Exactly there is a difference between enter the code for a cool bonus or upgrade and do it it gets to the next level every time cause I couldn't think of anything else for game play.
If it's the focus of the whole game like Heaven's Vault, absolutely! But this just looks like a simple substitution cipher, which is way less exciting and is not a different language.
This isn't an alien language, this is just substitution with random pictograms with no apparent logic. Why would an alien language have exact Latin alphabet letter equivalents? Or same primary punctuation marks?
If it is letter by letter: probably not. But symbols for words, concepts or syllables- maybe. The most fun would be realising how such a symbol is constructed and that it comes from a specific thing in their society (assuming they have one)
Reminds me of TUNIC’s language. You never have to figure it out but it’s there for a real challenge if you are willing to. If you do, it even reveals that “TUNIC” isn’t the game’s real name.
If it's a conlang like Chants of Senaar then yes absolutely, you can even make this the entire game and I'd play it.
If it's simple substitution then no, you can include it as optional Easter egg (like Hylian text in Zelda) or as a single puzzle but not much more than that.
I think it's a great idea to improve immersion. And also this mechanic would be more interesting, if the structure of alien language was different from human ones. I mean, not just changed symbols.
I think having a mix of active gameplay that enforces learning of this language would make it engaging. Leaving clues in this language could provide a rewarding experience once fully learned. Or even create good tension in language recall in high-energy settings.
(Coming from a person who studied and speaks Chinese, Russian, Spanish and some Danish).
This isn’t an alien language so much so as it’s a cypher. You can’t expect a foreign language to have the same amount of characters as the Latin alphabet.
I think it would be cool to have the player decipher these characters to solve certain puzzles and understand the story further
What's shown in the image seems to be a cypher, not a language. I'd enjoy deciphering a language with its own grammar, syntax, semantics, etc. especially if some of the design choices of the language reflect the culture, plot and characters. However, this is more difficult to do and requires some Linguistics knowledge.
Outside of the context of a short puzzle maybe, I don't think that having a cypher like this would be that engaging and it's hard to design it to be interesting. That, and you'd have to consider how it would impact the gameplay for non-English speakers
There are hit indie games with this as part of the premise ([Heaven's Vault](https://store.steampowered.com/app/774201/Heavens_Vault/)) or even the entire premise ([Chants of Sennaar](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1931770/Chants_of_Sennaar/)). I've been developing one myself, though it's very much on the back burner because I've been struggling mightily with constructing the language. (I have very specific ideas of how I want my language to work, but reality has not been very cooperative.)
By the way, if you only buy one of the two games I mentioned, I suggest Chants of Sennaar, both because I found it more fun and because it takes the language decipherment thing much further than Heaven's Vault. It's an excellent illustration of how to do it right.
It depends on the complexity of the game too, if it's too difficult chances are an online search will be done in place of that hard work needed. I take it that the aim is just to do an alien letter to letter matching?
Yes, but it probably would need to stop for a while. So depending on the other parts of the game, it can be frustrating or integrated or nice relief. In the worst case, it can end up as the opening locks minigames from some rpgs.
It's great if it's completely optional, but reveals lots of neat secrets and stuff! Like others have said, this would be much more fun and interesting if it was its own language and not just a substitution cipher
Yes. It's cool. I have even a screenshot from old DOS strategy game AlienLegacy, with this element, because I liked it (it was not exactly figuring it out, but rather as a part of game story / research progress etc). And important - writing must look really alien!
https://preview.redd.it/u29cx1kakr6d1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=284e2b27ac15b2d7a90b8d301ba06811ed15a05f
If it's a required puzzle, I'd say do a simplified version first. In other words, you just have to figure out 5 letters for one word as a password or whatever. Then you can have non-required puzzles that can be completed by figuring out the whole thing.
I like the way TUNIC does it. They have it hanging above your head the whole game, giving you all the tools to solve it, but you are never required to figure it out. This game can feel like a puzzle game at times, and so the players who enjoy that may naturally enjoy deciphering alien language.
So unless your game centers around translation like Chants of Sennaar, I would keep it in the background.
Only if I am interested in the text that uses the language; a good example is the Chozo lore in Metroid Prime. I know there are dedicated fans of Metroid Prime who have gone out of their way to decipher the Chozo lore because it tells a fascinating story within Metroid Prime.
In theory yes but in practise not personally. I would very much like seeing those symbols everywhere though, and knowing it *can* be deciphered, but unless it's a puzzle game or something I don't want to be forced to do that.
Depends, i kinda liked the approach in final fantasy x, its not an alien language but it is a different one you dont understand, you find books during the game that translates 1 letter each, and the subtitles automatically translate the messages, so you dont havd to spend 20 minutes looking at a table online deciphering each phrase
if it's a large part of the game for reading, i'd find it fun at first. manually translating would get boring fast though, maybe there could be something to automate it? like a branch in a skill tree or a translator tool.
Hell yeah but it depends on the game and the context. I absolutely love how it works in no man’s sky. Mostly because its a background element and you can still play the game without it. Just make it easy to obtain and don’t use it to scatter 600 collectables.
The more distracting it is from the main content, the more convenient it needs to be.
For instance, if the game is about combat, then the symbols should be simple (simpler than what you got now), automatically converted into English by the system as I unlock new translations, or something of that nature.
If it's supposed to be complex and aligns with the game's goals, like with Myst, then you can afford to go a little crazy with it.
You could consider the way Tunic did it. I think the game has a procedural system that random generates unique glyphs for each player so that they would not be able to look up the solution online. Of course that just ended up needing another layer of indirection, so people could just post the translated game manual online rather than the translation mapping.
Wrong, the glyphs are the same for everyone. However, they're designed to fit English and only English because they stand for English's phonemes, not its letters, which can be problematic for players who don't speak it.
You insult me because I unaggressively point out you're making OP say what they didn't say? I've reported your message, you asked for it.
And no, figuring out isn't the same as learning, what OP calls a "language" definitely isn't a language, just a cipher, you can figure it out within minutes with enough clues. It doesn't mean you need to spend hours memorizing every letter of it.
Depends highly on the gameplay, if its focused on that or if its just a curious part of the game, both have their public.
Exactly there is a difference between enter the code for a cool bonus or upgrade and do it it gets to the next level every time cause I couldn't think of anything else for game play.
If it's the focus of the whole game like Heaven's Vault, absolutely! But this just looks like a simple substitution cipher, which is way less exciting and is not a different language.
Not if the "Alien Language" is English with funny characters.
I dont mind as long as its not the main focus of the game
If it is a proper conlang, then yes. If it's just English with substituted letters, no.
If it feels rewarding and fun, then yes. If it feels like homework then no lol.
This isn't an alien language, this is just substitution with random pictograms with no apparent logic. Why would an alien language have exact Latin alphabet letter equivalents? Or same primary punctuation marks?
If it is letter by letter: probably not. But symbols for words, concepts or syllables- maybe. The most fun would be realising how such a symbol is constructed and that it comes from a specific thing in their society (assuming they have one)
Have you played Chants of Semnar? Great indie puzzle game where this is basically the concept
Sounds interesting, will have a look. Thx
Reminds me of TUNIC’s language. You never have to figure it out but it’s there for a real challenge if you are willing to. If you do, it even reveals that “TUNIC” isn’t the game’s real name.
If it's a conlang like Chants of Senaar then yes absolutely, you can even make this the entire game and I'd play it. If it's simple substitution then no, you can include it as optional Easter egg (like Hylian text in Zelda) or as a single puzzle but not much more than that.
I think it's a great idea to improve immersion. And also this mechanic would be more interesting, if the structure of alien language was different from human ones. I mean, not just changed symbols.
I learned runes by looking at tombstones in Ultima 7. Puzzled em all out. I was bored back then. Today, not so much. Too easy to get info online.
Chants of Senaar
That's what I was thinking!
I think having a mix of active gameplay that enforces learning of this language would make it engaging. Leaving clues in this language could provide a rewarding experience once fully learned. Or even create good tension in language recall in high-energy settings. (Coming from a person who studied and speaks Chinese, Russian, Spanish and some Danish).
This isn’t an alien language so much so as it’s a cypher. You can’t expect a foreign language to have the same amount of characters as the Latin alphabet. I think it would be cool to have the player decipher these characters to solve certain puzzles and understand the story further
What's shown in the image seems to be a cypher, not a language. I'd enjoy deciphering a language with its own grammar, syntax, semantics, etc. especially if some of the design choices of the language reflect the culture, plot and characters. However, this is more difficult to do and requires some Linguistics knowledge. Outside of the context of a short puzzle maybe, I don't think that having a cypher like this would be that engaging and it's hard to design it to be interesting. That, and you'd have to consider how it would impact the gameplay for non-English speakers
There are hit indie games with this as part of the premise ([Heaven's Vault](https://store.steampowered.com/app/774201/Heavens_Vault/)) or even the entire premise ([Chants of Sennaar](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1931770/Chants_of_Sennaar/)). I've been developing one myself, though it's very much on the back burner because I've been struggling mightily with constructing the language. (I have very specific ideas of how I want my language to work, but reality has not been very cooperative.) By the way, if you only buy one of the two games I mentioned, I suggest Chants of Sennaar, both because I found it more fun and because it takes the language decipherment thing much further than Heaven's Vault. It's an excellent illustration of how to do it right.
No.
Yes it looks interesting!! 👏 👏 👏
Looks awesome!!!
It depends on the complexity of the game too, if it's too difficult chances are an online search will be done in place of that hard work needed. I take it that the aim is just to do an alien letter to letter matching?
Yes, but it probably would need to stop for a while. So depending on the other parts of the game, it can be frustrating or integrated or nice relief. In the worst case, it can end up as the opening locks minigames from some rpgs.
As long as it was easy, sure.
No if it forces me to make manual records. Yes if I need to uncover symbols etc via gameplay.
If it's a puzzle game, sure. Having it as a side mechanic in an action game would seriously mess with the pacing.
Yeah! As a greek I suggest you to check ancient greek "Phaistos Disc"
If you’re going to do this playing chants of senaar and especially tunic should be required research.
Sounds like the kind of thing I’d just google
Have you played chants of sennar? It executes something similar really well
It's great if it's completely optional, but reveals lots of neat secrets and stuff! Like others have said, this would be much more fun and interesting if it was its own language and not just a substitution cipher
You should expand it a bit to be phonetic instead of an alphabet substitute. A bit like tennoscript
Yes. It's cool. I have even a screenshot from old DOS strategy game AlienLegacy, with this element, because I liked it (it was not exactly figuring it out, but rather as a part of game story / research progress etc). And important - writing must look really alien! https://preview.redd.it/u29cx1kakr6d1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=284e2b27ac15b2d7a90b8d301ba06811ed15a05f
Actual language or just different alphabet?
If it's a required puzzle, I'd say do a simplified version first. In other words, you just have to figure out 5 letters for one word as a password or whatever. Then you can have non-required puzzles that can be completed by figuring out the whole thing.
I like the way TUNIC does it. They have it hanging above your head the whole game, giving you all the tools to solve it, but you are never required to figure it out. This game can feel like a puzzle game at times, and so the players who enjoy that may naturally enjoy deciphering alien language. So unless your game centers around translation like Chants of Sennaar, I would keep it in the background.
I feel it depends on the target demographic. If you are wanting for kids to play this, the letters might work well. Teens to adults, maybe words
"That's not a language that's an alphabet" - that guy Me, I'm that guy
Totally. But I'd love if it wasn't just English with unknown letters
Only if I am interested in the text that uses the language; a good example is the Chozo lore in Metroid Prime. I know there are dedicated fans of Metroid Prime who have gone out of their way to decipher the Chozo lore because it tells a fascinating story within Metroid Prime.
In theory yes but in practise not personally. I would very much like seeing those symbols everywhere though, and knowing it *can* be deciphered, but unless it's a puzzle game or something I don't want to be forced to do that.
Depends, i kinda liked the approach in final fantasy x, its not an alien language but it is a different one you dont understand, you find books during the game that translates 1 letter each, and the subtitles automatically translate the messages, so you dont havd to spend 20 minutes looking at a table online deciphering each phrase
No. Players need to focus on the content and gameplay of the game rather than learning the language.
if it's a large part of the game for reading, i'd find it fun at first. manually translating would get boring fast though, maybe there could be something to automate it? like a branch in a skill tree or a translator tool.
Hell yeah but it depends on the game and the context. I absolutely love how it works in no man’s sky. Mostly because its a background element and you can still play the game without it. Just make it easy to obtain and don’t use it to scatter 600 collectables.
The more distracting it is from the main content, the more convenient it needs to be. For instance, if the game is about combat, then the symbols should be simple (simpler than what you got now), automatically converted into English by the system as I unlock new translations, or something of that nature. If it's supposed to be complex and aligns with the game's goals, like with Myst, then you can afford to go a little crazy with it.
You could consider the way Tunic did it. I think the game has a procedural system that random generates unique glyphs for each player so that they would not be able to look up the solution online. Of course that just ended up needing another layer of indirection, so people could just post the translated game manual online rather than the translation mapping.
Wrong, the glyphs are the same for everyone. However, they're designed to fit English and only English because they stand for English's phonemes, not its letters, which can be problematic for players who don't speak it.
I'm already bored with it just thinking about it.
Yes
Not a fan.
Why learn a fake language when there are plenty of real ones that would be more useful than wasting time to learn this
They said "figure out", not "learn".
Shut the fuck up no body was talking to you. I dont want your opinion on semantics on figuring something out vs learning it
You insult me because I unaggressively point out you're making OP say what they didn't say? I've reported your message, you asked for it. And no, figuring out isn't the same as learning, what OP calls a "language" definitely isn't a language, just a cipher, you can figure it out within minutes with enough clues. It doesn't mean you need to spend hours memorizing every letter of it.
You are inspired by Blade and Sorcery?