Modding graphics and text in Source games

[Kit Sniper]

This might be an odd question.

After playing the official Spanish translation for Portal, I have to say... it's awful. I'm not even sure if I can use the words I want to use here.

Anyway, I was wondering if I can create a mod, which wouldn't change the game itself other than the in-game text (subtitles), some graphics used in the maps (signs), and GlaDOS' audio files. I want to do this to give the game a proper translation. I poked around the game files in GCFScape, and found the entire script in very little time, but I know that if the game files are modified, Steam fixes them. So, I was wondering if I could edit the files I want to change, then simply release those changed files to be used as a game mod only.

Is this possible somehow?

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[Crispy]

You're not the first hispanic person I've heard complain about the quality of the Spanish translation (the other was annoyed with how badly translated the Steam interface translation was).

I'm sure it's possible.

For the subtitles it's an easy fix. Just make a mod with some simple code that launches Portal but re-routes the text and some graphics and audio to read from your mod directory (or something, I'm not a programmer). You may well be able to learn how to code this bit yourself.

For the in-game signs you'd need to get a VTF plugin that lets you open (the newer type of) Valve Texture Files. Then you could simply get an artist to erase the original text and add the new text in the same style.

For the audio it's a bit more tricky. You'd need either whatever sound vocoder Valve used, and a very good GladOS sound-alike, or you'd need a professional-quality sound artist who could approximate the GladOS vocoder, AND still need a GladOS sound-alike for the voice acting. Or you'd need to re-record it all using a different voice. OR, you could go all artsy and use the original GladOS and add Spanish (Castillian) subtitles.

 

[99.vikram]

If you understand English, why bother putting so much effort into fixing the Spanish version?

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Files in the mod directory trump those in a GCF, by the way. Just copy the file path inside the GCF and create a new file with the same name, in steam/[yourname]/portal/[directory] and it should use it without overwriting anything.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Kit Sniper]

If you understand English, why bother putting so much effort into fixing the Spanish version?

Because I am a fully credited English - Spanish translator who lives in Mexico.

Your profile says you're from India. How would you like it if other people from your country tried to play the game in your language, and found out it was outsourced to the USA?

(Yes, stupid outsourcing joke, I couldn't resist.)

I was trained to translate text so it is perfectly understandable by more than one region. The Spanish used in Portal (and the rest of Valve's games) is from Spain... imagine having to play your games in English, only spoken with an Australian accent, and the words are taken from Shakespeare's plays. You can't enjoy a game that sounds like that at all.

In fact, I've never bought a game in Spanish because they never bother to do a translation for Latin American players, they always force the dumb Spain versions on us, and I can't stand that. It's why I'd rather import games than buy them here.

So in short - it's a pride thing.

Anyway, I poked around the map files using GCFScape... I don't think I can release modded maps because I don't know how to create patches that would copy and modify them somehow. I can't redistribute the changed maps, I'm pretty sure that's against Steam's license. The audio and text files would be fine, and technically, the translation would be mine so it'd be copyrighted to me.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

You can also replace textures, which would mean you could translate text on walls.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Kit Sniper]

Wow. I had no idea.

Looks like I can do this without that much of a problem. Awesome! I downloaded the Photoshop VTF plugin to see if I could change stuff around, and I can. This won't be as difficult as I thought it would be.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

No problem

-Angry Lawyer