I think I do. My wife has been gaming with me for 10 years. When the occasional wierdo rears his or her ugly head she cuts ties with him or her and that is the end of the story. I find it fascinating that you seem to have all these stalkers but refuse to stop and reevaluate how you are acting. Have you ever considered that it may be something that you are doing to attract them?
When you are well known in games, in a very large guild, and have friends in and out of game.. it makes you more of a target than just playing a game. When you are involved with large gaming communities the more popular a player you are, the more you are targeted.
I hate to keep coming back at you like this. I really don't mean to be an asshole but if you understand that you are targeted like some sort of e-celebrity then you should watch yourself even more right? I guess getting back to the OP, what would being unable to change your name actually do to stop this sort of behavior? If someone is bound and determined to stalk you it will happen.
I gave my son my WoW account when I stopped playing. He used his allowance money to change my main characters name because he wanted that character to be his. What you are proposing would stop things like that from happening.
I don't know. I guess we can simply agree to disagree.
Why should I have to worry because there are unstable crazies out there? Why should being a popular player, guild leader, good pker be a punishment?
well wow I could care less that game is a joke for pvp anyhow .. but I am talking about games where all players can speak to each other, regardless of faction..
I hope this does not become a staple in mmos, it would really make things rough for some of us.
What are you babbling about? Change username would run off girls not bring them to the games. LOL
Being forced to change your name because some creep won;t take a hint, or having the same guy stalk you repeatedly by changing his name would make girls want to leave the game, not stay.
Having evryone know what he does allows women to see him coming a mile away. Girls talk about EVERYTHING you know ..
I see you don't follow family guy, thus this post and all others you create are worthless.
I was referring to the fact that the people who created the idea behind changing names, wanted money.
But if it loses money how are they gaining money by doing it? And yes, I have watched Family guy.. don't remember that particular phrase though lol.
Simple, because most people who find someone that is a jerk, that ninjas, that steals, that just needs to fall off a cliff, gets ignored. Granted, if you ignore someone, it should ignore their account, and not just the name, so if they change it, you don't have to worry.
You can inform friends/guildys/etc about the person. And sadly, this does not stop it from happening again, it never does. But, there are very few people that quit because of this sort of thing, since they can ignore that person. A lot more people spend money on name changes, not just so they can do what you said happen, but to just be cool with a new name, because they bought/sold account, and aren't the same person, or because maybe they transferred servers even.
Edit: Oh, and in mention to the post above. You made it well known in game you are a girl. Many guys know, Internet + name changes + no repercussions = fun for them, no fun for you. Yeah, I know, sooner or later people would find out you are a girl. Just saying, we get "special treatment" like this sometimes just for being a girl. But than again, I'm a complete bitch to anyone I don't enjoy.
Also, anyone that is popular/well known/whatever always have people hating on them for a number of reasons. It's no different in an MMO. In fact, it's more pronounced, since people cannot be punished, or found out who that person doing it really is. You are not special in that regard at least. I still think just putting the person on ignore, and telling friends/guildys is the best thing you can do, outside of sending in tickets. If the person keeps doing it over and over, they eventually will get banned. Yeah it sucks, but disregarding both of those is rather silly when they help you out...
I think I do. My wife has been gaming with me for 10 years. When the occasional wierdo rears his or her ugly head she cuts ties with him or her and that is the end of the story. I find it fascinating that you seem to have all these stalkers but refuse to stop and reevaluate how you are acting. Have you ever considered that it may be something that you are doing to attract them?
When you are well known in games, in a very large guild, and have friends in and out of game.. it makes you more of a target than just playing a game. When you are involved with large gaming communities the more popular a player you are, the more you are targeted.
I hate to keep coming back at you like this. I really don't mean to be an asshole but if you understand that you are targeted like some sort of e-celebrity then you should watch yourself even more right? I guess getting back to the OP, what would being unable to change your name actually do to stop this sort of behavior? If someone is bound and determined to stalk you it will happen.
I gave my son my WoW account when I stopped playing. He used his allowance money to change my main characters name because he wanted that character to be his. What you are proposing would stop things like that from happening.
I don't know. I guess we can simply agree to disagree.
Why should I have to worry because there are unstable crazies out there? Why should being a popular player, guild leader, good pker be a punishment?
well wow I could care less that game is a joke for pvp anyhow .. but I am talking about games where all players can speak to each other, regardless of faction..
not being able to change a character name isn't going to make a difference for such a serious stalking issue.
You also need to take a look at your own actions. Posting private information and pictures of yourself on the internet always brings risk with it.
What are you babbling about? Change username would run off girls not bring them to the games. LOL
Being forced to change your name because some creep won;t take a hint, or having the same guy stalk you repeatedly by changing his name would make girls want to leave the game, not stay.
Having evryone know what he does allows women to see him coming a mile away. Girls talk about EVERYTHING you know ..
I see you don't follow family guy, thus this post and all others you create are worthless.
I was referring to the fact that the people who created the idea behind changing names, wanted money.
But if it loses money how are they gaining money by doing it? And yes, I have watched Family guy.. don't remember that particular phrase though lol.
Simple, because most people who find someone that is a jerk, that ninjas, that steals, that just needs to fall off a cliff, gets ignored. Granted, if you ignore someone, it should ignore their account, and not just the name, so if they change it, you don't have to worry.
You can inform friends/guildys/etc about the person. And sadly, this does not stop it from happening again, it never does. But, there are very few people that quit because of this sort of thing, since they can ignore that person. A lot more people spend money on name changes, not just so they can do what you said happen, but to just be cool with a new name, because they bought/sold account, and aren't the same person, or because maybe they transferred servers even.
So when your on vent searching bounties, and you have justa couple of seconds to figure out if that is the right guy to kill, how is this system functionable? We should just kill everyone to be sure?
A mmorpg is massive multiplayer.. it is about working together with large groups of people, not about some kid who wants to change his name. If a cosmetic change affects gameplay it shouldn't exist. It is not about one persons mistake, it is about the entire community as a whole. You are willing to sacrfice ease of guilds, bounty hunters and merc for the sake of a few people who don;t like a decsion no one else forced them to make.
I hate to keep coming back at you like this. I really don't mean to be an asshole but if you understand that you are targeted like some sort of e-celebrity then you should watch yourself even more right? I guess getting back to the OP, what would being unable to change your name actually do to stop this sort of behavior? If someone is bound and determined to stalk you it will happen. I gave my son my WoW account when I stopped playing. He used his allowance money to change my main characters name because he wanted that character to be his. What you are proposing would stop things like that from happening. I don't know. I guess we can simply agree to disagree.
Why should I have to worry because there are unstable crazies out there? Why should being a popular player, guild leader, good pker be a punishment?
well wow I could care less that game is a joke for pvp anyhow .. but I am talking about games where all players can speak to each other, regardless of faction..
I hope this does not become a staple in mmos, it would really make things rough for some of us.
You said it yourself. There are more unstable people out there than you realise. Being a good person in general shouldn't be a punishment but there are people constantly being hurt or killed because they attempt to help someone else. Does it mean we all should turn into heartless robots? I don't think so. It, however, does mean that we all need to be more proactive about defending ourselves.
As far as the WoW comment goes, I have been playing MMO's since The Realm came out sometime in 1996. That is by far not my only experience in online gaming.
It's gotten to the point where some MMOs have been reduced to little more than success dispensers. Don't think. Don't challenge yourself. Do as little as possible... but still be rewarded for it. Yeah.. *that's* fun.
I think I do. My wife has been gaming with me for 10 years. When the occasional wierdo rears his or her ugly head she cuts ties with him or her and that is the end of the story. I find it fascinating that you seem to have all these stalkers but refuse to stop and reevaluate how you are acting. Have you ever considered that it may be something that you are doing to attract them?
When you are well known in games, in a very large guild, and have friends in and out of game.. it makes you more of a target than just playing a game. When you are involved with large gaming communities the more popular a player you are, the more you are targeted.
I hate to keep coming back at you like this. I really don't mean to be an asshole but if you understand that you are targeted like some sort of e-celebrity then you should watch yourself even more right? I guess getting back to the OP, what would being unable to change your name actually do to stop this sort of behavior? If someone is bound and determined to stalk you it will happen.
I gave my son my WoW account when I stopped playing. He used his allowance money to change my main characters name because he wanted that character to be his. What you are proposing would stop things like that from happening.
I don't know. I guess we can simply agree to disagree.
Why should I have to worry because there are unstable crazies out there? Why should being a popular player, guild leader, good pker be a punishment?
well wow I could care less that game is a joke for pvp anyhow .. but I am talking about games where all players can speak to each other, regardless of faction..
not being able to change a character name isn't going to make a difference for such a serious stalking issue.
You also need to take a look at your own actions. Posting private information and pictures of yourself on the internet always brings risk with it.
If you are at a party and someone else takes your picture and posts it, how did you ask for this? Other people post information, yet you blame the person targeted rather than the persons responsible for their actions. THAT IS BS.
Do you think that the female writers on this site who have their pics posted should change their actions too? What a load of BS.
Out of curiousity, what game are you currently playing that has active bounties and such? Sounds interesting.
It's gotten to the point where some MMOs have been reduced to little more than success dispensers. Don't think. Don't challenge yourself. Do as little as possible... but still be rewarded for it. Yeah.. *that's* fun.
You are completely ignoring and turning a blind eye to what 99% of the rest of us do, because it doesn't "fit your bill". I'm sorry. That's how MMO's are. The entire world is full of people like that person. You have to get used to it. You can let them bother you till no end, or you can remove them from the picture. You are choosing to let them bother you simply because you want it your way. :.
As I said, report them everytime they do it. I've had friends, guildys, and total jerks get banned for getting reported a number of times. Not always a life ban, but a day or 3. That often gets people to shut up.
There is no law against being an asshole.
You are arguing that because a very few people might harass a very few other people, many many others must suffer for it. I don't see the logic in that idea.
Reading this thread im specially alarmed by the fact that this guy stalked you irl. I would recomend that you hire a private investigator to do a background check and obviously that you step up security measures both at home and online. Take down all pics and info that may be out there in nonsecure places. Contact your games ads/GMs and explain the situation, this guy should be banned and his IP locked. Make it clear in writing that he tracked you down, corporations tend to take this things seriously and will not endanger their users. Finally, and i know this may sound painful, you should give up your acount. He can always get to you through it and this is something you should put an imediate stop to. If you want to continue playing i would recomend rerolling in a new acount using a male character if you can stomach it. You seem to know your guildies in real life, so i would recomend sitting down and explaining the situation to them. Its a very iresponsible thing that they would endanger you providing personal info to a stranger. If theyre online acquaintances i would seriously reconsider mantaining ties, you dont know what their relation is to the stalker.
This is ofc asuming the stalker is an adult. If hes not contacting his parents should be more than enough to put a stop to the situation (obviously he must be somehow known to you if you recognized him) if youre yourself a minor, your parents/guardians should be informed, a forum about MMOs is obviously not the ideal place to seek advice.
I know i may come a bit as paranoid or exagerated but i lost a friend some time ago to an atempted kidnaping. Situations like this should be taken seriously and dealt with decisively. Nothing is more important than your well being and integrity, you should not hesitate to take whatever measures are necesary to protect yourself.
Just to make things clear... I speak for myself and no one else, unless i state otherwise mine is just an opinion. A fact is something that can be independently verified, you may challenge such but with proof. You have every right to disagree with me through sound argument, i believe in constructive debate, but baseless aggression will warrant an unkind response.
i was unfairly kick out of a guild due to another person drama, i thought about doing a payed name change just so i can be able to play in the same guild with my friends again, but i was to lazy to do it. i was also hacked and someone tryed to damage my rep acusing me of being a ninja.
i can see why someone would pay for a due over. their pro and cons to everything. as a gaming company pay name change is just money in the bank.
I don't ignore people, I want to know what they are saying about me. Ignoring them just allows for them to sit there talking smack and you cannot see what they are saying.
This sounds fo fammiliar, oh yea! My whife is also consern what others are saying about her all the times. I would never understood that obsession.
I think I do. My wife has been gaming with me for 10 years. When the occasional wierdo rears his or her ugly head she cuts ties with him or her and that is the end of the story. I find it fascinating that you seem to have all these stalkers but refuse to stop and reevaluate how you are acting. Have you ever considered that it may be something that you are doing to attract them?
When you are well known in games, in a very large guild, and have friends in and out of game.. it makes you more of a target than just playing a game. When you are involved with large gaming communities the more popular a player you are, the more you are targeted.
I hate to keep coming back at you like this. I really don't mean to be an asshole but if you understand that you are targeted like some sort of e-celebrity then you should watch yourself even more right? I guess getting back to the OP, what would being unable to change your name actually do to stop this sort of behavior? If someone is bound and determined to stalk you it will happen.
I gave my son my WoW account when I stopped playing. He used his allowance money to change my main characters name because he wanted that character to be his. What you are proposing would stop things like that from happening.
I don't know. I guess we can simply agree to disagree.
Why should I have to worry because there are unstable crazies out there? Why should being a popular player, guild leader, good pker be a punishment?
well wow I could care less that game is a joke for pvp anyhow .. but I am talking about games where all players can speak to each other, regardless of faction..
not being able to change a character name isn't going to make a difference for such a serious stalking issue.
You also need to take a look at your own actions. Posting private information and pictures of yourself on the internet always brings risk with it.
If you are at a party and someone else takes your picture and posts it, how did you ask for this? Other people post information, yet you blame the person targeted rather than the persons responsible for their actions. THAT IS BS.
Do you think that the female writers on this site who have their pics posted should change their actions too? What a load of BS.
If your friends uploaded photos of you and posted information of you without your permission, then you have every right to be angry with them. The internet is a very, very dangerous place with lots of people with bad intentions. It can haunt you for the rest of your life if you're not careful. The internet becomes more and more important in our lives but it's also an uncontrolled anarchy.
That's why people should be careful when people post images online.
If female writers on this site have their pictures up, should they change it? well that's up to them really. Ofcourse it does bring a risk with them and it's up to them if they are willing to take that risk.
But we're getting a bit off - topic here because not allowing namechange doesn't solve any of this.
LOL it certainly is yes... just in case i thought someone should be an adult and say the responsable thing...
Just to make things clear... I speak for myself and no one else, unless i state otherwise mine is just an opinion. A fact is something that can be independently verified, you may challenge such but with proof. You have every right to disagree with me through sound argument, i believe in constructive debate, but baseless aggression will warrant an unkind response.
This is so transparent.... ;>_> sorry just had to put it out there.
Yes it certainly IS transparent.
There is no reason why players should be able to change their names in MMORPGS because they personally make that decision and the decision to change that affects other players and gameplay.
It allows for players to do whatever they want to whoever they want and wipe the slate clean when they feel like it, leaving the community at risk. If they make their bed they should be made to lay in it. They want to change their name sure, create an account and start over, but don;t force the community to have to change their reputation systems in order to accomodate a cosmetic feature.
This takes aways gameplay for many to provide a cosmetic feature to a few. People treat mmorpgs these days liek it is dress your toon up like princess barbie and are more concerned about names than how it affects the gameplay of others.
They can stalk whoever they want change their name and do it again and again at will. They can do what they want and not have to deal with the wrath of the community for it.
I hate how gameplay is continually degraded for cosmetic features. If a player ruins their reputation they should have to deal with it.
This feature hurts long term players that build reputation in game and use the honor system to build trust in game. This allows for players that wish to cause harm to other players to manipulate the honor system to their benefit.
Why? Because part of long term playing of an MMORPG is a player reputation based on how they treat other players in the game. It allows some guy to be a creep, stalk you all over a game then be able to go change their name and come after you again attempt to regain trust only to stalk you more. Why would any game want to allow for change of username? It is the worst Idea I have ever heard. Being a girl in an mmo and constantly stalked by creeps, it is hard enough to keep them at bay, this type of system only allows for them to be able to be an ass for years then go change their name and follow you around more. Are they trying to run women off? is that what this is supposed to be a " girl repellant for games" Who thinks of these stupid ideas?!!
I would like to think that any game company that actually has a support system would let you change your own name free of charge if you are being harassed that badly.
Why? Because part of long term playing of an MMORPG is a player reputation based on how they treat other players in the game. It allows some guy to be a creep, stalk you all over a game then be able to go change their name and come after you again attempt to regain trust only to stalk you more. Why would any game want to allow for change of username? It is the worst Idea I have ever heard. Being a girl in an mmo and constantly stalked by creeps, it is hard enough to keep them at bay, this type of system only allows for them to be able to be an ass for years then go change their name and follow you around more. Are they trying to run women off? is that what this is supposed to be a " girl repellant for games" Who thinks of these stupid ideas?!!
I would like to think that any game company that actually has a support system would let you change your own name free of charge if you are being harassed that badly.
That would only confuse guildmates. I should not have to change anything because of some ass, No they should be the one that has to change, and not their name., You are punishing the player who did nothing wrong instead of the people causing the problems.
I want to be able to change my chars name because I tend to hate it after a while, no matter what. But there should be a way to be see the account name for instance so you know who are you dealing with.
Or a way to see the char's name history.
About guys stalking you... I really doubt this is an issue now becausee 80% of girls in MMOs are g.i.r.l.s and everybody knows that and guys just don't try to flirt with girl chars anymore.
edit: of course if you go saying things like that one under your avatar: "Adjusts ponytails and pulls the lollipop out of my mouth", you are bringing it onto yourself.
Warning, the following wall of text can cause bleeding of the eyes, uncontrollable giddiness, and asphyxia. Parental guidance is suggested.
This is a sad thread, at first I was just gonna say that this "girl" is a troll and has gotten the community riled up. But then I stopped and thought about it, and realized that she's just a moron. Lets take a look shall we?
1. She says she is being stalked in game. All through her posts she says nothing on if she has tried to contact the GMs of said game to get the situation resolved. And yes, if you explain to a GM that someone has been stalking you, especially in RL they WILL perma-ban them if they see proof that they are also stalking you in game.
2. She says says that name changes shouldn't be allowed because it makes it difficult for merc hits, blacklisting, etc. Your point being? Ok, one toon gets blacklisted, if I was a person like this, I would keep making new toons as I went along just to piss you off, why? Because it would be difficult for you to track me that way. Would actually be harder than tracking someone that just has a name changed.
3. She says this person has seen photos of her on the guild website at a party she was at. Did you give said photographer of the picture permission to post it? If not, tell them they must take it down.
4. She says that she is popular in game. A MMO...MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE...gee, so out of the hundreds of thousands of people that play this game, you are the most widely known, best of the best, most liked player of the no. 1 guild of the server? highly doubt it. It is highly unlikely that the "stalker" is stalking you because of this, some freaky horndog saw your pics while cruising guild sites and decided he thought you were his "soulmate" and won't take no for an answer so now he stalks you in game because he knows where you will be.
5. Won't ignore anyone eh? So worried about what others are saying about you? Here's a little suggestion: If you are as popular as you want us to believe, don't worry about it. If someone is posting slanderous messages in trade chat about you and your guild, which happens to be one of the most popular on the server, why should you care? No one will believe him and he can keep saying that stuff until he's typing with nubbs instead of fingers. Getting over yourself would be a nice follow up suggestion.
6. You posted that said "stalker" has come by your house. In that case you know who he is in game, you know what car he drives, and you know said person by sight. This can only lead us to conclude that you know said person in some way in RL. With this much information you can go to the police give them all the information, which they can then contact his state or city police if it is out of their jurisdiction and get the problem taken care of. Not to mention they can place a restraining order on him to where if he comes back again he's in jail or juvie depending on his age. Not to mention if you were really being stalked he would have come by your house more than one time. (and don't go "oh but he has come by more that once" just because I have mentioned it here.)
7. In post #10 you say, "I don;t whine about it." And what do you think you just did in this entire thread? Most of your posts are nothing but QQ. As for the rest of #10, most bounty hunters don't do it for the money, they do it for the challenge of the hunt of their prey, if a person changes their name, it just adds another level of challenge that a bounty hunter would enjoy.
Most females I know that play MMO's I know in RL. Not a single one of them has had any of the problems you have posted and they are pretty popular within the guilds and games that they play, then again they are not overly paranoid about what people say about them and actually use the /ignore feature in a game.
If you really want to take out the name change feature, how about we do this as a true counter measure so that no one is stalked in game or makes bad remarkes about a player/guild again?
A. We make it to where EVERY character recieves a random name upon creation that cannot be changed for any reason down the line, If you happen to get Tobmolljaubein as a name, your loss. All characters in game already will automatically have their named changed the instant this counter measure goes into affect.
B. Every guild that is created will have a randomly generated, three word name where the first word is always "The." Any guild already established before this counter measure goes into affect will have their named changed automatically.
C. Have GM's that have the sole duty of being a member of the Chat Channel Gestapo. The CCG would monitor all chat channels, public and private, as well as all in game voice channels and upon a person saying anything negative about any other person or guild instantly have their account perma-banned. If said person was a member of a guild then all guild members of said guild would recieve a mark of probation on their account, upon the second perma-ban of the guild, the guild is completely disbanded and said members of disbanded guild only have the ability to join other guilds, never make another guild of their own nor be leader or officer of any other guild. If said person recieves a third mark on their account, the account is perma-banned.
D. We make all items in game look the same on every race. The only difference to the look of items soley depends upon the class of said character.
E. Limit the players race choices to two to three races which has all features chosen at random.
Now I think those counter measures will be up to your liking and would help solve the issue. Oh, and by the way, on the comment you made about stalkers being considered the same as ninja looters... A little info about stalking victims: if the stalker isn't delt with before things go too far they usually end up dead. I guess in your case I'll just watch the newspapers for the story about a stalker who went from stalking them on the MMORPG they played to RL, was able to kill them, and ninja loot their corpse before the the victim's family could get there to do NBG on her body.
No matter how nice I like a character name at start, at some point it will annoy me.
Some people might pass on their account to friends/family and as such they would want a namechange. Or people that simply swap their accounts with someone to experience a different highlvl char. Same goes with ebayers that want a fresh name on the acc they bought. I think it's a great possibility. You better live with it.
I love how some people like the OP brag about how she's so smokin hot and then complain when they get too much attention. She's gone on many times on this board about how she's so great in every aspect and then wonders why she's getting negative attention. She most likely brags even more feverently in game, trying to become some kind of ePrincess and gain some imaginary status that she obviously can't find enough of in the real world.
Maybe someone doesn't like their character name but doesn't want to level a new character?
The exploit is not worth the cosmetic. They name their character, they should name it something they are happy with in the first place.
Why would they be unhappy with something they decided? they could just put a warning on the game when they create their username reminding them that this is their name in the game so they should make sure they are happy with it.
Often I make bad decisions, just wanting to get through character creation and into the game. I try to think of something I'll like, but can't always come up with anything. I've often been frustrated by the names I've been stuck with.
A simple solution would be to auto-assign characters/accounts an ID code that would be displayed, when a command is typed by another player. They could change their name, but they'd still be trackable by anyone inclined to do so.
When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.
No matter how nice I like a character name at start, at some point it will annoy me.
Some people might pass on their account to friends/family and as such they would want a namechange. Or people that simply swap their accounts with someone to experience a different highlvl char. Same goes with ebayers that want a fresh name on the acc they bought. I think it's a great possibility. You better live with it.
Buying accounts really doesnt make for a strong case in allowing people to change names...
Just to make things clear... I speak for myself and no one else, unless i state otherwise mine is just an opinion. A fact is something that can be independently verified, you may challenge such but with proof. You have every right to disagree with me through sound argument, i believe in constructive debate, but baseless aggression will warrant an unkind response.
Comments
When you are well known in games, in a very large guild, and have friends in and out of game.. it makes you more of a target than just playing a game. When you are involved with large gaming communities the more popular a player you are, the more you are targeted.
I hate to keep coming back at you like this. I really don't mean to be an asshole but if you understand that you are targeted like some sort of e-celebrity then you should watch yourself even more right? I guess getting back to the OP, what would being unable to change your name actually do to stop this sort of behavior? If someone is bound and determined to stalk you it will happen.
I gave my son my WoW account when I stopped playing. He used his allowance money to change my main characters name because he wanted that character to be his. What you are proposing would stop things like that from happening.
I don't know. I guess we can simply agree to disagree.
Why should I have to worry because there are unstable crazies out there? Why should being a popular player, guild leader, good pker be a punishment?
well wow I could care less that game is a joke for pvp anyhow .. but I am talking about games where all players can speak to each other, regardless of faction..
I hope this does not become a staple in mmos, it would really make things rough for some of us.
People who want Nipples and dimes....
Nickles and boobs...
Money...
What are you babbling about? Change username would run off girls not bring them to the games. LOL
Being forced to change your name because some creep won;t take a hint, or having the same guy stalk you repeatedly by changing his name would make girls want to leave the game, not stay.
Having evryone know what he does allows women to see him coming a mile away. Girls talk about EVERYTHING you know ..
I see you don't follow family guy, thus this post and all others you create are worthless.
I was referring to the fact that the people who created the idea behind changing names, wanted money.
But if it loses money how are they gaining money by doing it? And yes, I have watched Family guy.. don't remember that particular phrase though lol.
Simple, because most people who find someone that is a jerk, that ninjas, that steals, that just needs to fall off a cliff, gets ignored. Granted, if you ignore someone, it should ignore their account, and not just the name, so if they change it, you don't have to worry.
You can inform friends/guildys/etc about the person. And sadly, this does not stop it from happening again, it never does. But, there are very few people that quit because of this sort of thing, since they can ignore that person. A lot more people spend money on name changes, not just so they can do what you said happen, but to just be cool with a new name, because they bought/sold account, and aren't the same person, or because maybe they transferred servers even.
Edit: Oh, and in mention to the post above. You made it well known in game you are a girl. Many guys know, Internet + name changes + no repercussions = fun for them, no fun for you. Yeah, I know, sooner or later people would find out you are a girl. Just saying, we get "special treatment" like this sometimes just for being a girl. But than again, I'm a complete bitch to anyone I don't enjoy.
Also, anyone that is popular/well known/whatever always have people hating on them for a number of reasons. It's no different in an MMO. In fact, it's more pronounced, since people cannot be punished, or found out who that person doing it really is. You are not special in that regard at least. I still think just putting the person on ignore, and telling friends/guildys is the best thing you can do, outside of sending in tickets. If the person keeps doing it over and over, they eventually will get banned. Yeah it sucks, but disregarding both of those is rather silly when they help you out...
When you are well known in games, in a very large guild, and have friends in and out of game.. it makes you more of a target than just playing a game. When you are involved with large gaming communities the more popular a player you are, the more you are targeted.
I hate to keep coming back at you like this. I really don't mean to be an asshole but if you understand that you are targeted like some sort of e-celebrity then you should watch yourself even more right? I guess getting back to the OP, what would being unable to change your name actually do to stop this sort of behavior? If someone is bound and determined to stalk you it will happen.
I gave my son my WoW account when I stopped playing. He used his allowance money to change my main characters name because he wanted that character to be his. What you are proposing would stop things like that from happening.
I don't know. I guess we can simply agree to disagree.
Why should I have to worry because there are unstable crazies out there? Why should being a popular player, guild leader, good pker be a punishment?
well wow I could care less that game is a joke for pvp anyhow .. but I am talking about games where all players can speak to each other, regardless of faction..
not being able to change a character name isn't going to make a difference for such a serious stalking issue.
You also need to take a look at your own actions. Posting private information and pictures of yourself on the internet always brings risk with it.
People who want Nipples and dimes....
Nickles and boobs...
Money...
What are you babbling about? Change username would run off girls not bring them to the games. LOL
Being forced to change your name because some creep won;t take a hint, or having the same guy stalk you repeatedly by changing his name would make girls want to leave the game, not stay.
Having evryone know what he does allows women to see him coming a mile away. Girls talk about EVERYTHING you know ..
I see you don't follow family guy, thus this post and all others you create are worthless.
I was referring to the fact that the people who created the idea behind changing names, wanted money.
But if it loses money how are they gaining money by doing it? And yes, I have watched Family guy.. don't remember that particular phrase though lol.
Simple, because most people who find someone that is a jerk, that ninjas, that steals, that just needs to fall off a cliff, gets ignored. Granted, if you ignore someone, it should ignore their account, and not just the name, so if they change it, you don't have to worry.
You can inform friends/guildys/etc about the person. And sadly, this does not stop it from happening again, it never does. But, there are very few people that quit because of this sort of thing, since they can ignore that person. A lot more people spend money on name changes, not just so they can do what you said happen, but to just be cool with a new name, because they bought/sold account, and aren't the same person, or because maybe they transferred servers even.
So when your on vent searching bounties, and you have justa couple of seconds to figure out if that is the right guy to kill, how is this system functionable? We should just kill everyone to be sure?
A mmorpg is massive multiplayer.. it is about working together with large groups of people, not about some kid who wants to change his name. If a cosmetic change affects gameplay it shouldn't exist. It is not about one persons mistake, it is about the entire community as a whole. You are willing to sacrfice ease of guilds, bounty hunters and merc for the sake of a few people who don;t like a decsion no one else forced them to make.
Why should I have to worry because there are unstable crazies out there? Why should being a popular player, guild leader, good pker be a punishment?
well wow I could care less that game is a joke for pvp anyhow .. but I am talking about games where all players can speak to each other, regardless of faction..
I hope this does not become a staple in mmos, it would really make things rough for some of us.
You said it yourself. There are more unstable people out there than you realise. Being a good person in general shouldn't be a punishment but there are people constantly being hurt or killed because they attempt to help someone else. Does it mean we all should turn into heartless robots? I don't think so. It, however, does mean that we all need to be more proactive about defending ourselves.
As far as the WoW comment goes, I have been playing MMO's since The Realm came out sometime in 1996. That is by far not my only experience in online gaming.
It's gotten to the point where some MMOs have been reduced to little more than success dispensers. Don't think. Don't challenge yourself. Do as little as possible... but still be rewarded for it. Yeah.. *that's* fun.
-- WSIMike
When you are well known in games, in a very large guild, and have friends in and out of game.. it makes you more of a target than just playing a game. When you are involved with large gaming communities the more popular a player you are, the more you are targeted.
I hate to keep coming back at you like this. I really don't mean to be an asshole but if you understand that you are targeted like some sort of e-celebrity then you should watch yourself even more right? I guess getting back to the OP, what would being unable to change your name actually do to stop this sort of behavior? If someone is bound and determined to stalk you it will happen.
I gave my son my WoW account when I stopped playing. He used his allowance money to change my main characters name because he wanted that character to be his. What you are proposing would stop things like that from happening.
I don't know. I guess we can simply agree to disagree.
Why should I have to worry because there are unstable crazies out there? Why should being a popular player, guild leader, good pker be a punishment?
well wow I could care less that game is a joke for pvp anyhow .. but I am talking about games where all players can speak to each other, regardless of faction..
not being able to change a character name isn't going to make a difference for such a serious stalking issue.
You also need to take a look at your own actions. Posting private information and pictures of yourself on the internet always brings risk with it.
If you are at a party and someone else takes your picture and posts it, how did you ask for this? Other people post information, yet you blame the person targeted rather than the persons responsible for their actions. THAT IS BS.
Do you think that the female writers on this site who have their pics posted should change their actions too? What a load of BS.
Out of curiousity, what game are you currently playing that has active bounties and such? Sounds interesting.
It's gotten to the point where some MMOs have been reduced to little more than success dispensers. Don't think. Don't challenge yourself. Do as little as possible... but still be rewarded for it. Yeah.. *that's* fun.
-- WSIMike
You are completely ignoring and turning a blind eye to what 99% of the rest of us do, because it doesn't "fit your bill". I'm sorry. That's how MMO's are. The entire world is full of people like that person. You have to get used to it. You can let them bother you till no end, or you can remove them from the picture. You are choosing to let them bother you simply because you want it your way. :.
As I said, report them everytime they do it. I've had friends, guildys, and total jerks get banned for getting reported a number of times. Not always a life ban, but a day or 3. That often gets people to shut up.
There is no law against being an asshole.
You are arguing that because a very few people might harass a very few other people, many many others must suffer for it. I don't see the logic in that idea.
Reading this thread im specially alarmed by the fact that this guy stalked you irl. I would recomend that you hire a private investigator to do a background check and obviously that you step up security measures both at home and online. Take down all pics and info that may be out there in nonsecure places. Contact your games ads/GMs and explain the situation, this guy should be banned and his IP locked. Make it clear in writing that he tracked you down, corporations tend to take this things seriously and will not endanger their users. Finally, and i know this may sound painful, you should give up your acount. He can always get to you through it and this is something you should put an imediate stop to. If you want to continue playing i would recomend rerolling in a new acount using a male character if you can stomach it. You seem to know your guildies in real life, so i would recomend sitting down and explaining the situation to them. Its a very iresponsible thing that they would endanger you providing personal info to a stranger. If theyre online acquaintances i would seriously reconsider mantaining ties, you dont know what their relation is to the stalker.
This is ofc asuming the stalker is an adult. If hes not contacting his parents should be more than enough to put a stop to the situation (obviously he must be somehow known to you if you recognized him) if youre yourself a minor, your parents/guardians should be informed, a forum about MMOs is obviously not the ideal place to seek advice.
I know i may come a bit as paranoid or exagerated but i lost a friend some time ago to an atempted kidnaping. Situations like this should be taken seriously and dealt with decisively. Nothing is more important than your well being and integrity, you should not hesitate to take whatever measures are necesary to protect yourself.
Just to make things clear...
I speak for myself and no one else, unless i state otherwise mine is just an opinion. A fact is something that can be independently verified, you may challenge such but with proof. You have every right to disagree with me through sound argument, i believe in constructive debate, but baseless aggression will warrant an unkind response.
i was unfairly kick out of a guild due to another person drama, i thought about doing a payed name change just so i can be able to play in the same guild with my friends again, but i was to lazy to do it. i was also hacked and someone tryed to damage my rep acusing me of being a ninja.
i can see why someone would pay for a due over. their pro and cons to everything. as a gaming company pay name change is just money in the bank.
This sounds fo fammiliar, oh yea! My whife is also consern what others are saying about her all the times. I would never understood that obsession.
When you are well known in games, in a very large guild, and have friends in and out of game.. it makes you more of a target than just playing a game. When you are involved with large gaming communities the more popular a player you are, the more you are targeted.
I hate to keep coming back at you like this. I really don't mean to be an asshole but if you understand that you are targeted like some sort of e-celebrity then you should watch yourself even more right? I guess getting back to the OP, what would being unable to change your name actually do to stop this sort of behavior? If someone is bound and determined to stalk you it will happen.
I gave my son my WoW account when I stopped playing. He used his allowance money to change my main characters name because he wanted that character to be his. What you are proposing would stop things like that from happening.
I don't know. I guess we can simply agree to disagree.
Why should I have to worry because there are unstable crazies out there? Why should being a popular player, guild leader, good pker be a punishment?
well wow I could care less that game is a joke for pvp anyhow .. but I am talking about games where all players can speak to each other, regardless of faction..
not being able to change a character name isn't going to make a difference for such a serious stalking issue.
You also need to take a look at your own actions. Posting private information and pictures of yourself on the internet always brings risk with it.
If you are at a party and someone else takes your picture and posts it, how did you ask for this? Other people post information, yet you blame the person targeted rather than the persons responsible for their actions. THAT IS BS.
Do you think that the female writers on this site who have their pics posted should change their actions too? What a load of BS.
If your friends uploaded photos of you and posted information of you without your permission, then you have every right to be angry with them. The internet is a very, very dangerous place with lots of people with bad intentions. It can haunt you for the rest of your life if you're not careful. The internet becomes more and more important in our lives but it's also an uncontrolled anarchy.
That's why people should be careful when people post images online.
If female writers on this site have their pictures up, should they change it? well that's up to them really. Ofcourse it does bring a risk with them and it's up to them if they are willing to take that risk.
But we're getting a bit off - topic here because not allowing namechange doesn't solve any of this.
This is so transparent.... ;>_> sorry just had to put it out there.
LOL it certainly is yes... just in case i thought someone should be an adult and say the responsable thing...
Just to make things clear...
I speak for myself and no one else, unless i state otherwise mine is just an opinion. A fact is something that can be independently verified, you may challenge such but with proof. You have every right to disagree with me through sound argument, i believe in constructive debate, but baseless aggression will warrant an unkind response.
Yes it certainly IS transparent.
There is no reason why players should be able to change their names in MMORPGS because they personally make that decision and the decision to change that affects other players and gameplay.
It allows for players to do whatever they want to whoever they want and wipe the slate clean when they feel like it, leaving the community at risk. If they make their bed they should be made to lay in it. They want to change their name sure, create an account and start over, but don;t force the community to have to change their reputation systems in order to accomodate a cosmetic feature.
This takes aways gameplay for many to provide a cosmetic feature to a few. People treat mmorpgs these days liek it is dress your toon up like princess barbie and are more concerned about names than how it affects the gameplay of others.
They can stalk whoever they want change their name and do it again and again at will. They can do what they want and not have to deal with the wrath of the community for it.
I hate how gameplay is continually degraded for cosmetic features. If a player ruins their reputation they should have to deal with it.
This feature hurts long term players that build reputation in game and use the honor system to build trust in game. This allows for players that wish to cause harm to other players to manipulate the honor system to their benefit.
I would like to think that any game company that actually has a support system would let you change your own name free of charge if you are being harassed that badly.
I would like to think that any game company that actually has a support system would let you change your own name free of charge if you are being harassed that badly.
That would only confuse guildmates. I should not have to change anything because of some ass, No they should be the one that has to change, and not their name., You are punishing the player who did nothing wrong instead of the people causing the problems.
I want to be able to change my chars name because I tend to hate it after a while, no matter what. But there should be a way to be see the account name for instance so you know who are you dealing with.
Or a way to see the char's name history.
About guys stalking you... I really doubt this is an issue now becausee 80% of girls in MMOs are g.i.r.l.s and everybody knows that and guys just don't try to flirt with girl chars anymore.
edit: of course if you go saying things like that one under your avatar: "Adjusts ponytails and pulls the lollipop out of my mouth", you are bringing it onto yourself.
More likely they E-bay the account and the new guy doesn't want to get the bad rep of the old guy.
But, yes. It is a stupid idea. You just have to make up names that you can live with.
Warning, the following wall of text can cause bleeding of the eyes, uncontrollable giddiness, and asphyxia. Parental guidance is suggested.
This is a sad thread, at first I was just gonna say that this "girl" is a troll and has gotten the community riled up. But then I stopped and thought about it, and realized that she's just a moron. Lets take a look shall we?
1. She says she is being stalked in game. All through her posts she says nothing on if she has tried to contact the GMs of said game to get the situation resolved. And yes, if you explain to a GM that someone has been stalking you, especially in RL they WILL perma-ban them if they see proof that they are also stalking you in game.
2. She says says that name changes shouldn't be allowed because it makes it difficult for merc hits, blacklisting, etc. Your point being? Ok, one toon gets blacklisted, if I was a person like this, I would keep making new toons as I went along just to piss you off, why? Because it would be difficult for you to track me that way. Would actually be harder than tracking someone that just has a name changed.
3. She says this person has seen photos of her on the guild website at a party she was at. Did you give said photographer of the picture permission to post it? If not, tell them they must take it down.
4. She says that she is popular in game. A MMO...MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE...gee, so out of the hundreds of thousands of people that play this game, you are the most widely known, best of the best, most liked player of the no. 1 guild of the server? highly doubt it. It is highly unlikely that the "stalker" is stalking you because of this, some freaky horndog saw your pics while cruising guild sites and decided he thought you were his "soulmate" and won't take no for an answer so now he stalks you in game because he knows where you will be.
5. Won't ignore anyone eh? So worried about what others are saying about you? Here's a little suggestion: If you are as popular as you want us to believe, don't worry about it. If someone is posting slanderous messages in trade chat about you and your guild, which happens to be one of the most popular on the server, why should you care? No one will believe him and he can keep saying that stuff until he's typing with nubbs instead of fingers. Getting over yourself would be a nice follow up suggestion.
6. You posted that said "stalker" has come by your house. In that case you know who he is in game, you know what car he drives, and you know said person by sight. This can only lead us to conclude that you know said person in some way in RL. With this much information you can go to the police give them all the information, which they can then contact his state or city police if it is out of their jurisdiction and get the problem taken care of. Not to mention they can place a restraining order on him to where if he comes back again he's in jail or juvie depending on his age. Not to mention if you were really being stalked he would have come by your house more than one time. (and don't go "oh but he has come by more that once" just because I have mentioned it here.)
7. In post #10 you say, "I don;t whine about it." And what do you think you just did in this entire thread? Most of your posts are nothing but QQ. As for the rest of #10, most bounty hunters don't do it for the money, they do it for the challenge of the hunt of their prey, if a person changes their name, it just adds another level of challenge that a bounty hunter would enjoy.
Most females I know that play MMO's I know in RL. Not a single one of them has had any of the problems you have posted and they are pretty popular within the guilds and games that they play, then again they are not overly paranoid about what people say about them and actually use the /ignore feature in a game.
If you really want to take out the name change feature, how about we do this as a true counter measure so that no one is stalked in game or makes bad remarkes about a player/guild again?
A. We make it to where EVERY character recieves a random name upon creation that cannot be changed for any reason down the line, If you happen to get Tobmolljaubein as a name, your loss. All characters in game already will automatically have their named changed the instant this counter measure goes into affect.
B. Every guild that is created will have a randomly generated, three word name where the first word is always "The." Any guild already established before this counter measure goes into affect will have their named changed automatically.
C. Have GM's that have the sole duty of being a member of the Chat Channel Gestapo. The CCG would monitor all chat channels, public and private, as well as all in game voice channels and upon a person saying anything negative about any other person or guild instantly have their account perma-banned. If said person was a member of a guild then all guild members of said guild would recieve a mark of probation on their account, upon the second perma-ban of the guild, the guild is completely disbanded and said members of disbanded guild only have the ability to join other guilds, never make another guild of their own nor be leader or officer of any other guild. If said person recieves a third mark on their account, the account is perma-banned.
D. We make all items in game look the same on every race. The only difference to the look of items soley depends upon the class of said character.
E. Limit the players race choices to two to three races which has all features chosen at random.
Now I think those counter measures will be up to your liking and would help solve the issue. Oh, and by the way, on the comment you made about stalkers being considered the same as ninja looters... A little info about stalking victims: if the stalker isn't delt with before things go too far they usually end up dead. I guess in your case I'll just watch the newspapers for the story about a stalker who went from stalking them on the MMORPG they played to RL, was able to kill them, and ninja loot their corpse before the the victim's family could get there to do NBG on her body.
Now go away troll, you bother me.
Currently playing EverQuest 2
No matter how nice I like a character name at start, at some point it will annoy me.
Some people might pass on their account to friends/family and as such they would want a namechange. Or people that simply swap their accounts with someone to experience a different highlvl char. Same goes with ebayers that want a fresh name on the acc they bought. I think it's a great possibility. You better live with it.
I love how some people like the OP brag about how she's so smokin hot and then complain when they get too much attention. She's gone on many times on this board about how she's so great in every aspect and then wonders why she's getting negative attention. She most likely brags even more feverently in game, trying to become some kind of ePrincess and gain some imaginary status that she obviously can't find enough of in the real world.
In real life, if people want to go through the expense and effort, they can change their name. Why can't we have that same freedom in an mmo?
The exploit is not worth the cosmetic. They name their character, they should name it something they are happy with in the first place.
Why would they be unhappy with something they decided? they could just put a warning on the game when they create their username reminding them that this is their name in the game so they should make sure they are happy with it.
Often I make bad decisions, just wanting to get through character creation and into the game. I try to think of something I'll like, but can't always come up with anything. I've often been frustrated by the names I've been stuck with.
A simple solution would be to auto-assign characters/accounts an ID code that would be displayed, when a command is typed by another player. They could change their name, but they'd still be trackable by anyone inclined to do so.
When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.
Buying accounts really doesnt make for a strong case in allowing people to change names...
Just to make things clear...
I speak for myself and no one else, unless i state otherwise mine is just an opinion. A fact is something that can be independently verified, you may challenge such but with proof. You have every right to disagree with me through sound argument, i believe in constructive debate, but baseless aggression will warrant an unkind response.