A solution to the loss of names due to transfers

[Darth_Halford]

The alt codes is another flawed attempt in the naming policy, they are more like cheat codes more than anything else, they aren't a solution, they are apart of the problem such as Jðhn. Players that prefer to use a single name would have to go with a nickname to identity them, this would avoid the confusion, since players do seems to value their first names more overall, but that doesn't mean that players value their legacy names any less, why make everything unique? it just causes major problems with the community especially now after the transfers.

 

It would be nice to see a John Smith and a Jon Smith, or even a John Doe and John Smith interacting on the same server status, we can already add siblings and foes to our legacy family tree's why can't we do the same with actual players? this would be another interesting feature to uphold.

 

Sooner or later Raith, you're going to have to learn that just because you don't like it, doesn't mean that it's flawed.

 

Why make everything unique? simply put, because it has to be.

[RaithHarth]

This still doesn't solve the issue.

If I am "John Smith" on server A and I transfer to server B where there is already "John Smith" then I have to change my name. Putting a space in the middle doesn't change this issue in the slightest. POTBS has this exaclt issue - the (full) name must be unique and when transferring, name conflicts can happen which require renames.

 

"John Smith" and "Jon Smith" are two different names - just like 'John" and "Jôhn" are two different names.

 

As far as I can come up with, the only alternative is to make names globally unique. As I've said before, if I were designing it, I'd do that. Bioware, however, didn't ask me. :-)

 

A slight name change is only minor compared to a major name change, for example I lost both my username and legacy name due to transfer, but I value my legacy name more that's really the only difference. While someone else could be John Smith and you were John Smith on another server but now you have to pick a new one, you could try Jon, or Jonah meanwhile you are able to keep your legacy name just with a slight name change.

 

I much rather risk my username than my legacy name, it would be nice if you could add another player to your family tree while still maintaining the same legacy names as he or she does, except our names would have to be different.

[RaithHarth]

Sooner or later Raith, you're going to have to learn that just because you don't like it, doesn't mean that it's flawed.

 

Why make everything unique? simply put, because it has to be.

 

If your going to name a character then do so accordingly, without using names like Jðhn, Bàstila or skywalkêr they don't help the system at all because basically it's taking the easy way out by using cheap coding to advance in any name they want, not only does it look silly but it's also a cheat as well in which does make the naming policy flawed.

[Darth_Halford]

If your going to name a character then do so accordingly, without using names like Jðhn, Bàstila or skywalkêr they don't help the system at all because basically it's taking the easy way out by using cheap coding to advance in any name they want, not only does it look silly but it's also a cheat as well in which does make the naming policy flawed.

It does help the system because the system MUST have a unique name for all of the characters on its servers, just like all of the word documents you may have on your computer at home. Go ahead and try naming all the documents in the same folder the same thing and tell me what happens.

 

It's not a flawed system or policy. I don't like seeing the goofy alphabetic characters either (I especially don't like to see in-game characters named after out-of-game character like Luke or Leia).

 

I know you have a habit of using words whose definition doesn't fit, but it's not a "cheat" if its spelt out in the rules as allowed and is available to anyone.

[monkgryphon]

A slight name change is only minor compared to a major name change, for example I lost both my username and legacy name due to transfer, but I value my legacy name more that's really the only difference. While someone else could be John Smith and you were John Smith on another server but now you have to pick a new one, you could try Jon, or Jonah meanwhile you are able to keep your legacy name just with a slight name change.

 

I much rather risk my username than my legacy name, it would be nice if you could add another player to your family tree while still maintaining the same legacy names as he or she does, except our names would have to be different.

 

So now it seems like you're conceding to my previous post, because now you're willing to accept minor changes, which is pretty much what we've been stating the whole time. Change it and suck it up.

[Fluxsource]

I would totally support the removal of the requirement for first names to be unique - if your legacy name is already unique, why bother with another unique identifier?! Seems like a crazy restriction to me.

 

To solve the problem of pre-Act 1/Legacy players, have their names surrounded by some kind of identifier to emphasise that they don't have a legacy name yet.

[Fluxsource]

Oh, and provide a one time free re-name for all characters to "correct" the name changes after the server transfer (or enforced due to the original uniqueness requirement.)

[RaithHarth]

So now it seems like you're conceding to my previous post, because now you're willing to accept minor changes, which is pretty much what we've been stating the whole time. Change it and suck it up.

 

Like I said legacy names shouldn't be unique, it would be nice to add players to your legacy family tree, sharing the same legacy name, since we can already add our own creations to those tree's why not other players?

 

One player could be John Smith, the other Jonah Smith, two individual players who could be brothers, yet use the same legacy name, I'm willing to give up my username if we are able to keep our legacy name's

[RAZIMx]

Okay so I gave this some more thought, something more drastic, but would probably solve the legacy/account name privacy deal and the character namespace issues.

 

Starting from level 1 your character has a unique identifier: firstname.lastname; Other players could make use of similar first and last names as long as the total name is not equal to your name.

 

The legacy name would be something totally independent, but would be required to be unique, it could be tied to a character's last name in your stable of characters or it could be a more general association with them (Royal name/dynasty, Pirate/Privateer banner,etc.).

 

There would be no way for a random player to associate your legacy to your characters. The legacy would move from being 'the last name' to just that 'optional' title under your name. Also with this system you could have varied character names in your overall legacy.

 

e.g. Skywalker Legacy

"Anakin Skywalker (married to) Padmé Amidala"

"(unsure on real first name) Senator Palpatine (ally to either, moves to rival later)"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi (ally to Anakin, moves to rival later)"

etc..

 

There should be an option to hide your last name displayed over your head so you could vary the display of your titles... Anakin Skywalker the Stalwart vs Anakin the Destructive. All other identifiers would be uniform.

Edited July 10, 2012 by RAZIMx

[monkgryphon]

Like I said legacy names shouldn't be unique, it would be nice to add players to your legacy family tree, sharing the same legacy name, since we can already add our own creations to those tree's why not other players?

 

One player could be John Smith, the other Jonah Smith, two individual players who could be brothers, yet use the same legacy name, I'm willing to give up my username if we are able to keep our legacy name's

 

Back onto just what you want, and really not for the good of the game. I would say the RP element is lost when there are more people with the same legacy names, especially unique ones.

Edited July 10, 2012 by monkgryphon

[Darth_Halford]

I would totally support the removal of the requirement for first names to be unique - if your legacy name is already unique, why bother with another unique identifier?! Seems like a crazy restriction to me.

 

To solve the problem of pre-Act 1/Legacy players, have their names surrounded by some kind of identifier to emphasise that they don't have a legacy name yet.

 

Just as the system has to have a unique identifier for all characters so that it can track changes, level,s equipment and such, the system has to be able to do the same for your Legacy.

 

Your legacy name isn't just dummy code. It essentially functions as a meta-character for your server, and because of that there can only be one Legacy name per server, just as there is only one first name.

[monkgryphon]

Okay so I gave this some more thought, something more drastic, but would probably solve the legacy/account name privacy deal and the character namespace issues.

 

Starting from level 1 your character has a unique identifier: firstname.lastname; Other players could make use of similar first and last names as long as the total name is not equal to your name.

 

The legacy name would be something totally independent, but would be required to be unique, it could be tied to a character's last name in your stable of characters or it could be a more general association with them (Royal name/dynasty, Pirate/Privateer banner,etc.).

 

There would be no way for a random player to associate your legacy to your characters. The legacy would move from being 'the last name' to just that 'optional' title under your name. Also with this system you could have varied character names in your overall legacy.

 

e.g. Skywalker Legacy

"Anakin Skywalker (married to) Padmé Amidala"

"(unsure on real first name) Senator Palpatine (ally to either, moves to rival later)"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi (ally to Anakin, moves to rival later)"

etc..

 

There should be an option to hide your last name displayed over your head so you could vary the display of your titles... Anakin Skywalker the Stalwart vs Anakin the Destructive. All other identifiers would be uniform.

 

It would be too cumbersome and just take up added data space that the current system already saves. Especially if you had 6 Anakin on your friendlist. Would you seriously be able to tell the difference between the 2? When you type one in an outgoing mail message, and it gives you the dropdown menu and you select the wrong one, what do you do then?

 

One name and that being the identifier is a good system, it may be a little flawed, but it is good enough. Transfers are what caused all of this, but the solution is to just rename. First and last names don't change much, but rather add more letters to the name. I'm on origin server as Anakin Skywalker of XXX Legacy. I transfer and there already is an Anakin Skywalker of YYY Legacy. I can't be Anakin Skywalker anymore, and would have to change something about one or the other name to be different. Same as having one name and having to change something about that.

Edited July 10, 2012 by monkgryphon

[RAZIMx]

Especially if you had 6 Anakin on your friendlist. Would you seriously be able to tell the difference between the 2?

 

Every player character in the game would have identifiers like: anakin.skywalker or anakin.fett or anakin.vader .. etc.

 

It'd be a minor change to mail addressing/chat mechanics, but wouldn't expose actual Legacy to the public.

Edited July 10, 2012 by RAZIMx

[monkgryphon]

Every player character in the game would have identifiers like: anakin.skywalker or anakin.fett or anakin.vader .. etc.

 

It'd be a minor change to mail addressing/chat mechanics, but wouldn't expose actual Legacy to the public.

 

Did you miss the rest of my post? That was just one small part of it. The major part seems to be ignored by your response.

Edited July 11, 2012 by monkgryphon

[RAZIMx]

Did you miss the rest of my post? That was just one small part of it. The major part seems to be ignored by your response.

 

One name and that being the identifier is a good system, it may be a little flawed, but it is good enough. Transfers are what caused all of this, but the solution is to just rename. First and last names don't change much, but rather add more letters to the name. I'm on origin server as Anakin Skywalker of XXX Legacy. I transfer and there already is an Anakin Skywalker of YYY Legacy. I can't be Anakin Skywalker anymore, and would have to change something about one or the other name to be different. Same as having one name and having to change something about that.

 

Agreed, you can just rename, but the shortfalls in the system could be corrected to create something that improves quality of life as the game ages rather than worsens. The fact that everyone is also being directed to 'mega servers' would compound the issue as time goes by.

 

Having 1 variable contributing to your character's unique identifier is fine but it limits the total names the system can produce. By moving to 2 variables contributing to that unique identifier you've just shifted the total possible variations on an exponential level. The chances that you run into someone with the same firstname.lastname combination is much lower unless it's some pop reference.

 

While some first names 'in reality' would be fairly rare like Anakin, others wouldn't. By locking those more popular first names down to first-come-first-serve the naming process become overly complicated later. Requiring a player to unnecessarily bloat the name by adding excess vowels or symbols to work around it.

 

Many of the issues caused by 'name squatting' or 'lapsed subscriptions' would also be helped by a 2 part name.

 

I'm not saying renaming isn't the quicker solution but with server mergers, possibly more character slots (per account/server) on the way, and new content pulling more players to the smaller pool of servers it's going to start to affect the player.

Edited July 11, 2012 by RAZIMx

[RaithHarth]

Back onto just what you want, and really not for the good of the game. I would say the RP element is lost when there are more people with the same legacy names, especially unique ones.

 

How so? When I played SWG we were all allowed to have the same lastnames just as long as our first names were unique, it only made the roleplay more interesting.

 

Having both username and legacy names as unique ID's is hurting Bioware's credibility

Edited July 12, 2012 by RaithHarth

[Darth_Halford]

How so? When I played SWG we were all allowed to have the same lastnames just as long as our first names were unique, it only made the roleplay more interesting.

 

Having both username and legacy names as unique ID's is hurting Bioware's credibility

 

Maybe I'm just being wierd from my decade of playing tabletop RPG's and such, but I also found that the interesting bits about the character was what they did or how they acted, not what their name was.

 

I think either your inability or unwillingness to see why the system is the way it is seriously hurting your credibility.

[RaithHarth]

Maybe I'm just being wierd from my decade of playing tabletop RPG's and such, but I also found that the interesting bits about the character was what they did or how they acted, not what their name was.

 

I think either your inability or unwillingness to see why the system is the way it is seriously hurting your credibility.

 

So your mainly a RPG tabletop gamer? Well I got news for you, in the MMO universe names do matter, if your going to just say they don't well your not a serious player by any means because the matter of the fact is names do make a difference for each individual player, because of poor management we were forced to change, which needs to be resolved if bioware wants to maintain those lost subs.

 

It's not my inability or unwillingness but it's your own ignorance to see reason and that all by itself is hurting your credibility.

[Darth_Halford]

So your mainly a RPG tabletop gamer? Well I got news for you, in the MMO universe names do matter, if your going to just say they don't well your not a serious player by any means because the matter of the fact is names do make a difference for each individual player, because of poor management we were forced to change, which needs to be resolved if bioware wants to maintain those lost subs.

That's a fallacy be False Dichotemy. It is absolutly possible to be a serious gamer in this genre and to say that names don't matter, and I do say that.

The names don't make a difference, they especially don't make a difference for each individual player (meaning everyone), as I (and many like me) really don't care what the charaters name is.

 

It's not my inability or unwillingness but it's your own ignorance to see reason and that all by itself is hurting your credibility.

Yes precious, it is absolutly your inability AND unwillingness.

How many times have I stated why this game can't do what you're asking? countless.

How many times have you responded with any kind of meaningful response? none.

How many times have you even adressed it at all? none.

You ignore anything that you don't like, and every page of this thread is living proof of that.

 

I see reason. I don't have time for whiners, and that's all that this is.

[MajikMyst]

It's not my inability or unwillingness but it's your own ignorance to see reason and that all by itself is hurting your credibility.

 

I would have to say that at the very least it is your unwillingness to listen to others that is the largest issue here..

 

First.. The name of your character is not a user name..

 

Second.. Like most others I would guess, you got to a new server and it asked you for a new legacy name you just assumed that your name was taken.. Did it ever occur to you to just try the same name again?? Many of my guildies did and found that their legacy names were in fact NOT taken.. Legacies just had to be recreated on the new server..

 

Third.. You really need to address the issue in the reality and context what it is and now what you would like it to be.. Your legacy is not your lastname.. While you do have the option to wear it as one.. It wasn't meant to be a lastname.. It is an umbrella that all your characters would be under.. Where they can share skills and abilities.. Or you can purchase perks that all of them would share.. In either case.. Your legacy is not and was never meant to be a last name..

 

Your legacy is seperate from all your characters.. It is identified seperately.. It is not a part of any one character.. So the name of your legacy has no bearing on your characters, and in return your characters name has no bearing on your legacy.. You will always be asked to create a new legacy when transfering to a new server.. Unless Bioware updates that of course.. Sure.. If someone does happen to have your legacy name.. Then yes, you will have to makeup another one.. As pointed out on page 1 by me.. A simple and minor change to spelling would allow you to keep your old name... Be it character or legacy..

 

That is the only solution.. Make a new name.. That is it.. There is no other option.. It really is as simple as that..

 

Any idea that attempts to take names from someone else to give to someone else for any reason is wrong.. There is no reason to take a name from someone to give to someone else..

Edited July 15, 2012 by MajikMyst

[RaithHarth]

That's a fallacy be False Dichotemy. It is absolutly possible to be a serious gamer in this genre and to say that names don't matter, and I do say that.

The names don't make a difference, they especially don't make a difference for each individual player (meaning everyone), as I (and many like me) really don't care what the charaters name is.

 

 

Yes precious, it is absolutly your inability AND unwillingness.

How many times have I stated why this game can't do what you're asking? countless.

How many times have you responded with any kind of meaningful response? none.

How many times have you even adressed it at all? none.

You ignore anything that you don't like, and every page of this thread is living proof of that.

 

I see reason. I don't have time for whiners, and that's all that this is.

 

How is it whining for wanting to keep your name? If someone went up to you in person and said "sorry sir, your going to have to pick a new name, someone already copywrited that name and therefore can no longer use it" I know it sounds silly right? but wouldn't you find that offensive to some agree? Samething can be said about having to change over to a new name in-game, not only is it frustrating but it's just insulting to the player, to alot of players a name is not just something you just hand to them like a name tag, to them their name is suppose to be permanent, right from the getgo it becomes the embodiment of their characters sense of purpose, why bother with anything any less? It's not the same!

[Darth_Halford]

How is it whining for wanting to keep your name? If someone went up to you in person and said "sorry sir, your going to have to pick a new name, someone already copywrited that name and therefore can no longer use it" I know it sounds silly right? but wouldn't you find that offensive to some agree? Samething can be said about having to change over to a new name in-game, not only is it frustrating but it's just insulting to the player, to alot of players a name is not just something you just hand to them like a name tag, to them their name is suppose to be permanent, right from the getgo it becomes the embodiment of their characters sense of purpose, why bother with anything any less? It's not the same!

 

There's worlds of differance between keeping MY name (having had it for multiple decades) and My characters name. What sounds silly is that you would actually try to equate the two and think I wouldn't pick on up on the straw man fallacy.

 

For what's it worth, I'm not even called by my name most of the time. I'm referred to as "Petty Officer" or "IS2".

 

It's not Bioware's fault that you're three kinds of crazy. Your faction, your class, and your alingment are the REAL embodiment of your character and your sense of purpose.

[RaithHarth]

I would have to say that at the very least it is your unwillingness to listen to others that is the largest issue here..

 

First.. The name of your character is not a user name..

 

Second.. Like most others I would guess, you got to a new server and it asked you for a new legacy name you just assumed that your name was taken.. Did it ever occur to you to just try the same name again?? Many of my guildies did and found that their legacy names were in fact NOT taken.. Legacies just had to be recreated on the new server..

 

Third.. You really need to address the issue in the reality and context what it is and now what you would like it to be.. Your legacy is not your lastname.. While you do have the option to wear it as one.. It wasn't meant to be a lastname.. It is an umbrella that all your characters would be under.. Where they can share skills and abilities.. Or you can purchase perks that all of them would share.. In either case.. Your legacy is not and was never meant to be a last name..

 

Your legacy is seperate from all your characters.. It is identified seperately.. It is not a part of any one character.. So the name of your legacy has no bearing on your characters, and in return your characters name has no bearing on your legacy.. You will always be asked to create a new legacy when transfering to a new server.. Unless Bioware updates that of course.. Sure.. If someone does happen to have your legacy name.. Then yes, you will have to makeup another one.. As pointed out on page 1 by me.. A simple and minor change to spelling would allow you to keep your old name... Be it character or legacy..

 

That is the only solution.. Make a new name.. That is it.. There is no other option.. It really is as simple as that..

 

Any idea that attempts to take names from someone else to give to someone else for any reason is wrong.. There is no reason to take a name from someone to give to someone else..

 

First!

 

Not a username? well hate to disappoint you but there are actually players out there that identity themselves with certain display names, it's not only just a name, it's a persona in which they undertook, it's a symbol behind the story, something they can relate with.

 

Second

 

Yes I tried my legacy name and it was taken, like I said unique display names and legacy names are apart of the problem, they don't offer a solution, it does not benefit anyone whatsoever. Though I will admit I much rather have my legacy name intact than my display name if I were to make a choice but it has become apparent that both are required unique names, and this is a major problem in the naming policy for SWTOR. I would be much more happier if Legacy names were unlimited to players just as long as the display name does not match another player's with the same legacy name.

 

IE: There cannot be two John Smith per server, but there could be another player with the name Jonah Smith

 

Third

 

I realize legacy is not a last name, but it does act as one to many players who display it proudly in-game, it connects all the dots with all your characters associated in your family tree bar, like I said above Legacy names should have different stipulations than display names rather than having both unique per server and that's a major obstacle to many of the players that went through the transfer process, it's not only frustrating but it's ridiculous in the same sense.

Edited July 15, 2012 by RaithHarth

[RaithHarth]

There's worlds of differance between keeping MY name (having had it for multiple decades) and My characters name. What sounds silly is that you would actually try to equate the two and think I wouldn't pick on up on the straw man fallacy.

 

For what's it worth, I'm not even called by my name most of the time. I'm referred to as "Petty Officer" or "IS2".

 

It's not Bioware's fault that you're three kinds of crazy. Your faction, your class, and your alingment are the REAL embodiment of your character and your sense of purpose.

 

Yes alignment, faction and class are also apart of that embodiment also, but you can't deny that a player's name is not, it's also apart of that embodiment. I tried renaming my character countless of times, but still the name has been picked over each time, I'm not just going to type in any name that's laid out in front of me, I need to be satisfied with a name if it's picked over it's going to take even longer for me to come up with a name that will pose my interest to my character.

 

Good names are hard to come by these days, I don't have the time of day to come up with a proper unique name, it's frustrating to the core that I am unable to play because I have to be forced to rename my character when I was already happy with the one I had prior to transfers.

 

Change is needed!

[Twinness]

Oh dear, what an awful suggestion this is which is being suggested by the thread starter. Legacy names should absolutely be unique; they are like clan or house names, an no other should have the right to wear your name. Likewise, I do not want to see others using the same name as any of my characters just because they have a different legacy name.

 

The system works as intended. Transfers are a one-off thing; you just have to think of new names and get over it. I lost two names, but I thought of new ones. If you think of original enough names, they will always be available.

 

Keep up the good work, Bioware! The naming system needs no changing, it is perfect as it is!