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JeffCrook
10-25-2000, 07:34 AM
This is something that just occured to me, while responding to the emotes post in another forum.

In Castle Marrach, everybody speaks the same language (pretty much). However, in Golden Gate, and probably even in Lovecraft Country, you have the possibility of people speaking and knowing only their own language. I think it would be really cool if an Irishman in Golden Gate could only see the conversation of two Chinese as gibberish. Maybe over time, he could pick up a few words here and there, so that as he learns, his ability to 'see' what is said would improve. So, instead of pure gibberish, he might get a word here and there. The longer he spends with Chinese speakers, the more words he can recognize, until finally he has a working knowledge of Chinese. At the same time, you could use whatever mechanics you will use to limit language possibilities in OG to limit his ability to speak the language. His Chinese will come out sounding like OG speak until he achieves some predetermined conversational level.

The same system could be applied in Lovecraft Country in regards to the language of the beasties. At first, it 'sounds' just like it looks. (I can't quote anything, but if you've read Lovecraft or played CoC, you know what I mean). But as you study and progress, you begin to make sense out of the words and can translate them.

If you know multiple languages, you could then use a command like - say Chinese "Go around back and see if the door is open." - to specifically speak Chinese, if it is not your native language. (The default, of course, would be your native language, so if you are American, you wouldn't have to use - say English.)

Do you think something like this is possible? It seems to me like it might be.

ChristopherA
10-25-2000, 10:17 AM
Originally posted by JeffCrook:
Do you think something like this is possible? It seems to me like it might be.

Actually, there are already a number languages in the game -- each will look to the non-speaker like distinctly different languages (we use a phoneme technique to do this, and hopefully someday a weighted phoneme.)

For instance, all the servants in the game speak a language that can be learned.

What is holding us back right now is the code for players to teach players languages. A few random players get the languages as part of their start story, and we expect them to share them. Others figured out how to learn them from CNPCs when we accidently turned on CNPC teaching of languages, so many more players then we expected know languages now.

Languages are important to solving the mystery of Marrach, so you'll see it more prevalent in Marrach over time.

-- Christopher Allen