Goblin Squad Member
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Hmmm. Spitballing another idea. What if we refer to this part of game development as 'boot camp'?
Since boot camp is what soldiers go through in order to gain the requisite, ahem, bells and whistles, to progress into further specialized areas.
You could always say that Game A is in it's boot camp stage.
Just a spitball.
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Goblin Squad Member
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As far as branding a new idea, the same goes as goes for telling a joke: if you have to explain it, it doesn't work.
Come up with a name that sells itself. The second you find yourself explaining why you think your idea for a name will work, you should already know you need to go back to the drawing board.
This is not directed specifically at any one post. I see this mistake a lot in this thread.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Not sure if this one is out there yet:
-Consumer Influenced Production
It's not really specific to MMO's, this takes it a step closer:
-Consumer Influenced Development
And this takes it a little closer:
-Player Influenced Development
And a slight step away:
-Player Influenced Production
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Goblin Squad Member
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Not sure if this one is out there yet:
-Consumer Influenced Production
It's not really specific to MMO's, this takes it a step closer:
-Consumer Influenced Development
And this takes it a little closer:
-Player Influenced Development
And a slight step away:
-Player Influenced Production
'Player'/'Consumer' can also be replaced with 'Community'
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Goblin Squad Member
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We don't need an acronym or a string of capitalized words built of insider-speak. Those just et sent to /dev/null in people's brains.
Think about what Apple or Starbucks would call this process. "Retina display" is what I want - something descriptive enough that you know what I'm talking about, free of gibberish, memorable, and once I explain it, you are likely to remember why it matters
"Pumpkin spice latte".
Trust me, I know this is hard. I do marketing for a living and if it were easy I couldn't feed my family. :)
I'm kind of curious. I think my last 3 bolded suggestions actually kind of fit your description.
Pumpkin spice latte seems to be the shortest, sweetest, most simple phrase to describe a... pumpkin spice latte. That's what I've been going for. If anything what are the biggest problems you see with my last suggestions or how do they fall short of what you want?
For the sake of not making you sift and scroll:
Gradual Admission Feedback Driven Design
Incrementally Launched Feedback Driven Design
Incrementally Launched Feedback Driven Development
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Goblin Squad Member
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Initially it seems like there is a fundamental disconnect between form and function. One one end of the spectrum, you have pure aesthetics; a name chosen for the abstract ideas and images in conjures, but one that fails to relate any valuable information. On the other end is a pure, clinical summation that defines clearly and concisely but with no emotion or gravitas. I guess the ideal name would be an even mix of both?
Just spitballing some terms and phrases here.
Chrysalis, Keystone, Cornerstone, Forge, Framework, Source, Heritance, lineage, kindling, mainspring, sire, artisan, artificer, assemblage, coterie.
I'll post some more after I get some sleep.
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Goblin Squad Member
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The reason "Retina display" is brilliant is that it removes technobabble from a technology product and replaces it with a human-centric value.
It's a "Retina display" because your eye can't see any more pixels even if you keep upping the pixel density. More pixels are pointless. Doesn't matter what that number is. What matters is "You can't see any more pixels".
Anyone to whom that is explained intuitively gets it. They don't have to worry any more about dpi, screen x/y values, etc. It turns nonsense into common sense.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Pumpkin spice latte is brilliant because it conjures up a TASTE.
Starbucks could have called it "harvest essence latte", but that wouldn't really work. Nobody knows what a "harvest essence" tastes like.
Nobody knows what a pumpkin spice tastes like either, btw. That's the magic of the term - you can probably imagine what that drink tastes like even though you've never before encountered a bottle of powdered pumpkin spice.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Pumpkin spice latte is brilliant because it conjures up a TASTE.
Starbucks could have called it "harvest essence latte", but that wouldn't really work. Nobody knows what a "harvest essence" tastes like.
Nobody knows what a pumpkin spice tastes like either, btw. That's the magic of the term - you can probably imagine what that drink tastes like even though you've never before encountered a bottle of powdered pumpkin spice.
No one knew what it tasted like, and probably couldn't guess at the flavor, until *after* the term was invented. Honestly, invent your term and the people will come to you. MMORPG was/is incredibly clunky, but it worked and people learned it. Also, this game is built for a niche community. Why are we attempted to create a bland term that appeals to the masses? Wouldn't you be better off creating a term that sells to those more likely to buy your product?
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Collective Essential Design
POG - Player Oriented Game
Look up synonyms for more ideas!
Design synonyms
Sketched
Originated
Conceived
Community synonyms
Communal
Kinship
Open Origination Execution
For release method (which i think is different and needs to be it's own term)
Incrementally Released
Multi-Stage Release
The problem with aethetics and technology is that not many of our aesthetic words can describe what technology does, which is the second requirement of the desired word/phrase.
The "flavor" one is looking for also makes a difference.
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Goblin Squad Member
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No one knew what it tasted like, and probably couldn't guess at the flavor, until *after* the term was invented.
The reason it is brilliant is that you intuitively know what it will taste like even though you have never tasted it before, and there is no such thing as pumpkin spice.
That's real marketing brilliance.
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Goblin Squad Member
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No one knew what it tasted like, and probably couldn't guess at the flavor, until *after* the term was invented.The reason it is brilliant is that you intuitively know what it will taste like even though you have never tasted it before, and there is no such thing as pumpkin spice.
That's real marketing brilliance.
I hate to disagree, but to this date I have never had a Pumpkin Spice Latte. And I honestly have no idea what it would taste like. Pumpkin? Coffee? Some strange spice out of Asia? I haven't the foggiest. The term makes sense to those who enjoy it.
Goblinworks Executive Founder
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The key to good names is that they are obvious in retrospect. Once the right name comes up in discussion, everyone will immediately think "that is perfect and obvious".
In that vien, I'll toss "generation" and "generational", into the pit, both in terms of "next gen" and "player generated".
Character-generated MMORPG?
If you're looking for exiting, no-gimmick name that says what it does and gets people psyched, why not simply call it: Player Development or a Player Development Period? That is exactly what you're describing: directly allowing players' input to finish and fine-tune the development of the game... and it's exciting. Every gamer wishes they could personally design their ideal game.
Daron Woodson
Abandoned Arts
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Goblin Squad Member
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Communal Initiative phase
Generation Zero
The Legacy Forge
Keystone Development Stage
Player Driven, Player Compelled, Player Advanced
Pumpkin Spice Beta
Personally my favorite approaches from what have been listed are:
A: Something that relates crafting. Artisan, Forge, Construction. I keep thinking of an army of dwarves pounding away on anvils beneath the earth, building the bones of the world itself.
B: A sense of legacy. Forebear, Inheritance. The feeling that those initial players will be establishing a world for future generations of players to come.
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Goblin Squad Member
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The problem here I think is "Frame of Reference". It's pretty much impossible to provide a name or phrase that is truely descriptive to someone unless you share a common frame of reference with them.
"Pumpkin Spice Latte" works because we all (or at least most of the people who would be potential customers of Starbucks) pretty much have a common frame of reference for what pumpkins are and how they are supposed to taste, what spice is and what latte is.
Use that phrase on a person from another planet, even if they spoke English, and it would no longer work, they'd have no common frame of reference for it. They probably would have never even seen a pumpkin let alone knew what it tasted like....so "Pumpkin Spiced Latte"... wouldn't evoke anything for them.
So that begs the question...just how much of a common frame of reference would the general public have for terms that could be used to accurately describe gaming specific concepts?
There's a bit of danger when attempting to use general terms the public is familiar with to describe concepts very specific to particular sub-cultures, hobbies or disciplines. I see this alot with technology (I work as a Network Engineer by trade), the marketers will come up with some term that they believe sounds all cool and spiffy to describe a product or technology or method to the general public....problem is more then half the time what the term is evoking is actualy WRONG as to how the thing it's describing actualy works or what it's relevance is.... and when you start dealing with audiences that are technicaly knowledgable (i.e. if you are actualy selling to technology proffesionals rather then joe public)... it becomes more of a joke then anything else. YMMV.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I like 'Trailblazers'. Especially combined with any number of buzzwords. But I also like all the spitballing; how about 'Inaugural Participation'? 'Itinerant worldbuilding'? 'Online player generated content in the context of a popular RPG setting'? Throw us some more bones, people!