So tired spending hours coming up with a name for my character

[Xenirath]

The naming policy is a bit retarded, you have to admit.

 

You can't have Ravenguard, for instance, unless you use alt codes. Can't tell me that is in violation of some other copyright since it's been used in a bazillion comics, movies and so forth. No one owns it. But you can't have it in SWtoR.

 

Theres multiple possible reasons this can occur:

 

1) Its taken

2) It has a tie in to star wars lore, which is why names like Revan and Bastila are blocked.

3) Future npc or organization is planned to be released with the name, hence why it is blocked.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Xenirath

[Sotof]

Do like in SC2, usernames has a number attached to it (not visible) for when you are to add friends. Then give everyone a free name change on all their chars.

[VegaPhone]

My names were unique and RP friendly. But they were cool names, and people stole them.

 

I also spend a lot of time thinking of names, and then thinking of the look vs sound etc... so even with RP names it can happen.

 

However, I don't want names to be shared, I like the fact that my name is unique.

 

And if they do make names not unique I request they first make character creation very unique... with more customization options and a lot more races/species.

Edited October 30, 2012 by VegaPhone

[Helig]

My names were unique and RP friendly. But they were cool names, and people stole them.

 

I also spend a lot of time thinking of names, and then thinking of the look vs sound etc... so even with RP names it can happen.

 

However, I don't want names to be shared, I like the fact that my name is unique.

 

And if they do make names not unique I request they first make character creation very unique... with more customization options and a lot more races/species.

Can't see why there can't be two people in the entire Galaxy who have the same name. Hell, on our planet, there are plenty of people whose names and surnames match completely.

 

 

As for the OP, I feel for you. Keep digging into dictionaries to come up with a good-looking name. I feel that character names should not be unique, but they should be tied to your account number. Mail should be account-wide, not character-specific, so should banks, etc, etc. Would solve a lot of inconveniences.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Helig

[Darth_Haderach]

I have 8 characters and all their names were approved on the first try. No problems after the consolidation either. My suggestion is to do research on meanings when coming up with a name. Look to the ancient languages (no, not Latin, it's cliche and not that ancient at all), Sanskrit is widely used in Star Wars lore along with other older than Europe cultures in Asia. Collect phrases, words or names that you like the sound and meaning of, then play a little to make it look like a name. The random name generator in game can give ideas for sound combinations as well.

 

Be original and you will never have problem with names. What I'm describing is the comprehensive naming method used in movies and literature, these names usually do take a lot to come up with. As for the naming policy... I'd very much hate if someone sees my character in game and decide that they like the sound of the name and just create an imitation on the same server. No.

Names in MMO's have been unique since the dawn of time and that's how it should stay.

[GongStar]

I lost my ex-main characters name.

Saga -> Sanguina.

That pissed me off... I was one of the first people to enter the game and I lost my name!!!

That name was rightfully mine...

Oh well, sometimes the devs decide screw you over.

[CelCawdro]

I have 8 characters and all their names were approved on the first try. No problems after the consolidation either. My suggestion is to do research on meanings when coming up with a name. Look to the ancient languages (no, not Latin, it's cliche and not that ancient at all), Sanskrit is widely used in Star Wars lore along with other older than Europe cultures in Asia. Collect phrases, words or names that you like the sound and meaning of, then play a little to make it look like a name. The random name generator in game can give ideas for sound combinations as well.

 

Be original and you will never have problem with names. What I'm describing is the comprehensive naming method used in movies and literature, these names usually do take a lot to come up with. As for the naming policy... I'd very much hate if someone sees my character in game and decide that they like the sound of the name and just create an imitation on the same server. No.

Names in MMO's have been unique since the dawn of time and that's how it should stay.

 

Firstly, Latin is used for a lot of Star Wars names. Secondly, Star Wars names are generally simplistic, short and very common.

 

If you're fine with settling for your typical RP-friendly pseudo-Sindarin MMO name, sure, you're going to have an easy time getting it. Seregthoronmoril probably isn't taken. But if you want a name that actually fits the Star Wars universe? Not so easy.

Edited October 30, 2012 by CelCawdro

[Wartitans]

Names should always be unique and Bioware shouldn't have to cater to the people being lazy and unimaginative past the option of Random Name generator.

 

I personally spent around an hour coming up with names for each of my charecters and I am happy with them. Its annoying enough to see lowbies with names like ob'iwan etc nevermind allowing other players to copy other players names.

 

As well as that what about sending tells? If your trying to send a tell to the 50th An'akin on the server how would it differenciate between the other 49? Having an account number attached just takes away the feel of the game, plus on RP servers it ruins chat. If you are trying to RP and everytime you speak you see [An'akin36377363] its just sad.

 

My advice is look outside the box a little. Even words you wouldn't normally think of can be used well, such as one of my charecters is called Veteran, which on its own isn't anything special, however combined with my title it reads 'Gladiator Veteran' obviously this isn't an RP method but it opens a lot more possibilities.

 

If you are really stuck for names you could always log an alt and look around the random NPC's for inspiration before making your charecter.

 

Everyone else shouldn't have to suffer because a few individuals lack of innovation.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Wartitans

[Eegore]

What surprised me was that my launch day characters had to be renamed after a server merge. People came to Ebon Hawk and my original Ebon Hawk characters had to be renamed.

 

I assume its because whoever transferred picked that name first, as in per account not server. Not sure though, but it sucked losing names.

[Darth_Haderach]

Firstly, Latin is used for a lot of Star Wars names. Secondly, Star Wars names are generally simplistic, short and very common.

 

If you're fine with settling for your typical RP-friendly pseudo-Sindarin MMO name, sure, you're going to have an easy time getting it. Seregthoronmoril probably isn't taken. But if you want a name that actually fits the Star Wars universe? Not so easy.

 

If "Seregthoronmoril" is what you'd come up with after utilizing your brain, I have bad news for you... And no, Latin is not widespread in SW at all, compared to Asian languages. Then again I have the advantage of being a linguist. Apparently SW:TOR is full with NPC names which are fitting the Star Wars universe and yet, they are not cliches. If coming with a good original name is hard for you, then the issue is personally yours and not with the naming policy,

[Helig]

If "Seregthoronmoril" is what you'd come up with after utilizing your brain, I have bad news for you... And no, Latin is not widespread in SW at all, compared to Asian languages. Then again I have the advantage of being a linguist. Apparently SW:TOR is full with NPC names which are fitting the Star Wars universe and yet, they are not cliches. If coming with a good original name is hard for you, then the issue is personally yours and not with the naming policy,

Dude, you're so cool that I almost wish were female for just a slim chance of having your babies.

[Xenirath]

Can't see why there can't be two people in the entire Galaxy who have the same name. Hell, on our planet, there are plenty of people whose names and surnames match completely.

 

 

As for the OP, I feel for you. Keep digging into dictionaries to come up with a good-looking name. I feel that character names should not be unique, but they should be tied to your account number. Mail should be account-wide, not character-specific, so should banks, etc, etc. Would solve a lot of inconveniences.

 

Because this isn't technically an entire galaxy? It's players who chose their names, its mechanics that rely on unique names, its a of reasons.

 

Do me a favor, go play wow and try to name a character that someone else has. It won't work. Same with rift, aion, swg, AoC and every mmo ever made. The fact is the mail system, friends list, guild functions all rely on unique character name values to work properly.

[Helig]

Because this isn't technically an entire galaxy? It's players who chose their names, its mechanics that rely on unique names, its a of reasons.

 

Do me a favor, go play wow and try to name a character that someone else has. It won't work. Same with rift, aion, swg, AoC and every mmo ever made. The fact is the mail system, friends list, guild functions all rely on unique character name values to work properly.

 

Funny how WoW is the measure of all things MMO...

 

And no, some oldschool MMOs used CharacterName@<accountname> identification.

 

Secondly, mail and banking should be account-wide. It's convenience, if anything. Friendlists, guilds - can't see why can't they be account-wide, as well, as long as there's the character-specific "let me hide" option.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Helig

[CelCawdro]

If "Seregthoronmoril" is what you'd come up with after utilizing your brain, I have bad news for you... And no, Latin is not widespread in SW at all, compared to Asian languages. Then again I have the advantage of being a linguist. Apparently SW:TOR is full with NPC names which are fitting the Star Wars universe and yet, they are not cliches. If coming with a good original name is hard for you, then the issue is personally yours and not with the naming policy,

 

I see you didn't catch the sarcasm there. A lot of role-players are suggesting pedantic, lengthy names - that may be good for your general "one-size-fits-all" MMO name, but if you're looking for something iconic to Star Wars, those aren't the kinds of names that are desired. As I stated:

Star Wars isn't exactly known for creative or unique names. Leia. Luke. Owen. Ben. (In)Vader. (In)Sidious. Maul. Han. Chewie. Short, simple and very basic, unoriginal names. As much as I like Tolkien, this universe isn't made for pedantic Sindarin Elvish monikers. I mean, seriously - Darth Maul. If someone made that character, he would be the subject of constant derision by the high-and-mighty RPers around here.

 

And Latin is indeed pervasive in G-canon. Asian influences are indeed more common in the EU, but in the core "iconic" material (upon which SW:TOR is modeled), Latin is the go-to dead ancient language of inspiration. Overdone? Of course. Cliche? Incredibly. But it's undeniable, iconic Star Wars. Sure, there is precedent for the more meandering, punctuated names. I have a few of them myself. But there are very few leads with names of that type, and we're playing the lead role in SW:TOR.

 

Surnames are an entirely different issue, and we'd probably share the same opinion, there. But this is a thread about given names, and it would be entirely moot if a unique surname was all that was needed.

Edited October 30, 2012 by CelCawdro

[Sotof]

Because this isn't technically an entire galaxy? It's players who chose their names, its mechanics that rely on unique names, its a of reasons.

 

Do me a favor, go play wow and try to name a character that someone else has. It won't work. Same with rift, aion, swg, AoC and every mmo ever made. The fact is the mail system, friends list, guild functions all rely on unique character name values to work properly.

Just add option to type in legacy or ID number.

[Qouivandes]

I have never had an issue with my toons names. never have i run into someone that has the same or similar name as any of my toons. some, at first glance, were nutty in their way of spelling. for example, in the game that shall not be mentioned I came up with with Grylladeaux for my Tauren druid--ha--but never really played him and ended deleting him for Tzanvrithia the Troll Druid.

 

I also spend hours (and at one time more than a day to name my second SWG toon) working on names and looks. a guy i work with laughs his rear off at that fact and so does another guy that i played that other game with.

 

bottom line is that with a little imagination and looking around the name youre looking for you can come up with something that is not taken.

 

as an example lets take the name Deadpool. someone may want that and they find out that the name is taken with all of its incarnations using alt letters. I, on the other hand, may come up with:

 

Mortispiscine which, using a common english to french translation, can be viewed as Dead pool. not sure how it would normally be written in French, but...yea, not a big deal.

 

same can be done with Danish: vandhulmeget or Ekstremtvand or Vandestremt.

 

one of my favorits that ive used is Vqaine (for Caine) or even Vq'ine.

 

even diety names can be played with as well a internet phrases: Alur'byse, Roflym'ao, Yumyd-bryo, etc

 

just have fun with it.

[ObiJuanShenobi]

Even something as simple as allowing us to use the freakin spacebar when creating names would solve alot of problems. You would be able to create a first AND last name as a way to work around the current, stupid system. I know BW would say that allowing spacebars to create a last name for yourself or something would defeat the purpose of having Legacy Names, but I would disagree with that. Legacy names can be what it is, and from an RP perspective, you could have an alt with a last name that differs from your Legacy name.

 

For instance, the 'Skywalker' legacy. By the current naming perimeters in SWTOR, Han Solo's name would either be Han Skywalker (even tho it's not his surname) or just plain Han...which would be weird. He isn't a Skywalker and has his own last name, but he is still a part of the 'Skywalker' Legacy.

 

It's time for BW to allow people to be a little more creative in naming on their characters. Not everyone wants to called Darth Fartbox or Lord Pwnurmom because they are more of an MMO player and less of a SW fanboy. Some of us have an RP-type imagination and would like a little more freedom on creating characters.

Edited October 30, 2012 by ObiJuanShenobi

[MediumD]

Spacebar in the name would've been nice, like GW2. Or a battle-tag like in Diablo 3.

 

I've found two-syllable names I like for all of my characters--even after the "name pollution" from the server merges--but the names were sometimes my 12th choice.

[simplius]

Because this isn't technically an entire galaxy? It's players who chose their names, its mechanics that rely on unique names, its a of reasons.

 

Do me a favor, go play wow and try to name a character that someone else has. It won't work. Same with rift, aion, swg, AoC and every mmo ever made. The fact is the mail system, friends list, guild functions all rely on unique character name values to work properly.

 

STO has that feature,,they use @handlename/charactername

[Kenlonis]

I had to rename my main toon when I switched over from Rubat Crystal to Ebon Hawk (I was apart of SWTOR since launch day so I don't know why I had to change), then I discovered I wasn't happy with the name I chosen when I had to rename, so I requested a name reset, well since the merges it's gotten harder to come up with a name you can be happy with and it turns out I'm still struggling with it.

 

so your suggestion is please allow me to steal other people's names cause i can't think of one on my own???

 

Won't happen anyway i could see the Griefing that could come from it or the people that have a personal axe to grind against so and so.. so they make the same name in and attempt to get them banned.

 

Would just be to much for Bioware to keep track of so i am glad it won't happen

[TaylaEwa]

I couldn't understand why they didn't make legacy names unique and have the toon names tie to the legacy names. Most people aren't going to have 8-16 legacy names on one account.. but if everyone has unique toon names, your pool of usable names gets depleted quickly.

 

You also take care of the problem that if someone wants to blacklist a toon, you aren't having to wonder if that "Skyywallker" (made up for example) is the same one you put on ignore yesterday. CO had a system similar, with toon names being tied to their account via an @ sign. Everyone could be JohnSmith.. but only one person could be JohnSmith@UniqueAcctName. With Legacy names, we won't need the @ sign.. and it would appear to me, to be a way of making the most people happy.. so why did they make Legacy names non-unique and toon names unique?

[ObiJuanShenobi]

I couldn't understand why they didn't make legacy names unique and have the toon names tie to the legacy names. Most people aren't going to have 8-16 legacy names on one account.. but if everyone has unique toon names, your pool of usable names gets depleted quickly.

 

You also take care of the problem that if someone wants to blacklist a toon, you aren't having to wonder if that "Skyywallker" (made up for example) is the same one you put on ignore yesterday. CO had a system similar, with toon names being tied to their account via an @ sign. Everyone could be JohnSmith.. but only one person could be JohnSmith@UniqueAcctName. With Legacy names, we won't need the @ sign.. and it would appear to me, to be a way of making the most people happy.. so why did they make Legacy names non-unique and toon names unique?

 

This is the same point I made a few pages ago. I'm with you 100% on this.

[Beltane]

I'm still annoyed that after getting on SWTOR at 7 am the first day of early access to claim the names I wanted, I lost them and had to change to ugly misspelled versions after the first merge. The best part is the characters who have those names, that I had to rename for, are 100% inactive.

 

The argument of "be moar creative" is just a way to feel awesome by dismissing something that legitimately bothers some people. I fully accept some players don't care at all what they're called. I'm not one of them.

 

Finally, making Legacy no longer unique was the nail in the coffin of the naming issues for me. I at least was able to get my unique Legacy name after the transfers and use it to be identified. Now anyone can use it (though I've yet to see anyone with it).

 

What they SHOULD have done is allow us to use first and last names, and have the Legacy name be separate and unique. That way, if Anakin is taken, we can be Anakin Solo <The Skywalker Legacy>. (Except not that.) But alas... ugly names it is.

 

The name "Alexandria" isn't the most unique name in the world, no... but I was very excited to have it, since I've never been on board with a game since launch and had a shot to get a unique name. When the mergers happened, I should have been allowed to add a last name to it rather than renaming to Alexandrea. Meh.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Beltane

[ObiJuanShenobi]

I'm still annoyed that after getting on SWTOR at 7 am the first day of early access to claim the names I wanted, I lost them and had to change to ugly misspelled versions after the first merge. The best part is the characters who have those names, that I had to rename for, are 100% inactive.

 

The argument of "be moar creative" is just a way to feel awesome by dismissing something that legitimately bothers some people. I fully accept some players don't care at all what they're called. I'm not one of them.

 

Finally, making Legacy no longer unique was the nail in the coffin of the naming issues for me. I at least was able to get my unique Legacy name after the transfers and use it to be identified. Now anyone can use it (though I've yet to see anyone with it).

 

What they SHOULD have done is allow us to use first and last names, and have the Legacy name be separate and unique. That way, if Anakin is taken, we can be Anakin Solo <The Skywalker Legacy>. (Except not that.) But alas... ugly names it is.

 

The name "Alexandria" isn't the most unique name in the world, no... but I was very excited to have it, since I've never been on board with a game since launch and had a shot to get a unique name. When the mergers happened, I should have been allowed to add a last name to it rather than renaming to Alexandrea. Meh.

 

Same! I was one of the 1st ones on Po5 when pre-release hit and I was able to secure all of my names in the Signature block below. Guess what? I had to change them all during the last transfer and add ugly vowel accents. As someone with an RP type mentality...this was completely disheartening. Especially considering the fact that my names were given to people who are unsubbed....not a single one of them has logged online that I have seen. (yes I friended them because I wanted to know who had my names!)

[LordAndarus]

I'm still annoyed that after getting on SWTOR at 7 am the first day of early access to claim the names I wanted, I lost them and had to change to ugly misspelled versions after the first merge. The best part is the characters who have those names, that I had to rename for, are 100% inactive.

 

The argument of "be moar creative" is just a way to feel awesome by dismissing something that legitimately bothers some people. I fully accept some players don't care at all what they're called. I'm not one of them.

 

Finally, making Legacy no longer unique was the nail in the coffin of the naming issues for me. I at least was able to get my unique Legacy name after the transfers and use it to be identified. Now anyone can use it (though I've yet to see anyone with it).

 

What they SHOULD have done is allow us to use first and last names, and have the Legacy name be separate and unique. That way, if Anakin is taken, we can be Anakin Solo <The Skywalker Legacy>. (Except not that.) But alas... ugly names it is.

 

The name "Alexandria" isn't the most unique name in the world, no... but I was very excited to have it, since I've never been on board with a game since launch and had a shot to get a unique name. When the mergers happened, I should have been allowed to add a last name to it rather than renaming to Alexandrea. Meh.

 

I can relate, I got seven names on the first day of early access, and lost them all after the merge.

 

I feel like there's some sort of sick irony for me, I spent all of the time I had the first week after release finishing chapter one with my Imperial Agent, and finally got my legacy name "Starborn". Now legacy names are not exclusive and I've lost every single one of my day one names.