Help With a Name For my Game

[Takyon]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, although I haven't seen one I'd use yet it's quite helpful thanks.

The thing that makes this game different I feel is the extensive history and in depth storyline. Also the game play and atmosphere will be different to a lot of fantasy games. Also many of the locations are unusual and don't copy others in different fantasy games or books. The game is also a good insight into the development of the character, confidence and journey that Malakey makes as he travels.

We're also going to revamp the artwork this summer with a much more detailed feel. Kind of like CMI but not the same.

[rbaleksandar]

...and you should also sell action figures packed with the game...

I would definitely buy not one but more if there are different figures and are *as promised* connected with the "bikini babes Tits of supreme ass".

[arrr]

And if you call now 0900 666 333 2121 you get two, yes two, not one, non-funcional vacuum cleaners! Lol, I think I'm straying off the topic here, sorry.

[Anian]

The thing that makes this game different I feel is the extensive history and in depth storyline. Also the game play and atmosphere will be different to a lot of fantasy games. Also many of the locations are unusual and don't copy others in different fantasy games or books. The game is also a good insight into the development of the character, confidence and journey that Malakey makes as he travels.

Is this concerning what I've written, (if it's not, then sorry about writing this) if it is, then you haven't really awnsered my non-direct question, even though I admire you for making a thorough background, it's not exactly what I meant.
The backgrounds look very cool now, if you make them better then even better.

@DiGrizz: But wait, there's more! (or as they say it in our country "Ali to nije sve!")  You also get a free Super-ninja-monkey-robot-zombie-assassin halloween costume. Retail price  200 dollars, but if you call for this, limited time only, you get it absolutely free.

[arrr]

Pa dje me nadje, jebote patak hahahaha pozdrav iz Osijeka!
Edit: looks like I found a person from Croatia. Sorry for the local language.

[Takyon]

Sorry anian I didn't really understand what you meant maybe you could explain a bit more to me?

[Anian]

Well you mentioned it was very well researched but that's not what's suppose to make it special. You can use basically any sci-fi or fantasy work and you can see how to work out the title, for example:
"Lord of the rings" - you can tell the central point of the books, The Ring, or even "The fellowship of the ring" - some group carries a ring, it describes the plot.
"Discworld" - all novels that are set there are set on world in the shape of a disc
"Conan the barbarian" - describes the character, describes his origins and such
"Dark tower" - the whole series centeres around the main character trying to reach that dark tower
"Shadows of the Templars" - main point Templars and plots in secret
"Grim Fandango" - settings (spanishlike) and grim (bunch of sceletons plus it's noir)
"Return of the Jedi" - Skywalker goes offensive, Darth Vader turns away from the dark side
and so on.

The title says what you may encounter in this story (game, novel, movie), something that'll come to mind when you mention your game. So maybe if you think about who is the antagonist (if it's a dark lord or something then "Dark heart"), what is unique about the setting (fantasy with dragons then "Flight of dragons"), if your hero becomes some generic d&d class ("Knight's journey") etc.

So suggesting a name without such informations is just a random guess that only you, knowing what the game is about, can tell if it suits the game (a good thing was for example when you said the hero's named Malakey so SPC suggested "Malakey Malarkey"). Give the people something solid to work with. 

Hope you don't mind this, I probably am complicating things but this is just what I thing would help. 

[Takyon]

Ahhh I see, thanks anian I understand. I need to really go through the story I think as there's so much that happens maybe I need to simplify it slightly and this well help me pick the perfect name.

Malakey travels across the whole fantasy world in which he lives discovering many weird and wonderful places including an orphanage inside a giant lemon, the edge of the world (as you've never seen before lol), the mysterious Mapoco mountains, the tree house village and much more. I honestly feel that the locations alone set it out to be quite different and others have agreed after reading the story. Although you only have my word to go on until I have more of the game developed so I won't go on about it to much lol. I hope that my concept will feel original but warmly familiar in some ways.

[Moresco]

Malakey travels across the whole fantasy world in which he lives discovering many weird and wonderful places including an orphanage inside a giant lemon, the edge of the world (as you've never seen before lol), the mysterious Mapoco mountains, the tree house village and much more.

Malakey and the Strange.  Thank you goodnight.

[Charity]

What is Malakey's goal?  What is the outcome of his journey?  Or the destination? What is the key conflict that forces him to leave home to begin with?  Who is/are the key bad guys, romantic interest(s), or other vital characters?  What are their goals, or what's important to them?  What befalls them at the beginning or the end?  What are the central themes of the plot, what is a singular overarching fact about the world, the plot, or one of the characters?  In other words, what is the game REALLY about?

This information is, I think, exactly what you don't want to give away, for good reason, but it is also the sort of information that would be most helpful to anyone trying to help you come up with a name.  So far we have Malakey, something about a falling star or a gate of unknown significance, a journey to an undisclosed location, and a scattering of stops along the way that may or may not have central importance, but we don't know.

If the game is mostly about the journey, then a journey sort of name would probably be appropriate:
Malakey's Journey
Malakey's Travels
The Travels of Malakey
Malakey Travels to the Ends of the Earth
Around the World (With Malakey)
Beyond the Gate
Malakey's Adventures in Geography
Gateworld

If he is looking for something you get more easy titles
Malakey Searches the Globe
In Search of Fallen Stars
Finding the Gate
Makakey's Adventures in Geographical Lost And Found

Or the star or gate themes
The Star that Fell and Crashed into a Gate
Fall from the Sky
Comet
Meteor
Twinkle Twinkle
Malakey's Twinkler
Lucky Star
Unlucky Star
If You Wish
Dreams Come True
How I Wonder (And/or What You Are)
Or some other line/partial line from a song/poem about stars.
Open the Gate
Fantasy Gate
Watergate
Defend Your Gate
The Great Gate
The Great Gatesby
Snippets from songs about gates if you can think of any
And while we're on songs and poems, there's a lot on traveling and journeys
On the Road Again
And I Would Walk Five Hundred More

Admittedly a lot of modern songs will have modern connotations.  Nursery rhymes are a good place to look for more of a fairytale feel, or just look up songs that are more historical in their content or origin.

People dig references.  You don't have to limit yourself to songs or poems, if you can find a relevant quote from a famous person, or a book, movie, play (Shakespeare is good), comic.  Iconic sources are good because people will recognize them, but you can probably get away with taking from some obscure source, especially if it is really literary, and you'll give the people who actually recognize it a sense of satisfaction.  And you don't have to quote word for word.  Changing one key word from a line or another iconic title can work, but try to make is clever.  Also it is good if at least one theme from the work you are referencing lines up with a major theme in your game, otherwise people who think too hard will become confused and irritable, and take it out on the people they care about most.

EDIT: Oops.  I just noticed you DID give us his goal (to stop the corruption of the land).  And also that you specified a preference for a two word, "Golden Sun" like title.  Um.  Nothing much comes to mind.  I remember I played Golden Sun and I could never figure out what the title referred to.   You can try reducing a line from an iconic song to two words.
On the earthy theme.  Um.
Save the Whales
With Our Powers Combined
Mother Fuckin' Nature
Go Gaia
Recycle, Reduce, Resort to Violence
Stop the Corruption
Salinization
Gaia Gets Grumpy
Decay
Rot
Rotten
Our Friends in the Forest
Deadwood
Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute
Malakey in: Get those Republicans Out of My Fantasy World!

Eh.

[jfarwyke]

How about "The Game with No Name"

[fred]

Golden Crown

[Takyon]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Hopefully we'll have a name soon we've got a bit closer to confirming anyway I'll let you all know what we chose lol.

[goldensox]

MalaQuest
Thew In
By the Gates of xxx
Malakey and the Gate
I'm out of ideas, put you can always do like I do:

Choose a project name, like Project Ala-Nove, or my new Project WhitEye. You will work ith the project name and the overall name will be put on the last minute, like it should be. Or you can stick with the project name, and keep on with that, what I suggest you, since it's a way to brainstorm you into getting a name to it.

Otherwise, you can search some non-english names like I do, making a smal system for putting names into your stories and such... Leme give you an example:

My stories happen in a word called Panaikos. It's a simplification from the greek Panatinaikos (though I'm not into soccer).

In Panaikos, every land ends with Solí, and all islands with Solinem.

So I take the adverb 'Shine', from the old norse, that is Glós. So, the heaven-like city-state of Panaikos is called Glosólinem (kinda lika that music name). The island where Ala Nove happens is called Tuskasólinem (Island of the Agony). The northmost, but beautifuler land is called Lillisóli and Vanilliesóli. The main continent is called MaterSólinemorai and so it goes like this.

Ala Nove and the Whiteye Project all happen in Tuskásóli Soterpartei (South of the Island of Agony), but I call the whole series the Panaikos Tales.

Just for you to know =D

Good luck.

[Ghost]

Vanilliesóli

An interesting and thorough concept! Though this reminds me of a certain dessert... 

[goldensox]

Vanilliesóli

An interesting and thorough concept! Though this reminds me of a certain dessert... 

Well thanks, but actually come from Vanirye/Vanile, that means Bauty in Qenya.
I use an everchanging system of rules to set out names, using mainly old norse and as-sound words.
One more example:
Tuskásólinem is divided in three parts:
Natterpartei, the cold, northern part.
Madenpartei, the middle part, where most histories happens.
Sudentropartei, the southern, tropical and hot part.
The last part is an hyper-corrupt version of Southmost Tropical Part. Thats more or less how I set the names of stuff.

From the Mainland, or MaderSólinemorai, theres a huge cable car connection to the forbidden, utopian land called Glosóli.
I took the word Line and Car, and Connection, so it is called the Linenbusocon Pont.

Most of the geography name is based on it' characteristics, like:
The blue montains that you must cross through the Autobahn to get in the Eastern part of the islands are called Lazulevatos.
Lazuli, Elevations. Lazulevatos. The Lazulevatos Mountains.

[Lionmonkey]

-Lazy Malakey, the Unwilling Savior of the World V.S. the Evil Forces of Corruption of Land: A Satiric Phantasy Parody Adventure Game! (LMUSWEFCL!).

-The Journey of Mala[r]key

-Corruption of Land purging 101

-Campaign for a Cause

-Decaying Anticipation

-Stardawn

-Road to Valor

-The Path beneath Astrum

-A Legend of Gold and Silver

-Farthest of Destinies

-Indolent Hero

-Tales of Valiancy: The Sloth

-Perils of Corruption

That's it for now.

Adding to the tips: Maybe, think about, what kind of an important original lesson do you want the player to learn for the rest of their lifes. Or/and, what problems does your game story explore.
A not-too-worthy-but-oh-well example is, "Dances on the Snow", where the main characters go through a huge lot of freaky, intense, drammatic and such stuff, while still acting in a normal, everyday way, like nothing big has happend, "dancing on the snow". Plus some very-very main characters had second names like Frost or Ice.

[stajp]

On the earthy theme.  Um.
Save the Whales
With Our Powers Combined
Mother Fuckin' Nature
Go Gaia
Recycle, Reduce, Resort to Violence
Stop the Corruption
Salinization
Gaia Gets Grumpy
Decay
Rot
Rotten
Our Friends in the Forest
Deadwood
Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute
Malakey in: Get those Republicans Out of My Fantasy World!

Eh.

I think you had a big portion of Captain Planet!


But to stay on topic:

Malakay's dream
Stolen stars
Stolen dreams
Fear of Astrum
The night when Astrum fell (or falls)
Indecent proposal   (yeah, I know, but if there's some corruption, there must be some indecent proposals
Decision: Tonight
Decision: Astrum
Outcome: Astrum
Resolution: Astrum
Resolution: Starfall
Malakay's night out
Malakay's choice
Heart of Astrum
Spirit of Astrum
Spirit of night starts here
Malakay's spunk
Malakay the Intrepid
Broken star on the night sky

Tko je jamio, jamio! (just for the croatian crew (translated in english: Who dug pits, dug pits - change dug with stole and you get the correct meaning

[six_plus_one]

"Starfire Kingdom"

That's the best one I came up with.

I think the previously suggested title "Starfall" is awesome!

[Stupot]

-Darkstar
-Nightstar
-Grim Pilgrim
-Starsage
-The Lost Sun
-The Last Pilgrim
-The Last Legend (bit like Final Fantasy)
-The Terminal Tale (not quite as charming)

I give up for the moment.