Remove /language or tweak it.

[victorian ladies boots]

Discord ID/User: teadream44

Suggestion Outline: Either remove it or put in a rule where people need to put their accent or language the correct way. 

What script/development support will it require?: Implant a new rule for /language or just remove it all in all.

Why will it benefit South Tahoma Roleplay?:  I've witnessed countless instances where players use the /language command to use some of the most absurd accents that I've encountered. I've seen people use "Hardened, Italian Accent" "Mid-Atlantic Accent" "Indescribable Cadence", I don't even know that is.

Ontop of that, it also clutters the chat, as some people have really long /languages or accents.

 

[kate]

I can’t stand the use of /language for accents. I never read “Irish Accent” and automatically hear all of the following text in leprechaun cadence. It’s through research and creativity that an accent is properly portrayed.

Prohibiting /language for accents would:
- Promote creativity, encouraging folks to research and embellish dialogue in interesting ways instead of just writing (British Accent).
- Clean up chatlogs; the chat box is already quite small, and having “Eleanor Braithwaite says (Southern Accent):” every time a line comes out takes up unnecessary clunky space, especially when people use colours for /language and cause everyone even at a distance to see their text in bright white.
- Returns /language functionality to what it should be for: foreign languages, used to infer that your character can or cannot understand what is being said proceeding a player’s use of French, Spanish, etc.

im with ya on this

[PoisonedPaint]

I can see where Ladies Boots/Kate is coming from on this, though respectfully I'd have to... disagree, somewhat. I don't feel a full-on removal is the best bet, but I do feel like there should be a character limit or two-part imposed on /language. 

There is always the way of researching stuff as kate mentioned, but--not everyone wants to put that much nuance into their character (and thats coming from me who loves nuanced stuff). For simplicity sake, thats kind of what /language is for I feel. Sometimes you don't always have the time to write everything to describe that kinda stuff to everyone who walks by and joins in on the RP. 

Sure, you can have a copy-paste emote to explain what they sound like each time, but... honestly, I feel like a character limit or a two part limit could work. Its not a cure all, but I think it might be a middle ground to keep the really long/needlessly long 'languages' there. 

Reason I'm not for restricting it to foreign languages only, is mainly because you have our Native American roleplayers who at times, don't exactly fit into that category. Makoyi being one example. I'm sure there is a way to add languages 'to' the script and restrict it that way, but IMO you'd be wasting admin time doing that if you get a new unofficial society/faction that needs a new language added--and I really think it'd be unfair to make it an official faction only thing. Its just a different way of expression IMO. 

EXAMPLES (One Part and Two-Part /language names only. Obviously West Frisian and Eastern Armenian are probably not common ones you'd see on the server--or, you may, who knows. But I think two-part languages would be a good idea instead of ditching it all together.)
Makoyi
West Frisian
Eastern Armenian 
Southern Accent

EXAMPLES (Three-Part Plus): This stuff generally doesn't exactly need to be this long. Find a way to shorten it.
Hardened, Italian Accent

...anything with three or more parts, especially with a hyphen or comma. Two Parts is generally all you need for an accent or language. 
 

 

[Grumsman]

Can't remove it all together, for the sake of those speaking in their actual native tongue. As for accents? I agree that most of the time it isn't necessary as opposed to simply learning the phonetics (researched as your character may need be), and so-to is slightly a form metagame fodder; the place of one's origin should be found out ICly, and discovered over time. People aren't and shouldn't be -both by administration and server culture- expected to get their accents down to a tee from the get-go, and I personally started off on some of my characters with accents speaking in plain English- if people put in an effort to adopt phonetics, I personally have no doubt they'll learn and adapt it to be better over time, without the need for extensive research off the bat perse. If accents are to be kept, I think obnoxiously long accents "Hardened, Italian Accent, etc" and meaningless ones like "indescribable cadence" ought to be cut down on, no doubt, as apart of a healthy "show don't tell" mentality. If anything comes of this, however, I think @PoisonedPaint's suggestion of a character limit would be the best middle-of-the-road way of easing things.

[kate]

I just find that in no other text based RP community has it been a norm to use bracketed text to infer an accent whatsoever. If it isn’t being written using lexicon, phonetics or just plain sentence structure, it would be in emotes and character description.

My perfect scenario would /language remaining as is scriptly for free use for languages, but players are asked to stop using it for accents. RPQM admins are used to giving gentle nudges in PMs, so it’d just be another thing for us to look out for if folks didn’t get the memo. It wouldn’t put a strain on the team at all and I’m sure that within a few weeks, it’d disappear.

[gambler]

(British Accent) is the best one I've seen.

[Rat_]

I don't see the problem, personally. 
It is TextRP and, an added descriptor by default helps with an initial understanding of a characters tone - and, the argument of 'clutters the chat' - well, you've basically turned a one, or two word flash descriptor into a full on emote every time someone wants to present the way they're character speaks. 

I tend to use Italo-American Accent personally; as I enjoy the connotation of a Second Generation Italian. I would probably get away with that coming across since I do play having an accent, but, I still think having that little detail never hurts - and only helps around the roleplay. 

[PoisonedPaint]

Something that also should be considered, is the way the /language can be used for masked RP. I tend to really like that some masked players tend to add a layer of hinting at who they might be based on actual language or accent. Sure, masks and such should cover you up, but unless you emote constantly (should others become involved) it might not be as obvious to them. Sure, people could try hiding their voice, but those kinds of indicators I feel are pretty cool. 

[Antny]

Mid-Atlantic is an accent, to throw that in with the others as though there the same is a bit of a stretch.

I saw somebody /b their issue with the mid-Atlantic accent during the actual rp, which broke my concentration more than reading three words which I scan.

I think that if you are gonna narrow this down, then you are diluting the character.

I remember a player having a 'Brummie Accent', for those that dont know, its a slang for someone who talks like they are from Birmingham, England. I bought in to her character straight away. I 'heard' everything in the Brummie voice, regardless of how she typed.

If i said 'English Accent', most folk, especially those from  outside the UK would know Two at best, when there are literally hundreds...So either we are all the King or all cockneys...

Also, I feel the 'accent' also describes a lot more than how they talk. One of my toons has a 'Soft English Accent'. I use that for two reasons..English is not his native accent so he speaks softly to avoid an accent slip. it also adds to the flavour that he is a calm, gentle man, and its all described in that one phrase.

Conversely, I have a big problem keeping up with text that is overly accented...to the point where someone has crafted a well written piece of text, and its taken me so long to work out what was actually written, that the moment to respond is long gone.  I have even interpreted that as such thick accent in game that i have responded with  "Sorry fella , have no clue what yer saying!"

Anyway...just  my opinion and no more valid than any other

[Naja]

That's all nuances that could be described in /description or does this command not work anymore? That sort of insight will never be interpreted by the everyday player upon seeing (x Accent).

The apostrophes are indeed out of control though.

[Antny]

7 minutes ago, Naja said:

That sort of insight will never be interpreted by the everyday player upon seeing (x Accent).

Not sure thats true...

When I saw the Brummie accent, I knew straight away she was working class, probably low on the socio-economic scale and that combined with dress gives a rapid first impression

[Wolfhound]

29 minutes ago, Naja said:

That's all nuances that could be described in /description or does this command not work anymore? That sort of insight will never be interpreted by the everyday player upon seeing (x Accent).

The apostrophes are indeed out of control though.

Problem is, there's also a lot of players who don't set their character descriptions up. Otherwise it wouldn't be horrible.

[Naja]

22 minutes ago, Antny said:

Not sure thats true...

When I saw the Brummie accent, I knew straight away she was working class, probably low on the socio-economic scale and that combined with dress gives a rapid first impression

Yes, but everything can contribute to that image. Their name, their dress, their actions, their /description (like prev mentioned). From someone outside the UK, "Brummie" also isn't going to mean much. I don't think it's enough of an argument to subject someone to a bright prefix to everything they say.

  

2 minutes ago, Wolfhound said:

Problem is, there's also a lot of players who don't set their character descriptions up. Otherwise it wouldn't be horrible.

Yeah that's another discussion altogether. It's why I wasn't sure if it's broken lol.

[kate]

29 minutes ago, Wolfhound said:

Problem is, there's also a lot of players who don't set their character descriptions up. Otherwise it wouldn't be horrible.

I’d love to push for players to utilise the description feature. It should be a requirement imo.

[Merovech]

I really do wish more players would utilize the /description command for their characters, but that is perhaps a different topic.

I don't mind 'flavor apostrophes' when it comes to indicating pronunciation as it should be interpreted, but I find it incredibly difficult to translate on-the-fly when the entire paragraph of dialogue is, effectively: "Ayip, 'm'n tham commies 'n 'comin', we b'slingin' a blight o' ledz on 'em ayip; 'n' nossah 'em Messicuns 'n'm tham 'commies' nossah o'r muh ded boddah, yhew mahk m'uh wahds".

There just needs to be a balance.