Lock Character option - New Method

A new idea for locking a character, so that if a malicious person gains access to your account, they can't delete your characters (and their Titles, Hall of Monuments etc):

You have the option to make a character "Locked" (permanently undeletable)
...but in order to do this, you have to buy a new character slot.

In doing this (this method is an attempt to resolve problems with previous, similar ideas):

1. You can protect your main characters and their achievements from ever being deleted.

2. You can't run out of unlocked slots - every time you lock one, you get a new unlocked slot.

3. Nobody can lock a character, and later need an unlock (because you can never run out of unlocked slots)

4. A jerk accessing your account cannot fill it up with locked characters.

5. A jerk accessing your account would have to pay real money to lock an existing character, and this would achieve nothing.

6. If you don't think character locks are necessary (your password is invincible!), then you don't have to use the feature, and you don't have to pay anything.

7. A-net makes some money.

Everybody wins, nobody gets hurt. Except that we pay for character locks. I sense the objections already... "you have to pay to lock your character? But I want it free!".

But please, come on - if you REALLY want permanent protection for your main character, isn't it worth a few dollars? Wouldn't you rather have that, than the "free" option we have right now (ie. NO protection)? Me, I'd cough up the money in a nanosecond.

So, would this work? Fire away.

UPDATES

For those who truly cannot buy online, or refuse to:

A possible solution is to:
Give every account one character lock for free
This would be sufficient for most people who only have one main "title-hunter" character. If you wanted more than one, you'd still have a problem. But at least you got something, unlike the Bonus Mission Pack release.

To minimise impact of someone gaining access to your account and using your free lock, and to prevent newbies from locking a character before they really understand the implications,
Locks could be only usable on lvl20 chars who have a number of maxed titles (eg. 1 to 5)...

...or even,
How about: only the character with the most maxed titles can be locked?
Remaining characters could subsequently be locked, but only if a) they have the most maxed titles of the characters left, and b) they have more than x maxed titles (eg. 1 to 5)

This way, even if someone accessed your account, and used your free lock before you did... chances are high that the only character they can lock, is the one you'd have done yourself anyway.

Doing all this would still retain all the original advantages listed above.

I think it'd be great to have a lock character option but having to pay for it would be a bad thing. For those of us who don't have credit cards, this wouldn't be easy for us.

It seems a nice idea to me... Dunno if they'll ever add a thing like this, anyway

/signed

Or, you can play smart and not get hacked.

/notsigned

Or

You could just give us locks for free! ZOMG NO WAI!

and for those of us with no acsess(im never ever going to be able to ever spell that word) to a credit or debit card we miss out?

sounds quite fair

/notsigned

meh im one of those old fashined people that refuses to exchange money via the internet. i dont do online transactions. esp if im worried about a keylogger. like ima type out my info with a key logger! so selling a new slot may be feesable for those that do online transactions.

But its like when i contacted A-net about changing my password. they wanted my cd key number and all kinds of personal info. i tole them to to stuff themselves and would not reveal taht info especialy since i may have a keylogger in my comp and not even know it! cos antivirus wont detect keyloggers. they arent viruses.

spyware wont pick them up either. cos they arent spyware.

in fact, keyloggers are almost impossible to detect in time.

look at it frm a business point of view... anet has to pay someone t program it. in fact several hundred man hours would go into this and a few thousand dollars.

A-net already has your money. why would they spend it on this? they dont really care if you get hacked, jsut as long as you come back for GW2.

so expect to see these improvements in gw2. not here.

i'm pretty sure they sell visa gift cards at some stores, and they work online.

/notsigned.....

Should not be charged to have "extra" security on your accounts. Anet has already taken steps for security for free, such as customized armors, which can both be implemented for economy and security reasons (would be better if they didn't imo). For the most part, the person who got hacked is at fault.

already searched around for them for different purpose's, im pretty sure no where near my house/within reasonable traveling distance has them.

/signed

12 chars

/signed It doesn't hurt anyone.

You're not being charged, it would be an optional feature allowing those that want to take the added step to be safer. As for blaming the person for being hacked.. everyone that connects the the internet can be hacked. If you're unhackable then you should go work for a bank or the government, they really need you.

OR instead of paying for it so the hacker wouldnt lock all ur chars...how bout the lock option is only limited to only 2-3 chars at a time huh huh huh?

how bout 3-5 character-only titles? by then you're set on keeping toon usually.

So, you oppose this... not because it affects you in any way, not because it breaks the game, not because you see no value in it... but because you want to punish people who are unlucky or not as "smart" as you?

People have reported here, that they had their accounts broken into, despite all reasonable and "smart" precautions.

Those who cannot (or will not) buy character slots online:

How about if A-Net made the first lock free of charge? One is probably enough, isn't it? For your main title-hunter character? Using your free lock would still open a new empty slot. Further locks would require the cost of a new character slot... but at least you got something, unlike the Bonus Mission pack.

However, this has the disadvantage that if someone accessed your account they could use up your first lock before you did... and you're back to the start. But this might be addressed as suggested by others - by only allowing locks on level 20 characters, who already have a number of titles, or even: only the unlocked character that has the most titles. Then if someone got into your account and used your lock... chances are it's a character you'd want to lock anyway.

Yeah, and Windows already has "security", so I shouldn't have to download or pay for a good firewall, or anti-virus either :-P

If you trust the built-in security and your password... congratulations! YOU don't need this feature. But why deny it to others?

Because a) they might make some money through lock purchases and b) if my main character got deleted, there's every chance I wouldn't be coming back for GW2.

Please note: original post is now updated, to address concerns and incorporate suggestions from others.

Very nice idea. I wouldn't mind paying 10 bucks to lock a character I've played 3 years with.

/signed

/signed. I would not mind paying for it, I only have one character I would want to lock anyway. I really cannot see any downsides to this. You dont HAVE to lock your characters. If you feel safe enough without it, good for you. But for computer nitwits like me it would be a nice addition

/signed

I also thought about a simular system as this to post to prevent "hackers/unwanted persons" to delete your characters by providing an extra question such as Secret Questions in order to delete your character permanent. The awnser is only known by the person who made the character and couldnt be possible known by others.

Good idea, personally I am willing to pay a small fee to lock a character I spent hours working on.

definitely /signed

/signed

I also thought about a simular system as this to post to prevent "hackers/unwanted persons" to delete your characters by providing an extra question such as Secret Questions in order to delete your character permanent. The awnser is only known by the person who made the character and couldnt be possible known by others.

Now, that I like! I mean, there has to be an easy way to add another layer of protection short of some permanent "never delete" option.

/signed

First, your living ing the 21st century how can you have no access to credit cards. Your on a computer, it's the electronic age, credit cards are a way of life. If you don't want the debt pay it off every month. If you don't have access to one because your a kid your parents must. You only need to earn 10 dollars and get them to buy it for you. Do some chores for the money make a deal with your parents.

/notsigned, for the same reason in the other thread.

If Anet has top notch security, and you don't make a password such as olol2, you won't get hacked.

So, your only objection is "I don't need it, and I don't want other people to have something I don't need"? Kind of selfish isn't it?

You have faith in your password, and trust that it is forever impossible that anyone could access your account. Good for you.

But I am not so trusting, and I would like insurance. How does it hurt you, or the game, if I choose to have that insurance? You can choose not to use it.