Simultaneously: "Name Does Not Exist" "Name Taken"

they are untouched but the fact that I have been legendary on both platforms and I've waited for years to be able to have my main toon on both platforms and now that can never happen is complete BS. If and when they change the names of my characters I will be ending my legendary status on that platform.

I agree.
A merge really scares me, after losing so many names (including my main's) during the last one.
I'd like to say "Well, the devs probably learned from the last mistake", but lol... no. I'm not that naive.

Absolutely! I'm more or less just throwing it all in the same laundry pile. That's all. After a while, I'm of the opinion it all blends together. That's all.

i demand compensation!

Good luck. I still haven't got my 10p back from the four hour downtime extension.

But seriously, this.....

should have been said up front when the initial announcement was made. Your bad devs.

i swear if i see another tweet from Mepps about sipping wine and giggling...i will not be very happy!

i swear if i see another tweet from Mepps about sipping wine and giggling...i will not be very happy!

How about a duel to the death???

Whoever wins gets to keep his name.

The other guy gets the shame of being named SatrLad_1 for all eternity.

Well, let me interest you in this idea - Both PC and PS platforms use the same name server right? So, it is impossible for the same name to exist on both servers now. This recent announcement was possibly away to clean out duplicate names not in use and establish characters. This would lead to less confusion when the servers merged with all names intact...

But didn't they say that PC and PS servers will never merge?

This whole exercise is an attempt to get some free publicity, this name retrieval is going to be highlighted on this new show on the Science Channel;

Haha, Only if the duel was IRL. I am terrible at PVP.

No no no..... in PvP.

Your character has to prove that he is worthy of the name Satr Lad.

20 days and 2 announcements it's what they had to let people know,
If they had said anything on the announcement today fine,
though luck to those who bought the tokens before in anticipation,
Since there wasn't a sure way to know what names would be free'd up.

20 days, and I'm sorry but something like this, it's not something they decide on the last minute to change,
They knew it would happen and did nothing about it.

Disappointing very disappointing, disgusting even.

A few thoughts from me, which many have addressed already. I am not buying the "we did not anticipate the use of out of game census data from a large portion of the community" I simply do not believe that a corporation like SOE is not aware that players utilize tools outside the game to achieve a desired result. You have had hackers, macro-makers, sites for furniture, collections and briefings, and even data showing a person's current CR, powerset, skillpoints, and some with how the player looks in world. So, based on those facts alone indicate that somewhere people would research the name in order to get it. Then look at the sheer number of players with multiple account slots. Legendary has 16, premiums 5 or 6, and freers have 2. There was a great potential for money to be made but somehow. I do not believe that the name change idea was for a short term money grab.

I believe it is more a consolidation in other departments to save money now or down the road. Yes, we the player base are very upset, however, because the name thing is done, there is not much we can do to rectify the situation as it stands. I think the lack of information was deliberate so that the community could not force the powers that be to change their minds. The time the servers were supposed to be running were extended so I knew it was not merely flipping a switch to release the names to all those inactive accounts. It was to ensure the consolidation process was good to go.

I came in the game and swooped in many names I wanted. The one I did not get I researched previously and found the toon was named in 2014, tough luck. Those people that spent money, it was not their fault that they were misled. Yes, an omission that can determine an outcome is considered misleading. Many were happy about the name change because so many newer players have to deal with model number assembly lined creations, because of the lack of names.

Speaking of names that filter is still wild and crazy. The filter will not accept a name like beaver, but will accept straight profanity? Anyhow the idea of name reclaim was as solid as they come and I feel bad for those who lost out due to an error in shared knowledge. In the end the people who pay for the game no matter how minor aid in the game moving forward and paying bills for more content. just sayin ....

Lol...I submitted a ticket about this before I found this post. They remind me of the company I work for. Even the stuff they try to do that should be viewed as positive...they find a way to royally F up. SMH. Good move DC.....you got us again

Not sure about that but I do remember how when the game launched they said they would not go F2P...

Why would they use the same server to store names on to completly different platforms? Where is the logic in that? Unless, they didn't oversee it properly and this stopped people getting their names. If the names were tied to each server then all these problems could be avoided.

I'm struggling to believe this wasn't correctly anticipated. This was, to use a comic book term, an event. I can't speak for myself (I didn't change any of my names) but I've been reading the threads about the name reclaim, over the last two weeks and gained the impression that some people were treating it as more than just getting the name they want: this wasn't just about renaming a character, it was about rebranding a character. I have a feeling that, to some, this was teir "New 52" if you will. Something like that can't be underestimated.
And now there are rumours of server mergers, which would be another event in and of itself, and one that also shouldn't be underestimated. A "Crisis" if you will.

Unfortunately I fear there may be another crisis...