The last couple of days I have checked and tested what could and would be translated and what not if this project comes true:

Text:
716 dialogues (spread over 29231 lines of text, equaling 52500 sentences or 1322 letter sized pages of text)
~200 in-game books, scrolls and letters
1705 Object descriptions (text.flx)

Graphics:
204 images in GUMPS, MAINSHP and POINTERS file need translation or modification. Some of these use a png feature called “layer offset” which I will not be able to modify using GIMP, due to a well known bug. As of yet I have no idea, what to do about that. the images that use this layer offset information are both STATS images as well as all Ophidian spells. The regular spells also have a layer offset information, but as this is set to “0,0” tests of modifying the images and loosing this information have been successful: the images still show up alright in the game.

What will not be translated:
– Speech for obvious reasons
– Subtitles are stored in binary files and can only be translated using the olde hex-hacking. Unsure, if that makes sense
– Probably the title. For now I’d tend to stick to “Serpent Isle” and “Silver Seed”
– copy protection Q&A: As I have not, do not and will not endorse pirating software I expect the players to have a legal copy of the game including the Q&A sheet. If I were to translate the copy protection questions I’d need to translate and include the answer sheet as well, which I will not.
– “Cheaters” Dialogue: a few files feature text that will be displayed if the player fails to answer the copy protection questions correctly. In that case the NPC will start talking gibberish and the game gets unplayable. Alas: no need to translate these.

Yet to do:
I need to double-check the tools I can use for the translation. The translation tool by Andrea Marzella which I have used for Black Gate seems to be not working for Serpent Isle: German special characters are not displayed by the looks of it. In case I need to use another tool, I will loose “DOSBOX”-compatibility aka the game will then only work with Exult.

Expected time frame:
If I’d manage to translate one dialogue per day in average this translation work will take approx. 2 years from now, so it might be done for Summer 2019 …assuming I can continuously spare 2-3 hours time per day until then.

Coming to think of it while typing all this: I must be loony to even think about it *sigh*

I’m a sad person… sad and mad… *gg*