Dear native speakers,
the gui in my game has - among plethora of others - two buttons: one is "use", second is "operate".
"Use" is reserved for using inventory items on other items, hotspots, NPCs, et caetera.
Now, "Operate" is for acting upon an item, hotspot, and so on. For example - turning on a machine, opening a door, reading a book, pushing something.
Recently a terrible doubt has surfaced in my mind - is the word "operate" proper for this functions? Doesn't it only refer to operating machinery?
It's good, as long as you include people that you can operate :=
"Interact" might work too?
I think the problem you will find is that any alternative to operate will, in the mind of the adventure gamer, be synonymous with 'Use'. I would suggest you go with MrCollossal's suggestion of 'Interact', it's certainly more flexible than 'Operate'.
I'd also that you replace 'Use' with something like 'Use Inv' or 'Use Item' so that players don't forget that it only relates to inventory items. Another possibility would be to allow users to pick up inventory items by left-clicking and make 'Use Inv' unneccessary.
Use could be 'combine', and the other 'use' or 'interact with', perhaps.
This is tex murphy style, almost.
I say go with 'USE' for item on hotspot, and MANIPULATE.
FIDDLE!
You're not native speakers, BEGONE!
'Use Item' and 'Fiddle with' (or 'Interact').
"native speakers, hilfe!" - i am a native speaker in german! :(
Ich kann sprechen ein bisschen Deutch. Mein Grammatish ist nicht sehr gut!
(I can speak a bit of German. My grammer isn't very good!)
Hmm...how about "MAG" for when you want to interact with anything that's not an inventory item? (It can mean anything from USE to open the door in German.)
I don't know what it would be for the other one, though, my German vocabulary is a bit rusty.
Immensely helpful, Alliance. I suggest you work on your English (particularly reading this thread) before you pretend to know German.
"Fiddling" aside, I think "Interact" and "Use" would be clear enough. As you suggested, I would associate "Operate" with machinery much more than reading a book or opening a door.
":="
Tiki, I'm an Honors English student, chill. And it's not like I was posting n00bspeak.
(And yes, I DO know German, but enough of that) :)
Ich kann Deutsch ein bisschen sprechen, sondern meine Grammatik nicht so gut ist.
Quote from: [lgm] on Mon 24/07/2006 05:39:16
Ich kann Deutsch ein bisschen sprechen, sondern meine Grammatik nicht so gut ist.
See? I told you my grammer is bad.
That's what I get for only taking one year and passing with a "C".
grammer
I'm sorry, you're a Honors English student and you don't know how to spell grammar?
No, it's 3 in the morning here, and I'm just tired...
D'oh! I got you!
Pssh... Helm, you silly, clever man.
But, let's get back on subject.
"mag" is actually "like" in german. anyway, this thread is about native english speakers, i was fooling around.
oh, and a small sidenote: all german (all but mine, that is) in this thread is wrong. wrong i say.
Oh...I assumed "mag" could be like "Mag die Tur!" (close the door). I guess I was a little confused by that.
I remember using the "operate" command when playing The Last Half Of Darkness. It just didn't seem to fit as a command for opening a drawer, or a door, etc.
"Interact" seems to fit. That's what I would use, but just incase it's still not quite to your liking, here's a few suggestions: http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/operate, and http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/interact.
AGA is right, I demand from orderators that all non-native speakers BE DELETED FROM THIS THREAD!!... wait, then the thread wouldn't exist.
So, you may stay.
Seriously, thank you for advice - I knew I smelt something suspicious about that OPERATE.
It would be less hassle to change one button instead of two, though.
If I stick with "USE" and "INTERACT" - would it be appropriate?...
Combine, for example, would not suit giving an item to an NPC, or drawing on a map with a pen...
I know, sorry. Looking up "interact" in the the thesaurus didn't yield any good options for me either.
Revamp the GUI completely and use easy to understand iconic buttons, that way you don't need to care about who/what/which to use/operate/interact/destroy/rub/open/close/pull/push/turn on/turn off... And it will apply to all players, not just native <insert your language> speakers! :=
/me flees, avoiding attacks since he posted here as a non-native speaker.
Yeah, but I so love wordy games...
Yup, this is a frustrating shortcoming in English - it doesn't have a common, short, generic "interact with" verb. We should make one up. I suggest "Tiki".