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Old 03-04-16, 11:00   #681
naddel81
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amazing idea, b122251. I already tried this morning to get the german FMVs (obviously PSX AVIs) into the PC release. Unfortunately I haven't seen an AVI to RPL converter, yet. So I guess it is not possible, right?
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Old 03-04-16, 11:06   #682
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amazing idea, b122251. I already tried this morning to get the german FMVs (obviously PSX AVIs) into the PC release. Unfortunately I haven't seen an AVI to RPL converter, yet. So I guess it is not possible, right?
Well, there exist german RPL files for this game. I think I have a copy of them somewhere. However, if my idea gets implemented, I could easily make an add-on where I add a hacked tomb.exe to have german on-screen text, replace some audio tracks with german ones and replace the FMV's in which people speak with german ones. I could also do this for french and japanese. That's why I think this would be a splendid idea.
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Old 03-04-16, 11:28   #683
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Well, there exist german RPL files for this game. I think I have a copy of them somewhere. However, if my idea gets implemented, I could easily make an add-on where I add a hacked tomb.exe to have german on-screen text, replace some audio tracks with german ones and replace the FMV's in which people speak with german ones. I could also do this for french and japanese. That's why I think this would be a splendid idea.
yes, best idea I have read today! that would amp the release version to "advanced installer V. 2.0"

Being able to have the rendered OST into the original installer + optional FMV patch + multilanguage directly into the main installer would be amazing.

yes, the installer size would be 1,5GB but download size does not really matter these days. to have a small USB thumb drive 2-4GB and being able to carry a maxed out ultimate TR1 edition with me would be my wildest dream!

@ gidierre: don't get me wrong. the advanced installer is already amazing and I appreciate the effort. but added multi-language would be the best since the localization (at least the german one) was not bad.

Last edited by naddel81; 03-04-16 at 11:29.
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Old 03-04-16, 11:30   #684
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...yes, the installer size would be 1,5GB...
Actually, with my idea it wouldn't need to be that big. In the example I uploaded before, the whole game+music+unfinished business is still only about 300MB when installed. But I wasn't thinking of adding all of those things into the main installer. I think it'd be easier to just make a basic installer, and offer language packs, add-ons, patches etc. separately. If we set up a standard format which all add-ons should follow (like for example: a 7-zip Self-Extracting Archive where the target is the installation folder), it can be made really easy.

Last edited by b122251; 03-04-16 at 11:37.
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Old 03-04-16, 13:23   #685
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The problems I tried to fix are:
1. The directory is a bit messy.
2. The size is rather big.
3. There is no multilanguage.
4. A multilanguage pack is really difficult to make, and would be rather huge, and so would any other add-on.
Here is the solution I came up with:
....
I put together some examples for you. You can download them
....
If your installer is redesigned to be very add-on friendly then add-ons and variations on the game can be more easily installed
thx for your dedication I'm downloading it right now and I'll se what could be done asap
I guess it's much better to open a brand new thread on this though to avoid cluttering of current thread

Quote:
1. The directory is a bit messy.
well it mirrors the original thing, I just had to install first the old way you know, before feeding it to the installer's own setup and only changed \tombraid to \tombraider to avoid conflicts and since the 8 char rule is remote history now
Quote:
2. The size is rather big.
true, but I only depended on compression routines provided by InnoSetup
Quote:
3. There is no multilanguage.
4. A multilanguage pack is really difficult to make
you see I contented myself with English soundtrack loooong ago (though relevant conversation transcripts were always a relished windfall here ) and never felt the need for a localization, then again TR2+ were in fact welcomely localized from the start...

this is very interesting, still I must say my main purpose, when after unforgotten EscondeR's prompt I tried to come up with some dubious installer gimmick (I had made lots of zipped stuff to manually customize things around, but then mostly I was curious to see if using fancy and free InnoSetup for it was going to be useful.. and above all fun to do, which really was)
well, my idea always was/is to make it as simple as can be
really if I could I'd be gladly wiping out even the spare options that remain, and that's not to "hide" anything from the players, but to release them from the need for (sometimes) tricky/awkward choices.

Last edited by gidierre; 03-04-16 at 13:27.
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Old 03-04-16, 14:28   #686
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If you need those RPL and wave files from the german version in case you plan on adding multi language support for the 20th TR1-Anniversary in October, let me know. I will try to find my CD until then
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Old 03-04-16, 14:33   #687
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Originally Posted by b122251 View Post
Hello Gidierre,
This thread got me thinking: Your Tomb Raider 1 installer is great, but I have a few ideas on how to make it even better.

The problems I tried to fix are:
1. The directory is a bit messy.
2. The size is rather big.
3. There is no multilanguage.
4. A multilanguage pack is really difficult to make, and would be rather huge, and so would any other add-on.
Here is the solution I came up with:
1. I reorganised the files to make it easier to navigate.
2. I got rid of the .bin image file.
3. I implemented audio compression, reducing the size to a third of what it was originally.
4. I got an idea on how to make implementing patches and add-ons really easy.

I put together some examples for you. You can download them here.
The password is b122251. (I had to encrypt it because you know how MediaFire can be).
This file contains the "Base Package" of just tomb raider 1 with the dosbox and joytokey (nGlide is included, doesn't need to run as an installer).

I also added two "add-ons" to show you what I mean. One add-on adds the music to Tomb Raider, and the other adds Unfinished Business. In the same way one could easily make language packs or an add-on that adds the Rerendered Soundtrack, or Sardoc's Unfinished Business Audio Triggers, or barracuda415's ATI rendering method, and many other things.

If your installer (which is the standard) is redesigned to be very add-on friendly (the file structure I uploaded here is what I think to be a good example of this), then add-ons and variations on the game can be more easily installed, which is better for the whole community.

What do you think?
Would the music in UB work, though? I don't think anyone patched the DOS version of UB to support it.

The ATI render version works fine, though... well. Obviously there are bugs in the UB exe. While TR1 keeps playing music when you're underwater or open the inventory, UB just stops until either you surface, or the camera shows something that isn't underwater (like you use an underwater lever and it shows the door it opens).

Then there's the background music triggering thing: both in TR1 and UB, let's say you need more than 1 action to trigger a music track (push 2 levers, pick up 2 medipacks or use 5 keys). Every time you progress (so push 1 lever, pick up 1 medipack or use 1 key), the background music will stop playing and not resume. When you're done with the actions, the triggered music will play, but the background music will not resume. You have to save and load the game for it to resume.

I know at the end of Francis Folly, when you use all 4 keys, a track is supposed to play, but it doesn't. The background music stops and never resumes every time you use a key, though.
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Old 03-04-16, 21:34   #688
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So gidierre,
what do you think?
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Old 04-04-16, 12:55   #689
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Quote:
Originally Posted by b122251 View Post
So gidierre,
what do you think?
...
I also added two "add-ons" to show you what I mean. One add-on adds the music to Tomb Raider, and the other adds Unfinished Business. In the same way one could easily make language packs or an add-on that adds the Rerendered Soundtrack, or Sardoc's Unfinished Business Audio Triggers, or barracuda415's ATI rendering method, and many other things.
If your installer (which is the standard) is redesigned to be very add-on friendly (the file structure I uploaded here is what I think to be a good example of this), then add-ons and variations on the game can be more easily installed, which is better for the whole community.
I saw everything, thank you
well I see what you mean, but I just can't redesign this stuff to be "more add-on friendly" than this
I mean all the patches I somehow had to make (to avoid overgrowth of the main thing) need to interface with the "master switchboard" so to speak
but it can't be done via batch-cascading routine, not because they wouldn't do, they possibly might if properly checked (except for the risk of introducing conflict-prone new versions, especially on the dosbox side) but because first, bat files are dangerous and public/open beings, just to name two of the problems and second, it's likely the general frame slowly goes astray

for instance: the dosbox folder example you showed is perfectly viable, too bad it mixes/scrambles ykhwong files, nothing's wrong with ykhwong's you know, it just can't fit in with what I made before that's all, also all the exe's in your \tombraid can't be run by the installer although this could be worth an ad hoc fix

in practice when eg the rerendered soundtrack patch was born, I'd have been glad to use an "easier" way, but it was much easier to get the files and their "bearings" and find the leanest way to add them to the frame, not forgetting the tedious part of implementing all the needed checks and an uninstall routine that works
and doing this outside InnoSetup, you can trust me, is going to get very, very time consuming.

In practice, if naddel81's German localization is viable, the only thing to "invent" could be a small routine for rpl's and "tombger" image swapping, plus a minimum of checks and maybe a toggle on/off feature in case of big troubles, that admittedly is when an "almost" simple batch could be made up

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Would the music in UB work, though? I don't think anyone patched the DOS version of UB to support it.
surely not, afaik

Last edited by gidierre; 04-04-16 at 12:59.
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Old 04-04-16, 13:00   #690
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I see your point.
Well then, I guess I'll have to do it myself.
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