Official word on names, naming, last names and 2nd and 3rd characters?

This statement seemed much more justifiable when RG also insisted accounts would be limited to a single character. I'm not sure it's as applicable when multiple character options were added, at least in part, to afford roleplayers the ability to play multiple roles in the world.

 

You don't get it. Reputation means the virtue system in-game. What I care about is player reputation, and that can be tracked by last name.

 

In a very recent hangout RG said it was still just as important. Your soul may split between characters, but it's still you.

 

No it can NOT be tracked by last name since last name is not unique to accounts, this is the WHOLE problem.

And this is what is wrong with the whole thought process.

Since last name are NOT unique then there is NO way a player can account for any reputation by last or first names the only reputation a player can count on is IF the player is using both first and last names - that is the ONLY unique way names have any relationship to any one player.

anyone trying to tell me different , do not bother I will not reply or debate this any further. This has been brought up at least 6 times in the last 4 months and the answer is the ONLY unique name is a combination of first AND last names.

Not one first name is unique and not one last name is unique. ONLY the combination of them - ONLY.

 

You made the case for why everyone needs a last name.

 

I just wish they'd decide the rules soon, some time before wip so I can make decisions about my character name. I'm supposing once I name my character, I won't be able to rename it. (Maybe they'll ask for a CotO, but that won't be fair if they change the rules on us).

Other considerations.
- There's no point at all in mandating that all our alts share a last name if lasts names won't be exclusive. Its silly...
- If our second character needs a last name, then our first character should need one also. There's nothing special about a first character that would demand an opt out. I understand some people care about their first character not having a last name, and not their second, but its not an argument. Either require both to have one, or don't require either to have one.

 

Nope, they don't.

Very true...

And, once again:

 

Are you playing the game or watching someone else?

 

This speaks to the very soul of Ultima from the beginning.

We are Avatars, transported to this new world for a purpose... It is the kernel of what makes Ultima Ultima. Many things could be put by the wayside to create the spiritual successor to the Ultima series. This is one of those that cannot be.

 

yeah but for so many in the community this went out the window so very long ago....

 

Yeah, except list all their other characters as kin.

 

I vote and ask for a change to our name system rules.

Because Port is already requiring us to carry our last name to all characters on our account, I would like to request that our last names be completely unique. Here's what I mean:

If there is a character named John Smith, the person who has the last name Smith should be the only person who has that last name. On their account, however, they are free to have any character with that last name. Joe Smith, June Smith, Peter Smith. Smith is unique to their account, and they are the only Smith family in the game.

That is the only way to make last names meaningful. Please consider this seriously.

To allow us to have sole ownership of a last name gives meaning to our game-play experience. It means nothing to me if my name is Greg DuPree if there are a hundred other DuPree's out there. But if I am the only person who has the DuPree last name, then I am responsible for honoring that name, making that name greater, and essentially representing that name however I please.

It hearkens back to an idea that @RichardGarriott and @DarkStarr gave us in Ultima Online. In fact, these two "represented" this idea. Lord British is known for being a man of virtue. He is the symbol of virtue and goodness. Lord Blackthorn (Darkstarr) is known for his dark nature. In fact, in UO, our titles reflected our virtue (or lack thereof): Glorious Lord, Murderer, etc. ​

What I am saying is that if my last name is unique, and I am the sole owner of that last name, I can represent it however I want to. I will be known for it. The DuPree house could be known for their benevolence, involvement in community, and their kindness to all... OR The DuPree house could be known for its nefariousness. If there are 100 DuPree's, this is not possible, and the idea of role-playing is defeated.

I'm asking that Port seriously consider this, how it could enrich or cheapen the role-playing experience.

 

There are 178,000+ New Britannians. If the game is successful, then hopefully there will be over a million plus. Add to that there will be a lot of churn where people play for a little while and then go inactive, but new people come into the game. That is a LOT of accounts. How realistic do you think it is for them all to have UNIQUE last names? Just my opinion, and everyone is entitled to their own, but I do not believe a player should be able to lock up a last name for their exclusive use.

 

@Lord Blackthorne I think your suggestion makes a lot of sense.

It should either be

"all in" -- require all characters on the same account to have the same last name and keep that last name exclusive for the purpose of creating "accountability and lineage"

Or

"all out" - first and last name combinations need to be unique, but second and third characters are not required to have the same last name. Some other identifier on paperdoll inspect (player ID number, family name, etc) can still be used for accountability/tool against griefers with this option.


Requiring characters to all use the same family name (especially if this means adding a last name 6 months from now to a single name character) seems like a punishment for pledging high enough to have multiple characters if there isn't a protection against someone else exploiting that requirement. -- using the same last name to negatively effect a player's in game reputation.

It doesn't make sense to say "Here, you are the family So-and-So, your deeds effect all of your clan" but the deeds of anyone else who happens to stumble upon the last name So-and-So might also be viewed as your responsibility.... The current implementation seems weak... like a watered down version of what was intended that loses the actual flavor of the rule but leaves the coffee grounds in the bottom of the cup. This issue really needs to be resolved before persistence, so there are not any nasty surprises later.

 

This is the dichotomy, and I take the opposite view to you in this regard. The Oracle tracks your (account's) reputation regardless of what name you log in with. Currently the only way to track player reputation is by unique first/last name combinations for EVERY SINGLE AVATAR - not by account or even by player - so if I am Vaentorian Knut-Fergusson and another character is Martyn Knut-Fergusson because they saw the name and liked it, that does not track player reputation.

If you want to track player reputation, that is a very different system than in-game (Oracle) reputation and requires a very different system than the current proposal for character names which may or may not change at some point in the future, we're not sure. Frankly it would be better to flag players blue/red for whether their account is "good/bad" because at least that would be independent of the name over which they currently have very limited control.

As much as I appreciate your desire to reduce griefing - this will not happen by imposing a certain naming convention. It's akin to monitoring everyone who's prone to getting overexcited, on the basis that they may one day become violent and commit a crime. The Oracle may do that within her own sphere of influence; I wouldn't really trust gamers in general with that kind of authority. Track virtual reputation through game mechanics, sure. Use a ham fisted method to hint at other players' possible motives - I'm not a fan. But we all have our own priorities

 

World of Warcraft had 10,000,000 subs. Think of how many characters there are per account. It can be done. And that's first names only, much less last names as well.

 

Just a minor note, New Britannians are just forum accounts. The number of game accounts currently stands at
60,736

 

It does track it, it rightfully makes you suspicious of Martyn. And that's all smart players need to keep their guard up. If there are no last names and you have alts, you can simply show up as Vaentorian, Bob and Geno and no one will be able to put two and two together. But if you have the same last name....well now you're out of luck and you have to buy a second account to be a jerk.

It's a very important mechanic to have in the game.

 

Your posts are exhausting. Someone who wants to be a jerk isn't going to be held back by a naming policy. Also, I think you are blowing this whole reputation argument way out of proportion. Ultimately, I think you are advocating for a solution to a hypothetical problem that may not even exist by punishing all players with an unnecessarily strict naming system.

If Portalarium wants to go back and say last names are required and must be unique, then fine. I won't love it, but it is a reasonable policy. But once we hit final wipe, it is too late to implement unique last names, and it simply makes no sense to require an account to share a last name when that name isn't unique.

 

Exactly.

Unless of course Vaentorian, Bob, and Geno wanted to be jerks.

This is the point. Account-unique, sole ownership of a last name so YOU can decide what kind of legacy/house name you want to have. No one else can have the same house name.

True role-playing.