Loc

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-02-27

Overview

The loc module is a singleton that manages language and localization configuration across the game. It is responsible for maintaining the active locale, loading the appropriate translation files (.po files), determining text scaling factors per language, and exposing utility functions for language detection and selection. This module supports multiple platforms (Steam, console) and handles locale-specific settings such as EULA filename selection and character name image suffixes.

It does not attach to entities via components but is used globally as a standalone module (LOCALE) by UI and network systems to coordinate language changes and layout adjustments.

Usage example

-- Set the current locale to French
LOCALE.SwapLanguage(LANGUAGE.FRENCH)

-- Query current language
local current_lang = LOCALE.GetLanguage() -- returns LANGUAGE.FRENCH

-- Get localized string file path
local string_file = LOCALE.GetStringFile(current_lang)

-- Retrieve text scaling for layout adjustments
local scale = LOCALE.GetTextScale() -- returns 1.0 for French

-- Check if localization is active
if LOCALE.IsLocalized() then
    print("Current locale is not English")
end

Dependencies & tags

Components used: None — this is a standalone module, not an Entity Component System component.

Tags: None — no entity tags are modified or accessed.

Properties

No public properties are stored or exposed as variables; all state is encapsulated within the LOCALE table (e.g., LOCALE.CurrentLocale).

Main functions

LOCALE.GetLocaleByCode(lang_code)

• Description: Finds and returns the locale entry matching a given language code (e.g., "fr", "zh").
• Parameters:
  • lang_code: string? — the short language code to search for.
• Returns: table? — the matching locale table from localizations, or nil if no match.
• Error states: Returns nil if lang_code is nil.

LOCALE.SetCurrentLocale(locale)

• Description: Sets the active locale to the provided locale table.
• Parameters:
  • locale: table? — a locale entry from the localizations list (e.g., result of GetLocale()).
• Returns: None.
• Error states: No validation is performed; passing an invalid or malformed table may cause downstream errors.

LOCALE.GetLanguages()

• Description: Returns a list of supported language IDs available for selection, filtered by platform (Steam or console).
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: table — array of LANGUAGE.* IDs (e.g., { LANGUAGE.ENGLISH, LANGUAGE.FRENCH }).
• Error states: None.

LOCALE.GetLocale(lang_id)

• Description: Finds the locale entry matching a given language ID (e.g., LANGUAGE.CHINESE_S), or returns the current locale if lang_id is nil.
• Parameters:
  • lang_id: number? — a LANGUAGE.* constant; if nil, returns LOCALE.CurrentLocale.
• Returns: table? — the matching locale table, or nil if no match.
• Error states: Returns nil if lang_id is nil and LOCALE.CurrentLocale is nil.

LOCALE.GetLocaleCode(lang_id)

• Description: Returns the internal short code (e.g., "fr", "ko") for a given language ID or the current locale.
• Parameters:
  • lang_id: number? — a LANGUAGE.* constant; defaults to current locale if nil.
• Returns: string — the locale code; defaults to "en" if no locale found.
• Error states: None.

LOCALE.GetLanguage()

• Description: Returns the language ID (LANGUAGE.*) of the currently active locale, or LANGUAGE.ENGLISH as fallback.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: number — the active language ID constant.
• Error states: None.

LOCALE.IsLocalized()

• Description: Checks whether a non-default (i.e., non-English) locale is currently active.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: boolean — true if LOCALE.CurrentLocale is not nil, otherwise false.
• Error states: None.

LOCALE.GetStringFile(lang_id)

• Description: Returns the full path to the .po file for the given language ID (or current locale).
• Parameters:
  • lang_id: number? — a LANGUAGE.* constant; defaults to current locale if nil.
• Returns: string? — full path string (e.g., "scripts/languages/french.po"), or nil if no locale found.
• Error states: Returns nil if LOCALE.GetLocale(lang_id) returns nil.

LOCALE.GetEulaFilename()

• Description: Returns the full path to the EULA text file, chosen based on platform (e.g., Xbox vs PC).
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: string — e.g., "scripts/languages/eula_english_p.txt" or "data/scripts/languages/eula_english_x.txt".
• Error states: None.

LOCALE.SwapLanguage(lang_id)

• Description: Loads the translation file for the specified language and updates all localized strings via LanguageTranslator and STRINGS.
• Parameters:
  • lang_id: number — a LANGUAGE.* constant (must be supported).
• Returns: None.
• Error states: If the language ID is unsupported, the locale is not set and no translation is loaded. Does not throw an error — silently ignores invalid IDs.

LOCALE.GetTextScale()

• Description: Returns the text scaling factor for the current locale, used to adjust layout spacing or font sizes.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: number — scaling factor (e.g., 1.0, 0.85, or 0.8).
• Error states: Returns 1.0 if no current locale is set.

LOCALE.RefreshServerLocale()

• Description: (Server only) Updates the server’s locale from the current settings and applies the corresponding language translation. Should only be called from a dedicated server context.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: None.
• Error states: On clients, prints "You probably shouldn't be calling this on clients...". On dedicated servers, prints an error if the locale could not be set (e.g., switching back to English is unsupported).

LOCALE.GetShouldTextFit()

• Description: Determines whether per-word text shrinking (for long strings) should be enabled for the current locale.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: boolean — true if shrinking is enabled; defaults to true if no locale is active.
• Error states: None.

LOCALE.GetNamesImageSuffix()

• Description: Returns a suffix to append to player/character names image filenames, based on the current locale (e.g., "_cn" for Chinese).
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: string — "_cn" for Simplified/Traditional Chinese or "" for other locales.
• Error states: None.

Events & listeners

This module has no events or listeners — it is stateful but not event-driven.