Add Sign Language

[Sancronis]

Despite being able to start deaf, you're unable to communicate via sign. Although this can be done via emote, it is quite annoying and is viewable for people who do not know sign language. I feel that sign language should be added, as the title says.

[CrAzYPiLoT]

 

Kinda makes the point of being deaf moot. If you chose to be deaf knowingly, as it is listed in the disabilities section, then you will be completely and totally deaf. Although we do strive for realism in some cases, I don't think this should be added.

 

-1

 

[Sancronis]

My thoughts are that it should severely limit your ability to communicate, but not completely destroy it. You'd not be able to use the radio or speak to most people save for the select few who choose it.

[KasparoVv]

Sounds like it'd be used for nothing but antag or edgelord memes.

[Dinarzad]

 

Kinda makes the point of being deaf moot. If you chose to be deaf knowingly, as it is listed in the disabilities section, then you will be completely and totally deaf. Although we do strive for realism in some cases, I don't think this should be added.

 

-1

 

Unless you have the ability to use sign language over a radio or suddenly gain the ability to understand what other people are saying outside of sign language.

That's not a "Moot point" at all. The disability is still there, but it had a mitigating factor to make it managable.

You start with myopia, you get glasses that fix your vision. The disability there is no using mesons an shit, cuz you need your glasses.

You start out with a fucked up leg you get a cane, or a wheelchair of both legs are fucked up, letting you move around still, but at a slower pace.

The truly pure negative disabilities are Obesity, Muteness and Blindness. (I don't count mechanical hearts/eyes as disabilities, since those are under a different tab, but technically they are too.)

And muteness would gain similar fluff use out of Sign Language.

 

Now you could argue "But everyone will take sign language to powergame, so if they are deafened by explosions or what have you they can still talk via sign language. It won't be a fluff thing anymore, but a mechanical advantage."

And to that I say, 'This is true' and there's no real way to get around that (at least not that I can think of), short of tying Sign Language to the Deafness disability itself.

 

That said. I still would like to see it. The amount of power it gives you is only as powerful as the amount of people with sign language. And the inability to use radios at all is a HUGE deal, cuz you can't hear the call that Nukies are on station.

(Also it's still talking in a language, so you False Mimes can just shoo.)

 

[Vivalas]

 

Why not just make it like a normal language, you have to pick it in character setup to use it. It wouldn't be too powerful then, since you can only communicate with the people who know it. This has its nice uses, like being to communicate in vacuum or through windows in space.

 

Bonus points if ot displays webdings to those that don't know it.

 

[davidchan]

 

I've played on servers with sign language before. It's interesting but does bring up some balance issues.

 

Sign language is basically a coded emote. Anyone who can see you and knows sign language can understand what you say, regardless if you were just flashbanged or one or both of you are sitting in the vacuum of space where words can't transfer.

 

Ultimate use of it was 1] It gave engineers the ability to talk while on EVA and 2] It was possible to power game the AI since sign language emotes could not be picked up by the AI through cameras and intercoms.

 

It also brings up the coding nightmare of how do we handle sign language if you aren't fully able to use your hands? What if a hand is broken or missing? Handcuffed? Straight Jacket? What if you're stunned or grappled? Buckled to a bed or chair? Do objects you are holding interfere with what you can say? What if you are using both hands to hold an object, like a fire axe or gibonite chunk?

 

[Vivalas]

 

 

It also brings up the coding nightmare of how do we handle sign language if you aren't fully able to use your hands? What if a hand is broken or missing? Handcuffed? Straight Jacket? What if you're stunned or grappled? Buckled to a bed or chair? Do objects you are holding interfere with what you can say? What if you are using both hands to hold an object, like a fire axe or gibonite chunk?

 

I don't believe this would be that much of a nightmare, most of these checks already exist.