A bunch of naming stuff; some from older threads that despite support never brought any change, some new ones. Minor changes: - Crabe > Crab: ye olde trailinge E is weirde. - Razor's Kiss > Razor: the reference is cool, but Razor is elegant, is a sharp tool like {Hack, Chain}saw and the name won't really change that much. Major ones: - Stiletto > Thunderbird: sounds badass, describes the weapon and Phoenix is also a mythical bird; going further Shadow > Roc, Avenger > Harpy and Vulture > Raven. - Penetrator > Lance: good name that has been suggested many times (though on the other hand, Penetrator is already a very good name with strong legacy). - Infiltrator > Mantis: stalks prey and performs a swift strike; is an insect (though not a spider). - Aspis > Kingpin: in a shieldbot army, the area shield is the big boss of the personal shields underneath. [Edit] Aegis > Syndicate to also keep consistency. - Archer > Frog: Archer is not an animal (which is amphfac theme; apparently it's supposed to be a reference to archerfish, but too vague), while Frog is an AMPHibian and Googleboi doesn't have his own unit yet! Huge change: - Dart fits the Hover naming scheme and Scrubber fits Veh. While many other units (like Rapier, or Peewee and his melee bro) also use weapon names, in case of Dart/Scrubber a swap would kill 2 inconsistencies with 1 stone; the problem is, those two are very important units and swapping (as opposed to merely renaming) would cause huge confusion.
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Also, at first I wanted to post Gauss > Pitbull because quote:
yo dawg, I heard you like Gauss, so we put gauss on the Gauss so you can not pierce shields while not being pierced by arty |
but then 
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Aegis and Aspis are consistent - We could call them Bubblebot and Bubble ;D The only names I lie are Frog, Raven and Stiletto->Thunderbird. I don't mind about dart<->scrubber. But a Frog jumps and Shadow is already a good name. And I would not change the other unit's names.
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I think the air unit and Kingpin renames are the best thought-out. The dart<->scrubber shift kinda makes sense, but there's also the fact that Cloaky has Glaive and Scythe, so the polearms/piercing weapons theme you want for Hovers is already muddled by Cloakies. Not sure what would be best to do about that, though, as Cloaky doesn't really have a theme. For Archer, why not just go all the way and call it Archerfish?   NeonSturm: Kingpin could work as the mobile version if the static is something like Syndicate, keeps with the criminal theme of Shieldbots.
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That was totally me about a month ago.
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Besides dart/scrubber swap, there's also the possibility to rename one of those into a Dagger. I dislike the Kingpin idea. Aspis/Aegis have their own little theme going, would hate to disrupt it. Frog doesn't befit an archer rename, and Archer Fish is totally an animal. Mantis is a bug tracker! Imagine the confusion if it also becomes a unit. Like gauss and Gauss. Lance is for the win.
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We thought about this one. quote:
The archerfish (spinner fish or archer fish) are a family (Toxotidae) of fish known for their habit of preying on land-based insects and other small animals by shooting them down with water droplets from their specialized mouths. |
I like these for the factory theme.
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Aspis -> Kingpin
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Aegis -> Syndicate
The units are a bit unusual though because they are accessible via any factory so I am not sure if they should be themed. Stiletto -> Thunderbird This sort of idea has been hanging around for a while. I am of the opinion that including "Thunder" in the name of a lightning bomber is about as boring as including "Fire" in the name of a unit which shoots fire (i.e. very boring). So I would like to find a name one step removed from "Thunderbird" but still recognizable and pronounceable. "Roc" may work as a name. Infiltrator -> Mantis This would just be confusing. How about some recognizable name for "Trap door spider" instead? Penetrator -> Lance This has been suggested a few times. It may happen eventually. LLT, HLT and Stardust don't fit into the ground turret naming theme.
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LLT -> Planck. Small, 'initial' step for laser technology.
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HLT -> ??? Too many choices but none stand out to me.
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Stardust -> someone to do with ballistics/particles?
I think that the 'weapons' theme is overused. Hovercrafts are almost entirely weapons and the theme has leaked a bit into Cloakybots and Gunships. Perhaps Cloakybots could become Greek gods. I feel that Rocko and Jethro should be renamed.
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My proposition is "Braun" for Missile Silo. It's constructing rockets, doesn't it? And it fits in scientist theme really well.
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Razor - Yes, please. Crab(e) - I don't mind the e. I mean, it's not really a crab, is it? It's slow, moves omnidirectional on 4 legs and shoots plasma bullets. Aspis/Aegis rename - No. Stiletto -> Thunderbird: Not sure. Have to agree with google, it's sort of a step back in creativity. On the theme of Roc, we already have a chicken called that way (and it's a pretty devastating one). Infiltrator -> Mantis: Nah. Mantis just sits in a spot all day without moving, until prey comes close. That's not really how the inf is used. Infiltrator is fitting for the role but of course not an insect name. Even if you rename the LLT to planck, people will keep calling it llt, just because it's shorter. Same for HLT. Archer Fish would contradict the fact that it paths over land. Tough call, the similarity is just way too good to give up on that name, but we would need something like a portmanteau... Dart/Scrubber - Makes sense but is likely to cause a lot of confusion. Braun for missile silo might just work out, but it might also be kind of a stretch to name everything after something related. I mean (just as extreme example), you wouldn't call the Silencer "Little Boy". Somebody would then also have to edit the manual entries. I mean, it still says cudgel etc. in the spider fac unit list description.
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quote:
Crab(e) - I don't mind the e. |
I don't understand the e. Why is it there? How are you even supposed to pronounce the word? Rhymes with scab? Rhymes with babe? Rhymes with stabby? Speaking of stabby: I like the Stiletto name. It fits the unit. The unit is very stabby. Penetrator -> Lance seems like a natural, especially once the Lorde Muffe / Anarchid remodel is finished. Themes don't have to be carried out completely. We don't need to make every turret a scientist; that would be a ridiculous overuse of the theme. Three is a nice bit of creativity; eleven would be forcing something that doesn't fit and would actually be less creative. Jethro probably does need a rename. Rocko maybe, maybe not; it fires rockets, so the name is obvious, distinctive, and memorable. I think all-greek or all-gods would be a terrible theme; it's hackneyed and the individual choices aren't especially distinctive. I'm not sure the factory needs a theme, honestly. Most of the names are great as is: warrior, zeus, tick. Rector is a little obscure, but it works. Glaive is iconic, scythe is a perfect complement. Sharpshooter should probably just be switched to sniper because that's what everyone calls it anyway. The Dart / Scrubber swap seems like it makes sense, but Scrubber is a lousy name for a lightly-armed ultra-fast ultra-nimble scout motorcycle. Dart kinda fits a hovercraft that is lightweight and throws a bolt, but it's not a great name. I think we could rename both units and find great names for them that fit their themes rather than just swapping them. That would also eliminate the confusion issue. Aspis and Aegis are fine.
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I like crabe. It's like Abraham Lincoln meets a crab.
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Crabe is the french word for Crab, so good for me. The same applies to infiltrator, penetrator, which I immediately understand. What is a lance? Is it a weapon that is thrown on the enemy? (if yes, than it's the same in french but penetrator is more impressive, lance are for stone-age warriors). What is the meaning of stilleto? Style? In any case, "Three is a nice bit of creativity; eleven would be forcing something that doesn't fit and would actually be less creative".
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A Stiletto is a type of thin dagger. It's also the name of a type of high-heeled shoe characterized by having a heel thin enough to achieve a similar effect as a dagger, but that's probably not what the devs were going for. A lance is specifically a spear used on horseback, and not designed for throwing (despite the etymological association with "lancer"/"to throw"), and the most common association I can think of for it is medieval jousting.
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If we're going to have non-English unit names, I think they should be Czech, not French. :) Regarding Lance: Because of its association with medieval jousting, "lance" invokes qualities such as long, thin, and powerful. Something that is pushed or slammed into its target rather than thrown, but with great force due to its size and being used on horseback. It fits the Penetrator weapon and role quite well. Similarly, a space satellite equipped with a beam weapon to fire at the ground is sometimes referred to as an "orbital lance" in science fiction. Also, "penetrator" has vaguely obscene connotations. I'm not prudish, but I think Zero-K would be better off without them.
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quote:
I feel that Rocko and Jethro should be renamed. |
A thousand times this.
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quote:
Also, "penetrator" has vaguely obscene connotations. I'm not prudish, but I think Zero-K would be better off without them. |
Well, at least i'm not the only one who can't avoid that train of thought. Have to agree here.
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We had a good thread a while back where we bashed out some good ideas for a "ghost" theme for the Cloakybot lab and a "bird/mythical" theme for the planes. Like the CloakWalker was "Shade" and the Jethro was "Gremlin". I'd go with "Grackle" for the Avenger.     GoogleFrogFor Stardust? Either Nobel (inventer of gunpowder) or Gatling (inventor of the Gatling Gun). I'd expand the tools metaphor out for AA turrets - rename the Razor's Kiss the Razorblade, and the Cobra and Screamer become Jackhammer and Sledgehammer respectively.
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"Also, "penetrator" has vaguely obscene connotations." Well, we are all adults here? And why Jethro is named like that actually? Is it the biblical reference that disturb people? We can have a religion theme too, it would please Forever. You would have the Saint Matthew, the Mahomet, the David, the Judas you get the idea... ^^ EDIT: imagine the thread: "Rage thread: Jesus is OP, need to nerf it" lol
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quote:
You would have the Saint Matthew, the Mahomet, the David, the Judas you get the idea... |
Nerf David, hardcounters Goliath! quote:
And why Jethro is named like that actually? |
Total Annihilation legacy just like many other names. Gremlin is probably a good rename if the future goal for cloakies is to have a spooky theme.
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