't seen used in other files, so I'm not sure if they are fully supported.
- Removed additional commentary in stat descriptions. (personal preference)
- Reverted the "Terrible" stat description to the original "V. Bad" as this is how it's described in the manual. (personal preference)
- Removed references to the SPECIAL system from stat descriptions. The SPECIAL system isn't mentioned in the manual and feels like a behind-the-scenes detail.
[/spoiler:ba233f1a40]
 
- Removed references to the SPECIAL system from stat descriptions. The SPECIAL system isn't mentioned in the manual and feels like a behind-the-scenes detail.
Click to expand...

The game was originally supposed to use the GURPS system.
 
First post has been edited with a new patch. I was curious about how many changes have been made so far and counted over 100 true fixes already. :)
 
This is pretty cool, I'm surprised nobody let me know that it exists if it's been around for so long! Tsk tsk NMA. :P

robbforce good work, I'll be including this into FIXT. (Well, most of it anyway for sure)

And vulchor is correct, links are dead :(
 
Sduibek said:
This is pretty cool, I'm surprised nobody let me know that it exists if it's been around for so long! Tsk tsk NMA. :P

robbforce good work, I'll be including this into FIXT. (Well, most of it anyway for sure)

And vulchor is correct, links are dead :(
Click to expand...

Thanks! I thought I was subscribed to this thread, but didn't get any emails of your replies. Obviously I stalled because editing can be tedious. I was going to get back into it though, try to push through and finish the review.

I was thinking of doing one patch that simply removes all the line breaks and white space, then all following patches would include the grammar and other corrections. This would make reviewing the changes a lot easier. Would that be useful?
 
Here's an example from JAKE.MSG:

[spoiler:0c46fe67a6]Before:
Code: 
{107}{}{You want to help. I don't think you are good enough to
 help me out. Go talk to Neil.}
{108}{}{I would love to fight you, but I am much too busy helping
 Nicole right now.}

After:
Code: 
{107}{}{You want to help. I don't think you are good enough to help me out. Go talk to Neil.}
{108}{}{I would love to fight you, but I am much too busy helping Nicole right now.}
[/spoiler:0c46fe67a6]


I'm simply removing the extra line breaks from all MSG files and will put this into a patch for FIXT 5.3 alpha. This sets the stage for future grammar patches because it's easier to see the changes in a diff when the line break has already been removed. I'm removing the line breaks because I've found several places where extra white space was present in a sentence and it's helped me find missing terminators "}" on some lines as well.

Here's another example of diffs of IAN.MSG:

[spoiler:0c46fe67a6]This is between FIXT original and my changed file:
adp14w.jpg


Now between FIXT without extra line breaks and my changed file:
qo7hqx.png
[/spoiler:0c46fe67a6]


In the first image it's not as clear where the changes are because the line break confuses the diff a little. In the second, you can clearly see only the changed text is highlighted.

I've already started building the new patches because I find it much easier to review my changes this way. I'm already halfway through removing line breaks from the files. Then I'm going to run a few grep searches for extra spaces and possibly missing terminators, before I put up new patches.
 
Okay yeah, that's what I thought you meant. Sounds good to me. I've already done that to some of the files during working on the mod but I'm sure there's plenty that I didn't.
 
Updated first post with the new patch. It includes a "pre-patch" that removes line breaks from the dialogue. The archive also includes a lot of new fixes, improvements and an updated readme.
 
robbforce said:
Updated first post with the new patch. It includes a "pre-patch" that removes line breaks from the dialogue. The archive also includes a lot of new fixes, improvements and an updated readme.
Click to expand...
Sweet, thanks for all your work.

One thing, is it possible to just get the text files instead of having to use your conversion batch process?

It's not a big deal, but if I could just download the text files it would be easy to compare them all to my current versions using Beyond Compare, and from there incorporate all your changes that I like.
 
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