Player name release for inactive characters/accounts

[Demonicterran]

Hello,

 

I was trying to create a new character today but it is not that fun when a lot of names are taken (hopefully I'm not the only one?), so eventually I gave up. I asked myself afterwards why there is no such thing as a "name release" feature in SW: TOR like there is with many other MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft, so I would like to propose this as a new idea.

 

How it could work is that a warning email is sent in advance of the name release to the player's registered email address, then after X amount of time (days, weeks or years) an account/character that has been inactive for that specific time will have their player name(s) released, unless of course that they log in to their account/character before the time runs out.

 

This should also become a feature that is fully automated, meaning that Customer Support or the developers wouldn't have to do much once the scripting for something like this is finished, it would take care of it self giving them more time to do other work.

[ForfiniteStories]

I would like this.

[SteveTheCynic]

Names should be unlocked after the long-inactivity timer rather than actually taken away. That way, if your character is affected, but nobody actually tries your name, you get to keep it. (As written, there's a definite implication that the name is removed rather than staying on the character until someone else takes it, or the player in question logs in to the character.)

[Spikanor]

why not use the same thing what we all have with the guild name's but then use it also for the characters that are not been active for lets tell 9 month's and longer?

 

since i got the same problem years ago when there was a server marge that 2 off my chars need to be rename since it was all been used after the server merge so i have both off then giving a new name.

 

since its only getting harder and harder to find a nickname you like what not has been used all so the same system with the guild name if its not active after some time that the name can be used again by others if there wane and you need to rename your guild.

[Cassianus]

This idea definitely deserves to be taken into account by developers, opinion of other players need as well.

My personal view:

1) This feature, if it will be implemented, should be announced in advance, so players will know about its existence. Maybe 3 months or more before.

2) The duration of inactivity should be significant. I suggest no less than 3 years, maybe 5. For free-to-play only (not preferred) accounts the time may be less.

3) BW should inform the inactive player by the mail about upcoming release of the names.

Edited November 27, 2021 by Cassianus

[xordevoreaux]

It's been suggested on the forums many, many times before, usually because someone is jonesing for a particular name and it's not available. I've a few myself I'd like to see free up on various servers.

 

And I give the same advice each time. Tack on a second name. So if "John" is taken, name yourself "John Maxx" or something.

 

My trick lately is to go to the random name generator, click through till I get a name I can live with, copy it, continue clicking through auto-generated names till I find another one, then paste the name I copied after or before the one currently generated.

[Nefram]

It's been suggested on the forums many, many times before, usually because someone is jonesing for a particular name and it's not available. I've a few myself I'd like to see free up on various servers.

 

And I give the same advice each time. Tack on a second name. So if "John" is taken, name yourself "John Maxx" or something.

 

My trick lately is to go to the random name generator, click through till I get a name I can live with, copy it, continue clicking through auto-generated names till I find another one, then paste the name I copied after or before the one currently generated.

 

This is exactly what I do. I even got Wilson Fisk of all names for a Agent I made. I didn’t use the random for that one but I was surprised it was available.

[Spikanor]

My trick lately is to go to the random name generator, click through till I get a name I can live with, copy it, continue clicking through auto-generated names till I find another one, then paste the name I copied after or before the one currently generated.

 

i was trying cheaking something on a new toon for a few mins so the nickname it was going to use was not inportent.

and i use the random name generator and what i got was only name's that have been used all by other players by the random name generator.

 

if thinking about a good nickname for a char is not easy any more but the same problem has the random name generator also that it shows name's that have been took all by other players.

 

there really need fix this problem and chance the system that if a account is ofline for ...... time then the characters nickname's become usefull again for other players and when you login and your char nickname has been taken by other players you need to rename it again for free.

[SerenityBliss]

Another way to get the name you want is to use "alt" characters, i.e. accents and umlauts over the vowels. You can google a list of alt characters, both upper and lower case.