Irrelevant Hot Take

[Lyssia.4637]

Maybe there should be on the forum a thread or area for people to help other people come up with names.  😆

[Danikat.8537]

8 minutes ago, Zynk.9015 said:

People have had their names taken from them for lesser reasons than inactivity. What you're saying applies to them in a more literal sense than it would if everyone had the same treatment.

As far as I know character names are only changed because they're inappropriate, and the only other way players lose access to them is if their account is banned for breaking the rules. Both of which I'd consider to be much more serious than simply choosing not to play for a while.

 

(Also in both those cases the names are not made available to other players.)

[ywhl.8592]

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[ywhl.8592]

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[Astralporing.1957]

2 hours ago, Zynk.9015 said:

Anet, please, if you're going to demand we wait for a name to not be "In use" then you need to implement a system that prevents trolls, griefers, bots, or people who just simply don't play your game anymore who have nothing but a FREE ACCOUNT from permanently holding names.

They don't demand you wait for the name to not be in use. They inform you that the name is in use, so you can pick a different (and, preferably, more unique) one.

 

2 hours ago, Zynk.9015 said:

We have been pleading with you for years about this.

No. We have not.

 

A suggestion like that appears from time to time, but is always met with almost unanimous rejection from the community. The fact that on these forums, where most of the posters cannot agree on even simplest things, it is one of the very few topics that are met with such an uniform response should tell you something.

 

2 hours ago, Zynk.9015 said:

On top of this strict "get lost" policy you currently grace us with, you force us to use only Latin alphabet unless we're running Chinese client, Capital First Letter After Every Space, and very few accents/no numbers. How is this supposed to support your policy of names when you limit the amount of options we have to whatever we can slang down into 19 spaces?

19 characters is a lot.

 

2 hours ago, Zynk.9015 said:

We, the community, are poised to potentially have one of the largest pop spikes in the history of the game due this coming year

Are we? Bigger than during HoT and PoF  launches? Why do you think so?

 

[ywhl.8592]

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[sevenDEADLY.5281]

1 hour ago, Zynk.9015 said:

Care to elaborate? Or is your position pointless?

He disagrees entirely.  That's his position.  It's not pointless and you're not entitled to demand he fully explain to you why.  You don't get to take something just because you want it and didn't get it first. 

[Faridah.8431]

1 hour ago, The Greyhawk.9107 said:

HARD disagree with almost all proposed by both the OP and the first reply. 

Agreed. This thread seems to be spawned out of someone trying to get a name they couldn't get, or at least that's how I read it. Otherwise, how is this at all a problem?

 

Also GW2 is a game which for many, myself included, include long periods of absence. And no, I don't always remember to cycle logons through all 22 characters on one of my accounts, but those names are firmly mine from GW1.

 

And personally I'd hate to see someone with my same name, that invites confusion for others trying to contact others and may not have payed attention to account names.

[Lyssia.4637]

28 minutes ago, Zynk.9015 said:

Clearly my original solution isn't favored in this game's case. Still, there are plenty of reasons being posted as to why the current system isn't as flawless as the people who don't want anything changed believe it to be.

But "flawless" does not equal "flawed."  Something can not be perfect, but also not be broken.  I'd suspect nearly everyone who has played the game wanted a name they couldn't get (not perfect); but that's not exactly a problem so dire, it's worth changing the system.  (Or even a problem at all, as pointed out above.)   Keep in mind, they'd be working with account data, bugs in that, to the best of my knowledge, have the possibility of being pretty catastrophic.  Frankly, for that alone, and exactly BECAUSE EoD is coming out, I'd hope they leave names well enough alone.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Lyssia.4637

[ywhl.8592]

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[ywhl.8592]

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[Faridah.8431]

1 minute ago, Zynk.9015 said:

I have the names I want on my toons, some of them I change or recreate when necessary. That still does not mean that I am posting this because a name I wanted wasn't available and I just couldn't deal with it. I made other names. But only out of necessity. I never had a say in the matter, and that was never an option from the start. Why is it we never see any posts complaining about someones name being copied by someone else whose name is exactly represented, just using an accent? Because nobody cares if their name is copied.

 

The difference between a name being copied, and a name being permanently reserved is that both parties had say in the matter when it was copied. Either one of them could have backed out. Preventing players from having similar names completely removes that agreement from the equation, and it only represents itself in the community as "haves" and "have nots".

Is this really an argument based on "haves and have nots" with regards to naming? Ugh, this feels like manufactured outrage where a problem really does not exist.

 

There's not realistically a problem to solve here in your example. You're right in saying that nobody cares if names are copied and a symbol or accent mark or something used. Why is that? Because you can still recognize who is who. It's still differentiated. I'm sorry but I don't see account names when looking at chat, or over peoples' characters in the game. I see names. Having two or more people with the exact same names will only introduce a myriad of problems that don't currently exist.

[Linken.6345]

27 minutes ago, Zynk.9015 said:

Snip

 

People have said that anet is doing a better job with their marketing in recent years, and that is still potentiality for larger crowds at any given event or release. More people playing still draw in larger crowds, unless it's implied the game is at stagnation or decline. I'm certainly not. 3rd party population graphs show that each release consistently retains more return players without decay.

People have said that Anet do good markering, were have people been saying that?

 

Edit

And to multi quote press the + instead on each post and you will get a popup in bottom righr corner of screen.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Linken.6345

[ywhl.8592]

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[Astralporing.1957]

36 minutes ago, Zynk.9015 said:

That would make more sense, I only heard people complain that their name was an inside jest or something more personal to them that anet made them change. It makes more sense if tehy had something more offensive in the name.

Let's put it that way: there has been once a case of a player complaining on the forums that he got a forced name change across all his characters, which he did not understand, because all those names were "little, harmless jokes". A while later he complained, that he got 72h suspension "for nothing" after he renamed those characters.

Someone asked him to provide examples... and it turned out that all of those names were either extremely offensive, racist as kitten, or both.

That person could not understand why someone might have had problems with those. I'm not surprised if he still doesn't understand why everyone on the forums, and devs, were such easily triggered no-fun carebears.

 

Since that time i tend to look with great suspicion on anyone claiming they got forced to name change for "no reason".

 

 

16 minutes ago, Zynk.9015 said:

So what is the difference if the player has no choice in the matter?

But they do have a choice - they can select a different name. Nobody forces you to use that specific one, after all.

 

 

16 minutes ago, Zynk.9015 said:

There are posts that already disagree, certainly, but are you the authority figure to say that threads of a similar nature have been "unanimously" shot down when there was no agreement?

No. I am just a careful reader that can see when there's a massive disparity between support for such an option.

 

In most such thread, the OP is pretty much alone the whole time.

 

 

16 minutes ago, Zynk.9015 said:

For EoD I think so because of the current "climate", if we will, of MMOs. Yes, MMOs are a small niche within gaming as a general rule. However, when a large portion of players, who enjoy the genre, quit playing one franchise within that genre that does not mean they are done with MMOs forever.

I would not be counting too much on WoW refugees. This game is way too different, so most of them will likely go FF XIV way (most of them are going that way already, FF XIV population exploded, and they have problem with trying to make their server infrastructure keeping up with it. In GW2 so far i see absolutely no impact however)

 

16 minutes ago, Zynk.9015 said:

3rd party population graphs show that each release consistently retains more return players without decay.

Let's just say those 3rd party sources are very unreliable.

 

 

[Dante.1763]

I have 18 characters, and Ive NEVER. EVER. had an issue getting a name i wanted.

 

I flat out disagree with OP. We dont need, or want a name decay. I took a break for two years due to back to back deployments among other things, i would have been pissed and livid if i came back and my names -poofed- and someone else had them. Get outta here with that.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Dante.1763

[Faridah.8431]

27 minutes ago, Zynk.9015 said:

Okay, then what you're saying still does not address why we should have more options available to us. I mentioned in my post that we are very limited in use of the exact symbols that we are allowed within our naming conventions. Everyone seems to hyper-focus the similarity portion and not take anything else into account.

 

So, am I wrong to assume it is only the name-copying part of what I've already stated in my original post that people take issue with?

 

That if we still had more variability, as I mentioned, and more freedom to use our space as needed, that would overall be better?

 

There's no outrage here. Certainly not on my end. People are very clearly admitting their perception biases and there's still, at least, half of the conversation to be had. I'm not against discussing it, but the initial resistance is always the hardest to work through. I'm used to it, and more than welcoming to input beyond the obvious.

 

Ok, it's one thing to say, hey give us more options for symbols or maybe more than 19 characters. Personally I have no problem with that.

 

It's quite another thing to start the thread with the idea that people should lose their character names, or that multiple people should be allowed to just all have the same names from which you then made a point about "have and have nots". So clearly that is something that chaps your hide. Also, this is the first time I've really seen anyone think there was any issue with the naming system in the time I've played GW2 since launch. So I also think your comments that its a "huge issue" that "we" want addressed is really a perceived issue for you, that you want addressed. 

 

As to some of your other points, ANET does not and has not disclosed active number of players at any time through GW2's history. So any points you are making on how big a population is or not is purely speculative. Of course expansions bring population spikes, but you never know how big or small or the initial baseline population from which it spikes from. And if your point is that you are going to run out of names, well I don't think that is true at all and would vehemently disagree. Yeah if a new player comes in and tries to make an elementalist named Gandalf the Grey, they are going to have a bad time.

 

You rightfully called this thread a "hot take", its your hot take, and I don't think much of anyone here agrees with it.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Faridah.8431

[Danikat.8537]

1 hour ago, Zynk.9015 said:

For EoD I think so because of the current "climate", if we will, of MMOs. Yes, MMOs are a small niche within gaming as a general rule. However, when a large portion of players, who enjoy the genre, quit playing one franchise within that genre that does not mean they are done with MMOs forever.

Slightly off-topic but just for info it's ok to name other games and companies, as long as the discussion as a whole is about GW2. There's no need to be so vague and evasive, you could just say a lot of people are leaving World of Warcraft because they're unhappy with what's come to light as a result of the lawsuits against Blizzard and are currently looking for a new MMO.

 

21 minutes ago, Faridah.8431 said:

 

Ok, it's one thing to say, hey give us more options for symbols or maybe more than 19 characters. Personally I have no problem with that.

 

It's quite another thing to start the thread with the idea that people should lose their character names, or that multiple people should be allowed to just all have the same names from which you then made a point about "have and have nots". So clearly that is something that chaps your hide. Also, this is the first time I've really seen anyone think there was any issue with the naming system in the time I've played GW2 since launch. So I also think your comments that its a "huge issue" that "we" want addressed is really a perceived issue for you, that you want addressed. 

 

As to some of your other points, ANET does not and has not disclosed active number of players at any time through GW2's history. So any points you are making on how big a population is or not is purely speculative. Of course expansions bring population spikes, but you never know how big or small or the initial baseline population from which it spikes from. And if your point is that you are going to run out of names, well I don't think that is true at all and would vehemently disagree. Yeah if a new player comes in and tries to make an elementalist named Gandalf the Grey, they are going to have a bad time.

 

You rightfully called this thread a "hot take", its your hot take, and I don't think much of anyone here agrees with it.

Agreed. "I'd like more options when naming characters" is an entirely different suggestion from "please take names away from those I have deemed unworthy of keeping them so I can use them instead".

[ywhl.8592]

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[Xanadrine.4352]

28 minutes ago, Dante.1763 said:

I have 18 characters, and Ive NEVER. EVER. had an issue getting a name i wanted.

 

I flat out disagree with OP. We dont need, or want a name decay. I took a break for two years due to back to back deployments among other things, i would have been pissed and livid if i came back and my names -poofed- and someone else had them. Get outta here with that.

I agree coming back after almost 2 years I would have been seriously ticked off if they decayed my name or removed it because i was gone a year.

[Dante.1763]

1 minute ago, Zuldari.3940 said:

I agree coming back after almost 2 years I would have been seriously ticked off if they decayed my name or removed it because i was gone a year.

I honestly would have uninstalled.

 

My characters usually have a story ive written to go with them, in case i decide to do RP with them. 4 of those have MUCH MUCH more written because ive done RP with them, finding out someone now owned that name? OOOOOOOOOOOO

Edited August 13, 2021 by Dante.1763

[Xanadrine.4352]

Just now, Dante.1763 said:

I honestly would have uninstalled.

 

My characters usually have a story ive written to go with them, in case i decide to do RP with them. 4 of those have MUCH MUCH more written, finding out someone now owned that name? OOOOOOOOOOOO

Yeah I cant always get the exact name I want but I manage to incorporate it. I dont want to steal someone else name, thats just wrong in gaming I feel.

[Zephire.8049]

If my characters' names had been changed after I took a hiatus of ~2 years, I'd have not bothered to come back.

 

While it can be frustrating to have a name you want already being used, it's not hard to find a slight variation that's open unless you're using a meme-ish name, and your desire to have a name does not supersede someone's emotional connection to a character that they played for dozens/hundreds of hours.

 

There's also no guarantee the name you want will even be opened up as the person could still be active. Or someone else will get the name before you know it's free and can make a new character and now one person lost the name and you didn't even get it yourself.

 

GW2 names are like online user names—it sucks if your usual one is taken but you deal with it. You don't go up to whoever owns the forum and demands they purge all accounts that haven't been active in the past couple years.

[Roda.7468]

It would be cool if we had like an in-game tool to come up with names (random name generator or naming conventions listed somewhere at the end of character creation) for those that need to make an alternate name. If you're making a human, charr, or norn there's plenty of options for you to pick when it comes to using a name you want.  But it doesn't help that the lore dictates that 2/5 races don't even have a surname, and adding a title onto a name kinda feels tacky in a game with a title system. :T

Edited August 13, 2021 by Roda.7468

[miraude.2107]

This sounds more of a 'the name I want is already taken' thread and less of a there's not enough options~. I've never had the problem with getting the name I want in this game. Like, are you just naming your sylvari Belladonna and getting frustrated over that when you could easily expand on it with Belladonna Night or Datura Belladona?

 

And you are mistaking thinking there's gonna be this upsurge in players over, I'm assuming, the Blizzard fiasco. No those people that are leaving are following the streamers and I've yet to see a prominent streamer come to Guild Wars 2. There's still a stigma that free to play MMO is pay to win MMO. Unless FF14 and ESO suffer a catastrophic shutdown, we won't see this pop spike you are fearing.

 

As for the 'Get lost' policy of names. I like it. I remember the posts after the Iraq/Afghanistan Wars from those that were deployed coming back to rename screens. Telling a friend/SO to log on to make sure the name didn't disappear was the last thing on these people's minds. Hell, I can even imagine the people who lost things in the California fires. Finally back to somewhat normal, go back to the game to relax and then deal with another loss of renaming a toon they had for years. People develop attachments to names. In an IRL sense, it'd be like raising a kid named Ethan. He's been Ethan for years. He goes away to college and comes back during Winter Break. His parents look at him and go 'welp, no one has said your name for the months you were away so you it was decayed and the kid down the street is Ethan now.'