Remove the random name generator for weapons.

Before I start bickering about my thoughts over the weapon system I'd like to say that adding unique weapons into the game was a wonderful idea, and if this has already been brought to attention I apologize for re-posting.

My favorite thing about playing games like Diablo, Borderlands, Torchlight, and various other loot-based games is finding unique weapons. It's always thrilling finding a superior item that will last you a long time in the upcoming content, and still being able to hold onto it as a trophy that you can show to your friends, but this system in this game is taking the fun out of finding unique items.

Every item in the game has a unique name, and because of that there's nothing in the game that's unique. If everything is unique than nothing is unique. I find a legendary item with a name like Drowning Blade, or Dudesquisher, or Drowning Carver, and feel no accomplishment from finding it because I find uncommon items such as Big SliceStabCut, or Wild DeerBlade.

I genuinely believe that removing the random name generator and giving uncommon weapons names like "Iron Sword of Lightning"
or "Silver Sword of Fire" would add much more to the game-play experience. It would also make finding unique weapons like blues or purples much more satisfying.

I would really like the random weapons to be a large part of this game, because as a fan of dungeon crawlers it's an amazing feeling finding that one item that you've been looking for. Especially since a game like Starbound already has so much more going for it. If this aspect could be expanded on this could very well be a game that I play for years to come.

Thank you for considering my proposal - Rujiel

 

I see what you are getting at, but i kind of like it. it can give some really funny names at times, i got a spear that was called 'Poop Tickler' last night. maybe if it was a little better and not always completely unrelated to the weapon then it would be better, but removing it completely wouldn't make the game anymore interesting, it would remove some interest.

 

That would be a great idea as well though, removing the random names and have names that reflect the weapon itself would make it feel a lot better than finding "Poop Smasher" and items like that. I would love finding something like "Flaming Broadsword" or if it has two elements (Right and left click) "Flaming Broadsword of Lightning" If you find a blue item that would be where I would start putting unique names, preferably not with fecal matter in them.

 

Making the rarity levels from crappy to legendary make new better and serious names.. Crappy: Poop Picker, Uncommon: Sharp Blade, Legendary: Eye of the Sun

 

I like the way you think sir.

 

good idea. reminds me of the blands2 gun naming system.

 

Agreed. This will bode well

 

...yea... I don't know if citing item names like "Poop Tickler" is doing anything to support keeping the random name generator. 'Potty humor' is great if you're... like, six years old... but to everyone else it's just annoying.

In any case, I support the suggestion.

 

If weapon names are going to increase in epicness with rarity, maybe the rarest should have random names that reflect the legendary swords of the real world, blades like Excalibur, Durandal, and the like. It could use the current random generator (with a few tweaks to avoid the legendary Poopslappper)

 

This is a really good idea too, there's a great number of swords and weapons from all over the world that have deep, rich historical meaning.

 

Eh, I dunno. I actually quite like the random name generator as it is. A lot of the names make me titter like a little schoolgirl. I don't see why everything has to be so serious and epic. It'd just be best to find/make a mod that changes the name generator (I do believe there already is one, if I saw/read correctly). I don't see what's wrong with "Poop Tickler". It's funny and lighthearted.

 

The post didn't have any qualms about naming an item named 'Poop Tickler" or of that sorts, I'm saying that having every item in the game have a unique name takes away from the experience of finding unique items. I'm sure most people have gone through a prison and wiped out the population of escaped inmates. the amount of named items you get from there is enough to fill up your bag space and finding a decent weapon mixed in with all of them is a bit of a chore. finding a weapon with a unique name should be an accomplishment not a chore lol.

 

Someone else was complaining about 'Poop Tickler'. And the only reason I think it's a pain is because there isn't a weapon compare, and because the info box goes right off the screen, forcing me to adjust where my inventory is several times before getting it in a spot where I can see the damage of the weapon. Personally, I love the current system. It's fun, it's unique, and it's interesting.

 

I was the one who expressed dissatisfaction for the whole "poop tickler" thing. One thing that drives me crazy is when a video game gets a bunch of unnecessarily childish content shoved into it. If the game is designed for small children, then whatever... Starbound, while extremely light-hearted, doesn't seem like a game that's aimed at 6-year-olds, or would be a game that they'd enjoy, as Starbound requires an attention span greater than that of a gnat.

Same kinda crap drove me out of WoW - in its vanilla state, WoW was a very light hearted game, but not necessarily childish. With each expansion, they added more and more childish content (like poop jokes). When cata rolled around I finally couldn't take it anymore and quit... and I'm glad I did, seeing as the next xpac was Kung-Fu-Panda Online. ...all that and the game is rated "teen" with the original target audience being in the late-teen / early twenties range.

...I'm getty pretty off topic - sorry. My point is, though, that adding childish content to a game that isn't directed specifically at small children is a mistake, and if that content is being randomly generated, then something needs to be adjusted or removed.

....and I'm gonna stamp all that with a big 'ol "In my opinion", as this is very much a matter of opinion.

 

I respect your opinion, however I also have to respectfully disagree. A childish joke or two thrown into a lighthearted game is, in my opinion, funny. I'm terrible at describing things and giving examples, but it reminds me "Hey, this is just a game! Lighten up and enjoy yourself!", or something along those lines anyways.

Completely unrelated note, but thank you for making me realize that there is colored text. < 3

 

A childish joke or two is fine... I've just noticed a trend in previous games I've played that once they start with that stuff, it snowballs out of controll and the game stops being fun (barring the six-year-olds, who eat that $#!+ up).

/tiphat @ the color thing. I will say, though, that the color you've chosen is a tad hard to read; it's a fairly dark shade, against a fairly dark background so it contrasts poorly. A good solution I've found is to pick the color you want, and then phase it to the default forum color until you find one that fits your style, but reads well against the background as well.

So, your starting color is a deep purple, #B300B3, and the default font color is a medium grey, #A6A6A6. Now just pick a pangram like "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" (uses every letter in the alphabet) and give yourself an array of options, starting with your color of choice, and ending with the default forum color. Check this out:



1.) #B300B3
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. (Your current text color)

2.) #B309B3
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

3.) #B211B2
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

4.) #B11AB1
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

5.) #B122B1
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

6.) #B02BB0
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

7.) #AF34AF
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

8.) #AF3DAF
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

9.) #AE45AE
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

10.) #AD4EAD
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

11.) #AD57AD
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

12.) #AC60AC
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

13.) #AB69AB
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

14.) #AA72AA
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

15.) #AA7AAA
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

16.) #A983A9
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

17.) #A88CA8
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

18.) #A895A8
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

19.) #A79DA7
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

20.) #A6A6A6
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. (Default forum text color)

The 11 to 16 range looks the best to me, as it's different enough from the forum default to stand out as your own; but close enough to the default that it contrasts well with the background and is easy to read.

That said, what looks good to me doesn't account for anyone else, so choose the one you want, even if that's the one you're currently using. Figured I'd give my two cents, though.

Hope that was helpful!

 

I understand what you mean about the snowballing. I too have played games that are nothing but potty jokes and whatnot, and they quickly become old, gross, and annoying. But as Starbound stands currently, I don't think it's too bad.

And thank you for the color advice, but I don't have any idea how the color codes (or whatever those are called) work. I just click the underlined "A" at the top and choose the color. If other people start complaining about it, then I'll be sure to change it to something easier to read (though I consider this easy to read, and more of a pinkish purple than deep purple). I'll keep an eye out for you though, and make sure to change the color to something you can read.

Okay, so maybe my original color is a deep purple. I'm terrible with colors and contrasting and whatnot. Does this pink look okay? I don't mind using pink.

 

It's not the current state I'm worried about.

We're kind of de-railing the thread with the color talk though (my bad), so let's switch to PM for that - I'll send you a quick run-down of how it works shortly.

 

i'm surprised not many people have anything to say about this idea, the weapon naming system is something that everyone has experienced, so i'm sure more people have an opinion on it.

 

I think it tends to go overlooked. Understandable but attention to detail makes a big difference in the long run. I don't mind the 6 year old potty humor but I'd rather it not be included. The game would present itself better if the naming system was slightly more creative and humorous. The names could play off of named weapons such as mjolnir, buster blade, the shishkebab from fallout and others. Less potty humor, more creativity. Also the color discussion made me think of blands 2 rarity color scheme. I'm not sure if a similar system is in place for this game but I think it would benefit from it.