Which name is best?

[TSMI]

I was browsing roguebasin, looking at recently released roguelikes the other day, and noticed not many names caught my attention at all. In fact I can only remember one name "Bronze and Faith" (I bookmarked for that reason alone).

Now I like to think myself as good at naming, but my taste in name is not everyones taste. So here's a list, please pick the best one. And feel free to hurl any naming criticisms my way, I'm not sensitive.

[mughinn]

I prefer that one, although if there is gonna be more than one game, filling the name with the rest seems fitting.

Your names seem good to me, although without an explanation of why the name, It usually doesn't interest me, so maybe think about the description of the plot/setting too.

[guest509]

  I love names! It's like a compulsion almost.

  I picked Easterfire. Will we get to kill bunnies?

[Ancient]

Picked first. Options two and four sound especially bad. For them to work one should have something like "Incursion: Halls of the Goblin King". "Doom 2 - Hell on Earth". A short (preferably single word) name followed by a hyphen or colon and then by subtitle feels okay. Fifth option just sounds so plain it is unmemorable.

[AgingMinotaur]

"Easterfire" made me think of the Easter holiday, as well. Other than that, all your titles are quite evocative to me. Which one is best of course depends on the game itself, also – and in your case even more "peripheral" stuff, like whether or not there's going to be a sequel Instinctively, I think that a good game name should help me understand what is unique about this game in particular, highlighting a central theme, mechanism, idea. But a less "utile" title that mostly triggers the imagination can of course also be great.

As always,
Minotauros

[requerent]

None of those really grab me.

A title shouldn't describe what literally occurs within the story, but the way in which it occurs. IE- how will the player be transported into the story? If a proper noun exists within the story to describe that, then use that word, but a rationalization should follow in a subtitle. A clever pun or a smart arrangement of words also works well- especially if there is literal context within the story. Mass Effect, Hunger Games, and Star Control are all very memorable titles-- their power lies largely in the fact that the title is both a part of the story and describes the story in a way that isn't contrived.

"A Thrall Escaped" - Lacks energy, movement and momentum. The title doesn't communicate the significance of a thrall escaping. A thrall is a sort of slave- if the escaping thrall is the player, than we could extrapolate that we've escaped the bonds of tyranny and are called to a life of justice. Or he's only just broken out of his cell and still has to finish escaping to reach a sanctuary. Or perhaps everyone is under some sort of mind-control and the hero has to save everyone by slaying the Controller, all while facing the moral dilemma of killing other MCed people. 'A Thrall Escaped,' seems like an incomplete idea.

"Easterfire" - Needs a subtitle that describes what easterfire means, not what happens. IE. "Easterfire: End of Days." "Easterfire: Land of Chaos", "Easterfire: Lord of Destruction."

"The Swarthy Man's Island" - Reminds me of old Lucas games. Works if the game is humorous and fun- but it needs a precedent to really work.

Proper nouns need a description that tells us whether it is a person/entity, place, or thing/event.

[Valmond]

Voted "A Thrall Escaped" but I'd prefer "Thrall Escaped".
Short and giving you an idea about what it might be about.

[TheCreator]

(please delete this post)

[TSMI]

Thanks for the feedback all.

I might go for "A Thrall Escaped". For those wondering where it's from, it's a phrase that stuck with me ever since I read at as a boy in the Silmarillion.

‘Who are you?’ said Túrin.

‘A wandering Elf, a thrall escaped, whom Beleg met and comforted,’ said Gwindor. ‘Yet once I was Gwindor son of Guilin, a lord of Nargothrond, until I went to the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, and was enslaved in Angband.’

Funnily enough it references Angband

[SomeGuy]

I wouldn't have a preference for any of those games since they doesn't mean anything to me and they are basically equal.


Without knowing the background story I can't know what those titles are talking about.

IMO I think you should think a better name that:

- Shows what is the game about.
- Describes the action type like terror, adventure, lord of the ring, 7drl, etc...
- Is easy to remember because it is unique and can't be confused with other RL game's title.

For example: "World of Darkness", "ASCII Volcano", "Infinite Dungeon", etc...

But "A Thrall Escaped" is not a good title because I don't know what that thrall is exactly, I don't know what the game is about and I don't know if it is an ANGBAND variant, or a Rogue Clone or a Crawl version...
The same for the other titles.

But this is just my opinion.

[george]

None of the titles appeal to me. However I do like Thrall: Escape, or perhaps Thrall: Escape from Easterfire.

[Darren Grey]

If "A Thrall Escaped" appeals to you personally then go with it.  I quite like it myself (I'm a Silmarillion fan too ) though I think a title starting with the word "A" is bad.  Still, it's a nice little phrase and has more individual character than "World of Darkness" or similar tropes.

[guest509]

  Escape Thrall: A Swarthy Man's Reaping of Death Bunnies on Easterfire Island. Tolkien Edition Bitches. Hoorah!!!!


  Triple and quadruple exclamation points are recommended _{but optional.}

 

[Krice]

Thralls & Easterfires - The Secret of Swarthy Man's Island.