[MUD-Dev] \"An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG\"

[Madrona Tree]

to ed:  sorry bout that :(
<<EdNote: No worries>>

Travis Casey wrote:
>But how about name generators?  People have written name generators
>which can be given a specification for a language, and will then
>generate random names which could come out of that language.  Some of
>the better ones allow you to give a list with roots of names and
>their meanings, so that the name generator can create names that mean
>something.

How about not having a name generator in the game, but links to name 
generators?  Possibly giving a link on the character generation page (if 
that is feasable).  There are some really nice ones out there.  I have 
always been partial to EBON (http://www.worldzone.net/games/ebon/).


>about your character's name being generated for you?
>
>about being given a randomly-generated list of names to choose from?

Ugh.  I usually know what my name is going to be before I start the game... 
and to take that bit of control away from me (regarding something so 
personal as a character) would irk me to no end.


>about being asked to come up with a descriptive name for your
>character (e.g., something like "slayer of beasts" or "stealthy one")
>and having a name that means that created for you?  (Ignore technical
>considerations here, please... I'm asking how you'd feel about it, not
>whether it can be done practically.)

How would my parents, upon my birth, know that I would be a slayer of 
beasts?  I had a friend in HS who was named after both of her grandmothers, 
whose names were Amelia and Grace.  Her mother decided to go with Amelia 
Grace rather than Grace Amelia.. just in case she turned out to be a klutz.


>about being asked for a name, and then having the software check it
>and suggest possible changes to make it fit the language?

Yeah, that's okay, I suppose.  I've been Jaini before.


>about being given a choice of one of the above?

If you're going to do it, do it the same for everybody, I think.


>about a combination system, where characters have two names -- you get
>to make up one name, and the other name is generated by one of the
>above methods?

Yeah that would be great if you named me Jaini Smith and somebody else Jimmi 
Smith and then I could find out I had a brother.  But you'd have to tie it 
in that way, so that it would be my Personal Quest - to find my family.

In other words - if you're going to take away some of the control, I'd like 
something in return for it.


>Would you be puzzled or annoyed if the character creation setup was
>such that you couldn't choose a name until after your character's race
>or place of origin was established?

No, but True Newbies would be, so I would explain why.. in language that 
True Newbies would understand.


Madrona Tree.


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