Why is Cyan called Teal?

[Coffeeccubus]

I'm pretty sure teal looks like this:

https://files.graphiq.com/2307/media/images/Teal_Blue_429716_i0.png

And Cyan looks like this:

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/external/slideshow/full/Cyan_full.png

And I'm pretty sure AOE used Cyan. Not teal :l

[The Very Hungry Caterpillar]

I have no idea why people say teal instead of cyan. 99% of the time I hear people refer to the color as teal so that is what I usually call it.

[Saint_Michaels_]

Because even though the index colour is true cyan (0, 255, 255), the actual unit colours and shades have more green in the colour shades, thus teal. Also, people usually see teal as more of a sea green, rather than actual teal. I guess "Sea Green" isn't as an attractive name.

The bigger question is, why do people refer magenta as purple, when the colours are magenta through and through?

[Ashur_Arbaces]

Originally posted by St. Michaels:

Because even though the index colour is true cyan (0, 255, 255), the actual unit colours and shades have more green in the colour shades, thus teal. Also, people usually see teal as more of a sea green, rather than actual teal. I guess "Sea Green" isn't as an attractive name.

The bigger question is, why do people refer magenta as purple, when the colours are magenta through and through?

Cause purple is a word more well known to non native english speakers and people in general. I wouldn't be suprised if there are people who don't know what magenta is. It's one of those things some people take for granted it's known to everybody but some other people don't know it and have never given it a second thought. The colors are used for easy communication, nothing more. No point in using magenta if u have to explain what that is first.

Despite magenta being closer to pink than purple, we don't use pink cause no one wants to be referred to as 'the pink player' (it's an irrational manlyness thing :p).

[Ashur_Arbaces]

Cause lots of people just use the names for easy communication and have not given it any second thought wich color it exactly is and we don't have to cause the only reason we say the names of the colors is for easy communication and as long as everyone knows wich player we are adressing there is no real problem.

As how it started. Probably a few people got the color wrong and a lot of people (mostly non native english speakers, people who just started playing and people who sucked at art class, or all of the aformentioned like me) just started copying it without knowing it is technically wrong. No one bothered to correct it because trying that will only cause unneseccary cofusion over a small detail that doesn't matter in the context of how it is used.

[Sids]

Just a mistake that became a traditon.

Once a tradition is established they're hard to shake, no matter how inaccurate or nonsensical they are.

[Filthydelphia]

Even weirder, Ensemble Studios appears to have called the color Aqua. The command for the teal/cyan text coloring in scenarios is <Aqua>.

[Sids]

Aqua and cyan are very similar. Either one is far more accurae than teal.

[SpoOkyMagician]

Probably just an oversight/misunderstanding from the developers. They are similar colors but, not exact. (As well as common names as stated above.)

[Out of Czech]

What about turquoise?

[NIKFS]

Originally posted by Filthydelphia:

Even weirder, Ensemble Studios appears to have called the color Aqua. The command for the teal/cyan text coloring in scenarios is <Aqua>.

In the german scenario editor it was even worse, p1s color name and p5s seemed to be swapped there, dont know if it still is like that as i prefer to play in english

[John Wesley Harding]

Perhaps there was a fierce rivalry between the guys making AoE2 & Myst :)

[JNCressey]

A possibility could be that there are fewer syllables so you can say it faster. (And maybe also think about it faster.)
Aqua and cyan are more accurate names for the colour, but both of them are two syllables long; teal is only one syllable long. And at least the hue of the colour is the same, it's just darker.

This may also be a factor in saying purple rather than magenta. Magenta is three syllables; purple is only two.

[King Jon]

I've actually always called it "light blue"

[ګćĦۼŕžعҖїᾐﻭ]

Originally posted by Tawm:

I am a guy and I will never use a word other than purple to describe a blue/red color.

I was about to make that point... But I would call it light blue lol

[The Very Hungry Caterpillar]

Originally posted by ګćĦۼŕžعҖїᾐﻭ:

Originally posted by Tawm:

I am a guy and I will never use a word other than purple to describe a blue/red color.

I was about to make that point... But I would call it light blue lol :jacomo:

I used to do this too.