I put a lot of thought into naming all of my characters (with exception of mules perhaps). I really have to love the name of my char before i accept it. I try to be very original. I hate it when people aren't original in their naming. Case in pioint, FFXI has so many sssssephiroths and xxsephiroths and sephirothhhss. is it really necessary? I would prefer Dave or Joe to those names.
What's your take on naming Characters in an MMORPG?
Do you want all names to be made up fantasy/Sci Fi names, like Toncha Kantesh? Is it ok if people use common names, like Joe or Steven? Does it bother you if people use leet speak names, like Haxxorzpwnsjoo? What about celebrity names, like naming your toon Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie? How about naming your character things like Sonic, Lightning, or Tiger, actual words basically? Is there anyone that wouldn't care if people use stupid or offensive names, like Smellmyfart, or Smokemoarcrack?
Even though I don't play on RP servers, I allways try to make my name not only fit the setting - sci-fi/fantasy, but also the class and race.
So in a fantasy game with a dwarf warrior, I would look for a name that resembles a tolkien world or midgard, then something in line with dwarf name, then something that sounds like a warrior.
Not so challenging as it sounds, especially with people calling themselve 'IPWNUMANN' and 'Dixsuxxorz' the good names are left behind
But yes, I'd rather it was more difficult to find a name because of people trying to make it fit the character/class/race.
I think how different people look at mmorpgs effects their opinion on naming. People who like roleplay obviously prefer more realistics names. Personally I view my character no differently than I would one of the bats in pong so I don't really care what it's called.
I rarely RP, but I still try to pick names that fell appropriate for the world. Character names tend to be a pretty good indicator of a player's overall personality. I don't auto-ignore anybody, but I find that players with stupid names, celebrity names, place holder names (xXxsomel33tnameIcouldn'tlivewithoutxXx), all lower case names or all upper case names tend to be idiots. There are exceptions, of course.
Lately, I've been creating a lot of names in German. For example, in WAR, I have the following characters:
Gewehr (Engineer) - translates to "rifle"
Schwarzenbart (Ironbreaker) - translates to "black beard"
Lowemahne (White Lion) - translates to "Lion's mane"
Vaterbar (Rune Priest) - translates to "Father Bear" (he's very hairy)
Tanzerin (Swordmaster) - translates to "Dancer", seemed appropriate for the class
Sometimes I pick names that just seem to "fit":
Justicus (Witch Hunter)
Malixia (With Elf)
Dominox (Disciple of Khaine)
Purty (Squig Hunter) - used the "purtiest" face available
Skulfax (Zealot) - he carries a skull, 'nuff said...
Ulfdar (Marauder)
Lastly, I actually use silly names once in a while:
Waaaghmbulance (Shaman) - just seemed fun
SnuSnu (Warrior Priest) - couldn't resist having a battle cry "Death by Snu Snu!"
Name your char whatever you like, as long as it doesnt break any rules. If it offends someone then its their fault for being offended. Although leet names and xxxblahblahxxx are not something I would name my characters.
I typically go with fewest letters possible, while sounding like a word that fits the scene but still a unique name that is not a word, such as "Ruun" for an enchanter type.
Donkies that use leet speak names really get under my skin. I would like to push them off a cliff...
I try and name my characters according to the game...
Indeed...
I remember a time when you got ONE warning then game suspension granted that was before today's competition. Yet & still standards should be upheld nonetheless. Make no mistake though dopes tried it even back in the golden age. Diffrence being EQ & DAOC nipped that nonsense in the bud quickly. Circa 2000 I saw an Erudite in EQ with an offensive name. I kindly reported and the idiot's name was changed immediately.
Playing a MMORPG is like going to a costume party; dress as appropriate to fit in. If you were throwing a Renaissance Faire celebration, then medieval dress and props would be fitting. Coming as a motorcycle cop or disguised as Obama or McCain would not be fitting. Might get an initial chuckle or two, but would overall be a hit upon immersion.
That said, roleplaying starts with naming your character. "Dudz", "Healu2" and "JohnniesMom" are not acceptable names and indicate to me the person does not take the MMO seriously and sees it as casual a game as playing Tetris.
Solution: Companies should actively enforce naming policies on roleplaying servers and reactively enforce them on non-roleplaying servers.
Today's gamers who missed out on MMO's in 1999 - 2000 or earlier often don't know what roleplaying and immersion are. They're missing out.
Playing a MMORPG is like going to a costume party; dress as appropriate to fit in. If you were throwing a Renaissance Faire celebration, then medieval dress and props would be fitting. Coming as a motorcycle cop or disguised as Obama or McCain would not be fitting. Might get an initial chuckle or two, but would overall be a hit upon immersion. That said, roleplaying starts with naming your character. "Dudz", "Healu2" and "JohnniesMom" are not acceptable names and indicate to me the person does not take the MMO seriously and sees it as casual a game as playing Tetris. Solution: Companies should actively enforce naming policies on roleplaying servers and reactively enforce them on non-roleplaying servers. Today's gamers who missed out on MMO's in 1999 - 2000 or earlier often don't know what roleplaying and immersion are. They're missing out.
Hate to tell ya, but most MMO players don't roleplay. And don't want to.
Personally, I hate roleplaying, but don't care what other people do. Feel free to enforce naming policies on specific servers, but not in an entire game.
another thing to consider is server name availability.
Looking at WoW, with reportedly 12 million active subscriptions span across their 235 servers, equates to about 51,000 accouts per server. So if each account had an average of 6 characters, thats 306,000 registered names within each server. That doesnt take into account all of the inactive accounts, If we assume 15% of WoW's subscription history is inactive, the number of reserved names per server is approx 352,000.
So if you think of a good name for an ALT, log off and reserve it.
I hate it when players deliberately choose names that ruin immersion because they don't fit the genre, wether it's names from pop culture or names constructed from run on phrases or nonsensical names like fgdfjfklfl etc. Unfortunately a lot of aholes play MMOGs and try to ruin the environment for everyone else so I expect developers to be complete nazis when it comes to enforcing a naming policy.
the names arent that important to me and there are only a few things that makes me annoyed.
one of the things that really really really annoyes me, is those who report or moan over other peoples silly names, while uses a name from thier favorite book/manga/movie...... atleast the silly name was original, and the whiners name was just stolen...
I pity the GM'S for the two upcoming superhero games, It will be a mess just like in city of heroes ...xXxXLoganXxXx , SUP3RM4N , Pun1sh3r... etc etc, but on a much grander scale. It will be a nightmare for them to try and keep that sort of toon naming out of those games.
What's your take on naming Characters in an MMORPG?
Do you want all names to be made up fantasy/Sci Fi names, like Toncha Kantesh?-> Is always OK, i love made up names Is it ok if people use common names, like Joe or Steven?-> is ok depending on game theme Does it bother you if people use leet speak names, like Haxxorzpwnsjoo?-> never, i hate this What about celebrity names, like naming your toon Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie? -> hate this too How about naming your character things like Sonic, Lightning, or Tiger, actual words basically? -> Is ok Is there anyone that wouldn't care if people use stupid or offensive names, like Smellmyfart, or Smokemoarcrack? -> I dont see the point on this, I usually think that the guys using this names are stupid, but I dont care about them.
I always think that making a name that's funny is still the best. Serious names are fine and all, but I usually find that people that have really clever funny names are the best people to talk to, and I'm not talking about people named "YourMOM" or something like that.
I always think that making a name that's funny is still the best. Serious names are fine and all, but I usually find that people that have really clever funny names are the best people to talk to, and I'm not talking about people named "YourMOM" or something like that.
I once had an Assassin called "Grimman DeVille' named after the Cartoon Network show. I figured that fairly subtle puns that only work when you can see the full name shouldn't annoy the RP Nazis too much.
If you can't "Have your cake & eat it too", then how can "The proof of the pudding be in the eating"?
Comments
I put a lot of thought into naming all of my characters (with exception of mules perhaps). I really have to love the name of my char before i accept it. I try to be very original. I hate it when people aren't original in their naming. Case in pioint, FFXI has so many sssssephiroths and xxsephiroths and sephirothhhss. is it really necessary? I would prefer Dave or Joe to those names.
Even though I don't play on RP servers, I allways try to make my name not only fit the setting - sci-fi/fantasy, but also the class and race.
So in a fantasy game with a dwarf warrior, I would look for a name that resembles a tolkien world or midgard, then something in line with dwarf name, then something that sounds like a warrior.
Not so challenging as it sounds, especially with people calling themselve 'IPWNUMANN' and 'Dixsuxxorz'
the good names are left behind 
But yes, I'd rather it was more difficult to find a name because of people trying to make it fit the character/class/race.
I think how different people look at mmorpgs effects their opinion on naming. People who like roleplay obviously prefer more realistics names. Personally I view my character no differently than I would one of the bats in pong so I don't really care what it's called.
I rarely RP, but I still try to pick names that fell appropriate for the world. Character names tend to be a pretty good indicator of a player's overall personality. I don't auto-ignore anybody, but I find that players with stupid names, celebrity names, place holder names (xXxsomel33tnameIcouldn'tlivewithoutxXx), all lower case names or all upper case names tend to be idiots. There are exceptions, of course.
Lately, I've been creating a lot of names in German. For example, in WAR, I have the following characters:
Sometimes I pick names that just seem to "fit":
Lastly, I actually use silly names once in a while:
~Ripper
Name your char whatever you like, as long as it doesnt break any rules. If it offends someone then its their fault for being offended. Although leet names and xxxblahblahxxx are not something I would name my characters.
I typically go with fewest letters possible, while sounding like a word that fits the scene but still a unique name that is not a word, such as "Ruun" for an enchanter type.
"Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun."
I've seen a ton of Expression-ItsMe names and iNames.
OMGITSJACKIE
WTFITSBOB
HOLYSHITITSKEVIN
iAssassin
iSoCool
iPoopy
I pick an mmo name by slaming my head into my keyboard and whatever shows up on the screen is my name.
Trolls = Hardcore
Fanbois = Carebears
The only posts I read in threads are my own.
Indeed...
I remember a time when you got ONE warning then game suspension granted that was before today's competition. Yet & still standards should be upheld nonetheless. Make no mistake though dopes tried it even back in the golden age. Diffrence being EQ & DAOC nipped that nonsense in the bud quickly. Circa 2000 I saw an Erudite in EQ with an offensive name. I kindly reported and the idiot's name was changed immediately.
Silly kids.
Dutchess Zarraa Voltayre
Reborn/Zero Sum/Ancient Legacy/Jagged Legion/Feared/Nuke & Pave.
lovestospooge
No numbers.
After that, anything is fine
The Official God FAQ
Playing a MMORPG is like going to a costume party; dress as appropriate to fit in. If you were throwing a Renaissance Faire celebration, then medieval dress and props would be fitting. Coming as a motorcycle cop or disguised as Obama or McCain would not be fitting. Might get an initial chuckle or two, but would overall be a hit upon immersion.
That said, roleplaying starts with naming your character. "Dudz", "Healu2" and "JohnniesMom" are not acceptable names and indicate to me the person does not take the MMO seriously and sees it as casual a game as playing Tetris.
Solution: Companies should actively enforce naming policies on roleplaying servers and reactively enforce them on non-roleplaying servers.
Today's gamers who missed out on MMO's in 1999 - 2000 or earlier often don't know what roleplaying and immersion are. They're missing out.
Hate to tell ya, but most MMO players don't roleplay. And don't want to.
Personally, I hate roleplaying, but don't care what other people do. Feel free to enforce naming policies on specific servers, but not in an entire game.
The Official God FAQ
another thing to consider is server name availability.
Looking at WoW, with reportedly 12 million active subscriptions span across their 235 servers, equates to about 51,000 accouts per server. So if each account had an average of 6 characters, thats 306,000 registered names within each server. That doesnt take into account all of the inactive accounts, If we assume 15% of WoW's subscription history is inactive, the number of reserved names per server is approx 352,000.
So if you think of a good name for an ALT, log off and reserve it.
"Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun."
I hate it when players deliberately choose names that ruin immersion because they don't fit the genre, wether it's names from pop culture or names constructed from run on phrases or nonsensical names like fgdfjfklfl etc. Unfortunately a lot of aholes play MMOGs and try to ruin the environment for everyone else so I expect developers to be complete nazis when it comes to enforcing a naming policy.
the names arent that important to me and there are only a few things that makes me annoyed.
one of the things that really really really annoyes me, is those who report or moan over other peoples silly names, while uses a name from thier favorite book/manga/movie...... atleast the silly name was original, and the whiners name was just stolen...
and ofcourse those with really offensive names.
I pity the GM'S for the two upcoming superhero games, It will be a mess just like in city of heroes ...xXxXLoganXxXx , SUP3RM4N , Pun1sh3r... etc etc, but on a much grander scale. It will be a nightmare for them to try and keep that sort of toon naming out of those games.
I play on a RP server. Formal names are my thing.
Although I do tend to like inventive names.
bubbleoseven, gnomercy, etc etc
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Guys! I'm hopelessly lost in a mountain of mole hills! Them damn moles!
always find names a pain in the ass. I usually name characters with some sort of connection to other names or just use the random.
I always think that making a name that's funny is still the best. Serious names are fine and all, but I usually find that people that have really clever funny names are the best people to talk to, and I'm not talking about people named "YourMOM" or something like that.
I once had an Assassin called "Grimman DeVille' named after the Cartoon Network show. I figured that fairly subtle puns that only work when you can see the full name shouldn't annoy the RP Nazis too much.
If you can't "Have your cake & eat it too", then how can "The proof of the pudding be in the eating"?
Take the Hecatomb? TCG What Is Your Doom? quiz.