Rathulfr

I'm only doing this because my question from the other post never got answered and the post got locked. I'd like someone from HC to respond, either "Yes, here are the numbers" or "No, we won't answer that."

The numbers you provided seem "low" to me. I remember reading that HC had over 100,000 accounts back in the summer of 2019*. I suspect that number is significantly higher by now. I remember that last year, there used to be 10K concurrent users on all shards at any given time, as well (there used to be logon queues back then). Now there are only 2K concurrent users on average. This leads me to the following suppositions: 10K concurrent users with 100K accounts is a 1:10 ratio. Using the same ratio, 2K concurrent users means 20K active accounts. 100K - 20K = 80K potentially idle accounts. Obviously, these are just rough back-of-napkin calculations. So I'd be significantly surprised if there were only 3K idle accounts by now. If that was indeed the case, then I'd assume I'm being ignored. But if there are 80K idle accounts, then I'd assume I'm getting no reply at all due to the account holders being absent. [* Source: https://massivelyop.com/2019/06/03/city-of-heroes-homecoming-100k-plus-donation-drive/]

I don't have any set equation: I'm just trying to make somewhat educated guesses. If the numbers are low, then I guess that I'm just being ignored. If the numbers are high, then I guess that the players I'm trying to contact are gone. (edit) If the count is low, then I'll keep trying to contact them. If the count is high, then I won't bother any more.

[NOTE: Because a previous topic related to this question was locked, I'd like to re-post my question separately.] May I ask the HC team to publish a simple summary report of how many "idle" accounts there are, and the number of characters associated with them? I'm defining "idle" as any account where the last logon date is over 1 year ago. I'm not asking for any details about the accounts or the names of the associated characters -- just a simple summary count is what I'd like to see. Something like this : Number of idle accounts (last logon date > 365 days) = XX,XXX Number of characters (all levels) on these accounts = XXX,XXX Number of characters at level 50 on these accounts = X,XXX Having this data might help me understand why I'm not getting responses (/tell, /gfriend, or in-game e-mail) to character name inquiries over the past year (and longer). I'd like to determine if they're just ignoring me (perfectly legitimate) or if they might be gone altogether (quite frustrating). Other active players might find this information useful, too. Of course, the HC team might have legitimate reasons for not publishing even this kind of summary information, so I'd completely understand if they said, "No, we won't do that." But it never hurts to ask. Thanks in advance for your time and consideration!

Come on, I'm talking to you.

Would it be too much to ask the HC team to publish a simple summary report of the numbers (no account details or character names)? Something like this: Number of accounts where last logon date is over 1 year ago = 56,789 Number of characters (all levels) on these accounts = 123,456 Number of characters at level 50 on these accounts = 5,678 Just having this much would help us understand the scope of the problem, if any. The numbers might indicate that the past 13 pages could have been avoided entirely. Of course, the HC team might have legitimate reasons for not publishing even this kind of summary information, so I'd completely understand if they said, "No, we won't do that." But it never hurts to ask.

This is always what pops into my head, too. (edit:) Often in traffic. 😒

And once it's established that April 24th (or whatever date is selected) is the "Annual Name Release Day" (or whatever the event ends up being called), then everyone knows what's expected, what will happen, and what's necessary. It becomes a routine anniversay date, a "holiday" (of sorts) for which everyone can plan ahead.

We don't have to ask for justification or documentation. We just need a response -- any response, whether it be a single logon, a web ticket, or an e-mail to a specific address -- once a year. Basically a "ping" of some kind that indicates, "Yes, I'm still here, and I'd like to keep my names, please." I can't imagine that's too much to ask. Yes, this might mean that some idle players will ping once a year only to keep their names. But it also might mean that some idle players won't ping once a year, which means that those name reservations are released. Better some than none.

HC currently has 1/20th the population of retail. However, HC originally started with 1, then 2, then 5 servers, compared to the dozen servers of retail. Additionally, there was an initial surge during those first 3 months: at points HC was pushing around 10-15K concurrent players online at any given time. There was suddenly 100K new accounts on HC in under 60 days, while retail peaked at around 150-200K active subscribers shortly after CoV launch after a year and half. Finally, retail limited player accounts to 10-12 characters per shard, while HC allows 1,000 per shard. So comparing HC conditions to retail isn't so clearly cut. HC players can create (and camp) many more names than they were able to on retail, even if the HC population is considerably smaller than retail. So fewer accounts doesn't necessarily translate to fewer characters/names. Additionally (sorry to repeat myself): most that initial surge of accounts are gone now. Those players came and went. They got their nostalgia fix and moved on to something else. But their residue remains: all the names they reserved are still reserved. And they will continue to be unless/until HC enforces some kind of name policy. I apologize if my response to your comments about cool/good/bad names came across as invalidating. That was not my intention. I wasn't trying to dismiss your comments. I was overzealous to reinforce my own preferences, which you've pointed out I've done enthusiastically and redundantly. (edit: Anyone know where I can go to get a life? I suspect I play these forums more than I play the actual game.)

I was merely pointing out that we don't need complex categorizations or formulae to address a simple problem. Define what criteria determines "idle" versus "active", announce it, set a deadline, give folks a chance to respond, and then act on it periodically. That's all.

Jim Butcher, CoH player and author of the wildly successful Dresden Files book/TV series, had to fight with the retail team to keep the names of his own CoH player characters that happened to be named after his own copyrighted literary characters. To quote the Canadian sage, "Isn't that ironic?"

I don't think we even need to go that far. It doesn't even matter if the names are cool or good or stupid or awful. It simply boils down to this: if someone is no longer playing the game, and they haven't logged on for over a year (or more), why do they get to keep their names forever? Permanently reserved names on inactive accounts penalizes players on active accounts.

Hey, I got my information from Veggie Tales™, and there's no better source of authority than that.

Edlin 4TW (or lose?)

Black olives and green peppers are fruit, too (seeds on the inside).

Aha! My old nemesis, "odd leaf on a random branch"! I will defeat you some day. Some day...

Jerk hackers dupin rares so we're gone to the Americans.

I thought it was my work network, catching me doing non-work stuff during work hours. LOL! 😝

If they decide to implement the policy on idle accounts, rather than idle characters. That's why I'm kind of undecided on it. Why should I get to keep "Rathstar" forever, if I'm not playing the game any more? It's a fair point. I just figure we'd get a lot less negative feedback if we can re-assure folks that their 50 names are safe: a teaspoon of sugar, and all that.

Variations on a theme. I'm undecided about the level 50 thing. I know for a fact that all of my 50s earned their levels and subsequently, their names and reputations. So I'd be pretty upset if I lost one of my 50 names because I hadn't played one of them in a while (I'm looking at you, my Sentinels gathering dust on my character select screen 😜). However, I do acknowledge the concerns about "instant-50s" that haven't really "earned it" by being power-levelled. The thought of it kind of irks me on some fundamental level, but that's just something I need to get over: who am I to judge? I think it's better to err on the side of caution and just apply a blanket exemption to all 50s, rather than trying to sort out which are "worthy". That's probably the safest bet.

So that puts you in the idle characters camp, then. That's cool: I understand your arguments, and while I don't agree, I don't think they're invalid. Thanks for following up.

I think that 4 years idle is a bit much. It has been suggested that there be an option to open a support ticket to request an exemption. Do military people go completely incommunicado for the entirety of their enlistment? I don't think so: I've got military friends who do manage to pop into Facebook every now and then, even when they're stationed overseas. Surely even someone deployed for 4 years should be able to open a web ticket or send an e-mail once a year?

Again, I think that's just adding unnecessary complexity. If you're an active player, you should be exempt. If your account is idle (no logons in over a year), then your names are unreserved. Logon once a year, and you should be good.