Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

The Great Renaming, poll #2 [POLL CLOSED, GAME RENAMED]

Which name do you prefer?

  • Pilgrims of the Void

    Votes: 57 26.9%
  • Colony Ship - a Post-Earth role-playing game

    Votes: 94 44.3%
  • Across the Void

    Votes: 16 7.5%
  • No Home But the Stars

    Votes: 16 7.5%
  • Born Beneath No Sun

    Votes: 29 13.7%

  • Total voters
    212

lophiaspis

Arbiter
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
379
I'm not fond of homages, but if I ever make a christian colony ship rpg it'll definitely be named Sister Miriam Will Remember This, You Infidelic Pagan Scum.

That actually makes a lot of sense for the ship name. More than that a fanatic Christian sect would keep the name 'Starfarer' for their Ark, anyhow. Vault Dweller really needs to develop a sense of contrast and spectacle and stop making everything in his games so drab, mundane and low energy. Miriam led the Exodus together with Moses and Aaron. A ship is female, so... Starship Miriam. The SMAC homage is subtle enough.
 

Mr. Hiver

Dumbfuck!
Dumbfuck
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
705
Since the game is very probably heavily influenced and inspired by Gene Wolfe books of the New Sun, maybe the title should take a hint from the genius author too.

By a hint i do not mean copy pasting.
 

Bohr

Arcane
Joined
Nov 20, 2012
Messages
1,878
"Name of the ship : A Colony Ship Role-Playing Game" is the best title so far.

This. Just find a nice name for the ship and go with it. I think a star name would work better because of its relation to space as opposed to something from mythology.

Antares
Arkturus (even has 'Ark' in it)
Orion

Agree with the above. Or one could find something in a pulpy science fiction style for the ship name, eg:

Beta Orbiter: A Colony Ship Role-Playing Game
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2013
Messages
277
Location
Austin, TX
Starborn - very good imho
Born Beneath No Sun - also good. Can't tell if "Beneath No Sun" would be better but it probably is.
The Promised Land - love it, but only after I know it's ironic for the story

My Ideas:

Black Skies
Starfall
Runaway Home
Asteria
A Ship Called Hope

"Pilgrim" makes me think of fugly dudes with weird shoes and clothes.
 
Last edited:

Goral

Arcane
Patron
The Real Fanboy
Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
3,552
Location
Poland
Born Beneath No Sun is best because when you put it into a search box on Steam it will be the first or second result. There are tons of Colony games though, same for Black, Star or Runaway. Pilgrims is rare too if you prefer that one.
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2013
Messages
277
Location
Austin, TX
East of Earth - sounds good to me.

StarWake (starwake.net game)

New Valley
The Great Fall
Cracks of Dawn
Home Dream Space
Redemption (Red Dead Redemption 2)
The Redeemer (Redeemer 2017 game)
 
Last edited:

Mr. Hiver

Dumbfuck!
Dumbfuck
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
705
Its "Heinlein Orphans of the sky" thats named as the inspiration. Same thing concerning the title.

I suggest making clear in the official releases, steam page description etc, its about a generation colony ship - as it stands in the trailer. Not just a colony ship as its noted on several places, which can be of any kind.

Seems the truth about and the state of the ship is known to the characters in the game, and their futile destiny to live and die in transit with no hope or possibility of ever reaching a new world.


hmm, hmm... Descendants... too mouthy, Children of the new Exodus? New Exodus Children?

Generation ship children? Castaways? Descendants?

Generation ship orphans

or just

Generation ship.
 

Deleted Member 22431

Guest
Born Beneath No Sun is best because when you put it into a search box on Steam it will be the first or second result. There are tons of Colony games though, same for Black, Star or Runaway. Pilgrims is rare too if you prefer that one.
Or maybe it can generate more sales precisely because players interested in other games with similar names will be redirected to the ITS game.
 

Deleted Member 22431

Guest
Its "Heinlein Orphans of the sky" thats named as the inspiration. Same thing concerning the title.

I suggest making clear in the official releases, steam page description etc, its about a generation colony ship - as it stands in the trailer. Not just a colony ship as its noted on several places, which can be of any kind.

Seems the truth about and the state of the ship is known to the characters in the game, and their futile destiny to live and die in transit with no hope or possibility of ever reaching a new world.


hmm, hmm... Descendants... too mouthy, Children of the new Exodus? New Exodus Children?

Generation ship children? Castaways? Descendants?

Generation ship orphans

or just

Generation ship.
"Descendants" is good. "Generation ship" is worse than "Colony ship".
 

Fenix

Arcane
Vatnik
Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
6,458
Location
Russia atchoum!
My title is "Columbus was a moron".

Has anyone read Carpetbaggers?

I did it.

I'm just a random codexer, but I'd like to advise you not to use the word pilgrim in your game title. It is a very bland word, and it reeks of religious themes, which I suspect are not a huge turn-on for a lot of players. Words like void, mutiny, star, etc. work a lot better and make people curious because it is something they don't know, whereas everybody knows what a pilgrim/pilgrimage is - and boy don't we want to explore that in a videogame.

Absolutely agree.

Now serious.
Frst - all religious references are no go. Explanation why is above.
Titles like Iron/Steel Eden and such are good but sound as cheap teenage sci-fi of 70.

I think, the title should reflect main themes of the game, and translate emotional image of what the game world is.
So, what is real main themes?

Many people gathered together to reach a star, star system and a planet, and flight is so long, that only they descendants will reah it, and so long, that they completely forgot about they goal, Earth etc.
What it reminds you in terms of emotional picture?
Flight in a huge emptiness, in void, in abyss, when you don't even know from where you are coming from, and where you are going to.
For me, it reminds a falling, like if you are falling somewhere in the complete darkness, and don't even know when you crash into the ground.
I think everybody experienced a dream when you were flying and/or falling.

So something like "Long Fall Into Darkness" is ideal, but too long and thus pretentious.
Ideally you need something like this but in two words, maybe three.
 
Last edited:

Fenix

Arcane
Vatnik
Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
6,458
Location
Russia atchoum!
After reading whole thread, I think better solution is titles like this:

Colony Ship: Long Fall Into Darkness

I mean, first short name help to mitigate pretentious second long part, and second long part add more color and flavor to a dty first short part.

It could anything actually - Colony Ship: Pilgrims of the Void, Colony Ship: Across the Void, Colony Ship: No Home But the Stars, Colony Ship: Born Beneath No Sun, or ANYTHING.

I think this solution is much more flexible, and is the way to go.
 

AbounI

Colonist
Patron
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Messages
1,050
What about "The <name of the ship> Expedition : a Post-Earth role-playing game" ? (assuming Starfarer won't be the final name of the ship)
Afterall, isn't the story an expedition in itself?
 

Roqua

Prospernaut
Dumbfuck Repressed Homosexual In My Safe Space
Joined
Apr 28, 2004
Messages
4,130
Location
YES!
I've put some thought into it and think I've come up with the perfect title-

"The Somethinging: Truth the Allusion"

Its the perfect title to get all types of people to click on the game for various reasons. Certain people will have to comment on different parts of it. It may even get people to buy it just to blast the title in a review.
 

Ainamacar

Educated
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
33
My title is "Columbus was a moron".

I'm just a random codexer, but I'd like to advise you not to use the word pilgrim in your game title. It is a very bland word, and it reeks of religious themes, which I suspect are not a huge turn-on for a lot of players. Words like void, mutiny, star, etc. work a lot better and make people curious because it is something they don't know, whereas everybody knows what a pilgrim/pilgrimage is - and boy don't we want to explore that in a videogame.

Absolutely agree.

Now serious.
Frst - all religious references are no go. Explanation why is above.

This has to be judged on a scale, even if the marketing rationale is totally correct. Many words have religious roots or even ongoing usage that, nonetheless, do not demand a religious interpretation. For example, in modern English the word "Ark" can mean something like "vessel that saves civilization" without implying a religious purpose, even though everyone is aware of the religious roots. To my ear a title like "Arkfall" is compatible with religious themes, but doesn't require them. Someone had earlier suggested "Leviathan" for the name of the ship (and game title). That word comes to English straight from the Bible, and it can be employed in religious metaphor, but its primary modern meaning is fairly generic.

The religious connotation of "Pilgrim" is much more direct. Similarly, I had suggested a word like "Tabernacle" (the mobile religious site during the Exodus) might fit the ship's purpose, but I think that word has retained a strict religious meaning.

The game's title doesn't have to nod to its religious themes, but there are ways to do so without being overt, and some of those words are pretty evocative.
 

Mr. Hiver

Dumbfuck!
Dumbfuck
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
705
Its not just a colony ship, you wont be seeing or making any colonies, Or playing anything in or about a colony on any new world. If the title contains anything about the ship - it should be a generation ship in some combination or other.

I guess it doesnt matter much because audience is dumb and hardly anyone will notice, but its a generation ship and the gameplay is completely shaped by that fact.

Something - something
with subtitle Generation ship RPG, maybe.
 

Martyr

Arcane
Joined
Jan 28, 2018
Messages
1,095
Location
Bavaria
"Pilgrims of the Void" and "Across the Void" sound good, but not great.
"No Home But the Stars" and "Born Beneath No Sun" sound like the names of novels - but novels I would like to read. voted for "Born Beneath No Sun".
"Colony Ship - a Post-Earth role-playing game" sounds like the game is saying --> hey Fallout-fans ! buy me, I'm just like Fallout ! see, there's even a reference to Fallout in my name ?! come on, you know you want to play me !! *starts sobbing*
 

Haba

Harbinger of Decline
Patron
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
1,871,744
Location
Land of Rape & Honey ❤️
Codex 2012 MCA Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2
After reading whole thread, I think better solution is titles like this:

Colony Ship: Long Fall Into Darkness

I mean, first short name help to mitigate pretentious second long part, and second long part add more color and flavor to a dty first short part.

It could anything actually - Colony Ship: Pilgrims of the Void, Colony Ship: Across the Void, Colony Ship: No Home But the Stars, Colony Ship: Born Beneath No Sun, or ANYTHING.

I think this solution is much more flexible, and is the way to go.

I think what we need is not just a name, but a theme song with fitting lyrics

Mother caresses
his trembling firstborn
pushes him down from the plank to the emptiness
and sings:

"Downturn starts now.
That no-one will catch now
Holy Father has forsaken us
And God has
let us fall"

When will someone make "Psychic Wars" -the game and license the song for the opening?

VD should start listening to Arjen Anthony Lucassen and let the inspiration come to him:

 

Deleted Member 22431

Guest
Its not just a colony ship, you wont be seeing or making any colonies, or playing anything in or about a colony on any new world. If the title contains anything about the ship - it should be a generation ship in some combination or other.
The "colony" part refers the origins and purpose of the ship, not the gameplay. The same could be said about "generation" in a hypothetical title. IMO, it's easier to grap that we are talking about a group of people who originally boarded a ship with the intention to settle in a different place than it's the notion that we have different generations of such group. I think we are stuck in the "ship" bit of "Colony Ship". Why not "Space Colony", "Colony Vessel" or "Spacecraft: a Colony Ship RPG"?
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom