Modding Discussion I need help picking the name for a new race.

Alright, I wasn't planning to mention anything about the mods I was working on until I release them but....
One of my mods is a new race and I just simply can't settle on a name.

Since this name is in pretty much every file I have to create I want to pick a final one now while I'm still working on it.
I just can't choose! So I think a poll will work.

I also love the idea of a community-decided name for this race, and that's the only reason I've decided to say anything about it before release.

SO - I have three names I like that I've come up with so far. Hopefully you'll like one of them, but feel free to suggest something else if you want. If I like it, too, I'll try to add it to the poll (assuming we can edit polls now and not just add them?).

Basic Information you need to know about the race:
They are a humanoid race of beetle-people with odd little references and influences from scarabs and dung beetles.
(For those that don't know, Scarab beetles are a species of dung beetle that was worshiped in ancient Egypt.)

And yes, I know. Dung Beetles. It is weird. That's why it's awesome.

Please help me choose a name. Thanks everyone!

P.S. If anyone wants to see them before voting I may upload an image of one later tonight.
... Or would you guys rather have it be a surprise? Let me know that, too!

 

Let's see 'em!

 

Okay, yeah... I guess you still can't edit polls despite the update, only add them.
But if anyone has any suggestions I'd still love to hear them. If they are really good maybe a mod will help add it to the poll for us.

 

The Beatles. Please make them musically themed. Also, their horn should be an upturned version of Ringo's mustache.

 

Heh, that would be funny, but no thanks.

 

Scarbans!

 

I actually looked over several of the names mentioned above.
I eventually decided against them all because I'm trying to fit this race into the core game, which are all very short and simple names.
I decided against Scarabans and Scarabi simply because I thought Scarabu sounded better and more in theme.

In any case, close your eyes and don't look in this spoiler!
WARNING: The content you're about to view is unfinished and will likely change to some degree and is spoiler-y if you want to wait for the finished mod. Enjoy.

This is a black/blue beetle man.
He is naked.... Pervert.

*Note: The females have their own unique look, which is... well, more feminine.
*Note: The "hair" is completely unfinished (aka: 0%) and for now is just taken from the Hylotls.
*Note: Nothing about this is 100% finished. This is just an example for anyone who wanted to get an idea of what it might look like before choosing a name. I still have tons of work to do before I finish.

.... And yeah, sorry, they still look very Human. The reason is because if I change their shape much they no longer fit into regular armor. It sucks, but what am I gonna do? *shrug*

 

Haha, I wish I could do more with the races to really get them to shine as beetles, but it's really hard given that most of the stuff is still hard-coded in the game's code.
I've seen those pics you provided, as well as many others, and I'm going to try my best to do something creative along those lines, but I can't promise I'm the best or most creative artist.

And... 3 votes? You people have got to be kidding me.
I know this section isn't very popular, but gimme a break! I need more than 3 votes for a 'community-decided name', don't you think? Please?


On another note: The bodies are done, yay. I like the way the females came out better than I thought I would.
Next up: Creating "Hair" (Horns) and upping color-choices even more. Beetles are such colorful little guys... I'm puking rainbows over here!

Want to find time to do a different mod, though... I've got one in mind that I think everyone will like. So you people best be getting to that voting thing.
NOW!

Also remember everyone, it's a dung beetle race. You'll love them, pinky swear.

(Obligatory smiley overload for attention because I still need more votes. )

 

Hmm, well I thought I was done with the body but I actually just worked on the head and body again and I've definitely made them look much more beetle-like, I think.
I made some minor tweaks to the head, but those tweaks were enough to definitely make them appear less human and more insect. I think everyone will like the results.

And woohoo...... a whole 4 votes now, at this rate we might reach a hundred in...... another year, maybe? lol

 

Haha, that's a good idea. Maybe next time, though. But I thought for sure there were at least a few more people willing to vote. *shrug*
I already renamed the race to what the 4 people all voted on, just cause no one else was voting.

Congrats to the 4 people who voted. You all won!
Thanks everyone.

I guess there's no more need for this topic anymore unless someone wants to make suggestions for other things I might include.
Feel free. I've got plenty of ideas already but I'm always open to new ones.

 

Yay! I won!

I, for one, would like to see the progress you have made with the sprites!

 

Sure, why not?

WARNING: What you're about to see contains SPOILERS of the aforementioned mod. BE WARNED!

Male:


Female:


Cousin Emilda:

Uncle Jack:

He's the "black sheep" of the family.

*Note*
The above two Scarabu possess Hylotl hair-styles. I'm planning to re-use a few hair assets from the other races to save some time, and because they are already well made and look similar to horns/hair.
I'm still not sure if the horns should be colored like the exoskeleton or should match the eyes/mouth.

Thoughts so far?

 

Uncle Jack is the best guy I know!

 

lol, yeah sort of... It's kind of hard to make them actually look like beetles without being able to change the body shape.
If you see their climbing frames it is very obvious they are scarab beetles, but other than that I didn't have much choice.

Other than that I was limited by number of pixels and body shape/size. The options for coloring and such are also rather limited. For example, I tried to get the eye/mouth color to be an alpha-layer over the exo-color, to form a sort of 'iridescent' shine like real beetles have. Sadly the game seems to 'flatten' the images before color-replacement doesn't recolor the alpha channel separately. And you can also only swap out 3 sets of colors. These things were a little disappointing but I worked with what I had. I figured it wouldn't work anyway, but I wanted to try in case it was possible.

Not to mention the one you say looks like an ant is female, and to make something appear female it needs more 'curves', something that beetles don't really have. lol

And in the end... I'm actually fine with some of them looking like other insects. Just like how the Hylotl have "hair" that causes them to look more like fish, frogs, 'aliens', or whatnot than an axolotl, I am hoping that the variations I can create for "hair styles" will also allow the players to create a variety of different types of appearances.
For example, giving one of them a "hair style" that actually looks like a beetle horn will hopefully make them appear more beetle-like.

Then of course I've already put many hours into their bodies when the only thing you'll usually only ever see is their faces, since armor will cover pretty much everything else up.
(Actually, some of their racial armor/clothing will NOT cover everything up intentionally. ;D)

I'm still willing to take suggestions though!

 

You should make their mandibles a bit longer. Like when they talk and open their mouths, the mandibles should be a bit longer. It would make them more beetle-like, IMO.

 

I like Scarabu. Personally, I think you should avoid Egyptian influence in their design, because it's kind of the Avians' thing.