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Cities: Skylines — XeNTaX Forum Knowledge

Extracted from XeNTaX forum discussions (2015–2022). Covers localization (.locale files) and the .crp save/asset container format for maps and assets.

1. Localization: .locale Files​

Overview​

Cities: Skylines stores localized text in .locale files under Cities Skylines\Files\Locale (one per language, e.g. the English file). The format is a proprietary/compiled binary; it is not plain text. (SkyF1, 2015-03-14; Fodosan, 2015-04-11)

Editing approach​

  • A working method for editing .locale files was posted to the Steam Community forums for app 255710 (Cities: Skylines) in March 2015. (SkyF1, 2015-03-15; confirmed by WRS, 2015-04-11)
  • No in-thread format spec is provided — the practical answer points to the Steam Community guide/discussion rather than a standalone tool.

Fonts​

  • Localization also needs the game font (which may not cover all scripts). The font file location was an open question; no definitive answer is given in this dump. (Fodosan, 2015-04-11)

2. .crp Files: Maps, Assets & Extraction​

Overview​

A saved map in Cities: Skylines is a single .crp file — the same container format used when you create any asset in-game. All information about building/object coordinates and placement is stored in the .crp. (eyewee, 2018-08-12)

What's in a .crp​

  • A .crp contains both the mesh/data and a .bin portion with the placement/coordinate information.
  • A GitHub tool exists that extracts map preview textures from a .crp, but the rest (coordinates in the .bin) is not extracted by that tool. (eyewee, 2018-08-12)
  • Third-party mesh extraction: the in-game modTools can extract 3D meshes placed on a map, but does not save coordinates needed to recreate the map layout in an external 3D application. (eyewee, 2018-08-12)

Recreating a map externally​

As of the 2018 thread, there was no known way to fully recreate a Cities: Skylines map (meshes + coordinates) in a third-party application — the coordinates live in the .bin and were not extracted.

Format stability​

As of 2022, a user asked for an unpacker compatible with the latest patch and latest .crp files, or a format description; a sample request was made but no public spec/tool was provided in the thread. (jfwfreo, ikskoks, 2022-02-12)

3. Open Questions​

  • .locale file binary format spec — not documented in the dump (solution points to a Steam Community guide).
  • Game font file location for non-Latin localizations — unresolved.
  • .crp .bin placement/coordinate format — not publicly documented.
  • .crp format description / up-to-date unpacker for modern patches — open.

4. Tools Mentioned​

ToolPurpose
GitHub .crp preview toolExtracts map preview textures from .crp (not full data)
modTools (in-game)Extracts 3D meshes placed on a map (no coordinates)

Source: XeNTaX forum threads t=12681, t=12761 (localization), t=18672 (Cities: Skylines Maps), t=25039 (Cities: Skylines CRP files).