Languages

Two different languages

LonelyIce deals with two languages that have nothing to do with each other:

• the interface language of the launcher: its buttons, pages and messages;
• the launch language of the game: which of your client's locales (enGB, ruRU, ...) Wow.exe starts in.

You can run the launcher in English and play a Russian client, or the other way round.

The launcher's language

The list in the top right corner of the launcher window switches its language at once, on every page:

The choice is saved as language in the [launcher] section of lonelyice.ini; without it the launcher starts in English. The environment variable LONELYICE_LANG (one of the codes above) overrides the file.

Plugins can bring their names, descriptions and settings in several languages; where a plugin has no text in your language, you see its English text.

The game's language

A 3.3.5a client has one folder per locale in Data, for example Data\enGB with locale-enGB.MPQ inside. The launcher finds every such folder and shows it as a chip on the Game panel of the main page. Any locale of a 3.3.5a (12340) client works; LonelyIce does not ship or download language packs.

The filled gold chip is the launch language. To change it, either:

• click another chip on the Game panel (the message line says "Launch language: ruRU"), or
• choose it under Client language in Settings › Launcher.

Client language also has the choice As in Config.wtf: then LonelyIce leaves the client's own setting alone and starts the game in whatever language it was last set to. Clicking a chip always picks a fixed language; go to Settings to return to As in Config.wtf.

What happens at launch

When you press PLAY with a launch language chosen, the launcher:

1. writes SET locale "<language>" into the client's WTF\Config.wtf (the file and the line are created if they are missing);
2. if Check realmlist before launch is on, points that locale's realmlist.wtf at 127.0.0.1 (or 127.0.0.1:<port> when you changed the Login port) when it points elsewhere. A realmList line in Config.wtf, if there is one, is set too, since the client prefers it;
3. starts Wow.exe.

The Overview tab then notes "Game started (ruRU)".

The server uses the same language when it reads game data straight from your client (that is, when the disk cache is off, see Settings › Storage): the launch language, or the Config.wtf locale when none is chosen. It picks the language up on its next start.

Chip colours

The border of each chip shows where that locale's realmlist.wtf points:

Set realmlist on the Game panel fixes every locale at once.

Plugin patches and locales

Some plugins change game files on the client side. The server builds those patches for every locale your client has, so you can switch the launch language without reinstalling anything. Texts a plugin adds to the game fall back to English where the plugin has no translation for your locale.