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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.
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.
Alpha 2 Feedback - Unique Names
Tyrfing
Member, Alpha Two
Overview:
The current Naming Restrictions for Ashes are that Names must be Unique within the Server. I believe this needs to be reconsidered.
About the Author:
I am a Kickstarter backer of the project and an avid watcher of the development progress of Ashes of Creation. I did not discover the project early enough to get Alpha 1 Access so have been relegated to comparing the game systems to those in other games based only on what I see and read. I have been reluctant to post any feedback or concerns until I have had the chance to play and interact with these systems directly. In my opinion, providing feedback with only half the perspective is often counterproductive. I just hope that Alpha 2 is not too late in the process to call for change.
My wife and I have been gaming together for over twenty-five years. We hope to do so for twenty more and are looking for Ashes to be a significant part of that.
Introduction:
I am raising this concern in the most polite and constructive way I can. I do not wish to insult or otherwise prejudice the content of this feedback in any way. As such, I ask that terms such as “short sighted” are taken in the manner in which they are intended, constructively and choose not to take offence.
Offence is taken, it is not able to be given.
What’s the Problem?
Character names, for many players, are a defining aspect of their digital / game persona. Many players, such as myself use a small subset of names across all games they play. The ability for a player to get and keep their chosen name can often lead to prolonged play even if the game is not well maintained by the developer.
Please understand that I support Server Wide Unique Names, which strangely enough is what we have today. The issue I am attempting to highlight is what comes next. I have been through the rise and fall of many games over the years and most end the same way, with server mergers. Merging two or more under populated servers into one existing server can save the publisher money and improve gameplay, but, and this is a big but… it is almost never handled in a way that allows players that are not lucky enough to be on the merge target to keep their names. This simple oversight can and does lead to an escalation in the player loss rate.
Never Present a Problem without Offering a Solution:
As a Technology leader for many years, I do not permit my team to escalate issues they have not attempted to solve themselves. I do not care if they bring the “correct” or best answer, the issue is that they have tried to find a resolution and in doing so have gained a better perspective, ultimately becoming a better technology practitioner.
To be clear, I will list some methods that need to be considered at the start (as early as possible) to the development of Core Systems such as Friend Management and Player Mail to be able to handle server mergers and player realm transfers in the inevitable future. I will then make my personal request from that list of options.
Option One:
Eliminate the Server Unique Name and Replace it with a Globally Unique Forum / Account Name. In this way Mail and Friends are “@AccountHandle”.
Benefits:
1. Really Easy to Implement
2. Handles Server Mergers and Player Transfers without Update
3. Can Block Muppets at the Account Level, not just the Character
Drawback:
1. Very restrictive for players as the Requirement to be Unique increases drastically
2. Negative Security Impact as One of Two Authentication Fields is now “Public” Knowledge
3. Breaks the "anonymity" of characters on the same account as originally intended so I can't put a Spy in your Guild
4. Immersion is often broken by names such as “@IamDrunk69”
Option Two:
Create the “Spartacus” Problem by eliminating the Server Unique Names altogether.
Benefits:
1. Players can be their chosen persona with the name they have had forever.
2. Handles Server Mergers and Player Transfers without Update
Drawback:
1. Requires Increased Development effort to ensure you are sending mail to the Correct Spartacus
2. Difficult to Identify the Correct Spartacus
3. Breaks Immersion with Guilds that only except Characters named Spartacus, which is funny for about 20 seconds
4. Server Reputation is basically Impossible at this point, which I understand is important to @Stephen, and I agree that it should be
Option Three:
Require all names to be Globally Unique but enable the option for a last name (or three names, such as “Phil de Mott”) where the combination of First, First Last or First Middle Last, must be Unique Globally. See Eve Online as an example here.
Benefits:
1. Let’s Players Choose the Name they Want (Even if they need to hide their last name)
2. Not Especially Difficult to Implement
3. Handles Server Mergers and Player Transfers without Update
Drawback:
1. Only somewhat restrictive for players as the Requirement to be Unique is increased but is not prohibitive.
2. Generates issues if both First and Last Names are required to be independently Unique (a Mistake SWTOR made).
3. Immersion is often broken by names such as “General Mayhem” and “Captain Tight Pants”, but you can’t solve every problem when there are Muppets in the world.
Option Four:
Enable Multiple Names and require Birth Realm Title. This one is not common but it gives Player’s Characters the Option of Showing / Displaying their First or Full and Sometimes only Last Name as their nameplate, but when the player is Inspected or Added to Friends they show up as “Spartacus Fantasticus of Resna” or Full Name of your Birth Realm. This means that no matter what, the name (including title) is always Globally Unique as the Character Creater ensures the First / Last Name combo is Unique within the Server and the “of Birth Realm” solves the merge and transfer issues later. After a Character Transfer to Lotharia the name ends up being “Spartacus Fantasticus of Resna and Lotharia”.
Benefits:
1. Let’s Players Choose the Name they Want (Even if they need to hide their last name)
2. Handles Server Mergers and Player Transfers without Update
3. Not particularly onerous on Players. It creates Options for more than one Spartacus and yet maintains the Name throughout mergers and transitions.
Drawback:
1. Requires some development planning, but if done early enough, can be reasonably easy to build and manage.
2. Does require the Mail Sender to Know the Players Full Name and Birth so good UI to ensure this selection is easier is very important. Features such as the Spartacus in your friends list before the one in the Guild before all the other randoms.
3. After a server merge ensuring the correct Captain Obvious when there could be multiple across your Friends, Guild and Node Citizen lists needs the player to pay attention.
In my opinion I would push for Option Four or Three in that order. There are other options out there but they are almost all a derivation of these, as far as I am aware. Please comment if you have seen the naming system to Rule them all and perhaps, we can convince Intrepid to adopt it!
What Happens If Nothing Changes?
Speculation is always dangerous, but I say with confidence that nothing happens now. There is no issue if this stay as is right now. The issues come later when the population is shrinking and there is no budget for fixing / altering development that was near sighted years ago. Then we see issues that cause games to die faster that they need to and/or fail to gain the resurgence they should after a big update as players have been moved and the Character you spent countless hours on is now called Lieutenant Leftbehind because it was all you could come up with that was also a legal name.
Conclusion:
I have attempted to articulate concerns / provide feedback around the current state of the naming restrictions. I have also attempted to provide some solutions that, in my opinion, need to be considered at this stage of development and not “tacked on” later because they implement several main systems such Mail, Auction Houses, Friends / Social Management.
I would love to hear from Intrepid around how they believe the current system provides the longevity required by player names, but I am just a single tester providing feedback.
To those of you that have read this post before commenting, I thank you.
The current Naming Restrictions for Ashes are that Names must be Unique within the Server. I believe this needs to be reconsidered.
About the Author:
I am a Kickstarter backer of the project and an avid watcher of the development progress of Ashes of Creation. I did not discover the project early enough to get Alpha 1 Access so have been relegated to comparing the game systems to those in other games based only on what I see and read. I have been reluctant to post any feedback or concerns until I have had the chance to play and interact with these systems directly. In my opinion, providing feedback with only half the perspective is often counterproductive. I just hope that Alpha 2 is not too late in the process to call for change.
My wife and I have been gaming together for over twenty-five years. We hope to do so for twenty more and are looking for Ashes to be a significant part of that.
Introduction:
I am raising this concern in the most polite and constructive way I can. I do not wish to insult or otherwise prejudice the content of this feedback in any way. As such, I ask that terms such as “short sighted” are taken in the manner in which they are intended, constructively and choose not to take offence.
Offence is taken, it is not able to be given.
What’s the Problem?
Character names, for many players, are a defining aspect of their digital / game persona. Many players, such as myself use a small subset of names across all games they play. The ability for a player to get and keep their chosen name can often lead to prolonged play even if the game is not well maintained by the developer.
Please understand that I support Server Wide Unique Names, which strangely enough is what we have today. The issue I am attempting to highlight is what comes next. I have been through the rise and fall of many games over the years and most end the same way, with server mergers. Merging two or more under populated servers into one existing server can save the publisher money and improve gameplay, but, and this is a big but… it is almost never handled in a way that allows players that are not lucky enough to be on the merge target to keep their names. This simple oversight can and does lead to an escalation in the player loss rate.
Never Present a Problem without Offering a Solution:
As a Technology leader for many years, I do not permit my team to escalate issues they have not attempted to solve themselves. I do not care if they bring the “correct” or best answer, the issue is that they have tried to find a resolution and in doing so have gained a better perspective, ultimately becoming a better technology practitioner.
To be clear, I will list some methods that need to be considered at the start (as early as possible) to the development of Core Systems such as Friend Management and Player Mail to be able to handle server mergers and player realm transfers in the inevitable future. I will then make my personal request from that list of options.
Option One:
Eliminate the Server Unique Name and Replace it with a Globally Unique Forum / Account Name. In this way Mail and Friends are “@AccountHandle”.
Benefits:
1. Really Easy to Implement
2. Handles Server Mergers and Player Transfers without Update
3. Can Block Muppets at the Account Level, not just the Character
Drawback:
1. Very restrictive for players as the Requirement to be Unique increases drastically
2. Negative Security Impact as One of Two Authentication Fields is now “Public” Knowledge
3. Breaks the "anonymity" of characters on the same account as originally intended so I can't put a Spy in your Guild
4. Immersion is often broken by names such as “@IamDrunk69”
Option Two:
Create the “Spartacus” Problem by eliminating the Server Unique Names altogether.
Benefits:
1. Players can be their chosen persona with the name they have had forever.
2. Handles Server Mergers and Player Transfers without Update
Drawback:
1. Requires Increased Development effort to ensure you are sending mail to the Correct Spartacus
2. Difficult to Identify the Correct Spartacus
3. Breaks Immersion with Guilds that only except Characters named Spartacus, which is funny for about 20 seconds
4. Server Reputation is basically Impossible at this point, which I understand is important to @Stephen, and I agree that it should be
Option Three:
Require all names to be Globally Unique but enable the option for a last name (or three names, such as “Phil de Mott”) where the combination of First, First Last or First Middle Last, must be Unique Globally. See Eve Online as an example here.
Benefits:
1. Let’s Players Choose the Name they Want (Even if they need to hide their last name)
2. Not Especially Difficult to Implement
3. Handles Server Mergers and Player Transfers without Update
Drawback:
1. Only somewhat restrictive for players as the Requirement to be Unique is increased but is not prohibitive.
2. Generates issues if both First and Last Names are required to be independently Unique (a Mistake SWTOR made).
3. Immersion is often broken by names such as “General Mayhem” and “Captain Tight Pants”, but you can’t solve every problem when there are Muppets in the world.
Option Four:
Enable Multiple Names and require Birth Realm Title. This one is not common but it gives Player’s Characters the Option of Showing / Displaying their First or Full and Sometimes only Last Name as their nameplate, but when the player is Inspected or Added to Friends they show up as “Spartacus Fantasticus of Resna” or Full Name of your Birth Realm. This means that no matter what, the name (including title) is always Globally Unique as the Character Creater ensures the First / Last Name combo is Unique within the Server and the “of Birth Realm” solves the merge and transfer issues later. After a Character Transfer to Lotharia the name ends up being “Spartacus Fantasticus of Resna and Lotharia”.
Benefits:
1. Let’s Players Choose the Name they Want (Even if they need to hide their last name)
2. Handles Server Mergers and Player Transfers without Update
3. Not particularly onerous on Players. It creates Options for more than one Spartacus and yet maintains the Name throughout mergers and transitions.
Drawback:
1. Requires some development planning, but if done early enough, can be reasonably easy to build and manage.
2. Does require the Mail Sender to Know the Players Full Name and Birth so good UI to ensure this selection is easier is very important. Features such as the Spartacus in your friends list before the one in the Guild before all the other randoms.
3. After a server merge ensuring the correct Captain Obvious when there could be multiple across your Friends, Guild and Node Citizen lists needs the player to pay attention.
In my opinion I would push for Option Four or Three in that order. There are other options out there but they are almost all a derivation of these, as far as I am aware. Please comment if you have seen the naming system to Rule them all and perhaps, we can convince Intrepid to adopt it!
What Happens If Nothing Changes?
Speculation is always dangerous, but I say with confidence that nothing happens now. There is no issue if this stay as is right now. The issues come later when the population is shrinking and there is no budget for fixing / altering development that was near sighted years ago. Then we see issues that cause games to die faster that they need to and/or fail to gain the resurgence they should after a big update as players have been moved and the Character you spent countless hours on is now called Lieutenant Leftbehind because it was all you could come up with that was also a legal name.
Conclusion:
I have attempted to articulate concerns / provide feedback around the current state of the naming restrictions. I have also attempted to provide some solutions that, in my opinion, need to be considered at this stage of development and not “tacked on” later because they implement several main systems such Mail, Auction Houses, Friends / Social Management.
I would love to hear from Intrepid around how they believe the current system provides the longevity required by player names, but I am just a single tester providing feedback.
To those of you that have read this post before commenting, I thank you.
The point here is not what might have been done, but what we do now.
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