Build 53: Adding Translations into 9 languages!

Posted on 01/20/2021

I’m back with the first preview of Build 53! This is an early preview, as Build 53 will probably not be available for some time on all platforms and in fact, I haven’t even set the final scope for it yet. I wanted to release this first preview early because it has a really huge feature that many of you have asked for: translations in nine different languages

English, German, Russian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese

The caveat is that because the game’s text is so huge (almost 2000 strings and over 10,000 words) that I had to do this first pass on the translation using Google Translate. As you can imagine, this will result in many things not making sense as context is very important in a game. I don’t have the funds to invest in translating into all the languages I would like to support, so I am hoping that the community will be able to help fix problems with specific translations over the next few months before Build 53 is considered “final.” More details below for those that want to help!

The updated build will be live on itch.io but only in the beta branches on Steam and GOG for now. It’s possible I might make it live everywhere before the translation and build are considered “final” but that decision will be made in the future.

Other Patch Notes

We also have some bug fixes in this first Build 53 update, and here are some notes on them:

• Change character keyboard shortcut changed to Left Shift from N
• Items currently equipped to a character could be sold at a merchant. Now an alert will pop up letting you know that the item is equipped and you won’t be able to sell it.
• Removed extra items that are not unlockable from equipment counts and database
• Fixed an issue where the percentage complete displayed on the save file was incorrect and it was not possible to get it to 100%
• Frag grenade was only showing a single action use on the HUD when if used on the first action it would consume both
• Itchy Trigger and Sentry were granted with an “out of class” weapon. Now a Deadeye equipped with an SMG (for instance) will no longer get Sentry on their turn start.
• The menu buttons in the top right will always display on the HUD. We had some soft locks happen on enemy turn and the buttons were hidden so the menu and bug report UI’s could not be opened
• If the character had return fire and a revive skill/item, the revive was not being triggered when they die
• There were reports that saving into a new slot would reset the play time. I haven’t been able to reproduce the exact sequence that caused this issue but i made a change that I think should keep it from happening.

I am aware that there are still a few soft lock cases. I put in some extra logging and a few other changes that I think might solve them. I am hoping to have these totally resolved in a future build so bug reports are appreciated if you run into an issue with the turns or AI locking up.

Other considerations for Build 53

Here are a few more things I am considering adding to Build 53’s final scope:

• Key rebinding menu - I’ve done a little work on this but it’s not anywhere close to final but I’m pretty sure this will make it into the Build 53 scope.
• Configurable final move in follow mode - currently this is overwatch but as many have pointed out, the overwatch gets triggered when you aggro a pod and the character will take the overwatch shot then.
• AI improvements - this seems unlikely to make it in but I’m evaluating a behavior tree asset currently that might be reasonable to integrate into DOE. I’ll let you know how that goes.
• More balancing and bug fixes of course.

I’d love to hear more requests for changes that you’d like to get in Build 53, so please let me know. Also keep in mind I am working on a new game that uses the same “bones” as DOE, which is why it makes sense for me to continue working on it.

More about the Translation

Just to restate: there are issues with this translation. Some things won’t make sense to you in your native language. Some fonts will look weird in some languages. Some things may not be fully translated. There are probably issues I’ve missed in my testing. Some things will probably be fine and not need further adjustments.

What I am hoping is that those who want to help correct issues can join the HOF Studios Discord, where you will be given a “Translator” role and access to the master spreadsheet for the language you want to assist with. Then you can make changes and they will eventually be integrated into the game. Anyone who contributes even a single translation will be added to the game’s credits in the final Build 53 update.

There will be some checks done to keep trolls from getting in and causing trouble. Access will be revoked if you try to slip in negative statements in the translation and I will have some proofreaders checking the final translations before they are added to the game.