i'm not the kind to START A THREAD, especially not over something like this, but

like i'm cool with there being random generic NPCs who only have one-liners and don't serve any purpose except to make things feel livelier. i'd rather have less characters with more conversational depth than more characters with less conversational depth. i never talked to anybody but publicans, shopkeepers and quest targets in Oblivion, and i'm cool with everybody else just being an atmospheric puppet now.

but if you're gonna do this, please, please please please do one of two things:

1) implement a random name generator so each random NPC, even if you can't actually TALK TO THEM, has a unique name and isn't just HAAFINGAR TOWNSPERSON.

2) just don't show the name at all anywhere. don't show it on mouseover, don't show it when you're looting their corpse, just don't show it. nobody needs to see it.

let's debating.

Definitely number 1. Option 2 wouldn't sit well with me at all.

A random name generator might be lame, if you start to notice a lot of repeats. I hope they all have unique names.

Random name generation would be nice, but problematic. Nords generally have one given name and possibly another character name/title (not sure what the official term for this is). The second part is generally very specific to their persona, and thus applying them randomly would be a bit odd. But that only leaves the given name in which doesn't give people a lot of room to work with.

On the other hand, names have never been unique. Some people sharing names would simply be part of life there as it is anywhere else.

why? if you can't ASK THEM THEIR NAME, how are you supposed to know it in the first place?

also it's not like you're going to randomly forget whose corpse you're looting.



if the name generator's advanced enough it could go through an almost infinite number of combinations of name-chunks. it would be a bit questionable for Bretons and Imperials maybe, but most of the other races have odd enough names that algorithmic name-generation could work pretty well.

the problem with unique names is when you kill a nobody and then they respawn they'll have the same name but might not be the same person, and if you remember HEY I KILLED VALEN BUTT and suddenly see him walking around it'll be all "immersion-breaking".

First I doubt all the npc with just rumours will be random, they will live somewhere and have a schedule. Also npc who respawn like guards or bandits are also placed in the game, only difference is that they will come back after some time if killed. This is why they are called by title not name. I asume Fallout 3 did it the same way, they just did not bother tot give name to unimportant npc either because they was lazy or because they wanted to show that they was unimportant.

two solutions here, easiest is to keep Oblivion system, Devs uses an application who pick a fitting name for npc then creating them.
Second have an in game random name generator for respawning npc, nice for guards but prefer that bandits is bandits, if they are given names it might be hard to know if they are bandits or innocent except let them see you.

I want everyone to have actual names.

well yeah, obviously. so do i.

but if they couldn't have actual names because Bethesda couldn't get a RNG to work right and they didn't want to give unique names to NPCs who would respawn anyway, would you rather see "Markarth Townsperson" or nothing at all?

I know this is about a name generator, however this might give some insight into how devs choose the names for the NPCs. From Meet the Devs #10 page 7. Sorry for the horrible quote tags .

Thanks for posting that. Interesting read.

There are people with the same name in the real world.

I hope they generate random names for them. In FO you could immediately tell who the important people in the room were. I'd rather that everyone has a name.

I rather not know every single NPC's name, they are best serve anonymous to us until they served a purpose like when Radiant Story kicks in and assigns them a role.

I hope there's more people and fewer "unique names," like I need to know their name anyway.

I want the cities to feel alive and abussle with people, I don't give a damn about when somebody decides to have their dinner or take a whizz at night. People don't need unique names, unique homes, or unique schedules. They should focus on making numerous people, and making them seem believable in the outward sense, its not like you could just walk up to somebody and ask them for their life's story. There needs to be about 100-200 really interesting and unique characters packed with dialogue throughout the game, and then just a bunch of generic rabble to fill the streets and create atmosphere.


:teehee:

I think I'm going to like radiant story if it's like that.

wait.. is it confirmed we'll have npc's called stuff like "villager"? :S

I sure hope not, thats was a really crappy fallout thing. Maybe they can be called villager until you talk to them and they tell you their name? That would be a good idea since its impossible for the player to know everyone's name automatically.

I don't know if any are to random tbh.
Those that the radiant AI will place using the dead shopkeepers relative as an example should really have at least the last name of said shopkeeper.
If we have random bandits that are given names then a name generator would be easier to implement.

As for 2. while I agree the name should not be shown on the UI when flashing your targeter over them.
In dialogue they should introduce themselves as "Grim Grimwaldson".

However as for no one not needing it, there are people that do need it.
I may be one of them, if there are between four and twenty nords all dressed alike, and moving around like a real town.
Then without a name pop up, I'll not be able to recall which is which by facial cues, unlike most gamers.

im sure there more people on forums like these than there will be NPCs .. so eays solution get alot of people to make up a name.. not just any crap but considering alot of people on here know what sort of names each race has then getting us to throw a few names wont be too hard..

but really option 1 would be alot bettter than 2.. but i hope thye just give them names like in OB instead of the fallout Novac Setller style of things

I'm fine with generic titles. How would you know everyones name, anyway?

i will be content with either. I can see both sides of the argument. And if i had to choose i would say no name, then they are easier to ignore as just an obstacle and for added effect, like they really are.

If Skyrim has six billion npcs, I'll let it slide.

I agree with you OP. Either give them actual names or no names at all, please non of those aweful 'Skyrim settler' names. I'm not sure why but I really really hate that. I'd still buy the game and would still play it but it'd be a massive dissapointment if I came across NPC's labelled 'Riften settler' and would bug me for the rest of the game.

When I run a sword through someone's gut, I don't care if he's called Lars Ulrich Esquire III or just a Bandit. They're all meat anyway .

Oh, I disagree. People have names. There's no weight to killing something called, "Bandit."

I only spoke for myself there, i.e. I don't care.

I think it's just people who 1) want cities to be as crowded as crowd scenes in Assassin's Creed, and 2) are assuming that the Skyrim developers are working off Fallout 3 instead of Oblivion.