So by now we all know that Skyrim will feature generic filler NPCs to help populate the world. This was used a bit in Fallout 3 and honestly I can live with it. However, one improvement needs to be made: even generic NPCs should have names.

Even if a character doesn't a have a single line of dialogue, simply by having a name, it lends the illusion that that character is a "somebody" rather than merely a "something".

When an NPC is labeled "City X Resident", that NPC doesn't feel like a person, but rather just another fixture of the environment. You don't wonder about what "Resident 23" does in their spare time. You don't feel like that NPC leads a life of their own.

Giving dialogue to every NPC might be too much to ask, but simply giving them all a name shouldn't be. It's a small addition that would add character and believability to Skyrim - a definite improvement over Fallout 3's generic NPCs.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.

In Fallout 3 or New Vegas, I think it helped the atmosphere. Most people weren't concerned with you and you weren't concerned with them. It made it feel more like a living, breathing community.

i don't think they should have names till after you meet them.

i really dont care either way, it would be nice if they all had names, but i would gladly sacrifice that to have a better game. like dont spend a month naming the people, just put a bunch of names in a database and let a program assign them.

That's true, you shouldn't know anyone's name until you ask them or they tell you. Unless they're a mean SOB and don't want to say. Make more sense. But yeah, they should at least have a name, but whether you know it or not is another matter.

I know the name of the wind.

Yes please names are good. But in a way I want to discover them. They should just be blank until you talk to them and ask specifically. Or eavesdrop in a tavern or pay a beggar to get the rundown.

And I know the name of iron

But yeah, I agree that blank would be preferable to "city resident". To me, that's just like stamping "generic NPC" over their heads.

I like how in Morrowind everyone had a name, even every bandit, Ashlander, every pirate. It made you stand back and say 'Wow...this world has such detail' and helped (at least for me) with immersion.

It didn't immerse me to have all the names out there. Why would i know some random bandit's name? After i meet a friendly i should learn his/her name.

Instead of a quest just saying "meet [person X] at [location b]" it could add "he/she is a [race] and will be wearing [describe clothes]." you then have to find that person instead of just dragging your cursor over all the NPCs to see their name.

Once you met someone though, you would remember their name forever.

"What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." The name itself is not important, but they must at least HAVE a name! No name would make the game less real, thus less fun. I like that about ES games--all the NPCs appear to have their own individual identities, rather than simply being a bunch of nameless zombies walking around without a purpose... :poke:

Awesome idea. If they're going to make random filler NPCs with little to no meaning, why not have a random name generator that identifies them the moment the player speaks to them? No harm, no foul.

A town full of npcs with fully programmed AI but no names, seems a bit strange to me. Surely getting them to move is the hard bit, thinking up names, well you can do hundreds in a good night of drinking, that should be a lot easier.

Names by themselves don't mean anything. A generic NPC won't be more interesting if he's named Bob, unless he has something unique to him, like a daily schedule.

This was especially shown by the already mentioned bandits from Morrowind. They have names, but they have no depth behind that, in fact it's more annoying, questioning yourself why are you attacked by random strangers in the middle of nowhere. Heck, Oblivion did it better (in one dungeon anyway) where while you didn't know the bandits' names, there were letters scattered around, written to each other, telling about the deeds they've done, and why are they here in the first place.

There were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of NPCs in Morrowind, and everyone had a name. They were generic and most said the same things (citizens in Balmora probably didnt say the same things as citizens in Gnisis, but still, in their own city, only a few people had interesting rumors and things to say that would lead on the path of something new), but they had names.

So I dont think theres reason to think citizens wont have names. So what if Fallout 3 was like that? Fallout is a different franchise, and even if it was done by Bethesda (and it was just a tad Oblivion-ish), its still a different franchise. Many things in Fallout 3 were just following what their predecessors did. So saying that it will be a certain way in Skyrim just because it was that way in Fallout 3 is illogical.

I think Bethesda made their own name generator, so it wont be a problem (even if its not done by a name generator, Im sure somebody's job at Bethesda is to come up with names).

Anyway, I voted no because I honestly dont care. But I really doubt they wont have names. Its just the way Bethesda is: they like spoons, mugs, forks, and NPC names.

Yeah, they could use a name generator, but you know what would be a fun way for Bethesda to implement this for free? These forums.

If coming up with all those names was problem, all Beth would have to do is post a "create a generic NPC name and have it appear in Skyrim!" topic right here, and they would no doubt get a bazillion race-appropriate names in no time.

I'll start.

Malfonse
Remmi
Dorn
Aliga Gro-mak
Neliniel
Haode
Treff
Zaweul
Manaxus
Winrahel