Arabic Numerals for Celestial Body Names

[Barron of Gondor]

This is not about unique names that are given to planets by you, from the name list, or are pre-named. I'm talking about names such as "Bernard's Star IIb"

So we all know how we name Celestial Bodies that are not given special names. Its "Star, Planet, Moon" So if we were to name the first moon of the first planet around Proxima Centauri; it'll be "Proxima Centauri 1-A". Not to hard to understand. However, here is my problem: Stellaris doesn't write it like I just wrote it. It writes it "Proxima Centauri Ia". It uses Roman Numerals followed by lower case letters.

So an uppercase I, witch happens to look like a lower case L.

Il

Which one of those is the I? Which one is the L? Took you a second didn't it?

Why does this matter?
Well I want you to tell me which story event is easier to read:
A) "Science Officer, Karren Smith has found debris of a crashed starship on Tau Ceti CIa. The ship hit the surface going at FTL speeds leaving a... As a result Tau Ceti CIa is now..."

B) "Science Officer, Karren Smith has found debris of a crashed starship on Tau Ceti-C 1A. The ship hit the surface going at FTL speeds leaving a... As a result Tau Ceti-C 1A is now..."

When reading, it looks like its saying "Clah" not C 1-A. This is because of the Roman Numerals. Roman Numerals are cool, yeah. However Arabic Numerals are far superior than Roman Numerals for reading. Reading events are a major part of the storytelling in this game. I feel loosing out on the cool factor from Roman numerals is a good trade off if we get easier events to read.

 

[Calvax]

I see what you mean with the Il problem (the difference can be seen in some fonts but even then it's harder, and not the fonts the game uses). But is that an actual problem in stellaris? L is the 12th letter of the alphabet. Is it possible in the game for a planet to spawn with twelve moons? Because if not it's a bit of a moot point no?

A hypen and some spaces would be good though as Tau Ceti C I-a reads better than CIa. But roman numerals fit the sci fi theme since they're used in franchises like star trek.

 

[Barron of Gondor]

But roman numerals fit the sci fi theme since they're used in franchises like star trek.

I don’t think they fit sci fi any more than Arabic numerals. I don’t think they’re more sci fi.

They do fit simple names better. That I will concede. However, they are inferior in a practical sense. “Arcturus IV” looks way cooler than “Arcturus 4”. However there is a problem if there is more to that name. “Arcturus B IVb” that isn’t cool. That’s messy. At that point I’d prefer “Arcturus-B 4B” for the simplicity.

 

[grommile]

I don’t think they fit sci fi any more than Arabic numerals.

The use of Roman numerals for designating the unnamed planets of a star isn't just a coolness thing, it's a genre convention, popularized by Star Trek and subsequently proliferated by a variety of other media in the Exploding Starships genre.

As a result, when I read planet designators, my media exposure has already primed my brain to expect roman numerals.

 

[hart30]

Not only roman numerals get used. Roman star/planet names as well. Sol for example. And a lot of planets in our solar system are named after roman/greek gods (they kinda used each others gods, but named some differently). Like Mars, Neptun, Uranus etc.
When i first saw earth in the game i even wondered why it wasnt called "Terra".

So we have lots of latin in space.

 

[Barron of Gondor]

Not only roman numerals get used. Roman star/planet names as well. Sol for example. And a lot of planets in our solar system are named after roman/greek gods (they kinda used each others gods, but named some differently). Like Mars, Neptun, Uranus etc.
When i first saw earth in the game i even wondered why it wasnt called "Terra".

So we have lots of latin in space.

What does a Latin names have to do with why we should be using an inferior numeric system?

 

[hart30]

What does a Latin names have to do with why we should be using an inferior numeric system?

Absolutely everything. After all these numbers are more flavor, than acting as real numbers.
Latin names and latin numerics - theres currently a whole thread ongoing asking for more latin names.

 

[Kataclyszm]

When i first saw earth in the game i even wondered why it wasnt called "Terra".

... because that's not the name of the god-damn planet!

 

[Barron of Gondor]

Absolutely everything. After all these numbers are more flavor, than acting as real numbers.
Latin names and latin numerics - theres currently a whole thread ongoing asking for more latin names.

This is a inconsistent argument. Because those Latin names are Anglicized. Jupiter isn't spelled how the Romans spelled it: Iūpiter. So saying we should keep to their numerals, but not to their spelling is a picking and choosing. That's fine, because I'm picking and choosing too. But I'm picking a far superior numerical system.

 

[Calvax]

This is a inconsistent argument. Because the those Latin names are Anglicized. Jupiter isn't spelled how the Romans spelled it: Iūpiter. So saying we should keep to their numerals, but not to their spelling is a picking and choosing. That's fine, because I'm picking and choosing too. But I'm picking a far superior numerical system.

Whether it’s real Latin or not it’s about how the trope is used in a lot of science fiction and thus fits the aesthetic of stellaris. Ceti Alpha V and Salusa Secundus might not be the most reasonable names in a technical sense but they’ve helped shape the genre, and it’s the genre stellaris is tapping into.

Plus as I said earlier: is this a real problem? Are there examples of when it causes issues for the player that Roman numerals are used?

 

[Kataclyszm]

Whether it’s real Latin or not it’s about how the trope is used in a lot of science fiction and thus fits the aesthetic of stellaris. Ceti Alpha V and Salusa Secundus might not be the most reasonable names in a technical sense but they’ve helped shape the genre, and it’s the genre stellaris is tapping into.

Plus as I said earlier: is this a real problem? Are there examples of when it causes issues for the player that Roman numerals are used?

“Arcturus B IVb” that isn’t cool. That’s messy. At that point I’d prefer “Arcturus-B 4B” for the simplicity.

The dude literally gave one. It's not even an uncommon issue.

 

[grommile]

The dude literally gave one. It's not even an uncommon issue.

Arcturus B IVb looks like a moon.

Arcturus-B 4B looks like a robot.

 

[HFY]

Arcturus B IVb looks like a moon.

Arcturus-B 4B looks like a robot.

Darth Vader: "I have just had a wonderful idea."

 

[Kataclyszm]

Arcturus B IVb looks like a moon.

It looks like a cat walking on the keyboard is what it looks like. Don't kid yourself.

 

[grommile]

It looks like a cat walking on the keyboard is what it looks like. Don't kid yourself.

Not enough punctuation for that.

 

[Barron of Gondor]

We already use Arabic numerals in some names. Why didn't the devs code this asteroid as "E XLIV CDXXVI"?

 

[Barron of Gondor]

Plus as I said earlier: is this a real problem? Are there examples of when it causes issues for the player that Roman numerals are used?

You didn't even read the post did you?

Why does this matter?
Well I want you to tell me which story event is easier to read:
A) "Science Officer, Karren Smith has found debris of a crashed starship on Tau Ceti CIa. The ship hit the surface going at FTL speeds leaving a... As a result Tau Ceti CIa is now..."

B) "Science Officer, Karren Smith has found debris of a crashed starship on Tau Ceti-C 1A. The ship hit the surface going at FTL speeds leaving a... As a result Tau Ceti-C 1A is now..."

When reading, it looks like its saying "Clah" not C 1-A. This is because of the Roman Numerals. Roman Numerals are cool, yeah. However Arabic Numerals are far superior than Roman Numerals for reading. Reading events are a major part of the storytelling in this game. I feel loosing out on the cool factor from Roman numerals is a good trade off if we get easier events to read.

 

[Calvax]

You didn't even read the post did you?

I read it, I just don’t see any problem there. Seems like it boils down to a personal preference for numbers. Which is fine, but isn’t a strong argument.

 

[Archael90]

I have to admit I prefer Arabic numbers. When I see Latin I read those as letters, not numbers, by default.
I think that players should be able to decide if they want Arabic or Latin numbers, and I don't think it's too complicated to implement.

 

[Barron of Gondor]

I read it, I just don’t see any problem there. Seems like it boils down to a personal preference for numbers. Which is fine, but isn’t a strong argument.

Lol The argument isn't a preference in the numerical systems. It's in reading the events.

When reading, it looks like its saying "Clah" not C 1-A.