CHAR NAMES ISSUE - LUCA WE NEED ANSWERS NOW

[Kylia]

Ok let use this topic for official answers as the other one was more a player crying room... ( and I cried there myself)

But now it's time to get Luca's words on it, so please Luca please post here and asap the answer to the following questions :

1. When the system find a name conflict does all 3 or 2 names get an _oldshardname extension or is one of them keeping the original name ?

2. If the second way explained in point #1 is right (1 of the player keeping the original name) what is you position about active players loosing their char name to the profit of a char on an unactivated/unpaid account ?

3. If the first way explained in point #1 is right (all same char names get an extension) how will you sort out which of them will keep it ?

4. What is your solution for player wishing to change their lost names, considering that the support case way IS NOT A FAIR AND ACCURATE way to do it...
Let me explain what I'm forseeing ; I want to change my name :
4.a. I sent a ticket to support site with my new name proposal
4.b. after 4-5 days (due to numerous cases) i get the answer that this new name is already in use...
4.c. I sent a new support ticket with an other name proposal...
4.d. This can go for ever unless I chose a name like "LKJFOIEHOIUNKJV"
See what I mean ??

5. And last but not least, HOW COME SUCH AN EMOTIONAL AND HUGE ISSUE HAD NOT BEEN DISCUTED / CLEARLY STATED AND ANNOUNCED IN DUE TIME BEFORE THE MERGE ???
DID YOU IMAGINED THAT THERE WILL BE NO CONFLICTS AT ALL ??
DID YOU IMAGINED THAT THIS KIND OF ISSUE WILL NOT UPSET YOUR PLAYERBASE (GOING THINY THESE DAYS) ??

Of course I'm angry to have had lost my main char name, but that's beside the point, I cannot believe we are being left in the dark about such a important thing. I can live even with keeping my actual "Kylia_ice" name but I want to know how the whole things have been handled and I will HATE (so much) to learn or to doubt that there is a "Kylia" char sleeping on an desactivated account while I'm actually playing and PAYING that game...

Please leave guesses and suppositions out of this topic and let Luca come here with official words.

Regards,
Kylia

[Varangaard]

It has been clearly stated, even back during the USA merge too, that only the oldest character gets to have the conflicting name. Those created later will get the _oldservername extension and have the option of renaming themselves. This shouldn't come as suprise to anyone.

I am however interested in hearing a reiteration in regards to inactive accounts; the detailed explanations were lost with the fall of Tazoon boards.

[Kylia]

It may have been stated Varangaard, but it was during the USA merge and I don't think many EU players (I'mone of those) had any interest of read this kind of stuff at this time as we were not merging.....

So the excuse of saying "but this was stated during the NA merge" is just either a big BS or laziness demonsration from GN staff.

Add this by the fact that we lost all Tazoon informations, How on Earth are casual players supposed to be aware of how is this issue handled ???

Luca, your words still missing on this post....

Regards,
Kylia

[Horatio]

Bump!

I hate the thought of losing my main chars name, especially to an inactive account or even an alt!

If not handled properly, with due fairness to those people who have spent tireless hours developing their main chars, then I see this as an issue more likely to make people quit playing than any other.

Luca, we need an official GN response on this please

[Xiao_Mei]

Yup, I'd appreciate an answer Luca.

Whilst acknowledging I knewlosing my character names was possible, I'd hate to loseout tounsubscribed accounts.

The mechanism for changing a name is also unworkable IMO as pointed out by Kylia. GN is already having trouble dealing with the volume of support issues.

I'm a little shocked at how attached I am to my old names (especially Felice who was in Beta). I've logged in once and just felt cheated. I haven't managed to drum up any enthusiasm to log back in since. Stupid? Maybe, but it's how I feel right now.

I think we deserve a clear statement on the way forward from here.

[Luca Mazzasogni]

Names of characters belonging to accounts unsubscribed before 1st September 2004 have been renamed directly with the _<shardname> extension before starting the real merge.

So if you got your name changed is because there's another character with the same name and older than yours and that character is still active.

The name change procedure will be managed through the support website a new ticket class should be available soon.

[Claws]

thx luca

call me a dumb a.., but I managed to get a "_wind" on my main dragon character, because I had an earlier created hatchling with the same name on ice.

So here is my question(s):
Can I renamea character without a "_shard" name and then rename the character with the "_shard" name to his "shardless" name?

If not,will deleting the character without a "_shard" name allow me to rename the character with the "_shard" name to his "shardless" name?

thx in advance

[Luca Mazzasogni]

thx luca

call me a dumb a.., but I managed to get a "_wind" on my main dragon character, because I had an earlier created hatchling with the same name on ice.

So here is my question(s):
Can I renamea character without a "_shard" name and then rename the character with the "_shard" name to his "shardless" name?

If not,will deleting the character without a "_shard" name allow me to rename the character with the "_shard" name to his "shardless" name?

thx in advance

Just contact the support website, I'm pretty sure you will be able to do that without problems. [;)]

[Varangaard]

Kylia, you omitted the word "too" when referring to what I said... the procedure in regards to conflicting names was outlined before NA merge, and again before EU merge. However there were no stickied posts on this, which probably how it should've been done...

And, if I understood Luca above, only active accounts got to 'compete' for which was older. Inactive accounts lost their dibs on conflicting names automatically and were all renamed - which is just as it should be. My memory's hazy, but this is how it was done on NA merge as well.

[Horatio]

Names of characters belonging to accounts unsubscribed before 1st September 2004 have been renamed directly with the _<shardname> extension before starting the real merge.

So if you got your name changed is because there's another character with the same name and older than yours and that character is still active.

The name change procedure will be managed through the support website a new ticket class should be available soon.

So you are saying, that the other Horatio, could have created his account 5 minutes before me and never used it since,and He/she will get the name (I created my account almost on day 1 of horizons).

Whereas I, who have spent an insane amount of time in game now have to lose the thing that is most precious to me about my char?

And what about Felice? There in EU beta and still has a name changed forced!

This is unacceptable tome. I don't even want to play at the moment

[metagruen]

Horatio,

in fact it could be that someone actually created his char earlier than your char.
and the account on which it was created is still in subscription.

this means:

1. everyone who is still paying for the game AND created a char with a certain name FIRST is the one, who keeps the name unchanged.

2. while I know your pain, and I know the countless hours you invested this does simply not make you the one who has more right to have the name. If everyone would argue that the one with the most time played has bigger rights, than this is a wrong opinion.

Only because someone plays less, he/she does not have lesser right to have the name he/she chose.

And after all, she/he chose it earlier.

3. If - and I think we are mature people - this is really only an alt/mule char you might be able to talk to the player and gently ask her/him if he/she might give up his name ownership to you.

As much as I love my name, if someone had a name with _ICE, _EARTH from one of my mules/alts I would gladly give it to someone who uses it as a main char.

Customer Support will help that.

So don't give up yet.

[Kylia]

Horatio,

3. If - and I think we are mature people - this is really only an alt/mule char you might be able to talk to the player and gently ask her/him if he/she might give up his name ownership to you.

As much as I love my name, if someone had a name with _ICE, _EARTH from one of my mules/alts I would gladly give it to someone who uses it as a main char.

Customer Support will help that.

So don't give up yet.

It might be a solution metagruen, but how do you want us to contact these guys ?? I mean, if we see someone online with "our" char name, it means that this player is ACTUALLY playing this char (being a main or an alt isn't relevant) and he will then not agree to give up this name. And if we never ever spot "our" name online how are we supposed to have contact with someone who either created a char 10 months ago and stop playing the game (suscribtion still running - took for 12 months for example) or is having a never used mule using that name ??

I know I have no rights to reclaim my name over this guy, but believe me the feeling of guessing that a "sleeping" char is actually having your original name is very upseting...

And Imagine that this very player's suscribtion ends up next month, will there be an automatique update if we choose to kept our modified name instead of finding a new one ?? (I will not, for sure, choose a new name... can you imagine having to tell all your friends "hello my name is Lydia i'm the former Kylia....??)

[Mischief_wind]

It should have been mentioned back on the status screen, my only hope is that they can change my firstname and surname of my two characters that have wind.[*-)]

[Myca Ghimerov]

horatio, even if u have been playing with that name (almost) from the beginning, somebody could still have the same name...after all its not like "horatio" is a very rare name to see...

[Horatio]

horatio, even if u have been playing with that name (almost) from the beginning, somebody could still have the same name...after all its not like "horatio" is a very rare name to see...

How many Horatio'shave you seen then?

I want my name back!! I won't accept anything less.

[Inferno]

I was absoultely gutted to find Inferno renamed to Inferno_wind
Ive spent so much time on Inferno, but I wil be utterly Destroyed inside ifI find the current Inferno to be somebodies Level 5 Alt Mule who couldnt be bothered levelingif she/he tried [:'(]
I also am quite Impressed that this person could also by the game on the same day as me and also 4 hours before 12PM which was when i made Inferno.
Just wish to point something out...
I noticed this line of Text on the login page...
"...for this reason the system automatically granted the right to the name to the oldest character in case it was shared with other players."
Now am i right in thinking that Game Network GUESSED there would be other Inferno's on other shards....? Cause this is the way it looks to me [:|]

[Telic]

Any chance we could give Luca and the GN staff a break?
They've had a busy week..

Just give it some time, it'll all get sorted.

[Xiao_Mei]

Just give it some time, it'll all get sorted.

Do you have any clue how it will get sorted? Perhaps you could enlighten us? If you don't this is a pretty insensitive and insulting remark.

This is only a game, but it is a role-playing game. Your character and its name is a major part of it. The system used to resolve name conflicts was inherently unfair and unjust.

Why?

Because it was based on the oldest registered name. If the game had been released across Europe on the same day then you might argue that it was the best of a bad set of choices. But Horizons was released in the UK (and elsewhere) a week or more later than in other parts of Europe.

I am completely dumbfounded that people on these boards think the system is OK. (A case of "I'm alright Jack" I suspect.) IMO Given the different release times across Europe the only fair system was one that took into account time invested in the game.

[Horatio]

I agree with Felice. Any system that resolves name conflicts should take into account time invested in the character, as well as time last logged-in under that name. It would be simplicity itself for GN to harvest time spent online information from chars.

We should also be able to denote which of our chars is our main one. Maybe they could even hold an in-game auction forthe names?

[Taynn]

So longest char with conflicting name keeps that name, does this mean that theoreticly I could still see a player called Taynn_ice or _earth in-game?

Have to agree with you guys being a little peeved at this situation espeacially when it's your main char thats affected[:^)]

I changed the name of main char months ago coz I saw another player called 'Sharp' in-game Taynn was called 'Sharpe' at first (course then I saw player called 'Tayne' after[*-)])

Changing name causes other problems too, for bout 2 or 3 weeks some peeps saw me as Taynn others as Sharpe (confused the hell out of noobs to Guild at the time[8-)]) Hope they've since resolved this issue as with so many name changes it could further annoy people!