Let's put the final polish on the English translation

[Regiment 0]

Is there a way in Microsoft Word to force a space to be a certain size in this case?

Ctrl-Shift-Space in Word is a non-breaking space - i.e. the two words either side of that space will not be separated over two lines. It looks like a small raised circle if you have show invisibles turned on. In my older version of Word, you can also set the size of a space in Format>Font>Character spacing and setting 'Spacing' to condensed and choosing how much it is to be condensed by; however, I don't think this can be done globally.

Regarding US/UK spelling, the publishers I work for (in the science and medical field) mostly default to US spelling because the US comprises most of the market. Some, however, allow the authors to decide so long as use is consistent. I like the 'tone' argument for using UK English, but if JMM is available, I think this is really a decision for him.

As a word of caution, please, please be careful when doing global changes. It is surprising what can happen without you realising when you hit 'Replace all'. I remember the manual for Talonsoft's Eastern Front has an often repeated error in it that obviously arose from using a global change.

[Regiment 0]

Edit: post deleted

[Franciscus]

Kudos to Hook for such good work.

My apologies for a limited help, due to acute short of free time. Also, as my mother tongue is not english, I will refrain from correcting the manual.

But in-game I spotted some problems (and sorry if they were already mentioned; sorry also, but I am unable at the moment to post screenshots):

- Opening screen
Solo mode
Play by email
Multiplayer mode 

I presume the last 2 options are both multiplayer. Maybe a better explanation would be (unless I am mistaken of the meaning):
Multiplayer mode: PBEM, and
Multiplayer mode: LAN

Next, we have:
Load a game
Load a video

This is minor, but I think I would prefer:
Load a saved game
Watch a replay

- Solo mode menu:
First line is Battles, second line is Solo mode, decentered in relation to battles. Decentered text should be avoided, but may have something to do with screen resolution ? And why battles in the first place ? Is it not redundant ?

- F3 opening screen, playing French army:
Napoleon's unit card has 2 noncentered text (ie, text starts to the left of the corresponding box), namely: Lines of operation 2, and Ground 25%. Again, this may have something to do with screen resolution, but most other text boxes are centered)

- F1 screen, french side
Army: "105 cannons (42-33-14-" ?? - some number is surely missing
Regiments: The text "Ammunitions for infantryman" is again decentered, and should be corrected - maybe Ammunition per soldier ?
Analysis - Synthesis: If no winner, we get the following text:
"No winner was designated
No strategic winner...". I presume the first line refers to tactical winner. To be consistent, maybe it would be better instead:
No tactical winner
No strategic winner

(NB: curiosly, in the analysis screens pdr is used instead of £)

- F2 screen:
"Right click onto unit + Ctrl" is again decentered and should be corrected to Ctrl + Right click in CC (CC meaning Corps Commander, but it would be too large for the box)

Again, sorry for my english language inadequacies... 

[Hook]

Ctrl-Shift-Space in Word is a non-breaking space - i.e. the two words either side of that space will not be separated over two lines.

As a word of caution, please, please be careful when doing global changes. It is surprising what can happen without you realising when you hit 'Replace all'.

Thanks for the non-breaking space info.

I have not used the Replace function at all... I'm typing in each change manually.

Hook

[Regiment 0]

I have not used the Replace function at all... I'm typing in each change manually.

Ouch!

I realised that the spacing info wasn't quite what you were asking about and edited my post above, but will repeat the edited info here for ease:

'In my older version of Word (2002), you can also set the size of a space in Format>Font>Character spacing and setting 'Spacing' to condensed and choosing how much it is to be condensed by; however, I don't think this can be done globally'

[Hook]

My apologies for a limited help, due to acute short of free time. Also, as my mother tongue is not english, I will refrain from correcting the manual.

Franciscus, you've given some excellent corrections.  As always, you've found things that other people have missed.  I understand the shortage of time, but if you feel like digging in the manual, I'm sure it will be very useful.

I'm not sure what to do yet about text that overflows boxes.  If you run the game at a higher resolution, the font is smaller, so that might help a bit.  As long as you can still read the font, that is.   I'm glad someone noticed that text does overflow, which was my main objection to changing gun sizes to pdr.  The ones you found are hard-coded in one of the English translation files.

Multiplayer mode: PBEM, and
Multiplayer mode: LAN

I like this.  Does anyone have any objection to using LAN there, as games can be played over the Internet as well?  Is LAN correct anyway, or is there another word to use?

Load a saved game
Watch a replay

This one has annoyed me a bit in the past, but I wouldn't have thought to change it.  I'm going with this suggestion.

No tactical winner
No strategic winner

I think I'll use some variation on this.

[Regiment 0]

Manual, Book 1, page 5

For some reason this page seemed particularly bad, especially as it is the very first introduction to the game system. I am puting this up as a block of text as it would be too complex to note every single change. I've also attached a Word doc with this text in which I have tracked changes so you can see what I did.

{text starts here}
1. SOLO MODE, where you will be up against the Grand Tactical AI. In this mode you can also command both sides or simulate engagements between two active AIs. In the latter case, although the AI is in overall command, you can send orders to a unit which you have chosen to command. You cannot change between these three possibilities during the course of the game.

2. PLAY BY EMAIL, which allows players to share game files by email. Once you have opened a file sent to you, you have 15 minutes within which to send orders. File sharing enables both participants to advance in the game.

3. MULTI-PLAYER MODE, which allows 2-8 players to play over the internet or a LAN. One of the players creates the game and allows the other players to join in (either during the initial phase or while the game is being played). Each player is in charge of one or several Army Corps. A messaging system enables players on the same side to exchange information and ensures consistent time delays for the sending of dispatches.

4. LOAD A GAME enables you to resume a game which you had previously quit.

5. LOAD A VIDEO enables you to view a battle which has already been played. Your viewpoint is completely your choice, so you can watch and re-watch battles from any part of the battlefield.

6. OPTIONS enables battle parameters to be set. These settings are independent of those relating to the configuration of your army.

7. TUTORIALS provide an interesting way for players just starting out to learn the game. Three different tutorials allow you to progressively take command of “HistWar: Les Grognards”. This tutorial course addresses only the fundamental elements of the game, so this learning process should be supplemented with a thorough reading of the manual.

The rest of this chapter is devoted to describing the game options.
{text ends here}


Notes:
-Most important: some of the names of the set-up commands in the original manual did not exactly match the in-game commands

-I have been liberal with the changes because the original was not really clear in several places. Someone who knows the full game well should check to make sure the changed/added statements are correct

1. Solo mode
-Add a ‘1.’ Before ‘Solo mode’
-Check the last two sentences for correctness

2. Play by email
-Check 2nd sentence for correctness

3. Multi-player mode
-Check 1st sentence for correctness; is 2-8 players correct?

6. Options
-Check ‘configuration of your army’ is correct. Was originally ‘material configuration’. I assume this refers to the OoB editor?

[Regiment 0]

I like this.  Does anyone have any objection to using LAN there, as games can be played over the Internet as well?  Is LAN correct anyway, or is there another word to use?

Please use caution here. As these are specific 'commands' on the first game menu, I think the names of these modes should be identical to what is presented in the manual. These are currently as I have written them in my last post. Instead of changing the name of the command, I added some extra clarification in the text that follows. If the in-game names are changed, be sure to change the names in the manual also.

[Franciscus]

Please use caution here. As these are specific 'commands' on the first game menu, I think the names of these modes should be identical to what is presented in-game. These are currently as I have written them in my last post. Instead of changing the name of the command, I added some extra clarification in the text that follows. If the in-game names are changed, be sure to change the names in the manual also.

Yes, you are probably right, this maybe hard-coded...and to boot it would warrant changes both in the game menus and in the manual...maybe it is not worth it, sorry...

[Hook]

These are possible to change, but I'd have to make the manual and the menu screens match.  Some of the files aren't obvious how they should be changed.  I am using caution.

Regmient0, I'm going to compare what you've written with what's already there before I comment.

Hook

[Hook]

2. PLAY BY EMAIL, which allows players to share game files by email. Once you have opened a file sent to you, you have 15 minutes within which to send orders. File sharing enables both participants to advance in the game.

My understanding is that you have as long as you want to view the game, write orders, etc.  The game is played in 15 minute segments this way.  Can you reword this to reflect that?  Thanks.

6.   OPTIONS open the page for the setting of battle parameters. These settings are independent from those relating to the material configuration.

I have no idea what this actually means.

2-8 players is correct.  I've used most of your changes verbatim. I think "7.   TUTORIALS provide an interesting way for new players to learn the game." was the only change I made.

Hook

[CBR]

How about "roundshot, canister, or shells"?  Balls sounds good enough, but grapeshot is a different kind of muntion, not the same as canister, and was used in naval guns.  Any opinions?

Case shot for UK English and Canister (shot) for US English so take your pick 

[Regiment 0]

My understanding is that you have as long as you want to view the game, write orders, etc.  The game is played in 15 minute segments this way.

Ah yes, the lightbulb goes on. How about:

'2. PLAY BY EMAIL, which allows players to share game files by email. Each round of file sharing advances the battle by 15 minutes.'

I'm not completely happy with it, but I'm not really sure of the exact mechanism used for PBM. I used the word 'battle' rather than 'game' because game-time is sort of relative given that it can be sped up.

[Hook]

How about:

2.   PLAY BY EMAIL, which allows players to play together by sharing game files by email.  Each round of file sharing advances the battle by 15 minutes.

Hook

[Regiment 0]

Sounds good to me.

Here is another round of 'corrections'. I really didn't mean change so much, but I'm afraid these sections lack precision. I think the biggest problem, however, is again that the terms used in the manual do not match those in-game. I have corrected these (defaulting to the in-game term but see Notes at end of post) but please check them. These cover the visibility options.

{text starts here}
2.1

The options significantly modify the way the game unfolds. New players are strongly advised to set the parameters to allow maximum control and to reduce the amount of Fog of War. Introducing Fog of War increases the difficulty level, as does, for example, enabling the capture of messengers delivering your orders and selecting the system of delayed message transmission.

2.1.1 View (Full, or Limited to the Commander in Chief)
This option determines the extent to which the camera can move.

Full: there are no constraints on camera movement; the player can view any part of the battlefield at any angle. Visibility options determine how thick the ‘Fog of War’ is and thus the visibility of units.

Limited to the Commander-in-Chief: the camera is restricted to the Commander-in-Chief’s point of view (or to those of the Commanding Officers in multi-player mode). In this mode, the player will have to move his virtual representative in order to see any of the developing events with his own eyes.

2.1.2 Visibility (Unconditional, Marker, Conditional without delay, or Conditional with delay)

This option describes the four modes for detecting enemy units. Detection means that the Commander-in-Chief recognises an enemy unit either visually or by sound.

Unconditional: all enemy units are detected and displayed wherever they are on the map, visible or not, detectable or not.

Marker: detected units are displayed normally. Units which have not been detected are identified with a marker which specifies their most recent known position (or their position at the start of the game).

Conditional without delay: only units detected by one of your allied units are displayed. There is no delay in this mode and the display does not have a ‘memory’; therefore, all displayed positions are accurate.

Conditional with delay: only units detected by one of your allied units are displayed. Allied units must convey information about detected enemy units to the Commander-in-Chief. This information is thus delayed depending on the distance between the allied units and the Commander-in-Chief. The system therefore has a memory, which can mean that the enemy unit positions displayed can be out of date. However, the display does give a ‘time’ for each observation, which tells you how much time has elapsed since the last detection. The longer this time period, the greater the probability that the indicated positions are erroneous.

2.1.3 Visibility of allies (Unconditional, or Conditional)
This option describes the two modes of detection for allied units, but is only enabled if either of the conditional modes for enemy visibility, as defined in 2.1.2, has been selected.

Unconditional: all allied units are displayed wherever they are on the map, even if they are not detectable.

Conditional: a marker is placed on the last known position of allied units which are not currently detected. But all detected units are displayed.

Smoke emanating from combats appears in whatever visibility mode is selected. The same is true for the various sounds associated with the combat. It is therefore recommended that your speakers are arranged to allow you to ascertain as clearly as possibly where the sounds of explosions and other noises are coming from.
{text ends here}


Notes:
2.1.1
-In-game change to match manual: View option ‘Limited to the chief of army’ to ‘Limited to the Commander in Chief’

2.1.2
-In-game change to match manual: Visibility option ‘Marker?’ - remove question mark

2.1.3
-In-game change to match manual: In-game = ‘Friendly visibility’; manual = ‘Visibility of allies’ (not sure what is preferred)
-The original stated that the ‘unconditional’ mode for enemy visibility had to be selected for this option to be available. I changed this to ‘either of the conditional modes’
-Originally this section seemed to be talking about enemy unit detection but isn’t this about how allied units are shown on the map? I have changed this but please check I am correct.