Character names already taken - PURGE!

[Super Hayes.6890]

While I don't have a problem with the current system I think it would have been nicer to pick any name I wanted and have other players only ever see my unique account name. My character's names are for me anyway, who cares if anyone else ever sees them.

[Danikat.8537]

@Super Hayes.6890 said:While I don't have a problem with the current system I think it would have been nicer to pick any name I wanted and have other players only ever see my unique account name. My character's names are for me anyway, who cares if anyone else ever sees them.

For role-players it's pretty important that other people can see their character names. My account name could maybe work as a character name, but not for any of the ones I have. For others it would look totally out of place and pretty absurd.

[Super Hayes.6890]

@Danikat.8537 said:

@Super Hayes.6890 said:While I don't have a problem with the current system I think it would have been nicer to pick any name I wanted and have other players only ever see my unique account name. My character's names are for me anyway, who cares if anyone else ever sees them.

For role-players it's pretty important that other people can see their character names. My account name could maybe work as a character name, but not for any of the ones I have. For others it would look totally out of place and pretty absurd.

Fair enough.

[Kurrilino.2706]

So OP, you want to purge my characters i created and i paid to have slots for so you can take my names.If i would use the words i want to use now i will be banned for live from this forum.

I guess it's time for A-Net to delete your account and make room for other people who play this game more tolerant and considering.

[HnRkLnXqZ.1870]

I have a couple of names I use in every game I play, but they are always already taken. Even if the game is new. I already suffered twice from name purges (different games), both times due to server-fusions as the providers wanted to cut costs. In case number one, I lost against RNG. In case number two, I was inactive during the fusion = so all my names got wiped.

I am currently using former languages and periphrases in combination, a strategy that works out very well.

Example:My current sub-project is a Necromancer that looks and plays similar to the DMC 4/5 Dante. Well Dante is one of the more frequently used names, so 0 % chance of getting a good looking name. I often use Latin & Greek names, as words in those languages just sound epic, even if the word itself just means salad (lat. Lactuca). But Dante is not a word that can be translated. So I looked for a short discription, Demonslayer & Devilslayer looked a bit weird. So I went for "Son of Sparda." The engilsh one was obviously taken, but the latin version "Filius Sparda" was still free. Now I own a Dante look-a-like that is technically named Son of Sparda. In addition I eliminated the possible situation of being mistaken for someone else. Again, Dante is really popular. In Map-Chat ppl refer to me as Fil or Filius. In some rare cases, they refer to the last name. Which is also awesome.

Regarding plants, Latin is not a good choice. The scientific nomenclature for plants, animals and other things that exist in nature is in Latin.

Important: When you use a foreign language or something that sounds like it is from a foreign language, always run a google search. Some names which sound awesome can be translated into insults and other bad things in foreign languages. Mitsubishi learned that lesson the hard way.

[Bladestrom.6425]

To be reasonable, gw2 has a model where you can happily take a break for a year (or whatever) and you can step right back into your shoes. Therefore you could not purge names for years. Perhaps 5 years with no activity works. You see your problem OP, ironically FOR RP players like yourself this is amazing, your char is truly long lived.

[Solvar.7953]

Even if Anet did do a name purge (or maybe not a purge, but a rename), then it just becomes a mad dash for everyone to try and claim names that were in use before but are 'cool' names. So this probably has a pretty short term benefit.But Anet's stance of never doing it is the correct one - I've never had a problem finding names - even some single word ones.

[Vayne.8563]

@Jimbru.6014 said:

@Just a flesh wound.3589 said:How do you know that the names you wanted are on “ idle low level characters”?

I don't on an individual basis. But I know it's a toxic practice that I have seen here and in other games as well. When I can go through an entire encyclopedic list of plant names and not find ONE I can use, there's a problem, because there's just not that many people playing this game.

It's really funny you should say this. I have a lot of characters, spread over ten accounts, many of which I play. I paid for the games, thus I paid for the slots. Not sure why you would get priority over me. But also I make characters and I don't have a problem making names. I don't have to spend hours on it. Sure sometimes a name I want is taken and I find another name pretty fast.

Since I make characters fairly regularly and don't have the problem you have, I can only assume you're trying for names that are easier to think of or too common. No reason why you should have those names and not the person who was here first.

I have plenty of Guildies who have taken a couple of years off and come back, in one case recently even a four year break. And their charactes are still there....as they should be.

[Amaranthe.3578]

It would be ather simple, it was done by many games in the past. They make an announcement a month or so in advance. Something along the lines of : in a month any character under level X(usually a very low level) that wasn't logged into for at least X days(usually a vey long period of time) will be either deleted or be given a random generated name and a name reset upon next login.

The chance of ANet doing it? Zero. Too much work. They doing whatever they can already and are struggling to produce content.

[Player.9621]

I didnt sit up until 3 am on launch day just to get it taken while im on holiday

[Danikat.8537]

@Amaranthe.3578 said:

It would be ather simple, it was done by many games in the past. They make an announcement a month or so in advance. Something along the lines of : in a month any character under level X(usually a very low level) that wasn't logged into for at least X days(usually a vey long period of time) will be either deleted or be given a random generated name and a name reset upon next login.

The chance of ANet doing it? Zero. Too much work. They doing whatever they can already and are struggling to produce content.

I don't think the only reason Anet aren't doing it is because of the work involved, especially since as you said it's a relatively simple process. This isn't the first time this topic has come up and it's never been a popular ideal with players, so I think it's a pretty safe bet if Anet actually did it they'd upset far more people than they would please, which makes it pretty pointless for them. (Also it wouldn't be done by the people who are making new content. You don't ask an artist or story writer to make large-scale changes to your database.)

Also as I understand it this is not a common practice outside of some free-to-play games with very high turn-over. In paid games it's usually only done because they're merging servers, and in GW2 that's not necessary (even if they do merge servers) because names are already unique across the whole game.

This game was designed from the start to appeal to casual players, which includes the ability to take breaks and come back later. Some people have stopped playing for months or years and then returned to the game, and they should be able to find their characters intact when they do that. I know some people don't care about character names and think it wouldn't matter if they're changed, but for some of us they're important. If I returned to a game after a break to find that my characters had been renamed I'd uninstall and never return, so they'd lose a player. I'd also warn my friends who I know care about their characters to avoid the game for the same reason.

(Also if they ever did try this they'd need to allow at least 6 months notice to allow for people on military deployment, working at sea, doing scientific surveys, suffering extended hospital stays etc. Unless they really want to exclude a huge chunk of people from the game for having other things going on in their life.)

[Thalimae.3406]

@"Danikat.8537" said:(Also if they ever did try this they'd need to allow at least 6 months notice to allow for people on military deployment, working at sea, doing scientific surveys, suffering extended hospital stays etc. Unless they really want to exclude a huge chunk of people from the game for having other things going on in their life.)

Which also make these kinds of requests appear not well thought out. The OPs of these threads usually have a very specific "I need this name now" situation and (putting aside the low likeliness that this exact name belongs to someone not playing the game any more or someone else snatching it away right before they can claim it) even if ANet decides now to do a purge after an adequate time to set some names free the OP would have to wait 6-12 months until that actually happens (and they still might end up without their desired name in the end!).

It's much easier to just be more creative during character creation.

[phokus.8934]

I really wanted Xx Sniper Xx ForTwty but it was taken. I mean seriously, let me have this.

[Handsel.2891]

It's this one again?I remember a lengthy thread about this exact topic which probably isn't the only one. You should look them up.

How do you know that "purging" the names on idle characters would free up any of the ones you tried?

What's your definition of idle?I have an engie with a cool name, but I rarely play him outside festivals. Would you say that is reason enough?I often take breaks from the game that may last months. Could I complain to you for taking my names away after returning?

My point of view: if you can't come up with an original name, it is, simply put, only for lack of trying.

[Ashantara.8731]

@"Jimbru.6014" said:GW2 seriously needs to purge all the idle low level characters out there that are just taking up names for people to "reserve" names or whatever.

That cannot work as it would pose tons of issues for those players and for the database alike. Be more creative. ;)

@MikeG.6389 said:It's this one again?I remember a lengthy thread about this exact topic which probably isn't the only one. You should look them up.

:+1:

[AgentMoore.9453]

@Jimbru.6014 said:When I can go through an entire encyclopedic list of plant names and not find ONE I can use, there's a problem, because there's just not that many people playing this game.

Hi, long-time Sylvari player here. Do you have any idea how many female Sylvari I've met in this game named some variation of Salvia? On my friends list alone there are five.

If you really were sitting there hoping to use an actual plant name with no twist or flavor for a plant person on a game that's been out for this long, you have exactly the same chances of making a Norn named Thor or Odin. The same chances of making a Charr named Cat or Hello Kitty (Who I saw actively playing during the Lunar New Year). The same chances of a Human Ranger named Robin Hood or a Thief named Aladdin. You're trying for the obvious names and then pretending like you're surprised when they were obvious to someone else first; that's not a realistic expectation.

Considering I was able to get names like A Stinky Cat (Charr), Large Lady (Norn), Ya Welcome (Norn, but he's Maui), and Rabid Critter (Asura) within the last two years (some within the last two months), I can't agree that the game is out of names. People name change, people delete, and you don't even have to add X's or #'s to names to get something workable.

Twist your brain a bit the next time you make a character; you'll be surprised by what's still available.

[Fenella.2634]

You can of course always try to PM the name you want and politely ask if the current holder would consider giving it to you in exchange for whatever.If it's such an important name to you, maybe some people would trade it. It should then become free after 24 h.

[whoeverxwins.1279]

Sylvari can be tricky, as the 'apparently' more common Gaelic names are even taken. In that case, I've added their cycle, ie Dubshlaine of Noon. On other cases I've combined words from a Gaelic dictionary to create names, ie Cranmeathbhan.

You should see the struggle to get hobbit or elvish names in LOTRO! I was gone from that game for 5 years before recently returning, after a server merge. So glad I was there longer than anyone merged to my server named Pearblossom!

[Astralporing.1957]

@Amaranthe.3578 said:

It would be ather simple, it was done by many games in the past. They make an announcement a month or so in advance. Something along the lines of : in a month any character under level X(usually a very low level) that wasn't logged into for at least X days(usually a vey long period of time) will be either deleted or be given a random generated name and a name reset upon next login....And then someone would be late by 5 minutes and still not get it. And would start another forum thread, asking for another name purge.

[Danikat.8537]

@whoeverxwins.1279 said:Sylvari can be tricky, as the 'apparently' more common Gaelic names are even taken. In that case, I've added their cycle, ie Dubshlaine of Noon. On other cases I've combined words from a Gaelic dictionary to create names, ie Cranmeathbhan.

You should see the struggle to get hobbit or elvish names in LOTRO! I was gone from that game for 5 years before recently returning, after a server merge. So glad I was there longer than anyone merged to my server named Pearblossom!

Considering Quenya or Sindarin names are popular even in games with very little in common with LOTR and no elves I can imagine they'd be extremely popular in that game. Normally those are two of the languages I use to find available names, but if I was playing LOTRO I think I'd go for Welsh or something instead.

[Endless Soul.5178]

They way I see it is I paid for this game and, by extension, my characters and their names (including all the extra character slots and the one name change contract I bought and paid for with real money).

They're mine, even if I haven't used some of those characters in a while. They mine, period.

So why should I have names taken away from me, names that i paid for, because people like OP cannot figure out their own character names? That's their problem, please don't make it my problem.

[T G.7496]

You shoulda been here earlier, thought of it sooner or, frankly, just be more creative.

[Mrs Lana.2506]

Don't assume that a name is yours unless you have it. Use umlauts, accents, different spellings. Hell if you must have the name and you see that person is online, pm them and ask if you can purchase it from them. You're not entitled to any particular name. This, as many people have already pointed out, is an extremely toxic and entitled behaviour that can easily be circumvented by simply being more creative.

I have 70 characters in gw2. NOT ONCE did I ever have an issue naming them, even back in gw1. If anet purged the names of "idle low level characters out there that are just taking up names" I'd be pissed. They're not just taking up names. They are my characters, and no one is entitled to the names that I have already taken.

[kharmin.7683]

I really wanted Legolas for my ranger though. Drat.

[Randulf.7614]

@"kharmin.7683" said:I really wanted Legolas for my ranger though. Drat.

Jon Legolas was available a few weeks back (I tested it to disprove this "no more names left" in another thread)