What part of my post is unclear for you? I’ll do my best to elaborate 
Slave has multiple meanings in American culture, and is tied to our history in a negative way, when we say slave we’re either talking about people our ruling class literally enslaved, and didn’t have equal rights as of 50 years ago, or we’re talking about dressing up in leather and whipping each other. The word slave is charged and most people when being reasonable, try to steer clear of that vernacular. A simple name change can go a long way if you’re trying to maintain good faith.
I’ll be honest, I’m not the best at explaining myself at times, mostly because my mastery of the English language can be tenuous at best.[/quote]
OK, if I’m understanding this correctly, the “zlave” name in particular (above & beyond the mechanic) can set people off, and is likely to make DDA unpalatable in certain sectors.
You’ve suggested three replacements already, and though I’m not sure why “Chester” was so amusing for Pthalocy, none of 'em seemed to catch on.
I could accept “pack” or “carrier” zombie, as a countersuggestion, though that does get back into covering up the problem: you are literally breaking a zed–here, a corpse reanimated by an otherworldly goo–into an unwilling gear-carrier. If one of your convertees could kill you, it would: they’re still hostile, and the reason they stick around is that they’re still homing on instinct.
Agreed that the bell seems a bit much.
(As for the textwall justification, I’d phrase it differently, and I’d be interested to know what ethnic backgrounds are prevalent in our playerbase & modder community.)
Yeah, like anyone in the US invented slavery. Grow up.
You’re all playing an open-ended, sourcefree game and downloading it from the InternetZ
This is not an intrigueing topic; this is a bad, worse-than-a-bad one. Questioning morale in the way of proving a tactic/survival/postapoc genre is wrong at being moddable is only gonna hurt your pseudo-feelings more. You’re just being sarcastic over the ability to tell one zombie apart from the other, whilst slaying his coloured-character bretheren with the rest of us.
This is a multicultural, welcoming enviroment and you sir oughta take it down a notch (!)
I am going to add I don’t particuarly care for the Zlave name either. It does lead to some inappropriate connations, and honestly I think the horror of it could be better captured through the description of the procedure and the critter - a name that downplays it actually HELPS in that regard.
In fact, just call it a “Zombie Helper” or something. Zombie Friend? Zombie Pet? Something that when combined with the truth of the matter makes it even worse, but without the connotations that make it just seem coarse.
Pack-zombie is more descriptive and gets my vote though. It doesnt exactly follow your commands, it just follows YOU and you can put things on it. Its less slave and more pack animal for sure.
Zlave, though, doesn’t really sound horrifying so much as trite and crass. Its weak, imo.
But honestly, whatever, its fine. It’s a nice little addendum feature, and I just hope it leads into more fun stuff since apparently the code for this sort of thing is now in. 
Slave has multiple meanings in American culture, and is tied to our history in a negative way, when we say slave we’re either talking about people our ruling class literally enslaved, and didn’t have equal rights as of 50 years ago, or we’re talking about dressing up in leather and whipping each other. The word slave is charged and most people when being reasonable, try to steer clear of that vernacular. A simple name change can go a long way if you’re trying to maintain good faith.
I’ll be honest, I’m not the best at explaining myself at times, mostly because my mastery of the English language can be tenuous at best.[/quote]
OK, if I’m understanding this correctly, the “zlave” name in particular (above & beyond the mechanic) can set people off, and is likely to make DDA unpalatable in certain sectors.
You’ve suggested three replacements already, and though I’m not sure why “Chester” was so amusing for Pthalocy, none of 'em seemed to catch on.
I could accept “pack” or “carrier” zombie, as a countersuggestion, though that does get back into covering up the problem: you are literally breaking a zed–here, a corpse reanimated by an otherworldly goo–into an unwilling gear-carrier. If one of your convertees could kill you, it would: they’re still hostile, and the reason they stick around is that they’re still homing on instinct.
Agreed that the bell seems a bit much.
(As for the textwall justification, I’d phrase it differently, and I’d be interested to know what ethnic backgrounds are prevalent in our playerbase & modder community.)[/quote][quote=“GlyphGryph, post:44, topic:6900”]I am going to add I don’t particuarly care for the Zlave name either. It does lead to some inappropriate connations, and honestly I think the horror of it could be better captured through the description of the procedure and the critter - a name that downplays it actually HELPS in that regard.
In fact, just call it a “Zombie Helper” or something. Zombie Friend? Zombie Pet? Something that when combined with the truth of the matter makes it even worse, but without the connotations that make it just seem coarse.
Pack-zombie is more descriptive and gets my vote though. It doesnt exactly follow your commands, it just follows YOU and you can put things on it. Its less slave and more pack animal for sure.
Zlave, though, doesn’t really sound horrifying so much as trite and crass. Its weak, imo.[/quote]
This explains my point nicely so I’ll shut up.
Chest-er. It’s both a name and luggage. 
“Chester” makes it sound like you hollowed out its chest in order to store items.
Now, if a goo-powered corpse could still be functional after that, it’s a whole different story.
[quote=“Blaze, post:46, topic:6900”]“Chester” makes it sound like you hollowed out its chest in order to store items.
Now, if a goo-powered corpse could still be functional after that, it’s a whole different story.[/quote]
That’d be double the typical recovery time, at least: “mangled”.
Any opposition to “pack zombie”?
Nope 
Agreed on the “pack zombie” rename.
Thanks, by the way, Turtle, for the explanation. It’s something that, while it might seem “obvious”, is more helpful when put into words.
I’m not a fan of a pet zombie feature, but if it is going to be done, I vote pack zombie.
Strongly against ‘pack zombie’, due to it being extremely inaccurate. You’re not taming it, you’re not making it be nice, you’re mutilating it so it can’t attack you and forcing it to do work for you. It’s not called a slave to be edgy, it’s called a slave because that’s what it is. If your baggage makes you interpret in some bizarre fetishist way, you’re the one that has issues to work out.
If the ‘cutesy’ ness of mashing zombie and zlave together into zlave is an issue, I’d prefer simply calling it a zombie slave.
[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:51, topic:6900”]Strongly against ‘pack zombie’, due to it being extremely inaccurate. You’re not taming it, you’re not making it be nice, you’re mutilating it so it can’t attack you and forcing it to do work for you. It’s not called a slave to be edgy, it’s called a slave because that’s what it is. If your baggage makes you interpret in some bizarre fetishist way, you’re the one that has issues to work out.
If the ‘cutesy’ ness of mashing zombie and zlave together into zlave is an issue, I’d prefer simply calling it a zombie slave.[/quote]
I think it’s the forced-laborer reference, rather than the BDSM reference, FWIW. Kilozombie’s blurb hits one counter to that, and the original concept of zombies was pretty much slavery: some combination of drug-addiction and reanimation to force folks to work after their death.
KA101 shrugs
I’m not firmly set on one name or another here.
but… it is forced labor type slavery, that’s the whole point. If that makes you uncomfortable, good for you, it probably should. What I object to is changing the name to give something that is quite horific an ‘acceptable’ name. If you can give an alternative name that highlights the fact that you’re mutilating and enslaving what used to be a person, I’m all ears, but nothing suggested so far even tries.
Side issue, it should be fairly easy to update the existing code to make it work with pack animals, the only example of which we have is a dog. Pack llamas are awesome, and they’re heavily farmed in new england. (not as much as say cows, but still quite a bit)
Rob(ot) Zombie! (Robot means slave!)
But more seriously I don’t care all that much. I’m mostly just looking forward to seeing this expanded to other animals.
Do we even have any friendly robots in the game yet? Because this sort of code (alter the corpse of an already defeated enemy to make it revive as a different) it would be HELLA AWESOME to apply to robot corpses, based on computer skill, and then a repair skill check to “revive it” based on the amount of damage it took, or something, you know?
[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:53, topic:6900”]but… it is forced labor type slavery, that’s the whole point. If that makes you uncomfortable, good for you, it probably should. What I object to is changing the name to give something that is quite horific an ‘acceptable’ name. If you can give an alternative name that highlights the fact that you’re mutilating and enslaving what used to be a person, I’m all ears, but nothing suggested so far even tries.
Side issue, it should be fairly easy to update the existing code to make it work with pack animals, the only example of which we have is a dog. Pack llamas are awesome, and they’re heavily farmed in new england. (not as much as say cows, but still quite a bit)[/quote]
OK. Zombie forced-laborer? Zombie eunuch doesn’t quite fit.
Why are you so against not using the word slave?
So far as I can tell, Kevin wants the term used because it is both accurate (one enslaves the zed) and carries punch (slavery is generally regarded as Bad).
I’m hearing a general “slavery is triggering, mmkay?” from you. I’m aware that it still goes on IRL and that there’s a hella legacy from it in the US, so I’m inclined to at least take a shot at working out some other term. “Zombie prisoner”?
How about “Thrall”?
I actually really like the sound of Zombie Thrall. Or even just a Thrall.
[quote=“GlyphGryph, post:58, topic:6900”]How about “Thrall”?
I actually really like the sound of Zombie Thrall. Or even just a Thrall.[/quote]
I’d be cool with Thrall.
[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:53, topic:6900”]but… it is forced labor type slavery, that’s the whole point. If that makes you uncomfortable, good for you, it probably should. What I object to is changing the name to give something that is quite horific an ‘acceptable’ name. If you can give an alternative name that highlights the fact that you’re mutilating and enslaving what used to be a person, I’m all ears, but nothing suggested so far even tries.
Side issue, it should be fairly easy to update the existing code to make it work with pack animals, the only example of which we have is a dog. Pack llamas are awesome, and they’re heavily farmed in new england. (not as much as say cows, but still quite a bit)[/quote]
I’m gonna agree. I haven’t went out of my way to make a zlave yet and probably won’t. The very idea bothers me as a person and it should but I wouldn’t want to take away anyone else’s fun if that is there trip. In Fallout 2 for instance I could never make it out of the Den without becoming a slaver. Go figure.
Now a pack dog would be awesome. Like a friendly pet that was also useful and seeing as how humans have had dogs around labor, protection and companionship this makes sense. Maybe a morale boost for having it around at the cost of having to feed it periodically?