Are the stock SoldierNames .nam files necessary to run?

[aquanaut]

I'm not sure if this more properly belongs in the "Mods" or "Developments" section, but:

Are the nationality-based .NAM files that come with OpenXCOM necessary for it to run? I wanted to make "master list" files (a huge databank of surnames with "Private" as the only selection for the first names). I did, and the new files check out on a YAML checker, so I added those and deleted the original .NAM files that come with OXC.

Now, whenever I try and start a game, it crashes straight to desktop. Is there a workaround here?

[SupSuper]

Did you delete just the .NAMs or the whole folder? I think the game needs at least the folder to be there.
Can you post your .NAM so I can try it out?

[aquanaut]

No, the folder is there, but I deleted all the stock files (American.nam, Arabic.nam, Belgium.nam, etc.) and replaced them with the attached files.

I don't think they are the problem, since when I tried to run the game with the stock files and my own custom lists I saw names from both. It was only when I took the stocks out that I started to experience immediate crash when I try to start a new game.

[SupSuper]

Oh it's crashing because the game expects every nameset to have both male and female names.

[aquanaut]

You're absolutely right! D'oy. I should have figured that.

Thanks for the help!