Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Seems that some people did not grasp the very essence of what I meant to say in my earlier posting, so I better spell it out in more detail:

Of course EVE does not fully reflect the real world, though it comes close where the human entities inhabiting it are concerned (in short: players know what (and whom) to watch out for and can anticipate in time etc. etc.).

What is in a name? I think not much, in fact it is character that "fills up" that "shell" (= name). As to any unfortunate problems occurring while being placed in fleets, well, I consider that as some possible technical issue, which can be tacled by programming (suggest that you channel that in some other thread), but such has nothing to do with the issue at hand re changing character names.

In the past I myself also purchased a second character from the character bazaar providing me with an enormous boost to almost exactly the kind of skill-points I wanted. And I also was confronted with a character name I would not particularly choose myself if I would have the choice (even the gender was wrong!), but do I care? Not realy, since it is only "a name", and the name, well, I could live with it since it was not a realy horrible or strange name (though I checked in foreign languages whether the name could mean something I would not like, to be fully sure, proved ok).

I have nothing against scams in a virtual world. But opening the door for realy RIDICULOUS EASY unlimited, almost uncontrolled scamming made possible by easily changed character names, well, that we realy should want to avoid since such should not have a place in an excellent virtual scifi-world as created by EVE. And you can state: "the character change can be checked somewhere in the files"...well, have got news for you: most people do not even check such(!!), since they are here for fun and not to be some shadow of Sherlock Holmes dedicating 90% of his time on-line in defensive fact-findings! Most would like to spent that same time to reading Eve University in order to obtaining a better understanding of the real interesting issues.

And, if one has purchased some extra character through the character bazaar, well, in case of any negative entries re history one can allways refer to the character bazaar forum and the entries made there re the buying/selling of some character at some point in time(!) Sounds easy? Well, that is, because it is!

Furthermore, all kinds of presently unknown problems would go occurring in the case of the easy change of character names would get to be "the new normal" (this would not even meet the high standards set for any succesfully created virtual world).
And, ever heard of Murphy's Law: whatever can go wrong will go wrong (so, try to learn from this).

About'"the helicopter view" obviously not possessed by some commenting this thread: this thread counts some 80 comments (say, some 70 in favour)...that would make it only 0,023333333333% of all subscribers. So, time to ask yourself: "do I possibly miss the real point here??"hahaha

Agree, not all is a full 100% perfect in any virtual world, and neither is it the real world. So, characters are bought and sold through the character bazaar (for comparison: real world, if you pay the required amount of money and know the right people, one indeed couldn obtain a new pasport), but, setting the doors wide open for such would obviously be a grave mistake. Or picture it like this: legalize (=making it the new normal) for salesmen going door to door selling guns and all kinds of dr%^s....door to door. Would not be a wise thing to do if you would ask me

Last: I am convinced that those who realy have a good (or even excellent level) of understanding the mechanics beneath the surface of Eve, well, they would not even bother/care so much about "the name (or gender) of their character(s). Rises the question: why then are only 0,0233333% thus an extremely small part of all players, fixed on and subjectively motivated to get their character names changed? Why is that....

I agree to name changes with the various rules and restrictions that would be imposed to regulate it. I'm not one of those that would abuse it anyway. I only wanted it because I thought of a better name after the fact and that is my ill fortune, but it was a factor in my trial subscription, since I didn't come up with the name until recently and the trial I was on ran out months ago.

Again, EVE is the Wild Wild West, and Everybody Versus Everybody, so naturally, there exists in this kind of environment, a means for being able to change identities. Now my reasons have nothing to do with what some would intend for more nefarious purposes or to perhaps escape being hunted as such, but lets face it: all the this whining over such a change is pointless. If CCP chose to implement something like that, they would ensure that it couldn't be abused and that it wouldn't imbalance the game any more than people playing pirates hunting miners who are not bothering anyone by mining for their own interestes in null sec space do. My point is that it might add another level to bounty hunting in that you actually have to work that much harder to find your mark if that person really doesn't want to be found. And what if they are trying to turn over a new leaf? Or maybe they are just trying to escape justice and continue their life of crime. Its all a wash in the Wild Wild West right? E.V.E.

It is what it is. And since money is the bottom line in any business venture, and EVE online is ultimately a business venture, if CCP decides they can make money by offering name changes to satisfy their clientelle for the various reasons they might change their names, are people REALLY going to stop playing just because of that when they have invested so much time and energy and money into the game. Really? So quit yer bitching and just buck up and an roll with the punches the way we are all meant to in the EVE universe. It is what it is.

Enjoy! and if you don't like my opinion, well here, have a nice cup of shut the F up!

No freakin' way! I worked hard to pick the names my toons have. If I take a break from the game and then come back after a spell. I'd better have my names for my toons.





If I came back after a break from playing, and found my toons nameless, and my names were gone, I'd seriously be pissed. I know that many players take pride in the names they picked and the reputations they've built for their toons and their toon's names. If you took those names away, there would be a second burn Jita, destroy the monument uprising, and this time they many not come back.

Your idea is really, really, bad, and badly

There is SO MUCH FEAR in the responses of those against changing names. The OP proposed various restrictions, and safety measures to ensure that the name change does NOT ERASE a character's history, only the name. Others proposed that a tab be added on the Character info sheet to include past names.... A.K.A.'s.

I mean, look at the safeguards! It's expensive to change names. Name changes can only occur once a year on a toon, and an account can only change the name of a toon once a year. Characters that are bough and sold keep their histories. A buyer can buy the toon and change the name, but is stuck with the AKA's and history of that toon.... Plus many more proposals for safety features to prevent abuse, etc.

What more can one ask?

It is abject fear of change and of the new that causes the knee-jerk replies of "no" from some of the players. So much fear that they become hostile, as if someone has trespassed on their property and is rummaging in their tool shed in the backyard.... Only thing is, the guy going through the tool shed is the gardener who, not five minutes before, knocked on the door and reported in for work in the backyard, and has permission to use some of the tools in the tool shed...

Name changes with all of the safeguards are fine by me. I give my vote of approval.

I’m just going to leave this here:
http://pay.tiancity.com/eve/Service/RoleRenameMenu.aspx
screenshot

Hmmm..... Yeah. I see your point. Clicking on a toon's Info Sheet, and clicking the A.K.A. tab would be too complex for some players....

I don't know about you, but it's already routine for me to read the info sheet of players near me. I view their security status and look at their "resume' to see what corporations they've worked for.... I do it automatically. So, clicking the A.K.A. tab should prove no problem for me.

However, I can see that it'll be too much of a complex challenge for others to do. I'll have to give more thought on this issue....





This might help, too. You can track someone based on they're pilot license number, no matter what name they chose to change it to... But that would also probably be too complex.....

Ahhhh, I see what you did there... because we said it adds complexity, you used sarcasm to insinuate that a simple act like going to someones character sheet and then clicking on an AKA tab is too hard for us. Nice!

My point is this:

Currently, there are people in Eve I 'know'. I recognize their name, and I have a good idea what their actions etc might be.

With name changes: suddenly unknowns may be 'known' to me. To get the information I had before (whether I know them or not) I have to click on the character sheet and look at the AKA tab of every unknown.


That's the extra complexity I am talking about.

This there's a character with a name I want, he's over 9 years old and hasn't been active on that character since..