OK, so some might think "WTF" but hear me out please. When I first started playing VO, after I got used to the game with a random name I made the name Blow Job as I have used this gamer name in other things (like UT or QW things, never an MMO) and always thought of it more of a hitman name like "Will blow you up for money" but whatever, I get it, not everyone liked the name so I was asked by a guide to change it. At this point I had a bit of a problem, because I asked the guide in question if they could just do it and they told me no.

I asked how I would go about changing my name, and the advice I was given was pretty lame really, considering I had just been told I have to change my name, and if I do not do it within a week I would face further administrative action. This had me worried so of course I complied and asked how to do it, at which point I was told "Well you cannot change it, so please delete it and start again" - at this point my character was level 4 combat and I had already well on the way to 500 player kills. I have since been told that this was bad advice, and that I should have been told to submit a ticket instead. This also leads to more problems.

1) The name is still on my account, I was not prepared to delete it as doing so would have just freed the name up for someone else to make.

2) I would lose all progress for something that really is a bit silly. No offence to anybody but this game is PG rated, and if you are under 13 and know what a blow job is? You have bigger issues than a name change can fix. I do get it, which is why I complied. But did feel the need to say it.

3) Because of the "advice" given, I was not sure I was even talking to a guide. I mean, I was quite new so just because the text was white meant nothing to me. I complied as I did not want to get banned but I honestly would have been happier with a bit more solid proof that this was actually a guide.

In my time as Eo I have seen many more offensive names that even a child could understand is bad. I cannot remember the full title, but a certain UIT with BOLLOX in the name springs to mind. These names do not offend me as I am not a special snowflake but I do get that some people get offended too easily so a guide is doing the right thing by trying to clean up these names with the tools provided. In my honest opinion it would be cool if a guide could tell an offensive name (chatty or not - 100 isn't the only place we see this) rename it to something like PLAYER566837239 and then tell them to write a ticket to get renamed or remake a new character. If a name is rewritten in this method it should also be added to a list of "not allowed names" so that it cannot be remade by the offender or by any third parties.

Thoughts?

I was the one who told you to change your name, and I did mention submitting a support ticket.

However, it's kind of lame taking up dev time in order to change an offensive name, so I *suggested* starting over with a new character.

I didn't realize you were at license 4.

Here is some brief tech view on why that most likely will not happpen as I have had a few name changes done and what I have gathered.

1. The account has to be logged off for the name change to be done

2. It requires direct interaction with the database so one slip up could wreak major havoc

Now I’m guessing here but it would not surprise me if the devs have custom codes tool for editing character info in the database but most likely not something they would want non payrolled people to have access to from a business standpoint.

Also I would guess the guides probably don’t need/want additional respondisbility of dealing with something character related that they could accidently bork.

Devs can and do change character names. Write a support ticket.

If you make a character with an offensive name, then you do so at your own risk. No amount of investment or progress on the character makes up for your lack of proper judgement. Your opinion on your own poor behavior is not relevant. The poor behavior of others does not justify your poor behavior. If the name was not offensive, you would not have chosen that name. Your choice was to intentionally be offensive. All of your excuses to be allowed to be offensive are at least equally good reason to just ban you.

I can be level 3/3/2/1/1 in under an hour. Other than pks, and faction standings, your level of progress can be recreated in hours.

Delete the character, or write a support ticket asking for a new name.

The devs could make a mission or other method to do a name change but I suspect the change may be limited to off line only. I tend to oppose changing a name as it should not be easy to escape from a bad reputation....

Echoing what -Wash- said, the devs are extremely protective of the databases and of player privacy.

I wouldn't mind fixing names under well-documented guidelines, but a "forbidden names" list and dev intervention is the more likely workflow.

I do not think you even read the post Roda, so I will not reply to that drivvel. I never asked for a name change, I have a name thank you.

I guess a simple tool or command that the guides cannot screw up is all the suggestion entails, something like /renametroll "Playername" "Playername" (for verification) and let the system make and assign a random name so they can clean up the names a bit easier. My point is it could have gone the other way quite easily, and a mute wouldn't have stopped people seeing my name. Then it would be a waste of dev time, right?

And Phaserlight, if you said about writing a ticket, I would love to see your logs, because "You could waste the devs time, or just delete your name and start again" is not informing me how to write a ticket.

I understand this might not be something guides even want to do, nor devs, it was just an idea to help moderate the game better.

The response reasonings are accurate, we do need the user to be offline, a ticket is an option, etc.

But, none of that rules out a guide command to force a random-name change, for a given character, on next login. Guides can already kick users offline, so that could be a solution. (One I've actually considered for some time, it just hasn't bubbled up high enough on our priority list).

A guide communicating as a guide can and should send the msg as a guide, and the msg will say from guide number x. Anyone claiming guide like authority should be challenged to communicate in this manner.

I understand that you didn't ask for a name change. You are insisting that someone else insist, and then crying about them insisting.

A mute will stop other players from seeing your name in chat, where it is the most visible.

There could also be a jail sector/station, where a character could be sent and homed, with no escape, until a dev has time to change the offense and rehome the character.

I am all for greater convenience for guides. I am not very concerned about whether it is convenient for you.

Seeing as how you took the time to reply again Roda, I would like to point out that:

A) This is a suggestion to help moderate out names like UIT BOLLOX, it has nothing to do with my personal experience, that was only used as a way to point out the possible need. I could not care less about my name or the threat of a mute. I find that s*** funny and I complied - I made a new name that now has combat 9.

B) Have I said I care about my name, or my progress or anything? No, I said it may be convenient for guides, and also pointed out that it is a bit of a waste. It may also help in the situation where after TWO WEEKS I was not sure what the hell white text meant, nor did I know it was an official guide. Can you blame me for being a bit sceptical? I complied, but many may not, and if the only reason I created the name was to stir drama - chat muted or not - I would have found a way which would have wasted even MORE dev time than any ticket would.

[mod edit by Phaserlight - make arguments toward the suggestion, not the player. Continue to flame other players and you may lose your ability to post here]

Sorry Phaserlight, I will watch my mouth in future.

+1 to the suggestion that guides have the ability to force a name change, even if it requires a temporary forced log off.

Please state your intended suggestion at the beginning (and end) of the suggestion post, so that I can skip the drama and consider the merits of the suggestion.

Guides, and a sufficient number of players, can mute a player, and this does help. The devs have to prioritize, and I do have to wonder if there is actually sufficient demand for this to be on the list. Perhaps most people change their own name, of their own accord, after some feedback from the player base.