SS2 subtitles

[665b8421a3358ZylonBane]

I've been playing around with creating subtitles for SS2, but I've run into a bit of a philosophical problem. For non-verbal barks, which many enemies in SS2 use, I can't decide whether to subtitle them literally, or by meaning. For example, with monkeys I could do:

Ook.
Ook!
Eek!

or...

(idle)
(spotted player)
(attacking)

At least words exist for the sounds monkey make. I don't even know what I'd do for the worm and assassin sounds.

Note that subtitling of non-verbal barks would be primarily for the benefit of hearing-impaired players, and can be easily disabled by everyone else.

==============================================================
Okay, I think this is good enough for release now. See the "official" thread here to download:
https://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=9508.0

[665b8421a3490ZylonBane]

Also, can anyone tell what the hell the first few words are in MaintBot/MD1AT0_2.WAV?

[665b8421a35c3Yankee Clipper]

Sounds like "back paving stability nominal".

[665b8421a39fcvoodoo47]

I don't even know what I'd do for the worm

chirp chirp! wreeee.

[665b8421a3e94RocketMan]

You could also do something more subtle that sort of avoids the problem altogether.

For any idling noise:                   ...
For any spotted player noise:  ???
For any attacking noise:            !!!

It's not the best solution in the world but it's a form of universally understood language and it's simple.


The thing I don't like about the ook eek, is that, as you pointed out, how do you properly verbalize all of the enemies?  What I don't like about the notification style approach is that it is immersion-breaking because it sounds like narration, especially with the use of the word "player".

[665b8421a4166RocketMan]

Sounds like "back paving stability nominal".

If that's the case I suggest masking it with different words that sound the same because the above is retarded.

[665b8421a43bcKolya]

I second RocketMan's suggestion and if possible I would enhance this with unicode icons.

Some suggestions:
monkey http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1f412/browsertest.htm
skulls and bones http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2620/browsertest.htm
snake http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1f40d/browsertest.htm
biohazard http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2623/browsertest.htm
the many: http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/262D/browsertest.htm

[665b8421a46e4ZylonBane]

For any attacking noise:            !!!

!!!!!!

[665b8421a49bdRocketMan]

monkey http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1f412/browsertest.htm

You can make monkey pictures with Unicode?!

[665b8421a4d16Yankee Clipper]

If that's the case I suggest masking it with different words that sound the same because the above is retarded.

On a spaceship it does seem odd. What did they do, put some dirt down on the metallic surface and then pave over the dirt?

[665b8421a4fc7Kolya]

You can make monkey pictures with Unicode?!

Unicode has lots of symbols. Our mobile forum version makes use of a few.

[665b8421a50e9xdiesp]

(monkey noises)
(monkey howling)

I have a bit of experience with subtitles for the hearing impaired (and braille), and usually they would be descriptive as above.

[665b8421a51e7ZylonBane]

That's great, now try it for the assassin noises.

[665b8421a546bOlfred]

(nin nin)

[665b8421a5550voodoo47]

hzzzrz we can navigate wzzss.

[665b8421a56d8miracle.flame]

I would opt for this sort of captioning
{monkey: Ook.. ook.. eeek!}
{assassin: Chirp.. bzzt.. whatever...}
{annelid worm: shriek...}

So that there is a narrator and then the sound. Player hears the sound and not always knows what the origin is for the very first time. Well monkey sounds like a monkey but the annelid worm does not really sound like... worms do.. or don't. But it is always clear that the sound is made by an enemy not just by some device. That's why the narrator should be included.

[665b8421a580fZylonBane]

Subtitling always has descriptive text like "[static]", "[distant scream]", etc. There's never been any doubt that SS2's subtitles would require stuff like that.

Eh, maybe I shouldn't even bother trying to subtitle the non-verbal sounds. The default radius for the subtitle engine is well beyond what's normally audible, so in an area with a lot of AIs, even just their idle barks would flood the subtitle window.

[665b8421a5931ZylonBane]

A request for any members with the German version of SS2. There are two robot idle barks that I absolutely cannot figure out what they're saying:

snd.crf\MaintBot\english\md1at0_2 - "????? stability nominal."
snd.crf\SECBOT\english\sd1at0_4 - "????? Xerxes, requesting maintenance to ?????."

Please listen to the German versions of the above sound files, and post what you think the best equivalents would be in English.

[665b8421a5a1dYankee Clipper]

Sometimes non-????;
Xerxes, requesting maintenance to optimize.

non-ectable??? Other than not being a word, it's a perfect fit.

[665b8421a5ce5ZylonBane]

Other than not being a word, it's a perfect fit.

I don't even know how to respond to that.

[665b8421a6123unn_atropos]

Do you speak german? I could help with the translation.

A request for any members with the German version of SS2. There are two robot idle barks that I absolutely cannot figure out what they're saying:

snd.crf\MaintBot\english\md1at0_2 - "????? stability nominal."
snd.crf\SECBOT\english\sd1at0_4 - "????? Xerxes, requesting maintenance to ?????."

md1at0_2: Deckverkleidungsstabilität* nominal--> deck panel stability nominal
sd1at0_4: Sichtlinie(n) nicht optimal. Xerxes, Wartungseinheiten sollen dies verbessern-->Line of sight is not optimal. Xerxes, maintenance units should improve this (literal translation)

*Ahh, the infinitely expandable language.,, Giving us the option to write amazing words like "Deckverkleidungsstabilitätskontrollprüfungsbehördenerlass"

[665b8421a63e2System Shocked]

.,, Giving us the option to write amazing words like "Deckverkleidungsstabilitätskontrollprüfungsbehördenerlass"

"Deckverkleidungsstabilitätskontrollprüfungsbehördenerlass" means shuffleboard, which isn't such an amazing word. 

[665b8421a66d7ZylonBane]

md1at0_2: Deckverkleidungsstabilität* nominal--> deck panel stability nominal
sd1at0_4: Sichtlinie(n) nicht optimal. Xerxes, Wartungseinheiten sollen dies verbessern-->Line of sight is not optimal. Xerxes, maintenance units should improve this (literal translation)

Awesome, thanks. Now that I know what to listen for, I can hear md1at0_2 as "Deck plating stability nominal."

sd1at0_4 though, argh. Even knowing what to listen for, it still sounds like "Sobox non-vectibal. Xerxes, requesting maintenance to vectomize." But given what it's supposedly been translated from, "Sight lines non-optimal. Xerxes, requesting maintenance to optimize." does fit the syllables, and mostly fits the phonemes I can recognize. I guess I'll go with that.

[665b8421a6800RocketMan]

So you ARE trying to phoneticize all of the enemies?