English Town Name Generation

Jango · Post by **Jango** » 21 Dec 2004 00:39

i've been experimenting with some additional town names for the english language within OpenTTD to add to the variety.

I just wanted to see whether anyone likes examples of the additional names (all original names kept as well).

Examples of the new generated names include:

Brondlow Marsh
Flotburg
Henden City
Kinton-on-sea
Little Westditch
Nennstow Heath
Daby Common
Breehead Castle
Pescombe
Leatbourne
Tenborough
Raton
Beadingchurch Heath
Branden
Cheadbury
Tudleigh Common

And in case any of you were doubting the authenticity of these names, I did some fairly thorough research in my UK Road Atlas, and many of these types of names do exist.

Dundee · Post by **Dundee** » 21 Dec 2004 01:02

They're pretty cool.

I found a Wikipedia article a while back on parts of place names:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ge ... lace_names

I might look into making an Aboriginal name-set since their place names are fairly cool.

mdhowe · Post by **mdhowe** » 21 Dec 2004 01:51

Dundee wrote:I might look into making an Aboriginal name-set since their place names are fairly cool.

That would be cool! Some interesting aboriginal names:

Wagga Wagga
Walla Walla
Canberra
Maralinga
Ettamogah
Woomera
Oodnadatta
Meekathara

Jango · Post by **Jango** » 21 Dec 2004 10:20

hmm, i looked at that wikipedia article. Maybe there's room to make generated names for the different english roots, such as gaelic, welsh, scottish, latin etc. That'd be cool

Also, I'd like ultimately to have European names, African names etc. It'd be good to have regions ultimately within the big maps....

ThorRune · Post by **ThorRune** » 21 Dec 2004 10:27

i don't like the on-sea ones.

Aborginish would be fun. Wagga Wagga

Jango · Post by **Jango** » 21 Dec 2004 10:42

on sea is in the original as it happens...

ThorRune · Post by **ThorRune** » 21 Dec 2004 11:05

still don't like it

CheesePlant · Post by **CheesePlant** » 21 Dec 2004 12:42

Its just a name

I find it hard when playing on a German server because I can't prenounce the words and they seem long and can take awhile to type. Don't make welsh ones hehe.

jabberwalkee_ · Post by **jabberwalkee_** » 22 Dec 2004 12:44

I think aborigini-ish would be awesome

kangdularatta

Archonix · Post by **Archonix** » 22 Dec 2004 13:41

ThorRune wrote:still don't like it

Like it or not, "town"-on-sea is a fairly common name along the coast.

Sionide · Post by **Sionide** » 22 Dec 2004 19:23

How about names containing "St." which is short for Saint. A lot of English towns are named after different Saints, including my home town "St Albans" named after Saint Alban who was the first christian martyr (blah blah etc etc)

Just a thought.. *shrug*

ThorRune · Post by **ThorRune** » 22 Dec 2004 20:22

just don't look good with dashes in names...

Sionide wrote:...

St. Petersburg being the most known... But that's german i think

Darkvater · Post by **Darkvater** » 22 Dec 2004 20:29

ThorRune wrote:St. Petersburg being the most known... But that's german i think

Let's keep it at Russian, shall we?

Jango · Post by **Jango** » 22 Dec 2004 22:20

lol at ThorRune's geographical prowess. Also, I think there are thousands of well known towns beginning in St. You'll find in one of the other languages (Austrian I think) there are lots of town names beginning in St or Sankt

If we were to have St xxxx names, then I think we'd also need to include a list of Saints so the generated names are more realistic. Does anyone have any comments on this?

ThorRune · Post by **ThorRune** » 22 Dec 2004 23:15

St. Peter

Archonix · Post by **Archonix** » 22 Dec 2004 23:28

ThorRune wrote:just don't look good with dashes in names...

You'd be surprised how many english towns have dashes in their names. Chapel-en-le-Frith, Ashton-under-Lyne, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Little-s***-hill... ok I made that last one up, but I think you get my point.

It's a naming convention that stems from the germanic roots of the English language and their habit of sticking several words together to make a new one, especially in the north and around the coasts where a lot of norse and danes had influence. It also conveniently groups together the town names so people who aren't familiar with them won't be confused by signs full of apparently random words.

An ideal english names generator should produce names like Lower Hadlington-upon-Trent, St Kittlans and Goodsbury. The saints don't have to be real saints.

George · Post by **George** » 23 Dec 2004 06:10

Darkvater wrote:
ThorRune wrote:St. Petersburg being the most known... But that's german i think
Let's keep it at Russian, shall we?

Yes

, but as far as I know, not only Russia has SPb

Alltaken · Post by **Alltaken** » 23 Dec 2004 08:48

i was always interested in doing a Maori place name thing.

here is a good example of a Maori place name

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaunga horonukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu

LOL that being the second longest place name in the world

but seriously we have many places like.

wainuiomata.
rotorua
otaki
aotearoa (New Zealands original name)
taupo
porirua
pauatahinui
...

they are composites of maori words. like Paua for a shelled fish

most of the places describe landforms around them, like pauatahinui saying that the hills look like two upturned paua shells....

so a self generating list could be made somewhat easily i think (although i'd probably get sued by a disgruntled Maori who thinks i am using their language inapropriatly LOL)

Alltaken

Sionide · Post by **Sionide** » 23 Dec 2004 10:44

it would have to be something like..

first bit "St."
middle bit "Name" + s (eg. Peters, Samuels)
last bit "Berg" or ville, or most of the other endings..

I think that could make some pretty realistic names!

Archonix · Post by **Archonix** » 23 Dec 2004 11:01

Funny if it could produce something like Aberexbourne. Or: riverriverriver.

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