How to get a good name for Mods and/or the content

[DigaRW]

Here we go, I planning this post should be posted in Modding Refference, but I think I should start here.

Okay, you see the title. To avoid confussion and conflict, here I will tell you some advice for you. You may think it's very simple, but it's complicated because you're not only modder here.
Example: You make a launcher, and you named it BOOM. And there also other modder that making different launcher but have same name. And now what you will do?
Asking them to erase their mod?
Or delete your own mod, while you need one night full to make it again?
Here some advice to make a good name for mod.
-Search a uncommon word or phrase.
Yes, try search uncommon word and apply it to your mod. Like Blow cannon, or maybe Vanish Launcher.
-Take a look in Real Life
This is more simple, you should walk or doing something at real life. Maybe you will get an inspiration from what you saw or heard.
-Use a short name
You can use short name for your mod's name, but you should explain why you take that name.
-Use your own language
If the english isn't your major language, then you should take this advantage for your mod. You can use it for an unique name.

This post should help you if you don't know the good name for your mod.

[TheLoneWolf]

Hm. I don't care if the name I use is already taken. If it is, I simply rename it to other alternatives. You can even use nifty names, like "Ranx Stuff" (Shivan Hunter) or pretty clever names like "The Stars Beyond" (Wolfy). It can even bear your name, like "Shrikes' Mines and Missiles".

[DigaRW]

Yes, I'm just worry if there a some conflict that because the name of their mod and the content is same. And also it should best to take an unique name, so make the mod is more different than other mod.
Like my mod, the Semesta is an Indonesia phrase. Which is meaning Universe.

[relanat]

Another (very useful) member got me thinking about good names so I thought I'd post some ideas as well.

Use a star name or zodiac name.
Or use a name from SF books or TV, (something Heinlein or Clarke wrote or a name from Star Trek or Star Wars).
Or sometimes using the half of one name and half of another can give good results, eg Trek Wars or Solowalker. That sort of thing.
Greek, Roman, Norse mythology names.
Anihilator (sp?), destructor, obliterator(sp?)

[digdug]

What about using a name generator ?

https://donjon.bin.sh/scifi/name/#type= ... rs=Wookiee

[shanejfilomena]

What about using a name generator ?

https://donjon.bin.sh/scifi/name/#type= ... rs=Wookiee

Personally I use generators myself :
Serendipity : catagory : writing, names
http://nine.frenchboys.net/

I could tell you a few others, but then I would have to send out the Molotoks

[Song]

Personally I use a bunch of different methods:


For mods themselves, I like going for comical or tongue-in-cheek names...or at least trending towards them. Thus "Slightly Saner Mining Tables" and "Shrike 'N' AssumedPseudonym's Superior Sounds".
Backronyms are also good (SNAPSS won out of the shortlist because the acronym was fitting).


Inside the mod, there's a few ways to handle it:


1. When you're making content that fits into an existing manufacturer, fit it into one of their product lines or use a name that's no longer in the game. (eg. SM&M++ has the "Shtorm Repeater", which was the old name for the Moskva 33)
2. Numbers. If your product line uses a number/letter code (Eg. "XM900") then it's far less likely to duplicate the name of another mod.
3. Manufacturer names. Especially if you take the extra few lines of code to define a visible label/tag for a 'company', you can use that to further differentiate the weapon. It also can help with making a new naming theme that works nicely.
4. Accept that sometimes, you're gonna have either a functional or nominal duplicate. Try to see if there's any out there, and maybe slightly rework your own stuff in response to it.

[TheLoneWolf]

I can't understand Shrike's tip 3.

[AssumedPseudonym]

 I think they mean including the name of the manufacturer as a part of the name — for example, the NAMI launcher as opposed to the Rasiermesser launcher or Burak launcher, or the Ares plasma archcannon versus the plasma cannon manufactured by EI.

[Song]

Partly that. Partly making new companies.

If you've got a whole pile of weapons with no manufacturer, you have to differentiate them all at once. If you divide them into categories, you make it easier because you can come up with naming themes for each category and sub-category. You see this in vanilla: Items are divided into manufacturers, each of which has a main naming theme. Within that manufacturer, you have several lines of products, each of which either has variations on a single name (eg. "Moskva", "Strelka"), or names with a similar theme (rarer, but can be done sometimes).

So if you add a bunch of new companies, do the code to add the tag to all their items, and then break up your weapons into themes and add them to said companies, you're no longer trying to think of names for each and every weapon. You're looking at a broader picture, then getting things to work with it. Can make it easier to follow.

(And sorry for the slow reply. Been on holiday and just got back)


Example:

I have 12 weapons. I do not have any company definition with them. I have to come up with:

-Weapon 1 name
-Weapon 2 name
-Weapon 3 name
-Weapon 4 name
-Weapon 5 name
-Weapon 6 name
-Weapon 7 name
-Weapon 8 name
-Weapon 9 name
-Weapon 10 name
-Weapon 11 name
-Weapon 12 name

And if I want to make them all look different enough when you're skim-reading the items list, that can be tricky to work out 12 names at once. So you don't bother with that just yet:

Now I split them into companies. Let's say 6 in one, 6 in the other. And then let's split them to simulate some differences (eg. matter VS energy weapons).

Rather than having to think of 12 different names, I can now leave it as:

-Company 1 Energy name
-Company 1 matter name
-Company 2 Energy name
-Company 2 matter name

And then use numbers (Edit: Or different sub-types. Eg: Dual, light, heavy, repeating, etc) to differentiate the three weapons in each categories.

This is often more complicated than this, but you should get the idea. An example in the vanilla game is the Moskva 33. It uses the Makayev-Energia non-howitzer light blast weapon theme ('Moskva'), then a number (33) to differentiate it from the other weapons in the same theme.

There's other ways to plan out naming schemes, but using companies as broad starting groups is really useful. Of course, this also forces you to make weapons fit inside themes. This isn't a bad thing!

[TheLoneWolf]

Nice tip, Shrike! I need to learn tags though, and making corps, for that.