Policy Makers need to discuss new naming policy, IMO

That is the last time that character was played. Not the last time the account was played. You have no way to know this information, period. Also, not seeing where you're seeing "last login" on a guild roster, I don't see it on eq2players or eq2u.

On the guild roster it's more like "Offline X days". You'd have to mess with that if you wanted an actual date of last login.

Oh, in game. So IF you happened to be in the same guild with someone that you want to name hijack, you have some evidence to show that particular character hasn't logged in for a while. You still have no evidence that the account is in fact unused.

Correct. At least I think the guild roster ingame is what was being referred to by SteelPiston.

yeah of course, well said.

Or they are keeping the name on the account for personal reasons

As far as the data feed goes, the fallacy of that is if the player has all those feeds turned off the data will never show up.

How is it a fallacy when data sharing was clearly stipulated as a condition of being able to look the information up? Obviously the data isn't going to be available to external sites if it hasn't been shared. (Of course, that doesn't stop SOE from being able to look up a given account's activity if they chose to implement a change to the current policy. It just prevents external sites from accessing it.)

So JoeSnuffy might not be able to look up any info to see if a name that previously belonged to FoilHatGuy is available, but a member of the dev team could periodically do a query of the accounts that haven't been accessed in x years* and free up any names associated with those accounts.

* x being a value determined by SOE, if they decided to change the policy.

why waste developers / DBA's time doing searches or code so that the entitled mentality can get what they demand? would rather see them doing something useful then wasting time on this.

im mad that my inquisitor who was named Longusdongus got reported. People need to grow up and laugh. I'm a funny guy

I said that they could not that they should. Feel free to read it again.

could or should one is supposition the other acting on it, semantics at it's best, still equates out to a total was of time.

One relates to having the capacity or capability to perform a given task whereas the other is a judgement about the necessity of performing that task.

As to whether it is a waste of time - that isn't for you (or me) to decide. It probably wouldn't hurt for them to devote a few minutes out of one of their meetings to determine if the policy needs changed. (And if they decide that it does, then they can spend more time figuring out the most equitable way to handle it.) No matter what, though, someone is going to be unhappy. No matter what they do, there will be someone complaining.

Was Biggus Dickus already taken? (a character from the Monthy Python movie - Life of Brian)

Straight from the heart -

I left for a very long time over a billing issue that I just counldn't let go of but I came back. I really love this game, it's my one and only. This thread just gives me a chance to thank you SOE for reserving my Main's name.

Do you know how awesome it was to come back and see that I still existed in this game that I love so much?

It was like... I let go but you didn't.

Your cool EQ2 Thank you.

Concede, it is almost impossible to debate the entitled method of debate, you know, the problem with eq2 is not the game.

Amazing. So much angst over nothing. And since it is nothing, that's all the consideration it deserves from anyone who would need to do anything to change how it is now.

I can't see how anyone can care about any name so much they think they need to have it when someone else already has it. If a name is taken, move on to one that isn't. I sure wouldn't want to use some name someone else already wore.

I agree with you. That's barely PG-13, and I know even my 10 year old cousin wouldn't be offended by that, and yes he does know what it means.

To be honest, we would remove this as a forum name also. Same with the other Monty Python reference -- it's not appropriate.

I totally disagree with taking a name from an existing player, I don't care how long ago he last played. As someone who returns for a short period every couple of years, it would seriously peeve me to find I had to re-choose my character's name. And, really, if you can't figure out a good name for yourself, I just think that's a problem you have and no one should force other people to bow down to your lack of creativity.

That being said, I HATE names that aren't appropriate to the game. "Opwnnoobs" and "Nydudeyo" do not belong in EQII. I actually quit a guild that was on a supposedly RP server because they allowed players with that kind of name in their guild. Seriously, I expect that kind of thing in WoW, but not EQ. I'm learning to live with it, just as I learned to live with it in WoW, but it isn't one of the things that makes me want to come back when I do. Quite the opposite.