Languages

[roguetrooper 2]

The language system should be reworked at all.

1. When you join a subordinate of another language (eg. a Russian into an US team) that subordinate still speaks his mother tongue. That is very annoying. So you can't have e.g. an US soldier in a Russian uniform that additionaly speaks English.

2.) The soldiers of the side that the player belongs to, should always speak the player's language. Since you cannot implement dozens (you COULD, but...) of languages into ArmA, this standard-player-language should be Englisch.

3.) When the player plays on Russian or Takistan side, then the language these soldiers produce, is also the player's mother tongue. When you play on Takistan side, you always have to READ the AI soldiers' messages ("enemy at 2 o'clock" etc). You can't play by ear. But you should be able to hear these AI soldiers' speech in your own mother tongue.

I don't know how to express it... When you play on Takistan side, you "are" a Takistani then, so to speak. But the person in front of the screen feels like somebody from abroad, since he can't understand what the AI soldiers say.

So the soldiers on the player's side should speak English (no matter if they are Czech, Tak, Russian, German).

When you play on Takistan side and fight against English speaking enemies, you should NOT be able to understand that English. It should be a fantasy language instead.

Imagine this situation: US soldiers vs. Takistan soldiers. Player on Takistan side. There are a group of US soldiers and a group of Takistan soldiers separated from each other by a wall, allowing them to HEAR what's going on on the other side of the wall.

As a Takistan player you can understand the meaning of the US soldiers' speech, but as a US soldier (ingame) you can't understand what the Takistanis say. So a Takistan player should hear his own soldier's speech in his own mother tongue (or English as standard) and should hear the US soldiers in a fantasy language (since English is a foreign language for him then). The human players should hear their own troops speak English and the enemies speak a the fantasy language.

4.) Another problem. Imagine this scenario. The Takistan army which the player belongs to, fights against renegade Takistanis. So Takistanian is the mother tongue of the player and the player should perceive the language of both the friendly and the hostile Takistanians as English.

Mkay. The most important thing is that the player should perceive the language of his own troops as English. I don't like it when I play on Russian or Tak side and my own troops brabble a language all the time which I don't understand.

[2nd ranger 282]

1. I understand where you're coming from about friendly AI speaking the player's language, like in OFP where the Russians spoke English but in a Russian accent. But personally I like hearing the other languages when I play as Russian, Takis etc. If for no other reason than you can learn a small amount of a foreign tongue!

2. You want BIS to make up a gibberish language so you can't understand the enemy AI's speech? That's a bit drastic, isn't it? It's not like you get much useful intel from what they say. Usually you just hear them saying "Man" or "Move" and that's it.

Also, this would eventually be redundant because you'd soon start to learn what the AI is saying in their new gibberish language and be able to understand them! The only alternative is to make them actually talk gibberish, so you might as well have every word that comes out of their mouth be "blah blah", which would break immersion far more than being able to understand their real language.

Edited February 2, 2011 by 2nd Ranger

[PuFu 4600]

1. I sort of agree with this, they should be sort of speaking the same language. It doesn't bother me to much though...

2. I certainly disagree here: You already have the English translations, so i feel rather well when i see russian side units speaking russian, and not some pseudo-russian accent voices (like you see in all the Hollywood movies).

3. I don't see it as an immersion killer. In fact it is the other way around it. Plus i am 100% against fantasy languages being used. (i have such a awkward feeling in yankee movies where another language is being used that i know, and it is so fucked up, like no native would ever speak unless he is retarded or illiterate).

[NeMeSiS 11]

I disagree with all of these points, when you play with a Russian, you speak Russian. Makes sense to me.

Though some units could have English added as a second language (Like Cooper had), mainly officers etc.

[Pyronick 21]

It would definately making editing more fun if you could script more languages for your character.

Think of:

this setLanguage ("english", "takistani", "russian");

I disagree on the other points though.

[NoRailgunner 0]

1) How many US/RF/Independent/Insurgents grunts can speak a foreign language or the language of the OPFOR? Better leave such a feature for mission making.

2) No, the optional english caption is still better.

3) If you play on a non-english side you should hear the mother tongue of this side/faction. Why those people should speak a foreign language?

4) No they are native speakers and they should speak in their mother tongue.

Its not that hard to translate or guess what the AI is saying or shouting.

[roguetrooper 2]

I disagree with all of these points, when you play with a Russian, you speak Russian. Makes sense to me.

You did not understand what I mean. When you play a Russian soldier and hear the speech of other Russian soldiers, you should understand it (the spoken words, not the accompanying radio chat text). THAT would make sense.

It's the same thing as in movies. E.g. the crew of Red October are native Russian speakers and they speak Russian. They still "speak Russian" to each other even if you watch the movie in any language. What you hear then IS Russian, although it is German in the synchronized version for Germany, French in France, English in USA, Spanish in Spain etc.

Anybody out there who understands what I mean?

Edited February 2, 2011 by RogueTrooper

[rellikki 7]

There's an option back in Operation Flashpoint which would change all the radio voices to use one single English voice. I'm surprised the option was removed in ARMA, it could be useful for people who desire features like that.

[NeMeSiS 11]

You did not understand what I mean. When you play a Russian soldier and hear the speech of other Russian soldiers, you should understand it (the spoken words, not the accompanying radio chat text). THAT would make sense.

Well, im from the Netherlands, and when we watch foreign movies we have subtitles, not dubs, and I (and apparently most of the country) am/is fine with that. Dubs like in, for example, Germany are frowned upon, and to be honest hearing people talk in a language that is not their own makes me cringe.

This design decision makes me happy, and i would not like to see it changed.

EDIT: Not that i like to see this option enforced on other people, but IMO BI have better things to do.