First off, thank you Obsidian for even allowing the option to enable/disable ligatures in game (they are found in Graphic options, one of the check boxes). It shows a commitment to detailing, even if it would probably be considered of negligible importance to most...

 

I would hazard a guess that most aren't familiar with ligatures--it's a detailing thing in the world of graphic design and typography. Here is a very succinct summary. They basically improve readability, so certain combinations of letters don't look smushed or interfere with each other--these are typically problems with 'fl,' 'ffl,' 'fi,' and 'ffi,' where l's are too close to f's, and dots above i's mush into overarching letters like f. 

 

If you're going to allow the option, Obsidian, I would like to see them done correctly! It's not far off--just one thing has to be removed: stylistic or discretionary ligatures, which are for adornment only, and does not improve readability. In fact, many would consider them distractions, because they draw undue attention to themselves. In most settings, good typography is not heralded by fanfare, but should ideally go unnoticed; that means things are simply comfortable, easy to read, well-spaced, sized, etc. In typesetting software, ligatures are pretty much assumed if the font has the option, but discretionary ones are off by default. 

 

There is very little reason anywhere to ever connect letters like 'st' or 'ct,' especially in any text outside of decorative headlines. I have for sure seen the st ligature in the game, but I'm not sure about the ct (it would appear in such words such as victory, tincture, actor, etc).

 

Again, I must acknowledge that in the face of many, far more pressing bugs, glitches, UI inconsistencies, etc, this detail is so, so minor. But hey, they've provided the option, so I consider it fair criticism!

 

 

Hear, hear!

Your link is broken, cilantroll. You're a disgrace to your entire family.

Your link is broken, cilantroll. You're a disgrace to your entire family.

Thanks for that kind welcome! 

 

I'd edit my post, but I'm not sure I could until I have the 5 posts thing....so let's try that again.

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/glossary/g/Ligature.htm

I was surprised at the ligatures myself, since in a comparison that somebody posted (I can't seem to find it now, sadly), the ones that stood out were the stylistic ones, whereas the standard ligatures from ff, fl etc weren't actually there...

Hey hey! There are ligatures for fi and ft! I saw them today. But they are very subtitle, properly seen only at 130% font size.

Remember that english is not the only language on this planet. CT might not be common in english, but it sure is in other languages.

Edited April 8, 201510 yr by Zwiebelchen

I like the stylistic ligatures, they're a nice little detail, and I'd welcome more of them

Honestly I thought this is is some kind of joke option like big head mode, didn't know ligatures actually serve a purpose. Interesting.