The next time you crack your head trying to think of a great nickname while playing first person shooter games, give Ryder a shot (pun intended). I found this app entirely by chance and I can guarantee that most of you won't even have heard of it before. Heck, I wouldn't have gone around looking for a name generator myself. But I found Ryder and it's a keeper.
It's inspired by Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (MST3K) and Space Mutiny, apparently. I haven't watched either of them so I'm clueless if the names resemble the characters from these shows. If you are an avid follower of MST3K, do try Ryder out and let us know the verdict in the comments.
This app is simple. There's only one button which you click in order to generate a new name. But don't let the lack of features dismay you -- it's bloody hilarious. It's written all over the title, Ryder generates macho names. Not fancy Superhero names or Celebrity names. Macho, carnivorous, bullet-grinding names. These names (or nicknames) will deliver spine-shivering terror to your opponents, yet it's questionably light-hearted that will make them laugh initially then cower in fear after the meaning truly sets in.
Download the app from the developer's website. Ryder requires OS X 10.5 and higher to run. Unzip it and enjoy. I'm currently on Snow Leopard and the app works just fine.
Like I mentioned before, the app only has one button. Click on 'Who?' and it will generate a new name. It also provides you with a 'Speech' checkbox. Enable that, click on the 'Who?' button again and it uses Mac's speech utility to read the name out loud. I've just had it read "Bolt Hardpeck" to me and it undoubtably felt like I was introduced to a macho firefighter. Alright, this is starting to emasculate me so I'll move on.
I don't really know how many names are stored in the generator but while using it, I did see some duplicates although they're not really obvious. I'll list down some of the names it generated:
- Flint Thornbody
- Zap McBlowfist
- Reef Sideiron
- Rif Slamchest
- Slab McBulkhead
Hilarious yet macho, don't you think? The first names are really masculine and undeniably butch. The last names have a tinge of humor, mellowing the whole "I'm gonna rip your head off" effect.
Speaking of name generators, Simon wrote about something similar in his article, The 4 Funniest Online Name Generators which includes Superhero names, Pirate names, Vampire and Music Star names. Be sure to check those out as well. We've also covered NameMasher, an online name generator that takes two different words and mashes them to create a name like Bennifer (Ben + Jennifer).
Ryder is an open-source application. If you are a developer, you can actually download the source code, take it apart and tell us exactly how many names are in there. For the rest of us, this is all that matters: Ryder is free. Remember, it requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and higher to run. Download it here.
Do you think Ryder really generates macho names or do you have a better alternative? Tell us in the comments.