Ridiculous Name Generator (RiNG)

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  Screenshot of the app

Inspiration

I always have trouble naming my character when I play a role-playing game. I decided for the spirit of Hacklarious's humor, I would create a name generator that generates unconventional, downright outrageous, sometimes funny names that can be pronounced (with a bit of effort).

What it does

RiNG generates a random name by picking alphabets semi-randomly and assemble it with a simple blueprint that I designed. The names generated should be pronounceable, and the app features a built-in speaking assistant that speaks the displayed name for you if you are having trouble speaking it.

How I built it

I used Android Studio as my IDE and java as primary language. Maven plugin was used for importing java library from Maven Central. Generex was used to convert a regex expression to a random corresponding String. TextToSpeech was utilized so the app can speak the generated name.

Challenges I ran into

This was my first time using java library as a component of my Android app. It took quite of trials to get it right. Also, it was my first time creating a "pretty" mobile app as I only developed simple apps with no furnishing up to this point (I never used custom background image for instance). I am not good at video editing, so it took quite of time to make a demo video.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I am quite proud of how much I have created with limited time. Although the app is quite simple, the app looks very nice (and quirky), which was more than I have expected to achieve. I also learned so much during a day which I will discuss at 'What I learned' section below.

What I learned

I learned how to properly customize my app with custom colors and background. I also learned how to use Maven to import other java libraries. Programming aside, I also improved my video-editing skill.

What's next for Ridiculous Name Generator (RiNG)

The app does have a bug where it spell-out the name rather than speaking it. The next step of RiNG development would be improving the algorithm of name generation so that more pronounceable names and less unpronounceable names would be generated.

Built With

• android-studio
• java