Clearing locked character names

[Mezmera]

If I had the choice over divesting time and resources to either more endgame content that we all can enjoy or the inner technical workings of a name release I'd gladly sport "Paper Bag Face Villain 1023012" to play some fresh content.  Heck I'd take a fresh new pair of shoes over the name release.  

[Rishidian]

Unique names.  Part of what makes this game awesome.  Kind of a brand for your Hero.  Not to mention a specific background story that brings the Hero together.  I haven't seen any other MMO that has this detail (though, I haven't seen many MMO's, so you know my point of view), where the name actually means so much.

 

By nature, names are on a 1st come, 1st served basis.  So, lets throw that away and move to a Last Come, 1st served model.  Because, ya know, I want that name more than you do.  I DESERVE that name more, because my heart is Dead Set on it.  No other will do.

 

Some Questions:

 

Scenario - 

If someone is Dead Set on having a specific name:

--They can't find an alternative, modification, or some other name that will work

 

 Do we have any proof that this name is being camped?  Is there any way we can see if the account owner has logged in within the past 2 years? Is it possible that that character wasn't logged in when ever you checked, but is still very active?

 

If the Homecoming Devs, in their wisdom and programming expertise, decide to unlock names that haven't been accessed in the past 2 years, 

--How does the person who is Dead Set on a specific name guarantee they get that name, and someone else doesn't grab it first (either to use or to camp) - thus perpetuating the issue?

 

If the Homecoming Devs, in their wisdom and programming expertise, choose to put the names up for 'sale' in the Auction House,

--How do the noobs even hope to be able to compete with the veterans to purchase said name?

 

It sounds like the currently proposed options are either bad or worse.  Its a solution that doesn't necessarily fix the problem, but has the strong possibility of pissing off  and losing players.  It is much worse to take something that belongs to someone else, than to have someone work a little harder and make it their own.  Maybe the current owner worked hard to come up with that name - all to have it taken away. 

 

On the flip side, If they do free up some names, what if the newly freed names turn out to be some of yours, or mine, by accident?  And in that direction, would you be willing to give up one or more of your prized names, that you worked hard to find, because somebody else wanted it?

 

I can see it now -

--"Sorry!  Several people indicated interest in your name, so we are taking it away from you and giving it to one of them.  They convinced us they wanted it more.  Sorry!"--

 

Maybe working hard on that character name makes him/her more dear to you.  Maybe you took your time in leveling and badging, and now you are quite attached.  No one can take that away.  But your identity? And how you got here?  Well, maybe you're on a trip to Anchorhead to get a memory wipe and don't know it.

[TraumaTrain]

Zardoz vs Zathros!

[Blackbird71]

58 minutes ago, Grouchybeast said:

I was going to say that these arguments about freeing up names from dormant accounts have been running since way back on the live forums, and they continue to be a waste of time because nothing new ever comes out of them.  But, hey, now I have a great idea for a Fawlty Towers homage character, so there's that!

 

Actually, the character comes from the 2001 live action Tick series:  Batmanuel | The Tick Wiki | Fandom

But I like your idea!

[Blackbird71]

16 minutes ago, stealthnight said:

It wasn't my idea, it was posted earlier in the thread, I just happen to like their idea. Just like you are allowed to not like their idea. Thank you for your time.

Way to dodge the issue.

 

Regardless of who originated the idea, the point stands.  This would be ripe for abuse, and would create a situation where the best names draw the highest INF, and the first players to fill their slots with all the good names they can come up with could capitalize on it.

 

 

[Blackbird71]

10 minutes ago, stealthnight said:

Sorry you feel like we are dueling. 

 

When you're giving condescending and patronizing remarks like "I'm sorry you feel that way," and pointing out your own "virtue" in how you respond, how else should I interpret it?

 

You won't discuss the merits of the idea, you only attack my character.  That is not productive discourse.

[Mezmera]

I'm putting this out there right now if this ever does become a thing I'd like to submit my petition right now for Ghost Widow's name to be released.  She's not really using it much anyways and it'll be left in far better hands.  

 

I've already tried doing this in a more subversive way by having Lord Recluse let me replace her as one of his patrons but he's not having it so I need more official channels.  I keep bringing up how many times I've beaten up Mis Lib and all those heroes for him and he keeps throwing it back in my face that he wouldn't need me for his strike force if I would quit helping Mis Lib in the first place.  

[Grouchybeast]

9 hours ago, Blackbird71 said:

 

If you don't think your idea would immediately result in a new in-game industry of name-churning, where players just come up with whatever names they can so they can sell them to others on your name auction, then you've got another thing coming.

 

Hmm.  This could be avoided by adding a Name Tax.  For every day that a character isn't logged in, they are taxed X amount of inf, perhaps fixed, perhaps scaling with some attribute(s) of the character.  The tax is auto-deducted from the character's inf balance when they're logged in.  If characters don't have enough liquid inf on hand, then another character on the same account has to visit City Hall and pay it for them before the character can be played.  Players can also choose to go to City Hall at any time to clear Name Tax debts from any or all of the account's unplayed characters  The names of characters with current Name Tax debt cannot be auctioned.

[Blackbird71]

2 hours ago, Grouchybeast said:

 

Hmm.  This could be avoided by adding a Name Tax.  For every day that a character isn't logged in, they are taxed X amount of inf, perhaps fixed, perhaps scaling with some attribute(s) of the character.  The tax is auto-deducted from the character's inf balance when they're logged in.  If characters don't have enough liquid inf on hand, then another character on the same account has to visit City Hall and pay it for them before the character can be played.  Players can also choose to go to City Hall at any time to clear Name Tax debts from any or all of the account's unplayed characters  The names of characters with current Name Tax debt cannot be auctioned.

 

So now if I go on vacation for a week and don't log into my 100+ characters, I owe 700 days of name tax?  No thank you!!!

[ZemX]

12 hours ago, Rishidian said:

If the Homecoming Devs, in their wisdom and programming expertise, decide to unlock names that haven't been accessed in the past 2 years, 

--How does the person who is Dead Set on a specific name guarantee they get that name, and someone else doesn't grab it first (either to use or to camp) - thus perpetuating the issue?

 

They don't.   This isn't the goal of any name release policy.  It's not about every person getting exactly the name they want.  From the perspective of the people running an MMO, all they care about is that more names are available for active players.  They aren't concerned which players or what names.  One person not getting the name they want doesn't "perpetuate the issue" because that isn't the issue.  Never was.

[Snarky]

 

I need the name "The Coon" but some fat kid that never plays has parked on it

 

Edited August 27, 2021 by Snarky

[arcane]

5 hours ago, Grouchybeast said:

 

Hmm.  This could be avoided by adding a Name Tax.  For every day that a character isn't logged in, they are taxed X amount of inf, perhaps fixed, perhaps scaling with some attribute(s) of the character.  The tax is auto-deducted from the character's inf balance when they're logged in.  If characters don't have enough liquid inf on hand, then another character on the same account has to visit City Hall and pay it for them before the character can be played.  Players can also choose to go to City Hall at any time to clear Name Tax debts from any or all of the account's unplayed characters  The names of characters with current Name Tax debt cannot be auctioned.

This is hilarious (because it’s clearly satire at this point right?)

[ZemX]

2 minutes ago, arcane said:

This is hilarious (because it’s clearly satire at this point right?)

 

Even I wasn't sure if that was serious.

[Black Zot]

1 hour ago, arcane said:

This is hilarious (because it’s clearly satire at this point right?)

 

You would think so, but there are a lot of people dumb enough to regard tabloids as legitimate news sources ....

[Zhym]

17 hours ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Look, I'm about the most pro-capitalist, anti-communist person you'll ever meet, but even I think that allowing people to get paid for name-camping is just going to make the situation worse. It's a known fact that paying people to do a thing causes more people to do that thing more often.

 

The entire point behind this thread is to find a way to free up names so that people can get the names that they want. Allowing people to sell names on the auction house is guaranteed to cause a ton of people to log in right now and immediately create hundreds of characters on all of the servers, thus exacerbating this problem immensely.

I spitballed a name-auction system upthread (far enough upthread that it's too much work to go back and find it), and you know what?  You're right.  It's a horrible idea.  There absolutely would be a run on creating characters just for name camping.  It's be like the early days of the internet all over again.  Maybe an auction system could be created that would make names more valuable after they've been used for a while (sort of like a trademark system, as opposed to patent or copyright), but you know what?  It would be too much trouble and still probably wouldn't eliminate all the perverse incentives.

 

So to the extent I'm at all responsible for people talking about a name-auction system: Sorry about that.  It was a wacky idea, poorly thought-out, that should never ever be implemented.

Edited August 27, 2021 by Zhym

[Tiger Shadow]

3 hours ago, Snarky said:

 

I need the name "The Coon" but some fat kid that never plays has parked on it

 

That name may be blocked for other reasons.

[The_Warpact]

16 hours ago, Blackbird71 said:

 

If you don't think your idea would immediately result in a new in-game industry of name-churning, where players just come up with whatever names they can so they can sell them to others on your name auction, then you've got another thing coming.

The way things are now, if someone has the name you want, you can come up with a variation, or make up something new.  If your idea is implemented, it won't be long before players must pay for any name they want that isn't just absolute gibberish.

I'll compound upon this further.

In shard forum sections there are the "pick a name, drop a name" threads. These are nothing more than name camping threads, there are multiple instances of "I'll release this name if you have that name" or "what can I offer for that name" or "I'm releasing these names into the wild". 

 

So you have to have variances because I'll be damned that I'm going to pay some jackwagon whos sitting on it.

[Mopery]

Yes! Free up those names I want so that someone else can grab them again before I can...

[Blackbird71]

2 hours ago, arcane said:

This is hilarious (because it’s clearly satire at this point right?)

 

One would hope, but one would likely be disappointed.

[The_Warpact]

2 hours ago, Blackbird71 said:

 

One would hope, but one would likely be disappointed.

This is the interwebs! Shits always about to get real!

[misat]

I was shocked to see biggus dickus wasn't taken lol, just put some thought into a new name and put a twist on

[stealthnight]

4 minutes ago, misat said:

I was shocked to see biggus dickus wasn't taken lol, just put some thought into a new name and put a twist on

Sir you cannot be The Biggus Dickus, it is clear to everyone that... I am the Biggus Dickus.

[Chrono-Bot]

When I was carefully reading the rules and faq, I saw the upcoming name policy and all it's really resulted in is me being a lot more selective than I usually am with making new characters. I had some pretty bad alt-itis before.

 

Of course, I DID just show up.

[Snarky]

6 hours ago, stealthnight said:

Sir you cannot be The Biggus Dickus, it is clear to everyone that... I am the Biggus Dickus.

Need to make a large Tank with bird costume.  Biggus Duckus

[misat]

7 hours ago, stealthnight said:

Sir you cannot be The Biggus Dickus, it is clear to everyone that... I am the Biggus Dickus.

My son asked why was I shocked 😕 I failed as a parent he doesn't know lol Another movie I'll have to force him to watch 😛