Force RP names on RP servers

[Dalnar]

Reporting someones name when it isnt offensive at all is like the worst kind of greifing, so I named my character after a famous actress, big deal

 

Actually your case is even against rules:

 

You may not use names from popular culture or media, e.g. Lady Gaga or George Lucas.

 

Although personally, I have nothing against it. A lot better than Darth Lollipop.

[acheros]

Reporting someones name when it isnt offensive at all is like the worst kind of greifing, so I named my character after a famous actress, big deal

 

picking a name that is against the rules, is still against the rules.

[Darth_Slaine]

picking a name that is against the rules, is still against the rules.

 

Yet the names Marshmellow, Kitten, Lollipop and Canopener are not against the rules. Reporting these names would be a waste of the moderators time and energy and borders on harassment. It is at best frivolous reporting and possibly malicious.

 

It has been pointed out many times, but let us say it again: we have rules. There are names that you might think should be reportable but are not... that is your problem, not the other player's, Bioware's or ours.

[Damon_Mott]

Reporting someones name when it isnt offensive at all is like the worst kind of greifing, so I named my character after a famous actress, big deal

 

It's really not a big deal unless you chose that name on a RP server. If you did, you are the one griefing, not the role-player reporting your name.

[SelinaK]

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=63610

 

I don't like how they say the naming policies are no different from any servers as if it's such an important thing when you select a server - it gives the impression to the (likely majority) people that have not read the rules of conduct http://www.swtor.com/legalnotices/roc that there is no name enforcement at all, when TOR actually has a pretty robust, sensible, mostly RP-friendly name policy across ALL servers:

 

"

You may not use any names that violate the General Rules. This includes the use of names that are hateful, defamatory, racist, ethnically offensive, obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, or any other language that is offensive in nature.

 

You may not use names that are harassing or defamatory to other players or employees of EA, BioWare or LucasArts, e.g. EASUX, Timsretarded, and Biowaresux.

 

You may not use names of any EA, BioWare, or LucasArts employee or service related to Star Wars: The Old Republic.

 

You may not use names of copyrighted or trademarked characters, materials or products, e.g. Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper.

 

You may not use names from popular culture or media, e.g. Lady Gaga or George Lucas.

 

You may not use names that are religiously or historically significant, e.g. Jesus, Winston Churchill.

 

You may not use proper names of areas within Star Wars for character names. Guild names, however, MAY use the proper names of specific areas to help promote role-playing and realm pride, e.g. Defenders of Tython or Protectors of Hutta.

 

You may not use proper names of non-player characters within Star Wars: The Old Republic, e.g. Darth Malgus, Satele Shan, Yoda, Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker.

 

You may not use names containing titles or ranks within them, e.g. General Supertrooper, Captain Tim, Darth Timmy, Knight Wakey.

 

You may not use names that refer to drugs or that are drug related.

 

You may not use names that contain an inappropriate phrase, sentence or any fragment of a sentence or Leet speak, e.g. uberhaxer, xxspeederxx, lolface, rofl, Noobwhacker, TimmyF**k, kock, fuk.

 

You may not use misspellings or alternative spellings of names that violate any of the above rules, e.g. Hamsolo, Yooda, DorthVader.

 

You may not use gibberish names when creating character, e.g. ajsdu, rifndsw, qweszs.

 

If you violate any part of the above Naming Policy you will either be assigned a new name, or given the option of changing the name. In addition to this, your account could incur a penalty up to and including account closure.

"

 

Report people breaking them here: http://www.swtor.com/support/form

 

 

Bioware, better wording would be something like "there are no special naming rules for these servers, but the standard naming rules such as no leet speak or gibberish apply, you can read them here [clickable link to open ingame browser or make a popup ingame for the naming rules]"

 

Just ignoring something in my book is the same as condoning it. I ignore but I do it after I report.

 

And I'm going to guess you missed or skimmed over this part of my post:

 

"Also, just a tip here. The UI is a game mechanic so is disconnected from RP. Names are a part of the game environment regardless of whether you turn them off or not. You see the name on the AH, or whatever it's called here. You see the name on crafted items, and in some games even emotes are not blocked with /ignore. so you see the name there. /ignore is not the super-cure for all problems in MMOs some people seem to think it is."

 

And where did I say I keep names on? This will be the first game where I've decided to keep names off.

 

Lastly, you have your own way of playing and I have mine. I'm not going to sit around and let stupid named players invade the RP server I play on. You, and anyone else can turn a blind eye as much as you want. That's completely up to you. But I know from experience that the name is an indication of the type of player that person is so I'm more than happy to do my part in sending the message that the server won't tolerate whatever other antics they think they can bring to an RP server. I'll keep happily reporting names because it's my decision whether or not to do so. Just like it's your decision not to. And I don't see any point in the middle where we're going to agree, so I'll just say best of luck to you, and thanks for your part in letting some of the idiots out there who clearly do not respect RP or policies feel at home.

 

 

Oh I forgot to mention, yeah, there's the webform, but also usually in the game it's easier to report ingame with the ? button at the top of the screen, to the right end of the topmenu then Create ticket there - that should help people who can't alt-tab, too (with Windows 7 I never have any problem alt-tabbing though it seems like they designed it quite nicely to detect when you are alt tabbing and turn the graphics off too, it does a 2-second refresh thing with a miniloading screen when you alt-tab back in)

 

I took a screenshot before of some aggressive trolls on Progenitor (because I dared mention that it's pointless to have separate RP channels): http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/3568/trolsonrpempire.jpg <-- I highlighted where the ? button is for sending a GM report in

 

Ryanwhiffthis,Yodablad,Sharpknight,Ewok,Kevinwardog,Skysword,Feeltheforce,Obitomkenob,Awesome/

 

And this is just scratching the surface...

 

Yes,I have labels turned off..but..if these people start going off in general..well..hard to avoid the issue..and if it's like earlier where they descended into immature attitude and talk on various subjects...

Am I just missing how Skysword would violate anyone's idea of a Star Wars appropriate name or did you mean to type something else?

That's a sentence not a name, and I guess they mean Skywalker sword, would come under the "You may not use misspellings or alternative spellings of names that violate any of the above rules, e.g. Hamsolo, Yooda, DorthVader." I think?

 

It would be nice too if when you talked to NPCs it wasn't a weird thing where you somehow know who everyone is by just looking at them and you know who they are (without an actual meeting where someone introduces you to someone, or shows you what someone looks like to hunt them down), and they know who you are without you saying who you are - especially with Imperial Agent

 

I'd love to be able to turn name tags and most of the spammy ugly interface off really, but you can't really play without that stuff because the game cuts corners ingame by relying on arcadey boxes full of colours too much rather than actually showing how hurt a character is on their body by being blackened with fire etc it'd be nice to even have Mass Effect minimalistic levels of floating things, green'n'red bars and numbers, etc... rather than just the total spamfest it is at the moment where everyone just seems to zoom their camera (from watching other people on youtube and streaming sites) all the way out cos the fighting is just repeated stuff that don't connect (flailing a lightsaber in thin air in front of people) and also because of all the spam and lack of enemies actually looking hurt when they are (and the sheer overdone amount of powers that 1/4 of the screen seems to get covered by rainbow-coloured icons)

Edited January 4, 2012 by SelinaK

[Dietyz]

It's really not a big deal unless you chose that name on a RP server. If you did, you are the one griefing, not the role-player reporting your name.

 

I'm on a rp server, they call me Jedi Kieraknightly, and no im not greifing since there is no rule "you must rp on a rp server"

 

Some people play on rp servers to play with other adults, rather then childish ethugs

[Ignorant]

i have seen soo many boobiefet and buttafett and ballinfetts running around its not funny anymore

[Kemosobe]

I'm on a rp server, they call me Jedi Kieraknightly, and no im not greifing since there is no rule "you must rp on a rp server"

 

Some people play on rp servers to play with other adults, rather then childish ethugs

 

If you are an adult, why would you name your self Kieraknightly?

 

Also, I just saw someone on Tatooine called Qui-gon'jinn and told him his name goes against naming policy and pretty much the entire planet said I am in the wrong. I feel like I will want to be moving servers shortly.

[Ashember]

Yeah, So if you want to make such a big deal about a name, Shun them. the bigger issue on a RP Server is people aren't RP'n. I mean I was out questing the other day and 4 sith guys just owned me..(which is fine, it's a RP-PVP server) I get it... but the Rez kills is just over the line.

They didn't even RP, if they "Just want to PVP" goto a PVP server.. that is an issue..

 

I dont' care if I die, it's part of the game. I would however like to do it in a cool manner. other wise why would you play on a RP server..

 

I do however understand the people that play Sith are 14 year olds' that have no home life and the only way they can put out there anger is through a game but still, Role play guys, and you don't always have to be a dick about it either.. a lot of the Sith I have come across in story line are actually pretty cool..

[Dietyz]

If you are an adult, why would you name your self Kieraknightly?

.

 

This sentence makes zero sense

[Kemosobe]

Yeah, So if you want to make such a big deal about a name, Shun them. the bigger issue on a RP Server is people aren't RP'n. I mean I was out questing the other day and 4 sith guys just owned me..(which is fine, it's a RP-PVP server) I get it... but the Rez kills is just over the line.

They didn't even RP, if they "Just want to PVP" goto a PVP server.. that is an issue..

 

I dont' care if I die, it's part of the game. I would however like to do it in a cool manner. other wise why would you play on a RP server..

 

I do however understand the people that play Sith are 14 year olds' that have no home life and the only way they can put out there anger is through a game but still, Role play guys, and you don't always have to be a dick about it either.. a lot of the Sith I have come across in story line are actually pretty cool..

 

That is actually the reason I do not play on PvP servers anymore. Started on one back in WoW because I like the philosophy of a real war happening and being able to kill (or be killed) out on the open fields because of it. Then I got sick and tired of ganked (which w/e, it happens) then being corpse camped for an hour. And yes, there was a time where one person did not allow me to play the game for an entire hour because he/she was doing nothing but camping my dead body.

 

They should put in some device to prevent this. Would be awsome for MMOs. Make it so that when you kill someone who you just killed (say withing 2-5 minutes?), you suddenly get ganked by NPCs that are 10 levels higher than the max level of the game. Okay, now back on topic.

[Kalfear]

If you are an adult, why would you name your self Kieraknightly?

 

Also, I just saw someone on Tatooine called Qui-gon'jinn and told him his name goes against naming policy and pretty much the entire planet said I am in the wrong. I feel like I will want to be moving servers shortly.

 

yup Kem

 

Sadly (and I didnt know this) the challenge and difficulty of a MMORPG wasnt the only thing that died thanks to WOW

 

So did RPing

 

Yesterday guy logs on and says something like " Hello all, we at the imperial intell service just wish to say we ware alwasy watching, act accordingly"

 

In otherwords he said hello in a clever and in character type of way (on a RP Server)

 

Well for the next 15 minutes he was flamed and belittled for being IC on a general server because appearently according to the WOWsters, you cant be IC on general servers on a ROLE PLAY SERVER.

 

And doing so is met with insults and harrassment by stupid named people.

 

Other day I was talking to this one guy in tells and he replies at end "hey man, Im really tired so not IC but if I was more away Id totally come and do a RP with you cause you seem really cool"

 

I couldnt help thinking...come do a RP with me? ummmm I dont like guys!!!!

 

Seriously, *** is this mentality that you have to only RP in group? The whole concept of a RP server (before WOW stupified everything) was you create a setting that encourages RP and immersion around you.

 

WOW and the WOWsters have done so much damage to this genre is insane. I knew it was bad but WOW, just WOW. It goes farther then anything I ever imagined.

 

Terrible players who cant adapt

Terrible names

Open harressment of RPers on RP Servers

IC not allowed on RP servers

WORST community Ive seen since, well since my WOW beta days.

 

Its just sad and its no wonder MMORPGs dont last anymore, who can tolerate the junk we reading here and seeing in game for long?

 

Man, I know probably not happen (unlessI won a big lotto) but Id so like for some developer to make a game with Class, dignity, community, challenge and then

run off all the anti RP names and trolls that plague this game already.

Run off all the "we have a right to be max level over night"

Run off all the " I cant sit in a chair so there for I cant RP"

Run off all the "need Damage meters, macros, mouse overs, and other mods that allow the game to play and think for me"

Run off all the " Well the word of law says this and I cant understand what you mean by "feeling of the law""

 

Yeah you might only have 700,000-2 million player base but they will create an amazing community that will stay with you for a decade or more!

 

And that developer will not have had to sell their soul to lowest common denominator to make a buck.

 

Man, I miss DAoC, hell I miss EQ.

I never realized how spoiled we were with actual (mostly) thoughtful, mature, adapatable, creative communities.

Might not seen it at the time but reading these forums (general hurts my eyes as does here many days) and then seeing the attitudes in game

Wereally were spoiled with a much much mcuh higher class of player in days gone by!

 

And yeah, switching servers sounds great but its like this all over Kemo.

Only way a server switch would solve the issue is if Bioware made REAL ROLE PLAYING SERVERS where names were enforced STRICTLY (as its clear from these 2 naming threads, you cant leave it open to common sense) and general chat on at least the starter worlds and taris (Republic) and Balmorra (Imp) are monitored from 5pm - 1 am local server time for unacceptable content and anti RP trolls.

 

Short of that server being made (and again Bioware, ill pay $20.00/month to play on such a server. Id pay $25.00/month if you did that and ALSO cut all xp by 75% across the board from Nar Shaddaa on. First 20-25 levels can be fast but final half of game needs to slow down hugely. Short of that, I dont seee a server transfer helping matters at all.

 

We need Bioware to make us a REAL RPG server, with REAL RULES ENFORCED, to seperate us fromthe common WOW player who doesnt understand what IC and RP really mean appearently and dont get how bad names ruin server immersion and server community.

 

Said in a different thread but say here as well

 

TOR is the first MMORPG in 21 years where I turn off general chat for long periods of time because its conversations and childish moronic behavior is unacceptable, uninteresting, and does nothing to build a community.

 

PS: Your post makes perfect sense. Some people will never get it though.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Kalfear

[Darth_Slaine]

Other day I was talking to this one guy in tells and he replies at end "hey man, Im really tired so not IC but if I was more away Id totally come and do a RP with you cause you seem really cool"

 

I couldnt help thinking...come do a RP with me? ummmm I dont like guys!!!!

 

Seriously, *** is this mentality that you have to only RP in group? The whole concept of a RP server (before WOW stupified everything) was you create a setting that encourages RP and immersion around you.

 

I often wonder what kind of person has their immersion completely ruined by seeing someone run by named Canopener...

 

Thanks to this post, I know it is the same sort of person who complains about someone saying he would like to RP with him because he didn't like the way it was phrased. Perhaps RP servers aren't the best place for you?

Edited January 3, 2012 by Darth_Slaine

[SelinaH]

I never realized how spoiled we were with actual (mostly) thoughtful, mature, adapatable, creative communities.

 

It's pretty hypocritical to post about how amazingly mature and adaptable RPers are, and then suggest the following:

 

Man, I know probably not happen (unlessI won a big lotto) but Id so like for some developer to make a game with Class, dignity, community, challenge and then

run off all the anti RP names and trolls that plague this game already.

Run off all the "we have a right to be max level over night"

Run off all the " I cant sit in a chair so there for I cant RP"

Run off all the "need Damage meters, macros, mouse overs, and other mods that allow the game to play and think for me"

Run off all the " Well the word of law says this and I cant understand what you mean by "feeling of the law""

 

We need Bioware to make us a REAL RPG server, with REAL RULES ENFORCED, to seperate us fromthe common WOW player who doesnt understand what IC and RP really mean appearently and dont get how bad names ruin server immersion and server community.

 

A truly thoughtful, mature and adaptable RP community wouldn't need to "run off" everyone who didn't adhere to your specific, narrow interpretation of acceptable behavior on an RP server.

 

I think it needs to be pointed out here that the RP community is by no means monolithic. Not everyone agrees with what you consider necessary or acceptable.

 

I, personally, do not use General as an RP channel; it feels clownish, too much like using a giant megaphone to broadcast something to the entire planet. (I have no problem with created IC global channels that have an agreed-upon mechanic such as comm frequencies to explain how they work.)

 

"Stupid" names also don't bother me, unless they explicitly violate naming policies. I find callsigns and nicknames perfectly acceptable within the setting. And it's not like I'm being forced to interact with the player with the dumb name. If just *seeing* a dumb name were enough to ruin my enjoyment, I'd not be able to play anything online, ever.

 

TOR is the first MMORPG in 21 years where I turn off general chat for long periods of time because its conversations and childish moronic behavior is unacceptable, uninteresting, and does nothing to build a community.

 

I find players getting butthurt over other people having names they don't like and demanding a draconian solution for something that isn't even against the rules to be "childish, moronic behavior" that does nothing to build community.

 

Some people will never get it though.

 

Just because people don't agree with your Orwellian vision of the perfect RP community doesn't mean they don't get it.

[Hrisskar]

If just *seeing* a dumb name were enough to ruin my enjoyment, I'd not be able to play anything online, ever.

 

Honestly, this bears repeating.

[acheros]

Honestly, this bears repeating.

 

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2369/2140416768_1ee92bcd95.jpg

[lazyhavoc]

 

Your lack of dedication and proffessionalism is in effect eliminating a optional play style from the player base in favor of childish, immature, obnoxious, rude, idiotic behavior!

 

One would think you might wanna be on the other side of that topic but what ever, its a WOW generation now and we all just get to suffer in it.

 

First of all... my last check shows that around 1,000,000 people are playing this game at the moment. From a developer standpoint and from a database admin. I would like you to take a moment to think about how hard it would be to fix a problem like this...

 

Then I want you to realize that they are minor problems, that will be addressed as long as you "the player" takes the appropriate action, as stated in previous posts. Let the player know you think their name violates rules, and if they are rude to you just report them. Trust me, its much easier for a administrator to fix a problem that has had attention called to it, then just a blanket, "there are hundreds of people with bad names" kind of statement.

[SelinaK]

RE my previous post you can also press \ to popup the reporting window then just change it to Name report (Don't forget to say what server though)

[AlyxDinas]

So yes, bioware is missing the "common sense" rule in their naming policy, but pointing out that, does not make such names less stupid.

 

It doesn't matter. If it isn't against the naming policy, they have every right to have that name.

 

RP servers are not a place where RP is mandatory. There is nothing more hypocritical than being outraged that another player is threatening your way of playing and then demanding that they be forced to change their's. Unless they are actually breaking a rule, then your SOL when it comes to their name.

 

And that, honestly, is how it should be.

[ZioGio]

I often wonder what kind of person has their immersion completely ruined by seeing someone run by named Canopener...

 

At the risk of getting flamed, I do. My immersion is not completely ruined, mind you, but it does bother me.

 

Why? It's about respect for the other players, respect for the game theme, and appropriateness to the server type. RP servers are about community.

 

With games that have a specific theme based on a fantasy world from another medium, like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, one has to recognize that many of the players are there because they want to live that story from the inside. To these players, it's an experience and not just a new game to conquer.

 

Even though a lot of the names on the regular PvP and PvE servers break from the naming policy and theme, I'm not going to complain because I can retreat to the RP servers. And when you come to a RP server, just show a little respect for the other players, regardless of why you decided to go there (low queue times, location, etc.), and try to pick a theme-appropriate name.

 

Anyway, it sounds like I'm making a bigger deal out of it than I really am. Theme-appropriate name on RP servers. Simple request.

[Azaniae]

First of all... my last check shows that around 1,000,000 people are playing this game at the moment. From a developer standpoint and from a database admin. I would like you to take a moment to think about how hard it would be to fix a problem like this...

 

Then I want you to realize that they are minor problems, that will be addressed as long as you "the player" takes the appropriate action, as stated in previous posts. Let the player know you think their name violates rules, and if they are rude to you just report them. Trust me, its much easier for a administrator to fix a problem that has had attention called to it, then just a blanket, "there are hundreds of people with bad names" kind of statement.

 

You make very valid points! I second this post!

[AlyxDinas]

RP servers are about community.

 

If you believe this, the best thing you can do is promote a healthy, tolerant community that doesn't have a chip on its shoulder or unjustified sense of self entitlement.

[ZioGio]

RP servers are about community.

If you believe this, the best thing you can do is promote a healthy, tolerant community that doesn't have a chip on its shoulder or unjustified sense of self entitlement.

 

I do my best. I try to lead by example and not with a stick.

[TrevNYC]

At the risk of getting flamed, I do. My immersion is not completely ruined, mind you, but it does bother me.

 

Why? It's about respect for the other players, respect for the game theme, and appropriateness to the server type. RP servers are about community.

 

With games that have a specific theme based on a fantasy world from another medium, like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, one has to recognize that many of the players are there because they want to live that story from the inside. To these players, it's an experience and not just a new game to conquer.

 

Okay, but the question remains why do some players with that view go out of their way to make that community seem fractured? It's not so much that you aren't entitled to want immersion, but if simply seeing a name that you wouldn't have chosen for yourself detracts from the world, then you aren't participating either.

 

If there's a player named "Canopener" who talks about football and celebrity gossip in General and spams Chuck Norris jokes, then yeah, he's ruining your immersion. If, on the other hand, there's a player named "Canopener" because that was the nickname given to him by his squadmates during a particularly dangerous mission where he showed an uncanny lethality toward droids, and who has a near-irrational hatred/distrust of droid beings, and the player acts like that character, then he's roleplaying, and it fits the theme.

 

The kicker is you can't tell any of that just from seeing the guy run past you. I therefore wonder why many roleplayers, when given the choice, will invent a NON-backstory for someone they don't know instead of doing the opposite. If trolls upset your play, then why assume that people are trolling? At least give them the benefit of the doubt so that your own play experience is preserved as long as possible. If you aren't going to talk to someone, why not assume that the name is a call sign and call it a day?

 

The crazy part about this thread is that people aren't complaining that people aren't roleplaying their characters. It's complaining that people gave them the wrong names, even if those names don't violate the rules. The Star Wars universe (or any universe, really) isn't a place where no one has an unusual name or nickname. Roleplaying is about being true to your character as it fits within the setting, not necessarily conforming to what some other person thinks is the character you should choose.

[AlyxDinas]

I do my best. I try to lead by example and not with a stick.

 

Without knowing the full breadth of my conduct in game or elsewhere, I'd respectfully suggest that you're in a poor position to make such thinly veiled remarks. Regardless, if what you say is true, I'd expect you have plenty to say to others in this thread. Demanding that another player conform to some arbitrary standard and then punishing them when they don't reeks more of the stick than being laissez-faire on the matter, to be sure.

 

If there's a player named "Canopener" who talks about football and celebrity gossip in General and spams Chuck Norris jokes, then yeah, he's ruining your immersion.

 

I'd even go further to suggest that even then, he's not doing anything necessarily wrong. General chat can be turned off (I, myself, have OOC and IC chat tabs that filter out general. My IC tab only allows /say, /yell emotes, and my guild IC chat). Better yet, individual players can be put on ignore if it is truly an issue. We already perform a great deal of suspension of disbelief when we roleplay, after all. It really isn't hard to hit ignore and go on with our business.

Edited January 4, 2012 by AlyxDinas