Jump to content

Name Cameos in Jeff's Games


Dry Peak, Soggy Bottom

Recommended Posts

You're right -- it was 99. I was misremembering my own research.

 

I still think that's a pretty weird cameo for an actual employee. I would suspect the name referring to some relative of Linda's she was making fun of, rather than her personally. Jeff mentioned at some point that a lot of the less plot-integral writing was done by Mariann or Linda. I'm not sure if that was true as of 2001, but it's a possibility. At any rate I'm leaving it in the suspicious section.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Hmm, interesting. That could potentially fit with Jeff's comment about provinces being named after exes -- perhaps it's not Bigail that was named after one, but Shayder. What lends this argument additional support is the fact that one of the two province names we know for sure -- Monoroe -- is a slightly modified version of Shirley's last name. I think this could be something.

 

*three cheers for aran*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ordinarily I'd call it a stretch too. However, given that Jeff himself has said he named the provinces after old girlfriends, given that very few people actually have "Sharimik" for a name, given that Monoroe also had its spelling changed (perhaps O. is her middle initial), and given that we can attest to that name in female form in Jeff's college years... I'd say it's practically a conclusion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally Posted By: Arancaytrus
Quote:
[X1-2, A4, N] Shaynee = Shaynee Snider?


I don't recall Shaynee, but the name immediately made me think of Bigail's capital. If Shaynee Snider already has one name cameo, then "Shayder" could be another.


Wait… wasn't Shaynee a saleswoman of sorts? "Shaynee's Bazaar" sounds quite familiar… an area in western Avernum?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi slarty add this if you dont know(i read about 15 post and found that you probably dont know.

A5: Mayor Salauny(indian name)

mayor vikas:indian name.

Incantrix shankar

ha ha ha my name is abhishek shankar vyas.Indian name once again.

Shankar is also 2nd name of hindu God shiv.(HE have 1000 names)wonderful.Look like it was a hobby of hindu ancient hermits to give names.(jeff shud meet me and i have a long list)

i dont found any name for miranda and cordelia.Surprising!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats why i ask him to add it.May be he have but it was not present in the first post.

If you forget who is miranda then you need to calloc in avernum 3.(miranda the warrior the most powerful recruitable npc whose reputation limit was never solved)

but it is highly unlikely that you forget.But may be others

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe A3 is actually older than Miranda the daughter, but it's clear that Jeff likes the name (and Shakespeare).

 

There are a number of ethnic names (and yes, Anglo is ethnic). We're not counting them as cameos unless they're references to specific people. And there isn't even a Shankar; the mage is Shanker, and I always assumed it was a sobriquet earned in one of those hard, cruel prisons for mages.

 

—Alorael, who knows why there isn't a Cordelia character. Cordelia is one of the default PC names in Avernum. That makes her a bit of a Mary Sue, probably.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Between all 23 of the different versions of games and scenarios Jeff has made, I would estimate he's named somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 to 4000 unique characters. He's used names from all kinds of ethnic origins, from quite literally all parts of the world. We're not listing 4000 ethnic origins.

 

"Shanker" isn't exclusively Hindi, anyway. Wikipedia for example lists three Shankers, whose origins are Polish, Singaporean, and Tamil, while the first google result for "Shanker name" is about English and Welsh families. Obviously it's a popular name in India, but Jeff isn't in India and he doesn't speak Hindi.

 

With all due respect, you seem to be full of assumptions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They probably are Indian names. As Slarty and I have said, he's named enough characters that I'm sure he's mined many, many sources for more names. That still doesn't make them cameos.

 

—Alorael, who can't believe the most obvious name cameo is missing. Jeff Vogel in E3/A3 is, in fact, a Jeff Vogel cameo and not just in name only.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally Posted By: Zero's Therapy
... whose origins are Polish, Singaporean, and Tamil ...


Tamil is an Indian language. I believe it is widely spoken in Singapore too. So maybe a common origin there. Also, the name Shanker is common in other Indian languages as well, with several variations of spelling.

And while we are on the subject, Shanti and Rahul from Geneforge are Indian names as well (which is not to say that they are exclusively Indian).
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Possibly from the Latin verb "aversor" - to repulse, avoid, shun. As it is founded by those exiled from the Empire.

 

Also: "Avernus" - a lake near Puteoli, said to be an entrance to the infernal regions.

 

edit: Beaten to the punch. As I don't have A1 / A2, I'm proud that my etymology was correct, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll add those.

 

Originally Posted By: Dikiyoba
Originally Posted By: Toby-Linn
Is the A2 cameo one of the teleporter codes? I can't really remember.

There's no cameo involved, but yes, the easter egg is a teleporter code.

Actually, I believe this one may be different in the 1.0 and 2.0 releases of Exile 2. I have a distinct memory of that code taking you to a lava filled area which also contained numerous copies of both Jeff and Shirley Vogel in the guise of townspeople. I thought they could be talked to, also. Shirley got a lot of credit for her work on the graphics. Naturally this would be removed in 2.0 since the graphics had changed, as had the Vogel household.

 

Unfortunately, although I have a copy of Exile 2 with the old graphics, it is just a 2.0 copy with the old graphics file subbed in. Does anyone have a copy of an 1.x version of Exile 2 they could send me so I could check this in the code?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, I think that's a hit.

 

Marie-Cecile Vidican teaches at Princeton Day School, which is not far from Rutgers, where Jeff went to grad school, and where he was when he wrote Exile 2. MOREOVER, look at this link:

 

link

 

The book mentions Marie-Cecile Vidican, and the author (Tom Means) also mentions his wife, Aimee -- not the most common name. Okay, this is a real stretch and could easily be a coincidence. On the other hand it would explain how Jeff would come into contact with a high (?) school teacher.

 

Edit: Also, Jeff said that Aimee was a colleague at Rutgers, so this fits perfectly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...