Author Topic: Colony Naming Conventions?  (Read 2308 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Drgong (OP)

  • Vice Admiral
  • **********
  • Posts: 1181
  • Thanked: 34 times
Colony Naming Conventions?
« on: August 22, 2016, 03:28:38 PM »
What are your Colony naming conventions?

As in, what do you name your colonies?  Any theme or concepts? 
Check out or Join my Community Game
http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?board=235.0
Also check out my stories, including Interactive tales.
http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?board=239.0
 

Offline GreatTuna

  • Lt. Commander
  • ********
  • Posts: 203
  • Thanked: 1 times
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2016, 03:33:59 PM »
Since I'm really bad at naming things, for every colony big enough I take a random name from this list of minor planet names:

http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/MPNames.html
 

Offline Erik L

  • Administrator
  • Admiral of the Fleet
  • *****
  • Posts: 5654
  • Thanked: 366 times
  • Forum Admin
  • Discord Username: icehawke
  • 2020 Supporter 2020 Supporter : Donate for 2020
    2022 Supporter 2022 Supporter : Donate for 2022
    Gold Supporter Gold Supporter : Support the forums with a Gold subscription
    2021 Supporter 2021 Supporter : Donate for 2021
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2016, 03:54:12 PM »
Usually, the first very low colony cost planet is Nova Terra. Others I like are things like Outpost, and Far Station for perimeter outposts. Others get a name in common with the system name, i.e. Wolf 359 might have Lupine or something similar.
 
The following users thanked this post: Drgong

Offline Kytuzian

  • Sub-Lieutenant
  • ******
  • K
  • Posts: 132
  • Thanked: 9 times
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2016, 09:26:22 PM »
Wait...people name their colonies?

I've literally never named my colonies (except for my homeworld because the game does it for me). I always just keep the default names (like Delta Trianguli-A II, Hamal-A III Moon 9, et cetera).
 

Offline Bughunter

  • Bug Moderators
  • Rear Admiral
  • ***
  • Posts: 929
  • Thanked: 132 times
  • Discord Username: Bughunter
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2016, 06:35:15 AM »
I started setting some names based on the function so I could remember what I'm making/mining in different systems.
 

Offline TCD

  • Lt. Commander
  • ********
  • T
  • Posts: 229
  • Thanked: 16 times
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2016, 11:39:30 AM »
One of my favourite computer games from my younger days was Wing Commander: Privateer, which has many colonies named after appropriate Earth cities, so New Detroit is a grim industrial planet, Oxford is a research world etc. It's a system a fell in love with, and often use for human empires. Makes it easier to remember what each colony is supposed to eb as well, especially if there are multiple colonies in the same system. 
 

Offline Bughunter

  • Bug Moderators
  • Rear Admiral
  • ***
  • Posts: 929
  • Thanked: 132 times
  • Discord Username: Bughunter
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2016, 12:34:26 PM »
One of my favourite computer games from my younger days was Wing Commander: Privateer, which has many colonies named after appropriate Earth cities, so New Detroit is a grim industrial planet, Oxford is a research world etc. It's a system a fell in love with, and often use for human empires. Makes it easier to remember what each colony is supposed to eb as well, especially if there are multiple colonies in the same system.

Forgot to mention that, but doing exactly the same. This tends to be my core systems named after Wing Commander  ;D
 

Offline Drgong (OP)

  • Vice Admiral
  • **********
  • Posts: 1181
  • Thanked: 34 times
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2016, 07:42:18 PM »
Thanks for the replies, keep it coming. 
Check out or Join my Community Game
http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?board=235.0
Also check out my stories, including Interactive tales.
http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?board=239.0
 

Offline Garfunkel

  • Registered
  • Admiral of the Fleet
  • ***********
  • Posts: 2774
  • Thanked: 1044 times
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2016, 09:39:24 AM »
Depends on what kind of RP I'm going for the race doing the colonization, usually pulling from their history. Small, specialized colonies get a name after their function, though sometimes I'm inspired by stellar geography - like the colony in a multi-JP system is named Gateway and so on.
 

Offline bitbucket

  • Chief Petty Officer
  • ***
  • b
  • Posts: 44
  • Thanked: 7 times
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2016, 02:02:42 PM »
I name almost everything in new star systems that I colonize.   All the planets, all the moons, all the comets, literally a "name all the things"—except asteroids with no minerals; who cares?

I try to stick with a coherent theme for everything in the system, and draw upon a fairly wide variety of sources.   Ancient pantheons, obscure mythology, fantasy and sci-fi, and failing that I'll just go to a random name generator and make things up with it. 

And then sometimes you just get some rare gems that demand a particular name.   Tropical watery earthlike planet around Delta Pavonis? Obviously Caladan.   High-gravity desert planet around 40 Eridani A? Obviously Vulcan.   (these actually happened in my current game, proof attached)

Let's face it, if we ever really went out to the stars and found an analog of a well-renown science fiction destination, that's what we'd name it after. 


Maybe I take it a little too far.    NOPE. 
« Last Edit: August 24, 2016, 02:04:23 PM by bitbucket »
 
The following users thanked this post: Drgong

Offline Arwyn

  • Gold Supporter
  • Commander
  • *****
  • A
  • Posts: 333
  • Thanked: 35 times
  • Gold Supporter Gold Supporter : Support the forums with a Gold subscription
    2021 Supporter 2021 Supporter : Donate for 2021
    2022 Supporter 2022 Supporter : Donate for 2022
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #10 on: September 01, 2016, 10:43:26 AM »
I have never had a problem coming up with names, so I usually name based on the character of the planet.

Freezing cold, but habitable planet? Siberia, Hyborea, Thule, ect
Habitable but hot? Hell, Congo, ect
Gaia worlds? Caladan, Paradise, ect

Tons and tons of scifi names out there for worlds. I tend to go for the character, and then what they are good for, just so I can remember what they do.

I do reuse a set of names for hub systems, usually multi-jump point strategic systems. I have had a Junction, and Victoria Station in just about every human game i have played so far.
 

Iranon

  • Guest
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #11 on: September 01, 2016, 02:53:31 PM »
Boring colonies keep their default name.

Those with anomalies get names that remind me of their research field:
Something like Bastion or Citadel for defensive systems, Radiant for energy weapons etc.

Those with ruins but no anomalies may get names like Atlantis, Thebes, Pompeii.

If something strikes my interest, I'll try to come up with a fitting name that reminds me of why I wanted to keep an eye on it.
 

Offline Borealis4x

  • Commodore
  • **********
  • Posts: 717
  • Thanked: 141 times
Re: Colony Naming Conventions?
« Reply #12 on: September 28, 2016, 02:34:05 AM »
I keep their official name but also give them their "nickname" in brackets. After all, who want to say they are from Alpha Centari III A