this game needs name police, names are not sentences or phrases ....

Nerdrage9000

Quethrosar

nemesrichard wrote: »

Until it is not offensive chose whatever you like. You can turn off nameplates.

define offensive

today everything offends everyone.

Parasaurolophus

And the fashion police please!
Hey! You look like a neon [snip] cyborg from another galaxy! You are banned for violating immersiveness!

[edited for inappropriate content]

SilverBride

It's not a matter of being offended, but names do represent the player, the same way that how they dress their character or speak in chat does, and people draw conclusions from that.

If I see a male character named IBeatYouUP wearing a pink dress I am not going to take that player seriously and I wouldn't
want to group with them.

Carcamongus

Names may reveal who a person is if they choose something blatantly offensive, but more often they reveal how they play. I used to group with a fellow who had several characters that were just "@name [class]". It wasn't lore-friendly at all but he was nevertheless a cool person, very competent player and I liked grouping with him. As for outfits/costumes, many people just like to enjoy the potential for silliness the game allows, something that's not always possible in real life. A guild mate liked to give her characters bubbly, sugary names and put dresses on them (even the males), but she too was a cool person who managed to get the Tick Tock Tormentor achievement. On the other hand, I've met plenty of people with proper names and non-outlandish outfits/costumes who were a pain in the posterior.

SilverBride

I am not saying anyone with a silly name or silly way of dressing isn't a good person and a decent player. But first impressions can sway whether or not we choose to interact with someone, and a name is usually the first thing I notice about another player.

Ragnarok0130

boi_anachronism_ wrote: »

Please remember that psn user names are also displayed. My toons have lore friendly names but my PSN is on my tag, why? Cause it's easier for teammates in raids. Also name police? Really?

This is precisely why I choose to display account name instead of character name - so when people swap toons for different raids I always know who it is. The player base is also empowered to do this and choose not to view name plates at all so this is really a non-issue with me and I'm a sticker for lore adherence.

Part of the reason for bizarre names is the one name use rules ZoS has for some reason. One would think that since character names are attached under a specific user account that it wouldn't be an issue having 10,000 Sam Smith toon names but it's never been allowed for some reason.

Hapexamendios

If the name is offensive, it will be reported. That's the only policing we need. I don't care if someone calls their character something stupid, it is their character and their choice.

spartaxoxo

Danikat wrote: »

Bear in mind the same person can do both serious, lore-friendly names and silly names, it's not necessarily a judgement on them as a person.

All my permanent characters have meaningful names which at least look lore-friendly. But if I'm making a temporary character anything goes. Sometimes they're also lore friendly names (2 I ended up using permanently), sometimes it's a joke, sometimes it's the first thing to come into my head.

Or it could be both at the same time. In another game I have a character called Barwn Y Mers, a (reasonably) lore-friendly Welsh name. It also literally means Edge Lord and is a meme reference. Admittedly I'm not sure anyone but me ever got the joke, but still.

spartaxoxo wrote: »

I don't particularly enjoy these names but I don't think they should be released and I don't judge the players who use them unless it's something actually reportable. We may have different tastes in entertainment but one of the nicest dudes in a game I ever met had character named PunchKicker.

If it was the other way around I'd think it was a Baldur's Gate reference. One of the companions in the Enhanced Edition is a monk and when you first meet him he's being confronted by a guy who says "Oi, what are you? Some sorta kickpuncher?" Ever since then my husband and I jokingly refer to any sort of martial artist as 'kickpunchers'.

It was actually a Community reference. PunchKicker was the nemesis of Kickpuncher, who's kicks had the power of punches.

https://community-sitcom.fandom.com/wiki/Kickpuncher#:~:text="Romantic Expressionism".-,Kickpuncher portrayed,many times in other episodes.

That was a fun show we both liked.

Zabagad

SilverBride wrote: »

I am not saying anyone with a silly name or silly way of dressing isn't a good person and a decent player. But first impressions can sway whether or not we choose to interact with someone, and a name is usually the first thing I notice about another player.

Funny thing is your first impression about me would depend on which char you would see me first
I mean - we have up to 18 chars and it makes sence for me that they are not all the same style. So I have 10 PvE char with names like "princess fairy dust" (My char names are not in english - so for the language police I'm out anyways) but if you see one of my PvP char first (they don't have "beat u" names - but no "fairy dust" names either) you wouldn't interact with me.
Therefore, your interaction with the same person would be completely different depending on randomness.

MachineGod

SilverBride wrote: »

I am not saying anyone with a silly name or silly way of dressing isn't a good person and a decent player. But first impressions can sway whether or not we choose to interact with someone, and a name is usually the first thing I notice about another player.

"Never judge a book by its cover"

Quiet an old saying with a lot of truth buried into it. There is a reason why this saying is so heeded especially online as well. I think it's just respectful to let people decide what they call themselves, again ever so more important in these inclusive times wouldn't you agree?

FakeZavos

Bat wrote: »

[snip]

This is a joke right?

[edited to remove quote]

FakeZavos

SilverBride wrote: »

I am not saying anyone with a silly name or silly way of dressing isn't a good person and a decent player. But first impressions can sway whether or not we choose to interact with someone, and a name is usually the first thing I notice about another player.

But what is the problem here. Someone named IBeatYouUP wearing a pink dress might not be interested in interacting with you for whatever reason. Does that mean he should be banned or force namechanged?

Danikat

Zabagad wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

I am not saying anyone with a silly name or silly way of dressing isn't a good person and a decent player. But first impressions can sway whether or not we choose to interact with someone, and a name is usually the first thing I notice about another player.

Funny thing is your first impression about me would depend on which char you would see first
I mean - we have up to 18 chars and it makes sence for me that they are not all the same style. So I have 10 PvE char with names like "princess fairy dust" (My char names are not in english - so for the language police I'm out anyways) but if you see one of my PvP char first (they don't have "beat u" names - but no "fairy dust" names either) you wouldn't interact with me.
Therefore, your interaction with the same person would be completely different depending on randomness.

Same for me.

Also I'm surprised anyone insists on names in English. I assume that's seperate to the lore-friendly names police since most people in Tamriel don't have English names. I wonder if that means if the name is a word/phrase it must be in English (although I don't know how they'd know it's a word or phrase if they don't know the language) or if they mean it should be a name they'd expect an English person to have.

I'm English but my character names are in multiple languages. English, Slavic, French, Welsh, Latin, Latin mixed with Quenya, Afrikaans, and Arabic. The funny thing is the Slavic and Arabic ones happened by chance, I was just making up a word that sounded like a name and later found out it is a real-life name.

My priority for names is always finding something which fits the character and which I like the look/sound of. Secondary to that is making it lore friendly. I will bend the rules when necessary to get something I like but I aim for something which wouldn't look out of place in a list of NPC names. As I result I often end up looking up words in other languages or variations on names to get something which fits. I also tend to re-use names, 5 of my ESO characters have names copied or adapted from ones I've used before. One of those was supposed to be a one-off test character but I kept reusing her and she's now appeared in multiple games.

DivineKitty

The way I see it, Policing people based on names makes as much sense as policing what Motifs people use on their outfits.

For example: Someone could come out and say "I hate everyone who uses the Ashlander style, Everyone who uses this style should be forced to change it." does that mean that everyone should be forced to bend over backyards to accommodate that person's personal tastes?

It makes about as much sense to enforce naming conventions as it does forcing certain outfits on others. Just let people call themselves whatever, as long as it's not TOO over the top.

SickleCider

Nerdrage9000 wrote: »

Hmm, yes. Agreed.

SilverBride

MachineGod wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

I am not saying anyone with a silly name or silly way of dressing isn't a good person and a decent player. But first impressions can sway whether or not we choose to interact with someone, and a name is usually the first thing I notice about another player.

"Never judge a book by its cover"

Quiet an old saying with a lot of truth buried into it. There is a reason why this saying is so heeded especially online as well. I think it's just respectful to let people decide what they call themselves, again ever so more important in these inclusive times wouldn't you agree?

The title and cover of the book are what makes me want to read it or pass it up.

whitecrow

Quethrosar wrote: »

i remember in everquest character names had to be somewhat fantasy characterish

How did they monitor this?

Lumenn

whitecrow wrote: »

Quethrosar wrote: »

i remember in everquest character names had to be somewhat fantasy characterish

How did they monitor this?

1. It wasn't really that strict.
2. This was 24 years or so ago. I'm not saying we all had better manners because some didn't, but online gaming was still fairly new and most of us grew up in a time in which if you're a jerk/immature, it was face to face so you dealt with the consequences quickly rather than 20 plus years of hiding online. People are bolder now
3. Things like copyright issues and such were still new at first. All sorts of baggins and frodo hobbits, conan barbarians etc.
4. And the BIGGEST way is that there were ALWAYS GMs online, on any server any time of the day. At least the first few years.

Sepultura_13

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Names are policed for things like racism and copyright. They don't need rules beyond that.

Names aren't policed for racism, sexism, xenophobia, or any other -ism or -phobia, sadly. Some names seem to be selectively policed / forcibly changed for copyright if the "right person" complains to whichever [snip]

I changed my ESO account name a while back to avoid any possible copyright, since it used to be identical to my forum name, here. The name was originally chosen for a band I enjoyed at the time, and the year that I got the Beta-test invitation. Nothing creative, sinister, or "edgelord" about it.

My character names are more or less "lore-friendly" FWIW; at the very least, they aren't created to deliberately troll or offend anyone. This game has plenty of "people problems" as it is - I'd rather not add to them, personally.

[edited for inappropriate content]

KiltMaster

I can't believe this is a real thread lol

Danikat

Lumenn wrote: »

whitecrow wrote: »

Quethrosar wrote: »

i remember in everquest character names had to be somewhat fantasy characterish

How did they monitor this?

1. It wasn't really that strict.
2. This was 24 years or so ago. I'm not saying we all had better manners because some didn't, but online gaming was still fairly new and most of us grew up in a time in which if you're a jerk/immature, it was face to face so you dealt with the consequences quickly rather than 20 plus years of hiding online. People are bolder now
3. Things like copyright issues and such were still new at first. All sorts of baggins and frodo hobbits, conan barbarians etc.
4. And the BIGGEST way is that there were ALWAYS GMs online, on any server any time of the day. At least the first few years.

I think having fewer players was a factor as well. I'm not sure about Everquest but I remember Ultima Online considered it a huge achievement to get 100,000 players (in 1998) and opinions in reviews at the time ranged from considering that about the upper limit anyone could expect for something as niche as an online RPG to speculating that in future they could get as many as 500,000 players.

These days MMOs attract tens of millions of players and have at least a few million active at once (I can't find more recent numbers but apparently in 2017 ESO had 2.5 million people playing regularly).

Modern games will need a lot more support staff just for the big issues. I don't think it's surprising that minor and highly subjective stuff like 'appropriately fantasyish names' gets dropped, it probably takes a lot more time to sort out for minimal benefit to players.

VindictiveRidge

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Lmao don't read Ysgramor's 500 Companions op. The "names in brief" especially.

I took this as a dare, and did a quick search. I got "The Five Hundred Mighty Companions or Thereabouts of Ysgramor the Returned", by Michael Kirkbride.
We START with a name-drop of "Grit-Prince Tstunal" and a number of his wives: "Vramali", "Jarli-al", "Alleir", and... "Tusk Widow Who Foreswore Her Name". Also "Elja Hate-Basket", "Ingridal", "Mjarili-al Half-Casket", "Shanjenen the Echo-Eaten", and "Jahnsdotter Whose-Name-Stays-in-its-Cradle".
Further on, we also see mention of such luminaries as "Alabar the Oddly-Colored", "Hegm the Deaf", and "Bjurl Dahnaorsson who Heard Enough to Let Hegm Know Later", the latter of whom sounds like a really thoughtful guy.
However, the real brain-wreckers are Ysgramor's ten "Totem-Uncles", specifically noted as "whose names are too long for ink",
but are rendered in "in swift" ("for short", I assume) as "Aldugapadptujenmenhelfnenjaarighuruijleymora", "Ghrojarhisysmirirekyetrethaalma", "Talochletnoocnenuethethelaldmerysriemaeneynjora", "Kjarkaakfajiriutyestrualkethmemvirillichenswalwe", "Mnenatmetmoraldumirirekyetrethaalnenjaarighuru", "Bjornalijleyyetrethaalmaljarkaakfaltalochletghuru", "Mjanorralpaghrohardolwepthuulruelmehykhenharl", "Kaejistroonaalmerrisliysmieiltethahldlungalthadnh", "Drummersretyaljarkaakfaltalochletgehmoraldukyne", and "the Last, whose name cannot even be writ in swift, but you know him." I don't know if Kirkbride was drunk as a tinker or if he just let his cat run back and forth on the keyboard for those.
At this point, I have to start mumbling an old Monty Python bit to myself. "Ah, yes, have you heard of the German Baroque composer, Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitzweimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm?"

Sevalaricgirl

fizl101 wrote: »

There are lots of Argonian NPC with phrases as names, I don't think players need to have enforced a kind of european high fantasy name on them

Yeah, Brings To Life, my Argonian necromancer, would have a problem with what the OP is saying.

drakhan2002_ESO

While we're talking about policing things - they should remove kanji characters from chat - I don't speak/read Chinese and when you're in a group with kanji-using players, there's no way to tell what they're saying.

Lumenn

Danikat wrote: »

Lumenn wrote: »

whitecrow wrote: »

Quethrosar wrote: »

i remember in everquest character names had to be somewhat fantasy characterish

How did they monitor this?

1. It wasn't really that strict.
2. This was 24 years or so ago. I'm not saying we all had better manners because some didn't, but online gaming was still fairly new and most of us grew up in a time in which if you're a jerk/immature, it was face to face so you dealt with the consequences quickly rather than 20 plus years of hiding online. People are bolder now
3. Things like copyright issues and such were still new at first. All sorts of baggins and frodo hobbits, conan barbarians etc.
4. And the BIGGEST way is that there were ALWAYS GMs online, on any server any time of the day. At least the first few years.

I think having fewer players was a factor as well. I'm not sure about Everquest but I remember Ultima Online considered it a huge achievement to get 100,000 players (in 1998) and opinions in reviews at the time ranged from considering that about the upper limit anyone could expect for something as niche as an online RPG to speculating that in future they could get as many as 500,000 players.

These days MMOs attract tens of millions of players and have at least a few million active at once (I can't find more recent numbers but apparently in 2017 ESO had 2.5 million people playing regularly).

Modern games will need a lot more support staff just for the big issues. I don't think it's surprising that minor and highly subjective stuff like 'appropriately fantasyish names' gets dropped, it probably takes a lot more time to sort out for minimal benefit to players.

I do know that in 99(right after release and before they hid population numbers) EQ had a 1.1 to 1.3 million population. Not bad for dial up technology and 4 times more than what UO a year before. No idea what it grew into. EQ was popular, with little to no competition (kinda like ESO on console ATM) at least until they started listening to the elite guilds(I was in one at the time) and WOW came and cleaned their clock. Just hope that doesn't happen here.

As for name police, my earlier response should indicate my thoughts on that. I'd rather have GMs actually in the game 24/7 wiping bots from the servers.

Wuduwasa13

Quethrosar wrote: »

i remember in everquest character names had to be somewhat fantasy characterish. It's very stupid to see people in this game running around with names like zzzzxxxslayerzzzxxxx or iamthegodaroundhere or whatever. i am not a role player but i do think names need some policing.

I really do not like your name here & so insist you change it for me immediately.

That’s how your post comes across 🙂

LalMirchi

VindictiveRidge wrote: »

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Lmao don't read Ysgramor's 500 Companions op. The "names in brief" especially.

I took this as a dare, and did a quick search. I got "The Five Hundred Mighty Companions or Thereabouts of Ysgramor the Returned", by Michael Kirkbride.
We START with a name-drop of "Grit-Prince Tstunal" and a number of his wives: "Vramali", "Jarli-al", "Alleir", and... "Tusk Widow Who Foreswore Her Name". Also "Elja Hate-Basket", "Ingridal", "Mjarili-al Half-Casket", "Shanjenen the Echo-Eaten", and "Jahnsdotter Whose-Name-Stays-in-its-Cradle".
Further on, we also see mention of such luminaries as "Alabar the Oddly-Colored", "Hegm the Deaf", and "Bjurl Dahnaorsson who Heard Enough to Let Hegm Know Later", the latter of whom sounds like a really thoughtful guy.
However, the real brain-wreckers are Ysgramor's ten "Totem-Uncles", specifically noted as "whose names are too long for ink",
but are rendered in "in swift" ("for short", I assume) as "Aldugapadptujenmenhelfnenjaarighuruijleymora", "Ghrojarhisysmirirekyetrethaalma", "Talochletnoocnenuethethelaldmerysriemaeneynjora", "Kjarkaakfajiriutyestrualkethmemvirillichenswalwe", "Mnenatmetmoraldumirirekyetrethaalnenjaarighuru", "Bjornalijleyyetrethaalmaljarkaakfaltalochletghuru", "Mjanorralpaghrohardolwepthuulruelmehykhenharl", "Kaejistroonaalmerrisliysmieiltethahldlungalthadnh", "Drummersretyaljarkaakfaltalochletgehmoraldukyne", and "the Last, whose name cannot even be writ in swift, but you know him." I don't know if Kirkbride was drunk as a tinker or if he just let his cat run back and forth on the keyboard for those.
At this point, I have to start mumbling an old Monty Python bit to myself. "Ah, yes, have you heard of the German Baroque composer, Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitzweimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm?"

@VindictiveRidge Thank you ever so much for this, my smile's cracking the many sides of may face so very very much

Many especial grandiose thanks for the magnificent reference to the rather obscure (bolded) Johann Gambolputty (whom the curious may search for).

I do not want not police in any game but really long for Game Masters: Active and visible participation of company reps would be invaluable to me.

As far as names go I personally think that freedom of expression outweighs outrage by far.

TimeWizard

Oh yes, please remove my capability for being creative and funny with my character names so that your roleplay immersion isnt disturbed

Or dont. I have as much right to 'Time To Get Flamed' 'Time To Let You Die' 'Tea-Time' or anything else I think of as much as you do your immersive role play names. One way isnt better than another.

Names are already policed for all sorts of things anyway

SilverBride

Most "funny" names aren't.