Statute of Limitations on Character Names

[Tscheuss]

I have been wanting to change my characters name for the past few years now, but the name (which I have been using as a screen name for several years now) has been taken by someone who appears to have not been online in a very long time. Is there any length of inactivity that would warrant the ability to acquire that inactive characters name? Is this even possible, and if so, may i request the acquisition of said name?

EDIT: Considering people can't be bothered to read past my original post. There are possible ways for something like this to occur that harbours no ill effect to inactive players at all. One such way is through a combination of the existing name change system and the server transfer system (adding "-1" to the name). No where have I stated that I believe characters should be deleted nor that the best solution is to force a rename due to inactivity. So please stop implying that that is the point of this thread.

SSG has already put a time limit of one year on inactivity with regard to naming conflicts during transfers in LotRO (https://www.lotro.com/en/game/articles/world-transfers). Whether they will do the same thing here is anyone's guess.

How about a conditional name claim where the active character's name gets a -1 or some other suffix should the original name-bearer someday log in, reclaiming the name?

[Lil_Jaxon]

SSG has already put a time limit of one year on inactivity with regard to naming conflicts during transfers in LotRO (https://www.lotro.com/en/game/articles/world-transfers). Whether they will do the same thing here is anyone's guess.

How about a conditional name claim where the active character's name gets a -1 or some other suffix should the original name-bearer someday log in, reclaiming the name?

Already suggested that, and was subsequently ignored. Thanks for actually having insight, especially with the LotRO stuff.

[cdbd3rd]

...

How about a conditional name claim where the active character's name gets a -1 or some other suffix should the original name-bearer someday log in, reclaiming the name?

That would be a rat's nest to code. ... Upon new name creation, have to tag the old name to prevent conflicts with the new name. Avoid having the character creation function not conflict with the old name before it can be tagged.
Later - Have the old name recognize that tag upon eventual log-in and push a tag to the new name that differs from the tag on the old name, then untag the old name.
Plus a half dozen steps I'm glazing over.


...all without breaking a handful of things along the way. Naw, don't see that happening.

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As for the new policy on Hobbit-side, not all of us are fans of that at all. Many of my alts, tho original names, haven't been logged in over a year despite my being an active player. To have one possibly tagged for a rename some day will be sucky.

[Lil_Jaxon]

That would be a rat's nest to code. ... Upon new name creation, have to tag the old name to prevent conflicts with the new name. Avoid having the character creation function not conflict with the old name before it can be tagged.
Later - Have the old name recognize that tag upon eventual log-in and push a tag to the new name that differs from the tag on the old name, then untag the old name.
Plus a half dozen steps I'm glazing over.


...all without breaking a handful of things along the way. Naw, don't see that happening.

Which is why I suggested that instead they implement the server transfer name system into the name change system. Thereby allowing players to do what some do (that is swap servers to get the name) by instead simply using a name change from the store. That way it doesn't require two players in take action for one to benefit and thereby, as you laid out, not have to make the Devs a considerable amount of shoestring coding. To summarize, what I am proposing is that instead of the necessity to do a server transfer (or two in some cases) in addition to needing a name change, that they eliminate the need to jump servers entirely and implement the same naming policy used in a server transfer into the regular name change policy.

[cdbd3rd]

Which is why I suggested that instead they implement the server transfer name system into the name change system. Thereby allowing players to do what some do (that is swap servers to get the name) by instead simply using a name change from the store. That way it doesn't require two players in take action for one to benefit and thereby, as you laid out, not have to make the Devs a considerable amount of shoestring coding. To summarize, what I am proposing is that instead of the necessity to do a server transfer (or two in some cases) in addition to needing a name change, that they eliminate the need to jump servers entirely and implement the same naming policy used in a server transfer into the regular name change policy.

So you were suggesting the new freshly-minted character gets the "-1" tag. (I just looked back and found your edit saying such) I'd be okay with that, tho the transfer rules have said that the "-1" tag was intended to be temporary and the player is *supposed* to rename their character off the "-1" tag as soon as possible. (Tho this is not actively enforced, and I don't know if it's still even in the transfer rules.)

[Lil_Jaxon]

So you were suggesting the new freshly-minted character gets the "-1" tag. (I just looked back and found your edit saying such) I'd be okay with that, tho the transfer rules have said that the "-1" tag was intended to be temporary and the player is *supposed* to rename their character off the "-1" tag as soon as possible. (Tho this is not actively enforced, and I don't know if it's still even in the transfer rules.)

Precisely, and even if the "-1" tag is a temporary solution then at least having the option available without needing players to spend a considerable sum for a system could quite easily and reasonably be implemented and later adapted/redesigned to enforce the idea that it is temporary fix and maintains consistency between both server transfers and name changes.

[Tscheuss]

I do wish the LotRO solution were at least based on Account activity rather than Character activity; however, there are many names that are safe from change regardless of being inactive from the first year of play. There were players who made characters of the same name on all 29 worlds. XD

Here is a point I have made in more than one thread on this type of topic. A DDO character name can be up to 12 characters long. Assume a conservative sample of six, two-character, consonant-vowel syllable permutations, and we have 20 * 6 = 120 syllables for 120^6 = 2,985,984,000,000 possible names of that style alone. Three trillion possible names that will have some melody or euphony, even if they have no pre-established denotations.

Three trillion. More than enough for everyone, even if DDO lasts another dozen years and beyond.

As for the -# being temporary, there is a Chosen-1 and a Catch-22 on Hobbitside.