Semi-Official 7.x Suggestion Thread

[Kytuzian]

Some simple naming suggestions, partly touched in my big post, but partly different at all, and so - can be considered separately.
(RP-motivated only.)

Fighters (as type of hull design) - rename to small crafts (small-sized crafts?) or simply crafts.
Because there are not only fighters in this mass range. Fighters Factory - correspondingly.

Thermal Sensors - rename to TN-noise Sensors (Noise Signature correspondingly).
EM Sensors - rename to TN-pulse Sensors (Pulse Signature correspondingly).
Because there are not thermal and not EM (electromagnetic) - there are both FTL waves (while thermal and all EM emissions are light-speed emissions, and therefore cannot be seen by 5-sec pulse at more distance, than 5 light seconds = 1.5 mkm).

Geology - rename to Planetology (GEV to PSV).
2 reasons: 1st - "Geo-" is "Earth-" in latin, but our Geology vessels and teams must survey another planets; 2nd - Geology and Gravitational (GSV and GEV) are quite alike by cursory glance and it is easy to mix up.

Commanders - rename to Staff or Leaders.
Because there are not only commanders even at Naval Officers Leader Type page, and there are administrators and R&D staff there.

Scientist andResearch - rename to R&D.
Because there are not only science research there - bigger part of it is an engineering (development, not research).

Errmm... I don't insist, but. Marine - is for wet fleet (from latin "mare" - sea, seaside). And space fleet infantry is a Space Infantry. 

Hide "-A" suffix for body names of one-component star systems (a "Sol", not a "Sol-A", etc.)

While some of these I don't mind (TN-noise and TN-pulse), I have some points about both Geology and Marines.

1. "ge" is not Latin, it's Greek. It doesn't mean "Earth" it means "earth" or "land", so it's 100% valid to use for other planets. (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CE%B3%E1%BF%86#Ancient_Greek)
2. Even if it did mean "Earth", there's no reason we can't use it. Just because a word means something in the past doesn't mean that's its meaning now.
3. Marines are called marines for the same reason we use the word ship and not spacecraft. The terminology for almost all common space games is naval terminology--which includes Marines, not "Space Infantry."

[Thundercraft]

Some simple naming suggestions...[snip]

These name change suggestions make a certain amount of sense. But Kytuzian had excellent counterarguments for a couple of them. Oh, and thanks to Warhammer 40K, I think the term "space marine" is mainstream - a part of pop culture. I've never played that, yet I know of it. For that matter, I'm pretty sure that I've heard of other media which reference marines in space.

Also, please consider that Aurora has been around for years. You want to change the names of all these things at this point? Players would have to un-learn these and memorize the new names. And if the wiki and existing forum guides and discussions are not updated with the new names, such changes could lead to confusion.

That said: Name changes that I would not object to are "R&D" and maybe "Small crafts, because they're obvious. Also, changing only one or two things does not add much confusion. Further, it sounds like your real objection to Geology is how GSV and GEV are easy to confuse. Instead of changing the name itself, perhaps Steve should alter the abbreviation for one of these?

[serger]

Abbreviations for hull types can be altered by player by adding hull types, though this is not very handy method now, because there is no way to remove unnecessary, dublicating hull types (as I understand - because many of these types can be used by NPR, so deleting can cause critical bugs).

As for marines - that suggestion was not serious. 

[Steve Walmsley]

Abbreviations for hull types can be altered by player by adding hull types, though this is not very handy method now, because there is no way to remove unnecessary, dublicating hull types (as I understand - because many of these types can be used by NPR, so deleting can cause critical bugs).

As for marines - this suggestion was nor serious. 

I will add an ability to change or delete hull types in C# Aurora.

[bean]

A suggested replacement for marines would be espatiers.  It's derived in the same way, from the French for the environment they work in.

[Erik L (OP)]

A lot of the names you use are not set in stone. You can change them as you wish.

[serger]

As for types of "ground" units - their abbreviations are set in stone (renaming procedure doesn't work for abbreviations), and so - radical renaming attempt causes total nonsense.

[Erik L (OP)]

As for types of "ground" units - their abbreviations are set in stone (renaming procedure doesn't work for abbreviations), and so - radical renaming attempt causes total nonsense.

I seem to recall you can rename those units. But then I'm also old and senile

[serger]

I can rename units and types of units. But cannot rename their abbreviations. Renaming interface have a field for new abbreviation, not only new name, but abbreviation remains intact really.

[swarm_sadist]

I can rename units and types of units. But cannot rename their abbreviations. Renaming interface have a field for new abbreviation, not only new name, but abbreviation remains intact really.

I'm pretty sure that changing the abbreviation comes right after changing the name. You input the name of the unit, hit enter, then input the abbreviation. Or do you mean existing units' abbreviation?

[serger]

Yes, It's true, changing the abbreviation comes right after changing the name! But abbreviation remains intact really, while full name  (of unit type) changes successfully. Change type name and abbreviation, build some units of this type - and you'll see units with new type name and old abbreviation.

[83athom]

Just a small flavor thing I though of while watching a spectacular network of mass drivers. When an enemy is in orbit of either the launch point or destination of a mass driver package, there is a chance for the minerals to hit (this would naturally apply to your ships over an enemy world that fires/receives a mass driver package). Don't know the amount of damage it should do, but maybe it should be somewhere between 1:1 to 1:5 compared to the damage:tons.

[bean]

Just a small flavor thing I though of while watching a spectacular network of mass drivers. When an enemy is in orbit of either the launch point or destination of a mass driver package, there is a chance for the minerals to hit (this would naturally apply to your ships over an enemy world that fires/receives a mass driver package). Don't know the amount of damage it should do, but maybe it should be somewhere between 1:1 to 1:5 compared to the damage:tons.

Doesn't make much sense.  The mass driver package isn't going fast, and I think it has a beacon built in.  Dodging is easy, and wouldn't be visible at the level of granularity we have in the game.

[sloanjh]

I'm pretty sure that I've heard of other media which reference marines in space.

Was it "Mariiiiiiiines in Spaaaaaaaace"?

John

[boggo2300]

I'm pretty sure that was Piiiiiiiigs iiiiiiiinnnn Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!