Profanity in mods, [split by Baronius; Domi's request] Options

[Domi]

BG1 is a PG13 game, so the developper to start with did not intend it for children. There are characters in BG1 that say stuff like "Will one of you rugged adventurers give me a good, hard shag?"

The mods/mods components are sometimes rated as well (for example some of BG1NPC Romances are rated R for language or adult situations), while the mod itself is the same as the game, to avoid embaracing the selective players. It will be nice, if people used the rating system more vigorously.

I guess this is why most sci-fi/fantasy tv creates new profanities - frac, frell etc

And that is why the authors who have guts to carter to adult audience and have no pangs of guilt about it, read so real and have their own appreciative following. (Points to Martin).

In other words, do what you feel is right, just warn the consummer about it. I always make a point of explaining that Martin is gritty, uses the obscenities and does not draw curtains when his characters decided to make love, when I recommend his books. Yes, I love what he does. No, I don't expect everyone to agree with me that it is how it should be done.

This post has been edited by Domi: Jan 9 2006, 09:03 PM

[Thauron]

I think profanities should fit in the setting first, that's why I don't like to read things like 's**t', 'f**k' or 'mother**er'. Things like 'bastard' or anything which directly attacks the honour of a character or that of his parents fit far better in a medieval fantasy setting - people then where far more concerned about things like pride, honour and standing and not as obsessed with the sexual as we are, in our post-Victorian era. So I agree with Baronius and Rabain on this point.
That's why I don't like either of Rabain's Korgan-quotes - I would rather have him say something about butchering and killing, not refraining from any gory details, than use a sexual theme - but that's probably because I can't help but consider dwarves as some sort of a-sexual creatures.

Also - profanity can generally be avoided, without touching the content of what one tries to achieve. An example I wrote yesterday for an 'evil' reply by the PC. Context: you have found a ten year old boy, barely alive, but - being evil - just left him to die there. Few moments later PC meets the panicking parents who ask him if he has seen their son. A modder might write 2 different replies, one containing profanity:
~Oh yes, that pig is down there. The son of a b**ch got himself hurt too. But what the f**k, why should I care about such a brat. Now p*ss off, pathetic peasants.~ // Ok I've overdone it here but you catch my drift

One without:
~Oh yes, your son is down there. Got himself hurt quite badly too. If you are quick you might still watch him die though, he was still twitching a bit when we left.~ //This is what I consider a mocking, cold-hearted Edwinesque reply, but I agree Bioware's Edwin doesn't say these sort of things enough.

I think an uninspired modder (and every modder is an uninspired modder once in a while ) might be temped to use something like the first quote, just to stress the evil, arrogant and rude character of an NPC or a reply - but almost always he will just show that he had no inspiration for a better alternative.
One might reply that some characters (like f.e. Shar-teel) are not sophisticated enough to say a thing like that or that one has to have the possibility to play an incredibly uncultivated PC too - but then again, why include such a thing when it might offend people and when it's not necessary?

On the other hand, I was thinking about a scene where a female PC or NPC gets harassed sexually (horny comments, hands where they shouldn't be,...) in a BG1 inn, by some drunk ruffians. I believe no profanity at all in such a context would be unconvincing, so there will be some there. But, having read this thread, I should make this an optional element or at least warn the gamer who downloads my mod about it. (EDIT - hadn't read sorrow's post when I posted this - we were obviously thinking in the same direction.)

On your idea of an NPC using profanity extensively, Domi - you've already said yourself what the problems could be with that - and these 'traps' might be difficult to avoid. In RL there is little I have less patience for than gratuit profanity and uncalled-for rudeness, so you're NPC might go down the drain rather fast on my comp., unless you give him a very good reason to talk like that, a good background story and/or interesting side-quests and write him/her very well. But if the profanity is overdone and gets on my nerves, even that might not save him.

*sigh* why do I never manage to reply with a short and to the point answer?

This post has been edited by Thauron: Jan 11 2006, 12:38 PM