If ever an XI-style server merge occurs, SHUNNNN the non-subscribers!

[Mychael]

I have no idea if anything like this will ever cross the XIV team's minds. But if a server merge ever comes about that mimics XI's Server A -> Server B style, please change how name conflicts are resolved. In many ways these A->B transfers are preferable, as players with multiple linkshells can go without worrying, and communities stay together. But please allow names to be first-come-first serve AFTER the merge. Why? Because (though I can't prove this fact) I'd say that a huge number of characters are probably deactivated now that the game is pay-to-play, and a lot of them are going to stay that way. I logged on ASAP at launch to get a name I liked, and I still like it. Deferring my name to a character that will never be played would suck. This won't be a problem for people with original names, but for anyone with a "popular" name (John Doe, Pac Man, White Mage, Oprah Winfrey, etc.) it will be a problem. It also annoyed many of my friends in XI that they had no control over whether or not they could keep their names, because SE picked for everyone.

To solve both of these problems relatively easily, I suggest that, in the case of a name conflict, the precedence would not go to the "receiving" server's player, but to the first player to log in after the update. It makes sense to me, if this is technologically possible.

EDIT: I'm pretty sure the thread's turned up better ideas than first come first serve. I've struck it through it so people will hopefully not just read the OP and comment. ^^