How do players handle the all the Inactive characters?

[Palehood]

According to the FAQ;

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.

 

Some players have like 10 or more so how do they log into all of them  frequently one by one(before 30 days is up) just to make sure the character is still active and the name doesn't become available to someone else? Surely having to keep on logging in continuously would be tiring. Unless they just don't create a lot of characters and stick to just a few to concentrate on to reach lvl 50, so that the character will never be inactive?

[Bill Z Bubba]

The inactive flag is not something I ever consider. I got curious as to why that may be so I went and looked and found that out of 60 characters, I have 0 that someone could take a name from. I have none in the 1st range, one in the second range at 32 days that I planned to delete anyway, a bunch under 50 but the longest logged off is a lvl 45 with 130 days.

 

So, it appears I deal with the inactive flag by deleting characters I don't play at least semi-regularly or have gotten to 50.

[PeregrineFalcon]

The developers have said that, while this is the rule, names don't get unlocked automatically. They have to run a script that unlocks character names and they have not yet done so.

 

There was a couple of threads where this was discussed and people had some wildly differing views on when/if a character's name should be unlocked. Nothing was changed officially though.

[TheZag]

The system exists but isnt active at this time.  Currently none of your characters names are at risk if they go 'inactive'.

[Without_Pause]

I only have 4 characters who are below level 20. I am only keeping 1-2 anyway. While I have my own "inactive" list for builds I'm backlogging, none have been there even one year. The only way I can see having a character not logged in for that long is if I essentially retire the build at level 50. Even on live, I don't recall losing a name due to being inactive. The build will be played or deleted.

[MTeague]

I have slightly under 40 characters, grand total. 

This makes it not so bad to log in once every month, when I took a break from the game.

Also, very few of my character names are likely to ever be competed over. A few, perhaps. But not most.

 

I would not be upset if the day ever comes when Name Policy is actually activated and put into effect.  But I don't expect it to ever change anything, either.  I strongly suspect that many names that people covet, probably exist on a lvl 50 character. Maybe a powerleveled lvl 50 character. Maybe one who took a long slow road up. But I truly doubt if the policy were put it place, that many names would actually get freed up, unless they also applied the policy to lvl 50's.  And I doubt the HC devs would ever go there.

[Greycat]

5 hours ago, Palehood said:

According to the FAQ;

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

 

 

Nobody seems to read the VERY FIRST PART:

 

Quote

The name release policy is not yet in effect.

 

No "handling" is needed.

[Ironblade]

As noted by several, the name release policy has NOT been implemented.

It was also stated that, if they do decide to implement it, they will give ample warning and make sure everyone knows about it.  (My guess would be a pop-up message on login.)

[SeraphimKensai]

The real question is how do people with many incarnates balance playing them all?

 

I know I have several that I can't remember the last time I played.

[Bionic_Flea]

It's fairly easy for me.  I create a new character and play it until it's 50+3 . . . and then make a new one. 

 

I periodically go back and log into each one to either play them or just check on their market sales and move them to a new day job location.

[lemming]

5 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

The real question is how do people with many incarnates balance playing them all?

 

I know I have several that I can't remember the last time I played.

Out of 96 characters, depends on what I'm in the mood to play with.  That said, I do tend to play a dozen often, but occasionally will bring out one of the others to tune them and play them more in depth to get all their accolades, etc...   (And everyone gets logged in if a "Login for a badge" happens)

[Coyotedancer]

Put me in the "all but my one or two most recent/current 'project'-characters are lvl 50+"-camp. 

 

I finish a character before I make the next one. 

[The_Warpact]

On 2/25/2022 at 2:24 PM, TheZag said:

The system exists but isnt active at this time.  Currently none of your characters names are at risk if they go 'inactive'.

Well damn...guess I can quit logging everyone in every 3 weeks. 

[roleki]

22 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

The real question is how do people with many incarnates balance playing them all?

 

I know I have several that I can't remember the last time I played.

 

I created an outdoor council mission in AE that I run my unemployed 50s through once a week or so; soon as they level-up, get a catalyst, or complete the mission, they go back into the garage and I go do something else.

[Ukase]

I tend to organize them by AT on a given page - except on the first page. The first page has 5 badgers (that have all the badges but Legatus), and a few characters that I'm playing up to 50. When those reach 50 +3, all t-4, they will get moved to another page so I don't have to go looking for the newer character I'm playing. 

I always figured, while I might miss having control over a name, if someone got my name because I wasn't using it, that's fair enough. I can't say I'd like it, but I would understand. 

[Bill Z Bubba]

So, ummmm, does anyone else have their main's name on every shard? Or is it just me that's vain enough to do that?

[kiramon]

We sure it is not in effect?

 

Several of my characters had a 1 added on the end and get prompted to change the name when I login.

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2022 by kiramon

[SeraphimKensai]

53 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

So, ummmm, does anyone else have their main's name on every shard? Or is it just me that's vain enough to do that?

Hell I don't even have a main.

[Yomo Kimyata]

1 hour ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

So, ummmm, does anyone else have their main's name on every shard? Or is it just me that's vain enough to do that?

 

I do, but except on Excelsior! they are all VEATs and HEATs and I don't think I've gotten any of them significantly past 20.

 

To OP:  I used to run a spreadsheet, but at this point, if someone wanted one of my names and snookered me out of it, power to them.  Not very high on my list of concerns.

[Ironblade]

6 hours ago, The_Warpact said:

Well damn...guess I can quit logging everyone in every 3 weeks. 

Well, what if they announce tomorrow that the policy will take effect in 2 weeks?

 

 

1 hour ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

So, ummmm, does anyone else have their main's name on every shard? Or is it just me that's vain enough to do that?

Yes.  I have Ironblade on every shard.  Two are incarnate, the rest are 49, 39 and 27.

 

 

47 minutes ago, kiramon said:

We sure it is not in effect?

 

Several of my characters had a 1 added on the end and get prompted to change the name when I login.

 

I have not tested it personally.  We were told, officially by the devs, that it is not in effect.  Someone else reported an issue like yours and the devs reconfirmed the name release policy had not been put into effect.  Also worth noting, your tank in the image is 50 and therefore NEVER subject to the name release policy.  Something else must be going on there.

 

[kiramon]

8 minutes ago, Ironblade said:

Well, what if they announce tomorrow that the policy will take effect in 2 weeks?

 

 

Yes.  I have Ironblade on every shard.  Two are incarnate, the rest are 49, 39 and 27.

 

 

I have not tested it personally.  We were told, officially by the devs, that it is not in effect.  Someone else reported an issue like yours and the devs reconfirmed the name release policy had not been put into effect.  Also worth noting, your tank in the image is 50 and therefore NEVER subject to the name release policy.  Something else must be going on there.

 

I have 7 total characters who got the 1, so Im not sure what happened. 

[Bionic_Flea]

14 minutes ago, kiramon said:

I have 7 total characters who got the 1, so Im not sure what happened. 

 

Did you switch servers?

 

[TheZag]

1 hour ago, kiramon said:

We sure it is not in effect?

 

Several of my characters had a 1 added on the end and get prompted to change the name when I login.

 

 

 

 

A level 50 never goes inactive for the rename policy.  The level 1 could have but they never ran the character name unlocking script.  If that level 50 did get renamed,  i can only come up with a not good reason as to why.

[Snarky]

Whenever the inactive flag comes up on one of my alts I log the character in.  Then I go to the pier by the black market in Cap au Diable.  I have rhe character jump off the pier into the water there.  Then i log off and delete them.  

[kiramon]

1 hour ago, TheZag said:

 

A level 50 never goes inactive for the rename policy.  The level 1 could have but they never ran the character name unlocking script.  If that level 50 did get renamed,  i can only come up with a not good reason as to why.

 

Effervescence is surely not breaking any rules, nor is something like “Energy Waive”