Naming stars and planets you discover

[justice7ca]

Hello All, I just joined the forum after reading up a bit on the game.

I have a concern about allowing players to name planets and stars that they discover. While I think this is a fantastic idea for trekkies, it may not be a great feature if we run into things like "stinkypoo planet"

Do we know if having properly named stars will be enforced? As long as a name is "on topic" and/or fits with the Star Trek lore.

Thanks, enjoying what i'm seeing so far.

[Saerain]

While this is entirely speculation on my part, I have a feeling that 'discoverable' planets are instanced, meaning that only the player and those in the player's group would be able to see and travel to Planet Stinkypoo.

I don't think you'll be able to just stumble into planets previously discovered and named by another player.

Again, this isn't fact in any way, just my amateur developer empathy. Devpathy?

[Trixxe]

No, I'm fairly certian that everyone has access to planets that you name. That being said, if there an an offensivly named planet, or perhaps just a dumb one, you can submit a report.

[KL0k]

well... maybe then we should try to avoid this in the first place and put in a random name generator (if they cant comeup with a proper name themselves + a database that checks for the same name)..

[Griffin]

I recall reading something about sharing data regarding player discovered planets. Say... I discover a planet and name it XYZ, only I would be able to see that planet, but I could share that with my friends or fleet, so now they can see planet XYZ.

[osskssa]

As Griffin said when you discover a planet/system you have choice of sharing the knowlege with other players so they can go there too, wether its with your Fleet(Guild) or with friends or maybe everyone you see lol

[ledzeppelin68]

To be honest, you could say the same for character names, for people who are into the lore, running into someone with the name "Spiderpiglol" might ruin the fun, perhaps having different types of realms would solve this.

[destucto2005]

i think thats a great idea and a positive idea on the game having namable planets but as said it would need to be limited or names checked

[Angelwithsoul]

Color me clueless but, Where does it say in official statements made by Cryptic that we can discover new planets and name them?

I just thought we had a big map with lots of systems in it all already given names by Cryptic themselves.

If not, Then how big IS this game universe going to be. Once people start exploring the game could end up with millions of discovered star systems within a few weeks, Billions months after. Where does it stop?

[Trixxe]

Color me clueless but, Where does it say in official statements made by Cryptic that we can discover new planets and name them?

I just thought we had a big map with lots of systems in it all already given names by Cryptic themselves.

If not, Then how big IS this game universe going to be. Once people start exploring the game could end up with millions of discovered star systems within a few weeks, Billions months after. Where does it stop?

Supposedly it's going to be ever expanding. They'll regularly release new patches with new zones to explore. So basicly, the longer the game lasts, the bigger it will get.

[LunaticFringer]

I'm starting to think the same on "undiscovered" planets. The random generator will likely only let the player(s) there see "planet stinky" while adding any tech/crew races to a list for your side to draw from a database once discovered.

The question I'm still wondering about is if other players will be able to re-visit the places I've gone? I just assumed any races/planets of this nature would also have a random generator. Easier than dealing with the "planet stinky" scenarios.

[takiwa]

So can I visit planet stinkypoo? please? Maybe its aan appropriate name? What if it really smells like stinkypoo, wouldn't you want to know that before beaming down?

Dialog
CAPT: "Captains personal log (LMAO) Beamed down to the surface of UDP-1 (undiscovered planet 1) and initial lifesigns are abundant, however we are experiencing nausia from a strang oder on the planet surface. Science officer is investigation the cause."
Science officer: "UGH Captin... Smells like the backside of a dead Sheep!"
CAPT: "Mr. Macdonald can you tell us any more information about the cause of this smell?"
Red Shirt number 1: "Ensign Ricky might have eaten burritos last night, Sir!"

you see Stinkypoo might have allowed us to avoid this whole mess, where UDP-1 didn't help at all.

Takiwa

[Angelwithsoul]

Supposedly it's going to be ever expanding. They'll regularly release new patches with new zones to explore. So basicly, the longer the game lasts, the bigger it will get.

I find this hard to believe. Unless Cryptic has discovered a way to downsize the amount of storage space is needed to create data files containing everything needed to show a group of systems in-game.

The larger the map would become over time, The more space this game would require on our hard-drives. If this goes on forever then that would mean one day having a 200Gb HDD with nothing else then STO on it.

However I guess they could be using the same trick which Maxis used on Spore. If so, Then this game will be far more bigger in size then I even imagined. :cool:

[Tamgros]

Supposedly it's going to be ever expanding. They'll regularly release new patches with new zones to explore. So basicly, the longer the game lasts, the bigger it will get.

This isn't entirely true.

Cryptic has a 'procedural generation' system that is kind of directed randomization of planets/systems/life/missions. This means you can go explore for pretty much an endless amount of time.

Like someone said before, you will have the opportunity to share planets with your friends. I bet you can only share a set number of planets. These will probably be instanced like uch of the game. You probably won't just randomly stumble on other people's planets.

EDIT: just found a relevant quote from HERE (http://sknr.net/2008/11/18/star-trek-online-interview/)
Exploration is almost endless! Players will be visiting major Trek locations like Vulcan and Deep Space Nine, but they’ll also be beaming down to the surfaces of unexplored planets and making first contacts with new civilizations. Cryptic has developed some really cool technology that allows us to generate exploration content that is compelling and complex. I don’t know of another game that’s taken it to this level.

[Soruyao]

"Sir, we're getting reports of some sort of doomsday weapon heading towards earth from the stinkypoo system."

"What?! Set a course for the stinkypoo system, maximum warp!"





...


"Captains log: I can't imagine why the people of stinkypoo 7 could want to destroy earth so badly."

[justice7ca]

any of you that played Mass Effect know how bland "randomized planets" could be. There are plenty of off-the-beaten-path planets to go to and explore there...

Here's the ultimate question though; how interesting will our average venture into the unknown be, and how "large" are the planets to explore? Are they just tiny little instances? Are they vast plains that we can land on and explore its interestingly procedural-built land-mass?

If done right, the planets and the universe could be infinitely large (and it should be) with easy ways to communicate, and locate friendly vessels either at major landmarks or by using a homing beacon of some sort.

[Tamgros]

any of you that played Mass Effect know how bland "randomized planets" could be. There are plenty of off-the-beaten-path planets to go to and explore there...

Here's the ultimate question though; how interesting will our average venture into the unknown be, and how "large" are the planets to explore? Are they just tiny little instances? Are they vast plains that we can land on and explore its interestingly procedural-built land-mass?

If done right, the planets and the universe could be infinitely large (and it should be) with easy ways to communicate, and locate friendly vessels either at major landmarks or by using a homing beacon of some sort.

In the interview I quoted above, Craig said that their system is beyond any other that he knows of, and I know he knows of Mass Effect, he's talked about it before.

There is another interview where he says that their mission generator is so good that it is going to be hard to discern between dev made missions and generated missions.

I hope it's that good (and that the dev made missions aren't just bad:p). This is definitely one aspect that "has to be seen to believe" and tested to make sure all aspects of it work properly. If it does work properly then it could be a fantastic system.

[the_reaper87]

I don't know about you, but I suck at naming so I'm just going to things simple anyway. My line of naming, I'm gonna name the star, then and a number for each planet going out, and if there are moons then I'll add letters.

So in this practice Earth would be called "Sol 3" and the Moon called "Sol 3A".

Simple

[Apoc_0987]

If I come across a stupidly named planet, I'll know that whoever named that planet is most likely an idiotic 10 year old who like to "F1R3 M3H LAS3RS!"

[Kinjiru]

"And I hereby christen this planet in the name of the Federation..."


"...Tim!"

[ronaldheld]

Doesn't Cryptic know allthe planets in the game; we merely "discover" them?

[the_reaper87]

If your referring to the planets having preexisting civilizations, with there own name for the planet. If so, then you'll to keep in mind that we already have names for stars and planets and other spacial what nots.

The people living nearer to these would have there own names for them, but it's not there star map we're drawing is it.

I reckon that if this was real, then all planets and stars would have code like names, with the names given to them by the natives in quotes.

i.e
Sol 3 "Earth"

[RE-Kirk]

Planet "BOB"?
You can't name a planet "BOB"!

What's the matter? - Don't you want to live on "Bob"?
--- Titan, A.E.


I do not want to be subjected to the juvenile humor of the general populace
I prefer my own brand of juvenile humor

Keeping my secret filthy names for planets to myself and my fleet

Its the only way to maintain some semblance of harmony