Randart Names


Although the central place for design discussion is ##crawl-dev on freenode, some may find it helpful to discuss requests and suggestions here first.

Mines Malingerer

Posts: 45

Joined: Sunday, 18th November 2012, 04:50

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 14:54

Randart Names

I am always a little dismayed and embarrassed at the Names usually attributed to otherwise perfectly respectable Randart equipment.

Wouldn't a simply system of preset Suffixes, Nouns and Prefixes easily change completely random names to something that describes the weapon at least a little?

Dis Charger

Posts: 2064

Joined: Wednesday, 9th January 2013, 19:44

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 14:57

Re: Randart Names

I think something like "strooziyun" is cooler.
Last edited by Amnesiac on Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 21:16, edited 1 time in total.

For this message the author Amnesiac has received thanks:
Igxfl

Mines Malingerer

Posts: 45

Joined: Sunday, 18th November 2012, 04:50

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 15:09

Re: Randart Names

Yeah... so my inventory will consist of:
Hsdfjie (Primary Weapon)
Jertijsgd (Awesome Cloak dude)
Jreisdf (Body armour.. best not to wear it around fire!)
and don't forget my favorite
Gwerjiwe (Crossbow from hell, useless against poison resistant creatures).

Why give em names at all? 'Cloak 1' works fine with me.

Naw... in my (as of yet still possibly uninformed) opinion it was a little slack to not link the name generator with the item generator somehow.

Dis Charger

Posts: 2064

Joined: Wednesday, 9th January 2013, 19:44

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 15:30

Re: Randart Names

They sound much better than what you've stated
User avatar

Dungeon Master

Posts: 332

Joined: Friday, 15th July 2011, 22:43

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 16:07

Re: Randart Names

Says the guy named "xzanthius," which I am pretty sure is the name of the +1 pair of boots (+lev, *tele, dex +1) I just left in Lair.

For this message the author roctavian has received thanks: 2
Amnesiac, Klown

Dis Charger

Posts: 2064

Joined: Wednesday, 9th January 2013, 19:44

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 16:08

Re: Randart Names

roctavian wrote:Says the guy named "xzanthius," which I am pretty sure is the name of the +1 pair of boots (+lev, *tele, dex +1) I just left in Lair.

I don't know if this is true, but it's funny.

Dis Charger

Posts: 2064

Joined: Wednesday, 9th January 2013, 19:44

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 16:11

Re: Randart Names

Amnesiac wrote:
roctavian wrote:Says the guy named "xzanthius," which I am pretty sure is the name of the +1 pair of boots (+lev, *tele, dex +1) I just left in Lair.

I don't know if this is true, but it's funny.

xzanthius wrote:Gwerjiwe

I like this

Blades Runner

Posts: 578

Joined: Thursday, 12th January 2012, 21:03

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 16:38

Re: Randart Names

  Code:
3758 | D:5 | Identified the +6/+7 demon whip 'Portalquaffer', the Wails of Hubris. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It is made from finely tanned death yak leather. The leather is inscribed with images of pain and torment. It bristles with tourmaline spikes of electricity resistance. It is studded with fine zircon gems of see invisible. The handle is decorated with orb spider silk. It portrays the slaying of Zippy the Deep Dwarf Necromancer by a two-headed ogre on the turn 6892. The two-headed ogre is hitting Zippy with a giant spiked club and hitting Zippy with a giant spiked club. Zippy looks as though that really hurt. The design is outlined in spikes of transparent sky beast bone.
Wins: DsWz(6), DDNe(4), HuIE(5), HuFE(4), MiBe(3)

For this message the author Igxfl has received thanks: 18
Bloax, nicolae, ontoclasm, rebthor, rosstin, sgrunt, Tiber, Wahaha, Wark, Zannick and 8 more users

Vaults Vanquisher

Posts: 508

Joined: Sunday, 16th June 2013, 14:01

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 17:15

Re: Randart Names

roctavian wrote:Says the guy named "xzanthius," which I am pretty sure is the name of the +1 pair of boots (+lev, *tele, dex +1) I just left in Lair.


Can we have artefacts containing names of players on the server? that'll be cool, +3 short sword of Roctavian's delight (*Rage str+1 int-2).

Ziggurat Zagger

Posts: 3163

Joined: Friday, 6th January 2012, 18:45

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 17:17

Re: Randart Names

The game sometimes will put your name in a randart's name.

Dis Charger

Posts: 2064

Joined: Wednesday, 9th January 2013, 19:44

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 17:18

Re: Randart Names

Great mace of 1010011010 (-9dam +6Int)

Tartarus Sorceror

Posts: 1888

Joined: Saturday, 9th July 2011, 20:57

Post Tuesday, 6th August 2013, 21:09

Re: Randart Names

xzanthius wrote:I am always a little dismayed and embarrassed at the Names usually attributed to otherwise perfectly respectable Randart equipment.

Wouldn't a simply system of preset Suffixes, Nouns and Prefixes easily change completely random names to something that describes the weapon at least a little?


Actually, all the artefact names that look randomly generated are in fact precise summaries of the artefact's powers, just written in a language you don't speak.

For this message the author nicolae has received thanks:
rosstin

Mines Malingerer

Posts: 45

Joined: Sunday, 18th November 2012, 04:50

Post Wednesday, 7th August 2013, 11:29

Re: Randart Names

nicolae wrote:
xzanthius wrote:I am always a little dismayed and embarrassed at the Names usually attributed to otherwise perfectly respectable Randart equipment.

Wouldn't a simply system of preset Suffixes, Nouns and Prefixes easily change completely random names to something that describes the weapon at least a little?


Actually, all the artefact names that look randomly generated are in fact precise summaries of the artefact's powers, just written in a language you don't speak.


Oh I can speak it as well as anyone I just can't understand any of it. ;-)
User avatar

Dungeon Master

Posts: 162

Joined: Sunday, 29th May 2011, 10:18

Post Wednesday, 7th August 2013, 15:12

Re: Randart Names

nicolae wrote:Actually, all the artefact names that look randomly generated are in fact precise summaries of the artefact's powers, just written in a language you don't speak.


http://jubal.westnet.com/hyperdiscordia/library_of_babel.html
User avatar

Abyss Ambulator

Posts: 1111

Joined: Monday, 18th March 2013, 23:23

Post Wednesday, 7th August 2013, 18:56

Re: Randart Names

Ah yes, "the classic dictum: The Library is a sphere whose exact center is any one of its hexagons and whose circumference is inaccessible."

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that.....

Mines Malingerer

Posts: 45

Joined: Sunday, 18th November 2012, 04:50

Post Thursday, 8th August 2013, 19:53

Re: Randart Names

Ok... so the solution to my problem (learning the meanings of the various apparently nonsensical or misleading names of the randart artifacts I find playing crawl) is to find the Library of Babel and the knowledge hidden therein? Wow that will take my gaming to a whole other level. ...looking at the old mutt lying on the rug beside him "Hear that Lord Vaprak? We're going on a quest!"
User avatar

Dis Charger

Posts: 2057

Joined: Wednesday, 7th August 2013, 08:25

Post Thursday, 8th August 2013, 21:14

Re: Randart Names

I'd actually thought about this even with the unidentified scrolls in early game. A scroll labeled with a nonsensical adj. noun verb phrase would be more amusing and interesting than one labeled qwertyui sdfghjk.

Like scroll of:
Well-fed sky murder.
Warm lift hearing.
Disgusting profit delegation.
etc.

Would both stand a chance of being a laugh in early game and in lore/feel be better than somehow reading something that is labelled in some indecipherable language. Explained away as the magicians that wrote the schools were crazy and the label has some relation to what the scroll was used for, kind of... in the mind of the person that wrote it.

Similarly either nonsense phrases or randomized phrases related to the brands/effects would be much better.
I'm beginning to feel like a Cat God! Felid streaks: {FeVM^Sif Muna, FeWn^Dithmenos, FeAr^Pakellas}, {FeEE^Ashenzari, FeEn^Gozag, FeNe^Sif Muna, FeAE^Vehumet...(ongoing)}

Vestibule Violator

Posts: 1567

Joined: Friday, 21st January 2011, 22:56

Post Friday, 9th August 2013, 09:50

Re: Randart Names

User avatar

Spider Stomper

Posts: 186

Joined: Friday, 8th March 2013, 13:27

Post Friday, 9th August 2013, 20:25

Re: Randart Names

Igxfl wrote:
  Code:
3758 | D:5 | Identified the +6/+7 demon whip 'Portalquaffer', the Wails of Hubris. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It is made from finely tanned death yak leather. The leather is inscribed with images of pain and torment. It bristles with tourmaline spikes of electricity resistance. It is studded with fine zircon gems of see invisible. The handle is decorated with orb spider silk. It portrays the slaying of Zippy the Deep Dwarf Necromancer by a two-headed ogre on the turn 6892. The two-headed ogre is hitting Zippy with a giant spiked club and hitting Zippy with a giant spiked club. Zippy looks as though that really hurt. The design is outlined in spikes of transparent sky beast bone.


Wow, that was marvelous!
Is that in the trunk? If not why not? Having those elaborate descriptions for randarts would make me very happy.

Tartarus Sorceror

Posts: 1888

Joined: Saturday, 9th July 2011, 20:57

Post Friday, 9th August 2013, 20:32

Re: Randart Names

Marbit wrote:
Igxfl wrote:
  Code:
3758 | D:5 | Identified the +6/+7 demon whip 'Portalquaffer', the Wails of Hubris. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It is made from finely tanned death yak leather. The leather is inscribed with images of pain and torment. It bristles with tourmaline spikes of electricity resistance. It is studded with fine zircon gems of see invisible. The handle is decorated with orb spider silk. It portrays the slaying of Zippy the Deep Dwarf Necromancer by a two-headed ogre on the turn 6892. The two-headed ogre is hitting Zippy with a giant spiked club and hitting Zippy with a giant spiked club. Zippy looks as though that really hurt. The design is outlined in spikes of transparent sky beast bone.


Wow, that was marvelous!
Is that in the trunk? If not why not? Having those elaborate descriptions for randarts would make me very happy.


It's not in trunk, it's a takeoff of the insane amount of detail that Dwarf Fortress provides when describing items.
User avatar

Spider Stomper

Posts: 186

Joined: Friday, 8th March 2013, 13:27

Post Friday, 9th August 2013, 21:01

Re: Randart Names

Can we produce something like that? Hopefully it wont be obtrusive if it is only made for randarts and it will make them awesome.

For a start I'd suggest having something like.

  Code:
The [weapon] [random name], [random title]. It is made of [appropiate random material]. [random description for ego 1], [random description for ego 2]... [random description for ego n]. It portraits [random scene of character's death / feat by a unique].


Granted that it would require a lot of text. Getting ten different descriptions for each brand would require at least two hundred different lines and that is just the brands. Also I don't know if it would be hard to code.

Mines Malingerer

Posts: 44

Joined: Thursday, 1st August 2013, 02:58

Post Friday, 16th August 2013, 06:59

Re: Randart Names

Marbit wrote:Can we produce something like that? Hopefully it wont be obtrusive if it is only made for randarts and it will make them awesome.

For a start I'd suggest having something like.

  Code:
The [weapon] [random name], [random title]. It is made of [appropiate random material]. [random description for ego 1], [random description for ego 2]... [random description for ego n]. It portraits [random scene of character's death / feat by a unique].


Granted that it would require a lot of text. Getting ten different descriptions for each brand would require at least two hundred different lines and that is just the brands. Also I don't know if it would be hard to code.

Maybe not the part about it portraying a scene. How many people would make weapons portraying a specific scene, much less one that may have happened 15 minutes ago?

Return to Game Design Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 172 guests

Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.
Designed by ST Software for PTF.