randomshipnames.oxp preview

[Disembodied]

This really adds a lot of atmosphere! If there's one thing I would request it would be to let merchant ships and hunters have names too ... even Vipers, perhaps, although they should maybe just have some form of coplike ID, like V-309. It might mean a pool of less violent names or name-elements is required, with merchant ships getting a weighting towards the non-violent end (although I just trashed a pirate ship named "Joner's Loot", which could easily pass for the name of a deadbeat trader – and there might be something to be said for the occasional Anaconda called "Black Murder").

[Cody]

This really adds a lot of atmosphere! If there's one thing I would request it would be to let merchant ships and hunters have names too

Hunters do already have names... for a bounty-hunter hunter like me, that is very useful.

[Disembodied]

Hunters do already have names... for a bounty-hunter hunter like me, that is very useful.

Good stuff, I hadn't spotted any hunters so far ... just merchants and (maybe) the police, then!

[maik]

As it's pretty much a work in progress (I'm adding more names (or parts of names) whenever I come up with one) I don't want to put it on the Wiki yet, therefore the download link goes directly to the box

Added it to the WIP sections of the [wiki]OXP List[/wiki] with a link to this BB thread. Hope that was in your interest.

[Commander McLane]

As it's pretty much a work in progress (I'm adding more names (or parts of names) whenever I come up with one) I don't want to put it on the Wiki yet, therefore the download link goes directly to the box

Added it to the WIP sections of the [wiki]OXP List[/wiki] with a link to this BB thread. Hope that was in your interest.

Personally I wouldn't have thought it to be ripe for that just yet, but given that there already was a positive reception in this thread, I guess it's okay to also make it known in the WIP section.

[Zireael]

Love it, going to play Oolite in a mo...

[Eric Walch]

For now I have summarily excluded names with " - ". However, this isn't fail safe. Both scripts change displayName in the shipSpawned handler, yours in the ship script, mine in the world script. I have no idea which is executed first, or whether there is a custom order in the first place.

One way to check for changed ship names is by checking if the ship.name and ship.displayName are the same. This is also not foolproof but will work for a lot of existing ships. I do use it in bouyRepair.oxp were the station gives launching ships unique names and also the ship script.

It will go wrong if ships already have defined different names in shipData, but currently 99.9% of the ship oxps has no displayName defined and will start with a copy of name as displayName. And those that have an explicit displayName defined often have a good reason for that and should be left alone anyhow.

[Cody]

On the subject of long display names, is it possible to remove the ship's type? So Cobra Mk I: Defender of Nobility would become simply Defender of Nobility.
I generally like to ID ship types visually anyway... it adds to the immersion.

[Commander McLane]

One way to check for changed ship names is by checking if the ship.name and ship.displayName are the same. This is also not foolproof but will work for a lot of existing ships.

It probably won't work with localization OXPs, depending on whether they override the name or use display_name.

On the subject of long display names, is it possible to remove the ship's type? So Cobra Mk I: Defender of Nobility would become simply Defender of Nobility.
I generally like to ID ship types visually anyway... it adds to the immersion.

Perfectly possible. Just replace the

Code: Select all

        ship.displayName += ": " + this.$randomShipName(ship);

with

Code: Select all

        ship.displayName = this.$randomShipName(ship);

I won't do it in the release version, though, because I find the ship type an essential information, which the target computer would certainly give to you. Tactically, it's infinitely more important than the ship's name.

EDIT: replaced "remove" with "replace", which first meant to remove the "remove" and then to replace it with "replace"

[Cody]

I won't do it in the release version, though, because I find the ship type an essential information, which the target computer would certainly give to you. Tactically, it's infinitely more important than the ship's name.

You are correct, of course... but in my fevered immersion mode, I'll enjoy this little tweak. Many thanks, McLane.

[Wildeblood]

They're definitely getting a bit too long.

[Commander McLane]

Is "Star Snake" part of the model name for every Cobra MkVI or an individual name in itself?

Looks like the tilde is used as another separator between ship type and name. I'll add it to the exclusion-inducing characters.

[Wildeblood]

Is "Star Snake" part of the model name for every Cobra MkVI or an individual name in itself?

Looks like the tilde is used as another separator between ship type and name. I'll add it to the exclusion-inducing characters.

It's not an individual name. KW named the trader version "Cobra MkVI ~ King Cobra" and the pirate version "Cobra MkVI ~ Star Snake". It plays havoc with the spoken messages, which resort to spelling out "MkVI" and can't pronounce tilde. It wasn't the number of components that I was commenting on, but the physical length; I'm sure there are other models with longer names than "Cobra MkVI ~ Star Snake" and I'm sure that your script can produce names longer than "Lady Eryn VIII", but this example already runs halfway across my widescreen monitor. It has made me question the real value of Bounty Scanner, too: the important part is the citizen/offender/fugitive distinction. When you're fighting a group of pirates do you really have time to prioritize them according to their exact bounty? My priority is usually the one that is actually shooting at me the most.

[Cody]

the important part is the citizen/offender/fugitive distinction.

Exactly! I've removed the ship type as per above tweak, and it's rather good. The display names are shorter, and I know whether they're bandits or hunters... or just humble traders. Getting the ID right visually is a good challenge at distance, but close-up it's easy. As you say, the bounty scanner is also superfluous... I don't use it.

[CaptSolo]

Right On Commander McLane! I have also added your code tweak since, like El Viejo, I prefer to rely on visual identification.