Author Topic: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?  (Read 15178 times)

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Offline S-99

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Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
I've already mentioned this in another thread. And i've mentioned this a while ago via the link "beephkakes" in my sig. But, the ancients in a mod calling themselves the ancients is inane. And the ancients calling themselves the ancients as some kind of homage to their long lasting empire is an excuse.

The ancients are one of the four species that's integral to the fs storyline. We certainly don't get to hear of an actual name for their species from V. V probably never came up with a name for the ancients at all. People here need to stop taking baby steps by finding ways of just referring to the ancients as the ancients.

Recommendations and consensus of names for the ancients species?
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Offline General Battuta

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Call them Ancients. At least in the context of ASW it makes sense, since the mod is being experienced through the eyes of a Vasudan.

Anything else will just feel silly. There's very little that's worse than a fictional alien name, and the good ones are few and far between.

I'm not sure at the moment that I can think of anything better for them to call each other. The People? Humanity?

 
Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Altairians?

(I'm assuming their homeworld was Altair IV.)

Humanity calls itself the "Terrans", which is just a slightly fancier way of saying "Earthlings", after all.

Well, that's my two cents.
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Offline General Battuta

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Right, but they wouldn't have called the planet Altair, now would've they?

 
Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Point.

Well, where did the ASW team get names like Aesdher? Couldn't the Ancient homeworld be named in the same theme?

But then, I guess that just descends into "made-up alien names" territory again, doesn't it? :sigh:
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Offline General Battuta

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Yeah...I dunno. It's just hard to capture the essence of the race in a made-up Tolkienesque name thing.

 

Offline Solatar

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Where do we find out that the player in ASW is playing through the eyes of a Vasudan?  That would make a lot of sense, I just haven't been able to find that anywhere.

Vahrenians (add or delete vowels as you see fit) is my vote - Slight misspelling of "Varuna" a very old Hindu god associated with the sea (like the Minoans).

Since "Vasudan" and "Shivan" are both Hindu derivatives, why not keep the theme going?

Of course I highly doubt we'll get any consensus; it's akin to taking a community vote to see what happens after FS2.

 

Offline General Battuta

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
The thing with that is that all the Hindu-derivative names (Shivan, Vasudan) were actually generated by Terrans. There weren't any around to give one to the Ancients. When we did give them a name, it was Minoan.

The other thing is that I think it's kind of a rule of good writing not to give your main characters names that start with the same first letter. We've already got them Vasudans.

Still, something else Hinduesque might work.


 

Offline Solatar

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Well, I'm ok with giving them a name that means something in a Terran language because the game (at least for some of us) IS in English. :P

The Prachinahm (I like Prachinahmen for plural, even though it's not a German root) would be a second choice for me.  A quick google look at some Hindu dictionaries would suggest it means "old/ancient". Well, it gave me praachiinam...

I just like "significant" names like that. Vasuda meaning "Earth", etc.

EDIT: I know I'm quoted, but I had to change "live" to "like"  :).
« Last Edit: January 09, 2010, 02:01:35 am by Solatar »

 

Offline General Battuta

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
I like that.

 

Offline Iss Mneur

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Well, I'm ok with giving them a name that means something in a Terran language because the game (at least for some of us) IS in English. :P

The Prachinahm (I like Prachinahmen for plural, even though it's not a German root) would be a second choice for me.  A quick google look at some Hindu dictionaries would suggest it means "old/ancient". Well, it gave me praachiinam...

I just live "significant" names like that. Vasuda meaning "Earth", etc.
I like the "significant" names as well.  Though another word meaning "Earth" would be cool as well.
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Offline S-99

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Right, but they wouldn't have called the planet Altair, now would've they?
Maybe not, we're humans and we don't call our planet humee.
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Offline Sushi

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Option 1:
Steal shamelessly from other sci-fi universes. Call them "the Rebel Alliance" or "Klingons."

Option 2:
Channel Tolkien (like every fantasy author since). Just throw some syllables together that sound vaguely mysterious and foreign. "Labethkor" or "Bojamdi" for example.

Option 3:
Go literal. Assuming a perfect translator, they would probably call themselves "humans." Revel in the confusion this causes.

Option 4:
Make saying the name of the race out loud an unbreakable social taboo. The player will never know!

Option 5:
Ridiculous, face-palm puns. "Aleens", "Shicagobers", "Danee Dovido".


EDIT: Oh wait, you wanted good ideas? :D

 

Offline General Battuta

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Right, but they wouldn't have called the planet Altair, now would've they?
Maybe not, we're humans and we don't call our planet humee.

More importantly, Altair is an abbreviation of an Arabic word, and the Ancients clearly didn't speak Arabic.

I think "The Race" might be a decent term. Gives a slight sense of Aryanesque racial superiority.

 

Offline Droid803

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Where do we find out that the player in ASW is playing through the eyes of a Vasudan?  That would make a lot of sense, I just haven't been able to find that anywhere.

Didn't you watch the opening cutscene? (not the "first mission" one, but the one that comes before pilot selection).
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Offline NGTM-1R

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Call them Ishmael.
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Offline Galemp

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
"Priscus Sapiens."

They don't really need to refer to the name of their species at all. They can talk about the glory of The Empire and the future of Their Race. Command can be referred to as The Elders and the leaders of the empire could be called The Ancients, and their planet could be referred to as Home.
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Offline General Battuta

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
Where do we find out that the player in ASW is playing through the eyes of a Vasudan?  That would make a lot of sense, I just haven't been able to find that anywhere.

Didn't you watch the opening cutscene? (not the "first mission" one, but the one that comes before pilot selection).

To be fair, it's really hard to hear what's going on.

 

Offline Snail

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?

 

Offline Ziame

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Re: Recommendations of names for the ancients as a species?
They don't really need to refer to the name of their species at all. They can talk about the glory of The Empire and the future of Their Race. Command can be referred to as The Elders and the leaders of the empire could be called The Ancients, and their planet could be referred to as Home.

That is IMO best idea
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