Miasma

[Coppermantis]

I have to admit, my first world in this was named BOAT MURDER. If elephants do get put in, I'll have to remake it and crank that difficulty waaaaaaaaay up and see how far I can make it

In AI War, it is actually possible to get a randomly-generated name of BoatMurdered.  It takes random syllables, right?  Well, it has syllables for "Boat" "Mur" and "dered."  It combines, at random, 2-3 syllables for each planet, from a list of many syllables.  If it ever hits that combination in just the right order, for some player who actually knows DF as well as plays AI War, that's going to be so epic.  I've been waiting for that to happen for two years now, since I thought of that, but so far nothing yet.

I had a planet that was named boatfoash. I read it as Boatfish originally.

I got Murdoch as an AI Core or homeworld multiple times, if I remember correctly.

[KDR_11k]

There's still no Super Carrot in AI War which saddens me.

Also which enemy would deserve the name "Happy Fun Ball"?

[keith.lamothe]

Also which enemy would deserve the name "Happy Fun Ball"?

Tie between autobomb and nanoswarm.

[x4000]

I keep meaning to add the Super Carrot as some sort of easter egg, but I haven't been able to think of anything suitably epic for it.

On the one hand I don't want to do anything immersion-breaking for those who don't get that joke, but on the other hand I don't want to bury the carrot too deeply that nobody finds it or has to use a cheat to get it.

[keith.lamothe]

The journal thing supports a more narrative description of things, and one could build up to a universe-plausible use of the phrase "Super Carrot"   Perhaps it could be a reference to some large (z-trader-sized) ship that looks very vaguely like a carrot, so people probably wouldn't make the connection until they saw the journal.

[x4000]

But the super carrot graphic itself is very small.  We'd have to use the original graphic from Tyrian for it to really count.

[keith.lamothe]

But the super carrot graphic itself is very small.  We'd have to use the original graphic from Tyrian for it to really count.

Ah, ok, I didn't know the origin.  I think it would work.  Make it surprisingly powerful and work in the phrase "That Carrot's Dynamite!"

[Martyn van Buren]

Now it's become this legendary thing in AI War, where the hardest planet tends to be Murdoch because it is the first one added and so tends to be some central hub world of critical importance or something.

There's a reason for that??? I think of Murdoch that way, but I thought I was imagining it because it's a memorable name and you tend to see patterns whenever you recognize things.  Anyway, I stand amazed.  Next you'll be telling me that carrying an umbrella really makes it not rain.

[x4000]

Now it's become this legendary thing in AI War, where the hardest planet tends to be Murdoch because it is the first one added and so tends to be some central hub world of critical importance or something.

There's a reason for that??? I think of Murdoch that way, but I thought I was imagining it because it's a memorable name and you tend to see patterns whenever you recognize things.  Anyway, I stand amazed.  Next you'll be telling me that carrying an umbrella really makes it not rain.

There is a reason, but it's partly coincidental: murdoch is always the first one added to the map.  So just based on the mapgen algorithms, more often than not that tends to get more linkbacks from other planets, meaning it tends to have a higher chance of being central than it does to be something way off in a corner.  Depending on the map.  If it's a tree or snake map, it has an excellent chance of being the homeworld of one of the AIs.

[keith.lamothe]

And on X or Concentric maps I think it's always the center planet.

[x4000]

Yep.

[Martyn van Buren]

Sorry, I understand that it's not intentional, I'm just surprised it's true.  I thought I was imagining it because I liked the name.

[keith.lamothe]

First, people see patterns.  Second, people are suspicious of apparent patterns because they think they're imagining it.  Third, people see a pattern in said suspicions

[x4000]

Yep, that's the problem with being self-aware.

[Mánagarmr]

Also which enemy would deserve the name "Happy Fun Ball"?

Tie between autobomb and nanoswarm.

The Devourer wants a word with you. *Oomnomnomnom*