Renaming - reply to friday's interview - Guild Wars Guru archive powered by Guild Wars Legacy

varyag

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2005

Wrath of Nature [Fury]

Me/Mo

20 Jul 2005 at 23:11 - 1

From last friday's interview with Gaile:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaile

Renaming a character would be super for an innocent individual – a good player – who simply decided to make a harmless change. But what if abusive players or scammers had renaming opportunities?

If you are a Guild Leader or an Officer, and you leave a guild message, the name that you created or joined the guild under will always be listed, even if you no longer use it. (and even if its now owned by someone else).

Why continue to discuss name-changing issues when there are more important bugs to be fixed with the way things work right now?

Tactical-Dillusions

Desert Nomad

Join Date: May 2005

Grimsby, UK

R/

20 Jul 2005 at 23:36 - 2

I'd love to change the name of my warrior. It was intended as a mule account but i kinda got carried away one day trying to kill cobble poundstone near sardalec and now i'm in thunderhead....with a silly named warrior, lol.

Mournblade

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: May 2005

Houston, Texas

Dawn Treaders [DAWN]

W/Mo

20 Jul 2005 at 23:57 - 3

I understand perfectly why renaming would cause issues, but as a consumer i'd still like the option to do it. =)

Xiombarg Swordqueen... what the heck was I thinking?

Young_Anakin

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2005

21 Jul 2005 at 00:02 - 4

please let us have some sort of option that would let us rename our character and go back to day one where we picked how our character was going to look. I'm tired of being a GIRL

Charrbane

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2005

Canada

W/E

21 Jul 2005 at 00:08 - 5

My main character was supposed to have a second name of Talonmark but I screwed up somehow in my haste to get on and check out the game, so I ended up with Talenmark. It's no biggie tho and I can live with it. It would be nice if we could edit our names but I definitely understand why unlimited name changes aren't allowed. I wouldn't want to make it available to scammers and lamers the ability to change thier account names. If you could change your primary account name it would also throw your friend's friend list out of wack.

Lasareth

Aquarius

Join Date: Jun 2005

Somewhere between Boardwalk and Park Place

21 Jul 2005 at 00:24 - 6

My character has often put me in the awkward situation of being called or talked to in Vietnamese, although it's just a play on "Han Solo." So... Change would be nice :/

Drakron

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2005

21 Jul 2005 at 00:45 - 7

This is a non-issue, unless ANet plans is internet forums mob justice to police the players community.

The reason is simple, when you get a character added to a guild or as friends/ignored list its tracts what character you are currently playing.

So scammers and abusive players are stuck, they get one character in ignore and his entire character list goes into ignore.

Besides its so easy to make a new character and in 1 day reach Lions Arch (that is the trading city of the game) so in essence they are already being give the ability to change their names, expecialy since storage is for account and not for character.

Paul Templar

Academy Page

Join Date: Jul 2005

New Zealand

Insert Two Lazy Guild Name [LaZy]

N/R

21 Jul 2005 at 01:37 - 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charrbane

My main character was supposed to have a second name of Talonmark but I screwed up somehow in my haste to get on and check out the game, so I ended up with Talenmark. It's no biggie tho and I can live with it. It would be nice if we could edit our names but I definitely understand why unlimited name changes aren't allowed. I wouldn't want to make it available to scammers and lamers the ability to change thier account names. If you could change your primary account name it would also throw your friend's friend list out of wack.

is that anything to do with telemarketing?
at least it wasnt Templars Boner
Like us all if we make a mistake we only do it once but scammers and abusers will see it as a way to make trouble and get away with it
and if you build something really good u dont want to lose it

Ultimate_Gaara

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jun 2005

BC, Canada.. how aboot that eh?

21 Jul 2005 at 02:47 - 9

whats the big deal about name changing? a name is a name and i say stick with it, if they do decide to have an name changing ability i say make it someone in town (merchant type person) so that Anet can still know who it is and just charge them like 1K or something... now ill just sit here and wait for people do disagree with me

lord_shar

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2005

near SF, CA

21 Jul 2005 at 03:25 - 10

Character names serve an additional function: they're used to track your storage account on a separate item database. I found this out first hand after getting to post-Searing Ascalon, then decided to delete my 1st character and start over. Well, I re-used the 1st toon's name, and to my surprise, all my 1st character's original stored items were still in the stash when my identically-named 2nd character accessed the storage stash for the first time.

Renaming characters could disrupt indexes to existing items in storage. This could lead to data loss or (worse yet) access to other player's storage accounts. Safety coding could be put into place to prevent the above from happening... we'll have to wait and see what ANET decides to do.

Lasareth

Aquarius

Join Date: Jun 2005

Somewhere between Boardwalk and Park Place

21 Jul 2005 at 05:21 - 11

I'm a bit curious as to what primary naming is, as I'm pretty ignorant in that specific. What does it impact, and why is it important?

Thankies

Kaylynn Of Ascalon

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

California

21 Jul 2005 at 05:35 - 12

I like that as well. all the names I have are fine, but I'd like the option incase I DIDN'T like a name I chose.

IGN's:Kaylynn Of Ascalon, Kyla Of Ascalon, Lube the Great.

P.S. Lube the Great is actually based off myweb name that I use for everything: Lubetek

lord_shar

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2005

near SF, CA

21 Jul 2005 at 05:37 - 13

Quote:

Originally Posted by varyag

Bullshit. This is what I get in reply to a reasonable post. Plain Bullshit.

Why the hostility? Your response is simply uncalled for. I made an honest post, and this is how you reply?

Quote:

Originally Posted by varyag

Why even talk about 'safety coding'?! We aren't discussing Microsoft operation systems here. Its a simple database update.

I take it you don't work on enterprise level databases.

The fact that I was able to access old items by re-using a character name definitely exposes the fact that items are tied to a relational database using names as a possible index.

Combine this with a rename function, and you have the potential for ripping off other people's stashes without even accessing their characters.

So, do you get it yet?

Quote:

Originally Posted by varyag

I suggested ONE such update to be allowed PER ACCOUNT. ONCE. To allow the OWNER of the account to CONSCIOUSLY and DELIBERATELY decide on a PERMANENT account name.

One thing I've learned about designing production level databases is that you always leave an audit trail. The name field could be used by ANET for indexing related records. If so, then renames are something you'd absolutely want to minimize.

Quote:

Originally Posted by varyag

Currently it is assigned by the game based on an algorithm unspecified in the game's manual which is just plain WRONG.

Someone creating his first character as "ASDF GHJK" just to test the game will FOREVER have that test name assigned to his account. WHY?!

Outrage.

You can delete test name characters and replace the character altogether.

So much for that argument.

varyag

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2005

Wrath of Nature [Fury]

Me/Mo

21 Jul 2005 at 05:40 - 14

Ummm.. you are quoting from a post that I edited completely 30 seconds after posting, and which was then removed because it wasn't relevant to the real issue I wanted to raise. Whatever. -_-

OK, so I was just informed of what the real problem is... original post updated.

Ashley Twig

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2005

germany

Guild Of Openhearted Deeds

R/Mo

21 Jul 2005 at 05:41 - 15

I wouldn't even mind, if they'd charge me for renaming, but, as support tells me in their recent reply to one of my requests: They can't change the name.
If they can't, who can?
And why don't they have a white-list against which charcter names can be checked if they accidentaly get a hit on the black-list?
There are plenty of names that get rejected, just because someone thinks it might be abusive.
That's ridiculous.

Dax

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

21 Jul 2005 at 05:59 - 16

Quote:

Originally Posted by varyag

The audience seems to be alittle slow today, so let me get REAL basic here:

So I guess anyone who disagrees is a little slow...huh nice.

varyag

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2005

Wrath of Nature [Fury]

Me/Mo

21 Jul 2005 at 06:02 - 17

Everyone who posts offtopic... like me... is slow... but at least its balance by your quick quoting replies.

:P

lord_shar

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2005

near SF, CA

21 Jul 2005 at 06:07 - 18

Quote:

Originally Posted by varyag

Everyone who posts offtopic... like me... is slow... but at least its balance by your quick quoting replies.

:P

OK, this thread is entitled "renaming."

EDIT: There's only 2 name type that players get to specify: the toon name, and guild name.

The account storing the toons are tied to an e-mail address. I tried putting a generic account name in here, but it refused to take it until a valid e-mail address was entered.

So, in plain english, what the heck are you talking about?

Spartan2

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

The Intarweb

Wrath of Nature [WoN]

E/Mo

21 Jul 2005 at 06:15 - 19

Quote:

Originally Posted by lord_shar

OK, this thread is entitled "renaming."

EDIT: There's only 2 name type that players get to specify: the toon name, and guild name.

The account storing the toons are tied to an e-mail address. I tried putting a generic account name in here, but it refused to take it until a valid e-mail address was entered.

So, in plain english, what the heck are you talking about?

Alright, you get your account set to [email protected]
First character you set as a joke to "Biggus MyCrotchus". As you play and get better, you realize that this name didn't reflect the actual kind of gamer you are, so you delete that to make a better character. Well, months after you wised up and matured... "Biggus MyCrotchus" is still doing guild message updates -.-

Even if it weren't a stupid joke name and was a roleplaying name that you have given up or had some value that you wanted to leave behind, you wouldn't want a constant reminder of what that name could bring up everytime you log in...

varyag

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2005

Wrath of Nature [Fury]

Me/Mo

21 Jul 2005 at 06:28 - 20

Even if its not a horrible name... just knowing that someone else now uses it and it keeps appearing in guild history and messages... is annoying.

Crusader

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2005

21 Jul 2005 at 06:59 - 21

Quote:

Originally Posted by lord_shar

Character names serve an additional function: they're used to track your storage account on a separate item database. I found this out first hand after getting to post-Searing Ascalon, then decided to delete my 1st character and start over. Well, I re-used the 1st toon's name, and to my surprise, all my 1st character's original stored items were still in the stash when my identically-named 2nd character accessed the storage stash for the first time.

Renaming characters could disrupt indexes to existing items in storage. This could lead to data loss or (worse yet) access to other player's storage accounts. Safety coding could be put into place to prevent the above from happening... we'll have to wait and see what ANET decides to do.

Uh... someone needs to straighten you out here.
your storage is a linked storage for all your characters.
so your storage is linked to your email address.. not
individual character names.

Nefser

Elite Guru

Join Date: Jan 2005

21 Jul 2005 at 07:05 - 22

Why doesn't A.Net just change the code that uses the primary account name (and includes it in messages) to instead do a lookup and get whatever it thinks of as the 'new' primary name (which would have been the secondary char). They can then just insert that name in the guild messages?

The old Primary name is now just an index key for the account (assuming that's how it works).

IMO: You want a new name? Delete your character and don't be quite so quick in choosing a foolish name when creating (long-term) PVE char's. Think of it as a little lesson in life.

john little

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

UK, EU Server

And All That Could Have Been [AATC]

E/Mo

21 Jul 2005 at 07:34 - 23

IIRC if the current Guild Leader edits the message, it changes to their name instead of the old one. Or at least it used to.

Sagius Truthbarron

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jun 2005

Animal Factory [ZoO]

A/

21 Jul 2005 at 09:18 - 24

Quote:

Originally Posted by lord_shar

Character names serve an additional function: they're used to track your storage account on a separate item database. I found this out first hand after getting to post-Searing Ascalon, then decided to delete my 1st character and start over. Well, I re-used the 1st toon's name, and to my surprise, all my 1st character's original stored items were still in the stash when my identically-named 2nd character accessed the storage stash for the first time.

Renaming characters could disrupt indexes to existing items in storage. This could lead to data loss or (worse yet) access to other player's storage accounts. Safety coding could be put into place to prevent the above from happening... we'll have to wait and see what ANET decides to do.

Incase you haven't noticed: Storage is per account, not per character.

The reason why you could see them is becuase you were using the same account.