34 replies to this topic

[Red Phazon]

I don't always use traditional "field type" overworlds. In one of my quests, because I love rain, the main overworld is a wetlands type area where is rains all the time. There are some mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, etc and the overworld is going by the name Aqueous Lands. I try to choose a name that describes briefly what kind of overworld area it is or what the mood might be. If it is just the basic overworld that everyone has in their quests then maybe I would use the word plains, field, or something similar and a word that either describes the area or a name of something (could be Hyrule or something.)

[Moonbread]

I come up with names of some areas in my OoS remake. For example, I have "Upbeat Hills", and... that's about it. Eastern Suburbs was actually used in OoS...

[NoeL]

Don't use the "random letter" idea, you end up with terrible names like Revfan's

If you want good names, steal words from the dialect of the people whose own native environment is similar to that in your quest. For example, if there's an arctic ice village, look at some Eskimo words. If it's a south-east asian jungle tribe, learn some Thai or Burmese. A desert? Some middle Eastern or Egyptian. The work "Kakariko" is the French equivalent of "Cock-a-doodle-doo", and lo and behold, the place is full of chickens.

If that isn't your thing, you can mix it with words that sound like the Hylian equivalent. Like in one of my demos I named the forest area "Kouri"... it's kinda like "Kokiri" so it's easier for people to remember that it's a forest. In that area there was a "Spirit Cave", and someone was trying to look for it in the desert because it immediately reminded them of the Spirit Temple.

[Surreal Canine]

I usually use anagrams, alliteration, related words, and Spanish in my overworld names.
Mt. Vida: Vida means "life" to contrast with Death Mountain.
Araash Palace: Anagram of Sahara.
Istoria: Half of my Karen's Adventure characters lived here before (i.e., in the past) and Istoria is historia (Spanish for history)with the first letter taken off.
Egarim Desert: Mirage spelled backwards.
Feline Forest
Ilenay Village: Ilenay is Pig Latin for Nile, it's in the middle of a desert.
Frito Falls, Frio Falls: They sound similar, but one is lava, one is almost frozen.
... That's all the ones I can think of that weren't derived from Mario or Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. (Most of my places are...)

[The Satellite]

Frito Falls, Frio Falls: They sound similar, but one is lava, one is almost frozen.

I think of Frito chips, but not to mention "Frio" is Spanish for cold.

Derivatives, eh? I should look into that more. Though I feel like I've used them before... outside of ZQuest... Like, in my comics, or something.

[Majora]

If anyone would be so kind to translate the following 2 names into 3 different languages (except spanish, and all others that can't be read with english letters):

The dark World



The Shadow Land


I know those are too overused/cliche, which is why I need them in a different language.
Whoever does so gets a spot in the credits.

[CastChaos]

Getting words from other languages is really a good idea.

Majora: unfortunately the hungarian version of those words contain lots of hungarian letters. However, you still can convert the hungarian letters into english, or use their pronouncation.

"The Dark World" => "A Sötét Világ" => "A Sotet Vilag" or "Ah Shateth Vylagh"

"The Shadow Land" => "Az Árnyékföld"/"Az Árnyföld" => "Az Arnyekfold"/"Az Arnyfold" or "Az Arniekfeld"/"Az Arnifeld"


For example, in my first quest, I named the town "Town Karika". "karika" is apparently "circle" in hungarian=>english plus it's close to "Kakariko". In my best quest attempt, I used german for the first big dungeon. And used france in a weaker quest attempt.

[Majora]

Thank you, but I've settled on using Latin for stuff.

[Legendary_Goriya]

Don't use the "random letter" idea, you end up with terrible names like Revfan's

If you want good names, steal words from the dialect of the people whose own native environment is similar to that in your quest. For example, if there's an arctic ice village, look at some Eskimo words. If it's a south-east asian jungle tribe, learn some Thai or Burmese. A desert? Some middle Eastern or Egyptian. The work "Kakariko" is the French equivalent of "Cock-a-doodle-doo", and lo and behold, the place is full of chickens.

If that isn't your thing, you can mix it with words that sound like the Hylian equivalent. Like in one of my demos I named the forest area "Kouri"... it's kinda like "Kokiri" so it's easier for people to remember that it's a forest. In that area there was a "Spirit Cave", and someone was trying to look for it in the desert because it immediately reminded them of the Spirit Temple.

This is the best strategy.

[Dorian]

If anyone would be so kind to translate the following 2 names into 3 different languages (except spanish, and all others that can't be read with english letters):
The dark World
The Shadow Land

in french :
Le monde des ténebres
La terre des ombres

[KDillon]

i take random words and put them backwords
but i get really big words and then take some letters out and put some letters in but thats just me(^^)v

[The_Amaster]

I believe in going basic: Deku Woods, Goron Mountain, Lake Hylia. When it's just plain ol' Hyrule, might as well use the locations everyone knows.

[NoeL]

This is the best strategy.

Thank you.

[Taco Chopper]

Here's an original one: DaveWorld.

[Schwa]

I'm not sure where Molka came from... On various other quests I had going at one point or another, I had overworld names such as 'Glyphia' (which I WILL be re-using, so don't even try it), 'Zephyr' (the blizzard mountain), 'Darkmyre' (a dark-world overworld variation), and 'Wark' (generic).

I have no idea where I come up with my names. They just come to me. It's as if I was floating in some empty void with a mesh net, and the ideas are floating around me in the forms of small blue clouds... one comes near, and ZING, my net swings out and I catch it. Then I can use it in a Quest.

I was programming a Quest one day, and my little brother (who's never made a quest in his life) lumbers up and looks over my shoulder. After a while he scoffs, "Psh, you have the stupidest names for your levels." I slyly shifted my eyes towards him and retorted, "You certainly are entitled to your opinion, but could you do better?" "Of course," he replied. I asked him what he'd call a generic overworld, he thought, and said "I'd call it 'Over World'." And he lumbered off. I shook my head.

But yeah. Names just come to me.