Jeff

from StarControl Forums

In everything you've posted so far to the vault, and in updates, there's only one thing that really gives me pause.

 

Jeff.

 

That breaks the 4th wall I have with this project.

 

Any chance you could change the name to Jeph or something?  I completely get what you're trying to do with the funny name pun, but it really messes with my head.  Having some big powerful alien with the name Jeff is odd to me.  Spell it funky (which I usually hate and think of as a cheap excuse for creativity, but I'm making an exception this time to try and honor your original intent with the name.).  Call it Jeph and let people laugh to themselves when they say it aloud in their head, thinking themselves clever.  It won't translate into other languages as funny either, so it's primarily an English speaking pun.

 

I don't want to wander the cosmos and meet Jeff.

 

The concept is fine, just not the name.

 

My opinion is completely my own. Thanks for listening!

17,156 views 10 replies
Reply #1 from StarControl Forums Top

All the names are translated. There’s actually a lot of lore behind Jeff. His actual name is obviously not Jeff nor does he speak English.  His translation tech uses terms we can pronounce.his real name is unpronounceable by human mouths.

Reply #2 from StarControl Forums Top

And there I was campaigning to change PhAmYsHt to Famished...

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Reply #3 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting Hunam_, reply 2

And there I was campaigning to change PhAmYsHt to Famished...

 

Crud. I forgot about that too....grrr.  No silly names! :)

Reply #4 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting Hunam_, reply 2

And there I was campaigning to change PhAmYsHt to Famished...

I chuckled as I read the name "Jeph" in the original post, and thought of you.

Reply #6 from StarControl Forums Top

I think it would be fun to hear Jeff say, "My name is &^@#$, but you can call me Jeff."   The &^@#$ is his true name in his unpronouncable tongue, that solves the oddity of Jeff's name, with some humor.  Seeing as Jeff is a machine his name should involve modem sounds or other electronic noise. :D

Reply #7 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting Captain_Maim, reply 6

Seeing as Jeff is a machine his name should involve modem sounds or other electronic noise

 

Actually, that's a GREAT idea!!!!  Paging Frogboy!!!  That would reduce the campiness of it a tiny bit, which is just enough campiness reduction for ole Maogan the Melnorme.

Reply #8 from StarControl Forums Top

I think it's cheap to just SAY it's unpronouncable and not ever try.   A notch better if you sprinkle the name Jeff into the true name.  But do this rather than just SAY "Jeff", and I know this is hard but record your best efforts of pronouncing it backward (with perhaps the exception of the "J" sound which really IS unpronouncable) and then play your reverse pronunciation backwards so the name sounds like this:    "J %#$ eff #@!^*"    The symbols are modem or machine noises.   Then calling him Jeff comes totally naturally.

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Reply #9 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting Captain_Maim, reply 8

I think it's cheap to just SAY it's unpronouncable and not ever try.   A notch better if you sprinkle the name Jeff into the true name.  But do this rather than just SAY "Jeff", and I know this is hard but record your best efforts of pronouncing it backward (with perhaps the exception of the "J" sound which really IS unpronouncable) and then play your reverse pronunciation backwards so the name sounds like this:    "J %#$ eff #@!^*"    The symbols are modem or machine noises.   Then calling him Jeff comes totally naturally.

This is... a GREAT idea.

Reply #10 from StarControl Forums Top

Thanks, I was inspired by Jeff's picture from the last vault pack.   Also a trip to Wikipedia regarding a von Neumman Probe.  Funny that 3 of 4 Star Control games have those now (except SC1.)