Tutorial: Using Google Translate to Roleplay

[sindroms]

Hello there.
The purpose of this tutorial is to allow players with little to not English knowledge to, if not roleplay, at least interact with other players ingameto some extent. This is useful for players with either zero English skills or ones who know how to read, but do not know how to write fast. Obviously, this tutorial is meant for players who do know English - if you have a friend who does not, you will have to guide them through this tutorial.


!!!! Please note that using any kind of translator will not be 100% accurate. Results vary depending on the language being translated to and from English. Please never use Google Translate to translate important text such as the Server Rules. !!!!




The following tutorial will show how to:

1) Copy text from the ingame chat
2) Translate it into your language of choice and allow you to respond in your own language
3) Translate the text from your own language back to English and paste it into the game chat


In order to do this you will need to get the following applications:

Auto Hotkey
Notepad ++


The main issue which makes this sort of approach complicated is that, with the exception of Windows XP, all versions of Windows do not allow to paste text into the ingame chat window. The game, obviously, also does not allow you to select and copy text from the ingame chat.


This is how to get around it:

1) Install both Auto Hotkey and Notepad++ on your machine. Restart if necessary. Both programs are free to use.
2) Open your Launcher and make sure these two settings are "ON"
3) Open your Documents - My Games - Freelancer - DSAce.TXT file with Notepad++

DSAce.TXT is a log of all ingame messages. By opening this file you can easily copy any message that is directed to you.

The reason we are using Notepad++ is because unlike the default application on your PC, Notepad++ will tell you when the file has been modified by Freelancer and allow you reload it without having to constantly close and open it manually.

4) Right Click on your desktop and under NEW - CREATE AUTOHOTKEY SCRIPT and rename it to any name you want.
5) Right Click on the file you created and select EDIT SCRIPT.
6) This window will be opened in regular Notepad. Remove all of the text in it and replace it with the following:

Code:

^x::
  SendInput, TEXT
Return

What the following script does is, when you press CTRL+X, the script will write TEXT.
We will be replacing TEXT with all of the text that we want to write in the chat.

EDIT: Use this to skip some of the parts below:

Clipboard:=""
^x::Send, %clipboard%
Return

dont need to edit the ahk file each time you need something to paste

steps: notepad++ reload ; copy;translate ; copy ;Ctrl+x
lesser steps always better,also better to use something else than ^x

7) After you have entered the text you wish to paste ingame, save the file and close the window.
8) Double Click on the script file to launch the script. When you edit the text to something different, launch it again and say YES when the program asks if you want to reload the script.
9) Open Google Translate and set up the languages so that one is your own, while the other is English. You can swap between them by pressing <=>

You are now ready to roleplay via Google Translate.

10) Launch the game and log in on the server. All text that is written in the game chat will now be appended to DSAce.txt

When you encounter a player who asks something you do not understand - alt tab from the game and go to DSAce.txt you have open in in Notepad++ - it will ask you if you want to reload the file, click YES.

11) Copy paste the text from the file into Google Translate.
12) Click <=> to swap languages and write up a response in your own language. For best results use simplified sentence structure and avoid using slang or ''street'' language.
13) Copy your response that has been translated into English and go back to the Hotkey Script file on your desktop. Right click on it and select EDIT SCRIPT.
14) Paste the reply in the file and click SAVE.
15) Double Click on the script to reload it.
16) Go ingame, open the chat window and press Ctrl X to paste the text.

EXAMPLE

ALT TAB and bring up your open DSAce.TXT file. Reload it.




Find the text you want to translate.



Translate it to your language of choice.




Reply to the question in your own language.





Edit and reload the script:





Go back ingame and press CTRL X










EDIT: Big thankies to the LNS-Shamrock.Bay for the help with this!

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PSA: If you have been having stutter/FPS lag on Disco where it does not run as smoothly as other games, please look at the fix here: https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthrea...pid2306502
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[Swallow]

Great tutorial, but how would those who need it find it?

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FL MOD(EL)MAKING: TOOLS, RESOURCES, TUTORIALS AND MY SHIPS (OLD)

I am on discord: Roal-Yr#5994, I don't log on forum more than a few times a year.

I am not making ships for FL anymore, I am making my own space game instead:
https://github.com/roalyr/GDTLancer
https://roal-yr.itch.io/gdtlancer
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HQB...cdH45LZgjj

[sindroms]

That's the tricky part. Sadly I cannot make it into every single language we have, so it is up to either Angels or the friends of such people to explain this. Oh well.

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--------------
PSA: If you have been having stutter/FPS lag on Disco where it does not run as smoothly as other games, please look at the fix here: https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthrea...pid2306502
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[Hannibal]

Clipboard:=""
^x::Send, %clipboard%
Return

dont need to edit the ahk file each time you need something to paste

steps: notepad++ reload ; copy;translate ; copy ;Ctrl+x
lesser steps always better,also better to use something else than ^x

---

People want to believe that God has a plan for them.
They don't wanna believe that anyone else does..

[sindroms]

Noice, even better.
I appended the first post with your quote.

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--------------
PSA: If you have been having stutter/FPS lag on Disco where it does not run as smoothly as other games, please look at the fix here: https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthrea...pid2306502
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[Hannibal]

you also didn't mentioned that you need to run the script as administrator or it may not have sufficient permission to interact with freelancer window or others for that matter..

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People want to believe that God has a plan for them.
They don't wanna believe that anyone else does..

[sindroms]

Well, you sort of need the same permissions to install Disco in the first place, so if you are playing Disco, it is kinda clear you have those rights.

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--------------
PSA: If you have been having stutter/FPS lag on Disco where it does not run as smoothly as other games, please look at the fix here: https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthrea...pid2306502
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[Hannibal]

Well, you sort of need the same permissions to install Disco in the first place, so if you are playing Disco, it is kinda clear you have those rights.

well..we first have to remember at who this tutorial is directed at,for those who is clear to will probably have better knowledge of English and thus not needing this tutorial in the first place..

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People want to believe that God has a plan for them.
They don't wanna believe that anyone else does..

[sasapinjic]

Great , we can also use this trick to fast enter Jump coordinates instead of manually typing 60 random generated letters/numbers !

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Spoiler

welcome to Loberty
^ where you can get Freelancer ISO , in emergency

These two spoilers were too big so now they're both one ~Champ