Spell check

bossbrigand

B
QivBin2.png


This reads like a spam e-mail. I'm surprised he didn't ask for my Bank of Zaonce account details to wire me reward monies. Is there really no way these could be tailored a bit to suit the groups they're coming from so they don't read like they arrived via telegram from Nigeria? And, you know, run through a spell checker?
 

Casey Casem

C
Strange how an English dev firm can struggle with English! Spelling and grammar aside, they also get content completely wrong. Latest news letter about VULTURE bobble head for instance
 

micky1984

M
Casey Casem said:
Strange how an English dev firm can struggle with English! Spelling and grammar aside, they also get content completely wrong. Latest news letter about VULTURE bobble head for instance
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sorry who gives a damn oh let me guess you need to see a full stop to take a breath no wonder the AI is beating so many players
 

bossbrigand

B
micky1984 said:
sorry who gives a damn oh let me guess you need to see a full stop to take a breath no wonder the AI is beating so many players
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The game is as much about the lore and setting as it is the gameplay; ergo I expect a message from the Empire to look like an adult typed it.
 

Casey Casem

C
micky1984 said:
sorry who gives a damn oh let me guess you need to see a full stop to take a breath no wonder the AI is beating so many players
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So rather see you having English like this in game? It's not like time too much too proof text. Polish includes coherent text. Something very easy to fix that makes a huge impact on player perception of overal quality
 

insanephoton

insanephoton
The trouble with running things through a spellchecker instead of having a proper proof reader is that you can get the wrong word correctly spelt. Something I flagged up in the beta and is still in the game is that you can find missions to 'Snake in' illegal goods
 

bossbrigand

B
Microsoft Word will catch "you are now and ally" these days but if it takes a manual proofread then that's what it takes. These kinds of errors are everywhere.

The problem is compounded by the fact that even if it was in perfect form, it would still sound goofy and unofficial. It just needs to be rewritten to read more like a message from an interstellar empire than a thank-you note from your local corner store.
 

Sapyx

Sapyx
You ask for a "spell check", but I don't see any mis-spelled words there. And the only "wrong word" is "and" instead of "an".

As for requests to "snake in" contraband, I always assumed it was future-slang: To move like a snake (dodging and twisting to avoid being scanned), all the while flying a ship named after a snake (since the Cobra is a smuggler's ship).
 

bossbrigand

B
That would make "an" misspelled. It doesn't become not misspelled because a misspelling caused it to be a different word entirely - hell, I'd say that's even worse. Not to mention "ally of Empire" isn't correct syntax and "From the Empire operations team" just sounds silly - it's like "Love, the CIA." The whole message just sounds janky and unofficial. Like I said, it reads like a spam e-mail.

How about;

"Salutations Commander _________,

In recognition of your continued service and fealty to the Imperial throne, your vessel will now appear as ALLIED to Imperial Navy IFF scans and from this moment on, our pilots will treat you as a comrade out in the black.

Zealous support from pilots such as yourself secures the future health and growth of our glorious Empire. I trust your elevated status will serve you well in all endeavours.

Cordially yours,
Admiral [random name (or not-random)]
Imperial Navy"

Similar messages for each standing could be written for each superpower in the space of an hour or two. It's really not that difficult.

--

I've seen "snake in" and it didn't occur to me that it could be a misspelling. I assumed it was intended as well; really it's not even future-slang. I've heard "snake" used similarly in real life.
 
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Casey Casem

C
Here. I'll fix it:

Salutations Commander bossbrigand.

Thanks for your dedicated service. You are now considered an ally of the Empire!

We hope for your continued support. Allies such as yourself will always be welcome at our starports.

Message from the Imperium Public Relations
 

bossbrigand

B
Thanks, but I like mine better.

Look, I get that it's a comparatively tiny complaint, but these kinds of weird English breakdowns are everywhere in Elite. Addressing that would help flesh out the universe more and the way each superpower presents itself in messages like this goes a long way to making them feel different from one another in more subtle ways.

edit: n i g g l e is censored? really?

nig·gle
ˈniɡəl/
verb
1.
cause slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety.
"a suspicion     led at the back of her mind"
synonyms: irritate, annoy, bother, provoke, exasperate, upset, gall, irk, rankle with
noun
1.
a trifling complaint, dispute, or criticism.
synonyms: quibble, trivial complaint, criticism, grumble, grouse, cavil
 
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Casey Casem

C
bossbrigand said:
Thanks, but I like mine better.

Look, I get that it's a comparatively tiny complaint, but these kinds of weird English breakdowns are everywhere in Elite. Addressing that would help flesh out the universe more and the way each superpower presents itself in messages like this goes a long way to making them feel different from one another in more subtle ways.
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I like yours better too! I was just translating the content without adding anything not communicated. FDev could benefit from hiring creative writers to flesh out this text-heavy game
 

bossbrigand

B
Casey Casem said:
I like yours better too! I was just translating the content without adding anything not communicated. FDev could benefit from hiring creative writers to flesh out this text-heavy game
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Oh, sorry. I took it as disparaging like the micky guy up above. Yeah, it'd be great to come up with a team of volunteers to comb through and refine the strings in Elite and it'd take some pressure off the guys already working on it to boot, let them focus on other stuff.
 
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