So after charging players a ridiculous fee ($10) per character rename we are going to potentially LOSE those names? Guys, renaming a character literally takes a stored procedure 0.000000001 seconds of server time. This is an AUTOMATED process. You've made your $$$$$ back on the development cost many times over. Continuing to charge players an insane fee for a simple convenience is a TERRIBLE business practice. On top of that you are now putting players (unwillingly) in a position where they lose names that they PAID FOR?

That's actually a valid point. You've spent real money maintaining a name, just to watch it evaporate.

Like most services that allow you to pay to change your name. (Most MMO's, Xbox Live, etc)

You are not really paying for the server resources required for this. The cost is there to discourage you from constantly changing your name for no reason.

For you to actually think about when you do it, since this is the name that others knows you as.

Sure Bioware is making money off of it, but discouraging people from constantly changing their name is also a good thing.

Like most services that allow you to pay to change your name. (Most MMO's, Xbox Live, etc)

You are not really paying for the server resources required for this. The cost is there to discourage you from constantly changing your name for no reason.

For you to actually think about when you do it, since this is the name that others knows you as.

Sure Bioware is making money off of it, but discouraging people from constantly changing their name is also a good thing.

 

I totally agree with this. I understand *why* the cost is there but 1,000 Cartel Coins is punitive. Additionally, the token is consumed as soon as you make an attempt at changing the name, even if the name isn't available. It says, "...consumed on use" but is it "used" if the name you try isn't available?

 

I would be super happy if they discounted these to 90 CC for some time before and after the merge and then left them at a much lower cost afterwards. 250 CC is probably more in line with keeping people from constantly changing names.

So after charging players a ridiculous fee ($10) per character rename we are going to potentially LOSE those names? Guys, renaming a character literally takes a stored procedure 0.000000001 seconds of server time. This is an AUTOMATED process. You've made your $$$$$ back on the development cost many times over. Continuing to charge players an insane fee for a simple convenience is a TERRIBLE business practice. On top of that you are now putting players (unwillingly) in a position where they lose names that they PAID FOR?

 

I have to admit. the original poster (OP) has a good point.

I agree with the OP, the price should be heavily discounted when there are server merges but alt characters work as does using a firstname'lastname. Unfortunately, people have been begging for server merges and BW is giving them what they want but I do see that they can drop the name change to 90cc when they do merges. People would be happy with that I think.

I totally agree with this. I understand *why* the cost is there but 1,000 Cartel Coins is punitive. Additionally, the token is consumed as soon as you make an attempt at changing the name, even if the name isn't available. It says, "...consumed on use" but is it "used" if the name you try isn't available?

 

Nope. If the name is taken it doesn't consume the token until you actually rename your character. I've done it myself.

Nope. If the name is taken it doesn't consume the token until you actually rename your character. I've done it myself.

 

Except now that token is bound to that character forever. There is no way of getting it back and using it on another character. I have two characters where the little icon blinks forever because none of the names I ever try are available. The token shouldn't be "consumed" until the name is actually accepted.

That's actually a valid point. You've spent real money maintaining a name, just to watch it evaporate.

Actually the service you buy is the ability to change a name and not the right of maintaining a name.

 

However, names are a big deal for many people whether they spent money on it or not and when I remember the twin waves of server merges in 2012, I remember losing all my names except two of them. I also remember how much that hurt.

 

Right now, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep at least these two now. That scares me more than anything. I recognize the need for these server merges, but I am rather afraid of losing either of those two names. I checked on the other servers involved. The names are taken there also. So even though I created these characters way at the beginning, I risk losing them after all. Also my legacy name is named after my main so that would create a secondary issue as well.

 

This is the one thing that I really worry about with regards to this roadmap.

Actually the service you buy is the ability to change a name and not the right of maintaining a name.

 

However, names are a big deal for many people whether they spent money on it or not and when I remember the twin waves of server merges in 2012, I remember losing all my names except two of them. I also remember how much that hurt.

 

Right now, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep at least these two now. That scares me more than anything. I recognize the need for these server merges, but I am rather afraid of losing either of those two names. I checked on the other servers involved. The names are taken there also. So even though I created these characters way at the beginning, I risk losing them after all. Also my legacy name is named after my main so that would create a secondary issue as well.

 

This is the one thing that I really worry about with regards to this roadmap.

 

Man... I didn't even think of checking to see if my names were on the other servers. Now I'm all paranoid. I'm going to go check right now LOL.

I totally agree with this. I understand *why* the cost is there but 1,000 Cartel Coins is punitive. Additionally, the token is consumed as soon as you make an attempt at changing the name, even if the name isn't available. It says, "...consumed on use" but is it "used" if the name you try isn't available?

 

I would be super happy if they discounted these to 90 CC for some time before and after the merge and then left them at a much lower cost afterwards. 250 CC is probably more in line with keeping people from constantly changing names.

 

Wrong, there is a limit in place for that purpose.

 

The cost is for making money.

The token shouldn't be "consumed" until the name is actually accepted.

 

It isn't. They've always been bound, btw.

I knew this was coming in spike of Keith saying they wouldn't do it, but imagine how pissed off people who don't read the forums will be when they find out that a name change or a paid transfer is undone by a server merge.

 

BioFail should put a HUGE warning up so people don't get burned.

Just seems sleezy to take money from your customers for a "Name Change" service and then turn around and wipe out the name.

 

"Oh, you didn't read the fine print? You didn't scour the forums for that tidbit we posted? You're dumb. Learn to read idiot!!!!"

 

Gee... why is a game with the STAR WARS IP merging servers for the 4th time in 5 years???? Hmmmmm

Seems to me the simplest solution would just to be to make those who paid for a rename token and used it have the top priority on keeping a name. These people paid for that name in essence, didn't have it granted for free, so they should be at the top of the list for keeping said name. That's really the only fair way to handle this.

 

Personally, this issue probably isn't going to affect any of my characters, as I have a naming system that's pretty unique to me, but I definitely sympathize with the thousands it will affect, and hope Bioware can offer them a fair solution to this.

Seems to me the simplest solution would just to be to make those who paid for a rename token and used it have the top priority on keeping a name. These people paid for that name in essence, didn't have it granted for free, so they should be at the top of the list for keeping said name. That's really the only fair way to handle this.

No, it's not a fair way to handle it. Or it is. Depends on how long ago the person changed name, and on other things.

 

If I changed on the day after release, and not since, I'd say I've had way more than the benefit (having the other name) that I paid for, so no refund for me.

 

If I changed on the day before the announcement, it's a little different. Maybe. Not.

 

Why not? Well, I create a character on the same day as you (in 2013, say), but on different servers. That character is my main, and we both play the game for ages. That character you created isn't in any way your main, though. The day before the announcement, you bought a token and renamed your character to the same name as mine, but still on the other server. So your character has had that name for two months on M day and is a five-minutes-once-a-month character, and somehow you get priority over me for the name because of your token?

 

No. Just No.

My suggestion:

Refund the cartel coins.

 

That is if, and only if:

a) The character in question has acquired its current name via a rename token from the cartel market.

b) Is forced to rename because there is a name collision with character that belongs to a different account and has a higher priority.

 

Criterion of demarcation:

a) Free rename tokens acquired for whatever reason do not count, only those bought from cartel coins.

b) Name collisions with your own characters on different servers do not count, as long as one of your characters does keep the name.

c) Obviously there is no refund if you do keep the name.

I'm concerned about this too. I'm not too worried about most of my names, even though I have a fair amount of them, but two, yeah, two I'm afraid I might lose, and one of those was a rename that I got the very moment that the servers came back up after spaces were allowed in names.

 

I sat here waiting, having already tested whether the name worked on the PTS and bought my rename token before the downtime, and the moment the servers came back, I claimed my name..

 

The issue is, I have so many characters, that I all play, that I will never get the amount of /played time on a character that some people might get. Max level, sure, played operations and flashpoints, sure, but I can't get that sheer amount of /played time on any single character, and if I lost this name, well, I'd be terribly disappointed, but I'd have to go back to something like its previous name, before I bought that rename token.

 

That's actually a valid point. You've spent real money maintaining a name, just to watch it evaporate.

 

It’s not much different from people who paid to transfer between servers. For example, transferring from Shadowlands to TEH last month and now finding out you could have waited and saved money isn’t great.

I think they knew mergers were coming 6 months ago, but have kept it under raps till they had all the bells and whistles sorted out. But that’s had a very detrimental affect on people leaving and I can understand why some people would be angry theyve spent money for nothing.

They could have just said 3 months ago that they were planning on merging before the end of the year, as long as we can ensure all the concerns about them are met”.

That would have prepared people for it, they could have then made a decision on wether to rename or pay for transfers. Other people I know who specifically left because they had come to believe Bioware would never get around to merging would have stayed. Lots of those people I know, now plan to come back. But Bioware have lost 3-6 months worth of revenue from those subscriptions because they are too secretive with some things. I can understand being secretive about new content, but this was a QOL issue that was making people unsub.

I think it’s right for people to ask for a refund of CC or free tokens for renames or server transfers.

I knew this was coming in spike of Keith saying they wouldn't do it, but imagine how pissed off people who don't read the forums will be when they find out that a name change or a paid transfer is undone by a server merge.

 

BioFail should put a HUGE warning up so people don't get burned.

 

This is a fair point. Where are all the ingame messages and popups telling people of the coming changes.

Maybe the best solution would be that they add "Names created with a name-change-token prior to the date the roadmap was announced" as the highest priority above all others in the priority list of name collisions. I doubt there would be many cases where two names were purchased with a name-change-token the same name on two separate merged servers.

Actually the service you buy is the ability to change a name and not the right of maintaining a name.

 

As soon as I saw the OP, I made a bet with myself that there'd be a corporate shill defending this before I read to page 2. Not exactly defending, but I was close. At least you're not actually arguing that they're morally in the right here, and yes, technically they can legally take back the renames, but it's incredibly sleazy and customers will remember this if they go ahead with it. That is, those who don't leave because they lost their main character's identity in the merge.

Ok, without reading the TOS word for word I'm sure it's just like any other company or mmorpg. They didn't charge you anything. You purchased the ability to change one of "their" character's names that you created. Yes "their." Remember, they (Bioware) own everything in the game: your characters, your armor, your mods, your achievements and yes, your credits. They own your cartel coins. You can't get them back except under extreme circumstances or if you can prove they did something illegal. You can't convert the coins back to RL money. I'm sure the TOS or the fine print says something like: "We reserve the right to change, delete, move, remove, kill, burn alive your characters at anytime during the operation of SWTOR MMORPG now and forever." Edited October 5, 2017 by Zerileth

As soon as I saw the OP, I made a bet with myself that there'd be a corporate shill defending this before I read to page 2. Not exactly defending, but I was close. At least you're not actually arguing that they're morally in the right here, and yes, technically they can legally take back the renames, but it's incredibly sleazy and customers will remember this if they go ahead with it. That is, those who don't leave because they lost their main character's identity in the merge.

Oh there are a lot of things that companies do that are legal but not exactly customer friendly or moral. I personally find the cartel packs immoral.

 

But I do want people to take their pink glasses off from time to time to realise what it actually is they're buying. You buy a name change, not a name. It may feel like the same, it may come down the same for you, but it isn't the same.

 

What I think the best way is to approach this is to first see if you lose any of your names. Chances are but wait and see first. Then put in a ticket for the names that you lost and that you used a name change for and see what happens.

 

However, I doubt there's much they will be willing to do. They may not put it as directly as I did, may even come up with a standard line, but legally, I really don't think people have a leg to stand on. That's just reality.

This is a fair point. Where are all the ingame messages and popups telling people of the coming changes.

 

That is on you, the consumer, to be aware of changes that the Owners have posted. It's not like it's a hidden source. They have a twitter, FB, SWTOR.com, Twitch, etc... Not including the opening on the launcher they have messages on.

They don't need one more thing to waste time on trying to make sure people read stuff. If people aren't going to bother with the sources they already use, it's not going to change with an in game popup. It will be clicked off like the GMOTD.

 

Ahh, there we go. Took until page 3 for the real corporate shill to show up. Oh well, I'll have to guess better next time.

 

Feel better now??

The "corporate shill" as you put it has a valid point.

The OP is just whining, concerned he might lose his name. There is NO guarantee that he will lose his name. But he's starting opposition in fear of it.

As another poster stated the ones who are server transferring are now owed money back if they're going to do Rename Tokens.

But as stated on the CC TOS, All Sales are final. Make your choices wisely.

(BTW if a name is that much concern for your toon that you will quit playing, you have bigger issues that a name being changed. Counseling might help there.)