[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Compound City Names

[Stan Shebs <shebs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Reinier Post wrote:
> 
> [xconq German city names algorithm]
> 
> > This is the most elaborate solution I have ever seen. (I am not at all
> > familiar with the syntax.) It looks very promising.
> 
> It is elaborate, but not generic: it is built around some ad hoc
> knowledge of German city names.

Just for fun, I ran an Xconq game with five name generators in
action and lots of cities for each side, and here's what it produced
(the respective nations should be obvious :-) ):

Gelbbergdorf, Dochingen, Braunnitz, Blaustein, Rotbrueck, Grunwasser,
Hochhof, Wasserheim, Seetal, Stadttal, Strasstedt, Feldfurt,
Ostbrueck, Braunholz, Schweinthal, Niederheim, Altbruck, Suddorf,
Strasholz, Eiseningen, Neuwasser, Neuingen, Strasbrueck, Neunitz,
Weissdiechburg

Eldly, Northington, Orborough, Southhall, Teingston, Upper
northington, Brownhill, Taport, Eastgate, Whiteley, Orwashbrook, Upper
endstable, Washwater, Northkirk, Giley, Whiteton, Orblacktoke, Old
oreding, Silpborough, Thaley, Old greenhall, Brinborough, Fieldney,
Petermouth, Trurmhill, Easthill, Lower southkirk

S. Benedetto del Lago, S. Antonio di Castro, S. Ubaldo Trebbio,
S. Martino in Gualdo, Chiesanuova, S. Vincenzo d'Elsa, S. Elia sul
Trasimeno, Montalto al Vento Terme, Farneta di Marte, S. Maria a Elsa,
S. Giusto Maggiore, S. Sisto, S. Angelo, S. Felice Vallese, S. Marino
sull'Oglio, S. Valentino, Pieve Val di Pesa, Madonna d'Enza, Gualdo in
Tuscia, Strada, Borghetto Finalese

Shangyan, Tuoxi, Renzheng, Sihu, Zhengxian, Zhengsan, Luzhuang,
Huodian, Quingye, Zhushi, Ganghua, Hucheng, Zhaijie, Baiping,
Shouxian, Yigang, Wuhua, Yefu, Shouding, Xianxi, Jilu, Quwang,
Shuishui, Xianzhuang, Xizhai, Zunzhe, Pengwan, Hejiuyang, Wangbie,
Yongyang

Senmoshidai, Akanekura, Hihishima, Akaga, Senkuyama, Shikatsuchu,
Mokumatsu, Karazu, Oto, Garashi, Kuta, Shika, Uhinawa, Amamatsuta,
Gaga, Miwazu, Manata, Kuta, Wawaji, Gawazawa, Shikujima, Koshiyama,
Kohazu, Nakakawa, Hakurita, Nakoshima, Uyama, Konoishima, Aramaka,
Gamato

Each of the generators has a different "style"; for instance, the
Japanese name generator just composes syllables taken from real
town names, but I have no idea if they would be meaningful or
plausible to a Japanese speaker.

> I prefer Falk Hueffner's algorithm,
> because it is completely generic: it assumes no knowledge of the
> language.  As a practical advantage: it's shorter, and it doesn't
> need language specific tuning for each new nation.  But I also like
> the names it generates better: a much wider range of plausible
> names is generated, some of which are really funny.  This goes
> at the expense of generating some implausible names, but I'd prefer
> that to a boring naming scheme.

The generic algorithm works better for Germanic languages, because
place names are more likely to be concatenations of ordinary words,
and almost any concatenation has some meaning.  Other languages
have some very specific compositional rules though, and names that
don't follow those rules sound painfully awkward or computer-generated,
not funny at all.

If you're going to go to the trouble of synthesizing names that are
specific to a language or culture, it doesn't seem like too much
of an additional burden to add 5-10 rules governing composition.
And if you want something simpler or more random, you can always
use just 1-2 rules to get it.

Stan