3.4 Editing GameText.XML for changing date formats and menus

[ralphtricky]

3.4 has a file called GameText.XML that is loaded in on startup. It contains most of the strings in the game.

When you select the language, it copies the xxxxGameText.XML file on top of GameText.XML.

You can also create custom text for your scenarios, but that's for a different post. The procedure is similar to what was needed for 3.2, but you don't need to include ALL the strings, only the ones that you're actually changing.

Editing is simple.

Open with any program that supports utf-8. I am pretty sure that this even includes Notepad, as long as you're editing western languages. I use NotePad++ myself.

You can set up custom date formats by changing these lines. Right now, they're set up for US formats (Month, Day, Year). The choices are DMY dMY and MDY. I think that the difference is that DMY will display 1st January 2010 and dMY will display 1 January 2010. I assume dMY is better for non-English languages.

<s_17 t="DATEFORMAT" v="MDY"/>
<s_18 t="DATESEPARATOR" v="/"/>

Changing the menu is just as simple.

The section labeled GAME_MENU is the main play game menu.
<MENU s="GAME_MENU">

If you then take a part of it and copy it to the bottom. of the 'section' like so...

--COPY THESE THREE LINES
<I id="40246" t="0" s="Plan Moves (\)" />
<I id="40247" t="0" s="Execute Moves (|)" />
<I id="40253" t="0" s="Move One Formation" />
--PUT THEM AT THE END OF THE GAME_MENU SECTION, RIGHT BEFORE THESE 2 LINES
</MENU>
<MENU s="LOADGAME_MENU">

Now, these three lines will appear at the end of the menu.

You can do this with anything on the menu including something like the 2d/3d views. You can create sub-menus and do just about anything you want to do with them.
Someone mentioned that the 3D supply view is broken. You could put these to lines there instead and be able to switch views with one click.
<I id="40064" t="0" s="2d &Large" />
<I id="40066" t="0" s="3d L&arge" />

Enjoy, please make a backup, and share any creative ideas!

Ralph

[Silvanski]

dMY does the job for me[&o]

[Silvanski]

International time notation mod (or "military time") makes keeping track of day/night in 6 and 12 hours/turn scenarios easier for me

<s_647 t="AM_STRING" v="0600-1800"/>
<s_648 t="PM_STRING" v="1800-0600"/>

<s_1852 t="MORNING_STRING" v="0600-1200"/>
<s_1853 t="AFTERNOON_STRING" v="1200-1800"/>
<s_1854 t="PREDAWN_STRING" v="0000-0600"/>
<s_1855 t="NIGHT_STRING" v="1800-2400"/>

But there is a snag in 6 hours/turn scenarios (see screenie).
In the news the time shows up correctly but in the current turn panel the string for AM (which is daylight for 12 hours/turn scale scenarios) is used... [&:][&:][&:]

Calling Mr Ralph!!

[ralphtricky]

Thanks, I'll add it for 3.5.

I like those much better, I always get confused about whether AM or PM are the night turns[&:]. I suspect that's why the two displays are different, so I want to make sure there isn't anything else wrong and there aren't issues with the other time scales.

Ralph

[Silvanski]

Thanks for picking this up Ralph

Something to keep in mind I'm sure is that
<s_648 t="PM_STRING" v="1800-0600"/>
and
<s_1854 t="PREDAWN_STRING" v="0000-0600"/>
<s_1855 t="NIGHT_STRING" v="1800-2400"/>
affect stuff like nightfighter and all-weather aircraft

[Silvanski]

I changed some lingo
Reconstitutes/Reconstituted becomes Rebuild/Rebuilt
Evaporates... Shatters

It's all a matter of personal taste aye[;)]


Edit to add: maybe when I retire I'll translate the entire thing in Dutch

[Silvanski]

ORIGINAL: Silvanski

International time notation mod (or "military time") makes keeping track of day/night in 6 and 12 hours/turn scenarios easier for me

<s_647 t="AM_STRING" v="0600-1800"/>
<s_648 t="PM_STRING" v="1800-0600"/>

<s_1852 t="MORNING_STRING" v="0600-1200"/>
<s_1853 t="AFTERNOON_STRING" v="1200-1800"/>
<s_1854 t="PREDAWN_STRING" v="0000-0600"/>
<s_1855 t="NIGHT_STRING" v="1800-2400"/>

The one problem with this notation is that the expected reinforcements panel needs to be widened cuz currently the time is on top of the turn and date