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What's your take on naming Characters in an MMORPG?
Ihmotepp
Member Posts: 14,495
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?
Comments
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...
That Guild Wars 2 login screen knocked up my wife. Must be the second coming!
You mean like Slampig?
This is a forum therefore whatever he chooses for a username on here doesn't count. Also he said leetspeak which would be something like $L4//P19.
On topic... I strongly dislike "leetspeak" names also. I'd prefer people come up with something unique and stick to whatever type of genre it is when it comes to names.
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Just because his name is 'Slampig' doesn't mean that you're going to see him with a character named identically.
Anyway, I'd say it really depends on how deep the game itself is, I do usually stick to a variation of my name, but I'm certainly more influenced to pick something suitable if the MMO is good. For example.. I could log into like.. Maplestory or something and pick whatever name I felt like because the game is so shallow. However, to speak from real experience, if I'm logging into FFXI, or GW, I'm gonna pick something that fits into the world. Something just gets detracted if I log into Lion's Arch and gaze upon the glory of "Busty the ChestKnight."
I think you should be able to name your character whatever you want. The only obvious exception being a racial slur or leet speak with numbers.
I remember a bald pale dude in UO named "a Cancer Patient," which I always thought was hilarious.
I know Slampig wouldn't be his character name, I was JK.
But I know what you mean. I logged into City of Heroes one time, and there was this male and female couple of characters walking around together. The male was named Turd, and the female was named Turd Lover. It was disturbing to say the least.
I always put a lot of thought into naming my chars. It has to be a name that 'fits'. Sometimes I draw inspiration from Greek or Roman mythology, or simply create one from my imagination.
It used to really grate when I saw players with ridiculous names running about in WoW. It doesn't bother me any more as I soon realised that realism and immersion are not - and never were - present in that game.
Should a game come out that completely immerses me in an engaging RPG environment where I feel like my char is an extension of myself, then I will call foul on the first Warriormike or Pewpewmage I see.
I think names should be realistic. I don't really care if it "goes with the lore" or not, since it's hard to say what name fits with lore and what doesn't. The only names that bother me are the leetspeak names. Those are just retarded(the characters and the people).
Tried: LotR, CoH, AoC, WAR, Jumpgate Classic
Played: SWG, Guild Wars, WoW
Playing: Eve Online, Counter-strike
Loved: Star Wars Galaxies
Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, anything sandbox.
I think people should call their characters whatever they want unless it's offensive or on a roleplay server.
I wouldn't use leetspeak in my own characters name but it doesn't really bother me if other people do.
One thing I don't like though is people that use non standard characters in their name.
IMO, the best naming policy would be one account one name, extends to James 1,2,3,4.....
Yeah I try to do the same and also when they start naming their character "wtf", "lmao", and " pwner" they automatically go on ignore........
I like my character names to fit the setting, and I like others to do the same. A fantasy barbarian named Ongmore, or a superhero named Explosion Man, or a blue-skinned alien medic named Ingwei-Ui. Wandering around and meeting a fabled dwarven warrior named AznHaX89 is really going to take a hammer to the immersion factor.
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Playing: Nothing
Played: Champions Online, CoX, STO, PSO, WoW, lots of free-to-play crap
Looking Forward To: DC Universe Online, Blade and Soul
One thing I don't like is names that you can't easily spell or remember.
I don't mind if you make up a name, like Brogan or something.
But I've seen people with names like Mxplithaithghatttr.
I can't remember that, and I can't spell it if I want to do a tell, type an invite, and so forth.
If it's not offensive or on a roleplay server then go with whatever you want. I reserve the right to think of l33t speakers as complete tools though.
MMOs Played: EQ 1&2, DAoC, SWG, Planetside, WoW, GW, CoX, DDO, EVE, Vanguard, TR
Playing: WAR
Awaiting 40k Online and wishing for Battletech Online
Well the ones that use offensive names I report immediately. I saw a guy today named derFuehr, he was reported and gone soon after. Celebrity names the same.
I put the ones that alternate capital letters on ignore most of the time, I most certainly won't get in a group with them. I have been known to make snide remarks about those that put x's on the front and end of the name because of the lack of any form of imagination.
Of course the f2p games you really cannot do much, but I will still try to report really offensive names.
Anyone using such ridiculous names just displays a complete lack of maturity and the less I interact with them the better. Age is not the problem, I have found some very interesting 12-14 year olds that I would not hessitate to play with, while some in the 20's can't seem to get beyond their early teens.
I used to use historical names depending on the game i was playing and what intention i had with the account. If i was playing a pking game, i would usually refer to some fascist or communist leader. Alot of my old pkers would be named Mussolini or Hitler or Stalin. I think it kind of gave off the image when i came around.
Please people, try to put a little thought into the names of your characters. I see so many stupid names in the MMO I am playing now. You might as well paste the word "weener" on your forehead. Something that is kind of like a real name and fits the genre of the game. Is imagination dying or something?
Names like XXXXXInsertYourStupidNameXXXXX are widely uses in F2P.
I normally use obscure names from other media that I think are appropriate to the setting & my character.
I don't have a problem with people using names like Joe or Steven, but it can look a bit dorky.
I despise leet speak names & think they should be banned on all servers not just ones designated RP.
Celebrity names are sometimes funny but again can make the player seem like a dork. The best ones are minor celebrity names chosen as a parody of the character race, gender & class. Some of those are very clever & make me laugh out loud, but unimaginitive crap like 'Brad Pitt' get old very fast.
There is nothing wrong with using descriptive names as many cultures do that anyway & even in the West it is common for people to be better knownby nicknames than their real ones. Obviously common sense is needed in choosing names that are reasonably in tune with the setting, so whereas 'Quantum Paradox' might be OK in games like 'EVE', it would obviously look out of place in 'Lord of the Rings Online'.
As for the final category it depends on what you find offensive, but I would certainly object to names like 'Smokemoarcrack' or anything else that promoted the use of hard drugs. I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with names that referenced alcohol though as long as they were reasonably funny. Obviously names that promoted discrimation based on gender, race, sexuality or even religion would be unnacceptable though.
It's funny you used 'Smellmyfart' as an example. Currently I am playing 'Warhammer' where many of the greenskin NPCs make references to farting & other toilet humour. Consequently there are quite a few Orcs & Goblins running round with similar names & it actually contributes to the atmosphere very well.
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.
You mean like Slampig?
Slampig means slutty in Swedish.
I try to choose names that fits within the game world.
And what up with spelling names like this: DeMoNhUnTeR.
It just looks stupid and not cool at all.
I usually go with a name that would fit the setting/race/class and sometimes just for plain laughs.
A list of names I've used in various games.
SWG:
Woopacca - Wookie / medic / Rebel
Ikaris Sun - Human / Weaponsmith / No faction
Ikaris Sun - Human / Bounty hunter / Rebel
Woop - Trandoshan / Jedi / Imperial
D & D Online:
Treecle Tuneless - Halfling / Rogue / Bard
Voltanus Frost - Human / Sorcerer
Engilbert Humperdink - Human / Bard
Pummel - Warforged / Barbarian
COX:
Eight Ball - Katana / Regen / Scrapper
Glock - Thugs / Poison / Mastermind
Whizz Bang - Archery / Devices / Blaster
Wetware - Energy melee / Energy armour / Stalker
Flash Fry - Fire / Kinetics / Controller
...and I could go on but it will end up a wall of text.
I like my names to be mostly short and easy and not intrusive, for the most part. I would choose a different sort of name for a game such as CoH than I would for a fantasy themed game, although my names aren't always from the fantasy genre. No one's complained so I guess they're ok.
I don't really care what other people name their characters. It's nice when they observe any rules a server might have. I've never reported anyone for a name and I probably won't.
First names and last names
I prefer made up fantasy/sci-fi names. I don't mind common names, but leet speak names annoy me extremely. I also can't stand it when people name their characters after celebrities. In fantasy games, names such as Sonic don't cut it for me, but in super-hero themed MMOs and to a certain extent, sci-fi MMOs I don't mind them. As for offensive names - it speaks much for the person behind the character. It usually involves their lack of maturity.