So naturally, my first worry is if i'm about to Pokémon-style Slowpoke Moment... but worth a try anyway just in case i'm not accidentally beating a dead horse... I got a possible idea for how we could Implement Alien Languages that actually look Alien yet can be Implemented & possible for Players to Operate too... while still unable to remember if we've already been here before or not... dammit. >_< Fonts. They can sub Letters for fancier schmancier Letters, they can sub Letters for prettier Letters, they can sub Letters for cooler Letters, they can sub Letters for... Symbols. We can invent our own Symbols that = a Letter/Punctuation in a neat 1 to 1 exchange like some kinds of Fonts on Cool Text already does, & 'Language Translators' in-game could be Implemented that just simply translate the right Symbol to the right Letter between the Alien Language in question & Human. (Or between Alien & different Alien!) If we're lucky, maybe the Player Base will eventually realize what we did & actually forgive us for not being able to do anything more fancy schmancy than this... or heck, they might even like the simplicity of it! Crazy, Crazy like a Fox, or "Tyrax, we already did this ages ago, ya don't remember/ya missed it?" Many thanks for your time. P.S. Woot! New Emotes! My many thanks to the Site Admin!
I do not think anything ever came of the language discussion and there have been several mini-attempts at what you describe here piecemeal via individual designers or scenario builders. What did you have in mind?
For example: Imagine little Symbols were made in a Graphics Program... for example, Paint.NET. Let's use some Symbols from typical typing as a stand in, like "^", "&", "*", "@", & such... Imagine if a Alien Language for our Created Races looked kinda like this on a Font Sheet: A - ^ B - & C - * D - @ All the way to Z - (maybe !)... then there were additional Symbols that would be 'alien' for the Keyboard Symbols, for punctuation purposes. Since we aren't Language Geniuses, the Playerbase might forgive us for not making Alien Languages that have their own unique Grammar Rules & Symbol using if we're lucky. Now imagine the example Symbols were Paint.NET created Symbols instead then were Installed into a Font File. How to actually make Font Files for Custom Fonts might need some Research. Then, typing Alien Languages would just be a matter of typing while that Alien Race's "Font File" is selected instead of Human Language just getting typed out, as is the natural default. As an example of what I mean, check this out at cooltext.com: https://cooltext.com/Download-Font-Kool+Ding This is an example of a Custom Font that ya can Install then use, & when ya type Letters like 'A', 'F', 'M', etc., a Symbol appears instead, & this totally works cause the only real diff between a Letter & a Symbol is the Graphical Appearance of it & its most common purpose for use. Therefore, it could be theoretically totally legit to have a Font File that would receive a 'a' input then have that Font File spit out what was assigned to the 'a' spot of that File, which could contain a alien looking Letter or Symbol acting as that Alien Race's equivalent of 'a'. For Gameplay purposes, it could be Implemented where a Player could play as a Race, then that Race understands their own Language by default, & if they wanted to start out knowing other Languages already, (Example: Via starting out with a starter level of Linguistics Training for prerequisite into planned speccing as a Diplomatic Character... &/or Spy Playstyle...) they'd have to spend Starter Character Points to it, otherwise, tough noogies they start out only understanding their Native Language & when seeing it, the game gives it in the chosen Human Language & we read it no problem. If the Player sees a Language they haven't 'learned yet', we see only the Alien Symbols as per their Font File & won't be able to read it without some kinda cheese, like a RL 'cheat sheet' of Alien to Human Translation stuff' laying on the Player's Computer Desk that'd be stupidly slow & awkward to try to hard way through it just to skimp on Linguistics Skill Point Costs. To read not yet learned Languages, we have to learn it with Linguistic Skill Points usage on our Character Development, or use a slower more awkward handheld (&/or Helm Booster) 'Language Translation Tool' programmed with the correct 'language to language translation software' (Sold separately at extra cost, Quest Rewarded, or found as Lewt.) Even a non-Diplomatic Character could be persuaded to consider at least a little Linguistics Skill speccing choice... for example, perhaps a certain Outcast Space Warrior Electric Clan Drak encounters some kinda Space Dwarves Race... maybe he takes a liking to them & wants to learn their Language to talk to them more easily & perhaps more easily shop & trade with them. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if this could be the game's best shot at having Races with their own Language to themselves that's actually possible to Implement. (Especially cause I assume this game doesn't really need Voice Acting to rock, thus won't bother with it...) Heck, could even be a form of Implementation that would also enable Moddability so people could try their luck Homebrewing their own Alien Race with their own Alien Language! (For example, a Custom Language for Mod Added 'Mutant Zombie Space Bunnies'... )
I would actually prefer "alien" symbols to be whole words/ concepts instead of simply 1:1 "character replacement" because alien languages need to be different words, not just same words with different writing. An example would be to have someone (NPC) report having heard the alien guy say " glorbghyuss" which means " hiding place", and in writing this could be a simple symbol and not a series of "alien letters". Then complete sentences and messages could be made much shorter, intuitive to translate via researching the meaning of symbols and their combinations. Aliens already have "voice acting" as we can hear them making "vocalizations" in trading stations or in POIs.
We actually HAVE kind of an alternative-symbol alphabet to create some sort of alien language. Not sure who initially crated it (Fractalite? Sry, if I do give the wrong credits here). I already asked for making it a font type (so you could use it in the game as an alternative)... but requires some coding as the game is currently not prepared to have two font sets (I do not mean to have all the symbols set as icons like in LCD or so, BUT having it in a more convenient way.. like writing in EN and then have a switch so it displays as "Alien" to the player. Otherwise handling/maintaining would be a nightmare) (requires a proper .ttf to be included/for further consideration)
