Ship naming: How it might work

  • Gundy the Shark
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    So, here’s how I think naming one’s ship could work if/when it is added as a feature:

    • Only pirate legends can propose names for the ship (maybe even requiring Athena’s fortune level 10 being a captaincy feature). Names have the same kind of restrictions as pet names, and also a small-ish character limit (so it all fits on the nameplate properly).
    • PLs offer names and these are voted on like voyages by all crew members. Once a majority is obtained, the name is applied.
    • The name can be changed at any time using the same process.
    • The name is printed on the nameplate above the captain’s cabin (possibly different layout for brigs and sloops).
    • When a pirate uses their spyglass and spots a named ship, the name will appear like a popup at the bottom of the screen. This would use similar detection tech as the tech used when seeing skeleton ships and emissary ships.

    This is a very simplistic interpretation that shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve. If anyone else has any other ideas as to how ship naming could work, I’d love to hear them!

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  • LimbicFanatic
    Lord
    Insider
    Founder

    @gundy-the-shark

    I quite like these suggestions.

    I recall reading a good alternative that someone else suggested months ago: give pirates the ability to choose words from a selection that fit into a "The [VERB] [NOUN]" naming schema that shipwrecks already follow. For example, possible ship names could include things like the wandering reaper, the hollow hound, the ebon crow, the loose cannon, the vengeful marauder, etc.

    If Rare locked certain Verbs/Nouns behind commendations, this would give pirates an incentive to unlock them! It would also give additional flavor to the various trading companies, as their commendations would unlock terms related to their theme.

  • Gundy the Shark
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    @limbicfanatic as long as I can still name my ship the Grey Nurse (or something to that effect), I’ll be happy.

  • YaBoySuy0
    Ship Mate

    i like you suggestion. But i have to disagree in one point.
    If you look at the ship the name shouldn´t appaer above it. It should be like the name plates from Players. The name should only popup in close range. It would be to easy to spot a ship in the distance when a name plate pops up when you look at the horizen.
    And when it would pop up it should not block any vision from Players so they would´t have a disadvantage.

  • CameleonZZZ
    Marauder
    Insider

    @suy0 I agree; only if you're actually in a distance where you could 'see' the nameplate with your eyeglass. (not across all the way to the horizon).

    But Gundy, these are awesome suggestions. I really like the idea.

  • Gundy the Shark
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    @cameleonzzz that’s a fair point. When I spoke about the name appearing when viewing through a spyglass, I was referring to being able to see the whole ship clearly. So mid-range at max.

    Which does raise an interesting hurdle: fog. If a ship is obscured by fog but you can barely make it out, the name shouldn’t be visible.

  • Amendelwyr
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @limbicfanatic said in Ship naming: How it might work:

    I recall reading a good alternative that someone else suggested months ago: give pirates the ability to choose words from a selection that fit into a "The [VERB] [NOUN]" naming schema that shipwrecks already follow. For example, possible ship names could include things like the wandering reaper, the hollow hound, the ebon crow, the loose cannon, the vengeful marauder, etc.

    If Rare locked certain Verbs/Nouns behind commendations, this would give pirates an incentive to unlock them! It would also give additional flavor to the various trading companies, as their commendations would unlock terms related to their theme.

    I like the idea that commendations could give cooler titles for that. However, there is no killing concept for the idea to plain and simple be a typed name for the ship (which can be voted for). Still could be verified commendation Ship names; so the ship will like have a medallion or something.. Rare already allows people to name their pets, and thus if they're worried people will do certain things; well they're holding it back for no reason.

  • CameleonZZZ
    Marauder
    Insider

    @gundy-the-shark I get ya Gundy; that makes sense distance wise. You're right about fog too; would have to be an adjustment to which every programming 'classes' involved in the 'ship-name-appearance' algorithm (ie. the spyglass? or distance to player calc? ..... however RARE would be accounting for it in the program).

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