Nomenclatureis a term that applies to either a list of names and/or terms, or to the system of principles, procedures and terms related to naming - which is the assigning of a word or phrase to a particular object or property.[1]The principles of naming vary from the relatively informal conventions of everyday speech to the internationally-agreed principles, rules and recommendations that govern the formation and use of the specialist terms used in scientific and other disciplines.

Naming "things" is a part of our general communication using words and language: it is an aspect of everyday taxonomy as we distinguish the objects of our experience, together with their similarities and differences, which we identify, name and classify. The use of names, as the many different kinds of nouns embedded in different languages, connects nomenclature to theoretical linguistics, while the way we mentally structure the world in relation to word meanings and experience relates to the philosophy of language


The scientific need for simple, stable and internationally-accepted systems for naming objects of the natural world has generated many formal nomenclatural systems. Probably the best known of these nomenclatural systems are the five codes of biological nomenclature that govern the Latinized scientific names of organisms

Onomastics and nomenclatureMain article: OnomasticsThe study of proper names is known as onomastics,[2]which has a wide-ranging scope encompassing all names, all languages, all geographical and cultural regions. The distinction between onomastics and nomenclature is not readily clear: onomastics is an unfamiliar discipline to most people and the use of nomenclature in an academic sense is also not commonly known. Although the two fields integrate, nomenclature concerns itself more with the rules and conventions that are used for the formation of names

The study of proper names is known as onomastics,[2]which has a wide-ranging scope encompassing all names, all languages, all geographical and cultural regions. The distinction between onomastics and nomenclature is not readily clear: onomastics is an unfamiliar discipline to most people and the use of nomenclature in an academic sense is also not commonly known. Although the two fields integrate, nomenclature concerns itself more with the rules and conventions that are used for the formation of names.

For more read the main artical at WikiPedia.com and search Nomanclater....... Start using them.....

.....what? What does nomanclature have to do with gaming?
Ugh. Let's make this easier. This is how it works:
Example


therefore, arthritis is a swelling of the joints.

One has to Write for A game , do they not ?
while writing they have to name Nouns , NO ?
I am sure that : Onomastics , the study of proper naming has everything to do with Gaming ......



The definition alone does not define the meaning of A word ......

also the Nomanclature for swelling is Inflammation....

Onomastics are the study of proper names, namely their history/origin, etc. As such, I wonder how this can involve the game designing progress. When a game maker decides to use such conventions, they often use their imagination. This is a big difference from a study or science of names or naming. Likewise, in the game 'playing' process, the player does not spend time studying the names used, and thus it can't really apply to the 'finished product.'

Also, you can't necessarily 'use' nomenclature per se, as namonclature are the names used in a particular art. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not seeing the integration of either two of these in the game making process.

And please don't double post, we have an edit button for when you need to modify your post.

the whole point of this post , is people can expand their vocab, and obtain insight for naming A Noun , more descriptively .

I agree wholeheartedly with expanding one's vocabulary; but when it comes to more descriptively naming a noun, there's a thesaurus for that.

true there is A Thesaurus ; Maybe it is because I am Pragmatic, and A Perfectionist I would include Onomastics as A criterion.......

I see a double post up there, could you please wait 72 hours before posting twice in a row?
If you have anything to add before 72 hours you can always use the edit button

No, they already have names. I'm still not sure what this is topic is actually about, beyond some superficial ranting.

In science it does. That's how nomenclature works, especially in medicine. We learn the prefixes and suffixes and that gives us some idea of what the condition or part is.

I know; I'm a second year med student.

Sir, for posting a topic about grammar, you aren't actually using it that well... misspelling nomenclature right off that bat is just a bad sign.

Anyway, are you posting this saying that game designers should take a Tolkien-like approach to naming their cities, people, etc, and develop an entire language? Because that's essentially crazy. Putting that much work into an un-professional game is just a bit too much, in my opinion.

I agree with Donotfeedthemax- I don't see how copying a whole section of Wikipedia and posting it, then lecturing the forum on proper writing has anything to do with anything.

It doesn't actually seem like you yourself understand the concept of how prefixes and suffixes work in naming things. Especially after correcting someone on 'arthritis' when they were absolutely correct.

I want to be more direct though and ask what exactly you are even trying to say? I feel that if you want to present a holier-than-thou approach to posting, especially in something of this nature, you should at least be able to properly communicate your idea.

fire 1, fire 2, fire 3 , fire 4 sounds like A good enough name for An Elemental Magic attack ...........................................

Yeah.... You see, in the "real world" (I invite you to join us there some time) we use numbers to categorize things if there are more than one of them, to avoid confusion. It can also be used to indicate the strength or degree of something. Examples include:

C-4 explosive
Type II diabetes
12-guage shotgun
Rocky IV
Star Wars: Episode VI
Superbowl XXI
Grade II whiplash
G2 driver's license
Grade 4 education
Level 5
Act 3

As for RPG maker, the default names of the fire attacks in VX is, if I recall correctly: Fire, Fire II, Flame, Flame II
I curious as to what names you would give them, in order to categorize them.

I don't think that there is anything wrong at all with naming spells something like "Fire, Flame, Inferno" instead of "Fire, Fire 2, Fire 3" at all-- but I also don't think there's a problem with the alternative.

Sometimes naming spells with a different number makes the spell more accessible to the average player. I know that Fire 3 is better than Fire 2 without any knowledge of the game whatsoever (unless you made the game REALLY weird). But someone might not know that Inferno is better than Flame, as a counter example. You're basically saying "Fire Spell Level 2" as a way of denoting that you have progressed in your fire spell casting abilities.

its still lame..... Also I will, have to Respectivley decline Your Invite to this place you call " THE REAL WORLD " . I heard it is A really bad Cliche ; Full of Robot Zomies , with Micro Oganisms planted in their ears that Manifests through their Entire Brain, Also I they have to Punch in to this BOX to stay Alive ! The worst part is , they even have to pay for these Organisms , and does not even guarantee This BOX , they speak of !!! .....

On A side note this discussion, is an Oxymora

If you're criticizing people for pairing numbers with letters to indicate types or grades of attacks, you might want to show others that you can actually write properly yourself. Your sentence structure is on par with texting phrases like "B L8 4 dinR, K? ". You also miss-used the words cliche, invite, manifest and oxymora.

Why hasn't this topic been shut down yet?

Nomenclature is a great word to know when it comes to naming . Thats the story. That is all. It is my opinion that; using cardinal numerals, to describe an Elements' Transformation, is not Creative.. This applies to many other names that could be more Innovative. Nomenclater by all means, is not the only way, though it is A way.. as far as my spelling goes... What ever ! I am not making A book Or teaching English .....

I stand crorceted for my msipsleling's .

also the use Of Manifest , it should be; mainifest their brain.. ?
Invite , invitation, naturally,
Oxymora is Plural so Oxymoron would be the term .
as for Cliche.....

I think you're just mixing up nomenclature with having an expansive vocabulary and strong grasp of some language.

EDIT: it might be useful if you're coming up with creative names that reflect some characteristic of the idea, but it's not THAT important.

Welcome to the reality of Video Game Design.

Game designers are a varied group. Some are highly technical, and don't mind using words like Fire 1,2,3,4. If you want to be creative and get stylized using I II III IV is also an option. You could even use foreign or archaic suffixes if you want to go vague. If you're lucky it'll catch on.

But video games are nice because they cover a rather broad spectrum of people now-a-days. There are a lot of people who don't care if the name is Fire 1/2/3/4. And those that do will still play the game anyways.

Naming is a minor part of the design framework. In the end access and ease-of-use take precedence over creativity. In that respect, naming things is important, but it is a minor part of the broader picture. Don't get lost on this simple detail.

I think you've discovered a new and exciting aspect of design, I've been there before. Get what you can out of it. Just know Nomenclature is more important in biology and medicine, where-as it's barely cared about in video games, and there's a very good reason for that. If you read other people's posts carefully you'll understand why.

Writing the names for objects and concepts doesn't even compare to being able to write long documented notes for members of your team.

I guess I could stick with Fire, Fira, and Firaga like in the english version of FF8. That was pretty cool. Then again, the whole game was pretty different by most standards

But there really is not real way to get this point across: it's the same skill, just a bit stronger.

If you give it a completely different name, I would assume it's a different skill.
Which may be the case at times, but I might want to say "great, your proficiency has gone up and can use it at higher levels of expertise!"

I think instead of "fire 1, fire 2,and fire 3", it would be more interesting to call them "Tiny flame, large fire, and HUGE HOUSE-BURNER". It gets the point across to noobs and yet is different from the average numbered names.
Adjectives can be your best friend sometimes.

Well, like I said, there is no problem in using a naming system to define your skills; though similarly there isn't anything wrong with using a number system. It's not important either way.

So you could name your Fire 1, Fire 2, and Fire 3 skills:

Kaji Ichi, Kaji Ni, Kaji San and still have the same effect as adding unique names while sticking to the numbering system by using a different language. The point I think I was trying to make is that it isn't important either way as long as your audience can understand the system in place.

Haha, unless I've misunderstood a whole lot in my life, this entire premise is so backwards. Nomenclature's most well know application, I believe (and the wikipedia article backs me up ), is scientific names. And although most scientific names seem really complicated and mysterious, if you know Latin, it's really an obvious thing. In the human body, there are often pairs of muscles. There's the gluteus Maximus and the gluteus minimus, correct me if I spelled that wrong. The Maximus and minimus are to designate bigger and smaller. So basically, they're called gluteus big and gluteus small. I'm pretty sure if the Romans had researched fire spells instead of animals, they would have named them the latin equivalent of fire 1, fire 2, and fire 3. So really, isn't nomenclature's application to give things simple names that make sense that are easily understood, rather than do anything remotely creative? I mean, I'm no expert, but from what I've learned in my life, it seems this way.

Also, can you stop capitalizing your As? It makes your posts SO difficult to read.

You all have some great Insight , there really is no wrong answer, It is A matter of opinion . Though it is most likey true that naming does not play A huge role in the success of the game. I tend to Micro Manage, Mabye i am Obscure , Or maybe Naming is Accute ?

Also from what I understand Nomenclature , translates to,
" to call A name " . ?.

I like how out of roughly 600 muscles, you picked the one that translates into "big end" You also could've gone with foramen magnum, which is even more amusing.
There's a gluteus medius, too, but the forearm flexors and extensors are probably the best example of nomenclature usage. Flexor Carpi radialis is basically translated it "radial wrist flexer" ; the radius is, itself, a bone and thus the name tells you the muscle's location and action.
I should probably point out, though, that giving things Latin names is more of a continuation than a convention; the ancient greeks were the ones running around naming stuff, and we just kept those names. Chemistry doesn't really follow that convention (see: alchemy) , but medical sciences stick to it; it makes things a bit clearer and helps us relate things. The "normal" names that we give animals (ex: woodpecker and blue whale) are the modern equivallent of this simplified naming convention.

For amusement, I will call every animal in my game by their scientific name.

So when you're walking through town and you see a cat on the side, and you talk to it, I will pull out the scientific name from wikipedia and then say "________ looks at you"

@Alt Jack,
I don't know many muscles, actually. Haha, I probably wouldn't have been able to recall any if I hadn't recently observed a dissected human. It was really cool, though, I literally got to hold somebody's heart in my hands.

If the ancient Greeks started naming animals and defined their taxonomy, then why do we use Latin names? I am under the impression that it was the Romans who spoke Latin, but did Latin originate with the Greeks too?

So have I, twice actually. And I'm betting that you had quite the shower afterwards. Mmm...formaldehyde.
I think my most memorable moment was when the girls (who make up the vast majority of our program) asked me to take the towel off one of the cadavar's face. I had already seen it, and felt the need to kindly warn them that the eyes were still in and the head had been sawed open so that the could be brain removed, but their curiousity got the better of them...

History isn't my thing, so I'll let wiki tell that story for me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_alphabet

Haha, actually, there wasn't time for a shower between that and the banquet this program had scheduled next... It was a little bit awkward, but for some reason, a lot of people said the dissection made them hungry...