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Thread: Expired Account Character Names Policy

  1. #1

    Default Expired Account Character Names Policy

    With the close of Asheron’s Call, there’s a number of people coming into Istaria with a desire to carry over their character names from Asheron’s Call. As Istaria has been around for a long time, there’s a number of characters on inactive accounts with desired names. We also recognize that an inactive account might become active in the future and would want their character name without modification.

    A proposed change to Istaria’s character naming policy is described below:
    • Paid accounts that expire (no active subscriptions/access) will have their character names reserved for two years, from the date of last launcher login (not last character login), or the length of the paid subscription, whichever is longer.
    • After two years of no login, a character name may be requested by another player.
    • A paid account is having paid for one or more months of game time.
    • If a character is renamed, it will follow the format of character_shard
    • Archived characters are not exempt.
    • If a player returns after two years and finds their character’s renamed, they can request a free name change.
    • Free accounts will have their names reserved for 6 months since date of last launcher login.
    • Friends of a deceased player can make a request to preserve old character names. This would be similar to how Memorial Plots work.


    To further make this easier, if someone wants to maintain their character names without logging in, they can send an email to [email protected] or a support request through https://support.istaria.com requesting their character names be preserved for an additional two years.

    The important goal in this is to ensure that expired accounts likely preserve character names while allowing an account that is likely not coming back to release those character names.

    Thank you in advance for feedback and any other thoughts about this proposed change. Please note that posts off topic will be deleted. This sort of change often generates a lot of passionate discussion (like many changes) and we're doing our best to walk the middle path.
    Last edited by Yfelvik; February 6th, 2017 at 06:04 PM. Reason: Updated so the period of time is two years from last login --or-- end of paid access, which ever is longer

  2. #2

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    "Paid accounts that expire (no active subscriptions/access) will have their character names reserved for two years, from the date of last launcher login (not last character login). After two years of no login, a character name may be requested by another player."

    Wouldn't it make more sense for 2 years after paid subscription ends OR last launcher login, whichever is the latest date?

    In that scenario - person pays for years then stops paying one day because money issues, idk, but still intend to continue paying and eventually plan to come back (seen in the case of some of the key community plot holder subs for ex)...as soon as they stop paying, name up for reclaim instantly. Seems a little unfair. xD Especially if they can't/don't want to download istaria before they want to return (limited computer space, amongst other issues one may have.)

    And yes, while you could say "but we have an email service for that" extra steps to do that discourages people from doing it xD

    Other than that, yeah i'm in support!

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    I'm in support of this but Azath's concerns mirror my own ^

    Also, what would happen to characters of players who passed away? We can't ever really confirm it, but there are definitely players who the community knows passed away and have their plots/names remembered across the server. Would those be an exception for the sake of respect?

    There was a lot of talk/discussion in Discord about this so here's a document compiling it all:
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing
    I'd expand this thread tenfold if I were to paste it all here

  4. #4

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    I am not in favor of name reclaims at all really, except in the case of a name "theft" assuming such a thing could even be proven. These situations could be handled on a case by case basis, as it is likely something to be a very rare occurrence.

    My stance is that if someone wants a name that is common enough to have already been used, they should pick something else. Stop copying everyone else and come up with something unique. Unoriginality abounds...

    If the idea pushes forward, I would modify one line:

    • Paid accounts that expire (no active subscriptions/access) will have their character names reserved for two years, from the date of last launcher login (not last character login), or the length of the paid subscription, whichever is longer.


    In my case, the sub has been paid for 13 some odd years, no one should ever be allowed to use my characters names, ever imho. The only reason to do so in my case, would be to somehow copy me (I came up with most of my character names, they are unique). That is unacceptable. This proposal put this in the realm of possibility assuming I quit and didn't open the launcher for 2 years. Then I decide to come back and some jack@$$ has hijacked my names? I don't think so...

  5. #5

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    I have a rather weird question that tangentially relates to this. Back when Horizons went live, each account had to have a unique email address. I had 3 accounts, each with several characters on them. During one of my breaks, they changed it so you could have multiple subscriptions under one account. When I next played, I resubscribed under one account with three subscriptions and the old account/emails went away.

    Now, I want to recover a couple of names that I used on those other email accounts, as they are names that are near and dear to me. When I try to create a new character with that name, it tells me it's in use, but I no longer have the login details of those other two email addresses. Is there any way to recover those names so that I can use them now?


  6. #6

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    You can have those characters merged into your current account, just send a support ticket.

    It's fun logging into chars you haven't touched in years..

  7. #7

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    I am 100 % with Guaran here.

    It still happens I hear them shout: "Look who is back- after all those years"-
    or that I find an old friend from Unity- and know exactly who he/she is. Just happened some weeks ago.

    What a confusion if someone else has/uses the name of an old friend/long ago player..
    YOU told me to play a dragon!

  8. #8

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    Thank you very much for thinking about this carefully. The following changes have been made:

    Name hold time duration - adjusted to be date of last login / end of paid subscription
    Deceased players - we'll have something so that deceased players characters can be reserved. This would still require someone to send in a request (just like a Memorial Plot), but it's understood this feature is needed.

  9. #9

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    Btw I am all for getting more subs from players who left Asheron's Call.

    Just to clarify, one of the reasons presented for this in the Discord chat was to get a name back that someone else "stole". However, this very mechanism could also do just that.

    It seems like in the few instances of that, it could be handled on a case by case basis.

    And I still occasionally see players who've been gone 5 years or more come back, and I would really hate for them to try coming back to find their name was sniped... Perhaps the likelyhood is low. However I also believe the likelyhood is low that someone coming from Asheron's Call has found their name isn't available, unless it is something like "Jasper" in which case, pretty much any game they try to play in, that name isn't going to be available. (In that case, just make up a new name).

    I'm just worried we are potentially creating more problems than we are solving with this...

    ************************************************** ******************

    To get Asheron's Call players to join, why not give them a 2 month free sub, with no limitations or restrictions? Uncapped leveling, and a plot slot? Many will jump at that, and get hooked.

  10. #10

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    Quote Originally Posted by Guaran View Post
    And I still occasionally see players who've been gone 5 years or more come back, and I would really hate for them to try coming back to find their name was sniped...
    My last break was close to 6 years, and yeah I would have hated that


  11. #11
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    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    Quote Originally Posted by Guaran View Post
    Btw I am all for getting more subs from players who left Asheron's Call.

    Just to clarify, one of the reasons presented for this in the Discord chat was to get a name back that someone else "stole". However, this very mechanism could also do just that.

    It seems like in the few instances of that, it could be handled on a case by case basis.

    And I still occasionally see players who've been gone 5 years or more come back, and I would really hate for them to try coming back to find their name was sniped... Perhaps the likelyhood is low. However I also believe the likelyhood is low that someone coming from Asheron's Call has found their name isn't available, unless it is something like "Jasper" in which case, pretty much any game they try to play in, that name isn't going to be available. (In that case, just make up a new name).

    I'm just worried we are potentially creating more problems than we are solving with this...

    ************************************************** ******************

    To get Asheron's Call players to join, why not give them a 2 month free sub, with no limitations or restrictions? Uncapped leveling, and a plot slot? Many will jump at that, and get hooked.
    Not "low" at all. Happened to me. I'd give anything to have my original name back, but someone took it while I was gone and eh... I changed it so I wasn't mad anymore. (Much.)
    Bherel Auphun (Chaos - main)
    Roasted Sumatra (Chaos)

    Sassi Quickwing (Blight)
    [Beryl, house of the Kindred Spirits, Dawn Server, R.I.P.]

  12. #12

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    Question: I have 1 dragon on another account wich i created waaaaaaay back as a child. this dragon is my very first and oldest dragon. Would it be possible to pull it over on my account that i use nowadays? I forgot about the other account and recently remembered but i dont use it. Would be a shame if i lose that dragons name ^^ And i might also bring it up to ancient. But i dont wanna pay 2 accounts.

    "If being of fire means blind arrogance and the elevation of violence above reason, then let me be of water!"

  13. #13

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    Pryzm: I just did basically the same thing. Open a ticket and give them as much info about the old account as you can, to prove it's yours (name of characters, email address, etc.). I was able to recover some old characters from a different account this way.

    And a quick shout-out to support... you guys are great!!


  14. #14

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    I am one of those people who played Asheron's Call since Feb 2000.
    I did play Horizons for quite a while and very much liked it. I very much liked the characters I had, and put a ton of work into them.
    If I am not able to get those characters back, then 100%, I would not return to play Horizons. My Dragon was 100 Adult, and my umm, cannot remember what race... blue-ish guy with a tail was a Multi-class, 3 classes... was upper 60's, maybe 70's.
    I do remember all my craftings were maxxed level on both characters.

    ~~To get Asheron's Call players to join, why not give them a 2 month free sub, with no limitations or restrictions? Uncapped leveling, and a plot slot? Many will jump at that, and get hooked. ~~

    This is something I could go for because as it sits now, I just cannot afford $155 to play a game when my work schedule is 28 days on / 28 days off... so I get to play only partially even other month...

    Anyhoos... I am thinking of playing again, but just do not know yet.

  15. #15
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    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    Quote Originally Posted by Aipper View Post
    If I am not able to get those characters back,
    I do want to jut in and say that you aren't losing those characters. The devs won't delete them; it's just proposed that they're renamed to name_server so the names can be freed up again for others to use. I don't think anyone ever plans on deleting them entirely unless I misread something...

  16. #16

    Default Re: Expired Account Character Names Policy

    I would say I would want to keep a player's name permanent. Druidess and I have played this 'game' well over 10-12 years. In fact we have played so long, I forget just how long it's been. She and I are talking about taking another 'extended' break soon as she finishes up confectioner, and our last break was 6 years I think? Yet, when we came back, we still had 'our' names. I would hate like heck to take a break, come back, and log in, send a tell to Gauran, and them to come back and ask me, "Who are you?" because someone 'took' his identity. Our names are who we are here. To put them 'up for grabs' is wrong. I liken it to 'identity theft' (don't flame me, I know it's not! ). I am Telshyia, I have always been Telshyia, and I will continue to be Telshyia, long after the 'game' is gone, or I die, whichever comes first. And even then, my hatchie grandkids, and now my hatchie GREAT-Grand daughter will know me as Telshyia!!

    Tel

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