Characters knowing Elven.

[SallyPirate]

What Ced is saying makes sense though, we don't let people earn epic skills/jobs via background stories, so why should they learn languages the same way? (there are exceptions of course)
It's not mandatory, but it would be nice for people that know elven, to make sense of why they know it. Not skipping out on some perfectly good RP and going "Learned it from X 20 years ago."

I can see the appeal in knowing more languages, but there should be a limit to keep some immersion. I know it enters the 'club' idea if only certain people knew it, but another language completely loses the appeal and point of existing when everyone knows it.

Edit: On that note, Sally only knows Common and all/any future characters of mine will only ever speak common. I like rp not knowing what people say and looking dumbly at them, it's surprisingly fun. If anything while other characters talk in another language, I can just picture my characters (any of them) getting bored, walking away, picking at their ears, making irritated faces- anything.

 

[Bartooliinii]

I think you have a point that it's way too easy to just put in your char profile "Knows Elven, Horgaahn, Earthspawn and common etc."
But in my view you should keep in mind that this server is full of people and the people in this server are till a certain point free on what to do. The thing that restricts them is Lore, but to make their char profile they should not be restricted by anyone. This is where everyone makes his/her individual imaginary person to play with.

I see your problem, but I think people should always stay able to do whatever they want in their char profile. If they cross boundaries of roleplay, they will be told by staff that is responsible for such stuff. My advice is not to want anything from others.

If everyone knows Elven, then it's not unique anymore. But this happens and there's nothing we can do but to adapt to the inevitable until someone (you) writes an explanation that might make the staff change their rules on certain things.

Good luck on further Roleplay!

 

[MRPolo13]

Let's take a more valid approach, and a more valid example than Spain and UK (in all honesty Spain and UK is a terrible example to start with). I'll go back to England and Wales. In Wales there are around 19% of people who can speak Welsh (all right, it's a low number, I get it, but once it was far, far higher, assume it still is), whereas in England it's probably not even one percent. The reason is that there is no need for English speakers to learn Welsh. They certainly can, and there are Welsh speakers on the border between England and Wales, but you go couple of miles down the road to the next village up and, shock and horror, there's hardly if any Welsh speakers there. It's not like the language is being kept a secret, it's just that the language isn't needed anywhere but Wales, therefore Welsh speakers are almost mainly in Wales (and some apparently in New Zealand).
To the point, remember what I said about those border Englishmen speaking Welsh? Well, that's the thing, chances are said people will communicate with Wales, there's no doubt about that. So a valid reason in Altera to learn Elven would be if you're a human that lives in a strictly woodcutting society, probably deep in the forest, where trade and share of information with far more informed and far less isolated Wood Elves is profitable for both sides. At that point, yes, there are high chances that a man would learn Elven. However, someone who lives in the deserts of the South West wouldn't need and probably wouldn't much care about Elven, as he isn't forced to experience that culture and that language.
I fully understand and approve of where Ced is coming from. He has a very valid point in my eyes.

Play some Witcher if you're that reluctant, you'll understand why Ced has a point.

 

[pyrocide]

I'm done arguing with you. Obviously you aren't going to listen to what any staff say unless they agree with you, So there is really little point in continuing this.

In summation, as I've said before, the way you think language transfers is simply incorrect, both in the real world and the lore of altera. I chose Spain to represent elves not by culture, or creed, or any other strawman argument you wish to pull from it, but by the simple fact that the Elves are the second most populated race in the world we "live" in, and they have interacted with other races on a consistent basis for THOUSANDS OF YEARS- just like the Spanish language *gasp* -. There is no other way to put this. Their language is extremely common, in the scope of languages. Common is the only one more so.

Now, hate me for my directness if you feel like it, but I am part of the lore team, and the only other person on the lore team to respond to this thread agreed with me, so instead of attacking me because I tell you that you are wrong, perhaps you should take a seat and think about why you're wrong. When the lore team tells you elven has been around for thousands of years and anyone that has a good reason to know it can, maybe you should consider the point instead of blindly lashing out against it.

I'd expect better from veteran players.

 

[Faelin]

I'd expect better from both of you.

You're snapping at each others heels like a pair of snarling dogs.
Neither of you responded to each other politely, or without any venom.

I don't give a damn who started it.

Finish it.

 

[pyrocide]

Locked with this addendum.

If you want mature discussion, I'm more than willing to speak to you about the situation. Attacking someone for having disagreeing remarks does nothing, especially when the one trying to help is staff, and part of the lore team. Lore members are the ones that determine how things like this go, so when you have multiple lore team members trying to correct a misconception, and instead get flak for it, you can understand the frustration that adds. I'm terribly sorry if you thought any of my comments were offensive, as they were not. I simply do not sugar coat my responses.

I look forward to more mature conversation in the future.