An Option to Disable the Profanity Filter

I am an adult, let me read adult language. This only effects me, the reader, no one else. Just give us a little box to check for the filter. You guys are covered on the ESRB rating side, the rating doesn't apply to player created content.

Whatever you may think of the use of profanity it is against the rules the devs have set down, so why would they enavle breaking of the rules. What they should be doing is laying down bans on loosers who spew curses and insults at little kids over the voice chat.

@william-flint
Who does it effect though? Its only the individual that can see the words. Regardless if I start typing a whole slew of vulgar filth, it all gets censored to the person who its intended too.

I guess I don't see an issue when its us that are intentionally subjecting ourselves too it. Disabling the filter is an option on many other games, why not here as well? I just don't see downsides here to having the option of subjecting ourselves too it. Plus their is completely fine words that are censored that aren't even bad. I'm talking kindergarten level insults that are censored.

@nabberwar well, for one thing they may have to have filters in place to accomidate age rating guidelines in some countries. Or maybe they feel a responsibility to try to keep the language away from the kids that play whether they want to bypass it or not.

But mostly, if you make a rule, and then allow a way for people to bypass the rule, then you are admitting the rule doesn't have to be followed.

My question is what is so important about swearing at and insulting other players that it ruins your game not to be able to do so?

@galactic-geek I agree that poo is a silly thing to censor. That dosen't mean there are not legitimate reasons not to disable the filter.

Also, if your crew is unaware that they have lost I reccomend routinely blowing them up with gunpowder so they learn to be more vigilant.

There should be a choice. This is pretty much universal in games I have played. Players have choice. Both SoT the game and the forums are the unusual oddity to not allow freedom of choice.

How can you argue it is for ratings when voice chat is very often the pit of what is most foul?

@biggonks said in An Option to Disable the Profanity Filter:

As far as I know, there's literally no way to disable it in-game. Why not? The filter is easily "bypassed" by a ton of people because of voice chat. Meanwhile, people that use text for whatever reason are having words like poo ("alternate" spelling, apparently this word is restricted on the forums too. poo in a pirate game, really?) and other random words censored, as well as experiencing other problems with the filter. You could make the option to turn off the filter tied to your profile birthdate so anyone with a kid can ensure that they're not seeing people spewing profanities (at least in text).

I'm not sure why it's even there in a Teen rated games.

@william-flint

My question is what is so important about swearing at and insulting other players that it ruins your game not to be able to do so?

You have missed the entire point. Disabling the filter only effects the person reading. This would allow me to read the insults, not for me to give them. This isn't me wanting to insult others, but to read what people say to me. It would still be on for all those who want it. So even if I wanted to insult people, of which I don't, the filter would still apply for them. I'm not campaigning to out right remove it, just give me an option to disable my personal one.

I bathe in internet salt my dude, when people swear me out, I just laugh.

@william-flint said in An Option to Disable the Profanity Filter:

Whatever you may think of the use of profanity it is against the rules the devs have set down, so why would they enavle breaking of the rules. What they should be doing is laying down bans on loosers who spew curses and insults at little kids over the voice chat.

Having a filter inspires people to make words show up outside the filter. If they gave people the right to turn that filter off then they wouldn't think to bypass something they can see regardless of what others see.

The flip side to this is we found out in the states than my friends last name is a British swear word. I had no idea until it started censoring it and we looked it up.

@x-crowheart-x

How can you argue it is for ratings when voice chat is very often the pit of all what is most foul?

Voice and text chat aren't even applicable to the rating system. So even from a legal standpoint, the game could be G and people could swear. Their is a reason why the ESRB doesn't give a rating to online portion of games.

@x-crowheart-x it's easy to argue for it. It goes like this: you are playing a game with other players and it is entirely reasonable to expect players to treat each other with dignity amd respect, therfore we should not disable text filters but be more aggressive about banning people who break the rules in voice chat.

And just because other game developers don't care how their players treat one another is no reason to go along, it just means that those other developers have no buisness running multiplayer games.

@william-flint do not use the argument Rare does this for the best of the community. Open crews and voice chat has made SoT one of the most toxic games of all time.

@nabberwar i did umderstand that, and that portion of my reply was badly worded. It was more a general question for those opposed to being forced to act like they are good sportsmen.

The main reply is that it just doesn't make sense to set a rule and then create a way to bypass it. It undermines the rule.

@nabberwar I understand and agree. My question/statement was directed to those here arguing it is best to have s forced filter. From what I see it is the view from Rare worship.

@x-crowheart-x
Oh, I was, if anything, agreeing with you. I just poorly conveyed it.

@william-flint
For me, it makes sense to apply chat restrictions, and what not, in a forum setting. People are discussing, and a healthy enviroment for that is good. I just don't see a need for it in the game, when you already have Xbox TOS and a rating that extends to leave out young impressionable children. Games can be an enviroment for banter, and not all inappropriate language is negative. I mean, it can be, but not always. I mean the F word can emphasize a point like no other. I can say it verbally, with no consequences, why can't I type it? Its not really different.

I guess to try and answer the intended meaning of your question, I don't think the filter takes away much, but it certainly doesn't add anything. Even before the new community conduct thing came out, the Pirate code said nothing about language.

Now I wouldn't call myself a troll, even though, that's what a troll would say. I don't go out of my way to push reactions, I just play in a normal capacity. I just find it funny when people get over emotional over completely reasonable behavior. Too me that's just funny. Hell, I don't even trash talk til certain parameters are met. Those include they start it, and proceed to lose after everything is all said in done. If your gonna talk trash be prepared to back it up. The profanity filter stops that from happening too an extent because I can't read the reactions. Add onto the fact that the filter itself is overly restrictive with the poo example. Their is others, but you see my point.

I don't see it as Rare's job to police language in Sea of Thieves. We have Xbox TOS for that. Nor, do I see it as them as failing to enforce rules either. Just leave it too Xbox, you really only need to enforce it here on the forum.

@x-crowheart-x first, just because Rare is not good at moderatimg the community does not mean they are nkt trying to do what is best fkr the community. Second, open crews and voice chat have not made the game toxic, players who are jerks have. Rare definitely needs to be more aggressive about banning people when presented with proof, but they are trying.

I personally have no issues one way or the other with this. Allowing me to display the text uncensored will only provide more context for when reporting players :o

I can see some hesitation from Rare in that some kid may disable the filter and allow certain verbiage to be display. Regardless of your stance on kids playing this game and whose responsibility it is to monitor them, it could open them up to a lot of hassle down the line. The simplest solution is to censor out a few choice words.

@nabberwar it is Rare's responsibility to police how people interact in the game they run, just as it is responsibility of referees in sports to enforce the rules. And it is Rare's perogative to set what the rules for those interactions are. As for player choice, once again you are playing in someone elses game, it does not include the choice to be a jerk. I agree with you that cursing can convey meaning, but if Rare decides its not how they want the atmosphere of their game to be, they have rhat right.

And as for my personal view on the matter, except when people are swearing at kids I don't particularly care. You can trash talk and curse at me all day, to me it just shows a lack of dignity and self respect, which is not my problem.

@william-flint

As for player choice, once again you are playing in someone elses game, it does not include the choice to be a jerk.

This is what I am not getting though, how does my choice to disable the profanity filter effect anyone else but myself? My typed words to them still remain censored. I willingly choose to be put in the situation to read what they wrote in its true form.

it is Rare's responsibility to police how people interact in the game they run, just as it is responsibility of referees in sports to enforce the rules.

What rule though? We only had the Code up until recently, and the code states nothing about profanity.

@triheadedmonkey
Honest question, would that imply that is is Xbox's job to enforce it rather than Rare's? Considering these are Xbox's Code of Conduct. Don't mistake me, Rare's game Rare's choice, I just find a filter somewhat silly when other games allow it to be disabled.

@triheadedmonkey
I find that strange, when you use other Microsoft owned games that are on PC. Call of Duty: Blackout, has an option to disable the profanity filter. Wouldn't they, by extension, enable the ability to breach the terms that have been set?

As I stated previously, their game, their choice. I still find it silly though.

@triheadedmonkey

(from what I can gather, although CoD: Blackout is available on Windows, it has no other affiliation with Microsoft, though I could be wrong as I am not up to date on a lot of stuff)

You mean Windows, as in, "Microsoft Windows." Yeah, I'm being a bit snarky on that one. However, just to clarify, I am aware that you are not Rare or Microsoft, but your opinion is just as important as others. I am not expecting you to be a mouthpiece of either entity.

Any who, still a good talk.

Censorship is the easiest way to reduce everyone to the lowest common denominator, dumb them down, belittle everyone's intelligence.

"All for the sake of the children", they'll say.

Which means, "we will now treat everyone like children!"

Options are the easiest solution to any/all issues.
If you don't like it, turn it off.
If you don't want to watch it, change the channel.
Rare makes options for color blind players.....why don't they make similar options for the filter?

They could call it the "I'm a grown A55 adult" option!
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