1.1 ‐ Run TSW Game

Features

• Corrected translation based on the original Japanese version

• Raised the refresh rate and solved lag

• Improved keyboard control of player movement by shortening the delay when holding down an arrow key (starting from v3.1.5)

• Improved movement / stair / door-opening / battle animations, which are made much smoothier (starting from v3.1.5)

• Improved default window positioning, title, and font (starting from v3.1.5)

• Fixed a bug on the display of GOLD income for defeating "strike-first" monsters (starting from v3.1.5)

• Changed the text colors so as to make them clearer against the gray background

• Added shortcut keys for saving/loading files, toggling background music on/off, and game speed modes

• Added a "Super High Speed" mode

  • Its shortcut key is Ctrl+1. Afterwards, you can click the Options -> Save Options menu item to ensure the change will be always applied in the future
  • This can significantly reduce the refresh interval and animation duration in the game, which is well suitable for experienced players who would like to focus on calculations and route optimization

Warning

This mode is not compatible with older or non-"Rev" versions of the TSW program. If you find them running very slowly, please switch to another speed mode (High / Middle / Low speed, whose shortcut keys are Ctrl+2/3/4 respectively), and click the Options -> Save Options menu item to ensure the change will be always applied in the future.

• Fixed bugs including text misplacement, tile mask offset, heap overflow, etc. (For details, please see Corrections Log)

Use Portable Package (Recommended)

• Download the all-in-one package; extract its contents into any path you like (preferably a permanent path).

Tip

This portable package is compatible with previous installation of TSW.

• Run tswLauncher.exe (see figure below)

Tip

The program will auto select the display language and the default type of TSW to run (English or Chinese) based on the user's language settings.

• Move the mouse to show tooltips. Select a subtype in the dropdown list, and then press Enter key or click on the Launch button to run TSW.

  The differences among the four subtypes [English (Original), English (Revised), Chinese, Chinese (Retranslated)] are introduced below.

Tip

Upon startup of the TSW game, there will be a 5-second-long "prologue," which can be skipped by pressing F2 or clicking the Game -> Game Start menu.

• If you would like to always skip the "prologue" animation in the future, please untick the Options -> Prologue menu item, and then click the Options -> Save Options menu item to ensure the change will be always applied in the future (Note: This is only applicable to the new Rev version).

Tip

For experienced players who would like to focus on calculations and route optimization, it is recommended to enable the "Super High Speed" mode (Note: This is only applicable to the new Rev version).

Please click the Options -> Speed -> Super High menu item (or use the Ctrl+1 shortcut key), and then click the Options -> Save Options menu item to ensure the change will be always applied in the future.

Click here for more details...

• Only one instance of tswLauncher or TSW can be running at a time.

• If a specified subtype of TSW starts successfully, its window will be repositioned in the center of the screen (instead of the top left corner); if it fails to start, the process will be terminated within 4 seconds (see the Troubleshooting section).

• If you have previous installation of TSW, tswLauncher will check the path of the TSW configuration file (see the Troubleshooting section) and do the following:

  • If a valid TSW12.BAK.INI exists: will use the old data-save path in that file and the current installation path; will overwrite the TSW12.INI file and ignore the configs therein;
  • ElseIf a valid TSW12.INI exists: will use the old data-save path in that file and the current installation path; will overwrite the TSW12.INI file; only when its old installation path differs from the current one, will make a backup copy of it as TSW12.BAK.INI;
  • Else: will use the current data-save path and the current installation path.

Subtypes

• English (Original): Most similar to the original version; the translation is not corrected; some system dialog texts are in Japanese; damage, ranking, etc. are displayed in red text on a gray background (low contrast); but most bugs have been corrected
• English (Revised): On top of the subtype above: Most of inappropriate translations are corrected with reference to the Japanese version; Japanese texts in all system dialogs are replaced; yellow texts are displayed instead to make them clearer; bold fonts are used in dialogs
• Chinese: Japanese texts in all system dialogs are replaced; most bugs have been corrected
• Chinese (Retranslated): On top of the subtype above: Terms are retranslated with reference to the Japanese version

Note

The English Version TSW and its Flash replica (derived from the English Version TSW while including some modifications from the author) differ significantly from the original Japanese Version TSW in terms of dialog terminology and item nomenclature.

• Therefore, in the first, "normal" Chinese translated version, the terminology and dialog translations have been adjusted to accommodate naming conventions used in both the English / Japanese Version TSW and Flash replica. This ensures accurate conveyance of the author's intentions while avoiding alienation for veteran players.
• In contrast, the "retranslated" Chinese version and the "revised" English version adhere more closely to the original meaning of the dialogs in the Japanese Version TSW in order to provide players with an authentic experience of a Japanese RPG.

To avoid confusion, click here to expand the table where a comparison is drawn between the terminologies used in English (Revised) / Chinese (Retranslated) subtypes and old translations:

新译法	旧译法	New Terms	Old Terms	日本語
门（无定语修饰）	黄门	-	Door (no adjective)	扉
紫门	蓝门	-	Blue Door	紫色の扉
闸门	机关门（逻辑门）	-	Gate	門
钥匙（无定语修饰）	黄钥匙	-	Key (no adjective)	鍵
紫钥匙	蓝钥匙	-	Blue Key	紫色の鍵
生命力	生命值	HP	Vital Power	生命力
-	攻击力	ATK	Offensive Power	攻撃力
-	防御力	DEF	Defensive Power	防御力
祭坛	商店	-	Altar	祭壇
蓝/红回复药	大/小血瓶	Blue/Red Elixir	Blue/Red Potion	青い/赤い回復薬
蓝/红水晶	蓝/红宝石	-	Blue/Red Crystal	青/赤のクリスタル
神盾	神圣盾	-	Sacred Shield	神盾
神剑·威珀讷『Weaponer』	神圣剑	-	Sacred Sword "Weaponer"	神剣ウェポナー
全知神杖·殷忒镠『Intellion』	智慧权杖	-	Omniscient Staff "Intellion"	全能の杖インテリオン
勇者灵球	怪物手册	Orb of Hero	Orb of the Hero	勇者のオーブ
智慧灵球	备忘录	-	Orb of Wisdom	知恵のオーブ
飞翔灵球	楼层传送器	Orb of Flight	Orb of Flying	飛翔のオーブ
万灵药	圣水	Elixir	Magic Elixir	エリクサー
破坏爆弹	炸弹	Destruction Ball	Destrubtible Ball	破壊の玉
空间转移秘宝（瞬移之翼）	中心对称飞行器	Warp Wing	Warp Staff	空間転移の秘宝
升华之翼	上楼器	Ascent Wing	Wing to Fly Up	昇華の翼
降临之翼	下楼器	Descent Wing	Wing to Fly Down	降臨の翼
雪之结晶	冰魔法（冰冻徽章）	-	Snow Crystal	雪の結晶
超级镐（宝石魔镐）	地震卷轴	Super Mattock	Super Magic Mattock	スーパーマトック
盗贼	小偷	-	Thief	盗賊
蝙蝠	小蝙蝠	-	Bat	バット
僧侣（祭司）	初级法师	-	Priest	僧侶
上级僧侣（大祭司）	高级法师	High Priest	Superion Priest	上級僧侶
门卫·甲/乙/丙	高/中/初级卫兵	Gateman A/B/C	Gate-Keeper A/B/C	門番Ａ/Ｂ/Ｃ
骷髅·甲/乙/丙	骷髅队长/骷髅士兵/骷髅人	-	Skeleton A/B/C	スケルトンＡ/Ｂ/Ｃ
丧尸（骑士）	兽人（武士）	-	Zombie (Knight)	ゾンビ（ナイト）
石怪	石头人	-	Rock	ロック
史莱姆·绿/红/大	绿色/红色/大史莱姆	Slime G/R/B	Green/Red/Big Slime	Ｇ/Ｒ/Ｂスライム
史莱姆人	幽灵	-	Slime Man	スライムマン
-	史莱姆王	Slime K	Slime Lord	Ｋスライム
龙	魔龙	-	Dragon	ドラゴン
死灵战士	鬼战士	-	Ghost Soldier	死霊兵士
剑士	双手剑士	-	Swordsman	剣士
金骑士	骑士队长	-	Golden Knight	金騎士
黑骑士	黑暗骑士	-	Dark Knight	黒騎士
魔术士·甲/乙（高/级术士）	高/初级巫师	-	Magician A/B	魔術士Ａ/Ｂ
魔导师	魔法警卫	Sorcerer	Magic Sergeant	魔導師
大魔导师	大法师	Archsorcerer	Great Magic Master	大魔導師
魔导师·芝诺	魔王zeno	Zeno the Sorcerer	Magic Sergeant, Zeno	魔導師ゼノ

The differences in dialog lines are not shown here due to space limitations.

Troubleshooting

After opening tswLauncher.exe,

• If a message box prompts Error: Cannot find TSW folder: ".\TSW1.2r1".; or when you click the 'Launch' button, a message box directly pops up with Warning: Cannot run ".\TSW1.2r1\TSW*.exe".

  • Please ensure the integrity of the all-in-one package, and that tswLauncher.exe is not moved to a new location. If you would like to move it to your desktop, make a desktop shortcut rather than moving the executable file there.

• After clicking the "Launch" button, the TSW process can be opened successfully, but a bunch of message boxes appear, and the TSW program terminates in 4 seconds with a warning dialog, Warning: Cannot run ".\TSW1.2r1\TSW*.exe".

  • In such a case, please ensure the integrity of the all-in-one package, and then rerun tswLauncher.exe. If the issue persists, click the Initialize button.

Note

The program installation path and data storage path are recorded in the following config file: %windir%\TSW12.INI; for Windows Vista or later systems with user access control (UAC) enabled, the real path is instead %localappdata%\VirtualStore\Windows\TSW12.INI.

• For other message boxes, please follow their prompt texts.

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After running TSW,

• In case of Mojibake (left figure below) when running the Chinese version, it is because the system locale is not in simplified Chinese, and there are two possible workarounds:

  • Open Control Panel (Note: It is not the Settings app for Windows 8 and later), go to Regions -> Administrative -> Language for non-Unicode programs, and change it to Chinese (Simplified, China), as shown in the right figure below.
  • Or instead, use Locale Emulator.

• If it is running very slowly, it might be because you are running an old or non-"Rev" version of the TSW program, which is incompatible with the "Super High Speed" mode.

  • Please use the new version TSW in the all-in-one package.
  • If you insist using the old version, please switch to another speed mode (High / Middle / Low speed, whose shortcut keys are Ctrl+2/3/4 respectively), and click the Options -> Save Options menu item to ensure the change will be always applied in the future.

• For other problems, please submit an issue here.

Install And Patch Manually (Deprecated)

It is recommended to use the portable package. If you would like to continue anyway, click here to expand:

• Download the official installer of TSW here or visit the official website.

• You will have to run the executable as administrator to install.

• Download the patch and extract all contents to the installation path of TSW (for example, C:\Program Files (x86)\Tower of the Sorcerer). Choose to merge the folder and overwrite existing files.

• Run any of the following executables to start the TSW game (For your convenience, you can make desktop shortcuts for them):

  • TSW.exe - English (Original)
  • TSW.EN.exe - English (Revised)
  • TSW.CN.exe - Chinese
  • TSW.CNJP.exe - Chinese (Retranslated)

Corrections Log

• Corrected translation based on the original Japanese version

  • Fixed the invalid Internet link in the About box; (except the English (Original) subtype,) replaced the Japanese texts in system dialogs

• Raised the refresh rate and solved lag

  • In the Low / Middle / High-speed modes, the tile refreshing intervals were cut from 350 / 250 / 150 ms to 275 / 200 / 125 ms, respectively; event refreshing intervals were cut from 350 / 250 / 150 ms to 150 / 100 / 50 ms, respectively
  • Added a "Super High Speed" mode: On top of the High-speed mode, the event refreshing interval was further shortened to 10 ms (which is the theoretical minimal interval supported by the Windows SetTimer API)

• Improved keyboard control of player movement by shortening the delay when holding down an arrow key (starting from v3.1.5)

• Improve player / monster movement animation tweens, which are made much smoothier (starting from v3.1.5)

• Improved stair and door-opening animations by shortening the animation duration in fast / superfast speed modes (starting from v3.1.5)

• Improved battle animations such that animations for neighboring battle rounds are separated clearly (starting from v3.1.5)

• Solved the issue of low-contrast texts on a background that is hardly visible

  • About box: black-on-black -> black-on-gray; NPC dialogs: white-on-gray -> dark-gray-on-light-gray (as well as bold fonts are used for the English (Revised) subtype); (except for the English (Original) subtype,) damage and ranking: red-on-gray -> yellow-on-gray

• Added shortcut keys for saving/loading files, toggling background music on/off, and game speed modes

  • Toggle background music on/off: F3
  • Load data: Alt+1/2/.../8
  • Save data: Ctrl+Alt+1/2/.../8
  • Game speed setting: Ctrl+4/3/2/1 for Low / Middle / High / Super High-speed modes

• Fixed an issue in TSW where the prologue animation would always be displayed at the beginning regardless of whether the user has enabled the "Prologue" option

• Fixed an issue in TSW where the sound effect would not be played when the interval between adjacent sound effects is too short (especially for the Fast speed mode)

• Corrected the wrong GOLD income prompt after defeating a "strike-first" monster when holding the Lucky Gold (the income should double) (starting from v3.1.5)

• Corrected the wrong prompt after finishing the 40F boss battle (starting from v3.1.5)

• Corrected the misplaced texts for 50F NPC Thief, magic attacks from Magicians in the back-side tower, etc.

• Corrected the mask bitmap of Magician A, which was offset by 1 pixel

• Fixed the bug of heap overflow during the show-up animation for 49F Sorcerers

  • Bug description: When you have experienced a relatively long event before the appearance of the 49F Sorcerers, there is a chance that an additional non-existent event will be triggered. This is because the pointer for the "current event ID" was mistakenly incremented by one, pointing to an incorrect memory address.

• Made a few adaptions to be compatible with the tswKai3 modifier

  • For example, added the lines for the 45F Merchant to add 88000 HP in the back-side tower; set the enabled state for the bottom status bar (in order to act in concert with the map enhancement function)

• Improved positioning of the game window on the screen (On startup, will be positioned at the primary screen center; on size change, will try to grow / shrink the window with its center position preserved, but the window will not exceed the primary screen edges) (starting from v3.1.5)

• Improved default dialog window title and font (starting from v3.1.5)

• For other bug fixes and enhancements, please use the tswKai3 modifier (There are two options: One takes effect only during runtime and the other makes permanent changes; see 1.2.1 - Patch Config for more details)