No, it's not April Fools' Day anymore. Goat is actually writing for ForgeHub - what a time to be alive. But who is this Goat and why do you care what he have to say? I'm just a randie you hear making noise in WAYWO.



and you'd surely never forget the name; names are important.

Good Ol' Shakespeare once said: "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." But Shakespeare is a scrub and he doesn't Forge so this doesn't work as well with maps.

Every custom content community has to eventually name their content. Over the years however I've seen the Halo fanbase in particular fall into some pitfalls when it comes to christening theirs. If the name is too plain, obscure or hard to remember, it cuts the map's lifespan short, no? A name is an identity, and there doesn't need to be a lecture on discovering that identity.

Nevertheless, if we want to understand what makes a map name work, we have to first analyze the burden that a name carries. When you sit down to name your map, whether it's before you design it or after it's done, the name you choose is responsible for four elements, which we'll call the "NAIM" system.

WHAT'S YOUR N.A.I.M.?

• Niche
• Accessibility
• Interest
• Marketing

Nerdy acronyms are fun.

• A map's Niche is basically its first impression. When you see a name, your mind subconsciously sorts it into a category based on what it means and what you expect the map to consist of. The Halo 3 map "Onslaught" for example implies that the combat is relentless.
• Accessibility simply means that when you choose a map name, it is both easy to understand and relay to another person. Accessibility exists in how the name is written, pronounced and in how you communicate it to another person. One of the few Halo maps to struggle with this is the Halo PC map "Gephyrophobia". Try saying that five times fast.

• Interest is what most people focus on when they name their map. We pick names that sound intriguing and describe our map in some fashion, whether it's based on its geometry, the playstyle, the lore, or the history surrounding its creation. This may have some overlap with its Niche, but its Interest is far more descriptive.

• Marketing is often overlooked however, but it's arguably the most important aspect of this system. Marketing concerns how unique and memorable your map's name is. This denotes its staying power and lasting impression - its "brand recognition". A map with a marketable name is one you can name drop and instantly recall, whether the map was successful or not. Marketing also pertains to its "digital footprint" in the sense that if the map were to take off, you would be able to search it online and come up with relevant results.

Now we all know this is something I pulled out of my Goatses, and you can switch the words around anyway you like. But is it false? Think of the last map you made and ask yourself these questions:

• What does this map make me think of when I see its name?
• How easy is it for me to say this map's name in a lobby, or write it along with a gametype? How does it sound in different accents?
• How relevant is this name to my map? What does it stand for? What aspect of the map or its creation does it describe?
• How memorable is this name? Is it a generic word, and if so how is it used? Will it stand the test of time? Can it be renamed and still maintain its meaning?

IN PRACTICE

Let's look at a popular Halo map - Prisoner.



If we were to put this through the NAIM system:

• NICHE: Prisoner gives me the impression of being trapped. So when I see that name and see the layout, I feel like I don't want to be on the bottom of the map.
• ACCESSIBILITY: It's a short word that is straight to the point and easy to understand.
• INTEREST: Prisoner also describes the geometry of the map with how it appears to have several jail cells.
• MARKETING: Prisoner has several synonyms that can replace it and retain its meaning; however, its name has enough weight to stand on its own despite being a generic word.

Now Prisoner isn't meant to be the prime example. You can swap in any map to see how it fares, but I imagine the strongest map names will end up with similar results.


FLAVOR TEXT

Flavor Text is a short description that accompanies your map. Like a map's name, Flavor Text doesn't have any sort of rule book. It is not as important because it can change with the game, and it is often overwritten with gameplay information such as intended player count. However, one thing I appreciate about the original Halo's method of doing this is just how memorable they were.

Let's use the Prisoner example above again. Its flavor text is simply "Get on top", which I'm sure all of us devilishly attractive Forgers can relate to in some fashion.

Do you see how it enhances the name though? Flavor Text works with your map's Niche to establish its first impression. When people are scrolling through the page looking at maps, it will be these two things along with an attractive screenshot that pulls in their attention. Flavor Text can be as simple as you need it to be or as verbose as a novel, but I personally think the most effective ones are those that are short, sweet and sassy.

Keep It Simple, Scrub.


HOW DO I PICK APPEALING NAMES OR FLAVOR TEXT?

Everyone arrives at their names differently. Sometimes a name is all it takes to jumpstart a map, whereas other times you wont find the right one until you've played your map. If you're absolutely stumped, here are some points to get the juices flowing:

• Compound Words and Phrases are strong. "Blood Gulch" is a name with two words - one that foretells the "bloody" gameplay and the other that describes where it takes place. Phrases like "Chill Out" can also have double meanings. With a compound word or phase, each part highlights a different element of the map such as its geometry or gameplay, which together forms its meaning.
• Ask yourself how the map makes you feel, how people play on it, or how it looks. Sometimes the best names simply describe what you see.
• One word names are fine depending on their context, however be mindful of using synonyms of existing Halo maps, as those are the most likely words to be picked when a map is remade.
• Watch Arnold Schwarzenegger movies to pick up witty one liners.

BE MINDFUL

When you have decided on your map name, see if it passes this litmus test:

• Is it the name of an official Halo map already in Matchmaking?
• Is it the name of a Forge map in matchmaking in the current game?
• Is it a generic Halo word that may end up being used by the developers at some point?
• If I want this map in Matchmaking, is it a trademarked name from similar Intellectual Property?

If the answer to any of these is yes, you'll probably want to consider picking a different name.

GENERAL TIP: Avoid cluttering your map name with prefixes and version numbers, and instead relay secondary information in the description. Keep it Clean!



And there you have it folks. Once again



There is no right or wrong way to christen your map. If you want to wade through Thesaurus.com or hire Eric Nylund to pen your description, then knock yourself out (although the latter will earn the ire of many). Nevertheless, if you've struggled with names in the past and want to get better at doing this, I hope that you'll keep these in mind.

Until next time.