Random Servo Names

By Marc Hanson

When we do our dedicated play testing sessions at BonusXP, which happens between two and four times per week, I always like to make a mental note of the various systems in the game, and how they impact my enjoyment of it.

The systems that enhance the game for me most are, unsurprisingly, gameplay affecting systems.  Things such as weapons, special abilities, servo parts, artificial intelligence, and so on.  But one of my favorite systems in the game does not alter gameplay at all, and that is the random name generation of our Servos.

(Below: This servo was generated a surprisingly appropriate random name, "Massive Bolts".) 

 The system itself is fairly primitive.  It’s just a combination of “random first name” + “random last name” from a large list of sometimes comical names.  It also has an occasional custom full name thrown in the mix.  I like to use whatever is generated by the game, but you always have the option to re-roll the name as many times as you prefer, or to create your own.  The enemy servos in skirmish mode also have randomly generated names, which can lead to some pretty funny battle screenshots.

(Below: My team of “Mustached Nuts”, “Saint Jerk”, and “Selfish Itchy Feeling”, take out the enemy team of “Creepy Bro” and “Selfless Mecher”.)