My comments are more aimed towards the Devs. than at the community, so if you have an overly strong objectionable opinion to what I am about to address, PLEASE don't bother responding. Dear Dev team, Please take the following into consideration before anymore server merges may happen. While I understand that many players are attached to their character names, and the technical "they had the name first" argument may have some bearing, that argument also has a secondary side. When it is unfortunate that 2 or more servers are merged it should be the character who had the name first on the ending server (where the players are ultimately being merged to) that gets to retain the name and not the person who ultimately had the name first. This is my simple opinion based on the mere fact that the player who has been on the ending server will have had the longest time with that servers population, their reputation will have been long established. To simply force that character to loose their name because of a server merge, and to give that name to the player who has had the name longest, you are in essence taking that players reputation and giving it to someone else. With all the recent talk of people asking for merges in other threads and forums, this has become a concern yet again. If servers are to be merged the easiest way in order to resolve the issue where the player who has had the name longest, would be technically resign a servers name (eg. if Cazic Thule merged with Povar) instead of retaining either server name change it altogether and call it something completely different. However, in the event say Povar were merged onto Cazic , then the players on Cazic who had the name first should retain their name, and vice versa if the opposite were the case. Again this is just something to consider, before deciding whether or not to actually merge servers, for those with extremely low populations.
I don't understand, when someone is coming with the same name, during a server merge, he's also coming with his whole server with him aswell. So he has the exact same problem of a long established reputation as the guy that was there in the other server. In practice, the server that result of the merge should be considered completely different as the 2 merged servers, it's just easier to save one server's name.
I agree with Thancra. Its essentially a whole new server. Your just fixated on the final name of server. They could call it the new "Gilligan" server and its still all the same people on the server. With all the same reps and what not.
How about using /played time as the deciding factor? If I recall a lot of the complaints from last set of merges was mainly about chars that hadn't played in years getting to keep the name since they were created first, if you go by /played at least the person who has put in the most time/money would get to keep the name.
So the person that does nothing but sit in the guild lobby all day for buffs wins? First come, first serve (oldest char with name) really is the fairest way. If you're the original, you keep it. Not sure how being able to change your name mucks with that though.
Recent server mergers on EverQuest 2 (late 2015) might allude to Daybreak's official policy. According to boss Holly Windstalker: Source: http://eq2wire.com/2015/08/31/eq2-2015-server-merge-detailed-answers-and-naming-policy/ It is my opinion that someone at max/highest level and max/highest AA should receive greater weight. With Daybreak's policy, some level 21 Warrior who logs within the sixty day period (creation date 2005) will supersede an active level 105 Paladin with max AA (creation date 2008) - in a top raiding guild - in a same name conflict.
[TROLL]On each server make 8 toons, with names such as "x", "xx","xxx","xxxx",...,"xxxxxxxx".(or just have all the names start with the same substring) when all the servers have been merged, one of the toons will have enough "x's" in its name to exceed the max name-length and break the script. [/TROLL]
Why would they sit for buffs if thats is all they are going to do? I don't think daybreak should be trying to figure out who is the most productive player for name changes. I suspect an argument that would win with them is that if there is an all access acount versus a free to play account the free to play would get the name change. That might have traction with Daybreak and maybe is a reason anyone currently free to play might want to subscribe to all access.
I disgree with your opinion. I have run a casual/family guild for 17 years. A lot of players do not rush to max aa and level as hard as you may find it to believe and their right to their toon name is no less then someone who maxed aa and level. And seriously being in a top raiding guild shouldn't even have been mentioned. What the hell does that have to do with anything? And btw I am max aa, level, experience and a guild leader of what is currently the largest casual/family guild on my server and have run it for 17 years. If my name gets changed it would suck but it is what it is. Fairest system would to simply go by /played time as Daybreak can't nor should they get involved in deciding whose play time was more valuable or important.
I agree about played. Maybe a combination of things though. /Played time and must have been active in the last 2 or 3 years. And maybe All Access trumps Free to Play. Someone is going to get pissed off over having their name changed and I don't think Daybreak can afford to lose any subsciptions. Then again some subscribers will have free to play accounts so there may not be any way to avoid pissing off all access people. EDIT Actually instead of played time if they can track paid time or entitled time accurately that might be better. Anyone who just leaves their toons logged in for long periods of time will have built up massive played times. I know "entitled" time is supposed to be paid time but I am not sure its 100% accurate.
This is exactly the opposite of correct.... So, the guy who rolled a char during PoP and never played it should win out over someone who logged in often, even to just sit in GH? No system is perfect (without devoting way more resources than they ever would devote), but /played >>> date created.
I understand your argument. It's not a casual dichotomy. My argument is out of utility (benefit most of the player base). While some players do not "race to the top", most active players have a few or several level 105s (or in the 90-105 range since inactives likely won't reach that tier). It's not too difficult to reach max level and only a bit more time to max AA. But it also means that each player gets to keep at least a few of their names (not some creation date or /played blow out). The advantages to a level-AA criterion is that players who hoard "good names" won't be able to keep the names on their random level 1-30s mules simply because they logged in within the 60-day period after they got wind of a server merge. I think we should reward active and novel players and not people who have hoarded the names and gone inactive to play other games. At this point, it is active players that fund this game not some WoW dude who pops in after 6 years to keep his level 21 warrior. At this point in the game's age, we can't hold out hope that these mules or dream projects will be active participants. Game is mostly dead sub-85 on normal servers. I referenced a "top guild" to emphasize this affecting a player who puts a lot of work into their character. Perhaps their main was a level 60 wizard in the Luclin era but they rerolled a 105 raid paladin in 2008?
You cannot create a new character on a server if a level 1 from 10 years ago has that name. Why create different rules for mergers? Also need to account for the fact that some of the little played, lower level character were people's original mains with which they earned their reputation and people still know them as. If you were first, you should keep it. Too many other variables to create any sort of fair system.
Don't forget all the lucky people who have had their name/part of their name added to the banned name filter since 1999 or between then (even if it makes no sense)... then it becomes an Oprah giveaway regardless of any 'rules' they come up with. YOU GET AN X! YOU GET AN X! YOU ALL GET X's! If you aren't familiar with how that works... even if no one else has your name, you get an X on transfer or merger regardless if it's now in the filter (and I'm not even talking about offensive stuff). Server mergers just screw everyone usually and it doesn't just have to do with naming. Hopefully we're a long way out from it happening.
Actually, entitled time isn't the best way to track whether someone gets the name or not. Guides/Senior Guides get padded entitled time (among other things) as a reward for being a guide. My source? I'm a former guide, that's my source, lol.
Why is this thread titled, "Before *Anymore* Server Merges"? Which servers have been merged recently and / or are planned to be merged?
I am not disagreeing with you, however and having seen it from experience, most times when they have done forced server merges in the past they also have offered free transfers. The reason for this is could be numerous reasons. The problem with the argument you are presenting however, is that the person that is being moved onto a server, along with the entire population of their server, are the "unknown" factor on the ending server where people are already established. The receiving server may ultimately not remain the residing home of those who were displaced. Having been on the receiving end of being forced to change several character names before, only to find out that some of the individuals who had the same name (supposedly longer) decided to take a free server transfer elsewhere, and your out of your name, and if you want it back you have to pay for it. ERR WTF??? Yeah. No there have been none so far, however for those who have not been paying attention to the threads as of late; there have been quite a few cries for server merges from people on under populated servers. I am merely suggesting that before another merger were to happen that a better way of resolving the issue be found. I don't think that I am asking for anything that others wouldn't ask for as well if they had been in a situation like I described. It is rather insulting to have spent a ton of time building a name and reputation on a server to have a forced merge strip it all away from you, only to have the person who had your character name "first" take a free transfer off the server after you have already been forced to accept the X or change your character name. It becomes more insulting when the CSR's tell you that this is what happened and yet their hands are tied, and IF you want your character name back you MUST PAY FOR IT.
There is no "receiving server". And I'd assume everyone on any merged server would get the option to transfer. And you don't lose your reputation because your name changes. Anyone that knows you and gives half a who you are is still going to.
