May we please have a name change option?

[Alistaire]

May we please not have a name change option. The trolling that would occur, the bad players skipping past their bad rep...just no.

[Lithera]

May we please not have a name change option. The trolling that would occur, the bad players skipping past their bad rep...just no.

Presumably, since they char would still be the same and not a deleted and recreated character, they would remain in your blacklist with their new name and not [Deleted] so the trolling would be potentially minimal. The confusion however? That's another story.

[Mahri]

Presumably, since they char would still be the same and not a deleted and recreated character, they would remain in your blacklist with their new name and not [Deleted] so the trolling would be potentially minimal. The confusion however? That's another story.

Precisely this; this is how name-changes work in all other games. No lists are affected, and the name gets updated everywhere.

As far as the social issue of letting your friends, raid-mates, etc. know who you are, it's the same as rolling alts has always been in games like this.

[TeganLaron]

Presumably, since they char would still be the same and not a deleted and recreated character, they would remain in your blacklist with their new name and not [Deleted] so the trolling would be potentially minimal. The confusion however? That's another story.

Yeah because my blacklist is used for trolls with a bad rep...I couldn't fit a single one on there if I tried. 200 RMT and still get spammed non stop.

[Purrfectstorm]

May we please not have a name change option. The trolling that would occur, the bad players skipping past their bad rep...just no.

I think you're placing too high a relevance to "rep." But besides that, some bad players (not sure if you mean bad attitudes, bad at playing, or both) might actually evolve. It would be pretty harsh to saddle someone with the bad player reputation who has reformed their attitude and/or play. Not to mention there are already work arounds (switching servers, then switching back, etc.) It seems pointless to deny people nice things just because some people will take advantage. This was, is, and will be true of any nice thing ever.

[Mahri]

I think you're placing too high a relevance to "rep." But besides that, some bad players (not sure if you mean bad attitudes, bad at playing, or both) might actually evolve. It would be pretty harsh to saddle someone with the bad player reputation who has reformed their attitude and/or play. Not to mention there are already work arounds (switching servers, then switching back, etc.) It seems pointless to deny people nice things just because some people will take advantage. This was, is, and will be true of any nice thing ever.

An exceedingly good point, and I'm not remotely convinced that "reputation" is a driving force behind player interactions to begin with. Players with poor attitudes who are unable to do well with others are a self-regulating phenomenon (they aren't having fun and so they don't keep playing, at least never for long stretches) -- and as bad a rap as internet anonymity gets, trolls and griefers are actually rather few and far between in this game. The same cannot be said of every MMO, but so far, this one has done alright in that respect.

There are enough ways to make social connections through FCs, alliances, and various linkshells that good communities will form up and maintain themselves as they continue playing together, and also form a regulating force against the occasional bad egg. The ability to change one's name makes ultimately little difference here.