Due to the customizable nature of the data files in most of the games, translating a game into another language is quite easy.
There are some official translations in some countries, like in Germany. However, any player can translate a game (or most of it) without much hassle.
Translatable files[]
The following files can be edited, and their content can be translated.
Carmageddon & Splat Pack[]
| C·V·D·E | |
|
To Do: Specify which image files have text. Care to do so? |
Note that these files must first be decrypted with the correct cheat.
- DARES.TXT - Dares.
- KEYNAMES.TXT - The names of the keys used in the controls menu.
- NETRACES.TXT - The names of the multiplayer races.
- OPPONENT.TXT - Opponent names and descriptions.
- POWERUP.TXT - Powerup names.
- RACES.TXT - Level name and descriptions.
- TEXT.TXT - Miscellaneous text.
These files contain regular strings that are rendered onto the screen using text displaying functions. However, some of the game's text is drawn inside image files, like the race names on the race menu's preview image. These can be edited with Carmagedit or other tools. This is not an easy task, however. Some images can be deleted and completely redrawn. Others should have the original text deleted, and new text added over the background image, but, when deleting the original text, the parts of the image that were behind it cannot be retrieved.
Carmageddon II[]
Carmageddon II has some files similar to the prequel's, but also has some new text.
- INTRFACE\Interface.txt - the text on some menus.
- KEYNAMES.TXT
- NETRACES.TXT
- OPPONENT.TXT
- POWERUP.TXT
- RACES.TXT
- SCROLLERS.TXT - Scrollers.
- STATUS.TXT - Opponent statuses.
- TEXT.TXT
There are a lot less strings drawn in image files, so there's no need to worry about editing bitmaps.
Carmageddon: TDR 2000[]
- Car_Strings.txt - Opponent names and semi-unused descriptions.
- Car_Bonus_Strings.txt - Some scrollers.
- Misc_Strings.txt - Miscellaneous text.
- MissonStrings.txt - Mission descriptions in the cutscenes.
- PedBonusStrings.txt - Ped-related bonuses.
- PowerupStrings.txt - Powerup names.
- pregame_UK.txt - Text in the launcher.
- Races_Strings.txt - Level name and descriptions.
- wasted.txt - Messages that appear when a player is wasted[confirmation needed].
Text in image files cannot be edited, seeing that, as of now, there are no known tools that can edit TDR 2000's image files[confirmation needed].
Editing[]
The process of editing these files is pretty straightforward, for the most part, but at some points, it can be a bit troublesome. This section will help you with some notes for each game. Note that some of the files are easily editable and will not be covered here. You can read more about editing them on their respective articles.
General notes[]
Translating a game is a long process, specially if it's an RPG or adventure game. Luckily, the Carmageddon series don't have much text. Still, it can take a long while to make sure that the translations are set up correctly. You need to make sure everything is displayed correctly in the game itself. The text may leave its intended area, could be displayed incorrectly or could even crash the game. You need to test constantly to see what you're doing wrong.
While some words have a regular foreign equivalent (like pedestrian - there's a word for it in every language), some words are almost exclusive to the English language, and sometimes, to the series itself (like checkpoint - not many languages have an equivalent). It's up to you to either find a suitable name, or to leave the English names intact. In the Portuguese wiki, almost all names are translated with a suitable word. Regardless of everything, proper nouns (like driver names) shouldn't be changed, even if there's a good alternative in the target language.
Keep in mind that certain accentuated and Latin characters, like 'á', 'ï' and 'ç' can't be displayed in any of the games. However, in Carmageddon II, the characters are present in the font files, but the method to accessing them is still being researched.
Strings are managed in specific ways. Try to merely replace the original text, rather than deleting the whole line and adding the syntax. This is specially important when translating Carmageddon (Game Boy Color), seeing as some of the strings are between garbage strings that shouldn't be touched.
Puns[]
Some of the puns in the series can't be kept when translating to a different language. Thus, it's preferred to find a new name for the subject, while keeping the pun. This is, however, a bit subjective. If the name needs to be too different, just to keep a pun, it may be best to lose it, but keep a more appropriate name. In general, level names don't need to be strictly similar to their English names, and can be changed to names with puns.
Carmageddon[]
When translating OPPONENT.TXT, keep in mind that their descriptions include the top speed in miles per hour, so it may be best to convert this value to your language's unit (Kilometers, in most of Europe, for instance).
The powerup names can be translated, but make sure you keep their names short. Some powerups can have long names displayed on the screen, but others can't.
The race and opponent descriptions are drawn in a limited space. Make sure you don't write too much text on a single line that it goes over the intended space. Keep testing if everything is fine in the game.
Carmageddon II[]
As with Carmageddon, it may be best to translate the top speed and acceleration in the opponents' description. The powerup name oddness remains in Carmageddon II, particularly pedestrians with greased shoes. Names that are longer for this powerup will likely crash the game.
Almost all races have the same generic description. If you feel like it, you can say something different about each race.
When editing scrollers, remember that underscores represent spaces. When editing STATUS.TXT, % will be replaced with "himself" or "herself", and & will be replaced by "his" or "her"; depending on the opponent's gender. These four words can be changed in TEXT.TXT. Also, feel free to add new lines, if you want.
Carmageddon: TDR 2000[]
As with the previous two games, you should convert the top speed and acceleration's measurement units.
The mission strings are separated by line, so make sure not to write too much on a single line, as it may not be shown. Make sure you're particularly careful with these strings, because they tend to crash the game without reason.
When the powerup names are altered, their names are shown on the screen when their pickup is collected, and are used to cheat (addPowerUp X).
Carmageddon (Game Boy Color)[]
The GBC game has no data files like the PC games. The ROM image itself must be edited. It's recommended to use a hex editor to change it, as opposed to a regular text editing application. There is a catch about translating ROMs though: the number of characters in a string must be the same at all times. This means that you can't replace "race" with "level", because the latter has too many letters. Thus, when using the hex editor, you should use the overwrite function. This is because each string must be in a certain position in the ROM. You can, however, replace unwanted space with the space character ' '.
A more practical example:
The text is located at the following addresses:
| Hex address | Content |
|---|---|
| 11C9B - 1239B | General messages |
| 125D1 - 12923 | General menu text |
| 132EF - 134ED | Ending message |
| 1D0592 - 1DE48F | Opponent names and descriptions |
| 1DFFE8 - 1E1586 | Race descriptions, followed by names |
You'll find several duplicates of the Slam Sedan and the Prop Shafter's info. Those seem to be ignorable.
Other games[]
Carmageddon 64, Carmageddon (PlayStation) and the mobile games can't be translated, without hacking the game images.
Fan translations[]
If you finish a translation, feel free to add it to this list.
- CarmaPT by User:Espyo. A project that translates Carmageddon, Carmageddon Splat Pack, Carmageddon II, Carmageddon TDR 2000, The Nosebleed Pack and Carmageddon (Game Boy Color) to Portuguese (Portugal).