Name Policy Enforcement?

[Mensar]

I don't know if it's just recently, or if this is a cyclical trend.. but I've seen quite a few people/dragons with names I wouldn't (personally) consider of a RP nature.

And I'm not talking about someone's mule that I happened to catch sight of. I mean folks talking in chat rooms and hunting mobs, etc.

Not to point fingers.. but just to cite an example: AAARRRGHHHH

Not a name I would say was even RPable.

How do we go about recommending to these players that they apply for a name change?

[Shian]

It bothers me too to see all the new players with game/anime/popular show references for a name... Most don't pretend to be what they're named after though, so is that considered 'okay'? I've not brought it up in game, but it still irritates me like an mosquito bite you're not supposed to scratch so you try your hardest to ignore it.

Really now, are all the other names taken or what?

Regardless, I don't think there is a naming policy.... if there is, I've never seen anyone put in for a name change.

[velveeta]

there is a policy and i have had a namechange (requested, not due to policy...)

however, i really am in no position to comment, as i have a very copyrighted and trademarked nick......

but what really is the big deal, shi? have you ever heard some real life names, especially of celebrity children? zowie bowie, moon unit zappa - i usta work in a factory that shipped all over the world.
i know for sure that there is a penny laine in iceland and a willie suck in austria, and a thomas f*cks (yes the 'bad word') in romania........

peeps are naming their kids some pretty weird stuff (remind me to tell you the story about a woman who wanted to name her newborn daughter placenta, god's truth......) these days - why shouldn't alts have whatever name the person who is paying to play it wants, as long as it is kewl with the gods?

[Velea]

There is a special section in the support ticket system where you can report a name that you consider as being a violation of either the standard Naming Policy, or the one specific to Order Shard. But I can tell you that we don't spend time looking at every new character created to see if it fits the name policy or not, so the only way to get these changed is for someone to report the name for our CS team to take a look at.

So, the answer is "Submit a support ticket if you see a name you feel violates the policy."

[Shian]

Because it breaks immersion, velveeta. That is the only reason. I want to be in ISTARIA. Not Final Fantasy or Inu Yasha or whatever else has been running around these days. Am I being a jerk and reporting any of these? No.

I just mentioned it bothered me regardless of how I try to look the other way or ignore it and move on.

[Frith-Rae]

uhh no, plenty of names that are not acceptable (and there IS a RP naming Policy for the server) can easily get past Character Creation..

And as Val said, staff don't sit around looking at names of new players and deciding what is good and what is bad.

Just like EVERY other game out there, they rely on player submitted reports to police the shard. People HAVE been forced to have their names changed on our server before. You just gotta go to the support system, and not in game to report the name.

If you feel a name may be in violation - for whatever reason - then I'd tell you to go ahead and report it. Then the CMs and Devs can decide wether or not it fits and act accordingly.

Me, I don't report a lot of names (unless they start getting offensive...), because I use those names to "earmark" people who possibly are more immature than I want to get to know *shrugs*. Its kinda an early warning system *chuckles*

Kinda like when someoen opens a private message/im/tell with you going "A/S/L?" hehehe.

[velveeta]

right frith, i agree with your maturity assessment! if you can't come up with your own name, its pretty sad.....
at least velveeta did not start out as velveeta!

[Hraefn]

Haha. I remember when Batman, Batgirl, Robin BoyWonder and Alfred joined the Order shard. I had to giggle at that group, despite being heavily copyrighted and fairly irritating (as they were 'roleplaying' those characters as dragons). Needless to say, they were flamed a bit and reported. Haven't seen the names since.

[awdz]

How do we go about recommending to these players that they apply for a name change?

i have found that tells in game inquiring why someone named their character as they did can offer some fun insight. i find some real life names bizarre, so i don't worry about those who don't bother to be more creative in the names they choose in game. i also don't role play any recognition of obvious non-istarian references.

you can suggest to someone that they should consider changing their name by a tell if you want, but there are many who would find such a tell offensive, so i recommend caution if you choose that path. you can also file a ticket on it; i imagine the response to it will depend a great deal on how you present your case and how questionable the name truly is.

upshot is, ultimately you have essentially no control over the names of other people's characters. would you want someone else controlling your character name?

i kind of like the name AAARRRGHHHH... my own name came from me da exclaiming, "odds bodkins!" after hitting his head when me mam interrupted him while he was tinkering... me mam just changed the spelling of the first part. she decided i could have a whole alphabet of names :-)

[Shian]

my own name came from me da exclaiming, "odds bodkins!" after hitting his head when me mam interrupted him while he was tinkering... me mam just changed the spelling of the first part.

Wait.... so your name is.... an expletive? Hahaha! That's the best thing I've heard all day.

[Justa Mirage]

I don't know.... some of the recipies for rare that you get were from a character named "Kakashi" it sounds like a cool oriental name... until you break it apart and look at it:

Kaka - Shi (*just missing the T*)

Someone pointed that out to me... but that can't be any worse than someone naming their character:

Takashita (which is a valid last name)

or

Shitaki Mushroom.

[Zexoin]

I don't know.... some of the recipies for rare that you get were from a character named "Kakashi" it sounds like a cool oriental name... until you break it apart and look at it:

Kaka - Shi (*just missing the T*)

I don't think he'll be pleased to read that >.>
Even though he's name is not related to Istaria he's a good RPer in immersionin Istaria's universe. I think we should be more telorant. Yeah, maybe AAARGGHH is a bit extreme but if you had the tact to ask why he chose this name you'd know he had a reason for it (not saying it's a good one, but he didn't choose it to annoy people on Order)

[LaughingOtter]

Who is to say that "AAARGGHH" isn't a proper name in the draconic tongue?

I can think of several historical figures with interesting names - Cotton and Increase Mather, for example. Other actual historical names I've seen include Thankful, Temerity, Providence, Salvation, Terrible and (IIRC) Elocution. During one of my previous jobs, I ran across birth cirtficates for a Crystal Chanda Lier, a gentleman named Posey, and a Strawberry Fields.

Unless a name is a clear violation of the rules (like the guild with the founding members who were all named after characters from Harry Potter), why not ask the player why they chose that name? It's possible that there is a very good, and quite acceptable, basis for it.

[GalemThawn]

When my wife worked at Children's Hospital, there was a kid in there whose parents actually named him Shi thead. With the space removed. Now that is some VERY cruel parents.

[Deth]

My friends have told me of a friend the worked with named Harry who married a girl named Krystal (Not sure of her names spelling) That gave her all the crap because she married a guy with the last name Ball, he had his parents to blame.

[LaughingOtter]

Hehe - almost forgot this one. My wife and I knew a young lady, Ms. Skinner, who became engaged to a gentleman by the name of Tribble. For some reason, she didn't care for the suggestion that she hyphenate her last name...

[Wirevix]

As I recall, the reason for AARRGGHHH's name is because the name he wanted was taken, and he was frustrated so he just typed in his frustration.

[Drakarr]

I saw a rubbing of a gravestone of a lady i think it was 15th century named Diet Coke, Diet being a popular name of the time and Coke being and old english spelling of cook.

[Hoberton]

The exact reason: The name "Sleeper" was the first choice of a name for this Dragon. Being that is was not "The Sleeper" the name should have been allowed. When the Devs said the name was a naming violation and had to be changed. In frustration "ARRGGGHHHH" was typed in and the enter key was hit. So... "ARRGGGHHHH" is in existance.

Looking at all the naming rules - I see nothing in the rules that this name violates.

[Amarie Ancalimon]

I don't believe other people are saying it is in violation, they're just curious as to how it came about.

The frustrated typing of 'aarrrgghhh' after a specific name being taken is quite an amusing tale, as that's the reaction of many when creating a character that's name is already taken.