Help with english word

[jack_norton]

I'm coding my next otome dating sim game and will have some stats. I have:

Code: Select all

Sstats=[("Culture",5),("Creativity",5),("Romance",5),("Discipline",5),("Relax",80),("Food",50)]

however I'm not particularly happy with "Discipline". What that stats should be is something like Willpower or Determination. The character is just a young student, so nothing fantasy. Is discipline OK or would be better to use something else? Determination is too long and doesn't fit the interface though

[lordcloudx]

I'd suggest the word "morale."
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morale
http://www.answers.com/topic/morale

[Jake]

To be honest, in English I would suggest that 'Discipline' is probably more appropriate than 'Morale'. The latter generally has connotations of wellbeing, happiness and so on; we talk about someone having 'good morale' if they're content and don't have any complaints, or if they're optimistic - while it's perfectly acceptable to say "Steve has the discipline to just sit down and get on with his job without getting distracted by the TV".

If you're talking in terms of stats, it really depends what kind of thing you're using the stat for, I'd say.

- If it's only going to be used for whether or not the protagonist gets on and does her homework, then 'discipline' is probably fine, although it also has connotations of being well-behaved, calm, and/or following rules and procedures. For the homework kind, we would often qualify it as "personal discipline", although I guess if 'determination' was too long for you then that's probably worse!
- 'Dedication' is a couple of letters shorter and far more specifically would imply the "gets on with homework" kind of discipline... although could be taken as a more general "how much does she put her heart into things".
- If you're also using it for whether or not she can hold her side in an argument, then 'willpower' is probably better.
- If you mean it to mean something like "how motivated is this person", then you might consider 'drive', which means just that.
- If you mean it in terms of "how easily does this person give up" then consider something like 'tenacity', although it's a less-common word, so you might find a younger audience has to look it up.

[jack_norton]

Thanks I think that dedication might be the right one

[lordcloudx]

Given the alternatives Jake has proposed, I'd assert that "morale" is still the best term for generic use; particularly this definition:

a : the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence, or loyalty) of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand

[Jake]

a : the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence, or loyalty) of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand

Having a low morale is going to make you less likely to do your homework, but having a high morale isn't necessarily going to make you more likely to do your homework. I had a fairly good morale through a lot of my school life, but I still didn't do my homework! :P

Morale, in the respect of that definition, isn't "how likely you are to perform the function or tasks at hand" or "how well you will perform the function or tasks at hand", it's "how good you're going to feel while you're performing the function or tasks at hand". It's definitely the case that morale generally affects determination (so people with low morale are more likely to have low determination as well, for example office workers who think their company's doomed and nothing they can do will save it from bankruptcy), but you can still have low morale and high determination (e.g. being bloody-minded, "I'm going to make the best damn widget I can to show those fat cat bastards in management") and you can still have high morale and low determination (e.g. "I don't need to do this really, everything's going to be fine whatever I do").

[lordcloudx]

Sure, sure. That's why I said it's better for generic use. I've also seen it used in one or two games that I can't remember. (not visual novels)

In any case, Jack seems to have made his choice. You win. I was just stating an opinion. End of discussion, please. It's going to start looking silly after 3-4 more back and forth posts.

[jack_norton]

No I don't think morale can work, is something more "temporary". I mean, today I have a good morale, but tomorrow could be different. Instead in my intentions is more like something that you build up in time

[lordcloudx]

Fortitude~! Actually, I take back what I said then. Now that you've made that clear. "Dedication" is most likely the word you were looking for.

Or... discipline might be more appropriate for something you build up over time.

[jack_norton]

Yes in the end went with discipline because even dedication was too long
(have really a tiny stats panel)

[Topagae]

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[mikey]

Focus?

[jack_norton]

Persistence is too long! Focus is nice too. But thanks, have enough suggestions now

[Mikan]

Ethic, like in the phrase work ethic.
Maturity would probably work too.

[Radhreni]

I know it's a little late, but what about "diligence?" I guess it might be a little funny as a stat, but it sounds close to what you're looking for (as does discipline).