[Add "Go to base" command when defeated]

Do you have a medi pad in your base...? I know back in the day this was an option. When you were defeated you could choose where to rez, base or hosp. But now that you mention it I dont know if I've seen the base option in the past year and a half...

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

1 minute ago, Wavicle said:

It’s an important distinction in this case. If it was a problem it would need to be addressed promptly.

It was originally mentioned a year and a half ago, I feel the situation has escalated name wise at this point and the player base has significantly stabilized enough, that considering addressing this issue on a current time table is prudent.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

11 minutes ago, AerialAssault said:

To be honest, the proposed name purge I think is fine .. though I have reservations about Level 50 Immunity.

 

It would be naïve to assume that nobody has farmed characters up to Level 50 to avoid the proposed name purge in advance. The issue is that any dedicated name squatter will circumvent any measures short of a complete reset of the character database. I think that those fringe cases should be dealt by and reasoned with the GM Team. 

I also agree. The game is is in a free state, if you arent paying rent no reason you cant be evicted especially if you arent actually living here!

Immune 50's for no other reason then they are 50 I feel is a HUGE loophole and just encourages people to skip the process of playing their character.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

4 minutes ago, Player2 said:

When it's ready.  As has been stated on page 2 of this thread, there's a reason they haven't rushed into it yet, and that's to ensure that it's done right and does not affect the wrong people.  Quoting again below in case anyone jumped on board late and ignored the earlier pages of this thread.

  

 

And thats fine, Ultimately the HC staff will do things on their own time table. However, re-addressing the issue and expressing how some of us would like "a name release policy" enacted sooner rather then later is valid. But being broadly against any name release policy is counter productive, and I have seen some people just be against it all together, because they want to be a dragon (eternal and greedy).

Most importantly right now is the most important time to make productive discussion about this topic... BEFORE one is implemented. Fighting one altogether is only going to hurt the life of the HC servers, yes the HC servers are the most healthy of all the CoH servers but we need to look at the future so we can keep playing for years to come. And if we run out of names then we are al going just be numbers...

So we need to actually try and agree on practical aspects of a name release policy for when the time comes and the proverbial "switch is flipped" because no backsies!

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

On 5/20/2019 at 8:18 PM, Jimmy said:

Name Release Policy

With 1000 character slots per shard, we expected you to make a lot of characters, but we’ve been blown away by quite how many… To date, you’ve made a total of 399,501 characters across 64,519 accounts. In fact, one of you has made a total of 277 characters!

 

Now, some of you have voiced concerns that many names are simply being sat on by level 1 characters that’ll never be played again. This is a fair concern, so we are implementing a system that will allow names of unused characters to be released back into circulation for use by new characters.

 

Characters will be flagged as ‘inactive’ when the following time thresholds are met:

 

• Level 1-5 characters will be flagged as inactive if they have not been played in the last 30 days
• Level 6-20 characters will be flagged as inactive if they have not been played in the last 90 days
• Level 21-49 characters will be flagged as inactive if they have not been played in the last 365 days
• Level 50 characters will never be flagged as inactive

 

 

When a character is flagged as inactive they are not immediately renamed. Instead, their name is simply no longer locked. This allows another player to create a character with that name, at which point the original character will be renamed.

 

You can remove the inactive flag on a character at any time simply by logging them in.

 

We will not be activating this policy for at least a two weeks (possibly longer), so if there are any names you don’t want to lose, please ensure you keep the above guidelines in mind!

 

This is a first pass on this policy, and we may modify it at a later date, however we will give at least 30 days notice for any changes related to releasing names.

This is what is the root of the discussion, this isn't something some of us want for no reason. This is the current stated Policy... it has never been enforced yet! Guess what, as it stands at this very moment the above could happen free up ALL your lvl 1 characters that you havent touched in 6 months, and there isnt a thing you could say about it because it was posted! (well you could complain and moan but it wouldnt change anything)

Now the Real issues here are:
Is this the best policy?
When should it be applied?
What would a better policy?

Should this be a account inactivity policy over a character inactivity policy?

What do you agree or disagree with?!
 

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

Just now, Player2 said:

Absolutely, and I agree.  However, we've seen a number of posts with people sharing their own ideas of what should constitute active and some even providing formulae to determine it.  My least favorite suggestion so far has been the one where level 50 characters would need to log in at least one a month to show they're active.

I understand, but that was many many many posts ago and hours, and not where the current conversation was at. Posting a clear and concise opinion of what you think would work for a name expiration policy is what helps so the HC staff can take stock of it and try and come up with something that is in the playerbase's best interests. jrangering things can be comedic with done at the right time, and sometimes a simple "no" is really all one can say and then move on. But this is a more complex issue then "add a big red ball". 

Now I admit I remember reading a lot of post by you on earlier in the thread, but like you said you've been away for a while. Welcome back to the thread. Debate ideas, defend your own, give reasons why others ideas are not solid when you disagree (instead of monosyllabic answers).

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

Just now, Wavicle said:

I have personally known people who couldn’t login while on deployment, though I take your word for it that it’s not common.

When you go on deployment you don't go away forever. Normally 6-9 months. Still under a year!

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

10 minutes ago, Player2 said:

Some of the discussion seems to have turned from freeing up names from inactive accounts to trying to define what constitutes "active" enough to hold on to names... so yeah, some people seem to think it is about taking names from active players because I think some people want it to be that.

I think HC has the right to define active and inactive for the service they are providing. I also think it would be hard to argue that someone who has not logged on at all in the last 365 days is still "active".

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

3 minutes ago, Wavicle said:

Hypothetical example:

 

Kid makes an account and plays a little and then Joins The Military.

 

A Year And A Half later kid signs back in to discover his characters names are all gone.

 

 Unless THE DEVS themselves say “name squatting” is a Real Problem this whole thread is nonsense.

Please stop bringing the Military into this, I happen to be currently serving on active duty, and I have no issue playing.

The military is not prison. They don't take your computer away when you join.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

2 minutes ago, Rathulfr said:

 

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.

 

Analogy: Passing your drivers test is great, but if you don't keep renewing your license you have to do it again. 

A vested interest must be maintained. It is good for the long term health of the game.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

7 minutes ago, Rathulfr said:

 

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 😜).

 

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.

 

but... if your account is active you have nothing to worry about...
and if you decided to stop playing CoH forever you wouldnt be holding up the names 

and if you wanted to keep the names then requiring you come come visit the game once and a while is hardly an ask to imply at least a vested interest

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

1 minute ago, aethereal said:

Building new powersets is primarily about:

 

1. Conceptual work about what the powerset is even supposed to be, man.
2. Finding animations for the powers.
3. Inputting data into the binaries.
4. Balancing them.

With #2 being a huge blocker to any really new powersets, and #4 being extremely slow and costly of time.

 

None of those things are writing code.  The coders on the HC team are not needed for any of those tasks.  If a powerset involves an entirely new mechanic, it is possible that some coding will be involved in the creation of the powerset.  However, almost certainly, writing code is the smallest component of creating a new powerset (and similarly, it is not a large component to creating new story arcs).

 

The people who could write up a small check for name creation are not likely to be the long pole in the tent of content creation, and thus it is a mostly false dilemma to ask whether we would prioritize a slightly nicer renaming system vs adding new content.

I'm not going to pretend to know what the HC team does development wise or what it entails. I can however speculate at priority of lines of effort.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

I'm ok with being Idle account control, But I also feel that a 50 shouldnt be immune, unless you want to make it more complicated with character playtime...

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

2 minutes ago, Grouchybeast said:

This comment just made me realize that, hypothetically, someone could write and publish a story about a character who has the name they want, and then alert HC to the copyright violation.

Yes but I have looked into Copyrighting my character, it is a little bit more complicated then that. It's not impossible but it is certainly not that simple. But that is off topic.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

6 minutes ago, aethereal said:

It's extremely unlikely that those two things meaningfully compete for resources.

I feel you are misinterpreting my statement, I was pointing out fact that the HC team is limited in personal and resources, they are likely to focus their efforts elsewhere.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

7 minutes ago, aethereal said:

Here is a serious suggestion:  I think there should be some currency involved in taking a name that has been "freed."  Each account gets two tokens or something, where if you choose a name that duplicates an existing, but "freed" name, you get a prompt asking you if this is something you want to spend a token on.

 

Try to prevent a rush to find and seize "good" names after the script is run.

Devs are highly unlikely to add a whole new game system like this when people would rather have new powersets.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

16 minutes ago, Ukase said:

Nice recap from @rathstar. 

I'm also in the account basis, as opposed to character basis. 

How long is the right time, though? 5 years? 5 months? somewhere in between? 

In the US, a standard military enlistment is 4 years. Other than military service, during which you get 30 paid leave days per year, I can't fathom why anyone would not log in at least once during those 4 years. But hey, you also only have 30 days. I suspect wife and family might take issue with you logging on for a session when they haven't seen you in quite some time. 

So, I suggest the very long time frame of 48 months. The way I see it, if you've gone without your CoH fix for 48 months, you're not really jonesin' for it anyway. 

Deployments arent usually over 6-9 months. If you cant log in at least once in a year. You probably dont care that much about CoH. Even 2 years is super excessive.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

Just now, ZacKing said:

Correction - NCSoft owns the game code, not Homecoming.  Let's be honest about ownership here. 

please reread my original statement, I did not say Homecoming owns anything. Thank you.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

4 minutes ago, ZacKing said:

No, it's first come, first serve or possession is 9/10ths of the law.  When you're offline, can I take your character name and use it?  You're not using it so you should lose it.

You don't own the name!!!!!

Unless you have filed for a copyright! It is an extension of the service being provided to you for free and is subject to any rules and stipulations set forth by Homecoming! You possess nothing! You are merely using something provided for you to use that you just so happen to choose at one point of time.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

1 minute ago, Starforge said:

Wouldn’t guess that reading the forums lol.

Tyrannical speaks truth, on this issue he is basically the anarchist that wants names to consistently be a form of free-for-all pvp!

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

3 minutes ago, ZacKing said:

This is exactly what it is.  Those crying about names being held on active accounts can't answer why they're more entitled to a name than the owner of the active account. if an account is still active, they can contact the owner and ask for the name to be released and the owner has every right to say no if they want.

Please read all the posts in the thread, that is not what everyone is suggesting.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

4 minutes ago, AerialAssault said:

Just a side note on the "Some people don't use the forums" topic;

 

You have to come to these forums to even set up your account in the first place. I can't speak for everyone but I have these forums bookmarked, and even set as one of the default pages to open on boot up. It's not some babylonian lost-aztec technology. And if people are dismissing the Message of the Day in-game then .. that's their fault? I don't know what else HC could do to make people read it aside from putting a timer on the 'Ok' button.

 

I work a lot in customer correspondence and let me tell you, a lot of people do not make it easy on themselves to stay informed.

 

In any case, a bulk e-mail giving a month's notice before any name purge program is run should suffice. 

Where I don't disagree, That is a LOT of emails though... and also may or may not take the most effort for the volunteer staff, excessive emails may also trigger spam filters, and is the most inconsistent form of notification since some people may read it and others it will just fade into the flood of spam and ads. And lastly aside from the use of an email to sign up. The HC Devs do not has a history of communicating through this media and thus it is the least expected as well.

 

I feel that if it is posted in the forums and discord, and the EULA and notification that the EULA is changing is made, then due diligence has been served.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

6 minutes ago, UltraAlt said:

That's your opinion. 

People post that they disagree with you.

Just because you post a lot doesn't mean you are correct.

Just because people disagree doesn't mean I'm wrong either.
The game has a EULA thats what it's there for is to notify people of policies regarding the game.
People can choose to be uninformed, but if HC decides to define inactivity as a lack of logging on in the last 365 days then thats what it is defined as!

I'm here to try and solve the problem of a Finite name pool, some people are here to shoot down any idea because they feel they are entitled to owning something that is provided as a free service...

I do maintain if you play the game you will have nothing to worry about!

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

2 minutes ago, UltraAlt said:

I think it's pretty standard in any game that only 10% of the players ever go to the forums for anything except to get questions answered.

There is probably a much higher percentage of City of Heroes players that come to the forums, but think it is a pretty accurate guess that it is well less than 25% of the players.

Saying that, players don't have as much reason to come to the forums to ask questions as the City of Heroes /help channel kicks so much booty.

 

So yeah, if the DEVs announce it in the GMOTD some players will catch it that don't come to the forums, but, honestly, I pretty much blow off the GMOTD myself and jump into the action.

Well if the policy only affects people who have not logged on in over a year they are not going to see a MOTD in game because THEY ARENT PLAYING!
If they don't want to keep up to date by being on the HC discord or at least visiting the forums to read update news. That's their prerogative.
If they didn't read the EULA at least once...That their fault!
If a player wants to remain ignorant that is on them.

[Time to enforce the name holding expiration rules]

3 minutes ago, aethereal said:

I think what I'd really like is some allowance for name duplications, only if a character is retired.  Like, where you could "take" a name that someone else has, only if they meet some metric for inactivity (and I think that all the various metrics for inactivity that people are proposing are all basically fine, and splitting hairs), but when you "take" their name, they don't lose it, you both have it.

 

How exactly that would look, I don't know, and it doesn't seem super important because this would almost certainly be a total nightmare to implement and not worth the effort.

 

But it would be a nice nod, I think, to how it typically has worked in the comics.

This would involve reprograming the whole game and how it uses character names.