Discussion: One game, one global server access
By
0verload,
Posted on: 2011-03-14 17:12 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Knight_Errant
Not happy about this, not happy at all.
We get robbed of our global identities because of something we have no choice in? Thanks alot! We get access 11 extra servers in exchange for the confirmation that we've effectively had second class accounts since launch and our history of loyalty to the game means frak all. Way to make a player feel valued! Personally I'd rather ditch access those 11 servers than lose My Name. As for the US account holders saying it's no big deal. Try considering it from our point of view, what if you were the one losing a global handle you'd had for the last 5+ years? |
Pretty much same as im thinking on hearing this outrageous propsal by Ncsoft/paragon .
And this line also i agree on
Personally I'd rather ditch access those 11 servers than lose My Name.
As i only play on 1 server i have not filled all my slots so why would i want another 11 sodding servers at risk of losing my global name !!!
Im still fuming on reading how we in EU are getting treated for a game we have been loyal and remain loyal to, but this is just a big kick in the nuts from them !!!
@Snow.
Defiant: Snow + many other alts
Arc ID 61069
To illustrate the issue just take me and Snow.
We've known each other pretty much since we both started playing in game.
He's alway's referred to me as Knightingale.
To me he's always been Snow.
Now both of these names stand a VERY good chance I'd say of being usurped by NA counterparts.
So in a few months time we'll no longer be those two identities. And that sucks. And chances are we'll never know who it was that grabbed OUR names and whether or not they even play anymore. All we'll know is that suddenly we'll both need to change out names in game.
The EU communituy is relatively small yes. BUT we're massively close knit. There's a bunch of players simply in the Echelon SG I play with who have names that could easily exist on the US servers.
Shock, Phobos, Knight Errant..... and more besides. Yes the people with bizarro names might get through unscathed, but anyone who has a more 'ordinary' global name will probably have a counterpart stateside.
Potentially in a few months time we're all going to have to go by different names.
So In a few months time Snowy and I may very well be '@Slushy' and '@Chaffinch'
or something equally rubbish. 
Blueside Level 50's.... Knightingale (Def), Rogue Elevenex (Blast), Lady Rogue (Scrap), Mr Infinity (Tank), Miss Infinity (Troller), Knight.Shade (WS), Knight.Bringer (PB)
Redside Level 50's... Colonel Rogue (Brute), Sergeant Domino (Stalk), F411-OUT (Dom)
Next Project: Psiryn Psi/Psi Cor Global Handle is @Knightingale
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Knightingale
Well I don't post on these forums that often but sometimes something crops up that just means I HAVE to voice my opinion.
And I'm pretty riled up right now. GRRRRRRRRR (<-- See how riled I am!) I've spent an inordinate amount of money on this game over the years. I've spent an inordinate amount of time in this game over the years. Bar one day where I forgot my bank card had expired and my account had lapsed I have been playing this game for 72 odd months concurrently with no breaks. I've ALWAYS been known as Knightingale, even before the whole Global name thing came along. Since Global names were established I've always been @Knightingale. I have a huge friends list with a load of people who know me as Knightingale. When I log into the game and come into chat channels it's always "Hey Knighty", "Hi Gale", "How's you tongith Knightingale". Like other people that name has carried over to other games and other forms of Internet identity. It's my online identity. It's somethign I'm proud of and have spent years cultivating. ESPECIALLY in a game to which I've loyally been subscribed to for over 6 years and spent a small fortune on. And now..... now I'm being told that within a few months that identity COULD be lost to someone who fits any of the following criteria. a) has been playing US side for 7 plus years continuously. b) has been a player at sometime in the past on the US servers but might now no longer be active. c) has at some point dabbled very briefly in CoH on the US side and happened to have the same Global as me d) has had a trial account US side wth the same Global as me and then decided against actually playing the game any longer because it wasn't to their liking only after these 4 groups of people have been checked..... will I get the Global handle I've had for 6 plus years. Now Group a) I'm not too concerned about. They were here first so technically I'm the usurper of the name. And as they're still playing they're entitled to it. I'd be miffed but ultimately I understand. The other 3 groups should, as far as I'm concerned, forfeit the name. They no longer PAY for the privilege of having that name. I DO. |
^This. Do it properly or don't bother NCSoft. Long term active accounts should get precedence here, regardless of the side they are on.
Just slapping EU on the front of everyones clashing name and calling it done is a poor, lazy solution.
If a US account is inactive or a Trial when this goes live and there is a clash then the active European name (ie the paying customer) should remain unchanged and the US one should have US prepended onto it.
And obviously anyone whose Global is changed should have the ability to change it to something else afterwards.
Very, Very Nice. This game is coming together nicely. Way to go Paragon Studio/NcSoft.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL0q2...eature=related
Quote:
Add my voice to those asking that something like this be done.|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
I'll bring this up as a possibility, or some derivation thereof.
|
I have 5 accounts. Two I play, three are just there to provide fillers for old SGs. I'd like to log into those three and make sure they don't have any decent global names tied up before this list merge happens.
I'd be sad to lose my global name, and I'd hate to think that someone else might lose theirs just because I have a filler account sharing it.
"I do so love taking a nice, well thought out character and putting them through hell. It's like tossing a Faberge Egg onto the stage during a Gallagher concert." - me
@Palador / @Rabid Unicorn
Dante-> Dancing Dante Pants
Shadowe-> The burbly one
Kallandra -> Evil in my pocket
Gangrel -> The dunkard...
That is how i would personally rename some globals...
Yes, i was annoyed last night when i heard it all, but being honest, i think that enough people have alternative names/nicknames that they would possibly use.
At least the EU guys have been given notice and that they should at least start *thinking* of an alternative name.
Personally i couldnt be fussed either way, my global has always has a chance of being genericced at a moments notice.
Since this really doesnt affect me that much since my forum handle is EU_damz as it is, i am a bit dissapointed that my EU account which has been active for almost 64 months doesnt get to keep the @damz handle but my NA account which was active for 2 months does.
I agree with other posters in this thread in that a lot of people within the community i purely only recognise by their handle since it is their actual ID. Im lucky/wierd [lol 
] in that nearly all my characters have damz in their name and thus people can see its me.
I do think a lot of EU players in this instance will be affected and unhappy by their global change. For example i dont want to and nor am i going to pay another months fee for my NA account purely to change its chat handle.
Just by logging into the game and checking the main global channels you can see handles that are quite common words/phrases and thus almost certainly going to be taken.
There must be a way to see what handles are the same NA/EU side and thus set up a system/time frame for both parties to apply for the handle change or stay the same. Then people like myself who own both the global handles dont have to pay another month purely to keep my ID.
Edit: All that being said, i am still majorly excited for the list merge!
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
First, count me in with those that have stated if the situation was reversed, the proposed solution would not in any way bother me. My global ID (and my forum ID for that matter) is NOT my identity. They exist for the express purpose of giving other people in-game something to call me that *isn't* my actual identity.
That said, I do think that giving an active account precedence over an inactive one is the best solution, but, unfortunately I think several pages back the EU community was politely told that's just not in the cards.
But there is another solution that's technically the most even-handed of all:
1. Server merge occurs.
2. Check all EU accounts for name collisions with NA accounts.
3. If a name collision occurs, roll d100.
4. If result is <=50, the NA account is the one that gets renamed.
5. If result is >50, the EU account is the one that gets renamed.
That affects exactly as many people as the existing proposal. It will upset exactly as many people as the existing proposal too. But at least both communities will have equal amounts of upset floating around.
To be honest, though, although I think NCSoft's heart is in the right place, maybe the global server access thing is, in hindsight, not a good idea. I've seen several long time players flat out say they'd rather not gain access to the 11 NA servers than face the risk that their global will change. Maybe that's a sign that the EU community thought they wanted the servers merged, but they really don't. And if you really think about it, is it that huge of an advantage? It is very unlikely we're going to see a drastic increase in cross-continent teaming. For one, nearly all of my commonly played characters are on NA servers. I'm personally not going to be rushing to create characters that will dominate my play time on the EU servers, and it's probably fair to assume the EU players aren't going to be rushing to create characters that they'll be spending significant time playing on the NA servers. And even if I did suddenly decide to spend most of my time on an EU server, frankly, that server would probably seem even more deserted than the low population NA servers since most of the 'natives' would be asleep - or just waking up and getting ready for work - at the time I was on.
M.A. Arcs
Intended for high level play: The Primus Trilogy (Arc #s 10931, 283821, 283825), "Freakshow U" (Arc #189073), Purification (Arc #352381, Dev's Choice!
)Intended for low level play: "Learning the Ropes" (Arc #100304), "Cracking Skulls" (Arc #115935), "The Lazarus Project" (Arc #124906)
Count me as another who would prefer veterancy over region. I very much hope this is reconsidered.
If we get a reactivation weekend beforehand, I think I'm easily sorted. I think my global's taken on the NA servers by me, so changing my global will be easily fixed. Admittedly, that'd still mean I have to add EU to my login name as I've claimed that too, but I'm not too concerned about that. Nobody sees it. Of course, I'd prefer some way to purge my own NA trials as I regret getting them now, but just getting to keep my global over an unused trial account would be nice.
For some others, I feel for them. They were lucky to get those names on the EU servers in the first place.
I'm not enjoying some of what I'm reading in this thread, though. The people who are essentially saying 'your playerbase is smaller; suck it' concerns me. My thanks go out to those that are making helpful suggestions either side of the pond.
Quote:
Zwi, as I understand things, at this point the changes are going to happen whether we want them to or not... however, please bring a few things to the attention of whoever has made the final decision on this:|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
Concerns over how we will be handling account/global naming collisions are completely understandable and I sincerely apologize if you will be inconvenienced by this in a significant manner.
Please understand, we spent a lot of time reviewing possibilities and options when it came to handling accounts and globals with naming collisions. Pretty much all of the options mentioned above were discussed and weighed seriously in the decision making process. This was not an easy decision to make. When making this decision, we had to realize that whatever solution we implemented would have to be explained to every player who ever decided to return to the game. Unfortunately a first come/first serve rule wouldn't be the easiest to explain, nor would it be the most fair to enforce. Date of account creation creates an additional collision possibility. Ultimately, we decided that the most direct, and easiest to understand method to accomplish this is to simply rename the accounts. Again, I do understand preemptive frustration, especially if you are one of the few players actually effected by this policy. I sincerely hope that should you be effected you will view this as a minor bump in the road to creating a truly global Community. |
(i) Trial accounts are by their very nature temporary. PLEASE do not include these in the final EU/USA global name collision detection process (doing a preliminary collision detection run and append Username_TRIAL etc could be an option).
Allowing trial accounts to force a rename upon migrating EU accounts would open up opportunities for griefing (a NA player forcing an EU player they don't like to have to rename) and is very unfair to existing long-term EU subscribers.
(ii) After how long do "Long-term inactive accounts" become worth less than active accounts? From a financial standpoint? From an 'identity ownership'/moral standpoint? At what point should we stop treating them identically? (If I remember correctly, inactive character login names below a certain level ALREADY expire and free themselves up after a set period of time...)
Quote:
|
The advantages are manifold and include the following: Access to 15 servers means more character slots if you have altitis. Access to the same Training room and the same Beta server so everybody gets the same treatment when it comes to trying out upcoming features or new builds. Better and easier interaction between our North American and European users not only on the City of Heroes forums but also the game servers. No need to update 2 different sets of clients now if you have a North American and a European account. |
There's a reason for this.
As I'm sure you're already aware, CoH is somewhat unique in that it forces you to personally invest in your characters - you need to think about the origin, the backstory, the character development... and in more recent issues the (slow) path to incarnatehood. Prior to recent issues (with SOs and no endgame) altitis was far more common than it is today, so if anything players are currently MORE attached to their characters.
As a result, players of CoH are usually far more emotionally invested into their online identities than players of other MMOs. For this reason the Developers will encounter major hurdles if they force those players to change something that is at the core of that online identity. Their "Global name" is how players identify themselves and their friends across all their accounts - all of their emotionally invested characters... you can't get much more "core" than that.
Speaking purely for myself; I currently play on the EU server farm and have access to four servers. I don't have a NA acccount and I have played exclusively on one server since shortly after character transfers were introduced. Adding more servers to my list will have no discernable effect on my gameplay, aside from possibly seeing a few different names in my global chat channels.
By that logic, I'd far rather stay with four servers and keep my global name.
Ah but theres so much more than just more server options now available for us EU players 
- Beta Testing/test server. Currently when a beta is going on, our test server gets locked out.
- Beta Testing. Currently the number of actual EU closed beta testers are very low in all issues we've been in closed beta. Was at a point in that if you was in the EU and closed beta and you was asked to do some tests on the teaming side of things, well it was almost impossible to set up a team. Now since there is a larger pool of players to pick from, i myself believe i wont be in any more closed betas but im ok with that because i know if i ever do, i know there will at least be players/devs on hand to help out. For example the EU sneak peak at i20, was a grand total of 10 players MAX online at any one time [first few hours then went dead], very hard it was to set up a proper test of the new tf
- No more solo only option! It is well known on the EU servers that the majority of players likes to create a character that can solo due to the low population. Now if we want to create a brand new support only character, i can make a character on one of your busiest servers and enjoy an entirely new aspect of the game!
- By creating alts on any server i can now enjoy multiple aspects of the game to a much higher degree. If i wanted to roleplay [ i dont rp but always fun to be on a team of RP'rs] i can just log onto Virtue and be in awe at everybody. If i wanted to do some completely random teaming then i can just log onto your busiest. Another server for PvP, another for complete drunkness [justice is it? ] and so forth.
- Even though this is good, the EU community is so close to each other that i'ld say that a good large chunk of the playerbase knows eachother. While that is great, this also gives us the chance [and you] to make brand new friends and actually team with people who you have no idea what their style is like. When you team with so many people so often you just know how they are going to play, now i wont have ANY idea
- I can bust some NA players!
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
Oh Boy. I'm never PvP'ing again LOL.
I think the benefits of the Server Merge are being a bit overstated. To alot of us EU peeps I think it's a case of 'WOULD LIKE' rather than 'MUST HAVE'.
And count me amongst the number that would forgoe a Server list merge if it meant losing my Global name.
To be brutally honest I think only a small minority of people will really enjoy the benefits that a Server list merge will bring.
Beta Testing...... I don't really care much for it. I know some people do but honestly there doesn't seem to be many people that I know EU side that really get fussed about participating. Those that do generally just want the gossip on what to expect and to see it first. I've just always loved the 'surprise' of experiencing new content when it first goes live. So I think the Beta testing perks will be for the minority.
11 MOAR Servers!
As has been frequently addressed here in previous posts alot of us haven't even filled the servers we call home. Defiant in my case. I've filled about 27 of the 30 slots there and I've always been more concerned about having more slots on THAT server, rather than another potential 330 slots on the US servers. I'm not saying that it's not a good thing, but it's not a priority to me. Indeed all it REALLY provides me with is extra places to 'archive' old unused level 50's that I don't play so often so that I can free up slots on Defiant.
Sure I might dabble on the other servers, just as I dabble on Union from time to time. But home is Defiant and it probably always will be.
I suspect many people feel the same.
Quote:
Really don't agree much with this comment. I don't know ANY players that create soloable toons because they can't get teams. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I don't think it's the majority. I know populations are lowish but I've never had teaming issues. Maybe it's because I was lucky enough to find a good SG. Maybe it's because I actively pursue teamage. I've known people in the past complain they don't get teams and when I've asked them if they 'ASKED' if any teams were available they somewhat bashfully said they didn't ask.| [*]No more solo only option! It is well known on the EU servers that the majority of players likes to create a character that can solo due to the low population. Now if we want to create a brand new support only character, i can make a character on one of your busiest servers and enjoy an entirely new aspect of the game! |
I think it's nice that we can go and try out the new servers and possibly make new friends. But honestly it's not a matter of life or death to me. I'm happy with the server I'm on. I'm happy with the friends I have.
While server list merge is a nice concept and all, all it's really doing for what I suspect IS the majority of EU players is create a situation that's actually just pi**ing them off.
Blueside Level 50's.... Knightingale (Def), Rogue Elevenex (Blast), Lady Rogue (Scrap), Mr Infinity (Tank), Miss Infinity (Troller), Knight.Shade (WS), Knight.Bringer (PB)
Redside Level 50's... Colonel Rogue (Brute), Sergeant Domino (Stalk), F411-OUT (Dom)
Next Project: Psiryn Psi/Psi Cor Global Handle is @Knightingale
Quote:
To you, maybe. Not me, though. Personally, I could not care less what my global name is because it doesn't affect any of my characters (after all, it's still just the stupid name of the first one-off character I made and never returned to); but if a character's name isn't just right, the character is unenjoyable - period.|
Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha
Character names are one thing, often when people simply fail at creativity and cannot be bothered to go a little further to find a name thats usually just as good sounding, and probably don't sound as cliched.
Global names? Thats a whole other kettle of fish. |
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Aura_Familia
EDIT: I will also be using the thread in he future for any silly suggestions in the suggestions forums "that folks don't care about their names! Allow us to use the same name as others!"
Apparently folks DO care about their identities. Funny that.  |
d
They should provide a brief period of free server transfers.
There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.
Quote:
I agree with Snow, and the others who have stated this. This game is long overdue for a name purge IMO. I have been using the same global since Launch, and I really don't want to lose it. I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy that I am in the US, and not affected by this.|
Originally Posted by Snow Globe
I would also add that if I were in charge of this system, I'd also make sure that any inactive trial account automatically loses to a paying account.
On the other hand, thanks NCsoft for demonstrating the complaints that will be heard when/if a server merge happens. |
I can see where the EU players are coming from though, I wish there was a way to just add an invisible "EU" or "NA" suffix to each global.
Types of Swords
My Portfolio
Quote:
Well, you're also a zombie - and being dead means you don't need to worry about things like this |
Originally Posted by Zombie Man
I am not a *prefix*... I am A MAN!
|
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Oh, here's another point that's not been answered in the FAQ... what happens to Global Channels?
EU channels like Defiant Events or Union Chat will probably have no collision however EU channels like Masterminds and Mission Architect most likely will.
What's going to be the deal here?
I don't know about you all...but...the merging issue aside. I'm friggin' thrilled about this!
Finally, I will be able to kick butt along-side my neighbors across the pond!
Also there will be more people on during Odd times which is great for the NA players who work odd hours like me.
Unity. Eventually once things are worked out everyone will be able to join in on the fun. I think this move will make the community stronger than ever before and hey maybe even tempt some players into moving over seas! lol
MOAR random Pug fun.
Awesome EU SG's and VG's!
Admiring accents through sentence structure and vocabulary use!
Free Kettle Corn!
>_>
Quote:
I'd guess the Euro verions would have an "EU" put at the start - so if anyonefinds they're in a global channel that gets an "EU"; I'd suggest channel searchign for the Americna version, and containg the channel ops to see if some kind of merger would be ok.|
Originally Posted by Master Zaprobo
Oh, here's another point that's not been answered in the FAQ... what happens to Global Channels?
EU channels like Defiant Events or Union Chat will probably have no collision however EU channels like Masterminds and Mission Architect most likely will. What's going to be the deal here? |
Like the Euro ops can join the American channel, get made ops there too, then send out invites to all the Euro channel memebers to get them to migrate - set it as a perma-MotD too, so no one logging in could miss it.
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Another thing that is being overlooked, i20 will introduce a new LFG system which is currently server only. If at some point that system becomes cross server, then those extra servers on a list will be a very big deal. Just a thought.
Types of Swords
My Portfolio
What really troubles me here is a basic concept of polite. If you are going to merge EU accounts in the NA servers, say that way, and not like in a form of ninja announcement. Once you put in the table the geographical stuff, the original post don't make any sense. If was a fair 50/50 server merge, where you live should have no impact.
Also, on more matter of be polite, what will be correct, will be make the NA player change names as you are a NA company.
But well, i guess different continents have a different concepts of what is be polite.
pd: sorry for my terribad english.
why not rename everyone to make it fair?
NAExample or EUExample
Defiant: "@Felix"
ATO Felix - Gamma Anne - Fire me Boy!
Kit the Kat - Black Felix - Gremlet
Shadow Sorceress - Dr Doom and Gloom - Rob Rubble
Mitzy White - Wanda Smith - Henry Remo
Alright, let's cut down to the nut here:
Let's say there's a EU account global handle called @name. Is there really a difference between that and @EUname? Do you think people will suddenly be confused by the EU in front and not know it's you, or start calling you something different when referring to you?
They're not making you change your individual character names, since they're not killing servers. Global names get changed automatically in your chat lists, so everyone will still know it's you. What's the real issue here? No one is losing their identity. People will still refer to you as name.
If we're gonna argue and get riled up over something, let's at least argue over what this whole thing is really about, rather than taking up some mystery cause and making up hypotheticals that probably won't ever happen.
People with multiple accounts on both sides all with the same name are a separate problem, and should be dealt with in their own way.
NCSoft made their decision because they considered all the angles. Avatea confirmed upthread that they talked about everything that's been brought up by players. They weighed the outcomes and chose, like they get paid to do. You're getting access to NA servers, EU, which is exactly what you've been wanting. The vast, vast majority of you won't be affected by name clashing at all. The few that are have just been told months in advance what will happen. I'd say that's about as good an outcome as it could be.
Loose --> not tight.
Lose --> Did not win, misplace, cannot find, subtract.
One extra 'o' makes a big difference.
To respond to something posted earlier, if the shoe was on the other foot and it meant changing my global handle, NO I would NOT care, as I would be getting more server slots from the merge.
HOWEVER, I think this could have been handled MUCH better by allowing the community to vote IN GAME (not just on the forums).
Whatever the community agreed to I would accept.
EDIT: I will also be using the thread in he future for any silly suggestions in the suggestions forums "that folks don't care about their names! Allow us to use the same name as others!"
Apparently folks DO care about their identities. Funny that.
Blazara Aura LVL 50 Fire/Psi Dom (with 125% recharge)
Flameboxer Aura LVL 50 SS/Fire Brute
Ice 'Em Aura LVL 50 Ice Tank
Darq Widow Fortune LVL 50 Fortunata (200% rech/Night Widow 192.5% rech)--thanks issue 19!