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Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Character Naming and the Issue of Uniqueness
Verus
Member, Alpha Two
Hello, all.
I've already posed this question in Discord and perused the naming page on the Ashes wiki. What I wonder is if Ashes would consider allowing characters to show only their first name in chat and on their nameplate if this character also has an optional last name.
Issue:
Hypothetically, a player joins the game, selects a server, prepares their character, and fills in a name that they like. The name is taken. They fill in many other names they would be fine with, and all of those are taken. As is the unfortunate and imperfect case in many games, this person settles on an uncomfortably long or gibberish name that they do not connect well with. While a minor inconvenience for some, this is a widely effecting and long-lasting problem that many people would experience, and it impacts satisfaction with the character and possibly immersion.
Solution:
As it stands, in Ashes, players can choose an optional last name, and presumably it will be an inseparable and visible part of their name. This last name is essentially just a part of the one name. If a character could have only their first and preferred name visible on their nameplate and in chat, this effectively solves the issue on the surface and allows for players to have the name of their choosing, have it be seen by others, and be satisfied with it. Upon proper inspection, others could open your character screen or click something to see your full name. This prevents impersonation and confusion, however unlikely it would be.
Precedent:
Wildstar was a game that we can take as a good example of this feature working well. The game ended up merging servers at one point, and they enabled last names to prevent players being forced to change their beloved name. Two "Bob"s could now run around the server and they may both have last names, or only one of them does. Neither need forfeit their name.
Posting this for consideration (perhaps Toast or Margaret could broach the subject internally unless it's already been thorough considered) and to see player input on the matter. Thanks.
I've already posed this question in Discord and perused the naming page on the Ashes wiki. What I wonder is if Ashes would consider allowing characters to show only their first name in chat and on their nameplate if this character also has an optional last name.
Issue:
Hypothetically, a player joins the game, selects a server, prepares their character, and fills in a name that they like. The name is taken. They fill in many other names they would be fine with, and all of those are taken. As is the unfortunate and imperfect case in many games, this person settles on an uncomfortably long or gibberish name that they do not connect well with. While a minor inconvenience for some, this is a widely effecting and long-lasting problem that many people would experience, and it impacts satisfaction with the character and possibly immersion.
Solution:
As it stands, in Ashes, players can choose an optional last name, and presumably it will be an inseparable and visible part of their name. This last name is essentially just a part of the one name. If a character could have only their first and preferred name visible on their nameplate and in chat, this effectively solves the issue on the surface and allows for players to have the name of their choosing, have it be seen by others, and be satisfied with it. Upon proper inspection, others could open your character screen or click something to see your full name. This prevents impersonation and confusion, however unlikely it would be.
Precedent:
Wildstar was a game that we can take as a good example of this feature working well. The game ended up merging servers at one point, and they enabled last names to prevent players being forced to change their beloved name. Two "Bob"s could now run around the server and they may both have last names, or only one of them does. Neither need forfeit their name.
Posting this for consideration (perhaps Toast or Margaret could broach the subject internally unless it's already been thorough considered) and to see player input on the matter. Thanks.
3
Comments
I think FFXIV allows two players to have the same first name by requiring a surname in a separate field, but it has been a long time since I made a character due the the fact that you only need one character ever. To me having a first name and a surname, is ideal. It just makes inviting more complicated. In FFXIV you just use the player search feature or invite them from chat. It is a extra step to invite people but worth it IMO.
As long as we don't have the awful player IDs like ESO and WOW. I am happy. When I make a character I like it to be 100% partitioned from the rest of my account. I don't ever want to see any numbers in a name associated with me in anything.
This is my personal feedback, shared to help the game thrive in its niche.
From that, it is safe to assume that our first name and our surname both need to be unique.
To me, the biggest issue with naming comes when the game is a few years old. A server that is home to 50k players could have 500k characters on it, each with a unique name. The developers need to purge names of unused characters on occasion, which would greatly alleviate the main issue the OP has.
I agree on the need to occasionally purge old names (don't delete the character of course, but if a toon has not been logged into for over 9 months - 1 year, give it a placeholder name and prompt the player to change the name when the login).
FYI, WoW doesn't have the IDs on the individual character names, but it does on your b.net account. Most the chat you do in game (everything except whispers to your friends list) show the name of the character you are on. Nameplates also show the character you are on. So I don't think the IDs done that way are much of an issue. My understanding though is that friends lists in this game will be character to character, not account to account. Which is unfortunate because its not alt-friendly. This will lead to a need to add friends in discord instead of in game (which isn't bad for us as players, but it's a missed opportunity for AoC to get players more plugged into the game's social system). I think the better way is the option to friend at the account or the character level + add the option to hide your online status if you want to get on a character and not be bothered. (Yup @Noaani, thats the WoW way
And I know this isn't WoW, but that issue is the same in many, many games, not just WoW.
I personally prefer unique names. If someone came up with it already too bad, fantasy names are super easy to create, and if you don't think so, use a name generator till you find something you identify with! Just my opinion.
I am very lucky to have a childhood name that is very untaken in pretty much any game I've ever played, and I won't reveal that here haha.
^^^^^^this^^^^^^^
Kinda tempted to create a cool virtual character of myself and naming it something cool in preperation.
The fact that I still remember the name Zezima from RuneScape from what must be at least 15 years ago pretty much nails your point. Unique names are way better
Now I want global/regional leaderboards to extend fame