Help with WC IV DVD subtitles?

M

mps

Spaceman
Hi!
I've just bougth WC IV DVD version, but faced a problem - I can't see subtitles during video scenes!
Of course I switched them on in the menu - but there is no result.

I run the game using the hints from this page: https://www.wcnews.com/news/update/6536
Is this a common problem? Or maybe I do something in wrong way?

Please, help me.
 
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I'm not quite sure. I seem to have the same problem even before I upgraded to Win XP and had to use the patch, but I never really worried about it.
 
Actually, I am not a native English speaker and prefer to see subtitles.

I far as I remember there were subtitles in the old CD version that I played about 7 years ago :)
I just want to learn if this a bug or no? After all, the box "Subtitles" is checked in the menu!
 
Yeah, you're right. There's a subtitles on/off option in the menu, but I don't get subtitles in the game. It's a bit weird. There's certainly subtitles when you make a plot choice or jump between systems. Those can't be disabled in the menu though. I'm not sure if it could be the dxmci patch or not. I suppose it's possible. I am a native English speaker, but I always turn subtitles on. Privateer 2 is the only Wing Commander game that didn't include them.
 
Assuming that the subtitles may be missing on the DVD version, do we know what file they are supposed to be in? Language.tre or wc4lang.iff perhaps? What happens if you copy the dos cd version into the DVD install directory? I don't have the CD version. Maybe someone can give it a shot.
 
I don't know what file has to contain subtitles. There is some text in the language.tre (5 010 335 bytes), but may be it's in-flight talks?
Wc4lang.iff in my DVD version is very short - 162 bytes.

I don't have CD version either.
 
During the cinematic sequences, the game is playing the VOB files (regular DVD-video files). If that's the case, it's quite likely your DVD playback software isn't respecting the DVD-subtitling options being passed in (DVD subtitles are bitmaps stored alongside the VOB file, and overlayed at the appropriate time). Given the hacks to make it work, I'm not really surprised.

You might have better luck if you go into your DVD player application, and setting subtitle defaults there to always on and English. Perhaps the DVD playback DirectShow filter will grab the setting when it's loaded (depends on who tells the module to produce the subtitles - if it's the DirectShow application, or part of the filter itself).
 
Worf said:
During the cinematic sequences, the game is playing the VOB files (regular DVD-video files). If that's the case, it's quite likely your DVD playback software isn't respecting the DVD-subtitling options being passed in (DVD subtitles are bitmaps stored alongside the VOB file, and overlayed at the appropriate time). Given the hacks to make it work, I'm not really surprised.

You might have better luck if you go into your DVD player application, and setting subtitle defaults there to always on and English. Perhaps the DVD playback DirectShow filter will grab the setting when it's loaded (depends on who tells the module to produce the subtitles - if it's the DirectShow application, or part of the filter itself).
Click to expand...


The VOBs themselves aren't encoded with subtitles. As chris said though, during jump sequences and dialogue choices the subtiles apear just fine. I really believe that it isn't playing them more because they arent there than anything. After all, the VOBs are at a 4:3 ratio (black bars are encoded) and the "jumping to..." apears just fine over top.
 
I think it's an error on the dvd. The subtitles were supposed to be shown but they are not...I do not remember clearly but I think they weren't showing even with the original dxr2 card. Since the subtitles are shown on the jump scenes, it's probably a bug since the dvd seems to be rushed (for example the audio on some transition scenes is also missing).
With the dxmci patch it would be possible to create standard sub/srt subtitles to be played with the video (and vobsub filter for instance). I was already contacted by someone sometime ago and he said he would start working on the subs, but he never got back to me. It was probably too much work. If somebody is interested, there are sites with dialogue...you'd just need to create time marks ;)
 
gulikoza said:
I think it's an error on the dvd. The subtitles were supposed to be shown but they are not...I do not remember clearly but I think they weren't showing even with the original dxr2 card. Since the subtitles are shown on the jump scenes, it's probably a bug since the dvd seems to be rushed (for example the audio on some transition scenes is also missing).
With the dxmci patch it would be possible to create standard sub/srt subtitles to be played with the video (and vobsub filter for instance). I was already contacted by someone sometime ago and he said he would start working on the subs, but he never got back to me. It was probably too much work. If somebody is interested, there are sites with dialogue...you'd just need to create time marks ;)
Click to expand...

That would be one solution. But I'm pretty sure its the actual game that is adding subs in the jump sequences ("jumping to..." and dialogue choices for example.). It doesnt seem to be anything to do with dxmci at all. Even without your patch for the DVD the choices still show up even though the videos dont play.

So a simpler choice might be to figure out where the subs are in the CD version and compare it to what's in the DVD version. I don't know much programming but I'd be willing to look in the tre files if I can get my hands on the non-movies files. (basically everything but movies.tre).

I'm sure it would work to make subs for all the DVD's but like you said that's a huge endeavor. And if there's a relativly easier option I would explore that first.
 
Yeah, it is the game adding the subs...so either the subs are missing from the moviesX.tre files (this would be the likely location) or the game simply ignores them and the Show subtitles option does not work. But then you'd have to decode the tre files to find subtitles...the author of the wc movie player could possibly do it...
 
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