Subset Games Forum

I'm having a hard time coming up with names for my ships, I know its far off from the gaming aspect of things but its a lot more fun treating every ship by its own merit...
so here are the names i've gotten so far (excluding most of the wacky ones)
for kestrel: Kesbian..
for osprey: Morianne, Prometheus (:p)
for torus: Tychus..
for nisos: Nesbial, the Stray
for bulwark: Vanguard..
for gila monster: Devourer..
for vortex: Lone Ruby (stole from someone else)
for shivan: Reaper..
for adjudicator: Judicis..

I just come up with a verb fitting with the ship, add HMS or USS as a prefix, and go with that. For instance, I used the name "USS Defiant" for the Kestrel because it's an old and outdated ship but it defies the others and valiantly stands. I used the name "USS Bluesky" for the Mantis B (I also won the game on normal mode with that ship!) because it seems like a blue sky to me.

Just do some thinking and you'll come up with something. USS Dynasty, HMS Candlelight, and USS Defender are all names I've used in past runs.

For me, I just put on an FSV (standing for Federation Space Vehicle) at the front, and then stare at the screen for a few minutes before thinking of an amazing name (mostly inspired by Stargate). Occasionally, I'll spend school time thinking up names for when I next need to create a new ship. I've got a whole list on my refill paper somewhere...

Favorite names after ~80 playthroughs

Kestrel A: Initiative - the first
Kestrel B: Oregonian - did my living off the land achievement with this
Stealth A: Chanceless
Stealth B: Bad Decision
Mantis A: Tribulator
Mantis B: Vagrant
Engi A: Autobots
Engi B: Lonely Heart
Cruiser A: Patience
Cruiser B: Songbird - only did this once because it went perfect the first time, so this is the only choice
Slug A: Wretched
Slug B: Psion
Rock A: Pathfinder
Rock B: Furnace
Zoltan A: Prosecutor
Zoltan B: Legislator - see Songbird note
Unknown A: Preserver
Unknown B: Reckless

It may be important to note that I always pre-pend my ship names with the word "The" when I say the names to myself. Serves the same purpose as an abbreviation, to me.

Torus - Flying Brick

The Wiggin!

Kestrel A - The Serketrenski
Engi A - The Kankrienschi
Engi B - The Captor

Bonus points for knowing the reference.

The names i came up with include:
Kestrel A: Rampage
Kestrel B: Revenge/ Betrayal
Kestrel C: The Swashbuckler
Engi A: RoboticAwakening
Engi B: Alone
Engi C: Ultimate Haxor
Stealth A: Shadow Guard
Stealth B: Shadow Cannon
Stealth C: Face Palm
Federation A: The Massacre
Federation B: Flaring Gunship
Federation C: SuicidalAproach
Mantis A: The Bloodbath
Mantis B: The Black Spot
Mantis C: Feral Instincts
Slug A: Nemesis
Slug B: The Marauder
Slug C: The Manipulator
Rock A: Crusher
Rock B: Annihilation
Rock C: Sapphire
Zoltan A: Energy Spark
Zoltan B: The Reaper
Zoltan C: The Twisted
Lanius A: Eternal Blade
Lanius B: Blade Murder
Crystal A: Gembound
Crystal B: Pulse Crystal

These days, I always abbreviate my ships with FNC (Federation Naval Cruiser) though before I just called my ships "The ___".

Of the ships I've unlocked:

Kestrel A: The Raven, The Shrike, The Aegis
Torus A: The Torus, The Corvus
Osprey A: The Shrike, FNC "Supernova" (used this one on one of my favourite playthrougghs!)
Stealth A: FNC "Katana", FNC "Assassin"
Zoltan A: Have yet to play this one (probably because I despise the asymmetrical appearance it has...)
Lanius A: FNC "Blade", FNC "Shuriken"

As you can see, I tend to choose names somewhat related to the ship's appearance/purpose.

Best ones I've had so far,

Kestrel - A:
Sparrowhawk
Furious
Lancer
Lightning
Aesir

Engi - A:
Scrapheap
Donut
Roundel
Overlord
Pointless
Deadbot

Zoltan - A:
Judge
Predictably Hurt
Nuclear Lawsuit
Flying Red Tape