Poll

What's your favorite name here?  Feel free to comment with other names, or change your vote later.

This World Is Mine
3 (15.8%)
From a Dying Sun
6 (31.6%)
Stars Beyond Reach
7 (36.8%)
Stars Beyond Reach: This World Is Mine
3 (15.8%)

Total Members Voted: 0

Author Topic: Name our upcoming 4x (best - Stars Beyond Reach) POLL 10/27  (Read 90334 times)

Offline x4000

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Back to "Empires In Exile" as the best.

I also was thinking of "?? Era" or something as being a potential.
Or "Imperial Thunderhead"
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Offline eRe4s3r

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Or maybe just "Best 4X ever!"

It's not taken, I checked.  8)
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Offline x4000

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Somehow that would not inspire me to click it in Steam if I saw it. :)

But... yeah, no kidding, right?  Why is this one so hard!?  :P
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Offline nas1m

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"<Some Color> Sun" (color depending on your lore) would be a really good name I think, as:

  • It transports the aspect of a world that is alien to the survivor(s) we get to play (what could be more alien than a sun of the wrong color?)
  • It is generic enough to allow custom interpretations by players while still being interesting (at least to me)
  • It has no "Empire" in it, which is a fairly overused word as far as game titles and me are concerned

Now that I think of it - how about:
Alien Sun
Alien Sky
Under an Alien Sun
Under an Alien Sky
« Last Edit: June 03, 2014, 01:55:17 pm by nas1m »
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Offline x4000

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The Colonization Of Emerald Sector
Emerald Sector Settlers
Amber Sector
Gold Sector
Onyx Sector
Independence Sector
Omicron Ceti
Eta Draconis
Ashes of Omicron Ceti
Empires Of Omicron Ceti


Interesting Words That Might Fit In A Title:
era
sector
settler
heritage
stardrive
saga
celestial
midnight
independence
Xanadu
Omicron
Mu
Eta
citizen
fusion drive
orbit
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Offline doctorfrog

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One thing to note is that the title doesn't need to encompass the whole game. To give an example, Master of Orion is not strictly a game about capturing Orion. Orion's super important, sure, but ultimately the game is named after a game mechanic rather than the game itself. Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares is not a game that's about a Battle at Antares. The whole Antares subplot can even be disabled so you never have to see it.

So, let's say that there's a game mechanic in this one where fallout from a nearby star battle or explosion is a notable play mechanic. That this appears graphically as ashes covering part of the battlefield, and causing certain undesirable effects. You could still call the game "Ashes of Tau Ceti," or what have you. The title mostly has to sound cool, be evocative, and not sound too derivative.

Offline eRe4s3r

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Lost Sun ;) My last bid and google finds nothing... (relevant) I wanted to mention Fading Sun, but Fading Suns is FASA property.

Omicron Ceti is again a "spoiled" title -> http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Omicron_Ceti

Also way too long ;p though short hands to ... EOOC ? ;P

Alien Sun and what nas1m writes is good too.

And... Xanadu  :o Citizen Kane called and is not amused!
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Offline Wingflier

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Empires Of Omicron Ceti - I really like this one the most so far!
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Offline x4000

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One thing to note is that the title doesn't need to encompass the whole game. To give an example, Master of Orion is not strictly a game about capturing Orion. Orion's super important, sure, but ultimately the game is named after a game mechanic rather than the game itself. Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares is not a game that's about a Battle at Antares. The whole Antares subplot can even be disabled so you never have to see it.

So, let's say that there's a game mechanic in this one where fallout from a nearby star battle or explosion is a notable play mechanic. That this appears graphically as ashes covering part of the battlefield, and causing certain undesirable effects. You could still call the game "Ashes of Tau Ceti," or what have you. The title mostly has to sound cool, be evocative, and not sound too derivative.

Yep, I'm well aware.  I'm not trying to encompass the entire game by any stretch, but I am trying to be descriptive enough that people just seeing the bloody icon and then the name will click on it.  ;)  Something that Bionic Dues has failed miserably at, but The Last Federation does enormously well at.  Hence the importance of the name.

Lost Sun ;) My last bid and google finds nothing... (relevant) I wanted to mention Fading Sun, but Fading Suns is FASA property.

Omicron Ceti is again a "spoiled" title -> http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Omicron_Ceti

Also way too long ;p though short hands to ... EOOC ? ;P

Lost Sun is a good one, yeah.  I'm not sure that I'm feeling it as the title here, bu tit's good.

Omicron Ceti is the name of an actual planet, and it's not the name of any sort of game, certainly not in the format noted above, so it's okay to use.  EOOC or EOC is a bit long, yeah, but we've had long tiles before.  I prefer ones that are shorter than that -- two words if possible -- but sometimes longer is just unavoidable.

Empires Of Omicron Ceti - I really like this one the most so far!

Glad it's not just me! ;)
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Offline Coppermantis

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I'm personally against anything with "Empire" or "Empires" in the title. It evokes 4X, yeah, but too much so, I think. Just seems like going for the low-hanging fruit in the titles department, and reminds me of other, similar games (e.g. Empire: Total War, Age of Empires, Sins of a Solar Empire). Imperium and Imperial are somewhat better since they're less commonly heard.
I can already tell this is going to be a roller coaster ride of disappointment.

Offline Cyborg

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Kahuna strategy guide:
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Offline doctorfrog

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Yep, I'm well aware.  I'm not trying to encompass the entire game by any stretch, but I am trying to be descriptive enough that people just seeing the bloody icon and then the name will click on it.  ;)  Something that Bionic Dues has failed miserably at, but The Last Federation does enormously well at.  Hence the importance of the name.

Ah, the not-at-all important, yet mightily important metagame of naming the damned thing.

I'd say at this point that just having a working title should be the goal, unless this is our forum metagame to keep us busy while you work furiously at a whiteboard.

Yes, I know I'm not being useful. I'll add my sort-of vote against using "Empire," since that really is kind of overused, and more or less owned by two or more other towering strat games.

Maybe if you can describe who we are going to be in playing this game, in terms of our character? Are we bitter stellar refugees of some sort, for instance? Ambitious, ruthless players at assembling a quick planetary alliance? Sad, ancient, fallen creatures? Craven, soulless, coal-hearted spider ninjas? I mean, I read the OP, but what's the tone of the game going to be?

My going idea at the moment is to frame it like one temporary, visionary leader flourished amongst our protagonists. He had a revolutionary idea, a guiding principle that they'll follow, or perhaps deviate violently and heretically from. The game is sort of named after his method.

"The _________ Plan."

Inherits very obviously from The Foundation series by Asimov, and the Seldon Plan. Can be a nonsense name, or the name of the planet or nearby star.

The benefit here is that "Plan," or any similar alternative, will still say "strategy game."
« Last Edit: June 04, 2014, 02:55:08 am by doctorfrog »

Offline Coppermantis

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^ ^ Makes me think of the Marshall Plan. Interesting comparison if it's focused on rebuilding something, especially if it's after a war of any sort.
I can already tell this is going to be a roller coaster ride of disappointment.

Offline Shrugging Khan

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If it has Omicron Ceti in the name, then Omicron Ceti should be in the game. Otherwise it's just false advertising.

"The Colonisation of Emerald Sector" tastes good.
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Offline wwwhhattt

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'Seeds of Eternity'?

Maybe not very strategic sounding, but I thought that Seeds could represent starting small and growing outwards, while Eternity points to the scale of the game. And it turns out someone already got it. Hmph.

Still, either word could be useful. In particular I find that one of the main attractions of 4x games is the size, so something that reflects that would be good. (I guess Empire sort of does this, alongside anything spacey)

And anything that goes 'Seeds of x' will remind me of Seeds of Death, an old Dr Who story. This is not a problem. Patrick Troughton is best doctor.