Globally Unique Player and Outfit Names

[Malorn]

This really doesn't have anything to do with E3, but it has been eating at me since Higby mentioned in the AMAA that they plan on doing a traditional server model for the game.

If PS2 is intended to eventually grow into an EVE-like sandbox with many planets and hopefully one large community, starting off with traditional servers seems like a bad idea.

However, there is a way they could do traditional servers and have the flexibility to expand and grow the game into almost any direction they want to take it, but that is only if player names & outfits are globally unique. So while there may be dozens or even hundreds of servers, each player and outfit is unique among all servers.

If that's the case, then a lot of things become trivial...
* Server moves
* Server merges
* Server balancing (to help correct servers that have abnormally large or small populations of a particular empire)
* Unification into one big server ala EVE

It seems like a simple thing that would keep the players happy even if there's server merges or a giant unification. As long as communities don't get fractured with duplicate names of outfits or players then we can easily move around or merge / split without concern for screwing up identities and reputations which are vital for MMO organizations.

[Synapse]

A good idea.

[MercDT]

Sounds great, considering that they're planning on adding more continents...which means server merges.

[WNxThentar]

Agreed.

[Sabot]

yep I like.. signed.

[Sirisian]

I mentioned this on a few occasions that every time we get new continents we'll be seeing a capacity increase for a server by 2000 players. It's a vacuum that will probably be filled by merging servers if players don't join. Especially if they start adding a lot of continents. They don't want to thin the population out on servers with every new continent.

This thing seems obvious to me especially after all the previous discussions. Hopefully the right people see this and start creating a sensible account system.

Also before anyone asks what my secret plan has been this whole time. Step 1) Create a random faction character on every server. Step 2) When they merge servers they'll be forced to give me access to both characters on a single server. 3) ??? 4) Profit

[Malorn]

Thanks for bringing up the server merge resulting in multiple characters on different factions problem Sirisian. They don't have to worry about that with globally unique players.

I think it also simplifies things if there's 1 player per account. So nothing stops you from having multiple accounts, but if there's 1 per account, and it's globally unique then they avoid server merging problems and having two players of the same faction on the server at the same time and all that garbage that was a problem in PS1.

With a F2P game you can't ever stop characters on different factions, but if it's 1 per account and you have unlcoks and such on a per-account basis then there's incentive to not jump ship all the time and stick with your faction, regardless of what server it is on.

Could also have faction switches as a paid service for players/outfits. Seems like an easy thing to monetize. Allows people to retain identity through the switch and keep unlocks, etc.

[DayOne]

This is really how it should have been done anyway.

[Sirisian]

Originally Posted by Malorn

I think it also simplifies things if there's 1 player per account. So nothing stops you from having multiple accounts, but if there's 1 per account, and it's globally unique then they avoid server merging problems and having two players of the same faction on the server at the same time and all that garbage that was a problem in PS1.

If you think this is the correct solution and prevents any problems without just inconveniencing customers, then I'll have to assume you missed the other discussions. Whatever, it's getting closer to the perfect system at least.

[Bags]

Don't like it, someone will steal my name if it's not unique to the server :x

[FastAndFree]

Originally Posted by Bags

Don't like it, someone will steal my name if it's not unique to the server :x

They could steal it either way by registering it on every server, if they were really inclined to do so. That is a problem with people/the lack of name reservation


I like this idea, please do it SOE!

[Zekeen]

Originally Posted by Malorn

This really doesn't have anything to do with E3, but it has been eating at me since Higby mentioned in the AMAA that they plan on doing a traditional server model for the game.

If PS2 is intended to eventually grow into an EVE-like sandbox with many planets and hopefully one large community, starting off with traditional servers seems like a bad idea.

However, there is a way they could do traditional servers and have the flexibility to expand and grow the game into almost any direction they want to take it, but that is only if player names & outfits are globally unique. So while there may be dozens or even hundreds of servers, each player and outfit is unique among all servers.

If that's the case, then a lot of things become trivial...
* Server moves
* Server merges
* Server balancing (to help correct servers that have abnormally large or small populations of a particular empire)
* Unification into one big server ala EVE

It seems like a simple thing that would keep the players happy even if there's server merges or a giant unification. As long as communities don't get fractured with duplicate names of outfits or players then we can easily move around or merge / split without concern for screwing up identities and reputations which are vital for MMO organizations.

You make some good points.

[Dagron]

Originally Posted by Bags

Don't like it, someone will steal my name if it's not unique to the server :x

In Champions Online each character could have any name, because they had a sort of surname: your account's name (it only showed in the mouseover tooltip).
The exact same thing might not be right for PS2, but something similar could help reduce the "stolen" name grief.

Just throwing it out there, in case it might give someone a better idea.

[Bags]

Originally Posted by FastAndFree

They could steal it either way by registering it on every server, if they were really inclined to do so. That is a problem with people/the lack of name reservation


I like this idea, please do it SOE!

It's how I picked my WoW server. I went through EST servers until I found one with Bags free.

[Malorn]

Bags the other part is that they should allow ps1 vets to reserve one of their ps1 names and outfit names if an outfit leader.

They could also do what blizzard did and allow multiple display names that are tge same but that does tear into identity value.