Name Reservation Changes

Not so, I recently stumbled across a name taken by a trialXXXXX account.

This.

The bottom line is that if someone can't be bothered to sign in after 3 years, they aren't coming back.

• They have ceased to be customers.
• They are costing Paragon Studios in storage space that Paragon Studios will never get back.
• They are gone longer than the maximum amount that a channel admin can set for auto-booting.

Last I've seen was "we have no plans to run it again at this time or in the near future"

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

Not to nitpick but just because you thought of your name years ago for example does not mean I am not creative or that you are creative. So Player A thinks of AWESOMENAME in 2009..gets it..never logs in... Player B wants it... because well.. it's AWESOMENAME. It has nothing to do with being creative but everything to do with time....

So please state your point in a less demeaning manner as the request has nothing to do with one's inability to be creative rather it has more so to do with people who logged in snatched a cool name and have since vanished. And as I have said...this whole idea is moot to me as in 7 years I ran across one creative name I wanted...couldn't get it so moved on. My stance has nothing to do with me personally rather to those who have thought of a cool name but thanks to a care bear system of "Ohh but AWESOMENAME may return after 3 years we should make sure they get their name..." Pfft how about actually making a system that rewards people who actually PLAY the game instead of ...oh not playing?

If I came back after 3 years of not touching this game and my AWESOMENAME was now a Generic...so be it...Guess I should have played the game.

Originally Posted by Paladiamors I love you, I Burnt the Toast!

If that is the case where multiple people on a single server share a character name, I would be able to get behind that. However, I haven't heard anything about such plans so that's the narrow angle from which I'm seeing this issue.

In response to Hyperstrike and Nethergoat, it isn't for lack of creativity that I haven't gotten the name that I've wanted (although admittedly the one name I've desired since joining isn't entirely original). In five years of playing, that's the only name that I haven't been able to get that I've wanted. Unlike IBtT though, I would still like that name if it ever became available for use again.

Furthermore, no one has explicitly argued that "all the good names are taken" in this thread nor do I think anyone has actually implied that either. While my motivation for starting this thread was because a name that I want which is locked, the issue is whether or not we should change the reservation system so that we unlock more names. The foundation you imply of "all the good names are taken" was never presented.

Well then I guess the name RNG would go into play then...whoever gets a freed up name first. A chance is better than NO chance when it comes to freeing up names. And if the name is being used by an active player...it is a moot point. I would think Paragon would be more concerned about the people who actually play and pay for this game than upsetting the few who do have names but haven't paid/played in years. Truth be told I doubt a name purge would result in very many "good" names being made available, but I still stand behind the idea, because like I said... A chance is better than NO chance

Originally Posted by Paladiamors I love you, I Burnt the Toast!

I'm with you on this.

@Randomtrialaccount1234 has as much right to reserve a name as any of us, but let's make sure that account actually gets logged before letting it block a name off our list till the end of time. Who knows, with a warning in advance, it might even give some people a reason to come back, if only to cheat the system and keep their favorite names.

Or this. It works for CO, maybe it could work here.

I stated my point in exactly the manner required. If the portrait it paints in your mind is less than flattering...

Like hell it doesn't. People who're too lazy to simply create another name are basically demanding that others be forcibly vacated from the names they want.

There's countless TRULY unflattering comparisons I could make to that. But I think I'll just leave it there. I'm sure a few will pop into your head for you.

Always easier to demonize those who have what you (in the generic, not YOU specifically) want. Makes it easier to justify taking it from them doesn't it?


Again, the basic argument is "They're not using it, therefore "someone else" should have the right to. With a given that, on some level "someone else" equates to "I/Me". Even if that's not what's being argued DIRECTLY.

The portion about "after *INSERT TIME FRAME QUALIFIER*" is utterly irrelevant. It's merely an arbitrary and facile justification spackled on top of a falacious and and selfish plaint in an attempt to imbue the argument with a false notion of willingness to compromise (where none actually exists).

A more ludicrous example is "Well you haven't used your car in the last five minutes. Therefore you don't need it. It should be taken away from you and given to someone else (or me)."

It's an identical argument with an identical attempt at justification. The only difference is the temporal parameters and the actual object of contention have been altered.

On some level, everyone here has an understanding of just how selfish, and self-serving the basic argument is. And most here are adult enough to actually feel shame for thinking in such a manner. This is why you feel my basic argument comes across as "insulting".

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

Only problem is it doesn't. Players go into their controls and disable the globals so they don't show cuz it looks ugly as hell in the chatboxes then the wrong person get blamed when some jerk using the same character name trashes their rep.

Sure they "could" go into their controls and verify who is actually to blame but that's too much effort. Much easier to hope you pick the right one to blame.

Unique names are much easier to keep things straight. Which is why so many MMO's use them.

If the occasional wrongful rep loss is the only thing stopping this from happening, then it's a non-issue in my book - all the game would have to do is require that you type the global name instead the local name when you /ignore an offender. It's not that hard to find out, anyway, just click a toon's name in the chat box and pick the /getglobalname option. Plus, it's about time the chat channels start showing the global names instead of the character names, which, IMO, should only really show in /local text balloons.

Well, I'm tired of having to play Mr. X or Captain X instead of just X because of a silly system limitation. If there's a way around it that doesn't require extensive work, I'd love to see it implemented.

What makes you think that a database puirge doesn't require extensive work?

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

If there were an easy way around the other people using names you want problem every MMO everywhere would have implemented it by now.

Unfortunately for you the majority of the playerbase feels the opposite and supports the devs policy on unique names. Of course you do have the option of playing that other MMO where you're allowed to use other players name. No one here will mind. After all it's not like they are losing a paying customer since that MMO is also an F2P hybrid.

I wouldn't be ticked. I'd realize I hadn't been on in over 3 years.

I picked a number based purely on "sounds reasonable" I'd be okay with it if they marked them as available after 1 year of inactivity.

BrandX / Brand-X
Spoilsport
Noisemaker
Covenant
Draconic (recent)
Drakaina (recent)
Draconem (recent)
Joybuzzer
Harlequinn
AngelDust
JusticeGirl
American-Girl
Night Beat

All but the recent three have made it to 50 (some even rerolled and no longer 50 as I reuse the name).

If I had to go with xXxSpoilsportxXx to get the name I want or S P O I L S P O R T. It would suck.

I also don't find using a foreign language or calling a character some word most people have never heard as better.

Spoilsport > Blemish Action (feel free to use this name however if you like it) ...there's using a thesaraus for you.

Also, I realize that some of the names I've wanted are in use with an active account. No worries. They beat me to it. But on the inactive accounts that have been inactive for 3+ years, yeah, I think we could do the playerbase a favor and mark them as available.

Hell, it doesn't even promise to take their name. It marks it as available. If no one claims the name and they log in, the name is still theirs.

As for unoriginality. Does that mean since I made up a Marvel TST RP character called Backlash (and wrote stories for the character) long before there was a Backlash superhero, the creator of that comic is unoriginal?

That's an issue concerning the games rules about copyright/trademark violations and how they are enforced. It has nothing to do with unique names or running the script to free up names on inactive accounts.

It's very easy to "say". Because you're not actually *in* that position right now.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

You couldn't have X as a name anyway because the game doesn't permit names shorter than three symbols. It's why I couldn't have 13.

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

You asked the question. I answered. Then you reply with that? Why even ask the question?

The point wasn't that I couldn't have the name.

The comment that was made, was that you were unoriginal if you wanted a name already in use.

Well I was using the name Backlash long before the Wildstorm character was introduced, now it's copyrighted by someone else. Hence I was asking, was the creator of Backlash unoriginal, since I was using it before the comic came out?

Basically, saying someone is unoriginal for wanting a specific name to use, is dumb.

No, reread the original. I made a statement.

You responded by disputing my statement.
I put in a rejoinder of disbelief.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

As the creator of the comic had no knowledge of your character, no.

CoH has the advantage of providing instant feedback by way of "that name is taken/unavailable".

I don't particularly want a name taken by an active player. However a trial account abandoned before the EU server merge? That account has no rights over a paying customer. Paragon Studios has no obligation to keep the trial account's names in perpetuity. Note: I didn't want the name I checked that had the @TRIALXXXXX account, but I didn't think it fair to other players that someone that couldn't be bothered to subscribe would prevent a paying subscriber from getting a name they might want.

Actually I'm talking almost purely from a fiscal standpoint for the well-being of Paragon Studios. After 3 years the player is not a customer. Other MMOs understand this. In fact the "big orc" on the MMO block purges accounts after 90 days of inactivity. Those accounts need to be played for 2 hours within the first 48 hours to be "registered". As to the characters, they need to be logged into once per 10 days until the character's time has exceeded 2 hours. After that the character needs to be logged into once per 90 days.

Characters take storage. Even though storage is a tiny cost to the servers, it is still a cost. This is an area that Paragon Studios can save money with. Almost everyone has run into a storage limit somewhere. At that point you have 2 choices: buy a larger amount of storage or purge something. At some point the company needs to cease being a hoarder and clear out dead accounts.

Right back at you.

Actually, no it isn't 5 minutes people are talking about. In this thread, it is 3 years. Before you say that isn't reasonable, I'll point out that if a car is "parked" out on a lawn and left to rust for 3 years, most jurisdictions will tow the car away as junk (and fine the "owner"). Just because you take something to a ludicrous extreme doesn't mean that your example applies.

No, your basic argument is insulting. It also doesn't apply to my argument in the slightest.

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters