Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Author Topic: Syntax  (Read 585 times)

Lyrax

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Syntax
« on: May 14, 2008, 01:19:00 pm »

I'm talking about adventure mode.  The fight messages are terribly vague, and seem... wrong.

Example:
You bash the troglodyte in the upper torso with your +steel mace+
It is broken!

"It is broken" seems to refer to the steel mace, and this annoys me to no end.  The first time I fought someone, in fact, I thought that my weapon HAD broken.  A better message might be:

You use your +steel mace+ to bash the troglodyte in the upper torso!
It is broken!

OR

You bash the troglodyte in the upper torso with your +steel mace+
His upper torso breaks!

Logged
Witty

Comedian
Dabbling Pacifier
Dabbling Judge of Intent
Skilled Forum Poster

PTTG??

  • Bay Watcher
  • Kringrus! Babak crulurg tingra!
    • View Profile
    • http://www.nowherepublishing.com
Re: Syntax
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2008, 09:29:00 pm »

You make an excellent point. I wince whenever I read those vauge "It's"s "He"s and "She"s.  I personally like this one:
You use your +steel mace+ to bash the troglodyte in the upper torso!
It is broken!

I would also like some more variety in general, but I suspect that that might fit in the presentation arc.

Logged
A thousand million pool balls made from precious metals, covered in beef stock.

Bricktop

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Syntax
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2008, 01:43:00 pm »

I do think that
"You use your +steel mace+ to bash the troglodyte in the upper torso!"
would be better. Just generally easier to read, really.

Also, PTTG. if I remember rightly more variety will actually be coming in when toady works at upgrading the fighting system (to make more moves available to us ect).

Logged

Areyar

  • Bay Watcher
  • Ecstatic about recieving his own E:4 mug recently
    • View Profile
Re: Syntax
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2008, 08:38:00 pm »

I just wince at every 'a axe', when it should be 'AN axe'.

Although I have done some random-text generator work and getting such things right is a true menace, so I understand Toady's reluctance to bother with it untill 'presentation time'.

Also I don't get the 'stud with metal' thing...it adds aN image in metal to object X, not menacing studs of metal.
just find that an off description, all others are like 'sew image' 'decorate with leather' 'encrust with gems', and they do that stuff they describe.

Logged
My images bucket for WIPs and such: link