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I'm playing a video game called "Divinity Original Sin 2" and I encountered a broken oil pump and I'm trying to make it operable. This is the dialogue that pops up when I approach the machine.

"From somewhere deep within the inner workings of the machine comes an irregular clanking sound, then a weak gurgle. Inoperable it seems."

Then I am presented with a couple of choices of pulling different-colored levers. When I pull one of them this dialogue pops up.

"The machine churns into life-gears rotate and pistons hiss from somewhere within its metal housing. It settles into a slow metallic chug... ready for the next lever, perhaps."

here's a video version of this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrzU3t-vVNM&ab_channel=CrazyCatDev

"settle" 7. to make or become quiet, calm, or stable*(source:Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary,)*

"chug" A dull explosive sound, usually short and repeated, made by or as if by a laboring engine.(source:Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014)

Does it mean that the machine was making all kinds of weird sounds and then it became quieter and the sound became more stable and continuous like a chug or like a combustion engine running without pressing the gas pedal? or like an idling engine?

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It means after the initial, presumably irregular noises of starting up, the machine begins producing a regular, stable sound similar to an idling engine.

There's nothing about "all kinds of weird sounds", and nothing about becoming quieter, just about becoming regular, and describing the new regular sound.

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  • This text would make me think more along the noise of an old-time steam engine rather than internal combustion but other than that quibbling difference, yes, exactly. Sep 11, 2022 at 18:10

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