Communication

**Communicating** in OHOL is mainly done through each player's speech box. This style of communication has unique restrictions based on *age*, *distance*, and family *languages*. In contrast, the game also employs the use of *emotes* that allow any player to change their *facial expression* and is discernible by anyone who can see the player. There are also community based conventions around speech and emotes, such as the removing a hat in recognition of someones age or death, that have emerged as a short hand for typical behaviors and or problems.

The unique challenges of communication in OHOL are a part of the game's difficulty and fun. Effective communication is crucial as player information is severely limited. Problems like the theft of tools/property, resource mismanagement, multi-generational planning, and even war are directly affected by this key component.

## Speech Box

The speech box is the *primary source* of communication and a *command tool*. It is opened by pressing the <enter> key and appears as a roll up element in the lower portion of the screen. In it you can type a message but the maximum length of any message is dependent on your character's age--each player gets room for one (1) new symbol in their message every minute of the game (1 symbol each year in the character's life) up to a maximum limit of (???). This message will appear as a floating speech bubble above the character model and follows the character as they move through the world for a short period of time. This message is saved within the speech box and frequent, or repeatable, messages can be quickly accessed (scrolled) by using the <arrow> keys once the speech box is opened.

OHOL has special phrases--**commands**--that interact with the game in addition to creating a floating speech bubble. These **commands** can name people, grant property rights, and curse disruptive/troll/griefing/abusive players making them powerful tools.

* "MY NAME IS \*\*\*" - Preformed by an Eve sets the player's family name.
* "YOUR NAME IS \*\*\*" - Preformed by a mother while holding or near their *nameless* baby, or a relative near the unnamed child, set's the nameless player's first name.
* "CURSE \*\*\* \*\*\*" - Performed by any relative this Curses the player.
* "YOU OWN THIS" - Performed by someone who already has property rights this passes the same powers onto nearby players.
* "MY FAMILY OWNS THIS" - Performed by someone who already has property rights this grants those rights to all current members of a family.
* "\*\*\* \*\*\* OWNS THIS" - Performed by someone who already has property rights, typically the builder, this grants those rights to the named player.

Additionally, the speech box can used to look up recipes for items using the </> key, though this process is counter-intuitive, and it's suggested to just use the wiki.

> Quick Notes on Commands:
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* Names cannot be changed once set. All Eves' first names are Eve to distinguish them.
* You need to type both their given (first name) and surname (last name) for the Curse to take affect. Each player can only Curse once (1) per hour.
* Players don't inherit property rights at birth; Players must be near, or alive, during the endowment of property rights.

> See Also: Console Commands for a full list of commands.
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###  Naming

Each player is born without a name (Registered as "nameless") and unless granted one by an existing player they won't be able to receive certain benefits. This process starts with Eves as they choose a family name using the speech box command "I AM \*\*\*". The player is then named "Eve \*\*\*" and all players in this lineage will retain that last name unless they die nameless. Once set this name, as well as any other name, cannot be changed in the future.

Naming newborn babies is primarily the responsibility of their mothers though this can be preformed by any relative. It performed using the speech box, while holding or standing near the nameless child or adult, and using the command "YOU ARE \*\*\*". \*\*\* will become their given name and they will inherit your surname automatically. It is not possible to give your offspring a new surname--you always pass down your own surname, as created by your family's Eve.

It is important that a relative name the child as this is the only way to pass on a surname. Daughter's who are not named by a family will also not receive the family's surname and cannot pass down that name to their children. As surnames are the primary way to pass property rights this could limit player's movements. Some families treat outsiders with hostility; a lack of a proper name could lead to unfavorable interactions with these players.

Player's can adopt nameless babies by naming them, but these babies will not be a part of the family lineage, not affect your genetics score, and cannot be cursed.

You may have noticed your child has an unusual spelling of their name or their name wasn't what you typed. This isn't a function of your family's unique language--ella is not being added to the ends of girls' names--but because the game retrieves names from two external lists (First and Last). Selecting a name not on a list will generate a similar one found within the list. Names also need to be unique from one another. If a player on this server has had the same name within the last two hours another, similar, name will be generated.

## Language

Every family, besides the white family, speaks in a different language.  If for some reason there are 2 different black families, they wouldn’t be able to understand each other first thing.  The game distorts their syllables into a new language.  This means that while ‘banana’ might look like ‘diququ’ in another language, ‘bowl’ might look like ‘gvlm’, due to them having different sounds, even though they share a ‘b’.

Everyone shares a written language, however, meaning that you can communicate with other families without the help of a white person, through a paper and pencil.  Languages are also translated via radio

### Learning Language Over time

It’s a roughly 20 generational process to learn a language.  If you are under 6 and hear someone who speaks another language talk, and neither party is white, then you learn a few syllables.  This gets passed on to your children.  Doing this for about 20 generations, leads to your descendants understanding that family.

Let’s say John Smith talked to Anna Johnson, when she was 3.  She would understand John slightly better than the other Johnsons, but not enough to communicate, if this was the first meeting.

Now, let’s say that Anna is now 25, and has a daughter, Lily.  Lily inherits what Anna knows of the Smith language, and is better then her cousins at understanding the Smiths.  However, she does not meet a Smith before she turns 6, and therefore never improves her skill in their language.

Lily has a daughter later on named Chloe.  Bob Smith visits Johnson town, and says hi to Chloe.  Chloe now understands more than her mom and grandma of the Smith language, and passes some more understanding on to her children.

## Tools

Some objects can help you communicate. Paper messages. AM Radio

## Conventions

A list of known player conventions. F for food. Hat off for old age.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 However, nothing beats a quick knife to the guts.
2. ↑ Most rappers' names are not on either of these lists.