ESO previous @ name preview

Fi'yra

I’ve noticed a massive influx of scammers and toxic players lately that have abused the use of @ name change. Although this option is great I really think being able to see their previous names would be a nice option too.

Realistically it does nothing negatively for the game, unless I’m blind and haven’t realised the negatives?

I have a lot of friends who have changed their @ names to things I just... do not recognise at all.

Thoughts?

VaranisArano

The main negative I can think of would be for players who changed their @name due to harassment. Making it easier for their harassers to figure out who they were is generally a bad thing.

Fi'yra

@VaranisArano surely ZOS should be assisting players who are being harrassed though? 🤔

VaranisArano

Fi'yra wrote: »

@VaranisArano surely ZOS should be assisting players who are being harrassed though? 🤔

I'm not sure what you mean. ZOS isn't proactive in their assistance, just reactive.

While ZOS can certainly take action on the players who are harassing people, the players who are harassed may wish to effectively "disappear" while still continuing to play the game by changing their @name. This is especially true if they were being harassed by a large number of players, such as a guild, since ZOS may not discipline all the offenders equally and its easier for a large group to find them again. Moreover, ZOS doesn't IP ban offenders, so there's nothing stopping their harasser/stalker from merely buying another account for $10 or so to continue the harassment...unless they can't find the player they were harassing because of an @name change.

Letting people view past @names causes issues with that anonymity because it becomes that much easier for an abuser who's returning to the game after a temp ban or on a new account to say to their guildies "Hey, I'm looking for my old friend, so-and-so. I think they changed their @name, can you check your other guild rosters for them?" All it takes is one helpful person finding their old @name - not hard if you had similar interests in a smallish community, such as trials, and didn't stop playing what you like - and then the harassed player is getting harassed and stalked again. ZOS might take action on the abuser's new account after the fact, but they won't take proactive action to prevent them from buying future accounts to continue the harassment ad nauseum.


Now, you ought to understand this, because its the same process that scammers and toxic players use to avoid guild blacklists or their notoriety.

However, its worth noting that @name changes can happen for good reasons as well as bad.

Are you willing to remove the anonymity that @name changes give to players who are avoiding harassers/stalkers in order to strengthen the ability of guilds and players to blacklist scammers and toxic players?

Or were you trying to suggest that ZOS ought to allow those harassed players to eliminate their old @names from your list? That would make the most sense as a solution that allows both - though it does put a certain higher burden of proof on the harassed player to prove they need their previous @names hidden.

redspecter23

One of the primary uses for name change is to hit a "reset". It could be due to harassment as mentioned above or even just a desire to clean the slate if the member may have a negative reputation. Giving access to previous names completely negates this purpose. I get that it would be massively beneficial to track problem players if you knew their previous names, but that's exactly what ZOS doesn't want you to do... at least not easily on a massive scale.

You can use the notes for players (friends/guild/ignore) and place their current name there. If you notice a change, you'll be able to tell what their previous alias was and can note the new name. It would be a a massive undertaking to do this for all your contacts, but you can probably more easily identify friends using this method.

Araneae6537

If you ignore someone, they stay on your ignore list regardless of them changing their name, even as friends stay on your friends list.

And I agree with @VaranisArano; there are many very valid reasons a person may change their @name and being able to view previous names would defeat the purpose.