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World of Warcraft: Real ID Community FAQ
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
After Blizzard's PR nightmare last week concerning the Real ID issue, the team has come up with a community FAQ to answer questions about the most common issues. With Starcraft II just around the corner and the first implementation of the Real ID system, the FAQ comes at just the right time.
Q: Are there any plans to change the in-game Real ID system so that players will have the option to display an assigned user name instead of their real names?
A: The Real ID system is designed to help real-life friends and family who decide to use it keep in touch with each other across Blizzard games, and our goal in using real names is to ensure that players will be able to maintain long-term, meaningful relationships on the service for years to come. One way it helps make that happen is by eliminating the need to remember who, for example, "Thrall123" really is when you see him or her pop up on your friends list again after months -- or years -- of being offline. Ultimately, we think this is the best way to ensure players who use Real ID are able stay connected with the people they enjoy playing with most in the long-term, and we don’t currently have any plans to change the system so it can be used with character names or alternate handles instead. That said, Battle.net is a living, breathing service that we will continue to evolve over time as we evaluate how players are using it and identify new ways to improve the experience.
There are several more questions/answers on the official forums so it's worth stopping by to check them out and add your thoughts to the thread.
Does the FAQ help? Make any difference at all? Worry you more? Let us know!
Comments
Im confused on whether its optional or mandatory now...
Depends, you can't hide from your addons as far as i understand but you can deny real id requests ingame
Pi*1337/100 = 42
As with the Battle.net change, it is optional now, but will be mandatory later.
I'm content with Real ID, so long as it remains opt-in. I have no intention of using it.
I do regret creating my battle.net account with a real name. That won't happen again, and using a fictitious name also renders the Real ID issue irrelevent.
After all, if a friend of a friend can see that my name is Tnega Htims. Who cares?
Just my 2c.
Agent Smith ftw
hehe!
It will be mandatory shortly AFTER you buy the Cataclysm "expansion". You can bank on that.
They haven't explicitly said they've abandoned the idea. They just have it on hold until they can figure out how to make it stick in a way that doesn't so dramatically destroy their bottom line.
From what i heard if you can find a silly reason to back up the use of a fake name you can get your account recovered by giving the CD key of your WoW game.
And my fear is still that they're going to enforce Real ID . Let's wait at Cata release when everyone has their minds on the shiny new content
Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt.
Among those who dislike oppression are many who like to oppress.
Why cant they just let you choose ONE ID name that is linked to your account no matter which game you play. This would eliminate the whole problem of the REAL-ID pr nightmare.
I had all of my WoW accounts deleted from Blizzard's database because of the security issues they have been having with hacked accounts and now this Real ID junk. I have no idea what Blizzard is up to, but I want no part of it.
Half of the stuff on the FAQ is more about regurgitating statements they made while trying to defend Real ID last week. It was lame then, it's lame now. Just because you put it in QA format doesn't make it anymore appealing.
In regards to the above, I've been playing MMO's since I was 13. That would be 12 years. I've met some people in that time I would consider friends, and with whom have played multiple MMO's with. We've met, they know my name, and you know what? They still call me by my in-game handle. I remember when Scott Jennings was Lum the Mad blogging about Ultima Online. You know what? I dont call him Scott Jennings when I refer to one of his articles, I call him Lum. Moreover, when your in a guild, and in that guild you discover that little niche of people you find yourself playing with, you remember there in-game names. You mean to tell me that you're going to forget your Co-Worker/Friend/Sibling/Etc handle? Unlikely. If Steven wants to be known as DethTornado than damnit, thats what you should call him.
As far as the friend of friends thing...thank you lord.
"The Object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his."
-George S. Patton
I do not like this.
Suspecting that's largely to do with facebook. Doesn't that go by names. I'm fairly sure I remember having my name in there at one point.. Side note: Do both Blizard and Facebook still deny any liability for any problems caused to you if your information 'escapes'?
Giving you a choice of opting out of friends of friends is good.
What exactly would be a reliable source for add on's? How would you know if it is?
How exactly does knowing my real name make for a real and meaningful relationships, long term? If I reactivated WoW, and had RealID on, do you really think ppl are going to keep my name there or even remember it?
It still sucks, and it's still not safe. It'll suck more when it becomes mandatory before they've sorted out the friends of friends and the possibility of ppl extracting personal information, plus you're still giving away half your login info before you start. They need another 'bright idea' to implement with Facebook. When I play a game it's not so that half the world and his wife can play along with me. It's pure escapism, not taking my rl friends with me, whether I trust them or not.
Yeah, they do, but from a legal standpoint, saying you're not responsible for what happens because people abuse your system and violate your clients doesn't hold water in any court of law. Any stolen identities or other crimes commited as a direct result of the RealID system will result in Blizzard being liable for them just as if they commited the acts themselves. At the very least they'll be able to be charged as accessories before, and even after, the fact. The civil side of this is just as murky.
Point of Law, boys and girls: Saying it doesn't make it so. Just because it's in the terms of an agreement or contract doesn't mean it will stand up in a court of law.
real ID... My warcraft account was hacked 5 months after I quit the game. TWICE! I'd rather not have people across the world know my real name to go along with an account hack
Can't you put a blanket refuse to all real id friend invites. I removed all my info from Facebook and put all false data there. So now if I refuse any real ID invites will I be safe from this when I play Cata ? Even if they make it mandatory do you mean they force you to accept real id invites ? What do you mean by mandatory so long as I don't post on their forums and don't accept invites will my real name get out ?
The nightmare of my credit card and stuff I am really worried about this.
umm, shouldn't your RL friends and family members know who the hell your character is anyway? if you're not telling them what toons your playing there's probably a reason for it (so your boss can't see you playing when you call in sick, dodge the mother in law, etc).
I can't see anything good coming from this. The bullshit attempt to force real names on the forums (oh, but not for Blizz employees of course) was the final nail in the coffin for any chance of me going back to WoW, and I doubt they'll just drop the idea entirely...read the new EULA that pops up when you install Cat carefully.
the IT dept at my workplace is already keeping tabs on facebook activity for people on sick days, I'm sure they'll start looking into monotoring WoW once they force the RealID....over half my workplace plays (including pretty much all of upper management) so I'm sure they'll catch quite a few people with raid day flu.
Still people don't understand REALID, the forum REALID is different from in-game REALID.
Ingame you have a regular friends list and you have a REALID list, you choose who you put on those lists - if you get a REALID request just deny it like any other friend request. Or go into parent controls and turn REALID off.
Still ....I have sold a hell of alot of tin foil hats over this passed week.
Amazing how some people just swallow anything blizzard related without actually thinking it over. As anoying haters are, blind fanboys are even worse.
What is so hard to understand? You untick a box (sure could be more accesable - hidden away in parent controls)
Here we go again, Blizzard can't do anything wrong.... bla.... bla.... bla....
I've got news for you, if they had it their way. My guess is they would be telling the world what type of soft drink you like. And guess what they still may do in the future. As I always say, give them an inch, they will take a mile.
What the hell is wrong with Blizzard. XBOX LIVE GAMERTAG it's unique (unless you pay to change it) and it follows you around on every Xbox game you play.
Why is Blizzard insisting on re-inventing the wheel.
It's not hard to remeber that "Dyner" is Jonathan Derks....the world doesn't need to know I AM Jonathan Derks, because I guarantee you that Real ID WILL become mandatory and it WILL be displayed / availible to everyone in-game. How do I know this? Because Kotick specifically stated the future of online-gaming is with Social Networking (FaceBook, MySpace, etc). Morhaime (Blizzard CEO) reports to Tippl, who reports to Kotick; Activision is Blizzard's boss.
So all you fools spouting that Real ID is optional and will remain optional....obviously your pee-brains forgot when you stated Battle.net would remain an option; prior to it becoming MANDATORY TO PLAY WORLD OF WARCRAFT.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising everytime we fall.
Vivendi is Blizzards and Activisions boss.. Activision does not own Blizzard. But I am talking to a brick wall so lets leave it there.
RealID is optional and designed to be used with REAL friends and family.. why can people not grasp this concept? Is it too complicated for them?
Here.. what is next in the sequence.... 2,4,8,16,?
There is nooo fricken way ill play a blizzard game again with this system in place. before battlenet was launched, i recieved MAYBE 5 phissing attempts to my email in the 10 years + ive had that email account. Now I get 4 to 8 a DAY. Dont tell me blizzard or battlenet or anything is secure.
You people planning on doing this real id thing, your just ASKING for trouble.