Let’s talk about character names! Or at least, the character
names in my game. They’re a little different.
Have you ever met someone at a game shop or the grocery store
and had a nice conversation but never exchanged names? I do this all the time.
Maybe it’s rude, but when I talk to someone about oranges being in season I
generally don’t ask for their name. If the conversation was really interesting,
I’ll come up with an identifier when I re-tell the story to friends. That’s the
basis of names in my game.
You see a woman walk past you on the street. She has rainbow
highlights in her blonde hair. You stop to compliment her. The conversation you
had was pleasant. She told you a really funny joke. You go to tell your friends
the story of the awesome woman you met on the street! Her hair reminds you of
an M&M cookie. So you tell your friends about the story of the cute funny
woman named M&M. That’s the approach I take with naming.
In fast pace of events, it’s kinda weird that people stop to
just shout their name at you, right? They’re busy with other things. It feels
unnatural. If I’m busy stopping the apocalypse, I’m not stopping that way you
have my name. If the world ends it literally
doesn’t matter.
I haven’t done any official announcing (and I won’t until I
have some design mockups) but the player character’s name is Lilah. Like
Delilah. You are experiencing the world through her eyes. When she sees someone
walking down the street in thigh-highs decorated in teddy bears, she might name
them “Teddy” or “Socks”. If someone is
extra rude they might be “Dickwad”. If a beautiful princess with giant, fluffy,
pink ponytails comes and saves Lilah, their name might be “Cotton Candy”.
This was a choice so players wouldn’t go name blind. Only so
many nameless characters can be named “Woman” or “???” before no one understands
who is talking anymore. I also think it helps create a more vivid picture in a
text adventure. With my low number of visuals, descriptors as names helps keep
the image together.
Of course, Lilah isn’t the only named character! A lot of
these are placeholders until you get close enough to learn a character’s name. Some
names are also easter eggs when introductions don’t fit anywhere in the plot!
You never known when they might be in the background…
This was a very stylistic choice that I’m really excited
about! I think it’s going to bring a whole new dimension to the text for what a
small thing it is.
Alex Acton 