USSRanger USSRanger

What do you call your ships?

What do you call your ships?

I'm just curious as to what you like to name your ships. Do you just give every ship of the same type a generic name. Do you ahve a unique name for each ship? Do you not bother at all? Trust me, I think this thread will prove more fascinating than it sounds...

Now, it may sound a bit anally retentive, but I like to give very ship I construct (unless its something like a troop ship that won't be around for very long anyway) its own unique name. Playing the Terrans, I would usually call my ships 'TNS *Namehere'. TNS stood for Terran Naval Ship, after an older game I play called Conquest: Forniter Wars, in which Terran vessels have the prefix TNS.

However, I switched to using TAS (which I assume stands for Terran Alliance Ship) after I saw 'TAS Explorer' and 'TAS Maker' in the second campaign mission.

I also give each ship type I create a class name. For example, the Sabre class corvette. For each new game I play, I would use whatever names I could think of for each class (resuing ones I had used in past games, or names of ships that had since been decomissioned or destroyed), starting with whatever the class name is (as such, my first Sabre class ship would always be the TAS Sabre). In the same vein, I usually call my inital survey ship TAS Earth, TAS Terra or TAS Sol.

So yea, in short, when I'm playing as the Terrans I give each ship I build or otherwise recieve a unique name with the prefix TAS. The first ship of each respective class takes on that classes' name. I was thinking of prefixing the names of my ships with ARS, ARV, ASV or ASS when I started playing the Altarians, but I lost interest in that when I found the tiny hull was messed up so nothing would attach to it properly.

What about you? How do you name your ships?
39,954 views 79 replies
Reply #51 Top
I'll usually start with one of the Stardock ships and upgrade it. The class then gets a roman numeral to indicate what version it is. So my first warship is almost always a Defender I class. If I later make a more powerful ship on a small hull, it becomes a Defender II and so on. The numeral makes it easy to see what you've not yet upgraded, or to guage the strength of a particular battle group.

If I make several versions of a ship, usually ones with the same weapons but a different defense type, I'll make that a suffix like Battle Axe II Shields or Dreadnought I Armor.

I never bother to name individual ships. I just keep the number assigned by the game.


I do the samething, and when I upgrade every ship slowly, and eventually phase out a ship class, then obsolete the entire ships when its has no ships being built or in that class.

I have about 20 defender IV's, about 15 defender V's, and about 50 defender VI's. I stopped upgrading them when I noticed that my more expensive V's had higher maintanence cost, why pay more money to have the ships cost more to maintain. My defenders are mostly meant to sit in on planets as a token force, so that at least something is on every planet, at least that was the idea. Unfortunately I am capturing planets faster than I build defenders......I've got at least 260 planets, probably 280 by now.....

I designed several new classes of ships, my first battleship is called the HAWK, but before I actually even built one i upgraded it, so it became the HAWK 2. I think I actually didn't bother with roman numberals on it, I'd have to look and double check.....same thing really to me.....

I've actually have the first Hawk 2 made now, but it hasn't actually seen battle yet, its running to the front lines.....long way to go yet.....

I made a few different phoenix version, which is my fast small size class ship.....all of them are meant to go super fast, and have decent attack and defense......I recently upgraded all the phonix to version VII, while upgrading I made a huge blunder on one of them, and upgrading I mouse slipped and made something totally worthless, and destroyed the vehicle in disgust..... I think that is one of a handful of ships I have lost the entire game.....its too bad, I think that was one of my most experienced phoenix's..

I have cruiser medium class ship that has a level 20 in game, and not sure if he can advance further, right now that medium class ship has only a few hit points shy of my Hawk.....although I think the hawk would own him, it has about three times the firepower.....

I forget the name of the medium class ship, but I just used the default in the game, I like the design of that ship.....

Oh, I also made a bunch of ships called cheapest transport, colonizer, etc..... I found I can use a tiny hull at least for Terran and throw the module to do the function I want, although its slower. Makes it cost less and thus easier to make them....

I also made a ship called the cheapest gun, because my tiny gunners weren't cheap enough at like 65 each. the cheapest gun is a ship I made uniquely to destroy one enemy scout that was going to find a whole branch that another dumb CPU player didn't use, so made it as cheap as possible to just buy the cheapest rail gun to blow away the scout......this ship costs 41, I don't think its possible to get any cheaper, 25 for the tiny, 16 for the cheapest possible rail gun......no other weapon was as cheap :0

Its sad kind of, how cheap and penny pinching I am, yet I'm the richest player in game, with like 100 K+ in credits, figure when I hit 120 K + or so I can start loosening the purse strings more, at least until I go back down to 100 K again. :0

I'm going to up the difficulty next game, this was my first metaverse game so didn't know first playing that I didn't completely suck.....

Oh, I made another ship just for fun called the octipus (probably spelled wrong), and then after I had the design, made it for 3000 troops (three adv troop transports), and then called it 3000 troop octipus.....unfortunately this initial design was flawed, the octipus looked somehow wrong when his tenticles were facing where he was going in game, and also he had an extra expense he didn't need since I was topped out at 5 parsec/week, didn't need the warp drive, which was 30 cost more, so rebuilt the entire ship and renamed it 3 K octipus, with head going where he is going (looks better), and the mark 3 engine below warp engine, so I didn't waste money without getting any extra benefit from the ship.... I made it hoping when it went out the port from planets, it would start at 6 move, but nope, was still 5, so hate wasting money on a ship design that is flawed.....

Oh, made another ship War something(bird or something avian), its 10 missile 10 missile defense, but no warp drive....they are expensive though, so don'tthink one has come off the assembly line yet, I forget if its a small or medium hull......probably medium......



Reply #52 Top
For what It's worth - I usually just name the class of ship, and don't bother providing names for individual vessels. I tend to try to use something with a bit of character e.g. "Hunter" rather than just a class and hull number e.g. "FF 17"
Reply #53 Top
I like to give ships a version number corresponding to their basic tech level, like 1 is starting out, 6 is ultimate. Then when I upgrade them I bump up the version. So there's a 'Lurker 3-0', 'Lurker 4-0', 'Lurker 4-2', 'Lurker 5-0', 'Lurker 5-1'...I use the ship description to include a summary of the ship's purpose.

Beyond that, though, I like to think up interesting names. Each race has a different 'theme' for me...Like the Iconians have had fairly straightforward names. A constructor for them would be a "Long Hauler", hauling stuff through space. An Altarian constructor might be a "Pylon", like something that makes up a starbase. A Drengin constructor, though, might be a "Peon" or "Slave". By the same token, the Iconians had "Lurker" and "Vindicator" type fighter starships, but if I want to create a design to fight the Dark Yor, I create the "Dark Redeemers".

Reply #54 Top
I have a pretty simple labeling system for my regular ships that will be upgraded and replaced often.

I use either a B/M/G to designate a weapon type of Beam, Missle, or Gun (mass driver) and then a ship type depending on hull size:

tiny - fighter
small - frigate
medium - destroyer
large - cruiser
huge - battleship

then I use a Mark system to label the generation of the ship. so for a 3rd generation beam fighter would be BFighter Mk3. I generally use the default template for these ships

This lets me quickly tell at a glance what type of ships I have in a fleet and what needs upgrading and such in the ship list

for my final super ship design when I've maxed out all ship/weapon techs, I will start to use a custom name. I've used everything from "Doomstar" to "Yor Mama". I will also custom design these ship hulls as they'll be used pretty much till the end of game and never be replaced
Reply #55 Top
I use a similar naming scheme for warship designs, but maybe because I am retentive, I like it to be alphabetical, so my ship designs stay in order by hull size:

huge: Carrier
large: Cruiser
medium: Escort
small: Frigate
tiny: Gunship

I would have used Battleship and Destroyer, but they have too many letters - I like to add a lot of digits after to keep track of key parameters, e.g.,

Cruiser 04m12g04r08

Large hull, speed 4, missile attack 12, gun defense 4, range 0.8.

It's a little hard to read, but it lets me use ship designs between games without having to remember exactly the details of each design.

Reply #56 Top
When naming ship classes I usually use a name that is more of a category like "City" and then name the individual ships after cities. I never name tiny or small ships (I hardly even build them) but I consider medium hulls: Destroyers, large hulls: cruisers, and huge hulls, Battleships.
Some of my favorite ship names come from Halo.
Covenant names: Ascendant Justice, Truth and Reconciliation, Incorruptable, etc.
UNSC names: Pillar of Autumn, In Amber Clad, Gettysburg, Allegiance, Commonwealth, etc.
Reply #57 Top
Oh, I don't know. If the ship really, really sucks, like one I'm basically condemning to death, I might name it something like USSRanger.
Reply #58 Top
basicly i name mine after their use and the civilization (My custom race is a Robotic race):
War Diamond
Collectives Centre
Scout Carrier
StarPilot
ya know, cool but to the point.
Reply #59 Top
I have to say, this is quite intriguing reading up how other members name their vessels. And here I thought I was a tad anal I always play as the Terrans rather than the xeno-scum, and being British I usually use the prefix of HMS. My naming technique breaks down into the following categories:

Explorers. Which are named after historical explorers such as Shackleton, Livington Lewis and Clarke etc

Fighters. I generally dont use fighters unless I'm building up a large invasion/pacification force and I need some cheap units. If thats the case I just leave the names they've already got. But change the squadrons name to match the closest major planet. 2nd Sqd. Centuris.

Frigates and Cutters. Usually I name cutters after absolutely anything, they're pretty weak ships and are normally 'cannon fodder'. Frigates on the other hand always get named the 'Nuremberg Class Frigate' and the subsequent ships are names after cities on Earth. HMS Edinburgh, HMS Washington DC etc.

Cruisers are broken down even more! Light, Heavy and Assault.

Light Cruisers are named after historical battles. HMS Somme.
Heavy Cruisers are named after historical figures/Terran mythology. HMS Lincoln. HMS Thor
Assault Cruisers are named after historical British ships of the line. HMS Dauntless, HMS Invincible etc.

Ships of a higher tonnage like destroyers and dreadnaughts have a kinda poetic/halo-andromedia kinda names. Such as HMS Whispering Wind. HMS Tears of Chi etc.
Reply #60 Top
Hello,

I usually play a custom race modeled (very loosely) off of the world of Rokugan by AEG. I tend to name my ships in that vein. For example:

Tiny Hulled Fighters - Yari-class
Small Hulled Fighters - Ashigaru-class and Budoka-class
Medium Hulled Light Cruisers - Ronin-class (named after famous ronin in Legend of the Five Rings - Dairya, The Black Lion, The Grey Crane, Tawagoto, Ginawa and so on) and Bushido-class (named after the seven virtues - Courage, Honour, Duty, etc...)
Large Hulled Heavy Cruisers - Imperial-class (named after the various base sets for L5R - Imperial, Emerald, Obsidian, Pearl, Jade, etc...)
Massive Hulled Dreadnought - Kami-class (named after the eight gods who created Rokugan - Hantei, Akodo, Togashi, etc...)

If they get destroyed, I tack a "II" or "III" onto the name.

When playing any of the other races, I tend to stick with historical inspirations. My fighters get called Spitfire-class, Avenger-class, and so on. My larger ships take their names from the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian navy.
Reply #61 Top
Depends on defensive or offensive

Liberation
Vengence
something to that affect
Reply #62 Top
I name the REALLY BIG ONES Either:
"Capitalist"
"Un-Grengis"
or "Dread Scythe"

I name the small ones:
"Un-Grengii"
"Mini/MegaTroop"
"Scissor"

After each of my names I put a roman numeral designating the ship version.

I'm working on one called the "Drath Killer"

  Kill Drath!  
Reply #63 Top
You folks have too much time on your hands and too much imiganition. Me, it's going to be Col 1, then Col 2 and then so on. Con 1, Small War, Med War, Large War, and Huge War. Every new improvment, the number just increases. Got enough to keep track of to make specific names for each ship and then remember what the heck that one was and how old. Paul G.
Reply #64 Top
I also name the classes, but not the individual ships. I tend to name on a whim, and not according to any theme. Sometimes they're after people, sometimes animals, somtime random words. Usually a mix-and-match. Typically however if I think of one word, then the next comes to mind. If I make a "Led" class, then the next might be an "Ozzy" class. It also differs game to game (i.e. a Jethro class ship may be a defenceless scout one game, and the next might have a Jethro huge battle cruiser). Often they're named after objects lying on my desk. Some ones I've used repeatedly

Wiggler
Tundra
Telecaster
Gibson
Larrivee
Algonquin
Halifax
Blackburn
Clapton
Trogdor
Senator

Most of the names I choose though are one-offs.
Reply #65 Top
Her sister ships are DESSA ,ISEMI,and SOLON.(roamer ,to know,and wisdom.)


i'm pretty sure gnosis is the greek word for wisdom (based at least on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics). a quick googling reveals to me that Solon was an Athenian political figure and considered to be one of the 7 wise men of greece, but his name doesn't mean wisdom. maybe there's more to these words than i'm aware of.
Reply #66 Top
I name my ships based on the race, version, and the reason it was built for (along with a unique name for the class of ships).
(Custom Race: Livoran)
LVN Territorial Scouter MKI
(Livoran Navy Territorial Scouter - Mark 1. Obvious reason: To scout the the immediate sectors around the "core system", which is normally two sectors in each direction.)

However, capital ships with immense fire power - (usually created when I have maxed out weapons and defensive branches. Used normally to clear up the last few civilizations) - I designate unique names to show this. I.e.
LVN Hells Gate MK II
(Livoran Navy - Hell's Gate - Mark II)
Reason: To destroy the remaining civilization ships. Usually does the trick with one or two ships. VERY expensive.

The descriptions I use are normally sort of role-playish (This is from Hell's Gate):
This ship is to set fear into all enemies who dare come close enough to see it with their very own eyes. With it's immense offensive and defensive capabilities, only such a fool would dare confront this ship wiht it's highly skilled crewman ship...
Let the galaxy see what Evil truly can do...

There is one ship which I ALWAYS create and upgrade. It is only used in the most dire scenarios. If my empire is losing a battle and losing planets. The planets the AI targets, I remove all the population and destroy the population. I create "Arks", immense ships with high defensive capabilities and high speed. It has both colony and advancde troop modules (colony modules are only there to let the ship colonise a planet. The troop modules are there to store more of the population.)
Normally each ark can hold about 6 billion of the population. It normally takes one or two the empty the planet of it's population.
his is so, when I claim a new word, the ark can give the world an immediate 6 billion or more population.
I normally all these ships with names such as "Second Chance", "Rebirth", "Hope", etcetera.
Reply #67 Top
make up a name and add a MK. X (Where X is the version of the ship)

Yeah, im pretty uncreative
Reply #68 Top
for utility ships:

k04r12 97b - y = konstructor, speed 4, range 1.2, 97bc cost, yor parts
c12r35 230b - tor = colony, speed 12, range 3.5; 230bc cost, torian parts
e07r25 145b = sensor ship (eye of the universe) speed 7, range 2.5
txxxxx = troop transport; axxxxxx = advanced troop transport; fxxxx = freighter, etc.

for military ships:
generic designs get similar names like

m07r20 0.0.5-0.3.0 240b in the size-speed-range-armament-cost scheme.

one-offs like huge fleet destroyers get very specific names which always bring back fond memories when the designs pop back up in the dock a couple games later.
Reply #69 Top
I think up a new theme each game, which may or may not involve individual ship names for medium hull and up. Currently I'm playing as an evil wannabe custom race (my 1st Dark Avatar game) that likes to model itself after the old earth Soviet Union, hence some recognizable ship/plane names such as Nanuchkas, MiGs. Cheesy, I know, but there have been a few humorous miscues, like when the first units of my beautifully designed Backfire bombers came off the production line, they flew, well, backwards! Stupid engineers must have taken the name literally - I was sooo mad! And then I finally encountered the humans only to find their leader was ...ME! I forgot that in my last GC2 DreadLords game I played the humans with myself as leader - didn't realize Dark Avatar would pick up on this... now I have a real dilemna on my hands, I can't very well attack ME! I digress... but once I perfect the Kirov class those good races better be on their toes, ME or not!
Reply #70 Top
When playing as the Terran's, which I often am, I tend to name ships I mass produce nothing. I leave them with factory default names. Now, flagships, unique ships, huge ships that cost a ton to make, and ships with enough exp to put them ahead of the pack, as well as lucky rangers, all get names.

Me, I choose mythological names. Mostly biblical and Greek. Morpheus, Poseidon, Goliath, etc.

It's alot cooler to see 'Goliath has defeated Torian Fleet' than 'Lucky Ranger 2009 has defeated Torian Fleet' that's for damn sure.
Reply #71 Top
I think my favorite name thus far (and that hasn't been long, mind you) was for a fast little scout ship I designed for the Terrans...the TAS Jackrabbit. I dunno why, but that little guy had character...
Reply #73 Top
i just name my ship classes with whatever(and i know this sound stupid but) i dont know how to name individual ships
Reply #74 Top
o.o I like to give basic, generic names for small-to-medium (typical) ships myself, but really love to throw in something flashy for the massive capital ships which you don't see that much of (hence the embelishment). =P

For example, to a small fighter I might give the names:

- T1 Wraith
- T2 Hive Runner
- T3 Swarmer (things to imply that there'll be a lot of them; T standing for Tier)

To a medium-ish ship:

- C1 Guardian
- C2 Destroyer
- C3 Angel (for mediums, I use "class" [C] instead of Tier for counting generations)

And to those big huge God-sized behemoths:

- Nexus
- Citadel
- Star Crusher (no grading system, something implying that they're BIG and scary =P, and/or individual names for each ship if you prefer)
Reply #75 Top
What do i name my ship? Those floating masses of new age material? The very instrument i use to conduct a musical of war? A musical of war that can bring about galactic peace through chaotic eloquence in a manner so unpredictable a schizophrenic hyper active child who's happened upon sugar finds itself dwarfed and consumed by its randomness? THIS MY FRIEND IS VERY SIMILAR TO A QUESTION I ASK MYSELF!
These machines of biochemical destruction often capable racing against time itself! These constructs of ideas and creation meant to widen the mental capacity of neighboring existances! What indeed do I name them?

I just use ship templates names and add to the end the 1st letter of the dominant weapon in caps and the 1st letter of the dominant defense right after followed by the model number.
EX: Corvette Bp1,Battle Axe Ms7
Sometimes if i wanna do something different i'll throw an x in there somewhere.
EX: Corvetter Bxp1, Battle Axe XMs7, or Dreadnaught Ga3X