Topic

Duplicate player names allowed?

It appears that it's possible for two different players to have the same name in Glitch. Is this intentional?

(I'm asking because one of my friends hasn't played since the beginning, but I just saw that player name on the forums. These are two different accounts.)

I'm thinking it's possible right now and that it might not be desirable.

Posted 23 months ago by clare Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

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  • There are 26 bobs in the game.
    Posted 23 months ago by Tingly Claus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • alpha.glitch.com/forum/gene...
    Posted 23 months ago by Hburger Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This is terrible. I was under the impression that names were unique -____-"
    Posted 23 months ago by t Subscriber! | Permalink
  • darn it, i should have changed my name to striatic instead of capitalizing it
    Posted 23 months ago by EgIantine Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Names and looks in the real world are not unique and we manage to work through it.
    I just don't think that this is as big a problem as some people might think it is.

    In Wizard101 names and looks are not unique and the game works. I have three wizards with the same name. and a friend of mine has five. and I got a couple of doppelgangers out there as well.
    Posted 23 months ago by Dementia Addams Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The current plan is to add another name field which has to be unique and use the current (non-unique) name as the primary name in the game, displaying the unique one in parentheses, along with a "birth date" on profile pages and info screens to reduce confusion. Is this a good plan? Hmmm!
    Posted 23 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sounds like a great compromise stoot
    Posted 23 months ago by Cainunable Subscriber! | Permalink
  • So that means that I would be something like "Plurp (Zootleburger)"? That seems fine.
    Posted 23 months ago by Plurp Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Plurp (, The Real)
    Posted 23 months ago by Tingly Claus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • i don't quite understand the parentheses part.

    for example, what if i only want the unique name to be displayed?

    could i leave the non-unique name blank and then just be (striatic) instead of striatic?

    i guess i just need guidance on what each "name" is intended to represent .. what sort of name would you pick, for example?

    stoot [barfield]
    stoot barfield [stewart butterfield]
    stewart butterfield [stoot barfield]
    or
    glitch staff [stoot barfield]?

    if the unique name in parentheses is meant to be a "real name", what do i pick as a unique name if i'm the 5th "John Smith" to create an account?

    i like the possibility for maximum flexibility in terms of display name, with a fixed uniquer identifier on the profile .. but am unsure how people will or should select unique identifiers in practice.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I kind of think the displayed name should be unique, with a 'would like to be known as' name in parentheses. I think I would find this less confusing somehow as you might not see the unique name in parentheses unless you clicked on the player, which is not always possible.

    If the displayed name is unique you wouldn't need another one would you? Or would it be the same, as in striatic's example?
    Posted 23 months ago by Cassandria Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Most games require a unique name. That's why in many games you see players with names like Hunter518 or Pixie_15. You would still probably need that for our parenthesis names, but your display name could simply be Hunter or Pixie if you wanted even if some other player already registered it.

    As a side effect, if only the display name can change, it would help reduce the likelihood that someone would intentionally stir up trouble and then simply change their name. The unique name would probably remain a constant identifier.
    Posted 23 months ago by Cainunable Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm answering according to stoot's idea. (I'd rather have a name reset of the duplicated names where the oldest account that asks to reserve the name is not reset.)

    "what if i only want the unique name to be displayed?"
       not allowed

    "could i leave the non-unique name blank and then just be (striatic) instead of striatic?"
       blank names aren't allowed

    "what sort of name would you pick, for example?"
       What you want for yourself is all that matters.

    'if the unique name in parentheses is meant to be a "real name"…'
       It isn't meant to be a real name, just a unique name.
    Posted 23 months ago by Tingly Claus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It could probably be done so that if the unique name and display name were the same, only one would show. We wouldn't need parenthesis at that point.
    Posted 23 months ago by Cainunable Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "That's why in many games you see players with names like Hunter518 or Pixie_15"

    that's something to avoid.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Mirroring the real world, names could be " from XYZ" where XYZ could be a street where you've bought a house, or a group / guild affiliation. Like the Dutch 'van' or German 'von'.

    I hate to break it to ya but with 6+ billion of us, your name is not unique -- try Googling yours.
    Posted 23 months ago by Smackem Subscriber! | Permalink
  • But won't house ownership and group affiliation change?
    Posted 23 months ago by Plurp Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Smackem, that cannot work.

    not only does house ownership and affiliation change, but plenty of players might be "from XYZ". selecting " from XYZ" would deny all the other players from XYZ the opportunity to name themselves that way.

    same with [the real]

    this is why i'm wondering what the intent is. if i'm confused and smackem is confused, surely there's a possibility that other people would be confused by this.. which is why i'm interested in some guidance.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I thought stoot was crystal clear in context. You would have any name as your in-game name. You would have your birth date and a unique name in ()'s on your profile page. The purpose of the unique name and birth date is to differentiate yourself from others with the same in-game name.

    I didn't see confusion from Snackem.
    Posted 23 months ago by Tingly Claus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "I didn't see confusion from Snackem."

    he thought that "from XYZ" would be sufficiently unique. clearly that's confusion. i don't blame him, as it is an unfamiliar naming scheme.

    doesn't make it a bad naming scheme, but since it is relatively unique there may be complexities and confusion worth sorting out.

    "I thought stoot was crystal clear in context."

    he was generally clear on the mechanics but there's still things about it i'd like to understand.

    "You would have your birth date and a unique name in ()'s on your profile page."

    there's nothing crystal clear about that, tingly, and this topic demonstrates it. the confusion turns on *what* that unique names will or ought to be, not the there would be unique names at all.

    you have people suggesting "the real" is sufficiently unique, or "from XYZ" .. neither is sufficiently unique, or if it was would be desired by many other people.

    no one has suggested any approach except Plurp with "Plurp (Zootleburger)".. and there's no reason why Plurp ought to not be unique but Zootleburger should.

    Tingly, if you have something to add to this discussion other than "there's nothing to discuss", please add it and quit dismissing legitimate questions.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Actually, I am expecting that everyone will be a (Zootleburger). Let's hear it for the Zootleburgers!
    Posted 23 months ago by Plurp Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Being incorrect doesn't automatically mean confusion. With me, it usually means I didn't think it through enough.

    There wasn't anything else to understand on what stoot said. The unique name can be anything.

    Plurp (, The Real) = "Plurp, The Real" = "The Real Plurp" = a very small attempt humor

    There is no guideline on what the (unique name) is because the only requirement is that it's unique.

    If you call an explanation being dismissive, good luck with that. I try to avoid putting down ideas in the Ideas forum, but I do mess up occasionally there.

    and to plurp, yay Zootleburgers!
    Posted 23 months ago by Tingly Claus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "There wasn't anything else to understand on what stoot said. The unique name can be anything."

    i was asking for additional information.

    if a totally new user has to "think through" something as simple as the mechanics of picking a name, that's a problem.

    a name selection interface that says:

    name [text field]
    unique name [text field]

    is going to be problematic.

    even:

    name [text field]
    unique name (only visible in parantheses on profile) [text field]

    as the first thing a new player encounters? bizarre, vague, easily misunderstood.

    providing no guidance as to what the unique name should be when it is the first decision decision they make, with the least information and context, in a way unseen on any other site or game, potentially unchangeable [will the unique name be changeable like the non-unique one? will it cost currants?] ... I'm sure that'll work out great and no one will ever screw up.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • At least we're in some sort of general agreement. I prefer my idea, but there's gotta be a better one than that.
    Posted 23 months ago by Tingly Claus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I may be confused about any number of things, but I'm just not concerned about having a unique name which I think mirrors the real world and that's just fine by me. I'm sure the developers or game have no issue distinguishing us apart as they have probably assigned us a unique ID number or hash code to keep it straight in the database server.

    So the remainder of the identification issue really exists in the minds of the user / player and what conventions develop by the community. Perhaps that's one of the points of the Glitch games -- developing those social structures and norms. Do you want the Teutonic or Balinese approach used (or any other historical naming method for that matter). Let's just grow it and see what happens.

    I was thinking about changing 'Smackem' which I just used as an off-the-top-of-my-head initial placeholder. I wonder how anonymization comes into play here. If I change my name and slightly alter my appearance are you still going to recognize me?
    Posted 23 months ago by Smackem Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "So the remainder of the identification issue really exists in the minds of the user / player and what conventions develop by the community."

    but here's the problem..

    at the point where you pick a name, you aren't *in* the community, and unlikely to be aware of its conventions.

    you mention Teutonic or Balinese, but we aren't naming children after people we know in the tradition of our parents, we are naming ourselves at the point where we know few if any other players.

    "I'm sure the developers or game have no issue distinguishing us apart as they have probably assigned us a unique ID number or hash code to keep it straight in the database server. "

    i am well aware of this. it isn't what is being discussed though, it's the user facing names.

    " I wonder how anonymization comes into play here. If I change my name and slightly alter my appearance are you still going to recognize me?"

    no. thus the unique names in parentheses in the profiles. tho i guess you're describing something different than has been discussed before.

    people were worried about players with the same name.. ID confusion, impostors and so on. you bring up a different complication. if the name, appearance and behaviour is sufficiently changed, people might not even bother to check the profile [or remember the unique name, if it is generic-ish and unmemorable]. players might thus enjoy relative flip-a-switch anonymity without having to build a new character from scratch. not total anonymity, only relative. still, interesting.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • See, what I understood from Stoot's comment was that it would be pretty standard: you, the player, have your username, which is non-changing, and your character in the game has their own name. And when you meet a character in game you can find out whom they belong to by noting the name in parentheses. Yes? Is that it? I wouldn't be wondering except others are wondering :D

    I would log into the site as Cefeida (me), but would enter the world as, for example, Glitchy(my character).
    Posted 23 months ago by Cefeida Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That's pretty much how I thought it would work too Cefeida.
    Posted 23 months ago by Cainunable Subscriber! | Permalink
  • /\ That's a great explanation, thanks Cefeida :)

    The date of birth field would be optional, of course?
    Posted 23 months ago by Hburger Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I imagine our unique name will form part of our profile URL
    Posted 23 months ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "And when you meet a character in game you can find out whom they belong to by noting the name in parentheses."

    yes but again .. what sort of name goes into the parentheses?

    and please don't reply "whatever the player wants". i get that. i'm asking about the sort of names are going to work. will striatic (striatic) work? if the reason why the system is in place is because multiple people want to be "Bob", won't multiple people also want to be "Bob (Bob)"?

    and will the unique name be editable if someone is confused by its purpose when creating their character?
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • But...whatever the player wants does answer your question, doesn't it? As long as it's unique. So Bob would be Bob, but the next person would have to be Bob01. But their CHARACTERS could both be Bobs, so in-game you wouldn't have ugly number stuff distracting you from the experience. Yes, multiple people might want to be Bob (Bob), but first come first get...at least this way they get a small compromise by being Bob(Bob01).

    I think if at the beginning it's explained like so:

    Create your username (has to be unique, this is what you will log in with, this is YOU).
    Now create a name for your character (does not have to be unique, you do not log in with this, this is your character)

    then there will be no cause for confusion as to which is which.

    Kinda makes me wonder if multiple characters are in store...

    I wonder about the date of birth, don't all online games from North America ask if you're at least 13? I don't mind giving mine out, but I better get a cake on my birthday! !! ;)

    How about, if the birth date is there for ID reasons, instead of that we just have the player's database ID? I assume those would be unique and never changing? It'd be more reliable if we want to be sure we're getting the right Bob between Bob01 and Bob67.
    Posted 23 months ago by Cefeida Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "But...whatever the player wants does answer your question, doesn't it?"

    no.

    i'm asking what the name itself should be. for example, which name should be the unique one.

    example, take Plurp (Zootleburger).

    that was Plurp's first instinct. maybe Plurp (Plurp) is what he really wanted but he assumed the unique name had to be different so he picked the wrong name... and if the unique name is the "domain" for multiple characters, then he'd be stuck with Plurp (Zootleburger) and Zootleburger (Zootleburger) [presuming his second character is called Zootleburger] when really he wants to be primarily known as Plurp.

    now he's stuck with Zootleburger on all his characters until the end of time because he figured he needed to randomly come up with something quick in order to get through account creation.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • i assumed that the date of birth was your character's birthday! or in other words, the glitch calendar date when the character was either created, or maybe was imagined up for the first time or however our origin story works again. i could be mistaken but looking back at stoot's post, he actually said "...along with a "birth date" on profile pages..."

    and yeah, it's an interesting plan, but the more i think about the whole parenthetical account name thing, the less i like the idea of having the account and the characters being separate and (transparently) linked entities like that. am having a hard time putting my finger on why, but it's something about slightly too much public transparency, and also narratively it's a bit weird. i'm mostly not fond of fourth-wall breaking in games, and displaying the name of a common account that is behind various characters, i dunno, just doesn't feel right.

    but i am all for character birthdays!
    Posted 23 months ago by katlazam Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Striatic, I think if people don't take the time to think about their account names then they only have themselves to blame. I suggested a very clear explanation of Username vs Character name, and which had to be unique. I don't see how it can get any simpler than that.

    In the end the answer is still 'whatever the user wants'. If the user doesn't know what he wants...

    Katlazam, I think it's not breaking the fourth wall so badly if it's only on the profile...I'd object to the Username appearing over the character's head, but profile doesn't bother me personally.
    Posted 23 months ago by Cefeida Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "Striatic, I think if people don't take the time to think about their account names then they only have themselves to blame."

    disagree. if the system sets them up to fail through ambiguity, unfamiliarity and unresetability - then no, the players do not have only themselves to blame.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Striatic, I think the unique name would work the same way it works in basically every other game. When you sign up, you pick a name. Any name you can think of. If it's taken, you try again. This works well enough for 95% of games.

    Then, if at some later point you decide you want to change your name, you change it. Your new name will then appear in game. Your new and original names would both appear in your profile.

    For instance, you sign up with a new account and want to use the name "Bob". Bob is already taken (because it's awesome like that ) so you settle for striatic. When you start playing the game your name appears as striatic. Now you and some of your friends realize how awesome Bob still is and as a tribute to the name, you all change your names to Bob. In the game you all have the same name. If someone goes to your profile they would see Bob (Striatic).

    Does that help? This may not end up being how it's done, but it would be a pretty straight forward solution.
    Posted 23 months ago by Cainunable Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm definitely going to change my name to striatic
    Posted 23 months ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Well, if the system is anything like what I described and what Cainunable described, I don't think the system sets anyone up to fail. I think it's very clear and not an unusual set up for an online game.

    And I'm not the smartest person out there, so it can't be that complicated :D
    Posted 23 months ago by Cefeida Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Now I'm curious about this mechanic too! :-}

    So will we be having a username/account name, then a non-unique character name, then a unique title?

    i.e. account = myawesomeaccount; Characters = Glinda (The White Witch) and Glinda (The Night Stitch) and Glinda (Mighty Lighty the Forty-Seventh)?
    Posted 23 months ago by Elbee Subscriber! | Permalink
  • What's the point of having secondary characters? Not saying I'm against it; just askin'.
    Posted 23 months ago by Hburger Subscriber! | Permalink
  • yep hburger, that's the question i keep coming back to when i try to figure out what feels so wrong about the whole parentheses/account/character dealio.
    Posted 23 months ago by katlazam Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "Does that help? This may not end up being how it's done, but it would be a pretty straight forward solution."

    depends on what you mean by "help". it's a good idea, so that helps .. but it doesn't address my questions about the confusions in the system as it has been described. you're describing a new player selecting one name and then adding an "extra" name later, when in fact they will have to pick two names to begin, which isn't like any game i've ever seen.

    now if it did work the way you describe, where the player enters the game for the first time with only one text field and tries to pick something as unique as possible [like in every other online game in the universe] .. and then later when they grok the system can pick a non-unique name at their leisure .. yes, i think that could work.

    but that's not the two text field, two name system as described.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Hburger - In most games, secondary characters are just alternate personalities. They have different skills, live in different places, have different possessions. It's a role-playing aspect of the game. You might, for instance, want to spend a pleasant hour as a swashbuckling miner who isn't bombarded constantly by chat sessions from friends of your primary character.
    Posted 23 months ago by Plurp Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "What's the point of having secondary characters?"

    lots of MMOs have secondary characters. WoW does, for example. i don't know what the point of secondary characters might be in glitch, but i can tell you why people play them in WoW.

    one reason is just to keep the game fresh. different characters have different races, levels and classes so having multiple characters keeps you from getting bored by playing the same way all of the time.

    another reason is that players can use various characters with different skills as a team of sorts, particularly for crafting. i know one person who has a bunch of characters.. some of them are good at collecting stuff and others are good at converting those collected goods into items. i could see an argument against this being that it kinda removes the need for inter-player trade.

    so you might ask "why don't they just create a new account for each player?" but in a subscription based game that is cost prohibitive and they'd have to re-set-up their social network and chat contacts or whatever for every new character.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • right plurp, that part is not the confusing part. what doesn't make sense is why your different characters would need to be linked to a main non-character account.
    Posted 23 months ago by katlazam Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If I were to delete one of my 'characters', would I go to limbo?
    Posted 23 months ago by Hburger Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "what doesn't make sense is why your different characters would need to be linked to a main non-character account."

    subscriptions, social networks etc.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • is having separate accounts really cost-prohibitive?

    having different characters help each other out totally feels like cheating.

    and i always think of my alternate characters as having different (or none at all for an anti-social alt) friends anyway :)

    but i guess you could choose to have separate accounts if that's what you're into, i suppose that having the option is nice...
    Posted 23 months ago by katlazam Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "is having separate accounts really cost-prohibitive?"

    once they are subscription based, yes.

    i think WoW puts a limit on how many characters you can have per subscription.
    Posted 23 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
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