Language - How should people talk?

[Luridis]

Norman English please, Saxon English grates on my nerves.

[Alec20]

I liked the lower class-ish way a lot of the NPCs in Planescape Torment mispronounced and shortened words. I dunno if it was done with an accent generator or just written by hand, but it added a lot of personality to the dialogue. 

[Cryticus]

I would prefer , if they keep rather more modern english, then try to make it sound old timey, let's be honest rarely thouse it improve atmosphere and more often then not it ends up silly. Also if I rememeber corectly, wasn't there supposed to be support for other languages, then english?

[SophosTheWise]

[Wirdjos]

I like the idea of P:E's world having a certain sound it. I don't like the idea of attempting old english or any other archaic language/dialect, because, as others have said, it's rarely done well. I would nomally point to P:T as an example of a game creating a dialect and thus a sound for their world, but as beerflavour pointed out, P:T just used a modified dialect spoken in Britian.

 

Regardless, it worked quite well. Perhaps then answer then is to avoid creating a new dialect and simply use existing ones your target(or local) audience is unlikely to have heard.

[NerdBoner]

I would prefer if they didn't dumb down your dialogue responses based on intelligence.

yeah, my 3 int Barbarian should totally sound as sophisticated as my 20 int Wizard!

[illathid]

I think the dialogue should be similar to how GrrM did it in a Song of Ice and Fire. It's English, but it isn't modern or archaic English. It is its own thing.

[Failion]

I prefer modern American. Even latin, german whatever accent other then native english. Imbecile low intelligence language anything is fine just want to see it in the game.. The native tribal accent in risen 2 was quite funny.

Edited January 25, 2013 by Failion

[Nonek]

Thought the mid atlantic accents spiced with an old world gravitas were quite well presented in Relics Dawn of War games or the dwarves of Orzammar in Biowares Dragon Age, they inhabited for me that fine line between what is too english and what is too american english. Obviously both carry a vast amount of cultural baggage, and create a dissonance for some.

[jivex5k]

I'd like some archaic words every now and then, but not like Middle English where it just looks contrived. I'd much prefer them to speak in Modern English, it's easier to understand and it doesn't look silly.

 

You mean words and phrases like: "Frenemies?" ,"Google it" and "Yolo"

 

Let's keep modern crap out of our game's language please!

 

I'd like regional dialects with original concepts.

Edited January 25, 2013 by jivex5k

[AGX-17]

I want the standard Dwarven accent to be based on German, and elves to be based on swedish/norwegian. Elves and dwarves being based on norse/germanic mythology.

 

Dwarves are people born of a genetic condition, and dwarfism is a condition which occurs all over. Elves are Germanic in origin, not nordic. Norse and Germanic are two different things. The Germanic tribes who invaded/were invited/decided to stay and take the land of the kings who invited them to Britain were not culturally similar to the Norse/Viking rapers/raiders who later attacked the British isles. The Scandinavians and Danes were not welcomed as cultural brothers to Britain by the Anglo-Saxons.

Edited January 25, 2013 by AGX-17

[JFSOCC]

Just don't have real world idiomatic use of language which breaks immersion. no "wild goose chase" please.

[Kore]

I'm perfectly happy with clean modern english. Modern phrases and slang should steered away from where they don't make sense though.

 

What I'd really like is for different classes(of society) and regions to have different accents though. I really loved the way the thieves in BG1 spoke, it was great fun for one quest line.

[TRX850]

 

I would prefer if they didn't dumb down your dialogue responses based on intelligence.

yeah, my 3 int Barbarian should totally sound as sophisticated as my 20 int Wizard!

 

Try playing NWN with a 3 int, then you'll see what I mean. Constantly reading dumbed down conversation text is immersion-breaking and frustrating. It's one of those areas where logic doesn't work.

[Dream]

 

I'd like some archaic words every now and then, but not like Middle English where it just looks contrived. I'd much prefer them to speak in Modern English, it's easier to understand and it doesn't look silly.

 

You mean words and phrases like: "Frenemies?" ,"Google it" and "Yolo"

 

Let's keep modern crap out of our game's language please!

 

I'd like regional dialects with original concepts.

 

As long as there's a region of bros I'll be happy.

[LadyCrimson]

If I can understand it and whatever is used/created feels appropriate for the culture being presented, I'm fine. I think I'd rather not read a whole lot of  thee's and thy's, however. Perhaps a few characters where that's part of their idiosyncratic personality or something, but not everyone in the world.

[Oerwinde]

 

 

I want the standard Dwarven accent to be based on German, and elves to be based on swedish/norwegian. Elves and dwarves being based on norse/germanic mythology.

Dwarves are people born of a genetic condition, and dwarfism is a condition which occurs all over. Elves are Germanic in origin, not nordic. Norse and Germanic are two different things. The Germanic tribes who invaded/were invited/decided to stay and take the land of the kings who invited them to Britain were not culturally similar to the Norse/Viking rapers/raiders who later attacked the British isles. The Scandinavians and Danes were not welcomed as cultural brothers to Britain by the Anglo-Saxons.

Fantasy dwarves, ie the underground warrior/miner/craftsman dwarves come from germanic mythology, from which norse mythology is derived.

[Tagaziel]

It would be farcical. If the protagonist can clearly understand the language another talks in, then it should be rendered in plain English, reflecting the level of understanding.

[JOG]

What Tagaziel said.

 

If the character speaks in an old-fashioned dialect (e.g. ghosts or liches, or other very very old "people" that didn't bother to mingle with modern society), use middle english, if the character speaks street slang use a medieval cant, not hip-hop speak. Otherwise use "modern english" (maybe british for nobles?)

 

Ultima used middle-english, yes, but the whole idea was that the protagonist is a human from modern Earth who stranded in that parallel world.

[Hobo Elf]

For once I'd like to see an RPG where everyone talks like they are from the Bronx. Just imagine Kung Faux but with Wizards and Warriors. Bards would finally have a real role in a party with the many rap offs that would take place against ancient Liches and Dragons who are verbally well versed.

 

Check this out for reference on how it would look / sound like.

Edited January 26, 2013 by Hobo Elf

[Ulquiorra]

Only Slavic languages for eternity please no english we learn your language now it's your turn to learn our languages ..hahaha

Edited January 27, 2013 by Ulquiorra

[Dream]

For once I'd like to see an RPG where everyone talks like they are from the Bronx. Just imagine Kung Faux but with Wizards and Warriors. Bards would finally have a real role in a party with the many rap offs that would take place against ancient Liches and Dragons who are verbally well versed.

 

Check this out for reference on how it would look / sound like.

 

The big conflict should be the dawgs vs the bros.