Inactive Username Reset/ New System

[Havok]

I don't really care if you flame me for this idea, its just something the head people might want to consider if this thing moves forward with steam and we get a population spike. Recently I have noticed all new players really have some of the shittiest names you can imagine. If I had to guess, 90% of possible decent names are locked up forever... (or the 10 year inactive lock). I remember trying to make a name to alias on years ago and getting extremely frustrated that even shitty names were all taken. This is just a suggestion but from a new player point of view, the first thing they do is download the game and are asked to create a username. This process shouldn't be as difficult as it is to come up with something half-way decent and its sad to say but I really don't think ANY players that haven't signed on in the past year are coming back.

I don't know if this is possible to even work out as the interface hasn't changed in years... but maybe implementing a rule that a player can only have a total of two names. If they create a third name it automatically unlocks one of the other usernames and opens it up for other players. I know people who own a shit load of good names are gonna flame this idea, but when we think long term all of the names are locked up by people who ARE NEVER coming back and rather them go to new users who might stay longer because they don't have to play under the name "Newbie123". This may not seem like a big deal, but I feel like it would make the process easier for new players and not have all these names in such gridlock. The head people who can do this would possibly be able to spam everyone's email that are attached to all the usernames warning them to sign on before the name is reset.

This is just a suggestion from a new-player point of view, and for 90% of us we only use 1-3 names anyway. It doesn't need to be these EXACT rules, but I think something needs to be done about these thousands and thousands of names that aren't being put to good use.

Also, just out of curiousity are we able to spam the emails to all usernames? possibly inviting old veterans back to support us again and revisit us? would be awesome to see some old names back and this might be able to get some to come back.

Serious responses only please.

[Jerome Scuggs]

I don't know if this is possible to even work out as the interface hasn't changed in years

spoiler alert: no, it is not possible

[roxxkatt]

it is entirely possible, and in fact would be easy if the active ssc netops and the large zones switch to a new biller

they might even also switch to some kind of more powerful biller software

and if you are lucky, the ssc operators might use a database transfer tool to move over all the old names from priits ssc biller because they are sick of his shit

and from there it would be easy to set up an old name reset algorithm, especially one that cuts reset age in half for each additional name you own



and you might even see all this happen in your natural lifetime

https://trello.com/c/GqTA2YwM/13-imp...eset-algorithm
http://forums.subspace.tw/showthread...ntinuum-Biller


however the chances for this to happen would be severely diminished if some asshole signs himself and his personal bank account up with steam and then does a premature release of some shitty batch file on steam, getting new players and locking us all in with priit forever

[paradise!]

i was going to come in and roast you for this post. but i realize you're fairly new to the game, havok. this has been an issue for as long as this game has existed. the current name reset algorithm makes 0 sense. there is a thread floating around here where someone ran some tests to gauge the algorithm and it literally makes 0 sense. I think attaching a banner to a name with at least 4 hours of usage amounts to something like 2 years of never being reset. shits broken.

[Jerome Scuggs]

it is entirely possible, and in fact would be easy if the active ssc netops and the large zones switch to a new biller

they might even also switch to some kind of more powerful biller software

and if you are lucky, the ssc operators might use a database transfer tool to move over all the old names from priits ssc biller because they are sick of his shit

so it's not possible? lol

[bkgmjo]

This is the wrong place to ask for this. Although chances responsible operators will care are minimal, you can try here: http://www.subspaceforum.com/help-desk
Trench Wars staff does not have any access to the billing server where names are stored.

[forwards]

I don't really care if you flame me for this idea, its just something the head people might want to consider if this thing moves forward with steam and we get a population spike. Recently I have noticed all new players really have some of the shittiest names you can imagine. If I had to guess, 90% of possible decent names are locked up forever... (or the 10 year inactive lock). I remember trying to make a name to alias on years ago and getting extremely frustrated that even shitty names were all taken. This is just a suggestion but from a new player point of view, the first thing they do is download the game and are asked to create a username. This process shouldn't be as difficult as it is to come up with something half-way decent and its sad to say but I really don't think ANY players that haven't signed on in the past year are coming back.

I don't know if this is possible to even work out as the interface hasn't changed in years... but maybe implementing a rule that a player can only have a total of two names. If they create a third name it automatically unlocks one of the other usernames and opens it up for other players. I know people who own a shit load of good names are gonna flame this idea, but when we think long term all of the names are locked up by people who ARE NEVER coming back and rather them go to new users who might stay longer because they don't have to play under the name "Newbie123". This may not seem like a big deal, but I feel like it would make the process easier for new players and not have all these names in such gridlock. The head people who can do this would possibly be able to spam everyone's email that are attached to all the usernames warning them to sign on before the name is reset.

This is just a suggestion from a new-player point of view, and for 90% of us we only use 1-3 names anyway. It doesn't need to be these EXACT rules, but I think something needs to be done about these thousands and thousands of names that aren't being put to good use.

Also, just out of curiousity are we able to spam the emails to all usernames? possibly inviting old veterans back to support us again and revisit us? would be awesome to see some old names back and this might be able to get some to come back.

Serious responses only please.

Newbie123 is taken.

[PoLiX]

The original algorithm was great when the biller was relatively new. The problem is it was never modified, and in turn names reset slowly and rarely.

On top of that, I did once get Priit to reset ~1500 inactive squads and all the unique ones were picked up by hoarders by the end of the day. Some of them literally have '?squadowner name' in their auto. Heck I once reset a bunch of names Russ stole from inactive hoarders and most were gone the next day. I didn't even say I was reseting them, these guys just check continuously.

You also have the fact many of those "inactive" names that people really want, aren't always as inactive as they seem. I can't tell you how many times I'd check and the name had been on in the past few weeks but I'd be told "BS, I check every day when I login and it always says 10 or more days". Maybe they were correct and just started after its last login, or they were hoping I'd just give it to them.

The solution would be to limit the number of aliases any one ip/macid could have. It wouldn't be a rock solid solution, but would minimize the amount of hoarding that goes on in the game.

A new biller has been proposed many times, but as when it comes to anything to do with power in this game it is nothing but a fight. The closest was probably the last time the zones were being attacked and noone could connect to the biller due to the firewall. Sadly though you had TW wanting to make their own, EG their own, and everyone else their own. Would of had 3-4 billers easily if people actually followed through.

My messy 2 cents.

[Jerome Scuggs]

I remember '03 or '04 there was a huge reset, and yeah, I was one of those guys that snatched up a crapload of names, though most have reset. Always wondered what caused that mass purge, is this when you got priitk to reset a bunch of names?

[PoLiX]

Nope, can't take credit for that.

Did look through the council messages though, and seems it was just a random mass purge by Priit. No warning either.

[Bukkake Surprise]

Maybe the fact that the new names are all crap is an indication of the quality of the players we're getting. The whiny morons who quit after 10 minutes of sucking the first time they play are obviously not going to come up with any good names.

Then again, you got old players with names like "2pacZ", "pee pee sock" and "angry.chair".

And let's not forget "SkyMan's".