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Looking at images of shorthand makes me remember how much I just enjoyed playing the 2023 game Chants of Sennaar: https://www.rundisc.io/chants-of-sennaar/

The game’s dialogue and story are all written in a series of ever more complex writing systems, unseen and novel to the game. There’s a mechanic where you get to prove to the game you understand what is being written or said (characters have subtitles also in the writing systems) and it’s really good fun!

Pittman shorthand: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Wr53ouD4Ok/WhxIZR6AOZI/AAAAAAABI...

Sennaarian writing: https://cdn.focus-home.com/fhi-fastforward-admin/resources/g...



I prefer Gregg shorthand to Pittman because Gregg doesn't require variable stroke width and thus it's easier to write with a ballpoint pen.


(Pitman doesn't require variable stroke width, but variable stroke darkness/pressure - important nitpick because you can vary pressure with a normal pencil, but need a fountain pen or uncommon carpenter's pencil for varying stroke width).


Most ballpoints aren’t very good at delivering variable stroke darkness, either.


That reminds me a lot of the game TUNIC, where, similarly, a big part of the game is figuring out the language.


You're able to actually translate the language? I assumed it was not decipherable and you just have to figure it out from the parts that are translated, trial and error, and interpolating/extrapolating.


Yep, the language is consistent! Although you can usually always get by with the later.


A similar game is The Expression Amrilato, a love story where you gradually learn the language Esperanto. After beating the game, you've learned a real language, and can now speak with people from around the world. You also learn, however, an idiosyncratic writing system which is only useful within the game.




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