player available AV/hero/GM names

[Ridiculous Girl]

so... i was trying to duplicate a known bug, but one that seems to be unique in that it only happens with one player. me being me, i was fooling around, trying some ridiculous things to make this happen for me, rather unsuccesfully. i was mostly going through the names of NPCs, base items, contacts, etc., seeing if i could name a character with them just to see what would happen... just for fun, i went through the list of Giant Monsters and surprise, surprise... i found that Arachnos Flier was available as a character name! i have not fully tried out what i was testing, because i got too excited with the idea. so i checked the list of AVs, and HELLO! several of them were available, as well as one or two Hero names. most were naturally blocked off, but Mary MacComber and Nega-Pendragon were the biggest names that i found. 😁

 

truthfully, i am not sure what to do with them now. my testing is not done, but it is weird to have names of known AV/Hero characters available. i would love to use one or two of them, inconspicuously, of course, but i am pretty sure that there is a rule against it. so i am confessing, here, what i have done, in the name of science.

 

this is not exactly a bug, but i was not sure where else to report this. :)  

 

[lemming]

3 hours ago, Ridiculous Girl said:

i am pretty sure that there is a rule against it.

Yea, I remember something about not impersonating any actual in game characters somewhere.  Maybe saying you're a clone, or from another dimension could work?  (Or the devs could just remove those names like the others...)

[Ridiculous Girl]

i am still working on this... actually i have been doing a deep dive into in-game names, (NPCs, objects, powers, etc.) looking for something, and i have been continually finding surprising things, fun things. though no bugs yet. 😞

 

but i do keep finding AV/hero/GM names that are available that probably should be blocked off. so i made random alts on excelsior, name blocking them, and just putting it out there that they are there in my character list. most commonly encountered NPCs/GMs/AVs are typically, already blocked, these bafflingly are not. 😎 

 

(is bafflingly even a word??? 🤪)

 

there are a number, read 20-30, that i have also made, but mostly named after NPCs, etc., that i may actually use. i might also use one or two of the more obscure GM/AV names, though not to impersonate or decieve, but just because they would be fun. 🙂 at least until someone stops me...😁

 

PS. don't take away Malfunctioning Unit from me please, he's just a Praetorian NPC, but the name is glorious! 😄

 

 

[Glacier Peak]

I don't see how this is a bug, it's against the Code of Conduct and Copyright Policy to copy COH/COV characters found in game. 

 

Copyright Policy

Use of copyrighted characters and content without permission is not permitted when creating characters or Architect content. This includes characters and stories from intellectual property belonging to any IP that is not City of Heroes.

Additionally, creating copies of existing characters from the City of Heroes / Villains lore or naming your Supergroup after existing groups from the City of Heroes / Villains lore is not permitted. Use of these characters in Architect Entertainment and character backstories is permitted, and you are free to present yourself as a member of an existing group or portray your Supergroup as an offshoot or subdivision of an existing group, but you cannot portray yourself as owning or being in control of any existing group.

[Ridiculous Girl]

8 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

I don't see how this is a bug, it's against the Code of Conduct and Copyright Policy to copy COH/COV characters found in game. 

yeah, i know, but i did not know where to put it or report it.

 

almost all important NPCs are already blocked, these are not, so it is more of an oversight. but for lack of a better place, i put it here, until it is adressed by a GM. i'm just reporting it, while looking for a bug, and basically seeing what happens when i am trying things out. at least i am trying to be transparent about it. 🙂

[Ridiculous Girl]

well, since i have started, i figured i might as well finish... i think i have thoroughly plumbed the depths of the lists of available names for all of the AV classes. down as far as to AVs that are not even available yet. i even found names of an OG dev alt, as well as an AV developed but never got beyond concept stage, that were available, though i did not bother to name block them since they were boring.

 

i am going to put a list up of all that i have made of the AV/GM/Heroes and name blocked, for easy search, because there is always the amusing, but remote, chance that they may actually have a game play effect. i mean what happens if Nega-Pendragon meets his doppleganger, or at least is in game and making commentary on General while the Magi trial is going on? or if the devs want to make the Selenops Main Cannon AV and find that i have taken the name already? 😁

 

 

 

 

Names that were available and should probably be GM blocked:

 

Giant Monster:

Arachnos Flier

Arachnos Flyer (though technically not the GM the two names were available)

 

AV (Incarnate):

Nega-Pendragon

Echo of Lord Recluse

Echo of Imperious

Echo of Ghost Widow

Echo of Glacia

Echo of Hro'Dtohz

Echo of Minotaur

Echo of the Honoree

Echo of Statesman

Echo of Requiem

Echo of Positron

Echo of Reichsman

Penelope Mayhem

Mother Yin (old AV name for Penelope Mayhem)

Mother Malaise

Weakened Honoree

 

AV/Hero (Task Force/trial):

Mary Maccomber

Katie's Spirit

Aspect of Rularuu

Laranu the Crazed

Aloore the Watcher

Eye of the Leviathan

Koago

Shivan Obliterator

King Midas?

Marigold Langston

Princess Zoe

Nemesis Monstrosity

Mr. DuBois

Sylvia Rexson

Magus Mu Drakhan (spelled Magus Mu'Drakhan in-game, but listed in City of Data as Magus Mu Drakhan)

Weakened Hamidon (Elite boss)

 

AV/Hero (Mission arc):

Kadabra Kill

Johnny Sonata's Soul

Lucan v0.65 (listed as AV in CoD)

Marcus Stribbling (both AV and EB)

P3454035522 (display name for a Cabal witch named cabal_Annah)

P3647553403 (display name for an Emobdiment of Mot Sentinal)

 

AV (Random):

Mek Man Gigantique (no idea where this appears, no information)

 

AV (Object):

Mold Wall

Shadow Cyst

Power Transfer Tower

Selenops Main Cannon

Ethereal Shard

Faathim's Prison

 

Labyrinth of Fog related (non-AV):

Gladiator in the Fog

Malevolent Fog

 

i think that is the complete list... there are a few like Hatched Kraken and Miss Thystle that are notable EBs, but those EB types are probably far more numerous than i care to catalogue. but i think i am going to stop with this thread, since i think i have gotten as far as i can/want for now. 😎

 

I have made numerous alts based on NPCs, objects, powers, mostly as experiments... some of them i may actually level up. but i swear i am not going to impersonate anyone in general, deliberately. i do not seriously think that any GM is going to care about Large Head, Doctor Generic, Defender Hero, Malfuntioning Unit, or 000testmob, unless they do and then they can generic me. (all actual named characters in-game)  😄

[Bionic_Flea]

Don't be ridiculous!

[SeraphimKensai]

This thread reminds me of Frostfire. He was an ice/fire blaster on Guardian at launch that I rand a bunch of missions with when I was on Thunderspark my elec/elec blaster of that era. When issue 2 came out and the Hollows was released, he was around lvl 40, and he got genericed.

 

He quit that day.

That was the first person I remember getting genericed.

 

[Kriiden]

I used to go by Hamidon for several years. Everyone was cool with it, until they weren't. I always tried to play it as an alternate dimension version of them; but the Gm's simply didn't like me using the name. I figured it was because of copyright risk, and the fact that NCsoft still holds the character rights. Granted, the Gm's didn't like me questioning this, and when I inquired and asked about it, they went into my account (they did warn me if I inquired further, they would have to inquire further) and genericed every name in my account (in Everlasting) that had the name Hamidon or was related to it. This happend a year and a half before the NCsoft deal was announced, so something tells me they did it to protect the game and to keep to any deal they had with Ncsoft.

Do yourself a favor. Delete (or change) any character names that match in game names. Even if some people say it's ok, especially if the character is from another "dimension", don't use any names they are copyrighted by Ncsoft or currently being used in game by Npcs, even if it's technically allowed in the rules. Copyright is...complicated, from what I understand.

Obviously, Gm's and dev's would have a better insight on this; but this was my experience with it. Really scared me away from the community side of this game. I mostly run solo now. (Granted, I don't blame the GM's, they were just doing their job, and protecting our favorite game)


Edit: Went back to my support ticket history to get this:

"Additionally, creating copies of existing characters from the City of Heroes / Villains lore or naming your Supergroup after existing groups from the City of Heroes / Villains lore is not permitted. Use of these characters in Architect Entertainment and character backstories is permitted, and you are free to present yourself as a member of an existing group or portray your Supergroup as an offshoot or subdivision of an existing group, but you cannot portray yourself as owning or being in control of any existing group." - from the 2021(2?) Code of Conduct. Not sure if it's been updated since then.

Edited August 27 by Kriiden

[Ridiculous Girl]

8 minutes ago, Kriiden said:

they Gm's simply didn't like me using the name. I figured it was because of copyright risk, and the fact that NCsoft still holds the character rights.

 

On 8/25/2024 at 6:34 PM, Glacier Peak said:

Copyright Policy

Use of copyrighted characters and content without permission is not permitted when creating characters or Architect content. This includes characters and stories from intellectual property belonging to any IP that is not City of Heroes.

Additionally, creating copies of existing characters from the City of Heroes / Villains lore or naming your Supergroup after existing groups from the City of Heroes /

Villains lore is not permitted. Use of these characters in Architect Entertainment and character backstories is permitted, and you are free to present yourself as a member of an

existing group or portray your Supergroup as an offshoot or subdivision of an existing group, but you cannot portray yourself as owning or being in control of any existing group.

 

as GP pointed out, it goes against the rules. that is why they normally make them inaceessible for players. but i have found about 40 names that should be blocked out and since i was poking around, i just took them out myself and am publically posting that i did it. so one day they'll probably go through and permanently block them. no skin off my nose, i made the alts with possible combo sets that i may want to revisit in the future, with a different name of course. 🙂

 

besides there seems to be some leeway, with the "creating copies of existing characters", some names could be possibly be used, but they would need to show that they are not a copy/knockoff. but it is all up to GM discretion. if i ran around with "Echo of Statesman" i would get genericked pretty fast i am sure, regardless of what he looked like or his backstory. 😄

[Kriiden]

 

I guess, after my experience, I just didn't want to take any chances that some leeway might be granted, or might not be. I try to stick to purely original characters now. 

[GM_GooglyMoogly]

[Ridiculous Girl]

15 hours ago, GM_GooglyMoogly said:

 

i am sure, especially after i loaded your pockets full with 70 lvl 5 TOs... 😅

Edited August 28 by Ridiculous Girl
fixed tiny typo

[Jacke]

7 hours ago, GM_GooglyMoogly said:

 

Damn, dude, you have the perfect context for this!  😺

 

[Frostmoon]

I actually spotted someone running around with the name "Metronome" today on Reunion; that's the name of the Praetorian Clockwork King equivalent.

[Ridiculous Girl]

5 hours ago, Frostmoon said:

I actually spotted someone running around with the name "Metronome" today on Reunion; that's the name of the Praetorian Clockwork King equivalent.

i had to look it up, but Metronome is not an existing AV, and the EBs are called Metronome MK I, II, III... IV, or something like that it's a good name. i have a friend that is gnome themed, so they have a metrognome. so, i think they are safe. but if the devs ever decide to evolve that Praetorian story line and upgrade Metronome to an AV, those others that have the name may run into problems.

Edited August 28 by Ridiculous Girl
corrected something

[Ridiculous Girl]

a found a couple more AV/GM names while digging around, so i made random alts with a possibly usable powerset combos and took the names...

 

AV (Task Force/trial):

Emperor Requiem

Dr. Zeon (i took the official one with the Dr., the name with Dr is also available)

 

GM (Task Force/trial):

Ripplesurge

Stropharia

Mitochondria

Terra the All-Mother (without the comma)

 

NPC Contact:

Dr. Quarterfield

 

Random:

Thing Kong

Furious George

[Rudra]

50 minutes ago, Ridiculous Girl said:

NPC Contact:

Dr. Quarterfield

Because he's Dr. Quaterfield, not Dr. Quarterfield.

[Ridiculous Girl]

Oops and i found more... 😁

 

AV (Task Force/trial):

Jade Spider

Archus
Nightwidow Nocturne

President Marchand

Nemesis Rex

 

GM:

Kronos Class Titan

Clockwork Paladin

Monster Construction

[Ridiculous Girl]

 

1 hour ago, Rudra said:

Because he's Dr. Quaterfield, not Dr. Quarterfield.

ha ha! you are right! that is because i drew the name from the wiki and when i checked it i did not notice the redirect. 😄