Freedom and Name Proliferation
By
Ad Astra,
Posted on: 2011-06-23 09:18 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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Last word was "No." |
Originally Posted by Moonlighter
Are there plans to do name clean ups more often?
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Given this "If you're not subscribed, you drop down to Free or Premium," I can see why, I suppose - but I have no idea what, if anything, they can do like that script at this point.
If you drop down to Preem and not play for a while you get "Preem" added to your name?
So "Dark Angel" becomes "Dark Angel Preem".
"Men strunt �r strunt och snus �r snus
om ock i gyllne dosor.
Och rosor i ett sprucket krus
�r st�ndigt alltid rosor."
Taking someones names just before emailing them to invite them back to try the new free version sounds a lot like offering to wash someones car and keying the side to me.
"Yes I can see you got all the dirt off and gave it a nice wax, but WHAT THE HELL MAN?"
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This imagery made me laugh.
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Originally Posted by LISAR
Taking someones names just before emailing them to invite them back to try the new free version sounds a lot like offering to wash someones car and keying the side to me.
"Yes I can see you got all the dirt off and gave it a nice wax, but WHAT THE HELL MAN?" |
When Freedom hits, just go to the VIP server. All those good names that are already taken, and left stewing? Not taken there. All the good names that are left being taken by free players? Unclaimed.
That's the real magic of the new server.
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No, you actually don't.|
Originally Posted by Moonlighter
For this game, however, one thing I am concerned about is name ownership. Unlike fantasy games, where I can make random strings of syllables look cool, I actually like to have a coherent superhero name.
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This argument is always frustrating to me. Not everyone's character is a mask-and-cape superhero. For some characters, it's their daily job and there's no secret identity involved. Some characters are just magical beings who are out doing good. Some characters are undercover Resistance or Loyalist characters, signing up as "Heroes" in order to spy on the works in Primal Earth. Some characters are villains and don't need a super-hero moniker.
Whatever the case, it is absolutely false to say that you HAVE to have <Adjective> <Noun> Silver-Age superhero names. You can run a random string of syllables together and be a djinn whose master ordered her out to fight crime so he can stay home and watch TV. It's up to you who your character is.
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Originally Posted by Feycat
No, you actually don't.
This argument is always frustrating to me. Not everyone's character is a mask-and-cape superhero. For some characters, it's their daily job and there's no secret identity involved. Some characters are just magical beings who are out doing good. Some characters are undercover Resistance or Loyalist characters, signing up as "Heroes" in order to spy on the works in Primal Earth. Some characters are villains and don't need a super-hero moniker. Whatever the case, it is absolutely false to say that you HAVE to have <Adjective> <Noun> Silver-Age superhero names. You can run a random string of syllables together and be a djinn whose master ordered her out to fight crime so he can stay home and watch TV. It's up to you who your character is. |
Um...he wasn't talking in generalities there,...he specifically said what *he* likes his character names in this game to look like.
Furio--Lvl 50+3 Fire/Fire/Fire Blaster, Virtue
Megadeth--Lvl 50+3 Necro/DM/Soul MM, Virtue
Veriandros--Lvl 50+3 Crab Soldier, Virtue
"So come and get me! I'll be waiting for ye, with a whiff of the old brimstone. I'm a grim bloody fable, with an unhappy bloody end!" Demoman, TF2
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That's a good point. I imagine there will be a name rush when it opens. Hmmm, I'll have to be ready so I can grab at least my namesake name.
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Originally Posted by Lazarillo
When Freedom hits, just go to the VIP server. All those good names that are already taken, and left stewing? Not taken there. All the good names that are left being taken by free players? Unclaimed.
That's the real magic of the new server. |
Moonlighter
50s include MA/SD, MA/SR, DP/Elec, Claw/Inv, Kat/Dark, Kat/Fire, Spine/Regen, Dark/SD
First Arc: Tequila Sunrise, #168563
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That's fine if that floats your boat. But some of us quite enjoy those Silver Age conventions. The OP was simply and clearly stating that this is what they too enjoy and prefer about super hero identities.|
Originally Posted by Feycat
No, you actually don't.
This argument is always frustrating to me. Not everyone's character is a mask-and-cape superhero. For some characters, it's their daily job and there's no secret identity involved. Some characters are just magical beings who are out doing good. Some characters are undercover Resistance or Loyalist characters, signing up as "Heroes" in order to spy on the works in Primal Earth. Some characters are villains and don't need a super-hero moniker. Whatever the case, it is absolutely false to say that you HAVE to have <Adjective> <Noun> Silver-Age superhero names. You can run a random string of syllables together and be a djinn whose master ordered her out to fight crime so he can stay home and watch TV. It's up to you who your character is. |
By far I personally prefer those spandex <adjective> <noun> names over the <common name> <surname> convention or the <random-syllables-of-made-up-alien-demon-name> convention or the <not-so-clever-pun-derivative> convention or the <pvp-name-as-threat> convention. In fact, some of those other methods for arriving at names are so opposite what I enjoy that I'd never go that route, including some of them you champion in your post.
Anyways, as to the OP, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if some sort of more open naming scheme is in the works at Paragon Studios. Not saying it is coming, but the F2P and i21 stuff already sounds so very thorough (and is contrary to several public statements made regarding stuff like zone and content revamps) that I wouldn't be surprised at all if next week they came out and said, "Oh, by the way, with CoH:F, we'll be introducing a whole new localized naming scheme. Here's how it will work..."
The good names aren't suddenly going to be taken. Remember, you have a lot of time spent here practicing how to come up with a good name that hasn't been taken before. The great majority of those freepers are going to stick to the following formula.
Bat Man (unavailable)
Batt Man (unavailable)
BatMan (unavailable)
BattMann (unavailable)
-BatMan- (unavailable)
"Stupid game won't let me pick a name"
Hwhegemk Man (enter city)
Don't count your weasels before they pop dink!
That reminds me of Ohforf'sake from The Noob :P
The M.A.D. Files - Me talking about games, films, games, life, games, internet and games
I'm not good at giving advice, can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?
@Lyrik
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And some of us think it's stupid to play such a character in a MMO that started out as Comic Book Super Hero (as the game was originally advertised, don't kid yourself on how it's become after 7 years) ala the spandex (even if people right away went against that grind).|
Originally Posted by Feycat
No, you actually don't.
This argument is always frustrating to me. Not everyone's character is a mask-and-cape superhero. For some characters, it's their daily job and there's no secret identity involved. Some characters are just magical beings who are out doing good. Some characters are undercover Resistance or Loyalist characters, signing up as "Heroes" in order to spy on the works in Primal Earth. Some characters are villains and don't need a super-hero moniker. Whatever the case, it is absolutely false to say that you HAVE to have <Adjective> <Noun> Silver-Age superhero names. You can run a random string of syllables together and be a djinn whose master ordered her out to fight crime so he can stay home and watch TV. It's up to you who your character is. |
Sure you CAN do it that way, doesn't mean others want to do it that way, and in fact they may see playing the "I'm someone with a wrench and a business suit" quite stupid to play.
Maybe the idea of playing a djinn whose master ordered them out to fight crime is just laaaaame to people who came here to play a Super Hero ala Marvel and DC vein (as the game hyped itself up to be in the beginning).
Yes, I'm sure the names "John Q Smith" "Jaime L Preston" "Jacylnn C Finklestien" are perfectly fine for some people. For others (and I'd say MANY others) those names are not only boring, but the suckie.
BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection
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Yeah, I'm planning to camp a few names I really want as well, I admit. I'm not too worried about my namesake; I figure 16th-century Spanish short stories are obscure and not "super-hero" enough that anyone who swipes it is really just that set on trying to steal/ruin my reputation, and probably deserves to meet their goal due to sheer admiration of their effort.|
Originally Posted by Moonlighter
That's a good point. I imagine there will be a name rush when it opens. Hmmm, I'll have to be ready so I can grab at least my namesake name.
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...but I'll probably camp that one too, just in case.
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Hey now. I totally intend to see such names as...|
Originally Posted by Mandu
The good names aren't suddenly going to be taken. Remember, you have a lot of time spent here practicing how to come up with a good name that hasn't been taken before. The great majority of those freepers are going to stick to the following formula.
Bat Man (unavailable) Batt Man (unavailable) BatMan (unavailable) BattMann (unavailable) -BatMan- (unavailable) "Stupid game won't let me pick a name" Hwhegemk Man (enter city) |
Fr34k 0u7
xXx H3470R xXx
.Batty Man
...ect...ect...ect
BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection
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You kidding? That name is made for City of Heroes! I'm willing to bet it's taken on several servers, on mostly punky-looking characters with Spines (customized to metal), Electric, and Regen powersets. |
Originally Posted by BrandX
Fr34k 0u7
|
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Some kind of solution would be awesome. I know it's unpopular to some people, but I prefer the naming scheme used by other unnamed games that let's me use the names I want, even if names have a tag. I wish there was a hybrid system that let players go either way.|
Originally Posted by SilverAgeFan
Anyways, as to the OP, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if some sort of more open naming scheme is in the works at Paragon Studios. Not saying it is coming, but the F2P and i21 stuff already sounds so very thorough (and is contrary to several public statements made regarding stuff like zone and content revamps) that I wouldn't be surprised at all if next week they came out and said, "Oh, by the way, with CoH:F, we'll be introducing a whole new localized naming scheme. Here's how it will work..."
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Or just let me use special characters in names (like the "@" character) so I can fake it, like Moonlighter @ Freedom Force for example.
As for City of Heroes, I do alright coming up with names. Sometimes for certain concepts it's tough.
One problem is actually character transfers; I found a bunch of friends play on another server, and my favorite characters from my home server can't transfer there without a name change. After 50 levels changing a name is tough.
Moonlighter
50s include MA/SD, MA/SR, DP/Elec, Claw/Inv, Kat/Dark, Kat/Fire, Spine/Regen, Dark/SD
First Arc: Tequila Sunrise, #168563
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Don't get me wrong. I'm ambivalent regarding the current naming system. Yes I don't always get my first choice. And yes sometimes I need to really work hard. But I've come up with a number of names over the years that I'm downright pleased with and for me have as much staying power as some of the classic characters they emulate.|
Originally Posted by Moonlighter
As for City of Heroes, I do alright coming up with names. Sometimes for certain concepts it's tough.
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Two recent examples I never would have come up with if my first choices were available:
- Skywright (for a character transfer--a rocketeer type formerly named Captain Tomorrow)
- Honey Maven (a female bee costumed brute whose willpower toggles have been recolored to a variety of honey colored tones, both dark and light for a rich swirling irregular aura about her)
In both cases, I went through over a dozen stabs trying to find a name that fit my standards with the right classic comic booky ring to it that was also available. Without a restricted system, I never would have been forced to work my own creativity as hard. So there are things that would be lost for sure if we moved to an open naming scheme.
In the interest of adding nothing whatsoever to this discussion, I'd just like to say that my genie who was ordered by his master to fight crime (and was my first character, too) has a name that I intentionally wanted to make sound Silver Age-y. So there.
"Bombarding the CoH/V fora with verbosity since January, 2006"
Djinniman, level 50 inv/fire tanker, on Victory
-and 40 others on various servers
A CoH Comic: Kid Eros in "One Light"
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If they had a hybrid system you could still do this to get a "that name is available" message before adding the tag. If you are very creative you could get your unique name.
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Originally Posted by SilverAgeFan
Don't get me wrong. I'm ambivalent regarding the current naming system. Yes I don't always get my first choice. And yes sometimes I need to really work hard. But I've come up with a number of names over the years that I'm downright pleased with and for me have as much staying power as some of the classic characters they emulate.
Two recent examples I never would have come up with if my first choices were available:
In both cases, I went through over a dozen stabs trying to find a name that fit my standards with the right classic comic booky ring to it that was also available. Without a restricted system, I never would have been forced to work my own creativity as hard. So there are things that would be lost for sure if we moved to an open naming scheme. |
Moonlighter
50s include MA/SD, MA/SR, DP/Elec, Claw/Inv, Kat/Dark, Kat/Fire, Spine/Regen, Dark/SD
First Arc: Tequila Sunrise, #168563
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Originally Posted by Moonlighter
Some kind of solution would be awesome.
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They already have a solution, you just wish it was different. But who knows maybe someday they'll change their minds.
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I'm just going to use "This name not available" (wait, too long? How about This Name In Use?) for one of my characters.
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Originally Posted by Moonlighter
If they had a hybrid system you could still do this to get a "that name is available" message before adding the tag. If you are very creative you could get your unique name.
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I am not sure what you are getting at. What is this solution you are speaking of?
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Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
They already have a solution, you just wish it was different. But who knows maybe someday they'll change their minds.
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Moonlighter
50s include MA/SD, MA/SR, DP/Elec, Claw/Inv, Kat/Dark, Kat/Fire, Spine/Regen, Dark/SD
First Arc: Tequila Sunrise, #168563
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Originally Posted by Moonlighter
I am not sure what you are getting at. What is this solution you are speaking of?
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Doing nothing.
Captain Den'Rath 53* Merk/Traps MM, Rivona 50Energy Blast/Time Cor,Victoria Von Heilwig 53* Dual Pistols/Traps Cor, Crab Spider Webguard 53* SOA, Accela 53* Bot/FF MM,Valkyrie's Executor 53* Broadsword/Shield Def Scrap. On FREEDOM! @Knight Of Bronze
"Hypocrisy, the human inherent." "Let not this work be wasted, apply yourself always."
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Solution? The devs may not think this is a problem. The devs might think it's a small problem and they have more important things to do. The devs might not have considered the impact of choosing names of F2P since it's early in the cycle. But I would say "doing nothing" is their "solution" is probably a misleading use of language.|
Originally Posted by Bronze Knight
Doing nothing.
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Sematics aside, hearing that the devs don't consider naming to be an issue and thus they don't plan to address it would be useful information to me as well so I could plan server switches accordingly.
(Plus I like hearing players views on whether they consider naming to be an issue and their thoughts on solving it.)
Moonlighter
50s include MA/SD, MA/SR, DP/Elec, Claw/Inv, Kat/Dark, Kat/Fire, Spine/Regen, Dark/SD
First Arc: Tequila Sunrise, #168563
I am excited for Freedom. It sounds cool, I think it will be good for the game, and with the other Free to Play games I have played the extra people didn't detract from my experience.
For this game, however, one thing I am concerned about is name ownership. Unlike fantasy games, where I can make random strings of syllables look cool, I actually like to have a coherent superhero name. So far at the current rate of name usage I can find names I like, though with some themes this can still be a chore. With the membership potentially increasing so much and the number of characters exploding I think this will be an issue.
Are there plans to do name clean ups more often?
Are there plans to have a scheme to allow names to be reused with some tag? As an example, allowing a character to take an Super Group name and display that, so En-f0rcer322 could look like Enforcer of Freedom Phalanx or something. Or use the global name as a tag?
(Where the person with the original name would get a "clean" name so players wouldn't be forced to use tags.)
I don't want to degenerate this into bashing this specific naming convention, but rather get information on whether this was considered with Freedom and what people think solutions might be.
Moonlighter
50s include MA/SD, MA/SR, DP/Elec, Claw/Inv, Kat/Dark, Kat/Fire, Spine/Regen, Dark/SD
First Arc: Tequila Sunrise, #168563