I simply asked what happened to the account, considering you're on a new one making the same threads and posts about the same subject you made on your previous one. That's not an assumption, it's simply an observation. If you find that absurd, you might want to reconsider your own posts. I have never said that names aren't an issue, nor have I ever said that they shouldn't do anything about it. I am simply saying that the same people who are aiming for certain names will always whine about this issue regardless, no matter what solution the Devs implement or whatever name reclaim or other method they were to enforce upon already taken names, because said highly wanted names will be taken by somebody else and still send people right back to the forums to make the same posts and threads you've made. Over and over. And over. My advice is still valid, name reclaim or not: Get creative.
Well, you just contradicted yourself. You basically acknowledge with us that this is an issue But within the same breath brush it off by saying "Get creative", if this wasn't an issue people wouldn't need to "GET CREATIVE ". So what side are you on? You can't say it's a problem and not deny that it needs to be corrected while saying "Get over it" basically. That's exactly like someone saying a fix to the trillions upon trillions of student loan debt is by voiding it, and just wiping it for fresh starts. That's not even fixing the problem that, college's student tuition is just too expensive for majority of people who attend college. So even if you wipe from people's credit reports or record, it will happen all over again due time. Getting creative doesn't fix the root problem, so even advising that is pure stupidity to say the least, it would be better to just say "get over it" than provide a brush off excuse of a fix, while almost admitting that it needs to be fixed.
I have never said that it isn't an issue. What you keep ignoring is the simple fact that you can't find a permanent solution to this issue. You can throw out how many name reclaims you want, but somebody will always come back here and make a whine-thread about not getting this or that type of name before somebody else. Getting creative is more helpful on that regard. Name reclaim or not.
Are you kidding me!? Download the mmo "Tera", need I say more? The naming system in most mmo's like Tera is perfect, which is why they may not have the same playerbase as other mmo's but the activity rate and consistency of the playerbase is much higher in return. If you want another reference to a beneficial fix recheck out my other thread on this issue. Heck! They could even do something of the effect of- after a name is inactive, and not a member/ or doesn't support/fund the game at all, they could recycle the name but charge $1/100 MC cash to anyone who wants to use it next. ~Along with a disclaimer to all players, so they know the rules and guidelines to retaining names. The dev team profits , while the players have a solid and unexploitable fix that's long term.
There are as many different ways to play DCUO as there are players. Some are completists, and feat-chasers. Others want to dominate the leader board to show they are the best dps/troll/healer/tank around. Then you've got hard-core roleplayers breathing life into a character of their own design or maybe re-creating the Saturday mornings of their youth. I've heard rumor that some are even PVPers, if you can believe it. However you choose to play, I want you to get the most fun out of DCUO that you can. Happy players mean a strong and vibrant game, and as a day one player, this is important to me. My enjoyment in playing DCUO comes from character building, and that includes collecting and maintaining characters with best names available, iconic or otherwise. Telling me, and other players like me, to "get creative" when it comes to names is a meaningless and flippant response. It dismisses they way we choose to play. Not your cup of tea? Fine, I get it. We don't need you in our reindeer games; we don't want you in our reindeer games. Here's what I don't understand, though. If we did get our name reclaim, how would our joy dampen yours in the least? Indifference I can understand. The vehement criticism of this idea, however, continues to baffle me. Would many of the names quickly be hoarded again by some ne're-do-wells? Sure. But not all. All we want is a fighting chance at them, or at least an opportunity to trade for them. "Yeah, but think about the time away from other projects this would cause if they did pursue it," I hear you say in a desperate attempt to justify your position. To this, all I can say it seems like less than some herculean task, especially when you consider it's already been done once before. I hope you get everything you need to keep the game enjoyable. Is the same hope from you too much to ask?
If those numbers were actually real statistics based on facts, that would mean that 4 players who are unhappy right now would remain unhappy, having no change whatsoever, but 1 out of every 5, as in 20% of all players, would benefit from this change and see their overall game enjoyment increase, while also using a paid game feature (name change tokens) which brings the game additional revenue. Something that benefits 20% of the population would still be a huge positive for the game. I would be surprised if over 20% of the population is beating the endgame Elite raids, or completing the omnipotence items, but we still devote resources towards those. Changing the naming system to allow an extra space is a band-aid. It does help right now, but over time we experience the same thing, where those names get taken by inactive players who squat on them and then we're right back to lousy looking names with strings of XXXs and IIIs. Similarly, the name reclaim event failed because it was presented as this one-time thing. It was a band-aid that did some good in the short term, but ultimately those names will just get taken again by accounts that either go inactive or squat on the names to try and sell them. The only way it actually works is for name purges to be a regular part of game maintenance. If an account is not subscribed AND has not been logged into within 12 months, the names become freed up. Not as a part of a mass event, but specific to the individual account, so it is something that is constantly happening. Every day more names become freed from inactive accounts and returned to the pool to be used by active players. It doesn't matter how big the pool is, if you never re-fill it, eventually it runs dry. Adding a space or allowing hyphens does increase the size of the pool, but that's a short term fix to a long term problem. Names will have to be recycled eventually.
A name reclaim (even on a scheduled basis) still would never solve the real problem...lack of creativity. The majority of names that people want are either very basic or they're typical compound names. If a regular name reset happens but the name is taken by an active player, the people waiting for that name are STILL going to be disappointed. Multiply that by whatever the number of players wanted that name or another and we're right back to square one. Those band-aids as you called them can at least help alleviate that to some degree, while giving others more options than they have now. And honestly, anyone running around with gibberish in their names either lack creativity or just don't know how to use Google to find name generators or inspiration for their names. I totally get the frustration of not getting the "perfect" name for your character only to find out that someone who's still on Brianiac's ship is holding the name "hostage", or someone is just squatting on it for in-game profit. But like anything else, you can either complain (which will hardly ever result in immediate solution) or you can get busy trying to come up with something suitable...which is what I did. There's probably a good reason why they don't do a name recycle on a regular basis...because it's likely time consuming to do all that database work, on top of the fact that there's little r.o.i. on that kind of work. Yeah, people might buy rename tokens, but once they realize the name never became freed up or someone else must have taken it, they're right back to disapointmentville. And how likely is that the name they want will be freed up in the next recycle round???
Given that they have already done all the work to do it once, a Name Reclaim event which went through the entire game's roster and flagged every single player who was 1) Not a Subscriber, AND 2) Had not logged in within 18 months, the coding is actually done. We're talking about taking something that has already been programmed... and turning it on. It's similar to turning on double Source Marks, double Event Currency, open Legends Characters, open Episodes, or double Nth Metal XP. It's a matter of turning on something that has already been programmed, so that it can be utilized at regular intervals. Seasonals require more work than that, because they come with new styles, new base items, new collections, and new feats. That's all new stuff that needs to be created from scratch, with the potential to have bugs. When was the last time we had a bug related to bonus Stabilizers weekend? Or bonus Catalysts weekend? They have a tool that could successfully service a portion of their playerbase. It would make some of their current customers happy. It would not hurt any of their current customers. It would not cost Dimensional Ink any money, and it does have the potential to make them money. The only people who do not win in this situation are people who quit playing long ago, and the number of them who are coming back after their extended absence is just not enough to outweigh the number of players here right this moment who would benefit. You seem very fixated on the idea that this would not satisfy every single person who doesn't have the name they want. Nobody is claiming that it will. But if a player wants a name, and it's occupied by an active player so they can't get it, they stay in the exact same situation as they were before. It's providing a service to a large number of customers and has the potential to earn a lot of money. It would be silly to get hung up on the idea that they should not service any of their customers unless what they implement manages to make 100% of all customers happy, because there is NOTHING that is ever going to make 100% of all customers happy. And this is literally a case of improvement for some, and no change for the rest. It's win-win.
Considering that we've seen plenty of threads on this matter all the up to the one we're in right now, it sounds like it wasn't the win-win you think it would be. What exactly makes you think that yet another name reclaim or a series of them would yield different results from the last??? And if it could be financially successful as you say, why haven't the Devs done anything with that "gold mine"??? A name reclaim does not fix the problem...better name options (a few of them mentioned in this and other threads) is what they need to look at (if they ever decide to make this a priority). Underestimating greedy and petty name hoarders would be foolish, and will lead to disappointed players.
so how often do you stay logged in and monitor these said login activities? and do you report these exploitations that violate the ToS? and lastly i think i'm missing your punchlines. I lost the name High Healer to a player that played since 2011 (I created the name early 2012). At crossplay merge, I encountered the player. Told him nice name. He doesn't play anymore. I'm not ripping my long hair out over this. It's only a game. I picked a better, original name and got over it.
Name Creator 101: Okay so you have decided on a name you like but when you attempt to use that name you discover some one else already is using it. 1. Go to Google translator 2. Type in the name you picked 3. Now start selecting other languages until you find another name that you like 4. TYPE that name into the name selector and see if it is taken .. IF not you are now the Italian, or Russian or what ever version of that character. Hey worked just fine for me.. i have an alt that when translated to English is actually the Black Widow but I translated that to Italian. Part Two Hmm let's see you are using a power like oh say Water or Earth or Fire or etc... hey let's go back to google and go a search for the names of Gods and/or Goddesses in mythology for around the world whose name is associated with that type of a power. You'd be amazed at the number of selections you can get between Norse Gods, Celtic Gods and a slew of other ancient races that assumed some Deity on high was responsible for the sun rising and setting every day and so on. Part Three of course there is always the in game trick used by countless players where yo9u just add some numbers and or letters to whatever name you want.. You know the reason we have 10,000 Batmen and 8.000 Flashes in game... XXX000Btaman000XXX Myself? I prefer something different but if this work for you.. use it. So okay you tried to name your new alt Shining Star and AMAZINGLY some one else already picked that name.. You can sit and pout of just go to the google translator and pull up the Italian version and become... Stella Spendente or the Spanish version... Estrella Brillante or hey how about the Klingon Version... Hov Boch (and before you ask yes Klingon is actually listed as a language in the translator.. go check LOL
It was account based though. SO even if you never used a character but had a names secured, you didn't have to log in on that character just have been active on your account.
I don't think that was the total problem. I've got a guy in my league who has been dead for 5 years (RL died) so I know he has not logged in and at least one of his names is a perfect spelling iconic(2nd tier iconic...but still iconic) and it was not reclaimed in the last sweep. Last login was late 2014.
I'm sorry to hear that. It is possible his name at some point after creation and before the PC/PS merge was later added to the list of prohibited names.
Possible, but he didn't lose any of his other names, none of which are 'iconic' but they are all decent names, sans X's and O's or random junk shoved in there. 2011 player, so I'm sure many would be attractive to someone. Just saying, I'm not sure the sweep worked as intended even if the horders were on the ball. Not to mention, how many names are tied up in banned accounts or lost ones where logging in to reserve the name would not have been an option? I've got at least a few other users on my friends list who I know were banned or lost their accounts and I'd guess their names are unchanged (haven't looked in a long time, but also never purged them)....I know I don't have a lot...or maybe any...friends listed with "name_PS4" or "Name_PC" or whatever the default goofy name was that was given out when they did it. I personally don't care if they do a reclaim or not, but I don't think the last one went as intended regardless of steps that people may have taken to horde prior to the action.
