Policy Makers need to discuss new naming policy, IMO

I'm in agreement with long-dormant accounts having an 'x' added to the end of their name. SOE has done this already with server merges, I don't think it's a stretch to do the same for characters that have not even logged in (account wide) in over 2 years. As long as proper notice and realistic guidelines are given to the community there should be no issue.

And honestly, if you haven't logged in for over 2 years, you're not tied to the game, and sorry, too bad about your name getting changed. If you come back after a long hiatus, such is life. I personally wouldn't have had a problem if I came back to "CharacterX" after my 3 year vacation, and would have attributed it to server merges. Granted my names are generally fairly unique, and I've had little problem with getting them on the first attempt.

I haven't been using alarmist reasoning. I am simply stating the fact that the only FAIR AND IMPARTIAL way to assign names is first come, first serve. EVERYTHING ELSE applies arbitrary rules that can (and have in the past) be abused to steal names. Anything that relies on human judgement leads to abuse.

I shall let go if and when SoE changes it policy not before.

I can't believe SOE has missed the money making opportunity of letting us buy character names with SC. Purchased names would not be available on any other server except to the name owner. (Unless someone is already using that name, in which case you are too late for that server). They would never be deleted because you paid for and own them.

Ripofleax was a very good friend of mine, and I'm offended.

"fairest and safest" - easy, leave it exactly the way it is and be more creative with picking a name. Never had an issue with any name I chose shown up as taken.

new players must realized they are 9 years late to the party. don't expect the best seats

That's akin to walking into an empty movie theater and being told you can't sit anywhere but one seat. The really icky one, covered in bubblegum and spilled soda. Why? Because at one time 9 years ago someone else sat in all the others.

There is absolutely no reason to hold names for characters that will never be played again.

How about if the veteran player returns they keep their original name and the new name gets tagged with an X at the end?

That's like going to a beach once, putting your towel on a sun bed, and coming back 5 years later to expect no one to have used that bed since!

Here are some ideas if you want to decrease the probability of the name you want being taken:

1. Don't base your prospective character's name directly off of the name of a character from a different IP (or even a different version of this one - i.e. EQOA, EQ, etc.). If you've read a fantasy novel, chances are that you aren't the only one and regardless how obscure the name of the character in the novel, you can almost guarantee that most major and minor characters in the following series are taken: Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné; Eddings' The Belgariad, The Mallorean, The Elenium, and The Tamuli; Jordan's Wheel of Time, Salvatore's Forgotten Realms novels involving Drizzt Do'Urden and his associates as well as his Demon Wars Saga, The Chronicles of Ynis Aielle, and the Crimson Shadow series; and Goodkind's Sword of Truth. (There are others, but those are the sources of derivative names I've seen recently.) In short - although naming your wizard Gandalf might seem like a good idea at the time, aside from the fact that it violates the naming convention, you aren't the first one to think of it.

2. Don't try to make your character merely an alternate spelling of the type mentioned in #1. First, you'll have a difficult time finding the right combination that will allow you to use the name. Second, alternate spellings (especially on the same server) increase the likelihood for errors when people are trying to send you things through in-game mail. ("Was that 'Gaandaaalf' or 'Ganndaaalf' to whom I was trying to send the item?" )

3. If all else fails, break it down into syllables and change the order of the syllables. According to EQ2U, there is only one Dalfgan, and that is on Freeport server.

1. Yep.
2. One of my characters is named after someone in a popular book/radio show/movie. The original spelling was taken so I just added some more L's and i's. Sounds more Norrathian to me anyway. I kind of like the new spelling I came up with.
3. By the way, you can't have your last name as Slartibartfast for some reason.

Slartibartfast is a character for HGTTG but other than that I don't know why you couldn't have it. Estred is actually a goddess from the DnD-World I created, still building it to for an upcoming campaign.

I can't say for certain, but I suspect it has something to do with the number 42.

lol. I finally figured out the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything!

Now all that remains is to figure out the question.

I like to use this name generator site and occasionally play around with the letters in the resulting names.

Special Characters in names - great idea.

First/last naming from the bat - good idea. The rest of NWN is a steaming pile of......droppings.

Have never had a problem creating a name except for one toon I wanted to name Groo, and well, its a copyrighted name and taken so it did not irritate me at all. Who remembers good old Groo the Barbarian comic series?

Which names are people burning over anyhow that are being held hostage by these mysterious 1 hour players?

Probably someone mad that they can't be "Bob".

(before any of the haters start, yes, I know you can't have a name with only three letters)

First/Last naming conventions would take care of a lot of these issues.

And honestly, if "Iraton" is filtered but "Assfullofgold" isn't, then there's a clear problem with the filter. (And yes, a friend of mine was seeing how far the filter would stretch, and the latter made it past the filter with no issues.)