Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
8.4A
SSET
L
OCALIZATION
The best strategy for game asset localization, be it images or audio is one that is global for
any asset in the game's data. This is because, whether it is an audio file, an image file or
any other custom data file, it is not always possible to predict precisely which assets will
need to be localized, if localization is supported by any type of asset in the game, then it be-
comes straightforward to localize any asset should it need to. For example, some animation
packages have facial animation features that are stored as custom files, if the resources are
available and facial animation is localized to match the locale's language, then doing so will
be immediately supported by this global strategy.
One approach that is straightforward to implement and is generally compatible with build
automation systemsisgivenagameassetfile,sayanimagefilecalled image00.png.Should
alocalereplacementbeavailable,alocale-specificfoldercanbecreatedinthesamelocation
as the file. This folder will contain the localized version of the file. When the build automa-
tion system prepares the data foreach locale, as it scans each file, ifit finds alocale-specific
folder in the file's folder it can check for a locale override. If it finds one, it will ignore the
source file and integrate the locale-specific file into the build.
It is important to be mindful of how the game's final builds will be generated, stored and
distributed. Game certification and distribution requirements may vary depending on the
company, publisher and hardware vendors as well as physical limitations in bandwidth, disk
spaceandresources.Thepackagingsystemshouldbedesignedsothatitcanpackagecustom
builds and output different SKUs (stock keeping units) which will be distributed to differ-
entregions.NorthAmericanSKUstypicallyareproducedwithEnglish,FrenchandSpanish
while European SKUs may also include Italian, Polish, German, Russian and possibly oth-
ers, while Asian SKUs will vary as they often require more specialized localization support.
