Name Changes and RMT


Aett_Thorn

 

Posted

Is it a violation of the EULA regarding RMT for someone else to send me money with which I can buy a name change token, then give them access to the name I just vacated?


 

Posted

I'd say this falls outside the RMT issues that nobody wants. You are undertaking a transaction outside the game. The use to which you put that money is your business and not even the business of the person sending it to you. (It's a "gentleman's agreement", in essence.)

The fact that you are vacating a name in no way guarantees that the person sending you the money will be fast enough to claim it.

You and they are not getting any advantage over anyone else in the game for the agreed transaction. You are not making a profit from the transaction.

It would be just the same as a friend giving you some cash for the same thing: there is no upside or downside to anyone involved, you, the payer, or NCsoft.

I'd say you're good to go.


The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise. ; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*

 

Posted

I'd say that this should be okay, but you may want to check with one of the community reps before you undertake this venture. I would think that they'd be okay with it, even if it's a bit of grey area for the EULA. The only thing I think they might have a problem with is if they see people doing this a lot (i.e., grabbing a bunch of names on various servers, and then offering to sell them to make money).


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~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus

 

Posted

Yep, that would fall under making a profit from the transaction, and would be a no-no, I suspect. It would probably not matter if you put the name up on eBay, though.

At the end of the day, if all parties are dealing in good faith (ie, you're not extorting money by holding the name to ransom), it will probably be okay.

The question to ask yourself is this: If the player who wants the name were to petition you because you demanded more money than the cost of a name change, would you be confident that the petition would not cause you to have some form of sanction levied by NCsoft?


The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise. ; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*

 

Posted

The third party is offering to front the money for a name change token. How is that making a profit? They are not paying the player for a name.


 

Posted

It's not. The point Aett_Thorn and I were making is the more general circumstance.

In this specific case, if the OP is merely being given the precise amount required to perform a change of name, then it is an equitable transaction for all parties involved: the OP changes his character name, essentially for free, and the payer gets the name they want. This is no different than reserving a name for a friend, then deleting the toon to free up the name. The OP has not lost out, and the payer gets the name they want, and NCsoft frankly wouldn't care.

Even in the general case of someone "name-camping" and requesting the cost of a name change token to free it up, NCsoft probably won't care, unless the "camper" can be proven to be making a profit (and NCsoft can check if they simply delete the toon or actually rename it).

If, however, the "camper" demands more than the payer is prepared to pay, or is found to be doing the same thing to a number of desired names, then that falls under the general heading of griefing, and is petitionable as such. How NCsoft choose to handle that is their own business.

The safest way to deal with this matter would be for the OP and the payer to request what amounts to a favour from NCsoft (if they are willing to do so), by asking for them to monitor the logs for the change of name, to ensure that the transaction was indeed a "gentleman's agreement" and followed through as such.

I believe that it should be unnecessary, as it appears that all parties are acting in good faith in this matter.


The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise. ; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frostbiter View Post
The third party is offering to front the money for a name change token. How is that making a profit? They are not paying the player for a name.
It's like your parents paying for your account. YMMV.


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Posted

I failed to notice Aett and Shadowe were off on a tangent. i agrre with them. If the 3rd party is offering more money than what the rename token is worth then it falls into a grey area.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadowe View Post

Even in the general case of someone "name-camping" and requesting the cost of a name change token to free it up, NCsoft probably won't care, unless the "camper" can be proven to be making a profit (and NCsoft can check if they simply delete the toon or actually rename it).
That would be a jerk move at the very least, even if it isn't against the rules.

"I have the name you want, give me money for a name change and you can have it!"

There is no name in the game I want badly enough to give some random schmuck $10 for the rights to it. I'll just be more creative and come up with something else instead.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison
See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately.

 

Posted

I don't see how it's a jerk move. Say I want to give someone the name.

Either I burn a rename token (or two transfers), or I delete a character I might still want to play.

Seems reasonable to say "I'd be happy to do this, but I don't want to pay extra cash to do it."


 

Posted

That's not name-camping, then. Name-camping is the case that Aett suggested, whereby someone takes a name they know someone else wants, and requests monetary compensation to free it up. If they buy a rename with the money, all is well and good, but if they just delete the character... And do the same thing to 47 others on the same server... That's a jerk move.


The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise. ; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*

 

Posted

Ahh.

Yeah, okay, that is indeed a jerk move.

p.s.: I take it I shouldn't go around registering characters named "Zwillinger" then?


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by seebs View Post
Ahh.

Yeah, okay, that is indeed a jerk move.

p.s.: I take it I shouldn't go around registering characters named "Zwillinger" then?
Only if you want to get your account banned for impersonating an NCSoft employee.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Forbin_Project View Post
Only if you want to get your account banned for impersonating an NCSoft employee.
LOL I remember reading on the forums about someone was going around claiming to be BABs and was asking people for influence and that if they didn't open the trade window with them they would be banned from the game.

People are silly


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Posted

In WoW, I once encountered someone who would invite people to teams, then offer to give them lead for 10 gold.

... That said, I sorta want to get "Dr. Zwyllinger", who would be some kind of villainous sort who goes around threatening people with unscheduled downtime *in character*.

This might be too meta. I'm still sort of half worried that Doctor Freemium will get reported for "exploits" for being on the VIP server.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadowe View Post
Even in the general case of someone "name-camping" and requesting the cost of a name change token to free it up, NCsoft probably won't care, unless the "camper" can be proven to be making a profit (and NCsoft can check if they simply delete the toon or actually rename it).
If the person was doing this to multiple people, even if not making a profit, and especially if they were actively soliciting it, I could see it be actioned as a form of stalking/cyber harassment.


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Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Forbin_Project View Post
Only if you want to get your account banned for impersonating an NCSoft employee.
Holy moly that sucks for folks whos real names are Zwillinger and just want to make a super heroic self in CoX!


 

Posted

To my knowledge the EULA for CoX in no way affects the the EULA for a disassociated escrow facility. It would be a matter of trust for you alone.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brawlnstein View Post
Holy moly that sucks for folks whos real names are Zwillinger and just want to make a super heroic self in CoX!
Sadly there are losers out there that abuse the names as in Solar's example.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SolarSentai View Post
LOL I remember reading on the forums about someone was going around claiming to be BABs and was asking people for influence and that if they didn't open the trade window with them they would be banned from the game.

People are silly