Would Anyone be Interested in a Language Barrier in TESVI?

[Moon_Struck]

I mean each race speaks its own language and your character can only understand (at first) characters who speak the same language. Some NPCs could speak multiple languages. Your character is able to learn new languages. As you first start learning a language you can only understand bits and pieces, but can continue on to become fluent.

This could be used to in many ways. For example a couple argonians are discussing a recent theft they committed. When you enter an area near them sneaking they continue talking in your language, but if they notice you, rather than stopping the conversation they start speaking in their native language, assuming you don't know it.

You could also increase someone's disposition by complimenting them in their native language.

I'm sure there are plenty more applications for a mechanic like this.

What do you guys think?

[DragonoftheNorth]

Although this could be interesting, I know I wouldn't, and don't think most people would like the idea of much of the game being conducted in a language that is not understandable. You can put subtitles, but that would kind of ruin the concept you discribed. It would create more frustration than it's worth.

[CBR JGWRR]

The Altmer already gave everyone a unified language (which just so happened to be english*, how strange) so it's a little unecessary...


* insert own language here

[Br3admax]

I think allowing this would just throw lore out the window. Everyone speaks Cyrodiilic now. The Empire had every province speak their language.

[CBR JGWRR]

I think allowing this would just throw lore out the window. Everyone speaks Cyrodiilic now. The Empire had every province speak their language.

Yeah, there isn't really a way it could be implemented.

Also, it takes about an in game month or two to complete, ish, the game.

I wouldn't even be able to learn american in two months... (FYI, I'm english...)

[Moon_Struck]

Hmm... I hadn't considered the lore standpoint, as I am admittedly not well versed in it. I thought it would be a neat idea if implemented properly, but perhaps I was mistaken...

[CBR JGWRR]

It would, but it isn't really workable...

[ZackyZombify]

I think it's already been implemented with the dragons. I mean some people on here (namely CBR) knows it. But most people are like, "uh what?" when they speak in their tongue.

[perylousdemon]

I wouldn't even be able to learn american in two months... (FYI, I'm english...)

Eh, not the greatest example. But...yes, I agree with you there. We Americans have some strange mannerisms in our speech.

[CBR JGWRR]

I wouldn't even be able to learn american in two months... (FYI, I'm english...)

Eh, not the greatest example. But...yes, I agree with you there. We Americans have some strange mannerisms in our speech.

Yes, like putting the letter "Z" in words with an "S", or using an "S" where there should be a "C"...

[Mod-Loving Wood Elf]

Well, didn't they have various skills for languages in Daggerfall, such as Giant. But Daggerfall wasn't a terribly... accessible game, now that I think about. It's no wonder the superfluous language skills were removed from Morrowind.

Oh, and shouldn't this be in TES General, mods?

[Avron the S'wit]

I concur. Moved! Also, don't be afraid to check out the TES:VI wishlist thread.

I played a MUD once where races had their own racial languages, although, realistically, everyone spoke a common tongue. It makes sense since you have to communicate, and not understanding what is going on can make a game a bit unplayable and not very enjoyable (and no one produces a very expensive game for a super small niche audience who would enjoy that). You could take lessons in other racial languages and then could understand them more and more, but it was mostly for fun, and you had to take a lot of lessons before you were even vaguely fluent. (It was cool since, when activating the foreign language, you would type, but the game would jumble your words in such a way that it was apparent to the native speakers you weren't quite fluent. It was very well done!)

The language of the people with the most influence, power, and/or technology tends to be the lingua franca. It makes sense that everyone speaks the common tongue of the Imperials. But we do see snippets of language anyway, particularly in the Keyes novels with Argonians and in Morrowind with Dunmeris, so those other languages do exist - just without the headaches of the language barrier. I'd love to see more evidence of these languages or local colloquialisms and dialects, though. It's weird when Dunmer and Nord and Imperial speak exactly the same, despite having obviously different backgrounds and heritages.

[Noah_The_Warlock]

I was thinking about something like this, and I think it would be quite cool. I think bethesda should stop holding peoples hands and really flesh out an extremely realistic world. That would be amazing.

[Moon_Struck]

I was thinking about something like this, and I think it would be quite cool. I think bethesda should stop holding peoples hands and really flesh out an extremely realistic world. That would be amazing.

That's what got me thinking about it. I want to turn off map markers and quest markers but then I realized without them I could hardly play as no one give you any kind of directions to follow.

I wish instead of meet me here. Ill mark it on your map they would tell me it's half a days walk south of rorikstead then three hours west or something like that. Let me actually explore. Quest markers make me feel compelled to follow as if my freedoms taken away.

[Br3admax]

Realistically I would not want you to die traveling in the wilderness. Also, you can turn that stuff off you know. HUD is not required.

[Avron the S'wit]

I'm pretty sure you can turn off or disable quest markers, even keeping the HUD. Of course, like Br3ad said, you could always turn it off and go Morrowind style - blindly into the wilderness with only your compass and map! Ah, those days...

[Imbalance]

I wanna learn Sload so I can read N'Gasta! Kvata! Kvakis!.

[legoless]

I wanna learn Esperanto so I can read N'Gasta! Kvata! Kvakis!.

fix'd

[Imbalance]

Lol! My subscription to La Ranetoj newsletter must have ran out.

[Chaos the N'wah]

As Moon struck was pointing towards it would be interesting to just add small snippets of the other languages (such as slang, insults, etc.)
Particularly with criminal activity, such as Khajiit dealing in the Skooma trade and using Ta'Agra to keep it on the down low

It would be a small, but give the community at large some subtle indication of the presence of such large and a small amount of race identity
Nothin' says "I want to find out what that means" like an insult in another language...

[Derp53]

I don't mind small stuff lile Chaos above me just said. But I suck at languages that aren't gujarati, hindi, or english. I also barely pulled a D- in spanish every year. So having to deal with a major language barrier would kill whatever interest I have in the game, and I'm sure a lot of other casual players aren't too keen on leveling on speech and learning a new language(that has no use outside the game) when they have a whole game world to explore and level other more important skills to level. Personally I hate the idea of a major language barrier that would severely cripple communication with NPC's and like everyone else said, the empire already spread a common language throughout Tamriel. I, like Avron however wouldn't mind seeing dialects and slang words native to certain regions, as long as it doesn't take a translator to understand. And certain cultural habits, words, and behaviors should definitely be included but not to the point where people would need to learn entire languages to understand what NPC's are saying.

[philfredobob]

Hmmm

i dont think it would Add much to the Experience

[Imbalance]

For me, the examples present in Morrowind are perfect. A little Dunmer slang went a long way, and the many Dwemer texts were left untranslatable - instead of forcing the player to learn a language, it added to their mystique. Likewise, I appreciate the efforts that went into creating the dragon language and alphabet, but appreciate even more that the player character learns it without forcing the player to actually know it.

[CBR JGWRR]

Although it is nice to know it...

[Imbalance]

Although it is nice to know it...

Won't argue that. Above all, ES games still need to be games, leisure activities, fun. I don't find much leisure or joy in having my game progress halted by over-zealous lore mastery. That's not a game; it's a college course. And I thoroughly enjoy ES lore in passing, primarily because each adventure leaves you to discover it instead of forcing it down your throat. Then, at your leisure, you may study it to its fullest immersive depth or pass with what you've gleaned in the course of your own experiences.

It was totally up to me to memorize the Daedric alphabet (which isn't difficult at all)...and subsequently forget it, but I enjoyed that level of depth. It was a neat little reward to understand the writings on the columns in the Oblivion worlds and have that come back to me, but I was much more relieved that there was never any requirement to read and utilize "here is no there is no" for practical game purposes.