Ascendant, for Mayor. I'm tellin' ya.
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I second that nomination. I certainly agree with his stance. (I believe it's 'Mayor', though... Unless I'm missing something.)
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Originally Posted by Stryph
Ascendant, for Mayer. I'm tellin' ya.
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Yurp, that was a typo. Had two different things running through my mind >_<
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Frankly, I'd be for this on one condition: If after the seven or fourteen day pass the player still doesn't reactivate, the names get recycled. That gives the player two years out of a game and then a week or two back in to decide if City of Heroes is the right game for them. If it is, they can pony up the monthly fee and justify the holding of their names. If it isn't, then they can give up on the names that have been benevolently reserved by them for the past two years while they've been off playing World of Warcraft.|
Originally Posted by Ascendant
Actually, now that I think about it, here's a better idea: same deal, but you individually get contacted two weeks (or whatever) before your second year anniversary of quitting the game, instead of an arbitrary purge date that applies to everyone out of the game for more than two (or whatever) years.. Two weeks after that, if you haven't indicated an interest in preserving your characters, your names become open. This keeps the opportunity for previously held names to become available, but also stops the "Great Name Rush" that would normally be associated with scheduled purges, and make names naturally recycled into the game.
Also, the "Hey, your names are about to go away" email is also an excellent opportunity for NCSoft to offer a player-only 7 or 14 day reactivation pass and make a case for rejoining the game to take advantage of the stuff that's been introduced in the past 2 years. |
Non-paying customers should not take precedence over paying customers.
Where do we go from here?
I was gone for a little over two years and I came back paying over time cards. So I'd disagree there, the conditions are fine the way they are. Folks who don't care may "respond" once if they don't come back it's likely two more years down the road they could either forget.
It's not a question of precedence, it's a matter of interest. The player payed their money for that account and it's character creations, therefore they did their time at one point or another. Only ones this wouldn't apply to would be trial accounts since they essentially didn't buy the game and road on a free ticket.
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I was kind of assuming that was implied, but yeah, that's a good idea.|
Originally Posted by Hero Prime
Frankly, I'd be for this on one condition: If after the seven or fourteen day pass the player still doesn't reactivate, the names get recycled.
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And if they get fourteen free days? That's two weeks for them to get fifteen dollars together, which isn't very difficult.
I don't think you should touch anyone's level 50 toon for a while....or other higher level toons. Having said that, this game is almost 7. So, I say if someone has been gone 5 years or more then all toons under level 40 should have their names released. If anyone is gone over 2 years then all of their toons, under level 20, have their names released. Other than that, the policy seems ok.
I hope the devs recognize the name list is finite and we need some help here. Also, there are not a ton of names out there. I want to have somewhat iconic names and that is tough these days. Anyone suggesting names are not an issue is welcome to their opinion. I completely disagree with them.
I'd argue there's plenty of names. Even after seven, give or take, years people still create new characters by the tip of the hat. That sounds more like a personal problem, than a fault of the game. However a problem does exist to the picky system as a whole. Could always go the CO rout and allow doubles but then tells would have to include one's global AND the character name in the event of a conundrum!
CO's system wasn't ever really popular with me, and led to nothing but irritation in the RP community there. No one really notices the name@globalname system -until- you get two characters with the same name who both RP in the same group. Its really not a good idea as far as I'm concerned.
In regards to there being a lot of names out there, yeah, there's tonnes of names out there.... if you're willing to settle. If you're trying for a iconic name (that term seems to have been understood by at least one person, yey!) its much more difficult. The vast majority of those went in the first month after launch. The ones that occasionally pop up now I suspect are simply ones that have simply remained undiscovered since the last purge.
The world is crazy. I offer this as proof; found on a butane lighter: Warning: Flame may cause fire.
You can sleep when you die.
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That's a good alternative as well. They could do this sort of announcement in conjunction with a free reactivation weekend. |
Originally Posted by Ascendant
Actually, now that I think about it, here's a better idea: same deal, but you individually get contacted two weeks (or whatever) before your second year anniversary of quitting the game, instead of an arbitrary purge date that applies to everyone out of the game for more than two (or whatever) years.. Two weeks after that, if you haven't indicated an interest in preserving your characters, your names become open. This keeps the opportunity for previously held names to become available, but also stops the "Great Name Rush" that would normally be associated with scheduled purges, and make names naturally recycled into the game.
Also, the "Hey, your names are about to go away" email is also an excellent opportunity for NCSoft to offer a player-only 7 or 14 day reactivation pass and make a case for rejoining the game to take advantage of the stuff that's been introduced in the past 2 years. |
If no one reserves their names during that, I think its a fairly safe bet they're not coming back. Your computer can be a total piece of crap and still launch CoX. Maybe not -play-.... :P But then all you'd need to reserve the name again would be to log in.
The world is crazy. I offer this as proof; found on a butane lighter: Warning: Flame may cause fire.
You can sleep when you die.
Yep, if it is cost affective for NCSoft to send out emails in conjunction with the purges (And I always thought a perpetual rolling of name purges, like the global channel time limit thingy, was the right way to go)... I think email warnings/advertisement is a great thing.
I do think that the locked up and unused names can cause a little bit of a negative introduction to new players trying to create a character with a name they like.
Of course, that is not always due to unused names... it's a part of the naming system here (which I like over the other method of duplicate names).
Again, it's not a matter of creativity nor better or worse names... It's generally a case of happenstance and the reality is that there are a lot of names that are locked up in inactive accounts...
And, for as many players that do return to this game... There are more that do not. As odd and stupid as those player must be... haha, kidding... sort of. 
So, both sides of the creative/non-creative/are names/aren't names would do well to back off of any rigid stances.
There are iconic names available...
There are desirable and creative names locked up in never-to-be-used-again accounts.
You're all wrong, because you're all right. And vice versa.
@Zethustra
"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
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You can argue that all you want, but you'd be wrong. The fact is, every name taken means there are fewer names available. As such, every "good" name taken (with the understanding that "good" is subjective) means there are fewer "good" names.|
Originally Posted by Stryph
I'd argue there's plenty of names. Even after seven, give or take, years people still create new characters by the tip of the hat. That sounds more like a personal problem, than a fault of the game.
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Now, I don't know what you'd consider "good", but many of the people here have been using the term "iconic". I think the best way to define what an iconic name is would be to say, "Could you see that name on the front of a comic book?" If the answer is no - even if it means the character could be part of a larger team, but not a headliner character - that name is not iconic. Names like Superman, Spider-Man, and The Hulk are iconic. Names like Carrot Nose, Glitter Bomb, and Soviet Slashnikov (all names taken from recent posts in the Virtue Name Watch thread) are not.
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Originally Posted by Electric-Knight
There are iconic names available...
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Where do we go from here?
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Originally Posted by Hero Prime
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Iconic names are next to impossible to find, and many of these are being held in reserve on accounts that haven't been used in years. |
Look, I'm completely in favor of purging names on inactive accounts (level 50s and all) and I agree with plenty you said in response to Stryph...
However, the statement of mine that you quoted holds true.
There are iconic names available.
Whether or not the one any given person wants for any given character is available is a different story.
I believe "next to impossible" is a touch hyperbolic.
However, it is true that the more widely accepted iconic names are far more likely to have already been gobbled up.
Yes, it is often surprising when you find an iconic name that is free, but it still happens.
No question though, there are far less than there were 6+ years ago.
And there is a finite number... However, some finite numbers are higher than we'd sometimes think.
There are a wide variety of iconic words and adjectives (or other appropriate pairings) that have not all been used.
Whether or not they fit what a specific person is looking for for a specific character is a bit of luck.
Another thing... I used to play another game... a long time ago... in a galaxy far far away...
Before the dark times... And their official policy on holding characters was... after your subscription is up... you might lose your characters.
I don't think anyone ever did lose anything that way, but they made zero promise and had it listed as their policy. If you're not paying, don't count on us retaining your characters in our database.
Losing names after 2 years absence, to me, seems less of an offense and more of a graciousness that they kept my stuff alive.
That's just my opinion though and that's all.
@Zethustra
"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
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Not necessarily and yet not right either. Some folks have harder times than others coming up with different variations that reference the same thing. Take blood for example: Crimson, Amber, Red, etcetera. Where one may have difficulty, that doesn't mean it's universal to all participating parties but that's besides the point, you said it yourself; it's subjective. Absolutely.
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Originally Posted by Hero Prime
You can argue that all you want, but you'd be wrong.
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Quite so. Certain themes are so common that it's nearly impossible to find something fitting for a character that uses one such theme.|
Originally Posted by Stryph
Not necessarily and yet not right either. Some folks have harder times than others coming up with different variations that reference the same thing. Take blood for example: Crimson, Amber, Red, etcetera. Where one may have difficulty, that doesn't mean it's universal to all participating parties but that's besides the point, you said it yourself; it's subjective. Absolutely.
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Consider my Batman homage. The idea was a grim, dark watcher of the street. His emblem is an eye. I tried so amny variations of Watcher, Watchman, Guardian, Guard, Black, Dark, Night, Moon... you name it. NOTHING was available that fit the theme.
Again, if I'm being restricted in this regard for the benefit of someone who isn't paying for the game when I am, then I become somewhat irked. If all those names are on characters on active accounts, then so be it. It's if I, as a paying customer, am being put behind someone that is not a paying customer.
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You could try something a little more... What's a good word for what I'm going for... Uh, complex, intricate... (I should not post at 7am with no sleep... ) 'Arcane' might be closer. Something a little less obvious or with deeper meaning? Maybe use two words instead of one, to provide more options...|
Originally Posted by Ultimo_
Consider my Batman homage. The idea was a grim, dark watcher of the street. His emblem is an eye. I tried so amny variations of Watcher, Watchman, Guardian, Guard, Black, Dark, Night, Moon... you name it. NOTHING was available that fit the theme.
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Of course, this is coming for someone with characters named 'Kiana Wolf', 'Broken Key' (I actually make fun of that one in character. It's an easy opening for one of my stoic characters to get embarrassed, too.) and 'MRSA'... So, um... Take my advice with a grain of salt. Or maybe a tablespoon...
I've found my share of what I consider very good names. There are times, however, that I've had a ton of problems getting ones I'd like. And it's for weird, obscure stuff too. Blazing Effigy was taken, as was Cosmic Rush. I toss a hyphen in there and I'm good to go.
Meanwhile, I've gotten some names like Lethal Accuracy, Mic Check, and Advent Dusk that I'm very happy with. I'm also a very big fan of iconic, heroic-sounding names too though, and they are very difficult to find solid ones. Also, other hard ones to find are ones dealing with the elements. I've had very hard times trying to come up with something good.
What I've noticed is that people tend to get the name first, holds onto it or uses it, and lets the concept fill out itself. I, and I'm sure many other people who have expressed issue with this problem, come up with the concept first and try to find a good name for it.
I'm not saying that there aren't any good names out there or anything of the like- because there are. But if you're trying to match names to a concept, it becomes very very tricky. Especially for us RP types who kinda get pickier about picking out a name considering they're a bit more involved with their character than the average non-RPer.
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Finding names can be difficult. It would be nice if those not in use for a prolonged period of time would be freed up for active players.|
Originally Posted by Ultimo_
Quite so. Certain themes are so common that it's nearly impossible to find something fitting for a character that uses one such theme.
Consider my Batman homage. The idea was a grim, dark watcher of the street. His emblem is an eye. I tried so amny variations of Watcher, Watchman, Guardian, Guard, Black, Dark, Night, Moon... you name it. NOTHING was available that fit the theme. Again, if I'm being restricted in this regard for the benefit of someone who isn't paying for the game when I am, then I become somewhat irked. If all those names are on characters on active accounts, then so be it. It's if I, as a paying customer, am being put behind someone that is not a paying customer. |
Anyway, some names that might fit your theme, available at the time of this post are:
(The) Seeing Eye
(The) Seeing Sentinel
Grim Gaze
Nightclops
Umbral Watcher
I always love this thread. It's only a matter of days before someone says "Hey, hey, guys, why are you complaining when Obfunxious Spicklenorsk and Langiappe Sassoon are still available?" 
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If Obfunxious Sasson was really available... you might have a point. |
Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
I always love this thread. It's only a matter of days before someone says "Hey, hey, guys, why are you complaining when Obfunxious Spicklenorsk and Langiappe Sassoon are still available?"
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-Urchin- the Grim Gaze is a nice one on that list (a few are, that one is just my favorite, I suppose).
@Zethustra
"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
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I have never understood this position. You're saying if you can't get the name you want you'd be upset, unless you knew for certain it was taken by an active player, in which case you don't care as much. In effect, this implies the issue is not a character naming issue at all, but an entitlement issue. |
Originally Posted by Ultimo_
Quite so. Certain themes are so common that it's nearly impossible to find something fitting for a character that uses one such theme.
Consider my Batman homage. The idea was a grim, dark watcher of the street. His emblem is an eye. I tried so amny variations of Watcher, Watchman, Guardian, Guard, Black, Dark, Night, Moon... you name it. NOTHING was available that fit the theme. Again, if I'm being restricted in this regard for the benefit of someone who isn't paying for the game when I am, then I become somewhat irked. If all those names are on characters on active accounts, then so be it. It's if I, as a paying customer, am being put behind someone that is not a paying customer. |
For me, this whole topic boils down to this: only one player can have a name. If you want it and an inactive player has it, the notion that freeing it will mean you can have it is spurious at best: most likely if it is a popularly sought name it only means someone else will get it, not you. Only if its a name that you and one other person, ever wanted is it likely you'd get it in a purge.
Whether we purge names or not is not a question of choosing one player over another, one paying and one not. For every player that returns and finds all his characters names messed with, that one player is going to tell others, and others. I acknowledge that the same thing is true for players that can't get the names they want. But we can avoid the purge problem entirely by simply not doing it. We cannot avoid the name-frustration problem at all because purges don't solve it.
The calculus of that tells me that purges are not a good idea for the game as a whole, and this is a decision that should be based on the game as a whole.
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While I certainly understand that conclusion, I think it is based on the unfortunate hyperbolic argument that always accompanies these discussions.
It started with the O.P. citing the extreme difficulties of finding names.
And continues with the responses to that notion.
And a logical conclusion becomes that the issue is a matter of entitlement and brings potential negatives over any benefits.
However, it is much more simple than that.
This game has a unique/character naming system per server and names get tied up on long dormant accounts, some that are so long dormant they never had a global named attached to them. We are all familiar with the large amounts of players who come and go and never return in this industry.
Your logical conclusion against a purge (due to its inherent sense of entitlement issue) is to account for the sense of entitlement of a hypothetical long inactive re-subscriber, who needs to rename one (or more) of their characters (because of their long 2+ years lapse in subscription [and possibly did not heed, see any information of such a thing happening to their account, so as to be prevent or be prepared for such an event]) who then spreads ill words about the game from that vantage point, which then results in negative publicity for the game overall.
I am not convinced that is truly the greatest conclusion.
It could be seen as a simple aspect of desired data for a trivial pastime that can be recycled based on subscription to the product.
@Zethustra
"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
On top of the "old expired account" thing, I think any unsubscribed trials over 60 days old should be auto-purged. As weak as I think the "But what if he returns after three years?" argument is, any argument for keeping names locked into old trial accounts that never saw the blessed light of a credit card number is even weaker.
I like my main's name...except that it was 'Magisterium' before praetoria was created, and then when GR went live, I was forced to change it to Magisterum.
Magisterum- 50+3 Fortunata--Virtue
Lukerion- 33 Emp/Rad Defender--Virtue
Noah Heartily- 34 SS/SD brute- Virtue
Mika Heartily- 50+1 Fire/MM blaster-Virtue
It's not always a matter of creation either. I have all my Marvel homage characters on one server. However, before I started that, I had previously made a Mastermind based on Dr. Doom on another server (Triumph). I went to move him to the server with the other characters, but found I couldn't because his name wasn't available.
Now, I suppose I could rename him, but he's been Lord Dire for many years now, and it would be frustrating to have to do that, especially if the reason I can't is because someone made a character with that name then left the game 5 years ago. As it is, I haven't been able to bring myself to make the move because of the naming issue, and as a result, the character hasn't been played in over a year.
Now that's my particular situation, but suppose someone is on a dead server (Triumph comes pretty close, in my experience, but whatever) or has some other reason to change. They might find themselves unable to do so in a manner satisfactory to them.
(Woo, 100th post in the thread!)