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Service to change Character Names
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Asudem
Black Spear.
#41 - 2012-04-03 04:50:16 UTC
Nicolo da'Vicenza wrote:
Reputation is one of the few things that provides any sense of immersion in this game and is more important then SP or isk - there is no justification for making it changeable.


If you want to escape your bad reputation you will be able to do it already, unless you are ********. If you have a pretty much unknown alt you are already out of your rep. Or you can create a new alt, by a char on the bazaar or just sell your old char to yourself and pretend to be a whole new player. I bet it is possible and noone would even notice the difference.

EVE is like real life. If you want to escape your reputation you WILL find a way to do it. Changing your name WILL NOT make any difference for the better or the worse of this situation.
Asudem
Black Spear.
#42 - 2012-04-03 04:54:48 UTC  |  Edited by: Asudem
Zubrette wrote:
No, if you bought Kartoon's character, you should have to realize that it's coming with a big load of animosity. This is a game where your actions should have penalty/reward.


Justice is the invention of the human mind. You can already avoid penalty. If your corp gets scammed by your CEO that person will escape rather with reward than any punishment. If you want to escape, you will find a way to do it in time...

*EDIT*
Before I played EVE, I played a browser game called Space4k. In that game you were able to change your name ever 2 weeks! And guess what, it didnt matter how you changed your name, if you let it happen the reputation/penalty/reward WILL come back to you. So I dont know any reason why CCP dont implement this service. There are no thinkable reason against it unless CCP had this feature once and they saw that it doesnt work in the EVE community, but comparing the community from 6-9 years ago with the community of today is IMO just stupidity.
DarkAegix
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#43 - 2012-04-03 07:26:16 UTC
Yes.

As for the corp thief argument, also remember that:
-There will be name history
-Identity changes happen in real life
-Separate, untraceable alt accounts and communication over teamspeak/vent (where all IMPORTANT decisions are made) already mean that the sandbox is broken. Someone's character name doesn't matter when they can just sub an alt to spy
Solid Rock
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#44 - 2012-04-03 08:24:17 UTC
Nova Fox wrote:
This game has concequences deal with it.


It certainly does, I am not sure why you would think that this is relevant here however. Unless of course you assume that name changes are only relevant to people trying to escape said consequences

Nova Fox wrote:
Also anyone that ever gets thier name changed is likely to never be allowed into another player corp ever again.


Perhaps, perhaps not. It all depends on the corp you are trying to join. Most corps aren't worth stealing from or spying on. At any rate, should it not be left up to the individual to decide whether or not they wanna risk it? Or should we foam pad our missiles as well while we are at it?

You seem to imply that I, and others like me should have had the foresight to pick a better name. But how much foresight did any of you have as a teenager? I created this character almost a decade ago, when I did so I was a teen with a shiny new game. EVE was still new, and rather tiny back then. This was before WOW came along and made MMO's something everyone played, i couldn't possibly have known that this shiny new toy would actually come to have an impact on my life.

And now here i sit 8 years later, a grown man stuck with the same stupid name. How could i possibly expect to be taken seriously? This, i believe, is the very reason we do not let kids name themselves.
Qen Tye
In Between
#45 - 2012-04-03 08:48:06 UTC
Scammers, criminals and the works do not wish to be found, but chances are they will be eventually - no question about it. They can run but cannot hide no matter what tricks they try to pull of.

Changing name does not change your personality - if you love being an asshat in an online game no matter what alts you create, toons you buy, accounts you have - you will end up keep doing what you love in said game.

I sincerely do not see what you no sayers are so afraid of. As I mentioned in earlier post - I had an interview with a bloke looking to join our ranks. I had our former alliance director with me on TS - and the guy was recognized right away despite the fact he had bought said toon.

I have witnessed in other game chats people going, 'X is a scammer. Avoid him.' - reaction? After two days of reporting it and the community goes, yeah -- so what? Deal with it.

Point is
1) Eventually people around you will stop care.
2) Just deal with it
3) Changing of the name does not matter cause he / she will eventually be recognized
4) repeat 1 - 3 over and over again

As mentioned before and not just by me - other mmorpgs offers this service and it works.

Two possibilities exists: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.

  • Arthur C. Clarke
Tanya Powers
Doomheim
#46 - 2012-04-03 11:22:51 UTC
Asudem wrote:
Changing Character name shouldnt be a big thing to do. You can do it real life by paying money to the regulator agency (at least in Germany) so I thought why it shouldnt be possible in EVE

Needed for changing
* 200 mil ISK cost or 10 mil per letter to change
* Possible only once per year (like the attribute remapping)
* Security Standing of 5.
* Characters on subscripted accounts only

Only on stations of one of the empire factions in H- and LSec.

Added to this idea:
* Public viewable name history.

A nice to have feature for more customization as long as the desired name is possible. Open for discussion



I like the idea if:

*all account tag for bot or RMT is excluded from using this service

*ccp does something about the XxtrolxX-trollollololololiloollooooollzzzzzboulzzzzzzxxttreljkhgljkhiouhujknxxXX silliness

*policy preventing sex or sex related names, xenophobia criminal or racist names replaced by "I'm an idiot trààlàlà"

Lol
Asudem
Black Spear.
#47 - 2012-04-03 16:29:53 UTC
I think bots and RMTs are already get banned for good, so they shouldnt be able to do anything. And I asked CCP if they could change my name a while back and they told me that they only do if the name violates with the EULA / terms of use. So I guess crazy uber long names, sexistical, racist abuse ect will be renamed in something CCP like if the characters dont get deleted or the whole account banned. So I wouldnt worry about that. :P
Xemnus
State War Academy
Caldari State
#48 - 2012-04-03 16:38:08 UTC
Asudem
Black Spear.
#49 - 2012-04-03 16:45:16 UTC
Well, it would be better if we just stick to this thread since there are already some ideas to implement it into the gameplay.
Black Dranzer
#50 - 2012-04-03 16:53:07 UTC
Yes, please.

I liked Beyblades seven years ago.

Nowadays, not such a big fan.

Walking in Stations as a Social Hub: Business vs Pleasure in Incarna
Atkyaz Dreadstalker
Killer Sea Monkeys
#51 - 2012-04-03 17:14:52 UTC
There are plenty of perfectly good reasons why a player would want a name change

Like myself for instance. This is a name I have used in Video games for far longer than I have been playing EVE. I have no issue with the name or my nearly no existent reputation. However nobody in Team Speak, Mumble, or Vent can seem to pronounce it. To the point where it has hindered my game play as FC's don't like giving orders to players if they can not say there name. True I could roll a new toon, but this toon has over 30 mil SP. I will not give up several years of training to change my name, I would however be willing to pay for the service

Also the character Bazaar, Many of the characters sold on the Bazaar are bought by newer players not wanting to wait for training time. How is a new player supposed to know about the reputation of the character they are buying? At the same time there may be a freighter pilot for sale with a very good reputation that the new owner would exploit and scam the former owners loyal customers. In my opinion name changes should be mandatory when a character changes accounts


I like the idea of a public name history as it does allow players to see if that character was a former enemy, I would however take it a step further. When a name is changed it would either automatically update everywhere, so if you had them blocked they would still be blocked, All their standings would stay, if you set them to negative standings, they would still be negative after the name change. Combine this with a mail notification to anyone having that character in their contacts list(good/nuetral/bad and blocked are all in contact list) that the character has changed accounts, indicating the new name and old name. Give others the option of resetting standing to that character or maintain current contact status

As far as making spying easier, I really do not see it. If the character standings and contact info is kept, and there is a publicly viewable name history, they can not hide who they were. They may say they bought the character when they really only transferred it to another account, but you would know who they were and have the choice to trust them or not. Besides most spying is done by alts which have no visible affiliation at all to the main character on that account. This would not give any advantage they do not already have from another mechanic to anyone seeking to spy on their enemies. Using spying as a reason to appose character name changing is bullshit

Although I believe a player should neither benefit from, or be punished for, the reputation of a character they bought, I do see potential exploits if the slate was wiped clean. By having a public name history, and maintaining the contacts status, despite the name change seems to me as a good compromise.
Atkyaz Dreadstalker
Killer Sea Monkeys
#52 - 2012-04-03 17:31:59 UTC
Emma Royd wrote:
So now you expect everybody to trawl through your past aliases to see if you're name is one they recognise for being a scammer / corp thief / greifer etc?


Not even close. Nothing would change except the name. If you had them blocked as a scammer they would still be blocked. If you had them set to negative status in your contacts that would all stay the same. Nothing would change but the name. like you would even remember the names of the scammers you had blocked, so you would probably not even notice the name change in you contacts/blocked lists.

Emma Royd wrote:
You make your bed, so lie in it, it's a name ffs.
If the fact that you no longer like your chosen name is that much of a game breaker, then I suggest that eve isn't the game for you, there's far more things to get upset about than your name.


If name changing is so small a thing then why are you even worried about it? Nobody is forcing you to participate. But there are many who would like to change there name for very valid reasons.

Emma Royd wrote:
There's been so many threads about this in the past, and it's never been taken up by CCP, and I hope it never does, your name is your reputation, get known as a scammer, griefer etc, and you've got 2 choices, put up with it (hey, you chose your actions), or Sell/Biomass the char and start again.


Perhaps the reason why there have been so many threads about this topic is because there are many players that see it as a needed addition. You may not need it, but why does everyone need to play your way? This is about options, nobody is forcing you to use the option.
Besides scammers, and grievers are generally alt characters. You do not know who there main is, or how many of the scammers/grievers in your contacts list are from the same account or player. If properly implemented it would make it easier not harder to keep track of those you hate.
Black Dranzer
#53 - 2012-04-03 17:34:57 UTC
Atkyaz Dreadstalker wrote:
=I have no issue with the name or my nearly no existent reputation. However nobody in Team Speak, Mumble, or Vent can seem to pronounce it.

I know that feel.

I've been called "Drazner" more times than I can count.

Walking in Stations as a Social Hub: Business vs Pleasure in Incarna
Atkyaz Dreadstalker
Killer Sea Monkeys
#54 - 2012-04-03 18:01:31 UTC
Barbara Nichole wrote:
Asudem wrote:
Changing Character name shouldnt be a big thing to do. You can do it real life by paying money to the regulator agency (at least in Germany) so I thought why it shouldnt be possible in EVE

Needed for changing
* 200 mil ISK cost or 10 mil per letter to change
* Possible only once per year (like the attribute remapping)
* Security Standing of 5.
* Characters on subscripted accounts only

Only on stations of one of the empire factions in H- and LSec.

Added to this idea:
* Public viewable name history.

A nice to have feature for more customization as long as the desired name is possible. Open for discussion



No. In a sand box game like eve your name is your identity and is tied to a history of acts that effect you player to player reputation. I believe you should never be able to change a name once it's penned. Especially since the sale of a character could depend on that character rep.. actions in eve should have consequences - not all based on game mechanics.

I really don't like the idea of having to sift through mountains of alis' to determine if any player is someone I need to avoid allowing into my corp.


So you have a problem with a player changing their name to escape a bad reputation. but you do not have a problem with a player exploiting the good reputation of a character they bought. Possibly using it to exploit or scam the players who trust the good reputation? This goes both ways. In fact I would expect it far more likely to successfully scam players familiar with the good reputation than to scam someone with a new name and no reputation.

Generally if you have been scammed or grieved by a player enough to recognize them by their name you will have them in your contacts list with a negative standing. If they change that name the negative standing that character has in your contacts list will still be there, with a list of their previous names. No extra work, no issues. Just a new name.
If the name change was combined with a mail to anyone who had that character in there contacts list notifying them of the change, including if it was part of a character transfer to another account. What would the problem be.
MiltGyver
Liber8
Common-Denominator
#55 - 2012-04-04 01:54:37 UTC
I think it might be good to give the ability to set how a person is displayed if they are in your contacts or block list.

Say you have someone named Donkey in your contacts, and he changes his name to Ass, you would still be able to have them displayed everywhere as Donkey because they are in your contacts. There should be a selection for that in the contact's info/properties, probably combined with the place that shows the aliases. People that aren't in your contacts will just be displayed by their latest name.
Solid Rock
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#56 - 2012-04-04 08:27:20 UTC
MiltGyver wrote:
People that aren't in your contacts will just be displayed by their latest name.


Quite a lot of characters dont have last names though, the early character creator did not encourage them like the later ones have.
Asudem
Black Spear.
#57 - 2012-04-04 08:38:35 UTC
Indeed. Changing your name nowadays would mean adding a last name if you have non already. And I wouldnt mind that btw.
Xemnus
State War Academy
Caldari State
#58 - 2012-04-04 23:52:27 UTC
Asudem wrote:
Indeed. Changing your name nowadays would mean adding a last name if you have non already. And I wouldnt mind that btw.



That's all I want.


Also.. Bump.
MiltGyver
Liber8
Common-Denominator
#59 - 2012-04-05 06:19:35 UTC
Solid Rock wrote:
MiltGyver wrote:
People that aren't in your contacts will just be displayed by their latest name.


Quite a lot of characters dont have last names though, the early character creator did not encourage them like the later ones have.


I said latest, not last. Latest meaning the name since their last name change, their current name.
Zarnak Wulf
Task Force 641
Empyrean Edict
#60 - 2012-04-05 16:07:14 UTC
I'm never going to buy a character on the bazaar named 'Alottavagina'. Just sayin'.