Numbers beside players names?

WolfpackEE

Elite Guru

Join Date: Feb 2005

I noticed when grouping with some people that they sometimes had numbers beside their name like Joe Blow (2). What is the significance of the number?

Lews

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2005

Seattle, Washington

R/E

I've always wondered about that as well. I think maybe they like numbers.

Spooky

Spooky

Bokusatsu Tenshi

Join Date: Dec 2004

Bellevue, WA

KEA

E/Mo

It's a display bug. The number beside their name is their position in the party.

Lews

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2005

Seattle, Washington

R/E

Makes sense. But why do only a few people have it? I notice not everyone does.

Kiwi

Kiwi

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Feb 2005

The Holy Land of Kiwis!

Because maybe not everyone is in your party...

Deadroot

Deadroot

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Feb 2005

The Amazon Basin [AB]

N/R

They are supposed to be your number in the group, with the person who formed the group getting (1) and other people getting the next number based on when they join the group. Its pretty simple really, but for some reason it hasn't really worked for the longest time. No idea what makes it work sometimes and not others, or why it has never been fixed. Probably not a very high priority.

*shrugs* that's all I know, and that's pulled from what someone else told me.

Lews

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2005

Seattle, Washington

R/E

No, people in my group usually do not get the number. Only maybe one in 10 groups does maybe 1 person have the number.

Curlyfry

Curlyfry

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2005

New York City

I also found that players not in your party will have numbers. They display type and level i think. R7 means ranger on lvl 7, W14 is warrior on lvl 14.

Lews

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2005

Seattle, Washington

R/E

Not that number.

Deadroot

Deadroot

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Feb 2005

The Amazon Basin [AB]

N/R

Quote:
Originally Posted by Curlyfry
I also found that players not in your party will have numbers. They display type and level i think. R7 means ranger on lvl 7, W14 is warrior on lvl 14.
That's a different number (but you are right about what that number means).

The number we are talking about is in parentheses right after a person's name on the party window. An example would be "Dead Root (4)". The fact that they usually don't show up is just a bug, like Spooky said. Or is the fact that they sometimes show up the bug? Either way, its buggy

Pharalon

Pharalon

Beta Tester

Join Date: Jan 2005

Carebear Club

The numbers are a design feature that is supposed to prevent abusing the naming system by using a set of names that are very hard to distinguish (eg llll llll, llllll llll, lll llll). Using some unkown algorithm, if the game determines that someones name is not "unique" or easily recognizable (say korean characters), then the number in parenthesis will appear next to the name, to aid in target calling. It shouldn't appear for most names.

CheopisIV

CheopisIV

Academy Page

Join Date: Mar 2005

Calgary, AB

I noticed this number thing too, but it wasn't in the 1-4 of party members, and it didn't seem to be a naming issue (in my party anyway) as we all had very different names...but anyway, one of the numbers was 2, and the other was 5....in a four people party.

=HT=Ingram

=HT=Ingram

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2005

Anchorage Alaska

Haz Team [HT]

R/W

Actually it has to do with the friends list and guild list.

Lets say you add a friend with one name to your list and that frend logs out and joins with another character name. You see them as the original name on your list except with a 2 after it. same with 3 and 4. you never see more then 4... If they are not on your friends list or guild list it doesn't show up that way...

I saw in a slightly later build this weekend they added it so it showed their current name on the friends list with the one they used when you added them in Parenthesis and the number next to it... thats the only reason I mentioned this... I'm almost positive that is what your talking about...

Ingram of Haz

Devil's Dictionary

Devil's Dictionary

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Feb 2005

Presumed missing...

Me/N

Quote:
Originally Posted by =HT=Ingram
Lets say you add a friend with one name to your list and that frend logs out and joins with another character name. You see them as the original name on your list except with a 2 after it. same with 3 and 4. you never see more then 4... If they are not on your friends list or guild list it doesn't show up that way...
Actually I often saw the number on my name.
If a player on my friends list logs in under another name I see
'[Current Name] ([The name I added to my list])'
All of the people I've seen with a (#) were not in my list.

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

I agree with the part in the group. I was the creator (I had a number 1 that stuck with me even after disbanding the group). Then I saw another who joined in third and he had a 3 magically appear in parentheses after loading some map. And my name is unique isn't it?

Lansing Kai Don