Goblin Squad Member
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When I played UO, there wasn't a problem getting character names I wanted, because names didn't have to be unique. That would be a problem for PFO, since it would be too easy to impersonate other players. Still, having all of one's good name ideas turn out to be taken is one of the reasons people come up with stupid things like "Spudzilla".
Being able to add a surname, whether in its own space or just by being allowed to use a space in the name, could help. Many games ignore the surname, if they have them at all, but that needn't be the case for PFO.
It seems surnames are usually avoided or ignored because of the /tell messaging system. If the command parser sees a space, how does it know whether the next word is a surname or the beginning of a message? This could be handled by requiring a comma between the name and message, like CoH/V did. Alternately, the names could be allowed one underscore, as long as there were letters before and after the _ symbol. When viewed in-world, the underscore would not be visible, but in-chat it would be there. I would prefer the solution of using a comma to split the name from the message, but the point is, there are better solutions than simply disallowing or ignoring surnames.
To avoid the possible tedium of typing longer names and punctuation, make it so clicking a name in chat auto-populates the entry blank with the /tell command, name, comma, and a space, so it is ready for the message. Other games have done this, and it seems to work well. We could also have a 'friends' list, which allows players who mutually approve the link to message and see the online status for one another.
Finally, please allow some form of name-recycling. If an account has not had any subscription or micro-transaction activity for three or more months, and a character has not been logged in in that time, the character would lose their claim to the name they're using. If no one else tries to use it, no problem, but if someone else happens to create a character by that name, they can. If at some point the other player comes back, characters who have had their names recycled would receive a free renaming token and a system-generated name to use until they spend it.
Name-recycling not only solves the issue of players that only played for a month and quit but tied up a lot of names in that time, it also creates another sense of ownership for regular players.
From Raph Koster's "Laws of Online World Design" list:
Ownership is key
You have to give players a sense of ownership in the game. This is what will make them stay--it is a "barrier to departure." Social bonds are not enough, because good social bonds extend outside the game. Instead, it is context. If they can build their own buildings, build a character, own possessions, hold down a job, feel a sense of responsibility to something that cannot be removed from the game--then you have ownership.
I know the potential for losing character names I've grown attached to would encourage me to keep a subscription active (or login to use the MTX store)!
Promote a greater sense of roleplaying context by making character naming important. I appreciate that there will be a human-verified approval process, but I think surnames and name-recycling could reduce the number of attempts at anachronistic, offensive, etc. names, and the messaging system can work around it rather than limiting options.
Thanks!
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Goblin Squad Member
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We've been asking for non-unique names for some time now. I'm glad to see another case being presented for them.
Well, non-unique first names. Character impersonation would be a problem if there were more than one 'John Doe', but allowing 'John Doe' and 'John Smith' shouldn't be a problem if they make surnames significant and institute name-recycling for abandoned characters.
Weird. I'd kind of assumed spaces in names would be allowed. I've been playing EVE and Guild Wars 2 too much, I suppose.
I haven't played those; what are their naming rules like, and how does it affect the messaging system? Are abandoned names recycled at all?
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Goblin Squad Member
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I heartily disagree on name recycling for abandoned-but-not-deleted characters. What if due to personal issues you could not keep paying/playing? I thought they were considering to eventually go to a system that allowed you to play without paying if you accepted that you'd receive no training.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Well, non-unique first names.
Actually, I've been asking for non-unique names, period. Ryan has acknowledged this is possible - obviously so, since we deal with it in the real world, but has not committed himself one way or the other.
If you're interested, you might check out these old threads:
Naming Conventions
Single Server? Single Character?
Although this post by Ryan Dancey is probably the most relevant to your original post:
@Ryan, Any thoughts on First/Last name capability or non-unique names?I am of two minds.
One mind says that having all names be unique is the path of least resistance and it will help people by not sewing confusion. Having a first and a last name is probably going to happen - and I already know all about the people who name-crash people's attempt to create in-game family trees. Yay.
Another mind says that the real world has lots of people with duplicate names and we somehow manage to deal with it. Having no restriction on duplicate names would make it easy for everyone to get the name they want. On the other hand, I guarantee you the Goons will have a Player Nation with a thousand characters with the same name. And it will be as close to offensive as they can get without getting the name flagged for a change. So that would for many people suck.
There are pros and cons to both approaches and neither seems demonstrably better than the other to me.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I still think that the best idea from those threads was the idea of having an unseen 'character ID' that you could choose to share with people if they wanted to have a 'friends' list or directly message you. A person could assign that ID a 'nickname' to use for ease of communication.
Then, one character could introduce himself as many different names in different places.
There is the problem of people impersonating others, but I think that could allow for some pretty cool investigation into a character's background (sense alignment, look at the character's reputation... if it is low, don't trust him/her!). Much like in the real world and in the fantasy genre.
EDIT: And if the person that is being impersonated is also low-rep... well, there's another downside to randomly killing people! One that I could certainly agree with.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I still think that the best idea from those threads was the idea of having an unseen 'character ID' that you could choose to share with people if they wanted to have a 'friends' list or directly message you. A person could assign that ID a 'nickname' to use for ease of communication.
Then, one character could introduce himself as many different names in different places.
There is the problem of people impersonating others, but I think that could allow for some pretty cool investigation into a character's background (sense alignment, look at the character's reputation... if it is low, don't trust him/her!). Much like in the real world and in the fantasy genre.
EDIT: And if the person that is being impersonated is also low-rep... well, there's another downside to randomly killing people! One that I could certainly agree with.
Yay!
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Goblin Squad Member
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I heartily disagree on name recycling for abandoned-but-not-deleted characters. What if due to personal issues you could not keep paying/playing? I thought they were considering to eventually go to a system that allowed you to play without paying if you accepted that you'd receive no training.
You're only reading half of it.
If an account has not had any subscription or micro-transaction activity for three or more months, AND a character has not been logged in in that time, the character would lose their claim to the name they're using.
So, to rephrase:
Having a subscription or a micro-transaction on the account once every 3 months would protect all the characters on it, OR you can protect a specific character by logging it in once every 90 days. No one's going to take your name if you're paying or playing on a quarterly basis.Is that clearer and more acceptable? :)
Well, non-unique first names.Actually, I've been asking for non-unique names, period. Ryan has acknowledged this is possible - obviously so, since we deal with it in the real world, but has not committed himself one way or the other.
If you're interested, you might check out these old threads:
Naming Conventions
Single Server? Single Character?Although this post by Ryan Dancey is probably the most relevant to your original post:
@Ryan, Any thoughts on First/Last name capability or non-unique names?I am of two minds.
One mind says that having all names be unique is the path of least resistance and it will help people by not sewing confusion [what do chaotic tailors have to do with this? hehe]. Having a first and a last name is probably going to happen - and I already know all about the people who name-crash people's attempt to create in-game family trees. Yay.
Another mind says that the real world has lots of people with duplicate names and we somehow manage to deal with it. Having no restriction on duplicate names would make it easy for everyone to get the name they want. On the other hand, I guarantee you the Goons will have a Player Nation with a thousand characters with the same name. And it will be as close to offensive as they can get without getting the name flagged for a change. So that would for many people suck.
There are pros and cons to both approaches and neither seems demonstrably better than the other to me.
Of course, allowing duplicate names would remove any need for name-recycling or surnames, though I am glad the latter will be included. I just hope surnames actually count as part of a name if they do go with unique ones.
How would duplicate names affect messaging? Maybe there would be no remote messaging (/tell) in the game, so players would just use external programs for that. If there is remote messaging, how would you for the friend-list link to enable it? My niece introduced me to a game called Wizard101, and since all of its names are system-generated and not unique, it handles remote messaging through a friend list. You either meet in person or you generate a 'secret' code to share with the friend by other means, which they can enter into their list to form the link. The secret codes are one-use and only last a couple days, so if you were to post it somewhere openly, it wouldn't be an invitation to harassment like a static code could be.
In person, I suppose someone's guild/company/settlement/whatever name and title (if any) would help differentiate characters when you see them in-person, but that wouldn't help with the goon-trolls. I guess dealing with them might require GW to not-approve the names once they get to a certain frequency. Maybe their name-review tool should have a counter to display how often a name has already been used?
Guild/company names and titles might cover in-person meetings, but I also think crafters might like to be able to put a maker's mark on their wares. If there are two characters named Swift Taylor*, how do you know which one you're buying that masterwork leather from?
*intentionally silly!
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Goblin Squad Member
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How would duplicate names affect messaging?
Here's how Gmail handles it:
When I'm sending a message to "Keovar", it lists all the Keovars that I know. Although, PFO won't have a unique email address to show. Instead, I would expect a list of identifying characteristics like Race, Role, and the Date I met them.
However, the simplest way would be for me to give a nickname to the two Keovars that I know, like "Big Keo" and "Little Keo", or "Old Keo" and "Young Keo", or even "Bob" and "Dave".
If there are two characters named Swift Taylor*, how do you know which one you're buying that masterwork leather from?
You bring up a lot of good points, but I think this one kind of nails it. Honestly, if I'm shopping for something in a market where a bunch of different Tailors' crafts are listed, I would hope there would be some better way for me to know whom to trust than a list of names I've written down in a spiral notebook next to my PC. I would expect there to be some kind of publicly visible Reputation indicator.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I've wondered about that particular aspect of it too, Nihimon.
Seeing the maker's reputation would be one solution.
Personally, while I know it's a popular feature, another way to combat this would be to have items be able to be stamped with "Made In The Seventh Veil." First, it would be cool to see how far items have traveled. Second, it still gives information on where to go to buy the item, as well as more generally where 'the most' or 'the best' items are made. Once the character gets to the settlement where the item they desire is made, I imagine anyone there will know who the local smiths are and what they typically sell. I also imagine that some specialized or high-volume crafters will be famous despite not having their names on every item they make.
The differences I see:
In your case, the actual crafter gets the recognition and fame of having his/her name directly printed on the item.
In my case, the interested party gets more immediate information on where to go to buy that specific item, and also gets immediate information on which settlements are the industrial centers.
I in no way intend to slight the value of having the crafter's name on the item he/she makes, but I prefer the second for the benefits that all players share.
I welcome some thoughts on this.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I actually think it would be a fairly simple thing for them to include not only the name of the final Crafter who made the item, but also the name of the Settlement where the item was made. I think that's a very good idea, with a really low cost.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I actually think it would be a fairly simple thing for them to include not only the name of the final Crafter who made the item, but also the name of the Settlement where the item was made. I think that's a very good idea, with a really low cost.
This was a very good concept used in SWG. Crafters were able to name their item created. In addition, their name was associated with the object creator so people could see who produced the work & see them out for future business. Serial numbers tied to the item created, were also unique. I don't see why this could not be implemented here.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I liked how Champions Online did it. The account has a nickname, and then each character has a name. All account nicknames are unique, but character names could duplicate.
So I may be Tetrix@somenickname and if you added me to your friends list you would add either the character or the account.
One thing I would like to know however is how to I sneak in to an evil org to blow it up if everyone knows I am Elfdar the Enforcer, Champion of all things good, normally?
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Goblin Squad Member
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One thing I would like to know however is how to I sneak in to an evil org to blow it up if everyone knows I am Elfdar the Enforcer, Champion of all things good, normally?
Eliminate our name icon over our avatar & instead list the Class type when adventuring/exploring in the world. That way you will be anonymous to the attacker. (but maybe show your settlement name) Then people can travel the world without being detected simply by individual name, but by settlement group name. Maybe some holes, but just a quick thought...
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Goblin Squad Member
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I actually think it would be a fairly simple thing for them to include not only the name of the final Crafter who made the item, but also the name of the Settlement where the item was made. I think that's a very good idea, with a really low cost.
/facepalm
Duh!That would also make it easier to determine whether or not the crafter who made the item is an 'impostor' or not.
Sorry, it was late and I was finishing off the bottle of wine we had with dinner when I was posting ><
@Tetrix & Tasarak
The beauty of the 'character ID' idea' (yay Forencith!) is that there either wouldn't be floaty names (which some in those old threads detest, for good reason) or floaty names would be things like "Elf Stranger" or such until that person tells you their name.
At that point, it could either be set up such that the game automatically placed that given name over the person when the stranger /givesname. Another idea, though, would be that after a player gives you their name and shares their 'character ID', you can assign that ID a nickname. You can use that nickname for direct communication (/tell). It would also be cool if the game would automatically apply the nickname you assigned that person as that person's floaty name. I'm not sure how easy it would be to program the game such that the client's database of names automatically overwrote generic ones.
As far as class goes, I'm not sure that's something easily conveyed (Fighter1/Wizard8/Ranger8?), more importantly, I don't I think I necessarily want strangers to know what class(es) I am with certainty. I'd rather they get an idea based on my equipped weapons & armor. Then I can deceive them if I want ;D
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Tetrix & Tasarak
The beauty of the 'character ID' idea' (yay Forencith!) is that there either wouldn't be floaty names (which some in those old threads detest, for good reason) or floaty names would be things like "Elf Stranger" or such until that person tells you their name.At that point, it could either be set up such that the game automatically placed that given name over the person when the stranger /givesname. Another idea, though, would be that after a player gives you their name and shares their 'character ID', you can assign that ID a nickname. You can use that nickname for direct communication (/tell). It would also be cool if the game would automatically apply the nickname you assigned that person as that person's floaty name. I'm not sure how easy it would be to program the game such that the client's database of names automatically overwrote generic ones.
As far as class goes, I'm not sure that's something easily conveyed (Fighter1/Wizard8/Ranger8?), more importantly, I don't I think I necessarily want strangers to know what class(es) I am with certainty. I'd rather they get an idea based on my equipped weapons & armor. Then I can deceive them if I want ;D
I also would love to see no " Con " or " level " associated with my enemy/encounter, rather we all must figure out each encounter & not take anything for granite while exploring/gathering/pvp etc. I don't think we need (Fighter1/Wizard2) etc either. I just used classes as a substitute to names, but now that I think of it, no class description would be even better. This keeps everyone on their toes at all times.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Tasarak, I totally agree with you, and I know I'm not alone. You probably remember some older threads where we got into discussions like this. I think a lot of us would really like there to be no nameplates and no /consider.
I don't really expect that, though. For one thing, Ryan has talked about Bandits' Hideouts giving them access to information about their potential victims.
Goblinworks Executive Founder
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If a tradesman can place his/her mark an item, can a rival crafter forge a false trademark as a form of fraud and/or asymmetric economic warfare? I can see an arms race of forgery/forgery detection possible, but am not sure it would be a good thing.
@ Kakafika: Are you suggesting a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) system for the avatars and class left hidden but hinted at? I like.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@The Doc CC
Yes, yes I am. Though, to give credit where credit is due, it was not my original idea; I think everybody just kind of spitballed it (what does that mean, really??) in the threads that Nihimon linked up top (and now, this one!). Forencith in particular contributed.
It's a really novel idea.
@Nihimon
Well, I can see reason for having Hideouts giving information to bandits, as they wouldn't have the normal visual cues that would be available upon meeting an individual.
I think your expectation is still warranted, however. For one, it would be a pretty jarring change from what people are used to (not that many other aspects of PFO won't be).
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Goblin Squad Member
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If a tradesman can place his/her mark an item, can a rival crafter forge a false trademark as a form of fraud and/or asymmetric economic warfare? I can see an arms race of forgery/forgery detection possible, but am not sure it would be a good thing.
Sure they could name the item the same, but that don't mean the stats will be the same output. I don't see crafters wanting to make the worst gear, so people that create the highest quality can be recognized & the frauds will stick out like sore thumbs. That's the beauty of it, resource gathering & giving stats to it & rotating the quality of resources will produce a market place for crafters to flourish.
Again, only if the crafter chooses to name his gear, should be at his/her discretion to either be recognized by his peers or kept hidden to conceal his/her identity.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Tasarak, I totally agree with you, and I know I'm not alone. You probably remember some older threads where we got into discussions like this. I think a lot of us would really like there to be no nameplates and no /consider.
I don't really expect that, though. For one thing, Ryan has talked about Bandits' Hideouts giving them access to information about their potential victims.
This can still be achieved. They can provide Class details/location or guild association without saying " who " it actually is.
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Goblin Squad Member
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On the surface, I'm liking the ideas here for not having floating names on players, though I do wonder how things would be listed in a chat box.
UO-style overhead chat wouldn't work so well in a 3D environment. Depending on its colour, one might have to swing one's camera around a lot to find a background with good contrast, and then have to keep moving it if more than one person is talking to you. Putting a bubble behind the text would clutter the screen very quickly, and someone could keep shouting with the maximum number of characters in order to take up more screen space. Yeah, I think a chat box is a necessary UI element.
So, working with the chat box, how would voices be differentiated before you know someone? There is language and behaviour that GW finds unacceptable, so how does one report a person spouting real-world hate speech and ganking newbies as a griefer?
For that matter, what if someone is griefing and never says a word? Also, GW has said that inappropriate names would be reportable, so how would that work, if names are hidden? Why even bother with a user naming their characters if they are only who they say they are from moment to moment? That might be realistic, but not very functional.
I think open naming may be inevitable, though perhaps there could be a way to hide or change it with certain skills, like Disguise or Survival (camouflage).
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Goblin Squad Member
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On the surface, I'm liking the ideas here for not having floating names on players, though I do wonder how things would be listed in a chat box.
UO-style overhead chat wouldn't work so well in a 3D environment. Depending on its colour, one might have to swing one's camera around a lot to find a background with good contrast, and then have to keep moving it if more than one person is talking to you. Putting a bubble behind the text would clutter the screen very quickly, and someone could keep shouting with the maximum number of characters in order to take up more screen space. Yeah, I think a chat box is a necessary UI element.
So, working with the chat box, how would voices be differentiated before you know someone? There is language and behaviour that GW finds unacceptable, so how does one report a person spouting real-world hate speech and ganking newbies as a griefer?
For that matter, what if someone is griefing and never says a word? Also, GW has said that inappropriate names would be reportable, so how would that work, if names are hidden? Why even bother with a user naming their characters if they are only who they say they are from moment to moment? That might be realistic, but not very functional.
I think open naming may be inevitable, though perhaps there could be a way to hide or change it with certain skills, like Disguise or Survival (camouflage).
They can track it with a unique ID number, that is given for the player/account.(this is behind the scenes) So if there are instances of griefing or hate speech you can still right click, & report that player.
In addition to what I said, per Kakafika
The beauty of the 'character ID' idea' (yay Forencith!) is that there either wouldn't be floaty names (which some in those old threads detest, for good reason) or floaty names would be things like "Elf Stranger" or such until that person tells you their name.
At that point, it could either be set up such that the game automatically placed that given name over the person when the stranger /givesname.
Another idea, though, would be that after a player gives you their name and shares their 'character ID', you can assign that ID a nickname. You can use that nickname for direct communication (/tell). It would also be cool if the game would automatically apply the nickname you assigned that person as that person's floaty name. I'm not sure how easy it would be to program the game such that the client's database of names automatically overwrote generic ones.
So among your most trusted party/settlement community you may either decide to use your real name or nickname. Either way if it's offensive to GW or to others, people can/will still report if needed.
Again if they don't give you their Character ID, you still would be able to report the player with a Unique ID Number, that the client would provide to all account without the need of a name.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I'll selfishly say this...
I'd LOVE a game that had devs activly involved in maintaining name conventions. (I think this has been mentioned for PFO)
You don't have to be the worlds best role player, but my GOD, at least have the dignity to not walk around with BieberF33ver187 above your character model.
Please? lol
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Goblin Squad Member
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Yeah, one thing about being able to assign whatever name you wish to somebody after they introduce themselves... there will be no reason to police names, since there won't be any permanent names.
I doubt they will put something like this in, but hey, I can hope. I see a lot of gameplay value in it :)
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Goblin Squad Member
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Yeah, that's the hope, Aleron. :)
What do folks think about allowing apostrophes and hyphens in names? Many games won't allow punctuation at all, but I think it would be okay to allow one of each, as long as there are letters on both sides of the symbols.
John Jingleheimer-Smith is okay, But J'o'h'n _Jacob_ is not.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Tetrix & Tasarak
The beauty of the 'character ID' idea' (yay Forencith!) is that there either wouldn't be floaty names (which some in those old threads detest, for good reason) or floaty names would be things like "Elf Stranger" or such until that person tells you their name.At that point, it could either be set up such that the game automatically placed that given name over the person when the stranger /givesname. Another idea, though, would be that after a player gives you their name and shares their 'character ID', you can assign that ID a nickname. You can use that nickname for direct communication (/tell). It would also be cool if the game would automatically apply the nickname you assigned that person as that person's floaty name. I'm not sure how easy it would be to program the game such that the client's database of names automatically overwrote generic ones.
As far as class goes, I'm not sure that's something easily conveyed (Fighter1/Wizard8/Ranger8?), more importantly, I don't I think I necessarily want strangers to know what class(es) I am with certainty. I'd rather they get an idea based on my equipped weapons & armor. Then I can deceive them if I want ;D
I like the idea of not knowing someones name until they've introduced themselves to you. Perhaps once you click on someone there name becomes visible if they've introduced themselves to you or you've grouped up with them. This would stop copy cats, which would remove the need for unique names.
Regarding the floaty name thing, perhap there could be an option where we can turn them off, or they only appear if you click on the avatar.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I like the idea of not knowing someones name until they've introduced themselves to you.
I do too. I understand there are "problems" with it, but frankly those are the same problems we deal with every single day in the real world, and some of them are probably pretty good hooks for drama.
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Goblinworks Executive Founder
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It would be nice if you could apply "masks" to player names so that all the people you see throughout the world you don't see names.
If you run into someone that you want to make note of but don't get a formal introduction you could select that player and add a "mask" that shows up the next time you see that player with whatever name or description you put in.
On top of this, it would open up an avenue for skills/abilities/spells that utilize disguise. So a player cold turn on a passive in game function that set them as disguised. Which depending on opposing checks would be able to hide/or apply their own defined name "mask" to really simulate players disguising.
The next question would then be how do you get an actual players name. This could be as simple as having some function like a join group, but instead of actually making a group it is "Introduction" so that the two players introduce themselves to each other and it fills in the actual details for each player.
Edit* Obviously things like joining a group, or a guild would auto link the player info to the player so you don't have to do an "Introduction" function again for those players.
Back to the original discussion though, I think played ID # similar to how GW has it would be the easiest method of linking a player to an account and add in functionality for /tell, friend lists etc.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Will object-sounding names be accepted?
"Codex" just popped into my head as an example.
They're probably going to reserve that particular name for Felicia Day, if she wants it.
In general though, I would think it depends on how reasonable the name is. 'Luna' and 'Selene' are both names for the Moon, which is an object. Something like 'Thorn' or 'Blade' would be acceptable too, though 'Coca-Cola' and 'Computerdesk' probably would not.|
Goblin Squad Member
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I also would love to see no " Con " or " level " associated with my enemy/encounter, rather we all must figure out each encounter & not take anything for graniteI agree, that would be gneiss.
I just asked this question directly to Ryan today in the Kick-a-thon live chat session.
Good news. This is the current plan. I'm very excited. =) Hopefully they will have the session recorded to play back.
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Goblin Squad Member
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The main issue i see for this kind of system is bounties. How do i place a bounty on someone i "do not know" but has killed me or how do i collect a bounty if I do not know the name or could not see the name of my target?
We discussed this up top with unique ID Number assigned to every account name. So you would not need to know their name, rather their ID Nbr would be given, so you could place bounties or collect one.
Of course, if both parties agree or grouped, you can toggle the option to include your in-game name for all to see.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I love pretty much all the stuff mentioned in this thread. :) Using a unique character ID to id the character rather than unique names, you don't know the person's name etc until you are Introduced to them, being able to add a nickname (or the name they gave you) to visually id that person in the future when you see them... some of these are ideas implemented in one of my favorite MUDS. :) Also to be able to use the nicknames in tells, to shorten what you have to type. All this would be awesome. :)
I don't have any additional thoughts, except that I would call it a character ID not a player ID, since a player can have multiple characters. You'd want that friends list link and the nickname links to be to the character not the player, for RP support, I think.
ETA: Oh yes, almost forgot. Please allow at least one space, one dash, and one apostrophe in a name. :)
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Lady of the LadyLeopards
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Goblin Squad Member
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LazyLeopards post got me thinking.
For strangers, there should either be no name-plate, or a simple name-plate that says "stranger" or something similar.
For people you've met, their name-plate should give the name they gave when they introduced themselves, or their nickname if you gave them one.
There should be an activity log that records everything that happens to you, so you can simply right-click their descriptor - either "stranger", their name, or their nickname - to interact with them, rather than having to type in some name or character ID.
Name-plates should only be visible at close-range, or if you have them targeted.
You should automatically drop target on someone if they get out of line-of-sight.
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Goblin Squad Member
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LazyLeopards post got me thinking.
For strangers, there should either be no name-plate, or a simple name-plate that says "stranger" or something similar.
For people you've met, their name-plate should give the name they gave when they introduced themselves, or their nickname if you gave them one.
There should be an activity log that records everything that happens to you, so you can simply right-click their descriptor - either "stranger", their name, or their nickname - to interact with them, rather than having to type in some name or character ID.
Name-plates should only be visible at close-range, or if you have them targeted.
You should automatically drop target on someone if they get out of line-of-sight.
All good points & I agree with LOS the target should be dropped automatically with name plates only being visible at close range...
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Goblin Squad Member
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I might want to give names to characters I've seen, but haven't interacted with.
Say I saw a couple of bandits kill someone, I'd like to be able to name "Bandit", to recognize them later and act accordingly.
Or someone helps you out, and doesn't introduce themselves, I'd like to name them Mysterious Stranger, or some such. :p
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Goblin Squad Member
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I might want to give names to characters I've seen, but haven't interacted with.
Say I saw a couple of bandits kill someone...
My intention was that the "Activity Log" I suggested would include events that happened close enough to you for you to be aware of, so that you would definitely be able to right-click the Bandits and give them nicknames or interact with them in other ways.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I don't think Ryan's interested in trying to provide integrated voice chat.
From Goblinworks Blog: Begin the Beguine:
2. In-game voice chat? So much more convenient than using a free third party system. Really loved that feature in DDO, and hating that it's not around in most other MMOs.Possible but there are very good reasons not to do it, most importantly if the client/server crashes you may wish to retain voice comms via an independent system.
Plus all the good systems (Vivox) are royalty based and we may not have room in the budget.