Name squatting

[chuckv3]

I'm minorly annoyed that several of my best character names (from live) have been taken, even though we have far fewer folks. Is there any way to check which names be are taken WITHOUT logging into the game and trying to use them? I guess I am suggesting a web based way to check character name availability

[RCU7115]

There was something posted by the dev's  when they created the Homecoming servers about name squatting. One thing I do remember is them stating no lvl 50 will ever lose there name.

[biostem]

16 minutes ago, chuckv3 said:

I'm minorly annoyed that several of my best character names (from live) have been taken, even though we have far fewer folks. Is there any way to check which names be are taken WITHOUT logging into the game and trying to use them? I guess I am suggesting a web based way to check character name availability

I doubt they would want to allow or implement any sort of tool that interacts with the game/server without actually using the client.  That being said, (and I can understand being sentimental about a name), either try different servers or use modifiers in spelling or other names/words before or after your original/desired name...

[aethereal]

They have not so far implemented the name clearing service, but if it were implemented as-described, it basically would allow a name to be taken from a character based on a combination of how long it is since the...  account?  That specific toon?...  had been logged into, and what level that toon was.  So if you made a level 1 character and never played it, the name would fairly quickly be back in action, while if you took a character to 30 and then took a hiatus for a few months, the name would be safe.  At the other end, as you said, if you reached 50, the name would never be freed up.

[Llewellyn Blackwell]

First come and all that, I lost one of my fave names on Live Marcus Cole( whom i made the day after the update that officially killed statesman off and made it no longer off limits)) One of the first I tried to remake here on HC and it was already nabbed. Thats the luck of the draw and what not.

 

What I would suggest is put the names you want on your friends list, who knows maybe you will catch the owner on and be able to sweet talk them letting you have the name.

[Ukase]

3 hours ago, Bentley Berkeley said:

What I would suggest is put the names you want on your friends list, who knows maybe you will catch the owner on and be able to sweet talk them letting you have the name.

I transferred a tank of mine to Everlasting for a hami raid...and a few days later tried to transfer it back - and someone took my name! My fault for not squatting on it - but the fact that this person hasn't responded to my in-game email to his/her global suggests that they are merely squatting on it to bug me. (I used /getglobalname to find their global) 

I am of the opinion that despite the naming policy, it's not really in effect. I think once a name is taken, that's a wrap. Unless someone got Pl'd (certainly possible) I don't think they'd get to 50 in a couple of days. I asked how much inf it would take, and they never even came back with a reply. 

But this - this is a clever idea. 

[biostem]

1 hour ago, Ukase said:

but the fact that this person hasn't responded to my in-game email to his/her global suggests that they are merely squatting on it to bug me.

Why would you come to this conclusion?  Is it not just as likely that they don't respond to PMs from random individuals?

[Solarverse]

12 minutes ago, biostem said:

Why would you come to this conclusion?  Is it not just as likely that they don't respond to PMs from random individuals?

Very possible they have him on ignore.

[Solarverse]

11 hours ago, chuckv3 said:

I'm minorly annoyed that several of my best character names (from live) have been taken, even though we have far fewer folks. Is there any way to check which names be are taken WITHOUT logging into the game and trying to use them? I guess I am suggesting a web based way to check character name availability

I know you can check to see if a name is taken before you even create your character. As far as names on live, you need to remember there were several servers, and chances are multiple people had that name across several servers. I had Grave on Live, that was taken here so I never had access to it. Oddly enough I have never seen anyone running around with the name so I am sure it is not only taken, but not being used either. But that's the breaks, I just had to get more creative than the next guy and came up with the name Cuss. That worked too.  🙂   Good luck, man.

[Haijinx]

You can have an insane number of characters on each server.  That probably doesn't help. 

[EmmySky]

When I hit upon a name I want but its taken, I add Sky to the end and make them alternate versions of EmmySky (SunshineSky, PrestigeSky, SpitfireSky).  This serves to confuse people when I am on a toon that has no Sky (Saga of Souls, TankYou, Sinnocence).

[summers]

I would very much like to see the names that are on 'abandoned' characters be freed up. It seems silly that an account that hasn't logged in for months, squatting on names with characters all under level 10, can hold up fun, iconic names that could be better used and more loved by others.

[Ukase]

9 hours ago, biostem said:

Why would you come to this conclusion?  Is it not just as likely that they don't respond to PMs from random individuals?

When you get a polite email asking if they would give up the name for a large sum of inf, I would expect a reply, even if it was a resounding "Kick Rocks". 

[Ukase]

8 hours ago, Solarverse said:

Very possible they have him on ignore.

Why would you say that? I wouldn't think many have me on ignore, as I rarely team up to offend someone. It's possible, but not "very" possible and highly unlikely as I'm unfamiliar with the global name. If I have a negative interaction with someone, I make a note of their global. 

[Replacement]

I say it in every such thread: I want that name releaser mechanism to actually get implemented. HC's rules aren't even hard. I'm sure I'll regret being this blunt post-coffee, but if you've actually read the proposed name release policy and still think it's unreasonable, you're either:

A) a reactionary who still hasn't let the details sink in or

B) an ass.

[Solarverse]

4 minutes ago, Ukase said:

Why would you say that? I wouldn't think many have me on ignore, as I rarely team up to offend someone. It's possible, but not "very" possible and highly unlikely as I'm unfamiliar with the global name. If I have a negative interaction with someone, I make a note of their global. 

I say that because with some people, it doesn't take much. One tell asking about a global name might be enough for some people to ignore you. All I am saying is that this might be why they are not responding.

[Solarverse]

6 minutes ago, Replacement said:

A) a reactionary who still hasn't let the details sink in or

B) an ass.

 

[Troo]

..thinks to myself "what could I post following that pansy Denis Leary?"

On 2/21/2020 at 1:53 PM, chuckv3 said:

I'm minorly annoyed that several of my best character names (from live) have been taken, even though we have far fewer folks. Is there any way to check which names be are taken WITHOUT logging into the game and trying to use them? I guess I am suggesting a web based way to check character name availability

Answer to the question from @chuckv3 = No

 

..but then they went on to make a suggestion that may not be needed¹ while potentially displaying an astonishing level of self entitlement and narcissism matched only by their laziness².

¹ millions of characters have been created in this game without said suggestion

2 or not

 

Use 'em or lose 'em post can be found here:  Homecoming Server Update (May 20th): What's Next?

 

Ever had to get creative and use a upper case "i" for a lowercase "L", add a dot or dash to their name, replaced a vowel with a number or some other awful workaround.

Do you R3aILy want a nam3 BAD ENOUGH?

 

Edited February 23, 2020 by Troo

[Sif]

7 hours ago, Ukase said:

When you get a polite email asking if they would give up the name for a large sum of inf, I would expect a reply, even if it was a resounding "Kick Rocks". 

You're also assuming they even saw the email. You don't get a notification upon a new email, only if you have ANY, so if they got one 9 months ago and then never deleted it, they'd likely have no clue they got another. Even if you've added the character to your friends list, they could be playing when you're not, or have their characters hidden from server friends.

 

Another possibility, they saw the email and thought "this sounds like a scam", so chose to ignore it rather than take some risk.

[Ukase]

6 minutes ago, Sif said:

You're also assuming they even saw the email. You don't get a notification upon a new email, only if you have ANY, so if they got one 9 months ago and then never deleted it, they'd likely have no clue they got another. Even if you've added the character to your friends list, they could be playing when you're not, or have their characters hidden from server friends.

 

Another possibility, they saw the email and thought "this sounds like a scam", so chose to ignore it rather than take some risk.

True, all possible. Not sure about the scam thing. The only person that stood to get ripped off would have been me. Half up front at best. Or all up front at worst. But hey, I learn every day that all people don't think like I do. 

But, about the email - when you have an email it shows up in red letters. Granted, if they already had one, they might not look regularly - but I know I look all the time - but that's where I keep some inf. 

 

Edited February 22, 2020 by Ukase
Forgot something

[biostem]

3 minutes ago, Ukase said:

True, all possible. Not sure about the scam thing. The only person that stood to get ripped off would have been me. Half up front at best. Or all up front at worst. But hey, I learn every day that all people don't think like I do. 

But if the person wasn't familiar with the ability to freely rename their character and/or thought you were asking them to delete their character, maybe they didn't want to entertain the possibility at all.  No need to attribute malice to the other party...

[Sif]

9 minutes ago, Ukase said:

Not sure about the scam thing.

There doesn't have to be a mechanism for them to get scammed for them to be concerned. For them to know they can't get scammed, they have to have 100% knowledge of the system, for them to get scammed, you only have to know one thing they don't- it's a very imbalanced game.

 

But, who's ever heard of someone trying to scam via email? 😉

[Ukase]

2 minutes ago, biostem said:

But if the person wasn't familiar with the ability to freely rename their character and/or thought you were asking them to delete their character, maybe they didn't want to entertain the possibility at all.  No need to attribute malice to the other party...

I guess it may help to share some context. For a month or so, I led hami raids with this tank on Excelsior, and moved him to Everlasting for a weekend, just to get some additional reward merits and emp merits. No problems, except when I moved him back, the name was taken. 

Hami Raids are fairly popular. Of the 50 that attend, it is true that probably 25-30 attend nightly. Still, another 20-25 would know the name. Obviously, that's not even close to the entirety of the server population, but it just seems to me an odd coincidence that a name that deals with something as obscure as a one man rower in a boat, someone else nabbed it over that weekend. So, I DO think it's more likely that it's malice than any other potential explanation. Obviously, I can't prove it, and will certainly give the benefit of the doubt - but that would require the person replying in some fashion to my message. I didn't just send an email, but a PM to their global as well. I wasn't rude. I was concise and clear. 

 

[Solarverse]

19 minutes ago, Ukase said:

True, all possible. Not sure about the scam thing. The only person that stood to get ripped off would have been me. Half up front at best. Or all up front at worst. But hey, I learn every day that all people don't think like I do. 

But, about the email - when you have an email it shows up in red letters. Granted, if they already had one, they might not look regularly - but I know I look all the time - but that's where I keep some inf. 

 

On this subject I think like you. If it had been me I would have at least responded with a "Sure, no problem, not very attached to the name anyway!" or "Sorry, bud, I had this name on live too and most players know me as this character."

 

Either way, you would have gotten a response, and I think most people would have also given you a response of some type. However, there are some people out there who are just a bit odd and don't want to be bothered by anybody, with anything. There are also people out there who are easily offended and it takes very little for them to place somebody on ignore. It's also possible that the person who has the name is a little kid, who's parents took chat off their PC so that they could not interact with other players. My daughter being one of them. I will not let her interact verbally with players because...well, some players are down right vulgar and extremely disrespectful.

 

Just a few reasons why you are not getting a reply.

[biostem]

8 minutes ago, Ukase said:

I DO think it's more likely that it's malice than any other potential explanation. Obviously, I can't prove it, and will certainly give the benefit of the doubt

These 2 statements seem contradictory.  Regardless, what it boils down to is that we don't know.  Thus, it isn't really productive to hypothesize the other party's true motives...