I do really like the idea that words are filtered out so I don't have to deal with a bunch of immature people trying to look cool by saying inappropriate things via text chat, but... what parameters are there for your blocked words?
My friend and I noticed that we couldn't type in ANY numbers. Two, four, Three, etc. It makes it a little difficult to relate numerical quantities such as "I only have 3 mana left." We've had to find words that are similar to the number such as "tree" for "three". I can't even say, "I only have 5 minutes left" as both "5" and "five" are blocked.
The only reason I can think of is so that children can't give out personal information? I suppose so.
I've also noticed that certain "words" such as "Thx" and "PLZ" are not blocked. I understand why not, as they are just the internet shorthand of "thanks" and "please" but, I would hope a game that TEACHERS are recommending for their students would try to support proper spelling.
(Seriously, I grade English papers from time to time to help out my old teachers from grade school and I see internet shorthand coming on more often than I would like.)
There are also other words that aren't allowed to be used that makes communication so much harder because you try to find alternatives (Such as during a conversation I stated I was eating "Ramen" it did not surprise me that it was filtered out, so I tried "noodles" and "pasta" only to find that, those too, were filtered out!).
I know the examples seem trivial but when you are a roleplayer (guilty *branded*) it breaks the experience entirely that for some strange reason your character cannot say "When I was five I loved pasta".
(Though I found it amusing that in a playful jab to my friend in private chat I couldn't type in "I kill you" as the entire phrase got filtered when I tried it. I understand why, and don't mind it staying that way, just found it funny).
I was talking to another adult in the game, tried to say I would return to play in 30 min. but that is impossible!
Another adult and I were talking about rescue of unwanted pets, that was fine till you tried to say the breed, you can't day Scottish Terrier, nor Great Dane. You can say great, but no dane, I don't think the filter being set the way it is works. I am the only player in my house and no one else uses my computer yet I feel like I can't talk freely because of the filter. Even other adults don't like it. There has to be a better way to keep kids from giving out phone numbers than to restrict EVERYONE from saying numbers.
The filter does NOT stop them, they find other ways to be nasty in the game. Had a teen boy talk about dryad and her breasts. The adult male I was playing with told him to have respect for me and not talk like that. The boy ran because he knew I was going to report his behavior. Not that it would do any good,other than to make me feel better.
You can NOT make it so hard to have a normal conversation that one leaves the game to say I'll be back in a few minuets. I have instant messenger running, took the game off full screen so I can talk to my "real friends". Did this stop me from playing? no but it's a hassle. The other choice is to have parents sit with thier kids, oh lord that means they would see for themselves how the rest of the world see them too....SHOCK!
I agree totally. I understand that text-speak must invade these types of games, but I don't get why you can't say certain words like "pasta" or "noodles". Certain names are allowed, but other names are blocked.
I was hoping that exchanging true friend codes would allow for more freedom of expression, but no dice. Everything is still filtered exactly the same way. I really don't see the purpose of the true friend code at this point.
I totally agree that at least the true friends chat should be working without filter. Because it means you must have a possibility to chat or speak with the other person in some way so it is not needed to protect someone there. I am german and i really like this game and i have to chat in english with my friend that is really strange :D I have no problem with talking english but if the only listener is one of your own language you feel silly.
I don't think KI is ever going to get rid of the chat filter. I completely understand how it works, and I entirely agree with the words it blocks. First of all, why would you even want to tell someone about noodles or dogs? It doesn't matter. Honestly, I don't usually come across words that are blocked by the filter because I stay on topic.
I did find trouble with SOME things though. I wrote a story on the Creative Writing section of this site, and I was so excited when I became the "Featured Writer". I tried to tell all my friends, but Featured Writer is blocked. Another thing is the fact that my story is about the Seekers. I can't say Seeker. Now when my friends and I talk about the story (which happens a lot) we have to say "Seek errs".
I guess the answer is to make it a tiny bit less strict. Otherwise, I like the text filter.
Oh my goodness! I believe every person I have talked and played with told me they did not like the chat filter... They need to give different age sections. Like one for kids 13 and under/ 18 and up... such like that. The majority of people I play with are adults, and we get very frustrating when we can't say a simple phrase... If only they made it less strict!
Some of the spells in this game if gotten from another school or an item have different values, if you cast the same buff or trap spell from different sources 1 spell can trigger all of them but I can't tell someone to cast the 35% trap while I cast the 25% trap so we can coordinate our casting because the game doesn't let you type numbers. The game doesn't even let you type the names of some of the items for some reason too. I have a Hip Hop Wand but if I try to tell someone what wand I have, it shows as ".... hop wand". Why does the game have such a sensative filter if there's parental controls? Let parents use the parental controls to limit what kids can say and read, and let the adults have real conversations. I can't even tell someone what level I am or what level I got a certain spell. Why can't I say "internet"? or "latency"? try to explain to someone why you missed a turn in combat because you're "lagging" or your "internet" is slow. The filter makes even simple game play conversation difficult yet someone can still call my character a "hot tie" and other such things. the filter doesn't stop poeple but it makes normal conversations sometimes imposible.
Make the filter less sensative and just let parents use the parental controls. The filter as it is, is terrible.
The important thing to remember here is that KI has their own *Dictionary* for open (non-menu) chat. It isn't that words like Dane and Seeker are filtered OUT, it is more likely that they aren't included in the Dictionary to begin with. As a game developer I can see the fine distinction between trying to write an all-inclusive list of "bad" words and phrases and simply omitting them to begin with. This makes it much easier on the developers to censor "bad" language. Yes, the children whose parents allow them open (non-menu) chat do still manage to get around certain words and phrases but that then becomes the parents responsibility rather than the game providers.
I too would like to see a mechanism where adults can chat openly. As I have seen suggested elsewhere, the developer could include a menu option in the Parental Controls area to allow unfiltered chat. Perhaps even making it dependent upon the True Friends option as mentioned here. Unfortunately it is 99.99% certain KingsIsle will never do that. It would simply be too easy for the children to gain access to. You don’t have to read much on the forums to see many people wonder why KI bothers with such a seemingly complex chat system to begin with. I too find myself wondering why they don’t follow the standard software model of using a Terms of Service agreement to release them from any liability and have done with it. Here then is my speculation why they do what they do. It is a given KingsIsle wants to market their game to the largest possible audience. That is simply common business sense. In order to gain the coveted ESRB rating “E” for everyone they set their standards to a cleaner moral environment for the common good than every other game on the market. Along the way they accomplish the benefit of lesser hands-on moderation that they have to do. The result is a win-win situation... for them; more players, less work.
Marloss wrote:
...snip... I am german and i really like this game and i have to chat in english with my friend that is really strange :D I have no problem with talking english but if the only listener is one of your own language you feel silly.
Most games are marketed to one country at a time and localized as they gain popularity. It is rare for a developer to try and tackle more than one market on launch. In this games approach they would have to make a Dictionary in every language. A very expensive (and time consuming) proposition indeed. So far, they only market to English speaking nations. Only time will tell if they gain enough popularity to localize the game to other languages. From a business viewpoint I’m sure KingsIsle would be happy to localize the game in German if they somehow had reason to believe they would increase their market, and thus their profit. So start a grass-roots campaign in your area Marloss. Gather signatures, send emails and get the word out you want the game localized! :D
I was talking to another adult in the game, tried to say I would return to play in 30 min. but that is impossible!
You could have just said, "I'll be back in half an hour."
You can NOT make it so hard to have a normal conversation that one leaves the game to say I'll be back in a few minuets. I have instant messenger running, took the game off full screen so I can talk to my "real friends". Did this stop me from playing? no but it's a hassle. The other choice is to have parents sit with thier kids, oh lord that means they would see for themselves how the rest of the world see them too....SHOCK!
You realize, of course, that this game was designed primarily for kids, not for your specific conversational convenience?
And why is it necessary to tar all kids in this game with the same unflattering brush? And how do you know that all those that offend you are actually kids?
I don't think KI is ever going to get rid of the chat filter. I completely understand how it works, and I entirely agree with the words it blocks. First of all, why would you even want to tell someone about noodles or dogs? It doesn't matter. Honestly, I don't usually come across words that are blocked by the filter because I stay on topic.
You will note I cut your quote for drivel that had nothing to do with the filter. Now I can call any monster I want a creep, try it works like a charm. But to say your sorry for making a dumb choice of spells is NOT allowed. How does this make sense?
I think the best way to fix the chat filter is to have some sort of a thread of suggested words to be added, and the devs add the words they want to into the dictionary. There are a lot of words that aren't in the white list that have no bad thing about them such as "clarinet, "ramen", "neigh", "flute", and the like.
The other annoying thing about the chat system is numbers. I don't understand it at all. Anyone who wants to tell some creepy stalker their age can easily circumvent the filter, but if I want to tell someone how many levels I need till my next card, I can't. I mean, I could sit there trying to figure out some inventive way to say "seven", but I eventually just give up. Furthermore, the filter isn't protecting people's ages AT ALL! If someone has menu chat, you KNOW they are under thirteen years old. So, KI has tried to protect people, but have effectively painted bullseyes on all the kids' foreheads. At the very least they could give us numbers greater than 18, since adults are not even targeted, and they are mature enough not to give out their age to the creepy stalker people.
Also, an 18+ free chat is not the way to solve this. Being 16, I would be very angry if free chat was available to people two years older than me, and I was stuck with the clunky chat system that is currently in place. Now, I'm not saying I want free chat for 16+, since I am in no way a good representation of my age group, and there would be a lot more problems with vulgarity if this were to happen, but at the same time, there are a lot of people mature enough that deserve a free or blacklist-based chat system.
If the chat system were to be fixed, I would be much happier with this game. The chat system is my biggest problem, although players with virtually no strategy is a close second...*twitches*
