refine changeling flavour text #947

Darkmajia · 2024-12-07T21:50:18Z

part of #943: reworks a lot of changeling flavour text to be less dry, hopefully. makes a decent amount of backend changes to support different popups for "user of the ability," "target of the ability," and "all others." also fixes bone shards because they were trying to be festive. they're not allowed to be festive. all changelings are grinches

no screenshots because frankly i am exhausted. read my code

Changelog
🆑

tweak: Changeling text has been revised in many areas.
fix: Changeling bone shards no longer display as errors during the Christmas season.

…ak horribly? yeah, me too pal

Darkmajia · 2024-12-07T21:50:43Z

requested a review from @hivehum since you're a word nerd and i would really appreciate someone to go over the ftl files with a fine-tooth comb

hivehum

so

i am not personally fully sold on the "we/ours" collective conscious direction on changeling. it is absolutely more flavorful and interesting than what we have right now, plus i am aware that much of this is text pulled from ss13, but i don't really feel that the way the server has taken changelings lore/aesthetics wise really has them as a collective entity or hivemind. i might be splitting hairs over nothing, the direction the server writing takes may shift to accommodate this, etc. but i also kind of like the take many players have had where they have "changeling ocs" that are unidentified fucking freaks and all loosely fit the definition of being a changeling. think GREEN, parasitic ontology, hegelochus, etc. im not sure if those character ideas would have come into being if the changeling lore was any more rigidly defined.

anyway that's ultimately nothing and im being petty. maybe i would like this more if hivemind was a baseline ability. still going to do a for real review in a moment

Resources/Locale/en-US/_Goobstation/alerts/alerts.ftl

Resources/Locale/en-US/_Goobstation/changeling/abilities/changeling.ftl

Resources/Prototypes/_Goobstation/Changeling/Actions/changeling.yml

Resources/Prototypes/_Goobstation/Changeling/Entities/Objects/Shields/shields.yml

Darkmajia · 2024-12-08T00:45:16Z

so

1. i am not personally fully sold on the "we/ours" collective conscious direction on changeling. it is absolutely more flavorful and interesting than what we have right now, plus i am aware that much of this is text pulled from ss13, but i don't really feel that the way the server has taken changelings lore/aesthetics wise really has them as a collective entity or hivemind. i might be splitting hairs over nothing, the direction the server writing takes may shift to accommodate this, etc. but i also kind of like the take many players have had where they have "changeling ocs" that are unidentified fucking freaks and all loosely fit the definition of being a changeling. think GREEN, parasitic ontology, hegelochus, etc. im not sure if those character ideas would have come into being if the changeling lore was any more rigidly defined.

anyway that's ultimately nothing and im being petty. maybe i would like this more if hivemind was a baseline ability. still going to do a for real review in a moment

changeling has hivemind by default on tg, and an entirely different hivemind on goon, so it wouldnt be unprecedented to give hivemind by default.. but thats outside the scope of this pr. i'll probably revert the we/our stuff

Pinkbat5

I really like the we/ours flavouring, it's cool as hell. It makes me think that the changeling views every single cell in its body as a separate entity worthy of acknowledgement, instead of itself as one lone individual. And I bet other people will interpret it differently, maybe the headslug and the infected person are the two entities at play instead?
People coming up with their own interpretation of things is a good thing that I like to see, but I'm pretty confident that people will continue to do that even if we make the pronouns consistent (when before the flavour was still here, just applied inconsistently).

Pinkbat5 · 2024-12-08T05:32:50Z

Resources/Locale/en-US/_Goobstation/changeling/abilities/changeling.ftl

+changeling-absorb-fail-extremely-bloated = {CAPITALIZE(THE($target))} is too rotten to absorb.
+changeling-absorb-end-self = We have absorbed {THE($target)}.
+changeling-absorb-end-self-ling = We have absorbed another changeling. We are evolving more rapidly.
+changeling-absorb-end-self-reduced-biomass = We have absorbed {THE($target)}, but POSS-ADJ($target) weak DNA is not enough to satisfy us.


"degraded DNA" or "degraded tissues" might be a cooler way to put it

this line applies to goblins too currently, and finding the right word to convey both "this target has reduced biomass" OR "this target is a rotting corpse" is kinda difficult. i don't really like "weak DNA" much either, though. maybe i could split the two and get different words for them?

if you want to put the legwork in to split them i think that would be preferable. weak DNA is weird phrasing

i could just change it to SUBJECT($target) is not enough to satisfy us.? would matches the examine strings

vague but probably fine

Resources/Locale/en-US/_Goobstation/changeling/abilities/changeling.ftl

Pinkbat5 · 2024-12-08T05:52:14Z

Resources/Locale/en-US/_Goobstation/changeling/store/changeling-catalog.ftl

-    You emit a tone beyond the range of human hearing,
-    bursting lights and causing disorientation in an area around yourself.
-    Good for escaping groups, or hindering people from fleeing.
+    Our lungs and vocal cords shift, allowing us to briefly emit a noise that defans and confuses the weak-minded.


might be cool to gun for something unrelated to the will and the mind and instead focus on physiology? "defans and confuses organics" or even "defans and confuses our prey"
I also liked the lines about what the shriek is useful for, I always look for lines like that when I'm buying powers

Resources/Locale/en-US/_Goobstation/changeling/store/changeling-catalog.ftl

Darkmajia · 2024-12-08T12:25:36Z

made a second pass-through on strings after reviews - for now i'm keeping the "we/our" but i'm amenable to change. hopefully everything else is in order? i've resolved a whole bunch of conversations and left others open for feedback

Resources/Locale/en-US/_Goobstation/changeling/store/changeling-catalog.ftl

hivehum · 2024-12-08T14:45:43Z

Resources/Locale/en-US/_Goobstation/changeling/store/changeling-catalog.ftl


 evolutionmenu-utility-spacesuit-name = Space Adaptation
 evolutionmenu-utility-spacesuit-desc =
-    Get rid of useless tissue in order to facilitate space travel. A source of oxygen is still required for space walking.
-    Costs 20 chemicals.
+    We prepare our cells to resist barotrauma. We still require air to breathe.


This ones petty because air works in this context but i dont personally like using air as a broad term for breathable. makes sense for humans and slimes but less so for vox and decapoids. might be better to say smth like "We still must breathe."

adjusted to We prepare our cells to resist barotrauma. We must still breathe.

Resources/Prototypes/_Goobstation/Changeling/Actions/changeling.yml

Darkmajia · 2024-12-08T15:56:06Z

third pass made

Darkmajia · 2024-12-09T19:01:52Z

made a few more adjustments since the third pass: new strings for lesser form transformation both for the changeling and everyone in pvs, and "cannot be used in lesser form" in the shop to make things a bit clearer for people who want to play lesser ling

Darkmajia · 2024-12-09T19:03:29Z

i'm still open to change things from "we/our" to "i/my" since i'm not really 100% sure about it

Darkmajia · 2024-12-10T10:49:03Z

i'm taking this out of draft as i need a few of the changes made in this to work on the economy rebalance

hivehum · 2024-12-10T15:31:22Z

Resources/Locale/en-US/_Goobstation/changeling/store/changeling-catalog.ftl


 evolutionmenu-combat-armblade-name = Arm Blade
 evolutionmenu-combat-armblade-desc =
-    Reform one of your arms into a grotesque blade, composed of bone and flesh, able to pry open airlocks and cut through your foes like butter.
-    Costs 15 chemicals.
+    We recreate one of our arms into a grotesque blade, capable of prying open airlocks and maiming our enemies. Cannot be used in our lesser form.


reshape > recreate imo. or just "shape" as the verb here. i also wonder if its more beneficial to state what CAN be used in lesser form rather than what can't. if lesser form restricts less than half the abilities in the changeling catalog i think this specific verbage is fine, but if lesser form restricts more than half then you should change course and instead indicate what can be used rather than what can't. holy shit i hope that makes sense i just woke up

the amount of abilities that can't be used in lesser form is less than the amount of abilities than can, originally i was going with the "can be used in lesser form" until i realised it would be less text to just say what cant be used

hivehum · 2024-12-10T15:31:50Z

Resources/Locale/en-US/_Goobstation/changeling/store/changeling-catalog.ftl


 evolutionmenu-combat-boneshard-name = Bone Shard
 evolutionmenu-combat-boneshard-desc =
-    Break off shards of your bone and shape them into a throwing star which embeds into your foes. But a one timer opportinuty.
-    Costs 15 chemicals.
+    We break off shards of sharp bone to use as projectile weapons. Cannot be used in our lesser form.


can drop "weapons" from first sentence. We break off shards of sharp bone to use as projectiles.

hivehum · 2024-12-10T15:35:22Z

Resources/Prototypes/_Goobstation/Changeling/Actions/changeling.yml

@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@
 - type: entity
  id: ActionToggleArmblade
  name: Toggle Arm Blade
-  description: Reform one of your arms into a strong blade, composed of bone and flesh. Retract on secondary use. Costs 15 chemicals.
+  description: We recreate one of our arms into a strong blade. We may retract our blade in the same manner as we form it. Costs a small amount of chemicals.


once again echoing changing the verb to create or shape

Darkmajia · 2024-12-10T15:57:32Z

added the few small tweaks. gonna test to make sure absolutely none of the strings are broken

hivehum

i will stop torturing you now

Darkmajia · 2024-12-10T16:33:06Z

we fucking won

you ever do the whole thing in one commit and hope it doesn't all bre…

cfa8cca

…ak horribly? yeah, me too pal

Darkmajia requested a review from hivehum December 7, 2024 21:50

Darkmajia mentioned this pull request Dec 7, 2024

changeling refinement project #943

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hivehum reviewed Dec 7, 2024

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hivehum requested changes Dec 8, 2024

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Pinkbat5 reviewed Dec 8, 2024

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Darkmajia added 2 commits December 8, 2024 11:55

second passthrough

7847d0d

actually this colon broke everything

026da1f

Darkmajia requested review from hivehum and Pinkbat5 December 8, 2024 12:25

hivehum reviewed Dec 8, 2024

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third pass

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Darkmajia added 3 commits December 9, 2024 18:56

lesser form unique text, lesser form restrictions added to store

a51a200

don't need this

192c366

don't need this either

592b6ef

Darkmajia requested a review from hivehum December 9, 2024 19:02

Darkmajia marked this pull request as ready for review December 10, 2024 10:48

hivehum reviewed Dec 10, 2024

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further tweaks

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final touchups

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hivehum approved these changes Dec 10, 2024

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hivehum merged commit 15111e8 into impstation:master Dec 10, 2024
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refine changeling flavour text #947

refine changeling flavour text #947

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refine changeling flavour text #947

refine changeling flavour text #947

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