Character Name Policy -- Thirty Day Notice!
By
0zymandous,
Posted on: 2007-07-31 15:59 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
[color=yellow]Sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest changes. I clarify my point about sliding scale [u]inactive account[u] name releases:
<ul type="square">[*]90 days incactive under lvl 12 toons names unlocked (which is current practice I believe)[*]6 months inactive under lvl 24 names unlocked[*]1 year inactive under lvl 36 names unlocked[*]2 years inactive under lvl 46 names unlocked[*]3 years inactive all names unlocked[/list]
This will hopefully also give the military personel due consideration especially for thier high lvl toons when they'e away on long tours of duty. Especially since (from what I understand) the US government is making use of extending military personel's service contracts whether or not they agree to it because of what's going on in Iraq. (this is just a statement of what I understand, it may no longer be correct, but is something I feel should be considered since they may choose to serve but not where). This also takes into account anyone with unexpected extended absences from the game (including the recent victums of those tornadoes) but whom would like to eventually return.
Confusion is Lord & Chaos is my Best Friend!! Shall I introduce you??
MArc# 5232 Bastet's Unleashing *a Solo-able arc*
Gae'Atha- lvl 50 Emp/Ele/Psi Def
Sekmet's Fel Blood- lvl 50 Rad/Ther/GW Corr
I'm pretty sure it's level 6 right now, for the 90 days inactive unlocked.
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Repurposed
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sliding scale [u]inactive account[u] name releases:
<ul type="square">[*]90 days incactive under lvl 12 toons names unlocked (which is current practice I believe)[*]6 months inactive under lvl 24 names unlocked[*]1 year inactive under lvl 36 names unlocked[*]2 years inactive under lvl 46 names unlocked[*]3 years inactive all names unlocked[/list]
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I like this proposal.
Pinnacle
@Mr.Catastrophe
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I am under the impression that the ammount of people who will or would return after 18 months of having their account inactive is very slim to none. I don't think that keeping a name indefinately is a good idea, for non-paying, former customers to be able to do.
They could even send out an e-mail 1-2 months in advance so that the people would have a chance to renew, to avoid their names from being purged.
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No. Speaking as somebody who DID in fact unsub and walk away for 18 months (and then came back, obviously) I can guarantee that had I come back to find out some prepubescent little ADD twit too lazy to pick up a [censored] thesaurus ended up swiping any or all of my character names I would not have resubbed for the 18 new months I've been back (most of it in the larger time blocks) and NCsoft would have been out my sub fees (and the extras packs I bought) for that time. I said this last time name purges were suggested, and I think I'll say it every time they come up: LEARN TO BE CREATIVE. Alternative names FOR THE WIN.
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that's funny, he blasts "some ADD twit" for coming up with the exact names he came up with, and blames them for typing in a name and it not being taken. i think you ire is poorly thought out and misplaced, but what do i know right?
Oh yeah, that was the time that girl got her whatchamacallit stuck in that guys dooblickitz and then what his name did that thing with the lizards and it cleared right up.
screw your joke, i want "FREEM"
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sliding scale [u]inactive account[u] name releases:
<ul type="square">[*]90 days incactive under lvl 12 toons names unlocked (which is current practice I believe)[*]6 months inactive under lvl 24 names unlocked[*]1 year inactive under lvl 36 names unlocked[*]2 years inactive under lvl 46 names unlocked[*]3 years inactive all names unlocked[/list]
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/signed
@blood
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I am under the impression that the ammount of people who will or would return after 18 months of having their account inactive is very slim to none. I don't think that keeping a name indefinately is a good idea, for non-paying, former customers to be able to do.
They could even send out an e-mail 1-2 months in advance so that the people would have a chance to renew, to avoid their names from being purged.
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No. Speaking as somebody who DID in fact unsub and walk away for 18 months (and then came back, obviously) I can guarantee that had I come back to find out some prepubescent little ADD twit too lazy to pick up a [censored] thesaurus ended up swiping any or all of my character names I would not have resubbed for the 18 new months I've been back (most of it in the larger time blocks) and NCsoft would have been out my sub fees (and the extras packs I bought) for that time. I said this last time name purges were suggested, and I think I'll say it every time they come up: LEARN TO BE CREATIVE. Alternative names FOR THE WIN.
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that's funny, he blasts "some ADD twit" for coming up with the exact names he came up with, and blames them for typing in a name and it not being taken. i think you ire is poorly thought out and misplaced, but what do i know right?
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Owned.
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[color=yellow]This will hopefully also give the military personel due consideration especially for thier high lvl toons when they'e away on long tours of duty. Especially since (from what I understand) the US government is making use of extending military personel's service contracts whether or not they agree to it because of what's going on in Iraq. (this is just a statement of what I understand, it may no longer be correct, but is something I feel should be considered since they may choose to serve but not where). This also takes into account anyone with unexpected extended absences from the game (including the recent victums of those tornadoes) but whom would like to eventually return.
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This is the first idea I have seen that takes into account those of us that are active military. I played from beta till I had to leave due to the military. I appreciate people considering those of us that have to leave and have no choice. Also to answer your second point yes. The military is doing something called a "Stop-Loss" activiation. Which states the military can activate you (up to eight years after your enlistment date) whether you were discharged or not. So if you sign a 4 year contract 6 years later you can be called to active service. So far the Navy and Airforce have not practiced this, but the Army and Marines have.
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<ul type="square">[*]90 days incactive under lvl 12 toons names unlocked (which is current practice I believe)[*]6 months inactive under lvl 24 names unlocked[*]1 year inactive under lvl 36 names unlocked[*]2 years inactive under lvl 46 names unlocked[*]3 years inactive all names unlocked[/list]
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Last year, my wife and I had to deactivate our accounts for budgetary reasons. We were off for eight months. Happily we're back again and having a blast.
However, all but one of our characters fell in the 24 and under category. If we had reactivated and found a truckload of our characters genericized because their names were unlocked, that would have ended it. The names are part of the character design, not just an add on.
It boggles my mind when I hear people say "all the good names are taken." I have 70+ characters and have *never* had issues coming up with a name, even if my first idea was taken. All it takes is a little imagination and/or creativity. There is *no* limit to the number of good names available.
Taking names away is a good way to keep players from returning. The current policy is fine.
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sliding scale [u]inactive account[u] name releases:
<ul type="square">[*]90 days incactive under lvl 12 toons names unlocked (which is current practice I believe)[*]6 months inactive under lvl 24 names unlocked[*]1 year inactive under lvl 36 names unlocked[*]2 years inactive under lvl 46 names unlocked[*]3 years inactive all names unlocked[/list]
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/signed
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Cut the levels in half except for 3 years and I might agree. But it seems a little fast for Military or those where things come up. Times are harder than they were 8 years ago
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sliding scale [u]inactive account[u] name releases:
<ul type="square">[*]90 days incactive under lvl 12 toons names unlocked (which is current practice I believe)[*]6 months inactive under lvl 24 names unlocked[*]1 year inactive under lvl 36 names unlocked[*]2 years inactive under lvl 46 names unlocked[*]3 years inactive all names unlocked[/list]
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/signed
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Cut the levels in half except for 3 years and I might agree. But it seems a little fast for Military or those where things come up. Times are harder than they were 8 years ago
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I think these standards could work, with the proviso being that IF you are called away for military duty (or other extreme cases), you could contact NCSoft and have your account flagged for non-deletion for a set period of time...?
I think it's time to dust this one off and do another mass dump of names on accounts that no longer have current subscriptions running.
Legion of Valor / Fallen Legion (Victory server)
http://legionofvalor.guildportal.com / http://fallenlegion.guildportal.com
Pagan Priest - L50 Dark/Dark Defender
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sliding scale [u]inactive account[u] name releases:
<ul type="square">[*]90 days incactive under lvl 12 toons names unlocked (which is current practice I believe)[*]6 months inactive under lvl 24 names unlocked[*]1 year inactive under lvl 36 names unlocked[*]2 years inactive under lvl 46 names unlocked[*]3 years inactive all names unlocked[/list]
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/signed
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Cut the levels in half except for 3 years and I might agree. But it seems a little fast for Military or those where things come up. Times are harder than they were 8 years ago
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I think these standards could work, with the proviso being that IF you are called away for military duty (or other extreme cases), you could contact NCSoft and have your account flagged for non-deletion for a set period of time...?
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I think you should never be able to remove a name from any lvl 50 toon. I don't mind a similar format but I think toons over 30 should be left alone. It's a lot of work to get there (for most of us, I assume). Then if you leave the game you can always come back...there could be a million reasons why a person may take a leave and to have them remove your name is a bit much. Might drive people to go to the competition instead (I am sure I would if I had my names taken).
Military duty for an idiot president is not the only valid excuse. So, maybe release names for toons under lvl 30 in some varying increments depending on which level you are under 30.
If someone hasn't kept a subscription for 36 ongoing months, I really don't think they should be able to expect anything. If their characters and stuff are still there, and only their names gone, then that's already more than generous. If they absolutely must retain the names of their 50s, they can reactivate the game for one month every year or so, just to keep their 50s.
Otherwise, good riddance.
Also, I don't think military duty is an excuse per se. It's not like you people have a draft over there. I realize that it's too common an occurence among gamers not to consider, but by no means does it warrant any special consideration by itself.
"If you're going through hell, keep going."
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Unfortunately, at this time, I have to disagree about military duty. Normally, I would say that military people get leaves, they can pay for a month and check in on things once a year until they're able to play again. However...
Right now, the chimp in chief is helpfully canceling leaves, disallowing retirements, pulling people out of retirement, pulling people back from civilian life after time served, extending service requirements - doing anything possible to enlarge the armed forces while still claiming he's not instituting a draft., not having people in the armed forces who didn't sign up. If you're not half-dead, you don't get out - and if you can be fixed, not even then. That's not a rant, incidentally, as much as it is a tired observation.
So it's entirely possible that someone in the military right now wouldn't be able to get on inside of two years, and that's NOT their fault. The current leader is.. well, I don't know that he's breaking laws, but I'm pretty sure he's at least breaking custom and tradition. Until things can be put on better footing for the people in the military who aren't getting their breaks, I don't think it's necessarily fair to punish them for their choice of jobs. Some can get spouses or family to pay for them as needed, but not all have that option.
Anyone who's going away on a long-term, top secret science mission to the Amazon or the Antarctic, however, should probably think this through beforehand. They already know beforehand they're going to be out of touch for a couple of years, as opposed to having these changes tossed on them suddenly, and they might want to arrange for their financial manager to pay for them quarterly or yearly.
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Unbidden | Star Patrol | Real World Hero
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So, I'm part of the camp that feels names should be scrubbed on a regular basis for inactive (non-paying) accounts. Honestly, the sense of entitlement by non-paying customers astounds me. I'm sorry but if you're not paying for a subscription then you take the chance of losing your characters names. Period! If that's not a chance that someone is willing to take, then they should leave their account active and just not play.
If the above sounds too extreme, then I could see this being a possible solution and one that the company could make money at. After all, that is the whole point of keeping the names reserved for inactive account
the potential for making more money. Here it is:
As an option upon ending a subscription, the person could pay a fee to keep the names on the account reserved (regardless of what level the characters are or any other attribute). For example, $20 for 6 months, $50 for a year, etc., etc. with the option of extending the timeframe if it expires and they still havent returned to the game. That, for instance, would require the customer to log back into their NCSoft account and purchase an extension (more time) to keep the names reserved.
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I TOTALLY agree with you. One thing that those seeking respect for those who have come before us....
"Money talks..."
If I am not paying for my cell phone and they give away my number... who's fault it that?
If I leave my apartment and someone else moves in, can I complain I have to change the address on all my mail?
If I have a friend but never call and they move on, can I blame them?
Hello...
What about the NEW people to the game. Should they be forced to name their hero/villain "RedSting3r 47beta" or "Phoenix44th3rdStreet" because everything else that is halfway cool is taken??? No they are future and CURRENT revenue. THEY take priority. It's called business.
They can look at the curve, if there are a lot of people who have been gone for a year, they should FORFIT EVERYNAME!!!
I like many others pay for our subscription for the fear of the loss, why should they not?
Indig 
, leader of the City of Gaymers
City of Gaymers on Guildportal.com
http://www.guildportal.com/Guild.asp...3&TabID=295104
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Also, I don't think military duty is an excuse per se. It's not like you people have a draft over there. I realize that it's too common an occurence among gamers not to consider, but by no means does it warrant any special consideration by itself.
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If we didn't have a draft 'over here,' then males would not me required to sign up for the draft at the age of 18. Currently, civilians are not being drafted, why bother when all the military has to do is not allow a service member to separate after their term of service (what we call a backdoor draft.) Having previously served in the military, I see no problem with allowing service members the ability to keep their character's names.
And as for all the good names being gone, are people really that lacking in imagination?
Its just the name thieves warming up their whines again about how they must have that vital name. Rather than using their head for something other than a hat rack. The same lame crying. There is a policy in place to clear out old data. We have not run out of names. I made a toon tonight and got the name I wanted on my first try.Not a crisis in any way. if the devs want to change their policy, It is all their property.
Lots of 50's yada yada. still finding fun things to do.
Cthulhu loves you, better start running
I�! I�! Gg�gorsch�a�bha egurtsa�ar�ug d� Dalhor! Cthluhu fthagn! Cthluhu fthagn!
You are in a maze of twisty little passages
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I think it's time to dust this one off and do another mass dump of names on accounts that no longer have current subscriptions running.
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I think it's time for people to dust off their thesaurus.
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I think it's time to dust this one off and do another mass dump of names on accounts that no longer have current subscriptions running.
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I think it's time for people to dust off their thesaurus.
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I think it's time for people who don't pay for something to stop expecting it's theirs forever and ever.
Also, I do quite fine with names thank you very much. But I also don't want to feel like I have to come up with 10 alternative names for a character I'm trying to create each and every time. The worst is having to play a character with a name like "Khamel0en" because the proper and correct spelling has been taken by someone who hasn't had an active account in a year or longer.
Legion of Valor / Fallen Legion (Victory server)
http://legionofvalor.guildportal.com / http://fallenlegion.guildportal.com
Pagan Priest - L50 Dark/Dark Defender
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I think it's time to dust this one off and do another mass dump of names on accounts that no longer have current subscriptions running.
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I think it's time for people to dust off their thesaurus.
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I think it's time for people who don't pay for something to stop expecting it's theirs forever and ever.
Also, I do quite fine with names thank you very much. But I also don't want to feel like I have to come up with 10 alternative names for a character I'm trying to create each and every time. The worst is having to play a character with a name like "Khamel0en" because the proper and correct spelling has been taken by someone who hasn't had an active account in a year or longer.
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How do you know it isnt active? maybe I have that name on a toon I just dont log on? I havent stopped paying in 2 years, so tough luck on that.
Lots of 50's yada yada. still finding fun things to do.
Cthulhu loves you, better start running
I�! I�! Gg�gorsch�a�bha egurtsa�ar�ug d� Dalhor! Cthluhu fthagn! Cthluhu fthagn!
You are in a maze of twisty little passages
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I think it's time to dust this one off and do another mass dump of names on accounts that no longer have current subscriptions running.
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I think it's time for people to dust off their thesaurus.
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I think it's time for people who don't pay for something to stop expecting it's theirs forever and ever.
Also, I do quite fine with names thank you very much. But I also don't want to feel like I have to come up with 10 alternative names for a character I'm trying to create each and every time. The worst is having to play a character with a name like "Khamel0en" because the proper and correct spelling has been taken by someone who hasn't had an active account in a year or longer.
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How do you know it isnt active? maybe I have that name on a toon I just dont log on? I havent stopped paying in 2 years, so tough luck on that.
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We're talking about inactive accounts, not inactive toons on an active account. Gosh, your "Loc:" really is "State of confusion". Shocking!
Legion of Valor / Fallen Legion (Victory server)
http://legionofvalor.guildportal.com / http://fallenlegion.guildportal.com
Pagan Priest - L50 Dark/Dark Defender
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I think it's time to dust this one off and do another mass dump of names on accounts that no longer have current subscriptions running.
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I think it's time for people to dust off their thesaurus.
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I think it's time for people who don't pay for something to stop expecting it's theirs forever and ever.
Also, I do quite fine with names thank you very much. But I also don't want to feel like I have to come up with 10 alternative names for a character I'm trying to create each and every time. The worst is having to play a character with a name like "Khamel0en" because the proper and correct spelling has been taken by someone who hasn't had an active account in a year or longer.
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How do you know it isnt active? maybe I have that name on a toon I just dont log on? I havent stopped paying in 2 years, so tough luck on that.
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We're talking about inactive accounts, not inactive toons on an active account. Gosh, your "Loc:" really is "State of confusion". Shocking!
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You dont actually know diddly squat. you are just bleating that all the good names are gone. they arent. If the devs want to deal with a non existant problem. You cant tell if the name you want is on an active account, inactive accout, or was taken by those guys at marvel comics. You are deluding yourself to think that them running their name policy script will give you the name you want.
Lots of 50's yada yada. still finding fun things to do.
Cthulhu loves you, better start running
I�! I�! Gg�gorsch�a�bha egurtsa�ar�ug d� Dalhor! Cthluhu fthagn! Cthluhu fthagn!
You are in a maze of twisty little passages
I don't know why I'm even bothering to reply to a post from someone who clearly doesn't know what he's talking about but I'm bored right now so I thought I would.
Its actually you who doesn't know what hes talking about hedgehog. As a matter of fact, the last time the devs ran their script to release names from inactive accounts, I was able to secure about 50% of the names I had been wanting.
Please do me a favor and if you're going to rebut, do your homework and know the facts before you spout off statements which have no basis. Oh, and learn proper punctuation and capitalization too. That would make reading your rants a little less annoying.
Legion of Valor / Fallen Legion (Victory server)
http://legionofvalor.guildportal.com / http://fallenlegion.guildportal.com
Pagan Priest - L50 Dark/Dark Defender
I think this policy as implemented now is GREAT and I think it is only fair to give it some time to see what the results will be.
I am not positive to a higher lvl requirement at all. I just brought back someone who had played for a year just at the start (thus almost away for three and a half years). He started playing regularly now with all his old toons. If all his names were gone (none of them was higher than lvl 24, he loves soloing and does not level very fast) I am sure he would be quite put off and would have gone back to WoW
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So, I'm part of the camp that feels names should be scrubbed on a regular basis...
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I have no issue with making the name release policy regular, or even automatic. People that clamor for "WIPE NAMES NAO!" are simply annoying, especially since it's unlikely that the name they covet so dearly will be released. It's the people who keep asking for more and greater expansions on the bounds of the name release policy that are actually the one's I'd bother arguing with.
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Earth, Wind, Fire, Anubis, Odin, Blackguard, Knight, Guard, and many, many others were released with the level 5 name purge - and that's just on my server. I think it's a little doubtful that good names are 'unlikely' to be released under a system with higher parameters.
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QFE
With the most recent purge I found: Tree, Bloody Mary, Leopard, Bear, Pegasus, Wyrm, Jello Shot, Inferna, Eros, Moonshine, and quite a few other animal-themed names we didn't actually take that I can't think of at the moment...
But when I first heard the purge would be inactive accounts level 5 and under, I didn't think we'd get squat. Tree, Bloody Mary, Jello Shot, Inferna, and Moonshine were the names my fiance and I had actually tried for in the past, really wanted, and never got, until now of course.
I guess my point being, with even such a small purge, a lot of people did get the names they had been looking for.