AUTOMATIC unit naming system

[Modo44]

Something I did not see mentioned here. If it was discussed already, someone please move or delete this.

My request is simple. I want a basic automatic naming system for units. Anyone who ever tried knows how useless it is in Civ3. The game has no automatic naming system. If you change names, it does not even check if the name was used before. Changing the default name of any unit requires the use of the Editor.

A naming system is a simple thing to do. The most important options I would like to see:

• The game automatically adds numbers to units of a given type. Two possibilities here (the player can choose one): Eiher the numbers increase even if units are lost, or numbers of lost units are given back to the pool. (Instead of a "Tank" you would get "Tank 14" for the 14th Tank you build.)
• The possibility to change the default name for any unit type. So that you can chage "Tank" to "Tank Division".
• Automatic additions based on unit experience or special events. This is included in Civ3 - unit displays show the experience level and Army membership.
• The possibility to rename those special descriptions in-game. For example, playing Russia, I would like "Elite" units to be named "Guards" units at some point, without having to use the Editor to mod the game.
• Automatic checking if a name I want give has been used before. For one, it keeps the numbers correct on numbered units (in case they would not be in a database, of course). Also, it allows easier control over units that are named, like ships.
• One more advanced option: Add a name list to each unit type. So now when I build a Destroyer, it gets a name from the relevant list added after the "Destroyer" string. This is probably too much for the game interface, so if it happens, it should go into the Editor.

[Brent]

None of this sounds quite essential to me, but all of it sounds quite fun, and could be useful too.

[Addled Platypus]

depending on how many units are built, would tha slow down game play?

I have built rather large ground forces, tank forces, air forces etc. (150 units plus)

War Ships I name like the US Navy does.

Would you have to reinput this info eveytime a new game is played? or could there be a way to transer such information?

What about assining them to command groups. i.e The 101st air brone. So when they are built, they can be automaticaly moved and attached if in action?

[Brent]

I'm not sure if GalCiv counts, but I don't think it slows that game down. Command groups sounds like an extremely good idea.

[Modo44]

Brent, I simply like to name the guys tht go fighting, because it feels like they are more real then. A fun factor for me, and probably for many other players.

Originally posted by Platypus Rex
depending on how many units are built, would tha slow down game play?

How fast are current database systems, if they need to handle a few thousand entries at most? Answer: Very fast.

Originally posted by Platypus Rex
Would you have to reinput this info eveytime a new game is played? or could there be a way to transer such information?

This depends totally on the design. But if the names list would be possible to access via the Editor, they would be transferred to new games. In the same way lists of city names are.

Originally posted by Platypus Rex
What about assining them to command groups. i.e The 101st air brone. So when they are built, they can be automaticaly moved and attached if in action?

That is way past the basic naming system. OTOH, if units are stored in a database, those two funcitions would work together perfectly. This would keep names and unit status consistent.

If the game uses any halfway good database system for units, adding automatic naming should not be a problem.

[TechWins]

I would like the idea of your first Infantry being built called Infantry - 1st Division or your thirteenth Swordsmen built being called Swordsmen - 13th Division. The only problem with that, though, is with all the units from the humans and AI civs it would be a substantially large increase in memory resources.


EDIT: That is incorrect. I checked to see the byte allocation of a string and the amount of characters within a string is irrelevant. When a string is created there is an automatic allocation of 4 bytes for a string, so whether the string is "Infantry" or "Infantry of the 15th Division of the United States" it does not matter. On a side note, I think string has a maximum of 128 characters, which obviously wouldn't interfere with naming units.


So it appears that automatically naming the units wouldn't have any effect on the speed of the game at all.

[lajzar]

One concern is that the opponents will be doing the same. And many people use the unit names to help identify the units' abilities. That would be almost impossible under this system.

[Brent]

Couldn't the game only show each player the names they've assigned for themselves and the standard names? I could see each player having their own names for their opponents' units if they want. And I hope you're not forgetting that some people don't play against actual people.

[Modo44]

Originally posted by lajzar
One concern is that the opponents will be doing the same. And many people use the unit names to help identify the units' abilities. That would be almost impossible under this system.

Excuse me, but having the unit type in the database can give you exactly that: an automatic name based on its abilities. Even better if you can enter the names you want (including names for special abilities, perhaps?).

Brent is right. Of course you should be able to use standard names and the ones you gave.

[Tomasz]

I think that old names of modern units would be nice. The names would stay while the units would be upgraded, which would make a feeling of tradition. For example: rifleman -> modern infantry would save its name as rifleman

It could be rifleman 2/3 ( 2battalion, 3division or whatever ) or just rifleman 12 shown as modern infantry.

What about making an entire army, lets say 20 units, that would be divided into brigades and divisions and you could give that one army, which would take more than one tile space, a certain order ( capture that city, or block this set of tiles, etc ) and the army would accomplish it by itself using different strategies.

cheers

Tomasz

[Demerzel]

yeah it would be nice to have my infantry called 23rd Infantry Division or my tanks - 4th Tanks Brigade...

I always rename my elite units to Guards formations so that'd be nice auto too...