The Name's The Thing

[PsychoBlonde]

So, how do people like to name their characters? I tend to name mine after my PnP characters, so they generally just have a fairly simple first name like Leren or Kimber. I don't mind the thing Dragon Age is now doing where they assign you a last name so everybody (including your mom and your S. O.) can call you by it. Since there won't be 100% voiceover, I would like it if people call you by name in the text though.

[Hassat Hunter]

Unoriginal person here, but still want a good naming function.

 

And a fixed surname, hell no!

[Infiltrator_SF]

In single player RPGs, I always name my main PC after my real name.

[Ieo]

I have 2 names I reuse for all my SP games; that said, I'm not a fan of the forced surname. Also, I'd answer the poll seriously, but I really couldn't resist your last choice.

[Tamerlane]

Given how many of those options are compatible with each-other, this should really be a multiple choice poll...

[Uszi]

I give my characters stupid names. I like naming my Fallout characters after Country singers, for instance.

 

I guess I'll always prefer the freedom of doing whatever so that anyone can play how they want. If you don't want your character to be named xLA8ERHA8ERx, then don't name it that. Don't know why that should affect how someone else plays, though.

[eimatshya]

I don't particularly care if people want to name their character something ridiculous; it's a single player game, and it won't detract from my immersion if someone else is playing their game as G@nd@lf teh Greyz.

 

If they did implement separate slots for first and last name, I would want the option of leaving the last name blank, as I sometimes roll characters with only a single name. Also, it would be nice if the surname slot allowed for multiple words so as to allow a wider variety such as "of Karnoth" or "Son of Hakram"

[Lord Monbodo]

Aside from the issue of a forced surname, which certainly isn't going to be a problem here, names aren't really relevant for discussion. People can name their characters whatever they please.

[syn2083]

The 'only' real -argument- I could see against it is for 'realism' breaking reasons.

 

However, the easy counter to that is, its SP, and those that CARE about that aspect would come up with something theme appropriate, so in reality... It shouldn't much matter imo.

[PsychoBlonde]

 

Given how many of those options are compatible with each-other, this should really be a multiple choice poll...

 

Heh I don't think anyone should take this poll seriously enough for it to matter.

[LadyCrimson]

Single-player games .... I used to have this big book of baby names, with all kinds of unusual ones in it. So I'd just rifle through the book until I came across one that appealed.

But these days I tend to be lazy and just pick names out of thin air...usually descriptive of the character portrait or chosen attire, or something boring like that. Or by gazing at my desk and going "Pen, calculator, clock, glass of water, pile o' bills ... Billabil, yeah, that's it."

[Tamerlane]

Eh, fair enough. I'll address 'em individually instead.

 

Give me a long freakin string field that holds letters, spaces, characters, numbers, EVERYTHING!!!

No real need for that, though it won't hurt me any.

Letters and rational symbols only please

All I need, really. Numbers, tildes, ampersands, and the like are just for gimmicks.

Separate boxes for first and last name

That'd be cool. I hate when I don't know whether or not I should include a last name in a character field.

I make up the first name, last name is assigned so people can call me by it

Not inherently terrible, but I'm willing to bet that Bioware has soured a lot of people on this idea.

 

It was particularly ridiculous in DA2 where your family apparently gave up all claim to the last name just so you could always be clear who was being talked to.

I want a random name generator to save me a headache

These are cool. Loved them in the KotOR games.

[CheeseGraterSuicide]

How I name my characters depends on the game, and my mood. If I feel like being serious and roleplaying a bit, I'll take the time to give my characters appropriate names that often have a bit of meaning behind them. If I'm not feeling serious, I'll give them super stupid names that might be humorous to the average 12 year old.

[Death Machine Miyagi]

The 'assigning a last name so people can call me by it' has indeed been soured by Bioware, or more accurately by its association with fully voiced games that are extremely restricted in how much choice they offer in the dialogue.

 

Every voiced game has to find something to call you, be it Shephard or Hawke or Kalach-cha or the Knight-Captain or whatever else. A game with a minority of voiced lines, by contrast, can bring us back to the glory days of Charname, when you could type in your name and the game would actually use it somewhere.

 

Best thing for me: first name and last name, with the game willing to use both or either as appropriate.

[Tamerlane]

Miyagi is right, of course. I completely ignored the fact that the pre-chosen last name is useless in a game that doesn't have a lot of voice acting.

 

Bring on the Charname!

[SinoSamba]

Voted for the last option, but usually I have name+last name and always the same one on single player games. Who uses strange characters on RPG names? It is not a gamertag

 

Ah, and loved DA:O as game but hated that I could not keep my custom last name.

Edited October 24, 2012 by SinoSamba

[TheMufflon]

I like having separate boxes for first and last names, that way the game can differentiate between them and NPC can refer to my character by either or both as appropriate. Having a set surname doesn't really make sense in a game where only a few lines will have VO.

[Larkaloke]

I voted for the first option, but that's mostly because I sometimes find myself coming up with names that are too long to fit in some name fields (probably because I intend to add last names on for most characters). So long as reasonable symbols such as spaces and dashes are present, I don't really care if all the others are.

 

Seperate box for first and last name is also good.

[HansKrSG]

Give me freedom in naming my character, and I am happy.

[Tagaziel]

Separate fields for name/surname could be interesting, but a bit restrictive. Not all cultures have last names.

[Eldmore]

Agree with tagaziel there. I never been. Great fan of names with symbol numbers and so on.....

[Gyges]

I usually use names from ancient mythologies, so pretty much just need one. Depends on dialogue though, sounds a bit silly being called ms Tiamat.

Edited October 24, 2012 by Gyges

[Magnum Opus]

If they're going with a style of name that's fairly unique, then a name generator might be useful, only to avoid being the "Roy" in a world full of "Alahammadasharan ar G'mazzera The Forsaken"s.

 

But not having a full range of characters at my disposal drives me NUTS no matter what the software does. It doesn't apply to just names, either. A saved game field should always give me the punctuation needed to write a meaningful, literate description. Bloody HATE the recent trend where you aren't given, for instance, an apostrophe, a colon, or a semi-colon.... sometimes even more than the convention where you're not allowed to type a description at all (that's the best way I know to end up with a great big mess of saved games where you can't find the one you're looking for)

 

We've got a keyboard for this game. Please let us be able to use it.

[DocDoomII]

I want a single field, long enough for name and surname and it NEEDS to accept the space dammit. The goddamn space!

[Humanoid]

Humans I always name manually, I have a couple of fairly rigidly defined characters I tend to reuse, plus I also have a pool of about half a dozen full names that I choose from, depending on the character's intended personality. I have to admit that for most of them, the names first saw air in The Sims and how they're played in RPGs tends to derive from their personality in that game....

 

What I'd like to see actually is a 3-part name construction: Last name, nickname and given names, and in addition, have it selectable which of the three fields you will primarily be referred to by. In some contexts the non-nominated one might be used, e.g. a town official may always use your last name.

 

 

As the non-human races I tend to stick to the random name generator, unless the setting is one where them having human type names is something that's established. Exceptions for comic relief characters of course.

Edited October 24, 2012 by Humanoid