Now for a name...

[Angear]

Question for all you mapmakers out there. How do you guys come up with the names for your map creations? Do they just come to you? Any tips? It has always been something that I have struggled with to try to be original and not take the name of a map that is already out there.

[kolakoski]

Well met!

It's all in the story.

[caps]

I tend to use song titles, but that doesn't mean the names fit.

As Kolakoski says, if you can find some kind of explanation for what the map IS then that helps a lot.

[Robber]

I just kinda wing it. Sometimes during playtesting I come up with one, and sometimes my map sits on Virtualscape while I'm staring at the blank "save as" bar trying to come up with something. Generally I name it after what the map looks like, but sometimes there's backstory. For instance, I named Hadrian after Hadrian's wall.

[Hive Lord 1233]

I don't have much experience, but I would think you would want to reference the actual map in a way that isn't blatantly obvious.

[Dr. Weirdscaper]

For most of my builds, before I even place my first hex, I have an image in my mind of what the map should look like. The name usually comes to me about the same time.

I have made changes to names before finally showing off my maps. During the production stage, my Island Fortress was originally going to be called 'Fort Su** It'.

[Angear]

@DrWeirdscaper: Offtopic, that map is really cool. I have looked at some of your maps before but I never noticed that one.

I find it interesting to see how all of you come up with names for your maps. Good discussion!

[Dr. Weirdscaper]

Originally Posted by Angear

@DrWeirdscaper: Offtopic, that map is really cool. I have looked at some of your maps before but I never noticed that one.

Thank You. People have been known to get lost for days in my map thread.
Here's a link to the map:

Dr. Weirdscaper's Island Fortress

[Sheep]

Dr.

Anyways, my map names are quite boring. Always, named after what they look like...a two year old can call a map, "The Heated Lagoon".

I think Typhoon2222 has some of the best map names out there, I mean...how do you get "Stygian Rift"?

EDIT: Okay, just looked it up and Stygian is:

• Of or relating to the Styx River.
• Very dark: "the Stygian crypt".

And Rift is:

• A crack, split, or break in something.

But still. I would've named it something like Heated Dungeon, but then again, I wouldn't have had the brilliant mind to build the map in the first place.

[Angear]

I tend to look words up also when naming maps. I dislike using the word road or lava over and over again

[Ashus]

Originally Posted by heroscaper2010

But still. I would've named it something like Heated Dungeon, but then again, I wouldn't have had the brilliant mind to build the map in the first place.

Heated Dungeon is still more original than anything I come up with. My last map was called "The one that looks like a gladiatorial arena".

[superfrog]

I know that some people turn to other languages (Latin, etc.) for further inspiration.