diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/data/Application.java b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/data/Application.java
index 7e1a1b3..a92d7cd 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/data/Application.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/data/Application.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: Application.java,v 1.6 2004/07/07 08:42:40 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: Application.java,v 1.7 2004/07/07 10:45:20 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.getdown.data;
 
@@ -246,6 +246,16 @@ public class Application
         return new File(_appdir, path);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Attempts to redownload the <code>getdown.txt</code> file based on
+     * information parsed from a previous call to {@link #init}.
+     */
+    public void attemptRecovery ()
+        throws IOException
+    {
+        downloadControlFile(CONFIG_FILE);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Invokes the process associated with this application definition.
      */
@@ -473,7 +483,8 @@ public class Application
             throw new NestableIOException("Invalid path '" + path + "'.", e);
         }
 
-        Log.info("Attempting to refetch '" + path + "'.");
+        Log.info("Attempting to refetch '" + path + "' from '" +
+                 targetURL + "'.");
 
         // stream the URL into our temporary file
         InputStream fin = null;
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/Getdown.java b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/Getdown.java
index 696c69b..75a0088 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/Getdown.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/Getdown.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: Getdown.java,v 1.5 2004/07/07 08:42:40 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: Getdown.java,v 1.6 2004/07/07 10:45:20 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.getdown.launcher;
 
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ import java.io.FileOutputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.PrintStream;
 
+import java.text.MessageFormat;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.ResourceBundle;
 
 import org.apache.commons.io.TeeOutputStream;
 
@@ -35,14 +37,21 @@ public class Getdown
     public Getdown (File appDir)
     {
         _app = new Application(appDir);
+        _msgs = ResourceBundle.getBundle("com.threerings.getdown.messages");
     }
 
     public void run ()
     {
         try {
-            for (int ii = 0; ii < MAX_LOOPS; ii++) {
+            try {
                 _ifc = _app.init();
+            } catch (IOException ioe) {
+                Log.warning("Failed to parse 'getdown.txt': " + ioe);
+                _app.attemptRecovery();
+                _ifc = _app.init();
+            }
 
+            for (int ii = 0; ii < MAX_LOOPS; ii++) {
                 if (_app.verifyMetadata()) {
                     Log.info("Application requires update.");
                     update();
@@ -91,13 +100,12 @@ public class Getdown
         Downloader.Observer obs = new Downloader.Observer() {
             public void resolvingDownloads () {
                 Log.info("Resolving downloads...");
-                _status.setStatus("Resolving downloads...");
+                _status.setStatus(_msgs.getString("m.resolving"));
             }
 
             public void downloadProgress (int percent, long remaining) {
-                _status.setStatus("Download progress " + percent + "%, " +
-                                  remaining + " seconds remaining.");
-                _status.setProgress(percent);
+                _status.setStatus(_msgs.getString("m.downloading"));
+                _status.setProgress(percent, remaining);
                 if (percent == 100) {
                     synchronized (lock) {
                         lock.notify();
@@ -106,7 +114,10 @@ public class Getdown
             }
 
             public void downloadFailed (Resource rsrc, Exception e) {
-                _status.setStatus("Download failed: " + e.getMessage());
+                String msg = MessageFormat.format(
+                    _msgs.getString("m.failure"),
+                    new Object[] { e.getMessage() });
+                _status.setStatus(msg);
                 Log.warning("Download failed [rsrc=" + rsrc + "].");
                 Log.logStackTrace(e);
                 synchronized (lock) {
@@ -134,7 +145,7 @@ public class Getdown
     protected void launch ()
     {
         if (_status != null) {
-            _status.setStatus("Launching...");
+            _status.setStatus(_msgs.getString("m.launching"));
         }
 
         try {
@@ -175,7 +186,8 @@ public class Getdown
 
         // create our user interface, and display it
         _frame = new JFrame(StringUtil.blank(_ifc.name) ? "" : _ifc.name);
-        _status = new StatusPanel(bounds, bgimg, ppos, spos);
+        _frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
+        _status = new StatusPanel(_msgs, bounds, bgimg, ppos, spos);
         _frame.getContentPane().add(_status, BorderLayout.CENTER);
         _frame.pack();
         SwingUtil.centerWindow(_frame);
@@ -220,6 +232,7 @@ public class Getdown
     protected Application _app;
     protected Application.UpdateInterface _ifc;
 
+    protected ResourceBundle _msgs;
     protected JFrame _frame;
     protected StatusPanel _status;
 
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/StatusPanel.java b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/StatusPanel.java
index 2e89398..d51658a 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/StatusPanel.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/StatusPanel.java
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 //
-// $Id: StatusPanel.java,v 1.1 2004/07/07 08:42:40 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: StatusPanel.java,v 1.2 2004/07/07 10:45:20 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.getdown.launcher;
 
+import java.awt.AlphaComposite;
 import java.awt.Color;
+import java.awt.Composite;
 import java.awt.Dimension;
 import java.awt.Graphics2D;
 import java.awt.Graphics;
@@ -12,16 +14,21 @@ import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
 
 import javax.swing.JComponent;
 
+import java.text.MessageFormat;
+import java.util.ResourceBundle;
+
 import com.samskivert.swing.Label;
+import com.samskivert.swing.util.SwingUtil;
 
 /**
  * Displays download and patching status.
  */
 public class StatusPanel extends JComponent
 {
-    public StatusPanel (Rectangle bounds, BufferedImage bgimg,
-                        Rectangle ppos, Rectangle spos)
+    public StatusPanel (ResourceBundle msgs, Rectangle bounds,
+                        BufferedImage bgimg, Rectangle ppos, Rectangle spos)
     {
+        _msgs = msgs;
         _bgimg = bgimg;
         _psize = new Dimension(bounds.width, bounds.height);
         _ppos = ppos;
@@ -31,9 +38,14 @@ public class StatusPanel extends JComponent
     /**
      * Adjusts the progress display to the specified percentage.
      */
-    public void setProgress (int percent)
+    public void setProgress (int percent, long remaining)
     {
         _progress = percent;
+        String msg = (remaining > 1) ? "m.complete_remain" : "m.complete";
+        msg = _msgs.getString(msg);
+        String label = MessageFormat.format(msg, new Object[] {
+            new Integer(percent), new Long(remaining) });
+        _newplab = new Label(label);
         repaint();
     }
 
@@ -53,29 +65,46 @@ public class StatusPanel extends JComponent
         super.paintComponent(g);
         Graphics2D gfx = (Graphics2D)g;
 
-        // if we have a new label; lay it out
-        if (_newlab != null) {
-            _newlab.layout(gfx);
-            _label = _newlab;
-            _newlab = null;
-        }
-
         if (_bgimg != null) {
             gfx.drawImage(_bgimg, 0, 0, null);
         } else {
             gfx.fillRect(0, 0, getWidth(), getHeight());
         }
 
-        gfx.setColor(Color.blue);
+        Object oalias = SwingUtil.activateAntiAliasing(gfx);
+
+        // if we have new labels; lay them out
+        if (_newlab != null) {
+            _newlab.layout(gfx);
+            _label = _newlab;
+            _newlab = null;
+        }
+        if (_newplab != null) {
+            _newplab.layout(gfx);
+            _plabel = _newplab;
+            _newplab = null;
+        }
+
+        Composite ocomp = gfx.getComposite();
+        gfx.setComposite(PROGRESS_ALPHA);
+        gfx.setColor(Color.black);
         gfx.fillRect(_ppos.x, _ppos.y, _progress * _ppos.width / 100,
                      _ppos.height);
+        gfx.setComposite(ocomp);
 
         gfx.setColor(Color.white);
+        if (_plabel != null) {
+            int xmarg = (_ppos.width - _plabel.getSize().width)/2;
+            int ymarg = (_ppos.height - _plabel.getSize().height)/2;
+            _plabel.render(gfx, _ppos.x + xmarg, _ppos.y + ymarg);
+        }
         gfx.draw(_ppos);
 
         if (_label != null) {
             _label.render(gfx, _spos.x, _spos.y);
         }
+
+        SwingUtil.restoreAntiAliasing(gfx, oalias);
     }
 
     // documentation inherited
@@ -88,6 +117,13 @@ public class StatusPanel extends JComponent
     protected Dimension _psize;
     protected Rectangle _ppos, _spos;
 
+    protected ResourceBundle _msgs;
+
     protected int _progress = 0;
     protected Label _label, _newlab;
+    protected Label _plabel, _newplab;
+
+    /** The alpha level at which to paint the progress bar. */
+    protected static final Composite PROGRESS_ALPHA =
+        AlphaComposite.getInstance(AlphaComposite.SRC_OVER, 0.25f);
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/messages.properties b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/messages.properties
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f0b2075
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/messages.properties
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#
+# $Id: messages.properties,v 1.1 2004/07/07 10:45:20 mdb Exp $
+#
+# Getdown translation messages
+
+m.resolving = Resolving downloads...
+m.downloading = Downloading data...
+m.failure = Download failed: {0}
+m.launching = Launching application...
+
+m.complete = {0}% complete
+m.complete_remain = {0}% complete  {1}s remaining