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Geek Culture / How does square enix generate such epic names for stuff?

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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 18th Jul 2008 07:47
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I'm in the process of actually giving names to characters and places in the game I'm designing and I'm stuck. I look at the final fantasy series and all the names that they have given their characters and places and the names feel so natural, you know? Maybe it's just
me... but the names they pick never strike me as 'that's an odd name.' They always click very nicely.

I'm just curious if anyone has any tips, tricks or inside info on the kind of research or name generator algorithms that square enix uses to come up with truly epic names!

A few cool names that stick out to me:

XII
Arcadia
Rabanastre
Balthier
Basch
Nalbina

X
I'm sick of anything to do with that little fan boy, emo, whiny, I hate/love my dad, sad excuse for a main character Tidus.

And did anyone else think, after seeing Vaan, that Tidus had a son? Seriously... at least Vaan is tolerable. Anyway, back on track =]

IX
It's been a while since I'm played this one but...

Vivi
Zidane
Garnet
Steiner

VIII
Balamb
Galbadia (sp)
Seifer
Rinoa
Ragnorok (the airship, sp)

VII
Aerith
Cloud (someone looking at the sky?)
Barret
Vincent
Shinra


I'm stuck not just on making a good name, but also a name that fits my character well. Picture Vincent Valentine with the name Barney Baloo. It doesn't work. Why does the name Vincent Valentine click so well?

And doesn't Rabanastre seem like the perfect name for a desert city?

Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe I'm rambling because I'm tired. And maybe I'm a perfectionist. But it seems like there is a certain sacred art to doing this. So what the heck?

"If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" - Isaac Newton
-Computer Animation Major @Baker.edu-
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RedneckRambo
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Posted: 18th Jul 2008 07:53
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The coolest name I've ever heard was my high school principals last name lol. His name was Bashum. Sounds exactly like how it's spelled. Bash 'em. Lol.


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Thraxas
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Posted: 18th Jul 2008 08:14
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I reckon they use http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/

[center]
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Raven
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Posted: 18th Jul 2008 09:38
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I remember watching an interview a while back, where someone asked where they got their inspirations from. As there was a definate shift of titles and names from the first generation of games.

Aparently due to the death of the original creators mother (which to most Final Fantasy fans was common knowledge at the time she was the inspiration for FF7), he began to question his faith and other aspects of his life. Shortly afterwards before they began work on what was to eventually become FF9 (which was started prior to FF7 and 8) he went on a journey of sorts learning about all of the religions.

It's quite obvious the Gaia theory was born from this, which has dominated the series since; however quite interestingly enough it actually got the whole team in to history and religious fables. Most of the names they've used since have been tracable to either historical or religious roots, as kinda of a nod to this.

Interestingly enough they're not the only developer that does this... Bungie for example are quite legendary for taking fabled aspects of history and incorporating them as names or even the storyline itself. There's no sort of sinister plot to get some hidden message across as I've heard, but it's more even if you've heard a fable a hundred times before; everyone tells it differently. It's how your told it that makes it interesting or not.

I'd suggest just opening up a history book (or wikipedia) and searching for something that might match what you want.

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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 18th Jul 2008 10:50
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A lot of it comes from mythology, but not for all of them

Quote: "Arcadia"


I think that's a Greek word...though Akkad is a place in Ancient Mesopotamia, which of course has Akkadian cuneiform.


Quote: "Vivi
Zidane
Garnet
Steiner"


Zidane is a name already, think of the French footballer, Garnet is a stone.

Quote: "Ragnorok (the airship, sp)"


Norse mythology, the end of the world

Quote: "Aerith"


I remember reading the intention was to have a word like 'Earth', though 'Aerith' has an Old English/Old Germanic vibe to it, the reason some call her Aeris is because of a mistranslation in the European one, simply because Japanese doesn't have a 'th' in its language.

Why they use the names they have, sometimes they're symbolic and to do with the character and well, they obviously put some thought into who they're naming, how and keeping it consistent.

"Experience never provides its judgments with true or strict universality; but only (through induction) with assumed and comparative universality." - Immanuel Kant
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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 19th Jul 2008 00:29
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@Thraxas: Thanks for the link, it's going to help.

Quote: "I remember watching an interview a while back"


Any chance I could see that interview? Thanks for the nice post by the way.

Quote: "There's no sort of sinister plot to get some hidden message across as I've heard"


What if it is? Would that irk you off knowing that the game world your playing in is mostly named using metaphors for what they symbolize? How would that effect your game play experience?

"If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" - Isaac Newton
-Computer Animation Major @Baker.edu-
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ionstream
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Posted: 19th Jul 2008 00:43
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I once knew a guy named Nick Steel. With a name like that, it'd be a real shame if he didn't become a superhero someday.

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Aaron Miller
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Posted: 19th Jul 2008 00:43
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I always thought they looked up Japanese words (Course, they mostly are Japanese, so they're process of it was from their language, lol) and named the characters after those. For example, Sora from Kingdom Hearts, if I recall correctly, that translated to "sky" in Japanese (Using my English-to-Japanese dictionary).

Cheers,

-naota

I'm not a dictator to those that do stuff for me by will. Only those who don't.
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Osiris
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Posted: 19th Jul 2008 00:49
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Lol one of my high school English teachers names was "Hosapopolis"

RIP Max-Tuesday, November 2 2007
You will be dearly missed.
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 19th Jul 2008 01:48
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Quote: "Lol one of my high school English teachers names was "Hosapopolis""


Sounds Greek, I knew a guy called Haralampos Haliakopolos, I was proud because I was one of few people who could pronounce his name...it seems people don't like names longer than 4 syllables... Shame the guy moved back to Greece, he was cool.

Quote: "I once knew a guy named Nick Steel. With a name like that, it'd be a real shame if he didn't become a superhero someday."


Or a cheesy action hero, "The name's Steel, Nick Steel and I got your brain serves on a platter" then he takes off his sunglasses and goes all Kung FU-like. Mind you, if he did, I'd probably punch him in the face for being full of himself. Though I wonder why I dishing out threats to somebody I've just heard of in a hypothetical situation?

"Experience never provides its judgments with true or strict universality; but only (through induction) with assumed and comparative universality." - Immanuel Kant
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ionstream
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Posted: 19th Jul 2008 02:14
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That works for me!

Theres only one thing stronger than crime: Steel.

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Inspire
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Posted: 19th Jul 2008 02:53
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Quote: "Theres only one thing stronger than crime: Steel.
"


LOL

That made my day.

I also enjoy your signature.
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 19th Jul 2008 03:01
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Oh dear...to think people get paid in hollywood to come up with puns like that.

"Experience never provides its judgments with true or strict universality; but only (through induction) with assumed and comparative universality." - Immanuel Kant
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ionstream
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Posted: 19th Jul 2008 03:27
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Quote: "I also enjoy your signature. "


Thanks! I think gotten the hang of Inkscape .

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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 21st Jul 2008 13:55
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Quote: "Thraxas: Thanks for the link, it's going to help."


I second that. Thanks.
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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 21st Jul 2008 20:08
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The advanced engine on that generator is quite useful actually. For instance, if I'm trying to generate country names that end in dia,lia,rus or udis I can type into the advanced engine box "cvs(dia|lia|rus|udis)." The cvs means 'single consonant, single vowel, and an additional syllable.' I've made a couple names I'm happy with out of there

Have you figured out how to have a word start in something predefined AND end in something predefined? In other words, I'm just trying to generate letters in between a few things. It seems you can only have one set of letters predefined in either the beginning or end.

"If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" - Isaac Newton
-Computer Animation Major @Baker.edu-
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Roxas
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Posted: 21st Jul 2008 20:27
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http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/namegen/2361/ Something awesome

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Alucard94
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Posted: 21st Jul 2008 20:40 Edited at: 21st Jul 2008 20:40
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Quote: "http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/namegen/2361/ Something awesome
"

Apparently my name FF'ized is Derran Lionward


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Tom J
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Posted: 21st Jul 2008 22:30
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Troy Lionward...

I appear to be a relative of yours Alucard

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Venge
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Posted: 21st Jul 2008 22:42
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My name is Oster Celba. Or Sera Celba if I was a girl..

I have CDO. It's like OCD, but the letters are in alphabetical order, like they should be.
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Alucard94
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Posted: 21st Jul 2008 22:53
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Quote: "I appear to be a relative of yours Alucard
"

Wait, does that mean that we have the same last name... That's kinda odd... Or the more logical explanation, it's the generators fault!

Anyways, hi dad!


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Tom J
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Posted: 21st Jul 2008 23:06
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Hi Son!

I think its the generators fault, because from the look of your email address we have completely different surnames.

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Deathead
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2008 00:03 Edited at: 22nd Jul 2008 00:06
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I'm apparently according to the name generator from Roxas..
Angel Lionward

edit: And my lastname is Hunt.
2edit: If I change my last name into my stepdads its...
Angel Monaco


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Tom J
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2008 00:07
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Quote: "Angel Lionward"


Another of the Lionwards I have many long lost relatives by the looks of things.

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Deathead
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2008 00:09
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Quote: "
Another of the Lionwards I have many long lost relatives by the looks of things."

We are brothers from other mothers!


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Alucard94
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2008 01:12
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Quote: "We are brothers from other mothers!
"

Aye brothah! Have a


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Rudolpho
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2008 01:17
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Hey Oster, I'm Cecil
(Celba)
Seems that it doesn't have an all that big pool of surnames.

"I kören hörs de brummande busarna Björnligan och Gondolen"
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Cian Rice
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2008 01:45
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I am Cecil Diason. I wonder if I'm a Dark Knight looking for redemption after blowing up a village? Hmm...

Anyways when I'm looks for names I tend to look at some religious stuff like I really like the name Azazeal/Azazel or Ramiel and Malachi... Of course that could also be because of the show HEX but whatever...

And I'm loving the whole Nick Steel thing. I think I'll make a movie out of it when I return to school. Oh and I'm dead serious. >.>

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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2008 04:33
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Lol, I'm Angel Delacreaux.

"If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" - Isaac Newton
-Computer Animation Major @Baker.edu-
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Inspire
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2008 07:08 Edited at: 22nd Jul 2008 07:31
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Quote: "And I'm loving the whole Nick Steel thing. I think I'll make a movie out of it when I return to school. Oh and I'm dead serious. >.>"


I was thinking the same thing, dude.

My name is "Drake Reveral", and my dad's name ends up being "Darius Reveral", which I say is pretty cool.

Also, my great-grandfather that I got my middle name from, his name is the same as mine when FF-ized.

EDIT: Check this out.

My favorite is the wrestling move name generator.
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Roxas
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2008 13:16 Edited at: 22nd Jul 2008 13:18
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My name in the generator i found was Darius Leradine I dont have any family members here dang.

Haha i love the corporation generator

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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2008 19:13
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I came across that name too Roxas. I think the generator was running out of fresh generations (lol?) after a while. I didn't see anything new after I typed in a bunch of different names.

"If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" - Isaac Newton
-Computer Animation Major @Baker.edu-
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