I think it is important to try and understand the player with whom you are communicating and cater your correspondences to meet their needs.

Well, if I can't understand what they're saying, I rule them out as a potential ally (or ask them to clarify).

All else being equally, I will ally with someone who can write properly in English because I know that I will have a better chance to work things out with them. However, if som1 talked lik this to me, I woldn't automaticly abdn them az a potential aly.

Also, as shorthand generally leads to an impression of lower intelligence (with me at least), it may be used as a tactic for oppoenents underestimating your ability.

also, in live games it's important to remember the time constraints. i'm a slow typist, so i tend to use shorthand in 5 min phases. I hope that the other players don't read too much into this, as it really is just due to tthe practical aspects of the game.

I agree with Joey. I think people should try to use propper grammer and speeling. As well as correct cApitalisation, jmeyersd.

I am with you all the way.
I do not understand text speak or all the symbols that are supposed to represent meanings.
Familiarities, such as mate & dude & foul langauge are offensive & insulting to me, as is the lack of respect & rudeness shown to & by some players.
Behaviour of this nature is not going to win any friendship or alegience from me.

Jeezus, The Lord Duke, mate, stop using all those ampersands, dude.

how do u get new diplomacy points im new to this not the game though

By winning games.

I think this video is relevant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kge9ZzjsfW8

This thread is not about diplomacy points, Epic_Darkness.

Quick answer though: You spend points to enter games, and if you win, draw, or survive a game you win some points. If you fall below 100 (including the points you currently have invested in un-finished games) the system restores you to 100 .

I also have very little respect for any one who uses profanity in communications with me. In one case where I knew I was not going to win I did my best to go after the profane player. (It did accelerate my downfall, but it was fun).

you are right, Jamiet99uk, mY capitalization waS AwEFUL. Almost as bad as your speeling.

I just do whatever I feel like to do xD

Bad grammar, bad English is always useful though =3 especially to cover a backstab with a "misunderstanding" claim *-*

Some posh players may find it annoying =3 but that's their problem. If you encounter such players you should adjust your behaviour as well =D

Isnt it all about getting on well with people anyway ^.^ Symphathy is always your best friend <3 (and sometimes a good weapon to annoy others *-* )

My writing style varies wildly based on the mood I'm in. I always use proper grammar, capitalization and spelling, (typos aside) but whether I address other players as "Dude" as opposed to simply saying "you", depends on my mood (and how recently I watched the Big Lebowski). I don't mean any disrespect by it, if I'm being disrespectful I tend to address players by a sarcastic term based on a name they've given themselves or based on the country they're playing. If I call you Sultan, or Tsar or Kaiser? I'm being sarcastic and mocking, but if I call you dude, please don't take any offense your Dukiness.

I'm also occasionally given to the overuse of emoticons and parenthetical asides.

I did not even know that "dude" was interpreted as slander. I try to write proper english, and I guess many people on this site does so, but not all here have english as their first language.

Personally, I prefer to take on a different persona with each country in said game. So if you're playing against me an' all of a sudden I'm talkin' like a god-darn forsaken imbecile, I'm probably just playing games. Wackydoo.

This is an international site and the main and almost only spoken language is English. But people need to understand that some people are not native English speakers... Some bad English might arise because of that. Like in my personal case ;)

@Trood

First, you write better than many English speakers.

Second, Translators are good enough that pretty much any language can be properly translated to English. Writing "u" instead of "you" is a conscious choice and not an artifact of being a non-native English speaker.

I am drawn (maybe naively) to anyone who is friendly, outgoing, and uses formal English. In fact, oftentimes I single out those who aren't as my enemies...

i think you shouldn;t look like how good someoen types, i'm a slow typer and i always use the shortest way, no "greetings austria", but "hi", you just have to make the message clear and don't let mistakes happen, for the rest i really don't look at how good/bad your english is, it's not fair to do that too...

"it's not fair to do that"

Well, you know what they say: "All's fair in Love and War" and that's really what this game is about when you think about it.

Seems to me like everyone should use a proper english. At least, the best they can. If not, then it would become unreadable. On the other hand, the player who writes too much exposes himself to a quick backstab because nobody wants to read all the pages he sent.

On the point of Abgemacht about online translators: That's far from reality, even the best translators fail for most languages actually. Only the closely related languages can be translated into English via online translators somewhat properly.

To any body who tries to set a standard of language: Dont be FOOL! Language is the main part of this game, and there is no standard you can ever impose on language. Anyone writes in the style they want. It might be a necessity, or it might be just what is conveniant for him. No offence but It is non of your business to judge others nor to set "language standards" and your prejudices are for your vain =3

it is ridiculous to read comments like "I think everyone should do this, should do that!" it is also fun to see people talking about how proper they speak...

Second issue, why English? =3 Lets use french sacree bleuu!

That's just a game so why not using the language howsoever you want =D

@Neb

Maybe if you're using babel fish from 1990, but Google has no problem translating entire webpages for me in most languages (yeah, probably can't do some crazy African, Amazonian, or Oriental Mountain language) just fine.

What people seem to not get is that what you say isn't important; it's what people hear that matters. To say "there is no standard you can ever impose on language" is to just be living oblivious to the way the world actually works. You are judged (in life and diplomacy) how how you communicate. That's the way it is.

And, there are a number of reasons why English is the proper language to communicate in:

1) The game creator speaks English
2) Most of the members speak English
3) English is spoken by the most powerful countries in the world.

French is clearly a silly choice, but if in 20 years some form of Chinese or Middle Eastern is the defacto language, you better believe I'm going to learn it!

@abgemacht

Do you speak any language other than English? Google typically provides a rudimentary translation that gives you the gist of whatever you are reading, but to say that it is without error is simply incorrect upon reviewing pages translated into English. I won't deny that it is an incredibly useful tool however.

http://translationparty.com/ is a good example (and hilarious) of the issues surrounding Google Translate or any other web translation tools.

this is silly. yes, this is a game in which communication is key, but form should not be weighted higher than substance. i personally like cursing up a storm because i am a very passionate person and screaming out profanity is the best way to demonstrate my impulses and emotions. i also like to use dialogue that shows that i view you as a friend. to say "my dude" i imply that i acknowledge you as a peer and an equal. now if i were to approach you as "sir" or "mister" that demonstrates distance between us, which to me is no fun and should be left at the work place. in the end, this is a game where what someone does with their troops is more important than what they say. if the way someone writes is what qualifies them to you, this only shows how closed-minded and inept at diplomacy you are.

heheh, addressing someone whose name is German if he speaks a language besides English ;)

But yes, Ulysses is right. I accidentally walked into a French-only game 'cause I was ignant of the fact that "Jeu Francaise" actually meant something. ;>_> I used Google Translator to make enough sense of things and survived the game*, and throughout I'm sure I sounded like a dumbass to anyone who knew proper French, but I got the idea of what was being said.

*survived with 1 SC, so maybe not such a good thing ;>______>