Difference between revisions of "User:Atap"

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Workspace page for Atap
 
Workspace page for Atap
  
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Skyrim and other Creation Engine games utilize an in-built localization system to support multiple languages. Historically, this system has been misunderstood by the modding community, who have opted to directly translate plugins rather than localize them. This article documents this system and how to localize plugins.
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== Cleaning Plugins Intended for Merge ==
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Though there are plenty of guides for cleaning plugins intended for players, the process of cleaning plugins for development is not well explained. These two processes differ significantly, and submitting a plugin cleaned for play for merge can result in issues worse than submitting a "dirty" plugin. Still, the best practice is to submit cleaned plugins for merge, and this guide is intended to detail the steps to do so. '''This process should only be done once work on a plugin is complete and tested. Though it will render the plugin ideal for merging, it may cause issues if the plugin is loaded into the game and played. If you are not making plugins for a collaborative team that will be merged into a master plugin, this guide is not for you.'''
  
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To localize plugins the third party tools [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/164 xEdit] and [https://www.nexusmods.com/starfield/mods/313 xTranslator] are both necessary.  
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This guide makes heavy use of xEdit. Version should not be a huge concern, but ensure no matter what version you are using to not use the QuickAutoClean tool. This tool is great in ensuring a plugin is safe for play but creates bloat when an autocleaned plugin is merged into its master.
  
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== Advantages Over Direct Translation ==
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Overwritten records
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By far the most common dirty edits are edits to existing references from plugins that your plugin loads as a master. In order to filter
  
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The vast majority of translations available on Nexusmods and other sites are created by copying a mod's plugin file (esm, esp, or esl) and directly replacing the text inside. The translated plugin file then overwrites the mod's original plugin file, and the translated text appears in game. This method (referred to as 'direct translation' in this article, though there is no commonly accepted name for it) is perfectly functional, but has some notable shortcomings. The largest by far is that translations are not preserved through updates. Any change to the original mod's plugin file must be forwarded to the translated plugin, either by re-translating the original or recreating all changes in the previously translated plugin. This is both time consuming and leaves much room for error. Localizing a plugin ensures that only changed, added, or deleted records will need their translations to be modified.
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== Worldspace Limitations ==
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In the years following Skyrim's release, much has been learned via trial and error regarding the limitations of the game's engine. This article intends to shine a light on some of these issues so that they do not need to be rediscovered.
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Another major issue involves distributing mods intended to include multiple languages. If utilizing the direct translation method, one must include multiple plugin files in their mod and a mod installer (FOMod or similar program) for the user to select what language they intend on installing. This results in the user downloading multiple large, unused plugin files, and has the same version control issues as documented above. In contrast, localized plugins automatically adjust to the game language and have a much smaller footprint in regards to unused files.
 
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== Localizing a Plugin ==
 
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== The .STRING format ==
 
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Each plugin must have three files for each language: a .STRINGS file, a .ILSTRINGS file, and a .DLSTRINGS file. The vast majority of in game text is stored in the .STRINGS file. Subtitles for dialogue are stored in .ILSTRINGS files, and book or journal entry text is stored in .DLSTRINGS files. More technical information on the format can be found on [https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim_Mod:String_Table_File_Format the UESP], but this information is not necessary for localization.  
 
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It is nessa
 
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== Converting Direct Translations to .STRINGS ==
 

Latest revision as of 15:18, 16 January 2025

Workspace page for Atap

Cleaning Plugins Intended for Merge[edit]

Though there are plenty of guides for cleaning plugins intended for players, the process of cleaning plugins for development is not well explained. These two processes differ significantly, and submitting a plugin cleaned for play for merge can result in issues worse than submitting a "dirty" plugin. Still, the best practice is to submit cleaned plugins for merge, and this guide is intended to detail the steps to do so. This process should only be done once work on a plugin is complete and tested. Though it will render the plugin ideal for merging, it may cause issues if the plugin is loaded into the game and played. If you are not making plugins for a collaborative team that will be merged into a master plugin, this guide is not for you.

This guide makes heavy use of xEdit. Version should not be a huge concern, but ensure no matter what version you are using to not use the QuickAutoClean tool. This tool is great in ensuring a plugin is safe for play but creates bloat when an autocleaned plugin is merged into its master.

Overwritten records By far the most common dirty edits are edits to existing references from plugins that your plugin loads as a master. In order to filter

Worldspace Limitations[edit]

In the years following Skyrim's release, much has been learned via trial and error regarding the limitations of the game's engine. This article intends to shine a light on some of these issues so that they do not need to be rediscovered.

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