Languages and the world

Language in the Neofighters world is a complex topic, especially since when the world that the game takes place in is a future version of our own world, where there are a lot of uncertainties about what the future holds.

However, this is a game, and anything can be made up. Although it must stay believable to a wide audience, it can be as complex yet still be digestible. A plot point for the languages in the game being Korean, English, and some Filipino dialects is that the game takes place in a future where the world has been influenced by globalisation in a way that the world has become a melting pot of cultures and languages. This is a very real possibility, and it is backed by a lot of papers and studies looking into this.

To reduce visual clutter, the writings in the game will be in a customized glyphs, for example, the English language will be written in a font that is similar to pigpen cypher, which is my favorite system. The Korean language will eventually get a similar treatment, but I have not yet decided on what system to use or if I have to make a customized one. The Filipino language will follow the English glyphs because the Filipino language is based on the Latin alphabet.

All of the written text is in English, but some voicelines will be in Korean or Filipino depending on the characters’ background and the scenario. Different dialects are explicitly expressed in the game to visualize that other people can’t understand what the characters are saying. This is a very important feature as it allows for plot where the characters can talk about something without the other characters understanding what they are saying.

The game will eventually have text translations in other languages as development continues.

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