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Do You Have Any Particular Approach To Coming Up With Level Names?

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ElectroYoshi
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Do You Have Any Particular Approach To Coming Up With Level Names?

Post by ElectroYoshi »

Every level needs a title. Do you have any particular way you go about coming up with your titles?
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Baufritz
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Post by Baufritz »

i have a couple ways coming up with names:
  • Using a fantasy name generator (they're usually designed for MMOs and RPGs and stuff, but they do a pretty decent job for level names too)
  • vaguely describing what a level is about, then translating that into a foreign language that "sounds cooler"
  • vaguely describing what a level is about, then using thesaurus.com
Mostly the first one though.
If it's broken, fix it.
If it isn't broken, I'll soon fix that.
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papaya
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Post by papaya »

You only need to look at my level names to appreciate the amount of effort that goes into each and every one. Take my first level for instance. It's called "Papaya's Death Run". You might've heard of it. It's good level, 10/10. I wasl ooking for something that really emphasised how fast the player should be going, you feel? And I also had to make sure people knew who made it - me, papaya. #1 Level Designer. I got like 20 LotDs. I got more lotd awards on relevant levels than anyone else (that is to say all levels besides mine are irrelevant). Now, in this level you can die. What rhymes with die? Pie. I'm a rapper. Now, Death is another word for die which is more like the noun of it and more like the concept rather than the action. It's not a verb, is what I'm saying. So, we combine these words together. We got Papaya, Death and Relatively Quickly. Remove all but the first letter of Relatively and then all but the second letter of Quickly and we get Papaya Death Ru. Add an N and WHAMMO you got the level name. I'm genius.

My next level was get the cupcake or something similar I don't remember my own level names man I just remember the ones that got LOTD and this one didn't so who gives a shit. In it you have to get the cupcake (although the trick is to actually wait 2 minutes for a platform behind the cupcake to open which leads you to a bigger and better prize but there is a biggerer and betterer one I won't tell you how to get it's very simple really and the fact that nobody besides one person I told about it has got the 250 points makes me realise that all of OMB is about instant gratification and that's quite sad. There's no puzzle solving spirit. You guys suck. Shame on you). I think it speaks for itself NEXT

we have Protector II. It's a homage to a bunch of levels and I made one. It was the last LOTD of the old atmosphir and was therefore clearly the best level ever. I can confirm, cause I made it. Now like baufritz above before I made this level I looked up like sentinel in a dictionary or something and realised nobody had used the word protector since all the level names were synonyms of sentinel or some shit I dunno ask frodo don't really cause nobody knows where he went and good luck finding him with that username sheesh frodo. Anyway its a very good level and if you're reading this entity then please give it LOTD because seriously I put way too much effort into this level for it to be ignored. Has anyone beaten it? I haven't checked. Probably not. Again, you guys suck. Seriously damn why aren't you playing my level do you have any idea how unhappy that makes me

quite a bit unhappy the next levels are ascension and ascension babby mode. Now, I'm gonna blow your fucking minds here but in this level you .. ascend. Woah. Holy fuck let me just let you let that sink in to your head I'll twiddle my thumbs while I wait for you to comprehend how fucking amazing that goddamn title is seriously I deserve an award just for that title. But noooo it goes to a 20 minute level damn it took me like twice that to make this level and then 10 times that to playtest the bloody thing. Made me so upset knowing that nobody would ever beat it. I checked the comments today and noticed someone had said how exploitable it was WELL LET ME TELL YOU it is not exploitable in no way no sir no how. You see people think they're so goddamn clever and I've had my playtesters tell me this they think because you can stand on the safe bits of the spike blocks you're able to beat the level without trying. Good luck is all I can say to that because you can't If you stand on them you're just postponing your eventual death. The way the level works means you'd have to be constantly jumping across spike blocks from one safe square to another. If you've never tried that before let me tell you its so goddamn difficult and sure you will ascend but it'll be a boring ascension. Th level is so goddamn fun and people are just like woah let me just stand on this block like i'm a goddamn idiot derp de derp and then they die rate it 1 star and go bum themselves are you like that no anway its about ascenssioning so thats what its called the last one is babby mode its for babbys and so far loads of babbies have beaten it its like a way to play the level as if you were wrapped up in cotton wool or wearing an american football suit i dont know man

i dont know man
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Baufritz
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Post by Baufritz »

papaya wrote:
words

dude that's genius
If it's broken, fix it.
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Phantomboy
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Post by Phantomboy »

You know, honestly there is something to be said for keeping level names concise, interesting and relevant. While the the interesting aspect is very important, anything too extraneous can look a bit over complicated. Especially now, since a levels screenshot appears in the playbrowser, and interesting screenshot is just as, if not more important.
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papaya
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Post by papaya »

the screenshot is more important than the title and always will be for as long as both co-exist
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Miniike
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Post by Miniike »

papaya wrote:genius
I READ THE WHOLE THING

WHY
EDIT: wut
:pigflag: for fricking fricks sake why do i still care :pigflag:
:lock: 1. Wild Life 2. China Pig 3. The Blimp (Mousetrapreplica) 4. Sugar N' Spikes 5. Ant Man Bee :lock:
:bomb: you'll love it, it's a way of life :bomb:
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ElectroYoshi
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Post by ElectroYoshi »

Literally, every level I've made on the OMB server (sequels excluded) has gotten its name in a different way;
Spoiler
Platformed Returns Series: Since it's my take on the old Platformed series, I just slapped Returns on the end, a la Donkey Kong Country Returns

Captain Cameron Series: These are based on The Adventures of Captain Toad levels seen in Super Mario 3D World, so I took that name and replaced "Toad" with "Cameron" to connect to Atmosphir.

Wii-member: Portmanteau the words "Wii" and "Remember"

Low School: Pun on "High school"

One Night in Cielo: The ending cutscene in this level ends with that

White Lake Galaxy: "White" refers to snow, "Lake" refers to water; this level centers on both

Rush 5460: "Rush" refers to the fact that it's a race against time, while "5460" refers to the fact that it's set on warring spacecrafts; The most common metals used in spacecraft are aluminum, magnesium, and titanium. When you add together the melting points of those three metals, you get 5,460.

Sable: French word for "sand".
Long story short, I don't have a set approach for names. If it connects to the level somehow, pretty much anything I can dream up is fair game.
I need a shot again, that sweet adrenaline.
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Entity
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Post by Entity »

Yeah, each level is different. Like pappy and them said, the screenshot is really the number one thing that will make me click on a level. Even if the title and description look spammy, if there's an epic screenshot I'll probably click through
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kroltan
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Post by kroltan »

If it's a series, something that sounds epic, otherwise use a obscure music's name.
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SirWrek
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Post by SirWrek »

Sometimes I think creatively, but lately I've just sort of been winging it.
I've been around since 2008. And I'm old. Yay. Pretty sure I notched a fair amount of LOTD/XPs but somehow always like my underrated levels more. Go figure. My best design days are behind me, but I'll try to not be too shabby.
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