Why we probably won't ever see a name change service...

[Fendred]

If you look carefully on the pages where fantasia are sold, it states that each option can only be purchased once. To recustomize more than once, you'd have to buy increasingly expensive packages containing greater numbers of flasks. Clearly they only begrudgingly support character re-customization.

It's not like they don't already have the ability to change a character's name. The feature is built into server transfers and so isn't a major issue to implement (they'd just copy all the code used in that and spend at most a few hours getting an alpha version of the product ready).

The reason character re-customization is an option in other commercially available MMORPGs is because many people DO NOT have time to reroll characters. Its a way to make their character look like something else when they grow tired of it. Under no circumstance does it encourage players to invest more hours on new characters. If they stop liking the way their character looks and they do not have the time to reroll, they aren't going to be making a new character. That's purposely engineering a reason for a time strapped player to stop playing.

[ispano]

If you look carefully on the pages where fantasia are sold, it states that each option can only be purchased once. To recustomize more than once, you'd have to buy increasingly expensive packages containing greater numbers of flasks. Clearly they only begrudgingly support character re-customization.

No, this is just temporary and they said as much. It's only like this until they can rework the system that hands out things like this and vet rewards to allow sending to individual characters. Currently the system will send the rewards to every single character on the account.

[Yukiba]

That sux.. I remember them saying we would eventualy be able to change our name as well.. Sucks to have a female name and want to switch to a male character keeping the female name.. But I guess thats SE for ya..

[Bucy]

I can think of a MMO-cultural reason for why SE resists allowing us to change our names.

Preventing name changes disincentivizes bad behavior. People who cannot gain anonymity may be reluctant to rob FC chests, be cruel, vulgar, or disruptive in chat, or rip people off with trade schemes.

[Fendred]

No, this is just temporary and they said as much. It's only like this until they can rework the system that hands out things like this and vet rewards to allow sending to individual characters. Currently the system will send the rewards to every single character on the account.

I've been looking all over the place for something on that matter and wasn't finding it. Thanks for letting me know.

[Bixby]

I've been looking all over the place for something on that matter and wasn't finding it. Thanks for letting me know.

Here's the post where they talk about it being temporary.

And then there's this:

As mentioned in this thread, the team is still discussing the details around this, but in the future we definitely want to offer more phials of Fantasia as well as something that allows players to change their name.

[Xystic]

I can think of a MMO-cultural reason for why SE resists allowing us to change our names.

Preventing name changes disincentivizes bad behavior. People who cannot gain anonymity may be reluctant to rob FC chests, be cruel, vulgar, or disruptive in chat, or rip people off with trade schemes.

People use to do this all the time. Get themselves blacklisted for being a dirt-bag and than name change.

[Wolfandre]

I can think of a MMO-cultural reason for why SE resists allowing us to change our names.

Preventing name changes disincentivizes bad behavior. People who cannot gain anonymity may be reluctant to rob FC chests, be cruel, vulgar, or disruptive in chat, or rip people off with trade schemes.

This doesn't work in FFXIV, as names are tied to character data. A person who changes their name will still be on the blacklist of everyone who has them on it. This is evidenced by everyone who played in 1.0 still had their friend list data, even if anyone changed their name.

Source: I'm a Legacy player who confused way too many of my friends with a name change at game start.

EDIT: Clarity.