On the naming of things... in PoE, or, The thesaurus can be dangerous
" That's not the point at all. It reflects badly on the developers when it's obvious to people with a good working knowledge of English that they're misusing words. As a silly example, if the series of enemies had been named "violating ape," "abusive ape," and "lusty ape," then "carnal" would be in context. As it is, it just doesn't make sense. Last edited by karoc#5526 on May 21, 2012, 7:14:34 PM
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" Those apes definitely abuse me :( I agree that the name "carnal" seems a little out of place. I have no problem with the theme changing to match carnal rather than carnal changing to match the theme though. |
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From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carnal
"Carnal is not explicitly sexual in meaning. It refers to any base physical drive, including, but not limited to, the sexual. While it's probably most commonly used these days in the context of sexuality, that's not the entirety of the meaning of the word, and the other meanings are still just as valid, and are still used today, not just part of it's heritage. And there's nothing (so far as I can see) that would put the word in a specifically sexual context in terms of describing the apes. | |
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Honestly, Ray, I can totally see where you're coming from and were the naming convention of this game anything more formal I'd be red-penning it all over the place.
But quirky item and rare monster names are half the fun. The best one I've seen in-game? A bow called Siege Hail. Friggin'. Awesome. As for thesaurus usage: naturally I discourage it with serious writers, who should learn how far they can push the words they already know (as Stephen King puts it, use what's in your toolbox first and foremost), but...again, this is a game which relies on random name generation and pretty outlandish combinations. Cannula made me giggle too, but it's interesting at the very least. In-game, I'd be more concerned with what it does than what it's called. A rose by any other name still deals 1-12 lightning damage, if you will. If I like a game, it'll either be amazing later or awful forever. There's no in-between.
I am Path of Exile's biggest whale. Period. |
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" Thanks for getting the point. Seems some folks would rather accuse me of being a reactionary blue-nose than recognize my love of words and their correct use. If folks are either oblivious to or don't care about how silly/incongruous/whatever some name combinations might sound, that's fine. What takes my breath away is the capacity for abusiveness I've discovered in some posters over what I thought was a rather innocuous topic. Welcome to the internets. ='[.]'= =^[.]^= basic (happy/amused) cheetahmoticon: Whiskers/eye/tear-streak/nose/tear-streak/eye/
whiskers =@[.]@= boggled / =>[.]<= annoyed or angry / ='[.]'= concerned / =0[.]o= confuzzled / =-[.]-= sad or sleepy / =*[.]*= dazzled / =^[.]~= wink / =~[.]^= naughty wink / =9[.]9= rolleyes #FourYearLie |
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"I also care about the correct use of words (although I should point out I have next to no involvement in picking these names myself). I'm quite happy, personally ,to grant you that "cannula" may well be incorrect here, as I'm not familiar with the word myself. I am familiar with the word carnal, and as I pointed out above, it's use here is correct use - the word is most commonly used in relation to sex, but it doesn't exclusively mean anything sexual, nor does use of the word necessarily imply it - especially in a non-sexual context such as the name of an ape. It's a term which refers to things relating to any base, physical desire, be it hunger, bloodlust, greed, or anything else of the sort. Now, regardless of the actual meaning of the word, if a large enough segment of our audience is going to interpret it in that way it might be worth avoiding the word anyway, but I don't think we've got enough data to say that's the case - responses in this thread show there have been people who immediately interpreted "carnal" in a sexual way, and people who did not. I do think you have every right to give feedback on this, and some of the responses from other forum uses have been surprisingly harsh against you expressing your opinion. | |
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Funny. I didn't pay it any mind until I saw the post. To me they were just those damned dirty apes.
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Synonyms 1. bodily, lustful, lecherous, lascivious, libidinous, concupiscent. Carnal, sensual, fleshly, animal all refer to bodily rather than rational or spiritual aspects of humans. Carnal, although it may refer to the body as opposed to the spirit, often refers to sexual needs or urges: carnal cravings, attractions, satisfactions. Sensual implies a suggestion of eroticism: sensual eyes; a sensual dance; it may also refer to experience of the senses: a sensual delight. Fleshly may refer to any physical need or appetite, sex as well as hunger and thirst: the fleshly sin of gluttony; fleshly yearnings. Animal refers to sexual appetites in a censorious way only; it may also describe pleasing or admirable physical characteristics or appearance: animal lust; to move with animal grace. Maybe the apes have a pleasing appearance and move with grace? "the premier Action RPG for hardcore gamers."
-GGG Happy hunting/fishing |
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" I know they took my breath away the first time they touched me. If I like a game, it'll either be amazing later or awful forever. There's no in-between.
I am Path of Exile's biggest whale. Period. |
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Don't be jellyfish OP, just use your mind on something more important, and suggest something that would make sense !
This thread is just hell of a trash in the worst way it ever could get. "This is too good for you, very powerful ! You want - You take"
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