Factors for a fair forced transfer: Naming

I think names are an important part of the character creation process. If that weren't true, then why should players even have the option of using anything but a randomly generated name? Furthermore, players love it when their name reflects themselves or their character in some way, deepening the connection they feel to their creation. The unique name requirement elevates popular names to status symbols. Anyone who says it doesn't matter should explain why so many players go through the effort of creating alts just to reserve such names. Character names do matter, and not everyone is willing to settle for a bastardized spelling of a particular name.

On the other hand, there are very legitimate advantages to requiring names to be unique. Not just for simplicity in database management, but for simplicity in user interaction and communication. One possible solution is to use a globally unique identifier for each account, which could be configurable on the SWTOR website (or it could just be your account name). This handle would need to be visible next to the character name in any listing (group finders, who list, and chat windows). Your friends list would be account wide , as well as your ignore list (all your characters, all their characters). Each character should then have a privacy setting per character that allows them to log on to that character without notifying friends that they are online (Hey, its nice to play undisturbed once in a while!). But chances are players would become known to other players by their handles, making character names somewhat irrelevant.

I should point out that other developers are taking this approach. Diablo III for example.

Expansion of the namespace would help the game moving forward as well, considering we are going to all be operating on fewer servers, which are going to be densely populated with accounts.

Full thoughts on how it should be expanded:
http://www.swtor.com/community/showt...84#post4829584

I think you miss understood my point. Transfers can be made open to both servers. If players are waiting for slots they can wait until they get more slots to transfer the bigger server. Those willing to deal with a lower pop server in an effort to keep their name can transfer to the new server. It's not forcing players to transfer characters to different servers.

On this point you're making assumptions that players will return or they will lose players for having to pay a fee because they moved their account. At current there is a small portion of the player base upset about the forced transfers, choosing to accommodate inactive accounts over the possibility that they return doesn't seem very wise.

Besides, returning players are already going to be confused by their toons being on a different server.

I have nothing to worry about, I suffered through the long queue times on The Ebon Hawk when the rest were screaming open more servers.

My names are secure as is everyone who is part of my guild......everyone coming to my server will just have to deal.

Let's be honest here, you're not going to be happy with that solution. The moment you see YOUR name being used by someone else in chat, or in a group, or someone talking about them, you're going to get upset.

I don't blame you, to a degree I do too, no one likes perceived "name stealers". And most definitely no one likes to deal with the awkwardness that is caused by the mistaken identities, "No, I'm not THAT Zoiks. I'm the one from server X."

The solution they're using now is as fair as it is going to get. It's akin to the rules of the road. Imagine the server you're going to is the far left lane, and they've shutdown all of the other lanes. Everyone in those other lanes now has to merge to that far left lane, giving up their place to get the next available one. It sucks, but if you want to get where you're going, in this case presumably having fun playing the game, then you have no choice.

Again, let's be honest, if the loss of your name is enough to make you unsubscribe, then you clearly don't enjoy the game very much and likely weren't going to stay much longer anyway. Not to be harsh, but in the end I doubt you'll be very missed even by EA's beancounters.

That's silly, I see my name all the time when I play Champions Online I never get upset, why would any rational person get upset over a name?

I'm guessing you wouldn't be bothered by losing your name in a transfer in that case then. If you don't care that someone else is using "YOUR" name, then you won't care if you had to change it.

Except that the developers are going to force players to transfer, so that source servers can be shut down. Hence the issue.
There's a difference between making assumptions and analyzing the market. If anything, the presence of individuals upset over the current naming issue demonstrates there will be a similar issue when the developers succeed in bringing players back to the game, only to find their character names have been changed. Your recommend action does not solve the problem, it simply shifts it to another population. A target market population, no less. From a marketing standpoint that is an extremely poor decision.

Besides, in my case some of my comments were not even based on market analysis. My sister and her husband cancelled from the game when she graduated medical school. As a result they are moving constantly, and will not have an internet connection capable of accessing the game until she is able to settle somewhere and begin her practice. They plan to resubscribe when that happens, but they won't if they are no longer on the same server as me and our other family members.
Which only makes it more important that they find themselves on a new server alongside their friends and family who still play the game.

Just wondering why there is so much nashing of teeth over something some trival as a character name in a game. For Pete's sake, they are only PIXELS and not part of your flesh and blood family. I for one am more into just playing the game with whatever character name I can creatively come up with but if it has to change I feel I can be just as creative and come up with something just as good for a character. It is not that important that I hold onto something so unimportant.

Which is the whole point of my solution, give players with an active account an alternative. To resolve the inactive issue shoot out an email to those accounts informing them of server transfers. If they can move inactive accounts they can allow players to make a choice by logging into their inactive account. If they decide not to do anything with their inactive account then they've waived their right to choosing where they want their characters placed.
So you bring up market analysis but yet have no market analysis to backup your claim.

My solution solves the problem for the active population, those returning will have the issue regardless of whether or not active accounts are given an alternative.