WoWS Text Mod Generator Instruction Manual

You can freely create and install text mods that can be used with WoWS.

Features:
The text strings displayed in the WoWS game are all databased by language, and since they are binary files, they cannot be edited as they are.
This tool can convert the file to a human-readable text file format, edit it, convert it back to binary format, and install it in the appropriate location as a game mod.
The binary file before conversion is called mo file (extension .mo), and the text file after conversion is called po file (extension .po).
The normal procedure for creating a text mod using this tool is as follows:
1. Convert mo file to po file.
2. Create an easy-to-edit list (list file: extension .txt) that selects a character string definition of a specific category from the converted po file.
3. Take out the part of the text string you want to change further from the list file and create a mod configuration file (extension .txt) individually.
4. Process the original po file according to the contents of the mod configuration file.
5. Convert the po file after processing to mo file again.
6. Install the resulting mo file as a text mod in an appropriate location.
The tool automatically performs all of these steps except step 3.
Depending on the contents of step 3, if it can be automated with a batch command, it can be automatically executed.
You can save a copy of each file in the middle of each step, or use that file as a source file.
This tool can create the following text mods. Each mod function can coexist.
Ship name change mod: You can change the name of any ship.
Captain name change mod: You can change the first names and last names of captains that multiple registered in advance.
Collaboration character name change mod: You can change the name of the character of each work collaborated with WoWS.
Mod to change the text of any part: mod to change the display guide, name of ship equipment, class name, etc.
All settings entered in the tool can be saved in a settings file (up to 10) and can be recalled at any time.
As a special function, you can analyze the contents of the specified mo file or po file and output the difference in the list from the default state of the data.
The list can also be reused as a mod configuration file.
It is also possible to output to the list the differences in text data that have changed from the previous version when updating WoWS.
The list can be used to update the mod configuration file.

Notes:
If you start the tool while connected to the Internet, the automatic self-update function will work.
This tool can be used even if the WoWS version is updated, as long as the game data structure itself is not changed significantly.
When the WoWS version is updated, the default text database is almost always updated. Based on this, recreate the mod with this tool every time.
If a file with the file name specified for creation in the process settings already exists, it will be overwritten without warning when the process is executed.
When a zip file is specified in the file specification field (A), if the zip file contains a non-ASCII character file or folder name, decompression will fail. So unzip it manually and specify the global.mo file. If the zip file contains multiple global.mo files, one of them will be used. It will be uncertain.
Click the "Open" button in each file specification field to open the file with the application associated with each file extension.
When installing the created mod mo file, if the mo file (global.mo) already exists in the mod folder, the file is saved with "old_" prefixed to the name, and then a new The mo file is copied there as global.mo. If old_global.mo already exists, it will be overwritten. The same applies when uninstalling the text mod.
If a minor error occurs during processing, only a warning is displayed and processing continues. If the error cannot be continued, processing is interrupted there.
When specifying the file name, when you press the select button to display the file selection dialog, the title is "Choose file to upload", but the file is not actually uploaded anywhere on the net.
UTF-8 is used for all output text files such as po files, list files, etc. The game also seems to use the Unicode character set. When editing, use an editor that supports UTF-8 and Unicode, such as Windows Notepad. It is assumed that the mod configuration file is also written in UTF-8.
However, if you create a text mod along these lines, whether the game client can correctly display the characters in the language included in the mod is another issue. Depending on the language supported by the game client, it may not be possible to handle the characters.
If the font used in the game client does not include the character and cannot be displayed correctly, use the font change mod separately.
Although this tool seems to be compatible with game clients in various languages, please note that the author has not confirmed the operation other than the Japanese version.
The part where the character string is defined as an array in the po file cannot be processed automatically with this tool. Manually open the po file with an editor and edit it.
Do not edit each file in the config folder where this tool is installed. You can delete the file.
If WoWS is installed in a different location, and if you are using this tool for the Steam version of WoWS, specify the correct installation location of WorldOfWarships.exe.
Input example for Steam version WoWS -> C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\World of Warships\bin\xxxxxx
The Steam version of WoWS is not subject to the author's operation check.
If the full path name of the location where this tool is located, where WoWS is installed, the file name of each specification field contains single byte characters "%", "!", "^", This tool will not work properly.
This tool works by a mechanism called HTA. This tool requires mshta.exe, which is standard on Windows.
Windows Powershell must be installed.
The author has confirmed the operation of this tool in the environment of Windows10 1903 + InternetExplorer11, but it may not work depending on other Windows versions and IE versions.
In that case, it would be greatly appreciated if you could send us detailed information such as "your environment", "under what circumstances", "what you did" and "what happened" from the feedback section on the website.
Regardless of whether the file has been modified or not, the author will not be aware of any damage caused by using this tool and mod.

About the ship name change mod:
In the game, there are two types of ship names, short ship name and long ship name, which are mainly displayed at the time of battle, and long ship names are mainly displayed at the port.
The only objects that can be changed with this mod are the port screen and the ship name displayed during battle. If you want to change other parts such as the ship name included in the equipment, you need to create another mod.
If you change the ship name to a completely different name, you can change the number of ships, but if there are too many, you will be confused during the battle. It seems better to keep it in your favorite ship.
You cannot change the name of your own ship. If there is a ship whose name has been changed by an enemy ally during battle, they will also be displayed with that name, but this is a game specification.
The short ship name and the long ship name may be the same, but if the number of characters is too long, it may not be displayed.
When creating a ship name change mod, first create a ship name list file, select the ship whose name you want to change based on it, and copy it to the mod configuration file. After changing the ship name, save the file and use the tool again to create the mod.
One-line data structure for list files and mod configuration files:
Ship_ID:"Short ship name":"Long ship name"
The configuration file used in the ship name change mod creation batch can be used as it is.

About the captain name change mod:
In the game, when a captain is newly appointed, the name is automatically determined, but in the internal processing, a number is randomly determined for each gender and name, and each number is stored on the game server.
On the client, the character string in the text database corresponding to the number is displayed.
With this tool, you can create a mod that changes the character and name strings corresponding to each number in the text database, but you cannot change the number stored in the game server.
When you want to change the names of Japanese and Pan-Asian captains to Kanji, you need to write the last name in the first name, the first name in the last name because the notation of the name will be reversed.
When creating a captain name change mod, first create a captain name list file, select the country whose name you want to change based on it, and copy all the lines to the mod configuration file. After changing the captain name, save the file and use the tool again to create a mod.
One-line data structure for list files and mod configuration files:
[FIRSTNAME / LASTNAME]_[Country]_[Number(0-29)]:"First name or Last name"
The configuration file used in the captain name change mod creation batch can be used as it is.

About collaboration character name change mod:
You can change the names of the character captains of the works "Arpeggio of Blue Steel", "High School Fleet", "Azur Lane", "Oshiro Project:RE" and the event "Rogue Wave" that have been collaborated with WoWS.
This mod will only change the part that is displayed as the captain name in the game.
Unlike the usual captain name, it is not divided by last name or first name.
When creating a character name change mod, first create a collaboration character name list file, select the character whose name you want to change based on it, and copy it to the mod configuration file. Once renamed, save the file and use the tool again to create the mod.
One-line data structure for list files and mod configuration files:
Character_name_ID:"Name"
You can use the configuration file that was used in the batch creation mod change batch for exclusive use of collaboration characters.

About mod to change the text of any part:
You can change almost any text defined in the po file. (Some parts cannot be supported.)
If you want to change the text string that cannot be changed by the above three mods, you can create this mod to handle it.
When creating this mod, search the po file for the part you want to change and copy its ID to the mod configuration file. After changing the string part, save the file and use the tool again to create a mod.
One line data structure of mod configuration file:
Character string definition ID (starts with IDS_):"character string"
The definition ID is a character string enclosed in "" on the line starting with msgid in the po file.
You can write anything, but you can use \n if you want to put a newline on the display. If you want to combine multiple strings and display them, separate the strings enclosed in "" with tabs.
Notation example:
(mod configuration file)
IDS_DETECTED_AIRCARRIER:""(tab)"Aircraft carrier \n"(tab)"found"

(po file)
msgid "IDS_DETECTED_AIRCARRIER"
msgstr ""
"Aircraft carrier \n"
"found"

About command execution:
With this setting item, after the list is created, the set command can be executed at the timing before starting the mod creation.
The command must be a file name. Usually, specify the batch file created by yourself.
It can be used when you want to create a mod configuration file automatically from the created list file.
Argument passed: "Path name of the processing source po file" "Path name of the created list file" "Operation target WoWS installation folder name"
The file of each path name is used only for reading and should not be written.
Return value: 0:"Normal end" The tool continues processing after the command is executed. Other than 0:"An error occurred" The tool stops processing after the command is executed.

About mod difference analysis function:
You can compare the specified mo file or po file with the default text data file of the game, and output the difference to the list file where it has been changed.
The output difference is only for the specified mo file or po file.

About update difference analysis function:
By automatically saving the po file of the game default data of the current version in advance, you can output the difference to the list where the text data of the previous version was changed when updating WoWS.
If the previous version of the po file is saved, it will be analyzed and only the current version of the difference will be output as a list file. At this time, you will be asked if you want to finish the analysis. If you select OK, the current version of the po file will be saved automatically.
This will also be used for analysis during the next version upgrade. When the analysis is finished, the current version of the analysis process can no longer be performed. However, the same analysis can be performed any number of times by canceling the termination.
If the previous version of the po file is not saved, the analysis will not be performed. However, if the analysis is terminated in the same way, only the current version of the po file can be saved.
Please note that if you do not save the po file every time you update WoWS, you will have to compare it with an older version.
The po file is saved separately for each WoWS game registered in the list as an operation target.