Pathologic Classic HD - a Pathologic remaster (not the remake)

[alphyna]

No custom avatars here (for us peasants, anyway), but if you're a developer and request it, I'm sure they will allow it.

Also, when you'll have any news about how the Pathologic Classic HD upgrade will work on GOG (for those who have already bought the original version), please share.

Oh no, that'd be too much fuss. Guess we'll have to be avatar bros.

As for the news, it's coming early this week.

The original English translation was an interesting case study, it was nonsense but the long-winded dialogues made every character seem evasive and more mysterious than they were.

I hear this all the time, and I'm weirded out by people saying that! Which is to say, I find it hard to see how the old translation was fascinating. I think I know why that is: as a slav, I identify the Russian structures in the text, so it just seems like bad Runglish to me, while those of you who have no knowledge of said structures may find them curious and even aesthetically pleasing. Like listening to a song in a foreign language.

Have you played all three characters though?

(On the other hand, I've just skimmed through several pages of the old translation, and I can definitely see where you're coming from. It has that Twin-Peaks-backwards-speech quality, doesn't it? The thing it, Twin Peaks wouldn't have been a good series if everyone talked like that all the time, I think.)

 

[Whisky]

Oh no, that'd be too much fuss. Guess we'll have to be avatar bros.

As for the news, it's coming early this week.

It's no fuss, I'm an admin and I can apply it.

(On the other hand, I've just skimmed through several pages of the old translation, and I can definitely see where you're coming from. It has that Twin-Peaks-backwards-speech quality, doesn't it? The thing it, Twin Peaks wouldn't have been a good series if everyone talked like that all the time, I think.)

That's the best way to describe it. I certainly wasn't saying it was a good translation but it was initially interesting (Even if I've played Stalker mods that had similar Runglish). It got troublesome later on, especially when the mistakes were less literal translation issues and started including quest dialogue that sent you to he wrong area.

I've completed the Haruspix's scenario and I intend to play as the Bachelor for the re-translation.

 

[alphyna]

It's no fuss, I'm an admin and I can apply it.

Sweet! What do I do then?

That's the best way to describe it. I certainly wasn't saying it was a good translation but it was initially interesting (Even if I've played Stalker mods that had similar Runglish). It got troublesome later on, especially when the mistakes were less literal translation issues and started including quest dialogue that sent you to he wrong area.

I've completed the Haruspix's scenario and I intend to play as the Bachelor for the re-translation.

I asked about the characters because the Changeling's/Devotresses' storyline tends to descend into complete gibberish in the old translation, and sometimes I feel that the people who were fascinated by the old translation haven't tried to breach her story. In your case, suspicion confirmed!

In any case, I just learned today that those who buy the Classic HD edition on GOG will get the oldest edition for free. And if you had it, it'll remain in the GOG library rather than being replaced. So everyone who fancies the old translation is actually welcome to find out what the actual story was and then return to the weird translation if they so desire.

 

[Whisky]

Just post the avatar here or pm me and I'll apply it after work. Either works.

Yeah, I heard about her scenario being the worst for the translation. Haruspix got difficult near the end too especially when it starts dealing with more abstract concepts.

 

[Castanova]

...

For this re-release, did you guys recompile the game for today's operating systems and hardware? Or was it more an update on the asset side and you stuck with the original EXE and so on?

I ask because I've always had a bizarre bug on my current computer where the game's clock would essentially freeze after ~6 in-game days pass. I actually completed my first playthrough by using the console to manually progress the time by an hour at a time to make sure I activated all the events (tells you how much I love this game). This bug persists even when I start a new game with a different character, etc.

 

[Lucky]

Sweet! What do I do then?


I asked about the characters because the Changeling's/Devotresses' storyline tends to descend into complete gibberish in the old translation, and sometimes I feel that the people who were fascinated by the old translation haven't tried to breach her story. In your case, suspicion confirmed!

In any case, I just learned today that those who buy the Classic HD edition on GOG will get the oldest edition for free. And if you had it, it'll remain in the GOG library rather than being replaced. So everyone who fancies the old translation is actually welcome to find out what the actual story was and then return to the weird translation if they so desire.

Part of what I like about the original translation is how it can look like gibberish, but read like it should be comprehensible. As if you're in a village full of crazy people whose minds have been touched by the disease, while you yourself get sucked into their little world the longer you hang around. Going from being an outsider to becoming a part of their community, as it were. It's a pretty neat way of conveying madness and decay, so I hope the new translation doesn't lose that quality.

On a side note, is there any chance of this getting a retail release?

 

[Owl]

GOG preorder page is up. 70% off if you already own the original version.

 

[alphyna]

For this re-release, did you guys recompile the game for today's operating systems and hardware? Or was it more an update on the asset side and you stuck with the original EXE and so on?

I ask because I've always had a bizarre bug on my current computer where the game's clock would essentially freeze after ~6 in-game days pass. I actually completed my first playthrough by using the console to manually progress the time by an hour at a time to make sure I activated all the events (tells you how much I love this game). This bug persists even when I start a new game with a different character, etc.

We've heard about this bug in the old version, but never encountered it during the testing process. In any case, the game has indeed been recompiled, so it should work properly. And if for some reason it doesn't, fret not—we are planning to support it after the release anyway.

Part of what I like about the original translation is how it can look like gibberish, but read like it should be comprehensible. As if you're in a village full of crazy people whose minds have been touched by the disease, while you yourself get sucked into their little world the longer you hang around. Going from being an outsider to becoming a part of their community, as it were. It's a pretty neat way of conveying madness and decay, so I hope the new translation doesn't lose that quality.

On a side note, is there any chance of this getting a retail release?

Since I've lost the ability to evaluate the level of madness for now, you'll be the people to judge if it's still there. And hopefully tell me.

I don't think there are any plans concerning a retail release. It would be fun and look cool, but please keep in mind that all our funds go into the super-new Pathologic.

 

[Jack]

GOG preorder page is up. 70% off if you already own the original version.

Fug, I didn't get 70% off for some reason. Are you sure that this should be the case? If so I should contact support.

Also, how come Cargo! isn't on GOG yet?

Edit: double fug. You're supposed to input a code manually? Eh, whatever then.

 

[alphyna]

Fug, I didn't get 70% off for some reason. Are you sure that this should be the case? If so I should contact support.

You should. You can find a discount code on the old Pathologic page in the library (see a bit more on that here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1535515364/pathologic/posts/1395294). Not sure what to do if you've purchased the game without it though (guess the GOG support can help).

 

[Starwars]

Gotta say I'm looking forward to playing this. I remember loving the original but my memory of it is sort of a haze (maybe indeed partly due to the wonky translation). Gonna be great to revisit it again.

And hopefully good progress is made on the remake as well.

 

[ghostdog]

I'm really looking forward for both versions. Pathologic HD with updated translation was a great idea.


alphyna about the backers that want a GOG key, they should wait for the time being, right ?
In the last update you said that all backers are eligible for a gog key, so I don't have to send a message to make my intentions known like you said in a previous update?

Also is there a problem with the backer's dashboard ? I'm trying to get in http://pathologic-game.com/user/dashboard/ and I'm getting an error message:

Spoiler

Error!

Access denied.

 

[Castanova]

Ugh I didn't buy the original on GOG and I didn't back the remake at a high enough tier to get the Classic HD version either. $12 for Classic HD is actually more than I spent on the original game, which didn't even work properly!

 

[alphyna]

alphyna about the backers that want a GOG key, they should wait for the time being, right ?
In the last update you said that all backers are eligible for a gog key, so I don't have to send a message to make my intentions known like you said in a previous update?

Also is there a problem with the backer's dashboard ? I'm trying to get in http://pathologic-game.com/user/dashboard/ and I'm getting an error message:

Spoiler

Error!

Access denied.

Yup, just wait some more please. We are basically working out a way to provide the keys to those who request them without any mixups. As of now, no specific messages are needed (we were just testing the waters), and I hope there never will be a need for them. Don't take my word for it though, I'm not on the tech team.

As for the error message, whoa! I don't like this. Could you please send this to support@ice-pick.com? That would be the fastest way to get it fixed.

 

[LESS T_T]

Preview piece on PC Invasion: http://www.pcinvasion.com/pathologic-classic-hd-impressions

 

[Infinitron]

Released on GOG: http://af.gog.com/game/pathologic_classic_hd?as=1649904300

 

[Aruil]

And downloadable on Steam (at least for me).

 

[Starwars]

 

[Owl]

Developer chat going on right now in the "Ice-Pick Lodge Official" Steam group.

 

[Lucky]

Ugh, this game is so good. If anything, this re-release is a wonderful excuse to play it again. I've started with trying out the English translation and I have yet to encounter any problems. Granted, I’m not that far in, but there's been no jankiness or crashes. The English so far is also more readable than that of the original, while still being esoteric enough to suit the game. If it keeps this up, I'd say the translation is an improvement over the original and that would make this the definite version for people to get. Credit to alphyna for that and I’m especially curious what the Devotress route will look like. With this people will have no excuse anymore not to play this game, unless they’re suicidally depressed, in which case you could see it as another reason not to play it.

A question to alphyna though: do you know if the German translation of the old game will eventually get added to this version? I’d like to try out the all the different language-versions with the other improvements made in this release, but the German translation is still missing.

 

[Maxwell's Demon]

I picked up a copy of this today and playing it is rather exhausting. In a good way.

I don't think I can marathon this one without something stronger than coffee, though.

 

[alphyna]

...
A question to alphyna though: do you know if the German translation of the old game will eventually get added to this version? I’d like to try out the all the different language-versions with the other improvements made in this release, but the German translation is still missing.

Your experience with the translation sounds precisely like it should. Good.

As for the German translation, sadly, it's very simple—we don't have the rights, they belong to the old publisher. So for now we're not getting overly ambitious about non-English versions of the game. Can't promise they'll ever be added. (Personally, I also get all itchy and twitchy about publishing texts the quality of which we can't check since we don't speak the languages, but we've already done it with Polish, so that's not really THAT big of an issue.)

Edit: Ah, turns out it's even worse. The rights belong to the companies that no longer exist at all. They're in legal limbo and we can't use them for now because we don't even know who to pay to buy them out.

 

[Konjad]

Will there be an official Linux port of this remake?

 

[alphyna]

Will there be an official Linux port of this remake?

I don't think so, the old homebrew engine is very unkind to porting. But a semi-official guide on how to run it under Wine is coming.

 

[Lucky]

Your experience with the translation sounds precisely like it should. Good.

As for the German translation, sadly, it's very simple—we don't have the rights, they belong to the old publisher. So for now we're not getting overly ambitious about non-English versions of the game. Can't promise they'll ever be added. (Personally, I also get all itchy and twitchy about publishing texts the quality of which we can't check since we don't speak the languages, but we've already done it with Polish, so that's not really THAT big of an issue.)

Edit: Ah, turns out it's even worse. The rights belong to the companies that no longer exist at all. They're in legal limbo and we can't use them for now because we don't even know who to pay to buy them out.

Ah, that's a shame. I remember the German translation as being substantially better than the English one so the translator must have put some serious work into it, and good work being wasted because of rights issues is always agitating. Shouldn't in this case the rights revert to the original translator(s)?

 

[DosBuster]

Firstly, thanks for translating.. this strange game. The translation quality has been good, there were are few times where I had to read over a certain part multiple times before I understood it. But I think it adds to the hostile and foreign atmosphere.

That's one thing I hope the HD remake doesn't mess with too much, the game's well.. crappy look is done so well that I think it adds to the atmosphere.