Random name generator feature for roll20.

The quick idea : Random name generators. Why ? Because I have a hard time to come up with names and having 4-5 tabs open dedicated for name generators(which are not that good to begin with) is annoying. Also I don't use tokens/grids, the dynamic lightning system in roll20 or the API and I would like to have a reason to subscribe(since I like what roll20 is doing quite a lot). How it could be implemented ? A button in the top left toolbar would prompt a new window (example) . The image is self-explanatory. Of course there is much more you could add (male/female/race etc.). You could also make some nice integration with the journal, lets say if you click on a result and it is saved in a new category in the GM's journal, so later you could look back at the names you crated and maybe add some notes to them. Maybe this could be made for every one and with the help of the Roll20API you could add more setting names features etc (kinda like the Character sheets). What would you think ?

If you're a GM, you already have access to a random name generator. When you create a new character journal, it gives the character a random name.

I know. But is not easy at all to use, and its quite limited(npc only). Also if I don't like a name I have to go in and delete each name individually.

*headtilt* If you're a GM, you're making NPCs. Presumably, the PCs will be named by their players. The other point is valid. It would be nice to be able to delete a character journal with a few less clicks.

There may be a bit of confusion in the way I expressed myself. I as a GM need names on the fly(be it NPC names or Location names), switching tabs takes to long and using the roll20 name generator by creating a new character entry takes to long (1 name every 5 or so seconds), I don't want to leave my players waiting for me to find a name. I just need a window where I press generate and a list of 10+ names appear.

Use any number of the already existing name generator websites out there... and copy paste a list of them into gm only handouts. Then just move down the list one by one until you've used them all. Then add some more.

But why do that when it can be so much easier ? I know how to do this things. I know why I don't do this things. I am suggesting stuff that I would fell it would make life much easier. I am interested in why/why not is this idea is good or bad.

Tibi said: I just need a window where I press generate and a list of 10+ names appear. Roll20 (probably) won't pop up a new window for you, the underlying code doesn't seem to work that way. The best you can do is have a list of names whispered to you in chat (via API if we had access to the name lists or a future built-in function). To me, I don't see a functional difference between clicking a button on the Roll20 tab and getting a list of names, and clicking a button on a different tab and getting a list of names, except for hours of work making up various name lists on the first hand and a few seconds of your time flipping between browser tabs on the other hand. Either way, you're clicking a button, scanning the list of names, and picking one.

GenKitty said: Roll20 (probably) won't pop up a new window for you. Then the character sheet and notes must be magic. Also they already have a name generator (When you crate a new character in journal they already fill in a random name for you). They just need to make it work for more categories.

A VERY useful tool is <a href="http://donjon.bin.sh" rel="nofollow">http://donjon.bin.sh</a> It makes randomized lists for nearly everything, and even rolls some character stats for you too. Incredibly useful for everything from wanting a list of random canned goods you could find to generating maps.

K1ngFiasco said: A VERY useful tool is <a href="http://donjon.bin.sh" rel="nofollow">http://donjon.bin.sh</a> Thx but I know. This post is about an idea for a feature. I know almost every random dnd anything generator out there. A more interesting discussion would be "Would the implementation of this feature be better or worse for the site? Why ? How could it be better". I am not interested in external tools I could use.

Another question is: Would the effort that goes into making this feature be worth the added value to the site and make life noticeably better for the users? I'm asking you, what /functional/ difference would this feature make *to you*?. How is clicking a button on the roll20 tab different from clicking a button on the tab with your generator aside from you have to change tabs for it? This is an honest question.

Well if we assume its implemented the way I imagine it to: - Since the ability to have the option to generate NPC names/Town Names/ Location Names all in one window, which is much better than to have a tab dedicated to each one. - I could easily click on a name and add it to the Journal (maybe even a one world description generation for the npc "Strong/Angry/Controlling") - It could also generate names when you drop tokens on the map(maybe it could have some presets depending on the Token tags if the tag is Orc generate a orc name) -Access to the api could allow much more customization which none of the sites I know allow you to do -I am willing to pay for a subscription if I get access to all the above features. So from my perspective yes, the effort is worth, since is a system agnostic feature that almost every PnP RPG could use. (Dungeon world for example has no use for Dynamic Lighting but it was still implemented so this has even more wide spread use)

Id second this as it could be useful, not really hard to do out of the campaign window..but easier is always nice :) But also remember like you said, its system agnostic, so thats the only roadblock I see. The vast amount of 'types' of names they would have to be able to generate. And would get into the area of people requesting types it doesn't have so they can find it useful. For example in my game elf/dwarven/dragon/etc names would be useless, as well as 'fantasy' type city names. My ruleset would need like multiple human type (american, british, german, canadian, russian), alien, exotic creature, atlantean, futuristic, etc name types. And then for cities: Hightech, lowtech, magical, american, british, old western, etc name types. And that just in Rifts. toss in D&D, warhammer, vampire, heroes U, gurps, cyberpunk, what have you, and then the list of "correctly fitting" names would be staggering. I mean I could use a generic name..but in a hightech town having names like "Castlethorn" or "Ironwood" really doesn't 'fit'. And a sci-fi name usually is cheesy sounding on a gritty industrial high tech town. I couldn't see it being terrible useful for everyone, unless it covered all genres, and that would be like coding a whole seventhsanctum generator for roll20. Again not saying its a bad idea, but it wanders into that grey area of system agnostic where it lacking in one area would spawn requests to keep it 'fair' as a featuere for everyone.

Why should the devs recreate random name generation for all the billions of genres out there when you can google one that suits your purpose, prepare a list of a hundred or a thousand or more names ahead of time and simply delete them from a handout inside Roll20 each time you use one?

Just use this site : <a href="http://www.behindthename.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.behindthename.com/</a>

This kind of feature is just not necessary on a system agnostic tool like Roll20. Not only would the devs have to make a new generator from scratch, when there're already tons out there, but they'd have to make the generated names generic enough to fit all types of settings. Do you really want them to put the time in to developing a combination fantasy/sci-fi/steampunk/horror/western/cyberpunk/modern NPC/town/item name generator when they could instead be developing anything else?

Sam said: Do you really want them to put the time in to developing a combination fantasy/sci-fi/steampunk/horror/western/cyberpunk/modern NPC/town/item name generator when they could instead be developing anything else? Yes. Because its one of the only feature I see myself needing. As I specified in previous posts I don't use or need any of the premium features, and I would like a reason to subscribe. And as for names they could just crowd source it like the character sheets(which also i don't use). al e. said: Just use this site : <a href="http://www.behindthename.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.behindthename.com/</a> Its quite bad tbh. Sam said: This kind of feature is just not necessary on a system agnostic tool like Roll20. Just as dynamic lightning is system agnostic... HoneyBadger said: Why should the devs recreate random name generation for all the billions of genres out there when you can google one that suits your purpose, prepare a list of a hundred or a thousand or more names ahead of time and simply delete them from a handout inside Roll20 each time you use one? Leaving the hyperbole aside, I find using roll20 notes quite cumbersome, so handling multiple notes in a session is quite annoying. Also having 4 different lists open is just more busywork anyway.

Why leave them open? Do you need random names that often? Put them all in one handout then and double click to make it small. You don't have to go in and delete them. I only suggested that so you don't use the same name twice. Sounds like pure laziness to me.

HoneyBadger said: Sounds like pure laziness to me. Yes.

This is what API is for. Making stuff like this. Here is one that is somewhat interesting: <a href="http://nullprogram.com/blog/2013/03/27/" rel="nofollow">http://nullprogram.com/blog/2013/03/27/</a>

I've been thinking about writing a name generator for the API. I have one I wrote in C++ that uses Markov Chains with Trigraphs seeded from existing name lists that works pretty well. I was thinking of porting that over to JavaScript. Having one built in would be cool, but isn't really necessary if you're willing to use the API, and then it can be customized to the campaign/genre in question. Still, if it's something they want to throw in, or something that is easy enough to expose, I'd be all for that. =D

HoneyBadger said: Use any number of the already existing name generator websites out there... and copy paste a list of them into gm only handouts. Then just move down the list one by one until you've used them all. Then add some more. This. Any game I run, I either have my own random generator in a block of Excel tables, or I just use one of the many I can find online.