Language Files

[travo]

Just a quick question, do you guys think it is worth coding a game with language file suuport from the beginning just in case? Or should it all be hard coded?

Would using language files be that much slower?

[JGadrow]

I'd say it depends upon your target audience and support plans. If you don't already have some sort of language templating system setup, you might spare a thought to creating one in the future so you can just drop it into whatever you're developing. But, as far as it being a 'recommendation;' only if you think the work is justified.

However, keep it in mind that you MIGHT create a template system later and try to write code that can be easily replaced. IE: avoid unnecessary duplication and hard-coding text into the application. Try and call it through a function or from a database instead.

[travo]

I have a template system at the moment, and I have a language system I half use half dont.

I just thought I'd ask before I get too far either way.

I didnt think about the duplication part... Thanks

[Chris]

Search the forum, there were topics about this with useful info.

[travo]

I thought I had read something earlier about it too, but when I searched the forums, nothing came up. I tried lang file, language file, language, lang, nothing came up.

I just tried then and there were tons... 

EDIT: I just realised, if your not on the foum homepage and you use search bar at top, it only shows results from that forum... Sorry


Ive created a plugin for smarty that automatically grabs the desired language var, works like a charm, now the PHP side is alot cleaner

[Chris]

http://community.bbgamezone.net/index.php/topic,554.0.html
http://community.bbgamezone.net/index.php/topic,1413.0.html
http://community.bbgamezone.net/index.php/topic,1890.0.html

[travo]

Thanks for the links, but  found them when I searched from the forum index, rather than in whatever category I was in.