Yet STK doesn't really tell for what software each mascot stands for. Sometimes it's written on the kart, but that's the exception.
What do you think? Would it be a good idea to also show in the kart selection screen what the mascot stands for? Or would that be too “advertisy”?
I suggest to show in the kart selection screen a short additional line/description about the kart driver, written directly below the name. The kart selection has plenty of space, so this could work even in low-res, but you might want to shift the kart stats a little bit upwards.
This could be just an additional text stored in the kart files (or whatever the karts use). Usually this text will be just “Mascot of <software name>” but it could be any freeform text, really (to make it more flexible for add-ons). By default, this description is empty, so it only appears if the kart files explicitly added this text.
Examples:
- Tux: Mascot of Linux
- Gnu: Mascot of GNU
- Konqi: Mascot of KDE
- ...
Nolok is a special case, as he's not a mascot of anything. Not sure what to put as description. “Mascot of evil”? “Mascot of nothing”? “King of Karts”? “Former king of Karts”? “Owner of Fort Magma”? “The most evil kart racer”? “Owner of Nolok Industries”?
I'm also not sure what to write for both Saras. Just “Mascot of OpenGameArt” for both of them?