I prefer games where I can customize the names of the characters. I like when I can feel part of the story. What about you?
Custom names or existing characters?
- Thread starter Ametz001
- Start date
- Jan 5, 2025
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- 202
I’d like to customize the MC’s name, but not the other characters’. The reason is that it gets confusing when discussing the game with others if every character’s name can be changed. For example, in Being a DIK, we can all easily talk about Jill or Sage, but if their names were customizable, it wouldn’t be as straightforward. Instead, we’d have to say something like “the red-haired leader of the HOTs” for Sage or “the rich girl” for Jill. Anyway, I might have dragged out the example unnecessarily, but that’s my opinion on the matter.
most devs are HORRIBLE at naming characters. I don't want to ruin my experience because the dev thinks naming the homemaker mom 'Candi' or 'Vixen' is a good idea.
- Jun 10, 2017
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Naming the MC, yes, but for any other characters, whatever how relevant to the story they are, this must be purely optional, and handled intelligently.
It's really infuriating to have to name dozens of characters, even more when it's the first thing you've to do when the character appear on the screen and you don't even know who the fuck she is. And don't get me started with the tons of consecutive "this is your [whatever], what is her name".
Ideally, the UI should have a, discreet, "rename" button leading to a page where all the already known girls can be renamed if and when you want to change their name. With a picture of the girl to remember who the fuck she is.
And please, pretty please, if you don't want them to be named "trash number 1", "lazy dev" or "who's that bitch"1, give them a default name, thanks.
1: Those a real names of some characters in games I played. I'm grumpy, what mean that I'm not here to do your job at finding characters' names.
It's really infuriating to have to name dozens of characters, even more when it's the first thing you've to do when the character appear on the screen and you don't even know who the fuck she is. And don't get me started with the tons of consecutive "this is your [whatever], what is her name".
Ideally, the UI should have a, discreet, "rename" button leading to a page where all the already known girls can be renamed if and when you want to change their name. With a picture of the girl to remember who the fuck she is.
And please, pretty please, if you don't want them to be named "trash number 1", "lazy dev" or "who's that bitch"1, give them a default name, thanks.
1: Those a real names of some characters in games I played. I'm grumpy, what mean that I'm not here to do your job at finding characters' names.
- Sep 10, 2022
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same, fine for MC, but other characters ... sometimes I find myself stumped for a good name but am not willing to wait with playing on until I can think of sth. good.
So, right now am playing a game where the wolf companion ended up named "Buchi"
and yes, the communication problem. Seems most players in the topic kept it at default name: dog. (and so on)
but at least the game has rename consumables for the two MCs
So, right now am playing a game where the wolf companion ended up named "Buchi"
and yes, the communication problem. Seems most players in the topic kept it at default name: dog. (and so on)
but at least the game has rename consumables for the two MCs
I'll give a dev perspective. I pick my names extremely deliberately, even for my MCs. Letting people name them both restricts me as a writer, and lessens the meaning of those names.
From a player perspective, I've never once cared whether I could rename the MC or not. I don't really self-insert so playing as a dude named Jim doesn't bother me.
From a player perspective, I've never once cared whether I could rename the MC or not. I don't really self-insert so playing as a dude named Jim doesn't bother me.
- Jun 10, 2017
- 11,192
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Let's be honest, you are not a normal dev.
Not that I disagree with you. When the names have a meaning, its obvious that they shouldn't be changed. This even if this meaning limits to all the children having a name that start by the same letter, or sound similar. But most devs clearly randomly choose their name.
I have no problems with games like The DeLuca Family by example, because the names fit the context and match the characters personality. But there's games where all the girls names end in "a", or where you can guess the dev's age because he choose the most used names for his generation. There's clearly no efforts behind those names, and they have no other purpose that be a name.
Generally I don't care this much but, and probably is it a question of age, there's few MC names I have a hard time with. I don't really self-insert, but there's some MC that have a really "too young" name and I don't feel like following their journey because in my old mind it feel like I'm witnessing a toddler.
An option that I never seen used, could be to offer not to rename the MC, or some of the main characters, but to pick one of the possible names.
It would permit to still have names that fit the feeling you want to give to the story, while offering a bit more freedom to the players who can possible don't stand a particular name. I mean, if the main LI have your bitch ex's name, I get that some can want to change it.
- Jan 4, 2025
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That was obvious when I stuck to a release schedule and actually finished my game in a reasonable amount of time.
(I'm joking people! Please don't yell at me!)
But, yeah. I should have said "MY dev perspective". I just wanted to give a reason why a dev might not allow a renamable MC, despite that being the norm.
tbh, with how dumb some of these MCs are, they could be 80 years old and still feel like a toddler.
- Jun 10, 2017
- 11,192
- 16,856
Don't worry, I read you as this. Reason why I backed up your point (names can have an important meaning in the story), while still presenting some case where one could want to rename some characters.
Well, then it would feel exactly like me, so it wouldn't be a problemtbh, with how dumb some of these MCs are, they could be 80 years old and still feel like a toddler.
