'Queen' is by far the best alternative in thread. I agree with the notion that it should be a female, that makes sense, but 'mother' is too endearing for my taste. Aliens bad, marines good, and everybody knows that queens are just about as evil as they come (thank you Walt Disney). Queen even comes with the added bonus of catering to the ###### community. Win win, people.
I don't see why ripping off StarCraft is considered a bad thing. so far we have <b>units:</b> TSA(spacemarines),skulks(zerglings),fades(hydralisks),lerks(mutalisks/qeens),onos(ultralisks),gorge(probes/drones), gestation egg(eggs/cocoons) <b>buildings:</b> rt(refinery),off chamber(spore colony),prototype lab(engineering bay/academy),armslab(armory),observatory(comSat station),hive(hive),def chamber(shield batteries), senschambers(detectors/arbiter), movement chamber(nydus canal) <b>abilities:</b> parasites(parasites),umbra(dark swarm),spores(psistorm/plague),web(ensnare),catalyst packs(stim packs),welding(repair),healing spray(healing),scanner sweep(scanner sweep), stomp(maelstrom/disruption web/ensnare) <b>upgrades:</b> cloaking(burrowing/cloaking),redemption/distress beacon(recall), carapace(carapace),celerity(metabolic boost), adrenaline(adrenal glands), regeneration(regeneration),siege upgrade(siege tech),distress beacon/phase tech(recall tech),damage upgrades(infantry wepons),armor upgrades(infantry armor) you may even see heavy armor as kind of goliaths, modded armories as shield batteries and phase gates as nydus canals. mines are comparable to spider mindes. turret factory are pylons and turrets behave like photon cannons, but have the look of HL turrets. for NS2 there will probably be flamethrowers(fire baits),dynamic infestation(creep),weldbots(SCVs) and siegebots(siegetanks) while SC2 will finally implement jetpack, motion tracking, blinking, phase gates and xenocide
therefore I don't mind calling the alien commander overlord, hivemind or even overmind queen and mother, which are pretty much taken from the alien films, are acceptable, too
Most intellectual property is fairly similar. Space marines fighting aliens is so ubiquitous that saying "it's ripping off stacraft" is redundant. Ideas are self-cannibalizing in the sense that everyone gets inspired by everyone else. What is important, is that the intellectual property is identifiable.
The NS aliens don't look like other aliens in other games. They're not bugs, they're not tyranid, they're not zerg, they're no zenomorphs, they're not buggers and so on. Vocabulary is important too. Skulks are skulks because that word is not linked with another intellectual property of a similar nature. A better example would be the gorge, which have been easily been called the drone but not doing so, the gorge becomes so much more identifiable instead of being generic.
The naming conventions so far: skulk (sneaky), gorge (hungry/fat), lerk (lurk, also sneaky), fade (to disappear) and onos (oh noes!). I think the name of the alien command should be similar to that then something so...generic.
e.g.Edict (to command), Haunt or Haunter (unwelcome visitor), Murmur or Murmurer (to whisper).
moultanoCreator of ns_shiva.Join Date: 2002-12-14Member: 10806Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Gold, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
<!--quoteo(post=1722501:date=Aug 13 2009, 01:24 AM:name=tankefugl)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tankefugl @ Aug 13 2009, 01:24 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1722501"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Should be called Alpha.
Spot on!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
My vote is for this. It's used in biology (alpha male,) describes accurately the role (the first among many,) it isn't already associated with another game, and can be pluralized without seeming weird.
Think of Starcraft 1 and the cerebrates. There were multiple of them, that joined into a collective HIVEMIND.
Extra:
In Starcraft LORE, each cerebrate had control of its own brood, but the Hivemind controlled all the cerebrates. You see the point I am making here.
(There was an exception where Sarah Kerrigan jumped in the middle of the Zerg "Control Infrastructure", but that is irrelevant to this game.)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Alpha is the logical choice, however, personally I don't think it's the way to go. Hivemind, Overmind, something a lot cooler like that would definitely have my vote.
Ive noticed at least in NS1 that a lot o fmaps have an area that contains 'alpha' in its description. I guess mappers would have to avoid using this label to avoid confusion!
Example:
'guys protect alpha' 'what? no there isnt i just went past there' 'no not alpha, ALPHA!'
Seriously though why not have both hivemind and alpha. This would be particularly pertinent if there are multiple commanders and one of them is a kind of 'team captain'. In that case you would have 2 or 3 'hiveminds' and 1 'hivemind alpha'
<!--quoteo(post=1722773:date=Aug 13 2009, 06:27 PM:name=wankalot)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (wankalot @ Aug 13 2009, 06:27 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1722773"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Ive noticed at least in NS1 that a lot o fmaps have an area that contains 'alpha' in its description. I guess mappers would have to avoid using this label to avoid confusion!
Example:
'guys protect alpha' 'what? no there isnt i just went past there' 'no not alpha, ALPHA!'
Seriously though why not have both hivemind and alpha. This would be particularly pertinent if there are multiple commanders and one of them is a kind of 'team captain'. In that case you would have 2 or 3 'hiveminds' and 1 'hivemind alpha'<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> This is a good idea. I like the idea of being called hivemind alpha. :)
Since all the other alien names are related to verbs describing what they do best. (Except the exclaimation that is the Onos)
How about keeping the theme going? Stuff like Cognis or Cerebrate (since everyone knows SC I'm sure they'll recognise this, but it's just an english verb so it's hardly plagiarism)
Or Princeps, just 'cause I like it and it denotes leadership so it makes sense.
locallyunsceneFeeder of TrollsJoin Date: 2002-12-25Member: 11528Members, Constellation
<!--quoteo(post=1722773:date=Aug 13 2009, 10:27 PM:name=wankalot)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (wankalot @ Aug 13 2009, 10:27 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1722773"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Ive noticed at least in NS1 that a lot o fmaps have an area that contains 'alpha' in its description. I guess mappers would have to avoid using this label to avoid confusion!
Example:
'guys protect alpha' 'what? no there isnt i just went past there' 'no not alpha, ALPHA!'
Seriously though why not have both hivemind and alpha. This would be particularly pertinent if there are multiple commanders and one of them is a kind of 'team captain'. In that case you would have 2 or 3 'hiveminds' and 1 'hivemind alpha'<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Yeah that could get confusing fast, especially when the game's in alpha. "So, I was playing the alpha..." "No duh we all are." "No, I mean I was playing alpha in the alpha." "Yeah I played that map a bunch yesterday too." "No I mean I was playing The Alpha on alpha in the alpha." "Wait, what?"
Comments
I think Overlord fits perfectly, regardless of its SC attachments.
They think as one, while acting as individuals (the Borg V2.0)
or the Great Tentacles ?! i like it hahaha
Edit: I can't believe ###### is censored.
so far we have
<b>units:</b> TSA(spacemarines),skulks(zerglings),fades(hydralisks),lerks(mutalisks/qeens),onos(ultralisks),gorge(probes/drones), gestation egg(eggs/cocoons)
<b>buildings:</b> rt(refinery),off chamber(spore colony),prototype lab(engineering bay/academy),armslab(armory),observatory(comSat station),hive(hive),def chamber(shield batteries), senschambers(detectors/arbiter), movement chamber(nydus canal)
<b>abilities:</b> parasites(parasites),umbra(dark swarm),spores(psistorm/plague),web(ensnare),catalyst packs(stim packs),welding(repair),healing spray(healing),scanner sweep(scanner sweep), stomp(maelstrom/disruption web/ensnare)
<b>upgrades:</b> cloaking(burrowing/cloaking),redemption/distress beacon(recall), carapace(carapace),celerity(metabolic boost), adrenaline(adrenal glands), regeneration(regeneration),siege upgrade(siege tech),distress beacon/phase tech(recall tech),damage upgrades(infantry wepons),armor upgrades(infantry armor)
you may even see heavy armor as kind of goliaths, modded armories as shield batteries and phase gates as nydus canals. mines are comparable to spider mindes. turret factory are pylons and turrets behave like photon cannons, but have the look of HL turrets.
for NS2 there will probably be flamethrowers(fire baits),dynamic infestation(creep),weldbots(SCVs) and siegebots(siegetanks) while SC2 will finally implement jetpack, motion tracking, blinking, phase gates and xenocide
therefore I don't mind calling the alien commander overlord, hivemind or even overmind
queen and mother, which are pretty much taken from the alien films, are acceptable, too
Again, if the voice of the Khaara is called "the hive mind", I think this thread was already over about ~6-7 years before it was started...
The NS aliens don't look like other aliens in other games. They're not bugs, they're not tyranid, they're not zerg, they're no zenomorphs, they're not buggers and so on. Vocabulary is important too. Skulks are skulks because that word is not linked with another intellectual property of a similar nature. A better example would be the gorge, which have been easily been called the drone but not doing so, the gorge becomes so much more identifiable instead of being generic.
The naming conventions so far: skulk (sneaky), gorge (hungry/fat), lerk (lurk, also sneaky), fade (to disappear) and onos (oh noes!). I think the name of the alien command should be similar to that then something so...generic.
e.g.Edict (to command), Haunt or Haunter (unwelcome visitor), Murmur or Murmurer (to whisper).
EDIT: also, Cohort (an accomplice)
I like Hivemind
Also multiple players playing as the Hivemind is not a problem, since presumably it can have multiple centers of focus and attention.
So...
+1 Hivemind
Its kind of like how Oh Noes! turned into Onos. This is kind of like "hive hand."
Spot on!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
My vote is for this. It's used in biology (alpha male,) describes accurately the role (the first among many,) it isn't already associated with another game, and can be pluralized without seeming weird.
Think of Starcraft 1 and the cerebrates. There were multiple of them, that joined into a collective HIVEMIND.
Extra:
In Starcraft LORE, each cerebrate had control of its own brood, but the Hivemind controlled all the cerebrates. You see the point I am making here.
(There was an exception where Sarah Kerrigan jumped in the middle of the Zerg "Control Infrastructure", but that is irrelevant to this game.)
Think of Starcraft 1 and the cerebrates. There were multiple of them, that joined into a collective HIVEMIND.
Extra:
In Starcraft LORE, each cerebrate had control of its own brood, but the Hivemind controlled all the cerebrates. You see the point I am making here.
(There was an exception where Sarah Kerrigan jumped in the middle of the Zerg "Control Infrastructure", but that is irrelevant to this game.)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Overmind*
Also, what does this have to do with NS?
QFT
Alpha it is then.
Glad we had this discussion. Next topic?
Alpha(s) the _____ of the hive.
Example:
'guys protect alpha'
'what? no there isnt i just went past there'
'no not alpha, ALPHA!'
Seriously though why not have both hivemind and alpha. This would be particularly pertinent if there are multiple commanders and one of them is a kind of 'team captain'. In that case you would have 2 or 3 'hiveminds' and 1 'hivemind alpha'
Example:
'guys protect alpha'
'what? no there isnt i just went past there'
'no not alpha, ALPHA!'
Seriously though why not have both hivemind and alpha. This would be particularly pertinent if there are multiple commanders and one of them is a kind of 'team captain'. In that case you would have 2 or 3 'hiveminds' and 1 'hivemind alpha'<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This is a good idea. I like the idea of being called hivemind alpha. :)
Mugwump
Bruteleader
I know its very StarCraft like, but its just the Coolest name Ever!!!11
How about keeping the theme going? Stuff like Cognis or Cerebrate (since everyone knows SC I'm sure they'll recognise this, but it's just an english verb so it's hardly plagiarism)
Or Princeps, just 'cause I like it and it denotes leadership so it makes sense.
Example:
'guys protect alpha'
'what? no there isnt i just went past there'
'no not alpha, ALPHA!'
Seriously though why not have both hivemind and alpha. This would be particularly pertinent if there are multiple commanders and one of them is a kind of 'team captain'. In that case you would have 2 or 3 'hiveminds' and 1 'hivemind alpha'<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah that could get confusing fast, especially when the game's in alpha.
"So, I was playing the alpha..."
"No duh we all are."
"No, I mean I was playing alpha in the alpha."
"Yeah I played that map a bunch yesterday too."
"No I mean I was playing The Alpha on alpha in the alpha."
"Wait, what?"