Some other EQ-related forums have rumors about server merges on them. Also, about DBG selling EQ. As for name changes: Who cares? So you get an X after your name. Big deal.
This is good to know. I was afraid I was going to have to log in and cycle through my umpteen alts to keep other people from getting them preserve their names.
There are quite a few cries every day from most everyone on these forums about everything. Usually due to someone starting a thread titled "Before anymore [AAs / collectors editions / expansions / flagging / housing / keying / levels / mercs / monster missions / nerfs / player studio / quests / spells / server merges / zones]..."
Alright, I guess I didn't make my point clear enough. When I said use /played I was referring to "Your total time entitled on this account is approx..." being logged in standing around afk or not logged in at all would have no bearing on this number, it's based off how many months you have payed for your account, the same number used to determine your Vet rewards.
Indeed they are called mergers for a reason. Plus there are interesting things like Luclin-Stromm which iirc was the Stromm hardware with Luclin data transferred to it. Also opportunistic miscreants would flock to hold names hostage.
Your name is Josh, and you've identified as Josh for over 20 years. The government suddenly decides there can be only one Josh, and you're not the oldest one on record, so you can't remain Josh in the new system. They file the paperwork and send you a letter telling you that they have forcibly changed your name to Joshx in all of their databases. So, you just roll with it? You don't care to have any ownership over your name and how other people identify you? It doesn't conflict with your sense of self to have your name changed? You don't think it looks stupid to have an X thrown on the end of your name? It doesn't bother you that the thing you use to identify yourself was changed without your consent?
I've had my name since the very first hour Everquest turned the servers on, I'd be pretty upset if I got X'd.
Two of the lowest pop servers are relatively newer: Trakanon and Vulak. I have characters on both, and would be fine with a forced merge making me change names, already took one using the enabled free transfer off Trakanon on one character and had to change the name. Older servers I would handle differently: Make at least 1 new live server with the Phinny style large capacity, instancing, load balancing. Then allow subbed accounts to do a special "beta transfer" where they can freetransfer characters ahead of the server allowing character creation. This should allow a quite few people to keep their names, as it's entirely possible that no one else is currently active with their name and no character creation means no name-holding shenanigans with level 1 alts. *if doing a second server (at most I would think), give it a ruleset variation such as FV loot rules, boosted XP rate, Boosted spawns, etc. otherwise as above. A FV loot rules servers would allow for paid transfers off FV... should be at least a temporary cash cow. Step 2, which could be done the same time as step 1, is label a few (whichever warrant this based on numbers... which only Daybreak knows, ) of the older live servers (and probably Vox, Trakanon & Vulak) as low pop and enable free transfers to any of the not low pop live servers (and Vulak retains the Fippy option). People may or may not get to keep their names this way, but they get to choose their destination ahead of the forced merge. Step 3, which would be announced ahead of time (whole process would be transparent, with timelines) is forced merges onto 1 or 2 new regular rules live servers. New live server 1 is low pop old server #1 & #4 + Trakanon New live server 2 is low pop server #2 & #3 + Vulak + Vox The Vox/Trakanon/Vulak characters would keep their names if no one had them on the older servers. The older server people would only lose their name if it existed prior on the other old server (or they made the character post Vox/Vulak/Trakanon). So based on the example, about 7 current servers gone with 3-4 new ones in place. TLDR: there are some creative ways to do some server population moves without really wiping tons of names. Just make the destination servers brand new for the mergers, but leave some robust original live servers too.
Server merges and the drama associated with them. It's been awhile. I understand the people attached to their character names - I put a fair amount of effort into choosing my names also. There simply is no best way to select the winner in a collision. For each criteria, there is an excellent counter example. Most of my characters are on old accounts and have fair /played times. I do have one totally illegal name that I wonder how a merger filter would handle it. I used 'y' as a vowel and so by the current rule it contains no vowels at all. You can add all the x's you want, but it won't become legal. What I would like if merges are identified is to be told in advance that the post merge population has been scanned and these changes will happen to your toons. Opt out to another server if you want a different outcome. If I recall last merger, the highest played time was awarded the name due to a merge, but if you chose a transfer, pre-existing characters on the target server kept the name regardless of play time.
I went and tested some names. Evidently, I either misunderstood about 'y' not being accepted as a vowel, or the naming rules were changed again after I read about that. The vowel requirement still seems to be in place. I couldn't get any 2 or 3 consonant names (no vowels) approved, and I know they don't allow 4 consecutive consonants without a vowel because there is another thread about a surname rejected for that reason.
Regarding name change on server merges: It should be a combination of time played, date created, amount of time played recently, level and experience used as criteria as to who gets the dreaded "X" in their name and who gets to keep their name. The intent is for character that is actively played for a very long, and is still playing, should always take precedence over character that is played intermittently, a bazaar box, or a mule holding trade skill / quest / forage junk. Post HoT expansion with the use of trophies, the other issue will be who gets to keep their property. I'm not sure how that will be handled and can probably be as a contentious of an issue as "x" in a name.
I doubt resources would be put into developing a name protocol different than the existing, were mergers to occur. "This is the way we do server mergers, always have" is a lot easier to swallow than "we've created a protocol that values how you have played instead of when you started, based on the assumption that more time and higher level is more deserving of keeping the name". Give active players at least 1 new server to transfer to (post already in thread about this) and you mitigate some of the duplication. The point about real estate is a good one. My suggestion is revamp so there is 3-4 layers of the neighbourhoods on the x-axis so you'd have the same address, same area but might be floor 2 or 3 instead of the base layer. Think of it as adding area code to the phone number. Maybe that works?
They can change my name to CurlySue and add XXXX if it means they merge my server and give me another couple hundred regular players to group with...no problem.
@Gonefission, Wow, so that explained it. Long time ago, I tried to do a /surname Pterophylum and it wouldn't let me use it (Pterophylum Scalare is the Latin name for the freshwater Angelfish, if you were wondering) and if y is not treated as a vowel, then phyl is 4 consonants in a row... Was totally surprised on getting rejected for this name, although a GM did fix it for me, after a brief pause, in which I am sure he was tabbed out and googling, just to be sure, heh.
Unfortunately, no they left the preexisting character who wound up having an appended X to their name with the X, or allowed them to change their name to something other than their original name, even if the other player who supposedly had the name first chose to take a free server transfer, leaving the server. Now the player who had originally been on the preexisting server with their name unfortunately has to pay to get their name back, that is where there is a problem. That is what make this Drama, the fact that they change a character name due to some stupidly designed server merge rule, giving the name to the player who had it longest. My whole point with server merges is this: If you merge server A to server B Where server B is the end resulting server The player on server B, who was there first, who has been on server B since they created the character should retain the name. The player being transferred from server A, regardless of possibly having had their character longer is the displaced character and should be the individual to receive the X (or what other naming convention they wish to use) As to all the people who wish to continue to argue about reputations, some of what has been said is correct, however there is just as much that is off base. Example a dear friend: Original character name Aegos, Paladin (known to be the unyielding shield that always defended guild and friends alike.) Merged character Aegos, Shaman originally found out about the servers original Aegos and re-rolled after server merge as a Paladin (rarely played, royal to all when they did play, destroyed known reputation for the player who had been on the server longer) Merged/Re-rolled character wound up hurting contacts between guilds that the original server character had built. Merged/Re-rolled character ultimately quit playing - again. Granted while the people who knew the original server's Aegos, knew what happened, others did not and many issues were laid at the feet of the wrong person - to the point where my friend also stopped playing. That is why they NEED to come up with a better way of resolving server merges and character naming issues caused by server merges. But hey I thought a gaming company was in the business to make money , not continually find new or uphold and enforce completely asinine practices that continue to drive away a customer base.
