Should Names Be Publicly Displayed?

Not sure what the tongue sticking means, but SMO is Selective Multiplayer. This is something that Portalarium invented to describe how Shroud of the Avatar will group people together when they play in a multiplayer setting. Everyone following this game should know that.

 

The idea is that it is a TOGGLE you as player can enable for YOUR enjoyment. If you want to see all names, disable the toggle, but if you want the immersion of having to talk to someone to learn their name (and thus properly RP your avatar), this is important. Turning off nametag visiblity is a partial solution. I personally don't find nametags too bothersome, and often have them on for convenience, but would like to only see the names of people I actually "know" in the game, either by talking directly to them or being close enough to overhear them... That way the nametags (or possibly a mousehover-popup if nametags are disabled) will allow me to recognize people from a distance (since this is a game, visual - and auditory - recognition would be more difficult than IRL), without telling me who someone is I never met... Just like with the NPCs where you only know their name once they've told you! (Ask Moo! )

 

The table of who knows who could be quite huge. It would be serverside though (and more likely than not in some central database for the whole game), the actual amount of data in any given instance would be minimal, because there would be dozens of players, not millions.

It is not much different from friendlist when it comes to that. So I think it is very much doable.

 

It doesn't need to be a huge central "database" as such, just a table that goes with your account, *just* like the one for NPCs, Friends, blocked players, etc.
And that gets checked at login, and only needs to be downloaded to the client if the stored version differs from the server version (ie you played on a different machine/client), and only needs to be updated when you learn a new name...

It really *isn't* that much for traffic, etc. and would actually *save* network data, because you need not upload the names of every player in a hex, only when the name is asked for... Saves a bit of data, rather than increasing it (it'll only be 2-20 or so bytes per player, but still...)

 

Toggling names sounds like a good approach.

I do think there is a reason that groups wear name tags in real life social events. If social gaming is about socializing, knowing (not concealing) names would seem important.

 

But both options would be open to one... Your approach is fine if you are a casual gamer, but RPers want more immersive realism, and not knowing who someone is until they tell you their name is part of that. So while NOT concealing names is important, CONCEALING names is important to others... Why not allow both playstyles?

 

The tongue smiley was not meant in deregatory manner, it was supposed to be a smile smiley, but I pressed the P instead. I apologize if it gave the wrong impression. Also thank you for the explanation on the SMO term. I haven't seen it much and thus I dont use much (and ofcourse completely forgot about it), although I did remember RG mentioning it every now and them.

 

I couldn't explain it better than a group of us already have: http://sotawiki.net/sota/SMO

Additionally, I do want to point out that it's more than what Miracle has said... he's not inaccurate but it's also the ability to have the exact same avatar played in single player, a selective "friends only", and the multiplayer "sorted" online modes.

More importantly I want to toss a reminder out there to everyone that @Seon has been around for a while and I doubt he has any ill will here. I did notice he's been absent for a bit as we all seem to do now and again. I'm fairly sure if you give him a chance you'll see he's a great guy even if you have a different opinion than he does

And @Seon ... my tongue is one pixel longer than yours!

And, at the original topic... I've skimmed through a few pages here and think people have a lot of different views... I still think I'm the fan of having the game cater toward the realism side of things. I love that they're making movement in combat less "JUMP LIKE AN IDIOT" and more "move intionally how you should or it will hurt you in combat" theory based... I think the flow of information should be as well. I would love if we were able to lie about our names and it will still show up as Stranger... so people would have to call us the lie or prod us for the truth... and what if someone always wanted to be that Lord Aragorn type that was using a false name to hide their identity and still be someone who fights for justice, just as a vigilante.

I think it would also allow a really cool layer to PKers as the bounties would be harder for us PK Hunters to fill... how do we know who we need to kill if we don't get a proper description? you can't just say "Violation can you go kill Abydos?" because I won't know Abydos (unless I do, then totally I would do it ) You'd have to say "I was PK'd in The Brave Coast around 3PM on a Saturday and the guy was using a sword and a shield and was in all mail armor and wore the hat of six cats! I felt like the gods of Caturday were against me!" Not only would I laugh at you but at that point I would know who to go after WITHOUT their name

Anyway, hope that helps shed light on how cool the "no visible name" system could be. Lets try to keep it nice and not at each others throats. Different views are healthy if they are not attacks.

 

Thanks Duke Violation for reminding us about SMO because it's relevant to the OP in the following way.

I think we are forgetting that the server is tracking so much more data on each player than simply whether or not you know someone's name. As part of the selective multiplayer logic, it has been said the servers will track:

- who you've talked to
- who you've traded with
- who you've partied with
- who you've attacked/been attacked by
- who you've friended or blocked
- who has friended or blocked you (even if you haven't done either)
...etc

That's a much larger data set that they are tracking about you than simply knowing someone's name. And I would argue knowing someone's name would help with that selective multiplayer logic because they're more relevant to you than someone you asked for directions but didn't care to ask for their name.

Also, remember the Oracle is always watching...everything you do.

 

Yeah and thats why we MUST have NO OPEN pvp...

cause everything will be crazy like in UO where NOTHING of that was tracked and everyone was a noob that didn't know the system...

exept... its the EXACT OPPOSITE

*yells in fury*

WHY AM I ALONE IN MY LITTLE WORLD.

Thank you that'll be all...

*tries to demolish a wall with his fist but fist crushes against god-mode oracle that to add salt on the wound makes seers obsolete NOT*

 

I hope to be able to see the names of all players in my immediate area at all times, when I have the names-option toggled on. Not seeing names would be a blocker in getting to know the community.

Someones in-game name, takes the place of their face and easily recognized mannerisms, clothing etc, that you would have in your normal everyday social interactions.

 

I think its a good idea for all names to be displayed, and a simple preferences trigger for those who do not wish to view them.

I have never played on a platform, gaming or otherwise where people being allowed to be anonymous did not lead to scams or griefing unless the dynamics of the game closed all doors allowing it to happen.
The easy way to help prevent this would be to just not allow people to be anonymous. Free accounts will make this hard enough to stop as it is.

 

Yes names should be publicly displayed, do you know how annoying it would be, if a friend of yours was walking by and he wanted to buy/sell play w/you but didn't know it was you so he logged out. This is a video game, I feel this idea originated from Star Citizen, that game is beyond the pale when it comes to attempting to be the most realistic thing in pixelspace.

 

The above message is the one I was responding to, the first post in this thread.

Which post am I missing @Bodhbh Deargh?

 

You are right, and my apologies for that, it is not in the first post, but rather splattered across the entire thread. I have removed my post!

 

This discussion is the wrong way round IMHO... The question should be whether it should be possible for a player to turn off names automatically showing up for him/her, rather than whether it should be possible for a player to turn of the display of his own name for all other players!

Should "I" be able to decide whether other people get to see my name without asking me first? Nope, don't think so!
Should I be able to decide whether I see other people's names without asking them first? Yes, I absolutely feel that should be possible to increase realism/immersion!
(But I would like an option to basically broadcast my name, so anyone can see it, even if they haven't asked it first... Think of it as wearing a namebadge )

This way RPers and the like get to play the way they like (without automatically seeing everybody's name, even if they haven't spoken to them yet), and the rest get to play the way *they* like (seeing everyone's name immediately)
(The only risk is - obviously - that an RPer may ask you "And who might you be sir/lady, that you know my name? I do not think we've met before?")

 

It seems more logical that you control who knows your name. It doesn't make sense that someone else can know that information, as if they can read your mind. Sure, this is a video game but the precedent was set with NPCs where their names were unknown to you. I thought that was a very clear indication of the type of experience they wanted us to have in this game.

So the compromise here for player identification is that it's an option that has to be intentionally set by the player to require people ask for it. It's not the default and it would be interesting to see how many players turn this off.

Currently you can toggle to display all nameplates and it will do this -- except for those players that have intentionally set their option to require someone ask, it will show a generic title or something, like it does for NPCs.

 

I understand what you're getting at, but that way you'd be deciding for others how they get to play the game... Whereas the other way round, you only decide for yourself, which is much more likely to be deemed acceptable by the community at large...

 

I believe it should work both ways, with a nametag that would activate after telling some one your name, and after you learn some ones name their nameplate would light up. Until then I really like the idea about being labeled after the professions or combat skills you posses. "fighter", "blacksmith", "herbalist" "cook" are some examples. The argument about meeting friends in game and running bye them is not that strong. You have to meet them ONE time and get the name from them. Set up the meeting here on the forums and meet up. "I'll be the one in the blue scarf". I only think this could enhance the game. The topics of security and reporting are discussed and handled in previous posts in this thread. I totally love it. I hope it happens.

 

A lot of players will be recognizable by their coat of arms when that all gets sorted out :>