Name change midway through a project (DISCUSSION CLOSED)

As always, if this works better elsewhere then feel free to move accordingly. What I want to know this time is how to best approach a name change in the middle of the development of a project. What prompted this is my closing track that I just finished and programmed aside from one lyrics change, and I'm starting to think I may ultimately have to go "title track" with it (think Man in Motion relative to St. Elmo's Fire if you need an example).

Any ideas?

 

I don't understand what you're asking. What name? which name is changed?
You mentioned "track", which I assume a music track? why would u change it though?

 

I also don't understand what you're asking.

Is this about marketing? (like you already marketed the game with the original name to a bunch of people and you need to know how to change your social media accounts?)
Or you want to know how to physically change the name? (go to the database and change the title)

 

"How do I...?" (implementation) questions go in the Support forum for the engine you are using.

I've moved this thread to RPGMaker MV. Please be sure to post your threads in the correct forum next time. Thank you.

 

First off, I do mean music track because that's exactly what I was referring to.

Second, it's a change in the name of the game itself - not just in relation to the closing track but as a cohesive whole. This is where my example comes into play as I was using the respective movie's title track in relation to what I'm considering as a consequence of having actually written the closing track so early in that it would also affect the name of my game as much as it does the finale.

Sorry if I wasn't as clear on that. Also, I was intending to get feedback on proceeding with finalizing the name of my project relative to my intent. Either way I'm gonna do it.

 

I think I'm still not understanding what you're asking for.

Do you want musical advice of how to change the lyrics for a song to different lyrics because the game title changed? Or help on how to make a song have a certain "feel" that matches a game title?

 

Besides, a track name in game could be as simple as track name Battle02, Battle03, Scene01, Scene02, so I'm also not understanding the importance here.

If you mean branding of your product, or some sort. I also don't understand what you're asking. You could name or change it as much as you want if your game is not live yet. However, if it's already spreading like people associate a particular name as your game / product, it will be harder to introduce new name.

I mean, if you want to change or rename it, just go ahead.

 

And honestly, I don't think you get me either.

What happened is the closing track for my game is also affecting the name of the game itself. Like I started the game under one name but it's getting renamed because the closing track has become as much of a centrepiece as the game itself (just as you can't have Man in Motion without St. Elmo's Fire to use my original example yet again).

Also, the pages I have on Game Jolt and itch were slammed with a working title disclaimer from day one so I'm giving myself a pass on that alone (and probably should've mentioned as well so apologies again for that). As for the track name, I don't just mean in the file system but the track itself (the part that defines the actual title of the track e.g. Thriller, 1999, Manic Monday, Lose Yourself, Rumour Has It or Low Rider to name a few).

And @TheoAllen, barring a legal dilemma this shouldn't be too much of an issue going forward when it comes to renaming as you get closer to realizing your vision. Which, again, is why I used my current game name as a working title - not necessarily intended to remain as-is, meaning that what @Aloe Guvner said is the polar reverse of what happened.

 

Honestly, I don't get ur reference, probably bcz I'm not knowledgeable about it.
But, in short you're asking an advice if you change your game title?

 

please explain to us - WHERE is the name you want to change visible in your game or in your editor.
Is it a file name, and object name, the title of the game or what other name?

 

Yeesh, what an over-complication to such a simple question.

If you found a name that is more fitting and that you are happier with, by all means, change the name. As we have not played your game, we cannot give you feedback on whether a new name is a good, or bad decision. If you have already marketed the game with one title, it may be confusing for your audience if you release it under a different name.

If you want to change the name of your game, simply open your database>click system>and change the game title.

 

*sigh*

I think this is starting to get away from my original intention and I may have to defer to mods before the whole thing explodes in my face (or so to speak). In short, I'm essentially moving from working title to final name based entirely off the closing track (meaning its title - and not the filename - is becoming that of the game itself).

And in case you're still clueless, here's the parallel I originally started with:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6913202/

which in turn is paired with:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090060/

And on a final note, @boikish has it better than anyone else in this conversation.

 

@BreakerZero So what's your question?

This? Only you can answer this.

• Has the game already been marketed under a different name?
• Is the new name more fitting and appropriate?
• Am I happier with the new name?

You have to evaluate how the new name will affect your final product and weigh the pros and cons.

If you want more specific advice, ask more specific questions. I understand your parallel, but it's irrelevant to your question and only served to confuse people.

Edit: Not trying to sound harsh, if it comes off that way.

 

Which was not my intention at all for the sake of being honest. What I was doing was pairing an 80's track with its associated film to illustrate that my closing track and the name of the game are becoming as one, and that by extension thereof I'm officially set on a final name (as opposed to its working title). What I was talking about was in relation to the process of doing so which I apologize for not completely explaining in full when I started this.

And to be fair, this matter is now considered finished so no more replies before I risk this whole thing moving too far away from my original intention.

 

The only reason those two got associated together was due to their release. If they had used a different track, we'd associate a different track with the movie. So in all honesty, you are overthinking it big time as until it is released no one will associated things with your game.

Plus, game titles are changed all the time. Jagged Alliance used to have a different name, and the name was changed late in development. But everyone followed it fine and had no issues. And it went on to be a popular game despite that.

However, I would not let a late game song dictate anything, as when you get to that point in development, you might completely change how you intend to do things. That's really true with big games, many a program changes in development. Look up what StarCraft was supposed to be in early development (one person jokingly called it Orcs in Space as it looked like Warcraft 2, just in space), and try not to laugh when you compare it with what we got in the end.

Closed at OP's request