Again, most logical and simple definition would be an equivalent of organic growth or biomass, but considering it is of "unknown" nature it simply sums up to: XENOMASS
Ok, so for that dirty sludge connotation it could be called: XLUG (or xludge).
Just call it infestation, people will automatically create a shorthand, probably creep after starcraft.
If you must give it a pretentious name, something which it looks like would be preferable, like growth, or moss, or something, something I don't feel like an idiot yelling about.
If I see a room full of it and need to tell someone I'd just say <room> is full of infestation or there's loads of green crap in <room>
Keep it as infestation. It keeps with the standard of naming alien stuff after it's basic function. Players will shorten it out to "Infest" or something like it in a month or less. It seems a bit late to be changing the name after it's been called infestation all through ns1.
Infestation is what it is, and we all call it what it is. As a TSA scientist, I'm not going to call it just plain "Infestation" though. I'm also not going to call it "Dynamic Infestation" (that works well for a game developer's describing it).. so I'll find something that sounds alien and vague so it sounds like I now what I'm talking about. Someone suggested "Xenomass" earlier in this thread, and the xeno part is vague and alien (and I'm all for recycling lost NS1 terminology), but "mass" doesn't capture the feel of DI at all. The best I've come up with so far is:
<b>Xenomorphic Infestation</b>
It's alien infestation and it changes. Players could call it <i>"infestation"</i> or <i>"xeno"</i> for short, but it sounds reasonably scientific enough to be used by the TSA.
Xenology is the study of aliens, esp. alien biology, btw. In our real world, free of aliens, xenomorph is a term used to desribe certain weird mineral formations. In the world of NS, the TSA has to study aliens, so the prefix "xeno-" is coopted widely to describe anything alien we don't fully understand yet.
Depending on how the graphics turn out and the implications on belly sliding, everybody may end up calling it slime or creep something, but I think Charlie & Co. are looking for something that looks more authoritative on TSA bulletins than that. Xenomorphic Infestation fits the bill, as would presumably many other variations of "XXYY Infestation" that you call can come up with. (see upcoming posts below?)
Ingame lingo will evolve on its own.. let's try to let linguistic evolution take it's natural course once the game comes out :)
(btw, if you let me blow myself up as an alien in NS2, disregard this suggestion)
<!--quoteo(post=1732045:date=Oct 13 2009, 07:04 PM:name=zex)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (zex @ Oct 13 2009, 07:04 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732045"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Why do people keep suggesting "creep..." What part of "WE WANT TO BE LESS LIKE STARCRAFT" is impossible for you guys to comprehend?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Using the word "creep" doesn't make NS2 like Starcraft. In the slightest.
Yes NS has aliens vs humans but it also has FPS elements- does that make it a Wolfenstien 3D clone?
OMG.................. U.W. is asking for suggestions for a new term BECAUSE THE OLD TERM IS USED IN STARCRAFT. If you suggest a new term that is ALSO USED IN STARCRAFT....what is the point? Why bother changing it? This isn't brain surgery here.
<!--quoteo(post=1732045:date=Oct 13 2009, 06:04 PM:name=zex)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (zex @ Oct 13 2009, 06:04 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732045"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Why do people keep suggesting "creep..." What part of "WE WANT TO BE LESS LIKE STARCRAFT" is impossible for you guys to comprehend?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's an alien organism with fungal properties and tendril-like structures which allows the aliens to build and confers benefits to their faction, it also forms a large portion of their ecosystem and is generated by their structures.
It <b>IS</b> creep, it might not be called that but that's what it IS, calling it the xenocrawlgoo doesn't stop it from being the creep from starcraft. The saying 'a rose by any other name' exists for a reason.
People call it that because that's what it is, same reason people call the superweapon in star trek nemesis a death ray, or an assault rifle a machine gun, or anything that looks remotely like a 4x4 a jeep, because things are what they are and what they are is usually whatever the most common name for that sort of thing is.
I can understand not officially calling it creep but I would certainly expect people to call it that ingame, because nobody with half a brain cell is going to be fooled into thinking it's anything other than creep.
Hell I still sometimes use facehugger and headcrab interchangeably and I love both alien and half life, as long as the person you're talking to knows what it is you mean and the word is short enough to be efficient, it's a good word, which is why I suggest just letting people make their own word or encouraging them to use an existing word even if you don't 'officially' endorse it.
@chris, yes, people who have played starcraft will probably call infestation "creep" in their private conversations. Surely you can understand that this has no relevance whatsoever to what we are discussing here. You can call it creep, crop, blarg, spooge, I don't care - it isn't going to help Unknown Worlds come up with a unique term that isn't used in another game.
<!--quoteo(post=1732051:date=Oct 13 2009, 06:53 PM:name=Chris0132)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chris0132 @ Oct 13 2009, 06:53 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732051"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I can understand not officially calling it creep but I would certainly expect people to call it that ingame, because nobody with half a brain cell is going to be fooled into thinking it's anything other than creep.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo(post=1732052:date=Oct 13 2009, 07:04 PM:name=zex)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (zex @ Oct 13 2009, 07:04 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732052"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->@chris, yes, people who have played starcraft will probably call infestation "creep" in their private conversations. Surely you can understand that this has no relevance whatsoever to what we are discussing here. You can call it creep, crop, blarg, spooge, I don't care - it isn't going to help Unknown Worlds come up with a unique term that isn't used in another game.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Is Infestation used in starcraft? Other than in the way the word 'and' is used? As in 'not a pronoun'?
The aliens are called Skulk, Fade, Gorge, and Lurk (except lurk is spelled wrong) and Onos (which is a painfully bad joke, and easily the worst name on the list). Originality has less to do with the word and more to do with the usage, making up words is usually a sign of pretentiousness rather than quality. The concept is not original (although it is the first time I think it's been done dynamically in an FPS so the implementation could be said to be unique, although the idea is straight out of alien) and I really don't think giving it a silly name is going to fool anybody.
And as I said, you don't need to give it a name for convenience sake because players will automatically come up with one. I just don't see a reason to change it. Originality is a rather poor rationalisation considering natural selection could easily be called 'Aliens: The Game, with all the characters pallette swapped' and it would make perfect sense, originality does not make a game good, and unoriginality does not make a game bad, originality can produce good ideas, but there are already a lot of not-overused good ideas in existence, most of them are good <i>because</i> they are already in existence as this lends them a sort of legitimacy, and it's much easier to find one and use it than it is to try and develop your own.
If you must use another name I would probably say 'growth' is best because it is more or less synonymous with 'infestation' in this context, and serves as a perfectly good and simple descriptor of the stuff without being pretentious, but in that regard the existing name is perfectly alright, just drop the 'dynamic' part for the ingame descriptions and maybe add 'alien' to the front for extra clarification when neccesary.
<!--quoteo(post=1732055:date=Oct 13 2009, 07:13 PM:name=Chris0132)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chris0132 @ Oct 13 2009, 07:13 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732055"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->And as I said, you don't need to give it a name for convenience sake because players will automatically come up with one. I just don't see a reason to change it.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thats great, you disagree with U.W. that it should be changed. Fantastic. SO STOP SUGGESTING IT SHOULD BE <b>CHANGED</b> TO "CREEP."
<!--quoteo(post=1732055:date=Oct 13 2009, 07:13 PM:name=Chris0132)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chris0132 @ Oct 13 2009, 07:13 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732055"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Is Infestation used in starcraft? Other than in the way the word 'and' is used? As in 'not a pronoun'?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
"We need a name for Dynamic Infestation. It should be easier to say quickly in-game and will also be used for some alien technology (upgrades, structures, etc.). I'd love to have something monosyllabic and it should probably be named in a fashion that marines would call it (like the other alien names). <b>Also, I just noticed that "infestation" is used in Starcraft 2.</b>"
- The google document linked from the NS2 Twitter account
OMG.................. U.W. is asking for suggestions for a new term BECAUSE THE OLD TERM IS USED IN STARCRAFT. If you suggest a new term that is ALSO USED IN STARCRAFT....what is the point? Why bother changing it? This isn't brain surgery here.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ah. I didn't see they wanted a new one because creep is used in Starcraft. My bad :(
How about just imagine that you are a marine trooper setting your foot in an infested space vessel for the first time. As you enter a room full of infested crap, what would be your first reaction?
-"WTF, this room is full of Dynamic Infestation" -"Oh######, this room got cancer" -"WTF, this room got some alien crap all over it" -"Commander, theres a room here filled with some kind of alien weed/infestation" -"Looks like some kind of alien root system has taken over these parts"
Id go with any of the last three (though 'crap' probably wouldn't make it to become a standard word within the higher ranks of the TSA).
locallyunsceneFeeder of TrollsJoin Date: 2002-12-25Member: 11528Members, Constellation
<!--quoteo(post=1732057:date=Oct 13 2009, 03:26 PM:name=sherpa)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (sherpa @ Oct 13 2009, 03:26 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732057"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Ah. I didn't see they wanted a new one because creep is used in Starcraft. My bad :(<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Actually they wanted a new one because "Infestation" is being used in SC2. Although creep would probably be discouraged for similar reasons. Honestly NS1 had infestation first and I don't know why Blizzard is moving away from creep when it's already in their universe.
<!--quoteo(post=1732056:date=Oct 13 2009, 07:20 PM:name=zex)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (zex @ Oct 13 2009, 07:20 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732056"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Thats great, you disagree with U.W. that it should be changed. Fantastic. SO STOP SUGGESTING IT SHOULD BE <b>CHANGED</b> TO "CREEP."
"We need a name for Dynamic Infestation. It should be easier to say quickly in-game and will also be used for some alien technology (upgrades, structures, etc.). I'd love to have something monosyllabic and it should probably be named in a fashion that marines would call it (like the other alien names). <b>Also, I just noticed that "infestation" is used in Starcraft 2.</b>"
- The google document linked from the NS2 Twitter account<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Er, I didn't suggest changing it to creep, I understand perfectly the reason not to change it to creep, but I'm fairly sure blizzard can't copyright the word 'infestation' and it's unlikely starcraft 2 is going to be released before NS2 so I don't see the problem. I said that I expect everyone else will call it creep. I suggest not changing it or changing it to something simple which already exists in english everyday usage.
Also I was under the impression the creep in SC2 was still called creep, they called it creep in the battlecast videos they did and those are pretty recent.
<!--quoteo(post=1732058:date=Oct 13 2009, 07:32 PM:name=Tull)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tull @ Oct 13 2009, 07:32 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732058"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->How about just imagine that you are a marine trooper setting your foot in an infested space vessel for the first time. As you enter a room full of infested crap, what would be your first reaction?
-"WTF, this room is full of Dynamic Infestation" -"Oh######, this room got cancer" -"WTF, this room got some alien crap all over it" -"Commander, theres a room here filled with some kind of alien weed/infestation" -"Looks like some kind of alien root system has taken over these parts"
Id go with any of the last three (though 'crap' probably wouldn't make it to become a standard word within the higher ranks of the TSA).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
'Oh great, green zergs'.
Kinda hard for me to block out every bit of science fiction I've ever known but if I were to use my normal mode of speech to describe it to someone who doesn't know I'd probably describe it as 'green membranous growth'
Comments
i like to suggest my idea of "BIOMOSS" as it looks like Moss and its biological stuff.
Or
Biological Infestation Entity B.I.E
Or just plante "'Infestation" as it seem to fit the thing best.
DooDoo?
"Commander... We got some massive doodoo."
Ok, so for that dirty sludge connotation it could be called: XLUG (or xludge).
Just opinions...
If you must give it a pretentious name, something which it looks like would be preferable, like growth, or moss, or something, something I don't feel like an idiot yelling about.
If I see a room full of it and need to tell someone I'd just say <room> is full of infestation or there's loads of green crap in <room>
What we all already know it as, it fits and seems pointless and forced to change it.
Growth sounds good. Neutral and to the point.
I KNOW- Starcraft. But it's a good word.
<b>Xenomorphic Infestation</b>
It's alien infestation and it changes. Players could call it <i>"infestation"</i> or <i>"xeno"</i> for short, but it sounds reasonably scientific enough to be used by the TSA.
Xenology is the study of aliens, esp. alien biology, btw. In our real world, free of aliens, xenomorph is a term used to desribe certain weird mineral formations. In the world of NS, the TSA has to study aliens, so the prefix "xeno-" is coopted widely to describe anything alien we don't fully understand yet.
Depending on how the graphics turn out and the implications on belly sliding, everybody may end up calling it slime or creep something, but I think Charlie & Co. are looking for something that looks more authoritative on TSA bulletins than that. Xenomorphic Infestation fits the bill, as would presumably many other variations of "XXYY Infestation" that you call can come up with. (see upcoming posts below?)
Ingame lingo will evolve on its own.. let's try to let linguistic evolution take it's natural course once the game comes out :)
(btw, if you let me blow myself up as an alien in NS2, disregard this suggestion)
After some festive torching and room clearing,
Alien Commander "Fire... Bad..."
Using the word "creep" doesn't make NS2 like Starcraft. In the slightest.
Yes NS has aliens vs humans but it also has FPS elements- does that make it a Wolfenstien 3D clone?
Creep.
OMG.................. U.W. is asking for suggestions for a new term BECAUSE THE OLD TERM IS USED IN STARCRAFT. If you suggest a new term that is ALSO USED IN STARCRAFT....what is the point? Why bother changing it? This isn't brain surgery here.
It's an alien organism with fungal properties and tendril-like structures which allows the aliens to build and confers benefits to their faction, it also forms a large portion of their ecosystem and is generated by their structures.
It <b>IS</b> creep, it might not be called that but that's what it IS, calling it the xenocrawlgoo doesn't stop it from being the creep from starcraft. The saying 'a rose by any other name' exists for a reason.
People call it that because that's what it is, same reason people call the superweapon in star trek nemesis a death ray, or an assault rifle a machine gun, or anything that looks remotely like a 4x4 a jeep, because things are what they are and what they are is usually whatever the most common name for that sort of thing is.
I can understand not officially calling it creep but I would certainly expect people to call it that ingame, because nobody with half a brain cell is going to be fooled into thinking it's anything other than creep.
Hell I still sometimes use facehugger and headcrab interchangeably and I love both alien and half life, as long as the person you're talking to knows what it is you mean and the word is short enough to be efficient, it's a good word, which is why I suggest just letting people make their own word or encouraging them to use an existing word even if you don't 'officially' endorse it.
<!--quoteo(post=1732051:date=Oct 13 2009, 06:53 PM:name=Chris0132)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chris0132 @ Oct 13 2009, 06:53 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732051"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I can understand not officially calling it creep but I would certainly expect people to call it that ingame, because nobody with half a brain cell is going to be fooled into thinking it's anything other than creep.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Is Infestation used in starcraft? Other than in the way the word 'and' is used? As in 'not a pronoun'?
The aliens are called Skulk, Fade, Gorge, and Lurk (except lurk is spelled wrong) and Onos (which is a painfully bad joke, and easily the worst name on the list). Originality has less to do with the word and more to do with the usage, making up words is usually a sign of pretentiousness rather than quality. The concept is not original (although it is the first time I think it's been done dynamically in an FPS so the implementation could be said to be unique, although the idea is straight out of alien) and I really don't think giving it a silly name is going to fool anybody.
And as I said, you don't need to give it a name for convenience sake because players will automatically come up with one. I just don't see a reason to change it. Originality is a rather poor rationalisation considering natural selection could easily be called 'Aliens: The Game, with all the characters pallette swapped' and it would make perfect sense, originality does not make a game good, and unoriginality does not make a game bad, originality can produce good ideas, but there are already a lot of not-overused good ideas in existence, most of them are good <i>because</i> they are already in existence as this lends them a sort of legitimacy, and it's much easier to find one and use it than it is to try and develop your own.
If you must use another name I would probably say 'growth' is best because it is more or less synonymous with 'infestation' in this context, and serves as a perfectly good and simple descriptor of the stuff without being pretentious, but in that regard the existing name is perfectly alright, just drop the 'dynamic' part for the ingame descriptions and maybe add 'alien' to the front for extra clarification when neccesary.
Thats great, you disagree with U.W. that it should be changed. Fantastic. SO STOP SUGGESTING IT SHOULD BE <b>CHANGED</b> TO "CREEP."
<!--quoteo(post=1732055:date=Oct 13 2009, 07:13 PM:name=Chris0132)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chris0132 @ Oct 13 2009, 07:13 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732055"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Is Infestation used in starcraft? Other than in the way the word 'and' is used? As in 'not a pronoun'?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
"We need a name for Dynamic Infestation. It should be easier to say quickly in-game and will also be used for some alien technology (upgrades, structures, etc.). I'd love to have something monosyllabic and it should probably be named in a fashion that marines would call it (like the other alien names). <b>Also, I just noticed that "infestation" is used in Starcraft 2.</b>"
- The google document linked from the NS2 Twitter account
OMG.................. U.W. is asking for suggestions for a new term BECAUSE THE OLD TERM IS USED IN STARCRAFT. If you suggest a new term that is ALSO USED IN STARCRAFT....what is the point? Why bother changing it? This isn't brain surgery here.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ah. I didn't see they wanted a new one because creep is used in Starcraft. My bad :(
-"WTF, this room is full of Dynamic Infestation"
-"Oh######, this room got cancer"
-"WTF, this room got some alien crap all over it"
-"Commander, theres a room here filled with some kind of alien weed/infestation"
-"Looks like some kind of alien root system has taken over these parts"
Id go with any of the last three (though 'crap' probably wouldn't make it to become a standard word within the higher ranks of the TSA).
Actually they wanted a new one because "Infestation" is being used in SC2. Although creep would probably be discouraged for similar reasons. Honestly NS1 had infestation first and I don't know why Blizzard is moving away from creep when it's already in their universe.
"We need a name for Dynamic Infestation. It should be easier to say quickly in-game and will also be used for some alien technology (upgrades, structures, etc.). I'd love to have something monosyllabic and it should probably be named in a fashion that marines would call it (like the other alien names). <b>Also, I just noticed that "infestation" is used in Starcraft 2.</b>"
- The google document linked from the NS2 Twitter account<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Er, I didn't suggest changing it to creep, I understand perfectly the reason not to change it to creep, but I'm fairly sure blizzard can't copyright the word 'infestation' and it's unlikely starcraft 2 is going to be released before NS2 so I don't see the problem. I said that I expect everyone else will call it creep. I suggest not changing it or changing it to something simple which already exists in english everyday usage.
Also I was under the impression the creep in SC2 was still called creep, they called it creep in the battlecast videos they did and those are pretty recent.
<!--quoteo(post=1732058:date=Oct 13 2009, 07:32 PM:name=Tull)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tull @ Oct 13 2009, 07:32 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1732058"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->How about just imagine that you are a marine trooper setting your foot in an infested space vessel for the first time. As you enter a room full of infested crap, what would be your first reaction?
-"WTF, this room is full of Dynamic Infestation"
-"Oh######, this room got cancer"
-"WTF, this room got some alien crap all over it"
-"Commander, theres a room here filled with some kind of alien weed/infestation"
-"Looks like some kind of alien root system has taken over these parts"
Id go with any of the last three (though 'crap' probably wouldn't make it to become a standard word within the higher ranks of the TSA).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
'Oh great, green zergs'.
Kinda hard for me to block out every bit of science fiction I've ever known but if I were to use my normal mode of speech to describe it to someone who doesn't know I'd probably describe it as 'green membranous growth'
Drum roll please...............................
From hence forth we shall call it <b>Ganja</b>
Someone tell me I am wrong.