Brian C. Diggs acted as localization manager for Battlezone,[1] being ultimately responsible for its translation into French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. As a practical joke or puzzle for players, his dedication is written in a total of six languages.
Background[]
Diggs graduated the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1988 with a degree in communications, having studied there for four years. In 1996 he joined Activision, where he worked for one month shy of ten years.[2] Initially part of the company's Quality Assurance department, Diggs quickly became an Associate Producer working on localization. During his time with the company he was credited on a total of seventeen games, including once for providing voice in Dark Reign: The Future of War.[3] He currently works as a Database Manager for SD&A Teleservices, inc.
Credits[]
- Production testing on Civilisation II
- Production testing on Spycraft: The Great Game
- Playtesting on Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries
- Production coordination and vioceovers on Dark Reign: The Future of War
- Production coordination and voiceovers on Interstate '76
- Associate production on Battlezone
- Localisation and associate production on Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand
- Internal visioneering on Vigilante 8
- Associate production on Heavy Gear 2
- Localisation and associate production on Star Trek: Armada
- Production testing on Call to Power II
- Localisation testing on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
- Associate production on Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
- Associate production on Tony Hawk's American Sk8land
- Associate production on Gun
- Localisation on True Crime: New York City
Dedication[]
When the rest of the Battlezone developers began writing their dedications, Diggs decided to use his to set a puzzle for the game's players, accessible via the cheat code "iambdiggs". Whereas the other developers wrote theirs in English regardless of how cryptic they were, Diggs decided he would write his as a single message in six separate foreign languages:
- Jogador wurden aus dem Raum geworfen!!
Cette joueur della partita BattleZone wa daibu joozu ja nai! Está cansado kara!![4]
This message went largely unnoticed until it was finally translated in June 2014, more than fifteen years from its first writing. The message contains Portugese, German, French, Italian, Japanese and Spanish, and the use of so many languages in such a short space meant a group of four translators was required to finally solve the puzzle Diggs had left behind.[5] When fully translated, it contains the message displayed to players upon being kicked from a multiplayer match and an admission of and explanation for Diggs' own lack of skill (possibly leading to him being kicked out of matches as Battlezone went through testing):
- Player has been kicked out of the room!!
This player isn't much good in the game BattleZone! Because he is tired!!
References[]
- ↑ Battlezone Manual, page 107
- ↑ Brian C. Diggs at LinkedIn
- ↑ Brian C. Diggs on MobyGames
- ↑ Battlezone (1998), briand.des
- ↑ Single Message in Several Languages on Freelang.net
| People | ||
|---|---|---|
| Activision | Paul Baker · Wendy Cutler · Brian Diggs · Ken Miller · Brad Pickering | |
| Team Evolve | Toni Chaffin · Richard Farrelly | |
| Pandemic Studios | Peter Jessop · Ken Miller · Brad Pickering · Battlezone II Hit Team | |
| Independent | Andrew Roals | |